Sousetsu Shiba


 * A man whose memory lives on in the hearts of his family, even today... ~ Kenji-Taichō

Sousetsu Shiba (そうせつ芝, Founding) is a distant ancestor of the Shiba Family, whose spirit can still be interacted with through the use of Meian Shiba's zanpakutō despite the fact he's been dead for centuries. He was a powerful Shinigami, believed to be one of the strongest of his generation, and was responsible for repelling Averian when he surfaced the first time to challenge the Soul Society centuries before with aid from Jiro Kazuki; though this act cost him his life. While he still lived, he was known throughout the Soul Society as Sekka Kami (せっかかみ, lit. Flash God); for his advanced knowledge and skill in the use of Shunpo; a title not heard of again until Yoruichi Shihōin centuries after his death.

Personality
Little is known about Sousetsu's personality, except that he is a wise man who enjoys sharing his wisdom and intelligence with others; showing great patience and restraint when addressing his descendants. Through conversations with his descendant, Sousetsu has shown himself to be kind and caring, as he repeatedly helps both Meian and Kenji whenever they seek out his help, despite him often telling them to leave him to rest. He has also shown to hold a great deal of pride in his families name, believing the Shiba Clan to be protectors of the peace; though he has begun to worry about the future of his family, especially in light of the news Meian brought him of the Shiba Families decline and loss of Noble Status with the death of Kaien Shiba and the defection of Dastan Shiba years before.

History

 * Main Article - Glimpse through Time arc.

Powers & Abilities
Master Swordsmanship Specialist: Meian holds Sousetsu in high regard as a swordsman and states had he not have succumbed to his injuries after his victory over Averian, the Arrancar would not have survived to plague the future as he is currently doing. Even Averian himself admitted that Sousetsu would've "torn me apart".

Immense Spiritual Energy: Even by captain-level standards, Sousetsu had an impressive amount of spiritual energy that allowed him to stand against Averian at the height of the Arrancar's power; being one of few individuals at that time being capable of such a feat. His mastery of spiritual energy manipulation made him more than capable of controlling and manipulating his great power into unique methods to throw his opponents off guard and crush them in a style he named Seishin Chōwa (精神調和, lit. Spiritual Harmony). Even without the use of his zanpakutō, Sousetsu's spiritual energy is personified as the element of fire; with his body giving off a constant fiery-glow whenever he exerted his spiritual energy in battle.

Seishin Chōwa Master: As the inventor of this unique style, Sousetsu had a great level of proficiency in performing it in battle. The style revolves around the masterful control of his own spiritual energy; using his expertise in Reiryoku control to create chains, weapons, shields and other such objects to give him a greater level of flexibility in combat. A particular application of this style that made Sousetsu famous was its ability to be mixed with elemental-based spiritual energy, such as what is achieved through the use of Kidō, to give the objects formed effects reflecting the chosen element. Meian has revealed that this application was widely used by the ancient Yuengiri after Sousetsu developed it.

Flash Step Master: Sousetsu's speed was considered his greatest trait during his lifetime, being widely known as the Sekka Kami. His skill was further shown from being able to battle, and ultimately defeat Averian.

Kidō Expert: While not as widely versed, nor as skilled as his descendants, Sousetsu had enough skill in Kidō to make use of various elemental attacks to bolster the effects of his Seishin Chōwa style; often requiring no incantation for lower-tier spells.

Hakuda Expert: Sousetsu's least used form, although he is more than capable of performing it to defend himself in battle. He is, however, easily outclassed by those specializing in this field, opting to use Zanjutsu instead.

Yuengiri Master: As he lived in a time when the Yuengiri were prominent among Soul Society's military, Sousetsu has a great and advanced level of skill and understanding in the use and application of all the Yuengiri's techniques and secrets. During brief training sessions with Meian Shiba, Sousetsu has shown skills neither Meian, nor Kenji have seen - one example being Seishin Chōwa - before until Sousetsu passed his skills on to Meian via resonance.

Zanpakutō
Nichiyō Rōzuobu (日曜ローズオブ, lit. Rose of the Sun) is the name of Sousetsu's zanpakutō. When sealed, it takes the appearance of a Daishō pair with average brown-colored hilt wrapping and brown guards respectively. Sousetsu usually wears both katana and wakizashi threaded through his ōbi sash, with the wakizashi positioned above that of his katana for ease of drawing.


 * Shikai: Nichiyō Rōzuobu is released with the phrase The Red Eagle Flies! Forward, followed by the name of the zanpakutō itself. When activated, Nichiyō Rōzuobu overflows with beautiful flames that many have compared to the sun in their brilliance. Whenever activated, an aura of flames shaped like that of an eagle spreading its wings forms around Sousetsu's person. His daishō pair remain unchanged in terms of appearance.


 * Shikai Special Abilities: Nichiyō Rōzuobu was widely considered as one of the strongest fire-type zanpakutō in the entire history of Soul Society; possessing destructive power in the field of flame-manipulation that was second only to that of Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto's Ryūjin Jakka. Averian recalls Sousetsu's zanpakutō with a great level of intimacy and has cursed Sousetsu for possessing it because of its great destructive potential that the powerful Arrancar could only resist indirectly and never truly combat. The intensity of the flames have been compared to those of the sun in sword form, stated by Meian Shiba to be fit to reduce great areas to absolute ash should Sousetsu wish it. Even the Shikai form of Nichiyō Rōzuobu is incredibly powerful, which allowed Sousetsu to combat Averian's Resurrección easily. However, it wasn't the destructive potential that earned Sousetsu and his Nichiyō Rōzuobu its reputation, as the flames were also precise in their movements and beautiful in their execution; cementing it as one of the most beautiful fire-type zanpakutō ever seen.


 * Bankai: Not Revealed.

Quotes

 * ''"Zanpakutō are strange and wonderful entities. Even after a lifetime of communication and partnership; one can still be surprised by their own zanpakutō, or that used by others.
 * ''"No matter how similar in power or appearance, you will find that no one zanpakutō are identical. Even those who share the same name are different in certain aspects.

Behind the Scenes
The name of Sousetsu's zanpakutō and release command was inspired directly from the war cry of ancient Manetheren in the fantastic series of books written by the late Robert Jordan, may he rest in peace. All credit for the name goes to Robert Jordan, his wife and Tor Books.