Raphael

Raphael (ラファエル Rafaeru, lit: God Heals) is one of the few Quincy who is left in existence. Currently, he serves under Shigenaga Arma as one of his loyal subordinates. He is known by his title as the Quincy Traitor (滅却師賊 Mekashizoku) because of the manner in which he defiled the name of his species.

Raphael is also an elite member of Project Renaissance, a member of both its Gault and Rote of its Letztereich. As the Head of Rote, Raphael is responsible of the direction of funds within the organization, giving him an immense amount of influence regardless of where he is.

Appearance
Raphael, a beast, culminated from crimes committed throughout the entirety of his life, has shaped out, in the end, to be a handsome man with a disposition of determination which lies upon his maroon eyes, as streaks of gray hair shimmer in the sun, illuminating his entire body. Raphael bears a tall and muscular stature, obtained from experience in battle causing the scars upon his face and arms, along with personal training, creating his muscular torso and arms. His physique is lean, but in no way he could be considered weak, as his contracted muscles pummel through all but the strongest of foes. Raphael doesn't seem to prefer wearing clothing, though he does so just to maintain public decency. He is commonly seen wearing a long, black, denim long-sleeved coat which goes down to his knees, left open to reveal his muscular chest and abdomen, and along with this he wears dark blue denim jeans, fastened with a black belt and black joggers.

Yet it seems that Raphael is not truly as barbaric as he externally appears; for he can clad himself in the finer garments if he so wishes. He takes upon the color scheme of a traditional Quincy, with fine fabrics and the combination of white and blue for a serene appearance almost of nobility. He is seen with a long mantle of a fine white with a blue cross on the back over a traditional white dress shirt with blue crosses as buttons along with a blue and white crossed tie, white pants and shoes.

Personality
Born and brought up in a lavish society; where everything was granted to Raphael at a whim, Raphael has depicted himself as a lazy and careless individual who takes no need to fulfill the requirements of those that surround him. A slacker by heart, Raphael has no appreciation for overexertion of one's self and merely lives by the philosophy of a cloud. Moving along with the winds that take you to your next direction.

Though by external appearances Raphael may appear as such; he possesses far more complexity than what most would think of him by exterior appearances. The belief of a closed heart yet open mind applies greatly to Raphael, it is also a philosophy of his own creation as stated by many. Raphael is hidden in several layers of deception, external facades and a plethora of unique attitudes which hides the truth that lies underneath. The environment he is affiliated with has caused him to take upon a berserker-like nature to life, yet Raphael is as calm and calculating as an archetypal "Final Boss". He calmly analyzes the situations he is surrounded with and acts accordingly, never remaining stationary in his appearances.

Regret is plunged into the heart of Raphael, for his inability to blend with others as a child was his greatest downfall. Chaos erupted as a result of Raphael's indecisive nature and naivety despite being a full-fledged adult. It is for this reason that Raphael presents himself in the unorthodox manner that he does so, for his eyes believe that these are the ideals that one should equip during their lifetime.

In terms of mannerisms; it is viewed that Raphael is a noticeably ruthless and almost feral individual. He bears no qualms in utterly bombarding his adversaries and allies by extension with rude remarks to the face, with almost every hope for a reciprocal by them. Yet on some, rare moments when he is alone with loved ones, Raphael is a calm and sincere man by heart. He bears no qualms in doing whatever he can to keep the ones close to him, as close to him as possible; even if this resorts to...less than humane activities.

Raphael's sexuality is ambiguous to say the least. Because of the upbringing he had; Raphael wasn't necessarily exposed to harsh traditions that his brethren had. Consequently; his own curiosity took the better of him, and as such he tends to refer himself as "open to anybody that wants in" in a very vulgar manner that some tends to despise severely.

Raphael is quite the promiscuous individual. His rather carefree nature makes him almost immune to any permanent feelings for any individuals. Seen with Shigenaga Arma, Raphael was once a courtesan of his for several years. He even had physical relationships with other individuals without much care, only satisfying himself above everything else.

However, Raphael is not one to have abandoned emotions such as love, as seen with his rather..."unrequited" case of love with Shigenaga. However, he seems to be in great control over his emotions, enough to direct his anger and hatred to other sources without anybody's knowledge, seen in the brutish and chaotic way he treats his opponents.

Relationships
Shigenaga Arma: Raphael's relationship with Shigenaga is a rather estranged one. On the surface, it appears as if they have the casual, somewhat friendly nature that most friends would have, albeit with the "Shigenaga touch" as Raphael puts it. This "touch" being Shigenaga's somewhat However, Raphael was also one of Shigenaga's courtesans, and for a rather extended period of time, for he was one of the few to be capable of withstanding Shigenaga's rather...furious assaults, as well as one of the few who could actually satisfy him. Consequently, Raphael and Shigenaga maintained an actual bond to some extent, with flirting and passes being rather frequent by both of them. As both were rather promiscuous, but with Raphael being the more chaotic of the two, they complimented each other quite well. However, Raphael, unusual for himself, began to develop feelings for Shigenaga after several years into their physical relationship. Raphael understood Shigenaga quite more than most people due to their relation, and realized that if he attempted to confess his feelings, that he'd simply be humiliated entirely for the rest of his life. Due to this, Raphael simply decided to abandon his occupation as Shigenaga's courtesan, and simply stuck to being loyal to Shigenaga as a servant for the rest of his life. As of the current time, Raphael responds to Shigenaga's constant flirting without much reaction, much to his disdain. However, Raphael does in-fact possess inner turmoil as a result of his dejected feelings, which he lets out through unpolished and lawless fights within the lower districts of the Rukongai.

