Suì-Fēng

"Turn around and only an afterimage remains withal." - Tite Kubo

is the commander-in-chief of the Onmitsukidō and the captain of the 2nd Division in the Gotei 13. Her lieutenant is Marechiyo Ōmaeda.

Appearance
Suì-Fēng is a relatively petite woman with gray eyes and black hair. Her hair is worn short with two long braids bound in white cloth, each ending in a large golden ring. 110 years ago, Suì-Fēng's hair was shoulder-length and had a softer look to it. She wears a traditional Shinigami captain's uniform with a sleeveless haori and a yellow obi tied around her waist. Underneath her standard Shinigami captain's uniform, Suì-Fēng wears the uniform of the commander-in-chief of the Onmitsukidō, which has no sleeves and doesn't cover the back, though she does wear long black arm bands. Instead of wearing the standard Shinigami sandals with tabi, she wears traditional Chinese shoes with ordinary white socks.

Seventeen months after Aizen's defeat, Suì-Fēng's hair is similar to her younger age 110 years ago.

Personality
Suì-Fēng is staunchly loyal, firm, and unbending in her beliefs. She is a hard worker and takes a strong moral stance — she particularly believes in following orders. She is generally reserved and truly not arrogant in any manner like her lieutenant, though she is not above mocking/joking around with her opponents or smirking while in combat, a trait also seen in her predecessor. She will not hesitate in the slightest to strike down even her subordinates if they stand in her way. She chooses to ignore all her subordinates, including her lieutenant Ōmaeda, believing that personal struggle builds character. Suì-Fēng, like most female Shinigami, is a member of the Shinigami Women's Association.

Suì-Fēng likes fish, but dislikes meat. She also seems to be quite obsessed with Yoruichi, and often spends her free time dreaming about the days when they fought together and practiced Shunpo. At one point, she even tried to give Yoruichi a heart-shaped box of chocolates with little success. She seems to love anything that resembles a black cat, which is Yoruichi's alternate form, and she has a large collection of black cat shaped merchandise. At one point, Suì-Fēng is given a black cat plushie by Rangiku, who has just returned from a mission in the Real World. It is also known that since Yoruichi's reappearance, she began to collect cat accessories and had the 2nd Division quarters installed with floor-heating (the expenses were covered by her lieutenant). Suì-Fēng once seems to be affectionately admiring pictures of Yoruichi. Later, as part of the photo collecting project of the Shinigami Women's Association she attempts to take nude photos of Yoruichi while she is distracted, but fails miserably. When the Shinigami Women's Association is tasked with designing a new cellphone for Shinigami ladies, she submits a design featuring a black cat's head with a bee body (the cat representing Yoruichi and the bee representing herself), with a private line that would allow her to talk to Yoruichi as much as she wanted. The request was denied. . When Yamamoto commands the Gotei 13 captains to design a Shinigami video game, Suì-Fēng proposed a game with her and Yoruichi as the protagonists. Her lieutenant, Ōmaeda, tells her plainly that she is the only person who will play such a game. This attitude towards Yoruichi also extends to her little brother, Yūshirō Shihōin, whom Suì-Fēng compliments and offers pocket money while visibly blushing upon meeting for the first time in several years.

Suì-Fēng is a person of incredible resolve, not hesitating to do whatever it takes to complete a mission and defeat her enemy; an example of this can be seen during her battle with the Segunda Espada, after being exposed to an attack she orders her lieutenant to remove her arm without hesitation. Very rarely will Suì-Fēng show signs of desperation or emotion on the battlefield, except when it concerns her former master. Despite her cold demeanor and constant attack towards her lieutenant, she has displayed a certain level of faith in him (trusting him to act as a distraction while she carries out a plan). Her stubborn attitude is so great that even now she still seems to hold a degree of dislike for Kisuke Urahara be it because Yoruichi used to tease her about him, or she found his lazy demeanor undisciplined or that she still blames him for her mentor's abandonment over one hundred years previously. This is shown when she asks Hachigen Ushōda to place the shop owner in a barrier for a month in exchange for using her Bankai a second time in one day.

