Izuru Kira

Izuru Kira (吉良 イヅル, Kira Izuru) is the lieutenant of the 13th Division in the Gotei 13, formerly under Captain Gin Ichimaru and currently under Captain Jūshirō Ukitake.
==Appearance==
Izuru has blue eyes; and, shoulder-length, blond hair that is combed into three points, with two in the back of his head, and a third combed to cover his left eye. He also wears the standard Shinigami robes, and the third division's lieutenant armband on his left arm. When he was a student at the Shinigami Academy, his hair was shorter, and shaggier, with his bangs hanging just above his left eye; and, he wore the standard blue uniform for the males.
Seventeen months after Aizen's defeat, Izuru's hair is shorter. He maintains the bang of hair over his left eye, with it reaching just below his eye.
==Personality==
Izuru is a gloomy and introspective person, not easily able to socialize with others. He generally appears weak and indifferent, leading many to believe he lacks the ability to be a leader. As an officer, he does not tend to inspire confidence or boost morale the way other lieutenants do. However, Izuru is loyal to his wife, his friends, and his duties. Despite the close friendship he shares with Momo Hinamori, Izuru shows that his loyalty to his former captain knows no boundaries when he defends his captain while she is in a grief-induced rage from her own captain's apparent death. Despite this, he calls himself a "monster" afterwards for raising his sword against her. Izuru considers the essence of war to be despair, as exemplified by the symbol of his Division, the marigold. He also hates to fight unless prompted to or given orders. However, in combat he shows ruthless determination. Izuru has shown himself remorseless with this, beheading an opponent who was pleading for mercy.
His personality flaws are also assets: his introspection coupled with his tendency to worry makes him indecisive, but it also makes him sensitive to unusual behavior. His loyalty to his division inspires him to great efforts in their defense, as seen when Momo Hinamori attacks Gin Ichimaru and again when Makoto Kibune's attacks endanger other members of the 3rd Division. Izuru's current personality greatly differs from his days in the Shin'ō Academy where he was shown to be much happier and slightly cocky after noting that Shūhei Hisagi had failed his entrance exam twice, whereas Izuru passed at the top of his class, giving him the idea that his talent was greater.
Izuru likes to write haiku and he was also awarded for one of his pieces by Seireitei Communication, which is as follows: "The persimmon tree bears fruit. Aaah, the persimmon tree bears fruit again this year." His dislike for dried persimmon (a huge difference between him and his former captain) sheds some light on the background of the poem. He likes agar-agar instead. He also writes a serial novel titled "I Want to Apologize to You." It runs in Seireitei Communication and every new chapter begins with a haiku piece. He is also the author of Kira Izuru's Haiku Time. He is on good terms with fellow author Shūhei Hisagi. In his free time, Izuru participates in gatherings of haiku lovers. He also gives a special lecture of poetry on the Shin'ō Academy. It is also known that he is skilled in playing cat's cradle.
==History==
Izuru Kira was born into a family of lesser nobility, his parents having been dead since he was young. On the day he first entered into the Shinigami Academy, he visited his parent's grave. It is there that he met fellow student Renji Abarai when he fell out a tree onto his parent's burial marker. Renji was scolded by his friend, Rukia Kuchiki, for falling asleep in the tree.Bleach manga; Chapter -17, pages 4-5 Upon entrance into the academy, Izuru was placed in the special accelerated class alongside Renji and Momo Hinamori.Bleach manga; Chapter -17, page 8 Later that day, the students engaged in using Hadō in their Kidō class, with Izuru excelling over the rest of his class. However, he was only able to defend against the aggressive nature and fighting style of Renji in their swordsmanship class. While the two were resting underneath a tree Renji and Izuru introduced themselves and struck up a friendship with each other; it was also on this day that 5th Division Captain Sōsuke Aizen and his lieutenant, Gin Ichimaru, came to the Academy to inspect the freshman class.Bleach anime; Episode 46
Two months later, the class was given leave to go to the World of the Living for a training session in Konsō.Bleach manga; Chapter -17, page 11 The training session was to be lead by 6th year student Shūhei Hisagi and two of his classmates, Hotaru Kanisawa and Aoga. The fact that Hisagi was leading the mission caused a ruckus, which prompted Izuru to explain to Renji why Hisagi was so famous. Izuru then noted that he himself, as that year's top student, probably had more talent than Hisagi. The various students were then placed into three-person teams, Izuru and Renji were placed with Momo. The class then set out for the World of the Living to begin their training mission.
