Post by Sozen Kuchiki on Apr 23, 2014 16:01:31 GMT -5
The House Kuchiki
The banner black
Oh so cold
The banner red
Oh so dead
And eyes to see
Bled from greed
And lord laid waste, and lord laid waste
Come forth, he said. Come forth, he said
Bring your dead
Remember the flood: The tears and rain
There are no rebels
Remember cold death: Your fear and pain
~The Parable of Nine Flags
Oh so cold
The banner red
Oh so dead
And eyes to see
Bled from greed
And lord laid waste, and lord laid waste
Come forth, he said. Come forth, he said
Bring your dead
Remember the flood: The tears and rain
There are no rebels
Remember cold death: Your fear and pain
~The Parable of Nine Flags
We call ourselves the Kuchiki Family. We are proud, for we have existed since before the founding of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads, over thirty three thousand years ago. Our nobility first came to be beneath the wealth and enormous family of our first Head, the family founder, and original Captain of Squad 6, Tsuyoi Kuchiki.
Haven't you ever heard these phrases?
Kuchiki Pride.
There's a reason Sozen only serves red wine at parties.
Beware their beautiful eyes.
Politicians or assassins by heart.
Benevolence is a trait reserved for the strong.
Kuchikis do not accrue debt, only "help" others. [Note: Non-Kuchikis believe the "help" part to be sincere. All Kuchikis, however, know it to be insincere.]
Remember the Parable of Nine Flags.
The Kuchiki Family, which of all families possesses the most members of tremendous power. Here are just a few to consider.
The Angel's Reiatsu, Kyomei Kuchiki of the Kido Corps
Justice Incarnate, Judge Ryuu Kuchiki of Central 46
The Black Soul, Iro Kuchiki of the Zero Division
Hell's Librarian, Hokori Kuchiki of Squad 5
The Crimson King, Sozen Kuchiki of Squad 6
The Samurai, Hotaru Kuchiki of Squad 10
The Omnipotent Emperor, Souza Kuchiki of Squad 13
The Greatest Genius, Amagai Kuchiki
The House Kuchiki - History
{First Head - Tsuyoi Kuchiki}
Theme of Tsuyoi
Let's begin this story with Tsuyoi Kuchiki, the first Head of the family, who served as the Captain of Squad 6 under the first Captain Commander. When we speak of the House Kuchiki, we now speak of the oldest nobility in the Soul Society, as well as the most powerful. And while they say all stories have a start, not all of these starts are modest. The Kuchiki Family began, as a matter of fact, as powerful.
Tsuyoi Kuchiki was the eldest son of a wealthy family from an ancient land mass, now lost in the sea, which today would be part of Japan. This wealthy family met their demise on this island when a raging fire killed them all and burned their house to the ground. Though they all died simultaneously, something was unique about this family. That unique thing was their spiritual presence. From the beginning, they had unusual latent spiritual power, with no exceptions. Later, through the tradition they placed in their marriages, those of Kuchiki descent would also come to have superior physical bodies in addition to spiritual presences.
Now, upon their deaths, Tsuyoi, his siblings, and all of their spouses and children awoke on this very same spiritual land mass, but as spirits, with chains dangling from their chests. Now, in those days, there was no afterlife, and thus those who became spirits either needed to develop a form of emotional and spiritual enlightenment which allowed them to indefinitely keep their chains from shrinking, or else become Hollows who prayed on and devoured spirits and one another. Tsuyoi and his family mastered the skill of indefinitely postponing Hollowfication early on, and within their first year, were able to suppress the chains to pull them back inside of their spiritual bodies, thus not exposing them, but stay non-Hollow.
Their feat and reiatsu attracted the attention of a band of spiritual, Hollow-slaying mercenaries who called themselves the Guard Squad. It consisted of a man whose name is now lost to history, but who would later become the Spirit King. He was the leader, who with his unique gift of spiritual superpowers was able to grant his Guard Squad, consisting of five others at the time, a spiritual magic that they called "Kido" with which to fight Hollows. Their mission was simply to find other spirits willing to fight, train them, and continue traveling and slaying Hollows. Tsuyoi accepted the invitation gracefully, and became the sixth man to join the Guard Squad, and the first to have his own subordinates, those who were in his Kuchiki family.
It was later that all the others also found subordinates, and their ranks began to grow. The first thirteen to join, who were the strongest, became the first "Captains." Those who followed them would later don other ranks, and become subordinates in Squads led by Captains. Tsuyoi and his family had enough innate ability to create the camp for what then became the Thirteen Court Guard Squads, and organize everything. It was later that he who would later become the Spirit King enlisted the help of Hell, a parallel world consisting only of tremendous misery and powerful demons, to aid in a world wide extermination of Hollow-kind. So, for a time, Hollows were considered extinct.
But, the Spirit King, recognizing that they would always continue to return, further enlisted the aid of Hell to create a new world of his own, the Soul Society, which he linked to the human world. From then on, the duty of the Soul Reapers, as those in the Thirteen Court Guard Squads came to be called, was to help spirits into this world of safety, and to slay Hollows. Tsuyoi Kuchiki became the Squad 6 Captain, and first Head of the Kuchiki family, which established itself as a nobility by drawing on their immense spiritual power to perform many services for others and amass currency which started circulating in the Soul Society, called Ryo. Thus, the Kuchikis were the first to become rich, and under Tsuyoi's guidance, began to marry others of great spiritual ability, powerful specimens, so that not only would their lineage expand and multiply, but would grow stronger as well.
Tsuyoi Kuchiki's family would, at the end of his life, number over sixty, and would be a powerful force which aided Tsuyoi and the other Captains in the battle against the former Squad 7 Captain and the traitor, Lucifer, who would then be cast into Hell by the Spirit King, and would come to rule it. Tsuyoi and the Kuchiki Family also were a great aid in keeping peace during peace times, and then in fighting in the first war against the Hollows, in which a Hollow army led by the first and only Arrancar of the time, Cain, an individual punished by the Spirit King years ago for being the "first murderer," tried to destroy the Soul Society.
Tsuyoi would then later be a part of the rebuilding force when Soul Society needed to be repaired, and his defenses aided when in turn, the Soul Society was betrayed by one more Captain, Squad 8 Captain Ousama Zansatsu, who disappeared and was never seen again. He would later become one of the first to test the concept of the "Zanpakuto," or "Soul Slayer," a sword linked to the spirit of its user which, when its name was called, provided special powers for slaying Hollows, and even purifying them. These also came to aid send spirits to Soul Society. Tsuyoi served as Squad 6 Captain for nearly a thousand years, and then, recognizing the threat of many other existing worlds, and that there were none to fight it, was one of the first along with the first Captain Commander and several other Captains to step down from Captaincy, name a successor, and go to the Royal Palace, a pocket dimension where the Spirit King had isolated himself to observe and govern from afar. Tsuyoi and those others who first came here to start their new mission of keeping balance in all worlds by visiting foreign and dangerous dimensions, worlds, and universes would later become called the King's Royal Guard, or the Zero Division. It was in Soul Society year 998, one year before a man named Satsujun became the Second Captain Commander of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads, that Tsuyoi left.
Tsuyoi Kuchiki
Theme of Tsuyoi
Let's begin this story with Tsuyoi Kuchiki, the first Head of the family, who served as the Captain of Squad 6 under the first Captain Commander. When we speak of the House Kuchiki, we now speak of the oldest nobility in the Soul Society, as well as the most powerful. And while they say all stories have a start, not all of these starts are modest. The Kuchiki Family began, as a matter of fact, as powerful.
Tsuyoi Kuchiki was the eldest son of a wealthy family from an ancient land mass, now lost in the sea, which today would be part of Japan. This wealthy family met their demise on this island when a raging fire killed them all and burned their house to the ground. Though they all died simultaneously, something was unique about this family. That unique thing was their spiritual presence. From the beginning, they had unusual latent spiritual power, with no exceptions. Later, through the tradition they placed in their marriages, those of Kuchiki descent would also come to have superior physical bodies in addition to spiritual presences.
