ayasegawa yumichika

Yumichika is the narcissist friend of Ikkaku Madarame. Yumichika is a powerful combatant and wanted to become the 3rd Seat, since he thought the kanji for the number three was the most beautiful, though Ikkaku took it, so Yumichika took the 5th Seat, as he thought that the kanji for 5 resembled 3. He has colorful feathers on his eyelashes and eyebrow, and shiny skin and hair, giving him a rather womanly appearance.

Personality

Yumichika judges everyone and everything by beauty, and is also incredibly vain. However, he is at times shown to be caring and helpful to others. He is extremely loyal to his friend Ikkaku even going as far as to abandon his post at a pillar in the fake Karakura town to try and save Ikkaku from being killed. He cares deeply about what Ikkaku thinks and hides the true nature of his zanpakutō from him for fear of being hated. He, along with Renji Abarai, Tōshirō Hitsugaya, Rangiku Matsumoto and Tetsuzaemon Iba are the only people who have seen Ikkaku's Bankai, although Keigo Asano also might have seen it. Whenever he uses an Artificial soul to leave his Gigai, his personality changes to a rather violent and irritable one.

History

Yumichika in his younger days, before becoming a Shinigami.

Yumichika was a friend of Ikkaku Madarame from a long time ago, before Zaraki was a captain. During their past the two went throughout the Rukongai together looking for fights, and one day Ikkaku lost to Kenpachi Zaraki. After a speech given to them by him about living to kill the one who failed to kill them, and later after hearing news of Kenpachi becoming a captain, the two joined the 11th Division to serve under him. They proved themselves to Zaraki and became seated officers.

Synopsis

Soul Society arc

Yumichika, alongside Ikkaku, finds Ichigo Kurosaki and Ganju Shiba shortly after they arrive in Seireitei, and Yumichika fights off Ganju. Ganju spends most of the time running away and playing unsuccessful tricks, though he manages to defeat Yumichika with an explosive. He later fights 9th Division lieutenant Shūhei Hisagi, when he tries to stop Kenpachi from helping Ichigo's friends, and wins by releasing his Zanpakutō.

Bount arc

When the Bounts begin attacking living humans, Tōshirō Hitsugaya puts together a team of Shinigami consisting of Yumichika, Shūhei Hisagi, Rangiku Matsumoto, and Izuru Kira. Yumichika questions Hitsugaya as to why he was elected for the assignment. Hitsugaya explains that Kenpachi told him that Yumichika was the only one "with nothing better to do". Initially, Yumichika is the only one working on his own when the team arrives in Karakura Town, while the other Shinigami sent are assisting Ichigo and his friends who are dealing with the Bounts. Yumichika eventually manages to find the Bounts' main hideout, but decides to wait for the rest of his team.

When the rest of the team Hitsugaya organized arrives, Yumichika decides to go ahead on his own, but he (along with the rest of the group) is defeated by Ugaki's Doll. He is later found by Ichigo and Renji Abarai, who arrive later. They decide to carry Yumichika along, but they are all confronted by by Ugaki and his Doll in its full form. Renji decides to fight on his own, insisting that both Ichigo and Yumichika stay out of the battle. Ichigo shows numerous protests even during the battle, but Yumichika reveals to him that Renji used to belong to the 11th Division; and most members of the 11th Division fight to the death on their own, Renji being no exception (even after he was transferred). After Renji defeats the Doll, he can no longer continue. Yumichika urges Ichigo to continue on, telling him that he would look after Renji, so he wouldn't have to worry about him.

Yumichika also heads 11th Division matters along with Ikkaku, while Kenpachi and Yachiru are unable to.

Arrancar arc

Yumichika is later assigned to Tōshirō Hitsugaya's team to fight off the Arrancar. During the second first attack let by Grimmjow he prevents Keigo Asano from interfering with Ikkaku's battle with Edrad Liones. When Luppi leads the third invaition he battles and losses to Luppi.

Fake Karakura Town arc

When Aizen and the top three Espada invade the fake Karakura Town, he along with Ikkaku, Shūhei and Izuru Kira are left to protect the pillars that hold the real Karakura Town in Soul Society. Barragan Luisenbarn sends his Fracción to do battle at each point, with Yumichika getting paired with Charlotte Cuuhlhourne. Though initially their somewhat similar personalities causes an argument in a comedic fashion, the fight quickly turns serious, with Yumichika getting overpowered by Cuuhlhourne's attacks. He provokes the Arrancar to release his sword by slicing part of his hair after getting called his rival, greatly annoying himself. After Cuuhlhourne uses his ability, Rosa Blanca, to conceal the fighters, Yumichika in turn activates his sword's true form, Ruri'iro Kujaku, and drains his Spiritual Energy.

He later is surprised along with the other Shinigami present that Ikkaku lost his fight and becomes erratic and proceeds to come to his friends aid. Hisagi tries to calm him, but Yumichika does not listen to him, causing Kira to knock him out, stating that his manners are not appropriate when addressing his superiors and that he needs to calm himself.

Powers & Abilities

Despite being a 5th seated officer, it has been shown that Yumichika is capable of fighting on par with lieutenant-level Shinigami, especially when he uses the full power of his zanpakutō.

Spiritual Power

Swordsmanship

Zanpakutō

Yumichika with Fuji Kujaku in his hand

Ruri'iro Kujaku (瑠璃色孔雀, Azure Peacock), "Nickname" Fuji Kujaku (藤孔雀, Wisteria Peacock). According to Yumichika, the Zanpakutō's favorite color is azure, and its least favorite is wisteria purple. Hence, when he calls his sword Fuji Kujaku instead of its true name, it sulks and won’t achieve its true power. It is only when he calls it by its true name that its potential is achieved. Although Yumichika does not admit it to his 11th Division comrades for fear of being hated, especially by Ikkaku, since 11th Division Zanpakutō are generally used for direct attack, he has a Kidō-type zanpakuto.

• Shikai: The Shikai command for Fuji Kujaku is "bloom" (咲け sake, "bloom for me" in the English adaptations). As Fuji Kujaku, it takes the form of a sickle-shaped blade, or falx, distinguished from the khopesh by the cutting edge being located on the inside. A hinge at the hilt allows it to split into four identical blades.^[2]

Ruri'iro Kujaku released

Shikai Special Ability: By using the command "Split and Deviate" (裂き狂え, sakikurue)^[3], Ruri'iro Kujaku flares up and takes the appearance of many peacock feather like vines.^[4], after which it drains the opponent's spiritual power, allowing him to beat even lieutenant-level fighters with apparent ease (It should be noted that the command Sakikurue (Split and Deviate) is the true release command for Yumichika's Zanpakutō). The peacock feathers become vines that ensnare an opponent then flowers grow out of the the vines, these flowers grow as they steal an opponent's spiritual power. Any Spiritual Energy an opponent uses will just go straight into them. When the flowers bloom the collected Spiritual Energy is turned against the opponent. By chewing the petals he can heal his wounds.

