Ui Kōmoto

Ui Kōmoto (宇井河本, Kōmoto Ui), known more commonly by her moniker Playful Thief, (泥棒遊び心, Asobi Dorobō) was the current Vice-Captain of the Third Division, replacing  after his eventual retirement. She was formerly the 4th Seat of the Ninth Division in the Gotei 13 before leaving her post to pursue a rare and valuable artifact, whether she was successful or not remained up to speculation. Upon her unsaid return, Ui was promoted to her current standing, with recommendations from her cousin, Yuki Kōmoto and several prominent individuals. As a result, she became an acquaintance of Kei Yume after his supposed return from exile and was generally rumored to be one of the most intelligent individuals in Soul Society, despite the somewhat strange yet playful personality Ui displays.

Ui can often be found beside her first cousin Yuki Kōmoto, whom she spends a vast amount of time with and is very protective of her, usually going to great lengths (albeit in a comical manner) to ensure her safety. The only ones she allows near her cousin is Kei and her closest friends, although she typically thinks her Captain is up to something, often landing the two into very awkward and questionable circumstances.

She is one of the supporting protagonists of Bleach: Tribulations as she constantly deals with Kei's antics while trying to help him and their companions to the best of her abilities while they faced trials and conflicts in Soul Society and in the Human World. She is also one of the supporting protagonists of Bleach Trinity and its extended universe. Along with that, she serves as one of the guest characters in various storylines, including the Site Canon.

Appearance
Even though Ui was borne several hundred years ago, the Shinigami woman still bore the appearance of a youthful teen nearing her early twenties. Her body remained physically fit through years of constant training and thievery, allowing her to perform acrobatic feats that hardly anyone can dream to match or even surpass. She was surprisingly short and thin for her age, with other Soul Reapers towering over her, much to Ui's chagrin. She possessed kind and sincere lime green eyes and due to a rare genetic defect attributed to the Kōmoto Clan, her eyes had a distinct swirled appearance that was capable of captivating unknowing bystanders. Ui had shoulder-length blonde hair that she kept loose and braided with rare hollowed pearls, keeping it in several braids. They were tied atop her head and was typically held together with a blue silk bandana that was gifted to her by her mother. Due to her active lifestyle and personality, Ui had a relatively tanned complexion but she stated that in her younger years, she was very pale, popular to contrary belief and assumptions about her. Ui was known to sport an alternative look to her. This time, her hair was left unaccented and allowed to flow free while still cropped and parted at the forehead.

Much like her Captain, Ui had decided to reject the social norm of Soul Society clothing regulations and not actively wear the current Shinigami uniform. However, there was more to it. She stated that the clothing restricted Ui in her movements, especially when she was placed into combat. She preferred to have her freedom and well placed speed as well as have a savvy stylish undertone. Instead she opted for a more robust approach, surprising Captains and her compatriots alike, even Kei. Her clothing made the majority of her body bare and exposed to the elements but it was no matter of relative concern to her. It consisted of a yellow string bikini complemented with a durable olive green mini-skirt. She carried two specialized pouches that was connected to her clothing as well as ruffle bow sleeves draped over each arm, each being enhanced with molecular pieces of metal and silk for added protection. A long modified yellow and red scarf loosely hung around her neck reaching down past her mid-section and it was known to be capable of extending and distending to disproportionate lengths. She commonly wore brown "thief" gloves that were specifically made for her by Kei, accented with three special metal studs meant to enhance the strength and force of her punches. The gloves had the added capability to channel her spiritual energy and emit a strong repulsive force from her palms with a mere exertion. Most of the time, Ui could be seen sporting blue boots with a tan trim that neared the bottom and ended up at the base of her ankles. But due to Kei's fear of painful repercussions from the Head Captain Madoka Mizuki, he had Ui wear a modified version of the Shinigami's robes, a shortened hakama that resembled a skirt over her usual clothing. As such, she was able to slip in and out of her robes almost immediately.

Ui had revealed that she possessed a completely different yet less revealing outfit, much to Kei's relief and her admirers' disappointment. However, the times Ui wore it was sparse as the Vice-Captain had stated that she couldn't find an occasion or reason to actively wear it. It consisted of a pair of her commonly seen green short-shorts accented with a loosely hung orange belt. She had an orange sleeveless tank-top adorned with several side straps that was said to be made with durable silk, capable of dispersing low-mid level energy attacks and withstand several blade-based attacks before ripping. Following that were situational boots, a medium sized gauntlet and arm guard for her right side and a protective forearm mit that was capable of materializing/dematerializing for her left. She commonly wore a pair of goggles around her that were enhanced by her to give greater sight. Wrapped around her right thigh was a durable pouch that seemingly held an endless amounts of materials and equipment for her.

