J. Saionji [Approved; 1-4+]

» Alias: Head of the Saionji Family
» Age: 965
» Gender: Male

» Association: The Saionji Family, Gotei 13/United, Soul Society

» Appearance Image:




» Personality: What exactly makes a man? It’s a hard question to answer. A person’s values come from all over, but mostly from the environment that raised them. In J.’s strict and discipline-based case, a man is the one that can protect who and what he cares for, the one who never gives up advancing themselves, and has a good strong sense of loyalty, honesty, and duty. Right now, there's only one person in J.'s life that he would fight to protect. There is little more important to J. than his younger brother. Kazuo is the main person who made an important and lasting impact on J's life. Kazuo is also the only person that J. trusts enough to tell his secrets or ask for advice. J. is very proud of the man his little brother has become and sees Kazuo as a better version than himself. Of course, because of J's personality, this isn't something he'd admit to anyone. Kazuo will have to deal with thinking his brother is emotionless.

J. is someone who pushes himself and people to the brink of their ability. If you're not out of breath, with on all fours, sweating, and shaking, you haven't worked hard enough. His standard of training is dangerous to some and insane to others. There hasn't been anyone that has gone through every level of it, mainly because it's unending. He doesn't like people who give up on something, especially when their goal is attainable with hard work. Those who make unattainable goals for themselves, he considers fools. Why would you put something so stupid on your shoulders? A demon can't become an angel; making that your lifetime dream is idiotic and is only going to cause you problems. However, if the goal is attainable, there is no reason to stop working toward it. J. will help someone out who is wanting to get better. He will push them if they ask him too, and try to keep their goals in sight. However, J. will happily give up on those who give up on themselves. There's no point of working with someone that weak.

Loyalty is the thing that J. requires out of those he leads or keeps around him. If he can't trust someone to do their duty, he won't have them apart of his life. Since his views are more strict than most people, J. has learned to understand the limitations of those weaker both physically and mentally than he is. It's a good thing too, since most can't live up to the high standards J. has set for himself and for others. He is someone who sees little reason in lying. There are times it can be required, like in saving someone's life, keeping personal information to himself, or telling a woman she looks nice in her dress. That last one he learned the hard way. He can still feel the smack. He won't dare tell the truth there again, unless she actually does and there is no reason to lie. He also holds people to the law and rules of the Soul Society. Those who break the law deserve to be punished to the fullest extent. There was a time he was much harder on prisoners, but Kazuo taught him that cutting off the hands of a thief is terrible and over dramatic.

J. is a main of high status and shows it in his demeanor. The public sees the strong and silent side of him, the side that speaks only when he truly has something note worthy to say. He's not the type to laugh at a joke, and never will he tell one. He doesn't smile often, and if he's does it's usually a smirk in the midst of a battle he's enjoying. A notable thing about J. is his hair. He takes remarkably good care of it. Since his appearance is very important to him, his hair is always clean, smells nice, perfectly brushed, and has a texture like fine silk. Too bad people don't know how it feels -- Try to touch his hair and he'll break your wrist. He takes it as an attack on his person and a violation of his personal space. If you're new, he might give you a warning, if he is in a good mood. When he's out, he normally keeps his hair tied up away from people. At home is where he'll let it down. The bottom line is that his hair is not there to touch or play with. It's practically a trophy that he's proud of and shines on a daily basis. Do. Not. Touch. His Hair.

There is a side of this man that can come out if you've got some determination, strength, crowbar, and a flame thrower. Most won't believe it, but there is a soft side to J. Saionji that most won't ever see. His brother sees glimpses of it, but only his Mother knows of it and that's because his Mother is the one who made sure it existed. The strict upbringing that J. had caused him to become a bit of a hard-ass, but his Mother showed him certain things to give him a chance to be a good husband. He knows how to dance, how to brush a woman's hair, about the more feminine aspects of womanly life, what gifts to give them, what dates to pay attention to, and even what things to do if they're upset. Luckily, his mother taught him not to do all of that to just any woman. No, he knows to only treat a single woman special, and that's a woman he's interested in. Luckily for him, he's not often interested in most women. As he holds himself and most people to a high standard, he holds a potential girlfriend to a higher one. Good luck ladies.



» History: The Saionji Family, not "clan", is the Third Great Noble House within the Seireitei, right alongside the Shihōin and Kuchiki. Their rise to the Third Great Noble House occurred three hundred and eighty years ago when the family holding the spot at the time was disgraced. The previous family, the Ishino Clan, had a plan to over throw the Gotei 13s current Captain Commander and were thwarted by the efforts of J. and Kazuo Saionji. Since the Ishino Clan’s fall was so sudden, the Saionji Family felt like an obvious choice to replace them. Becoming the Third Great Noble House, the Saionji Family were given two jobs to deal with: internal affairs within the noble houses and maintaining the Shino Academy. Usually this would have made J., the head of the Saionji Family, the Headmaster of Shino Academy, but certain issues arose and a better choice was made: Ukitake Jushiro.

