Sakata

**Sakata** (サカタ, *Sakata*?) is a Shinigami who is currently serving as the seventh seat officer at the 13th Division of Gotei 13.

## Background

Sakata was born and raised in the Zaraki district of Rukongai. She had a very rough childhood and had to fight since early age for survival. At some point, she joined the Shin'ō Academy and aspired to be a Shinigami. She later quit and got settled with her fiancé Taopaipai Nobunaga, a smuggler of alcohol, drugs, gold and diamonds as well as enforcer for criminal organizations and illegal political security. She decided to take her life in a new direction when she learned that every single member of the Gotei 13 has vanished. She rejoined the Shin'ō Academy and was soon assigned to the 13th Division as its 10th Seated officer. Due to her quick growth in ability and the mysterious disappearances of her superiors, she quickly rose in ranks and soon became the 7th Seated officer of her division. She took interest in the circumstances of the disappearance of her fellow officers, even requesting that R&D Department to prepare equipment for a response team and intended to investigate the matter herself by going to the Human world.

## Appearance

Sakata is a woman of average height and decent but not very flattering figure. She has fair skin and a chiseled jawline. A woman with dark brown eyes and a husky contralto, Sakata has waist-length dark hair, that she usually ties in a ponytail with a red string, but still remain disheveled most of the time. She wears loose-fitting black robes and slippers.

## Personality

Sakata is a woman with a rough attitude. Her movements are unrefined, her tone is usually annoyed and annoying, and she does not so much laugh as she chuckles angrily. A smile on her face is rare; a genuine one even rarer. She does not bother with formalities or pay much attention to basic courtesies like honorofics. However, while she does not pay mind to formalities, she is not exactly opposed to them either; once called out, she will conform to courtesies, as she does not really care about things like that.

Sakata has a very lackadaisical attitude. On a bad day, she can be especially rough and even snarky even in the most inappropriate of situations. Particularly, even in the face of certain death, like facing an Adjuchas-level Hollow as a seventh seat, Sakata would prefer to snark if she has the opportunity to.

In work, she prefers practicality but does not follow it in practice. For example, during her stake-out of Akatani, she would she preferred back-up, but ended up going ahead alone, to her own disadvantage. She is intelligent, but lacks caution. Expressing doubts in her abilities is not something that she takes much of an indulgence in. Too impatient for her own good, Sakata can be fatally curious.

## Abilities and Powers

**Keen Intellect**: Sakata is an intelligent person, good at assessing situations and formulating plans. She was the one person from the 13th Division assigned on the emergency situation regarding Akatani, indicating trust of higher authorities in her judgment and mental capabilities in the face of extreme circumstances. She is a quick thinker, and notably, even when faced with dangerous situations, like facing threats beyond her fighting ability, she remains calm and thoughtful. Even when emotionally overwhelmed, she has enough presence of mind to analyze the situation at hand. Later, she was able to deduce that Nakamoto had betrayed the Gotei 13.

**High Spiritual Power**: Even without learning how to release her Zanpakutō, Sakata was promoted to seventh seat of the 13th Division, indicating her high spiritual power. Her spiritual pressure heavily depends on her mental state, rising to unprecedental levels in a state of high adrenaline or euphoria.

**Good Reflexes**: Sakata has quick reflexes. When being suddenly attacked by a Gillian-class Hollow, Sakata was able to react in time and act to escape. During the training session at the Sixth Division barracks, Sakata was the first to respond to the second trial, designed expressly to test one's reflexes.

**Shunpo Practitioner**: Sakata's skill at Shunpo is decent at best. However she improves in the technique significantly during the emergency situation at Akatani, to the point she covered a distance only moments after Togashi, the fastest man in the 10th Division, did. Knowing full well that her Shunpo technique is imperfect, she uses Kidō spells to add momentum to her movement.

**Kidō Expert**: After her second admission to the Shin'ō Academy, Sakata took a special interest in Kidō, and excels at using spells of all sorts in highly crafty and efficient manner, using them notably to aid her movements by utilizing them to boost her momentum. She can use low-level Kidō to great affect, once altering a low-level Hadō spell as a shocking mechanism, and using a low-level Bakudō spell as a propellant force. She heavily relies on her knowledge of what a spell can do, notably using Bakufuku knowing that it would disconnect her from a Tenteikūra.

