PROFILE INFORMATION

Name: Benetsu Shihan

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In Kanji
Ben - Learn
Etsu - Joy, Enjoy

Shi - Warrior, Teacher, Noble Mind
Han - Prime Example

Gender: Male
Age: 38 [19]
Faction: Shinigami
Division: Ichibantai
Rank: 19th Seat

Reiatsu Color: Bronze [Translucent]
Reiatsu Aura:
Shihan’s aura is strong and disciplined, carrying a sensation of immovability and stillness that, to some, may give the impression that he does not exist at all. His reiatsu is distinct from his surroundings, so he can still be sensed, but his aura may feel more empty than the space around him, which can be unsettling to others who are used to feeling out their enemies.

Appearance - Reference:

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These are only general references; refer to the written descriptions for specific details.

Like his blade, Shihan’s physical appearance isn’t all that distinctive: He is of average height and impeccable posture, sharp facial features and long, dark brown hair, which is generally bound tightly behind his neck. His body is very thin, but wiry and strong, his stature showing an assertive confidence and dignity uncharacteristic of his physical size. He carries himself with pride, a rare quality in the youths of the age, but this body language, which proves to be a very deep aspect of his character, is rather volatile; his attitude shows very strongly in his posture, his face, and his eyes, which tends to cast a strong first impression, regardless of how he’s feeling [See Personality for Details]. Regardless, however, these traits are subtle things, not usually revealing themselves unless one takes the time to really look, which is why his appearance tends to come off as more mundane, as he is not wanting for attention, and thusly tends to blend into the backgrounds of the world.

Like any, he does possess his share of minor details; he has an angled brow and loose lips, which tend to make his natural expressions appear stoic and serious, as well as making his smiles softer and more reserved. His eyes, dark brown like his hair, can be extremely expressive or steely and cold, sometimes to a frightening degree. Since the sleeves of his Shihakushō are a bit long for his arms, one rarely sees beyond his wrists, but his hands, with square palms and long, nimble fingers, are always visible in times of peace. Despite his bearing as a warrior, his fingertips and palms are actually quite soft, and in respect for the line he draws between home and the battlefield, he can be seen often donning a pair of thin, fingerless gloves sewn of cloth, reserved only for times when he must take up the sword. In belonging to the first division, Shihan wears a white Jinbaori [Warrior’s Surcoat; Chojiro wears one] over his Shihakusho, a symbol of his status as a tactician and platoon leader.

Personality:
It is no feat of coincidence that Amano Megumi embodies the collision of heaven and earth, for Shihan’s personality too is a thing of overlapping opposites. He is a deeply feeling individual, very expressive, but only to a few, only in private; he believes in honor, in commitment and honesty with himself, but still seeks the acknowledgement of a chosen few others, those he feels great respect or deeper feelings toward, and is strongly driven to such ends, while rather lacking in motivation for mundane tasks. He is sometimes quick to despair, but unflappable in his attempts to cheer up others, and finds himself bonded to those he meets in sadness, even, sometimes, if they are strangers. Likewise, he can be light-hearted and cheery if the mood befits him, or weary and crestfallen if it doesn’t. He isn’t often angry, but his capriciousness nonetheless makes him complicated, and this can sometimes become problematic for those closest to him.

When he is at his strongest, his most positive, Shihan is a joy to be around; he is a bit stiff from his formal and professional nature [not too unlike Byakuya, in fact], but this seems less prominent around those he has grown comfortable with; he smiles, he laughs, and these are rare occurrences for him, at least in the public eye. The more time he gets to loosen up, the more energetic he becomes, enthusiastic, open, sociable. As little as he claims to care for community and friendship, he is quick to become intoxicated by its energies and greatly enjoys the sort of camaraderie that puts aside one’s personal life. At his worst, he is somber, unmotivated, and apathetic, and makes little attempt to hide it from those around him, though he does tend to avoid contact with people in general. This is what feels natural to him, but ironically enough, social contact is generally the best way to cheer him up, though only with one person at a time; groups do not befit him unless he has grown familiar with each of them.