A life of strict rules, training, and discipline; J. Saionji was born into nothing less. The Saionji, originally a lesser noble family, always felt the need to compete with the other noble houses. J.’s Father despised being beneath anyone and pushed himself, his wife, and his two sons to being better. They always had to be better. They had to be better with swords, their fists, their words, their appearance, and their knowledge. Training day in and day out, J. was particularly worked hard. As the eldest son, he was to represent the Saionji in greater ways than his younger brother, so the already strict rules of the Saionji House were even stricter with him. J. had a daily routine from the moment he could firmly grasp a sword. Luckily, his mother fought to let him be somewhat of a child before then.

Once training began, J. was nothing more than a vessel for his Father to show off, a prized son valued at nothing more than what he could do. It was because of this that a rift formed between J. and his younger brother for quite a few years. J. was given much more attention by their Father than Kazuo was, but this allows Kazuo to be taken care of by their Mother. Their Mother was a gentle and loving soul, someone who knew how to understand all three of them in her life. She made sure Kazuo had a lovely childhood and great years after that. She made sure to pull J away from his Father’s strict ways whenever she got the chance and allow him to relax. She apologized all the time, even crying sometimes about J.’s treatment, but he never complained. It was what he knew and that was fine.

When the two brothers hit what could be compared to a Shinigami’s teenage years, their Mother convinced their Father to leave every now and then, by taking him on vacations where they could have time together. She used reasons like “J,’s grown strong and independent. Trust your teachings” to get their Father to go. Since their Father had a major ego, the moment things like that were said, he gave in and would leave, giving J and Kazuo time to get to know each other. It was hard for both of them. J.’s strict lifestyle made him almost unaware that he had a brother. He knew Kazuo existed, but what a brother meant was lost on him. The first few times these events occurred, J. kept to training and whatever else his normal routine was. That was… until Kazuo was fed up with his bullshit.

"So, I'm going to be a bit blunt. Mother would probably scold me for the language because it's not the 'right' kind of language to use, but what in the seven hells is your problem? Look, I get it. You are better than me, older than me, and of higher position--being the heir and all. But I learn more about you from reading about you than talking to you. And hell, I can't even say that we even do that. Every time I talk to you it's like those awkward moments in stories where the family is talking to someone they disowned. It's more forced niceties than it is any actual conversation. Hell, the only reason I knew you got your promotion was because I heard someone else talking about it a month later.

J, you're my brother. I know that doesn't mean a lot to you, but it means a hell of a lot to me. I look up to you like a hell of a lot of other people do. I hate to say it though, but I am not the same as them. I am your blood relative. I am just as related to you as Mother or Father are and you treat me like I am just a glorified servant sometimes. I'm tired of being the only one trying to act like we're a family, J."

J did notice that when Father and Mother were gone, Kazuo came around more. His attempts at conversation were often ignored, or answered with short replies. In this moment, J. didn’t know what to do. He was confused, a feeling he did not like at all. He sort of understood that he had a brother, but what was he supposed to do with him? J. turned to Kazuo in this moment and stared at him. J. wasn't one to show emotions often, if at all, but the look in his eyes was comparable to a boy who believes all girls had cooties being offered a kiss. Standing before him was his brother and what would normally be a good opportunity, but J.'s social kills consisted of noble rhetoric and military behavior. He knew how to accept a forehead kiss from his Mother, but very little more than that.

From that day on, J. did his best to interact with Kazuo more. He would end training an hour early or get up an hour early, waking Kazuo up in frightening manners, just to try and get more time with his kid brother. It was allowed for a while, their Mother mostly being the one to calm their Father, but soon it was ended. Their Father decided it was time for Shikai training and that's it. The next two years was among the most difficult training that J. ever participated in. He was pushed to his limit week after week, often hospitalized from the brutal sparring his Father pushed on him. Two years from its start though, J. gained his shikai. Unfortunately, previous training sessions that had been more tense left him injured at that time, so when he gained his shikai, he was hurt terribly and bedridden for a couple months.

With their Mother forcing their Father to back off, J. and Kazuo spent quite a bit more time together. J. was able to learn about Kazuo--things he was doing, how his studies were, what his goals were, his friends, his opinions, and even whether or not he was interested in women. It was strange, it seemed J. was more interested in the idea of having a wife than Kazuo was, but they both realized that was likely because their Father pushed the idea of a perfect marriage and grandchildren onto J. for more political reasons than something like love. In fact, the idea of "loving" the woman he was with never entered J.'s mind. It felt like a far away dream, something read in fairy tales and told in other stories. It wasn't until J. and Kazuo were talking that he realized marrying for political reasons was stupid.