Now, upon their deaths, Tsuyoi, his siblings, and all of their spouses and children awoke on this very same spiritual land mass, but as spirits, with chains dangling from their chests. Now, in those days, there was no afterlife, and thus those who became spirits either needed to develop a form of emotional and spiritual enlightenment which allowed them to indefinitely keep their chains from shrinking, or else become Hollows who prayed on and devoured spirits and one another. Tsuyoi and his family mastered the skill of indefinitely postponing Hollowfication early on, and within their first year, were able to suppress the chains to pull them back inside of their spiritual bodies, thus not exposing them, but stay non-Hollow.
Their feat and reiatsu attracted the attention of a band of spiritual, Hollow-slaying mercenaries who called themselves the Guard Squad. It consisted of a man whose name is now lost to history, but who would later become the Spirit King. He was the leader, who with his unique gift of spiritual superpowers was able to grant his Guard Squad, consisting of five others at the time, a spiritual magic that they called "Kido" with which to fight Hollows. Their mission was simply to find other spirits willing to fight, train them, and continue traveling and slaying Hollows. Tsuyoi accepted the invitation gracefully, and became the sixth man to join the Guard Squad, and the first to have his own subordinates, those who were in his Kuchiki family.
It was later that all the others also found subordinates, and their ranks began to grow. The first thirteen to join, who were the strongest, became the first "Captains." Those who followed them would later don other ranks, and become subordinates in Squads led by Captains. Tsuyoi and his family had enough innate ability to create the camp for what then became the Thirteen Court Guard Squads, and organize everything. It was later that he who would later become the Spirit King enlisted the help of Hell, a parallel world consisting only of tremendous misery and powerful demons, to aid in a world wide extermination of Hollow-kind. So, for a time, Hollows were considered extinct.
But, the Spirit King, recognizing that they would always continue to return, further enlisted the aid of Hell to create a new world of his own, the Soul Society, which he linked to the human world. From then on, the duty of the Soul Reapers, as those in the Thirteen Court Guard Squads came to be called, was to help spirits into this world of safety, and to slay Hollows. Tsuyoi Kuchiki became the Squad 6 Captain, and first Head of the Kuchiki family, which established itself as a nobility by drawing on their immense spiritual power to perform many services for others and amass currency which started circulating in the Soul Society, called Ryo. Thus, the Kuchikis were the first to become rich, and under Tsuyoi's guidance, began to marry others of great spiritual ability, powerful specimens, so that not only would their lineage expand and multiply, but would grow stronger as well.
Tsuyoi Kuchiki's family would, at the end of his life, number over sixty, and would be a powerful force which aided Tsuyoi and the other Captains in the battle against the former Squad 7 Captain and the traitor, Lucifer, who would then be cast into Hell by the Spirit King, and would come to rule it. Tsuyoi and the Kuchiki Family also were a great aid in keeping peace during peace times, and then in fighting in the first war against the Hollows, in which a Hollow army led by the first and only Arrancar of the time, Cain, an individual punished by the Spirit King years ago for being the "first murderer," tried to destroy the Soul Society.
Tsuyoi would then later be a part of the rebuilding force when Soul Society needed to be repaired, and his defenses aided when in turn, the Soul Society was betrayed by one more Captain, Squad 8 Captain Ousama Zansatsu, who disappeared and was never seen again. He would later become one of the first to test the concept of the "Zanpakuto," or "Soul Slayer," a sword linked to the spirit of its user which, when its name was called, provided special powers for slaying Hollows, and even purifying them. These also came to aid send spirits to Soul Society. Tsuyoi served as Squad 6 Captain for nearly a thousand years, and then, recognizing the threat of many other existing worlds, and that there were none to fight it, was one of the first along with the first Captain Commander and several other Captains to step down from Captaincy, name a successor, and go to the Royal Palace, a pocket dimension where the Spirit King had isolated himself to observe and govern from afar. Tsuyoi and those others who first came here to start their new mission of keeping balance in all worlds by visiting foreign and dangerous dimensions, worlds, and universes would later become called the King's Royal Guard, or the Zero Division. It was in Soul Society year 998, one year before a man named Satsujun became the Second Captain Commander of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads, that Tsuyoi left.
Tsuyoi Kuchiki
{Second Head - Kasa-Basoru Kuchiki}
Theme of Kasa-Basoru
Though his full name was Kasa-Basoru, they came to call him simply 'Basoru,' the Second Head of the Kuchiki family. In telling his tale, we also will touch upon that of the second Captain Commander, Satsujun. The eldest son of Tsuyoi, Basoru had already been a young man when his father joined the Guard Squad, and though he possessed mighty reiatsu which kept him from aging drastically, still he was already physically in his 40s by the time he ascended to Captaincy. Unlike his father, he was late to have children, and did not possess any heirs until near the end of his career.
Basoru's career began when his father stepped down and named him successor of Squad 6 and of the family, one year before the Central 46, a newly established governing body which ruled by majority vote, agreed upon how the Captain Commander should be replaced. It was three years after the mighty Captain Commander ascended into the Royal Guard when Basoru's career began, and so within his first year of Captaincy, he found that there was no great leader. Being of great experience and power, Basoru was able to take charge of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads until a new Captain Commander was established. It was then that by majority vote, it was decided simply in the Central 46 for the Captains themselves to nominate a new Soul Reaper.
Basoru was immediately nominated by six other Captains, while five others nominated a man who had descended from the Royal Palace itself as an offspring of the Spirit King, a man called the Spirit Prince, Roshu Kensai. Basoru, having known Roshu for a long time, eventually leaned his own vote toward the man, and swayed two others to do the same. The end result was that Basoru remained Captain of Squad 6, while Roshu Kensai became Captain of Squad 1, and the Captain Commander of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads. It was to be Basoru's ultimate mistake.
Basoru's time as Kuchiki Head was peaceful. During his time, the family grew in total to about a hundred members, and their wealth seemed unsurpassed by any. Other minor noble families began to appear during this era as well, and the Kuchikis would interact with them. Much of Basoru's time was spent reading, writing, and socializing. Hollows were few in his era, and catastrophes were limited. Basoru would also later become one of the first to help test one of the Captain Commander's scientific breakthroughs - A second stage to the Zanpakuto release power, called "Bankai." With this power, Hollows were nearly driven to extinction within a matter of weeks. Near the end of his time as Kuchiki Head, however, Basoru, and others, began to notice a change in Hollows that they encountered. Some were stronger than before, sporting strange abilities. And, once in a while, new enemies would appear that were not Hollows. Enemies with strange, unique powers.
Though a few years of these uncertain enemies passed and it became the norm to once in a while encounter them, Basoru's suspicions never lifted. And then, one day, he was told by another Captain that their Captain Commander, Roshu Kensai, who midway through his career donned the name "Satsujun" and the title "God of Murder," had been performing illegal experiments and tampering with powers and forces which he should not have. Basoru and two other Captains then investigated by stealth, and discovered in Satsujun's barracks evidence of the man tampering with powers from Hell, using other Soul Reapers as fodder and experiment subjects, and more hideous things which should not be described. Outraged, Basoru and his companions gathered all other Captains, who united to confront Satsujun and arrest him.
But, the experiments were not for nothing. Satsujun was too powerful, and was able to fend off all twelve other Captains. It was during this time that officers from the newly established Kido Corps, specialists who often lacked Zanpakuto, or the capability to possess any, also joined the fight. However, Satsujun was able to hold them off as well. Basoru left the fight to alert the Royal Guard, who then arrived just as Satsujun killed two of his own Captains. The Royal Guard and the remaining Captains then grouped together to place a binding spell on Satsujun which erased his powers, and sealed him away in the lowest levels of the prison called Senzaikyu, the white tower. There, a rotting, broken husk, Satsujun remained. They could not kill him, but they could still keep him locked up.
Recognizing it had been his decision to push Satsujun into being Captain Commander, and thus allowing these crimes to go unnoticed, Basoru stepped down as Kuchiki Head in Soul Society year 2066, and ascended to the Royal Guard to join his father, and to atone for his mistake. In doing this, he became the second Kuchiki Head to ascend to the Royal Guard, and the sixth Kuchiki member to do so.
Kasa-Basoru Kuchiki
Theme of Kasa-Basoru
Though his full name was Kasa-Basoru, they came to call him simply 'Basoru,' the Second Head of the Kuchiki family. In telling his tale, we also will touch upon that of the second Captain Commander, Satsujun. The eldest son of Tsuyoi, Basoru had already been a young man when his father joined the Guard Squad, and though he possessed mighty reiatsu which kept him from aging drastically, still he was already physically in his 40s by the time he ascended to Captaincy. Unlike his father, he was late to have children, and did not possess any heirs until near the end of his career.
