[Spirit Class 1] Retsu Unohana

BASIC INFORMATION

» Name: Retsu Unohana [卯ノ花 烈Unohana Retsu]
» Alias: Yachiru Unohana [卯ノ花 八千流Unohana Yachiru]; KenpachiSword-Eight [剣八]
» Age: ~1,800
» Appearance Age: Mid-thirties
» Gender: Female
» Association: General Director of the Shino-SeyakuinCentral Medical Institute [真央施薬院]; Former Captain of the 11th and 4th Divisions
» Height: 5'2.5 (159cm)
» Weight: 120 lbs (54.4kg)
» Appearance Image:

PERSONALITY OVERVIEW

Retsu once had joy beyond bounds. To some, it might have seen like bloodlust. To others, it was proving she was the strongest. While they are both correct, both are symptoms of the disease named "pleasure." Retsu's joy came from battle itself. It came from the chaos of conflict—the primality of seeking the defeatdeath of another. She could see who someone truly was when they spill blood, no matter if it is their own or another's. Lies were meaningless except as a tool for victory.

That explains the symptom of bloodlust, but what of strength? Being strong wasn't a guarantee of victory—especially in the days before the Gotei. Retsu isn't one to believe that victory is ever guaranteed. And yet, being stronger than others meant she could dictate the combat. She could determine what could and could not bring satisfaction. She could determine how long those battles lasted. Retsu did not necessarily enjoy being "the strongest." That was a pustule of pride that was lanced and drained when peace and order became the priority.

Well, that's what Retsu would like to believe. The truth is that it still exists. She still has all of the bloodlust, all of the desire for victory—Retsu just locked it away. By knowing who she was, we can get to who she is now. Retsu is someone who had everything, lost it, gained a new purpose, and now has lost that too. She is bitter and her words burn like strong alcohol.

Although Retsu still shows a care that more modern members of the Gotei might remember or know, Retsu had abandoned all forms of tenderness. She will warn the child not to run around the pool. She would even still bring the drowning child out. But no longer is there a trace of comfort—her words are not "are you okay" but "learn to swim" before leaving the pool.

Retsu still maintains her keen eye for one's character—although her supression of expressing her distaste of others' character is gone. She makes it quite clear when she doesn't like someone and why. Almost hypocritically, she doesn't expand on why she does like certain people. Perhaps it's nostalgia, perhaps it's that they make her feel better about her choices. This makes it difficult for people who she does like or is neutral towards to see that. The best way to describe it is that her words of encouragement sound like harsh criticism, but at least she's speaking to you.

Retsu's bitterness has driven away many that were once close to her. Some of it was her purposely driving others away that might get caught up in her mental storm. Others simply had a newfound distaste for the newold Retsu. Aside from one, those have all been inconsequential to her. Most of the peopple she's "snubbed" were not people whose opinion didn't ultimately matter.

Retsu feels that her decisions were correct at the time, and she stands by them outwardly. Inwardly, she wishes she had just drawn her sword and struck down as many of the Espada and Ender's army as she could. Life would have been so much easier if she had done so. But she knew that drawing her sword would be returning to the Old Ways. If she returned to how she was, it would signal that the world wasn't accepting of what Yamamoto had formed. It wouldn't be accepting of the sacrifices everyone had made.

Retsu is, truthfully, silently anticipating a reason to return to the Old Ways. Every time a calamity happens, she can't help but feel the comforting warmth of anticipation. And yet, even the Demon Incursion wasn't enough to bring that out. There were others that could handle those problems. In some ways, she resents the product of the peace she helped forge. There are people that are strong enoguh to do what she truly feels like doing, so why should she? It may seem like laziness, but in actuality it is more akin to foolheartedly sticking to one's principles.

Retsu, despite her bitterness towards the past, has kept with some habits. When performing most medical tasks or in more formal settings (which is rare), her hair remains braided to the front. At other times, she lets her long hair flow loose "like the old days." She is no longer concerned with others seeing the scar on her chest, nor does she have others to complain about it. It has lost its meaning except as a reminder of "someone she thought was stronger." Although she no longer wears a Captain's haori, Retsu is commonly seen wearing a similar doctor's haori from the Shino-Seyakuin.

