Seireitou Kawahiru

"It's not a sense of justice. Protecting my friends, and finding my own path is how I live life. If you measured good and evil deeds by current laws, I would be responsible for many crimes. The same way you like to hone your skills and live your own lives, for me too it's simply prolonging something I enjoy doing. That's why I only fight those that pique my interest; it's not justice at all. And if it means being able to protect a friend or becoming stronger, I don't and will not play fair. I'm a dishonest, cheating person who hates losing."

- Seireitou Kawahiru


 * "The Illustrious Moon that shines in the Heavens. The Overbearing Sun that locks the Heavens." - Seireitou-shishō

Seireitou Kawahiru (瀞霊冬川平, Kawahiru Seireitō; literally "guardian of the spirit"), reknowned by his moniker Silver-Haired Seireitou (銀色の髪の純粋な魂, Shirubagami no Seireitō), is the former leader of the Visored Order and the former Captain of the Eighth Division in the Gōtei 13. He is the son of the Soul King Yeshua, younger brother of Madara Kawahiru, and older brother of Zashiki Kawahiru. Throughout many of his adventures in Bleach Otrosendero and Bleach Nagareboshi, he has defeated many powerful opponents such Sydonay Senseirei, Omniel, and Sunryuk Asakura. After his duel with Sunryuk, Seireitou fell into hiding along with Sariel and began to undergo Sōzōshin training for an as-of-now unknown motive. He abandoned his title of Sānrǎo, leaving it to his nephew Kaito Kawahiru. He is considered a main protaganist, and also an anti-hero in most cases.

In the Seireitou and Kamui Saga, Seireitou played the role of main protaganist. He fought against his brother Madara Kawahiru, which was able to end the war with the latter's defeat. One year had passed from the events of that war, with Seireitou taking on a more assistive role in the development and establishment of the Gotei 13; though mainly revolving around his son and Ryan Getsueikirite. He returns in the Legacy of the Kawahiru Saga, to aid in the burgeoning war against Datara Kawahiru.

Appearance
Seireitou is a fairly tall, slim, and fit man with a rather youthful face despite his age. He, unlike all members of his clan, possesses dark scarlet amber eyes, and also has long silver hair with a lavendar tint that hangs near his cheeks to frame his face. His skin is notably darker than it once was back three years ago. He also had the addition of a long ponytail in the back of his hair. He wears a white Shihakushō uniform but it is customized and partly resembles a korean-style taekkyeon uniform with an upturned collar and hakama. He now wears a long, white robe over his normal hakama. Seireitou is later seen wearing a white hakama, instead of the black ones he was last seen in. Seireitou wears his robe open in a narrow 'V' down to his waist, closed to below the hips, then open again to the hem, which falls about mid-calf. His robe has long bell sleeves, into which he hides his hands like one does with kimono sleeves. The lining of the robe and edges or layers of the under-robe(s) appear to be black. From other examples, it is likely he is also wearing black tabi with white waraji. His Zanpakutō is not visible with this outfit; however, it is revealed that he wears it on his back waist at an angle, similar to Rangiku Matsumoto.

Personality
"Seireitou is a brave, clever, and energetic man; such men are not usually content to sit at home in hiding while they believe others to be in danger."

- Hikaru "Shadow" Kurosaki

Seireitou is very proud of his own power, but unlike Sariel, possesses no physical signs of arrogance or overconfidence. He is also one of the most proficient combatants in the Soul Society, and maintains a level of honor and integrity when engaging in battle. He refuses to fight in the presence of a child or even with a child. Nonetheless, he was seen to be quite respectful, particularly to the fallen and the dead. Apparently believing traumas he experienced in his youth had enlightened him to the true meaning of pain and suffering, he considered himself a deity, and believed he had evolved beyond a mere human being. He also appears willing to speak in song, more specifically in rap-style, even when confronted with potential threats. He will even stop in a middle of a fight to write whatever rhymes come to him, even if they are no good. This sometimes causes his opponents to become greatly bothered by him. However, it is soon after that this attitude is only displayed when fighting opponents he finds "boring." Although of noble birth, he acts differently from most other nobles. For instance, he instructed Kaito to refer to him without using honorific suffixes, but reluctantly settled for being called "Seireitou-sama" ("Lord Seireitou" in the dub). Perhaps as a consequence of his old age, Seireitou seems to enjoy sitting down and taking his time with things, especially when telling stories.

Throughout all his life, he lived by a solid code. He believed firmly in that the way of the shinigami is resolute acceptance of death. He also believed that one can only be strong when one has someone they wish to protect, and that any power gained through other motives are meer trivial increases. True strength comes from inside, which was the way he abided by all his life. In his own words, Seireitou claims to be unaffected by any form of morals or ethics, which he views as a mere restriction on his potential. He is, therefore, willing to stop at nothing to further his selfish ambitions, including manipulating or killing anyone if he deems it necessary. He is a complex person with some rather difficult to understand views. For example, he believes if two people share very different views, its better they go their seperate ways. Despite this seemingly "immature", free-spirited and carefree attitude, Seireitou is sage-like and serious when the time calls for it. He has remarkable intuition at seeing the good in others in spite of their actions, though his capacity for forgiving his enemies has occasionally been criticized as excessive; Seireitou, for the most part, only fights to win, and spares his enemies after defeating them only for them to attack him when his back is turned. His staggering power is simultaneously reigned in and enhanced by his fierce unshakeable conscience and indomidable spirit. His most remarkable ability is his will to succeed, pushing himself beyond his limitations, and never giving up even when the odds are stacked against him. When someone close to him is in danger, Seireitou has no qualms about putting himself at risk to save them, if necessary, as seen when he prioritized the safety of Ryan and his group first, over confronting Kamui head-on when his group confronted his entourage.