Charlotte Cuuhlhourne entangled by Ruri'iro Kujaku's vines

• Bankai: Not Yet Achieved. It is also assumed he is trying to learn his Bankai, though Ruri'iro Kujaku is just as narcissistic as Yumichika himself, leading Yumichika to comically yell at his sword while trying to break it against a boulder, it also doesn't help that Yumichika does not often refer to him by is real name.

Trivia

• Ruri'iro Kujaku was revealed for the first time when Yumichika battles Charlotte Cuuhlhourne. However, its true nature was in fact hinted at as early as the Soul Society arc (which is where he was first introduced), shown when he defeats Hisagi easily without even a wound and an enraged Hisagi commenting that Yumichika's Zanpakutō has drained all of his spiritual power.

• Powerful as it is, Yumichika only makes use of his Zanpakutō's Kidō properties when no other member of the 11th Division is around, lest they witness the true nature of his Zanpakutō and ridicule him .

References

madarame ikkaku

Ikkaku is bald, a fact that is made fun of by many. The 11th Division lieutenant, Yachiru Kusajishi, calls him either "cue-ball" or "pachinko head", a result of her fondness for giving people nicknames or when he questions her direction skills. As a result of the constant ridicule he gets, Ikkaku is very self-conscious about his baldness, to the point where he will threaten anyone that points it out. Ikkaku's bald scalp is reflective, which causes members of the 8th and 11th Divisions to mistake it as a full moon in one of the anime's omake segments, much to Ikkaku's annoyance. He also has distinctive small red markings near his eyes. Unlike most Shinigami, he does not wear tabi with his sandals.

Personality

In terms of attitude, Ikkaku is a stereotypical 11th Division member — violent, fight-loving, and rude; this has been noted by Tetsuzaemon Iba, among others. He loves fighting so much that he is unwilling to travel anywhere without a sword, resorting to carrying a wooden one when posing as a student at Ichigo's school. He does have a sense of loyalty and responsibility, however, unlike many of the lower-ranked 11th Division members. Ikkaku is fiercely loyal to Kenpachi, under whose command he wants to fight and eventually die.

Ikkaku has many personality traits in common with his division's captain Kenpachi Zaraki, which is why they seem to have so much respect for one another. Ikkaku considers fighting fun and tries to get as much "fun" as he can out of his opponents, so much so that he will take deadly risks to drag out the fight for as long as possible. During a fight with a challenging opponent, he is almost constantly smiling, much like Kenpachi does. Like all 11th Division members, he considers the only honorable battles to be those fought one-on-one and even the threat of death is not a reason to ignore this fact, since, as a rule, the winner is only determined when the other is dead. He does consider surviving an otherwise lost battle good luck, however, he's also sensible enough to carry a blood-clotting ointment in the hilt of his Zanpakutō.

Ikkaku is one of the few Shinigami in Soul Society who is referred to by their given name instead of their family name, a rarity amongst them, but seemingly more common between members of the 11th Division. Only Makizō Aramaki and Tōshirō Hitsugaya have called him Madarame so far. Ikkaku appears to be one of only two characters who are left-handed, the other being Uryū Ishida. It is equally possible he is ambidextrous, like Lisa Yadōmaru, as he switches to his right hand during his battle with the Arrancar Edorad Leones and uses his sword sheath as a secondary weapon in battle.

History

Not much is known about Ikkaku's history, but it is likely that he has been in the 11th Division since becoming a Shinigami. The anime is much clearer about this; Ikkaku becomes a Shinigami after hearing that Kenpachi had become the captain of the 11th Division. During Renji Abarai's time in the 11th Division, Ikkaku was Renji's senpai and taught him how to fight.

Like Rukia Kuchiki and Renji, Ikkaku came from Rukongai. At some point, he met Yumichika Ayasegawa and the two became friends. They would later have an encounter with Kenpachi Zaraki and Yachiru Kusajishi before they entered Seireitei. Kenpachi and Ikkaku fought; Kenpachi easily defeated Ikkaku and nearly killed him. When he asked Kenpachi why he did not kill him, Kenpachi replied that if he killed Ikkaku now, he would never get another opportunity to fight Ikkaku again. He then told him not to seek death, but to consider himself lucky for not having died. The encounter is Ikkaku's main reason for staying in the 11th Division, as he wants to continue serving under Kenpachi and might not get a chance to fight him again otherwise.

Synopsis

Soul Society arc

Ikkaku and Yumichika are the first to encounter Ichigo Kurosaki; while Ganju Shiba runs and Yumichika chases after him, Ikkaku is left to fight Ichigo. Although they are mostly evenly matched, Ichigo comes with the victory and heals his wounds with and ointment that Ikkaku carried on him. While recovering from his injures at the 4th Division's headquarters he is interrogated by Mayuri Kurotsuchi to whom he tells no details of his fight. When Zaraki arrives at the scene, he tells the latter about Ichigo's power and remarks that he will keep getting stronger. When the 11th Division decides to help Orihime Inoue, they are meet in resistance by the Captains of the 7th and 9th Division, along with their respective lieutenants. Ikkaku is left to fight agaists Tetsuzaemon Iba, but a victor is not decided.

Bount arc

Duirng the Bount arc Ikkaku along with Yumichika lead the 11th Division after the Bount invade Soul Society.

Arrancar arc

During the arrancar arc Ikkaku along with Yumichika, Renji, Rangiku Matsumoto and Rukia are part of the advanced force led by Captain Hitsugaya. When Grimmjow Jeagerjaques leads the second attack on the real world, Ikkaku is left to fight one of his Fracción, Edorad Leones. During their fight, Ikkaku goads Edorad into unleashing his Zanpakutō (not knowing that Arrancar release their Zanpakutō in an entirely different manner to those of the Shinigami) and Edorad releases his Zanpakutō, completely overpowering him. Realizing that since the others are in similar fights and would'nt notice, he releases his Bankai and wins the fight. When Luppi leads the next invasion he is forced to join in a group battle compromised of Yumichika, Rangiku and him-self against Luppi. He spends the rest of his time in the real world at Keigo Asano's residence, something that makes Keigo's sister, Mizuho very delighted (she likes men with shaved heads).

Fake Karakura Town arc

Pō stands over a defeated Ikkaku.

