Kay Hiroshi

Kay Hiroshi (ケイ宏, Hiroshi Kei), otherwise known as Kay Shiba (ケイ芝, Shiba Kei), is the daughter of Kenji and Ino Hiroshi, and the only child of Kenji who inherited his Tsuji status in its active form. She survived the Collapse thanks to her brother Kentaro, though in doing so he left Hotaru and Akira to die. She has since joined the Six Directions.

Appearance
Kay is a young woman who shares little of her parents characteristics. Unlike her father, whose hair was black with a silvery tinge, or her mother, who was naturally blond, Kay takes after her aunt Kireina, sporting the same shade of chestnut-brown hair as her. She tends to style it so her hair frame her cheeks neatly, while her fringe hangs to obscure some of her same-shade eyes. As a young girl she was partial to a school-like outfit which comprised a white shirt, brown blazer, and a brown skirt. Following the Collapse, Kay has matured greatly, which often leads Kentaro to reprimand her for jumping around excitedly, as this leads her increased bust size to bounce around. Instead of her prior school-theme she wears a purple top, black under-shirt, and denim jeans.

Personalty
Kay is an intelligent and energetic young woman with a noticeable habit of running headlong into matters that are either beyond the scope of her abilities or understanding, oftentimes both together. Although this trait hasn't lessened following the Collapse her abilities, which grew incredibly following training from her uncle Rosuto, has done much to bolster her confidence. She now stands beside her brother and friends during serious conflicts without fear of holding them back. She is still frustrated by her brother's protectiveness however, feeling he pawns her off with second-rate assignments, even though she understands he does it to protect her.

She cares deeply for her family and often joins them on the field of battle. She was one of the few people not fooled by her father's double, nor did she believe him to be Kenji, demonstrating an insight few others much older and knowledgeable than she did not show at the time (only Kusaka shared her views). Following the Collapse she has seemingly taken less risks, but nevertheless remains an energetic young woman with a thirst for adventure and knowledge, which often lands her in trouble with her protective older-brother Kentaro, whom she is shown to worry over terribly.

Since the Collapse Kay has demonstrated a forcefulness to her personality that surprised Miria Fujibayashi and the Gotei Remnant at large, who grossly underestimated the scope of her abilities and strength of her resolve. Kay is very much her mother's daughter, not to mention having been trained in the martial arts by her merciless uncle Rosuto, much of whose personality traits Kay has inherited; for instance she strikes out at anyone who attempts to attack her. During the First Battle of Nishiendo Kay forced Miria to retreat by killing the subordinates the latter was claiming to protect, whilst arguing back that if they hadn't attacked the innocents of Nishiendo in the first place she wouldn't have to kill them in reprisal. When Miria refused to retreat the first time Kay burned through the shoulder of another of Miria's subordinates with Kidō without a hint of remorse, stating she will continue to harm them until Miria seen reason and fled.

Synopsis

 * Main Article - Bleach (Kenji Hiroshi).

Impostor arc

 * Kenji gone Mad?
 * Betrayal!?
 * Discovering the Truth of Kenji

Part IV

 * Main article -- Bleach: Cataclysm.

Bound by Blood arc

 * Note: The below arc is filler and is thus separate from the main plot of Bleach: Cataclysm, despite it being classed very loosely as canon.


 * Terrors of the Night
 * Returning Terrors

Meian's Legacy mini-arc

 * Kay's Awakening: Birth of a Tsuji

Braving the Waves arc

 * First Battle of Nishiendo
 * Joining the Threads
 * Second Battle of Nishiendo

Part V

 * Main article -- TBA.

Powers and Abilities
Growth Rate: Although not yet fully demonstrated, Kay learns and reasons at an accelerated rate. After only a week of Quincy training with David she was fit to summon her bow and fire arrows, as well as perform Hirenkyaku. The former she learned in only two days whilst the latter, which is considered a rare and difficult technique to use, took her merely five days, at which point she perfectly blended it with her existent Shunpo.

Like her father before her, Kay's spiritual power is personified by the lightning element. Her reiatsu has the tendency to short-out electrical appliances in the nearby area when exerted strongly enough, and has been known to stop the heart of unprotected beings.



Hohō Expertise: Kay practices a form of lightning-enhanced high-speed movement she first combined with her expertise, and later improved through mastery of. Although not as powerful spiritually as her brother Kay is every bit as fast as Kentaro. Her speed enabled her to attack Vamp before the latter could respond or react in self-defence, and latter respond to Miria Fujibayashi's surprise attack with a counter.

Enhanced Speed & Reflexes: Even without her lightning-enhanced speed, Kay is remarkably dexterous and nimble. Her ability to instinctively react to and lash out at attackers in reprisal is phenomenal. She reacted to Vamp's second attack against her even before Kentaro did, slamming him into the ground using only a single hand. During the first battle of Nishiendo Kay struck down four Shinigami via Hakuda before turning to strike down a fifth, all before the first four had struck the floor.

Enhanced Strength: Kay was fit to react to Vamp's attack and slam him into the floor with only a single arm whilst under the effects of a limiter.

