Sōsuke Aizen
is the de facto leader of the Vizards and a friend of Urahara's. Shinji's character is somewhat comical, adding a bit of levity to situations that are otherwise serious. He seems to like annoying his associate, Hiyori Sarugaki, which usually earns him a slap from one of her sandals. He also appears to have a history of referring to cute girls he meets as his 'first love', complete with a deadpan look on his face despite the obvious lie. In the past, Shinji was the previous captain of Squad Five, preceding his lieutenant Sōsuke Aizen. But Shinji's reasons for making Aizen his right hand were out of distrust from the first time they met and kept an eye on him. But Shinji realized too late that Aizen used his own distrust against him when he was among those afflicted with hollowification. In the storyline, Shinji aids Ichigo in taming his inner hollow, later leading the other Vizards against Aizen's forces. Though Shinji tells Yamamoto that they're only helping as friends of Ichigo's and as enemies of Aizen, he is eventually reinstated as Squad Five captain as he aids in the fight against the Wandenreich.