Koga Tensei

"Remember, Masters, it was you who initially refused my being in this Order, due to my humanity. I may be a Human turned Shinigami but I have been trained in the Seijin arts. We must not let nationalities divide us. The enemy is looking for our shatterpoint and the second they find it, they will be relentless. Save the politics of the Order for times of peace. In times of war, such as we find ourselves now, we must unite under the banner of the light! Now, show me the power of our proud Seijin Order!"

- Koga addressing the Masters of the Seijin Council

Koga Tensei (天声古雅, Tensei Koga; literally "Classical Elegance, Heavenly Voice"), known primarily by his moniker The Second Lotus (二番芙蓉, Niban Fuyō) or the Negotiator (交渉人, Kōshōnin), is a Human boy who was found by Junsui Kirei during to the World of the Living and brought back to Soul Society to be trained by Junsui in the Seijin Order, despite the Order's strict pure-Shinigami stance in membership. He would later awaken his Shinigami powers and become a Seijin Apprentice under Junsui. He is the son of Kento Tensei and an unnamed Quincy woman, as well as the older brother of Tenyo Tensei. Even at his age, he has faced many powerful opponents and enemies in combat. The most notable among these, so far, are Los Cinco Arrancar and their leader Takashi Sora. He is a main protagonist of User:Ten Tailed Fox's stories, on par with Renge Yamato as a main character.

During the Seijin Campaign arc, he is also a main protagonist alongside Seireitou Kawahiru and Renge Yamato. During this arc, he is thrust onto the world stage as the youngest Seijin in the War against Sora aside from Renge's apprentice, Ichirō Yamato.

Appearance
Koga is average height for his age, being in physical top-form, with a rather emotionless face which reveals the nature of his personality. He is stated to look physically similar to former captain Toshirō Hitsugaya, with obvious differences. He has noticeable blood-red, crimson hair and bright sapphire eyes that greatly contrast his hair. He also possess tanish-white colored skin. When he was found by Junsui, he had a short, crimson mop of hair on his head, which is different from how it spikes up on his head now. Unlike most Shinigami or Seijin, he wears a grey shihakushō and a grey hakama with a plain, white, sleeveless haori draped over the top of it. During missions, however, he wears a typical black shihakushō with a black hakama like a traditional Shinigami. When in his haori, he never closes it, preferring to keep it open. The sleeves of his haori are cut back to accommodate his young-adult arms, which are obviously smaller than the adult members of the Order. The underside of his robes and haori are colored and trimmed in, what appears to be, maroon. No matter which of these outfit he is in, he has a crimson strap, held together by a golden star-shaped clip, around his torso that holds his Zanpakutō firmly on his back.

During ceremonial meetings with other members of the Seijin Order, he wears a traditional tan tunic with a brown, hooded robe over the top and a tan colored hakama complete with brown tabi. This is the only outfit he is seen in without his crimson strap. While wearing his ceremonial clothes, his zanpakutō is worn on his waist like traditional Shinigami and Seijin wear their own zanpakutō. In his leisure time, he is seen in a plain grey tunic with long black pants and white tabi. While he usually carries a non-emotional facial expression on, he has been shown to smile, show shock, anger, and even great sadness depending on the situation he is in.

Personality
Koga is very pleased with his position, being proud that he is a rare Human that has turned into a Shinigami, and an even rarer case in that, given his circumstances, he is also a member of the Order of the Seijin. He is very respectful to both his allies and his enemies, as he believes that everyone deserves a certain amount of respect. The loyal and dedicated Koga Tensei possesses a dry sense of humor and sarcastic wit and looks up to his friend and fellow Seijin, Seireitou Kawahiru. Renge once said that he saw Seireitou's defiance in him, but spoke very highly of him nonetheless. Junsui, the boy's Master has often reflected upon Koga's considerable knowledge and potential. Despite having been apprenticed as a Human-Shinigami hybrid, a taboo in the Order, he was taken under the wing of the leader of the Order himself and has managed to become an influential apprentice. As a young Seijin, Koga was cynical, though wise beyond his years. His humble and soft-spoken demeanor belied his warrior prowess. Despite his numerous complaints during training, he is also a skilled warrior. In many ways, he represented the strength of the old Jedi Order: steadfast, selfless, and modest. His later skill at resolving disputes without a single battle would earn him the sobriquet "The Negotiator".

