Shōyō Asakura

is a former instructor at the and the original founder of the Shintai Sonjuku. After charges of treason were levied against him, Shōyō was thought dead by his students, having been wrongfully executed by the. This is later proven false upon his reemergence near the Soul Society North Branch.

Trivia

 * Shōyō is heavily inspired by Yoshida Shōyō and Utsuro from the anime and manga series . Like Shōyō, he acts as a mentor figure for Seireitou Kawahiru and Raian Getsueikirite—very similarly to how mentored  and . However, his true nature is later revealed to be that of a villainous  with impure intentions for the three worlds, paralleling both Shōyō's Utsuro identity in Gintama and.