The Rise of Madness

The Rise of Madness is a Bleach fanfiction. Published on 6-10-07, it is the author Panzerraptor's ongoing story. It currently has 13 chapters and 1 omake.
==Plot==
This story focuses on the character named Dante Blaine, a young warrior who was accidentally sent to the Seireitei due to a rift in time caused by Ichigo's entrance to the Soul Society during their mission to rescue Rukia. However, even though his appearance was a mistake, he plans on using his stay here to find the one responsible for his kidnapping and experimentation many years before the story. On his journey for answers, he helps fight alongside Ichigo and his team to save Rukia.
==Cast of characters==
Being a Bleach fiction taking place in the Soul Society arc, many of the characters who appear in the manga are present in the story. The only additions to the canon's storyline is Dante himself and his zanpakutos.
OC:
Dante Blaine- An African-American individual based off of Deadpool and MyWay parodies. Like the Merc with a Mouth, he is thoroughly insane and breaks the fourth wall from time to time. This young man is also rather loud and has an upfront personality. He also speaks with a lot of slang and many non-sequitars (much to the chagrin of both ally and enemy alike). If he isn't fighting or poking fun at pop culture, he'll usually try and hit on women (clearly he has a rather perverted imagination, though his successes are usually a swing and a miss). His clothes also change design whenever he becomes stronger. At the beginning of the story, he wore a street-like style. It wasn't until near the end that his clothes had taken a more Deadpool-like design.
Though he joins Ichigo in his quest to save Rukia Kuchiki, his main goal is to try and exact revenge on the shinigami who hired a group of scientists to abduct him from his home and forcefully bond him with a pair of cursed zanpakuto. These swords are the cause of his schizophrenic tendencies. Of course, they are also his main weapons of choice and give him access to numerous combo attacks and special abilities known as Berserks (the attacks used by Lagi in Panzer Dragoon Saga).
Aside from being acquainted with Ichigo and most of his comrades, Dante also has a rather kindred companionship with Nemu Kurotsuchi (lieutenant of Squad 12) due to their similar origins. Whether or not this will develop into a romance in the future remains to be seen. He is a good friend of Squad 4 member Hanataro Yamada (Dante believes he has the makings of a lady's man). It was also revealed that he is the half-brother of Squad 10 captain Toshiro Hitsugaya (much to the chagrin of the high-ranking shinigami).
Kowa ro Shii Maru- One half of a pair of stolen cursed swords created in the Soul Society, the spirit residing within this sword (called 'Kowa' by Dante) is a large Deinonychus antirrohopus. Due to the bonding process, Dante can morph into this species of raptor (which develops feathers as he increases his power) when he has enough Spiritual Energy. It's release phrase is "Shred with the rage of the past!" Though looking like a normal katana in its sealed form, this blade takes on the shape of large swords (large katana=> blue spiked zanbato=> red spiked katana=> lightsaber) in its shiki phase. It's bankai has not been revealed in this story. This weapon's special ability increases Dante's speed and attacks. Dante usually uses this zanpakuto during close range battles.
Akumu hi Ryuujin- One half of a pair of stolen cursed swords created in the Soul Society, the spirit residing within this sword (called 'Akumu' by Dante) is a large Dragonmare. Due to the bonding process, Dante can morph into various types of heresy dragons from the Panzer Dragoon series (Mare Embryo=> Heavy Wing Lv. 5) when he has enough Spiritual Energy. It's release phrase is "Burst with the fury of the future!" Though looking like a normal katana in its sealed form, this blade takes on the shape of a large scythe (basic scythe=> scythe with chainsaw roof=> scythe with added laser technology) in its shiki phase. In it's bankai phase, Dante gains the ability to wield dual guns and grows a pair of wings and a tail reminiscent of a Dragonmare. These handguns are also armed with a pair of daggers which Dante uses to slash or constrict his opponents from a distance. This weapon's special ability increases Dante's defense and the berserk power. Dante usually uses this zanpakuto during long range battles.
==Features==
The Rise of Madness is a piece of fanmade literature whose main character is an insane individual whose origins and behavior is similar to Deadpool. He loves to break on the fourth wall and makes comments about the characters and situations as another person would if they were watching the anime or reading the manga. In fact, Dante himself usually comments on a few of these similarities and sometimes sees himself as another alternate version of the Marvel character. In essence, it can also be considered a spiritual crossover with Panzer Dragoon due to the attacks used and the dragons which Dante morphs into.
Like many of Panzerraptor's stories, the author usually incorporates music within the chapters. The music heard from his I-Pod fits into the scenario.
The Rise of Madness also tries to expand on the original storyline by adding scenes to characters that haven't had enough screen time or during certain intervals that are usually given to the main character, Ichigo Kurosaki. These scenes usually involve Toshiro Hitsugaya (captain of Squad 10).
Though the story is rated T, there is much foul language used within the tex (including the 'N' word). However, it is used sparingly and only the main character says it.
==Reception==
This fanfiction has received positive reactions. However, compared to many other stories, it is not as well received. This would make The Rise of Madness a cult or sleeper hit.
==Possible sequels==
Panzerraptor has announced that there might be a possible sequel for in the works. On August 1, 2009, the author uploaded the first chapter of "Shattered Sanity" on Fanfiction.net. This story takes place roughly three days after the events of Aizen's rebellion. It is the first story to be written which features the Wii game "Bleach: The Shattered Blade."
The story features Dante once again as the main character. He is hired by shinigami head captain Genryusei Shigekuni Yamamoto in order to obtain mystical fragments known as the Sokyoku Shards. Characters who have not been seen in the first story will make their appearance and Panzerraptor has stated that he will pair his OC with Nemu and/or Rangiku. Another pairing will be will Hanataro and an unknown canonical female.
==Trivia==
*Like many of Panzerraptor's characters, Cyrus Splicer is also a template for Dante Blaine. In a way, due to their references to the real world and their similar sword styles, slang-filled dialogue, and the use of musical devices during a fight, they almost seem alike. However, unlike Cyrus, Dante's a more mature-oriented character who is not afraid of using profanity that is rarely touched upon. His style of humor is also existential, self-depricating, and has a habit of breaking the fourth wall. Also, Dante uses light-oriented attacks whereas Cyrus uses Dark-based moves.
==External Links==
*The Rise of Madnesson Fanfiction.net
*Panzerraptor's Profile on Fanfiction.net