Katashi

Katashi (堅, firm) is a member of the resurgent Imawashī. He is part of the division responsible for the destruction of the Six Directions, and thus takes orders from Dastan Shiba.

Appearance
Katashi is a dark-skinned man with very short blond hair, a small moustache, and a thinly trimmed goatee. He rarely wears any clothing on his top-half, showing off his physical supremacy. He is covered from head-to-toe in imposing muscles, with Kentaro likening his arms to tree-trunks.

Personality
He is described as a "real tough son of a bitch" by Kentaro, who remarked that he used to be a major drug runner in Kohai Tochi. His glare, perfectly captured by Sanada's Shikai, sent a chill running down Kentaro's spine during playback, as it reminded Kentaro of how close Katashi had come to killing him in the past. In battle he is forceful and direct, disliking of small-talk, and hates people wasting his time.

History
Katashi was a drug runner in Kohai Tochi, using his influence and lackeys to smuggle and distribute Reiyaku illegally. He was active during the original Imawashī's reign, acting as one of their many suppliers, and almost succeeded in catching up-to and killing Kentaro Hiroshi during his successful rescue of Akiye. The meeting had a noticeable impact on Kentaro who'd remember Katashi as a "real tough son of a bitch". Katashi was present when the Shūten, led by Captain-General Fujimoto Nakamura, invaded Kohai Tochi; this event coincided with Kentaro's rescue attempt, with the latter using the Shūten as a diversion to allow him and his friends to escape. It was implied that Katashi joined together with Shinzō and the surviving Imawashī to see off this invasion. Katashi fought against Fujimoto and came to despise the Captain-General for unknown reasons. He would later join Dastan Shiba's resurgent Imawashī at the former's direction, possibly to exact vengeance on Kentaro.

Synopsis

 * Main article -- Bleach (Kenji Hiroshi).

Part III

 * Main article -- Bleach: War of the Worlds.

Final Clash arc

 * Challenging the Vices Saga

Part IV

 * Main article -- Bleach: Cataclysm.

Testing the Waters arc

 * Fleeing the Imawashi
 * Fatherly Intervention
 * Putting Names to the Faces (as a recording)

Braving the Waves arc

 * Cat's Eye
 * Second Battle of Nishiendo

Navigating the Waters arc

 * Return of the Silver Wind

Powers and abilities
His spiritual power is roughly equal with Kensei and Amagai, though he was ultimately no match for Fujimoto Nakamura. When Kentaro faced him during his rescue of Akiye it was all he could do to flee from Katashi; he later admitted however that he could have defeated him, but the action would have blown his cover and made his mission impossible. This suggests that Katashi was superior to the criminal elite of Kohai Tochi.

Kidō: Katashi fired an unknown Hadō spell that was ultimately blocked by Kentaro's usage of Niten. His level of expertise is unknown though he possesses the necessary skill to combine the spell-craft of Kidō with the martial arts of Hakuda.


 * Shunkō (Lightning) (瞬閧, Flash War Cry): Katashi employs a Shunkō aligned with lightning-based spell-craft. When he chased after Kentaro during the latter's mission to rescue Akiye he fought by driving pressurized Kidō into his arms and legs, forcing Kentaro completely onto the defensive. Kentaro only escaped by forcing Katashi to protect his stock of reiyaku rather than give chase.

Hakuda Mastery: Kensei remarked that Katashi was a Hakuda specialist, known specifically for the sheer strength of his attacks. He fights almost exclusively using Shunkō; as such he is an incredibly forceful opponent, described by Kentaro as a "real tough son of a bitch" based on a previous encounter. He was capable of out-manoeuvring Kensei Muguruma whilst the latter used and slammed him into the floor. He was capable of chopping through the myriad spiritual animals conjured by Naoko Izuru's Zanpakutō with only a single hand.

Immense Durability: Katashi was struck head-on by a wave of fire from Shūsuke Amagai's Bankai without suffering more than a few burns. Despite being encased in vast quantities of ice by Fujimoto Nakamura the latter remarked that Katashi would survive albeit he would be considerably weakened, implying the man possesses superhuman durability (even by Shinigami standards).

Enhanced Speed: Katashi was described as a fast man despite his size and physique, with Kentaro claiming that he was almost fast enough to catch up-to him during his time in Kohai Tochi. Following the Collapse he demonstrated the speed to get ahead of Kensei, Shūhei and Sanada alongside his fellow Imawashī, boxing them in. He later demonstrated that his Shunkō-enhanced speed was enough to outpace Kensei in his Bankai form, allowing Katashi to slam him into the floor.

Zanpakutō
Katashi's Zanpakutō has yet to be shown.


 * : Unknown.


 * : Not yet revealed.