Ruri'iro Kujaku (Zanpakutō spirit)

This article is about the manifested spirit of Yumichika Ayasegawa's Zanpakutō. For his Zanpakutō and its abilities, see Ruri'iro Kujaku.

is the manifested spirit of Yumichika Ayasegawa's Zanpakutō.

Appearance
Ruri'iro Kujaku's manifested spirit take the form of a light-skinned, fairly muscular man with gray eyes and blue hair, which frames his face with two long bangs and is tied in a long braid with a strip of red fabric at the back. He has an orange mohawk running from the top of his head to the back of his skull, and has tan fabric wrapped around the top half of his head. He has dark fur covering most of his back, his arms, and his sides, and has long green feathers tipped with orange and yellow on his forearms and waist. He wears tan, calf-length boots segmented by a spiral design.

Personality
While under the influence of Muramasa's brainwashing, Ruri'iro Kujaku is polite and friendly toward others. However, he becomes visibly angry and frustrated if someone is rude to him or ignores him. He is on good terms with Hōzukimaru, who usually calms him down whenever he becomes angry. He occasionally speaks for Wabisuke. He does not like Kenpachi Zaraki's style of fighting because he believes it is rough and lacks finesse.

Ruri'iro Kujaku hates Yumichika Ayasegawa for always using his "insulting nickname" of Fuji Kujaku, and admits to looking forward to killing him. However, he still acts polite and friendly toward Yumichika upon encountering him, offering him fashion advice and complimenting his appearance, though doing so in a mocking manner. Regardless, he becomes irritated when Yumichika refers to him as Fuji Kujaku, and claims he will kill Yumichika if he continues to do so. Additionally, Ruri'iro Kujaku claims Yumichika was the source of his stress. He is very critical of Yumichika's power and stubborn nature, and claims he left him because of how Yumichika tries to hide his true nature and power. He is very mocking toward Yumichika when fighting him, and constantly belittles his power. However, Ruri'iro Kujaku admits he and Yumichika are very alike because of their views on aesthetics and beauty, and even offers to make their fight a fair one by letting Yumichika use Ruri'iro Kujaku or not using it himself. Yumichika notes Ruri'iro Kujaku is as stubborn and overconfident as he is.

After being freed from Muramasa's brainwashing, Ruri'iro Kujaku is on much better terms with Yumichika, though they maintain a rivalry in battle, each trying to take down more Gillians during their defense of the Human World.

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

Ruri'iro Kujaku waits for Muramasa's return alongside the other Zanpakutō spirits in their cave. Later, he and the other Zanpakutō spirits appear before the Shinigami who have gathered on Sōkyoku Hill. Later, he and Hōzukimaru converse with Senbonzakura, where Ruri'iro Kujaku voices his desire to kill Yumichika. When Muramasa says he wishes to capture Ichigo Kurosaki, Ruri'iro Kujaku translates Wabisuke's agreement to the task. Later, Ruri'iro Kujaku, Hōzukimaru, Tenken, Gonryōmaru, and Kazeshini confront Byakuya Kuchiki at the 6th Division barracks, only to find themselves surrounded by the Onmitsukidō and other Shinigami.

After cutting down a Keigun, Ruri'iro Kujaku follows Yumichika Ayasegawa to a secluded location. When Ruri'iro Kujaku assesses his appearance, Yumichika becomes irritated and challenges Ruri'iro Kujaku to combat, provoking the latter by referring to him as Fuji Kujaku. After overwhelming Yumichika, Ruri'iro Kujaku releases his Shikai and claims he does not care who sees his power. When Yumichika tries to tell him he would be kicked out of the 11th Division for his Kidō-based abilities, Ruri'iro Kujaku tells him to stop and proclaims he is sick of hearing about it.

As Ruri'iro Kujaku binds Yumichika and begins draining his Reiryoku, he claims Yumichika is a coward who will not use his true powers in fear of being ridiculed despite his claim of valuing his aesthetic principles. Despite these claims, Yumichika states he is a proud member of the 11th Division, escapes Ruri'iro Kujaku with the usage of Kidō spells, and plays on Ruri'iro Kujaku's ego before finally defeating him. Later, Ruri'iro Kujaku and Yumichika, alongside the other Shinigami and Zanpakutō spirits, arrive in Karakura Town to defend it from the Gillians produced by the unstable Muramasa.

After the Zanpakutō spirits' change of heart is explained, Ruri'iro Kujaku aggravates Yumichika by rushing in to attack without letting him attack first. Though Ruri'iro Kujaku and Yumichika take down several Gillians together, it eventually becomes clear the number of Gillians will not decrease while the enormous Garganta which Muramasa produced is still open. When Byakuya and Senbonzakura blast their Reiatsu-infused blade petals at the Garganta in an attempt to close it, Ruri'iro Kujaku and the others pool their Reiatsu in order to close the Garganta. Upon Muramasa's defeat at the hands of Ichigo, Ruri'iro Kujaku returns to Yumichika's sword.

