Rukia Kuchiki (Darknesslover5000)

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"My Zanpakutō's name is Sode no Shirayuki. Remember it, if nothing else."

—Rukia, revealing Shikai to an opponent

Rukia Kuchiki
ShinigamiShinigami | GigaiGigai
Name	Rukia Kuchiki
Kanji	朽木 ルキア
Romaji	Kuchiki Rukia
Characteristics
Race	Shinigami
Birthday	January 14
Age	150+ (assumed)
Gender	Female
Height	144 cm (4'8½")
Weight	33 kg (73 lbs.)
Professional Status
Affiliation	Gotei 13, Soul Society, Kuchiki Family
Occupation	Lieutenant of the Kidō Corps
Team	Kidō Corps
Previous Team	Kidō Corps
Partner	none
Base of Operations	Gotei 13
Personal Status
Marital Status	Single
Relatives	Hisana (older sister, deceased) Genshirō Kuchiki (adoptive older brother)
Education	Shinō Academy
Status	Active
Zanpakutō
Shikai	Sode no Shirayuki
Bankai	Hakka no Togame

Note: The information listed below is a fanwork based on Rukia Kuchiki, and thus, will only be used in works of the author unless permission is given by another user.

Rukia Kuchiki (朽木 ルキア, Kuchiki Rukia) is a member of one of the Soul Society's four noble clans, the Kuchiki Clan. Rukia is the younger sister of Hisana, and the adopted younger sister of Genshirō Kuchiki, who adopted the girl into the clan by a century prior to the beginning of the story. She serves as the Vice Kidō Chief (副鬼道長, Fuku Kidōchō), the second-in-command of the Kidō Corps. Her Captain is Genshirō himself, who serves as the Kidō Corps Commander (鬼道衆 総帥, Kidōshū Sōshi) and Grand Kidō Chief (大鬼道長, Dai Kidōchō).

Appearance

Short and petite, Rukia is one of the shortest characters in Bleach. She has pale skin, violet-colored eyes, and black hair, with one strand of hair always hanging between her eyes. As a Shinigami in the Gotei 13, she wears the standard Shihakushō (死覇装; Garment of Dead Souls), though in the Human World living, she wears various clothes, typically procured from Entenryū's Green Dragon Shop. While her hair was initially worn to neck length in the past, Rukia grew her hair to mid-shoulder length black hair which is well kept. It is tied into two pigtails with light purple hair-ties on each pigtail. After her promotion to a lieutenant, she donned fingerless white tekkō, a trait seen in other members of the Kuchiki Clan.

Personality

Initially born into a lower class, Rukia retains her modesty even as an adopted member of the nobility: she is graceful and "clean", yet chooses to talk to ordinary people. However, her cool and lone demeanor often forces her to hide her personal troubles even from her friends. She is clueless about the ways of the modern living world. She is initially unable to figure out how to drink from a simple juice box, and learns to speak modern Japanese through the manga she reads. She always has trouble finding clothes that fit her, especially when inhabiting a Gigai in the Human World,leading to her stealing clothes from Ichigo's sister, Yuzu. She likes to climb to high places. Rukia also likes everything that is rabbit-themed or resembles a rabbit, and her drawings are typically rabbit-like. Rukia's favorite foods are cucumber, eggs, and rice dumplings.. Rukia instantly takes a liking to rabbit-like plushie form of Kurōdo, who resembles a Rabbit. Her attitude towards Ichigo varies: at times she is a bickering adversary, and at other times, she worries about him and dispatches advice like a wise old sage. Despite their quarrels, the two have a deep understanding of each other, often being the only ones able to talk each other out of a funk. Rukia is an accomplished actress, being able to act her way through a number of tough situations, such as getting out of trouble with school teachers or managing to get a room at Ichigo's house. Ichigo is the only one to always pick up on it and accuse her of pretending.

