Shunsui Kyōraku/Expanded Universe

is the captain of the 1st Division and Captain-Commander of the Gotei 13. His lieutenants are his niece, Nanao Ise, and Genshirō Okikiba. He is the former captain of the 8th Division.

Appearance
Shunsui Kyōraku is a tall, light-skinned Shinigami with high cheekbones, grey eyes and long wavy brown hair. His hair is tied in a long ponytail and has long bangs that frame the left side of his face. He also has a noticeable amount of body hair on his chest, feet, and arms. He wears a Sugegasa straw hat and a pink, flowered lady's kimono, which he drapes across his shoulders and over his captain's uniform. Although his haori and obi sash are cheap, his pin-wheel hairpins are very expensive. He does not wear tabi with his sandals. He has thin facial hair around his mouth and on his cheeks. Over a hundred years before Sōsuke Aizen's defection, Shunsui only had facial hair on his upper mouth. After the battle with the Wandenreich, Shunsui wears an eyepatch over his right eye that was damaged during the conflict. The top half of his right ear is sliced off at a slight tilt with a scar along his right temple.

Personality
Shunsui is a laid-back and flamboyant man, evident in his style of dress and general attitude, and is usually smiling. In his off time, he often drinks sake in bars and naps. He likes steamed buns that go with sake, but dislikes powdered green tea. Other times, he likes to chase after women; particularly his lieutenant, Nanao Ise, whom he calls "my Nanao-chan" (Lil' Nanao in the English Dub) and his former lieutenant, Lisa Yadōmaru. Shunsui tends to use a more casual speech style than many other captains. He generally refers to his fellow captains and Shinigami by their first name followed by an honorific.

Shunsui is a peace-loving man who will always try to talk his way out of battles, though he does not wish to insult opponents by refusing to fight. He has a great distaste for fighting, telling Love Aikawa that "it doesn't matter whether you owe someone or they owe you; as soon as you start fighting, you are in the wrong either way." The slightly eccentric Shunsui also seems to like making an impression on opponents. Though Shunsui tries to talk his way out of a fight, he will fight when the situation demands it, such as in his battle with Coyote Starrk. When Starrk asked that they only pretend to fight, he declined the offer, though noted that he prefers to do the same. Shunsui maintains a level of honor and integrity when engaging in battle. He refuses to fight with children or even in the presence of a child. He also dislikes taking the life of innocent people, as he left Chad alive when Nanao offered to kill him. He always maintains a veil of respect for his opponent, is polite in combat situations and prefers to fight one on one. When fighting powerful opponents, like Starrk or Aizen, Shunsui rarely loses his cool, going as far as to make small talk and joke around with his opponents.

Despite being one of the strongest and oldest captains, Shunsui retains a level of humility and is not overly arrogant about his strength, acknowledging that Tōshirō Hitsugaya has the potential to become stronger than himself given enough time.

However, Shunsui also harbors a deep sense of guilt over the misfortune that has afflicted those close to him, such as the death of his brother and the execution of Nanao's mother, and considers it a burden too heavy for him to carry alone.

Powers & Abilities
Master Swordsman: While hating the concept of having to engage in a fight, Shunsui is one of the most proficient swordsmen in all of Soul Society. He is a highly adaptable combatant, as his two swords have allowed him to become ambidextrous, letting him switch them between his hands. Kyōraku usually swings with more strength in his left hand than his right, however, he can easily switch or balance the strength between his two hands, allowing him to surprise his opponent. Kyōraku states that he only uses his wakizashi in situations where his katana is too difficult to use. He claims that he does not use them together on a regular basis. The best example of Shunsui's prowess is his ability to fight on even grounds with an unreleased Starrk, the 1st Espada, with only his sealed Zanpakutō, while other captain-level Shinigami have required at least their Shikai to fight against an Espada. Shunsui's fighting style involves evasion and attacking an opponent either in the front or back, using the element of surprise to overwhelm them. His two swords move at a different pace, something he takes advantage of while fighting. While the enemy is at the mercy of his wakizashi's speed, his tachi swoops in for the final blow, which is the most common use of swords like his.

