Suzaku Kawahiru

"No matter how strong, the power of a single person does not amount to much. Even so... I will do what I can and reach the top. I'm going to become the Captain-Commander... and do all that I can, no matter how little it may be, to protect those who are under to me. The people below me, in turn, will protect those that are dear to them. And so on. We insignificant beings... should be able to do that much, at the very least."

- Suzaku's aspirations of becoming the Captain-Commander of the Gotei 13.


 * "A heart that believes can pierce through the darkness searching for the place where it's soul slumbers with a sharp gleam burning in it's unblinking eyes." - Seireitou-shishō

Suzaku Kawahiru (朱雀川昼, Kawahiru Sūzakū) is the son of Seireitou Kawahiru and Shiori Miyamoto. He was first introduced as a student at Shinō Academy, and as a student, fought during the Summer War. In it's aftermath, Suzaku was appointed to be Lieutenant of the First Division, several months following the death of Chōjirō Tadaoki Sasakibe. In respect to his father and mother, he appointed himself the self-proclaimed moniker Purple-Haired Suzaku (紫色の髪朱, Shigami no Suzaku). The death of his mother took its toll on Suzaku, influencing his antagonistic actions for a majority of the Hell Tournament and the final battles against Datara Kawahiru. Hearing the final wishes Shiori had for her son, Suzaku realized how misplaced his hatred toward his father was, turning sides once again; becoming an ally to his father's friend, Raian Getsueikirite.

Following the two year timeskip, Suzaku was welcomed back into the Gotei 13. He is the current Captain of the Ninth Division, as well as the current Director of the Abakushin'ō. His two co-lieutenants are Shirosame Asakura and Shūhei Hisagi, the former of which serves as the aforementioned organization's Deputy Director. Suzaku's primary goal is to reach the top as the next Captain-Commander of the Soul Society.

Appearance
Suzaku has shoulder-length purple hair with a silver tint (a combination of both Seireitou and Shiori's hair colors), which grows longer as the story progresses, and a mixture of pink and purple eyes. Raian always told Suzaku that he has his mother's beautiful hair but his father's fierce eyes. He has lighter skin than his uncle, Kamui, has. Like many other members of his family, his hair hangs over both sides of his face to roughly frame his cheeks, but is sometimes let loose to come down as bangs. A recurring theme in Suzaku's appearance is that he is considered quite handsome by almost all girls near his age. As a student of Shinnō Academy, Suzaku wore the traditional garb of Shihakushō. In the last stage of his studies, he wore a black, one-pieced version of this outfit with many small arm-belts adorning his right arm and left leg. It's known that Suzaku normally wore his Zanpakutō on his back.

Upon his defection, and his resurfacing in the Hell Tournament, his appearance and attire had changed drastically. Suzaku has grown noticeably taller over the years of defection. He was first shown wearing a black long-sleeved shirt which was open at the torso, ending in red cuff-links. The edges of the uniform was shown to be of a light purple material, which ended near the bottom in a unique design. Black lines ran down the sides of the uniform, curving down to fit his body shape. Suzaku seems to also wear a strange golden object around his left wrist, its purpose currently unknown. To keep his uniform together, he wears an obi that is decorated in golden lines. Similar to that of Ulquiorra Schiffer, his robe ends in long coattails, resembling the attire once worn by the Arrancar. Another noticeable trait is that, along with this new outfit, Suzaku began letting his hair hang over his eyes. After seemingly "killing" his father, and left with nothing but guilt for his error, Suzaku changed sides once more. He reappears during Raian's battle with Sao Feng, sporting a new appearance. He had now worn a white kimono with red-laced armor around the sleeves. The edges are lavender, going around his collar. Underneath, Suzaku wears a loose dark-blue shirt which matches his more modern-looking hakama, with a light purple edge. His robe is kept together by a long red rope-belt, which keeps his Zanpakutō on his person.

As a Captain of the Gotei 13, Suzaku wears a standard black Shihakushō with a white scarf, with the white haori that bears the symbol of the Ninth Division. As the Director of the Abakushin'ō, he is shown to wear a western-like black attire, with his Zanpakutō fastened at the hip.

Personality
"Suzaku is still a blank canvas... he can be easily dyed any color."

