Maki Ichinose

is a Shinigami ally of Jin Kariya and a former member of the 11th Division under the former captain, Kenpachi Kiganjō.

Appearance
Maki is a tall, fair-skinned, lean-built man with brown eyes, sharp eyebrows, and short, shaggy raven-black hair that frames his face and arches upward on either temple to hang down in the center of his forehead in a large bang. He wears a shihakushō from his days in the 11th Division that he later removed the sleeves from, as well as a white hooded shirt underneath.

Personality
A generally stoic and reserved man, at his core, Ichinose believes strongly in justice and the duty of those with great power to use it to help others instead of pursuing their own selfish desires, a principle instilled in him by his captain, Kenpachi Kiganjō. When Kiganjō was killed by Kenpachi Zaraki in the latter's trial to become the new captain of the Eleventh Division, a distraught Ichinose refused to accept the results and was outraged at the meaninglessness of a battle between two individuals who only sought strength, which only intensified when he later challenged Kenpachi to a duel and failed to even scratch him before Kenpachi disarmed him with a single slash, leaving Ichinose with a deep grudge against Kenpachi and a feeling that he had died at that moment which ultimately caused him to leave the Gotei 13 altogether due to his belief that his captain would always be Kiganjō, followed by him accepting the idea of death until a fierce encounter with a Hollow made him realize he did not want to die. By Kenpachi's analysis, Ichinose is like ivy that cannot live without clinging to trees in that he cannot stand on his own and needs someone else to give him purpose, evidenced by how he became fanatically loyal to Jin Kariya after the latter saved his life and gave him a new ideal to believe in, namely that purging the Shinigami from Soul Society would lead to justice returning to the realm.

Despite his vendetta against Kenpachi and his devotion to Kariya blinding him to his original ideals, Ichinose retains some of his morals; though he initially planned to die in the Human World after leaving Soul Society, upon being alerted to Hollows attacking several Souls in the desert village near him, Ichinose immediately leapt into action to protect a young Plus with what little strength he had left. While ruthless, pragmatic, and confident in combat, Ichinose is not above commending his opponents when impressed by their powers and techniques, and after learning that Rukia Kuchiki was a Shinigami like him, he paused their battle to answer her questions about why he was aiding the Bount. He is also polite to the Bount around him, sharing something akin to friendship with Gō Koga especially, and not only sympathizes with their plight and even considers himself part of their tribe despite not being a Bount, but would treat their injuries before their Bitto empowerment and subsequent Reishi-absorption healing, though he has no compunctions about knocking them out through force in order to protect them from further harm or killing them should they turn against Kariya.

Ultimately, Ichinose is closest to Kariya and acts as his right-hand man, willing to follow any order given to him and even act in his stead,  but begins acting distracted upon entering Soul Society with the Bount, and when given an opportunity to finally take revenge on Kenpachi at the cost of allowing Ichigo Kurosaki and his friends to pursue Kariya in direct violation of the last order given to him by the latter, Ichinose puts his own goals above Kariya's and chooses to fight Kenpachi while Ichigo's group escapes, where he firmly blames Kenpachi as representing the injustice of Soul Society which Kariya is combatting and unleashes all the wrath that had built up within him; however, Kenpachi exposes Ichinose's reliance on abstract ideals and lack of agency when he points out that the latter's stated desire to wipe away all shadows with his light is not even possible and questions if any of his supposedly noble goals are not just tasks assigned to him by someone else. Through this, Ichinose remembers his desire to improve the Gotei 13 and the Seireitei by even the slimmest margin, and after learning from a newly-empowered Kariya that all of the other Bount were dead, Ichinose stops fighting Ichigo and takes it upon himself to urge Kariya to use his new power to rebuild the Seireitei, having learned from experience that nothing beneficial can come from seeking revenge and seeing himself as the only one who can stop Kariya from going down the same path.

