Coyote Starrk

mostly incorrectly romanized as Stark, is an Arrancar and the Primera (1st) Espada in Sōsuke Aizen's army along with his other part, Lilynette.

Appearance
He resembles Shunsui Kyōraku in looks and demeanor in that he is lazy and easy going, although Shunsui is more carefree than lazy, as opposed to Starrk who is more lazy than carefree. His wavy shoulder-length hair is dark, unkempt, and parted down the middle. He also has a goatee. His clothing consists of the regular Arrancar jacket, albeit with the collar upturned. A dark sash, worn in a manner similar to a matador, is placed about his waist near his Zanpakutō, completing his otherwise nondescript, ordinary, and harmless appearance, which is in sharp contrast to his enormous power.

The remains of his Hollow mask consist of a bottom jaw that is positioned like a necklace. His Hollow hole is on his sternum, right below the tip of his mask. His Espada tattoo is featured on the back of his left hand, which he conceals with his gloves.

Personality
Starrk is a lazy and unenthusiastic character who apparently spends much of his time asleep and which no one (in fact, he rarely directly adresses any Arrancar other than Lilynette, his other half), except Lilynette, appears to try and stop him. Despite being the highest-ranking Espada, he is not eager to take a leadership role, shown when he easily allows Barragan to take over at the Fake Karakura Town. He is not particularly interested in whatever is going on around him (although he is surprisingly observant and a capable analyst). Unlike many of the Espada, he is not violent or overly arrogant. Although, he does not seem to care a great deal for his fellows, showing no sign of distress or concern when they are killed or attacked. When he learns of Aaroniero Arruruerie's death, he lazily states there is nothing he could do about it, and when Barragan and Harribel are apparently overwhelmed by their opponents' respective Bankais, he only asks Kyōraku if all the captains' Bankais are so powerful.

In comparison to the other, more serious Espada members, he is often shown in a much more comical light, with situations often ending in him on the receiving end of physical abuse from his partner Lilynette, though he does little to stop her actions. He can be serious on occasion however, although his personality does not change much; he comes off as reluctant, but nonetheless willing to do what has to be done to complete the task at hand. Such is the case when he was ordered to take back Orihime Inoue, despite saying he abhors such a strategy. He is fairly similar to Shunsui Kyōraku in personality, something Starrk himself acknowledges.

Arrancar Arc
Starrk initially appears as a shadowy figure for a short period of time, along with several other Espada, observing Aizen creating Wonderweiss Margera.

Hueco Mundo arc
He next appears when the Espada are gathered by Aizen concerning Ichigo Kurosaki, Yasutora Sado and Uryū Ishida entering Hueco Mundo to save Orihime Inoue, apparently sleeping right before it. He is later seen sleeping when the 9th Espada Aaroniero Arruruerie is killed by Rukia Kuchiki. His Fracción, Lilynette, wakes him up and informs him of the event but Starrk already knows about it. Lilynette urges him to do something, but Starrk simply replies: "What do you want me to do about it?". This causes Lilynette to crudely harm him.

Later, after Las Noches is invaded by the Gotei 13 and the 8th, 7th and 5th Espada are killed in battle, he appears suddenly before Orihime as she heads over to heal Kenpachi. Before Ichigo and Kenpachi can stop him, he vanishes away with her, as per Aizen's orders. He appears reluctant to do so, as he comments that he abhors such tactics, but that he didn't have much say in the matter. Regardless, he brings her back to Aizen, just as he begins to set his plan to destroy Karakura Town into motion.

Fake Karakura Town arc
After Aizen travels to Karakura Town, he is met with resistance by the other Gotei 13 captains currently not in Hueco Mundo. Aizen summons Starrk, along with Lilynette and the two other strongest Espada and their Fracción, to the fake Karakura Town in order to do battle with the force from the Gotei 13.

When Yamamoto uses his Shikai to trap the opposing captains (Aizen, Ichimaru, and Tōsen), Starrk narrowly avoids the attack. Barragan then decides to take control of the situation himself, telling Starrk he'd "better not have a problem with that". He lazily agrees, which earns him a kick from Lilynette.

