Ikkaku (Canon, Done)

[honaki]

Name: Madarame Ikkaku
Age: Unknown
Gender: Male
Personality:

In terms of his attitude, Ikkaku is a viewed as a stereotypical 11th Division member — violent, fight-loving, and rude; This has been noted by Tetsuzaemon Iba, among others. He loves fighting so much that he's unwilling to travel anywhere without a sword, resorting to carrying a wooden one when posing as a student at Ichigo Kurosaki's school. However, Ikkaku does have a sense of loyalty and responsibility unlike many of the lower-ranked 11th Division members and is fiercely loyal to his captain, to whom he wants to die under his command.
Ikkaku shares many personality traits with his division's captain, Kenpachi Zaraki; This explains why they seem to have so much respect for each another. Ikkaku considers fighting fun, just as his captain does, and tries to get as much "fun" as he can out of his opponents, so much so that he would take deadly risks to drag out the fight for as long as possible. He also shares Kenpachi's penchant for limiting his skills in order for fights to last longer (with the only difference being the fact that he chooses to do so by restricting the use of his Bankai whereas Kenpachi prefers the use of his power-sealing eyepatch given to him by the 12th Division). Like Kenpachi, Ikkaku is seen constantly smiling when engaging in a fight with a formidable opponent. And like all 11th Division members, he considers the only honorable battles to be those that are fought one-on-one and even the threat of death is not a reason to ignore this fact, believing that the winner is only to be determined when the other dies. He does consider surviving an otherwise lost battle good luck, as taught by his captain, and is also sensible enough to carry a blood-clotting ointment in the hilt of his Zanpakutō.
Ikkaku is one of the few Shinigami in Soul Society who is referred to by their given name instead of their family name, a rarity amongst them, but seemingly more common between members of the 11th Division. So far, only 10th Division Captain Tōshirō Hitsugaya and 11th Division Member Makizō Aramaki have called him "Madarame".
Ikkaku appears to be one of only two characters who are left-handed, the other being Uryū Ishida. However, he's also ambidextrous, like 8th Division Captain Shunsui Kyōraku and Lisa Yadōmaru, as evidenced when he switches his Zanpakutō in his right hand during his battle with Edrad Liones, along with using his sword's sheath as a secondary weapon in the bout

Appearance:

Ikkaku is a bald man standing at exactly 6" and weighing 168 pounds, he is in fact made fun of by a lot of people, especially 11th Division Lieutenant Yachiru Kusajishi, who calls him either "cue ball" or "pachinko-head" (as a result of her fondness for giving people nicknames or when he questions her direction skills). He often insists that he's not bald and his head is "shaven" while it is painfully obvious that it isn't. As a result of the constant ridicule he gets, Ikkaku is very self-conscious about his baldness to the point where he will threaten anyone that points it out. Ikkaku's bald scalp is very reflective when seen under the sun, causing the members of the 8th and 11th Divisions to mistaken it as a full moon in one of the omake segments, much to his chagrin. He also has distinctive small red markings near his eyes. Unlike most Shinigami, Ikkaku doesn't wear tabi with his sandals on. The only other person who doesn't wear tabi is 8th Division Captain Shunsui Kyōraku.

Zanpakuto Spirit:

Hōzukimaru's spirit is that of a large man resembling an oni with dark brown skin and orange hair. He is shirtless and wears a white robe in the form of a skirt, revealing a tattoo on his shoulders in a design similar to the dragon symbol on Ikkaku's Bankai. He also appears to have red markings under his eyes, similar to Ikkaku's

Sealed Zanpakuto:

It appears like any regular zanpakutō when sealed. Madarame does hide a small vial of healing ointment in the base of the hilt, though. Hōzukimaru's crossguard is an oval, with what look like three small teardrops in relief on both the top and bottom end. Hōzukimaru's sealed form enables Ikkaku to employ it in battle as a normal weapon, with its sheath being wielded in his other hand to serve as a secondary weapon. Ikkaku has shown to be very proficient at how he wields his zanpakutō's sealed form, which leaves both his Shikai and Bankai as his "trump cards".

