Seireitou Kawahiru

"A man's life is like traveling down a long road with a load on his shoulders. The first time I heard that, I thought, "what a lame thing to say", but what do you know... it had a point to it. It's not really a burden. Everyone's got both hands full of something that matters. You just don't realize it when you're carrying it. It's only after it slips out of your hands that you realize how heavy it was in the first place. So many times, I thought I'd never carry a load like that ever again. And yet, before I realized it... I was carrying it again. I'd feel so much better if I just got rid of it. But I just can't bring myself to do it. Without those guys, just walking around isn't fun anymore."

- Seireitou speaking about his close partner and his student, among many others.


 * "Of the demon, and of the silver-haired idiot... results in he who fights for his friends and for his soul." - Seireitou-shishō

Seireitou Kawahiru (河昼精霊塔, Kawahiru Seireitō; literally "guardian of the spirit") is the former Captain of the Eighth Division in the Gotei 13, preceding Shunsui Kyōraku, as well as the former leader of the Visored Order. He is the third born offspring of the Spirit King and Tsuyuri Kawahiru, younger brother of Madara Kawahiru, as well as the younger brother of Sannotō Kawahiru, and older brother of Yūkina Kawahiru. Seireitou was married to Shiori Miyamoto, and prior to the latter's death, they bore a son named Suzaku Kawahiru. Many took to calling him "Silver-Hairs" Seireitou (銀色の髪の純粋な魂, Ginpachi no Seireitō), both allies and enemies, because of his natural silver-colored hair. However, his most infamous title was earned during the events of the First Shinigami-Arrancar War. Named the Shiroyasha (白い悪魔, White Demon), because of his demonic-like appearance on the battlefield and because of his silver hair and white Captain's haori, Seireitou was, and still is, revered as one of the four Yonkō, the heroes of the aforementioned war. Along with Kamui, Seireitou co-founded the Order of the Seijin, and served as one of its first three Grandmasters. These factors, in addition to his heritage, has caused Seireitou to be labeled as a "dangerous future element."

Throughout many of his initial adventures in the series, he has faced and defeated a variety of dangerous opponents, including that of his eldest brother. Following the end of the Second Reikai War, Seireitou retired from the Seijin Council, and became the head instructor of the Kawahiru Dojang, living together with Saori Sumeragi, and his two students: Minato Kuramoto and Hinata Kūsūhana.

Appearance
Seireitou is a fairly tall, slim, and fit man with a rather youthful face despite his age. He, unlike all members of his clan, possesses dark scarlet amber eyes, and also has long silver hair with a lavendar tint that hangs near his cheeks to frame his face. Most noticeably is his eyes, which are always kept half-way opened to imply a sense of boredom and uncaring. He also had, at one time, the addition of a long ponytail in the back of his hair. He wears a white Shihakushō uniform but it is customized and partly resembles a korean-style taekkyeon uniform with an upturned collar and hakama. He now wears a long, white robe over his normal hakama. Seireitou is later seen wearing a white hakama, instead of the black ones he was last seen in. Seireitou wears his robe open in a narrow 'V' down to his waist, closed to below the hips, then open again to the hem, which falls about mid-calf. His robe has long bell sleeves, into which he hides his hands like one does with kimono sleeves. The lining of the robe and edges or layers of the under-robe(s) appear to be black. From other examples, it is likely he is also wearing black tabi with white waraji. His Zanpakutō is not visible with this outfit; however, it is revealed that he wears it on his back waist at an angle, similar to Rangiku Matsumoto.

As a Grandmaster of the Seijin Council, he wears a tannish white uniform that extends past knee-length, seeming akin to that of a tunic. To keep the tunic in place, he wears a form-fit black obi which carries his Zanpakutō on the left side of his hip. He seems to retain a form of white hakama, though much less flowing as his previous attire. His uniform, seeming like a mix of a white tunic and traditional martial art attire, is very loose; as evident from his sleeves. Over this uniform, he wears a brown cloak that is complete with a hood, extending past his ankles. His facial expression seems strange; being one of intense sternness, yet with a whimsical calmness. In the Hell Tournament, Seireitou's hair had become longer and noticeably golden, as opposed to the lavender tint he sported in his silver hair in the fight against Kamui and Datara. He had abandoned the Seijin attire he wore previously, and now dons a dark purple kimono, with a light purple cloak over this. He explains that this cloak functions in a manner similar to Raian's black tenchcoat, in that it repels the effects of spiritual pressure. Seireitou has taken on a habit of wearing tomoe beads around his neck, which was a gift from Hazuma Kawahiru, allowing Seireitou to return to the Murinne Precipice World.

While he does seem to retain the two former uniforms at specific intervals, he seems to have adapted a unique uniform similar to a combination of Sōsuke Aizen's and Gin Ichimaru's upon his rebirth, and return to his allies. Kamui notes that it is almost exactly like the uniform that their father wore during his initial reign as Spirit King. Seireitou's attire consists of white sashinuki hakama, worn only by himself and Kamui, tied by a wide black obi around his waist which keeps his Zanpakutō fastened to his left hip; unlike most obi, it's belt ends hang downwards on the left side. The top consists of a thin white dobok, which splits downwards and apart evenly. Over this, Seireitou wears a long white robe that has similar bell sleeves to Ichimaru's former uniform. Leading up to his shoulders, both sleeves sport a thick long black bar running down the length of each white sleeve; these black bars are also shown to be on his hakama, running down the length of his legs on the outer edges. Similar to Aizen's uniform, Seireitou also possesses a white collar that is kept up, but only block the view of his chin area. The black bars that extend to the shoulders also run up the collar on each opposite side. It should also be noted that Seireitou's expression with this new appearance is more calm and peaceful, with an air of humility, further confirming that he has settled his despair.

After the nineteen-month timeskip, following Seireitou's reappearance in the series, he sports a similar appearance to that of his former attire nineteen months ago, with the addition of small armor plates around his shoulder. He has facial hair, in the form of a mustache and chin-hairs, almost similar to that of Shunsui Kyōraku. Despite his haori appearing to be very similar to his former one, Seireitou explains that the haori he wears is the one that Shōyō meant for the successor to the Seiten Shiranui-ryū, and that the one he wore nineteen months ago was merely a replica of the original haori. Unlike the replica, the real haori is crafted from a very rare material that is nearly impossible to find. The purpose of the armor plates are unclear, if they serve any. Underneath, Seireitou wears the same kosode that was worn by Shōyō in many of the flashbacks regarding the latter. He later adapts a clothing style similar to the chinese shenyi.

Personality
"That's us... comrades. When you believe the path you're walking on is the right one, no matter how difficult it is, they walk it with you. However, when a time comes when their path just doesn't sit right with you... No matter how perilous that path may be, and even if you're all alone, having turned everyone into enemies... A friend will stand in their comrade's way. That is the sort of man that is..." "That perverted idiot is..." "That sadistic bastard is..." "Our comrade, Kawahiru Seireitou." "If you still believe that you can make this man disappear, then go ahead and try. What is carved deep inside our hearts... are the steel memories of all the battles that we have fought alongside this man. And as for these silver swords, which glow brilliantly with the hue of our souls... If you think they can break, just try to shatter them."

- Raian Getsueikirite, Saori Sumeragi, Ryūka Injiki, and then Raian again, speaking of Seireitou to Sōkudo.

Without a doubt, Seireitou is possibly one of the most unusual characters in the series. He appears to shift from a wise master of the Shinigami arts to that of a naïve child, back to that of a warrior who has faced down death his entire life and spends his days reflecting on those experiences, reverting to a man with the spirit and youthfulness of a young boy. Essentially, Seireitou prides himself in "being simple", and would often cause others to believe he himself is simple-minded. Yet despite how simple minded he appears at first, Seireitou would reveal himself to be a complex person with rather difficult to figure out views. One of the more noticeable traits of Seireitou is that he tends to act out of character, portraying traits of a manipulator like Sōsuke Aizen or the suspicious traits of a sarcastic man like Gin Ichimaru. Tetsuro Ryuzaki commented that Seireitou is unpredictable, and it is almost impossible to discern his thoughts or his motives. Seireitou himself claimed that his main characteristic is being "uncharacteristic". The only one who seems to understand his actions, most of the time, is Raian. In addition, despite his personality having different outlets, the one thing that has never changed in him is the beliefs that he lives his life by. While most appear to be very trivial, there is one that stands out the most, and serves as probably the most characteristic piece of who he is. Seireitou is a firm believer in the principle that the only thing worth protecting is "one's soul", a teaching that was passed down by his teacher, Shōyō. He believes that no matter what happens, so long as his soul exists, he can never be defeated. This unrealistic level of indomitable spirit allows him to overcome challenges that initially appear to be futile. Perhaps an extension of this belief is derived from the promise that he and Raian had made in the past. They had promised to never allow the other one to deter from their path, and if one of them should, the other would kill them. Seireitou states that this way of life is how all four of them, the Yonkō, have dealt with eachother all their lives.

Using a medley of quotations (some of which appear not to have much meaning to them, or are merely used at random moments, having almost nothing to do with the situation), he has shown a remarkable ability to consistently shatter the perceptions and beliefs of many people that he confronts, but never appears interested in making someone, as he says, "see things his way". An example of this is that he had stated that if two people share very different views, its better they go their seperate ways instead of attempting to reconcile matters. His knowledge of people's true personality appears to go beyond being simply a good judge of character. Despite Kamui's background as a threat to peace, and strong incriminating evidence, Seireitou trusts him with many important tasks. In addition to Seireitou's great trust in the power of one's soul, he also had a deep understanding of the power of love. This perhaps stemmed from the loss of his dearly beloved wife, Shiori Miyamoto, whom he lost in battle to Datara Kawahiru. He possesses incredible insight on people, often knowing if they are troubled or hiding something; he sometimes even knows what a person is thinking, scaring even Raian with his powers of perception.

Adding to his emotional inequality, despite his talk of morals and honor, he appears to be very willing to commit actions that would be considered felony-level crimes. This makes him appear very hypocritical, and he will attempt to justify his actions with several excuses, most of which appear not to really make any sense. When such thoughts are in his head, he reveals it through "evil"-like facial expressions, although these are very rare moments and usually serve only to unnerve an opponent. In addition, he has a habit of hitting people, even those he doesn't know, for very loosely-justified reasons; an example of this was shown when he met his Reigai version, when he slammed the latter's head into a concrete wall without even questioning the situation. This serves to exemplify that Seireitou is very open when it comes to feelings of annoyances, and will not hesitate to act on them. Moving on with his odd traits, Seireitou constantly uses many forms of innuendo in his speech, especially in the sexual manner, in his statements, annoying allies and enemies alike. His typical way of being very inconsistent with his actions gives off an initial impression of being heroic and honorable, later on revealing his motives to be self-serving. While infamous among many of his colleagues and subordinates alike for the selfish and narcissistic aura he gives off, but to those who truly know him, he is a man that always attends to those who need him. In the former regard, he and Kamui are considered the exact same. Although this immature persona can appear to be a negative trait, it is also seen in a more playful-esque light. Subsequently, he is sometimes seen as "tongue-in-cheek" comical, and to another extent, very serious about his family and friends. He typically acts in a goofy, energetic and fun-loving manner, able to cheer up even the depressed Raian at times. Despite these traits, Seireitou is capable of easily frightening anyone when he is upset or enraged, sharing a similar trait with Saori Sumeragi. In regards to his eccentric behavior, Raian states that Seireitou has went through several painful events in his life, going on to say that his inability to protect many of his comrades in the the First Shinigami-Arrancar War still haunts him, and as a result, he is very protective of his current friends. When someone close to him is in danger, Seireitou has no qualms about putting himself at risk to save them, if necessary, as seen when he prioritized the safety of Raian and his group first, over confronting Kamui head-on when his group confronted his entourage. Raian once mentioned to Hibiki Asakura that he "had lost count of the amount of times I [Raian] have wanted to destroy the world so that it could be reborn. But he's [Seireitou]... He's enduring it. He should hate this world more than any of us, but he's putting up with it." This statement was meant to refer to Seireitou's ability to wade through the experiences he had been dealt and still keep moving on with his life.

Seireitou's almost immature and free-spirited personality masks his sage-like and serious attitude, appearing in him when the situation demands it, accompanied with wisdom that has been attained through years of experience. Some state that he is probably unaware of this immaturity. However, Seireitou seems to give off the implication that he is aware of it, claiming that he acts in the aforementioned manner to keep matters around him from getting "too depressing". Raian, however, comically stated that Seireitou had suffered heat stroke at some point in his life. When appearing to be serious (although the term is used loosely), his statements still belie some sense of dry humor and even sarcasm. Seireitou appears to act mostly out of self-interest rather than any sort of philanthropy, whether the situation be trivial or life-threatening. As both a Captain and a former leader of the Order of the Seijin, he comes off to most as a sort of cocky layabout, shirking most of his duties. Seireitou is expertly manipulative, prone to think several steps ahead of those around him and giving him a remarkable (almost annoying) talent for making subordinates act exactly as he wishes despite appearing not to have had a hand in their decisions. However, while these traits do have a place in his real personality, much of his outward persona can perhaps be considered an intentional facade perfectly designed to cause those unfamiliar with him to underestimate his remarkable intelligence and ability. At the core, he is a remarkably devoted commander whose primary focus and personal duty is to his friends and family. Though he hides it well behind a veil of cynicism and self-importance, Seireitou is a man who cares deeply about the people who trust and support him and goes to great lengths to ensure their safety and well-being, even at the risk of his own. As a man with considerable power, Seireitou considers himself a protector to those without and acts accordingly, earning the staunch loyalty of his most trusted compatriots. Despite his numerous complaints of having to lead, he has definitely shown himself to be a great leader. Seireitou has always been able to command the forces of the Gotei 13 in the battle against Datara, despite the seperation of their ranks. In many ways, according to Izaya Kondō, he represented the strength of the old Shinsengumi; steadfast, selfless, and modest. Kamui, in several instances, has professed to having difficulty to differentiate from Seireitou and Shōyō.

As stated by his older brother, Seireitou's most remarkable ability is his will to succeed, pushing himself beyond his limitations, and never giving up even when the odds are stacked against him. Seireitou, for the most part, only fights to win, and usually will spare his opponents, despite initially claiming that he'd kill them. In contrast to this, he appears not to bear much regret to when his opponent has died, whether by Seireitou's own hand or because of other reasons. His staggering power is simultaneously reigned in and enhanced by his fierce unshakeable conscience and indomitable spirit. Seireitou seems to be proud of his own power, but unlike Datara Kawahiru, he seemingly possesses no physical signs of arrogance or overconfidence. This great strength appears to have a hand in his interest in facing powerful opponents, subsequently contributing to an inability to turn down challenges, especially when it concerns a powerful opponent; although regardless, deep down, he is a man of peace, a trait that was influenced by that of his teacher. Although he is a fearsome fighter with nearly unmatched skills, Seireitou will typically use the guise of a coward most of the time to avoid needless bloodshed. However, in complete contrast, he is in fact willing to risk his life for almost anyone. He is typically described by others as lazy, unmotivated, and useless. Although, those same people also seem to note his kind, responsible, and unpredictable self. Despite the fact that he would normally act as a coward and allow others to handle problematic situations, Seireitou is quite aware of the fact that his power outmatches many of those around him and would not hesitate to remind others of this fact.

In the position of an instructor, Seireitou is known to be capable of unspeakable brutality, both physically and mentally. Furthermore, he isn't very considerate of another's feelings of self-adequacy lack-there-of, portraying his signature sarcasm. It was because of this, coupled with his amazing capabilities as a teacher, that among those who have either trained under him or have heard about him as a teacher address him as the Mashōtsukai (魔性使い, literally "Demon Teacher"). According to Saori Sumeragi, whenever Seireitou says "Eh, I don't want to", his stubborness becomes unrivaled to the point where no amount of compensation can change his mind. His role as a teacher stems from his deep respect of his teacher Shōyō Shakyamuni, and out of memory of his teacher, he values the relationship between a student and their master above all others; becoming enraged that someone who would harm their student would call himself a teacher. In the "less-platonic" sense, Seireitou has considered himself an expert on women. The truth of this is very difficult to ascertain, as he seems to understand a great deal about a woman's thoughts, but at the same time reveals himself to say and do things that are inconsistent with his knowledge. Regardless of this ability, he is not one to commit to intimate relationships, most likely being a result of Shiori's death and the events that transpired from it. Nonetheless, he was more than adept at sweeping women off their feet, even if it wasn't intentional. Almost contradictory of this, however, Seireitou appears to be very willing to commit perverted acts, being labeled by many as a pervert.

Among his hobbies, one of the ones he appears to have a consistent interest of indulging in seems to be playing board games. Whenever he is by himself, he sets up a chinese Go board, and utilizes the pieces of the individual games of Chess and Shōgi. setting up a very twisted game that combines all of the respective games' aspects. They seem to form a physical representation of all the situations occuring around him, allowing him to formulate potential plans for said situations. The rules he plays by are also beyond that of normal, seemingly standing as a metaphor for the way he lives his life. However, this could just be a dramatic implication, as when Seireitou was once annoyed by something trivial, he proceeded to kick the board at Raian's head. He also appears to have an obsession (or addiction) for sweet foods, once threatening to kill whichever one of his two students ate the last ice cream sandwich. This also seems to carry over to alcoholic drinks such as sake.

It has been noted by both Kamui and Sōkudo that Seireitou houses two different persona. The first is his carefree demeanor, which is present consistently and makes up the majority of his personality and traits. This is often characterized by his moniker, "Silver-Hairs" Seireitou. However, Seireitou also possesses the trait of a brutal and unmerciful killer, characterized by his other moniker, Shiroyasha (白い悪魔, White Demon). Sōkudo claims that these two persona are at war within Seireitou, and have been ever since the death of Shiori Miyamoto. However, despite this claim, the "white demon" persona has been depicted several times before, most noticeably during the first Shinigami-Arrancar war, when he was first given said title, and also shown whenever Shiori is brought up in a negative or demeaning manner.

History
Born as an heir to the Kawahiru family to Sindae Kawahiru and Tsuyuri Kawahiru, he was branded as an orphan when he was seperated from the Soul Palace. Seireitou grew up under the care of Shōyō Shakyamuni, and was under the belief that his parents had abandoned him, though Shōyō attempted to persuade him that this was not the case. However, Seireitou continued to think this way, and as a result, he was apathetic toward most people in Rukongai who attempted to get close to him. Serieitou was raised in a dangerous era, war and conflict being a common sight in the Rukongai districts and beyond them. The fighting appeared to not have even a single instance of any ceasing. Under Shōyō, Seireitou became part of the Shakyaryū Dojang school and studied under his mentor and father figure for most of his childhood and teenage years. While learning at the school, Seireitou eventually met Shiori Miyamoto, whom was studying under Shōyō around the same time as the former. The two, although meeting with a rocky start, became good friends who relied on eachother in tough times.

Under Shōyō, Seireitou had been taught all forms of Shinigami combat and how the four intertwined with eachother. Despite their differences, the combat styles all relied on eachother's teachings in one form or another. Once his initial training was finished, Shōyō would have Seireitou participate in missions that were in service to the warring districts. Because his experience was limited, many of his tasks were limited only to bodyguard duty and parcel deliveries. He often worked with Shiori, as they were quite the excellent team, but also had to work together with other students of Shōyō's. Senka Kururugi soon came into the picture, who's parents were nobles of the Rukongai village. Despite their interactions being limited, Seireitou and Senka began to develop feelings for eachother, to which Shiori showed contempt toward.

Before long, Seireitou had followed Shiori's example and entered the Shinō Academy, pending Shōyō's approval. At the Shinō Academy, Seireitou was admitted into the lowest class, being discriminated against as "scum of the Rukongai", along with Shiori and Raian. However, the trio proved themselves, and eventually were admitted into the top classes respectively. It was at this point that Seireitou and Raian began their rivalry, attempting to best the other in each class. Despite the two's equivocal skill in Kidō, Seireitou was able to best Raian in almost every class, earning perfect scores when Raian earned average scores. Handpicked from a class of other top students, Seireitou was assigned to receive special instruction. His sensei was Shōyō, his surrogate father, which surprised the young man, to learn that his caretaker was actually his teacher. Seireitou became even further distant from Raian when he met Madara Kawahiru, Shōyō's assistant teacher who was also the current Captain of the Ninth Division. However, Madara revealed that he was actually Seireitou's older brother during their one-on-one training. Seireitou inquired why their parents had abandoned him, Madara explaining that their parents had become involved in a civil war, and in order to protect their son, they had Shōyō take Seireitou to the Rukongai. Madara goes on to say that because of this war, both of their parents were killed on the battlefield. Seireitou soon confronted Shōyō about this, but Shōyō refused to tell Seireitou anything, and because of this, Seireitou soon began to feel detached from his surrogate father.

