Kenpachi Zaraki

"Consume everything, demon of the blood-thirsty sword." - Tite Kubo

is the current captain of the 11th Division in the Gotei 13. He is the eleventh Kenpachi to hold the position. His lieutenant is Yachiru Kusajishi.

Appearance
Kenpachi is a tall, muscular Shinigami with a wild and aggressive appearance that fits his personality. He has a long face with pronounced cheekbones and pronounced hairless eyebrow ridges. He has green eyes, with long and stringy black hair. A noticeable trait in his appearance is his long thin scar running down the left side of his face, which he gained before finding his future lieutenant, Yachiru Kusajishi. He is also one of the tallest Shinigami, towering at 202 centimeters (approximately 6 feet 6 inches), making him almost double the height of his lieutenant. His stature is often exaggerated even more for dramatic purposes, especially in contrast with Yachiru's.

He wears a sleeveless captain's haori that has a ragged look to it (which belonged to the previous captain and was taken after his defeat ). He styles his hair into stiff strands during his baths and attaches small bells at its tips and wears a special eyepatch on his right eye, only to make his fights more difficult. During his first appearance the eyepatch is more elegant having a gold-like lining and a chain as one of the straps. It later becomes a normal black eyepatch with normal straps.

A year and a half after Aizen's defeat, Kenpachi's hair has grown out past his shoulders. He also no longer has the bells in his hair. His eyepatch's design has also changed again, as it now only seems to be a single piece covering his right eye. The eyepatch is black with a grey outline.

Personality
Although he's known to be a violent fighter, Kenpachi's actions tend to be for the best. He has a very poor sense of direction, at times asking Yachiru for help (even though her sense of direction is just as bad). Kenpachi lives for battle and enjoys a good fight more than anything. He even holds back in an effort to make any fight last longer. He also claims that injury and death are nothing but the price one pays for a good fight. Despite his division being the most blood-thirsty squad of the Gotei 13, the 11th Division has its own code of ethics, which is different from the rules and regulation of Soul Society. Despite his tendency to be brutal, Kenpachi usually stops a fight if his opponent is too injured to fight back, claiming that he isn't interested in fighting "weaklings who can't fight anymore; nor is he obligated to deal a death blow to anyone who isn't capable of fighting any longer". However, he will unhesitatingly kill his opponent if they refuse to end their fight, as seen during his battles with Kaname Tōsen and Nnoitra Gilga.

On multiple occasions, Kenpachi has shown to greatly respect those who can defeat him in a fight and to those who can push him to his limit. Ever since Ichigo handed him his first known loss (though Ichigo also considers their fight a loss for him), Kenpachi has considered the latter a member of his division. He also expresses his willingness to engage him in a rematch every time they meet, only to be turned down as Ichigo already considers themselves as friends. Nevertheless, Kenpachi still challenges him to a duel, as evidenced when he aided Ichigo in his fight against the Bount (where he gave "his blessing," stating that in doing so would make Ichigo stronger for "their anticipated fight").

It seems that Kenpachi sometimes contradicts his own logic in fighting. On the one hand, Kenpachi wishes to increase his own personal power. On the other hand, he conceals his strength to enjoy a fight for as long as possible. Although he thrives for battle, Kenpachi has shown to have emotions. Kenpachi and his lieutenant, Yachiru, have been close ever since they met and have a father-daughter-like relationship (making Yachiru one of the few people he cares for, along with 11th Division 3rd Seat Ikkaku Madarame and 11th Division 5th Seat Yumichika Ayasegawa). Aside from Yachiru, Kenpachi deeply gives meaning to his name. Following his fight with Ichigo Kurosaki, Kenpachi talks about the pain of not having a name, as he lived his early years without one. This causes him to feel guilty that his sword isn't acknowledged by its own name. Since then, he has strived to learn its identity. However, it has been stated by several people that if his subordinates interfered in his fights he would "cut them up first".

Kenpachi also strongly believes that fun comes before working. In every battle, he tries to get as much enjoyment out of it as possible. One example is when Kenpachi sends his 5th seated officer, Yumichika, to fend off the Bount in Karakura Town, as he is the only high-ranking officer who wasn't busy, or rather, busy having fun; as Yachiru was snacking and Ikkaku was napping. During his free time, Kenpachi always takes his afternoon nap. He doesn't have a particularly favorite dish, but he particularly hates nattō.

Kenpachi's unique hairstyle is partly due to the result of his habit to take a bath everyday before going to sleep, which is a necessity to him due to his strong perspiration. During these baths, he usually washes his hair with soap, making it stiff. He enjoys doing so because it's easy for him to set his hair to his preferred style. He once tried a hair treatment recommended by 1st Division Lieutenant Chōjirō Sasakibe, but his hair became too silky and was impossible to set for a while. Since then, Kenpachi has greatly disliked the lieutenant. Kenpachi is once shown attaching the bells to his hair, which apparently takes a while to accomplish. The highest bell in particular takes him several hours to attach, as the tip of his hair is just beyond his reach. Occasionally, 11th Division 5th Seat Yumichika Ayasegawa offers to do it for him, only to be turned down by Kenpachi due to thinking that it's weird for someone else to style his hair.

History
Kenpachi's surname came from the district he once resided in, Zaraki, which was district #80 of the North Alley of Rukongai. District #80 was the worst, most lawless region of Rukongai, full of thieves and murderers (whereas area #1 was the most orderly and law-abiding). While residing in District #80, Kenpachi was nameless. During that time, he became proficient in swordsmanship and killed numerous enemies. During his travels outside of District #80, he found a small girl and named her Yachiru, in remembrance of the only person he ever admired, after she showed no fear of his sword. Yachiru came from area #79, Kusajishi, where her parents were murdered. The two events were apparently quite close. On that day, he also took on a name: Kenpachi, the title bestowed upon the strongest Shinigami in every generation, the one who has slain the most enemies and won the most battles.