Natural abilities note: High Spiritual Power: Sometime before the main storyline but after years in the Shinigami Academy, Ikkaku learned Bankai. At this time he was already at lieutenant level fighting ability, since he always sparred with Iba, the 7th Division lieutenant. Ikkaku's power level increased on a scale of 5-10 afterward, making him much more powerful. In fact his Bankai release created a huge amount of reiatsu, which appeared as a giant whirlwind coupled with purple electricity. His entire body glowed bright red as he faced Edrad in this form.
Enhanced Strength: Ikkaku obviously possesses a high level of strength, as he was able to block a punch from Edrad Leones in his released state, even when severely injured. Several of his enemies also comment to the strength of his blows.
Enhanced Endurance: Ikkaku has been shown to have an incredibly high endurance. In his first fight against the Arrancar Edrad Liones, who had released his zanpakutō, Ikkaku was losing with ease against an Arrancar even when the he uses his Shikai. Ikkaku is then told by the Arrancar to give up but he fights back and after using for the first time his own Bankai he won against the Arrancar. In another fight with Arrancar Choe Neng Poww. Ikkaku was losing poorly, even his Shikai was completly destroyed, yet he wanted to fight regardless.

Shikai Description:

Its Shikai command is "Grow" (延びろ, nobiro; "Extend" in the English version). Hōzukimaru's Shikai is unusual in that Ikkaku slams Hōzukimaru's hilt (and sometimes its pommel) into its sheath to activate it when saying the command phrase. Once activated, Hōzukimaru takes on the form of what initially appears to be a naginata (spear) with a wax wood shaft. The pommel also has a red horsehair tassel. While it does technically function as such, it is also a three section staff, which surprises opponents when they first attack.

Shikai Abilities:

Ikkaku uses the command "Split" to separate the sections, after which the sections can independently reconnect and separate again at will.

Bankai Description:

Ryūmon Hōzukimaru: It keeps the three-section theme but loses its yari properties. Instead, it is merely three over-sized weapons connected by an equally large chain. To activate it during his battle with Edrad, Ikkaku slams the two broken pieces of his Shikai back into the spear-form and says Bankai. Ikkaku's two main weapons are a Chinese Monk's spade and a standard Guan dao. Both have a traditional horsehair tassel at the hilt and a long cylindrical weight for a pommel. The pommels are connected by a heavy chain to the center section, which resembles an axe-like blade with a parallel handle forged into the blunt end and a dragon crest on one side of the blade. Despite all three weapons being of near-ridiculous proportions, Ikkaku wields them easily. Ikkaku usually holds one blade in each hand and lets the central portion "float" behind him, though he will occasionally spin the entire configuration about using the center handle as a pivot.

Bankai Abilities:

Ikkaku's Bankai, like his Shikai, is quite unusual. Aside from the increase in power, his Bankai offers no special abilities and no special defense properties. While quite capable of injuring opponents, the weapons are easily damaged. To make up for this, Ikkaku's Bankai gets increasingly more powerful as the fight drags on. After he performs his Bankai, the dragon crest will slowly fill in with crimson dye as Ikkaku's Spiritual Pressure rises. It fills faster when he spins Hōzukimaru with the center handle. Ikkaku comments that his zanpakutō is actually very lazy in battle (in stark contrast to Ikkaku himself) and needs to be woken up through causing or receiving injury; which would explain its ability to accumulate attacking power the longer the fight extends. When the crest is completely filled, Hōzukimaru is at its full power. However, the force of unleashing so much power can leave his Zanpakutō's edge brittle afterward. Ikkaku has not used his Bankai as frequently as he should be (as Iba points out), since he does not want anyone to know about it; because of this, the full extent of Ryūmon Hōzukimaru has yet to be seen.

Skill Level: Kidou: Beginner
Skill Level: Swordsmanship: Advanced
Skill Level: Shunpou: Intermediate
Skill Level: Hand-to-hand: Advanced
History/Background:

During his earlier years, Ikkaku has already shown interest in fighting. Like Renji, Ikkaku came from the streets of Rukongai. At some point, he met Yumichika Ayasegawa, and the two became friends. They would later have an encounter with Kenpachi Zaraki and Yachiru Kusajishi before they entered Seireitei. Kenpachi and Ikkaku fought; Kenpachi easily defeated Ikkaku and nearly killed him. When he asked Kenpachi why he did not kill him, Kenpachi replied that if he killed Ikkaku now, he would never get another opportunity to fight Ikkaku again. He then told him not to seek death, but to consider himself lucky for not having died. The encounter is Ikkaku's main reason for staying in the 11th Division, as he wants to continue serving under Kenpachi and might not get a chance to fight him again otherwise.