Seireitou held only Madara in regard from that point on, and accepted the latter as his mentor. He formed a powerful bond with his older brother, but also a bitter rivalry. Madara acknowledged the rivalry Seireitou felt, telling him, "We are brothers. I am the wall you must climb over, so you and I will continue to exist together." However, it was not long after that Seireitou began to see Madara's true colors, discovering that everything he had told him was a lie. Madara was forced to leave his captaincy under personal reasons, and confronted Seireitou, attempting to kill his younger brother. However, Shōyō came to his rescue, and chased Madara off. Shōyō explained that he didn't want to tell Seireitou the truth, because it would have devastated him. He explained that Madara, or rather Kamui, was the one who led a massacre of the Kawahiru family, and killed his own parents. Sindae, realizing Kamui's intentions, requested that Shōyō take care of Seireitou. It was later revealed that Sindae managed to drive Kamui off, and the latter disappeared completely that night. Seireitou apologized to his mentor for making such a mistake, but Shōyō forgave him. This event deepened Seireitou's despair, but ended up deepening his relationship with Shiori. Before long, Seireitou and Shiori shared their first kiss.

The years then passed, as Seireitou graduated top of his class, and was placed in the Gotei 13 as the fifth Seat of the Eighth Division. He served under Captain Nagato Hiroshitaki. He formed a close relationship with his Capatain, but eventually ended up being the victim of betrayal yet again. Nagato revealed his true identity as Myoken, and attempted to use Seireitou to kidnap fellow Shinigami for experimentation. When Seireitou refused to comply, Myoken had attempted to kill the young silver-haired man. However, the combined efforts of both Seireitou and Shiori defeated the renegade Captain, and ended up running him out of his position. Pending an invesigation, Seireitou was acquited for his charges for insubordination. With nobody better qualified for Myoken's former position, not even the lieutenant at the time, Seireitou attained the captaincy of the Eighth Division. This was because sometime before his fight with Myoken, he attained his Zanpakutō's Bankai.


 * "One hour, Sei. One hour to escape the hangman's noose."
 * "Escape? My favorite two-syllable word."
 * - Raian and Seireitou

As the new Captain of the Eighth Division, Seireitou took Shiori as his lieutenant and Setsuna Inoue as his eighth seat. Senka had attained the captaincy for the Second Division, and Raian obtained the captaincy of the Tenth Division. Seireitou and Senka's relationship began to flourish from when they were kids, but Seireitou was more of a bachelor, hitting on women all throughout the Seireitei. Things were finally at peace, as Seireitou worked with his comrades on several assignments. It was during this time that Seireitou took on six disciples, five of which would go on to found Kōmyōzankū. However, eventually, war approached. Seireitou had worked alongside his fellow comrades, including Hikaru "Shadow" Kurosaki and Sōsetsu Taneda. After almost an entire year of non-stop fighting between the opposing sides, the Shinigami were the decisive victors. Two years after the war, Shiori worked her way up to the position of the Fifth Division's Captain. The lieutenant position was open, as Seireitou appointed a man named Akujin. Even from the beginning, Seireitou had held suspicions about Akujin, not felt by his fellow Captains. However, these feelings were soon made out to be fact, as Akujin was caught red-handed by Seireitou and his comrades, undergoing Hollowfication experimentation. Akujin used this oppertunity to force the Hollowfication virus on the group, causing them all to undergo Hollowfication. Akujin was in leagues with the Fifth Division's fourth seat, Sōsuke Aizen, the latter being unknown in his involvement until later. Before long, Seireitou's group was found by the Ninth Division's squadron, and brought before the Central 46. When Seireitou was put on trial for gaining Hollow powers, he was stripped of his captaincy and sentenced to death. Just as Seireitou was about to be killed on the spot, during the execution that followed a week after the trial, Raian intervened and freed his friend, as the two attempted their daring escape. Raian led Seireitou to the outskirts of the Rukongai, where the others were also waiting. Because Raian's identity wasn't revealed, he stated that he'd stay back and keep an eye on Akujin. Now outlaws, Seireitou and his group were forced to flee to the World of the Living, not before Seireitou thanked his friend for his help in escaping.

They were hunted however, ironically by Raian's own division, causing Seireitou and Shiori to lose contact as they were forced to split off. Seireitou had not known what had happened to Shiori, as he made his way to Karakura Town. He used Kidō to hide himself, until he had crafted a Gigai that would cut off his spiritual power. He soon took up a job as a High School teacher, and settled into the life of a human. The life of a Shinigami, however, did not escape him. He soon made contact with former Captain, Shinji Hirako, a few years later. The two discussed the occurances reguarding both of their defections, only to come to the conclusion that Akujin and Sōsuke Aizen had been working together, side-by-side on the experiments. From there, the two Vizard had decided to work alongside one another in defeating both Aizen and Akujin, and clearing their names. It was also around this time that Seireitou encountered Sōsetsu Taneda once again. Seireitou had also begun to make plans to find his brother, Madara, in the hopes of making the mysteries of his past finally come to light.

Equipment

 * Hanullim's Sheath (シースされて究極の, Hanullim no Saya): Hanullim's sheath can deflect or resist spiritual energy attacks with the barrier used to contain Hanullim's power. However, it can only withstand a limited number of attacks. The sheath is capable of resisting any amount of offensive force; however, if that force is used continuously then the sheath will crack. This is why it was able to hold off Ryan's Bankai on it's own, since it was an attack that was only unleashed once, but couldn’t hold off Kamui's Kidō since he was unleashing them constantly. The sheath can also summon Hanullim to itself, as seen when Seireitou was trapped inside the cage of kidō with only the sheath. It was created from an ancient tree's bark that grows only in Asadal.


 * Mysterious Jewel: Seireitou carries a strange jewel on his person which is shaped like a diamond with an extended body, holding a lavender-purple pearl in its center. The jewel has the number one imprinted on its side, for unknown reasons. It appears that it was given to Seireitou by Kamui, but the purpose of this jewel remains unknown. Kamui implies that it is a special item held by Kawahiru heirs.


 * Reiryoku Seals: Generated by a Kidō created by Seireitou, both himself and Minato Kuramoto wear these special seals around their wrists and ankles, reminiscent to that of cuffs. These serve the purpose of sealing the wearer's internal reiryoku as well as their reiatsu, while also making the use of physical movement impossible. Ideally, these cuffs act like weights which make it nigh impossible to move unless the wearer actively cycles spiritual energy throughout their entire body, allowing them to move. However, because Seireitou is not a physical being (as his body is composed of reishi), the cuffs do not hinder his physical abilities to the same extent they do to Minato, as the latter is a human being, but still appear to limit the former's strength and speed by a significant amount, to almost one-fourth of his true capabilities. These cuffs are typically meant to seal away a massive bulk of Seireitou's spiritual power (initially being said to limit him to one-tenth of his normal energy levels). By unlocking the seals, he can release the full extent of his spiritual power. When the need for his maximum power has ended, he will reseal himself with the cuffs. After his training in Asadal, the effects of these cuffs were enhanced onto Seireitou by an unknown extent.

Powers & Abilities
"How long has it been... since I've seen him in this state? How long has it been... since my body has been struck by a fear so abyssal and encompassing as the depths of the sea? A spiritual force so exorbitant that it scorches the heavens and frightens even the clouds... The path carved by his blade, renders all of the world unto smoldering decay. Those eyes haven't changed. They're the same as they were back then. The eyes of a demon. That man who stood on the battlefield, with piercing yellow eyes and his silver hair tainted with the blood of those he killed... Whose name stuck fear into the hearts of every enemy... Shiroyasha, the white-maned demon. Kawahiru Seireitou."

- Raian Getsueikirite comments on Seireitou's Powers By his standing as a former Captain of the Eighth Division, and as one of the four Yonkō, Seireitou's power and abilities are said to be unrivaled by anyone who came before him or anyone since. During the First Shinigami-Arrancar War, flee-on-sight orders were given should the enemy ever see him appear on the battlefield. His abilities, as of now, have advanced to the point that even Hanzei Kurosaki believes that no one of the current generation will be able to surpass him, and that he has become equal to his teacher, Shōyō.

Decimating Spiritual Power: As one of, if not the strongest Sōzōshin alive, Seireitou possesses absolutely monstrous spiritual power. According to Sorata Nekoi, Seireitou's reiatsu has an overbearing power which is unlike anything or anyone else in Soul Society, to the point where he even considered as something completely unrelated to reiatsu. His spiritual power has a presence which, according to him, feels as if it's trying to stifle his very existence. Koga Tensei compared the feeling of Seireitou's reiatsu as if the "weight of the skies" were on his shoulders. In terms of coloration, his spiritual energy is pure white, occasionally producing lavender bioelectrical sparks of reishi discharge, making a deep crackling noise when Seireitou focuses his energy. His body glows bright white when this is preformed, as his energy interacts with the energy in his surroundings, changing their properties in a very minimal way, most likely due to his Zanpakutō's nature. Similar to Raian Getsueikirite, when unleashing a strong enough surge of energy, Seireitou's reiatsu will often take the appearance of a fox's head. His very presence can cause even the most skilled warriors to lose their breath. During his battles in the war, Seireitou's moniker, Shiroyasha, was evident the moment the former entered battle. The sheer force of his spiritual energy raining down on the battlefield, the enemies staring on in a mix of fear and despair, as the Shiroyasha's very spiritual power would be the first wave of attack, followed by the onslaught. Allies alike would watch on in absolute shock, being enveloped in an "ocean of energy" that would surround them entirely. Seireitou's spiritual pressure has the additional effect of affecting entire areas to the point of disrupting energy attacks from enemies, as well as affecting others from seemingly miles away. Eventually, during the years following his resignation as a Captain, Seireitou's training had elevated his power to the point at which allowed him to contend with Datara Kawahiru on an equal level. Following the nineteen-month timeskip, Seireitou's spiritual power has risen further, prompting Hanzei Kurosaki to compare the former to Shōyō in the latter's prime. The overwhelming levels of energy that Seireitou obtained prompted him to use special "reiryoku cuffs" to seal away a large bulk of his full power, hindering him to one-tenth of his true capabilities. Training under immense gravitational pressure in Asadal resulted in Seireitou's spiritual power levels to rise exponentially, though the full extent of his spiritual power at this point is unknown. Despite his full power being unknown to all those around him, Raian noted that his current power, with the reiryoku seals active, is almost equal to that of his unsealed energy level prior to his Asadal training. Considering that the reiryoku seals themselves have been enhanced to seal even more energy from within Seireitou after his training only hints to an absolutely god-like amount of energy that is sealed within his being by the new cuffs, waiting to be released at the moment Seireitou deems the power necessary.


 * Reihikari (魂の光, literally "Light of the Soul"): After mastering his Bankai, Seireitou had applied the concepts of utilizing his reiatsu as a source of energy instead of merely projecting it as a spiritual pressure. By cupping his hands down at his waist, in which the hands are at least very close or touching one another, the latent reiatsu is converted from spiritual pressure into a mass of pure energy, typically taking the form of a uniform sphere, to which Saori Sumeragi had commented on the aura that the energy was emitting, questioning if it was "really reiryoku", subsequently noting that it was not even a form of Kidō eventually reaching the conclusion that it was the "very force of his tremendous reiatsu, taking a physical form at his palms." The hands are then thrust forward to shoot out a streaming, powerful beam of energy. The attack can also be used, generally under extenuating circumstances, with just one arm or even with the legs. While the strength and effectiveness of the technique is dependent on the amount of spiritual energy Seireitou puts into the attack, it is typically a very powerful attack, capable of literally disintegrating an opponent if enough strength is put into the technique. The destructive capabilities only increase with the more power that is pumped into it, though its power was able to completely decimate a large portion of the Seireitei at half-power. In some cases, Seireitou will chant the words "Rei-Hi-Ka-Ri" while charging the technique, and then shout "Hah!" when firing the technique. Seireitou has shown various methods to using this technique, very well making this technique the most versatile of all attacks in his arsenal.

Kitsune Transformation: Sometime after the the second Reikai war, Seireitou developed a unique ability which allows him to shape-shift into a white fox with red markings at will, similar to the feline transformation utilized by Yoruichi Shihōin. However, unlike Yoruichi's transformation, Seireitou doesn't appear to be the same size as a standard fox would be, but rather large enough to allow another person to sit atop his back. In fox form, Seireitou can still channel his spiritual energy and move at incredible speeds, and due to his more agile frame, his speed allows him to move across narrow spaces that would be considered impossible in his real form. Speed-wise, he isn't restricted in the same manner that Yoruichi is in her cat form, but in fact, his speed is even greater. However, the trade-off is that his strength is hindered. His transformation also allows him a complete disguise, completely shrouding his spiritual energy signature. However, as demonstrated by Kamui, a master of Getsudō, it is possible to still distinguish his presence, even while in fox form.

Getsudō Master: Through training under Yukara, Seireitou had learned to utilize the art of Getsudō. Originally, Kamui far surpassed Seireitou in usage; albeit, Kamui was named the successor to the technique, as stated by Muyeol Kawahiru. However, eventually, Seireitou's own technique flourished, to the point where he molded Getsudō into his own style of fighting. With the mastery of Seiten Shiranui-ryū, he combines the two when fighting against a difficult opponent. In his own words, Seiten Shiranui-ryū is his "greatest offensive power" while Getsudō is his "invincible wall of defense".
 * Seijūken (球柔礼, Sphere of Gentle Energy) is Seireitou's "interpretation" of Getsudō. This style allows Seireitou to control the entire radius of distance covered by the length of both his arms and his Zanpakutō, by using his own aura of Getsudō to feel out the attacks that enter that sphere of influence. He explains that it is meant for "occupying an enemy's territory". It is likened to a physical usage of Shogi, a game which involves positioning yourself at a point where you are at the greatest advantage. It is seen as a large sphere of reiatsu that surrounds the upper body of the user, and its size is directly associated with the user's mastery. Although, it seems that only other masters of Getsudō can actually see the sphere generated by the Seijūken. Klaus, being a master of Getsudō and a master of the martial arts in his own right, saw no reasonable opening when confronting Seireitou, feeling almost frightened at the size of the sphere when crafted by Seireitou. When mastered to a certain extent, according to Seireitou, the Seijūken can be reduced to a thin layer above the skin for the purpose of dodging the opponent's attacks at the last possible moment. An absolutely calm mind is necessary to use it, as even a slight degree of emotion will disrupt the technique. This is because the technique involves understanding one's opponent and feeling their rhythm.

Immense Strength: Perhaps due to years of combat experience and time on the battlefield, Seireitou has a very large degree of physical strength, most commonly displayed by his ability to fight back his opponent's attacks with a single arm. Repeatedly, he has shown clear evidenced of his strength from acts like kicking Hikaru through a building and slamming Ryan over his shoulder with one hand in their battle, as well as when he grabbed Ryan's sword barehanded and reeled both him and the sword in for an attack. His great strength is shown during his fights with Raian holding off bladed attacks by force alone and even battling back his Bankai's spiritual attack. He had dispatched two of his opponents with presumably little effort, both of which were presumably Captain-level. Seireitou's strength is so immense that when he threw Ryan, he was unable to recover due to the air pressure being too hard on his body. With a single downward chop, he was able to snap Mashiro's sword's blade in two. Seireitou was able to effortlessly cut through the sword and wrist of Kensei's Bankai. After overcoming his despair, Seireitou dramatically increased his overall physical prowess. This is shown by the fact that he can, through sheer force, completely overwhelm the Shunkō-enhanced Raian with no adverse effect to himself and also effortlessly destroy even a fully-powered Hado #90 spell. After training in the Murinne, Seireitou's strength allowed him to completely shrug off the force of a point-blank Getsuga Tenshō by Raian, while the latter was in Bankai. According to Saori Sumeragi, Seireitou has reached the perfect balance between speed and stamina with strength and durability, having conditioned his muscles through years of unique and unusual training methods. It is because of this that he boasts such unrealistic strength, without having a large-built body. The sheer magnitude of Seireitou's physical strength is displayed through countless moments in the series, most often implied by his tendency to always hold back during one-on-one fights; when the situation demands further strength, his blows are capable of tearing through the muscles of a Shinigami's body. Releasing his "reiryoku cuffs" causes Seireitou to unlock the true reserves of his physical strength, as the cuffs restrain him to using only about one-fourth of his actual might. When this occurs, the Sōzōshin's true strength is revealed, capable of unleashing strikes with such force, they decimate anything and everything within their line of range. Even without making direct contact, Seireitou was able to tear through Mūkade's Bankai structure with ease after releasing his reiryoku cuffs.

Genius-level Intellect: Despite his laid back attitude, Seireitou has repeatedly shown himself to be a perceptive and insightful man as well as being very detail oriented when it comes to fighting. He notices his opponent's mannerisms and discerns with ease the reasons behind those actions and the weaknesses and strengths of his opponents. Seireitou has an undeniable talent for thinking things well in advance as well, make decisive and accurate decisions quickly in battle, and able to perceive any situation at hand. He generally has shown himself to also be a crafty tactician from how easily he can deceive both allies and enemies. Seireitou has a great talent for analyzing and observing everything in his presence, allowing him to quickly understand a person's pattern of thinking to better manipulate them and seemingly always be aware of any danger. He also has very good insight on people, often knowing if they are troubled or hiding something; he sometimes even knows what a person is thinking, which seems to scare Minato. Seireitou has been shown to be very observant of his opponents' abilities and powers, even going as far as to use it against them. He is highly intelligent, possessing a genius-level intellect, and is capable of devising and executing strategies with incredible speed and precision. He has also shown to be a very perceptive and analytical man from how quickly he can analyze an opponent's power and attack patterns to ultimately make them useless against him. He is able to quickly determine a person's battle style after a single glance as well. After doing this, he can quickly place himself several moves ahead of his opponent and formulate the best counter-strategies. In addition, Seireitou has shown great ability in manipulating others to do his work for him. He easily outmaneuvers and tricks Mūkade on two instances in his fight with him. Seireitou is very resourceful, able to use a wide array of unorthodox tactics to accomplish his goal. The series repeatedly demonstrates Seireitou's mental acuity; ranging from his superb skill in playing chess, to being able to deduce complex facts from a very limited amount of facts. Beliar himself acknowledges Seireitou's intelligence surpasses his own immense intellect, who has constantly shown him. During battle, Seireitou often uses misinformation, disinformation and an analytical knowledge of a person's nature to help lull an opponent into a false sense of security and possibly make them carelessly over-confident. He also takes drastic strategies to often confuse and force the hand of his opponents. Seireitou tends to second-guess everything he is presented with, though often saying that he "went with his gut feeling" during those times. Whenever Seireitou gives percentages to indicate how much he suspects his chances of winning over an opponent, such as "five percent," in reality he means over ninety percent. Although Seireitou originally gives Mūkade a low percentage indicating how much he believes he'll lose to Mūkade, in reality Seireitou is "pretty certain" that he can beat him. Raian often pokes fun at this, telling Bella Pelear that "it is difficult to predict his actions, because the truth is, Seireitou's a liar."

Unrealistic Rate of Adaptation: Raian noted that one of Seireitou's most fearsome traits is his ability to adapt to an opponent(s) at a rate that is considered almost unrealistic. It is because of this that Seireitou almost never loses to the same opponent twice, if not once. Initially overwhelmed by the rate that Mūrata Amakuni's powers were increasing, Klaus stated that it appeared as if Seireitou's own abilities were increasing at a rate surpassing that of Mūrata's, to the point of tipping the tide of the battle in his favor. Sōkudo commented that Seireitou was a monster in this regard, subsequently noting how his title of Shiroyasha was fitting.

Grandmaster of Hakuda
Among the four Yonkō, Seireitou is known as the respective master of Hakuda; the Shinigami system of hand-to-hand combat. Even amongst other Hakuda master-class Shinigami who have consistently shown extraordinary feats of strength and speed throughout the series, Seireitou still stands in a class of his own when it comes to hand-to-hand combat, defeating those kind of aforementioned opponents with strict ease. His unrivaled level of hand-to-hand skills has allowed him to truly be named a "Grandmaster" of this field.

