Jidanbō Ikkanzaka

has been the gatekeeper of the to Seireitei for the 300 years before the main timeline and elder brother of former 7th Division 4th seat Jirōbō Ikkanzaka.

Appearance
Jidanbō is an extremely large, muscular man, who easily towers above most Shinigami. His hair is tied into a pony-tail, which extends done his waist. He has long sideburns, which continue down onto his neck and long enough to be tied up in small pony-tail like tufts. He wears armour on his left shoulder/upper arm, and a red hat with tassels. The left side of his chest his left exposed by his uniform. He uses twin axes in battle.

Personality
Jidanbō lacks emotional stability, falling to pieces after Ichigo breaks his axes. He was taught the rules of Rukongai by Kaien Shiba, and sets out these rules to those that he encounters, including Tōshirō Hitsugaya, with whom he is friendly. He is kindly by nature, however, and the inhabitants of Rukongai who live around the West Gate think of him as a friend who looks out for them, as opposed to most Shinigami, whom they despise.

Soul Society arc
Ichigo Kurosaki and his friends confronted him after they tried to get into Sereitei. Ichigo opposed him and Jidanbō was soundly defeated. In recognition, Jidanbō opened the gate, but the group was stopped by Gin Ichimaru, who severed Jidanbō's left arm and closed the gate. In the anime, his injury was downplayed to a large cut on his arm. Orihime Inoue used her powers to heal Jidanbō's arm once it is maneuvered into place by some of Rukongai's residents. Jidanbō later accompanied Kūkaku Shiba into Sereitei. When Sōsuke Aizen appeared on the Sōkyoku Hill, Jidanbō and Kūkaku fought the other gatekeepers, who had come to the aid of Aizen.

Power and abilities
Enhanced Strength: Due to his immense size, Jidanbō possesses tremendous strength, able to easily wield two gargantuan axes and have enough strength to lift a gate to Sereitei, despite not having done so in over three centuries. Jidanbō is reputed to have once killed 30 Hollows in a single swipe.

Enhanced Endurance: Along with his physical might, he also possesses great endurance.

Axe Expert: Jidanbō fights with a pair of axes, with which he has developed two techniques, called Jutsu Pon Jidan Damatsuri Da (Jidan 10-hit festival) and Banzai Jiidan Damatsuri (10,000 year hit festival). These techniques involve Jidanbō attacking his opponent multiple times without break, and are ended with a more powerful blow.



Censorship
When Gin scolds Jidanbo for letting Ichigo go through the gate, he cuts off his entire arm in the Manga, while in the Anime he only makes a small gash in his arm.

Appearance in Other Media
Jidanbo appears in Bleach: The Third Phantom as a playable character

Trivia

 * Upon being defeated by Ichigo, Jidanbō's crying sounds like an siren.
 * Jidanbō seems to have poor math skills, as he struggles to count the number of axe strikes he makes during his Jidan 10-hit Festival attack.

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