Kamui Yamakawa

"I hate despair. Despair is the complete opposite of hope. To have despair is to look at the world coldly and darkly, to see only the evil and misfortune. It denies the good that exists, the kindness, and the light that shines for us. Despair holds no value to me, and I will cast it out."

- Kenpachi Kamui

Kenpachi Kamui (神威剣八, Kamui Kenpachi), originally known as simply Kamui (神威, Kamui), is a and is member of the  of the Gotei 13. Having been born a poor soul in the Soul Society, Kamui worked his way up to become a powerful Captain-level Shinigami. After some time, he earned his position as the 13th Division Captain, the division of hope. Down the line, he would cut down and steal the title of Kenpachi away from the  for the first time, becoming the 12th. He would take the title as his given name with Kamui becoming his surname.

Feared for his great power, many fail to see the kindness at the core of the Shinigami. Much like the meaning of the symbol of his division, Kamui wishes to inspire hope among his fellow Shinigami and souls. A hope that will drive them forward and reach for the better, to think of what good could come to conquer the bad. For many, Kamui helps drive this with his will and leadership, being able to follow him into battle despite fear of his power. Kamui has also been noted to one of the most talented Shinigami to have been brought up in recent times.

Appearance
Kamui bears the image of a peasant who worked his way to power and glory. Kamui stands with a slight slouch the majority of the time, only standing upright when he boasts or is entering a battle. One particular portion of his appearance is his figure. He is fairly tall, but holds a lean and trim figure, which, combined with the various experiences he has been through, is highly muscular and defined. Kamui's flesh holds a slight tan to it, and is riddled with scars across his body. His most prominent scar is on his face, with one going the length of the right side of his forehead, down his eyebrow, and continuing underneath the eye to just above his jaw. Kamui also has a smaller scar just beneath his left eye that is partially obscured by his hair. Kamui has wild and unkempt black hair that he often wears tied back in a ponytail and parted at the right, with strands falling into his face often and a fringe to the right. Kamui can occasionally be found with his hair down, revealing its full length of reaching down to his shoulder blades. Kamui wore his hair down all the time prior to becoming a Captain, and only started wearing his hair in a ponytail after becoming a Captain. Kamui's eyes are reddish-brown and hard, appearing as though they reflect all the trials and problems Kamui has had throughout his life. Kamui is said to be handsome in a rugged sort of way by many female.

Kamui is typically found in a sleeveless variant of the standard shihakushō, though unlike most he wears black socks with his. The bottom of his hakama are also tattered and cut a bit. Kamui also wears black arm warmers on his forearms, tightened in place with red string. Kamui wears a cloak over his shihakushō, the majority of it is beige in color, but the right shoulder down to the ribcage area is black. The cloak has beige "X" stitchings holding it together. Each armhole has tassels of fabric. Kamui often has his Zanpakutō, Taiyōsan, hanging at his left side. Kamui can occasionally be found wearing a straw hat, a sakkat, with a cut in it, similar to that of Captain-Commander 's hat. During his time when he was not serving as a Captain, Kamui wore the longer-sleeved shihakushō than went to about his elbows in length, along with his signature cloak, though he still had a short-sleeved variant he would often wear when off duty.

Personality
Kamui is noted to be a very kind man and a loyal friend. While he looks stoic and mean, Kamui is known to often help the less fortunate children living in the as best he can and generally help those in need. Kamui does all this with a smile to give hope and joy to the people of the Rukongai that they can better their situation and become greater. Kamui is noted to enjoy money, often being mislabeled as greedy by those who do not know he actually uses his money more often to help the same less fortunate as before than for himself. Kamui also jokes around fairly often, coming off as juvenile to some people in some ways. Kamui is known to possess an ego of sorts, and can act arrogantly at times, often boasting his abilities and position to those who are considered his equal. These three are also three of his closest friends, so these acts may simply just be bantering among the group. Kamui is known to be forgiving, giving many people second chances before finally acknowledging their errors fully. Kamui is also fairly easy-going person, and enjoys pranking and bothering his close friends. Kamui also actively compliments foes in battle, some of which confuse the praise as Kamui mocking and insulting them. Kamui is noted to also be lazy, often sleeping when he is not helping others. Kamui also is known to love anything he deems cute greatly. Kamui's greatest belief is that hope fuels all people into greatness.