- Seireitou Kawahiru

Suzaku, being born of the Kawahiru, is unusual in his values and personality. These unique values and personality separate him from past generations of Kawahiru; as powerful as he is, he does not like fighting much. However, when he is forced to fight, he shows special interest in protecting his family and friends. Like his father, Suzaku has a pure and gentle heart. Besides concerning himself with his family (and his shinigami studies), Suzaku has a strong attachment with his mentor; his father's rival named Ryan Getsueikirite. Because he comes from the Kawahiru, Suzaku is usually shown thinking that only some things will matter and others probably won't (although he's usually right in the long term). This is shown in, at first, his resistance to do anything unless his father is present. As such, he is usually surprised at events he didn't expect. He is even (though very rarely) shown to be cocky, such as when he learns to use Shikai - but when he loses his seeming "advantage", this cockiness dissolves instantly. Molded from his dark lineage, he is very serious and is a determined fighter like his father. He is also the only Kawahiru that doesn't display a great craving for battle. In some cases, Suzaku displays a ferocious perverted attitude just like Seireitou, a trait he presumably inherited from his father.

After affirming his Rakkasen position, Suzaku's personality changed completely. He was now a rattled man, shaken by the death of his mother and consumed by the hatred of his father. He gained the power of darkness in the hopes of find a way to revive his mother, but as the series progressed, he soon strayed from this goal as he became obsessed with power and control. He became cold and unforgiving, unable to accept others as friends. Even his own teammates, by his own claim, are "mere pawns which will hopefully bring personal results." He shows a lack of emotion, save for anger when things don't go according to plan. Besides this occasional anger, he is normally very apathetic and callous. Suzaku seems to be demanding as well, such as when Koga refused to join his cause, the former resorted to cruel threats to get his way.

Due to the sudden change in views, Suzaku is shown being very serious and more aggressive than his former self, but does retain his calm and joking nature, much like his father. Suzaku is shown to be in quite a bit of pain and stress after all the years of regret, and has a sort of "do or die" attitude. However, numerous times he appears to hide it, let go, and just enjoy life for what it is worth. It is noted that Suzaku retains many of his former personality traits, including his cockiness and craving for battle. Possibly carrying over from his father's traits, Suzaku will always assist someone in need, and subsequently, is extremely protective of his friends and family. This latter trait is the driving force behind most of his actions and almost all of the story arcs will have him rushing off to save someone close to him. However, and even his father has called him out on this, but Suzaku seems to not be aware that the reason he truly wishes to save others is that he cannot refuse a challenge, or even a chance to prove his strength over another.

As a newly-promoted Captain, Suzaku appears to value his position as Director of the Investigation Task Force. Fitting of a Captain, Suzaku is very prideful of the status he holds, and as a result of his position, seeks to maintain law and order within Soul Society. Although, as a direct contrast of his pride, Suzaku comes off to most as a sort of cocky layabout, shirking most of his duties and delegating his paperwork to subordinates while sitting idly at his desk with an amused smile on his face as he procrastinates. However, he is quick to take action when it appears that there is glory and military notoriety to be gained. Despite his desire to defend the law and order of Soul Society, his goals go much further than that. Suzaku seeks to reach the top, and become the Captain-Commander himself one day, so that he'd be in a position where he wouldn't have to take orders from anyone. He justifies this as wishing to be at the top and protect as many people as he can, and they, in turn, will protect the people that they can protect, thus forming a chain that will lead to peace. Unfortunately, his self-imposed position as a protector has caused him develop some degree of stubbornness in regards to his pride on the battlefield and a fiery temper, both of which have been shown to cloud his judgment in certain situations.

Powers & Abilities
Suzaku is stated by Seireitou to be on the verge of becoming master-class, but still remains at expert-class due to his lack of Kidō skill. Suzaku is easily one of the strongest Captains in the Gotei 13, despite his young age. Because of his accomplishments, Suzaku has been named a child genius by many of his peers and even those among the previous generation of Captains.