However, though he doesn‘t like the pressures of the position, Shihan is a capable leader, having a firm grasp of tactics and astounding skill in thinking under pressure. These talents don’t generally show, as he will generally avoid the leadership role, but tends to instinctively take command of situations when he feels that others are in danger or otherwise need his skills. Similarly, it is difficult for him to ignore anyone in danger, even strangers, but he doesn’t claim any sort of righteousness, and in fact often complains about the hassle of saving others, though he could hardly mean a word of it. He doesn’t like to take responsibility for the wellbeing of others, but does so anyway for those he feels obligated to: fellow shinigami, humans, friends, and family. This is tied to his own views on morality and honor, into which he has put a great deal of thought. To him, honesty, consistency, and loyalty are some of the most important characteristics of an honorable warrior, and it is these traits that he values most, both in others and himself.

That ideal of honor that Shihan carries with him is important to his character, for the basis of his value as a warrior is built upon his strong heart and stronger sense of duty, and though he may seem the emotional type at home, battle brings out a stronger side of his personality, a firm, powerful protector willing to take blows and lives for the sake of those important to him. Never does he hide behind orders for justification; if he commits to an action, regardless of its purpose, he owns it, and that is, perhaps, his most unique and distinctive quality as a soldier. He is not without his faults, the double-edge of his faith and trust that makes him gullible, the dark side of his intelligence that makes him cynical, and the fuel of it all, the need to be significant, to be valuable. However, if nothing else, he is a reliable warrior, and he yearns ever to overcome personal weaknesses.

History:
Shihan was born in urban district forty-three, Rukongai West. His mother had been a local herbalist and grower of the area; his father was a shinigami, crippled by injuries and forced to retire to civilian life. Their district was prosperous; it had its fair share of crime, but Shihan’s mother had never been the subject of theft, as she had little of value apart from the herbs and plants she grew about her home. This was Shihan’s early life: peaceful, humble, and with the support of loving parents, a boon few children of the age seemed to have.

Perhaps because of this environment, Shihan’s young mind seemed to prosper in his parent’s teachings. From his father, he learned of manners and etiquette, of respect; from his mother, compassion, tactfulness, and appreciation. He was never very social as a child and opted to stay at home, rather than mingle with the other young ones of the area, but was also ever curious, always wanting to learn more about his parents and their professions, the world and its people. He asked about his father’s sword, which could no longer be called a zanpakutō since its sealing, and it was through him that the boy first heard of shinigami.

As many younger children would, Shihan quickly took to the aspiration of becoming a shinigami; his parents didn’t approve of this idea, but they also knew that, being a shinigami’s son, the hunger would no doubt eventually come to him, and so reluctantly, his father began instructing him in the principles of the soldier, the simplest, but most profound things, like the achievement of serving something greater than yourself, but the personal strength to never let one’s self be used. He grew with these principles, and slowly, the training that came with him. His father’s blade was no longer a zanpakuto, now only a memento of his service, but it served him well as a training instrument into his teens, when he began learning the aesthetics of swordsmanship. His parents could only prepare him for the rigors of the Academy, and though he twice failed its initial entrance exams, it was never a lack of knowledge that held him back, only a lack of power.

When the hunger finally came, Shihan naturally went to his father for advice, and it was explained to him, the workings of spiritual power. He could not have understood, but it was only then that he began to truly train for power, rather than form. Shihan passed his very next entrance exam, and while lingering in the background of his Academy classes, continued his training through its first five years. During one of the Academy’s field assessments, the young Shihan was made to break from his comrades and take command, rescuing two of his fellow students in the process; it was after this particular assessment that the first division took notice of his skills, and predictably, his curriculum in the Academy began to change. Mundane teachings and exorcises were replaced with group tactics and leadership aesthetics, and low-ranking members of the Ichibantai would occasionally come to sit in on his training. In the short time, less than a year since his graduation, Shihan has established an adequate position as the division’s 19th Seated Officer, yielding neither to his youth nor others’ opinions in his progression. In the eyes of his superiors, his talents are superseded only by his character, but there are few who have seen his fledgling abilities, and so he remains a rather subtle presence within the Seireitei, waiting, in a sense, for the chance to prove himself.