While Kamui is generally easy-going, once he feels betrayed, or that those he cares for are put in danger, Kamui will raise his sword and become a demon on the battle field. When he is finally pushed too far, many of his allies or subordinates will retreat and step back to evade the wrath of a good man when he goes to war. Pure fear emanates from his body, scaring any enemy who is lesser than him into submission as they feel Kamui's anger flow across them. Kamui's anger is focused though, rarely becoming wild at all. His battle anger earned him the title of "Kenpachi" (剣八, Kenpachi) and let him overcome the Kenpachi before him.

History
Towards the end of the, the remaining began to flee into the. from all divisions and ranks swept the cities to clear out the last of these rebels, with the joining in the hunt due to their crimes on the assault on the. One Quincy hid in a small house in a southern the outer Rukongai district, and began to unjustly execute the people living there save one small boy who the Quincy began to use as a servant as he stayed in the home. , leader of the Royal Guard, came across this cruel Quincy and execute him on the spot for the crimes of the without so much as even what could be described as fighting back from the Quincy. Ichibē then quickly noted the small child, crying in great pain and sorrow for the loss of his family, and further sense a great energy within him. Ichibē comforted the boy as best he could, and tell him that to feel sorrow and pain and that to cry is okay, but he must not give into despair and to reach for hope always. Ichibē informed the child that he sensed a great power and large potential in the boy, and tell him to go out and become a Shinigami, to become the strongest and best he can be so that way no Quincy, Hollow, Shinigami, or any sort of monster can repeat the crimes done to his family. Ichibē asked the boy what his name was, and the boy revealed he lacked a name, he was just a captured soul. Ichibē then gave the name Kamui to the boy in response, a name given to him in hopes of a brighter future for him.

Kamui began to take these words to heart, building hope as the center pillar of his beliefs and philosophy. Kamui grieved for his great loss, but would not be torn down by it into nothingness. Working around his district to earn a strong reputation for good deeds, such as helping his fellow orphans and the elderly, the time eventually came that Shinigami would come and search for potential Shinigami. Sensing the same power and potential in the local hero Kamui as Ichibē had years earlier. Taking the boy out of his home district and placing him in the, Kamui began his advancement to become a great and powerful Shinigami, and leave behind the weak boy of the past.

In the Shin'ō Academy, Kamui began to show that he is a capable individual. Kamui showed enormous amounts of strength in the four areas of Shinigami combat system,, which are: , swordsmanship; , high-speed movement; , spells with offensive and supplementary purposes; and , unarmed, hand-to-hand combat. Kamui proved to be a powerful user of all four Zankensoki, with a greater focus on his usage of Kidō and Zanjutsu. Despite his great skill and intelligence, he would have a hard time working in some classes, were the professor would underestimate him for his humble beginnings. Kamui would have to prove himself over time, over people who were less skilled than him but possessed a more privileged family lineage, and eventually graduated the academy earlier than the normal six-year expectation.

Upon graduation, Kamui applied to the of the, and was quickly accepted into this great group. He chose the 13th Division based on his belief his skills were best suited to serve an general purpose. Proving himself a great Shinigami on various missions, Kamui rose through ranks over time. Shortly before this event, Kamui began the process of to discover the identity of his sword, and would learn over this process its name as Taiyōsan, a powerful time-type Zanpakutō.

Kamui would further train with high-ranking officers from the to increase his proficiency and ability in the usage of Kidō, such as higher-level Kidō like the infamous  and the art of Eishōhaki (詠唱破棄, Incantation Abandonment), which allows Kamui to use Kidō without their incantation, though at a potentially lower level of power. He would also gain assistance in creating his own style of Kidō, such as his favored Kūsen, which is based on the power of the 's ability. Kamui would be offered a position among their ranks, but declined their offer in favor of serving the Gotei 13.

Around this time, Kamui further would take down many people who were ultimately corrupt, but noticed the pain families and friends felt at their loss of the individual and perhaps even some of the good the corrupt also did at times, and how so many people depended on the corrupt person for their life rather than practicing their own talents and skills to make a living. Kamui began to develop his own philosophy on hope and faith in one's self and others more and more, and knew that one day he would have to eventually want to lead people to save people instead of having to cut them down. Even other types of souls, to Kamui, could be good.