General Hand-to-Hand Prowess: Though he hasn't shown the full extent of his abilities in this field, Seireitou has shown to rely mostly on martial arts, rarely drawing his sword at all unless he deems a need for it. Even as a small child, he was able easily defeat several adult Shinigami without even a scratch, despite having only began his training under Shōyō. This implies that, despite all the work he had put into his martial arts, he has always had a natural talent. Seireitou also seems to prefer applying an "off-the-ground" method of combat, often being seen attacking opponents from aerial standpoints, but will commonly resort to stationary attacks that allow him to wipe out an opponent without warning. He has been shown to take down nearly fifty Onmitsukidō members with only Hakuda. He has been shown easily taking on the likes of Espada-level Arrancar as when he brutally defeated Xerxes Averian, whilst in the latter's Resurrección state, and is subsequently regarded by Almayo Vinas as highly dangerous. He can catch the attack of a Captain-level opponent with strict ease, making someone of that level look like a beginner when compared to his skill. Seireitou is also capable of delivering powerful blows that can smash through Espada-level hierro and block every single one of the multiple punches and kicks from several highly-skilled opponents. As of more current chapters, Seireitou seems to have foregone the need for a blade, relying solely on his martial art ability. He is capable of ending fights rather quickly, using only his expert timing and powerful arsenal of kicks and hand strikes. Saori Sumeragi has stated in many instances that Seireitou's hand-to-hand abilities make him appear as a "blade"; swift and agile, with no wasted movement, which makes it impossible for any opponent to find even the slightest of openings or instances of weakness in his martial art attacks. Raian, a fellow Yonkō, noted that Seireitou's level of hand-to-hand skill and capability makes fighting him at close range no different from suicide. Despite the seeming recklessness of his actions, Seireitou is able to remain focused enough to not lose his edge in battle, but rather enhance his already formidable prowess. Even against Mūrata Amakuni, a senior member of the L'Obscurité, he was able to defeat and ultimately kill (albeit unintentionally) the warrior despite the grievous wounds he received from him, which is a testament to his skills. According to Raian, he does not depend on emotions such as anger but rather reveals these emotions in order to "put his opponent's heart off-guard and strike back without mercy". Raian often noted that Seireitou's most fearsome attribute in his Hakuda was neither power nor technique, but rather his unrivaled tenacity. This was best shown during his fight against Noriaki Ueshiba, allowing the latter to deliver a killing strike that would have normally annihilated anybody else and suffered several life-threatening blows, in order to set-up his positioning for a decisive strike.

Hyper-Speed Combat: Even without the use of Hohō, Seireitou's body movements appear as mere blurs, if anything else. With his arsenal of kicks, strikes, punches, and throws, Seireitou's speed at the utilization of these aforementioned techniques is nearly god-like. Most opponents are unaware that Seireitou had carried out his technique until they become aware of the damage that he has wrecked upon them. Because of this, Seireitou's Hakuda speed allows him to even take on users of Bankai one-on-one, while still appearing to have the advantage. The speed at which Seireitou attacks is unprecedented, as a single punch from the viewpoint of any other opponent can conceal nearly a hundred hand strikes simultaneously. With incredibly agile and quick footwork, contending with Seireitou in any form of hand-to-hand combat is usually a short bout in which the challenger is utterly overwhelmed and defeated. This sort of speed is very useful against multiple opponents, allowing Seireitou to effortlessly wipe out a battalion of warriors in no more than a split second.

Master of the Martial Arts: Seireitou models his Hakuda styles with martial arts that he had mastered during his training session and experiences throughout his long life. Among his more common uses of Taekkyeon and Taekwondo, his martial arts knowledge extends to the martial art form of Bāguàzhǎng, as well as a medley of other martial arts that he has mastered but are rarely seen in combat. Martial arts such as traditional Jujutsu and Karate, among many others, are no exception. In being the Grandmaster of Hakuda, Seireitou has mastered all of the hand-to-hand combat styles as well as all of martial arts in their entirety, though a majority of this knowledge is suppressed into his subconscious along with his Shiroyasha persona, due to the lethal nature that they all carry, keeping only a few hundred or so styles to his conscious awareness. Seireitou prides himself in being a martial artist of the "old" and the "new", having mastered long lost art styles that many have even barely heard of, let alone have seen or learned. His skill also carries over to the medical field as well, his intricate knowledge of pressure points and bone joints allows him to preform bone setting and acupuncture with minimal effort. It is stated by Noriaki Ueshiba that a master of Seireitou's level is capable of closing in the range of his attacks, and then extending the range at almost instantaneous instances. As such, he can effortlessly extend or minimize the range of his attacks, making it nigh impossible to catch him off-guard. Likewise, he is capable of shifting his fighting style between hard and soft styles almost instantly. Having been training Minato Kuramoto to better adapt to seemingly any situation, Seireitou has showed himself accustomed to countless fighting styles and techniques, stemming from basic but outlawed techniques to highly-advanced ones. This is shown by his capability of turning many seemingly basic techniques into fatal one-shot attacks, such as when he used Front Kick, it was able to completely crush the ground beneath him, as well as generate a massive shockwave of pure force in the direction of his opponent, which shocked Minato greatly. Martial arts is the act of mastering the control of one's body, and Seireitou's control over his body is so great that he is capable of twisting his body and bending his legs in ways that would surprise many Hakuda martial artists, among even Captain-class Shinigami. Likewise, acrobatics are not a difficult thing for him to accomplish, making both of his students doubt he is even a real person, or even maintains a solid form, whenever he demonstrates these capabilities. He is able to effortlessly tighten his muscles to make his body as tough as steel while allowing himself to remain relaxed enough to breathe and move his limbs and body effortlessly, doing so at speeds so great that it can be accomplished right at the instant an opponent's attack nears his person. In addition to this reserve of never-ending knowledge of techniques, due to his years of experience, he can copy any move of a master-class fighter, no matter how unique it is to the opponent, which has helped in the development of his one hundred and eight secret techniques.
 * Taekkyeon & Taekwondo: Generally his main martial arts, Seireitou teaches this art at the Kawahiru Dojang; being a world-reknowned Grandmaster in the World of the Living and the Reikai in this particular martial art. While bearing two different names, they are essentially the same martial art. Taekkyeon is the predecessor to Taekwondo, and specializes in circular kicks. Utilizing his brand of "off-the-ground" fighting, he normally uses these circular kicks in addition to his immediate changes in momentum in order to deal surprise attacks added with an immense burst of strength and speed that supplement the already massive force generated by his own muscles. One of the most impressive feats of his skill is that he was able to break through sekki-seki stone with very little effort. In essence, Seireitou's kicks are capable of breaking bones and destroying joints effortlessly, tearing through substances such as concrete and steel, and can be used to block the swing of an opponent's sword, subsequently knocking the blade out of their hands by aiming for their grasp or their wrist. In Taekwondo, kicks and strikes are generally more straight-forward, and Seireitou's ability to switch from Taekkyeon to Taekwondo is a direct result of his hard-to-soft and soft-to-hard capabilities, as they are essentially two sides of the same respective proverbial coin. Both styles emphasize the uses of kicks, and because of this, Seireitou can also use his legs to block incoming attacks, only to counter with lethal pin-point attacks.
 * Subak: The most primitive form of Taekwondo, which preceeds even Taekkyeon, is Seireitou's secret Hakuda weapon, used only when he is pushed to life-threatening extremes. Being such an old art style, the exact nature of Subak is unknown, as even among other Taekwondo masters (of both Shinigami and Human) have scarcely heard the term, let alone aware of any of its techniques. Seireitou tends to only practice the style when he is alone, usually at night, and doesn't appear interested in passing on its secrets to Minato. He made it clear, however, that Subak is a style that is not suitable for "sparring", implying that it is meant to kill. Seireitou has revealed that Subak, like Taekwondo, contains many types of strikes and kicks, but exists a particular way unique to Subak that proves to be extremely effective against a target's body structure. Even against muscles that are honed to almost god-like proportions, prompting them to be physically immune to strikes, there are techniques that allow the muscles to be "side-shaken", dealing damage that is great enough to rip the muscles in question apart effortlessly.


 * Bāguàzhǎng: Utilized more as a defensive style of his, Seireitou holds a grand amount of Bāguàzhǎng mastery. Dealing in the strict use of free-jointed circular movements, the steps of Bāguàzhǎng are often very unpredictable, and in when used by Seireitou, make it near impossible for an opponent to land a strike on him. In Bāguàzhǎng, footwork is key and when used to its highest levels, can allow the user to enter into an opponent's "blindspot" (殺し, Korui), something that is very rare for any hand-to-hand combatant to develop. Seireitou has demonstrated his mastery of this ability to Minato by moving through a large crowd of people and not once was his presence registered by a single person. Seireitou uses the footwork of Bāguàzhǎng to generally set up for a Taekwondo kick or even a Jujutsu throw. Bāguàzhǎng also deals in internal damage to an opponent, via the pressure point system of the body. Seireitou will also use the hand techniques of the martial art to deal internal damage to opponents through this method, allowing him to damage the organs of an opponent's body, while altering their spiritual energy flow; for better or for worse, depending on the situation. In one instance, he was able to strike the wrist pressure points where spiritual energy is focused in every Shinigami, sealing it which resulted in the internal explosion of the victim. As mentioned before, Seireitou uses these capabilities for healing purposes as well; focusing on acupuncture primarily. Circular movements also apply to the user's arms, in which a master-class martial artist such as Seireitou can control the radius of his reach with these circular techniques, which combined with his self-created Seijūken technique, allows him to instantly block, redirect, and counter an opponent's attack, all within the time span of a single breath. The speed at which he can move his arms is also incredible, to the point that it sometimes gives off the illusion of him possessing multiple limbs. These circular techniques are often combined with Taekwondo's linear-based kicks and strikes, making for an nigh invincible and effective combination. Bāguàzhǎng, in itself, is considered to be the "Kidō Martial Art" by those who see it in action and observe its effects. Seireitou has often stated that the very essence of martial arts is to examine, understand, and manipulate the "flow" of energy between opponents and between the fighter and their environment. Essentially, that energy is always in movement and is moving both around and through living beings as well as inanimate objects and surroundings. When a fighter is able to translate this understanding through their martial arts, then they have truly become masters. However, for most, it is impossible to actually control this "flow" of energy and that most internal martial arts work to exploit the weaknesses of an opponent's flow. However, through Bāguàzhǎng, Seireitou is capable of completely altering and affecting (possibly even disrupting) the flow of energy in the air around him through the use of his Hakuda. By aiming for key meridians of the opponent's body, via palm thrusts, Seireitou can alter the course of energy flowing around the opponent and through the opponent, essentially weakening their subsequent counterattacks or chances of continuing the fight. By doing so, the effects that can occur can end up weakening the joints (affecting flexibility) or causing a disruption in their internal and external energy patterns (such an action can cause one's spiritual energy to surrender to a stronger, more resolute one, making an opponent's attacks unable to cause damage, and even disrupt their ability to gather spiritual energy, such as the case of Quincy). Many other effects are possible based on how the flow of energy is altered, dealing in various results.
 * Jujutsu: Exclusively a soft-type martial art, Jujutsu is an art that specializes in joint holds, throws, and locks. In addition, it is a method of close combat in which one is trained to defeat an armed opponent in which one uses no weapon. The techniques of Jujutsu allow Seireitou, when one considers his master-level ability, to effortlessly manipulate the joints of a target's bones. This can be used to either break an opponent's joints, thus dislocating certain joints such as the shoulders and knees, at close range. This is demonstrated by a "bad habit" he has of dislocating an opponent's wrist whether they place their hands on him, often warning Minato to never sneak up behind him and tap his shoulder. However, even when this happens, he can effortlessly realign the joints with a simple flick of his expert technique. In addition to this, Seireitou mentioned to Minato that there exists a Jujutsu technique that allows one to throw their opponent without laying a hand on them; a claim which was considered far-fetched by the former until Seireitou revealed the attack's authenticity during a fight with Saiga Ūtakata Unlike the linear kicks of Taekwondo or the circular footwork of Bāguàzhǎng, Seireitou's Jujutsu seems to be on a level of its own. Despite being a soft-type martial art, the methods of which Seireitou manipulates (usually which results in joint dislocation) the bone joints can be seen as brutal while having a swift elegance. Even what may appear as a gentle tap to an opponent's ankle covers up the true incident of the bone snapping in two because of a forceful attempt to dislocate the ankle joint. Regardless, his technique is flawless, and can even predict the exact location at which he breaks the joint. Circular motion of the arms is often used to wrap the arm around an opponent's limb in order to subsequently break it or to throw the opponent. However, it is rare for a Jujutsu master like Seireitou to attack first using these techniques. In fact, Seireitou utilizes his Jujutsu abilities as a counter-attack to an opponent's own strikes, despite his rare tendency of violent dislocation. These traits of his Jujutsu make allowing Seireitou to grab hold of a limb a hopeless situation, with Raian commenting that the fight was over the moment Seireitou took hold of Kizaru Mōji's arm.
 * Torite (捕手, "Catching Hand"): Being a sub-discipline of Jujutsu, Seireitou has shown himself to be a true master of the Torite technique. Appropiately named "catching hand", the Torite is a technique that allows for a martial arts master to deflect and catch actual weapons. With a skill level like Seireitou, the Torite becomes great to catch the blade of even most Zanjutsu masters. It was professed by Seireitou that only Raian Getsueikirite, or those at the latter's skill level, can actually utilize sword techniques that are effective enough to make Torite useless. The idea of Torite, or rather his use of it, works according to the method at which Seireitou uses his hand or fingers to catch onto an opponent's sword. Using a single finger to block the strike of a sword is one of his favorite uses of Torite which is similar to the feat accomplished by Sōsuke Aizen, though it far outclasses Aizen's version in that it does not use raw strength whatsoever. In reality, Seireitou allows his finger to act like "a rock in the river", allowing energy to circle around it without any harm befalling it. By his immense comprehension of energy and force flow, Seireitou causes the entire force behind the opponent's sword attack to essentially move around his finger and escape from the opposite end in the very miniscule instant that his finger and the opponent's blade come into contact; that very instant. In this sense, at the very nanosecond that his finger and the blade make contact, the force behind the blow has completely abandoned the sword strike, meaning it has returned to a state of rest, making it child's play for a man of Seireitou's strength to hold the blade's sharp edge with his finger. No matter how much force may be behind the strike, Seireitou will be able to stop it with a single finger using his unique Torite method. Therefore, the only conceivable possibility to actually strike Seireitou with a sword strike comes down to pure skill, not strength nor motion of the swing. However, Seireitou comments that the more strength is behind the sword swing, the easier it is for his Torite to deflect the attack effortlessly, even if the swordsmen in question is of master-class skill. Therefore, attemting to strike down Seireitou with a single sword technique is virtually impossible and must require a combination of masterful timing and master-class skill level in order to land a contact blow. Seireitou has shown himself capable of blocking hyper-speed sword strikes, ranging from slashes to pierces, using only his one-finger Torite technique. However, when applying his neijing mastery to his Torite sword catching techniques, he utilizes a full-hand catch of the blade. Once he does this, the force of the sword slash does not "circle" around Seireitou's hand and escape from the sword but rather it reverberates at the point of impact. It is likened to Seireitou's Kaerikotsu defensive technique in that neijing energy then storms the blade from the spot where Seireitou stopped the sword slash, causing the entire sword to shatter into small pieces of metal.

Neijing Mastery: Having trained under all of the chinese martial arts, Seireitou has attained an almost unrivaled understanding of the nèijìng (內勁, "internal exercises") concept. Because of this, he has attained knowledge of several powerful techniques that apply the "vibrating fist" concept in their usage, in addition to having developed many of his own. The "vibrating fist" does not involve using physical force to deal damage, but rather uses an internal energy that is concealed within external explosive force in order to deliver strikes that can shake up an opponent's internal organs and muscles. In essence, at the point of contact of the external strike, the internal energy is focused to fan out from that point and spreads outwards into the target. The result is not based upon the damage that the initial strike would normally cause on its own, but rather that the target is demolished into minuscule pieces due to the vibration of the internal energy fanning out from that external strike. This particular form of internal energy is considered "neijing energy", which is generally developed through ki being directed by one's willpower, and unlike physical force which can decrease with age due to muscles deteriorating over time, neijing energy proves itself to continue becoming stronger as the years pass. In Seireitou's case, the combination of the initial external strike and the fanning of the neijing force makes these particular techniques life-threatening to almost any sort of opponent should any one of them make direct contact, tearing an opponent's body apart and rendering them a mess of blood. In order to prevent this, in most cases due to following the ideals of katsujinken, Seireitou abandons physical force in the initial execution of the neijing technique, utilizing only the internal energy that vibrates through the opponent's body in order to devastate the body of the target without causing their body to violently tear apart. Against Blut Vene, especially, the use of even a weakened version of a neijing attack is suicidal, as being struck by one whilst using the defensive Blut will cause every single one of said user's blood vessels to rupture violently. However, even by doing this and diluting the amount of internal energy that Seireitou employs in his technique, these neijing attacks are still far too lethal to be used in sparring and thus are only utilized by Seireitou against opponents he has sworn to defeat.
 * Ikkotsu (一骨, "Single Bone"): Ideally the simplistic yet one of the most devastating neijing technique, for one who has mastered the concept, the Ikkotsu is a one-handed punch that is meant to connect with a specific point on the designated target. It is among Seireitou's most commonly used Hakuda techniques when wishing to end fights in an instant. At the point of contact with a target, Ikkotsu channels the neijing internal force through the fist, causing it to vibrate all throughout the body of the target being struck, causing massive destruction in their internal organs and subsequent organ systems. When diluted nearly ten times of its full strength, Seireitou's Ikkotsu has the strength to deal a decisive blow to an opponent of nearly equal or lesser power, causing all organs within the point of contact to rupture indefiniately. An Ikkotsu of similar power, dealt to a direct location such as the head or the arm, would cause the entire limb to collapse onto bloody pieces. It is for this reason that Seireitou never uses Ikkotsu beyond a dilution of one-fifth of its full power, as any more force applied to the punch would cause an instant kill of nearly any opponent if it were to connect. Full power Ikkotsu entails Seireitou combining both the neijing internal force and the external force of his own massive reserves of physical strength, uniting together to generate a punch of such force that decimates anything and everything that stands before it. Because of the technique's simplistic workings, Seireitou can cause the neijing energy that fans out from the Ikkotsu punch to behave in various ways, for a medley of different effects. Once the punch has been thrust outwards, the neijing force can instead be made to compress tightly, forming a drill-like punch that can punch through targets from a considerable distance away. Doing such a feat means that everything within that narrow space would be crushed. Against this drill form of Ikkotsu, should it connect with the target physically, would tear through everything within the frontal scope of Seireitou's fist. Even from roughly two kilometers away, it can punch a hole straight through an opponent's body when used in its weakened form. In a more defensive manner, Ikkotsu's force can be made to vibrate immediately outwards in the air from the fist once it has been thrust, forming a perfectly uniform and circular shield of neijing force that can serve as a powerful defense to most forms of offensive attacks. It can be used to dispel such attacks like Getsuga Tenshō with a single use of Ikkotsu. Because of Ikkotsu's very easily altered power, it is easily one of Seireitou's most versatile Hakuda techniques and equally devastating in combat.
 * Sōkotsu (双骨, "Double Bone"): Having been invented as the two-fisted variation of the Ikkotsu, the Sōkotsu had initially been considered to be simply a twin usage of the base Ikkotsu technique itself. Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto had used this primitive method when he destroyed Wonderweiss Margela, which despite its considered inferiority, was enough to completely eradicate the latter in a single move despite the Arrancar's high-level hierro defense. However, according to Seireitou, Yamamoto had used merely a small fragment of Sōkotsu's true power in that aforementioned fight. The premise of Seireitou's Sōkotsu involves allowing the neijing internal force to leave both of the fists upon contact with the target, like two rivers converging into a structure and overwhelming it, which at a basic understanding of the technique would lead one to believe it would merely double the effect of a normal one-handed Ikkotsu. However, this is incorrect. The secret behind Seireitou's Sōkotsu is that once the two fists make contact and release the internal force, a collision of the two waves of neijing energy occurs, which when used by someone who is lacking in neijing mastery, would cause the two waves to collapse upon eachother and weaken their Sōkotsu in the overall view. In the grand scheme of things, that particular Sōkotsu would be only slightly stronger than a master-level Ikkotsu. Seireitou boasts that his Sōkotsu has been perfected, in that when he preforms the technique, the opposing waves of neijing released from both fists do not interfere and weaken one another, but instead bounce off of eachother, causing both individual neijing forces to vibrate several additional times with each collision while within the body of the target, spreading out in the target's body in a very chaotic manner as opposed to the uniform spreading of the Ikkotsu technique which can lead to an even more disastrous result. The randomized movement of the neijing force waves make it so everything connected to the point of contact will be decimated onto utter ruin, seeking to assure that any target struck by the Sōkotsu are completely and thoroughly destroyed. The result of these collisions leads to the neijing forces actually empowering eachother, trading energy between eachother as they seek to decimate the opponent. Seireitou considers his Sōkotsu to be cruel in that should an opponent be somehow capable of retaining their body structure upon being initially struck by the Sōkotsu, the neijing forces would continue to bounce off one another by trading energy between one another due to their never-ending collisions and also feeding off of the victim's own internal energy, continuously wrecking havoc within the body until the target is ultimately and utterly obliterated until not a trace of them remains. It is due to this reason that Seireitou considers his Sōkotsu to be a weapon of supreme destruction and restricts himself from ever using it in a fight unless it is truly needed.
 * Kaerikotsu (帰り骨, "Returning Bone"): Possibly the most devastating and dangerous defensive technique in Seireitou's Hakuda arsenal, the Kaerikotsu is a nearly invincible defense that employs the concept of neijing. By the utilization of his own neijing energy from within his body, being used as a bounce-off point, Seireitou can make it so that the physical attack of an opponent is unable to harm him and instead causes it to harm the attacker. In allowing the physical force to make contact with a part of Seireitou's body, the point of contact being the opponent's own body part being used to carry out the attack, the force of that strike reverberates in the opposite direction of the applied force, thus causing an immediate responsive counterforce in equal magnitude to the strength used by the attacker, causing that force to vibrate back through the opponent's body in the same manner it was being thrust outwards. Such a feat leads to the opponent's force returning into their body, fanning out inwards as if Seireitou himself carried out the assault, resulting in the opponent's internal biological systems being harmed severely, possibily even destroyed, in direct correlation to the amount of force that they themselves used to attack with. In essence, an opponent's force is returned in equal magnitude without Seireitou needing to expend any energy himself, or rather insignificant portions of energy, to bounce off the assault. The same action can be carried out if an opponent were to strike Seireitou with a weapon, causing said weapon to break apart if used without care. An opponent of significantly weaker power, attacking Seireitou with his Zanpakutō, would end up causing his own Zanpakutō to shatter into pieces while subsequently damaging his own hands from the naive assault. Against very specific energy attacks, such as the Getsuga Tenshō which deals a direct linear assault, Seireitou has been shown to use this defense to make it seem as though the attack had no effect whatsoever, despite whatever amount of power that is applied into the attack. The Kaerikotsu is very easily one of Seireitou's most invincible defenses.
 * Sen'eikate (先鋭化手, "Sharpened Hand"): Derived from Karate, Seireitou tightens together his fingers and forms a "knife hand" hand gesture with one of his hands. His neijing energy is focused along the back edge of his knife hand and, like that of a sword, Seireitou slashes his hand across in a particular direction and manner of his desire. The action of this motion causes anything and everything within the narrow range of his knife hand's back edge to be cut down. Sen'eikate is a far more refined neijing technique in that it has a very controlled aim and direction of destruction, unlike the dangerous Sōkotsu. Raian noted it to be the Hakuda equivalent of the Hitotsume: Nadegiri technique of Zanjutsu. It is so precise that most opponents are unaware the strike had occured until the injury forms on their body or the target in question has already tore in two. The force of the attack is great enough to even break through the blade of Ichigo Kurosaki's Bankai with strict ease. Despite its immense precision, Seireitou does not often utilize this attack.

