Satō Shingen

Satō Saten Kyūrō Shingen (森厳 九郎 佐天 左龘, Shingen no Kyūrō Saten Satō) is an ancient and member of the, holding the title "Warrior Who Develops the Method" (法開発戦士, Akuwahō Senshi).

Appearance
Satō is a taller than average man with a broad frame and lean physique though it comes across as gangly to a certain degree with the outline of his bones prominently displayed beneath the skin, his skin is also relatively dark in pigmentation. He has long black hair that reaches as far down as his lower back, it is neatly pulled back behind him and tied in up into a ponytail using sky-blue string that hangs down in at two points on either side of his hair. He has a promiment forehead and a strong ever creased brow with strong black eyebrows. His eyes are thin and angular with golden-brown pupils. There are creases in the skin below his eyes and in between them, forming a noticeable curvature around the bridge of his nose, which is small but somewhat crooked. His lips are a darker shade than the rest of his skin and stretch outward enough that it creates a natural look of disapproval on Satō's face. Around his mouth, and covering his chin is a set of well kept black facial hair. He dons the typical Shinigami uniform made up of a black ' with a white ' underneath as well as a black ' and white ' together with a pair of ' and '. On top of this ensemble he wears a white with a high collar, red edges, embosed golden plates on the edges close to the chest and a series of black stripes running across the lower half of the coat. His forearms are also covered by sky blue  arranged into four lamellar plates that are tied by white string.

Personality
As a member of the Royal Guard, and the man responsible for developing the method that all Shinigami use to communicate with their Zanpakutō, Satō is a highly respected figure even by those who don't know him by name. He is casually referred to by students of the through the term "Shingen Grade" (死神尺技量 (シンゲングレード) Shingen Gurēdo) which refers to the system the instructors use to grade the students. He is a man that follows a strict code of conduct that closely resembles  (武士道, Military Scholar Road). Though tense and serious, he treats everyone with the respect deserving of their roles. A Shinigami is no different from a blacksmith, both are equally deserving of being treated properly in recognition of their craft, as such honorifics are a developed practice for Satō, used far more commonly than with others of Japanese origin. He isn't beyond referring to those younger than him as "boy" or "girl" however. He believes that ones name is something of great value which should be preserved, even if that name becomes marred by misdeeds on the part of its bearer. A name should always be remembered, as proof that someone had existed, that their deeds in the world remain weighted. To honour that fact he follows the tradition of introducing himself before a duel, and instructs others to do the same, often foregoing inflicting damage until his opponent relents to that simple matter of curtesy.

He is self conscious of how others view him to a degree, desiring to be seen as a warrior, no matter his age or affiliation. As such he goes to a great deal of effort in order to ensure he always projects an image that one could associate with swordsmen, a profound enough quality that made its way into the traits of his affecting its appearance and how the being chooses to manifest in the process. He is always composed and cool-headed, reacting to any sort of stimuli with with an aloof regard, cold and nonchalant in situations where others would be frantic with distress or shock. His composure is the result of herculean effort, an intense feat of constantly stiffling his own emotions. Whilst impressive, it is also largely negative on him and though his tipping point is hard to reach, it isn't non-existant. Breaking that point is a surefire way of causing an emotional outburst in Satō but as he is unaccustomed to dealing with it, and has largely kept them internalized for thousands of years, his outburts are more akin to the bursting of a dam, an explosion of sheer unbridled chaos.

Satō is a very lawful man, following all of the rules and guidelines present in Soul Society and expecting the same from others, at least when they are in his presence. He brooks no disregard of the law, disciplining those that break them even if the offense is minor. He has a great sense of loyalty towards the, having served him unwaveringly for several thousand years. He has been noted to be entirely willing to sacrifice himself and the lives of others to ensure the survival of Soul Society and its King. In the past he had been known to possess an obsessive mentality, something would preoccupy his attention to the exclusion of all else, causing him to largely be left "out of the loop", while his obssessive qualities have died down as he has matured, his tendency to be left uninformed of various matters remains an unlucky trend in his life.

In battle Satō fights with his all no matter the circumstances. To him, holding back on an opponent is a disservice both to his opponent and the schools that taught him. To forbid himself from using his skills to the utmost is a treacherous notion, for he should be able to slay or disable an opponent without presuming his opponents are lesser than himself, relying on the idea that all schools of swordsmanship value life enough to provide methods for disarmament and death if need be. However, as a result, he is known to be fierce and vicious in combat, taking down most of his challengers in a single blow. He is cited to appear fearless in the eyes of others, though it is better to say that he has attempted to cast off his fears so that they do not hinder him. He has been marginally successful in that endeavour, granting himself some minor form of resistance to terror inducing abilities. His greatest fear is a world of stagnation, where everything is locked in a stasis of equilibrium.

History
Though created the Zanpakutō,  was the one who named them, and Satō Shingen was the one responsible for creating the method to unlock the powers contained within. For his part, the gave him the title of "Warrior Who Develops the Method". He taught this method, known as Jinzen Gutaikatō, to and those he had chosen as the first Captains of the Gotei 13 so that they could better face off against the corrupt Balancers of Souls.

Trivia

 * Satō's full name is Satō Saten Shingen no Kyūrō. Shingen no Kyūrō (森厳九郎) means "Ninth Son of the Shingen Family", Saten (佐天) means "Second Heaven" whilst Satō (左龘) means "Unorthodox Flying Dragon".

Appearances

 * Bleach Crossroads
 * Bleach: Days on End
 * Bleach: Dark & Light
 * Chiaroscuro: Trepidation
 * Chiaroscuro: Complication
 * Chiaroscuro: Aggravation
 * Chiaroscuro: Retribution
 * Chiaroscuro: Conclusion