After the pillars that keep the real Karakura Town in Soul Society are successfully defended and four of Barragan's Fracción are killed, all the other Arrancar pair up against the Shinigami and begin to battle. He and Lilynette engage in battle with Captain's Jūshirō Ukitake and Shunsui Kyōraku. Starrk goes as far as to ask if they can "pretend to fight" until it's over. Ukitake is surprised by this suggestion, but Kyōraku gleefully states that it is an excellent idea. But he declines the offer, saying that he must fight, likely because of the knowledge of what's at stake. Starrk lazily remarks "What a pain" and draws his sword ready to battle. Kyōraku then takes notice of the fight between Rangiku, Momo and Harribel's Fracción, asking Starrk if they should also put on a show. Starrk, not amused at Kyōraku's attempt at humor, flatly says no and states that neither one of them is fighting at full strength anyhow. Starrk then makes note of how Kyōraku's short sword is still being sheathed. When Kyōraku explains why, claiming he only uses it in places where it's difficult to use a katana, Starrk further notes that Kyōraku is obviously ambidextrous and that he's faster with his left hand then his right, therefore Starrk doesn't quite believe his excuse for his supposed lack of using his short sword. Kyōraku is somewhat amused at Starrk's observations and comments on how he thought he had corrected his strength difference. Kyōraku then proceeds to attack Starrk which he then dodges. While Kyōraku then surprises Starrk by switching hands mid attack and correcting his swing, by making his right hand's strength match his left. After Starrk comments on the change, Kyōraku asks him whether he will take the fight seriously if he were to unsheathe his short sword, to which Starrk comments that Kyōraku is already plenty strong enough and he wouldn't want him using his short sword. Kyōraku decides then to unsheathe his sword.

After Yamamoto kills Allon and subsequently defeats Apache, Mila-Rose, and Sun-Sun, Starrk notices Harribel's change in tactics (which forces Tōshirō Hitsugaya to activate his Bankai) and Kyōraku begins to assume that Harribel is the 3rd Espada, he then states that he hopes Starrk is #2 so that the battle would be a little easier for him, but Starrk reveals himself to be the Primera (#1). Kyōraku does not seem to be very surprised, merely stating that the battle would not be "too" easy after all.

When the real fight finally begins, Starrk expresses a sense of surprise at how effortlessly his opponent is able to dodge his attacks, to the point of not losing his hat or mussing his clothes. However, Starrk is still able to make a cut in Shunsui's hat and make a small wound on his forehead. As the battle progresses, Starrk fires a Cero at Shunsui, only for him to state "No fighting pose or anything?". Starrk then begins to show irritation by scolding Kyōraku to not run away. Starrk is then seen to be staring in shock at Hitsugaya's approaching cloud.

He is then seen after watching Hitsugaya and Soifon's Bankai, and questions Kyōraku whether all their Bankais were that powerful. He asks Shunsui if his own Bankai was more powerful than Hitsugaya's. He replies that maybe in 100 years, Hitsugaya might surpass him. With that, Starrk says he wants to see Shunsui's Bankai and calls Lilynette, and reveals that they are in fact one being split into two bodies. While every other Arrancar splits into one body and a sword, they split into two bodies. He then releases his Resurrección form and is shown to have merged with Lilynette. Starrk uses his guns (Lilynette) to shoot a Cero at Shunsui and tells him that he wants to see the latter's Bankai. When the Captain tells him that if all he is going to do is shoot a Cero at him, he won't use his Bankai. In response to this, Starrk fires Cero Metralleta from his pistol. As he nearly hits his opponent, Ukitake negates his attack with Sōgyo no Kotowari, using a ability to which Starrk asks if it was a Cero. Starrk then questions Ukitake on his ability but Ukitake tells him to try and figure it out on his own. After three attacks, Starrk realizes the absorbtion and reflection abilities of Ukitake's Zanpakuto; he then dares Ukitake to defend against one thousand ceros but Shunsui attacks from behind. Starrk comments that this is out of character for the laid back captain, but Shunsui warns him not to make assumptions and that he was acting out of character as well. Starrk then seems disappointed by the realization that they are not as alike as he thought. Then suddenly, Wonderweiss arrives through an extremely large Garganta, interrupting the battle between Starrk and the Captains Shunsui Kyōraku and Jūshirō Ukitake, which surprises Starrk. Wonderweiss is accompanied by a large, unknown creature. Wonderweiss defeats Jūshirō by piercing his chest with his own hand, while Starrk finishes the battle by shooting at Kyōraku from behind with his right revolver. Both captains fall towards the ground and Starrk remarks that Wonderweiss' arrival means that Aizen has grown tired of the battle.

