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Name: Ikeda Tsume
Alias: N/A
Real Age: 815
Phys. Age: 25
Gender: Male
Personality: Ikeda is a man of professionalism and calm demeanor. His attitude reflects a thoughtful nature, with a not so outspoken way of talking. This is often perceived as a cold or emotionless exterior, but he is quick to try and develop a rapport with others. He's the kind of guy who you're not sure if he's your friend, but you at least know a good deal about him.

His professionalism extends to his work, a man who follows orders and would prefer to have a good grasp of the situation before jumping right into it. The rules are his friend, and he would be remiss to break them. In combat, there is an honor he finds himself bound to, similar to what he felt in life. The point of fighting is not joy, it is victory. Thus battle is a means to an end, and he treats it like a job.

He is not a genius, but by no means stupid. His intelligence would be best described as calculating over naturally smart. When he speaks, its often a voice not filled with a ton of emotion or verbosity. The speech patterns would befit a man of high status, to the point and without much humor.

He does not speak out of line, he does not like insubordination. He is hard, but he is fair. No human is perfect, and he does not want to see the world full of robotic slave-like personalities. There is an approach-ability to him that is hard to describe, a man who could hold your secrets to his dying breath.

However, he is not a man who feels much compassion. He still holds law above much else, so do not expect to get off even if he understands what you've done. His coldness can be abrasive, and makes it hard to understand where he's coming from.

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Height: 6' 2"
Weight: 185
Physical Traits:

Ikeda is an above-average height male, with pale skin and sunken eyes, colored a deep shade of black. His hair matches that color, a dark black mess of hair that hangs down below his neck. His long bangs he keeps tied up with cloth to form two long strands on either side of his face. Some of his hair hides his forehead. His face seems slightly gaunt, with a sharper chin and nose. His lips are also slim, and this adds to the slenderness of his face.

Despite this, his body is fairly muscular. There is hardly any fatty type tissue on his bones, leading to a frame that seems like skin covering muscle. He isnt lanky, but lacks a hyper-buffness that would make him seem a full, healthy man.

He commands a distinguished presence, not overwhelming, but it feels like staring into another class of person. someone who is sure of themselves.

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General Fighting Style:  As with all things he does, his fighting style belays seriousness. There is little playing around, little risk taking. He does not make unnecessary actions. As a shinigami, he prefers a close range style, using his prowess in sword combat to his advantage. The unique skill of his shikai allows him to use a midrange style of combat relying on both himself and his reflection in coordination. Because of his shikai, he is skilled fighting tandem with someone else. He also understands the use of his field as a weapon, drawing from his bankai release. He does not underestimate an opponent, and will always take it seriously. Therefore he fights the same across the board, analyze then execute. The way he executes depends on the opponents style, but if he finds himself outmatched, he will try and mitigate the situation, save his allies and escape if he can. He prefers the smartest and least destructive outcome.

Strengths: He excels at sensing, as well as zanjutsu.

Weaknesses: He is not good at Hakuda.

Ability Name: Soul Mirror

Ability Description: By placing his hand upon a person's forehead, Ikeda can 'reflect' their memories onto the both of them, reliving them as though through a mirror.

"Eyes are a window to the soul. I make them glimmer like mirrors" -Ikeda Tsume

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Sealed Appearance: Ikeda's sealed zanpakuto is a traditional japanese katana, the blade seems to be more reflective than a typical sword however. The hilt is adorned with a black metal, the guard a diamond with triangular holes at each corner. The cloth is a deep red, with a diamond pattern down to the end of the hilt.

Zanpakutou Name: Kagamiyoru (Night Mirror)
Call Out Command: "Reflect, Kagamiyoru"

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Appearance: Ikeda's shikai is again a katana, but with a few interesting changes. The blade is now an obsidian black, but gleams like a mirrors surface, polished and pristine. The blade is also straight instead of curved, and has a sharp diagonal edge at the end instead of a smooth, round tip. At the end of his shikai is a long black chain, stretching about 20 feet in total, attaching to the hilt of an identical sword. This is held by his shikai's power:

Abilities: In his shikai release, Ikeda gains a clone of himself, a reflection. it cannot speak, and exerts the same spiritual pressure as him. However, if one receives a non-fatal injury, the other mimics that injury. the clone is the same as him in shape, size, presence, and power, but it is merely a clone. If the chain or his zanpakuto is broken, the clone disappears.

Boosts: 2x boost to strength and agility.