When Aizen along with his three top Espada attack fake Karakura Town, he along with Yumichika, Shūhei Hisagi and Izuru Kira are left to protect the four pillars that keep the real Karakura Town in Soul Society. After slaying some Hollows sent to destroy his pillar, Barragan Luisenbarn sends one of his Fracción, Pō to fight him. He was defeated as a result of the fight between Pō, who then destroyed the pillar he was guarding. Captain Sajin Komamura steps in to defeat a released Pō following this defeat. After Pō is defeated, former member of the 11th division Tetsuzaemon Iba confronts Ikakku for not using his Bankai and letting his pride get in the way of stopping the Arrancar. Tetsuzaemon then tells Ikkaku that if he wants to do things his way, he must become stronger and win, even at the cost of his life.

Powers & Abilities

Master Swordsmanship Specialist: Despite being ranked as 3rd seat officer in his division, his rank does not reflect his fighting abilities, which are of near captain level. According to Yumichika Ayasegawa, Ikkaku is the 2nd strongest man in the 11th Division. It is unclear whether this explicitly means that he is stronger than any other male in the division (excluding Kenpachi) or whether he is the second strongest person in the division (surpassing Yachiru, its female lieutenant). Ikkaku has even achieved the Bankai of his Zanpakutō, putting him at a level beyond most of Soul Society's lieutenants. Ikkaku intentionally hides this fact from everyone, with the exception of those he trusts to keep it a secret. The reason he does so is to stay in the 11th Division under Kenpachi, since he believes he might be promoted or forced into becoming a captain if anyone else knew. The advantage of this secrecy is that it allows him to travel to the world of the living without his power level being placed under a limit as is required for all captain and lieutenant level Shinigami. In fact, during the second Arrancar assault, Ikkaku was the first to defeat his Arrancar opponent in his released form after he unleashed his Zanpakuto's Bankai - a feat that required the other Shinigami to also relinquish the limiters over their powers in order to fight more effectively.

Zanpakutō

Ikkaku's Shikai

Hōzukimaru (鬼灯丸; Demon Light or Winter Cherry), It appears like any regular Zanpakutō when sealed, but has a hollow hilt which Ikkaku stores a blood-clotting ointment in. Hōzukimaru's sealed form enables Ikkaku to employ it in battle as a normal weapon, with its sheath being wielded in his other hand to serve as a secondary weapon. Ikkaku has shown to be very proficient at how he wields his Zanpakutō's default form, which leaves both his Shikai and Bankai as his "trump cards".

• Shikai: It's Shikai command is "Grow" (延びろ, nobiro; "extend" in the English version). Hōzukimaru's Shikai is unusual in that Ikkaku slams Hōzukimaru's hilt (and sometimes its pommel) into its sheath to activate it when saying the command phrase. Once activated, Hōzukimaru takes on the form of what initially appears to be a yari (spear) with a wax wood shaft. The pommel also has a red horsehair tassel.^[2] While it does technically function as such, it is also a three section staff, which surprises opponents when they first attack. Ikkaku uses the command "Split" (裂けろ, sakero; "split apart" in the English dub) to separate the sections, after which the sections can independently reconnect and separate again at will.

Ryūmon Hōzukimaru, Ikkaku's Bankai

• Bankai: Ryūmon Hōzukimaru (龍紋鬼灯丸; Dragon Crest Demon Light), keeps the three-section theme but loses its yari properties. Instead, it is merely three oversized weapons connected by an equally large chain. To activate it during his battle with Edorad, Ikkaku slams the two broken pieces of his Shikai back into the spear-form and says Bankai. Ikkaku's two main weapons are a Chinese Monk's spade and a standard Guan dao. Both have a traditional horsehair tassel at the hilt and a long cylindrical weight for a pommel. The pommels are connected by a heavy chain to the center section, which resembles an axe-like blade with a parallel handle forged into the blunt end and a dragon crest on one side of the blade.^[3] Despite all three weapons being of near-ridiculous proportions, Ikkaku wields them easily. Ikkaku usually holds one blade in each hand and lets the central portion "float" behind him, though he will occasionally spin the entire configuration about using the center handle as a pivot.

Ikkaku's Bankai, like his Shikai, is quite unusual. Aside from the increase in power, his Bankai offers no special abilities and no special defense properties. While quite capable of injuring opponents, the weapons are easily damaged. To make up for this, Ikkaku's Bankai gets increasingly more powerful as the fight drags on. After he performs his Bankai, the dragon crest will slowly fill in with crimson dye as Ikkaku's Spiritual Pressure rises. It fills faster when he spins Hōzukimaru with the center handle. Ikkaku comments that his Zanpakutō is actually very lazy in battle (in stark contrast to Ikkaku himself) and needs to be woken up through causing or receiving injury; which would explain its ability to accumulate attacking power the longer the fight extends. When the crest is completely filled, Hōzukimaru is at its full power. However, the force of unleashing so much power can leave his Zanpakutō's edge brittle afterwards.

abarai renji

Character outline

Renji has long crimson hair, usually kept in a high ponytail, and his entire upper body is covered in tribal tattoo work. How he got these tattoos is unknown, but it appears that with every achievement Renji attains, the number of tattoos on his body increase as well, starting from his early days as a Soul Reaper candidate until when he becomes Byakuya Kuchiki's lieutenant (at this time his tattoos now cover his entire back). These tattoos match those of Zabimaru in its manifested state. He dresses in the standard Soul Reaper outfit, though he usually includes some sort of elaborate headgear (usually expensive-looking glasses or a white headband). All of Renji's sunglasses are from Seireitei's popular "Silver Dragonfly Glasses Store" and cost half a year's worth of his paycheck. Unfortunately, every time he wears a pair, they are broken in one way or another, usually in a fight with Ichigo.^[3]

As far as his personality goes, Renji is about as eccentric as any other Soul Reaper. He varies from smug and cocky in his first appearances to downright angsty and depressed after his major defeats, but shows himself to be an incredibly serious and determined fighter when confronted with an actual challenge. Willing to fight, kill, and die for whatever he believes in, Renji is a dangerous man to those who stand in his way. He is similar to Ichigo Kurosaki in many aspects, and the two are mistaken for brothers in the anime's Bount arc. Ichigo claims they are cousins to keep things simple, allowing many hilarious situations to occur later, including comments over their unusually colored hair. A continuing gag in the series is Renji's nick name, red pineapple, referring to his crimson hair kept in a pineapple top-like ponytail. During a filler arc before the invasion of Las Noches, Renji wears a shirt with 'Red Pineapple' printed on the front, supposedly bought by Ichigo Kurosaki as a joke. He's even referred as "Aka Pine" during the Shinigami Cup segments.

[edit] History

A young Renji with Rukia during their early years in the Rukongai.

Renji Abarai came from the 78th district of Rukongai and grew up as an orphan with several other children, including Rukia Kuchiki. The company of children lived by hunting or stealing food and water. Though Renji and Rukia quickly discovered they had spiritual powers, they remained with their friends until they all died, which prompted them to become Soul Reapers for a better life.

