Akane Hanabira

"*"Sometimes you have to make the hardest choices in your life. It might break your heart, but it will save your soul."*

**Akane Hanabira** (花弁茜,*Hanabira Akane*) is the 2nd Lieutenant and former 3rd seat of the 9th Division,formerly under Captain Kaname Tōsen and currently serving Captain Kensei Muguruma. She shares this position with Shūhei Hisagi and Mashiro Kuna.

## Appearance

Akane is a tall young woman with sharp dark-red eyes with hip length, straight jet black hair styled in a hime-cut. She wears the sleeveless Shihakushō (as per the tradition of her squad),and wears two separate sleeves. Her neck is donned with a black choker, which is a gift from her past.

Despite being 200+ years old, she is physically and mentally 20.

Seventeen months after Aizen’s defeat and during the TYBW arc, she discarded her white obi sash for a thicker one. Her hair has grown slightly longer. After the first invasion and training, she ties her hair in a ponytail with a scrunchie for the most of the second invasion.

In the epilogue and the Hell arc, she now wears a pair of long white gloves under the sleeves, and a red rope is tied around her obi. A spider lily hairpin is also seen on her side of the hair. Due to her promotion, she wears her Lieutenant badge at the bottom right of her sash.

## Personality

Akane is generally a reserved, and generally level headed type .She is relatively patient and helpful to her friends and recruits in her division for their needs. This is best shown when she frequently help out Hisagi with his paperworks and the Seireitei Bulletin prior to Kensei’s return.

However, only a selected few are aware of her snarkier, flippant personality with a ‘poisonous’ tongue, as noticed by others. Immature people, the wilfully ignorant and those who get under her skin, etc will be received with the latter attitude. Even her superiors aren't safe either from her biting comments. She also has a low opinion on people who are blindly obedient.

Akane is an avid adopter of the ‘an eye for an eye’ idiom as well, especially in battles and normal daily lives. This is especially shown in the TYBW arc, when she shows little to no mercy to the Sternritters that wrecked Soul Society.

Despite everything, Akane is not without consideration of her friends and allies either. She is able to understand and share her lieutenant Hisagi’s conflict with their captain turned traitor Tosen, the Visoreds’ past, Rukia’s guilt and her execution, the latter which she vehemently opposed in the SS arc.

Some of her closest friendships are Hisagi, Akon and Jing Ye, and other allies like Izuru, Renji and Rukia.

## Plot

**Soul Society Arc**

**Arrancar Arc**

**Hueco Mundo Arc**

In order to gather intel of the traitorous captains. Akane, along with Haruki and Jing Ye (my other ocs), is placed in a small recon team led by Haruki of the 4th. They departed to Hueco Mundo, accompanying the 4th ,6th, 11th and 12th Divisions. Akane joined in this dangerous mission after she promised Hisagi she will find Tosen.

**Fake Karakura Town Arc**

Akane, along with her fellow intel teammates, did not participate in the battle of Fake Karakura Town. Aizen trapped them with the other Captains, Lieutenants and Shinigamis in Hueco Mundo. The 3 of them instead headed further into Las Noches while the Captains distract the Espadas per their mission.

**Lost Agent Arc**

**The Thousand-Year Blood War Arc**

## Powers & Abilities

**Expert Swordsmanship**: Akane is shown to be very skilled in Zanjutsu, even during her days in the academy. Not only she can parry and block attacks, she has also even mastered Iaijutsu (quick draws). Like Hisagi, it all stemmed from her refusal to release her zanpakuto, only using it as last resort.

**Kidō Expert:** Like most shinigami, Akane is well versed in Kidō, having considerable knowledge of them and able to cast some of them without incantations. **Hadō #88** is her signiture Kidō. She was able to cast a stronger one in TYBW after her training.

**Shunpo Practitioner:** While not on the same level as Soi Fon, Yoruichi and Byakuya, Akane is still proficient enough to keep up with her stronger peers. She uses this to catch up to her opponent when her zanpakuto is in shikai state.

## **Zanpakutō:**

**Higanbana No Ojou** (彼岸花の王女,Princess of Lycoris): In its sealed form, it resembles a regular katana with carmine sheath, silver blade and a white handle. It's tsuba is rectangular-like with spider lily embroideries. Akane carries this on her waist.

**Shikai**: Higanbana No Ojou's release command is Invite (誘え,Izanae). Akane holds her zanpakuto horizontally with her right hand, left hand's finger on the tip. When released, the blade turns crimson and fades into deadly red fumes with red spider lily petals, though it is shown it can also remain in blade form.

***Shikai Primary Ability***:

Once the blade slashes on her opponent's body, a mark of spider lily (Nether Petal) would appear. The Nether Petal leaves them more susceptible to subsequent attacks. Target might even suffer a nervous breakdown over time.

***Shikai Special Ability***:

**Meika Fubuki** (冥花吹雪,Underworld Flower Blizzard)

## Trivia:

* Her main hobby is collecting magazines (fashion and games) during her leisure.
* Her VAs share the same range as Aoi Kunieda from Beelzebub and A2 from Nier Automata.
* She comes from a family of funeral florists.
* She owns a deck of tarot.
* Her favorite food and drink are mango smoothie and pudding.
* Akane is bad at cooking.