Erika Fujibayashi


 * The quick-to-anger viper.

Erika Fujibayashi (梨香藤林, Fujibayashi Erika), otherwise known simply as Rika, is the elder sister of Miria Fujibayashi and the newly appointed Captain of the 8th Division of the Gotei 13. Her lieutenant is Haruka Inori.

Personality
Rika is often remarked upon to be an odd woman. She doesn't put on airs with anyone, excluding the Captain-Commander and Tadashi Kori, which her fellow Shinigami find quite strange. This attitude of hers often leads her to be impolite though any chance of an apology from her is nonexistent, unless in extreme circumstances. She also acts quite strangely around fellow Captain Kei Yume, though Rika's sister attributes this to a possible crush, which Rika sternly (and comically) denies.

Miria also notes her to be very intimidating and wild; traits she initially viewed with fear. Yukimura Kori seconds this and goes on to describe her as a person who quickly resorts to violence. She is also noted to be similar to Kensei in many ways: both are wild, both are quite serious people and both are quick to resort to violence to solve their problems. Erika is also noted to be overly critical, though many note there isn't any true maliciousness within her statements.

In her free time Rika enjoys listening to various forms of and is a good hand on the instrument itself, though she tends to only play it when in seclusion; or to cam her mind. In fact the only person she plays in front of regularly is Miria, who dances along to the music. Another is Itazura who often accompanies the tune with his.

History
Rika was born under the name Erika to the Fujibayashi family. She came from the province of Junrinan in the 1st District of West Rukongai. There she lived with her parents and grandparents though her existence was often overlooked by both her parents and grandparents, who themselves where busy either with business or personal matters. Her only constant companion was a feline called Snowy who often came to her to be fed.

Erika became disillusioned with her situation and eventually ran away from home shortly after becoming a. She made it as far as the and successfully evaded search parties.

Years later Erika surfaced once again after hearing the many rumors circulating through the world regarding Kenji Hiroshi and Kusaka Kori's Hollow Hunting Agency. She resolved to join its ranks and eventually made her way to : an area where the latest rumors placed Kenji. Her trip took her from across the sea and eventually over most of. On the way to Switzerland she passed through but was accosted by Gotei 13 personnel battling. Erika joined them in the defense of twin souls but vanished before the final blow was struck and before any awkward questions could be asked. The Gotei 13 would receive word that she had went in the direction of but the truth was that she had doubled back and crossed the border into  instead.

Months of travel finally culminated in her joining Kenji's Hollow Hunting Agency, which was now operating under the name of Kenji's Patrol Team. Erika, now going under the name of Rika, was assigned to the same unit as Kensei Muguruma. Initially she found it difficult being around so many different people, especially when her only friend up til that point had been a feline. Her first weeks where spent in ridicule for her poor manners and wild nature. She spent more time in isolation honing her skills than with other people, making it so the only companion she had was her. However, she would come to identify with Kensei, who, in many ways, was just as wild as she was. The two became a recognizable team responsible for the defeat of some particularly noteworthy Hollow and Arrancar.

Synopsis

 * Main Article - Bleach (Kenji Hiroshi).

Impostor arc

 * His True Colors?

Quincy Emergence arc

 * Quincy Invasion Saga

Powers and Abilities
She is believed to be the equal of former Captain and can cause others to perspire in fear.

Hakuda Master: Rika is a master of the Hakuda arts who is bested only by the Commander-in-Chief of the Onmitsukidō. She excels in fierce grappling maneuvers and joint locks designed to disable key areas, thus making her an ideal candidate for disarming an enemy or taking her opposition captive. Tadashi has remarked on her skill and cites her as one of the foremost practitioners of the art within Soul Society. Her kicks in particular pack ferocious force and can easily incapacitate an unwary target, which Kensei helped her develop.


 * Kazaguruma (風車, "Windmill"): a Hakuda technique where one throws their body up into the air, making a shearing movement with the legs to get one leg in front of the other without holding on to the ground. The move can either be done backwards or sideways. When the move is done with one leg high over the head to deliver a devastating kick to an opponent sending them flying away with tremendous force.


