Teruo Akui

Teruo Akui (悪意輝男, "Sinister Bright Man") is a male. Formerly a Fourth Seat Officer, he now serves as the Captain of the Third Division.

Appearance
Teruo is a tall, fairly lean-built young man with a toned physique and an oval face. While he has a naturally medium complexion he seems to suffer from, with a number of severely patches on the left side of his face and his left arm. The loss of pigment affects other parts of his body as well. A portion of his relatively short, spiky black hair is grey on the left side. Furthermore, whilst his right eye is hazel, the other one is a peculiar pale blue in colour.

He wears a rather tight-fitting variant of the regular Shihakushō with its left sleeve completely removed. His Captain's haori is modified in the same vein.

Personality
Dutiful and driven, Teruo is a lawful man of nigh unwavering resolve. He treats his obligations as a Shinigami in an extremely serious manner. Furthermore, he idolises the Soul King and views himself as an "instrument of his will". Akui claims he is one of the chosen people who fulfil their duties, no matter how morally ambiguous, on the Soul King's behalf in order to maintain the balance of Souls by any means necessary. As long as he believes that he is serving the greater good, Teruo displays little to no hesitation during his actions.

For all the unchangeable worldview and core tenets of his philosophy, Akui's attitude tends to shift drastically every once in a while. He seems to possess a form of rare personality disorder which manifests in an unstable, ever changing demeanour that swings like a metaphorical pendulum. There are two distinct extremes to his attitude which transition from one another in a swift and unpredictable manner. Even though sometimes it seems those changes are triggered through interaction with others, they might occur without any obvious reason as well.

The arguably default persona is solemn and eloquent. Whilst in this mood Teruo exhibits deceptive composure. He is calm and focussed. Surprisingly, he is also quite amiable. When in this state he is prone to near poetic speeches and lectures about the importance of the Shinigami's duties, albeit in a non-oppressive manner. For all his ostensible doom and gloom and a somewhat strict approach, he is fairly reasonable and understanding.

The other extreme of his demeanour seems to be a polar opposite of the default one. Once the transition is complete Akui becomes significantly more laid-back and informal than normally. The solemnity fades away, only to be replaced with frequent friendly, if somewhat unnerving smiles. However, this pleasant behaviour is dishonest as Teruo makes a number of sardonic and scathing remarks all the while appearing to be kind. Moreover, he tends to rather easily lose his temper whilst in this state.

Those frequent if unexpected changes of mood might easily confuse people who are unfamiliar with Akui. Regardless, whilst there are two main distinct mindsets he displays, there are rare occurences when his attitude shifts in a different direction. Whenever this happens both of the usual types of demeanour seem to become fused in a way, combining certain traits of each one to temporarily create a new, separate one.

History
Teruo Akui was the Fourth Seat Officer of the Third Division at the time of the. He survived the first major incursion relatively unscathed and for a short while remained the highest-ranking officer serving under Captain. He fought during the following battle a couple of days later. Ultimately, he proved unable to protect the estate of his family. Severely wounded by a group of the Soldat, he witnessed the death of his parents at their hands shortly afterward. That event has had a profound impact on his personality and is the main cause of its current unstable state.

Following the Gotei 13's and his recuperation Teruo spent the following years strenuously honing his combat skills. Eventually, he attained Bankai and was subsequently promoted to the rank of Captain. He personally chose his younger brother, Yuji, as his Lieutenant once he deemed his skill sufficient for the position.

Bleach: Extinction

 * Fanon Canon: Phantom Ascent