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

Arrancar arc
Suì-Fēng is summoned to an emergency captains meeting called by Captain-Commander Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto. She attends the captains' meeting.

Hueco Mundo arc
When Sōsuke Aizen leaves Hueco Mundo for the Fake Karakura Town, she, along with the Gotei 13 other captains appear each one with his lieutenant.

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.

Zanpakutō Unknown Tales 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
Sometime after Aizen's defeat, her arm has been restored, thanks to the top healing skills of the Gotei 13. Suì-Fēng and most of the captains greet Ichigo when he comes to Soul Society. When he greets her, she complains to Ichigo for not using an honorific when saying her name. When Ichigo asks for Kūgo Ginjō's body so that he can bury him in the Real World, she scolds him for not recognizing Ginjō as a criminal and a murderer.

The Thousand-Year Blood War arc
When Akon and Mayuri Kurotsuchi report about the Wandenreich's infiltration, Suì-Fēng is also present. She is subsequently ordered to prepare for war alongside other captains. When the Sternritter invade Seireitei, Suì-Fēng head out to deal with the invaders.

Upon entering the battlefield, she confronts BG9. Accompanied by Ōmaeda, she tells her lieutenant that she will be using her Bankai to try to find a way to counter the Wandenreich's method of sealing Bankai. She goes to say that even if they do seal their Bankai, there will be no problem if they simply kill their opponents before their Bankai is sealed away. Suì-Fēng then proceeds to unleash her Jakuhō Raikōben, but it is immediately stolen by her Quincy opponent. When Captain-Commander Yamamoto decides to actually enter the front lines, Ōmaeda senses Yamamoto's Reiatsu as it resonates throughout Seireitei. Ōmaeda then asks his captain what is happening. In response, Suì-Fēng calls him an idiot and says that the Captain-Commander is outraged.

Soon after the battle reaches its climax with the Wandenreich retreating, Suì-Fēng and the rest of the captains mourn the death of their Captain-Commander in the First Division barracks. She is visibly shaken after hearing from Ukitake that Yamamoto's body could not be found as it was likely destroyed by the enemy. After receiving a report about the status of Kenpachi and Byakuya, Suì-Fēng is the first to break down and shouts at the messenger. Lashing out at Kensei for being so composed, it's only with the intervention of Komamura and Shunsui that she is able to calm down. Suì-Fēng and the other captains later gather outside Seireitei to witness the arrival of the Royal Guard.

After the arrival of the Royal Guard, Suì-Fēng yells at them for beginning to discuss rebuilding so quickly, and states that there are more important things to take care of. However, she is ignored, and one of the Royal Guard members appears behind her, getting hold of her arm. The Royal Guard berates her for not being able to protect Seireitei to the point where even their assistance is needed, but is then hit on the head by another Royal Guard, allowing Suì-Fēng to pull free. Moments later, Senjumaru Shutara approaches with large orbs containing Renji, Byakuya, Rukia, and Tensa Zangetsu, shocking Suì-Fēng and the other captains. After the Royal Guard leaves, Suì-Fēng heads to a mountain top to begin intensive physical training, leaving Ōmaeda behind.

She later returns, having perfected her Shunkō using the wind now that her Bankai was stolen. She rescues her lieutenant from BG9's attack by severing its arm off. She then attacks BG9, sending it flying into a wall, but does not kill it. BG9 emerges from the rubble and tries to blindside Suì-Fēng, but she dodges. After exchanging some banter, BG9 blasts Suì-Fēng. She again avoids his attack using her Mukyū Shunkō, but BG9 comes from behind and grabs her and the two of them disappear in a massive explosion.

As BG9 attempts to experiment upon her, Ōmaeda comes to her and drops a Shin'eiyaku into her hand and tells her that with it she should be able to regain her Bankai, though he admits that he couldn't really understand the complex reasoning behind it. BG9 tells him to speak up as its senses are lowered due to the earlier explosion. It then notes that its connection is not working properly, to which Suì-Fēng weakly replies that the Hollowfied Bankai is impairing its bodily functions. Ōmaeda is surprised that his captain is conscious to which Suì-Fēng points out that there is no way she wouldn't awaken at the sound of Kisuke Urahara's annoying voice. She then releases her Bankai, prompting BG9 to ask how she regained her Bankai. She states that she doesn't know but that BG9 should get hit by it and attempt to analyze it. She asks Ōmaeda to position her and fires it at BG9, causing a massive explosion.

