The new Captain-Commander Shunsui Kyōraku

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 Sousuke 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 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. Powers & Abilities Master Swordsman: Shunsui is one of the most proficient swordsmen in all of Soul Society. With just his sealed Zanpakutō, he could fight on even grounds with an unreleased Starrk, the 1st Espada. Shunsui's fighting style involves evasion and attacking an opponent either in the front or back, using the element of surprise to overwhelm them. An extremely adaptable combatant, he is ambidextrous with his two swords, able to strike in perfect unison with them. Alternatively, he can seamlessly switch his stance and dominant hand at any time, battling just as efficiently with either side. From this he can confuse even the most intuitive and analytical of foes, letting him find and create openings to attack. While he naturally 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 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 with Shunpo to remove Nanao from the battlefield and returned almost instantly, a feat commended even by Yamamoto himself 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: Despite his lazy nature, 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 the strict 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 his best friend 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 octagons, 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, 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. 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 was used in Shunsui's battle with Starrk, allowing him to teleport a great distance above his opponent and close the gap between them. 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.[154] 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 up 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 with an aura that alters the perception of those it reaches, making their surroundings appear "gloomy, desolate, and full of despair" as they feel chills, and making the sky look as if covered in eerie yellow squares, like the paneling of a theater stage. The blades of Katen Kyōkotsu: Karamatsu Shinjū 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.