Gotei 13 - Vice-Captains

Sasakibe Choujirou
Vice-Captain of 1st Division



Chōjirō Sasakibe (雀部 長次郎 Sasakibe Chōjirō) is the lieutenant of the 1st Division. He is the least seen of all the lieutenants, not being named in the manga until long after his first appearance. His zanpakutō is Gonryōmaru (厳霊丸 roughly "solemn spirit"), which transforms into a rapier. Its special abilities, if any, remain unknow

Oomaeda Marechiyo
Vice-Captain of 2nd Division



Marechiyo Ōmaeda (大前田 希千代 Ōmaeda Marechiyo) is the lieutenant of the 2nd Division and Captain of the Special Forces Patrol Corps. He is a large man with an equally large mouth who comes across as arrogant and dull. In an omake he is shown to come from a rich family, where he is revealed to have a comically long name: Marechiyo Yoshiayamenosuke Nikkōtarōemon Ōmaeda (大前田 日光太郎右衛門 美菖蒲介 希千代 Ōmaeda Nikkōtarōemon Yoshiayamenosuke Marechiyo?). Other characters suspect that he received his position as a lieutenant because of his family's influence. Despite his dense and foolish attitude, he's a skilled tactician, is not above putting himself in danger for his duty, feigning weakness and stupidity to lull his opponents into underestimating him, using this to aid in his defeat of one of Aizen's arrancar . Marechiyo's zanpakutō is Gegetsuburi (五形頭 roughly "five heads"). It transforms into an oversized spiked ball and chain that can be thrown to inflict great physical damage to foes.

Kira Izuru
Vice-Captain of 3rd Division



Izuru Kira (吉良 イヅル Kira Izuru, romanized as "Iduru" in Bleach Official Character Book SOULs and other Japanese sources) is the lieutenant of the 3rd Division. He is a friend of Momo Hinamori and Renji Abarai from their days in the Soul Reaper academy, and the three often spend their free time together. Though Kira is loyal to his friends, he often places his duties as a lieutenant above them. He defends his captain, Gin Ichimaru, from a grief-stricken Hinamori, and later calls himself a "monster" for raising his sword against her. He subsequently comes to regret helping Gin to defect from Soul Society, and develops more of a depressed, dull and pessimistic attitude.

Kira's zanpakutō is Wabisuke (侘助roughly "miserable man", translated in the English manga as "the penitent one"). When released, Wabisuke doubles the weight of whatever it strikes. The effect is cumulative, so each following hit exponentially increases the weight of the target. Thus, after seven or eight blocked attacks, his opponents are unable to lift their own swords. At this point Wabisuke's released form, a blade bent into a squared hook, comes into play, being used to decapitate the kneeling opponent.

Kotetsu Isane
Vice-Captain of 4th Division



Isane Kotetsu (虎徹 勇音 Kotetsu Isane) is the lieutenant of the 4th Division. She is the older sister of Kiyone Kotetsu. Unlike Kiyone, Isane is generally quiet and observant, though she shares her sister's sense of loyalty to her captain. Unohana notes that Isane suffers from frequent and recurring nightmares. This is sometimes used as material for jokes, as Isane's nightmares are often odd or whimsical in their contents. For example, she once had a nightmare involving fish paste. Isane's zanpakutō is Itegumo (凍雲 literally "frozen cloud", translated in the English manga as "frozen snow"). When released, two smaller blades protrude from Itegumo's hilt at 45° angles. Its special abilities, if any, remain unknown.

Hinamori Momo
Vice-Captain of 5th Division



Momo Hinamori (雛森 桃 Hinamori Momo) is the lieutenant of the 5th Division. She is an upbeat and easy-going girl who is generally quite trusting, if not naïve. She is a childhood friend of Tōshirō Hitsugaya, who called her "bed-wetter Momo" in retaliation whenever she called him "Shiro-chan" ("Lil' Shiro" in the English dub). She befriended Izuru Kira and Renji Abarai when she joined the Soul Reaper academy, and the three later joined the 5th Division under Sōsuke Aizen. Being the only one of them to have stayed with the division, Hinamori greatly admires Aizen. She still believes he is a good person even after he tries to kill her and subsequently betrays Soul Society, suggesting that Gin Ichimaru is controlling him somehow. Hinamori's zanpakutō is Tobiume (飛梅 literally "flying plum tree"). When released, Tobiume's blade straightens and produces several jitte-like prongs along its length. In this form, Tobiume acts as a focus for Hinamori's spiritual power, concentrating it into energy bursts capable of cratering floors and breaching walls. She can also compress her power into massive energy balls and toss them from the blade's tip. Hinamori is very talented with kidō