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STATISTICS

Basic

• Speed: 60 [300]
  
• Reiatsu: 40 [150]

Strength

• Force: 70 [450]
  
• Stamina: 50 [300]
  
• Endurance: 70 [600]

Skill

• Reiatsu Skill: 40 [450]
  
• Weapon Skill: 80 [600]
  
• Hand to Hand Skill: 40 [150]

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DEVELOPMENT

Experience: 0
Skill Points: 0
PvP Rank: 0
Bounty: 0

Yen:10,000

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SKILLS

Base Skills:

• Zanjutsu; Level 0
  
• Reiatsu Control; Level 0
  
• Reiatsu Sensing; Level 0
  
• Kido; Level 0
  
• Hoho; Level 0

Faction Skill - Konso
Division Skill - Command

Free Skill - Strength of Heart:
Shihan’s profound conviction and dedication to integrity bolsters him in the face of fear and manipulation; Appearances and abilities that would inspire fear or alter his emotions are rendered ineffective as long as he is in the service of a faction.

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INVENTORY

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ABILITIES

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Zanpakuto - Amano Megumi [Merciful Divine Law]

Release Command: Suku [Love]

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Suku can also be translated as “Leave a gap” or “Make empty”. This is significant in the conceptual sense, as Amano Megumi is meant to embody the relationship between opposites such as wholeness and emptiness.

Sealed Form - Reference:
There is very little in the way of special distinctions about Amano Megumi’s sealed state; it is very much the traditional katana, worn blade-up above the hip and sheathed in polished hardwood. Its tsuba design is square [Reference], and bears a faint relief of the face of a mountain touching the clouds, symbolic of the path between earth and the heavens; one can tell from its thickness, however, that this tsuba was made for functionality, not for its aesthetic properties. Similarly, the blade is fairly plain by the standards of katana, but only a few inches short of technically being an Odachi. The handle is also quite long, putting the weapon’s center of gravity closer to the tsuba and creating a counterbalance for one-handed mobility; this puts the weapon’s total length at about 120 cm . The slight thinning toward the weapon’s pommel is meant to give the upper fingers support on the thicker end while leaving free space for the lower fingers to encourage mobility.

Spirit Description - Reference:
Amano Megumi is a silent form, with neither contrast or expression, but a depth that cannot be properly perceived or explained. He rarely talks, rarely moves, but the depth of his one visible eye speaks worlds, as do the subtleties of his expressions. Rarely does he visit Shihan’s consciousness, but he ever speaks of how all resides within none, a concept that even assists Shihan himself in interpreting his hidden intentions. Every meeting with this spirit is a test of Shihan’s intuition, his perception, and the lessons he teaches are of the highest order, though their value is only as strong as Shihan’s interpretation.

Inner Realm:
Shihan’s inner realm is featureless, without perceivable depth nor discernable shade; all is a blank and featureless white, but only for a few moments, as long as it takes for Shihan to realize where he is. Subconsciously, the idea that there must be air to breath, depth to see, and ground to stand upon shapes the realm for him, creating patches of terrain from memory or imagination to fill the immediate area around him. As he moves or shifts his attention, these terrain features may fade away, but will return if they are recalled in his mind or witnessed in absence. The only exception to this volatility is the space around Amano Megumi, which always dissolves and returns to its blank, white state. Through this world, Amano Megumi teaches Shihan of the weaknesses of the mind in justifying and assuming, in filling the blanks of the world with lies, and in failing to accept the absence of a discernable truth or right. According to the spirit, Shihan’s power will come from suppressing these internal dispositions, allowing him to walk, as he does, in a world unfettered by contrast.

