Yushikawa Gendo

○ Name: Yushikawa Gendo (幽都川 玄兎) ○ Alias: N/A ○ Age: 281 ○ Gender: Male ○ Race: Shinigami ○ Affiliation: -Gotei 13, 3rd Squad 7th Seat (Former) ○ Marital Status: Single ○ Nationality: Soul Society (Former) ○ Sexual Orientation: Heterosexual ○ Special Skill: Making wagashi ○ Ideal Mate: Intelligent and gentle ○ Height: 6’2” ○ Build: Well-built ○ Hair Colour: Black ○ Eye Colour: Blue

A man of very few words, Gendo prefers to let his actions speak for themselves the vast majority of the time. This proclivity toward focused silence often leads people to believe that he carries himself with a grave demeanor, but that isn’t especially the case. While he is undeniably intense, there is a measured drive in everything that Gendo does, a passion for those crafts he pursues and an unwillingness to fall, whether in life or in combat. Above all, however, one can call Gendo a profoundly driven man. He isn’t one to pursue duty for its own sake, but he certainly upholds what he considers to be “just” whenever possible, even at the expense of his own well-being. He believes strongly that acting righteously is not always a popular course of action, but that such a thing is ultimately inconsequential. To do good and to help others, regardless of expectation, is simply the mark of a good man.


○ Hatakeyama Kaminari: The woman that Gendo believed he may well have spent the rest of his life with, he has not seen her in over a century by now. While he misses her, he understands perfectly well that there was no other possible path for him to walk than the one that has separated them. He simply continues on, accepting the reality of life even if not particularly pleased by it.

○ Ichimaru Gin: His captain at the time he was forced to leave the Gotei, Gendo has profound respect for such an accomplished and prestigious shinigami, and considers him in every respect a role model.


Born in an unremarkable village in a middling district of the Rukongai, Gendo has always been considered something of an imposing presence even from his youngest days. In his youth, Gendo often found himself focusing on self-improvement, eschewing much in the way of socialization for the sake of betterment. While he was not so fiercely dedicated as to be called outright manic, by any stretch, his commitment to physical and mental improvement made it quickly apparent that he would outpace his peers in the community. Some wished to see him remain and better the village, but those close to him understood that there was far more in store for his future, and suggested that he undergo the journey to the center of the Soul Society to become a shinigami in the employ of the Gotei. A life there, after all, would be far more rewarding than one in a quiet village surrounded by the hills.

So, with little else but the clothes on his back, Gendo traveled toward the Seireitei, and sought out the shinigami just outside its walls. His request to become one of them was met in fairly short order; after all, his physical prowess and modest, but above-average spiritual potential made him a suitable candidate for the Academy, if not one of its most promising entrants in that particular class. If there was one area in which the up and coming shinigami seemed to excel, it was in the martial aspect of zanjutsu. His mastery of the zanpakuto itself was nothing above average, and his technique in many of the shinigami arts was impressive enough to assure he would graduate without issue in the standard six years.

Upon being inducted into the Gotei’s 3rd Squad, Gendo took to his work with a quiet earnestness, rarely speaking much but always going well above and beyond in his work. He was, despite his large size, not a hugely outstanding presence in the squad, and he had only a small handful of those he would call friends at this time. Instead, he devoted himself to a hobby that he could not have possibly pursued in his little village in the Rukongai; the making of wagashi. Such fanciful crafts could not have been possible in that place, after all, intricate candies that took more effort than many of the fundamentals of living in poverty. It was through that devotion that he one day met a man who would change the trajectory of his career, the captain Gin Ichimaru.

