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--> Voiced by: KayaMatsutani (JP), MeganHollingshead (ENG), WendeeLee (ENG, Bleach: Soul Resurreccion)
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--> Voiced by: KayaMatsutani (JP), MeganHollingshead Creator/MeganHollingshead (ENG), WendeeLee Creator/WendeeLee (ENG, Bleach: Soul Resurreccion)
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* WeakButSkilled: When pitted against [[spoiler:Zombie Hitsugaya]] it's shown that he has no real way of coping with [[spoiler:Hitsugaya's bankai]] once used. He just doesn't have the power, nor can he even match him in swordplay. As he notes, he's just a weak scientist who generally avoid direct confrontation. [[spoiler:So just prevent Hitsugaya from using bankai through indirect methods and then you're fine.]]
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* WeakButSkilled: When pitted against [[spoiler:Zombie Hitsugaya]] it's shown Mayuri observes that, as someone who spends most of his time in a lab, his opponents would probably dismiss his ability to able read an opponent's movements and strategy in battle. Confessing that this is actually the case, he admits he has no real way adapted his zanpakutou to act as a motion sensor to compensate for his lack of coping with [[spoiler:Hitsugaya's bankai]] once used. He just doesn't have the power, nor battle skills. [[spoiler:Hitsugaya can he even match defeat him in swordplay. As he notes, he's just a weak scientist who generally avoid direct confrontation. [[spoiler:So just prevent Hitsugaya from using bankai through indirect methods physical combat simply by entering Bankai. However, Mayuri's scientific expertise and then you're fine.pre-battle preparations more than compensate for his relatively poor combat skills.]]
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* WeakButSkilled: When pitted against [[spoiler:Zombie Hitsugaya]] it's shown that he has no real way of coping with [[spoiler:Hitsugaya's bankai]] once used. He just doesn't have the power, nor can he even match him in swordplay. As he notes, he's just a weak scientist who generally avoid direct confrontation. [[spoiler:So just prevent Hitsugaya from using bankai through indirect methods and then you're fine.]]
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Rewrote to address Spoiler Policy and reflect the actual trope the drug is mimicking.
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* GroundhogDayLoop: During his fight with [[spoiler:Mayuri]], he is given a poison that affects his short-term memory. Every time he kills his opponent, he winds up back at the start of the battle. If he goes more than ten loops, he's hit with temporary paralysis.
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* MentalTimeTravel: He becomes trapped in a GroundhogDayLoop, forced to repeat the same fight over and over again. Every time he kills his enemy, the loop resets to his original starting point with his memories of previous loops intact. After too many loops, he becomes paralysed. While the "time travel" is actually just a drug manipulating his memory and spatial awareness, the paralysis it causes is very real.
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This shouldn\'t be removed. Again, in his first appearance, Mayuri was one of the worst offenders of this trope.
* AntagonistAbilities: In his first onscreen battle, he's characterized as a ''drastically'' unfair enemy to Ishida. As noted below in TheParalyzer, PoisonedWeapons and SinisterSurveillance, he has several abilities which exist to take the fight out of an opponent, torment them, and break their spirit. After that arc, however, he's been a NominalHero.
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* TheParalyzer: As mentioned, his shikai allows him to paralyze his opponent.
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-->'''Mayuri''': If he dies, he dies happy.
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* AntagonistAbilities:
** CompleteImmortality: When he stabs himself with his zanpakuto, he turns into an invincible liquid that's purely for escape.
** TheParalyzer: See below.
** SinisterSurveillance: Everyone he fights becomes infected with surveillance bacteria.
** CompleteImmortality: When he stabs himself with his zanpakuto, he turns into an invincible liquid that's purely for escape.
** TheParalyzer: See below.
** SinisterSurveillance: Everyone he fights becomes infected with surveillance bacteria.
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* CompleteImmortality: When he stabs himself with his zanpakuto, he turns into an invincible liquid that's purely for escape.
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* TheParalyzer: As mentioned, his shikai allows him to paralyze his opponent.
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* GroundhogDayLoop: During his fight with [[spoiler:Mayuri]], he is given a poison that affects his short-term memory. Every time he kills his opponent, he winds up back at the start of the battle. If he goes more than ten loops, he's hit with temporary paralysis.
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No it wasn\'t. Even if Ukitake had seriously tried to hurt her, Starrk would have IMMEDIATELY gotten pissed off, and they would have been in the exact same situation.
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* WouldntHurtAChild: Upon meeting anyone who looks like a child ([[OlderThanTheyLook no matter their actual age]]) he'll immediately offer them candy or invite them to play a game. He tried to convince Lilinette to go home and didn't want to hurt her precisely because she looked like a child. [[spoiler:Which was a very dumb move and in the end caused massive damage to his own side.]]
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* WouldntHurtAChild: Upon meeting anyone who looks like a child ([[OlderThanTheyLook no matter their actual age]]) he'll immediately offer them candy or invite them to play a game. He tried to convince Lilinette to go home and didn't want to hurt her precisely because she looked like a child. [[spoiler:Which was a very dumb move and in the end caused massive damage to his own side.]]
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Alliterative Name refers to names that begin with the same sound, not the same letters.
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* AlliterativeName: Kotetsu Kiyone.
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See Handling Spoilers.
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* CurbStompBattle: Toshiro effortlessly overpowers and cuts down [[spoiler:Ikkaku, Yumichika and Charlotte after being zombified by Giselle. Rather than prevent this, Mayuri just stands back and [[AdmiringTheAbomination observes how even as a zombie he retains his full speed and strength]].]]
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* CurbStompBattle: Toshiro effortlessly overpowers and When Giselle brings out her zombies, Hitsugaya fights ruthlessly to defeat his opponents effortlessly. [[spoiler:As a zombie, he cuts down [[spoiler:Ikkaku, Ikkaku, Yumichika and Charlotte after being zombified by Giselle. Rather than prevent this, Charlotte. Mayuri just stands back and [[AdmiringTheAbomination observes how even as a zombie he retains observes]] that his full speed and strength]].zombification didn't hinder his movements or abilities at all.]]
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* CurtainsMatchTheWindow: Yachiru's hair and eyes are pink. This makes her stand out as something cute and unusual creating a dissonance with the hint to her that there's something really quite dark and wrong to her.
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* CurtainsMatchTheWindow: Yachiru's hair and eyes are pink. This makes her stand out as something cute and unusual creating a dissonance with the hint to her that there's something really quite dark and wrong to her.
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* CurbStompBattle: Toshiro effortlessly overpowers and cuts down [[spoiler:Ikkaku and Yumichika after being zombified by Giselle. Rather than prevent this, Mayuri just stands back and [[AdmiringTheAbomination observes how even as a zombie he retains his full speed and strength]].]]
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* CurbStompBattle: Toshiro effortlessly overpowers and cuts down [[spoiler:Ikkaku and [[spoiler:Ikkaku, Yumichika and Charlotte after being zombified by Giselle. Rather than prevent this, Mayuri just stands back and [[AdmiringTheAbomination observes how even as a zombie he retains his full speed and strength]].]]
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Again, yes it did. We the audience didn\'t know about Uryu\'s convenient abilities that let him get around these powers. They were treated as being a huge disadvantage until Uryu\'s revealed he had a counter for them. And even then, his immortality power gave him the means to escape and vow revenge, whereupon we learn that he\'s been watching Uryu and learning about him in the meantime. That\'s about as unfair as it gets.
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* AntagonistAbilities:
** CompleteImmortality: When he stabs himself with his zanpakuto, he turns into an invincible liquid that's purely for escape.
** TheParalyzer: See below.
** SinisterSurveillance: Everyone he fights becomes infected with surveillance bacteria.
** CompleteImmortality: When he stabs himself with his zanpakuto, he turns into an invincible liquid that's purely for escape.
** TheParalyzer: See below.
** SinisterSurveillance: Everyone he fights becomes infected with surveillance bacteria.
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* CurbStompBattle: Toshiro effortlessly overpowers and cuts down [[spoiler:Ikkaku and Yumichika after being zombified by Giselle. Rather than prevent this, Mayuri just stands back and [[AdmiringTheAbomination observes how even as a zombie he retains his full speed and strength]].]]
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Antagonist Abilities misuse. It\'s supposed to describe how a villain has an unfair advantage, but these didn\'t create an unfair advantage, the examples used are also exaggerated into inaccuracy.
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* AntagonistAbilities:
** CompleteImmortality: When he stabs himself with his zanpakuto, he turns into an invincible liquid that's purely for escape.
** TheParalyzer: His zanpakuto's Shikai ability lets him deactivate the brain signals of anyone he cuts, making their limbs immobile, but still able to feel pain.
** SinisterSurveillance: Everyone he fights becomes infected with surveillance bacteria.
** CompleteImmortality: When he stabs himself with his zanpakuto, he turns into an invincible liquid that's purely for escape.
** TheParalyzer: His zanpakuto's Shikai ability lets him deactivate the brain signals of anyone he cuts, making their limbs immobile, but still able to feel pain.
** SinisterSurveillance: Everyone he fights becomes infected with surveillance bacteria.
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* TheParalyzer: His zanpakuto's Shikai ability lets him deactivate the brain signals of anyone he cuts, making their limbs immobile, but still able to feel pain.
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* SinisterSurveillance: He is able to prepare in advance for his fight with Szayel because he infected Uryuu with surveillance bacteria at some point during the Soul Society arc. Uryuu is horrified to learn Mayuri has been watching everything he's done since that point.
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That scene isn\'t an example and is interpretation for now. Also, cleaned up redundancy.
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* NoodleIncident: Apparently in the Soul Reaper Cup ending episode 314 apparently his subordinates found something that made him get '''[[HighPressureEmotion red in the face.]]'''
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* NoodleIncident: Apparently in the In Episode 314's Soul Reaper Cup ending episode 314 apparently his subordinates found find something that made him get '''[[HighPressureEmotion red in the face.]]'''turns his face [[HighPressureEmotion scarlet]]. Yamamoto cites it as an example of where Bankai should never be used but doesn't explain what happened.
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** As of recent chapters, [[spoiler:it's revealed that regardless of his own lack of morals, he respected the late Captain-Commander Yamamoto, even solemnly quoting him before going into battle.]]
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** As of recent chapters, [[spoiler:it's revealed that regardless of his own lack of morals, he respected the late Captain-Commander Yamamoto, even solemnly quoting him before going into battle.]]
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* NoodleIncident: Apparently in the Soul Reaper Cup ending episode 314 apparently his subordinates found something that made him get '''[[HighPressureEmotion red in the face]]'''
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* NoodleIncident: Apparently in the Soul Reaper Cup ending episode 314 apparently his subordinates found something that made him get '''[[HighPressureEmotion red in the face]]'''face.]]'''
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Alphabetising. And commented out zero context example.
%% * TinyGuyHugeGirl: With Matsumoto.
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* TinyGuyHugeGirl: With Matsumoto.
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Given there are now undead on both sides of the war, and the trope name gives it away, the real surprise is which side he\'s on, so I\'ve changed the spoilers to cover only that, given the Handling Spoilers guidelines.
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* TheUndead: After being collapsing following his battle with [[spoiler:Cang Du, he was zombified by Giselle and is now dressed in a Vandenreich uniform]].
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* TheUndead: After being collapsing He collapses following his battle with [[spoiler:Cang Du, he was zombified by Giselle Cang Du and is now only rejoins the fighting as a member of the undead. [[spoiler:On the Vandenreich's side, dressed in their uniform, as a Vandenreich uniform]].slave of Giselle's.]]
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* TheUndead: After being [[spoiler:struck down by Bazz-B, he's been zombified by Giselle and is now dressed in a Vandenreich uniform]].
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* TheUndead: After being [[spoiler:struck down by Bazz-B, he's been collapsing following his battle with [[spoiler:Cang Du, he was zombified by Giselle and is now dressed in a Vandenreich uniform]].
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* TheUndead: After being [[spoiler:struck down by Bazz-B, he's been zombified by Giselle and is now dressed in a Vandenreich uniform]].
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Grammar - repetitive words.
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* TheSouthpaw: He is also ambidextrous. In the Bount arc he wields his sword entirely in his left hand.
* TheStarscream: Played with. When Urahara recruits him, he makes it clear that Mayuri will inherit everything should something happen to Urahara. Mayuri would thus be the prime suspect if anything suspicious happened to Urahara, thus making sure he won't ever try anything. Mayuri realizes this and is annoyed by it.
* TheStarscream: Played with. When Urahara recruits him, he makes it clear that Mayuri will inherit everything should something happen to Urahara. Mayuri would thus be the prime suspect if anything suspicious happened to Urahara, thus making sure he won't ever try anything. Mayuri realizes this and is annoyed by it.
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* TheSouthpaw: He is also ambidextrous. In the Bount arc he wields his sword entirely in his left hand.
* TheStarscream:Played with. When Urahara recruits him, he makes it clear that Mayuri will inherit everything should something happen to Urahara. Mayuri would thus be him. Being the prime suspect if should anything suspicious happened happen to Urahara, Urahara thus making sure he ensures Mayuri won't ever try anything. Mayuri realizes this and is annoyed by it.
* TheStarscream:
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* AwesomenessByAnalysis: He correctly deduces that Giselle's blood is dangerous from her attempts to provoke Ikkaku into attacking her. He also figures out Bambietta's ability to turn things into bombs rather than shoot bombs.
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[[folder:Kensei Moguruma]]
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[[folder:Kensei Moguruma]]Muguruma]]
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* TheStarscream: Urahara makes it absolutely clear that, if Mayuri joins him, Mayuri will inherit everything should something happen to him. Mayuri tells him he's very unpleasant because it's therefore clear he'd therefore be the prime suspect should anything happen to Urahara: Mayuri's loyalty is therefore enforced from the outset preventing this trope from being possible.
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* TheStarscream: Played with. When Urahara recruits him, he makes it absolutely clear that, if Mayuri joins him, that Mayuri will inherit everything should something happen to him. Urahara. Mayuri tells him he's very unpleasant because it's therefore clear he'd therefore would thus be the prime suspect should if anything happen suspicious happened to Urahara: Mayuri's loyalty is therefore enforced from the outset preventing Urahara, thus making sure he won't ever try anything. Mayuri realizes this trope from being possible.and is annoyed by it.
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Trope misuse. He\'s not an example of this, he\'s been madly popular and controversial within the fandom for many years now and YMMV items should not appear on trope pages.
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* EnsembleDarkhorse: Fan reaction to him improved massively during the 1000 Blood War arc; he graduated from MadScientist to full blown CrazyAwesome.
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* EnsembleDarkhorse: Fan reaction to him improved massively during the 1000 Blood War arc; he graduated from MadScientist to full blown CrazyAwesome.
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Characters that appeared in Tite Kubo's ''Manga/{{Bleach}}''. This page is for the present members of the '''eighth to thirteenth squads of Gotei 13 / 13 Court Guard Squads'''.
[[{{Characters/Bleach}} Back to the main character index]]
----
!Contains spoilers
[[foldercontrol]]
!!Squad 8
[[folder:Shunsui Sozosa Kyoraku]]
[[quoteright:290:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/shunsui001_6553.png]]
->''"Getting caught up in style and throwing away victory is something for the lower ranks to do. Captains can't even think about doing such a carefree thing. Don't try to be a good guy. It doesn't matter who owes who. From the instant they enter into a war, both sides are evil."''
Captain of the 8th Division, he is best friends with Ukitake, both of whom were personally trained by Yamamoto himself. Shunsui was one of the first Academy graduates to become a captain, along with Ukitake. While a pervert, he never goes too far in his attempts to hit on women, as Nanao can attest to on both accounts. He abhors senseless fighting, but he's not above underhanded tactics if it meant winning a fight quickly. Oh, and he [[RealMenWearPink wears a woman's kimono]] and likes being showered with cherry blossom petals.
His zanpakuto is ''Katen Kyokotsu'', one of the very few dual zanpakutos. They grant him various strange abilities, from "playing word games" with his opponents to seemingly hide within shadows themselves.
--> Voiced by: AkioOhtsuka (JP), SteveKramer (ENG), Jorge Ornelas (Latin American Spanish)
----
* AgentPeacock: He likes to enter a fight in a swirl of rose petals and he wears a flowery, pink woman's kimono. According to the SOULS character book, he is officially Soul Society's biggest dandy. Befitting this trope, he is also a captain and therefore in a position of AuthorityEqualsAsskicking. On one occasion, he tries to make sure his flowery kimono doesn't get damaged in battle, only to deliberately ruin part of his actual uniform.
* AuthorityEqualsAsskicking: He's one of the top four captains who has been in post for over 200 years. [[spoiler: After Yamamoto's death, he gets a RankUp to captain-commander, a threat Yhwach takes seriously enough to send Haschwalth himself out to face him.]]
* {{Badass}}: Being a captain, it comes with territory, not to mention that he is one of the oldest and strongest captains.
* BadassCreed: Katen Kyokotsu's release command is very long and very badass as well.
* BerserkButton: Kyouraku takes Ukitake getting injured very badly. [[spoiler:When Ukitake is impaled by Wonderweiss, Kyouraku drops all pretence of being BrilliantButLazy and goes for the kill.]]
* BrilliantButLazy: One of the most powerful captains in the Gotei 13 but he would rather just lie down and have his saké.
* CallingYourAttacks: Like most Soul Reapers, he calls his attacks. However, the nature of his powers means he has to call the attack as part of the "game" his shikai is playing.
* CarpetOfVirility: To go with his ChivalrousPervert persona.
* CasanovaWannabe: He's apparently a huge flirt, though the only girl we see him interact with frequently is Nanao.
* CherryBlossoms: Subverted. He likes the aesthetic, so he has his lieutenant, Nanao, dump them out of a basket from overhead.
* ChivalrousPervert: To Nanao. Teases and embarrasses her mercilessly, but if she ''truly'' needs his help, he'll promptly give her a non-grabby hand. He also used to have a similar relationship with Risa Yadomaru.
* CoatCape: He wears his captain's haori properly, but the woman's kimono he wears on top of that is always slung over his shoulders like a cape.
* TheCoatsAreOff: He always wears two coats. His captain's haori and a woman's kimono. He never takes either one off. And then he fights Starrk. When the fight finally gets serious, he tosses the woman's kimono to Ukitake for safe-keeping. A short while later, just to show the fight has become even more serious than it already was, he discards his captain's haori as well. Yes, his fight was so serious, the coats came off ''twice''.
* CombatPragmatist: For a MartialPacifist, Shunsui certainly isn't above fighting dirty if he needs to and lectures others about the need to not be limited by heroic ideals in battle since war makes both sides evil. [[spoiler:As the second Vandenreich assault begins, Kyouraku remarks to Nanao that he expected another sudden assault and prepared dirty tricks accordingly...but he wasn't expecting to get bodily torn out of the Seireitei so his preparations might not be adequate.]]
* ConfusionFu: Lampshaded during the fight with Starrk by Kyouraku himself after Starrk was tricked into thinking they had many similarities and were kindred spirits. Turns out the thing they have in common is that they're both BrilliantButLazy.
--> '''Starrk''': "I thought I told you not to do uncharacteristic things, Captain-san!"
--> '''Kyouraku''': "It's not good to keep forcing this characteristic thing, Espada-san. And, if you're going to talk about characteristic, not having a characteristic behaviour is characteristic of me."
* TheDandy: He really doesn't like to fight and avoids it as much as possible. When he is forced to fight, he prefers to be as lazy as possible and has even been known to only enter a fight after he's been announced with floating flower petals. According to the Souls character book, he's officially Soul Society's biggest dandy.
* DirtyOldMan: He tends to make a pass at Nanao whenever he can. In the Bootleg, which reveals the divisional recruitment letters, Kyouraku states he wants only women to join his division and that he'll have late-night drinking parties with them.
* DualWielding: Katen Kyoukotsu is one of the very few Zanpakuto that takes the form of two swords. During the filler Zanpakuto spirits arc, each one manifests as its own spirit.
* EstablishingCharacterMoment: Kyouraku resisted fighting until forced to fight Chad. However, he refused to allow Chad to be killed and did not accept Chad could be blamed for the death of Aizen. He wanted the matter properly investigated and the invaders kept alive for questioning.
* ExplainingYourPowerToTheEnemy: The rare subversion. He only tells Starrk what he has no choice but to reveal.
* EyeScream: Gets shot in the right eye by one of the Stern Ritter when they invade the Soul Society.
* EyepatchOfPower: Now sporting one after being shot in the eye.
* GetAHoldOfYourselfMan: Non-violently. While Soifon's lashing out at everyone after the first invasion of Soul Society [[spoiler:due to Yamamoto's death]], he is the one who managed to calm her down by reminding her that the Gotei 13 exists as a military force to protect the Soul Society.
* GoodIsNotSoft: He's laid-back, [[BrilliantButLazy lazy]] and Soul Society's [[AllThereInTheManual biggest dandy]]. However, once he decides to fight, he believes that battle makes both sides evil, so he'll do [[CombatPragmatist what it takes]] to win - even if it means sacrificing honour and stabbing his opponents in the back. [[spoiler:As Captain-Commander, he bullies the Central 46 into training Zaraki and ''knowingly'' sends Unohana to her death to complete that training. Even Yamamoto backed down when the Central 46 banned Zaraki from receiving formal training.]]
* HeterosexualLifePartners: He and Ukitake go a very long way back, having formed their bond while in the academy together. They've been captains for centuries, spend a lot of time together, and are a renowned partnership even on the battlefield.
* IAmNotLeftHanded: He and Starrk pull this on one another -- repeatedly -- though this is a rare example where they're both well aware their opponent is hiding ''something'', they're just not always sure what. A literal inversion too; he's ''ambidextrous''.
* MajorInjuryUnderreaction: His reaction to getting shot in the eye? "[[CaptainObvious That's bad, huh]]"?
* MartialPacifist: He hates fighting and would prefer to spend a fight talking or drinking with his opponent instead, play-fighting at worst. However, when he does fight, he's a CombatPragmatist that believes both sides are evil.
* MeaningfulName: Kyoraku is a pun on the Japanese word for "enjoyment."
* OddCouple: With his serious and straitlaced lieutenant, "Nanao-chan."
* PermaStubble: Like so many badasses. Although in the ''Turn Back the Pendulum'' arc, his stubble disappears in a few panels in the manga, despite being present elsewehere.
* RealMenWearPink: He wears a woman's kimono that has a mysterious story.
* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: During the Soul Society arc, Kyouraku is one of the few officers not to blindly attack the intruders just because he was ordered to. Instead, when he confronts Sado, Kyouraku questions him about his connection to Rukia and purpose in coming to Seireitei and realizes something doesn't add up. Once Sado has been defeated, Kyouraku makes sure he and other the captured intruders are kept alive and secure, refusing to automatically assume they are responsible for Aizen's "death" without a proper investigation.
* SinisterScimitar: Aversion. Kyouraku is decent enough, but he is a CombatPragmatist who believes all participants in battle are evil.
* WarriorPoet: He likes publishing stories, although he's not aware of how unpopular his works actually are.
* WouldHurtAChild: In contrast to Ukitake, he was willing to attack (with intent to kill) the childlike Wonderweiss. Even Yamamoto expressed concern about having to fight an enemy that looked like a child. Kyouraku did not.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Nanao Ise]]
[[quoteright:290:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/nanao001_4413.png]]
Kyoraku's lieutenant. She is very strict and dutiful, always doing her captain's paperwork. She is the vice-president of the Soul Reaper Women's Association. The name of her Zanpakuto is unknown, though she apparently hides it in her book.
--> Voiced by: Creator/HitomiNabatame (JP), Creator/KateHiggins (ENG)
----
* BarrierWarrior: Her kido specialty. Her barriers even impress the Quincies. [[spoiler:Haschwalth admitted breaking the barrier took longer than expected, but also indicated he'd been holding back while doing it.]]
* ByTheBookCop: She's very serious and gets antsy when Kyoraku appears to be operating outside of general procedure during the Soul Society arc, though she sticks with him despite her reservations.
* TheComicallySerious: In some omake chapters.
* TheDreaded: Seeing her without her glasses is nearly as terrifying as Unohana's special smile.
* FashionableAsymmetry: Her hair is arranged in an asymmetrical fringe that is longer on the right than the left.
* GirlFriday: She's more Kyoraku's assistant than an actual combatant or anything of the sort.
* ImprobableWeaponUser: If Mayuri's word in an omake is to be believed, she can kill you with the temples of her glasses.
* NothingUpMySleeve: She keeps her Zanpakutou in there.
* OnlySaneWoman: Often relegated to this role in the [[{{Omake}} Soul Reaper Cup shorts]].
* ReplacementGoldfish: Shunsui's relationship with her is very similar to how he treated his previous lieutenant, Lisa. However, while he was willing to send Lisa to the front lines, he refuses to allow Nanao anywhere near the fighting.
* SatelliteCharacter: Nanao is Shunsui's no-nonsense lieutenant and little else other than that. She has essentially no notable relationships with anyone in the main storyline.
* SexySpectacles: Part of her appeal as a SexySecretary is her glasses. Kyoraku seems to agree, considering it turns out his former Lieutenant (who Nanao seemed to look up to to some degree) looked very similar and also wore glasses.
[[/folder]]
!!Squad 9
[[folder:Kaname Tosen]]
Debuted as Captain of Squad 9, but had deserted [[TheReveal after revealing]] [[CoDragons his true colors]] in the Soul Society arc's final stage. For more information go [[Characters/BleachAizenAndHisCohorts here]].
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Kensei Moguruma]]
Current captain of Squad 9. He was also it's previous captain a century ago. He reprises his role after Aizen's defeat. For more information go [[Characters/BleachVisoredsAndExiledSoulReapers here]].
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Shuhei Hisagi]]
[[quoteright:290:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/hisagi001_8406.png]]
->''"He who does not fear the sword he holds is not worthy of holding a sword."''
Shuhei is the lieutenant of Squad 9, formerly serving under Kaname Tosen, whom he greatly admired and who taught him everything he believes in. His most notable trait is the "69" tattoo he has on his cheek, which he got from his idol, Kensei Muguruma, the former captain of the same squad. He is quite the drinker, and usually drinks with Izuru Kira and Rangiku Matsumoto. He seems to have a crush on Rangiku, but nothing ever comes of it in the series proper, apart from some omakes and a filler episode.
His zanpakuto is ''Kazeshini'', a pair of chained scythes.
--> Voiced by: Creator/KatsuyukiKonishi (JP), Yu Kobayashi (JP, As a child), Creator/SteveStaley (ENG)
----
* {{Adorkable}}: The anime especially loves making him hammy, sensitive and shy, all in incredibly awkward, yet endearing ways.
* AnimeHair: Those spikes ''never'' budge.
* {{Badass}}: Hisagi is noted to be something of a prodigy and [[spoiler:managed to kill his traitorous captain by [[CombatPragmatist methods]] both would approve of.]] He also appears [[spoiler:to have bankai]] but not in a reliable state.
* BerserkButton: Do '''NOT''' insult Captain Tosen in his presence. Not even after Tosen defected and tried to kill him. And you aren't even excused from this if you're his ''current'' captain.
* BewareTheNiceOnes: He's easily one of the nicest and toughest lieutenants.
* {{Bishonen}}: Was one in his academy days.
* CallingYourAttacks: Various Kido spells.
* ChivalrousPervert: During a filler episode, he spends most of the time [[ChivalrousPervert trying to reign in pervy thoughts of Rangiku]] to hilarious comedic effect.
* CombatPragmatist: Squad nine's style is based around the idea that battle is terrible and monstrous and thus you should get it over with as quickly as possible and with the most survivors on your side as you can.
* TheDeterminator: In the Fake Karakura arc, after getting slashed down his chest and impaled through the chest, he forces himself up to continue fighting both times.
* DieOrFly: His [[spoiler:Bankai.]] He says it's something he can only do under rare, stressful circumstances.
* DrowningMySorrows: When Tosen betrays him.
* EverythingsBetterWithSpinning: Hisagi himself lampshades his power by casually letting his weapon spin at both ends at the same time while lecturing his opponent. And that's before we get to the way he spins the weapon when actually attacking.
* FaceOfAThug: Has the appearance of one, contradicting his calm and mature personality.
* GoodScarsEvilScars: Has LOTS of face marks of all kinds, including a 69 tattoo on his cheek. The tattoo honours Kensei who once saved Hisagi's life when Hisagi was a small child.
* HiddenDepths: A Zanpaktou is a reflection of your inner self, right? What does it say about this peaceful man that his shikai is "shaped like something meant to take life"? Seeing Kazeshini in action in the filler arc has led people to believe that Hisagi has a dark side that he constantly works to keep under control. On a lighter note, he took guitar lessons from Chad in his spare time during the omakes for the Soul Society arc.
* IOweYouMyLife: To Kensei.
* InstantChucks: Hisagi's Zanpakutou transforms into a [[EpicFlail kusarigama]] that possesses a blade at either end of the chain instead of a blade at one end and a counterweight at the other. As a chain weapon, he requires two hands to [[ImprobableUseOfAWeapon wield it properly]] and, because it has two blades instead of the normal one, it's a [[SinisterScythe particularly lethal weapon]].
* LastNameBasis: With everybody besides Rangiku.
* MartialPacifist: Prefers to avoid fighting, and even when using his sword, which he hates anyway, makes a habit of not attacking with excessive force.
* OnlySixFaces: Explicit in the anime. There is a FreezeFrameBonus anime-only segment of his fight with Findor where the latter teleports behind him to avoid a slash. The ''exact same sequence'', including hair and facial expression, is later used during an anime-only segment of Ichigo's fight with Ulquiorra. All they really did was dye the hair orange and change the coat.
* PerpetualFrowner: In a fight, at least.
* PreMortemOneLiner: ''"Finally afraid? You're my equal at last."''
