Noire Amakuni

Noire Amakuni is a fierce young woman that is the eleventh seat of Squad 11. She is something of a rarity because she is one of the few women in Squad 11, as well as being from a Noble family. She calls herself "Kenpachi's Kenpachi", saying that its sort of a symbol to the seated officers position, such as her being Eleventh Seat of Squad Eleven. Due to this logic, she had refused a promotion to being fourth seat. During an Hollow incursion at the Rukongai, she witness a heavily injured ryoka fighting three Hollows. After a moment she joins to fight, only for the Hollows to retreat. She since then mentioned a request for him to join her clan, to which the Head of the clan reluctantly agrees. Her clan has been torn between loyalty to the Gotei 13 or the Wandenreich.

Appearance
Noire looks like a youthful blonde girl that is almost always in a simple black combat suit. Her long hair is always in such a fashion. Her body has a slender frame, and can yet still be as enticing as the likes of Rangiku Matsumoto. During times of travel, she dons a short cloak. Despite being a seated officer of the Gotei 13, she rarely wears her Shihakusho. She is also seen wearing a collar plate with the number "Eleven" present on the plate. It is however only worn when wearing her short cloak.

Personality
During her childhood, in the years prior to her mother's death, she behaved like an energic young child that was typical for her age. After that event she progressively developed a more serious, aggrogant demeanor. Despite being cold and calculating, she is prone to wildly unpredictable acts, and is known for her contradicting logic. Like Kenpachi, she has an acquired taste of battling strong opponents. However, s he has proven unwilling to sacrifice allies for the sake of winning a battle, a trait that is evident when she was shown to heal her allies rather than fight the stronger Arrancars. Though views sparring with disdain( considering it nothing but excercise), she isn't above competing from time to time, mostly with Ikkaku. To Noire, the fight isn't just an exchange of blows, it is about the destruction and the damage, stating that a true fight is about the chaos. She also has a vendetta against those who attack a fighter who has since lost the capacity to fight back. Her personality changes when she drinks sake( which is quite often), revealing a childish, flirty demeanor that is akin to that of her demeanor from her youth. However, drinking with Rangiku has proven to be hazardous, as she is prone to fits of depression as she commonly complains about not having been blessed with such "Big boobs". She is shown to have a great deal of respect for those who are genuinely strong, addressing either her Captain or Head-Captain Yamamoto with honorifics. Among her known hobbies are fighting, drinking, dancing and pulling pranks, something she has in common with her Lieutenant, Yachiru Kusajishi, often accompanying her in acts of mischief. She often drags Chireru into her mischievous endeavors, as evident when the two launched fireworks around the Soul Society, which the Captains mistook is a surprise attack against them( though Chireru forced the Noire to apologize before it could escalate) She is seen to be extremely adaptive to the friends she makes, displayed in the instances she met Chireru, and even befriends Guerrero and Acertardo, Arrancars she previously gone to war with.

History
Born during a time when the Shinigami first went to war with the Quincy, both her parents were members of the original Gotei 13. For the eariest part of her life, she behaved like an energic girl, full of moxie. When the war had neared its end, however her mother had died in combat, leaving an inexperienced Noire to inherit the Zanpakuto Murakumo just prior to her mother's passing via the ritual of Shura's Bukon no joo Murakumo's technique Regashī no burēdo: Saigo no warutsu. Promising her mother that she was truly worthy of inherited her mothers Zanpakuto, she spent years of training even prior to her time at the Shino Academy. After that event, Noire took to her training with vigor and grim determination. During the time when Kisuke Urahara was exiled, Noire had came across one of Aizen's experimental Hollows. Because her skills were far too crude and unrefined, she didn't stand a chance. Luckily for her, her father and brother found her before the Hollow could do irreversible damage to her. Disgusted by her own inabilities to hold  her own against a Hollow, she enrolled into the Shino Academy immediately, though in the process had a falling out with her older brother Reginald Amakuni, who preached to Noire that the clan can provide her with the power she desires, and not the Shinigami.