As the training session was coming to a close, the class was surprised when a Hollow attacked them and killed Kanisawa. When Aoga saw this he went to fight the Hollow, but was almost killed. Hisagi then called for all the students to fall back and run for their lives, while he held the Hollow off.Bleach manga; Chapter -17, pages 16-20 When Momo stopped running, Izuru asked her why, to which she responded that she didn't understand why they were fleeing, despite Izuru and Renji trying to reason with her she went back to attack the Hollow and save Hisagi. Realizing there was no getting through to her, Izuru and Renji decided that they had to try and help her. Much to the surprise of Hisagi, the three of them appeared just in time to block the attacks of the Hollow. Izuru asked for forgiveness in not following Hisagi's orders, and then congratulated Momo when she used Hadō #31 Shakkahō. But to their surprise the small victory was cut short by the arrival of many more Hollows. They were then saved by the timely arrival of Captain Sōsuke Aizen and then Lieutenant Gin Ichimaru, who effortlessly took out all the Hollows, while the three students stood amazed.Bleach manga; Chapter -17, pages 21-32
After graduation, Izuru, along with Renji and Momo, was sent to the 5th Division, where he stayed until Gin Ichimaru became captain of the 3rd Division. It is known that Izuru spent some time in the 4th Division, as noted by Shūhei, and the fact that he carries medical implements like shinten, a trait virtually exclusive to members of the 4th Division.Bleach manga; Chapter 337, page 4
==Plot==
===Fake Karakura Town arc===
===The Thousand-Year Blood War arc===
While the captains are in a meeting, Izuru discusses the situation with the other lieutenants. He notes that according to the 12th Division's report, the recent Wandenreich attack and Hollow disappearances are linked, but the Rukongai disappearances were said to be local quarrels and are no longer being investigated, even though the vanishings continue. Izuru asks if anyone had investigated beyond District 50. Yachiru reports that members of her Division went to District 64. Izuru learns from her that the footprints left behind were a mixture of bare feet and sandals. He states that living standards in Rukongai decline sharply beyond District 50 and statistics from the previous 550 years indicate that nobody wears sandals beyond District 59. He concludes that the sandal footprints were likely left by Shinigami. He notes that this is unusual and that the Reishi Investigation Team from the SRDI would usually participate in the investigation in such cases, but this did not happen. He asks Nemu Kurotsuchi what her captain is hiding. She states that she was not informed and Izuru replies that he is going to inform Captain-Commander Yamamoto.Bleach manga; Chapter 489, pages 2-5
When the Wandenreich begins the war, Izuru notices the pillars of blue flame and runs to the base of one, alongside the members of the 3rd Division.Bleach manga; Chapter 494, page 6 He questions a member of the Spirit Particle Inspection Squad about how long they have to wait for him to take readings before they can attack. He asks 3rd Seat Rikū Togakushi if he thinks the intruder is within the pillar, who confirms that they must be in there. 5th Seat Taketsuna Gori and 6th Seat Asuka Katakura also comment among each other about the situation. The Spirit Particle Inspection Squad member confirms that the intruder is a Quincy. Surprised somewhat, upon seeing the silhouette of the intruder, Izuru immediately calls for his men to attack. Before the attack can be made, a Heilig Pfeil shoots out of the pillar, destroying a large portion of the right side of Izuru's abdomen and right arm. A shocked Izuru falls to the ground.Bleach manga; Chapter 494, pages 10-14
However, Izuru survives this attack and is later treated by Mayuri Kurotsuchi, who fills the missing part of his body with thick rods in order to provide support.Bleach manga; Chapter 520.5, page 7 Izuru confronts Lille Barro after the latter begins wreaking havoc in an attempt to get revenge against Shunsui Kyōraku. After destroying one of Lille's clones by cutting its head in half, Izuru responds to inquiries about who he is by claiming that he is a dead man before forcing two more clones to the ground with the power of his Shikai. Noting the ruined state of the area around him, Izuru wonders how he could have survived this destruction the first time before challenging the rest of the clones to combat.Bleach manga; Chapter 654, pages 12-15
===Echoing Jaws of Hell arc===
On the day of Jūshirō Ukitake's Konsō Reisai, Izuru is told by Mayuri that the lieutenants are to gather in the Human World and perform the Jogimen Reibaku ceremony, where he elects to guard the perimeter of the area instead of staying with the other lieutenants and Ichigo. When the lieutenants are attacked by several Jigoku no Gaki, Izuru saves Akon from one of them by doubling the weight of his own foot seven times with Wabisuke and slamming into it from above before using Wabisuke to decapitate it, with Akon questioning if he will stop guarding the perimeter and Izuru noting that he enjoys doing so since he can make a late entrance.Bleach manga; NO BREATHES FROM HELL, pages 48-49
==Equipment==
Explosive Bands: The band on Izuru's right arm possess explosive properties. By removing them, he can use them to produce blinding explosions that expel a large amount of smoke.