Development of Stances: Unlike the undeveloped form of Hakuda, if it may still be called such, used by low-ranking Shinigami that deal in simply attacking an opponent using the arm or leg, those who rightfully deserve the title of "Grandmaster" within the field of Hakuda emphasize the use and development of the stance. A stance is essentially the art of distribution, foot orientation and body positions adopted when attacking, defending, advancing or retreating. While most of his stances are strange and unique, not seen often by other Hakuda masters, he doesn't appear to have names for all of them.
 * Tenchi Jōge (天地球逆様, "Heaven Earth Upside Down") is the Nakanisentō stance of "offensive annihilation". By positioning one arm near the chest and stomach, and the other at near eye-level, both palms kept open, the user compresses their spiritual pressure completely, in order to make each of their attacks result in fatal damage. While not seen being used by him, Seireitou is credited with the creation of this Hakuda stance, and eventually passed its teachings on to both his son and Minato Kuramoto. It is through this stance that he initiates his Jujutsu attack usually. It is common for Seireitou to enter this stance prior to using Sokotsu against an opponent.
 * Maeba (前翼, "Front of the Wing") is the Sotosentō stance of "absolute defense". Both arms are placed symmetrically in front of the user's body, the palms flattened and held upwards, as if being centered to hold something. What makes it an "absolute defense" is unknown, as Seireitou was interrupted before being able to show its capabilities by the untimely appearance of Saiga Ūtakata. Kamui is the one credited with the creation of this stance, and it is presumed Kamui taught Seireitou this back during the duo's time in the Seijin Council. When used against Hōsen Kuramoto, its true nature is revealed. Combined with the neijing concept, Seireitou uses his open hands to divert away the force of an opponent's physical attacks. By twisting his arms inward and outward, the subsequent motion causes his open palms to follow with that and causes all direct enemy attack forces to be diverted off into various directions. In this sense, Seireitou does not meet power with power but rather expends no energy at all, merely causing an opponent's strikes to bounce away and miss entirely, making them feel as though they are succeeding in tiring out Seireitou, but rather they are wasting their own energy. In this sense, Maeba is the ultimate defensive stance against another master of Hakuda.

Standard & Unique Techniques: While most of Seireitou's Hakuda techniques fall under the various unique styles he employs (aside from his neijing techniques), many of his Hakuda techniques are commonplace, being techniques that fall under one of the many martial arts that he had mastered in the process of becoming a Grandmaster. Despite many of them being broad in their strength and application, ranging from the basic to the advanced, Seireitou's level of skill with each of them is enough to consider each and every one of them lethal. It is noteworthy that many techniques Seireitou employs, more so the basic ones, are generally nameless or simply not named by Seireitou when being used. In addition to the standard techniques he employs, Seireitou's level of mastery and his years upon years of training has resulted in the formation of several hundred different techniques unique Hakuda techniques only to him and him alone. While many of them find themselves being derived from techniques learnt prior by Seireitou, nearly every single one of them finds some form of connection to one (or possibly a combination) of the numerous martial arts he wields mastery in. Most appear to be nothing even related to Hakuda, but were in-fact created as a result of his unusual methods of martial arts training. Saori has hinted that some of them have to do with anatomy manipulation of his being.
 * Kyūsho Iyashi (急所癒し, "Vital Point Healing"): As the name implies, it is a technique developed by Seireitou that allows him to heal a person's damaged body through the activation of their internal dormart energy using his own energy as a catalyst, using their pressure points as the point at which his energy may enter their body. This reaction causes the, now active, internal energy to act by healing the points in the body where the damage is most heavily concentrated. From there, the internal force spans outwards like a pool throughout the body, healing all other points of damage, until the entire body is healed to physical working order. However, despite how useful a technique it is, several of the motions involved in this technique are rather inappropiate. They are very clearly identified as sexual foreplay motions, even though Seireitou denies this. It is further supported by the fact that sexual actions are involved in the technique's application due to Seireitou claiming it will only heal women, despite how obvious a lie that is. However, as morally reprehensive it may be, the technique is highly effective, able to completely restore a body to full working order despite how badly damaged it may have been.
 * Yōmanage (妖魔投げ, Ghost Throw): Based on the throwing principles of Jujutsu, Seireitou is able to actually throw an opponent without the need for physical contact by affecting the flow of their spiritual pressure with his own in conjunction to throwing off their center of gravity through shifted momentum. In essence, it is similar in principle to that of Saori's unique style of Jujutsu that emphasizes a complete ratio of skill over strength, as Seireitou does not utilize raw strength to throw an opponent but rather uses the timing of an opponent's momentum shift combined with a small alteration of their reiatsu flow by way of his own spiritual energy, throwing them down without the need for contact.

Black Belt Techniques (黒帯の手法, Kuro-Obi no Shuhō): Through his mastery of the martial arts, Seireitou has attained a status of a Yūdansha; in other words, a true holder of a black belt. When one attains the status of black belt, they begin their advanced training and learn secret powerful techniques as they become more and more involved in the world of martial arts. Based on the "dan" (段, step/stage) grade, the difficulty and usage of the corresponding technique would be far higher the more advanced the black belt rank. In his pursuit of mastering both ancient and modern martial arts, Seireitou accumulated these black belt techniques into a personal system in that each technique's power would be determined by the rank at which a martial artist of that rank would typically learn it. There is no true art distinction that can be recognized by name, as multiple black belt techniques from an immense number of different martial arts that have been gathered by Seireitou's experiences.
 * Il Dan: Ilsok Pilsai (일단, īrudan: īrusoku pirusai; Korean for "First Step/Stage: One Strike Must Kill"): Not Yet Revealed
 * Yi Dan (이단, yīdan; Korean for "Second Step/Stage"): Not Yet Revealed
 * Sam Dan (삼단, samudan; Korean for "Third Step/Stage"): Not Yet Revealed
 * Sa Dan (사단, sadan; Korean for "Fourth Step/Stage"): Not Yet Revealed
 * O Dan (오단, ōdan; Korean for "Fifth Step/Stage"): Not Yet Revealed
 * Yuk Dan (육단, yūkudan; Korean for "Sixth Step/Stage"): Not Yet Revealed
 * Chil Dan (칠단, shīrudan; Korean for "Seventh Step/Stage"): Not Yet Revealed
 * Pal Dan (팔단, pārudan; Korean for "Eighth Step/Stage"): Not Yet Revealed
 * Gu Dan (구단, kūdan; Korean for "Ninth Step/Stage"): Not Yet Revealed
 * Sib Dan (십단, sībudan; Korean for "Tenth Step/Stage"): Not Yet Revealed

The Ilsingyo (일신교 (一神教), īrusinkyō; Korean for "Belief of a Singularity", Japanese for "Absolute Oneness") is the culmination of nearly a thousand years of Seireitou's training and devotion to Hakuda in its entirety. It is considered to be a unique martial art though Seireitou claims that it cheapens the technique to call it so. Seireitou states that the primary principle behind Ilsingyo is that "there is one and only one". The Ilsingyo blurs the line between the physical body of the martial artist and the spiritual pressure around them that permeates them, accepting all energy in any form it may be as a part of the martial artist. All is within reach and everything is a part of Seireitou. There is everything and nothing; both absolutes are within the framework of Seireitou's existence and co-exist with him in a perfect beautiful unison. Ilsingyo is a martial art that treats Seireitou's spiritual pressure and all sources of enery that overlap with that pressure as a part of his body. Ideally, it allows Seireitou to project his fighting style using reiatsu itself as a medium, whether it belongs to him or is within his own reiatsu field. Essentially, there exists not a single spiritual defense that can hold off the Ilsingyo as the martial art sees all forms of offense and defense as one substance and subsequently treats an opponent's own power as a medium for Seireitou. This is due to the very basic reason that Ilsingyo does not attempt to manipulate nor to influence anything, therefore there is simply no realistic defense against the technique. It does not force energy to empower itself but instead allows outside energy to carry it to its designated target. Against a Quincy, the spirit weapon they generate can be used as a medium by Seireitou in order to deal a killing blow from a distance through the use of an Ikkotsu or any other finishing move. They would not even be able to see it coming as there would be no reishi being manipulated or wrestled with from the Quincy's control to allow them to pick up any preconception as to the nature of the attack or from what direction the assault was coming from. Because a Quincy's spirit weapon does not have a mind of its own, there is no need to perceive any emotional bonds to allow Ilsingyo to treat it as an intermediate. Against a Shinigami, Seireitou can use their Kidō or even their own Zanpakutō as a medium under Ilsingyo, allowing him to connect nearly any Hakuda technique with his target through this method. There is no defense against it because Ilsingyo does not attempt to tamper with a Zanpakutō's bond with their Shinigami, therefore there is nothing to prevent as it does nothing to either the spirit nor the bond they share. It simply uses the spirit of the weapon as an intermediate between Seireitou and his opponent. Comprehension of their emotions and willpower is, however, necessary to apply Ilsingyo due to the complicated factors involved with such a bond. However, the weaker the bond between the Zanpakutō and their master, the more easily Ilsingyo can be utilized. Emotions themselves can be used as a medium due to Ilsingyo's foundations lying in absolute understanding and acceptance, as emotions and willpower itself are merely forms of energy in their own right. False realities, such as illusions and hypnosis, are unable to deceive Seireitou when he is using the Ilsingyo. The art of Ilsingyo allows him to see the truth in all things and the lies in all things, accepting them as they are and uniting them so that there can exist no deception. Working with them instead of forcing them to reveal their secrets, allowing neijing forces to behave on their own in such a way that there are no senses to exploit through the use of illusions. It was claimed by Seireitou that if it were not for attaining some master-esque level in Kidō, he would've been unable to master the Ilsingyo to its perfect form.

Zanjutsu Master
While Seireitou's first line of offense is often Hakuda, his level in Zanjutsu has been revealed to easily be at the level of master, shown by the way he handles his Zanpakutō as if it was second-nature. Many of the most powerful opponents he has defeated was done so with his sword, such as Utsūgi Kururugi and Datara Kawahiru. In addition, Hanzei Kurosaki stated that a master swordsman of Seireitou's caliber makes his sword a barrier of sorts, subsequently stating the fact that if one were to enter this "barrier", Seireitou would defeat his opponent instantly. However, despite his level of skill, his combat prowess does not change if he should choose to draw his sword, unless he were to invoke his Zanpakutō's powers. This is due in part to the fact that his level of Hakuda is so immense, the art of Zanjutsu does not provide any sort of advantage that was inaccessible to him in Hakuda itself.

Specialist in Swordsmanship: He appears to be very efficient in swordsmanship, being able to fight on-par with Hikaru Kurosaki, a legend in his own right, and even slice through his Getsuga Tenshō with strict ease (albeit the technique lacked killer intent). This similar action is preformed various times against many different forms of spiritual attacks, all of which resulted the same way. Seireitou is ambidextrous, meaning that he can effectively utilize his sword with either hand and still retain a similar level of strength and ability. Although, he can also shift the strength of each swinging arm, in order to throw off an opponent's initial deductions. He is capable of using his speed for flawless precision and to inflict lethal attacks without much effort. A simple swing of his blade is strong enough to easily cut an opponent, even at a longer distance. Seireitou prefers to wield his sword with his right hand, leaving the other hand free though it usually remains hanging. He is quite adept at blocking while his offense is capable of great precision. He was able to fend off Raian and Shinji, both using their mask-enhanced Shikai for very long amounts without releasing his own Zanpakutō. Seireitou's general method of swordfighting involves evasion and attacking an opponent either in the front or back using the element of surprise to overwhelm them. He has a tendency to use a "wait-and-see" approach, often countering an opponent with lazy-yet-skilled actions in order to gauge their level of skill and their fighting intent. In other words, Seireitou draws his opponents in, fighting less than his true capability, and then striking the fatal blow when his opponents believe to have the advantage over him. That being said, he is more than capable of ending fights against other skilled opponents in a single move when the moment strikes him. In addition, Seireitou has shown an ability to easily mimic the techniques used by other master-level swordsman with little effort. Those who witness Seireitou's prowess state that he "carries himself with a certain elegance", possessing skill that can only be identified as that of a master's level.
 * Unique Footwork: Seireitou utilizes a form of footwork that is unlike that seen in most sword fights. While, like Hakuda, he prefers an "off-the-ground" method of fighting, all of his attacks seem to be led by a series of steps in accordance to a pseudo-clairvoyance that was developed during his training with Shōyō in order to avoid the attacks of his opponents by the least possible margin and using the least possible effort in order to place himself in the perfect position to strike in the very instant the opponent's strike misses. Because of this, Seireitou's overall method of swordfighting stresses two-step attacks in order to ensure that any and all who oppose him are thoroughly slain.

Various Styles of Zanjutsu: His masterful ability in Zanjutsu has allowed him to master many different styles of swordsplay, and because of this, he can change his fighting style at a whim — keeping his opponents unsure as to his next move. However, despite this, his preferred Zanjutsu style is Kendō while often relying on Battōjutsu when "specific conditions" are met. Just as he is aware of all martial arts due to his Hakuda Grandmastership, Seireitou remains privy to all forms of swordsmanship, of both of the old and the new variety. Similar to that of Hohō and Kidō, Seireitou's knowledge of theory far surpasses his abilities of application, despite how frighteningly powerful his application is. It is his knowledge of theory that is rivaled by Raian Getsueikirite, the Grandmaster of Zanjutsu among the four Yonkō, despite how the latter's application is said to surpass Seireitou's own.
 * Kendō: The nature of Kendō is one of absolute resolve. It teaches those who practice its art that emotions are but windows; openings for an opponent to take advantage of. By learning to internalize pure focus, the blade of the Kendōka can never be overcome or blocked in battle. In essence, the sword is only as powerful as he who holds the blade. Seireitou demonstrates immense feats of swordsmanship through the use of Kendō, allowing him to even cut right through the blades of an opponent of equal skill and strength. In addition, by his unique mastery, Seireitou is capable of cutting through even substances that would be normally impossible for any sort of so-called master-level attack utilized by another Kendōka. This is most likely due to Kendō being meant for the purpose of directing one's willpower using the Zanpakutō as a medium and because of Seireitou's own indomitable spirit, it causes the sword's edge to become sharp enough to slice through any form of opposition. The strength of his slashes are matched only by his speed and precision, making it nearly impossible for even those of master-level to block his assaults as well as to cut at incredible miniscule measures such as nanometers. He can effectively silence most foes with a single swing of his blade.
 * Battōjutsu: Unlike other forms of Zanjutsu, Battōjutsu deals almost exclusively with the rapid drawing and sheathing of a sword. Ideally, when drawn, that moment is when the blade is being swung at its greatest speed, rather than when it is used normally in Kendō. It also allows the swordsman to use more force than typical due to the sheath directing the sword's movement, without the worry for uncertainty in precision. Essentially, the sword's path is guided by the sheath while the blade meets no resistance, moving several times faster than normal. Typically used for an element of surprise, the nature of Seireitou's Battōjutsu suits his own nature of fighting; meant for a chance to obliterate an opponent at the right moment before they catch wind. Like that of a snake's bite, Seireitou's draw and sheathe is far too quick to have noticed what took place until after the damage is done, with Raian being the only one capable of seeing these moves to an extent sufficient to block them. He is capable of using rapid Battōjutsu strikes, appearing as nothing more than small projectiles if anything else, for overwhelming any individual opponent or for dealing with a group of armed opponents.
 * Shōyō's Unnamed Style: Seireitou had acquired the secrets of his mentor's unique Zanjutsu style, although the name was not revealed, provided if Shōyō ever gave it a name. The style involves locating "cracks" along the pathways in the body's flow of energy that connect the physical body with the soul. One who had mastered this style would learn to perceive these "cracks", and attack them, essentially cutting an opponent's soul, rather than their physical body. It has yet to be seen in actual battle.

Zanjutsu Techniques: Just as numerous as his Hakuda knowledge, Seireitou possesses a truly immense knowledge of Zanjutsu techniques, derived from various kenjutsu styles and subsequent teachings. Seireitou claims that he has also invented several techniques of his own that are unique in nature and can only be used by him or rather someone of his skill level. He often combines these techniques with his Hakuda techniques.

Knowing the "Katana's Will": It was through training under Dangun that Seireitou attained the secret fighting style of the Kawahiru clan. Along with Dangun, Yukara was the only other person who had knew the secret of aiming the katana's will. This method involved being able to cut through steel, by eliminating the ability to cut through anything else. In this regard, one could direct the might of one thousand strikes in a single slash with this method.

Hohō Master
Being a master-class fighter, Seireitou has developed immense levels of skill in the field of Hohō. In fact, his skill has grown to a point where it has become one of his more noticeable traits. Even within the use of a technique, Seireitou's immense physical strength coupled with his uniquely-toned musculature allows for his legs to produce instantaneous movement and allows him to react within a split second. Supplemented by his mastery of Seiten Shiranui-ryū, following the nineteen-month timeskip, this allowed him to develop an almost god-like speed, that even Mūkade's strange ability to track speed and movement couldn't keep up.

