Mayuri Kurotsuchi

"Researcher with killing intent." - Tite Kubo

is the captain of the 12th Division in the Gotei 13 and 2nd president of the Shinigami Research Institute. His lieutenant is Nemu Kurotsuchi, his artificially-created "daughter".

Appearance
Mayuri's appearance has a skeletal-like look to it with a skull-like visage. His face is painted entirely white with the inner portion of his face painted black with the exception of his nose. His eyes are a golden color and he constantly bares his teeth giving the appearance of him constantly smiling. Both his ears are seemingly replaced with stubbed golden cones. His fingernails are blue and, with the exception of the fingernail on his right middle finger, are all short. The one long fingernail is as long as the finger itself. He also wears a white hat with two ends that point to his right and a large purple scarf around his neck. His whole body, even his face and hands, has been painted black and white. He repaints his make-up every morning, as he always removes it before going to bed.

Without his makeup, Mayuri has blue hair and honey gold eyes. He has small, slatted portcullises with multiple earrings in place of where his ears would be, and his body is covered in scars.

Upon entering Hueco Mundo, Mayuri reveals a new look: his face paint had changed with him creating a black cross upon the center of his face covering everything but his nose and a small portion of his lower chin. His ear attachments have become shorter and rounder but wider, his chin has a long golden attachment reminiscent of an Egyptian Pharaoh beard, his teeth have become a golden color, and he no longer wears a hat as there is a golden frame around his face. His hair is also styled into "horns," that slope down from the top of his head and frame his face, which when viewed from the front looks much like a Pharaoh's crown.

17 months after Aizen's defeat, Mayuri displays another new look. The black face paint covers much of his face, leaving thin white lines going up his face and a white nose. He wears a long, golden headdress which curves back to his mid back. Underneath his chin are two opposite facing strands from the mask. On the backside of the headdress the Twelfth Division symbol is painted.

Following the first invasion by the Wandenreich, Mayuri dons a bright white overcoat with many ridges on the front. The overcoat also has a hood that has many protrusions that give the appearance of a sun. The shoes he wears has changed to be a plain white pair with the shoes splitting into opposite points at the toe.

110 years ago, Mayuri's appearance was similar to his current appearances, but with minimal details. He was still largely painted white except for the black paint which was arranged around his eyes like a large domino mask. He had gold cones covering his ears and blue hair combed back on the top of his head.

Personality
Mayuri Kurotsuchi is a researcher and personifies the stereotype of the mad scientist. By his early actions during the Ryoka Invasion, he is displayed as sadistic and cruel. He sees everyone and everything not as a living being, but as an object to be researched—including himself. He has little respect or regard for most others, and was even willing to turn his own men (who were not aware of his plans) into living bombs in an attempt to capture Uryū Ishida and Orihime Inoue for experimentation. He also withheld vital information about the Bounts from the other Shinigami in order to capture one as a research subject for himself. However, while he usually shows disregard for life, he has been known to warn people of possible dangers when they present themselves. As a scientist, Mayuri despises perfection, as he believes that achieving such a state leaves him with absolutely nothing more to strive for — namely imagination, knowledge and improvements — which would result in nothing but despair; because of this, he derided Szayelaporro Granz for claiming to be a "perfect life form".

It is known that Mayuri's favorite food is pike fish, and that he does not like onion. One of his free-time activities is reading every character published in Seireitei Communication. He himself publishes a serialization in the journal, titled "Effective Medication for the Brain", which apparently contains detailed instructions on preparation of medicine and their application. Surprisingly, it is highly popular among the readers.

In battle, Mayuri likes to toy with his opponent, torturing them little by little until they can hardly stand. This was shown in both the fight with Uryū and his Espada counterpart Szayelaporro. Every time he fights he uses it as an experiment testing himself and his opponent little by little. He also uses it as an opportunity to implant microbes or other things in case they get away. Before engaging, though, he will make extensive research on his possible opponents to tilt the chance of winning in his favor. It is seen that, before the Winter War, he is busy reading in the library with a note on the door saying, "Enter and Die." He's shown to be doing this every time before he fights, against both the Bounts and the Espada.

