Asumu Godai


 * "With one hand on the trigger, and one hand on the cross, Jesus and his family are two things he's lost..." Blankslate

Asumu Godai (五大 あすム, Tomorrow's Nothing of the Five Elements) is a Quincy, and formerly a member of the fallen Wandenreich's Sternritter. After the Wandenreich fell at the hands of Ichigo Kurosaki, he began work as a freelance mercenary, recruiting former Sternritter into his newly formed group known as Valkyrie.

His epithet in the Sternritter was "K - The Kinetic".

Appearance
Asumu is a young man of average height and build; not particularly muscled, but not particularly scrawny either. Possessing fair skin and slender features, he also has stark-white hair that is medium length; his bangs frame his face, and there is a few strands covering his forehead, in addition to a large clump of hair in between his azure eyes.

When attending Valkyrie operations and attacks, Asumu wears a unique outfit combination, consisting of a collared white shirt with a blue tie, held together by a thick belt and covered by a short, white, button-up trenchcoat covered by a strap, and on the back of the trench coat he carries the star of the Wandenreich. Asumu wears rather baggy pants and white boots embroidered with the Quincy Cross. Over all of this, he often dons a dark longcoat with split coattails and a rather high collar. For his other, freelancing attire, Asumu wears a modified version of the basic Quincy clothing; a stark-white jacket with blue edges, a white shirt, black jeans with a silver belt—it should also be noted that another belt is tied around his right leg.

In his childhood, Asumu's hair was slightly longer and messier, stretching down both sides of his face on his cheekbones. His attire was a single, long sleeved robe with a blue cross in it's center that stretched up to his collar and around his rib area, along with a smaller, riffled robe around his waist and a pair of boots. In his teenage years, Asumu's attire was more casual, being a blue t-shirt with a white jacket, blue jeans, and winter boots.

Personality
Asumu is generally seen as a well-mannered, and yet very straightforward individual who prefers getting straight to the point, rather than waste time performing idle tasks. Blunt and sometimes brutally honest, Asumu's focused nature has gained him both respect and distrust from most individuals that he has come into contact with. He believes that his involvement in petty social affairs or needless tasks will only wear down on his character, as well as force him to care for a particular issue that could distract him from his own goals or responsibilities. He believes having a clear mind is the key to achieving one's goals more than anything else.

Conservative by nature, Asumu is interested more than anything else in the affairs of the Quincy, and his fellow Sternritter. He is regarded as the most reasonable and honorable members of the Sternritter, granting respect to both his allies and enemies when he feels that they deserve it. While many of the Sternritter, or even Yhwach himself, often disregard the lives of their underlings or comrades, Asumu does quite the opposite. He goes to great lengths to ensure their safety during battle, and refuses to leave his men behind unless the circumstances dictate that he has no other option. It is because of this that most Soldat desire to serve under him, as opposed to some of the more sociopathic Sternritter.

The Sternritter, individually, have a particular focus when it comes to their ideals and character, and Asumu's is fairness. Despite his use of firearms, and his own powerful ability, "The Prophet", Asumu is an honorable fighter. He prefers to fight enemies who are on his level, and usually leaves anyone of weaker calibur to his troopers. Another heavy preference in his combat style is that his fights strictly be one on one, a preference that he often goes to great lengths to ensure. If anyone on the opposing side attempts to interfere with his fight, no matter how one-sided it might be, he will kill them very quickly, and not give them a second thought.

The Bleak Realm Arc

 * Wavering Embers (first appearance)

Equipment
Quincy Cross: Like all other capable Quincy, Asumu possesses a Cross which serves as the medium to construct his Spirit Weapons. It takes the shape of a five pronged star with a circle going around the center of each of it's arms. He keeps this chain wrapped around his right arm to keep it from hindering his movement when fighting.

Medallion: As a former Sternritter, Asumu also carries a Bankai Medallion on his person to steal the Final Release form of a Shinigami's Zanpakuto. This device is normally kept on his left breastcoat pocket, but he is known to keep it wrapped around his left wrist as well. He has also been able to use this device to steal the Resurrección of an Arrancar through unknown means.