Healed up and ready to go, J. got right back to work and applied for a higher rank in the Sixth Division. With his shikai, he easily got placed as a Third Seat and stayed there for some time. His Father could not have been prouder, but J. was more interested in hanging out with his brother. For once, J. felt like he had a friend, not just a little brother or his overly strict Father. It was around this time that J. hit that rebellious phase. Well, it was more like he was an adult and ready to tell his Father to fuck off. J. slowed down on his training and any advancement he could have done for fifty years. During this time, he and his brother got as close as he wanted. He had made sure to help Kazuo with his training any time he could. Even though the training was hard, Kazuo never stopped or complained.

A few years later, J. was promoted to Lieutenant and within the same month, his Father passed away. There was some confusion and suspicion around his Father's death, but the family survived with J. at the Head. Most thought both positions would overwhelm him, but he seemed completely un-phased. In fact, to the surprise of most, he ended up training enough to gain his bankai in all of this. He was noted to disappear for hours every few days, but no one knew why. When he showed up back home with enough power to rival the other Captains, they understood what was going on. He was ready to apply for the position, but for some reason chose not to. Instead, he concentrated his efforts on a few suspicious things he noticed the Third Great Noble House doing. House Ishino was under his watch.

Using the resources of Division Six, and some within his own Family, J. Saionji uncovered a plot to assassinate the new-ish Captain Commander, Tsubine Koezuka. The plot was foiled, Tsubine was saved and grateful for his work. With her gratitude, J. had no issue with pushing for his family to take over the Ishino's position within the Four Great Houses. His request was approved and the Saionji took over the duties of the Third Great Noble House: Internal Affairs and the maintenance of Shino Academy. With all of that on his plate, still J. showed no change. He was often compared to a robot because he never showed much emotion, tiredness, or asked for help. There was only one thing he had a problem with and he wasn't sure how to deal with it. He knew one person he could ask: His brother, Kazuo.

J. made it plainly obvious that he did not feel capable of being Headmaster of Shino Academy. A lot of the students feared him, more brave girls flirted and made him uncomfortable, and his standards proved, in many cases, to be too high for most regular individuals, a trait Kazuo was well aware of. At first, he thought Kazuo would be a good replacement, but there were still things Kazuo had to learn. However, Kazuo had the idea of asking Jushiro Ukitake to take the place as Headmaster. Everyone loved him! He was one of those kind men that made others feel at ease, something J. could never do. Without any extra thought put into it, J. approached Ukitake with little more than a strange, but demanding, "You do it." When J. walked away, he left Ukitake confused. Thank you, Kazuo.

With a family to run, a school to help run, and his duties as Lieutenant, J.'s life was pretty routine. He finally got the chance to do what he had been training for his entire life. All of the sweat, blood, exhaustion, and frustration built up from years of training was going to pay off. J. Saionji was finally going to apply for Captain of the Sixth Division. As he was getting ready for it, there was an announcement of a change coming to the Gotei Thirteen. First of all, there was not going to be a Gotei 13. It was now "Gotei United," some bullshit ass condensing of the Shinigami ranks for reasons that J. did not understand. His dream crushed, J. went back home, resigning from his position as Lieutenant. Instead, he decided to concentrate his work and skill toward training new recruits and his duties as a noble.



» Equipment:

> Tamashī no kara 魂の殻 (Soul Shell)
J. keeps a set of five on him at all times. He only has them to visit his brother in the world of the living.



» Racial Abilities:

Zanjutsu: Precise. Graceful. Fluidity. Overwhelming. Inspiring. These are the words people would describe J when it comes to his skill in zanjutsu. The moment J. picks up a sword, it's like he's at home, in his most comfortable place. He's mastered every known technique within zanjutsu, but has also studied and trained in multiple styles outside the shinigami style as well. His movements are described as deadly since he rarely misses his target, a showing of his skill and speed in one. J. isn't one to come up with his own special techniques, but he has the ability to.

Hohō: A masterful display of speed, accuracy, and dominance, J.'s ability with hoho, in specifically shunpo, is as beautifully implemented and heavily practiced as his skill in zanjutsu. J has had no reason to use the other techniques in shunpo, but he has practiced them for the sake of teaching them. He knows them well enough to teach, but that's not where he shines. Someone who is wanting to learn to execute a shunpo with enough accuracy to land with the tip of their big toe at a dime would come to J. If they can get through the training, they'll be happy with the progress.