He is friendly and easily gets along with others despite his status as a "tabooed status" in the Order. He also has a special place in his heart for his brother, whom he constantly attempts to stick up for or protect from harm no matter the cost to himself. At his first meeting with Junsui, he was both helpful and generous; doing all that he could to help him despite not knowing that Junsui was both a Shinigami and a Seijin, risking his life to hold off a large amount of Hollows whom had also come to the Real World, not even accepting help when Junsui reached his location. Though lovable, he also is one to carry grudges and is sometimes vengeful, but he commonly holds these two traits in check. He also hates being treated unjustly or being wrongly accused. He is fiercely loyal, doing anything to keep those he is close to from harm, at any cost. His only price for this dedication is loyalty in return. His separation from his brother, when he was taken to Soul Society, was the hardest thing he'd ever done, and it still hurt him for years up until their reunion. Because of his fear of losing even more friends in such a manner, he keeps to himself, fiddling around with his only friends, his brother, Seireitou, Renge and Haruko. During this, however, he grew especially close to Seireitou, considering him a father-figure and a role model.

He is naturally honest and despises lying and deception, and especially hates politics, correctly considering most politicians to be greedy and self-conceited. His real father's continual self-consciousness when it comes to Koga hurts the boy, who at times wasn't sure whether his father likes him, something his heart craves. Therefore, he turns to a more complimenting, comforting source: Seireitou. His yearning to be loved, as well as appreciated, comes out in his devotion to Tenyo, one of the only four people he thinks appreciate or care for him.

History
Koga is the son of Kento Tensei, a Shinigami who self-exiled himself to Earth, and an unnamed Quincy woman. His father was a Shinigami during the time of the Morteimpero Invasion of Soul Society and fled with his mother (his father was married secretly before his exile) deep into South American jungles in the World of the Living, where they had Koga; it is thought that the true reason they fled was because a Shinigami was strictly forbidden from interacting with a Quincy, much less marrying one. Koga would go on to inherit his father's Shinigami powers, while his brother Tenyo would receive their mother's Quincy powers. His mother was later killed when the Morteimpero troops came looking for Shinigami on earth. After the Morteimpero were defeated as well as the war against Datara Kawahiru ended, Junsui Kirei came to Earth on a mission in the location of Kento. Sensing an overwhelming amount of spiritual energy in Kento's son, Koga, Junsui offered to take the boy back to Soul Society and train him. Kento not only allowed this, but also returned to Soul Society himself.

During Koga's initial training with Junsui, he awakened his Shinigami form perfectly, allowing him to become a rare Shinigami-Human Hybrid, and marking the true beginning of his Seijin Training. Over the next twelve years, he learned under Junsui in secret, as Junsui didn't want the Order expelling the boy for being Human. Unlike Junsui's previous students, who exclusively learned Seijin powers from Junsui, Koga learned all of his Shinigami basics including swordsmanship, Kidō, Flash Steps, as well as Seijin arts from Junsui.

Powers & Abilities
Master Swordsmanship Specialist: Koga Tensei was trained by the Order's most powerful Grandmaster, Junsui Kirei. Through him, Koga inherited a rich tradition of zanjutsu training. Koga's style features elements of many different swordsmanship styles, making him outstandingly talented, even at his young age. Koga is well versed in the classic zanjutsu combat styles, like Otsu (落つ, To smash) which was invented by Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto back when he founded Shinō Academy. Otsu is an aggressive style that focuses on physical strength and sweeping strokes, taking the defensive principles of standard sword-fighting, the style practiced by Gotei 13 personnel, and converting them to offensive moves. With Koga's exceptionally high concentration of spiritual energy and personal skill, he has learned and applied Otsu much more quickly and effectively than any other trainee in the Order. By the time of the Arrancar Five crisis, Koga began to believe he was one of the best swordsmen in the Order. This is further emphasized by his achievement and mastery of Bankai.

Immense Spiritual Energy: Despite his origins as a human, Koga has been noted on several occasions to have tremendously vast levels of spiritual energy well beyond other Shinigami, possibly due to him being not only a Human-Shinigami hybrid, but also a Seijin. He is capable of defeating an Adjuchas-type Hollow shortly after awakening his true power with only his newly activated, Shikai, Zanpakutō. Even at less than half strength, his spiritual energy is still comparable to a Captain-level fighter; while his full power has not yet been compared to any other fighter thus far, he has been shown to keep up with his master, Junsui, fairly easily. His spiritual power is noted to be dense, which surprised Renge Yamato, a Master of the Order. It is often so overwhelming that even when worn-out in battle, he can continue fighting effectively while still capable of unleashing his Seijin powers, zanpakutō's Shikai abilities, or even unleash and maintain his Bankai. Because Koga's spiritual energy is constantly so high, even at its base level, without him consciously being aware of it, he rarely becomes exhausted in battle, thereby meaning the sheer resilience and amounts of energy Koga has is monstrous. He has learned how to harden his spiritual energy and enhance the strength of his attacks or act as a barrier to reduce the impact of attacks on him, if not negating them completely.

