Renji Abarai (Ash & Zico)

"We at this moment head into the decisive battle. Have faith that our blades will not shatter. Have faith that our hearts will not waiver. And even if our paths should diverge, we all share a heart of iron. Swear that even if the ground beneath us should be rent asunder we will live and return to this place again."

- Renji Abarai

Renji Abarai (阿散井 恋次 Abarai Renji) is the current Captain of the in the, with  serving as his Lieutenant. After the death of his former Captain,, Renji took upon the mantle of Captain after intensive training to make sure he fit the bill. As of now, younger Shinigami look up to him as a fine example of what one can achieve with hard work and diligence.

Appearance
Renji has brown eyes and long crimson hair, which is usually kept in a high ponytail. As a child, Renji's hairline was leveled. Later, he styled it in a large widow's-peak. His upper body is covered in tribal tattoos, which have increased over time, starting from his early days as an academy student to covering his entire back, much of his chest, his extremities, and even much of his forehead. He wears a standard Shinigami outfit, though he usually includes some sort of headgear, usually expensive glasses or a white headband when he is saving up to purchase some new glasses. Despite being of appropriate rank, Renji does not wear his Division's lieutenant badge. While out of uniform, Renji often wears a white kimono-like type of night clothing, with pink floral patterns on it, and a dark grey sash tied around his waist. It has also been said 'that the women within his Division do not mind that he usually walks around in his night clothing'.

Seventeen months after Aizen's defeat, Renji's hair has grown longer and he wears a maroon colored bandanna covering all of the tattoos on his forehead. He also wears long dark straps on each wrist with bandages over his arms.

As of now, Renji's appearance hasn't changed much as a Captain. Aside from small changes including; wearing his Captain's Haori at all times, Renji's core appearance is the same as it was 20 years ago. But nonetheless, he appears to hold an aura of command now, as said by his Lieutenant and Seated Officers.

Personality
Renji is quite dynamic. His personality varies from smug and cocky to disquieted and depressed after a major defeat, but shows himself to be an incredibly serious and determined fighter when confronted with an actual threat. Willing to fight, kill, and die for whatever he believes in, Renji is a dangerous man to those who stand in his way. compares his fighting style to that of. Renji was determined to surpass his Captain, it was this determination that drove Renji to grow stronger. Renji likes taiyaki (a popular fish-shaped pancake usually filled with sweet bean paste) and has a dislike for spicy food. Renji also likes futsal, and in his free time works on assembling a team from the 6th Division, with success, more or less. The current members are himself, and the 4th, 8th, 13th, and 20th seated officers.

Rather notably, after his ascension to Captain status, much of Renji's personality has remained. He is still as dynamic and cheerful as he normally was, and can be depressed if he has lost a fight, though the commonality of that is far rarer now. However, it is these personality traits that make him quite easy to relate to within the Division, as said by various members of the Division. Also, with the remainder of the Vandenreich war after his former Captain's death, Renji quickly took the title of Captain from him, and immediately begun to lead his Division with an aura of command that was reportedly inherited from his former Captain, in that he was caring of the well-being of all his subordinates regardless of his distant nature. At least, this was what was initially thought of him, prior to the defeat over the Vandenreich. After getting to know his squad in much more depth, Renji's leadership is thought to be far more effective, as he is synchronized with the needs and desires of his Division, and fulfills them to the best of his ability.

All of Renji's sunglasses are purchased from 's popular store and cost half a year's worth of his pay check. However, every time he wears a pair, they are broken in one way or another. On these occasions, he replaces them with a tied white bandana, until he can purchase a new pair of goggles. His dream is to wear a pair that he himself designed at least once.

History
Renji grew up in the 78th District of, , with several other children. Having come to alone, they helped each other to search for their families. One day, after stealing a jug of water, Renji and his friends were chased by a kama-wielding adult. tripped the adult and urged Renji's group to follow her to avoid losing the water. Rukia joined their group and they lived together as a family. They all hated Inuzuri and the people there. Renji disliked the fact that Rukia had spiritual power like he did. Ten years after Rukia joined their group, with all of their friends dead, Rukia proposed that they become, which Renji agreed to do. As they were quite gifted with spiritual powers, they entered the with ease, where they struggled to prove their worth among those from. The night before the welcoming ceremony for the new students of the Academy, Renji slept in a tree, against Rukia’s advice. The following morning, he fell out of the tree and landed on a headstone where a startled had been praying. Having scored among the highest grades in the entrance exam, Renji was admitted into the top class along with Izuru and

