Post by Shuuhei Yamada on Jul 3, 2020 11:57:31 GMT -5
-Opening-
Member's Discord Name (include nicknames): Shuuhei Yamada
Password 1: [Black Hole]
Password 2: [Moon Pray]
Type: [Spirited]
Squad: [Squad 1]
Rank: [Vice Captain]
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-Basic Information-
Name: [Yamada, Shuuhei]
Age of Death: [22 Years]
Real Age/Age of Appearance: [530 Years/25]
Birthday (Month/Day): [05/17]
Blood Type: [ A Negative ]
RP Sample (Optional): Fourteen miles out in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Tijuana, Mexico, the red-orange disk of the dying sun was sinking into the steely gray-blue water once again. The warmth of the day was fading, giving way to the cool of night, which was already slowly creeping over the land, ready to reclaim it during the rapidly approaching twelve hours of darkness. The few remaining beachgoers were beginning to notice, exiting the sea and donning sweaters or towels. Some piled into SUV's and minivans for the drive back to the family home in one of the nearby upscale beach neighborhoods just across the international border, while others tried to start fires in the concrete fire enclosures built by the city and evenly spaced every hundred yards along the beach. One by one, red and yellow flames leapt up into the chilly evening air, warming the tired humans nearby and providing a place for them to cook their food. The air would soon be filled with the smell of carne asada and other grilled foods, and with the sounds of laughter and loud speech as the humans became more intoxicated. Drinking was technically illegal on Baja California beaches, but the law was only truly enforced in the daytime, and even then very rarely By night, it was as if the law had never been passed.
Unnoticed by the relaxing humans, the black-clad figure staring out at the sunset shivered as a gust of frigid wind rose up off the sea, driving away any last remnants of the sun's life-giving, warm embrace. The man in the Shihakusho had little body fat to protect against the cold, and now he almost regretted it as another gust rose up, moving the loose fabric around him, rearranging his long, black hair, and chilling his pale skin. This was Shuuhei Yamada, member of the Gotei, now a Vice Captain of Squad 1 on his first mission since promotion. "It's getting cold again... maybe I should've come in Gigai with my jacket instead." he thought as yet another gust of chilled sea air raised goosebumps on his arms and chest. He looked up for a final time, just in time to see the last shimmering sliver of the setting sun slip below the waves as that hemisphere of the Earth rotated away from the yellow dwarf star at around a thousand miles per hour. Taking a final look at the vast expanse of sea before him, Shuuhei turned away and began walking north, towards the metal fence topped with razor wire half a mile away that the humans had put up to mark the boundary between two of their countries. Of course, he could use high-speed movement to arrive there much more quickly, but the Shinigami was much more content to walk leisurely to his objective, as there was simply nothing else to do anyways.
After ten minutes of slogging through cold, wet sand in his bare feet, Shuuhei arrived at the foot of the massive iron fence. "Do humans truly still hate each other that much, that they find such a barrier necessary to keep their nations apart?" he wondered. It reminded him of the border fortifications sometimes built between the territory of two feuding daimyo during his human life. Unlike then, however, it would be simple to scale this dividing line. Shuuhei leapt into the air, quickly rising more than twice the height of the fence, before almost effortlessly gliding over it and landing on the side controlled by the humans who called themselves the government of the United States. Though the American side had its own beach, it was already entirely silent and deserted. In fact, it was almost eerily quiet. Shuuhei put his socks and sandals back on quickly, then turned to begin his walk up the beach and towards his objective. From here, it was meant to be only a ten-minute walk past graffiti-covered walls and barred windows to the place where a strange Reiatsu signature had been detected not long ago.
Wait.
Was that... Reiatsu? It certainly was. Shuuhei would have recognized that familiar feeling of pressure anywhere, though it had been some time since he'd sensed such a thing. "Up" said a voice in his mind. That was Jinryu, one of the two spirits that made up his Zanpakuto and thus a source of his power. Shuuhei turned his head back and gazed into the night sky. There was the planet Venus and some of the brighter stars first beginning to show themselves, but where was... And that was when the Garganta appeared. Some two hundred feet above him, the unmistakable pitch-black rift tore across the twilit sky. From the gaping, toothless mouth in the sky, a single white-clad figure descended. Upon his face, a bone-white fragment signaled to the world his past, a reminder of the Hollow he used to be. At his side, of course, was a Zanpakuto, and in the center of his bare chest, a perfectly round hole. This was an Arrancar, and by the looks of it, almost certainly a loyal member of the Fracción of one Espada or another. Things had just gotten quite complicated for Shuuhei. Of course, just the fact that this was an Arrancar was no reason he should have to die but... it was also true that he had been sent here by the Gotei to cause exactly that result. As a Vice Captain, he was bound to follow orders, and besides, his loyalty remained firmly with the Gotei.
"You know you can't let him go... the report back to Seireitei will not be favorable..." said a nervous voice in Shuuhei's mind. That was Shiryu, the other half of his dual Zanpakuto. "I know... unfortunately he's going to have to be eliminated... the poor guy probably hasn't been back to this world in a while... probably just learned to use Garganta judging by his Reiatsu," replied Shuuhei mentally as he rested a hand on the hilt of his katana, the larger of the two swords that represented his Zanpakuto. Above him, the younger Arrancar descended, blade already drawn as his feet touched the cool sand. "Who are you? What are you doing here?" asked the visibly startled Arrancar "The name's Yamada... Yamada Shuuhei. Squad One Vice Captain," responded Shuuhei. "A Shinigami, then!" said the Arrancar. "You just showed up to the wrong damn beach." he said, pointing his Zanpakuto at Shuuhei's head. "I'm sorry, but... I'm afraid I'm not the one who has come to the wrong place... Arrancar-san," said Shuuhei, gripping the hilts of both his swords.
The Arrancar from Las Noches replied by attempting something that vaguely resembled a Sonído, though it wasn't quite fast enough to qualify as one in Shuuhei's opinion. He had time to draw both swords, quickly parrying his opponent's first stroke with his wakizashi before slashing at the enemy with his katana. The feeling of resistance told Shuuhei that he'd struck his target long before the man's exclamation of pain reached his ears. The Arrancar quickly pulled back, his blood dripping from the fresh wound and pooling in the sand. "Please. Just leave and forget you saw me. I would greatly appreciate not having to eliminate you." Shuuhei implored. This was entirely true. He'd seen enough death and destruction in his time and had zero interest in causing more. Still... his survival needed to be ensured. "Like hell!" yelled the Arrancar, lifting his weapon. "Cero!!" he exclaimed as a burst of purple Reiatsu flared around his left palm, condensing into a glowing orb of energy. "I'm sorry, then..." said Shuuhei quietly, pointing his right index finger at the weak Arrancar.
"Hado number 4: Byakurai," said Shuuhei, a bolt of pure white lightning flashing from his index finger and striking the Cero before it could fire. The purple orb of energy detonated in the unfortunate Arrancar's hand, mangling it to the point of uselessness. A sickening sound of cracking bone and moving flesh could be heard as the hand began to repair itself, as Hollows and Arrancar often did.
"What--" began his shocked opponent, but he never had time to finish his sentence. With a burst of speed, Shuuhei leapt forward, slamming the Arrancar against a nearby concrete wall with his right hand shortly before plunging his wakizashi through the unfortunate being's shoulder and into the wall, trapping him. Holding his outstretched left hand inches from the Arrancar's face, he said only two words. "I'm sorry..." Shuuhei sounded almost genuinely sad as he channeled his Reiatsu into his left hand. "Hado number 54: Haien," he said. He looked away as the burst of purple flame was released, instantly incinerating the opponent's head, thereby ending his life. "Don't be born with spiritual power in your next life... save yourself the suffering." thought Shuuhei as he retrieved his wakizashi from the burnt-out heap of what used to be a proud Arrancar. He cleaned the blades of his swords with a sense of regret, knowing that the crimson stains on the cloth represented yet another life senselessly taken. Looking around cautiously, he sheathed his two swords and made a beeline for the coordinates where he was supposed to meet a group of fellow Shinigami from Squad 1 for the return to Seireitei.
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-Appearance-
Height/Weight: [5 Feet, 9 Inches]
Physical Description: [Overall, and especially in comparison to members of the numerous races of beings in existence, spiritual and otherwise, Shuuhei is not a being whose appearance causes them to stand out or makes them particularly noteworthy in any way. Most of his physical traits are average or very nearly so, and he does not possess any body modifications or other characteristics that could be seen as unique or interesting. Simply put, he looks very close what even most humans would consider to be "normal." While some might find such an average appearance boring, it does have its uses, especially for someone like Shuuhei who would prefer to avoid being noticed if at all possible.
The first of Shuuhei's "average" features is of course his height. He stands five feet and nine inches (5' 9'') off the ground, very near average height for a human male in his early- to mid-twenties, the age Shuuhei was at the time he was killed and his human life came to an end. If he stood on one of the scales humans often use to weigh themselves, (assuming such a device worked on a spiritual being) it would probably inform him that he weighs 150 pounds. For Shuuhei, this weight consists mainly of muscle and other lean tissues, and very little fat. After all, he spent many years as a part of what essentially amounted to a military organization, and was a soldier in his human life before that, meaning that he has always believed in the importance of exercise and staying in shape. However, over the past several years busy with Vice Captain's duties, he has had both less exercise and less to eat. For these reasons, he is a textbook example of the ectomorph body type. As stated previously, this means he has very little fat and only some muscle. However, the lack of exercise has resulted in a loss of muscle definition, resulting in an overall appearance that most people would describe as "skinny."
The skin that lies over the physiological features described above is rather fair, as is common in people of East Asian descent such as Shuuhei, although it is not so light as to be properly called "pale." That being said, it is definitely light enough that if he were a modern human, doctors would likely advise him to use sunscreen outdoors and be cautious about spending too much time in the sun or under direct UV light. Very little body hair grows anywhere on his figure. His skin is not interrupted by any artificial marks, such as tattoos, nor is it disfigured by any notable natural ones such as birthmarks or moles. There is, however, one exception: scars. The reminders of countless battles tear across his skin in almost every region of his body that could have reasonably been reached by an enemy's blade. Most of these are rather small, but two are particularly large and noticeable. The first of these is a diagonal one stretching from just below his left collarbone to his right hip. It is a light brown line forming a straight, clean cut that is very similar in appearance to scars left by surgical operations. The only difference is that it is about an inch in width at its widest point rather than just a few centimeters. The second is a vertical line only two and a half inches in length and a few centimeters in width but much darker in color and covered by rough, hard scar tissue. This one is located just to the right of his sternum, and there is a corresponding scar of identical description on his back, clearly the result of being impaled by the blade of a katana. Both noticeable scars are from very specific battles, although the others are from all throughout his career.
For Shuuhei, as is the case with most humanoid beings, his defining characteristics, or the ones that set him apart from others, are the features of his head and face. First, of course, there is his hair. As he is originally of Japanese descent, this hair is a deep black in color. It has not been cut in years, and currently its ends reach nearly halfway down his back. While he normally leaves it alone and does not prefer any particular hairstyle, such long hair can become a nuisance, especially if it blocks the vision during battle. For this reason, he often keeps it tied together behind him. Besides this, Shuuhei's hair is often messy and as mentioned before, not in any identifiable style. Another important feature is of course the eyes. His eyes are usually a dark brown in color, although when he becomes angry or otherwise agitated, or involved in any situation causing him to use a significant amount of Reiryoku, they can temporarily become a dark blue in color, which happens to be the same color as his Reiatsu.
No description of a spiritual being would be complete without a description of their Reiatsu. In "appearance," Shuuhei's Reiatsu generally takes on a deep, dark blue color, although not quite so dark as to qualify as what is usually referred to as "navy blue." Instead, an observer would most likely state that the color of his Reiatsu is closest to that of the water in the open ocean during the day when one is looking directly down upon it. As with most spiritual beings, Shuuhei's Reiatsu also has a particular "feel" to it to those capable of Reiatsu perception. This feeling is generally described by those who have experienced it as a sensation similar to that experienced if the surrounding area is highly charged with static electricity. Those with more highly-attuned senses of Reiatsu perception may also note a smell of ozone, which is the smell commonly associated with the time immediately preceding or following a rainstorm. Shuuhei's Reiatsu also occasionally evokes an emotional response in some beings, which differs depending on whether he regards the person sensing his Reiatsu as a friend or a foe. To an ally, his Reiatsu brings on a sense of reassurance, confidence, calm, and sometimes even happiness. To an enemy, his Reiatsu is thick, heavy, and threatening, and generally brings on a sense of unease and even fear, mainly in those weaker than him.
Finally, there is his clothing. Shuuhei wears the Shihakusho uniform most commonly associated with Gotei members. This, of course, consists of a black kimono and hakama, kept together at the waist with the standard white obi sash used by all Shinigami in most cases. This sash, besides keeping the uniform together, also helps to hold the sheathed katana and wakizashi that make up his dual Zanpakutō. He wears both of these weapons on the left side of his body for the most convenient use, as he is right-handed. His Shihakusho is of the long-sleeved variety, the one most commonly seen, and it is not modified in any way. Over this, he will sometimes wear the small, white, sleeveless coat worn by Squad 1 members over their uniforms when on official Squad business. On his feet, one can find the standard-issue Japanese-style socks and sandals that usually accompany the Shinigami uniform. Besides the Shihakusho, Shuuhei usually wears a long white silk scarf around his neck, with the ends often trailing one to two feet behind him. Being a Vice Captain, Shuuhei must wear his Vice-Captain's insignia on the sleeve of his Shihakusho. This item is the standard Vice Captain's insignia, being a golden metal badge in the shape of a shield around an inch thick, 4 inches in length and 2 inches in width at its widest point. In Shuuhei's case, it bears the emblem of Squad 1, just above which is the Japanese Kanji character for the number 1.
In Gigai form, Shuuhei chooses to wear clothes that closely match the most current fashion for human males in the age group that he appears to belong to. This, of course, is intended to aid him in blending in and avoiding standing out as much as reasonably possible. As such, he has two main possible outfits to choose from depending on the weather, which fortunately does not vary much in the part of Earth where he currently lives. During the spring and summer months when it is warm, he prefers to wear a grey and black striped T-shirt, khaki colored shorts, and black low-top Converse shoes with dark blue laces. If the weather becomes particularly hot, he will replace the T-shirt with a black tank top. During colder weather, he will trade the shorts for a pair of dark blue denim jeans and the T-shirt for a red and black plaid flannel shirt, which he usually wears with all of the buttons fastened. In especially cold or rainy weather, he will sometimes wear a black, hooded sweatshirt instead.]
Image:
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-Personality-
Dislikes:
[
3) Intolerance: Despite being a member of the Gotei 13, which is a military organization specifically dedicated to fighting against the various races seen as threats to the balance of souls or to Soul Society itself, Shuuhei is generally quite tolerant of other races of beings. Whether they are Hollows, Arrancar, Vizards, or any other race, he does not hold any prejudices or resentment against them, and does not allow the general opinion among his fellow Shinigami toward such races to affect his words or actions when dealing with them. Shuuhei views his duty as a part of the Gotei 13 as an obligation to fight against enemies of Soul Society or threats to the balance of souls, not a duty to, for example, fight all Hollows or Arrancar he encounters. In other words, he will fight against enemies he is ordered to fight regardless of their race, but will not attack or otherwise have a problem with another being simply as a result of their race. This has not always been the case, however, and this tolerance was something he needed to learn over time through experience.
4) Disloyalty: As a being who has spent the vast majority of his existence as part of one military organization or another, (having been a samurai as a human and then a Shinigami much later) Shuuhei values loyalty very highly. As such, he finds disloyalty to be one of the worst and most dishonorable traits for anyone to have, and even more so in the case of his fellow Shinigami. He would not hesitate to execute a traitor or rogue himself, were such a thing allowed. Shuuhei's loyalty, of course, lies with the Gotei 13, and any activity that could be seen as treason against this organization is completely unforgivable to him. While this has always been the case due to his extensive military background, his intense feelings on loyalty have been strengthened over time by his loss of friends due to the actions of traitors and other similar experiences.
5) Rudeness: Finally, Shuuhei does not like rude behavior. This stems from his human life in Japan and the traditional rules of politeness he learned there. To him, rudeness is anything that violates these traditional rules. Some examples would be referring to a person one just met by their first name, raising one's voice unnecessarily, or the use of vulgar speech or curse words. Improper body language and lack of eye contact during conversations fall under this category as well. Besides these, bad manners in general tend to cause Shuuhei at least mild annoyance depending on the exact offense. Along with the fact that rudeness violates the traditional values he has always held, Shuuhei believes that someone who cannot even control their actions to be polite towards others is likely to become a physical danger to others at some point. For these reasons, Shuuhei will generally avoid associating with those who demonstrate a consistent pattern of what he considers rude behavior.[/ul]
Likes: [1) Peace & Quiet: Like most beings with relatively normal psychology, Shuuhei enjoys peace and quiet whenever he can get it. This can be attributed to the conflict, physical violence, and chaos he has experienced for most of his existence. Between his time fighting in wars as a human, to fighting Hollows and conducting military operations as a part of the Gotei, to his own internal battles, Shuuhei has simply had enough of chaos and battle for several lifetimes. For this reason, he will make every attempt to avoid fighting when possible. He prefers time alone to relax and think over fighting or other chaotic activities. This being said, he will not hesitate fight when necessary, especially if others are in danger, but it is not something he enjoys or seeks out.
3) Exercise: Seeing as Shuuhei has spent the better part of his existence as a part of one military organization or another, physical fitness is something that has always been expected or outright demanded of him. Rather than seeing this as a chore or something he "has to" do, he views exercise as something both beneficial and enjoyable. He especially enjoys the feeling of satisfaction and overall happiness sometimes experienced at the conclusion of a workout, often referred to by humans as "runner's high." He also enjoys the workout itself, however. During his time both as a human and later in the Gotei, Shuuhei's workouts consisted of running or swimming, lifting of weights, core exercises, and sparring for Zanjutsu practice when possible.
4) Good Food: One thing Shuuhei has always been fond of is good food. This is something that has been the case from the time he grew old enough to eat solid foods as a human, and has not changed since. Japanese food is, of course, his favorite, as it is what he grew up with even as a human and was the most commonly available type of sustenance in Soul Society as well. On Earth, he finds it rather difficult to find what he considers to be authentic Japanese food and does not appreciate the more "modern American" takes on the cuisine of his homeland that he often comes across in the human world. Another variety of food he has come to enjoy after many missions to Earth is Mexican food, which is both very high quality and widely available in his location on Earth, as he spent extensive time in Southern California. Interestingly, due to the importance of health and physical fitness to him, Shuuhei is careful with the amount of calories he consumes each day and is careful to maintain a proper balance between eating the foods he enjoys and remaining healthy.
