Board Thread:General Discussion/@comment-13237238-20130724132657/@comment-26912075-20160404191346

This is my idea of a zanpakuto that works similar to Nanao's. It involves death and is heavy on despair. Hope you like it. :)

Name: Yami no shirei-kan (Commander of the Darkness) Release Command: Bring out Despair

Special Ability: Wherever the blade is swung, a sharp shadow will follow. If the enemy is near a shadow that is not his/her own, and you have cut that area previously, you will have access to use those shadows to attack your opponents. This blade does not only command the shadows, however. The blade’s cut works on all things, organic or not. When the blade strikes an organic opponent, such as a shinigami or a hollow, it fills them with an eerie sense that remains until Shirei-kan is deactivated. This sense will constantly mislead opponents and cause them to be more defensive in battle rather than a balance of defensive and offensive. This zanpakuto works differently from other zanpakuto, in that it does not die along with its master. The blade is considered parasitic, in which it feeds on reiatsu. I the wielder does not supply enough reiatsu to quench its force, it will start feeding on the reiatsu of him/her. And finally, if the wielder does not supply enough reiatsu over a surprisingly short period of time, the sword will kill its master and take his reiatsu as its own. This sword is passed down from generation to generation, and acts similar to Shinken Hakkyōken.

Named abilities:

Yami no keimusho (Darkness Prison): The wielder traps their opponent in a hollow square  made of shadow strands. The square is see through and has twenty circular clumps of shadows in a few areas. The wielder must face their opponent and call the name of the attack. Once they do, pikes made out of shadows will rise from the 20 circles and pierce the opponent. The enemy can dodge some of the spikes, but it is impossible to dodge all of them without breaking out of the prison. Zetsubō sutorōku (Despair stroke): The wielder forms a circle of darkness and once the enemy is lured into the circle, four shadow chains will engulf the opponent and hold them down. Once this happens the wielder covers his blade in darkness, and stabs his opponent. The enemy screams out in fear, as he is rendered helpless by the stab. This leaves the wielder an easy chance to strike him/her down. This ability can be lessened if the enemy has higher reiatsu then the owner of the blade. Hiretsuna esukēpu (Sneaky Escape): In turn for losing half of one’s spiritual pressure, the wielder can escape into the darkness. This involves the user's body becoming like the darkness itself. In this state the user can be seen, but cannot be harmed in any way. The user, in turn, cannot harm his opponent either. This ability lasts a small amount of time and can only be used once as, if used twice, the user will run out of spiritual energy, and will be left open to enemy attack.

Bankai: Zetsubō de dāku, raito no hikari (Light in the Dark, Light in Despair) In this Bankai form, the user can control the darkness any way this wish, such as using it as a shield, attacking, etc. It also morphs the user’s normal katana into a wakizashi. It uses the rest of the blade to form 4 daggers to use as a weapon as explained below. In exchange for this amazing power, the user basically has to submit his will to that of the blade. It is entirely possible that the wielder may die shortly after his battle. Thus is the curse of Yami no Shirei-Kan. Dagger 1: This dagger works much like the ability of bestowing despair from the Shikai version and will deliver the same effect when it cuts the opponent. Dagger 2: This dagger forces the opponent to remember troubling times in the past during the battle, when it cuts him/her. This gives the user of Shirei-Kan an easy path to victory in the battle when the opponent is undergoing mental stress and emotional collapse. Dagger 3: This dagger nearly paralyses the opponent with fear. When this dagger uses its ability by cutting someone, the user must use the fourth dagger and drop his wakizashi. If he does not do this, he will come under the same paralysis of the enemy. Dagger 4: This dagger is the final one, and when it cuts the opponent. They are consumed by shadows and their reiatsu will come flowing back to Shirei-Kan. Then the opponent is killed at the spot.

Saigo no Zetsubō Sutorōku (The Final Despair Stroke): This ability is near impossible to obtain, but it is the most powerful Shirei-Kan has to offer. This ability essentially is the end of the curse. By giving the blade the taste of an opponent with immense reiatsu, such as Yamamoto and Aizen, the blade shatters under its own reiatsu stealing. This move is an instant kill, but it is slow and can be dodged easily by a user with an expert level in shunpo. If the move is dodged, the blade shall stay the same way it always was, and will not shatter and it will consume all of the user’s reiatsu instead, killing him. If the blade shatters, the user will be free from the curse and he will no longer be able to sense and see spirits. He can then return to the normal world and live out the rest of his existence that way.