Powers & Abilities
Starrk is the Primera (1st) Espada in Aizen's army, making him the strongest of the Espada under Aizen's command (only prior to his release of his Zanpakutō due to Yammy having the position of Cero (0) Espada in his post-release). He has been seen using the basic abilities of an Arrancar, such as:

Sonído Master: Starrk's skill in Sonído is so great that it seems as though he possesses a form of teleportation as he moves in the blink of an eye, simply "appearing" soildly instead of shimmering for a second like other Sonído users. He is so swift that he used it to avoid both Kenpachi Zaraki and Ichigo Kurosaki in order to recapture Orihime, returning her to Aizen within an instant. He's also easily able to surprise a powerful captain by appearing next to him after dodging an attack faster than his own post-release Cero.

Master Swordsmanship Specialist: Starrk has demonstrated tremendous skill in swordsmanship, being able to fight on even grounds with Shunsui Kyōraku, one of the most proficient swordsmen in all of Soul Society.

Cero: Starrk fires his Cero through his chest. As lightheartedly noted by Shunsui Kyōraku, unlike other Arrancar, he can apparently fire a Cero without doing a "battle pose", or he can fire one instantly, without any warning or having to gather and focus the Cero like others Arrancar and Hollows.

Garganta: Garganta is how Arrancar move to and from Hueco Mundo. Starrk has the ability to use the technique. It literally tears open the dimensional fabric separating the worlds, revealing a tunnel of whirling, torrential energy that must be focused and solidified to create a discernible pathway. He is seen using one to travel to the fake Karakura Town.

Immense Spiritual Power: As one of, if not, the strongest Espada, he possesses tremendous spiritual power. Starrk is forbidden to release his Zanpakutō inside of Las Noches, as such a release could destroy the fortress. His spiritual energy is blue.

Perceptive Combatant: Starrk has demonstrated an ability to be very detail oriented when it comes to fighting. He notices his opponent's mannerisms and discerns with ease the reasons behind those actions and the weaknesses and strengths of his opponents.

Zanpakutō
Unlike all other known Arrancar, Starrk's immense power is not sealed in the form of Zanpakutō, but is instead sealed in the form of another Arrancar; in this case, his own Fracción Lilynette. He also wields a normal katana sporting a pewter-colored rectangular guard, with small protrusions on each corner, and a sun-like design wrapped around the hilt's collar. The hilt itself is a golden-yellow color, and the sheath is a metallic-gold color.


 * Resurrección: Los Lobos' release command is . When released, he wields two ornamental guns, with one that appears to be longer than the other; at least the right one seems to be Lilynette, it is unknown if the left one houses any part of her as well. Part of Lilynette's mask appears on his head, stretching from the back of his head around to the eyepiece on his left eye, with the flame pattern apparently changing at will to emerge from the eyepiece and follow the mask fragment around to the back of his head while the mask itself is connected, by two chains, around his right eye. His Arrancar outfit changes drastically as well; with his upper body being covered in a fur-lined jacket over a double-breasted vest, while his legs are covered in some kind of dark skin-tight pants with knee-high fur leggings covering his lower legs, and his arms are covered in some kind of elbow-length fur gloves that appears to end at his wrists. There are also what appears to be ribbon-covered bullet belts emerging from his upper back and disappearing into his upper forearms. With what appears to be fur-covered holsters, Starrk's released form resembles a "Wild-West" gunslinger.


 * Resurrección Special Ability: While in released form, Starrk's physical abilities are enhanced; allowing him to move fast enough to easily parry a close-range killing blow by a captain-level opponent. He is also capable of firing Ceros from his guns. Starrk implies that he can fire 1000 of these Ceros at once. After seeing that Starrk's gun fire Ceros, Kyoraku asked if it can fire other things; Starrk denies and Kyoraku calls him a bad liar, hinting have other kind of ammunition.
 * Starrk uses his right pistol to unleash a barrage of Ceros simultaneously that, because of their density and grouping, appear to fuse together into one large Cero blast. He is able to change the direction of this attack during firing, making it extremely difficult to avoid. It is unknown at this time if his left pistol is capable of using this technique as well.

