Hikaru Kurosaki

"Do you ever wonder why I am so calm? Do you know why I cannot worry? Do you know why I act as if everything will be okay, and that I never stress every matter as if my life depended on it? The answer is simple. I know that in all I do, I won't be tested beyond what I can bear. I am not implying that I am invincible; quite the opposite. Through my own power, I cannot overcome anything that crosses my path. Yet I instinctively know that there is nothing that will cause me to fall without some way of getting back up again. When my end is nigh, I gladly accept the invitation. I will leave behind no regrets."

- Hikaru speaking to Seireitou Kawahiru

Hikaru Kurosaki (黒崎光る, Kurosaki Hikaru), normally addressing himself to strangers as Hikaru "Shadow" Kurosaki, is the former Captain of the in the Gotei 13. During the First Shinigami-Arrancar War, Hikaru earned the moniker, Hitokiri Urufukuro (殺人者黒狼, "Urufukuro the Manslayer"; literally Man-Slayer, Wolf of Darkness) for his legendary feats in battle. It was at some point after the war that Hikaru left, sometime after Seireitou Kawahiru's defection from the Gotei 13, taking up residence in the World of the Living. He is the owner of Kurosaki Winery, and among the two Yonkō also living in the world of the living, makes the most profit. Hikaru still remains in contact with both Seireitou and Raian Getsueikirite.

Appearance
Hikaru is a very tall and highly fit Shinigami. He is often seen with a cheerful demeanor, until he enters battle, in which he puts on a very serious and analytical look. He has mid-back length red hair tied in a thick ponytail and a cross-shaped sword scar on his left cheek. The scar actually consists of two separate scars - a long one running diagonally down his face from just below the outer corner of his left eye to just above his chin and a slightly shorter scar running diagonally across it in the other direction from just to the left of the bridge of his nose to his left jawbone. Hikaru's hair is thick and abundant, with all of the shorter frontal hairs falling across his face as bangs rather than being in the ponytail at the nape of his neck. During the war, Hikaru wore his ponytail higher, tying his hair tighter so that it wouldn't appear as loose as it currently does. Hikaru's eyes are of a blue topaz color. Hikaru wears a very simple wardrobe, unlike any of his fellow Yonkō comrades, consisting of a burgandy-red kimono of worn cloth with a white umanori hakama, zori and white tabi.

As the Captain of the Seventh Division, Hikaru wore a white haori with the ensignia of the division's symbol on his back, over his standard Shinigami attire. He would also wear a lavender scarf over his neck, similar to how Byakuya Kuchiki wears his white scarf, which was a gift to him by his then-girlfriend and now wife, Rukia Kurosaki.

Personality
Hikaru is usually a laid back, flamboyant, and sarcastic, winery owner, sometimes giving off the impression that he is a "crazy old storyteller". However, Hikaru can and will show a deceptively cunning side to him if the situation he is in warrants it. He has the tenancy to drone on in battle to annoy his opponents, as well as stall for time by dragging out the basic parts of a swordfight for pure amusement. Even among other Shinigami, Hikaru doesn't seem to like to portray himself as anything more than a winery owner. In addition to this, Hikaru is always willing to put others before himself, both in terms of well-being and social standing. With respect to this, Hikaru usually refers to others with the noble honorific of "-dono" while nearly always speaking of himself with the particularly humble pronoun "sessha" (translated as "this one") and ending his phrases with the formal verb "de gozaru" (translated as "that it is" or "that I am").

He will often attempt to diffuse tense situations with soft, calming words and a somewhat clownish personality involving feigned clumsiness and his trademark interjection "oro". These traits lead those unfamiliar with Hikaru to view him as ineffectual or easily exploitable, but more perceptive people become aware in short order that his gift for placatory eloquence and veiled redirection of disagreeable situations suggest a deep wisdom belied by his youthful, unassuming visage; despite his actual older age. Having a strong philosophy of living life according to one's choices, Hikaru is reluctant to judge others for their personal actions, beliefs or mistakes and always offers hopeful encouragement so that those who have stumbled onto the wrong path might redeem themselves in the future. However, when forced to draw his sword against those who abuse their power and undervalue the lives of others, Hikaru's calm temperament gives way to a marked intensity capable of intimidating even other skilled Shinigami and can go so far as to become a powerful fury, despite his compulsion toward diplomacy. In either amusement or opposition, Hikaru is willing to point out the errors in judgement, especially in regards to Seireitou Kawahiru. But even so, he respects the latter greatly, although prefering not to show it, as he said in his own regards, will "prevent him [Seireitou] from getting a bigger ego."

In his time off, he can often be seen drinking the sake made at his own winery, as well as napping. At times, Hikaru can appear lecherous, though he is less outward about it compared to his friend, Seireitou. He doesn't like fighting, always attempting to end fights peacefully with dialogue, though, when this fails, he is willing to enter a fight and put his full willpower behind it. He refuses to take the lives of innocent people. When in battle, Hikaru commands a high level of honor and integrity, much like his friend, Raian Getsueikirite. He prefers to fight one-on-one, though on a few occasions, he has been seen to fight with a group.

