Nara Hanshō

Hanshō Nara (楢 反照, Nara Hanshou) is the hotblooded Lieutenant of the and the successor to being the Head of the. Hanshō is a strong hearted warrior who fights with both passion and skill that many have come to respect. He has become highly respected in his division, despite the fact that he was given his rank based solely on the connections his father had. Hanshō works hard to end this idea that he is a pampered noble child and make a name for himself, naming himself the Vermilion Bird (朱雀, Suzaku) as a testament to his strength.

By no means, is Hanshō a dog to the, nor has he ever forsaken his beliefs on the orders of his Captain. Hanshō has accepted that there will always be a need for the and that evil will always exist in the world, but he has refused to let go of this ideology that he can bring some form of change to the world.

Appearance
Hanshō is a tall young man, with a lithe body frame, that is also quite muscular. His hair and eyes are of the same color, a light brown. Hanshō is known for his signature attire, which differs from the standard Shinigami apparel, although he has shown to wear his Shihakusho during important meetings or formal events. His general attire consists of a leather jacket with red trimming that covers his arms and shoulders but leaves the rest of his torso bear. A series of metal bolts sit on each shoulder of the jacket, and a red strap connects it at the chest. Hanshō wears a matching red and black hakama with a pair of red sandals and white socks. A golden obi sits around his waist.

Hanshō is known for his signature golden necklace, which is an heirloom of the Nara family, as well as the red headband that sits around his forehead. Unlike most other, Hanshō wears his zanpakutō slung over his back as opposed to at his waist.

History
Hanshō was born into the Nara family, a Lower Noble House, located in Seireitei. The second born to his father, Nara Jaken and his beloved wife Nara Sanka, Hanshō accepted from an early age that his older brother would become the Head of the family and not him. From afar, Hanshō watched his brother train relentlessly in order to prepare for the day in which he would become the Head of the family. Both Hanshō and his older brother were naturally gifted, although his brother was always one step ahead of him and always came out on top. Jaken would say how much he loved them both, but Hanshō was fully aware of the fact that he loved his brother more. While most "second-born" children would be annoyed by this, building up a long life of hatred and jealousy, Hanshō remained rather unaffected by his fathers decisions. Hanshō saw himself one day joining the Gotei 13 and becoming a famed Shinigami, unlike any other. He dreamed of being immortalized in the minds of his comrades, earning a moniker that would send fear through his friends and foes, and mastering his Bankai. When his father Jaken heard of Hanshō's dream, he scolded Hanshō for being a fool. Hanshō did his best to ignore his father's unkind words, but they would go on to haunt him for the rest of his life.

On his brothers first day of being a Shinigami, a seated officer in the Third Division, Hanshō and Jaken saw him off. Jaken praised his son and told him how proud of him he was, while Hanshō told his brother to be careful and to be strong. Tragedy struck when word came back within a month, that his brother died on a mission against a group of Hollows. The news hit Hanshō like a punch in the chest; he did not see it coming, nor could he do anything about it. It was even harder for his parents, Jaken left in shock while their mother cried for weeks straight. Hanshō's brother was gone, and over time Hanshō began to accept the fact... but there were many other things that he would soon have to learn.

Not to long after his brothers death, Jaken came to Hanshō one evening. Handing Hanshō the family heirloom, a golden necklace engraved with the words of their family, he informed Hanshō that he would be the next Head of the Nara family and that their future rested on his shoulders. Not even in the academy, and Hanshō was forced to face such a harsh reality.

Time passed and Hanshō was enrolled into the Academy in which he excelled. His grades were top notch, as was his aptitude and combat prowess. Many said that Hanshō had the potential to be a genius, but he was just a few inches far off. After a long three years, Hanshō graduated at the top of his class and was placed into the Eleventh Division.

A bunch of brutes, thugs, and miscreants. For the young son of a Noble, the Eleventh Division was quite an experience. On his first day, the veteran members attempted to mess with Hanshō and the few other recruits. Hanshō was sure of one thing, that if he wanted to make it far here, he would have to prove that he was strong. With his fists alone, Hanshō brought down the three men who towered over him and offered any others to challenge him. Mocking his comrades for not stepping up, he was left stunned when a monstrous and callous spiritual pressure brought him to his knees. The Captain of the Division,, had caught wind of the fighting and came seeking a challenge. When Hanshō proved to weak to even stand, Zaraki scolded him and told him that he was a long way from proving himself as a "real man".

Years passed and Hanshō slowly rose up in the ranks, before finally being transferred to the Eight Division after several of its members died in a massive Hollow attack in the Rukongai. Hanshō spent the best days of his life in the Eight Division, drinking sake and gambling with his comrades and training harder and harder as the days went by. He once again found himself rising through the ranks, through each ordeal and war the Soul Society faced, before he was offered the rank of Lieutenant of the Division. Having spent half of his Shinigami career in the division, he accepted gratefully and proved to not only himself but to his family that he was worthy of taking up the family.

The day of his promotion, Jaken came to Hanshō and for the first time, told him that he was proud. Hanshō told his father that he shouldn't be proud, because Hanshō had not yet lived up to the dream that his father told him would never come true. He swore on his brother's grave that he would become famous throughout history, as the Vermilion Bird who paints the skies red with fire and blood, and he would carry the Nara family up the social latter where they would stand alongside the Four Great Noble Families. Jaken laughed at this notion, but not once did he deny Hanshō his dream.

