Hōzukimaru (Zanpakutō spirit)

This article is about the manifested spirit of Ikkaku Madarame's Zanpakutō. For his Zanpakutō and its abilities see Hōzukimaru.

is the manifested spirit of Ikkaku Madarame's Zanpakutō.

Appearance
Resembling an oni, Hōzukimaru is a large man with dark brown skin and long messy orange hair, in stark contrast to his bald master. He is shirtless and wears a white robe in the form of a skirt, revealing a tattoo on his shoulders in a design similar to the dragon symbol on Ikkaku's Bankai. He has red markings under his eyes, similar to Ikkaku's.

Personality
Although he shares his wielder's cocky, fight-loving attitude, Hōzukimaru seems to be just as lazy as Ikkaku described: when the Zanpakutō spirits are first assembled, he is the only one sleeping.

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

Hōzukimaru appears alongside the other Zanpakutō Spirits who are waiting for Muramasa's return. Later, he joins Sode no Shirayuki and Tobiume in attacking Shinigami in Seireitei. As he fights, Sode no Shirayuki tells him they are being summoned. As Hōzukimaru moves out of the way, Sode no Shirayuki, releasing a blast of ice from her hands, incapacitates the Shinigami he was fighting. Later, he is present, along with the rest of the Zanpakutō Spirits, before the Shinigami who have gathered on Sōkyoku Hill.

Later, Hōzukimaru, Ruri'iro Kujaku, and Senbonzakura overlook Sōkyoku Hill. When Ruri'iro Kujaku fails to interact with Senbonzakura, Hōzukimaru, calming him, says they will kill the Shinigami soon enough. After hearing Muramasa was forced back by Ichigo Kurosaki, who regained his Zanpakutō partner, Hōzukimaru decides to take action. Later, he bumped into his former partner Ikkaku, who was not sure if he was really who he said he was. To prove it, the two of them did their "lucky dance" together. As the two began to battle, Hōzukimaru began to overwhelm Ikkaku, only for the fight to be interrupted by the Onmitsukidō, forcing Hōzukimaru to retreat.

Later, he, appearing at the 6th Division Barracks, finds himself surrounded by the Onmitsukidō and other Shinigami. When Ikkaku appears, they engage in battle again. As their battle proceeds, Ikkaku, releasing his Shikai, overwhelms Hōzukimaru until the latter, unleashing his Bankai, gains the upper hand. When the dragon crest is red, he and Ikkaku, clashing, release an enormous amount of Reiatsu. Congratulating Ikkaku for an excellent fight, Hōzukimaru, defeated, falls to the ground.

Later, in the Human World, Hōzukimaru appears with Ikkaku to help battle Muramasa. Unusually energetic, Hōzukimaru, rushing to take down several Gillians, aggravates Ikkaku, as he is taking all the action. When it becomes clear the battle will not end as long as the Garganta Muramasa produced is open, Hōzukimaru offers to go inside and seal it. When Captain Byakuya Kuchiki and Senbonzakura blast their Reiatsu at the Garganta in an attempt to close it, Hōzukimaru joins the others present in using their combined energy to close the gate. Hōzukimaru teams up with his allies to finish off the remaining Gillians. After Ichigo emerges from the collapsed dome with a defeated Muramasa, Hōzukimaru returns to Ikkaku's sword.

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

When various supplies and items go missing from the 4th Division compound, Hōzukimaru joins Ikkaku as part of a search group to search for the thief in the underground waterways. Along the way, they, running into various traps, eventually face off against an octopus-like Tōjū who captures Ikkaku. While wondering what to do, Hōzukimaru and the others find the missing supplies and the thief, who turns out to be Hanatarō Yamada's missing Zanpakutō Spirit, Hisagomaru. When the Tōjū, returning with Ikkaku, begins attacking, Hōzukimaru uses his Bankai. Impervious to physical attacks, the Tōjū subdues Hōzukimaru. Seeing the danger, Hisagomaru, using his power to gather energy from Ikkaku's wounds, finishes off the Tōjū with his Shikai, saving Hōzukimaru and the others.

Powers & Abilities
Master Spearman: While lazy by nature, Hōzukimaru is highly proficient in wielding his three-segment spear, keeping his former partner Ikkaku on his toes during their fight.

Enhanced Strength: Hōzukimaru is strong enough to easily force back multiple Shinigami at once.

Enhanced Speed: Hōzukimaru displayed great speed during the initial attack on Soul Society.

Enhanced Endurance: During his first fight with Ikkaku, Hōzukimaru, willingly letting Ikkaku strike him repeatedly to better gauge his power, did not seem to take notice of most of his injuries he received.

Zanpakutō
At any time, Hōzukimaru can manifest the Shikai of his former self. It is a naginata (spear) with a wax wood shaft and a pommel which has a red horsehair tassel. It can separate at will into a sansetsukon (three-sectional shaft) and can reconnect at will. The chains can extend a fair length, allowing for flail-like mid-range attacks.


 * Bankai: : To activate it, Hōzukimaru, slamming the two broken pieces of his Shikai back into the spear form, says Bankai. It is composed of three over-sized weapons connected by an equally large chain. The weapon's two main weapons are a Chinese Monk's spade and a standard Guan dao. Both have a traditional horsehair tassel at the hilt, and a long, cylindrical weight for a pommel. A heavy chain connects the pommels to the center section, which resembles an axe-like blade with a parallel handle forged into the blunt end and a dragon crest on one side of the blade. Despite all three weapons being of near-ridiculous proportions, Hōzukimaru wields them easily. Hōzukimaru usually holds one blade in each hand and lets the central portion "float" behind him, though he will occasionally spin the entire configuration about using the center handle as a pivot. Hōzukimaru can use just one of the blades for combat, wielding it as if it were a sealed Zanpakutō.


 * Bankai Special Ability: Hōzukimaru's Bankai, like his Shikai, is quite unusual. Aside from the increase in power, his Bankai offers no special abilities and no special defensive properties. While capable of injuring opponents, the weapons are easily damaged. To make up for this, Hōzukimaru's Bankai becomes increasingly more powerful as the fight drags on. After he activates his Bankai, the dragon crest will slowly fill in with crimson dye as Hōzukimaru's Reiatsu rises. It fills faster when he spins Ryūmon Hōzukimaru with the center handle. When the crest is completely filled, Ryūmon Hōzukimaru is at its full power.