Afterwards, Marechiyo carries Mareyo Ōmaeda and Suì-Fēng through Seireitei and is confronted by a group of Soldat along the way. Lieutenant Momo Hinamori and Captain Shinji Hirako arrive and defeat the Soldat. Shinji orders Momo to tend to Suì-Fēng. Later, after Renji and Rukia arrive at the building the Shinigami were summoned to, Suì-Fēng hits Marechiyo for being too loud before explaining to Rukia and Renji how Momo healed their injuries, prompting them to note she is being kinder than usual. After opening the door to the building, Suì-Fēng finds Yūshirō Shihōin, who thanks her for taking care of his sister. Suì-Fēng is shocked upon learning of Urahara's intention to break into the Soul King Palace. After Kenpachi agrees to leave the search for his lieutenant to the rest of his division, Urahara gives Suì-Fēng a sphere to charge with her Reiatsu. When Shinji trades insults with a newly-arrived Hiyori and claims that the latter is also insulting her, Suì-Fēng promises to kill him if he is claiming that they share the same haircut. After Urahara explains what they will be doing to get to the palace and admits that there may not be a way back, Suì-Fēng admonishes him for thinking they would back down upon learning this.

Soon afterwards, Seireitei starts crumbling. Suì-Fēng notes there is no enemy Reiatsu nearby and wonders what is happening, prompting Urahara to state that the Soul King must have died, much to the surprise of the gathered Shinigami. She then watches as Ukitake uses the power of Mimihagi to replace the Soul King, loudly wondering what Mimihagi is.

Equipment

 * A steel sash worn under armor, its contributing weight makes it harder for the wearer to move fast. The tremendous recoil produced by using her Bankai requires that Suì-Fēng be anchored to a nearby stationary object via this cloth-like material.

Powers & Abilities


Shunpo Master: As the leader of the Onmitsukidō, she is also highly proficient in Shunpo. She is able to almost keep up with her mentor Yoruichi Shihōin, being able to hit her multiple times with Suzumebachi, but not getting a chance to hit her in the same spot twice, as Yoruichi was faster. She actively uses her mastery of Shunpo techniques, and is highly proficient in evasion in close quarters, as well as from a distance, thus making hitting her almost impossible for all but the most advanced combatant. Her movements are so fast that few would be likely to see an attack by her take place. It has also been noted by Suzumebachi that her Shunpo is the fastest of all Soul Society (excluding Yoruichi).


 * Speed Clones: Suì-Fēng is able to create at least 15 clones of herself at once using Shunpo. While they are indistinguishable from her true self and mimic her movements, they do not seem to last long. (Unnamed)


 * Way of Onmitsu, 3rd of the Shihō. It allows for a movement at great, sudden speed, leaving at least one tangible after-image behind.

Hakuda Master: As the leader of the Onmitsukidō, Suì-Fēng is required to be highly proficient in hand-to-hand combat, which she had been training in ever since she first joined the Onmitsukidō. She is likely the most proficient hand-to-hand combatant in all of Soul Society, being able to fight evenly with, and gain the upper hand against, her mentor Yoruichi Shihōin. She is also proficient in counterattacking. Her attacks have great speed and agility, leaving little time to counterattack. Additionally, it has proven difficult to actively lay a hand on her unless she allows it.


 * A Hakuda technique where one throws their body up into the air and makes a shearing movement with the legs to get one leg in front of the other without holding on to the ground. The move can either be done backwards or sideways. When the move is done, with one leg high over the head, the user delivers a devastating kick to the opponent, sending them flying away with tremendous force.


 * : A Hakuda technique where one blocks the kicks of an opponent by trapping the opponent's one foot against the forearm and blocking the other foot with the combatant's foot. The move blocks and traps the opponent, who is then open to an attack from the combatant's free hand.


