Shunsui Kyōraku

RACE Soul BIRTHDAY July 11 GENDER Male HEIGHT 192 cm (6'3½") WEIGHT 87 kg (191 lbs) PROFESSIONAL STATUS AFFILIATION Gotei 13, Soul Society Kyōraku Family PROFESSION Shinigami POSITION Captain-Commander Captain of the 1st Division PREVIOUS POSITION Captain of the 8th Division DIVISION 1st Division PREVIOUS DIVISION 8th Division PARTNER Nanao Ise Genshirō Okikiba PREVIOUS PARTNER Lisa Yadōmaru BASE OF OPERATIONS Seireitei, Soul Society PERSONAL STATUS RELATIVES Unnamed Older Brother Unnamed Sister-In-Law Nanao Ise (Niece) EDUCATION Shin'ō Academy ZANPAKUTŌ SHIKAI Katen Kyōkotsu BANKAI Katen Kyōkotsu: Karamatsu Shinjū

Shunsui Sakuranosuke Jirō Kyōraku (京楽 次郎 総蔵佐 春水, Kyōraku no Jirō Sakuranosuke Shunsui) is the captain of the 1st Division and Captain-Commander of the Gotei 13. His lieutenants are his niece, Nanao Ise, and Genshirō Okikiba. He is the former captain of the 8th Division.

Appearance

Shunsui is a tall, light-skinned Shinigami with high cheekbones, grey eyes and long wavy brown hair. His hair is tied in a long ponytail and has long bangs that frame the left side of his face. He also has a noticeable amount of body hair on his chest, feet, and arms. He wears a Sugegasa straw hat and a pink, flowered lady's kimono, which he drapes across his shoulders and over his Shihakushō. Although his haori and obi sash are cheap, his pin-wheel hairpins are very expensive. He does not wear tabi with his sandals. He has thin facial hair around his mouth and on his cheeks. Over a hundred years before Sōsuke Aizen's defection, Shunsui only had facial hair on his upper mouth. After the battle with the Wandenreich, Shunsui wears an eyepatch over his right eye that was damaged during the conflict. The top half of his right ear is sliced off at a slight tilt with a scar along his right temple.

As a child, Shunsui had shorter and messier hair. He wore a flower patterned kimono.

Personality

Shunsui is a laid-back and flamboyant man, evident in his style of dress and general attitude, and is usually smiling. In his off time, he often drinks sake in bars and naps. He likes steamed buns that go with sake, but dislikes powdered green tea. Other times, he likes to chase after women; particularly his lieutenant, Nanao Ise, whom he calls "Nanao-Chan" (Lil' Nanao in the English Dub) and his former lieutenant, Lisa Yadōmaru. Shunsui tends to use a more casual speech style than many other captains. He generally refers to his fellow captains and Shinigami by their first name followed by an honorific. He wrote a romance novel titled "Rose-colored Path", which runs in Seireitei Communication, but is very unpopular. Shunsui does not receive a single fan letter or gift for his birthday from his readers, but he is not bothered by this at all.

Shunsui is a peace-loving man who will always try to talk his way out of battles, though he does not wish to insult opponents by refusing to fight. He has a great distaste for fighting, telling Love Aikawa that "it doesn't matter whether you owe someone or they owe you; as soon as you start fighting, you are in the wrong either way." The slightly eccentric Shunsui also seems to like making an impression on opponents. Though Shunsui tries to talk his way out of a fight, he will fight when the situation demands it, such as in his battle with Coyote Starrk. When Starrk asked that they only pretend to fight, he declined the offer, though noted that he prefers to do the same. Shunsui maintains a level of honor and integrity when engaging in battle. He refuses to fight with children or even in the presence of a child. He also dislikes taking the life of innocent people, as he left Chad alive when Nanao offered to kill him. He always maintains a veil of respect for his opponent, is polite in combat situations and prefers to fight one on one. When fighting powerful opponents, like Starrk or Aizen, Shunsui rarely loses his cool, going as far as to make small talk and joke around with his opponents.

Despite being one of the strongest and oldest captains, Shunsui retains a level of humility and is not overly arrogant about his strength, acknowledging that Tōshirō Hitsugaya has the potential to become stronger than himself given enough time.

Upon being promoted to Captain-Commander, Shunsui is willing to make highly risky and controversial decisions in order to obtain results, despite knowing he would be reprimanded, such as appointing two lieutenants and teaching Zaraki Zanjutsu, or temporarily releasing Aizen from Muken to assist their battle against Wandenreich.

