Byakuya Kuchiki

"Principle lodged in the eyes." - Tite Kubo

is the Captain of the Sixth Division in the Gotei 13. His lieutenant is Renji Abarai. He descends from one of the four great noble families of Soul Society, and as such he is the embodiment of pride and discipline, intending to be a role model for all Shinigami. Due to an oath he took, he strongly supports the punishment of his adopted sister, Rukia Kuchiki, after she is abducted and sentenced to death for giving her powers to Ichigo Kurosaki, thus he becomes the fiercest opponent of the latter, when he comes to Rukia's rescue. After being defeated by Ichigo and learning the truth behind Rukia's planned execution, he becomes slightly more lenient and even more protective towards his sister and her Ryoka friends. Later, just like the other Captains, he is involved in the war between the Arrancar and Shinigami. He ranked 6th in the most recent popularity poll with 3,752 votes, edging out Yoruichi Shihōin by 8 votes.

History
Little is known about Byakuya's early history, except that he often played tag with Yoruichi Shihōin using Flash Steps, though he never was able to beat her, a score that upholds to the current time of the series.

Around 55 years before the main Bleach storyline, Byakuya married Hisana, who was then a commoner from Rukongai; therefore he broke the rules by accepting her into the noble Kuchiki family. Shortly before her death, Hisana asked Byakuya to find and adopt her biological sister,Rukia, whom she had abandoned as a baby. She also made him promise that he would not tell Rukia about her real family, for she believed that by abandoning Rukia when she was younger she was not worthy to be called her sister.

One year later, Rukia entered the Shinigami Academy; shortly after, Byakuya found her and immediately adopted her into the Kuchiki clan. By adopting her Byakuya respected his wife's last wish, but had broken the rules of his clan again. He later swore upon his parents' graves that he would never break the rules again, no matter what. As a result, he, though entirely apathetic on the surface, is actually deeply conflicted with the matter of Rukia's execution: should he intervene, it would require breaking the promise to his parents and the rules again, but should he do nothing he would fail to fulfill the last promise he made to his dying wife to protect Rukia as his own sister.

It is implied that Byakuya Kuchiki became Captain of the 6th division less than 50 years before the main Bleach storyline (shortly before Rukia had entered the Gotei 13). Gin Ichimaru became Captain of the 3rd Division at the same time, and Gin would commonly start pointless conversations with Byakuya during times they crossed paths.

Synopsis
Byakuya first appears on a mission with his lieutenant, Renji Abarai, to capture Rukia Kuchiki and kill Ichigo Kurosaki, though in the latter they only manage to remove Rukia's Shinigami powers from him. Byakuya later interrupts Ganju Shiba and Hanatarō Yamada's attempt to rescue Rukia and, later on, Renji's attempt. When Ichigo succeeds in rescuing Rukia, he and Byakuya have an extended battle, where both use their Bankai, though Ichigo's inexperience with his version and Byakuya switching to a more powerful form leaves Ichigo at a disadvantage, though the temporary emergence of Ichigo's inner Hollow evens the odds once more. Following Ichigo's inner Hollow's forced submission, both channel all their remaining power into one final attack, resulting in Byakuya's sword breaking and Byakuya forfeiting the match.

Later, when Sōsuke Aizen orders Gin Ichimaru to kill Rukia, Byakuya pulls her out of the attack and takes it instead. While being treated, Byakuya, breaking his promise to Hisana, tells Rukia about why she was adopted, apologizing to Rukia and thanking Ichigo. When the Bounts' threat to harm Soul Society becomes serious, Byakuya uses the Kuchiki Clan's records to gain information on the Bount for General Yamamoto. Byakuya, following aiding Rukia in her battle with Yoshi, attempts to seek out the Bount leader Jin Kariya, where the two have a battle interrupted by Ichigo and, later on, Ran'tao, and later watches Ichigo's battle with Kariya with full confidence in Ichigo.

Byakuya later reappears to retrieve Tōshirō Hitsugaya's team on General Yamamoto's order, and secretly allows Rukia and Renji to return to the human world to assist in Orihime's rescue, stating that he was only ordered to bring them back to Soul Society and that what they chose to do afterwards was none of his concern. Byakuya later appears in the Hueco Mundo arc to save Rukia from the 7th Espada, Zommari Leroux. He clearly shows anger at Zommari's statement about preparing to kill Rukia.

