Juro Kazuma

"People needn't to whisper."

- Juro Kazuma in "ATONEMENT"


 * "Before swine, the worm shall turn, and nothing will venture." - Reversereality

Juro Kazuma is a recurring supporting character in Bleach: Project Genseki. He is the younger twin brother of Akimoto Kazuma. Unlike his twin brother, Juro does not have Huntington's Disease. He seems to know more about than he lets on.

Appearance
He is a rather short boy of average build, donning the standard Kido Corps garb. He purple eyes seem to look distant and blank. Despite his age, he looks rather young and boyish.

When he isn't doing his duties and is visiting Rukongai, Juro wears the traditional Soul Reaper's garb with a white scarf that can trail behind him on the ground. He usually uses it as a hood to loosely veil his face.

Personality
Cool and collected with a childish sense of wonder that can easily match his brother's, Juro Kazuma is slow to anger. He keeps an optimistic and carefree appearance that Akimoto finds to be sickening. This makes it sometimes unsettling to be with Juro because he lacks a genuine individuality that owns these characteristics; however, most people are unaware and enjoy his company much to his brother's envy and chagrin.

Much like his brother and Ren, Juro is prone to evoke reactions from other people, and sees this as a favorite pastime. Juro also likes flair and boasts similar mannerisms like that of both Akimoto and Ren. His distinguishing characteristic is his politeness and deadpan way of speech that emerges into nearly abrupt spikes of cheeriness. He is aware of the positive effect this has on people (as well as the negative effect is has on Akimoto), and persists in taking on this personality trait. Despite this, it is more of a mask that he chooses to wear, and affirms that without this mask, there is nothing inside.

This makes Juro rather passive especially with his duties for the Kido Corps. However, upon his reunion with Akimoto, it has been shown that Juro has proceeded to take active measure to bring Akimoto back and away from the Genseki project. This was the first instance where Juro is shown to hold anger and the first and only time where he is seen fighting with such anger.

Like his brother, Juro is not naive with the emotions of others and profusely studies the ways in which the dynamics between people interplay. However, he is unwilling to engage his sympathies for them if it does not provide benefit to his own goals of preserving his familial bonds. This is why he takes an active role to reconcile the shaky bond between his brother and his friend, Ren, and does so with stoic loyalty and deadpan earnestness.

Background
Since Juro was not afflicted with Huntington's Disease, he had the privilege to wander outside the house and play with the other kids. One day, a young Juro encounters a young Renai Iwasaki and the two quickly become friends.

Being envied by his sickly brother, Akimoto Kazuma, Juro allowed him to switch places so that Akimoto may go outside. It was then did Akimoto meet Ren Iwasaki, who mistook him for Juro. The pair eventually became friends and they played often around District 79.

Some years later, Akimoto developed enough Spiritual Pressure to inhibit his symptoms, and that was when he was able to go outside without any assistance with Juro tagging along. The boys would visit Ren often outside her dangerous district and played together. Eventually, Juro and Akimoto were involved in multiple gambling schemes as they racked scores of money from shady organizations.

That all ended when Akimoto witnessed Ren being abused and raped in her home in District 80 by the very people he's swindled. Using his condition as an excuse to not rescue her, Akimoto conveniently slipped away, while Juro attempts to help her. That same night, Akimoto goes back to retrieve his brother. He finds an unconcious Juro in Ren's room and just as he was about to leave through the window, Ren chastizes Akimoto for not helping her. She expressed her disdain and disappointment by stripping herself naked and pointing to all the scars and bruises on her body while telling him the stories behind each and every mark. The distraught Akimoto carried Juro and left with a pained expression.

After some time, Akimoto forced himself to forget about seeing Ren's scars; however Juro had a hand in making Akimoto forget by using Kido. ears later, Akimoto posed as Juro again in the Soul Reaper academy before begin whisked away towards the 12th Division for experimentation. This prompted Juro to find Akimoto in an attempt to bring him back.

Juro becomes elected to join the Kido Corps in the meantime where he masters his use of Kido spells and attains Shikai. He tells the news of Akimoto to Ren and periodically gives her any updates.

Confrontation Arc
After Akimoto's first mission under Project Genseki, Juro and Among Isa lead him into unknown barracks. Juro then says that Akimoto should quit being a Soul Reaper and an 'experiment' under the 12th Division so that the brothers can go home and rest easy while not putting themselves in danger.

Akimoto snaps and rejects Juro's proposal, saying that he is happy where he is and that being a Soul Reaper has provided him an opportunity to learn and explore more about the Human World.

