Akiye


 * The single bright spot in an otherwise dark cloud. - Kenji-Taichō

Akiye was the adopted daughter of Shigeru; in addition she was one of the original Shadows of the Imawashī criminal organisation under Shinzō. She eventually became one of the Seijin-trained, having studied extensively under Kenji Hiroshi in the years before The Collapse. Alongside Kentaro Hiroshi, Hawke Kori and David Kori she was a member of the eight generation of Shiseiten.

In the early stages of Part II of the series Akiye served as an antagonist, tasked by Shinzō to closely monitor Kentaro Hiroshi and his group of friends. Instead of carrying out her mission however Akiye came to sympathise with the groups desire to forge their own paths in life, and ended up betraying the Imawashī and winning her freedom. This betrayal cost her dearly however; Shinzō ordered her returned to Kōhai Tochi, where she was held against her will and subjected to various forms of torture. Kentaro, however, launched a rescue attempt by invading the Imawashī stronghold, where he successfully freed her. Once free Akiye, joined by Kentaro, Shigeru and the remainder of Kentaro's friends, proceeded to destroy the Imawashī bar Shinzō himself.

Throughout Part III Akiye became one of the primary supporting characters of the series. She was seen almost always in the company of either Kentaro or his father, and came to be viewed as an additional member of Kenji's family. Per the beginning of Part IV Akiye remains a primary supporting character and has since become the second-in-command to Kentaro following The Collapse as one of the founding members of the Six Directions.

Appearance
Akiye appears much like her mother did, whilst sporting her father's red eyes. She has neatly combed white-colored hair and prefers to wear a comfortable pair of white trousers and a sleeveless green top, though at times she will sport sleeves depending on the weather. Beneath the sleeveless green top she usually sports a weighted long-sleeved white T-shirt for added protection, but usually forgoes it completely if speed is needed. Following the Collape Akiye has matured. Her hair has grown longer and she now styles it into twin braids that rest on each shoulder, with her outfit being largely unchanged.

Personality
Akiye is a straightforward young woman; what you see is what you get. She is energetic, likes debating an issue without childish interruption and isn't afraid to assert her own authority when Kenji and Kusaka threatened to derail a strategy meeting with their usual back-and-forth banter. She can, however, act childishly herself; though this stems from having been raised by Shigeru, who didn't exactly give much thought to personal space or proper etiquette in conversations or his raising of her. She once claimed that Shigeru brought home "lots of company" and that she had become used to it at a young age. Due to this Akiye is just as dirty-minded as her adoptive father; if anyone was likely to make an inappropriate comment or joke, or make inappropriate advances, Akiye is usually the one who does so. In the aftermath of her battle with Zatoichi, for example, she coaxed Kentaro into a sexual encounter behind some bushes, telling him they had plenty of time despite the fact a war was raging around them.

While at times she comes across as uncaring Akiye is anything but; she just never formed much in the way of attachments outside her father-daughter relationship with Shigeru during her time with the Imawashī. When she befriended Kentaro and his friends however and later teamed up with Hawke and David Kori, she demonstrated a caring side and immediately reacted to Zatoichi's treachery against Itazura with a ruthless assault that ultimately resulted in his death; simply because he was a close familial relation of her fellow Shiseiten. She also demonstrates much loyalty to Kentaro's family. Kenji became her teacher and unofficial father-figure following Shigeru's disappearance following her rescue. She has also picked up a few of Kenji's bad habits. She is an avid poker player and enjoys and smoking. Following the Collapse Akiye has fallen into the role of Kentaro's second-in-command and emotional support; she isn't afraid of telling him what is required, especially in regards to his lack of sleep.

In her battle against Ichihara she demonstrated a cool head for strategy and combat, at times completely overpowering her opposition through knowledge of his abilities and how best to exploit his lack of physical speed; this showed that she can expertly control her emotions in the heat, as well as demonstrating patience. Her acceptance of her own limitations and weaknesses is what ultimately allowed her to emerge victorious without suffering more than a few wounds; something her contemporaries, Kentaro and Hawke, failed to accomplish. In the immediate aftermath of her battle with Zatoichi she berated Kentaro for coming to her aid instead of checking on the status of Hawke and David first, even though she admitted that it was sweet of him; this inferred that she was more upset about him acting on his emotions rather than the needs of the moment. She, however, later demonstrated the same trait. She fought frantically to stabilize Kentaro and Hawke's condition following their respective battles with Kitsui and Nakajima Kōhai and then supported Kusaka following his defeat at the hands of a returned Averian, showing how much she cherishes her new bonds.