Basoru's career began when his father stepped down and named him successor of Squad 6 and of the family, one year before the Central 46, a newly established governing body which ruled by majority vote, agreed upon how the Captain Commander should be replaced. It was three years after the mighty Captain Commander ascended into the Royal Guard when Basoru's career began, and so within his first year of Captaincy, he found that there was no great leader. Being of great experience and power, Basoru was able to take charge of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads until a new Captain Commander was established. It was then that by majority vote, it was decided simply in the Central 46 for the Captains themselves to nominate a new Soul Reaper.
Basoru was immediately nominated by six other Captains, while five others nominated a man who had descended from the Royal Palace itself as an offspring of the Spirit King, a man called the Spirit Prince, Roshu Kensai. Basoru, having known Roshu for a long time, eventually leaned his own vote toward the man, and swayed two others to do the same. The end result was that Basoru remained Captain of Squad 6, while Roshu Kensai became Captain of Squad 1, and the Captain Commander of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads. It was to be Basoru's ultimate mistake.
Basoru's time as Kuchiki Head was peaceful. During his time, the family grew in total to about a hundred members, and their wealth seemed unsurpassed by any. Other minor noble families began to appear during this era as well, and the Kuchikis would interact with them. Much of Basoru's time was spent reading, writing, and socializing. Hollows were few in his era, and catastrophes were limited. Basoru would also later become one of the first to help test one of the Captain Commander's scientific breakthroughs - A second stage to the Zanpakuto release power, called "Bankai." With this power, Hollows were nearly driven to extinction within a matter of weeks. Near the end of his time as Kuchiki Head, however, Basoru, and others, began to notice a change in Hollows that they encountered. Some were stronger than before, sporting strange abilities. And, once in a while, new enemies would appear that were not Hollows. Enemies with strange, unique powers.
Though a few years of these uncertain enemies passed and it became the norm to once in a while encounter them, Basoru's suspicions never lifted. And then, one day, he was told by another Captain that their Captain Commander, Roshu Kensai, who midway through his career donned the name "Satsujun" and the title "God of Murder," had been performing illegal experiments and tampering with powers and forces which he should not have. Basoru and two other Captains then investigated by stealth, and discovered in Satsujun's barracks evidence of the man tampering with powers from Hell, using other Soul Reapers as fodder and experiment subjects, and more hideous things which should not be described. Outraged, Basoru and his companions gathered all other Captains, who united to confront Satsujun and arrest him.
But, the experiments were not for nothing. Satsujun was too powerful, and was able to fend off all twelve other Captains. It was during this time that officers from the newly established Kido Corps, specialists who often lacked Zanpakuto, or the capability to possess any, also joined the fight. However, Satsujun was able to hold them off as well. Basoru left the fight to alert the Royal Guard, who then arrived just as Satsujun killed two of his own Captains. The Royal Guard and the remaining Captains then grouped together to place a binding spell on Satsujun which erased his powers, and sealed him away in the lowest levels of the prison called Senzaikyu, the white tower. There, a rotting, broken husk, Satsujun remained. They could not kill him, but they could still keep him locked up.
Recognizing it had been his decision to push Satsujun into being Captain Commander, and thus allowing these crimes to go unnoticed, Basoru stepped down as Kuchiki Head in Soul Society year 2066, and ascended to the Royal Guard to join his father, and to atone for his mistake. In doing this, he became the second Kuchiki Head to ascend to the Royal Guard, and the sixth Kuchiki member to do so.
Kasa-Basoru Kuchiki
{Third Head - Azuma Kuchiki}
Theme of Azuma
Basoru's retirement from the Kuchiki family left his eldest and only son, Azuma, the successor and Head. At the start of Azuma's story, Basoru faced much criticism for his early retirement. There were many, especially in the Kuchiki family, who resented Basoru's decision, believing it to be a bad one, especially due to Azuma's youthful age. At the physical age of merely fourteen, and real age of barely sixteen, Azuma was the youngest ever to become Head of the Kuchiki Family. While he faced much criticism, protest, and even some attempts at assassination or legal procedures forcing abdication, he persisted, and soon it all died down when Azuma showed what he could do.
It was immediately following Satsujun's imprisonment that Azuma took hold. While he did receive criticism, it died down as soon as his true nature became apparent. Azuma had zero tolerance for opposition, and had a rather cutthroat, cruel nature about him. He was more stoic than not, and was ruthless. Within days of becoming Head, Azuma challenged two Captains who critiqued his position to combat. He fought them simultaneously, and succeeded in completely defeating both. It was then that Azuma, staring down his fellow Captains, informed them that he was within his rights to kill them then and there, as by the end of the battle they were immobile and so covered in injuries and exhaustion that they were helpless in all ways. However, he said, it would be a waste and a strategic detriment to kill them while already being now two Captains short of a full force.
Azuma was the greatest ally later of the third Captain Commander, whose policy was to restore stability and peace. He was also witness to the slow and steady rise of the second Great Noble Family, the Shihoin. While Azuma was a Captain, he ruthlessly put down six rebellions which rose up in Soul Society as a result of the discovery of Satsujun's crimes, all solo, with his own power and Zanpakuto. After this, he made it his job to expand the family power and to exterminate Hollows both. Under Azuma, the family doubled in size, and Hollows were reduced to double digit numbers in the human world. It became a very perilous time to be a Hollow.
Perhaps due to his innate power, however, Azuma was also the shortest lived of the Kuchiki Heads. He persevered only to the physical age of seventeen, and became terminally ill at the real age of sixty six. In order to save his own life and continue to serve, Azuma was required to ascend to the Royal Guard, which was allowed due to his power and strategic brilliance. The immortality granted to all members of the Royal Guard allowed him to extend his life indefinitely and beat the terminal illness, though at the cost of never being able to return to the Soul Society without once again incurring the illness and dying. No reign in Kuchiki History was ever shorter than Azuma's. In Soul Society year 2116, he became the third Kuchiki Head and ninth Kuchiki member to ascend to the Royal Guard.
Azuma Kuchiki
Theme of Azuma
Basoru's retirement from the Kuchiki family left his eldest and only son, Azuma, the successor and Head. At the start of Azuma's story, Basoru faced much criticism for his early retirement. There were many, especially in the Kuchiki family, who resented Basoru's decision, believing it to be a bad one, especially due to Azuma's youthful age. At the physical age of merely fourteen, and real age of barely sixteen, Azuma was the youngest ever to become Head of the Kuchiki Family. While he faced much criticism, protest, and even some attempts at assassination or legal procedures forcing abdication, he persisted, and soon it all died down when Azuma showed what he could do.
It was immediately following Satsujun's imprisonment that Azuma took hold. While he did receive criticism, it died down as soon as his true nature became apparent. Azuma had zero tolerance for opposition, and had a rather cutthroat, cruel nature about him. He was more stoic than not, and was ruthless. Within days of becoming Head, Azuma challenged two Captains who critiqued his position to combat. He fought them simultaneously, and succeeded in completely defeating both. It was then that Azuma, staring down his fellow Captains, informed them that he was within his rights to kill them then and there, as by the end of the battle they were immobile and so covered in injuries and exhaustion that they were helpless in all ways. However, he said, it would be a waste and a strategic detriment to kill them while already being now two Captains short of a full force.
Azuma was the greatest ally later of the third Captain Commander, whose policy was to restore stability and peace. He was also witness to the slow and steady rise of the second Great Noble Family, the Shihoin. While Azuma was a Captain, he ruthlessly put down six rebellions which rose up in Soul Society as a result of the discovery of Satsujun's crimes, all solo, with his own power and Zanpakuto. After this, he made it his job to expand the family power and to exterminate Hollows both. Under Azuma, the family doubled in size, and Hollows were reduced to double digit numbers in the human world. It became a very perilous time to be a Hollow.
