Raian Getsueikirite

"In his eyes is his fiery will to protect"

- Ten Tailed Fox, Ryan's creator

Ryan Getsueikirite (ゲツエイキリテリャン, Getsueikirite Ryan) is an American half human, half shinigami, who gained his powers after he was in a state of near death. He also gains hollow powers from the same event. He becomes America's shinigami representative to the Soul Society. He leads a double life of a high school student, as well as his country's protector from Hollows and Arrancar. He is America's first known Shinigami, and is therefore a spectacle in the eyes of the Gotei 13.

Appearance
Considered to be the strongest teenager in his high school, Ryan is depicted as possessing blue eyes and spiky black hair. Ryan is regularly seen with an upbeat and eager persona, always eager for something such as learning a new technique or a nice afternoon nap. A trait regularly mentioned that easily angered him was his abnormally tall stature even for his age. In his shinigami body, he wears standard shinigami garb, topped off with a long, fur cape that seems to be covered with skull masks. In his human body, Ryan has been seen to wear a regular tee-shirt, and blue jeans, though when he goes after Seireitou, he wears a long black trench coat, a black shinigami robe underneath, and shorter hair.

Personality
He is a carefree guy, who's personality seems to attract many. He is very warm towards his friends and family alike. Ryan is shown to have a compassionate, yet serious attitude when it comes to friends and family. He keeps most painful and conflicting thoughts inside, so he can "keep others from worrying about him". Although this method causes him to suffer more than he should. His closest friends, such as his cousin, can see right through this and are often his closest confidants. He also tends to worry about those close to him, even when they are completely okay.

In recent chapters of his life Ryan is somewhat comical, adding a bit of levity to situations that are otherwise serious. He has a flippant attitude under normal circumstances and seems to like annoying his associate, Atsuko Madarame, which usually earns him a slap from one of her sandals. She, in turn, shows him absolutely no respect and frequently insults and attacks him; although he is no better, frequently making faces or glib insults at her expense. Underneath this, though, he is quite perceptive regarding other people, and during his time as a captain, was one of the few people who appeared suspicious of his then Ryoka friend, Seireitou, and could apparently sense or see through some of his ploys. He also quickly notes parts of Senka's personality. At one point Shuka even admitted to being somewhat intimidated by him.

Whenever angered or in combat, Ryan is fairly calm, serious, and level-headed. In battle he has shown himself to have a calm, collected manner, analyzing his opponent's moves and properly choosing how to counter them. He is shown to keep this demeanor until he begins winning by a large margin. He is then shown to become rather cocky, even going so far as to taunt and belittle his opponents. He often lets enemies know that he is proud of his power, as he has worked very hard for it.

History
He began life like most any American kid, but it wasn't until his high school years that things got interesting. While walking home from his school, he sees a small boy playing in the streets. Suddenly, headlights appear almost out of nowhere, and Ryan manages to push the boy out of the way, in turn getting hit himself, sending him into a comatose state. During this time, his chain of fate began to erode, as he neared death. Just as the final chain was about to erode, when he forced himself awake; being returned to both his body and his Chain of Fate being restored. Little did he know that this would greatly change his life. On his face was a hollow mask, which fell apart after he sat up, and he was now more aware of other differences; feeling the sensation of life force around him, was among those. Also, among other things, whenever he felt great need, his body would temporarily separate with his shinigami body. After a few months of this, he became use to his powers and could freely transform into a shinigami. He learned to slay and vanquish hollows with his katana and before long, this life became second nature to him. Later, as he became more and more prone to shinigami transformations, another occurrence happened; the hollow mask began to appear and Ryan couldn't control himself when it did. Fearing the mask's power, he began to use his shinigami powers far less. That is also when his katana began speaking to him. From it, he learned that it was not just a katana, but a zanpakuto; the weapon of the Shinigami. It also told him, that the mask was that of a hollow and that only with him (the zanpakuto) could Ryan overcome it. It then told Ryan it's name, Kagemusha (影武者, Shadow Warrior), and from then on, Ryan could use it's shikai.

