Ikiryō Kuragari

Ikiryō Kuragari (暗がり生霊, "Gloomy Wraith") is a and the Captain of the Second Division of Gotei 13. His Lieutenant is Motoko Kuragari, his wife.

Appearance
Kuragari is a tall and slender man with a well-toned physique. He has a rather pale skin, relatively short, unkempt black hair and pale blue eyes. The features of his face are somewhat sharp.

There is a prominent, deep scar on the left side of his face. It severs his upper lip, goes upward through the cheek, splits the eyebrow and goes through forehead to end somewhere beyond the hair line.

During the early years of Academy he used to have much longer, braided hair and short eyebrows, which denoted his descent from nobility.

He wears a short-sleeved variant of the standard Shinigami uniform, which is also less spreading than normal. His haori is also modified in the same manner.

Personality
Kuragari is characterised by being level-headed even in particularly dire situations. He also seems to be rarely surprised even at truly unexpected turns of events. Usually rather serious and gentle, there is a more malicious and sardonic side to him as well, particularly during combat.

Whereas initially he often seems to be rather callous, he can be quite friendly at times, but only toward people he knows well and whom he trusts. Haruka Mewokuramasu and Kurokawa Tadayoshi are his best, long-time friends, and during his exile he has also developed friendship with a fellow exiled Captain, Kaoru Shōki.

Furthermore, he used to be in a somewhat strained relationship with his Lieutenant, Motoko Manihōrudo, which eventually resulted in their thankfully happy marriage. It has been also revealed that he was on good terms with his former Captain, Duo Wen Tian, who used to treat him with somewhat excessive affection.

History
Ikiryō hails from a mid-rank noble family. He is a single child, and as such his father had very specific role for him to fulfil. However, Kuragari has decided to enlist to the Shinō Academy against his father's wishes.

His determination and diligence were praised, but his pompous mannerisms used to be mocked by some of his peers. After extensive training and some preliminary missions, Ikiryō matured and changed significantly. Ultimately, he graduated from the Academy after full six-year period as one of the top students of his class.

Subsequently, he was promptly recruited to the Second Division. When he learnt his Shikai, he moved up through the ranks at a rapid pace and became a high-ranking Seated Officer within a relatively short timespan. Eventually, he was promoted to the rank of the Division's Lieutenant. Some decades later, he succeeded his Captain, Duo Wen Tian, after she had been promoted to the Royal Guard.

He had kept that position since about 100 years by the time of the Dark War.

Prelude
Ikiryō attends an emergency meeting along with the other Captains, and is briefed on the systematically aggravating situation pertaining to the repeating attacks on conducted by organised groups of s. He expresses his surprise at the fact, but is assured by  that the assumptions concerning the enemy leadership are well-grounded.

Soon afterward, Captain Haruka Mewokuramasu invites him and Kurokawa Tadayoshi, another childhood friend, to her barracks. The three discuss briefly their relationship and the current situation. Later, Kuragari leaves right after Tadayoshi.

Initiation
The next day, when the elite Shinigami task force enters, Ikiryō immediately senses numerous groups of Menos scattered nearby. As some of the Captains eagerly engage the Hollows in combat he expresses his dissatisfaction, but joins them anyway. When Mewokuramasu prepares to blast the Menos with Hadō #88, he warns the others to fall back. After the scuffle is over, he emphasises the necessity to act fast, and is subsequently forced to quickly follow Kenpachi Kūfuku toward the enemy base.

At the base of the immense white spire, the two encounter one of its guardians, Ira. The two Captains fight him alternately, with Kuragari taking the lead initially to test the opponent.

Escalation
Ira withstands his assault; Ikiryō disengages him, hands over the fight to Kenpachi

Intensification
and proceeds further.