Perhaps due to his innate power, however, Azuma was also the shortest lived of the Kuchiki Heads. He persevered only to the physical age of seventeen, and became terminally ill at the real age of sixty six. In order to save his own life and continue to serve, Azuma was required to ascend to the Royal Guard, which was allowed due to his power and strategic brilliance. The immortality granted to all members of the Royal Guard allowed him to extend his life indefinitely and beat the terminal illness, though at the cost of never being able to return to the Soul Society without once again incurring the illness and dying. No reign in Kuchiki History was ever shorter than Azuma's. In Soul Society year 2116, he became the third Kuchiki Head and ninth Kuchiki member to ascend to the Royal Guard.
Azuma Kuchiki
{Fourteenth Head - Seijuro Kuchiki}
Theme of Seijuro
In Soul Society year 16,442, after eleven more Kuchiki Heads followed Azuma, Seijuro Kuchiki became the new Head. He was the fourteenth Head of the Kuchiki family, which by then numbered in the hundreds. Seijuro became Kuchiki Head at the tender physical age of twenty two, and real age of three hundred and six. Not unlike Azuma, Seijuro was an extremely ruthless, cunning leader, who boasted tremendous power, but more importantly political resources.
During his time, several things happened. First the foremost, he achieved his fame and his place in history after nine noble families, all minor nobles, attempted to instigate a war with the Kuchiki Family by raping several Kuchiki girls. In response, Seijuro sent the sons of all the heads of these families back to them after a brilliant kidnapping. But, he sent them back in pieces. While these nine families were outraged, it did them no good. Within hours of receiving their children, they found themselves under attack by Seijuro Kuchiki and his forces, who decimated all of them, leaving no survivors, and not even a whisper. The names of these families and their members were then purged from the records, which came to be owned by the Kuchiki family around the time of the sixth Head. Thus, these families were banished from existence.
It was in doing this that Seijuro earned his place in history, and that the song called "The Parable of Nine Flags" was born. Later, Seijuro was the one who would form a council between the three Great Noble Families, the Shiba, The Shihoin, and the Kuchiki, in order to maintain peace. While these families became long time allies, the Soul Society was attacked by powerful insect-like enemies called the Kong-Jii, who were capable of producing eggs that stole the powers of their enemies, and could then be eaten to gain that power.
The Kong-Jii were successful even in ambushing, overwhelming, and killing the Captain Commander of the time. However, they bickered over who would be allowed to take his power, allowing enough time for Seijuro and his allies to organize a retaliation, and not only kill the Kong-Jii leaders, but annihilate and genocide all of their forces, ending the war completely. This was in roughly the year 18,000. Later, Seijuro would be named Captain Commander, and would become the first Kuchiki Head ever to be Captain of a squad other than 6 while being Head, and the first and only Kuchiki Captain Commander in history.
Nearly a thousand years later, and still reigning strong, with his son as Captain of Squad 6, Seijuro found himself in the position of adding new spots to the council. A new Great Noble Family, the Kawadas, had appeared, resulting in Four Great Noble Families who sat at the council table. It was also the first time all of the Heads of these Noble Families possessed Captaincies simultaneously, though it was also the first time in history two Kuchiki Captains simultaneously existed. As a result of the Kawadas appearing, the Shiba started to feel threatened, and grew more distant, though nothing came of that for a very long time.
Seijuro would later retire from being Captain Commander in Soul Society year 21,500, after reigning as a Captain for over five thousand years, the longest of any Captain in history to date, and a three thousand year reign as Captain Commander which would also be the longest in history. He also lived the longest of any Soul Reaper in history, and was Head the longest of any Soul Reaper in history. Seijuro, in fact, outlived his own son, and was succeeded as Head by Squad 6 Captain of the time, his grandson. Seijuro, after retirement, ascended to the Royal Guard and gained indefinite life and the ability to continue fighting. Thus, he became the fourteenth Kuchiki Head to ascend to the Royal Guard, and the sixtieth member of the Kuchiki Family to do so. There is speculation that he was the most powerful Kuchiki Head ever to live.
Seijuro Kuchiki
Theme of Seijuro
In Soul Society year 16,442, after eleven more Kuchiki Heads followed Azuma, Seijuro Kuchiki became the new Head. He was the fourteenth Head of the Kuchiki family, which by then numbered in the hundreds. Seijuro became Kuchiki Head at the tender physical age of twenty two, and real age of three hundred and six. Not unlike Azuma, Seijuro was an extremely ruthless, cunning leader, who boasted tremendous power, but more importantly political resources.
During his time, several things happened. First the foremost, he achieved his fame and his place in history after nine noble families, all minor nobles, attempted to instigate a war with the Kuchiki Family by raping several Kuchiki girls. In response, Seijuro sent the sons of all the heads of these families back to them after a brilliant kidnapping. But, he sent them back in pieces. While these nine families were outraged, it did them no good. Within hours of receiving their children, they found themselves under attack by Seijuro Kuchiki and his forces, who decimated all of them, leaving no survivors, and not even a whisper. The names of these families and their members were then purged from the records, which came to be owned by the Kuchiki family around the time of the sixth Head. Thus, these families were banished from existence.
It was in doing this that Seijuro earned his place in history, and that the song called "The Parable of Nine Flags" was born. Later, Seijuro was the one who would form a council between the three Great Noble Families, the Shiba, The Shihoin, and the Kuchiki, in order to maintain peace. While these families became long time allies, the Soul Society was attacked by powerful insect-like enemies called the Kong-Jii, who were capable of producing eggs that stole the powers of their enemies, and could then be eaten to gain that power.
The Kong-Jii were successful even in ambushing, overwhelming, and killing the Captain Commander of the time. However, they bickered over who would be allowed to take his power, allowing enough time for Seijuro and his allies to organize a retaliation, and not only kill the Kong-Jii leaders, but annihilate and genocide all of their forces, ending the war completely. This was in roughly the year 18,000. Later, Seijuro would be named Captain Commander, and would become the first Kuchiki Head ever to be Captain of a squad other than 6 while being Head, and the first and only Kuchiki Captain Commander in history.
Nearly a thousand years later, and still reigning strong, with his son as Captain of Squad 6, Seijuro found himself in the position of adding new spots to the council. A new Great Noble Family, the Kawadas, had appeared, resulting in Four Great Noble Families who sat at the council table. It was also the first time all of the Heads of these Noble Families possessed Captaincies simultaneously, though it was also the first time in history two Kuchiki Captains simultaneously existed. As a result of the Kawadas appearing, the Shiba started to feel threatened, and grew more distant, though nothing came of that for a very long time.
Seijuro would later retire from being Captain Commander in Soul Society year 21,500, after reigning as a Captain for over five thousand years, the longest of any Captain in history to date, and a three thousand year reign as Captain Commander which would also be the longest in history. He also lived the longest of any Soul Reaper in history, and was Head the longest of any Soul Reaper in history. Seijuro, in fact, outlived his own son, and was succeeded as Head by Squad 6 Captain of the time, his grandson. Seijuro, after retirement, ascended to the Royal Guard and gained indefinite life and the ability to continue fighting. Thus, he became the fourteenth Kuchiki Head to ascend to the Royal Guard, and the sixtieth member of the Kuchiki Family to do so. There is speculation that he was the most powerful Kuchiki Head ever to live.
Seijuro Kuchiki
{Twenty Fifth Head - Sozuo Kuchiki}
Theme of Sozuo
In Soul Society year 28,442, Sozuo Kuchiki became the Head of the family. He came from an era of peace, where nothing remarkable happened, and there were no remarkable threats or things to be accomplished. Serving under the 28th Head of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads, and later the 29th and 30th as well, Sozuo was powerful, but nothing exceptional, at least the same as all the other Captains, because nothing exceptional happened during his time. It was a time of extreme peace. So, by all historical accounts, Sozuo Kuchiki's life was extremely uneventful.
While that may be true, he led a very secret life in the background. It was Sozuo Kuchiki, who, recognizing a trend in Soul Society and the human world, and in human nature, decided that the world was beginning to rot. Today, Kuchiki Heads are taught to follow a plan called "The Cleansing" which states that, as long as the conditions each Kuchiki Head is required to fulfill before his death is met, then the world will naturally find itself undergoing cleanse (if not genocide) of those people who would make it rot, and a rehabilitation of what has already rotted. This plan supposedly will be complete by the 33rd Kuchiki Head.