As shown in recent chapters of his life, namely the year following the Seireitou and Kamui Saga, Seireitou's personality is now sometimes seen as comical; tongue-in-cheek, and, to another extent very serious about his family and friends. He is often seen throughout the story as helping people, mainly befriending and giving advice to Suzaku, Ryan, and Matthew; among others. In the chapter that he is reintroduced, the viewer clearly sees what an eccentric character he is. He typically acts in a goofy, energetic and fun-loving manner; being able to cheer up even the depressed Ryan at times. While on the surface, he acts in such a ridiculous manner, this merely masks his true personality. Seireitou appears to act mostly out of self-interest rather than any sort of philanthropy. He comes off to most as a sort of cocky layabout, shirking most of his duties, but quick to take action when it appears that his loved ones are in danger. Seireitou 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. However, while these traits do have a place in his real personality, much of his outward persona can perhaps be considered an intentional facade perfectly designed to cause those unfamiliar with him to underestimate his remarkable intelligence and ability. At the core, he is a remarkably devoted commander whose primary focus and personal duty is to his friends and family. Though he hides it well behind a veil of cynicism and self-importance, Seireitou is a man who cares deeply about the people who trust and support him and goes to great lengths to ensure their safety and well-being, even at the risk of his own. As a man with considerable power, Seireitou considers himself a protector to those without and acts accordingly, earning the staunch loyalty of his most trusted compatriots.

History
Born as the Soul Prince to Yeshua Kawahiru and Tsuyuri Kawahiru, he was branded as an orphan when he was seperated from the Soul Palace for unknown reasons at the time. Seireitou grew up believing his parents had abandon him, and was cold to most people in Rukongai who attempted to get close to him. He eventually met Shiori Miyamoto, who was living in Inuzuri, Rukongai District #78. The two, although a rocky start, became good friends who relied on eachother in tough times. They survived by stealing whatever they could get their hands on, whether it be clothing or food. They soon met Senka Kururugi, who's parents were nobles and decided to take in the two orphans. Seireitou and Senka began to develop feelings for eachother, to which Shiori showed contempt toward.

Most of their childhood was spent in the Kururugi House. Senka, reaching the age of admission, applied for the Shinō Academy in order to become a Shinigami, and asked Seireitou and Shiori to follow her example. Seireitou was hesitant to do this, but the words of Shiori helped turn his opinion over, as the two then decided to apply as well. At the Shinō Academy, Seireitou was admitted into the top class, being very adept at swordsmanship, as well as being a progidy at Kidō. Handpicked out of all the Freshmen, Seireitou was assigned special instruction for his perfect score on the enterance examination. His sensei was Shōyō Shakyamuni. It was at this time that Seireitou met his older brother, Madara Kawahiru. Seireitou asks why their parents had abandoned him, but Madara explains that they had no choice for their were under seige. Madara goes on to say that a civil war had broken out that caused the death of their parents. At the last second, according to Madara, their parents had used their last moments alive sending them off as to save their lives. Seireitou shows great sorrow at this, for he never got a chance to know them. Despite knowing he would never meet his parents, Seireitou received instruction under Madara and started to form a strong relationship with him as brothers. Seireitou formed a powerful respect for Madara, but also a bitter rivalry. Madara acknowledged the rivalry Seireitou felt, telling him, "We are brothers. I am the wall you must climb over, so you and I will continue to exist together."

It was not long before Seireitou began to see Madara's true colors, discovering that everything he had told him was a lie. He had learned about Madara through the town square gossip, learning that he had killed off the members of the Kawahiru, and that only Yeshua and his wife, as well as few others had survived. Desperate to unravel the truth behind his lineage, Seireitou spoke with his sensei, Shōyō. Shōyō explains that Yeshua, Seireitou's father, had asked him to keep Seireitou under close watch, which was the reason for the transfer to a private instructor. Shōyō tells him all about the Kawahiru, and pieces of information reguarding Madara. Flabergasted at what to make of this, Seireitou spent time with Shiori, who helped comfort him. The two then shared their first kiss then as well.

The years then passed, as Seireitou graduated top of his class, and was placed in the Gotei 13 as the 5th Seat of the Eighth Division. He served under Captain Nagato Hiroshitaki. He formed a close relationship with Nagato, but soon ended up being the victim of betrayal yet again. Nagato revealed his true persona as Myoken, and attempted to kill Seireitou. However, the combined efforts of both Seireitou and Shiori sent the former Captain running. With nobody better qualified for the position not even the lieutenant at the time, Seireitou attained the Captaincy position. It was also alittle before his fight with Myoken that he attained his Zanpakutō's Bankai.

As the new Captain of the Eighth Division, Seireitou took Shiori as his third seat and Setsuna Inoue as his eighth seat. Senka had attained the Captaincy for Second Division, as the two began to form a stronger relationship, even considering themselves engaged at one time. Things were finally at peace for a while, until Seireitou had gained a new lieutenant by the name Akujin. He had held suspicions about Akujin, not felt by his fellow Captains. However, these feelings were soon made out to be fact, as Akujin forced Seireitou, Shiori, Senka, and several others in Hollowfication experimentation. When Seireitou was put on trial for gaining Hollow powers, he was stripped of his captaincy and sentenced to death. Just as Seireitou was about to be killed on the spot, Shiori appeared and saved him from destruction. The two, along with the others framed for Hollowfication, made their escape and Seireitou used Forbidden Kidō to preserve and transport the group to a far-off location, known as Reiji Maigo.

They were hunted however, causing Seireitou and Shiori to lose contact as they were forced to split off. Seireitou had not known what had happened to Shiori, as he made his way to the World of the Living. He used Kidō to hide himself, until he had crafted a Gigai that would cut off his spiritual power. He soon took up a job as a High School teacher, and settled into the life of a human. The life of a Shinigami, however, did not escape him. He soon made contact with former Captain, Shinji Hirako. The two discussed the occurances reguarding both of their defections, only to come to the conclusion that Akujin and Sōsuke Aizen had been working together, side-by-side on the experiments. From there, the two Vizard had decided to work alongside one another in defeating both Aizen and Akujin, and clearing their names. Seireitou had also begun to make plans to find his brother, Madara, in the hopes of making the mysteries of his past finally come to light.

