Tarō Suzuki

Tarō Suzuki (鈴木 太郎, Suzuki Tarō, lit. "Bell Tree, Eldest Son"), is one of the last scions of the once prestigious Suzuki family, who fell to a bitter civil war that claimed the lives of almost every family member but him. Though nothing but a hollow title now, he is the 26th Head of the Suzuki Family. He is a former Captain of the and was a predecessor to, with her as his Lieutenant. At some point of time he was promoted to the, but later helped to form and lead the Shinsengumi. But soon after having done so he took a back seat in the affairs of the new organization, acting instead as a simple liaison between them and the Royal Guard and the Gotei 13.

Appearance
Tarō is a tall, lean and lanky man with crimson colored eyes, fair skin, and medium length black hair. He wears the standard shinigami uniform consisting of a white shitagi, a black kosode, a black hakama, a white hakama-himo, white tabi, and waraji. His two katana are kept tucked into the sash wrapped around his waist. As a captain in the Shinsengumi, he also wears a blue colored haori with triangular patterns in white on the sleeves and edges. He wears a cross-shaped earring on his right ear.

When in the human world he is seen in a formal shirt, trousers and blazer. He also carries a portable gigai with him at all times so as to be able to use it at a moments notice.

Personality
Having already lived a very long life, Tarō's personality has developed over the years, his numerous life experiences shaping him and molding him into what he is right now. As a young shinigami fresh out of the academy, Tarō was very impatient, always looking ahead to restoring his family's name and rushing into things, often blindly and with almost no thought about the safety of his own self or others. He was impulsive, reckless, and such was his eagerness to prove himself that he showed little regard for his own safety. He disliked anyone looking down on him or pitying him, which often lead him into sticky situations when he could not keep this dislike hidden where others could not see it. But from the start he was a man who stuck to his ideals, no matter what the situation he was in his moral compass always pointed in the right direction. But over the years Tarō has became more patient and experienced, and as the years passed he started displaying wisdom that was beyond his years. Though he soon lost the naivety that made him think he could wash away all the shame that smeared his family's name, he did retain most of his idealism. But it was now tinged with a hint of pragmatism, knowing when the right choice meant doing something that he wasn't comfortable with and he began looking at the bigger picture.

With centuries worth of experience to call upon and the maturity that comes with age, Tarō is now a kindhearted, compassionate man and is patient almost to a fault. He is very empathetic towards his friends and will go to great lengths to help them. Despite being a very powerful shinigami and thus capable of great violence, Tarō retains a childlike purity in the face of all his encountered horrors. He has a way to look at things that somehow enables him to see the good in others, no matter who they might be, and up until his betrayal by Haru he did not believe in the existence of a lost cause. He is a man who cares deeply about the people who trust and support him and goes to great lengths to ensure their safety and well-being, even at the risk of his own life. Having being blessed with considerable power, Tarō considers himself a protector to those without the ability to protect themselves and acts accordingly, earning the staunch loyalty of his most trusted companions.

Tarō is known to be something of an altruist, quick to defend anyone he believes in and willing to take action if his friends are harmed in any way. He also believes strongly in giving a person a second chance, and if he believes that person is sincere about make amends for any past misdeeds then that person should be given the opportunity to do so. He is not one to judge a person simply by what they are or where they come from, and is almost completely free of any such prejudice. This often causes him to befriend and defend the wrongfully feared and persecuted. Because of his unbiased and protective attitude, he is quick in making friends and allies with the most unlikely of individuals, such as street thugs and thieves. It was this nature of his that lead him to help an arrancar flee Hueco Mundo and settle down in Karakura Town. But even in this he did not let go of his practical side as knowing well his duty as a Shinigami, he placed a tail on her and gave her a special bracelet that locked away her powers.

Intellectually, Tarō possesses a genius level intellect. He is used to being the smartest guy in the room and takes a degree of pride from this. But despite his intellect, he is not beyond random bursts of naivety and can make some very stupid decisions. But those close to him believe that these are deliberate attempts by him to keep others around him relaxed. He is also very sharp-witted and others have commented that had he not been a shinigami, he could have made a career out of being a jester. But all this is proof of the fact that Tarō is expertly manipulative and prone to think several steps ahead of those around him, giving him a remarkable talent for making his allies act exactly as he wishes despite appearing not to have had a hand in their decisions. He is also a very charismatic and charming person and can be quite eloquent if he feels like it.

Tarō also has the reputation of being an incorrigible womanizer, and he is often cavorting about with various women and wooing several of the female shinigami with his abundant charm, good looks and charisma. This adds another facet to his unpopularity among the male shinigami, many of whom have had their sweethearts and crushes romanced away from them by his hand.