During her stint in the World of the Living, Ui had taken a liking to Human clothing, just like her Captain. When in her Gigai, her clothing followed a similar design to her Shinigami uniform. She would be dressed in white shorts, a white cardigan over a matching yellow or orange top, and some form of heels or short boots. When in the the Human World, Ui was usually found in the service of the Urahara Shop, acting as a courier for Kisuke Urahara. Along with that, she was reported to be returning to her original profession, donning a undescribed stealth suit and performing various heists for her own enjoyment. She usually returned the stuff she took, relishing the hunt only.

Personality
Kei once said that Ui's personality was one of the strangest he had ever seen yet was one of the few that ever made him smile. Although she shared traits with several well known individuals, Ui held the relative distinction to be a cultimated mixture of intelligence, cockiness and eccentricism. She notably portrayed herself as a kind-hearted, spirited, and energetic individual as she was capable of transmitting her energy into most crowds, simply rousing them into action with her personality. Even the most blunt and callous individuals couldn't escape her, as they couldn't help but have their shells broken down by Ui. As a result Ui would constantly find herself at odds with the more stoic members of the Gotei Thirteen, namely the members of the Fourth and Tenth Divisions. However, she usually attempted to change their gloomy attitude by pulling outrageous and elaborate pranks on them, usually ending in failure. She was admirably sociable, up to the point that she would find herself in comedic awkward situations or literally approach anyone and introduce herself unless angered or distracted. Ui had aclose relationship with almost everyone in the Third Division, sans for a few, and was typically regarded as the "Big/Little Sister of the Family", depending on the situation.

Ui was known to maintain a positive outlook in life, even when the situation she was in seemed to be bleak. Ui was hardly seen sad or upset, only her angered or positive side. But underneath her positive exterior existed another side to Ui's personality, a side she wholeheartedly detested and constantly tried to hide. Deep down existed a world filled with insecurities that plagued her mind, a battle of wills that were at odds with one another. Even though she was successful in her life, Ui commonly questioned her own self-worth to Soul Society and whether or not she deserved to be a Vice-Captain or even be called a Shinigami for that matter.

She looks up to her captain, Kei Yume as something of a role model, being impressed with his calming nature. Her cheerful outlook often belitles her personality when she is sad or upset, as she is shown to carry many insecurities, including her truth worth as a the 3rd division Vice-Captain or even that of a Shinigami.

During her time as a Vice-Captain, it was revealed by Ui that she had a penchant for anything salty and sweet, namely salt-laced cookies as she stated that the combination of the two flavors was utterly divine and irresistible. She had an extreme dislike for anything sour; Ui did not have the capability to deal with the flavor. Even the slightest taste will send her gagging or cause her lips to pucker profusely. Ui was known to be unable to hold her drink, becoming drunk after a sip of anything alcoholic such as Saki or Beer. Usually, she would move in a comedic stupor, tripping over herself numerous times or talk in a strange yet sometimes unintelligible fashion, usually in a mixture of languages. During this time, Ui would lose sight of herself and would typically become destructive and angry, yelling at anything that seemed to catch her eye or annoy her to the slightest. At other times, she becomes unstably sweet and clingy, similar to that of a yandere.

Although Ui could be absentminded or childish at times, she had showed herself to be a capable and highly intelligent individual and was rumoured to be one of the best minds Soul Society had to offer and produce. Ui constantly referred to herself as "Ui the Genius" or "Ui the Best Thief of the World", hinting a cocky side to her. This was further exemplified through some of her mannerisms.

Ui is also known to be highly intelligent, speaking many languages and being skilled in chemistry. She also seems to be quite fearless, shown by her attacks on her opponents with no hesitation and by Ui's cocky attitude when fighting. She cares deeply for those that she considers friends but shows no remorse for killing those that she views as enemies. Ui will complement an opponent if they are strong, however, she often says to her weaker opponent that she won't remember their names because "It's a waste of brain cells."

Equipment/Inventions
Super Light Bomb!:

Vision Intensifier v. 2.4:

Kei's Special Scarf:

Thief Gloves:

Powers and Abilities
Great Spiritual Power:

Expert Swordmanship Specialist

Shunpo Expert: Due to her lithe and athletic figure, Ui was stated be a more than apt Shunpo user, capable of moving large distances in a matter of footsteps and was able to surpass most of her Vice-Captain class level compatriots. In short bursts, Ui was able to move on par with several of the Captains, albeit for short period of time as she would use up most of her energy. Ui was able to enter combat against multiple Shinigami, using her small frame to effortlessly dodge attacks and easily move around battlefield. Upon Kei's return and promotion to Captain, she became one of his first students and learned everything she knew from the man, including Hohō and its various applications. Under his supervision, she learned the vast majority of the Onmitsukidō's speed-oriented techniques and then some, increasing her skills tremendously. Ui held a variety of usages under in her grasp as she could utilized her learnings at moment's notice. Her education under Kei Yume had given tremendous skills and it was stated that given enough time and training, she may become one of the central authorities of the technique in the future.