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

Arrancar arc
Mayuri is seen when Yamamoto calls him alongside the other Gotei 13 captains for an emergency meeting.

The New Captain Shūsuke Amagai arc (anime only)
Note: Events occurring in this arc are only in the anime and do not constitute canon material.

Hueco Mundo arc
Mayuri later appears in Hueco Mundo to assist Renji Abarai and Uryū Ishida in dealing with Szayelaporro Granz alongside his lieutenant, Nemu.

Szayelaporro attempts to use his Resurrección's voodoo ability and, at first, seemed to have easily beaten Mayuri. Suddenly, Mayuri stands up and taunts Szayelaporro which causes the Espada to continue to destroy organs, but this time it has no effect. As it turns out, Mayuri had taken precautions against this ability by implanting himself with fake organs, having studied the technique beforehand using data from bacteria he implanted within Uryū during their last battle (much to Uryū's annoyance). Szayelaporro then takes Nemu captive, but Mayuri releases his Bankai and devours Szayelaporro with it. Szayelaporro uses the rebirth power of his Resurrección to recreate himself inside Nemu, but in doing so is affected by chemicals contained inside Nemu's body. Mayuri is highly intrigued by this new power, and requests to see what other powers his opponent has. To give him what he asked for, Szayelaporro uses his possession ability to control Mayuri's Bankai, but Mayuri already had countermeasures set in place for just that possibility; his Bankai self-destructs, reverting to its sealed state.

Mayuri, disappointed at Szayelaporro's lack of any further abilities, explains that by recreating himself inside Nemu, Szayelaporro is now dosed with a sense-enhancing chemical that he instantly names a 'superhuman drug', as it were. The drug increases Szayelaporro's senses to the point that his body falls grossly behind and cannot move, paralyzing him as seconds become centuries. Mayuri then berates Szayelaporro for his statement as a scientist that he was the perfect being. He then proceeds to pierce Szayelaporro's hand and continues to slowly thrust his Zanpakutō through to Szayelaporro's heart, wishing him a pleasant eternity, before breaking off the blade as the ultimate torture for Szayelaporro and also as punishment for his Zanpakutō striking at its master.

After searching for Szayelaporro's laboratory throughout the rubble, he realizes that he cannot ask Nemu for help. Musing that she is such a "pain in the ass", he revives Nemu with rather odd and possibly very explicit means and has her dig out Szayelaporro's laboratory, within which are a pair of bodies suspended from the ceiling. After this he continues to heal Uryū and Renji, the latter being healed first so he could go and help in the other concurrent fights. Once he is finished healing Uryū, he gives him an anti-Arrancar mine that he invented.

Fake Karakura Town arc
When Byakuya Kuchiki tells Ichigo Kurosaki to go back to Karakura Town, Ichigo complains that he could not get back that easily on his own, and that Kisuke Urahara was not there to open the Garganta. Mayuri then suddenly appears behind the group with Nemu pushing a loaded wagon behind him and complains about the fact that Ichigo is constantly fixated on Urahara. He then notes how Ichigo used no honorifics to address him, but muses about the fact that he was better than Byakuya and Kenpachi, whom Ichigo would only address using their given names.

Byakuya takes notice of his unusually lenient mood and asks if it has something to do with the wagon behind him. Mayuri confirms this and tells him that he is in a good mood because, not only has he found some "spoils of war", but at the same place he was also able to analyze the structure of the Garganta. When Ichigo questions his statement, Mayuri begins to rant about what he had learned and orders Nemu to make preparations to send the substitute Shinigami to the Human world. When Ichigo further complains, Mayuri explains to Ichigo that this process was an experiment, and that Ichigo is "Test Subject Number 1" and therefore, he has no right to refuse or to accept.