Powers & Abilities
"How long has it been... since I've seen him in this state...? How long has it been... since my body has been struck by a fear so abyssal and encompassing as the depths of the sea...? A spiritual force so exorbitant... that it scorches the heavens and frightens even the clouds... The path carved by his blade, renders all of the world unto smoldering decay. That is who... Seireitou Kawahiru is."

- Rikuto Nakamura comments on Seireitou's newfound Powers Decimating Spiritual Power: As one of, if not the strongest Sōzōshin alive, he possesses monsterous spiritual power. His very presence can cause even the most skilled lieutenants to lose their breath; his energy has been shown great enough to affect entire areas to the point of disrupting energy attacks from enemies, affect others from seemingly miles away and cause them to enter a state of paralysis and confusion, and use it as a sort of armor making it impossible for him to be harmed by nothing less than the most skilled or powerful opponents. As the result of swallowing the Hōgyoku, Seireitou's own powers have increased by unimaginable amounts. Once inside his body, it began to take effect as Seireitou's eyes appeared to change from their calm crimson amber to a more mystical ocean blue; almost exact in color to the Hōgyoku itself. Usage of the Hōgyoku's powers were represented by the shift of eye colors, and reiatsu intensity differences. The color of his aura had went from a mixing scarlet black to a pure jet black reiatsu. Unlike any Shinigami, his reiatsu aura also contains crimson sparks of reishi discharge; making a deep crackling noise when Seireitou focuses his reiatsu. According to Byakuya Kuchiki, when he first confronted the Hōgyoku-powered Seireitou, his reiatsu has an overbearing power which is unlike anything or anyone else in Soul Society; to the point where he even considered as something completely unrelated to Reiatsu. His spiritual power has a presence which, according to him, feels as if it's trying to stifle his very existence. Byakuya compared the experience to being crushed by the weight of one hundred suns. It had enough force to rip open a garganta on it's own without the use of kidō. Seireitou has shown that his reiatsu is powerful enough to crush any of Kaito's attacks and powers.

Grandmaster Hand-to-Hand Combatant: Though he hasn't shown the extent of his abilities in this field as of yet, Seireitou has shown to rely mostly on hand-to-hand combat, rarely drawing his sword at all. Hikaru speculates that he only draws his sword against opponents he considers "worthy". Seireitou also seems to prefer applying an "off-the-ground" method of combat, often being seen attacking opponents from aerial standpoints. His mastery of the art form Taekkyeon is so great that he uses it exclusively as his form of combat of choice forgoing the use of a Zanpakutō altogether. He has been shown to take down nearly 40 Onmitsukidō members with only Hakuda. He has been shown easily taking on the likes of Espada-level Arrancar as when he brutally defeated Halcón and is even regarded by Ulquiorra Cifer as highly dangerous. During his battle against Suzaku, he proved more than capable of handling Suzaku's Bankai with only his feet; utilizing a special brand of martial arts using foot-based techniques only.

Master Swordsmanship Specialist: He appears to be very efficient in swordsmanship, being able to fight on-par with a full-powered Bankai Kaito and even slice through his Bankai's laser. He is capable of using his speed for flawless precision and to inflict lethal attacks without much effort. Seireitou prefers to wield his sword with his right hand, leaving the other hand free though it usually remains hanging. He is quite adept at blocking while his offense is capable of great precision. He was able to fend off Ryan and Shinji, both using their mask-enhanced Shikai for very long amounts without releasing his own Zanpakuto. Seireitou's fighting style also involves evasion and attacking an opponent either in the front or back using the element of surprise to overwhelm them. His skills are very versatile, able to use various bladed weapons with high proficiency. He is ambidextrous and can change his fighting style at a whim — keeping his opponents unsure as to his next move. A master of many Kendō combat forms, Seireitou draws his opponents in, fighting less than his true capability, and then striking the fatal blow when his opponents believe to have the advantage over him.
 * Number One: Nadegiri (撫で斬り, "Clean Sweep" or "Killing Several with One Sword Sweep"): This basic technique allows for a precision cut of extreme force and speed, it can casually slice through large, multi-story high opponents protected by steel skin. The opponent can be killed with one swift slash so precise, that they aren't even aware of until after it has taken place.
 * Number Four: Kamishini (神キラー, "God Killer" or "Cutting down God with a Single Slash"): By swinging the user's sword across, they can make a sweeping motion that cuts everything within 4 km of the user. The force behind this technique is great enough to defeat even Adjuchas-level Hollow with little effort.
 * Number Seven: Tsubame Gaeshi (燕返し, "Swallow Reversal" or "Turning Swallow Cut"): A technique that mimics the motion of a swallow's tail during flight as observed. This cut was reputedly so quick and precise that it could strike down a bird in mid-flight. There are no direct descriptions of the technique. Hence, the "Turning Swallow Cut" has been reconstructed as a technique involving striking downward from above and then instantly striking again in an upward motion from below. The strike's second phase could be from below toward the rear and then upward at an angle, like an eagle climbing again after swooping down on its prey.

