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Makoto Amada
 SHIBUTANI JUN Name: Shibutani Jun (四二谷 準) Age: Late 20s True Age: Over 500 years old Sex: No thank you Personality: The most notable and defining trait of Captain Shibutani is strong sense of justice. He is very much flawed in his judgements and has long since recognized this, however, he attempts his best at being impartial when enforcing the law. Though he enacts the will of Central 46, he does not necessarily follow them blindly. The Captain has his own opinions on them, good and bad, and will often disagree with the decisions of Central 46. Keeping him from breaking off from Gotei 13, however, is a faith in the system which he has yet to see collapse fully. If he must punish a citizen, he is only doing his job, though sometimes, he will let one go. He thinks of people as individuals, judging others on a case-by-case basis. Due to his sense of justice, Captain Shibutani's views on fairness and right to a fair trial make it so that he dislikes fighting against detainees. In fact, he outright refuses to draw his zanpakuto in malice, preferring to talk his target down, reasoning with them before fighting with them. From a young age, however, Jun has had problems with anger. These stem from sibling rivalries among other things within his upbringing which have lead him to becoming quick to anger. It is a bad habit of his which, even after centuries, still has difficulty reigning in, only doing so most of the time in order to protect his principles. While 1st Squad are the Headquarters of Gotei 13 and 11th Squad the best combatants, after Jun had taken the reigns as Captain, he had taken measures to making it so that his squad, the 9th, are the most disciplined and strongest fighters, or at least try to be. The atmosphere he encourages is that of competition, striving to be stronger than the other squads but also smarter as the cultural leaders of the Gotei 13. Members of Squad 9 are encouraged to be Renaissance men, to which Captain Shibutani as captain, sets the standard, using modern tools and ancient knowledge to craft unique pieces of art. Though he will not draw his blade in malice, he will often spar for fun and sport as well as practice. In fact, sparring is encouraged within 9th squad as well as the notion of squad 9 members challenging the members of other squads. Captain Shibutani also trains constantly, getting up early to motivate the rest of his squad to train alongside him, though always taking the time to train on his own. Captain Shibutani personally has a penchant for Western culture. As something he was only somewhat acquainted with during brief expeditionary ventures to the human world, he had become enamored with the relatively foreign nature of it, spending many nights researching the topic. Though he likes Western Culture and indeed partakes in it, dressing the part, he will not force this onto the rest of the Soul Society and indeed, the Soul Society largely doesn't have time or resources to care much. Occasionally though, he will write a section on the latest trends in American or European culture; art, music, movies, games and most recently, memes. CHARACTER APPEARANCE Height: 5'10" Weight: ~160 lbs. (apparent) Physical Traits: Captain Shibutani has long, flowing black hair. It is well groomed and regularly washed, which is especially important due to the sheer amount of time he spends training and consequently building up a sweat. His light skin, covered by thick layers of clothes is far from unmarred. All along his arms, legs, and torsos are cut marks, bite marks, blast marks, among other things forever preserved on his body in the form of scars. Being a Shinigami with a lot of control over spirit energy, he looks like a young man in his 20s, especially due to a lack of wrinkles. However, there is one part of his body where it is much more difficult to hide his age- that is- his bright brown eyes. Jun possesses the look of an old man; and if one could look into his eyes, one might be able to gauge how much of a disappointment he must have been at a younger age. Sure, they hold wisdom, but this is only secondary. In fact, even his backstory isn't as tragic as that of others. Captain Shibutani has a long nose from the sellion to the nostrils. His face is slim and very angular, his jaw structure very defined especially with his lack of facial hair. He's got a mouth wider than his nose with a persistent, resting pout. His eyebrows are thin, thicker closer to the nose and thinning out at the edges of his face. He lacks facial blemishes. Due to the training the Captain has done along with having never been particularly bulky in his long, long life, Captain Shibutani has a very slender body, packed with lean but tightly compressed muscle. Clothing: Though he wears a more formal shihakusho and haori. However, due to the insane circumstances by which Jun had obtained