It is therefore also Sozuo who started the tradition of the Kuchiki interrogation method, a torture style which exacts information from even the most resilient of enemies. Sozuo initiated the plan to have all Kuchiki Heirs to be trained in his plan and in his torture methods. Therefore, one might say that the modern Kuchiki dynamic was created by Sozuo Kuchiki. They wouldn't be wrong in saying this.
However, after a rather uneventful life, Sozuo Kuchiki retired in Soul Society year 31,000, and moved on to become a member of the Royal Guard. He was the 25th Kuchiki Head to become a member of the Royal Guard, and thus ended his career and allowed his eldest son, Ginrei Kuchiki, to ascend to become the next Head of the Kuchiki Family. Sozuo's life may have seemed rather uneventful, but quite to the contrary, it was the subtle shaping for the Kuchiki Family's modern dynamic.
Sozuo Kuchiki
Theme of Sozuo
In Soul Society year 28,442, Sozuo Kuchiki became the Head of the family. He came from an era of peace, where nothing remarkable happened, and there were no remarkable threats or things to be accomplished. Serving under the 28th Head of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads, and later the 29th and 30th as well, Sozuo was powerful, but nothing exceptional, at least the same as all the other Captains, because nothing exceptional happened during his time. It was a time of extreme peace. So, by all historical accounts, Sozuo Kuchiki's life was extremely uneventful.
While that may be true, he led a very secret life in the background. It was Sozuo Kuchiki, who, recognizing a trend in Soul Society and the human world, and in human nature, decided that the world was beginning to rot. Today, Kuchiki Heads are taught to follow a plan called "The Cleansing" which states that, as long as the conditions each Kuchiki Head is required to fulfill before his death is met, then the world will naturally find itself undergoing cleanse (if not genocide) of those people who would make it rot, and a rehabilitation of what has already rotted. This plan supposedly will be complete by the 33rd Kuchiki Head.
It is therefore also Sozuo who started the tradition of the Kuchiki interrogation method, a torture style which exacts information from even the most resilient of enemies. Sozuo initiated the plan to have all Kuchiki Heirs to be trained in his plan and in his torture methods. Therefore, one might say that the modern Kuchiki dynamic was created by Sozuo Kuchiki. They wouldn't be wrong in saying this.
However, after a rather uneventful life, Sozuo Kuchiki retired in Soul Society year 31,000, and moved on to become a member of the Royal Guard. He was the 25th Kuchiki Head to become a member of the Royal Guard, and thus ended his career and allowed his eldest son, Ginrei Kuchiki, to ascend to become the next Head of the Kuchiki Family. Sozuo's life may have seemed rather uneventful, but quite to the contrary, it was the subtle shaping for the Kuchiki Family's modern dynamic.
Sozuo Kuchiki
{Twenty Sixth Head - Ginrei Kuchiki}
Theme of Ginrei
And thus in Soul Society year 30,000 Ginrei Kuchiki became Head of the family and Captain of Squad 6. It is most important to note that while Ginrei was Head, the Kuchiki family experienced 0 casualties. That is to say that, while there were deaths from old age, in the era of Ginrei not a single Kuchiki died in battle or in any missions. Other than this remarkable feat, Ginrei is best known for his time in the Shino Academy and afterward, primarily because of the group with whom he is associated, The Four Tyrants. They called them this because of tremendous power, and extremely ruthless battle styles when in the field of combat.
During Ginrei's time, the 31st Captain Commander had stepped in, and begun his reign. Ginrei, while in the academy, was in the Iron Academy, rather than Shino Academy. In those days, the academy trained Soul Reapers not through a series of classes and education, but through assigning them to teams of four who worked beneath a more experienced Soul Reaper guiding them on missions. Ginrei ended up on an extremely unlikely team. Only one in a trillion times would form a team so powerful. Ginrei Kuchiki, Jinbei Kawada, Tamajosho Shigekuni, and Ken Shingai. All of these were extremely powerful individuals unrivaled and unequaled in their time.
Ginrei Kuchiki, of course, was the Heir to the Kuchiki family when in the academy, and was one of the most exceptional students ever to live. Jinbei Kawada, the Heir of the Kawada Nobility at that time, was on Ginrei's time, and the two would later become lifelong friends who linked and allied their two families for almost a thousand years. The falling apart between the two families occurred only after both had already stepped down. However, so longlasting was their friendship and ties, that when the Kawada Family later fell to ruin at the hands of Kuroi Naito, Segunda Espada, the Kuchiki Family made sure to financially and politically support the Kawadas to prevent ruin, and later Sozen Kuchiki would be responsible for ensuring the Kawadas managed to retain their place as a Great Noble Family, and aided Shade Kawada in the Kawada restoration.
Ginrei Kuchiki's other two major friends, Shigekuni and Ken, were also exceptional. Shigekuni was one who would later be called "Mighty Shigekuni," an individual who was perfect in both Kido and Hakuda, not only because he inherently did not possess a Zanpakuto and rather possessed tremendous spiritual power, but also because his ability to attack physically was unrivaled. Mighty Shigekuni would later have the name Tamajosho Shigekuni Aryuusai, the 33rd Captain Commander of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads.
Another friend, Ken Shingai, would later also become Kenpachi Shingai, a man whose goal was to destroy all vile evil and criminals in Soul Society, and who would become a powerful Captain. Of all the four, Kenpachi Shingai would become the most successful and powerful in the end of all of their careers. Together, these four helped procure an age of Soul Society domination, especially in the face of many dozens of threats which they all ended up facing together.
Most notably, shortly after Jinbei became Captain of Squad 13 and Kawada Head, Ginrei became Captain of Squad 6 and Kuchiki Head, Shigekuni became Lieutenant of Squad 1, and Shingai became Captain of Squad 11, they encountered a powerful monster, a white dragon, which nearly destroyed Soul Society. Though together they defeated the monster, it was later noted by Shigekuni to a student of his that if the monster would ever return, it would mean his death. This was because Shigekuni, without the aid of Ginrei, Jinbei, and Shingai, would not be able to defeat the dragon. Regardless, Ginrei was also present when Shigekuni founded the new system of academy, the Shino Academy, and Ginrei became one of the first teachers.
Ginrei's reign was not unique in his ruthlessness, but he was still the first of the Kuchiki Heads to be so renowned for it. Many enemies of the Kuchikis were killed under Ginrei. Some began to compare him to a crime boss, and many feared his power and his cunning. He was not the first to operate like this, but Ginrei Kuchiki was the first to become so famous for cunning, and cold execution of things which were necessary for his family. His own son, Mephisto Kuchiki, would go on to be far kinder than Ginrei, but his grandson, later Head Sozen Kuchiki, would mirror and surpass Ginrei's ruthlessness.
During his reign, Ginrei temporarily stepped down from Kuchiki Head and became a full time teacher at the academy. No longer a Captain or Head, he had much time to spare, and his retirement did not end with ascension to the Royal Guard. He remained for many years onward. He was also present during the Kasumi'Oji rebellion which saw Zanpakuto spirits betray their masters, and was the one to ultimately defeat the perpetrator. Later, when Ginrei's son, Mephisto Kuchiki, died, Ginrei was forced to reclaim the mantle of Kuchiki Head and Captain of Squad 6, forcing him to be a Soul Reaper until an extremely old age.
He would later be present as a Captain during the genocide of the Quincy race, and again during the Hollowfication and disappearance of Squad 5 Captain Zouma Santeku and other Captains. Ginrei eventually stepped down, and then died of old age to allow his second grandson, Onuya Kuchiki, to become Kuchiki Head. It was the first time the torch passed to a second son, but this was because the eldest and the official Heir, Sozen Kuchiki, had eloped for love. Ginrei was the first Kuchiki Head to die at the end of his career rather than ascend to the Royal Guard. After Jinbei retired and went into cryogenic freezing, and Shingai ascended to the Royal Guard, Ginrei had been the last of The Four Tyrants to remain under the 33rd Captain Commander, Mighty Shigekuni, who killed and replaced the 32nd.
Ginrei Kuchiki
Theme of Ginrei
And thus in Soul Society year 30,000 Ginrei Kuchiki became Head of the family and Captain of Squad 6. It is most important to note that while Ginrei was Head, the Kuchiki family experienced 0 casualties. That is to say that, while there were deaths from old age, in the era of Ginrei not a single Kuchiki died in battle or in any missions. Other than this remarkable feat, Ginrei is best known for his time in the Shino Academy and afterward, primarily because of the group with whom he is associated, The Four Tyrants. They called them this because of tremendous power, and extremely ruthless battle styles when in the field of combat.
