Mayuri Kurotsuchi

"Researcher with killing intent." - Tite Kubo

is Captain of the 12th Division in the Gotei 13 and 2nd president of the Shinigami Research Institute. He gained his position after Kisuke Urahara, the former captain and president, was sentenced into exile by Soul Society. His lieutenant is Nemu Kurotsuchi, his artificially-created "daughter". He is often considered to be Uryū Ishida's nemesis due to their conflictive views on life and the fact that Mayuri tortured and killed Uryu's grandfather, Soken Ishida.

History
Little is known about the history of Mayuri, except that he was the only one kept in a cage in the Maggot's Nest and was requested by Kisuke Urahara to become vice-captain to the newly thought of Research and Development Institute. Nine years later he became the third seat of the 12th Division. He later succeeded Kisuke Urahara in leading the Research and Development Institute as well as becoming captain of the 12th Division of the Gotei 13. He also experimented on Quincy, including Sōken Ishida, Uryū's master and grandfather, in his studies.

Soul Society arc
During the the Ryoka Invasion of Soul Society, Mayuri attempts to search for the Ryoka and use them as test subjects. During the search, Mayuri meets Uryū Ishida. He offhandedly reveals that he was the one who orchestrated the death of Uryū's grandfather, Sōken Ishida. Uryū is angered by the truth of his grandfather's death and removes his Sanrei Glove to gain the power to defeat Mayuri, though Mayuri escapes using his Zanpakutō's final ability. Shortly after he uses this particular ability, Nemu thanks Uryū for not shooting Mayuri through the head (a chest wound being the prompt for her remark), implying that anything less would be incapable of killing him. Alternatively, she may have simply been referring to the quickest method of death he could inflict, as any wound preventing him from stabbing himself would prevent use of the ability. Later he hears of Isane's announcement of Aizen's treachery after reforming, but refuses to get involved, saying that he is not interested.

Bount arc
Mayuri appears again during the Bount invasion of Karakura Town, and, wanting a Bount test subject, sends Nemu to give Uryū an artifact that will temporarily restore his Quincy powers in exchange for helping the Bount to reach Soul Society. When the other captains begin to suspect him of treason, Mayuri proves his loyalty by defeating one of the Bount, Sawatari, partly motivated by his rage over being tricked into helping them enter Soul Society. The confrontation leaves him severely injured afterwards, largely due to his persistence in trying to capture the Bount alive at first.

Hueco Mundo arc
Mayuri later appears in Hueco Mundo to assist Renji Abarai and Uryū in dealing with Szayel Aporro Granz alongside his lieutenant Nemu. Mayuri's looks have changed since his last appearance: his ear attachments have become shorter and rounder, his chin has a longer attachment (much like the beard of an Egyptian pharaoh), and he no longer wears a hat. His hair is also styled into "horns," which when viewed from the front looks much like a pharaoh's crown, and his face paint has been patterned differently.

Szayel attempts to use his Zanpakutō's voodoo ability, but Mayuri negates it by using fake organs, having studied the technique beforehand using data from bacteria he implanted within Uryū during their last battle (much to Uryū's annoyance). Szayel takes Nemu captive, but Mayuri releases his Bankai and devours Szayel with it. Szayel uses the rebirth power of his Zanpakutō to recreate himself inside Nemu, but in doing so is affected by poisons contained in Nemu's body. Mayuri, disappointed at Szayel's lack of any further abilities, explains that by recreating himself inside Nemu, he is now dosed with a sense-enhancing poison. The poison increases Szayel's senses to the point that his body falls grossly behind and cannot move, and Mayuri stabs Szayel's heart with his Zanpakutō, breaking off the blade as the ultimate torture and also as punishment for his Zanpakutō going against him. He revives Nemu and has her dig out Szayel's laboratory, within which are a pair of bodies suspended from the ceiling.

