Gekkō Kirameki

 

Gekkō Kirameki  (月光きらめき, Moonlight Shimmer)

Zanjutsu Master
One millenium. That is the amount of time Gekkō has put into perfecting his craft of swordsmanship and making the blade an extension of himself; possibly even an entirely separate being, despite the Zanpakutō's downright refusal to take any part in it. Regardless, Gekkō still sports a nearly impeccable amount of skill and talent within the art of Zanjutsu, only being surpassed by such as Yorokobi Keshin and Tenchōchikyū. His abilities stem back from the time when he was a child, showing the greatest intangibles of a master of the sword. Speed, strength, aggression, and intellect are all integrated into his grand form of fighting.

General Zanjutsu Prowess: The very definition of a swordsman is one who is well versed within the art of the sword and can utilize their bladed weapon with power, speed, and skill. When growing up under the strict training of his father, Tenchō Kirameki, Gekkō has displayed a completely natural aptitude of the sword even garnering a grudging respect from his father who does not like to admit to anyone's skill other than his own. So much so was this skill that Gekkō, on a regular basis, displayed that both Tenchō and the current Head Captain doubted whether are not enrolling the boy within the  would even be beneficial to this him increasing his skill within the art of Zanjutsu-this was because at that point in time Gekkō had already displayed a near elite level of swordsmanship that was considered prodigal by his peers. However, in order to refine his skill and give him some "direction" in his swordplay, Tenchō ultimately opted to enroll Gekkō into the Genji Schools where he would outshine the majority of his classmates: all except for Yorokobi Keshin. This nearly unrivaled level of Zanjutsu came at a price, however, as his classmates that Gekkō would regularly defeat became envious and hateful towards him. This would ultimately lead to a form of loneliness that would have thrown the boy into depression had he not met the aforementioned Yorokobi Keshin and rising Kuchiki Clan head Misora Kuchiki who he would later become best friends with.

His style of Zanjutsu is very unique to him, as he has crafted his art from not only the teachings of his father and the Genji Schools, but also from multiple upon multiple deceased Masters of Swordsmanship such as and  among others. Similar to his Hakuda, mastering these many styles such as and  has made Gekkō a master of his own modified style of multiple sword arts which are all so integrated into each other that one can not identify any single sword art into his fighting mechanics. His skill in swordsmanship is such that he can avoid an enemy's strikes, while purposely mimicking their blows and attack power all with great ease.

Utilizing immense strength and dizzying speed while attacking from multiple angles to keep his opponents unaware of his movements is a style of fighting that seems to be of second nature to Gekkō. When his sword is unsheathed it is an instantaneous -proving his internal mastery over Battōjutsu and a knack for deducing whether or not his opponents are on guard or are registering his skills. Feigning, cutting, jabbing, thrusting, parrying or binding, footwork, choice of weapon, and even knowing the opponents weapon are all intangibles that Gekkō possesses and has mastered to the point where even in a frontal attack, no one can understand his pattern of attack and as such have no way of countering him when his onslaught begins. Gekkō is able to defeat an entire battalion of enemies with his blade. It's been stated by Takashi that, albeit unconsciously, Gekkō makes his sword is a barrier of sorts, and if one were to enter this "barrier", Gekkō would defeat his opponent without hesitation. Gekkō is also ambidextrous, meaning that he can effectively utilize his sword with either hand and still retain a similar level of strength and ability.

Finally, due to his mastery over Mushin which was taught to him by, Gekkō is able to defeat an entire battalion of enemies with his blade. He uses his blade not only as an extension of himself, but as an extension of his mind; this is due to his mastery over the mental art of Mushin. When using his blade, he is not blocked by any mental stress or emotional clouds. He is simply free; free from all self doubt and any negative ailments that normally assail him. There is an absence of discursive thought and judgment, so the Gekkō is totally free to act and react towards an opponent without hesitation and without disturbance from such thoughts. He fights not on reason, but upon ingenuity and intuition. His true mind flows into his fighting skill and becomes something new entirely. When training under the legendary Zen master Takuan Sōhō, he took this teaching to heart:

"The mind must always be in the state of 'flowing,' for when it stops anywhere that means the flow is interrupted and it is this interruption that is injurious to the well-being of the mind. In the case of the swordsman, it means death. When the swordsman stands against his opponent, he is not to think of the opponent, nor of himself, nor of his enemy's sword movements. He just stands there with his sword which, forgetful of all technique, is ready only to follow the dictates of the subconscious. The man has effaced himself as the wielder of the sword. When he strikes, it is not the man but the sword in the hand of the man's subconscious that strikes."