Natural Talents
Immense Spiritual Energy: Befitting his former status as a Sternritter, Asumu carries enough Spiritual Pressure on his person to easily contend with the likes of seasoned Captains and Espada-level Arrancar alike. He commands a great deal of respect from fellow Quincy for his single-handed victory over Tier Harribel during the Wandenreich's initial invasion of Hueco Mundo. Even more significant was his capacity to fight two Shinigami Captains, Kensei Mugurama and Rōjūrō Ōtoribashi at the same time, during the initial war with Soul Society. His Spiritual Pressure, light blue in coloration, has a rather abnormal affect on beings who come in contact with it. Rather than be shaken, or have their own power be dimmed, opponents who feel the weight of Asumu's Spiritual Pressure will begin to feel distortions in their visions, as well as seeing things that aren't there. Asumu explains that this ties into his Epithet Ability: "The Prophet", which relies on the power of vision, and all who possess a fragment of Yhwach's soul have similar circumstances when using their own respective Spiritual Energy.

Enhanced Intelligence: As his ability would imply, Asumu uses his intelligence to win most of his battles. "The Prophet" allows him to see things that a normal Quincy would not be able to see at a glance, or even upon close inspection, such as shortcuts, hazards, and so on. It is also due to this power that Asumu makes for a remarkable detective and bounty hunter, as he is capable of tracking an individual's DNA through blood or saliva, both of which, and many more examples along the same lines, can be highlighted through his vision as long as he has a tangible sample of said DNA. His intelligence goes beyond just using his ability, however; Asumu is a talented linguist, capable of speaking fluent Japanese, German, and Spanish, alongside his typical English use. He is also a clever strategist, having fought and bested a handful of Valkyrie members prior to their joining, all of whom required different tactics to take down.

Firearms Master: Asumu's talent and borderline obsession with firearms and long-range weaponry has done no disservice to his reputation, and is one of the primary reasons he is so feared in the World of the Living. He can draw his dual pistols from their holsters almost literally within the blink of an eye, and kill or wound his opponent just as fast. The friction between his finger and the trigger mechanism of his two prized pistols would normally hinder most marksman, but to Asumu, it is as seamless as pushing and pulling air. Because of this, Asumu can fire off rounds from his two handguns either in a semi-automatic fashion, allowing for more precision shots against far-away targets, or in a full out automatic mode, intending to do nothing more than kill his enemy in the quickest and most brutal way possible. His legendary aim can have it's origins traced back to when he was a young boy, learning to play with toy rifles and bows. Reloading is almost just as easy, as Asumu has spent years training himself to both discharge empty clips and reload full clips into his weapons from various parts of his uniforms as quickly as humanly possible, so much so that the speed in which he performs such actions are anything but humanly possible. Only when he runs out of clips does his situation change, but it does not fare any better for the opponent than when he did have ammunition. Now, he is capable of relying on his Heilig Pfeil to do battle with. While his arrows are not as fast as his bullets, they are stronger and capable of penetrating thicker surfaces, and can even be charged with enough Reishi to blow a hole through and Espada-level Arrancar.

Having always preferred guns over swords, Asumu crafts his own weaponry and ammunition, and not just from the use of his Quincy Cross. This even stems into making bullets with specialized rounds, giving them all different function and making him a much more versatile opponent. His trademark firearms, Ebenholz and Elfenbein, were constructed from highly durable minerals created by his grandfather, along with a mixture of compressed Reishi, naturally, and all by his own two hands, and stored in his Quincy Cross. As skilled as he may be, however, he is far more comfortable with the use of his two signature pistols, but this doesn't mean that he is not equally skilled with other weapons of similar function. In particular, Asumu when equipped with a high-powered sniper rifle can be an unstoppable force that can't even be seen. His own accuracy with these weapons can be enhanced by his Epithet power, but even without that, he is a more than capable sniper. The only thing that keeps Asumu opposed to using this type of weaponry is that it prevents him from facing his opponent down in true combat, like what he normally does when fighting an enemy with his two hand guns.