However, Shunsui also harbors a deep sense of guilt over the misfortune that has afflicted those close to him, such as the death of his brother and the execution of Nanao's mother and considers it a burden too heavy for him to carry alone.

History

Shunsui is the second son of the high-ranking noble Kyōraku family. While Shunsui was still a young boy, his older brother married the head of the Ise Clan who would eventually become Nanao Ise's mother. Though Shunsui and his brother did not really get along, living with his brother became more comfortable, and Shunsui would visit him often. At one point, Shunsui found his brother receiving a hairpin from Nanao's mother and noted that he has mellowed out in his old age, only to be informed that this was the kindness of Nanao's mother at work. After his brother died, during which he was entrusted with hairpins that formerly belonged to Nanao's mother, Shunsui was entrusted with the Zanpakutō of the Ise family by his brother's widow, and his Zanpakutō Spirit created a second spirit to store it. Shunsui was assured by Nanao's mother that he would not suffer from carrying Shinken Hakkyōken and that he was the only one outside of her own family whom she could trust.

Despite being of such old and prestigious lineage, he disliked studying and training, and preferred to chase the ladies, although being told by Captain-Commander Yamamoto that he was able to see the truth and was wise for his age. Because of this, he was sent against his will to the Shin'ō Reijutsu Academy (Shinigami Academy). At some point in Shunsui's Academy days, Shunsui trespassed into Yamamoto's room. After being chastised by Yamamoto, he asked about the painting in his room, and Yamamoto replies that it was a monster that caused strife when it was around. While there, he came to know Jūshirō Ukitake, who would become his best friend and fellow captain. He, along with Jūshirō Ukitake, was one of the first Shinigami to become a captain through the Shinigami Academy. Furthermore, he was personally trained by Yamamoto. He and Ukitake are the oldest captains among the Gotei 13, with the exception of Retsu Unohana and Yamamoto himself. It was stated that the four of them have been captains of the Gotei 13 for at least 100 years, as of 110 years before the current time.

At some point during his academy days, Shunsui was informed by Ukitake that Nanao's mother had been executed for losing one of the cared treasures, which prompted him to admit that he preferred to learn of such things sooner rather than later.

110 years ago he had a unique relationship with his Lieutenant Lisa Yadōmaru: in contrast to his relationship with his current Lieutenant Nanao Ise, Lisa was more outgoing and perverted in a way much like his own personality, but he found that his position required him to be the "adult" in the situation. He was also the first to casually mention, to a curious Lieutenant Sōsuke Aizen, that the previous 12th Division captain was promoted to the Royal Guard. He was also present at the promotion ceremony of the newly appointed 12th Division Captain Kisuke Urahara.

9 years later, Shunsui was present at an emergency meeting called by Captain-Commander Yamamoto. He decided to create an investigative team to locate the missing 9th Division squad members. When he gave out the orders, Yamamoto ordered Shunsui to guard the Seireitei. When Yamamoto decided to send both Kidō Captain Tessai Tsukabishi and Kidō Lieutenant Hachigen Ushōda of the Kidō Corps, Shunsui instead advised him to send only Hachi and replaced Tessai with his own lieutenant, Lisa. He tried to cheer up a shaken Kisuke Urahara, telling him not to worry about his lieutenant, Hiyori Sarugaki, who was sent to help the 9th Division, because she was strong, though not as strong as Lisa.

During his time on guard, he met up with some squad members that were also on guard and congratulated them for keeping watch on the Seireitei. He also noticed Lieutenant Sōsuke Aizen taking a night walk, muttering to himself that he was maybe over-thinking things before leaving. Later in his barracks he was addressed by a very young Nanao Ise, who had come to see his lieutenant, Lisa Yadōmaru. Shunsui then remembered that Nanao always came to him around the first of every month to have Lisa read to her. Nanao confirmed this, only to be told that Lisa was away on a mission, but would be back soon. Soon afterward, Shunsui changed his attire by removing his hairpins and switching his kimono. He was present to greet newly-inducted members of the 8th Division, whom he informed that he was cordial toward young ladies and indifferent toward men.

Some time after the Hollowfication Incident, Shunsui was present when Isshin Shiba made his report concerning the mysterious Hollow he fought, along with the string of events caused by the creature in Naruki City. He laughed at Mayuri's irritation that the 10th Division captain hadn't at least brought back the Hollow's body for him to study.

