Tyrone Maeda

"I don't think of this business as truly 'killing' Hollows, but rather redeeming them. They are lost souls aren't they? So how is it evil if we purify them and give them a second chance? We destroy a Hollow's physical form and absolve them - sending their souls to Soul Society. You cannot justify eating humans - no matter how much you may claim otherwise. That is simply murder."

- Tyrone - speaking to a group of Arrancar

Tyrone Maeda, also known as "The White Tiger" is a mysterious Shinigami that recently appeared in Hueco Mundo. Some years ago, he was a Seated Officer in the 1st Division, but was transported to the Hollow World to hunt down and destroy Vasto Lorde class Menos.

Appearance
Tyrone is a very tall man with broad shoulders, long black hair and brown eyes. His muscles are compact yet muscular and well developed, and his facial features are often described as sharp and angular. Despite his advanced age, he is still at his prime physical peak, and is noted not to have aged a day in the past thousand years. In other matters, he has declined the usual Shinigami attire in favor of a suit of lamellar plate armor consisting of pauldrons, breastplate, gauntlets and wristbands. His armor is a shade of violet and light grey, and he often wears matching hakama and shirt underneath. He also likes to wear a long purple scabbard with an interlaced belt loop around his waist - as opposed to the usual obi.

Personality
Tyrone embodies the strong, silent type. He only speaks when he has something very important to say - and even then he keeps it brief. If one earns his respect - he becomes much more open and less austere.

Tyrone has considerable pride in his reputation as "The White Tiger" - believing it a fitting title.

A born martial artist, he is honorable and given to moods of philosophical pensiveness. He is often described as a gentle soul - being willing to stretch his hand out to anyone in need, regardless of their race or social standing. He stated at one point that he does not follow the usual laws and regulations of Soul Society, instead maintaining a degree of the Samurai Code of Bushido - and refuses to attack an unready opponent, and considers any injuries to the back to be a great shame. He is honest and open, willing to give advice readily. When addressing someone higher in rank, he will use honorofics, especially when speaking of the Captain-Commander, whom he refers to as "Genryu-Sama". It is evident he has great respect for Yamamoto - as seen as how he loyally served under him during many battles. Even when speaking about him today, he does not tolerate insults or detractions against him - often responding to such with a cold glare that others often say is terrifying.

Back when he was a Seated Officer, he gained a reputation as a fair, open-minded and reasonable figure, and he was looked up to by many. During this time he liked noodles and enjoyed tea ceremony and haiku - though he disliked tofu.

Tyrone enjoys the rush of battle and revels in the prospect of a challenge. In individual duels, he will bow and politely state his name to his opponent as a final courtesy, and likewise, that he might know the name of the one that sent him into the afterlife if he is defeated. Unafraid of death - Tyrone is quick to point out how transient life is, and often cites how powerful the will to live can be. Oftentimes, if he is seriously injured, he will power on through with simple-minded determination.

On occasion, he will visit Soul Society and provide intelligence regarding the movement of Hollows - and during these times, he will also visit the 11th Division headquarters where he regularly spars with Kenpachi Zaraki. Tyrone likewise has great respect for the powerful Captain, once referring to him as "The Gotei 13's own Berserker" with a smile.

Slow to anger and not one to hold a grudge, he is easygoing, even to former enemies - often remarking how rare a worthy opponent is in the world. Though the actions of the Vandenreich have caused him to rethink this view - he admits he quietly respects the Quincy for their battle prowess.

In addition, Tyrone is a skilled orator - able to come up with passionate speeches right from the top of his head without missing a beat, or flinch or tear when standing in front of crowds. Though normally soft spoken and generally somewhat taciturn, he is a capable and inspiring leader - and he skillfully led troops into battle many times in the past.

History
Around 1,000 years ago, Tyrone was a Seated Officer in the Gotei 13. Records of his exploits during this time have been expunged from the Archives as per the Captain-Commander's orders. What is known is that his assignments were often considered high risk level missions - and he had a high success rate. He fought during the Shinigami-Quincy War of long ago, and it is thought that for his actions, he was recommended for a promotion.

