Kondō Shiba

is the 4th Seat officer of the 10th Division of the Gotei 13, under Captain Raian Getsueikirite.

Appearance
Kondō is a tall, youthful man possessing raven black hair and grayish-brown eyes. He has been noted in many ways to resemble, who is a distant relative of his. Kondō has pale complexion and has a distinguished scar across his left eye, which he received in battle with his captain, Raian Getsueikirite.

He wears the tradition garb of a Shinigami: a black shihakushō, complete with a black hakama, white obi, and matching tabi. Kondō is seen as a rather upbeat individual, and is rarely spotted without his trademark grin on his face. He is also frequently seen with his pet cat, whom he has affectionately named, sitting on his shoulder.

Personality
Kondō is an upbeat and kindhearted man, who is both looked up to and ferociously respected by his fellow division members, including those of higher rank. Due to Raian being frequently absent on other duties and Yoshida usually accompanying him, Kondō is usually left to lead the division in its daily routine, since Tonma, the division's 3rd Seat, is considerably less experienced. Because of this, many division members are as loyal to Kondō as they are their captain. Kondō, in return, fiercely returns their loyalty with his own, earning him the moniker among the other soldiers.

In addition to this, however, Kondō is lighthearted and often finds himself in many comical situations, particularly around his captain and lieutenant, who both refer to him as for as of yet unexplained reasons; though it is hinted that Seireitou Kawahiru was, in fact, the first person to give him this nickname. He is particularly lecherous towards female soldiers he deems to be good looking, often earning him physical abuse from those he hits on. His lecherous activity, as noted by Raian, is on par with Seireitou's own lecherous behavior, something Seireitou himself admits to. At times, he has even been shown to comedically stalk the current object of his affection, as shown when he climbed a nearby tree to get a view of Yoshida changing in her quarters, before getting caught and violently beaten up by the lieutenant. Even when in the heat of combat, Kondō can be seen joking and taunting his opponents in a lighthearted manner.

Despite this, Kondō can be serious if the situation demands this of him. This can be particularly seen whenever the 10th Division is insulted or his fellow comrades are in danger from an enemy. Kondō is of the belief that the 10th Division is a family unit and thus treats his fellow division members as though they were members of his family. For that reason, he does not take lightly when one of his fellow soldiers are injured or threatened in combat and can become tenaciously protective of them. Raian once noted that Kondō was the "heart" of the 10th Division and without him, the division's spirit would be shattered, expressing just how important he is to the division's overall performance.

History
Kondō was born in the 75th District of the East Rukongai, Shotō. An island district, and particularly lawless, Kondō grew up in poverty, as both his parents were unsuccessful farmers, but was particularly noted for his interest in learning. He also possessed high levels of spiritual energy. He gained the attention of Raian Getsueikirite, whose 10th Division was using Shotō as a training camp, when he single handedly defended his family from a large group of bandits. Wanting a better life for their son, Kondō's parents relinquished him into Raian's care for Shinigami training.

Kondō was then enrolled, at Raian's behest, at the in the Seireitei. While there, he became close friends with Susumu Yamazaki and Sōji Okita, whom would both later be his comrades in the 10th Division. Kondō proved to be an excellent student, but became particularly skilled in the art of Zanjutsu, earning him favor with his soon-to-be captain. Despite this, he continually failed his Hakuda classes, and was eventually declared to have no talent in the art whatsoever, forcing him to dedicate more time to sharpening his Zanjutsu skills, in order to make up for this new found disability. Eventually, however, he graduated the Academy alongside his friends, and was specifically requested by Captain Getsueikirite to become a member of his 10th Division; initially becoming its 11th Seat.

Kondō's desire to learn, however, did not end with the Academy, and his continued perseverance and rigorous training lead Raian to more openly notice him by offering him private lessons in Kendō; the art Raian himself invented. Kondō excelled at these lessons, bolstered by his natural skill in Zanjutsu, and mastered the art after a mere year and a half of lessons, leading Raian to declare him the of Kendō. Shortly thereafter, having proved himself to his captain, Kondō was given a lavish promotion to 4th Seat of the division, earning the respect of his fellow division members in the process.