Quincy Abilities
Reishi Absorbtion and Manipulation: As expected for a Quincy, Asumu is capable of drawing in Reishi from his surroundings and using it to further his combat prowess. He uses it to cast Quincy Spells, create his Spirit Weapons, and enhance his innate fighting abilities.
 * Hirenkyaku (飛廉脚, Flying Screen Step/God Step; Viz: "Flying Bamboo-Blind Leg"): A Quincy application of High-Speed Movement. In order to use Hirenkyaku, Asumu coats the bottom of his feet or boots with Reishi, which vibrate at extremely high speeds, and "glide" Asumu to where he desires to go. If he pushes the Reishi vibrations to their maximum, he can move at the same speed as a Shinigami using Flash-Step.
 * Kasaneawase Hirenkyaku (重ね合わせ飛廉脚, "Superposition of the Flying Screen Step/God Step"): This variation of Hirenkyaku is only available to those who have mastered the technique. Coating his entire body with Reishi, Asumu initiates Hirenkyaku but leaves the Reishi coat behind, which upon separating from it's creator, becomes a clone of himself, with basic function and even having a heavy resemblance to him, although the clones eyes are always glowing. These clones can perform basic actions, such as firing Heilig Pfeil and the like, but they can be easily destroyed. Asumu sometimes laces the energy in these Clones to expand upon destruction, which can cause an explosion that will damage the attacker.


 * Blut (血装 (ブルート), burūto; German for "Blood", Japanese for "Blood Guise"): Blut is a technique that is considered vital for a Quincy's survival against his enemies. For Asumu, Blut plays into almost all of his actions, from defending to attacking, both of which involve different forms of Blut, and as with all other Quincy, Asumu can only use one of these two Blut forms at a single time.
 * Blut Vene (静血装 (ブルート・ヴェーネ), Burūto Vēne German for "Blood Vein", Japanese for "Stilled Blood Guise"): The defensive variation of Blut. Blut Vene grants Asumu the highest calibur of defense that a human can carry. With this technique activated, hitting Asumu's body is the same as hitting a wall of pure steel, and to penetrate it requires incredible force, Captain level or beyond. As a tradeoff, however, Asumu cannot attack while using Blut Vene
 * Blut Arterie (動血装 (ブルート・アルテリエ), Burūto Aruterie German for "Blood Artery", Japanese for "Moving Blood Guise"): The offensive variation of Blut. When using Blut Arterie, Asumu is capable of physically hitting his opponents with the force of a train. The use of barriers and shields could be rendered almost null, as a single punch from Asumu is capable of blowing through an Espada level Arrancar's Hierro defenses when they aren't properly prepared. An interesting thing to note about Blut Arterie is that Asumu is still capable of defending himself while using it, but his defense in this state is no where near as effective as it is when Blut Vene is in use.
 * Blut Konvertieren (コンブルティング ブルーッド グイス, Konburutingu Buruuddo Guisu; German for "Blood Convert", Japanese for "Converting Blood Guise"): Asumu invented this Blut variation after his first encounter with the use of Kido magic. By exerting the Reishi fields generated in his blood veins outwards, Asumu can convert any energy-based projectile into Reishi that he can then throw back at the opponent as a Heilig Pfeil or simply absorb it to use later. This makes fighting Asumu at range even more riskier than before; however, there is a catch. Blut Konvertieren can only be used if Blut Arterie or Vene is active, and requires the Reishi that is making up one or the other of the two variations. This means that using Konvertieren leaves Asumu open for another attack if he is fighting more than one opponent.


 * Stahlhaut (静血装金剛貝, Sutaruhauto; Japanese for "Adamantine Shell"): Stahlhaut is a defensive technique that is viewed as the successor to the already durable Blut Vene. In order to activate Stahlhaut, Asumu must pour specialized Reishi particles into his skin. These particles release Reishi fields that form a sort of barrier around the layer of skin that can protect Asumu from attacks that Blut Vene would not be able to, such as force based attacks like Ikkotsu or Soketsu. Asumu can generate this entire field around his body to provide maximum protection, but he must take time before any battles to do so. What makes this technique even more formidable is that Asumu can still use both Blut Arterie or Vene while using Stahlhaut, which means that when using Arterie, Asumu can still have increased attack power while defending with Stahlhaut. When using Blut Vene and Stahlhaut at once, Asumu acquires two extremely dense layers of protection, making him even harder to damage.


