Kai Yume

Kai Yume (かい夢, Yume Kai, literally meaning Mysterious Dream), often referred to as Fake Kei and/or The One with Kei's Face, better known by his moniker of Weaver of Nightmares was a spiritual being of unknown origin that surprisingly had the same facial and bodily features of Kei Yume, the renowned Captain of the Third Division. During Kei's apparent disappearance into the various dimensions, Kai suddenly appeared, assumed the Captain's identity and took command. Initially meeting Kei's duties with fervor, he played the role of Kei extraordinary well and fully convinced himself and everyone else that he was the real deal. However, this didn't last for long. As time passed and there was no sign of Kei returning, Kai turned and showed his true colors, revealing a malicious and devious personality and a power completely opposite of the former. Kai finally rebelled and attacked Soul Society itself, using his Zanpakuto abilities to force the 3rd Division to serve him. Those who refused were disgustingly tortured to the point that their minds broke, becoming husk of their former selves and thralls easily open to suggestion.

Upon the return of Kei Yume, he immediately challenged him, stating that the winner of the duel was the real Kei and a person who deserved the right to live. After a long and arduous battle with his counterpart, Kai revealed his true affiliation and purpose to everyone. Kai was a creation of Shuten Tamane, made through a mixture of his and Kei's genetic material, a union that technically made him the son of the two, horrifying Kei that a creature like this was made in his likeness. He was made out to be a near perfect clone of Kei who possessed his memories and even an extremely warped yet mirrored version of Kei's abilities. And his real purpose was to instigate the downfall of the Captain through the inside, turning everyone against him. He almost saw it come to fruition, if not for the quick thinking of the Captain-Commander and the untimely arrival of Kei himself.

With a wave of his hand, Kai discarded the image of Kei that was placed onto him, revealing his true features he was born with. And as if in a futile effort in part of his critical condition, he recklessly rushed the Captain but was dispatched accordingly. And with that, it marked the end of Kai, the Deciever, as he ultimately dissolved in spiritual particles. However, whether he met his end or not remained oblivious; at the end of Part III, Shuten was shown talking to a shadowed figure. They stepped forward but before anything could be revealed, the chapter and in turn the arc, ended.

He is the central antagonist of the Part III: Doppelganger Interloper Arc of Bleach: Tribulations. Whether or not he would appear in future installments remains up to debate and reader speculation.

Appearance
In his "Doppelganger Form", Kai bore the same exact appearance of Kei, that of a youthful nobleman in his twenties. His body was artificially modified to conform with the Captain's appearance, gaining a fit and muscular body that was further enhanced by Shuten's machinations. He possessed a lighter set of blue eyes that randomly crackled with blue spurts of energy, similar to that of s but was hardly noticed by anyone as they though Kei had vainly added it as a cosmetic feature. Like before, it was capable of captivating friends and foes alike which also could seemingly gain the trust of anyone who met them and short reddish brown hair that fell to his eyes and was kept at a swept angle. Unlike Kei's normal pale skin, Kai had a tanned skin tone that was clearly noticeable to anyone who had known the Captain long enough.

As opposed to his compatriot's former outfit, Kai decided to forgo his predecessor's age old refusal to conform to Soul Society's policy and opted to wear the more traditional and standard Captain's uniform, the Shihakushō (死覇装; Garment of Dead Souls), which was customized with specialized spiritual threads that had the capability to absorb spiritual energy, enhancing the durability of the clothing for added protection. He wore the article of clothing over a thinner version of the form fitting outfit and it was implied that Kai's entire outfit had the same capabilities as the former's such as the ability to emit two small barriers for moderate protection/defense or fire several blasts of concentrated spiritual energy.

In his "True Form", Kai's features took on a notable sharp turn in appearance, gaining a slimmer and lithe frame while forgoing the muscular tones he previously had. Although Kai was "borne" in recent years, he appeared slightly older than Kei, noted to be around his late twenties to his early thirties

Personality
In his "Doppelganger Form"

In his "True Form"

Equipment
Chaos Jewel: Sometimes referred to as the Jewel of Discord, it took the appearance of a blue jewel that was commonly worn across Kai's neck. During his tenure as the Third Division Captain, the jewel was similar to that of the Serenity Jewel. Upon the revelation of his treachery, it took the form of ruby that constantly glistened where ever he was, even in darkness. It was nigh unbreakable and was believed to have the same operations as the Serenity Jewel.