Early years
Taro was born into the Suzuki family shortly before they were brutally wiped out. The once powerful family crumbled leaving Taro to grow up in poverty. But the trials he faced helped to forge his compassionate personality, and demonstrated a tremendous potential as he sought to redeem the name of his family. He entered the Shinō Academy and excelled at all his classes, graduating in a year with top scores. He immediately joined the Gotei 13 where he was appointed to the 12th Division. After that he quickly rose through the ranks and was made a seated officer in a few years time. He was ultimately appointed as the vice-captain through his exceptional and outstanding exploits in leading the units of his division, renown for being sharp witted and a brilliant strategist.

Betrayal
After a few years he became aware of a number of strange incidents taking place within the ranks of the 12th squad including the death of the 6th seat officer. Investigating into the matter he learned that the vice-president of the SRDI, Haru Saito, was carrying out many illegal researches behind the captain's back. Taro took this information to his captain who agreed to arrest the culprit but they were both attacked by the vice-president and a number of other shinigami and in the fight that ensued, his captain was killed. Taro was also about to be killed but the 11th squad captain, Rin Himegami, arrived in the nick of time to save him. But her rescue was short lived as she was also caught along with Taro and knocked out. When they both came to their senses they realized that they were being held captive. Taro was experimented upon and by an unknown method about to be put through a hollowfication process. They were both tortured for months and used as lab rats due to their high spiritual pressure. Finally Rin managed to overcome one of their captors and freeing Taro fled from their prison. Upon reaching Seireitei they learned of the 12th division captain's death and that Haru had fled Soul Society.

In the investigation that followed, crimes that had been committed by Haru came to the light, amongst them orchestrating the exile of Taro's younger brother Shinta. Another consequence of these events was that upon Rin Hinegami's nomination, Taro was promoted to the position of 12th Division Captain to fill the void created by the previous captain's death. Upon appointment as captain he was also made President of the Shinigami Research and Development Institute. He immediately had to restructure both the SRDI and the 12th division due to the vacancies created in the number two positions of both organisations. At this time he also started to get closer to Rin Himegami, the two of them becoming close friends and confidants.

Ascension
At some point he was approached to join the Royal Guard, an offer he was earnestly requested to accept by the surviving elders in his family who saw this as an opportunity to increase the family's prestige. Though he accepted the offer, he was surprised to find himself transferred to a new division almost immediately after he joined the Squad. This new task force, called Shinsengumi, had been the ones to select him and not the Royal Guard. He is currently a captain and a respected member within the organisation.

Synopsis

 * The Swan and the Hunter (Tarō versus Hiroya Ginkarei)

Powers & Abilities
Tarō is capable of constantly giving off reiatsu at the level of a captain, and even when worn-out in battle, his stamina allows him to continue fighting effectively. As his spiritual energy constantly is so high even at its base level, he rarely becomes exhausted in battle, a testament to the unbelievable levels of energy that Tarō possesses. He has learned how to harden his spiritual energy and enhance the strength of his attacks or act as a barrier to reduce the impact of attacks on him, if not negating them completely. His spiritual energy has been shown to be powerful enough to affect weaker being in entire areas and when released completely, can be felt by others at great distances from him.


 * Damage Resistance: He can also use his spiritual pressure as a sort of armor, making it impossible for him to be harmed by nothing less than the most skilled or powerful opponents. This is comparable to an Arrancar's Hierro.


 * Shockwave: He has also demonstrated enough control to focus and unleash his spiritual pressure in the form of a powerful shockwave.

Enhanced Strength: Perhaps due to his high spiritual power and the effect it has on his body, Tarō has a large degree of physical strength, most commonly displayed by his ability to fight back his opponent's attacks with a single arm. Tarō has shown himself to be deceptively strong, his overall abilities being enough to enable him to fend off three lieutenant level fighters with a few kicks and punches each.

Enhanced Durability: His great strength is complemented by his equally great durability. He is capable of ignoring most of the injuries he sustains in battle and is able to take large amounts of punishment.

Genius Intellect: As a child Tarō was hailed as a child genius and he managed to graduate from the Shinigami Academy in one year. Tarō is expertly manipulative and prone to think several steps ahead of those around him, giving him a remarkable talent for making his allies act exactly as he wishes despite appearing not to have had a hand in their decisions. He is a skilled reader of situations and is capable of astute deductions of situations and combative skills and tactics.


