Shinzui Tsunayashiro

**Shinzui Tsunayashiro** (綱彌代神髄, *Tsunayashiro Shinzui*; ; ; ) is the current leader of the **Tsunayashiro Clan** (綱彌代家, *Tsunayashiro-ke*; ; ; lit. "Tsunayashiro family"), the most powerful and prominent of the Four Great Noble families of Soul Society. As a result of this, he is also the captain of the Gotei 13's Eighth Division. He is the twin brother of Hisui Tsunayashiro, who passed away before Shinzui took over as commander of the Eighth Division after Hisui's untimely death. There is no information available on his lieutenant.

## History

More than half a millennium ago, in the richest regions of Soul Society, a kid, along with two others, was given form to dwell among the sovereign souls. One of these children was given the name Shinzui, while the other was given the name Hisui. Having been born into the most noble and powerful Tsunayashiro Clan, known for their strong "survival of the fittest" mentality and their dedication to culling the "weak" from their own lineage, the three newborns had their Reiryoku weighed as soon as they were born. This was done in order to determine whether or not they would be allowed to continue in the clan. As a mark of respect for the culture and history, one of the triplets had to be sacrificed since it was thought to be the weakest of the group. Shinzui and Hisui were allowed to live since their Reiryoku was judged honourable by the Noble Family and was in compliance with the norms that they uphold.

For the purpose of the examination, Shinzui and Hisui were paired together. The Tsunayashiro family did not just let the two boys remain because of their initial survival; rather, they desired for them to develop and progress on a daily basis. Even before enrolling at Shin'o Academy, they were pushed to their limits on a daily basis in order to prepare them for the rigours of not just fighting but also handling a variety of diplomatic responsibilities. This required them to push their hearts, minds, and bodies to the breaking point. Both of the siblings went through the programme together, oblivious to the fact that there was no way of knowing what the future held for them. Shinzui was the more shrewd of the two, despite the fact that Hisui was the superior fighter when it came to combat. Shinzui was not even close to Hisui in this regard.

Both of them breezed through the admission examinations when they initially arrived at the school, but Hisui was given a spot in the first class while Shinzui was sent to the third. This was despite the fact that both of them performed quite well on the tests. Shinzui was thrilled at the prospect of gaining knowledge about brand new and unusually diverse kinds of things that he had never encountered before. Shinzui was able to gather all of the information that was available to him, much as the slogan of the Tsunayashiro Clan, which reads "Everything is Obtained." Shinzui slaked his hunger for knowledge by studying a wide variety of subjects, ranging from the well-known combat technique of the Shinigami known as Zanjutsu to less well-known disciplines such as tea-making. It was around this time that Shinzui started searching through the archives of Soul Society, learning all there is to know about Soul Society and its history.

Both Shinzui and Hisui, as time went on, started developing beliefs that were in direct opposition to one another, which resulted in a number of arguments between the two of them. These disagreements emerged not just as a result of the competitive character of the school they were studying at and the atmosphere at home, but also as a result of Hisui's becoming more of a "Power is the Victor" kind of person, whereas Shinzui was more of a "Diplomacy for Victory" type of person. In several of the tournaments that they participated in together, the two opponents faced off against one another.

Both Hisui and Shinzui had the potential to graduate from the school and join Gotei 13 as fully-fledged Shinigami after spending two years at the academy. This would have put them four years ahead of any of their other classmates. Hisui chose to use this chance to take over his ancestral position in the Eighth Division, whilst Shinzui opted to take his time and get a greater understanding of the wider world. Despite this, the two never stopped trying to one-up one another whenever they were in the same room. Not much longer after that, Shinzui completed his schooling and simultaneously joined the Eight Division as a recruit.

Hisui had worked his way up through the ranks of the Eighth Division throughout the course of his military career, making Shinzui seem to be a rank amateur in comparison. Hisui was envious of Shinzui's rapid advancement through the ranks, which only made Hisui's feelings of resentment against Shinzui worse. Shinzui's development was allowed to slow down by Hisui inside the division, and the majority of Shinzui's missions revolved around sending him as a reserve to the Fourth Division to do a variety of manual labour chores.