his rank, as well as the secondary wave of fame later, his presence is almost immediately recognized, thus allowing him to get away with wearing clothing less shinigami-like. He has a preference for western-style clothing. His favorite set features a beige overcoat; a black, button-down, pinstriped shirt; a pair of sequin gloves; and a pair of brown trousers. In this, he wears three belts. That's two leather belts to keep his pants up, and a third cloth sash worn around his waist in which he sheathes his zanpakuto. Accessories: Because he's classic, he likes to carry around a gold pocket watch. FIGHTING STYLE General Fighting Style: It's difficult to pinpoint exactly how Captain Shibutani fights. The constant time he spends trying to better himself leads to an eclectic fighting style derived from the people he's fought as well as various books and videos which he had watched and read in order to improve his technique. His hand-to-hand style appears random, but is actually incredibly deliberate. A usual tactic of his is to get immediately on the ground, based on the observation that a majority of fights end up on the ground; and even if they had not, a majority of his hand-to-hand fights had simply as a self-fulfilling prophecy. On the ground, his fighting style consists of quick, erratic strikes, seemingly flailing his limbs about but actually striking at vital points. In confrontations that call for it, Captain Shibutani will also resort to using kido, favoring bakudo spells opposed to hado, especially when detaining a person. Captain Shibutani's kenjutsu, however, is his bread and butter. He plays on his own strengths at first. When he finally unsheathes his zanpakuto, due to prior established information regarding his ethics, he will know more or less his opponents' weaknesses, and will play against them as well. He is breathier than he is fast, and thus will often seek to tire out his opponent over straight-up attempting to overpower them, especially in serious matches that require him to unsheathe his zanpakuto. Strengths: Though Captain Shibutani is rarely seen ever using his zanpakuto, it is without question that he possesses the best Zanjutsu in his Division and perhaps in the Gotei 13. As captain of the 9th Division, he also has incredibly strong shunpo. He may not be the fastest in comparison to the fastest assassins of the 2nd squad, though can certainly compete when it comes to chasing, possessing among the best endurance in the Gotei 13, capable of using his shunpo multiple times in quick succession over a period of several hours. This comes from mental and physical discipline through control of spirit energy as well as simply having good cardio from training for as long as he has been. Weaknesses: Captain Shibutani was never quite strong to begin with. Had no one ever trained in anything, Jun would have only weaknesses, and it is only through training at which he had gotten to as strong as the other captains. It is still notable that Captain Shibutani, though he does his best to cover up this weakness, is physically less strong than his peers. Compared to other captains, Captain Shibutani also has a much weaker level of reiatsu which tie into his lack of physical strength. ZANPAKUTO Sealed Appearance: The sealed appearance of Hagane Orochi is unremarkable and plain. The entirety of the zanpakuto lacks any sort of decoration whatsoever. The blade is arm-length with a handle designed for two and a half hands or simply two big hands- and Captain Shibutani doesn't have very big hands. The hand guard is a thick, silvery medallion just big enough to cover the hand. SHIKAI Name: Hagane Orochi (鋼大蛇) Release Command: Stalk Appearance: Hagane Orochi, when released in Shikai shrinks down, the handle becoming accommodating only to a single hand, though also becoming more conforming to Captain Shibutani's hand and thus more comfortable in general. The hand guard disappears into the blade which droops down like a flaccid member until a proper command is uttered, causing Hagane Orochi to actually do its job. Otherwise, it acts as a short, metal whip. Abilities: Orochi no Kawa (大蛇の皮) Orochi no Kawa is Hagane Orochi's skill currency secondary to reiatsu and reiryoku. When Hagane Orochi is released, it is roughly two feet long. Activating this technique causes a metallic bulb to form at the tip. As it moves, a trail is formed from the bulb in the same shape of the blade. This trail is stationary and the blade will get longer as it moves, by up to a foot and a half every fourteen seconds depending on how quickly Shibutani can move (up to ten feet every post depending on the situation). If the bulb stops moving or if the skill is deactivated, the trail will break down from the bulb. If the bulb touches any part of the trail except that which is immediately behind it, the trail will break down from the point the bulb touches to the origin of the trail (the