Shigeru Kurohana

Expert Swordsman: Even though considered a diplomat first and a warrior second, Shigeru proved to be an adept swordsman many times during the latter days of his life. Somewhat unusually, he favoured the efficient and reserved bladework of the ketsugidō. Consequently, his approach was focussed on the generation of impenetrable defence with the least possible effort spent on blocking, parrying and evading the normally far more active enemy. Even though not one to charge and attack of his own volition, Shigeru was quite skilled at exploiting the openings that inevitably appeared whenever a more or less rash adversary seized the initiative. Many times he would attempt to merely incapacitate his opponent, though in the end he was capable of performing abrupt lethal strikes whenever the need arose.

Hakuda Practitioner: In addition, he had undergone rudimentary training in unarmed combat. That served to not only condition his body and increase his agility but also to allow him to pacify weak rebellious Souls without the use of excessive violence.

Shunpo Expert: Kurohana was a nimble combatant. In spite of his imposing and sturdy frame he could perform fairly impressive acrobatic feats and move at high speeds. That respectable proficiency often let him skilfully evade many attacks, sometimes even point-blank ones.

Kidō Practitioner: Whilst he considered the art of spellcasting unnecessarily abstract and contrived, he was indeed capable of employing most of the low-level techniques without the use of an incantation. However, he never relied on them as anything more than a minor supplement to his other abilities. Disapproving of the offensive techniques, he preferred to employ the supporting spells of Bakudō.

Enhanced Endurance: As a result of his physical conditioning and a requirement to deploy the defensive form of Zanjutsu properly, Kurohana boasted a substantial degree of stamina and mental resilience.

High Intellect: Shigeru was a learned and astute individual. Sometimes obfuscated by his slightly immature and stubborn attitude, he did possess remarkable intellect. That ability to process stimuli quickly and effectively served him well during his time as a diplomat and then, a warrior.

Great Spiritual Power: As a Sōzōshin Shigeru had a considerable amount of spiritual energy at his disposal. In fact, his spiritual power would have rivalled that of modern day Captains of the Gotei 13. However, rather surprisingly, he had never attained Bankai. When exerted, his spiritual pressure emanated subtle yet pervasive vibrations. The colour of his aura was imperial red.

Sensasayaki (千囁き, "Thousand Whispers"): When in sealed state the Zanpakutō was a normal tachi with a rectangular guard and a jet hilt.

• Shikai: The release command was "Resound" (鳴り響く, narahibiku). Shigeru would hold the tachi vertically and slowly move the index finger of his off-hand against the hiraji of the blade. That motion prompted a piercing sound. Then, the blade would become straight and double-edged only to split into two opposite halves with a narrow interval in-between. The end result was that the Shikai bore some resemblance to a tuning fork.

Shikai Special Ability: Sensasayaki was an illusion-type Zanpakutō despite its ostensibly sound-type properties. The piercing sound produced during the release would affect everyone within the hearing distance. Subsequently, those individuals were subject to severe auditory illusions the type and magnitude of which could be controlled by Shigeru. One insidious aspect of that power was that once the release sound had been heard covering one's ears was useless. That was because the noise perceived by the affected individuals was, indeed, an illusion. Furthermore, even after the release repeated clashes with Shigeru's blade would produce shrill clatter that could influence individuals who had not heard the release sound proper.