Yakiko Shihōin

Yakiko Shihōin (夜気子四楓院, Shihōin Yakiko) is a former head of the and founder of the  as well as a part of the originel generation of the, heading the. Once infamous as the greatest thief had ever seen, this lifestyle came to an end when she was caught by the  trying to steal the Tenshiheisō (天賜兵装, Imperial Soldier Garments). Brought before the, he commended rather than punishing her, gifting her the Tenshiheisō as a responsibility to uphold and instructing her to join in his conception of the Gotei 13.

This event proved a turning point for Yakiko, taking the responsibility very seriously and shaping the foundations for both the and the Onmitsukidō. 400 years after the establishment of the Gotei 13 she disappeared and is assumed to be deceased.

Appearance
Yakiko suffers from a rare spiritual disorder, which disallows her to physically mature beyond childhood. This means that even though she was at least a thousand years old, she would still have the appearance of around 14 years old. This never really troubled her, though, since it allowed her to appear innocent and cause her opponents to underestimate her abilities. She had short, brown hair with bangs until above her eyes, except for a single long strand of hair on the right. Her eyes were golden and resonated exceptionally well with her, often lighting up when she would release it.

Yakiko would often dress quite traditionally, wearing a red kimono adorned with a white flower patterns and a huge red bow on the back, together with yellow garnments underneath. She would also always go around with what appeared like standard rice sandals, but who on closer expection would reveal to be her custom blade-fitted shoewear. In general, Yakiko's outfit and pose would lead her on to be a harmless little girl, even though her personality and gaze would be cold as ice.

Powers & Abilities




Master Assassin:

Enhanced Strength:



Zanpakutō
Hachidori (蜂鳥, Hummingbird) is the name of Yakiko's zanpakutō. It is quite unusually shaped in the sense that when unreleased it takes the form of a light blue ribbon which she keeps tied around her necked in a bow. Hachidori did take a more traditional form a long time ago, but Yakiko transformed it into its current state because it suited her and her lign of work more.
 * : To release Hachidori, Yakiko pulls on the bow of the ribbon and pulls it loose from her neck. The ribbon then disappears into particles. The release command is "Flicker" (閃く, hirameku).
 * Shikai Special Ability: Yakiko's shikai allowed her to instantly appear at any location at will, no matter the distance. When her shikai is actived, Yakiko disappears completely and cannot be detected by any means. It was surmised she resides in a seperate dimension with different rules of space and measure during this time. She can then proceed to re-appear at any given location, even across different dimensions such as the or . Once she has appeared, she can disappear just as instantly without any trouble. There does not seem to have been any kind of limitation to this power. It was this that made Yakiko renown as the most illusive thief in history.


 * : Though unseen, the himself commented on Yakiko's Bankai saying "[it] had the power to alter history, so [she] would have to use it wisely."