Nightmare Abilities

 * Kurai-Enjeru (くらいエンジェル, literally meaning Dark Angel): A parallel to Kei Yume's good natured Howaito-Enjeru (ホワイトエンジェル, White Angel), it had a more organic, furried, and streamlined appearance when compared to its more mechanicaly armoured compatriot and was similarly armed with a large long sword.
 * Dark Shower
 * Darkwave Barrier
 * Dark Blast


 * Kurokami (黒神, literally meaning Black God):

Knightmare Forms

 * Golden Knight:
 * Twilight Knight:

Zanpakutō
Naitomea (ナイトメア, literally meaning Nightmare) was the name of Kai Yume's Illusion-type Zanpakutō and was heavily implied to be the very opposite of Kei's own blade. In its sealed state, the Zanpakutō takes the appearance of a standard katana, its handle colored white while the tsuba had a circular design with several intricate runic symbols etched onto the base. The sheath was midnight black with a thin white line running throughout the sheathe. Near the entrance of the sheathe was a circlet that had a cord of yellow wrapped around it and was merely used for appearance. It was stated that it bore the same appearance as Shuten's Zanpakuto, whether that fact was purely intentional or a mere coincidence. His Zanpakutō was typically referred to as Kishi (きし, literally meaning Knight) as opposed to Naitomea; the title did not fit its nature. Naitomea was often described by Kai as a "honorable" and "polite", but could easily become devilish and ruthless in a matter of moments. Unlike Kei, whose preferred method of carrying was materialization, Kai commonly held his zanpakutō for ease and mobility.

Shikai: The release command of Naitomea is "Fear" (きょうふ, Kyoufu). When Kai releases his Zanpakutō, it was noted that the release mirrored a similar process to that of Kei. Holding his sheathe in front of him, Kai then uttered the command while he drew the katana out horizontally, it glowing in an aura composed of a majestic mixture of blue and white as the sentence was completed. The katana will be enveloped by a flash of blue light, where it would ultimately transmute into a long sword of notable length. The weapon was noticeably sleek but gained more of a prominent outcropping near the base, which was probably for cosmetic purposes. The handle had an extended length and was colored crimson with several circlets of gold placed throughout the base. The tsuba had a completely different appearance, transforming into golden guard with four pronounced corners, giving it the likeness of a bird's claw. An aura was constantly emanated from the blade, as if it were an unworldly weapon but it had a far darker and more sinister purpose.

Shikai Special Ability: By raising Naitomea in front of his body and uttering Nayamasu (なやます, literally meaning To Torment), the blue aura will darken and transform into a dark blue mass of coiling demonic energy that will ten be absorbed into Kai's own body. This event will cause Kai's eyes to shimmer in a faint blue outline as it had granted him the ability to delve deep into a person's innermost consciousness and manipulate it anyway he saw fit. This usually manifested itself through the manifestation of the target's fears and nightmares, sometimes exaggerating it for increased emphasis and increase the fear created. Upon entering this stage, Kai was normally granted an exceptional increase in raw strength and mobility, outclassing various Captains and was able to disable an entire squad with relative ease. Kai constantly used this boost to his advantage and with extreme efficiency. This ability was regarded as a foil to his counterpart's own abilities and could easily be mistaken by many of his compatriots, much to Kei's chagrin as he saw it as a mockery to what he stood for.
 * Unasareru (うなされる, literally meaning To Have A Nightmare): The main ability given to Kai, it was artificially given to him by Shuten through a set of extreme modifications to his body and inner spirit. Technically considered one of the same to Kei's, Unasareru was an extremely warped version of Shōjō Dorīmu (症状ドリーム, Dream Manifestation) as he was capable of bringing out the darker intentions of the target, repressed nightmares, and even the distorted yet darker versions of dreams, much like his counterpart.
 * Kiyuu (きゆう, literally meaning Absurd Fear or Needless Anxiety): A strange technique, its true capabilities was not disclosed Kai due to the fact that if anyone managed to discover the true purpose of Kiyuu, the ability would be rendered useless. To say the least, it was rumoured to revolve around on what the target felt and Kai gained an increase in power depending on the amount. As such, it was believed that when more fear was exhibited, the stronger Kai would get.
 * Multiple Swords:
 * Yanagi (やなぎ, literally meaning Weeping Willow):

Bankai: Rakuen no Akumu (楽園の悪夢, literally meaning Nightmare of Paradise): In order to initiate his Bankai, Kai places his Zanpakuto out in front him and says Bankai. He closes his eyes and focus, up until the dark energy he consumed before is violently expelled from his body. That very energy will wrap itself around his body, illuminating him for a brief moment. Afterwards, the wrapped energy will subsequently solidify around Kai, forming into what people may call a suit of armour accented with ornate engravings, sharp edges, and robust shoulder pauldrons. A durable spiritual cape will be formed from his back and a crested helmet will encase his entire head, leaving only two slits for his now glowing blue eyes. The finishing touches of this change was that he wielded an enlarged version of his Shikai, accented with a central white crystal and a rounded shield. Kai's overall appearance looked very similar to that of his Zanpakuto Spirit, as if both of them had combined to form a perfect combination of Shinigami and Spirit. Kai's voice had drastically changed as well, being a fusion of both of Naitomea's and Kai's, creating a distorted voice. During this stage, he was often called the White Knight of Nightmares, which was ironic since White represent Purity and Goodness while a Knight represented Chivalry. However, Kai did not fit into either category, being the exact opposite of those representations.
 * Unnamed Ability: Holding it in an elegant Iaido (居合道, Iaidō) starting position, he will utter the command while drawing the blade with blinding speed.