At the Soul Reaper academy, Renji was admitted into the top class, being very adept at swordsmanship, although quite inept at kidō. His senpai was Shūhei Hisagi. At the academy, Renji befriended Izuru Kira and Momo Hinamori, who each proceeded to become lieutenants. His relationship with Rukia became distant after her adoption by the Kuchiki family since he felt he had no place interfering with her life now that she was a noble, despite the fact they both seemed to regret losing the company and confidence of the other.

Renji, Kira and Hinamori served under Sōsuke Aizen and Gin Ichimaru in the 5th division, after which Kira and Hinamori were put under Ichimaru and Aizen in the 3rd and 5th divisions respectively. The rebellious Renji was moved to the 11th Division and eventually rose to the 6th seat. During his time in the 11th Division, he befriended Ikkaku Madarame, who taught Renji how to fight. It was also shown that Renji was aware that Ikkaku had a bankai at this point, but Ikkaku refused to use it to train Renji. On the same day Rukia headed for the human world, Renji was promoted to lieutenant of the 6th Division.^[4] After meeting Byakuya Kuchiki when Byakuya adopted Rukia into the Kuchiki family at the academy, the 6th Division's captain, Renji's greatest dream has been to surpass him in strength.

[edit] Synopsis

Renji and his captain, Byakuya Kuchiki, are sent to the human world to find Rukia Kuchiki and bring her back to Soul Society. Once they find Rukia and prepare to return home, Ichigo Kurosaki arrives to save Rukia. Renji and Ichigo fight briefly, though before Renji is defeated, Byakuya steps in to mortally wound Ichigo. After they return to Soul Society and Rukia is imprisoned, Renji periodically checks up on her, trying to keep her spirits high despite her impending execution.

Ichigo soon arrives in Soul Society to continue his attempted rescue of Rukia. Renji, feeling Ichigo is to blame for Rukia's sentence, goes to fight him. Despite his best efforts, Renji is defeated and subsequently imprisoned for his failure. Before Ichigo leaves, Renji pleads for Ichigo to save Rukia. Once he recovers he escapes from his confinement and begins training to achieve bankai of his zanpakutō. After completing his training, Renji sets out to free Rukia. Before he can do so, however, he is stopped by Byakuya. The two clash with their respective bankai, though Renji's inexperience with the ability allows Byakuya to claim victory.

Once recovering from his wounds, Renji goes to the site of Rukia's execution in a last attempt to save her. Ichigo, having beaten him there, entrusts Rukia's safety to Renji and the two try to escape. Along the way they are met by Kaname Tōsen, who teleports them back to the execution site. Upon learning that Tōsen and Sōsuke Aizen are traitors that intend to kill Rukia, Renji fights to defend her, yet is quickly defeated by Aizen. Rukia is ultimately saved by Byakuya, though Aizen is able to escape Soul Society. Renji recovers from his wounds once again, and sees off Ichigo upon his return to the human world.

Renji soon returns to the human world to help deal with the Bount. After some of his Soul Reaper companions are defeated by Ugaki, Renji activates his bankai in order to defeat Ugaki and save his friends. Renji eventually manages to wound Ugaki's doll, Gesell, driving it insane and causing it to kill its owner. Upon his return to Soul Society, predominately fends off the many Soul Reaper possessed by Mabashi's doll, Ritz. After Mabashi and the remainder of the Bount are defeated, Renji assists in caring for the wounded.

As Aizen's arrancar begin to threaten the human world, Renji is one of a group of Soul Reapers sent to help defend against the arrancar attacks. During the second arrancar invasion, Renji fights against Ilforte Granz, who he is able to defeat once his power limit is lifted. After the battle, Renji is recruited by Kisuke Urahara to help train Yasutora Sado. Upon Orihime Inoue's capture by the arrancar, however, Renji and the other Soul Reapers are recalled to Soul Society.

Unwilling to abandon Orihime, Renji and Rukia go to Hueco Mundo to join Ichigo, Chad, and Uryū Ishida in rescuing her. After their group splits up, Renji is joined by Dondochakka Bilstin in traveling through the arrancar base. They eventually encounter the eighth Espada, Szayel Aporro Granz. Upon being drawn into battle with the Espada, Renji discovers that Szayel has nullified all of his abilities as a result of Szayel's earlier research. Uryū soon arrives to lend assistance, though his attacks are also rendered inert by Szayel. No longer able to attack, Renji and Uryū are left at Szayel's mercy until Mayuri Kurotsuchi arrives to save and heal them.

[edit] Zabimaru

Renji with Zabimaru's spirit, and his shikai.

• Voiced by: Toru Furusawa (Japanese), Vic Mignogna (English)^[5]

Renji's zanpakutō is Zabimaru (蛇尾丸^?, roughly "snake tail"). Zabimaru's shikai command is "howl" (咆えろ, hoero^?).^[2]

Renji is one of the rare instances where a Soul Reaper's zanpakutō spirit is actually seen. Zabimaru is a nue (a baboon with a snake tail), hence his name. Zabimaru's spirit is portrayed as battle-loving and proud, similar in personality to Renji. It insisted on fighting Zangetsu again after losing, confident that it could succeed on the second attempt. Both the snake and baboon are capable of speaking, though the baboon is usually the more dominant one. The snake seems to be the more violent and insulting of the pair.

In its shikai, Zabimaru transforms into a segmented blade with a pick-like protrusion on each segment. The segments are connected by a stretchable thread, making Zabimaru more useful as a whip than an actual sword, though it can serve as a regular sword just as easily. While Zabimaru can be stretched to incredible lengths in its whip form, Renji has a limit of three consecutive attacks before having to bring the segments of Zabimaru back together for recovery. Renji can also use his spiritual power to separate the segments and surround an opponent with them, allowing him to execute a one-shot omnidirectional attack called higa zekkō (狒牙絶咬^?, "bite of a baboon's broken fang"), but it is damaging to Zabimaru and leaves Renji defenseless.

Hihiō Zabimaru.