They would later have an encounter with Ikkaku Madarame and Yumichika Ayasegawa before they entered Seireitei. Yachiru warned Ikkaku that messing with Zaraki while he was in a good mood was a bad idea, though Ikkaku didn't take the warning seriously. When Kenpachi and Ikkaku meet face to face he immediately became alarmed by his reiatsu but was happy to finally have a real challenge. Kenpachi attacked with enough force to crater the ground under Ikkaku which somewhat alarmed Yumichika. Due to Zaraki's strength, Ikkaku was on the defensive, holding off Zaraki's relentless strikes. The two continued to battle with Ikkaku trying to overwhelm Kenpachi, though he failed to do so, only succeeding in his increasing wounds and his opponent remaining untouched by his blade. While Kenpachi mentioned he was having fun, he decided to finish Ikkaku with one quick strike resulting in his loss of the fight. Ikkaku became mad that Kenpachi would just walk away without finishing him off. Kenpachi plainly told him that he had no interest in weaklings who couldn't fight. He noted that he didn't have any obligation to finish Ikkaku off, to which Ikkaku thought he was toying with him and demanded that Kenpachi killed him. He lost his patience and grabbed hold of Ikkaku and asked him that if he loved to fight so much, then why was he screaming for death. Kenpachi explained to him a philosophy to follow for people like them. "Don't admit defeat and seek death, die first, then admit defeat. When you lose, but don't die it just means you were lucky. At those times, think only about survival. Survive and think only about killing the guy who failed to kill you". Zaraki then smiled at him and stated that it was not like he went easy on him; he was just lucky to escape death. He expressed that Ikkaku should live, come back, and try to kill him again. As Zaraki went to leave Ikkaku asked him his name and is told he is Kenpachi from Zaraki.

Sometime later Zaraki killed Kenpachi Kiganjō, the captain of the 11th Division, in a single blow, in front of over two hundred members of the Division. Zaraki became the new captain of that division (as per the 3rd Captain Qualification Trial). By killing Kenpachi Kiganjō, Zaraki became the eleventh person to hold the title of Kenpachi.

The following day upon Zaraki's first addressing of his division, he was greeted by Ikakku and Yumichika who had presumably already become Shinigami and joined the division. Ikkaku told Zaraki that he had come back just as he suggested, causing Kenpachi to smile. Later they were present at the battle of the division verses a caterpillar Hollow, while initially the division lost, Ikkaku showed up to fight it but was stopped by Kenpachi who decided to kill it himself. After the Hollow was dispatched, more came, prompting Ikkaku and Yumichika to join in the fight. Though at first he was against it, he was persuaded upon realizing the two had similar fighting traits and as such, would like to fight by his side; Kenpachi allowed them to participate after.

Sometime shortly after joining Kenpachi was forced to learn kendō from Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto because he hadn't learned any formal swordsmanship training, having bypassed those normally necessary qualifications due to the way he attained his position. Kenpachi hated using kendō because his battles would end too quickly with it, so he only used it if his own life was in danger.

Agent of the Shinigami arc
Kenpachi first appears with Gin Ichimaru, as both teased Byakuya Kuchiki about his sister Rukia Kuchiki being sentenced to death, that he is depressed, as a noble family wouldn't stand to have a criminal as a member. Byakuya retaliates with the notion that lower class people did not understand the feelings of nobles. Kenpachi responds by telling him not really but he is very bright, and since he is so bright why doesn't Byakuya allow him to finish Rukia off before she is executed. Byakuya states he didn't know with Kenpachi's level he could actually kill people. Kenpachi tells him to try him and the two were about to engage in combat but Gin stopped Kenpachi by tying and luring him away.

Soul Society arc
After Ichigo Kurosaki and his friends arrive in Soul Society, Kenpachi tells Gin Ichimaru that a captain should have no problem killing a Ryoka. Kenpachi asks Yamamoto where the Ryoka are heading, but an invasion alarm goes off and Kenpachi runs out of the captains' meeting.

He begins to hunt the strongest Ryoka, but his lieutenant, Yachiru Kusajishi guides him in the wrong direction for some time. While he is lost, he comes across the 4th Division's compound and he finds and stops Mayuri from "interrogating" his 3rd Seated Officer, Ikkaku Madarame. Once Mayuri leaves, Ikkaku tells Kenpachi that the Ryoka Ichigo is getting stronger and that he is aware of the captain.

After awhile, he figures out where Ichigo is heading and proceeds to wait for him to arrive. While Ichigo, Ganju Shiba and Hanatarō Yamada run through the Seireitei they encounter Zaraki's tremendous Reiatsu. Among the three he tries to discern which one is the strongest and finally realizes its Ichigo. He goes and introduces himself and tells Ichigo he has come to kill him. Zaraki confronts Ichigo as the others try get away from his strong Reiatsu but aren't capable of getting far. Zaraki is determined to fight Ichigo no matter what the issue maybe, showing himself to be unconcerned with his friends or Rukia's fate. When Zaraki sees Ichigo's battle stance he compliments him on though it has openings but admits that he likes his spiritual pressure. Zaraki acknowledges that he understands why Ikkaku lost to him, but makes note that Ichigo is still weaker than him, so he decides to give Ichigo a fighting stance. Zaraki then bares his chest and tells Ichigo to cut him anywhere and not to hold back. When Ichigo refuses to attack a unarmed opponent, while Zaraki commends him he states that it is simply a handicap and while he appreciates the thought Ichigo should save his sympathy for someone else. Zaraki warns him to either kill or be killed. Ichigo attacks Zaraki's exposed chest directly but causes no injury much to his confusion. Zaraki is unamused and disappointed and begins to unsheathe his Zanpakutō and tells Ichigo its his turn and asks him not to die too quickly.

