Garrett Sheppard

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"No! We're not going to die tonight. When life pushes hard, I'll push back harder! My friends will make it out of here alive. I'm going to show you what happens when someone like me takes matters into their own hands. It doesn't matter if you're a Shinigami, a Hollow, or an assassin. This ends right now!"

—Garrett to Ichiro during the Second Battle of Grat.^[src]

Garrett Sheppard
Name	Garrett Sheppard
Characteristics
Race	Human
Age	Dependant: Part III: 15. Part IV: 17.
Gender	Male
Professional Status
Affiliation	Gotei 13, Shinsengumi
Occupation	Numerous: Onmitsu of the Shinsengumi Former part-time janitor at Grat University Former part-time employee at the Ridge Spiritual Shop Former part-time mechanic at Kori Autos
Team	Grat cell
Partner	Numerous: Tiffany Henderson Jenna Sheppard Randy Jones Lloyd May Ries Nohr
Previous Partner	Numerous: Hawke Kori David Kori
Base of Operations	Numerous: Grat (main) Reikai (Shinsengumi HQ)
Personal Status
Marital Status	Dating Tiffany Henderson
Education	Numerous: Grat high-school Grat University Anko & Marisa Kenji Hiroshi & Kusaka Kori
Family	Numerous: Aaron Sheppard (father) Ellie Sheppard (mother, deceased) Jenna (half-sister) David (half-brother) Jūshirō Ukitake (paternal uncle, deceased) Four paternal uncles Two paternal aunts
Status	Active
Fullbring
Fullbring	Martial Spirit

Garrett Shepard (ガレット羊), known throughout the spiritual world as "Raijin's Fist", is a spiritually aware Human capable of performing Fullbring who lives in Grat. He is the estranged son of Aaron Sheppard, and has two half-siblings, whom he supports himself following the death of Paul, who was his mother's partner. Through his father Garrett is also a member of the aristocratic Ukitake family; the late Jūshirō Ukitake was his uncle. He attended the high-school in Grat and was a semi-professional boxer and mixed martial artist, having once been a self-taught amateur. He worked a number of part-time jobs whilst still attending school but dropped out of high-school shortly after the Second Battle of Grat. Garrett would later ally himself with Kentaro Hiroshi and the resurrected Gotei 13, where he came to lead the flagship cell of the newly created Shinsengumi.

Throughout Part III of the series Garrett was a close friend of both Hawke Kori and David Kori, and fought at their side frequently against Hollow and other supernatural threats, having received his initial spiritual training from Anko Amatsuki and her sister Marisa. His crusade to protect Grat continued even after Hawke and David left to aid Kentaro Hiroshi and the Ryū Order against Oda Kōhai and his brothers. He initially fought alone but he eventually was aided in his battles by May, Lloyd and Randy Jones. Throughout this period he also regularly competed in the underground "Beatdown" competition, with a dream to emulate his father and become the "King of the Arena". Garrett eventually met and developed a romantic relationship with rogue Substitute Shinigami Tiffany Henderson, reconciled with his father, and befriended the amnesiac Ries Nohr.

Prior to The Collapse Garrett learned of the Kikkashō criminal organisation. The group had developed an interest in Tiffany and his skills and sought to recruit them, but Kenji Hiroshi intervened to arm the pair with the knowledge and skills required to protect themselves. During the Second Battle of Grat Garrett fought against the Kikkashō and Imawashī agent Ichiro. He affirmed his resolve to protect his friends from whatever threatened them and proceeded to defeat the more experienced combatant before succumbing to exhaustion. His confidence was shaken however when May -- whom he fought to protect against Ichiro -- suffered injuries that left her in a comatose state, leading Garrett to temporarily step aside from spiritual matters and focus on providing for his remaining family. Marisa, using Randy Jones's injury as a trigger, managed to break him out of his depression however and Garrett once more stepped into the role of protector when he defeated a Soulless modelled on Kentaro Hiroshi. Garrett subsequently learned from Kusaka Kori that he had dormant Shinigami potential through his father, and that the Bakkōtō modified for him by Anko Amatsuki was slowly drawing that potential to the surface.

In the aftermath of Dastan's various incursions into Grat, Garrett temporarily left his friends in order to solicit Kusaka Kori for help awakening his latent Shinigami powers. This succeeded and Garrett finalised his training under Kusaka just prior to the Third Battle of Grat, where he declared himself the Substitute Shinigami of Grat.

Appearance

Garrett is a well-toned and muscled young man in his late-teenage years. As per the beginning of what turned out to be Garrett's final year in state education, he sports shoulder-length brown hair and the beginnings of a beard, with him claiming that both require a trim. Following a year within a pocket dimension created by Sasaeru in preparation for the Arena Beatdown, Garrett grew taller and put on more muscle, in addition to growing out his hair to roughly past shoulder-length.

At school -- when he actually bothered to show up -- Garrett wore the standard uniform of Grat high-school which consists of a pair of black dress-trousers, a white shirt, and black-coloured blazer. In his free-time he usually dons a pair of jeans and casual shirts. When competing in martial arts events Garrett dons a personalised white-coloured gi that echoes his father's style, as well as the style that is favoured by Ries Nohr. His uniform sports a heavier cotton jacket and reinforced trousers, similar to gi worn in Brazilian jiu-jitsu. Kenji would later apply the symbol of a lightning bolt to the back of Garrett's gi, for he believed that people should know that it was he who trained him. Regardless of his uniform however Garrett is usually seen wearing a black leather jacket that is usually discarded prior to or shortly after entering into battle. Shortly after his battle with Vamp, which saw Garrett take ownership of the latter's Bakkōtō, he began wearing the weapon threaded through the belt of his gi in a dark-blue sheath.

Following his final training session with Kusaka Kori, Garrett awakened his own latent Shinigami abilities. Whilst in Soul form he has been shown to wear the traditional shihakushō, with his Zanpakutō threaded through his ōbi. His kosode is heavily modified compared to traditional Shinigami attire however and only covers the right-hand side, with his left arm free and uncovered and his chest area dressed in bandages. Unlike the large lightning bolt symbol displayed on his gi previously, Garrett instead had the symbol toned down and moved to his right chest area, whilst his left shoulder sports a black-coloured shoulder-plate echoing that worn by Kusaka when the latter releases Shikai.

After affiliating himself with the Shinsengumi Garrett was known to occasionally don a tatami-style combat jacket over his shihakushō.

Garrett in his school uniform.

Garrett in his gi.

Garrett in casual clothing.

Personality

"It's strange. Neither am I. I've had a lot of time to think about you and me. In fact... I wont fight. And it isn't out of fear of what you'll do to me if I did: you're my old man, at the end of the day. I don't want to fight you."

—Garrett to his father during the Arena Beatdown.^[src]

Garrett, during school hours, is a quiet young man; he seemingly prefers his own company and does not go out of his way to interact with others, with the possible exception of Randy, May and Lloyd. He later went out of his way to bond with Ries Nohr however, with the man becoming a close friend. Outside school he is confident and direct, with a slew of interests and hobbies, one of which includes painting. He describes himself "as a deft hand at the old painting and decorating business", though Randy claims that he's a shit artist whilst Tiffany notes he takes forever to finish the job. Although possessing a wide slew of interests and talents, evident from his many part-time jobs and after-school activities, Garrett is a lousy cook and often recruits his friends to do it for him. He once remarked that his food amounted to little more than burnt offerings. Both Ries and Randy don't seem to care however. Ries cites his mother's obsession with garlic as the reason, for his taste-buds have been deadened as a result.