Using this terminology, when Gekkō fights with his blade, he finally understands the uselessness of techniques and becomes truly free to move; to the point where he is no longer a "fighter" but simply a "being moving through space." As such, his skill with his zanpakutō has ascended to a level where he temporarily eliminates the individuality between them and they are now capable of fighting as one force.
 * Hitotsume: Nadegiri (一つ目・撫で斬り, "The First: Killing Stroke") A swift sword strike that is more than capable of dispatching multi-story-high targets protected by hardened skin (such as Hierro or the Custode) with only a single, precision cut. It can also accomplish the same feat when used against Kidō defenses. Broken down, Hitotsume: Nadegiri is a technique that manipulates the users spiritual power into the motion of the stroke. When performing the "killing stroke" the user transfers the full force of their spiritual power as though it were "mass" through their sword and then through the air. The strike itself is the medium, with the end result manifesting as a devastating wave of pure reiatsu. It is an attack that encompasses all of one's "power" into a singular strike; which is why it is often a lethal strike.
 * Daini: Agitowari (第二:顎割, "The Second: Chin/Jaw Splitting") A useful and easily utilized sword technique where a single sword attack is used in order to cut an opponent in half from the jaw down the length of the body, resulting in the bisection of the target. Some Shinigami even refer to it as the "Hollow Bane", for they use it to cleave the Hollow across their Hollow hole. The end result is achieved through manipulation of the users spiritual power. Instead of focusing the full force of their spiritual power as though it were "mass" and then through their sword, and then the air, Daini: Agitowari involves sharpening that power into a honed, razor-like edge capable of extreme cutting potential.
 * Daishi: Afurete (第四・あふれて, "The Fourth: Overflowing"): A technique which incorporates the fundamental practices of Zanjutsu, Hohō and fine spiritual control. Before the technique even takes place the user channels large quantities of their spiritual energy into their zanpakutō, causing it to glow in the color unique to the owner. Daishi: Afurete then uses a swift movement to move to the opponents back, which is immediately followed by a backwards pierce at extreme speeds. The energy is then released as an overwhelming wave of pure spiritual force that takes the form of a shockwave. Should the users spiritual power be aligned to a specific element, such as ice, then the wave becomes a cascading glacier.
 * Dairoku: Ryōdan (第六:両断, "The Sixth: Bisection"): A variation of the Nadegiri, this technique instead uses a kendo stance along with an overhead strike to send the user's spiritual power outward in a focused line which takes the shape of a crescent wave of energy, effectively allowing them to strike any target in its path with the same power of their strike. It is less precise than Nadegiri but it's range and area of effect are magnified by a hundred times.
 * Jūichi: Senmaioroshi (十一:千枚卸, "The Eleventh: Thousand-Page Wholesale"): A rather demanding sword technique where multiple blade movements take place so fast that they can literally shred a target into pieces. As such, one needs competent speed, as well as skill, to employ it successfully in battle. The strikes can also be turned on multiple close-knit enemies, where the same result occurs. The successful employment of this technique does not only come from the usage of speed, but comes from competent control over the user's own spiritual energy. The user prior to using this technique, coats their blade with a "layer" of spiritual energy which hardens the blade; while sharpening it at the tip of the blade, thus allowing the usage of multiple devastating slashes without immense amounts of strength.
 * Tactics: As stated above, Gekkō will normally "free" himself from any and all distraction and mental blockage. However, before activating his mastered Mushin state, Gekkō will use a variety of techniques that revolve around parrying and feigning in order to better understand his opponent's fighting styles and personal tactics. This strategy is only to test their offense, however. In order to test their defense, Gekkō pours on an onslaught of different cutting, jabbing, and thrusting techniques in order to overwhelm his opponents through sheer force and power. When their offense and defense styles are memorized and analyzed, Gekkō will then employ his most fearsome weapon: the state of Mushin.
 * Graceful Footwork: A swordsman's footwork is his second greatest asset, other than his own connection with his sword. Gekkō naturally possess a full supremacy and sovereignty over his own body, thus granting him an inhuman degree of balance and coordination that he had obtained from his training in Hohō. As such; he is perfectly aware of both his upper and lower body which in turn grants him an unparalled level of footwork and grace in his fighting. He possesses a fine control over the movements of his muscles and can move with remarkable grace and athletic and acrobatic skill.
 * Inherited Styles: As stated above, after, and sometimes when he fights someone, Gekkō will memorize their respective fighting forms and engraft them into his own battle style. In his fight against Mukei Tsuki, Gekkō took note and memorized of how the young Minus sought to simply swing his blade and had no obvious styles or battle formation. When Gekkō both mentally and bodily memorized this unorthodox fighting maneuver, he engrafted it into his own style to help add to his flexibility in sword fighting. During his battle with Shindō Takuji, Gekkō felt the malice and hatred behind the Shinigami captain's blade and infused it into his blade's ferocity to produce more devastating effects. When against the Kuchikis, Gekko inherited their style of master swordsmanship prowess, now possessing flawless precision and performing lethal attacks with little effort.
