Kenpachi Zaraki

Backstory: Kenpachi Zaraki was born in the 80th district of the Rukongai, AKA Zaraki, on November 19th. He had no name, so he took up "Zaraki" (derived from his birthplace), as his surname. The Rukongai is the poorest & most dangerous part of the Soul Society, where survival depended on strength & violence. Kenpachi became incredibly skilled in swordsmanship—or at least fighting—while he was there. He also took a namless Zanpakutō from a corpse & made the weapon his own, but he was unable to hear its spiritual embodiment yet. During that time, he met the Gotei 13's Squad 4's Retsu Unohana ("Yachiru Unohana" back then), who possesed the same bloodthristy & violent nature as him. The two dueled, with both of them leaving a scar on each other's body during their fight.

After leaving the district, Kenpachi found a little girl who, despite her young age, DIDN'T fear him nor his sword. Since she had no name, unaware that she's actually his Zanpakutō's spirit humanized, he named her "Yachiru" after Unohana while naming himself "Kenpachi", Unohana's title which has been associated with one who's killed many people. Ever since their fateful encounter, Yachiru's became close with Kenpachi.

Some time later, Kenpachi found his way into the Soul Society & killed the previous captain of the 11th Division, therefore gaining his seat in the Gotei 13. As a new captain, he was forced to learn Kendō, something he hated because it personified his skills, though he did agree with 1 point: a blade swung with both arms is more powerful than just swining it with 1 arm, such as he made it a point to avoid using it in battle in order to extend the experience of fighting as long as possible.

Birthplace: 80th district of the Rukongai, AKA Zaraki.

Birthday: November 19th.

Romantic Relationship(s): None.

Role(s)/Occupation(s):

• Shinigami - Spiritual guardians of the Three Worlds (the Three Worlds being the Soul Society, Human World, & Hueco Mundo) who protect & guide Souls going through the cycle of transmigration between the World of the Living & the Soul Society. They purify Hollows (spirits NOT guided to the Soul Society by a Soul Reaper) who do evil in the World of the Living & ensure the safe crossing of souls (dead human Souls) who have lost their way after death by giving them a Kōnso (soul burial). Shinigami are the complete OPPOSITE of Quincy, as Quincy cause imbalance between the Three Worlds by killing Hollows & their souls completely.

• Soul Reaper.

• Captain of the 11th Division.

Residence(s):

• Soul Society - One of the spiritual afterworlds where dead humans go to posthumously. This is also where the Shinigami live & function from, & where most Souls stay until they're reincarnated into the World of the Living. Along with Hueco Mundo & the World of the Living, the Soul Society is one of the Three Worlds.

Species:

• Soul - Spiritual beings that live in the Rukongai area of the Soul Society & the spirits of deceased humans in the World of the Living (AKA the Human World). While many souls are dead humans from the Human World, it's known that they can be born within the Soul Society as well. Kenpachi Zaraki was born within the Soul Society.

Skin Color: Light brown.

Signature Bankai (2nd Form):

• Unnamed - Upon activation, Kenpachi's Bankai releases a massive wave of energy powerful enough to destroy nearby buildings. In this form, Kenpachi's skin turns red, & he obtains numerous black markings across his face along with horns on his forehead, resembling a demon. His Zanpakutō becomes a changed version of its Shikai state, with a shorter, more jagged blade resembling a rough cleaver. His Bankai also grants him a tremendous boost in physical strength & cutting power.

Signature Bankai (2nd Form) Command: Unnamed.

Signature Shikai (1st Form): Before Kenpachi knew its name, the Soul Society believed that his overwhelming Reiatsu was forcing Nozarashi into a constant released state due to its more elaborate design. Upon release, Nozarashi takes on the form of an axe/war cleaver hybrid 2 times his size with a long, cloth-wrapped handle. The top of the blade has a brass cover with a green tassel attached to the backside of it. In its released state, Nozarashi has unbelievable attack power, & its cutting power is also great enough to even slice through space itself.

Signature Shikai (1st Form) Command: "Drink, Nozarashi!"

Signature Gear/Weapon(s):

• Eyepatch - This helps keep Kenpachi's overwhelming amount of spiritual pressure under control.

