Hachiro Horikawa is an article created by Achrones150. Use is allowed with the permission of the owner, with the exception of collaboration-created articles. |
Hachiro Horikawa | |
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Race | Shinigami |
Gender | Male |
Professional Status | |
Affiliation | Soul Society Gotei 13 |
Occupation | Captain of the 9th Division |
Team | 9th Division |
Partner | Daisuke Hayate |
Previous Partner | Sōsuke Kurasama |
Base of Operations | Seireitei |
Personal Status | |
Education | Shinō Academy |
Zanpakutō | |
Shikai | Jinrui no Ken (人類の剣, Swords of Humanity) |
Bankai | Kaminoikari (神の怒り, Wrath of Divinity) |
Hachiro Horikawa (堀川八郎, Horikawa Hachiro) is the Captain of the Gotei 13's 9th Division. His Lieutenant is Daisuke Hayate.
Personality[]
Mannerisms & Habits[]
Hachiro is a light-hearted, casual and sometimes eccentric man. When dealing with the likes of his subordinates, he exhibits a lightly commanding and professional attitude and makes sure not to pressure his underlings to extreme degrees. It is customary for him to refer to the 3rd, 4th and 5th Seats under his command as "sir", due to the position they carry as sub-leaders Although he is relatively informal in comparison to his other colleagues, he retains a positive and mild-mannered attitude when he is around them. He is more social with Ryouken Aizen and Kukkyōna Hayate due to sharing a veteran's status within the Gotei 13. It is rare for him to get genuinely angry with anyone; as Kukkyōna himself remarks, he had laughed in the face of Kaze Sasayaki after the latter had attempted to verbally rouse him multiple times. To reinforce this, he seems to have a rather jesting attitude towards the scientist whereas other allies seem to act much more hostile.
Whenever he is in combat, he exhibits a complete reversal of personality. Against enemies weaker than he is, he is nothing short of a monster that shows nothing but zealous eagerness in slaying them. It isn't uncommon of him to sport a borderline insane smile and screaming during the midst of fighting. He will regress these tendencies once he faces down an enemy capable of holding their own against him. All of it, however, is nothing more than a facade he uses to commonly intimidate and terrify the enemy into submission. He is willing to pay respects to his enemy if they have fought honorably and bravely, even if he does harbor some extent of a grudge against them. In the times that require it, he will even cooperate and work with former enemies in order to achieve goals important to the Gotei 13. This was shown prominently when the Gotei 13 allied themselves with criminal mercenary group the V-14 in order to combat the Inner Circle.
Flaws & Issues[]

Hachiro in mourning over Lieutenant Sosuke's death.
Despite his positive and optimistic nature, Hachiro is not without his own personal problems. The events of the Mourning War, like many other participants, has left heavy mental scars. Although he believes his former Lieutenant Sōsuke Kurasama died as he wanted to in the field of battle, he also blames himself somewhat for not being able to fulfill his old partner's wishes of being a dependable commander. In addition, his attachment towards his colleagues can lead to him getting provoked into a blind rage when it is clear that they are in life-threatening danger.
Beliefs & Philosophies[]
Hachiro is one of the more positive Captains of the Gotei 13, holding considerable trust and faith in his colleagues. He advocates cooperation between the Soul Society and other societies in order to ensure a safe and secure dimension for Souls to reside in. He believes that the military of the Soul Society is meant for guarding the lives of the innocent, holding resentment for organizations that attempt to force their power onto other civilizations. He is rather forgiving of former enemies, and it is only under rare circumstances does ever allow himself to not forgive an opponent who has attempted to kill him. Although he does mourn the deaths of subordinates particularly close to him, he has a belief that soldiers that die doing their duty should hold no regrets about doing so.
History[]
Early Life & Career[]