Two months after entering the Academy, Renji scolded Rukia for still not fitting in and informed her that he was going to the for field training to practice the  for the first time. Whilst being briefed on the field trip by, , and , Renji failed to recognize Shūhei, who was to lead the mission. Izuru explained to him that Hisagi was famous and a gifted student. Renji, Izuru, and Momo were assigned to the same group. When Momo joined them, Renji kicked Izuru because of how he greeted her, saying that he should not let his emotions show so easily. While in the Human World, Renji remarked that Konsō was a lot easier than he had imagined. He then lost his temper with the constantly fidgeting Izuru and punched him. As Shūhei called an end to their field trip, the group was attacked by a, which killed Kanisawa and Aoga. Shūhei ordered the group to retreat while he stayed to fight the Hollow. When a second Huge Hollow appeared, Momo stopped and questioned why they were running away. Renji reminded Momo that the Hollow had just killed two sixth year students. When Momo rushed back towards Shūhei, Renji and Izuru followed her and helped to block the second Hollow’s attack on him. When more Huge Hollows showed up, they were saved by the arrival of Captain  and his lieutenant,. When Momo wondered if they would ever become as strong as Aizen and Ichimaru, Renji laughed at the notion and insisted that captains and lieutenants were monsters.

Having passed an important exam, Renji rushed to find Rukia to tell her. However, when he found her, she was with several Shinigami, including. As they left, Renji noted Byakuya’s power, causing him to wonder who he was. Renji asked what they wanted and congratulated Rukia when she told him that they want to have her adopted into the, have her graduate immediately and assigned to the. Rukia thanked him and left. Renji told himself that Rukia finally had a family and that he should stay out of it. After Rukia left, Renji trained every day in a bid to beat Byakuya, but he was unable to defeat him even once.

Renji graduated from the Shin'ō Academy in its 2,066th year and joined the Gotei 13, where he initially served under Aizen in the 5th Division, along with Izuru and Momo. The rebellious Renji, however, was moved to the and rose to the rank of 6th Seat. During his time in the 11th Division, he befriended, to whom he revealed that he wanted to become stronger than Byakuya Kuchiki. Ikkaku taught Renji how to fight and Renji became aware that Ikkaku had a Bankai, and requested that he use it to train Renji.

Forty years after Rukia’s adoption into the Kuchiki Clan, in mid-April, Momo and Izuru presented Renji with a letter stating that he was to be promoted to lieutenant of the 6th Division. He formally accepted Momo's words, which caused her to tell him not to be so uptight. Ikkaku told him that he was now a step closer to Rukia and that his will has been strong for forty years, but now that he was a lieutenant, they should return to the type of relationship that they once shared. Izuru informed Renji that Rukia was leaving on a mission to the Human World that afternoon. When Momo urged him to hurry, Renji told her that he would wait until his promotion was made official a month later, and that when she returned, he would surprise her with it. On the 19th of July, Renji was sent alongside his captain to arrest Rukia and return her to Soul Society.

Synopsis

 * To see the Canon Synopsis of Renji, please go to .

Powers and Abilities
It was enough to make it particularly difficult for him to control it in the form of Kidō especially. The most he could do with it is form a repeated barrage of, which even then was known to fail occasionally. Because of this, he was quick to rely on both his Shikai and Bankai in order to compensate for the quick exhaustion he had. Through his training in order to achieve the level of skill required as a Captain, Renji underwent much meditation and other forms of self-control through senior Captains in order to regulate the output of his reiatsu and be able to mold his reiryoku easier. As of now, the level of power he holds is exceptional, as it has been unlocked to the brim, thanks to the assistance of of the Royal Guard as well. When exerted, it causes shockwaves to envelop a rather large area surrounding him, causing minor environmental damage. The color of his reiatsu is noted to be a light red, and forms into an apparition similar to the head of his Bankai, Hihiō Zabimaru.

Immense Strength: Renji was always known to be physically inclined more than anything else. His exertion of reiatsu constantly caused his strength to be much higher than the norm, which he didn't know until his Captaincy training had begun. Renji currently shows off his strength in displays that are thought to be superhuman. With ease, he is capable of cutting the most resilient of substances using his raw strength, much to the dismay of his enemies. Most of the time when in battle, Renji only uses the butt of his sword in order to incapacitate his enemies with the level of strength put behind it. A single draw of his sword can cause tremors to occur in the interior of his enemies, immediately leaving them on the verge of death. Even as a Lieutenant, Renji showed tremmendous levels of raw strength, performing feats such as pushing aside Arrancar twice his size, causing Ichigo of all people to crash into over a dozen meters with just his Shikai, and even cause a hurricane-like effect to be brought about thanks to the strength he placed in spinning it, causing several large experimental Arrancar to be blown away from the sheer brute force behind it. Seventeen months after Aizen's downfall, Renji showed enough physical strength to swat away the majority of 's attacks, even though they were at full power; the pressure behind them being so strong that they demonlished an entire rock structure. When directing his reiryoku to his palms or feet, his strength increases to the point where a single sword swing with both hands is able to cause a shockwave of tremendous power to afflict the environment with a large amount of destruction, similar to the feat performed by. But Renji has control over this brute force, and only uses it when entirely necessary.