* SecretKeeper: He is the only person alive who knows Yumichika's secret.
* SempaiKohai: Sempai to Kira, Abarai and Hinamori, whom he taught in the Soul Reaper Academy.
* SinisterScythe: ''"I don't like the shape. Look at it. It's shaped like something meant to take life, isn't it?"''
* SleevesAreForWimps: Like his admired Kensei, he wears sleeveless clothing.
* SupremeChef: According to the {{omake}}s. Interestingly, [[spoiler:Kensei]] is apparently one too...
* ThoseTwoGuys: Often seen hanging around with Kira (or Renji) whenever off duty.
* UnrequitedLove: In the manga omakes he has a crush on Rangiku that is PlayedForLaughs. The anime enjoys playing this up for comedy as a result.
* VariableLengthChain: In shikai
* WasItAllALie: When he learns Tousen's a traitor, he asks Tousen if all the beliefs he had preached were a lie. [[spoiler:Tousen's response is a sword to the gut.]]
* TheWorfEffect: Hisagi, who had appeared to be winning his fight against Yumichika, is one-shotted when Yumichika decides to stop hiding his power. It's the story's first hint that Yumichika's WillfullyWeak due to hiding a CoverBlowingSuperpower.
[[/folder]]
!!Squad 10
[[folder:Toshiro Hitsugaya]]
[[quoteright:290:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/290px-Episode_363_Hitsugaya_1_6387.png]]
[[caption-width-right:290:[[labelnote:Click here to see his pre-TimeSkip appearance]][[quoteright:290:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/toshiro001_953.png]][[/labelnote]]]]
->''"There we go again, old men and their stupid arguments. What a pain."''
The Captain of Squad 10. A child prodigy, he is the youngest Captain in the Soul Society, though still much older than he looks. To prevent people from treating him like a kid, Hitsugaya is always a very serious and focused Captain quite contrary to how he acted before becoming an officer. He likes getting the job done and thus ends up handling a lot of paperwork that most captains leave to their subordinates.
His Zanpakuto is ''Hyourinmaru'', the strongest of the ice-based Zanpakuto, but due to his youth, at the start of the story it was still unmastered and placed severe limits on its ability. His Bankai is ''Daiguren Hyourinmaru'', and it enhances his ice abilities.
--> Voiced by: [[Creator/RomiPark Romi Paku]] (JP), Creator/SteveStaley (ENG)
----
* ActuallyADoombot: An [[DeusExMachina ice clone]], used on Harribel.
* AllOfTheOtherReindeer: In his own words, when he was much younger: "They're scared of me. It's not like I did anything bad to them, but... even then, I could tell they were afraid of me." The databook indicates that he's much more popular now, but making captain and leading his Squad well could be seen as his won't-you-guide-my-sleigh-tonight moment.
* AnIcePerson: He's said to have the most powerful ice-based Zanpakuto in the Soul Society.
* AnimeHair: Funny thing though, his hair hangs down in flashbacks and after the time skip, which seems to imply that he styles it for the majority of the series.
* BadassAdorable: He doesn't always act the part, but Hitsugaya is still a cute-looking boy who looks like he's an elementary student.
* BadassBaritone: Has a surprisingly deep voice for his size and childlike appearance.
* BerserkButton
** He's extremely protective of Momo to the point where [[IneffectualDeathThreats he will swear to kill anyone]] that has harmed her. [[spoiler: He goes ballistic when Aizen fools him into running Hinamori through. The way he falls to pieces results in all the captains dropping their guard in shock.]]
** PlayedForLaughs: if you [[FirstNameBasis call him by his first name]] instead of "[[LastNameBasis Captain Hitsugaya]]" he'll get quite irritated. Only his childhood friend, Momo Hinamori, is given any sort of leniency on this matter. Calling him short or a kid also fails to go over well.
* BladeRun: When he fights Gin, at one point he manages to do this to Gin's blade.
* BlushSticker: Gets these at one point during episode 230 of the Anime.
* BreakTheCutie: From the moment Aizen and Hitsugaya are introduced into the story, Aizen seems to be plotting to emotionally undermine Hitsugaya. In the Soul Society arc, he ensures Hinamori is brainwashed into believing Hitsugaya killed him, forcing them to turn their blades on each other. It leaves Hitsugaya emotionally unprepared for dealing with the truth. [[spoiler:During the Arrancar Arc, Aizen mocks Hitsugaya's hatred of him and then uses his illusion powers to trick Hitsugaya into stabbing Hinamori. Hitsugaya breaking leads to a devastating UnstoppableRage.]]
* CallingYourAttacks: Like most Soul Reaper he calls both his zanpakutou and kido attacks.
* ChildProdigy: He's the youngest captain in Soul Society history and one of the youngest Soul Reaper in the story. It's lampshaded in-universe when Captain Kyouraku, who's been around for many centuries admits to an enemy that Captain Hitsugaya is a prodigy who will probably have surpassed him in a century's time.
* ChildhoodFriend: He and Hinamori were raised by the same woman whom they both call "grandmother".
* TheComicallySerious: He's perpetually serious and aloof despite the antics of both Rangiku and to an extent Momo. He also gets thrown into various situations where nobody takes him as seriously as he'd like.
* CrashIntoHello[=/=]MarshmallowHell: How he meets Rangiku for the first time.
* DeadpanSnarker: Apart from the time before he became a Soul Reaper at all, Hitsugaya has always been rather grumpy and snarky, though professional. Before becoming a captain, he was less intent on being absolutely professional.
* DeclarationOfProtection: To his childhood friend Hinamori. Definitely did not work out as planned.
* {{Delinquents}}: He is thought of as being this by one of Karin's friends in a {{Filler}} Episode of the Anime due to his white hair.
* ElementalBaggage: As long as there is water, Hyourinmaru never runs out of power.
* ElementalEyeColours: His piercing, icy blue eyes fit well with his ice powers.
* FlowerMotif: His Zanpakutou can produce ice-flowers in different kinds of attacks. The ice-flowers tend to take the form of the Glory-of-the-Snow, a flower associated with blooming in the snow because it's such an early spring flower.
* GrumpyBear: One nickname for him is even Captain Grumpypants.
* HoldingBackThePhlebotinum: Probably the poster boy for this trope, as he almost never uses Tensho Jurin, the strongest power of his Zanpakuto and the hardest to control. The two times he does use it, he tries it in Shikai against Gin and waits for his Bankai to be half-gone before trying it against Harribel. In both cases, the restrictions on his use were an attempt to keep the power under control.
* HumanPopsicle: He's fond of this move, though in a series with as low a body count as Bleach it doesn't stick very often.
* HypercompetentSidekick: Was this to his former captain [[spoiler:Isshin Shiba]] as the Third Seat of Squad 10.
* HypocriticalHumor: Wants to be called "Captain Hitsugaya", despite never addressing his colleagues by their ranks. See the following exchange, shared between him and Momo, keeping in mind that he actually ''liked'' Aizen before his treachery became apparent.
-->'''Toshiro''': What are Momo and Aizen doing here?
-->'''Momo''': Toshiro! That's '''Captain''' Aizen.
-->'''Toshiro''': Then call me ''''Captain''' Hitsugaya.
%% * IcyBlueEyes: Formerly the trope example, and for good reason.
* InsistentTerminology: To Momo and Ichigo. "It's '''Captain''' Hitsugaya!"
* IntergenerationalFriendship: Several, pretty much by necessity since he's ''much'' younger than anyone else he hangs out with on a daily basis, after all. The most obvious are his lieutenant, Matsumoto, and fellow captain Ukitake, whose constant gifts of candy are not well-received.
* {{Irony}}: Hitsugaya finally completes his Bankai... only to have it stolen the next time he tries to use it. [[spoiler:In the Soul Society arc, Hitsugaya vowed to kill anyone who made Hinamori bleed. In the Arrancar Arc, Aizen tricks Hitsugaya into stabbing Hinamori, giving her the worst injury she's ever received which required organ transplant technology from the 12th division to fix.]]
* ItsPersonal: Instant trope, just add Hinamori getting hurt!
* LastNameBasis: Insists on it, but excludes addressing anyone by their ranks, making him appear very formal. His most {{Egregious}} case was when he didn't call Byakuya and Rukia "Captain and Lieutenant Kuchiki"; it was flat-out "''[[SugarWiki/FunnyMoments Kuchiki and Kuchiki]]''", which Madarame even called him out on.
* LikeBrotherAndSister: His feelings for Hinamori are described as familial.
* MaskOfPower: He very briefly dons a mask in his battle with the Quincies. [[spoiler: It's a Hollowfication mask caused by Urahara temporarily poisoning the Quincies which allows Hitsugaya to regain his Bankai.]]
* NotSoStoic: He tries to be TheStoic but it's all too easy for Gin and Aizen to push his BerserkButton with a vengeance.
* OddCouple: He's the overly serious workaholic to the easy-going laziness of Rangiku.
* OnlySaneMan: He stays grounded even when those around him are spiraling into insanity- particularly noticeable in filler where everyone else shown will gleefully turn say, a card game, into SeriousBusiness while he looks on in dismay and resignation.
* OurDragonsAreDifferent: His Zanpakuto's spirit looks like a white eastern-style dragon.
* PerpetualFrowner: Even as a kid before becoming a captain he was fairly grumpy, but now he seems to go out of his way to be as grumpy as possible so that people will take him more seriously.
* PowerLimiter: Tenso Juurin is Hyourinmaru's most basic, yet most powerful, ability. However, he also cannot control it perfectly, so he only ever uses it when he's in a position to place a limit on his power. The limit helps him control the ability and prevent it getting out of hand.
* PowerOfTheStorm: His Zanpakutou's most powerful ability Tensou Juurin can control the weather and can be used in both shikai and bankai.
* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: According to the [[AllThereInTheManual Bleach Bootleg]], he carefully observes the soldiers in his division and maintains the division meticulously to ensure that everyone does their share of work (though Matsumoto manages to weasel her way out quite often). Nonetheless, the members of the division find both him and their lieutenant very approachable and have a good amount of respect for both.
* RoaringRampageOfRevenge: He tells Aizen that a Captain should raise their blade in duty, not anger, and that swinging an angry blade is just violence. He then admits that he doesn't care if he loses his seat for doing violence to Aizen, he's just that pissed for what he did to Momo.
* SayMyName: Say it with me now: [[BokeAndTsukkomiRoutine MATSUMOTOOOOOOOOOO]]!
* ScarfOfAsskicking: Gets one during the timeskip. It's the same colour as his eyes.
* StraightMan: Usually for Rangiku. When he was in the real world, it was for almost everyone, to great comical effect. He's even been stuck as the StraightMan caught between the Men's and Women's Soul Reaper Associations in filler. [[spoiler: Flashbacks reveal he was the straight man to Captain Isshin Shiba as well.]]
* TinyGuyHugeGirl: With Matsumoto.
* WillfullyWeak: His Zanpakutou's most powerful and most basic ability can be used in either shikai or bankai. However, he traditionally avoids using it in bankai even when he needs to because his inexpert control over it and wide area of effect would drag in too many bystanders/allies. [[spoiler:Against Harribel, he only decides to use it when his bankai is half-gone, allowing him better control than he would have had when his bankai was at full power.]]
* WiseBeyondTheirYears: He doesn't behave like a typical child his age due to having been thrust into the role of youngest captain in history. Aizen works out that the truth is obscured and that Hitsugaya does actually have the in-built weaknesses associated with his biological youth (such as lacking both the life expectancy and emotional maturity of a grown adult). When Aizen triggers this weakness, the ignition of Hitsugaya's emotions into an UnstoppableRage (and the other captains' inability to have foreseen this weakness) spells disaster for everyone.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Rangiku Matsumoto]]
[[quoteright:290:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/rangiku001_404.png]]
Lieutenant of Squad 10. Rangiku is Bleach's epitome of MsFanservice, with her having the biggest breasts, wearing her uniform in such a way that [[AbsoluteCleavage reveals her ample melons]]. She is a stark contrast to her no-nonsense captain, often sleeping during the day and going out for drinks at night, brushing off all her assigned duties. She has a past with former Captain of Squad 3 Gin Ichimaru.
Her Zanpakuto is ''Haineko'', which dissolves into razor-sharp ash which she can control.
--> Voiced by: KayaMatsutani (JP), MeganHollingshead (ENG), WendeeLee (ENG, Bleach: Soul Resurreccion)
----
* AbsoluteCleavage: Her uniform is worn to expose her body just below the breasts as well as the cleavage.
* ActionGirl: Oh yes. She's a surprisingly effective fighter despite her lazy attitude.
* AdaptationDyeJob: Her hair is blond in the manga but strawberry blond in the anime. Oddly, she gets her original hair color back for one filler episode, 304.
* {{Badass}}: With the flexible and dangerous Haineko she's easily capable of holding her own against fraccion level opponents and for awhile fights three at once, though she's quickly on the ropes during that fight.
* BunnyEarsLawyer: Rangiku's a smart, skilled and loyal officer, that just so happens to love getting drunk, slacking off while on-duty, shopping for tons of stylish clothes, sneaking her way out of work and deviously getting her captain to pay and work for her.
* BuxomIsBetter: She's not above using her appeal to help her get what she wants, such as the time she tried to convince Ichigo to let her sleep at his house by unbuttoning her blouse. Aside from the occasional reference (usually [[GagBoobs comedic]], but sometimes insulting) in the manga and its related omakes, the anime [[UpToEleven takes this much further]] and has a field day using Matsumoto's chest as actual weapons to help her manipulate men (usually Hisagi). There's even one omake (turned into an episode) where the Soul Reapers are at the beach and she begins training Orihime (who's not far behind Rangiku in breast size, despite being only 15 years old) in the art of carrying water with breasts instead of buckets - much to Ichigo's [[FreakOut horror]] (Nanao in the episode).
* CallingYourAttacks: "Neko Rinbu!", various Kido spells.
* ChildhoodFriend: Gin saved her life when they were younger and they were very close, leaving her somewhat conflicted over his defection, though she never considers going with him.
* CoolBigSis: To Orihime, Haineko (in the anime) and Hinamori.
* DeathByAThousandCuts: Her shikai, in which Haineko turns into a cloud of razor sharp ash she can control.
* EroticEating: Licks a long Popsicle in the BeachEpisode, but makes sure to hold it horizontally to keep it from being too explicit.
* EveryoneLovesBlondes: [[AllThereInTheManual According to the Bootleg]], she's the sexiest woman in the Gotei 13 and apparently not a single man can defy her.
* {{Flanderization}}: The personality of her Gigai in the World of the Living is basically a more sex-crazed version of her usual self.
* FunPersonified: If you wanna have a great party, she's the girl for the job.
* GagBoobs: The anime has a field day using Matsumoto's chest for comedy. There's even one omake (turned into an episode) where the Soul Reapers are at the beach and she begins training Orihime in the art of carrying water with breasts instead of buckets - much to [[FreakOut horror]] of Ichigo (manga) and/or Nanao (anime).
* {{Gainaxing}}: Twice. The first was at the end of the Soul Society arc, when Hitsugaya scares her so much her chest almost flies out. The second instance was in the BeachEpisode, where she yells at Hitsugaya for not partying with everyone else.
* GenkiGirl: She's incredibly free-spirited and enthusiastic in most situations.
* GoodBadGirl: Her gigai, definitely, though she herself is just flirty.
* HardDrinkingPartyGirl: Loves her drinks and can handle her alcohol well.
* HotWitch: Wore such a costume in a filler episode and manga spread.
* IAmNotLeftHanded: Pulls this against Kira in the Soul Society arc. When he uses Wabisuke's GravityMaster powers on her Zanpakuto, Matsumoto simply activates Haineko's special abilities and it turns into ash, freeing herself and enabling her to defeat him offscreen.
* IHaveBoobsYouMustObey: When Ichigo tries to turf Hitsugaya's team out of his house, Rangiku retaliates by beginning to unbutton her blouse. Ichigo tries to resist, but peeks through his fingers.
* LastNameBasis: Weirdly, Rangiku calls Hinamori by her surname, but Momo herself calls Rangiku by her first name.
* LightFeminineAndDarkFeminine: Dark Feminine to [[NeutralFemale Orihime]] and [[YamatoNadeshiko Hinamori]], due to her being a happy-go-lucky HardDrinkingPartyGirl.
* LovableSexManiac: The anime really enjoys making her look like an unabashed perv. In an omake, she convinced Hisagi and Kira to model for her, with every other snapshot showing them with progressively less clothing (and Rangiku, um, [[EatingTheEyeCandy enthusiastically voicing her support]]). Once they stripped down to their loincloths, Rangiku asks if they removed ''those'' as well. When Hisagi and Kira understandably objected, Rangiku ran towards Kira, ''grabbed his loincloth and pulled it away'', while continuing to take snapshots of Kira's crotch. Nanao is deeply disturbed by the results of Rangiku's pictures and decides to omit them from usage. At one point, another omake (for the BeachEpisode) really makes her seem like an exhibitionist; she considered ''stripping naked'' if no one complimented her on her skimpy swimsuit.
* MarshmallowHell: Towards Hitsugaya, who is extremely annoyed.
* MsFanservice: This is also lampshaded [[AllThereInTheManual in-universe]] as she has a reputation for being the sexiest woman in Seireitei.
* NiceGirl: She has a reputation for being lazy, but she's also well-known for being loyal, compassionate and friendly.
* OffhandBackhand: Her way of dealing with Kon and Keigo when they try to glomp her.
* OneOfTheBoys: Busty and feminine, but she clearly prefers hanging out with guys (especially Yumichika and Ikkaku) when she's not on duty. Conversely, most guys of the Gotei treat her as one of those due to her fun-loving, easygoing personality.
* ProudBeauty: Rangiku knows she has a large bust, and she flaunts them pretty shamelessly, usually for comedic purposes due to being TheTease. On at least one occasion, she's even tried getting Ichigo to change his mind by hiking up her skirt and unbuttoning her blouse.
* SadClown: She's actually deeply troubled, at least by Gin's behavior. You wouldn't know about her sad past from her attitude today.
* SignificantBirthDate: She only started counting the days once she met Gin, and Gin even considered the day she met him ''as'' her birthday.
* TheSlacker: When not in action, she tends to laze about and avoid all the work. Hitsugaya's predecessor was even lazier, and to her horror was far better at dumping his responsibilities onto her than she was at dumping hers on him.
* StatuesqueStunner: She's not quite as tall as Isane, but she's one of the taller ''Bleach'' ladies at 5'8''.
* TheTease: She deliberately arranges her clothing to give her AbsoluteCleavage which is guaranteed to have an impact on men. Any man who tries to take advantage of this, however, will get kicked or elbowed in the face for his trouble. She may encourage "window shopping" but grabbing the goods is not allowed.
* TinyGuyHugeGirl: With Hitsugaya. At 5'7", she's much taller than the Japanese average height for women (5'2").
* VerbalTic: Her gigai always end her sentences with "-beshii", so as to sound hornier and sexier.
[[/folder]]
!!Squad 11
[[folder:Kenpachi Zaraki]]
[[quoteright:290:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/290px-Episode_362_Kenpachi_cleaned_up_7027.png]]
[[caption-width-right:290:[[labelnote:Click here to see his pre-TimeSkip appearance]][[quoteright:290:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/zaraki001_8473.png]][[/labelnote]]]]
->''"Everyone who searches for power, without exception, searches for battle! Do you fight in order to become more powerful? Or do you want more power so you can fight?"''
The rough and wild captain of Squad 11, Kenpachi's immense spiritual power enabled him to achieve captain rank without unlocking his Zanpakutou's name or power. He's the only captain in history who has achieved captaincy without requiring Bankai to do so. He enjoys fighting and will hold back in various ways to make the fight last as long as possible. Due to his love of fighting, he is a wild card for Soul Society, being willing to turn on them if it gives him the chance to have a great fight.
He is the guardian of his lieutenant Yachiru whom he named after someone from his past that he greatly admired.
His Zanpakutou is ''Nozarashi''.
--> Voiced by: Creator/FumihikoTachiki (JP), David Lodge (ENG, Episodes 20-202), Creator/PatrickSeitz (ENG, Episodes 244+), César Arias (Latin American Spanish)
----
* AbsurdCuttingPower: While most Zanpakutou are capable of cutting with unnatural ability even in sealed state, Nozorashi's entire power is based on cutting. In base state it can cut things other Zanpakutou can only handle when unsealed. Kenpachi claims there's nothing his shikai cannot cut and demonstrates by first reducing a falling asteroid to rubble with a single strike before going on to cut his way through outer space.
* AcheyScars: The scar over his eye aches [[spoiler:when Unohana speaks]].
* AnimeHair: His hair looks spiky beyond all belief, but that is only because he goes through a lot of trouble to style it like that. When left to its own devices it hangs down.
* AntiHero: Of the SociopathicHero variety. While he is more than capable of empathy, and he clearly cares about his subordinates, if anybody except Yachiru gets in the way of one of his fights, he goes right through them at best, or straight up kills them at worst.
* AtopAMountainOfCorpses: He is introduced this way in a flashback. [[spoiler:Unohana first meets him like this when he was still a child.]]
* AttackAttackAttack: His basic strategy is to have no strategy. He doesn't even really bother with defence.
* AxCrazy: Tosen calls him out on it.
-->'''Tousen:''' It seems like you lost not only your pride, but your sanity as well, Zaraki.\\
'''Kenpachi:''' Sanity, huh? I don't even remember having a bothersome thing like that to start with.
** Literally with his Shikai [[spoiler:A gigantic Axe.]]
* {{Badass}}: His whole personality, really.
* BadassAndChildDuo: When he was a nameless murderer in the most lawless, dangerous areas of Rukongai, he took Yachiru in, though it's implied she's now extremely badass herself.
* BadassArmy: The 11th squad. Kenpachi flat-out says that the only requirements for being a member are loving to fight and being good at it.
* BadassBaritone: Like other similarly non bishonen Bleach males, his voice is fairly deep.
* BarbarianLonghair: Weirdly [[ZigZaggedTrope zig zagged]]. Zaraki styles his hair into stiff strands with small bells attached at the tips. [[AllThereInTheManual This process is very time consuming.]] Then we get a FlashBack to the time [[http://images.wikia.com/bleach/en/images/9/93/C114_cover_page_Zaraki_&_Yachiru.png before Zaraki became the captain of Squad 11.]] After the TimeSkip, [[ExpositoryHairstyleChange Zaraki has once again started wearing his hair down]]. It would seem that the more Zaraki embraces his naturally [[TheBerserker savage fighting style]], the more unkempt his hair is.
* BarefootPoverty: While living in the poverty-stricken 80th district Kenpachi, like other residents of the district, has no access to luxuries such as footwear.
* BattleAura: In the shape of a skull no less.
* TheBerserker: His berserker nature makes him happy in battle, to the point where getting cut makes him laugh and the more he gets cut, the more he laughs. He's an example of someone who is technically on the good guys side who is unrepentant about his nature. He likes being that way. Allies and opponents alike find him extremely unnerving to be around on the battlefield.
* {{BFS}}: Nozarashi's base form is a nodachi with a chipped blade. When it transforms into shikai, it takes the form of a giant cleaver whose blade dwarfs even Kenpachi's large frame.
* BloodKnight: Zaraki ''lives'' for fighting. [[spoiler:As a child, when it turned out he was already stronger than his tougher opponent, Unohana, he subconsciously began putting limiters on his ability so that he would be able to continue to enjoy fighting. The only way to fix this mistake is for Unohana to repetitively [[CameBackStrong kill and revive]] him over and over again, as he only gets stronger when he's at the point of death.]]
* BoisterousBruiser: He fights and '''''LOVES''''' it.
* BoringButPractical: Most Captains save their Bankai or a technique that their Bankai uses as an ace in the hole for when the fight goes south. Kenpachi's equivalent of this is holding his sword two-handed and using Kendo, rather than swinging one-handed like a madman. The boringness is explicitly the reason he doesn't use it often.
* BoxingLessonsForSuperman: Without formal training in zanjutsu or kendo, Kenpachi functions at the level of a captain despite not having a bankai. [[spoiler: Shunsui's first act as captain-commander is to overturn the Central 46's secret ban on allowing Kenpachi to receive formal training in the martial techniques every Soul Reaper is supposed to have in a deliberate attempt to invoke this trope.]]
* CombatPragmatist: He doesn't use any sort of tricks or strategies, but once you're recognized as his opponent he's just going to hack away at you whether you're trying to talk to him or you're looking away or anything.
* CoveredWithScars: Due to his love for fighting, his body is absolutely covered in scars. His overall strategy seems to be that dodging is for sissies.
* DeliberateInjuryGambit: Kenpachi [[BloodKnight naturally]] decides this is the best tactic against Tousen's bankai, which cuts him off from all the senses except touch. Hey, if he gets stabbed, he knows where the person wielding the sword is, right? This tactic is also an example of FridgeBrilliance since he actually [[HilarityEnsues contemplates the advice]] his three subordinates might offer him. He imagines [[{{Bishounen}} Yumichika]] telling him to [[TheDandy give up beautifully]]. At first [[SugarWiki/FunnyMoments disgusted by his own imagination]], he suddenly realises it's inspired him to come up with his plan. Why? Because a BloodKnight ''would'' think [[FridgeBrilliance quitting fighting just to tank a sword solely to defeat the opponent is indeed "giving up beautifully"]].
* EveryoneCallsHimBarkeep: Kenpachi is the title of the top ranked warrior in the Soul Society. Zaraki is the name of the place he's from. In the end, he doesn't really have a name. Not quite.
* ExcaliburInTheRust: His Zanpakuto is dull, rusted, and pitted.
* ExpositoryHairstyleChange: In the timeskip he lets his hair down.
* EyepatchOfPower: It's a PowerLimiter, helping him control his power.
* HeroicComedicSociopath: Kenpachi's BloodKnight tendencies are often PlayedForLaughs in the anime, although sometimes in the manga as well. Most of the time, however, they're used to emphasise there's something deeply unnatural about his fighting style and urges.
* HugeGuyTinyGirl: Him and Yachiru despite not being a couple.
* IAmNotLeftHanded: He puts bells in his hair so people can hear him coming, wears an eyepatch that eats some his power and just swings his sword around madly with one hand instead of anything resembling proper technique unless he absolutely has to. [[spoiler:He even does this ''subconsciously''; after his first fight with Unohana, in which he proved to be the stronger of the duo, he limited his own power so he'd have someone strong to fight against, to the point that she needs to keep landing fatal blows to get him to fight at full strength.]]
* ImprobableHairstyle: His hair is tied up into spikes with bells at the ends.
* InSeriesNickname: The Soul Reaper that possesses the title "Kenpachi" tends to be nicknamed, "The Man who Cannot Fall".
* KlingonPromotion: He became the Squad 11 captain by killing his predecessor. That's the guy's cloak he wears.
* TheLawOfDiminishingDefensiveEffort: He hardly ever bothers with dodging since he can tank a ''lot'' of damage.
* LargeHam: Kenpachi's idea of a good fight includes hamming up his enjoyment of it - and encouraging his opponent to descend into hamminess as well.
* LeeroyJenkins: He runs straight into battle with a battle cry. He doesn't care about plans.
* ManlyTears: He sheds a single tear when he realises he's facing the reality of never being able to achieve his dream. [[spoiler: When Unohana is about to kill him, he admits he's always admired her and dying before he could ever defeat her really sucks.]]
* MoeCouplet: His interactions with Yachiru are often very cute and/or funny.
* NoNameGiven: Justified. He doesn't know his real name.
* NoSell: Gremmy's ImaginationBasedSuperpower cannot overcome Kenpachi even when he imagines crazy attacks such as meteor strikes to the city. Kenpachi explains that there is nothing Gremmy can imagine that Kenpachi cannot cut. Kenpachi fully believes he can cut anything that can ever be imagined.
* NoSenseOfDirection: As a result, Yachiru tries to guide him. Too bad her own sense of direction is just as bad.
* OhCrap: The expression he wears when he is defeated by Yachiru. [[spoiler: Yachiru Unohana, that is, the only person he has ever genuinely feared.]]
* TheOnlyOneAllowedToDefeatYou: He's willing to turn on Soul Society to save Ichigo's life just because he wants a rematch.
* OpenShirtTaunt: Kenpachi does this for Ichigo in their first encounter.
* PapaWolf: When Nnoitra tried to kill Yachiru, Kenpachi became much more serious in battle. [[spoiler:When she disappears in the Final Arc, he's distraught and refuses to listen to his men when they point out that his order to find her is problematic because they don't have a reiatsu trail to follow.]]
* ParentalSubstitute: Found baby Yachiru in the streets and took her in.
* PerpetualFrowner: Unless he's fighting a fun opponent, he almost never smiles.
* PleaseWakeUp: The one person Kenpachi didn't want to see die illicts this response from him. [[spoiler: Upon defeating Unohana, he realises she's dying and screams at her to wake up while cradling her.]]
* PowerIncontinence: He cannot properly control his reiatsu output. As a result, he cannot seal his zanpakutou or control how much reiatsu he's suppressing or releasing so wears a special eyepatch that acts as an artificial PowerLimiter. He wears it when he wants to suppress his power and he takes it off when he wants to increase the amount he's using in battle. [[spoiler: It's connected to a traumatic childhood experience. His meaningless life gained meaning when he met and almost defeated his first WorthyOpponent. He was so terrified of being left alone that he subconsciously suppressed his power to spare her life and it's been suppressed ever since.]]
* RealMenWearPink: He spends hours doing his hair and he sometimes has tea parties with Yachiru. Aw!
* ScrewThisImOuttaHere: After he one-shots [[spoiler:Giriko]], he declares he's bored and wants to go home, but Yachiru stops him.
