Ryuu Koutei

Ryuu Koutei (龍皇帝 lit. Imitation Emperor) also known as the Reaper of the Moon (刈り手乃月, Karite no Tsuki) is the founder and Chief of the Yakougin, a group of Shinigami assigned to slay any Demon who manages to exist openly in the World of the Living. Over a thousand years ago, he served as the first captain of the Fifth Division.

Appearance
Ryuu appears as a man in his late twenties at the most. He has bright green hair and golden eyes, which he normally keeps closed. He wears a rather simple black suit with a white shirt and black tie underneath. Around his hands are two brown straps of cloth. His trousers are held up by two brown belts His shoes appear to be brown with steel plates near the toe and the tongue areas.

Personality
Ryuu, for the most part is rather easy going, to the extent his second-in-command questions how he gets all of his work done on time. He spends most of his down-time in his office or roaming the halls of the Yakougin headquarters chatting with the group about various topics.

He believes that he is not beyond reproach for his actions and is not above being corrected by his subordinates should they have an issue with his methods, unlike his former leader, Yamamoto, who as far as Ryuu could ever recall believed that beyond Central 46, his words were law. This in and of itself is one of the many reasons Ryuu removed himself from his post as the first captain of the Fifth Division. Ever since, Ryuu has tried to be the kind of leader he believes he should be, one who is strict only so far that order is maintained, but also understanding enough to listen to those he leads and to respect their opinions.

He is also a very sentimental man, as there is memorabilia strewn around his office of his past as a Captain, including the original Fifth Division haori draped over the back of his chair, just as it was during his tenure unless he was obligated to wear it, such as to meetings or on business, viewing it as a mostly worthless status symbol that served as a reminder of a totalitarian leadership over the lower ranked Shinigami. He claims to keep it partially out of respect for his role in creating the largest known army of spiritual soldiers in recorded history and partially out of guilt for giving rise to the current system, as a way to never truly escape his shame.

Despite the rift between him and Yamamoto, he cried openly over his former mentor’s passing, calling it the most devastating blow to the Divisions before reminiscing over their time as a group and vowing to assist the Gotei 13 in destroying the one responsible for the act, despite it meaning he’d have to break his oath to stay out of Gotei business.

Powers and Abilities
Immense Spiritual Energy: As the first Captain of the Fifth Division and current head of the Yakougin, Ryuu has a massive quantity of spiritual energy. Although he is still a pure Shinigami, many of the younger Yakougin members have stated that sensing his presence is sometimes impossible, hinting at his power being greater than most Shinigami. Because of his Zanpakuto’s abilities, Ryuu’s spiritual energy is also an embodiment of the mysterious force known as the Getsuga.

Kido Mastery: Ryuu is adept at the usage of Kido, using it to great effect as more than an offense or defensive measure, but rather the backbone of his entire strategy. His spellcasting is different from most other users in that he is willing to forgo the incantation to a weak spell in order to distract the opponent so that he can utter the words for another, stronger one and leaving his enemies unaware there is a second, deadlier attack headed their way.

Easily capable of controlling Bakudo up to level 75 Kido without incantation at the bare minimum, as shown during his meeting with Kyoufu, casting Gochūtekkan without the incantation in order to bind the scientist during their discussion, without even so much as breaking his train of thought, as if he simply willed the five pillars into existence.

Shown during a short duel with Hayashi Kagekyo, his mastery over Kido extends to the point that by chanting the incantation for the level 91 Hado spell Senjū Kōten Taihō, he was able to mix it with the spell Gaki Rekkō, a spell he doesn’t know the chant for, forming a purple variation of the latter that carried all the destructive force of the former. Even with the spell’s power limited from only Ryuu chanting only one spell’s rite, the blitz of violet energy left the semi-immortal Hanyo writing on the ground, a majority of his body torn apart, barely leaving him alive.
 * Getsuga-Infused Kido: Kido is known as a form of magic, a magic that takes spiritual energy and use it to create potent effects that can turn the tide of battle. Because of Ryuu’s spiritual energy being more like the Getsuga energy produced by his Zanpakuto, many of his spells are likewise more like the aforementioned force rather than simple reiatsu.


 * Hanki (反鬼, Reverse Demon): Ryuu is known as one of few people in the history of Soul Society to perform this technique without first using Shunkō, or the art of mixing Hakuda with Kido. Hanki is a technique for negating opponents' Kido by using a spell of opposing force and rotation. Because of the difficulty of using it, Ryuu prefers to only use this technique in only a life or death situation.

Enhanced Strength: Ryuu has shown to be deceptively strong for his build, proven at the start of his battle with Hayashi, a simple punch being more than enough to shatter rib bones, even with the durability granted by the Essentiam Inferno acting as an additional layer of protection for Hayashi, which even Ryuu noted should have been an effective defense.

Shunpo Master:

Zanpakuto
Kogetsu (弧月 lit. Arc Moon) is Ryuu’s Zanpakuto. Unlike other Zanpakuto, Kogetsu is not a sword at all, but a Balisong-style butterfly knife. Usually, Kogetsu is kept in a closed position, making look like little more than a block of metal, but when needed, Ryuu can simply flick his hand, causing one of the hinged legs to swing out, followed by a second motion to move the other leg into position to form the handle and reveal the small blade that was once concealed. Although not explicitly stated, Ryuu has hinted that his Zanpakuto is far different than what it appears.

Shikai: Kogetsu is released by the command Bind Tightly (緊縛, Kinbaku).In Shikai, the knife becomes a black metal snake’s head-like grapple with a black chain trailing behind it. This chain is the connection between the strange weapon and its wielder, allowing Ryuu to pull himself to wherever the snake head latches itself, either living or non-living, so long as it can maintain a hold of the targeted person or object. The chain is also capable of extending vast lengths, to what extent is not known. Its special ability is total manipulation of the energies of the Getsuga itself for various purposes.

Getsuga Tenshō (月牙天衝 lit. Moon Fang, Heaven Piercer): At any moment, Kogetsu absorbs and amplifies Ryuu’s spiritual energy, releasing it as a single, condensed wave of reiryoku, fired through the snake’s mouth.

Trivia
Ryuu's appearance is based on Hazama from the BlazBlue game series.

His theme, as chosen by the author, would be Mourning Star by Gemini Syndrome.