Izuru Kira

is the Lieutenant of the 3rd Division in the Gotei 13.

History
Izuru Kira was born to a family of lesser nobility, his parents having been dead since he was young. While in the shinigami academy, Izuru befriended Momo Hinamori, Renji Abarai, and Shūhei Hisagi, and they are often seen spending time together. After graduation, Izuru, along with Renji and Momo, was sent to the 5th Division, where he stayed until Gin Ichimaru became captain of the 3rd Division. Izuru is loyal to both his friends and his duties, perhaps to a fault. Despite the close friendship he shares with Momo Hinamori, Izuru shows that his loyalty knows no boundaries when he defends his captain while she is in a grief-induced rage from her own captain's apparent death. Despite this, he calls himself a 'monster' afterwards for raising his sword against her.

Soul Society Arc
Izuru is first seen attempting to find Renji, who leaves a lieutenant meeting to fight Ichigo Kurosaki. During Sōsuke Aizen's plot against Soul Society, Izuru plays a role as a significant, yet clueless, puppet. His loyalty and dedication to following orders are used against him by Gin. Later on, Izuru battles and loses to 10th Division lieutenant Rangiku Matsumoto, his weight-affecting Zanpakutō rendered useless by her zanpakutō's ability to dissolve into ash.

Bount Arc
During the Bount Affair, Izuru rescues Ichigo from the Bount Gō Koga, and later helps Ichigo fight his way into the Bount hideout. He is left to guard the entrance to the Seireitei following the successful infiltration by the Bount.

Captain Shūsuke Amagai Arc
In the anime only story arc, the Third Division gains a new captain, Shūsuke Amagai. Izuru is unsure of this new captain but is quickly enthralled by him when he defeats the cleaner in the severing dimension single-handedly while being drunk from a earlier welcoming party. Izuru then watches new training exercises the new captain creates. He is then paired with the new 3rd Seat Makoto Kibune to stop runaway Hollows from the old Hollow execution days. They stumble upon a 4th Division member cornered by the Hollows. They manage to force the Hollows back but the member is injured and passes out. Kibune releases his zanpakutō and mows down everything in his path including the 4th Division member. Izuru stops the blade, but Kibune rants on about how the weak should just die. All three are eventually rescued but the member is not expected to live due to the sheer injuries he sustained. Izuru talks to his captain and he tells him to watch Kibune carefully, but must not to be seen. Izuru then spots Kibune at the Kasumiōji mansion and enters the compound. He also find the kidnapped princess and when he sees her, he tries to free her but also finds assassins. Izuru manages to take them down but could not stop them from taking the princess. Izuru searches for her but finds Kibune instead. Kibune releases his zanpakutō and faces off against Izuru. Izuru manages to gain a small upper hand as he gets Kibune's zanpakutō heavier but Kibune makes his blade move even though it is very heavy, revealing it is a bakkōtō that is making it move. Kibune nearly defeats Izuru, but Izuru manages to break Kibune's bakkōtō. Kibune tries to increase his powers with the bakkōtō once more but dies in the process. Izuru then faints from his injuries and is sent to the 4th Division for treatment. He reappears at Amagai's suicide asking for his captain to reconsider. He then grieves for his lost captain.

Fake Karakura Town Arc
When Aizen along with his three top Espada attack fake Karakura Town, he along with Yumichika Ayasegawa, Shūhei Hisagi, and Ikkaku Madarame are left to protect the four pillars that keep the real Karakura Town in Soul Society. He begins a battle with one of Barragan's Fracción, Avirama Redder.

Avarima originally had the upper hand in battle due to his flying ability and being able to fight at a distance while Izuru's attacks only work on close combat. He was eventually defeated however and was beheaded by Kira. He then comes to the aid of Ikkaku but is told to stand down and return to his post.

Personality
Izuru is a gloomy and introspective person, not easily given to socializing with others. He generally appears weak and diffident, leading many to believe he lacks ability as a leader. As an officer, he does not tend to inspire confidence or boost morale the way other lieutenants do. However, in combat he shows ruthless determination.

His personality flaws are also assets: his introspection coupled with his tendency to worry makes him indecisive, but it also makes him sensitive to unusual behavior. His loyalty to his comrades inspires him to great efforts in their defense, as seen when Momo Hinamori attacks Gin Ichimaru and again in the anime when Makoto Kibune's attacks endanger other members of the 3rd Division.

During his fight with Avirama Redder, it is revealed that Izuru considers the essence of war to be despair, as exemplified by the symbol of his division, the marigold. He also hates to fight unless prompted or given orders.

It is known that he likes to write haiku, and he was also awarded for one of his pieces by Seireitei Communication, which is as follows:

"The persimmon tree bears fruit. Aaah, the persimmon tree bears fruit again this year."

His dislike for dried persimmon (a huge difference between him and his former captain) sheds some light on the background of the poem. He likes agar-agar instead. He also writes a serial novel titled "I Want to Apologize to You". It runs in Seireitei Communication and every new chapter begins with a haiku piece. He is on good terms with fellow author Shūhei Hisagi, and in their free time, they participate on gatherings of haiku-lovers. Izuru also gives a special lecture of poetry on the Shinigami Academy. It is also known that he is skilled in playing cat's cradle.

Powers and Abilities
Kidō Practitioner: he had talent for Kidō even back at the Shinigami Academy, and he is often seen applying Kidō spells during fights.

Zanpakutō
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 * Shikai: Its Shikai command is . When activated, Wabisuke's Shikai bends the blade into a square hook.
 * Shikai Special Ability: In this form, Wabisuke doubles the weight of whatever it strikes. The ability affects both inanimate objects and living beings. This seems to be a pointless ability in combat, but the effect is cumulative. Each subsequent hit from Wabisuke continues to double the weight.  Thus, after seven or eight strikes, his opponents are unable to lift their own swords, or even bodies. Once Wabisuke's effect becomes noticeable, Kira's opponents often fall to their knees with their heads bent down, as if in apology, hence the name of Kira's Zanpakutō. He then uses the unique square hook shape of his Zanpakutō to behead his opponents, something like a type of upwards guillotine.


 * Bankai: Not Yet Achieved