Powers & Abilities

Master Swordsman: Shunsui is one of the most proficient swordsmen in all of Soul Society. A highly adaptable combatant, he is ambidextrous with his two swords and can switch them between his hands. While he usually swings with more strength in his left hand than his right, he can easily switch or balance the strength between his two hands, allowing him to surprise his opponent. Shunsui states that he only uses his wakizashi in situations where his tachi is too difficult to use and that he does not use them together often. His swordsmanship allowed him to fight on even grounds with an unreleased Starrk, the 1st Espada, with only his sealed Zanpakutō. Shunsui's fighting style involves evasion and attacking an opponent either in the front or back, using the element of surprise to overwhelm them. His two swords move at a different pace, something he takes advantage of while fighting. While the enemy is at the mercy of his wakizashi's speed, his tachi swoops in for the final blow, which is the most common use of swords like his.

Hakuda Combatant: While rarely observed performing hand-to-hand combat, Shunsui has at least some proficiency in this area, which he briefly displayed during his confrontation with Yasutora Sado.

Tsukiyubi (撞指, Thrust Fingers):A technique where the user simply extends the index and middle fingers of one hand in unison while they are in contact with an opponent. This gesture possesses enough physical force to effortlessly send someone of even Chad's stature flying several meters away.

Shunpo Master: Shunsui's mastery in the art of Shunpo is exceptional. During his battle against Yamamoto, he notably makes a massive leap in Shunpo to remove Nanao from the battlefield and return almost instantly, a feat commended even by Yamamoto prior to battle. His skill is high enough for him to effortlessly dodge Starrk's attacks without mussing his hat or kimono.

Kidō Expert: Shunsui possesses great skill in Kidō, having used Hadō #78. Zangerin to considerable effect without reciting its incantation.

Master Strategist & Tactician: Shunsui has repeatedly proven to be a highly perceptive and insightful man. According to Yamamoto, even when he was younger, Shunsui has always had an eye for seeing the true character of people. He easily saw through Kurotsuchi's attempt to hide being used by the Bounts and was one of the few people to suspect that Aizen was hiding something. In battle, Shunsui is very adept at noticing and understanding details in an opponent's skills or attack patterns. During his battle against Chad, he quickly determined the basics behind Chad's Reiryoku blasts, warning him about those kinds of techniques, and even explaining that his energy blasts would eventually use up his life energy. Shunsui is also very persuasive. Shortly after becoming Captain-Commander, he was able to convince Central 46 to agree to all his new requests.

Immense Spiritual Power: As one of the oldest and strongest captains in the Gotei 13, Shunsui possesses immense amounts of spiritual power. He, alongside Jūshirō Ukitake, are said to possess Reiatsu unmatched by their peers or predecessors. He is not overwhelmed by the Reiatsu of Captain-Commander Yamamoto, unlike how most people would. His power is further displayed in his ability to defeat Coyote Starrk's released form with only his Shikai. His might was also later recognized by being promoted to the status of Captain-Commander. His Reiatsu is golden-yellow.

Enhanced Strength: Shunsui has incredible physical strength, calmly deflecting one of Sado's Reiryoku blasts with a single hand. Offensively, his blows are very powerful, demonstrated when he cracked a barrier, which Aizen had erected, with just a single attack from his Shikai.

Immense Endurance: Shunsui possesses tremendous levels of stamina and endurance, remaining able to move around and fight as he usually does even after being shot multiple times by Lille Barro's Quincy: Vollständig.

Immense Durability: Shunsui is an extremely resilient man, even by Shinigami standards. He was able to endure the powerful attacks of Captain-Commander Yamamoto, whose Zanpakutō is the most devastating in all of Soul Society in terms of destructive power. He was also able to withstand a Cero at point-blank range from Starrk in his released form without any noticeable injuries.

Zanpakutō

Katen Kyōkotsu (花天狂骨, Bones of Heavenly Blooming Madness; Viz "Flower-Heaven Bone of Madness"): His Zanpakutō is unique in that it exists as a daisho sword pair, consisting of a tachi and a wakizashi. Their cross guards are rectangles, with the corners cut off, decorated by a pattern of cherry petals and lines, and each sports a dark-blue handle. He usually keeps them sheathed through his waist tie at his left side, but during battle, the scabbards move to both sides of his sash.

