Kishiro Arashi

Kishiro Arashi (更死気死炉 Arashi Kishiro, "Lit"; The White Spirit's Natural Death) is an active member of the who doesn't appear to hold any strict ties to the  due to not having a position within the traditional Thirteen Divisions. As a result; he is relatively boundless in terms of his duties, and only takes any authority from specific Captains of the Gotei 13 and his own commanding officers. He is a member of the Executive Militia (刑軍, keigun; lit. "Punishment Force") and the head of its exclusive, secretive branch, the Rogue Shinigami Apprehension Unit (死逃避戦隊 Shitōhi Sentai, Japanese for: Death Aversion Unit), who specialize in actively apprehending Shinigami who have betrayed and/or defected from the Gotei 13 and any of its affiliates.

He appeared to be one of the head investigators of the crisis regarding the and later,  and his. Due to his exploits along the, his lightning-based techniques and general skills, he is known by many as Hotaru (蛍 Firefly).

Appearance
A body stained with experience. Truly the only way to summarize Kishiro's appearance. Adorned with a muscular figure gained through centuries of battle and training, littered with scars across his arms, torso and a specific scar diagonally above his right eye, gained in a confrontation with. To further encompass his rather experienced appearance, he commonly looks at everything with a calm, almost cheerful expression, uncommon for a member of the Executive Militia. He possesses striking blue eyes, which contrasts greatly with his almost raven-like black hair, which is kept relatively neat and parted to his left.

His attire is commonly the standard attire of the Onmitsukido's Executive Militia, consisting of: a tight-knit black kosode, a mask, short black hakama, along with black waraji and tabi. However; when leading expeditions, he will wear another attire to signify his leadership. It consists of a dark green flack jacket with several pockets, a dark blue, long-sleed kosode underneath and a pair of dark blue tights with similarly colored tabi and waraji. On his hands are a pair of specially designed black gloves, meant to imbue and enhance spiritual energy using rotation in order to maximize damage inflicted on another individual.

Kishiro has been through ages of combat and strife, enough to know that his appearance should reflect that of a war veteran. He is unable to look fragile, and thus always has an aura of callousness surrounding him. There is no room for mistakes in the world of war, and someone such as Kishiro knows that all too well.

Personality
A war veteran. Simply put, that is what Kishiro is. He is nothing more, and definitely nothing less. After centuries of combat, Kishiro's very mindset towards the world has forcibly altered, in order to compensate for his lack of empathy towards anything. He has seen the world. He has seen its brutality. No, he has seen his brutality. The cruelty of Shinigami as they mercilessly slaughter all of their opposition. In reaction to this, Kishiro has painted his own world in Black and White. There is no room for Grey. And thus he lives in a world of fantasies, where he is enacting Justice upon those who have "played" with the lives of the Innocent, and who oppose the Soul Society's "benevolent" rule.

His mannerisms are considered to be unorthodox, especially for a killer of his caliber. He is rarely, if ever solemn or stoic. He prefers to talk cheerfully and see the world in a fantastical, comical manner. He will berate those who attempt to act quiet for no good reason, and believes strictly in camaraderie and growth upon meeting new people. And though respectful to others, he commonly attempts to mitigate any sort of formality when talking to people of a lower or similar class, because of his thoughts that dictate that to love people, you must remove any sort of communication barriers.

On assignments, he can be considered to be an effective leader. He takes priority in the safety of all individuals under his leadership, but he understands when sacrifices must be taken, and makes sure to honor them after the success of the mission. Kishiro takes failure with a strange and proud stride, and even through countless injuries, he manages to pull of a small smile.

Yet, there is a point where Kishiro is unable to maintain his perspective on reality. The fantastical image is crushed upon entering a battle that truly threatens his life. When there is no more hope for him, that is when his true self climbs out of his shell. Sealed within the depths of his Inner World, guarded securely by his Bankai, Hekireki no Kanha. It is she who decides whether this personality can be opened, and whether Kishiro's mental state can be risked in order to preserve his being.