Signature Move(s)/Power(s):

• Ryōdan - Kendo technique in which Kenpachi grips his Zanpakutō with both hands, allowing him to split his enemy down the middle with a strong shockwave.

Signature Zanpakutō(s):

• Nozarashi - As a kid living in the Rukongai, Kenpachi Zaraki stumbled upon a dead Shinigami. He then took the Asauchi (namless Zanpakutō), imprinting his soul upon it to become his own Zanpakutō. While still a vagabond, he'd carry the sword across his back by a rope, over his right shoulder, & at the left of his waist under his sash while a Shinigami. The blade is much more longer than most Zanpakutō, roughly the size of a nodachi sword, with a relatively narrow but long tsuba (handguard) shaped like a serrated, eliptical bicone. The braid & hilt are both white, though they're mostly wrapped up in white bandages, as is his sword's brown saya (sheath).

At first, Kenpachi was the only captain in the Gotei 13 to NOT know the name of his Zanpakutō, nor perform either one of his blade releases. Despite this though, Nozarashi can easily cut through most targets. Eventually, Kenpachi wished to learn more about his Zanpakutō because he wanted to become stronger & could identify with the pain of not initially having a name. Later, upon defeating Retsu Unohana during their second & also last fight, he re-awakened his true strength & finally heard his Zanpakutō's voice.

Nationality: Unknown.

Nickname(s)/Alias(es):

• "Kenny" - Nickname that Yachiru, along with some other people, often refer to Kenpachi as.

Notable Physical Trait(s): His thin, long scar over his gray left eye, stringy, long black hair that's messy & loose, & enlarged sharp canines.

Notable Habit(s): Kenpachi Zaraki has an insatiable thirst for fighting, & will often challenge strong people (or people whom he deems strong) to fight him, ally or not.

Personality: Kenpachi Zaraki is an incredibly bloodthristy, rough, aggressive, & violent man with a deep love for fighting, viewing fighting as nothing but mere entertainment that fuels his existence. When fighting he displays exhiliration, often grinning wildly as he searches for stronger opponents to satisfy his thirst for difficult duels. He strongly dislikes strategic planning or advanced techniques like Kidō (advanced spells), instead preferring using brute strength & crushing his opponents outright.

In contrast to his brutish nature though, he has unwavering loyalty to capable subordinates, especially Yachiru Kusajishi, whom he has a rare paternal love for amid his otherwise intimidating demeanor. He respects people who show their full strength & are able to defeat him. He also respected his now-deceased Head Captain Yamamoto in high regard for his training that he gave him & his power. Retsu Unohana—the only person whom he ever admired—is another person that he highly respected since she made him feel the thrill of battle, readily acknowledged that they're very much alike, & was brought to tears for the first time at the thought of being unable to defeat her before he dies.

Out of all of his other fellow Gotei 13 captains—who typically display spiritual skill & calculated discipline, Kenpachi Zaraki stands out as the classic "beast" type—a primal force of unrestrained aggression & dominance within the structural hierarchy of the Soul Society.

Appearance: Kenpachi Zaraki is a muscular man with a wild appearance. He has pronounced hairless brow ridges, an oblong face shap, high cheebones, & enlarged sharp canines. He also has stringy, long black hair that's messy & loose, along with a thin, long scar running down the left side of his face & eye, which was inflicted upon him by Retsu Unohana during their very first duel together when he was a kid. He's also 6'7", making him very tall.

As for his outfit, Kenpachi wears the standard black shihakushō (Soul Reaper uniform), with the additions of white bandages across his midsection & a short-sleeved haori (traditional Japanese jacket worn over a kimono), which he took from the previous captain after beating him, with ragged ends on the back flap & sleeves. Lastly, he wears an eypatch (which he has to wear in order to control his spiritual pressure), which is designed as a single piece with no straps & a gray outline.

Abilities/Weapon(s): Kenpachi Zaraki is very skilled in swordsmanship, being able to slice & cut opponents quite easily. His skill set is quite limited, as he fights based solely on reflexes, keen observation, & instinct. To catch his opponents off guard, he can instantly change his attacks, making it almost impossible for them to anticipate his moves. Despite his disregard for strategic thinking, the Soul Reaper is surprisingly perceptive, as he can quickly see through his opponents' battle methods & attack patterns, find & exploit weaknesses in his opponents & their techniques, & quickly adjust & alter his own methods to better counter them. He's also perceptive to peoples' nature, being able to notice subtle traits in individuals & see what drives a person's actions.