* SelfImposedChallenge: Fights one-handed with a dulled sword, wears an eyepatch that constantly sucks power out of him, and wears bells in his hair so that people can hear him coming, all for the express purpose of making fights harder (and therefore more fun) for himself.
* SlasherSmile: He never smiles normally, only viciously grinning in anticipation of bloodshed.
* SparingTheAces: Kenpachi spared the original Yachiru's life. [[spoiler: It was an unconscious act, a subconscious decision based on the fear of being deprived of a WorthyOpponent who had a unique enough level of fighting talent that he was able to feel the thrill of fear in battle for the very first time.]]
* TrainingFromHell: During the Vandenreich's first invasion, Kenpachi's defeat results in him going through horrendous training to improve himself. [[spoiler: Kyouraku orders Unohana to train him in a fight to the death. This training involves fatally wounding and magically healing Kenpachi over and over again in a duel to the death until he's too strong for her to kill anymore.]]
* UnderestimatingBadassery: Goes both ways during his fight against Nnoitra. Nnoitra was completely unprepared for the badass mass of insanity that was Kenpachi, while Kenpachi himself was completely underestimating the damage Nnoitra was inflicting to his body. It took him ''bleeding to death'' to realize that he'd better get serious or he'll really die.
* UnskilledButStrong: Has no clue on how to fight properly, but his raw power is enough to defeat almost any opponent. It is eventually revealed this is a combination of his dislike of formal martial philosophy and the Central 46 preferring to keep him untrained so he's not too powerful should he ever rebel. [[spoiler: Even as a child, he was in fact ''so'' strong that he was able to ''better'' his opponent Captain Unohana, who was considered to be the most skilled swordsman and one the most powerful captains in Soul Society]].
* VictoryIsBoring: He holds back in battle because of the fear that there would be nothing for him to enjoy should this ever happen. [[spoiler: It's such an unconscious fear that he doesn't even know he's shackled his own power to avoid killing any WorthyOpponent he does meet.]]
* TheWorfEffect: Even [[InSeriesNickname The Man Who Cannot Fall]] is not immune. [[spoiler:He is defeated off-page by Royd Lloyd, who is [[DittoFighter mimicking]] both Yhwach's appearance and power. It's the first real evidence of Yhwach's power level.]]
* WorfHadTheFlu: Kenpachi goes into one of his fights having lampshaded that he's sporting damaged internal organs that's making him cough up blood. He's defeated in two blows without ever managing to get in a successful hit. [[spoiler:The four female Stern Ritters who defeat him also make it clear that their strategy depends on attacking him while he was worn out from his battle with Gremmy - although the amount of damage they put on him was incredible on its own right.]]
* TheXOfY: While living in the Rukongai, Kenpachi, originally nameless, eventually named himself by taking the title of the strongest Soul Reapers (the Kenpachi) and the district he was originally from (Zaraki district). He would therefore introduce himself as Kenpachi of Zaraki. By the time he's 11th division captain, however, the name has contracted into Kenpachi Zaraki.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Gosuke Kiganjo]]
!!!'''Gosuke Kiganjo'''
%%[[quoteright:290:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/290px-Kenpachi_Kiganju_4877.jpg]]
%%Image is too tall.
He's the 10th Kenpachi, the one that Zaraki killed before becoming captain. Although mentioned in the early chapters of ''Turn Back The Pendulum'', he finally made an official, if brief, debut in Bleach #527.
----
* AllThereInTheManual: We learned of his height, name, weight, birthday and design in the ''Masked'' databook.
* KlingonPromotion: He killed the previous Kenpachi to becom captain of the 11th division. The other captains weren't very impressed with him.
* LargeAndInCharge: He was 7'3, and weighed 695 pounds back when he was the captain of the eleventh division.
* LazyBum: According to Shinji, at least, almost to the point of being apathetic. He wasn't present during Urahara's promotion, or in the emergency meeting about disappearing souls in the Rukongai. He didn't even bother to pick a lieutenant.
* PosthumousCharacter: Killed by Kenpachi Zaraki long ago.
* ScaryBlackMan: Looks a little like Yammy, too.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Yachiru Kusajishi]]
[[quoteright:290:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/290px-Episode_363_Yachiru_Option_2_6083.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:290:[[labelnote:Click here to see her pre-TimeSkip appearance]][[quoteright:290:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/yachiru001_5351.png]][[/labelnote]]]]
->''"We'll get stronger, Ken-chan. Together, let's get stronger. I know that Ken-chan is the best. So let's get stronger! You and me together."''
Kenpachi's pink-haired [[MoralityPet sidekick]] and best friend, whom he adopted before becoming a Soul Reaper. She is one of the most hyperactive characters in the series and will stick by Kenpachi no matter what. She can be a little annoying to others, as seen in the {{Omake}}s. She is also President of the Soul Reaper Women's Association.
Kenpachi named her Yachiru after the only person he ever admired and her last name is taken from the district he found her in.
Her Zanpakuto is ''Sanpo Kenjū''.
--> Voiced by: Hisayo Mochizuki (JP), Stevie Bloch (ENG), Jessica Ángeles (Latin American Spanish)
----
* BadassAndChildDuo: The child to Kenpachi's badass. She appears to be pretty badass herself though, being a lieutenant and all.
* BadassAdorable: She's small, cute and very dangerous. She has a reputation for speed and is the lieutenant of the strongest combat division. Bankai-capable Ikkaku is terrified of her. In the final arc, she is finally allowed to fight and reveal why her reputation is so formidable.
* BarefootPoverty: While living in the poverty-stricken 79th district Yachiru, like other residents of the district, has no access to luxuries such as footwear.
* BerserkButton: Interrupt her enjoyment of a Kenpachi fight at your own peril.
* BigEater: To the point that it's a RunningGag.
* TheBlindLeadingTheBlind: This comes into play whenever she gives directions to Kenpachi.
* BlushSticker: Two permanent ones. It goes with her hyperactive, cheerful persona.
* CatchPhrase: Seems to have a fondness for "Aye aye, sir!".
* CheerfulChild: She is constantly upbeat and cheerful, especially when Kenpachi is having fun in a fight, and especially when she has access to sweets.
* CurtainsMatchTheWindow: Yachiru's hair and eyes are pink. This makes her stand out as something cute and unusual creating a dissonance with the hint to her that there's something really quite dark and wrong to her.
* CuteAndPsycho: She's cute, but she's also powerful and violent enough to scare Ikkaku.
* CuteBruiser, PintSizedPowerhouse, and WaifFu: She's small enough to easily ride on Kenpachi's shoulder, yet can easily pick him up ''and jump up two stories while holding him'' without breaking a sweat. And when she runs at full speed she digs divots out of ''stone pavement''. She's also as able to cope with captain-class reiatsu as any other vice-captain.
* EffortlessAmazonianLift: Can carry Kenpachi on her shoulder while jumping from building to building, which is quite the indication that she isn't really just cute and harmless.
* ExpositoryHairstyleChange ''and'' [[HairDecorations Every Girl Is Cuter With Crossbones On Her Head]]
* InLoveWithYourCarnage: She ''enjoys'' watching violence, whether it is from Kenpachi or his opponent. In fact she was like this ''when she was a baby'', attracted by Kenpachi's sword in the midst of a bloody massacre.
* MoeCouplet: With Kenpachi in a father/daughter sort of way.
* MoralityPet: After a fashion, to Kenpachi. She loves seeing him have fun, so, what kind of limits she actually imposes on him through her presence is a mystery.
* NamedAfterSomebodyFamous: Kenpachi gave her the name "Yachiru" after the only person he ever admired, and it means "someone who has mastered all forms and styles of sword combat". The original Yachiru was the founder of the 11th division and the first, and strongest, Kenpachi to ever lead that division. [[spoiler: She's also Retsu Unohana, captain of the fourth division.]]
* TheNicknamer: Some of her names are harmless enough to be regarded as nothing more than an InSeriesNickname (such as "Yumichee" for Yumichika or Ken-chan for Kenpachi). However, most of her names are regarded as an EmbarrassingNickname instead (such as Pachinko-Head/baldy for Ikkaku or Maki-Maki for Arimaki).
* NoSenseOfDirection: Even so, Kenpachi asks her for directions.
* ThePiratesWhoDontDoAnything: Lieutenants fight and/or administrate. Except for Yachiru, that is. She mostly plays, eats sweets and watches Kenpachi's fights from the side-lines, only very rarely doing anything related to her actual duties. Both the third and fifth seats of her division carry the title "proxy lieutenant", the same as the two third seats of the formerly lieutenant-less 13th Division.
* ReallySevenHundredYearsOld: She looks like she's around 6-8 years old. Considering the fact that Hitsugaya, who looks around 13 years old, has been around for at least 40 years (confirmed, most likely longer, but that's unconfirmed), it's very hard to say how old she is. What ''is'' known is that she was around him long before he became a captain.
* RoseHairedSweetie: Pink-haired, hyperactive, Yachiru is the cheerful and optimistic version, always smiling, especially when Kenpachi is enjoying his fights.
* SatelliteCharacter: She's Kenpachi's lieutenant and surrogate daughter, but in the storyline there's not much else she does. In omakes she gets a slightly larger role, however.
* StreetUrchin: Apparently, babies and toddlers can survive for a time on their own in Soul Society, so Yachiru most likely spent a while like this before being taken in by Kenpachi.
* UndyingLoyalty: Kenpachi is her whole world.
* WithCatlikeTread: She continues to be her usual boisterous self while sneaking through the Sternritter's territory for supplies, much to Isane's horror.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Ikkaku Madarame]]
[[quoteright:290:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/290px-Episode_363_Ikkaku_5904.png]]
[[caption-width-right:290:[[labelnote:Click here to see his pre-TimeSkip appearance]][[quoteright:290:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/ikkaku001_9591.png]][[/labelnote]]]]
->''"No man's life is worth more than another! If you're gonna put your life on the line, you do it as equals! I don't care if you're brothers, or master and apprentice, or whatever! You should only die for a guy who'd die for you! There's nothing honourable about throwing your life away as though it's nothing! That's just showing off like a kid!"''
3rd in command of Squad 11 and one of the most HotBlooded characters here. In the past, Ikkaku fought Kenpachi, but ended up losing. He followed Kenpachi to Seireitei and vowed to someday fight and die under his command. He is the first person Ichigo fights when he gets inside the Seireitei. After their fight, they become minor rivals.
His Zanpakutou is ''Hōzukimaru'', a three section staff with a blade on the end. His Bankai is ''Ryūmon Hōzukimaru'', a set of three enormous blades which grow in offensive strength the longer he fights.
--> Voiced by: NobuyukiHiyama (JP), VicMignogna (ENG), Richard Cansino (ENG, Episode 105), SamRiegel (ENG, Episode 204), Oscar Flores (Latin American Spanish)
----
* AlmightyJanitor: Third Seat Ikkaku Madarame is known for being vice-captain-class despite his lower rank. What's less well-known is the fact he's [[HiddenBadass hiding bankai]], only someone who possesses the talent to one day achieve captain-class can achieve. However, although officially still a secret, the news he has bankai has been slowly leaking out.
* AwesomeButImpractical: His bankai drastically increases his power and the longer he uses it the stronger he gets. However, not only is it so brittle that it starts breaking when he actually scores a direct hit, but it actually takes him a fairly significant amount of time before his weapon even finishes waking up. Finally, it doesn't increase his speed.
* {{Badass}}: Fixes his dislocated shoulder by ''flexing his muscles''.
* BadassBoast:
-->"You had a bad opponent. You were a lucky man, but I'm the luckiest bastard in the entire Gotei 13!"
* BaldOfAwesome: ''[[BerserkButton Who called him bald]]!?''. His baldness is also used as a RunningGag throughout the series.
* BerserkButton: I dare you to call him "baldie."
* {{BFS}}: Despite all others having one, his bankai definitely stands out.
* BifurcatedWeapon: Ikkaku combines his sword and sheath together to create his shikai.
* BishieSparkle: Parodied. Keigo's sister Mizuho finds him very attractive because she likes men who shave their head. Thus, she sees him more as a regular Bishie than the {{Badass}} he is. Cue the sparkles!
* BladeOnAStick: Hozukimaru turns to a three sectioned spear in Shikai.
* BloodKnight: Typical of the 11th Division.
* EverybodyKnewAlready: He is willing to throw fights to avoid revealing his bankai, despite having willingly told [[HeterosexualLifePartner Yumichika]], [[TheApprentice Renji]] and [[ActionSurvivor Keigo]]. When chastising Ikkaku for his attitude, [[BigBrotherMentor Iba]] reveals he's always known. [[OurWerewolvesAreDifferent Komamura]] accidentally overhears but promises to keep his mouth shut. Later on, Mayuri's comment to Ichigo that he and Akon once patched up Ikkaku's broken bankai reminds Mayuri he wasn't supposed to reveal the secret. He concludes he doesn't care.
* FacialMarkings: His eyes each have a small red marking at the outer corner.
* FashionableAsymmetry: After the time-skip, he wears no sleeve on the right and a full sleeve on the left. He also has his right shoulder and upper arm encased in armour but there's none on his left side.
* FightingWithChucks: Ikkaku's Zanpakutou initially looks like a spear when it's released. However, this simply disguises the fact that it's really a three-sectioned staff. Justified in that Ikkaku's themes are based on Chinese warrior monks, so his weapon (in all its forms) is based on weapons associated with Chinese warrior monks instead of being based on Japanese versions.
* GlassCannon: His zanpakutou is this. His shikai is a snake of a weapon being unpredictable and dangerous, but it's also made of wood and breaks easily. His bankai is hideously powerful but the sheer force of its own power makes it brittle. It's heavily implied that the only reason his zanpakutou is a GlassCannon in any form is because he's abusing his power and not using it properly. Ikkaku himself, however, is not this trope.
* HandOrObjectUnderwear: Mizuho causes this situation in Episode #229.
* HotBlooded: Look at his seiyuu.
* IAmNotLeftHanded: Knows Bankai, but hides it in fear of being told to leave Kenpachi's service. [[spoiler:Eventually he nearly gets himself killed for holding back and at about the same time it's made clear that he hasn't done such a great job of protecting his secret anyway.]]
* InstantChucks: Ikkaku's bankai transforms his [[FightingWithChucks three-section staff]] into three giant blades [[ImpossiblyCoolWeapon loosely based on the monk's spade]] connected by a huge chain. As with Hisagi, his weapon is technically a [[EpicFlail chain weapon]] that requires two hands to use. His three bankai blades have been noticed to be exceptionally powerful but fragile because he chooses not to use his power correctly [[BloodKnight for the sake of fun]].
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Despite his boisterous, cocky, battle-loving nature, Ikkaku is strangely not that difficult to get along with, especially when off-duty, and will sometimes help strangers, especially if they wish to become better fighters.
* LargeHam: Ikkaku Madarame is not a quiet man.
* PerpetualFrowner: Unless he's fighting.
* ThoseTwoGuys: With Yumichika, to Kenpachi.
* UnderestimatingBadassery: Ikkaku always goes into a fight with a smile, save for his battle against Shishigawara - expecting a quick throwdown against a human. Compared to the rest of the Soul Society reinforcements, he gets bloodied up the most. This was, in part, because he [[BloodKnight wanted to be]], however.
* UndyingLoyalty: Pre-time skip this was his major characteristic given that he's hiding his true power simply so that he can fight and die under Kenpachi's command. After the time-skip, however... well, see WarriorTherapist and wonder.
* WarriorTherapist: When Ikkaku learns of Shishigawara's motivation for having UndyingLoyalty towards Tsukishima, he lectures him on everything that is wrong with his thinking.
-->"No man's life is worth more than another! If you're gonna put your life on the line, you do it as equals! I don't care if you're brothers, or master and apprentice, or whatever! You should only die for a guy who'd die for you! There's nothing honorable about throwing your life away as though it's nothing! That's just showing off like a kid!"
* WhamLine: When he ''first'' said "Bankai!"
* WillfullyWeak: He refuses to publicise his bankai because he's afraid he'll be put under pressure to develop towards being a captain, which would ultimately force him to leave Squad 11. All he wants to do is fight and die under Kenpachi's command. As a result, he'll avoid activating bankai even if it means getting defeated or killed, if there's no way for him to activate bankai without his possession of it becoming public knowledge.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Yumichika Ayasegawa]]
[[quoteright:290:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/yumichika001_7323.png]]
->''"I refuse to look upon something so hideous."''
Yumichika is the [[HiddenDepths apparently]] narcissistic 5th seat in Squad 11. He isn't the fourth seat because he hates the number four ([[FourIsDeath and who wouldn't]]?). His most distinguishing feature is his right eye which has two pairs of brightly coloured feathers accentuating it. Yumichika is first seen fighting Ganju Shiba during the Soul Society arc and losing, mainly due to having his [[TheDandy precious hair]] messed up. Despite his vain appearance, he's actually an even match to Ikkaku.
His Zanpakutou is ''Ruri'iro Kujaku'', "nicknamed" ''Fuji Kujaku'', and it takes the form of a multi-bladed falx. It lets him sap his opponents of their energy and stamina.
--> Voiced by: Creator/JunFukuyama (JP), Brian Beacock (ENG), Moisés Iván Mora (Latin American Spanish)
----
* AdaptationDyeJob: His feathers are multi-hued in the manga. The anime changes this to one pair of solid red feathers and one pair of solid yellow feathers.
* AlmightyJanitor: He's officially the fifth seat of the strongest combat division. No one has the fourth seat because he [[FourIsDeath won't take it]] and no one can defeat him to take it, which makes him the fourth strongest member of the division. He's officially expected to take on enemies and responsibilities that only captains and vice-captains are supposed to be assigned to. All this is based on his publicly acknowledged abilities. Now factor in the [[VampiricDraining abilities]] he's [[CoverBlowingSuperPower keeping secret]] that allow him to win fights in a ''single strike'' when he uses them.
* AnimalMotif: The peacock - every aspect of the Asian symbology, which includes not just the beauty, vanity and pride, but also the loyalty, rejuvenation, resurrection, and watchfulness themes, too.
* BerserkButton: Don't call him ugly or show him something ugly. Bad idea.
* BishieSparkle: Even when his BerserkButton is pressed, he'll sparkle.
* {{Bishonen}}: And damn, does he like to remind people.
* BloodKnight: Don't let his obsession with beauty and his bishounen looks fool you. He loves fighting as much as any 11th division member.
* BloodLust: In the [[{{Filler}} anime-only]] Invasion Arc, one of the [[EvilTwin clones]] is revealed to have this. [[spoiler: Yumichika can't attack his clone because he [[TheFightingNarcissist thinks]] his clone is far too beautiful. However, his clone has no qualms about tearing Yumichika to shreds precisely because he thinks he'd look even more beautiful covered in blood.]]
* CampStraight: He's a tad fruity, to be sure, but there aren't any hints of him being attracted to any men (not even Ikkaku, although the anime will sometimes create ShipTease) and the only person he ever calls beautiful is Orihime.
* CombatTentacles: Yumichika's true shikai transforms his sword into a mass of vines that capture and restrain the enemy while at the same time draining the enemy to death. As a twist, Yumichika is a protagonist, not a villain.
* CoverBlowingSuperpower: His true abilities could get him kicked out of his division if it became common knowledge. At the very least, it'll disgrace him.
* TheDandy: He will avert the part of the trope that says a dandy doesn't like fighting, but if his clothes get torn in a fight, he ''will'' prioritise getting a fresh set of clothing over an enemy invasion of the city he's trained to protect. And he's been known to lose a fight just because his hair got messed up.
* {{Determinator}}: He'd rather die than let his division find out the truth, so, even though it's not his natural style, he'll keep fighting -- hiding his power -- for as long as he can to protect his secret... or die.
* DiagnosisFromDrBadass: After one punch by Charlotte, Yumichika can immediately tell his arm is broken in three separate places. He keeps fighting regardless.
* DramaticPause: When Yumichika [[PreAssKickingOneLiner thanks]] Charlotte, the anime doesn't just emphasise it with GlowingEyesOfDoom. They give the moment a DramaticPause as well.
* EmpathicWeapon: Yumichika's is actually unique: his Zanpakutou's name is based on its favourite colour, Ruri'iro Kujaku (Azure Peacock) but Yumichika has nicknamed it based on its most [[BerserkButton hated]] colour, Fuji Kujaku (Wisteria-Purple Peacock). His Zanpakutou retaliates to the nickname by only partially releasing to deny Yumichika its shikai power and appearance. Yumichika takes advantage of this to [[WillfullyWeak disguise]] his kidou-type Zanpakutou as a combat-type Zanpakutou so his squad won't ostracise for him for possessing a [[CoverBlowingSuperpower taboo weapon]]. It means he's fighting with a [[{{Determinator}} fake shikai]] in battle.
* EnergyAbsorption: The basis of how his shikai works is by draining away the life-force of his opponent. After the fight is over, he is free to choose to use the stolen life-force to heal any wounds he may have sustained in the fight, giving his shikai optional VampiricDraining properties, too.
* EvilCounterpart: Inverted. His gigai in the Real World is basically the exact opposite of him in personality: a tough grouch... despite only seeing it ''once'' in the entire show!
* ExplainingYourPowerToTheEnemy: Averted. In a manga where almost everyone introduces themselves at the start of a fight and explains their abilities just before launching their described attack, Yumichika stands out as one of the few who doesn't do either. The only time we've ever seen him describe his power, he waited until his opponent was already too badly damaged by the attack to be able to escape, and he finished explaining just in time for his opponent to die.
* FashionableAsymmetry: He accessorises his right eye with feathers and his right arm is clothed in orange, and is attached to his neck ruff on the right side only. After the time-skip, he discarded the orange in favour of white, retaining the asymmetry of a clothed right arm and unclothed left arm. He's also got a cloth running vertically over his right shoulder, giving him a sash look on the right-handed side from the front and the appearance of having an all-white (right) sleeve from the back. On top of that, he's also rearranged his hair to have a long plait on the right-hand side of his hair, and slightly longer strands of hair than his left-hand side.
* TheFightingNarcissist: He loves himself and his beauty and always makes sure he looks his best when kicking ass.
* FluffyFashionFeathers: Around the eyes before the time-skip; Eyes and ears after the time-skip.
* FlowerMotif: His shikai produces lilies which are, appropriately, symbols of [[VampiricDraining rejuvenation]], [[EnergyAbsorption death]] and [[TheFightingNarcissist beauty]].
* {{Foreshadowing}}:
** The fight with Hisagi saw his injuries mysteriously vanish by the end of the fight and Kenpachi noticed he had more energy than he'd had before the start of the fight. Hisagi is also left muttering about the Zanpakutou being a type he'd never heard of existing and how his reiatsu has been eaten. It's years and hundreds of chapters later before his Zanpakutou is revealed to be an EnergyAbsorption weapon that has VampiricDraining powers.
** When Yumichika trains for bankai after the first Espada fight, he gives up in disgust, claiming it's impossible to achieve because Fuji Kujaku is being too stubborn and uncooperative for him to be able to materialise the spirit in front of everyone. Hundreds of chapters later, it's revealed that, to ensure no-one (especially Ikkaku and Kenpachi) can ever learn the true nature of his sword, he calls it Fuji Kujaku to force it to become stubborn and uncooperative. In the training session, not only is he training in front of others (including Ikkaku), but he's also calling it Fuji Kujaku. In other words, his bankai training failed because he deliberately sabotaged it.
* FunnyAfro: As a result of Ganju throwing a firework at his head, Yumichika is mortified to find himself sporting one of these. Ikkaku finds it hilarious.
* GlowingEyesOfDoom: The moment Yumichika turns the tables on Charlotte is accompanied by this in the anime.
* HeterosexualLifePartners: The fanbase can often be found discussing the true nature of the relationship between Yumichika and Ikkaku and the anime often likes to add [[ShipTease fuel]] to this debate as well. However, in the manga there's no evidence they have any kind of sexual interest in each other, which makes them straight examples of this trope.
* HiddenDepths: He's narcissistic on the surface, until it's revealed that he's sacrificing everything that he is for the sake of his division's philosophy. He's also implied to have sacrificed the chance to become third seat simply because Ikkaku wanted it. That's before we get to the subject of his BloodKnight persona hiding a MagicKnight reality.
* HonorBeforeReason: Given the choice between having his division learn the truth or dying, he ''will'' choose death.
* IAmNotLeftHanded: He always fights with an imperfect release of his sword, because he is afraid that his squad mates will shun him for having a ''kido''-based release. The only exception is when he is absolutely ''certain'' that no one from the 11th Squad can see him. Bai bai, Charlotte Cuulhorne.
* LetsGetDangerous: Whenever Yumichika can get away with using his true shikai without being discovered, his fights always transform into this.
* LongHairedPrettyBoy: Notorious for his beauty and his obsession with beauty, he used to have long hair that was fashionably styled until he joined the Soul Reapers, whereupon he cut his hair to chin-length.
* MagicKnight: In the manga, it's revealed that the kidou abilities he's hiding are his Zanpakutou's true abilities. However, the {{anime}} takes this a stage further in the [[{{Filler}} Zanpakutou Arc]] and makes him a full-blown kidou user. The manga eventually confirms that he really is a full-blown kidou expert when he begins openly using kidou in battle during the final arc.
* MundaneMadeAwesome: What do you mean "[[PreAssKickingOneLiner thank you]]" isn't an awesome phrase? If it wasn't impressive enough in the manga, the anime cranks it UpToEleven by giving Yumichika GlowingEyesOfDoom and a [[DramaticPause dramatic music pause]] as he says it.
* TheNoseKnows:
** He sensed the coming of Grimmjow's group by catching the unusually strange hollow scent they gave off. When he alerted Ikkaku, he was told to ignore it, but he continued to privately think it strange. When Hitsugaya's team is finally attacked, Yumichika is the only one who is not surprised.
** He claims to have uncovered the secret that Giselle is a man because she smells of semen. It drives Giselle into a fury and, for the rest of their fight, Yumichika continues to bait her with the subject.
* ObfuscatingStupidity: Knows his way around ''kido'' very well, but hides it to not offend his much more martial arts-geared squad mates.
* PreAssKickingOneLiner: Every time Yumichika uses his shikai he gets one, including one of the simplest of any character in Bleach: "Thank you".
* PurpleEyes: Wisteria-coloured eyes, a shade of purple very similar to (and often confused with) lavender. [[EmpathicWeapon Zanpakutou]] represent their wielders' true nature and his hates the colour of wisteria-purple which itself raises questions about Yumichika's true personality. A straight example of this trope, his true strength and nature is a mystery. Superficially [[TheFightingNarcissist narcissistic]], he's hiding the fact he's sacrificing his true strength to adhere to his division's [[BloodKnight martial philosophy]]. The very few times his [[EnergyAbsorption true abilities]] have been used, he's won in a [[CurbStompBattle single strike]], meaning his full strength has never been tested or even [[AlmightyJanitor acknowledged]]. And he's [[WillfullyWeak working hard]] to keep it that way.
* RavenHairIvorySkin: Yumichika Ayasegawa, with his pale skin and raven hair, is well-known, notorious even, for both his beauty and his obsession with beauty. Although he is genuinely one of the best looking and most fashionable male Soul Reaper in Soul Society, his biggest fan is actually... [[TheFightingNarcissist himself]].
* SecretKeeper: Regarding Ikkaku's bankai.
* ThoseTwoGuys: With Ikkaku, to Kenpachi.
* UndyingLoyalty: On the surface, his defining personality trait appears to be [[TheFightingNarcissist narcissism]]. As a result of his determination to conform to 11th division philosophy, he would rather die than publicly display his true strength. He's content to remain in a [[SubmissiveBadass subordinate position]], sacrificing [[EnergyAbsorption his abilities]] to make sure he doesn't do anything that would harm Kenpachi or Ikkaku's faith in him as an [[BloodKnight 11th division warrior]].
* VampiricDraining: His shikai's true ability is EnergyAbsorption. It absorbs the spiritual energy of its enemy, transferring it to Yumichika. Yumichika can then decide whether or not he wants to use that stolen energy to restore himself back to full health.
* WillfullyWeak: He's deliberately using a crippled version of his shikai in battle. As a result, he struggles against opponents who release their power precisely because he's suppressing his own. When he does choose to stop suppressing his power and release it, IAmNotLeftHanded and LetsGetDangerous moments inevitably occur.
[[/folder]]
!!Squad 12
[[folder:Mayuri Kurotsuchi]]
[[quoteright:190:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/190px-Mayuri_New_Look_6208.png]]
[[caption-width-right:190:[[labelnote:Click here to see his pre-TimeSkip appearance]][[quoteright:190:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mayuri001_4857.png]][[/labelnote]]]]
[[caption-width-right:190:[[labelnote:Click here to see his first appearance]][[quoteright:190:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/190px-Mayuri_8147.png]][[/labelnote]]]]
->''"Test subjects shouldn't run their mouths so much. This is an experiment and you are test subject No.1. You don't have the right to refuse or to make any decisions!"''
The [[{{Cloudcuckoolander}} eccentric]], [[KickTheDog cruel]] and [[TheSociopath outright psychopathic]] Captain of Squad 12, as well as the current [[MadScientist president]] of the Research and Technology Institute. Mayuri is a unique type of character in that, despite aiding the protagonists and thus far entertaining no notions of betrayal, he is ''so'' [[SlasherSmile cold]] and [[ColdBloodedTorture sadistic]] that he could pass as a bad guy. Well, at least he was like that in the Soul Society Arc. Aside from his sadism, he's notable for being CrazyPrepared and AwesomeByAnalysis. In short, Mayuri is a man who does everything ForScience... however he's been more of a SociopathicHero since then and Mayuri's pragmatic genius, coupled with his many technological contributions to Soul Society, make him a valuable ally.
His Zanpakuto is ''Ashisogi Jizo'', an oddly shaped "sword" capable of paralyzing and poisoning his opponents. His Bankai is ''Konjiki Ashisogi Jizō'', best described as an example of OurMonstersAreWeird that can instantly kill his opponents with its deadly toxins.
