Masatsugu Kobayakawa

Masatsugu Kobayakawa (小早川.正継 Kobayakawa Masatsugu, lit: Arrival of a Small Stream with Rightful Inheritance) is a member of the Kidō Corps, and more specifically it's current 5th Seat. He is the son of the influential member, Hideaki Kobayakawa, prominent rival of 3rd Seat, Junichi Kuchiki and boyfriend of Ringo Minami. Due to their heated rivalry and constant fighting, they are usually seen to get in trouble by their Captain, the Emerald Sorceress, Midori Jinkou.

A somewhat prodigal child of his clan, boasting of high amounts of spiritual energy, and expert skill in Kidō, Masatsugu was trained from the beginning of his life in diplomacy, politics, strategy and swordsmanship, but he would take another route, training himself in the magical arts, he would be recruited into the Kidō Corps after his graduation from the academy. Now, it is up to him to prove himself in front of the family and most importantly, his father, something he diligently attempts to do.

Appearance
Masatsugu is a young man who resembles his father only slightly with his physical features, though his somewhat angular facial structure and sharp nose do resemble his father, that is the extent of it. He is remarked to bear significant similarities with his mother, and he takes traits from both of the families he was born in. Masatsugu's most distinctive trait is his rather dark, chocolate brown hair which he has left to grown out till his back, and keeps tied up with a ponytail using the Kobayakawa's finest silks. He is in possession of rather fair, and luminiscent skin which contrasts greatly with his dark eyes, which are remarked to be very serious and somewhat calming. His height is also considerable, seeing as he stands just a foot taller than his rival, a fact he likes to slyly boast about. His build is also quite lean, and through rigorous training he has developed it quite well, having a balance with his physical and spiritual being thanks to his father's training.

In terms of attire, Masatsugu is a part of royalty, and thus he is forced to comply with the strict regime of the Gotei 13's Kidō Corps. This consists of a slight variation to the shinigami's shihakusho, which is altered to be a rather baggy-sleeved black kosode, a grey obi at his waist and a pair of black hakama which are more like baggy pants, and finally a pair of tabi and waraji. Due to his standing inside the organization, he doesn't adopt the facial covering that most other members wear, though if he must go out during duty, he will do so. It should also be noted that he doesn't carry his zanpakutō around on his person, summoning it through Kidō, a technique all members learn to employ.

Additionally, Masatsugu has been seen wearing a variety of other traditional attires, such as kimono and even yukata upon occassion. However, most prominently he likes to keep himself comfortable with a white kosode and hakama kept fastened with a red obi sash that holsters his zanpakutō at the right of his waist, while he wears a pair of ornate waraji for easy movement. He also is seen with a black, long-sleeved haori over this, with the insignia for his clan on the back of it.

Furthermore, in his Gigai he seems to prefer a westernized attire, seen with his choice of a simple, long-sleeved, white dress-shirt under a black blazer and a pair of black pants and black shoes, with a simple belt at his waist. He seems to disregard the tie, and leave two buttons exposed, for reasons of his own. Though, Junichi has commented it's to draw in the ladies, he's refuted his claims many-a-time.

Powers and Abilities
Child Genius: Masatsugu has constantly proven himself to have a talent outside of what others would expect from someone of his heritage. He grasps upon concepts swiftly and can thoroughly analyze a situation in a heartbeat with his calm and collected personality. Masatsugu is commonly calm and temperate, being considered one of the few geniuses who could pass the rigors of the Shinō Academy within a year. Unlike Junichi, Masatsugu's genius was also a result of his hard work and persistence. He was regarded to be very attentive within his classes and paid close detail to everything a teacher said. This was also a result of his background, which many hadn't expected would allow him to rise to such levels of fame. Furthermore, Masatsugu hasn't nearly reached the limits of his potential, and has the capacity to go much farther than where he is currently.