For awhile, the mask disappeared, and Ryan continued on with his life as a student and a shinigami. But it resurfaced within a month or two and Ryan began training to control it. Whenever it appeared, Ryan would sense it's reishi structure, and observe it's formation. When he figured out how to form it, Kagemusha allowed Ryan to fight the hollow within his inner world. He succeeds, but only barely, allowing him to willingly control his hollow powers. In the month of his seventeenth birthday, an Arrancar makes an appearance in the United States, and even with Shikai and his Hollow Mask, he is unable to stand up to it. Kagemusha then teaches Ryan his bankai. Another strange fact is that his hollow power increased with this achievement. Using this new power he vanquished the arrancar, leading us to the present time.

New Enemy, Sadow Yatsumaru arc

 * Note: Events in this arc are considered filler and are not part of the canon of this story, and therefore do not contest anything canon in this story.

Ryan first appears in this arc, when about to leave Soul Society. A former Vizard, named Sadow, and his army of arrancar burst into Soul Society and launch a full scale attack. Ryan and Takeshi both coordinate an attack, involving the Kido Cannon which causes Sadow to launch more arrancar in a desperate attempt to stop another firing. Ryan goes bankai and is about to attack when Sadow orders a retreat to Hueco Mundo.

Ryan later appears while briefing the Vizard on the arrancar army of Sadow. Shinji senses Sadow's forces arrive and the Vizard leave to protect the city.

The arrancar introduce themselves as the Exequias and attack the Vizard. Lisa, Hachi and Love charge in and attacks to commander and his forces, while Ryan, Shinji, Hiyori, and Rose continue to fight off the Lieutenant and his own forces.

Powers and Abilities
Ryan Getsueikirite is a captain-level combatant, capable of felling all but the toughest of enemies effortlessly. Immense Spiritual Power: He is capable of exerting a vast Spiritual Pressure, which, in league with his already admirable combat skills and finesse, makes him one of the most formidable human-shinigami hybrids. His spiritual pressure is so great it can be felt from a great distance and it has the tendency to make people perspire in fear. His reiatsu is blueish-purple. Another distinction is that his eyes glow red when he uses his vast spiritual pressure.

Master Swordsmanship Specialist: In terms of fighting style, Ryan relies mostly on his Zanpakutō and thus would be considered a swordsmanship specialist. His ingenuity in it is much greater than most shinigami as he is able to use his skill in more versatile and effective maneuvers, such as using his Shikai as a flail, to which he has demonstrated tremendous aim and control of where and how it will strike, depending on which form it takes. While usually in battle, Ryan fights in a deductive and logical manner, however in difficult fights, he fights in a style more akin to a berserker, relying on instinct with little to no regard towards his own well-being.

Hand-to-Hand Combatant: While used less often, Ryan has shown a highly proficient skill in this area.

Enhanced Speed: While he possesses no skill for Flash Step, Ryan has still shown to be deceptively fast for his age and build. Thanks to his tremendous raw power, Ryan's leg strength allows him to more than make up for his lack of Flash Step, allowing him to move fast enough to instantly close a huge gap of space between him and the opponent and even seemingly disappear from sight. In battle he is able to strike with incredible speed in rapid succession, making it highly difficult for his opponents to find an opening and counterattack.

Zanpakutō
Kagemusha (影武者; "Shadow Warrior") has the form of an average katana with a bronze cross guard shaped like a German cross and a purple handle. According to Ryan, the Zanpakutō's favorite color is blue, and its least favorite is black. The sheath completely dissolves when he draws his sword. The sword is somewhat longer than most Zanpakutō, at about 1.4 meters long, making as tall as Ryan himself, preventing him from wearing it at the hip. He instead carries it on his back by his red sash over his left shoulder.
 * Shikai: Released by the phrase, "Tears drop from the eyes of the innocent, blood from the veins of children. The river of time drowns the poor, the wave of reality crushes all dreams. Life is soaked in sadness, existance parched of peace. Submerge and end misery, extinguish the flame of life. Drown all and, bring peace to the﻿ world. Kagemusha!". The Shikai form of varies; it has the ability to shift form. It can change shape into any form Ryan imagines, though usually, it takes the form of a katana with a purple handle and a guard shaped like the Kido Corps logo, much like Muramasa did in times past.
 * Shikai Special Abilities: It's shikai ability can best be described as "control of form", it can shift it's appearance as many times and in as many different forms as Ryan can imagine, though there is a five second time limit between which shifts cannot take place. Another restriction on this is that it can only transform into a bladed weapon. It's second power also manipulates it's form to some extent. Kagemusha will vanish with a burst of blueish-purple reiatsu; Ryan then control's it's invisible mass much like a force field; using it to repel all but the strongest techniques. It can only remain like this for five minutes before having to have a short intermission, before it can do this again.
 * Kagemusha Reiatsu Weapon: Unique to it's shikai state, this technique employs the concept of 'the flow of reiatsu'. Through this fairly easy concept, Ryan channels his reiatsu through his zanpakuto, Kagemusha. This extends the reach and the cutting edge of the blade, and also allows Ryan to fire crescents of energy whenever the blade is swung. Ryan has also shown to manipulate the form of this reiatsu, as the reiatsu blades form into buzz-saws, broad swords, and axes.