tip). The trail breaks down at the same rate as it grows, and Hagane Orochi remains in its flaccid state until the old trail completely breaks down, unable to gain more length. After the trail is done taking down and there is still trail on it, the trail will return to its original shape, but its orientation and position will be dictated by the position of the blade as the skill is reactivated. The trail is solid and does indeed cut, should anyone run along the edges. Because it is solid as well as stationary, Captain Shibutani may also maneuver off of it as a secondary platform. Envenom (掻く) The simplest of simple skills. It converts a foot of trail into explosive energy which bursts at an immediate range. Every foot that explodes is comparable in power to a hado #1. Shibutani can detonate up to eight at once, and requires half a minute to cool down, or more depending on the amount of length used (cooldown: 1 + (t/2) where t = the amount of trail used). Swallow (飲み込む) From the tip, this ability consumes a foot of trail into healing energy. This energy travels down the trail (1 post per 10 feet of trail) and into Shibutani's body, and from there, can be projected into the body of another individual making direct physical contact. This ability can use up to five feet of trail at a time. For every foot consumed, this technique can heal one bone fracture, a minor missing body part (chunk of flesh/finger/toe cut off), or a burn up to third degree covering up to 10% of the body; two feet can heal a major bone fracture, a partial amputation of a major body part, or fourth degree burns covering up to 2% of the body; three feet can heal several bone fractures, a complete amputation (does not regrow the limb), or up to a fourth degree burn covering up to 3% of the body; and so on. When this move is used, Shibutani must wait two minutes (four posts) before he can use it again. Turn (曲がる) Though the trail is largely stationary, Captain Shibutani does have the capability of moving it on his will, though it is still incredibly difficult, and can only do so once every four posts. This does not consume any length. Bite (噛み付く) The most basic skill using Orochi no Kawa in which Captain Shibutani can cast a kido spell through any part of the blade in any direction and at any angle. This ability is of course, limited by those imposed by the kido in question. In addition, for every ten feet of trail the spell has to travel, there is an additional five seconds worth of lag (a spell cast in one post won't work for another post for every ten feet of trail there is on the blade). This does not consume any length. Rattle (振る) A skill building off of Shibutani's "Bite" technique. When a spell is running through Hagane Orochi's trail, Captain Shibutani can cause the kido to "surge" for a slight moment. This causes the spell to dissipate, but also deflects the path of any energy attack going through or around it. Pounce (急に飛びかかる) This technique is a finishing move and also a newly developed power by Captain Shibutani. Though the trail will normally reset if it touches itself, this technique allows him to do it on purpose. By timing this command at the same time as cutting the trail on purpose at sixty feet or less from the tip, the remainder of the trail will break off, shooting towards a target, wrap itself around said target, and explode. The explosion is similar to Envenom, in which the power is equivalent to the amount of trail with a higher upper limit of sixty. After this technique is used, the trail will reset and no new trail can be formed for five seconds after this technique is used (1 post). Boosts: At first, Hagane Orochi gave a minor boost in everything in general as would be expected in Shikai, though as it had become developed, it seemed that the zanpakuto's will was to boost its user's speed, making Captain Shibutani noticeably much faster. BANKAI New Name: Appearance: Abilities: Boosts: BACK-DROP Background: Jun was born to the noble Shibutani family as the second youngest of five siblings and the youngest of three brothers. Due simply to the order in which they were born, Jun was deemed as the unlucky one, four being a bad number in Asian cultures. This didn't mean his parents cared for him any less than his other siblings, however, he was certainly treated differently by his family and everybody had taken notice. Having grown up in such a way, he was always used to being treated differently. There was a strong sibling rivalry between him, his brothers, and his sister. They all had to be the biggest, fastest, the strongest, with the eldest usually winning out of all of them for obvious reasons. Though his younger sister was more vulnerable, Jun was always seen as the weakest link, and for a long time, he was even noticeably shorter than his younger sister, the elders in the family poking fun at him, thinking that his sister would vastly outgrow him. Growing