When Ichigo's hand starts to bleed, Zaraki asks him why he seems to be surprised that his sword can't cut him. Zaraki then pushes Ichigo back using his arm against Ichigo's blade. Zaraki then explains why Ichigo's sword can't scratch him. He then takes out his own sword and asks Ichigo that at the very least he should try to place a dent upon his sword. Ichigo tries to run away from Zaraki but he can't seem to shake him and ends up running into at every turn. Zaraki eventually gets bored of chasing after him and sits down. He finally seems happy when Ichigo confronts him, Zaraki then asks if Ichigo is preparing to die or if he is surrendering. Ichigo refuses to do either, he goes to attack and finally succeeds in injuring Zaraki. Zaraki is extremely excited at the revelation that Ichigo can actually injure him, he tells Ichigo to not relax and keep his spiritual pressure up, he then attacks Ichigo. The two clash and the battle continues with Zaraki having the upper hand but is happy to see Ichigo improving. He comments on how Ichigo is using the sounds of his bells to determine his position. Ichigo questions if Zaraki is underestimating him as he has not released his Zanpakutō. Zaraki then explains that his Zanpakutō has no name and has never had a seal on it, its currently in its true form. Ichigo is relieved to hear this and goes to attack once again but Zaraki goes to stop him and explains further about his Zanpakutō's state. He then stabs his Zanpakutō through Ichigo's breaking right through it and stabbing Ichigo in the chest, he then tells Ichigo that he warned him not to relax his spiritual pressure and that it has become weak because he saw a chance to win. He retracts out his sword, frustrated that the battle was so easy and is now over. Ichigo eventually gets up much to Zaraki's surprise accompanied by a large burst of spiritual pressure. Ichigo then goes to attack Zaraki surprising him further and dealing him a serious injury to the left side from his shoulder down the side of his torso. Zaraki deflects Ichigo's next attack and stabs his sword into a nearby building, Zaraki begins to laugh and becomes extremely excited and says that now the fight is just getting started, noting that they should drag out the fight. He then lunges at Ichigo and causes his face to get cut by the blade just to get close to Ichigo. The battle escalates even more, regardless of his injuries Zaraki continues to fight, it is then that Ichigo learns the drive behind Zaraki's personality.

Zaraki realizes that both he and Ichigo are evenly matched and he enjoys the feeling and euphoria of the moment, causing him to take off his eyepatch, making note that he considers Ichigo a worthy opponent so it only makes sense to fight him at full power. Zaraki's spiritual power skyrockets as he removes his eyepatch, prompting Ichigo to wonder what is going on, so Zaraki explains to him what the eyepatch does. Zaraki then takes out his Zanpakutō and cuts a nearby building in half with one quick slash. He then tells Ichigo he will use all his power to kill him. When Ichigo increases his power he greatly impresses Zaraki, it is then that Ichigo explains that he can do so by borrowing Zangetsu's power and fighting side by side with him, and that he will never lose to someone like him who only fights by himself. Zaraki asks if Zangetsu is Ichigo's Zanpakutō, fighting side by side with it, and borrowing its power, as Zaraki finds it ridiculous. He believes that Zanpakutō are just tools of war, believing that fighting side by side with one is the words for weak losers who are afraid to fight on their own. They both release their spiritual pressure and run at each other to make a final strike that release enough spiritual pressure that it collapses all the buildings around them. The battle ends in a draw, with Ichigo falling first and Kenpachi shortly after, both admitting defeat. Yachiru calls for Retsu Unohana to heal Kenpachi, Kenpachi tells Yachiru that he lost but needs to pay him back. He raises his sword and acknowledges that he ignored it for a long time and wants it to communicate with him. Kenpachi does not hear it speak and faints, which scares Yachiru.

During his recovery in his quarters, Yachiru and Makizō Aramaki bring back Orihime Inoue and he tells her that he will help her find Ichigo. Much later on, Orihime guides Kenpachi, Yachiru, Ikkaku, Yumichika Ayasegawa, and Makizō to Ichigo and finds Yasutora Sado, Uryū Ishida, and Ganju Shiba on the way, freeing them in the process. As they continue to search for Ichigo, Kenpachi realizes that they are being followed, and Captains Kaname Tōsen and Sajin Komamura, as well as their respective lieutenants Shūhei Hisagi and Tetsuzaemon Iba confront them. Kenpachi tells his subordinates to go ahead without him, but Ikkaku and Yumichika stay behind, eager to fight as well. Though reluctant, Kenpachi accepts their help, and they fight against Hisagi and Tetsuzaemon elsewhere. Kenpachi alone battles the Captain Komamura and Captain Tōsen and is able to fend them off easily, which leads him to goading them into releasing their Bankai. Although Sajin is reluctant to do so, Kaname obliges, revealing that he always had an uneasy feeling about Kenpachi since he became a captain.

When Kaname releases his Bankai (which changes a small area in general), Kenpachi learns that he is unable to see, hear, and sense spirit energy. However, he is still able to fight off Kaname with the sense of touch, as he is able to feel when the blade makes contact with his body. However, Kenpachi becomes frustrated with this style of fighting and lets Kaname impale him with his sword. Kenpachi then grabs hold of Suzumushi's hilt and figures out that only by grabbing Suzumushi is he able to see and hear Kaname. Before Kaname can attack him, Kenpachi grabs Suzumushi once more and manages to gravely wound Kaname, which dispels his Bankai.

