User:Maggosh

Nathaniel DreadBane is the main protagonist of Kingdom Hearts: Arcana. He is head of the DreadBane Noble Family and Captain of the Auxiliary Corps, as well as the first Soul Reaper to wield a Keyblade. As such, he is considered strong enough to rival the likes of Xemnas, Sephiroth and Hades.

Origin
A thousand years before Kingdom Hearts, Nathaniel was born, within hours of Sasuke Uike's birth. As fellow nobles, the two grew up together, and attended the Soul Reaper Academy with their coming of age. Their antics, academic actions, and fighting abilities earned them the title of the, "Ukitake and Kyoraku of their generation." Upon graduating, their positions in the Court Guard Squads varied for centuries, until Sasuke finally settled as Squad One's Third Seat and Nathaniel as the Lieutenant of Squad Two, which soon came under the command of Yoruichi Shihōin.

Turn Back The Pendulum
"Souls as far as the eye can see...and I can't help but feel lonely." - Nathaniel DreadBane on Soul Society.

A hundred years prior to Kingdom Hearts, Squad Two's Third Seat, Kisuke Urahara, was promoted to Captain of Squad Twelve, and established the Soul Reaper Research and Development Institute. Being an old friend, Nathaniel helped Kisuke conduct many of his experiments outside of duty.

One night nine years later, four Captains - Shinji Hirako, Love Aikawa, Kensei Muguruma and Rōjūrō Otoribashi - and four Lieutenants - Mashiro Kuna, Hiyori Sarugaki, Hachigen Ushōda and Lisa Yadōmaru - were subjected to Hollowfication, the illegal acquiring of Hollow powers, by Sosuke Aizen, who framed Urahara for commiting the act. Nathaniel, having witnessed the events unfold, confronted Aizen and engaged in battle, having to be broken apart by nearby guards. Urahara and Tessai Tsukabishi, Kido Corps Captain at the time, were charged with treason by Central 46, the judiciary system. Yoruichi and Nathaniel were able to rescue them from the Central 46 Chambers. The four fled to the underground cave beneath Sōkyoku Hill, where they used a prototype portal system - Darkness based, no less - which Nathaniel had been working on with Urahara. Only Yoruichi, Kisuke and Tessai made it through to the World of the Living with the newly formed Vizard. Nathaniel, however, got lost.

The Key's Call
"ND 1967: The guide of souls will lose himself in the paths of darkness... ...and will be found by the key and the Watchers." - The Score Nathaniel's lack of navigational knowledge caused him to fall through endless darkness, losing sight of his comrades. The darkness quickly became water, but Nathaniel found he could breathe. His feet finally came to rest on a platform which erupted into a flock of doves, revealing a stain-glassed platform. Nathaniel was surprised to find Flintlass standing in front of him, and mistook the platform surrounded by darkness as a corrupted form of his inner world. A mysterious voice immediately denies the possibility, and states that the area he is in is his heart.

Appearance
During his time as lieutenant, he wore the standard shihakushō with the right sleeve torn off. His lieutenant's badge was worn on the left arm. He had slightly long brown hair, green eyes and wore simple thin-framed black glasses, giving him a similar appearance to Sosuke Aizen. For the better part of his exile, Nathaniel wore the top half of his modified black Malkuth uniform, along with black gloves reaching to the middle of his forearms, tan pants, a black cape with red lining, and a brown gun holster slung over his hips. He also bore an iconic black tricornered hat, which may or may not have been stolen from Jack Sparrow. Upon his return to Soul Society, Nathaniel attained Captain status. He wore his usual shihakushō and a Captain's haori with a deep red lining bearing the kanji for the Auxiliary Corps within the Gotei 13 rhombus. Prior to the Winter War, he wore the green-lined haori for Squad Five while it was under his command. He now bears a mechanical right hand, serving as a replacement after an unknown fight. The fingers of the hand are articulate, curved slightly in homage to Auldrant's Dawn Age style. The hand is composed of several small plates of fon steel, some flat and some curved, which house a turquoise octagonal gem composed of a fragment of all seven fonstones.