Kamui began the process of Jinzen once more to begin to learn the true name of Taiyōsan, the Bankai the two souls possessed. The process would not be quick, and it would be multiple meetings in which the two argued and debated over many concepts, but they also learned more about their natures and desires. Finally, Kamui would enter his inner world, which all takes place on a large mountain covered in trees. Taiyōsan began to form from dark stones on the mountains hollow peak, showing itself to be dormant volcano, and challenged Kamui to a battle and test his faith in himself and his faith in Taiyōsan that he would not kill Kamui. The battle lasted many hours, with waves of sand barraging Kamui over and over, getting hit by time enhanced blows, all while fighting back with his sword in a sealed state, using none of its powers, along with Kidō, Hakuda, and Shunpo. Taiyōsan then demanded to know why Kamui was refusing to use Taiyōsan's power, truly Kamui's power as well, against him. Kamui responded back to the spirit that fighting one's self is pointless and leads to lack of faith, and that Kamui finally proved his true worth to the Zanpakutō spirit with power outside of Taiyōsan's own usage. Taiyōsan stopped fighting and smiled at this, and declare the battle was over, that Kamui had defeated him. Kamui would again respond that he had not won a battle against Taiyōsan, that he merely learned how to best work with himself, and that he and Taiyōsan were one and the same being. When Kamui awoke from his meditation, he quickly activated Tenbatsu Taiyōsan, and began to practice its great might

Kamui worked diligently towards mastering this new-found power of his new power over time. Kamui noted that his Bankai was not fit to be used around others. He instead wanted to do for others what Ichibē did for him, inspire hope and a desire to move forward. Training alongside his captain and with others as well, Kamui would finally master the volcanic-based power that he wielded in his blade. Kamui would further learn that he wielded the strongest volcano-type Zanpakutō in the history of the Soul Society and that it was also quickly considered to be one of the most dangerous Zanpakutō as well. Captain-Commander gave Kamui the command to only use his Bankai in times of great peril, and was otherwise to avoid using it. With the Bankai under his belt, Kamui would be closer to achieving the greatness that was hoped for him long ago. Kamui, as a member of the, would eventually become its very own Captain. During the test to prove his abilities, Kamui had to reveal his Bankai to all the other active Captains. Kamui would be approved for becoming the Captain of the Thirteenth Division.

At some point, would begin to battle every Shinigami willing to. He was tired, years of fighting after the disappearance of his daughter got to him and finally brought him to the point of being willing to pass. Fighting against Kamui, Kamui used his impressive skill with his sword and speed to overcome the beast. Zaraki accepted defeat with a fatal slash across his chest, and passed the title of Kenpachi down to Kamui, to the shock of the 11th Division. Kamui would then adopt Kenpachi as his given name with Kamui as his surname, becoming "Kenpachi Kamui" (神威剣八, Kamui Kenpachi).

Kamui would eventually add a task to the 13th Division. This task would be the Hollow Investigation. Using this, he would investigate instances in which a Hollow is suspected to be involved but it was unknown if it was true. This leads Kamui to fighting multiple Hollow often, and he sometimes will venture out into. While there, he wipes out as many Hollow as he can, and will sometimes combat while he was there. While most would be cut down, Kamui offered to take ones who would be willing to the Soul Society to be studied by Kushina and be given a true purpose, and appeals to their Shinigam-esque nature. Thus far, Kamui hasn't had anyone accept, much to his annoyance.

Powers & Abilities
Master Strategist & Tactician: Kamui possesses great intelligence on the field of battle, being able to change his tactics masterfully and flexibly with ease. Kamui pays high attention to his enemy to notice any detail, weakness, or strange mannerism the foe has to be able to use it to his advantage, showing his great insight and craftiness. He notices patterns to his foes as well when they display them, and is quick to understand the potential ability of the attack his opponent may throw at him.

When not controlled, various Shinigami have noted that they could feel his presence from miles away. The amount has allowed Kamui to break attempted Bakudō on him with relative ease depending on the strength of the Bakudō. When made visible, Kamui's spiritual energy is a deep crimson color and can take the image of an angered phoenix with its wings spread, ready to attack.