His spiritual power is noticeably on-par with lieutenants on a lower level of power than the energy Junichi possesses, yet regardless it is noticeably powerful. It should be noted his entire potential has not been achieved. It bears a noticeable dark green color, in representation of the burdens and unwillingness of carrying upon his father's legacy, wishing to become strong on his own merits, not merely with his father's. Due to his expertise in Kido, Masatsugu has shown immense proficiency in manipulating his spiritual power, to the point where, due to practicing the philosophies of Kanseiryū, he is capable of manipulating his spiritual core, altering the flow of his spiritrons according to the situation at hand. It is refined to the point where he is capable of making his own, unique brands of Kidō spells, though the strength of them isn't exactly immense. He is also capable of large amounts of endurance, as a result of his control over his spiritual power, he only exerts as much force as needed.

Expert Swordsmanship Specialist: Masatsugu has been instilled the values of a blade from a young age, and though it is not his specialty, he is highly competent in its use. Due to constant and rigorous training, Masatsugu's style is noted to be very angular and disciplined. He employs swift and deadly strokes, each successful in debilitating an opponent until their weakness is exposed. Because of the manner in which he can manipulate the force of his strikes, Masatsugu uses the plaything called deception in order to conjure awe within his enemies. Through sifting within a number of strength-levels, Masatsugu displays the uncanny skill to continually cause an opponent's guard to be broken, creating a number of opportunities for him to strike at their weakness. Furthermore, through his ambidexterity, Masatsugu is capable of casting Kidō and employing Zanjutsu at the same time, creating an extremely dominating force for his enemy.

Kanseiryū Specialist:

Shunpo Specialist:

Kidō Abilities
Kidō Savant: Having developed his skills over the years, Masatsugu is noted for his mastery within the arts of Kidō. Because of his interest and apparent talent in it, he paid most attention in his Kidō classes, using them as a means to experiment within the art and spike even further knowledge and curiosity within him. Even among the enthusiasts, Masatsugu was like no other, breaking the rules repeatedly to learn new and exciting ways to apply his spiritual energy and its transmutation into Kidō. Furthermore, his rivalry with Junichi also served the purpose of morally strengthening him to gain more knowledge and defeat his rival completely. One prominent aspect of his talent was that he was indeed invited to join the Kidō Corps, who were also impressed with the arsenal of spells Masatsugu had gained, having the ability to employ up to number 88 in both destruction and binding successfully.

Masatsugu is noted for his skills within the alteration field, and whilst he is capable of effortlessly linking spells and their effects together, Masatsugu is noted to apply spiritual transformation onto many of his spells, branching out their initial effect and cause extreme surprise to an enemy. Consequently, Masatsugu has also taken it upon himself to thoroughly understand the application of motion into his usage of Kidō. Many of his techniques are seemingly structured as a dance, with various motions with his upper and lower body in order to enhance the potency of his spells, making him an extremely deadly opponent within battle.

As all members of the Kidō Corps traditionally develop, Masatsugu has shown himself capable of employing a method of silent casting. Collecting energy to a focal point and releasing it as a Kidō spell is an art that Masatsugu is attempting to master. Though not proficient with all spells, Masatsugu is capable of erecting barriers and lower-leveled destructive spells with absolute ease. Considering that he has only practiced the use of specific spells with this method, he weaves them together with precision and skill that would baffle an enemy and shatter their pride entirely.

Because of his in-depth exploration of its abilities, Masatsugu has mastered it to a state nobody else has reached before. Masatsugu employs Rikujōkōrō as a primary offense and defense. He is capable of summoning it without an incantation or even a name, simply calling upon the rods to strike at his opponent with blunt force. Furthermore, he is capable of altering their composition with the utmost ease, transfiguring them into blades, weaponry and even every-day objects for use. Masatsugu isn't limited to strictly six rods and can produce a far higher number, or can simply concentrate the energy into a smaller amount. As another bonus, he is capable of effortlessly controlling its motion through the use of gestures, allowing it to surround him or disperse into a number of positions for further attacks. The possibilities are only limited by Masatsugu's own imagination, which aren't narrow in the slightest.

