Saito Kusanagi



Saito Kusanagi is an enigmatic Shinigami who claims to serve the Gotei 13 and the house Amane, though his real goals remain unknown. He is implied to be one of the strongest Shinigami in existence by a wide margin. He was initially defeated and killed by the combined efforst of Kona Renado and Alfi Bluebird but has since returned.

Appearance
Saito wears a high-class suit with white undershirt, black vest and coat, a black tie, matching black pants and classy shoes. He had tow belts around his waist and wears fingerless gloves. He also wears a black Fedora hat over his bright green hair. His eyes, similar to Gin Ichimaru, are narrowed into slits.

Personality
Saito is powerful, and he knows it, often "playing" with his opponents in order to show them exactly how weak they are compared to him. He is polite and sarcastic, coming off as a likeable man but Fusa Amane knows this to be a front. He enjoys making other people suffer just for the fun of it, though why he does this is unclear.

Powers and Abilities
Monstrous Spiritual Pressure: Saito is believed to be one of the strongest Shinigami in existence and his mere presence alone is enough to make even captain-level shinigami think twice before drawing their swords. Shunpo Master: Saito is a master of shunpo and moves at unbelievable speeds. Often the only indication he has moved comes after he has landed a counter strike. He is also the only person to fight at the same speed as Kona when affected by Kona's Bankai.
 * Paralysing Gaze/Murderous Gaze: Many individuals who find themselves facing Saito are paralysed by his gaze out of fear, sensing his murderous intent. The only Shinigami shown to break free of this so far is Kona Renado who used his own fear to trigger a fight or flight reflex.Saito_Murderous_Gaze.gif

Masterful Swordsmanship: Though the depth of his skill is unknown, Saito was easily able to fend off Kona's attacks with minimal effort with a sealed Zanpakuto.

Masterful Hand-to-hand combat: Saito is more than capable of holding off left over Stern Ritter and Kona using nothing more than his bare hands.

Kido Master: Saito can use a variety of high-leveled Kido Spells without incantation in rapid succession. He has never been seen using a full incantation for any Kido spell.

Genius Intellect: Saito claims there are very few smarter than him and he has the prove to back up this claim.
 * Master Manipulator: Is revealed to be the one who manipulated Shunsake Kenshin into murdering Kirrin Renado AND the one who tricked Shunsake into attempting to aid Kona during his fight with Johnathan Sturm.Saito_Kusanagi_-_Shikai.jpg

Zanpakuto
Saito's Zanpakuto, Kage no Hebi (影の蛇 - Shadow Serpent) takes the form of a small Ninja-to that he keeps hidden in his jacket.

Shikai: The release command for Saito's Shikai is "Devour in darkness - Kage no Hebi!". After this, the Zanpakuto disappears until willed by Saito after which it appears as a black chain with a snake head and stinger tale. He is able to control it with hand gestures and his mind alone. When questioned by Kona about it's length, Saito responded that the chain can extend to nearly two Kilometres. Bankai: Yudoku Kage no Hebi (有毒影蛇の - Poisonous Shadow Serpent)
 * Doku Ken (毒剣): Saito quickly summons the head of his shikai and a length of chain, shrouded in reiatsu, to strike his opponents. Those striken feel a numbness that takes effect and causes total paralysis in approximately ten minutes.
 * Sutoraiku, Kage no Hebi (ストライク、影蛇): The "head" of Kage no Hebi opens and "bites" the target. Those affected are infused with a venom-like reiatsu that causes loss of conscience in five minutes.
 * Hebi Hitei (蛇否定): The "head" of Kage no Hebi opens and "bites" the target's Zanpakuto, or released form for Arrancar, and seals their Zanpakuto.

Bankai Effects: Same as Shikai, only all venom-like reiatsu acts twice as fast. Also, Saito can slowly sap the reiatsu of enemies in close proximity to him.



Other Equipment
Serpent Fangs: Due to the nature of Saito's Zanpakuto's release states, Saito had these knife-like weapons crafted. During combat, he infuses them with a portion of his reiatsu, giving them cutting power similar to most melee-type Zanpakuto in their Shikai states.

Hell Corp Cloak: A cloak that Saito wears after his defeat and first death at the hands of Kona and Alfi Bluebird. It allows him safe passage in an out of hell.



Quotes:

 * (To Fusa Amane): "Alright, Alright. I'll go fetch him. Sheesh, no need to be sooooo cranky!"
 * (To Kona Renado): "I'm surprised you haven't heard of me...actually, no I'm not. Oh, but I've heard of you Kona Renado."
 * (To Kona Renado): "Wait, YOU'RE gonna play with ME? Get serious, boy, cause I'm gonna show you how the shit WORKS. I kick your ass you take it cause there's nothing you can do to stop me."
 * (To Kona Renado): "You should've just quit while you had the chance, kid. Now, I'm gonna have to get a little rough..."
 * (To Alfi Bluebird): "Out of my way, little girl. Kona and I have some MAN stuff to talk about and it doesn't concern you."
 * (To a hollowified Kona): "What. The. HELL is going on with you?!! One minute you're a Shinigami, the next...argh! *Coughs blood*"
 * (To Alfi and Kona): "This...can't be happening...RAARRRRRGGHHH!!!!"
 * (To Luna Amane): "Well, well, the main lady's kid sister. Step aside or I may have to get a little rough."

Trivia

 * Saito is heavily based off of Hazama, from the Blazblue series, though his powers are seperated into his Shikai and Bankai stages.
 * One of his above quotes is adapted to a quote from Blazblue: Continuum Shift spoken to Ragna The Bloodedge.