During Ginrei's time, the 31st Captain Commander had stepped in, and begun his reign. Ginrei, while in the academy, was in the Iron Academy, rather than Shino Academy. In those days, the academy trained Soul Reapers not through a series of classes and education, but through assigning them to teams of four who worked beneath a more experienced Soul Reaper guiding them on missions. Ginrei ended up on an extremely unlikely team. Only one in a trillion times would form a team so powerful. Ginrei Kuchiki, Jinbei Kawada, Tamajosho Shigekuni, and Ken Shingai. All of these were extremely powerful individuals unrivaled and unequaled in their time.
Ginrei Kuchiki, of course, was the Heir to the Kuchiki family when in the academy, and was one of the most exceptional students ever to live. Jinbei Kawada, the Heir of the Kawada Nobility at that time, was on Ginrei's time, and the two would later become lifelong friends who linked and allied their two families for almost a thousand years. The falling apart between the two families occurred only after both had already stepped down. However, so longlasting was their friendship and ties, that when the Kawada Family later fell to ruin at the hands of Kuroi Naito, Segunda Espada, the Kuchiki Family made sure to financially and politically support the Kawadas to prevent ruin, and later Sozen Kuchiki would be responsible for ensuring the Kawadas managed to retain their place as a Great Noble Family, and aided Shade Kawada in the Kawada restoration.
Ginrei Kuchiki's other two major friends, Shigekuni and Ken, were also exceptional. Shigekuni was one who would later be called "Mighty Shigekuni," an individual who was perfect in both Kido and Hakuda, not only because he inherently did not possess a Zanpakuto and rather possessed tremendous spiritual power, but also because his ability to attack physically was unrivaled. Mighty Shigekuni would later have the name Tamajosho Shigekuni Aryuusai, the 33rd Captain Commander of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads.
Another friend, Ken Shingai, would later also become Kenpachi Shingai, a man whose goal was to destroy all vile evil and criminals in Soul Society, and who would become a powerful Captain. Of all the four, Kenpachi Shingai would become the most successful and powerful in the end of all of their careers. Together, these four helped procure an age of Soul Society domination, especially in the face of many dozens of threats which they all ended up facing together.
Most notably, shortly after Jinbei became Captain of Squad 13 and Kawada Head, Ginrei became Captain of Squad 6 and Kuchiki Head, Shigekuni became Lieutenant of Squad 1, and Shingai became Captain of Squad 11, they encountered a powerful monster, a white dragon, which nearly destroyed Soul Society. Though together they defeated the monster, it was later noted by Shigekuni to a student of his that if the monster would ever return, it would mean his death. This was because Shigekuni, without the aid of Ginrei, Jinbei, and Shingai, would not be able to defeat the dragon. Regardless, Ginrei was also present when Shigekuni founded the new system of academy, the Shino Academy, and Ginrei became one of the first teachers.
Ginrei's reign was not unique in his ruthlessness, but he was still the first of the Kuchiki Heads to be so renowned for it. Many enemies of the Kuchikis were killed under Ginrei. Some began to compare him to a crime boss, and many feared his power and his cunning. He was not the first to operate like this, but Ginrei Kuchiki was the first to become so famous for cunning, and cold execution of things which were necessary for his family. His own son, Mephisto Kuchiki, would go on to be far kinder than Ginrei, but his grandson, later Head Sozen Kuchiki, would mirror and surpass Ginrei's ruthlessness.
During his reign, Ginrei temporarily stepped down from Kuchiki Head and became a full time teacher at the academy. No longer a Captain or Head, he had much time to spare, and his retirement did not end with ascension to the Royal Guard. He remained for many years onward. He was also present during the Kasumi'Oji rebellion which saw Zanpakuto spirits betray their masters, and was the one to ultimately defeat the perpetrator. Later, when Ginrei's son, Mephisto Kuchiki, died, Ginrei was forced to reclaim the mantle of Kuchiki Head and Captain of Squad 6, forcing him to be a Soul Reaper until an extremely old age.
He would later be present as a Captain during the genocide of the Quincy race, and again during the Hollowfication and disappearance of Squad 5 Captain Zouma Santeku and other Captains. Ginrei eventually stepped down, and then died of old age to allow his second grandson, Onuya Kuchiki, to become Kuchiki Head. It was the first time the torch passed to a second son, but this was because the eldest and the official Heir, Sozen Kuchiki, had eloped for love. Ginrei was the first Kuchiki Head to die at the end of his career rather than ascend to the Royal Guard. After Jinbei retired and went into cryogenic freezing, and Shingai ascended to the Royal Guard, Ginrei had been the last of The Four Tyrants to remain under the 33rd Captain Commander, Mighty Shigekuni, who killed and replaced the 32nd.
Ginrei Kuchiki
{Twenty Seventh Head - Mephisto Kuchiki}
Mephisto's Theme
The year 32,300. Mephisto Kuchiki, the son of Ginrei Kuchiki. A kind soul who was highly educated and versed in politics. During Mephisto's time, peace was at its peak in Soul Society history. Because of this peace, Mephisto was able to focus on the Kuchiki Family's relations with others, particularly with noble families. Mephisto began to open up negotiations and meetings and gatherings with the other four Great Noble Families in order to ease the tensions that he anticipated would otherwise cause chaos. He also opened up talks with more members of political status, such as the Central 46. In his time, Ginrei had had several of Central 46 in his pocket, and Mephisto's hope was to erase the image of the Kuchiki as a tyrant within the minds of those Ginrei had pocketed.
To this end, Mephisto tried to ease all relations. He developed working partnerships with many members of the Central 46, and functioning deals for peace with all of the other noble families. This was what would ultimately allow Mephisto to maintain his influence. Because he was so respected and loved--possibly the most respected and loved of all the Kuchiki Heads to exist, he was able to convince people to do things which were, by stark contrast, terribly out of character. He had a very functional friendship with rising Kawada Head, Kochikochi Kawada, as well as the other family heads. His peace making efforts were well able to sustain the peace for far longer than it should have gone on.
During this time, Mephisto was gifted with five children. The eldest, Sozen Kuchiki, followed by a younger brother, Onuya Kuchiki. They would also go on to have two daughters, Sakaya and Saeki. To all of these children, Mephisto stressed kindness, and taught them that corruption and evil deeds were not the way to go. He taught them all to be as kind as he himself was. It was a lesson taken to heart by all of them. But, Mephisto would soon notice that his eldest son, Sozen, was shrouded in darkness. Though Sozen tried desperately to live up to Mephisto's teachings, the teachings that he received from Ginrei were of a more cunning, dark nature, including learning how to torture. And for a long time, Sozen refused to kill, until at last he was forced by Ginrei to exact his first kill. Never again would Sozen be incapable of killing.
Mephisto often argued with his father over what was happening to Sozen. Ginrei replied that he had realized after Mephisto's reign that it was necessary for the next head to be more cunning. Mephisto was too weak minded, and would not be successful or practical during war time. Mephisto relented, and actually agreed with Ginrei, and despite sadness, allowed Sozen's training by Ginrei to continue. He tried his best to help alleviate the darkness in Sozen's heart, but knew he could only do so much. As Sozen entered the academy, and later graduated and moved onto Lieutenant of Squad 7, it became more and more clear that he had a cruel streak to him.
The worst of the darkness would come during the invasion of The Great Phantom, a shrewd tactician who laid war to Seireitei, stating it had become corrupt and evil and needed to be purged and reborn. The war lasted for six months, and Mephisto led some forces to victory in the battlefield. However, truly proving himself for the first time, Sozen Kuchiki would be the one who ultimately led to the defeat and unmasking of The Great Phantom, who would be revealed, to Mephisto's dismay, to be none other than his youngest daughter, Saeki Kuchiki. Physically 13, she had taken Mephisto's lessons to heart. Having come across and witnessed Sozen's training, she had come to realize that things needed to change, and had taken matters into her own hands.
