Kenpachi Zaraki

Kenpachi Zaraki
Bleach character
File:Zaraki.jpg
Created by	Tite Kubo
In-universe information
Gender	Male
Title	Captain of the 11th Division
Occupation	Shinigami

Template:Nihongo sound is a fictional character and supporting anti-hero in the anime and manga series Bleach created by Tite Kubo. He is the captain of the 11th Division within the Gotei 13. His lieutenant is Yachiru Kusajishi.

Character outline

Kenpachi has a wild and aggressive appearance, fitting with his personality. He wears his captain's jacket without sleeves, and with a more ragged look to it (he acquired his captain's jacket from the previous 11th Division captain, whom he defeated and killed in a duel). He styles his hair into spikes with bells at the tips and wears a special eye patch on his right eye created by the 12th Division to absorb the bulk of his power. Both of these are meant to give enemies an advantage so that he can have even fights with weaker opponents. He has a huge scar on the left side of his face. He is also one of the tallest characters in Bleach, towering at 202 cm (approx. 6 ft 7½ in). This is slightly taller than Yasutora Sado and almost double the height of his lieutenant, Yachiru Kusajishi. His stature is often exaggerated even more for dramatic purposes, especially in contrast with Yachiru's.

In one of the "Shinigami Cup" specials after Bleach episodes, Kenpachi is shown attaching the bells to his hair, which apparently takes quite a while to accomplish. The highest bell in particular takes him several hours to attach, as the tip of his hair is just beyond his reach. Occasionally, Yumichika will offer to do it, but Zaraki usually refuses because he thinks that it is weird for someone else to style his hair. Tite Kubo has remarked that Zaraki's hair is the most difficult to draw, tied with Kaname Tōsen's.

Zaraki hates natto, or fermented soybeans. He can never eat it because he can't cut the sticky threads. There is nothing in particular that he likes to eat.

Despite his initial introduction as a lethal foe, Kenpachi later begins to play the role of the comical anti-hero in Bleach: though still self-centered and violent, his actions tend to be for the best and his relationship with his division and others is always portrayed comically. This comical shift is primarily centered around his appearances in the Bleach anime and omake stories, with the exception of the occasional diatribe between himself and Yachiru.

Kenpachi lives for battle (evidenced by his method of attaining his rank) and enjoys a good fight more than anything. He even weakens himself in an effort to make any fight last longer. He also claims that injury and death are nothing but the price one pays for a good fight. Despite his group being the most bloodthirsty of the Gotei 13, they have a code of ethics, though different from the set rules of Soul Society.

Despite his seeming disregard for any strategy in his fights and his self-admitted aversion to thinking during battle, Kenpachi is adept at finding and exploiting weaknesses in his opponents' techniques, such as in his battle with Kaname Tōsen. Apart from his sword skills, he has shown no overt talent in any other forms of shinigami combat; even flash steps, a common skill among most shinigami, are never used by him. However, his overall speed and ferociousness in battle more than make up for his seeming lack of ability in these areas. While he admits to having no sanity or common sense, Kenpachi is actually very perceptive and notices traits in people that others wouldn't notice. For example, he correctly singles out Kaname Tōsen and Gin Ichimaru as the only captains who are afraid to die.

Though he literally lives for battle, Kenpachi has shown human emotion and caring for two things: his lieutenant Yachiru (who is possibly the only person he cares for) and his name, which he gave himself. Following his battle with Ichigo, in a rare moment of sorrow, Kenpachi talks about the pain of not having a name (as he lived his childhood and early adult years without one), and feels guilty that his sword isn't acknowledged by its name.

History

Kenpachi after his first encounter with Ikkaku.

Zaraki's surname comes from the district he once resided in, Zaraki, which is district #80 of the North Alley of Rukongai. District #80 is the worst, most lawless region of Rukongai, full of thieves and murderers (whereas area #1 is the most orderly and law-abiding). While residing in District #80, Kenpachi was nameless. During that time, he became proficient in swordsmanship and killed numerous enemies.

At some point during his travels outside of District #80, he found a small girl and named her Yachiru (八千流), in remembrence of the only person he ever admired, after she showed no fear of his sword. Yachiru came from area #79, Kusajishi (草鹿), where her parents were murdered. The two events were apparently quite close. On that day, he also took on a name: Kenpachi, the title bestowed upon the strongest swordsman, the one who has killed the most. The two developed a father-daughter-like relationship.

Also, at some point (before he became a captain), he fought and defeated Ikkaku Madarame; for this reason, Ikkaku pledged to serve under Kenpachi from there on out (Ikkaku doesn't actually get the chance to do so until he joins the 11th Division), but Ikkaku would still jump at the chance to fight Kenpachi to the death.

After some time had passed, Kenpachi found his way to Seireitei. He defeated and killed the previous captain of the 11th Division (whose identity is currently unknown) and gained his seat in the Gotei 13 in this manner. In the anime, his assumption of the captain's seat caused Maki Ichinose to leave Soul Society. According to the anime, it is also what convinced Ikkaku and Yumichika to join the shinigami.

In an interview, Tite Kubo noted that he would like to go more into depth about Zaraki.

Subordinates

Kenpachi Zaraki's 11th Division has been explored more in-depth than any other division in the Gotei 13. A number of former members include:

• Tetsuzaemon Iba, who left the division to become the lieutenant of the 7th, under Sajin Komamura. It is not certain that he served under Kenpachi at all, but quite likely since he is friends with Ikkaku and Yumichika. It was mentioned by Ikkaku that he "jumped ship" for the 7th Division because he knew he could not become a lieutenant in the 11th.
• Renji Abarai, who transferred from the 5th Division to the 11th as its 6th Seat before moving on to become the 6th Division lieutenant under Byakuya Kuchiki. During this period he was trained by Ikkaku.
• Maki Ichinose, who left shortly after Kenpachi killed the former 11th Division captain (anime only).

