Shūsuke Amagai

was introduced as the new Captain of the 3rd Division (anime only).

Character Outline
Shūsuke Amagai is the new Captain of the 3rd Division, taking over after Gin Ichimaru's defection from Soul Society. He became a captain via the. It is known that he had to fight Kenpachi Zaraki, but the other Captain is still unknown. Most likely he was presented with eligibility by Captain Soifon, as the Patrol Corps is a division of the Stealth Force and to any other Captain he would have been largely unknown, except to her. Prior to his promotion to Captain he served as a member of the. According to Sajin Komamura, promotion of a Captain from the Patrol Corps is unprecedented. Amagai's promotion implies that substantial changes are taking place in Soul Society.

Amagai is shown to be incapable of holding his drink, collapsing even after eating sake-flavored pickles, and acting irrational after smelling the scent of sake in the air. Although he was initially looked down upon by his fellow division members, Captain Amagai's methods have since earned their respect. He also seems to favor teamwork and coordination between individual fighters, as he used these methods in the Patrol Corps, and teaches these methods when training his squad.

New Captain Shūsuke Amagai Arc
During an official Captains' meeting Shūsuke was introduced to his new peers as the new Captain of the 3rd Division. Once the meeting was over he headed over to meet his new subordinates, and introduced Makoto Kifune whom he appointed as the new 3rd seat. Izuru Kira kept the position of Lieutenant as a way of smoothing the transition and integrating the unit. Most of the 3rd Division members could not readily accept a complete stranger as the Captain. Shūsuke sympathized with them, stating that as long as he was their Captain he would always protect them. Later during a welcome party thrown by Izuru Kira, Shūsuke made a toast, but became drunk after one bowl of sake and passed out.

Shortly after, the 3rd Division was ordered to take care of some Menos Grande. Since the Captain is passed out, the rest of the division sortied under the command of Kifune and Kira. The fight against the Menos went well, but the division was endangered when they encountered a cleaner. Shūsuke turned up to rescue his division, blowing away the cleaner with a tremendous amount of power despite being drunk. Thereafter the division began to respect and trust him.

Having realized that the 3rd Division had been too dependent on Gin Ichimaru, Captain Amagai began to train the members of the squad to work together as a team under him. Inspired by the success of his training methods, Shūsuke made a request to Commander General Yamamoto to start inter-division training sessions so that the Gotei 13 could better coordinate its divisions. The idea was initially unpopular among the other Captains, particularly Kenpachi Zaraki and Mayuri Kurotsuchi, both of whom did not believe that they should have to be concerned with the problems of the other divisions. Although the idea was initially turned down, General Yamamoto secretly tested Captain Amagai's coordination skills by releasing fake Menos Grande into Seireitei, so that he could assess the reactions of the new Captain and the different divisions. Shūsuke responded by effectively coordinating many squads, resulting in the approval of his initial proposal.

He nominated the third division to capture Ichigo. Due to his lack of familiarity with Ichigo, he would be able to fight at full strength, as opposed to other Captains who had fought alongside Ichigo and might hold back. Rukia immediately noted that Amagai represented the most dangerous choice, as they might have been able to talk down another, more familiar Captain. Amagai began to fight Ichigo, but Shuu Kannogi came between the two. Startled by this turn of events, Amagai accepted Shuu's story and decided to help rescue Rurichiyo and bring down Kumoi.

After helping Ichigo find Rurichiyo, he revealed his true reasons for doing so: he kills Kumoi, takes the princess and the Bakkōtō nuclei, and teleported to where General Yamamoto is. As Kumoi lay dying, he wondered why Amagai cut him down, mumbling that he had "done everything he said."

Amagai faced down Yamamoto at his office, revealing his hand in the events that plagued the Kasumiōji household. Kenryū and Enryū arrive to save Rurichiyo and try to subdue Amagai, but they are no match for him. Yamamoto demands to know Amagai's motives, setting off a flashback. Amagai reveals that Yamamoto killed Amagai's father, Shin'etsu Kisaragi, to keep secret the Bakkōtō and Yamamoto's involvement with the Kasumiōji clan to secretly allow them to create Bakkōtō. In order to take his revenge, Amagai joined the Shinigami and rose through the ranks, waiting for his time to strike. He also forged an alliance with the clan, intending to betray them as well when the time was right.

Having heard enough, Yamamoto unleashed his Shikai. However, Amagai used the collected Bakkōtō nuclei to feed his own tuning fork weapon, which was revealed to be a very strong Bakkōtō with its nucleus hidden in its hilt. Using the Bakkōtō, Amagai sealed Yamamoto's spiritual powers, and then unleashed his Bankai, Raika Gōen Kaku. Yamamoto looks severely disadvantaged until Ichigo arrived and interfered. Amagai freely admitted his intentions to kill both Yamamoto and Rurichiyo. Declaring that Amagai hurt too many innocents to complete his plans, Ichigo explained that regardless of whether Amagai's vendetta was just, he had to be stopped for the sake of the innocent Rurichiyo.

The two fought, and Amagai attempted to neutralize Ichigo's powers as he did with Yamamoto. However, the process was nowhere near completely effective, which surprised and confused him. Finally, Ichigo manifested his Hollow mask, allowing Amagai to understand: his Bakkōtō could not neutralize Hollow powers; only Shinigami powers. Despite this, Amagai fought on for some time before being flattened by Ichigo's Getsuga Tenshō. Surviving this, he dug himself out of the rubble and prepared to feed his reiatsu to the Bakkōtō to grow even stronger.