History

TBA

Powers & Abilities

Physical Abilities

Physical Attributes

Enhanced Strength:

Enhanced Durability and Endurance:

Shunpō Expert:

Enhanced Reflexes:

Ways of Combat

Expert Swordsmanship Specialist: During her time in the Shin'ō Academy, Rukia was able to gain a handle on the basic level of Zanjutsu. By her own admission, she has less talent in swordsmanship than Kidō, however, through constant training under the watchful eye of Genshirō, Rukia was able to develop her skill in swordsmanship to the point where it is her default form of combat when she is not opting to use Kidō. For freedom of movement, Rukia often wields Sode no Shirayuki one handed; allowing for the use of swordmsmanship with one hand, and Kidō with her free hand, only opting to use both hands when she needs to apply force or block a particularly powerful strike. With swordsmanship, Rukia can hold her own against even more experienced opponents for a time, and when in combat using her blade, Rukia attacks with swift, precise slashes with the intent to kill. In an effort to improve her own skills, Rukia makes it a point to craft her own Zanjutsu techniques, similarly to how she creates new Kidō, which gives her the added benefit of surprise against even experienced Shinigami.

• Sensetsu (鮮降雪 Scarlet Snowfall): A basic Zanjutsu technique devised by Rukia herself. Sensetsu is a swift, one-handed sword strike aimed directly at the target's lower torso, where the intestines are located. Rukia strikes with intense speed and all of her force, in order to slice the target cleanly in half. Should this technique not make full contact, end up in a grazing blow, or be stopped by the spine, should Rukia lack sufficient power, the force is still enough to eviscerate the target. Notably, this technique lacks the power to pierce sufficiently hardened Hierro of an Arrancar. When used in conjunction with Sode no Shirayuki's Shikai, Sensetsu becomes far more dangerous. When Rukia swings her blade, every slash of her sword freezes the air, and, should it make contact with the opponent, freezes their insides. This applies even when Rukia misses a strike; the force of the blow carries the freezing power of her Shikai, and as opposed to simply eviscerating a target, freezes their torso solid. Rukia states that this was the effect that gave Sensetsu its name.

Hakuda Expert:

Spiritual Abilities

Great Spiritual Power: As a Lieutenant of the Gotei 13, Rukia boasts a great amount of spirit energy. Rukia's spiritual power has the same effect as her Zanpakutō, and is represented by the element of ice, creating a thick, cold fog over the area. As a child, Rukia had difficulty controlling her immense latent energy; it would often leak out from her in large amounts, quickly freezing everything solid. Due to this, she was rejected wherever she went in the Rukongai, and eventually lived in seclusion, in a forest frozen over by her own energy. Due to this effect, as a child, it was often easy to locate Rukia, should anyone want to; they simply needed to find an area frozen and covered in a thick fog. After she was taken into the Kuchiki Clan, she learned how to control her spiritual energy, and it no longer leaks from her unconciously; in fact, her control over it is fine tuned, befitting her status as the Kidō Corps Lieutenant. Rukia's spirit energy is coloured white, often seen with a light purple outline.

• Jiseiryū (自制流, "Self-Control Method"; literally "Art of Controlling One's Self"): An advanced skill mastered by the Shinigami of the Gotei 13, Jiseiryū is a skill that allows Shinigami to manipulate the core of their bodies, the reishi that makes up their very essence. Rukia was forced to learn the technique while training to master her Zanpakutō's Shikai ability; the power to drastically reduce her temperature to absolute zero. In a state like this, no like can exist and all motion will cease, due to a complete lack of energy. By utilizing the Jiseiryū technique, Rukia controls her own body like a puppet, forcing her body to move even in a "absolute zero". Due to a lack of experience, she is capable of only four seconds of complete movement without causing harm to her body. While using Jiseiryū, Rukia says the technique allows her to "fight in a state of death", or simply refers to herself as "no longer among the living".

Rukia casting Rikujōkōrō.

Kidō Master: Rukia's greatest strength is her knowledge of Kidō. Among her known skills are those for binding, healing, and destruction. When Rukia was adopted into the Kuchiki Clan, her older brother, a master in the art of Kidō himself as the Captain of the Kidō Corps, instructed her in the art personally as a method of fine tuning her reiatsu control, which had been an issue for the majority of Rukia's childhood. Possessing only mediocre skill at first, Rukia was determined to impress, and practised ceaselessly day and night, pouring over theories and texts during the time her brother wasn't training her, having her mind set on mastering the art before she even entered the academy.