Abarai Renji
Vice-Captain of 6th Division



Profile
Gender - Male
Species - Soul Reaper
Date of birth - August 31
Occupation - Soul Reaper lieutenant of the 6th Division
Zanpakutō - Zabimaru

Renji has long crimson hair, usually kept in a high ponytail, and his entire upper body is covered in tribal tattoo work. How he got these tattoos is unknown, but it appears that with every achievement Renji attains, the number of tattoos on his body increase as well, starting from his early days as a Soul Reaper candidate until when he becomes Byakuya Kuchiki's lieutenant (at this time his tattoos now cover his entire back). These tattoos match those of Zabimaru in its manifested state. He dresses in the standard Soul Reaper outfit, though he usually includes some sort of elaborate headgear (usually expensive-looking glasses or a white headband). All of Renji's sunglasses are from Seireitei's popular "Silver Dragonfly Glasses Store" and cost half a year's worth of his paycheck. Unfortunately, every time he wears a pair, they are broken in one way or another, usually in a fight with Ichigo.

As far as his personality goes, Renji is about as eccentric as any other Soul Reaper. He varies from smug and cocky in his first appearances to downright angsty and depressed after his major defeats, but shows himself to be an incredibly serious and determined fighter when confronted with an actual challenge. Willing to fight, kill, and die for whatever he believes in, Renji is a dangerous man to those who stand in his way. He is similar to Ichigo Kurosaki in many aspects, and the two are mistaken for brothers in the anime's Bount arc. Ichigo claims they are cousins to keep things simple, allowing many hilarious situations to occur later, including comments over their unusually colored hair. A continuing gag in the series is Renji's nick name, red pineapple, referring to his crimson hair kept in a pineapple top-like ponytail. During a filler arc before the invasion of Las Noches, Renji wears a shirt with 'Red Pineapple' printed on the front, supposedly bought by Ichigo Kurosaki as a joke. He's even referred as "Aka Pine" during the Shinigami Cup segments.

History

Renji Abarai came from the 78th district of Rukongai and grew up as an orphan with several other children, including Rukia Kuchiki. The company of children lived by stealing or hunting for food. Though Renji and Rukia quickly discovered they had spiritual powers, they remained with their friends until they all died, which prompted them to become Soul Reapers for a better life.

At the Soul Reaper academy, Renji was admitted into the top class, being very adept at swordsmanship, although quite inept at kidō. His senpai was Shūhei Hisagi. At the academy, Renji befriended Izuru Kira and Momo Hinamori, who each proceeded to become lieutenants. His relationship with Rukia became distant after her adoption by the Kuchiki family since he felt he had no place interfering with her life now that she was a noble, despite the fact they both seemed to regret losing the company and confidence of the other.

Renji, Kira and Hinamori served under Sōsuke Aizen and Gin Ichimaru in the 5th division, after which Kira and Hinamori were put under Ichimaru and Aizen in the 3rd and 5th divisions respectively. The rebellious Renji was moved to the 11th Division and eventually rose to the 6th seat. During his time in the 11th Division, he befriended Ikkaku Madarame, who taught Renji how to fight. It was also shown that Renji was aware that Ikkaku had a bankai at this point, but refused to use it to train Renji. On the same day Rukia headed for the human world, Renji was promoted to lieutenant of the 6th Division. After meeting Byakuya Kuchiki when Byakuya adopted Rukia into the Kuchiki family at the academy, the 6th Division's captain, Renji's greatest dream has been to surpass him in strength.

Synopsis

Renji and his captain, Byakuya Kuchiki, are sent to the human world to find Rukia Kuchiki and bring her back to Soul Society. Once they find Rukia and prepare to return home, Ichigo Kurosaki arrives to save Rukia. Renji and Ichigo fight briefly, though before Renji is defeated, Byakuya steps in to mortally wound Ichigo. After they return to Soul Society and Rukia is imprisoned, Renji periodically checks up on her, trying to keep her spirits high despite her impending execution.