Mephisto feared the worst, fearing Sozen would kill his own sister and taint himself forever. But, Sozen relented, and instead had Saeki imprisoned. Mephisto found this relieving. It was then that a new, kinder streak emerged in Sozen's personality, and his cruelty began to evaporate. He was still cunning and still more than willing to be ruthless, but he had at least become very kind. Mephisto was happy for his son, and sad for his daughter. Soon after, Sozen eloped with a young woman. According to Onuya, Sozen had not wanted cruelty, only love. And somehow, Mephisto was happy for his son for having eloped.
Easing his ailing wife, Mephisto would conceive with her a new son, whom they would name Ryuu Kuchiki. At that time, however, assassins from an unknown place would come for Mephisto and his wife. They were powerful, and Mephisto, a peace time Head, was not as powerful as many predecessors. He would soon be chased out of Seireitei with his wife, and wounded. There, his wife died in childbirth from her wounds, and Ryuu was hidden with a couple Mephisto happened across who bore the name "Usagi," and he implored them to raise the child. They agreed, and Mephisto, wounded, continued on his way. He escaped the assassin, and came across his son, Sozen, who was traveling in the area.
Sozen and Mephisto spoke and Mephisto told Sozen that he had learned the assassin could steal Zanpakuto powers. If the assassin killed Mephisto, who was already dying anyway, then he would steal Mephisto's Zanpakuto. Sozen, in understanding, killed his father upon Mephisto's request. And thus, Mephisto died. He would be the first Kuchiki Head to be slain in the field of combat. Afterward, Ginrei Kuchiki would return to being Head for a while, until he died of old age and his grandson, Onuya, would ascend given that the eldest son of Mephisto had eloped. When Mephisto died, his peace keeping ability was no longer present. Thus, under Ginrei's second reign, Soul Society would see the Shihoin and Kasumi'Oji disgrace after failed revolts.
Mephisto Kuchiki
Mephisto's Theme
The year 32,300. Mephisto Kuchiki, the son of Ginrei Kuchiki. A kind soul who was highly educated and versed in politics. During Mephisto's time, peace was at its peak in Soul Society history. Because of this peace, Mephisto was able to focus on the Kuchiki Family's relations with others, particularly with noble families. Mephisto began to open up negotiations and meetings and gatherings with the other four Great Noble Families in order to ease the tensions that he anticipated would otherwise cause chaos. He also opened up talks with more members of political status, such as the Central 46. In his time, Ginrei had had several of Central 46 in his pocket, and Mephisto's hope was to erase the image of the Kuchiki as a tyrant within the minds of those Ginrei had pocketed.
To this end, Mephisto tried to ease all relations. He developed working partnerships with many members of the Central 46, and functioning deals for peace with all of the other noble families. This was what would ultimately allow Mephisto to maintain his influence. Because he was so respected and loved--possibly the most respected and loved of all the Kuchiki Heads to exist, he was able to convince people to do things which were, by stark contrast, terribly out of character. He had a very functional friendship with rising Kawada Head, Kochikochi Kawada, as well as the other family heads. His peace making efforts were well able to sustain the peace for far longer than it should have gone on.
During this time, Mephisto was gifted with five children. The eldest, Sozen Kuchiki, followed by a younger brother, Onuya Kuchiki. They would also go on to have two daughters, Sakaya and Saeki. To all of these children, Mephisto stressed kindness, and taught them that corruption and evil deeds were not the way to go. He taught them all to be as kind as he himself was. It was a lesson taken to heart by all of them. But, Mephisto would soon notice that his eldest son, Sozen, was shrouded in darkness. Though Sozen tried desperately to live up to Mephisto's teachings, the teachings that he received from Ginrei were of a more cunning, dark nature, including learning how to torture. And for a long time, Sozen refused to kill, until at last he was forced by Ginrei to exact his first kill. Never again would Sozen be incapable of killing.
Mephisto often argued with his father over what was happening to Sozen. Ginrei replied that he had realized after Mephisto's reign that it was necessary for the next head to be more cunning. Mephisto was too weak minded, and would not be successful or practical during war time. Mephisto relented, and actually agreed with Ginrei, and despite sadness, allowed Sozen's training by Ginrei to continue. He tried his best to help alleviate the darkness in Sozen's heart, but knew he could only do so much. As Sozen entered the academy, and later graduated and moved onto Lieutenant of Squad 7, it became more and more clear that he had a cruel streak to him.
The worst of the darkness would come during the invasion of The Great Phantom, a shrewd tactician who laid war to Seireitei, stating it had become corrupt and evil and needed to be purged and reborn. The war lasted for six months, and Mephisto led some forces to victory in the battlefield. However, truly proving himself for the first time, Sozen Kuchiki would be the one who ultimately led to the defeat and unmasking of The Great Phantom, who would be revealed, to Mephisto's dismay, to be none other than his youngest daughter, Saeki Kuchiki. Physically 13, she had taken Mephisto's lessons to heart. Having come across and witnessed Sozen's training, she had come to realize that things needed to change, and had taken matters into her own hands.
Mephisto feared the worst, fearing Sozen would kill his own sister and taint himself forever. But, Sozen relented, and instead had Saeki imprisoned. Mephisto found this relieving. It was then that a new, kinder streak emerged in Sozen's personality, and his cruelty began to evaporate. He was still cunning and still more than willing to be ruthless, but he had at least become very kind. Mephisto was happy for his son, and sad for his daughter. Soon after, Sozen eloped with a young woman. According to Onuya, Sozen had not wanted cruelty, only love. And somehow, Mephisto was happy for his son for having eloped.
Easing his ailing wife, Mephisto would conceive with her a new son, whom they would name Ryuu Kuchiki. At that time, however, assassins from an unknown place would come for Mephisto and his wife. They were powerful, and Mephisto, a peace time Head, was not as powerful as many predecessors. He would soon be chased out of Seireitei with his wife, and wounded. There, his wife died in childbirth from her wounds, and Ryuu was hidden with a couple Mephisto happened across who bore the name "Usagi," and he implored them to raise the child. They agreed, and Mephisto, wounded, continued on his way. He escaped the assassin, and came across his son, Sozen, who was traveling in the area.
Sozen and Mephisto spoke and Mephisto told Sozen that he had learned the assassin could steal Zanpakuto powers. If the assassin killed Mephisto, who was already dying anyway, then he would steal Mephisto's Zanpakuto. Sozen, in understanding, killed his father upon Mephisto's request. And thus, Mephisto died. He would be the first Kuchiki Head to be slain in the field of combat. Afterward, Ginrei Kuchiki would return to being Head for a while, until he died of old age and his grandson, Onuya, would ascend given that the eldest son of Mephisto had eloped. When Mephisto died, his peace keeping ability was no longer present. Thus, under Ginrei's second reign, Soul Society would see the Shihoin and Kasumi'Oji disgrace after failed revolts.
Mephisto Kuchiki
{Twenty Eighth Head - Onuya Kuchiki}
Onuya's Theme
In the year 32,900, Onuya Kuchiki became Head. A shrewd, serious figure, Onuya had been hardened by the abandonment of his older brother and the murder of his father. He decided to himself that while he loved and respected their decisions and personalities and power, they had been too weak in mettle for the responsibility of being Head of the Kuchiki Family. Onuya's ideal, therefore, was that fundamentals were the key to everything. Fundamental discipline. Fundamental strength. Fundamental following of the law. He would be a Kuchiki Head who did everything by the books and nothing which was other handed or manipulative. He was honest, and in the open about everything. And, so powerful was Onuya Kuchiki, that he could afford to do so, as well.
Following Ginrei's death, there had been fears that the Kuchiki Family would fall into ruin due to the leash Ginrei had held over those under his thumb. Onuya did not allow this to happen. He kept under his thumb those that had been under Ginrei's, and stated that it was necessary for the greater good that the Central 46 might have some of its members squashed by a power greater than their own. They called him the man of pink blades, and claimed that Onuya Kuchiki's Zanpakuto, Senbonzakura, was the most beautiful Zanpakuto in Soul Society. In response, Onuya won many battles with it, crushing many of Soul Society's enemies. This included a rebel named Koga who had been sealed away by Ginrei, and returned during a war called the Zanpakuto Spirit rebellion. This also included Onuya's role in the first Arrancar War.