Kaname tries to retaliate, but Sajin blocks a slash from Kenpachi, which shatters his helmet. Kenpachi reveals that he never cared what Sajin looked like (though he was curious), and proceeds to fight against him once he releases his Bankai. However, the battle doesn't last long; Sajin senses Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto fighting and abandons his fight with Kenpachi. Yumichika appears sometime afterwards and tells Kenpachi the result of his battle. Kenpachi, in turn, tells him that Sajin ran off. He is surprised when seeing Yumichika with no signs of injury against Hisagi, which begins to question him but Yumichika begins to talk about beauty (much to Kenpachi's annoyance). While they do receive Isane Kotetsu's message about Aizen's betrayal, they did not accompany the other captains to Sōkyoku Hill.

A week after the incident with Aizen, Kenpachi finds Ichigo training with Ikkaku on his division's grounds. Seeing his wounds healed completely, Kenpachi tries to fight him again, but Ichigo runs off and Kenpachi is unable to find him (even after hours of searching). He does not see Ichigo and his friends when they leave the Soul Society, telling Yachiru that him and Ichigo will certainly meet again because they are the only ones who are what they seem to be.

Bount arc (anime only)
Note: Events occurring in this arc are only in the anime and do not constitute canon material.

Arrancar arc
Kenpachi is seen when Yamamoto calls him and the other captains for an emergency meeting and complains.

Kenpachi appears to Ichigo as his instinct and desire to win, explaining to him that they were both the type of people who lived to fight battle after battle. After Orihime is taken to Hueco Mundo, Kenpachi arrives with Byakuya Kuchiki to retrieve Tōshirō Hitsugaya's group and bring them back to Soul Society.

The New Captain Shūsuke Amagai arc (anime only)
Note: Events occurring in this arc are only in the anime and do not constitute canon material.

Hueco Mundo arc
Kenpachi arrives alongside Captains Byakuya Kuchiki, Mayuri Kurotsuchi, and Retsu Unohana in Las Noches after the battle between Ichigo Kurosaki and Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez. Kenpachi comes to Ichigo's aid as he blocks an attack by the Arrancar Tesra Lindocruz. The Arrancar tries to attack but before he realizes Kenpachi has dealt a fatal slash wound down his chest. Finished with Tesra, Kenpachi looks to Nnoitra Gilga to be his next opponent. When Ichigo questions what Kenpachi is doing in Hueco Mundo, he only responds by kicking Ichigo stating that he is in the way of the field of battle. Kenpachi then explains that Kisuke Urahara was asked by Captain-Commander Yamamoto to send them to Hueco Mundo in preparation for the Winter War. Nnoitra finally decides to attack and is blocked though still impressing Kenpachi with his strike. Nnoitra then asks Kenpachi his name, with both men giving their name and rank.

The two opponents continue to fight with Kenpachi getting close to dealing a fatal blow to Nnoitra but his sword can't cut through the Espada's skin. Nnoitra manages to cut Kenpachi on his left shoulder and laughs telling him that his Hierro is unsurpassed by any current and former Espada. He then goes on to taunt Kenpachi that his blade will never be able to cut him. Kenpachi, undeterred, continues to fight Nnoitra with even more ferocity much to the Espada's surprise. After Nnoitra dodges an attack, Kenpachi deduces that it must have been dangerous for him to dodge it. Dismissing it entirely, Nnoitra continues the battle until Kenpachi says that he has never met an opponent whose eyes and neck cannot be cut. He stabs Nnoitra’s eye but once more Nnoitra is unaffected and reveals the remains of his Hollow mask and hole hidden under his eye patch. The Espada then moves closer and stabs Kenpachi in the chest The two argue over Nnoitra’s inability to be cut before Kenpachi carries on with trying to slice up his opponent. Kenpachi eventually is able to cut Nnoitra and then fights fiercer than before cutting him again, this time taking a part of his sword. Kenpachi then announces that it appears that he has finally gotten use to Nnoitra's Hierro strength. The battle carries on until Zaraki’s eye patch is knocked off.

After Kenpachi explains the nature of his eye patch, Nnoitra releases in a rage. Nnoitra then asks how it feels seeing an Espada release their Zanpakutō for the first time. Though all he gets in response to his question is a smile from Kenpachi, who tells him that he has nice Reiatsu and that it was like the Reiatsu itself is sharpening his blade. Kenpachi wastes no time and goes on the offensive, but is surprised when his attempts are blocked and he is dealt a grievous wound across his chest. Nnoitra then sends Kenpachi flying away from him as he mocks him. Noticing that there is no movement from an unresponsive Kenpachi, Nnoitra sets his sights on Yachiru, but Kenpachi recovers and manages to cut off one of his arms. When Nnoitra comments on Kenpachi playing dead, Kenpachi notes that since Nnoitra will just block his attacks with his many arms, he just has to cut them off. However, Nnoitra regenerates his arm and mocks Kenpachi. Kenpachi grabs Nnoitra and slams him into the ground, prompting Nnoitra to reveal his two hidden arms.

Nnoitra then generates another scythe weapon and tells Kenpachi that it is over. However, Kenpachi begins to laugh hysterically and keeps fighting only to be injured several times. He then reluctantly decides to use kendō, though he admits that it's been quite some time since he has used it. When Nnoitra becomes confused, Kenpachi explains that the Captain-Commander made him learn it when he first joined the Gotei 13, but he never liked it and asks Nnoitra if he knew a sword is far more powerful when you use two hands instead of one. Nnoitra becomes bored with the conversation and charges at Kenpachi, who grips his sword with both hands and swings it down. Kenpachi manages to land a very powerful blow, dealing Nnoitra a lethal wound to his chest almost severing him in half. He is surprised that the Espada is still alive and then turns to walk away. Nnoitra yells at him asking where he is going as the fight isn't over. Kenpachi explains he doesn't know what he is talking about, as the blow finished him and he is not about to be bothered with finishing someone off who can't even fight back. Undeterred, Nnoitra gets up and tells him the fight isn't over and taunts him to come back and continue fighting. Finally Kenpachi gives in as Nnoitra moves to attack him, but Kenpachi lands another blow to his chest and Nnoitra falls to the ground. Kenpachi stands over Nnoitra's corpse victorious, thanking him for the good fight. Kenpachi then asks Ichigo what he is, reminding him that as a substitute Shinigami, his job is to protect Karakura Town. He tells Ichigo to take Orihime and return, as he is no longer needed in Heuco Mundo. He then tells Ichigo to get his sword and yells for Orihime to come over and heal him. However, Coyote Starrk arrives to recapture her and he narrowly avoids both Kenpachi's and Ichigo's attack.