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

As the threat of the Tōjū begins to wane, Ruri'iro Kujaku and Hōzukimaru sit atop a building at night, with Ruri'iro Kujaku noting the moon is beautiful tonight. They are approached by Saru, Hebi, and Kazeshini, who reveal the Tōjū whom they had been tracking, Kirikaze, has appeared. They decide to inform the other Zanpakutō spirits of this and take down Kirikaze without their Shinigami masters getting involved. The next day, the Zanpakutō spirits confront Kirikaze and begin to fight him. After several attacks end in failure, Ruri'iro Kujaku ensnares Kirikaze with Ruri'iro Kujaku and begins to drain him of his Reiryoku, only for Kirikaze to reverse the drainage and almost kill Ruri'iro Kujaku before Kazeshini breaks the connection. Later, after Kirikaze is severely weakened by several powerful attacks from the Shinigami who arrive to help, Ruri'iro Kujaku gives his remaining Reiryoku to Renji Abarai so he can defeat Kirikaze with Hikotsu Taihō. Afterward, Ruri'iro Kujaku permanently returns to his sword as the power enabling the Zanpakutō spirits to temporarily maintain their manifested forms is finally depleted.

Powers & Abilities
High Spiritual Power: As the Zanpakutō spirit of a lieutenant-level Shinigami, Ruri'iro Kujaku possesses a considerable amount of Reiryoku, allowing him to fight evenly against and initially overpower Yumichika Ayasegawa during their battle. He is powerful enough to effortlessly kill a Keigun with a single attack. His Reiatsu is green.

Expert Swordsman: Ruri'iro Kujaku is very proficient in swordsmanship. He fought on even ground with Yumichika, a Zanjutsu expert, and initially overwhelmed him with his fast and powerful attacks during their fight.

Enhanced Strength: Ruri'iro Kujaku possesses a considerable amount of physical strength. He sent a Keigun flying away with a single attack. During his fight with Yumichika, Ruri'iro Kujaku pushed him back several times with his powerful strikes.

Enhanced Speed: Ruri'iro Kujaku is a considerably fast combatant, effortlessly keeping up with Yumichika, a Shunpo expert, during their fight.

Zanpakutō
The sealed form of Ruri'iro Kujaku's Zanpakutō takes the form of a katana with a bronze tsuba shaped like a German cross and a purple hilt.


 * Shikai: Ruri'iro Kujaku releases his Zanpakutō with the command . Upon release, it glows green and splits into four sickle-shaped blades, which transform into several multicolored, petaled vines that ensnare Ruri'iro Kujaku's opponent before becoming blue in color. Additionally, Ruri'iro Kujaku can partially transform it in order to engage in melee combat.


 * Shikai Special Ability: After wrapping around an opponent, the vines begin to absorb their Reiryoku, indicated by the petals along each vine blooming into flowers as the victim's Reiatsu flows along the vines. This process severely weakens its victims by draining their power and lifeforce, and any attempts to escape by using their Reiryoku will only result in the process speeding up. However, this process can be interrupted if the vines are cut, and the vines themselves can be temporarily loosened if hit by an explosive force, such as Hadō #31. Shakkahō. The vines can also be prevented from restricting an opponent if they are bound by an outside force, such as Bakudō #4. Hainawa. Additionally, if Ruri'iro Kujaku's target also possesses the ability to absorb Reiryoku, they can reverse the process and begin absorbing Ruri'iro Kujaku's Reiryoku instead, which causes him intense pain.

Quotes

 * (To Hōzukimaru) "Now that I think about it, I'm kind of looking forward to killing the one who calls me that insulting nickname."


 * (To Yumichika Ayasegawa) "Do you mind not calling me that name? It offends me. My real name is Ruri'iro Kujaku. If you insist on calling me otherwise, I'll kill you."


 * (To Yumichika Ayasegawa) "Say, you look pretty good holding that sword. And that feather on your face; it's probably faux, but it's still a nice look. I hadn't really gotten a chance to check you out, but so far, I am loving your style. Now, if you would make the effort to coordinate with genuine accessories, I think you'd come across even better. Then again, you don't want to overdo it and look trashy or cheap. I've got it! My feathers are the real thing. How about I give you one of these? Also, it might be nice to add a few extra flourishes to your uniform. Fabulous! But how to compliment your lovely complexion..."


 * (To Yumichika Ayasegawa) "C'mon, why don't you just give up? At least if you gave up now, I'd still be willing to let you live."


 * (To Yumichika Ayasegawa) "You always try to hide my true nature. I'm proud to display my power anywhere."


 * (To Yumichika Ayasegawa) "You might not want to admit it, but you and I are very much alike. We both live according to our appreciation for aesthetics. Beauty must prevail above all."


 * (To Yumichika Ayasegawa) "I like that look on your face. The look of fear that comes over you right before death. I hope, for your sake, that you die beautifully."


 * (To Yumichika Ayasegawa) "I'll fight all the way to the end using only my sense of aesthetics."


 * (To Yumichika Ayasegawa) "It's true. We're so alike that it disgusts me."

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Ruri'iro Kujaku