 * Master Reiatsu Control: Kamui can control the release of his reiatsu, the pressure formed by the releasing of spiritual energy, in various ways. Kamui can easily cause fear in others, making them sake and quiver in reaction to his great power. Kamui can also momentarily paralyze them, making them stop moving entirely as to be able to take them down easier. Kamui can also make others experience phantom pains, such as making one opponent feel like a wound was being cut into his back when Kamui was nowhere near him. Kamui can further use his reiatsu as a sort of telekinesis, using it to push lower enemies into the ground and move objects with it. Lower level Shinigami have outright passed out due to his intense spiritual pressure. Kamui can also mask his spiritual presence fairly well. His reiatsu, reflecting his Zanpakutō, can also inflict burns due to its volcanic-nature.


 * Shock Wave: Kamui can control his spiritual pressure with high focus and then unleash reiatsu in the form of a powerful shockwave. The shockwave can cause great destruction, and is increased the more Kamui focuses his reiatsu. Kamui generally releases these shock waves in a circular-form by stomping one of his feet. Kamui often will use this power at the start of a fight before moving on to stronger, better tactics. It allows Kamui to trip foes up and attack them as they are down.

Immense Endurance: Kamui is known to be able to fight for long lengths without tiring, even when using all of the Zankensoki skills and the release states of Taiyōsan, his Zanpakutō. Kamui can fight large numbers of enemies on his own without tiring, and take powerful attacks and fight on despite the pain he may be feeling. Kamui is noted to have fought through a large group of Hollows and sustain multiple injuries that would kill lesser Shinigami and come out on top in battle, slaying all the Hollows and purifying them. Many enemies of the Gotei 13 fear him in battle for this ability.

Zankensoki
This mastery comes from Kamui's and Taiyōsan's similar ideals. Kamui wishes to spread hope to people, while Taiyōsan desires to test the hope and faith of people. These ideals, while they can conflict at time, have given the two mutual understanding of one another and caused them to work as entirely one spirit, not merely master and sword. Some foes have even noted that Taiyōsan seems to "sing" when it clashes with others, utter joy and love for working with a master such as Kamui.

Kamui would gain this great bond with Taiyōsan in his inner world through the usage of. Working towards his Bankai, Kamui would for the first time truly see the spirit of Taiyōsan within him. The spirit, while respectful, was unwilling to reveal his full name. Taiyōsan would say this is due to Kamui merely being a conduit for hope, but not truly seeing if people would partake of the emotion. Taiyōsan would claim his spirit and the human world's volcanoes have always been one to test the ability for man to strive, to hope for a brighter tomorrow to shine over the darkness of yesterday. Kamui would have to fight his sword to prove his worth. While fighting, Taiyōsan noted Kamui not using his Shikai abilities at all while Taiyōsan was making great use of them. Taiyōsan would question this strange event. Kamui would respond that he was allowing his hope to be tested, to see if he could overcome. Charging his Kūsen Kidō, Taiyōsan would stop the battle between them and tell him Kamui had passed his test in a way Taiyōsan would have never imagined and that Kamui was truly a worthy master. Kamui would tell Taiyōsan it wasn't a master-subordinate relationship, and that truly the two were one. Through these actions, Kamui is known to have one of the strongest relationships with his Zanpakutō in the history of the Shinigami.

With his strong swordplay and relationship to his sword, Kamui is able to dominate enemies with the power of his blade. Using his speed to maneuver around the enemy, Kamui would take time to cut softer areas to vital areas with blinks of an eye. His precision and speed with the sword allows him to quickly cut down enemies without exerting himself too much. Kamui is also known to strike people with the sheath of his sword too for a more blunt approach. It has been noted his swordplay is rather aggressive compared to some of the other Shinigami in the, and he fights as if he is truly one with his sword. His sword play in impressive enough to have allowed him to combat and defeat him, albeit with a few other skills being used with it.

Kamui can use his speed to weave in and out of large groups and areas quickly and transverse large distances in the blink of an eye. Kamui also uses his speed to easily evade most attacks rather than block with his sword or cast a defensive Kidō, making Kamui extremely difficult to hit. Very few may even notice Kamui begin to attack due to his blinding speed. Kamui's speed is also hardly affected when he carries heavy objects, but he is noted to tire out more quickly in this process.


