Jūshirō Ukitake [WIP]

I. Basic Information » Name: Jūshirō Ukitake (浮竹 十四郎) » Age: ~1200 » Appears: Early-30s » Birthday: 12/21 » Gender: Male » Height: 6'2 » Weight: 158lbs » Rank/Position: Headmaster of Shino Academy » Specialty: Being sick and returning opponents' attacks

» Personality: Out of all the former Captains of the Gotei Thirteen, it would be hard to argue that Juushirou Ukitake was not the most approachable. He has a natural friendly charisma that is as free-flowing as his hair. He seems air-headed and breezy, but that's far from the case. In some ways, he's always been like this. His continued life is a gift, and he treats every day as if it could be his last. But unlike others that might brood or use such reasoning, Juushirou enjoys every minute with those around him. He encourages cooperation and mutual respect. Everyone has a part to play, and sometimes that means parts don't always connect right. But understanding that they have a job to do and realizing that perhaps the other person's job helps them out is paramount to success.

Juushirou is easy to excite and cavalier in his interactions. He regularly asserts himself in a familiar role. He'll refer to people with honorifics or without—it really depends on the subject and, frankly, his mood. Sometimes his word choice and usage (or lack thereof) of honorifics is a specific choice. For example, he may refer to someone as Captain Soandso to give a subtle reminder that they are a Captain and their behavior represents that, and then refer to the same person by their first name to indicate that they are still a person beyond that title. Plus, he sometimes just gets a bit lost in the moment and defaults to a first-name basis. It's never disrespectul—he's incapable of disrespect... Except to Shunsui. For Shunsui, he can sound somewhat disrespectful, but that's more of him pointing out his best friend's bad habits.

Juushirou is not a nonviolent person. He strongly, though perhaps too strongly, believes there is always a path to understanding so long as both can reason. He will fight hard to find that path, but he is quick to understand when such a path can not be forged. Juushirou takes time to come to a decision, but when a decision is made, he acts upon it without the slightest hint of hesitation. Take the night Kaien Shiba died. Although he took valuable time trying to come to a solution that didn't involve striking down his Lieutenant, he aimed to kill Kaien's possessed body the moment he realized there was no seperating his Lieutenant and the Hollow.

Juushirou does have some bad habits. He can be a bit protective of females, and he hates seeing youngsters fight in earnest. To him, the young should be enjoying the childhood experiences he couldn't. They shouldn't be spilling their own blood for a cause and pride they don't comprehend. No, their blood should come from skinning their knees on the playground. Wait, wouldn't that mean the playground is unsafe?

And his old-fashioned views bring us to an important facet of this man: pride. To Ukitake, pride is satisfaction in life. Being able to be prideful is being able to say on their deathbed "I lived a good life with no regrets." Going back to the night Kaien, who was his confidant for the longest, died: he didn't allow Rukia to fight because he knew that if Kaien were to die after being saved, he'd die with regrets—regretting that he could not save his wife nor avenge her. It is those regrets that form Hollows, after all.

Juushirou's own source of pride is Shino Academy. He had pride as a Captain, but it pales in comparison to how he feels about running the academy. He gets to help shape young minds and promote camaraderie and respect from a young age. To him, that is the best time for them to learn it. Juushirou takes a very hands-on approach to being a headmaster. He'll regularly attend classes and lectures, and sometimes he'll even lead lessons if the teacher is absent or if he's feeling particularly excitable about the subject.

» Likes: Puns and wordplay, ohagi, trying various visual arts (he's not good at them), sweets, the sound of children laughing

» Dislikes: Drinking, sleeping too long, bitter flavors, swearing, sarcasm, being rough with youths


[Canon history will be glossed over, because it's, well, canon.]

Juushirou is the eldest of eight siblings, born to Juzo and Komaki Ukitake. The Ukitake family is now a lower-ranked noble house—just enough of a name to be listed on the registry. But that was not always the case. The family had strong ties to the Ise family and, importantly for Juushirou, the Rukongai. Juushirou fell ill when he was barely above a toddler. He is one of the first reported cases of this disease, and thus there was no treatment known. No doctors could treat the disease, only the symptoms.

