Talk:Idzumo

Review
I've ran into some free time, so I'll punch this out as promised :P Right, I'll do what I usually do and do it all in sections for easy reference and reading. One review coming up!

Opening Paragraphs
Unlike some of your other characters, Naishō comes to mind in fact, his opening is shorter than your usual; though by no means is that a bad thing, Kou. You've struck a pretty nice balance with what you've actually written. You've said enough about his history through the positions he once held without revealing everything he has done, while giving a glimpse into his actual personality. He wants to overthrow the other Quadrumvirate, which in itself tells me he's pretty confident in his own ability to do so, judging by the strength of those in question.

Its well written, just as I've come to expect from you, and gives enough information to sate my curiosity and make me want to read more; which is an important part of any opening. I've got nothing but praise for this part, pal, and raise my glass to you for a well written piece. Right, moving onto, in your own words, the sack of potatoes that is his appearance :P

Appearance
Long and detailed! Perfect. You've started with what he once looked like, which in itself will help anyone reading his article to visualize his general appearance when you get around to writing his history section. And the fact that you've got no picture of his younger days, this makes the physical description even more necessary and important. To improve it further though, you could perhaps mention what his physical build was like when he was younger, which would help the reader to see just how much his physique has declined through the years. Was he lean-built? Muscular? Or built like a brick s*** house who could crush the floor when he walked? Anyways, thats all for the first paragraph :)

Its pretty obvious the pictures are from Danzo from Naruto, but somehow I knew you wouldn't simply copy and paste everything about his appearance on Narutopedia into your own article. You've taken the time to analyze his picture, write it in your own words, and make it appear more bleach-like with the references to the Shinigami sandals right at the end of the third paragraph. That in itself helps endear this article to me, which also says quite a bit about you yourself. Instead of taking the easy way out, you actually spent a little of your own time describing things and giving it your own take. Not to mention that its structured well, linking past with present incredibly well into one fantastically written section that accounts for everything many would consider trivial - including the added appearance of his constant release zanpakutō, personal additives likes bandages and how they effect his long hair, and indeed his scars. Very nicely done, Kou. This was quite impressive, overall.

Personality
Again, another descriptive and well put-together section that gives the reader a good sense of just what this guy would act like. I feel you've struck an interesting note with his personality, especially the two persona's he has shown; and I commend you for them. Unlike most villains I've seen, who have some kind of god complex or simply seek to destroy indiscriminately, this guy seems way too lazy to even consider that outside battle. We know from his opening that he wants to overthrow the other Quadrumvirate, though its clear his laziness would indeed get in the way of that to a degree, and perhaps cast less suspicion on him? After all, those who are always active will be viewed with more suspicion that those who aren't in my opinion.

The we have his good ol' battlefield persona that sets him aside as a bad guy :P I can, however, sympathize with this poor blighter, especially his anger. If I had to lock away my angry notions for as long as he does at times, then I very well might do just what he does lol. Its nice being fit to relate to characters like that, 'cause it adds a welcome degree of realism thats like a breathe of fresh air on this wiki, as some of the articles - some my own - are pretty out there >_< It makes more of a lasting impression.

Then there's the phrases you use. I love some of the phrases you use when describing it. "lazier than lazy and considerably carefree", "reveals its ugly face to the world" and "it takes less effort to do" all help show off his personality in a way thats different, and ultimately more interesting. Again, you've put together a nice personality section, dude, and I find myself raising my glass to you once again, and while I'm at it, I might as well take my hat off to you as well.

Powers & Abilities
My favorite part of any article, though that appearance and personality rank up there on my list of favorites so far. I'll split this into smaller paragraphs that deal with one point explicitly so its easier to pick out and read.

Spiritual Energy: Judging by his age and former position, its quite clear he'd have a tremendous level of spiritual energy which easily makes him one of the strongest members of the Jūsanseiza; though that can be said of all the Quadrumvirate. To lower echelon opponents, say Lieutenant or below, his spiritual energy alone could pulverize them easily with little to no trouble, not to mention reducing the area to rubble along with his foes to dust. You've said he's in the league of old man Yami, which is a quite clear indication of his strength. Reminds me a little on my own Shinrei Kurosaki, though his stamina sucks something awful in comparison with even lieutenant-level foes. The way you've worded this part, though, makes it sound as though he's broken the barrier like Ichigo and Aizen had done to become transcenduals, above that of both Shinigami and Hollow. With spiritual energy of that sheer magnitude, it'd make more sense if a Lieutenant could sense it, just so they'd be paralyzed by the intensity of it. Aside from that, its nice and justified, considering his age, position and vast experience.