History
Decades ago, Ichinose was a member of the Eleventh Division under Captain Kenpachi Kiganjō. When Kiganjō was challenged to a duel in front of 200 members of the division by Kenpachi Zaraki for the captaincy, Ichinose could not prevent the fight from happening and discussed his unease about Kenpachi with Kaname Tōsen, only to be shocked and distraught when Kenpachi succeeded in killing Kiganjō and took his haori, leading Ichinose to almost attack him right there before his comrades restrained him. Some time later, Ichinose challenged Kenpachi to a duel, but was unable to even scratch him and was left humiliated, leading him to eventually leave the division and the Gotei 13 altogether.

Following this, Ichinose traveled to the Human World without permission, knowing that he could never return to Soul Society, and found himself wandering through a desert area in exhaustion as he contemplated joining Kiganjō in death. Suddenly, Ichinose saw Hollows attacking a group of Souls in a nearby town, and when one of them cornered a young Plus, Ichinose used the last of his strength to engage the Hollow, though his weakened condition led to him being overwhelmed. However, just as the Hollow was moving to kill Ichinose, Jin Kariya intervened and held the Hollow back with a single finger, allowing Ichinose to get up with Gō Koga's help and purify it prior to joining Kariya on his mission.

Bount arc (anime only)
Note: Events occurring in this arc are only in the anime and do not constitute canon material. After Kariya calls together all the remaining Bount, Ichinose sits in a lamp-lit room in the Bount Mansion at nighttime and quietly reads a book, where he is joined by Gō Koga. Amusing Koga with his mention of being able to read in such poor lighting, Ichinose instructs him to let his clothes dry from the rain outside and promises to serve tea at 10 P.M. Later, Ichinose greets a returning Kariya alongside the rest of the Bount and downplays Kariya's subsequent praise of his recent work. The next day, Ichinose listens to Kariya's promise that the Bount can finally leave the shadows of history and discusses Kariya's intentions for Uryū Ishida with Ryō Utagawa, who declines to take a stance on it.

The following day, when Ichigo Kurosaki and his friends break into the Bount Mansion to rescue Uryū, whom the Bount have kidnapped, Rukia Kuchiki runs off with Ririn, Kurōdo, and Noba to find him, only to be confronted by Ichinose in a dining area. As he reveals to Rukia that he is a former member of the Eleventh Division, Ichinose catches Kurōdo trying to sneak up on him using Ririn's Illusions and incapacitates him with a stab to the stomach before dispatching Ririn and Noba when they attack him as well. With Rukia unable to harm him with her Kidō, Ichinose explains that he is helping Kariya because Kenpachi Zaraki destroyed the ideal he and Kenpachi Kiganjō once held.

Soon afterward, Ichinose senses Ichigo fighting Utagawa and is astonished by his power, leading him to run off out of concern for Kariya. Upon reaching the main foyer of the mansion, Ichinose finds Utagawa attempting to usurp Kariya as the leader of the Bount and disorients him with Blinding Light before stabbing him in the chest with the invisible blade of Nijigasumi and leaving Utagawa's body to fall into a chasm left by Ichigo, whom he prepares to fight. Ichinose quickly overwhelms Ichigo with his rapid and skilled attacks, but is asked to step aside by Kariya, who has become interested in devouring Ichigo's Soul and wishes to fight him personally, prompting Ichinose to stand back.

Though Kariya easily overpowers and brutalizes Ichigo, the latter refuses to give up, which leads Ichinose to decide to finish Ichigo off himself with permission from Kariya. However, his attempt to do so is interrupted when Ururu Tsumugiya opens fire on the Bount Mansion with her Senren Bakusatsu Taihō, giving Ichigo and his friends an opportunity to rescue Uryū and Yoshino Sōma before escaping while Ichinose shields Kariya from the falling rubble. In the aftermath, Ichinose stands outside the mansion with the Bount and watches as the residence burns to the ground, and despite Ichinose's concern over the impact of this, he is shocked by Kariya's assurance that Uryū and Yoshino will return to him.