: A green liquid which can knock out a target with a single drop (provided the target has weak enough spiritual energy).Bleach manga; Chapter 326, pages 5-6 
==Powers & Abilities==
Expert Swordsman: Izuru is shown to be highly proficient in the wielding of his Zanpakutō. Mixing his mastery of his sword's unique shape with the special ability it has, he is coldly proficient during its use and application.Bleach anime; Episodes 183 and 184Bleach manga; Chapters 320 & 323
Expert Tactician: He is highly conscious of his weaknesses and strengths, commonly devising methods which take advantage of his Zanpakutō's special ability, even in situations when the odds are against him.
Kidō Expert: He has great talent for Kidō, even back at the Shinigami Academy, and he is often seen applying Kidō spells during fights. He is skilled enough to use Bakudō #63. Sajō Sabaku,Bleach anime; Episode 265 Hadō #58. Tenran, and Bakudō #73. Tozanshō without the incantation and with relative ease.Bleach manga; Chapters 323 and 337
*: Izuru is proficient in healing Kidō due to his time spent as a member of the 4th Division.Bleach manga; Chapter 337, pages 4 & 7 
Shunpo Practitioner: Izuru is proficient in the use of Shunpo, allowing him to keep up with at least other lieutenant-level Shinigami. His skill in Shunpo was shown great enough to appear behind Abirama, surprising the Arrancar.Bleach manga; Chapter 319, pages 18-19
Healer: It was noted by Hisagi that Izuru was once part of the 4th Division, and therefore, knows healing-type Kidō and technique. Though he is considerably out of practice, he is still shown able to quickly determine a person's ailments from a single glance, as shown from his quick analysis of Rangiku's and Momo's condition after they fell against Ayon and heal the otherwise fatal injuries.Bleach manga; Chapter 337, pages 1-7Bleach manga; Chapter 405, page 2 He has a number of medical supplies that he carries with him, supposedly from his time in the 4th.
High Spiritual Power: Being a lieutenant of the Gotei 13, Izuru boasts a high amount of spiritual energy. His Reiatsu is blue.Bleach anime; Episode 35
===Zanpakutō===
Wabisuke redirects here. For the manifested spirit that appears in the anime-only Zanpakutō Unknown Tales arc see Wabisuke (Zanpakutō spirit).