History
Hikaru is one of the oldest Shinigami alive in the present time. According to him, he was one of the first Shinigami to enter the after  founded the organization. He was also the second captain of the. Sometime after his captaincy, he resigned from the Gotei 13, and began a self-imposed exile to the Human World (specifically Rider City) for unknown reasons.

Powers & Abilities
Mashū Getsueikirite commented that Hikaru's very presence is monstrously overwhelming. A hint to his actual level of spirit power is given when he first demonstrated his Shikai; before activating his zanpakutō, he states that despite its sealed state, it is still a deadly Zanpakutō, as his Zanpakutō spirit demanded that he be someone with twice as much spiritual power as an average captain-level Shinigami before it would work together with him. The force of Hikaru's spiritual power is also great enough to, without any visible effort, bring the Human Yūga to his knees. He has commented that it takes a lot for him to keep his reiatsu hidden. He also claims that he is more powerful than all of the current captains. Getsuga Tenshō (月牙天衝, Moon Fang Heaven-Piercer): One of Hikaru's offensive abilities, it is a powerful wave of spiritual energy. Hikaru's version of the technique tends to follow the arc of his sword swing. This technique is powerful enough to negate the power of an Espada's . It is colored violet, unlike the traditional blue color of most Getsuga blasts in Shikai. He can also fire faster versions of this attack that rely more on their speed and cutting power, rather than their explosive power.
 * Seireijōmae (精神ロック, Spirit Deadlock): This is an ability that allows Hikaru to neutralize anyone's spirit energy, similar to Kisuke Urahara's Tsuppane, Benihime technique. After analyzing a technique's reishi composition as well as the subject's muscle movements when they use the technique, by simply snapping at the moment of the attack, Hikaru can completely cancel out the attack once it makes contact.

He is capable of using his speed for flawless precision and to inflict lethal attacks without much effort. Hikaru prefers to wield his sword with his one hand (he doesn't seem to have a preferred hand), leaving the other hand free, though it usually remains in his pocket. He is quite adept at blocking. He was able to fend off Raian using his Hollow mask-enhanced Bankai long enough to reach the end of Raian's vast energy reserves, though his Zanpakutō was nearly broken. He has also demonstrated the ability to perform tremendously powerful and precise strikes, capable of striking through very sturdy targets, such as Mashū Getsueikirite's Kido barrier and Raian's Bankai-endurance. Hikaru also seems to prefer applying an "on-and-off-the-ground" method of combat, often being seen attacking opponents from aerial standpoints, such as when he attempted to use his Zanpakutō on an offending Shinigami by attacking him from the air above his head, or when he jumped upwards with a Shunpo in an attempt to catch Raian off guard during their most recent training confrontation, before then attack from bellow, using shunpo to virtually teleport below the enemy, then using his blood to trap them.
 * Bōgyohanzai-ryū (防御犯罪体, "Defending-with-Offense Style"): In Progress...

Master Strategist & Tactician: Despite his aloof and unkempt nature, Hikaru has repeatedly shown himself to be a very insightful and cunning man with a talent for thinking things well in advance as well and able to perceive any situation at hand. He generally has shown himself to also be a crafty tactician from how easily he can deceive both allies and enemies. He has also shown to be a very perceptive and analytical man from how quickly he can analyze an opponent's power and attack patterns to ultimately make them useless against him.

In addition, the fact that he was always able to keep up with Kūkai Shihōin's speed during sparring sessions is further proof of his high mastery in this skill.

He has shown himself capable of weaving together very high level Kidō without incantation, and can even use nineties-level Kidō, though he must use their incantations for full effectiveness. Hikaru has shown the unique talent to even modify and create Kidō for his own usage.
 *  (繫界儀, "World-Tying Rite"): The technique connects the space tying the living world and Hueco Mundo to produce a Garganta. The opening is generated between two large wooden posts jutting out from two large rock formations.
 * Nentō Densō (心通信, Mind Communication): This is the name given to Hikaru's ability to speak to a person with his thoughts. He often uses this seeing as it does not use any spiritual energy, so it cannot be located.

Zanpakutō
Tenshitō (天私闘, Heaven's Personal Struggle) is the name of Hikaru's Zanpakutō. In its sealed state, it takes the form of a sakabatō (逆刃刀?, lit. "reverse-blade sword") with a purple hilt, and a full moon-shaped guard. Because it is a reverse-blade katana, it is incapable of cutting an opponent when one is struck by it, but its narrow width and long length, combined with Hikaru's strong attacks, makes it a tool that can crush bones and limbs with little effort, although it cannot draw blood on its own.


 * : Not Yet Revealed


 * : Not Yet Revealed

Quotes

 * (To Seireitou, when they first meet) ''"Huh, even I have my original hair color, and I'm older than you."
 * "The bad times remind us of the joy of the good times. The good times give us a yearning for greater times. There will come an age where such a thing happens, and when it does, I hope we are all ready for what lies ahead."

Behind the Scenes

 * Hikaru has writing on the back of his shihakusho which is seen as "天地晦冥" (translation: The world is covered in darkness, or All is plunged into darkness).
 * Hikaru's theme is Never Surrender by Skillet.