When Ichigo hears from Aizen that he plans to destroy Karakura Town, he proceeds to run off. Kenpachi tells him not to be so hasty, he then tells him that everything is planned and not only did Urahara send the Captains to Hueco Mundo but also made it possible to wage war in Karakura Town. When Ichigo notices Ulquiorra near Orihime, he reminds Kenpachi of their earlier conversation and informs him that he is wrong. Telling Kenpachi that his job isn't to project Karakura Town but instead to protect his friends. Ichigo then takes off, leaving Kenpachi behind.

Fake Karakura Town arc
Later Kenpachi, alongside Byakuya Kuchiki, arrives to the battle between Yammy Llargo and Ichigo. After Byakuya attacks Yammy with a huge Kidō blast, Kenpachi cuts off one of Yammy's legs, making him fall over. He then berates Byakuya for "stealing" the first blow and tells him to get away from the battle area. Byakuya calmly calls his statement nonsense, since he was the first to arrive and that Kenpachi should learn his place. Kenpachi however ignores Byakuya and tells him not to complain then if he get sliced into pieces alongside Yammy.

Kenpachi then tells Ichigo he is a disgrace as he seems to get "beat to hell" everywhere they go; he then tells him to move out of the way. When Ichigo stares at him confused Kenpachi goes to strike at him, but Ichigo dodges and screams at him that he could have killed him. He then goes and charges at Ichigo but is slapped away by Yammy and sent flying into a nearby structure. As Yammy rants and raves, Kenpachi kicks a large piece of rock at him but the Espada crushes it to rubble before it can make contact. Kenpachi then states that he is surprised that Yammy can throw a decent punch when he wants to, as he barely felt it when he hit him. He then tells Yammy that even though he must think he is a big fly, if he is going to punch him he better put some effort into it. Yammy then enraged goes to attack Kenpachi.

As Yammy tries to punch him, Kenpachi cuts off three of his fingers. Screaming in pain, holding his injured hand, Yammy then notices Kenpachi on his arm, which he runs up to strike at his head. Kenpachi cuts off another of Yammy's legs causing the Espada to fall down. Kenpachi admits that he is a tough one but is disappointed as Yammy lies unconscious, prompting him to call Byakuya to finish the Espada off. Byakuya asks him what he is talking about, to which Kenpachi responds that he figures Byakuya must be bored standing around, so he figures he would at least allow him to finish the Espada off. Byakuya deduces that Kenpachi expects him to clean up his mess, and asks who he thinks he is talking to. Kenpachi states that he doesn't like to kill weaklings, but Byakuya states that he will not as a savage like him is better suited to the task. Kenpachi takes offense to what was just said to him, but before he can do anything about it, Yammy makes his presence known by confirming he is not down for the count yet, slamming his large hand down in between the two. The two captains look up at Yammy as he prepares to fire at Cero at them. The large blast is fired, but they both dodge the attack, prompting Byakuya to state that he can't believe that Kenpachi thought he could finish off the Espada the way he did, pitying his poor judgement. Kenpachi brushes the comment off, stating that to him Yammy is ready to be finished off, but the Espada is obviously too much for Byakuya. To challenge this Byakuya releases his Bankai and tells Kenpachi that if Yammy is not to much for him then he should prove it. Kenpachi likes this idea stating that he has always wanted to compete against Byakuya. The two captains move toward each other and then turn toward Yammy stating that he is in the way as they both lash out and strike the Espada in his face.

Yammy's huge form is knocked off balance by the powerful attack inflicted on him by the two captains, but he survives and gets back up, injured and infuriated. Kenpachi states he is surprised that Yammy survived, believing he has lost his mind. The Cero Espada then becomes frustrated with the two captains, and his Resurrección changes form. After transforming, he warns the captains that making him angrier is the last thing they would want to do, since his release, Ira, increases in strength the angrier he becomes. He then taunts Byakuya and Kenpachi, saying that if they make him even angrier he will make sure that their deaths are humiliating and painful.

Later after defeating Yammy, Kenpachi is accompanied by Byakuya as they exit a Garganta. He is greeted by a few of the 11th Division. The 4th Division immediately respond to their arrival, taking note that while both are standing they are horribly injured. When asked by his men how the battle was Kenpachi simply states that it was boring. After having his injuries treated, Kenpachi is called for along with Byakuya and Shunsui to meet with Yamamoto, who scolds them for losing their captain haori. Each them are indifferent to the matter, Kenpachi even saying his was a bother, Yamamoto grows even angrier.

Zanpakutō Unknown Tales arc (anime only)
Note: Events occurring in this arc are only in the anime and do not constitute canon material.

Gotei 13 Invading Army arc (anime only)
Note: Events occurring in this arc are only in the anime and do not constitute canon material.

The Lost Substitute Shinigami arc
Following the events that led to Rukia stabbing Ichigo with Urahara's specially designed sword, Kūgo Ginjō exclaims that he had already taken all of Ichigo's powers and that her actions weren't enough to restore them. However, Renji interrupts him and reveals the appearance of himself and other Shinigami including Kenpachi, who all continue to watch the situation. Renji reveals that they all, along with Kenpachi, donated their Reiatsu to Urahara's sword to ensure that Ichigo's powers were restored to him.

