Maki Ichinose

is an antagonist in the anime-exclusive Bount arc and is a former member of the 11th Division, under the former captain that Kenpachi Zaraki defeated and replaced.

Appearance
Maki is a tall and lean-built man with short raven black hair that is not parted; a large portion of it hangs in the middle of his face. He wears a Shinigami uniform that he later modified to have no sleeves, similar to most members of the 9th Division, and a hooded shirt underneath. Back when he was still a member of the 11th Division, he did wear a uniform with sleeves.

Personality
Ichinose is a man with a strong sense of duty and justice, believing strongly that those with great power should use it for more noble causes than just self-satisfaction. It was because of this trait that he could not embrace the current Kenpachi as his captain, as the barbaric captain viewed combat as only a means of entertainment. When he meets Jin Kariya, who inspires Ichinose in a way similar to his previous captain, Ichinose decides to serve under him and without question follow his orders. Despite convincing himself that he moved on from his past, his anger towards Kenpachi still remains, as shown from his arduous training to grow stronger and when breaking his vow to Kariya to fight Kenpachi instead of stopping Ichigo and his friends as he was expected to.

Ironically, it is the man he hates the most who helps Ichinose see that he has lost himself to his anger and is no longer the man he claimed to be, convincing Ichinose to find true justice again.

History
Maki belonged to the 11th Division until Kenpachi Zaraki killed the previous captain in a duel. Maki refused to acknowledge the new captain and left Soul Society, although he retained his Shinigami abilities. While in Soul Society, he shared many ideals with Kaname Tōsen. He then traveled to the Human World, but one day, while in a weakened state in a desert, he fell upon a Hollow who almost killed him. The Hollow was subdued by Jin Kariya, who allowed Maki to kill it. Maki consequently swore his loyalty to Jin.

Plot
When Rukia Kuchiki infiltrates the Bount mansion, Maki is ordered to guard the prisoners. He easily deflects her Kidō and is about to begin fighting when he senses that Jin Kariya is in danger and leaves. He kills Ryō Utagawa for betraying the Bount, then fights Ichigo briefly. While initially Maki seems to have the upper hand, the battle slowly turns in Ichigo's favor, prompting Kariya to order Maki to step back so that he could personally see Ichigo's rumored abilties.

Maki was responsible for deleting the information from the Department of Research and Development in the Soul Society. As a result, Mayuri Kurotsuchi was enraged and began investigated the Bounts. Little did he know however, much of the information was still in the public library, a fact discovered by Jūshirō Ukitake.

Maki is once again supposed to stop Ichigo Kurosaki and his friends from following Kariya. He releases his Zanpakutō and begins to attack the Shinigami, only to be stopped by Kenpachi Zaraki. Kenpachi goads him into a fight, and helps Ichigo to escape. Maki nearly defeats Kenpachi with Nijigasumi, but Kenpachi takes off his eye patch to save himself. Furious that all his efforts to beat Kenpachi have failed, he charges the mighty captain with blind rage, voicing his disdain for Kenpachi, who counters with a critical hit. Kenpachi, taking pity on how much Maki has fallen, makes Maki realize that, ever since he left the Soul Society, he has been desperately clinging to Kariya and following his dreams because he lost faith in his own path. Realizing that Kenpachi is right, Maki is determined to finish the fight for his own sake, only to be struck down in the final clash.

Later, a still injured Maki intervenes in a fight between Ichigo and Kariya. Surprising both men, Maki points his blade at Kariya, insisting that he use the power of the crest to change the Soul Society for the better rather than pointlessly destroy it. Annoyed, Kariya impales Maki and kills him. His Zanpakutō is left behind, which acts as a lightning rod, saving Ichigo from a lethal attack.

Powers & Abilities
Despite no longer belonging to or having a rank in the Gotei 13, Maki is a Captain-level fighter. This is proven when he fights on equal footing with Ichigo Kurosaki, and when he crosses swords with Tōshirō Hitsugaya; neither Ichigo nor Maki are able to push each other back.

Expert Swordsmanship Specialist: Due to constant training, Maki was capable of holding his own against Kenpachi Zaraki for a short while.

Highly Perceptive Combatant: Unlike most fighters from the 11th division, Maki would first gauge his opponent's abilities and strength level before going all out. During which, he has shown to be a capable analyst, able to understand the basics behind his opponent's techniques.

Flash Steps Expert: Ichinose has considerable speed, as shown when he was able to fight on equal footing with Ichigo while using Flash Steps.

Kidō Expert: While it is unknown how well-versed in this art Maki was, he was able to use this skill to create a passage for the Bount to safely enter the Soul Society (albiet it still required Quincy powers to complete it).

Immense Spiritual Pressure: Appearing to be multicolored, Maki's spiritual pressure was on par with Kenpachi's during their battle (though Kenpachi kept his eyepatch on throughout most of their fight). Using Saigyoku Nijigasumi, this is heightened.

Zanpakutō

 * an average katana with a simple rectangular handguard with a circle around the blade and two inward curved lines stretching to each corner the long way and greyish-blue hilt.


 * Shikai: It is activated by the command..


 * Shikai Special Ability: When Nijigasumi is drenched with his spiritual energy it is able to create limitless amounts of light. When Nijigasumi shines it melds with all other light. When he releases it he can use that light to take control of shadows and attack his opponent with them. Nijigasumi's ability also allows it to manipulate light for other various effects, such as:


 * Invisibility: Ability to make Maki invisible to the naked eye, by surrounding him with light.


 * Blinding Light: Ability to create a large area of bright around opponents disrupting their visual perceptions, causing confusion and decreasing their chance to fight back against attack.


 * Illusions: The light released from Nijigasumi reigns over the dimensions that surround the opponent and alters them, thus creating this alternate dimension of light. His ability is to use this light to alter another's perceptions, allowing him to make his opponent see what he wants him to see.


 * Blade of Light: Dissolves his actual blade and replaces it with a blade made of pure light. If the blade is broken it can completely covers it to allow the battle to continue. He can also create blades of light seperate from his Zanpakuto, using them as projectiles to fire at his enemies.


 * Causes a multitude of twinkling lights to appear which then form together around an opponent creating a huge sphere which engulfs everything within a significant radius. Anyone within that radius will potentially get caught in it. Immediately following that the sphere collapses in on itself using the compressed light to crush everything within it. Only a strong enough spiritual pressure can push back and destroy this power.


 * Bankai: Not Achieved

Navigation
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