5) Alcohol: Despite his usual caution on matters of health and physical fitness, Shuuhei does tend to be what most would consider a heavy drinker. Although, he consumes quite high quantities of alcohol, he does not do so with the intent to become intoxicated. His tolerance for alcohol is very high as a result of having started drinking at around the age of 17 as a human and steadily building tolerance since then, as most beings would. As such, he requires a significant amount to induce the relaxed feeling he desires. When it comes to his drink of choice, Shuuhei prefers sake as this is what he has had access to for most of his existence. More recently, though, he has started to develop a taste for whiskey as well, both because he finds the taste enjoyable and it is stronger, meaning he does not need to drink as much of it.][/ul][/ul]
Flaws: [
2)Stubborn: One of Shuuhei's major flaws is that he is extremely stubborn. Though some may argue that this stubbornness is actually perseverance and a refusal to give up despite challenges, and while it does have that effect, it has mainly resulted in trouble for Shuuhei. Therefore, it is listed here as a negative trait and viewed by him as such. A significant part of the reason why is the same reason why many people would argue it is in fact not a negative trait: the fact that he simply will not give up or change his mind in almost any situation. This was touched on previously as part of the section in which Shuuhei's adherence to the Bushido code was discussed. Even if faced with a fight that he knows he cannot win or a situation that he knows is completely impossible, he will simply refuse to give up. This can result in minor consequences, such as large amounts of wasted time on an impossible problem, or major ones up to and including his death. Similarly, this means that he is very unlikely to change his mind on anything or adjust his beliefs or ideas, even if they are proven wrong. There was one exception to this, which was becoming more tolerant of other races and organizations after some time.
3)ADHD: When Shuuhei was born in 1490, the condition now widely known as "attention deficit hyperactivity disorder," or ADHD, was not medically documented. Instead, his parents and those around him simply thought he had "trouble applying himself," or "a short attention span," or "too much energy." A modern doctor would have very little trouble diagnosing Shuuhei with ADHD. He suffers from all of its classic symptoms, including difficulty focusing on tasks and hyperactivity. Now that he knows he suffers from this, which he discovered during a visit to a human doctor on Earth recently, he suspects it was the reason for his procrastination as well. Unfortunately, though he was prescribed medication to help mitigate the effects of this condition, it does not work properly because Shuuhei is of course not actually a human. As a direct result, he still suffers from the full intensity of his ADHD most of the time.
4)Procrastinator: Another of Shuuhei's flaws is his tendency to procrastinate. When tasked with something he sees as being tedious, time-consuming, or otherwise annoying or unpleasant, he is very likely to put that task off as long as possible. This was particularly noticeable during his time as a low-ranking Gotei member shortly after graduating from the Academy, during which his tendency to put off the menial tasks he was often given proved to be an annoyance and hindrance to his fellow squad members and superiors alike. Though this improved as he spent more time in the Gotei and was trusted, little by little, with more important and "less boring" responsibilities, but it never entirely resolved itself and remain a problem for him to this day.
5)Addiction-Prone: Finally, it is important to note that Shuuhei is heavily inclined psychologically to be at higher than average risk for addiction. Specifically, this means addiction to substances, though it can also refer to an addiction to risky behavior intended to cause the production of adrenaline. If he were a modern human, Shuuhei would almost certainly participate in extreme sports for this reason. More problematic is his risk of addiction to substances. During his human life, there were not many opportunities to use what modern humans would consider to be "drugs," but there was plenty of alcohol. As this was medieval Japan, this usually meant sake. The same was true in Soul Society. In both places, he tended to drink quite heavily. Shuuhei never drank in amounts that would lead anyone to consider him an alcoholic, though. Rather, he was usually viewed as a person who "liked to have fun." Luckily, this has not caused him any embarrassment or other problems yet, nor has it led to an actual addiction. Nevertheless, he does still drink heavily to this day. Overall, Shuuhei is the type to become addicted to something easily and must always take care to avoid this as much as possible. ]
Habits: [
2) Whistling: Another habit Shuuhei developed early on to cope with his ADHD is whistling. During his childhood as a human, he would sometimes make loud noises or start talking out of turn as a result of anxiety, boredom, or similar emotional states. However, he quickly learned that this behavior was both unacceptable and generally viewed as weird. This led to the development of this particular habit as soon as he learned how to whistle. As such, Shuuhei is very likely to be whistling at almost any time he is encountered, including but not limited to while he works, trains, or even just walks through the Seireitei during his free time.
3) Daydreaming: When he is not engaged in anything important or any of the above habits, it is quite likely that Shuuhei will be daydreaming. Quite a lot has happened in his 530-year existence, so there is quite a lot for him to ponder. The vast majority of the time, his daydreaming consists of thinking up ways to solve the many problems that exist across all the known realms. More specifically, this means searching for ways to reduce the amount of pain and suffering that exists while increasing the general level of enjoyment. He views the mission of the Gotei 13 as being of paramount importance to this, which is taken into account in these daydreams. Other possible topics include plans for the future, such as training, becoming stronger, and advancing in the Gotei's hierarchy.
4) Training: In his spare time, which is of course quite limited due to his role as Squad 1's Vice Captain, Shuuhei can often be found training. This means both physical training, such as running or strength and conditioning work, as well as combat and spiritual training. He holds himself to quite high standards and follows a very strict training regimen which focuses heavily on his strengths, those being Zanjutsu and Kido, but incorporates all of the main Shinigami skills. Being in good physical and mental shape and being properly prepared are two things that are of utmost importance to him.
5)Drinking: Strangely, though he focuses very heavily on health and preparedness, Shuuhei is what most would consider to be a heavy drinker. Having started consuming alcohol at the age of 17, he has been drinking for most of his existence, and has therefore developed quite a high tolerance for alcohol. Unfortunately, this habit is a result of all of the devastation he has seen over the course of his existence and an attempt to "forget" it. Thus, he feels the need to drink enough to feel the effects of the alcohol strongly, which requires a significant amount of liquor. His favorite thing to drink is sake, though whiskey is a close second. This being said, he is quite careful to avoid shaming himself, and he has so far managed to avoid this habit negatively impacting his ability to fulfill his duties. Nonetheless, this is a major risk.
6)Suppressing his Reiatsu: Shuuhei, as we know, is quite paranoid, and as a direct result of this, does everything possible to ensure he is not being followed or tracked in any way. As a spiritual being, he is aware suppressing one's Reiatsu is absolutely critical to going undetected. Of course, as he is but a Vice Captain, there are many beings who are stronger than him and in possession of extremely sharp Reiatsu detection skills, largely negating the effectiveness of this. Despite that, Shuuhei keeps his Reiatsu suppressed as much as possible whenever he is outside the Seireitei, and even within it depending on the situation at hand.[/ul] ]
Fears: [1) Failure: From the time he was but a small child, one of Shuuhei's main fears has been failure. It was always made clear to him by people in positions of trust and authority that to fail was completely unacceptable, and would bring dishonor upon him and his superiors. He carried this beyond his human life and into his time as a Shinigami, which has driven him to be somewhat of a perfectionist. Thus, failure to carry out orders or accomplish his tasks in a timely manner is a major fear for Shuuhei.
2) Regression of Skills: Along similar lines to his fear of failure, Shuuhei fears his skills regressing or even being lost altogether, as these skills are necessary to ensure he does not fail at any tasks he is assigned. This is particularly the case when it comes to his combat abilities. It is for this reason that his habit of keeping up a harsh training regimen developed and has stuck with him for all these years.
3) Dishonor: During his time as a human, Shuuhei lived in medieval Japan during the height of the Sengoku period and served in the military forces of a local daimyo, or feudal lord, as a samurai. As many know, samurai adhered to a strict code of morals and honor known as Bushido that dictated proper and honorable behavior both in society and on the field of battle. From the time he was old enough to comprehend human speech, it has been drilled into Shuuhei's head that dishonor is far worse than death, and some forms of shame can only be recovered from by taking one's own life. Because of this, he is deeply afraid of doing anything that could bring shame or dishonor to him, his superiors, or the Gotei 13 at large, and is very cautious to avoid such actions.
4) Betrayal: Shuuhei has a tendency to be deeply paranoid, meaning that gaining his trust is extremely difficult and requires a significant amount of time. However, it is not impossible. That being said, Shuuhei is very afraid of being betrayed by those who he allows to gain his trust. After all, he has seen many an otherwise careful person meet their downfall at the hands of someone they thought was trustworthy, and he has no intention of repeating that mistake. Furthermore, if someone he previously trusted did betray him, Shuuhei would never be able to trust that person again.
5) Stupidity: Over the course of his five centuries in existence, most of which was spent doing one form of military service or another, Shuuhei has seen just how many problems can be caused by stupidity, particularly on the battlefield. He sees it not as a joke or something to make fun of, nor even as something to be punished and corrected but otherwise left alone, but as something extremely dangerous. In his time, he has seen far more people and Shinigami die as a result of their own stupidity than due to any other cause. For this reason, he is quick to punish and correct actions that demonstrate a lack of intelligence, and he will not work with anyone he deems to be "dangerously stupid," in his words.]
Goals: [
2) Captaincy: Similar to his goal of becoming more powerful, Shuuhei views his goal of one day becoming a captain as merely a stepping stone along the path to his other, more important objectives. While it is true that since he is already a Vice Captain, becoming a captain is the next logical promotion to aim for, there is once again more to this goal. In the Gotei 13, the captains are the only ones who have any significant degree of influence over the policies and overall political climate of the organization. As many of his objectives involve significant changes to these, Shuuhei knows that he will need to become a captain to make them possible. Interestingly, though his is in Squad 1, he has no interest in becoming the Captain-Commander, as he does not believe he is fit for such an important leadership role. As such, he will need to transfer to a different Squad once the time comes. Also, he has plans after the realization of his goals involving the politics of the Gotei 13, and those plans are to eventually become a part of Squad Zero if at all possible.
3) Build Tolerance Among the Gotei 13: First among the multiple goals that require Shuuhei to first attain a high rank is the desire to build a higher level of tolerance among the Gotei 13. At present, the Shinigami leadership generally considers all Hollows and associated beings such as Arrancar and even Vizards, along with the races residing in Hell, to automatically be enemies of Soul Society regardless of their personalities, actions, or anything else. While it is true that Hollows can threaten the balance of souls by consuming the souls of humans, more advanced beings such as Arrancar and Vizards have higher levels of consciousness (and in the case of Vizards, are almost indistinguishable from Shinigami) and are not necessarily as problematic. This raises ethical questions for Shuuhei about the current policy of the Gotei 13 toward them, and as such, he wishes to slowly bring about a more tolerant opinion of the non-Shinigami races. The exception, of course, is rogue Shinigami, in light of Shuuhei's feelings on disloyalty.
4) Fight Pain, Suffering, and Senseless Violence: Pain, suffering, and the senseless use of violence are, among many other things, problems that Shuuhei has seen far too much of during his 530 years of existence. From his time as a human samurai all the way up to his experiences in the Rukongai and then later as a Shinigami, he has seen the selfish and violent nature of all types of beings, humans and Shinigami included. He has seen how this selfishness and violence leads to conflict, in turn bringing on pain, suffering, and of course even more unnecessary violence. More recently, he has seen how the intolerance of the Gotei toward the other races leads to more of the same, linking this goal to the previous one. Therefore, Shuuhei wishes to find a feasible way to greatly reduce or even end suffering and useless violence and its many causes.
5) Peace Between the Realms: Finally, we come to Shuuhei's most difficult goal and the only one he knows that he may never reach. This is to achieve a lasting peace between all realms and races. In such a scenario, the only violence that would occur would be during the purification of low-level Hollows or the apprehension of rogue members of the various races attempting to cause trouble. Shuuhei is aware that even attaining the rank of captain might not allow him to reach this objective. He accepts the fact that it will be extremely difficult, but he has made up his mind to attempt it anyways. How this would work, he is not yet sure, but he intends to figure it out as h advances.]
Alignment: [Lawful Neutral]
Overall Personality: [Anyone who has known Shuuhei for any extended period of time will know that he is, above almost all else, compassionate towards others. This is likely a product of his relatively long life and the amount of death, destruction, and suffering he has seen, experienced, or otherwise been exposed to. These experiences have helped him gain an understanding of the hardships many people face and a desire to help ease the pain caused by these for as many beings as possible. He is the type to always be there for someone in their time of need, even if that means just listening or being there to console someone who is going through a difficult time. He is always there to help for anyone who may need it. This also means Shuuhei will put others before himself in most cases and do anything necessary to protect or otherwise help them in any time of difficulty. A compassionate nature may seem counterintuitive for a being who has spent the vast majority of his existence involved with the military, having been a samurai as a human and then a Shinigami after his death. However, it is actually because of this compassion that he tends to do exceedingly well in combat. This is because, as mentioned before, a part of his compassionate nature is a desire to protect. This leads him to view enemies not as threats to himself but threats to the ones he cares about and bringers of suffering, and thus not deserving of compassion or sympathy. Even when he must kill, Shuuhei prefers to give his enemies a fast death without pain or suffering and is as humane as possible even on the battlefield.
Closely linked to his compassion for others is Shuuhei's sense of empathy. Like his compassion, he developed this over the course of his long and at times difficult life. As stated in the previous section, he carries a burning desire to shield others from suffering, death, destruction, and hardship to the greatest extent possible. His sense of empathy is the main reason behind this. Empathy is, of course, defined as the ability to feel what others would feel in any given situation, and is commonly referred to as "putting oneself in another's shoes." Most beings are capable of this to some degree, with those who are entirely incapable of it usually being defined as psychopaths or similar. For Shuuhei, this ability by far exceeds that of most other beings. As an example, seeing sadness in others will actually cause him to become sad. On the opposite side, seeing happiness in others can be enough to make his entire day. His empathy extends even further, though, to the point that seeing someone else injured physically is enough to cause him to almost feel the resulting pain felt by the victim, even if he is completely unharmed. Once again, it may seem that such a deep sense of empathy presents a conflict of interest for a being who has spent centuries engaging in combat. However, as stated previously, Shuuhei views his enemies as the cause of the pain and suffering he seeks to prevent, and even when he must kill, he does so as quickly and painlessly as is realistically possible.
Having spent his human life in Japan, Shuuhei tends to follow most of the tradition and customs that he grew up with there. One of the key tenets of his culture, and perhaps the one Japan is known best for even in the 25th century, is politeness. Under most circumstances, Shuuhei takes extra care to ensure that he behaves politely towards all beings he interacts with, both in his words and actions. For example, he will refer to everyone he interacts with by their last name followed by a traditional Japanese honorific such as "-san" or similar, almost without exception. The only time he will not do this is if the name of the being he is interacting with is unknown, and even then, he will make the best possible attempt at politeness. Along these lines, he also tends to avoid raising his voice, using curse words or vulgar terms, or engaging in any other type of speech that could cause offense or be perceived as disrespectful. He is careful with his actions in the same way, always taking care to maintain respectful posture for the situation he is in, keeping proper eye contact during conversations, and observing proper manners when eating in the presence of others.
When deciding his actions, Shuuhei does everything reasonably possible to do so according to what he believes to be proper ethics. Generally, he follows what human philosophers and scholars would refer to as the utilitarian school of thought. Usually, utilitarianism is defined as the idea that ethical behavior brings the greatest amount of "good," (happiness, pleasure, and similar positive feelings) and the least amount of pain or suffering, to the greatest number of people. Simply put, this means that he tries to act in the interest of the greater good whenever possible. This mentality is the result of the time he spent as a samurai in his human life and later as a Shinigami, both of which were occupations that required teamwork and putting oneself second to the greater good and the success of the mission. Shuuhei retains this mentality to this day, though now as a rogue, the main "mission" is survival. Despite this, as a result of his ethical thought processes, he also does his best to help others and solve problems whenever possible. Overall, Shuuhei makes an attempt to be sure that his decisions are guided by ethics and result in the least possible amount of pain, suffering, or hardship for anyone affected by them.
Yet another trait born out of his past experiences is Shuuhei's high degree of tolerance towards others. This is actually a trait he developed more recently. For a significant portion of his life, he actually held the same prejudices towards other races and organizations as his fellow Shinigami. This changed over time, however, as he gained more experience and encountered significant numbers of members of other races who did not fit the commonly used stereotypes and challenged his prejudices, slowly but surely driving him toward change. Shuuhei has come to realize that a being's race, presence of an Inner Hollow, or even their organizational membership do not define who they truly are. As a result, he is very open-minded and holds no prejudices about any race, and will not judge any being solely based on that. Instead, he forms opinions of beings based on their personality and actions. Similarly, he is very tolerant of the beliefs of others as well, unless said beliefs are based on prejudice or other biases based on preconceived notions. Even then, he would prefer to educate rather than discredit, judge, or shame anyone based on their beliefs. Overall, he is tolerant of the vast majority of beings and belief systems he encounters.
As we now know, Shuuhei spent the majority of his human life as a samurai in medieval Japan. Any description of a being who was once a samurai would be lacking if it did not mention the famous Bushido code of honor that all samurai were bound to uphold. Shuuhei was no different during his human life, and while death freed him from any obligation to continue following this behavioral code, he chose to continue adhering to it regardless. Some main parts of this code include the importance of honor over even life itself and loyalty to one's lord and superiors. While being honorable and loyal are generally positive traits for any being to have, they can have unforeseen negative effects as well. As an example, running from a fight is simply not an option for Shuuhei. Instead, he will stay and fight even to the point of his own death if he is allowed to do so. This applies even to a fight that he knows he cannot win, and therefore has a chance of getting him severely injured or even killed. Another issue is the psychological impact that the loyalty aspect of the Bushido code has had on him. At times, he will make decisions that appear as if he is being blindly loyal to the Gotei 13. Besides these issues, following a strict moral code has generally helped Shuuhei to be perceived by others as an overall good Shinigami.
In the vast majority of cases, Shuuhei tends to carefully analyze the situation and calculate his decisions before taking any type of action. Of course, there are many situations, such as in combat, where there is not enough time for this to be possible. Overall, he will not simply dive into a situation without first having sufficient knowledge of what is going on and developing a functional plan for what he will do about it. This can be helpful because it allows him to prepare properly for almost any possible event, and in dangerous situations, it has saved his life or prevented grievous injury on multiple occasions. It has also been helpful outside of combat situations. For example, deciding how to act in front of a particular person or group or what to say if questioned on something by a superior, along with other similar circumstances. That being said, this careful, calculating aspect of Shuuhei's personality can be a drawback at times. It can, for example, result in failure to act quickly enough in a time-sensitive situation or even prevent him from taking any action at all. Sometimes, it can also result in him overthinking a relatively simple problem and coming to the wrong solution.