 * An advanced technique that combines hand-to-hand combat and Kidō. She fights by surrounding her back and arms with pressurized Kidō. The keisen uniform has no back or sleeves because they will rip apart when the technique is activated. The technique takes the form of wind currents and its incomplete form is concentrated around her right arm. She has enough control to release the Kidō energy as a directed blast that can cause considerable damage to the surrounding area. She can use the technique to a greater degree later on, using it to block a devastating lightning blast and dissipate it, and block a blade attack as well as push it back with only her bare hand, using the energy of the technique as a barrier. She has shown that she can focus the technique's pressurized Kidō onto specific areas of her body, making the protection exceedingly more concentrated.


 * She would go on to complete the technique shorty after her fight with Yoruichi. Suì-Fēng discovered a technique for encircling her body multiple times to make the Reiatsu she emits revolve around her like a vortex indefinitely, therefore once she activates her Shunkō she is able to maintain it for as long as she wants.

Master Swordsman: Suì-Fēng is masterful in swordsmanship, usually only employing her Zanpakutō when facing an opponent with a drawn weapon. She is unique in that her fighting style is different from traditional styles. Suì-Fēng holds the blade horizontally in a reverse grip, using the blade like a large dagger with it pointed backwards towards the bottom of her gripping hand. All strikes are made by sweeping the arm forward, as though throwing a punch, while whipping the blade forward away from the arm quickly in a broad arc. She is quite adept at blocking with the blade in this manner as well. She also fights in the normal style masterfully, making her proficient in two variations of sword fighting.

Kidō Expert: As captain of the 2nd Division and the Commander-in-Chief of the Onmitsukidō, Suì-Fēng is well versed in art of Kidō, though she prefers to use Shunpo and hand-to-hand fighting techniques. She is experienced enough to mix it with other hand-to-hand combat techniques.

Master Assassin: As the Commander-in-Chief of the Onmitsukidō, Suì-Fēng is one of the foremost masters in the art of assassination. She is known to be skillful in staying hidden. Using Shunpo, she has disabled opponents without them being able to see her, as she did while catching the arrows of Benin in battle. She also used this ability to sneak up on Aizen and temporarily capture him before he escaped to Hueco Mundo. She has studied all the disciplines of the punishment force since she was a child, including poison. Because of this, over the years she has developed a resistance to nearly every poison there is.

Master Strategist & Tactician: As Commander of the Secret Mobile Corps and captain of the 2nd Division, Suì-Fēng has shown herself to be a capable leader. Suì-Fēng has repeatedly proved herself to be insightful and crafty, capable of quickly understanding any situation that presents itself and adjusting to it effectively. Suì-Fēng has shown an innate skill to determine what actions should be taken in battle. The tactics she employs are based on subterfuge and confusion. She is adept at lulling her opponents into a false sense of security and allowing them to underestimate her abilities. A common tactic of hers is to gauge the opponent's strengths and weaknesses in the middle of combat.

Great Spiritual Power: As the Captain of the 2nd Division, she boasts a great amount of spiritual energy. Her Reiatsu is golden-yellow.


 * Masterful Reiatsu Control: Due to her position within the Onmitsukidō Suì-Fēng is trained in the mastery of hiding her spiritual presence from detection.

Enhanced Strength: Suì-Fēng is strong enough to take on bigger opponents despite her smaller stature, easily overcoming those four times her own size. She has shown herself capable of lifting large slabs of concrete that she was buried under with little to no effort. During her fight with Tenken and Gonryōmaru, Suì-Fēng sent the latter flying into a wall with a single kick.

Enhanced Durability: Suì-Fēng is highly durable, able to withstand being kicked into buildings with enough force to go through walls and bring whole sections down on top of her while sustaining no apparent injuries. She even endured having her left arm cut off, and still remained able to engage in combat for an extensive period of time.

Zanpakutō
Suzumebachi redirects here. For the manifested spirit that appears in the Zanpakutō Unknown Tales arc see Suzumebachi (Zanpakutō spirit).


