Love Aikawa

is a Vizard and former Captain of the 7th Division.

Appearance
Love is the tallest of the Vizard and has a thick black spiked afro which adds further to his rather incredible height. Love sports a green jogging suit and wears mirrored sunglasses at all times. When he was a captain, 110 years ago, his hair was in a classic, rounded afro style with long sideburns. He wore a standard Shinigami uniform with a sleeveless captain's haori. He wore a pair of dark-lensed sunglasses.

Personality
Love is a laid back and easy going man, usually reading Shōnen Jump or some of Lisa's erotic manga in his spare time. Love's attitude switches from serious to carefree within a moments notice. Though he is a man who believes in respect and maintaining the peace and is quick to uphold those standards when no one else will.

He also appears to have little love for posturing, as indicated when he slaps the back of Rōjūrō's head, for talking about former enemies, banding together in times of war, in order to fight a common foe, just before they're about to fight Starrk. Then showing his more carefree side by making a manga reference in response to Starrk questioning what happened to his mask.

Despite his laid back attitude, Love is a rather brutal and merciless fighter, not letting his opponents make a move against him and using his Shikai's special ability mixed with his mask right at the start of his battle with Coyote Starrk.

History
Approximately 110 years ago Love was the captain of the 7th division of the Gotei 13. He is first seen knocking Hiyori Sarugaki on her head for attacking Shinji Hirako, telling her to act her age and to apologize. Love asks her why she must be so difficult? Hiyori yells at him asking him who he thinks he is, smacking law abiding lieutenants who don't fall under his jurisdiction. Love calmly replies that seeing as her captain is not there someone has to keep her under control otherwise she would just run amuck. After the incident Shinji asks Love who has shown up for the meeting the captains had been called to, to which Love tells him almost everyone is already there. Shinji states that he saw no one from the 11th division show up. Love explains that's his way, as he does what he wants. Shinji says just because he is the 10th 'Kenpachi' no one's got the guts to keep him in check. He goes on to say that he can't understand why they let such a loose cannon like him become captain. Love tries to ease him explaining that there is no use getting upset over it, as the chosen 'Kenpachi' has always held the position of the 11th division captain. As it is a sort of legacy and it wont change anytime soon. Love goes on to say that if Shinji wants to complain about anything then he should complain about the fact that the previous Kenpachi's ineptitude made it possible. The two captains are interrupted by the arrival of the 8th Division captain Shunsui Kyōraku being accompanied by his lieutenant Lisa Yadōmaru and 13th Division captain Jūshiro Ukitake. Shunsui accuses the two of gossiping behind others backs. Love is noticeably surprised stating that hell most have frozen over if Shunsui is on time. Shunsui inquires that he has no idea what Love is talking about as he is always on time. Love then bears witness to the conversation between Shunsui and Ukitake about who's been captain the longest and what has happened to the previous 12th Division captain Kirio Hikifune. Love is later seen waiting in line with the other captains as the newly appointed 12th Division captain Kisuke Urahara arrives to the meeting.

Nine years later Love is dispatched with a group of other Shinigami to investigate the disappearance of Kensei Muguruma and the members of his division. Love is the second to show up at the site of the disappearances after Shinji, immediately asking if Hiyori is alright, he then notices a hollowfied Kensei and is greatly surprised at his current state. He immediately asks what is going on, to which Rose denotes that while the reiatsu is clearly similar to Kensei's he has a hollow mask and he wonders if he is a hollow. Shinji states that he doesn't know if it's Kensei but that if they don't draw their swords they are as good as dead. Love goes to attack the Hollowfied Kensei but is caught off guard by his speed as he easily appears behind him. Kensei hits him with a powerful punch that produces a lot of smoke in it's wake, which attracts the attention of Rose and Lisa. Though when Kensei goes for a second attack Love blocks it with his sword. As the smoke clears Love has managed to withstand the attack despite a significant part of his garments being destroyed and him suffering some burns. Love calmly admits that he is strong therefore it's obviously Kensei. After Kensei and Mashiro Kuna are subdued thanks to the intervention of Hachigen Ushōda, Love and the others begin discussing what to do next when Hiyori attacks Shinji and reveals herself to be Hollowfied as well. Love asks what is going on but before he can act a darkness falls around the rescue squad and they are attacked by an unseen assailant.