 * Kenjutsu: During his initial training under and against the Kuchiki clan, Gekkō naturally picked up an intuition and vast knowledge on the basis of sword fighting in the eastern regions of the world: Kenjutsu. His body and mind are literally vessels for the immense knowledge of multiple upon multiple swordsman styles and maneuvers he has absorbed in order to aid him in battle when not using his Mushin state of mind. When training under Miyamoto Musashi upon first entering the world of the living in 1614, Gekkō once again inherited a vast pool of knowledge and skill within sword fighting. He has obtained a complete mastery over the main components of Kenjutsu (feigning, cutting, jabbing, thrusting, parrying and binding) and can utilize them within a moments notice; being able to switch between thrusting and jabbing or vice versa among the compositions of Kenjutsu. In terms of his preferred style, Gekkō normally feeds into his upcoming Mushin-state; utilizing an array of parrying and slashing movements in order to test the strengths and weaknesses of his opponents.
 * Parrying Technique: His main style of combat when still limited by styles and techniques. Parrying, in laymen's terms, is merely playing your opponent to the beat of your drums. Using one's blade to merely toy with one's opponent while their aggression and frustration continue to build until they make a mistake and even reveal their entire fighting formula. When in the hands of a swordsman of Gekkō's caliber, the art of parrying is a quite dangerous tool. Using his already patient and calm nature, Gekkō will exhaust his opponents while rarely using any stamina himself. While on the external it appears as though he is underestimating his opponents, nothing of the sort is occurring within his mind. Rather, his supernatural mind is using it's great analytical and strategic capabilities to solve the entirety of it's oppositions strengths and weaknesses; their highs and their lows. Using their growing agitation to his advantage, Gekkō will continue to turn the tide of the battle further into his own comfort until he is ready to cut down their foolishness in one fell swoop.
 * Feigning Technique: A more or less "full body" use of parrying, feigning is fooling one's opponent into thinking something when what you are thinking is the extreme opposite. Manipulation through footwork. This technique is used by Gekkō when he attempts to test the speed, agility, reflexes, and bodily coordination of his enemy. However, when used in unison with his Ken'natsu (Sword Pressure), Gekkō can meld in his reiatsu within the air and pressure produced by the blade in order to cause shallow wounds in various places on his opponent, confusing them even more.
 * Slashing Technique: The truly destructive form of Kenjutsu. When using the slashing technique, Gekkō is within his Mushin state and is ready to end the fight he is partaking in. In order to accomplish this, Gekkō uses he Reijutsu knowledge to convert his reiatsu into pure reiryoku to bolster his physical strength. When this is done, Gekkō performs the variant sword slash which feels and produces the impact of more along the lines of a an one-armed Kendō technique. The damage to Gekkō's opponent and their immediate vicinity being devastating as Gekkō's pure strength crushes them into dust.
 * Kendō Expertise: The "Way of the Sword", how pretentious. Regardless, it is a useful tool in Gekkō's arsenal. This style naturally calls for the user to have both mental stability and a great reserve of physical strength, both of which Gekkō has already attained. Despite its name, Kendō is much more than simply the way of the sword, it is opposition of wills, with the greater emerging the victor. When Kenpachi Zaraki fought against Ichigo Kurosaki, he explained that a battle between Shinigami or other spiritual beings is mostly a battle of spiritual power and willpower, the one with the weaker of each is the one that will lose, as their spiritual pressure itself is pushed down. This knowledge is why the current Kenpachi has obtained the mastery he has in the art of Kendō, despite his seeing it as redundant. Kendō is the exact same, a clash of wills. Considering Gekkō's immense resolve and willpower, it should come to no one as a surprise that he has reached a personal pinnacle in the art that is Kendō. Gekkō has reached a point where he can finish a fight among blades with Kendō using only one hand, when with the normal kendōka it would take two and much more effort.
 * Shinkendō (真剣道, Way of the Real Sword; ) is an advanced form of Kendō that teaches a Shinigami how to properly bond with his or her Zanpakutō. This technique was allegedly made by famed Shinigami Raian Getsueikirite.

Zanpakutō
Gekkō's Zanpakutō is an  (浅打ち; literally, "shallow hit") a class of nameless Zanpakutō for Shinigami who are unable to effectively communicate with their Zanpakutō. Due to the lack of communication his Zanpakutō appears as a standard katana. Gekkō has tried a great many times in order to communicate with his Zanpakutō. However, he has received not a word nor even a presence. Gekkō has stated that his Zanpakutō is "dead" towards him, not even so much as allowing him to sense the presence of the blade, let alone learn his name.

Behind the Scenes
His Hero Theme is Anthem of our Dying Day by Story of the Year

His Battle theme is Anthem of the lonely by Nine Lashes