This trait is rather self-explanatory: Shuuhei has been known to have what most would describe as a "way with words." More simply, he always seems to know what to say and how to say it in a way to make everyone happy, no matter the situation. On Earth, this is a skill commonly seen in experienced politicians. He is very well-informed on most issues and when it comes time to argue or debate about something, he is always prepared with arguments and effective, logical reasoning. He can also be quite persuasive. In summary, he is a very proficient speaker. While this is very useful and would likely be seen by most as an entirely positive trait, it can also have some very negative effects. One of these is that it can lead to people incorrectly seeing him as manipulative and therefore forming a dislike or distrust for him. Additionally, while he makes an honest effort to avoid causing offense even in an argument as a result of his politeness, his logic can sometimes cause unintended offense if a controversial issue is being discussed.
For his entire existence, including his life as a human, Shuuhei has been entirely asexual. This is usually defined as a description for a person who derives no pleasure from any type of sexual activities, it goes a step further for Shuuhei. The previous description fully applies to him, but in addition, he has never once felt any type of attraction, even merely romantic, to another person. The closest type of relationship he has ever formed with anyone, either as a human or after, is that of friendship. This is neither positive nor negative for his life at present, though it can have both positive and negative effects on him in the future depending on the exact situation at hand. For example, it can result in him being viewed as "weird" by others if they happen to pick up on it. This was especially true during his human life in 15th and 16th century Japan, where those who knew thought there was something seriously wrong with him. Being asexual can also be helpful, though, as it prevents him from being at risk from any type of temptation or other troubles that can result from physical relationships. This being said, there is also the possibility that he has simply not yet encountered anyone that caused him to develop such feelings, meaning that this trait may change over time.]
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-Powers-
Fighting Style: [Overall, as one would expect, Shuuhei's fighting style is very much based on his abilities. His main strength is the amount of Reiatsu at his disposal, which is significantly higher than what would be expected from a recently-promoted Vice Captain. His main weakness, then, is his physical strength, which is simply sub-par for a male of his height and weight. Oddly, one of his better skills is Zanjutsu, or the use of a Zanpakuto. This is a direct result of him having been a samurai as a human. Though his memories of human life are somewhat foggy and difficult to recall, for some reason, many of his memories relating to having been a samurai remain. This includes his muscle memory when it comes to handling a Japanese sword. Since most Zanpakuto take this form, it was a relatively smooth transition into Zanjutsu for him, made even easier by the fact that his weapon turned out to be a dual Zanpakuto, taking a form identical to the two swords wielded by samurai in medieval Japan. His real strength, however, is Kido. Hado spells are his true strength, but he does not lag far behind in Bakudo either, and can use spells well into the 80's range in both categories. Shuuhei's weaknesses are Hohō and Hakuda. He was only ever able to master basic Shunpo-related techniques at the Academy, and was well below average in Hakuda. His Shunpo was also never particularly fast. Though he was able to become proficient enough at these fighting styles to graduate, he never trained in them after the Academy. As a result, he has only a basic command of these two methods of Shinigami warfare, and does not generally rely on them in combat.
Overall, Shuuhei is a calm, calculating fighter. He prefers to use intelligence and strategy to win rather than just brute physical force or overwhelming Reiatsu, as he knows that both of these alone can easily be crushed by superior power. By using his mind as well as his power, Shuuhei gives himself a better chance at holding his own against even somewhat stronger foes. For the same reason, he makes every attempt to remain calm during battle. While strategy is important to him, so is honor. He does his best to play fair in battle, refusing to resort to trickery or deceit to gain the upper hand. While this can sometimes cost him, it has been a part of his moral code for far too long to give up after 530 years. Shuuhei also prefers to avoid unnecessary risks in battle and will never rush in blindly, instead choosing to move in slowly and gauge the opponent's level of strength, abilities, and other crucial details.
Shuuhei knows that his physical strength is rather lacking, as are his speed and his Hakuda capabilities. Because of this, he tries to avoid fighting hand to hand or at close range as much as possible. He would much rather fight the opponent from a safer distance, using Kido and his Zanpakuto when possible. Of course, his strength can occasionally pose a problem in sword battles as well, so he will most often release his Shikai if it appears that the battle will be a more protracted affair. In shorter fights when dealing with weaker opponents or purifying a Hollow, however, he will remain with his sealed Zanpakuto.
While his Zanpakuto remains sealed, Shuuhei prefers to rely on Zanjutsu and Kido. He knows to be careful when engaging in a purely Zanjutsu based battle, though, on account of his physical strength being moderately suspect at best. Despite this, his experience in using his Zanpakuto can sometimes overcome a small gap in strength. As Kogane Raikō is a dual Zanpakuto, Shuuhei must use a two-sword style of fighting at all levels of release. While his weapon is sealed, this is very similar to the style of swordsmanship he used as a human samurai, often fighting with both his katana and wakizashi. In most cases, he will go on the offensive with the katana because its reach is longer, using it to slash and sometimes stab at the opponent. The wakizashi, on the other hand, is his weapon of choice when it comes time to parry an opponent's attack. Its reach is far shorter than that of a katana, and its blade is not able to slash or stab as deeply to create a potentially incapacitating wound. However, he will sometimes reverse the purposes of these two weapons to trip up an opponent who has figured out a counter to his swordsmanship style.
When using Kido, Shuuhei prefers to use Hado, as it is much more effective at bringing battles to an end quickly by rendering the opponent unable to fight. Bakudo is useful for this purpose as well, but Shuuhei is aware that binding spells can be broken without much difficulty by more advanced adversaries, and he views most Bakudo as flimsy, as well as somewhat shameful to use in a fight. This is because an opponent restrained with a Bakudo spell cannot fight back. Still, he will use them when absolutely necessary, or if he wishes to restrain someone without causing any lasting physical or spiritual harm. The exception to this is Bakudo that can be used to block enemy attacks, which he deems rather useful. As a result of this fighting style, he has become slightly better at Hado than at Bakudo, further contributing to his tendency to use it more. He will often use Kido to follow up or otherwise supplement attacks with his Zanpakuto.
In Shikai and Bankai, Shuuhei is able to stop relying on his Zanjutsu and Kido and instead make use of the powers granted to him by Kogane Raikō. These powers involve infecting the opponent with a damaging virus. This can be done at a distance, allowing him to avoid the usual dangers associated with fighting up close. That being said, he knows that the opponent will remain infected for longer if he is able to deliver the virus at close range, and for that reason, he is not afraid to make brief forays within the opponent's easy reach in order to minimize danger in the later parts of the fight. In fact, Shuuhei often makes every attempt to administer the virus as quickly as possible when in a released state, and will then fight from a distance thereafter, waiting for the effects of the virus to wear down the opponent as he does his utmost to evade or block their attacks.
Zanpakutou Spirit Appearance(Optional): [Kogane Raikō is a dual Zanpakutō and thus consists of two separate spirits. Overall, both of these spirits take the form of dragon-like entities that appear to represent some aspect of lightning or electricity. For the most part, these two spirits are very different in appearance, but they do have one characteristic in common: they are both approximately the same size. Both dragon-like spirits are 80 feet in length from snout to tail, and if they could be weighed, would most likely come in at around 15,000 pounds each. They also possess wingspans of 100 feet, with each wing being 50 feet in length and 20 feet in width at its widest point. Also, the hands and feet of each spirit are tipped with cruel (and dangerously sharp) talons usually reaching around 2 feet in length. Beyond these basic aspects of size, however, each spirt looks very different.
The first dragon-like spirit is named Shiryu, and it embodies the more defensive aspect of Shuuhei's power. Shiryu is represented by the wakizashi. He takes the form of a dragon with a mostly skeletal figure. In other words, the solid, physical parts of his body appear to be entirely bones or something very closely resembling them. These bones are dark grey in color and if one could touch them, they would feel very cold and have a texture distinctly like that of stone. The back of his neck, along with his back and tail, are covered in razor-sharp spines made of the same material. Each of these are 6 inches in width at the base and most are about a foot in length, though many are pitted, cracked, and chipped as though from the effects of battle. Upon his head sit two sets of horns made of this same material. These horns are helical in shape like a screw, and are a full foot in diameter at the base and 5 feet in length. His head takes the form of a dragon skull, entirely devoid of any flesh. His teeth are razor sharp as one would expect, with the larger ones reaching 6 inches in length and even the smallest ones reaching the size of shot glasses. Shiryu's wings are mainly composed of bone, but do have a few strips of gray material covering them that may have once been flesh. The spaces between the bones are filled entirely with a substance resembling plasma or electricity. This substance is a cold, light blue in color, and it crackles, buzzes, and flickers in a way similar to raw high-voltage current. Besides filling in the gaps between Shiryu's "bones," this plasma brings life to his eyes, which would otherwise be empty sockets in his skull 2 feet wide. This plasma is also Shiryu's main tool in combat. He can fire bursts of it from his mouth in the same way that a classic dragon would breathe fire. Its main use, however, is as a sort of "armor" to deflect any attempted attacks.
The other spirit making up Shuuhei's Zanpakutō is known as Jinryu. Jinryu embodies the more offensive aspect of his power, and is represented by the full-size katana. Where Shiryu was a skeletal form, Jinryu is a full-bodied golden dragon-like spirit, fully covered in flesh, scales, and other living tissues. The majority of his body is plated in thick, heavy scales. If they could be chemically analyzed, it would be found that they were in fact composed of actual gold. Each scale is 6 inches in diameter and 2 inches thick. Untold hundreds, if not thousands of these cover Jinryu's body, sealing off any potential weak spot. Like Shiryu, the back of his neck, his back, and his tail are coated in rows of sharp spines to guard against any attack from above. These spines are somewhat shorter, at around 8 inches in length, but also wider, being around a foot in diameter at their base. Jinryu does not have any horns on his head, but the entire head is covered in the same thick, golden scales as his body, granting him an equal level of protection. His teeth are less prominent than those of Shiryu, but are still quite intimidating at 4-6 inches in length, and are of course razor sharp. Jinryu's wings are fully covered in flesh, which takes the form of a wing membrane similar to those seen in bats. Unlike bats' wings, however, these wings are incredibly resistant to damage, and upon closer inspection seem to be covered in a layer of material resembling gold foil. There is a sort of "sail" similar to those found on some dinosaurs made of the same material protruding from Jinryu's back. This sail is 15 feet in height and very similar to the wings. In combat, Jinryu is capable of breathing bolts of a gold-colored plasma similar in appearance to golden lightning. This is his main method of attacking in battle.]
Image:
Inner World(Optional):[/ul][/ul][/a][/b] [If Shiryu and Jinryu, the two spirits that make up Shuuhei's Zanpakutō, can agree on anything at all, it is the importance of testing Shuuhei to be sure he is worthy and able to wield Kogane Raikō. Because of this, the inner world in which they reside is in itself a sort of test. It has three main sections. The first of these is intended to be a sort of entrance area. The second consists of a large lake, and the third and final area is made up of a rugged and difficult mountain with a traditional Japanese castle at its summit. Shuuhei must navigate all three of these areas before he can even encounter Shiryu and Jinryu to begin the tests they administer, or even to come into contact with them at all any time he enters his inner world.
The entrance area of the inner world is by far the smallest in size and most simple. It is a small, rocky beach at the edge of a vast, deep, blue lake. The shore of the lake in this area is mostly barren, with there being little actual soil for anything to grow. 40 to 50 meters from the water's edge, however, there is some available soil, and tall pine trees can be seen growing here. The ground is mainly slabs of dark granite, cracked in places by the extensive root systems of the nearby pines. In the cracks, small weeds grow, struggling to reach the sunlight. Around the edges of the lake, similar features can be seen, stretching all the way to the rugged, snowy peak of black stone at the lake's opposite edge. Closer to the water, all vegetation growth stops, and the only notable features are the rough granite slabs sloping steeply down into the dark waters of the lake. This is where Shuuhei would find himself immediately upon entering his inner world. One of the first things he would notice is a significant difficulty breathing. This is because the air pressure and oxygen content here is much lower than Shuuhei would have ever experienced before. It is equivalent to what one would find around 17,000 feet above sea level on Earth. This will provide quite the obstacle in the next two sections.
The second section of the world within Shuuhei's soul is the lake itself. This lake is not particularly large by the standards of lakes on Earth, but its size is more than enough to make it a challenging barrier to progress. From the lakeshore to the foot of the mountain representing the third and final area Shuuhei would have to traverse to reach Shiryu and Jinryu, it is about 3 miles. The sides of the lake are completely impassable, with the way blocked by sheer cliffs thousands of feet high. Their edges are perfectly smooth with no imperfections even down to the molecular level, making them thoroughly impossible to scale. Therefore, the only way forward is to swim to the opposite side of this lake. Its water is crystal clear, allowing 10 miles of visibility in any direction. The lake itself is meant to be as difficult to cross as possible. First, its edges slope steeply, with the bottom rapidly dropping away until reaching a uniform depth of 100,000 feet just a meter from shore. Because of its extreme depth, the water always appears to be dark blue despite its clarity. Depth of a body of water is no challenge to a strong swimmer, but cold is, and this lake is a bone-cracking -20 degrees Fahrenheit. How it remains liquid at this temperature is uncertain. This, together with the low oxygen content of this world's atmosphere, makes this swim a grueling and potentially dangerous ordeal.
The journey through this world does not end at the lake's opposite shore, though. Upon reaching that shore, Shuuhei would climb out onto another rocky beach. Unlike the shore in the entry area, this beach is covered in loose chunks of dark granite rock, ranging in size from pebbles to boulders larger than houses. Now, it is time to climb the rugged mountain atop which Shiryu and Jinryu reside. The lower slopes of this mountain are made up of the same boulder field as the shore. This section of the mountain is incredibly treacherous, with even the largest boulders being completely loose and often sitting in precarious positions, ready to fall at any time. There are no secure footholds for the same reason. Past this, the grade of the slope increases sharply, becoming near-vertical at some points, and the terrain changes to ice and snow. Here, the main hazards are slipping and falling on ice or through unstable snow into crevasses, some of which are thousands of feet deep with an array of tooth-shaped icicles waiting at the bottom. Finally, past the snow and ice fields, there is a spire of sheer, vertical, black stone 2,000 feet high that must be climbed to finally reach the summit. This requires a long and careful rock climb in which a single mistake or an instant of doubt will mean certain death. On top of this, the oxygen content and air pressure continues to drop with altitude, and at the mountain's summit, it is equivalent to an altitude of 25,000 feet on Earth.
After reaching the peak of the impossibly difficult mountain, a traditional medieval Japanese castle will come into view. The castle sits in the middle of a small pond which, somehow, remains in a liquid state, though small chunks of ice float in its waters. The lower outer walls of this castle extend into the waters of the pond, and they are constructed using stones that appear to have been cut from the nearby mountainside. The stone wall appears to be built in the style commonly seen in 15th century Japan. The upper walls are built of wood and painted a charcoal gray. The roofs, also built in the medieval Japanese style, are covered with similarly colored tiles. After traversing another field of smooth granite slabs, Shuuhei will come to a red wooden bridge leading over the pond and to the castle's main gate. This gate is heavy and thick, clearly designed to protect the occupants of the castle against something. It also appears to be constructed of solid gold with no imperfections so as to make climbing impossible. Upon being approached by Shuuhei, it will open of its own accord. This will grant him access to a courtyard that seems to be far too large for the castle in which it is located. The ceiling and far walls are too distant even to see. The floor is covered with black, square tiles, which once again appear to be made from the same stone as the mountainside nearby. It is in this massive, featureless courtyard that Shiryu and Jinryu rest.]
Overview:
Castle:
Zanpakutou Appearances: [ Sealed: Kogane Raikō is a dual Zanpakuto and is therefore composed of two swords. In its sealed state, these weapons are a katana, or a standard size Japanese-style sword, and a wakizashi, or a short sword. Together, these resemble the two swords traditionally worn by samurai, which is one possible reason why Kogane Raikō's sealed form took on this appearance.
The katana is of normal size and dimensions for such a weapon. The tsuka, or hilt, is 8 inches in length and slightly over 2 inches in width, and is roughly cylindrical in shape as all katana hilts are. It is white in color but wrapped in black cloth, with the underlying white material only showing through small, diamond-shaped gaps in this cloth wrapping. The pommel is gold in color, though it is actually steel, and is engraved with an emblem vaguely resembling two dragon heads. This is also the part of the Zanpakutō that Shuuhei would use to perform a Konso when necessary. Moving up the length of the weapon, we come to the tsuba, or what many refer to as the cross guard. This piece is intended to both protect the hands and allow for better grip, a function this design does quite well. It is gold in color, though like the pommel, the actual material it is composed of is steel. This tsuba is roughly circular in shape, and it takes the form of an engraved Eastern-style dragon (the type commonly depicted in East Asian cultures) coiled around the tsuba and the base of the blade. On close inspection, it becomes clear that this dragon bears a very close resemblance to Jinryu, the spirit that this weapon represents. Last but most definitely not least, there is the blade. This key component of the katana is 3 and a half feet in length, about 2 inches in width, and approximately 1/8th of an inch thick except for its cutting edge, which is filed down to a razor-thin (and sharp) line. Similar to most weapons of its type, it is slightly curved. In terms of its dimensions, it is a normal katana blade. Its color, however, is unique, as this blade has taken on a bright golden hue. Finally, the sheath in which it is kept is constructed of bamboo wood similar to most katana sheathes, and is crafted to perfectly fit the dimensions of the blade it is meant to contain. It is mainly black in color, though it is crisscrossed by thin, bright yellow lines reminiscent of bolts of electricity.
The wakizashi, in terms of size and dimensions, is once again normal for its style of weapon. Its tsuka is 4 inches in length and just over two inches in width. It is made of unpainted bamboo wood and wrapped in white cloth. The wood's distinct light brown-yellow color is visible through the small, diamond-shaped gaps in the white cloth wrapping. Its pommel is of a silver color and fashioned of normal steel. Like the katana, its top is engraved with an emblem of two dragon heads. The tsuba is nearly identical in size and shape to that of the katana, as it is roughly circular and takes the shape of a dragon coiled around the tsuka and the blade's base. It is composed of the same material as well, being normal steel. However, it is now silver in color, and when examined closely, resembles Shiryu, the spirit represented by the wakizashi. The blade of this weapon is of a normal shape and size for a wakizashi. It is 13 inches in length, around 2 in width, and 1/8th of an inch thick, becoming progressively thinner towards the cutting edge. It, too, takes on the slight curve common to Japanese-style blades. In color, it is a brilliant silver, in stark contrast with the katana's golden blade. Its sheath is once again fashioned of bamboo wood, carefully crafted to be a perfect fit for the weapon kept inside. It is also painted black and crisscrossed with thin lines in a pattern similar to bolts of electricity, but these are a light blue color rather than yellow.