Following this, Ichinose stands guard while Kariya finds a broken grandfather clock in the burnt wreckage and repairs it with a set of tools, which leads Ichinose to interpret the stopped time on the clock as a metaphor for the existence of the Bount and vow that they will move this motionless time to change fate themselves. When Yoshino returns to the mansion to begin fighting Kariya and is followed by Ichigo and 6th Division Lieutenant Renji Abarai, Ichinose confronts them alongside Koga and begins fighting Ichigo to prevent him from interfering in Kariya's ritual. Once Kariya sacrifices Yoshino to create the Bitto, a grinning Ichinose leaves the area alongside the Bount.

Some time later, Ichinose and the Bount regroup with Kariya in a large, elaborate cave system on the outskirts of Karakura Town, where he listens as Kariya explains his plan to massively boost the power of the Bount by having the Bitto harvest and refine living Souls for them to drink. With Kariya violently quelling Mabashi's dissent at the idea of violating the one law of the Bount like this, Ichinose watches the other Bount drink the refined Souls provided by the Bitto and be greatly empowered by them, where he offers to tend to Mabashi's injuries, only for Kariya to assert that they will be healed in an instant and force-feed the serum to a still-reluctant Mabashi while Ichinose observes.

That night, Mabashi slips out of the caves while Ichinose is not looking, but when he reports this to Kariya and apologizes, Ichinose is assured that this is alright because it gives Mabashi the opportunity to test his new power regardless of whether or not he goes berserk in the process. After Kariya decides to retire for the night and leaves responsibilities to him, Ichinose intervenes in the fight between Mabashi and 9th Division Lieutenant Shūhei Hisagi by intercepting Hisagi's strike and simultaneously knocking out Mabashi with a blow to the chest using his sheath prior to departing, which leaves Hisagi to recognize him and realize the rumors about him joining the Bount were true.

Shortly afterward, Ichinose enters the Seireitei through the central Senkaimon and creates a distraction by attacking 11th Division 3rd Seat Ikkaku Madarame and his subordinates while invisible, creating an opportunity for him to sneak into the Shinigami Research and Development Institute and erase the data on the Quincy Bangle from 12th Division Captain Mayuri Kurotsuchi so the latter will learn about it upon restoring the data later. The next day, Ichinose joins Kariya and the other Bount in the central chamber of the cave system, where they learn that Uryū has yet to regain his Quincy powers and Ichinose informs Kariya that the Gotei 13 will be making a move soon.

Once Ichigo makes it past Ugaki and to the central chamber, Kariya confronts him while Koga summons an intricate Senkaimon with a lengthy incantation and Ichinose offers to take over the process from here, which Koga accepts, only for them both to be shocked when Kariya decides to reveal his plan to an incapacitated Ichigo. Upon seeing Ichigo recover and begin fighting Kariya equally using his Bankai, Tensa Zangetsu, Ichinose is concerned for him, but is instructed to continue preparing the Senkaimon by Koga. After Koga further alters the portal and Uryū gives it Reishi-conversion properties with a Heilig Pfeil, Ichinose departs for Soul Society with the Bount.

The day after the Bount arrive in the Rukongai, Ichinose and Koga accompany Kariya to a gambling hall in the Kusajishi district, where they attempt to defuse his ensuing brawl with the thugs inside and end up fighting them as well. Once all the thugs are dispatched, Kariya convinces Tōba, the hall's bookie and a local criminal leader, to assist in his plan to turn Soul Society upside-down, and after Tōba sets them up in a cottage, Ichinose and Koga see Kariya leave to confront 6th Division Captain Byakuya Kuchiki. That night, Ichinose and Koga hold a town hall with the people of Kusajishi and convince them that they will have invincible allies in the Bount should they storm the Seireitei.

Over the course of the night, Ichinose and Tōba watch as more and more denizens of Kusajishi respond to Kariya's recruitment call, leading Ichinose to observe that many people are discontented with the state of Soul Society. When Kariya returns, Ichinose greets him with an army of villagers and relays Mabashi and Yoshi watching the actions of the Seireitei to him. With the villagers assembling large siege engines out of the surrounding trees, Ichinose learns of 10th Division Captain Tōshirō Hitsugaya leading a strike force toward them and is granted permission by Kariya to stay behind and engage them in order to buy time, which he does while the Bount and the villagers make their way to the Seireiheki.

