Kenpachi Zaraki

Although he is known to be a violent man who fights for his own interest, Zaraki's actions tend to be for the best. Zaraki lives for battle, and enjoys a good fight more than anything. He even holds back in an effort to make any fight last longer. He claims injury and death are nothing but the price one pays for a good fight. Despite his tendency to be brutal, Zaraki usually stops a fight if his opponent is too injured to fight back, not interested in fighting "weaklings who can't fight anymore", and he does not feel obligated to deal a death blow to anyone who cannot fight any longer. However, he will unhesitatingly kill his opponent if they refuse to stop fighting, such as during his battles with Kaname Tōsen and Nnoitra Gilga. He also takes his title as Kenpachi seriously, telling Gremmy Thoumeaux that there is nothing the latter can create that he cannot cut because the power his title implies is not to be taken lightly.

Zaraki strongly believes fun comes before working. One example is when Zaraki sends his 5th seated officer, Yumichika, to fend off the Bount in Karakura Town, as he is the only high-ranking officer who is not busy, or rather, busy having fun, as Yachiru was snacking and Ikkaku was napping. During his free time, Zaraki always takes his afternoon nap. He does not have a particularly favorite dish, but he particularly hates nattō.

Zaraki regularly shows great respect to those who can push his limits or even defeat him. Ever since Ichigo Kurosaki handed him his first known loss since against Retsu Unohana, Zaraki has considered Ichigo a member of his division. Despite Ichigo's refusal to engage in a rematch with Zaraki as he considers him an ally, Zaraki constantly expresses his desire for it every time they meet. He also aided Ichigo in his fight against the Bount, doing so as it would make Ichigo stronger for "their anticipated fight". He seems to hold his superior Yamamoto in high regard for his power and training he gave him. Zaraki also holds great respect for Unohana, the only person he ever admired, as she was the first person to make him experience the thrill of battle, readily acknowledging they are very much alike, and is brought to tears at the thought of being unable to beat her before he dies. Upon inadvertently killing Unohana, Zaraki was reduced to screaming and begging for her to not die.

Zaraki sometimes contradicts his own logic in fighting. While wishing to grow stronger, he use various methods to restrain his might to make the fight longer and tougher, including fighting with only one hand. Although he thrives for battle, Zaraki is capable of showing complex emotions. Zaraki and his lieutenant, Yachiru, have been close ever since they met, and have a father-daughter-like relationship, making Yachiru one of the few people he cares for. However, he has stated if his subordinates interfere in his fights, he will "cut them up first". Aside from Yachiru, Zaraki deeply gives meaning to his name. Following his fight with Ichigo, Zaraki talks about the pain of not having a name, as he lived his early years without one. This causes him to feel guilty his sword is not acknowledged by its own name. Since then, he has strived to learn its identity.

Appearance: Height: 202 cm (6'7½") Weight: 90 kg (198 lbs) Zaraki is a very tall, muscular Shinigami with a wild and aggressive appearance. He has a long face with high cheekbones, enlarged canine teeth, and pronounced, hairless brow ridges. He has gray eyes and stringy black hair reaching past his shoulders. A noticeable trait in his appearance is a long, thin scar running down the left side of his face and across his left eye, inflicted on him by Retsu Unohana while he was still a child.

Since becoming a Shinigami, he wears the standard, black shihakushō, with the addition of white bandages across his midsection and a short-sleeved captain's haori (which he took from the previous captain after defeating him), with ragged ends on the sleeves and back flap. He styles his hair into stiff strands, attaching small bells at its tips, and wears a special black eyepatch over his right eye. During his first battle with Ichigo, the eyepatch is more elegant, having a gold-like lining and a chain as one of the straps. He also wore a black choker necklace. Later, he removed the choker and gave his eyepatch normal straps. 17 months after Aizen's defeat, Zaraki's hair grew to mid-back and no longer has the bells in it. His eyepatch's design has changed again, as it is now a single piece with no straps and a grey outline.