Coyote Starrk

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

Appearance
Starrk 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, except Lilynette, appears to try and stop him from doing. In fact, he rarely directly addresses any Arrancar other than Lilynette, his other half. 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 battle of 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.

He initially does not seem to care a great deal for his fellows, showing no visible signs of distress or concern. 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 Bankai, he only asks Kyōraku if all the captains' Bankai are so powerful. However, this indifferent attitude seems to be dispelled with Barragan's death. Starrk comments that it's horrible that Aizen doesn't spare even a word for Barragan. Starrk himself is notably affected by this turn of events, being drained of his motivation to fight and slowing his reflexes enough to get hit by an attack from Love. After arguing with Lilynette for a while, he restates that he's not the type for revenge, but his desire to not see any more comrades die proves to be enough motivation for him to keep fighting. Starrk seems to be opposed to the notion of killing people, not only reacting deeply to Barragan Luisenbarn's death, but also offering Love Aikawa and Rōjūrō Otoribashi a chance to run away instead of having him finish them off.

In comparison to the other, more serious Espada members, however, Starrk 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, even though he does little to stop her actions. He can be serious on occasion, although his personality does not change much; he comes off as reluctant, but nonetheless willing 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.

History
Starrk tried to live with other Hollows, but just by being around him, they lost their souls and died. Because of this, he became jealous of the weak (as they are allowed to come together) and wanted to become weak. In an attempt to escape his loneliness he split his soul into two (himself and Lilynette). Starrk doesn't remember which of them they originally looked like before the split and suspects that perhaps their original appearance corresponds to neither of them. Even still, Starrk wanted to become weak so he could join a pack and if that was not possible, he wanted to find someone as strong as him.

When he split his soul, he asked the newly formed Lilynette if she has a name. She tells him it and asks if he has a name, even though they are both the same person. He tells her and throws her a cloth to wrap herself up in, as she asks him what will they do now. He tells her that they can do anything. She asks where will they go and he says anywhere. He then asks that no matter what, they just stick together, forever.

Starrk and Lilynette were alone when he was first found by Aizen, who asked him if he had killed all the mountains of Hollows in the area. Starrk tells him no, that they just died. This impresses Aizen, who tells Starrk that he seems strong, and he then tells him that he is looking for allies. Starrk responds that they are as well, and asks Aizen if his allies are strong. Aizen tells him to come along and find out for himself. Starrk agrees to join him, noting that Aizen looks like he can stay with them without dying.

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 other half, Lilynette, crudely 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?"

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 Zaraki. 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 forces from the Gotei 13.

When Captain Commander 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 of the other Arrancar pair up against the Shinigami and begin to battle. He and Lilynette engage in battle with Captains Shunsui Kyōraku and Jūshirō Ukitake. 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. However, 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.

After watching Hitsugaya and Soifon's Bankai, he 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 split 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 that prompts Starrk to question if he used 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 absorption and reflection abilities of Ukitake's Zanpakutō; 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.

Suddenly, Wonderweiss arrives through an extremely large Garganta, interrupting the battle between Starrk and the captains, which surprises Starrk. Wonderweiss is accompanied by Fūrā. Wonderweiss quickly 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 at pointblank range. Both captains fall towards the ground and Starrk remarks that Wonderweiss's arrival means that Aizen has grown tired of waiting.

As the Vizards intervene with the fight, Starrk is now faced against Love Aikawa and Rōjūrō Otoribashi. As the two remove their masks, he asks them why they are doing so, only to hear that their masks are under a time limit. Following the death of Barragan, Starrk comments on how horrible it is that Aizen did not spare a single word at Barragan's death. He then turns toward Rose and Love but clarifies that it is not in their nature to avenge each other.

Following this declaration, Starrk becomes apathetic toward fighting, with Love noting that his movements have become sluggish. Love attributes this to Starrk being rattled by the death of Barragan. When Starrk takes a direct hit from Love's gigantic Shikai, he lies on the ground reluctant to get up. He claims that his opponents are strong and he just wants to go home and sleep, as continuing to fight will result in more deaths. However, Lilynette encourages him to turn the battle into one of revenge and tells him that if he doesn't want his friends to die then he has to fight. Starrk agrees and engages Love with renewed vigor. Starrk then calls forth a pack of wolves.

