Suzaku Kawahiru

"Disappointing... That is all that can describe you, Father. You stand before me, poised as you're ready to kill, and yet... all I can hear from your Zanpakutō is fear. Yes... your sword speaks to me of nothing but absurd fear. That is the flaw of those who 'protect others'. Ready to kill only those who have harmed your loved ones, but in-turn, remain powerless to raise your blade when faced with betrayal. Makes me almost... want to laugh."

- Suzaku Kawahiru attempting to intimidate his Father.


 * "A heart that believes can pierce through the darkness searching for the place where it's soul slumbers with a sharp gleam burning in it's unblinking eyes." - Seireitou-shishō

Suzaku Kawahiru (朱雀川昼, Kawahiru Sūzakū) is the son of Seireitou Kawahiru and Shiori Miyamoto during the events of Bleach Shikkyakuhoshi; first introduced as a student at Shinō Academy, Suzaku fought with Renato Cidra in the Seireitou and Kamui Saga. In it's aftermath, with the appointment of Shōyō Shakyamuni as Captain-Commander, Suzaku was appointed to be Lieutenant of the First Division. In respect to his father, he appointed himself the self-proclaimed moniker Purple-Haired Suzaku (紫色の髪朱, Murasakigami no Suzaku).

The death of his mother took its toll on Suzaku, as did a newly formed hatred for his father for not protecting her. He quitted the Soul Society, abandoning his position as Lieutenant. It wasn't until recently that Seireitou began to hear stories of a purple-haired Shinigami killing innocents. Suzaku had fallen into the dark ways of the Rakkasen, attaining dark and fierce powers, rivaling that of the Seijin Council. Furthering his descent into darkness, he has allied himself with Yūryaku Amida, and is attending the Hell Tournament with Team Amida. His true intentions were revealed at the end of the Tournament, being one of Datara Kawahiru's followers. Datara's defeat by a fully-realized Seireitou left Suzaku with even stronger resentment, so much so that he took advantage of Datara's weakened state, and sealed the latter's powers within himself in hopes of finally surpassing his father.

Appearance
Suzaku has dark purple hair with a silver tint (a combination of both Seireitou and Shiori's hair colors), which lengthens as the story progresses, and a mixture of pink and purple eyes. He has lighter skin than his uncle, Kamui, has. Like many other members of his family, his hair hangs over both sides of his face to roughly frame his cheeks, but is sometimes let loose to come down as bangs. A recurring theme in Suzaku's appearance is that he is considered quite handsome by almost all girls near his age. As a student of Shinnō Academy, Suzaku wore the traditional garb of Shihakushō. In the last stage of his studies, he wore a black, one-pieced version of this outfit with many small arm-belts adorning his right arm and left leg. It's known that Suzaku normally wore his Zanpakutō on his back.

Upon his defection, and his resurfacing in the Hell Tournament, his appearance and attire had changed drastically. Suzaku has grown noticeably taller over the years of defection. He was first shown wearing a black long-sleeved shirt which was open at the torso, ending in red cuff-links. The edges of the uniform was shown to be of a light purple material, which ended near the bottom in a unique design. Black lines ran down the sides of the uniform, curving down to fit his body shape. Suzaku seems to also wear a strange golden object around his left wrist, its purpose currently unknown. To keep his uniform together, he wears an obi that is decorated in golden lines. Similar to that of Ulquiorra Schiffer, his robe ends in long coattails, resembling the attire once worn by the Arrancar. Another noticeable trait is that, along with this new outfit, Suzaku began letting his hair hang over his eyes.

Personality
Suzaku, being born of the Kawahiru, is unusual in his values and personality. These unique values and personality separate him from past generations of Kawahiru; as powerful as he is, he does not like fighting much. However, when he is forced to fight, he shows special interest in protecting his family and friends. Like his father, Suzaku has a pure and gentle heart. Besides concerning himself with his family (and his shinigami studies), Suzaku has a strong attachment with his mentor; his father's rival named Ryan Getsueikirite. Because he comes from the Kawahiru, Suzaku is usually shown thinking that only some things will matter and others probably won't (although he's usually right in the long term). This is shown in, at first, his resistance to do anything unless his father is present. As such, he is usually surprised at events he didn't expect.