 * Takigoi (滝鯉, "Waterfall Carp"): a Hakuda technique where one blocks the kicks of another opponent by trapping the opponents one foot against the forearm and blocking the other foot with the combatants foot. The move blocks and traps the opponent who is then open to an attack from the combatants free hand.


 * Raiōken (雷王拳, "Thunder King Fist"): a technique involving a series of ultra-high-speed punches delivered using both arms. When performed with some form of external armor (as was the case with centuries prior), Rika can demolish whole city blocks easily and cause aggravated external and internal injuries. Even barehanded the damage she is capable of dealing is remarkable, prompting Shin to remark that he'd rather not be hit by her.


 * Tsukiyubi (撞指, "Thrust Fingers"): a technique where simply extending the index and middle fingers of one hand in unison while they are in contact with an opponent, possesses enough physical force to effortlessly send someone of even Chad's stature, flying several meters away. Rika commonly uses this technique after trapping her target with Takigoi.

Swordsmanship: Rika's skill with a blade is quite low in comparison to her Hakuda skills, for there are many within her division who could easily beat her in a contest of swordplay. She is, however, skilled in precision cuts; a skill brought even further by her intimate Hakuda knowledge. Recently she has begun training with Tadashi in order to bolster her skills.

Hohō Master: Rika's speed is equaled by few in the entire Seireitei. In fact, she is fully capable of keeping pace with the fastest individual. Her skills are such that she can read and react to Kenji's Shukuchi (縮地, Reduced Earth) steps; who himself is a Hohō master.

Kidō Expert: Rika practices what she calls "close-range Hadō", which Shin Nagakura cites as a precursor to Shunkō. She is capable of combining her Hadō knowledge with Hakuda usage, creating a potent Hybrid style that, despite lacking Shunkō's strength and associated benefits, is still quite powerful.

Zanpakutō
Fūhaki (風波, Wind and Waves Instrument). In its sealed state Rika's Zanpakutō is classified as a which lacks a guard of any kind. She admits that its small size does not effect her performance, and always temps others to try their luck against her.


 * : Rika releases her Zanpakutō with the command "Play Quickly" (狂言早く, Kyōgen Hayaku). Fūhaki takes on the form of a wooden which she can either carry in her hands or levitate in the air near her.


 * Shikai Special Ability: The power of Rika's Zanpakutō is based on the music she plays, making it similar to 's Kinshara (金沙羅, Golden Sal Tree).


 * Makaze (魔風, Storm Caused by the Devil): Not yet Revealed.


 * : Not yet Revealed.

Relationships
Miria Fujibayashi:

3rd Division
Captain Kei Yume: Rika's relationship with the Captain of the 3rd Division is quite a strange one. One moment she's embarrassed due to a crush while the next she'd quite happily throttle him. Though she notably has a greater grasp on her temper when the subject revolves around Kei than others, for she actually counts to ten in order to calm herself when he's about.

8th Division
Lieutenant Haruka Inori: Rika and Haruka are quite friendly with one another. Rika had the decency to turn an apologetic look Haruka's way when she accidentally took her along to a meeting with the Captain-Commander regarding Kenji's supposed betrayal.

Falkner Tori: Falkner was one of Rika's oldest and closest friends, for they met when both still served in what became the Ryū Order. Falkner harbored feelings of love for her and although Rika loved him back it was more like that of a sibling. His death impacted her greatly and ultimately ensured her continued hatred of tne entire Quincy race.

Ryū Order
Captain Kensei Muguruma: Kensei was the leader of the patrol team Rika was a part of. Aside from her own zanpakutō Kensei was the only person Rika opened up to and spent time with. The two have many similarities: both are wild, both are quite serious people and both are quick to resort to violence to solve their problems. Despite their differing positions they have stayed in contact over the years and have often worked together as part of a patrol team consisting of personnel from both the Gotei 13 and the Ryū Order.

Behind the Scenes

 * Rika's character uses the images of Clare from the series Claymore.