up, Jun was seen as the black sheep of the family. He was always the one who needed more encouragement. Everybody knew it, though they never gave it to him in favor of his much stronger older brothers and indeed his prodigal younger sister. He was the failure of the family, to the point where his name was even changed, at least in writing (from 渋 to 四二) to reflect what everybody thought of him. As a child, in order to force him to do better in his studies, Jun was constantly beat by the elders of his family as a way of disciplining him. Though they see marginal improvements here and there, it never worked in the long run, and his family had eventually given up on him. Jun had initially been quick to anger, following an example of his parents' short temperedness; though the lack of power to do anything about it quickly turned this anger into depression. He was called a crybaby, and all in his family had made fun of him for it. When it came time for him to become a Soul Reaper, Jun's family had little expectations of him, many even encouraging him not to become a Soul Reaper so as to not bring shame onto the family for how disappointing they expected him to be. Then, as an attempt to spite them as well as prove himself, Jun had enrolled into the academy. Once there, Jun had performed exactly as everybody expected he would. He was incredibly mediocre as a student, and at the time, even lacked the work ethic to lift himself out of a slump. At the time, he had only two friends in the academy, and the three were referred to as the tragic trio, all of them skating incredibly close to failure. When they graduated, it was only because the three of them had each other for support, along that of some of the teachers who were disagreed with by a good deal of other teachers along with a majority of the student body, thinking it a drain on resources both to the school and the Gotei 13. Out of the three, Jun had the least remarkable zanpakuto. His family, upon seeing what it was, what it was called, and what it did, called it a metal-colored noodle that flopped around and nothing else. At the time, because of Jun's lack of mastery of his shikai, they were largely correct in what it was. At first, Jun wanted to join the 11th Division, wanting to prove himself as a fighter. At the time, though he wasn't particularly talented in anything, he was the least adept at kido, and believed he could make up for it by being a member of the 11th Squad, learning to become a powerful melee fighter. However, due to his lack of upper body strength and the resemblance of his shikai to a wet noodle, they all laughed at him before kicking him out. With nowhere else to turn, Jun had become a member of the 9th squad, and more part of the cultural portion than the police portion. Simply put, he along the rest of the tragic trio were put into position as water boys, people who fetched the coffee, did the menial work, and generally everybody poked fun at. When Jun asked to write his own articles, he was mocked and derided. "Nobody wants to hear what a loser has to say" they said. Some even refused to let the trio fetch the coffee, thinking they wouldn't even be able to do that much correct. In that case, the three only had each other. For centuries, Jun had been little more than a water boy, even when his academy friends had already moved up, becoming publishers, managers, and the like; his siblings becoming high seated members throughout the Gotei 13. In his four centuries, he had seen captain positions changing quite frequently, and seeing former slaves and bastard children, those born in the human world and otherwise of impure blood rise to high places of power, only filled the then young noble with a seething sense of jealousy. Jun had been on the verge of suicide for many years, but always had too much cowardice to ever actually off himself, even as others dared him to. He reasoned with others though mostly himself, that he lives on because of spite. The constant bullying and harassment, people generally belittling him had made him emotionally very closed-off, though not necessarily tough mentally. His escape was training. As a trainee, he had never done more than what was necessary without someone else pushing him to it. As a member of the 9th Squad, however, it became a lifestyle to him. He at first trained with his two friends, both of them apparently getting much more out of it than he did, allowing them to advance much quicker. Jun stayed behind. He had no choice. He was slow. Still, within the span of a century, Jun had mastered his shikai and polished a good majority of his shinigami skills to a point where they might even be passable. Nobody was impressed and indeed, many even felt pity for him seeing as how hard it was for him to get to where most average shinigami- not even the higher average- could reach in half the time. Though, the fact that he even could improve was