The other 11th division members who get somewhat of an important role are:

• Yachiru Kusajishi, Kenpachi's lieutenant.
• Ikkaku Madarame, 3rd seat and very good friends with Yumichika and Renji.
• Yumichika Ayasegawa, 5th seat and very good friends with Ikkaku. Yumichika tends to confuse Kenpachi because he always returns from battle unharmed.
• Makizō Aramaki, a fairly cowardly shinigami whom Yachiru likes to call "Maki Maki" or "Mustache Face." He has been in the 11th Division for 10 years. He is currently in 20th seat.

Synopsis

Soul Society arc

After Ichigo Kurosaki and his friends arrive in Soul Society, Kenpachi is told about Ichigo by Ikkaku, who was defeated by Ichigo. Kenpachi sets out looking for Ichigo after realizing his potential strength. During their fight, Ichigo becomes enough of a challenge that Kenpachi removes his eye patch, thus releasing the extra power it has been devouring. In order to match up with Kenpachi's strength, Ichigo borrows as much power as he can from his zanpakutō, Zangetsu, to compensate. The battle ends in a clash between Ichigo and Kenpachi with their spiritual pressures manifesting themselves as glowing auras during their charge. Ichigo's aura is that of his hollow mask while Kenpachi's is that of a skull. The battle ends in a draw, with Ichigo falling first and Kenpachi shortly after, both admitting defeat.

Changed through their battle, Kenpachi begins his search for his zanpakutō's name, so that he can once again challenge Ichigo. He also begins to search for Ichigo after he recovers, leading to conflicts with his fellow captains. He also assists Ichigo's friends in their rescue of Rukia Kuchiki in order to find Ichigo, assuming that Ichigo would undoubtedly arrive at the same place. This alliance proves vital in their journey through Soul Society, clearing the way for the next battles that follow, allowing Orihime Inoue and the others to find Ichigo.

While searching for Ichigo with his friends in tow, they find themselves headed off by Kaname Tōsen, Sajin Komamura, and their lieutenants. While Kenpachi initially wants to fight all four at once, Ikkaku and Yumichika draw the other two away, leaving Kenpachi. After some time, Tōsen attempts to use his sense-dulling bankai to defeat Kenpachi. Though effective for the most part, Kenpachi still has his sense of touch, and it alone allows him to overwhelm Tōsen with a bit of strategy. Sajin Komamura steps in to save Tōsen, also using his bankai, but abandons the battle after sensing that Shigekuni Yamamoto-Genryūsai is fighting.

Bount arc

During the Bount arc of the anime, Kenpachi remembers Maki Ichinose, a former member of the 11th Division who defected after the former captain's defeat. Maki tried to duel Kenpachi beforehand, but only succeeded in getting himself injured. After the Bounts begin invading Seireitei, Maki Ichinose tries to stop Ichigo Kurosaki, Tōshirō Hitsugaya, Yasutora Sado, Orihime Inoue, Renji Abarai, Rangiku Matsumoto, Uryū Ishida, and the modified souls from getting in the way. He is about to finish them off, until Kenpachi appears and blocks an attack which would have otherwise hit Chad. They proceed to fight, but Kenpachi has the upper hand throughout most of the battle. Kenpachi only has trouble when Maki tries to crush him with a condensed ball of light, merely taking off his eyepatch for a split second to dispel it. After mocking Maki's reasons for fighting for the beliefs of others and not his own, though also congratulating Maki for making him use his full power (if only for a moment), he finishes the battle with a final sword clash, both shattering Maki's sword and leaving him on the verge of death from a slash across the chest.

Arrancar arc

During Ichigo's fight with his inner hollow, Zaraki was the form that Ichigo's instinct and desire to win manifested themselves in, explaining to him that they were both the type of people who lived to fight battle after battle. The actual Kenpachi appears shortly after Orihime's kidnapping, where he and Byakuya Kuchiki bring back Hitsugaya's team of shinigami under the orders of General Yamamoto.

Zanpakutō

Kenpachi's zanpakutō has no known name, even to its owner. Kenpachi is the only captain of the Gotei 13 who doesn't know the name of his sword, nor can he use his bankai as a result. Despite not knowing its name, it is constantly released. The sword's appearance is a reflection of Kenpachi's own practice of weakening himself to fight: it is a seemingly worn-down and dull blade with a guard that extends inward from its center. The blade is much longer than that of a standard zanpakutō. Despite its appearance, it is easily capable of cutting through most objects due to Kenpachi's immense amount of spiritual power. This is demonstrated when he stabs straight through Ichigo's zanpakutō and later cuts a building in half after releasing the full force of his spiritual power.

It appears that after his fight with Ichigo, Kenpachi wishes to learn more about his zanpakutō because he wants to become stronger and can identify with the pain of not having a name. However, he is not yet capable of communicating with his zanpakutō, and it is implied that he continually tries to learn from his zanpakutō so that he can achieve a new tier of power. Zangetsu notes that Kenpachi's disharmony with his sword causes the two to damage each other's power.

In other media

Together with Soifon and Toshiro Hitsugaya, he is one of the only shinigami captains to have (or will) significant roles in all three Bleach-related media releases; first, The Sealed Sword Frenzy OVA, second, Bleach: Memories of Nobody and third, Bleach: The DiamondDust Rebellion.

He has also appeared in the second session of Bleach: Beat Collection, together with Kusajishi, Madarame and Ayesagawa.