Miria Fujibayashi

Miria Fujibayashi (ミリア藤林, Fujibayashi Miria) is the younger sister of Erika Fujibayashi and current Lieutenant of the 6th Division of the Gotei 13, under Captain Suzume Naomasa.

Personality
Miria is the complete opposite of her sister. While Rika is strange and somewhat odd, Miria is polite and accommodating to others and always ready with a pearl of wisdom that's all her own. She is great at making others feel more at ease which has endeared her to the members of her division: both old and new. In fact the only time she ever acts in a forward, impolite manner is when someone (including Rika) makes negative comments about Captain Suzume.

Miria enjoys dancing and is quite passionate about her hobby. She took lessons ever since she was a young girl and has knowledge on at least most of the typical human world dances, as well as ones of her own invention. She likes nothing more than dancing along to the sound of her sisters guitar or Itazura's harmonica.

History
Miria was born into the Fujibayashi family. She came from the province of Junrinan in the 1st District of West Rukongai. There she lived with her mother and grandfather and never knew who her father was. As a young child she took dancing lessons from her grandfather, who taught her poise and balance before funding her lessons proper. Miria was closer to her grandfather than she ever was with her mother, who would often play his harmonica as Miria danced.

Miria became distraught when her grandfather passed away and even stopped dancing completely for a short time out of her grief.

Following her grandfather's death Miria's mother became despondent. Miria in turn became depressed and once contemplated suicide just so she could see her grandfather again. The relationship of mother and daughter degraded over the years until Miria eventually came to the decision that she'd become a. Believing her grandfather to have been reincarnated she believed that her greatest chance of meeting him again was as one of the balancers.

She enrolled in the and found that she enjoyed the sense of purpose she found within the curriculum. The poise and balance taught to her by her grandfather helped her remarkably in both Zanjutsu and Hakuda classes. During this time she visited the market, where she was being cheated by the stall owner. Unknowing of the cheat Miria walked away only to be stopped by Suzume Naomasa, who told her of what transpired. Returning in a rage Miria confronted the owner, and developed a deep sense of respect for Suzume in the process.

Upon graduation she made her desire known to join the 6th Division of the Gotei 13, though was ultimately turned down. Miria objected loudly but ultimately her efforts came to nothing and it was made clear by her superiors that her character wasn't what the 6th Division was currently looking for. She instead enrolled in the 2nd Division several months later and even took up dancing once more after being complimented on her fine footwork by seated officers. For many years Miria trained her skills in order to rise through the ranks and obtain the position she wanted amongst the 6th Division. During those years, she also gained the trust of the Onmitsukidō and eventually joined it as a member of the Patrol Corps.

During the Miria was saved from death by Ryan Kuchiki, who blocked a large Heilig Pfeil and receiving extensive scarring to his left arm before finally dispatching the Quincy. She joined with him and together rescued Sakata from a similar situation before meeting up with Sōritsu Kuchiki, who told them to shore up the defenses in preparation for the arrival of the Royal Guard.

Many years passed before Miria once again tried to enroll within the 6th Division. She put in her transfer request, citing her desire to be part of a model division who adhered strictly to rules and regulations. She was accepted and became a seated officer in only two years.

On a day of relaxation she was visited by Captain Tadashi Kori of the 11th Division and his young son, Itazura. Introducing his son (who tried -- and failed -- to chat her up) Tadashi went on to detail his recent meeting with a woman known as Erika Fujibayashi and how she had decided to join the Gotei 13. He also explained that he originally thought that their shared name was only a coincidence, but later found out through a deeper investigation that the two where actually sisters. Overjoyed at the news that she still had family left, Miria thanked Tadashi for his visit before politely excusing herself. Before she could leave however Tadashi received an urgent message and Miria agreed to watch Itazura until someone could pick him up. The reality of her situation made her doubtful however, as Miria recalled her strained relationship with her mother and was fearful that was how she and her sister would also end up with one another. She was distracted from her thoughts however by the sound of young Itazura playing a harmonica. Remembering the good times she shared with her grandfather Miria thanked a confused Itazura before steeling her resolve.