Shinzui was not the kind of person who would wallow in self-pity, especially considering that each new assignment was an opportunity for Shinzui to learn something new, and this situation was no exception. During this time, Shinzui learned the intricacies of a number of distinct Kidō techniques used by the most skilled medical professionals, paying particular attention to the fact that these professionals had their very own variation, which was known as Kaidō. Shinzui started picking up new skills and started developing new kidou methods based on the information he gleaned from the family archives. He also started learning how to combine numerous fighting systems into a single method. During the time that Shinzui spent in the Eighth Division, he began to have nagging thoughts about Hollowification. After gaining an understanding of the duties of a Shinigami, he began to ponder the possibility of Hollows being weaponized rather than being killed so that Shinigami could use them as weapons. Within Soul Society, these beliefs were considered forbidden issues, and many of Shinzui's contemporaries rejected him for even considering such thoughts. Shinzui's goals were seen as immoral. Shinzui would contact members of the Research and Development Division and present his suggestions to them. However, none of them would even support his thoughts out of concern that they would get in trouble with the higher ups. Soon after he began interfering with matters that were inappropriate due to their nature, his seniors at Seireitei realised what he was doing, and this caused them to become panicked.

The Tsunayashiro Clan had reached the point in their history when they needed to choose their next successor. In most other aristocratic clans, the titles would be passed down to whoever was the current head's eldest son. The Tsunayashiro clan, on the other hand, has its own distinct characteristics. Due to the fact that their strategy was based on the concept of survival of the fittest, Shinzui and Hisui would have had to compete against one another in a number of different tests and also engage in a number of different types of contests. Because this was something that both of the brothers had a habit of doing in the past, this battle too didnt feel any different for the two brothers, yet on the other hand, the stakes were significantly increased this time due to the fact that the victor would be their clan's successor. The members of the Tsunayashiro Clan, including their Clan Head and the former captain of the Eighth Division, were given a covert mission by their leader to aid Hisui in his victory. This mission was given because the Tsunayashiro Clan members were aware of how corrupt Shinzui was as a result of his head spinning around taboo topics. As a result of the competition that was fixed between the two victors, Shinzui was beaten by Hisui, who went on to become the successor to the Tsunayashiro Clan. Shinzui would not only lose his right to inherit the title, but he would also be kicked out of Seiretei.

Shinzui became a wanderer, spending the next two or three centuries doing various acts of vigilance as he traversed Soul Society. While he was methodically planning his vengeance, he eventually found out that his father had passed away, but he was not permitted to attend the funeral. Hisui himself had been given the family relic known as the Enrakyōten, and along with it, he had been promoted to the position of new captain of the Eighth Division. Shinzui knew of the devastating potential of Enrakyōten since he had looked through the records of his family. He also knew that Hisui was regarded as a monster with the sword. Throughout his travels, he had amassed a large number of friends who were drawn to him due to the charming nature of his personality and from whom Shinzui had gained a significant amount of knowledge.

Due to the fact that both Shinzui and Hisui came from aristocratic families, they were able to earn their asauchi even before enrolling in the school. Both had demonstrated exceptional use of asauchi in battle or during purification rituals. However, neither of them had yet achieved zanpakutou status, with the latter opting to use the abilities pouring from their family heirloom instead. However, Shinzui found out through his current colleagues that the reason for the delay in awakening his zanpakuto was because he was spending less time with his asauchi. Shinzui, infuriated by this, would infiltrate his House Manors and acquire information regarding the history of Zanpakutou's awakenings. With this information, he would be able to access various methods of pouring his soul into the asauchi much more quickly, but at the expense of experiencing a greater amount of pain. Shinzui would take advantage of this time to meditate and explore the worlds inside himself. Shinzui was taken aback when he first saw the spirit of his Zanpakuto and discovered that he had a nekomata inside his soul. Shinzui would engage in a battle against what he referred to as a Demonic Kitten rather than bond with his Soul Slayer Spirit. This combat would go on for many hours. Shinzui's body in the physical world suffered injuries in the form of multiple cuts and slashes after a battle that lasted for several hours. These wounds gave the appearance that Shinzui had been attacked by the ferocious claws of a vicious feline. In the end, the two were unable to reach a resolution to their dispute, so Shinzui offered the kitten some sake to drink. The kitten appreciated the sake and requested more of it. Shinzui and the kitten would form a relationship over sake, and during this time, the kitten would introduce itself to Shinzui has **Gaki** (餓鬼, *Hungry Ghost*; *Viz* "**Hungry Ghost**"; ; ). This would then enable Shinzui to access Zanpakuto's shikai in the regular world.