Appearance
Mayuri's appearance has a very skeletal look to it with a skull-like visage. His fingernails are blue and, with the exception of the fingernail on his right middle finger, are all short. The one long fingernail is as long as the finger itself. In the anime, Mayuri is revealed to have blue hair and yellow eyes when unmasked. He also wears a white hat with two ends that point to his right and a large purple scarf around his neck. It appears his physical modifications become undone each time he reconstitutes himself, although he is heavily scarred and his ears appear to be permanently removed. However, on such occasions, he has to repaint his make-up, just like every morning, as he always removes it before going to bed.

Mayuri has performed various experiments on himself, some of which include upgrading certain body parts to function as weapons or giving him otherwise useful abilities.

Extension Arm: His left arm can extend out like a grappling hook

Hidden Kusarigama: he is able to pull part of his ear out to form a scythe attached to a rope-like ligament for use as a kusarigama.

Camouflage: He can also blend into his environment with some sort of covering that flakes away once he reveals himself.

In case he is defeated, Mayuri is able to transform into a liquid blob-like entity, unable to be attacked or attack, by stabbing himself with his Zanpakutō. He is later able to reconstitute himself, at which point his wounds are healed. This ability is related to the Bankai of his Zanpakutō.

Mayuri seems to be ambidextrous, as he wields his Zanpakutō in his right hand and his scythe-ear in his left (often simultaneously). In the anime's Bount arc, he briefly wields his Zanpakutō left-handed, as well. However since that is a filler we don't know if it is true or not.

Personality
Mayuri Kurotsuchi is a researcher and personifies the stereotype of the mad scientist. By his early actions during the Ryoka Invasion, he is displayed as one of the most sadistic and cruel Shinigami. He sees everyone and everything not as a living being, but as an object to be researched—including himself. He has little respect or regard for most others, and was even willing to turn his own men (who were not aware of his plans) into human bombs in an attempt to capture Uryū Ishida and Orihime Inoue for experimentation. He also withheld vital information about the Bount from the other Shinigami in order to capture one as a research subject for himself.

It is known that Mayuri's favorite food is pike fish, while he does not like onion. One of his free-time activities is reading every character published in Seiretei Communication. He himself publishes a serialization in the journal, titled "Effective Medication for the Brain", which apparently contains detailed instructions on preparation of medicine and their application. Surprisingly it is highly popular among the readers.

Research and Inventions
Unlike the inventions of Kisuke, those of Mayuri are not as well known yet.

Gigai/Modified Soul Specialization: However, one major invention is present, which is Mayuri's lieutenant and so-called "daughter," Nemu Kurotsuchi, who is the ultimate result of his Gigai and Modified Soul research.

Bount Sensor: He also creates a simple Bount sensor in the Bount arc of the anime. Though not as powerful as Kisuke's equivalent modsoul versions, it is far more effective once properly calibrated.

Zanpakutō Reassignment: In an Arrancar arc Shinigami Cup Golden, Kurotsuchi is shown as having the ability to change a Zanpakutō's race and gender, and presents a catalog to Hisagi and Renji, resulting in Renji and Hisagi's immediate desire to have his Zanpakutō's form altered to that of a busty red-haired woman.

Data Gatherer: He also implants his opponents with data-gathering bacteria so as to monitor them afterwards, such as he did with Uryū during their fight.

Powers & Abilities
Master Scientist/Inventor: As the head of the Shinigami Research Institute, Mayuri is a talented inventor and scientist, having created a number of devices or techniques to aid him in battle or otherwise.

Master Strategist: Mayuri has a talent for being well prepared. He takes various precautions before engaging in personal combat with an adversary, usually studying them through his various methods in order to gain a clear advantage. He seems to always have a contingency plan if something doesn't work out the way he expects.