Retsu Unohana then arrives and says she'll accompany Ichigo back. Mayuri is surprised that she'd offer to be a test subject too, but she smiles and says that she has faith in him and that she believes the experiment will be a success. Besides that, if Mayuri failed to make a Garganta, even after analyzing information found in Hueco Mundo, then Urahara would laugh at him. Mayuri reminds her that he could close the Garganta during the transfer, which she merely acknowledges as being true. Unohana only says that she expects no less. He then opens the Garganta to let both Ichigo and Unohana through. Before Ichigo leaves with Unohana, Ichigo tells Mayuri how he is similar to Kisuke, which infuriates him. After Ichigo leaves, Mayuri comments to himself how fascinating Ichigo is and how he will formulate a plan to torment Ichigo. Byakuya then asks Mayuri why he didn't go to the Human World as well. Mayuri merely replies that there are multiple more interesting specimens in Hueco Mundo and will simply use the Garganta after the war to study the Living World more. Byakuya then suggests that Mayuri has faith in Ichigo's abilities to end the war.

Mayuri oversees the checking of the pillars to determine if they are all free of anomalies. As check is completed he initiates the activation of the world shifting bond posts. He is interrupted by one of his subordinates who tells him that he needs to wait as there are Shinigami in the town and a material world transfer without the aid of a Senkai gate is dangerous. Mayuri decides that he will give them time and count to ten as his subordinate calls for every Shinigami to get out of town before they are killed. Later, Mayuri begins doing regular research in Hueco Mundo.

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

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

Gotei 13 Invading Army arc (anime only)
Note: Events occurring in this arc are only in the anime and do not constitute canon material.

The Lost Substitute Shinigami arc
Mayuri is one of two captains who didn't come to the meeting at First Division barracks.

Inventions
As a leading researcher in Soul Society, Mayuri has developed a number of unique items. The notable ones are below:


 * Mayuri has developed biological bombs that he has implanted into the bodies of his own subordinates without their knowledge. By using a remote detonator he can set off the bombs which use every biological portion of the body causing devastating explosions that can seriously damage the surrounding area.


 * Mayuri has also developed a "regenerative serum," which can regrow limbs upon injection, and looks like some sort of green chemical. He used it to regenerate his arm when he fired it off as a grappling hook, and complained about the side-effects of pain that the serum caused. It can also be used to heal less severe injuries, as seen with Uryū and Renji.


 * Gigai Specialization: However, one major invention is present, which is Mayuri's lieutenant and so-called "daughter," Nemu Kurotsuchi, who is the ultimate result of his Gigai and Modified Soul research. The fact that Nemu can survive toxic poisons, a pierced lung, and having all of her nutrients robbed from her, is a testament to Mayuri's own skill in Gigai creation and modification.


 * Bount Sensor: He has created a simple Bount sensor. Though not as powerful as Urahara's equivalent mod soul versions, it is far more effective once properly calibrated.


 * Zanpakutō Repair and Modification: Mayuri offers a catalogue of Zanpakutō related services that include repair and gender reassignment.


 * He also implants opponents that escape from battle with data-gathering bacteria so as to monitor them afterwards, as was the case with Uryū during their fight. This was how he was able to counter Szayelaporro's Teatro de Titere: using the information gleaned from the bacteria he had implanted within Uryū, Mayuri was able to quickly conceive and carry out an operation to safeguard himself and his lieutenant beforehand.


 * Fake Karakura Town: One of his greatest achievements is the creation of an exact replica of Karakura Town, as he and his division are the ones responsible for its creation.


 * Mayuri has manufactured a "superhuman drug" that can slow down a person's perception of time. The drug is kept in a blue bottle by him, but also inside Nemu's body. It is able to make one second seem like 100 years for the unfortunate victim to whom it is administered. An undiluted dose of the drug causes the senses to speed up trillions of times while the relatively "slow" body fails to keep up, resulting in paralysis; on the other hand, it is implied that a diluted dose of the drug can greatly enhance the user's reaction speed. He even stated that a single droplet would have to be diluted 250,000 times to be suitable for use.


 * After rescuing Uryū from Szayelaporro, he gives Uryū a landmine he designed which is meant to be effective against Arrancar. Once its sensors pick up an Arrancar's Reiatsu, it detonates violently. Uryū subsequently used it on the Espada Yammy Llargo, with the effect of critically injuring the Arrancar in his sealed state; the explosion was very powerful.


