Kenpachi Zaraki

Kenpachi Zaraki (更木 剣八, Zaraki Kenpachi) is the current captain of the Gotei 13's 11th Division and the eleventh Kenpachi to hold the position. His first lieutenant was Yachiru Kusajishi and his current lieutenant is Ikkaku Madarame.

Zaraki is a very tall, muscular man 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.[3] A noticeable trait in his appearance is a long, thin scar running down the left side of his face and 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),[4] 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.

By nature, Zaraki is an aggressive and violent man who lives for the rush and carnage of battle, and enjoys a good fight more than anything. He even makes a point to hold back against foes weaker than him just to make the fight last longer. He claims injury and death are nothing but the price one pays for a good fight. Despite this savage nature, he is not without a sense of duty, and is able to accept orders from his superiors. As such, his actions tend to be in Soul Society's best interests. Likewise, he has his own principles. He insists on a one-on-one fight regardless of the foe. Also, despite his brutality in battle, 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.[7][8] 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.[9]

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.[1]

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, viewing it as "their anticipated fight". He also aided Ichigo in his fight against Yammy Llargo, doing so in annoyance at Ichigo's repeated batterings despite his strength. 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,[10] readily acknowledging they are very much alike,[11] and is brought to tears at the thought of being unable to beat her before he dies.[12] Upon inadvertently killing Unohana, Zaraki was reduced to screaming and begging for her to not die.[13]

Zaraki sometimes contradicts his own logic in fighting. While wishing to grow stronger, he uses various methods to restrain his might to make his fights 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 that his sword is not acknowledged by its own name.[14] Since then, he has strived to learn its identity.[15][16]

After killing Unohana and knowing he could never cross blades with his only admired foe again, Zaraki, for the first time in his life, felt remorse in his actions. This experience, combined with finally learning the name of his Zanpakutō, made Zaraki became somewhat calmer and more focused. Though he retains his desire to do battle and is not overly interested in the details,[17] he is more willing to listen to reason, having backed down from searching for his missing lieutenant on his own when Nanao Ise explained it would be more practical to have his division conduct the search.[18] Likewise, he shows far more concern for Yachiru than previously; when he discovers she is missing, Zaraki frantically orders his men to begin looking for her.

Specialized Combatant: Zaraki did not attend the Shin'ō Academy, and thus has a limited skillset, especially for a Gotei 13 Captain. Despite that and even before accessing any of his Zanpakutō's powers, he more than made up for these flaws with his sheer might, resilience, and ingenuity, and nonetheless became an incredible combatant. He uses basic and direct, but effective methods to overwhelm his opponent. Fighting solely on instinct, reflexes, and keen observation, he has no set pattern of attacks and likewise steadily improves with each exchange.[131] From this, he can instantly change his approach and tactics, making it almost impossible for his opponents to anticipate his actions. Against Tōsen's Bankai, which left him with only a sense of touch, Kenpachi kept adapting, managing to time his dodges right at the moment Tōsen's blade touches him in order to avoid serious injury while also counter-attacking with increasing accuracy.[132] These traits, combined with his monstrous power, easily make him one of the strongest Shinigami in the Gotei 13's history.[133] His immense fighting prowess is the reason why Zaraki was recognized as one of the 5 Special War Powers by the Wandenreich,[134] proving himself as such by having easily defeated three Sternritters back-to-back, who each possess equal or above captain-level might, and one of which who essentially became a perfect copy of Zaraki, all before re-awakening his true power.[135]

Highly Perceptive Combatant: Despite his seeming disregard for any strategy and self-admitted aversion to thinking, Zaraki has regularly displayed a surprisingly keen understanding of various situations. He is likewise able to quickly see through his opponents' attack patterns and battle methods, finding and exploiting weaknesses in his opponents' techniques, and quickly adjusting and altering his own methods to better counter them. Against Gremmy Thoumeaux, Zaraki correctly deduced that The Visionary required concentration and could have its effects nullified if the Sternritter attention was diverted.[136] He is also insightful as to people's nature, able to notice subtle traits in individuals and see what drives a person's actions; he correctly singled out Kaname Tōsen and Gin Ichimaru as the only captains who are afraid to die.[137] He possesses sharp intuition in regard to incoming danger, which allowed him to repeatedly dodge Tōsen's assault while still affected by his Bankai.