Though he had heard that the squad was to receive a new captain, Gendo had not gone out of his way to meet the man. Indeed, the meeting was almost incidental in nature. It had seemed, suddenly, that the squad grounds were all at once filled with persimmon trees, and such a thing could reasonably only have come from the captain of the division. Indeed, said captain seemed to simply arrive apropos of nothing, and asked Gendo if he was interested in a dried persimmon. A curious meeting, to be sure, but for a man who had undertaken the art of wagashi, he certainly appreciated a simple dried sweet, doubly so having grown up in a modest district of the Rukongai. Though others found the captain off-putting for his demeanor, Gendo always simply assumed he was just a bit odd.

Having rededicated himself to the pursuit of work as a shinigami, Gendo strove to work alongside every squad in some facet or another, to learn what it was that created the very best of the best. Such an aim was, in fact, largely seen as peculiar by most other members of the Gotei 13. After all, squads in the Gotei were largely insular, with their own member cultures and general atmosphere. To actively attempt to work with other squads when it wasn’t necessary was, in a word, an oddity. It was during this time that he met the first woman for whom he would say he felt real, genuine love; one Kaminari Hatakeyama. Their relationship hardly began with some wild spark of passion, but simply grew over time as the two repeatedly worked together on assignment, as mutual respect for the other’s abilities and technique led to casual conversation.

Unfortunately, the bright future that Gendo had worked to build for himself would nevertheless come crashing down around him on one fateful assignment. Sent to deal with a Hollow that had not only evaded capture, but had actively left no trace of previous shinigami, Gendo traveled to Earth alongside Kaminari and several other outstanding shinigami. The Hollow they found was not, however, one that simple numbers could solve. The beast was more akin to bacteria than any typical creature, infecting its victims before dissolving them into their spiritual essence and leaving nothing behind. There was nothing that a mere blade could do, and even kido could not wound the creature quickly enough to kill it. Perhaps a more powerful shinigami could have slain it, but that was not on the table for the time being.

In the end, Gendo asked if such a creature could at least be sealed, if it could be contained to a single area. He understood that to accept a Hollow into oneself was a crime punishable by death, but it would be easy enough to tell Soul Society that it had been handled, and that none but Kaminari had survived. Allowing himself to be caught in complex sealing kido, Gendo took the creature into his own body, containing it in his left hand. With a melancholic farewell, Gendo left behind the life he had made and the woman he loved, and began his long time incognito on Earth.

It was easy enough for a shinigami to stay undercover, when one assumed they were dead. That was, until World War 3 began. He participated out of a combination of necessity and simple moral principle. Even now, with his life potentially at risk should he be proven to be alive, he could not let innocents die, certainly not when the situation was so dire. Yes, he might have unleashed the hollow in his arm if he fell; but if the war went poorly, then one more hollow, even of such a dangerous sort, would be inconsequential. Just as quickly, it seemed, the war had ended, but things would not ever be the same. Spiritual awareness grew, and Gendo found he could not simply walk idly by people without their notice.

In the end, it made his life easier rather than harder. People were willing to offer shelter to a man who fought for their well-being. He traveled the world, taking up residence in small towns without means to protect themselves from Hollows or other ills. Such a life continues even into the present day, and when World War 4 shook the world, Gendo did not step into any of the major conflicts. He continued with his own quiet war, intent simply on living the best life that a man thought dead can achieve.


○ Sealed Arm: Sealed inside of Gendo’s left arm is a Hollow of both abnormal strength and thoroughly peculiar nature, a freakish creature that resembles a gillian’s composite nature while lacking its uniform existence. More akin to an amoeba than any sort of animal, the patrol which faced this Hollow at the time did not have the capacity to deal with such an abnormality. As such, Gendo willingly allowed the creature to be sealed inside of himself, knowing that it would require he be exiled from the Soul Society and be listed as Killed in Action. This seal did not allow the Hollow to properly meld with Gendo’s soul in any capacity, and as such he is no vizard. This seal simply requires that he always apply some degree of his spiritual power to maintaining it, causing him to be notably less capable in a fight than he was in his prime.

○ Hollow Mask: The mask of a hollow he slew many decades ago, Gendo wears this mask any time he finds himself in a combat scenario. He not only intends to hide his identity, but having become aware of the vizards in modern times, he uses this mask to give the impression that he is simply another vizard.