Wúpiào Expert: One of Seireitou's more noticeable traits is his tremendously skillful speed. Seireitou's skill in Wúpiào is so great that it seems as though he possesses a form of teleportation as he moves in the blink of an eye, simply "appearing" solidly instead of shimmering for a second like other Wúpiào users. This allows him to move fast enough to easily parry a close-range killing blow by a Captain-level opponent. Seireitou manages to move at exceedingly incredible speeds, quick enough to appear behind Kamui's back and effectively counter him before the former could even turn to face him. Kamui also comments that his speed is not reached by the use of Flash Step; he actually uses Wúpiào. He is capable of effortlessly dodging simultaneous attacks at close range and the evasion of Bankai level techniques. He moves so fast that opponents commonly do not know his movements until after he has made them and is skilled enough in his movements to evade at high speeds even when being attacked from behind. During a fight with Ryan Getsueikirite and Shinji Hirako in Soul Society, although Seireitou states that Ryan's overconfidence and Shinji's weak resolve was impeding their performance, Seireitou was able to easily outmaneuver both opposing Shikai (despite Kagemusha and Sakenade's hypnotic powers) and mask-enhanced speed to the point he could casually lay a finger on Ryan's forehead and still dodge a point-blank cero from Shinji, who had his fist against Seireitou's back.
 * Utsusemi (空蝉; Cicada, referencing their molting): Way of Onmitsu, 3rd of the Shihō. It allows for a movement at great speed, leaving at least one tangible after-image behind. Though Seireitou's mastery of utsusemi allows for him to form several after-images. Seireitou had shown a strange alternative to the Utsusemi, to the point where it looks like he never left his position, as physical attacks still pass by. It was speculated by Ginrei that he uses some sort of time/space power to instantly send himself or even parts of his body to different locations or some sort of void and then instantly bring them back.
 * Senka (閃花, Flash Blossom): A special Shunpō technique where one moves to their opponent's back, directly attacking and sealing one's "Saketsu" and "Hakusui" in one strike (effectively cutting them off of their spiritual energy flow). The movement is so fast that an opponent may not be able to tell whether he was attacked from the front or the back and even an outside observer may find it impossible to tell what the movements are.

Kidō Master: Seireitou possesses great skill in both Kidō and Shōkyōku Kidō, being able to easily summon spells at the blink of an eye without the incantation, and still have it boast extreme potency. Seireitou seems to favor Shōkyōku Kidō above Shinigami Kidō, and tends to use his Xiāochú and Shinkūmyō Reiatsu in place of his Hollow Reiatsu when doing so. He was capable of using a form of teleportation that Setsuna Inoue, as proficient as she is, hadn't known existed. He is also able to use this ability to completely hide his presence and spiritual energy, as not to be tracked. Nevetheless, after his recent sōzōshin training, his kidō abilities have reached a level of great skill, being on par with that of even Kamui. After submerging into the shadows and away from his comrades, he further refined his Kidō skills to create new spells including alternate types of spells unknown to any other Shinigami.
 * Kidō Analysis: Seireitou has gained the ability to physically break down kidō when it comes in contact within his reiatsu. He does this by literally having his reiatsu rip apart the chemical and nuclear bonds that make up the kidō spell. This was shown when a Sōkatsui spell fired by Ryan was ripped apart into reishi particles and it fled into Soul Society's reishi-enriched air; albeit the spell was chantless.
 * Aozora Yakusai (青空の災難, blue sky calamity): A mysterious Kidō granted to Seireitou by the Hōgyoku that allows him to tear apart a unified world. A unified world is anything that involves using reiryoku to form something that creates a different spiritual mass besides that of the natural world. Such things as illusions, and barriers fall under this category. "Oh overflowing blue sky, clear these storm clouds from my path!"

Master of Manipulation: Seireitou has shown great ability in manipulating others to do his work for him. Despite his laid back attitude, Seireitou has repeatedly shown himself to be a perceptive and insightful man as well as being very detail oriented when it comes to fighting. He notices his opponent's mannerisms and discerns with ease the reasons behind those actions and the weaknesses and strengths of his opponents. He has a great talent for analyzing and observing everything in his presence, allowing him to quickly understand a person's pattern of thinking to better manipulate them and seemingly always be aware of any danger. Seireitou has been shown to be very observant of his opponents' abilities and powers, even going as far as to use it against them. He is highly intelligent, possessing a genius-level intellect, and is capable of devising and executing strategies with incredible speed and precision. The series repeatedly demonstrates Seireitou's mental acuity; ranging from his superb skill in playing chess, to being able to easily confuse even the most intellegent opponents to play by his rules.

Enhanced Strength: Perhaps due to years of combat experience and time on the battlefield, Seireitou has a very large degree of physical strength, most commonly displayed by his ability to fight back his opponent's attacks with a single arm. Repeatedly, he has shown clear evidenced of his strength from acts like kicking Hikaru through a building and slamming Ryan over his shoulder with one hand in their battle, as well as when he grabbed Ryan's sword barehanded and reeled both him and the sword in for an attack. His great strength is shown during his fights with Ryan holding off bladed attacks by force alone and even battling back his Bankai's spiritual attack. He had dispatched two of his opponents with presumably little effort. Seireitou's strength is so immense that when he threw Ryan, he was unable to recover due to the air pressure being too hard on his body. With a single downward chop, he was able to snap Mashiro's sword's blade in two. Seireitou was able to effortlessly cut through the sword and wrist of Kensei's Bankai.