He is even (though very rarely) shown to be cocky, such as when he learns to use Shikai - but when he loses his seeming "advantage" this cockiness dissolves instantly. Molded from his dark lineage, he is very serious and is a determined fighter like his father. He is also the only Kawahiru that doesn't display a great craving for battle. In some cases, Suzaku displays a ferocious perverted attitude just like Seireitou, a trait he presumably inherited from his father.

After affirming his Rakkasen position, Suzaku's personality changed completely. He was now a rattled man, shaken by the death of his mother and consumed by the hatred of his father. He gained the power of darkness in the hopes of find a way to revive his mother, but as the series progressed, he soon strayed from this goal as he became obsessed with power and control. He became cold and unforgiving, unable to accept others as friends. Even his own teammates, by his own claim, are "mere pawns which will hopefully bring personal results." He shows a lack of emotion, save for anger when things don't go according to plan. Besides this occasional anger, he is normally very apathetic and callous. Suzaku seems to be demanding as well, such as when Koga refused to join his cause, the former resorted to cruel threats to get his way.

Powers & Abilities
Devastating Spiritual Power: As a child, Suzaku is known to have within him a seemingly limitless dormant power, which at first only revealed itself when he experienced fierce rage. As he got older, he trained hard and gained access to a large portion of his power, and it was not until he was a young teenager that his power was fully awakened and he was able to use it all at his own will. He is powerful enough to fight off and defeat several Adjuchas-class Menos as well as fight on par with, and ultimately kill, a Vasto Lorde arrancar; using nothing but sheer reiatsu to hold them off. Suzaku's spiritual energy is personified by the element of lightning. Upon becoming a Rakkasen, his spiritual power vastness and control had increased to devastating ends. It became so immense, heavy, and thick, that Captain-level Shinigami would shiver in fear by his mere presence. Despite being young, many Seijin Masters had shown hesitation in facing Suzaku one-on-one, based solely on his level of spiritual power. Suzaku, without putting out any effort, easily incapacitated Renge, Koga, and Tōkaru with his Reiatsu just by facing the direction they were coming from. Koga has noted that Suzaku's reiatsu has gotten darker and colder than ever, more so than the corrupting influence of any form of Hollow or Demonic power. His assimilation of Datara Kawahiru's powers had raised his spiritual powers to vast levels, more so than most Seijin Masters. It had become so great, in fact, that Seireitou began taking Suzaku seriously as a threat.
 * Spiritual Element of Lightning: Suzaku was naturally born with a spiritual power that is aligned with the element of lightning. By releasing his spiritual energy in every direction, an electrical discharge flows from Suzaku's entire body, allowing him to affect multiple enemies. When using this manifestation of his reiatsu on a great number of enemies at once, it can effectively double as an instant defense. The body of the person touched by the reiatsu will misinterpret the lightning nature as "electrical signals from the nerves," making its muscles contract. This causes the body to involuntarily go stiff, while at the same time receives damage. This can also be channeled through the ground to increase the range of the attack, or even through Suzaku's Zanpakutō.


 * Shikon Hisakiten (天国の炎の牙, Fang of Heaven's Flames; literally "root of the fangs, forefront of the heavenly flames"): It is a powerful energy attack that fires a concentrated, silver pink-colored blast(s) with a small hint of black discharge surrounding it of spiritual power in the shape of a crescent or fang. Shikon Hisakiten is a very potent technique, which can become more powerful when Suzaku expels more spiritual energy into it. While it was originally the adaption of Hanullim's technique, being held within Suzaku's Hannuliū, Suzaku's newfound powers allowed him to utilize the Shikon Hisakiten as his own technique.

Master Hand-to-Hand Combatant: Given his father's mastery of taekkyeon, Suzaku has shown to have a natural talent for martial arts. He reveals that his father has trained him somewhat in taekwondo; according to Seireitou, Suzaku has the fighting skill of a black belt. He can move swiftly, due to his medium height; he also seems to have a knack for striking pressure points to bring down an opponent. Suzaku was at least strong enough to incapacitate two third-seat Shinigami of the Gotei 13. As his personality darkened, his method of combat followed suit. He would deal more destructive strikes to the opponent, to ensure the maximum input of pain. Suzaku's increase in this skill has allowed him to easily defeat, without killing, hundreds of lower-ranked Seijin in a single battle without sustaining so much as a scratch to himself.