--> Voiced by: RyuseiNakao (JP), Creator/TerrenceStone (ENG), Jose Alfonso Carralero (Latin American Spanish)
----
* AntagonistAbilities:
** CompleteImmortality: When he stabs himself with his zanpakuto, he turns into an invincible liquid that's purely for escape.
** TheParalyzer: His zanpakuto's Shikai ability lets him deactivate the brain signals of anyone he cuts, making their limbs immobile, but still able to feel pain.
** SinisterSurveillance: Everyone he fights becomes infected with surveillance bacteria.
* AntiVillain: Mayuri's sole interest is to work for the advancement of scientific discovery and much of his science does prove beneficial to Soul Society. For example, he's the person the [[CombatMedic Fourth Division]] goes to when a patient needs organ transplants. However, he's a sociopath who doesn't care at all for his subordinates and sees everybody as either a tool or a research experiment; he'll go to any lengths for science. WordOfGod states he's an example of necessary evil.
* AxCrazy: But only if you make him mad. Or if he wants to open you up.
* {{Badass}}: When Yamamoto blames the 12th division for their failure to react in time to the Quincy threat, Mayuri completely rejects the accusation on the grounds that it's entirely Yamamoto's fault. He then proceeds to detail to the old man's face exactly why it's Yamamoto's fault, and Yamamoto has no choice but to back down... because Mayuri is right. It's the only time in the entire manga that someone has managed to make Yamamoto back down. Not even his favourite students could do that.
* BadBoss: In his introduction alone he blows up three of his subordinates. When a fourth asks why, he merely says that 'bombs aren't supposed to come back' and kills him too. Which is nothing compared to how he treats his Lieutenant, who happens to be ''[[AbusiveParents his own daughter]]''.
* BerserkButton
** Once, Ichigo offhandedly commented that he and Urahara were "a lot alike." Mayuri's response was to try to kill him on the spot, and when his attack missed he decided that simple murder was too boring and instead began thinking of an appropriate FateWorseThanDeath to inflict on Ichigo after the war. Wow.
** His "test subjects" speaking back to him, especially to say they'll never do what he says, that they'll never let him get away with this, or to call out for their loved ones- this pisses him off to no end, and he found the latter "disgusting". He hates the Quincy for all their swearing "on the pride of the Quincy" too, especially when they are swearing they will stop or kill him, just because nearly all of them kept saying it while he was torturing them and he found it sounding like a broken record. Guess what line Uryu used immediately after Mayuri finished that rant.
** Also, do NOT tell him that you're perfect or that you achieve for perfection. Szayel is the freaking proof of it.
-->'''Mayuri''': I spit on perfection! (...) THAT"S ASSUMING YOU'RE A SCIENTIST....
* BlueAndOrangeMorality: Mayuri operates on his own principles and ethics which don't make a whole lot of sense to anyone else except for Urahara. Much of it seems to be about his pride as a scientist and learning new things; Nemu takes the level of punishment she does at his behest because she is his creation and he is demonstrating his confidence his creation can handle the task she's been given, and Szayel is beneath even contempt not because he's vicious and insane but because he offends Mayuri's secular sensibilities with his dreams of perfection via parasitic rebirth.
* BunnyEarsLawyer: It's hard to see how Mayuri could ever be a captain of the Gotei 13. He's a full-time MadScientist, a part-time MadDoctor. On a bad day he's a KnightOfCerebus who'd either [[TheydCutYouUp cut anyone up]] or [[ProfessorGuineaPig use them for experimentation]] (sometimes both at the same time). The reason he's a captain of the Gotei 13 is that he's too damn useful and he's got the ability to justify (and hold) the rank.
* CassandraTruth: When Ishida first appeared in Soul Society, Mayuri realised that the Soul Society was vulnerable to Quincy attacks, and because Yamamoto had failed to kill an old enemy in the past, a Quincy attack is precisely what was going to happen. Yamamoto dismissed Mayuri's advice as paranoia. Bad choice, old man.
* CharacterizationMarchesOn: Insane, scary, [[HairTriggerTemper insanely irritable]] and outright monstrous in his first appearance, {{Cloudcuckoolander}} comedic JerkAss from his second appearance. On the other hand, he's returned to form as an amoral scientist by the time of his appearance in the final arc.
* {{Cloudcuckoolander}}: Cruelty aside, he seems to have some rather odd thought processes going on when relaxed as well as a rather strange sense of humor.
* ComedicSociopathy: This is what his antics are meant to be seen as, but...
* CoveredWithScars: Underneath his makeup.
* CrazyPrepared: Displays Batman-level planning to face fellow MadScientist Szayel and in the third movie, he's shown to regularly create backup brains. That said, if Uryu had gone for a headshot he'd have killed him.
* EvenEvilHasStandards: Morally speaking, he's really not much better than Szayel, his EvilCounterpart, but Mayuri finds everything Szayel does quaint at best and disgusting at worst, ending by getting REALLY pissed off when Szayel starts talking about how he has become a "perfect being" by incorporating death into his lifecycle since [[BlueAndOrangeMorality it's a betrayal of the principles any REAL scientist would hold dear on top of being wrong.]] As such, he leaves a lengthy lecture of why achieving perfection is a load of crap (after all, if you achieved perfection, there'd be no room for further improvement, and thus what would a scientist have left to ''do''?) to keep Szayel company for the eternity it would take him to perceive his own death.
* EvilCannotComprehendGood: When Ishida calls him out on how he treats his Vice-Captain, Mayuri (after revealing said VC is both his creation, and his ''daughter'') angrily asks him what right he has to tell him how to treat her, accusing the two of them of thinking he's stupid, and warns him not to wave his "creepy sense of justice around here."
* EvilIsHammy: The maddest he is, the louder he talks and the more he overacts.
* ForScience: His defining characteristic over nearly everything he does.
* FriendlyFireproof: Averted. Not only are his subordinates vulnerable to his poison (apart from Nemu's resistance to his bankai) but he's largely unconcerned with even bothering to try to miss them.
* HairTriggerTemper: His initial introduction to the story included showing him lashing out at anything he interpreted as provocative. He's calmed down a lot since those early days.
* HeroicComedicSociopath: In the "Hueco Mundo" arc, at least, but it seems to have died down as of the latest arc.
* HypocriticalHumour:
--> "''Silence, reprobate''".
* IDidWhatIHadToDo: Mayuri's response when interrogated by Yamamoto [[spoiler:regarding why he exterminated twenty-eight ''thousand'' residents of Soul Society]].
* IgnoredExpert: Although Mayuri's knowledge of Quincies was deeply shaken by his encounter with Ishida, he's the closest thing to an expert on the Quincies and their powers that the Soul Reapers have. Yamamoto even briefly tried a CassandraDidIt argument on Mayuri for allowing the situation to happen, but Mayuri gave him a {{badass}} TheReasonYouSuckSpeech by way of retaliation.
* IntimateHealing: To his ''daughter''. Played for ''laughs'', even; we never actually got to ''see'' exactly what the hell he did to her, but were treated to a rather amusing shot of Uryu and Renji's shocked/disgusted reactions while Nemu moaned in ecstasy off-screen. When Ishida tries to call him out on that, Mayuri appears confused by the accusation.
--> [[BlatantLies "I would never do anything unsuitable for family viewing!]] [[LeaningOnTheFourthWall Get your mind out of the gutter!"]]
* JerkAss: He's abrasive, treats his subordinates and allies like dirt and in general is one of the worst people in the manga.
* KarmaHoudini: After all, he is [[Pantheon/HeroesAndVillains the God of Unpunished Villainy]], to the point that Ishida becomes his ButtMonkey in his BigDamnHeroes moment. Remember back when Mayuri orchestrated his grandfathers death and then experimented on his soul until it too died?
* KickTheSonOfABitch: This seems to be Mayuri's schtick. While he may be an amoral and largely selfish MadScientist, he's often used to perform some fairly fantastic levels of karmic justice to people who more than deserve it themselves. Condeming [[EvilCounterpart Szayelaporro]] to one hundred years of an agonizingly slow death would have been [[KickTheDog horrible]]... had it not been done to a man who was busy slowly breaking Renji and Uryu's bones one by one, and revived himself via forcibly impregnating Nemu and spewing through her mouth.
* LackOfEmpathy: He seems honestly surprised when people get angry at him for his cruelty or reject his offers to be research specimens.
* LargeHam: [[HamToHamCombat Especially]] during his battle with Szayel. However, when the Vandenreich show up, he's completely serious and direct.
* LaughablyEvil: When Kubo uses him for comedy moments, he becomes this. Outside of those moments, Kubo does not play the lengths he goes to ForScience as in anyway amusing.
* LeaningOnTheFourthWall: [[BlatantLies "Everything I do is suitable for family viewing."]]
* LighterAndSofter: He became more of a comedic JerkAss post-Soul Society.
* MadDoctor: When he's not busy being a MadScientist, he's busy being a MadDoctor instead.
* MadScientist: To the core. Especially in the manga, where we learn exactly what "experiments" he performed on his Quincy captives.
* MasterPoisoner: Able to alter his Bankai's poison to prevent people from creating a antidote and also creates various medicines to use in battle.
* NoodleIncident: Apparently in the Soul Reaper Cup ending episode 314 apparently his subordinates found something that made him get '''[[HighPressureEmotion red in the face]]'''
* OmnidisciplinaryScientist: Though chemistry and biology are his apparent favourites.
* PetTheDog
** His role in the "Hueco Mundo" arc has him as a [[BigDamnHeroes Big Damn Hero]] and being generally... Err, "nicer" to Nemu. Also, his character sheet manages to bring down his "evilness" a little by [[VillainsOutShopping showing that]], despite his eccentricities, he's still just... a guy.
** In addition, he also has a serial published in the ''Seireitei Bulletin'' that documents how to make and use practical medicine. It's extremely popular with the inhabitants of Seireitei even though most of the readers admit they can never obtain the ingredients to actually make the concoctions.
* PoisonedWeapons: His initial release [[AndIMustScream completely paralyses]] opponents upon cutting them, [[ColdBloodedTorture without dulling their sense of pain]]. His Bankai simply releases a toxin that ''slowly'' kills anyone who is caught in it's noxious purple cloud with the exception of himself and Nemu.
* PsychoForHire: One of Soul Society's two pet psychos, along with Kenpachi. Which is ironic when you consider that they hate each other.
* TheReasonYouSuckSpeech: Apparently, Mayuri has very specific ideas for what science is and what it is ''not.''
-->"''In this secular existence, perfection is an illusion. Regardless of all those who utter contrary, this is the reality. Common man seeks it out... they aspire to achieve it as if it were some tangible thing. But the fact of the matter is, perfection is a hollow shell. It is... devoid... of any substance. '''I spit on perfection!''' Perfection, after all, implies you've reached the summit. No trial and error, no ability to conceptualize. An omniscient being would have no need for such superfluous things. Am I making myself clear? For people who dabble in the sciences, such as ourselves... perfection would render us obsolete. Many magnificent things have been and will continue to come into existence. And yet, every last one of them will fall short of perfection's finish line. Our function as men of science relies on their many shortcomings. Then, and only then, can we apply the fruits of our labor. To put it simply... as soon as you began that nonsense about being an immaculate being, you had already lot! '''....That's assuming you're a scientist...'''''"
* RefugeInAudacity: Mayuri ''knows'' he's a gigantic, sociopathic prick. ''He just doesn't care''. And he even uses it ''to his freaking advantage''!
* ReminiscingAboutYourVictims: Mayuri reveals to Uryuu that he had studied the Quincies by launching into a long speech about all the things he did to the Quincies he'd captured in order to study responses to mental and physical stimuli. It's a speech that reveals just how far down the road of MadScientist he's willing to go ForScience.
* ScarsAreForever: Without his makeup on, you can see that his body has a large number of scars. Considering his personality, he probably inflicted them on himself during research.
* SecretKeeper: Comedic aversion. Everyone else who knew about Ikkaku's bankai have kept their mouths shut. Not so Mayuri. We first learn he's known about Ikkaku's bankai since the Edorad fight when he's talking to Ichigo about the durability of bankai. It's only when Ichigo expresses surprise at Ikkaku having a bankai that Mayuri remembers Ikkaku wanted it kept secret. He then dismisses it as something he doesn't care about.
* SelfDestructMechanism: During his battle with Szayel, Mayuri is shown to have [[spoiler: implanted one of these in his Bankai, to do so if ever used against him]] -- just one of several CrazyPrepared moments.
* ShadowArchetype: He's basically Urahara, if Urahara were a demented psychopath.
* SlasherSmile: He tends to have a wide, vicious grin on his face except when bored.
* TheSouthpaw: He is also ambidextrous. In the Bount arc he wields his sword entirely in his left hand.
* TheStarscream: Urahara makes it absolutely clear that, if Mayuri joins him, Mayuri will inherit everything should something happen to him. Mayuri tells him he's very unpleasant because it's therefore clear he'd therefore be the prime suspect should anything happen to Urahara: Mayuri's loyalty is therefore enforced from the outset preventing this trope from being possible.
* TechnicolorToxin: Ashisogi Jizo releases the classical purple venomous mist. The infected victims slowly turn purple as well.
* TokenEvilTeammate: Though not part of Ichigo's group, he still fits the bill.
* UncannyValleyMakeup: The black and white makeup he puts on every morning and takes off before he goes to bed.
* TheUnfettered: So long as his actions further science, anything is acceptable.
* [[VillainsOutShopping Amoral Heroes Out Shopping]]: His {{Omake}} appearances have him doing relatively mundane, even ''helpful'' things in his free time.
* WouldYouLikeToHearHowTheyDied: Mayuri ends his reminiscing to Uryuu about his Quincy studies with the story of the very last Quincy he ever studied and how he died. He shows Uryuu a graphic photograph of the state of the body was left in by the time his studies were done. That old man was, as Mayuri well knew, Uryuu's grandfather and mentor, Souken. Uryuu's [[BerserkButton response]] to this is far more than Mayuri [[CurbStompBattle could handle]].
* YouGottaHaveBlueHair: He has blue hair, though it's often covered.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Nemu Kurotsuchi]]
[[quoteright:290:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/nemu_5677.jpg]]
The Lieutenant of Squad 12 and Mayuri's daughter. She is a reserved and vulnerable woman who is often the first to suffer when her father becomes enraged. She takes this abuse in stride, as she was artificially created by Mayuri to serve as both the perfect lieutenant and daughter.
--> Voiced by: Creator/RieKugimiya (JP), MeganHollingshead (ENG)
----
* AbusiveParents: Mayuri's treatment of Nemu is absolutely appalling. He uses her as a human shield and their tag-team strategy is that he ''cuts through her'' to get at opponents with his poisoned sword. When she asked for the antidote, he ''started kicking her'' for it on the grounds that he made her too well for her to die from such petty wounds so she was merely insulting his intelligence. Even she isn't sure why she still sticks around with him.
* AbsoluteCleavage: Her outfit from chapter 447 onwards exposes her (surprisingly large) bust.
* ArtificialHuman: Mayuri mentions that it was he who ''made'' her, and regards her as one of his greatest accomplishments.
* BluntMetaphorsTrauma: She says "Butter" when she takes a picture of Byakuya in an omake, even after Isane corrects that.
* BodyHorror: Particularly in the manga. When Szayelaporro uses Gabriel on her, Nemu's stomach enlarges horrendously, a slit opens on her flesh and Szayelaporro spews out of her mouth, leaving her as a wrinkled, emaciated husk.
* CombatStilettos: Not as extreme as other cases, but her sandals do have a noticable heel.
* DanceBattler[=/=]SheFu - KickChick: Some bits in the anime hint that her fighting may be similar to Capoeira.
* DangerouslyShortSkirt: She doesn't wear the hakama part of the Soul Reaper uniform. Her kosode ends at mid thigh, achieving the same effect as a very short skirt. Despite this, nothing is ever revealed even when she's in battle.
* ExtremeDoormat: She puts up with her captain's abuse without a word of complaint.
* FingerlessGloves: She wears tekkou of a style very similar to Byakuya's.
* GagBoobs[=/=]MarshmallowHell: Mayuri tells her to muffle Ishida with them so he can shut up and get healed. Also done in the Zanpaktou Filler Arc, only this time with Ichigo.
* HalfTruth: After Kira deduced that the 12th Division was responsible for killing those Rukongai citizens, Nemu said that she's sure Mayuri did nothing wrong. Turns out, Mayuri ordering his squad to kill the Rukongai citizens to restore the balance ''is'' an acceptable solution for the crisis at hand.
* TheImmodestOrgasm: When Mayuri finishes... um, healing her, Nemu ''screams'' with pleasure.
* {{Keigo}}: She always speaks very formally.
* MadScientistsBeautifulDaughter: Specifically designed to be that way, actually.
* MagicSkirt: Honestly, she wears a frigging ''miniskirt''; she should be making panty shots just by ''standing''!
* MaleGaze: When she muffled Ishida in the Hueco Mundo arc, her largely-shaped rear end wiggles at the camera.
* MsFanservice: Her miniskirt really shows off her long, smooth legs, her large butt wiggles at the camera when she holds Ishida down in Hueco Mundo, and she's also worn an outfit that operates under AbsoluteCleavage.
* NiceGirl: One of the most... quirky examples, to say it simply.
* OppositeSexClone: Her body is a gigai that is at least partially constructed out of Mayuri's genetic material. This makes her immune to the effects of his bankai, though his shikai does work on her.
* SatelliteCharacter: To Mayuri. It's what she does ''outside'' of Mayuri's sphere that gives her more personality.
* SexySecretary: She could be seen as Mayuri's.
* ShesGotLegs: Very much so. The skirt and camera angle tend to show off her features.
* SuperStrength: Even by Soul Reaper standards she is very strong.
* SuperToughness: Nemu is unlike other Soul Reapers. Mayuri built her to be very hard to seriously damage or destroy, leaving her able to take all the abuse she goes through. It's still extremely painful, though. The anime tends to downplay the level of damage she takes, such as in the battle with Szayelaporro. In the manga, she gets a hole torn through her. In the anime, she just looks withered and drained.
* YamatoNadeshiko: She's a lot more eccentric than your average example of this trope, but she fits all the requirements outside of that. She not only has the looks (moderate height, long black hair, etc) but is always calm, soft-spoken/quiet, polite, ''very'' submissive (to everyone, but primarily to Mayuri who is her father figure). Even though she's typically an EmotionlessGirl, she has a better moral compass than her father ever will have.
* [[YesMan Yes Woman]]: She tends to submit to whatever Mayuri asks of her, even when it puts her life in danger or she morally disagrees. Her behavior is justified because that's what Mayuri ''made'' her to be.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Akon]]
[[quoteright:290:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/290px-Akon_6983.jpg]]
The third seat of Squad 12, originally picked up and recruited by Urahara when he was a captain in Turn Back The Pendulum. His colleagues include Hiyosu and Rin Tsubokura. In the Soul Society arc, he was the one that discovered that Rukia's gigai couldn't have been developed by anyone currently in the Soul Society, correctly deducing that an exile is the only other type of person that would've had access to such technology.
He often functions as mission control.
--> Voiced by: Keiji Okuda (JP), Kaya Miyake (JP, As a child), Creator/PatrickSeitz (ENG)
----
* ADayInTheLimelight: Has been getting a lot of attention in the Thousand-Year Blood War arc.
* AudienceSurrogate: When Mayuri shows up [[http://www.mangareader.net/bleach/547/16 wearing THIS]] in 547, Akon ends up lanmpshading the {{Narm}}.
* HornedHumanoid: According to the [[AllThereInTheManual databooks]], he's an individual who, just as Mayuri himself has done, will experiment on himself ForScience although what the purpose was of experiment he created horns for isn't revealed.
* MissionControl: He often appears to be responsible for getting critical information to people and relaying orders.
* NonchalantDodge: Does this to Hiyori when she tries to kick him, never losing his poker face for a second.
* NumberTwo: The second-in-command of the Soul Reaper Research and Development Institute, though not of his actual squad.
* RedOniBlueOni: The Blue Oni to Hiyori during the Turn Back the Pendulum arc.
* SecretKeeper: He's known about Ikkaku's bankai since the fight with Edorad.
* TheStoic: Usually stays calm and composed ever since he was a kid. Even when he's clearly feeling desperate, he refrains from panicking. Hiyosu comments that there are only two things that can make him lose his composure: [[MadScientist Mayuri]] and [[EccentricMentor Urahara]].
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Rin Tsubokura]]
[[quoteright:290:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/290px-Rin_8496.jpg]]
An unseated officer from the 12th Division, who works mostly with Akon and Hiyosu. Looks very effeminate, making many confuse him for a girl. Doesn't seem to be nearly as morally ambiguous as his squadmates.
--> Voiced by: Miho Saiki (JP), Creator/JulieAnnTaylor (ENG)
-----
* ButtMonkey: The story doesn't take Rin seriously at all.
* CanonImmigrant: He first appeared in episode 68 of the anime, at the start of the Bount arc. In the manga, the kid doesn't show up until the Arrancar arc.
* TheKlutz: Rin is not the most composed of characters.
* NervousWreck: Tends to be very ill at ease in his duties. Considering ''which'' Squad he works in, though, can you blame him?
* MissionControl: Like Akon, he's responsible for relaying orders and communications.
* SweetTooth: Has a fondness for sweets.
* TearsOfJoy: [[spoiler: As he spreads the word that Ichigo is coming to help Soul Society.]]
* TokenGoodTeammate: Seems to be the least... morally ambiguous of the whole division (Mayuri is Mayuri, Nemu follows ''every'' order given to her, Hiyosu has creepy molester vibes, and Akon was involved in the Quincy experiments).
[[/folder]]
!!Squad 13
[[folder:Jushiro Ukitake]]
[[quoteright:290:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/ukitake001_7804.png]]
->''"Friends are a good thing, even if they tread a different path."''
Ukitake is the captain of Squad 13 and one of the oldest. Ukitake suffers from an unnamed disease that causes him to cough up blood which naturally hinders his combat skills. At the beginning of the story he has no lieutenant following the death of Kaien Shiba, so those duties are fulfilled by his two third seat officers.
His zanpakutou is named ''Sōgyo no Kotowari'', one of the very few dual zanpakutou. One sword lets him absorb any energy-based attack, and fire it back with the other sword.
--> Voiced by: Creator/HideoIshikawa (JP), Creator/LiamOBrien (ENG), Creator/KimStrauss (ENG, Episode 40), GerardoReyero (Latin America)
----
* AFatherToHisMen / TeamDad: Towards his subordinates. Part of the reason why he doesn't kill Hanataro is because he risked his life for one of his subordinates.
* AchillesHeel: Even though he's one of the most powerful Soul Reapers, his illness seems to prevent him from fighting for very long, he appears to lapse into coughing fits at inopportune moments and he's frequently too ill to perform his duties during peace time.
* AdaptationDyeJob: His eyes are brown in both the manga and anime. However, for a colour cover special in chapter 335 that possessed the theme "green on white", Kubo changed his eyes to green to match the theme.
* AttackReflector: His Shikai.
* BadassBaritone: Tends to be voiced by men who either have naturally deep voices, or who can tone down their pitches well. Creator/HideoIshikawa, Creator/LiamOBrien, GerardoReyero...
* BadassCreed: His Shikai command isn't as long and poetic as Shunsui's, but it's still pretty awesome nonetheless.
* BewareTheNiceOnes: According to the Starrk fight, for similar reasons as Kyoraku. His participation doesn't last long but leaves the impression that he's far more competent and shrewd than his HonourBeforeReason philosophy and mild-mannered nature would imply. Even back during the Soul Society arc he had absolutely no intention of allowing Rukia to be executed, so he's fortunate that Ichigo and the others helped start what was nearly a civil war in Soul Society.
* [[spoiler: BigBrotherIsWatching: According to Ginjou, Ukitake created the Substitutes' badge to allow the Soul Society to communicate with, analyze, monitor and control the Reiatsu of their Substitutes, hence how Ichigo's Reiatsu came out of the badge itself when he first used Fullbring. Ginjou also claims that Ukitake can use the badge to execute a Substitute, if necessary. Ichigo himself claims that he didn't need Ginjou to tell him any of this as he'd already realised that Ukitake had dropped hints to enable him to work it out for himself.]]
* BloodFromTheMouth / IncurableCoughOfDeath: His lung condition can manifests whenever he coughs up blood. He averts IncurableCoughOfDeath as he's not actually dying from the condition, although it can debilitate him at times.
* BunnyEarsLawyer: Look at his interactions with Hitsugaya. It's hard to trust ''that'' with a captancy, but he still pulls it off.
* CatchAndReturn: In shikai, his Zanpakuto can absorb energy attacks through one blade and shoot it out the other, amplifying their speed and power in the process.
* DiseaseBleach: He was diagnosed with his condition as a child. Over the course of three days, the stress and shock of the diagnosis turned his hair white.
* DualWielding: Sogyo no Kotowari is one of only two sets of twin-blade Zanpakutou at the start of the series.
* EarlyBirdCameo: Want to win at ''Bleach'' trivia? Ask which of the 13 captains we saw first. The obvious answer is Byakuya, but Ukitake makes a very brief appearance earlier (when Rukia flashes back to Kaien's death).
* EnergyAbsorption[=/=]BeamSpam: His Shikai ability absorbs spirit energy based attacks and send them right back.
* EvenTheGuysWantHim: ''Oh, boooooy.'' Despite never using his looks to his advantage (being a [[NiceGuy nice guy]]), he still has both women and men fussing over him in equal measure. One fainting spell [[BeachEpisode on the beach]] has ''everyone'' instantly hovering anxiously around him. His subordinates dote upon him (Kiyone is madly in love with him) and even the other captains are quite taken with him. There's Kyouraku calling him "iro otoko" which means "lover, lady-killer, sexy guy" (make of that what you will), [[{{Tsundere}} Sui-Feng]] of all people pinning him to a tree with daggers and [[ShirtlessScene cutting his haori and kimono jacket to shreds]] while his 3rd seat took photos, and Amagai jumping him. [[CantHoldHisLiquor It was the saké]], sure.
* ExplainingYourPowerToTheEnemy: Averted. Tells Starrk outright to work it out for himself. Unlike Kyoraku, he doesn't drop hints or show any openings before Wonderweiss interferes. Then again, his powers are simple enough that Starrk can work them out easily anyway.
* HeterosexualLifePartners: He and Kyouraku go a very long way back, having formed their bond while in the academy together. They've been captains for centuries and are a renowned partnership even on the battlefield.
* HonorBeforeReason: "There are two kinds of fights: Fight to defend your life, and fight to defend your pride." [[spoiler: But this contributes to the death of his lieutenant Kaien Shiba.]]
* LongHairedPrettyBoy: He has waist length white hair and is considered gentle, kind, and attractive. His HeterosexualLifePartner, Kyoraku, keeps referring to him as a ladykiller because female Soul Reapers can be reduced to blushing jelly if he so much as smiles at them. His female third seat, Kiyone, is hopelessly in love with him.
* MassiveNumberedSiblings: He has five younger brothers and two younger sisters, [[PromotionToParent all of whom he essentially supports by himself. ]]
* NiceGuy: He's one of the nicest guys in the series and will even save overpowered enemies from his allies if he agrees with their goals.
* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: He's willing to hear out those who invade Soul Society or who help the invaders to try and understand what is happening. He also questions the reason for Rukia's execution and attempts to find a way to resolve it that won't involve killing her. [[spoiler:Even Ukitake's BigBrotherIsWatching surveillance on Ichigo can be seen this way: Ichigo is dangerously powerful and unpredictable, and it's reasonable (if somewhat amoral) to want to be able to keep tabs on him at all times.]]
* ScrewTheRulesImDoingWhatsRight: Ukitake cooperates with the authorities during the Soul Society arc and even reimprisons Rukia when Ganju rescues her from her cell. However, he only continues to obey until he hears back regarding his appeal attempt on her behalf. When it is rejected, he reveals that he never had any intention of allowing her to be executed. Unlike captains such as Unohana or Hitsugaya who had suspicions regarding the goings-on but remained silent about them, Ukitake simply goes forward to protect his subordinate and destroy the Sokyoku itself.
* WorfHadTheFlu: Despite being a long standing captain with abilities respected by Yamamoto himself, he has yet to actually win a fight in-series because his illness weakens him substantially.
* WouldntHurtAChild: Upon meeting anyone who looks like a child ([[OlderThanTheyLook no matter their actual age]]) he'll immediately offer them candy or invite them to play a game. He tried to convince Lilinette to go home and didn't want to hurt her precisely because she looked like a child. [[spoiler:Which was a very dumb move and in the end caused massive damage to his own side.]]
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Kaien Shiba]]
[[quoteright:290:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/kaien001_3677.png]]
->''"Remember that as long as you're in my division, I will stand by you even if I die."''
He was the former lieutenant to Ukitake, as well as Rukia's mentor. His Zanpakuto was Nejibana. His body was then taken over by the hollow that killed his wife Miyako in the same manner, forcing Rukia to kill both him and the hollow. He seems to have survived long enough to thank his killer in front of his family much to their confusion. Multiple characters have noted his similarity to Ichigo, which saved him very early in the manga when Byakuya was unwilling to kill him in front of his already desperate sister.
His zanpakutou was ''Nejibana'', a trident which let him launch water-based attacks.
--> Voiced by: Creator/ToshihikoSeki (JP), Creator/KimStrauss (ENG, Episode 49), Creator/DaveMallow (ENG, Episode 153+), KyleHebert (ENG, ''VideoGame/BleachThe3rdPhantom''); JoseGilbertoVilchis (Latin American Spanish)
----
* BigBrotherMentor: To both his siblings and subordinates, especially Rukia..
