Urban Assembly Gateway
About the 2025 Character Design Program at Urban Assembly Gateway
Creative Art Works’ Character Design Program is a paid internship offered at four NYC Career and Technical Education High Schools. Interns are challenged to create their own fully-realized characters with backstories, personality traits, and strengths and weaknesses.
This year, the curriculum suggested three themes, derived from the Games for Change design competition, to help interns shape their creative vision: Own the Road, All in for Nature: Reefs & Rainforests, and Outgrow Hunger. As the program progressed, some students naturally evolved their characters beyond these original themes, reshaping stories, motivations, and designs in ways that reflected their growing skills and imagination.
Own the Road
Click on any image to learn more about the character.
Lumi
by Abdullah Azmi
Lumi is a friendly flying saucer with traffic lights and big, happy eyes who helps cars and kids stay safe on busy roads. When a huge rainstorm hits a busy school street and cuts the power to the main traffic lights, cars start rushing. Even though the wind is strong, brave Lumi flies up into the dark sky. Using its backup battery, Lumi shines its red light bright and chirps its horn so the kids can cross safely.
Super Potato
by Jaden Mei
In an industrialized world where the rich monopolize land for factories, a rejected, unappealing potato was tossed from a farm. Rolling into a tent of starving people, his intense desire to help transformed him into a flying superhero with the power to instantly grow food. Later, a tired detective waiting at a red light hallucinates this billboard character coming to life, flying out of an advertisement to save a green dinosaur from being run over by a speeding car.
Stop Man
by Christopher Richardson
After a horrific car accident shattered most of his bones and left him with devastating injuries, a mysterious scientist stepped in and saved a man's life at the cost of his body. Now equipped with a specialized supersuit, the man has dedicated his life to being Stop Man! With the scientist's help, this superhero protects the roads and its citizens from irresponsible drivers who refuse to listen to the rules of the road.
Sosuke Kiyotaka
by Benjamin Peng
Dedicated to traffic safety after losing a friend to a car crash, Sosuke Kiyotaka used his power of manifestation to create an automobile company. His vehicles are electrically charged, reducing reliance on fossil fuels, and feature state-of-the-art technology that automatically stops to prevent collisions. Mainstream adoption stands in his way, but with a recent alien invasion, he transforms his company to create a laser forcefield over the city, preventing the aliens from throwing toxic waste at the world.
Yuto
By Lin Zhou
Yuto is a short, expressive green dinosaur standing about four feet tall. Though a bit naive, moody, and shy, his habit of wandering off led him away from his jungle home and straight into the big city. Now living in an apartment, Yuto explores city life daily, though he is terrified of traffic. He only crosses the street when strangers accompany him. It turns out Yuto’s fears are well-founded.
Xavier Wilson (Ex-46 MK II)
by Lawrence Basora
Mourning his mother's death, 35-year-old Xavier Wilson grows impulsive while struggling to control the shockwave powers from a reactor shard fused into his chest. After a brutal fight cost him both hands, he obtained devastating prosthetics: a right bionic arm cannon capable of destroying city blocks, and a left hand that transforms into a nuclear crystal shard sword. Now known as Ex-46 MK II, he teams up with Stop Man to capture The Clone before the villain destroys the city.
Kyle
by Bradley Chabla
Kyle is a curious guy who enjoys figuring out crime in Sun City, England. When his obnoxious friend Brandon goes missing, an anxious Kyle reports it to law enforcement and joins a weird group of detectives. Because some members are actually hidden criminals, everyone must wear a disguise and work alone. Taking on a road safety role, Kyle undercoverly patrols the streets, a move that births his interest in fashion as he tests out different outfits.
Red
by Daylen Veloz Rafael
Once a regular stop sign, Rusty "Red" became animated after being struck by lightning. Acting like a dog, they have a tail, sharp teeth, and mischievously chase cars. Being new to life, they were initially disruptive, not because they were bad, but because they lacked experience. However, after traveling the road and witnessing constant car accidents, this chaotic creature realized its true purpose: it enjoyed keeping people safe and doing what it was originally designed to do.