 * Master Scientist/Inventor: Tarō has also proven himself to be a talented inventor and scientist, having created a number of devices or techniques to aid him in battle or otherwise. His knowledge has led him to an innate understanding of the abilities of others as well as what happens when independent variables are entered into an equation.


 * Master Strategist & Tactician: On more than a number of occasions Tarō has shown himself to be a very insightful and cunning man. Highly intuitive, he is quick to discern any incoming danger and react to it in time. Always thnking a few steps ahead, he is more than capable of deceiving both allies and enemies alike to reach his objective.

Shunpo Master: A master of the technique, he is considered to be one of the fastest beings within Soul Society with exceptional understanding and skill in the use of Flash Steps. He is capable of maintaining high speed movements for extended periods of time while only using the least amount of steps to achieve those movements. He can easily close tremendous gaps of distance in the blink of an eye while remaining undetected. It is speculated the his skill might be enough to rival that of Byakuya Kuchiki, one of the most skilled masters of the technique.

Master Swordsmanship Specialist: As his Zanpakutō does not have any particularly offensive abilities, Tarō has trained hard to be an expert swordsman. Tarō is a masterful swordsman, capable of flawless precision and lethal attacks who fights with seemingly no effort behind his attacks. In the past he was shown himself to be able to hold his own again multiple vice-captains with their shikai released by using one of his sealed katanas. His usage of two swords have allowed him to become ambidextrous, enabling him to switch hands between the two swords and greatly improving his adaptability in combatant. He is also a master of battōjutsu, the art where drawing of the blade is the same motion used for the attack. When used in tandem with shunpo, his draw speed is so great that he can defeat most adversaries in a single draw of his sword. The combined momentum of his high speed movements along with the slipstreaming effect of his drawing blade are so great that most opponents can get knocked out in one strike.

Hand to Hand Combatant: While preferring to finish his fights quickly with his Zanpakutō, Tarō is also a capable fighter unarmed as well, though nowhere near the level of true masters. While fighting offensively, he shows tremendous agility and dexterity, able to combine both sword and barehanded skills with little effort.

Kidō Master: Tarō possesses advanced knowledge of kidō and the flow of spiritual energy, his previous position as captain of the 12th division and president of SRDI being a testament to that fact. He can use both high and low level spells with devastating effect. He is more than capable of performing high and low level Kidō spells without incantations.


 * Hadō #31. Shakkahō (赤火砲, Shot of Red Fire): This is Tarō's favorite spell and one which he is highly proficient with. Tarō generates an crimson orb of energy in his palm or finger. The orb can be any size from small, medium or large depending on the level of power being used. The destructive power released by the blast can vary between a simple explosion to a pillar of energy. In both instances the spell causes concussive as well as burn damage. Though this is a mid-level spell, such is Tarō's mastery of the spell that he can do devastating amounts of damage using just this spell.


 * Hadō #33. Sōkatsui (蒼火墜, Blue Fire, Crash Down): Another spell that Tarō has completely mastered, it fires a burst of blue spiritual energy at a target in a similar manner to Shakkahō, but over a wider area and with more power. Like Shakkahō, he can use it without its incantation.


 * Hadō #73. Sōren Sōkatsui (双蓮蒼火墜, Twin Lotus Blue Fire, Crash Down): Essentially a doubled version of Sōkatsui, Tarō fires "two" blue bursts of blue spiritual energy with much greater potency than the single shot variety.


 * Hadō #88. Hiryugekizokushintenraiho (飛竜撃賊震天雷砲, Flying Dragon-Striking Heaven-Shaking Thunder Cannon): Tarō fires a gigantic electricity blast of spiritual energy resulting in a truly enormous explosion. He is very proficient with this particular spell though he must use its incantation in order to unleash its full destructive power.


 * Hadō #90. Kurohitsugi (黒棺, Black Coffin): One of the most potent spells in Tarō's arsenal and one that he can use without an incantation. The spell forms a box of black energy around a target, which is then pierced by dozens of energy "spears," lacerating the one inside from head to toe. Tarō has developed a means to use this spell as a means of defense and offense by combining it with the powers of his Zanpakutō. By creating the box around himself he is protected from external attacks by the spell's tremendous strength. Normally the downside of using this spell in such a manner would be that though the caster would be protected from attacks from without, he would get pierced from head to toe by the energy "spears" that attack anyone within the box. Tarō counters this by using Shukuchi's ability to create multiple small portals around him which absorb the incoming spears. Tarō then creates the other end of these portals on the outside of the box, with the spears now striking outwards instead of inwards. This has the added advantage that anyone on the outside of the box and close enough to it during the execution of the spell could get attacked by the spears. Unfortunately Tarō cannot control where he opens the outer portals as controlling the numerous portals is very draining, both mentally and physically. Often he is not able catch all the spears and thus risks getting impaled by at least a few of the spears.
 * Kuzuryū (九頭龍, Nine-headed Dragon): An original spell created by Tarō, it creates nine ethereal dragons which can be used to follow any opponent, absorbing Reishi from the surroundings as they move. Upon contact with a sentient being the dragons will stick to him or her and start draining the target's Reishi as well. When at least three dragons make contact with a sentient being, the next stage of the spell can be triggered, releasing the absorbed Reishi in the form of massive explosions with the contact points with the targets being the epicenters of the explosions. The drawback of this spell is that Tarō cannot control the dragons after they come in contact. So if an ally comes in contact with one of the dragons then he cannot prevent them from being harmed by this spell either.