Shikai: Its Shikai command is "The Flowery Winds Become Disturbed, The God Of Flowers Sings, The Heavenly Winds Become Disturbed, The Devil Of Heaven Sneers." (花風紊れて花神啼き 天風紊れて天魔嗤う, hana kaze midarete kashin naki, tenpū midarete tenma warau; Viz "When the Flower Wind Rages, the Flower God Roars, When the Wind of Heaven Rages, the God of the Underworld Sneers", English TV "Flower Wind Rage and Flower God Roar, Heavenly Wind Rage and Heavenly Demon Sneer") Kyōraku sets the two blades against each other in a cross, and then pulls after uttering the poem-like command. When the flash clears, Katen Kyōkotsu has become a pair of huge, black, heavily curved Chinese scimitars with silver edges. The hilt and tsuba of each are still the same as they were in Katen Kyōkotsu's sealed-form, but they now sport long red tassels dangling from the end. Despite the two swords becoming identical in this state, Shunsui has stated they still work the same way; one (the wakizashi) is used mainly for speed strikes, and the other (the tachi) is used mainly for power strikes. Thusly, they still exist as a daisho sword pair, with the wakizashi being slightly smaller in size than the tachi.

Shikai Special Ability: Katen Kyōkotsu has the ability to "turn children's games into reality" (童の遊びを現実にする (童 ("child") is alt. written 子供), kodomo no asobi o genjitsu ni suru); utilizing techniques based off of pre-existing Japanese childhood activities that are often either structured or spontaneous. The Zanpakutō makes the rules depending on its own whims, and whoever steps within the range of its Reiatsu is forced to play by those rules, including Shunsui himself. According to Shunsui, "You win, you live. You lose, you die. She's a fickle one, all right."

Bushōgoma (不精独楽, Lazy Spinning Top): Shunsui rotates with both blades facing in opposite directions, creating large wind blades that fire toward an opponent from Katen Kyōkotsu. The wind blades join together, forming a spinning circle of wind that, upon contact with a target, envelopes the target with tornado-like intensity. The attack is not only dangerous, but can disorient an opponent trapped within it. The technique is powerful enough to counteract high-powered Cero blasts. The game this technique represents is a spinning top game.

Takaoni (嶄鬼, Mountain Demon): This move was used in Shunsui's battle with Starrk, but Starrk's attack hid the nature of the technique. However, Shunsui later explains that in this "game", whoever is higher up "wins."

Kageoni (影鬼, Shadow Demon): The rule of this game is that whoever gets their shadow stepped on "loses". The game itself allows competitors to manipulate shadows to their advantage. For example, Shunsui has demonstrated the ability to hide himself in shadows when using this technique, and he can also control the shadows, using them to attack an opponent by attacking the shadow they are currently standing upon. In addition, Shunsui can make multiple shadow clones of himself that can attack his opponent from multiple angles.

Irooni (艶鬼, Lustrous Demon): In this color-based game, you say the name of the color you want to cut with your sword, and you cannot cut anything else. If the color that you call does not exist on your body, the damage is minimal, even if the attack would normally inflict a much more severe wound. However, the opposite is also true; by calling out a color you're wearing and attacking, the damage given is proportional to the amount of that color on you. To maximize damage, you have to use a color that maximizes the risks to yourself as well as your enemy. For example, by wearing black robes and calling "black," one would inflict massive damage on an enemy if struck even if the actual blow itself was minor, but the caller could potentially be at risk of suffering major damage in return depending on how much of the enemy's skin or clothing is covered in black.

Daruma-san ga Koronda (だるまさんがころんだ, The Dharma Doll Fell Down): After Shunsui or his opponent is marked as being "it", the other combatant travels toward them on a trail of Reiatsu left by their attack in order to catch them by surprise. However, if the combatant who is "it" sees their opponent while they are moving, that opponent loses and thus dies. The game this technique represents is Daruma-san ga Koronda, a children's game similar to red-light green-light.

Kageokuri (影送り, Shadow Sending): By staring hard enough at their shadow, Shunsui or his opponent can project an afterimage in a different location; the higher their opponent's Reikaku, the more realistic the afterimage appears to be. The game this technique represents is Chiichan no Kageokuri, where children stare at their shadow on the ground for several seconds before looking at another surface, allowing them to see an "afterimage" of their shadow.