The assailant is then found to be Tōsen, Mugurama's 6th seat, who is acting under the orders of Sōsuke Aizen who is the one behind the disappearances and Hollowfication experiments. Just as Aizen gives the order to kill the Hollowfied Shinigami Kisuke Urahara and Tessai show up and save them from destruction. Aizen, Gin and Tōsen make there escape and Tessai uses Forbidden Kidō to preserve and transport them to the 12th Division barracks. In his lab, Urahara tries to reverse the process using his created item, the "Hōgyoku". Unfortunately, it ends up as a failed process, not having the desired effect Urahara expected.

The next day, Urahara and Tessai are arrested under the orders of the Central 46 Chambers. The Hollowfied Shinigami are sentenced to execution as hollows. But before any of their sentences could be executed, both are rescued by Yoruichi Shihōin, who bring them to a secret underground area.

In the secluded area, she had also brought Hachi and the other Hollowfied Shinigami, along with the prototype for the new Gigai that Urahara was working on. With that epiphany, Urahara resolves to make ten Reiatsu-blocking Gigai to aid him, Tessai, and the eight victims escape to the real world, where they would find a way to undo the Hollowfication process.

Arrancar arc
Love first appears when Ichigo Kurosaki arrives at the Vizard's warehouse, planning to "use" them to help him control his inner Hollow. Love is laying back relaxing while listening to music as Ichigo and Hiyori fight. He is alerted when Ichigo's inner hollow takes over and attack's Hiyori. He witnesses Ichigo's inner Hollow nearly choking Hiyori to death, he, as well as the other Vizards, quickly restrain Ichigo before he can kill her.

While Ichigo is training on his own, the other Vizard are sitting around. Rose asks Love if he has heard the new 'Prince of Darkness' CD that has just come out? To which he asks Rose if he has read this weeks new Shonen Jump? Love laughs at how great it is. He later talks with Mashiro about the antagonism forming between Ichigo and Hiyori, noting that he figured Ichigo would have been tired of her a lot sooner.

Love later carries an unconscious Ichigo down into his underground training area. Love waits with the other Vizard while Ichigo's inner hollow emerges to take control over his body. When Mashiro asks whether they should take away his Zanpakutō. Love states that it would be pointless as doing so would needlessly increase the radius of destruction.

Love is the third to battle the possessed body of Ichigo after Lisa and Kensei. He takes a a cut on his left shoulder and falls back, when the dust clears Love notes that Ichigo's appearance is that of a complete hollow and that the fight is going to be rough. Love witnesses as the hollow Ichigo prepares to fire a Cero, Lisa yells to Love that its a Cero to which he yells back that he is aware of it. He then prepares to don his Hollow Mask, Mashiro asks if he is going to Hollowify, to which Rose states that of course he will as not even Love can defend against that Reiatsu without Hollowfying. But Love as well as the other Vizard realize that Ichigo's hollow form becomes more unstable. Hiyori yells at Hachi to open the barrier and get Love out.

When Hachi becomes alerted when he detects someone has slipped inside his barrier, the other Vizard are surprised at the possibility and Love questions whether it is a Shinigami. Hachi explains that the "Hachigyō Sōgai" he erected was something of his own design that he came up with after becoming a Vizard, and that there is no way it can be undone by Shinigami Kidō. Orihime Inoue shows up and is revealed to Hachi and the other Vizard to be the culprit, they are shown to be quite shocked to see that a simple human could perform such a feat.

Shortly after Orihime Inoue leaves after having a conversation with Ichigo, Love makes a statement to Hachi, noting that his barriers are perfect and that there is no doubt about that. But he then poses a question to Hachi "How did that Orihime girl find our hideout and once more, how did she even get inside?". Hachi states he is not sure but from the impression he got from examining her reiatsu up close it felt that she has barrier abilities similar to his own. He deduces that's how she came about being able to find the warehouse and slipping inside but he finds that her being a human with those abilities is a little hard to believe.

Love is later seen leaving the warehouse with the other Vizard to fight in the upcoming conflict.