 * Kuzuryūshin (九頭龍神, Nine-headed Dragon God): An advanced form of Kuzuryū, this spell grants Tarō a much greater level of control over the dragons wherein he can decide which of the dragons in contact with an target should explode as well as how much of the absorbed Reishi is to be used to fuel the explosions. He can also transfer the absorbed Reishi into his own body to replenish his own reiatsu levels. The downside is that this spell takes a long time to prepare and Tarō needs to be standing perfectly still while making the preparations.

Stats

 * Tarō Suzuki is an Aizen-Class Character.

Zanpakutō
Shukuchi (縮地, Reduced Earth) is the name of Taro's Zanpakutō. Shukuchi is an unique Zanpakutō in that it exists as two completely separate swords, existing as a daisho sword pair, consisting of a tachi and a wakizashi. Her spirit manifests herself as a small female child with pale skin, gray eyes and hair similar to Taro's.

Shikai: To release Shukuchi, Taro calls out Open (開く, Hiraku) which activates the shikai form. In its shikai Shukuchi fuses into a single katana.
 * Shikai Special Ability: Shukuchi's special ability is to create portals or doors through anything it touches. The doors remain as passageways anyone can pass through until closed by Tarō. This grants him passage through any object no matter how thick or strong it is. Though this ability is normally used to gain free passage, Taro can also exploit this for other ways, such as trapping an opponent's feet in small portals created beneath their feet. This power can also be used on living persons as well and can thus be used to deter opponents by creating doors on their body in order to immobilize them.


 * One of the greatest strengths of Shukuchi's powers however, is that she can also create portals through the very atmosphere itself. These portals lead into a pocket dimension of sorts that is apparently within the air itself. This dimension not only allows Taro and anyone else to travel across vast distances, but also provides a safe haven for them to stay in from which they can either observe and ambush enemies from, or survive through large scale attacks.


 * The main weakness with these portals is that they actively consume Reiryoku as long as they are active and can thus be used only as long as Taro has sufficient spiritual energy to open and sustain the portals. The longer the time period, or thicker the material through which he tries to open the portals through, the more Reiryoku is consumed. Opening air portals requires much more spiritual pressure and as such much more difficult to sustain. Also a lot of concentration is required to stay in the pocket dimension and if he looses control or somehow passes out, the portal will collapse and Taro will be returned to the location where he opened the portal.


 * Tobira (扉, Door): Shukuchi's most basic ability and also its most useful one, it opens a passageway to a location of Tarō's choice. Usable as a means of quick transport or a quick getaway, it is a highly versatile defensive or neutral power, though if used properly it can result in devastating surprise attacks also.



Bankai Special Ability: Kōtō Shukuchi takes Shukuchi's shikai ability to a whole new level as it now allows Tarō to freely manipulate space around him. He is able to reduce distances, manipulate spatial pressure and even teleport from one location to another. He can warp, stretch, distort and otherwise manipulate all physical aspects of space within a given area. But Kōtō Shukuchi's powers extend to the manipulation of space only, not any other natural laws that might exist in that area. Thus effects such as gravity, friction, and inertia still apply as they normally would. But Tarō has devised means to use this to his advantage as well and he can create effects that make it seem as if he is doing much more, seemingly accomplishing things such as gravity manipulation or even time dilation.


 * Teleportation: Unlike the shikai ability Tobira, where Tarō had to create two linked portals to move from one location to another, he can now teleport from one location to another without having to create portals to link the two locations. He can essentially move from one location to another without physically traveling the distance in between, simply thinking of his destination and appear there at will. He can even take people/objects along with him as long as he is in physical contact with them. Concepts of speed and distances no longer mean anything to him as he can instantaneously move from one location to another, being capable of being everywhere yet nowhere in a battlefield.