Garrett is a semi-professional boxer and mixed-martial artist who fights in the Arena Beatdown, whilst simultaneously battling Hollow, first with Hawke and later on his own terms with help from Anko Amatsuki. He dislikes bullying of any kind and often involves himself in situations that have nothing to do with him, simply to stamp it out. This was how he met Tiffany Henderson. His opinion of her increased tremendously when he learned that she too was a mixed-martial artist like himself, and quite capable of looking after herself. He subsequently invited her to join his local gym, which she accepted. He struggles to balance his many activities as a student, part-timer worker at the Ridge Convenience Store (which doubles as a shop for Shinigami), and a semi-professional athlete; not to mention his crusade battling Hollow. His sister often has to remind him of his many commitments. After The Collapse he eventually joined the Shinsengumi which became his main source of income, thus freeing up his time considerably.

When he does take the time to converse with his friends Garrett likes to rib them, particularly Lloyd and Randy, with him and Randy partaking in mutual back-and-forth banter; even should they be in the middle of a fight. When Lloyd, who was trying to goad Garrett into voicing his opinion on how Tiffany looked, Lloyd instead claims he will ask Randy for his opinion when Garrett proves unresponsive. Garrett comically remarks: "Oh, sure. Ask the walking boner!" He further claimed that Randy would "ride a cracked plate". Garrett would quickly foster a similar relationship with Ries Nohr as to the one he shares with Randy, though with greater emphasis on the rivalry aspect. Garrett possesses his own perverted side as well however for he stared at his teacher's ass, and noted that Tiffany had a very curvaceous body; he further noted that she was very attractive. When he was injured by a Hollow and rescued by Tiffany, he woke up in her home the following morning. He discovered that she had stripped him naked in order to wash his clothes and dress his wounds, and remarked that her seeing him naked was a little one-sided. The injuries he suffers seems to be a regular thing as well. May has told him numerous times that, between Hollow and his arena fights, he is never not injured. This has gotten to the point that Garrett complains about phantom pain in his body when all his injuries where healed by Anko Amatsuki, leading Tiffany state that he has a bad habit when it comes to complaining.

Although he hides it well, Garrett suffers with a form of post-traumatic stress disorder. This stems from the death of his mother at the hands of a Hollow, whom Garrett could not differentiate from a normal Human. He visits her grave on the anniversary of her death every year. Garrett also has a strong hate for his father, going to the extremes of attempting to hit him after six years without contact. When thinking about his father he grows so angry he effectively blocks out outside noise. The two events are tied and Garrett once blamed his father for his mother's death.

However, after a year spent training with Kenji in a pocket dimension created by the orb he carried, Garrett spent much time thinking about his relationship with his father; he was willing to listen to him and follow him when Aaron asked for privacy to talk. He opted not to fight him during the Arena Beatdown, and was described by Aaron himself to have developed some maturity under Kenji's guidance and that he was very happy to see that. The following day Garrett admitted to a picture of his mother that he and his father still had a long way to go, but was glad that he and his father where talking once more. This revelation helped Garrett come to terms with his past as well: he admitted to feeling lighter, as if a weight had been lifted from his shoulders. His decision not to fight his father however meant Garrett still retained all his pent-up aggression and hatred, which he only really exercised when he violently injured the Kikkashō-turned-Imawashī assassin Ichiro, whom Garrett nearly killed with a point-blank Cero whilst in his Shinuchi state.

"... Someone or something out there nearly killed my friend. I'm going to find it. And when I do I'm going to kill it."

—Garrett to Lloyd regarding Randy's attacker.^[src]

Following The Collapse, which saw his uncle die and May enter into a comatose state, Garrett's confidence was shaken, to the point he excused himself completely from spiritual matters. He instead focused on his new jobs in order to provide for his sister, brother and Tiffany. When Randy was injured by a mysterious assailant however Garrett quickly stepped forward to exact revenge and was noted by Lloyd to "be back". During the battle both Tiffany and Marisa noted that Garrett was fundamentally similar to Kenji: Tiffany stated that his true strength could only be tapped when he was fighting to protect his close friends and family, whilst Marisa noted that Garrett's Battle Aura was nearly identical to one of Kenji's own Battle Aura "stances". Considering a Battle Aura cannot be replicated, as they are unique to the individual, this shows how much Kenji's teachings resonated with Garrett. Another result of The Collapse was the relationship Garrett developed with the amnesiac Ries (secretly Shinrei Kurosaki). The two became fierce rivals in all things and only their shared love of formula-one racing forestalled their usual fights. Perhaps because of their constant battles since The Collapse the two are capable of flawless synergy when they do decide to team-up.

Although he claims he does not fear anything, Garrett is noticeably frightened of Kusaka Kori, which Kusaka found amusing upon finding out. Kusaka was directly responsible for putting Garrett in the hospital for a week when Garrett, wishing to know more about his spiritual powers, went to Kusaka for guidance. Much later Kusaka, in his usual over-the-top method of teaching, systematically tortured and then healed Garrett over the course of several hours; Kusaka stated he did so to "show Garrett real power", though he was actually teaching him how to perform the Reīssen. Despite his misgivings regarding Kusaka, Garrett did eventually come to view him in a semi-positive light; Kusaka himself even proved to be protective of Garrett. He specifically thought of Kusaka as his mentor alongside Kenji, to the point he eventually sought out Kusaka voluntarily to help him awaken his Shinigami powers. Garrett has since conquered his fear of Kusaka though he admittingly is still wary of the man who furthered his training after Kenji.

History

"I asked you to give me some martial arts tips and you nearly fucking killed me! I was in the hospital for a week!"

—Garrett to Kusaka.^[src]

Garrett was born the son of Aaron Sheppard and his wife and took an interest in martial arts from a young age, seemingly in imitation of Aaron, who was the Arena Beatdown's reigning "King of the Arena". Garrett has two half-siblings, a younger sister and a younger brother, who are the result of an affair on his mother's part, and are thus unrelated to Aaron. In his youth Garrett dreamed of walking in his father's footsteps and set his eyes on the title he held. At the age of nine Garrett, who was already capable of interacting with spiritual phenomenon, was walking down the street with his mother when he attempted to stop an elderly lady from walking out onto a busy road, only for the woman to reveal herself as a Hollow in disguise. Garrett's mother shielded him from the Hollow and lost her life in the process, her head being cracked open on the pavement. Garrett revealed to Tiffany Henderson that this is another reason that he took up fighting. He would become an amateur boxer who was mostly self-taught, though he drifted away from his father, who did not want his son going down the path of a fighter. Garrett's teacher, Mrs. Summers, remarked that he had been absent quite often from school because of this. Despite being only nine years old himself Garrett was forced to mature rapidly. Whilst Paul became the legal guardian of Garrett and his brother and sister, Paul was busy working to pay the bills, which left Garrett at home with his siblings. He essentially raised Jenna and David from this point on.