D uring her time  at the Academy she proven herself to be a model student, with a slight affinity for causing mischief, pulling small pranks on other students. Her years of individual training allowed her to develope a trait similar to Kenpachi Zaraki for wanting to fight strong opponents, thus leading her to join the Eleventh Division upon graduating at the academy. Several years prior to Aizen's defecti on of the Soul Society, despite being offered Fourth Seat on numerous occasions after joining Eleventh Division, she was content with being Eleventh Seat, eventually calling herself "Kenpachi's Kenpachi", often proving her self-proclaimed namesake in sparring matches at the Eleventh Division barracks, despite her finding sparring distasteful. The only time she has seen losing in a sparring match is when against either Kenpachi Zaraki or Third Seat Ikkaku Madarame( though she did manage a single victory against the later when she de-robed the top of her rarely-worn Shihakusho, revealing a rather keen, yet unladylike demeanor and gloats after the sparring match that a true Kenpachi would never fall for such a trick). Perhaps the greatest display of her skills was when a number of Arrancars invaded the Soul Society during the battle in the fake Katakura Town. Noire was among a force of Seated Officers who defended the Soul Society in the absence of the Captain-class forces. Despite an early advantage due to battling Arrancars equal to or weaker than a large fighting force of Seated Officers, that advantage was lost when a group of Arrancars bearing the numbers 19, 23, 28 and 30 entered the battle. Noire, desperate to preserve a numerical advantage, focused on healing rather than continue to fight head-on, despite her eagerness to fight the stronger opponents. Just when the battle seemed lost, reinforcements in the form of Jidanbo, Kukaku Shiba and a large bulk of the Amakuni Clan, helping to turn the tide of the battle. When the battle ended, Gaia, Noire's father, appeared before her, commented on her growth since her time in the Eleventh Division, as he helped her heal the wounded from the battle.

One month after the Battle for Soul Society, Noire and Gaia had visited Shura's gravesite. Noire, displaying her contempt for wearing such feminine clothing, had spoke of the sacrifices that have been paid for the continued peace of the Soul Society. Noire, who fancied herself a warrior, paid her respects to her mother, saying that she was ashamed for not visiting her sooner. The duo were met by Ikkaku, who was looking for Noire because of a Hollow incursion. After jokingly rebuffed Noire for being "feminine" for once, he decided to let her have a moment with her father. Noire, bitter for Ikkaku to throw out such a joke, said that she'll join him after a quick change of clothes, saying that this is what she lived for. As Noire left to deal with the Hollow incursion, Gaia remarked to himself that she seems to have gained some good comrades, even among the likes of the "Kenpachi" folk, as Gaia called Eleventh Division. After the Aizen-Arrancar W ar, word of her abilities had become more widespread, with other divisions noticing the young woman's diversity. It was not long after that she would have a fateful encounter with a gravely wounded ryoka known as Chireru Amakuni, who at the time was trying in vain to fend off a Hollow attack in the Rukongai area. Once she joined him, the hollows came to a rather stunning retreat. Bringing the ryoka to a cave on the outskirts of the Soul Society, she manages to heal his wounds over the course of a week with Kido. She learned his name to be Chireru Amakuni, to which she explained that she is of a clan named Amakuni, who happened to be one of the lesser known noble families of the Gotei 13, as well as learning the name of his sword as Kusanagi, to which she was shocked. Than she went to mention a Zanpakuto of the same name that was lost to history. He also states that he lost a large portion of his memories and former powers. The only thing he remembered was fighting an entity known as the God of Emptyness, and was gravely wounded and weakened and that the next thing he knew, he was awakened by an attack from Hollows, after goes to thank her for "saving his ass". Once he was strong enough, she recruited him to live to her clan, as the man shared the same name. After many discussions, the head of their clan took the man as one of their own, taking note of the man's unusual potential.

When the Soul Society was first invaded by the Wandenreich, the Amakuni clan recalled its members, much to Noire's disgust. However, when they invaded Soul Society once again, she and Chireru went awall from the clan and launched a series of hit-and-run attacks on the Quincy forces. As the duo stumble upon the a retreating Haschwalth, the Sternritter explains that he had no intention of stopping to fight them, having been recalled by "his majesty", leaving behind Noire's brother Reginald to fight the her and Chireru. Angered by her brother's appearance, she asks him his reasoning for joining the enemy, to which he prompts to ask the same question. Chireru demanding what he meant, to which Reginald replies that due to the "replacement" of the Head of their clan, the Amakuni had thrown their support to the Wandenreich rather than the Gotei 13. Noire, stating that their mother gave her life for the sake of the Gotei 13, refused to acknowledge her brother's claim and went to battle against him. In a brief clash, Noire was put act a distant disadvantage, until Chireru joined in. Chireru clashed swords with Reginald, managing to keep up with him on an near-equal level as Noire fought alongside Chireru. The fight was then interupted by Gaia Amakuni, who threw his support with Noire and Chireru. Reginald, knowing that he was outclassed by Gaia without reinforcement, fled the battle. After the battle, Gaia told them that they wouldn't stand a chance by themeselves, so they sought out help from various scattered Shinigami forces in order to fight the Quincies on a more equal level. However, before the three could regroup with Shinigami forces, they would discovered by the new head of the Amakuni Clan, Noire's aunt Natsu.