Bear Bear
by Ryan Fermin
Bear Bear is a sweet, joyful, and outgoing bear who lives alone. Because he grew up without many friends, he is highly motivated to keep others happy. Fascinated by the city's efficiency, he leaves his isolated house to explore it. To his dismay, Bear Bear arrives to find pure chaos: angry animals and massive car pile-ups. Tapping into his surprisingly serious side, the cuddly hero decides he must hunt down the root cause of the city's malfunction.
Poses, Expression Sheets & Story Boards
All in for Nature: Reefs & Rainforests
Click on any image to learn more about the character.
Dale
by Daylen Rivera
After overthrowing a militia base using his plant-growing powers, Dale, the moss-covered captain of his tribe, was captured by the space organization SONDERFUL. Imprisoned in a megastructure in space, Dale endured years of brutal biological experiments aimed at creating super-soldiers. Following a massive containment breach, Dale escaped in a pod, landing on a dry, barren planet. He now takes on the ultimate challenge of providing the planet with vegetation using his cool plant powers.
Emir
by Jaevon
Emir is a positive ray of sunshine who spreads joy to the elderly residents of Trebka Village. Found in a river as a baby, Emir dedicates himself to helping his community to repay them for taking him in. Unknown to the village, Emir was actually sent from space before an unidentified force destroyed his home planet, Wardo. This alien lineage gives Emir a deep, mysterious connection to the village’s giant central tree—a mystical entity that provides the villagers with food every day. One day, jealous outside forces, believing the village has too much power and resources because of the special tree, lights the forest ablaze. The attack leaves Emir with severe burns and the sole survivor, so e builds a base in the ruined forest, determined to protect the trees from anyone who tries to threaten them for as long as he lives.
Rya
by Roanmy Garcia
Born on a tropical island, Rya commands weather, fire, and summoning blades through pure, emotionless will. She also has a hidden gift for healing. Her precise powers awaken when her childhood best friend becomes her enemy. Recently, an evil entity sent deceptive spirits to lure Rya and her fellow protectors into a forbidden forest trap to steal their power gem. Trapped in a dark castle, Rya utilized teamwork, courage, and her elemental abilities to escape the shadow creatures, returning home safely.
Cornelius
By Jacob Apolo
In the 13th century, Cornelius launched a working-class rebellion against the tyrant King Opus, who caused his parents' deaths through constant war. Victorious, Cornelius became the next ruler of the Igloo Kingdom, bringing thirty years of immense wealth and peace. Impressed, the God Wammnu granted him immortality and strength to protect the nation. Under his prosperous rule, the empire was suddenly attacked by bats, forcing Cornelius to ally with other nations and declare war.
Nova
by Leeann Angel
By helping nature, young women in Nova's world earn power-granting gems. Because of her deep love for animals and gardening, Nova earned a rare, two-colored gem, granting her control over both water and fire. This mastery of opposing elements proves she is perfectly grounded in balance. One day, a man in a trench coat delivers an invitation to the elite Powers Academy. Though it is Nova's dream, she has no idea she is walking into a deadly trap.
Sam
By Taibou Balde
When war breaks out in her home country, Sam is sent to New York City by her royal parents. Gifted with flower-blooming magic by a family fairy, Sam grew up using her powers to bring joy and color to the sad streets, making New Yorkers smile. Years later, she receives a life-changing call: the war is over, but her parents have passed away. Now, Sam must learn to navigate her grief while leaving her beloved city behind to become the new queen.
Hulo
In a world run by big oil monopolies, the observant Hulo fights polluters by transforming toxic waste and discarded junk into sustainable tools. When aliens invade in UFOs and dump toxic waste from the sky, Sosuke Kiyotaka deploys a forcefield to protect the city. Because the shield isn’t perfect, Hulo uses his powers to pull the toxic goo from the ocean, converting it into clean oxygen while Gyatso stops the explosion fires from spreading to the village.
The Sausage
by Mahir Rahman
The Sausage is a 7,000-year-old flying sausage dedicated to defending Earth’s environment from alien invasions. When UFOs breach outer space and begin dumping toxic waste from the sky, The Sausage flies in to block the armada. Working alongside Sosuke Kiyotaka, who deploys an emergency city forcefield, Hulo, who purifies the toxic ocean goo into oxygen, and Gyatso, who stops spreading fires, this ancient culinary hero successfully forces the alien invaders to retreat back into deep space.