Once Ichigo and his friends join Hitsugaya's group, Ichinose traps them all in his Brilliant Void and prepares to take them out one at a time while manipulating light to make them see him in place of their allies and fight among themselves. Suddenly, Kenpachi, having heard of Hitsugaya locating Ichinose, intervenes and confronts Ichinose with a dare to fight him instead of impeding Ichigo and his friends any further. Unwilling to pass up this opportunity, Ichinose allows Ichigo's group to run back to the Seireitei and begins fighting Kenpachi, who sees through his invisibility and effortlessly withstands the Blinding Light attack of Nijigasumi, forcing Ichinose to initiate Saigyoku Nijigasumi.

Though Ichinose manages to briefly match Kenpachi and trap him in a compressing sphere of light using this technique, he is astonished when Kenpachi breaks free by simply removing his eyepatch and destroying the sphere with his unleashed Reiatsu. Furious at Kenpachi having so much power and being a captain when he has no honor, Ichinose begins wildly attacking him, but Kenpachi incapacitates him with a slash to the chest and points out Ichinose's lack of agency in blindly following Kariya's orders instead of standing on his own two feet. After realizing that his desire for revenge outweighs his loyalty to Kariya, Ichinose attacks Kenpachi one last time with all of his strength and is cut down.

However, Ichinose survives this, albeit with severe injuries, and makes his way to the top of Sōkyoku Hill the next day, where he finds Ichigo fighting Kariya after the latter has absorbed the power of a Jōkaishō. Ichinose learns from Kariya that all the other Bount are dead when he gets involved, and with Ichigo easily overpowering him due to his exhaustion, Ichinose turns on Kariya and demands that he use his new power to restore the Seireitei instead of pursuing revenge, but Kariya declines and kills Ichinose when the latter tries to attack him. Afterward, Ichinose's broken Zanpakutō manages to redirect a bolt of lightning from Kariya away from Ichigo before disintegrating.

Powers & Abilities
Great Spiritual Power: Ichinose's Reiryoku is strong enough for him to not only clash evenly with, but frequently overwhelm a Shikai-wielding Ichigo Kurosaki, as well as wound an eyepatch-wearing Captain Kenpachi Zaraki, though he can only withstand direct clashes with the latter while using Saigyoku Nijigasumi. His Reiatsu is uniquely multicolored and will shift between hues while he is exerting it.

Expert Swordsman: After decades of constant training, Ichinose can more than hold his own against Ichigo, whom he frequently outmaneuvered in their first battle; Captain Tōshirō Hitsugaya, who acknowledged his visible skill after only a short skirmish; and even Kenpachi, though he ultimately could not match the latter's strength and Reiatsu.

Hakuda Practitioner: Ichinose possesses some hand-to-hand skill, having knocked out three thugs in Kusajishi with a single strike of his closed fist.

Shunpo Expert: Ichinose can move at considerably high speeds, allowing him to match and outpace Ichigo during their first duel and later keep up with him while preventing him from interfering in Jin Kariya's duel with Yoshino Sōma as well as effortlessly dodge attacks from several residents of Kusajishi at once and keep Kenpachi on the defensive during their duel with his rapid movements.

Kidō Expert: Though he does not commonly use Kidō, Ichinose is proficient enough in the art to specially alter a Senkaimon so it could be further modified by a Bount and a Quincy's Heilig Pfeil to allow Bount to enter Soul Society via Reishi conversion, a rare and potent feat.

Enhanced Strength: Ichinose possesses surprising strength for his build, having not only casually blocked a '''Hadō #33. Sōkatsui''' from Rukia Kuchiki with only his sealed Zanpakutō unharmed and incapacitated Mabashi with a blow to the stomach using the sheath of his Zanpakutō, but later knocked out three thugs from Kusajishi with only a blow from his fist and withstood strikes from the notoriously strong Kenpachi.

