Haruo Yamada

Haruo Yamada (春夫山田, Yamada Haruo) is the captain of the 13th Division and the younger brother of Mitsuru Yamada and older adoptive brother of Shuji Yamada. He is a protagonist character.
==Appearance==
Haruo is 5'8", slightly taller than his older sister, Mitsuru, and has a teenage appearance. He has brown eyes and short, spiky orange-brownish hair. He usually wears a school uniform which consists of a high-collared jacket over a white shirt, black pants, and white shoes. On some occasions, he appears with a white leather jacket. He always wears orange headphones and glasses.
When he was younger, he had a darker hair. 
==Personality==
In general, Haruo is a cool-headed and laid-back person and sometimes dimwitted and timid. He is also short-tempered but always tries his best to calm himself. He showed concern towards his comrades, going as far as to doing something dangerous, but would usually end up doing nothing as to not to interfere. He also tends to get bored a lot that he would even risk his life just so he won't be bored. Sometimes, he agrees with the laziness of other people, but when he's not slacking off, he does not. He is apathetic towards nobility and rank.
He likes sweet foods and healthy foods. He also likes Jazz, Aristocratic, and French music. He also takes care of a huge garden inside the gates of the Yamada Manor.
==History==
Haruo was born as a Human and as Mitsuru's younger sister. He could see and interact with spirits that ordinary Humans can't see. Because his 7 year old sister saw him talking to an "invisible friend," he lost interaction with her and Makkura, a Shinigami he met. 
After a terrible accident which resulted to the death of Haruo, who believed it was Mitsuru’s fault, he was sent to the 78th District of Rukongai, the village of Inuzuri. He lived alone like a street child. He would wander in the streets or hide himself in the forest, starving to death, a sign that he possessed spiritual energy. He suddenly came across a child who was being attacked by a Hollow in the forest, and saved him by random luck of reishi absorption. He was surprised to see that he could do that, but every time he used it, he felt weaker. The incident attracted the family from which the child came from, the Yamada Family, the olden family skilled in Kido. Daisuke Yamada, the family head at the time, decided to adopt him to the family. 
Haruo was introduced to the members of the family and was obedient to what they say in his first few years in the manor. Hisa, his mother, and Shuji, his brother, were really kind to him and treated him as if he really came from their family. Some disliked him, but he paid no attention to them.
===Hollow Invasion era===
Approximately 120 years ago, he was one of many innocent people who witnessed two suspicious men who became responsible for the Hollow Invasion era. He wondered why they were there and tried to talk to them, but they suddenly vanished. The next day, the Hollows came attacking Rukongai so Hisa tasked him and Shuji to at least suppress the Hollows in the Eastern Rukongai. The two decided to split up to avoid arguments. 
Haruo went to District 64 and was not really late. He finished his task before the district would completely be devastated. He met Mitsuru, who appeared to be glad to see him, but he just passed by her and whispered to be careful. She was silent, and then suddenly grabbed him and teleported both of them in a forest, where Haruo told what he thought of her. Despite all of that, Mitsuru hugged him and told him how much she missed him. 
About 12 years after that, Haruo was cutting trees in the woods when he heard a shriek nearby, and went to check it. He saw Hisa dead, lying on the ground. He stayed beside her, not knowing who the assailant was. He went back to the manor and told his relatives what happened to Hisa, which shocked most of them and some moved to another district, thinking Inuzuri was cursed. The manor was destroyed by Hollows and almost all of the remaining people in there were killed during the reborn of the Hollow Invasion on the same year Hisa died. Haruo was one of the survivors who hid their presence. 
3 years later, Haruo and the other survivors celebrated upon the rebuilt of the manor. They noticed Daisuke was missing, but he, according to a member close to him, died the same way Hisa did. The Yamada clan stopped the celebration and instead, Hiragane started testing Haruo's, Mitsuru's and Shuji's strengths to see who would become the next head of the family. When Haruo and Hiragane had a rematch, the former accidentally turned the latter blind and severely injured due to sudden anger. 