Ichigo soon arrives in Soul Society to continue his attempted rescue of Rukia. Renji, feeling Ichigo is to blame for Rukia's sentence, goes to fight him. Despite his best efforts, Renji is defeated and subsequently imprisoned for his failure. Before Ichigo leaves, Renji pleads for Ichigo to save Rukia. Once he recovers he escapes from his confinement and begins training to achieve bankai of his zanpakutō. After completing his training, Renji sets out to free Rukia. Before he can do so, however, he is stopped by Byakuya. The two clash with their respective bankai, though Renji's inexperience with the ability allows Byakuya to claim victory.

Once recovering from his wounds, Renji goes to the site of Rukia's execution in a last attempt to save her. Ichigo, having beaten him there, entrusts Rukia's safety to Renji and the two try to escape. Along the way they are met by Kaname Tōsen, who teleports them back to the execution site. Upon learning that Tōsen and Sōsuke Aizen are traitors that intend to kill Rukia, Renji fights to defend her, yet is quickly defeated by Aizen. Rukia is ultimately saved by Byakuya, though Aizen is able to escape Soul Society. Renji recovers from his wounds once again, and sees off Ichigo upon his return to the human world.

Renji soon returns to the human world to help deal with the Bount. After some of his Soul Reaper companions are defeated by Ugaki, Renji activates his bankai in order to defeat Ugaki and save his friends. Renji eventually manages to wound Ugaki's doll, Gesell, driving it insane and causing it to kill its owner. Upon his return to Soul Society, predominately fends off the many Soul Reaper possessed by the Mabashi's doll, Rizu. After Mabashi and the remainder of the Bount are defeated, Renji assists in caring for the wounded.

As Aizen's arrancar begin to threaten the human world, Renji is one of a group of Soul Reapers sent to help defend against the arrancar attacks. During the second arrancar invasion, Renji fights against Ilforte Granz, who he is able to defeat once his power limit is lifted. After the battle, Renji is recruited by Kisuke Urahara to help train Yasutora Sado. Upon Orihime Inoue's capture by the arrancar, however, Renji and the other Soul Reapers are recalled to Soul Society.

Unwilling to abandon Orihime, Renji and Rukia go to Hueco Mundo to join Ichigo, Chad, and Uryū Ishida in rescuing her. After their group splits up, Renji is joined by Dondochakka Bilstin in traveling through the arrancar base. They eventually encounter the eighth Espada, Szayel Aporro Granz. Upon being drawn into battle with the Espada, Renji discovers that Szayel has nullified all of his abilities as a result of Szayel's earlier research. Uryū soon arrives to lend assistance, though his attacks are also rendered inert by Szayel. No longer able to attack, Renji and Uryū are left at Szayel's mercy until Mayuri Kurotsuchi arrives to save and heal them.

Zabimaru

Renji's zanpakutō is Zabimaru (蛇尾丸 roughly "snake tail"). Zabimaru's shikai command is "howl" (咆えろ hoero).

Renji is one of the rare instances where a Soul Reaper's zanpakutō spirit is actually seen. Zabimaru is a nue (a baboon with a snake tail), hence his name. Zabimaru's spirit is portrayed as battle-loving and proud, similar in personality to Renji. It insisted on fighting Zangetsu again after losing, confident that it could succeed on the second attempt. Both the snake and baboon are capable of speaking, though the baboon is usually the more dominant one. The snake seems to be the more violent and insulting of the pair.

In its shikai, Zabimaru transforms into a segmented blade with a pick-like protrusion on each segment. The segments are connected by a stretchable thread, making Zabimaru more useful as a whip than an actual sword, though it can serve as a regular sword just as easily. While Zabimaru can be stretched to incredible lengths in its whip form, Renji has a limit of three consecutive attacks before having to bring the segments of Zabimaru back together for recovery. Renji can also use his spiritual power to separate the segments and surround an opponent with them, allowing him to execute a one-shot omnidirectional attack called higa zekkō (狒牙絶咬 "bite of a baboon's broken fang"), but it is damaging to Zabimaru and leaves Renji defenseless.