Kidō: After subduing Vamp Kay demonstrated the ability to use Kidō to light the area she and Kentaro where in. Her true skill seems to lie in lightning-based Hadō. A single, without incantation, was powerful enough to burn through the shoulder of a member of the Gotei Remnant, simultaneously paralysing the man. She was not however trained by her mother, instead getting her instruction from her father.

Hakuda Mastery: Kay employs the same basic Hakuda style as her father but utilizes the same direct and power-focused style as her uncle, who trained her extensively in the years prior to the Collapse. Her attacks are laced with the lightning that suffuses her very being, causing all her strikes to potentially numb the area struck. She employs leg-sweeps and body blows with great strength and speed, enough to quickly overwhelm the predominately Hakuda-focused Vamp in short-order, slamming him into the ground with only a single hand. She is known to perform a lunging lightning-imbued strike from the heavens as her opening and finishing move, and her skills are extensive enough to combat the likes of Miria, herself a respected Hakuda master and former teacher at the Shinō Academy.

Zanpakutō
Hiraishin (避雷針, Lightning Rod). Kay's Zanpakutō takes the form of a with sky-blue hilt wrapping, a star-shaped guard, and a grey sheath. Uniquely Kay manifests her sealed Zanpakutō by releasing a surge of electricity in her palm, which forms the actual blade.


 * : Kay releases her Zanpakutō with the command "Conduct" (行為, koui). True to its name release of Hiraishin causes a bolt of lightning to strike Kay's body, causing a massive explosion which is followed by a skywards surge of spiritual power in the form of a beacon. Once released Hiraishin takes the form of twin lashes of pure lightning attached to Kay's arms, which can be extended at will.


 * Shikai Special Ability: Much like Kenji's Raijin and Shinrei's Raikōisan, Kay's Hiraishin deals with the usage of the lightning element as an offensive, defensive and supplementary force, specifically the destructive discharge brought forth by her lashes. The lashes comprising Hiraishin's released state possess vast destructive power and a charge that can stop a victims heart in one strike; Kay channels this power in various related abilities, all of which cause tremendous collateral damage.


 * Shūkyoku (終局, Finale): a technique which changes Hiraishin into its Shūkyoku form, which is a form devoted to offence at the expense of defence. This form condenses Hiraishin's destructive power into a scale-like sword with heightened cutting and destructive power. It also allows Kay to utilize Kuroraikō, which is her strongest Shikai ability. The sword can be extended to serve as a whip-sword for use as a mid-to-long-range weapon.


 * Kuroraikō (黒雷光, Black Lightning): a destructive technique which channels highly-focused black-coloured lightning to strike Kay's opponents, with enough potency to shatter the ice of Hitsugaya's Hyōrinmaru. This technique strikes a prominent likeness to Kenji's Raijin, as the lightning acts as if possessing a will of its own, without Kay needing to direct it personally.


 * : Not yet achieved.

Spirit Weapon
Bow (former): Kay inherited her father's Tsuji powers in quasi-active form, with her powers being pulled to the surface by Axel following the Collapse, and received training from her cousins David and Hawke Kori. She can thus utilize the abilities of a. Kay's Spirit Weapon takes the form of a solid coloured blue and white, with dashes of grey. Kay holds her bow left-handed and fires her arrows from her right. The bows grip fits snugly into her palm and features a protective shield to protect the hand. Her Quincy powers have quickly become her go-to long-range option.


 * Heilig Pfeil (神聖滅矢 (ハイリッヒ・ブファイル), Hairihhi Bufairu; German for "Holy Arrow", Japanese for "Sacred Destruction Arrows"): Kay further condenses spiritual power to form arrows, which are noted to carry the same effects as her spiritual power, which she learned after only two days training. She essentially fires arrows of lightning with far greater penetrative power than an average Heilig Pfeil of the same power.

Sniper Rifle: Kay would eventually move on from her Spirit Bow in favour of a long-range sniper-rifle, coloured black, with a solid appearance.


 * Enhanced Heilig Pfeil: Kay's Heilig Pfeil took the form of bullets with fearsome penetrative power. Like those fired by her former bow the bullets she fires are coated in a layer of electricity, which serves to drill through most defences.

Hollowfication
Kay inherited her father's Tsuji powers in quasi-active form, with her powers being pulled to the surface by Axel following the Collapse. She can thus utilize the abilities of a.


 * Hollow mask: Kay's Hollow mask takes the form of a high-tech pair of goggles with twin bands of green light across her eyes. She has demonstrated the ability to remove the mask without de-Hollowfying or losing the effects associated with Hollowfication, and can seemingly stay Hollowfied for extended durations. Whether this extends to extraneous use in battle situations is unknown at this time.


 * Enhanced Spiritual Energy: Kay's spiritual power rises dramtically upon donning her Hollow mask. Without the mask she is considered high-tier Lieutenant-class. With the mask donned she is considered close to Captain-class.

Behind the Scenes

 * Kay's Part III appearance is based on Misaka Mikoto from Toaru Majutsu no Index. Her Part VI appearance is based on Misaka Misuzu, Mikoto's mother in Toaru Majutsu no Index.