During their academy years, Haruo and Mitsuru met some friends. The two encountered Michiko Kōno, a serious but helpful student in the academy, in a forest. She showed them some helpful tricks, the reason why they owed her a lot. Haruo met Izumi Yukari and Runa Kirameki and befriended with them in his visit to the place where Hisa died. A day after that, Michiko came to help the siblings when they were attacked by a strong Hollow in Kusajishi, but, unfortunately, they all lost to it. It was believed that Haruo and Mitsuru died that night when Hiragane found them.
10 years or more had passed; Haruo and Mitsuru were woken up at a forest by Kuma, a bear who was a Gikon from Hueco Mundo. After a month or two, the two of them visited their relatives in Hokutan but were saddened when they saw the house looking like a slaughter house. As a payback, they immediately defeated the murderers, or known to be deserters in Rukongai. On the same year they woke up, they fought Hollows in Inuzuri. Haruo got stuck in a fight with Izumi, a girl he met before during his academy years. Afterwards, he pretended he couldn't defeat her and apologized. 
Sometime after, Haruo and Kuma were sent to a different dimension similar to the Dangai, after they were sucked into a dimension hole. They were able to get back to Soul Society through an unknown gate.
He later becomes the lieutenant of the 7th Division under Jin Kaiser. A too introverted and pragmatic him was changed to who he is nowadays. He became the captain of the 13th Division afterwards.
==Plot==
==Powers & Abilities==
Expert Swordsmanship Specialist: Despite the fact that even Haruo himself knows that he is more of a long-ranged attacker, he is still an expert when it comes to swordsmanship and battling others who also expertise in swordsmanship. Since his Shikai is a dual-bladed type wherein one is longer and heavier than the other, he can equally divide his strength to both of the swords and even fight with either of the two. He is an ambidextrous, but his left arm power is stronger than his right.
Kidō Master: During his time when he was still a lieutenant, he was already known for his specialty in the use of Kido. He is able to cast continuous mid to high level Kido spells and is also an expert in barrier and its components and how to break them. He can also heal heavy injuries effortlessly, depending on how the injury was acquired. 
Hakuda Expert: Haruo is also good in hand-to-hand combat, but is not in the same levels as those captains ‘’really good’’ in Hakuda. He does not always resort to hand-to-hand combat but he can at least deal a tremendous force on his enemies with one or continuous attacks.
Shunpo Master: Back then in his days in Rukongai, Mitsuru taught him how to move really quickly as he likes fooling his enemies. Nowadays, he can be so fast that his enemy won’t notice if it was his afterimage or not. However, his speed isn't that as fast as his fellow captains such as Sora Kazuhiko.
*Clones: An advanced Hohō technique where one creates a clone or more just by using Shunpo at once. This cloning ability is rather more difficult than the basic as the clones do not mimic one's movements and are controlled all at once. It requires fast movements to use this technique.
*Utsusemi (空蝉, Cicada, referencing their molting): Way of Onmitsu, 3rd of the Shihō. It allows for a movement at great, sudden speed, leaving at least one tangible after-image behind.
Immense Spiritual Energy: As a captain, Haruo possesses high amounts of spirit energy and is finely controlled. Set aside the fact his spirit energy is immense, his knowledge about reishi is also pretty good. 
Reiryoku Manipulation & Control: A technique similar to a Quincy’s, Haruo manifested his ability to be able to collect reiryoku and manipulate it to a weapon. In his most recent fights, he collected reishi in the Human World to heal his own wounds.
*Jirasu (じらす, Irritate): A powerful technique Haruo learned from his aunt Hiragane. It is twice powerful when used while clashing swords with the enemy. The blade of one's Zanpakutō will glow in purplish color and when swung, it releases a quick sudden burst of energy which will cause an immense explosion on the target.
Hollowfication: When first introduced, Haruo never had control of it. His Hollowfication is different from most Visoreds, his eye turns gold instead of his usual brown and gives him an uncontrollable Reishi absorption and further increase of strength. However, if he were to use it these days, his Reishi absorption will be controlled. 
Enhanced Durability: As mentioned a while back in his childhood, he was used to getting injured or having several bones fractured everyday due to Hisa’s harsh training at times. He doesn't drop on his knees so easily.
