[Spirit Class 5 | Hazard D] Zendan Kokoro

To put it as simply as possible, Kokoro is not a hard girl to understand. She says what she means, rarely minces her words, and does what she wants to (within reason, of course). She takes the most direct course of action, seeing anything else as being a waste of time, too hard, or possibly just not thinking of any other course of action in the first place. Kokoro doesn’t like particularly complicated things, and if you present her with some sort of brainteaser, she’s more likely to ask why you’re doing something so boring rather than actually trying to answer the question. Of course, this simplicity does not come without its positives. Rarely does Kokoro hold much of a grudge toward anyone, and there is a level of almost childlike kindness that permeates everything she does. She holds her friends dear, and hates her enemies with a fire that can scarcely be quenched. Seeing things in a fairly clear way, her perception is rarely clouded by preconceived notions of what is and is not.

Everything that Kokoro does, she does with all her heart and soul. Anything she thinks is worth doing, she considers worth her full attention, and she will throw herself into any goal she sets with what borders on a reckless abandon. Of course, that is not to say that she puts no thought into the goals she sets for herself. If anything, she puts perhaps too much thought into them, dedicating herself to her original course of action and almost never willing to deviate once that has been set in place. Kokoro is someone who refuses to back down from any challenge made, and is wholly unwilling to allow others to see her as someone who cannot give it her all.


○ Makoto Arima: Her good friend and superior, Kokoro makes a point to try and balance out Makoto’s typically grim seriousness with a little bit more positivity. That isn’t to say she actively gets in the way of any professionalism, of course.


Born to Chishiki Shihoin and the chief of the Zendan tribe of the Shoiki, Kokoro’s upbringing is one which could best be described as “very good considering the circumstances.” Chishiki Shihoin, while not an especially noteworthy member of the family, was always a genuinely hardworking and proud Shihoin. She was strong of will, very skilled in the traditional arts of the Shinigami, and by and large was seen as an exemplar of what the Shihoin always strove to be. Yet, she had taken a lover outside of wedlock, and far more egregiously, borne a child from him. Such an act earned her disapproval and quiet scorn from many in the family, but she would never let such a thing influence her little girl.

Despite Kokoro's obvious physical differences, Chishiki never acted as though anything was different about Kokoro when compared to any other child. Kokoro was just the same as them, a proud Shihoin. She could be whatever she desired, whatever she tried to be, and Kokoro took those words deeply to heart. The young girl pursued the arts of the Shihoin with perhaps a reckless abandon, outright demanding of her mother (and others) that they teach her as much as she could possibly learn, until she ended each and every day bruised, battered, and barely able to stand. When other children of the family excluded her or mocked her, she simply ignored them, pushing herself ever further in pursuit of greatness. Such passion caught the eye of Yushiro, and while many saw Kokoro only as a half-breed, he saw instead what she was; a noble girl who sought to embody the Shihoin.

This recognition only reinforced her desires, and soon it became apparent that even those who would teach her among the family would not be able to sate the girl's outright unquenchable desire to learn. Kokoro was sent away to Shino Academy, and within those walls she finally found...companionship. It was true that her family had shown her recognition, but always among them she was still an outsider, a half-breed, a girl aiming far too high for her own good. But at the Academy, she was just any other student. She took well enough to her classes, and her understanding of each subject was impressive compared to the typical student. This was, of course, mostly simply by merit of the time she had spent in her youth already learning such things, rather than any particular talent for it. She returned home within 4 years, and though only her mother came to see her graduation, it was still surely the proudest day of her life.

Her time post-graduation, however, wasn’t quite so idyllic. To say that the Shihoin family underwent some rather unfortunate realities would be an understatement, and after the death of Yushiro Shihoin, one of the few older members of the family that cared for her, it was unlikely that Kokoro would ever have lasted long. It was during these tumultuous times, however, that Kokoro found genuine love for the first time, beyond simple flings that she so often threw herself into. Keiko Kuchiki was, in many ways, her polar opposite, but that in itself was attractive to Kokoro. The two of them had a natural bond that any could respect–and that was true even after Keiko was unceremoniously crippled in a training accident. But, regardless of that, Kokoro was willing to commit to that life, and be a caring, supportive wife.

That change in perspective, in how she should handle things in her life, carried over to her work, and that is perhaps where the far greater change in Kokoro proved to be. Her need to prove herself had always made her a perfectly competent shinigami, but committing herself to something made it far easier to focus on her job, and that focus was in itself enough to give her drive to succeed in the 6th where she had previously just been a fairly acceptable member of her division. Any duty, and work, was done not just with quality, but with a smile and a cheerful air that contrasted sharply with the otherwise grim atmosphere of the division. She didn’t mind, of course, she simply considered it one more part of her job to liven things up.

Even, as it turned out, when her own life went a little downhill. Kokoro had certainly been happy to get married, but jumping into that so quickly proved to be perhaps an unwise decision. The divide between her and Keiko was one that she didn’t really know how to mend, and it felt, to her, like Keiko was growing complacent in their life, willing to just let Kokoro handle all the heavy lifting. Tensions grew, they talked less, and one day, they decided it was best to separate. Kokoro had married into the Kuchiki, and so she left their estate with her head held high, refusing to feel ashamed about any of what had happened. She informed her Vice Captain that she’d be taking two weeks to think about things, and she left to one place she doubted anyone would follow; the home of her father, the Zendan tribe far in the outlands.