Garrett once went to Kusaka Kori sometime before his sixteenth birthday in order to request that the latter train him in the martial arts, and also because he began using powers that where unknown to him whilst battling Hollow. Kusaka agreed and instructed Garrett in the basics of Shinigami Hakuda, though his extremely tough regime ended up putting Garrett in the hospital for a week, and he also refused to divulge information regarding Garrett's powers. This led to Garrett developing a grudge of sorts against the Shinigami that would persist well into the future. This same grudge would also play a part in Garrett refusing Kenji Hiroshi when the latter wished to take Garrett on as a student shortly after, for he assumed Kenji's training would result in the same. He eventually sought out his high-school teacher, Anko Amatsuki, to explain his powers to him, resulting in her instructing him at length after school, with help from her sister Marisa. Unknown to Garrett, however, was the fact that Anko had been tasked by Kenji to look after Garrett; Anko explained that, when Kenji helped her disappear and lead a normal life, the only condition attached to his help was that she looked out for the son of Aaron Sheppard.

After turning sixteen Garrett became the sole bread-winner in his household; to the point he found it difficult juggling his many activities. He took on a number of part-time jobs to support himself and his two siblings, with only marginal help from his estranged and absent father. One of his jobs involved working at his uncle's garage repairing cars and other related machinery, which he had been doing as early as his Fullbring training under Anko and Marisa. He grew especially close with Marisa, whom he nicknamed "Risa", during his training; to the point Randy Jones claimed that she was one of only three people Garrett would listen to. This stemmed from the nature of Garrett's relationship with Marisa however, for the two had entered into a sexual relationship despite Garrett himself being a minor at the time.

Garrett had gone seven years before eventually meeting Aaron again sometime after turning sixteen. Garrett eventually got his driving license, specifically his motorbike licence.

Synopsis

Main Article - Bleach (Kenji Hiroshi).

Part III

Main article -- Bleach: War of the Worlds Part II.

Blank period

• Revisiting the Past
• Tiffany's Flashback
• Before Awakening
• Garrett's Awakening

Part IV

Main article -- Bleach: Cataclysm.

Investigating Grat arc

• Day 1: Back to School
• Day 5: Weekend Beckons
• Day 6: The Morning After the Night Before
• Day 13: Luckless
• Day 14: Learning the Truth
• Day 18: Ghosts of Tomorrow
• Day 19: Ghosts of Yesterday
• Day 20: The Beatdown
• Day 20: The Beatdown Part II
• Day 20: The Beatdown Part III
• Day 21: New Perspectives
• Day 28: Grat Runs Red
• Day 29: Deserved Rest

Peri-Collapse Events

• Second Battle of Grat: Prelude
• Into the Fire: Garrett's Conviction
• Into the Fire: Shinrei's Sacrifice
• Second Battle of Grat: Aftermath

Rising arc

• Back to Normality?
• The Resolve to Fight
• Tracking Kentaro!?
• Garrett's Vengeance
• Birth of the Grat cell
• Clash over Grat
• Visit from the Slayer
• Rising Shadows
• Return of the Soulless
• Looking Through the Years
• The Grat cell Forges Ahead (mentioned)
• Reunions and Promises (mentioned)
• Standing Tall: Calm Before the Storm

Part V

Main article -- TBA.

Powers and Abilities

Natural abilities

Potential and Instincts: Garrett is noted by both Anko and Marisa to have potential and fantastic instincts for battle, to the point Garrett made Marisa fight seriously for a short time during his Fullbring training, despite the fact he had just learned how to use it. He was later scouted by the Imawashī criminal organisation, and was later taken on as a student by Kenji on account of his potential. Garrett's potential has even drawn the attention of Dastan Shiba, who has been notably impressed by Garrett's advancement. Even with his sensory perception blocked, Garrett was fit to identify the presence of Marisa, despite her being hidden behind Kidō barriers. Even after a month of inactivity where he barely fought anything, not even spending any time training, Garrett fought to a difficult victory over Vamp; an opponent with the fighting abilities of Kentaro Hiroshi when he fought against the original Imawashī. Following The Collapse Garrett proved himself a quick learner with an enhanced growth rate. He noted that he learned something new about his powers and abilities every time he and Ries fought, which was something he had only ever experienced before training under Kenji. According to Kusaka however Garrett is swiftly approaching the limits of his Human body and will soon reach his ceiling, which was something Garrett himself acknowledged and ultimately overcome when he awakened his own latent Shinigami abilities.

High Spiritual Energy: Garrett is a high-spec Human who is capable of performing Fullbring. He can see and interact with spiritual phenomenon fully and possesses enough spiritual power to regularly combat Hollow of varying power, even without his Fullbring prowess. His powers where considered high enough for the Kikkashō to show considerable interest in his development. After extensive training under Kenji Hiroshi his spiritual powers have matured, to the point he is fit to engage in protracted battle with Kikkashō assassins and agents; some of whom are openly stated to be Captain-class in strength. Through his father Garrett is a member of the aristocratic Ukitake family, one of the minor noble houses of Soul Society. Even when not consciously exerting reiatsu for battle purposes, Garrett constantly exudes high levels of reiatsu which his brother, David, was fit to sense. When consciously exerted in front of Kusaka the veteran warrior was highly impressed by the potency of Garrett's reiatsu. In addition to the strength of his reiatsu, Garrett possesses refined control over the ebb-and-flow of his reiryoku. His stamina and athleticism allows him to fight or train for an extended duration without tiring, though the advanced techniques taught to him by Kenji are known to exhaust him rapidly. He is notable for being fit to rapidly raise his reiryoku levels or give himself a "boost" to augment his physical attributes.

Garrett turning his reiatsu loose as a weapon.

• Advanced Reiatsu Control: Garrett can control his reiatsu surprisingly well, even before his training with Kenji took place. Tiffany failed to sense his presence when a Hollow appeared at the old cemetery where Garrett's mother was buried, despite the fact he was fighting the creature at the time. He has also learned how to control his reaitsu for a variety of offensive, defensive and supplementary means. One such is loosing his reiatsu from his clenched fists, which lends it a concussive quality.

Garrett utilizing the Mukeikyū.

• Mukeikyū (無形球, Spiritual Sphere): a personalised and highly developed sensory technique that allows Garrett to sense and perceive threats with extreme precision. It forms an invisible sphere of spiritual power around Garrett that picks up on the smallest movements and vibrations in a rough three-metre radius around his person, though he later extended this to unprecedented levels. This allows for Garrett to detect and intercept attacks easily.

Garrett utilizing Shūchūtama.

• Shūchūtama (集中弾, Focused Shot; lit. "Concentration Shot"): Garrett fires a concentrated beam of spiritual energy from either of his index-fingers, with enough potency to punch through a Hollow's hide or mask. He had the capacity to dual-fire this particular technique following his own training. After his tutelage under Kenji he learned how to split the beam into smaller streams by having the beam first travel along the ground, and could also send it into the sky for long-range attacks.

Enhanced Speed: Even without his standard high-speed movement techniques or Anika's brand of hyper-speed combat, Garrett is a fast young man capable of combating Hollow of various power. Although he is not a Shinigami he has been instructed in their brand of high-speed movement by Kenji, and uses the teachings therein in tandem with a Fullbringer's unique brand of high-speed movement. He later added Māipō to the mix sometime prior to the Second Battle of Grat. This unique three-way mixture produced a hybrid high-speed technique that enabled Garrett to keep pace with Kikkashō assassins and agents. Garrett's speed, whilst amplified by Kenji's trademark lightning-enhancement, was fit to match that of Vamp and Kikkashō agents.