Gyatso
by Tian Aberdeen
Gyatso is a cool-headed general commanding a thousand-soldier army against devastating wildfires. Designed with an ancient Roman and Greek aesthetic, his appearance shifts between two color forms depending on his mood: a calm blue, and a red form featuring a two-phase sword from his future, more urgent self. Versed in multiple combat techniques, he wields a magic staff that can become any weapon he needs and a giant paintbrush that allows him to manipulate different elements depending on the ink he uses in battle.
Geoff
by Walter Lane
While excessively tending to their garden, Geoff the robot and Dale the tree discover an abandoned, frozen building. Inside, they find a raccoon being chased by a penguin in kingly attire, both trapped in ice. After thawing them, the raccoon flees, but the penguin joins Geoff and Dale. Through chaotic mishaps and hilarious hijinks, the trio becomes fast friends while successfully saving the environment.
Poses, Expression Sheets & Story Boards
Outgrow Hunger
Click on any image to learn more about the character.
Sprinkles
by Marelys Cornejo
Alongside her fellow heroes Doena, Glaze, and Dunken, Sprinkles co-owns Frosted Grounds, a massive company supplying the city with baked goods. When the evil Ratmier sends an army of rats to infest their food supplies and endanger consumers, the team unites. Combining Dunken’s frozen iced coffee blasts, Glaze’s exploding glaze, Doena’s powerful weapons and spells, and Sprinkles’ unique fighting skills, the heroes successfully capture Ratmier
Doena
by Aicha Diawara
Doena is a 19-year-old who grew up struggling. After graduating high school, she couldn’t keep up with college, but she formed an alliance with friends in the same shoes. With an entrepreneur's help, they acquired a job at Avengers Donut—a regular business that behind closed doors is a secret agency to take down corrupt companies. Though she initially struggled and was not as experienced, Doena learned self-defense, obtained weapons, and is determined to help.
Glaze
By Joseph Cruz
Once a normal man, Glaze was captured and punished by the main villain, transforming him into a live wooden spoon with glaze for hair. Alongside his brothers, he runs Frosted Grounds, a big Manhattan company serving baked goods. When a corrupt leader named Ratmier sends rats into the sewers to infest the food supplies, Glaze unites with Doena, Sprinkles, and Dunken. Fighting the rodents, Glaze flings his head to shoot exploding glaze to help capture Ratmier.
Poses, Expression Sheets & Story Boards
Fantasy & Sci-fi
Click on any image to learn more about the character.
The Honey Knight
The Honey Knight is the direct descendant of the Hollow Knight. He was born with both a void and the essence of the infection that was sealed by the Hollow Knight. This infection, once taking over the world and ruining it, is back yet inside the Honey knight. He cant talk nor has any facial expression. He was born into the hive where they gave him a home, knowing that he is the descendant of the hero of the land. He fights to unite the warring factions of his homeland, the Hollownest.
Sulfur
by Hayley Hu
As a small piece of slime condensed from leftover plasma and machinery, Sulfur somehow managed to form together and climb the ranks of the Insurgency. While people understand she isn’t human, they don’t question her because she has done so much fighting against the Cyber-Legion. Now the general of the Insurgency, she values honesty and pacifism. She hopes to stop the Cyber-Legion from advancing to maintain the perfect nature and technology balance.
Kalen
By Keven Padilla
Kaelen is a man defined by the heavy, iridescent wings that span nearly twelve feet from tip to tip. Far from the graceful, porcelain angels of myth, Kaelen’s feathers are the color of an approaching storm—deep slate grays and bruised purples—and they often carry the faint scent of rain and high-altitude ozone. He carries himself with a perpetual slouch, a habit born from years of trying to minimize his silhouette in a world built for those who stay on the ground.
Basilius “Basil” Cavendish
by Olga Gopka
Born to wealth in Nexatl's Steam region, 29-year-old Basil became an argon miner following a resource crisis. Glum, attentive to detail, and fiercely anti-authority, he spends his free time building mechanical animals and leading a miner union allied with the Insurgency. To halt the Cyber-Legion’s bloody advances, Basil and Sulfur meet enemies Kenzō and Viktor at the slum gates, successfully negotiating a tense peace treaty that trading territorial concessions for the rebuilding of their battle-torn city.
Poses, Expression Sheets & Story Boards