Zabimaru's bankai is Hihiō Zabimaru (狒狒王蛇尾丸^?, "baboon king snake tail") and transforms Zabimaru into a massive version of its shikai form resembling a skeletal snake. Zabimaru gains many more segments, which are much larger than in its shikai form, and also gains a snake-like head about the size of a small car. Renji is also slightly transformed, gaining a fur cowl around his neck, attached on is a glovelike appendage that Renji holds on the Snake's tail, and a baboon's skull on his left shoulder. Unlike its shikai, Zabimaru's segments are held together by Renji's spiritual power, allowing him to separate and reattach them at will. The segments themselves are extremely tough, making it extremely difficult to destroy Zabimaru. Even if a segment is damaged, Renji can simply detach it and reform Zabimaru. Zabimaru itself, in bankai form, does not literally "cut", Renji usually catches his opponent with the snake-head of his weapon and smashes his opponent into the ground with it. The head has also proven capable of inflicting heavy damage through biting. Zabimaru also gains a special technique known as hikōtsu taihō (狒骨大砲^?, "baboon bone cannon") after Renji becomes more adept with using his bankai. The technique fires a dense blast of spiritual energy from Zabimaru's mouth. He can also use a much more powerful higa zekkō, where all the segments detach and sharpen using spiritual energy.

soi fong

Underneath her standard Shinigami captain's uniform, Soifon wears the uniform of the Commander-in-chief of the Special Forces, which has no sleeves or covering for the back. Her hair is worn short with two long braids covered in cloth. Prior to Yoruichi's defection, Soifon's hair was shoulder-length and had a softer look to it (perhaps relating to her change in personality). Instead of wearing the standard Shinigami sandals with tabi, she wears traditional Chinese shoes with ordinary white socks.

Personality

Soifon is staunchly loyal, firm, and unbending in her beliefs. She is a hard worker and takes a strong moral stand — she particularly believes in following orders. She is generally reserved and truly not arrogant in any manner like her lieutenant. She will not hesitate in the slightest to strike down even her subordinates if they stand in her way. She chooses to ignore all her subordinates, including her lieutenant Omaeda, believing that personal struggle builds character. Soifon, like most female Shinigami, is a member of the Shinigami Women's Association, and appears to be the only one of captain rank within the organization (assuming Retsu Unohana is not a member).

Soifon likes fish, but dislikes meat.^[1] She often spends her free time dreaming about the days when she and Yoruichi fought together and practised Shunpō.^[1] In a Valentine's Day omake she even tried to give her a heart shaped box of chocolates with little success and she seems to love anything that resembles a black cat, which is Yoruichi's alternate form, and she has a large collection of black cat shaped merchandise. It is also known that since Yoruichi's reappearance, she began to collect cat accessories and had the 2nd Division quarters installed with floor-heating (the expenses were covered by her lieutenant).^[1] Soifon once seems to be affectionately admiring pictures of Yoruichi^[2]. Later, as part of the photo collecting project of the Shinigami Women's Association she attempts to take nude photos of Yoruichi while she is distracted but fails miserably.^[3] During a meeting of the Shinigami Women's Association she requested to have a cellphone in the shape of a black cat's head with a bee body (the cat representing Yoruichi and the bee representing herself) that would allow her to talk to Yoruichi as much as she wants,^[4] and in another meeting when discussing ideas for a Shinigami video game Soifon requested a game with her and Yoruichi as the protagonists, both requests were denied however. Soifon's name means broken (or rather, to break) bee; it is noted that the name of her Zanpakutō, Suzumebachi, means hornet.

History

Soifon was born Shaolin Fon (蜂 梢綾, Fon Shaolin in the Pinyin transliteration of Mandarin Chinese) into the Fon house, one of the lower noble houses affiliated with the Shihōin noble house. The Fon house traditionally serves the Shihōin house by joining the special forces. Any member who does not pass the test to get into the special forces is immediately exiled from the family. Because of this, Shaolin has felt a lot of pressure to succeed since her youth. Though Shaolin and her five older brothers all got into the Special Forces, her first two brothers died on their first missions, her next two brothers died on their second missions, and her last brother died on his sixth mission. Upon her joining the special forces, she adopted her grandmother's codename: Soifon. In the anime, she did not adopt the name voluntarily — a family member gave her the name.

Soifon worked hard and was eventually promoted to become the head of the guard for the leader of the special forces at the time, Yoruichi Shihōin. Yoruichi took the young Soifon under her wing as her protégé, and they developed a close relationship. When Yoruichi eventually left Soul Society in disgrace to help her exiled friend Kisuke Urahara, she was stripped of all her titles. Soifon felt betrayed by Yoruichi's abandonment and the circumstances surrounding them. As a result, she trained herself in order to beat Yoruichi and take the titles she lost.

Soifon was promoted to the captaincy roughly 100 years prior to the start of the Bleach storyline, shortly after Yoruichi's departure from Soul Society.

Synopsis

Soul Society Arc

During the Soul Society Arc, she was presented with that chance, battling Shihōin intensly as combat at the execution grounds began. There, she proved to be Yoruichi's equal in unarmed combat, and used her Shikai in order to tip the scales in her favor. As this plan did not work out, due to her opponent's strong survival skills allowing her to avoid the instant death, Soifon declared that she would win with the new technique she had created, known as Shunko. Much to her dismay, she discovered that Yoruichi had discovered this ability before her, and that even she had yet to master it, but was able to defeat her with a single attack from it.

The pair reconciled their differences, placing Soifon back where she belonged; at the side of her ex-commander. There, the two women briefly captured Sōsuke Aizen, before the Menos Army came to his rescue.

Bount Arc

She would appear agian assisting Yoruichi during the time of the Bount Affair, making first contact with them, and reporting it back to Soul Society while Shihōin relayed it to Urahara and Ichigo.^[5] When the Bount infiltrate Soul Society she encounters Mabashi and when she tries to apprehend him is attacked by one of her own men. Mabashi would use his doll's powers to control her subordinates, poisoning her.^[6] Soifon is nearly beaten by Mabashi and when he closes in to finish her she is able to land a second hit from her Suzumebachi thus killing the later and freeing her men from his control.^[7]

The New Captain Shusūke Amagai arc

Soifon is only briefly seen at the beginning of the arc during Shūsuke Amagai's introduction.^[8] When Ichigo travels to Soul Society to rescue Rurichiyo Kasumiōji she is charged of making sure that nothing interrupts the wedding.^[9] When Ichigo arrives to stop the wedding, she crosses swords with Rukia Kuchiki. After disposing of the latter she takes on Ichigo and easily dominates the battle due to Ichigo's recent injury from Rurichiyo's impersonator.^[10] When her and Amagai's divisions are tasked with finding Ichigo and Rukia, she leaves lieutenant Ōmaeda in charge and joins Yoruichi in her mission when she reveals the truth about the Bakkōtō.^[11] When the Shinigami leveled the Kasumiōji Compound towards the end of the arc, she is seen taking care of the Bakkōtō factory.

Fake Karakura arc

Soifon along with her lieutenant and the rest of the of the Gotei 13 Captains not currently in Hueco Mundo are seen waiting for Aizen's arrival. When Omaeda states that he thought Yumichika Ayasegawa, Ikkaku Madarame, Izuru Kira and Shūhei Hisagi where not going to be there (they are charged with protecting the four pillars) she states that she had told him, although later thinks to herself that she might have forgotten.