Culmination
Deep inside La Aguja Blanca, he eventually meets another Vasto Lorde, Hibris, on his way to the enemy leader. They exchange introductions and some unfriendly words, and then begin fighting. Kuragari tries to end this with a single strike of his Zanpakutō, but Hibris evades the rapid slash. Seeing this, Ikiryō releases Bankai outright and the duel becomes intense. Despite being dealt some heavy blows, the Vasto Lorde seems to gain the upper hand. However, Kuragari exploits the opponent's excessive arrogance and kills him swiftly with.

Termination
Some time later, Ikiryō appears just in time to protect the temporarily immobilised Captain Tarō Kinzoku from Tinieblas, the Hollow leader. Although, Captain Mewokuramasu takes over the fight with tenacity which noticeably surprises him.

Haruka Mewokuramasu is defeated by Tinieblas's, and Kuragari promptly catches the former when she is launched into the air. Then, after leaving her in the care of the others, he asks Tadayoshi to stall the enemy leader in order to gain some time to regroup. Ikiryō returns to the fight soon afterward, just in time to save his friend from an incoming Cero Maremoto. Subsequently, he expresses his shock with the adversary's persistence and becomes enraged when Captain Sakamoto Risa is quickly defeated by the former.

Still, Captains Kenpachi Kūfuku, Kaoru Shōki, Tarō Kinzoku and Fudo Shōdo provide Kuragari and Tadayoshi with much needed support. Kurokawa binds Tinieblas with a full-power Bakudō #90, and Ikiryō uses the opportunity to destroy her with his Bankai's ultimate technique, greatly exerting himself in the process. Their mission accomplished, he and the rest of the Captains gather and celebrate their victory quitely.

Dawn
Ikiryō is present during the emergency Captain meeting organised after the unexpected arrival of a particularly dangerous. Before it starts officially, he briefly explains Kurokawa Tadayoshi what is the reason it has been called. Anxious ever since the Sōzōshin have been mentioned, he is afraid his distant relation to the intruder may entice hostility from his colleagues. However, together with Haruka Mewokuramasu they are relieved to observe no signs of this after Kaoru Shōki comments upon their ancient heritage.

Despite the emergency situation, the friendly meeting Haruka has planned earlier takes place anyway. When Tadayoshi arrives delayed, Ikiryō pesters him about Captain Shōki. Nonetheless, as the host behaves in an unusually solemn manner, she draws the attention of her guests. Asked about the reason by Sakamoto Risa, Mewokuramasu reveals Hikari Maebure is her great-grandfather. Alerted, Kuragari leaves the room hurriedly after telling her to strengthen the guard.

Trivia

 * His name means roughly "Gloomy Wraith". It sounds similar to Ichigo Kurosaki, but this is a pure coincidence.
 * His Bankai theme is Bleach OST - Enemy Unseen (Violin). When teaming up with his best friend, Kurokawa Tadayoshi, their shared battle theme is HarmoNIZE from Soul Eater OST.
 * Zanpakutō abilities of this incarnation of the character have been altered in order to follow only the theme of "nothingness", without mixing it with "darkness".
 * In Japanese, he would refer to himself with 私 (watashi), a gender-neutral, polite pronoun which is normally used in formal contexts. However, in informal and casual situations it is perceived as being effeminate, one of the in-universe reasons some peers used to mock him back in the Shinō Academy.

The Dark War Arc

 * Dark War: Prelude
 * Dark War: Initiation
 * Dark War: Escalation
 * Dark War: Intensification
 * Dark War: Culmination
 * Dark War: Termination

The Spectre of the Past Arc

 * Spectre of the Past: Dawn
 * Spectre of the Past: Morning
 * Spectre of the Past: Noon
 * Spectre of the Past: Zenith

The Chiaroscuro Arc

 * Chiaroscuro: Premonition
 * Chiaroscuro: Trepidation
 * Chiaroscuro: Complication
 * Chiaroscuro: Aggravation
 * Chiaroscuro: Retribution
 * Chiaroscuro: Conclusion