Angered at Akimoto's answer, Juro pleads that Akimoto should join the Kido Corps instead, so that no harm may come to him when doing his duties as both a Soul Reaper and an experiment. Akimoto remains stubborn with his decision and attempts to leave the barracks but couldn't find an exit. Respecting Akimoto's decision, the other Kido Corps member, Amon, lets Akimoto out of the room and transports him back to his last location.

Akimoto then heads back to District 63 and meets with his mother and father after three years. They are joined by Juro, who comes to Akimoto leaving him a fair warning that 'a certain someone is waiting for your next move.' Afterwards, Juro attends to the Blackthorn brothel and relays to Ren about Akimoto's whereabouts.

After discussing the plans regarding Akimoto's lost memory, Juro performs Jinzen to ask advise from his Zanpakutou, Kagerou. Kagerou says that since Juro and Akimoto are twin brothers, their souls are somewhat linked and that this extends as far as Zanpakutous. This allows Kagerou to partially sense the remnant state of mind of Akimoto and his bond with his Zanpakutou. Kagerou mentions to Juro about Akimoto's Zanpakutou, Odoruningyō, and tells him that the spirit's appearance matches that of Ren's.

Somewhat surprised at this, Juro surmises that it is possible that the memory he sealed away may be a contributing factor. He is momentarily shocked with Kagerou's next words: Because of this, this has formed the birth of Ren's Zanpakutou and has created another link with Akimoto's soul-- a bridge that leads to Ren.

By sensing Odoruningyō's hate for Ren, Juro attempts that Akimoto can Ren can reconcile before Odoruningyō attempts to damage Ren's soul by imposing her own will upon Ren's Inner World. For the safety of Ren and Akimoto's guilty state of mind, Juro affirms a plan of action that will make the stubborn and proud Odoruningyō address the issue with Ren with Akimoto.

Juro leaves the Jinzen state and looks about Ren's room in search for a katana. He finds a slender nodachi Ren's wall display and confiscates it from her by saying that it is a cursed sword. Ren let's this pass as she attends to some costumers on her list.

Juro then enters Jinzen with Kagerou and the nodachi on his side and speaks with the Zanpakutou spirit, Hakuchou. Juro warns the spirit of what is to happen if Akimoto and Ren do not reconcile, and with sympathy for the trio, Hakuchou partially crosses to Odoruningyō's Inner World and convinces her to prompt Akimoto to reconcile with Ren. In exchange, Odoruningyō offers to exact her will upon Hakuchou should Akimoto is led astray with his own burdens. With the deal met, Juro exits out of the Jinzen state and awaits Akimoto and Ren's reunion.

In the meantime, he collaborates with Ren to give Akimoto a gift. The two discuss Akimoto's memories and the path that he'll take to stray from an unhealthy obsession of the past.

Atonement Arc
After catching wind of the events, Juro meets with Akimoto, Ren, and Juro in the Kazuma household. He presents Akimoto a thin white hoodie that goes underneath the Soul Reaper's garb. Afterwards, Juro touches Akimoto's forehead and gives him some parting words: "There are things that need to be said."

And with that, Juro releases the seal implanted on Akimoto's memory, and thus making him remember the memory of Ren's scars later on in the Bankai Experimentaton Arc.

Bankai Experimentation Arc
Juro gives Ren the nodachi.

Powers and Abilities
Kido Master: 

Keen Intellect:

Shunpo Practitioner:

Zanpakutou
Kagerou (蜉蝣, Mayfly): The sealed form takes on the appearance of a katana with an average length. The tsuba itself has open spaces that form an intricate design.


 * Shikai: The release command is "Emerge". The tsuba on the sword split apart and protrudes on what what it appears to be wings of a butterfly. The blade then turns into a shade of orange red with a white line that bisects the two sides. The blade becomes thin like that of a saber or a rapier and becomes double-edged. A small trinket of a mayfly is connected to the base of the handle with a black thread.

Shikai Special Ability
 * Erupting Exit Wounds: Kagerou's only ability is to increase the amount of force when the weapon pierces through a target. The exit wound caused by the blade bursts even wider than the radius of the blade to ensure a killing stroke. This allows cuts and stabs to be very deep the moment the blade inflicts a wound on the target. It is like an insect erupting out of its shell.


 * Bankai: Not yet achieved/revealed

Trivia

 * Loves walks and strolls.
 * He owns a notebook of many written accounts of the people he's observed. He finds profiling the trivial matters on others' lives to be a hobby.
 * He often shares these observations with Ren.
 * Juro's name in Kanji (住楼) can be broken down as juu(住) and rou (楼), meaning "dwelling" and "watchtower" respectively. His last name, Kazuma(カズマ)translates to 'True Harmony'.