Expert Swordsmanship Specialist: Suzaku is highly skilled in swordsmanship techniques, having trained under Raian Getsueikirite. He has increased his strength and skill to allow him to become a seated Shinigami-level fighter. He fights with seemingly no effort behind his attacks. His ability to wield his combat skills was evident as an academy student. He easily defeated and killed one of the Seijin Masters, who by rank and age should have been more powerful and skilled than him. Suzaku was able to fight his father on-on-one, while still pushing the latter on his toes. He has shown the ability to use extreme speed mixed with a calm composure and precise attacks. He is prone to using same-slash attacks when provoked or enraged, which many times can cause the opponent to be effortlessly overwhelmed.

Flash Steps Master: Raian says that Suzaku is also helpful and effective because of his high speed. During his battle against the Adjuchas of the Menos Forest, he skillfully dodged multiple attacks from several enemies. Suzaku's already impressive speed saw a huge leap as he trained as a Rakkasen, allowing him to move huge distances in the blink of an eye as if using teleportation. He also greatly increased his speed at bladed combat, being able to do pull off many strikes in a blur. Assimilating Datara's powers within his body had also immensely increased his speed, being able to effortlessly contend with a Bankai-released Raian in terms of movement.

Enhanced Strength: During a fight against a massive Adjuchas, Suzaku had halted its punch with a single open hand, and throw the Hollow aside effortlessly. Later, by slashing downwards, Suzaku is able to cause enough force to generate a burst of wind, blowing all of the surrounding Menos several yards despite their massive size. Raian commented that he was using "brute force."

Child Genius: Perhaps the most astonishing trait of Suzaku is his brains and natural talent. Suzaku is established as a genius, even by the battle-excelling Kawahiru clan's standards, excelling at all that he does and finding little difficulty in more challenging tasks. During fights, he easily observes his opponent and accurately sees through their abilities without losing his calm state, then he correctly chooses the most effective means and techniques to counter them. Also, his resolution enables him to pick strategies in which he requires getting hurt in order to defeat the enemy, thereby showing tremendous endurance and willpower. Suzaku has also demonstrated tremendous knowledge in regards to human physiology, as displayed by his ability to affect a person's organ system.

Kidō Practitioner: He can also use kidō like most Shinigami. During his studies, his skill for it is rather poor, as he stated they constantly blow up in his face. Nonetheless, he has shown in times of peril, he is proficient enough to perform a Level 31 Kidō without incantation, not to mention with explosive power and rapid fire capabilities. Becoming a Rakkasen had allowed Suzaku to develop dark Kidō of his own design.

Zanpakutō
For the manifested spirit of Hannuliū that lives within Suzaku Kawahiru's soul, see Hannuliū (spirit). Hannuliū (하늘의딸들, "Son of Heaven"; pronounced Hanuerrū) is the name of Suzaku Kawahiru Zanpakutō. Suzaku originally held Raikōhitonare, but through the transformation of Suzaku's reiatsu into a colder and corrupted state, he had attained a new Zanpakutō. Its sealed state appears as a regular katana, with an incantation written on the top-most edge, not unlike that of Seireitou's Hanullim. Its hilt is black with a silver cloth surrounding it, which Suzaku can utilize in the efforts of using Hannuliū like a flail. Suzaku, like his father, wears it on his left hip. When sheathed, Hannuliū can form a powerful spirit shield on a key part of Suzaku's body. When the attack hits the barrier, a pinkish hexagonal shape appears. Suzaku cast it on the back of his neck to protect his blind spot from attacks and it is powerful enough to withstand a point-blank black Zaiten Tenshō. It can form several shields at once, but can only withstand the force of one technique. If an attack hits consecutively toward the same shield, it will shatter. Should an attack make contact and inflict an injury upon Suzaku, Hannuliū's defensive influence carries over to high-speed regeneration. He can come out unfazed after being hurled into several buildings.


 * Shikai: Released by the command, "May you guide me, protect me, and finalize my usurpation. May the darkness cower in the divine light's presence, and forge the path to absolute dominance!" (あなたは、私を導く私を守って、私の侵奪を確定する. 月は闇神の光の存在下で、萎縮すると絶対優位へのパスを築く, Anata wa, watashi o michibiku gō watashi o mamotte, watashi no ōryō o kakutei suru. Tsuki wa yamishin no hikari no sonzai-ka de, ishuku suruto zettai yūi e no pasu o kizuku!); The silver cloth around the hilt grows in length, surrounding Suzaku completely as the cloth turns into a hardened crystal, which Suzaku breaks himself out of. His spiritual power extends outwards in a hexagonal formation, and can be felt for miles upon miles at the moment of its release.
 * Shikai Special Abilities: Hannuliū's power is Response to Change (応答に変更, Ōtō ni Henkō). This means that Suzaku's powers change and evolve based on changes in situations, making it similar in principle to his father's Hanullim. It is because of this that Suzaku's Hannuliū is considered the only Situational-type Zanpakutō. Not unlike Seireitou's Hanullim as well, Suzaku's Hannuliū grants him physical and spiritual benefits. Suzaku becomes strong enough to deal a massive blow to Coyote Starrk, as well as slash away the latter's Cero blasts effortlessly. He becomes quick enough to completely circle an opponent fast enough to form a small vacuum, making it seems as if he is moving like a bullet, rather then using a speed-enhancement technique like Flash Step.


