Tenkahatei

The Tenkahatei (天火覇帝, Heavenly Blazing Supreme Emperors), rarely referred to as Kasha (火車, lit. "burning chariot"), are a race of Youkai who live in Makai, the demon realm. They are some of the highest-ranking Youkai around; though they are a matriarchal society. All of the Tenkahatei are wielders of fire.

Overview
They have similar rankings and weaknesses like Youkai, however, while Tenkahatei and regular Youkai may seem similar, but their views and culture differ a lot. The Tenkahatei are even more proud and aloof than other Youkai. In fact, the discrimination between Tenkahatei and other species is so strong that it has reached the point that half-breeds are treated badly even by their own family members; though this is not true in Ahatake Kurosaki's case, as his mother cared for him deeply. It would appear nobles themselves are exempt from this treatment purely because they are necessary to keep the society running.

Several hundred years ago, there was an incident that split the world of Tenkahatei, where the race argued between choosing a female and a male in order to retain pure-blooded Tenkahatei. This incident eventually gave birth to the Western Carmilla Faction (カーミラ派 Kamīra-ha), an all-male faction and the Eastern Kurosaki Faction (黒崎派 Kurosaki-ha), an all-female faction; with the Kurosaki Faction defeating the Carmilla Faction and subjugating them, leading the Tenkahatei to be a matriarchal society.

Tenkahatei do not get along well with other races of non-demonic origin and have a strict, pure-blooded aristocracy who are so arrogant that not even a single family has ever cared about their servants even a tenth of much as the Crimson Sovereign family has cared for their servants. Also, any Tenkahatei with a human in their parentage, whether humans-turned Tenkahatei or are descended from one, are never allowed to become nobles and considered substandard members of the species, however, Ahatake Kurosaki is the sole exception, due to being the child of the Empress, and thus, the race treats him kindly.

While it is unknown precisely when in their history, the Tenkahatei eventually interbred with a species of Bakeneko (化け猫 Monster Cat), presumably a kasha (火車, lit. "burning chariot" or "burning barouche" or 化車, "changed wheel") as both clans were powerful wielders of the fire element. Despite the intermarriages, the Tenkahatei remained the dominant force between the two, and while interbreeding and marriages would continue, these members eventually assimilated properly into the Tenkahatei species, and outward physical traits of the cats faded; tails and ears are no longer seen amongst the Tenkahatei, however, they retain the cat-like abilities associated with the bakeneko.

Powers and Abilities
Fire Manipulation: The Tenkahatei's main ability; a Tenkahatei is able to generate flames and shape them to any specification; the flames are able to be used in standard attacks, augment their physical blows, as well as create a shield of fire. These flames are generally conjured through the Tenkahatei's hands and can be fired much like a bullet from a gun. A Tenkahatei is able to adjust the intensity of their flame, as well as limit the effected area to their choosing. These flames are capable to act in the capacity of a rocket booster, allowing the Tenkahatei to fly if perpetually launched in the opposite direction.


 * Fire Absorption: Any Tenkahatei is capable of absorbing fire and then consuming it to restore their health. This is done by spreading fire within their mouth and then infusing it with their spiritual energy, creating a strange magnetic effect that draws in nearby sources of fire, whether it be even a foe's attack and this allows them to absorb the fire without any problems. However, the flame attacks of extremely powerful foes can nullify this advantage. One thing to note is that a Tenkahatei cannot eat their own fire.

Enhanced and Unique Physical Skills: The Tenkahatei appear to possess a unique array of physical skills not seen in other spiritual beings. They are possessed of enhanced agility; the clan members, particularly the females, are notably swift and agile, and are capable of moving from one motion to another easily; from dashes, to backflips, capable of slipping right past attacks that other spiritual beings would be too slow to respond to. Tenkahatei have surprising balancing skills; they can remain perfectly upright upon any object, no matter how narrow or unstable it may be; even thin poles are platforms a Tenkahatei can cross with ease.
 * Flaming (フレイミング Furemin): A unique method of teleportation which Tenkahatei use- though Ahatake Kurosaki is said to have created the technique; when in reality, the technique's true name is Flame Teleportation. Firstly, the user compresses flames on their body, and quickly spreads them out to the ends of each of their limbs. Suddenly, the user releases the flames, creating a sonic burst which propels and warps the user into the location that they wish. Flaming is an easy technique to use once it is learned, which, can actually be quite difficult. It allows the user to transport to any direction they wish, as long as that area they move to is not a hindrance to fire.
 * Reikō (霊光 Ghost Lights): A fire-based ability originating from the Bakeneko ancestors of the Tenkahatei tribe, these are a unique form of greenish-blue flames accesible to three branches of demon; demon cats, demon foxes, and the Tenkahatei descended from demon cats. These flames are unique in that they do not appear capable of truly causing physical harm to opponents; instead, Reikō appears to be defensive, capable of neutralizing spiritual attacks as well as smothering normal flames completely, and can act as a shield, warding off physical assaults as well as spiritual attacks. Skilsl users of Reikō can use the flames to induce seemingly magical effects such as hypnosis, however, the most dangerous ability granted by Reikō is the ability to burn the soul of a target; setting them ablaze to their very spiritual core until it is erased in its entirety.