Fake Karakura Town arc
He is then seen with the rest of the Vizard arriving at the fake Karakura Town, intercepting Aizen, Gin, and Tōsen's release from Yamamoto's fire prison. When Shinji asks his fellow Vizard if they have anyone in the Gotei 13 whom they want to speak to, Love states that he doesn't care. When Shinji returns from speaking to Captain-Commander Yamamoto, Love asks him if he is done talking. Shinji responds that he hasn't but there was no point in wasting time on the Captain-Commander, as the enemy is growing impatient. Then the huge hollow creature spews forth a large horde of Gillian-class Menos from its mouth, Love is among the Vizard when they put on their masks to prepare for battle.

Love stands ready for battle as the other Vizard draw their Zanpakutō and attack the Gillian. Love shows his great strength when he puts his bare hands right through the mask of one of the Gillian and rips the hollow in two.

When Rose starts to go on about the spiritual bond between those coming together to fight against a common enemy is not a bad habit but one based on instinct possessed by all living creatures. But before he can finish his speech Love smacks him in the back of the head, when he asks why Love did that. Love responds that the discussion is over and that Rose should quit posturing and concentrate on what is going on. They both stand and look at Coyote Starrk, with Love commenting on how he looks strong. Starrk then asks if they are sure that they want to take off their masks. To which Love smirks and says that they are Superheroes, so they only last 3 minutes.

Apparently, shortly after Baraggan Luisenbarn's death, the battle between Love, Rose and Starrk became more devastating causing Rose to crash into a building below. Love lands on the rubble of the building and tells Rose to get out up out of the rubble, stating that Hachi beat Baraggan. Rose pops a hand out prompting Love to pull him out by his hair, complaining at what a pain Rose is and how he must do everything. Rose states that getting out of the rubble is an art, to which Love responds how about not getting under the rubble in the first place. Rose then comments oh how Hachi beat Baraggan even though Baraggan seemed strong. Love agrees stating how he wished he was able to finish Starrk off first. Rose asks why and Love responds that after someone dies it becomes a battle for revenge. Rose responds that it doesn't look like Starrk is the type, Love then explains the reasoning behind battle for revenge and the consequences of battle as it happens. Love then moves to attack Starrk releasing his Shikai.

Starrk fires a volley of ceros from his gun, but Love's Shikai blocks and dissipates them, prompting Love to say that it wont work. He then proceeds to try to crush Starrk, but Starrk moves only to be knocked out of the air by Loves attack, causing him to crash into the building below. Love tells himself that it seems as though Starrk's responses have dulled so he must be shaken by Baraggan's death. While Starrk is laying around Rose asks Love if he got him, but Love contends that he really didn't and Starrk is just not moving. He figures that Starrk may be plotting something and that they should take a look. Rose states they should wait until the smoke clears and goes further stating that he can't believe he lost the chance at a second strike because of his own attack. Love tells him to shut up as he hasn't lost yet. Love then goes one on one with Starrk asking the Espada what took him so long, was he grieving? Starrk responds that it was something like that and they further their distance from one another. Love says he's surprised as he thought Hollows had no hearts to which Starrk states that he's one to talk with that mask he has he looks like a hollow himself. Love then dons his mask, he then uses his Shikai special ability only for Starrk to escape the attack. Love is confused as to where the Espada got to and Rose points out that he's up above him. Love looks up to see Starrk with a large pack of wolves.

Following Starrk ordering his wolf pack to attack, Love trying to beat them away with his club while also using his mask. Upon seeing Rose's whip go through the wolves he comments that the wolves are like flames. When one of the wolves explode near him, he deduces that the wolves are in fact Cero-based and tells Rose not to let them explode in close combat. However, just as he says this a wolf appears behind him and explodes. As he and Rose are trying to recover their breath Starrk informs him that the wolves are fragments of his and Lilynette's soul and that just Cero could not have severely injured people as strong as them. Love then rejects Starrk's offer of retreat. . He is next seen staring in shock as Starrk is attacked from behind. He is last seen looked stunned as Kyōraku rises form the shadows to reveal that it was he who had attacked Starrk.

After the battles ends with Starrk's death, he is approached by Love and Rose and the former sarcastically thanks him and states that Kyōraku has not changed and still interferes in other people's battles and accuses him of having no style. Kyōraku tells Love that only underlings get caught up in matters of style and lose the battles and that captains do not have such indulgences. Love is last seen reacting to the Aizen's taunts but was told by Shinji not to be provoked.

