Hisagomaru (Zanpakutō spirit)

This article is about the manifested spirit of Hanatarō Yamada's Zanpakutō. For his Zanpakutō and its abilities, see Hisagomaru.

is the anime-exclusive manifested spirit of Hanatarō Yamada's Zanpakutō that is seen during the Beast Swords arc.

Appearance
Hisagomaru is a small spirit that takes the form of a simple toy robot about as tall as a three-year-old child. He has a cylindrical body with two arms and two legs, with flat plates for hands and feet. Hisagomaru's head is perfectly round with one normal eye and the other being replaced with a gauge that will fill as he heals people, much like the one on his sword form. His chest can open up to reveal an enormous cannon.

Personality
Much like his partner, Hisagomaru is very timid and insecure. Unlike the other Zanpakutō spirits manifested by Muramasa, Hisagomaru has no personal desires or problems against Hanatarō. In fact, when Muramasa forced him to materialize, he continually attempted to return to his sword form and went into great despair (and into hiding) after thinking that Hanatarō had abandoned him.

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

After Hisagomaru was forcibly manifested, he tried desperately to return to his original sword form, but to no avail. Convinced that Hanatarō Yamada rejected him, Hisgomaru retreated to the underground waterways to live in seclusion. Growing lonely, he begin stealing various things from the surface, including chickens Hanatarō himself is raising. This eventually prompts the Soul Society to investigate. When Hanatarō, along with Ikkaku Madarame, Hōzukimaru, and Nanao Ise find Hisagomaru, he finds himself in trouble with the high ranking Shinigami, but Hanatarō can't help but feel he recognizes him. When a Beast Sword appears and begins to overpower the Shinigami, Hisagomaru reveals himself as Hanatarō's Zanpakutō and uses his power to defeat the Beast Sword. Afterward, Hisagomaru explains his actions and is so happy to learn that Hanatarō didn't abandon him. Unfortunately, along the way back up to the surface, Hisagomaru gets lost in the tunnels.

Zanpakutō
Hisagomaru at any time can manifest the sealed sword of his former self, which is a standard-sized katana with a blue handle and a circular guard. Prior to its Shikai, the sword has a gauge on its blade. Hisagomaru heals wounds instead of causing them. While this would seem to make attacking fairly pointless, doing so fills the gauge on the blade. The severity of the wound determines how much is filled.


 * Shikai: Hisagomaru's Shikai command is . . When the gauge on the blade and Hisagomaru's face is full, Hisagomaru initiates its Shikai and transforms into . In this state, Hisagomaru's chest opens up to reveal an enormous cannon, which it fires with the command.


 * Shikai Special Ability: Akeiro Hisagomaru concentrates every wound it has absorbed into one massive attack shock from a cannon that generates a stream of red energy, which is powerful enough to defeat a Tōjū.