The Squad 11 captain's spiritual pressure is immense, so much that he has to wear an eyepatch in order to keep it under control. Despite this though, he can make liberal use of it in many ways: spanning miles, affecting large areas, & cause others within that area to enter a state of paralysis & confusion. When exerting his spiritual pressure, it can cause significant damage, such as launching away weaker opponents & destroying the area around him. Likewise, it can repel or disrupt most enemy attacks & abilities. After Unohana's training though, he's now able to control his spiritual pressure more. The strength of Kenpachi's spiritual pressure can also act as an armor, making it pretyy much impossible for opponents weaker than him to physically harm him. When released, Kenpachi's spiritual pressure is yellow & sometimes takes the form of a skull to the eyes of his foes.

Although he prefers to use his Zanpakutō, Kenpachi also has skill in hand-to-hand combat, making him even more dangerous. He's also a skilled Shunpo (advanced high-speed movement technique) user, even though he didn't have much skill in it at first. He has some proficiency in Kendō too, which Yamamoto forced him to learn before officially joining the Gotei 13. But the training only lasted a day due to the Central 46's fear that a full trained Kenpachi would be too powerful lest he should ever rebel against the Soul Society. He only uses Kendō as a last resort though, as he hates using techniques & skills that he learned from others. Lastly, he has significant strength, durability, & endurance.

Age: Unknown.

Affiliation(s):

• Gotei 13 - The primary military branch of the Soul Society & the main military organization most Shinigami join after graduating from the Shin'ō Academy, an instution founded by the now-deceased Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto (who died while fighting Quincy King Yhwach during the first Quincy invasion of the Soul Society). Kenpachi Zaraki did NOT attend Shin'ō Academy though due to him already being very strong.

• Soul Society.

• Squad 11 - Kenpachi Zaraki is the captain of Squad 11, which consists of Yachiru Kusajishi, 3rd seat Yumichika Ayasegawa, & lieutenant Ikkaku Madarame. Squad 11 is strictly about close-combat, & believes if they're going to die anyway, they might as well go down fighting gloriously. They're also highly skilled in fighting, which is what makes them the strongest division.

Additional Skill(s): None.

Additional Info: Kenpachi Zaraki takes a bath every day before going to sleep, which is necessary for him due to his strong perspiration. During these baths, he washes his hair with soap, making it stiff before styling it by himself. Kenpachi once tried a hair treatment recommended by fellow Soul Reaper Chōjirō Sasakibe, but his hair became too silky for him to style properly. Since then, he's disliked Chōjirō quite a bit. Kenpachi also has a very bad sense of direction, & sometimes asks Yachiru for help (even though her sense of direction is just as bad).

Hobby(ies): Searching for worthy foes, napping, fencing, & having tea parties with Yachiru.

Friend(s)/Acquaintance(s): Kenpachi Zaraki is relatively acquainted with his fellow Squad 11 members & the rest of the Soul Society.

Family:

• Yachiru Kusajishi (adoptive daughter).

Hair Type: Stringy.

Hair Length: Long.

Hair Color: Black.

Eye Color: Gray.

Ethnicity: Unknown.

Height: 202 cm (6'7" ft).

Weight: 198 lbs (90 kg).

Like(s): Strong people & fighting.

Dislike(s):

• Nattō (Japanese breakfast food with rice).

• Weak people.

Weakness(es):

• Melee-Only Zanpakutō - While powerful in melee fighting, Kenpachi's Zanpakutō has no special abilities.

• Lack of Kidō - Kenpachi has no skill nor interest in Kidō (Reiryoku-powered spells), leaving him with only close-combat methods for battle.

• Close-Combat Limit - While Kenpachi's Zanpakutō has incredible cutting power, it is limited to close-quartes combat only.

• Overconfidence - Kenpachi is dangerously overconfidenr, & almost always holds back in combat such as using his sword one-handed & other things.

• Dangerous Bankai - Kenpachi's Bankai leaves him in a feral state who seems to be only capable of attacking the enemy, & even his own allies. His Bankai is so powerful that his body CANNOT full control & contain its power. Should he use too much power, he will tear apart & damage his own body in the process.