Shikai: In Shikai, no changes to Shuuhei's figure occur. As it is for the vast majority of Shinigami, the only changes that are seen are to the blades of the Zanpakutō themselves. Interestingly, both blades become equal in size and dimensions even though in the sealed form, there was a significant difference in size. Both swords become weapons that are a total of 4 feet and 4 inches in length from the base of the tang to the tip of the blade. In this state, the tsuba and tsuka completely disappear, making these weapons somewhat more difficult to grip. In fact, Shuuhei required significant practice to master the use of these new weapons because they were so different from the katana he was used to, but he did manage to become just as proficient at their use as he was at wielding a normal katana. The only place to grip these weapons is the tang, which is wrapped in black cloth to aid in this. The tang is 4 inches in length and about 2 inches wide. In both swords, the blades themselves are mostly made of black metal. The only color difference between the two weapons can be found at the edges. The edges of each blade, along with the metal within an inch of said edges, takes on a specific color. For the sword that transformed from the wakizashi, this is a cold, icy blue color, and for the sword that was previously the katana, this color is gold. Both blades are exactly 4 feet in length. Their width varies along the length of the weapon between just over 2 inches at the narrowest point and 4 and a half inches at the widest point. The back edge of each blade is straight, but the forward edge curves in several places. Just above the tang, it curves sharply inward, forming a small crescent shape, before curving more gently inward immediately after this. Halfway along this lighter curve, the edge of the blade briefly becomes serrated before returning to its normal structure. After this light curve, the edge changes directions to curve gently outward and up towards the point, thereby forming the blade's widest point. Unlike a katana, both the front and back edges of these blades are sharpened.
Bankai: When Shuuhei enters his Bankai state, both his appearance and his weapons are altered noticeably. Upon release, Shuuhei will become surrounded with an opaque column of thick, heavy, dark blue Reiatsu. Behind this curtain of energy, the changes to both his figure and Zanpakuto will occur. At the same time, anyone nearby will become aware of an intense sensation of static electricity in the air. Most likely, their hairs will stand on end and contact with metal surfaces could even result in a feeling similar to static shock, though no such phenomenon actually took place. A distinct and powerful scent of ozone will fill the air at that time, and both this and the static electricity sensation will remain for the duration of Shuuhei's Bankai release.
When the column of Reiatsu dissipates, Shuuhei's Bankai form will be visible. The first change anyone would notice is that he has developed two large wings. These wings appear to be made up of electrical energy or filaments of brightly glowing ionized plasma, but they are actually Reishi and Reiatsu combined to create something that takes on this appearance. These "filaments" take the shape of long feathers which come together to form the wings. There are about 100 of these "feathers" of varying sizes making up each wing. The wings themselves behave very similar to plasma or electricity for the most part, especially when it comes to the sounds they produce. If it is relatively quiet, they can be heard to hum, buzz, and sometimes crackle. If a human were to hear this, they would likely be reminded of the sound made by high voltage power lines on a rainy day. Both wings are 7 feet in length, giving Shuuhei a "wingspan" of 14 feet while in Bankai. They each have an average width of just over 3 feet. The left wing is a cold, icy blue in color, the same as the energy manipulated by Shiryu in Shuuhei's inner world, and the right wing glows a warm red-gold color, the exact same as the energy used by the spirit Jinryu. Strangely, if another being is able to get close to the wings, they will notice that the blue wing radiates a feeling of intense cold in the way a freezer does when the door is left open, while the red-gold wing feels as if it is radiating intense heat, like an electric stove set to high.
The other change is of course to the blades of Shuuhei's Zanpakutō. In Bankai, just as they did in Shikai, both swords take on the same general shape, with the only difference between the two being the color of the edges. In this state, the weapons return to a somewhat katana-like shape. As in Shikai, both of these blades are exactly 4 feet and 4 inches in length from the base of the tang to the tip of the blade. Each blade has no tsuba or tsuka, and again the only place to grip these weapons is the tang. This section is 4 inches in length and wrapped in black cloth for better grip. In a slight difference from the Shikai state, each weapon now has a small loop of black metal at the base of the tang. This is likely just an aesthetic feature as Shuuhei has never found any practical use for it. The blades themselves are each 4 feet in length, 2 inches in with, and 1/8th of an inch thick, slowly tapering off to their perfectly sharpened edges. Along the flat of each blade, there is a line of 14 diagonal, equally spaced, oval-shaped holes beginning 8 inches above the tang and ending exactly 18 inches up the blade. As previously mentioned, the weapons once again have katana-style blades, with the exception that the slight curve is gone and they are now entirely straight. This also means that only the cutting edge is sharpened, not both edges like in Shikai. The cutting edges of both weapons, along with the metal within an inch of these edges, are colored. On the blade that would have been the wakizashi in sealed form, this color is a cold, icy blue. On the other blade, it is a bright, shining gold color. The rest of the blade is composed of a deep black metal.]
Sealed Sword 1:
Sealed Sword 2:
Shikai:
Bankai Wings:
Bankai Swords:
Zanapkutou Release Names(Include both Shikai and Bankai names, and call out phrases) [ Kogane Raikō -- "Disrupt, Kogane Raikō" / Ten no Sabaku Kogane Raikō -- "Bankai! Ten no Sabaku Kogane Raikō!" ]
Overall Ability: [The overarching concept of Shuuhei's Zanpakuto is relatively unique. It is a dual Zanpakuto, composed of not only two swords but also two spirits. Each of these swords and each of these spirits represents a different aspect of Kogane Raikō's power. The basic concept is as follows. There are two main ways of approaching and engaging in a battle, and of course eventually dispatching one's opponent: striking aggressively and going all in from the beginning in an attempt to end the battle quickly, or choosing a longer, more drawn-out style of fighting that slowly weakens the foe until they no longer have the energy necessary to continue the fight. In the case of Kogane Raikō, each sword represents a specific spirit and therefore a particular fighting style. As one might expect, this means that the katana represents Jinryu, the more rash and aggressive spirit, and therefore the faster, more aggressive style of fighting. Meanwhile, the wakizashi represents Shiryu, the more careful, calculating, and logical spirt, and thus the longer, more drawn-out fighting style designed to slowly wear down an adversary. In other words, while using Kogane Raikō, Shuuhei is able to choose which style of fighting he will use in a particular situation or against a particular enemy.
What, then, does this mean for Kogane Raikō's capabilities? This Zanpakuto's method of making the two fighting styles briefly described above is the creation, production, and emission of a strange and dangerous virus. If it were somehow examined by human scientists, this infectious agent would appear to be a previously unrecognized type of RNA virus capable of very rapid mutation. Under an electron microscope, it would appear similar to the common H5N1 influenza virus that circulates among humans during flu season. This is partially correct, as the virus in its base form is best suited to infect the cells of a human or human-like being such as a Shinigami. Even in these cases, everyone's immune system is different, so it must be able to adapt quickly in order cause the serious illness it usually results in. Its rapid mutations allow it to adapt rapidly to its target and infect the unfortunate being even if they are not a human or Shinigami, and the time it takes to cause illness is usually not noticeably longer. As such, the virus is fully capable of infecting Vizards, Hollows, Arrancar, and Hell races as well. Of course, as this virus is generated by a spiritual being and usually targets spiritual beings, its mechanisms of action are not quite the same as the viruses that infect humans. This virus is created by Shuuhei's Reiatsu and therefore, its actions are greatly affected by differences in Reiatsu strength between Shuuhei and his opponent. Once inside the body of a target, it has two main effects. First, it targets the being's respiratory system, the viruses locating and speeding toward lung cells like miniature heat-seeking missiles. This results in flu-like symptoms, though far more severe and with much more rapid onset. Second, the virus feeds on the Reiatsu of its host, using this as energy to reproduce and slowly draining the unfortunate victim of their strength to fight.
Finally, this virus has two "strains." For simplicity's sake, they will be referred to here as "A" and "B." Strain A of this virus is meant to be Kogane Raikō's method of implementing the faster and more aggressive fighting style. This strain focuses primarily on attacking the cells of the victim's respiratory system and does not reproduce in large quantities, meaning that it does not drain the victim's Reiatsu as heavily as Strain B. An opponent infected with Strain A of the virus will notice flu-like symptoms almost immediately, including chills, fever, and of course, respiratory distress. The lungs will produce copious amounts of mucus and fluid in an attempt to flush out the virus, amplifying this problem and causing violent, almost constant coughing. This cough will be productive, causing the victim to expel significant amounts of green-brown mucus. If this continues for long enough, it can result in other problems such as separated ribs or esophageal tearing due to forceful coughing. Also, after a significant period of time, the lung damage will become severe enough to cause bleeding in the lungs, resulting in the victim's coughs producing bright red arterial blood as well. Strain B represents the long, drawn-out fighting style, and as such, has the opposite effects from Strain A. This strain causes only mild to moderate infection of the respiratory system but reproduces in great numbers, heavily draining the host's Reiatsu. At first, this strain will cause flu-like symptoms as well, but other than their rapid onset, they mirror the symptoms of a mild case of the seasonal flu. The main problem a victim of Strain B will notice is extreme fatigue, which will worsen as their Reiatsu is drained, along with trouble fighting and eventual inability to use more draining techniques. As the infection runs its course, even small expenditures of Reiatsu will become extremely taxing.
As with any virus, both strains of this particular virus will eventually run their course as the viral particles die or are defeated by the immune system and are passed out of the victim's body. Of course, as these viruses are products of a Shinigami's Reiatsu, this will happen much more quickly in a stronger opponent. When this does happen, in the case of Strain A, lung damage caused will repair itself far more rapidly than would be seen naturally, and lost Reiatsu will restore itself at the normal rate. In the case of Strain B, the lost Reiatsu will return faster than normal while the flu-like symptoms will resolve themselves at a normal rate. Should Shuuhei die, fall unconscious, or otherwise be incapacitated while the virus is active, all viral particles will immediately die and symptoms will cease within seconds, with any effects of the virus completely resolving themselves shortly afterwards. As a last note, in keeping with Shuuhei's desire to avoid causing needless pain and suffering, the virus is not contagious, meaning that it cannot be spread between allies. Similarly, it will only infect Shuuhei's desired target, and will remain inert should it come in contact with anyone else. Of course, Shuuhei himself is immune to the effects of the virus, as it recognizes his cells and Reiatsu and will not attack either.]
Shikai Overall Ability: [In Shikai, Shuuhei is able to use Kogane Raikō to infect the opponent with the virus described in detail in the above section. While Shikai is active, each blade produces a different strain of the virus. The sword in Shuuhei's right hand, which is the one whose blade has golden edges and would have been the katana in sealed form, produces the faster-acting Strain A. The weapon in his left hand, which has blue edges to its blade and would have been the wakizashi in sealed form produces the slower, Reiatsu-draining Strain B. There are two possible methods of actually introducing either virus to the opponent's system. The first, and most effective, is the production of a clear serum containing the virus that is secreted from microscopic pores in the metal of each of Shuuhei's blades. This serum has the consistency of water and gives off a mild odor similar to what some might call the "smell of death." To introduce the virus this way, Shuuhei must cut the opponent deeply enough for this serum to make direct contact with the blood, at which point viral particles will begin circulating in the target's body. This method ensures delivery of the virus and results in a higher viral load entering the body, but is more risky because of the close-range fighting involved. The second method is the production of a dark blue mist-like aerosol which can be released from the blade of Shuuhei's choice (thereby allowing him to choose which strain of the virus to administer) in periodic bursts of vapor at a consistent rate for the duration of the battle or until his Reiatsu is too drained to continue, whichever comes first. When used this way, it disperses throughout the surrounding air and can then be inhaled by the target. This method is slower, easier to prevent, and results in delivery of a lower viral load, but involves less risk to Shuuhei, as no physical contact with the opponent is required. As mentioned previously, anyone other than Shuuhei's opponent will not be affected by the virus if it is administered in this way. A few final important notes: Shuuhei cannot infect the opponent with both forms of the virus at the same time, only one strain may be used. Also, as this is a virus, the opponent will develop a temporary immunity upon recovering, meaning that they cannot be infected with the same strain of the virus twice.]
Bankai Overall Ability: [In Bankai, Shuuhei retains all of the abilities he could use in Shikai, but they become more effective, and some new ones become available. The virus and its two strains keep their previous effects and cause similar symptoms, but these become more serious than they were in Shikai. The virus itself is administered in the same ways as in Shikai and produced by the same blades. There are some slight changes, however. First, the serum that contains the virus is now constantly produced as long as Bankai is active, and it can now deliver the virus by absorption through the skin and mucous membranes, meaning that a shallow cut or mere contact with the blade producing this serum is sufficient to introduce the virus to the opponent's system. Additionally, this serum can be manipulated by Shuuhei and delivered in ways other than contact with the blade, opening up the possibility of use from a distance. Second, the dark blue aerosol containing the virus is now continuously produced for as long as Bankai is active. Both delivery methods now introduce 10 times the viral load that would have been administered to the target in Shikai.
Beyond this, Bankai enables the use of two more strains of the virus, which we will call "C" and "D." Both of these are released in the form of either serum or aerosol, but rather than being produced by the blades of his swords, they are emitted by the wings that form on his back in Bankai. Like the serum produced by the blades, the liquid generated by the wings can be manipulated to strike the opponent from afar or can be delivered via a strike with one of the wings. Strain C is produced in the blue wing, and upon entering the target's body, it does not cause any noticeable health effects. It also does not actually infect any of the cells of its host, instead circulating through the bloodstream. However, the viral particles slowly absorb the target's Reiatsu, causing mounting fatigue and effects similar to Strain B. Unlike with that strain, however, Shuuhei can call upon the viral particles to release their store of Reiatsu to him, in effect allowing him to absorb the foe's energy, replenishing his strength. Once this happens, the viruses die, meaning that Shuuhei would have to re-infect his opponent to cause a similar effect again. Strain D is emitted from the red-orange wing, and it is an extremely dangerous version of the virus. Like Strain A, it attacks the opponent's respiratory system, and its effects are identical. Strain D, however, hides a deadly secret. On the surface of each viral particle, there are proteins which imitate the blood type and Rh factor identifiers found on blood cells. These will mimic a blood type other than that of the target, resulting in a massive cytokine storm and systemic blood clotting, which can rapidly incapacitate most living things. Of course, this is useless against those of blood type AB, as that is the universal recipient and their body will not trigger an immune response. It is also ineffective against beings without standard blood, such as some Hell races.
As in Shikai, the opponent may only be infected with one strain of the virus at any given time. Should Shuuhei's Bankai disappear against his will or become unusable, any particles of Strain C or D present in the target's system will instantly become inert and their effects will fade. Regardless of the form in which it is administered, all strains of the virus will affect only Shuuhei's chosen target. Like in Shikai, the opponent will develop immunity upon recovering, meaning that they cannot be infected by the swim strain twice.]
Zanpakuto Techniques:
Shikai:
*Class: 4
*Cost: 100 Reiatsu per generation of serum or cloud of aerosol +50 Reiatsu per post the opponent is infected
*Description: This is the technique by which Shuuhei uses Kogane Raikō to produce Strain A of the virus, either in aerosol or serum form, and cause the effects of its infection. In serum form, the virus is contained within a liquid that coats the blades of Shuuhei's Zanpakuto, and in aerosol form, it is suspended within liquid droplets dispersed into the atmosphere in a steadily spreading, dark blue cloud of mist. The mist cloud moves toward the opponent at around 100 Speed. Each generation of serum or aerosol in Shikai produces 100,000 viral particles. In serum form, all of these will be delivered by a sword strike, but in aerosol form, the opponent will inhale 95,000 at a range of 6 feet or less, 75,000 particles out to 10 feet, 50,000 particles out to 20 feet, 25,000 out to 35 feet, 10,000 out to 50 feet, and beyond this range, not enough virus to cause disease will be inhaled. For the effects of the virus to take hold, there must be no fewer than 10,000 viral particles in the target's system at any time. Additionally, opponents naturally eliminate the virus from their system over time. How quickly this happens depends on their Poison Resist skill. At a 1, they will eliminate 5,000 particles per post, increasing to 10,000 at a 2, 25,000 particles at a 3, and 50,000 at a 4. However, this virus does reproduce, though at a limited rate. In an opponent with a Poison Resist skill of 1, 5,000 new particles will form per post, decreasing to 2,500 at 2, 1,000 at 3, and 250 at 4. In those without Poison Resist, 5,500 new particles will form per post, and they will naturally eliminate the same number each post. However, in these individuals, the virus will become inert on its own after 4 posts. Reproduction ceases when the total number of particles drops below the threshold required for infection. This is the fast-acting form of the virus that mainly attacks the lungs and only drains a small amount of the opponent's Reiatsu for reproductive purposes. As such, the virus will cause a 15% decrease in the opponent's Speed stat if their Poison Resist skill is a 1 or 2, and a 10% decrease if it is a 3 or 4 while they are infected, as well as a a 2.5% decrease in the Reiatsu Strength stat for those with a Poison Resist skill of 3 or 4 and a 5% decrease in that stat for those with a 1 or 2. In those without Poison Resist, Speed will be lowered 20% and Reiatsu Strength by 7.5%. Decreased stats return to normal 1 post after the number of viral particles in the opponent's system drops below 10,000.
*Drawbacks: There are a number of drawbacks to this technique. First, its range is relatively limited, reaching out to 50 feet at most, though it is only truly effective at ranges of 20 feet or closer. With Shuuhei's low physical combat stats and abilities, the resulting requirement for close-range fighting puts him at a disadvantage. This is especially true if the technique is used in serum form, as that requires Shuuhei to actually cut the opponent. Of course, both the aerosol cloud and a sword strike are not difficult to dodge. The serum will evaporate 2 posts after it is generated, resulting in the viruses becoming inert, if Shuuhei fails to cut the opponent before then. In the case of the aerosol cloud being evaded or the serum evaporating, the technique will have to be used again at a cost of 100 more Reiatsu. As this strain of the virus mainly relies on Shuuhei's Reiatsu rather than draining large amounts of the opponent's strength, there is a cost of 50 Reiatsu per post the opponent is infected. If used on opponents with high Poison Resist skills or those who rely on Spiritual instead of Physical stats, it will effectively have been wasted. When the aerosol form is used, the virus must be actually inhaled in order to cause its effects. Therefore, opponents with the ability to somehow filter the air they breathe, along with those who do not need to breathe "normally," will be unaffected. In addition, this form of the technique can be rendered basically useless by any technique that disrupts the surrounding air, such as Hado #58, though even slashing one's weapon rapidly through the cloud would disrupt it sufficiently to render it harmless. In opponents whose Reiatsu is 500 or more points higher than Shuuhei's, the viruses cannot survive and thus will have no effect. Finally, upon recovery, the opponent will gain temporary immunity and cannot be infected by Strain A for the remainder of the thread.
2) Kogane Raikō Futatsukiri -- Hirou
*Class: 4
*Cost: 100 Reiatsu per generation of virus in any form +25 Reiatsu per post the opponent is infected.