Tenkahatei also possess enhanced flexibility; the ability to bend and contort their bodies far beyond the normal limits their physiology would imply. As with other traits, this skill is more prominent in female members of the species than males; males who find their gender changed to that of a woman also find their flexibility increased. With the flexibility of a Tenkahatei, their joints, muscles, bones, and tendons are all adapted to perform maneuvers that would make them appear "boneless" — they even possess an elastic skeleton for the purpose of increasing their flexibility and allowing for the slipping into of tight crevices with greater ease than Shinigami, Hollows, or Humans.

Jumping seems to be a skill that is second nature for a Tenkahatei; while they cannot cover hundreds of feet in a single bound, they can still jump high and cover moderate distances, as well as land neatly with no issue to their own bodies, hardly damaging themselves in the process. It has been said these unique skills come from Tenkahatei ancestors; during the past the Tenkahatei species interbred with a Bakeneko (化け猫 Monster Cat) tribe and over time, both species acquired many traits of the other.

Enhanced Senses: Tenkahatei possessed enhanced bodily senses outstripping those of humans, Shinigami, and most Hollows. While their hearing would appear to be similar to humans at first, the ears of a Tenkahatei can pick up sounds of pitches higher than what a human can recieve; up to 64 kHz. The Tenkahatei have a sense of smell is 14 times stronger than that of a human or Shinigami; they can use their sense of smell as an effective tracking tool, able to detect certain scents over long distances. The drawback, however, to such strong noses is a natural weakness to strong odors and rancid scents. The eyes of a Tenkahatei are very well adapted for a highly coveted skill  — night vision. A Tenkahatei's eyes are capable of drawing in as much ambient light around them as possible at night, giving them a clear, though not entirely perfect, picture of their surroundings around them. Their eyes also adjust much quicker in near total darkness, giving Tenkahatei an edge as stealth fighters when they combine their natural physical skills with their eyesight. It has been said these unique skills come from Tenkahatei ancestors; during the past the Tenkahatei species interbred with a  Bakeneko  ( 化け猫 Monster Cat ) tribe and over time, both species acquired many traits of the other. 化

Cauterization-Induced Regeneration: Similar to many other races, the Tenkahatei are capable of a form of high-speed regeneration; but unlike them, they possess a unique method of healing. By harnessing their power over fire, they undergo a simulation of a medical practice called cauterization; in which they burn the part of their body which is harmed in order to close the open wound off, which destroys some tissue in order to reduce the damage. This method is useful in stopping severe blood-loss and preventing exsanguination, or to close amputations; making it an all-purpose method of healing; immediately after this is done, the Tenkahatei changes the remnants of the flames which had burned the skin off into a healing pulse, which then instantly regenerates the wounds suffered. The amount of time that this healing takes all depends on how powerful the Tenkahatei is; for an inexperienced member of the race, it can take several minutes—but for the strongest, the time that passes is naught but instantaneous.

Gender-Changing: When the sole heir to the clan is born as a male, when the body reaches maturity, it will begin to change it's gender, responding to the lack of a female head, and thus allowing the Tankahatei to lead the tribe. The whole method is due to pheromones spreading and replacing the masculine hormones with female ones—or so as explained by the elder, who is known to give out pseudo-science explanations. This will happen without fail; there is nothing to prevent it, and nothing is capable of stopping it. In a way, Tankahatei can be compared to clownfish— if a female clownfish dies, the male she was with will become a female, and immediately head off to retrieve a new mate. For some reason, most of the time, this doesn't freak out the recipients of this treatment. This "genderswapping" also seems to apply to lower-class members of the race, showing it is a trait common amongst all of the Tenkahatei. However, it is only set in stone for a male royal heir, for other members of the species, it can seem random, but, it is always permanent.

Crimson Red Vermillion (紅赤朱, kurenai sekishu): A basic transformation of the Tenkahatei also known as Ancestry Return, is the state that appears when the blood of demonkind is maximized. They are enveloped by an illusion like fog, and the person won't be able to return to humanity until they run out of power. When their hair turns red, they are about to become one, but they are barely controlling themselves and keeping a balance between the other's blood and Tenkahatei's blood. This state could be considered a maddened version of Bankai; akin to an Arrancar's release when used by the Visored. When utilizing the Crimson Red Vermillion transformation topped with any Zanpakutō release, it acts similar to an Arrancar release, transforming the user and their weapon into what their heart truly reflects—or rather, a rancorous distortion of it. In this state, any power amplifiers that the user is in possession of are doubled, as well as granting the user an enormous boost in the physical attributes and granting them an enhancement for their special ability as well as a new ability.

Trivia

 * The Tenkahatei are the first time Ahatake's demonic species has been named in any BLEACH continuity, however, BFF Ahatake's demonic nature, while still possessing flames, was much different and has no real relation to the Tenkahatei.