Personality
DreadBane is known to many as an enigma. His behaviour tends to change due to the situation; he was commented as care-free as Shunsui Kyoraku and as noble as Jushiro Ukitake, but others say he can "be a real maniac sometimes."

Powers & Abilities
Fonic Artes Expert: He is the first Shinigami by nature to have learnt Fonic Artes. He has expressed an extensive knowledge in Fonic Artes. He is still able to perform Fonic Artes back in the Soul Society, even though fonons are non-existant outside of Auldrant. This is possibly because either his high spiritual energy combined with his blood fonons allows him to create his own fonons for Artes use, or he has adapted them to be used similar to Kidō spells.

Flash Steps Master: Nathaniel originally taught flash steps to Yoruichi Shihōin, now known as the "Goddess of Flash", and has skills equal to if not greater than her own.

High Spiritual Power: He boasts a great amount of spiritual energy, having the ability to fend off an entire legion of opposing Oracle Knights by merely swiping his Zanpakutō in its sealed state through the air.

Kidō Expert: Nathaniel is well versed in every aspect of Kidō. As a captain, he is able to use even the highest level Kidō spells without reciting the incantation.

Hyperresonance: He developed the ability to produce a hyperresonance on Auldrant. He has shown proficient use with both his left and right hands, although it is slightly stronger with his right hand due to its fonic metal composition. He can still perform a hyperresonance outside of Auldrant, most likely because of his blood fonons.

Alchemy: Nathaniel is capable of performing Alchemy, and is the first to do so without the use of a transmutation circle; instead he clasps his hands together and proceeds from there.

Keyblades
Nathaniel is in possession of two Keyblades; Flint's Maiden and Court Guard. He can dual-wield them effortlessly.

Zanpakutō
As a Soul Reaper, Nathaniel possesses a Zanpakutō; Hiuchiishi no Otome (火打石の乙女, lit. Flint's Maiden) is his; although he affectionately refers to her as Flintlass (フリントラス, Furintorasu). It takes the form of a katana, with a silver guard that curves around his hand similar to a cutlass' and a hilt with blood red stitching. The blade itself has a standard reach. Halfway from either end of the blade is a three inch long gap that has no sharp edge, and curves on the inside. A pair of red tassels hang from the end of the hilt.
 * Shikai: Its release command is "Forge Your Steel" (あなたの鋼を鍛造します, Anatano Kou Wo Tanzou Shimasu; lit. Your Steel is Forged). When released, it takes the form of a 17th century flintlock pistol with a wooden handle and a golden barrel and plating, and a cutlass attached to its elongated barrel. This makes Flintlass the only known Zanpakutō to take the form of a firearm. On its own it can fire shots made of reishi at an opponent.
 * Shikai Special Ability: Flintlass has two main abilities, one combat-based and one Kidō-based.
 * Flintlass' main special ability is Ichigeki Hissatsu (一撃必殺, One Shot One Kill), named after the four character idiom of the same name. To perform it, Nathaniel pulls the hammer of the pistol back and fills Flintlass with spiritual energy, to the point where its golden edges glow a faint green. He shouts "Ichigeki Hissatsu!" and pulls the trigger, releasing the energy. When fired, the attack launches a wide angled green stream of spiritual energy, adorned by thin blue lightning bolts alongside it. The attack's name is an oxymoron to the attack itself, as it has the potential to kill more than one person in the attack's vicinity. The shot itself can be compressed into a smaller stream, making it more powerful and destructive than its wide-range equivalent.
 * With the command "Divide" (分割, bunkatsu), Nathaniel can separate Flintlass into its respective cutlass and flintlock forms and either use them both in combat or transform either the flintlock or the cutlass to its opposing weapon (the flintlock would transform into a cutlass, and vice versa).


 * Bankai: Hiuchiishi no Otome no Ō no Tōzoku (火打石の乙女の王の盗賊, lit. Flint's Maiden of the King of Thieves) is Nathaniel's Bankai release.