*Description: This is the technique by which Shuuhei uses Kogane Raikō to produce Strain B of the virus, either in aerosol or serum form, and cause the effects of its infection. In serum form, the virus is contained within a liquid that coats the blades of Shuuhei's Zanpakuto, and in aerosol form, it is suspended within liquid droplets dispersed into the atmosphere in a steadily spreading, dark blue cloud of mist. The mist cloud moves toward the opponent at around 100 Speed. Each generation of serum or aerosol in Shikai produces 100,000 viral particles. In serum form, all of these will be delivered by a sword strike, but in aerosol form, the opponent will inhale 95,000 at a range of 6 feet or less, 75,000 particles out to 10 feet, 50,000 particles out to 20 feet, 25,000 out to 35 feet, 10,000 out to 50 feet, and beyond this range, not enough virus to cause disease will be inhaled. For the effects of the virus to take hold, there must be no fewer than 10,000 viral particles in the target's system at any time. Additionally, opponents naturally eliminate the virus from their system over time. How quickly this happens depends on their Poison Resist skill. At a 1, they will eliminate 5,000 particles per post, increasing to 10,000 at a 2, 25,000 particles at a 3, and 50,000 at a 4. However, this virus does reproduce. Unlike Strain A, whose reproduction is limited, Strain B feeds on the host's Reiatsu to reproduce, doing so in greater numbers. In an opponent with a Poison Resist skill of 1, 10,000 new particles will form per post, decreasing to 7,500 at 2, 5,000 at 3, and 2,000 at 4. In those without Poison Resist, 5,500 new particles per post will be created, and the same number will be naturally eliminated each post. However, the virus will naturally become inert in these individuals after 4 posts. Reproduction ceases when the total number of particles drops below the threshold required for infection. This is the slower-acting form of the virus that mainly drains the opponent's Reiatsu for reproductive purposes, only causing minor physical damage. As such, the virus will cause a 15% decrease in the opponent's Reiatsu Strength stat if their Poison Resist skill is a 1 or 2, and a 10% decrease if it is a 3 or 4 while they are infected, as well as a a 2.5% decrease in the Speed stat for those with a Poison Resist skill of 3 or 4 and a 5% decrease in those stats for those with a 1 or 2. In those without Poison Resist, Reiatsu Strength will be decreased by 20% and Speed by 7.5%. Decreased stats return to normal 1 post after the number of viral particles in the opponent's system drops below 10,000.
*Drawbacks: There are a number of drawbacks to this technique. First, its range is relatively limited, reaching out to 50 feet at most, though it is only truly effective at ranges of 20 feet or closer. With Shuuhei's low physical combat stats and abilities, the resulting requirement for close-range fighting puts him at a disadvantage. This is especially true if the technique is used in serum form, as that requires Shuuhei to actually cut the opponent. Of course, both the aerosol cloud and a sword strike are not difficult to dodge. The serum will evaporate 2 posts after it is generated, resulting in the viruses becoming inert, if Shuuhei fails to cut the opponent before then. In the case of the aerosol cloud being evaded or the serum evaporating, the technique will have to be used again at a cost of 100 more Reiatsu. In addition, when the aerosol cloud form is used, it must be inhaled to actually cause infection. Therefore, opponents who can somehow filter the air they breathe, as well as those who do not have to breathe "normally," will be unaffected. In addition, any technique or motion (such as Hado #58 or similar) that disrupts the surrounding air will disperse the aerosol cloud to the point that it is rendered harmless, and this can even be done by vigorously slashing one's weapon through the cloud. As this strain of the virus mainly relies on draining large amounts of the opponent's strength, there is a cost of 50 Reiatsu per post the opponent is infected. If used on opponents with high Poison Resist skills or those who rely on Physical instead of Spiritual stats, it will effectively have been wasted. Upon recovery, the opponent will gain temporary immunity and cannot be infected by Strain B for the remainder of the thread. Furthermore, as this strain is heavily Reiatsu-dependent, the viral particles cannot survive in an opponent whose Reiatsu is 300 or more points higher than Shuuhei's and will thus have no effect.[/ul]
Bankai:
*Class: 2
*Cost: 225 Reiatsu per generation of virus in any form + 75 Reiatsu per post the opponent is infected.
*Description: This is the more powerful Bankai version of the technique by which Shuuhei uses Kogane Raikō to produce Strain A of the virus, either in aerosol or serum form, and cause the effects of its infection. In serum form, the virus is contained within a liquid that coats the blades of Shuuhei's Zanpakuto, and in aerosol form, it is suspended within liquid droplets dispersed into the atmosphere in a steadily spreading, dark blue cloud of mist. The mist cloud moves toward the opponent at around 200 Speed in Bankai. Each generation of serum or aerosol in Bankai produces 1.5 million viral particles. In serum form, all of these will be delivered by a sword strike, but in aerosol form, the opponent will inhale 1.2 million at a range of 6 feet or less, 950,000 particles out to 50 feet, 500,000 particles out to 100 feet, 250,000 out to 200 feet, 100,000 out to 500 feet, 50,000 out to 1,000 feet, and beyond this range, not enough virus to cause disease will be inhaled. For the effects of the virus to take hold, in Bankai, there must be no fewer than 50,000 viral particles in the target's system at any time. Additionally, opponents naturally eliminate the virus from their system over time. How quickly this happens depends on their Poison Resist skill. At a 1, they will eliminate 25,000 particles per post, increasing to 100,000 at a 2, 200,000 particles at a 3, and 500,000 at a 4. However, this virus does reproduce, though at a limited rate. In an opponent with a Poison Resist skill of 1, 50,000 new particles will form per post, decreasing to 25,000 at 2, 10,000 at 3, and 2,500 at 4. In those without Poison Resist, 60,000 new particles will form, and the same number will be eliminated per post. However, the virus will be naturally rendered inert after 4 posts in these individuals. Reproduction ceases when the total number of particles drops below the threshold required for infection. This is the fast-acting form of the virus that mainly attacks the lungs and only drains a small amount of the opponent's Reiatsu for reproductive purposes. As such, the virus will cause a 35% decrease in the opponent's Speed stat if their Poison Resist skill is a 1 or 2, falling to a 25% decrease at 3 and a 10% decrease at 4 while they are infected, as well as a a 5% decrease in the Reiatsu Strength stat for those with a Poison Resist skill of 3 or 4 and a 7.5% decrease in those stats for those with a 1 or 2. In those without Poison Resist, Speed will drop by 40% and Reiatsu Strength by 10% Decreased stats return to normal 1 post after the number of viral particles in the opponent's system drops below 50,000.
*Drawbacks: There are a number of drawbacks to this technique. First, its range is relatively limited, although not so much as in Shikai, reaching out to 1,000 feet at most, though it is only truly effective at ranges of 100 feet or closer. With Shuuhei's low physical combat stats and abilities, the resulting requirement for close-range fighting puts him at a disadvantage. This is especially true if the technique is used in serum form, as that requires Shuuhei to actually cut the opponent. Of course, both the aerosol cloud and a sword strike are not difficult to dodge. The serum will evaporate 2 posts after it is generated, resulting in the viruses becoming inert, if Shuuhei fails to cut the opponent before then. In the case of the aerosol cloud being evaded or the serum evaporating, the technique will be used again at a cost of 225 more Reiatsu. This will happen on its own and while Shuuhei is in Bankai, and is impossible for him to prevent without exiting Bankai state, adding to the inconvenience. When the aerosol cloud form is used, it must be inhaled to actually cause infection. Therefore, opponents who can somehow filter the air they breathe or those who do not breathe normally will be unaffected. In addition, any technique or motion that disrupts the surrounding air (such as Hado #58 or similar) will disperse the cloud enough to render it harmless. Even vigorously slashing one's weapon through the cloud is sufficient to accomplish this, as is any other method of disrupting it. As this strain of the virus mainly relies on Shuuhei's Reiatsu rather than draining large amounts of the opponent's strength, there is a cost of 75 Reiatsu per post the opponent is infected. If used on opponents with high Poison Resist skills or those who rely on Spiritual instead of Physical stats, it will effectively have been wasted. Upon recovery, the opponent will gain temporary immunity and cannot be infected by Strain A for the remainder of the thread. Furthermore, the viral particles cannot survive in an opponent whose Reiatsu is 500 or more points higher than Shuuhei's and will thus have no effect.
2) Niigeki Hirou
*Class: 2
*Cost: 225 Reiatsu per generation of the virus in any form +50 Reiatsu per post the opponent is infected
*Description: This is the more powerful Bankai version of the technique by which Shuuhei uses Kogane Raikō to produce Strain B of the virus, either in aerosol or serum form, and cause the effects of its infection. In serum form, the virus is contained within a liquid that coats the blades of Shuuhei's Zanpakuto, and in aerosol form, it is suspended within liquid droplets dispersed into the atmosphere in a steadily spreading, dark blue cloud of mist. The mist cloud moves toward the opponent at around 200 Speed in Bankai. Each generation of serum or aerosol in Bankai produces 1.5 million viral particles. In serum form, all of these will be delivered by a sword strike, but in aerosol form, the opponent will inhale 1.2 million at a range of 6 feet or less, 950,000 particles out to 50 feet, 500,000 particles out to 100 feet, 250,000 out to 200 feet, 100,000 out to 500 feet, 50,000 out to 1,000 feet, and beyond this range, not enough virus to cause disease will be inhaled. For the effects of the virus to take hold, in Bankai, there must be no fewer than 50,000 viral particles in the target's system at any time. Additionally, opponents naturally eliminate the virus from their system over time. How quickly this happens depends on their Poison Resist skill. At a 1, they will eliminate 25,000 particles per post, increasing to 100,000 at a 2, 200,000 particles at a 3, and 500,000 at a 4. However, this virus does reproduce, feeding on the host's Reiatsu and using it to replicate in large numbers. In an opponent with a Poison Resist skill of 1, 100,000 new particles will form per post, decreasing to 50,000 at 2, 25,000 at 3, and 5,000 at 4. In those without Poison Resist, 60,000 new particles will form per post, and the same number will be eliminated each post. However, the virus will naturally become inert in these individuals after 4 posts. Reproduction ceases when the total number of particles drops below the threshold required for infection. This is the fast-acting form of the virus that mainly attacks the lungs and only drains a small amount of the opponent's Reiatsu for reproductive purposes. As such, the virus will cause a 35% decrease in the opponent's Reiatsu Strength stat if their Poison Resist skill is a 1 or 2, falling to a 20% decrease at 3 and a 10% decrease at 4 while they are infected, as well as a a 5% decrease in the Speed stat for those with a Poison Resist skill of 3 or 4 and a 7.5% decrease in those stats for those with a 1 or 2. In those without Poison Resist, Reiatsu Strength will drop by 40% and Speed by 10%. Decreased stats return to normal 1 post after the number of viral particles in the opponent's system drops below 50,000.
*Drawbacks: There are a number of drawbacks to this technique. First, its range is relatively limited, although not so much as in Shikai, reaching out to 1,000 feet at most, though it is only truly effective at ranges of 100 feet or closer. With Shuuhei's low physical combat stats and abilities, the resulting requirement for close-range fighting puts him at a disadvantage. This is especially true if the technique is used in serum form, as that requires Shuuhei to actually cut the opponent. Of course, both the aerosol cloud and a sword strike are not difficult to dodge. The serum will evaporate 2 posts after it is generated, resulting in the viruses becoming inert, if Shuuhei fails to cut the opponent before then. In the case of the aerosol cloud being evaded or the serum evaporating, the technique will be used again at a cost of 225 more Reiatsu. This will happen on its own and while Shuuhei is in Bankai, and is impossible for him to prevent without exiting Bankai state, adding to the inconvenience. When the aerosol cloud form is used, it must be actually inhaled in order to cause infection. Therefore, those who can somehow filter the air they breathe, along with those who do not have to breathe "normally," will be unaffected. In addition, any action that disrupts the surrounding air or the cloud itself (such as Hado #58 or similar) will disperse the cloud and render it harmless. Even vigorously slashing one's weapon through the cloud or disrupting it any other way is sufficient for this. As this strain of the virus mainly relies on draining large amounts of the opponent's strength, there is a cost of 75 Reiatsu per post the opponent is infected. If used on opponents with high Poison Resist skills or those who rely on Spiritual instead of Physical stats, it will effectively have been wasted. Upon recovery, the opponent will gain temporary immunity and cannot be infected by Strain B for the remainder of the thread. Furthermore, as this strain is highly Reiatsu-dependent, the viral particles cannot survive in an opponent whose Reiatsu is 300 or more points higher than Shuuhei's and will thus have no effect.
3) Kogane Raikō San no Teisai -- Tounan
*Class: 2
*Cost: 300 Reiatsu per use +50 Reiatsu per post the opponent is infected
*Description: This is the technique by which Shuuhei produces and administers the Bankai-exclusive Strain C of the virus and causes the effects of its infection. This strain is produced in the blue wing rather than in any of the swords, though it is still produced in both serum and aerosol form. The serum can now be absorbed through the skin and mucous membranes, and therefore can be delivered by way of a wing strike. The aerosol form is once again delivered in a cloud of mist, pushed toward the opponent by movement of the wings. The mist cloud moves toward the opponent at around 200 Speed in Bankai. Each generation of serum or aerosol in Bankai produces 1.5 million viral particles. In serum form, all of these will be delivered by a sword strike, but in aerosol form, the opponent will inhale 1.2 million at a range of 6 feet or less, 950,000 particles out to 50 feet, 500,000 particles out to 100 feet, 250,000 out to 200 feet, 100,000 out to 500 feet, 50,000 out to 1,000 feet, and beyond this range, not enough virus to cause disease will be inhaled. For the effects of the virus to take hold, in Bankai, there must be no fewer than 50,000 viral particles in the target's system at any time. Additionally, opponents naturally eliminate the virus from their system over time. How quickly this happens depends on their Poison Resist skill. At a 1, they will eliminate 25,000 particles per post, increasing to 100,000 at a 2, 200,000 particles at a 3, and 500,000 at a 4. In those without Poison Resist, 20,000 particles per post will be naturally eliminated. Strain C is unable to reproduce. This particular form of the virus absorbs the host's Reiatsu, though not as quickly as Strain B, and stores it. After storing up Reiatsu, they can deliver it to Shuuhei, effectively allowing him to steal the opponent's strength. As such, the virus will cause a 50-point decrease in the opponent's Reiatsu each post the virus is active if their Poison Resist skill is a 1 or 2, falling to a 30-point decrease at 3 and a 20-point decrease at 4 while they are infected. In those without Poison Resist, Reiatsu will be drained by 60 points per post. The viruses store this amount of Reiatsu within them over the course of 2 posts. When Shuuhei absorbs the Reiatsu of the opponent, some of it is spent in the process, meaning that he only recovers 50% (half) of the amount of Reiatsu drained from the opponent, rounded down if rounding is necessary in this calculation. Reiatsu amount begins to slowly return to normal by natural means 1 post after the number of viral particles in the opponent's system drops below 50,000, at which point any remaining viral particles die.
*Drawbacks: There are a number of drawbacks to this technique. First, its range is relatively limited, although not so much as in Shikai, reaching out to 1,000 feet at most, though it is only truly effective at ranges of 100 feet or closer. With Shuuhei's low physical combat stats and abilities, the resulting requirement for close-range fighting puts him at a disadvantage. This is especially true if the technique is used in serum form, as that requires Shuuhei to actually strike the opponent. Of course, both the aerosol cloud and a wing strike are not difficult to dodge, and the wing strike in particular leaves the wing open to damage. Any attack striking the wing with greater than 800 Strength or Reiatsu Strength, or attacks adding up to that amount over the course of a thread, will result in the destruction of that wing and make the use of whichever strain of the virus it contains impossible. The serum will evaporate 2 posts after it is generated, resulting in the viruses becoming inert, if Shuuhei fails to strike the opponent before then. In the case of the aerosol cloud being evaded or the serum evaporating, the technique will be used again at a cost of 300 more Reiatsu. This will happen on its own and while Shuuhei is in Bankai, and is impossible for him to prevent without exiting Bankai state, adding to the inconvenience. Also, when the aerosol cloud form is used, it must be actually inhaled in order to cause infection. Therefore, opponents capable of somehow filtering the air they breathe, along with those who do not have to breathe "normally," will be unaffected. Additionally, the aerosol cloud can be rendered entirely harmless if it is disrupted in any way, such as by disrupting the surrounding air using Hado #58 or similar. However, even vigorously slashing one's weapon through the cloud or disrupting it any other way is sufficient to achieve this. As this strain of the virus mainly relies on draining large amounts of the opponent's strength, there is a cost of 75 Reiatsu per post the opponent is infected. If used on opponents with high Poison Resist skills or those who rely on Spiritual instead of Physical stats, it will effectively have been wasted. Upon recovery, the opponent will gain temporary immunity and cannot be infected by Strain C for the remainder of the thread. Furthermore, as this strain is highly Reiatsu-dependent, the viral particles cannot survive in an opponent whose Reiatsu is 300 or more points higher than Shuuhei's and will thus have no effect. Finally, as it takes 2 posts for the viruses to prepare the opponent's Reiatsu for Shuuhei to drain, there is a significant chance that the opponent will naturally eliminate all of the viruses from their system, as they do not reproduce. Draining of Reiatsu will also become impossible once the total number of viral particles drops below the threshold required for infection.
4) Kogane Raikō Yon no Teisai -- Saigyo
*Class: 2
*Cost: 400 Reiatsu +100 Reiatsu for every generation of the virus in any form
*Description: This is the most powerful technique at Shuuhei's disposal in any battle. It is the technique by which he creates and administers the devastating Strain D of the virus and causes its infection. As with all other strains, it can be administered in serum or aerosol form. In serum form, the virus is contained within a liquid that originates from the red-orange wing on his back, and in aerosol form, it is suspended within liquid droplets dispersed into the atmosphere in a steadily spreading, dark blue cloud of mist. The mist cloud moves toward the opponent at around 200 Speed in Bankai. Each generation of serum or aerosol in Bankai produces 5 million viral particles. In serum form, all of these will be delivered by a wing strike, but in aerosol form, the opponent will inhale 3.5 million at a range of 6 feet or less, 2 million particles out to 50 feet, 950,000 particles out to 100 feet, 500,000 out to 200 feet, 250,000 out to 500 feet, 100,000 out to 1,000 feet, and beyond this range, not enough virus to cause disease will be inhaled. For the effects of the virus to take hold, in Bankai, there must be no fewer than 100,000 viral particles in the target's system at any time. Additionally, opponents naturally eliminate the virus from their system over time. How quickly this happens depends on their Poison Resist skill. At a 1, they will eliminate 100,000 particles per post, increasing to 500,000 at a 2, 1 million particles at a 3, and 1.5 million at a 4. In those without Poison Resist, 75,000 particles will be eliminated per post. Despite this, all viruses will die on their own 2 posts after being administered due to their high metabolic rate, becoming inert at that point. This virus cannot reproduce. This is the ultra fast-acting form of the virus that mainly attacks the lungs and does not drain the opponent's Reiatsu for reproductive purposes because it does not reproduce. In this strain, the virus mimics blood cells of a type and Rh factor other that that of the target, causing a cytokine storm and massive systemic blood clotting. As such, the virus will cause a 45% decrease in the opponent's Speed stat if their Poison Resist skill is a 1 or 2, falling to a 35% decrease at 3 and a 20% decrease at 4 while they are infected. In those without Poison Resist, Speed will drop by 50% while the virus is active. Decreased stats return to normal immediately after the number of viral particles in the opponent's system drops below 100,000 or after 2 posts have passed, whichever comes first.
