Takashi Kosuda

This article, Takashi Kosuda, is property of Rage Shenron.

"The real test of a hero is knowing when the greater good will be served by an evil act. To save the world, the cost of one life is the price that must be paid, that is an absolute truth. I believe we were born into this world for a reason. Our task in life is to find out what that reason is. Sometimes we can't do that alone. " — Takashi Kosuda

Takashi Kosuda
Name	Takashi Kosuda
Kanji	小須田 崇
Romaji	Kosuda Takashi
Characteristics
Race	Shinigami
Birthday	January 15
Gender	Male
Height	6'0 ft
Weight	160 lbs
Blood Type	O+
Professional Status
Affiliation	Karakura Town
Previous Affiliation	Soul Society
Occupation	Director of Karakura Hospital, Shinigami
Previous Occupation	Captain of the 6th Division, 3rd Seat of the 2nd Division Corps Commander of the Onmitsukidō's Interrogation Unit
Team	Touko's Group
Previous Team	6th Division, 2nd Division
Partner	Touko Sonozaki, Daichi Kazuhiro
Previous Partner	Kurayami Shiki
Base of Operations	Karakura Hospital, Karakura High School
Personal Status
Marital Status	Relationship
Relatives	Ando Kosuda (Father) Miharu Kosuda (Mother) Touko Sonozaki (Lover),
Education	Shinō Academy
Status	Alive
Zanpakutō
Shikai	Sōgetsu
Bankai	Tenjin Sōgetsu

"A hero who stands for the ideals of peace and justice." - Shadow Rage

Takashi Kosuda (小須田 崇, Kosuda Takashi) also known as Kaen (火炎, Blaze) is a shinigami and former captain of the 6th division, who left soul society for unknown reasons; he is currently living in the human world. He was also the former 3rd Seat of the 2nd Division and Corps Commander of the Onmitsukidō's Interrogation Force Unit. He is an accomplished shinigami captain in his owns right, well known throughout the Soul Society for his bravery and skills; and was considered to be one of the most powerful captains alive during his tenure.

He is also a student of former 6th division captain Byakuya Kuchiki, having studied under the latter for many years before his promotion to the zero division. During his days as captain of the 6th division he was known by the moniker Seijaku ( 静寂, Serenity) due to his calm and patient display of attitude at the time. He is the current director of Karakura Hospital but also continues to perform his shinigami duties in Karakura Town despite not being affiliated with soul society anymore. He also works with current partner and lover Touko Sonozaki from time to time helping her with several cases that deals with supernatural or hollows activities.

He is known by the moniker Meigetsu (明月光の夢, Moonlight Dream) due to the unqiue nature and abilities of his zanpakuto. He is also currently one of the main protagonist in Shadow Rage's Bleach - Generation III story Bleach - Chronicles of the Soul and as such has an important role to play for the events to come.

Appearance

Takashi as he appeared before losing his shinigami powers.

Takashi is a tall, lean-built, light-skinned man, with short shoulder length black hair, and crimson colored eyes. Two years after the loss of his shinigami powers his appearance seems to have slightly changed, his hair is now much shorter than it used to be, as it reaches only up to his neck. During the time skip between the two years his left eye was somehow damaged at an unspecified event, he tends to keep the damaged left eye wrapped up in bandages. He currently seems to enjoy wearing the traditional Japanese kimono over his previous western clothing and for most of the time is seen wearing a brightly colored kimono. He currently wears a bright purple colored kimono, with yellow colored butterfly embroidery designs printed on the kimono; at times Takashi will slightly open up the kimono around the chest area. Takashi also wears a black sash belt around his waist and carries his zankauto on the left side of his sash. He is also seen wearing dark brown sandals along with his kimono.

Although when workings as the director of Karakura Hospital he will wears a plain white shirt with a black tie, black trouser and shoes. He wears a long white coat over his work clothes; he needs to wear this in order to maintain his position of authority in the hospital. During his time as an active shinigami, two years before he lost his spiritual powers his standard attire used to consist of a green shirt, grey pant, with a black jacket, and black shoes. At the time he used to sometimes wear a dark black colored coat, which he draped over his back instead of actually wearing it, having large white diamond patterns along its bottom half. It should be noted that his coat was designed to look like the opposite of a captain's haori (White with black diamond’s).

During his days as a shinigami officer Takashi used to wear the standard Shinigami uniform, called Shihakushō (死覇装, Garment of Dead Souls) which consisted of a white shitagi, a black kosode, a black hakama, a white hakama-himo, white tabi, and waraji. The black hakama used to have the 6th division insignia emblazoned on the inside. As the former captain of the 6th division, he wore the standard long-sleeved captain's haori with the underside of the haori colored blue, and a geta during his more casual events.

Personality

Takashi is charismatic man with an affable demeanor. He is known for his clever wit and great sense of humor. He is very easy to talk to and is the type of person that can make friends with anyone, and, if not friendship, then he can at least gain their respect. Takashi can easily assume any leadership position given to him, as he was once the captain of the 6th division and also a former corps commander of the Onmitsukidō's Interrogation Force. In the past he had participated in various field missions and expeditions, since these types of missions required him to lead several shinigami teams into battle, as a squad leader or commanding officer.

He holds great concern for his team members and his friends and is willing to do whatever it takes to rescue them from harm or dangerous situations. Takashi can become very angry when his friends are in danger or if they get injured, blaming himself if something goes wrong during a mission. He is also willing to sacrifice things that are important to him in order to save his friends or loved ones. Takashi also believes that as a shnigami it is his duty to find any people who are in need of help or saving. Takashi is portrayed to being quite fond of female company, as seen from his romantic relationship with his current partner, and lover Touko Sonozaki.