Shunpo Master: As a captain, Shunsui is exceptional in the art of Shunpo. During his battle against Yamamoto, he notably makes a massive leap in Shunpo to remove Nanao from the battlefield and return almost instantly, a feat commended even by Yamamoto prior to battle. Shunsui's skill is high enough for him to effortlessly dodge Starrk's attacks without mussing his hat or kimono.

Master Strategist & Tactician: Despite his laid-back attitude, Shunsui has repeatedly shown himself to be a perceptive and insightful man. According to Yamamoto, even when he was younger, Shunsui has always had an eye for seeing the true character of anyone he meets. Shunsui easily saw through Kurotsuchi's attempt to hide being used by the Bounts. He was also one of the few people to suspect that Aizen was hiding something. In battle, Shunsui has proven to be very adept at noticing and understanding details in an opponent's skills or attack patterns. During his battle against Chad, he quickly determined the basics behind Chad's Reiryoku blasts, warning him about those kinds of techniques, and even explaining that his energy blasts would eventually use up his life energy. Shunsui has also proven himself very persuasive. Shortly after becoming Captain-Commander, he was able to convince Central 46 to agree to all his new requests.

Immense Spiritual Power: As one of the oldest and strongest captains in the Gotei 13, Kyōraku has tremendous spiritual power. He, alongside his best friend Jūshirō Ukitake, are said to possess Reiatsu unmatched by their peers or predecessors. He is not overwhelmed by the Reiatsu of Captain-Commander Yamamoto, though most people would be in such a situation. His power is further displayed in his ability to defeat Coyote Starrk's released form with only his Shikai. His might was also later recognized by being promoted to the status of Captain-Commander.

Zanpakutō

 * His Zanpakutō is unique in that it exists as a daisho sword pair, consisting of a tachi and a wakizashi. This is due to Katen Kyōkotsu previously splitting herself in two to hide Shinken Hakkyōken. The swords' cross guards are rectangles, with the corners cut off, decorated by a pattern of cherry petals and lines, and each sports a dark-blue handle. He usually keeps them sheathed through his waist tie at his left side; however, during battle, the swords have been placed on both sides of his sash. Like other Zanpakutō, Katen Kyōkotsu has a personality of her own. However, unlike other Zanpakutō, this personality shines through in battle and prevents Shunsui from fighting at full power until Katen Kyōkotsu is in the mood for it. Because of this, Shunsui does not like to "play" with "her".


 * Shikai: Its Shikai command is . Kyōraku sets the two blades against each other in a cross, and then pulls after uttering the poem-like command. When the flash clears, Katen Kyōkotsu has become a pair of huge, black, heavily curved Chinese scimitars with silver edges. The hilt and tsuba of each are still the same as they were in Katen Kyōkotsu's sealed-form, but they now sport long red tassels dangling from the end. Despite the two swords becoming identical in this state, Shunsui has stated they still work the same way; one (the wakizashi) is used mainly for speed strikes, and the other (the tachi) is used mainly for power strikes. Thusly, they still exist as a daisho sword pair, with the wakizashi being slightly smaller in size than the tachi.


 * Shikai Special Ability: The power of Katen Kyōkotsu is to "make children's games real". The Zanpakutō makes the rules, and anyone who steps within the boundaries of its spiritual pressure is forced to play by those rules, including Shunsui himself. According to Shunsui, "You win, you live. You lose, you die. She's a fickle one, all right."


 * The rule of this game is that whoever gets their shadow stepped on "loses". The game itself allows competitors to manipulate shadows to their advantage. For example, Shunsui has demonstrated the ability to hide himself in shadows when using this technique, and he can also control the shadows, using them to attack an opponent by attacking the shadow they are currently standing upon. In addition, Shunsui can make multiple shadow clones of himself that can attack his opponent from multiple angles.


 * The rules of this game force the affected individuals to always tell the truth. Should any participant lie in any way, they will first lose control of their fingers, then their entire body will be paralized, and with the third lie, experience excruciating pain. This technique is based on the Japanese version of the pinky swear.