Synopsis

 * Main Article: Bleach (Kenji Hiroshi).

Part II

 * Main Article -- Bleach: War of the Worlds.

The Hidden Shadows Arc

 * Wandering Aimlessly: Meeting the Mysterious White-Haired Girl
 * A Rock and a Hard Place: The Old Swordsman
 * Bestiality with a Kind Heart
 * A Time for Forgiveness
 * Decision Making
 * The Strength of Bonds

Invasion of Kōhai Tochi arc

 * Challenging the Vices Saga
 * Battle Beyond all Limits! Kentaro vs. Soritsu

Impostor arc

 * Betrayal!?
 * Walking the Correct Path?
 * Resolve
 * Looking Ahead

Rise and Fall of Legends arc

 * Hatching Schemes and Catching Up
 * Shifting Loyalties
 * Dealing with Loose Ends
 * Dealing with Loose Ends: Price of Treachery
 * Unveiling the Grand Scheme
 * Cutting to the Heart of the Matter
 * Cutting to the Heart of the Matter: Akiye's Defiance
 * Return of the Legend

Second Coming of Averian arc

 * Surprising Intervention
 * Awakening the Storm
 * Mourning a Warrior

Kikkkashō Unveiled arc

 * Search for the Kikkashō
 * Death of a Shiba
 * Tense Negotiations

Part IV

 * Main Article -- Bleach: Cataclysm.

Rising arc

 * Garrett's Vengeance

Post-Collapse Events

 * Imparting Wisdom

Testing the Waters arc

 * Kentaro Takes Charge
 * Matters of Trust
 * Matters of Trust II
 * Leaving Doubt at the Door
 * Fleeing the Imawashi
 * Putting Names to the Faces

Bound by Blood arc

 * Note: The below arc is filler and is thus separate from the main plot of Bleach: Cataclysm, despite it being classed very loosely as canon.


 * Terrors of a Different Kind
 * Facing the Terrors

Meian's Legacy mini-arc

 * Tale of Survival: Joint Resolve

Braving the Waves arc

 * First Battle of Nishiendo
 * Planning Espionage
 * Joining the Threads
 * Second Battle of Nishiendo

Navigating the Waters arc

 * One on One Meeting: Hikaru's Resolve Revealed
 * Secrets Revealed
 * Solitary Invasion

Part V

 * Main article -- TBA.

Powers & Abilities
Kenji and Kusaka where confident in her and her companions ability to kill Oda's brothers, faith Akiye proved was well held when she easily slaughtered Ichihara Kōhai, which easily puts her at the level of a Captain-class combatant.

Enhanced Durability: Akiye, despite her appearance, is more than capable of taking a sustained beating from physically adept opponents. Ichihara threw her into the ground, kicked her in the ribs and into the air and then elbow-dropped her back the ground; this merely prompted Akiye to release her Bankai, at which point she fought on without being encumbered at all.

Hakuda Expertise: Akiye was trained extensively in unarmed combat by Rosuto Shiba. She frequently laces her Zanjutsu sequences with jabs and kicks and possessed enough raw skill to overwhelm Zatoichi, himself a martial arts master.

Kidō: Although not her preferred method of combat Akiye can extinguish all trace of her and other's spiritual energy; to such effect that even Oda was taken by surprise. Combined with Kentaro's Shikai Akiye demonstrated the ability to render themselves completely invisible both to traditional eyesight and spiritual sensing techniques.

Zanjutsu Mastery: Akiye, as Kenji's trainee for nigh-on sixteen years, has tremendous skill and an in-depth knowledge of Zanjutsu usage. Her skills have progressed to the point that Ichihara, who was capable of contending for a time with Shinrei Kurosaki, was completely overwhelmed. Her favored Zanjutsu Form is Form III, which is described as speed incarnate. Her mastery of Form III is such that she wholly and completely dismantled Ichihara, who simply lacked the reflexes, skill or experience to deal with the speed at which she brought her Form to bear.

Hohō Expertise: Akiye, as an adherent of Form III, is a sufficiently fast young woman who is capable of bringing her masterful Zanjutsu skills to bear before her opponent can mount a strong defense; all in-thanks to her amazing Shunpo skill. Her speed is more than a match for Kentaro and was sufficient enough that she can launch devastating ambushes and combination attacks without any wasted movement.

Zanpakutō
Onajibyōki (同じ病気, Same Sickness). Akiye's Zanpakutō is one of the few whose spirit is male, while his owner is female. When sealed, he takes the form of a pair which bares dark hilt wrapping inscribed with purple motifs which hangs from pieces of red string from her back. She wears them strapped to her back; one horizontally across her lower back and one over-the-shoulder.


