Rukia Kuchiki | Mistaken for an Anomaly

Rukia Kuchiki is the current Captain of the 13th Division, succeeding the former captain Jūshirō Ukitake after previously serving as lieutenant. Rukia is the adoptive sister of Byakuya Kuchiki, the younger sister of Hisana Kuchiki, a friend of Ichigo Kurosaki, the mother of Ichika Abarai, and the wife of Renji Abarai.

Short and petite, Rukia has light skin and big purple eyes. Her hair is black, reaching her shoulders, with several strands of hair always hanging between her eyes. Byakuya has stated she strongly resembles her sister, Hisana Kuchiki. As a Shinigami of the Gotei 13, Rukia wears a standard shihakushō. 17 months after Aizen's defeat, Rukia wears her hair cropped into a bob which hangs about her face. She wears a fingerless white tekkō, similar to Byakuya's, which extend above her elbows. As a lieutenant, she wears her Division Badge around her uniform's left sleeve, which has been shortened to just reach her upper arm.

Initially born into a lower class, Rukia retains her modesty, even as an adopted member of the nobility. She is graceful and "clean", yet chooses to talk to ordinary people. However, her cool and lone demeanor often forces her to hide her personal troubles, even from her friends. According to Ukitake, Rukia never opens up her heart, and has difficulty making friends. Rukia is clueless about the ways of the modern Human World. She is very good at acting, having acted her way through a number of tough situations, such as getting out of trouble with school teachers and convincing the Kurosaki family to let her stay at their house.ㅤ

Rukia always has trouble finding clothes that fit her, especially when inhabiting a Gigai in the Human World, leading to her stealing clothes from Ichigo's sister, Yuzu. She likes to climb to high places. Rukia likes everything rabbit-themed, and becomes quite sensitive when someone insults her obsession with them. People often have difficulty understanding her drawings, which are typically rabbit-like, and doesn't like it when people complain about their quality. Rukia's favorite foods are cucumber, eggs, and rice dumplings.

Quite often when Rukia is annoyed with a situation or when conversing with people that exasperate her, her common tic/phrase in reaction is either "nonsense!" or "nonsensical fool!"

Equipment

Ōken Clothing: After training with the Royal Guard, Rukia dons special clothing in order to safely return to the Seireitei. These clothes are made from the bones and hair of the members of the Royal Guard, and they possess incredible defensive power, allowing Rukia to withstand the friction that results from breaking through the 72 barriers between Soul Society and the Soul King Palace without suffering any damage; Yhwach notes that no Shinigami could hope to wear greater garb.These clothes take the form of a long white shawl wrapped around her head and hang past her shoulders, fluffy white earmuffs, a white visor covering her eyes, and a long white cloak worn over her shihakushō. They are destroyed when Rukia activates her Bankai and temporarily gains new clothing.

Powers & Abilities

Immense Spiritual Power: While initially remaining an unranked Shinigami for the majority of her career, Rukia's Reiryoku was already on the level of a Seated Officer even before her first promotion, as proven by her effortless defeat of the Arrancar Di Roy Rinker and her rapid promotion to Lieutenant. After her training with the Royal Guard, Rukia's Reiryoku increased dramatically, which she demonstrated by easily overpowering Äs Nödt, a captain-level Sternritter who previously defeated Byakuya Kuchiki, and forced him to use his Quincy: Vollständig to even the odds; eventually, it allowed her to replace Jūshirō Ukitake as the Captain of the 13th Division.

Expert Reiatsu Control: Even prior to her promotions and training, Rukia proved capable of exerting large amounts of Reiatsu when needed. Expert Swordsman: Rukia initially only had rudimentary skills of Zanjutsu,[260] but after much training by her former mentor, Kaien Shiba, her skill drastically improved, able to hold her own against the 9th Espada, Aaroniero Arruruerie, who possessed the expert swordsmanship skill of Kaien himself. Rukia has also demonstrated enough skill in swordsmanship to cut down multiple of Rudbornn Chelute's attacking Calaveras.

Hakuda Combatant: While seldom relying on it, Rukia is proficient in hand-to-hand combat, using it as her main method of combat when she was in a depowering Gigai.

Shunpo Expert: Renji says Rukia is helpful and effective because of her high speed. During her battle against the Adjuchas of the Menos Forest, she skillfully dodged multiple attacks from several enemies. After her training in the Soul King Palace, Rukia is able to move fast enough to surprise and cut Äs Nödt.

Kidō Expert: Rukia's greatest strength is her knowledge and skill in Kidō, having been top of her class at the Shin'ō Academy, and able to instantly switch from Zanjutsu to Kidō without delay should she lose her Zanpakutō. While the sheer power of her Kidō was just average when she joined the 13th Division, she continued to develop her skill, now able to use Hadō #73. Sōren Sōkatsui without incantation to considerable effect. She has great skill in using various spells in unique combination, even using multiple spells at the same time. However, she requires incantations when using high-level spells simultaneously.

Kaidō: Like most Captains, Rukia has above-average skills in healing Kidō. Keen Intellect: Rukia has repeatedly demonstrated her keen intellect. She compensated against the power of the 9th Espada with combination attacks. During her forced stay in the Human World after losing her powers, Rukia proved herself very useful in assisting Ichigo with his new Shinigami duties. Rukia is very knowledgeable, with a detailed knowledge of Soul Society's history.

Enhanced Strength: Belying her petite stature, Rukia has a surprising amount of physical strength, having lifted and carried two unconscious, full-grown adults throughout a war-torn Seireitei without much effort.