Her perseverance would pay off; the art of Kidō has become a staple in Rukia's arsenal, and through her years of study and practise, she developed this skill. As Rukia is now, Rukia can use high-level Kidō in rapid succession without incantations and still retain considerable control and power. She has great skill in wielding multiple spells in combination, capable of casting spells simultaneously, though the casting of Kidō in the 70s and above require the incantation if Rukia intends to use them in conjunction with each other. Her mastery in the art has reached the point where Rukia has become capable of crafting her own unique spells, "trump cards" as they were, that she often keeps to herself until they are needed to turn the tide of battle. It was this skill in the art of Kidō that led to her being placed in the Kidō Corps upon graduation from the Shin'ō Academy.

• Kuchiki-Ryū Kidō: Fukyūya Hanamichi (朽木流鬼道=不朽夜花道, Kuchiki-Style Kidō: Imperishable Night of the Path of Blossoms):
  • Sōjin (薔刃, Rose Blossom Blade):
• Kuchiki-Ryū Kidō: Kokurin Bakusa (朽木流鬼道=黒輪縛鎖 Kuchiki-Style Kidō: Lashing Chains of the Black Rings):

Zanpakutō

"The snow covers everything in white. Anger and sorrow, joy and pleasure."

—Rukia Kuchiki referring to the abilities of Hakka no TogameSode no Shirayuki (袖白雪, Sleeve of White Snow): In its sealed form, Sode no Shirayuki is a normal katana with a rectangular tsuba with inward-curved corners with curved slits above and below the blade and a of curved lines embossed on either side of the blade. It has a reddish-brown hilt.

Sode no Shirayuki in Shikai

• Shikai: Its Shikai command is "Dance" (舞え, mae). Rukia holds her Zanpakutō out in front of her and turns it in a circle counter-clockwise. While she is turning it, the blade, hilt and tsuba turn completely white. The tsuba becomes a hollow snowflake-like circle and a white ribbon forms from the pommel from the end of the handle. Sode no Shirayuki is regarded as one of the most beautiful Zanpakutō in the Soul Society. The transformation comes along with a rush of cold air in all directions and can potentially cause a cold fog to descend upon the area.

Shikai Special Ability: Sode no Shirayuki is an ice-type Zanpakutō. Sode no Shirayuki possesses multiple techniques, labeled as "dances" by Rukia. Besides ice techniques, Sode no Shirayuki's general ability is freezing. Sode no Shirayuki can freeze a target from a distance, or used in a different manner, create a path or platform of ice in midair. Rukia can freeze even the Reishi-created Spirit Weapon of a Quincy, causing it to shatter. Sode no Shirayuki does not actually spread coldness from its blade; its actual ability is to bring the body temperature of its wielder to a temperature below freezing. As a result, anything its wielder touches freezes, the sword itself merely increasing their reach. Due to this power Rukia is capable of momentarily "killing" her body by controlling her own Reishi, thus for all purposes she is in a form of cryostasis. She completely stops all the molecules in her body, thus any material or substance attempting to affect her becomes incapable of doing so as it cannot enter her body. However if someone uses an optical attack on her it will affect her because her nerves are still working. Rukia is capable of lowering her body temperature to a point at which the ground below her feet freezes instantly, causing ice quakes, and can even reduce her temperature to absolute zero, though she can only safely maintain that temperature for no more than four seconds. However, when raising the temperature from absolute zero, Rukia has to do so slowly or risk harming her own body.

Jiyūyaku Sode no Shirayuki

• Jiyūyaku Sode no Shirayuki (自由勝手失脚袖白雪 Free Falling Sleeve of White Snow): Upon obtaining Bankai, Sode no Shirayuki gained the ability to manifest herself in her true form, and can even manifest herself at a distance from her master, able to hear her call from wherever she is. Similar to when she was forcefully manifested by Muramasa, Sode no Shirayuki can use her own abilities independently of Rukia, and while manifested, the area within the range of her spiritual pressure freezes up, and a constant snow falls.