Immeasurable Spiritual Power: Even by a captain's standards, Zaraki's Reiryoku is monstrous.[139] Despite having subconsciously suppressed his true power for centuries,[140] Zaraki's fighting prowess was never noticeably hindered; even with his energy-sealing eyepatch, he could challenge two captain-level and Bankai-wielding opponents in succession.[141] Ganju Shiba had once noted that the Reiatsu he exerts while restricted by his eyepatch is close to or at the same level as the Reiatsu exerted by Byakuya Kuchiki, a fellow captain and head of one of the four great Noble Houses of Soul Society whose members are noted to be born with exceptional Reiryoku.[142] Retsu Unohana, one of the most powerful captains of the Gotei 13, stated she was weaker than him even while he was still a child.[143] During the Invasion of Hueco Mundo, he defeated the Fifth Espada, Nnoitra Gilga,[144] and single-handedly overpowered Yammy Llargo, the strongest of the Espada, in his first form post-Resurrección.[145] After defeating Unohana and removing his mental shackles he had imposed on himself as a child in their first encounter, Zaraki becomes powerful enough to challenge a Sternritter as powerful as Gremmy Thoumeaux, defeating using his newly unlocked Shikai without ever taking off his eyepatch.[146] He was in a subsequent battle able to pressure Gerard Valkyrie, member of the Schutzstaffel while the Sternritter was vastly empowered by The Miracle and had just easily defeated several current and former Gotei 13 captains and lieutenants at the same time.[147] When unleashing a strong enough surge of energy, it appears yellow in color, sometimes taking the form of a skull to the eye of his foes.[148]

Unruly Reiatsu Control: By his own admission, Zaraki has poor control of his enormous spiritual energy, forcing him to rely on his eyepatch to keep it at a more manageable level. Despite this, he is able to make liberal use of it in a variety of ways. It can affect large areas, spanning miles, and cause others within that area to enter a state of paralysis and confusion.[149] When exerting his Reiatsu, the sheer magnitude of Zaraki of it can cause considerable damage, destroying the area around him and launching away weaker opponents. Likewise, it can repel or disrupt most enemy attacks and abilities.[150] After defeating Unohana, Zaraki gains considerable control over his Reiatsu; prior to fighting Gremmy, Shinigami in the nearby area were completely unable to detect his Reiatsu.[151] He can also use his Reiryoku for more basic feats, such as standing in midair like other Shinigami.

Damage Resistance: The intensity of Zaraki's Reiryoku also acts as a sort of armor, making it impossible for him to be harmed by anyone significantly weaker than him. This is first demonstrated when he faced Ichigo; at the start of the fight, Zaraki allows Ichigo to strike him as hard as he could, yet despite Kenpachi leaving himself completely unguarded and not resisting, not only did Ichigo fail to cut him, but Ichigo's hands started to bleed because of the recoil from the attempt.[153]

Master Swordsman: Due to the lawlessness of the Zaraki district, Zaraki's sword-fighting skills were strengthened to essentially a masterful level, granting him a varied arsenal of strikes (overhead, sweeps, thrusts, or jabs). Having such innate talent for swordsmanship, as a child, he easily killed hundreds of adult fighters and wounded Retsu Unohana, the First Kenpachi, in battle.[154] His unpolished skills balanced by his immense might and ambidexterity enable him to always fight with one hand free, only using both hands when he feels not doing so would lead to his defeat, such as against Nnoitra and momentarily Ichigo.[155][156] As the captain of the 11th Division, which specializes in sword fighting, he is among the most, if not the most, proficient swordsmen in all of Soul Society.