Garrett chaining multiple hand-to-hand strikes together through Bringer Light.

• Enhanced Bringer Light (完現光 (ブリンガーライト), Buringā Raito; lit. "Full Manifestation Light"): Garrett has enough expertise in Fullbring to perform high-speed movement to evade an opponent's attacks, or chain attacks. He was notably fit to Fullbring the concrete to increase the height of his jumps, as well as the air to increase his speed. He can also apply Fullbring to the air around him to augment the force of his attacks. His speed saw a noticeable leap following his tutelage under Kenji, who taught him a number of speed techniques usually reserved for the Onmitsukidō. In addition he later applied Māipō to his hybrid brand of Hohō based on past and present observations of Hawke Kori and Ries Nohr.

Garrett's Utsusemi.

• Utsusemi (空蝉, Cast-Off Cicada Shell): an after-image technique utilised to escape from harm whilst moving at high-speed to confuse the opponent, who are often left thinking that they have struck down their foe. It was one of many techniques taught to Garrett by Kenji and utilised by the former as part of his own interpretation of Anika Shihōin's hybrid combat form, which he subsequently used to great effect.

Hakuda Expertise: In the beginning Garrett was a self-taught mixed-martial-artist who fought in the unsanctioned Beatdown circuit. Garrett's various martial arts included boxing, taekwondo, and capoeira. He got his start in Hakuda at the hands of Kusaka Kori in a rather brutal fashion, which resulted in Garrett's hospitalisation. Even so he learned enough to mix it with his existing skills. Garrett's advanced application impressed Marisa who, by age and experience, should not have been forced to fight him as seriously as she did. Garrett later agreed to allow Kenji to tutor himself and Tiffany in various advanced techniques utilised by the higher echelons of the Onmitsukidō, which resulted in a massive leap forward in his skills in a short period of time. In the wake of his training Garrett became a fully-fledged Hakuda practitioner, with abilities akin to the Onmitsukidō. His application and skill in utilising Anika's hybrid style under Kenji's guidance proved to be superior to the Rōjin-trained Imawashī, resulting in Garrett's victory over Ichiro. Garrett's skills atrophied slightly following The Collapse, but he nevertheless managed to defeat Vamp, who was an opponent possessing the combat abilities of Kentaro Hiroshi when he fought the original Imawashī. After three weeks constant fighting with Soulless and sparring sessions with Ries, Garrett's skills again saw a noticeable increase, and the two fought to a stalemate before demonstrating perfect synergy in their team-attacks.

Enhanced Endurance & Stamina: Garrett suffered numerous deep claw-like lacerations centred around his left shoulder-blade whilst battling a Hollow, which didn't overly inconvenience him. He also fought and dispatched a Hollow with the ability to duplicate itself without tiring. He later took the full-brunt of an energy-based attack from Ichiro and suffered only a deep gash in his shoulder, which he was fit to ignore for a brief time. In this same instance he was fit to utilize both his Shinuchi and hyper-speed long enough to flee with May, though he was rendered unconscious shortly after crashing through Anko's window. He later retained consciousness despite a gruelling battle with Vamp and extended usage of not only his Battle Aura but his lightning-enhancement as well.

Garrett blocking Ichiro's Zanpakutō with his bare fist.

Enhanced Strength & Durability: Garrett possesses notably high-levels of raw physical strength. His blows carry enough force to wind Hollow and he can send even large ones trailing backwards with a single thrust-kick. He was capable of holding his entire body-weight on one arm whilst clinging to an exterior stair-case several feet above ground-level and still fight back with his free-hand. After training with Kenji he was capable of moving at incredible speeds whilst carrying the much larger and heavier Randy on his back, seemingly without effort. He was also fit to lift Ries off his feet and send him into the air with a single heel-kick. His body is likewise conditioned through his years of martial-arts training. He has demonstrated the ability to fight even with debilitating wounds, only losing consciousness when he knew himself to be safe. This suggests that he can override pain and fatigue through sheer willpower should he need to. Following his training with Kenji his durability has progressed to the point that he could stop a blade with his fist or forearm alone. Garrett's strength under his lightning-enhancement is enough to cause widespread cratering of the ground when he slammed Vamp into the street. Garrett later survived the highly dangerous process of awakening his own Shinigami powers.

Shinuchi

Garrett's appearance changes drastically upon invoking his Shinuchi form.

Garrett was trained extensively in Anika's hybrid style by Kenji. One of the tools Garrett learned to invoke through this training was the Shinuchi, which is a heightened state that is a Hakuda specialists equivalent to Bankai. It drew upon the Hollow power within his blood to drastically augment his powers, creating a state comparable to Hollowfication. Garrett has yet to reveal the name of his Shinuchi but when tapped it manifests in a form akin to a Clad-type Fullbring. Garrett appears Arrancar-like due to the presence of black-coloured mask fragments on either side of his face, which are often associated with a Resurrección's adoption of visible Estigma. His body and hair become enshrouded in wispy black reiatsu, for he literally wears his powers on the surface of his skin. As of yet he has yet to fully familiarize himself with Shinuchi, and can only maintain it for short periods of time before rapidly tiring and succumbing to exhaustion. His endurance his improved marginally however for he showed heightened reserves against Kusaka. His endurance was further bolstered when he awakened his Shinigami abilities though to what level remains unclear.

• Power Augmentation: Whilst it remains unclear just how much his physical and spiritual parameters are boosted by his Shinuchi, Garrett was fit to immediately overpower and almost kill Ichiro. Even with his Shinuchi however Garrett was no match for the likes of Kusaka.

• Enhanced Endurance: Garrett was fit to ignore his existent injuries temporarily, to the point he appeared to be completely desensitised to pain. His limits where realised when he fought against Kusaka, requiring Garrett to be healed numerous times by his opponent, just so that he could continue the battle.

• Hollow Powers and Abilities: Garrett becomes capable of invoking a number of abilities usually restricted to Hollow, Arrancar or the Visored.

• Cero: Garrett's Shinuchi taps his Hollow blood to the fullest, allowing him to utilize the signature attack of a Hollow and Arrancar. His Cero is fired from his palm or closed fist and is dark-red in colouration, with enough potency to grievously injure Ichiro.

• Complete State: Whilst an unofficial term Garrett has demonstrated the ability to merge his Shinuchi and Battle Aura together, whilst employing the simultaneous enhancements of his Fullbring and lightning-enhancement, which he first used against Kusaka.

• Enhanced Reīssen: This enhanced state allows Garrett to produce a heightened Reīssen which encompasses the entirety of his spiritual energy. Kusaka dispelled it with a single hand however, but was impressed by its strength and stated as much to Garrett.