 * Heiliges Feuer (神聖滅火の手 (ホーリーファイア), Hairihhi Faia; German for "Holy Fire", Japanese for "Sacred Destruction Flames"): From his two Spirit Weapons, Asumu can unleash azure colored flames like flamethrowers. However, these "flames" are in fact highly compressed Reishi that is used to primarily break down Spiritual structures into Reishi particles, thus making it easier for Asumu to fuel his techinques. Even then, these flames can deliver scorching burns rivaling the most intense of flames, capable of staving off (but not entirely counter) Bazz-B's own flames generated from his "The Heat". By infusing his bullets with compressed Heiliges Feuer, Asumu can turn his ammunition into time bombs, unleashing these blue flames into his targets after they have been penetrated.


 * Asumu_godai_the_oncomming_storm_by_zanpakuto_leader-d56ryx3.jpgThe Kinetic (キネシス (ス キネティク), Za Kinetiku; Japanese for "Kinesis"): Asumu's epithet ability allows him to use telekinesis to manipulate the space around him, which gives him the ability to control anything in his immediate area simply with the use of his mind.

Spirit Weapons
Ebenholz and Elfenbein (黒檀と象牙 German, lit; Ebony and Ivory): Asumu's favored Spirit Weapons take the form of two ornate pistols with unusually long barrells. Ebenholz is a dark blue color, while Elfenbein is a lighter shade of blue. While these weapons are capable of firing Heilig Pfeil like other weapons, Asumu's Spirit Weapons are unique in that they can use Ginto tubes for ammunition, allowing him to fire off Ginto spells without the need for incantations.


 * Heilig Pfeil (神聖滅矢 (ハイリッヒ・ブファイル), Hairihhi Bufairu; German for "Holy Arrow", Japanese for "Destroying Arrow of Sanctity"): The standard ability for a Quincy, Heilig Pfeil are condensed Reishi that are fired from the Quincy's Spirit Weapons. Asumu's arrows are particularly smaller than traditional Heilig Pfeil, resembling small bullets as opposed to arrows. They are also very powerful, capable of killing a Numeros' level Arrancar with only two shots.
 * Klavier (クラヴィーア, Kuravīa; German for "Piano"): This is a variant of Heilig Pfeil in where Asumu can release a multitude of arrows from his Spirit Weapons. In order to initiate this attack, Asumu points his guns at his enemy, four Reishi spheres appear around it's barrel before unleashing the storm of arrows upon his enemies.
 * Zurückprallen (はねる, Hanekaeru; German for "Ricochet "): Through his guns, Asumu is capable of releasing large blasts of spiritual energy. The blasts are unique because they are under his manipulation, and, on command, he can make them burst, releasing Heilig Pfeil, a total of 100 from each blast, leading to 400 total arrows that rain down upon the opponent with great speed and force like a clusterbomb. With power such as this, Asumu can easily clear out an entire enclave of enemies without any trouble. The drawback to this, however, is that this attack gets progressively weaker and weaker as it is used multiple times.

Quincy: Vollständig
When releasing his Vollstandig, a massive column of blue Reishi is released from Asumu, forming into a large cross and shattering like glass before revealing his new state. In this form, Asumu gains several constructs made of Reishi, including detached angelic wings, and a halo. His pupils change into two bright cyan crosshairs, similar to modern military rifles, and his sclera become dark blue. He also has two cyan markings running down the sides of his face, as well as a marking on his chin. Asumu wears a white vest, split down the middle, the left side possessing three Bankai Sealing Devices. Armor appears on his left shoulder, sporting a cross-like design, which spreads across his chest, and gains a long white cloth that covers half of his lover body, covered in several line-like designs. Finally, his left hand is covered in a blue and black glove, in which he forms his Spirit Weapons, with the two bottom of his fingers exposed.
 * Reishi Dominance: When in Vollstandig, Asumu has absolute control of the Reishi in his surrounding area, and is capable of breaking it down for his own use at nearly three times his original speed. With that in mind, he is capable of manifesting his Spirit Weapons at much greater speeds than before, leaving little time for reactions. He has also demonstrated the ability to convert Kishi into Reishi while in this form, making him a deadly threat both in the Spirit World and the World of the Living.
 * Sklaverei (聖隷 (スクラヴェライ), Sukuraverai; German for "Slavery", Japanese for "Holy Slave"): A Vollstandig-exclusive ability in where Asumu not only breaks down Reishi, but enslaves it from any Spiritual source, from Spiritual buildings, Hueco Mundo's sands, and even the Spiritual makeup of his opponents. In the latter's case, Sklaverei allows Asumu to assume the form and capabilities of the one whose Reishi makeup has been enslaved. This extends to Hollows and Arrancar, however, in all cases, the Reishi he has enslaved is only temporary, and wears off after a few minutes.
 * Flight: Using his wings, Asumu is capable of flying or levitating in the air.
 * Reishi Broadsword: Similar to Yhwach and Vladik Volkov, Asumu can summon a broadsword composed entirely of Reishi to use for melee combat. Raising his hand to the sky, Asumu creates a massive bow in the air that fires a large, sword shaped arrow down to his position. He can then take it and use it as a powerful melee weapon. It has incredible cutting power, easily capable of cleaving through an Espada level Arrancar's Hierro when positioned right. He is only capable of using it once per day.
 * Explosive Properties: Asumu also has a unique, alternate function for the Reishi broadsword; he can actually change it's size before it is released and drop it down on his enemies like a bomb, and create a massive explosion capable of leveling entire city blocks.