Hachiro, during his days as a Seated Officer.
Hachiro was born into the Rukongai as a young boy after undergoing Konsō, being adopted by a senior man and woman who had lost their child. They resided in district 64, far below the lawful authority of the Gotei 13. He was tutored by the two in the ways of the culture and history of the Soul Society. The poor conditions of the economy shocked Hachiro to no end, and he decided to make becoming one of the Gotei 13's leaders one of his primary goals in order to help change the way the Rukongai was governed. When he was in his early teens, he joined the Shinō Academy. Prior to the Ultharon War, he would take up a position as 4th Seat and meet with fellow seated officers Noriko Nagasaki of the 11th Division and Gina Tachibana of the 3rd Division.
During the war, the 9th Division's 3rd Seat would become KIA after enemy forces made the top seated officers, the Captain and the Lieutenant separate from one another. With little to no chance for reinforcement and only a handful of men, Hachiro decided to take the lead against the enemy forces converging on their direction. After digging themselves in, they staged an ambush once the opposing force got close enough. Hachiro's usage of the environment against the enemy and guerrilla tactics was more than enough to compensate for them being outnumbered. They would push through enemy lines and keep fighting to secure a few enemy outposts, forming mixed units with other divisions in order to accomplish a majority of objectives. For his actions, Hachiro was promoted to 3rd Seat.

Hachiro during his service as a Lieutenant.
Hachiro formed a friendly rivalry with Kaze Sasayaki, who had been promoted recently to 3rd Seat of the 12th Division. He would also gain interest in Kukkyōna Hayate and Ryōken Aizen, two nobles who had gained a Captain's position right after the Ultharon War. The three would become friends with one another after sharing their experiences and beliefs with one another. As he would take up position as the new Lieutenant, Hachiro would become recognized as a capable leader by his immediate successor Sōsuke Kurasama and Daisuke Hayate, both of whom had served as part of his personal unit against Ultharon's forces. Out of the 9th Division, the three would grow to greatly respect each other's ability in handling both themselves and the management of the division.
During his status as a Lieutenant, Hachiro would be involved in a number of ethical issues concerning the Chamber 46 and their management of the Soul Society. One of these issues would involve the murder of several 11th Division members prior to the assassination of Evelyn McTavish. He convinced Noriko, who had also become a Lieutenant at the time, to help him with an unauthorized investigation of their deaths. The two were able to realize that Evelyn had not been killed, had been made a prisoner by the 11th Division members and raped repeatedly before undergoing genital mutilation and mastectomy. Enraged and disgusted by the horror committed, they informed Seireitei Communications in order to get the news out. The Captain of the 11th Division immediately called for restructure of the 11th Division and a radical change within its policies. However, out of the belief that Evelyn was possibly "mentally" dead because of the trauma underwent, Hachiro and Noriko emphasized her status of being murdered after her torture.
Mourning War[]

Hachiro, prior to the Mourning War.
After the 9th Division's Captain retired honorably after such a long term of service, Hachiro took his place readily. He was promoted to the Captain's position at the same time Gina and Noriko were. He would hold a strong influence over the 9th Division due to his past actions and goal to revise how the Soul Society was managed. He had essentially become both a mentor and a father figure to both Sōsuke and Daisuke Hayate due to the three having worked together for so long.
After five more years, Angelika Hartmann (who was a Dragon of the Inner Circle) would infiltrate the Soul Society and release a chemical agent referred to as the "Hollow Virus" on the populace. Thousands of both civilians and military personnel would die from being afflicted and become puppets of the Hive Mind, the creature being used to control the parasitic virus. As consequence, the Gotei 13 would spend five bloody years fighting off the puppets being controlled and keep the entire Soul Society from being infested. Seeing as how many of the other divisions were reluctant to do so, Hachiro suggested that the 9th Division spearhead an assault directly to the Hive Mind Center. This movement, although shocking to the Head Captain, was accepted once the enthusiasm of other 9th Division members were present.