 * : With this ability, Kamui moves so fast as to create after-images of himself multiple times. Kamui can create about 10 clones on a regular basis with this ability. The clones mimic the actions of Kamui and are indistinguishable from him, allowing Kamui to attack his enemies as they are confused by which "Kamui" is the real one. The clones do not last very long, so Kamui must move continually to create more of them.

Kamui's skill with Kidō is high enough to the point that he doesn't need to use the incantation of many of them, being able to activate them merely with their name, which is the ability known as Eishōhaki (詠唱破棄, Incantation Abandonment). Like, Kamui possesses enough skill in a few to be able to use them with most of their power without even their name. One such example this is Kamui's favored usage of, often using it through his hand rather than his blade. Kamui's usage of Kidō favors the Hadō style more, but also makes great usage of Bakudō, such as to create multiple energy rods to pin foes down to walls or the ground and then quickly incapacitate or kill them. Kamui would also train with some higher up members of the to help further his productivity in the art of Kidō. Kamui would be offered a position among the Kidō Corps' ranks, though Kamui would politely decline in favor of the Gotei 13. Kamui is known as one of the best Kidō users in the current group of all Shinigami in the Gotei 13 due to this training.


 *  Mimicry: Kamui's strong interest in the Hollows and their ability to produce the Cero attack would lead him into researching to make a Kidō spell equivalent. Upon finishing and mastering the ability, he would name it "Kūsen" (虚閃, Hollow Flash). The spell lacks any known number, and Kamui often uses it without an incantation. Like with the Cero, Kamui condenses his spiritual energy from the palm of his finger into a ball of powerful red energy. When fired, is becomes a large beam of destructive energy, and its full power is about the level of Adjuchas-class Hollow, if not greater. He has also created the "Tennō Kūsen" (天皇虚閃, Heavenly Sovereign Hollow Flash), which mimics the power of the, with which he merges his blood into the attack. This makes the beam reform into a buzzsaw before going on a destructuve rampage, and can be controlled to explode. Kamui compares it to being like a weaker, controlled.


 *  (闐嵐, Orchid Sky): With this kidō, Kamui forms a powerful vortex of wind to be launched at the enemy. While normally done through spinning one's sword, Kamui has mastered it to be able to use it through his hand. Kamui can use this kidō at full power without calling out is name or number. Kamui has advanced the usage of this kidō compared to other users, and has made the attack far more threatening. When Kamui uses it in his advanced usage, the spinning wind produces a sound like that of a freight train. The attack in this form obliterates buildings with ease, leaving nothing left, and the surrounding winds can greatly damage the area not directly hit by the funnel. Nothing is truly safe from the attack, even Kamui can be thrown about if he does not keep focus. Further, Kamui also ignites the winds of the technique with a fire spell to create an even more devastating attack.


 *  (斬華輪, Cutting Flower Ring): Kamui is quite fond of the Hadō ability Zangerin. When it is used in, Kamui forms a circle of Kidō energy around him with his sword and blasts it outward with great, explosive energy. He has been seen using this technique with his Haigiri ability of his Shikai to creat multiple, powerful blasts. This technique is loved by Kamui as it combines the power of his sword with the power of Kidō, and is used in a similar method as . Kamui can also merge other spells into it to give it more effects, such as Tenran for a spiralling effect, or for a fiery effect.


 *  (黒棺, Black Coffin): This Kidō spell is arguably the greatest spell that Kamui is known to use. Having learned this spell during his time training with the Kidō Corps, Kamui's usage of the spell has reminded many Shinigami their fear of 's capability with it. When used, it forms a black box around its target and weighs them down with a wave of gravity. Black rods form on the box that act like spears which will plunge into the box to cut the trapped foe greatly all over their body. Kamui, similar to Aizen, can conjure the spell at a lower level of power without saying its incantation. Kamui can activate its full power with the incantation used, but prefers not to as it takes too much time and he says it becomes much more difficult to control. Using his weakened version, Kamui can easily knock out Lieutenants and even some Captains. Kamui once used the ability on a Gillian-class Hollow, and utterly destroyed the massive monster without the incantation, as well as kill an Adjuchas-class Hollow with a small part of the incantation. Kamui wields the technique in such a way that it makes others fear it and question why he is not the Kidō Corps Captain.