Zanpakutō
For the manifested spirit of Hanullim that appears in the Zanpakutō Escapement arc see Hanullim (spirit). Hanullim (하늘님 하느님, the ultimate reality; "Hanuel-nim", supreme being) is the name of Seireitou Kawahiru's Zanpakutō. It takes the appearance of a nōdachi when used, with a white hilt sporting unique complex shapes on it. The top edge of the nōdachi possess several interesting symbols, which Seireitou says represents the four souls of the Shinto philosophy of Naobi (直霊); Aramitama (荒魂, Courage), Nigimitama (和魂, Friendship), Kushimitama (奇魂, Wisdom) and Sakimitama (幸魂, Love). When all united in one person, such as Seireitou, they unite to form a powerful balance within the soul that can be used for good or evil. It emits a powerful holy aura from it's blade; the interesting fact about this is that when the blade was first drawn from Seireitou's soul, the reiatsu being emitted initially was evil; similar to that of a Hollow's. After training for several years in solitude, Seireitou was able to purify and master his blade; conquering the blade's inner spirit. Through his three year training with Sariel, his powers rose greatly; as did his blade's abilities. Upon defeating Kagemmi, he has claimed to have "the strength of God within him". While this claim has been all but proven, Hanullim has stated that Seireitou has finally synergized with his Zanpakutō completely, and that he has mastered Hanullim's power. This means that his Zanpakutō's new power is now obscenely more powerful, beyond even imagination.
 * Hanullim no Saya (最高の鞘されて, Sheath of Hanullim); Hanullim's sheath can deflect or resist spiritual energy attacks with the barrier used to contain Hanullim's power. However, it can only withstand a limited number of attacks. The sheath is capable of resisting any amount of offensive force; however, if that force is used continuously then the sheath will crack. This is why it was able to hold off Ryan's Bankai on it's own, since it was an attack that was only unleashed once, but couldn’t hold off Kamui's kidō since he was unleashing them constantly. The sheath can also summon Hanullim to itself, as seen when Seireitou was trapped inside the cage of kidō with only the sheath. It was created from an ancient tree's bark that grows only in the Royal Palace's Dimension.


 * Shikai: Hanullim is released by the command, "Radiance of redemption that leads us to sunrise. Let hallowed prayers be spoken ever more! Let there be light!" (黎明へと導く覇者の煌たまえ聖なる祈り永久に紡がれん光あれグランドクロス, Reimei e to michibiku haja no kirameki yo. Seinaru inori, tōwa ni tsumugaren! Hikari are, gurando kurosu!); When releasing his Zanpakutō, he holds it in an outstretched arm in front of him with the blade pointing down and declares the release command. He is then completely enveloped by a surge of reiatsu that closes around him to form a closed sphere which Seireitou then cuts himself out of. Hanullim remains as a japanese daishō nōdachi that keeps it's natural appearance. However, it is surrounded in an immense golden reiatsu aura, with it's complex hilt and blade designs also turning golden. It's blade turns sterling silver, in comparason to it's sealed state. The release of his Zanpakutō comes with an extreme release of spiritual pressure affecting all in the area, and can be felt for miles upon miles across all of Seireitei.
 * Shikai Special Ability: Seireitou's Shikai has several forms, achieved by arranging reishi in different patterns and at different intensities. Each form presents a different advantage, such as increasing offense at the expense of defense; or even increasing both exponentially at the cost of speed. This makes Hanullim's Shikai one of the most versatile releases in the series. These techniques are labeled as "worlds", and each represent a form of his Shikai's power. He has dubbed his Zanpakutō's powers as the "Power and Manipulation of Existance" Hanullim's general Shikai abilities include immense increases in speed and strength. The increase in strength is so great that a simple swing of his sword is strong enough to easily cut an opponent, even at a longer distance. His speed is greatly enhanced in this form and his motions become hard to predict until the very last moment.


 * Some no Sekai - Haennim (最初の世界햇님, First World - The Sun); By spirling his sword, he grows two large black flame-like wings, along with his sword becoming covered in white flames. The aura of this weapon can disintegrate anything that Seireitou waves the sword at, changing it into nothing more than ash and engulfing the surrounding landscape in white flames. Only powerful fighters such as Hikaru and Echo can resist it, but even then only indirectly. It's power is enough to fight against the Bankai of several captains simultaneously. These flames carry a powerful corrosive property to them, an interesting manifestation of Seireitou's own power of corrosive poisoning as an offense technique. If there are any significant limits to the effects of the corrosive power they are not known - even the fully transformed body of Sariel was unable to stop or quench the effect and only avoided it by abandoning pieces to destruction. The appearance of the corrosive destruction takes the form of green static discharge as it's spreads throughout it's path of destruction. The flames catch onto whatever they target, and will never stop burning until their target is burned to ashes. Shōyō explains that Hanullim continues to break down whatever it cuts, until it exists no more. The relentless nature of these flames results in a widespread chain of destruction that reduces anything caught in its wake to crumbling remains, to where the destructive effect persists and transfers to anything that remains, destroying them in return. It is because of this particular feature that Hanullim proves to be a bane to Hollow, as it prevents them from absorbing or reabsorbing other hollows or parts of themselves that were cut by the sword without risking being destroying themselves.
 * Amanōzume (天宇受売命, Goddess of the Dawn) is a defensive variant of the first technique. It will summon a large black orb of greyish flames that surrounds Seireitou and possibly others. It can even be used as a cage, to trap opponents for long periods of time. Seeing as no-one has even broken through, nothing much is known about the defensive power of Amanōzume. The cage can also take the form of large pillars that shoot out, forming a circle around Seireitou and his opponent(s). The intent of this technique is to trap the opponent in the caged inferno and destroy him with corrosive flames from which there is no hope of healing from.
 * Shikon Hisakiten (天国の炎の牙, Fang of Heaven's Flames; literally "root of the fangs, forefront of the heavenly flames"); It is a powerful energy attack that fires a concentrated, scarlet/black-colored blast(s) with gold lightning surrounding it of spiritual power in the shape of a crescent or fang. Shikon Hisakiten is a very potent technique, which can become more powerful when Seireitou expels more spiritual energy into it. These waves of reiatsu also seem to distrupt the space they occupy at the time. This causes effects on active techniques, as well as limiting the use of a speed enhancing technique such as shunpo or sonido. The waves themselves, however, possess great power and can easily crush through Hueco Mundo towers; As shown by Seireitou, he was able to destroy several towers with a single wave, without even calling the name of the attack. Seireitou can also keep Shikon Hisakiten within Hanullim to augment his sword swings.
 * Jeoldaeseon (절대선, literally means "that which is heavenly always"); Not Yet Revealed