 * In its sealed form, it resembles a wakizashi with a yellow hilt reminiscent of a Chinese dao. It is kept sheathed horizontally behind Suì-Fēng's lower back hanging by a rope.


 * Shikai: It is triggered by the command . Grasping onto Suzumebachi with her right hand, the entire sword glows white and shrinks in size. When the emitted glow dies out, it is revealed that Suzumebachi has now taken on the form of a black and gold gauntlet, with a small chain linking it to a stinger-like blade on Suì-Fēng's middle finger. The "stinger" is about twice as long as the normal length of Suì-Fēng's fingers, slightly increasing her striking distance. The colors and pattern of the Shikai resemble those of a hornet. In this form, Suzumebachi is still capable of withstanding an opponent's sword attacks, as Suì-Fēng can block incoming attacks with the "stinger" and gauntlet portions.


 * Shikai Special Ability:


 * As its first step, Suì-Fēng stabs her enemy with Suzumebachi's blade. In addition to creating a rather deep wound, the attack leaves a butterfly-shaped stamp on the victim’s body. Spreading from the center of the wound, known as, this stamp becomes the target of Suì-Fēng's second attack. If struck in the same spot that was hit the first time, the person will inevitably die, and thus illustrate "Death in Two Steps." When the ability takes effect, a larger crest quickly spreads out from the two smaller ones, completely destroying the victim's body. The crests are maintained by Suì-Fēng's will, and are impossible to remove unless she wills it; when Yoruichi was still in charge of the Onmitsukidō, Suì-Fēng could only maintain the crests for half an hour. However, for a target of superior Reiatsu, such as Sōsuke Aizen, the crest can be forcefully removed. The mechanics behind Suzumebachi's ability take effect not through the point of entry, but rather the point of actual surface contact. This ability is caused by a venom that Suzumebachi secretes. When it enters the target's body, it spreads throughout their body in a matter of minutes, if not seconds, destroying it without a trace. The effect of the poison takes slightly longer to work for those who have enhanced spiritual power.


 * Counter-Poison: Suì-Fēng can use the same venom that Suzumebachi secretes for Nigeki Kessatsu as a counter-poison by stabbing herself.


 * Bankai: : Upon activating Bankai, a pillar of Reiatsu shoots into the air before fading. Its appearance is that of a gold armor missile launcher base that encases Suì-Fēng's right arm, and comes all the way above her shoulder to form a face shield that she uses to cover the right side of her face. The entire Bankai is made up of a large pointed gold cylinder with black markings, twice the size of Suì-Fēng herself. Before she activated her Bankai, Suì-Fēng wrapped a heavy metal sash (Ginjōhan) around the building she stood on, in preparation for the attack's massive recoil and the resulting powerful explosion. She uses her Bankai so rarely that it has remained largely unseen by the members of Soul Society; even her own lieutenant comments on having never seen it before. Suì-Fēng explains that she would prefer not to use her Bankai. She believes that it offends her pride as a Covert Ops agent, because it is too large to hide, too heavy to move, and its attack is too flashy for assassination. While using her Bankai, Suì-Fēng's Reiatsu turns light-blue.


 * Bankai Special Ability: Being a ranged weapon of the artillery sort, Jakuhō Raikōben has the ability to launch the missile attached to its base. To do so, Suì-Fēng must first raise and aim the huge missile, using the slits present in her face guard to be able to see while doing so. Once targeted, small fins extend from numerous points along the missile, before it is fired. It then tracks its target for a precision strike. After a successful hit, the missile creates a powerful and massive explosion. strong enough to crack the Shijū no Saimon, something Hachigen Ushōda notes to be impressive, and heavily injure Baraggan Louisenbairn. The burst of explosive energy after the detonation is powerful enough to not only blow away Suì-Fēng and her lieutenant, but also rip the steel sash she was tied with, despite both of them being a long distance away from the explosion. Should Suì-Fēng not use the sash as an anchor, she can have Ōmaeda hold her down instead. This attack has a normal limit of firing no more than one missile every three days; doing so more often taxes her noticeably, but she is still capable of firing more than one missile at the same level of power.