Takashi seems to have a sort of hero complex as he wishes to protect and save innocent people from danger. Formerly known as one of the strongest captains in soul society during his tenure, Takashi is the main target of many of his old enemies, thus he avoids letting others get too close to him personally for their own safety and protection. However, he eventually came to realize that he is unable to live alone and that relying on his friends and comrades is what gives him the strength to fight on with resolve and determination, thus allowing them to fight alongside him.

During his time serving as captain of the 6th division Takashi personality was slightly different; he was a patient, serious man with a calm attitude. He was at one time during his tenure as a captain very similar to his old master Byakuya, as he used to strongly believe in law and order and that if someone in his position and authority did not follow the rules as a good example, then no one would. In time he came to realize he that the law he was upholding and following wasn't perfect, he became more lenient and easy going. Like most powerful or accomplished shinigami, he is not really arrogant, and is very down to earth, always reminding himself that there are other shinigami out there more powerful than him. Though this doesn’t necessarily mean that he is not confident in his own skills and abilities, if he has the resolve and right motivation then he too can become quite a dangerous opponent in battle. He seems to have a positive view of humanity.

He is very respectful of his fellow shinigami as well as those around him, he particularly does not like dwelling in the past and chooses not to speak freely about others peoples pasts, knowing full well that some people don't like talking about things they did a lifetime ago.

Despite his easy going attitude, Takashi can be a formidable opponent; he is shown to be calm, intelligent, and analytical. He can come up with quick strategies when facing an opponent in battle, and will most of the time figure out a way to defeat his opponent, through logical decisions and proper battle tactics. Even if an opponent proves to be stronger than him, he will usually stay calm and figure out a way to defeat them with the most effective methods. He is also known as a great interrogation’s expert as he is able to use his skills to get important or confidential information and also intimidate the enemy, as shown during his time as the commanding officer of the Onmitsukidō's Interrogation Force Unit.

Though he does not condone the use of torture on any living being, he will use excessive force if it’s necessary to get important information or if someone threatens the people he cares for. And in very extreme cases he has shown that he is even willing to commit murder for the greater good, he will even at times eliminate possible dangers or threats to soul society, showing how much he is still dedicated to soul society. These are only the dark sides of his personality and nowadays he rarely shows them unless in extreme or dire situations.

History

Takashi as the 6th Division Captain, 110 years ago.

Takashi was born in the province of Junrinan in the 1st District of West Rukongai.; he was the eldest son of Ando and Miharu Kosuda. From a young age he had exceptional spiritual energy which used to leak out during the night time, this high concentration of spiritual energy affected Takashi mother as she was unable to bear it, though his father was able to keep up with it. His parents decided to keep it a secret from him that his spiritual power was the cause of his mothers failing health, as they didn't want to hurt the young boy's feelings. It was during this time a man from the sixth division came and told him about the Shinō Academy, a place where people like him with exceptional spiritual power went to train and become a shinigami, since Takashi spiritual power was leaking out he needed to control it. He decided to go to the academy and train himself to become a shinigami for the sake of his parents and for himself.

After bidding his family farewell he joined the shinigami academy and completed the course of 6 years in four years time. He was considered a model students and even a little above average known for his accomplishments in the Kido arts and also for his skills in swordsmanship. After graduating he joined the Second division as a 6th seat and from then on he rose through the ranks gaining the position of 3rd seat within the division. It was during his time with the 2nd division that he gained most of his interrogating skills and was made corps commander of the Onmitsukidō's Interrogation Force Unit. After serving the second division for many years as a commander he resigned from his position and requested to be transferred to the 6th division where he would go on to train under the tutelage of its then captain Byakuya Kuchiki. He learned a great deal from his captain further gaining skills in his swordsmanship’s as well as becoming a skills master in flash steps. After Byakuya Kuchiki’s recruitment into the Zero Division, the 6th division was in need of a captain, during the time of Byakuya's promotion he was the 3rd seat and he already knew how to perform bankai at the time. Later on he applied for the captaincy exams which he passed and thus was made new captain of the 6th division.

Powers & Abilities

Experienced Zanjutsu Specialist: Takashi is proficient in the skill of swordsmanship having years worth of combat experience, his style of sword play combines graceful body movements with lethal strikes. He is quite adept at using his zanpakuto and is capable of fighting against opponents who have their own swords released while he keeps his zanpakuto in its sealed form; this shows the testament of his skills. His preferred style of combat when engaging an enemy in battle seems to be swordsmanship. Despite this, he is shown to be highly adept in combining his hand-to-hand skills with his swordsmanship. When fighting against an opponent he prefers to take advantage of his great agility which allows him to attack his opponents from various angles to confuse them into submission. His skills in combat have been repeatedly shown to be very high, as he was able to keep Shiro Tomokazu at bay who was using a multitude of weapons from his arsenal at the time while Takashi only relied on his one zanpakuto weapon, this proves he is capable of fighting and defending against a large number of bladed weapons. With his skills in swordsmanship he rarely has to ever rely on more than his Shikai as shown when fighting against Roy Grimshaw, an Espada-level Arrancar. He was able to defend himself from simultaneous attack from two lieutenant level shinigami who were both using their zanpakuto’s released forms, while he preferred using his sealed zanpakuto. His skills also allow him to fight against someone of his level, such as a captain class shinigami.

• Number One: Nadegiri (撫で斬り, "Clean Sweep" or "Killing Several with One Sword Sweep"): This basic technique allows for a precision cut of extreme force and speed, it can casually slice through large, multi-story high opponents protected by steel skin. The opponent can be killed with one swift slash so precise, that they aren't even aware of until after it has taken place.

