Ganju Shiba

**Ganju Shiba**is a resident of the Rukon District in Soul Society. He is a member of the former noble Shiba Clan and younger brother of Kaien and Kukaku Shiba.

## Physical Appearance

Ganju is a tall muscular man with chin-length black hair and partially missing left eyebrow. He wears a green vest, scarf, bandanna and pair of goggles.

## Personality

Ganju possesses a hot temper, a strong ego and a deep hatred for Shinigami. This grudge is slow to dissipate even after he learns the truth of the incident. Though he always acts tough, he has shown that he also has a softer side, easily being cowed by his older sister Kukaku, (although he does show the ability to stand up to her) and later develops an understanding to Ichigo Kurosaki with a relationship similar to what Ichigo has with Renji Abarai. He is noted to be rather unattractive and rather than deny this opinion, he tends to talk around the subject, especially when Yumichika Ayasegawa makes note of it. Ganju has been shown to be forgetful, like when he was sent to the World of the Living by his sister to collect information on the situation with the Bount, he was quickly and easily side tracked when he got a job as a convenient store clerk for the convenience store Hanatarō was working in, and later just as quickly forgot about the job and had to rush back in the middle of training to work his shift.

## Powers and Abilities

* Hand-to-Hand Combatant - Short-tempered as Ganju is, he is shown himself an able fighter, able to hold his own against Ichigo during their short fight. His style of fighting is brawling, using lunging power strikes to take his opponent down quickly.
* Swordsman Specialist - Though Ganju is not a member of the Shinigami forces, he is part of the Shiba clan and can fight on a level above that of an average Shinigami, but lower than that of the higher ranking seated officers. Ganju's sword skills are limited, so he relies primarily on his arsenal of fireworks, agility, and earth magic.
* Enhanced Endurance - During the few fights Ganju was a part of he has demonstrated impressive resilience. Even after several solid hits from Ichigo or slices from Yumichika, he is able to continue fighting effectively. Furthermore, during their confrontation with Zaraki, Ganju was able to retain consciousness (albeit brought down to his knees) by the powerful captain.
* High Spiritual Power - Being of the Shiba family, Ganju possesses high spiritual pressure, enough to be acknowledged even by someone as Byakuya Kuchiki, albeit he called it weak.
* Earth Magic - Ganju's earth magic doesn't seem to operate on the same principal as standard Shinigami Kido, as it is used without incantation and is unnumbered.
	+ Seppa (*Stone Wave*) - By moving his hand in the same pattern as the trembling current, the sign of the Shiba clan, Ganju can reduce anything he touches to sand. He normally uses this as a delay tactic, blasting through walls in order to run away, but he has demonstrated that it has other potential uses in a fight; such as when he used it to sink Ichigo's Zangetsu into the ground up to the handle, effectively rendering it useless. He can also perform "Seppa" with his feet. He has also shown the ability to project a Stone Wave in order to break the fall of himself and Ichigo upon arriving in Seireitei.
	+ Renka Seppa Sen (*Stone Wave Fan of Linked Rings*) - Essentially a larger version of Seppa, this technique reduces all the surfaces around Ganju, not just the part that he touches, to sand.
* Fireworks Manipulation - Like his elder sister, Ganju has a knowledge of creating and using fireworks, but he's seen using old-style *shakudama* (*scorch ball*)-type fireworks in his fighting style.
	+ Senpen Banka (*Enveloping Whirl of Myriad Flowers*) - Ganju throws several *Shakudama* (*Scorch Ball*) fireworks at his opponent. This technique can lightly injure an officer-level Shinigami.
	+ Kakaku Shaho Niban: Kagizaki (*Crane Flower Archery Twofold Style: Wrestling Bloom*)
	+ Shiba Style: Shooting Flower - A two-part incantation spell for launching and controlling a large firework. The initial spell controls the launch and its direction, then a continuation spell is used to adjust the acceleration and axial position.

## Equipment

* Sword
* Fireworks

## Relationships

### Friends/Allies

* Ichigo Kurosaki (Old friend and rival)
* Hanataro Yamada (Best friend)