After a continued battle with Ichigo, his Bakkōtō was finally damaged and its effect was voided. Amagai, still with what little strength he had left, was determined to kill Yamamoto, even though his Zanpakutō had reverted to its sealed form. He then proceeds to impale Yamamoto on his sword just as the other captains and lieutenants arrived. He succeeds in attacking the Captain-Commander but Yamamoto appeared unfazed. Yoruichi Shihōin explains what happened so long ago.

"Years ago Yamamoto realized the Kumoi was using the techniques of the Kasumiōji family to make the forbidden Bakkōtō and test them on humans. But the Captain-Commander was forbidden from doing anything by the Central 46 Chambers. Instead Amagai's father, Kisaragi Shin'etsu, who was a pupil and member of the 1st Division, offered to go on a secret mission for Yamamoto. When Kisaragi found the Bakkōtō he was captured and his will was forcibly taken over by the Bakkōtō. Kumoi then commanded he kill who sent him, and thus with no way to save his pupil Yamamoto was forced to take his life. With no proof of the Kasumiōji familys illegal activities and with being forbidden to interact with them Yamamoto could do nothing more then cover up Kisaragi's death and bury what he knew of the family, as well as the secret mission. It is this what the Amagai later found in the records."

Realizing that he made a terrible mistake, Amagai remembers his fathers dying words telling him to "beware the Bakkōtō". Feeling ashamed for his actions, Amagai resolves to end his life because his pride was to great to bare his weakness. He consumes himself in the fires of his Zanpakutō. Before doing so, he apologizes to Izuru for all the trouble and told him he enjoyed his time with him and the 3rd Division.

Powers & Abilities
Master Swordsmanship Specialist: Having fought against a master swordsman of Kenpachi Zaraki's caliber and not sustaining any known injuries demonstrates Amagai's prowess as a swordsman.

Flash Steps Expert: During his first fight with Ichigo, Amagai proved capable of easily keeping up with Ichigo's attacks and countering them. Ichigo also confessed to being impressed with Amagi's speed.

Kidō Expert: Capable of using a form of teleportation that Rukia as proficient as she is hadn't known existed and could hide is spiritual energy, as not to be tracked.

Spiritual Pressure: His spiritual pressure was considerably powerful even with the release of his Shikai, catching even Ichigo's attention. His control was so great that he could use it suppress the devouring qualities of a Bakkōtō.

Enhanced Endurance: Even after exerting a lot of spiritual pressure and fighting Ichigo as a Vizard with his Bankai, Amagai was still more the effective at dealing him intense blows while facing a lot himself, to the point he seemed highly resist to damage that would have killed or incapacitated anyone else.

Zanpakutō

 * In its seal form it resembles a small sword such a kodachi, or a wakizashi


 * Shikai: Raika's Shikai command is . In it's Shikai, Raika takes the form of a white longsword with a hook at the end and curved shell-like pipes that forms the hilt.


 * Shikai Special Ability: The pipes emit fire, heating the blade and causing it to take on a more fiery color. He can focus fireballs into the crux of the hook and, by slamming it into the ground, create large fissures of flame to attack enemies with.


 * Bankai:: Takes the form of an enlarged sword and turns the edge of the blade a crimson red color with a hook at the end; the inner side of the hook-blade sports several jagged edges. A large white shell with light-purple trim like massive hollow pauldron/shield with the handle hidden behind it. The sword is about as tall as Amagai in this form.


 * Bankai Special Ability: In this form the sword's blade becomes fiery and fire shoots from the pauldron, when its powers are being used. The swords blasts of fire are much more potent, large and powerful in this form, and the pauldron on his sword can be used as a means of defense as well. The sword commonly creates fire balls from the blade, fire fissures, walls of flame and the pauldron acts as high intensity flame thrower when its turned on the opponent.


 * Amagai twirls his sword above his head, and the blade becomes fiery and flames shoot from the pauldron, while lightning builds and he then slams the blade into the ground accompanied by a lighting strike. The ground begins to shake as multiple fire spears shoot from the ground at varied angles to to trap the opponent in a prison of flames. However, a side effect of this techique is that it leaves Amagai looking very tired.


 * Amagai lifts his sword over his head over his head and its entirety is inflamed, then the he strikes it toward his opponent allowing him to send a giant fireball at the opponent.


 * he uses the tip of his sword to fire out a multitude of fireballs toward his opponent.

Bakkōtō
The tuning fork has various abilities of its own as well; one technique causes it to emit large green waves of spiritual energy, and another, activated by striking it against the hilt of his zanpakutō, causes it to emit a blade of highly concentrated spiritual energy. This weapon has been shown to be powerful enough to destroy one of the dimensional cleaners in the dangai. It is later revealed that this is a Bakkōtō. Its eye nucleus is hidden within the bottom of the hilt and when exposed extends like a tendril and wraps around his arm and over to his left shoulder creating a black armor along his right arm and shoulder. When in use, it extends down and generates a spiritual energy blade. When thrust into the ground it resonates with the special ability of his Bakkōtō, the ability to negate the powers of a zanpakutō, though it does not affect his own zanpakutō Raika. It also has almost no effect on Hollow powers such as Ichigo's Vizard state.

Trivia

 * Amagai appears in the Bleach video game Bleach: Versus Crusade. He is one of the very few non-movie Anime-only characters to be featured in a Bleach video game, the only other character being Ririn, who is playable in Bleach: Dark Souls.
 * So far Amagai is the only person to strike Yamamoto onscreen.