• Number Two: Samidare (撫で斬り, "Summer Rain" or "Early Summer Rain"): This technique allows the user to thrust his blade with extreme force and speed; it can easily pierce through opponents protected by steel skin. Takashi thrusts his blade multiple times with only one hand. The opponent can be injured with multiple piercing attacks so precise, that they receive wounds all over their body.

• Number Three: Gekkō Kōkyō (月光交響曲, Moonlight Symphony or "Symphony of the Night"): This is a special technique used by Takashi during the night time. By reflecting the moonlight off his blade, Takashi can send a small wave of light along the ground toward his opponent. If he gathers more spritiual energy, he can release it as a large pillar of light.

• Number Four: Mikazuki no mai (三日月の舞, Crescent Moon or "Dance of the Crescent Moon"): Takashi draws out his blade and channels his spiritual energy into it. Takashi then runs toward the opponent, slashing them upwards into the air and then using flash step appears right above him/her, and delivers a sharp, drilling slash down upon them, impelling the opponent to the ground.

Master Hakuda Combatant: As the former corps commander of the Interrogation Unit of the Onmitsukidō, he was not allowed to use weapons so he trained himself in the art of hand to hand combat. He is highly proficient in hand-to-hand combat, as he is capable of fighting against several armed opponents with just his bare hands and was capable of taking down an arrancar much larger in size than himself with a single strong punch. During their brief encounter in Karakura Town Takashi was able to block a straight punch from Shinsui Sakimori someone who in his own right is a skilled hand to hand fighter and a dangerous one at that. Takashi was able to come out of the bought with nothing more than a small bruise on his shoulder. This shows he is capable of fighting against master level hand to hand combat fighters. During his days as a Shinigami, while only a third seat officer at the time, his skills were great enough to effortlessly take down several Shinigami-deserters unarmed. Though his preferred style of combat is swordsmanship he tries to refrain himself from using his zanpakuto due to is destructive capabilities, as such he relies on his hand to hand combat skills to quickly finish the fight. When using his hand to hand combat skills along with shunpo, this makes him even more dangerous of an opponent.

Shunpo Master: As a former member of the 2nd Division and Captain of the 6th division, Takashi has an exceptional understanding and skill in the use of Flash Steps even being so fast that some opponents do not even notice being attacked by him until after it has taken place. Takashi is shown to easily outmaneuver Kyosuke Kagami’s normal speed to the point where he suddenly appeared behind him and casually tapped him on the shoulder. He is capable of dodging simultaneous attacks at close range. He moves with such tremendous speed that some opponents actually believes that he possess a form of teleportation and cannot discern his movements or attacks patterns, which makes it difficult to counter against him. During his time in soul society he was considered as one of the most proficient users of this skill. The reason for his great skills in shunpo is because he studied under the former 6th division captain Byakuya Kuchiki who was at one time also known for his high level skills in shunpo, he has even taught Takashi a few of his shunpo techniques.

• Senka (閃花, Flash Blossom): a special Shunpo technique where one moves to their opponent's back, directly attacking and sealing one's "Saketsu" and "Hakusui" in one strike (effectively cutting them off of their spiritual energy flow). The movement is so fast that an opponent may not be able to tell whether he was attacked from the front or the back and even an outside observer may find it impossible to tell what the movements are. This technique was taught to him by Byakuya Kuchiki.

• Utsusemi (空蝉; Cicada, referencing their molting): Way of Onmitsu, 3rd of the Shihou. It allows for a movement at great speed, leaving an afterimage behind. It is a technique taught to him by Byakuya Kuchiki.

• Shinsoku (神速, "God-speed"): It is a technique which allows Takashi to quickly overpower and dispatch opponents with his sword before they have time to react or retaliate. This technique is suitable for taking on large groups of opponents and finishing them off in a short amount of time. It is also one of this preferred flash step based moves.

Great Kidō Knowledge: Being a former captain of the 6th division, Takashi has considerable knowledge and understanding of Kidō. Takashi has shown the knowledge of how to break barriers set up by the spiritually superior entities that even some captains and shinigami were incapable of breaking. He mainly uses Bakudo instead of Hado because his zanpakuto already allows him to use abilities akin to regular kido as such he doesn’t require to use the destructive arts of kido, instead relies primarily on the binding arts to either freeze or restrain his enemies and to block incoming attacks. Though he will use hado at times when he prefers not to use his own zanpakuto, even then he is skilled in the said area as he is capable of using spells without the use of their incantation. Takashi further demonstrated his masterful skill in Kidō when he used Bakudo spells level 61, 63, and 79 in rapid succession of each other without using their incantation followed by a level 91 Hadō spell, though the Hadō spell did require an incantation to ensure the spell was powerful enough to accomplish his goal. He can produce powerful protection spells and barriers to better protect and defend himself while in battle.

• Shiba-gari no ken (芝刈りの剣, Grass Cutting Sword): This kido creates a white colored long sword made up of spiritual energy, Takashi is able to use the sword in battle, being able to cut and stab like a normal blade. He is able to wield it with great efficiency and is capable of cutting a large boulder in half with it. The energy sword is quite sharp as it was able to cut a low level Gillian class menos in half. The reason for the blade's sharpness is due to the vibrating spirit particles that forms the sword thus giving it a chainsaw like effect. By rearranging the spirit particles within the sword he is able to change the structure of the blade turning it into a whip like weapon thus increasing its range. It can be used as a long-range weapon.

• Mirā-sui (ミラー水, Mirror Water): Creates a circle of concentrated reiatsu that can reflect or repel kido spells of great power back at the enemy. According to Takashi, it is capable of reflecting destructive spells up to level #89, making it quite a powerful defensive spell.