Bankai: Katen Kyōkotsu: Karamatsu Shinjū (花天狂骨枯松心中, Bones of Heavenly Blooming Madness: Withering Pine Lovers' Suicide; Viz "Flower Crazed Heaven Bone Spirit Withered Pine Love Suicide"): Shunsui considers his Bankai a last resort that he will only use if his allies are far enough away, lest they be caught in its effects. To release, Shunsui holds his Shikai out in front of him with the blades pointing down, which prompts several black tendrils to extend out from him like shadows (resembling ink-drawn pine branches) while his Zanpakutō Spirit, Katen, manifests behind him. A vast area around Shunsui is subsequently overcast by an aura that alters the perception of those it reaches, making their surroundings appear "gloomy, desolate, and full of despair" while inducing chills, and making the sky appear as if covered in eerie yellow squares, like the paneling of a theater stage. The blades of Katen Kyōkotsu remain in the shape of their Shikai form.

Bankai Special Ability: Shunsui's Bankai forces him and his opponent to act out the roles of a tragic play, based on the story of a double suicide of two lovers. Each of the Bankai's four techniques represents an Act in the overarching narrative — conveyed by Shunsui reciting a brief exposition poem — and casts an unavoidable, curse-like effect upon Shunsui's opponent; the final Act is meant to assure the opponent's death by destroying their head, meaning that only one who can survive losing their head can survive the Bankai.

Ichidanme: Tameraikizu no Wakachiai (一段目　躊躇疵分合, First Act: Hesitance and Apportionment of Wounds): Any wounds that Shunsui or his opponent inflict on each other will emerge on their body as well, as if shared. Shunsui compares this to the story of a man who suffers from the same wounds as his partner, yet cannot die from them.

Nidanme: Zanki no Shitone (二段目　慚愧の褥, Second Act: The Pillow of Shame): Black spots appear all over the body of Shunsui's opponent, causing them to bleed profusely. Continuing his story, Shunsui likens this to the man feeling shame after wounding his partner, causing him to collapse in shame and become incurably ill.

Sandanme: Dangyo no Fuchi (三段目　断魚淵, Third Act: The Severing Abyss): Shunsui and his opponent are engulfed in a massive, inescapable body of water, which both are meant to remain in until one of them runs out of Reiatsu and drowns. Shunsui narrates this as the two characters from his story hurling themselves into gushing waters.

Shime no Dan: Itokiribasami Chizome no Nodobue (〆の段　糸切鋏血染喉, Final Act: Thread-Cutting Scissors upon a Blood-Streaked Throat): After sheathing his swords, Shunsui winds a white thread around his opponent's throat multiple times before pulling it taut, leaving a deep cut in their throat that expands before blowing up their head. Completing his story, he likens this to the regretful man's partner ignoring his pleas and mercilessly shearing his throat.

Weaknesses

Zanpakutō

Moodiness: Shunsui cannot use Katen Kyōkotsu to its fullest extent until the Zanpakutō spirit herself is in the mood for battle.

Follow the Rules: Shunsui is subject to the same rules as his opponent.

Indiscriminate Effects (Bankai): The effects of Katen Kyōkotsu: Karamatsu Shinjū are indiscriminate, such that Shunsui prefers not to use it if there are comrades within the range.

Trivia

Shunsui's Battle Data from SOULs, clockwise. Top: Offense (90), Top Right: Defense (90), Bottom Right: Mobility (90), Bottom: Kidō/Reiatsu (100), Bottom Left: Intelligence (90), Top Left: Physical Strength (70). Total

"If it's me, it would be a waste not to dance no matter what." - Tite Kubo His theme song, as chosen by Tite Kubo, is Carlos Gardel's "Por una Cabeza". Shunsui's name is sometimes romanized as Syunsui Kyoraku. While Shunsui is his first name and Kyōraku is his last name, his full name is Shunsui Sakuranosuke Kyōraku no Jirō. Kyōraku no Jirō means "second son of the Kyōraku family" while Sakuranosuke means "assistant who conceals/possesses all". Shunsui is the only Shinigami known to wield a Zanpakutō that exists as two completely separate blades in both its sealed state and its Shikai. His Zanpakutō and Jūshirō Ukitake's Zanpakutō have the longest release commands as of yet. Word-for-word, Ukitake's is the longer of the two, although the translation in the English manga drastically shortens it and lengthens Shunsui's. The Shinigami Women's Association released a photo collection on Shunsui, titled "Using Arms as My Pillow". It quickly sold out, partially due to there being less copies released than similar collections by the other captains. Shunsui is unaware that it has not been re-printed.

Klub Outside Trivia

According to Q&A #377 by Tite Kubo on his fansite "Klub Outside", if Shunsui's opponent dies during any of the 4 Acts of his Bankai, then said Act — and by extention the Bankai itself — will automatically end because there are not enough "performers" left to continue the "play".