* DanceBattler: His fighting style is said to resemble traditional Japanese dances.
* DeathByOriginStory: His death is the reason for why Rukia values her life so little and submits so easily to execution.
* DyingAsYourself: When his attempt to avenge his wife Miyako's murder failed, Kaien became possessed by the hollow that murdered her, and Rukia was forced to kill ''him'' to stop its rampage in his body. As he was dying Kaien thanked her for killing him and apologized to her.
* FamilyUnfriendlyDeath: Impaled by a girl who was implied to have a crush on him while possessed and freakish looking.
* GoOutWithASmile: He dies with a smile and a thank you for Rukia.
* KillItWithWater / MakingASplash: His Zanpakutou, Nejibana, was water-based.
* OddCouple: With his wife Miyako, a straight-up YamatoNadeshiko.
* OnlySixFaces: If not for his black hair, he could be Ichigo's twin. The likeness is noticed in universe by characters such as Byakuya, Rukia, Ukitake and Aizen. Byakuya indicates their personality is also very similar. [[spoiler:Isshin Shiba is Ichigo's father and Kaien's uncle.]]
* PlotTriggeringDeath: One of 4 characters [[labelnote:*]]Along with Masaki, Souken, and Hisana[[/labelnote]] whose deaths combine to shape the first two arcs of the story. Specifically, through the impact his death has on Rukia. It is Ichigo's resemblance to Kaien--both physically and in personality--that prompts Rukia to lend him her power at the beginning of the story, and it is her guilt over failing to save Kaien that leads Rukia to accept her death sentence without argument. Kaien's death also influences Kuukaku and Ganjuu's willingness to help Ichigo and company enter Seireitei. It also influences Ukitake's actions during the Soul Society arc, especially his decision to seal the Soukyoku Spear.
* PosthumousCharacter: He died years ago and all scenes with him are flashbacks.
* ThisIsSomethingHesGotToDoHimself: Avenging Miyako's murder. Did ''not'' go as planned.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Miyako Shiba]]
[[quoteright:290:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/miyako001_5723.png]]
Kaien's beautiful and ladylike wife, Rukia's first idol, and the former 3rd seat. She was sent on a mission to investigate a nearby hollow, but she was killed by it. In the anime, the hollow possessed her, forcing Kaien to kill her. Kaien then went on to fight the hollow who did this to her.
--> Voiced by: Creator/SumiShimamoto (JP), Creator/CindyRobinson (ENG), Connie Madera (Latin American Spanish)
----
* DeathByOriginStory: Her death started a chain that ended up taking out both her and the lieutenant Kaien and saddling Rukia with immense guilt.
* HairDecorations: Her black hair ribbon.
* OneeSama: Rukia idolised Miyako as the perfect woman.
* PosthumousCharacter: She died years ago in a hollow attack.
* YamatoNadeshiko: The reason Rukia adored Miyako was because Miyako was ladylike, elegant and gentle.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Rukia Kuchiki]]
[[{{Characters/BleachIchigosCompanions}} See Ichigo's Companions]].
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Kiyone Kotetsu and Sentaro Kotsubaki]]
!!!'''Kiyone Kotetsu & Sentaro Kotsubaki'''
[[quoteright:290:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/theidiots001_1820.png]]
The two current co-3rd seats of the 13th division. They usually bicker on about who is more loyal to Ukitake, since both want to be the solo lieutenant.
--> Kiyone voiced by: Creator/ChinamiNishimura (JP), Creator/CindyRobinson (ENG)
--> Sentaro voiced by: Koichi Tochika (JP), Creator/PatrickSeitz (ENG), Creator/MichaelLindsay (ENG, Episode 41), Alfonso Obregón Inclán (Latin American Spanish)
----
* AdaptationDyeJob: Kiyone. In the anime, her hair is much more red than the manga, where she is definitely a blonde.
* AlliterativeName: Kotetsu Kiyone.
* HardDrinkingPartyGirl: Kiyone, to the point of showing up drunk to work.
* SubordinateExcuse: Kiyone's got a HUGE crush on Ukitake. [[SingleWomanSeeksGoodMan Can you blame her, though?]]
* ThoseTwoGuys: Or actually, That Guy And That Girl. They're always shown together.
* TomboyAndGirlyGirl: Kiyone is the tomboy to her older sister Isane's girly girl.
* VolleyingInsults: They engage in this a ''lot''.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Hidetomo Kajomaru]]
[[quoteright:290:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/HK_7845.png]]
The sixth seat of the Thirteenth Squad, killed shortly after his introduction in the manga. His first appearance involves meeting Shino (who has a crush on him) and Yuki, who asks about the war with the Quincies. Kajomaru takes the time to explain the Soul Society's perspective of the Quincy war and clarify the "balance of souls" that the Soul Society kept preaching about, capping it off by saying that, ultimately, ''both'' sides were right.
Not too long later, Kajomaru was killed by Haschwalth.
----
* {{Bishonen}}: Pretty looks, but not to the level of being effeminate.
* HalfTheManHeUsedToBe: Haschwald slices him in half vertically with his hand.
* {{Megane}}: The main reason for his similarities to Aizen and Ryuken.
* MrExposition: Explains to Yuki and Shino the major differences between Quincies and Soul Society, the bad blood between them and the "balance of souls" that led to the war.
* OhCrap: When he identifies the location of the Quincies. [[spoiler: The moment he realises the Emperor is inside the Seireitei, the Emperor proceeds to [[OneHitKill annihilate]] about half of the 13th Division.]]
* OnlySixFaces: Looks like a fair haired Aizen.
* SacrificialLamb: Pretty much existed just to show how ruthless the Stern Ritter are and to remind the readers that the Quincies and the Soul Reapers both believe strongly in their world views which is why they're at war with each other.
* WeHardlyKnewYe: Introduced and killed in six chapters.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Ryunosuke Yuki]]
[[quoteright:290:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/290px-Kyuki_3652.jpg]]
One of the two young Soul Reapers who replace Kurumadani as Karakura guards in the manga. He's a rookie from the 13th Squad.
----
* ButtMonkey: Tends to get abused by Shino for laughs.
* HairDecorations: Three large dots on either side of his head.
* NaiveNewcomer: Especially when it concerns war.
* OhCrap: When he identifies the location of the Quincies. [[spoiler: He's the one who spots that Yhwach is in fact ''inside'' the soul barrier around the Seireitei]].
* ShrinkingViolet: In contrast to his partner, he's a lot more timid.
* SleepyHead: Kurumadani scolds him for sleeping while explaining what he and Shino have to do.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Shino]]
[[quoteright:290:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/290px-Shino_6304.jpg]]
The other young Soul Reaper who, alongside Yuki, replaced Kurumadani as Karakura guards in the manga. She's a rookie from the 13th Squad who has a crush on Kajomaru.
----
* ACupAngst: Doesn't like it when someone remarks on her flat chest.
* BigNo[=/=]BreakTheCutie[=/=]HeroicBSOD: When Kajomaru is killed in front of her and the rest of the Division.
* HotBlooded: She's very aggressive and reckless.
* JerkAss: Can be quite hard on Yuki, but not to the extent of not caring for him- see Tsundere.
* NaiveNewcomer: Shows up at the beginning of the Vandenreich arc in order to both get stomped in a fight and then get some exposition.
* NiceHat: Sports a very cute leaf hat.
* {{Tsundere}}: She's definitely the aggressive type of tsundere and is quite violent.
* WrestlerInAllOfUs: Hits poor Yuki with a Lariat.
[[/folder]]
----
[[{{Characters/Bleach}} Back to the main character index]]
----
!Contains spoilers
[[foldercontrol]]
!!Squad 8
[[folder:Shunsui Sozosa Kyoraku]]
[[quoteright:290:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/shunsui001_6553.png]]
->''"Getting caught up in style and throwing away victory is something for the lower ranks to do. Captains can't even think about doing such a carefree thing. Don't try to be a good guy. It doesn't matter who owes who. From the instant they enter into a war, both sides are evil."''
Captain of the 8th Division, he is best friends with Ukitake, both of whom were personally trained by Yamamoto himself. Shunsui was one of the first Academy graduates to become a captain, along with Ukitake. While a pervert, he never goes too far in his attempts to hit on women, as Nanao can attest to on both accounts. He abhors senseless fighting, but he's not above underhanded tactics if it meant winning a fight quickly. Oh, and he [[RealMenWearPink wears a woman's kimono]] and likes being showered with cherry blossom petals.
His zanpakuto is ''Katen Kyokotsu'', one of the very few dual zanpakutos. They grant him various strange abilities, from "playing word games" with his opponents to seemingly hide within shadows themselves.
--> Voiced by: AkioOhtsuka (JP), SteveKramer (ENG), Jorge Ornelas (Latin American Spanish)
----
* AgentPeacock: He likes to enter a fight in a swirl of rose petals and he wears a flowery, pink woman's kimono. According to the SOULS character book, he is officially Soul Society's biggest dandy. Befitting this trope, he is also a captain and therefore in a position of AuthorityEqualsAsskicking. On one occasion, he tries to make sure his flowery kimono doesn't get damaged in battle, only to deliberately ruin part of his actual uniform.
* AuthorityEqualsAsskicking: He's one of the top four captains who has been in post for over 200 years. [[spoiler: After Yamamoto's death, he gets a RankUp to captain-commander, a threat Yhwach takes seriously enough to send Haschwalth himself out to face him.]]
* {{Badass}}: Being a captain, it comes with territory, not to mention that he is one of the oldest and strongest captains.
* BadassCreed: Katen Kyokotsu's release command is very long and very badass as well.
* BerserkButton: Kyouraku takes Ukitake getting injured very badly. [[spoiler:When Ukitake is impaled by Wonderweiss, Kyouraku drops all pretence of being BrilliantButLazy and goes for the kill.]]
* BrilliantButLazy: One of the most powerful captains in the Gotei 13 but he would rather just lie down and have his saké.
* CallingYourAttacks: Like most Soul Reapers, he calls his attacks. However, the nature of his powers means he has to call the attack as part of the "game" his shikai is playing.
* CarpetOfVirility: To go with his ChivalrousPervert persona.
* CasanovaWannabe: He's apparently a huge flirt, though the only girl we see him interact with frequently is Nanao.
* CherryBlossoms: Subverted. He likes the aesthetic, so he has his lieutenant, Nanao, dump them out of a basket from overhead.
* ChivalrousPervert: To Nanao. Teases and embarrasses her mercilessly, but if she ''truly'' needs his help, he'll promptly give her a non-grabby hand. He also used to have a similar relationship with Risa Yadomaru.
* CoatCape: He wears his captain's haori properly, but the woman's kimono he wears on top of that is always slung over his shoulders like a cape.
* TheCoatsAreOff: He always wears two coats. His captain's haori and a woman's kimono. He never takes either one off. And then he fights Starrk. When the fight finally gets serious, he tosses the woman's kimono to Ukitake for safe-keeping. A short while later, just to show the fight has become even more serious than it already was, he discards his captain's haori as well. Yes, his fight was so serious, the coats came off ''twice''.
* CombatPragmatist: For a MartialPacifist, Shunsui certainly isn't above fighting dirty if he needs to and lectures others about the need to not be limited by heroic ideals in battle since war makes both sides evil. [[spoiler:As the second Vandenreich assault begins, Kyouraku remarks to Nanao that he expected another sudden assault and prepared dirty tricks accordingly...but he wasn't expecting to get bodily torn out of the Seireitei so his preparations might not be adequate.]]
* ConfusionFu: Lampshaded during the fight with Starrk by Kyouraku himself after Starrk was tricked into thinking they had many similarities and were kindred spirits. Turns out the thing they have in common is that they're both BrilliantButLazy.
--> '''Starrk''': "I thought I told you not to do uncharacteristic things, Captain-san!"
--> '''Kyouraku''': "It's not good to keep forcing this characteristic thing, Espada-san. And, if you're going to talk about characteristic, not having a characteristic behaviour is characteristic of me."
* TheDandy: He really doesn't like to fight and avoids it as much as possible. When he is forced to fight, he prefers to be as lazy as possible and has even been known to only enter a fight after he's been announced with floating flower petals. According to the Souls character book, he's officially Soul Society's biggest dandy.
* DirtyOldMan: He tends to make a pass at Nanao whenever he can. In the Bootleg, which reveals the divisional recruitment letters, Kyouraku states he wants only women to join his division and that he'll have late-night drinking parties with them.
* DualWielding: Katen Kyoukotsu is one of the very few Zanpakuto that takes the form of two swords. During the filler Zanpakuto spirits arc, each one manifests as its own spirit.
* EstablishingCharacterMoment: Kyouraku resisted fighting until forced to fight Chad. However, he refused to allow Chad to be killed and did not accept Chad could be blamed for the death of Aizen. He wanted the matter properly investigated and the invaders kept alive for questioning.
* ExplainingYourPowerToTheEnemy: The rare subversion. He only tells Starrk what he has no choice but to reveal.
* EyeScream: Gets shot in the right eye by one of the Stern Ritter when they invade the Soul Society.
* EyepatchOfPower: Now sporting one after being shot in the eye.
* GetAHoldOfYourselfMan: Non-violently. While Soifon's lashing out at everyone after the first invasion of Soul Society [[spoiler:due to Yamamoto's death]], he is the one who managed to calm her down by reminding her that the Gotei 13 exists as a military force to protect the Soul Society.
* GoodIsNotSoft: He's laid-back, [[BrilliantButLazy lazy]] and Soul Society's [[AllThereInTheManual biggest dandy]]. However, once he decides to fight, he believes that battle makes both sides evil, so he'll do [[CombatPragmatist what it takes]] to win - even if it means sacrificing honour and stabbing his opponents in the back. [[spoiler:As Captain-Commander, he bullies the Central 46 into training Zaraki and ''knowingly'' sends Unohana to her death to complete that training. Even Yamamoto backed down when the Central 46 banned Zaraki from receiving formal training.]]
* HeterosexualLifePartners: He and Ukitake go a very long way back, having formed their bond while in the academy together. They've been captains for centuries, spend a lot of time together, and are a renowned partnership even on the battlefield.
* IAmNotLeftHanded: He and Starrk pull this on one another -- repeatedly -- though this is a rare example where they're both well aware their opponent is hiding ''something'', they're just not always sure what. A literal inversion too; he's ''ambidextrous''.
* MajorInjuryUnderreaction: His reaction to getting shot in the eye? "[[CaptainObvious That's bad, huh]]"?
* MartialPacifist: He hates fighting and would prefer to spend a fight talking or drinking with his opponent instead, play-fighting at worst. However, when he does fight, he's a CombatPragmatist that believes both sides are evil.
* MeaningfulName: Kyoraku is a pun on the Japanese word for "enjoyment."
* OddCouple: With his serious and straitlaced lieutenant, "Nanao-chan."
* PermaStubble: Like so many badasses. Although in the ''Turn Back the Pendulum'' arc, his stubble disappears in a few panels in the manga, despite being present elsewehere.
* RealMenWearPink: He wears a woman's kimono that has a mysterious story.
* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: During the Soul Society arc, Kyouraku is one of the few officers not to blindly attack the intruders just because he was ordered to. Instead, when he confronts Sado, Kyouraku questions him about his connection to Rukia and purpose in coming to Seireitei and realizes something doesn't add up. Once Sado has been defeated, Kyouraku makes sure he and other the captured intruders are kept alive and secure, refusing to automatically assume they are responsible for Aizen's "death" without a proper investigation.
* SinisterScimitar: Aversion. Kyouraku is decent enough, but he is a CombatPragmatist who believes all participants in battle are evil.
* WarriorPoet: He likes publishing stories, although he's not aware of how unpopular his works actually are.
* WouldHurtAChild: In contrast to Ukitake, he was willing to attack (with intent to kill) the childlike Wonderweiss. Even Yamamoto expressed concern about having to fight an enemy that looked like a child. Kyouraku did not.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Nanao Ise]]
[[quoteright:290:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/nanao001_4413.png]]
Kyoraku's lieutenant. She is very strict and dutiful, always doing her captain's paperwork. She is the vice-president of the Soul Reaper Women's Association. The name of her Zanpakuto is unknown, though she apparently hides it in her book.
--> Voiced by: Creator/HitomiNabatame (JP), Creator/KateHiggins (ENG)
----
* BarrierWarrior: Her kido specialty. Her barriers even impress the Quincies. [[spoiler:Haschwalth admitted breaking the barrier took longer than expected, but also indicated he'd been holding back while doing it.]]
* ByTheBookCop: She's very serious and gets antsy when Kyoraku appears to be operating outside of general procedure during the Soul Society arc, though she sticks with him despite her reservations.
* TheComicallySerious: In some omake chapters.
* TheDreaded: Seeing her without her glasses is nearly as terrifying as Unohana's special smile.
* FashionableAsymmetry: Her hair is arranged in an asymmetrical fringe that is longer on the right than the left.
* GirlFriday: She's more Kyoraku's assistant than an actual combatant or anything of the sort.
* ImprobableWeaponUser: If Mayuri's word in an omake is to be believed, she can kill you with the temples of her glasses.
* NothingUpMySleeve: She keeps her Zanpakutou in there.
* OnlySaneWoman: Often relegated to this role in the [[{{Omake}} Soul Reaper Cup shorts]].
* ReplacementGoldfish: Shunsui's relationship with her is very similar to how he treated his previous lieutenant, Lisa. However, while he was willing to send Lisa to the front lines, he refuses to allow Nanao anywhere near the fighting.
* SatelliteCharacter: Nanao is Shunsui's no-nonsense lieutenant and little else other than that. She has essentially no notable relationships with anyone in the main storyline.
* SexySpectacles: Part of her appeal as a SexySecretary is her glasses. Kyoraku seems to agree, considering it turns out his former Lieutenant (who Nanao seemed to look up to to some degree) looked very similar and also wore glasses.
[[/folder]]
!!Squad 9
[[folder:Kaname Tosen]]
Debuted as Captain of Squad 9, but had deserted [[TheReveal after revealing]] [[CoDragons his true colors]] in the Soul Society arc's final stage. For more information go [[Characters/BleachAizenAndHisCohorts here]].
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Kensei Moguruma]]
Current captain of Squad 9. He was also it's previous captain a century ago. He reprises his role after Aizen's defeat. For more information go [[Characters/BleachVisoredsAndExiledSoulReapers here]].
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Shuhei Hisagi]]
[[quoteright:290:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/hisagi001_8406.png]]
->''"He who does not fear the sword he holds is not worthy of holding a sword."''
Shuhei is the lieutenant of Squad 9, formerly serving under Kaname Tosen, whom he greatly admired and who taught him everything he believes in. His most notable trait is the "69" tattoo he has on his cheek, which he got from his idol, Kensei Muguruma, the former captain of the same squad. He is quite the drinker, and usually drinks with Izuru Kira and Rangiku Matsumoto. He seems to have a crush on Rangiku, but nothing ever comes of it in the series proper, apart from some omakes and a filler episode.
His zanpakuto is ''Kazeshini'', a pair of chained scythes.
--> Voiced by: Creator/KatsuyukiKonishi (JP), Yu Kobayashi (JP, As a child), Creator/SteveStaley (ENG)
----
* {{Adorkable}}: The anime especially loves making him hammy, sensitive and shy, all in incredibly awkward, yet endearing ways.
* AnimeHair: Those spikes ''never'' budge.
* {{Badass}}: Hisagi is noted to be something of a prodigy and [[spoiler:managed to kill his traitorous captain by [[CombatPragmatist methods]] both would approve of.]] He also appears [[spoiler:to have bankai]] but not in a reliable state.
* BerserkButton: Do '''NOT''' insult Captain Tosen in his presence. Not even after Tosen defected and tried to kill him. And you aren't even excused from this if you're his ''current'' captain.
* BewareTheNiceOnes: He's easily one of the nicest and toughest lieutenants.
* {{Bishonen}}: Was one in his academy days.
* CallingYourAttacks: Various Kido spells.
* ChivalrousPervert: During a filler episode, he spends most of the time [[ChivalrousPervert trying to reign in pervy thoughts of Rangiku]] to hilarious comedic effect.
* CombatPragmatist: Squad nine's style is based around the idea that battle is terrible and monstrous and thus you should get it over with as quickly as possible and with the most survivors on your side as you can.
* TheDeterminator: In the Fake Karakura arc, after getting slashed down his chest and impaled through the chest, he forces himself up to continue fighting both times.
* DieOrFly: His [[spoiler:Bankai.]] He says it's something he can only do under rare, stressful circumstances.
* DrowningMySorrows: When Tosen betrays him.
* EverythingsBetterWithSpinning: Hisagi himself lampshades his power by casually letting his weapon spin at both ends at the same time while lecturing his opponent. And that's before we get to the way he spins the weapon when actually attacking.
* FaceOfAThug: Has the appearance of one, contradicting his calm and mature personality.
* GoodScarsEvilScars: Has LOTS of face marks of all kinds, including a 69 tattoo on his cheek. The tattoo honours Kensei who once saved Hisagi's life when Hisagi was a small child.
* HiddenDepths: A Zanpaktou is a reflection of your inner self, right? What does it say about this peaceful man that his shikai is "shaped like something meant to take life"? Seeing Kazeshini in action in the filler arc has led people to believe that Hisagi has a dark side that he constantly works to keep under control. On a lighter note, he took guitar lessons from Chad in his spare time during the omakes for the Soul Society arc.
* IOweYouMyLife: To Kensei.
* InstantChucks: Hisagi's Zanpakutou transforms into a [[EpicFlail kusarigama]] that possesses a blade at either end of the chain instead of a blade at one end and a counterweight at the other. As a chain weapon, he requires two hands to [[ImprobableUseOfAWeapon wield it properly]] and, because it has two blades instead of the normal one, it's a [[SinisterScythe particularly lethal weapon]].
* LastNameBasis: With everybody besides Rangiku.
* MartialPacifist: Prefers to avoid fighting, and even when using his sword, which he hates anyway, makes a habit of not attacking with excessive force.
* OnlySixFaces: Explicit in the anime. There is a FreezeFrameBonus anime-only segment of his fight with Findor where the latter teleports behind him to avoid a slash. The ''exact same sequence'', including hair and facial expression, is later used during an anime-only segment of Ichigo's fight with Ulquiorra. All they really did was dye the hair orange and change the coat.
* PerpetualFrowner: In a fight, at least.
* PreMortemOneLiner: ''"Finally afraid? You're my equal at last."''
* SecretKeeper: He is the only person alive who knows Yumichika's secret.
* SempaiKohai: Sempai to Kira, Abarai and Hinamori, whom he taught in the Soul Reaper Academy.
* SinisterScythe: ''"I don't like the shape. Look at it. It's shaped like something meant to take life, isn't it?"''
* SleevesAreForWimps: Like his admired Kensei, he wears sleeveless clothing.
* SupremeChef: According to the {{omake}}s. Interestingly, [[spoiler:Kensei]] is apparently one too...
* ThoseTwoGuys: Often seen hanging around with Kira (or Renji) whenever off duty.
* UnrequitedLove: In the manga omakes he has a crush on Rangiku that is PlayedForLaughs. The anime enjoys playing this up for comedy as a result.
* VariableLengthChain: In shikai
* WasItAllALie: When he learns Tousen's a traitor, he asks Tousen if all the beliefs he had preached were a lie. [[spoiler:Tousen's response is a sword to the gut.]]
* TheWorfEffect: Hisagi, who had appeared to be winning his fight against Yumichika, is one-shotted when Yumichika decides to stop hiding his power. It's the story's first hint that Yumichika's WillfullyWeak due to hiding a CoverBlowingSuperpower.
[[/folder]]
!!Squad 10
[[folder:Toshiro Hitsugaya]]
[[quoteright:290:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/290px-Episode_363_Hitsugaya_1_6387.png]]
[[caption-width-right:290:[[labelnote:Click here to see his pre-TimeSkip appearance]][[quoteright:290:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/toshiro001_953.png]][[/labelnote]]]]
->''"There we go again, old men and their stupid arguments. What a pain."''
The Captain of Squad 10. A child prodigy, he is the youngest Captain in the Soul Society, though still much older than he looks. To prevent people from treating him like a kid, Hitsugaya is always a very serious and focused Captain quite contrary to how he acted before becoming an officer. He likes getting the job done and thus ends up handling a lot of paperwork that most captains leave to their subordinates.
His Zanpakuto is ''Hyourinmaru'', the strongest of the ice-based Zanpakuto, but due to his youth, at the start of the story it was still unmastered and placed severe limits on its ability. His Bankai is ''Daiguren Hyourinmaru'', and it enhances his ice abilities.
--> Voiced by: [[Creator/RomiPark Romi Paku]] (JP), Creator/SteveStaley (ENG)
----
* ActuallyADoombot: An [[DeusExMachina ice clone]], used on Harribel.
* AllOfTheOtherReindeer: In his own words, when he was much younger: "They're scared of me. It's not like I did anything bad to them, but... even then, I could tell they were afraid of me." The databook indicates that he's much more popular now, but making captain and leading his Squad well could be seen as his won't-you-guide-my-sleigh-tonight moment.
* AnIcePerson: He's said to have the most powerful ice-based Zanpakuto in the Soul Society.
* AnimeHair: Funny thing though, his hair hangs down in flashbacks and after the time skip, which seems to imply that he styles it for the majority of the series.
* BadassAdorable: He doesn't always act the part, but Hitsugaya is still a cute-looking boy who looks like he's an elementary student.
* BadassBaritone: Has a surprisingly deep voice for his size and childlike appearance.
* BerserkButton
** He's extremely protective of Momo to the point where [[IneffectualDeathThreats he will swear to kill anyone]] that has harmed her. [[spoiler: He goes ballistic when Aizen fools him into running Hinamori through. The way he falls to pieces results in all the captains dropping their guard in shock.]]
** PlayedForLaughs: if you [[FirstNameBasis call him by his first name]] instead of "[[LastNameBasis Captain Hitsugaya]]" he'll get quite irritated. Only his childhood friend, Momo Hinamori, is given any sort of leniency on this matter. Calling him short or a kid also fails to go over well.
* BladeRun: When he fights Gin, at one point he manages to do this to Gin's blade.
* BlushSticker: Gets these at one point during episode 230 of the Anime.
* BreakTheCutie: From the moment Aizen and Hitsugaya are introduced into the story, Aizen seems to be plotting to emotionally undermine Hitsugaya. In the Soul Society arc, he ensures Hinamori is brainwashed into believing Hitsugaya killed him, forcing them to turn their blades on each other. It leaves Hitsugaya emotionally unprepared for dealing with the truth. [[spoiler:During the Arrancar Arc, Aizen mocks Hitsugaya's hatred of him and then uses his illusion powers to trick Hitsugaya into stabbing Hinamori. Hitsugaya breaking leads to a devastating UnstoppableRage.]]
* CallingYourAttacks: Like most Soul Reaper he calls both his zanpakutou and kido attacks.
* ChildProdigy: He's the youngest captain in Soul Society history and one of the youngest Soul Reaper in the story. It's lampshaded in-universe when Captain Kyouraku, who's been around for many centuries admits to an enemy that Captain Hitsugaya is a prodigy who will probably have surpassed him in a century's time.
* ChildhoodFriend: He and Hinamori were raised by the same woman whom they both call "grandmother".
* TheComicallySerious: He's perpetually serious and aloof despite the antics of both Rangiku and to an extent Momo. He also gets thrown into various situations where nobody takes him as seriously as he'd like.
* CrashIntoHello[=/=]MarshmallowHell: How he meets Rangiku for the first time.
* DeadpanSnarker: Apart from the time before he became a Soul Reaper at all, Hitsugaya has always been rather grumpy and snarky, though professional. Before becoming a captain, he was less intent on being absolutely professional.
* DeclarationOfProtection: To his childhood friend Hinamori. Definitely did not work out as planned.
* {{Delinquents}}: He is thought of as being this by one of Karin's friends in a {{Filler}} Episode of the Anime due to his white hair.
* ElementalBaggage: As long as there is water, Hyourinmaru never runs out of power.
* ElementalEyeColours: His piercing, icy blue eyes fit well with his ice powers.
* FlowerMotif: His Zanpakutou can produce ice-flowers in different kinds of attacks. The ice-flowers tend to take the form of the Glory-of-the-Snow, a flower associated with blooming in the snow because it's such an early spring flower.
* GrumpyBear: One nickname for him is even Captain Grumpypants.
* HoldingBackThePhlebotinum: Probably the poster boy for this trope, as he almost never uses Tensho Jurin, the strongest power of his Zanpakuto and the hardest to control. The two times he does use it, he tries it in Shikai against Gin and waits for his Bankai to be half-gone before trying it against Harribel. In both cases, the restrictions on his use were an attempt to keep the power under control.
* HumanPopsicle: He's fond of this move, though in a series with as low a body count as Bleach it doesn't stick very often.
* HypercompetentSidekick: Was this to his former captain [[spoiler:Isshin Shiba]] as the Third Seat of Squad 10.
* HypocriticalHumor: Wants to be called "Captain Hitsugaya", despite never addressing his colleagues by their ranks. See the following exchange, shared between him and Momo, keeping in mind that he actually ''liked'' Aizen before his treachery became apparent.
-->'''Toshiro''': What are Momo and Aizen doing here?
-->'''Momo''': Toshiro! That's '''Captain''' Aizen.
-->'''Toshiro''': Then call me ''''Captain''' Hitsugaya.
%% * IcyBlueEyes: Formerly the trope example, and for good reason.
* InsistentTerminology: To Momo and Ichigo. "It's '''Captain''' Hitsugaya!"
* IntergenerationalFriendship: Several, pretty much by necessity since he's ''much'' younger than anyone else he hangs out with on a daily basis, after all. The most obvious are his lieutenant, Matsumoto, and fellow captain Ukitake, whose constant gifts of candy are not well-received.
* {{Irony}}: Hitsugaya finally completes his Bankai... only to have it stolen the next time he tries to use it. [[spoiler:In the Soul Society arc, Hitsugaya vowed to kill anyone who made Hinamori bleed. In the Arrancar Arc, Aizen tricks Hitsugaya into stabbing Hinamori, giving her the worst injury she's ever received which required organ transplant technology from the 12th division to fix.]]
* ItsPersonal: Instant trope, just add Hinamori getting hurt!
* LastNameBasis: Insists on it, but excludes addressing anyone by their ranks, making him appear very formal. His most {{Egregious}} case was when he didn't call Byakuya and Rukia "Captain and Lieutenant Kuchiki"; it was flat-out "''[[SugarWiki/FunnyMoments Kuchiki and Kuchiki]]''", which Madarame even called him out on.
* LikeBrotherAndSister: His feelings for Hinamori are described as familial.
* MaskOfPower: He very briefly dons a mask in his battle with the Quincies. [[spoiler: It's a Hollowfication mask caused by Urahara temporarily poisoning the Quincies which allows Hitsugaya to regain his Bankai.]]
* NotSoStoic: He tries to be TheStoic but it's all too easy for Gin and Aizen to push his BerserkButton with a vengeance.
* OddCouple: He's the overly serious workaholic to the easy-going laziness of Rangiku.
* OnlySaneMan: He stays grounded even when those around him are spiraling into insanity- particularly noticeable in filler where everyone else shown will gleefully turn say, a card game, into SeriousBusiness while he looks on in dismay and resignation.
* OurDragonsAreDifferent: His Zanpakuto's spirit looks like a white eastern-style dragon.
* PerpetualFrowner: Even as a kid before becoming a captain he was fairly grumpy, but now he seems to go out of his way to be as grumpy as possible so that people will take him more seriously.
* PowerLimiter: Tenso Juurin is Hyourinmaru's most basic, yet most powerful, ability. However, he also cannot control it perfectly, so he only ever uses it when he's in a position to place a limit on his power. The limit helps him control the ability and prevent it getting out of hand.
* PowerOfTheStorm: His Zanpakutou's most powerful ability Tensou Juurin can control the weather and can be used in both shikai and bankai.
* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: According to the [[AllThereInTheManual Bleach Bootleg]], he carefully observes the soldiers in his division and maintains the division meticulously to ensure that everyone does their share of work (though Matsumoto manages to weasel her way out quite often). Nonetheless, the members of the division find both him and their lieutenant very approachable and have a good amount of respect for both.
* RoaringRampageOfRevenge: He tells Aizen that a Captain should raise their blade in duty, not anger, and that swinging an angry blade is just violence. He then admits that he doesn't care if he loses his seat for doing violence to Aizen, he's just that pissed for what he did to Momo.
* SayMyName: Say it with me now: [[BokeAndTsukkomiRoutine MATSUMOTOOOOOOOOOO]]!
* ScarfOfAsskicking: Gets one during the timeskip. It's the same colour as his eyes.
* StraightMan: Usually for Rangiku. When he was in the real world, it was for almost everyone, to great comical effect. He's even been stuck as the StraightMan caught between the Men's and Women's Soul Reaper Associations in filler. [[spoiler: Flashbacks reveal he was the straight man to Captain Isshin Shiba as well.]]
* TinyGuyHugeGirl: With Matsumoto.
* WillfullyWeak: His Zanpakutou's most powerful and most basic ability can be used in either shikai or bankai. However, he traditionally avoids using it in bankai even when he needs to because his inexpert control over it and wide area of effect would drag in too many bystanders/allies. [[spoiler:Against Harribel, he only decides to use it when his bankai is half-gone, allowing him better control than he would have had when his bankai was at full power.]]
* WiseBeyondTheirYears: He doesn't behave like a typical child his age due to having been thrust into the role of youngest captain in history. Aizen works out that the truth is obscured and that Hitsugaya does actually have the in-built weaknesses associated with his biological youth (such as lacking both the life expectancy and emotional maturity of a grown adult). When Aizen triggers this weakness, the ignition of Hitsugaya's emotions into an UnstoppableRage (and the other captains' inability to have foreseen this weakness) spells disaster for everyone.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Rangiku Matsumoto]]
[[quoteright:290:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/rangiku001_404.png]]
Lieutenant of Squad 10. Rangiku is Bleach's epitome of MsFanservice, with her having the biggest breasts, wearing her uniform in such a way that [[AbsoluteCleavage reveals her ample melons]]. She is a stark contrast to her no-nonsense captain, often sleeping during the day and going out for drinks at night, brushing off all her assigned duties. She has a past with former Captain of Squad 3 Gin Ichimaru.
Her Zanpakuto is ''Haineko'', which dissolves into razor-sharp ash which she can control.
--> Voiced by: KayaMatsutani (JP), MeganHollingshead (ENG), WendeeLee (ENG, Bleach: Soul Resurreccion)
----
* AbsoluteCleavage: Her uniform is worn to expose her body just below the breasts as well as the cleavage.
* ActionGirl: Oh yes. She's a surprisingly effective fighter despite her lazy attitude.
* AdaptationDyeJob: Her hair is blond in the manga but strawberry blond in the anime. Oddly, she gets her original hair color back for one filler episode, 304.
* {{Badass}}: With the flexible and dangerous Haineko she's easily capable of holding her own against fraccion level opponents and for awhile fights three at once, though she's quickly on the ropes during that fight.
* BunnyEarsLawyer: Rangiku's a smart, skilled and loyal officer, that just so happens to love getting drunk, slacking off while on-duty, shopping for tons of stylish clothes, sneaking her way out of work and deviously getting her captain to pay and work for her.
* BuxomIsBetter: She's not above using her appeal to help her get what she wants, such as the time she tried to convince Ichigo to let her sleep at his house by unbuttoning her blouse. Aside from the occasional reference (usually [[GagBoobs comedic]], but sometimes insulting) in the manga and its related omakes, the anime [[UpToEleven takes this much further]] and has a field day using Matsumoto's chest as actual weapons to help her manipulate men (usually Hisagi). There's even one omake (turned into an episode) where the Soul Reapers are at the beach and she begins training Orihime (who's not far behind Rangiku in breast size, despite being only 15 years old) in the art of carrying water with breasts instead of buckets - much to Ichigo's [[FreakOut horror]] (Nanao in the episode).
* CallingYourAttacks: "Neko Rinbu!", various Kido spells.
* ChildhoodFriend: Gin saved her life when they were younger and they were very close, leaving her somewhat conflicted over his defection, though she never considers going with him.
* CoolBigSis: To Orihime, Haineko (in the anime) and Hinamori.
* DeathByAThousandCuts: Her shikai, in which Haineko turns into a cloud of razor sharp ash she can control.
* EroticEating: Licks a long Popsicle in the BeachEpisode, but makes sure to hold it horizontally to keep it from being too explicit.
* EveryoneLovesBlondes: [[AllThereInTheManual According to the Bootleg]], she's the sexiest woman in the Gotei 13 and apparently not a single man can defy her.
* {{Flanderization}}: The personality of her Gigai in the World of the Living is basically a more sex-crazed version of her usual self.
* FunPersonified: If you wanna have a great party, she's the girl for the job.
* GagBoobs: The anime has a field day using Matsumoto's chest for comedy. There's even one omake (turned into an episode) where the Soul Reapers are at the beach and she begins training Orihime in the art of carrying water with breasts instead of buckets - much to [[FreakOut horror]] of Ichigo (manga) and/or Nanao (anime).
* {{Gainaxing}}: Twice. The first was at the end of the Soul Society arc, when Hitsugaya scares her so much her chest almost flies out. The second instance was in the BeachEpisode, where she yells at Hitsugaya for not partying with everyone else.
* GenkiGirl: She's incredibly free-spirited and enthusiastic in most situations.
* GoodBadGirl: Her gigai, definitely, though she herself is just flirty.
* HardDrinkingPartyGirl: Loves her drinks and can handle her alcohol well.
* HotWitch: Wore such a costume in a filler episode and manga spread.
* IAmNotLeftHanded: Pulls this against Kira in the Soul Society arc. When he uses Wabisuke's GravityMaster powers on her Zanpakuto, Matsumoto simply activates Haineko's special abilities and it turns into ash, freeing herself and enabling her to defeat him offscreen.
* IHaveBoobsYouMustObey: When Ichigo tries to turf Hitsugaya's team out of his house, Rangiku retaliates by beginning to unbutton her blouse. Ichigo tries to resist, but peeks through his fingers.
* LastNameBasis: Weirdly, Rangiku calls Hinamori by her surname, but Momo herself calls Rangiku by her first name.
* LightFeminineAndDarkFeminine: Dark Feminine to [[NeutralFemale Orihime]] and [[YamatoNadeshiko Hinamori]], due to her being a happy-go-lucky HardDrinkingPartyGirl.
* LovableSexManiac: The anime really enjoys making her look like an unabashed perv. In an omake, she convinced Hisagi and Kira to model for her, with every other snapshot showing them with progressively less clothing (and Rangiku, um, [[EatingTheEyeCandy enthusiastically voicing her support]]). Once they stripped down to their loincloths, Rangiku asks if they removed ''those'' as well. When Hisagi and Kira understandably objected, Rangiku ran towards Kira, ''grabbed his loincloth and pulled it away'', while continuing to take snapshots of Kira's crotch. Nanao is deeply disturbed by the results of Rangiku's pictures and decides to omit them from usage. At one point, another omake (for the BeachEpisode) really makes her seem like an exhibitionist; she considered ''stripping naked'' if no one complimented her on her skimpy swimsuit.
* MarshmallowHell: Towards Hitsugaya, who is extremely annoyed.
* MsFanservice: This is also lampshaded [[AllThereInTheManual in-universe]] as she has a reputation for being the sexiest woman in Seireitei.
* NiceGirl: She has a reputation for being lazy, but she's also well-known for being loyal, compassionate and friendly.
* OffhandBackhand: Her way of dealing with Kon and Keigo when they try to glomp her.
* OneOfTheBoys: Busty and feminine, but she clearly prefers hanging out with guys (especially Yumichika and Ikkaku) when she's not on duty. Conversely, most guys of the Gotei treat her as one of those due to her fun-loving, easygoing personality.
* ProudBeauty: Rangiku knows she has a large bust, and she flaunts them pretty shamelessly, usually for comedic purposes due to being TheTease. On at least one occasion, she's even tried getting Ichigo to change his mind by hiking up her skirt and unbuttoning her blouse.
* SadClown: She's actually deeply troubled, at least by Gin's behavior. You wouldn't know about her sad past from her attitude today.
* SignificantBirthDate: She only started counting the days once she met Gin, and Gin even considered the day she met him ''as'' her birthday.
* TheSlacker: When not in action, she tends to laze about and avoid all the work. Hitsugaya's predecessor was even lazier, and to her horror was far better at dumping his responsibilities onto her than she was at dumping hers on him.
* StatuesqueStunner: She's not quite as tall as Isane, but she's one of the taller ''Bleach'' ladies at 5'8''.
* TheTease: She deliberately arranges her clothing to give her AbsoluteCleavage which is guaranteed to have an impact on men. Any man who tries to take advantage of this, however, will get kicked or elbowed in the face for his trouble. She may encourage "window shopping" but grabbing the goods is not allowed.
* TinyGuyHugeGirl: With Hitsugaya. At 5'7", she's much taller than the Japanese average height for women (5'2").
* VerbalTic: Her gigai always end her sentences with "-beshii", so as to sound hornier and sexier.
[[/folder]]
!!Squad 11
[[folder:Kenpachi Zaraki]]
[[quoteright:290:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/290px-Episode_362_Kenpachi_cleaned_up_7027.png]]
[[caption-width-right:290:[[labelnote:Click here to see his pre-TimeSkip appearance]][[quoteright:290:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/zaraki001_8473.png]][[/labelnote]]]]
->''"Everyone who searches for power, without exception, searches for battle! Do you fight in order to become more powerful? Or do you want more power so you can fight?"''
The rough and wild captain of Squad 11, Kenpachi's immense spiritual power enabled him to achieve captain rank without unlocking his Zanpakutou's name or power. He's the only captain in history who has achieved captaincy without requiring Bankai to do so. He enjoys fighting and will hold back in various ways to make the fight last as long as possible. Due to his love of fighting, he is a wild card for Soul Society, being willing to turn on them if it gives him the chance to have a great fight.
He is the guardian of his lieutenant Yachiru whom he named after someone from his past that he greatly admired.
His Zanpakutou is ''Nozarashi''.
--> Voiced by: Creator/FumihikoTachiki (JP), David Lodge (ENG, Episodes 20-202), Creator/PatrickSeitz (ENG, Episodes 244+), César Arias (Latin American Spanish)
----
* AbsurdCuttingPower: While most Zanpakutou are capable of cutting with unnatural ability even in sealed state, Nozorashi's entire power is based on cutting. In base state it can cut things other Zanpakutou can only handle when unsealed. Kenpachi claims there's nothing his shikai cannot cut and demonstrates by first reducing a falling asteroid to rubble with a single strike before going on to cut his way through outer space.
* AcheyScars: The scar over his eye aches [[spoiler:when Unohana speaks]].
* AnimeHair: His hair looks spiky beyond all belief, but that is only because he goes through a lot of trouble to style it like that. When left to its own devices it hangs down.
* AntiHero: Of the SociopathicHero variety. While he is more than capable of empathy, and he clearly cares about his subordinates, if anybody except Yachiru gets in the way of one of his fights, he goes right through them at best, or straight up kills them at worst.
* AtopAMountainOfCorpses: He is introduced this way in a flashback. [[spoiler:Unohana first meets him like this when he was still a child.]]
* AttackAttackAttack: His basic strategy is to have no strategy. He doesn't even really bother with defence.
* AxCrazy: Tosen calls him out on it.
-->'''Tousen:''' It seems like you lost not only your pride, but your sanity as well, Zaraki.\\
'''Kenpachi:''' Sanity, huh? I don't even remember having a bothersome thing like that to start with.
** Literally with his Shikai [[spoiler:A gigantic Axe.]]
* {{Badass}}: His whole personality, really.
* BadassAndChildDuo: When he was a nameless murderer in the most lawless, dangerous areas of Rukongai, he took Yachiru in, though it's implied she's now extremely badass herself.
* BadassArmy: The 11th squad. Kenpachi flat-out says that the only requirements for being a member are loving to fight and being good at it.
* BadassBaritone: Like other similarly non bishonen Bleach males, his voice is fairly deep.
* BarbarianLonghair: Weirdly [[ZigZaggedTrope zig zagged]]. Zaraki styles his hair into stiff strands with small bells attached at the tips. [[AllThereInTheManual This process is very time consuming.]] Then we get a FlashBack to the time [[http://images.wikia.com/bleach/en/images/9/93/C114_cover_page_Zaraki_&_Yachiru.png before Zaraki became the captain of Squad 11.]] After the TimeSkip, [[ExpositoryHairstyleChange Zaraki has once again started wearing his hair down]]. It would seem that the more Zaraki embraces his naturally [[TheBerserker savage fighting style]], the more unkempt his hair is.
* BarefootPoverty: While living in the poverty-stricken 80th district Kenpachi, like other residents of the district, has no access to luxuries such as footwear.
* BattleAura: In the shape of a skull no less.
* TheBerserker: His berserker nature makes him happy in battle, to the point where getting cut makes him laugh and the more he gets cut, the more he laughs. He's an example of someone who is technically on the good guys side who is unrepentant about his nature. He likes being that way. Allies and opponents alike find him extremely unnerving to be around on the battlefield.
* {{BFS}}: Nozarashi's base form is a nodachi with a chipped blade. When it transforms into shikai, it takes the form of a giant cleaver whose blade dwarfs even Kenpachi's large frame.
* BloodKnight: Zaraki ''lives'' for fighting. [[spoiler:As a child, when it turned out he was already stronger than his tougher opponent, Unohana, he subconsciously began putting limiters on his ability so that he would be able to continue to enjoy fighting. The only way to fix this mistake is for Unohana to repetitively [[CameBackStrong kill and revive]] him over and over again, as he only gets stronger when he's at the point of death.]]
* BoisterousBruiser: He fights and '''''LOVES''''' it.
* BoringButPractical: Most Captains save their Bankai or a technique that their Bankai uses as an ace in the hole for when the fight goes south. Kenpachi's equivalent of this is holding his sword two-handed and using Kendo, rather than swinging one-handed like a madman. The boringness is explicitly the reason he doesn't use it often.
* BoxingLessonsForSuperman: Without formal training in zanjutsu or kendo, Kenpachi functions at the level of a captain despite not having a bankai. [[spoiler: Shunsui's first act as captain-commander is to overturn the Central 46's secret ban on allowing Kenpachi to receive formal training in the martial techniques every Soul Reaper is supposed to have in a deliberate attempt to invoke this trope.]]
* CombatPragmatist: He doesn't use any sort of tricks or strategies, but once you're recognized as his opponent he's just going to hack away at you whether you're trying to talk to him or you're looking away or anything.
* CoveredWithScars: Due to his love for fighting, his body is absolutely covered in scars. His overall strategy seems to be that dodging is for sissies.
* DeliberateInjuryGambit: Kenpachi [[BloodKnight naturally]] decides this is the best tactic against Tousen's bankai, which cuts him off from all the senses except touch. Hey, if he gets stabbed, he knows where the person wielding the sword is, right? This tactic is also an example of FridgeBrilliance since he actually [[HilarityEnsues contemplates the advice]] his three subordinates might offer him. He imagines [[{{Bishounen}} Yumichika]] telling him to [[TheDandy give up beautifully]]. At first [[SugarWiki/FunnyMoments disgusted by his own imagination]], he suddenly realises it's inspired him to come up with his plan. Why? Because a BloodKnight ''would'' think [[FridgeBrilliance quitting fighting just to tank a sword solely to defeat the opponent is indeed "giving up beautifully"]].
* EveryoneCallsHimBarkeep: Kenpachi is the title of the top ranked warrior in the Soul Society. Zaraki is the name of the place he's from. In the end, he doesn't really have a name. Not quite.
* ExcaliburInTheRust: His Zanpakuto is dull, rusted, and pitted.
* ExpositoryHairstyleChange: In the timeskip he lets his hair down.
* EyepatchOfPower: It's a PowerLimiter, helping him control his power.
* HeroicComedicSociopath: Kenpachi's BloodKnight tendencies are often PlayedForLaughs in the anime, although sometimes in the manga as well. Most of the time, however, they're used to emphasise there's something deeply unnatural about his fighting style and urges.
* HugeGuyTinyGirl: Him and Yachiru despite not being a couple.
* IAmNotLeftHanded: He puts bells in his hair so people can hear him coming, wears an eyepatch that eats some his power and just swings his sword around madly with one hand instead of anything resembling proper technique unless he absolutely has to. [[spoiler:He even does this ''subconsciously''; after his first fight with Unohana, in which he proved to be the stronger of the duo, he limited his own power so he'd have someone strong to fight against, to the point that she needs to keep landing fatal blows to get him to fight at full strength.]]
* ImprobableHairstyle: His hair is tied up into spikes with bells at the ends.
* InSeriesNickname: The Soul Reaper that possesses the title "Kenpachi" tends to be nicknamed, "The Man who Cannot Fall".
* KlingonPromotion: He became the Squad 11 captain by killing his predecessor. That's the guy's cloak he wears.
* TheLawOfDiminishingDefensiveEffort: He hardly ever bothers with dodging since he can tank a ''lot'' of damage.
* LargeHam: Kenpachi's idea of a good fight includes hamming up his enjoyment of it - and encouraging his opponent to descend into hamminess as well.
* LeeroyJenkins: He runs straight into battle with a battle cry. He doesn't care about plans.
* ManlyTears: He sheds a single tear when he realises he's facing the reality of never being able to achieve his dream. [[spoiler: When Unohana is about to kill him, he admits he's always admired her and dying before he could ever defeat her really sucks.]]
* MoeCouplet: His interactions with Yachiru are often very cute and/or funny.
* NoNameGiven: Justified. He doesn't know his real name.
* NoSell: Gremmy's ImaginationBasedSuperpower cannot overcome Kenpachi even when he imagines crazy attacks such as meteor strikes to the city. Kenpachi explains that there is nothing Gremmy can imagine that Kenpachi cannot cut. Kenpachi fully believes he can cut anything that can ever be imagined.
* NoSenseOfDirection: As a result, Yachiru tries to guide him. Too bad her own sense of direction is just as bad.
* OhCrap: The expression he wears when he is defeated by Yachiru. [[spoiler: Yachiru Unohana, that is, the only person he has ever genuinely feared.]]
* TheOnlyOneAllowedToDefeatYou: He's willing to turn on Soul Society to save Ichigo's life just because he wants a rematch.
* OpenShirtTaunt: Kenpachi does this for Ichigo in their first encounter.
* PapaWolf: When Nnoitra tried to kill Yachiru, Kenpachi became much more serious in battle. [[spoiler:When she disappears in the Final Arc, he's distraught and refuses to listen to his men when they point out that his order to find her is problematic because they don't have a reiatsu trail to follow.]]
* ParentalSubstitute: Found baby Yachiru in the streets and took her in.
* PerpetualFrowner: Unless he's fighting a fun opponent, he almost never smiles.
* PleaseWakeUp: The one person Kenpachi didn't want to see die illicts this response from him. [[spoiler: Upon defeating Unohana, he realises she's dying and screams at her to wake up while cradling her.]]
* PowerIncontinence: He cannot properly control his reiatsu output. As a result, he cannot seal his zanpakutou or control how much reiatsu he's suppressing or releasing so wears a special eyepatch that acts as an artificial PowerLimiter. He wears it when he wants to suppress his power and he takes it off when he wants to increase the amount he's using in battle. [[spoiler: It's connected to a traumatic childhood experience. His meaningless life gained meaning when he met and almost defeated his first WorthyOpponent. He was so terrified of being left alone that he subconsciously suppressed his power to spare her life and it's been suppressed ever since.]]
* RealMenWearPink: He spends hours doing his hair and he sometimes has tea parties with Yachiru. Aw!
* ScrewThisImOuttaHere: After he one-shots [[spoiler:Giriko]], he declares he's bored and wants to go home, but Yachiru stops him.
* SelfImposedChallenge: Fights one-handed with a dulled sword, wears an eyepatch that constantly sucks power out of him, and wears bells in his hair so that people can hear him coming, all for the express purpose of making fights harder (and therefore more fun) for himself.
* SlasherSmile: He never smiles normally, only viciously grinning in anticipation of bloodshed.
* SparingTheAces: Kenpachi spared the original Yachiru's life. [[spoiler: It was an unconscious act, a subconscious decision based on the fear of being deprived of a WorthyOpponent who had a unique enough level of fighting talent that he was able to feel the thrill of fear in battle for the very first time.]]
* TrainingFromHell: During the Vandenreich's first invasion, Kenpachi's defeat results in him going through horrendous training to improve himself. [[spoiler: Kyouraku orders Unohana to train him in a fight to the death. This training involves fatally wounding and magically healing Kenpachi over and over again in a duel to the death until he's too strong for her to kill anymore.]]
* UnderestimatingBadassery: Goes both ways during his fight against Nnoitra. Nnoitra was completely unprepared for the badass mass of insanity that was Kenpachi, while Kenpachi himself was completely underestimating the damage Nnoitra was inflicting to his body. It took him ''bleeding to death'' to realize that he'd better get serious or he'll really die.
* UnskilledButStrong: Has no clue on how to fight properly, but his raw power is enough to defeat almost any opponent. It is eventually revealed this is a combination of his dislike of formal martial philosophy and the Central 46 preferring to keep him untrained so he's not too powerful should he ever rebel. [[spoiler: Even as a child, he was in fact ''so'' strong that he was able to ''better'' his opponent Captain Unohana, who was considered to be the most skilled swordsman and one the most powerful captains in Soul Society]].
* VictoryIsBoring: He holds back in battle because of the fear that there would be nothing for him to enjoy should this ever happen. [[spoiler: It's such an unconscious fear that he doesn't even know he's shackled his own power to avoid killing any WorthyOpponent he does meet.]]
* TheWorfEffect: Even [[InSeriesNickname The Man Who Cannot Fall]] is not immune. [[spoiler:He is defeated off-page by Royd Lloyd, who is [[DittoFighter mimicking]] both Yhwach's appearance and power. It's the first real evidence of Yhwach's power level.]]
* WorfHadTheFlu: Kenpachi goes into one of his fights having lampshaded that he's sporting damaged internal organs that's making him cough up blood. He's defeated in two blows without ever managing to get in a successful hit. [[spoiler:The four female Stern Ritters who defeat him also make it clear that their strategy depends on attacking him while he was worn out from his battle with Gremmy - although the amount of damage they put on him was incredible on its own right.]]
* TheXOfY: While living in the Rukongai, Kenpachi, originally nameless, eventually named himself by taking the title of the strongest Soul Reapers (the Kenpachi) and the district he was originally from (Zaraki district). He would therefore introduce himself as Kenpachi of Zaraki. By the time he's 11th division captain, however, the name has contracted into Kenpachi Zaraki.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Gosuke Kiganjo]]
!!!'''Gosuke Kiganjo'''
%%[[quoteright:290:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/290px-Kenpachi_Kiganju_4877.jpg]]
%%Image is too tall.
He's the 10th Kenpachi, the one that Zaraki killed before becoming captain. Although mentioned in the early chapters of ''Turn Back The Pendulum'', he finally made an official, if brief, debut in Bleach #527.
----
* AllThereInTheManual: We learned of his height, name, weight, birthday and design in the ''Masked'' databook.
* KlingonPromotion: He killed the previous Kenpachi to becom captain of the 11th division. The other captains weren't very impressed with him.
* LargeAndInCharge: He was 7'3, and weighed 695 pounds back when he was the captain of the eleventh division.
* LazyBum: According to Shinji, at least, almost to the point of being apathetic. He wasn't present during Urahara's promotion, or in the emergency meeting about disappearing souls in the Rukongai. He didn't even bother to pick a lieutenant.
* PosthumousCharacter: Killed by Kenpachi Zaraki long ago.
* ScaryBlackMan: Looks a little like Yammy, too.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Yachiru Kusajishi]]
[[quoteright:290:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/290px-Episode_363_Yachiru_Option_2_6083.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:290:[[labelnote:Click here to see her pre-TimeSkip appearance]][[quoteright:290:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/yachiru001_5351.png]][[/labelnote]]]]
->''"We'll get stronger, Ken-chan. Together, let's get stronger. I know that Ken-chan is the best. So let's get stronger! You and me together."''
Kenpachi's pink-haired [[MoralityPet sidekick]] and best friend, whom he adopted before becoming a Soul Reaper. She is one of the most hyperactive characters in the series and will stick by Kenpachi no matter what. She can be a little annoying to others, as seen in the {{Omake}}s. She is also President of the Soul Reaper Women's Association.
Kenpachi named her Yachiru after the only person he ever admired and her last name is taken from the district he found her in.
Her Zanpakuto is ''Sanpo Kenjū''.
--> Voiced by: Hisayo Mochizuki (JP), Stevie Bloch (ENG), Jessica Ángeles (Latin American Spanish)
----
* BadassAndChildDuo: The child to Kenpachi's badass. She appears to be pretty badass herself though, being a lieutenant and all.
* BadassAdorable: She's small, cute and very dangerous. She has a reputation for speed and is the lieutenant of the strongest combat division. Bankai-capable Ikkaku is terrified of her. In the final arc, she is finally allowed to fight and reveal why her reputation is so formidable.
* BarefootPoverty: While living in the poverty-stricken 79th district Yachiru, like other residents of the district, has no access to luxuries such as footwear.
* BerserkButton: Interrupt her enjoyment of a Kenpachi fight at your own peril.
* BigEater: To the point that it's a RunningGag.
* TheBlindLeadingTheBlind: This comes into play whenever she gives directions to Kenpachi.
* BlushSticker: Two permanent ones. It goes with her hyperactive, cheerful persona.
* CatchPhrase: Seems to have a fondness for "Aye aye, sir!".
* CheerfulChild: She is constantly upbeat and cheerful, especially when Kenpachi is having fun in a fight, and especially when she has access to sweets.
* CurtainsMatchTheWindow: Yachiru's hair and eyes are pink. This makes her stand out as something cute and unusual creating a dissonance with the hint to her that there's something really quite dark and wrong to her.
* CuteAndPsycho: She's cute, but she's also powerful and violent enough to scare Ikkaku.
* CuteBruiser, PintSizedPowerhouse, and WaifFu: She's small enough to easily ride on Kenpachi's shoulder, yet can easily pick him up ''and jump up two stories while holding him'' without breaking a sweat. And when she runs at full speed she digs divots out of ''stone pavement''. She's also as able to cope with captain-class reiatsu as any other vice-captain.
* EffortlessAmazonianLift: Can carry Kenpachi on her shoulder while jumping from building to building, which is quite the indication that she isn't really just cute and harmless.
* ExpositoryHairstyleChange ''and'' [[HairDecorations Every Girl Is Cuter With Crossbones On Her Head]]
* InLoveWithYourCarnage: She ''enjoys'' watching violence, whether it is from Kenpachi or his opponent. In fact she was like this ''when she was a baby'', attracted by Kenpachi's sword in the midst of a bloody massacre.
* MoeCouplet: With Kenpachi in a father/daughter sort of way.
* MoralityPet: After a fashion, to Kenpachi. She loves seeing him have fun, so, what kind of limits she actually imposes on him through her presence is a mystery.
* NamedAfterSomebodyFamous: Kenpachi gave her the name "Yachiru" after the only person he ever admired, and it means "someone who has mastered all forms and styles of sword combat". The original Yachiru was the founder of the 11th division and the first, and strongest, Kenpachi to ever lead that division. [[spoiler: She's also Retsu Unohana, captain of the fourth division.]]
* TheNicknamer: Some of her names are harmless enough to be regarded as nothing more than an InSeriesNickname (such as "Yumichee" for Yumichika or Ken-chan for Kenpachi). However, most of her names are regarded as an EmbarrassingNickname instead (such as Pachinko-Head/baldy for Ikkaku or Maki-Maki for Arimaki).
* NoSenseOfDirection: Even so, Kenpachi asks her for directions.
* ThePiratesWhoDontDoAnything: Lieutenants fight and/or administrate. Except for Yachiru, that is. She mostly plays, eats sweets and watches Kenpachi's fights from the side-lines, only very rarely doing anything related to her actual duties. Both the third and fifth seats of her division carry the title "proxy lieutenant", the same as the two third seats of the formerly lieutenant-less 13th Division.
* ReallySevenHundredYearsOld: She looks like she's around 6-8 years old. Considering the fact that Hitsugaya, who looks around 13 years old, has been around for at least 40 years (confirmed, most likely longer, but that's unconfirmed), it's very hard to say how old she is. What ''is'' known is that she was around him long before he became a captain.
* RoseHairedSweetie: Pink-haired, hyperactive, Yachiru is the cheerful and optimistic version, always smiling, especially when Kenpachi is enjoying his fights.
* SatelliteCharacter: She's Kenpachi's lieutenant and surrogate daughter, but in the storyline there's not much else she does. In omakes she gets a slightly larger role, however.
* StreetUrchin: Apparently, babies and toddlers can survive for a time on their own in Soul Society, so Yachiru most likely spent a while like this before being taken in by Kenpachi.
* UndyingLoyalty: Kenpachi is her whole world.
* WithCatlikeTread: She continues to be her usual boisterous self while sneaking through the Sternritter's territory for supplies, much to Isane's horror.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Ikkaku Madarame]]
[[quoteright:290:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/290px-Episode_363_Ikkaku_5904.png]]
[[caption-width-right:290:[[labelnote:Click here to see his pre-TimeSkip appearance]][[quoteright:290:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/ikkaku001_9591.png]][[/labelnote]]]]
->''"No man's life is worth more than another! If you're gonna put your life on the line, you do it as equals! I don't care if you're brothers, or master and apprentice, or whatever! You should only die for a guy who'd die for you! There's nothing honourable about throwing your life away as though it's nothing! That's just showing off like a kid!"''
3rd in command of Squad 11 and one of the most HotBlooded characters here. In the past, Ikkaku fought Kenpachi, but ended up losing. He followed Kenpachi to Seireitei and vowed to someday fight and die under his command. He is the first person Ichigo fights when he gets inside the Seireitei. After their fight, they become minor rivals.
His Zanpakutou is ''Hōzukimaru'', a three section staff with a blade on the end. His Bankai is ''Ryūmon Hōzukimaru'', a set of three enormous blades which grow in offensive strength the longer he fights.
--> Voiced by: NobuyukiHiyama (JP), VicMignogna (ENG), Richard Cansino (ENG, Episode 105), SamRiegel (ENG, Episode 204), Oscar Flores (Latin American Spanish)
----
* AlmightyJanitor: Third Seat Ikkaku Madarame is known for being vice-captain-class despite his lower rank. What's less well-known is the fact he's [[HiddenBadass hiding bankai]], only someone who possesses the talent to one day achieve captain-class can achieve. However, although officially still a secret, the news he has bankai has been slowly leaking out.
* AwesomeButImpractical: His bankai drastically increases his power and the longer he uses it the stronger he gets. However, not only is it so brittle that it starts breaking when he actually scores a direct hit, but it actually takes him a fairly significant amount of time before his weapon even finishes waking up. Finally, it doesn't increase his speed.
* {{Badass}}: Fixes his dislocated shoulder by ''flexing his muscles''.
* BadassBoast:
-->"You had a bad opponent. You were a lucky man, but I'm the luckiest bastard in the entire Gotei 13!"
* BaldOfAwesome: ''[[BerserkButton Who called him bald]]!?''. His baldness is also used as a RunningGag throughout the series.
* BerserkButton: I dare you to call him "baldie."
* {{BFS}}: Despite all others having one, his bankai definitely stands out.
* BifurcatedWeapon: Ikkaku combines his sword and sheath together to create his shikai.
* BishieSparkle: Parodied. Keigo's sister Mizuho finds him very attractive because she likes men who shave their head. Thus, she sees him more as a regular Bishie than the {{Badass}} he is. Cue the sparkles!
* BladeOnAStick: Hozukimaru turns to a three sectioned spear in Shikai.
* BloodKnight: Typical of the 11th Division.
* EverybodyKnewAlready: He is willing to throw fights to avoid revealing his bankai, despite having willingly told [[HeterosexualLifePartner Yumichika]], [[TheApprentice Renji]] and [[ActionSurvivor Keigo]]. When chastising Ikkaku for his attitude, [[BigBrotherMentor Iba]] reveals he's always known. [[OurWerewolvesAreDifferent Komamura]] accidentally overhears but promises to keep his mouth shut. Later on, Mayuri's comment to Ichigo that he and Akon once patched up Ikkaku's broken bankai reminds Mayuri he wasn't supposed to reveal the secret. He concludes he doesn't care.
* FacialMarkings: His eyes each have a small red marking at the outer corner.
* FashionableAsymmetry: After the time-skip, he wears no sleeve on the right and a full sleeve on the left. He also has his right shoulder and upper arm encased in armour but there's none on his left side.
* FightingWithChucks: Ikkaku's Zanpakutou initially looks like a spear when it's released. However, this simply disguises the fact that it's really a three-sectioned staff. Justified in that Ikkaku's themes are based on Chinese warrior monks, so his weapon (in all its forms) is based on weapons associated with Chinese warrior monks instead of being based on Japanese versions.
* GlassCannon: His zanpakutou is this. His shikai is a snake of a weapon being unpredictable and dangerous, but it's also made of wood and breaks easily. His bankai is hideously powerful but the sheer force of its own power makes it brittle. It's heavily implied that the only reason his zanpakutou is a GlassCannon in any form is because he's abusing his power and not using it properly. Ikkaku himself, however, is not this trope.
* HandOrObjectUnderwear: Mizuho causes this situation in Episode #229.
* HotBlooded: Look at his seiyuu.
* IAmNotLeftHanded: Knows Bankai, but hides it in fear of being told to leave Kenpachi's service. [[spoiler:Eventually he nearly gets himself killed for holding back and at about the same time it's made clear that he hasn't done such a great job of protecting his secret anyway.]]
* InstantChucks: Ikkaku's bankai transforms his [[FightingWithChucks three-section staff]] into three giant blades [[ImpossiblyCoolWeapon loosely based on the monk's spade]] connected by a huge chain. As with Hisagi, his weapon is technically a [[EpicFlail chain weapon]] that requires two hands to use. His three bankai blades have been noticed to be exceptionally powerful but fragile because he chooses not to use his power correctly [[BloodKnight for the sake of fun]].
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Despite his boisterous, cocky, battle-loving nature, Ikkaku is strangely not that difficult to get along with, especially when off-duty, and will sometimes help strangers, especially if they wish to become better fighters.
* LargeHam: Ikkaku Madarame is not a quiet man.
* PerpetualFrowner: Unless he's fighting.
* ThoseTwoGuys: With Yumichika, to Kenpachi.
* UnderestimatingBadassery: Ikkaku always goes into a fight with a smile, save for his battle against Shishigawara - expecting a quick throwdown against a human. Compared to the rest of the Soul Society reinforcements, he gets bloodied up the most. This was, in part, because he [[BloodKnight wanted to be]], however.
* UndyingLoyalty: Pre-time skip this was his major characteristic given that he's hiding his true power simply so that he can fight and die under Kenpachi's command. After the time-skip, however... well, see WarriorTherapist and wonder.
* WarriorTherapist: When Ikkaku learns of Shishigawara's motivation for having UndyingLoyalty towards Tsukishima, he lectures him on everything that is wrong with his thinking.
-->"No man's life is worth more than another! If you're gonna put your life on the line, you do it as equals! I don't care if you're brothers, or master and apprentice, or whatever! You should only die for a guy who'd die for you! There's nothing honorable about throwing your life away as though it's nothing! That's just showing off like a kid!"
* WhamLine: When he ''first'' said "Bankai!"
* WillfullyWeak: He refuses to publicise his bankai because he's afraid he'll be put under pressure to develop towards being a captain, which would ultimately force him to leave Squad 11. All he wants to do is fight and die under Kenpachi's command. As a result, he'll avoid activating bankai even if it means getting defeated or killed, if there's no way for him to activate bankai without his possession of it becoming public knowledge.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Yumichika Ayasegawa]]
[[quoteright:290:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/yumichika001_7323.png]]
->''"I refuse to look upon something so hideous."''
Yumichika is the [[HiddenDepths apparently]] narcissistic 5th seat in Squad 11. He isn't the fourth seat because he hates the number four ([[FourIsDeath and who wouldn't]]?). His most distinguishing feature is his right eye which has two pairs of brightly coloured feathers accentuating it. Yumichika is first seen fighting Ganju Shiba during the Soul Society arc and losing, mainly due to having his [[TheDandy precious hair]] messed up. Despite his vain appearance, he's actually an even match to Ikkaku.
His Zanpakutou is ''Ruri'iro Kujaku'', "nicknamed" ''Fuji Kujaku'', and it takes the form of a multi-bladed falx. It lets him sap his opponents of their energy and stamina.
--> Voiced by: Creator/JunFukuyama (JP), Brian Beacock (ENG), Moisés Iván Mora (Latin American Spanish)
----
* AdaptationDyeJob: His feathers are multi-hued in the manga. The anime changes this to one pair of solid red feathers and one pair of solid yellow feathers.
* AlmightyJanitor: He's officially the fifth seat of the strongest combat division. No one has the fourth seat because he [[FourIsDeath won't take it]] and no one can defeat him to take it, which makes him the fourth strongest member of the division. He's officially expected to take on enemies and responsibilities that only captains and vice-captains are supposed to be assigned to. All this is based on his publicly acknowledged abilities. Now factor in the [[VampiricDraining abilities]] he's [[CoverBlowingSuperPower keeping secret]] that allow him to win fights in a ''single strike'' when he uses them.
* AnimalMotif: The peacock - every aspect of the Asian symbology, which includes not just the beauty, vanity and pride, but also the loyalty, rejuvenation, resurrection, and watchfulness themes, too.
* BerserkButton: Don't call him ugly or show him something ugly. Bad idea.
* BishieSparkle: Even when his BerserkButton is pressed, he'll sparkle.
* {{Bishonen}}: And damn, does he like to remind people.
* BloodKnight: Don't let his obsession with beauty and his bishounen looks fool you. He loves fighting as much as any 11th division member.
* BloodLust: In the [[{{Filler}} anime-only]] Invasion Arc, one of the [[EvilTwin clones]] is revealed to have this. [[spoiler: Yumichika can't attack his clone because he [[TheFightingNarcissist thinks]] his clone is far too beautiful. However, his clone has no qualms about tearing Yumichika to shreds precisely because he thinks he'd look even more beautiful covered in blood.]]
* CampStraight: He's a tad fruity, to be sure, but there aren't any hints of him being attracted to any men (not even Ikkaku, although the anime will sometimes create ShipTease) and the only person he ever calls beautiful is Orihime.
* CombatTentacles: Yumichika's true shikai transforms his sword into a mass of vines that capture and restrain the enemy while at the same time draining the enemy to death. As a twist, Yumichika is a protagonist, not a villain.
* CoverBlowingSuperpower: His true abilities could get him kicked out of his division if it became common knowledge. At the very least, it'll disgrace him.
* TheDandy: He will avert the part of the trope that says a dandy doesn't like fighting, but if his clothes get torn in a fight, he ''will'' prioritise getting a fresh set of clothing over an enemy invasion of the city he's trained to protect. And he's been known to lose a fight just because his hair got messed up.
* {{Determinator}}: He'd rather die than let his division find out the truth, so, even though it's not his natural style, he'll keep fighting -- hiding his power -- for as long as he can to protect his secret... or die.
* DiagnosisFromDrBadass: After one punch by Charlotte, Yumichika can immediately tell his arm is broken in three separate places. He keeps fighting regardless.
* DramaticPause: When Yumichika [[PreAssKickingOneLiner thanks]] Charlotte, the anime doesn't just emphasise it with GlowingEyesOfDoom. They give the moment a DramaticPause as well.
* EmpathicWeapon: Yumichika's is actually unique: his Zanpakutou's name is based on its favourite colour, Ruri'iro Kujaku (Azure Peacock) but Yumichika has nicknamed it based on its most [[BerserkButton hated]] colour, Fuji Kujaku (Wisteria-Purple Peacock). His Zanpakutou retaliates to the nickname by only partially releasing to deny Yumichika its shikai power and appearance. Yumichika takes advantage of this to [[WillfullyWeak disguise]] his kidou-type Zanpakutou as a combat-type Zanpakutou so his squad won't ostracise for him for possessing a [[CoverBlowingSuperpower taboo weapon]]. It means he's fighting with a [[{{Determinator}} fake shikai]] in battle.
* EnergyAbsorption: The basis of how his shikai works is by draining away the life-force of his opponent. After the fight is over, he is free to choose to use the stolen life-force to heal any wounds he may have sustained in the fight, giving his shikai optional VampiricDraining properties, too.
* EvilCounterpart: Inverted. His gigai in the Real World is basically the exact opposite of him in personality: a tough grouch... despite only seeing it ''once'' in the entire show!
* ExplainingYourPowerToTheEnemy: Averted. In a manga where almost everyone introduces themselves at the start of a fight and explains their abilities just before launching their described attack, Yumichika stands out as one of the few who doesn't do either. The only time we've ever seen him describe his power, he waited until his opponent was already too badly damaged by the attack to be able to escape, and he finished explaining just in time for his opponent to die.
* FashionableAsymmetry: He accessorises his right eye with feathers and his right arm is clothed in orange, and is attached to his neck ruff on the right side only. After the time-skip, he discarded the orange in favour of white, retaining the asymmetry of a clothed right arm and unclothed left arm. He's also got a cloth running vertically over his right shoulder, giving him a sash look on the right-handed side from the front and the appearance of having an all-white (right) sleeve from the back. On top of that, he's also rearranged his hair to have a long plait on the right-hand side of his hair, and slightly longer strands of hair than his left-hand side.
* TheFightingNarcissist: He loves himself and his beauty and always makes sure he looks his best when kicking ass.
* FluffyFashionFeathers: Around the eyes before the time-skip; Eyes and ears after the time-skip.
* FlowerMotif: His shikai produces lilies which are, appropriately, symbols of [[VampiricDraining rejuvenation]], [[EnergyAbsorption death]] and [[TheFightingNarcissist beauty]].
* {{Foreshadowing}}:
** The fight with Hisagi saw his injuries mysteriously vanish by the end of the fight and Kenpachi noticed he had more energy than he'd had before the start of the fight. Hisagi is also left muttering about the Zanpakutou being a type he'd never heard of existing and how his reiatsu has been eaten. It's years and hundreds of chapters later before his Zanpakutou is revealed to be an EnergyAbsorption weapon that has VampiricDraining powers.
** When Yumichika trains for bankai after the first Espada fight, he gives up in disgust, claiming it's impossible to achieve because Fuji Kujaku is being too stubborn and uncooperative for him to be able to materialise the spirit in front of everyone. Hundreds of chapters later, it's revealed that, to ensure no-one (especially Ikkaku and Kenpachi) can ever learn the true nature of his sword, he calls it Fuji Kujaku to force it to become stubborn and uncooperative. In the training session, not only is he training in front of others (including Ikkaku), but he's also calling it Fuji Kujaku. In other words, his bankai training failed because he deliberately sabotaged it.
* FunnyAfro: As a result of Ganju throwing a firework at his head, Yumichika is mortified to find himself sporting one of these. Ikkaku finds it hilarious.
* GlowingEyesOfDoom: The moment Yumichika turns the tables on Charlotte is accompanied by this in the anime.
* HeterosexualLifePartners: The fanbase can often be found discussing the true nature of the relationship between Yumichika and Ikkaku and the anime often likes to add [[ShipTease fuel]] to this debate as well. However, in the manga there's no evidence they have any kind of sexual interest in each other, which makes them straight examples of this trope.
* HiddenDepths: He's narcissistic on the surface, until it's revealed that he's sacrificing everything that he is for the sake of his division's philosophy. He's also implied to have sacrificed the chance to become third seat simply because Ikkaku wanted it. That's before we get to the subject of his BloodKnight persona hiding a MagicKnight reality.
* HonorBeforeReason: Given the choice between having his division learn the truth or dying, he ''will'' choose death.
* IAmNotLeftHanded: He always fights with an imperfect release of his sword, because he is afraid that his squad mates will shun him for having a ''kido''-based release. The only exception is when he is absolutely ''certain'' that no one from the 11th Squad can see him. Bai bai, Charlotte Cuulhorne.
* LetsGetDangerous: Whenever Yumichika can get away with using his true shikai without being discovered, his fights always transform into this.
* LongHairedPrettyBoy: Notorious for his beauty and his obsession with beauty, he used to have long hair that was fashionably styled until he joined the Soul Reapers, whereupon he cut his hair to chin-length.
* MagicKnight: In the manga, it's revealed that the kidou abilities he's hiding are his Zanpakutou's true abilities. However, the {{anime}} takes this a stage further in the [[{{Filler}} Zanpakutou Arc]] and makes him a full-blown kidou user. The manga eventually confirms that he really is a full-blown kidou expert when he begins openly using kidou in battle during the final arc.
* MundaneMadeAwesome: What do you mean "[[PreAssKickingOneLiner thank you]]" isn't an awesome phrase? If it wasn't impressive enough in the manga, the anime cranks it UpToEleven by giving Yumichika GlowingEyesOfDoom and a [[DramaticPause dramatic music pause]] as he says it.
* TheNoseKnows:
** He sensed the coming of Grimmjow's group by catching the unusually strange hollow scent they gave off. When he alerted Ikkaku, he was told to ignore it, but he continued to privately think it strange. When Hitsugaya's team is finally attacked, Yumichika is the only one who is not surprised.
** He claims to have uncovered the secret that Giselle is a man because she smells of semen. It drives Giselle into a fury and, for the rest of their fight, Yumichika continues to bait her with the subject.
* ObfuscatingStupidity: Knows his way around ''kido'' very well, but hides it to not offend his much more martial arts-geared squad mates.
* PreAssKickingOneLiner: Every time Yumichika uses his shikai he gets one, including one of the simplest of any character in Bleach: "Thank you".
* PurpleEyes: Wisteria-coloured eyes, a shade of purple very similar to (and often confused with) lavender. [[EmpathicWeapon Zanpakutou]] represent their wielders' true nature and his hates the colour of wisteria-purple which itself raises questions about Yumichika's true personality. A straight example of this trope, his true strength and nature is a mystery. Superficially [[TheFightingNarcissist narcissistic]], he's hiding the fact he's sacrificing his true strength to adhere to his division's [[BloodKnight martial philosophy]]. The very few times his [[EnergyAbsorption true abilities]] have been used, he's won in a [[CurbStompBattle single strike]], meaning his full strength has never been tested or even [[AlmightyJanitor acknowledged]]. And he's [[WillfullyWeak working hard]] to keep it that way.
* RavenHairIvorySkin: Yumichika Ayasegawa, with his pale skin and raven hair, is well-known, notorious even, for both his beauty and his obsession with beauty. Although he is genuinely one of the best looking and most fashionable male Soul Reaper in Soul Society, his biggest fan is actually... [[TheFightingNarcissist himself]].
* SecretKeeper: Regarding Ikkaku's bankai.
* ThoseTwoGuys: With Ikkaku, to Kenpachi.
* UndyingLoyalty: On the surface, his defining personality trait appears to be [[TheFightingNarcissist narcissism]]. As a result of his determination to conform to 11th division philosophy, he would rather die than publicly display his true strength. He's content to remain in a [[SubmissiveBadass subordinate position]], sacrificing [[EnergyAbsorption his abilities]] to make sure he doesn't do anything that would harm Kenpachi or Ikkaku's faith in him as an [[BloodKnight 11th division warrior]].
* VampiricDraining: His shikai's true ability is EnergyAbsorption. It absorbs the spiritual energy of its enemy, transferring it to Yumichika. Yumichika can then decide whether or not he wants to use that stolen energy to restore himself back to full health.
* WillfullyWeak: He's deliberately using a crippled version of his shikai in battle. As a result, he struggles against opponents who release their power precisely because he's suppressing his own. When he does choose to stop suppressing his power and release it, IAmNotLeftHanded and LetsGetDangerous moments inevitably occur.
[[/folder]]
!!Squad 12
[[folder:Mayuri Kurotsuchi]]
[[quoteright:190:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/190px-Mayuri_New_Look_6208.png]]
[[caption-width-right:190:[[labelnote:Click here to see his pre-TimeSkip appearance]][[quoteright:190:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mayuri001_4857.png]][[/labelnote]]]]
[[caption-width-right:190:[[labelnote:Click here to see his first appearance]][[quoteright:190:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/190px-Mayuri_8147.png]][[/labelnote]]]]
->''"Test subjects shouldn't run their mouths so much. This is an experiment and you are test subject No.1. You don't have the right to refuse or to make any decisions!"''
The [[{{Cloudcuckoolander}} eccentric]], [[KickTheDog cruel]] and [[TheSociopath outright psychopathic]] Captain of Squad 12, as well as the current [[MadScientist president]] of the Research and Technology Institute. Mayuri is a unique type of character in that, despite aiding the protagonists and thus far entertaining no notions of betrayal, he is ''so'' [[SlasherSmile cold]] and [[ColdBloodedTorture sadistic]] that he could pass as a bad guy. Well, at least he was like that in the Soul Society Arc. Aside from his sadism, he's notable for being CrazyPrepared and AwesomeByAnalysis. In short, Mayuri is a man who does everything ForScience... however he's been more of a SociopathicHero since then and Mayuri's pragmatic genius, coupled with his many technological contributions to Soul Society, make him a valuable ally.
His Zanpakuto is ''Ashisogi Jizo'', an oddly shaped "sword" capable of paralyzing and poisoning his opponents. His Bankai is ''Konjiki Ashisogi Jizō'', best described as an example of OurMonstersAreWeird that can instantly kill his opponents with its deadly toxins.
--> Voiced by: RyuseiNakao (JP), Creator/TerrenceStone (ENG), Jose Alfonso Carralero (Latin American Spanish)
----
* AntagonistAbilities:
** CompleteImmortality: When he stabs himself with his zanpakuto, he turns into an invincible liquid that's purely for escape.
** TheParalyzer: His zanpakuto's Shikai ability lets him deactivate the brain signals of anyone he cuts, making their limbs immobile, but still able to feel pain.
** SinisterSurveillance: Everyone he fights becomes infected with surveillance bacteria.
* AntiVillain: Mayuri's sole interest is to work for the advancement of scientific discovery and much of his science does prove beneficial to Soul Society. For example, he's the person the [[CombatMedic Fourth Division]] goes to when a patient needs organ transplants. However, he's a sociopath who doesn't care at all for his subordinates and sees everybody as either a tool or a research experiment; he'll go to any lengths for science. WordOfGod states he's an example of necessary evil.
* AxCrazy: But only if you make him mad. Or if he wants to open you up.
* {{Badass}}: When Yamamoto blames the 12th division for their failure to react in time to the Quincy threat, Mayuri completely rejects the accusation on the grounds that it's entirely Yamamoto's fault. He then proceeds to detail to the old man's face exactly why it's Yamamoto's fault, and Yamamoto has no choice but to back down... because Mayuri is right. It's the only time in the entire manga that someone has managed to make Yamamoto back down. Not even his favourite students could do that.
* BadBoss: In his introduction alone he blows up three of his subordinates. When a fourth asks why, he merely says that 'bombs aren't supposed to come back' and kills him too. Which is nothing compared to how he treats his Lieutenant, who happens to be ''[[AbusiveParents his own daughter]]''.
* BerserkButton
** Once, Ichigo offhandedly commented that he and Urahara were "a lot alike." Mayuri's response was to try to kill him on the spot, and when his attack missed he decided that simple murder was too boring and instead began thinking of an appropriate FateWorseThanDeath to inflict on Ichigo after the war. Wow.
** His "test subjects" speaking back to him, especially to say they'll never do what he says, that they'll never let him get away with this, or to call out for their loved ones- this pisses him off to no end, and he found the latter "disgusting". He hates the Quincy for all their swearing "on the pride of the Quincy" too, especially when they are swearing they will stop or kill him, just because nearly all of them kept saying it while he was torturing them and he found it sounding like a broken record. Guess what line Uryu used immediately after Mayuri finished that rant.
** Also, do NOT tell him that you're perfect or that you achieve for perfection. Szayel is the freaking proof of it.
-->'''Mayuri''': I spit on perfection! (...) THAT"S ASSUMING YOU'RE A SCIENTIST....
* BlueAndOrangeMorality: Mayuri operates on his own principles and ethics which don't make a whole lot of sense to anyone else except for Urahara. Much of it seems to be about his pride as a scientist and learning new things; Nemu takes the level of punishment she does at his behest because she is his creation and he is demonstrating his confidence his creation can handle the task she's been given, and Szayel is beneath even contempt not because he's vicious and insane but because he offends Mayuri's secular sensibilities with his dreams of perfection via parasitic rebirth.
* BunnyEarsLawyer: It's hard to see how Mayuri could ever be a captain of the Gotei 13. He's a full-time MadScientist, a part-time MadDoctor. On a bad day he's a KnightOfCerebus who'd either [[TheydCutYouUp cut anyone up]] or [[ProfessorGuineaPig use them for experimentation]] (sometimes both at the same time). The reason he's a captain of the Gotei 13 is that he's too damn useful and he's got the ability to justify (and hold) the rank.
* CassandraTruth: When Ishida first appeared in Soul Society, Mayuri realised that the Soul Society was vulnerable to Quincy attacks, and because Yamamoto had failed to kill an old enemy in the past, a Quincy attack is precisely what was going to happen. Yamamoto dismissed Mayuri's advice as paranoia. Bad choice, old man.
* CharacterizationMarchesOn: Insane, scary, [[HairTriggerTemper insanely irritable]] and outright monstrous in his first appearance, {{Cloudcuckoolander}} comedic JerkAss from his second appearance. On the other hand, he's returned to form as an amoral scientist by the time of his appearance in the final arc.
* {{Cloudcuckoolander}}: Cruelty aside, he seems to have some rather odd thought processes going on when relaxed as well as a rather strange sense of humor.
* ComedicSociopathy: This is what his antics are meant to be seen as, but...
* CoveredWithScars: Underneath his makeup.
* CrazyPrepared: Displays Batman-level planning to face fellow MadScientist Szayel and in the third movie, he's shown to regularly create backup brains. That said, if Uryu had gone for a headshot he'd have killed him.
* EvenEvilHasStandards: Morally speaking, he's really not much better than Szayel, his EvilCounterpart, but Mayuri finds everything Szayel does quaint at best and disgusting at worst, ending by getting REALLY pissed off when Szayel starts talking about how he has become a "perfect being" by incorporating death into his lifecycle since [[BlueAndOrangeMorality it's a betrayal of the principles any REAL scientist would hold dear on top of being wrong.]] As such, he leaves a lengthy lecture of why achieving perfection is a load of crap (after all, if you achieved perfection, there'd be no room for further improvement, and thus what would a scientist have left to ''do''?) to keep Szayel company for the eternity it would take him to perceive his own death.
* EvilCannotComprehendGood: When Ishida calls him out on how he treats his Vice-Captain, Mayuri (after revealing said VC is both his creation, and his ''daughter'') angrily asks him what right he has to tell him how to treat her, accusing the two of them of thinking he's stupid, and warns him not to wave his "creepy sense of justice around here."
* EvilIsHammy: The maddest he is, the louder he talks and the more he overacts.
* ForScience: His defining characteristic over nearly everything he does.
* FriendlyFireproof: Averted. Not only are his subordinates vulnerable to his poison (apart from Nemu's resistance to his bankai) but he's largely unconcerned with even bothering to try to miss them.
* HairTriggerTemper: His initial introduction to the story included showing him lashing out at anything he interpreted as provocative. He's calmed down a lot since those early days.
* HeroicComedicSociopath: In the "Hueco Mundo" arc, at least, but it seems to have died down as of the latest arc.
* HypocriticalHumour:
--> "''Silence, reprobate''".
* IDidWhatIHadToDo: Mayuri's response when interrogated by Yamamoto [[spoiler:regarding why he exterminated twenty-eight ''thousand'' residents of Soul Society]].
* IgnoredExpert: Although Mayuri's knowledge of Quincies was deeply shaken by his encounter with Ishida, he's the closest thing to an expert on the Quincies and their powers that the Soul Reapers have. Yamamoto even briefly tried a CassandraDidIt argument on Mayuri for allowing the situation to happen, but Mayuri gave him a {{badass}} TheReasonYouSuckSpeech by way of retaliation.
* IntimateHealing: To his ''daughter''. Played for ''laughs'', even; we never actually got to ''see'' exactly what the hell he did to her, but were treated to a rather amusing shot of Uryu and Renji's shocked/disgusted reactions while Nemu moaned in ecstasy off-screen. When Ishida tries to call him out on that, Mayuri appears confused by the accusation.
--> [[BlatantLies "I would never do anything unsuitable for family viewing!]] [[LeaningOnTheFourthWall Get your mind out of the gutter!"]]
* JerkAss: He's abrasive, treats his subordinates and allies like dirt and in general is one of the worst people in the manga.
* KarmaHoudini: After all, he is [[Pantheon/HeroesAndVillains the God of Unpunished Villainy]], to the point that Ishida becomes his ButtMonkey in his BigDamnHeroes moment. Remember back when Mayuri orchestrated his grandfathers death and then experimented on his soul until it too died?
* KickTheSonOfABitch: This seems to be Mayuri's schtick. While he may be an amoral and largely selfish MadScientist, he's often used to perform some fairly fantastic levels of karmic justice to people who more than deserve it themselves. Condeming [[EvilCounterpart Szayelaporro]] to one hundred years of an agonizingly slow death would have been [[KickTheDog horrible]]... had it not been done to a man who was busy slowly breaking Renji and Uryu's bones one by one, and revived himself via forcibly impregnating Nemu and spewing through her mouth.
* LackOfEmpathy: He seems honestly surprised when people get angry at him for his cruelty or reject his offers to be research specimens.
* LargeHam: [[HamToHamCombat Especially]] during his battle with Szayel. However, when the Vandenreich show up, he's completely serious and direct.
* LaughablyEvil: When Kubo uses him for comedy moments, he becomes this. Outside of those moments, Kubo does not play the lengths he goes to ForScience as in anyway amusing.
* LeaningOnTheFourthWall: [[BlatantLies "Everything I do is suitable for family viewing."]]
* LighterAndSofter: He became more of a comedic JerkAss post-Soul Society.
* MadDoctor: When he's not busy being a MadScientist, he's busy being a MadDoctor instead.
* MadScientist: To the core. Especially in the manga, where we learn exactly what "experiments" he performed on his Quincy captives.
* MasterPoisoner: Able to alter his Bankai's poison to prevent people from creating a antidote and also creates various medicines to use in battle.
* NoodleIncident: Apparently in the Soul Reaper Cup ending episode 314 apparently his subordinates found something that made him get '''[[HighPressureEmotion red in the face]]'''
* OmnidisciplinaryScientist: Though chemistry and biology are his apparent favourites.
* PetTheDog
** His role in the "Hueco Mundo" arc has him as a [[BigDamnHeroes Big Damn Hero]] and being generally... Err, "nicer" to Nemu. Also, his character sheet manages to bring down his "evilness" a little by [[VillainsOutShopping showing that]], despite his eccentricities, he's still just... a guy.
** In addition, he also has a serial published in the ''Seireitei Bulletin'' that documents how to make and use practical medicine. It's extremely popular with the inhabitants of Seireitei even though most of the readers admit they can never obtain the ingredients to actually make the concoctions.
* PoisonedWeapons: His initial release [[AndIMustScream completely paralyses]] opponents upon cutting them, [[ColdBloodedTorture without dulling their sense of pain]]. His Bankai simply releases a toxin that ''slowly'' kills anyone who is caught in it's noxious purple cloud with the exception of himself and Nemu.
* PsychoForHire: One of Soul Society's two pet psychos, along with Kenpachi. Which is ironic when you consider that they hate each other.
* TheReasonYouSuckSpeech: Apparently, Mayuri has very specific ideas for what science is and what it is ''not.''
-->"''In this secular existence, perfection is an illusion. Regardless of all those who utter contrary, this is the reality. Common man seeks it out... they aspire to achieve it as if it were some tangible thing. But the fact of the matter is, perfection is a hollow shell. It is... devoid... of any substance. '''I spit on perfection!''' Perfection, after all, implies you've reached the summit. No trial and error, no ability to conceptualize. An omniscient being would have no need for such superfluous things. Am I making myself clear? For people who dabble in the sciences, such as ourselves... perfection would render us obsolete. Many magnificent things have been and will continue to come into existence. And yet, every last one of them will fall short of perfection's finish line. Our function as men of science relies on their many shortcomings. Then, and only then, can we apply the fruits of our labor. To put it simply... as soon as you began that nonsense about being an immaculate being, you had already lot! '''....That's assuming you're a scientist...'''''"
* RefugeInAudacity: Mayuri ''knows'' he's a gigantic, sociopathic prick. ''He just doesn't care''. And he even uses it ''to his freaking advantage''!
* ReminiscingAboutYourVictims: Mayuri reveals to Uryuu that he had studied the Quincies by launching into a long speech about all the things he did to the Quincies he'd captured in order to study responses to mental and physical stimuli. It's a speech that reveals just how far down the road of MadScientist he's willing to go ForScience.
* ScarsAreForever: Without his makeup on, you can see that his body has a large number of scars. Considering his personality, he probably inflicted them on himself during research.
* SecretKeeper: Comedic aversion. Everyone else who knew about Ikkaku's bankai have kept their mouths shut. Not so Mayuri. We first learn he's known about Ikkaku's bankai since the Edorad fight when he's talking to Ichigo about the durability of bankai. It's only when Ichigo expresses surprise at Ikkaku having a bankai that Mayuri remembers Ikkaku wanted it kept secret. He then dismisses it as something he doesn't care about.
* SelfDestructMechanism: During his battle with Szayel, Mayuri is shown to have [[spoiler: implanted one of these in his Bankai, to do so if ever used against him]] -- just one of several CrazyPrepared moments.
* ShadowArchetype: He's basically Urahara, if Urahara were a demented psychopath.
* SlasherSmile: He tends to have a wide, vicious grin on his face except when bored.
* TheSouthpaw: He is also ambidextrous. In the Bount arc he wields his sword entirely in his left hand.
* TheStarscream: Urahara makes it absolutely clear that, if Mayuri joins him, Mayuri will inherit everything should something happen to him. Mayuri tells him he's very unpleasant because it's therefore clear he'd therefore be the prime suspect should anything happen to Urahara: Mayuri's loyalty is therefore enforced from the outset preventing this trope from being possible.
* TechnicolorToxin: Ashisogi Jizo releases the classical purple venomous mist. The infected victims slowly turn purple as well.
* TokenEvilTeammate: Though not part of Ichigo's group, he still fits the bill.
* UncannyValleyMakeup: The black and white makeup he puts on every morning and takes off before he goes to bed.
* TheUnfettered: So long as his actions further science, anything is acceptable.
* [[VillainsOutShopping Amoral Heroes Out Shopping]]: His {{Omake}} appearances have him doing relatively mundane, even ''helpful'' things in his free time.
* WouldYouLikeToHearHowTheyDied: Mayuri ends his reminiscing to Uryuu about his Quincy studies with the story of the very last Quincy he ever studied and how he died. He shows Uryuu a graphic photograph of the state of the body was left in by the time his studies were done. That old man was, as Mayuri well knew, Uryuu's grandfather and mentor, Souken. Uryuu's [[BerserkButton response]] to this is far more than Mayuri [[CurbStompBattle could handle]].
* YouGottaHaveBlueHair: He has blue hair, though it's often covered.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Nemu Kurotsuchi]]
[[quoteright:290:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/nemu_5677.jpg]]
The Lieutenant of Squad 12 and Mayuri's daughter. She is a reserved and vulnerable woman who is often the first to suffer when her father becomes enraged. She takes this abuse in stride, as she was artificially created by Mayuri to serve as both the perfect lieutenant and daughter.
--> Voiced by: Creator/RieKugimiya (JP), MeganHollingshead (ENG)
----
* AbusiveParents: Mayuri's treatment of Nemu is absolutely appalling. He uses her as a human shield and their tag-team strategy is that he ''cuts through her'' to get at opponents with his poisoned sword. When she asked for the antidote, he ''started kicking her'' for it on the grounds that he made her too well for her to die from such petty wounds so she was merely insulting his intelligence. Even she isn't sure why she still sticks around with him.
* AbsoluteCleavage: Her outfit from chapter 447 onwards exposes her (surprisingly large) bust.
* ArtificialHuman: Mayuri mentions that it was he who ''made'' her, and regards her as one of his greatest accomplishments.
* BluntMetaphorsTrauma: She says "Butter" when she takes a picture of Byakuya in an omake, even after Isane corrects that.
* BodyHorror: Particularly in the manga. When Szayelaporro uses Gabriel on her, Nemu's stomach enlarges horrendously, a slit opens on her flesh and Szayelaporro spews out of her mouth, leaving her as a wrinkled, emaciated husk.
* CombatStilettos: Not as extreme as other cases, but her sandals do have a noticable heel.
* DanceBattler[=/=]SheFu - KickChick: Some bits in the anime hint that her fighting may be similar to Capoeira.
* DangerouslyShortSkirt: She doesn't wear the hakama part of the Soul Reaper uniform. Her kosode ends at mid thigh, achieving the same effect as a very short skirt. Despite this, nothing is ever revealed even when she's in battle.
* ExtremeDoormat: She puts up with her captain's abuse without a word of complaint.
* FingerlessGloves: She wears tekkou of a style very similar to Byakuya's.
* GagBoobs[=/=]MarshmallowHell: Mayuri tells her to muffle Ishida with them so he can shut up and get healed. Also done in the Zanpaktou Filler Arc, only this time with Ichigo.
* HalfTruth: After Kira deduced that the 12th Division was responsible for killing those Rukongai citizens, Nemu said that she's sure Mayuri did nothing wrong. Turns out, Mayuri ordering his squad to kill the Rukongai citizens to restore the balance ''is'' an acceptable solution for the crisis at hand.
* TheImmodestOrgasm: When Mayuri finishes... um, healing her, Nemu ''screams'' with pleasure.
* {{Keigo}}: She always speaks very formally.
* MadScientistsBeautifulDaughter: Specifically designed to be that way, actually.
* MagicSkirt: Honestly, she wears a frigging ''miniskirt''; she should be making panty shots just by ''standing''!
* MaleGaze: When she muffled Ishida in the Hueco Mundo arc, her largely-shaped rear end wiggles at the camera.
* MsFanservice: Her miniskirt really shows off her long, smooth legs, her large butt wiggles at the camera when she holds Ishida down in Hueco Mundo, and she's also worn an outfit that operates under AbsoluteCleavage.
* NiceGirl: One of the most... quirky examples, to say it simply.
* OppositeSexClone: Her body is a gigai that is at least partially constructed out of Mayuri's genetic material. This makes her immune to the effects of his bankai, though his shikai does work on her.
* SatelliteCharacter: To Mayuri. It's what she does ''outside'' of Mayuri's sphere that gives her more personality.
* SexySecretary: She could be seen as Mayuri's.
* ShesGotLegs: Very much so. The skirt and camera angle tend to show off her features.
* SuperStrength: Even by Soul Reaper standards she is very strong.
* SuperToughness: Nemu is unlike other Soul Reapers. Mayuri built her to be very hard to seriously damage or destroy, leaving her able to take all the abuse she goes through. It's still extremely painful, though. The anime tends to downplay the level of damage she takes, such as in the battle with Szayelaporro. In the manga, she gets a hole torn through her. In the anime, she just looks withered and drained.
* YamatoNadeshiko: She's a lot more eccentric than your average example of this trope, but she fits all the requirements outside of that. She not only has the looks (moderate height, long black hair, etc) but is always calm, soft-spoken/quiet, polite, ''very'' submissive (to everyone, but primarily to Mayuri who is her father figure). Even though she's typically an EmotionlessGirl, she has a better moral compass than her father ever will have.
* [[YesMan Yes Woman]]: She tends to submit to whatever Mayuri asks of her, even when it puts her life in danger or she morally disagrees. Her behavior is justified because that's what Mayuri ''made'' her to be.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Akon]]
[[quoteright:290:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/290px-Akon_6983.jpg]]
The third seat of Squad 12, originally picked up and recruited by Urahara when he was a captain in Turn Back The Pendulum. His colleagues include Hiyosu and Rin Tsubokura. In the Soul Society arc, he was the one that discovered that Rukia's gigai couldn't have been developed by anyone currently in the Soul Society, correctly deducing that an exile is the only other type of person that would've had access to such technology.
He often functions as mission control.
--> Voiced by: Keiji Okuda (JP), Kaya Miyake (JP, As a child), Creator/PatrickSeitz (ENG)
----
* ADayInTheLimelight: Has been getting a lot of attention in the Thousand-Year Blood War arc.
* AudienceSurrogate: When Mayuri shows up [[http://www.mangareader.net/bleach/547/16 wearing THIS]] in 547, Akon ends up lanmpshading the {{Narm}}.
* HornedHumanoid: According to the [[AllThereInTheManual databooks]], he's an individual who, just as Mayuri himself has done, will experiment on himself ForScience although what the purpose was of experiment he created horns for isn't revealed.
* MissionControl: He often appears to be responsible for getting critical information to people and relaying orders.
* NonchalantDodge: Does this to Hiyori when she tries to kick him, never losing his poker face for a second.
* NumberTwo: The second-in-command of the Soul Reaper Research and Development Institute, though not of his actual squad.
* RedOniBlueOni: The Blue Oni to Hiyori during the Turn Back the Pendulum arc.
* SecretKeeper: He's known about Ikkaku's bankai since the fight with Edorad.
* TheStoic: Usually stays calm and composed ever since he was a kid. Even when he's clearly feeling desperate, he refrains from panicking. Hiyosu comments that there are only two things that can make him lose his composure: [[MadScientist Mayuri]] and [[EccentricMentor Urahara]].
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Rin Tsubokura]]
[[quoteright:290:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/290px-Rin_8496.jpg]]
An unseated officer from the 12th Division, who works mostly with Akon and Hiyosu. Looks very effeminate, making many confuse him for a girl. Doesn't seem to be nearly as morally ambiguous as his squadmates.
--> Voiced by: Miho Saiki (JP), Creator/JulieAnnTaylor (ENG)
-----
* ButtMonkey: The story doesn't take Rin seriously at all.
* CanonImmigrant: He first appeared in episode 68 of the anime, at the start of the Bount arc. In the manga, the kid doesn't show up until the Arrancar arc.
* TheKlutz: Rin is not the most composed of characters.
* NervousWreck: Tends to be very ill at ease in his duties. Considering ''which'' Squad he works in, though, can you blame him?
* MissionControl: Like Akon, he's responsible for relaying orders and communications.
* SweetTooth: Has a fondness for sweets.
* TearsOfJoy: [[spoiler: As he spreads the word that Ichigo is coming to help Soul Society.]]
* TokenGoodTeammate: Seems to be the least... morally ambiguous of the whole division (Mayuri is Mayuri, Nemu follows ''every'' order given to her, Hiyosu has creepy molester vibes, and Akon was involved in the Quincy experiments).
[[/folder]]
!!Squad 13
[[folder:Jushiro Ukitake]]
[[quoteright:290:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/ukitake001_7804.png]]
->''"Friends are a good thing, even if they tread a different path."''
Ukitake is the captain of Squad 13 and one of the oldest. Ukitake suffers from an unnamed disease that causes him to cough up blood which naturally hinders his combat skills. At the beginning of the story he has no lieutenant following the death of Kaien Shiba, so those duties are fulfilled by his two third seat officers.
His zanpakutou is named ''Sōgyo no Kotowari'', one of the very few dual zanpakutou. One sword lets him absorb any energy-based attack, and fire it back with the other sword.
--> Voiced by: Creator/HideoIshikawa (JP), Creator/LiamOBrien (ENG), Creator/KimStrauss (ENG, Episode 40), GerardoReyero (Latin America)
----
* AFatherToHisMen / TeamDad: Towards his subordinates. Part of the reason why he doesn't kill Hanataro is because he risked his life for one of his subordinates.
* AchillesHeel: Even though he's one of the most powerful Soul Reapers, his illness seems to prevent him from fighting for very long, he appears to lapse into coughing fits at inopportune moments and he's frequently too ill to perform his duties during peace time.
* AdaptationDyeJob: His eyes are brown in both the manga and anime. However, for a colour cover special in chapter 335 that possessed the theme "green on white", Kubo changed his eyes to green to match the theme.
* AttackReflector: His Shikai.
* BadassBaritone: Tends to be voiced by men who either have naturally deep voices, or who can tone down their pitches well. Creator/HideoIshikawa, Creator/LiamOBrien, GerardoReyero...
* BadassCreed: His Shikai command isn't as long and poetic as Shunsui's, but it's still pretty awesome nonetheless.
* BewareTheNiceOnes: According to the Starrk fight, for similar reasons as Kyoraku. His participation doesn't last long but leaves the impression that he's far more competent and shrewd than his HonourBeforeReason philosophy and mild-mannered nature would imply. Even back during the Soul Society arc he had absolutely no intention of allowing Rukia to be executed, so he's fortunate that Ichigo and the others helped start what was nearly a civil war in Soul Society.
* [[spoiler: BigBrotherIsWatching: According to Ginjou, Ukitake created the Substitutes' badge to allow the Soul Society to communicate with, analyze, monitor and control the Reiatsu of their Substitutes, hence how Ichigo's Reiatsu came out of the badge itself when he first used Fullbring. Ginjou also claims that Ukitake can use the badge to execute a Substitute, if necessary. Ichigo himself claims that he didn't need Ginjou to tell him any of this as he'd already realised that Ukitake had dropped hints to enable him to work it out for himself.]]
* BloodFromTheMouth / IncurableCoughOfDeath: His lung condition can manifests whenever he coughs up blood. He averts IncurableCoughOfDeath as he's not actually dying from the condition, although it can debilitate him at times.
* BunnyEarsLawyer: Look at his interactions with Hitsugaya. It's hard to trust ''that'' with a captancy, but he still pulls it off.
* CatchAndReturn: In shikai, his Zanpakuto can absorb energy attacks through one blade and shoot it out the other, amplifying their speed and power in the process.
* DiseaseBleach: He was diagnosed with his condition as a child. Over the course of three days, the stress and shock of the diagnosis turned his hair white.
* DualWielding: Sogyo no Kotowari is one of only two sets of twin-blade Zanpakutou at the start of the series.
* EarlyBirdCameo: Want to win at ''Bleach'' trivia? Ask which of the 13 captains we saw first. The obvious answer is Byakuya, but Ukitake makes a very brief appearance earlier (when Rukia flashes back to Kaien's death).
* EnergyAbsorption[=/=]BeamSpam: His Shikai ability absorbs spirit energy based attacks and send them right back.
* EvenTheGuysWantHim: ''Oh, boooooy.'' Despite never using his looks to his advantage (being a [[NiceGuy nice guy]]), he still has both women and men fussing over him in equal measure. One fainting spell [[BeachEpisode on the beach]] has ''everyone'' instantly hovering anxiously around him. His subordinates dote upon him (Kiyone is madly in love with him) and even the other captains are quite taken with him. There's Kyouraku calling him "iro otoko" which means "lover, lady-killer, sexy guy" (make of that what you will), [[{{Tsundere}} Sui-Feng]] of all people pinning him to a tree with daggers and [[ShirtlessScene cutting his haori and kimono jacket to shreds]] while his 3rd seat took photos, and Amagai jumping him. [[CantHoldHisLiquor It was the saké]], sure.
* ExplainingYourPowerToTheEnemy: Averted. Tells Starrk outright to work it out for himself. Unlike Kyoraku, he doesn't drop hints or show any openings before Wonderweiss interferes. Then again, his powers are simple enough that Starrk can work them out easily anyway.
* HeterosexualLifePartners: He and Kyouraku go a very long way back, having formed their bond while in the academy together. They've been captains for centuries and are a renowned partnership even on the battlefield.
* HonorBeforeReason: "There are two kinds of fights: Fight to defend your life, and fight to defend your pride." [[spoiler: But this contributes to the death of his lieutenant Kaien Shiba.]]
* LongHairedPrettyBoy: He has waist length white hair and is considered gentle, kind, and attractive. His HeterosexualLifePartner, Kyoraku, keeps referring to him as a ladykiller because female Soul Reapers can be reduced to blushing jelly if he so much as smiles at them. His female third seat, Kiyone, is hopelessly in love with him.
* MassiveNumberedSiblings: He has five younger brothers and two younger sisters, [[PromotionToParent all of whom he essentially supports by himself. ]]
* NiceGuy: He's one of the nicest guys in the series and will even save overpowered enemies from his allies if he agrees with their goals.
* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: He's willing to hear out those who invade Soul Society or who help the invaders to try and understand what is happening. He also questions the reason for Rukia's execution and attempts to find a way to resolve it that won't involve killing her. [[spoiler:Even Ukitake's BigBrotherIsWatching surveillance on Ichigo can be seen this way: Ichigo is dangerously powerful and unpredictable, and it's reasonable (if somewhat amoral) to want to be able to keep tabs on him at all times.]]
* ScrewTheRulesImDoingWhatsRight: Ukitake cooperates with the authorities during the Soul Society arc and even reimprisons Rukia when Ganju rescues her from her cell. However, he only continues to obey until he hears back regarding his appeal attempt on her behalf. When it is rejected, he reveals that he never had any intention of allowing her to be executed. Unlike captains such as Unohana or Hitsugaya who had suspicions regarding the goings-on but remained silent about them, Ukitake simply goes forward to protect his subordinate and destroy the Sokyoku itself.
* WorfHadTheFlu: Despite being a long standing captain with abilities respected by Yamamoto himself, he has yet to actually win a fight in-series because his illness weakens him substantially.
* WouldntHurtAChild: Upon meeting anyone who looks like a child ([[OlderThanTheyLook no matter their actual age]]) he'll immediately offer them candy or invite them to play a game. He tried to convince Lilinette to go home and didn't want to hurt her precisely because she looked like a child. [[spoiler:Which was a very dumb move and in the end caused massive damage to his own side.]]
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Kaien Shiba]]
[[quoteright:290:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/kaien001_3677.png]]
->''"Remember that as long as you're in my division, I will stand by you even if I die."''
He was the former lieutenant to Ukitake, as well as Rukia's mentor. His Zanpakuto was Nejibana. His body was then taken over by the hollow that killed his wife Miyako in the same manner, forcing Rukia to kill both him and the hollow. He seems to have survived long enough to thank his killer in front of his family much to their confusion. Multiple characters have noted his similarity to Ichigo, which saved him very early in the manga when Byakuya was unwilling to kill him in front of his already desperate sister.
His zanpakutou was ''Nejibana'', a trident which let him launch water-based attacks.
--> Voiced by: Creator/ToshihikoSeki (JP), Creator/KimStrauss (ENG, Episode 49), Creator/DaveMallow (ENG, Episode 153+), KyleHebert (ENG, ''VideoGame/BleachThe3rdPhantom''); JoseGilbertoVilchis (Latin American Spanish)
----
* BigBrotherMentor: To both his siblings and subordinates, especially Rukia..
* DanceBattler: His fighting style is said to resemble traditional Japanese dances.
* DeathByOriginStory: His death is the reason for why Rukia values her life so little and submits so easily to execution.
* DyingAsYourself: When his attempt to avenge his wife Miyako's murder failed, Kaien became possessed by the hollow that murdered her, and Rukia was forced to kill ''him'' to stop its rampage in his body. As he was dying Kaien thanked her for killing him and apologized to her.
* FamilyUnfriendlyDeath: Impaled by a girl who was implied to have a crush on him while possessed and freakish looking.
* GoOutWithASmile: He dies with a smile and a thank you for Rukia.
* KillItWithWater / MakingASplash: His Zanpakutou, Nejibana, was water-based.
* OddCouple: With his wife Miyako, a straight-up YamatoNadeshiko.
* OnlySixFaces: If not for his black hair, he could be Ichigo's twin. The likeness is noticed in universe by characters such as Byakuya, Rukia, Ukitake and Aizen. Byakuya indicates their personality is also very similar. [[spoiler:Isshin Shiba is Ichigo's father and Kaien's uncle.]]
* PlotTriggeringDeath: One of 4 characters [[labelnote:*]]Along with Masaki, Souken, and Hisana[[/labelnote]] whose deaths combine to shape the first two arcs of the story. Specifically, through the impact his death has on Rukia. It is Ichigo's resemblance to Kaien--both physically and in personality--that prompts Rukia to lend him her power at the beginning of the story, and it is her guilt over failing to save Kaien that leads Rukia to accept her death sentence without argument. Kaien's death also influences Kuukaku and Ganjuu's willingness to help Ichigo and company enter Seireitei. It also influences Ukitake's actions during the Soul Society arc, especially his decision to seal the Soukyoku Spear.
* PosthumousCharacter: He died years ago and all scenes with him are flashbacks.
* ThisIsSomethingHesGotToDoHimself: Avenging Miyako's murder. Did ''not'' go as planned.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Miyako Shiba]]
[[quoteright:290:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/miyako001_5723.png]]
Kaien's beautiful and ladylike wife, Rukia's first idol, and the former 3rd seat. She was sent on a mission to investigate a nearby hollow, but she was killed by it. In the anime, the hollow possessed her, forcing Kaien to kill her. Kaien then went on to fight the hollow who did this to her.
--> Voiced by: Creator/SumiShimamoto (JP), Creator/CindyRobinson (ENG), Connie Madera (Latin American Spanish)
----
* DeathByOriginStory: Her death started a chain that ended up taking out both her and the lieutenant Kaien and saddling Rukia with immense guilt.
* HairDecorations: Her black hair ribbon.
* OneeSama: Rukia idolised Miyako as the perfect woman.
* PosthumousCharacter: She died years ago in a hollow attack.
* YamatoNadeshiko: The reason Rukia adored Miyako was because Miyako was ladylike, elegant and gentle.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Rukia Kuchiki]]
[[{{Characters/BleachIchigosCompanions}} See Ichigo's Companions]].
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Kiyone Kotetsu and Sentaro Kotsubaki]]
!!!'''Kiyone Kotetsu & Sentaro Kotsubaki'''
[[quoteright:290:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/theidiots001_1820.png]]
The two current co-3rd seats of the 13th division. They usually bicker on about who is more loyal to Ukitake, since both want to be the solo lieutenant.
--> Kiyone voiced by: Creator/ChinamiNishimura (JP), Creator/CindyRobinson (ENG)
--> Sentaro voiced by: Koichi Tochika (JP), Creator/PatrickSeitz (ENG), Creator/MichaelLindsay (ENG, Episode 41), Alfonso Obregón Inclán (Latin American Spanish)
----
* AdaptationDyeJob: Kiyone. In the anime, her hair is much more red than the manga, where she is definitely a blonde.
* AlliterativeName: Kotetsu Kiyone.
* HardDrinkingPartyGirl: Kiyone, to the point of showing up drunk to work.
* SubordinateExcuse: Kiyone's got a HUGE crush on Ukitake. [[SingleWomanSeeksGoodMan Can you blame her, though?]]
* ThoseTwoGuys: Or actually, That Guy And That Girl. They're always shown together.
* TomboyAndGirlyGirl: Kiyone is the tomboy to her older sister Isane's girly girl.
* VolleyingInsults: They engage in this a ''lot''.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Hidetomo Kajomaru]]
[[quoteright:290:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/HK_7845.png]]
The sixth seat of the Thirteenth Squad, killed shortly after his introduction in the manga. His first appearance involves meeting Shino (who has a crush on him) and Yuki, who asks about the war with the Quincies. Kajomaru takes the time to explain the Soul Society's perspective of the Quincy war and clarify the "balance of souls" that the Soul Society kept preaching about, capping it off by saying that, ultimately, ''both'' sides were right.
Not too long later, Kajomaru was killed by Haschwalth.
----
* {{Bishonen}}: Pretty looks, but not to the level of being effeminate.
* HalfTheManHeUsedToBe: Haschwald slices him in half vertically with his hand.
* {{Megane}}: The main reason for his similarities to Aizen and Ryuken.
* MrExposition: Explains to Yuki and Shino the major differences between Quincies and Soul Society, the bad blood between them and the "balance of souls" that led to the war.
* OhCrap: When he identifies the location of the Quincies. [[spoiler: The moment he realises the Emperor is inside the Seireitei, the Emperor proceeds to [[OneHitKill annihilate]] about half of the 13th Division.]]
* OnlySixFaces: Looks like a fair haired Aizen.
* SacrificialLamb: Pretty much existed just to show how ruthless the Stern Ritter are and to remind the readers that the Quincies and the Soul Reapers both believe strongly in their world views which is why they're at war with each other.
* WeHardlyKnewYe: Introduced and killed in six chapters.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Ryunosuke Yuki]]
[[quoteright:290:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/290px-Kyuki_3652.jpg]]
One of the two young Soul Reapers who replace Kurumadani as Karakura guards in the manga. He's a rookie from the 13th Squad.
----
* ButtMonkey: Tends to get abused by Shino for laughs.
* HairDecorations: Three large dots on either side of his head.
* NaiveNewcomer: Especially when it concerns war.
* OhCrap: When he identifies the location of the Quincies. [[spoiler: He's the one who spots that Yhwach is in fact ''inside'' the soul barrier around the Seireitei]].
* ShrinkingViolet: In contrast to his partner, he's a lot more timid.
* SleepyHead: Kurumadani scolds him for sleeping while explaining what he and Shino have to do.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Shino]]
[[quoteright:290:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/290px-Shino_6304.jpg]]
The other young Soul Reaper who, alongside Yuki, replaced Kurumadani as Karakura guards in the manga. She's a rookie from the 13th Squad who has a crush on Kajomaru.
----
* ACupAngst: Doesn't like it when someone remarks on her flat chest.
* BigNo[=/=]BreakTheCutie[=/=]HeroicBSOD: When Kajomaru is killed in front of her and the rest of the Division.
* HotBlooded: She's very aggressive and reckless.
* JerkAss: Can be quite hard on Yuki, but not to the extent of not caring for him- see Tsundere.
* NaiveNewcomer: Shows up at the beginning of the Vandenreich arc in order to both get stomped in a fight and then get some exposition.
* NiceHat: Sports a very cute leaf hat.
* {{Tsundere}}: She's definitely the aggressive type of tsundere and is quite violent.
* WrestlerInAllOfUs: Hits poor Yuki with a Lariat.
[[/folder]]
----
