Van Satonaka (FC)

Van Satonaka is a who transferred to the 9th Division of the Gotei 13 shortly after The Coven's initial attack on the, where he was given the position of Sixth Seated officer by acting-Captain Shūhei Hisagi. Prior to his transfer Van served in the Patrol Corps of the. He remained with the 9th Division when Sajin Komamura became Captain and, as the Sixth Seated officer of his Division, he also counts himself amongst the 9th Division's elite Commando Unit. Van was the man to first suspect Yoshiro Shiba of duplicity and eventually unmasked him as an agent for The Coven.

Appearance
Van is described as a wiry man with blond-coloured hair who favours a pale-blue kimono during his off-duty hours. He tends to keep his eyes narrowed to slits and thus rarely shows his sky-blue eyes. During The Coven's initial attack Van suffered a broken left-arm, and was later seen with it in a sling. As is typical of the Commando unit he serves in, Van wears a form-fitting white-coloured haori over his standard Shinigami attire with Komamura 9th Division emblazoned on the back. Like almost every member of the Ninth Division past and present, Van wears a sleeveless kosode.

Personality
Van has little interest in the chain of command; he addresses Captains and Lieutenants both with their given name, without any mention of their title. Van is loyal to people, not to organisations. After being given orders it took him thirty minutes before he acted on them, and even then he ultimately refused so that he could aid Kenji. Kenji and Kei are two of the few people that Van acts like himself around; he has proven to be in possession of a quick wit and a somewhat vulgar mouth, but has proven to be serious when the situation demands it.

Literary works

 * Cataclysm Holiday Specials -- Van contributes holiday segments based on Kenji's popular episodic publication. He uses the same setting and characters written by Kenji with a comedic flair and, in Van's own words, are done solely for shits-and-giggles.

History
Van has had a lifelong friendship with Kenji Hiroshi and Kei Yume.

The Coven War

 * Main article -- Bleach: The Coven War.

Prologue

 * Dawn of the Coven (unseen)
 * Towards the Future: Kenji's Resolve
 * Towards the Future: Cave of Fulmination
 * Towards the Future: Human World Investigation
 * Towards the Future: Answers and Questions

Equipment

 * Hitsuboku (筆墨, Pen and ink): a specialised pen and ink made by Izumi Ōmura for the 9th Division at the request of Kenji. The ink becomes a specialised knock-out agent when applied directly to the bloodstream, and is thus used more as a hidden weapon by Van than a writing implement when stealth is key.

Powers and Abilities
After meeting the nature spirit known as in Northern Rukongai, Van and Kenji where infused by a small measure of its power.

Hohō Expertise: As a former member of the Patrol Corps of the, Van excels in high-speed movement techniques.

Hakuda Expertise: As a former member of the Patrol Corps, which was occasionally tasked with apprehending who where under house arrest, Van was required to hone his skills in hand-to-hand combat.

Stealth: As a former member of the Patrol Corps whose task was to monitor their fellow Shinigami to prevent uprisings, Van was notably skilled in stealth so as not to draw attention to his activities. Van's skills where held in high esteem by Hisagi.

Enhanced Endurance: Despite fighting for the duration in the initial Coven attack all Van suffered was a broken arm.

Enhanced Strength: Van was capable of supporting Kenji's body weight with only one arm when the latter escaped his hospital room but forgot to take his crutches with him.

Zanjutsu Expertise: As a former operative of the Patrol Corps, who are often required to deal with uprisings, Van is a skilled swordsman. He also trained extensively under Sajin Komamura when he took Captaincy of the 9th Division, which served to heighten his abilities.

Zanpakutō
Kōsekihana (鉱石花, Crystal Petal).


 * : Van releases his Zanpakutō with the command "Wreak Havoc". Upon release the blade dissolves completely into thousands of minuscule shards of pink-coloured crystal.


 * Shikai Special Ability: Van can deftly control the crystal to attack his enemies or protect his allies; the crystal has the potent effect of forcibly crystallising anything the shards come into contact with. Kenji has described Van's Zanpakutō as a marvel for its versatility.


 * : Not yet achieved.

Alternate world counterpart

 * Main article -- Van Satonaka.

Van Satonaka, feared throughout the realms as the leader of The Rogues, is an alternate version of Van who appears as one of the main characters of Bleach: Sun and Moon Chronicles and both parts of Bleach: War of the Worlds. He is Kenji Hiroshi's frequent rival and fighting partner against their shared nemesis Averian.