Kendō: Zaraki possesses some knowledge and skill in Zanjutsu, which Yamamoto forced him to learn before officially joining the Gotei 13. He is particularly advanced in Kendō, able to defeat several Shinigami at once with it.[157] However, the training only lasted a day as Central 46's feared that a fully trained Zaraki could become too powerful of a threat to the Seireitei if he ever were to rebel.[25] Also, Zaraki despises using skills and techniques learned from others, only using his formal training as a last resort.[158] Ryōdan (両断, Bisection): A technique which Zaraki uses when he is gripping his sword with two hands. It allows one to split an opponent down the middle, even being able to overcome the powerful Hierro of the fifth Espada.[159][160] Expert Hand-to-Hand Combatant: While preferring to use his blade in battle, Zaraki has proven several times to be very dangerous while barehanded, showing considerably effective brawling prowess. He can easily catch an opponent's attack with a single hand, perform powerful punches and kicks, and easily subdue opponents with throws and take-downs.[161]

Shunpo Practitioner: Though Zaraki originally possessed no known skill in Shunpo, he developed it to some degree following his battle with Unohana. Most notably, after recovering from the injuries inflicted by The Compulsory, Zaraki rushed across Wahrwelt at blistering speed to confront Gerard Valkyrie, managing to slice the latter's hand off as he was attempting to strike two other captains before Gerard could even defend himself. Ikkaku and Yumichika who had left the recovering Zaraki behind to join the battle were shocked that Zaraki had arrived before they did.

Immense Strength: Zaraki possesses an extreme degree of physical strength. He can launch full-grown men through buildings with a kick, as well as grab Ichigo's large sword to reel him in for an attack.[164] He can also ram clear through a solid wall unscathed.[165] With just his bare hand, Zaraki grabbed and deflected Nnoitra's Cero.[166] His attack strength allows him to launch opponents back during a weapons clash[167] and slice apart a skyscraper with a mere flick of his wrist.[168] He can easily cut through an Arrancar's Hierro, which is harder than steel, including Yammy's while he was in his released form, where Zaraki cut off his leg and knocked the enormous Espada off his feet in a single strike.[169] Against Gremmy's imagination powers, Zaraki claims that the Quincy's powers cannot come up with anything that he cannot cut, proving so by slicing through Gremmy's hardened body.[170] When Pernida Parnkgjas began warping and damaging his right arm, Zaraki ripped it off effortlessly.[171] He blocked the stomp of a Gerard Valkyrie in his Godly Size and threw him back hard enough for such a gigantic entity to lose his footing and crash into the tower behind him.[172][173] He was also able, while seriously injured, to trip Gerard with just one arm when the Quincy was even larger.[174]

Immense Durability: In part due to his incredible amount of Reiatsu, Zaraki is very hard to damage. During his battle against Yammy, as Zaraki was focusing his attention on Ichigo, Yammy delivered a powerful blow with his massive fist, sending Zaraki crashing into large pillar a notable distance away. Despite the impact, Zaraki quickly emerged unfazed, unimpressed by the "decent punch" Yammy threw at him.[175] During his battle with Gremmy, Zaraki remained unharmed after by the explosions of several missiles launched at him,[176] and later withstood the cold vacuum of space and having several clones of Gremmy self-destruct at point-blank range with only moderate injuries.

Immense Endurance: Zaraki's physical prowess is equally displayed by his resilience. Zaraki often ignores most of the injuries he sustains in battle, not suffering any debilitation despite having multiple slash and puncture wounds on his body, and he rarely shows any signs of pain, much like a berserker. While battling Sajin Komamura and Kaname Tōsen, he took a hit from Komamura's Tenken and stabbed by the projectiles of Suzumushi Nishiki: Benihikō and shrugged it off, claiming it wasn't even enough to wake him up. He allowed himself to be stabbed by Tōsen just to grab Tōsen's sword to dispel his Bankai's effect.[178] During his first battle with Nnoitra, he suffered numerous slash wounds, was even impaled and almost beheaded with no visual impairment of his fighting performance; Nnoitra noting most people would have already been dead by then.[179] Even after Zaraki suffered severe organ damage from his battle with Gremmy, it took the combined effort of four Sternritter and their Schrifts to finally defeat him, rendered immobile from his injuries but still fully conscious.[180] Despite having his arm mangled by Pernida's The Compulsory, Zaraki still managed to nonchalantly hold his sword with that arm.[181] After Mayuri Kurotsuchi subdued Zaraki with his powerful paralyzing agent to prevent the destruction of his body at the hands of The Compulsory, the genius scientist was surprised to see him still capable of moving his eye, proclaiming Zaraki a monster.[182] Even after receiving grievous injuries that left him comatose, he healed enough to return to training only days later, showing a high recovery rate as well.[183]

Immense Speed: Prior to learning how to perform basic Shunpo, Zaraki displayed a deceptive degree of speed for his size and build. Thanks to the tremendous raw strength in his legs, Zaraki's natural acceleration more than made up for his original lack of Shunpo, allowing him to move fast enough to instantly close a huge gap of space between him and his opponent. In battle, he can strike with incredible speed in rapid succession, making it highly difficult for his opponents to find an opening and counterattack.