Highly Perceptive Combatant: Ichinose is an analytical fighter; when faced with Rukia, Ririn, Kurōdo, and Noba, four individuals he had never encountered before, Ichinose first detected Kurōdo sneaking up on him while being obscured by Ririn's Illusions and stabbed him while he was still invisible, then quickly saw through Ririn turning the area around him into a lush jungle in order to attack both her and Noba before detailing their strategy and deducing from Rukia's subsequent Eishōhaki variant of '''Hadō #33. Sōkatsui''', which was powerful despite automatically being weaker than a usage with the spell's incantation, that she did not have access to her true level of power, something Rukia herself internally confirmed. He also realized that Ichigo was dodging his invisible attacks with Nijigasumi not by seeing them, but by instead instinctually reacting to them, and that Ichigo using high-density Reiatsu to escape his Blinding Light took a toll on his body.

Zanpakutō

 * A standard katana with a simple, blue-gray rectangular guard inscribed with a circle around the blade and two inward-curving lines stretching to each corner along the long sides.


 * Shikai: Its release command is.


 * Shikai Special Ability: By infusing his Reiatsu into Nijigasumi, Ichinose can create limitless amounts of light, which he can use for a variety of techniques:


 * Invisibility: Ichinose can become invisible to the naked eye by refracting light around his body so that others only see the area behind him even when looking directly at him; this allows him to perform surprise attacks and sneak into heavily guarded areas unhindered. (Unnamed)


 * Blinding Light: Ichinose creates a large field of light around a single enemy, disorienting them with its brightness and the sudden removal of their surroundings as well as all shadows in its vicinity, before unleashing several dozen shadowy slashes that rapidly slam into them from multiple angles.  (Unnamed)


 * Brilliant Void: Ichinose can also create a much larger dimension of yellow-white light around multiple enemies; though this still obscures the surrounding area from view and disorients them, its main attribute is the use of refracted light to not only create illusions of himself, but make the individuals within the light look like Ichinose to each other from a distance, causing them to attack each other while he silently takes them out one at a time.


 * Blade of Light: The metal blade of Nijigasumi disappears and is replaced by one made of hard light that constantly shifts in hue like Ichinose's Reiatsu; this blade can either become completely invisible, allowing Ichinose to perform stealth attacks while invisible or while his opponent is disoriented by Blinding Light, or generate additional hard light blades in the wake of Ichinose's sword swings that are fired outward at his opponent with considerable force and piercing power. If the blade of Nijigasumi is broken when Ichinose uses this ability, the hard light blade will form over it completely intact, which allows Ichinose to continue fighting directly as well. (Unnamed)


 * While Ichinose's Reiatsu intensifies, giving his attacks more power, a multitude of twinkling lights appear around his opponent before expanding and coalescing to form a sphere of light that expands outward in a huge radius, flattening anything in its path. Following this, the sphere begins contracting and exerting immense pressure on the opponent trapped within using its compressed light, ultimately crushing them by compressing into a tiny, high-density beam. When caught within this technique, Kenpachi Zaraki was unable to even slightly damage it with a full-force swing of his Zanpakutō and was forced to unleash the full power of his Reiatsu by removing his eyepatch in order to break free.


 * Bankai: Not Achieved.

Quotes

 * (To Kaname Tōsen) "But he accepted the challenge in the name of honor, and Soul Society needs men with will such as that! That is what I have been taught to believe!"


 * (To Kenpachi Zaraki) "Kenpachi! You bastard! How could you do this to the captain?! I cannot accept this!"


 * "That day, the captain I respected was taken from me. It's not right that a battle should be so meaningless...a battle between those who only seek strength. I could not stop trembling with rage."


 * (To Kenpachi) "I have no quarrel personally with you, but I cannot allow my captain's death to remain unavenged!"


 * (To Kenpachi and Yachiru Kusajishi) "I know that the fight was fair and official, and that Captain Zaraki did nothing wrong. I'm sorry. I simply don't have the desire to stay. Besides, I swore an oath of loyalty to the man that you murdered...my former captain."


 * "If I die, that's alright. I can see my captain again."