• Hana-kyō (花鏡, Mirror Flower): By using this unique kido Takashi form a green orb of bright light which then create an invisible barrier that allows him to hide inside. While inside the barrier he becomes completely invisible to the naked eye and is also capable of erasing traces of Reiatsu altogether. This technique is best used for hiding and reconnaissance.

• Ten-kō no hashira (天光の柱, Heaven Light Pillars): A forbidden spell used by Takashi. Takashi summons several pillars of light from the sky and strikes the enemy with all of them at once. According to Takashi, this spell's destruction capability and level of power rivals that of hado #96, making it quite a powerful offensive spell.

• Garganta (黒腔[ガルガンタ], Garuganta; Spanish for "Throat", Japanese for "Black Cavity"): This is how Hollows move to, and from, Hueco Mundo. Takasi has demonstrated the ability to use the technique. It literally tears open the dimensional fabric separating the worlds, revealing a tunnel of whirling, torrential energy that must be focused and solidified to create a discernible pathway.

Tremendous Spiritual Energy: As a former captain of the 6th division Takashi boasts a great amount of spiritual energy. Even before he became a Shinigami, his spiritual pressure was immense and uncontrollable when compared to regular shinigami, and caused people around him to fall ill due to its heavy presence; mainly it affected his mother who he was living with at the time. Even by captain-level standards, Takashi has shown to have tremendous spiritual energy. Kurayami Shiki commented that Takashi's very presence is monstrously overwhelming. He is capable of exerting his spiritual energy around the atmosphere causing people with lower spiritual energy to fall down to their knees or sweat in fear. Due to the sheer amount of his spiritual energy it allows him to fight for prolonged periods of time without much difficulty and even when worn-out in battle, he can still continue to fight effectively while capable of unleashing a barrage of attacks from his zanpakuto or even unleash and maintain at least his Shikai. He has commented that it takes a lot for him not to "crush an insect" (referring to Celestino Vasquez) in his path. When releasing his spiritual pressure, it can cause a shockwave strong enough to affect a considerable radius. Although possessing a powerful Reiatsu he is able to hide his presence well, on several occasions he manages to surprise the likes of Daichi Kazuhiro and Touko Sonozaki with his sudden appearances, which leads them to complain about him "sneaking up" upon them. The color of his spiritual energy is dark green and when unleashing a strong enough surge of energy, it becomes visible and green in color with the appearance of a demon.

Platform Manifestation: By collecting reishi below his feet Takashi can create a small circular energy platform with which he can use to travel places or elevate himself to higher areas that are difficult to reach by regular means, with great speed and mobility. Once he is done with it he can use the circular platform as a defensive shield to defend himself from incoming attacks.

Ningyō Hontai ( 人形本体, Puppet Master Body): By converting his spiritual energy into countless spirit strings, he is able to control parts of his body using strings of spirit energy controlled by the brain. By using this technique, Takashi can control his body like a puppet, allowing him to move freely despite broken limbs, paralysis, or any other force that would impede normal movement. He was able to develop this by using the quincies Ransōtengai technique as a basis for the ability. During his time as a captain he saw a quincy perform the Ransōtengai technique, upon further study and experimentation he was able to produce a similar effect or ability.

High Intellect: Despite his easy going and care free attitude Takashi has shown himself to be very insightful and analytical. He possesses great instincts and intuition in battle which allows him to become aware of his surrounding and keep his guard up so that he can reacts to an incoming attack or danger in time. He is able to come up with effective strategies in the heat of battle and is able to manipulate his opponent’s strengths and weaknesses to his advantage. When entering a battle he usually has two or three battle strategies planned out well in advance and usually proceeds with caution when engaging an enemy. When fighting an opponent he is able to most of the times deduce an opponent’s zanpakuto ability and then come up with an effective counter measure. Also due to the sheer number of abilities both zanpakuto and kido wise he is able to use a wide variety of strategies, while most shinigami possess one ability they are good at, he is able to use the versatile nature of his zanpakuto to come up with different strategies and plans. He is also able to see through most deception and can most of the time figure out a person’s true intentions or plans.

Interrogation & Torture Expert: During his time with the Onmitsukidō's Interrogation & Torture force, much of Takashi’s skills in the said area developed. He has a good understanding of how the individual mind work, and how much psychological torture a person can endure. He is willing to use as much excessive force required in order to get whatever information is necessary, and in desperate situation’s will even use torture. Several methods seen include hanging a person over the edge of a building by one leg or chaining a person upside down and beating them within an inch of their life. He usually uses intimidation or psychological fear to get the answers. "Fear is an excellent motivator" he once said. During his time serving as the Commander of the Onmitsukidō’s Interrogation force unit he would always interrogate an enemy spy alone without any assistance from anyone, and would most of the time get the answers he wanted, he was also noted to use several torture weapons and devices in some of his interrogation sessions. Due to his unconventional interrogation methods and ability to instill fear into others, many of his comrades and various people where intimidated by him. Although he is no longer part of the interrogation force his skills in interrogation are just as good, as he is still able to get the necessary information, and will only use his more brutal skills when the situation demands for it.

Enhanced Durability: While not having the most imposing of appearances, Takashi has shown himself able to take large amounts of punishment. Even after exerting a lot of spiritual pressure and fighting Kyosuke Kagami as a Vizard with his Bankai, Takashi was still more than effective at dealing him intense blows while facing a lot himself, to the point he seemed highly resistant to damage that would have killed or incapacitated anyone else.

Enhanced Agility: Despite his more care free attitude, Takashi is an immensely agile fighter. In battle, he can effectively use his agility around the battlefield to his advantage, jumping from wall to wall to keep his opponents unsure of his attack patterns. Offensively, his agility grants him great dexterity in battle, able to attack his opponent from various angles with great accuracy and force.