As Yukio brings each of the duels into different chat rooms, Kenpachi asks Byakuya to wait and trade with him since his opponent, Tsukishima, looks stronger. He is unable to however and Giriko questions him, saying that Kenpachi must think he is weaker. Kenpachi tells him to stop talking and that it is boring to kill small fry. Giriko then calls him an imbecile saying he will teach Kenpachi with brute force. Giriko transforms into a larger, muscular form, saying his Fullbring allows him to do even this. He explains his Fullbring as a contract with the gods of time and the simpler the clause of that contract, the stronger he becomes. He says his current contract allows him more power than ever before and that he's unmatched. He is interrupted by Kenpachi who says it was boring as Giriko is cut in half.

Having defeated Giriko, Kenpachi looks around to see if anyone is done with their match yet. Seeing that no one is, he gets bored and decides to go back home. However, Yachiru Kusajishi pops up and smacks him. She says they all came together and promised to go home together so if they leave, Yamamoto will have their heads. She then continues to pull on his ears as he walks. Kenpachi greets Ikkaku as the dimension he was in disappears. Ikkaku is surprised that Kenpachi was out of his dimension so early, only to tell him that Ikkaku was late. Kenpachi, Yachiru and Ikkaku then notice that Renji is coming out of some bushes. Ikkaku scolds Renji of his condition and Renji explains that he got out of his dimension a while ago but couldn't move for a while which surprised Kenpachi. Kenpachi asks how Ikkaku did and Ikkaku said that he lectured him for a bit and then took off. Kenpachi is frustrated to hear this and scolds his subordinate. Along with the other captains, he looks on as Ichigo breaks apart the last remaining pocket dimension with his Bankai.

As Kenpachi and the others turn to leave, Byakuya reminds Rukia that they were only tasked with observing Ichigo and his decision. Kenpachi interjects that he only came because he was bored. When Ichigo subsequently goes to Soul Society to seek the return of Kūgo's body, Kenpachi is informed of his arrival and is among the captains present to hear Ichigo's request.

The Thousand-Year Blood War arc
Kenpachi attends a captain meeting where he is informed about the Vandenreich's infiltration, and is ordered to prepare for war alongside other captains. After the Vandenreich invade Seireitei, Kenpachi receives word from Rangiku Matsumoto that the enemy has the ability to steal Bankai.

Kenpachi is later notified via transmitter swords along with the other captains and lieutenants by Rin Tsubokura that Ichigo is currently heading to Soul Society. Somewhile later, after Kenpachi defeats three members of the Stern Ritter, he faces Haschwald and Juhabach, asking the latter if he's the boss of the Vandenreich. Haschwald asks how he was able to defeat three Stern Ritter so easily, to which Kenpachi casually explains each situation while referring to the three as trash. Dismissing them from his mind, the captain immediately charges forward and attacks Juhabach who blocks the sword attack with his arm, which results in an enormous shockwave destroying the area surrounding them. Soon after, Kenpachi is easily defeated by Juhabach, who holds up the bloodied man by his throat. Commenting that he had considered the captain to be one of their five special war potentials, he then concludes that he had overestimated Kenpachi, proclaiming him to be weak. Declaring Soul Society on the brink of collapse, Kenpachi is saved from further punishment by the arrival of the captain-commander. After the battle for Soul Society ends, Kenpachi is reported to have narrowly escaped death despite being left in a comatose state.

Several days later, after recovering from his injuries somewhat, Kenpachi is led to the lowest level of the Central Great Underground Prison by Retsu Unohana under the orders of the new captain-commander, Shunsui Kyōraku, in order to train him to become strong enough to combat the Vandenreich. Revealing to have scarred each others bodies in the past, both captains finally put their long-kept contempt for each other into actions and begin their battle to the death.

Equipment
Eyepatch Power Seal: Kenpachi wears an eyepatch created by the Shinigami Research and Development Institute just for him that can seal the bulk of his reiatsu, but since he has so much of it, it does not noticeably hinder him in battle; in fact, it makes him just ahead of most other captains and Espada. The reason for wearing it is that since Kenpachi loves fighting so much, he cannot fight most opponents at full strength without defeating them quickly. Seventeen months after Aizen's defeat, Kenpachi wears a new eyepatch.

Reiatsu Bells: In order to further give the enemy an advantage, Zaraki wears bells on each spike of his hair. These bells can only be heard by enemies whose Reiatsu is concentrated to the point where it can actually defeat Zaraki. Seventeen months after Aizen's defeat, Kenpachi reveals he doesn't wear the bells anymore.

Powers & Abilities


Kenpachi did not attend the Shin'ō Academy. He is also the only captain that does not know the name of his Zanpakutō. Because of this, he cannot use Bankai. In addition, he has no apparent skill (or at least interest) in Kidō and Shunpo. However, he more than makes up for his faults with his sheer power and endurance, easily making him one of the strongest Shinigami in Soul Society.

Master Swordsmanship Specialist: Kenpachi's skill with his sword has been honed to a masterful level, due to the lawlessness of the Zaraki district, letting him strike multiple times with changes of attack type (from slash to pierce) without any difficulty. His polished skills and strength with his sword let him always fight with one hand free. He only uses both hands when facing opponents he feels will beat him otherwise, as shown with Nnoitra and momentarily Ichigo. His extreme cutting strength is evident in his ability to easily cut through an Espada's Hierro, which is harder than steel, as well as slice apart a skyscraper with a mere flick of his wrist. As the Captain of the 11th Division, which specializes in sword fighting, he is amongst the most, if not the most, proficient swordsmen in all of Soul Society.