Powers & Abilities
Master Swordsmanship Specialist: As a former captain, Love is no doubt quite skilled in swordsmanship. He faces off against a Hollowfied Kensei one on one, without releasing. He even managed to block an spiritually charged attack from Kensei with his unreleased blade.

Flash Steps Expert: His Shunpo is fast enough to keep up with the other captains when they were rushing to the scene of the conflict, albeit he seems slower than Shinji.

Enhanced Strength: As shown from the sheer size and obvious weight of his released Zanpakutō, it is clear Love has considerable physical strength.

Enhanced Durability: When Love was brutally attacked by a Hollowfied Kensei, with a spiritually charged attack at point blank range, Love sustained only minor injuries and kept on fighting with no signs of faltering.

Immense Spiritual Power: As a captain, he possessed a great-level of spiritual power. Being a Vizard Love possesses a dual type spiritual energy, part Shinigami and part Hollow.

Highly-Perceptive Combatant: During his fight with Coyote Starrk the 1st Espada, Love has shown to be very intuitive and can predict the actions an opponent may make and how to counter them.

Zanpakutō

 * In its sealed form, Tengumaru is an average katana with a white hilt-wrapping and heart-shaped tsuba (befitting his name). After becoming a Vizard, he carries it by a tōju over his shoulder.


 * Shikai: His release command is . Tengumaru transforms into a large kanabō, roughly twice the height of Love himself. It is also very sturdy, as shown when it blocks, and even appears to dispel, Starrk's Cero.


 * Shikai Special Ability: Tengumaru possesses the ability to manipulate fire.
 * Love swings Tengumaru downwards and fire blows out from the tip of Tengumaru. The resulting blast is strong enough to cave in buildings near the center of the impact. However, it is currently unknown what effect this technique has when it strikes the opponent, since Starrk evaded the attack.


 * Bankai: Not Yet Revealed

Hollowfication
Hollow Mask: His hollow mask takes the form of a traditional Japanese Oni mask.


 * Power Augmentation: While wearing the mask, Love's Hollow powers supplement his Shinigami powers, giving him a vast increase in both strength and durability.


 * Enhanced Strength: Love has displayed that usage of his mask grants him brutal physical strength; an example of this is when he ripped a Gillian-class Hollow in half, straight down the middle, using only his bare hands.


 * Enhanced Durability: Love naturally possesses considerable durability, but it appears he must still Hollowfy to effectively counter an attack like a Cero. According to Love, his and Rose's mask time limit is 3 minutes, which he jokingly says is because they are 'superheroes'.

Trivia

 * He shares his seiyū with the current captain of the 7th Division, Sajin Komamura.
 * When Aikawa says "We're superheroes. They only last 3 minutes", he references Ultraman.
 * Love appears to have an Oni-theme to his abilities. His Shikai is a kanabo, a traditional mythological weapon for Oni in Japanese myths, and his Hollow mask looks like the face of an Oni.
 * Because Love wears bright grey coloured sunglasses, his eyes are usually never seen because of the light reflects on the lenses. However, the lenses have been shown to be transparent when he wears his Hollow Mask, as well as when it starts to disappear after being used. This is probably the author's choice to show Love's eyes in some scenes, like shown on a colour page with all the Vizard.
 * "At one point, Love quotes from a manga "you're already dead...haven't you noticed you're a walking dead-man..." Love refers to this a "deep shit" as the character informs someone else of their own death in the middle of combat when they didn't know it themselves. This is cruel irony, as Sosuke Aizen later says something to the same effect to the Vizard to provoke them. "

Quotes

 * (To Starrk referring to their masks) "We're superheroes. So, they only last 3 minutes."
 * (After Rose complains about his hair) "Oh yeah? Well, next time how about practicing the art of not getting caught in the rubble in the first place."
 * (Regarding Hacchi) "...Hacchi really did it. That guy seemed pretty strong, too. I wish we'd been able to finish this guy off first, though."
 * (Regarding Starrk's non-avenging personality) "That's what makes him so scary. But no one can remain unaffected by the death of an ally. If he's shaken, you use that opening. If he's angry, you turn that back on him. Either way... He who makes the first move will be the victor!"
 * "I'm surprised! I thought you Hollows had no hearts!"

Navigation
Love Aikawa Love Aikawa