 * Tsugi no Sekai - Soonnim (第二次世界달님, Second World - The Moon); Seireitou drops his sword towards the ground, as it melt through. As it does this, Seireitou calls out the technique's name. In the words of Hanullim, it "freezes time into eternal night." Seireitou also slowly slips through the ground, which has turned into a large silver circle of celestial flames; his opponents are also forced to follow suit, as well as all opponents within the range of his spiritual power. They enter a world of utter darkness, where only night exists. Opponents usually land upon a small pathway, akin to that of the halls in japanese temples. It is a large world, in which only Seireitou controls time and space. Hanullim, as well as Hanullim's darker side, manifest in this world in order to heed Seireitou's orders. Both Hanullim and Kaguya have displayed great techniques, ones that have not even been shown by Seireitou himself; whether this means he hasn't yet master Hanullim's power fully is unknown. Considering that all opponents within Seireitou's spiritual power range are forced to enter this reversal world, it is unknown how one can exit without Seireitou permitting it. As shown with Ryan, even a garganta is unable to activate while within this world. This technique can also be used as a means of defense, protecting both himself and his own teammates.


 * San no Sekai - YiSeung (셋제세계이세계, Third World - "This World"); By swinging his sword across in a linear fashion, Seireitou then calls out the name of the world. A large complex circle of diagrams appears underneath Seireitou, which provides the medium with which Seireitou can circulate energy around the environment or even those he cuts with the zanpakutō. He can manipulate the reishi particles in several unique ways, being able to change their molecular properties as he sees fit. However, Seireitou explains that it is best represented by "the power to destroy and recreate". For example, when he cut a lieutenant-level shinigami, he was able to adjust the temperature of their body's water content to below the freezing point; this resulted in the target's death due to lack of body heat. Another example was when he altered the chemistry of Hikaru's blood, and was able to turn it into flames; capable of igniting Hikaru's body in succession. He could even turn the H2O molecules in the atmosphere into a diamond-substance, and then fire it as a barrage of shards. Possibly the most frightening aspect of the third world's power is that with it's power of reishi conversion as a given, zanpakutō such as Kyōka Suigetsu are totally useless against Seireitou. Knowing that hypnosis or even illusion-based kidō operates by forming a reishi connection in which reiatsu from the illusion or hypnosis user bridges over to the target's reiatsu, and uses that bridge to reach their brain; ultimately gaining access to sense manipulation. By changing the molecular shape of the "bridge", Seireitou can cause a disruption even before the reiatsu connection is complete. In some cases, Seireitou can even turn the direction of reiatsu flow in reverse; meaning that Seireitou would manipulate the opponent's senses, instead of the other way around. However, it appears that the abilities of Shinbyeong cannot be negated nor destroyed by the third world's power; reason being unknown.
 * Kakuyōyū (核融合, nuclear fusion); Once Seireitou mastered Hanullim's power fully, he gained access to a new power known as Kakuyōyū. Initially, he compared this power in his own words as, "a sun in the palm of my hand". He can form a powerful compressed orb of fusing molecules on the very blade of his Zanpakutō or even the palm of his hand, and can fire it as an immensely strong beam of pure energy. He can form molecule clumps into large shields for strong defense, and can control the nuclear forces that govern the way the physical world works.
 * Yottsu no Sekai - JuhSeung (넷세계번째세계, Fourth World - "That World"); Not Yet Revealed


 * Bankai: Shinwaryeok Hanullim (신성한진리의궁극적인현실, "an ultimate reality of divine truth"); When Seireitou initiates the Bankai release, he will glow with an intense yet fading white aura that outlines his body. Upon calling out the common phrase, Bankai, Seireitou's body seemingly turns into white flames that combust, exploding outwards in an enormous explosion of white and black reiryoku whips, that finally fall to the ground as a thick dense rain of reiatsu all over the surrounding area. In this form, Seireitou takes on physical properties of all three states of Hanullim's inner spirit. His hair becomes more longer and flowing, with a dark red eyeshadow around the topmost edges of his eyes, as well as similar facelines as Ulquiorra Schiffer. The hakama he normally wears remains, as his shihakushō takes on a more similar appearance to Hanullim's inner spirit. Seireitou's body is draped in lavender veils, similar to that of Hanullim's Kaguya manifestation. It appears that Seireitou can will a mirror similar to Kaguya's to appear on his stomach, for an as-of-yet unstated reason. Finally, his eyes take the most dramatic change, as they appear to become a strange mystical white, with a shadowy black outline; extremely similar to the overall color scheme of Hanullim's Kagemmi manifestation's appearance. The physical form of Seireitou's Zanpakutō remains very similar to his sealed state, becoming more of a japanese longblade daitō, however it can be willed to turn into it's Shikai appearance at any time of choosing on Seireitou's part. The blade itself is durable enough to withstand several of Kamui's Hollow Mask enhanced Cero and even endure direct hits from Echo's Shunsei no Jitsuzon, even when in his Third Release; in both cases, the blade did not show any signs of damage. The blade in this form is dangerous enough to cause aggravated injuries in one single blow. Seireitou tends to loathe using his Bankai, going as far as to call it his "pain-in-the-ass Bankai release."
 * Bankai Special Abilities: Seireitou's Bankai gives him the power to manipulate and control interactions between two or more approaching forces or existences. This means he can change and manipulate the way that objects, whether they be made up of reishi or matter, interact with eachother; this can refer to physical, mental, or even spiritual interactions between them. He can cause those existences or forces to negate eachother, cancel eachother out, repelling them from one another, and even fuse them together into one. When causing his own existence to repel another, it is usually followed with an intense burst of reiatsu from Seireitou's person. Anything that is anything, is always interacting with something else; it is an unspoken truth of how objects and forces in existence coexist. He could manipulate how the eyes and brain interact which what they see and perceive in reality, or even the impact a stronger force has on a weaker force. Even the Ōin, which grants it's master the power of dimensional control, pales in comparison to the devastating applications of Shinwaryeok Hanullim. The full extent of his powers are still unknown but he managed to quickly overpower Echo in his third release form, whose first release had completely dominated Seireitou earlier while using his Shikai/Shinkūmyō combination.
 * Overwhelming Spiritual Power: The spiritual energy and pressure of this form is immense, as Seireitou's already immense spiritual power is significantly increased further upon entering his Bankai. Just his presence in this stage is so devastating, that he needs to hold back the full might of his reiatsu as so not to kill his allies. When using Bankai, Seireitou's reiatsu takes the shape of several black and white reiatsu wisps surrounding his body, as well as a large aura that rains down on the opponent. The wisps of reiatsu seem to serve the purpose of vibrating the reishi particles around him, being able to deflect opposing spiritual particles. Because the reishi vibrates at roughly nine million times per second, not even the Quincy's Seele Schneider can cut through Seireitou's dense reiatsu.
 * Enhanced Shikai Abilities: Seireitou's Shikai abilities have been explosively supplemented, as they seem almost like new techniques while in Bankai. Examples of this are shown with Haennim's flames' corrosive power, which become much stronger; strong enough to easily break down and destroy an army of a thousand hollow with one swing of his blade. Using YiSeung, Seireitou had obtained a power that he effectively names, "the seperation and manifestation of physical and spiritual laws". The only known example of him using this newfound ability is when he used it to seperate Movement and Sound, in order to move at great speeds without making a sound of any kind.
 * Devastating Speed: His speed is enhanced astronomically, able to move great distances in an instant as if to displace himself. He was shown to match the Third-Release Echo in terms of speed, being able to match and counter each and every one of the latter's attacks, being able to push Echo to his absolute limits of speed. He moves at such exceedingly incredible speeds, that Ryan once noted it almost seems like "the entire universe slows down when Seireitou moves."
 * Strength & Durability Augmentation: Seireitou has become strong enough to cause a shockwave after being knocked down by Echo. His skin and hands are also strong enough to catch and hold onto Echo's Zanpakutō while the latter is in his third release without any damage. His strength has also vastly increased in strength to the point where Ryan and Matthew's combined Bankai attacks have no effect at all.