Shinigami abilities

Expert Battle-centric Kidō Practitioner: Garrett received minimal training in the art of Shinigami spell-craft from Kenji over the course of a year, as part of his training to replicate Anika Shihōin's unique hybrid form of combat. His Kidō abilities serve as the corner-stone of this advanced combat style, as one must electrically stimulate their nervous system to enhance their body to the levels required. Garrett's use of lightning Kidō as a supplementary force, combined with his Martial Spirit Fullbring, greatly enhances his neural synapses during battle, which greatly augments his physical attributes, reaction times and thought processes. His use of Martial Spirit was later rendered unneeded per the awakening of his Shinigami powers, which produced a heightened power-up in comparison with fewer trade-offs. This enhancement allowed him to engage Ichiro in battle and severely wound him. This is notable for Ichiro is a Captain-class Shinigami and an experienced assassin later scouted by the Imawashī criminal organisation to combat the Six Directions and Blades of Night's Veil. Despite being capable of contending with Captain-class individuals Garrett was ultimately no match for the likes of Kusaka. In addition to combat applications Garrett also proved himself capable of stripping away the Kidō barriers of Marisa that was rendering her invisible.

• Ansatsujutsu (暗殺術, Art of Assassination), known to Garrett as Anika's hybrid style, are the various techniques and fighting abilities taught to Garrett by Kenji Hiroshi to prepare him for battle against the Kikkashō. These techniques where usually restricted to the higher echelons of the Onmitsukidō. Kusaka noted that his mother's techniques where not intended to be used by Humans, which Garrett himself came to realise, but Kenji foresaw this as well by teaching Garrett his own brand of lightning-enhancement which enhanced Garrett's body to the levels required. Anika's hybrid style became Garrett's preferred method of close-quarters combat and his skill in utilising it was such he was capable of defeating Ichiro, who was himself trained in the style by Rōjin. Garrett was able to switch at will between active techniques, for he switched from the speed-oriented Shinjisoku to the battle-oriented Shunkō during the Second Battle of Grat, and again demonstrated this technique during his ordeal with Kusaka. The various drawbacks associated with his early use of these techniques have lessened considerably following the awakening of his latent Shinigami powers.

• Lightning-enhancement: the form of lightning-enhancement practised by Garrett is identical to the trademark ability of Kenji Hiroshi. By using a subtle form of supplementary Kidō to electrically stimulate his nervous system, Garrett can temporarily enhance all of his abilities which, in the beginning, came at the expense of heightened fatigue. Garrett's lightning-enhancement also stacked with his Fullbring, Battle Aura and Shinuchi, albeit with an extreme stamina cost. The stamina issues where resolved when he awakened his Shinigami powers.

• Enhanced Strength: Garrett's already high strength is bolstered by his lightning-enhancement, enough to match the likes of Ries when Garrett was still in his Human body.

• Enhanced Speed: Garrett's speed is augmented by his lightning-enhancement, enough to match the likes of Ries when Garrett was still in his Human body.

• Enhanced Endurance: As explained by Kusaka the techniques employed by his mother where never meant to be used by Humans, which is why Garrett's stamina was sapped so quickly when utilising the advanced techniques of her hybrid style. Kenji's trademark lightning-enhancement however temporarily strengthened Garrett's body and desensitised him to pain somewhat, allowing him to utilise the techniques for a short period without his body giving out. This what later rectified when he acquired his own Shinigami powers.

• Shinjisoku (神事速, Godlike Speed): this technique is an example of Garrett's battle-centric approach to Kidō. Shinjisoku, like Shunkō and Shukuchi, is an advanced technique described as the pinnacle of Hohō, which can be expressed in multiple elemental forms like lightning and wind; Garrett's form is represented by lightning and mimics the lightning enhancement favoured by Kenji. The abilities demonstrated by Garrett against Vamp greatly impressed Arata, who remarked as much to Dastan Shiba.

• Hyper-speed Combat: By focusing even more Kidō to his leg muscles Garrett can temporarily reach speeds where he becomes all but untraceable even to Captain-class combatants. This technique allowed him to traverse a large portion of Grat nearly instantaneously but he has yet to learn how to properly control his trajectory when moving.

• Shunkō (瞬閧, Flash War Cry): this technique is an example of Garrett's battle-centric approach to Kidō. Shunkō, like Shinjisoku and Onigiri, is an advanced technique described as the pinnacle of Hakuda, which can be expressed in multiple elemental forms like fire and lightning; Garrett's form is represented by lightning and mimics the lightning enhancement favoured by Kenji.

Garrett attacking Ichiro with Shunkō.

• Immense Strength: Whilst under the effects of Shunkō, which drives pressurised Kidō into the practitioner's back and shoulders, Garrett can unleash devastatingly powerful punches; enough to rupture the internal organs of a Captain-class combatant. When he pile-drived Vamp into the street of Grat from a height Garrett cratered a significant portion of the surrounding area. The abilities demonstrated by Garrett against Vamp greatly impressed Arata, who remarked as much to Dastan Shiba.

Garrett's Bakkōtō charged with lightning-based Kidō.

• Onigiri (鬼斬り, Demon Sword): this technique is an example of Garrett's battle-centric approach to Kidō. Onigiri, like Shinjisoku and Shunkō, is an advanced technique described as the pinnacle of Zanjutsu without venturing into Jinzen mastery, which can be expressed in multiple elemental forms like fire and lightning; Garrett's form is represented by lightning and mimics the lightning enhancement favoured by Kenji. Onigiri was the sole technique of Anika's style that placed no strain on Garrett's Human body prior to his acquirement of Shinigami abilities, and was thus his go-to-technique when close-quarters sword-fighting was necessary.

• Enhanced Reīssen: A variation of Onigiri created when Garrett combined Kusaka's Fullbring with his existing skills. When used in this manner the Reīssen surrounds the blade and lends Garrett's attacks a burning quality, for the heat exhibited instantly cauterised the wounds he inflicted on the Soulless when he sliced through their limbs. Following his acquirement of Shinigami powers the Reīssen remained in Garrett's arsenal but was now wind-elemental.

Enhanced Durability: Garrett's already impressive durability is bolstered yet further in his Shinigami form. He suffered no ill effects after having been slammed into the ground by Kusaka though Garrett noted that Kusaka was, indeed, holding back.

Enhanced Speed: Garrett's already impressive speed is bolstered yet further in his Shinigami form. He was capable of reacting to Kusaka's attacks with enough clarity to offer reprisals of his own, which was something he was incapable of doing even when his Human body was enhanced by his various alternate forms and combat techniques.

Wan'nesu: Although a form of swordsmanship Garrett was capable of adapting the teachings and techniques to Anika's hybrid form of combat, thus creating a Hakuda style never-before-seen. This does not mean Garrett cannot use said techniques as they where intended however. Garrett later used the Wan'nesu as his sole style of swordsmanship when he came into possession of Vamp's old Bakkōtō, and was described by Anko to be "familiar" with a sword, but then noted that this wasn't surprising considering who his teacher was. Like the Yuengiri of old Garrett is a precise and graceful swordsman with absolutely no wasted movement; his attacks are pin-point and strong, with enough power to casually loop off the limbs of the durable Soulless. Garrett's skills regarding the Wan'nesu saw further improvement when he solicited Kusaka for aid awakening his Shinigami powers, and he adopted many of the more forceful applications favoured heavily by the legendary Sword Demon. As far as traditional Zanjutsu is concerned Garrett is a novice in everything but Jinzen -- he managed to communicate with and learn the name of his Zanpakutō shortly after awakening his Shinigami powers.

Garrett dons his Battle Aura.