Hachiro, infected but managing to keep his sense of identity.
While Sōsuke and Daisuke would head one part of the attack, Hachiro would head another in order to close in on the Center like a pincer. In the midst of the fighting, it was discovered that the parasite only affected those that were in true despair or desolation. Hachiro himself, after slaying so many of his former allies and colleagues, eventually became disheartened as he was leading his own attack. This would subsequently lead to his own infection. However, he had enough willpower and spiritual power to stave off having his mind taken over. With his head showing partial signs of infection, Hachiro urged his men to press the assault on the Center. Their aggressive push would result in a good majority of the Hive Mind's puppets being destroyed, although heavy casualties would be sustained by the 9th Division as a result. Daisuke and Sōsuke would beat Hachiro to the Hive Mind, but Hachiro would arrive just in time to see the creature destroyed.
Sōsuke, however, had been killed by the Hive Mind beforehand. Considering that he was one of the more influential figures within the 9th Division, Hachiro and his subordinates were deeply struck by his death. Hachiro had Sōsuke's body cremated in order to keep possible infection of the body from spreading once again, promoting Daisuke to be his new Lieutenant.
Synopsis[]
- The War of Four: Courts and Circles
- The War of Four: Dark Revelations
- The War of Four: The Eye of the Storm
- The War of Four: Recollection
- The War of Four: Persona Non Grata
- The War of Four: Recovery
- The War of Four: Crossing the Wire
- The War of Four: The Precipice of War
Powers & Abilities[]
Immense Spiritual Energy: As a senior Captain, Hachiro possesses a tremendous amount of spiritual power that can make even opponents with high levels of energy sweat in fear. Although not able to match up to him, Hachiro is one of the few capable of holding ground against the spiritual energy of the Head Captain Furuidenshō Kakkotaru Shin'nen.
Master Swordsmanship Specialist: Hachiro possesses tremendous skill in fighting with his swords. His style is aggressive and feral, yet experienced and coordinated. He is said to channel his very fury and contempt for his enemy into his attacks, though this could simply be his spiritual energy at work. His style as well as his years of experience can make it difficult for even other masters to contend with him.
Flash Steps Master: Hachiro's veteran status as a soldier and senior Captain marks his tremendous skill in the use of Flash Step. Despite his size, he is able to move at speeds accelerated to the point where he seems to be invisible in the vision of the naked eye. He can use one movement to cover a large distance where it would take multiple movements for the regular master.
Kidō Master: Although not his style, Hachiro possesses immense skill in the use of Kidō. He is able to use low-level spells (even a Hadō 1 spell) to devastating effect and can also use high-level spells without their incantation or name chant.
Immense Strength: Due to his years of experience on the battlefield, Hachiro possesses a grand degree of physical strength well above that of the norm. His bare hands are capable of ripping through flesh as easily as his swords can, though providing more of a mess as a result. He can also punch through physical constructs and barriers with natural effort.
Master Strategist & Tactician: Due to his experience and long-running status as a senior Captain, Hachiro possesses a tremendous amount of intellect and tact. An insight of his intelligence is his ability to carefully choose his words in the midst of dangerous situations, such as his introduction to Sakura Kojima.[1] He is capable of planning out massive assaults and defense of the Soul Society, which proved to be a vital component in the Mourning War.
Zanpakutō[]

Hachiro brandishing his Zanpakuto.
Jinrui no Ken (人類の剣, Swords of Humanity): The name of Hachiro's personal Zanpakutō. It takes the form of two bayonets, both of them having a cup hilt for strict one-handed use for each bayonet. It is said that their blade lengths can be interchangeable at the influence of his will, suiting versatile combat situations.

Jinrui no Ken released.
- Shikai: The release command of Jinrui no Ken is "Divide, Conquer, and Devour" (、分割統治法、そして食い入る, Bunkatsu seifuku shi, kuiiruyōni miru). Upon release, both blades split apart into fragments that shape themselves into spheres the size of a fist. Despite how many of these spheres that can be counted from the initial conversion, they can multiply to whatever number Hachiro desires. It is said that there can be enough to make a massive formation within the very sky.
- Shikai Special Ability: The fragments serve as pieces of his own soul. Each fragment carries incredible penetration power, capable of breaking through even the toughest of defenses. Multiple fragments can shred fortified emplacements within a matter of seconds, as well as anyone unfortunate enough to stand in their way. They are capable of moving at immense speeds, making them extremely difficult to track. This is prominent when multiple fragments are attacking from multiple sides, further lessening chances of escaping intact. They are also incredibly durable, holding up against anything short of a widespread explosion. But one of their most frightening traits is their ability to self-detonate, reconstruct and repeat. Multiple fragments self-detonating can cause a massive explosion of varying size and power. In summary, this seems rather similar to the wolves' summoning ability by Primera Coyote Starrk.

Hachiro, with Kaminoikari released.
- Bankai: Kaminoikari (神の怒り, Wrath of Divinity): The name of Hachiro's Bankai. To activate it, he slides his blades together in the shape of an upside-down cross. Both of the weapons glow for a brief period before he is enveloped in a pillar of his spiritual energy. When it clears, Hachiro is dressed in new attire; a black cassock and matching pants. His two blades have merged and transformed into a claymore with a gold hilt and clover-like shapes at the tips of said hilt.
- Bankai Special Ability: Not Yet Revealed.