Declaring them enemies of the natural order of the world, the three shall die with the Shinigami they couldn't detach themselves with. Gaia then told Noire and Chireru to regroup with as many Shinigami as possible, saying that he would fend her off, knowing full well that Natsu was vastly superior than he was in terms of power. Chireru grabs Noire hand and retreats, telling her even if they attacked as a group, there was no way all three of them stood a chance. Noire realized that this wasn't just a war against the Quicies now, it was the "Amakuni Civil War" as well, with a faction siding the Shinigami and a faction supporting the Quincy.

Even after the defeat of the Wandenreich, the Amakuni Civil War had continue to rage on, engulfing the World of the Living, Soul Society, and even Hueco Mundo in Natsu's bid for power. Many of the Quincies of the Wandenreich sided with Natsu, as the fights Natsu instagated has proven beneficial to them. During the war, Noire befriended two Arrancars she previously defeated in the sneak attack of the Soul Society, a male named Guerrero Listilla, who beared the Number 19 and a female named Acertardo Pensadora, who beared the number 30. Deciding that in the interest of taking on Natsu, Noire decided to infiltrate her clans' barracks, which was currently under Natsu's direct control, so she could steal her parents warrior roster for the original Gotei 13, assuming that at least 2 or 3 of the remaining members of the old Gotei had to still be alive. When Chireru asked if she planned on recruiting them, Noire replied no, that the four of them were going to master working as a team; her, Chireru, Guerrero, and Acertardo. Chireru admitted defeat to Noire's stubborn plan, despite knowing that it would be a double suicude run. Then Noire said that her parents told her stories of these warriors that inspired fear and awe at once, and that if they could master working as a unit, then the likes of Natsu wouldn't stand a stand and further standing that she can't rely on Bankai, saying it'll be thousands of years before she is compotent enough to achieve it, nor could they rely on Chireru's lost powers ever coming back. Chireru then stated that he will go along with this only if they were to treat this as training, and not a bloodbath. Noire scolded at him in response, then conceded, saying it was only fair to make some sort of compromise. When Noire asked if the two Arrancar were on board, they responsed that so long as they were treated as equals, and not "fodder", refering to how Aizen and Yhwach regarded the Arrancar soldiers.

Just as the group was about to get to work, they were summoned by Head Captain, Shunsui Kyoraku. Attending the modified Captains' Meeting, it was from him that they learn that Natsu has given the Shinigami an ultimatium; head over the the defected Amakuni clan members for execution or face an endless war that will wage for thousands of years. Stating that he wasn't about give in to Natsu's demands, Shunsui told the four that Gaia was still alive and that it was in their best interest to locate him, and that he will send Rukia Kuchki with them to aid in their mission. Shunsui then calls Sui-Feng forth to report her findings. According to the Onmitsukidō, after Gaia's fight with Natsu, There was a rumor that Gaia was seen in District 80, otherwise known as Zaraki. With due haste, the four companions, now with Rukia traveling with them, made their way to the District 80 of the North Alley of Rukongai, hoping that Natsu's Amakuni have yet to learn the rumors.

Within 20 minutes of fast paced travel via Shunpo(Sonido by the two Arrancar present in the group), they reach the district of Zaraki. After the initial failed search, two powerful spiritual pressure in the vicinity flare up. When the five reach the fight, Gaia and Reginald were locked in combat. The group notice the two fighting at an equal level, yet Chireru silently noticed that due to his fight with Natsu, Gaia was only at a portion of his full strength. When Reginald finally gained a foothold in the fight, Natsu interfered, saying despite Reginald siding with Natsu, she refused to accept the lose of both her brother and father. However, deeming his sister has become expendable, he proceeded to attack, with Noire putting up no resistance. Guerrero intercepted the attack, saying it was disgusting how he regarded his own flesh and blood and was about to release his Resurrecion, but was stopped by Chireru. Standing face-to-face to Reginald, he asked if he would reconsider his alliances, to which he retorted that Natsu would bring the Amakuni to greatness. Then Chireru pointed out that he was currently alone, and that even if he fought all his opponents one-by-one, he was sure to face certain death, and offered him a chance to retreat before things got ugly for him. Taking into account that there was six opponents, Reginald conceeded that Chireru had a good point, to which he said he looked forward to the day he would slay the aggrogant smartass and departed. Noire, enraged, requested why Chireru didn't convinced Reginald to take their side, answered that Gaia's health came first and that she should have been grateful both relatives would live to see another day. Noire began to heal Gaia with Kido at the safety of the same cave she saved Chireru's life, as Rukia left to report the success in their mission and suggested it would be likely that they report to the Head-Captain when Gaia was at full health.