Some no mai, Tsukishiro

• Some no mai, Tsukishiro (初の舞・月白, First Dance, White Moon): Rukia calls out the name of the dance while holding her Zanpakutō upside down. The blade glows and then she makes a slashing motion when her target is in position. When she does this, a large ice circle forms around her intended target which freezes everything that touches it. The circle not only freezes the ground but everything within the circle's influence including anything above it up in the air, creating an extending pillar of light that then freezes all within in the circle. Shortly after being frozen, the victim then shatters along with the ice. Rukia appears to be able to control the size of the circle at will.

Tsugi no mai, Hakuren

• Tsugi no mai, Hakuren (次の舞・白漣, Next Dance, White Ripple): Rukia calls out the name of the dance, and punctures the ground once creating a large ice circle similar to the first dance, then she punctures the ground in front of her four times in a semi circle. She takes a battle stance as the ice particles begin to flow up from the protrusions she made in the ground. They build up and then fires toward the target in a massive, powerful pure-white wave of ice from Sode no Shirayuki's blade, in turn encasing the target in a block of ice.

Daiyon no mai, Juhaku

• San no mai, Shirafune (参の舞・白刀, Third Dance, White Sword): Rukia calls out the name of the dance, which allows her to reforge her Zanpakutō with ice particles if it is broken, piercing through objects in its path. After piercing its target, it continues to freeze any surrounding objects, including the battlefield.

• Daiyon no mai, Juhaku (第四舞・樹白, Fourth Dance, White Tree): Rukia stabs the ground which creates a trail of ice in the direction of her intended target. The ice then freezes the target from the base up in a continuing freezing process, as it transforms the target into ice.

• Daigo no mai, Shirawana (第五舞・白罠, Fifth Dance, White Trap): Rukia calls out the attack name, and stabs the ground with her sword, and her spiritual energy tunnels into the ground and shoots out like a geyser, surrounded the opponent. It begins to form pillars with very thin gaps, and hardens, forming a large and very durable cage. While this technique lacks of offensive potential, it is effective for search-and-capture missions, where Rukia can detain stronger opponents within her cage and wait for reinforcements to arrive.

• Sora no mai, Tsurarada (空舞・氷柱堕 , Sky Dance, Icicle Fall): Rukia calls out the name of her attack, and swings her blade in a wide arc, letting loose a flurry snow-white crystals that can pierce through nearly anything, though they can be deflected rather easily. This is Rukia's preferred "aerial attack".

• Jun no mai, Hakkō (純 舞白光 , Pure Dance, White Light): Rukia's final Shikai technique, from the tip of her blade spills a large amount of luminous, flowing ice that lets off a brilliant glow as it touches the ground. The ice begins to merge into one small, glowing orb, and on Rukia's command, it explodes, sending a shower of luminous ice crystals that pierce the foe.

Hakka no Togame

• Bankai: Hakka no Togame (白禍の咎め, The Rebuke of White Peril): Rukia's Bankai, obtained prior to the start of the story through an as of yet unknown method. Fitting with her Zanpakutō's title as "the most beautiful", this carries over into her own Bankai's appearance; that of a Yuki-onna, resembling her Zanpakutō spirit in many respects. In fact, one could say that Rukia and Sode no Shirayuki's physical aspects have merged in her Bankai state. With Hakka no Togame activated, Rukia's appearance truly befits a wielder of the most beautiful Zanpakutō in Soul Society, as she herself because truly elegant; dressed in a flowing, white kimono with light green lining on the collar, shoulders, and hem of the kimono. Her hair itself appears bleached; taking on a pale, lavender colour, her eyes grey, and her skin has become pale, almost chalk-like in its whiteness. Rukia wears a blue, icicle shaped hair decoration in her hair, and the ribbon extending from her Zanpakutō has extended. When she activates Bankai, the surrounding area is overcome with a light snowfall.

Bankai Special Ability: Hakka no Togame retains its ice generation and temperature-related abilities, however, like any Bankai, they are increased drastically, to the point where each and every ability utilised by Rukia in her Bankai state is akin to a "flash-freeze".  Each of her Shikai abilities is enhanced, in both range and power, instantly freezing her targets solid. Because of its habit of freezing everything within the range of Rukia's spiritual pressure, the area is frozen white, and, coupled with Rukia's appearance, it creates a beautiful scene her own brother describes as "breathaking". Most likely because of its effects; flash-freezing and then fading to the wind, Hakka no Togame's power is often described akin to "Purification" (純化 Junka).
Despite the immense power of her Bankai, it is also a double-edged sword; as with her Shikai, prolonged use of her Bankai runs the risk of shattering and freezing herself, and utilising several abilities in this state, as such Tsukishiro, will freeze Rukia solid along with her opponents. Due to this, her Bankai requires absolute precision in its use; the slightest mistake could wind up killing her, and in a completely frozen state, any sudden movement or prolonged use can potentially cause damage to her frozen form, even death.