Captain-Commander Yamamoto later assigned him to become a special agent for the Gotei 13, and he was to be transferred to the World of the Living for reassignment, but after a major incursion by the Menos - Tyrone went missing. It was speculated that he had been killed in the attack - though it was later revealed that he had survived, and somehow found himself in the World of the Hollows.

Since that time he has declined returning to Soul Society, instead taking up his sword to hunt the local Hollows and Arrancar - especially in light of Aizen's rise to power and subsequent declaration of war during the winter.

He also acheived Bankai during this period, and with it, defeated many more Hollows. Shortly after slaying a powerful Arrancar and seeing the might of their hierro, he realized that he required to improve his own defense as well if he were to stand a chance. And so, briefly he returned to the Soul Society and requested a special set of armor be crafted specifically for him.

The Beaurau for Research and Development agreed, and Tyrone's own spiritual pressure was used to create a unique set of gear that would be incredibly strong - but also would be so light as to feel part of the user's own body.

With that, Tyrone returned to Hueco Mundo, and with naught but his sword and armor, he would walk into entire colonies of Hollows and emerge unscathed.

Entire regiments worth of them were destroyed - until at last he had broken the back of Aizen's army. During this time, Aizen brought the majority of the Espada to attempt to destroy Karakura Town - and subsequently, after his defeat at the hands of Ichigo Kurosaki, the remaining creatures in Hueco Mundo were enslaved by a new enemy: The Vandenreich.

War with the Vandenreich
Sometime after Aizen's defeat, Tyrone largely disappeared - though recently he resurfaced and is thought to be leading resistance forces against the Vandenreich. According to the rumors, he fought for a brief period at Hueco Mundo where he personally destroyed numerous Hollows and Arrancar to prevent their falling into the enemy's hands.

With the subsequent invasion of Soul Society, he participated in the evacuation of the citizens of the Seireitei, fought against the Stern Ritter at the 1st Division's Headquarters, and led five separate counterattacks to slow the invader's progress throughout the districts of the Rukongai.

Powers & Abilities
Master Swordsmanship Specialist: Tyrone is a master swordsman of exceptional skill. Though he attended the Academy and was trained in Kendo, traditional Kenjutsu and several other forms of Martial Arts - he has long adapted his fighting style to suit his new role as a Hollow Slayer. He has fought many battles in Hueco Mundo and has developed several anti-Hollow techniques designed to specifically target weaknesses in their anatomy.

Tyrone also has particular mastery of iaido techniques, with a specialty for extremely quick, powerful strikes that are so fast the opponent does not know they have taken place - until they fall in defeat.

During the Shinigami-Quincy War, he was registered as a key figure in Soul Society's eventual victory - and he was noted as being the equal of in skill - though he also is comparable to the likes of  in raw power.

Hakuda Master: In addition to swordsmanship, Tyrone is a masterful practitioner of several styles of barehanded martial arts - including but not limited to Kenpo, Jujutsu, Taijutsu, Aikido, Kyushin Ryu and Kung Fu. He once displayed considerable talent in traditional boxing as well - and he was able to destroy a Adjuchas class Arrancar with a single punch to the head, despite the creature's hierro.

Shunpo Expert: Tyrone is extremely quick and light on his feet. He is noted as being just shy of the level of Captain - though he disdains high speed combat, stating that his style is more based on power and physical might rather than deception. Nevertheless, he is quick enough to keep up with the likes of Lieutenants and some Captains.

Immense Spiritual Power: Although he once held the rank of Seated Officer, Tyrone's actual level of Reiatsu is around the level of the average Captain. He is noted as having great control over his spiritual pressure, being able to mask it and hide his presence, or having the unique ability to use it to augment his fighting prowess. His reiatsu is described as heavy and coming in "ripples" and "waves" - and when focused, harnessed and released, it can have a destructive effect on the ground and environment around him. In addition, he once displayed the ability to use his spiritual pressure to negate energy based attacks like Kido and Cero. His reiatsu is bright blue in color.