### Zanpakutō

**Kurofune** (くろふね, *Kurofune*?, Black Ship): Sakata's Zanpakutō takes form of a wakizashi-sized chokutō. She had communicated with her Zanpakutō for centuries through Jin Zen, even attaining the ability to externalize its ghost (usually employing him to wash her dishes) before achieving her Shikai during her training with Minamoto.

**Shikai**: Sakata's Shikai is activated by the command "Kai!" It takes form of a black wakizashi, with a flame-like tsuba, and a large, round pommel with five orbs attached to it.

* **Shikai's Special Ability**: Kurofune has two distinct abilities, with the original one that it innately possessed, and the other that it developed due to Sakata's evolution as a Soul and her desire for more.
	+ Activated by the command “Tear apart!” (きざむぜ, *Kizamu ze*?), the orbs on Kurofune's pommel are shot like cannonballs.
	+ Activated by the command “Coffee!” (コーフィー, *Kōfī*?), Kurofune's orbs can create a perfect copy of anything it is attached to.

## History

### Something Strange

Sakata was present at the R&D Department to debrief Lieutenant Soichiro Tenma on his mission and devices.

### Yellow Trumpet

Sakata was assigned by the 13th Division to the emergency situation regarding Akatani and ordered to report in the 10th Division barracks. After brief introductions, she learns that numerous officers of her division were reported missing from the Akatani area. Blaming the losses on officer Kitsu's incompetence, Sakata tried to connect the disappearance of Shinigami in Akatani to the disappearance of Shinigami in the Human world due to some unforeseen phenomenon that she had been investigating before deciding that the circumstances were too different for any connection. She tried to formulate a plan regarding the situation with officers Togashi Hiramochi and Nakamoto Rakkī Shin Takara before heading to Akatani herself.

After a few hours, she approached Akatani from the south. Putting up a Kidō barrier to sense any anomalies, she comes across a barn that was the center of a great spiritual force. Using her mobile device, she reported the situation to the group chat and awaited further orders, requesting back-up before preemptively deciding to enter the barn anyway. Inside the barn was a child. After reporting the happening to the group chat, she approached the child only for the child to reveal a Gillian-class Hollow within. Sakata was able to escape the barn by firing a Kidō spell, strengthened beyond her limits by her surging spiritual pressure driven by her adrenaline, only to be chased by the Hollow. Right when she accepted her fate, Sakata was rescued by Ryujin Suiiki, who had activated his Shikai to arrive at the scene. Though rescued, much to her surprise, she suffered an emotional breakdown, much to her own chagrin. The Hollow soon retreated within the child, and the child retreated soon afterwards. Despite being emotionally overwhelmed, Sakata had the wherewithal to analyze the situation and conclude that the appearance of a Gillian-level Hollow was more of a symptom regarding the Akatani situation rather than a cause. Now safe, Sakata was left alone by Suiiki. Sakata spent the next hour roaming aimlessly around Akatani, hoping to regroup with others.

After a while, she sensed two familiar surges in spiritual pressures, those of Togashi and Nakamoto. Confused, for Togashi's spiritual pressure was much higher than his rank indicated, Sakata headed towards the direction of the surges and found Togashi standing over a dying Nakamoto. Preparing to use a Kidō spell, hoping to alert Suiiki to her position, she observed as Suiiki emerged with a child, having witnessed Togashi bury Nakamoto. As they clashed, Sakata emerged and questioned if Togashi had been possessed by a Hollow. After verifying that he, indeed, was not, Sakata ceased the fight by using a Kidō spell to pull Suiiki away from Togashi's attack. After mocking Togashi for a while, she requested the Lieutenant to calm down, concluding that Nakamoto was a traitor.

Sakata was then not-so-surprised as she was exasperated as she was suddenly confronted by the Adjuchas-level Hollow, Auburn Roseheart. After sarcastically answering Auburn's question, she used her favorite Kidō spell in an attempt to escape. She was soon escorted by Togashi to a safe location when she demanded to be taken back, wishing not only to help Suiiki and the child, but also to apologize to and properly answer the Hollow. She was eventually abandoned by Togashi, who headed back. Sakata also made her way back, though not as fast as Togashi did. After inquiring if the child was fine and chastising Togashi once again, she requested Suiiki to convey a message to Auburn; while Sakata did not have the answer to the Hollow's question regarding a Shinigami's justice, she not only wished to know the answer but get to know the Hollow better as well. Another request she made to Suiiki was to aid her in her quest to become stronger. Sakata departed Akatani then in high spirits, both literally and metaphorically.

## Trivia

* Sakata is Sir Ice Man's first character on this wiki, created in November 2021.