Kamui combines his great strength, stamina, and speed to fight in this form of combat. Using his great speed, he has shown a wide range of physical assaults with barrages of strong punches and powerful kicks. He also uses more unorthodox methods, such as slamming his head into foes as a powerful head-butt, despite this proving to hurt him as well. Along with sheer strength, his stamina allows him to maintain powerful strikes, punches, and hits with little to now weakening even after a long period of time. Kamui seems to focus on hitting joints to disable foes, and is not above breaking a foe's bone in an area to defeat them. One of Kamui's punches can easily shatter stone.


 *  (一骨, Single Bone): This is a simple, yet effective and powerful punch. Kamui focuses his strength and strikes the opponent with great force and power. The punch can cause massive damage, such as entirely destroying part of Kamui's opponent's body, and send them flying away with enough force to burst through buildings. Kamui can also use the punch to destroy an entire, multiple story building and presumably even more. Kamui notes that using this punch hurts his arm, and Shinigami often flinch in fear when they see Kamui about to use the attack due to its deadliness. Kamui states, while using it, its power comes from focusing reiatsu into the fist to give the punch powerful amounts of pressure. Kamui has noted he dislikes the double fisted version, the Sōkotsu (双骨, Double Bone), and does not use it, though this may be because Kamui simply lacks the skill to use it properly.

How he achieved it is currently unknown. When activated, it will destroy Kamui's shirt, cloak, and haori unless he strips them off prior due to the energy surge, which is silvery-white in color and visible due to the compression of the Kidō. With it, Kamui can surge the energy to one part of his body to make a strong defense or increase the power of an attack such as a punch. With the defense, Kamui has been known to block the swing of swords with his hand and push the blade back. The energy enhances Kamui's arms and legs for combat, giving him greater strength, speed, and reflexes, and the Kidō energy can be controlled and fired at opponents in powerful bursts. It was with the mastery of this skill that Kamui came to be considered a master of Hakuda. Rather than possessing an element like other Shunkō users, Kamui's Shunkō focuses on the ability of manipulation of the Kidō aura. His physical attributes seem superior to the baseline ones of elemental Shunkō as well, ignoring certain abilities specific ones give that is.


 * Kidō Appendage Manifestation: With the power of his Shunkō, Kamui can shape the energy into appendages, such as hands or feet, and produce powerful strikes with strength far greater than normal. This ability is compared to 's ability to manifest spirit limbs, and Kamui himself says that is what he was basing this ability off of when working on this power to achieve such an effect.

Zanpakutō
Taiyōsan (太陽山, Solar Mountain): In its sealed state, Taiyōsan takes the form of a regular katana. It possesses a round tsuba, a cross guard, that appears to be made of bronze. In the cross guard, four crescent-shaped holes are in it, two in the middle on either side of the blade and two closer to the back side of the sword. A white cloth is tied in one of the holes of the blade, the reasoning behind this is unknown, though Kamui claims this is how the sword manifested. The handle is wrapped in red cloth, and the sheath for the sword is black with a similar white cloth tied to it as is on the tsuba. Taiyōsan is an elemental-type Zanpakutō, a sub-type of Kidō-type Zanpakutō, and is specifically classified as a volcanic-type Zanpakutō. It is also known the most powerful volcanic-type Zanpakutō in the history of the Soul Society. Kamui and Taiyōsan are also noted to have a powerful bond, and further called one of the strongest bonds between Shinigami and Zanpakutō spirit in the history of the Soul Society.


 * : To awaken his Shikai, Kamui calls out the command "Ravage the earth" (地お滅ぼす, chi o horoborosu) while holding his sword out in front of him. Activating his Shikai causes the blade to begin to glow red with heat and steam to come off of the blade.