Flash Steps Expert: He is masterful in the art of Flash Steps, even as an Apprentice in the Seijin Order. He notably makes a massive leap in Flash Steps within mere moments force his opponent wherever he wants them to go in order to allow him to decide his battlefield of choice or to move the fight away from injured or weak comrades, commended even by Haruko prior to battle.

Master Hand-to-Hand Combatant: As the apprentice of the leader of the Seijin Order, he is required to be highly proficient in hand-to-hand combat, which he had been training in ever since he first joined the Order of the Seijin. He is most likely the most proficient hand-to-hand combatant out of all of the current Apprentices, being able to fight evenly, and gain the upper hand, against his mentor, Renge Yamato. He can sufficiently block and attack others and is hard to actively lay a hand on unless he allows it.

Kidō Practitioner: He can also use kidō like most Shinigami. While in his tutelage under Junsui, his skill for it was rather poor, as he stated they would constantly blow up in his face or misfire during training situations. Nonetheless, he has become proficient enough to perform a level 47 kidō without incantation, not to mention with explosive power and rapid fire capabilities. His Kidō spell was powerful enough to injure an Arrancar, albeit the Arrancar was already worn down from combat. Koga also has enough knowledge to Kidō to manipulate it for purposes other than fighting.

Enhanced Endurance: While he was initially only a teenage Human and later became a Shinigami during his initial training with Junsui, Koga has shown himself to be a highly resilient kid, as shown from his ability to safely break free from a binding spell of level 63 and withstand an assault from a large Hollow, possibly an evolving Gillian. After learning the basics of Seijin powers, Koga's physical durability is strengthened to the point he can continue fighting effectively even after receiving many injuries and can survive attacks that would easily kill normal Humans and even some Shinigami effortlessly. It has stated that a Shinigami's life force is their spiritual power. As such, Koga is able to withstand attacks that would be fatal to most Shinigami. Junsui himself once stated that Koga was a monster in this regard.

Enhanced Strength: Even while unarmed, Tensei possesses a remarkable amount of strength, being capable of destroying large objects with a single punch. Koga is strong enough to break a large water pipe in two and swing it like a bat. He was even able to battle a Gillian-class Menos with his bare fists, a remarkable feat. His strength is further enhanced with his use of Seijō Reiryoku, allowing him to take on those bigger them himself with relative ease as a single punch was shown able to knock the same giant Gillian-class Menos down with this power. His strength also becomes great enough to block incoming attacks and blasts from Captain-level Shinigami.

Highly Perceptive Combatant: While a man of few words, Koga has shown himself to be an intuitive person. He is easily able to see through a person's demeanor to determine what they are thinking about. During the battle between Ichirō and an attacking group of Hollows in the mission to Hueco Mundo, he noted how similar the two were, especially in terms of energy signatures once Ichirō donned his Hollow mask. His keen intellect and intuition is later seen in the initial fight with the Arrancar Five, being able to see through his opponent's cold demeanor and identify thier concern for their master, Sora. He was also able to sense a small wavering in Seireitou's Spiritual Pressure after the arrival of Shiori Miyamoto concerned him.

Zanpakutō
Ryūjin Koji (龍神虎子, Dragon King, Baby Tiger): When sealed, Ryūjin Koji looks very similar to Toshirō Hitsugaya's Hyōrinmaru; a normal katana with the exception of the guard, which is in the shape of a four-pointed black-colored star. Its hilt is maroon red and sheath dark red. The sheath completely burns up when he draws his sword and somehow reappears once he seals the sword again. The sword is somewhat longer than most Zanpakutō, at about 1.5 meters long, making it taller than Hitsugaya's Hyōrinmaru as well as being taller than Koga himself, preventing him from wearing it at the hip. Instead he carries it on his back by his sash over his right shoulder.

Ryūjin Koji is the strongest of all lava-element Zanpakutō in Soul Society as well as the only known lava-type thus far. As such, Ryūjin Koji doesn't need fire or lava to be present in order for him to use its abilities. Koga's control over Ryūjin Koji's power has been shown great enough to unleash some of its fire and lava powers even in its sealed state and use any of its Bankai attacks (with less control) with Shikai.