Hakuda: Brutal. Destructive. Frightening. This man believes that every shinigami should know how to fight when they put down their weapon or even lose it. Sometimes, you drop it, it breaks, or it's struck from your hand. If you only have one skill, what do you do then? It is said that J. has a lot of anger built up within him because his technique in Hakuda is less graceful than his zanjutsu. Hakuda, to J., is a every personal way of fighting. Making physical contact with another being in order to harm them is a new feeling that people have to get used to. He's advanced in his hand-to-hand skill, but doesn't practice in the same manner that he practices with his sword. He notices he gets a little too frantic with hand-to-hand, often wanting to brutalize his opponent over just immobilizing them or defending himself.

Kidō: To the surprise of most, J. is no slouch in kido. His training from a young age made sure that he was well-versed in all shinigami arts. His Father wanted him to be a pinnacle for perfection, so kido was never skipped. J.'s control over his reiryoku is quite masterful, but it doesn't show in his usage of kido. He often uses too much reiryoku in his kido and they end up a little to destructive. It is dangerous for him to teach a class in kido because of this. However, his attacks are always as accurate as he is with a blade. The spells that J. knows like the back of his hand are Hadō 1-70 and Bakudō 1-60. He has practiced some of the later ones, but keeps to these because of his aptitude for destruction.



» Zanpakutô Name: Kōkina Ōji (Exalted Prince; 高貴な王子)

» Zanpakutô Spirit Appearance:


» Inner World: The inner world of J. Saionji is an unending forest of trees scattered about. It is a peaceful place colored in deep blues, greens, and purples with fireflies moving around everywhere. The trees come in different widths, but they are all hundreds of feet tall and cover any sky that might be above them. J.'s never attempted to climb up high enough to see what might above the thick bunches of leaves at the tops of the trees, so if there is anything up there, it is a mystery to him. Within his inner world, J and Kōkina Ōji often just talk and take peaceful walks.

» Zanpakutô Appearance:


» Sealed Zanpakutô Power:

Kneel: J.'s sealed zanpakuto power comes in the form of a spell like other kido, but there is no incantation. After placing his hand on someone, J. can tell them to "kneel" and they will be forced to their knees. The gravity around their body is increased one hundred times. There are some that can fight it, if they're strong enough to fight the weight of their own body. This spell immediately breaks if J. thinks of attacking them. It lasts up to ten rounds of posting, or thirty minutes. It's meant to be a plot power and J can break it at any time by telling them to "stand" or "rise."



» Shikai Release Phrase: Heel

» Shikai Appearance:

» Shikai Abilities:
J's shikai gives him the ability to manipulate the gravity around an item. He is able to decrease or increase an item, or person, based on how his blade hits them. The effect of his shikai just makes them weigh more or less. If the dull edge of his blade makes contact with an item or person, the gravity around that item is decreased by half. This effect stacks, so an object that weighs 64 pounds would then weigh 32, 16, 8, 4, 2, and then 1. If he strikes an item with the sharp edge of his blade, then the gravity around that item or person is doubled for each strike. The effect stacks, so an object that weighs 1 pound would then weigh 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, 64, and so on. It is possible for someone to get so heavy they cannot move or to become so light they cannot keep their feet on the ground. The effects of the gravity manipulation last two rounds of posting then disappear. The effects also disappear if J. sheathes his zanpakuto.



» Bankai Appearance: Outfit Change!


» Bankai Abilities: J.'s bankai continues with the gravity theme, but instead of the game of tag he has to play with his shikai, it's a time sensitive situation. Upon the activation of his bankai, Kōkina Ōji creates a large field of increased gravity two miles in diameter. The increased gravity starts immediately for everyone and everything that is not J. Including the activation post, every round of posting adds ten pounds to everything within the activated area. J. is always at the center, so the arena moves when he does. After five rounds of posting, Kōkina Ōji begins punishing J. for not quickly ending the job and starts adding ten pounds to him as well. Understand that this increase in gravity to effect weight happens to everything. A blade of grass will increase in weight, no different than a person, weapons, hair, clothing, and anything else you can think of. You can escape the effects by leaving the arena (by getting away from J.), but as long as his bankai is active, you'll keep the weight for 3 rounds posting while outside the arena. If J. seals his bankai, everything instantly goes back to normal, but he must return his sword to its sheathe for this.




» Shikokai Appearance: [What does your Shinigami look like when released in their Shikokai?]

» Shikokai Abilities: [What abilities does your Shinigami attain in Shikokai?]



Skill Sheet

General Skills

• Durability: Advanced
  
• General Speed: Adept
  
• Strength: Advanced
  
• Weapon Skill: Adept
  

Racial Skills

• Hoho: Advanced
  
• Kidō: Adept
  
• Zanjutsu: Advanced
  
• Hakuda: Adept
  

Will Skills

• Willpower: Advanced
  
• Mental Deduction: Advanced
  
• Pain Endurance: Advanced
  
• Focus: Master