Shunpō Mastery: Seireitou's skill in Shunpō is so great that it seems as though he possesses a form of teleportation as he moves in the blink of an eye, simply "appearing" solidly instead of shimmering for a second like other Shunpō users. This allows him to move fast enough to easily parry a close-range killing blow by a Captain-level opponent. Seireitou manages to move at exceedingly incredible speeds, quick enough to appear behind Kamui's back and effectively counter him before the former could even turn to face him. He is capable of effortlessly dodging simultaneous attacks at close range and the evasion of Bankai level techniques. He moves so fast that opponents commonly do not know his movements until after he has made them and is skilled enough in his movements to evade at high speeds even when being attacked from behind. Ideally, his motions are far too difficult to predict until after the movement is carried out. During a fight with Raian Getsueikirite and Shinji Hirako in Soul Society, although Seireitou states that Raian's overconfidence and Shinji's weak resolve was impeding their performance, Seireitou was able to easily outmaneuver both opposing Shikai (despite Kagemusha and Sakenade's hypnotic powers) and mask-enhanced speed to the point he could casually lay a finger on Raian's forehead and still dodge a point-blank cero from Shinji, who had his fist against Seireitou's back. By rapidly increasing the speed at which each step is done at exponential levels, the user can move at beyond god-like speeds. Seireitou reveals to have a very fluid mastery of this, shown by his ability to invoke the technique as if it was second nature, despite the tendency for other users to end up with their legs broken due to inexperience. A master of Shunpō, such as Seireitou, can easily match and possibly surpass the speed associated with Shunkō, making it one of Seireitou's trump cards when all else fails. These rapidly-increasing steps cause multiple sounds to occur, in contrast to the regular use of Shunpō which produces a single light sound. Substances beneath him, such as tatami mats, appear to explode with each of his steps. In some cases, one can produce a spark of spiritual energy, similar to that of a Fullbringer's Bringer Light, and even burn the ground beneath him with each step. This is because, in Shunpō, the user exerts a stress-induced force on their legs just once, and then uses their spiritual energy to accelerate their movement without the need for further force. However, by accelerating the steps, force is exerted with each step, and with each step, more and more stress is exerted on the legs while using their spiritual energy to accelerate at god-like speeds. The mastery of Shunpō has enabled Seireitou to learn various techniques that are mastered only by the Shinigami elite of the Gotei 13.
 * Shunpō Techniques: His standing as a master in the field of Hohō has allowed him to learn several advanced techniques.
 * Utsusemi (空蝉; Cicada, referencing their molting): Way of Onmitsu, 3rd of the Shihō. It allows for a movement at great speed, leaving at least one tangible after-image behind. Seireitou's mastery of utsusemi allows for him to form several after-images, to the point where the after-images behave as solid clones.
 * Senka (閃花, Flash Blossom): A special Shunpō technique where one moves to their opponent's back, directly attacking and sealing one's Saketsu and Hakusui in one strike (effectively cutting them off of their spiritual energy flow). The movement is so fast that an opponent may not be able to tell whether he was attacked from the front or the back and even an outside observer may find it impossible to tell what the movements are.

Theoretical Knowledge: Although he has studied primarily in Shinigami combat, Seireitou has taken to studying the technique, advantages, and flaws of various other speed enhancement techniques, despite not being able to preform them himself. This knowledge has led to the creation of master-level Hohō techniques that are unique to Seireitou alone. Most specifically, he has studied the Quincy technique, Hirenkyaku (飛廉脚, "Flying Screen Step/God Step"; Viz translation, "Flying Bamboo-Blind Leg"). He has an interest in how they use their manipulation of reishi that allows them to "glide" rather than "step" when moving, and when faced against master-class opponents, adopts his movements to Quincy-style technique. In one instance, Andreas Nikolai noted that Seireitou was "moving less like a Shinigami and more like a Quincy".

Unique Varients: Being a master of Hohō, Seireitou has learned and developed difficult and powerful variants of his Shunpō technique that are modeled after other Hohō techniques such as Hirenkyaku, Sonído, and Bringer Light.
 * Yanagi Hayurashi (柳葉逍遥, Willow Leaf Walk): The penultimate result of Seireitou's research of the Quincy's Hirenkyaku, Yanagi Hayurashi causes spiritual energy to continuously cycle from one of his legs, through one of the his feet, into the other foot, and through the other leg, and around again. This action seems to allow Seireitou to remain in a "constant Shunpō", as coined by Raian, and allows him to "glide" with his movements instead of having to step, as demands the style of Shunpō. However, most noticeably, when the technique is initiated, it almost appears as though Seireitou has disappeared, fading away when he begins the movement. This is due to him entering an opponent's blind angles, making it near impossible to register him via eyesight. Although he is much too fast to spot, even through the trained eyes of Dante, the brief moments where his presence is visible, it is noticed by few that a spark of white light is generated at his feet. It is presumed that he uses that aforementioned cycle of spiritual energy to essentially "skate" through the "clouds of reishi" around him, while coupled with various acts of acrobatics, makes his movement impossible for even other master-class Hohō users to keep up with him or even make contact. In addition, Seireitou claims that the technique makes his center of gravity an illusion, a claim which was proven in the former's fight with Saiga Ūtakata.
 * Shukuchi (縮地, Reduced Earth): Originally a technique developed by those who have achieved the pinnacle of Kidō mastery, a technique regarded in legend by the deities who first utilized its ability, Seireitou had created a unique version of the Shukuchi through the knowledge he held of energy flow tied in with his immense Hakuda prowess. While the exact workings of Seireitou's unique version are unknown, it appears to involve the utilization of neijing focused internally rather than externally, causing a strange vibrational anomaly within his very body that allows him to essentially preform "magic-esque" teleportation movements without a step being required to be made. Ideally, appropriate of its namesake as "reduced earth", Seireitou literally vanishes from one point in time and space and reappears at another point in the space-time continuum. Nothing appears possible to hinder the Shukuchi's motion; distance itself is of no consequence to this technique, as even massive distances or dimensional separations are nothing to this technique. The benefit of this motion technique is that because of its strange properties, Seireitou's movements cannot be traced, unlike Shunpō where an opponent can merely track the trail of spiritual energy residue. No such marker is left behind when Shukuchi is invoked, allowing for speed and movement unrivaled by any other technique other than another Shukuchi. Seireitou's Shukuchi appears to be on par with that of Kamui's, despite the completely different natures of their versions. It is highly assumed that Seireitou may be able to use his Shukuchi to invoke time travel, because of its vibrational behavior, but Seireitou refutes these remarks, noting that it would be far too dangerous merely to attempt, even if it were possible. Seireitou claims to have begun developing his variant after watching Kamui use the original Kidō technique and to have later mastered it after observing Hiroya Ginkarei's use of the same technique. Because of the fact that the technique requires the use of internally focused neijing pulses, it is impossible for Seireitou to bring others along when using the Shukuchi technique. Additionally, Seireitou boasts that he is the only one to have ever mastered Shukuchi through Hakuda. However, the drawback to its nonrestrictive movements appear to be that it can tire him out if he performs the technique simultaneously too many times, therefore it is used merely for necessary moments.

Kidō Master
Remaining one of his "last resort" maneuvers in combat, prior to using his Zanpakutō's powers, Seireitou's ability in Kidō places him right on the borderline of master-class. He is well-versed in both forms of Kidō: Hadō, the offensive nature, and Bakudō, the defensive nature.

Kidō Prowess: Seireitou possesses great skill in Kidō, being able to easily summon spells at the blink of an eye without the incantation, and still have it boast extreme potency. Without even displaying effort, he has shown himself capable of making high-level seals undetected until the trap is sprung, and is also able to effortlessly hide Kidō within other active Kidō spells. In addition, he can seal Kidō spells within certain objects or structures, enabling them to activate when a specific condition is met. Seireitou is versed in a medley of Kidō spells, some of which are unheard of by those under expert-class. Seireitou was also capable of using a form of teleportation that Shiori Miyamoto, as proficient as she is, hadn't known existed. He is also able to use this ability to completely hide his presence and spiritual energy, as not to be tracked. He is also shown able to produce powerful continuous spells to act as extra protection to his being while in battle. Seireitou commonly makes use of the Eishōhaki method of incantations. While this ends up weakening the efficiency of his spells, they still retain a high degree of power. Because of this, Seireitou is capable of unleashing wave after wave of spells without needing time in between. Although Kidō is commonly utilized for the purpose of adding a surprise edge to the tide of a battle, while he does also follow this paradigm, Seireitou will typically resort to large-scale offensive assaults with Hadō while relying on Bakudō as a precautionary back-up in the event that his Hadō assaults are unable to finish off his opponent. Despite this immense knowledge, however, Seireitou completely lacks any ability in healing spells. Seireitou's knowledge in theory far surpasses his capabilities with Kidō application. His understanding of the advanced mechanics that go into the arrangement of spiritual energy allow him to effortlessly understand almost any type of Kidō spell, even if it is a spell that he has never seen before.

Kidō Creation & Modification: Seireitou refined his Kidō abilities during the time he trained to master Seijō Reiryoku, allowing him to modify certain Kidō spells for various purposes. Most noticeably, he used Bakudō #81: Dankū as a jelly-like substance, instead of a solid shield. This allowed him to slow down any physical attack and ensnare the opponent, as well as distribute the force of the attack through the surface area of the Danku, shattering the edges to release the trapped energy and effectively weakening the ensnared technique. One of the most prominent methods of which Seireitou modifies his Kidō spells is through integrating them into his Hakuda stances. He is able to apply particular Kidō spells to supplement and benefit his Hakuda techniques and stances, such as using miniscule Danku spells (along with a myriad of other obscure spells) to surround his fists in energy-composed tekkō, allowing him to combat an opponent's own spiritual attacks (including that of Kidō) with his bare hands.
 * Jikūinyū (時空移入, Spacetime Migration): During his training in Asadal, Seireitou modified the Kūkanten'i forbidden spell and created a far more advanced version of it. By placing two fingers to his forehead, he uses his reiatsu to form a "thread" between himself and his desired location, channeling his spiritual energy through this thread. This action is done to "bridge the gap between two locations using his mind as a bridge". In order to do this, however, Seireitou must have a specific destination in mind, in that he must be able to lock onto a spiritual energy signature that he himself is familiar with, whether it be a specific person or a general location of which he is familiar with that area's reishi concentration. When being used, Seireitou will seemingly flash away, as if he was using some form of Hohō, shimmering with a brief green light (most likely from the original Kūkanten'i spell). It is an instantaneous movement of his body from one space to another space, or from two different realms, seemingly considered to be near that of lightspeeds. The technique has battle applications, serving as a far better tool that can be used to surprise an opponent, though because of the concentration needed to preform the technique, Seireitou prefers to stick to using his Sekkaginkō technique in battle instead. The limits of Jikūinyū's movement are almost nonexistant, as Seireitou can travel from places within the same dimensional space as well as other dimensions, such as using the technique to teleport from the Soul Society to Hueco Mundo. Those who are in physical contact with Seireitou when the technique is used will be able to teleport with him, although Seireitou confesses that the more people he attempts to teleport with him, the more energy the Kidō spell requires.

Combination of Kidō Spells: Given that Seireitou is capable of using the Nijū Eishō method of incantation, it is not a stretch that he is also able to fuse together different spells for unique effects. This is not limited to just one type of Kidō, as he has shown himself capable of also fusing together Hadō and Bakudō spells to produce spells that function as offense and defense at the same time.
 * Ōka Shakkōtsū (黄火赤火蒼火, "Flames of Yellow, Red, and Blue") is a self-created spell that combines Hadō numbers thirty-one through thirty-three: Shakkahō, Ōkasen, and Sōkatsui. It takes the appearance of a swirling ball of spiritual energy, forged of three different colors. According to Raian Getsueikirite, despite being created from three middle-level spells, the combined spell itself had the force of near nineties-level, possibly stronger. However, as a price, it requires time to prepare the spell, and Seireitou claims that he cannot utilize it properly in a one-on-one fight.

Shiroenryū (白火流, White Flame Style; also translated as "Way of the White Flames") is the style of Kidō created by Seireitou, utilizing several unique spells that consist of blazing white flames that can be applied for multiple situations. Suzaku called it one of the strongest forms of Kidō's offensive nature, in that not even the regenerative abilities of Arrancar can stand up to consistent assaults for long. Seireitou further refined this power after his training in the Murinne. By surrounding himself in the flames, he could provide an ultimate defense. He can surround himself in a large pillar of these flames as well, similar to how the Vandenreich use Heiliges Feuer in the same way. In addition to the damage it can inflict, this has the psychological effect of causing enemies to hesitate to attack him. By summoning these white flames in a different location, he can effortlessly shift himself to another location, in a manner akin to that of teleportation. Seireitou often uses this technique as a means of presenting his arrival to his opponents to grand effect. He is also able to use the white flames to displace his being when he is struck by a physical attack, essentially forming white flames out of any situation.
 * Attōshūhen (圧倒周辺, "Overwhelming the Surroundings"): One of the most common uses of Shiroenryū, Seireitou generates an immense burning aura of white flames that, when directed by his arms or with his Zanpakutō, can disintegrate nearly anything, reducing it into nothing more than ash. It has the additional effect of engulfing the surrounding landscape in white flames. Only powerful fighters such as Jūsuke Hirayama and Nōrikō Katamori can resist it, but even then only indirectly. It's power is enough to fight against the Shikai of several Captains simultaneously. Though boasting unavoidability, the white flames has been avoided a few times, such as in the fight against Kamui. The determining factors seem to be motivation and skill. Seireitou's control over the white flames allows him to develop defensive variants of this technique. One such example summons a large barrier of white flames that surround Seireitou and possibly others. It can even be used as a cage that can trap opponents for long periods of time. Seeing as no-one has even broken through, nothing much is known about the limits of its defensive power. The cage can also take the form of large pillars that shoot out, forming a circle around Seireitou and his opponent(s). The intent of this technique is to trap the opponent in the caged inferno and destroy him with blazing flames from which there is ideally no hope of healing from. Seireitou has shown use of the technique by enveloping himself in a white flame aura, allowing his flight and movement to seemingly become more destructive, as he is capable of spreading his flames as he moves forward, becoming an "unstoppable spreading flame" as Kintarō Hijikata noted.
 * Moeruchūshin (燃える中心, "Blazing Center"): Unlike the wide-range offense of Attōshūhen, Seireitou can actually center and aim compacted bursts of his white flames via the act of snapping with his thumb off of his index and middle fingers. In this sense, by aiming his fingers toward a target and snapping, he can create a spark of energy that erupts into white flames wherever he deems his target. Seireitou explains that he focuses spiritual energy in both his thumb and his two fingers, and when he rubs them together, he causes the two sources of energy to collide with each other, and with the snapping motion, he directs the resulting collision toward his target. Essentially, he modeled this technique loosely after the physics of how lightning forms during thunderstorms. While more centered than Attōshūhen, the result of Moeruchūshin's attack is still equally devastating as once it makes contact, it engulfs the target in burning flames depending on the size of the flames and the distance at which the technique was fired. Despite the explosive capabilities, Seireitou can also do pinpoint aiming, as shown when he was able to instantly burn up only Qiongqi's arm and left the rest of her body intact. Seireitou can utilize the two opposite abilities of Shiroenryū simultaneously, demonstrated when he used Moeruchūshin first to instantaneously boil the liquid in Taotie's eyes, causing excruciating pain, and then Attōshūhen to engulf the latter in a large explosion.
 * Tō'ō Shinka: Itsumo Sonzai (藤黄进化いつも存在, Yellow Sacred Flame: Eternal Presence): Not Yet Revealed
 * Midori Shinka: Hotaru Tōsō (緑进化蛍逃走, Green Sacred Flame: Flight of Fireflies): Not Yet Revealed
 * Urei Shinka: Kanzen Ban'nin (愁い进化絶対盾, Blue Sacred Flame: Absolute Defense): The white flames of Hanullim change colors, becoming the exact coloration of the Hōgyoku's center, and form a hexagonal-shaped shield of flames in front of Seireitou. These blue flames have innate repulsive forces that counteract the amount of force that comes into contact with it. This is due to the reishi particles that make up the core of the embers being unstable, changing their properties depending on the force that comes into contact with it. However, despite this defense being seemingly impenetrable, due to the reishi requiring an examination of the force that comes into contact with it to completely counteract it, it can only defend against one type of force at any given time. The shield was strong enough to block Raian's full-powered Keigetsu Tentō while only slightly eroding, after which Seireitou comments that he might have lost an arm were it not for the shield.
 * Aka Shinka: Man'naka (真朱进化真中, Red Sacred Flame: Center): Not Yet Revealed
 * Kuro Shinka: Genkai (黒进化限界, Black Sacred Flame: End): Not Yet Revealed
 * Janenhinote (罪を犯し炎, Sinning Flames; literally "Flames of Depravity"): By raising an arm, Seireitou can form massive or miniscule white-flame tornado(s) that completely trap and surround an opponent(s). While within the flames, the soul and spiritual energy of that person is slowly yanked out, a very painful experience as the soul is ripped out of each and every organ that spiritual energy influences within the body. Once the soul has been forcibly removed, the conscience is soon removed the same way, causing immense strain on the brain. The entire experience, as stated by Koga, is "almost too unbearable for even the strongest of warriors."

Sugurekeshin (優れ体現, "Personification of Sorcery"): During his training in Reiōkyū alongside his Yonkō comrades, Seireitou understood that the best way to advance his own abilities, while sticking true to his primary Hakuda focus, would be to learn to "become" his Kidō spells instead of trying to compete with true Master-class Kidōka on their playing field. Using a similar principle from martial arts, which states that one must learn to combine himself, his soul, his mind, and his technique, into a single entity, Seireitou developed a Kidō style of combat that would best amplify his Hakuda prowess. While it is presumed by most that this style exists for the purpose of strengthening his Hakuda, this is actually incorrect. The purpose of Sugurekeshin, according to Seireitou, is to "uphold Jinseiken". It allows for him to face his opponents in a more sparring-like manner, due to it being said that his pure Hakuda capabilities are much too dangerous to be used to their fullest extent in a battle if he is to prevent killing his opponents. If the extremely-weakened versions of his Hakuda techniques are incapable of beating an opponent, Sugurekeshin is stated to be the next line of offense, as Seireitou claims using any of his Hakuda abilities at full force is far too dangerous. Ideally, Seireitou uses the flow of reiryoku within his body to fuel and focus any particular Kidō spell (or a mixture of spells) of his choosing and it affects his body in accordance with the spell's own abilities. Likewise, his appearance and spiritual aura may also change drastically to best represent the spell he is using. It appears that the more higher-tier the spell he unites with, the greater the threat that poses to his body due to the intensity and pressure that the Kidō spell is composed of in its general use. Kamui noted that the name of this Kidō style was "rather boastful", in that claiming to become the personification of Kidō itself is arrogant in and of itself, subsequently stating that if a true Master like himself "subdues" Kidō to tame its power, then Seireitou must "unify" with Kidō in order to provide an appropiate response.
 * Kasōken (火葬拳, "Fist of the Cremation"): In using Ittō Kasō from within his body, though at a severely smaller scale than its actual external spell form, Seireitou's reiatsu aura becomes an intense crimson red in color, similar to the appearance of the aforementioned spell, and his hair spikes upwards once the technique is initially activated, bearing a dark red tint. The result of this technique causes a multiplication of sorts within Seireitou, an immense upsurge of pure reiryoku that heightens all forms of spiritual and physical attributes, causing his spiritual energy intensity and quality to double (or triple, quadruple, et cetera, depending on the layers of the technique), allowing for an instantaneous increase in overall power. In addition, all of Seireitou's reiatsu-based techniques, such as Reihikari, are all empowered and improved by similar levels. Due to the flame-like nature of the spell, when Kasōken is initiated, all injuries on Seireitou's body become cauterized in order to stop any blood flow from prior-obtained wounds in battle. Blood coursing through the brain is also enhanced, allowing thinking processes to become voluntarily enhanced proportionally to the level of Kasōken used, as well as Seireitou's muscles and blood veins. Some of the more noticeable aspects of the Kasōken use is the enhancement displayed in speed and strength, as well as his base spiritual power. While normally the technique is meant to be used for the duration of a "heartbeat", Seireitou has shown himself to use the technique to raise his spiritual energy levels to higher degrees while dissipating the crimson aura, ideally trapping his aura within him to achieve a more natural look so as not to exert unnecessary reiatsu. However, the specifics of such a feat have yet to be disclosed by Seireitou. Kasōken can be enhanced to further degrees by voluntarily increasing the amount of reiryoku usage of the internal Ittō Kasō spell, thus serving to enhance Seireitou's level of spiritual power and subsequent physical attributes by that desired amount. However, there in-lies the true dangers of Kasōken; just as the spell itself is known as a "spell of sacrifice", over-enhancing the Kasōken can lead to the destruction of Seireitou's muscles, prompting him to forgo any desire of moving beyond a triple-layered (times four base stat) Kasōken technique.

Shiroyasha Persona
"Goodnight everybody. I hope my evil alter ego doesn't wake up in the middle of the night and molest any of you!"

- Seireitou comically referring to his Shiroyasha persona.

Through horrific circumstances throughout his life, having fought in a horrendous war and watching his beloved executed before his eyes, Seireitou had developed a sort of secondary personality within him that would rise to the surface whenever he would experience intense feelings of rage or sadness. Kamui, however, noted that this change in persona is most likely a reflection of his primal instincts due to the Sōzōshin blood coursing in his veins. While at first, Seireitou appeared to be completely unaware that he took on this sudden change, most likely due to being blinded by anger, he seems far more in control of these changes and aware of his actions during.