HISTORY

Pre-Gotei:

Founding of the Gotei:

The Cancerous Peace:

Until Now:

NATURAL AND RACIAL ABILITIES

» Former Captain: Including below, it can not be understated that Retsu was a founding Captain of the Gotei Thirteen—and one of the strongest remaining to this day. She was around for the four styles of Shinigami combat (the zankensoki) to be formalized into what they are today. She even provided guidance on what should and should not be formalized when the Genji School turned into the Shin'ō Academy. Because of her years upon years of combat against all manner of beings, Retsu is an overall skilled combatant and teacher, which has resulted in her being one of the most respected Captains in the history of the Gotei Thirteen.

» Immense Reiryoku: Retsu has tremendous amounts of Reiryoku. As a founding member of the Gotei Thirteen, she was already capable of holding her own against Genryūsai Yamamoto, Kanae Nagoshi, and other formidable foes. And since then, she has only refined her Reiryoku. From efficiency to expanding the "tanks," Retsu enhanced how she uses Reiryoku to prolong fights. Adding an efficiency boost to an already-strong being allows her to fight for prolonged periods without running out of Reiryoku. Retsu's Reiatsu is also refined. She has no need of large, wide pulses usually. Instead, she has similar control to that of the former head-captain's—as she can easily put the fear of Godherself into others with a focused glare.

» Warrior's Physique: Retsu, despite finding herself more in an office or operating room than on the battlefield, has not let her body wane. Despite being a woman of slight stature, she has fought men and Hollows of much larger stature. She utilizes her Reiryoku to make up for her smaller body, but there is still a physicality her lifestyle demands. She can lift and carry multiple patients if need be (although, again, her stature might not allow for it). More importantly, she can still wield her sword with the same strength and finesse that earned her the title "Yachiru."

» Kidō Expert: Retsu did not raise the Eleventh Division to hate Kidō. When she found out about the shift in philosophy, she actually felt pity. Kidō is just another tool in the battlebox. As such, she is capable of utilizing high-level Kidō (both Bakudō and Hadō) with ease and without incantation. But, in truth, her skill with Kidō truly comes from Kaidō and not combat utilizations.
»» Kaidō Master: There are few individuals that rival Retsu's skill in healing (let alone surpass her), and even fewer can compare to her skill with Kaidō—healing kidō. Having learned both standard healing techniques and Kaidō from future Zero Division member Tenjirō Kirinji, it's no surprise that she is skilled beyond most others. However, she has a flaw in her Kaidō—something no others aside from the Tenjirō know. She sought to learn Kaidō in order to prolong fights. She sought it to heal herself, not others. Thus, although she can perform Kaidō to the point of healing fatal wounds on others, she is almost twice as skilled at healing herself. Although it is clearly Kaidō, when Retsu heals herself it is almost as if she is regenerating.

» Lifesaver: To say that Retsu Unohana is "just" a healer is just like saying she's "just" a swordswoman. She's an expert in anatomy to the point that she saw something amiss with Sōsuke Aizen's decoy "body" and was able to deduce that whatever the "body" was. it wasn't Aizen. She can apply her knowledge of healing to other races as well—from humans to Arrancar, and likely even Danava (although she has yet to practice on them). She has an encyclopedic knowledge of diseases and toxins that allows her to treat almost any medical condition. And although she is skilled with Kaidō, she understands that it isn't always the best path to recovery and will combine Kaidō with traditional herbal remedies as well as modern medicine.

YACHIRUEIGHT-THOUSAND STYLES 八千流

That which earned her the title of "Kenpachi."

Retsu Unohana named herself "Yachiru" to represent the countless styles of combat she had mastered—few of which did not involve the sword. In the days of the original Gotei and even before, it could be said that she had mastered "all" of the styles. She had a knack for understanding combat styles and replicating them. This allowed her to practice with styles that others might even have considered personal. But once they fought Retsu, it became hers too. She would practice the various styles on new opponents, allowing her to see the limitations in real combat while also giving her opponent a slight handicap. Only when things were serious did she resort to the "tried and true."

It would be impossible to list every style she knows or at least understands, but it should suffice to say that she knows the style so long as it was written down or passed down when she was either a criminal or the first Captain of the Eleventh Division. But it wasn't just mastery of styles that earned her moniker. Her overall skill in combat is another big part of it—her mastery of the sword. Retsu has a natural instinct for combat. She can kill just as easily as pupils dilate.