Zanpakutō

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Sōgetsu
Kanji	草月
Characteristics
Race	Zanpakutō
Gender	Female
Bankai	Unknown
Professional Status
First Appearance
Voices

Sōgetsu (草月, Grass Moon ; "Hunter's Moon" in the English dub): has been described by Takashi as being " very cunning" as well as being one of the few known Zanpakutō with a female spirit (being owned by a male). When sealed, Sōgetsu takes the form of a regular katana, with a simple cross guard, with a simple circular frame. It has a black handle with the golden kanji symbol yo (与), which translates to godsend in the center surrounded by leather wrapping on the top and bottom of the handle and black sheathe.

Sōgetsu is one of the most powerful kido-type Zanpakutō in Soul Society. As Takashi is able to use a wide variety of abilities and is not restricted to only one or two techniques in either shikai or bankai form. Takashi's control over Sōgetsu's power has been shown to be great enough that he is able to use a technique or two without releasing his zanpakuto fully into its shikai state.

The spirit of Sōgetsu is that of a beautiful young girl, with black flowing hair, purple colored eyes, dressed in gothic like clothing and with a beautiful echoing voice. Takashi has had a close connection to his blade ever since first awakening his Shinigami powers. Sōgetsu is portrayed as fun-loving, witty, humorous and easygoing just like Takeshi himself and can also be wise and calm in certain situations. She has a wise understanding of the human nature - their sorrows, joy and love; as such she can understand Takashi emotions very well and can comfort him whenever he is feeling down or unsure about himself. She is fond of teasing Takashi most of the time and will always test him to see how much he has improved or how strong he has become. She is also responsible for developing much of his shinigami potential as well as teaching him the secrets of his zanpakuto's powers, though Sogetsu has stated that she hasn't taught him everything yet and will wait for when the time is right. She is known as the Sky Princess (空姫, Sorahime) the one who rules over the vast skies of Takashi's inner world.

In Bankai form, she resembles an older version of herself with the appearance of a woman in her mid to late 20's. She retains her beautiful long black hair. She is dressed in a beautiful purple colored kimono though somewhat revealing, with various designs all over some of which consists of moon like symbols on various parts of her dress. Sōgetsu seems to portray the same easygoing and humorous personality as she would when not in Bankai; however, she becomes very sarcastic and far more aggressive. While in Bankai; his inner world changes from that of a bright sunny day into a world of eternal dark night with a brilliant white moon shining over the horizon. As stated by Sogetsu herself she prefers to stay in her normal from rather than appear in her bankai form due to the fact that she doesn't like her older appearance and prefers her younger looking self. It is also because the landscape of his inner world changes from a warm sunny day into that of a lonely dark night, which she doesn't seem to prefer. In bankai form she refers to herself as the Witch of the Night Sky (夜空の魔女, Yozora no majo) and Takashi calls her the Night Queen (夜の女王, Yoru no joō).

Sougetsu would regularly come to aid him with words of wisdom and advice whenever Takashi is in trouble or in a difficult situation. Before he began training to control his Shinigami powers and leaking reiatsu, Sōgetsu herself would constantly appear in his dreams in a lush landscape, with natural surroundings like bright sunny skies and green forests (most likely Takashi’s inner world) and call out to him, although Takashi was still not able to hear her until much later. Takashi’s inner world is seen as a lush landscape, with natural surroundings which is easily accessible to him as he enters into a meditative state of mind. Takashi has stated that he has a good relationship with his zanpakuto and that she is one of his closest friend and companion, and he can always count on her to help him out in dire situations.

Sogetsu in its Shikai state

• Shikai: The Shikai command of Sōgetsu is "Awaken" (目ざめる, mezameru). Sogetsu's Shikai takes the form a sleek, medium-sized sword. Its blade is straight and slim, though somewhat short, with the tip ending in a slanted razor-like edge instead of being tapered to a point. The blade itself features a thick, two tone black and silver blade. The distinctive hilt is wrapped with black cord and accented with gold-colored menuki guard with a green decorative cord tied around it. An almost skirt-like decoration covers the first three or four inches of blade, with a full moon design right as it meets the string-crossguard. The hilt is white with a gentle decorative bend although most of it is wrapped in bandages; the end of the hilt is further decorated with a pagoda-shaped finial with a green chain that dangles. Due to its sleek straight form the blade is sharper than most regular zanpakuto which makes it easier to cut an opponent. In addition to these changes, it gives Takashi a wide array of abilities.

Shikai Special Ability: The main ability of his zanpakuto allows Takashi to absorb into his blade, spiritual energy from the surrounding area, from an opponent’s attack, or from within his own reserves, then convert and release it into forms of highly condensed spiritual energy capable of producing various green-colored energy based techniques. But as stated by Takeshi it isn’t as simple as that, as it requires a much greater understanding of how the ability works and also of spiritual energy. Takashi compares Sogetsu's ability to that of the real moon, how the sun actually strikes its own light on portions of the moon's surface and how the moon emits the sunlight from those portions of its surface into the form of moonlight directing it back towards the earth.

One of the more prominent ability of his zanpakuto is that it can absorb energy based attacks or certain techniques, from others by crossing blade with another or by just simply absorbing an attack or technique. Takashi refers to this ability as Empathy (情感, Jōkan), which refers to The capacity to know emotionally what another is experiencing from within the frame of reference of that other person, the capacity to sample the feelings of another or to put one's self in another's shoes. This empathic ability allows him to duplicate or "absorb" the abilities of others near him. For this ability to work he must at times have physical contact with an opponent’s blade or at least allow his zanpakuto absorb an opponent’s spiritual based technique. After absorbing an opponent’s ability he is able to replicate it and after understanding how the ability works he is able to use it without much difficulty, but there is a certain requirement, he must know or learn the name of the zanpakuto from which he acquired the original ability. Due to his intellect and innate understanding of how various shingami abilities work, his ability to analyzing spiritual particles and the structure of an attack, he can replicate the ability acquired without special education or training. He is able to absorb zanpakuto’s that have kido based abilities or those that possess certain elemental type ability, he is even able to replicate abilities of illusion type zanpakuto and poison type zanpakuto. He can replicate the abilities of only one zanpakuto at a time. Due to the unique nature of his zanpakuto, Sogetsu is one of the most versatile zanpakuto in soul society, capable of using a wide range of abilities.

