Sakata

Sakata (酒田市, Sakata-shi), real name unknown, is the Lieutenant of the 12th Division of the Gotei 13, under Captain Nobu Sadao, as well as the Vice-President of the Shinigami Research and Development Institute. He was formerly the 4th Seat of the 4th Division, under Captain Kakyoku Kawakaze, as well as a former occupant of the.

Character Outline
Sakata is considered strange even by the oddities amongst the 12th Division. The first thing he thought of when Falkner Tori died was bisecting his fellow Shinigami "purely for educational purposes". By his own admission one of the few people he truly gets on with is his Captain and that's because they have similar interests as men of science. He and Nobu have a noticeably casual relationship, for Sakata summarized one report as "we appear to be losing", though he does still refer to Nobu as sir or Captain occasionally. He is calm and collected, taking the time to ensure the flawlessness of his calculations even when the Division Barracks came under attack by the Engelhaft Gewitter.

History
No one knew Sakata growing up for he always stayed indoors tinkering with his electronics. He shunned any and all chances at socializing and instead befriended the machines and puppets he created, taking them as his only friends. In his childhood he even avoided his parents. All that the Gotei 13 has on him is the district in which he was born, which was District #9 of Southern Rukongai, Kawahiru. Sakata later joined the 4th Division as a medic.

He disappeared for close to eighty years however and when he resurfaced it was with an army of robotic followers at his side.

Sakata claimed he merely built them for company despite their impressive destructive power but the Onmitsukidō refused to listen to him. The leader of the unit called Sakata's sanity into question. He was brought before the Central 46 and imprisoned in the by Sōritsu Kuchiki, where he stewed in his own madness.

He was later released for unknown reasons where he enrolled in the 4th Division of the Gotei 13 just prior to the. During the invasion he was rescued from the Quincy by Ryan Kuchiki and Miria Fujibayashi, with whom he would remain with throughout the remainder of the war. He was also present when Sōritsu Kuchiki told them to shore up the defenses in preparation for the arrival of the Royal Guard. Sakata was responsible for healing the scarring on Ryan's left arm.

Later Sakata ultimately had a falling out with Captain Kawakaze but was saved from disciplinary action by Nobu Sadao, the Captain of the 12th Division. Sakata later became his Lieutenant.

Synopsis

 * Main Article - Bleach (Kenji Hiroshi).

Impostor arc

 * Flushing out Quincy

Inventions
As a leading researcher in Soul Society, Sakata has developed a number of unique items. The most notable of these are below:


 * Reiteki Sogaiyaku (霊的阻害薬, Spiritual Inhibiting Drug): a special drug Sakata developed shortly after joining the 4th Division. He describes it as "the bane of spiritual creatures". Ingestion of the drug forcibly represses the subjects supply of reiryoku. Reiryoku is used by almost all spiritual beings to provide power for their various feats and to effectively channel the powers of their Zanpakutō. This drug thus makes it nigh-on impossible to engage in combat beyond simple means. Sakata later refined the drug so that it could also be applied as a liquid or in a gaseous form, while its true form is a simple white pill marked with the initials RK. He also learned how to entrench it into his weapons for easy distribution during battle.

Powers and Abilities


Body Modification Expert: From an early age Sakata proved to be an expert both on mechanical matters and the organic body. Through years of tinkering with machines Sakata eventually created one to oversee the modifications he planned for his own body, thus providing him with a series of benefits and unique effects not seen anywhere else in Soul Society outside, perhaps, his own Captain. His entire left arm, his right wrist and hand, both his legs and even his bodily organs are all artificial constructs designed to improve Sakata's physical and spiritual advantage.


 * Built-in Wrist Launcher: Sakata painfully grafted a wrist launcher to his skeletal structure which can fire exceedingly thin needles with great accuracy that are almost impossible to see with the naked eye. The launcher is positioned on his left forearm and fires needles down the artificial bones of his hand and out the gap between his knuckles. Since the limb is artificial he feels no pain from this process at all. The needles are often soaked in his spiritual inhibiting drug.


 * Jets: Sakata has installed small but powerful jets inside his feet, his ankles and his thigh which allow him a form of flight via vertical takeoff. The jets move via commands from Sakata's own brain which is in itself a measure of genius. With them he can attain incredible speed which can further be bolstered through Shunpo, which the jets also accelerate.


 * Hidden Blade: Sakata can effortlessly jettison his right wrist and hand in order to reveal a small hidden blade entrenched with multiple complimenting poisons that assault the targets body, soul and mind at the same time. One poison is based on that used by, in that it paralyzes a target but does not numb the limb in question to pain. Another poison is intended to slowly kill the victim by targeting the cells and destroying them.

Leadership: Despite his desire to shun others Sakata is actually a gifted leader of his Division. Ryan claimed he had the power to qualify him as Nobu's aide, but that his leadership abilities also played a part. During the initial attack on Soul Society by the Engelhaft Gewitter Fernando's messenger reported that Sakata had effectively galvanized the 12th Division's defenses.

Genius Intellect: Sakata is described as both a magnificent genius and as an utter madman. Sakata merely refers to them as two sides of the same coin. Very few can match his intelligence with fewer being able to best it. Even as a child he was capable of creating an army of mechanical war machines that the Gotei 13 feared for their destructive power.


 * Master Scientist/Inventor: As the Vice-President of the Shinigami Research and Development Institute, Sakata is a talented inventor and scientist, having created a number of devices or techniques to aid him in battle or otherwise.


 * Master Chemist: Being the current Vice-President of the Research and Development Institute, Sakata has otherwise been shown to be an adept chemist. He can create antidotes for almost any poison, form complicated amalgamations of poison, and create useful medicine. Most often however he usually creates otherwise debilitating or crippling drugs to give him an edge over his enemies.

Hohō Expert: The only form of physical Shinigami combat that Sakata excels in, or even practices. He is annoyingly evasive and incredibly fast even without the use of Shunpo, which he is particularly skilled in. His speed is often measured against Captains and not his fellow Lieutenants, which his personal jets aid him in.

Zanpakutō
The name of Sakata's zanpakutō has yet to be revealed. Even its original form has largely gone unseen. In recent years he has modified it heavily to appear like a simple colored red.


 * : Not yet Revealed.


 * : Not yet Achieved.

Bakkōtō
Kikaihen'i (機械変異, Machine Mutant) is the term by which Sakata refers to his so-called "perfect". It takes the form of a robotic humanoid resembling a cyborg, with a chiseled physique and powerful gun-like limbs which also serve as cannons. It is deemed "perfect" because it posses absolutely no risk to Sakata himself.


 * Special Abilities: Sakata uses Kikaihen'i as a substitute for himself in battle so he doesn't actually have to lift a finger. It also serves him as a bodyguard. As such it possesses incredible power; arguably beyond Sakata's own.


 * Enhanced Strength: Kikaihen'i possesses strength many times greater than Sakata's own and can easily overpower multiple seated officers who have unleashed their Shikai.


 * : Much like a Kikaihen'i can absorb ambient reishi particles from the atmosphere and use that to power its operating systems.


 * Reishi Cannon:


 * Reishi Shield:


 * Enhanced Speed: Kikaihen'i possesses speed inferior to Sakata's own but still substantial regardless, and is measured at typical Lieutenant level. It can run rings around most seated officers and outstrip Hollow completely.


 * Self-Repair: Kikaihen'i has the ability to instantly analyze and then repair damage to its body, which uses a mixture of synthetic parts and organic tissue. This repair is carried out quickly which aids its function as Sakata's primary tool for combat.