Byakuya Kuchiki

[Ai]

Name: Byakuya Kuchiki
Age: Unknown
Gender: Male
Personality:

Byakuya Kuchiki is the 28th head of the noble Kuchiki clan, one of the four great noble families in Soul Society. As such, Byakuya acts in an aristocratic manner — he seems always serene and apathetic towards other people, even when he is actually deeply conflicted. He is also extremely calm, even in battle, and is very seldom surprised by even the most drastic of actions. Ironically, when he was younger, he was quick to anger and very hotheaded, as noted by his grandfather, much like his lieutenant, Renji Abarai, and Ichigo Kurosaki. Due in part to his status in Soul Society, he generally acts indifferent, bordering on arrogance, to most situations that he is faced with as seen from how he rarely views his opponent worth his time. Despite this trait, Byakuya is a very perceptive man and is fully aware of the limits of his abilities and usually anything he states in comparison to an opponent is justified.

Byakuya strongly believes in law and order. As the head of one of the great noble families and as a Captain in the Gotei 13, he always works hard for a peaceful society. He feels that if someone in his position does not follow the rules as a good example, then no one will follow them. He believes that to maintain the order, all law-breakers must be punished, even if that goes against his own wishes. In spite of his icy and regal manner, Byakuya cares for and protects those important to him. And after the events of the Aizen Incident, he admitted that law isn't perfect and became more lenient, as well as more protective of his sister, Rukia.

Byakuya is popular among the female Shinigami of Soul Society, and was voted number one in the "Captain we desire to release a photo book for" poll taken by the Shinigami Women's Association. He likes Japanese Cherry Blossoms, night time walks, spicy food, and bananas, but he does not like sweets. Similar to Sōsuke Aizen, he excels in calligraphy. He apparently is very fond of Calligraphy being the representative or possibly President of the Calligraphy Society.

As astonishing as it may seem, Byakuya seems to have a comedic side, as he not only attends the Lieutenant's meeting when Renji's absent, but also attends the meetings of the Shinigami Women's Association when Rukia's absent. As he puts it, "part of a Captain's responsibilities is to make sure the Lieutenant's responsibilities are taken care of," to which Renji asks why he goes to Rukia's meetings, which is only responded by a smile similar to that of Gin Ichimaru's. He once jokingly remarks that he uses Senbonzakura to cut his hair. In one of the omake chapters, Byakuya claims that life in general is not supposed to be entertaining, and even makes up an idea for a game that is not really meant to be amusing.

Having descended from noble stock, Byakuya is easily offended if his name is not used properly. As such, he seems to view Ichigo Kurosaki in disdain for always referring to him as such, though he never said anything to him to change that. Ichigo seems to be the only one to refer to Byakuya very informally (even his wife referred to him as "Byakuya-sama") so far with the exception of Yachiru, who refers to Byakuya by the nicknames "Bya-kun" or "Byakushi," but it is possible that Byakuya lets it slide, given that Yachiru is a child. He once calls Ichigo to his mansion in order to have a talk with the young Substitute Shinigami, but they were interrupted by Yachiru's appearance, who asked Ichigo to follow her elsewhere. After Ichigo's disappearance, it is revealed that Byakuya wanted Ichigo to refer to him properly, and to stop calling him by only his first name. When Byakuya talks with Ichigo, he calls him by his full name, Ichigo Kurosaki. In some golden cups, he sees his house had been altered by some tunnels, which are revealed to be Yachiru Kusajishi's handiwork. In one of the most recent, he discovered that Yachiru, Nemu Kurotsuchi, Rangiku Matsumoto, Nanao Ise, Isane and Kiyone Kotetsu, Soifon, and Yoruichi were having a tea party in his house, without his knowledge (his face is not shown when he sees the room's interior). Later, when he tries to border up the secret door, Yachiru reveals another to Byakuya's intense surprise, and his face is shown with dismay.

Appearance:

Byakuya appears as a youthful man with dark blue eyes and long black hair which he keeps up in a intricate white headpiece called a kenseikan (symbolizing his nobility as the head of the Kuchiki family). He wears the standard Captain uniform along with a white scarf made by the master weaver, Tsujishirō Kuroemon III.

The scarf is made from the silver-white, windflower light silk (ginpaku kazahana no uzuginu) and is a family heirloom that is handed down from generation to generation and is given to each Kuchiki family head. The scarf alone is worth enough to buy ten mansions in the Seireitei. He also wears fingerless white gloves that cover only the back of his hands.