Onuya was Captain during the invasion of the Ryoka Arashi Manako, later known as a legendary hero, and the betrayal of Squad 5 Captain Azeru Cho, who would later go on to steal the Hougyoku and create an Arrancar army in Hueco Mundo as the King of Las Noches. Onuya Kuchiki then proceeded to participate in the first War of Arrancar, where he was successful in defeating and killing the Septima Espada, and along with Kenpachi Shousen defeated and killed the Cero Espada. He would return after the war an unchanged man. No different than before. For that reason, Onuya remained stone cold. His fundamentals in his heart.
He was also present when the new Espada rose in Las Noches, supposedly without a King, and the new Segunda, Kuroi Naito, appeared and decimated the Kawada forces. Therefore, Onuya was the residing Captain when Kuroi slaughtered hundreds of Kawadas, including then Head and Captain Kochikochi Kawada, and the subsequent fall of grace of the Kawada Family, not just disgrace, but losing its status as one of the Great Noble Families. At this time, because the Shiba had also lost that status, this left only Three Great Noble Families, two of which still lived in relative disgrace. But by the virtues of Onuya Kuchiki, the Kuchiki Name remained strong.
Soon after, however, betrayal by Squad 12's then Lieutenant took place. It had been well known for a while that Squad 12's Lieutenant, Sonken Kouhai, was of a whole other caliber. His efforts during the Arrancar War had been integral in defeating Azeru Cho. His scientific brilliance even surpassed that of his Captain, Bokuga Sayuri. Sonken Kouhai had long since achieved Bankai, and held a mastery of Kido spells which was unprecedented. Following the war, and Kuroi's invasion, he began to refurbish Soul Society's defenses with staggering new technologies. There was talk that, given Mighty Shigekuni, the 33rd Captain Commander, had died in order to defeat Azeru Cho, that Sonken Kouhai would be the one to succeed him as Captain Commander. It was practically unanimous, until Sonken Kouhai's betrayal.
The defense systems he had been arming turned out to be offensive attacks to distract the majority of Soul Society as Kouhai stole the Hougyoku. Before stealing the Hougyoku, he would be successful in winning a 3 on 1 battle with Captains Ukitake, Kyoraku, and Unohana, and would kill all of them. His attack resulted in the deaths of five total Captains, one of which would be Onuya Kuchiki. Onuya was the last one to encounter Kouhai as the traitor was leaving. The two did battle, but only momentarily. Onuya was no match for Kouhai, who severed his Zanpakuto in an instant. Onuya then released his Bankai, Senbonzakura Kageyoshi, only to find that this too was no match for Kouhai's Kido spells, and that Kouhai was too skilled with a sword. Within minutes, Onuya, though incredibly competent, was covered in wounds that brought him to one knee. Gasping, panting, and realizing that these would indeed be his last moments alive, Onuya delivered his final attack on Kouhai: Saigo No Houmen. An ability which would erase his Soul Reaper powers. Saigo No Houmen had allowed Arashi Manako to defeat Azeru Cho after the latter had been weakened by Mighty Shigekuni.
No such luck here. Sonken Kouhai was able to guard against Onuya's Saigo No Houmen, and strike the finishing blow, killing Onuya. As he went down, Onuya thought of how he would soon see his father, grandfather, mother, and wife again. And he was happy for that. But, he did have one last thought, too. I would have liked to see you again, Sozen... What a pity...
And that was the end of Onuya Kuchiki. He would be the third Kuchiki Head in a row to die rather than ascend to the Zero Division.
Onuya Kuchiki
Onuya's Theme
In the year 32,900, Onuya Kuchiki became Head. A shrewd, serious figure, Onuya had been hardened by the abandonment of his older brother and the murder of his father. He decided to himself that while he loved and respected their decisions and personalities and power, they had been too weak in mettle for the responsibility of being Head of the Kuchiki Family. Onuya's ideal, therefore, was that fundamentals were the key to everything. Fundamental discipline. Fundamental strength. Fundamental following of the law. He would be a Kuchiki Head who did everything by the books and nothing which was other handed or manipulative. He was honest, and in the open about everything. And, so powerful was Onuya Kuchiki, that he could afford to do so, as well.
Following Ginrei's death, there had been fears that the Kuchiki Family would fall into ruin due to the leash Ginrei had held over those under his thumb. Onuya did not allow this to happen. He kept under his thumb those that had been under Ginrei's, and stated that it was necessary for the greater good that the Central 46 might have some of its members squashed by a power greater than their own. They called him the man of pink blades, and claimed that Onuya Kuchiki's Zanpakuto, Senbonzakura, was the most beautiful Zanpakuto in Soul Society. In response, Onuya won many battles with it, crushing many of Soul Society's enemies. This included a rebel named Koga who had been sealed away by Ginrei, and returned during a war called the Zanpakuto Spirit rebellion. This also included Onuya's role in the first Arrancar War.
Onuya was Captain during the invasion of the Ryoka Arashi Manako, later known as a legendary hero, and the betrayal of Squad 5 Captain Azeru Cho, who would later go on to steal the Hougyoku and create an Arrancar army in Hueco Mundo as the King of Las Noches. Onuya Kuchiki then proceeded to participate in the first War of Arrancar, where he was successful in defeating and killing the Septima Espada, and along with Kenpachi Shousen defeated and killed the Cero Espada. He would return after the war an unchanged man. No different than before. For that reason, Onuya remained stone cold. His fundamentals in his heart.
He was also present when the new Espada rose in Las Noches, supposedly without a King, and the new Segunda, Kuroi Naito, appeared and decimated the Kawada forces. Therefore, Onuya was the residing Captain when Kuroi slaughtered hundreds of Kawadas, including then Head and Captain Kochikochi Kawada, and the subsequent fall of grace of the Kawada Family, not just disgrace, but losing its status as one of the Great Noble Families. At this time, because the Shiba had also lost that status, this left only Three Great Noble Families, two of which still lived in relative disgrace. But by the virtues of Onuya Kuchiki, the Kuchiki Name remained strong.
Soon after, however, betrayal by Squad 12's then Lieutenant took place. It had been well known for a while that Squad 12's Lieutenant, Sonken Kouhai, was of a whole other caliber. His efforts during the Arrancar War had been integral in defeating Azeru Cho. His scientific brilliance even surpassed that of his Captain, Bokuga Sayuri. Sonken Kouhai had long since achieved Bankai, and held a mastery of Kido spells which was unprecedented. Following the war, and Kuroi's invasion, he began to refurbish Soul Society's defenses with staggering new technologies. There was talk that, given Mighty Shigekuni, the 33rd Captain Commander, had died in order to defeat Azeru Cho, that Sonken Kouhai would be the one to succeed him as Captain Commander. It was practically unanimous, until Sonken Kouhai's betrayal.
The defense systems he had been arming turned out to be offensive attacks to distract the majority of Soul Society as Kouhai stole the Hougyoku. Before stealing the Hougyoku, he would be successful in winning a 3 on 1 battle with Captains Ukitake, Kyoraku, and Unohana, and would kill all of them. His attack resulted in the deaths of five total Captains, one of which would be Onuya Kuchiki. Onuya was the last one to encounter Kouhai as the traitor was leaving. The two did battle, but only momentarily. Onuya was no match for Kouhai, who severed his Zanpakuto in an instant. Onuya then released his Bankai, Senbonzakura Kageyoshi, only to find that this too was no match for Kouhai's Kido spells, and that Kouhai was too skilled with a sword. Within minutes, Onuya, though incredibly competent, was covered in wounds that brought him to one knee. Gasping, panting, and realizing that these would indeed be his last moments alive, Onuya delivered his final attack on Kouhai: Saigo No Houmen. An ability which would erase his Soul Reaper powers. Saigo No Houmen had allowed Arashi Manako to defeat Azeru Cho after the latter had been weakened by Mighty Shigekuni.
No such luck here. Sonken Kouhai was able to guard against Onuya's Saigo No Houmen, and strike the finishing blow, killing Onuya. As he went down, Onuya thought of how he would soon see his father, grandfather, mother, and wife again. And he was happy for that. But, he did have one last thought, too. I would have liked to see you again, Sozen... What a pity...
And that was the end of Onuya Kuchiki. He would be the third Kuchiki Head in a row to die rather than ascend to the Zero Division.
Onuya Kuchiki