Enhanced Endurance: Rukia is notably resilient. She withstood being impaled by Aaroniero's Nejibana in conjunction with his Glotonería, and finished him off before losing consciousness. During the battle against a Soul King-empowered Yhwach, she survived being impaled by one of the Quincy King's Reishi Broadswords while only momentarily passing out.

Zanpakutō Sode no Shirayuki redirects here. For the manifested spirit who appears in the anime-only Zanpakutō Unknown Tales and Beast Swords arcs, see Sode no Shirayuki (Zanpakutō spirit).

Sode no Shirayuki: In its sealed form, Sode no Shirayuki is a normal katana. It has a rectangular tsuba with a vaguely flame-like pattern on the long sides and a curved line on the short sides, inward-curved corners with curved slits above and below the blade, and a series of curved lines embossed on either side of the blade. It has a reddish-brown hilt.

Shikai: Its Shikai command is "Dance" Rukia holds her Zanpakutō out in front of her and turns it in a circle counter-clockwise. While she is turning it, the blade, hilt, and tsuba turn completely white. The tsuba becomes a hollow snowflake-like circle, and a white ribbon forms from the pommel. Sode no Shirayuki is regarded as the most beautiful Zanpakutō in Soul Society. The transformation is accompanied by a rush of cold air in all directions.

Shikai Special Ability: Sode no Shirayuki is an ice-type Zanpakutō. Sode no Shirayuki possesses multiple techniques, labeled as "dances" by Rukia. Besides ice techniques, Sode no Shirayuki's general ability is freezing. Sode no Shirayuki can freeze a target from a distance, or used in a different manner, create a path or platform of ice in midair. Rukia can freeze even the Reishi-created Spirit Weapon of a Quincy, causing it to shatter. However, Rukia later found out this was not Sode no Shirayuki's true power; the former manifestation of its powers resulted from Rukia not yet being able to withstand its true power. In reality, Sode no Shirayuki does not spread coldness from its blade; its actual ability is to bring the body temperature of its wielder to a temperature below freezing. As a result, anything its wielder touches freezes, the sword itself merely increasing their reach. Due to this power, Rukia is capable of momentarily "killing" her body by controlling her own Reishi, putting herself in a form of cryostasis. She completely stops all the molecules in her body, preventing any material or substance attempting to affect her from doing so because it cannot enter her body. However, if someone uses an optical attack on her, it will affect her because her nerves are still working. Rukia can lower her body temperature to a point at which the ground below her feet freezes instantly, causing ice quakes, and can even reduce her temperature to absolute zero, though she can only safely maintain this temperature for no more than four seconds. This temperature manipulation allowed Rukia to freeze even the torrential dark Reiatsu of the Soul King-empowered Yhwach.

Some no mai, Tsukishiro: Rukia calls out the name of the dance while holding her Zanpakutō upside down. The blade glows, and she makes a slashing motion when her target is in position. When she does this, she draws a circle with the tip of Sode no Shirayuki. The space within that circle and anything inside freezes. The circle not only freezes the ground, but everything within the circle's influence, including anything above it in the air, creating an extending pillar of light which freezes all within the circle. Shortly after being frozen, the victim shatters along with the ice. Tsugi no mai, Hakuren: Rukia calls out the name of the dance and punctures the ground once, creating a large ice circle similar to the first dance, then punctures the ground in front of her four times in a semi circle. As ice particles begin to flow up from the punctures she made in the ground, she takes a battle stance. After building up at the tip of Sode no Shirayuki, the particles are released as a large, powerful avalanche of cold air. It flash-freezes whatever it comes into contact with, encasing it in ice. San no mai, Shirafune: Rukia calls out the name of the dance, which allows her to gather moisture in the air to the tip of Sode no Shirayuki, creating a blade of ice. This makes it possible to augment the length of the blade. After piercing its target, it continues to freeze any surrounding objects and the immediate area. Ice-Rope Connection: If Rukia can't reach her sword, she can create an ice extension to connect her hand to the sword hilt, which allows her to use Sode no Shirayuki's Shikai abilities at a distance.

Bankai: Hakka no Togame: Rukia's Bankai changes both her physical look and the clothing she is wearing dramatically. Rukia wears a white, ankle-length kimono with lined patterns. The robe has an attached ornate collar, edges, and shoulder design made of transparent ice with long, wide sleeves. There are long, flowing ribbons tied at her back that form numerous large loops. She has a small ice flower formation at the center of her chest, and a half crown of ice which extends around the back of her head. Rukia's hair and irises become white, and her blade -which still resembles its Shikai form- is now composed of transparent ice. While her mobility in this form was initially severely limited by the sheer cold freezing and hardening her own body as well, by the time of the penultimate battle against Yhwach, Rukia was able to move at roughly her normal speed.

Bankai Special Ability: Hakka no Togame increases the area of influence of Rukia's ability to reach the temperature of absolute zero. Upon release, a pillar of cold mist rises up into the air from where Rukia is. Raising her blade towards her opponent, Rukia releases a massive wave of freezing cold (similar to Tsugi no mai, Hakuren) that freezes anything in its path to absolute zero. Physical contact with Rukia herself causes other people to begin freezing solid due to how cold her body is. This ability proved powerful enough to temporarily freeze even a Soul King-empowered Yhwach.

Weaknesses

Zanpakutō Temperature Stability (Shikai, Bankai): When raising the temperature from absolute zero, Rukia has to do so slowly or risk harming her own body.

Mastery Difficulty (Bankai): While Rukia possesses a powerful Bankai, it is also a difficult one, as the slightest mistake could end Rukia.

Time Limit (Bankai): Because Rukia is physically affected along with everything else in her vicinity, the amount of time she can use her Bankai appears severely limited, as prolonged use can potentially cause her damage, so she must thaw slowly when leaving this state, otherwise she would risk damaging herself.