 * Akenami (朱波, Scarlet Wave): Koga gathers flames in Ryūjin Koji's blade and fires it as an arrowhead-shaped burst which has enough power to demolish a small house. The flames also heat up the air rapidly as it is traveling to it's target, which can burn allies and enemies alike who get too close to it's path. He can also keep the flames within the blade and slash at his foe, causing an immense burn and slash mark. The target will be burned regardless if the blade hits or not, due to the immense heat the flames generate.


 * Shikai: Ryūjin Koji is released by the phrase "Burn away the flesh" (熱傷先に其の肉, Nesshō sakini sono niku). When released, Ryūjin Koji's guard is replaced by four "blood-soaked" ribbons and is surrounded by red reiryoku. Soon after, it's blade becomes engulfed in flames. On some occasions, the fire from Ryūjin Koji will engulf Koga in a flame aura that doesn't seem to harm him at all.
 * Shikai Special Ability: Ryūjin Koji allows Koga to control any and all fire, as well as generate fire from the blade itself. His slashes create an immense amount of spiritual power which overflows from the tip of the blade, creating a wave of fire that sometimes can be shaped in a different form, depending on what power Koga is accessing at the time. The flames then fly towards the opponents and instantly incinerates anything it touches. Ryūjin Koji can create multiple flame waves and projectiles to attack an opponent from various angles. Koga can also direct his slashes towards the ground and form a wave of fire which rushes over his opponents, overwhelming and obliterating them, or severely burning them if he doesn't wish to kill them. The very blade of Ryūjin Koji also burns anyone or anything that touches it, including other zanpakutō. The flames of Ryūjin Koji also have another special property; any water the flames come into contact with is immediately evaporated because the heat of Ryūjin Koji's flames far exceed water's boiling point. However, it is not a fire type Zanpakutō. Instead, it is a lava-type. It's blade can generate lava in the same manner that it generates fire and can turn any source of fire into lava or magma, and as such it is the strongest Zanpakutō of it's kind. When the lava makes contact with a foe or any object, it not only fatally burns the target but also hardens quickly, forever encasing the target in hardened lava.
 * Honōtama (炎弾, Blaze Bullet): A much large, faster version of Akenami, this attack functions much in the same way. A notable difference in it's use from Akenami is that, upon contact with the ground, it's flames spread to engulf whatever it has struck, creating more flames for later attacks.


 * Yōganryū (溶岩流, Lava Flow): Koga launches a rushing surge of lava at his enemy. The torrent of high pressure lava and fire is large enough to cover several town blocks and kill anything that is unlucky enough to get caught in it.


 * Yōgansentō (溶岩尖塔, Lava Spine): This ability creates a pillar of fire and lava that trap an opponent and makes it impossible for them to escape for some time. Koga can create up to ten of these pillars to hold his foes.


 * Enkō no Mai (炎光の舞, Flame Dance): Koga will call out the name of the technique, and then begins to build up flames, firing toward the target in a massive, powerful tsunami-like wave of fire from Ryūjin Koji's blade, in turn incinerating the target.


 * Bankai: Torahasami Ryūgenko (虎螯竜拳固, Tiger claws, Dragon fist): In Bankai, the blade of Torahasami Ryūgenko doesn't change at all from it's Shikai state, however, crimson crystals have now grown out from the bottom of the hilt and encased his sword hand. Upon activating Bankai, fire engulfs the area around or below Koga for several kilometers and brings forth an enormous, gray dragon standing at nearly one hundred meters tall. The dragon has the head of a typical Chinese dragon as well as the Chinese dragon's serpentine form. It has four large wings and two arms along it's body. Another noticeable change in Bankai is that Koga's eyes change from sapphire to blood-red or crimson for the duration of the time he is in Bankai. He has claimed that, thought their are similarities in their blades, even Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto's Ryūjin Jakka would have a hard time handling his lava-type Zanpakutō's Bankai. Torahasami Ryūgenko does not follow the general naming scheme of zanpakutō Bankai. Instead of incorporating a new name to the already existing name, it creates a new name entirely.
 * Bankai Special Abilities: Torahasami Ryūgenko's Bankai has several additional techniques aside from the abilities of the dragon and the Shikai.


 * Dragon Control: The giant dragon copies the movements of Koga (in a similar manner to Komamura's Bankai) to devastating effect, allowing it to deal out colossal amounts of damage. Its strength is far proportionally greater than that of Koga due to its size. It is strong enough to take an Arrancar's point-blank Cero without being damaged, and could easily smother him with its bare hands. It can also blast flames and lava from it's mouth.


 * Lava Clones: Koga is able to create and mold a large amount of fire and lava into his exact likeness. It is very life-like as it can appear to bleed. He seems to be able to use this power more than once.