Fracción



 * is a female Arrancar who seems to be quite mischievous. She enjoys waking Starrk up in unusual ways: first by shoving her fist in his throat, then by squeezing his testicles. Despite her initially childish behavior, she does seem to show some concern for the ominous occurrences in Hueco Mundo. Currently, she has joined with Starrk to fight Shunsui Kyōraku and Jūshirō Ukitake. Strangely, her relationship with Starrk is not that of a normal Espada and a Fracción. Instead, they seem to act like siblings, as indicated by her pulling pranks on Starrk and addressing him by his name without any honorifics. She and Starrk are, in fact, the same being; unlike all other Espada, to Starrk Lilynette is not only his subordinate, but the physical form of his sealed power as well. When she fuses back with Starrk to activate his Resurrección, she takes the form of his twin pistols, in which she has a consciousness and a sense of feeling; she is shown to feel pain.

Quotes

 *  Kick About, Los Lobos!   


 * (To Lilynette after hearing Aaroniero's death) "What do you want me to do about it?"


 * (To Shunsui Kyōraku) "Sorry to disappoint you. I'm the Primera.""


 * "The two of us are one. When other Hollows evolved to Arrancar they split their power between their bodies and their swords. But we split into two bodies. When we become one again, our full power is released."


 * (To Shunsui Kyōraku) "...Where was I? You seem a little panicked. That's not like you, Captain."


 * (To Shunsui Kyōraku) "You made me do this pain in the ass release. So you'd better show me your Bankai."

Trivia

 * In Spanish, "Primera Espada" or "Primer Espada" is a term referring for a very prominent bullfighting matador (which he does somewhat looks like in his Resurrección form). However, it can also refer to any person who excels in their profession.


 * Starrk is the only one of the top three Espada who has revealed both his Hollow hole and mask fragments.


 * Starrk's aspect of death is Loneliness.


 * He is the only male Espada to have a female Fracción.


 * Starrk and Luppi are the only Espada members both current and prior to not have revealed their last name.


 * While Starrk's mask fragment does have teeth, it is shown to be not near his mouth, unlike most Arrancar with teeth for mask fragments. Instead, it is located on his neck. He shares this trait with Nnoitra Jiruga and Nelliel Tu Oderschvank.


 * Starrk is also the only character throughout all of Bleach to use guns as weapons in the manga. Ran'Tao used a Kidō gun that looked similar to a shotgun in the anime-only Bount arc. Renji Abarai was seen using a regular shotgun in the Bleach OVA The Sealed Sword Frenzy, and Soifon's Bankai looks similar to that of a cannon or missile launcher.


 * Starrk is the only Arrancar whose Hollow powers are sealed into another Arrancar.


 * Starrk is one of four Espada whose Resurrección (in his case, Los Lobos) shares its name with a real-world musical band. The others are Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez, Zommari Leroux, and Yammy Rialgo.


 * Starrk doesn't seem to enjoy being in his release state, as shown when he commented to Kyōraku stating that he didn't want to have to go into release form. As to why he doesn't like it is unknown.


 * He is the only Espada (and only Arrancar) who is able to communicate with his Zanpakutō after Resurrección, considering it's his other being.


 * It is unknown why Starrk has two bullet belts when his guns appear to use his Spiritual Energy as ammunition.


 * Grimmjow, Ulquiorra, and Starrk are the only current Espada to have shown Cero variations.
 * His name, as the other Espadas', is inspired by an artist in his case is the French designer Philippe Starck.


 * Out of all the Espada, Starrk was shown firing the most amount of cero.


 * Starrk's Cero techniques are all noticeably different than any of the other Arrancar's Ceros. When not in release form, he doesn't use a battle pose to fire Cero, he doesn't need to chant the word Cero when firing it out of his guns in release form, and he is the only Arrancar to be able to fire multiple Cero at the speed of a Bala technique.
 * Starrk was the only Espada shown incapacitating a captain so far.
 * He is also the first and Only Espada to apologize to a Shinigami.