motivation enough. He had become competitive, often challenging members of the 9th Division to various challenges, those he faced expecting an easy challenge. Jun did not win each and every one of these matches, though every single victory bolstered his ego and every single loss humbled him as well as gave him incentive to become even stronger. The greatest challenge in his life had taken a century and a half. At that point, Jun had become slightly more respected, growing just below the rank of a seated member, and even catching up with his friends. His siblings had been seated members and perhaps lieutenants already, all of them vying for the position of captain. As a noble family with five children, it was expected that at least one of them would be able to achieve bankai and thus become captain, and the least expected to have such a position was of course Jun, the black sheep. After a century and a half, Jun had trained his absolute hardest as did the rest of his siblings, who had undoubtedly become stronger than ever. At the end of over a century and a half of training to achieve bankai, none of the five siblings had gotten it, the more motivated being the eldest and the youngest believed they weren't trying hard enough and the others simply demoralized, giving up. Jun, however, had finally gained some confidence in himself, and in the time that he had spent training, also gained the respect and support of some of his division. People had attempted to talk him out of it. However, Jun had made up his mind. He went to the captain and requested to become the captain himself by defeating him in combat. The captain was amused, but baffled, even knowing how much Jun had trained. At first, the request was rejected. As a result, Jun continued to train, garnering more support as well as critics and many losses, especially against seated shinigami who he had won the favor of. No longer was the scared, afraid loser who could do nothing. A life of defeats as well as defeat at the hands of his peers in training had humbled him. Though after another half century, Jun had worked up what he believed to be enough strength to defeat his captain, becoming the new captain. The first time, Jun had lost, the captain sparing his life out of pity. Jun did not give up. The captain referred him as foolish for wanting a rematch, but after much paperwork, a rematch was settled between the two. At that time, the both of them had trained up to it, the captain caught by surprise at how strong who was once the weakest member of Gotei 13 had become and who he himself had seen grow more powerful. The second time, the both of them gave it their all. It was an incredibly close match, leaving the both of them broken and bloody messes, limbs missing which had to be reattached by the 4th Division by the end of the duel. Most remarkably, his middle finger went missing. The both of them stood by one another, working in a battle of attrition, both of them worn out by the sheer length of the battle but still giving it their all. At the last seconds, it was down to who collapsed first. Jun, though he appeared to be the first to shake, he quickly caught himself. There was a thud in the arena, and Jun had become Captain Shibutani before collapsing beside the ex-captain. The both of them were put in emergency care and thanks to 4th Division medicine and 12th Division science, they both survived. When Jun had become captain, especially without having achieved bankai, it certainly shifted perceptions of him. Those who didn't believe in him suddenly gained a respect for him, and those who had, including his two academy friends, were incredibly happy for him. Though, as captain, he had been braced for a myriad of challenges along with barrages of paperwork, which he had found new motivation to do. At the time, Squad 9 was known primarily as the cultural leaders, its former captain among the most fabulous of the Gotei 13. Though, due to its lack of general importance especially in more fire matters, squad 9 is largely forgotten. Under the leadership of Captain Shibutani, the 9th Division had slowly become known as the most disciplined and best groomed members of the Gotei 13, with regular inspections and mandatory training to ensure all members stay up to standard, and a culture of competitiveness which motivates the members to succeed in this system with the Captain setting the standard. Time as captain had undoubtedly changed the new captain himself as well, Captain Shibutani quickly learning what the position felt like, bearing the full responsibilities of a captain. It was certainly easier than he had expected, with far less to worry about than he actually thought, though it made him responsible and changed his viewpoints on justice, how he should treat citizens of the soul society as well as other soul reapers. RP Sample: [Show us what you got. Rp with your character that you are applying for.] |