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New Name: Kagamiyoru Ippai (realized night mirror)

Appearance: the sword form disappears, and transforms into a large mirror, circular in shape with a diameter of about 5 feet, hovering and attached by spirit energy to a fixed position above and behind Ikeda's back. The center is a polished, black circle, the mirror itself, which shines unusually well. Surrounding the black mirror surface is a metal holding bracket, with six tomoe surrounding it.

upon initially releasing Bankai, the mirror pours fourth a pitch black liquid which covers the ground in a circular shaped pool of reflective liquid. The area it spans is centrally fixated to Ikeda's position, and is about 300 feet in diameter. This black liquid serves many functions. Ikeda can sense more accurately the position of anyone standing on it. He can also conjure 'shadows' from the liquid, which appear like this: These long, spindly shadows are rooted to their position, and move incredibly quickly to strike and pierce and enemy. They can restrain enemies as well, but can be cut by zanpakuto. Their strength is contingent on Ikeda's spiritual power.

As a final gift, the black mirror bestows an obsidian-looking sword from its center, bestowing it to Ikeda so he may fight. It is simply a zanpakuto, nothing special.

the pool of darkness moves with ikeda.

Boosts: boosts to strength, agility and spiritual power.

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New Name: [What's your zanpakuto's new name?]
Appearance: [What does your bankai look like? Character appearance changes, weapon changes, etc.]
Abilities: [What abilities does your character gain]
Boosts: [In this release, you get a 4x boost; you can apply this to as many 'stats' as you want (strength, speed, durability, etc) but they're diminishing returns; the more you have, the less effective they actually are.]

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History: Born Ikeda Hachishujin Tsume in the early days of feudal japan, his early life was rather simple. His family was nobility, and as such he was never wanting. He had 2 brothers, one older, one younger. This caused problems, as the oldest would inherit the estate. The preferable option for a young Ikeda would likely be to join the military. Their parents were strict, law abiding citizens, and did not care much for their children, other than basic provisions. To them, their 3 sons were simply part of life, a necessary action to ensure their bloodline.

From a young age Ikeda was expected to be competitive, try and overtake his brother, perhaps even attempt to kill him in order to overtake his brother's position as heir. But Ikeda did not want to compete, or even bother with running the estate. You see, he had become inspired by tales of the samurai, those warriors for hire with their bushido and honorable combat. Business...it was not the life for him. he abandoned his family name, his brothers, his parents, to be taken in as an apprentice. He was trained, disciplined, and by the age of 18 was granted his first sword and position in a squad.

As members of a samurai squad, his blade would usually be used to fight against those who attacked the noble he was protecting. Being in his home clan's state, it was only a matter of time before his own family decided to pay his squad for protection. He was therefore assigned to patrol the grounds of the estate he once called home.

This protection was well needed it seemed, after all there was talk of warring clans...but never warring hollows. In this era, seen as spirits, there was little anyone could do against what appeared to be a vengeful god. Still, there existed those who possessed high spiritual power, those who could see these spirits. Ikeda was one such person.

Unbeknownst to Ikeda, one other in his family had this power, a high spiritual power. It was his younger brother, Kinpaku, who bore this apparent curse. It drew in hollows, and this was what caused his family to fear the supernatural. They erroneously believed a group of samurai would be able to stop what they could not even see. Still, money was money, and they were now on guard for spirits.

As expected, the attack came late one evening, catching his squad off guard. They scrambled, grabbed their weapons, but it was of little use. The memory is hazy in parts. but one in particular was forever etched into his mind, burned into it as his life passed in front of him, the moment in which he passed.

There was fire...not sure how it started, perhaps a lantern had fallen over into a bush. He could see the hollow, streaking around, killing samurai that looked at it funny. But it soon sensed what it so badly wanted. the souls of Kinpaku and Ikeda...Ikeda had moved in front of his brother, sword drawn, prepared to protect him to the bitter end.

That end came in a split second, the long claws of the hollow breaking his sword, his guard...his armor. They passed through his chest, into that of his brother behind him. His body shook as it began to go into shock, he couldnt breathe. this was the end for him, his legacy. turning his head, he could see an expression of pain, fear, shock on his brothers face. How had he failed, he wasn't prepared, this wasn't fair! He had only wanted to protect that which did not choose this path!

The hollow never consumed their souls, a true shinigami arrived mere moments later to slay it, but obviously, there was work to be done. As the shinigami began the konso on the corpses of his fallen brothers, he eventually made it over to Ikeda and Kinpaku, lying there in front of the steps to the front entrance. Kinpaku had already passed, but Ikeda was about to fade. He had seen a warrior that could slay the spirits...in his last breath he softly spoke:

"...I...I want....that power...."

And thus, Ikeda Tsume was no more for that world.

Side Notes:  

Roleplay Sample:  A faint golden light trickled in through the cracks in the window, gracing the bamboo mat floor with a dance of colors that mean't it was morning. They left lines, slowly moving up the wall and across the floor with each minute that passed. In this case, it was incredibly early. Early enough for a certain captain to wake.

Ikeda was up with the sun, as he had been in life. He enjoyed this rigid structure, a discipline which allowed one to model their lives in a proper way. Next would come breakfast, light, and served with a hot glass of tea, gently steaming as the light rays catch on it, adding to that morning ambiance he so treasured.