Devastating Spiritual Power: From as young as his birth, Suzaku was acknowledged to have within him a seemingly limitless dormant power, which at first only revealed itself when he experienced fierce rage. It was initially displayed in his childhood, involuntarily summoning forth a mere fragment of that force when he became afraid, destroying most of the area in the process in Northern Rukongai. As he got older and underwent his education as a Shinigami, he trained hard and gained access to a significant portion of his power, although a tremendous level of his power was left solely to his dormant potential; inaccessible, save only for those aforementioned fits of anger. Upon becoming an important officer in the Gotei 13, he was shown to be powerful enough to fight off and defeat several Adjuchas-class Menos as well as fight on par with, and ultimately kill, a Vasto Lorde; using nothing but sheer reiatsu to hold them off. Immersing himself into the Rakkasen, his spiritual power vastness and control had increased to devastating ends. The spiritual pressure became so heavy and thick that Captain-level Shinigami would shiver in fear by his mere presence. Despite being young, many Seijin Masters had shown hesitation in facing Suzaku one-on-one, based solely on his level of spiritual power. Suzaku, without putting out any effort, easily incapacitated Koga Tensei and Tenyō Ishida with his reiatsu just by facing the direction they were coming from. Koga has noted that Suzaku's reiatsu has gotten darker and colder than ever. When he would access this power, Suzaku's very presence became even more foul than ever, attaining the shape of an unusual being when manifesting. It was following his realignment that he abandoned the way of the Rakkasen. As his own will and personality returned to its original state, his spiritual energy also took a significant change in accordance with this. Although it no longer possessed a corrupting presence, the intensity behind its reiatsu still remained. However, despite how fierce his energy had seemingly become after all these experiences, Hannuliū had claimed that his true strength has always remained dormant. Subsequently, the Zanpakutō explained that the power he attained as a Rakkasen is nothing but a "rain drop in the presence of a tsunami" if it were to be compared to the dormant power that still lays deep within Suzaku's soul. Kamui had theorized that if he were to ever attain that inner strength in its entirety, he would become the strongest Sōzōshin to ever exist, subsequently surpassing even his own father. However, he is still unable to tap into those reserves, despite his many attempts to do so.

Despite his Zanpakutō not being characterized as an elemental-type, Suzaku's spiritual energy has always been personified by the element of lightning, having been naturally born with a spiritual power that is aligned with lightning and thunder. By releasing his spiritual energy in every direction, an electrical discharge flows from Suzaku's entire body, allowing him to affect multiple enemies. When using this manifestation of his reiatsu on a great number of enemies at once, it can effectively double as an instant defense. The body of the person touched by the reiatsu will misinterpret the lightning nature as "electrical signals from the nerves," making its muscles contract. This causes the body to involuntarily go stiff, while at the same time receives damage. This can also be channeled through the ground to increase the range of the attack or even through Suzaku's Zanpakutō. When using Hadō, the Kidō is often enveloped in electric discharge.

Child Genius: Perhaps the most astonishing trait of Suzaku is his brains and natural talent. Suzaku is established as a genius, even by the battle-excelling Kawahiru clan's standards, excelling at all that he does and finding little difficulty in more challenging tasks. During fights, he easily observes his opponent and accurately sees through their abilities without losing his calm state, then he correctly chooses the most effective means and techniques to counter them. Also, his resolution enables him to pick strategies in which he requires getting hurt in order to defeat the enemy, thereby showing tremendous endurance and willpower. Suzaku has also demonstrated tremendous knowledge in regards to human physiology, as displayed by his ability to affect a person's organ system. Suzaku is expertly manipulative and prone to think several steps ahead of those around him, giving him a remarkable talent for making subordinates act exactly as he wishes despite appearing not to have had a hand in their decisions - all traits which make the fact that he has managed to attain the highly-revered rank of Captain at such a young age a matter of public gossip.

Shunpō Master: Raian says that Suzaku is also helpful and effective because of his high speed. During his battle against the Adjuchas of the Menos Forest, he skillfully dodged multiple attacks from several enemies. Suzaku's already impressive speed saw a huge leap as he trained as a Rakkasen, allowing him to move huge distances in the blink of an eye as if using teleportation. He also greatly increased his speed at bladed combat, being able to do pull off many strikes in a blur. Assimilating Datara's powers within his body had also immensely increased his speed, being able to effortlessly contend with a Bankai-released Raian in terms of movement.

Enhanced Strength: During a fight against a massive Adjuchas, Suzaku had halted its punch with a single open hand, and throw the Hollow aside effortlessly. Later, by slashing downwards, Suzaku is able to cause enough force to generate a burst of wind, blowing all of the surrounding Menos several yards despite their massive size. Raian commented that he was using "brute force."

Standard Kidō Practitioner: He can also use kidō like most Shinigami. During his studies, his skill for it is rather poor, as he stated they constantly blow up in his face. Nonetheless, he has shown in times of peril, he is proficient enough to perform a Level 31 Kidō without incantation, not to mention with explosive power and rapid fire capabilities.