Absorbed Abilities: In order to use a specific ability or power he must say the release command Show Yourself (自分を見る, Jibun o miru) followed by the name of the zanpakuto that he wishes to replicate. He is able to use only one ability at any given time and must dispel or re-seal the current ability in order to use another one. He is required to wait an additional 10 minutes before he can use another accquired ability. The amount of abilities his zanpakuto can store at its maximum is about ten, any more than that will cause Sogetsu to replace an originally accquired ability with a new one.

• Zaraikou ( 座ライコウ, The Lightning): This ability allows Takashi to control electricity and lightning, it can also be used to paralyze opponents. He is able to generate bolts of electricity which he uses to attack opponents with devastating force and also electrocute them. With Tenjin Raiga (天神は、ライガ, Heavenly God's Lightning Fang), he can shoot out powerful surges of lightning blasts. He gained this ability from his former Lieutenant Kurayami Shiki.

• Tsukigami (月神, Moon God): With his ability, Takashi is able to use space warps, he can instantly move himself or any part of his body from one area to another over a theoretically unlimited distance via another dimension known as the distortion world. Takashi can control and manipulate the warps to almost any degree he wishes. He can also designate which warps will lead to the distortion dimension from those that will instantly lead to another location in this dimension. By using the same warps used for teleportation Takashi is able to absorb an opponents attacks and reflect it back at the opponent, attacks such as shinigami kido and hollows cero. He gained this ability from Kyosuke Kagami during one of their earlier bouts, Takashi has stated that he is only able to travel to the first circle of the distortion world and as such cannot use the other abilities of this zanpakuto.

• Genkamizu (弦歌水; Singing Water): This ability allows Takashi to control and manipulate water. Takashi's can also use his own spiritual energy to create water and can control water from the surrounding atmosphere or any other source of water around him for attack and defense. He is able to launch a rushing surge of water towards his enemy. He gained this ability from the lieutenant of the 4th Division Miya Hana.

• Kesshoumaru (結晶リング, Crystal Ring): This ability allows Takashi to create crystal as well as manipulate already-existing crystals and crystalline structures. It allows him to crystallize anything around the surrounding atmosphere, turning everything into a weapon. By forming crystal's at the tip of his sword, Takashi is able to release a flow of crystals shaped in the form of a serpent to attack his opponents. He gained this ability from his current partner and lover Touko Sonozaki.

• Gin Kiri (銀霧, Silver-Mist): This ability allows Takashi to create simple and complex illusion. Takashi is able to create a sort of silver mist from his blade, if an opponent comes into contact with this mist in anyway, be it by inhaling or simply touching the opponent’s skin, it directly affects the opponent’s nervous system, allowing him to control their perception of reality. By channeling his spiritual energy into the mist, Takashi is able to distort the target's perception, effectively making a person's five senses unable to properly register what is happening. He gained this ability from his battle with Koga Senryu.

Sougetsu's Abilities: In addition to the absorbed abilities his zanpakuto Sougetsu also possesses abilities of its own. Sougetsu is capable of producing various green-colored energy techniques. Takashi can perform five abilities of Sougetsu's with numbers from one to five that corresponds to its different abilities. Out of all the five abilities he is currently able perform three because Sogetsu has yet to teach him the other two abilities. Whenever he seems to use an ability his weapon produces a sort of whistling noise similar to fireworks. Originally Takashi was only able to perform three of the five abilities of his zanpakuto but after further training and guidance from Sogetsu herself he has gained the ability to perform the final two techniques of his zanpakuto, finally mastering the full potential of his shikai.

• Sōgetsu Sōkyoku Daiichi no - Kōkyō Hakai (交響破壊草月奏曲第一の, Grass Moon Sonata Number One - Symphony of Destruction): This technique is one of Sogetsu's offensive ability. From within the blade Takashi is able to fire concentrated blasts of green-colored energy. The energy blasts are quite destructive and he is able to control them with great efficiency, and can even change the size, shape, and force of them. This ability is powerful enough to match Daichi Kazuhiro's Seinaru Hi technique and can easily cancel out Cero and Bala blasts from an Espada-Level arrancar like Roy Grimshaw by striking it head-on with this attack.

• Sōgetsu Sōkyoku Ban no - Seiiki (交響破壊草月奏曲第一の, Grass Moon Sonata Number Two - Sanctuary): This technique is one of Sogetsu's defensive ability. It creates a energy barrier or shield made up of spiritual energy, it takes the forms of a large octagonal-shaped disk and can be formed from any side of the body front or back. The barrier will be activated once the name of the technique is called out. It is quite a powerful barrier which can protect almost any part of the body and it will form itself whenever an attack almost reaches Takeshi in order to protect him. The barrier is strong enough to easily block a direct punch from the immensely strong espada level arrancar Vergil Oscuro with no repercussions to Takashi and was able to block Kyosuke Kagami's summoning sword projectiles which shoots out a number of weapons like a rain of arrows, after which Takashi comments that he would have skewered if it was not for the shield.