Starrk proceeds to order the wolves to attack, observing as Love and Rose fight them with little success. When Love claims that the wolves are Ceros, Starrk replies that this is not the case, and refers to them as parts of his and Lilynette's souls that he uses to attack. The wolves begin to overpower the two Vizards, and seeing this, Starrk claims that if they run away, he would not chase them. Love refuses, and Starrk remarks on this as he moves down to ground level, only to be attacked from behind by Shunsui, who emerges from the shadow, explaining the power of his Zanpakutō is to make child games real.

After a few clashes, Starrk easily understands Shunsui's power, and fights with him on par, until Shunsui uses, a game where one has to call out the color he wants to slash or the attack will not be very effective. After understanding the rules of the game, Starrk briefly gains the upper hand by calling out a color that harm both of them, and began musing why he had to fight someone so strong. He remembers how he was once jealous of the weak ones, remembering how everyone died around him, and for that reason, he split his soul so they would never be alone again. After a few more clashes, Shunsui suddenly throws his captain haori at Starrk and calls out the color black, maximizing the risk to himself and allowing him to do a finishing attack, slicing Starrk's body all the way through.

The area around Starrk's Hollow hole begins to crack and the wound brings out a torrent of blood that bursts from his chest. As he falls out the sky, Starrk remembers his first meeting with Aizen and apologizes for not being able to repay him for his help. He then recalls the other Espada and the creation of Lilynette, when he finally realizes his wasn't alone. He loses consciousness and dies as he falls to the ground, while Shunsui looks on expressionlessly.

Powers & Abilities
Starrk is the Primera (1st) Espada in Aizen's army, making him among the strongest Arrancar under Aizen's command.

Sonído Master: Starrk's skill and speed 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" solidly 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 was also easily able to surprise Jūshirō Ukitake by appearing next to him after dodging an attack faster than his own post-release Cero.

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

Cero: Starrk fires his Cero through his chest. As light-heartedly noted by Shunsui Kyōraku, unlike other Arrancar, he can apparently fire a Cero without a "fighting pose," not moving at all to charge it, or he can possibly fire one instantaneously, without any warning or having to charge and focus the energy for the Cero like other 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.

Vast 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. As a Hollow, he was apparently unintentionally killing other Hollows just by being near them.

Highly 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. He is also able to look at unfamiliar attacks and figure out the way they work just by viewing at least once.

Enhanced Hierro: In his Resurrección form, Starrk has proven himself to be highly resistant to both pain and injury; after taking a direct hit from Love Aikawa's immense Shikai, Tengumaru, and crashing into the town below, he was next shown lying practically unharmed amongst the rubble while uttering only a half-hearted "ow" in response to the attack.

Zanpakutō
Unlike all other known Arrancar, Starrk's immense power is not sealed in the form of a Zanpakutō, but is instead sealed in the form of another Arrancar; in this case, his own subordinate, Lilynette. He also wields a Zanpakutō, which takes the form of a normal katana. It sports 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 yellow color, and the sheath is a metallic-gold color.


 * Resurrección: Los Lobos' release command is . When released, he wields two ornamental guns, each of them the same length. 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 changing 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; his upper body is 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 gray elbow-length fur gloves that appears to end at his wrists. There are also what appears to be ribbon-covered bandoliers emerging from his upper back and disappearing into his upper forearms. With 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 1,000 of these Ceros at once. Starrk's true power, however, is his ability to split his soul into different beings, such as a pack of wolves for combat and even his own "fraccion" Lilynette.


 * 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. Starrk is able to fire multiple Ceros at the speed of a Bala technique. It is unknown, at this time, if his left pistol is capable of using this technique as well.


 * Wolves: In reference to the name of his Zanpakutō, Los Lobos, Starrk is able to summon a pack of wolves. The wolves are controlled verbally by Starrk and will chase down the enemy with the intent to cling via a bite. Upon biting the enemy or getting close enough, the wolves erupt in explosions of varying size and power. They're capable of being very destructive, as when one exploded, it destroyed a large area of Karakura town in a huge column of explosion which dwarfed the surrounding buildings. Starrk seems to be able to summon them without limit, thus overwhelming the enemy with their sheer numbers. These wolves are apparently pieces of both Starrk and Lilynette's soul that they are able to split apart and control in battle. Love Aikawa remarks that they are like flames, as they reform from any harm done to them (even if they are literally cut into pieces) to continue their attack without pause. It is also shown that the two bandoliers, originating from Starrk's upper back and leading into his forearms, are the source of the wolves. This ability also seems to put Lilynette in control of the body while Starrk controls the wolves (this is shown when Lilynette, in control of Starrk's body, said, "Let's go, Starrk."). This ability might also explain why Starrk's power's are sealed in Lilynette and why he split his soul into two bodies when he was turned into an Arrancar.


 * Swords: Starrk is able to summon spiritul energy swords from his bandoliers, which vaguely resemble the ordinary katana he wields in his sealed form. He used this to combat Kyōraku's dual-blade Shikai.

Second Being

 * 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. Lilynette and Starrk are, in fact, the same being. When Starrk became an arrancar, Lilynette was born as the physical form of his sealed power. 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) "You made me do this pain-in-the-ass release. So you'd better show me your Bankai."


 * (Referring to Wonderweiss) "If Wonderweiss is here, that means Aizen is sick of waiting."


 * "I said I'm not the type. I don't care anymore... it's not like Aizen's gonna save us... anyways... they're strong... It's obvious, so I just don't care anymore. If we keep fighting, someone else'll just die... It's obvious, so let's just go home and sleep."


 * "We are the Primera Espada, Coyote Starrk and Lilynette Gingerback, and this is our power."


 * (To Love Aikawa and Rōjūrō Otoribashi) "Game over. If you make a run for it, I won't chase you."


 * "I am alone... Why do I have to fight someone this strong? ... I was jealous of the weak ones. The weak are allowed to congregate. I want to be weak. If that's impossible, at least give me someone as strong as I am."


 * "All our friends lost their souls and died just by being around us. We were lonely, so we split our soul in two. I don't even know which of us we looked like before. Maybe neither. But this was the only way to escape loneliness."
 * "I'm not alone."

Trivia

 * In Spanish, "Primera 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 his mask fragments, Espada tattoo, and Hollow hole.


 * Starrk's aspect of death is Loneliness.


 * Based on Aizen's appearance when he and Starrk first meet, Aizen seems to have recuited Starrk as a Espada after he left the Soul Society.


 * 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.


 * Starrk is the only Arrancar who is able to communicate with his Zanpakutō after Resurrección, considering it's his other being.


 * It was originally unknown why Starrk had two bandoliers attached to his body, when his guns appear to use his Spiritual Energy as ammunition. However, this is clarified later, when Starrk summons a large pack of wolves from the bandoliers, with the "bullets" popping out like flames to form the wolves.


 * Grimmjow, Ulquiorra, and Starrk are the only current Espada to have shown Cero variations.


 * Out of all the Espada, Starrk is 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, and he doesn't need to chant the word "Cero" when firing it out of his guns in release form. He also doesn't need to charge his Cero to fire it, and they go at about the speed of a Bala when in release form.


 * Starrk is the first and only Espada to apologize to a Shinigami.


 * In Starrk's original appearance with a sword, the sword is shown with an intricate handle; why the handle's design was changed is currently unknown.


 * When Starrk appears in episode 221, his Hollow hole doesn't seem to be visible.


 * Starrk is the only Arrancar shown to actually summon anything that relates to the theme of his Resurrección. In this case, it is wolves.


 * Starrk is one of the two Espada to have their last name revealed before their first and is the last Espada to have his full name revealed (the other being Tia Harribel).


 * His first name is a reference to his Resurrección as a coyote is a type of canine. Coyotes are also largely associated with the wild west, namely gunslinger movies, of which Starrk's Resurrección form is based on. Lilynette's surname is a play on the canine release of her/Starrk's Ressureción, as "Gingerback" is a play on a wolf's fur color.


 * Starrk's full name, "Coyote Starrk," is a reference to his Resurrección appearance in that it's like a cowboy's moniker, i.e. Billy the Kid, Buffalo Bill, Wild Bill Hickok, etc.


 * Starrk has a style of attacking that does not fit in with his theme of a gunslinger: since swordplay is not a part of the Wild West, his sword attacks are an oddity when compared with his theme.


 * Starrk is the only Arrancar to explain his powers to other Shinigami, as opposed to the other Arrancar merely giving out hints as to how their powers work.


 * Starrk is also the third Espada and the eighth Arrancar to reveal his life prior to entering Aizen's service.


 * Starrk was one of the three Espada killed by a Shinigami that did not use Bankai. He shares this with Nnoitra Jiruga and Aaroniero Arruruerie. Of these three, his opponent was the only one that could actually use Bankai.


 * Starrk is the only one of the top three Espada to be killed by his original opponent.


 * When Starrk remembers his Espada comrades right before his death, Yammy Rialgo doesn't appear in the flashback at all. As to why Yammy didn't show up is unknown.

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