Powers & Abilities
High Spiritual Pressure: Like many seated officers, Noire has a large quantity of spiritual pressure. She mostly applies her spiritual pressure in the form of Kido, despite her being of Eleventh Division ( she is widely considered the exception to the rule due to her being a female combatant). Though she can use her spiritual pressure to disable an enemies movement, her spiritual pressure is far too average to utilize it affectively, so hardly relies on such tactics.

Shunpo practitioner: Noire is shown to have a proficiency in the use of Shunpo, she is able to evade attacks from several Hollows with relative ease. It is commented by her father that her growth in her Shunpo use has yet to be fully realized.

Hakuda Expert: Because of the way she applies her Shikai, Noire prefers to utilize hand-to-hand combat whenever possible. Due to her training among her Clan, she has an in-depth knowledge of various martial arts techniques, mostly taught to her by her father Gaia, one of the greatest Hakuda masters of her clan. She is a expert of the martial arts skill 'Mind over Body', allowing her to fight in a continuous state without registering pain( though she has her limitations and still retains the fatigue that accompanies the damage taken), making her quite formidable in her own right. She has been shown to use Ikkotsu (一骨, "Single Bone"), albeit a much weaker variation than the one used by Head-Captain Yamamoto, while battling weaker Arrancars who were among the first wave of suprise attacks on the Soul Society.

Kido Profincency: Despite her belonging to Eleventh Division, she is not above using Kido upon her whim. She has shown to be moderately skilled when it comes to healing others via Kaido, as when she had healed a gravely wounded Chireru with her Kido. Her prowess with healing-based Kido was widely utilized during the Arrancar sneak attack on the Soul Society around the time of the fake Katakura Battle. Noire has also proven versatile when using Bakudo and Hado, using Kido such as Hainawa or Shakkaho without incantation. Being of clan Amakuni, Noire is well versed at using the Kido Materia Getsuga without incantation, and loyaly obeys her clans law which restricts the use of Hado#100's incantation. The color of her Materia Getsuga is yellow and white, its energies similar to Ichigo's Fullbring Getsuga Tensho, though less powerful. Noire is considered by many as an expert at using the technique.
 * Materia Getsuga:

Zanjustu Proficency: As a member of Eleventh Division, Noire is highly accustomed to fighting with her Zanpakuto, albeit in a rather unusual method. Because her sword is the ending part of her hairpiece, she must utilize her spiritual pressure to visualize the motion of her sword attacks, thus requiring her full concentration. Her fiuld movements are more akin to that of a dancer's, though this style of Zanjutsu was initially taught to her by her mother Shura prior to her death, hence leaving a large portion of her fighting style self-taught.

Keen Intellect: Noire has proven herself a quick thinker in various situations, often using it towards mischeivous purposes in a similar manner as her lieutenant, Yachiru. During one of her sparring matches against Ikkaku, on the rare occasion she wore her Shihakushō, in order to catch him off-guard, derobed the top part of her Shihakusho momentarily, revealing the upper part of her body. Ikkaku, caught off guard by such an unladylike display, was unprepared for Noire's next strike. While it was the only time she won a sparring match against him, it was match that she takes great pride in, as she told Ikkaku that only a true "Kenpachi" would be unaffected by such a trick. Even with a combat mentality, she isn't above changing tactics to healing her allies to maintain a numerical advantage in battle.