• Sōgetsu Sōkyoku Sū san no - Kijo (草月奏曲数三鬼女, Grass Moon Sonata Number Three - The Siren): This technique condenses the energy observed in Sogetsu's previous abilities into the form of multiple green colored tangible ropes, emanating from the blade that can be subsequently used or manipulated in order to bind and ensnare an opponent, this restrict an opponent’s movements completely. Once the opponent is sufficiently captured or subdued the ropes begin to glow as well as grow in size this means an opponent's reiatsu is being absorbed. The large spiritual ropes will completely take down an opponent and the absorbed reiatsu can be used to heal wounds and revitalize Takashi reiatsu or can be turned against the opponent, either seriously injuring them or killing them in the process. Takashi uses Bakudō to temporarily bind an opponent before using this technique to finish them off.

• Sōgetsu Sōkyoku Bangō yon - Shīku Hakai (草月奏曲番号四シークと破壊, Grass Moon Sonata Number Four - Seek & Destroy): This technique allows Takashi to slash enemies without actually making direct contact with them, the ability works by firing microscopic needles or senbons made up of concentrated spiritual energy at the enemy that pierces through the opponent's skin and attacks the body on a cellular level. Because they are so small they are almost impossible to see with the naked eye and when the technique is used it doesn't attack the opponent’s body on the outside but causes severe damage internally. Initially Takashi fired the needles from the tip of his zanpakuto which was capable of disposing many lower level hollows, but he later develops a stronger variation of the technique, which composed of a massive wave of blue spiritual energy that could be used in a much more effective way. The small needles that are fired sever the nerve channels inside the body, leaving the target unable to move after being struck by the attack. This technique is best used to incapacitate a large group of enemies, as shown when he first used this technique to render a small army of low level hollows helpless and unable to move from the after effects of the attack. This technique has been labeled as one of his most dangerous techniques due to it lethality and as well as its effects on the body.

• Sōgetsu Sōkyoku Bangō go - Kyūshi (草月奏曲番号五ー急死, Grass Moon Sonata Number Five - Sudden Death): A technique taught to him by Sōgetsu in order to subjugate his opponents to a great amount of pain rather them outright killing them. In order to use this technique Takashi must makes every effort to draw out blood from his opponent and then let his zanpakuto’s blade consume it. It doesn’t matter how much of blood Sogetsu has to consume as long the blade is able to consume it. Once this is done a spiritual link is formed between the opponent and Sogetsu. The second stage of the technique involves Takashi using his zanpakuto to create a blood seal and must place the seal on any part of the opponents body, once the seal is placed on the body of the victim the cursed blood will reshape itself and take the form of a star shaped symbol, this mean that the technique is now in place and is ready to be used. With a simple hand gesture or command the blood symbol that was placed on the opponent’s body begins to glow and with that the target begins to experience a painful sensation running through their body, as more time goes by the curse placed on the victim will slowly inflict more pain on the body until the victim can’t endure it anymore and fall into a state of unconsciousness. The user can also deactivate the technique placed on the victim at anytime and also the seal will disappear from the victim’s body after a short period of time meaning the technique is not long lasting. Because of the severity of the technique placed on the body it takes a bit amount of time for the opponent to recover, though individuals with strong resolve and determination will be able to recover much quicker than normal people. The technique is also best suited for interrogation and torture. Originally Sōgetsu did not wish to teach Takashi this technique but after proving himself worthy once again, Sogetsu decided that he was ready to acquire the last of the five numbered sonata techniques.

• Bankai: Not yet revealed, but has been vaguely commented upon. When Shiro Tomokazu comes to Takashi for training, he instead gives the task to his current partner and lover Touko Sonozaki, remarking that Shiro needs to face the strength of a Bankai to improve. When Touko asks why Takashi, a former captain who also possesses Bankai, does not train Shiro himself, he states that his Bankai is not fit for training or helping others.

Hollowfication

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Main article: Hollow Takashi

Takashi's original Hollow Mask

Takashi's Mask after fighting Vergil

Hollow Mask: Takashi's Hollow mask manifests in the appearance of what could best be described as phantom like. It is a simple and plain white mask with black eye slots that seemingly hide his eyes. It also has two curved blue colored stripes on each side of the mask, when donning his Hollow mask Takashi's sclera turns completely black and his irises become golden-yellow. The mask was originally just plain and did not possess the current strips on both sides of the mask, but since then the mask has formed the blue two curved lines. After his victory over the Espada Level arrancar Vergil Oscuro, Takashi's mask has changed once again, as seen when he faces off against the Cero Espada Muerte Guerrero. Where his mask once had two curved lines on both side and only covered the front of his face, now the mask covers most of his head, neck and throat with the exception of small hole in the back for his hair. It has a plain smooth white surface with the only feature being a bilateral line down the middle, separating the mask into two portions. The new mask is able to open up at the mouth area and when it does, vertical lines appear on the top and bottom, giving it the look of teeth.

The Hollow mask was originally a sign of Takashi's possession by the Hollow within him, but after training himself for several years and with help from the Vizard Kyosuke Kagami, it has now become an indication that he is merely utilizing his Hollow powers. To access Hollow Takashi's power, Takashi must summon the mask onto his face, which is normally done by placing one of his hands over his face and concentrating spiritual matter on it in order to manifest the mask (previously it had appeared on its own before he mastered the Hollow within him), summoning the mask in a "ripping" fashion. With the mask in place, Takashi has access to increased physical enhancements and can also shift the position of the mask while apparently still retaining the abilities of his Hollowfied state like most vizards are capable of. This was the case with his original mask.

Upon gaining his new mask Takashi has had problems controlling it, during his brief encounter with the Cero Espada Muerte Guerrero, he noticed that his mask felt different, as if it was heavier, and he is unable to re-summon it for a brief period of time. This may be because he is still yet to control the full powers of this new hollow mask. The current time limit with this mask is unknown; his new mask began deteriorating directly after he attempted a Kōkyō Hakai on Kirei Satoshi with it on.