Change in Personality: Whenever overcome by his Shiroyasha persona, Seireitou's personality utterly changes. He is no longer humorous nor eccentric, but instead becomes serious and apathetic. It is likened to that of Kamui's constant facial expression, exhibiting an immense shuddering aura of coldness from the depths of his eyes as noted by Raian Getsueikirite, whom could not read Seireitou's heart whilst the latter was in this persona, despite the bond the two share as friends. Raian described it as a strange and foreign darkness that surrounded the man's being, completely unlike that of Seireitou, while Saori Sumeragi expressed a fear so great that it threatened to overwhelm her and crush her entirely. Most noticably, he develops an intense sadism that carries over into his conversations and even in his fighting. He demonstrates a complete and willing desire to preform certain acts during battle that would disgust or frighten almost any sort of opponent(s), such as castration and sadomasochism, to a point where it appears as though he finds some form of enjoyment and sexual ecstasy in seeking to preform such actions. Though generally wishing to inflict torture onto an opponent using his blade, he'll use his fingers to stab through an opponent's body and pull out a specific organ, such as aiming for the neck and pulling out their larynx or ripping out their spine part by part through finger-tip thrusts. He is willing to go as far as to tear off the reproductive organs of a male and shove it down their mouths or causing the sexual organs of a female to bleed out violently until they slowly pass out from hypotension shock and brutually violates their body. While doing so, his face reveals the incredible sense of pure ecstasy that he feels in the form of a frightening grin, doing everything possible to an opponent by forcing out every ounce of sickening pleasure and thrill he can from torturing them before utterly killing them in cold blood.

Fear-Inducing Spiritual Pressure: When in his Shiroyasha state of mind, just as his entire alignment changes, so too does the nature of his very reiatsu. It literally inflicts all those who feel the force of Seireitou's reiatsu with a deep sense of fear, slowly forcing them to surrender their composure to instinctive fear toward Seireitou himself and everything around them, causing those who feel the brunt of the spiritual pressure to begin allowing despair and doubt to seep into their minds and forces them to unintentionally lose control of all rational thought. In most cases, such intense fear thrown at a normal victim would result in instantaneous death, their heart being incapable of dealing with a shock of such intensity. However, an individual's willpower can be used to resist this fear-inducing reiatsu to an extent, but it seems that even the strongest of opponents eventually succumb to the fear in direct proportion to the length of time they spend under the influence of the Shiroyasha's spiritual pressure.

Releasing of Suppressed Hakuda Knowledge: By his standing as the Hakuda Grandmaster of Soul Society, Seireitou is acclaimed to know all of the hand-to-hand combat styles as well as all of martial arts in their entirety. However, due to most of those martial arts being far too dangerous and lethal to be used, most specifically those arts that were deemed to be lost to history, he did to them which he had always done with his Shiroyasha persona; suppressing all of the thousands of styles he had known, keeping only a few known martial arts to his immediate use, the full extent of his Hakuda knowledge is released when his Shiroyasha self awakens. He, in turn, becomes far too dangerous an opponent, as the sheer amount of Hakuda styles at his disposal, coupled with his lack of morals and restraint as the Shiroyasha, makes him nigh unbeatable.

Seiten Shiranui-ryū
The Seiten Shiranui-ryū (晴天不知火流, "Soul-Life Guiding Light Style") is an ancient style that has been passed down through generations, renamed time and again by each successor of the style. The former names of its eighteen previous predecessors are currently unknown, but Shōyō explained that each name change was related to the improvements made upon the original art's form. Under Shōyō Shakyamuni, the technique was named Seiten Shiranui-ryū. According to Shōyō's Zanpakutō, Seohak, it is the penultimate union of the four Shinigami combat forms: Zanjutsu, Hakuda, Kidō, and Hohō. Ideally, because of this, the first incarnation of the original art (in other words, its second version) was designed to be the perfect tool for war. It was used in its second stage of development by the leader of Spirit King's guard service, and was called the "black ship" of its forces due to being able to secure victory for whichever side wielded it. However, the story goes on to say that because of his inexperience, he ended up killing himself during battle due to overuse of his abilities. Thusly, only someone who has obtained master-level ability in the four fundamental styles could possibly learn the Seiten Shiranui-ryū. In the hands of a true successor, Shōyō called it "a tool of understanding".

Although it is a hybrid technique among all four main fields of Shinigami combat, its standard techniques appear to be hybrids that are Zanjutsu-dominant, preformed at god-like speed that surpasses even that of master-level Shunpō. The exact workings of Seiten Shiranui-ryū's abilities are still unknown, though it seems that part of mastering the style is using Kidō to empower every single cell in the user's body, similar to that of Raian's Shundan technique, and because of this, the techniques of Seiten Shiranui-ryū can take a cumulative toll on the body of the user if used consecutively. Seohak explained that Seiten Shiranui-ryū is about "mastering the soul's resonance of the user, and the resonance of the souls of its enemies." Besides this, not much else has been explained. He went on to say that the Seiten Shiranui-ryū's techniques are so dangerous and powerful that the style would secure absolute victory for whichever side wielded it in a conflict.

In addition to its standard techniques, Shōyō perfected four main techniques that he called Seiten Shiranui-ryū's Four Pillars of Guiding Light. In its claim to being the penultimate unison of the four modern fields of combat, these four techniques each correspond to a respective Shinigami combat method.
 * Sekkaginkō (銀狐石火, "Flash of the Silver Fox"): As the corresponding technique to Hohō, it is a technique that surpasses the god-like speed of Seiten Shiranui-ryū, which in Sōkudo's words, allows Seireitou to move from one point in space to another point in space while remaining within the exact same time-frame. The name of the technique comes from seeing only a white flash after the technique is initiated and Seireitou teleports away. The technique allows Seireitou to move to a point in space that is heavy with his own spiritual pressure, an example would be a point in space where a Kidō he had cast prior to the use of the technique. When in use, Seireitou enters a dimensional void that instantaneously transports himself to the location of his spiritual energy. The technique is fast enough to even allow Seireitou to escape Sōkudo's space-time techniques generated by the Kuro no Hōgyoku, despite the latter already being in physical contact with him. Seohak explains that Seiten Shiranui-ryū's name means "the art that is guided by the light of the soul", and that this technique is a perfect example of it. Even when he is in contact with another person or object, he is still able to utilize the technique and, if he so wishes, can teleport other objects as well. In using Hadō #8: Kiriken, Seireitou can generate a small weapon that he can use as a projectile in order to use Sekkaginkō as a follow-up, in order to catch opponents off-guard. It goes without saying that the technique completely surpasses any form of Hohō, as it is a manipulation of time and space rather than accelerated movement.
 * Hoshikudaki (星砕, "Star Destroyer"): Not Yet Revealed

Spirit Wave
The Spirit Wave (気周波, Reishūha), also known as the Spirit Flow technique, is one of the three special powers developed by Shōyō Shakyamuni. After his training in Asadal, Seohak was able to firmly instruct him on the technique as per Shōyō's instructions. Seireitou later refined these teachings and mastered the techniques himself.

Zanpakutō
For the manifested spirit of Hanullim, see Hanullim (spirit). Hanullim (하늘님 하느님, Hanuruīm; literally "the ultimate reality", or even "supreme being") is the name of Seireitou Kawahiru's Zanpakutō; also sometimes written as Haneullim (하늘님, "Lord of Heaven"). It takes the appearance of a nōdachi when used, with a white hilt sporting unique complex shapes on it. The top edge of the nōdachi possess several interesting symbols, which Seireitou says represents the four souls of the Shinto philosophy of Naobi (直霊): Aramitama (荒魂, Courage), Nigimitama (和魂, Friendship), Kushimitama (奇魂, Wisdom) and Sakimitama (幸魂, Love). The meaning of the symbols lies in the Shinto belief that when all four of these traits are united in one person, they unite to form a powerful balance within the soul that can be used for good or evil. Even when in its sealed form, while sheathed, the Zanpakutō emits a powerful aura which tends to fluctuate in its nature. After training for several years and facing difficult opponents, Seireitou's Zanpakutō begin undergoing changes of noteworthy significance, to the point that its power has become obscenely stronger. It because of this that most opponents fear the strength of Hanullim, even when it is sealed. Seireitou claims that Hanullim is one-of-a-kind, in that it is the only Interaction-type Zanpakutō in existence.


 * Shikai: Hanullim is released by the command, "Radiance of redemption that leads us to sunrise. Let hallowed prayers be spoken ever more! Let there be light!" (黎明へと導く覇者の煌たまえ聖なる祈り永久に紡がれん光あれグランドクロス, Reimei e to michibiku haja no kirameki yo. Seinaru inori, tōwa ni tsumugaren! Hikari are, gurando kurosu!); When releasing his Zanpakutō, he holds it in an outstretched arm in front of him with the blade pointing down and declares the release command. Hanullim forms into a sleek, medium long-sized sword. The grip has a gentle decorative hand bends forward at the end with a white tassel dangling from the pommel. Instead of a cross guard, there is a dark gold U-shaped decoration covering the first three inches of blade, with a flower petal design just as it meets a black string wrapping. At where the decoration makes its curve, on both sides, the kanji for "yin" (陰) is depicted on one side while the kanji for "yang" (陽) is on the other side. The string is wrapped thrice around the hilt, with a three-loop bow on one side and a decoration on the other that consists of connected cresent yin and yang components, connected to one another, crescent point-to-point. Hanullim's blade is shown to be a very light gold with a silver-edge. It is also straight and slim, with the tip ending in a slanted razor-like edge instead of being tapered to a point. The release of his Zanpakutō comes with an extreme release of spiritual pressure affecting all in the area, and can be felt for miles upon miles across all of Seireitei.
 * Shikai Special Ability: Hanullim's power lies in the nature of Interactions (相互作用, Sōgosayō). It is a Zanpakutō that rules over all forms of interaction; acclaimed to be an almost divine-esque power that allows for the manipulation of the behaviour of all forces that interact with substances, regardless of their composition, energy, regardless of its quality, and other forces. Anything that lies within the dominion of interaction, and/or depends upon it, is within Hanullim's power. It is described in other words, by Saori Sumeragi, as the ability to completely dominate the "flow of energy" in all things, whether they be corporeal, spectral, or mental. However, this power is never directly shown nor utilized, due to Hanullim's own deceptive and malicious nature, but is instead expressed in various unique and sometimes strange ways. Ideally, Hanullim's powers are capable of surpassing even the most skilled Kidō users, even in its Shikai, but due to Seireitou's internal conflicts with the Zanpakutō, he finds himself unable to truly harness Hanullim's fullest capabilities. Hanullim's abilities are invoked by a variety of different verbal commands that corresponds to its different abilities. While some of these techniques are rather complex in their workings, and the conditions required to be utilized, others are more straightforward and simplistic in their usages. Despite having extreme usefulness individually, Seireitou explains that Hanullim's abilities typically function at their greatest efficiency when its power is used in layers, with one layer ontop of another layer; one technique laid on top of another technique. In essence, these layers work according to the rules of a building, with one layer providing a foundation for the second layer and so on. Seireitou claimed that, during his fight with Datara Kawahiru, he never had needed to utilize more than three layers of techniques during any one-on-one fight prior to the aforementioned one. Despite this incredibly diverse system of abilities, Soya Azashiro noted that the most fearsome aspect of Hanullim's power is that whenever the Zanpakutō comes into contact with a power much greater than its own, it uses that power to evolve and obtain new techniques which serve the purpose of strengthening Seireitou's arsenal. To that end, Hanullim is capable of finding a way to challenge any adversary or obstacle, hence Seireitou's claim that Hanullim is "a Zanpakutō that challenges fate." In addition, Seireitou goes on to say that Hanullim's powers can evolve on their own, but also new techniques are born within the Zanpakutō when new interactions are formed (such as friendships or rivalries). According to Seireitou, Hanullim is the only Interaction-type Zanpakutō, in that its unique powers exhibit a form of interaction. Seireitou had admitted that what exactly warrants a particular interaction being manipulated in Shikai is in direct correlation to Hanullim's mood at that time, leading Seireitou to state that Hanullim is actually just as lazy as himself, and because of it, he is a troublesome sword to work with. However, the true danger in using the Zanpakutō's abilities lie in Hanullim's almost malicious personality. It is stated that it was due to Hanullim's inference with Seireitou's instinctive subconscious and aware consciousness that led to the birth of the latter's Shiroyasha persona, and that consistent use of Hanullim's abilities would prompt the Shiroyasha persona to arise within Seireitou; emphasized by a far higher degree during the use of Bankai. In order to prevent such a disaster from occuring, Seireitou took to training in Hakuda and subsequent disciplines, therefore prompting him to forgo the need for Hanullim's powers. However, he will use the Zanpakutō when a true need arises. Additionally, Seireitou is generally capable of allowing Hanullim to manifest to a physical form whenever he deems it, and at certain times, Hanullim himself has the ability to manifest in his true form and even can manifest himself at a distance from his master, able to hear his call from wherever he is. He is able to release by himself, shown as the Zanpakutō bursts into white flames. Seireitou commented that if Kamui's Zanpakutō, Shinbyeong, changes and decides fate, then his Hanullim challenges it.


 * In addition to its standard method of manifesting into its true form, following the nineteen-month timeskip, Seireitou gained a new alternative way of releasing his Zanpakutō's Shikai. Hanullim's sword form will glow bright white, and will start to morph, turning into an energy-like substance before taking a solid shape of a massive white nine-tailed fox, that seems to feature strange black markings running up and around its body, as well as up each of its nine tails. Whilst in this form, Hanullim can charge large spheres of spiritual power in its mouth, and fire massive beams that are capable of causing destruction with a single use. He is also capable of spreading large waves of white flames from his roars and even his paws. Hanullim can also act as transportation and will change back into the energy-like substance before returning to its sword form when its duty has been fulfilled.


 * Base Techniques: The core of Hanullim's nearly limitless arsenal of devastating abilities is the base techniques from which Hanullim builds upon its unique powers. There doesn't seem to be a set number of base techniques, due to the consistent evolution that Hanullim and Seireitou undergo through confronting stronger power sources. These techniques are the building blocks that allow for even more complex techniques to be utilized. Because of this, these techniques on their own are generally very simplistic and can also be rather useless on their own against an opponent of equal or greater power than Seireitou himself.


 * Kirisaki, Hanullim (逃げる究極の現実, "Tear it asunder, Ultimate Reality"): According to Seireitou, this technique represents the interactive nature of "destruction". Seireitou's blade will break down whatever that is cut by it, an interesting manifestation of Seireitou's own power of corrosive poisoning as an offense technique. If there are any significant limits to the effects of the corrosive power they are not known - even the fully transformed body of Datara was unable to stop or quench the effect and only avoided it by abandoning pieces to destruction. The appearance of the corrosive destruction takes the form of green static discharge as it's spreads throughout it's path of destruction. Shōyō explains that Hanullim continues to break down whatever it cuts, until it exists no more. Hanullim can manifest this as a powerful energy wave capable of annihilating thousands of Hollow with one strike. The relentless nature of the results in a widespread chain of destruction that reduces anything caught in its wake to crumbling remains, to where the destructive effect persists and transfers to anything that remains, destroying them in return. It is because of this particular feature that Hanullim proves to be a bane to Hollow, as it prevents them from absorbing or reabsorbing other hollows or parts of themselves that were cut by the sword without risking being destroying themselves.


 * Naibukaku, Hanullim (内側に描く究極の現実, "Draw Inwards, Ultimate Reality"): In contrast of his power to "destruction", this power reflects the nature of "unison", but more closely relates to the idea of "guidance" and "direction". Instead of allowing his energy to cause destruction, Hanullim draws inwards all energy that attempts to cause damage. Whether it'd be active energy, such as the attack of an opponent, or stationary energy, such as the reishi that composes spiritual structures and exists in the atmosphere, Hanullim draws this power into its blade and empowers Seireitou by a proportional amount. In regards to the attack of an opponent, whether it'd be a Zanpakutō technique, a Hollow's technique, Kidō, and even Quincy arrows, anything that is classified as reiatsu/reiryoku or uses reiatsu/reiryoku as its primary component is susceptible to the Naibukaku ability. However, what makes this technique unique is that, in the case of absorbing an opponent's technique, Seireitou can utilize that power by a particular amount of times, proportional to the amount of energy that was absorbed from that person's attack. Kidō is no exception to this ability. Essentially, Seireitou uses his opponent's powers, for a limited time, against them while not needing to waste his own spiritual power. At first, this technique was extremely difficult in utilizing, but after training to harness seijō reiryoku, the technique became second nature in accessing. This efficiency evolved to a point that it can rival the absorbency rate of those who use the Quincy: Letzt Stil form.


 * Senjiru, Hanullim (煎じる究極の現実, "Infuse, Ultimate Reality"): This technique is based on the interactive idea of "insertion" as well as "fusion". In the most simplest train of thought, it allows Hanullim to impart Seireitou's spiritual energy within a specific target through the physical interaction between the blade and its victim, allowing his energy to essentially mix together with the target's reiatsu, forming a homogeneous spiritual energy source that is composed of both original components. However, it can also be used to the opposite extreme. Hanullim can use the energy of an outside external source and allow it to merge with his own internal spiritual energy. similar in principle to the aforementioned "unison" technique. Seireitou likens the theory to that of artificial souls, in how they are used and their overall purpose. However, on its own, this is hardly an effective technique as it can most likely only be used for tracking purposes.


 * Second-Order Techniques: When Hanullim's base techniques are stacked together in a layer of two, a much greater and more powerful technique is then born. In most cases, this new technique will have characteristics of both individual base abilities, though with far stronger effects. The techniques typically will support one another in a way that is dependent on both the chosen techniques and the order in which they have been stacked. Because of Seireitou's expertise and years of experience, these second-order techniques normally require very minimal preparation time for execution, being capable of being cast almost instantaneously.


 * Akkeisagi, Hanullim (を欺いて偽究極の現実, "Deceive Deception, Ultimate Reality"): According to Seireitou, this technique represents the interactive nature of "realization". Hanullim further elaborates on this by saying that people only reach true realizations when they come into contact with outside influences, whether they be other people or even ideas. Something considered completely out of the ordinary for a Zanpakutō, this technique remains Seireitou's fail-safe for all forms of hypnosis and illusions. It is also the technique that makes Hanullim considered the foil to Kamui's Zanpakutō. Unlike Shinbyeong, which can turn reality into an illusion, Hanullim can make illusions turn into reality. By doing this, using illusions to feign a fatal strike can be reversed, and therefore, the fatal strike would be real. As its namesake suggests, Seireitou considers this power as the ability to "deceive deception." When configured to "deceive" hypnosis, it appears that Seireitou can also break the hold an opponent's hypnosis-like abilities have over a target or even himself, or even can turn the hypnosis back on its user.


 * Shūriutsurō, Hanullim (反す直す究極の現実, "Innovate Renovate, Ultimate Reality"): It is a unique technique born from the interaction between Seireitou's Hanullim and Kamui's Shinbyeong, the latter of which is stated by Seireitou to possess the power of influencing and breaking an opponent's spiritual and mental boundaries. Essentially, it represents the interaction nature of "negation of another influence". In other words, this technique deals in manipulating a connection that will cancel out an existing influence. By cutting a target only a single time with Hanullim's blade allows for that target to be literally "freed" from an outside influence, such as the past-falsification power of Shūkurō Tsukishima's Book of the End. Hanullim emits a white spiritual hue from its blade when this technique is in effect, and loses its physical properties.


 * Third-Order Techniques: Beyond that of the second-order, Seireitou is capable of also layering three base techniques together or even two second-order techniques in order to synthesize an even greater technique that, just one alone, would be capable of overwhelming a Captain's Bankai in particular circumstances. However, due to the difficulty and power that lies in these order techniques, Seireitou must utilize the proper preparation time to allow these techniques to be properly applied in battle. Despite this need for preparation, Seireitou can bypass this restriction and use these techniques nearly instantaneously, although doing so causes their strength to be hindered significantly.


 * Ōnoyoroi, Hanullim (クマの鎧究極の現実, "Bear the Armor, Ultimate Reality"): By layering the "Kirisaki, Hanullim" base technique three different times, Hanullim generates a powerful field of a destructive and corrosive green reiatsu that is so powerful, it is sometimes mistaken for green-colored flames enveloping Seireitou's body and sword. It produces an aura so corrosive that it is considered impossible to lay a hand on Seireitou's person, as even nearing his body, whether by physical body or a weapon, will cause anything touched by the green reiatsu to be instantly broken down to mere reishi particles. Because of this, once a victim has been caught by the green flame-like reiatsu aura, it is impossible to stop the corrosion as it not only disintegrates the point of interaction, but the disintegration effects will also spread over to parts detached as well, as if the technique forms a net of corrosive flames that seeks similar energy sources. As such, it is highly difficult to avoid the effects should it be inflicted upon a body limb, as even cutting off that body part will cause the flames to persist onwards to break down the entirety of that energy signature. Raian noted that Seireitou looks like an "angel of death" as the aura flows up his body and reaches outwards to appear as two large wings. Because it is a third-order technique, the corrosive aura requires a specific amount of preparation time, but once enacted, it shall not fade away until Seireitou deems the ability to end.