 * Shikai Special Ability: When released, Taiyōsan gains powers like that of a volcano. With the heated blade, any attack done with Taiyōsan's blade carries great heat. The sword may burn foes without making contact, and will wounds it inflicts. The ash created by the release of the sword is similar in function to that of, as every particle of ash is razor sharp and functions like that of a sword. Kamui has to actively take control of the ash to use it, but when he does it is often deadly. The ash can be used as a shield when collected in high amounts.


 * Haigiri (灰切り, Ash Cutter): With this ability, Kamui controls the ash in various ways to attack and slice foes apart. Being able make the ash swirl around his opponent and completely encompass them is one of the greatest usage's of this ability, as it limits their mobility for if they walk the ash will cut into them. The ash can be used in waves of slashes and also used to further the reach the actual blade of Taiyōsan, as well as generate another sword for Kamui to wield should he feel the need for a secondary sword. As such, this is one of Kamui's most versatile abilities in both releases of his Zanpakutō.


 * Bakuzanrai (爆山雷, Exploding Mountain Lightning): By controlling to ash particles to slam into each other repeatedly, static electricity is created. Clouds of ash with electricity bouncing from particle to particle can be used to increase cutting power and taze opponents. The electricity can also be blasted out in the form of bolts of lightning for fast, long-ranged, and powerful strikes against anyone unlucky enough to be targeted with it, and also in balls of lightning for a stronger impact. This ability seems to be the power Kamui uses most often due to its speed and power.


 * Yōganryū (溶岩流, Lava Flow): With this attack, lava forms on the blade on Taiyōsan. With a slash or lunge, the lava can be launched forward at great speeds in a crescent that cuts and burns or in a glob that will splatter on impact, and as such is both versatile and deadly. The lava produced by Taiyōsan burns at an extremely hot temperature, at around 1,742 °F, or about 950 °C. This is seemingly one of the more basic attacks in Shikai, but also one of his more deadly ones. With further training, Kamui is also able to control the lava with great precision.


 * : Tenbatsu Taiyōsan (天罰太陽山, Divine Punishment Solar Mountain): In its Bankai, Taiyōsan's name changes to Tenbatsu Taiyōsan, its true and final name, and its appearance changes slightly. The blade goes from shining red with heat to gaining a molten appearance, as if it were shaped from magma, and more ash forms from the blade as well. Lightning also strikes own its own from the clouds of ash, which forms a volcanic plume above Kamui over time.


 * Bankai Special Ability: While Taiyōsan acts as a volcano, Tenbatsu Taiyōsan is more like an active, violent volcano. The power it releases increases massively. The heat it gives of becomes greater and more like that of, spreading over a vast region and heating up water, though it is unsure as of now if its release threatens the Soul Society as a whole like the great blade of . Within the area of Kamui, the air becomes filled with carbon dioxide, hydrogen sulfide, and other volcanic gases, increasing the difficulty of breathing for those within the vicinity. Kamui is immune to the gas so long as he is wielding his sword, but should he lose his handling of it, the gas will harm him the same way it does others. Kamui can continue to use the attacks he had in his Shikai, but at a greater level of potential, such as being able to generate bolts of lightning with Bakuzanrai of a far greater size with a greater power output. In this form, the sword often melts and burns right through the of the  and the  of the  due to its great heat. Kamui further gains greater control of lava, being able to summon it far more easily in waves and command its path. In this form, the sword becomes known as one of the most powerful and destructive Zanpakutō in the history of the Gotei 13, and its usage should be avoided unless it was absolutely needed. Due to the lava-like nature of the sword, should the blade be damaged somehow, it will begin to instantly repair itself. As such, the Bankai in nature is unbreakable and can't be weakened in such a way.


 * Sakurajima (桜島, Cherry Blossom Island): Orbs of lava fly off of the blade and into the sky, growing in size as they fly up. The orbs are fairly small and unnoticeable at first, and condense amounts of spiritual energy are held within to feed their size. Once they reach large size, often about the size of large boulders, they will rain back down with great force. The molten boulders will incinerate nearly everything they contact with great ease, and can add to the size of the boulder if it is made of spiritual energy or stone. This ability is undoubtedly Kamui's most destructive technique due to the wide-scale havoc and power it possesses.