Immense Durability: Renji has shown to possess an exceptional level of durability. He is noted to be capable of taking what is seen as a colossal amount of damage without even being fazed. Such durability was most evident after his training in order to prepare for future threats; where seventeen months after Aizen's downfall, Renji had taken a direct hit by Jackie Tristan's Fullbring at full power without even being fazed, defeating her soon afterwards. Later, he demonstrated enough resilience in the Royal Guard member, 's palace to be unaffected by his hot springs. After completely healing, Renji showed enough tenacity to be virtually unfazed by the punch of the Royal Guard member, who is noted for his high levels of physical strength. As a Captain, he shows to be unfazed by even Rukia's own Kidō, which is noted to have increased in potency tremendously since her initial Lieutenant days.

Immense Endurance: Probably one of his most defining traits is the ability to continue fighting regardless of the damage done to him. He was labelled as similar to Ichigo Kurosaki in his Lieutenant days, who was described as a "monster" at the time. Within their second fight, Renji was shown to have been nearly as enduring as he was, having sustained tremendous injuries and continued to fight regardless, until finally falling to the superior combatant. Only a few days later, after tirelessly attempting to achieve Bankai, Renji went to fight against his own Captain. Despite being reportedly struck by every single one of Senbonzakura Kageyoshi's blade fragments, and subsequently being hit by five extra katana manifestations of those fragments, Renji still attempted to fight Byakuya, nearly striking Byakuya with Zabimaru before falling. After being healed only temporarily by Hanatarō, and bandaged up by, he goes to save Rukia from the clutches of Aizen, and even makes an effort to use , despite being ultimately defeated. Later, during his fight against, Renji is confident enough to fight even after hurling a point-blank Shakkahō that would damage him and his enemy severely, a feat which he pulls off, despite being overpowered by the unorthodox abilities of the Espada's Ressureccion.

Shunpo Expert: Renji is regarded quite highly for his movement ability within combat. Though it was initially rather lax, he quickly was able to improve his skill in Shunpo whilst training his swordsmanship. He uses Shunpo as a means of evasion, taking in mind that his zanpakutō is particularly difficult to work with. He did show enough skill to be able to, at one point, block his Captain's own  technique with notable ease, a feat few Lieutenants can successfully pull off. After 17 months of training, Renji's reflexive ability improved marginally. Although he utilized his zanpakutō less, his reflexes enabled him to follow and evade 's Dirty Boots at full power with minimal effort on his part. As Captain, his skills have improved to the point where he is considered Captain-level skill, having focused particularly on his movement speed and reflexes to compensate for his inability to perform specific techniques.

Kidō Specialist: Renji's Kidō is far from Captain-level skill. It is noted to be particularly vulnerable to exploding in his face, and generally doesn't work unless he concentrates or uses the incantation. The highest known Kidō he is known to use is , but it is capable of enormous levels of destructive power if used properly. When coupled with the incantation, Renji's spell takes upon not simply an orb of flames, but rather a towering inferno, easily on the level of a standard Sōren Sōkatsui, if not higher. As a Captain, Renji focused his time on improving his spiritual control, and he can now cast Kidō from numbers 1 to 31 with no real problems.

Zanjutsu Master
Even as a seated officer, he apprenticed himself underneath, a Captain-level combatant, whilst Renji himself was in the 11th Division, a division regarded highly for its tenacity in swordsmanship. He was noted to have constantly relied on his Shikai and Bankai state to do battle, however, simply because he didn't have the raw power to supplement his fights against stronger enemies. As a Captain however, Renji has shown to utilize his immense capabilities in swordsmanship alongside his great physical abilities for tremendous damage. Renji's swordsmanship lies in the use of  of high fluidity and strength. Rarely will he use a single hand in swordsmanship in Zabimaru's sealed state, rather utilizing his full strength at any given moment. His swordsmanship gives him the ability to exploit openings and quickly use parries to block his own. It is difficult to gain the upper-hand against Renji, simply because his heightened reflexes and endurance provide no opportunity for an enemy to land a decisive attack. Even if they do land one, his persistence continually makes him stand up and fight against all odds.



Trivia

 * His theme song, as chosen by, is HAZU feat Ill-Bosstino's "Stray Dog".
 * Renji ranked consistently high in the first few, making the top 5 twice, but has now fallen from the Top 10 most popular characters. He ranked 23rd in the 1st, 3rd in the 2nd, 4th in the 3rd and 11th in the 4th.
 * His Zanpakutō, Zabimaru, in Shikai placed 7th, and its Bankai placed 36th tying with Senna's Mirokumaru.
 * In the Bleach best bout poll Renji's fight with Ichigo tied for third place while his fight with Byakuya made it in sixth place.
 * Renji is nicknamed red pineapple by, a reference to the way his crimson hair is kept in a pineapple top-like ponytail. Renji also occasionally wears a shirt with 'Red Pineapple' printed on the front.
 * Renji had a serial article in the titled Let's Do Shikai, a much-touted, three-part series in which Renji gave tips on the essentials of battle.
 * Credit goes to the editors of the Bleach Wiki for some of the content on this page in terms of appearance, personality and history.