 * Kendō: Kenpachi has also displayed considerable knowledge and skill in Kendō. Yamamoto required Kenpachi to learn Kendō before officially joining the Gotei 13. However, Kenpachi despises using skills and techniques learned from another source, and therefore uses Kendō only as a last resort.


 * A technique that Kenpachi uses when he is gripping his sword with two hands. It allows one to split an opponent down the middle.

Hakuda Expert: While preferring to use his blade in battle, Kenpachi has proved several times to be very dangerous while barehanded. He can easily catch an opponent's attack with a single hand, perform powerful kicks and take-downs, and has demonstrated superb skill with throwing weapons.

Vast Spiritual Power: Even by a captain's standards, his Spiritual Pressure is absolutely monstrous. In fact, it is so great that Kenpachi can fight on par with two other captain-level opponents without using his full power, even when he is wearing his energy-sealing eye patch and his opponents release their Zanpakutō's Bankai. His spiritual energy has been shown to affect entire areas to the point of disrupting energy attacks from enemies, and cause others from seemingly miles away to enter a state of paralysis and confusion. Similar to Ichigo, when unleashing a strong enough surge of energy, it becomes visible and yellow in color, sometimes with the appearance of a skull.


 * Damage Resistance: He can also use it as a sort of armor, making it impossible for him to be harmed by anyone not at his level of power. This is first demonstrated when Ichigo tries to cut Kenpachi at the start of their fight. Kenpachi allows Ichigo to strike him, yet not only does he fail to cut him, but Ichigo's hands start to bleed because of it. This is comparable to an Arrancar's Hierro.


 * Shock Wave: He has also demonstrated enough control to focus and unleash his spiritual pressure in the form of a powerful shock wave. When using both hands, his shock wave can create a huge radius of destruction.

Highly Perceptive Combatant: Despite his seeming disregard for any strategy in his fights and his self-admitted aversion to thinking during battle, Kenpachi is a very insightful man, regularly showing more understanding than one would expect. Even Byakuya was impressed by Kenpachi's ability to understand things he has no personal experience with. He is very adept at finding and exploiting weaknesses in his opponents' techniques, such as in his battle with Kaname Tōsen, where he subdued the latter's Bankai while armed only with a Zanpakutō and the one sense that was left accessible by Tōsen's Bankai at the time - that of touch. He is also adept at adjusting to his opponent's attack patterns and battle methods to better counter them. While he admits to having no sanity or common sense, Kenpachi is actually very perceptive, noticing traits in people that others wouldn't notice, and seeing what drives a person's actions. For example, he correctly singles out Kaname Tōsen and Gin Ichimaru as the only captains who are afraid to die. He has also demonstrated sharp intuition towards incoming danger, as shown by his ability to repeatedly dodge Tōsen's assault while still affected by his Bankai.

Immense Strength: Perhaps due to years of combat experience and time on the battlefield, Kenpachi has a very large degree of physical strength, most commonly displayed by his ability to fight back his opponent's attacks with a single arm. He has repeatedly shown clear evidence of his strength from acts like kicking Tōsen through a building and slamming Komamura over his shoulder with one hand during their battle, as well as when he grabbed Ichigo's giant sword barehanded and reeled both him and the sword in for an attack. He also demonstrated his strength when he rammed through a building fighting Ichigo. With just his bare hand, Kenpachi was able deflect the Cero of the fifth Espada, Nnoitra Gilga. His sword attacks are also powerful enough to cut through Yammy Llargo's released state Hierro, removing his limbs in a single strike and knocking the giant Arrancar off his feet. He is even able to fend off an opponent's gigantic sword with a single hand.

Immense Speed: While he possesses no known skill in Shunpo, Kenpachi has shown to be deceptively fast for his size and build. Thanks to his tremendous raw power, Kenpachi's leg strength allows him to more than make up for his lack of Shunpo, allowing him to move fast enough to instantly close a huge gap of space between him and his opponent, and even seemingly disappear from sight. In battle he is able to strike with incredible speed in rapid succession, making it highly difficult for his opponents to find an opening and counterattack.

Immense Endurance: His physical strength is matched by his resilience. Kenpachi has been shown to ignore most of the injuries he sustains in battle (much like a berserker), not suffering any debilitation despite having multiple slash wounds in his body. He even allowed himself to be stabbed during his fight with Tōsen, just to grab Tōsen's blade to dispel his Bankai's effect. During his battle with Nnoitra, he suffered numerous slash wounds and was even impaled with no visual impairment of his fighting abilities, despite the Espada noting that most people would have already been dead at that point.

Immense Durability: As resilient as Kenpachi is, he is just as hard to damage. During his battle against Yammy, while focusing his attention on Ichigo, Yammy delivered a powerful blow with his massive fist, launching Kenpachi several meters and smashing him into a large pillar. Despite the impact, Kenpachi quickly emerged unfazed, claiming it was only a "decent punch" and that Yammy needed to "put some effort in it".

Zanpakutō
Kenpachi does not know the name of his Zanpakutō, and is the only captain of the Gotei 13 who cannot perform Bankai. It appears that after his fight with Ichigo, Kenpachi wishes to learn more about his Zanpakutō because he wants to become stronger. He can also identify with the pain of not having a name to be called by. However, he is not yet capable of communicating with his Zanpakutō, and it is implied that he continually tries to learn from it so that he can just achieve a new level of power. Zangetsu notes that Kenpachi's disharmony with his sword causes the two to damage each other's powers, and that he cannot hear the cry of his sword because of that. As it is revealed in the Hueco Mundo Arc, he has at least communicated with his Zanpakutō on some level after his loss to Ichigo. During his fight against Nnoitra, he refers to his Zanpakutō as "him".