 * Bankai: Shinrai Kagemusha (信頼影武者, Faith in the Shadow Warrior): Ryan's Bankai when released, comes a release of blue spiritual energy. When in it's bankai release state it takes the form of a large, three-bladed weapon connected with a straight pole, with two edges extending like arrow points and the third shaped like a fan in between them.
 * Bankai Special Abilities: In bankai, aside from it's newest form, Shinrai Kagemusha lives up to it's title of "sneaky zanpakuto" (hence the name, Shadow Warrior), and reveals it's true power as a Fire-type zanpakuto. While in this form, the arrow shaped blades act as a high intensity flame thrower when it is turned toward an opponent, incinerating the ground in its path. The abilities of the Zanpakutō are also known to create fissures of fire with devastating effect. He heats his blade and it turns fiery and then by slamming it in the ground it is capable of creating a large wave of fire rushing forward and further destroying any enemy that becomes enveloped in the flames. As his blade heats up, he holds it vertically and by slamming his sword into the ground a wave of fire heads toward the enemy. Ryan can also focus fireballs into the fan-shaped blade of the weapon and by swinging forward he can release large fireballs through the air towards his target.


 * Resurrección: Sombra Guerrero (陰にされた. ; Spanish for "Shadow Warrior", Japanese for "Shade") is released with the phrase, "Meld into the background". When released, he takes a hollow-like form. His hollow mask will cover his face, except for his right eye, and covers the entire upper half of his torso in a similar armor. The lightning bolt design on his left eye turns from purple to blue, and the mouth slit becomes red. Another fact, is that instead of hollow eyes, he possess his regular blue eyes, only with red pupils. His trench coat now has fur on it's hinges, and he still wields his zanpakuto, though it seems it is in it's Bankai appearance.
 * Resurrección Special Ability: He gains even greater physical abilities in this form. At first it appears that he gains complete control over shadows. However in his fight with Takeshi, he reveals that his Resurrección brings him the "Aspect of Death", Despair, and gives him power to bring it. He can merge with shadows to dodge attacks, though this does not always work, as Takeshi demonstrated, and to remain unseen in combat. The disadvantage to this is obviously that great amounts of light can repulse the shadows, thus preventing him from using this ability in broad daylight.


 * Desesperación (エリアス. ; Spanish for "Despair", Japanese for "Elias"): The true ability of his Resurrección, is to create a giant "dome made of shadows" within which, he can control the senses of those trapped within. The dome will not allow anyone to escape until a winner is declared, or if Ryan himself is greatly injured. From within the dome, it can look like whatever Ryan desires it to, which allows him to form the dome in the appearance of the outside world, so that his opponent doesn't even know they're in it.
 * Enhanced Spiritual Power: Though already possessing immense spiritual power in bankai, once released into this form his spiritual energy permeates the area, it is intense enough to create a heavy affect on others as well as to cause others to mistake it for Arrancar reiatsu. He claims this may be due to the form bringing him very close to that of an arrancar.
 * Hierro (鋼皮（イエロ）, iero; Spanish for "Iron", Japanese for "Steel Skin"): refers to the hardened skin of the Arrancar, which is a result of their compressed spiritual power. While not openly stated, it has been seen repeatedly that Ryan's "armor" in this form is highly durable even by Arrancar standards. He can deflect attacks of similar power barehanded.
 * Sonído: One of this form's more noticeable traits is that it gives Ryan use of Sonido. Ryan moves at an excessively fast speed in combat, moving so fast that most find it hard to even discern his movements at first.
 * Resurrección: Segunda Etapa: Upon his transformation, Ryan boasts that he is the only Shinigami-Hollow hybrid among his group who is able to reach a second Resurrección form, and that even he is afraid of using it. Ryan refers to his second state as his "True Hollow Form", both before and after its release, because the immensely dense spiritual pressure it releases instills despair, his aspect of death, upon those around him. At this point, the mask he wears in most hollow forms is gone, the markings of that mask now appear on his face, and his body becomes covered in shaggy black fur, similar to the fur of his trench coat, and he gains sharp nails. His irises of his eyes turn red while the sclera becomes black. Out of his head, he gains two long horns, and a very long and thin but powerful tail which is capable of being used as a weapon or to lift and strangle a victim.
 * Black Cero: While in his second arrancar released form, he is able to charge a black-colored Cero, sharing the same color of the Cero Oscuras, but its effective strength is still unknown.
 * Reiatsu Swords: Ryan is able to summon spiritual energy swords from his palms, which vaguely resemble the ordinary katana he wields in his sealed form, but with four curved prongs hanging off of the guard.

