@ Justin Character Bios...

Sorry for the delay! I spent a bit too long trying to find out exactly what could work. As I keep letting myself slip I've decided to finally make a decision about what my hero, sidekick and villain are going to be based on and the world they live in.  After looking into some more Japanese creatures and spirits I've come up with this:

In this world everyone knows ninjutsu, as the realm they live in is where it originated. This realm is alive with spirits, both good and bad, with varying magical and physical abilities.  The spirits and demons that live here are all gifted but some are much stronger than others, either through their age and wisdom or through anger and desire.  Deep within the mountains there lies a treasure, hidden in an ancient shrine.  Some believe that this treasure will lead those who find it to absolute peace, whereas others believe it would lead them to unrivalled power.

Villain: Oni

• The villain will be named after and based on Japanese demons called 'oni'.  

Oni will be male and very strong both magically and physically. His desire for control and dominance over the realm has lead him to become arrogant and vengeful, but this has made him careless.  His key traits are:

• Fierce, cruel and devilish temperament.
• Very impatient, he will not endure that which he deems unfit for his time.
• He wishes to use his knowledge of the black arts to destroy anything that stands in the way of him reaching the hidden treasure and total domination over the spirit realm.

Physically:

• Muscular and heavy.
• At first glance he could be considered as a burly human but the longer you look the more you see.
• His skin colour is a pallid purple that deepens with rage or battle.
• Upon his head he wears a helmet to disguise his horns.
• He wears parts of a ninjutsu uniform but it sits unnaturally on his frame.
• He has 3 large clawed fingers and toes, he bears fangs when he is no longer ion disguise as a human.
• At his side is an unholy flaming double-edged sword called Tsurugi, and upon his chest is an amulet that he draws dark energy from.

Hero: Inari

The heroine will be named Inari, after the Japanese Shinto Kami. This deity can be male or female and can also be considered as "the luck-bringing protector of the earth, farming and farmers, commerce, and overall good fortune"

Within my world she will be leaving her home among the golden rice fields to defeat the demon Oni and return her realm to the peace it once had.  On this journey she will take along her companion Kitsune, the shape shifting fox.
Inari's traits will be:

• Emotionally strong and determined.
• Despite her heavy burden she still cares for everyone and anyone that needs her assistance on her journey.
• She stays brave in the face of evil, falling back to her ninjutsu training to keep her from harm.
• Selfless and protective to those around her. Her humble life allows her to put others far before herself.

Physically:

• She's average height and uses her speed and nimble feet to make up for her disadvatnage physically..
• Though she is physically strong and muscular, she still has a petite frame.
• She wears a full ninjutsu uniform allowing her to become completely invisible and shape-shift to disguise herself if needs be.
• She caries a variety of weapons such as her katana, throwing stars, kaginawa (grappling hook) and ashiko (climbing cleats). When concentrating she can use her magic to manipulate these objects to reach far distances and difficult targets.
• She's beautiful but there's a clear strength in her features.

Sidekick: Kitsune

Kitsune is just Japanese for 'fox', but it is also used to refer to the fox spirit that acts as Inari's messenger in Japanese Shinobi.  

For my cartoon, Kitsune will be Inari's trusted companion and friend. A very fast a cunning friend, it's also fairly silly and enjoys being out on an adventure a little too much.  Kitsune has the ability to shape-shift into a 9-tailed fox that has the ability to reach great speeds on land or fly if it's needed, this can be incredibly draining for her though.
Kitsune's traits:

• Loyal and caring towards Inari.
• When confronted with danger Kitsune will always protect her master, sometimes using her ability to shapeshift to create silly diversions or illusions.
• Easily distracted by something of interest in the distance, she can sometimes waste her ability to fly just to see what she caught in her peripherals. 
• Generally light-hearted but never so silly she mislays her priorities.

Physically:

• A larger than average fox.
• Her colour is neutrally black with white patches. Her eyes are a glaring emerald green.
• When transformed  she becomes much larger and stronger, but still fox-like, with nine large tails to grant her speed and flight.

I'm quite happy with these decisions, obviously they'll probably change as I start drawing but for now I'll put up all the research behind them! :D