*Drawbacks: All of the usual drawbacks for Shuuhei's virus techniques are seen with this one as well. First, its range is relatively limited, although not so much as in Shikai, reaching out to 1,000 feet at most, though it is only truly effective at ranges of 100 feet or closer. With Shuuhei's low physical combat stats and abilities, the resulting requirement for close-range fighting puts him at a disadvantage. This is especially true if the technique is used in serum form, as that requires Shuuhei to actually strike the opponent. Of course, both the aerosol cloud and a wing strike are not difficult to dodge. The serum will evaporate 2 posts after it is generated, resulting in the viruses becoming inert, if Shuuhei fails to strike the opponent before then. In the case of the aerosol cloud being evaded or the serum evaporating, the technique will be used again at a cost of 400 more Reiatsu. This will happen on its own and while Shuuhei is in Bankai, and is impossible for him to prevent without exiting Bankai state, adding to the inconvenience. When used in aerosol form, the aerosol cloud must actually be inhaled for any infection to occur. Therefore, opponents capable of somehow filtering the air they breathe, along with those who do not have to breathe "normally," will be unaffected. Additionally, the aerosol cloud can be rendered harmless by disrupting it or the surrounding air in any way, such as by the use of Hado #58 or similar. Even vigorously slashing one's weapon through the cloud or disrupting it with any other type of motion is sufficient to achieve this. As this strain of the virus mainly relies on Shuuhei's Reiatsu rather than draining large amounts of the opponent's strength, there is a cost of 100 Reiatsu per post the opponent is infected. If used on opponents with high Poison Resist skills or those who rely on Spiritual instead of Physical stats, it will effectively have been wasted. The technique will also have been used in waste if used on an opponent of blood type AB, as this is the universal recipient blood type, and due to the virus's mechanism of action, it cannot harm such a target. Upon recovery, the opponent will gain immunity. Unlike the other strains, this immunity is permanent, and an opponent who has been affected by this technique cannot be harmed by Strain D of the virus ever again. Furthermore, the viral particles cannot survive in an opponent whose Reiatsu is 500 or more points higher than Shuuhei's and will thus have no effect. Finally, this technique is extremely taxing. It may only be used once per thread, and 1 post after its use, Shuuhei's Zanpakuto will return to its sealed state and may not be released again for the remainder of the thread. Due to the taxing nature of this technique, all of Shuuhei's stats will be reduced by 50% for the remainder of the thread.
5) Akuma no Ase
*Class: 2
*Cost: 300 Reiatsu +x Reiatsu per post the opponent is infected depending on strain used.
*Description: This is one of two techniques Shuuhei developed to maximize the effectiveness of his serum-based virus techniques while in Bankai in accordance with his preferred fighting style. To use this technique, Shuuhei generates a standard dose of serum containing viral particles of Strains A, B, or C. He cannot use this technique with Strain D. Then, with a slash of his sword in the cases of Strains A or B, or a flap of his wings in the case of Strain C, he discharges a "wave" of serum at the opponent. This wave is crescent-shaped, around 7 feet across, and 18 inches thick. It travels toward the opponent at about 250 Speed, and can travel 2,000 feet at most before dissipating, at which point the viral particles will become inert. Upon contact, unless blocked or dodged, the serum will be absorbed by the skin of the opponent and administer the full viral load possible for the strain being used. At that point, mechanics will be the same as those of Strain A, B, or C.
*Drawbacks: This technique carries with it all of the drawbacks of Strains A, B, or C depending on which one is used, though with a higher total Reiatsu cost to compensate for their greater range and speed and lower risk to Shuuhei.
6)Akuma no Tsume
*Class: 2
*Cost: 350 Reiatsu +x Reiatsu per post the opponent is infected depending on strain used.
*Description: This is one of two techniques Shuuhei developed to maximize the effectiveness of his serum-based virus techniques while in Bankai in accordance with his preferred fighting style. To use this technique, Shuuhei generates a standard dose of serum containing viral particles of Strains A, B, or C. He cannot use this technique with Strain D. Then, he shapes the serum into 5 vaguely arrowhead-shaped masses and crystalizes it, forming 5 clear, jagged blades. Each blade is 1 foot in length and 4 inches across at its widest point, as well as 1/4th of an inch thick, tapering off at its cruel, jagged edges. These blades are then fired simultaneously at the opponent, traveling toward their target at 300 Speed. On impact, they will cause the expected laceration and puncture wounds, and they will liquify, thereby entering the target's body and administering the virus. From this point forward, mechanics are identical to those of Strain A, B, or C.
*Drawbacks: This technique carries with it all of the drawbacks of Strains A, B, or C depending on which one is used, though with a higher total Reiatsu cost to compensate for their greater range and speed and lower risk to Shuuhei. Additionally, the rapid crystallization process kills some of the viral particles, so this only delivers half of the normal viral load, meaning 750,000 particles.[/ul]
Other Techniques:
General Shinigami:
Hohō:
Kido:
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-History-
Birthplace: Aomori, Japan
Current Residence: Squad 1 Barracks, Seireitei, Soul Society
Memorable Figures:
History: On a cool May evening, the existence of the being who would come to be known as Shuuhei Yamada began. The date was May 17th, 1490, and the location was the city that would later be known as Aomori in the northern Tohoku region of Japan. Japan in the late 1400’s was not necessarily the easiest or safest place to live, and this would continue to be the case for quite some time. This was the middle of what later historians would call the Sengoku period, and it was an extremely chaotic time for the people of the Land of the Rising Sun. For the last few centuries, the emperor and those who were meant to be governing the country had next to no power, and were thus generally disregarded by the nobility. Instead, noblemen called daimyo ruled their territories as basically military dictators, raising armies of samurai, medieval Japan’s equivalent of knights, to defend these lands. These noblemen constantly fought each other for dominance, making war almost constant throughout the land. Unity was an almost nonsensical concept to these rulers. The country had once temporarily unified to defend the land from a Mongol invasion, but that had been nearly 400 years prior. For now, chaos and fighting reigned supreme. Such were the circumstances into which Shuuhei was born.
Shuuhei may not have been fortunate in terms of the time period into which he was born, but luck seemed to be on his side when it came to the social class he would be a part of. His father was a samurai, a member of the well-respected warrior class of medieval Japan, and he was the family’s eldest son. While this meant that young Shuuhei was likely destined for a life of war, it also saved him from some of the more harsh realities of life for the vast majority of people in Sengoku period Japan. As in most medieval societies, the modern concept of a “middle class” simply did not exist. In fact, the closest thing to such a social position was the samurai class. One could be either nobility, a samurai, or a peasant. The life of a peasant was one of malnutrition, grueling manual labor, and miserable standards of living. It was also often quite short, ended by disease, starvation, or a quick, brutal death in battle if enlisted into an army as some often were when manpower was lacking. Thus, Shuuhei was as fortunate as one could possibly be for having been born in 15th century Japan.
Shuuhei’s early life was much the same as anyone else born into a samurai family at the time. His parents ensured that he was taught to speak, read, and write in the Japanese language fluently and in the sophisticated manner that would be expected of a person of his social standing. Parents and teachers alike also began drilling into him the importance of politeness and other traditional Japanese values, lessons which, though he could not have possibly known at the time, would remain with him for centuries to come. Beyond all of this, however, there was one concept that it was made clear to him from the beginning would be of utmost importance, far above anything else: honor. Many cultures, of course, value honor, but for the Japanese, and especially for one who was destined to become a samurai, honor was to be defended almost to the exclusion of all else. Shuuhei was constantly having this explained to him in no uncertain terms from the time he was able to speak. Before he could walk, he was already being indoctrinated on the importance of defending the honor of his lord and his family, in that order.
Such lessons were the main highlights of the first five years of young Shuuhei’s life. It was also at this time that his parents and instructors began to notice something peculiar. It seemed to them that Shuuhei was unable to sit still or focus. His mind seemed to be wandering constantly, and he had no shortage of energy. His mother, who always thought the best of her children, attributed this to his young age. “Such is the nature of all young boys,” she would often remark. His father had a different opinion. “He’s immature. He doesn’t take his lessons seriously. To think this is what I leave the family name to…” he would say. While a modern family would have such a child tested for ADHD or a similar disorder, Shuuhei’s father and teachers knew nothing of such issues, as they would not be discovered for centuries to come. Instead, they assumed that he was an unruly child who needed to be taught respect and learn the seriousness of his position in society. So it happened that one day, after Shuuhei finished a lesson in which he had been having considerable difficulty with his ADHD, his father came upon him with a length of bamboo and began to beat him. ”What did I do??” wondered the now 6-year-old Shuuhei in fear and confusion as bursts of pain erupted across his body in each place the bamboo cane met his skin. Mercifully, the beating finally ceased after a few more minutes. “You will sit still and not utter a word unless spoken to until your lessons have finished, at which time you will politely thank your teachers. Your behavior is bringing shame to our family and risking its future!” his father told him.
The beating and scolding would remain in Shuuhei’s mind for far longer than the quite obviously-shaped bruises and bloodied cuts across his body. Though concentration was difficult for him, it was noticed that his performance in lessons and overall behavior greatly improved after that incident. Soon after this, Shuuhei reached the age of 7. It was at that time that his father approached him with a bokken, or a wooden training sword, and explained to him that the time had come for him to begin learning the way of the warrior. So it was that in May of 1497, Shuuhei began to learn the skill that would determine the course of not only the rest of his human life, but the remainder of his existence: swordsmanship. He trained in fighting with a katana, but also with a wakizashi, or a short sword, and even the long, heavy nodachi, the Japanese long sword. A bokken could not kill under normal circumstances, but its wooden “blade” was extremely painful to suffer a blow from, and that pain spurred Shuuhei to master the use of swords relatively quickly. By the time he reached the age of 10, he was already proficient with the katana and wakizashi. Soon, he began to learn to use other weapons, such as the yari, or medieval Japanese spear, and of course the bow and arrow.
Outside of physical exercise and weapons training, which there was certainly no shortage of, a new subject was added to Shuuhei’s already rigorous academic regimen: the Bushido code. This, of course, was the code of honor all samurai were expected to follow. It emphasized loyalty to one’s lord above all else, as well as the expected behaviors of a samurai both on the battlefield and in society. One aspect of the code in particular caught Shuuhei’s attention, as it made him realize why his father had been so upset at his poor concentration in lessons. This aspect was the idea that if one brought too much shame upon oneself and thereby one’s lord and family, the only way to erase this shame was seppuku, or ritual suicide. Honor, in other words, was going to be literally a deadly serious matter for Shuuhei from this point forward.
Fast forward now to age 13. Shuuhei had become noticeably talented at swordsmanship, though his skills in other weapons were somewhat lacking. He was particularly bad at archery, as the patience required to learn it was proving too great a challenge for his ADHD. Even at his young age, he was already learning that preferred to focus on one thing at a time and master that area, rather than try to master a wide range of weapons. As a result, he became quite handy with a katana and wakizashi, average with most other weapons, and of course sub-par at archery. Of course, there was still more to learn. Next were lessons in fighting on horseback, a critical skill for any samurai, and training in the use of some new weapons that had been brought to their land only recently by strange men with white skin and red hair. These weapons were wood and metal tubes that used a fast-burning black powder to fling a metal ball at the enemy, to whom it could cause severe injury. Apparently, they were called ”muskets.” Shuuhei did not like these weapons, as they seemed almost evil to him, but he recognized how dangerous and useful they could be, so he paid proper attention to his training with them as well.
Shuuhei may have been only 13 years old, still a boy by most people’s standards, but in medieval Japan he was almost a man. In just two years’ time, he would become a samurai and likely soon after, be sent off to war. The reality of this truly struck home for the first time a year later, in June of 1504. That fateful day, the now 14-year-old Shuuhei awoke to the sound of metal clashing with metal, men yelling orders, cries of pain and rage, and the deep booming of muskets. He leapt from his bed and dashed outside, covering the short distance to the city’s walls in just a few seconds. Peering out through a gap in the wooden fortifications, he caught his first glimpse of battle. Already, men lay dead, streams of crimson leaking through gaping holes in their armor only to soak into the dry, thirsty earth. Ownerless swords, spears, and other weapons were scattered across the field before the city gates, some in one piece and others shattered. Torn, blood-spattered banners bearing the crest of one noble clan or another also lay in the dirt, while others flew proudly above the chaos, not yet thrown down by the enemy.
In the early hours of the morning, a minor daimyo had led a small force of men against the city in which Shuuhei lived in an attempt at a surprise attack. Fortunately, the attempt had failed, and the superior force from the city was rapidly pushing the attackers back. Indeed, most of the forcibly enlisted peasant soldiers fighting for the enemy had already thrown down their makeshift spears and fled. Only the samurai remained, bound by their code of honor to fight to the last man.
Shuuhei was about to turn away from the wooden wall when something familiar caught his eye. Of course! He would recognize his father’s armor anywhere. There was his father, fighting on horseback against the invaders. Shuuhei watched in fascination as his father’s blade flashed in the morning sun and descended on the neck of an unlucky enemy. In one clean stroke, the man’s head fell away, his body dropping in a heap with blood still spurting from his neck as his heart continued to beat. ”Wow…” Shuuhei thought in shock at his first sight of the brutal reality of war. His father then turned to search for the next adversary… as a spurt of blood erupted from his right shoulder. ”What? No!” Shuuhei stared in profound disbelief as his father fell backwards off his horse and to the ground. He had been struck by a ball from a firearm, and it had shattered his shoulder, rendering his left arm useless. Still, he pulled himself to his feet and gripped his katana in his right hand. But it was far too late. The shock of being shot had disoriented him just enough to leave him vulnerable. By the time he turned to face the enemy samurai who had shot him with a flintlock pistol, there was no time. Shuuhei could only stare helplessly as the blade of this other man’s sword crunched through his father’s armor directly over his heart, and then emerged from the center of his back half a second later. The blade was ripped free, and as his father dropped to his knees with a crimson torrent pouring down his chest, Shuuhei felt the warm sting of tears in his eyes for the first time in years.
The following day, Shuuhei watched as his father was buried in a full military funeral alongside the fallen from the previous day. He could only listen as everyone in the city spoke not of their sadness for his loss, but of how honorable it was to meet death on the battlefield. Of course, Shuuhei knew the samurai code as well as anyone, but he could not help but feel the smallest sliver of doubt. Maybe this was all wrong… But he pushed those feelings down. After all, with the death of his father, Shuuhei was now the de facto head of his family, being its oldest male member. Further complicating the matter, he would be expected to take up the two swords and serve his lord just as his father did in less than a years’ time.
Shuuhei’s 15th birthday came in what seemed to him to be a flash. In celebration of his coming of age, a dinner for the upper-class families of the city was held at the Yamada family home that night. Copious amounts of food and drink were prepared for the occasion, and there was definitely a party atmosphere about the place that night. Everyone was enjoying themselves except Shuuhei, for whom the party was organized. “I’m not ready,” he said quietly to himself. He certainly did not feel ready to become an adult, let alone a samurai. But these two things were exactly what he had become. Hours after the last guests had left for their own homes, Shuuhei lay awake, staring at the wooden ceiling. There would be no sleep for him tonight. He knew fully well that at any moment, the city’s daimyo could call upon him to fight, and then like his father, he could suffer a brutal death at the hands of the enemy.
The following morning, a sleep-deprived Shuuhei was presented with a long, thin bundle and a wooden box. He knew exactly what they contained: his father’s katana and wakizashi, along with his armor, both of which were now his. Shuuhei opened the box first and took out the pieces of armor he would soon have to wear. A few red-brown stains on the armor’s plating told the story of its previous owner’s fate. Next, he unwrapped the bundle and retrieved the two swords that he was now entitled to wear at all times. He slid these into the obi sash at his waist, tightening it slightly to hold the weapons in place. Shuuhei had truly become a samurai.
The next several years passed without any notable events. The lord Shuuhei now served engaged in only minor military action, and as such, he only fought in minor skirmishes during that time. Still, he found himself on the front lines quite often, having no choice but to take the lives of enemy soldiers. By this time, he was beginning to discover his strong sense of empathy, noting that he seemed to be the only samurai among his peers who felt any regret or remorse after taking a human life. The only significant military action he saw was a major battle in December of 1509 when he was 19 years old. That was Shuuhei’s first personal experience with the realities of war, and the pain and suffering he witnessed on that battlefield would remain with him forever. So would the cruelty he witnessed from his fellow warriors toward defeated enemies. ”So much meaningless suffering… and for what? Our duty is to defend the honor of our lord and our land. There is no reason to brutalize a defeated foe… the shame of defeat is enough.” he thought as he cleaned his armor and swords after the battle. Shuuhei swore to himself that day that from now on, he would do his duty to his lord and homeland, but would never engage in gratuitous cruelty, and would end the suffering of defeated enemies as humanely as possible.
As Shuuhei was now the undisputed head of the family, having both come of age and become a proper member of the samurai class, there was a significant amount of pressure on him to marry. His mother had given birth to two other children before the death of his father, but they were both daughters. Shuuhei was the only one able to carry on the family name. However, he had started to notice something strange around the time he reached the age of 12 or 13. Many of his peers at that time had started to talk about women and become attracted to them, but for him, this never happened. He never developed any interest in women or a romantic relationship. Any time the subject of marriage was raised, Shuuhei was oddly quiet, and people soon began to worry. As it happened, they were entirely right to have concern for the family’s future.
The relative peace was shattered in November of 1512, only months after Shuuhei’s 22nd birthday. Lookouts posted in the hills south of the city came streaming in one snowy morning with disturbing news: a massive enemy force was advancing from the south, and would arrive in the plain before the city’s gates in the early hours of the coming day. The enemy host was estimated at 15,000 men, and only 6,500 men at best could be mustered to defend the city. Shuuhei knew that defeat was the most likely outcome, and under the Bushido code, this meant that the only honorable option was death. As he returned to his home to prepare for battle, he was already well aware that he would have to meet an honorable death in battle the next day. ”I’ll be seeing you again soon, Father.” thought Shuuhei as he glanced over at the small shrine along the wall of the house in honor of the family’s ancestors.
Late that night, the army moved out of the city. It had been decided that a small portion of the city’s defenders would make camp in the plains just outside the city’s fortifications in order to meet the enemy before they had a chance to enter the city by force. Meanwhile, the majority of the defenders would fight house to house within the city once it was inevitably breached. Shuuhei had been assigned to the group that was now moving out. The men, including Shuuhei, were all aware that this mission was essentially suicide. Still, driven by honor, Shuuhei rode out into the snow-covered plain to meet his fate. Once they had traveled about a mile from the city, the men began to set up a makeshift camp. Peasant soldiers were put to work digging through the snow to make suitable places for fires, and the samurai went to work preparing their weapons and gathering their strength and resolve for what was to come.