Retsu knows an opponent's reach at a glance (barring strange weapons such as Zabimaru's Shikai), and she can pretty readily gauge an opponent's strength and speed. She can time projectiles to dodge in between them. Most opponents are already at a disadvantage as soon as she engages because she knows them and their combat capabilities almost as well as she knows her own. That is part of why she does not shy away from "crude" tricks.

Retsu fights with any weapon given to her. She knows the spear, the bow, the sword, the dagger, the club—the list goes on. And if it is a tool that will help her achieve victoryjoy, she will use it. She will throw hidden daggers, kick sand, and strike with bare fists if need be. Although she is far better with a sword than any other weapon, she doesn't dare hamper herself by only sticking with one. Those that do not adapt to combat and utilize whatever tool they have are not taking it seriously enough and are not worth true battledeath.

To sum it up, Retsu earned her title of Yachiru. She earned her title of Kenpachi. She has fought numerous opponents, many at her strength (and a few stronger), and she only has the one scar. She will weave whatever attacks she can in between mixing and matching styles in order to win.

ZANPAKUTŌ

» Zanpakutō Name: MinazukiFlesh-Drops' Gorge (肉雫唼)

» Zanpakutō Spirit: Minazuki appears to be a a tall, slender humanoid draped in a green cloak. The cloak hides all identifying features except a row of bone-like bandages across what would be its entire torso. Minazuki remains entirely silent most of the time. If threatened, Minazuki's bandages turn into sword-like ribbons that unravel and strike.

» Inner World: Retsu's inner world is an endless, dark lake. Although figures and shadows are seen within the lake, anyone within her inner world walks gently on the surface as if it were only a thin puddle. A weeping red star illuminates from straight above as red droplets rain down. This causes the lake to ripple red regularly, giving the entire world even more of an eerie feeling.

» Sealed Zanpakutō Appearance: Minazuki takes the form of a katana (although it is longer and almost resembles a nodachi) with a strong curve along the end half of the blade. It has a golden, oval tsuba with a small yellow gem that seems to change position. She normally carries it slung across her shoulder now, although she used to have others carry her blade at times.

SHIKAI

» Shikai Release Phrase: "Drain." (Shortened from "Drain the Heavens of stars and fill the impurities of Man.")

» Shikai Release Action: To release Minazuki, Retsu draws her sword and calls upon the name. The blade turns fleshy and green before forming into its full appearance. Upon sealing, Minazuki becomes almost liquid-like as it is sucked back into the scabbard.

» Shikai Appearance: Minazuki is perhaps one of the strangest-looking Shikai to exist even to this day. Its appearance is that of a pistachio-green and champagne-yellow, one-eyed manta ray-shaped creature. It can be as small as a puppy or be as large as some private jets. The creature has a wide mouth lined with baleen (whale "teeth"). It can scuttle almost like a crab with its two taloned legs.

» Shikai Abilities: To make Minazuki stranger, this thing flies. It uses Reiryoku to both hover and propel itself not unlike a helicopter. It moves at the speed of a med-evac helicopter at most, but it usually remains much slower. Aside from the unique ability to fly, Minazuki has the ability to provide healing in its stomach. Yes, if you let this thing eat you, you get healed. Up to twelve people can be carried within its stomach at its maximum size—and as it decreases in size, so does its carrying capacity. Within its stomach is a variety of healing liquids. From ground herbal medicines to ointments, the strong medicines within can treat most maladies.

For mechanics' sake, this is split into three "tiers" of medical issues. Tier Three includes light wounds (such as shallow cuts, abrasions, and bruises) and common diseases (such as the flu and allergic reactions). Tier Three are cured within Minazuki's stomach. Minazuki is also capable of providing first aid for Tier Three wounds by licking the affected area with its elongated tongue.

Tier Two includes serious wounds (trauma to non-vital areas, broken or fractured bones, wounds requiring suturing) and severe medical episodes (high blood pressure, vomiting blood, and head injuries). Tier Two are treated within Minazuki's stomach, but treatment is still required outside in a proper medical setting for full recovery.