 * Chihaku Shahei (地核遮蔽, Earth Core Shield): With this technique, Kamui becomes coated superheated lava. The lava burns at an average temperature of 9,800 °F, or about 5,427 °C, roughly the temperature of the core of the planet Earth and the surface of the Sun, but can burn hotter as well to match the even higher temperatures possible at the core of the Earth. With this power, hitting Kamui with Hakuda or Zanjutsu becomes next to impossible as most would be burned away by the heat of his armor. Kamui seems to enjoy using Hakuda in this form as well, as his attacks no longer need to make contact to cause damage, as the heat will burn the foe where the attack was intended to hit and around the area too. As such, Kamui calls this technique his "ultimate defense".


 * Kōzōatsuha (構造圧波, Tectonic Pressure Wave): To activate this technique, Kamui stabs the tip of his sword into the ground. When he does this, massive, violent earthquakes shall begin to shake and destroy the terrain. Anyone standing on the ground will feel their very core being shaken with the earth, causing pain and discomfort, and make one lose their footing. By creating pockets of magma under the ground by sending it heat into different areas, Kamui can cause cave-ins as the stone above falls into the magma pools and melts. Molten rock also bursts up out of the fissures to cause more damage.


 * Sanzen Sekai (三千世灰, Three Thousand Ashen Worlds): Kamui will gather all the heat the sword has produced back into the blade. With all the energy stored, Kamui will point his blade forward and call out the name of the attack. All the heat will be blasted out from the blade in invisible bursts that will turn anything it makes contact with into the smallest particles of ash possible. This is the attack Kamui calls his most powerful, as it leaves nothing left of those unfortunate enough to be hit by it. Kamui can also seemingly store the power of this attack in his sword to destroy those he slashes with it. As a testament to its power, Kamui once vaporized a Vasto Lorde-class Hollow with single fully-powered slash from this deadly attack.

Trivia

 * Kamui shares his birthday with his author.
 * His birthday is also shared with Yoshitsune, the author's main character for the Naruto series and his first original character. This birthday is typically held by all of the author's main characters for various series.


 * Kamui's author has stated that if Kamui had a voice actor, would be his ideal voice actor.
 * Kamui's theme song, according to his author, is "Labored and Lost" by Jesper Kyd and Lorne Balfe.
 * An older, unused version of Kamui had him being written as a member of the.
 * Kamui enjoys cute things, relaxing, music, swimming, reading, and training.
 * Kamui's favorite foods are beef, seafood, and potatoes. Kamui has also become quite fond of cheeseburgers. Kamui further tends to keep jelly beans on his person regularly, which are normally in a raspberry flavor. Kamui also enjoys drinking tea, sometimes with fresh honey, and coffee, as well as some sodas from the human world. Kamui tends to not drink alcohol, but when he does, it is usually whiskey. Kamui dislikes vegetarian and vegan dishes.
 * Kamui seems to dislike toads, frogs, geckos, and slugs. Kamui is also known to dislike blood; not for its appearance, but rather its smell.
 * Kamui has great respect for, , , , , and.
 * Kamui is also known to think that Yoruichi is as gorgeous as she is powerful.

Quotes

 * "Fate only gets one so far, once you get there you must make the rest yourself."
 * "Some say my Zanpakutō horribly misrepresents my ideals and my division. They claim that volcanoes are great devastators that destroy mankind and their dreams. I'd disagree. While it is true that volcanoes horribly devastate man, they learn to survive and adapt. They cling to life against all odds. Mankind survived the, an event that nearly drove humanity to extinction, and came back stronger and better than ever before. To me, that is the ideal of hope."
 * "What makes a monster and what makes a man?"
 * "When a man is pushed to his absolute limits what does he do? He will charge in with every last bit of strength he has and tear down any wall that dare stand in his way!"
 * "Life is a grand mystery. No one holds its true meaning, you decide for yourself what it holds. More and more it confuses me and draws me forward, like a moth to the night sky's moon. It is amazing how lives can differ so greatly, even under similar situations. It shows the uniqueness of each and every life."
 * "Take your golden throne! I want nothing of it! Once you sit on top you become lazy and lose yourself, you lose the fire that burns in your soul to drive you forward. I will take this seat made of mud, rocks, and sticks and be happy. It lets me see high enough to know what is coming. It sits me low enough so I am still down to the earth and not losing myself in the clouds."