Ran'Tao

is the Shinigami researcher responsible for the creation of the Bounts.

Appearance
Ran'Tao is a slender and youthful-looking woman with thin yellow-rimmed glasses, long brown hair usually hung up with a hairpin, and has brown eyes. In addition to the standard Shinigami attire, she also wears the standard lab coat worn by the other Shinigami scientists. After having her powers sealed, special markings were placed on her back. It has been stated by several characters that she greatly resembles Yoshino Sōma. It is explained that this is because Yoshino was an accidental partial clone of her from the early experiments that gave birth to the Bounts.

History
Ran'Tao was the leader of the research team that created the Bounts. Out of guilt for creating them, she tried to help the Bounts find a peaceful place to live free of persecution. When the order was made to exterminate the Bounts, she helped them escape to the Human World and later gave Jin Kariya an amulet which had the ability to unlock the Bount's full power. The Soul Society sealed off her Shinigami powers as punishment, and she has since lived as an exile on its outskirts, carrying out small experiments to better utilize spiritual energy.

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

During the battle between Kariya, Ichigo Kurosaki and Byakuya Kuchiki, Ran'Tao appears and leaves with Ichigo and Uryū Ishida. She explains the Bounts' creation to them and also that she had found a way to maintain her youth. While later she succeeded somewhat in her goal, she needed to rest for a period of around 12 hours to maintain her appearance. When Ichigo and Uryū leave her hideout, she states that in order to fight she has to make preparations.

She later confronts Kariya upon the rooftops of the Seireitei. Surprising him, she pulls out a Kidō gun and manages to injure him. However, she fails to defeat him and the Bount begins to overpower her effortlessly. Just as he is about to strike her down, she is saved by Uryū's timely arrival. During the battle between Uryū and Kariya, Ran'Tao uses an amulet to attack Kariya and temporarily seal off the Jōkaishō crest. She then instructs Uryū to fire a powerful arrow to kill Kariya. Uryū does not use full force when shooting the arrow and fatally wounds Kariya, who merely recovers by absorbing spirit particles. Ran'Tao's spiritual pressure suddenly spirals out of control and nearly causes her death. Uryū again saves her by absorbing the excess pressure and fires it into the sky, causing the Quincy Bangle to disintegrate.

Afterwards Ichigo appears and leads Kariya away. Ran'Tao then reveals that Kariya plans to explode the Jōkaishō generators spread around the Seireitei, which would destroy everything and everyone caught in the blast. She gives Tōshirō Hitsugaya a map to the locations of the generators before she passes out from over extensive use of her powers; she is taken to safety by Yasutora Sado, Orihime Inoue, and Uryū for treatment.

Ran'Tao appears again after Ichigo finally defeats Kariya. She is shown in her hideout with Yoruichi Shihōin treating the wounds of Gō Koga, who is the last Bount left alive.

Equipment
Kidō Gun: This weapon was developed by Ran'Tao and functions similarly to a shotgun. It fires concentrated spheres of spiritual energy that can be quite harmful as seen when Jin Kariya had to dodge the attacks for fear of being hit.

Knife: The hairpin worn by Ran'Tao conceals a blade, which she uses to stab Kariya. This knife can suppress a Bount's ability to heal oneself via Reishi, as shown with Kariya.

Powers & Abilities
Master Inventor: As a former head scientist of Soul Society, Ran'Tao is an immensely intelligent person, having created the Bounts by accident yet still having great understanding of their powers and abilities. Despite having limited tools to work with after being exiled, Ran'Tao has shown herself resourceful enough to still create various useful and effective devices, including a "Kidō Gun" and a shock system to quickly heal injuries.

Kidō Expert: Before her powers were sealed, Ran'Tao demonstrated considerable skill in Kidō, being able to use at least mid-level Kidō without incantation.

Enhanced Youth: Even by Shinigami standards, Ran'Tao is considerably old. Through an unexplained procedure, she is able to maintain her youthful health and appearance at the cost of reduced stamina and requiring several additional hours of sleep a day.