Miria arranged for a meeting at her sister's earliest convenience, which was three days on. When they finally met she was stricken with silence upon seeing her sister. Erika was the spitting image of their mother yet she had a wildness about her that initially frightened Miria. Only through Itazura (again without knowing) who was nearby playing his harmonica yet again did Miria's resolve harden. She introduced herself and explained to Erika what Tadashi had uncovered. Erika listened in silence before finally telling her sister to call her "Rika".

Synopsis

 * Main Article - Bleach (Kenji Hiroshi).

Soul Society arc

 * Gathering of the Gotei

Impostor arc

 * Noble Matters
 * Flushing out Quincy
 * Defeat and Robbery
 * Walking the Correct Path?
 * Resolve

Restoration arc

 * Meeting old Friends
 * Pushing the Limits

Quincy Emergence arc

 * Quincy Invasion Saga

Part IV

 * Main article -- Bleach: Cataclysm.

Braving the Waves arc

 * First Battle of Nishiendo

Equipment
Renkei: A paired bracelet worn upon Miria's right wrist, which appears slightly segmented. Its pair is worn by Ryan Kuchiki. The bracelets allow them to share their spiritual power as well as communicate with one another over any range as long as they stay within the same realm.

Powers and Abilities
Sōritsu believes that, along with Ryan, that she will one day surpass even him.

Hakuda Master: Miria is a master of close-quarters combat and martial art Form, for she teaches an optional class at the Shinō Academy that has produced and honed some remarkable Hakuda specialists. Her style is very unique, as she combines traditional Hakuda techniques with the dancing lessons she took as a child, producing a highly agile, dextrous and precise form of Hakuda usage. Each action flows from one to another in smooth transitional steps characteristic of her unique form. In addition, she employs spinning, somersaults, and cartwheels with great ability; proving to be the very core of her defense.

Zanjutsu Specialist: As a graduate of the Shinō Academy and a full trained Shinigami, Miria possesses advanced Zanjutsu abilities and is capable of holding her own with any opponent of average Lieutenant-level ability.

Advanced Adaptability: Miria has been noted to quickly react to and ultimately come to understand the abilities used by her enemies, even with a mere cursory glance. After only seeing Sōritsu's Bankai, Taiyō no Enchōmaku once, she was capable of blocking it effectively and immediately offer a counterattack of her own; which even Sōritsu found surprising.

Zanpakutō
Arashikō (嵐鋼, Storm Steel). Miria's zanpakutō takes the form of an over-sized -esque weapon with a wide guard, slim hilt and wide blade.


 * : Miria releases her Zanpakutō with the command "Rumble" (轟き, Todoroki). Once released Miria gains segmented purple bands which wrap around her arms and shoulders, appearing very much like armor.


 * Shikai Special Ability: The special power of Arashikō is aligned with water, thus making it a water-type zanpakutō. Its effect resembles a torrent of rain drops hitting the target which can then be boiled instantly for painful burns or frozen to encase the target in ice. There are also additional abilities, which are:


 * Yudekō (茹で鋼, Boiled Steel): Miria is capable of instantly super-heating the blade of her Zanpakutō, letting it cut through most obstacles with remarkable ease. She also demonstrated the ability to control the level of heat the blade reaches, enabling her to wounds as well.


 * Haganekō (高騰鋼, Soaring Steel): Miria coats her Zanpakutō with a layer of super-heated water which she then shots towards her enemy in the form of a high-pressure water current, powerful enough to destroy solid material with remarkable ease.


 * : Not yet Achieved.

Gotei 13
Lieutenant Ryan Kuchiki: Ryan and Miria met during the Vandenreich Invasion. Ryan saved her life by killing the attacking Quincy and even used his own body as a shield, resulting in extensive scarring of his left arm. Over the years the two have maintained their friendship with Miria being one of Ryan's closest confidants. When he wanted to worm his way out of a marriage proposal he and Miria pretended to be a couple to fool the other family. Later he again put his body on the line to save hers from Siegfried.

Captain Suzume Naomasa: As her Captain Miria thinks highly of Suzume and is often seen at her side, even though she may be more needed elsewhere. She looks up to and respects her more than anyone and won't tolerate a bad word said against her, even if the comments come from her sister Rika.

Behind the Scenes

 * Miria takes her name and likeness from Miria, a character from the series Claymore.