 * Fourth-Order Techniques: Ideally the strongest level of abilities that Hanullim can create, the layering of four base techniques can lead to the utilization of fourth-order abilities. In addition, however, such powers can also be attained through layering three second-order techniques or two third-order techniques. Similar to the third-order restrictions, however, the time needed for preparation is much higher. This is enhanced so much so that using these abilities in one-on-one fights is almost impossible, as it would cause Seireitou to be a vulnerable target for assault by an opponent(s). The trade-off is that fourth-order techniques are powerful enough to be considered "one-shots", strong enough to eliminate an opponent of superior power with a single use of a technique. As with the third-order as well, these abilities can be called upon nearly instantaneously, although their strength is restricted to a minimum of at least one-twentieth of their true power.


 * Orokana, Hanullim (愚かな究極の現実, "Playing around, Ultimate Reality"): According to Seireitou, this technique represents the interactive nature of "competition". Ideally, it manifests various competitions that test a variety of traits such as intelligence and skill. Hanullim makes the rules of the competition and anyone who steps within the boundaries of its spiritual pressure is forced to play by those rules, including Seireitou himself. According to Seireitou, "if you win you live, if you lose you die". It is noted to be very similar to Shunsui Kyōraku's Zanpakutō, which can "make children's games real". Seireitou claims that this is his favorite technique of Hanullim's to use.


 * Sōkyoku (双殛, "Twinned Punishment"): The last will and testament left behind following the death of Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto had listed Seireitou to be the recipient of the inheritence of Sōkyoku; the will stating that "the blade of the phoenix flames shall be sheathed within his [Seireitou] soul." This would also lead to Hanullim being the successor to Ryūjin Jakka as the most destructive Zanpakutō in all of Soul Society. After being given the shards of the Sōkyoku by Captain-Commander Shunsui Kyōraku, Seireitou began the extensive process to forge them into Hanullim's blade whilst training in Reiōkyū. In allowing the physical blade shards as well as the spirit within the Sōkyoku, the Kikōō (燬鷇王, "Blaze Fledgling King"), to merge with Hanullim's blade and inner spirit, the power was truly assimilated into the Zanpakutō's design successfully. Hanullim comically would later refer to the Kikōō as his "pet". As a result, the flames of Sōkyoku had changed from their yellow crimson-esque color to a smooth white coloration that is likened to Seireitou's Shiroenryū technique. Despite being rumored to have the might of a million Zanpakutō, the strength of the Sōkyoku on its own is comparatively miniscule. Only when it is wielded by a heart that is unyielding and resolute to a sufficiency that will allow the holder to hold those flames without being destroyed by them, can the true power of the Sōkyoku be unleashed. During the tail-end of his training in Reiōkyū, Seireitou underwent the necessary training needed to wield the Sōkyoku's power from within Hanullim. He is capable of manipulating the degree of intensity and heat in which the flames possess, as the power of the Sōkyoku allows for Seireitou to ideally vaporize a victim's soul with a single swing of the blade, with its offensive and defensive power said to be equivalent to that of a million Zanpakutō when its true might is mastered; though, Seireitou admits that he has yet to realize Sōkyoku's final abilities. Additionally, this power increases by tenfold upon piercing through the target. Seireitou has shown to be capable of emitting a visage of Sōkyoku's true form as a massive, phoenix-like entity through his reiatsu.


 * Bankai: Shinwaryeok Hanullim (신성한진리의궁극적인현실, "an ultimate reality of divine truth"); When Seireitou initiates the Bankai release, he will glow with an intense yet fading white aura that outlines his body. Upon calling out his Bankai, Seireitou's body seemingly turns into white flames that combust, exploding outwards in an enormous explosion of white and black reiryoku whips, that finally fall to the ground as a thick dense rain of reiatsu all over the surrounding area. In this form, Seireitou takes on physical properties of Shinwaryeok Hanullim's inner spirit. His hair becomes more longer and flowing, with a dark red facelines running down the length of his face from both of his eyes, very similar in appearance to that of Ulquiorra Cifer's second release form. The hakama he normally wears does not appear to change whatsoever, though appears a bit darker in coloration, as his shihakushō takes on a more similar appearance to Hanullim's inner spirit. However, it appears to retain the lines present in his base uniform, though thinner and two grey bars instead of one solid black bar. He appears almost royal in his attire, his sleeves appearing to be bell-shaped with the addition of a gold bar running around the edge of the sleeve in a circular fashion. Seireitou's shoulders are draped in a see-through lavender veil, almost reminiscent in appearance to what the traditional mantle that Quincy would once wear. When truly enraged in his Bankai form, his eyes take the most dramatic change, as they appear to become a strange mystical white, with a shadowy black outline. The physical form of Seireitou's Zanpakutō remains very similar to his sealed state, becoming more of a japanese longblade daitō with jagged edges along the design of the blade. It also appears that the hilt has a white chain connected from the bottom of it, running down as it eventually reaches around his waist. The blade itself is durable enough to withstand several of Kamui's Bankai-enhanced Cero and even endure direct hits from Mūkade's massive Bankai. In both cases, the blade did not show any signs of damage. The blade in this form is dangerous enough to cause aggravated injuries in one single blow. Seireitou tends to loathe using his Bankai, going as far as to call it his "pain-in-the-ass Bankai release." After he had obtained mastery of his Bankai, following a fight with a much stronger Kamui, the form of the Bankai changed ever so slightly to form a white aura around his waist, which manifests as a furry long spiritual kitsune tail in the back, completely white with a black fiery tip. It appears that this tail serves as an indication of the level of spirit energy that Seireitou is utilizing at any given time. As a result, when the Bankai form is initially entered, he only has one tail, but can actually form up to nine white fox tails, an indication that he is using his Bankai at maximum power. Because of his acquired mastery, Seireitou can deem whether to dematerialize his Zanpakutō's blade form or to continue wielding it (when the former occurs, he can choose to rematerialize the blade), allowing him to fight with his sword and hand-to-hand whilst in Bankai, depending on the situation.
 * Bankai Special Abilities: While Hanullim's power deals in manipulating and creating interactions of multiple types within the field of Seireitou's reiatsu, in Bankai, all interactions generated and operated by the Zanpakutō are focused onto Seireitou's being and his blade. They are compressed within him, in a way that Shinwaryeok Hanullim allows for Seireitou to "command all interactions by his own hand". Thusly, it is a Bankai that incorporates the interactions that Hanullim can influence within the blade. He can cause existences (whether they be made up of reishi or atoms) or forces to negate one another, repel them from eachother, and even fuse them together into one. In these aforementioned scenarios, the repulsion is often accompanied by an intense burst of what appears to be his signature white flames but rather is his immensely powerful spiritual pressure that gives off such an appearance. These are, as the Bankai spirit claims, mere examples of the fullest capabilities Shinwaryeok Hanullim possesses. Though the power of his Bankai goes far more deeper than simple "cause-and-effect" control, the true strength of Shinwaryeok Hanullim lies in the potential of interactions Seireitou is currently capable of utilizing whilst in his Bankai form. Over a significant period of exposure, even Soul Society can fall victim to its power and be destroyed. Even the Ōin, which grants its master the power of dimensional control, is said to pale in comparison to the devastating applications of Shinwaryeok Hanullim.
 * Power Augmentation: The full extent of his powers are still unknown but he managed to quickly overpower Hibiki Asakura in his Bankai form, despite not initially standing any possible chance against him prior to entering Bankai. Having mastered his Bankai, Seireitou's power reaches the prime factor increase of ten times that of his base spiritual energy level.


 * Overwhelming Spiritual Power: The spiritual energy and pressure of this form is simply unimaginable, as Seireitou's already immense spiritual power is significantly increased further upon entering his Bankai. Just his presence in this stage is so devastating, that he needs to hold back the full might of his reiatsu as so not to kill his allies. When using Bankai, Seireitou's reiatsu takes the shape of several black and white reiatsu wisps surrounding his body, as well as a large aura that rains down on the opponent. The wisps of reiatsu seem to serve the purpose of vibrating the reishi particles around him, being able to deflect opposing spiritual particles. Because the reishi vibrates at roughly nine million times per second, not even the Quincy's Seele Schneider can cut through Seireitou's dense reiatsu. Once reconstructed, Seireitou's spiritual power increases further. Now that his reishi is vibrating at further speeds, his power has become something completely new, having a unique feeling to it completely unfelt by any other.
 * Enhanced Shikai Abilities: Seireitou's Shikai abilities have been explosively supplemented, allowing him to utilize Third-Order techniques at the very instant of Bankai activation. One such power, "Ōnoyoroi, Hanullim", is put into effect upon the very instant that Seireitou's Bankai is activated but is normally unseen by the eyes of anyone else unless Serieitou himself wills it to be seen. In addition, the power of Hanullim's corrosive base technique is greatly enhanced, concentrating the sheer destructive power along the edge of the blade of the Bankai. In doing so, anything cut by the blade is disintegrated into absolute nothingness, bypassing the rate that the base Shikai technique was normally restricted by. The defensive power of neither the Blut Vene nor Hierro are not even capable of standing up against this power. In regards to the other Shikai abilities, Seireitou can utilize them in similar manners as he could before, addressing them with their respective commands and "Shinwaryeok Hanullim" instead.
 * Devastating Speed: His speed is enhanced astronomically, able to move great distances in an instant as if to displace himself. Seireitou's Bankai enhances his speed to the point that even captain-level opponents cannot register his movements. He was shown to match the Bankai-empowered Hibiki in terms of speed, being able to match and counter each and every one of the latter's attacks, being able to push Echo to his absolute limits of speed. He moves at such exceedingly incredible speeds, that Ryan once noted it almost seems like "the entire space around them slows down when Seireitou moves." Seireitou was able to overcome Raian's Shunkō-enhanced speed, and place his hand on Raian's shoulder nonchalantly, the very next moment. After overcoming his despair, his speed was further enhanced, as he seems to flicker from place to place using a flash of light when engaging in acts of speed; capable of dematerializing himself from one place and re-materializing himself at a distance by literally breaking down into white particle shards and reassembles himself, making a strange phaser-like sound when in movement.
 * Strength & Durability Augmentation: Seireitou has become strong enough to cause a shockwave after being knocked down by Echo. His skin and hands are also strong enough to catch and hold onto Hibiki Asakura's Zanpakutō while the latter is in his Bankai form without any damage. His strength has also vastly increased in strength to the point where Raian (prior to his fusion with Yamamoto) and Mashū's combined Bankai attacks have no effect at all. Because of this, he can withstand a level 90 destruction spell without suffering any severe damage. With little effort, Seireitou is able to cut off the right arm of Yokibō from his body; the latter commented that he cut through it "like a hot knife through butter." With Shinwaryeok Hanullim's reconstructed state, its blade's own force almost becomes inconceivable. It was shown strong enough to block several high-level Kidō effortlessly, and also cutting through the body of an Arrancar's hierro without needing Seireitou's own spiritual force behind it. After overcoming his despair, his strength has increased to the point where a single swing of his sword can level a mountain.
 * Enhanced Shiroenryū: Despite being a self-created Kidō style, it is integrated into the Bankai's design. Because of this, the full power generated by the immense flames of Shiroenryū are incorperated into the blade itself. It does not burn what it comes into contact with but rather it simply incinerates anything it touches, leaving no trace behind as those struck by it are rendered to smoldering ashes. Because of this, it can seemingly contend with the equally-destructive powers of Raian's own Bankai. When he chooses to dematerialize Shinwaryeok Hanullim's blade form, he can actually compress the immense powers of Shiroenryū to both of his hands, allowing him to fight hand-to-hand while retaining the same destructive power while also making use of the powerful flames in widespread scopes. It goes without saying that fighting this way causes the effectiveness of his Hakuda to become further enhanced.


 * Shōjiru, Shinwaryeok Hanullim (出す神の真実の究極の現実, "Reconstruct, Divine Truth of Ultimate Reality"): Whenever Shinwaryeok Hanullim meets another strong entity in combat, a fragment of that opponent's energy is taken by the Zanpakutō, which allows it to become stronger. The power that evolves inside of Hanullim (and subseqently, Shinwaryeok Hanullim) is displayed in the Bankai, in various unique techniques. Another unique characteristic of Shinwaryeok Hanullim is once it evolves to a certain standing, it will actually "reconstruct" its soul and ultimately the Bankai release. When this occurs, a large amount of spiritual energy flows out the mirror, surrounding Seireitou in a cocoon, which goes through the process of reconstruction. However, the entire process is time-consuming, and Shinwaryeok Hanullim warns Seireitou to only use it when fighting alongside comrades. The new capabilities that Seireitou is then capable of preforming are sealed into the Bankai, allowing for him to use it via this aforementioned technique. While Seireitou's appearance does not change whenever this technique is utilized, albeit the lavender veil around him has become golden, the Zanpakutō transforms into an entirely new appearance. Its blade has grown bigger, taking on the appearance reminiscent of a kitsune fang. What's more noticeable is that it is made of pure diamond, instead of steel as most Zanpakutō are comprised of. The guard is no longer visible, instead being made of a large tuff of fox fur, fitting the shape of the blade as stated. Its hilt is shown to be the very same used in Hanullim's sealed state, retaining a white color as opposed to a golden color in the Shikai. Dangun theorized that the fear of failing Shiori sparked the process of evolution, and the fear of death finalized the end result. In addition to the change in Shinwaryeok Hanullim's appearance, Seireitou's own spiritual power has increased by massive amounts, retaining its white color with the addition of black wisps of reiryoku. However, its true power is revealed when Seireitou harmonizes his soul with Shinwaryeok Hanullim completely; essentially, in other words, controlling the interaction between his mind and his instinct. When this technique is activated, the fur around Shinwaryeok Hanullim that makes up its guard lengthens greatly, wrapping around Seireitou's right arm, which hangs outwards after reaching his shoulder, hanging back like a tail. Most noticeably, Seireitou's spiritual pressure is seemingly weakened severely. In fact, it was a result of joining his reiatsu and reiryoku together, instead of throwing one away to strengthen the other attribute, to the point where that it literally forms an invincible armor around him, appearing as a thin white aura of spiritual energy. Raian expressed the feeling to be strange, as it would be one thing to complete throw away one's spiritual pressure, but to literally weaken it to such degrees is incomprehensible. His spiritual force, strength, speed, and durability have increased further, being able to easily fight on par with Datara's transcendent transformation. When using Shikon Hisakiten, it appears as a massive amplified slash of white spiritual energy that covers the surrounding area and brightens the sky to the point of blinding weaker opponents, damaging anything caught within the light.


 * Hyūzu, Shinwaryeok Hanullim (ヒューズ神の真実の究極の現実, "Return as One, Divine Truth of Ultimate Reality"): Not Yet Revealed


 * Shūryō, Shinwaryeok Hanullim (終了神の真実の究極の現実, "Finish, Divine Truth of Ultimate Reality"): Not Yet Revealed


 * Beongae Janggun (번개장군, "General of Lightning"): Not Yet Revealed


 * Byeorak Janggun (벼락장군, "General of Thunder"): Not Yet Revealed


 * Hwadeok Jingun (화덕진군, "General of Fire"): Not Yet Revealed


 * Pungu Dosa (풍우도사, "Master of the Winds and the Rains"): Not Yet Revealed


 * Okhwang Sangje (하늘의왕, The King of Heaven): Not Yet Revealed


 * Ōhirumenoshī (大日孁貴神, "Great Spirit Who Shines in the Heavens"): A technique acquired from the Bankai form of Seireitou's Zanpakutō, Shinwaryeok Hanullim. While being in his half-dead comatose state, Seireitou was plunged into his inner world and forced to confront a demonic form of Shiori. This was because Shinwaryeok Hanullim explained that Shiori's death was the source of Seireitou's "despair", and because he allowed himself to fall into sorrow, his power began to decrease slowly until he would become a hollow shell of his former self. By finally accepting the despair and turning it into power, he was forced to confront a composite form of Shinwaryeok Hanullim and Sanagi. However, instead of battling the being, he had to accept Shinwaryeok Hanullim's blade, and be ran through by it. The blade, in turn, didn't harm him since it was his blade. Seireitou completed the interaction between his emotions and state of mind, with his spiritual power. This technique is the manifestation of this interaction, in which he becomes Hwanin. The usage of this technique is extremely dangerous, as it can cause strange interactions that are not within Seireitou's control.
 * Hwanin (한인 (神の主); Korean for "Heaven Emperor", Japanese for "Divine Lord"): In this form, Seireitou's appearance changes drastically. The tear-like marks under his eyes that appear with Bankai increase in size and turn into a darkened silver. His silver hair becomes longer but much more tame, attaining golden armor which is styled to appear like japanese royalty. The chest plate contains sapphire embedded, which also extends outwards toward the shoulders, where the armor ends in two more sapphires on each respective side which hold up a long white cape. On his back, two large solid-gold wings with designs similar to the sheath of Hanullim. The inner edges of the wings are connected by a golden arc bar. Seireitou permeates with dense white reiatsu, mostly around his right arm.
 * Miryōkanna (魅了カンナ, Godless Heaven): Seireitou generates a white blade out of seemingly nothingness. Its appearance heralds a massive storm of white flames to gather above him, in which a large dense Sun descends slowly from the clouds. Seireitou is then able to direct the attack downwards, damaging anything caught within the wake of the massive sun. The flames then recedes, dissipating into the sky. However, Seireitou has also shown that he can focus the white sun on his person, absorbing the force of the flames to the point where his power multiplies by several factors for a limited amount of time.


 * Sokoshin'nyū (浸透侵入, Penetrating Divine Light): Seireitou calls forth an orb of spiritual power which he holds out in front of his two hands, which send a pulse of energy throughout the surrounding area. However, it is capable of being directed toward one opponent. It literally tears apart an opponent, by tracking down the smallest fragment of darkness within them; these can also apply to feelings of doubt or fear, or even arrogance. Those on the battlefield who witness the technique, such as Raian, note that they feel safe and protected, as if there's nothing to fear.


 * Taegeuk (태극, Yin and Yang; literally "supreme ultimate"): Not Yet Revealed


 * Sinsaeng Jeongsu: Hanullim Kwan-Um (하늘님콴음, "Perceive the True Supreme Being", idiomatically "perceiving the ultimate truth of reality"): Not Yet Revealed

Shinkūmyō Powers
Shinkūmyō (空の存在, Empty Existance) are Shinigami (or Sōzōshin, in this case) whom have underwent a form of transformation involving the power of a Blank, becoming entirely new beings. Shinkūmyō of this kind, grow a Blank-like entity within themselves and can access it's power. The inner being is usually called the "Inner Rosary", and is created when one attempts to supress their memories and feelings to an extent, to which they create a being within themselves. Seireitou's Inner Rosary is named Sanagi and exists within Seireitou's Inner World. Unlike his former Hollow Transformation, in order to access his Shinkūmyō powers, his aura meerly shifts over as his aura is replaced with Sanagi's power. Originally, Seireitou could not maintain Sanagi's power, but after awakening his inner Sōzōshin blood, he was able to enact full dominance over Sanagi. This is shown by his eyes changing into a more complex form, signifying his power being balanced with Sanagi's.

Throughout the Legacy of the Kawahiru Saga, Seireitou had noticed that his powers were beginning to show signs of overlapping similarities, which had finally occured during his fight against Datara Kawahiru. To call upon this power, he forms a dense sphere of reiatsu above his forehead and pulls it down, forming a crystal mask. This mask is made of Sanagi's spiritual energy in a crystallized state. The mask itself takes on a kitsune-like appearance, with its long ears drooping downwards. Unlike the "ripping" motion used by Vizard to summon their mask, Seireitou's mask makes a sound as if it was crystallizing around his face; summoning the mask is achieved by making a hand gesture as if "wiping" over the face, as trails of spiritual energy from his hand form the mask. Where his mask once was completely blank of design and only was of the crystal material, there are now four thick black stripes that appear to emerge outwards from the widened eye-holes of his mask and either disappear into both sides of the lower jaw or travel past the very top of the mask itself. Seireitou has demonstrated the ability to use both Sōzōshin and Shinkūmyō abilities, as his former Hollow powers have integrated into his two current power states. After donning his Shinkūmyō Mask, Seireitou demonstrated even more frightening abilities which he doesn't normally use in battle.