Highly Perceptive Combatant: Tyrone is not lacking in the mind either. He is described as an intellectual - able to analyze his opponent's fighting styles with uncanny accuracy. He is also perceptive when it comes to gauging their powers and reiatsu; once being able to identify four Arrancar as being evolved from Gillians with a single passing glance. Despite the fact that he has no skill in Kido, he is able to tell just how many spells one is preparing simply by analyzing their muscle movement and their reiatsu structure. He once claimed as well that if he has seen a particular move being performed from start to finish, he would be able to instantly identify its weakness.

Spirit Enhanced Armor: Tyrone's armor is infused with reishi and has been attuned to withstand extreme damage without breaking. Regardless of whatever punishment it takes, the armor is specially designed to regenerate after each battle, though the amount of time that it requires to become fully repaired varies on the level of the attack. If it were to lose a limb for example, the time allotted for it to regenerate would take a few hours. If it were completely smashed, then it would take some days. However, Tyrone becomes vulnerable after each time it is damaged, and he himself can be injured by areas that are not protected by it; such as his head, just beneath the neck, below his arms, and the weakpoints in the joints.

Enhanced Durability: While his armor is capable of absorbing huge amounts of damage, Tyrone is notably resilient himself. During a training session, he took four Byakurai Hado blasts to the chest - and still was able to fight on without any outward signs of damage.

Immense Strength: He has displayed considerable strength in addition - which probably augments his ability take and endure punishment. He once displayed himself capable of crushing an Adjuchas level Arrancar's skull with a single punch - breaking not only the bone, but also completely destroying its hierro as well.

Zanpakutō
Kaitei - (Ocean Floor in Japanese) is his Zanpakuto. In its sealed form, it is a double-edged tsurugi with a long blade that resembles a nodachi with a violet handle and tsuba that is shaped as a rough square.


 * Shikai: Kaitei's release command is "Raging Storm".

Shikai Special Ability: Kaitei's special ability is the projection and control of water. The density, temperature and amount of water are all controlled by Tyrone - through gesturing with the blade. He can also use this to form enormous waves that can strike down opponents with the force of tsunami's. By freezing his water source - he can also launch ice projectiles like spikes and create hailstorms. Another ability he once exhibited was the power to create whirlpools directly from the blade - or alternately he can gather all water nearby around his sword and leave the area completely dry.

In addition, Kaitei can part large bodies of water - allowing passage, or he can compress it - forming an air bubble and allow for underwater travel.

Bankai Special Ability: Kaitei's Bankai allows for drastic increase in its cutting ability due to the focusing of the water pressure surrounding the blade. In this form, anything that Tyrone cuts will instantly feel a tremendous increase in force around them, as though the ocean floor itself is surrounding them on all sides. If used repeatedly, the effect only increases, and it remains so long as Tyrone wills it. Unlike other blades, Tyrone's Zanpakuto does not need external water to activate its Shikai or Bankai forms.
 * Bankai: Kaitei - Suisatsu. (Ocean Floor, Water Pressure) When activated by speaking this phrase - followed by the sword's name, Kaitei's blade takes on a different form. It begins to ripple and change into pure watery form, composed entirely of Tyrone's own reiatsu.

However, there are two weaknesses in this state. The first being that Tyrone must make physical contact with the opponent to activate his Bankai's ability. Attacking him at range is especially effective. Second is that in both forms, water is crucial to his sword's powers. If an opponent were to attack him with a greater force, such as fire, ice or electricity - the effect would be cancelled and Tyrone left almost defenseless. (Fire would evaporate it, for example. Ice freezes it and the blade, and electrical force would be conducted throughout his blade and into his body).

Behind the Scenes
 * Tyrone's picture is based off Mitsuhide Akechi from Samurai Warriors. Copyright has been granted for its use.
 * Kaitei's powers are a fusion of Halibel and Hitsugaya's Zanpakuto's abilities.
 * This is my first character, please do not edit it without my permission.