Hanatarō Yamada

is the 7th Seated officer of the Gotei 13's 4th Division, where he is also the leader of the 14th Advanced Relief Team.

Character Outline
Hanatarō is very timid and nervous. His black hair is mid length and his bangs frame his face. Hanatarō also bears a close resemblance to Rin Tsubokura. He tends to be clumsy and easily duped. Hanatarō's kind nature and nervousness results in him becoming the victim of many bullies and practical jokes. In fact, he states that he is "the most bullied kid in the world." Hanatarō's birthday is on the same day as Keigo Asano's, April 1, April Fools' Day. People spend the whole day tricking him as a result. According to Kon, he has a "boring but somehow popular with the ladies" look.

Despite Hanatarō's cowardly exterior, he is shown to be very bold at times. After hearing Rukia Kuchiki's story, he attempts to rescue her, despite her recent criminal record and noble heritage. After meeting Rukia's friend, Ichigo Kurosaki, Hanatarō decides to help Ichigo save Rukia, knowing that if he were to be caught he would be imprisoned for betrayal. After watching Ichigo fight for what he believes in, Hanatarō decides that he, too, wants to start playing a more important role rather than watching from the sidelines, and begins to carry his Zanpakutō with him.

Hanatarō states, when he introduces himself, that his name is relatively easy to remember, though Ichigo says otherwise, stating that if his name was Hanako (a girl's name) or Tarō (a boy's name) it would be easy. The name Hanatarō, according to Ichigo, is just confusing.

Because the 4th Division's combat ability is very poor compared to the other divisions, they are often assigned to perform the chores of cleaning in Seireitei, such as sweeping the sewers and jail cells. Because of this, Hanatarō and other members of the 4th Division know the sewer system and other esoteric passageways very well and have access to the keys of most buildings.

Soul Society arc
Hanatarō first meets Ichigo and Ganju Shiba when they attempt to use him as a hostage to escape other Shinigami, but it failed because the Shinigami were from the 11th Division and Hanatarō is from the 4th Division, and the Eleventh Division scorns the Fourth as weaklings. After a lucky stroke of help from Chad, Ichigo and Ganju run away and accidentally bring Hanatarō with them during their escape. Learning that they want to save Rukia Kuchiki, he guides the two to Rukia and heals them after their battles. Hanatarō is later caught and imprisoned, despite the impassioned defense put forth by his sympathetic captors. He is later set free by Rikichi of the 6th Division, so he can heal Renji Abarai.

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

Later on, Hanatarō is sent to the world of the living by Captain Unohana to investigate the Bount invasion of Karakura Town. However, he ends up healing the wounds of those who encounter the Bounts like Keigo Asano. In this context, Hanatarō mostly appears in the omake segments alongside Kon as comic relief. During the arc he is shown as having forgotten what he was sent to do, and gets a job at a convenience store. Hanataro is the first to encounter Ganju Shiba upon his arrival to the Human world, who was sent by his sister to collect information, Hanataro is then seen working with Ganju after he gets a job as a clerk in the same store.

Hueco Mundo arc
Hanatarō accompanies Byakuya Kuchiki to Hueco Mundo and is annoyed when Byakuya uses Flash Steps to go on ahead, a skill Hanatarō is untalented in. When he finally catches up, he is tasked with evacuating Rukia, but is injured when Zommari Leroux uses his Zanpakutō's control ability to make her attack him. However, after the battle, he is healed by Isane Kotetsu who heals Rukia shortly afterwards.

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

When several items from various barracks go missing, including four chickens Hanatarō was lovingly caring for, he along with Nanao Ise, Ikkaku Madarame and Hōzukimaru go into the underground waterways in search for the thief. They find that the culprit is small metal toy-like man who is just as insecure as Hanatarō. When they are attacked by a Tōjū that appears completely resistant to physical attacks, the toyman reveals himself as Hanatarō's missing Zanpakutō spirit, Hisagomaru. Using his powers, Hisagomaru absorbs enough damage from Ikkaku to unleash his Shikai special ability on the Tōjū and destroy it. Relieved to be reunited with his Zanpakutō spirit and find all the missing items, including his beloved chickens, Hanatarō and the others return to base to report. However, Hisagomaru gets lost again in the waterway.

Shinigami Items
4th Division Medical Pack: As a member of the 4th Division, Hanatarō possesses remarkable healing powers. Instead of his Zanpakutō, he often carries around a 4th Division medical pack on his back. Presumably, it contains medical supplies, including a salve, bandages, and rejuvenation pills. One of the known items in this pack is Shinten, a green liquid which can knock out anyone with weak spiritual power with one drop (although it was still potent enough to knock out Yumichika, who is as strong as a lieutenant). It is presumably for use as an anaesthetic. He is also known to carry a type of large pill with a skull symbol, which is a supplement exclusive to the 4th Division that restores stamina. While the pill given to other 4th Division members works as intended, Hanatarō's is merely a flour-filled placebo given to him as a prank by his upper-classman, although it appears to be genuine in the anime.

Powers & Abilities
Healer: As a Shinigami of the 4th Division, Hanatarō has almost no fighting powers, his only true weapon being his Zanpakutō in its released state. However, he is skilled with the healing techniques learned in the 4th Division.

Kidō Practitioner: He is proficient in healing Kidō.

Zanpakutō
Hisagomaru redirects here. For the manifested spirit that appears in the Beast Swords arc see Hisagomaru (spirit).

Like all other Shinigami, Hanatarō possesses a Zanpakutō, even though he is rarely seen carrying it. Since his skills lean more towards medical support and not battle, Hanatarō tends to misplace his Zanpakutō as he rarely needs to use it.

is a Katana with a blue handle and a circular guard with a brown sphere or bag attached to it. Prior to its Shikai, Hisagomaru has a red gauge on its blade. Hisagomaru is strange in that it heals wounds instead of causing them. While this would seem to make attacking fairly pointless, doing so fills the gauge on the blade. The severity of the wound determines how much is filled.


 * Shikai: Hisagomaru's Shikai command is . . When the gauge is full, Hisagomaru automatically initiates its Shikai and transforms into . In this form, it takes the shape of a scalpel. Kon was able to fill up the gauge and use Hisagomaru's special ability without even knowing the name.


 * Shikai Special Ability: Akeiro Hisagomaru concentrates every wound it has absorbed into one massive attack that is usually initiated with a slashing movement that generates a stream of red energy somewhat similar to a Cero, powerful enough to deal a near-fatal wound to a Gillian-class Menos . Subsequent attacks also have the healing restriction lifted, allowing Hanatarō to attack normally after the transformation, though Akeiro Hisagomaru's form makes that difficult.


 * Bankai: Not Yet Achieved

Appearance in other media
Hanatarō Yamada has appeared in some games as a playable character, such as in Bleach: Dark Souls. In Bleach: The 3rd Phantom, he is a non-combatant type and cannot attack directly. In the game, despite his style based on healing his allies, he is capable of using a Hadō #63. spell: Raikōhō.

Trivia

 * Inside Hanatarō's quarters, he has a poster saying "Shoot for 6th Seat".

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