Before Shinzui could begin his scheme for retribution, he would spend the next century perfecting his use of his newly acquired zanpakuto and fusing its talents with those of his previous abilities. Shinzui would first make his plans public, and then he would pull his own strings in order to make it feasible for there to be an official Trial by Combat. An oversight that was glossed over during Shinzui's exile negotiations gave him the very right to choose this method if he needed to do so. Despite being exiled from Seiretei, on paper, Shinzui was still a member of the Eighth Division. Furthermore, despite the fact that Trial by Combat was a rare and unsightly sight outside of the Eleventh Division, the fact that it was an option meant that Shinzui was perfectly within his rights to use it, which meant that it was an option. Both Shinzui and Hisui would compete against each other in front of an audience that might reach up to two hundred people, consisting of members of the Eighth Division as well as others who were interested in the outcome of the match. Not only did a number of high-ranking aristocrats from the Tsunayoshi family attend to record the combat, but they also served as its officials. In light of the fact that Shinzui used "Survival of the Fittest" as his justification for being involved in such a situation, the other members of the family agreed that the occurrence was a satisfactory arrangement.

At the beginning of Shinzui versus Hisui, Hisui quickly brought out his Enrakyōten against Shinzui, who then released his own zanpakuto while in a shikai condition. Shinzui's cunning and sneakiness prevailed in the fight despite Hisui's brute might, which made it a very unpleasant and difficult encounter. Shinzui was given various benefits, one of which was the reversal of his exile, when he was pronounced the winner in the battle, which was symbolised by a knife being stabbed through Hisui's heart. Shinzui was promoted to the position of Captain of the Eighth Division, as well as Clan Head of the Tsunayashiro Clan, and was given the responsibility of controlling the Enrakyōten sword.

Because so many people were at a loss for what to do in response to the predicament, it was difficult for them to come to terms with it. Even though they were dissatisfied with the outcome and believed that the whole situation was illegitimate, a good number of Hisui's supporters grew to appreciate Shinzui's prowess, even if they did not share his ideas. During the period that Shinzui was living in exile, many of his followers from during the period that Shinzui was living in exile, joined the Eight Division and served in his own personal regiment within that division. In addition to this, he modified the principles of the clan in reference to the real meaning of the clan motto, which Hisui had interpreted as meaning to amass greater power.

## Powers & Abilities

### Zanpakutō

#### Gaki

Main article: Gaki (Zanpakutō Spirit)
Not only is Gaki a female spirit that resides inside the awareness of a male shinigami, but it is also a kitten. This makes **Gaki** (餓鬼, *Hungry Ghost*; *Viz* "**Hungry Ghost**"; ; ) a kind of spirit that deviates from the norm in the sense that it is not conventionally recognised. When it is hermetically sealed, the sword has the appearance of a regular blade that is white in colour.

##### Shikai

When it comes time for Shinzui to let go of his shikai, he issues the order **Curiosity killed the cat, but contentment brought it back** (好奇心は猫を殺したが、満足はそれを戻した, *Kōkishin wa neko o koroshitaga, manzoku wa sore o modoshita*; *Viz* "**Curiosity killed the cat, but satisfaction brought it back**"; ; ). Once it is freed from its seal, the sword transforms into a scythe consisting of three blades connected by a chain made of metal. It is possible to adjust the length of each component of the shikai, including the pole, the chain, and the blade, according to the requirements of the situation at any given moment. In one of his sayings, Shinzui likens the blades of the scythe to the claws of a ferocious feline. Shinzui may use the chains to assault and entangle other people, things, or landscapes in addition to using the blades to strike and wound his adversaries. Normally, Shinzui uses the blades to attack and damage his adversaries. Shinzui's ability to freely wield his shikai as a projectile and float it about him, even launching it to strike from a far range, is explained as the sword being an extension of his own mind. In order to fully include it as an extension of himself, he may even adjust its trajectory in the middle of the launch.