It’s not especially clear what Kokoro learned in that time with the Zendan tribe, but she returned from that trip seeming more assured, confident as she ever was. She’s pushed herself harder, committed herself more completely, and in general seems to have only doubled down on her dedication to being the best she can possibly be.


○ Kyunpo: The Jubilant Step (慶歩). The Shihoin name is one decidedly associated with a profound mastery over Hoho. Despite Kokoro's demeanor, laziness, and general low intellectual ability, even she has developed an application of Hoho which suits her. Of course, this was not originally designed as a combat technique, but perhaps that only speaks as to Kokoro's instinctive grasp of these techniques. Rather than Shunpo's intention of moving as quickly as possible in as few steps as possible, Kyunpo has a somewhat distinct aim; to place the user as close to their target as possible in as few steps as possible.

Originally invented by Kokoro purely as a method of actually hugging her family members before they avoided her embrace, at some point the technique was commented on as being a rather impressive grappling technique. Beginning as simply a step not unlike any other application of Shunpo, creating a foothold of spiritual energy, the true deviation in Kyunpo comes into play shortly after. Upon setting her foot into place, the step created is launched forward, channeled by spiritual energy in a manner not unlike the firing of a railgun. Each further step taken is treated in much the same way, pushing the user forward far faster than they might with simply their legs.

The chief downside of this technique is the rather obvious drawback that it can only push the user forward in a straight line. While an exceptionally useful ability for offense, it is in fact nearly useless defensively, as it cannot be reliably used in any other direction than directly ahead.

○ Hougeki: The Embracing Conquest (抱撃). A hakuda style which utilizes the principles of hoho, Kokoro herself does not consider this to be worthy of comparison to a true fusion of shinigami arts such as shunko. This style is overwhelmingly defined by an aggressive, intensely offensive approach to combat, staying well within an opponent’s space in order to maintain an attack. By grabbing an opponent, Kokoro is capable of forming handholds, akin to shunpo’s footholds, that ensure she doesn’t lack leverage, and she can manhandle an opponent several times larger than herself without any difficulty on account of this. Her strength is the only limiting factor for her in this regard.

Even outside of grappling, however, this style is brutal and oppressive. While typical hoho utilizes speed clones for the sake of misdirection or simple mass offense, Kokoro instead uses the idea behind speed clones to maintain pressure on an opponent. Opponents who attempt to flee will find that Kokoro is already standing behind them as they turn, ready to once again grab them and throw them back into the fray, and any punch she throws is quickly followed up by another from a wildly different angle. Compared to most speed-oriented styles, which focus on evasion and quick strikes, Hougeki almost entirely ignores defense for the sake of simply beating a foe into submission before they have the opportunity to strike back.


○ Zanpakutо̄ Name: Shoujinzou (焦神像, “Burning Image of the Gods”)

○ Zanpakutо̄ Spirit Appearance: Shoujinzou’s spirit takes the form of an immense, heavily-scarred boar, tusks cracked and fur matted with blood. However, the spirit has a secondary manifestation which is always external, taking the form of several small boar-like creatures which can often be seen at her side. Despite their manifestation, damaging them does not in fact significantly harm Kokoro or her zanpakuto.

○ Inner World: The Inner World of Shoujinzou takes the form of what seems to be a small town built inside of a crater, a beautiful night sky always overhead, a large tree and a waterfall both sitting on the crater’s edge, and a festival forever taking place. The town is inhabited by an assortment of people, though they do not respond to any interaction, and are completely incorporeal if one tries to touch them.

○ Zanpakutо̄ Appearance: A peculiar looking zanpakuto in its sealed state. Her zanpakuto at a glance looks like a kanabou with its club-like appearance. However should she twist the bottom of the zanpakuto it reveals a straightened blade, fine elegance concealed under savage brutality, which can be wielded as a normal sword.

○ Sealed Zanpakutо̄ Power: Shoujinzou possesses a sealed ability which is rarely seen due to its blade being concealed in the club-like sheathe. Upon drawing out Shoujinzou, the blade is coated in a thick sappy liquid which can be spread onto whatever Kokoro cuts. Upon the sword being returned to its savage looking sheathe, all of this liquid will ignite and burn what it is stuck to.


○ Shikai Release Phrase: “Burn out, Shoujinzou.” (燃えつきろ, 焦神像. “Moetsukiro, Shoujinzou.”)

○ Shikai Appearance: Upon calling out her kaigo, Kokoro's zanpakuto transforms into two wind-and-fire wheels. Specifically her sheathe and her sword each become one of the set. One wheel has three protrusions, the second has four on it. While they can be thrown they are mostly for melee, though throwing them regardless seems to be the preference of her zanpakuto spirit.

○ Shikai Abilities: Shoujinzou is a fire-type zanpakuto which allows for Kokoro to utilise her wind and fire wheels to create a couple of effects based on the flames which her zanpakuto refers to as the passion of a person recklessly running through their transient life until they burn away.

○ Yahanagami (焼花神, Aflame Flower God): Through her two wheels, Kokoro is able to achieve multiple fire-related effects to augment her close-quarters fighting style. For example she may rush her target as a line of flames, immolating herself to prevent people from getting near her, and spin around to surround herself in fire in a way of offensive or defensive measures. The flames originate from her two weapons but they can spread into her immediate vicinity or cover her body before they disappear.



General Skills

• Durability: Adept
  
• General Speed: Adept
  
• Strength: Adept
  
• Martial Skill: Adept
  

Shinigami Skills

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

Will Skills

• Willpower: Advanced
  
• Mental Deduction: Beginner
  
• Focus: Adept