Shiyachi Enkō

*"Sorry. My thing is communication technology, not THE communication. And I'm not the boss, so go ask HIM your questions!"*

**Shiyachi Kan'Oka Shiroyukishaku Enkō** (遠高の謝感丘白雪爵, *Enkō no Kan'Oka Shiroyukishaku Shiyachi*), or simply **24** (二十四, *Ni-jū Yon*) , is a researcher of the 12th Division, in the Communication Research Section, a former member of the 5th Division, and the big brother of the current leader of the **Enkō clan** (遠高).

## Appearance

It's often hard to describe Shiyachi because he tends to wear mascot costumes (without being a furry, *sorry not sorry*). Often crowned with a giant head similar to that of a plush, changing from time to time, he remains however recognizable by the typical uniform of his division and the badge he wears around his neck, or his zanpakutō that he carries on his back and a gazette which he keeps under his arm.

Otherwise, he is a relatively tall man, unshaven, curly blond hair reaching mid-back, a cigarette still on his lips and dark circles (another characteristic characteristic of his division). Too often staring into space, his air more annoyed than tired, Shiyachi is the kind of guy you always imagine under the influence. Despite this, he only smells of coffee and cigarettes, and sometimes of melted plastic or simply a burnt smell.

To mark the occasion, when the captain of the Ninth was exiled, as he already liked Seireitei Communication, he tattooed his lucky number on his shoulder as a support (given that his captain had also made exile). If he has had a piercing occasionally, the editor will simply say that it is not a visible piece of jewelry even if the shinigami is in a bathing suit.

## Personality

Shiyachi is a pragmatic man, on the verge of fatalism, he listens to orders without discussing them and is not bothered by insults, as long as the job is well done. If the remarks on the fact that cowardice is part of his genes, it's just that the researcher is someone relatively insensitive to external stimuli (even pain, sometimes going so far as to do stupid things to see if he still feel something, or just out of curiosity). If he likes to blend in with the crowd, to live according to a rhythm that could be described as "metro-work-sleep", he remains someone strongly attached to others, surely because of the clan logic that he developed in his youth. What he has also developed is the art of hiding and small lies, so as not to be bothered. To simplify this part, Shiyachi is the cliche of the "I don't care" but who cares, finding many things more worthy of children than him.

His way of being changes radically when he puts on his mascot costume. If this is an excuse to let off steam, his ability to lie mentioned above makes him very quickly get into character and instantly seem to his amusement park mascots who are much too happy to be there. It also allows him to do even more silly things, without having his face seen, which could slow him down due to embarrassment. It's a bit like his way of getting rid of all the nice employee barriers, a bit like others would get drunk in bars.

We can't really talk about split personality or mental damage, but we can add to that his relationship with his zanpakuto. While most zanpakutō go silent when their owner stops interacting, to the point where one becomes deaf to the other and vice versa, the case of Shiyachi it's different. The spirit in his blade is a happy child, always eager to travel and to face the bad guys (quite the opposite of the shinigami, except if he puts on his costume, of course). In order not to be locked into the inner world, Kishi manifests at the sight of the shinigami and talks to him to encourage him and such. Since Shiyachi is the only one to see and hear him, the people around him just see a tired researcher totally losing phase and bugging standing still.

## Equipment

**Shin'eiyaku (侵影薬, *Shadow-Raiding Drugs*) :** Aware of the lack of raw strength as a scientist and the power of some enemies of Soul Society, Shiyachi can, as a last resort, take a pill orally in order to grant himself a temporary boost with significant backlash, in undergoing hollowification. That doesn't make him a Visored, as he doesn't retain the abilities gained and the process is flawed, as an imitation of Urahara's creation, and Shiyachi doesn't have enough reiatsu to generate a full mask like a captain or a lieutenant would. Last, he isn't able to take a "natural" pill because his soul would surely not support a true hollowfication.

### Zanpakutō

In its sealed form, it is a hiltless katana more curved than average, whose scabbard and hilt are a fairly cold mauve-blue color, with "pale and creamy yellow" pommel, chape and locket. Since Shiyachi isn't in a combat division, he allows himself to carry his weapon on the back, knowing that it pleases the spirit of the blade which is comparable to a noisy child. If he carries it on the belt, it embarrasses the zanpakutō as if he were holding its hand.

**Kishi no Yūjin (騎士の友人):** The Shikai command is "**Forgive the forgiveness**" (許しを許し, *Yurushi o yurushi*). After ramming the tip of his katana into the ground in front of him using both hands, Kishi no Yūjin takes the form of a two-handed Power-Type zanpakutō appearing to be a mix of Doppelhänder (*double-hander*) and Zhanmadao (*horse chopping saber*). It measures 147 cm (*4'9,8"* or *57,9 in*), the hilt is covered in pale turquoise braided leather, and the new cross-guard has a color describes as a light blue with a heavy gray undertone. It's a handy weapon against groups of enemies (much less so if the user is fighting in formation) and, contrary to popular belief, very dangerous in tight quarters if used well. Due to its weight and size, inertia is favored for handling, although Shiyachi could use it one-handed for showmanship, his way of fighting consisting of provoking the opponent to enter his zone of action or thinking that getting closer could be enough to hamper his gestures.
**Fake Hollowfication - Faris Alfaris (虚化-騎士騎士) :** Taking half of the gains gained by absorbing the Shin'eiyaku, the zanpakutō itself gains strength and the blade becomes fissure ribbed while remaining solid in one piece. Under this effect, the wielder and the sword no longer distinguish between each other, explaining the why of the Spanish name, coming closer to an arrancar's bond with his weapon than a shinigami and his own. . This is just a mind-saving device, since neither is able to sustain hollowfication alone. The two, however, end up knocked out on the ground after the effect of the pill, the sword no longer holding and the pieces scattering.

## Trivia

* The name of the clan should have been "Black Lion", "Purple People" or "Dark Eagle" (in reference to the griffin), but to avoid yet another "Kuro", the name was turned into a pun less badass. Enko can mean "Family, social connection" but the kanjis used mean "**Far Height**".
* In contrast, the name Shiroyukishaku is a reference to Snow White where the kanji "Princess" in the Japanese translation (Shirayuki**hime**) is replaced by part of "Baron". Depending on the medium of translation, this last kanji can mean "Earl". Earl and Tale have almost the same sound in French, *Comte (Earl) /Conte (Tale)* (to add a pun, again).