The two begin their battle and Byakuya, reluctantly using a technique learned from Yoruichi Shihōin, manages to evade Zommari, who claims to be the fastest Espada. Zommari states that Byakuya's pride and arrogance will be the reason for Byakuya's defeat, while Byakuya retorts that simply the difference in their power will result in Zommari's loss. Zommari maintains that, as captain and Espada, the two are equal, but Byakuya denies that any Arrancar could be equal to him. To crush his arrogance, Zommari releases his Zanpakutō. Using its power, Zommari takes control of Byakuya's left arm and leg, causing Byakuya to promptly sever the tendons in each to prevent their movement. Zommari implies that he will next take control of Rukia's unconscious form and, enraged, Byakuya shields her with his body. Hanatarō Yamada follows Byakuya to the battlefield, but Byakuya orders Hanatarō back, warning him that in his rage, Byakuya's fighting may swallow up Hanatarō. Zommari succeeds in taking control of Rukia's head, thus taking control of her entire body, and after having her slash Hanatarō across the chest, warns Byakuya to drop his sword or Rukia will slit her own throat. Restraining Rukia with Binding Spell #61, Six Rods Prison of Light, Byakuya activates his Bankai and crushes Zommari with the form Gōkei. Zommari survives this encounter by retreating into the lower half of his zanpakutō's released state and angrily shouts at Byakuya that Shinigami are arrogant, taking an unnatural authority to proclaim Hollows as evil. Byakuya, impassive, states that he was not fighting Zommari because Byakuya is a Shinigami, but because Zommari attacked Byakuya's pride and kills Zommari with a slash from the shoulder down. Byakuya then instructs Kotetsu Isane to come out of her hiding place and take care of Rukia and Hanatarō.

Appearance and personality
Byakuya Kuchiki is the 28th head of the noble Kuchiki clan, one of the four great noble families in Soul Society. As such, Byakuya acts in an aristocratic manner — he seems always serene and apathetic towards other people, even when he is actually deeply conflicted. He is also extremely calm, even in battle, and is very seldom surprised by even the most drastic of actions. Ironically, when he was younger, he was quick to anger and very hotheaded, as noted by his grandfather, much like his lieutenant, Renji Abarai, and Ichigo Kurosaki.

Byakuya strongly believes in law and order. As the head of one of the great noble families and as a Captain in the Gotei 13, he always works hard for a peaceful society. He feels that if someone in his position does not follow the rules as a good example, then no one will follow them. He believes that to maintain the order, all law-breakers must be punished, even if that goes against his own wishes. In spite of his icy and regal manner, Byakuya cares for and protects those important to him.

Byakuya is popular among the female Shinigami of Soul Society, and was voted number one in the "Captain we desire to release a photo book for" poll taken by the Shinigami Women's Association. He likes Chinese bellflowers, night time walks, and spicy food, but he does not like sweets. Similarly to Sōsuke Aizen, he excels in calligraphy.

Byakuya wears the standard Captain uniform along with a white headpiece called a kenseikan (symbolizing his noble rank as the head of the Kuchiki family) and a white scarf made by the master weaver, Tsujishirō Kuroemon III. The scarf is made from silver-white windflower light silk (ginpaku kazahana no uzuginu) and is a family heirloom handed down through the generations to the head of the Kuchiki family. Ten large houses can be built for the cost of just one such scarf.

Byakuya seems to have a comedic side to himself as he not only attends the Lieutenant's meeting when Renji Abarai is absent, but also attends the meetings of the Shinigami Women's Association when Rukia is absent. As he puts it, "part of a Captain's responsibilities is to make sure the Lieutenant's responsibilities are taken care of", to which Renji asks him if he also goes to Rukia's meetings which is only responded by a smile similar to that of Gin Ichimaru's. He once jokingly remarks that he uses Senbonzakura to cut his hair. In one of the omake chapters, Byakuya claims that life in general is not supposed to be entertaining, and even makes up an idea for a game that is not meant to be amusing. It was also shown in an omake chapter that Byakuya has a similar drawing style to Rukia.

