Braeburn McTavish

Braeburn McTavish (マクタヴィッシュブレイバーン, Bureibān Makutavu~isshu) is a Shinigami residing in the Soul Society, having immigrated from Aether. He is also a member of the Nigen Syndicate, a somewhat passive and religious organization going by the teachings about Red Sun. It is mentioned by Kukkyōna Hayate that Braeburn had defected from the 5th Division due to conflicting theology with Soul Society. However, he later on states that he was betrayed by his own colleagues for that reason and was forced to abandon his post.

He is a protagonist of the Bleach: The Children of Izanami arc. During the series, he becomes a hesitant ally of the Gotei 13 in an effort to rescue The Punisher from the clutches of the Hanta. Later on, he becomes a Deep Cover Operations member courtesy of an invitation from Hana Yūgure prior to the Ahijados-Yūrei War. He is a survivor of the Plinian Movement and a witness to the Hankami's defeat by extention, along with Hana, Rokotsu Hyōgen, Yōki Emi and Takashi Kōsoku. At the end of the saga, Hana becomes his love interest.

In Bleach: The War of Four, he is first seen along with the rest of his crew (sans Hana) having been freshly defeated by Kunō Shiru.

Personality
Braeburn can be best described as a confident, calm, easy-going, and even cocky individual. He is more than willing to face a problem or obstacle head-on, finding direct intervention to be the most effective when dealing with issues. He is prideful, confident of his own abilities. Sometimes, he is often sarcastic and mocking, but only in the event of a rather distasteful or irritating situation. Despite his pride, he will acknowledge someone when their traits and abilities are very clear to be equal to or above his own. He is relentless and ruthless, refusing to show mercy on his enemies. In this sense, he can be considered a dangerous man to deal with when standing in the way of him and what he is aiming for.

He is not above morality, and has a heavy disapproval for actions and events that are looked down upon as savage actions by society. He has a particular resentment for the Ahijados due to them being responsible for many deaths in the attack on the capital city. When he finds out Kenta Sonoda's responsibility for the attacks on Yūrei and confronts him, he reacts with passionate anger. He also has a strong loyalty towards those that he considers to be his friends, willing to challenge anyone that threatens their safety. He has a subtle, but extreme sense of forgiveness; despite his belittling of the Gotei 13 and the Soul Society, the revelation of being a victim of a conspiracy justifies his accusations. But he knows his limits, and will willingly back down when there is a situation he cannot face and win against. He often butts head against authority when he finds them to be too oppressive, his confrontations with Daisuke Hayate and his father showing the tension between him and his higher-ups.

History
Little about Braeburn's childhood is known. He grew up in the care of his parents Haralson McTavish and Evelyn McTavish, a family from the Rukongai district. He was raised alongside sister Brina McTavish. At some time, both of them, patriotic and young, decided to enlist in the Shinō Academy and join the Gotei 13 (despite protests from Haralson). Eventually, Braeburn became the 3rd Seat of the 5th Division, while Brina became a member of the Onmitsukidō's Executive Militia.

Life as a 3rd Seat was not an easy life for Braeburn. Because of his beliefs in the discriminated religion of Red Sun, he was constantly jeered and mocked by his colleagues. On occasion, they would even go so far as to attack him physically for his beliefs. His higher-ups refused to do anything, even with the knowledge of these happenings. This lack of action as well as the constant harassment was the beginning of Braeburn's growing resentment for the Gotei 13. At the same time, his father and sister were being harassed as well, despite their positions. However, he did his best to remain passive and self-defensive in this time of prejudice and discrimination. In the Mourning War, Braeburn was given control of a squad of lower Seated officers in order to break through the enemy lines of the Hollow Nerve Center. Six of their members fell to the disease or the puppet Shinigami corpses. Braeburn and his surviving teammates managed to break through and survive through the end of the war. However, it was here that one of them struck Braeburn in the back after he was nearly infected himself. They revealed their true motive; to kill him out of the fear that he would grow up to oppose the Soul Society. They left him for dead, but he managed to escape the area. He remained trapped within the Seireitei for a certain period of time, evading enemy forces until he was able to find an escape route out of Soul Society. He eventually sought refuse within the capital city of Yūrei Ōkoku, managing to work his way into residing in the same house as Yūrei representative Rukia Kuchiki.

Bleach: The Children of Izanami Arc

 * Los Niños de Izanami: Despertar del Infierno
 * Izanami no Jidō: Chichi no Tsumi (mentioned)
 * Izanami no Jidō: The Good Life (mentioned)
 * Los Niños de Izanami: Contención

Bleach: The War of Four

 * The War of Four: Dark Revelations
 * The Perfect Date? Unwanted Reunion
 * The War of Four: The Eye of the Storm
 * The War of Four: Recollection
 * The War of Four: Persona Non Grata
 * The War of Four: Recovery

Powers & Abilities
Immense Spiritual Energy: Braeburn possesses a considerable amount of spiritual power, which has increased considerably. Instead of focusing it in order to gain an external advantage in combat, he uses it in a more specialized and exceptionally controlled manner. By hiding his own spiritual influence, he can keep his presence invisible to spiritual sense and leave him undetected. In conjunction with his other abilities, he can ultimately make himself a "ghost" in the battlefield. He is also capable of using it to enhance his blows in combat and dominate hapless opponents.
 * Resolve: Braeburn's spiritual energy can be strengthened depending on his own emotions, mostly concerning emotions that passionately drives him in fighting. The most prominent this trait has on him is when he has a dominant urge to kill his opponent. When he calls upon this desire to kill, his spiritual energy will shape itself to be used in a more offensive manner. In turn, this will enhance his fighting physical prowess to a heightened level. This ability can ultimately spark effects within the environment they are fighting in.