Original Spells:
 * Shichitenchi (死地天地 Point of Death Within Heaven and Earth)
 * Sōshinhira (送信平 Palm of Transmission)

Zanpakutō
Fuyukodachi (冬木立 Winter Grove of Trees) is the name of Masatsugu's zanpakutō. When sealed it bears the appearance of an exquisite katana, bearing a white hilt, ornated with several small green leaf-like patterns swirling around it. The guard itself bears a snowflake pattern, it being predominantly white in color along with a dark green interior being melded into it. It's sheath compliments it well, being a dark green in color, and having three cords if white string enveloping the entire sheath's length in a spiral pattern. Many have described that Fuyukodachi is a beautiful zanpakutō, however, it bears an unusual sadness to it, which is confirmed by Masatsugu because of it's nature. He remarks that its spirit is but a child.

He continues with this until leaves are drawn on the entirety of the blade. Once this has been completed, Masatsugu sweeps his hand over the blade, causing the drawn leaves to materialize into white leaves of spiritual energy, which soon form into the shape of a white raven. This white raven is the focus of Masatsugu's Shikai abilities, and allow for many of the abilities provided to him. Furthermore, his zanpakutō's sealed state becomes a very faint white, not dazzling, but almost transparent, as if it were glass. As a final additive to his Shikai release, the immediate environment around Masatsugu drops in temperature throughout the duration it is released, continuing to drop by five degrees every two minutes.

Shikai Special Ability: Upon first releasing his Shikai, Fuyukodachi appeared before Masatsugu and told him; "The White Raven symbolizes the end of humanity...it is the coldest winter, and is the judgement upon the world." Though exactly what he meant was unbeknownst to Masatsugu, he soon understood the meaning of his words. The White Raven is a personification of Fuyukodachi present within the mortal realm, allowing for it to be a sentient entity that is capable of independently thinking and acting. The White Raven provides a slowing of spiritual particles and their interactions, causing things to cool down rapidly, and allowing Masatsugu with a plethora of abilities. It should be noted that Masatsugu is not, in any manner, affected by these abilities. However, he cannot control them to their full extent because of his immaturity. Yet, as a result of these abilities, Fuyukodachi is considered one of the most powerful ice-type zanpakutō within Soul Society, with Masatsugu and even Junichi dubbing it a self-proclaimed "Winter-Type".
 * Fubuki (吹雪 Snow Storm) as the gradual cooling of the environment progresses, Fuyukodachi can, on either his own whim, or Masatsugu's wish, begin to emit a large amount of reiatsu in a swift pulse throughout their immediate environment. This release of energy then allows extreme cooling of the air around Masatsugu, and providing Fuyukodachi's essence within these winds. From here, Masatsugu is then able to exercise control over them, creating blistering snowstorms and blizzards with utmost ease, and considering that the temperature is continually cooling, Masatsugu is able to cause entire battlefields to field until nothing but him remains. The winds summoned by this ability are noted to present a threat in and of themselves, as concealed within the writhing currents whirl thousands of miniature ice blades"
 * Hyōgaki (氷河期 Ice Age) upon Masatsugu's request, Fuyukodachi is able to provide Masatsugu with the necessary spiritual energy to create a number of ice-constructs using his own and Fuyukodachi's spiritual energy as a basis. By combining it with the surrounding cold, Masatsugu is able to shape his energy into any way he wishes, a feat further enhanced by his mastery over Kidō and Kanseiryū. These constructs can be of a static or dynamic nature, with the former only possessing his own spiritual energy, whilst the latter having an essence of Fuyukodachi's spiritual energy. Because of the manner in which he can "inject life" into his creations, this is one of his most versatile methods of fighting, using it initially before resorting to other methods. Additionally, through this method, he can create a number of weaker White Ravens to supplement his existing White Raven, causing it to be an exceptionally dangerous ability.
 * Zenraku (漸落 Gradual Decline Idiomatically; Gradual Death) a passive ability of Fuyukodachi's Shikai, through the White Raven and its movement within the mortal plane, the environment itself begins to freeze at a slow, but steady rate. The effect persists indefinitely and continously refreshes for as long as Fuyokodachi is active and as a result, it can only be momentarily delayed, but never entirely brought to a halt. Due the rapidly increasing cold, enemies often find themselves forced to the brink of desperation; as the intense cold only grow more and more potent with time, until at last they lay quivering and paralyzed on the ground. Their very life freezing within their bodies.