 * Okhwang Sangje (하늘의왕, The King of Heaven); Not Yet Revealed

Shinkūmyō Powers
Shinkūmyō (空の存在, Empty Existance) are Xiāochú that have underwent a form of transformation involving the power of a Blanks' rejoining of it's Memory and Energy, becoming entirely new beings. Shinkūmyō of this kind, grow a Blank-like Entity within themselves and can access it's power. The inner being is usually called the Inner Rosary, and is created when one attempts to supress their memories and feelings to an extent, to which they create a being within themselves. Seireitou's Inner Rosary is named Sanagi and exists within Seireitou's Inner World. Unlike his Hollow Transformation, in order to access his Shinkūmyō powers, his aura meerly shifts over as his aura is replaced with Sanagi's power. Originally, Seireitou could not maintain Sanagi's power, but after awakening his inner Sōzōshin blood, he was able to enact full dominance over Sanagi. This is shown by his eyes changing into a more complex form, signifying his power being balanced with Sanagi's.

Throughout the Legacy of the Kawahiru Saga, Seireitou had noticed that his powers were beginning to show signs of overlapping similarities. Confirmed and trained by the Hell Denizen, Tōga, Seireitou evolved his Shinkūmyō powers to their peak, foregoing the need for Hollow powers altogether; it was also done in emergence to Echo Ichimaru's Nothingness, being able to counter the Nothingness now. To call upon this power, he forms a dense sphere of reiatsu above his forehead and pulls it down, forming a spiritual mask. Seireitou has demonstrated the ability to use both Sōzōshin and Shinkūmyō abilities, as his Hollow powers have integrated into his two current power states. After donning his Shinkūmyō Mask, Seireitou demonstrated even more frightening abilities which he doesn't normally use in battle.
 * Vast Spiritual Power: Seireitou's power in this form is greatly enhanced; his aura shifts over to Sanagi and changes color from black/red to a smooth lavender. According to Shiori, the continued release of it would cause tremendous harm to the Soul Society. If he should continue to clash with Kamui while in this state, and Kamui in his Mask-enhanced state; it would spell the end of the Soul Society. It's sheer strength was great enough to horrify Ryan, Matthew, and Makōtō who sensed his spiritual pressure far away from the bottom of Sōkyoku Hill. An interesting feat about his spiritual energy at this stage is the fact of it being pure distortional energy, erasing anything that contacts with it; ideally making it an atmosphere of black holes.
 * Immense Speed: While in this form, Seireitou becomes dangerously fast and evasive, able to dodge all of Ryan's bala attacks with little effort and keep up with Kamui while he is using Shikai and wearing his Hollow mask. He seems to move like a bullet, rather than use a form of flash step. His already high levels of speed have increased to such amounts that in conjuntion with his own pure distortional spiritual energy, he can manipulate interactions.
 * Enhanced Strength: This synergized form was able to push back Kaito Kawahiru with little effort, and put all of the Captains on the defensive with just physical power. He is able to easily strike through a target's flesh with a single nonchalant sweep of his bare hands.
 * Telekinesis: Quickly after transforming, Seireitou is able to call Hanullim back to his hands with just the wave of his hand. He is also shown to be able to use a form of telekinesis on his opponent. He even showed usage of minor gravitational control; being able to repel and attract substances, reiatsu or even living beings. Through the synergization of his Shinkūmyō and Hollow powers, Seireitou gained a minor form of mind reading.
 * Enhanced Shikon Hisakiten: When Seireitou summoned his Shikon Hisakiten technique, not only did it's speed increase, along with it's overall devastating after-effects and immense power, but also drastically changed shape and appearance. It took on the appearance of a compressed orb of circling lavender reiatsu, with several golden reiatsu whips encircling around the compressed orb, having an almost spherical tornado-like appearance.