 * Sujeong (수정주권자, Crystal Sovereign): Hannuliū allows the crystallization of spiritual, physical, and mental forces. Anything that touches his blade, or is struck by the impeding spiritual burst that erupts from the sword's tip, turns into crystal. Whatever turns into crystal, even if its a small part of a substance, will continue to crystalize until the substance is fully crystalized. If the crystal formed by this technique is broken or shattered in any way, it will absorb spiritual energy from its attacker or its victim, and use it to repair the damaged sections. The process will continue, even if the crystals that spurn the technique are destroyed. In many ways, one could compare it to the corrosive properties of Seireitou's Hanullim. Besides this, the crystals can be used in several different ways. Suzaku can cover the blade in the crystal material, strengthening the force behind the blade's strikes. He can also encase himself in a thin sheet of crystal to protect himself from blunt force trauma, and also aids Suzaku in performing stronger physical attacks. The crystal is transparent and can only be noticed by light reflecting off it.


 * Bankai: Not Yet Revealed

Secondary Zanpakutō
Muramasa (村正, Village-Just) is Suzaku's secondary Zanpakutō, which once belonged to Kōga Kuchiki. It takes the form of a katana with a dull red sheath, purple hilt-wrapping and a guard in a shape similar to the Kidō Corps' emblem, consisting of a circle with a pentagon-like shape in the center and three points protruding from the edges evenly spaced apart. Muramasa is an illusion-type Zanpakutō. Something Kōga was unable to preform, Suzaku had attained Muramasa's Bankai release and is presumed to have mastered it.

The spirit of Muramasa appears as a tall thin man with pale skin and shaggy, dark brown hair and two bangs dropping and crossing over the bridge of his nose. He has turquoise-colored eyes circled by purple marks similar to his tsuba and the design of his clothes. Probably his most prominent feature are his long fingernails, shown to be much shorter before his long separation from his former master, Kōga. Muramasa wears a long white robe-like coat, somewhat reminiscent of an Arrancar's. The collar of the robe is covered with a thick fur, featuring a purple ascot fastened by a ruby brooch. Muramasa wears a wide sash at his waist, decorated by a purple stripe. He wears boots with pointed tips similar to those worn by Gillian-class Menos. Muramasa has also shown himself to be a very mysterious person, as his supposed agendas seem to only hide a deeper goal that not even his allies are aware of. His reasons for synchronizing with Suzaku might be because he seeked a new master, but this hasn't been confirmed.


