Takuya Tachnibana

## Takuya Tachibana

立花拓也 (Tachibana, Takuya)

Takuya Tachibana (立花拓也, Tachibana, Takuya) is an S-Rank missing-nin from Damagakure and a member of the Zodiac 12 criminal organization. He is a former warden of Damagakure's maximum security prison who aided Aizen Megumi and other prisoners in organizing a mass breakout from the prison after having become disillusioned with the village and its goals. He is a Rabbit Sage and is known by the moniker of "The Snow Rabbit" (雪うさぎ, Yukiusagi).

## **Appearance**

Takuya is a young man of below-average height. He has a lean build, golden-colored eyes, and long, messy black hair. As a child, he had grown out his hair wildly and wore it in a spikey fashion, but as he grew up he decided to cut it down somewhat and to allow it to flow naturally, thus he barely does any work to keep it in check other than the occasional haircut. Takuya also wears the metallic plate of his Damagakure forehead protector, which has a slash through the village's symbol following his defection from the village, as a necklace.

Growing up poor, Takuya would typically wear whatever clothes he could find. These would oftentimes be way too big for his small body, but he made do with what he had and because of this gained great skill in sewing. Whenever he was promoted to Chūnin he would wear an outfit to show his status; a Damagakure flak jacket, a dark grey long-sleeved shirt and pants, dark grey gloves, and dark-grey knee-high boots. After assisting with a prison breakout and his defection from Damagakure, Takuya switched his outfit to consist of a long-sleeved pitch-black shirt with a high collar, light brown pants that are cut below his knees, and a pair of brown belts that cross each other around his waist. Additionally, he wears a pair of dark-colored socks and a pair of brown boots.

As the Rabbit Sage, Takuya has garnered the moniker of "The Snow Rabbit". When he enters into his Sage Mode, in which his eyes become much bigger, his hands and feet extend outward, and he usually takes an all-fours position to allow him to quickly maneuver around the battlefield with unmatched speed and agility.

## **Personality**

Takuya Tachibana, known by his moniker of "The Snow Rabbit," is a complex individual shaped by his experiences as an orphan and a former warden of Damagakure's maximum security prison. Once a loyal member of the village after its creation before the start of the Third Shinobi World War, Takuya became disillusioned with its ideals and goals. This disillusion would lead him to aid Aizen Megumi and other prisoners succeed in a daring mass prison break. This act of rebellion showcases Takuya's capacity for critical thinking, as he questioned the village's authority and sought to forge his own path.

Like a rabbit, he possesses a clever and resourceful nature, utilizing his intellect and cunning to outmaneuver his enemies. He is adept at analyzing situations and devising intricate plans, making him an invaluable strategist within the Zodiac 12 criminal organization. Takuya's actions demonstrate his willingness to challenge the status quo and take risks in pursuit of his ideals, making him a charismatic and inspiring figure among his comrades.

Beneath his rebellious exterior, Takuya harbors a deep sense of justice and loyalty to his newfound cause. His disillusionment with Damagakure stems from a belief that the village has strayed from its original purpose and betrayed its own people. As a result, Takuya fights with a passion fueled by a desire to create a new order, one that champions freedom and individuality. His dedication to his cause is unwavering, and he can be fiercely protective of those he considers allies, embodying the loyalty of the rabbit he is associated with.

## **Stats**

 Speed
 Endurance
 Intelligence
 Chakra Reserves
 Chakra Control

## **Abilities**

Takuya is a formidable shinobi whose abilities revolve around his mastery of a unique variant of Ice-Release. Unlike the natural Ice-Release techniques derived from the Yuki Clan of Kirigakure, Takuya's icy powers were artificially crafted by Damagakure scientists. This inorganically created Ice-Release grants him an unparalleled control over frozen elements, allowing him to conjure and manipulate ice with extraordinary precision and power. His ice-based jutsu range from creating intricate ice sculptures to launching devastating ice projectiles and encasing opponents in frozen prisons. Takuya's mastery of this rare and modified form of Ice-Release gives him an edge in battle, as he can unleash a chilling array of attacks to overpower his foes.