Equipment/Inventions
Quincy Cross (滅却十字, mekkyaku jūji; lit. "Destruction Cross"): Is one of the signature items of any Quincy, which allows the said Quincy to focus the direction of their reishi absorption to create their spiritual weapon. In Raphael's case, the cross takes the form of a, and he has revealed that this cross has been inherited by his family for generations upon end. Raphael notes that the Quincy Cross is a part of a Quincy's very identity, and the shape of their spirit weapon corresponds according to their own spiritual alignment, and personality, decided by them through their training as children. It is for this reason that, though two weapons may appear similar, such as the Kojaku, they eventually evolve into more sophisticated weapons. Raphael confirms that this was the case with him.

 (魂を切り裂くもの (ゼーレシュナイダー), Zēreshunaidā; German for "Soul Cutter", Japanese for "That Which Slits the Soul") is an ancient Quincy artifact that Raphael has gotten his hands on through Shigenaga's assistance. It is a thin, silver-colored tube of sorts that has reishi stored within it. Upon activation, a thin and extended blade is protruded from it. However, this is no blade, but an arrow which has the capability to loosen and absorb bonds of reishi, making it one of the most powerful of the Quincy weapons. Raphael shows exemplar usage of these weapons, employing them when most effective and appropriate.

Uriel (ユリエル Yurieru Literally meaning; God is my Light) is the signature weapon of Raphael's, and an extremely deadly one when handled by one as skilled as him. Whilst its actual form is merely an elongated Seele Schneider, with a more blade-like hilt to it. However, his abilities as a Quincy have allowed him to change its form whenever necessary. It seems that he has a specific form for it when he employs it in battle, as he seems to do so in order to parallel a shinigami releasing their zanpakutō. He does this in order to create a psychological strain on his shinigami opponents, as he reminds them of how he mercilessly killed several shinigami. When transformed, it is a rather large blade, and is approximately five feet in its entire length, being over half of the height that Raphael himself is. It has a large, broadsword-like design, with the blade itself being completely straight, and no apparent curves are seen. Yet, on the rear edge of the blade, which would normally be seen as the more blunt one, there is a form of rusting that supposedly has caused the blade to lose much of its sharpness. However, this is actually an intentional portion of the design, with this "rusting" being an accumulation of an immense number of pin-like structures carved into the blade. This allows for the gashing of his opponents, and for an immense amount of reishi to disintegrate at his will. The blade's color is a slight golden hue, while its hilt is coated in silver. On the blade itself, there is a design of a roaring lion emblazoned from the top of the blade, and travelling down to the base of it, where the design of its tail "wraps" around the hilt.
 * Abilities: Uriel possesses an extremely unique ability which is achieved through the manipulation of the reishi that is absorbed into its blade. From here, he can manipulate this reishi in any way he wishes thanks to his advanced form of spiritual manipulation. Furthermore, due to his advanced skill in Kidō, Raphael employs light-based Kidō alongside the general ability of this weapon in order to explosively augment its potency. His most common form of manipulation allows for the production of potent spiritual "vines" that grip onto the enemy or any other spiritual-based construct and break it down almost instantly. The potency of this weapon allows Raphael to literally power-up Uriel almost indefinitely as long reishi is in the immediate environment. Furthermore, the vines themselves are then capable of directing the energy absorbed into his Heilig Pfeil, allowing for an extreme amount of piercing power when they are released, enhancing his already powerful, singular arrows.

Silberschicht (銀層 (シルバーシチト) Ginsō German for; Silver Coat, Japanese for; Silver Layer) is a unique invention of Raphael's, made through accessing the rather rare material of Soul-Synthesized Silver in conjunction with several renowned chemists internationally. Raphael was capable, during his human years, to create a coat that had Soul-Synthesized Silver integrated into its fabric, allowing for an exceptional boost in its strength and hardness, whilst retaining its malleability thanks to the properties of the silver. However, intriguinly so, Raphael had gained the ability to heighten the pace at which he absorbed reishi, which allowed him to swiftly react to any situation as long as he wore the coat. As an attendant of Shigenaga's, he continues to wear the coat.

Geistbrillen (霊の眼鏡 (ジエーストブリレン) Rei no Megame German for; Spirit Spectacles, Japanese for; Glasses of Spirits) is another one of Raphael's unique inventions created through assistance from various expert designers internationally during his life as a human. Raphael was able to conceptualize a pair of spectacles that had been able to enhance an individual's vision immensely through the absorption of spiritual particles near its lenses, dramatically increasing its focus in a particular direction immensely, allowing him to pin-point exactly where anybody can be through their spiritual signature. This compliments his fighting style with his bow exceedingly well.