Zabimaru's bankai is Hihiō Zabimaru (狒狒王蛇尾丸 "baboon king snake tail") and transforms Zabimaru into a massive version of its shikai form resembling a skeletal snake. Zabimaru gains many more segments, which are much larger than in its shikai form, and also gains a snake-like head about the size of a small car. Renji is also slightly transformed, gaining a fur cowl around his neck, attached on is a glovelike appendage that renji holds on the Snake's tail, and a babboon's skull on his left shoulder. Unlike its shikai, Zabimaru's segments are held together by Renji's spiritual power, allowing him to separate and reattach them at will. The segments themselves are extremely tough, making it extremely difficult to destroy Zabimaru. Even if a segment is damaged, Renji can simply detach it and reform Zabimaru. Zabimaru itself, in bankai form, does not literally "cut", Renji usually catches his opponent with the snake-head of his weapon and smashes his opponent into the ground with it. The head has also proven capable of inflicting heavy damage through biting. Zabimaru also gains a special technique known as hikōtsu taihō (狒骨大砲 "baboon bone cannon") after Renji becomes more adept with using his bankai. The technique fires a dense blast of spiritual energy from Zabimaru's mouth. He can also use a much more powerful higa zekkō, where all the segments detach and sharpen using spiritual energy.

Renji with Zabimaru's spirit, and his shikai.



Hihio Zabimaru

Iba Tetsuzaemon
Vice-Captain of 7th Division



Tetsuzaemon Iba (射場 鉄左衛門 Iba Tetsuzaemon) is the lieutenant of the 7th Division. He is originally from the 11th Division, having transferred once determining he would never be promoted to lieutenant had he stayed. His former compatriots look down upon him because of this, though Iba still enjoys a good fight and usually spends his free time with 11th Division members. He and Ikkaku Madarame have a custom of dueling with each other, drinking sake, then dueling again to see who has to get more. Iba has a distinctive hair cut and wears black sunglasses with his standard Soul Reaper uniform. Iba is well-rounded in both swordsmanship and kidō, only because it made becoming a lieutenant easier. The name and abilities of Iba's zanpakutō are unknown. In its released state, Iba's zanpakutō extends into a falchion or a large bladed scimitar with a pick-like protrusion a short distance below the tip of the swor

Ise Nanao
Vice-Captain of 8th Division



Nanao Ise (伊勢 七緒 Ise Nanao) is the lieutenant of the 8th Division. She first joined the division when she was a little girl, and enjoyed being read to by former lieutenant Lisa Yadōmaru. Nanao is a very serious and pragmatic person, which is at odds with her captain's silly antics. Despite this, she is extremely respectful of her captain and follows his instructions without hesitation. Nanao is often accosted by her captain, whose teasing takes various forms. When she is particularly annoyed she takes off her glasses. Though her face has never been seen while doing so, this act is apparently quite frightening, as most characters who see it are reduced to gibbering wrecks just by witnessing it. Nanao is rarely seen with her zanpakutō during the series. An illustration in the art book "All Color but the Black" reveals that her zanpakutō takes the form of what appears to be either a wakizashi or tantō, which she seems to conceal within her sleeve.

Hisagi Shuuhei
Vice-Captain of 9th Division



Shūhei Hisagi (檜佐木 修兵 Hisagi Shūhei) is the lieutenant of the 9th Division. He is usually seen wearing what appears to be a choker around his throat with matching armbands on both his arms. As a child he was saved by the then 9th Division captain, Kensei Muguruma. In later years Shūhei got a 69 tattoo on the left side of his face, matching the one Kensei has on his stomach. Once entering the Soul Reaper academy, his prodigious talents allowed him to join the Gotei 13 without completing his education. While acting as an instructor at the academy, Shūhei's class was attacked by a hollow, and in fighting it he received a distinctive scar across his face. Shūhei is an extremely mature and calm individual, causing him to get along well with his captain, Kaname Tōsen. After Tōsen defects from Soul Society, Shūhei assumes the duties of his captain as an acting replacement. Tōsen's betrayal greatly surprises him, as he had a non-violent ideology similar to his captain. According to series creator Tite Kubo, Hisagi became fairly popular with fans long before his backstory and personality were really explored, an abnormality among Bleach characters.