: Wabisuke is a simple katana with a normal rectangular tsuba, with only an omega design on the top and bottom half.Bleach manga; Chapter 101, pages 14-16
*Shikai: Its Shikai command is . When activated, the blade loses its curve and straightens, and where a normal katana would end, Wabisuke's blade makes two 90 degree angles, forming three sides of a square, reminiscent of a hook and has its cutting edge on the inside of the angles.Bleach manga; Chapter 101, page 16
:Shikai Special Ability: In this form, Wabisuke doubles the weight of any object it strikes. The ability can affect both inanimate objects and living beings, and is cumulative. For example, the first strike on an opponent wielding a 10 lb sword doubles the opposing sword's weight to 20 lbs. If Izuru strikes the sword a second time, the weight of the sword doubles to 40 lbs. Izuru can continue doubling the weight of his opponent's sword indefinitely. After about eight or nine strikes, most opponents would be unable to lift their swords and are brought down to their knees by the weight of their own weapon. Though the potential of this ability is limitless, a small number of strikes to an opponent's blade is usually all that is needed to render them immobile. Its ability makes it look like he is forcing his opponents to bow their heads in apology for a past decision since it brings his opponents to their knees before him.Bleach manga; Chapter 169 With them immobile, the hook end of his blade can now show its gruesome function: Izuru can decapitate a fallen opponent by holding the square hook beneath his opponent's neck and lifting, like a reverse guillotine.Bleach manga; Chapter 323 He can also double the weight of his own body parts, such as his foot, allowing him to crush even massive enemies like Jigoku no Gaki with ease.Bleach manga; NO BREATHES FROM HELL, page 48
*Bankai: Not Yet Achieved
==Weaknesses==
===Zanpakutō===
Range: While his Zanpakutō possesses a special ability it is limited to close-quarters combat.Bleach manga; Chapter 323
==Appearances in Other Media==
*Izuru is playable in several forms in Bleach: Brave Souls, most notably in his Quincy Blood War appearance where he was reconstructed and revived by Mayuri Kurotsuchi after having a large hole blown in his torso by Bazz-B. In this form, Izuru is a ranged normal attack character with the "Hollow Killer" ability who has a chance to inflict Weaken with every attack. His unlockable skills include "Flurry", 30% Bruiser", a five-second "Debilitator", "Poise", and "Last Ditch Survival" Additionally, he can increase his "Decreased Damage Taken" Soul Trait to -20%. Izuru's special is , where Izuru uses Hadō #58. Tenran to gather up debris that he makes heavier with Wabisuke, inflicting immense damage and Weaken; this is derived from the conclusion of his battle against Shaz Domino in Beginning of the revive of Tomorrow.
:*Izuru is also playable as an alternate-reality version of himself from a technology-oriented Soul Society known as the Machine Society. In this form, Izuru is a ranged normal attack character with the "Heart" attribute and the "Hollow Killer" ability who has a chance to inflict Paralysis with every attack aside from his second strong attack, which is a healing move. His unlockable skills are "Berserker (+40%)", "Bruiser (+30%)", "Debilitator (+5 secs.)", "Flurry", "Freeze Duration -100%", "Medic", and "Sprinter (+1)", while his Soul Trait is "Damage Taken -16%". Izuru's special is , where he spins his pistol and fires a deadly volley that inflicts immense damage and Paralysis.
:*Additionally, Izuru can be played as a team unit alongside Gin Ichimaru as a captain and lieutenant duo. In this form, Izuru and Gin are a melee strong attack character with the "Technique" attribute and the "Shinigami Killer" and "Hollow Killer" abilities. When playing with this unit, players can switch between controlling either Gin or Izuru, with the character they do not control remaining onscreen and fighting independently; Izuru has a chance to inflict Lacerate with his normal attacks and Poison with his strong attacks, while all of Gin's attacks have a chance to inflict Poison. Their unlockable skills are "Berserker +20%", "Bruiser +20%", "Debilitator +2 secs.", "Devastation +40%", "Frenzy", "Guard Break", "Long Reach +20%", and "Sprinter +1", while their Soul Trait is "Strong Attack Recharge Time -12%"; their Arena Traits are "Strong Attack Damage +13%" and "Focus +30", while their Arena Abilities other than "All Stats +5%" are "Strong Attack Damage +10%" at level 5, and "Strong Attack Damage +20%" at level 10. Their special is , where Izuru blocks incoming attacks and Gin attacks with Shinsō, inflicting immense damage and Poison.
*Izuru is also playable in many prior Bleach video games, including Bleach: Heat the Soul 3 through 7, Bleach: Soul Carnival 2, and Bleach: Blade Battlers 2nd, his first video game appearance.
*Izuru appears in most editions of the Rock Musical Bleach, where he is played by Eiki Kitamura. He does not appear in the first edition, nor in the 2011 or 2012 reboots.