Powers and Abilities
Raphael's spiritual power is considerable, but consists of a number of foreign influences, allowing Raphael to give off the impression that he possesses an amalgamation of spiritual signatures, which isn't far from the truth. This is a result of his fine manipulation over reiryoku, which provides him with the ability to manipulate the properties of spiritual energy that he has used to create an aura around him, providing a level of deception.





Brutish Swordsmanship:

Enhanced Strength: As a Quincy, Raphael is capable of large feats of strength through directing spiritual energy throughout his body and enhancing the impact of his individual strikes. Using this energy, he can also sustain carrying heavy masses for extreme amounts of time, seen in the ease in which he employs both his Spirit Weapon and Uriel in battle flawlessly in conjunction with one another, without suffering any sort of drawback.

Enhanced Speed:

Enhanced Durability:

Enhanced Endurance:

Keen Intellect:

Expert Archer:

Kidō Expert:

Quincy Techniques
Federlänge (春長, Harunaga, Japanese and German for "The Length of Spring") is a unique technique exclusive to Raphael's own clan of Quincy. These are created by thinning the output of reishi exuded by the individual to the point where it is malleable enough to be formed into very thin but durable threads of reishi. These strings are capable of being detached at any moment from the user and be left on the floor or onto another surface. The user may telepathically, or physically manipulate these threads and allow them to tie up an opponent or even be catalysts for other techniques such as Orphanim. Raphael has displayed such potency in the technique that he can telepathically manipulate the technique and allow it's thickness to be changed in only a moment; allowing him to essentially be able to create potent chains of reishi with a single thought. However the limitation to the physical manipulation is that a single finger must manipulate one length of string.
 * Multiple Thread Control: An application of Federlänge, and an advancement on the original technique. By creating an even finer manipulation of the reishi surrounding him, Raphael is capable of manipulating up to 5 threads at once with a single finger. This allows for immense versatility and potency in battle.

 (乱装天傀; lit. "heavenly wild puppet suit", "disheveled paradise puppet" in the Viz translation) is one of the most deadly techniques in a Quincy's arsenal, and one that Raphael employs articulately within any battle and even outside of it. Ransōtengai is a technique that employs exceptional knowledge over one's own anatomy in order to maximize their fighting potency at any age. Through this technique, one is capable of manipulating their own body as if it were a puppet, allowing them to disregard the human limitations of their body for brief periods of time. However, because of Raphael's status as a , his human limitations have already been discarded. However, because of his inability to regenerate from damage as quickly as a shinigami would, Raphael has manipulated this technique with his years of knowledge in order to replicate regeneration. By directing the strings to a specific area of the body, he is able to replace muscles and the like for a period of time before actual medical attention is needed. This allows him to stay in battle for prolonged amounts of time.

 (飛廉脚; lit: "Flying Screen Step/God Step", Viz: "Flying Bamboo-Blind Leg")
 * Platform Manifestation:

Bescheidenheit (誇り不足 (ベセーデンヘート) Hokori Fusoku, Japanese for; Lack of Pride German for "Humility") is the name of Raphael's Spirit Weapon. Unlike the modernized Quincy of this era, Raphael's weapon is sealed in the standard manner of the Quincy, this being in a Quincy Cross. When releasing his weapon, he gathers reishi into a focal point before releasing it into a large shroud surrounding the entirety of his right arm. After this process, the excess reishi begins to converge unto his forearm solely, solidifying and forging itself into a knight's gauntlet. The gauntlet itself appears similarly to a dragon's claw of sorts, with the fingers being exceedingly sharp and having cycles of reishi around them, whilst near the wrist is a white Celtic Cross engraved into it, which is seen rising until his elbow. Additionally, the gauntlet is separated into a few sections, allowing him to abandon pieces of it in order to heighten the rate of absorption of his reishi.
 *  (神聖滅矢 (ハイリッヒ・ブファイル), Hairihhi Bufairu; German for "Holy Arrow", Japanese for "Destroying Arrow of Sanctity"): Raphael, like all Quincy, is capable of utilizing the Heilig Pfeil which are formed from the use of his Spirit Weapon. However, unlike the traditional arrow-like formations of the Heilig Pfeil, Raphael's own Heilig Pfeil are extremely powerful, and are noted to be constructed as spheres of energy that build up within his palm before they blast out into energy beams or blasts of various sizes. The blasts themselves are quite similar to Cero, and as such, many tend to make the mistake he is an Arrancar, though he is quick to refuse the accusation. Because of Raphael's ability to manipulate the amount of reishi within a specific area, Raphael is capable of, during the blast is in the air, to effortlessly alter its path, size and power to suit his specific needs.
 * Engelhaften Lanze (天使の槍 (エンジエルハプテン ランドズ) Enjeruhaputen Randozu; German and Japanese for "Angel's Spear")

Stats
Raphael is an Ichinose-Class Character

Affiliations
Quincy:



Behind the Scenes

 * Raphael's appearance is based off of Nicholas from the series Jackals. Thanks goes to ZechtShinja for introducing me to the series.