After all, once the sun rose higher in the sky, he would no doubt be hounded with requests, and officers coming to talk to him. And he had his duties to preform. He couldn't, nor would he laze around like some in the seireitei. Sitting there, his zanpakuto on the floor across from him as he knelt at his small table, you would perhaps think him a dignitary, a scholar perhaps. There was a distinguished air about him.

But his favorite morning peace, as he predicted, did not last long. He could hear the rushed thumps of feet on the wood outside his door, a pause, then a knock.


"Excuse me, captain Tsume sir!"

A small sigh escapes Ikeda's lips, gently placing the cup down. Halfway done. This seemed earlier than usual.

"Come in."

The door slides open to reveal a young man kneeling down in respect to his captain. He was...the 10th seat of squad 3. This was the morning briefing then. He wanted this to be swift. In fact, he had an idea.

As Ikeda rose from the table, his 10th seat officer rose his head. Ikeda had a commanding, distinguished presence. He felt as though he was staring at another world. Could he even touch this person? no...but before he could get off another thought his captain placed a hand upon his forehead.

"I will make this a fast affair."

This technique was Captain Tsume's soul mirror, a window into the memories one possessed. It seems He wanted this information quickly. He scanned the memories of the meetings this officer had had, the information he had prepared to speak this morning. Mundane things, meetings...and...a new member of his squad? Ah yes, the new class of shinigami had graduated recently, hadn't they? It would only be fitting for this new member to be greeted by his captain.

"I see. Thank you for allowing me to read your memory. You are dismissed. Return to your duties."

He spoke slowly as he began to plan his day around this new information.

"o-of course captain..."

The young man bowed before backing out of the room, closing the sliding door behind him, leaving Ikeda once more in the quiet solidarity of morning. Reaching down to the floor he grabbed his zanpakuto, its elegant form bringing a calmness to his mind. Sliding the sword into his obi, he prepared to step out himself.

---

"Hey don't sweat it, I'm sure-"

The 10th seat officer was talking to what seemed to be a nervous man of short stature inside the large meeting hall for squad 3. But his speech was cut short as the entrance was opened, Ikeda stepping through with long strides. He seemed to make little noise, but there was no doubt he mean't business. As soon as the others realized he had entered the room, they formed up nearly instantly, standing at attention.

The new recruit seems to hesitate for a second, before realizing what was going on and joining them. But he was obviously out of place. Ikeda could sense it in him, an unease. This was the new member of his squad. Walking up to him, this nervousness was only more apparent.

"you are...a new recruit. Then allow me to introduce myself.
I am Captain of Squad 3, Ikeda Tsume. You will refer to me as such."

"Y-yes sir captain tsume sir!"

The new recruit stammered out a respectful greeting. It would do for now. He was green after all.

"My name is-"

Ikeda shakes his head, much to the surprise of his newest squadmember. The others, still standing there, seemed to know what was going on. This was... a sort of initiation.

"All new members of my squad must be subject to this ability I have. It will not hurt, I promise you. I will stare into your soul and see from it the life you led. I want to understand this of all the men I command. Is this clear?"

This was a lot to take in...peer into his soul? see his life? what kind of power was that?

"I-I...yes sir!"

"Good. You answered quickly. Little hesitation."

Ikeda moves his hand atop the boy's head, as he had done with his officer this morning. He began reading, from the beginning. Using this it was easy to find out his-

*Kinpaku*

His name...kinpaku? For a moment, Ikeda faltered. His resolve, the same he had held for the past 800 odd years, he felt something within him waver, if but for a moment.

*"Brother..."*

This man shared a name with his brother. The last thing he ever saw alive. What was this man's life like? As he peered through his soul, he saw a man who never had much. He worked his way up the ladder, earning things as he went. There wasn't much misery in his life, it was just a regular old accident that ended his life. What drove him to be a soul reaper?! He couldn't see it in him!

Removing his hand from his head, Ikeda takes a step back.

"Tell me, Kinpaku. Why are you here?"

"S-sir?"

"Was my question unclear? then allow me to rephrase. Why did you become a soul reaper?"

The young man exhaled, tensing himself as he prepared his answer.

"Because I want to serve this world in a way others cannot,
sir."

Ikeda locked eyes with this man, staring at him once more. A strange one...who bore the name of his brother. An odd resolve as well. Power was really just motivation made manifest wasn't it?

"...I see. Very well. Then, as captain of squad 3, I welcome you to the ranks. An introduction: I expect there to be respect in my squad. Everyone here respects their fellow man, and those above them as well. Violence between your brothers is no way to solve things, unlike that squad 11. You will be expected to preform your duties as ordered, and the law of the seireitei is your ally. Understand?"

"Yes sir I do."

"Good. Then I hope you will not disappoint me. I hope you wear that name you carry with pride. It is a name deserving of strength."

And with that, Ikeda left his men. Kinpaku...that was a man he would watch closely.

*"A second chance...brother"*