Soifon fighting Ggio Vega

After the pillars that keep the real Karakura Town in Soul Society are successfully defended and four of Barragan Luisenbarn's Fracción are killed, she begins battle with one of Barragan's remaining Fracción, Ggio Vega. Binding the Arrancar down with a Kidō, she releases Suzumebachi confident in victory. The fracción manages to escape and releases his zanpakutō, and seemingly defeats her. But then she easily repels Vega before he can harm her lieutenant, claiming that she wanted to test the Arrancar's abilities. She then finishes him off by using Suzumebachi on him. Although it appears as if she struck two different areas (the front and back), in reality she used Suzumebachi's ability on his right lung, and killed him. Strangely enough, Soifon didn't seem too happy about killing Vega. After the fight with Ggio is finished, Barragan is seen finally rising from his throne, apparently about to engage Soifon and Omaeda in battle.

Powers & Abilities

Soifon's Battle Data. Top: Offense, Top Right: Defense, Bottom right: Agility, Bottom: Kido, Bottom Left: Intellegence, Top Left: Physical Strength Total:460 ^[12]

Master Hand-to-Hand Combat: As the leader of the Special Forces she is required to be highly proficient in hand-to-hand combat, which she had been training in ever since she first join the Special Forces. She is most likely the most proficient in all Soul Society being second only to her mentor Yoruichi Shihōin. She can sufficiently block and attack others and is hard to actively lay a hand on unless she allows it.

Flash Steps Master: As the leader of the Special Forces she is also required to be highly proficient in Flash Steps. She has been shown to almost keep up with her mentor Yoruichi Shihōin, being able to hit her once with the Nigeki Kessatsu, but not getting a chance to do so again as Yoruichi was faster.

Master Swordsmanship Specialist: Soifon is masterful in swordsmanship, commonly only employing her zanpakuto when she faces a opponent with a drawn weapon. She is unique in that her fighting style is entirely different then traditional styles. Soifon holds the blade horizontally with the blade alongside the arm in a reverse grip, using the blade like a large dagger with the blade pointed backwards towards the bottom of her gripping hand. All strikes are made by sweeping the arm forward as though throwing a punch while whipping the blade forward away from the arm quickly in a broad arc. She is quite adept at blocking with the blade in this manner as well.

Kidō Practitioner: As Captain of the 2nd Division and the Commander-in-Chief of the Special Forces Soifon is well versed in art of Kidō. Though she commonly employs Shunpo and hand-to-hand fighting techniques. She is experienced enough that she is able to mix it with other hand-to-hand combat techniques.

Flash Cry (瞬閧, shunkō): A technique that combines hand-to-hand combat and Kidō. It concentrates high-pressure Kidō energy around the body, allowing it to be fired at opponents. It can also be used to instantly neutralize an opponent's movement.

Stealth Mastery: As the Commander-in-Chief of the Special Forces Soifon is masterful in the art of staying hidden and unseen. When necessary she can affectively exploit having a advantage against an opponent or hiding her presence.

Master Assassin: As the Commander-in-Chief of the Special Forces Soifon is one of the foremost masters of the art of assassination.

Enhanced Strength: Soifon is strong enough to take on bigger opponents despite her smaller stature. Easily overcoming those four times her size.

Zanpakutō

Soifon with Suzumebachi released

Suzumebachi (雀蜂, Hornet): In its sealed form, it resembles a wakizashi with a yellow hilt reminiscent of a Chinese dao. Unlike most Shinigami, she wears it horizontally on her lower back. It is believed that with her Zanpakutō's ability and her speed, she is one of the stronger captains.

• Shikai: triggered by the command "Sting all Enemies to Death!" (尽敵螫殺, Jinteki Shakusetsu; Viz: "Spider enemy's killing strike")^[13]. In its shikai, Suzumebachi changes drastically in appearance and ability. When transformed, Suzumbachi takes the form of a glove that fits to Soifon’s right hand, with a chain attaching the “stinger” to the top of the glove. With a cone-like shape, the “stinger” sits on Soifon’s middle finger, extending at a length about twice as far as the normal extension of the finger, allowing Soifon’s striking distance to increase slightly. Ornately decorated in gold and black, the Zanpakutō is fitting of the name, as the pattern and shapes resemble that of a hornet or bee.^[14]

Shikai Special Ability: Totally integrated into her natural abilities with flash steps, Suzumbachi’s ability indeed proves deadly. It is called Death in Two Steps (Nigeki Kessatsu), and in its first step, Soifon stabs her enemy with Suzumbachi’s blade. Not only leaving a rather deep wound, the attack leaves a stamp on the user’s body. Spreading from the center of wound, known as a Hornet's Crest (蜂紋華, hōmonka), this stamp becomes the target of Soifon’s second attack. If struck in this same spot that was hit the first time, the person will inevitably die and thus illustrate "Death in Two Steps." The crests are maintained by Soifon's will and are impossible to remove unless she wills it; when Yoruichi was still running the Special Forces, Soifon could only maintain the crests for half an hour. Soifon explains in a filler that Suzumebachi's ability is caused by a type of venom it secretes, which acts as a handy counter-poison as well but this haven't been confirmed in the manga. The effect of the poisons reaction time takes slightly longer for those who have enhanced power. It has been shown that mechanics behind the ability is not based on being hit on the same spot on the skin, but rather when Suzumebachi pierces the exact same spot internally from any side of the body. This shows that Suzumebachi's ability takes effect not through point of entry but rather point of actual surface contact.^[15]

Soifon explaining the mechanics behind Ggio Vega's death.

• Bankai: Not Yet Revealed

Trivia

• The Bount arc also marks the first time she is seen killing someone with Suzumebachi. The Bount Mabashi manages to survive for slightly longer than two minutes when stabbed the second time, which can be attributed to Mabashi's enhanced power due to the large number of spirit particles in Soul Society. In contrast, Suzumebachi's second hit is instantly fatal to one of the Dark Ones, in the movie Bleach: Memories of Nobody, where said Dark One seemingly vaporizes into thin air. She uses this ability for the first time in the manga on Ggio Vega, one of the Fracción of Barragan Luisenbarn. Ggio was killed not by being hit on the same spot on his skin, but rather when Suzumebachi pierced the exact same spot on his right lung from both sides of his body (through his chest and back). She claims that this is her "best move" since it appears as though she hits two completely different areas on the targets body; even her Lieutenant is confused as to why Ggio died from the attack.