 * Garganta: The technique used by Hollows to move to and from Hueco Mundo. 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. Mayuri recently learned how to use this ability after researching within Las Noches.


 * Thought Inhibitor Drug: Mayuri concocts a special drug which can stop thought processes from occurring within the brain. Stored in a purple vial, it can be injected into an individual via Mayuri's Zanpakutō. This drug restricts the individual's control over all motor functions, as is the case when Kagerōza Inaba is rendered unable to evade a simple attack from Mayuri. It also can cause the individual's emotions to go out of control. This drug causes the affected individual's eyes to glow with a purple tint.

Powers & Abilities


Genius Intellect: Mayuri Kurotsuchi is the most intelligent, scientific, and inventive mind in Soul Society.


 * Master Scientist/Inventor: As the head of the Shinigami Research Institute, Mayuri is a talented inventor and scientist, having created a number of devices and techniques to aid him in battle.


 * Master Chemist: Being the current head of the Research and Development Institute, Mayuri is an adept chemist.


 * Master Strategist: Mayuri has a talent for being well prepared. He takes many precautions before engaging in personal combat with an adversary, usually studying them through his various methods. He always has a contingency plan if something doesn't work out the way he expects.

Body Modification Expert: Mayuri has done extensive research on modifying bodies, and he has upgraded a variety of his own body parts to function as weapons and provide him with useful abilities.


 * : When Mayuri stabs himself with his Zanpakutō while in its sealed state, it shifts him into a liquid form. Doing so doesn't kill him, as it is a last resort technique, but instead simply leaves him unable to attack or be attacked, making it an effective escape tool. He can move around and speak in this form. He reforms after a few days, but without any of his previous body modifications. This ability is a result of the extensive amount of experimentation he has performed on himself.


 * : His left arm can extend out like a grappling hook. When the arm is attacked it explodes on impact, but with his regenerative serum, this is not a problem (though it does cause him serious pain).


 * Hidden Kusarigama: He is able to pull part of his ear out to form a scythe, attached to a rope-like ligament, for use as a kusarigama. It is easily as sharp as a standard Zanpakutō, and he is quite skilled in its use.


 * : Another one of Mayuri's abilities, likely achieved scientifically, is his ability to meld with the color and texture of the environment. He used it while attempting to track the Ryoka in Soul Society. When he reveals himself, the topical camouflage flakes away.


 * Organ Replacement Surgery: Most impressively, he has demonstrated the ability to replace functional internal organs with false ones, a feat he performs on himself and his lieutenant to safeguard them from injury. This particular operation is conceived of and carried out in the span of less than an hour.


 * Tracking Expert: He has stated that he merely needs a strand of a person's hair to find them. By using a simple chemical process, he can discern the location of the person in question, using their DNA as a reference.

Expert Swordsman: While not as proficient in swordsmanship as some other captains, Mayuri is skilled enough to hold his own in a fight. His expertise with his Zanpakutō lies in his effective use of its abilities while in either Shikai or Bankai, rather than his swordsmanship skill. He relies on those abilities, or his pre-planned strategies, rather than actually engaging in melee combat with his opponent. Mayuri seems to be ambidextrous, as he wields his Zanpakutō in his right hand and his scythe-ear in his left (often simultaneously). During the Bount Invasion, he briefly wields his Zanpakutō left-handed as well.

Kidō Expert: According to Shunsui Kyōraku, Mayuri is one of the most proficient Kidō users in Soul Society. He can release a destructive form of Kidō silently from the palms of his hands, blasting holes through walls.

Shunpo Expert: Mayuri was shown easily outmaneuvering Uryū Ishida's use of the Quincy Hirenkyaku technique to set up a surprise attack. Mayuri points out that Shunpo can counter Hirenkyaku but that it's very tiring for him. He was not fast enough to outmaneuver with Uryū when he entered the Quincy: Letzt Stil, making him at least an expert in the technique.

Great Spiritual Power: As the captain of the 12th Division, Mayuri boasts a great amount of spiritual power. He is noted to having amazing spiritual pressure that comes in waves. His Reiatsu is pink.