Ikkaku and Yumichika are the first to encounter Ichigo Kurosaki; while Ganju Shiba runs and Yumichika chases after him, Ikkaku is left to fight Ichigo. Although they are mostly evenly matched, Ichigo comes out with the victory and heals his wounds with an ointment that Ikkaku carried on him. Out of respect, Ikkaku tells Ichigo where to find Rukia, and to be wary of Kenpachi Zaraki. While recovering from his injures at the 4th Division's headquarters he is interrogated by Mayuri Kurotsuchi to whom he tells no details of his fight. When Kenpachi arrives at the scene, Ikkaku tells him about Ichigo's power and remarks that he will keep getting stronger. When the 11th Division decides to help Orihime Inoue, they are meet in resistance by the Captains of the 7th and 9th Division, along with their respective lieutenants. Ikkaku is left to fight against Tetsuzaemon Iba, but a victor is not decided.

During the Arrancar arc, Ikkaku along with Yumichika, Renji, Rangiku Matsumoto, and Rukia are part of the advanced force led by Captain Hitsugaya. When Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez leads the second attack on the real world, Ikkaku is left to fight one of his Fracción, Edrad Liones. The two begin to duel fairly evenly, surprising Keigo Asano with their speed. Edrad is, however, easily overpowered by Ikkaku's unique style of fighting using both his zanpakutō and sheath. Analyzing his fighting style, Edrad realizes the attacks of his blade come from his right hand, while the left defends using the zapakutō's sheath, and he thinks he now has the upper hand. Unfortunately for him, Ikkaku is ambidextrous, causing Edrad to be left vulnerable as he switches the sheath and slashes Edrad's face, breaking the remains of his mask in two.
During their fight, Ikkaku goads Edrad into unleashing his zanpakutō (not knowing that Arrancar release their zanpakutō in an entirely different manner to those of Shinigami) and Edrad releases his zanpakutō. Edrad's Resurrección increases his reiatsu dramatically, overwhelming Ikkaku with ease, even when the he uses his Shikai. Ikkaku is then told by the Arrancar to give up gracefully, as there is no need for him to be beaten into nothing. Ikkaku however manages to block his fist, breaking Hōzukimaru and pushing him to the limit.


Ikkaku revealing his Bankai to Edrad.
Realizing that since the others are in similar fights and won't notice, Ikkaku tells Edrad to be quiet, and promise not to tell anyone about what he is about to see, to which he then releases his Bankai, Ryūmon Hōzukimaru, and begins making successful cuts in Edrad's arms only to have his Bankai blown away with a crack in the blade. Ikkaku then begins to swing around his Bankai, and when Edrad realizes that his reiatsu is rising, Ikkaku explains that Hōzukimaru is, in high contrast to himself, lazy and needs to be awoken, either through battle or by his current movements.
Putting all of his strength into one final attack, Edrad does the same and both of the fighters collide in a large explosion. When the smoke clears, Ikkaku's Bankai shatters and he falls face first into the pavement.
Afterward, both Ikkaku and Yumichika go to Keigo Asano's home as a part of an earlier agreement for saving him from the Arrancar. Although Keigo, at first, tries to get them thrown out, hoping his sister, Mizuho Asano was against it, she only praises his actions and even gives Ikkaku and Yumichika both clothes and food. It is revealed that this is because Mizuho has a thing for guys with "shaved heads."
When Luppi leads the next invasion, he is forced to join in a group battle compromised of Yumichika, Rangiku and himself against Luppi. Ikkaku then spends the rest of his time in the living world staying, together with Yumichika in Keigo's apartment.