Bankai Special Ability:
 * Devastating Spiritual Power: Mirroring that of Kei's, his spiritual energy and pressure now exhibited a dense and immense aura that was capable of suffocating and overwhelm any low-mid Shinigami within the vicinity of his release.
 * Strength & Durability Augmentation:After Bankai was initiated, his body had reached the complete apex of attainable strength it could possibly achieve. His already immense strength had reached a fine point where raw power could easily destroy objects with a mere exertion. His suit of armour, combined with the augmented durability, had increased his resilience ten fold, capable of managing to withstand the mightiest of attacks with little to no damage whatsoever all the while being able to absorb and possibly redirect it at the assailant. Kai was able to grapple with the largest and strongest of beings for long periods of time and even contend evenly with Kei's Final Form, albeit for a short period of time before being forced to enter his Form as well. Even though his enhanced strength allowed Kai to fight most opponents bare-handed, he preferred to forgo that for more a more reasonable approach that suited him the best. With a slash of his weapon, he can send exceedingly fast aerial shockwaves at his opponent, using the kinetic force of his blow to enhance its effectiveness. Kai's enhanced strength had also given his Zanpakutō swings a notable edge in combat, as his attacks benefited from a tremendous increase in cutting force, able to cut through even the most strongest of materials and/or send a large vertical slice throughout an entire city, leveling it completely in a matter of milliseconds. From eyewitness accounts, the battle between the Kai and Kei Yume were compared to a climatic duel between the Gods, the very heavens and earth being shaken by their own strength alone.
 * Maioun Akumu Riariti (マイオウン悪夢リアリティ, My Own Nightmarish Reality): Noted to be a similar yet twisted copy of Sereniti No Jibun No Sekai (セレニティの自分の世界, My Own World of Serenity), Kai had the capability to momentarily rip away the very fabric of the physical realm and replace it with his own perception of the world. He can literally rip his creations from existence and recreate another one in a matter of seconds and this could be done constantly. Kai was able to manipulate this artificial landscape whatever way he saw fit, changing the very environment or bringing about monstrosities of the darkness straight into the world. Unlike Kei, Kai's utilization of the ability was notably more cruel and sadistic, taking the time to play with his opponent's minds.
 * Saishuu no Muma (さいしゅうむま, literally meaning Final Demon Appearing in a Dream): The final and greatest ability ever used by Kai, it was noted to be extremely similar to Kei's own Sereniti Sekai No Saishū Abatā (セレニティ世界の最終アバター, literally meaning Final Avatar of the Serenity World), as it primarily allowed him to assume an "Ultimate Form" for an extended period of time. Upon calling the name's technique, a violent expulsion of chaotic energy erupted from his body until it started to revolve around him. Kai revealed that at his command, he was able to initiate a transformation within himself using the surrounding energy to become a Demonic Knight-like Dragon. This subsequently allowed Kai to effectively control the amount of energy he took in, going from a Partial-Release to a Full-Release Form.
 * Semi-Release Form:SemiRelese.jpg
 * Full-Release Form:Capra.jpg

Trivia

 * Although Kai was made to be a near-perfect clone of Kei, his true appearance was more akin to Shuten Tamane, sharing the same hair color while his eyes were a blend of Kei's and Shuten's respectively.
 * Due to the fact that Kai is a combination of Kei's and Shuten's DNA, his creation was considered an accidental yaoi between the various Users of Bleach Fanon.
 * The name of Kai was meant to be a mockery of Kei for Shuten, seeing that the similarities of their naming conventions was a reference to his one time partner.
 * Kai can regarded as a form of Dark/Hollow version of Kei Yume.
 * Kai's abilities was designed to draw parallels with Kei's own abilities, meant to represent the darker aspects of his powers. It was often believed it drew inspiration from Shuten's own spite of his former companion, who believed that it would be strangely ironic if he was defeated by an individual similar to him.

Behind the Scenes

 * Kai is the shortened version of Kaito and is formally derived and inspired from the character Kaito Kirishima (霧島 海人, Kirishima Kaito), the main character from Ano Natsu de Matteru (あの夏で待ってる, literally meaning Waiting in the Summer).
 * The appearance of Kai Yume is based on that of Vergil, the protagonist turned antagonist and sibling of Dante from the Devil May Cry Series.
 * The appearance of Kei's Zanpakuto Spirit is taken from White Knight, one of the Knights from White Knight Chronicles.
 * The writer would like to accredit Illuminate Void with introducing the Weakness concept for abilities.