But upon release, his entire personality undergoes a true change. There is no radiance within his eyes, and any and all color within his skin becomes absent. He is nothing but a soldier, a fact known to him all too well. His scars glimmer with a dark spiritual power, and his body is exuded with a fatal crimson miasma that shreds all of his upper-body clothing. Yet that is simply the physical changes. What truly changes about him is the way he acts. Emotion? He knows of no such thing in this form. In fact, even his own gender is absent to him. His entire being is void of sentimentality, in favor of ruthless instinct that is designed to entirely vaporize his enemies. This state can only be quenched by death, of himself or another individual. It is for this reason that Kishiro looks at the world with cheerful eyes, for if he does not, his entire perspective of reality is crushed beneath his feet.

Powers and Abilities


Keen Intellect: Kishiro is a reserved hunter. A killer in all aspects, but one who doesn't recklessly chase down his prey. As a member of the Onmitsukidō, he is veteran and privy to the information of former residents of the Gotei 13, to the extent where he would have access to classified knowledge not even Captains are given permission to view. Taking all this into account, Kishiro has developed a very neutral sense of the world, and especially in the field of combat. He calculates strategies on a whim, and never repeats the same form of attack twice unless he knows its successful, and only will do so sparingly as to not allow his enemy to get a glimpse on his tactics. Rarely does Kishiro employ his full force on an enemy at once, and prefers gradual, cumulative attacks that will ultimately shatter his enemy's defences and allow for a swift interception and defeat. Furthermore; even beyond his tactical ability is his ability to perceive things around him. Constructing layers into his level of thinking, Kishiro is capable of taking in minute details many would miss, purposefully utilise his own weaknesses and throttle against the enemy while they leave their guards down. As a war veteran who has fought countless of his own brethren and those of other races, Kishiro has knowledge on a vast number of fighting styles, personalities and how people fight in general to avoid a situation. He has seen hundreds of tactics, and has constantly come out of them battered and bruised, but alive. It is dangerous to challenge Kishiro without preparation, for even a slight mishap can cause the most humiliating defeat.

Immense Endurance:

Immense Durability:

Zanjutsu Expertise
He is noted for his exceptionally quick brand of swordsmanship that relies little on strength, and more on precision and accuracy. In particular; it appears his cuts are very randomized, and rarely ever are directed to a single point on the opponent's body. However; accordingly so...

More Coming Soon

Kidō Expertise
Unlike his protege, Ryū Aramaki, Kishiro is extremely competent in both knowledge and application of Kidō spells. In particular, Kishiro favors the use of intricate binding spells, complimenting his fighting style substantially. Throughout his tenure as a Shinigami, the importance of Kidō was drilled into him. This later manifested as flawless execution of the same spells taught to him. He commonly employs Kidō as a supplementary element within strict combat, utilizing well-timed activation of spells in order to combat immediate threats against him. However; Kishiro is also fully capable of solely employing Kidō within a confrontation. He commonly employs several lower-tier binding spells to disorient his enemy prior to the execution of a single, annihilating Hadō spell. Later on within his career, Kishiro learnt to be capable of interlacing his Kidō with other combat forms, dramatically enhancing his level of power. He also has a knack for the identification and dispelling of other spells, being the one who taught Ryū this skill. Though criticized by 'true' Kidō masters for his methods, Kishiro retorts that he does this specifically for the benefit of himself and Soul Society as a whole.

Bakudō Specialization: Kishiro possesses a very refined usage of binding spells. He is capable of almost effortlessly utilizing a single spell to encompass a number of niches. However; he prefers not to do so, believing it to be injustice to the spell. To compensate, Kishiro has learnt to strengthen his spells significantly, as well as use multiple in conjunction in order to design highly intricate traps. He also appears to be significantly knowledgeable in the use of barriers, staving off high-powered attacks without exerting any physical strain whatsoever.

Hadō Internalization: Within Kishiro's mastery over Kidō lies a certain level of love, yet hatred for Hadō spells. He recognizes their potential for destruction, but also understands their unwanted flashiness. Thus, he resorts to the usage of very specific destructive spells, the potential of which are brought out to the highest extent. He appears to use lower-ranked spells with exceptional accuracy and a heightened level of power, easily dwarfing that of lieutenants by a significant margin. However; the most predominant usage of Hadō spells for Kishiro is self-empowerment. Channeling the energy of the spells within himself, he boasts a level of power comparable to a Bankai-level release when used with a higher-level spell. Yet this process is taxing and rarely used by Kishiro. When it is, it commonly s done so to replace his Bankai.