When Aizen along with his top three Espada attack Fake Karakura Town, he along with Yumichika, Shūhei Hisagi and Izuru Kira are left to protect the four pillars that keep the real Karakura Town in Soul Society. After slaying some Hollows sent to destroy his pillar, Barragan Luisenbarn sends one of his Fracción, Choe Neng Poww, to fight him. Unlike the others who are successful in defending their pillars, Ikkaku is defeated as a result of the fight against Poww, who then destroys the pillar he was guarding. Poww thinks that Ikkaku is still hiding something from him, demanding him to show his true power. Ikkaku replies that even if he does have something left, he would not waste it on him. Before Poww can finish him off, Captain Sajin Komamura punches Poww and Iba stops more of the real town from appearing, Poww then sends Komamura flying a considerable distance away with a single punch. Poww then uses his Resurrección, Calderón. This cause Iba to grab Ikkaku and run, stating that they're no match for someone who just sent his captain flying. Fortunately, Komamura flash steps back a few moments later with no injuries and intercepts an attack by Poww. Komamura then defeats a released Poww with his Bankai.

After Poww is defeated, former member of the 11th division and 7th division lieutenant Tetsuzaemon Iba confronts Ikkaku for not using his Bankai and letting his pride get in the way of stopping the Arrancar. Iba tells Ikkaku after seeing his captain's Bankai that the difference between Sajin's and Ikkaku's Bankai is like night and day. Unlike Captain Komamura, Ikkaku chooses to hide his full power, but if he wants to do things his way, he must become stronger and win, even at the cost of his life. It then shows Komamura wiggling his ear, Iba and Ikkaku immediately notices he was standing right next to them. Komamura says not to worry, and that it seems he has something in his ears. This possibly hints that he overheard Iba and Ikkaku's conversation about how Ikkaku can use Bankai, but he chooses not to reveal anything.

RP Sample:

Glancing around the table at the other two men, Iba and Shuuhei, he then looked down at the two cards he was holding then again at the 4 cards on the table. If the next card turned out to be an ace he was sure to win, it would give him a full house, what was the likelihood of the other two beating him, slim to none. Tonight could be his lucky day and he could be in to get a lot of money. Lifting up the bottle of sake sitting on the table he pulled out the small cork and took a large gulp of the alcohol and grinned as he felt it run down his throat.

He watched as the fifth card was slowly turned over and down onto the table. It had been on the table for almost 3 seconds before Ikkaku realized what he was looking at. There it was, the ace he had been looking for, un-able to contain himself he sprung up from the table and took his katana into his hand. Putting himself up onto his toes he put his left foot back slightly and wiggled it on the spot, he then moved it forward and carried out the same movement again, he repeated this same action with his right foot afterword the whole time constantly repeating the word ‘luc’. Going onto his right foot he walked to his right on only his toes and stood with his arms and left leg horizontal to the ground and said ‘luc’ again slightly louder. He then proceeds to do the same action on his left foot and to the left with the loud ‘luc’ at the end. Bringing his right foot behind his left he bounces up and down on his toes, repeating the word ‘luck’. On the final bounce he goes up into the air and slams the tip of his sheathe onto the ground and flips over the top of it and says ‘luck’ much more loudly than before. As he lands he spreads his feet to his sides and puts his hands out infront of him, holding his katana sheathe and shouts ’lucKY!’ as the light reflects off his ‘shaven’ head.

He looked ahead of him and saw the two men looking at him with dumbstruck faces and his eye began to twitch.

[red]”What are you looking at!?”[/red]

Sitting down again at the table he picked up his cards and looked at the first of the two men.

[red]”Your bet Iba.”[/red]

[green]”I fold…”[/green]

At this Ikkakus eyebrow began to twitch again. He was not prepared to lose his chance at winning their money. He turned to look at shuuhei and glared at him and spoke through his teeth.

[red]”Your…bet…”[/red]

[white]”I, um, I fold…”[/white]

Ikkaku was gone. Grabbing the katana sheathe by his side he swung it into the side of Ibas head with a loud crack and stamped on Shuuhei with his right foot.

[red]”You damn cheats! How did you know I had a good hand!!![/red]

[white]”Do we REALLY need to answer that…?[/white]

[red]”Shut up!!!”[/red] Ikkaku said as he dug his foot into Shuuheis head even harder.

[kenpachi]

Approved,

High Level, Strong.