Having descended from noble stock, Byakuya is easily offended if his name is not used properly. As such, he seems to view Ichigo Kurosaki in disdain for always referring to him as such, though he never said him anything to change that. Ichigo seems to be the only one to refer to Byakuya very informally (even his wife referred to him as "Byakuya-sama") so far with the exception of Yachiru, who refers to Byakuya by the nickname "Bya-kun," but it is possible that Byakuya lets it slide, given that Yachiru is a child. He once calls Ichigo to his mansion in order to have a talk with the young Substitute Shinigami, but they were interrupted by Yachiru's appearance, who asked Ichigo to follow her elsewhere. After Ichigo's disappearance, it is revealed at the end that Byakuya wanted Ichigo to refer to him properly, and to stop calling him by only his first name. When Byakuya talks with Ichigo, he calls him by his full name, Ichigo Kurosaki. In some goldens cup, he sees his house had been altered by some tunnels, which are revealed to be Yachiru Kusajishi's work. In one of the latest he had the big surprise to see Yachiru playing in his house and finally discovered she was not the only to be around when Nemu Kurotsuchi opened a door in the wall, he saw a big piece with Rangiku Matsumoto, Nanao Ise, Isane and Kiyone Kotetsu, Soifon and Yoruichi having a tea party in HIS house, without him knowing (his face is not shown when he sees the room's interior). Later, when he tries to border up the secret door, Yachiru reveals another to Byakuya's intense surprise, his face his shown with dismay.

Powers & Abilities
Byakuya, as the 6th Division's Shinigami Captain, has advanced skills in all forms of Shinigami combat.

Flash Step Master: Byakuya is an expert in Flash steps, although he could never beat "Goddess of Flash" Yoruichi Shihōin. One of Byakuya's favorite technique as described by Renji is, a flash step combined with a spin to quickly move behind the enemy, followed by a strike aimed to destroying the Saketsu chain and the Hakusui soul sleep with a single thrust. Another technique taught to him by Yoruichi called which allows Byakuya to move at great speed leaving an afterimage behind.

Kidō Expert: Byakuya has displayed his knowledge of high level Kidō spells, able to cast several in quick succession without the incantation and with almost no effort. He even uses a low-level lightning spell to burn a hole through Ichigo's shoulder.

Master Swordsmanship Specialist

Vast Spiritual Energy: He is capable of exerting vast Spiritual Pressure, which, in league with his already admirable combat skills and finesse, makes him one of the most formidable captains.

Zanpakutō


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 * Shikai: It is triggered by the command.


 * Shikai Special Ability: In its Shikai, Senbonzakura's blade separates into a thousand slender tiny blade fragments, which then fly away from the hilt. The release can be negated before it completes, such as when Yoruichi Shihōin wrapped the blade in cloth during Byakuya's short battle with Ichigo. While the blades are supposedly too small to see normally, they reflect light in such a way as to appear as cherry blossom petals. Byakuya can control the blade fragments at will, allowing him to shred opponents at a distance and break through almost any defense. While Byakuya can control the blades with his mind alone, using his hands allows him to do so more effectively, making the blades move almost twice as fast.


 * Bankai: ': is essentially a much larger version of Senbonzakura's Shikai. To activate it, Byakuya drops his sword. The sword dissipates into the ground and two rows of giant blades rise up from the ground behind Byakuya. These then scatter into an infinite number of tiny blades. The number of blades is great enough that Byakuya can use them for defense as well as offense. He commonly forms them into large masses of blades to crush opponents. Like with his Shikai, its attack is triggered with the phrase Scatter''.


 * Bankai Special Ability: Byakuya's Bankai has several forms, achieved by arranging the blades in different patterns. Each form presents a different advantage, such as increasing offense at the expense of defense. They are activated by saying the name of the technique followed by the name of his Bankai(which is Senbonzakura Kageyoshi).


 * ''': The first which unites the scattered petals into complete swords that form four rows around Byakuya and his opponent. While Byakuya can control these swords as he does his regular blades, he usually attacks with just one in hand. After immobilizing an opponent, he can call in the other blades to hit them while they're trapped. He can also use all the blades at once for one immensely powerful strike. He claims to have used this ability only twice in his life.


 * ''': This aligns every blade in a spherical formation around his opponent, which then collapses into them from every possible angle, leaving no blind spots and no chance to escape.


 * : This condenses every one of his blades into a single sword, drastically increasing its cutting power. The blade appears bright white and its aura takes the form of a bird, earning it the name . Byakuya also grows pure white wings and a halo-like circle in the back, both made of spiritual power. It is unknown whether these wings are merely an aesthetic effect or if they can be used to fly.