Zabimaru (Zanpakuto Spirit)

**Zabimaru**is the manifested spirit of Renji Abarai's Zanpakuto.

## Physical Appearance

Zabimaru takes the two separate, humanoid beings; an adult woman and a small boy with a long tail. The boy is attached to the woman by a chain encircling his neck which can be removed at will. The woman, Saru (*Monkey*), is a tall, curvaceous woman with green fur covering most of her body, with the exception of her chest and abdomen. She has ankle-length, light mallow hair with black markings on her bangs. Her eyes are light green, and she has a beauty mark on the left side of her chest. The chain is wrapped around her waist. The boy, Hebi (*Snake*), wears a white and yellow robe which reveals his abdomen. He has blue eyes, short red hair, and triangular white ears. He uses his long tail to balance in the air. Both Saru and Hebi have fangs.

## Personality

While under the influence of Muramasa's brainwashing, Saru is usually the one who does the serious talking to their opponents, and frequently disciplines Hebi when he misbehaves. She occasionally downplays the significance of events, such as the drastic difference between her spirit and manifested forms. Saru can be very cruel, threatening to decapitate Rukia Kuchiki and show Renji her head in order to make him fight her and Hebi seriously. She believes true strength is not found only in having the will to fight, but in the will to kill one's opponent. Meanwhile, Hebi is fascinated by frogs, eagerly watching one hop around while waiting for Muramasa's return. He is rarely serious in conversation, and gets angry at Saru when she reprimands him for this. Hebi does not like fighting one-sided battles, and will complain if he overpowers his opponent too easily. However, though they frequently get into arguments with each other, in battle, Saru and Hebi manage to set aside their differences and work together as a team very effectively.

Saru and Hebi are very critical of Renji, calling him an idiot and claiming he is weak. They left Renji because they wanted to grow stronger, and were tired of Renji's weakness. Saru claims Renji is a coward, and believes his weakness lies in the fact that he cannot muster the courage to kill his own Zanpakuto spirit, which is why she and Hebi wish to kill him. However, they are visibly impressed when Renji gains the will to fight them seriously, and congratulate him when Renji defeats them.

## Powers and Abilities

* Great Spiritual Power - As the Zanpakuto spirit of a captain-level Soul Reaper, Saru and Hebi possess a large amount of Reiryoku. They easily overpowered Renji Abarai, Sasuke Uchiha, Mako, and Knuckles the Echidna, one advanced captain and three captain-class fighters, with their Shikai alone and with little effort, and fought evenly against Senbonzakura for a short period of time prior to the latter activating his Bankai. Even when on his own, Hebi easily overpowered a Sword Beast when he decided to fight seriously. Their Reiatsu is red, and Saru and Hebi possess enough control over it to use it as a shield against attacks.
* Master Swordsmen Specialists - Saru and Hebi are highly proficient in swordsmanship. They fought evenly against Renji, Sasuke, and Senbonzakura, all three master swordsmen, on separate occasions while performing fast, acrobatic, and powerful attacks with their Shikai.
	+ Whip Mastery
* Enhanced Strength
* Enhanced Speed
* Enhanced Endurance
* Keen Intellect

### Zanpakuto Abilities

* Shikai - Saru and Hebi can manifest the Shikai of their Zanpakuto form at will in a burst of red Reiatsu. It takes the form of a long, 6-part segmented sword with a rectangular, jagged bronze tsuba and a black handle; starting from the hilt, each segment is wider than the one preceding it, and there are 2 pick-like protrusions on the front and back of each segment, with the ones on the front being much longer than the ones on the back. The number of segments can grow almost without limit. However, Saru and Hebi cannot both wield their Shikai at the same time, and must switch it between each other when attacking. Its' release command is "**Howl**".

Shikai Special Ability - Saru and Hebi can use their Shikai for powerful long-range attacks by swinging it at their opponent, causing the segments to separate in a whip-like formation. This allows for a variety of attacks, ranging from a downward slash which pulls an opponent with it to a web of blade segments which crushes and slashes an opponent from dozens of angles at once. However, they can still use it as a sword for close-range combat against more proficient swordsmen opponents.

* Bankai: **Hihio Zabimaru**(*Baboon King Snake Tail*) - Upon activation, a whirlwind forms around Saru and Hebi before dispersing as Hebi transforms into a large, skeletal snake with dozens of bone-like segments making up his vertebral column and a large mane of red fur around his head. The snake is attached to a bone-like sword hilt, which Saru holds and uses to control **Hihio Zabimaru**.

Bankai Special Ability - Hihio Zabimaru can be used for powerful long- and short-range attacks. It can pin its opponent between its teeth and ram them into buildings, or follow them through the air and deliver powerful biting attacks. Additionally, Saru claims it is more potent than Renji's Bankai is because it has no blind spots.

* Hikotsu Taiho (*Baboon Bone Cannon*)