Ran'Tao

is an anime-only character from the Bount Arc.

Bount Arc
Ran'Tao was the leader of the research team that created the Bount. Out of guilt for creating them, she tried to help the Bount find a peaceful place to live free of persecution. When the order was made to exterminate the Bount, she helped them escape to the human world and later gave Jin an amulet which had the ability to unlock the bounts full power.

The Soul Society sealed off her Shinigami powers as punishment, and she has since lived as an exile on its outskirts, carrying out small experiments to better utilize spiritual energy. During the battle between Jin, Ichigo and Byakuya she appears and leaves with Ichigo and Uryu, she explains the bounts creation to them and also that she had found a way to maintain her youth however she needed to rest for a period of around 12 hours to maintain her appearance. When Ichigo and Uryu left her hideout she states that in order to fight she had to make preparations.

She later appears trying and tries to defeat Jin Kariya with a Kidō gun, but she fails and is saved by Uryu. During the battle between Uryu and Jin, Ran'Tao uses an amulet to attack Jin and temporarily seal off the Jōkaishō crest while instructing Uryu to fire a powerful arrow to kill Jin. Uryu does not use full force when shooting the arrow and fatally wounds Jin (who begins to recover by absorbing spiritual energy). Ran'Tao's spiritual pressure suddenly spirals out of control and nearly causes her death, Uryu again saves her by absorbing the excess pressure and fires it into the sky, causing the Quincy Bangle to disintegrate.

After Ichigo then appears and leads Jin away. Ran'Tao then reveals that Jin planned to explode Jōkaishō generators spread around the Seireitei which would destroy everything and everyone. She gives Toshiro Hitsugaya a map to the locations of the generators before she passes out from over extensive use of her powers, she is taken to safety by Chad, Uryu and Odihime for treatment.

Ran'Tao appears again after the defeat of Jin Kariya, she is shown in her hideout with Yoruichi Shihōin treating the wounds of Gō Koga (the last remaining Bount).

Appearance
She and Yoshino Sōma look exactly the same in physical appearance because Yoshino was created directly from Ran'Tao, and thus, she takes on her image.

Trivia

 * The pronounciation of the kanji of Ran'Tao's name is an approximation of the Chinese name Lándǎo rather than a Japanese name. The true Japanese pronounciation of the kanji 蘭島 would be Ranshima. Along with Soifon, this makes Ran'Tao one of the few known characters in Bleach with a non-Japanese name. After his defeat at the hands of Hitsugaya, she takes Koga into her home, where they presumed to be still living.