The disease ate away at his lungs, leading the young Juushirou to be bedridden throughout his formative years. His parents sought out whatever cure they could find. They lost the family's fortune to panacea-peddlers and experimental treatment. They prayed to whomever would listen, performed strange, almost-occult rituals... all to no avail. Juushirou still does not know why he survived—perhaps it was a combination of the myriad of snake oils, some divine being's blessing, or just pure luck. In truth, it was more himself not wanting to see his parents cry any more. That always hurt him.

Juushirou was one of the first students to the Shino Academy under Genryūsai Yamamoto, along with Shunsui Kyōraku. Juushirou doesn't like telling the story of how those two met—as he considers it one of his more embarrassing moments. Those two were shining, shooting stars amongst that first generation of students. Juushirou would not waste the gift given to him, and Shunsui, at least to Juushirou, felt like a natural. It was therefore not surprising when they rose through the ranks of the Gotei Thirteen alongside one another.

Juushirou was always a Captain that could be relied upon to "keep an eye out on things back home." He recognized early on his limitations, as did the other Captains around him. It led him forming a camraderie amongst his Division that remained unmatched. It also let him teach (and learn from) his subordinates. This closeness caused him a few headaches—such as when he refused to appoint a Lieutenant to replace Kaien Shiba. He felt that people were irreplacable, and it took great effort from others to get him to eventually relinquish that stubborn belief.

Juushirou spent many months recovering from the Winter War. The wound he received from the young Arrancar Wonderweiss took time to fully heal with his condition. Juushirou took the time healing to... do more work. When he emerged from the Ugendō, he presented the head-Captain with his suggestions on who to replace the traitors with as Captains. He was promptly scolded by Captain Unohana for working instead of resting.

It was a bad habit of his that persisted until World War Three. Juushirou fought hard during the war. In fact, he fought too hard. Flare-ups of his disease didn't stop him as he coughed up blood fighting Ender's hordes. If you were to ask him now, he'd admit he was likely trying to compensate for getting knocked off the board early during the Winter War. He saw many more people he cared about die. From Yamamoto actually dying to the then-supposed death of Sajin Komamura, Juushirou was anguished with people he knew well disappearing—people who had so much to teach the world still.

That was why when his former subordinate and then-Fifth Division Captain, Tsubaki Koezuka, took over as Captain-Commander, he was surprised. Juushirou thought that someone like Shunsui or even Unohana would have taken the position. No, it was the rising star who sliced through her own limitations. She brought a new wave of inspiration for the Gotei. Many years later, she'd approach him. Tsubaki thanked him because it was his teachings as a Captain that allowed her to prosper as a Captain-Commander in the wake of Yamamoto's death.

They spoke about their favorite memories of Yamamoto, of others who had passed, and, lastly, of the war that claimed so much. Juushirou admitted that he felt like he had failed to protect his former teacher because of his illness and had since been wondering just how long it'd be until he could no longer serve at all. That's when she posited a question: "why not just inspire others in another way, huh?" The headmaster of Shin'o Academy was tendering his resignation. They would need a new headmaster who could teach all of the arts, understand what a young Shinigami needed, and promoted a good image. He didn't have to think long about the idea before signing up for it.

Juushirou has since never felt better. There was a bit of a relief of not having to worry about combat duty and if he'd fail during it. He loves seeing the new generations of students. Although he'd never accept such praise, the academy has flourished under him like it never had under any previous headmaster—even including Yamamoto himself. Juushirou watched and nurtured students. He established many team-building exercises such as sports (he created the the game of "Shō-ball," a soccer/football-like game involving the most basic Kidō) and worked on recruiting more from the Rukongai rather than just the nobility. He'd chastise those who acted up, promoted teamwork above nearly all else, and just overall did a good job as someone who was in charge of the next generation. He enjoyed the peace brought by sacrifice.

Alas, peace was not always permanent. Juushirou fought at the academy during the Demon Incursion. He fought just as hard as he had during World War Three. He only stopped fighting after he could no longer stand from oxygen deprivation. Even as he passed out, he fired off a Kidō to save a student. He was always tenacious, after all. The next decade was spent fighting off zealotry from incoming students who wanted nothing but revenge. He jokingly changed the placard outside of his office from "Headmaster" to "Headcounselor" thanks to all the time he spent with those troubled students.



