Toshiie Ukita

"All my life, it seems I've been running from the things that haunt me. I don't know what they are, I don't know who they are, but all I know is that they are a threat to me. As long as they exist, I will continue running. After all, I have no reason to die for the petty reason that I face my fears."

- Toshiie's philosophy

Toshiie Ukita (宇嬉多 徒死家 Ukita Toshiie; Lit. A House Dying in Vain, Heaven's Many Cheers) is a who has been labelled a  as a consequence of his actions throughout his escape from. Originally he was a who bore great levels of spiritual power; being descended from a heavenly warrior eons prior to the formation of the Soul Society. For this reason, and his connection with his zanpakutō spirit being faint, he was able to awaken his powers. Labelled a future threat, he would be admitted into the, where he would pass with flying colors in all the areas, particularly that of. However, circumstances in regards to his identity led him to make a brazen escape from admission into the, causing him to achieve his current status.

It is also known he is the last scion of a virtually extinct clan, known as the Ukita Clan, who were formerly great warriors in the Soul Society who had descended from a man who clashed with kami eons ago. Due to the destruction of his clan, he was adopted by a woman known as Tsūzura Kannagara, and had been raised by her until forcibly taken by the officials of Soul Society for the purposes of "keeping the Rukongai safe".

Behind the Scenes

 * Toshiie's appearance is based off of Shichika Yasuri from the series.
 * Dōgoji's naming scheme was inspired by the mythological aspects of, and how in Shintō Mythology, he is expressed as a black giant of sorts holding a white bag of winds. Due to translation issues with such a name, the name Dōgoji was decided on.
 * Previous names for this zanpakutō were Kusaduke and Kusabue respectively, both meaning "Grass Whistle", in reference to the pokemon move of the same name.


 * Toshiie's name is keeping in tandem with the naming scheme of the who existed during the  and were lead by  during the said time. The said scheme is the use of the kanji for ie (家) meaning house behind another kanji, usually relevant to the circumstances of their birth (or so I have interpreted in). In Toshiie's case, the kanji used was toshi (徒死) meaning thin, in relevance to the nearly extinct bloodline of the Ukita in Toshiie's case.
 * Toshiie's name also took inspiration from . He was a leading general of during the Sengoku Era, and was revered as a master of the .


 * The metaphorical name meaning of Usuie's adoptive mother, Tsūzura Kannagara (通すら惟神) is The only thing needed is authority in the age of the gods. This name refers partially to the manner in which the Gotei 13 rigidly upheld their authority during the time when they were known as the "Defenders". It isn't known whether Tsūzura had any connection to this event or not.