Higure Yamayaki

Higure Yamayaki (山焼き 日暮れ, Yamayaki Higure) is the former fifth seat of the Eighth Division. After the death of Kujaku Kuchiki, he is promoted to its lieutenant under Raian Getsueikirite.

Appearance
Higure is an average height individual, being the exact same height as his captain, with light azure blue eyes and long silver hair, which he keeps tied back into a small ponytail. He wears a variation of the typical Shinigami gear. While he keeps the standard black shihakushō and hakama, underneath he wears a turtlenecked white shirt, with sleeves that extend shortly past his shihakushō's own sleeves and has a dark navy trim.

Several other members of the division have noted that he bears some resemblance to, the Captain of the Tenth Division, given their similar hair and eye colors, and the fact that both look childlike despite being hundreds of years old. Higure generally has a laid back demeanor, but he can be very serious when the situation calls for it. This is reflected in his facial expressions.

Personality
Unlike his predecessor, Higure can be quite comical and, as such, can add a large degree of relief to an otherwise tense situation. He generally enjoys spending time with the various members of his divisions, viewing them all as his comrades and extensions of his family; a view he shares with his captain, Raian Getsueikirite. Also in stark contrast with Kujaku, Higure seems to be quite the ladies man, as many women from several divisions seem to think of him somewhat as a heart throb, though, as of yet, he has shown no interest in pursuing any of them, though he does use this to tease them, further displaying his comedic nature.

Despite this, Higure has shown himself to be serious when the situation requires it. In fact, he is able to remain surprisingly calm even in the worst situations. Raian has noted that Higure's ability to hide his emotions in battle is one of the reasons that he chose the young Shinigami for the position of lieutenant of the Eighth Division. Higure also seems to be quite perceptive of other people, being able to discern their true nature just by crossing swords with them; a trait which Raian has noted to be similar to that of.

Above all, Higure has also shown himself to be unshakably loyal to his captain and to the Gotei 13. Captain-Commander Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto has noted that, of the current lieutenants, Higure is the most loyal to his captain and has also noted that it is because of this that Raian and Higure are such a good team. Not only this, but the two have shown to comically pick on one another. This comical bickering has shown to be a key component in their strong partnership.

Another aspect of Higure that has only been vaguely noted upon is his sexuality. While Higure has never outright stated it, Raian has noted that Higure is bisexual. This can be seen in the way that Higure regards his captain, and in the way he will sometimes joke with his captain, much to Raian's embarrassment and sometimes, humiliation.

Higure has shown himself to be quite interested in foreign foods. His favorite is, an dish. Often times, he will host "American cookouts" with his division to celebrate an occasion or simply to bring the division together to promote unity.

Background
Higure was born into a family of nobles, the Yamayaki Family, in the Seireitei, contrary to his Captain, who was born to a low level family of former nobles in the Rukongai. At a young age, he was enlisted in the and trained as a Shinigami. By this point, his future captain, Raian Getsueikirite had just become the captain of the as temporary replacement for Tōshirō Hitsugaya. Raian taught Higure's Zanjutsu class for two weeks as a part of an Academy initiative to show students how a Shinigami captain used their Zanpakutō in combat.

Inspired by Raian's command of the Zanpakutō, Higure continued his training and achieved Shikai. Because of this, he graduated early and was placed in the Eighth Division of the Gotei 13 as an unseated officer. However, his Shikai's unique ability made Captain ban him from using it in a fight with Hollows, since it absorbed the Hollow's soul instead of sending it to Soul Society.

By the time Raian became Captain of the Eighth Division, Higure had moved his way up to fifth seat of the division. During this time, he began training to achieve his Bankai, an unheard of trait of seated officers, especially ones as low on the list as himself. Raian caught Higure during one such training session and showed him his own Bankai. Inspired by his captain's display once again, Higure finally managed to convince his Zanpakutō to materialize in the outside world, allowing him access to his Bankai, though it was not yet complete.

Several months later, during the onset of the War of the Worlds, the Eighth Division's lieutenant, Kujaku Kuchiki was killed during Akujin's initial invasion of Seireitei. Raian tested the first five seats of his division for their capabilities and found Higure not only to be compatible with him personality-wise, but also with his acquisition of Bankai, Higure was near the power Kujaku had once possessed and, as such, promoted him to lieutenant.