Appearances in Other Media
Suì-Fēng appears in most video games. Her Shikai is available in most games, able to take down opponents in two hits, though in some games, it may be harder to execute than in others. Her Bankai first appeared in Bleach: Heat the Soul 7 as one of her EX attacks. She also appears in the OVA The Sealed Sword Frenzy as one of the captains to assist Ichigo in trying to stop Baishin, she also appears in the movies Memories of Nobody, The DiamondDust Rebellion, Fade to Black, and The Hell Verse.

Censorship
The appearance of Suì-Fēng's Onmitsukidō commander outfit has slight changes from the manga in order to make it less revealing. While in the manga the uniform reveals the entirety of Suì-Fēng's back as well small portions of the sides of her breasts, in the anime the outfit has been redesigned to feature a white undershirt that covers her lower back and as well as sides of her upper abdomen. It also does not reveal a portion of Suì-Fēng's thighs as it did in the manga.

Trivia

 * In the Zanpakutō popularity poll, Suì-Fēng's Suzumebachi came 15th.
 * In the most recent character popularity poll, Suì-Fēng came 25th ( in previous ones, she ranked 44th and 16th in the 2nd and 3rd polls, respectively).
 * In the Bleach best bout poll Suì-Fēng's fight with Yoruichi came in ninth place.
 * In the English manga, Suì-Fēng first releases her Zanpakutō with romanized Japanese.
 * She has a column titled I'll Do Anything to Live and The Road To Assassination. in the Seireitei Communication.
 * The Shinigami Women's Association published a Photo Collection of Suì-Fēng named Honey Bee: Suì-Fēng's Beach-side Panic! which is currently stalled.
 * When she first appeared in the manga, she did not have her two long braids covered in white ribbon.

Quotes

 * (To Marechiyo Ōmaeda) "I have no interest in whether it is right or wrong. All I care about is executing orders as a captain of the Gotei 13. All who get in my way are my enemies. All enemies must be slain. That is all that matters. That goes for you too, Ōmaeda. Don't forget where your loyalty lies. If you get in my way, you too will become my enemy."


 * (To Yoruichi Shihōin) "I am stronger than you!! I should have surpassed you already! You should have weakened these past hundred years and I should have grown in strength! Why is this happening? Why are you still above me? How can you still dominate me like that?"


 * "Of my five older siblings, two died on the first mission, then two more on the second, then in the sixth mission, the last one died as well. I felt sad somewhat, but more than that, I felt ashamed of their incompetence."


 * (Thinking about Yoruichi) "So noble, so beautiful and so terrifyingly strong. She was everything I ever wanted to be. I very strongly admired her. No, that feeling was beyond admiration. I worshiped her."


 * (To Yoruichi) "I was extremely disappointed in you! I hated you! I cursed you! I swore to arrest you one day with my own hands! Then to surpass you, I struggled.. gained strength... I will never forgive you, Yoruichi! For betraying my respect and trust I will never forgive you! Why... Why... Why didn't you take me with you Yoruichi-sama?"


 * (To Ggio Vega) "And who exactly will you 'eliminate'? Are you saying you will eliminate Komamura and the others? Or that you will eliminate all of us? Depending upon your response, I may eliminate you right now. Although, even if you do not respond, I will still eliminate you."


 * (To Ggio Vega) "I have never liked squad camaraderie. I feel that for training purposes, a measure of antagonism between superior and subordinate is essential."


 * (To Ōmaeda) "If your comrade is being defeated, you should see it as an opportunity. Rather than standing in the way, you should stab the enemy in the back. And if the enemy is so far above your level that you cannot even manage that, then you should let your comrade die. That is the way of the Onmitsukidō."


 * (To Baraggan Louisenbairn) "This Bankai is an affront to my pride as a member of the Covert Ops. With its massive form, I can hardly conceal myself. With its weight upon me, my movements are restricted. And its method of attack is far too flashy to be considered 'assassination'."


 * (To Ichigo Kurosaki) "Do not make the mistake of thinking that we have entered this battle prepared to die. We fight that we may live. 'Defending the world' is nothing more than a grand excuse. We fight to protect one another, to protect you, and to protect countless others from the hands of Aizen."'

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