Tier One includes immediately life-threatening conditions (such as heart attack, stroke, or sepsis), and extreme wounds (such as trauma to vital areas such as the heart or head, mangled or missing limbs, and 2nd degree or higher burns). Tier Three is not cured nor truly "treated" within Minazuki's stomach. Instead, Tier Three are stabilized the best that can be done. Being within Minazuki's stomach does not prevent death due to how it stabilizes patients. The medicines within Minazuki's stomach slow the body's processes down in order to attempt to relocate the wounded to a proper treatment facility.

In terms of poisons and venoms, these can be cleansed within Minazuki's stomach. Non-supernatural (read: naturally-occurring) toxins are treated as a Tier Three. These are easily purged from the body. Toxins created supernaturally (read: by someone's power or some similar method) are treated against Retsu's Spirit Class instead of the patient's when being treated by Minazuki.

BANKAI

» Bankai Name: MinazukiAll Things' End (皆尽)

» Bankai Release Action: Retsu releases Minazuki by first drawing her hand across the blade. As her hand passes over the blade, it becomes coated in thick blood. She continues this motion until she makes a half-circle with the blade. This motion is eased by the harsh curve of Minazuki's sword. After completing that motion, blood pours from Minazuki's blade and from different areas around her as if a sanguine waterfall is forming. As excess blood drips from the blade, it takes the form of a normal-length katana made of the same material.

» Bankai Details: Minazuki is the large pool of blood filled by the initial release. It is also refilled by a thick mist that forms around the user's feet and spreads around her. This mist forms more thickly as it gets further away from the user. As it is constantly being "refilled," it is also constantly expanding. It can spread to a maximum of half of her Spirit Class's effective range, but that takes time. Thankfully, it is always shallow—only a few inches thick at best.

The blood pool can be manipulated with the katana. By dipping the blade in, she can take in and manipulate more of the blood to enhance her combat capabilities. For example, she could take in a large amount to make attacks at range as she either sends blood projectiles or swings a whip-like blade at her opponent. So long as she holds the handle, she can swing the "blade" as she wants to seemingly-freely manipulate the blood into various attacks. However, these attacks are following her sword swings in one way or another—the trick is how much blood she releases and when. This allows her great variety in when her attacks should and would hit. When utilized in attacks, the blood has no "dull" side. Every part of the attack is just as sharp as her blade.

In addition, the blood is infused with the same healing medicines that exist within the Shikai's stomach. This allows for any healing done by Retsu to be doubly effective when utilizing her Bankai—however, it does not take away from the dangers of the blood being utilized as an attack. She can send an arc of blood at an opponent and have it cut them, and as it passes through, the same attack will heal them. This is a Bankai of everlasting battle—for as long as she can keep using it, she could, in theory, keep herself and her opponent alive.

» Bankai Weaknesses:
Release Order: Due to the unique release required for Minazuki, it can not be released from Shikai. Thus, Retsu would have to seal her Shikai and then release her Bankai. This costs valuable time.

Blood Pool: Due to the nature of liquids, the pool works best in enclosed areas. Otherwise, it takes time to form while the mist follows her as she moves around the area. It is also useless in midair unless someone else forms a solid Reiryoku platform over a large enough area. She can leave the pool of course. However, this leaves her with a limited amount of blood before she has to return to replenish her reserves.

Blood*: This blood is said to be the accumulation of all the blood splattered across her blade, but, well, that's just a scare tactic. It's not actually blood, but a liquid with similar consistency and viscosity. It is referred to as blood for clarity.

Taxing: Minazuki is Bankai that is more taxing than just about all others. Although Retsu has large Reiryoku reserves and is good at efficiently expending her energy, it does not change the fact that Minazuki is constantly replenishing itself and expanding. The time she can use her Bankai shortens at a higher rate as it expands.

SKILLS

General Skills
» Durability: B
» Speed: B
» Strength: A
» Soul: S

Will Skills
» Willpower: Advanced
» Deduction: Elite
» Focus: Advanced

Shinigami Skills
» Hoho: Adept
» Kidō: Master
» Zanjutsu: Elite
» Hakuda: Adept

SAMPLE

There was a time when Retsu would have held the old man's hand and told him that it was fine. She would have stood by his side with a warm smile. She would have ensured that the last thing he saw was something comforting. She watched with distant eyes as a bright-eyed intern did it instead. Others might say he did it for her. That was wrong. She saw yet another soon-to-be corpse that had lived a filling life. She simply didn't see the need to lie to him. Things would not be okay. He was leaving his family in a conflict over inheritance. He wouldn't see any of the consequences as he would be reborn through the cycle and into a world that was starting to grow increasingly restless once again.