• Power Augmentation: While wearing the mask, Takashi's Hollow powers supplement his Shinigami powers, giving him a vast increase in both strength and speed. The explanation for this is that since Hollows boost their natural abilities by obtaining spiritual power around them, either by absorbing it in its ambient form or devouring it directly from another living being, Takashi attains power from two separate sources: that from himself (drawn using his Shinigami powers), and that from his immediate environment (drawn with the help of his Hollow powers), allowing him to draw power from both sides.

• Augmented Kōkyō Hakai: When Takashi wears his mask, the power, speed, blast area, force, and size of the Kōkyō Hakai becomes drastically augmented to the point of seriously harming a foe. When used with his Shikai and Hollow mask in combination, his Kōkyō Hakai is stated to be his ultimate attack. Takashi's tremendous speed allows him to move faster than the Kōkyō Hakai itself, allowing him to fire multiple blasts from different directions. Vergil Oscuro believes that the Kōkyō Hakai is Takashi's strongest attack, and has compared it to a Hollow's Cero, particularly a Cero Oscuras. The Kuroi Kōkyō Hakai was first displayed by Hollow Takashi, and initially carried the risk of causing his inner Hollow to surface if used too much. With his later control over his inner Hollow, this was no longer a problem.

• Enhanced Spiritual Power: While wearing the mask, Takashi's spiritual power becomes even greater than before, it was noted by Touko to be "worlds apart" from other vizards and making her wonder if he was even the same species as them. During his fight with Segunda Espada Vergil the 3rd Espada, Socorro Herrera, notes that the volume, concentration, and catastrophic nature of his reiatsu didn't seem like that of a Shinigami but more like she was watching a fight between two Espada. It has been noted multiple times that with the mask on his spiritual energy changes into something similar to that of an Arrancar. The spiritual energy was powerful enough to be sensed by several other Arrancar who were far away from the vicinity where Takashi was using his mask, the sheer concentration of his spiritual power was able to perspire fear on to the arrancar who sensed it. The color of his spiritual energy in his hollowfied form is black with green outline.

• Enhanced Speed: While wearing his mask, Takashi’s already formidable speed is greatly enhanced. During his battle against Vergil, his speed was great enough to completely overwhelm the Espada, who was unable to follow his movements and was forced completely on the defensive from his barrage of attacks. His attacks have also become so fast that the opponent cannot even perceive them until after they are hit. He also becomes fast enough to outrun his own energy attacks, allowing him to strike and enhance them or launch simultaneous attacks at the opponent from different angles.

• Cero: Takashi gathers energy that is displayed in a horizontal line at his fist. He then releases a crimson Cero with an extremely wide arc and devastating force. The power of the Cero from a distance is powerful enough to cause grievous injury to an Espada of at least rank ten, even at minimal power.

• Hollow Combat: When Takashi fights with his mask on his fighting style becomes more instinctive than practiced. The Hollow mask also makes him more ruthless, akin to the battle style of Hollow Takashi. Throughout the duration of the Hollowfication, Takashi has shown less concern for injuries to his person, even going so far as to ignore grievous wounds to continue fighting. He has been seen to even take being impaled on a sword without so much as flinching from the perceived damage, even when the blow is dealt by the likes of Vergil.

Final Hybrid Form

• Saigo no Sōgetsu Sōkyoku (最終的交响草月, The Final Symphony): Coming Soon.......

Behind the Scenes

This character Takashi Kosuda is one of my best creation yet in BFF, I am truly happy about how the character came to be, a lot of time and work was put into the development of this character. This character also shows the improvement of my character making skills, since I have gained much experience from my time in Naruto Fanon wikia, and several people have commented that this character represents the improvement of my skills. Takashi is based on Urahara Kisuke of bleach canon, as they both are former well known captains, with impressive skills and powers; I used Kisuke as a base model for my character because he is one of my favorite characters in bleach. I enjoy how flexible Takashi is in terms of personality he can easy going and friendly yet cunning and dangerous when faced against a strong opponent or in certain situations.

His zanpakuto's name Sogetsu is based on Ichigo Kurosaki's Zangetsu, and the zanpakuto Sogetsu is based on various things. The abilities are based on Urahara Kisuke's Benihime and Ichigo Kurosaki's Zangetsu, along with my own ideas. The command phrase or numbering of the techniques of Sogetsu's shikai form is based on Rōjūrō Ōtoribashi's Kinshara, and the name of the attack themselves are based on various songs from the heavy metal and rock genre of music, since I enjoy listing to that type of music. I also used a sort of moon theme or motif for the zanpakuto and some of its techniques because I am fascinated with the moon and any mythologies based on it. Overall I am quite happy with the character and I am going to feature him in my story Bleach - Chronicles of the Soul as one of the primary Protagonists.

Quotes

• "I understand, now. To save what is most important, I must be strong enough, to cut out my heart."

• (To Hollow Takashi) "No! I'm not scared of you anymore! I'm a good man; which is something you know nothing about. You don't know what it's like to fight for someone that you love and care about; All you have is your desire for power and your nightmares."

• "Maybe my destiny is more than just saving people. Maybe it's also to give people hope. Someone to believe in."

• (To Shiro Tomokazu) "Some of us sacrifice being with the people that we really care about so that we can go out there and make a difference. "Because there are more important things in this world than what I want... and what I love."

• (To Muerte Guerrero) "Sorry but I don't have time to deal with the likes of you right now, I have to go and stop Kirei from destroying Karakura Town, so step aside and let me pass arrancar, cause if you don't I'll strike you down with my blade."