Stolen Resurrección

 * Tiburón (皇鮫后 (ティブロン), tiburon; Spanish for "Shark", Japanese for "Imperial Shark Empress"): During his battle with Tier Harribel, Asumu managed to steal it using his modified Medallion. When activating the Release, Asumu is shrouded in black and violet energy, and emerges adorned in bone like armor on his shoulders, neck, legs, and forearms. His waist also has a black cloth on it with three bone like shards which he can use as throwing knives, and he has two long bone limbs on his back that spread around his sides. Finally, his weapon takes the form of a large, tooth shaped pata sword.
 * Resurrección Special Ability: Tiburón has the ability to both generate and manipulate the element of water, and thus grants Asumu a wealth of new abilities to use.
 * Trident (トライデント, Toraidento): Asumu coats his blade in blue Spiritual Energy and slashes down at his desired target. This attack is powerful enough to cleave through a Captain-level Shinigami.
 * La Gota (戦雫 (ラ・ゴータ), Ra Gota; Spanish for "The Drop", Japanese for "War Drop"): Asumu generates a large amount of water from the gaps of his sword and coats it's edge with the surging liquid. He then fires the water out as a projectile with enough force to destroy an entire building.
 * Cortando (斬裂 (コルタンド), Korutando; Spanish for "Cutting", Japanese for "Slaying Slash"): A favored attack of his, Asumu generates violet energy from the gaps in his sword that extends several meters out, essentially causing the length and size of the weapon to increase. He then slashes the weapon towards his intended target, and inflicts tremendous amounts of damage. Asumu describes Cortando as his ultimate means of "crowd control".
 * Enhanced Speed: Asumu's speed in this state increases to an incredible degree, but only in a physical sense. He is capable of moving fast enough to where he rarely requires the use of Hirenkyaku. His physical attacks alone are staggering and hard to predict when Tiburón is active.
 * Enhanced Strength: In conjunction with his increased speed, Tiburón enhances Asumu's strength greatly. A single slash of his sword is capable of cutting clean through a building with no visible effort. When enhanced with his Blut Arterie, his physical strikes become nearly unblockable, as they can easily break through most forms of defense. Even Cang Du's "The Iron" was unable to prevent him from taking damage from one of Tiburón's Blut-enhanced strikes.

Trivia

 * According to the Author:
 * Asumu's interests include writing, reading, and archery.
 * He has no set preferences of food, and will usually eat anything that doesn't smell bad. However, he only drinks water, and hardly anything else.
 * Despite his hardened nature, Asumu has an incredible fear of spiders.
 * Asumu's theme song is "The Preacher" by Jamie N Commons, found at the top of this section.
 * If this character were in the anime Asumu would be voiced by Daisuke Ono, who also voices Erwin Smith in Shingeki no Kyojin. His English voice actor is Benedict Cumberbatch.

Credits

 * All of his picture work belongs to Zanpakuto Leader.
 * The Bankai in the Stolen Bankai collection belongs to Blazekagayaku on Deviantart.

Quotes

 * (To a Shinigami): "What makes you think that you could protect the Soul Society from His Majesty's forces, if you can't even protect it from yourselves?"
 * (To Suì-Fēng): "Then you do hold your life in higher regard than that of your underlings. Rather unbecoming of a woman in your position, Commander; a leader must always put the lives of their men before their own."