 * Cero Lamparos (ゼロライト (白中空フラッシュ), sero ramuparosu; Spanish for "Light Zero", Japanese for "White Hollow Flash") or more grammatically correct Cero Lampara, is a full-powered white Cero with a dark red outline to it, which Seireitou states to be the extreme opposite to Ulquiorra's black Cero Oscuras. When using this technique, Seireitou concentrates his vast spiritual energy with only his index finger into an condensed stark-white Cero with great might. When fired, it shines an immense white light that can burn the surrounding area it comes into contact with, and even leave those who stare at it temporarily blind. Seireitou refered to it as "my Cero." The Cero Lamparos's range is vast, and is immensely powerful enough to completely shatter Ryan's Zanpakutō, critically injuring him in the process, and strong enough to destroy the entire Senzaikyū tower in Seireitei. Despite the Cero being a Hollow-exclusive technique, the very fact that his Shinkūmyō powers have offered this technique may indicate that his Hollow powers and Shinkūmyō may be reaching their final evolution; seemingly overlapping eachother.
 * Kyūkeiransa (驚くランス, Shattering Lance) is a reiatsu weapon created by Seireitou, that is very similar to Ulquiorra Schiffer's Lanza del Relámpago. It creates a javelin-like weapon using his spiritual power, which he can use as a projectile or as a physical weapon. When thrown, it produces an incredibly-destructive explosion on impact, big enough to even land on Ryan despite him using flash step to escape from it. He can use these spears in rapid succession, considering that his reiatsu at this stage is free-flowing and all around him. Seireitou is also able to use this attack as a blade, which actually corrodes biotic material upon impact; as seen when Kyubaek's arm begin to melt, showing the bone.
 * Myōshu Shikiten (マスター天国の祭典の, Master of Heaven's Ceremonies); Not Yet Revealed

Quotes

 * "To me, the world was boredom itself. I always watched it with indifference. The smouldering summers. The freezing winters. Spring ends. Autumn arrives. The seasons tediously repeat themselves. Like a pinwheel that continues to spin, only time passes by. To me, the world was an unchangeable place. Not once was I irritated nor did I feel my heart skip with excitement. The colorless days passed before my eyes... And I grew very discontent with the world."
 * (In his own thoughts) "When one comes to know love... they run the risk of carrying hate."
 * (To Kaito) "I've been around longer than you have, kid. And I've seen my share of troubles. You're not the only one who knows what it's like to lose somebody... So, it looks like neither of us has led a charmed life exactly, have we? Still, we're not all that bad off. At least you and I have been lucky enough to find new comrades to help fill the void."
 * (To Hikaru) "Stronger than me? Do you assume that because I have yet to show you any of my true abilities? Or perhaps your natural understanding of the word "Power" itself simply differs from mine. Allow to me to teach what "Power" truly is."
 * (To Shinji) "Why are you putting so much distance between us? If you want to make sure it hits me, then you should get close and fire. Or is it that you're afraid of letting even a part of me out of your field of vision by getting close? If that's the case, then it's a foolish thought. Distance only has meaning in a fight between equals. With you and I, distance holds no meaning at all. Watch... If I do this, my finger is almost instantly at your forehead."
 * (After using Shikai) "To show you my respect, I'll only give you a light toasting."
 * (To the attacking Arrancar) "Game over. If you make a run for it, I won't chase you."
 * "Sorry, but I've never really been good at hearing when the speaker's a man. Just listening is too boring."
 * (To Ryan Getsueikirite) "Sometimes, it's a pain being the strongest among those who fight. Those who have the greatest power amongst their group, have the innate responsibility to ensure their own and their fellow compatriots' well-being. When they have the ability to take action, it is their duty to take action. However, while it may be a tribulation, should one of the group members fall, the burden of that loss is weighed on the strongest one's shoulders, as the one who failed to protect those under him. In this way, nobody can be blamed but yourself. But you see, it is precisely this reason why I strive to be the strongest among those around me. So then... I have nobody to blame but myself if one of my friends die on the battlefield."

Trivia

 * Seireitou's official themes are New Divide by Linkin Park and Blue Bird by Ikimono Gakari
 * Hanullim's Shikai was inspired by Itachi Uchiha's quote; "People live their lives bound by what they accept as correct and true. That's how they define "reality". But what does it mean to be "correct" or "true"? Merely vague concepts ... their "reality" may all be a mirage. Can we consider them to simply be living in their own world, shaped by their beliefs?"
 * Seireitou Kuchiki was actually a Prototype character created to try out several ideas all at once. This article is actually the completed final result of my Seireitou character.
 * Seireitou Kawahiru (Bleach Nagareboshi) is Seieitou in which he is displayed in Bleach Nagareboshi. After three years of training under Sariel, Seireitou has attained a new status.
 * Seireitou's Name comes from two places: "Seireitou" came from the words "Pure" from Sei, "Soul" or "Spirit" from rei, and tou being a popular ending given to a male's name. The surname, "Kawahiru", comes from kawa (カワ, lit. "daytime") and hiru (昼, "surrounding") which comes together as "Surrounding Daytime", relating to Seireitou's mysterious ability to make anyone reveal their inner light.
 * Seireitou's relationship with Shiori has been hinted to be on the verge of romance, though both refused to admit it. Reactions from both of them over certain events and statements have shown this.
 * According to the Bleach Nagareboshi Databook:
 * Seireitou's hobbies include meditation and martial art training.
 * Seireitou's wishes to test his strength out against Hikaru and Echo.
 * His favorite food is imagawayaki with grape filling, along with a side of miso soup. His favorite drink is hot oolong tea.
 * Seireitou's favorite phrase is "nankurunaisa" (なんくるないさ, Everything will turn out alright in the end).