Lightning Spell Empowerment: Due to the elemental nature of his spiritual power and his zanpakutō, Kishiro is capable of causing his lightning spells to be imbued with an extraordinary level of power. Thus it is a finishing move whenever these spells are employed, simply because of the destruction they wreak. Raikōho appears to be his favored spell, along with Inu no Denkō due to their versatility. Truly his spells are fearsome in power, but not only that, but in the sheer finesse he is capable of employing them with.

Zanpakutō

 * To see the manifested spirit of Kishiro's zanpakutō, go to Muhiraiden (Spirit)

Muhiraiden (無比雷電 Peerless Lightning and Thunder) is the name of Kishiro's zanpakutō. Unlike the majority of his compatriots within the Onmitsukidō, who rely almost exclusively on their own power, Kishiro has bonded with his zanpakutō in a manner to subdue both his own power and align their goals to explosively augment their own individual and collective power. Muhiraiden, otherwise known as Muhi (無灯 Absent Light) is both Kishiro's partner within battle, and his adviser outside of it. Kishiro and Muhi are mutually bonded by both respect, and the fact that they are both the product of the same soul and intentions. They get along extremely well, and Muhi knows exactly when to give advice to Kishiro, and when not to. They are both heavily concerned for one another and will never let each other go, no matter how dire the circumstances. It is for this reason that, even though the invasion of Muramasa into Kishiro's Inner World was successful when Koga Kuchiki fought him, Kishiro was left unaffected, for the strength of the bond between Kishiro and Muhiraiden was too powerful.

Muhiraiden's sealed form is rather unorthodox. For a swordsman of Kishiro's caliber, it takes the appearance of a standard . Though initially thought to be rather weak, it in fact is layered with a very thin coat of lightning that constantly circles it, through the use of reiryoku flow; allowing it to cut through most weapons effortlessly. The hilt itself is a light, almost metallic blue, with a similarly colored guard that possesses a distinct, jagged bolt pattern.
 * : Released with the command, Leap Beyond the Sky (空を超えて飛躍 Sora o Koete Hiyaku), Kishiro points his sealed state towards the sky, causing his spiritual power to envelop through it and release upward, causing the clouds in the sky above him to accumulate at a focal point and cause disastrous bolts of lightning to strike at him. Doing so causes his entire body to momentarily flash a bright azure, along with the wakizashi itself to shatter. From what can be seen after the release, his upper-body clothing rips apart entirely from the pressure of the lightning, causing him to fight shirtless. What appears to be prominent within his release is the constant sparks of electricity coming from his body, along with an immense physical and spiritual enhancement.
 * Shikai Special Ability: Kishiro's zanpakutō allows him virtually complete dominance over the forces of Lightning and Thunder. By exerting a small amount of spiritual power, he is able to make himself turn into what appears a lightning rod, as he is capable of channeling the lightning created by the thunderstorm clouds above him. From here; he utilizes his control over reiryoku in order to direct the lightning to specific parts of his body, either enhancing his physical abilities or allowing him to fight at long range by directing lightning strikes. The force of his zanpakutō is extremely powerful, and even a single, direct hit can cause seated officers to be utterly beaten down in their Shikai. Furthermore; considering that the lightning created by him includes his spiritual power, it makes it even more difficult to redirect unless you have exceptional control over both reishi and reiryoku. It is for this reason that Kishiro's zanpakutō is considered one of the greater lightning-types in existence.


 * A comment made by Muhiraiden on her ability is that, it had been forged out of Kishiro's dying soul. Because of the manner in which he saw so many people be killed, he insisted to take the blame and guilt all onto himself, rather than give it to others. Thus, whenever the lightning strikes his body, it gives him pain, pain to make him realize the amount of suffering he has wrought upon others. He then redirects this towards those who he considers evil. A point to be noted however, is that when Kishiro chooses who to fire his lightning against, is when his Shikai's strength is cut down by half, simply because his indiscriminate personality is being held back. As soon as he enters his true self, his lightning becomes an pale white, that vanquishes everything in its radius.
 * Kanatoko Izari (鉄床躄 Anvil Crawler)
 * Jūjikeishi (十字刑死 Cruciform Execution)
 * Shiroyoden (白夜電 White Night's Lightning)

Behind the Scenes

 * The name, appearance and lightning-related abilities of this character are all from Deviantart's famed artist, Zanpakuto-Leader.