» Spiritual Illness: Juushirou has long-suffered an unnamed Spiritual Illness. No healer has been able to heal the damage done to his lungs from when he was young, and there are concerns about him surviving being put under anesthesia for a lung replacement. Thus, he will always suffer from this. His Reiryoku helps strengthen his lungs to function normally, and as long as he keeps a calm mind, he can act normally. When aggravated, the illness lowers his Speed and Strength to E—and he is unable to catch his breath while coughing up blood.

» Expert Researcher: You give Juushirou a topic, he can find some obscure reference for it. He can find minute discrepancies in documents in a fraction of the time it'd take others, and he can recognize patterns from miles away. For example, despite trying to cover his tracks, Juushirou was able to to find out exactly what Sōsuke Aizen was planning to create (an ōken) by cross-referencing the various topics the villain searched in the Daireishokairō in less than a month. It should be noted that the Daireishokairō is not only a maze of information in and of itself, but few people are allowed inside—and yet Juushirou was able to navigate it without much problem.


» Jack of All (Shinigami) Trades: Overall, Juushirou does not excel in one particular aspect of the Zankensoki. He has expert-level knowledge in each and every aspect of what it is meant to succeed as a Shinigami—and what he doesn't know, he always seems to know who would. He was noted by Genryūsai Yamamoto to have been a stellar pupil alongside Shunsui Kyōraku. From his many, many, many years of service as a Gotei Thirteen Captain, Juushirou has more experience than just about any other Shinigami. He can identify Kidō at a glance and even assist in operating a Senkaimon, while also using Kaidō to help try to treat himself (to no avail, however). He can keep up and sneak up on other Captains like Byakuya Kuchiki with Shunpo. He trained alongside Shunsui Kyōraku and the two learned how to use their Zanpakutō together under the tutelage of Genryūsai Yamamoto. Perhaps his weakest would be his Hakuda, but that is more out of a limitation of his body rather than a lack of skill. But because of him being an example of an all-around Shinigami and his illness, he'll never be transcendent in any of those skills.

» Immense Reiryoku: Juushirou has an extreme amount of Reiryoku—even for a former Captain. However, this has its limitations. His illness-ravaged body is being supported by his Reiryoku mostly. This means he can not actively utilize all of his Reiryoku at any given point. The more he utilizes his Reiryoku, the more his illness acts up. Disturbances to his Reiryoku can aggravate it as well.


» Zanpakutō Name: Sōgyo no Kotowari (双魚理, Truth of Pisces)

» Zanpakutō Spirit: Sōgyo no Kotowari's manifested spirit takes the form of two young, androgynous children with light green eyes and silver hair, which is pulled back into ponytails and hangs down in large bangs in front of their faces. They wear large, triangular blue hats with small red fans on either side, light blue robes over kimonos with vertical red and yellow stripes near their waists, light beige hakama, and blue shoes.

» Inner World: Sōgyo no Kotowari's inner world is a series of wooden platforms sitting atop a shallow body of water. The platforms shift and move with Sōgyo no Kotowari's mood, making it a very precarious jumping puzzle almost. Despite the water only being about an inch deep, the silhouettes of giant koi swim about beneath even that...

» Sealed Zanpakutō Appearance: Sōgyo no Kotowari takes the form of a red katana with a rectangular tsuba. It is not particularly fancy.

» Sealed Zanpakutō Power: None


» Shikai Release Phrase:
All Ye Waves, Become My Shield. All Ye Thunder, Become My Blade
波悉く我が盾となれ 雷悉く我が刃となれ
Nami kotogotoku waga tate to nare, ikazuchi kotogotoku waga yaiba to nare

» Shikai Release Action: Juushirou grips Sōgyo no Kotowari with both hands. As he chants, the blade "splits" into its familiar shape.

» Shikai Appearance: Sōgyo no Kotowari was once one of the only "dual-blade" Zanpakutō. But in truth, that is a misnomer. It is just one weapon with two handles! How clever!