Powers & Abilities
During comedic moments it will take the shape of a gorilla's head, referring to his nickname.

His skill in the art has gained him recognition from his captain on three separate occasions, as well as acclaim from his instructors as the Shinō Academy. Yoshida, the lieutenant of the 10th Division and a highly recognized sword master herself, has noted that Kondō easily possesses the level of skill required to fight on par with herself. He is also capable of holding his own against low-level Arrancar. His skill in the art is such that Raian deemed him capable of learning Kendō, which he not only learns, but masters after a year and a half of rigorous training.
 * : A Kendō technique and one of Kondō's preferred moves, this technique was designed to demonstrate both the sharpness of the user's blade and soul. Kondō has been noted by several 10th Division member, to be particularly talented in this technique. Raian himself noted that Kondō's usage was enough to make his sword capable of slicing through just about any substance like a "hot knife through butter".



It is one of the skills he excelled at during his time at the Shinō Academy, lending credibility to his talent in the art.

Kondō is more noticeably skilled in the art of healing spells, which is rarely seen outside of the 4th Division, making him extremely valuable to his teammates on the battlefield.

Enhanced Durability: Though only shown in a more comedic light, Kondō has been repeatedly shown to take ferocious beatings, usually from Yoshida as a result of his lecherous behavior, and not be fazed by it.

Zanpakutō

 * In its sealed state, Kōtetsu takes on the form of a curved with a traditional brown-colored scabbard, brown hilt, and a standard golden crossguard. Kondō will often carry the sword in his hand rather than keep it tied to his obi like most Shinigami. He also keeps it mounted in his office at the 10th Division's headquarters when he is off-duty. Kondō has noted several times that his Zanpakutō is particularly "lazy" and therefore he rarely releases it.
 * Shikai: Kōtetsu is released by the command . Upon the release of its Shikai it does not take on a new form, remaining identical to its sealed state.
 * Shikai Special Ability: Kondō has called his Zanpakutō a Kidō-type. He describes its ability with the blanket description of being able to "shuffle, dismiss, and switch places" with anything he so chooses. Kondō explains the first ability by stating that he can "shuffle" his opponent's command of their own body, for example, by causing their legs to move when they want their arms to move, and vice versa, making it extremely difficult for his opponent to fight back. With the power of "dismissal", Kōtetsu can make anything it is able to cut completely disappear, thereby "dismissing" that object from existence. The ability will not activate, however, if Kondō is unable to cut it. The final ability of "exchanging places" allows Kondō to instantaneously switch places with any object his sword has touched. The object in question will take his place, and he will resume its former place. This not only allows him to avoid dangerous attacks, but also to instantaneously attack his opponent, so long as he has touched their weapon, or some part of them, no matter how far away they are, or where they hide. Raian once noted that the Zanpakutō's ability seemed to be too "random" to be a true Shikai, but Kondō quickly corrected him, stating that Kōtetsu's name can mean many things, eluding to the fact that the Zanpakutō's abilities stem from the various translations of Kōtetsu's name.


 * Bankai: Not Yet Achieved.

Influences
Kondō is inspired by the legendary leader of the Japanese, , as well as a parody character of the same man from the anime Gintama. His Zanpakutō, Kōtetsu, also finds its roots in history of Isami, in that legend has it that he used as sword named Kotetsu, though it is highly debated on the sword's authenticity.

Trivia

 * Kondō shares his birthday with his.
 * In the same manner, his height and weight come from the parody character of his namesake.
 * Kondō's theme song, as determined by the author, is "" by Pharrel Williams.
 * Kondō is the second Shiba to serve as a high-ranking officer in the 10th Division under Raian Getsueikirite, the first being.