Strong endurance: To prove herself worthy of her namesake, she tried herself to withstand a decent amount of damage. This, combined with her skill in Mind Over Body, can give the impression that she is immune to damage when battling those weaker than her. However, anyone with Ikkaku's level of skill can tell the difference when he notices her fatigue when in a prolonged battle from her battling an opponent that is equal to or stronger than her. Noire has proven capable of withstanding a Cero from rank and file Arrancar while taking little to no damage, yet resorted to counter a Cero from Acertardo with her Materia Getsuga, claiming her Cero would have proved to be powerful enough to wound her if taken head-on.

Zanpakutō
Shikai Release: Murakumo Noire's Zanpakuto is unique that it is a constant Release Zanpakuto as well as being a Zanpakuto handed down from generation to generation. Noire inherited Murakumo from her mother Shura just prior to her death. Her shikai is worn in a fashion of accessory. However, it is used in a similar fashion as Komamura's Tenken( in the form of the technique called Regashī no burēdo: Shinpuru Kyojin (レガシーのブレード：シンプル巨人, "Legacy Blades: Simple Giant"), though with a greater limit in terms of reach, and can only be utilized either horizontally or vertically. One viable tactic used when utilizing her Shikai is having Murakumo strike from behind in a horizontal fashion, using Regashī no burēdo: Shinpuru Kyojin in a defensive manner rather than offensive. Noire has yet to gain the ability to achieve Bankai because her connection with her Zanpakuto is far inferior to most other Shinigami's relationship with their Zanpakuto, largely due to the fact that due to its belonging to previous owners, "Murakumo" has yet to perceive its current owner as worthy. However, as Shinigami before her have inherited Murakumo, the Zanpakuto under its previous owners have achieved Bankai, Shura in particular. Like Ichigo's Tensa Zangetsu, Bokun no joo Murakumo is a bankai that is worn, though that is as far their similarities run. Its most trademark traits of the Bankai is its futuristic suit and the floating sword petals. Bokun no Joo Murakumo boasts ones' endurance severely, as well launching a high speed assault of sword petals. Like Senbonsakura, this Bankai also has a "Safe Zone". Shura's dance-like Zanjutsu style complimented this Bankai perfectly. Bokun no joo Murakumo has a special ability: Bokun no joo Murakumo's ability to utilize its powerful sword petals in various ways. In shikai, its only technique is called Regashī no burēdo: Shinpuru Kyojin. However, this technique is the form a giant's sword rather than the Bankai's sword petals (A variation of the same technique can still be used in a bankai state, though with its sword petals instead, where the petal can create a powerful defense net surrounding its wielder).
 * Bankai Release: Bōkun no joō Murakumo(Tyrant Queen Murakumo)
 * Regashī no burēdo(レガシーのブレード, "Legacy Blades")
 * Regashī no burēdo: Saisho no dansu(レガシーのブレード：最初のダンス, "Legacy Blades:First Dance"): Regashī no burēdo's most common technique, launching its six sword petals in quick succession. Leaves its wielder momentarily open to counterattack after launching its six blades as the blades are being recalled to its wielder.
 * Regashī no burēdo: Shadanki jumon(レガシーのブレード：遮断器呪文, "Legacy Blades: Spell Breaker"): Using all six sword petals laced with large large amounts of the wielders' spiritual pressure, the sword petals are launched into a kido-based attack, negating it and destroying it. However, if a kido's power exceeds Regashī no burēdo: Shadanki jumon's ability to destroy, than it could still be utilized to hold much stronger kido's at bay for a period of time, as in the case of Natsu,'s full incantation Materia Getsuga during the Amakuni Founder's first attack on the Soul Society.
 * Regashī no burēdo: Saigo no warutsu( レガシーのブレード：最後のワルツ, "Legacy Blades: Last Waltz"): Regashi no buredo's "Ultimate" technique, in which its wielder is uses on their deathbed. It is actually a ritual that its current wielder uses to transfer ownership of Murakumo to a successor. However, while Murakumo retains its memories under its previous wielders, its combat experience is reset, requiring its new wielder to master Murakumo at their own pace. The successor must be of the same bloodline and cannot be in possession of a Zanpakuto.

Trivia

 * Inspiration for the characters appearance comes from Lambda-11 of the BlazBlue series( just as her mother's design is inspired by Nu-13)
 * Noire's fight theme is "Awakening the Chaos"(Nu-13/Lambda-11's fight theme) from BlazBlue OST. However, when she fights alongside Chireru and/or Guerrero and Acertardo against a superior enemy, the fight theme changes to "Endless Despair"(Unlimited Hazama's theme) from BlazBlue: CS EX limited edition OST.