HIRAKO SHINJI

Shinji has jaw length blond hair with a straight cut and many of his facial expressions reveal his upper teeth, a trait also seen in Nnoitra Jiruga. In the past Shinji wore normal captain robes and had considerably longer hair. As a Vizard Shinji has been seen in standard Karakura school uniform though he usually wears a long brown coat, shirt and tie, some form of hat, and shorter hair.

Personality

Shinji is somewhat comical, adding a bit of levity to situations that are otherwise serious. He has a flippant attitude under normal circumstances and seems to like annoying his associate, Hiyori Sarugaki, which usually earns him a slap from one of her sandals. She in turn shows him absolutely no respect and frequently insults and attacks him; although he is no better, frequently making faces or glib insults at her expense. He also appears to have a history of referring to cute girls he meets as his 'first love', complete with a deadpan look on his face despite the obvious lie (he apparently never did this with Hiyori, further annoying her).

Underneath this though he is quite perceptive regarding people and during his time as a captain was one of the few people who appeared suspicious of his lieutenant Sōsuke Aizen and could apparently sense or see through some of his illusionary capabilities. Aizen even admitted to being somewhat intimidated by him. He is very serious in combat or when angry. He also appears to be one of the older captains since his captain's haori had overlong sleeves (a trend shared by Jūshirō Ukitake, Shunsui Kyōraku, Retsu Unohana and Yamamoto) and during a conversation with Ukitake it was implied that he had been a captain for a long time.

History

Shinji during his time as a Captain

Shinji was the captain of the 5th division approximately 100 years before the main storyline, with Sōsuke Aizen serving as his lieutenant. Unlike the other members of the Gotei 13 Shinji was aware of Aizen's immoral nature and appeared to have some knowledge of the true abilities of his subordinate's Zanpakutō. Believing the seemingly friendly, soft-spoken intellectual was a threat to the Soul Society Shinji decided to choose Aizen as his lieutenant so he could monitor him closely. One night approximately 99 years before the main storyline, a group of Shinigami out on patrol mysteriously disappear. Kensei Muguruma and Mashiro Kuna who were respectively captain and lieutenant of the 9th division at the time were sent, along with other members of the division to investigate the disappearance. The Gotei 13 Captains also decided to send Captains Love Aikawa, Rose, Hirako and Lieutenant Lisa Yadōmaru to the site with Hiyori Sarugaki already heading there.

At the site of the disappearances Shinji and the others are forced to fight Kensei and Mashiro who are unable to control their new hollow abilities. Heavily injured by the fight the remaining members are easily subdued by Kaname Tōsen and unwillingly subjected to hollowification by Aizen, who used some sort of infectious agent to trigger the change. Gloating over his now helpless captain Aizen states that although it was wise of Hirako to keep an eye on him he made a critical error; he refused to socialize and get to know his lieutenant which made it easy for Aizen to deceive him. Satisfied with the results of his experiment Aizen prepares to kill the high ranking Shinigami but is forced to retreat after the arrival of Kisuke Urahara and Tessai Tsukabishi. Urahara quickly takes them to his lab and tries to use the Orb of Distortion to reverse the damage, but fails. After they are sentenced to be executed as Hollows, Urahara gives them untraceable Gigais for their escape to the human world.

Synopsis

Arrancar arc

One hundred years after Shinji was captain of the 5th division, Shinji appears before Ichigo Kurosaki in an attempt to recruit him to become a Vizard. While his initial attempts fail, he promises that no matter what his decision, Ichigo would eventually need to contain his inner Hollow to prevent it from devouring his own soul. Shinji then departs for the time being, receiving some physical abuse from Hiyori when he tells her that Ichigo refused to join them. Hoping to learn how to contain his inner Hollow, Ichigo eventually comes to Shinji and the other Vizards. While he initially attempts to get the information out of them by force, Shinji halfheartedly battles Ichigo. The other Vizards watch the display, noting that Shinji was not even taking him seriously. After Ichigo leaves to go fight Grimmjow Jeagerjaques, Shinji follows behind him and saves both Rukia and Ichigo from Grimmjow's cero attack. He engages Grimmjow and nearly defeats him with his cero, but Ulquiorra comes and retrieves Grimmjow before he can be killed. Shinji's current standing with the Winter War is unknown, as is the standing of the rest of the Vizards.

Hueco Mundo arc

He seems quite angry as he realizes Ichigo has left to Hueco Mundo leaving to them only a word : "thanks". Ichigo calls him "Hirako".

Fake Karakura Town arc

Around the same time when Aizen, Gin Ichimaru, Kaname Tōsen and the top three Espada invade the fake Karakura Town, he and the rest of the Vizard leave their compound, armed and ready for battle, simply saying : "Let's Go".

Powers & Abilities

Master Swordsmanship Specialist: Shinji is implied to be a powerful combatant, being the unofficial leader among the group and a former shinigami captain. At one point, when Shinji begins to fight with Ichigo Kurosaki, the other Vizard mention that Ichigo is foolish to battle Shinji and that Shinji is not taking the battle seriously.

Flash Steps Master

Zanpakutō

Not much has been revealed about Shinji's Zanpakutō, as he rarely uses or even visibly wears it. The hilt and sheath are red. None of his release states have been shown, and the times that he does seriously fight he seems to rely more on his Hollow mask.

• Shikai: Not Yet Revealed

• Bankai: Not Yet Revealed

Hollowfication

Vizard

Shinji's hollow mask

Hollow Mask: Shinji's Hollow mask strongly resembles a pharaoh's mask with a short flowing hood down the back of his neck. Shinji is quite skilled with his Hollow powers, using the increased speed and strength to overwhelm Grimmjow Jeagerjaques in short order before almost catching him in a powerful Cero blast.

• Cero: The video games also depict him being able to split the Cero blast into multiple smaller beams or a real Yellow/Golden Cero in few games while he uses a large crimson Cero in anime.

nova

Nova (之芭, Nova) More commonly known as Nova. In his gigai, he appears as a handsome young man in a fur coat with a shield on his back and a zippered mask, with a slim build, red hair, and aqua eyes. His attire makes him look somewhat like a ninja. He inhabits an anthropomorphic turtle plushie in grey dress trousers and a white ruffled shirt with a red bow tie when out of his gigai, which Chad purchased specifically for him. He's very quiet, rarely speaking more than a few words (Usually only responding to a question by saying "no problem") and also rather shy with women, zipping up his hood when he wishes to show emotion while in his gigai, or pulling his head into his shirt while in his stuffed animal form. One example of this is when Rukia Kuchiki picks Nova up in his stuffed animal form and holds him close to her face, he is seen to blush at the close contact and lowers his head into his shirt, or when he works together with Rangiku Matsumoto while fighting one of the Bount having to change out of his gigai because they had to touch. He is partnered with Yasutora Sado, who is equally quiet. The two seem to get along well, since they are similarly industrious, silent and willing to fade into the background.

