Hōzukimaru (Zanpakutō spirit)

This article is about the manifested spirit of Ikkaku Madarame's Zanpakutō. For his Zanpakutō and its abilities see Hōzukimaru

is the manifested spirit of Ikkaku Madarame's Zanpakutō that is seen during the Zanpakutō Unknown Tales arc.

Character Outline
Hōzukimaru's spirit is that of a large man resembling an ogre or oni with dark brown skin and orange hair. He is shirtless and wears a white robe in the form of a skirt, revealing a tattoo on his shoulders in a design similar to the dragon symbol on Ikkaku's Bankai. He also appears to have red markings under his eyes, similar to Ikkaku's. Hōzukimaru seems to be just as lazy as Ikkaku described: when first seen, he is the only one sleeping.

Synopsis
When Hōzukimaru first appears, he is assembled with the other Zanpakutō spirits who are waiting for Muramasa's return. He later joins Sode no Shirayuki and Tobiume in attacking Shinigami in Seireitei. As he is fighting, Sode no Shirayuki tells him that they are being summoned. Hōzukimaru moves out of the way as Sode no Shirayuki releases a blast of ice from her hands, incapacitating the Shinigami he was fighting. He is last seen along with the rest of the Zanpakutō spirits before the Shinigami who have gathered on Sōkyoku Hill.

Later, Hōzukimaru and Ruri'iro Kujaku appear with Senbonzakura overlooking Sōkyoku Hill. Ruri'iro Kujaku fails to interact with Senbonzakura but Hōzukimaru calms him, saying they'll kill the Shinigami soon enough.

Powers & Abilities
At any time, Hozukimaru can manifest the three-segment staff form of his former shikai self.

Enhanced Strength: Hozukimaru is shown strong enough to easily force back multiple Shinigami at once.

Enhanced Speed: Hozukimaru showed great speed during the initial attack on Soul Society.