Enhanced Speed: Due to Mitsuru’s lectures to him, he was able to move faster to fit his Zanpakuto’s power. 
Telekinesis: Generally used to move inanimate objects with the practitioner's will.
 
===Zanpakutō===
​​Kami no ken redirects here. For the manifested spirit, see Kami no ken (spirit)
Kami no ken (神の剣, "Sword of God"): Kami no ken takes the form of a typical nodachi with a dark purple handle and black sheath which Haruo carries around in his hands. Because of its manifested spirits, Haruo gave them nicknames.
*Shikai: Its Shikai command is "Divulge victory" (漏らす勝利, Morasu shōri; 'Victory' stands for extreme happiness). Haruo adjoins the tip of the hilt of his nodachi and the sheath. The nodachi becomes shorter, resembling a katana while the sheath turns into a wakizashi which strangely bears a resemblance to a butcher knife. Each has a brown colored handle. His Zanpakutō in Shikai form can be considered as a daishō sword pair.
:Shikai Special Ability: Kami no ken's ability is to "play" with its enemies by generating a mass dark lavender/purple-colored energy offense techniques. So far, Haruo has shown only 5 different techniques. There were definitions done by Haruo about his Shikai's ability but they weren't clear or true.
:*Ichibanme saisei, Shikkyaku (一番目再生、失脚, First play, Downfall): Haruo opens a black dimensional scar in front his enemy which unleashes a powerful blast of dark lavender energy by swinging both of his swords in any direction. This technique can be done multiple times. 
:*Nibanme saisei, Seitō tsūgeki (二番目再生、政党痛撃, Second play, Party Crasher): A technique wherein Kami no ken sends destructive and remarkably strong dark lavender energy blasts.
:*Nibanme saisei, Sai Heshioru (二番目再生、再圧し折る, Second play, Smash Again): This technique is the second version of Seitō tsūgeki. Likewise, it fires a deadly dark lavender energy blast, but it can pierce through an Espada's strong Hierro. 
:*Sanbanme saisei, Kuizu shō (三番目再生、クイズ·ショウ, Third play, Quiz Show): This technique turns dark lavender energy into the form of spears seemingly those used in wars. The spears can be destroyed, however they will just turn back into dark lavender energy just like in the beginning. Once triggered, the spears will attack the target in different directions, either they land on the target or not, they will cause a destructive explosion. 
:*Yonbanme saisei, Kankin doku (第再生、監禁毒, Fourth play, Confinement Poison): A technique that releases a poisonous gas that momentarily seals one's movements.
*Bankai: Kami no ken Kagirinai (神の剣限り無い, Endless Sword of God): is the name of Haruo's Bankai. Its appearance and abilities has not yet been revealed. Haruo commented that he can't completely control it.
==Quotes==
*(To Izumi Yukari) "Le adventures start with a single step."
*"Why do people say 'why me?' when they are in trouble but when they are happy they won't say a thing even a 'thank you?'"
*"Be thankful of your life even you just waste it on eating, walking, sleeping or anything else."
*(Writing on his notebook) "When a person cries and the first drop of tears comes from the right eye, it's happiness. But when the first roll is from the left, it's pain."
*(To Michiko Kōno) "As long as you're here and it's night, I feel better."
*(To Michiko) "Michiko-san, it's not about knowledge. It's about how you work on life and how you use your time. That's what you must be jealous of."
*"Never search for the meaning of life.., you describe it."
*(To War) "Well, you know, it's pretty damn lame. If it's a war, then why do you people sneak around the Living World, acting like a Human than appearing yourselves as what you really are and fight Shinigami? Really, I don't think you people can act as villains against us."
*(To War) "I did?"
==Trivia==
*Haruo was originally a cold, silent and dark blue-haired guy.
*Haruo Yamada was inspired by Urahara and Dark Rukia.
*As chosen, his theme soundtrack is "Who's There?" from the Persona 4 OST.
*Due to frequent reading of scrolls, Haruo can speak unknown languages whether it is true or not.
Category:Characters
Category:Male
Category:Shinigami
Category:Visored
Category:Shinigami captains
Category:Former Shinigami lieutenants
Category:Nobles