Just before dawn, thousands of flickering points of light began to emerge from the blackness. The snow, it seemed, had delayed the enemy by a few hours, but now they had arrived. Shuuhei and the others jumped to their feet, mounted their horses, and prepared for battle. Shuuhei had never seen this many soldiers in any one place before. It seemed as if the lines of red torch flames and metal glistening white in the moonlight stretched on for eternity. The enemy was so numerous that a haze, formed by thousands of plumes of steam generated by the soldiers’ breath in the frigid winter air, had formed over the host. ”Only one thing to do,” Shuuhei observed as he drew his swords. Seconds later, the order came. “Charge!” screamed a commander near the front. Shuuhei obeyed, riding forward with sword held high.
With a horrible crash of wood, steel, and bone, the two armies met amid the snowy plain. Soon, they were dying the pure white snow red with the each others’ blood. Shuuhei felt almost as if someone else was directing his actions as his sword rose and fell, each time bringing another life, another story similar to his own, to an end. Warm blood splashed across his armor and blades, and poured over his hands and arms. Death and destruction was all around, and he was part of the cause. A sharp sting in his left shoulder snapped him out of his thoughts. Looking down, he saw the unmistakable shape of an arrow buried deep in his flesh. Quickly, he reached over and broke off the end of the projectile, knowing better than to try and tear it out. His attention was next directed to a loud yell just below him. An enemy peasant soldier was charging him with a spear, probably in an attempt to kill his horse. Reflexively, Shuuhei flung his wakizashi, striking the unfortunate young man in the neck. He quickly reached down and pulled the short sword free, spraying his adversary’s blood on the already reddened snow.
Seconds later, a series of deep booms rang out, followed by a strange, high-pitched whirring. ”They’re shooting at me!” Shuuhei realized. Spurring his horse on, he advanced more quickly now, knowing that as with a bow, it was more difficult to shoot a moving target with one of the new gunpowder weapons. Another volley of musket fire split the pre-dawn air, causing Shuuhei to instinctively turn toward the noise. And then he was in the air, flying backwards. ”What..?” A glance down revealed that his horse had reared up and flung him away as a result of its reaction to being speared by two enemy peasant soldiers, an instant before the ground rushed up to strike him. His armored body sank into the deep snow, forcing him to violently struggle to his feet. Suddenly, a searing pain tore into his ribs on the right side of his body. A warm, wet sensation quickly began spreading from the epicenter of the pain. The blade of a katana flashed down at him, and he barely brought his own weapon up in time to parry the stroke.
Now with enough time to assess the situation, Shuuhei looked up. His attacker was a samurai on horseback. He had been heading in the opposite direction, but now he was coming around for a second pass. This time, Shuuhei dodged the stroke altogether, diving under the blade and towards the enemy samurai, plunging his katana into the man’s exposed leg. With a yell of pain, the samurai pulled back, but it was clear he would be coming back for yet another strike. Shuuhei braced himself, tightly gripping his swords. It was time to make his move.
A white-hot fist punched through Shuuhei’s body, entering from behind and exiting his stomach. The agony was like nothing he had ever experienced. Hot blood gushed forth from the small wound on his back and the massive one on his stomach, steaming as it hit the winter air and splattered into the snow. Fragments of armor mixed with various pieces of organs from within Shuuhei’s body lay before him. The enemy samurai was still coming, sword at the ready. ”I can’t feel my legs…” he realized in horror. Glistening in the rising sun, the katana blade struck his throat and… knocked him backwards?
All of a sudden, Shuuhei was on his feet again. Almost immediately, he became acutely aware of a burning pain in the center of his chest. He clutched at it to find… ”A chain? What could possibly be happening?” His wounds seemed to have disappeared as well. This was extremely weird. Why had he not died. What was this chain? Why did it hurt so much? Shuuhei followed the length of the chain to find that it led to an armor-clad body lying facedown in the snow. ”Is that me?” he wondered. Seeing the pattern of the armor, he realized it was. The circular hole in his back, accompanied by the massive exit wound on his stomach, made it abundantly clear what had happened. Shuuhei had been shot in the back with a musket at close range, then immediately beheaded by the samurai on horseback. ”So I am dead then,” he realized, noticing his own severed head staring at him from a few feet away as if to confirm his suspicion. This was certainly not what he expected from the afterlife, though…
For the next few hours, all he could do was watch as the enemy sacked the city he had lived out his entire life in. Flames devoured the wooden gates and reduced homes to ashes. The screams of the city’s residents could be heard unbearably loud, even a mile away. Shuuhei watched as more and more of the dead were separated from their bodies and began wandering about, bound by chains similar to his, invisible to the living.
As the noise of battle began to die down, something strange happened. A loud bellow sounded out, and a strange creature walked, if that was the right word for it, across the field. It had twelve legs, dark green skin, and a skull-like mask over its face. Most peculiarly, there was a hole in the center of its chest. Before Shuuhei could even question this strange occurrence, more mask-creatures appeared, each with their own unique shape and size. One serpentine mask-creature half slithered, half floated up to one of the dead and began to eat him. Shuuhei recoiled in shock and did something he never thought he would do: began to run. Another bellow rang out, and Shuuhei noticed that one of the creatures, this one a bipedal entity vaguely resembling a mantis, had noticed him and given chase. Piercing pain shot through his back, and the next thing he knew, he was being lifted off of the ground. The creature had stabbed him with one of its barbed claws and was pulling him toward its mouth. ”This is it,” thought Shuuhei as he stared in horror into the wide, black mouth below.
As quickly as he had been grabbed by the creature, Shuuhei was falling. For what seemed like the hundredth time that day, he slammed down on his chest into the frozen ground. The claw was still embedded in his back, but something had severed it. He watched in bewilderment as the claw and insect-like arm attached to it faded out of existence, leaving behind only a wound as a reminder of the attack. Before Shuuhei now was a man in a black kimono and hakama fastened with a white obi sash and grasping the hilt of a katana in his left hand. In one swift motion, the black-clad man leapt up and dealt the mask-creature a mighty blow down the center of its face. Like the claw and arm, the creature faded away, leaving no trace behind. Then, the man turned toward Shuuhei.
“If you don’t want to run into any more creatures like that, you had better go to Soul Society quickly. You’ll be safe there,” the man said, approaching Shuuhei with his sword still drawn. “What—Soul Society? Thank you for saving me, sir, but… who are you?” Shuuhei asked. Everything he had just seen had of course left him with far more questions than answers. “I’m a Shinigami, and it’s my duty to lead the souls of dead humans to Soul Society,” explained the “Shinigami.” “But wha—” began Shuuhei, but before he could finish, the man who called himself a Shinigami touched the pommel of his sword to Shuuhei’s forehead. A blue light and a sensation of warmth washed over him, and his consciousness faded as the completed Konso sent him on his way to Soul Society.
Some time later, Shuuhei’s eyes fluttered open. The sight that met his eyes was entirely unfamiliar. This was a place he had never before seen or even could have imagined existed. “Where am I?” he asked himself out loud. He jerked bolt upright as the memory of the “Shinigami” floated back into his mind. ”Soul Society…so this is the afterlife then.” he realized. The mask-creature… he reached for his back only to find in shock that the claw-wound it had caused him was completely healed. Shuuhei knew that he had been unconscious for quite some time. As if in response to that realization, he became aware of two more feelings: thirst and hunger. But these were nothing like the desire for food and drink he had felt while alive. The thirst was a burning pain and dryness in his throat that made swallowing almost impossible, and the hunger was simply beyond imagination. It felt as if he truly was on the verge of dying from starvation.
”I need to find food…” he realized as he weakly pulled himself to his feet and got a proper look around for the first time. The sky was almost completely clear, save for some thin, wispy cirrus clouds high up in the atmosphere. The sun shone brightly almost directly overhead, meaning it was just before noon in… wherever this place was. Beneath his bare feet was a dirt road, one of many leading through the “city” he now found himself in. The buildings were all flimsily constructed of wood scraps or whatever else the builders could find to make them, and they appeared to be distributed haphazardly about the town, rather than built in the organized fashion Shuuhei had been accustomed to. ”It looks almost like a peasant village,” he observed. For the first time, Shuuhei got a proper look at himself. His samurai armor was nowhere to be seen. Instead, it was replaced by a kimono and hakama of a rough, tattered dark green cloth, held in place with a damaged, stained obi of the same color. ”What happened to me? Why are these peasant clothes?” Shuuhei wondered. Was this the “karma” his town’s Buddhist priests had been obsessed with? Had he been reincarnated as a peasant to atone for his sins? Shuuhei decided that he needed to figure out what was going on, and began to walk in what seemed to be the direction of the town’s central area.
As it would happen, Shuuhei’s conjectures about being placed in a low social class after his death were not particularly far from the truth. He would soon learn that after his death, he had been sent to Soul Society, the place most human souls make their way to after death, with few exceptions. Like the vast majority of these souls, he had ended up in Rukongai, the sprawling settlement that makes up most of Soul Society. This afterlife settlement was divided into northern, southern, eastern, and western sections, each divided into districts numbered 1 through 80 depending on their distance from Seireitei. This, of course, was the massive, shining city in which Shinigami like the one that saved Shuuhei resided. Generally, lower-numbered districts had better standards of living than high-numbered ones. The outer districts were also dangerous, with high crime, little food or other basic needs, and frequent appearances of Hollows, which as Shuuhei would learn, were the mask-creatures that had attacked him. In addition, Shinigami response times were often very high due to the distance they needed to cover. Shuuhei was in for quite a challenge over the next decades.
As luck would have it, Shuuhei had been sent to Northern Rukongai, District 80. This was the furthest district from the Seireitei and the most difficult place to live in Northern Rukongai. Life was not easy, even for those who had lived there for years, decades, even centuries. Shuuhei, on the other hand, had just arrived here not even an hour ago. Given that he had spent his entire human life as a member of a high social class, he was not exactly well-suited for survival in a place such as District 80. Stealing and other such behaviors done solely for survival were something he not only had no experience with but also viewed as dishonorable. Luckily, he did have above average situational awareness and combat skills due to having been a samurai, so staying alive would be feasible, but that was just about all he could do for now. Shuuhei had much to learn, and this segment of his existence was not going to be even remotely easy by any means.
By now, Shuuhei had reached what passed for the central plaza of District 80. Weak with hunger, he stumbled into the open space. For the first time, he saw other people, all of whom, he presumed, had died and come to this strange afterlife like him. As he had expected, this large central plaza was a bustling hub of activity. The sounds of people’s voices and of high amounts of human activity in general almost reminded him of his own town on a busy afternoon. But there was something else even more important his senses were picking up. The smell of food. A quick look in the direction from which the smell seemed to originate told him that for at least half a mile along what seemed to be this town’s main road, street vendors were preparing and selling food. An exhausted and ravenously hungry Shuuhei began limping toward the nearest wooden cart. ”Wait… I have no money,” he realized in dismay.
What to do then…? Would he have to steal? That was certainly not honorable behavior, nor was it the right thing to do. Then again, it was necessary for survival. Without food and water, it seemed, he would suffer some sort of dire consequences. This was the afterlife, so could he really die again? ”Not something I wish to find out,” he decided. He was going to have to swallow his pride and steal food. If it was necessary for his survival, he reasoned, it was no different from the times he and his fellow samurai had raided an enemy village or camp when supplies ran low. There was nothing inherently dishonorable about it. The main question was how to evade capture after stealing the food, and where to find safety in which to eat. He knew nobody here, and had no idea of how to find his way around. Additionally, he did not know whether the town employed watchmen or any other form of law enforcement. This was risky… but he was unbelievably hungry by now. ”It can’t be helped,” Shuuhei realized as he stepped forward.
As he approached, the recently dead Shuuhei noticed a group of seven young men and women around his age approaching the street vendor he had selected as his target. He immediately stopped, realizing that stealing right in front of the group was an exceptionally stupid idea. To his amazement, the group suddenly spread out, swarming the cart. Each person grabbed as much food as they could carry and dashed away into a nearby alleyway. This was Shuuhei’s chance! Mustering his last bit of energy, he sprinted in, snatched the remaining food, and ran into the same alleyway he had just watched the group disappear into. “Get back here! You better pray I don’t catch you or I really will kill you!!” he heard the enraged man yelling. The sound of footsteps close behind him informed Shuuhei that this was no empty threat. He risked a glance over his shoulder, only to find that not one but at least ten men were now pursuing him.
Up ahead, one of the members of the group from earlier seemed to notice him. “This way!” he yelled, turning down a side street towards the outer parts of District 80. Shuuhei turned to follow, but at that point, something slammed into his back, knocking him forward into the dirt. He sprang to his feet just as a fist and a foot flew past the spot where his head had been only seconds ago. Instinct and muscle memory took over, and his hands dropped to his side, where of course, no swords were kept anymore. ”I need a weapon…” he thought, the instant of distraction allowing several more flying limbs to plow into his face and body, dropping him to the ground once again. A thin stream of blood trickled down his face, dripping into the dust below. Shuuhei jumped to his feet once again and turned to his right, tearing a wooden plank out of the wall of a nearby house. Gripping it like he would a sword, he swung hard at the face of his nearest attacker. The board struck the center of the man’s face, and he felt a rewarding crunch as his assailant’s nose broke.
With a yell, he charged into the group of men, swinging the board left and right, hitting as many of them as possible… and found that he was no longer alone! The group from earlier had joined him, striking with feet and fists. One by one, the men either ran back the way they had come or fell into the dry, dusty soil unconscious. Breathing hard and barely able to stand now, Shuuhei dropped the blood-splattered plank and turned to face the group that had come to his rescue. “What’s your name?” asked the man who seemed to be the group’s leader. He was tall, easily over six feet, and strongly built, with short, light brown hair. “Yamada… Yamada Shuuhei,” he replied weakly. “Come with us… Yamada-san,” said the man. “Life isn’t easy in Rukongai, and it’ll only be harder alone,” he explained. “Thank you,” Shuuhei replied, turning to follow the group.
Eventually, they arrived at the group’s sort of “hideout.” It was a large, abandoned building with space for nearly twice as many people as were actually occupying it. Blankets, pillows, and personal belongings lay scattered across the floor, showing where each person’s personal area was located. Shuuhei was introduced to the rest of the group, which seemed to accept him as one of their own after hearing about his bravery in fighting off the angry street vendors. So began Shuuhei’s time in District 80 of Northern Rukongai.
Through his conversations with the group, Shuuhei began to learn about the new word of which he was now a part. The place he found himself in after his death and the subsequent Konso was called Rukongai. It was the place where the vast majority of human souls end up following their death. It was divided into districts numbered 1 through 80, with life being far more rough in the higher-numbered districts. Having awoken in District 80, Shuuhei was in the roughest place of all. However, this “Rukongai” was only a part of the realm known as Soul Society. Beyond it was a place known simply as “Outer Rukongai,” an extremely dangerous place consisting of mostly untamed wilds with nothing of note. Creatures called Hollows often appeared there.
Through further questioning, Shuuhei learned that these “Hollows” were the mask-creatures that had appeared shortly after his death and tried to eat him. These beings, he was shocked to learn, were once humans like him. However, they had either lived lives of regret or been eaten by other Hollows and ended up in that form. These creatures ate human souls, and most had levels of consciousness and intelligence equal to that of animals. Shuuhei was quite distressed to realize that had he not been saved by that black-clad warrior, he would have been eaten and turned into a Hollow as well. Come to think of it… who were these soldiers in black uniforms? It turned out that these were called “Shinigami.” They lived in Seireitei, another part of Soul Society with far better standards of living than any part of Rukongai. To Shuuhei, they were the “samurai class” of this strange afterlife. It was then that he made up his mind to one day become a Shinigami.
Becoming a Shinigami, of course, required one to have a significant amount of something called “Reiryoku,” or spiritual power. One sign of having this was being hungry. All spirits could be thirsty and needed to drink water, but only those with spiritual power would become hungry and need to consume actual solid food. Shuuhei was encouraged to hear this, but it soon became apparent that those with enough spiritual power to become Shinigami would likely have other signs of such latent power. Often, he was told, it would manifest itself in a time of need, meaning he would have likely seen it in the fight against the angry street vendors several days ago. Shuuhei accepted that he would probably never become a Shinigami, but he decided to at least attempt it one day. Meanwhile, he would focus on his day to day survival and helping his newfound friends as much as possible.
Days dragged on into weeks, weeks into months, and then months into years. Shuuhei led the same tedious existence in Rukongai, day in and day out, just trying to survive. The group obtained most of their water from a nearby river, usually boiling it over a fire before putting it into some large jars they had stolen at some point for storage. Food, for the few group members with spiritual power, was usually gotten through hunting or fishing, though they did make trips into town from time to time to steal food. The group also maintained a small vegetable garden. Overall, existence in Rukongai was tedious and sometimes dangerous, but overall not as bad as Shuuhei first feared it would be. Soon, he forgot all about spiritual power and becoming a Shinigami and made up his mind to accept an eternity of life in Rukongai.
Years, decades, maybe even centuries passed. One by one, the members of the group met their ends in one way or another. Some died in accidents. Others starved to death. Others, still died in fights attempting to steal food. One, disillusioned with the life he was leading there, wandered off into Outer Rukongai and was never seen or heard from again. Before long, only Shuuhei and three others remained. Loneliness and despair slowly began to creep into Shuuhei’s heart. What would he do when everyone had died off? Would he be alone in Rukongai once again? He already knew that out here in District 80, living alone was almost the same as asking for death. ”Might as well just wander off into the wilderness like Nakamura-san,” thought Shuuhei one cold, lonely morning.
That day, it just so happened, was Shuuhei’s day to procure some type of food. He headed over to the corner of the dilapidated building used by the remainder of the group for shelter and took up their crudely constructed fish spear, taking care not to get any wood splinters in his palms. Then, he made his way down a dirt path in the direction of the river. As always, he waded into the lukewarm, oily, murky water and squinted into the swirling silt beneath him, trying to make out the silhouette of a fish. Time and again, the spear dipped into the water, retracting with a decently sized fish upon the barbed spearhead. By late afternoon, he had caught enough fish for an absolute feast of a dinner. Shuuhei smiled as he lifted the straw basket, heavy with fish, in one hand, rested the spear over his shoulder with the other, and turned to walk to the building that had become home for him.
“Dinner is here!” shouted Shuuhei as he approached the run-down shack of a building. But no response reached his ears. That was strange… usually his friends would come happily running at the mention of food. ”Something’s wrong,” Shuuhei realized. He set the fish basket in the long grass at his feet and gripped the spear tightly, holding it out in front of him as he advanced toward the suspiciously wide-open door. Suddenly, a feeling of pressure filled the air, bearing down on Shuuhei’s shoulders and causing his chest to tighten up. His arms and legs suddenly felt as if they were three times their normal weight. This was called… ”Reiatsu!” But what was it from? A familiar roar assaulted Shuuhei’s ears. At that moment, the pressure let up, and Shuuhei could get a hold of himself. He sprinted forward, spear poised to throw, and entered a scene of complete disaster.