• Battle Aura: Garrett's Battle Aura cloaks him in shadowy snake-like streams of cyan-coloured reiatsu, which follow his movements to allow Garrett to attack at mid-to-long-range, which is similar in function to Kenji's own Byakko stance. It imposes a physical transformation upon him; his hair spikes up and becomes wispy, almost like it was on fire, with a single horn on his forehead.

• Enhanced Spiritual Energy: Garrett was noted by Tiffany to "be giving off some wild power" whilst using his Battle Aura, which ultimately allowed him to defeat Vamp in a close contest. He was ultimately no match for the likes of Kusaka however.

• Enhanced Speed: Garrett's speed was increased drastically -- to the point it started to tear the muscles of his Human body -- and allowed him to outmanoeuvre Ichiro. Kusaka effortlessly outpaced him however. The negative effect on his body was eliminated upon the awakening of his Shinigami power, as his Soul form became his go-to state for battle.

• Soul Manipulation (霊操縦, Reisōjū): Garrett was introduced to this high-level technique by Kenji. Garrett likens the practice to Fullbring but taken to an entirely higher level, which eventually allows the practitioner to commune with the spirits in nature. Garrett's skill-level, whilst mostly unclear, is of a high enough level that he can experience the history of an area and certain people through visions shared by the spirits.

Zanpakutō

Garrett wielding his Bakkōtō, which was later modified by Anko Amatsuki to be a Zanpakutō.

Fūjin (風神, Wind God). When the Soulless-like creature known as Vamp almost killed Randy Jones he did so with a katana-like sword, which Vamp was again seen with when he attempted to attack Garrett and Marisa on a rooftop. During the subsequent battle Garrett successfully disarmed Vamp and the weapon, which Marisa liberated upon Vamp's defeat, was shockingly identified as a Bakkōtō by her.

Garrett took possession of the Bakkōtō afterwards and presented it to Anko for study, who modified the weapon using the same techniques employed by Kenji and her father Bansui. Not only did Anko craft for it a dark-blue sheath, but she also removed all of its parasitic qualities, and in her own words described it as being closer to a Zanpakutō in function than a Bakkōtō now. Garrett's familiarity with the Bakkōtō, even in a short period, allowed him to use it as a medium to channel Kusaka's Fullbring and Reīssen. Kusaka later revealed that Anko turned the Bakkōtō into an Asauchi, one which would begin the process of awakening Garrett's latent Shinigami powers through him imprinting his soul upon the weapon.

Once Garrett awakened his latent Shinigami powers under Kusaka's tutelage his modified Bakkōtō became a fully functional Zanpakutō with the name Fūjin.

• Shikai: Garrett releases his Zanpakutō with the command "Rise" (高まり, takamari).

Shikai Special Ability: Garrett's Zanpakutō is wind-elemental and has thus far been shown surrounding Garrett's body in potent wind currents, and he can control these selfsame currents to attacks and cut individuals as powerful as Kusaka.

• Reīssen (霊一閃, Soul Flash): a technique usually restricted to the Kori clan; said technique usually exists as an ability inherent in the user's Zanpakutō. Garrett gained access to the Reīssen, which is shown to manifest as a wave-like attack that was firstly launched from his Bakkōtō, through Kusaka granting him full access to his Fullbring's abilities. He later demonstrated similar skill with the technique as Kusaka has in the past, for he has developed alternate uses for the technique; namely unknowingly mimicking the Onigiri-style favoured by Tadashi Kori. Once Garrett awakened his own latent Shinigami powers the Reīssen has seemingly merged with Garrett's Fūjin, which now produces a wind-elemental wave-like attack with extreme cutting power.

• Bankai: Not achieved. Garrett uses Shinuchi instead.

Disused Powers and Abilities

Fullbring

Martial Spirit (武人気質, Bujinkatagi, lit. "The Spirit of True Warriors") is the name of Garrett's Fullbring. Garrett is capable of invoking Fullbring but seems to mainly utilize it for means of high-speed movement and self-augmentation, preferring the use of his martial-arts instead and, later, Anika's hybrid style of advanced Hakuda. This is due to the unique nature of Garrett's Fullbring however. As a martial artist devoted to the honing of his skills, his actual physical body serves as the Focus of his Fullbring, as noted by Anko Amatsuki. In battle he uses his Fullbring constantly to augment his physical parameters; to the point he was fit to match the likes of Ichiro when combined with Kidō, himself a Captain-class Shinigami, when Garrett himself was a mere Human. Garrett was guided through his Fullbring training by Anko Amatsuki and her sister Marisa, and was later put through Hollowfication-themed training by Kenji Hiroshi so that he could utilize his Shinuchi more effectively and fight with the mindset of a Hollow. Garrett's Fullbring is also compatible with his Battle Aura and Shinuchi, producing heightened ceilings of power. Anko notes that the trade-off however is increased fatigue; this fatigue increases further when Fullbring is used alongside Garrett's other states. When Garrett awakened his latent Shinigami powers his use of Fullbring beyond specialised techniques of his own invention and Bringer Light dropped significantly.

• Power Transference (権威転移, Keniteni): Fullbringer's are capable of easily sharing their powers with others of their kind, whilst imposing sanctions on how that power affects the recipient. As a "reward" for surviving his initial training Kusaka Kori eventually allowed Garrett access to the abilities of his Weapon-type Fullbring sometime following The Collapse, with no restrictions or downsides on Garrett's part.

Relationships and affiliations

Relationships

Tiffany Henderson

Main article -- Tiffany Henderson.

Tiffany kissing Garrett on the cheek.

Although he said nothing at the time, Garrett thought that Tiffany was an attractive girl when he first saw her. After her first day at school Garrett intervened on her behalf when others of their class where attempting to bully her. The weekend after he met her Garrett learned that Tiffany was a mixed-martial artist like himself as well as a Shinigami. The fact she could look after herself impressed him. That night Tiffany rescued him from a Hollow and treated his wounds. This marked the beginning of their relationship; Garrett asked her to go to the cinema with him, which she accepted.

The pair began dating after this, though Hollow attacks continued to upset their plans. Their budding relationship prompted Garrett to end his physical relationship with Marisa so he could pursue Tiffany. When Garrett was attacked by a particularly tricky Hollow Tiffany, who was talking to him on the phone at the time, was notably worried for him. They met up for a night-cap in the wake of this incident to avoid Garrett's siblings asking them awkward questions, subsequently spending the night together. Tiffany correctly deduced that their relationship was initially built solely on adrenaline; she noted that trust would only begin to form after Garrett opened up to her regarding the death of his mother. When Garrett's father, Aaron Sheppard, made a reappearance, Tiffany remained at Garrett's side to offer him her support. She eventually helped him to reconcile with his father. Aaron correctly deduced that Garrett was no longer fighting to gain his approval, but rather to protect those people who where dear to him.

The two are now in a full-blown relationship; Garrett has more-or-less moved into Tiffany's apartment, and spends more time there with her than at home. Following The Collapse however the two spent a month apart, but the two continued to miss the other. The year inside the pocket dimension created by Sasaeru served to strengthen their relationship, resulting in playful back-and-forth banter between the pair. Randy described them as "sickening". Even Ries agreed with Lloyd when the latter stated that they could have found a more romantic setting to "make lovey-dovey faces at each other". The mere threat on Tiffany's life by Ichiro, coupled by his attack on May, threw Garrett into a vengeful onslaught that resulted in his blasting a Cero through Ichiro's body. Tiffany herself was surprised by how much she came to care for not only Garrett but his friends, whom she promptly identified as her own friends as well.