Zanjutsu Master
Master Swordsmanship Specialist: Suzaku is highly skilled in swordsmanship techniques, having briefly trained under Raian Getsueikirite. He has increased his strength and skill to allow him to become a seated Shinigami-level fighter. He fights with seemingly no effort behind his attacks. His ability to wield his combat skills was evident as an academy student. He easily defeated and killed one of the Seijin Masters, who by rank and age should have been more powerful and skilled than him. Suzaku was able to fight his father on-on-one, while still pushing the latter on his toes. He has shown the ability to use extreme speed mixed with a calm composure and precise attacks. He is prone to using same-slash attacks when provoked or enraged, which many times can cause the opponent to be effortlessly overwhelmed.

Hakuda Master
Master Hand-to-Hand Combatant: Given his father's mastery of taekkyeon, Suzaku has shown to have a natural talent for martial arts. He reveals that his father has trained him somewhat in taekwondo; according to Seireitou, Suzaku has the fighting skill of a black belt. He can move swiftly, due to his medium height; he also seems to have a knack for striking pressure points to bring down an opponent. Suzaku was at least strong enough to incapacitate two third-seat Shinigami of the Gotei 13. As his personality darkened, his method of combat followed suit. He would deal more destructive strikes to the opponent, to ensure the maximum input of pain. Suzaku's increase in this skill has allowed him to easily defeat, without killing, hundreds of lower-ranked Seijin in a single battle without sustaining so much as a scratch to himself.

Zanpakutō
For the manifested spirit of Hannuliū that lives within Suzaku Kawahiru's soul, see Hannuliū (spirit). Hannuliū (하늘인 (空童), Hanuerrū; Korean and Japanese for "Child of the Skies"): Its sealed state appears as a regular katana, with an incantation written on the top-most edge, not unlike that of Seireitou's Hanullim. Its hilt is black with a silver cloth surrounding it, which Suzaku can utilize in the efforts of using Hannuliū like a flail. Suzaku, like his father, wears it on his left hip.

When sheathed, Hannuliū can form a powerful spirit shield on a key part of Suzaku's body. When the attack hits the barrier, a pinkish hexagonal shape appears. Suzaku cast it on the back of his neck to protect his blind spot from attacks and it is powerful enough to withstand a point-blank black Zaiten Tenshō. It can form several shields at once, but can only withstand the force of one technique. If an attack hits consecutively toward the same shield, it will shatter. Should an attack make contact and inflict an injury upon Suzaku, Hannuliū's defensive influence carries over to high-speed regeneration. He can come out unfazed after being hurled into several buildings.

It is released by the command, "Strike down to Earth" (地球に打ち倒す, Chikyū ni uchitaosu). The cloth at the end of the hilt extends out and covers the entire blade of Hannuliū. Once it is fully covered, it crystallizes the entire blade, eventually cracking into pieces to reveal the new appearance of his Zanpakutō. It is seemingly wider, more so than a standard katana, and is now dark lavender in coloration, mimicking that of a amethyst crystal with a brilliant silver tint. Unlike that of his father's Zanpakutō, it does not end in a razor edge, but rather comes to a point like that of a regular sword. If anything, his Lieutenant noted that the blade itself appears like that of "a kitsune's fang". The hilt itself does not seem to have undergone any changes, still retaining its ragged appearance. The crossguard is no longer part of the Zanpakutō, and in its place, there is a large patch of white fur.

Hannuliū's power is the manipulation of the forces that govern the quantum world, including but not limited to the electromagnetic force. Unlike his father's sword, Hanullim, which manifests large-scale forces that directly deal with the interactions between reishi and their resulting effects, Hannuliū deals with the forces that operate on the most minuscule level; that which rule the world within reishi themselves. Instead of forces that have to do with the interaction between particles, Hannuliū manipulates reishi themselves from deep within and grants them individual orientation. By doing so, it possible to grant reishi certain traits that make them operate differently than normal.

The most basic expression, and arguably its most powerful combat ability, is the ability to generate and manipulate electricity in every sense of the term, which causes many to refer to Hannuliū as a "lightning-type" Zanpakutō. Suzaku wills the reishi to become charged at the quantum level and generates his own electricity in various forms. In doing so, it is quite plausible to consider Hannuliū the strongest of all lightning-types, as it commands electricity at its fundamental level.

Jeojang Hannuliū (구속하늘인 (償還空童), Jōjangu Hanuerrū; Korean and Japanese for "Redeeming Child of the Skies"): The activation of Suzaku's Bankai is accompanied by a massive release of spiritual energy, easily dwarfing a structure as large as Las Noches in size.