Nova's plushie body

Compared to his far louder and more verbal teammates, Nova is very uncomplaining and easy to get along with. He doesn't annoy anyone else in the cast, and several humans and shinigami seem to be fond of him. He is also the most likely to get things done without comment; in one episode Renji spits coffee all over the table, and Nova cleans it up and then sugars Renji's coffee without a word.

Nova has the power to teleport himself and others to any location he's been to. He can also use his spiritual sense to teleport to the location of those with spiritual powers. Additionally, he can create wormholes to redirect ranged attacks, both physical and energy based, back at the enemy. He can also absorb fire. When he is in his plushie, his teleportation range is limited to about two meters. Despite being unusually shy, he is somewhat analytical and adept at strategic combat.

isshin kurosaki

Character outline

In the beginning of the series, Isshin is portrayed as a silly, fight-loving father who is "extremely over-energetic" and takes a keen interest in what his children are doing, but does it either offensively or with an all-too-happy tone, which elicits comical reactions from his kids, usually in the form of a kick. Because his kids choose to keep to themselves, he doesn't know what they are doing. Mainly Ichigo, but since he's a boy, Ichigo doesn't need to be watched over as much as his twin daughters. Isshin also seems to enjoy making fun of Ichigo and has a tendency to talk to the large memorial poster of his late wife Masaki, which he has pinned up in their kitchen, whenever he feels particularly emotional. Isshin is a big fan of Don Kanonji's TV show.

Despite his outrageous guise, however, Isshin can be serious and grim at times. On the date of Masaki's death, Isshin smokes a single cigarette in front of her grave, since she thought it made him look cool (she said it when they were dating). He reflects that it was the first and maybe the last time she ever complimented his appearance. He also told Ichigo that he shouldn't blame himself for his mother's death because she gave her life to protect him. In addition, during his confrontation with the arrancar Grand Fisher and the subsequent chat with Kisuke Urahara, he remains completely serious (aside from a short argument between him and Kon about his parenting, and another, albeit short, between him and Urahara after the latter likens him to his son).

Isshin appears to be an associate of Kisuke Urahara and possesses knowledge of Sōsuke Aizen's alliance with the Menos. He mentions in his conversation with Urahara that he encountered arrancar about ten years before the main storyline, though they were nowhere near as complete as Fisher. He also reveals to Kon that he has been aware of Ichigo's shinigami activities and Kon's substitutions since Grand Fisher's first attack. He also notes that he has never called Kon "Ichigo" while Kon is in Ichigo's body and that the traveling charm he gave Ichigo before he went to rescue Rukia was actually for Kon (it's a protection talisman). This shows the sensitivity and propriety that he possesses of his role as Ichigo's father, which is rarely portrayed in the series.

Isshin also shares a relationship with Ryūken Ishida not unlike that of their sons. When Ryūken discovers his son is missing, Isshin pays him a visit and the two chat about their respective styles of parenting. It is then revealed that Ryūken was aware of Isshin's status, and he comments on Isshin's powers. The Bleach Official Animation Book VIBEs states that the two have some prior history together, and that they have been acquaintances for quite some time. It can also be noted they both are doctors, Isshin runs a clinic while Ryūken runs a hospital. It was hinted in volume 1 that the two cooperate on a professional level. After a major car accident, Isshin is overheard on the phone arguing with a hospital employee who is refusing to transfer the overload of patients. He says that the employee should tell his boss that Kurosaki needs a favor and then beds will open right up, then slams the phone down.

History

Little is known about Isshin's history, except that he was once a captain-level shinigami, though his division is currently unknown. Twenty years before the main storyline, he ceased being a shinigami, although it is unclear whether he officially quit his duties at that time or on an earlier date. His current shinigami uniform retains a captain's robe, but it has no visible division insignia and is worn like a sash over his left shoulder. After leaving the shinigami, Isshin lost most of his powers, and has only recently regained them. It is implied that he was more powerful and is still recovering. However, he was still powerful enough at this point to slay Grand Fisher, in his released arrancar form, with a single strike of his sealed zanpakutō.

He married Masaki Kurosaki and they had three children: Ichigo, Karin and Yuzu. Masaki later died at the hands of Grand Fisher, who was a simple hollow at the time, six years before the main storyline. Isshin was unable to prevent Masaki's death and blamed himself for it; later in the series however, he eventually kills Grand Fisher, both protecting Kon (inhabiting Ichigo's body) from attack and finally avenging his wife's death.

Synopsis

Isshin as a shinigami

Isshin plays the role character since early in the story, often attacking Ichigo or annoying his daughters. In the first episode it appears that he has no clue whats going on in Ichigo's life since he didn't know that more and more souls had been talking to Ichigo, something that Ichigo had told his sisters. Secretly, however, he has had complete knowledge of Ichigo's shinigami activities. He also knows about Kon, who takes Ichigo's place when he's gone, and never once has called Kon "Ichigo" while he's in his son's body.

Isshin gives Ichigo a talisman, claiming it's a good luck charm originally given to him by Masaki, when really it was to protect Ichigo's body while Kon is in it. Isshin also has a brief fight with Grand Fisher, where he kills the arrancar with a single cut from his sword, thereby avenging his wife's death. When Grand Fisher says that the size of a sword shows the amount of power someone may have, Isshin states that while its true, captain-level shinigami know to compress it, otherwise all captains of the Soul Society would be swinging around swords the size of skyscrapers. Urahara then appears, and they talk about the Vizards' interest in Ichigo and Sōsuke Aizen. When Ichigo leaves for Hueco Mundo, Isshin visits Ryūken at the hospital, commenting on what a horrible father Ryūken is and also accepting the fact that he himself is a horrible father. He was able to get into the underground training spot even though Ryūken mostly hid it. His old friend is genuinely surprised that Isshin has regained his powers, while Isshin notices that Ryūken still smokes despite being in a hospital.

Powers & Abilities

When Isshin first appears in his shinigami uniform, he implies that he has abilities on-par to that of a Captain-level shinigami, This is further implied by the fact that he has a captain's haori strapped to his left shoulder as a type of strap. It is unknown what the extent of Isshin's shinigami powers is (Zanjutsu, Kidō, Hakuda, and Hohō). However, he was quick enough to bifurcate Grand Fisher before he realized it.

Zanpakutō

The name of Isshin's zanpakutō has not yet been revealed. Isshin has only used it once as an example of how every captain-level shinigami must compress the sizes of their zanpakutō, as they would otherwise be swinging swords the size of skyscrapers, when he spoke to Grand Fisher. It is also worn with the edge down like a tachi, instead of the edge up like a katana. The end of the hilt has a tassel similar to Ichigo's original zanpakutō.