 * "What crossed my mind was not a feeling of relief at finally being able to die, but fear. Fear because I didn't want to die. I realized how pitiful I really was, how lowly and insignificant, but even then, I could not let go of my dying body."


 * (To Ryō Utagawa) "It is not my place to question him. I simply obey Master Kariya's orders."


 * (To Rukia Kuchiki) "Tell me, do you know how to become a captain of the Gotei 13? You know, the same method Kenpachi Zaraki used when he made his name famous throughout Soul Society. He didn't earn it with intelligence or cunning. Not Kenpachi. He became captain using nothing but his physical strength. He crushed the vision the captain and I had created, and discarded it like a fleeting dream. Everything... Everything was destroyed in that instant! I refused to follow Kenpachi like the other division members. I had seen him for what he was."


 * (To Rukia) "I wandered around, disillusioned and heartless, until he gave me a reason to live. Jin Kariya. Because of him, I was able to pick up my Zanpakutō and find something worth fighting for! I now have a purpose again. I will stand by him - he who lives eternally! He who is searching for what lies beyond by breaking all laws of nature! Once more, I plan to lay everything I have on the line for this man!"


 * (To Kariya) "For Bount, time does not flow, and it's for that reason that the Humans despise us. Still, we will try to force those intractable hands of time into motion. We will take things into our own hands, and then change our fate."


 * (To Kariya) "I may not be a Bount, but I do still consider myself to be one of you."


 * (To a Kusajishi thug) "You are mistaken. I am not from the Seireitei. In fact, I'm no longer a Shinigami."


 * (To Tōshirō Hitsugaya) "Master Kariya's way is paved with justice. There's no justice anymore in Soul Society, but now Master Kariya will cleanse this place and purify it!"


 * "I should do as Master Kariya asked. I should dispatch this group of Shinigami as quickly as possible and move on to support him and the others in the Seireitei. Damn it... Damn it! Master Kariya, forgive me!"


 * (To Kenpachi) "How could the Gotei 13 allow someone like you to be a captain?! It's completely ridiculous! A captain of the Gotei 13 is supposed to protect those under him, but who have you ever protected?! When you fight, just who is it for?! How do you justify your insane lust for blood?!"


 * (To Kenpachi) "You never even earned the right to be called a captain of the Gotei 13! The philosophy of Soul Society has become rancid and deceitful. Master Kariya sees that corruption. That's why I brought him back here with me! Master Kariya has a vision, and I'm willing to risk everything to help him achieve it! I gained this power for just that reason!"


 * (To Kenpachi) "How does someone like you get to this position?! Someone without noble goals or any sense of honor! Why does someone like you have this kind of power?! My captain based his entire life on the principles of justice and honor, and then you...! How can you trust anything Soul Society says when they let a barbarian like you become a captain?! We have come to deliver justice to Soul Society that is long overdue, and you will not stand in our way! It's because of people like you that this is happening! It's all your fault!"


 * "Master Kariya, I'm sorry. When you achieve your ultimate goal, I may not be there to share the glory. Even so, please forgive me."


 * (To Kariya) "Before, if you told me to destroy the Seireitei, I would've had no choice but to obey you. I abandoned this place long ago, and I would not mind seeing it all disappear...at least, that's what I thought. When I looked at you, I thought I was reminded of the captain I once revered and respected. That's the reason why I fought by your side in the first place, but it was during my battle with Kenpachi that I remembered something I had forgotten. Back then, I wanted to change things. I wanted to make the Gotei 13 into something better. That was my desire. My captain and I had the same beliefs; that's why I worked so hard by his side and why I felt my ideals would never change, even if he wasn't there anymore. But when he was killed, the sheer emptiness of his death changed my ideals into a desire for revenge. So tell me: you have the power now to change Soul Society, Kariya. If you will use that power to rebuild the Seireitei - to make it the way it should be - if you promise this, I shall kneel before you once more. But if not, if you choose to use your power only for destruction and revenge, then I will stop you! Nothing can be born of vengeance. Now that Koga and all the others are dead, the only one left who can stop you...is me. So what's it gonna be?"

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