Zanpakuto Spirit:

Senbonzakura (千本桜)

His appearance is that of a masked samurai in full armor. He has long silver hair and wears a golden accessory on his forehead that resembles a half Sakura blossom.

Sealed Zanpakuto:

Senbonzakura (千本桜, "Thousand Cherry Blossoms,"; a reference to Yoshitsune Senbon Zakura): A regular katana, with only the crossguard distinguishes it, mostly by being almost not there. Senbonzakura's crossguard is a simple open frame, much like a 4-pane window. It has a light blue handle.

Shikai Description:

It is triggered by the command "Scatter" (散れ, chire). The blade transforms into thousands of cherry blossom pedals.

Shikai Abilities:

In its Shikai, Senbonzakura's blade separates into a thousand slender tiny blade fragments, which then fly away from the hilt, leaving only the sword's handle in Byakuya's hand. The release can be negated before it completes, such as when Yoruichi Shihōin wrapped the blade in cloth during Byakuya's short battle with Ichigo. However, if the release completes itself, then Senbozakura is rendered near-unstoppable as a result. While the blades are supposedly too small to see normally, they reflect light in such a way as to appear as cherry blossom petals. By swinging Senbonzakura's hilt Byakuya can control the blade fragments at will, allowing him to shred opponents at a distance and break through almost any defense.

Bankai Description:

Senbonzakura Kageyoshi (千本桜景厳, Vibrant Display of a Thousand Cherry Blossoms): is essentially a much larger version of Senbonzakura's Shikai. To activate it, Byakuya needs to drop his sword straight down. The sword phases into the ground, as though it were a pool of water. Energy ripples expand out, turning the surrounding area dark, and within seconds two rows of giant blades rise up from the ground. These giant blades then explode, and scatter into a near-infinite number of tiny blades. The number of blades is great enough that Byakuya can use them for defense as well as offense at the same time. He commonly forms them into large masses, designed to obliterate opponents instantaneously. Byakuya's defensive use allows him to cover himself entirely in these tiny blades, and form a body shield. Unlike his Shikai, his Bankai is entirely mentally controlled. As it moves through the air like torrents of waves, it gives the appearance of cherry blossoms flowing swiftly along the wind. While Byakuya can control the blades with his mind alone, using his hands allows him to do so more effectively, making the blades move almost twice as fast. Like with his Shikai, its attack is triggered with the phrase Scatter.

Bankai Abilities:

Special Ability: Byakuya's Bankai has several forms, achieved by arranging the blades in different patterns. Each form presents a different advantage, such as increasing offense at the expense of defense. This makes Senbonzakura Kageyoshi one of the most versatile Bankai in the series. These techniques are activated by saying the name of the technique, followed by the name of his Bankai, Senbonzakura Kageyoshi.

Senkei (殲景, Massacre Scene; Viz: "annihilate"): The true form of Senbonzakura is seemingly created by his blood, which glows and turns into spiritual energy mixing with the tiny blades of his Bankai. This unites the scattered petals into complete glowing swords, numbering in the thousands, that form four rows. These rows float just above the other, and circle around Byakuya and his opponent in a continuously moving, column-like array. It abandons defense in favor of a concentrated offense. Though visually menacing, this form is not meant for attack from all sides; rather, it is to concentrate his power into fewer blades, thus increasing his attack power. While Byakuya can mentally control these swords as he does his regular blades, he commonly calls them to his hands for actual melee combat. When in his hand they lose their glow, and take the form of his sealed zanpakuto. While they seem solid in this state, the swords can just as easily dissipate back into the multitude of tiny blades that they are made of. It seems to take fewer blows from a Senkei blade to gravely injure an opponent than the multiple cuts needed from the unfocused Bankai. The Senkei also cages himself with his enemy, allowing neither combatant to move very far from each other, though the area is still large enough for maneuverability. The most effective use of the Senkei form is that it allows for use of all the swords at the same attack level, making it highly versatile as a way to effectively defeat an enemy unaware of the danger of the situation. It is extremely rare for him to use this ability, doing so only when he has sworn to cut down the opponent with his very own hands. Ichigo was the second being to ever witness the ability. In Bleach: The DiamondDust Rebellion, it was also seen that Senkei can be used as a powerful shield, blocking several Cero blasts from Menos-class Hollows at once.