Body Modification: It is implied that Mayuri has done extensive research on modifying bodies, and he has upgraded a variety of his own body parts to function as weapons or otherwise provide him with useful abilities. His left arm can extend like a grappling hook, and he is able to pull part of his ear out of his head to form a scythe attached to a rope-like ligament for use as a kusarigama. He can also blend into his environment with the aid of a topical camouflage which flakes away after he reveals himself. More impressively, he has demonstrated the ability to replace functional internal organs with false ones, a feat he performs on himself and his lieutenant to safeguard them from injury. This particular operation is conceived of and carried out in the span of less than an hour.

Master Chemist: Mayuri has otherwise been shown to be an adept chemist, manufacturing a drug that can slow down a person's perception of time. It is able to make one second seem like 100 years for the unfortunate victim to whom it is administered. An undiluted dose of the drug causes the senses to speed up trillions of times while the relatively "slow" body fails to keep up, resulting in paralysis; on the other hand, it is implied that a diluted dose of the drug can greatly enhance the user's reaction speed. Mayuri has also developed a "regenerative serum," which can regrow limbs upon injection.

Environment Melding Technique: Another one of Mayuri's abilities likely achieved scientifically is his ability to meld with the color and texture of the environment.

Flash Steps Expert

Zanpakutō
''': Ksitigarbha is a bodhisattva that watches over children and the underworld. In Japan, where he is known as Jizō, he looks rather like a baby dressed as a Buddhist monk; Mayuri's Zanpakutō has what looks like a giant baby's head on it. Its hilt is wrapped in cloth, and has several spiky protrusions sticking out right below the blade, which appear to resemble leaves. Unlike most Shinigami, his Zanpakutō's sheath hangs directly in front of him, instead of to his side as they are commonly worn.


 * Shikai: Ashisogi Jizō's Shikai command is . In its Shikai, Ashisogi Jizō transforms into a deformed trident with curved, serpentine blades and a guard shaped like a baby's head (as Ksitigarbha is depicted), all mounted on his sword's normal hilt.


 * Shikai Special Ability: The baby's mouth secretes a poisonous vapor in this form. The weapon works like the venom of a spider bite; when an opponent is stabbed by Ashisogi Jizō, it severs the brain signals controlling the neural impulses for movement in the limb's of the victim, regardless of where they were struck. Unlike regular paralysis, the pain receptors and nerve endings are unaffected by the weapon, so the victim can still feel pain, even in a paralyzed limb. During the Bount arc, it is shown that healing the stab wound does not immediately remove the inflicted paralysis.


 * Bankai: ''': returns Mayuri's Zanpakutō to its sealed state and produces a giant caterpillar in a red cape with a grotesque baby's head and a silver halo.




 * Bankai Special Ability: The creature breathes a poisonous derivative of Mayuri's blood which is lethal to anyone who breathes it, aside from Mayuri and Nemu. Numerous blades can also extend from its chest, allowing it to run through and skewer opponents. Only Mayuri has a cure for its poison, though Nemu usually carries it around. Mayuri can change the composition of the poison, as well, ensuring that no foolproof antidote can ever be manufactured to cure it, and no immunity developed against it. Mayuri has physically modified Konjiki Ashisogi Jizō itself so that it will self-destruct and return to its sealed state if it were to attack him, implying that it is sentient as well as organic, reminiscent of Captain Retsu Unohana's Minazuki.


 * Mayuri's Zanpakutō also has the ability to transform Mayuri into a liquid when he stabs himself with its blade. Doing so doesn't kill him, but instead simply leaves him unable to attack or be attacked, making it an effective escape tool. He reforms after a few days. It's uncertain whether this ability is entirely the product of Ashisogi Jizō, since he specifically relates the ability to himself, not opponents. His various physical modifications may have something to do with the effect.

Trivia

 * Kurotsuchi's last name is one of the few Shinigami names in Bleach which uses kanji based on the meaning of the name and not the sound. "Kurotsuchi" means black soil (kuro - black; tsuchi - soil), as does the kanji (涅). However, the kanji's reading (pronunciation) is "ne" or "so".