» Shikai Abilities: Sōgyo no Kotowari's ability is tricky. To the untrained eye it would seem to be two separate abilities—a dispelling technique that destroys energy attacks and then a variable-sized blast. However, it is actually a single ability: redirection. The process is as follows: one of Sōgyo no Kotowari's two blades will touch an energy-based attack, then the energy is transferred along the red cable between the blades, and then it is fired out of the other blade.

Along the cable are five talismans—each of these talismans apply a modifier that affects the velocity and pressure of the attack. This makes it difficult for an opponent to judge the attack even if they recognize it as their own attack—how fast, how compressed, etc. of an attack it was is then changed during the fire-back.

Sōgyo no Kotowari is most known for being able to counter raw energy attacks like Cero, but it can also also redirect elemental attacks. So long as it is not expressly physical (such as Senbonzakura or Haineko), it can be redirected back at an opponent. Since it is the opponent's energy, it will detect as such—a Cero will still clearly detect as a Cero, for example.

The biggest limitation is that Sōgyo no Kotowari is limited to being able to redirect one attack at a time. If the opponent has a Soul rank of one higher than his own, then the redirection still happens, but the amount of energy phased through is too much for him to change the velocity and pressure. It is also extremely taxing and can forcibly aggravate his illness. Any higher of a discrepancy and Juushirou can not redirect the attack.


» Bankai Name: Sōgyo no Kotowari Kyokai no Shinsō (双魚理巨蟹心証;Truth of Pisces, Conviction of Cancer)
[TL note: Shinsō is translated with a double meaning of "conviction," as both a judgement and a strong belief.]

» Bankai Release Action: If in Shikai, Juushirou grips the area where the secondary blade juts out much like a tonfa. If sealed, he grips the handle and the very tip of the blade.

» Bankai Appearance: Sōgyo no Kotowari Kyokai no Shinsō is a representation of the second half Sōgyo no Kotowari's release phrase. It takes the form of two shields, each capable of covering Juushirou's own body in size. In addition to the same red cable from Shikai, they are connected by a faded rope similar to a Shinto shimenawa rope (with four equally large white paper shide talisman streamers included). The rope goes behind Juushirou and hovers behind and above his head—almost giving the appearance of a looming noose. At the apex of the rope is a crimson paper fan surrounded by bells. The two shields have a distinct horizontal separation in the middle section. The bottom section of the separation (that leads to the tapered end) is further bifurcated. These two sections move around and are sharp on the inner edge. Effectively, the shields can become a set of matched claws.

» Bankai Abilities: Sōgyo no Kotowari Kyokai no Shinsō has much of the same ability as it did during Shikai. The absorbable area is increased to the entire face of either shield. The main change is actually that Sōgyo no Kotowari Kyokai no Shinsō has far more ways of sending the opponent's attack back at them. Because there are now two cables connecting the two, he can absorb two attacks at once—one for each shield. The redirected attacks are then launched from between the spread claws with much the same limitation as in Shikai.

However, there are now alternate ways for the attack to be redirected. For example, he can alter the "pressure" of the attack to have a one-swing Cero sword. Some more unique ways would depend on the type of attack. For example, an electricity-based attack could be spread between the claws of one shield and act as a concentrated stun-gun. He can also utilize the energy from one attack to block another by effectively spreading an the attack over a wide area in front of a shield. Overall, it is a very versatile Bankai that would be better in the hands of someone more physically capable.

Due to the bulkiness of his Bankai, Juushirou's speed does not receive a boost while in Bankai.


» Ugendō: (雨乾堂; Rain Dried Hall) The Ugendō is effectively a studio apartment made solely for Juushirou. It is a temperature-controlled, humidity-controlled, sterile environment. Although not his primary residence, the Ugendō is where he can go to recover from bouts of his illness. Although it was once part of the Thirteenth Division's territory, it was painstakingly taken apart and rebuilt on Shin'o Academy grounds. The stolen koi from the Kuchiki manor were also taken.

» Ukitake Family Funds: Juushirou has been supporting his family since he became a Shinigami all those years ago. And even though he spoils his family well, his income has left him and his family with a hefty savings account thanks to the old pay rate (and annual raises) of Captains in the Gotei Thirteen.


Blame Gamma