As always, history was repeating. Retsu almost let out a small sigh as this ceremony was taking too long. He was disconnected from life support. He should have died already. Yet somehow, he still carried on. How? She could likely think of some medical explanation. Something with long words that would mean nothing to anyone aside from a doctor. But she knew why. It was the same reason she kept going. He just didn't want to die yet.

The old man had requested Retsu to be there. He had once served with her in the Fourth Division, but that was long ago. She could remember him—and even things such as his birthday and what he was allergic to. And yet, Retsu didn't understand why she had been requested. She had hoped he would say something, but he didn't. He just smiled as his glazy eyes attempted to focus on her face.

Why? He had seen her since she had left the Gotei. He knew just what kind of person she had become. She wasn't comforting. She didn't have the bedside manners she once did. She was polite still, yes, but she was harsh and cold. There was only one thing that was coming to her mind. One thing still hadn't changed. She still felt a desire to protectsave her patients. She knew what he was hoping for now.

"Former Thirteenth Seat Eichirō Gotō. You served the Soul Society well during your service in the Gotei Thirteen." Retsu decided to speak the truth. He had mangled his relationship with his family, but as for his service as a Shinigami? He was fine. She could let him have that praise. "But your time now is up. There is nothing more that I can do for you. End your suffering and rest. You deserve it." A small smile formed on his wrinkled lips. He seemed to try to mouth "yes ma'am," but even that was too much. He had been given an order, and he was going to follow it.

Retsu left after his time was called. She didn't need to be in the room with the corpse as it faded away. She didn't feel a need to mourn him. As she was returning to her office, the intern called out. "Madame Director, may I have a word?" She glanced back at the young whelp. "So long as it can happen while we walk."

"Please forgive my bluntness, but why did you say he 'deserved it?' It sounded accusatory..."

"Simply put, he did 'deserve' it. For ill and good, he did deserve to finally rest. He has hurt his family by leaving a poorly written and executed will. Therefore, would it not be right to say that his continued existence would only bring about accusations and further strife? In his condition, he could not have clarified his decisions. Instead, the family would have lingered over an empty shell. They would have only cast blame and ask an unresponsive man questions. How foolish."

"Instead, now they will mourn. They will still be angry, but they have no one to direct their blame towards. They will settle the matter of inheritance without seriously damaging their relationships with one another. If the children are anything like their father, I would argue that the family may come out stronger after this. And that is not to mention his service to the Soul Society through many crises." Retsu turned and looked up at her intern. "Now do you see why such a man 'deserved' his rest and not that he 'earned' it? Earning means that you have done no evils, no wrongs. Such a person does not exist. Thus, we all deserve the rest when our time comes. That man. You. Myself. Everyone."

The intern blinked. He looked somewhat confused, then shook his head. "Ma'am, I mean no disrespect, but I think you're wrong. I believe that he had earned it because he had been a good father—you saw all the flowers he had in his room. Each bouquet was bigger than the last. He may have made his mistakes, but can't we move past them? Your line of thinking is fairly negative. It says that the goods we do don't matter as much as the wrongs."

Retsu's look flattened further. She had once felt some of the same things he said. In fact, her view of Yamamoto was similar to that. Retsu firmly believed that what they did to secure peace in the Soul Society was worth the cost. She couldn't say this intern was entirely wrong. But she also couldn't agree. She had made a mistake years ago, and it was the cause of who she was today. This was especially true once she realized it was a mistake. "Then you are young and naive. You will learn that life is ruled by the mistakes one makes, or you will die ignorant." The intern did not follow as she turned to continue back to her office. She once again was about to save a life that wasn't her own.

PATCH NOTES

6/26: Personality and history adjustments per feedback.
7/2: Changed Minazuki's speed and challenge condition for poisons/toxins per feedback.
7/6: Added skills per approval from Gamma
8/14: Skill System Update