In this form, Suzaku's singular Zanpakutō has now split into two identical katana which have been sheathed and are worn at his hip at the moment of release. Both of these swords carry unique names which hint at their purpose and overall capabilities in regards to Hannuliū's power.


 * Beongae (번개 (雷), Beionugei; Korean and Japanese for "Lightning")


 * Noeseong (뇌성 (脳性), Nōseiongu; Korean and Japanese for "Thunder")

Quotes

 * (To Seireitou Kawahiru) "Disappointing... That is all that can describe you. You stand before me, poised as you're ready to kill, and yet... all I can hear from your Zanpakutō is fear. Yes... your sword speaks to me of nothing but absurd fear. That is the flaw of those who 'protect others'. Ready to kill only those who have harmed your loved ones, but in-turn, remain powerless to raise your blade when faced with betrayal. Makes me almost... want to laugh."
 * (To Seireitou) "Father... it's too late, nothing you can say will change me! I'm going to kill you and every last person in Soul Society! It's time to make your choice! Kill me and become a hero, or die at my hand and become another one of my victims!"
 * (To Raian Getsueikirite) "The true winner is he who chose to focus on the future... and the real fight is about to begin. I fought that battle to gain access to his abilities. I am Kawahiru Suzaku! The man who obtained Kawahiru Datara's powers!"
 * "I would sometimes dream of a wide opening in the forest... devoid of life, noise, or pain. The sun always stood adamant in the skies, shining its bright light upon this dreamland. However... every attempt I made to take a step forward, I tripped and fell on my face. Time and time again, until I could no longer get up. That's when I heard his voice... my father's voice, in a land of dreary silence, cheering me on. It made me realize something very important. Life will knock us down... but with the help of those who truly care for us, we can get back to our feet... and move forward once again."
 * (To Yoshitsune) "I don't understand why you would use such derogatory names for us Shinigami. The only things such terms show is your fear and ignorance. I guess name-calling is your only attack... because you're much too weak to challenge me in any other way."
 * (To Mūkade) "What I once was, back then, is not who stands before you here today. That person was filled with hatred, and was deeply discontent with the world around him. He wished to solely crush the world with his darkness, and he desired to make all those around him feel the darkness he was in. But that person grew up. The one standing before you now is Kawahiru Suzaku! I no longer hate this world... I wish only to save it! To make it feel the warmth of peace... just as my father and my friends did for me! That is why I will not allow your darkness and hatred to spread even slightly further. As the son of "Silver-Hairs" Kawahiru Seireitou and the blue-haired maiden, Miyamoto Shiori... as the Captain of the Ninth Division... I, "Purple-Hairs" Suzaku, will crush you here and now!"

Behind the Scenes
In my past works, I had focused on three child-age Shinigami; Kouhei Tandokuno, Seikyo Kawahiru, and this Suzaku. My first two were both ditched and were killed story-wise, respectively, because I had no clue how to add onto their stories and/or powers. I had decided to take Suzaku in a different approach, making him similar to Son Gohan from Dragon Ball Z, but then decided to take a somewhat Sasuke Uchiha-like approach. Suzaku's new personality was also influenced by Anakin Skywalker. I had given Suzaku, Muramasa, simply for two reasons: one, because I wanted to give Suzaku a main weapon besides his current Zanpakutō, for plot reasons; two, because I simply believed that the Zanpakutō Released Filler Arc didn't go too much in depth with Muramasa, and also didn't reveal his Bankai. I plan to add my own ideas and thoughts to Suzaku's usage of Muramasa. Suzaku was named for the The Vermilion bird, which is one of the Four Symbols of the Chinese constellations. According to Wu Xing, the Taoist five-elemental system, it represents the fire-element, the direction south, and the season summer correspondingly. Thus it is sometimes called the Vermilion bird of the South (南方朱雀, Nán Fāng Zhū Què) and it is also known as Suzaku in Japan and Jujak in Korea.

Before Hannuliū, Suzaku once held Raikōhitonare (雷つかい, lightning tamer). This was because I originally planned to have Suzaku wield lightning-based abilities. However, I began to think alittle bit more about the connection of Ichigo's Zangetsu and his father's Engetsu, and wanted to follow a similar format with Seireitou and Suzaku. Thus, Hannuliū was made to mirror Seireitou's Hanullim.

In this author's opinion, Suzaku's theme song is Naruto Shippuden OST II - Shiren.