Hakuda: He has no sword, so its incredibly realistic to think he'd be masterful in the field of Hakuda, due to the fact he wouldn't need to waste his time balancing the time spent training both fields and could focus singularly on Hakuda alone. When this is mixed with this spiritual energy and the shockwave that can create, you have yourself an incredibly powerful punch that could pretty much off just about anyone lol. The fact he hasn't learned any techniques also adds a level of balance, as its basically the case of "what you see is what you get". As his most used form, perhaps excluding his Shunpo skills, its quite clear that Idzumo is a very dangerous close-range fighter in terms of using his body as a weapon. Well played, Kou, my friend. Well played, indeed :)

Intellect and Hypnosis Immunity: I'll agree with you. Illusions are a pain in the arse, with that comment bringing a smile to my face, so thank you much for that, pal. With the all the Kyōka Suigetsu clones floating around, this action, sadly, has nearly become a necessity just to avoid it. Anyways, this is well written and put together, which actually links with his analytical battlefield persona highlighted in his personality section - which in itself is a good point, as it links everything together quite nicely.

Shunpo: Damn! This guy is a speed demon! I guess being old can bring with it a good deal of benefits lol. Anyways, in relation to his others skills, namely his nonexistent ability in swordsmanship and his almost laughable lack of usage in Kidō (reminds me of an academy Kusaka Kori), it isn't hard to see how he'd have the time in training to reach this level of mastery. Again, I'll mention the realism, 'cause you've worked that in quite well. Now you've got me curious as to who would actually win in a race: Idzumo, or the Goddess herself? That little reference just helps to show just how quick and skilled he actually is, so nicely done, Kou.

Manipulator and Disguises: His lazy attitude only helps to highlight this fact, which I find quite helpful for the one reading it. It links everything together like I said before above. However, his skills aren't perfect as you've said, because people with a strong will won't be effected, and since most of the Jūsanseiza are pretty strong willed, he'll have a pretty hard time overthrowing them. Now, the disguises, while well worded and an interesting ability would be better listed as part of his actual Genjitsumi section, as it is a power granted through that; though I can see why you've posted it where you have.

Kidō: As I said above, he has no skill beyond the mentioned Bakudō #7 Giragira, which in itself has an interesting ability. Beyond that, its a well written paragraph, and helps explain how his other skills are so high. The fact he can't distinguish between the actual schools of Kidō is also quite lethal to him, and one of his main weaknesses. Characters like Hiroya and Kenji would be fit to confuse the hell out of him with Kidō alone; though he'd quickly be fit to adapt. It gives him an obvious weaknesses which immediately makes him an even better character.

Genjitsumi
For such a powerful attack, its pretty important to include recognizable weaknesses that can effectively limit its overall usefulness in battle. I'm delighted to say you've done just that, pal. The fact you've said it requires necessary spiritual energy to create and sustain shows that he'd not only need to maintain a level of concentration, but his skills would begin to degrade as the battle went on. You've taken the basic principle of Izanagai and made it quite interesting, but I'd concentrate on seeing how you could expand this ability. You say its the skill he's most known for, so more uses and variant techniques would add credit to that statement, you know?

With my own Kenji, his greatest skills are his speed and lightning prowess. He's got a plethora of lightning and speed-related abilities, based mainly around his old zanpakutō and self training. Do something similar with Idzumo, and you'll only do the article even more justice, 'cause this definitely has a lot of potential you haven't tapped yet.

Zanpakutō
Ah, I recognized this right off the bat. You know my thoughts on this part because of my review of the zanpakutō's actual spirit, so I'll simply refer you to that pal, so I'm not repeating myself over and over, ya know? But I know it'll make him that much more dangerous. I also find it fits with his personality, mainly because of his deceptiveness.

Overall
Overall, you've done a fantastic job as usual, Kou. Its well written, structured and flows from one point to another incredibly well. The sections link back and forth as well, and there's enough realism to allow the reader to relate, at least in my experience. Congratulations, Kou. You've done it again, pal :P Overall, I'm giving it an 8.5 outta 10, 'cause I reckon you could easily expand the Genjitsumi abilities to make them even more interesting, Kou. Kenji-Taichō (Talk)  17:32, May 6, 2011 (UTC)