• Enhanced Shikai Abilities:
• Complete Cryokinesis:
• Yukigakure (ゆきがくれ Hidden in the Snow): An ability that is passive so long as Rukia's remains in Bankai, Yukigakure is exactly as the name implies; the ability to blend in with snow. More accurately, it allows Rukia to all but vanish in the presence of snowfall, especially massive hailstorms. When her Bankai activates, her very presence creates a cold rush that is accompanied by light snowfall, a trait exhibited by Sode no Shirayuki's spirit as well, befitting for a Yuki-onna. When performing this technique, Rukia, with a swing of her weapon, uses the faint traces of spiritual energy stored upon her weapon as to dispel them into the air; saturating the atmosphere with spiritual particles. From there, she uses her cryokinesis in order to manipulate the air- a feat only available thanks to the air being filled with spiritual particles beforehand, forming a massive snowstorm. Surrounded by this snow, Rukia's physical and spiritual presence becomes masked; she appears to fade in and out of view, almost as if she is teleporting, much like a phantom. Despite appearing to be instangible, this technique does not make Rukia invulnerable; should an attack connect with Rukia while using Yukigakure, it will cause damage like it would under any circumstance.

Behind The Scenes

Rukia's appearance in the Pilot chapter of Bleach.

Rukia's creation was one that seemed to define the very ideal of what Bleach would later come to call "Shinigami". Rukia was first created when Tite Kubo, the mangaka of the series, wanted a Shinigami wearing a kimono , which formed the basis for the design of all the Shinigami of the series. Rukia's original weapon was a scythe; this was a departure from Kubo's original plan for everyone in the series to use guns, back when Bleach's pending name was "Snipe". When the use of swords was finalized, this was dropped.  When Kubo decided Rukia did not look like a lead character, Ichigo was created to deliberately contrast her, possessing orange hair and a thug-like demeanor to contrast Rukia's black hair and elegant atmosphere. 

Once Kubo decided Rukia looked like a Shinigami, he gave her a name he figured would befit a Shinigami as well.  While deciding on Rukia's surname, Kubo started with the  base "Kuchiru" (朽ちる ,  lit. "Decay, rot") , and then decided to use "Kuchiki" ( 朽木 ,  lit. "Rotten wood"). Her forename, "Rukia", was decided when Kubo was watching the dubbing of the Latin American series, Cosmos, Kubo decided he liked the name as the Spanish word "Rukia" is derived from means "light", and Kubo sees Rukia as a "ray of light" for Ichigo. 

Kubo notes that he particularly likes illustrations of Rukia that express pain on her face, such as when she was going to be executed in the manga.

Trivia

• According to Tite Kubo, Rukia's theme song is Wing Stock by Ashley MacIsaac.
• Rukia is consistently the most popular female character in the Bleach manga. In the 4th Shōnen Jump poll, she was placed as the 2nd most popular character in Bleach, with Tōshirō Hitsugaya being the 1st (and Ichigo Kurosaki placing 3rd).
• Sode no Shirayuki, Rukia's Zanpakutō, is the 2nd most popular Zanpakutō in a recent Bleach Poll.
• In the Bleach best bout poll Rukia's fight with Aaroniero came in seventh place.
• Despite obtaining Bankai, Rukia has not arisen to Captain's Position due to lack of experience with her Bankai, and lack of opening in the Captain's ranks.
• Jiseiryū is a technique created by User:Silver-Haired Seireitou, expanding on the concept when Kubo introduced it. All credit goes to him.

Quotes

• (To Ahatake) "Real strength, is surely something different that comes from the strength of wielding a sword. But what sort of strength would that be? That's something you'll have to figure out on your own."