Despite Seireitou destroying Sanagi, he seems to still retain his Shinkūmyō powers, to even further degrees. It is currently unknown what influences this power, though it is theorized that Sanagi's powers were completely infused into Seireitou's own being, making his Shinkūmyō powers one-of-a-kind.
 * Power Augmentation: While wearing the crystal mask, Seireitou's spiritual and physical capabilities have vastly increased beyond their former selves. In his final fight against Datara Kawahiru, the mask's appearance had slightly changed and with it, the increases in Seireitou's capabilities had followed suit. Eventually, Seireitou was capable of accessing the Shinkūmyō mask's power without the need of donning the mask. Accessing these powers would be identified by the change of Seireitou's eye color, becoming the exact coloration of Sanagi's eyes, which are darkened lavender.
 * Vast Spiritual Power: Seireitou's power in this form is greatly enhanced; his aura shifts over to Sanagi and changes color from white to a smooth lavender. According to Shiori, the continued release of it would cause tremendous harm to the Soul Society. If he should continue to clash with Kamui while in this state, and Kamui in his Bakkōtō-enhanced state, it would spell the end of the Soul Society. It's sheer strength was great enough to horrify Raian, Mashū, and Makōtō who sensed his spiritual pressure far away from the bottom of Sōkyoku Hill. An interesting feat about his spiritual energy at this stage is the fact of it being pure distortional energy, erasing anything that contacts with it; ideally making it an atmosphere of black holes. He was able to use his reiatsu as a shield and expand it out as an explosion for a destruction that affected the surrounding area. It wasn't until he accepted the composite form of his inner rosary and Shinwaryeok Hanullim that he had truly unlocked the hidden power he held. When combined with his Bankai's immense capabilities, even the second transformation of Datara Kawahiru was unable to comprehend this power, as he states that Seireitou is "standing in a dimension far higher than himself."
 * Immense Speed: While in this form, Seireitou becomes dangerously fast and evasive, able to dodge all of Raian's bala attacks with little effort and keep up with Kamui while he is using Shikai and wearing his Hollow mask. He seems to move like a bullet, rather than use a form of flash step. His already high levels of speed have increased to such amounts that in conjuntion with his own pure distortional spiritual energy, he can manipulate interactions. While using his Shinkūmyō powers, Seireitou's speed technique often shifts from Shunpō to Unarikyō (金切り声を叫び, Screech Cry), which is the Shinkūmyo equivalent and produces a "scratch-like" sound.
 * Enhanced Strength: This synergized form was able to push back Kaito Kawahiru with little effort, and put all of the Captains on the defensive with just physical power. He is able to easily strike through a target's flesh with a single nonchalant sweep of his bare hands. He can slash through structures with ease, even those comprised of sekki-seki. He effortlessly outmatched Datara's maximum-powered Cero with a single hand.
 * Telekinesis: Quickly after transforming, Seireitou is able to call Hanullim back to his hands with just the wave of his hand. He is also shown to be able to use a form of telekinesis on his opponent. He even showed usage of minor gravitational control; being able to repel and attract substances, reiatsu or even living beings. Through the synergization of his Shinkūmyō and Hollow powers, Seireitou gained a minor form of mind reading.
 * Enhanced Shikon Hisakiten: When Seireitou summoned his Shikon Hisakiten technique, not only did it's speed increase, along with it's overall devastating after-effects and immense power, but also drastically changed shape and appearance. It took on the appearance of a compressed orb of circling lavender reiatsu, with several golden reiatsu whips encircling around the compressed orb, having an almost spherical tornado-like appearance. When utilized at full-power, it gives off the appearance of a kitsune upon being fired from the blade.


 * Cero Lamparos (ゼロライト (白中空フラッシュ), sero ramuparosu; Spanish for "Light Zero", Japanese for "White Hollow Flash") or more grammatically correct Cero Lampara, is a full-powered white Cero with a dark red outline to it, which Seireitou states to be the extreme opposite to Ulquiorra's black Cero Oscuras. When using this technique, Seireitou concentrates his vast spiritual energy with only his index finger into an condensed stark-white Cero with great might. When fired, it shines an immense white light that can burn the surrounding area it comes into contact with, and even leave those who stare at it temporarily blind. Seireitou refered to it as "my Cero." The Cero Lamparos's range is vast, and is immensely powerful enough to completely shatter Ryan's Zanpakutō, critically injuring him in the process, and strong enough to destroy the entire Senzaikyū tower in Seireitei. Despite the Cero being a Hollow-exclusive technique, the very fact that his Shinkūmyō powers have offered this technique may indicate that his Hollow powers and Shinkūmyō may be reaching their final evolution; seemingly overlapping eachother.

Transformation
Chrysalis Form: The sorrow felt by losing Shiori had finally reached a breaking point, as Seireitou's powers began to shift into a new state altogether. Seireitou's Bankai had began to enter a new unifed state, alongside that of Sanagi. His body's natural black and white wisps of reiatsu began to surround him in what appeared to be a swirling tornado of screaming souls. A dense lavender reiatsu overcame Seireitou's body, as it crystalized and hardened around his body. In this new form, he slightly resembles his Sōzōshin form in a way, albeit his face is replaced with a lavender canvas made entirely of sapphire, as his entire body is now encased in. He also has retractable crystal claws on his fingertips and toes, small furry black tufts, and long fox ears that appear to be solid crystal and stand upwards, similar to that of horns. Behind him, it is shown that he possesses a long crystal tail, almost exact in appearance to a fox's, but much longer in comparison. His eyes are no longer visible, but replaced by a pair of glowing crimson lenses that serve as eyes. Seireitou is also shown capable of opening his mouth, despite his entire face encased by the sapphire. Sanagi, in the aftermath of the first incident, called this the "chrysalis form", implying that there is more to this form.
 * Undefiable Spiritual Power: Seireitou's spiritual power becomes so great, it cannot be sensed by Seijin master-level opponents. It is also great enough to instill the thought that they aren't attacking anything. Despite this, the effect of Seireitou's newfound reiatsu on the surrounding is still evident. Initially, it appears as enlonged wisps of lavender and black reiatsu, completely overwhelming everything and anything within the range of Seireitou's spiritual pressure.
 * Enhanced Cero Lamparos: His stark-white Cero has become exceedingly more powerful, capable of completely overwhelming Kamui's Esalare release and causing large scale destruction to large portions of the surroundings. It is fired from between the tips of his fox ear-like horns instead of his fingers as he normally utilized it. This Cero is white with a dark red outline as before and now quad-focused.
 * Enhanced Shikon Hisakiten: Seireitou's Shikon Hisakiten appears as completely surrounding the Shinwaryeok Hanullim. The extent of its power is currently unknown as it has never been utilized in this form. Renge refers to this attack as a "Birōdō Getsuga" (ラベンダームーンファング, Lavender Moon Fang), referring to the attacks' lavender color. Seireitou has stated that the Lavender Getsuga was originally Sanagi's technique.


 * Heightened Strength: This strange and unusual power was able to push back Renge Yamato with little effort, and put all of the Seijin Council on the defensive with just physical power. A mere punch was strong enough to shatter the ribcage of a kidō-protected Renge. It appears that Tōkaru's Shikai wall also fell by an effortless attack on Seireitou's part. Seireitou's strength was great enough to effortlessly shatter Renge's strongest technique in Bankai: Niban Dankai.
 * Immense Durability: His new crystalized appearance is not for merely show, as it is capable of fighting against the Bankai of captain-level opponents without being scathed in the slightest. Even the might of Renge Yamato's second stage Bankai was unable to scratch this crystalized form. He willingly lets Tōkaru's Getsuga Tenshō collide with him, and remains unharmed.
 * Unrealistic Speed: This new form grants Seireitou speed well beyond that of others, namely even Echo Ichimaru, one who is defined by his law-defying speed. Kamui speculates that this form allows him to actually contract the space-time continuum between himself and his desired location. With this type of ability, Kamui explains that Seireitou's speed can continue to increase to a point where even Kamui himself will be unable to comprehend, let alone match.

Awakened Form: Unable to control this unusual new power, and absorbed by the fear of hurting those around him, Seireitou entered a comatose state. This was to ensure complete mental and spiritual alliance, as Seireitou faced trials by Sanagi in order to control his power. Once he entered the chrysalis stage, his body would start shedding the crystal around his body, as his appearance would change drastically. He now wears a gray shihakushō, along with a black hakama, held together by a firm rope belt. A black mantle with burnt edges is draped over his shoulders, that stays connected together by what appears to be a tomoe necklace. His hair has changed colors, transforming from its natural silver to lavender with a purple tint. It also becomes much longer than before, especially his side bangs. Probably the most strange change to Seireitou revolves around his newly grown kitsune ears and long kitsune tail, both being lavender in color. His eyes obtain color from their mysterious mystic white to a resolute dark lavender, but retain a strange mystic white outline to them when Seireitou releases his spiritual power. They give off an apathetic feel to them, with Raian noting that he could feel the "solitude" behind them. Subsequently, he stated that no matter how hard they fought, Raian could not tell what Seireitou's heart was conveying, despite the close connection between the two. It seems that his personality also changes as drastically as his appearance, as shown by his much more stern contrast in both facial expression and in verbal expression. However, following his final confrontation with Raian Getsueikirite, his personality seems quite different in this stage, depicted as being even more cruel than usual. It was shown that he had a tendency to play with his enemies in battle. The difference in persona implies that they are separate entities, though it is clear that they are the same person. Raian speculates that this personality is drawn from both Seireitou's own persona and Sanagi. Seireitou, while in this stage, wields a strange manifestation of Shinwaryeok Hanullim, named Kumiho Hanullim (구미호하늘님, Supreme Nine-Tailed Fox Being). As Kumiho Hanullim, the Zanpakutō takes on the most strangest form, losing the appearance to even be called a blade. It now consists of a metal blade without any form of handle or guard, the blade's shape reminiscent of a japanese longsword. In order to be held without Seireitou's hand being cut, Hanullim now has a white cloth that is wrapped around one of the ends, that serves as a hilt. The simplistic appearance of Hanullim in this form causes opponents to gravely underestimate Seireitou, as shown in his fight with Sao Jiang. At will, whilst in this form, Seireitou can generate nine lavender-colored sapphire tails from behind him, resembling fox tails. These can be used for offense, and even for defense, as they can be made to move at Seireitou's whim.
 * Instantaneous Cero Lamparos: Being the only power shown in this stage, due to Seireitou using this form just once so far in a battle with Akujin, he can fire an instant and destructive Cero Lamparos from his fingertip. It's color has changed from it's stark-white with a dark red outline, to a darkened lavender with a solid mystical white outline, not unlike the appearance of the edges of Seireitou's eyes in Bankai. It was quick enough to completely devastate the entire Rukongai, from the Seijin Temple to the Seireitei, which is an estimated nine miles in length, and strong enough to completely penetrate the Seireitei's sekki-seki walls, despite being shot from several miles away. It's very presence can scorch the clouds in the skies.
 * Unrecognizable Spiritual Power: Reaching a point where it can no longer be called spiritual power, Seireitou's reiatsu has further increased from his chrysalis form. Unique to Seireitou's awakened transformation alone, it appears that he can change the properties of his very spiritual energy. It usually circles around his surroundings as puffs or clouds of spiritual power, that usually shift from a calm lavender color to a mystical white. Renge comments that these clouds are manifestations of Seireitou's feelings and emotions that are being influenced by his monsterous spiritual power. Being the most unique of all spiritual powers thus far, Seireitou's powers work in the exact opposite to Raian Getsueikirite's power. Instead of being unable to sense it, one who feels Seireitou's power will sense it all around them, being unable to pinpoint Seireitou's existence. Kamui claimed that he could "somewhat" pinpoint it, further commenting that only one of Sōzōshin heritage or equally-powerful status could fully comprehend its might. When using this technique, Seireitou glows with a thin red hue of spiritual energy, and his sword strikes unleash massive waves of white spiritual power with every swing. Kamui noted how heavy his spiritual power is in this state, and even noticed how it was almost as solid as crystal.
 * Physical Augmentation: It was noted by Kamui that Seireitou's physical abilities were unlike that of his Bankai. His arm strength, leg strength, resistance, and speed had become significantly increased, to the point of making Kamui's Bakkōtō power look like nothing. By his own claim, Kamui stated that using his Bankai against this form would end in the same result. Seireitou had to cushion the impact of his blade by making it blunt with his "crystallized" spiritual power, albeit it still crushed right through Sannotō's Zanpakutō, and left a massive gash on the former's chest. Seireitou's strength has also reached frightening heights, even by Seijin-level standards, allowing him to take on the force of all but the most strongest attacks without needing to dodge or block. In fact, his strength allows him to shrug off the force of a point-blank attack from Kurama Kawahiru. With a simple flick of his finger in Renge's direction, he was able to push back the latter through three buildings, albeit being a considerably short distance between them. By flicking his thumb from inside his fist, he could form a miniature vacuum which would function like a bullet, shooting the target that Seireitou designates. In addition, his level of movement transcends all forms of speed enhancement, foregoing the need for flash step. Whenever he moves, he appears from one point to another point, leaving behind a small hue of white spiritual energy.

Relationships
Being a man whom values his bonds, Seireitou has formed several unique and interesting friendships, alliances, rivalries, and even enemies due to his actions and viewpoints. Interestingly enough, several female characters in the series have possibly developed romantic feelings for him despite his strange and eccentric persona, though most likely a result of his inwardly compassionate nature.

Anime Omake Segment: Sei-san no Kyōshitsu
Seireitou is in charge of the Sei-san no Kyōshitsu (の教室, literally "Sei-san's Classroom"), an omake segment that airs at the end of some chapters in the series. It is where he outlines various facts about characters in the series, as well as instructs the audience in subjects not fully covered in the actual chapters themselves, teaching it to a classroom full of the main characters dressed in school uniforms. Similar to Gin Ichimaru's Arrancar Encyclopedia, many sketches will usually start with a surprise guest(s) for that segment announcing the name of the sketch, at which point Seireitou will give a short course on a specific topic, such as the character in question's standard abilities. Once Seireitou has finished, the person that announced the name shows up to comment on the topic, usually resulting in a humorous retort by Seireitou. During these segments, he also answers fan mail. On occasion, Seireitou will be "out sick", in which one of the other three Yonkō will substitute for him, typically Raian Getsueikirite, which almost always leads to a humorous subsequent scene involving Seireitou realizes who's substituting for him.

Quotes

 * (To Raian Getsueikirite) "It's not a sense of justice. Protecting my friends, and finding my own path is how I live life. If you measured good and evil deeds by current laws, I would be responsible for many crimes. The same way you like to hone your skills and live your own lives, for me too it's simply prolonging something I enjoy doing. That's why I only fight those that pique my interest; it's not justice at all. And if it means being able to protect a friend or becoming stronger, I don't and will not play fair. I'm a dishonest cheat who hates losing."
 * (Regarding Shiori Miyamoto) "I've decided. I'm going to become her guardian. Become the strongest I can be and change things. So that they'll end... without Shiori-chan having to cry."
 * (To Hikaru "Shadow" Kurosaki) "Quit being stupid. Stand up. If you've got enough time to fantasize about your beautiful death... then why not live your life beautifully to the end?"
 * "You should know better than to corner an animal like a fox... we have a tendency to show our teeth."
 * (To Datara Kawahiru) "Get up, you miserable fuck! It's time you learned why you're not in our league!"
 * "Sometimes, it's a pain being the strongest among those who fight. Those who have the greatest power amongst their group, have the innate responsibility to ensure their own and their fellow compatriots' well-being. When they have the ability to take action, it is their duty to take action. However, while it may be a tribulation, should one of the group members fall, the burden of that loss is weighed on the strongest one's shoulders, as the one who failed to protect those under him. In this way, nobody can be blamed but yourself. But you see, it is precisely this reason why I strive to be the strongest among those around me. So then... I have nobody to blame but myself if one of my friends die on the battlefield."
 * (To Datara, the final battle) "Interesting... Tell me, Datara. Why did you just distance yourself from me? Weren't you the one telling me that distance only matters in a battle between equals? Is this your way of telling me that you're scared of what's happening right in front of your eyes? Of something happening... that you can't understand?"
 * (When training Ahatake Kurosaki) "You are a fool, nincompoop. For I am not here on any official business other than the hopes that I will find either breasts I can fondle or an ass I can kick!"
 * (To Sao Jiang) "I'll give you a chance here. If you leave now, then I won't kill you, and I won't need to use my exceedingly valuable time to investigate the motives behind your actions, once again screwing up an evil mastermind's plot to take over the world or something cliché like that. Savvy?"
 * (To Saori Sumeragi) "Saori, it takes a lot to get me worked up... but this time my boiling point's as low as it's ever been. The "Silver Hairs" Seireitou, the man regarded as the "white demon" Shiroyasha... is about to go on a rampage!"
 * (To Minato Kuramoto, and later Miharu Kurosaki) "Try to picture the toughest, most intense, most terrifying training you can possibly imagine. So, did you imagine it? Now imagine that... was Heaven."
 * (After refusing the Royal Guard's request) "Sorry, I'll have to pass on that. My doctor says that I have a malformed public-duty gland and a natural deficiency in moral fiber, and because of that, I am therefore excused from having to save the Soul Society."
 * (To Severus Kyōraku) "Listen... What you do in the spiritual world or even here in the world of the living matters very little to me. Do whatever you want there. But anywhere within the reach of my sword... is my country! Anyone who comes in here and messes with my people... whether they happen to be enforcers of justice, bringers of darkness, or even the Spirit King himself... I will cut them all down!"
 * (To Mūrata Amakuni) "Even if we're just flickering candles... by gathering together, we can illuminate the darkness. Even if the flame is put out, if it's left for just a minute, it can start another fire. No matter how many times you try to put me out, you're just wasting your time. I have coals set aside. I won't disappear, those coals are with me always. As long as I have them, no matter how many times I'm put out, I'll keep flaring back up. Someone like you... can't put out our flame!"
 * (To Táowù) "Well, it's not like I was trying to hide it or anything. Hanullim, I guess, just wasn't in the mood. You see, in Shikai, Hanullim can manipulate existing interactions. But there's always so many interactions going on at any one time, and he's too much of a lazy-ass to work hard enough to manipulate them all... It's annoying to work with him sometimes. He is my sword though, so I learn to put up with him."
 * "Since you're so willing to use such a killing move... then I shall use my own killing move as well."
 * (To Saori) "No matter where you are, no matter how scared you are, the sun is there. However, that sun... is often covered by clouds. But if you continue to watch the sky, it will eventually make its way through the clouds. That's why... we must never lose sight of that. We must never stop staring at the sky. Stand up straight, watch the heavens, and continue to live your life. Tell everybody you see who looks depressed... to watch the skies. In this filthy, dark, lead-colored sky... I'm going to drag down a ridiculously-bright huge-ass sun."
 * (Regarding his and Kamui's Zanpakutō) "If Shinbyeong is a Zanpakutō that changes and decides fate, then Hanullim is a Zanpakutō that challenges fate."
 * (To Odo Marquard) "You think that you can strike me down because you stole Shinwaryeok Hanullim? How naive. Why do you think that I was feared as the Shiroyasha for so many years? It is because, in all this time, the tenacity that I have toward fighting... has never once been rivaled!"
 * (To Hōsen Kuramoto, about Shōyō) "Well shit... Perhaps you're stronger than I thought. But that's no excuse. Even as things stand, I can feel the same chills up my spine from back in the day. It's as if he's scolding me... even in death. "To have trouble with such an opponent, I don't remember raising such a coward!" is what he'd say."
 * (To Tome Kūgun) "You fight only with instinct. Perhaps, in some ways, that is an admirable trait in a Hakuda fighter. But not a Master. Masters are those who abandon reason, instinct, logic... and even truth. For those are nothing but limits that restrict the Master. The way that you fight is akin to that of a mutt blindly following the word of its master. That's what you are, a puppy-dog. Without even considering the circumstances, you charge in headfirst, letting your instinct be the master calling the shots. But you see, demons think a bit differently. Not bound by instinct. We're fully aware of the damage we cause... and enjoy every moment of it. The mistake you made, puppy-dog... was stepping into the ring with a demon. You're out of your league here, hound."

Behind the Scenes

 * According to the author, Seireitou would be voiced in japanese by Sugita Tomokazu, the seiyū for Gintoki Sakata from Gin Tama. He would be voiced in english dub by John Burmeier, the voice actor for Takehito Asama from Sekirei: Pure Engagement and Kurama from Yu Yu Hakusho.
 * Seireitou's theme song, as chosen by his author, is "Hero" by Doa.
 * Seireitou's official OST is Ah Kimochi Warii, Futsukayoi da na Korya by Kamagata Eiichi.
 * Despite being one of the strongest, Seireitou has a deep fear of cats. This carries over to cat-like Zanpakutō spirits as well.
 * Prototypes of this character's article are Seireitou Kuchiki and Seireitou Kawahiru (Bleach Nagareboshi).
 * Seireitou's Name comes from two places: "Seireitou" came from the words "Pure" from Sei, "Soul" or "Spirit" from rei, and tou being a popular ending given to a male's name. The surname, "Kawahiru", comes from kawa (カワ, lit. "daytime") and hiru (昼, "surrounding") which comes together as "Surrounding Daytime".
 * According to the Bleach Databook:
 * Seireitou's hobbies include meditation and martial art training.
 * Seireitou's wishes to test his strength out against Hikaru and Echo.
 * His favorite food is imagawayaki with grape filling, along with a side of miso soup. His favorite drink is hot oolong tea.
 * Seireitou's favorite phrase is "nankurunaisa" (なんくるないさ, Everything will turn out alright in the end).
 * The image depicting Seireitou in the Jinki Fragments arc was drawn by Zanpakutō-Leader on DeviantArt, formerly known as Cayossj2.