Yoshino Sōma

is an (anime-only) character in the anime-exclusive Bount arc. She is one of the Bounts and Jin Kariya's former wife.

Appearance
Yoshino has long, soft brown hair, parted on the side. She wears a large-collared shirt with a vest over it that fans out at the bottom, giving it the appearance of tails. She compliments her outfit with a red tie. The bracelet and claw that she wears are actually her sealed doll.

Personality
As remarked by Uryū Ishida, Yoshino chooses to live next to a clock, waiting for the chance to live, rather than watch the passage of time. In the past, she was accepted only by Kariya, and was fiercely loyal to him. However, over time, their love faded and she was left opposing him, that is, after he began to attack the living.

Bount arc (anime-only)
Note: Events occurring in this arc are only in the anime and do not constitute canon material.

When she first appears, Yoruichi Shihōin stops her from taking a living soul. Ichigo Kurosaki and Ririn then corner her and she releases her doll, Goethe. The fiery doll would have destroyed him, had it not been for the appearance of Rukia Kuchiki. Shortly after that, several snakes (made out of pipes) capture her doll, and her fellow Bount, Utagawa, takes her back to Kariya's mansion.

Yoshino escapes and saves Uryū Ishida from Utagawa's attack. She tries to explain the life she has lived as a Bount, but Uryū loses consciousness. She then takes him to his father's hospital, where he is attacked by Hō and Ban. Feeling like a burden, Uryū wanders from his friends and Yoshino picks him up once more. The two talk and she explains that Kariya must want to go to Hueco Mundo. It is then that Gō Koga and his doll attack. Unfortunately, the metallic Dalk is impervious to fire, and she is easily overpowered. Uryū saves her, though, by using his body as a shield. They are then taken back to Kariya's mansion.

Ishida's friends show up to rescue them. Ichigo battles Utagawa and Rukia battles Maki Ichinose. They both lose, but the group manages to escape and return to Urahara's place. However, in order to protect everyone, she seeks out Kariya. The two share a short battle where Yoshino desperately merges with Goethe. She is impaled through the chest by Kariya and her soul is transmuted into the Bitto.

Powers & Abilities
Skilled Acrobat

Expert Hand-to-Hand Combatant

Hypnosis: Yoshino possesses the ability to hypnotize the souls of the living by singing a soft tune. She is able to specifically target someone in a crowd and can force that person to walk unwittingly to her.

Doll
is Yoshino Sōma's doll. It takes the form of a finger claw (on her left middle finger) and bracelet (on her right wrist) when sealed. To unseal Goethe, Yoshino strikes the two pieces together to create a spark, which releases him when she takes the fire created from the spark and creates a arc over her head an fire rages around the area. Goethe is a fire elemental, able to create and control flame. While mostly humanoid in appearance consisting of hardened magma and flames, it has no legs but fire acting as propulsion jets.


 * Fire Generation: Goethe's attacks primarily consist of fireballs and jets of flame. These manipulations of fire vary in intensity and size and commonly have a lot of concussive force behind them.


 * Reconstitution: If attacked physically it can reform itself if dispersed, as it is a being made of flame. When Ichigo attempted to strike him through the heart, believing it to be his weakness. This resulted in Goethe splitting apart and firing each body part as a weapon.


 * Hybrid Form: In Yoshino's last moments, she and Goethe merge to create a stronger, hybrid being, allowing Yoshino to control fire herself. Both Yoshino and Goethe are able to talk in this form, but Yoshino is the more dominant one. The fire they are composed of is a light yellow, in contrast to the original orange. In this form the resulting creature is a female humanoid. Unfortunately, her full capabilities weren't shown, as Kariya impaled and killed her quite easily in their last battle. The hybrid form is only a outer shell and easily crumbles away upon her defeat. It should also be noted that at the time of merger, her seal was broken and she wasn't completely merged, making the merger a product of her unique reproductive ability.

Quotes

 * (To Kariya) "I have done nothing that requires your forgiveness."

Trivia

 * Since the Bounts seem to have a German theme, her Doll, Goethe, is named after the famous German playwright and polymath, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, known primarily for his masterpiece, Faust.