 * Hariganshō Tensū (玻璃岩漿点数, Crystal-Magma Points): The crystals encasing Koga's hand break off and float in place around his head. They then spontaneously ignite and are hurled at incredible speeds at a target. After piercing the target's flesh, the burning crystal will then sear and cut internal organs and veins which becomes fatal to the target.


 * Shield of Magma: This ability was first demonstrated in his Bankai, however, he has shown the skill to use it in Shikai also. He will create a burst of magma from the tip of his zanpakutō which spreads out to form an immense shield, shaped like a flower, which then hardens quickly, protecting him from all but the most powerful techniques.


 * Shininohonō (瞋恚の炎, Flames of Rage): This technique is an offense upgrade of the Shikai's Yōgansentō power. It creates a pillar of magma, which seems to erupt from the ground, followed by ten more pillars exactly like it. At Koga's command, the pillars will all launch towards a target, catching it within the middle of them, and incinerate that target.


 * Meramera (めらめら, Bursting into Flames): Considered by Koga to be Torahasami Ryūgenko's most useful ability, it allows him, with a mere gesture of his blade, to convert any oncoming energy attack into magma for his attacks. He has shown the skill to use this power in Shikai as well.


 * Shittonohonō (嫉妬の炎, Flames of Jealousy): Considered to be Torahasami Ryūgenko's most powerful ability, Koga will create tremendous amounts of magma which quickly encircles a target and traps them within a giant sphere of this magma. It incinerates anything inside of it and then hardens, forming a large mass of hardened magma the size of a large mountain, keeping a surviving target, should there be one, forever trapped within.
 * Otaki Yōgan (小滝溶岩, Cascading Lava): In the rare occurrence that someone should survive Shittonohonō, Koga has a fail safe. If the victim escapes, he will immediately convert the large mass of hardened magma back into hot, flowing lava and cause it to be launched down on the foe, in a similar manner to Yōganryū' from the Shikai. The amount of this lava is so great that it can effectively fill and destroy a large town with ease. Koga is positive that the heat alone is fatal, but anyone caught in the lava itself is doomed to die a painful death.

Shiro Nagare
Shiro Nagare (白流れ, White Current) is the term used to describe the applied use of seijō reiryoku. Once a Seijin can access this power, he or she can shape it into various techniques that extend their Shinigami powers to the maximum, essentially creating "Perfect Shinigamification". This is achieved through a Training Method known as Control (管轄, Kankatsu). Even after learning how to access seijō reiryoku, a Seijin cannot fully control it, therefore it leaks out profusely. With meditation and practice, a Seijin can better control seijō reiryoku, effectively mastering it, though this require several years of work. Koga is an adept of Shiro Nagare. It provides him with the following enhancements;


 * Telekinesis: The most common use of Shiro Nagare practices among the Seijin is the power to lift objects according to concentration and move them, hovering the items in any direction. With it, Koga can attract objects to them or repel objects with devastating effects, even to the point of neutralizing some energy techniques. He can also use it to call his zanpakutō back to his hands wherever he may be.


 * Enhanced Reiryoku Sensing: Through the use of Shiro Nagare, Koga can sense reiatsu and reiryoku from all four dimensions; Soul Society, the Spirit King's dimension, Hueco Mundo, and the World of the Living. He can also sense presences hidden by kidō, zanpakutō, or even other Shiro Nagare-enhanced techniques.


 * Enhanced Flash Steps: By combining the practices of Shiro Nagare with Flash Steps, Koga can reach speeds that dwarf those of the Shinigami in Onmitsukidō as well as most of the Shinigami within the Order.


 * Telepathy: Using Shiro Nagare practices, Koga, like all Seijin, can communicate with other seijō reiryoku users via mental telepathy. This comes in handy during combat.

Behind the Scenes
This character is my replacement for my former main character Ryun Getsueikirite. I was truly unhappy with him, in that he wasn't as powerful as I wanted him to be and he could never stay consistent to the design I had for him in my head, so I created this guy to completely take over for him.

I'm proud of this creation in that it incorporates some of my favorite aspects of the Bleach series; He isn't a member of the Gotei 13, which gives me some flexibility with how I use him, his power-level is where I want it for the most part and his zanpakutō is my favorite element; Fire and magma. It also incorporates designs from some of my favorite characters such as similar use to Hitsugaya's Hyōrinmaru, a giant that appears in Bankai much like Komamura's Bankai, and two or three techniques which resemble techniques used by my favorite character, Harribel, in her released form.