Shunsui Kyōraku/Expanded Universe

is the captain of the 1st Division and Captain-Commander of the Gotei 13. His lieutenants are his niece, Nanao Ise and Genshirō Okikiba. He is the former captain of the 8th Division.

Zanpakutō

 * His Zanpakutō is unique in that it exists as a daisho sword pair, consisting of a tachi and a wakizashi. Their cross guards are rectangles, with the corners cut off, decorated by a pattern of cherry petals and lines, and each sports a dark-blue handle. He usually keeps them sheathed through his waist tie at his left side; however, during battle, the swords have been placed on both sides of his sash. Like other Zanpakutō, Katen Kyōkotsu has a personality of her own. However, unlike other Zanpakutō, this personality shines through in battle and prevents Shunsui from fighting at full power until Katen Kyōkotsu is in the mood for it. Because of this, Shunsui does not like to "play" with "her".


 * Shikai: Its Shikai command is . Kyōraku sets the two blades against each other in a cross, and then pulls after uttering the poem-like command. When the flash clears, Katen Kyōkotsu has become a pair of huge, black, heavily curved Chinese scimitars with silver edges. The hilt and tsuba of each are still the same as they were in Katen Kyōkotsu's sealed-form, but they now sport long red tassels dangling from the end. Despite the two swords becoming identical in this state, Shunsui has stated they still work the same way; one (the wakizashi) is used mainly for speed strikes, and the other (the tachi) is used mainly for power strikes. Thusly, they still exist as a daisho sword pair, with the wakizashi being slightly smaller in size than the tachi.


 * Shikai Special Ability: The power of Katen Kyōkotsu is to "make children's games real". The Zanpakutō makes the rules, and anyone who steps within the boundaries of its spiritual pressure is forced to play by those rules, including Shunsui himself. According to Shunsui, "You win, you live. You lose, you die. She's a fickle one, all right."


 * The rule of this game is that whoever gets their shadow stepped on "loses". The game itself allows competitors to manipulate shadows to their advantage. For example, Shunsui has demonstrated the ability to hide himself in shadows when using this technique, and he can also control the shadows, using them to attack an opponent by attacking the shadow they are currently standing upon. In addition, Shunsui can make multiple shadow clones of himself that can attack his opponent from multiple angles.


 * The rules of this game force the affected individuals to always tell the truth. Should any participant lie in any way, they will experience excruciating pain. This technique is based on the Japanese version of the pinky swear.