The entire room had been mostly destroyed. Beds and the dinner table were overturned and broken apart on the floor. Blood soaked into the walls and pooled on the floor. In the center of it all was a large Hollow, at least seven feet tall, with light green skin and in the shape of a gigantic lizard or maybe a crocodile. Fresh blood dripped down its mask, and the pale, dead arm of one of Shuuhei’s friends hung from its mouth. Shuuhei watched in horror as the Hollow tossed back its head, gulping down the arm whole, and then charged at him. He barely sidestepped the first charge in time, jabbing at it with the spear. To his dismay, the tip of the spear barely nicked the Hollow’s skin, drawing only a single droplet of blood. Still… he could cut it. Gripping the wooden spear even more tightly, he turned to face the Hollow’s next charge.
This one was even faster than the previous charge, and Shuuhei just barely managed to strike the creature with his spear, this time doing no damage whatsoever. A light green tail whipped into his stomach, knocking the wind out of him and sending him crashing through the wall of the house and into the warm late afternoon air. He staggered to his feet, just in time for a searing pain to punch through the entire left side of his body. A quick glance in that direction showed Shuuhei that a significant portion of his body was now in the Hollow’s mouth. ”I guess this is it…” he thought, closing his eyes and waiting for death to come, praying it would at least be painless.
”Not yet!”
The two words echoed in Shuuhei’s mind as a strange rush jolted through his body. Suddenly, the pain from his wounds faded to a dull warmth, and the fatigue all but vanished from his body. The Hollow roared in surprise and opened its jaws, dropping Shuuhei. A dark blue glow crackled to life around his body as he took up the barbed fish spear one last time. “Come then! You killed my friends, come get me too!” he heard himself yelling. The crocodilian Hollow lunged forward, though this time it somehow seemed much slower. Shuuhei plunged the spear deep into the creature’s neck and then tore it back out immediately, the barbs taking a chunk of the Hollow’s throat with them. It gurgled as it attempted to roar, its own blood flooding its lungs and flowing out over its lower jaw in a crimson waterfall. ”Not getting away,” thought Shuuhei as he flung the spear. It spun once in the air, then buried itself deep in the Hollow’s pure white mask. Shuuhei then ripped the spear away, tearing apart the upper part of the creature’s mask and head. The Hollow staggered back a single step, and then faded away. Likewise, the blue glow around Shuuhei faded, and with that, his previous pain and fatigue hit him tenfold, bowling him over like a brick wall. He was unconscious before he even hit the dust.
When Shuuhei awoke, the air was chilled, and the sky was black and filled with thousands of stars. Judging by the position of the moon, it was most likely some time after 2 AM. The first thing he noticed was hunger, just as bad as when he first arrived in Rukongai all those years ago. “I must have used up quite a lot of Reiryoku,” said Shuuhei to nobody in particular. There was nobody left to listen to him anyways. A few paces away, the basket of fish still sat in the long grass, miraculously undisturbed. He lifted the basket and gathered some wood from the ruins of the building that had once been his home, using that to light a cooking fire. As he ate, a thought came to Shuuhei that had not entered his mind in decades. ”I could become a Shinigami.” After all, something had happened while fighting that Hollow. Maybe that was a sign of some sort of latent spiritual ability, or above average Reiatsu, or something. Anyways, none of his group remained alive now except him. The only way forward was to make the long trip to Seireitei.
Shuuhei departed Northern Rukongai District 80 the next morning, taking nothing but the clothes on his back and the old fishing spear for protection. The journey, he knew, would be long and dangerous. The danger would decrease the closer he got to Seireitei, of course, but it would always be present.
As it happened, traveling from the edges of the inhabited part of Rukongai to the outer wall of the Seireitei, on foot took just over two weeks. For Shuuhei, that meant two weeks of constant travel, sleeping in the open, stealing food and water if there was no place to feasibly hunt, fish, or draw water, and of course fighting off bandits and other criminals. In the middle of his ninth day of travel, the outer wall of Seireitei first became visible. Infuriatingly, the enormous wall seemed to remain exactly the same distance away for days on end, never getting any closer. However, eight days of fighting off criminals and struggling to survive later, on the seventeenth day of his travels, Shuuhei reached the southern frontier of Northern Rukongai District 1, and thereby the outer walls of Seireitei. His long and difficult journey had come to an end, and he could finally (hopefully) begin a new chapter of his life.
Shuuhei spent the next year of his existence studying to take the entrance exam to the Shinoreijutsuin, or the Shinigami Academy. Before becoming a Shinigami and gaining a place in what was then the Gotei 13, one had to complete all of the training requirements at this school as well as attain Shikai. This was a more powerful form of a Zanpakuto, which as Shuuhei was learning, was the proper name for the katana he had seen the Shinigami wielding just after the end of his human life. For most people, this required somewhere between four and six years, though there were cases of exceptionally talented students doing so in much less time. Before he could even think about Shikai and graduating the Academy, however, Shuuhei needed to pass the exam required to even enter the school. For that, more study would be needed.
After a year of study, Shuuhei decided he had enough of a grasp of the principles of being a Shinigami to take the Academy entrance exam. He had learned about Zanpakuto, using Kido, fighting enemies like Hollows and Arrancar, and much more. He had also studied the Shinigami rank system of normal squad members, seated officers, lieutenants, and of course captains. With this knowledge in hand, Shuuhei arrived on the campus of the Academy to be administered the exam. As luck would have it, he passed the test on his first attempt with a score of eighty-five percent. This was enough to enter the Academy, but to his dismay, it did not secure him a spot in the advanced class. Rather, he would be placed in Class 2, which proceeded at a somewhat slower pace. Class 1, he had heard, mainly consisted of the children of the Soul Society’s noble families, who had spent much of their lives preparing for that entrance exam, whereas Shuuhei had only taken one year. Nonetheless, he had been admitted to the Academy and was well on his way to truly becoming a Shinigami.
The next six years of Shuuhei’s existence would be spent at the Academy. His days were spent practicing Zanjutsu, or using a sword, Kido, which referred to Shinigami spells used in battle or for other purposes, Hoho, or high-speed movement, and Hakuda, or unarmed combat.
As it happened, in his first few Zanjutsu classes, Shuuhei excelled beyond the expectations of his classmates or instructors. His mind and body seemed to remember the movements involved in using a sword from so many centuries ago, and swordsmanship came almost naturally to him. For some reason, his classes in Kido went almost as well, and he once again impressed his classmates and instructors alike during each class session. Next, however, were Hoho and Hakuda classes, taught by ex-members of what was then the Second Division and something called the “Onmitsukido.” This was basically a group of assassins, very similar to ninja in Shuuhei’s time. Possibly for this reason, he found himself somewhat suspicious of their techniques and was quite apprehensive about using or even learning them. As such, his performance in these areas was lower than the rest of his class and a source of confusion and disappointment for his instructors. How could a student be so talented at Zanjutsu and Kido but have so much trouble with his other essential skills? Common refrains from these instructors included “Yamada, focus and put in the effort!” or “Stay after class, Yamada!”
As his time at the Academy went on, Shuuhei’s Zanjutsu and Kido continued to improve, but his Shunpo remained quite slow and clumsy, and his Hakuda was simply not up to par. Around the middle of his fifth year in the Academy, his instructors in these subjects actually had to order up extra training. This proved quite difficult, as he was already working with a full class schedule, including a new class on communicating with his Zanpakuto. That year, he and his fellow students had been given Asauchi, or Zanpakuto whose names were not yet known. In that state, they had no powers and functioned as little more than a sword capable of harming spiritual beings. By the end of their time at the Academy, students were expected to learn the names of the spirits within these weapons and thus gain Shikai. Dispite all this, Shuuhei managed to fit in all of his required classes and extra training in Hoho and Hakuda, slowly approaching the proper level for a fifth-year student in those areas.
A year of meditating with his sword, trips to Earth to practice fighting Hollows, (using fake ones, of course) taking classes, and of course extra training in the subject areas in which his skills were lacking, Shuuhei’s training was coming to an end. Final exams were only a week away, and he still had to pass the true final test of the Shinigami Academy. This, of course, was attaining Shikai. Some of his classmates had already done so, learning the names of their Zanpakuto after extensive meditation. The night before his final exam, Shuuhei knew his time was running out. If he could not find out the name of the spirit within his weapon by the morning, it would be another full year before he could graduate from the Academy and join the Gotei. That night, after everyone had fallen asleep, he removed his blade from its sheath, crossed his legs, set the weapon across his lap, and closed his eyes.
Unlike the previous times he had attempted this, Shuuhei suddenly felt a sensation of falling, followed by a strange feeling as if he were just waking up after a long night’s sleep. Bright light flooded his retinas as he slowly opened his eyelids. ”Oh no! did I fall asleep? I’m going to be late for the exams!” he wondered as he leapt to his feet in panic. Wait… this most definitely was not his dorm room at the Shinoreijutsuin. He was somehow standing on the rocky shore of an alpine lake. A cool breeze rustled the tops of the pine forest that seemed to surround the lake on all sides. The sun sat still, directly overhead. It seemed that the only way forward was, well, forward, towards a peak of black rock and pure white snow straight ahead. Shuuhei walked forward, following the rocky shoreline toward the massive peak.
As he walked, something strange became apparent. It was extremely hard to breathe. Even a light walk was a strenuous effort. As it would turn out, it was a wasted effort as well. Not long passed before Shuuhei was met with impassible, sheer rock cliffs. It was blindingly obvious that there was no way to climb these massive stone structures. Looking to his left across the lake, it seemed that the same was true on the opposite side of the body of water. Reluctantly, Shuuhei turned back and began making his way to the place he first found himself upon entering this strange world. The only way to get anything done here, it seemed, was to swim across the lake. Shuuhei stepped forward into the icy water and immediately pulled his foot back in shock. The water was easily colder than anything he had ever experienced. But it was the only way to proceed. Bracing himself, he took one step into the water. Gritting his teeth in pain, he took another, and found himself up to his neck in the water instantly. His breath was sucked away at once, and his limbs immediately went numb. Still… this was what had to be done. Shuuhei took a deep breath of the thin air and then surged forth, taking his first stroke.
Nearly dead with cold and fatigue, Shuuhei pulled himself onto the opposite shore almost an hour later. In his drenched Academy uniform, he continued on across the boulder field ahead and toward the mountain’s peak. As he climbed, he noticed breathing becoming more and more difficult, and his fatigue mounting to nearly unbearable levels. After another hour of treacherous rock climbing and scrambling, Shuuhei pulled himself over the final rocky ridge to the mountain’s summit. Behind him, a sweeping view of the lake and surrounding mountain scenery stretched to the horizon. Ahead, an equally beautiful castle sat at the center of an icy pond. A bright red bridge was the only way across this frigid water. Curious and ready to be done with this strange trial, Shuuhei pushed on, fighting cold, fatigue, and hypoxia.
At the bridge’s opposite edge, Shuuhei found the golden castle gates shut tight. But as he set his palm upon the heavy doors, they began sliding open, revealing a seemingly endless and empty courtyard within. When Shuuhei entered, he nearly jumped in shock at the sight of two gigantic dragons. One appeared to be skeletal in form and crackling with what looked like blue lightning, while the other was more… alive and shined with a golden glow. “Welcome,” they said in unison. “My name is Shiryu,” the skeletal dragon said. “And I’m Jinryu,” followed the golden dragon. “And together we make up—” they began, but at that moment, a burst of thunder rumbled through the room, drowning out their words. “What?” Shuuhei asked. “Oh? You couldn’t hear our proper name?” asked Shiryu. “Then you’re not yet worthy,” said Jinryu. ”I get it… this must be my Zanpakuto… I need to find a way to hear their proper names, then,” realized Shuuhei. “Is there any way I can… become worthy?” Shuuhei asked. “Yes, child. We shall test you,” replied the dragon that called itself Shiryu.
So began the first phase of the test. Shiryu tested Shuuhei’s knowledge, asking him multiple questions very similar to those that would likely be on the Shinigami Academy exit exam the following day. To Shiryu’s enjoyment and Shuuhei’s relief, each question was answered correctly. “You seem to have the knowledge of a worthy Shinigami, and I can tell from your Reiatsu that you are strong enough to wield us properly. Very well. Our name is—” Shiryu said before suddenly being cut off. “WAIT!!” cried Jinryu. “How come you get to test the child but I don’t? And how can you say he’s ready without testing his strength?! Unbelievable!” said the spirit, beginning to crackle and buzz with golden electricity.
”He’s coming,” Shuuhei realized. His hands flew to the hilt of the Asauchi at his side, but before they could even reach it, cruel talons ripped into his chest, shredding the soft tissues and bringing forth a stream of blood. A dark red blotch slowly spread across his Academy uniform as he drew his sword, gripping the hilt tightly in both hands. On Jinryu’s next pass, Shuuhei timed his swing just right, the edge of the blade slamming into the spirit’s neck. To his astonishment, however, the blade snapped in two, leaving Jinryu completely unharmed. “See? Unworthy! It’s unfortunate but… better you die this way than against the first enemy you face with such a lack of ability,” the spirit said, opening its mouth wide and releasing a blast of golden lightning. Shuuhei screamed in agony as the bolts of electricity seared his flesh and flung him backwards, pummeling him into the wall of the courtyard. Barely conscious, Shuuhei slid down the wall, gasping. ”Not giving up.” He gripped the hilt of what remained of his weapon and ran forward, blade held high. Jinryu lowered his head and flew forward, preparing for what was sure to be the final clash.
At the exact moment his weapon met the top of Jinryu’s head, a name flashed through Shuuhei’s mind. “Kogane Raikō!!” he exclaimed. A burst of dark blue Reiatsu pushed Jinryu back, and when it faded, Shuuhei held two swords; a golden katana in his right hand and a silver wakizashi in his left. Shuuhei had finally attained Shikai.
When he next opened his eyes, Shuuhei was laying in his bed back in the dorm room at the Academy. Sunlight streamed in through the windows, indicating that it was time to rise and prepare for the day’s final exams. Touching his chest, he noticed that all of his wounds from that battle with the two spirits were somehow gone. Which reminded him… he turned to the place where he normally set his Asauchi to find it gone, replaced with a katana and wakizashi. A quick inspection revealed that these were the same weapons he had found himself holding after doing battle with Jinryu. Placing the two swords at his side, Shuuhei began the short walk to the building where the final exams would be administered. Six years of study and training, he hoped, would be about to pay off.
Shuuhei passed the Academy exit exam with flying colors. Now, it was time to apply to join a division. His top choices were what were, at the time, arguably the most distinguished divisions in what was then the Gotei 13: the First Division and the Sixth Division. The First, was of course the division led by the Captain-Commander, the almost legendary Shinigami whose strength surpassed that of any other, and the Sixth was usually led by a member of the powerful Kuchiki family. When all was said and done, though he received a letter of acceptance from both divisions, Shuuhei chose to join the First and serve under the Captain-Commander. Thus began his life as a full-fledged Shinigami and his time as a Gotei member.
Like any new division member, Shuuhei’s first assignments consisted mainly of basic chores and assisting higher ranking members or those who had served longer with the various administrative duties with which the First Division was tasked at that time. It was quite a tedious job, and Shuuhei often found himself bored and chose to procrastinate when it did come time to get one of these even more boring tasks done, much to the annoyance of his superiors and fellow First Division members. Of course, as he continued to serve, things gradually got better, and after his first decade of service, Shuuhei finally found himself moving on to more interesting tasks. Soon, he was being assigned to missions on Earth and elsewhere. Now this was what he had always thought being a Shinigami was like.
As the years went by, Shuuhei felt himself slowly growing stronger. He soon developed a much closer bond with his Zanpakuto spirits, allowing him to increase his abilities even further. Of course, this was only possible as a result of the rigorous training regimen he had decided to impose on himself. Fighting his ADHD and tendency to procrastinate and avoid difficult things, Shuuhei forced himself to train and hone his abilities whenever there was time. Before long, he found himself appointed to his first seated officer position. At the time, he was made the 10th Seat of the First Division. The appointment greatly motivated Shuuhei, and he stepped up his training even further.
Over the next century or so, Shuuhei steadily moved up the ranks of the First Division. His Reiatsu increased greatly, and with it, his Shinigami abilities. Promotion after promotion came over the years, from Ninth, to Eighth, then Seventh Seat, and so on. Before he knew it, one morning, he found himself being notified that he was to be promoted to the rank of Third Seat in his division the following day. The promotion ceremony came and went without a hitch, elevating the accomplished Shinigami to a rank only two below that of a captain. In fact, it was that very realization that first led Shuuhei to set his sights on one day achieving the high position of captain. It would not be an easy road, this much he knew. Still, if he planned to reach any of his goals, it was the only way forward. From the day of his promotion to Third Seat, Shuuhei increased the intensity of his training even further, feeling more motivated than ever before. A fire burned beneath Shuuhei now, and he would not be stopped.
Over the years, Shuuhei trained, went on missions, and fulfilled his duties as a First Division seated officer. Of course, this whole time, he continued to increase his Reiatsu as well as his various combat skills. His Zanjutsu, as always, improved significantly, though his rather low levels of physical strength meant that this skill was not as useful as it otherwise could have been for him. The area where he truly showed promise now was Kido and the use of Reiatsu-based techniques. Shuuhei found himself rapidly learning new spells and other useful skills, soon reaching a level of both Reiatsu and combat expertise sufficient to make him eligible for yet another promotion. Added to that, his Squad's Vice Captain position had been vacant for some time. So it was that after 530 years of life, Shuuhei found himself applying for promotion to the rank of Vice Captain in Squad 1.
As it turned out, Shuuhei's application for promotion was accepted. He was overjoyed to receive the news, and even more so at the promotion ceremony the following day when his Vice Captain's insignia was fastened to the right sleeve of his Shihakusho. "One step closer to my objectives, and one step further away from those days in Rukongai," he thought, smiling with satisfaction as he looked down at the metal emblem now tied to his right arm. Currently, Shuuhei is still the Vice Captain of Squad 1. He trains just as intensely as always each day, though his duties as a Vice Captain keep him quite busy as well. Recently, he has begun focusing on finding a way to make his Zanpakuto materialize in the physical world, as he knows that for his next objective, a captain's position, Bankai, the second level of Shinigami Zanpakuto release, would be required. Nonetheless, Shuuhei is happy with where he is currently and finally beginning to feel as if he is moving in the right direction...
*PLEASE CLICK THE SETTINGS BUTTON AND REPORT THE POST WHEN YOU HAVE COMPLETED THE APPLICATION. PUT "GRADING" FOR THE REASON*[/ul][/i][/i][/ul]