 * Shikai: The release command is "Whisper" (囁け, sasayake). Muramasa shines with bright purple light to engulf a considerable radius, affecting any and all targets within it.
 * Shikai Special Ability: Muramasa can break into the inner world of targets, similar to how a tape-worm leeches off its target, and forces them to bend to the user's will. This is done by removing the energy stability between Shinigami and Zanpakutō, leaving the spirit confused and allowing Muramasa to forcibly release the Zanpakutō spirit's negative emotions. It can cause a Zanpakutō's spirit to abandon its master and attack them. The ability causes the Zanpakutō's of the wielders in the general vicinity to seemingly take control of the wielders sword arm causing him/her to unwillingly attack their comrades or turn the blade on themselves. The only way to combat against Muramasa's power is by understanding how the Zanpakutō works and sealing one's "heart" against it. Though in order to block the attack in that state one must have incredible reiatsu and concentration. In addition, one must be able to still fight in that state. A Shinigami with a strong enough will can still access Shikai but not Bankai as it requires the Zanpakutō spirit to submit to the Shinigami's will. So far the only way shown to snap them out of this desire is to defeat them in a battle. However, they will only return to their wielder if it is them who defeats them. If another person defeats them they will revert back to sword form and their blade will break in two.
 * Spiritual Threads: In battle, Suzaku has demonstrated a power that creates multiple invisible spiritual threads that he can manipulate to bind a person to the ground. It can also be used as a defensive method against strong attacks like Koga's Bankai Zaiten Tenshō. While powerful, these threads can only be manifested through a reflection of a reflective surfaces such as a building's windows or clear water, where they can be seen. If the image is distorted, the threads will disperse.
 * Illusions: By feeding Muramasa's spiritual energy into a person's mind, Suzaku can distort the person's five senses, preventing them from perceiving things clearly. By looking into the target's soul, Suzaku can use the target's memories against them by creating a powerful illusion to distract and torment the target. Only those who blocks off their emotions before the spell takes effect or have enough familiarity and spiritual energy can repel it.
 * Redirection: Using Muramasa's spiritual power as an cage, Suzaku can trap an opponent's offensive spiritual energy, such as Koga's Zaiten Tenshō, within his own body. From there, he can choose when and where to release the trapped technique.
 * Yūkōjōchū Muramasa (有鉤条虫村正, Hooked Tapeworm Village-Just): Muramasa himself has the ability to manifest in his true form and even can manifest himself at a distance from his master, able to hear his call from wherever he is. Upon doing so, Muramasa has the ability to cause other Zanpakutō to manifest by controlling and warping their true instincts to the point of removing their ties with their Shinigami. When this takes place, the Zanpakutō of other wielders glow with a purple light. Their Zanpakutō spirits then manifest, typically as tangible shadowy figures from weaker Shinigami and with greater individuality and power from stronger Shinigami.


 * Bankai: Sengo Nyūdō Muramasa (プリースト千子村正, Priest Sengo Village-Just); By dropping his blade straight down, a massive dome of black spiritual energy surrounds both Suzaku and his opponent(s). This dome-shaped energy begins emitting waves of spiritual pressure throughout the land; though slow, these waves reach great distances. All Zanpakutō within the dome structure, as well as those affected by the waves are forced out of their Master or Mistress' Inner Worlds. However, unlike his Shikai, these spirits all head for the dome-shaped energy and form black spiritual blades. Though visually menacing, this form is not meant for attack from all sides; rather, it is to concentrate his power into fewer blades, thus increasing his attack power. While Suzaku can mentally control these swords as he does his regular blades, he commonly calls them to his hands for actual combat. When in his hand, they lose their glow, and take the form of their normally sealed state.
 * Bankai Special Abilities: Muramasa's power is to break into the inner world of targets and bend them to his will. In Bankai, this power is most well shown, as he manifests the spirits of Zanpakutō for his master's use. Zanpakutō that were once effected by Muramasa's Shikai are still manifested by the Bankai release. Suzaku is given the power to access the manifested Zanpakutō's Shikai and Bankai abilities as their Master would normally. The waves of spiritual pressure continue to spread out further and further, adding more Zanpakutō to Muramasa's dome-shaped Bankai. Suzaku can also order these blades to take on physical forms, and attack under his whim. It also seems that the more blades that are added, the bigger the dome itself also increases. The outside of the dome is presumed to be impenetrable; not even the combined might of Seireitou's Shikon Hisakiten and Koga's Cero Oscuras was enough to even dent the outside.