○ Goshinsatsu (期心薩): The sword style Gendo has developed across his career in the Gotei and even beyond it, Goshinsatsu was originally developed for the purpose of fighting against Hollows, rather than other humanoid foes, though with mastery this distinction has become obsolete. A highly fluid and offensive style, Goshinsatsu is not only exceedingly adept at noticing the weak points in a foe’s stance and body, it is almost entirely focused on a high degree of maneuverability. Despite his tremendous physical stature, Gendo’s style of combat relies on footwork and sudden changes in angle, to say nothing of its integration of the shinigami’s natural capabilities of flight and aerial maneuverability. While most simply fight as they would on the ground while in the air, Gendo’s style takes full advantage of the mobility provided by a third axis of motion.

○ Kido Pragmatism: While one would never call Gendo a “student” of kido by any stretch, the reality is that he grew exceptionally familiar with the art as a consequence of his relationship with a far more exceptional practitioner. The lessons he internalized during the course of that time have stayed with him even now, and while he is not studied enough to invent his own techniques, he can certainly weave any necessary kido into the course of combat without issue.


○ Zanpakutо̄ Name: Shisetsumaru (紙切丸, lit. “Paper-cutter”)

○ Zanpakutо̄ Spirit Appearance: Shisetsumaru’s spirit takes the form of an exceptionally withered old man, wearing a somen that hides much of his face. He rarely moves, but always has a kindly aura around him, wearing only a modest brown robe as if he were a monk.

○ Inner World: Shisetsumaru’s inner world resembles a large bureaucratic center, desks lined up seemingly infinitely in a long hallway built of dark wood, with windows that only ever show a deep night and a bright moon outside.

○ Zanpakutо̄ Appearance: While sealed, Shisetsumaru takes the form of a large, but fairly simple, katana, one which might be a bit too long for most to consider comfortable to hold.

○ Sealed Zanpakutо̄ Power: Shisetsumaru has no sealed powers.



○ Shikai Release Phrase: “Ana ga akeru, Shisetsumaru.” (穴が開ける, lit. “Punch a hole, Shisetsumaru.”)

○ Shikai Release Action: Releasing Shisetsumaru does not require any specialized actions.

○ Shikai Abilities: Upon release, Shisetsumaru further grows in size, and its blade grows more smooth so as to better allow blood to slide across the surface. When Shisetsumaru cuts an opponent, it coalesces the blood and spiritual matter from the cut into ink, which then manifests itself into the form of an ofuda. These ofuda can then be applied to the opponent either by applying them directly, or throwing them as projectiles. While there isn’t necessarily an upper limit to how many he can have, the ofuda do have a physical form, so he isn’t capable of simply manifesting more than he can hold, or throwing massive arrays of talismans with his mind.

When the ofuda are applied to the opponent, one can simply pry them off, though one may not find that they have the time to do so in the heat of battle. If Gendo connects an attack from Shisetsumaru to one of the ofuda applied to his opponent, a massive red 紙 kanji will abruptly burst from the ofuda, a spiritual force that itself is enough to harm someone of Gendo’s own stature. The kanji is then bisected by spiritual force equivalent to Shisetsumaru itself; being struck by this bisection, similarly, is akin to taking a full-strength strike from Gendo’s blade.



General Skills

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Shinigami Skills

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Will Skills

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In making Gendo, I primarily intended to create a character who can provide a shinigami presence that has no particular allegiance to the Gotei, and in many ways would be emblematic of the canon era of the Gotei. I hope to provide an ally to other potential shinigami who aren’t pleased with the current state of affairs, and who can reliably assist other more neutral figures. He isn’t meant to be an unspeakable powerhouse, but I did want to really convey that he’s a skilled swordsman and has a firm grasp of his shikai, to align with his former position as a seated officer.