-Locked-

Shikai - Reference:
Matching Shihan’s height, Amano Megumi’s shikai form has a much more impressive presence as a weapon than its sealed state. It is a pole-arm, a naginata, and thusly possesses great reach and maneuverability with it’s over four foot long area of handle. It’s 50 cm blade is thicker and heavier than a sword’s blade of the same length, allowing Shihan to shift between quick, short-style strikes in close and arcing, powerful blows at range. These are stereotypical features of a striking naginata, but the blade does possess a uniqueness in its tsuba, a solid, metallic ring inscribed with the symbols of Yin [Earth] and Yang [Heaven]; this ring rotates steadily around the weapon’s core in battle, symbolizing the cycle of shifting balances between these two ideas. This turning is too slow to serve any sort of purpose on the battlefield, but never seems to stop, regardless of strikes made against it or the condition of its wielder.

Abilities [Attacks] - Foreword:
Amano Megumi is a zanpakutō dealing in energy and space, mainly the auras created by reiatsu and the pressures they exert upon one another. In real-world techniques such as Saiminjutsu and Kiaijutsu, these auras were considered metaphysical, but in the interaction of spiritual beings like shinigami and hollows, they take on a much more permeable presence.

Ariryu [Flow Existence]; Command: Kaketsukeru [Rush]:

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Shihan will call out the command once: “Ariryu, Kaketsukeru!” This stirs the ability. It can then be used without command from that point on, unless Shihan himself becomes distracted from combat for a time, when the command “Kaketsukeru” will be required again.

With this ability, Shihan may channel his spiritual energy into a change in his physical momentum, creating a surge of powerful energy capable of knocking an enemy off their feet. These “Aura Surges”, as they are called, are waves of reiatsu manifested as physical pushing force, amplified emanations of Shihan’s weight projected at the speed of his moments. Though they lack concussive, lethal force and thus make less than reliable weapons, Aura surges are the perfect tools for throwing off a charging enemy, possessing twice the pushing power of Shihan’s physical body; the direction an Aura surge takes is dependant on Shihan’s movement [he must make a significant movement, one that somehow pressures his center of gravity, in order to call an aura surge], but surges may originate in area within five feet of Shihan’s body, ten feet if the surge is directed toward Shihan, and are typically large enough to cover the greater part of a target‘s body. To a target himself, being struck by such a surge feels much like colliding with large amounts of heavy water, as it generally flows in the same fashion through the air.

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From an outside view, this ability appears in much the same way as the stereotypical reiatsu flare, directed from Shihan's body [as in a push, usually directed with the hips] or from his weapon. This has been portrayed in many an anime and appears, in a way, a bit like Shunpo, perhaps less electrical and more ethereal in nature. In lamen's terms: Shihan swings, a bunch of wind and reiatsu goes Whoooosh, and the enemy is hit ^-^ end of description.

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Bankai - Amano Megumi Reiratsu [Fiercely Ordained Merciful Divine Law]

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While a warrior and his blade may be an intimidating force upon the battlefield, Amano Megumi’s bankai state, as bankai often do, takes combat to an entirely new level. The zanpakuto’s primary body is that of a great wheel: a massive, ring-shaped mass of bronze-colored metal with a rough, marbled texture akin to cast iron or even granite. It’s body is nearly eight inches thick, eight inches deep, and spanning four feet in diameter. The outer edges of this ring narrow into a roughened cutting blade, and its inner reaches are filled by five curving rods, originating along its inner edge and spiraling inward to form a second ring within the first [Reference]; this inner ring spans only a foot or so across and is empty in its center, serving as a second handhold and the “eye” of Shihan’s flow of energy [See abilities for details]. Aptly, this weapon is referred to by Shihan as the Chijinme [Earth God Eye], and embodies the weapon’s Yin [Earth] essence.

