Hōzukimaru (Zanpakutō spirit)

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

Hōzukimaru is the manifested spirit of Ikkaku Madarame's Zanpakutō that is seen during the Zanpakutō Unknown Tales arc.

Character Outline
Hōzukimaru's spirit is that of a large man resembling an ogre or oni with dark red skin and crimson hair. He remains 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 appears to be just as lazy as Ikkaku described him to be, as when he is first seen, he is the only one sleeping.

Synopsis
He first appears asleep when the Zanpakutō spirits are in a cave waiting for Muramasa's return. He is then seen along with Sode no Shirayuki and Tobiume attacking some Shinigami in Soul Society. As he is fighting some Shinigami, Sode no Shirayuki tells him that they are being summoned and he moves out of the way as she releases a blast of ice of from her hands, incapacitating the Shinigami he was fighting. He is last seen along with the rest of the Zanpakutō spirits before the Shinigami that have gathered at the Sōkyoku Hill.