Enhanced Endurance: Mayuri has a high tolerance towards pain and damage. In his fight against Uryū Ishida, he survived having almost half of his body blown off.

Zanpakutō
Ashisogi Jizō redirects here. For the manifested spirit that appears in the Zanpakutō Unknown Tales arc and the Beast Swords arc see Ashisogi Jizō (Zanpakutō spirit).


 * Mayuri's Zanpakutō's guard is wrapped in cloth, and has several spiky protrusions sticking out right below the blade, which appear to resemble leaves. The hilt is pink. Unlike most Shinigami, his Zanpakutō's sheath hangs directly in front of him, instead of to his side as they are commonly worn, through a visibly modified hook on the end of the hilt of Ashisogi Jizō.


 * Shikai: Ashisogi Jizō's Shikai command is . Ashisogi Jizō's blade glows and transforms into a deformed trident with curved, serpentine blades. The middle blade is straighter and longer than the side blades, and appears to ascend from the guard, which is shaped like a baby's head with hands clasped in prayer (as Ksitigarbha is depicted), all mounted on his sword's normal hilt, which has more ornate spiky protrusions on either side, which resemble golden leaves right below the guard. The baby's mouth secretes a poisonous vapor in this form at various intervals.


 * Shikai Special Ability: The weapon works like the venom of a spider bite; when an opponent is stabbed by Ashisogi Jizō, it severs the brain signals controlling the neural impulses for movement in the limbs of the victim, regardless of where they were struck. But, unlike regular paralysis, the pain receptors and nerve endings are unaffected by the weapon, so the victim can still feel pain, even in a paralyzed limb. Healing the stab wound does not immediately remove the inflicted paralysis.


 * Bankai: : The baby's head on the guard opens its mouth as it produces a giant creature with the body of a caterpillar in a red cape, with a grotesque golden baby's head and arms, and a silver halo hovering around its head. Near the back of the halo are 4 bells, 2 on each side. While in this form, his Zanpakutō returns to its sealed state. It emits its own red Reiatsu upon release. In this state, the creature seems to follows Mayuri's verbal commands. While using his Bankai, Mayuri's Reiatsu turns red.


 * Bankai Special Ability: The creature breathes a poisonous derivative of Mayuri's blood, which is lethal to anyone who breathes it, aside from Mayuri and Nemu. The poison spreads through a very wide area, and it is almost impossible to avoid. Konjiki Ashisogi Jizō's poison is very potent, as Szayelaporro's body started to break down immediately after it was introduced. The poison has an antidote, which Nemu keeps behind her lieutenant's badge, and which Mayuri keeps on his person. Mayuri can change the composition of the poison as well, ensuring that no foolproof antidote can ever be manufactured to cure it, and no immunity is developed against it. Even if the opponent does not breathe, the poison will still enter their body. So far, the only way to remain unaffected by the poison is to repel it with a sufficient amount of Reiatsu. Anyone within the vicinity of the person repelling the poison will also be unaffected.


 * Retractable Blades: Konjiki Ashisogi Jizō can produce numerous blades which extend from its chest, allowing it to run through and skewer opponents. This, when used simultaneously with its poison, makes Konjiki Ashisogi Jizō particularly lethal to anyone that cannot keep a safe distance, which is in turn difficult due to its immense size. In addition to creating blades, it can also apparently devour an opponent after it charges into them, killing them. (Unnamed)


 * Self-Destruct Protocol: Mayuri has also physically modified Konjiki Ashisogi Jizō itself so it will self-destruct and return to its sealed state if it attacks him. (Unnamed)

Appearance in other media
Mayuri appears in most Bleach games, such newer games like Bleach: Versus Crusade and Bleach: Heat the Soul 7 have him playable in his Hueco Mundo appearance. Some games also have him with Nemu as an assist character.

He is seen in Bleach: The Diamond Dust Rebellion and Bleach: Fade to Black, experimenting as usual. He also has a Bleach Beat Collection, "Not Perfect is Good".

Trivia

 * Mayuri runs a cosmetic surgery clinic called.
 * Kurotsuchi's last name is one of the few Shinigami names in Bleach which uses kanji based on the meaning of the name and not the sound. "Kurotsuchi" means "black soil" (kuro - black; tsuchi - soil), as does the kanji (涅). However, the kanji's reading (pronunciation) is "ne" or "so".
 * Tite Kubo has stated in an interview that Mayuri is his favorite character to draw.
 * Mayuri came 28th place in the third Popularity poll and 48th place on the fourth.
 * In the Bleach best bout poll Mayuri's fight with Uryū came in eighth place.
 * According to the Bleach: Official Character Book SOULs, Mayuri's Zanpakutō has the ability to turn whatever it cuts to liquid. However, this has yet to be shown in the manga or the anime.
 * In its manga debut, Konjiki Ashisogi Jizō appeared to be wielding a sword. However any time Mayuri has subsequently activated it, the sword has been missing.
 * He writes a surprisingly popular serial article for the Seireitei Communication titled which has information about the practical uses of medicine as well as detailed reports about nearly every experiment he undertakes.
 * The term Jizō is part of the Japanese name for the bodhisattva, Ksitigarbha.

Quotes

 * (To Nemu Kurotsuchi) "Be quiet. You too, Nemu. Do you want me to cut you up again?"


 * (To Orihime Inoue) "If you work for me, I'll treat you well. In case you are worried, I am really gentle with female subjects. How about this? I'll give you top class special treatment. I'll only drug you eight times a day and only four hours of machine operations a day. You will eat with your mouth and when you sleep, I'll give you clothes. And I'll stay away from any life-threatening operations if I operate on you. How about it? This is a special offer that I've never offered to any test subject before."


 * (To Uryū Ishida) "Ooh, a Quincy. They are a rare breed. I haven't seen a live one for many years. However, I'm sorry, but I've already finished studying your kind. I have absolutely no interest in you."


 * (To Uryū Ishida) "Having you running around is a little inconvenient for me. Even though we have Shunpo to counter it, it's very tiring. After this I have to find that girl and study her. I'll be busy. You're not worth the effort, so I'll use the fastest and easiest way to kill you."


 * (To Uryū Ishida) "A man's scream is really lacking in comparison to a woman's. It's nowhere as lustful. Rather, it's unbearably annoying."


 * (About his Zanpakutō) "My, my. The tool defying its own master. Did it really think it would get away with that? It was designed such that if it were ever to bite at me, then it would instantly self-destruct."


 * (To Szayelaporro Granz) "There is nothing in this world that is truly "perfect". Though it may be a rather large cliche, it is still the truth. It is the ordinary people who look up to "perfection" as an ideal and seek after it. But in truth, what is this idea of "perfection" truly worth? Nothing. Not a single thing. I detest "perfection". To be "perfect" is to be unable to improve any further. There would be no scope for "creation", not a single gap in one's knowledge or one's ability. Do you see now? To true scientists like you and I, "Perfection" is tantamount to "despair". We aspire to reach greater levels of brilliance than ever before, but never, NEVER, to reach perfection. That is the paradox through which we scientists must struggle. Indeed, it is our duty to find pleasure in that struggle. In other words, the second you allowed yourself to spout a ridiculous word like "perfect", in truth, you had already been defeated. That is if you wish to be treated as a scientist."


 * (To Ichigo Kurosaki) "Oh, do be quiet. I have no need for chatter from my test subjects. This is an experiment. You are Subject #1. The rights of refusal or acceptance are out of your hands!"


 * (To Ichigo Kurosaki) "I see. How interesting. You are an intriguing one indeed, Ichigo Kurosaki! I had thought that it might be entertaining to close the Garganta around you, but I think I shall not! Once this battle is over, I will be sure to subject you to the very depths of terror. The kind of terror that will make you look back upon this battle as a happy and pleasant memory!"


 * (To Byakuya Kuchiki when asked why he is still in Hueco Mundo) "It is simple. The number of interesting corpses for me to analyse merely happens to be greater here than in the human world at this point in time. That is the only reason. Once the battle in the human world has finished, I do not doubt that the others will open a Garganta of their own accord. At that point, I will return to the Human World, locate the remains of those who have died there, and examine them one by one at my own precious pace!"

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