Ui was more than capable of holding her own against opponents, using a combination of her speed and mindful tactics. She was able to travel at a near constant rate for a large period of time without tiring as well as appear instantaneously, a technique she learned from her educator. Whenever Ui moved, she was described as a colorful blur in action. Like her Captain, Ui was able to move unnoticed with, usually using it for mischief on the unsuspecting members of the Gotei Thirteen, especially her own division. With her speed, Ui was more than able to dodge and parry most blows but she suffered from being outmatched by superior opponents.
 * Utsusemi: (空蝉, Cicada) A technique originally created by, Ui learned it from Captain Kei, adding several unique twists to its utilization. It basically allowed for movements at great speeds, which causes an afterimage to stay behind. This afterimage may appear to have taken damage from the ensuing attack, although this was merely an optical illusion. In Ui's case, she had increased the number of afterimages to two and were often placed the opponent to disorient and cause them to hesitate. This gave her ample time to sneak past her opponent's awareness and strike them when least expected.
 * Senka: (閃花, Flash Blossom): This Shunpō technique is used when one moves to their opponent's back, directly attacking and sealing their "Saketsu (鎖結, Chain Binding)" and "Hakusui (鎖結, Soul Sleep)" in one swift strike. The movement is so fast that an opponent may not be able to tell whether they was attacked from, the front or the back, and even an outside observer may find it impossible to tell what the movements are.

Genius Intellect:
 * Expert Scientist/Inventor: Ui was naturally adept in inventing.
 * Expert Tactical Forecaster:
 * Highly Perceptive Combatant:

Enhanced Durability:

Master Hand-to-Hand Combatant:

Zanpakutō
Jinkō Kuriētā redirects here. For the manifested spirit that appears to Ui during Jinzen, see Jinkō Kuriēt (spirit).

Jinkō Kuriētā (人工クリエーター, Artificial Creator) is the name of Ui Kōmoto's Zanpakutō and is one of the few Alchemy-type Zanpakutō in existence as stated by Kei and several others.

Shikai: The release command of Jinkō Kuriētā is "I Create!" (私が作成, Watashi Ga Sakusei).

Shikai Special Ability: Ui's zanpakuto grants her the ability to create and control a variety of elements found throughout the Periodic Table. This is done by Ui manipulating the electrons, molecular vibrations, and atomic bonding of each element. Bankai: Dōtō No Jinkō Kuriētā (同等の人工クリエーター, Equivalent Artifical Creator)
 * Tetsuseikei (てつせいけい, literally meaning Iron Molder): Ui's most used ability. She is able to manipulate the iron in the environment to form various pieces of equipment, such as swords or shields. She can mold anything she has formed, into a different shape at will, allowing her to perform devastating attacks on unsuspecting opponents. When used directly on an opponent, Ui is able to draw the iron out of the body and cover that area in iron preventing its use as she can change it to something that won't harm her at all, though this effect will eventually reverse itself.
 * Doudoutai (どうどうたい, literally meaning Copper Conductor): By forming copper around her zanpakuto, she is able to form them into wires and launch them at her opponent. Once the copper wires have made contact with the enemy, Ui is able to manipulate the electron molecules to form a constant current of electricity to inflict serious damage to an opponent's nervous system.
 * Bakuyaku Kankatsu (ばくやくかんかつ, literally meaning Explosive Control): Using a sodium powder that is produced by her zanpakuto, she can create a large cloud around her opponents. This cloud has the capability to hack into the neural network of another living creature to force their brains to think and perform the way that she wants them to through the potassium-sodium electron conveyance. The most deadly aspect of this ability however is that Ui is capable of igniting sections of it to trap the enemy in a series of fiery blasts or even ignite the whole cloud at once in order to completely explode the unlucky one trapped inside.
 * Shidan No Gouremu (しだんゴーレム, literally meaning Golem Army): One of her most well known and used abilities


 * Bankai Special Ability:

Trivia

 * Ui is noted to have several phobias: a fear of spiders, thunder, and being left alone.

Behind the Scenes

 * The appearance of is based on that of Rikku, the primary supporting character from Final Fantasy X and Final Fantasy X-2.
 * The writer would like to accredit Illuminate Void with introducing the Weakness concept for abilities.
 * This article,, is dedicated to Razeluxe91.

Literature References

 * Genius Beyond Their Years (Minor Appearance)