Hawke Kori

Main article -- Hawke Kori.

"I'm going to do to you what Hawke would do to you if he where here. Cero!"

—Garrett to Ichiro, regarding Hawke's feelings for May.^[src]

Hawke and Garrett where best friends whom Anko described as being "thick as thieves". The two shared an interest in the martial arts and often trained together when not competing in various underground fighting competitions. Tiffany remarks that Garrett speaks very fondly of Hawke and sometimes feels a little out of the loop because she had yet to meet him. Garrett almost killed Ichiro for his attack on May, remarking that he would do what Hawke would do if he where here, before proceeding to rip a Cero through Ichiro's body.

Ries Nohr

Main article -- Shinrei Kurosaki.

Garrett and Ries viewed one-another as rivals and often competed against each other, despite being good friends.

Garrett initially thought little of Ries; he was the man responsible for severely injuring Randy in a Beatdown match. Garrett opened up to Ries after the latter healed Randy of the injuries he inflicted upon him however, and invited him to join them for a movie instead of fighting. Ries accepted. The next day Garrett encountered Ries sparring alone, and asked if he wanted a partner. Although their fight grew more heated than a sparring match should have been, they nevertheless bonded as Ries soon explained his amnesia. When the entire group bunked off school to rest after a week battling Hollow, it was Garrett who invited Ries to join them.

Garrett is thus far unaware that Ries is, in fact, Shinrei Kurosaki, and the son of his teacher, Kenji, and that he was planted amongst the group by Kenji to protect them from the Kikkashō. He was notably frightened when he sensed Shinrei release his potent reiatsu during a widespread Hollow invasion of Grat, though he failed to realise who the reiatsu belonged to. After Shinrei suffered genuine amnesia following The Collapse, thus embracing the Ries persona and forgetting the mission given to him by Kenji, he became one of Garrett's staunchest allies and a fierce rivalry developed between them. The two shared an interest in formula-one however and this was often the one thing the two enjoyed that did not involve them competing with each other. Their rivalry became a point of topic amongst their allies, for neither Tiffany or May where surprised when the two ended up coming to blows during their mission to suppress Soulless activity in Grat, but this same rivalry and familiarity with each other's fighting abilities resulted in magnificent synergy when they did work as a team.

Kenji Hiroshi

Main article -- Kenji Hiroshi.

"Garrett caught his jacket and pulled it free, where he allowed it to fall to the floor far below. He angled his back towards Ichiro just enough for the man to see the stylised lightning bolt emblazoned on the back of his gi. For the first time since this battle started Garrett saw surprise register in Ichiro's face for more than a few seconds."

—Excerpt from Into the Fire: Garrett's Conviction where Garrett reveals Kenji as his teacher.^[src]

Garrett's relationship with Kenji was initially poor because he painted Kenji with the same brush he painted Kusaka, meaning Garrett was actually frightened of the duo. Kenji, for his part, acted like an uncle to Garrett and liked to poke fun at him; this was especially true regarding his relationship with Tiffant. That being said Garrett eventually allowed Kenji to train him and the two fostered a deep teacher-student relationship, with Garrett adopting many of Kenji's trademark abilities. Even before this Kenji was willing to reprimand Aaron Sheppard, Garrett's father, on behalf of Garrett, whilst protecting him from the latter. He proudly displays the lightning bolt his teacher uses as his symbol on the back of his gi, though he initially disliked it. Garrett's respect for Kenji was made clearly apparent during his battle with Ichiro, for he claimed that Ichiro's style -- which was that of Kenji's late mentor Anika Shihōin and one heavily favoured by Kenji himself -- was so lacklustre that Kenji would have cried had he seen it, whilst Anika would have likely turned in her grave.

Kusaka Kori

Main article -- Kusaka Kori.

"It was the longest night of Garrett's life. Over the course of several hours Kusaka systematically battered, healed and then battered Garrett again, before healing him up to perfect health once more. Every time he did so he encouraged Garrett to fight; his Battle Aura, his Bakkōtō, his Shinuchi. All of it together. Kusaka met it each time with overwhelming force the likes of which Garrett had never seen before! Nothing even Kenji had thrown at him equalled what Kusaka was doing to him now."

—Excerpt from Visit from the Slayer, showing Kusaka torturing Garrett.^[src]

Garrett's greatest fear is Kusaka. The man once hospitalised Garrett during their early training sessions to harness Garrett's Fullbring. The treatment he received at Kusaka's hands played a large role in how Garrett initially behaved towards Kenji -- who showed an interest in training him properly. Even after The Collapse Garrett remained fearful whilst in Kusaka's company and was notably keen not to upset him. Garrett's fear was again reinforced when Kusaka gifted him access to his own Fullbring and subsequently and systematically tortured Garrett so he'd develop the need required to produce his own Reīssen. Kusaka's disregard for protocol led him to reveal Garrett's latent Shinigami potential and, when questioned on how this was possible, Kusaka revealed Aaron's history as a Captain as a means of paying Aaron back for an unspecified slight. Garrett later conquered his fear of Kusaka but still remained wary of his teacher.

Randy Jones

Main article -- Randy Jones.

"He'll be okay. Although it was nothing my husband and I did. Randy sensed Garrett. It's the only explanation we can think of. Randy had flat-lined... we had accepted that he was gone. But the second Garrett's reiatsu flared, Randy's heart started beating, and he rallied back."

—Randy's mother explains Randy's recovery to Lloyd.^[src]

Although good friends Garrett and Randy enjoy back-and-forth insults of one-another. Garrett comically referred to Randy as "a walking boner", and later claimed that he would "ride a cracked plate". Regardless of this Randy was willing to drop everything and rush to Garrett's aid when informed by Tiffany that he was in trouble. When Randy was injured under mysterious circumstances Garrett immediately rushed to the hospital to get the details from Lloyd, before then setting out to get revenge. Randy came close to succumbing to his wounds and dying but after unconsciously reacting to Garrett's surging reiatsu during the latter's battle with Vamp, Randy rallied back, and later made a complete recovery. Randy's mother openly admitted to Lloyd that Randy would have died without Garrett.

Lloyd

Main article -- Lloyd.

Garrett and Lloyd are old friends. Lloyd has known Garrett long enough to be aware of the circumstances surrounding the death of Garrett's mother, offering to copy notes for his friend so he could visit his mother's grave. He was also the one who initially brought Garrett's attention to Tiffany Henderson, resulting in them getting together.

May

Main article -- May.

Garrett and May share a close and personal bond with one another, with Garrett often going to her for help before anyone else. This goes beyond mere treatment of his injuries however. May has known him longer than even his birth-born siblings, having grown up alongside him. She knows when he is in pain, describing him as complicated, and it fully capable of making judgement calls on how she thinks he will react to certain things. Garrett is thus protective of May; to the point he willingly threw himself into the path of an assassin's blade to keep her from harm, not once but twice. He then violently attacked said assassin when he actually did succeed in attacking her. May's injuries however resulted in her entering a comatose state, despite Anko successfully treating her wounds, and this greatly shook Garrett's confidence. It took a period of roughly a month for Garrett to overcome his doubt and enter into spiritual matters once more.