Nozarashi (野晒, Weather-Beaten One; Viz "Weather Beaten"):[186] As a young boy living in the Rukongai, Zaraki came upon a dead Shinigami. He took the Asauchi, imprinting his soul upon it to become his own Zanpakutō.[187][188] While still a wanderer, he would carry the sword across his back by a rope, over his right shoulder and at the left of his waist under his sash while a Shinigami. The blade is much longer than most Zanpakutō, roughly the size of a nodachi, with a relatively narrow, but long tsuba shaped like a serrated, eliptical bicone. The hilt and braid are both white, though they are mostly wrapped in white bandages, as is his sword's brown saya.[189]

Originally, Zaraki was the only captain in the history of the Gotei 13 to not know the name of his Zanpakutō, nor could he perform either of his blade's releases.[189] Zangetsu noted Zaraki's disharmony with his sword caused the two to hinder each other's powers; consequently, Zaraki could not hear the cry of his sword. Their disharmony left it with little spiritual energy and easier to damage; the blade is chipped and worn-down upon its edge. Despite this, Nozarashi can easily cut through most targets: Zaraki stabs straight through Ichigo's Zanpakutō, and later slices a building in half with no apparent effort after removing his eyepatch. After his fight with Ichigo, Zaraki wished to learn more about his Zanpakutō because he wanted to become stronger and could identify with the pain of not having a name. Later, upon defeating Retsu Unohana in battle and re-awakening his true strength, Zaraki finally heard his Zanpakutō's voice.

Shikai: Before Zaraki knew its name, Soul Society believed that Zaraki's overwhelming Reiatsu was forcing Nozarashi into a constant released state due to its more elaborate design.[191] Its release command is Drink (呑め, nome).[192] Upon release, Nozarashi takes on the form of an axe/war cleaver hybrid twice 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.

Shikai Special Ability: In its released state, Nozarashi possesses absolutely outstanding attack power, easily enabling a Zaraki restricted by his eyepatch to destroy the huge meteorite materialized by Gremmy's imagination with a single attack.[194][195] Its cutting power is also great enough to even cut through space itself in order to reach the same foe who had materialized it out of desperation after witnessing the destruction of the meteorite.

Bankai: Unnamed: Upon activation, Zaraki's Bankai releases a huge wave of energy powerful enough to level nearby buildings. In this form, Zaraki's skin turns red, and he gains multiple black markings across his face as well as horns on his forehead, causing him to resemble an oni. His sword becomes an altered version of its Shikai state, with a shorter, more jagged blade resembling a rough cleaver.

Bankai Special Ability: Zaraki's Bankai grants him a monstrous increase in physical strength and cutting power, allowing him to effortlessly topple a gigantic Gerard Valkyrie with a single blow,[198] rip off his arm in a single motion with his bare teeth,[199] and cleanly bifurcate him at a distance. Kidō: Zaraki has no skill or interest in the use of Kidō, leaving him only with direct-attack methods for battle.

Range: While his Zanpakutō possesses extreme cutting power, it is limited to close-quarters combat.

Melee Only: While powerful in melee combat, his Zanpakutō has no known special abilities.

Power Overload (Bankai): If Zaraki's Bankai releases more power than his body can handle, his body will start breaking under the pressure, as demonstrated when his right arm tore itself to pieces when he attacked Gerard for a fourth time.[202]

Berserker State (Bankai): While Zaraki uses his Bankai, he becomes a mindless berserker that cannot differentiate between friend and foe, and fights with no regards for his own well-being. As a result, after he cut Gerard in half, he then attempted to attack Hitsugaya and Byakuya without warning.

User passes by Zaraki's squad.