Karui Hoshigami

"My skills as a geisha are for every and any customer that pays me well. I perfect them for many years through hard work and experience. I had toil and suffer in order to get a good paycheck, taking the abuse that the customer does to me, always bowing my head, and doing as I was told like some small child who doesn't even know better. And you dare come in here looking all shaggy and dirty, having little to no money whatsoever, demanding my services?! If I was in charge I would've kicked your asses to the curb and told all of you to never come back. Unfortunately, since I'm not the owner, I'll tell you this. I will not offer them to low-lives such as yourselves who don't even have enough money to buy themselves proper footwear. Begone and never let me catch you around here again! Hmph!"

- Karui talking about her skills as a geisha.

Karui Hoshigami (保志加美止めとけ, Hoshigami Karui) is the current fourth seat of the Thirteenth Division of the Gotei 13. Formerly a highly-paid, well-liked  working at a popular bar located at the upper parts of the Rukongai, she quits her jobs after being saved by Yūkōjōchū Ueshidate, the current captain of the Thirteenth Division, from a drunkard who almost rapes her. In gratitude, she decides to repay him by "pledging her services" only to him - via. in the form of joining the Gotei 13. After many years, she graduated with high marks, being stationed in the Thirteenth Division upon request. She's one of the main characters in the series Bleach: Anthem of a New World, serving as the assistant to Ueshidate, helping his student throughout various intervals of the story.

Appearance
Being a former geisha working in the high-class bars and restaurants of the upper-class society of the Rukongai, Karui had to keep a certain appearance at all times as to not offend any of her customers. Being neat, clear, and distinct, one of the ethic codes of being a successful geisha, Karui did her best to always keep herself in tip-top shape, always exercising everyday and being careful as to what she eats on a daily basis. Generally, her efforts paid-off, as she was one of the requested geishas at her bar, having at least a very high amount of customers each day.

When she formerly working there, her appearance consisted of having long, bright pink hair which was allowed to flow freely and reached down past her back. She had a curvaceous figure, a large bust size, peach-colored skin, dark blue-colored eyes, and often wears red lipstick. Karui sometimes wore a long white kimono with a red stripe in between two black stripes around the waist as well as a red triangle at the bottom of her dress, decorated by flames and skulls motifs, open at the top to reveal her shoulders and a fair amount of cleavage and closed around the waist by a large black belt adorned with a horned skull. She also has ribbons tied around her sleeves, a buckled strap around her neck and traditional sandals with extremely high platforms soles. However, there were times that she would don a red top with golden buttons that reveals much of her chest and stomach. The top itself tied around her mid-section and had loose yellow tassels hung from the bottom. The skirt she sometimes wore was purple in color and had the same golden buttons as her top that outlined the hem. The skirt itself had several layers of white frills at the bottom and was held up by a white cloth that she tied onto the side of her hip.

However, after leaving the business to join the Gotei 13, she abandons this attire, only wearing at certain intervals of her daily life. Instead, she wears the standard shihakushō, albeit with some design changes, mainly to take on a geisha-esque appearance, being an ode to her former life style, being loose, exposing much of her voluptuous bosom. An example is that she wears an Obi, black and red with flame-based designs, instead of the Hakama-himo that's assigned with said uniform. Also, she wears maiko's okobo geta with black socks instead of the typical tabi worn with white socks. This preference stems from the fact that she got used to wearing them when she was a geisha and it's more easier to move around in.

Powers & Abilities
Great Spiritual Power:
 * Intermediate Reiatsu Control:

Enhanced Strength:



Martial Arts Combatant:

Expert Swordsmanship Prowess:
 * Advanced Iaido Skill:


 * Garuda Empty Flash (迦楼羅真空一閃, Karura Shinkū Issen):
 * Kendo Expertise:
 *  (両断, Bisection):

High Intellect:

Thousand-Faces (千顔, Sen-gao):

Zanpakutō
Sode no Kurenaigisei (袖の紅犠牲, lit. meaning "Sleeve of Crimson Sacrifice") is the name of Karui's Zanpakutō. In it's sealed form, it takes the distinctive appearance of a hybrid of an eastern and westernized blade, possessing qualities of both. The blade has a western-looking red and black handguard and having the traditional yellow and red hilt-wrapping flanked by golden-colored plates on the hilt, which ends in a very ornate, carved pommel. The lacquered sheath is red in coloration. On the very top, the peace-sign is seen attached to the pommel.
 * Shikai-Based Abilities:
 * : Not Yet Achieved
 * : Not Yet Achieved

Trivia

 * The author chose the name of the Zanpakuto through a randomizer he found online.