Zabimaru (Zanpakutō spirit)

This article is about the manifested spirit of Renji Abarai's Zanpakutō. For his Zanpakutō and its abilities, see Zabimaru.

is the manifested spirit of Renji Abarai's Zanpakutō that is seen during the anime-exclusive Zanpakutō Unknown Tales arc.

Character Outline
Zabimaru's spirit takes the form of a two people: an adult woman and a small boy, attached to the female's waist by a black chain that is connected to a collar on his neck. The female has dark green fur that covers most of her body, except for her inner abdomen and chest. She has green eyes, long, rose-colored hair (of similar color as the fur cowl that appears around Renji's shoulders in Bankai) that goes past her knees, and black markings in her hair that bear a resemblance to Renji's tattoos. The young boy has blue eyes and jaw-length crimson hair. He wears a robe similar to a priest's that is cut short to reveal much of his stomach, with long sleeves that extend well past his hands. He has a snake's tail on which he often balances on to sit in the air. The two both possess fangs and a have tendency to argue with each other quite often, with the female referring to the boy as "Snakey" and the boy in return calling her "Chimpette." Zabimaru's reason for leaving Renji comes from the desire to grow stronger, to which Renji apparently wasn't trying hard enough to accomplish.

Synopsis
They first appear when several Zanpakutō spirits are in a cave waiting for Muramasa's return. They are then last seen along with the rest of the Zanpakutō spirits appearing before the Shinigami that have gathered at the Sōkyoku Hill. They seemingly end the main skirmish by appearing in Bankai form and using Hikōtsu Taihō.

Later on, the two appear while Renji is searching for Byakuya Kuchiki. After having to introduce themselves as Renji does not automatically recognize them, they engage in a brief fight with Renji (and at times, each other). When asked why they are fighting, the two explain that they heard a voice telling them to act according to their instincts, which for them is to fight. They seem to switch positions and hurl each other at the enemy with each exchange of the Zanpakutō. During the fight Zabimaru seems to hold the advantage over Renji, that is until Renji releases his Zanpakutō's Shikai much to their amazement.

After they continue their battle with Renji, now equipped with his Shikai, they admit they are now impressed, and release their Bankai via the snake-boy transforming into the massive snake. They then manage to overwhelm and disarm Renji, thinking they are now victorious. Renji proceeds to change battle tactics by using Kidō. They manage to grab Renji's sword and charge at him for the kill, but Renji uses the special ability of his Shikai to defeat them, thus reverting them to their sword form. After their defeat, they tell Renji they have come to their senses, and won't attack him again. Unfortunately, Zabimaru later revealed to have no memories of their rogue activities beyond knowing that it happened.

When Byakuya comes into the 6th Division barracks with Senbonzakura, Renji, having heard that his captain is a traitor, confronts him. Unfortunately, the lieutenant is unable to summon Shikai, having broken it in his fight with the two. However, Zabimaru manifests itself and fights Senbonzakura. The two, with their teamwork, are able to match Senbonzakura for a while though after their opponent uses Bankai, Zabimaru is defeated. Shortly after the other Shinigami arrive to help, Zabimaru gets back up and aids Renji in fighting Byakuya.

Powers and Abilites
Expert Swordsmen: Both spirits have shown in their battle with Renji their efficient use of their weapon against Renji, who is himself a master swordsman.

Enhanced Speed and Strength: Both spirits have been shown to be stronger and faster then one would assume. The snake-boy was even able to effortlessly beat Renji to the ground. They could also easily toss each other around by the chain connecting them.

Effective Team-work: Despite their constant arguments with each other, they have been shown to work together with almost no flaws.

Zabimaru can summon the sword of their Shikai state: an even longer six-part segmented blade; each segment is wider than the one preceding it from the hilt with two pick-like protrusions on the front and the back of each segment, with the ones on the front, much longer than the ones at the back. The segments are connected by a stretchable thread, making Zabimaru more useful as a whip than an actual sword, though it can serve as a regular sword just as easily. Zabimaru can also transport the sword between the two of them, even during battle, in order to confuse and overwhelm their opponent. They can also extend their sword's range by swinging each other by the chain that connects them.


 * Bankai: Hihiō Zabimaru (狒狒王蛇尾丸, Baboon King Snake Tail): In Bankai form, the snake-boy transforms into a massive skeletal snake with a red mane, while the baboon-lady wields him the same way Renji does. Zabimaru gains many more segments, which are much larger resembling a mix between a snakes vertebral column and the pick-like protrusions of the Shikai segments.


 * Special Ability: Zabimaru also gains special techniques when in Bankai form such as:


 * "Hikōtsu Taihō" (狒骨大砲, Baboon Bone Cannon): The technique fires a dense blast of concentrated spiritual energy from Zabimaru's mouth. Zabimaru shows that it can fire more than one blast at a time.

Trivia

 * Given the fact that Zabimaru had previously appeared in the series as a nue (a Japanese chimera in the form of a baboon with a snake's head for a tail), it is unknown what this dual, humanoid manifestation implies. The female represents the baboon part, as she is covered in fur, as well as runs like a monkey, while the young boy represents the snake, as his face appears similar to the snake tail of Zabimaru's nue form. In a recent episode, Renji appears confused as to why the two are in human form instead of the ape-like form previously seen, implying that the human form of a Zanpakutō might not be usually seen.


 * Zabimaru's appearance is similar of an omake from both the anime and the manga, when Mayuri Kurotsuchi gave out a pamphlet to Renji and Hisagi to alter a Zanpakutō. One of the choices involved changing the Zanpakutō's gender, which both were amazed by and which Renji comically asked Mayuri to do. In the background during the final scenes of the omake, a pair of large breasts with a beauty mark located on the left breast appeared, and they were somewhat covered by a light green coat with a name tag on it that said "Zabimaru." However, it is assumed that this change never happened, as Renji does not recognize Zabimaru upon seeing her and is also confused as to how Zabimaru took a human form when it was originally a baboon with a snake tail.


 * In episode 241, Zabimaru commented on their rivalry with Senbonzakura. This reflects Renji's rivalry with his captain, Byakuya.

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Zabimaru (espíritu)