Shinzō


 * Sin can be a powerful thing. - Kenji-Taichō

Shinzō (心臓, Japanese for Heart), feared as the Immortal (不朽, Fukyū), was a powerful and dangerous individual whose goals where as mysterious as the man himself. It is known that he was a former who, through use of the Kikai, reached what was essentially god-hood. His three-thousand-year reign of terror was finally ended by Kentaro Hiroshi, who doggedly sought a way to kill him over a sixteen year period, culminating in Shinzō's death in Nishiendo, and the destruction of his legacy a short time later.

Appearance
Despite being of an age with Garian Shinjo (who is now an old man and well over 3000 years old) Shinzō has been relatively untouched by the ravages of time, and has the appearance of a man in his late-twenties. This he owes to the Kyūtai he carries. Shinzō sports dark black hair with an unnatural blue tint throughout, pale skin that appears like it hasn't seen the sun in years, and possesses sharp red eyes Akiye once noted to be akin to those of an alpha predator. Following the theft of his Kyūtai however time hit Shinzō like a brick, swiftly advancing to an aged state. When finally faced with Kentaro he was old and wrinkled, but still strong. His features are sharp enough that Kentaro once said his "nose is as sharp as his tongue". His typical attire -- whether it be a jacket and jeans or traditional Shinigami garb -- seems to cling to the shadows in such a way that light is absorbed into the folds of the fabric, rendering him nigh on invisible. As he aged he switched instead to a long black cloak that reached his ankles, with bandages over his right eye.

Personality
Shinzō, at his core, is a collector who obsesses over items of limited quantity or those of a mythological nature, and has demonstrated an attachment to the items he does acquire that borders on the extreme. His collection was once vast enough that he devoted entire areas of Kōhai Tochi to their storage and display, though most of these areas were lost when Kentaro destroyed them. This event clearly highlighted Shinzō's obsession as Kentaro correctly deduced that the destruction of his prized possessions would undoubtedly draw him out, which it did. It also unveiled his sadistic side. In a fierce and destructive display of power and rage Shinzō almost succeeded in killing young Kentaro who, after being driven to his knees and pushed to the brink of his physical and mental fortitude, was only saved from certain death by the intervention of Shigeru Yūdai.

For himself Shinzō is an avid movie and theater buff, though he favors the latter largely due to the fact he spent longer watching theater performances than movie screenings. Outside his personal conquest to amass the worlds rare items under his ownership whilst simultaneously reaping chaos and discord, Shinzō enjoys concocting various blends of coffee; and, amazingly, once convinced none other than Averian to aid him in a small matter using one such blend, coffee being one of the Arrancar's favorite beverage.

One facet of Shinzō's character that is clearly defined and well-known by almost everyone who has spent time with or been told stories about him is his lust for power. It is no exaggeration that he would go to tremendous lengths (some would say any length) to bolster his own power or that of his various organizations. One example of his greed was his creation of and utilization of a piece of Kikai, which is a stone that requires a large sacrifice of spiritual beings to create. It is unknown just how many souls Shinzō willingly sacrificed to create this stone but the sheer fact he did so without remorse or regret for his actions demonstrates just how devoted he is to gaining power simply for the sake of gaining power, regardless of the cost. In addition he seems to derive pleasure through domination, of which several examples have been shown. He tortured Akiye after her betrayal of the Imawashī both physically, mentally and sexually, and later almost succeeded in breaking Kentaro through mental torture in the wake of their battle after having broken both of his arms and legs and dislocating his jaw; he did this all the while with a sick smile on his face on both occasions.

Synopsis

 * Main Article - Bleach (Kenji Hiroshi).

Invasion of Kōhai Tochi arc

 * Challenging the Vices Saga
 * Folly of the Youthful

Part IV

 * Main article -- Bleach: Cataclysm.