Anko and Marisa Amatsuki

Main article -- Anko Amatsuki & Marisa Amatsuki.

Garrett came to Anko's attention through her teaching job at Grat high-school. The two where aware of each other's spiritual abilities, resulting in Garrett coming to her for advice regarding his then unexplained Fullbring. For a time she served as a confident regarding the spiritual world at large before Garrett's training at the hands of Kenji, though she continued to look out for him. Garrett trusted her with not only his own life but that of his friends. Following his battle with Ichiro he took the injured May to Anko's office for aid, before succumbing to exhaustion and passing out on her floor.

Garrett's relationship with Marisa is far more casual than the one he shares with her sister Anko. Marisa, whom Garrett affectionately refers to as Risa, initially thought little of Garrett, believing that he was hotheaded and reckless. During his Fullbring training however Garrett proved himself a skilled combatant who was capable of matching Marisa in combat, which greatly impressed her. Marisa stated playfully that she might just visit him again whilst Garrett claimed he enjoyed watching her. Shortly after the two entered into an intense physical relationship that persisted until Garrett began dating Tiffany Henderson. Following The Collapse the pair have grown beyond their former physical relationship into a trusting friendship, though Marisa still enjoys teasing Garrett when given the chance. Despite this Marisa is clearly the adult in the relationship and often acts as a guide to keep Garrett's headstrong tendencies in check.

Affiliations

Garrett's family

Main article -- Garrett's family.

Garrett's family is and always has been his primary concern though his father, Aaron Sheppard, was a sore spot for many years. He often worked part-time jobs in addition to his schoolwork in order to supplement his uncle's wages and provide his siblings additional pocket money, to the point his sister, Jenna, had to often remind him of his working schedule. In addition he eventually reconciled with his father following his training under Kenji Hiroshi, resulting in a healthier relationship between father and son. After The Collapse, which resulted in the death of Garrett's uncle, Garrett withdrew completely from spiritual affairs as the responsibility of his families finances fell into his lap. He eventually made a return however as the leader of the Grat cell of Onmitsu attached to the Shinsengumi, which also secured finacial stability for his family.

Grat cell

Main article -- Grat cell.

The Grat cell was the flagship team of Onmitsu attached to the Shinsengumi, and was built around Garrett's core group of friends. The team comprised Garrett himself, Tiffany, Lloyd, Randy, May and Ries, and was supported occasionally by Marisa and Anko Amatsuki. Garrett and his team fought against spiritual threats long before the Shinsengumi was even formed by Sanada Shirono however, with Hawke Kori as the original leader, followed after by Garrett himself.

Behind the Scenes

• Garrett's name is inspired by two playable characters in Golden Sun and Mass Effect respectively. His first name is an elongated version of Garet, who is the flame-wielding Adept in Golden Sun. His surname, Sheppard, is inspired by Commander Shepard from Mass Effect. The author's original online alias before making an account on wikia (which was used mainly on fanfiction.net) was also Garrett.

• Garrett was originally the main protagonist of a separate and now defunct series, which was revived on the sister-site, with a different version of the author's former primary protagonist, Kenji Hiroshi.

• The author liked Garrett's character so much however he decided to bring him into his main universe from Part IV onwards, as a classmate of two of his primary supporting characters, Hawke and David. He was linked to the main cast due to his friendship with the aforementioned, who are the children of Kusaka and Kireina Kori.

• Garrett would later become the primary protagonist in a stand-alone mini-series, which began with the Investigating Grat arc, which takes place in-and-around Grat. This story leads into the Second Battle of Grat and is a companion piece to both Bleach: Cataclysm and The Collapse on a whole. This mini-series spawned an immediate sequel dubbed Into the Fire, which goes into greater detail regarding Garrett and his friends personal struggles during the Second Battle of Grat. Positive reactions to his character and development also ensured that the author brought him into the story following the 2015 retcon to Bleach (Kenji Hiroshi), which culminated in the release of The Rising. From that point Garrett shares the protagonist role with Kentaro Hiroshi.

• Garrett's character was further explored when he was written into the Blank period of Bleach: War of the Worlds, known as Part III in-story, which is set towards the end of Kusaka's sixteen-year exile and thus quite close to the events of Bleach: Cataclysm.

• In the original script Garrett was a jack-of-all-trades-type who inherited Quincy powers from his father and Hollow powers from his mother. He was also a Shinigami and recognised as the Substitute Shinigami of Grat. In the new canon Garrett is instead a Fullbringer with little-to-no ties with the Soul Society. His wider family, with the exception of a younger half brother and sister, is also left ambiguous.

• As the story unfolded, and Garrett's negative relationship with his father was addressed, certain details regarding Garrett's father came to light. Thus Aaron Sheppard was introduced to the story, first as a tertiary antagonist, before transitioning into a recurring and somewhat reluctant ally to his son. Aaron himself was revealed to be a former Captain of the Gotei 13, specifically serving during Shori Keihatsu's rebellion, which not only tied Garrett to the solo works of the author but also to the joint works penned by Kenji, Razo, APS and Ashy.

• Garrett's focus on Hakuda as his primary form of combat was inspired by Seireitou Kawahiru on TBF's sister-site. The author of the aforementioned article, Sei, also provided advice and tips regarding Garrett's mixed-martial arts. This also included use of Sei's Shinuchi and Hakuda pages. Garrett's character was further linked to the history of the author's works through his inheritance of Anika Shihōin's combat style.

• Garrett's Shinuchi was originally based on the Dark Knight job shown in Final Fantasy XIV. The Dark Knight job is the author's favourite job in the Final Fantasy series, and alternate job whilst playing Final Fantasy XIV (his main being a Dragoon). "Grit" is a Dark Knight's "tanking stance", whilst "Darkness" is their "damage stance". Only when both stances are used together can one use all of a Dark Knight's offensive and defensive techniques. "Scourge", "Unleash", "Reprisal" and "Delirium" are also techniques utilized by a Dark Knight; "Scourge" is a damage-over-time attack, "Unleash" is a ranged enmity gatherer, "Reprisal" is a counter-based attack which lowers a foe's damage output, whilst "Delirium" is the last of a three-hit combination that reduces a target's intelligence.

• The above was later changed, with Garrett's Shinuchi becoming more like a Clad-type Fullbring with access to advanced Hollow and Arrancar abilities. This was done after some brainstorming with the author's cousin, who pointed out that his Shinuchi's description (which was retained) tapped his Hollow power in his blood to the fullest.

• Whilst Seireitou Kawahiru served as the primary inspiration for the creation of a predominately Hakuda-focused character, Garrett's actual fighting skills draw heavily from a number of fictitious movie characters. His status as an ambidextrous boxer who possesses the qualities of an inside fighter, brawler, and swarmer was drawn from Rocky Balboa from the Rocky film series and, to a lesser extent, the real-life Rocky Marciano. His use of Taekwondo was drawn from mixed-martial artist Jake Tyler from the film Never Back Down, who also began as a boxer before transitioning into mixed-martial arts.

Trivia

• Garrett's hobbies include painting and watching movies.