Shūhei's zanpakutō is Kazeshini (風死 lit: wind of death). When released, it takes the form of two kama-like weapons, each with two blades curving both directions, connected by a long chain. Although he dislikes the shape of his weapon because it's "shaped like something meant to take life," he is extremely proficient at wielding it, capable of using the blades as both hand-to-hand weapons and projectiles, using the chain to make the weapons' paths unpredictable.

Matsumoto Rangiku
Vice-Captain of 10th Division



Rangiku Matsumoto (松本 乱菊 Matsumoto Rangiku) is the lieutenant of the 10th Division. She has strawberry-blonde hair and large breasts. She makes no effort to conceal the latter, wearing loose-fitting robes that expose much of her cleavage, using them to try to win over male characters, and using them as a topic in casual conversation. She is very carefree and lazy, usually avoiding the jobs of a lieutenant so that she can sleep or go drinking. Despite her avoiding her responsibilities, Matsumoto can be serious when need be, and often gives important and useful advice. Matsumoto has known Gin Ichimaru since they were children, and spent much of their childhood living together and looking out for each other. They remain close after joining the Soul Reapers, though she is surprised when he later betrays Soul Society. She recruited her captain, Tōshirō Hitsugaya, into the Soul Reapers and the two have grown close ever since. She has an unwavering loyalty and devotion for him and frequently tries to get him to lighten up and have some fun. Matsumoto's zanpakutō is Haineko (灰猫 literally "ash cat"). Its guard is in the shape of a cat's head. When released, the blade dissolves into ash. In combat, Matsumoto can control the movement of the ash, and cut anything it lands on by moving the hilt. Series creator Tite Kubo identifies Rangiku as one of his two favorite female characters in the series, citing that he "has a lot of fun drawing her and creating stories with her."

Kusajishi Yachiru
Vice-Captain of 11th Division



Yachiru Kusajishi (草鹿 やちる Kusajishi Yachiru) is the lieutenant of the 11th Division. She is child-like in most respects, as she is small, cheerful, and carefree most of the time. She was found as an infant by Kenpachi Zaraki who, despite being drenched in blood, did not frighten her. He named her "Yachiru" in memory of the only person he ever admired. Since that day she has spent much of her time clinging to his back for transport. Like Zaraki, she has no sense of direction, even though he relies on her to find his way. Yachiru resents being criticized in any way and will often attack the perpetrator in comical fashion. Further reflecting her child-like nature, Yachiru likes to give people nicknames; for example, she calls her captain Ken-chan ("Kenny" in the English version). She also tends to give others random placeholder names. Various Bleach omakes show that Yachiru has a love for candy, which is often used by other characters to make her leave them alone.

Despite her child-like appearance, Yachiru is apparently quite strong, being capable of lifting Kenpachi and leaping between buildings while carrying him. She is also very fast for her size. She can emit a large amount of spiritual power when angry, which forms into a large, pink, angry cat face. The name and ability of Yachiru's zanpakutō are both unknown. Her zanpakutō's scabbard is also unusual in that it has a pair of wheels for transport (installed by Ikkaku Madarame after continued pestering).

Kurotsuchi Nemu
Vice-Captain of 12th Division



Nemu Kurotsuchi (涅 ネム Kurotsuchi Nemu) is the lieutenant of the 12th Division. She is the artificially created daughter of Mayuri Kurotsuchi, a combination of his research in artificial bodies (義骸 gigai) and artificial souls (義魂 gikon). This past has driven her to become rather introverted and melancholic, preferring to stay silent in her captain's presence. Their relationship is far from the average father-daughter one, as Mayuri does not seem to care much for Nemu's well-being (even using her as bait in combat). Unlike her father, however, she seems to have compassion for others, saving Uryū Ishida's life as thanks when he does not kill Mayuri.

Nemu's body was designed to withstand fatal wounds, though she still suffers the pain brought on by her injuries. Nemu is also immune to Mayuri's many poisons. Despite this, she carries around a variety of antidotes to be used as she sees fit. She also holds various poisons and potions derived from Mayuri's research in her own body, making her highly dangerous to those that attack her internally. Nemu does not normally carry a zanpakutō, but she is shown to have one in an illustration in the artbook "All Color but the Black". Her zanpakutō takes the form of what appears to be a thin katana.