Gōkei (吭景, Pivotal Scene): This form increases the number of tiny blades immensely. It creates a spherical formation of over 100 million tiny blade fragments, which swirl around the opponent like a cloud. It then flies into them from every possible angle, leaving no blind spots and no possibility to escape. It was strong enough to completely obliterate a very large building from the inside out, and the resulting shockwave generated by the attack is so powerful that Byakuya himself has to Flash Step away (Byakuya is normally immune to the cutting effects of his own Bankai, evident by the fact that he could wield the swords generated by its Senkei formation with bare hands without cutting himself).

Shūkei (終景, Final Scene; Viz: "last sight"): This condenses each and every single one of his blades into a single, potent sword, drastically increasing its cutting power. The spiritual energy and pressure of this form released is immense. The blade appears bright white and its aura takes the form of a bird, earning it the name Hakuteiken (白帝剣, White Imperial Sword; Viz: "white emperor sword"). Pure white wings form on Byakuya's back, as well a halo-like circle, made of concentrated spiritual energy. It is unknown whether these wings are merely an aesthetic effect or if they can be used to fly. The blade in this form is dangerous enough to cause aggravated injuries in one single blow. Whether or not this form allows only one single attack or more is as yet unknown.

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

Little is known about Byakuya's early history, except that 110 years ago before the current time he was a young boy, rash and hotheaded and somewhat similar to Ichigo in personality. He would spend countless hours training, in preparation of taking over the leadership of the Kuchiki family and the 6th Division from his grandfather, Ginrei Kuchiki.

He used to be teased, usually it seems to his annoyance, but still regularly played tag with the older Yoruichi Shihōin using Flash Steps, though he never was able to beat her, a score that upholds to the current time.

Around 55 years before the current time, Byakuya married Hisana, who was then a commoner from Rukongai; therefore, he broke the rules by accepting her into the noble Kuchiki family. Shortly before her death, Hisana asked Byakuya to find and adopt her biological sister, Rukia, whom she had abandoned as a baby. She also made him promise that he would not tell Rukia about her real family, for she believed that by abandoning Rukia when she was younger, she was not worthy to be called her sister.
Byakuya about to adopt Rukia Kuchiki into the Kuchiki clan.

One year later, Rukia entered the Shinigami Academy. Shortly after, Byakuya found her and immediately adopted her into the Kuchiki clan. By adopting her, Byakuya respected his late wife's final wish, but had broken the rules of his clan again. He later swore upon his parents' graves that he would never break the rules again, no matter what. As a result, he, though entirely apathetic on the surface, is actually deeply conflicted with the matter of Rukia's execution: should he intervene, it would require breaking the promise to his parents and the rules again, but should he do nothing, he would fail to fulfill the last promise he made to his dying wife to protect Rukia as his own sister.

It is implied that Byakuya Kuchiki became Captain of the 6th division less than 50 years before the main Bleach storyline (shortly before Rukia had entered the Gotei 13). Gin Ichimaru became Captain of the 3rd Division at the same time, and Gin would commonly start pointless conversations with Byakuya during times they crossed paths.

RP Sample:

Walking amongst the seemingly endless sakura fields on the outskirts of Seireitei, a past time of introspective thinking indulged more than most are aware among the handful who know; he paused in his steps, as the winds blew through the trees as a powerful drawn out gust carrying with them the countless numbers of lily pink pedals of the cherry blossoms into the air. They swirled as if caught in tiny tornadoes pulled into the into the wind and sucked up into the blue sky above where the white clouds were few.

It was a dance these pedals had as they were blown with the winds, unable to resist the strength of the very air itself. The length of his white haori flowed with the wind, and his uniform waved in rhythm with it. Brushing a few long black locks of hair out of his face with right hand as he adjusted the white-silver scarf drapped around his neck and shoulders, its length flowing with his haori as well. Once those dark strands of hair were out of his face he casually caught an idle pedal that blew past his dark stoic eyes with his right hand.

Gazing at his closed fist for a moment, he slowly opened his hand as his left slowly fell to his side. Resting in the palm of his hand with its white fingerless hooked clothe gauntlet, is a tiny pink sakura pedal - fragile - weak in his palm. The strong gust of wind had died and passed, the pedal did not fly away, instead all of the lovely pink sakura pedals fell around him like snow covering the ground so there was no longer even a hint of green.

His placid gaze stared at the meager pedal in his hand for a long moment before letting fall from his clutches to the rest of the pedals at his feet before he turned away with a small grunt of nonchalance, walking back to Seireitei.

[Shinigami Kyra]

Approved; Master Level, Weak