 * Shikai: Despite not knowing its name, Kenpachi's Zanpakutō is constantly in its released state, much like Ichigo's Zangetsu. The blade is much longer than that of a standard Zanpakutō, roughly the size of a nodachi, with a guard that extends inward from its center, similar to a shinai. The hilt is white, although most of it is wrapped in bandages, as is his sword's sheath. Despite constantly being in its Shikai state, Kenpachi’s Zanpakutō does not grant him any additional abilities, due to their lack of communication. A further consequence of their disharmony is that it leaves the Zanpakutō with little spiritual energy and lets it become easier to damage, ironically making its appearance a reflection of Kenpachi's own practice of weakening himself to fight others on an even level: it is a chipped and seemingly worn-down blade. Despite its appearance, it is easily capable of cutting through most objects. This is demonstrated when he stabs straight through Ichigo's Zanpakutō, and later slices a building in half with no apparent effort after releasing his full power.


 * Shikai Special Ability: Unknown


 * Bankai: Not Yet Achieved.

Appearances in Other Media
In some Bleach games, Kenpachi's unnamed sword demonstrates the ability to leave a trail of black dimensional matter every time he swings it. Anything that walks into it suffers damage. In the Bleach DS series his strongest attack is a big shockwave, which is his full spiritual power after removing his eyepatch. Kenpachi has this ability in the anime and manga, just not as an attack, although Nnoitra Gilga did get countered by it after slashing Kenpachi's eyepatch off.

Kenpachi appears in the second session of Bleach: Beat Collection, together with Yachiru, Ikkaku, and Yumichika.

He has a minor role in the Bleach OVA, which he vacations in the Human world with Yachiru, he also appears briefly in Bleach: Memories of Nobody, making sport of one of the Dark Ones. He also appears in the second movie, Bleach: The DiamondDust Rebellion, being one of the first to charge in and attack Sōjirō's new dragon form as well as helping out in the final battle. On the third movie, Bleach: Fade to Black, he appears in Mayuri's lab to stop Mayuri's madness. After being pushed back by Mayuri's Bankai, he froze for a while because of Mayuri's weapon and later wakes up to fight the dragon from Mayuri's weapon with the rest of the Shinigami.

Kenpachi appears in most of the Bleach video games. He is very powerful in the Bleach DS series (which he was considered cheap in Blade of Fate) and Heat the Soul (including Soul Carnival) for PSP. He recently appeared playable in Bleach: Versus Crusade. Unlike in the series, Kenpachi could freely do Shunpo any time like other Shinigami in Bleach: The Blade of Fate, Bleach: Dark Souls and Bleach: Soul Resurrección. He also appears in four of the Rock Musical Bleach performances: Dark of the Bleeding Moon, No Clouds in the Blue Heavens, The All, and Live Bankai Show Code 002. He is portrayed by Shōgo Suzuki.

Trivia

 * His theme song, as chosen by Tite Kubo, is Massive Attack's "Superpredators."
 * In the latest popularity poll, Kenpachi came 15th (in previous ones he came 27th and 9th), and in the Zanpakutō poll, his unnamed Zanpakutō came 29th.
 * In the Bleach best bout poll Kenpachi's fight with Nnoitra came in tenth place.

Quotes

 * (To Ichigo Kurosaki) "You want a reason ... for fighting? Why don't you just accept it already, Ichigo?! You seek out fights. You desire power. Isn't that right, Ichigo? 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? I can't tell you that. The only thing I know for sure is guys like us were born this way! We were born to fight, Ichigo! Your instincts will keep leading you toward new battles. It's the only way you have. The only way to become stronger. Fight, Ichigo! If you want the power to control your enemy, take that sword in your hand and cut him down! That's your only option! That's the road that continues in front of you and remains behind you Ichigo!"


 * "This reiatsu... Even though I don't know who it's from, they seem to be deep in the heat of battle. Not bad. It sure makes your blood boil, doesn't it?"


 * (To Ikkaku Madarame and Yumichika Ayasegawa) "So you want to fight too? Fine, you can have them, but fight elsewhere. If you get in my way, I'll chop you up first."


 * "You are shameless to sneak around like that guys. Cowardly hiding spiritual pressure and stalking others isn't something that captains should do."


 * (To Sajin Komamura, Kaname Tōsen, Tetsuzaemon Iba, and Shūhei Hisagi) "Blah blah blah! You're noisy! Just come on and fight already. It's best if all four of you come together. If you four surround me and attack at once, maybe one of you will actually wound me."


 * (To Kaname Tōsen) "Sanity? Worthless things like that, I never had them for as long as I can remember!"


 * (To his sword) "It's been so long that I forgot the pain of not having a name. Everyone had a name that friends use to call them, but I didn't. That pain."


 * (To Yachiru Kusajishi) "I named you Yachiru, in memory of the only person I ever admired."


 * "I want to get stronger. I've finally found a worthy opponent. I can get stronger. I want to fight. I want to get stronger. It sure has been a while. To feel this desire again. I want to get stronger."


 * (To Ikkaku Madarame) "Never admit defeat and ask for a quick death! Die first, then admit defeat! If you are defeated but didn't die, it just means you were lucky! At those times, think only about survival! Survive and think only about killing the one who failed to kill you!"


 * (To Ikkaku Madarame) "Sorry but I'm not interested in weaklings who can't fight any more. Besides, I don't have any obligation to finish you off."


 * (To Maki Ichinose) "Loyalty to someone is different from depending on them. It isn't even interesting fighting against someone who doesn't have his own goals."


 * (To Maki Ichinose) "If you really wanted to help that Kariya reach his goals, then you would have taken care of Ichigo first. But you chose to come after me. Wasn't that a display of your own will? The power that you have gained was all in order to defeat me. That power comes from your own grudge! Why not try giving all your strength to that end?"

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