Master Hand-to-Hand Combatant: Braeburn is an experienced practioner of Hakuda, his skills having been born during common street fighting. Though unpolished and instinctive, he commonly uses the style of Aikido, a style that allows the user to redirect the force of an attack against an opponent or several opponents. He first demonstrated his skill in hand-to-hand combat when he attacked and struck down Korosou in order to save Daisuke Hayate. He can also contend with the likes of his sister in hand to hand combat simply by accurately imitating her movements, which she comments on occasionally. In sparring matches, he has been able to compete with the likes of Hana Yūgure, who is a masterful practitioner of Hakuda.

Master Swordsmanship Specialist: The trait that Braeburn seems to take pride in the most is his ability in the art of swordsmanship. Like his ability in hand-to-hand combat, he focuses on bringing the opponent's attack force against them. However, his swordplay is much more aggressive, and his strikes seek to dominate duels and rely on pure power in order to win. He is able to twist his wrists at a quick rate, maintaining a balance between the strength of his blows and the speed of them. He can also move just enough for an enemy's attack to miss him in order for a quicker dive into his opponent's guard. His sword skills allowed him to contend with the likes of Ryūketsu ōtamu. While initially being unable to fight properly against 666 while working with Takashi Kōsoku, Yōki Emi, and Rokotsu Hyōgen, he is able to contend evenly with the Arrancar while fighting on his own.

Flash Steps Expert: Braeburn is an expert in the use of Flash Step, capable of keeping up with Captain-level opponents for an indeterminate amount of time.

Enhanced Endurance: Though the extent of which is unknown, Braeburn possesses a rather superhuman rate of endurance. In his second fight with Sensō, he took an enhanced claw strike to the chest and was able to keep fighting, even to the point of still being able to fight with Ryūketsu and the Harbinger while leaving the wound unchecked. In his fight alongside Rokotsu Hyōgen, Yōki Emi, and Takashi Kōsoku against 666, he sustains heavy wounds but is able to keep fighting even when his teammates are unable to do so.

Keen Intellect: Though this is shaded by his rather hot-headed and rebellious attitude, Braeburn is actually a rather analytic and observant individual. He is capable, to some extent, of reading the emotions of others.

Zanpakutō
Kettō (決闘, Affair of Honor): The name of Braeburn's Zanpakuto. It takes the appearance of a standardized katana with a grey blade and an orange wrapping around its base. It has an olive-grey tsuba with a purple hilt. The blade itself is somewhat curved.


 * Shikai: Kettō's release command is "Duel" (翻訳, Hon'yaku). Upon the statement of the release command, it pulsates a total of three times before the blade glows with a purple-red flame. After a few seconds, this flame fades away. Its release takes the form of a scimitar with a black and red tsuba and handle.
 * Shikai Special Ability: Braeburn places his Zanpakutō in a position where the handle is facing his chest and the tip of the blade is pointed at his opponent. One hand is gripping the blade in a backhand position while the other is open-palmed against the bottom of the handle. In this stance, he extends and retracts the length of the blade at an uncomprehensible speed, even to the most diligent of observers. Its law-defying speed and power allow it to punch through nearly any defense, including those that are made from energy-based properties. It can do so multiple time in succession, and the speed of such make it appear as if a wall of blades are attacking a target instead of just one.


 * Bankai: Akuma no Ken (悪魔の剣, Sword of the Devil). To activate his Bankai, Braeburn tosses his sword up into the air. It will stop itself when it is high enough, keeping its tip pointed towards the sky and glowing an indigo color. Then, there will be an explosion of blades that will spread across the sky for a few seconds before clustering together at a high speed. When they come back to the area, they will surround both Braeburn and his opponent in an area where neither of them can get very far from one another. There will still be room for maneuverability, and it can be expanded upon Braeburn's will.
 * Bankai Special Ability: Braeburn himself explains that the basis of his Zanpakutō is not speed, but recovery. By normal means, fighting prowess is restricted by natural conditions such as wind friction against the movement of limbs, the level of temperature on the body and more. Akuma no Ken acts as a shield for Braeburn against these limitations, allowing him to fight without having to worry about exhausting himself in the field of battle. He can call one or two of the swords that make up the Bankai in order for melee combat. While his Bankai is active, he has access to accelerated healing as well as continuous resistance to injury and exhaustion. Blows that cannot kill him immediately are easily shrugged off. With each and every attack that his opponent unleashes against him as well as the blows that Braeburn strikes on their person, the speed in which they wear down increases. Ultimately, this leaves them vulnerable to attack. Whenever Braeburn lands a cut with the swords Akuma no Ken generates, he can drain a portion of strength from them and use it as his own. In summary, Akuma no Ken can prove to be a deadly weapon that can turn the tide against almost any opponent.

Trivia

 * Braeburn's character is inspired and influenced by Revolver Ocelot, a character from the Metal Gear Solid series.

Quotes

 * (To Kukkyōna Hayate) "I had never left.... I was forced out, ex-communicated! Despite my loyalty and dedication to the Gotei 13, all I got in return was my name bathed in a crock of lies. That's why I came back to you; I was tired of running away and leaving you to continue to believe their conspiracy. I came back to fulfill my duty, whatever the cost!"
 * (To 666) "You said before that our greatest strength was in our unity, Arrancar?! Well, that's where you're wrong!! For me, I've spent the entirety of my life on my own, fighting my own demons and existing as the only link between my life and my death!! I can try to become a link to the chain that is everyone else. But in the end, I can only fight to my fullest if I can fight by myself!! So get ready, because I can't promise I can hold myself back this time!!"