Ran'Tao

is an anime-only character from the Bount arc.

Appearance
She and Yoshino Sōma look exactly the same in physical appearance because Yoshino was created directly from Ran'Tao, and thus, she takes on her image.

Bount arc
Ran'Tao was the leader of the research team that created the Bounts. Out of guilt for creating them, she tried to help the Bounts find a peaceful place to live free of persecution. When the order was made to exterminate the Bounts, she helped them escape to the Human World and later gave Jin Kariya an amulet which had the ability to unlock the Bount's full power.

The Soul Society sealed off her Shinigami powers as punishment, and she has since lived as an exile on its outskirts, carrying out small experiments to better utilize spiritual energy. During the battle between Jin, Ichigo Kurosaki and Byakuya Kuchiki, she appears and leaves with Ichigo and Uryū Ishida. She explains the Bounts' creation to them and also that she had found a way to maintain her youth; however, she needed to rest for a period of around 12 hours to maintain her appearance. When Ichigo and Uryu leave her hideout, she states that in order to fight she has to make preparations.

She later appears and tries to defeat Jin Kariya with a Kidō gun, but she fails and is saved by Uryu. During the battle between Uryu and Jin, Ran'Tao uses an amulet to attack Jin and temporarily seal off the Jōkaishō crest while instructing Uryu to fire a powerful arrow to kill Jin. Uryu does not use full force when shooting the arrow and fatally wounds Jin (who begins to recover by absorbing spiritual energy). Ran'Tao's spiritual pressure suddenly spirals out of control and nearly causes her death. Uryu again saves her by absorbing the excess pressure and fires it into the sky, causing the Quincy Bangle to disintegrate.

Afterwards Ichigo appears and leads Jin away. Ran'Tao then reveals that Jin plans to explode the Jōkaishō generators spread around the Seireitei which would destroy everything and everyone. She gives Toshiro Hitsugaya a map to the locations of the generators before she passes out from over extensive use of her powers, she is taken to safety by Yasutora Sado, Orihime Inoue, and Uryu for treatment.

Ran'Tao appears again after the defeat of Jin Kariya. She is shown in her hideout with Yoruichi Shihōin treating the wounds of Gō Koga (the last remaining Bount).

Trivia

 * The pronounciation of the kanji of Ran'Tao's name is an approximation of the Chinese name Lándǎo rather than a Japanese name. The true Japanese pronounciation of the kanji 蘭島 would be Ranshima. Along with Soifon, this makes Ran'Tao one of the few known characters in Bleach with a non-Japanese name. After his defeat at the hands of Hitsugaya, she takes Koga into her home, where they presumed to be still living.