*He features in the fifth volume of Bleach "B" Station's third season.
===Apocrypha===
====Beginning of the Revive of Tomorrow====
During the second invasion of the Seireitei, Izuru confronts Shaz Domino, who is attacking the Central 46 to learn how to create another Hōgyoku, and cuts off his arm. Izuru throws a chunk of rubble at Shaz, which the Quincy dodges, but follows up by blasting him into the Central 46's living quarters with Hadō #58. Tenran. Shaz throws multiple daggers at Izuru, but the Shinigami deflects them with Wabisuke, causing them to become heavier than before. Izuru then attacks Shaz with Hadō #31. Shakkahō, and uses the smoke caused by the fireballs to get right in front of the Quincy. Shaz dodges Izuru's strike, but he uses Hadō #58. Tenran again and attacks Shaz from above, slashing the Quincy in the arm. Shaz manages to block the strike with Blut Vene, but cuts off his arm due to Wabisuke making it heavier, surprising Izuru. Shaz kicks Wabisuke away and prepares to kill Izuru, but is pierced with countless pieces of rubble that Izuru struck with Wabisuke after blowing them into the air with Hadō #58. Tenran. Izuru stabs Shaz a few times, causing the Quincy to sink into the earth due to his body breaking from his own weight while constantly regenerating by absorbing the ground underneath him.Beginning of the Revive of Tomorrow
==Censorship==
*After Toshirō Hitsugaya released Hyorinmaru against Gin Ichimaru, Izuru's arms were frozen, but they weren't wounded by the ice in the anime compared to the manga.Bleach anime; Episode 48Bleach manga; Chapter 132, page 7
==Trivia==
*The theme song that Kubo chose for Izuru is "You are the Bottom of the Ocean" by the artist Keiko Hiraoka.http://www.j-bleach.com/special/
*Izuru's name is sometimes romanized as Iduru Kira.Bleach Official Character Book MASKED, page 100
*Izuru's parents are named Kagekiyo (景清) and Shizuka (シヅカ).Bleach manga; Chapter -17, page 4
*Izuru was voted the 18th most popular character in the second character popularity poll, 11th in the third, 9th in the fourth, and 19th in the fifth.13 BLADEs., page 253
*Wabisuke ranked 4th in the first Zanpakutō poll and 9th in the second.13 BLADEs., page 254
*In the second best bout poll, Izuru's fight with Abirama Redder ranked 18th, his fight with Momo Hinamori ranked 40th, his fight with Rangiku Matsumoto ranked 57th, and his fight with Bazz-B ranked 83rd.13 BLADEs., page 255
*In the manga, while fighting Hollows in the World of the living, Momo was the only one to use Shakkahō on the giant Hollow.Bleach manga; Chapter -17, pages 25 In the anime, however, Renji and Izuru also used the Kidō spell on the Hollow together with her.Bleach anime; Episode 46
*In the dubbed anime only, when Hinamori tries to attack Gin Ichimaru with her Shikai, Izuru says "Raise your head and prepare to die" to release his Zanpakutō, omitting Wabisuke's name.
*In an interview with Tite Kubo when asked about Shinigami who didn't have Bankai, Kubo mentioned Izuru, stating that conceptualizing his Bankai might be a bit nauseating.Bleach Repeat and Reboot - Q and A with Kubo Tite
==Quotes==
*(To Abirama Redder) "Your life is already forfeit either way, but surely you would prefer an easy death?"Bleach manga; Chapter 319, page 19
*(To Abirama Redder) "Battles should not be heroic. Battles should not be exhilarating. Battles are replete with despair. Dark... Terrible... It must be something of sadness and gloom. It must quintessentially be something which frightens people, such that they select the path which avoids battles."Bleach manga; Chapter 323, page 20
*(To Abirama Redder) "A warrior should never plead for his own life."Bleach manga; Chapter 323, page 22
*(To the deceased Abirama Redder) "Farewell, warrior of the sky. I would appreciate it if you would not forgive me."Bleach manga; Chapter 324, pages 1-2
==References==
==Titles==
==Navigation==
Category:Bleach/Characters