Shinzui is given the ability to absorb Reiryoku upon making physical contact with any person or object that is capable of emitting or producing the spiritual power, just like every other Shikai. This ability is granted to Shinzui by Gaki, who, like all other Shikai, also bestows special abilities on Shinzui. Each cut removes a little portion of the reiryoku possessed by its victim. Maintaining physical contact for an extended length of time may induce the continued absorption of reiryoku to the point that the targets may even get weary despite the fact that they have not engaged in any activity. The more reiryoku a target has, the more Gaki may swallow in a single bite. This indicates that the quantity of reiryoku ingested by the kitten spirit is not a constant number but rather a percentage amount for each bite that it takes. Because of this, Gaki has shown the capacity to take up and feel the Reiryoku of other spiritual beings. As a result, he is often able to function as a compass towards the source of Reiryoku that is the most powerful.

Gaki, like every other Zanpakutō wielded by a member of the Tsunayashiro Clan, has a voracious appetite for the reiryoku of its owners. This means that if Gaki is left unsealed for an extended period of time without being given any reiryoku to consume, it will eventually resort to consuming Shinzui's reiryoku as a stand-in. The temperamental nature of gaki is another characteristic for which it is recognised. Shinzui was the one who introduced the kitten to sake for the very first time, and ever since then, the kitten has developed a taste for the alcoholic beverage and takes pleasure in being tipsy. Because of this, Shinzui is forced to continually remain in a drunken condition in order to command Gaki, who would otherwise resist commands from a sober Shinzui, even stop itself from being unsealed.

#### Enrakyōten

**Enrakyōten** (艶羅鏡典, *Law of the Bewitching Lucid Mirror*; ; ; ) is a Zanpakutō that has been passed down through the generations of the Tsunayashiro family and is considered to be one of the most ancient Zanpakutō in existence. Shinzui, the Head of the Tsunayashiro Clan, was the one who first wielded the Zanpakutō before he acquired it from the previous owner. Now, Shinzui uses the Zanpakutō as his own personal weapon. When Enrakyōten is in its sealed state, it has the appearance of a ceremonial katana that is around medium in length and is lavishly decked with the colours of the Noble Family. It plays an important role and is included into a number of the formal ceremonial rites that are performed by the clans.

##### Shikai

When it is finally time for Shinzui to regain control of his shikai, he gives the following command: **"Sip from the four seas, the heavenly shores entwine. Equally duplicate ten thousands, and sharpen"** (四海啜りて天涯纏い、万象等しく写し削らん, *Shikai susurite tengai matoi, banshō hitoshiku utsushi kezuran*; *Viz* "**Sip the world and wear the horizon. Duplicate and curtail... All of creation equally**"; ; ). After being released, the blade produces a light that is so brilliant that it may inflict brief or occasionally even permanent blindness. After this, the sword will restore itself to its ideal state before becoming forever invisible to everyone else, with the exception of Shinzui. Shinzui makes use of this power to conceal the blade in plain sight and control it in order to strike his opponents in a manner that catches them off guard.

Enrakyōten is a family heirloom that perfectly exemplifies the position of the Tsunayashiro Clan as the supervisors of the Visuals Department surveillance, whose job it is to make sure that all history is documented. The Shikai that it releases grants Shinzui the capacity to freely copy the abilities of any Zanpakutō that he has witnessed, even to the point of being able to employ the abilities of numerous Zanpakutō’s at the same time.

In spite of the fact that the sword has a number of potent powers, anyone who wields it is doomed to suffer the consequences of a curse. The curse of the blade will cause its user's reiryoku to be slowly drained away at a consistent rate until the wielder either gives up the sword or dies. If the owner does not give up the weapon, the curse will end. The disparity in skill level between Shinzui and the targets of his mimicry is another factor that contributes to the overall potency of the copied Zanpakutō.

### Equipment

* **Gigai:**:
* **Zajiku:**
* **Special Jigokuchō**: