Shunsui Kyoraku is the leader of the Gotei 13 and also the commander of the 1st Division. Nanao Ise, the lord’s niece, and Genshir Okikiba, a trusted advisor, are his lieutenants. In the past, he led the 8th Division as its captain. In this article, we will cover some aspects of Shunsui Kyoraku’s life. Let’s get started without any further delay.
Table of Contents
Shunsui’s Appearance
Shunsui is a 192-centimeter-tall Shinigami with fair skin, pronounced cheekbones, icy grey eyes, and wavy brown hair. His lengthy bangs, which frame his left cheek, are tucked into a ponytail behind his head. He has a lot of hair on his chest, feet, and arms. He wears a Sugegasa straw hat and a pink, floral lady’s kimono over his captain’s uniform.
His haori and obi sash may be modest, but his pin-wheel hairpins are astronomical in price. However, he does not wear tabi with his sandals. His cheekbones and the area surrounding his mouth are covered in delicate facial hair. Over a century before Shunsui’s betrayal by Sasuke Aizen, the only hair on his face was on his upper lip. Since Shunsui lost sight in his right eye during the conflict with the Wandenreich, he wears a patch over it. His right ear is partially severed at an angle, and he has a scar across his temple.
Shunsui’s Personality
Shunsui is a flashy, easygoing dude in both appearance and demeanor. In bars, he enjoys napping and drinking sake. Instead of drinking powdered green tea, he enjoys steamed buns with sake. He has a thing for the ladies, especially his lieutenant Nanao Ise, whom he calls “my Nanao-chan,” and his former lieutenant Lisa Yadmaru. Unlike other captains, Shunsui tends to speak more informally. He uses honorific first names when addressing captains and Shinigami. His romance story for the Seireitei Communication, “Rose-colored Path,” has not done well. Shunsui would rather not receive birthday cards or presents from his readers.
To avoid conflict, Shunsui likes to discuss things rather than physically confront others. He once told Love Aikawa that he despises conflict because “it really doesn’t concern whether you owe somebody or they owe you; as soon as you start fighting, you are in the wrong anyway.” Shunsui takes pleasure in doing the same to his rivals. When necessary, like with Coyote Starrk, Shunsui will get into a fight. Despite his preference, he politely declined Starrk’s offer to act out a battle.
For the duration of the battle, Shunsui always acts in a noble manner. There is never an incident involving him and a kid. Despite Nanao’s offer to kill Chad, the former declines since he finds it morally repugnant to murder helpless civilians. He engages in respectful one-on-one combat. Shunsui is able to maintain his composure and make lighthearted banter with formidable foes like Starrk and Aizen.
Power and Abilities
Shunsui is the best swordsman in Soul Society. Because of his ambidexterity, he is as adept with swords in either hand. He might throw off his opponent by switching or balancing his left and right hands. Shunsui rarely uses both his Tachi and his wakizashi at the same time, and only does so when necessary. He faced off against Starrk, the first Espada, with nothing except his sealed Zanpakut. When facing an opponent, Shunsui will try to throw them off guard and then quickly escape. He makes use of the varying cutting speeds of his swords. He lands the killing blow with his tachi as his wakizashi holds him at bay.
Shunpo Master
Shunsui is a master of Shunpo art. He famously performs a huge leap in Shunpo during his fight with Yamamoto to take Nanao off the field of fighting and return almost immediately, a feat that even Yamamoto praised before the fight. Shunsui’s skill level allows him to effortlessly deflect Starrk’s blows without causing any damage to his hat or kimono.
Enhanced Durability
Shunsui has demonstrated that he is extraordinarily resilient. He was able to withstand Captain-Commander Yamamoto’s blows, whose Zanpakut has the highest level of destructive power in the entire Soul Society. He also survived a Cero from Starrk in his freed form at point-blank range without any obvious damage.
Shunsui’s Zanpakuto
His Zanpakutō, a tachi and wakizashi daisho sword combo, is unique. Their dark-blue handles and rectangle cross guards with cut corners are embellished with cherry petals and lines. During battle, he wears his swords on both sides of his sash. Katen Kyōkotsu has a personality like other Zanpakutō. However, Shunsui cannot fight at full capacity until Katen Kyōkotsu is in the mood. Shunsui dislikes “playing” with her.
Shunsui’s Bankai
Shunsui activates his Bankai, sending black, root-like tendrils to stretch out from him as his Zanpakut Spirit, Katen Kykotsu, appears behind him. He holds his Shikai in front of him with the blades pointing down. This is Shunsui’s last option, and he will only use it if his allies are enough removed from him to avoid being harmed by its side effects.
History
Shunsui is the second son and heir of a Kyraku family. Nanao Ise’s mother was married to Shunsui’s older brother when Nanao was still a young child. Despite the tension between them, Shunsui nevertheless paid frequent visits to his brother. As Shunsui watched his older brother receive a hairpin from Nanao’s mother, he assumed his brother had softened with age, but later learned that the gift was actually the result of her kindness.
After receiving Nanao’s mother’s hairpins from his brother’s widow, Shunsui’s Zanpakut Spirit created a second spirit to protect the Ise family’s Zanpakut. Shunsui was the only person outside of Nanao’s family she could trust, and she had assured him that he would not be harmed by carrying Shinken Hakkyken.
Although Captain-Commander Yamamoto said he could see the truth and was clever for his age, he hated studying and training and chose to chase women instead. His enrollment at Shin’reijutsu Academy was mandatory. At some point during their time at the Academy, Shunsui visited Yamamoto in his dorm.
After being reprimanded by Yamamoto, the boy inquired as to the meaning of the monster artwork Yamamoto claimed to have found in his bedroom. There, he befriended the future captain and best buddy Jshir Ukitake. In the beginning, he and Jishir Ukitake led the students at the Shinigami Academy. He was trained by Yamamoto himself. Along with Yamamoto and Retsu Unohana, he and Ukitake are the oldest Gotei 13 captains. All four of them were captains of Gotei 13 as of 110 years ago. Anime is the best way to learn more about Shunsui.
Final Thoughts
Shunsui is one of the first captains to come into contact with the Ryoka. He runs into Yasutora Sado in the compound of his division. He rises to say his name to Chad as he slowly descends from a higher height to the ground among falling petals. That’s all from our side. Hope you liked our article.
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