Pre-Collapse

 * Kentaro vs. Shinzo
 * Betrayal's End

Inventions
Kikai: A dangerous substance Shinzō created by sacrificing close to five-hundred of the Gotei 13, the Ryū Order and exiles he had captured over the years; resulting in a powerful item Shinzō later embedded in his body. As it is essentially reiryoku in its purest form, compacted into a physical shape that now resides within Shinzō's very being, he benefits from greatly enhanced abilities, both physical and spiritual. Whispers among his followers in the Collective Vices suggest he owes a great amount of his tremendous powers to this very substance. As a result, this is the only known example among the Collective Vices to prevent others manufacturing it.

Powers and Abilities
Manifestation of Will: As long as there are Shirushi active Shinzō can seemingly reach out through these brands and seize control of the one possessing it, overriding their conciousness with his own, effectively becoming immortal, even should his physical body be killed. With the death of Shigeru Yūdai however, whom Shinzō attempted to control at the last, Shinzō is without a Shirushi to home-in on, making Shigeru's death at Kentaro's hand Shinzō's true end.

His spiritual power seems to embody the wind element. Release of his reiatsu in close-quarters can send someone flying through the air.


 * Kikai-enhanced Spiritual Power: Shinzō carries embedded within his body a piece of Kikai, which is essentially pure reiryoku compacted into a stone-like shape; this stone, which was created through the mass sacrificing of spiritual beings within Kōhai Tochi, grandly and explosively augmented Shinzō's already formidable spiritual power. Due to this stone Shinzō has entered what he dubbed the "realm of the gods"; an example of his lofty powers were shown through Kentaro's inability to sense his reiatsu or gauge his strength-level, with Shinzō demonstrating his ability to contend with the likes of Shigeru, who is himself well beyond the strength of a traditional Captain-class combatant. Per its removal however he lost this grand enhancement.

Enhanced Speed: Although he has yet to be shown using Shunpo, Shinzō has shown the necessary speed to keep pace with Kentaro's sonído and Shigeru's shunpo, seemingly using his own reiatsu (which is wind-aligned) to move his body. After losing the Kikai however his speed took a noticeable hit, resulting in him becoming slower than Kentaro, even with his unique enhancement.

Zanjutsu Mastery: Much like Kenji and Kusaka (who bear the titles of Sword saint and Sword demon respectively) Shinzō is a formidable swordsman who developed his skills alongside Garian during their youth. Using little more than what he described as "low-level techniques" he was fit to dominate Kentaro throughout their first match, who is masterful himself in the use of his Zanpakutō; this, coupled with the fact even Shigeru failed to defeat him in a fair and straight-up fight, shows that Shinzō's skill with a blade is matched by very few. Much of his strength however he owed to his Kikai. After being deprived of it Kentaro was fit to gradually overpower him, despite his vast experience.

Zanpakutō
Shinzō's Zanpakutō takes the form of a -like weapon which he conceals inside his long robes. It has been speculated that he stole this Zanpakutō prior to its original owner imprinting themselves upon it, likely after he broke free of and acquired his Kikai.


 * : The release command of Shinzō's Zanpakutō was never revealed. He seemingly activates it by breathing spiritual power onto the blade, creating a wispy wind-like blade.


 * Shikai Special Ability: Although not fully shown Shinzō's power seems to deal with the creation of vacuums, and striking those caught inside with a series of invisible strikes, with little movement required.


 * : Although its name was not revealed Shinzō demonstrated his Bankai against Kentaro, using its power in a final desperate attempt to finish the young Shiba. Unlike traditional Bankai it does not create a large creature to aid its wielder, instead using Shinzō as the vocal point to pull in large quantities of foreign matter into a vacuum.


 * Bankai Special Ability: Shinzō's Bankai was capable of drawing in a substantial amount of foreign matter, which is seemingly bound and sealed in-place close to Shinzō's body in the form of a large sphere, inside of which is a vacuum, enabling him to capture or kill his opponent(s). Kentaro only escaped by activating his Hollow powers and moving outside the technique's range.