 * : Onajibyōki is released with the command "Sever" (切断, Setsudan), followed by Akiye swinging the blades once apiece in unison. This swing drapes each blade in a vibrant green light that emanates outward from each edge.


 * Shikai Special Abilities: Onajibyōki is a Zanpakutō that is constantly evolving and changing, its power always growing; the power behind this evolution is Akiye's own experiences and accumulation of knowledge, a fact she has often claimed. As such Onajibyōki can theoretically evolve its abilities without limit, making it perhaps one of the most versatile Zanpakutō in existance.


 * Raiun (雷雲, Thunder Cloud): a technique born from the teacher-student and father-daughter relationship Akiye shares with Kenji, forged over a sixteen year period. It perfectly mimics Raijin's ability to call forth powerful bolts of lightning from the sky, enabling Akiye to direct lightning to strike her targets.


 * Yamiuchi (闇打ち, Attacking Under the Cover of Darkness): a one-use technique born from the interactions and experience Akiye gained in the weeks she traveled with Kentaro and friends, specifically Kentaro himself. It allows her to phase through a single attack without harm and then counter in reprisal; the surprise-factor often makes the follow-up attack fatal.


 * Kiribi (切り火, Flint Sparks): a technique born from the interactions and experience Akiye gained in the weeks she traveled with Kentaro and friends, specifically Jinta. Merely by striking her Zanpakutō together Akiye can cause an earlier struck surface to violently erupt in a plume of flames, super-heated ash and thick smoke.


 * Chiryaku (治略, Governance): a technique born from the interactions and experience Akiye gained in the weeks she traveled with Kentaro and friends, specifically Riki. She is fit to control the super-heated ash created by Kiribi merely by moving her Zanpakutō, attacking at range or defending against attack. She has also demonstrated the ability to gather the ash and fire from Kiribi and direct the entirety at her foe, inflicting horrendous damage.


 * Kyohi (拒否, Negation): a technique born from the interactions and experience Akiye gained in the weeks she traveled with Kentaro and friends, specifically Ashni. Using this ability Akiye forms a durable shield to block attacks or as a battering ram, which is the use she put it to against Zatoichi.


 * Kirisaki, Kyohi (切り裂き拒否, Shred, Negation): a technique born from the interactions and experience Akiye gained in the weeks she traveled with Kentaro and friends, specifically Naibu. Once she has used Kyohi Akiye can loose rapid-fire projectile-like attacks from the shields surface, with enough force and penetrative power and in large enough quantities to completely destroy an opponents body.


 * : Izaonajibyōki (医ザ同じ病気, Curing the Same Sickness): To activate her Bankai Akiye slams her two Zanpakutō together at the base of their hilts, creating a sphere around her, whilst causing her swords to meld together into a single weapon. As shown by Ichihara anyone attempting to pierce this sphere is violently thrown back out. This weapon takes the form of a with a circular golden guard, white hilt wrapping and a purple sheath. The blade itself is emerald green. Akiye then steps from the sphere dressed in a black leather top accompanied with a medium-blue haori with reddish-orange lining, a black mini skirt, dark brown tights and a pair of light brown knee-high boots. Once she steps from it the sphere splits into six encircling blades of dark blue reiryoku with the appearance of classic medieval long-swords.


 * Bankai Special Ability: Akiye explains that the Bankai manifestation of her Zanpakutō is a true hypocrite, as there is no "cure" for his sickness. As such her Zanpakutō's Bankai is merely an enhancement of her Shikai, again dealing with Akiye's own interactions and experiences; always gaining in strength as she learns and develops herself.


 * Power Augmentation: A phenomenon that occurred as a result of Akiye's interaction with Kenji's Raijin (雷神, God of Lightning). It allowed her Bankai to mimic Kenji's lightning-enhanced physical abilities, which had a similar effect on Akiye. Her physical strength increased to such a margin that she could match the physical might of Ichihara; a man reputed as the strongest physically of Oda's entourage.


 * Ekibyō (疫病, Infectious Disease): a technique inherent to Akiye's Bankai. By using the swords encircling her to attack an enemy Akiye is capable of siphoning their spiritual energy and then absorb it, with more energy being lost with a greater severity of wound.

Behind the Scenes

 * The latest picture of Akiye, depicting her in her Horiwari attire, was done by the artist P3r1le, who kindly gave me his permission to make use of the image. All credit goes to him.