Hollowfication
At different points in the the stories of Ten Tailed Fox, Ryan's Hollow powers have manifested themselves in different ways. In it's first two appearances, Ryan's Hollow mask would appear on his face when he was near death, allowing his inner Hollow to take over until Ryan suppressed it.

While he was training with his own zanpakuto, Ryan's soul was completely overcome by his inability to bring control the evil hollow within him, for a short period, causing him to to request a fight with the Inner Hollow within their Inner World. In his Hollowified form, Ryan demonstrated several high-level hollow abilities, including: rapid regeneration, enhanced strength, and Cero. Ryan's spiritual powers are not limited to just Shinigami abilities; he also possesses Hollow powers as a result of his training with his zanpakuto to suppress his inner hollow. The Hollow-Shinigami are Shinigami who have obtained the power of a Hollow and Shinigami through a process known as "Hollowification". In order to use this power, they must don the mask of the Hollow within them, much like the vizard.

Hollowfication Abilities
Hollow Mask: Ryan's Hollow Mask, resembles a white hockey mask, with black eye slots that seemingly hide his eyes. It also has purple stripes on it's top, shaped like a lightning bolt that runs through his left eye. It also seems to have a slit for a nose and a mouth, and two purple marks; one on it's left side, and one on the bottom right. When donning his Hollow mask Ryan's sclera turns completely black and his irises become red, unlike like most Hollow, but just like his inner Hollow.
 * Resurrección: See the Zanpakuto section above.

Bala: This technique hardens the user's spiritual pressure and fires it like a bullet from their fist. His bala is the generic crimson color.

Cero: are high-powered energy blasts that can be fired from either a foot, palm or finger. Only Hollows, Arrancar, and some Hollow-hybrids can use Cero attacks, and it appears that stronger entities can use it more efficiently. Ryan fires his cero through the tip of his zanpakuto with very destructive power. His cero can be charged and fired relatively fast and is a dark blue color with a purple outline, instead of red, which is the most common color of a cero. He is shown able to fire it from either his sword or his hand. He has also been shown firing cero from his right eye, but these are considerably weaker.

Trivia

 * Ryan's appearance is based on Hei from the anime/manga series Darker than Black.
 * Ryan's, self-proclaimed, "aspect of death" is Despair.
 * Ryan's theme song is Awake and Alive by "Skillet".

Quotes

 * "Unseen tears fall, as even now I truly cannot show how I feel. I wonder why that is? That I cannot just shout and scream and say what my heart and soul want most. But I choose, instead, to withdraw myself and put on my well worn mask of positivity. We go way back...my mask an I. My practiced smile looks so genuine. Although that is merely a well honed skill. Crafted to perfection to conceal....Rarely we are separate..."
 * (to Takeshi) "Head on...? When did I give you such permissions? 'Even if you're form is normally more powerful than Bankai, that doesn't mean you have to skill to surpass mine'. Foolishness. I don't know where you came from or what you want with me...but the moment you attacked the buildings in the city, you threatened my home, and those precious ones of mine that live in that city. From that moment, I determined you unworthy.....of clashing blades with me."