In addition to his prowess as an Ice-Release specialist, Takuya is also highly skilled in the art of Sage Mode, specifically as a Rabbit Sage. Through his connection with the Rabbit Sage arts, he taps into the essence of the natural world, channeling its energy to enhance his physical attributes and grant him heightened sensory perception and physical speed. In Sage Mode, Takuya's enhanced speed and agility resulting from his sage transformation allow him to swiftly outmaneuver opponents. Furthermore, his senses become finely attuned, granting him the ability to detect even the slightest movements and changes in the environment around him. This heightened state of awareness combined with his formidable Ice-Release techniques makes Takuya a formidable adversary, capable of adapting to any situation and overwhelming his opponents with both speed and frozen precision.

## Completed Missions

 A-Rank
 B-Rank
 C-Rank
 D-Rank

## **History**

Takuya was born into a very poor family that resided within the Land of Iron. He lived in an outlying village that was close to the Samurai Sanctuary, and both of his parents had enlisted as samurai to draw in some income for the family. Unbeknownst to him, however, his parents were killed by the forces that would overthrow the samurai and create the hidden village of Damagakure.

Knowing that he would surely die if he did nothing, Takuya enrolled in the newly established village's ninja academy. He got decent marks but was ridiculed for the fact that he was an orphan and that he was poor. He would graduate at the age of 13, and when he was not undertaking missions he would oftentimes sneak out of the village to go visit his home village. During one of these outings, Kumogakure invaded the Land of Iron. Takuya, who was alone, was easily surrounded by a small team of Kumogakure forces, and when they began to encroach on him and were about to kill him, they were stopped in their tracks by a herd of snow rabbits. These snow rabbits, proficient in the sage arts, were able to drive the Kumogakure shinobi off before ensuring that Takuya was okay. They took pity on the young boy, and decided that they would help make him stronger by teaching him the ways of the Rabbit Sage. Around this time Damagakure would also begin to study the Yuki Clan's Kekkei Genkai, which they sourced from numerous dead bodies from the war. Through extensive research, they were able to create an artificial Ice-Release, and they began to test its utility by testing it on their own shinobi. Takuya was one of these shinobi, and out of 100 test subjects in total, only he and 15 others survived.

Takuya would train hard to master both the Rabbit Sage arts and his newly acquired Ice-Release, and by the start of the 5th year of the Third Shinobi World War he had been promoted to the rank of Chūnin. He saw much time on the battlefield and, thanks to his cunning and ability to generate plans on the fly, was granted a commanding role of a platoon. This and his swift speed garnered him the moniker of "The Snow Rabbit". But it was around this time, thanks to his position of power within the village's forces, that he began to become disillusioned with their ideals and ways. His commanders expected him and his platoon to kill many innocent civilians and burn down many small villages during the conflict as they engaged in scorched earth tactics. When Takuya brought his concerns regarding these harsh tactics to his commanding officers, he was dissolved of his position as a platoon leader and regulated to warden duties at the village's maximum security prison.

For 6 years Takuya remained stationed as a warden at the prison. He took a more civilized approach to his duties, which garnered him the respect of some of the prisoners. He would also achieve a good, albeit shaky, relationship with Aizen Megumi; a prisoner of war who hailed from Kusagakure. When Takuya's disillusion and hatred for Damagakure came to a head shortly after a year following the Third Shinobi World War, he aided Aizen and some of the other prisoners in successfully organizing a mass breakout before fleeing the Land of Iron with Aizen. He and Aizen both would flee to the Land of Grass, where they were confronted by the leader of the Zodiac 12; the Dragon Sage. Feeding on their desire to create change within the world, both Aizen and Takuya would join the organization with little to no hesitation.