Jidanbō Ikkanzaka

has been the gatekeeper of the to Seireitei for the 300 years before the main timeline and former 7th Division 4th seat Jirōbō Ikkanzaka's elder brother.

Appearance
Jidanbō is an extremely large, muscular man, who easily towers above most Shinigami. His hair is tied into a pony-tail, which extends down his waist. He has long sideburns, which continue down onto his neck and long enough to be tied up in small pony-tail like tufts. He wears armour on his left shoulder/upper arm, and a red hat with tassels. The left side of his chest his left exposed by his uniform. He uses twin axes in battle.

Personality
Jidanbō lacks emotional stability, falling to pieces after Ichigo breaks his axes. He was taught the rules of Rukongai by Tōshirō Hitsugaya, with whom he is friendly, and sets out these rules to those that he encounters. He is kindly by nature, however, and the inhabitants of Rukongai who live around the West Gate think of him as a friend who looks out for them, as opposed to most Shinigami, whom they despise.

Soul Society arc
Ichigo Kurosaki and his friends confronted him after they tried to get into Seireitei. Ichigo opposed him and Jidanbō was soundly defeated. In recognition, Jidanbō opened the gate so that Ichigo and friends can go through, but the group was stopped by Gin Ichimaru, who severed Jidanbō's left arm and closed the gate. In the anime, his injury was downplayed to a large cut on his arm. Orihime Inoue used her powers to heal Jidanbō's arm once it is maneuvered into place by some of Rukongai's residents. Jidanbō later accompanied Kūkaku Shiba into Seireitei. When Sōsuke Aizen appeared on the Sōkyoku Hill, Jidanbō and Kūkaku fought the other gatekeepers, who had come to the aid of Aizen.

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

Jidanbō plays a small part in the Bount Invasion. He is guarding the Seireitei gate, but is defeated by Kariya and Koga.

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

When the Reigai begin taking control of the Soul Society, Yoruichi Shihōin calls for him and the Shiba Clan to stand by as back-up. When Kagerōza Inaba removes the limiters from his Reigai and start to overwhelm the captains, Jidanbō charges in with Kūkaku and Ganju Shiba to help them escape.

The Thousand-Year Blood War
During the Quincies assault on Soul Society, Jidanbō subbenly appears and attacks the Research and Development Institute destroying the building and attacking everyone inside in an almost hypnotized state.

Equipment
Axes: Jidanbō possesses two giant axes, which are several times larger than an average human, though he typically only uses one while in combat. The other, he keeps tucked inside of his shihakushō. The force caused by the impact of these axes is enough to create massive fissures in the ground. Both axes were broken and destroyed by Ichigo Kurosaki during his battle with Jidanbō.

Powers & Abilities
Enhanced Strength: Due to his immense size, Jidanbō possesses tremendous strength, able to easily wield two gargantuan axes and have enough strength to lift a gate to Seireitei, despite not having done so in over three centuries.

Enhanced Endurance: Along with his physical might, he also possesses great endurance. Even after losing his arm to Ichimaru's Shinsō, Jidanbō was able to continue holding up the gate despite the pain and blood loss.

Axe Expert: Jidanbō fights with a pair of axes. His skills with them are great enough that Jidanbō is reputed to have once killed 30 Hollows in a single swipe. With them, he has developed two known techniques;
 * Jutsu Pon Jidan Damatsuri Da (Jidan 10-hit festival): Jidanbō hits his foe ten times with one of his enormous axes.
 * Banzai Jiidan Damatsuri (10,000 year hit festival): A larger version of the previous attack, Jidanbō uses both of his axes to unleash a barrage of devastating blows upon his opponent.

Censorship
When Gin scolds Jidanbō for letting Ichigo go through the gate, he cuts off his entire arm in the manga. In the anime, he only makes a small gash in his arm.

Appearance in Other Media
Jidanbō appears in Bleach: The 3rd Phantom as a playable character.

Trivia

 * Upon being defeated by Ichigo, Jidanbō's crying sounds like a siren.
 * Jidanbō seems to have poor math skills, as he struggles to count the number of axe strikes he makes during his Jidan 10-hit Festival attack.
 * Jidanbō's axes are decorated with 兕, the first kanji of his first name.

Quotes

 * (To Uryū Ishida and Orihime Inoue) "Your behaviour sickens me. Are you from an uncivilized area? Listen, this city has rules. First, wash your hands when you come back home. Second, no eating food that has fallen on the ground. Third, duel is nothing else but one-on-one."


 * (To Ichigo Kurosaki) "Seems as if you are one of the uncivilized people. So disrespectful. I wasted my time waiting for you. You should be grateful!!


 * (To Ichigo Kurosaki) "You are such a great guy. You have such a generous personality. On the contrary, what am I doing? Crying like a baby only because of a broken axe! I lost completely! Both as a fighter and as a man, I was utterly defeated!"


 * (To Gin Ichimaru) "Because I lost. The guardian opens the door when he loses. It is only natural."

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