Powers & abilities
Quite average for a shinigami of Lieutenant rank, Hanshō has shown that when poorly controlled, his spiritual energy can be quite destructive. In times of great anger or despair, his spiritual energy has shown to reflect his emotions to the point where they will roar like wildfire. Hanshō is far from being a 'master' of his abilities, yet he does have a grasp on the art. In battle, Hanshō has shown to utilize his fiery spiritual energy to enhance his physical prowess and agility, allowing him to maneuver around his opponents to gain the upper-hand on his opponents. The color of Hanshō's spiritual energy is a soothing orange in color, almost reminiscent to the rays of the sun when he exerts his energies.

Enhanced Agility: One of Hanshō's signature attributes is his nimble movements which includes near perfect coordination and balance. In battle, Hanshō relies heavily on the standard shinigami arts of and  which both call for some level of agility in certain ways. Partly due to Hanshō's height and weight, his ability to move through the battlefield can be compared to a leaf traveling along the air currents. His maneuvering is something to be praised, as he is among the most graceful and quick Lieutenants of the Gotei 13 save the Lieutenant of the Second Division who holds the title of the fastest due to the obvious.

Enhanced Endurance: As a shinigami, Hanshō is capable of withstanding attacks that would normally be deemed fatal to an average person, but what Hanshō boasts is beyond even a shinigami's power. A resilient fighter who is driven by a desire to fight with everything he has, allows Hanshō to fight for literally days before his body collapses. Even then, Hanshō is willing to stand back up and continue fighting. Hanshō also is known for his rather quick recovery time, which is something that members of the Fourth Division despise because Hanshō begins to see himself as invulnerable and will get all excited and start trying to run around just days after receiving a fatal wound in the back. It wasn't until he started to cough blood that he gave up on trying to go find somebody to spar with.

Hanshō uses a very standard form of swordplay, consisting of basic slashes and attacks meant to wear an opponent down. His sword also plays a defensive role when Hanshō fights, using the blade to deflect the oncoming attacks of his opponents.

Expert Naginata Specialist: Due to the nature of his, Hanshō is a highly skilled when wielding his twin pair of naginata which take a shape that resembles a traditional trident. A very powerful tool that Hanshō can use to batter his opponents, normally in an attempt to shake their defenses as well as being used to stab at his opponents from an arms reach which differs from a standard katana. By grabbing the naginata from the middle of the handle, Hanshō can spin it to create distance between him and his opponent which is something Hanshō falls back onto often. When blocking an attack, it is more efficient for Hanshō to utilize the long staff of the naginata to catch an incoming blade then to use the naginata's own blade because it allows him a better grip and a more solid defense from any other oncoming attacks. Due to the three-pronged nature of his naginata, landing a hit onto an opponent with a forward stab is quite deadly and can chop men in two if used properly (albeit the results are both bloody and gruesome).

Hanshō has also shown to apply his knowledge of Aiki-jō which combines the teachings of Aikido and the use of a jō (a form of staff) although Hanshō substitutes this staff for his naginata. Utilizing the basics of Aiki-jō; Hanshō incorporates a series of sweeps, thrusts, and counters to attack his opponent. Besides the basic techniques of Aiki-jō, Hanshō has shown to rely heavily on his creativity when it comes to fighting and freestyles many of his attacks.

When he does utilize Kidō, it is meant for basic attacks such as the Hadō as a means to push his opponents back if they are getting to close although against stronger opponents it has proven quite meaningless.

Hanshō's style of fighting bears some resemblance to the Xing Yi Quan which has roots in ancient military spear techniques, which falls under the category of things Hanshō is skilled with. As with the fundamentals to Xing Yi Quan, an aggressive forward and direct footwork are among the basics that Hanshō has mastered which coincidentally also shares roots with his spear techniques. Hanshō focuses on forward attacks meant to quickly deal a blow to his opponent, normally focused through a single burst. One of the rules that Hanshō abides by is that he must keep his body moving together as one and to never focus to much on one area (i.e. overusing the left side of his body to strike, allowing his opponent to find an opening). Hanshō must apply very intense focus to his fighting style, as having a control over your "inner strength" is as fundamental as having control over your physical strength.

The third fastest Lieutenant of the Gotei 13, trailing behind the Lieutenant of the Second Division and the First Division, Hanshō has shown to heavily rely on Shunpo when fighting. Hanshō is capable of moving pretty large distances over a short period of time, although he prefers to keep his movements much shorter and quicker. In battle, Hanshō utilizes Shunpo as a quick method to reaching the opening on an opponent so he can deliver a quick and deadly strike. The basis to most of Hanshō's attacks relies on finding an opening, which makes his timing and speed very valuable in ending a fight quickly.

Zanpakutō
Nikasō (火葬 丹, Nikasou; Literally "Red Earth Cremation") is sealed as a katana with a gold circular guard and a vermilion colored handle. The sheath has an ornate fire pattern spreading across it, with the flames painted white and the rest painted red.
 * Shikai Special Abilities
 * Shikai Special Abilities