The zanpakuto’s Yang [Heaven] attributes begin at Shihan’s hands in a pair of thinly plated, stylized gauntlets, which sheath his hands and fingers in a deep, smoky grey metal adorned with tiny waves like those of Damascus-forged steel. The gauntlets themselves are more symbolic than they are functional, riddled with patterns and abstract markings the likes of which even Shihan does not understand. They are, however, still part of his zanpakuto, able to resist blows as well as any blade would. Shihan’s armored plating continues up the wrist and forearm to the elbow, split widely at the joints to preserve full mobility. Generally, the upper regions of this protection are covered by the sleeves of his shihakusho, leaving only his hands and fingers exposed.

Abilities [Attacks]:

Ranryutake [Fierce Flow Storm]; No Command:
This ability encompasses the basic enhanced form of Ariryu, allowing Shihan to release large waves of force by tearing at the air with his gauntlets. These new aura surges, like those of his early shikai state, strike like gusts of wind, not strong enough to really affect a combatant of his level. However, they are also far more expansive, capable of covering areas over ten feet wide; This makes them useful in diverting weak or unprepared enemies or knocking projectile weapons from their path, but the ability’s true offensive potential comes from its massive blade, the Chijinme, which is controlled using the currents of energy created by this ability.

The weapon’s impressive weight makes it difficult to maneuver, but its striking power is phenomenal, capable of leveling trees and even buildings at top speed. It’s movements follow the same tilting and banking as seen in airplanes and similar constructs, and the sharpness of its turns seems to depend on Shihan’s physical involvement, as if it were connected to him by a string. Generally, the blade’s trajectory can be altered by ninety degrees in about fifty feet of flight, but can be turned more quickly with physical effort on Shihan’s part [much like Byakuya’s Senbonzakura’s intensity increases when he directs it with his hands.] The rapidly rotating blade grinds apart the likes of bakudo and other summoned defenses with great efficiency, as the current of Aura propelling the blade separates the fragments of the target area once the girth of the blade has punched a hole. This makes blocking the Chijinme extremely difficult, regardless of the attempting party. The more favorable option would be to avoid the rather cumbersome weapon with agility, but Shihan knows this better than anyone…

Utsuryutake [Fierce Flow Impact]; No Command:
The pinnacle of Shihan’s aura manipulation, this ability truly reaches into the realm of space distortion. In this form, Shihan focuses the energy in his gauntlets into a solid body of force, short-ranged, but just as strong as the metal from which it originates. When invoking this ability, Shihan seems to strike some unseen barrier with his gauntlet; the force of that strike is amplified by reiatsu and projected from the small area of contact onto a larger plane, like light from a projector to a movie screen. This transference of energy creates a barrier, carrying the same physical force and resilience as Shihan’s gauntlets across a range of up to five feet. These barriers can cover an area of up to five square feet at their largest, but maintaining a defense against strikes of that size would be significantly straining on Shihan’s strength. These barriers are limited in number to one per gauntlet, and must be utilized wisely, for Shihan cannot block attacks with these barriers that he hasn’t the physical strength to block without them.

Passive Ability - Hiraryu [Flow Repose]:
Once his zanpakutō is released, Shihan’s aura and presence breathes life and courage into his allies, granting him the benefits of his Strength of Heart Skill. Individuals who are panicked, enraged, or in other such hysteric or crazed conditions begin calming as they are exposed to its power, and in the bankai state, even indirect mental influence, such as that of an inner hollow or similar entity, seems to be affected [bankai effects for social purposes only].

KIDO

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1. Sai - Locks a target's arms in place behind their back.
Incantation - Blind rings without shape: by them shalt thee be questioned; bow down cur of a man! Bakudou no Ichi! Sai!

4. Hainawa - An energy rope entangles a target's arms.
Incantation - Be snaketh over by lightning; bask and be quaketh in its yellow shine; be joyous! Bakudou no Yon! Hainawa!

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1. Sho - Pushes the target away from the caster.
Incantation - Thou lacketh respect, and as of one from those without, shalt thee be stormeth! Hadou no Ichi! Sho!

4. Byakurai - Fires a concentrated bolt of white lightning from the caster's forefinger.
Incantation - Vindictive martyr poised as flawless as heaven’s blanched bolt torn through thine own claw! Hadou no Yon! Byakurai!