Assimilation of Datara's Powers
Masked Form: In his second confrontation with his father, following the defeat of Datara Kawahiru, Suzaku had revealed that he assimilated Datara's remaining pieces within his body. However, the black jewel used by Datara to seal the very will of malicious intent was also taken into Suzaku's body, strengthening him further. The result was an empowered Suzaku, but the true capabilities of this increase were not shown until he activated his masked form. Just as Vizard don their Hollow Masks, Suzaku dons this masked form in a very similar ripping method. Massive bursts of spiritual energy accompany the donning of the mask, which can overwhelm weaker opponents. The white mask covers the entire upper-half of his head with a cyclopean eye design, consisting of a ripple-pattern with three tomoes around the center, two of which make out the mask's eye holes. The cloth of his Zanpakutō, Hannuliū, seems to have become a long chain that is wrapped around Suzaku's right arm.
 * Power Augmentation: While wearing the mask, Suzaku's own Sōzōshin powers are supplemented by Datara's demoniacal Sōzōshin powers, giving him a vast increase in all his spiritual, physical, and mental capabilities. While Magatsuhi's powers did not carry over into Suzaku, the powers of Naohi Azusa had been assimilated as well.
 * Mountainous Spiritual Power: The addition of Datara's power to Suzaku's own raises his spiritual powers to almost shattering levels, as both Seijin and Demons are incapable of sensing his reiatsu, unless he voluntarily lowers his level and allows them to interfere. Raian Getsueikirite surmised that Suzaku's spiritual power can only be sensed by someone that is at the same level as him. It should be noted that it is seemingly impossible for a one-dimensional being to contend with Suzaku's masked form, as seen that just by tapping the shoulder of a Shinigami Captain, he caused it to burst from the immense energy. Carrying over from Hannuliū's Shikai, Suzaku's spiritual power can involuntarily harden as crystal, which is as strong as the amount of Suzaku's remaining spiritual power. Because it is used for his own protection, the reiryoku isn't used up, but instead recycled throughout Suzaku's body, doubling as a high-speed regeneration reagent.
 * Instantaneous Speed: Suzaku is capable of grand feats of speed, being able to effortlessly cut down several Seijin that stood in his way. Almost amazing in its own regard, Suzaku was capable of outstripping the Interaction ability of Seireitou's Bankai with mere speed.
 * Enhanced Strength: Suzaku has displayed that usage of his white mask grants him brutal physical strength; an example of this is when he ripped a Adjuchas-class Hollow in half, straight down the middle, using only a single bare hand. He was also able to cause the ground to tear open with the sheer force of his sword swing, even when the blow was blocked.
 * Spiritual Energy Circle: He is able to use the tomoe-shaped holes in his white mask to generate a circle of sustained spiritual energy around a target and use it to destroy the target with a 360 degree attack.

Evolved "First Form": While the details around this transformation remain unknown, Suzaku had accessed this form "by accident" when fighting his father. The appearance is almost Hollow-like, due to its white color. The white mask seemingly loses its markings, and surrounds his entire body in a white casing. Suzaku's hair lightens up into a lavender-like color, and the tuffs of fur that he seems to wear are shown around his wrists, bearing the same light color as his hair. Hannuliū takes a strange shape, as it extends to almost double its length, and glows with the color of Datara's spiritual power. The powers that this form is capable of is currently unknown.

Quotes

 * (To Seireitou Kawahiru) "Father... it's too late, nothing you can say will change me! I'm going to kill you and every last person in Soul Society! It's time to make your choice! Kill me and become a hero, or die at my hand and become another one of my victims!"
 * (To Raian Getsueikirite) "The true winner is he who chose to focus on the future... and the real fight is about to begin. I fought that battle to gain access to his abilities. I am Kawahiru Suzaku! The man who obtained Kawahiru Datara's powers!"

Behind the Scenes
In my past works, I had focused on three child-age Shinigami; Kouhei Tandokuno, Seikyo Kawahiru, and this Suzaku. My first two were both ditched and were killed story-wise, respectively, because I had no clue how to add onto their stories and/or powers. I had decided to take Suzaku in a different approach, making him similar to Son Gohan from Dragon Ball Z, but then decided to take a somewhat Sasuke Uchiha-like approach. Suzaku's new personality was also influenced by Anakin Skywalker. I had given Suzaku, Muramasa, simply for two reasons: one, because I wanted to give Suzaku a main weapon besides his current Zanpakutō, for plot reasons; two, because I simply believed that the Zanpakutō Released Filler Arc didn't go too much in depth with Muramasa, and also didn't reveal his Bankai. I plan to add my own ideas and thoughts to Suzaku's usage of Muramasa. Suzaku was named for the The Vermilion bird, which is one of the Four Symbols of the Chinese constellations. According to Wu Xing, the Taoist five-elemental system, it represents the fire-element, the direction south, and the season summer correspondingly. Thus it is sometimes called the Vermilion bird of the South (南方朱雀, Nán Fāng Zhū Què) and it is also known as Suzaku in Japan and Jujak in Korea.

Before Hannuliū, Suzaku once held Raikōhitonare (雷つかい, lightning tamer). This was because I originally planned to have Suzaku wield lightning-based abilities. However, I began to think alittle bit more about the connection of Ichigo's Zangetsu and his father's Engetsu, and wanted to follow a similar format with Seireitou and Suzaku. Thus, Hannuliū was made to mirror Seireitou's Hanullim.

In this author's opinion, Suzaku's theme song is Naruto Shippuden OST II - Shiren.