Byakuya Kuchiki

Byakuya Kuchiki is a character from the Bleach anime and manga.

Byakuya is the 28th head of the Kuchiki Clan, one of the four great noble clans in Soul Society. He is also the captain of the 6th Division in the Gotei 13. His previous lieutenant was Ginjirō Shirogane and his current lieutenant is Renji Abarai.

Appearance
Byakuya has slate gray eyes and long black hair, which he keeps up in intricate white headpieces called kenseikan, which symbolize his nobility as the head of the Kuchiki Clan, wearing three on top of his head and another two on the right side. In addition to the standard captain uniform, he wears a white scarf, which is woven by the master weaver Tsujishirō Kuroemon III. The scarf is made from silver-white, windflower light silk (ginpaku kazahana no uzuginu) and is a family heirloom, having been handed down from generation to generation and given to each head of the Kuchiki Clan. The scarf alone is worth ten mansions in the Seireitei. He wears fingerless white tekkō which only cover the back of his hands.

17 months after Aizen's defeat, Byakuya wears hairpieces at the back of his head, but it is noted that these hairpieces are not kenseikan. He wears a variation of the captain haori, featuring a high collar with light gold edges and small, light gold tassels attached to the corners. The white scarf is no longer part of his attire. Ten years after Yhwach's defeat, Byakuya returns to wearing three kenseikan on top of his head.

Personality
As the 28th Head of the Kuchiki Clan, Byakuya acts in an aristocratic manner. He always seems serene and apathetic towards other people, even while actually deeply conflicted. He is notably calm, even in battle. He generally acts indifferent, bordering on arrogance, to most situations he is faced with, and rarely views his opponent as being worth his time. Byakuya is easily offended if his name is not used properly. As such, he views Ichigo Kurosaki with disdain for always referring to him improperly. When Byakuya talks with Ichigo, he calls him by his full name. Byakuya is very perceptive, fully aware of the limits of his abilities, and anything he states in comparison to an opponent is usually justified. Despite consistently stating himself to be far stronger than opponents like Zommari, Byakuya retains a formal tone, always using "watashi" which is a formal way of referring to oneself. When he was younger, he was quick to anger and very hot-headed, as noted by his grandfather.

Byakuya strongly believes in law and order. As a captain of the Gotei 13 and head of one of the great noble families, he works hard for a peaceful society. He feels that if someone in his position does not follow the rules as a good example, no one else will. He believes that to maintain the order, all law-breakers must be punished, even if it goes against his own wishes. Byakuya feels that "part of a captain's responsibilities is to make sure that the lieutenant's responsibilities are taken care of".

During the years between Rukia's adoption and her death sentence, Byakuya's pride and calm demeanor made her believe he never cared about her because he had never once looked at her. In spite of his icy and regal manner, Byakuya cares for and protects those important to him. This holds especially true to Rukia as he loved Hisana dearly and unconditionally, having promised Hisana he would protect Rukia no matter what. After the events of the Aizen incident, he admits law isn't perfect, and becomes more lenient towards Rukia. Although, he tries to maintain a balance between following orders and breaking the law by exploiting loopholes in his orders. In addition, he also provided Rukia and Renji with safety cloaks to protect them against Hueco Mundo's rough terrain.

Because of his promise to Hisana, Byakuya smothered Rukia despite his pride by making sure she would never become a seated officer because of the risks that involve missions for such positions. He also comes to learn about his mistakes of keeping his feelings to himself and becomes more open about how much he cares for Rukia and others that are close to him such as Renji.

Byakuya is popular among the female Shinigami of Soul Society, and was voted number one in the "captain we desire to release a photo book for" poll taken by the Shinigami Women's Association. He likes Japanese cherry blossoms, night-time walks, spicy food, and bananas, but does not like sweets. Byakuya excels in calligraphy.

Abilities
Master Swordsman: Byakuya is a master of swordsmanship, possessing flawless precision and performing lethal attacks with little effort.

Shunpo Master: Byakuya is arguably best known for his skill in Shunpo. Having been taught by, but never beating "Goddess of Flash" Yoruichi Shihōin, he is easily one of the most proficient users of this skill in all of Soul Society. He remained able to use Shunpo after severing the muscles and tendons in his left leg.
 * Senka (Flash Blossom): A Shunpo technique where one, moving to their opponent's back, directly attacks and seals one's "Saketsu" and "Hakusui" in two rapid strikes, effectively cutting them off from their spiritual energy flow. This attack is his favorite to use. The technique is so fast, an opponent may not be able to tell whether they were attacked from the front or the back, and even an outside observer may find it impossible see the movements.

Kidō Master: Byakuya has considerable knowledge of high level Kidō spells, casting several in quick succession, with no incantation and almost no effort, and still possessing formidable power. He has used spells up to level 81, and possesses advanced knowledge of Kidō application and consistency. He can use a low-level spell repeatedly in rapid succession and with devastating effects, as well as a counter to attacks. He uses a low-level lightning spell to burn a hole right through Ichigo's shoulder.
 * Utsusemi (Cast-Off Cicada Shell): Way of Onmitsu, 3rd of the Shihō. It allows for movement at great speed, leaving an afterimage behind. It is a technique taught to Byakuya by Yoruichi Shihōin.

Hakuda Combatant: While used less often, Byakuya is highly proficient in this area. Byakuya stealthily knocked out several Shinigami guards with a single strike each.[98] After discarding his Zanpakutō during the battle against PePe, Byakuya used Hakuda to defend himself from Shūhei Hisagi's rapid attacks with both Senbonzakura and Kazeshini.

Master Tactician: Byakuya is a highly perceptive fighter, almost immediately determining an opponent's attack patterns and weaknesses. He is a crafty tactician, effectively using Kidō to confuse his opponents. He can discern the motives and abilities of his opponents, and effectively uses his knowledge to end the battle in his favor.

Immense Spiritual Power: He can exert an immense amount of Spiritual Pressure, which, in addition to his already admirable combat skills and finesse, makes him one of the most formidable captains. His spiritual pressure can be felt from a great distance, and it has the tendency to make people perspire in fear. Ganju Shiba has stated Byakuya is the strongest leader in the entire history of the Kuchiki Clan, and Kōga Kuchikihas stated few, if any, of the Kuchiki Clan leaders have been as powerful as Byakuya is, further elaborating on his power level. His Reiatsu is white. Following his training within the Royal Palace, Byakuya easily dispatched three Sternritter while fighting five of them simultaneously.

Enhanced Endurance: While not having the most imposing appearance compared to other Shinigami, Byakuya is a very resilient fighter. During his fight against Ichigo, despite gaining severe injuries, Byakuya continued fighting effectively, even ignoring his wounds to the point where he seemed unfazed by them. At the end of the fight, he was able to remain standing and performed an impressive Shunpo to leave, and later survived being impaled by Gin Ichimaru's Shinsō, taking the blow in Rukia's place. During his fight with the 7th Espada Zommari Rureaux, Byakuya willingly damaged himself to escape from his enemy's possession attack, and continued to fight as though unaffected, eventually obtaining victory. During his fight with Tsukishima, he had his entire left arm mutilated by Senbonzakura, and used that same arm to catch its blades and thrust them at the Fullbringer, ultimately defeating him. Byakuya managed to survive a multitude of devastating injuries during his battle with Äs Nödt, including having his stomach ripped out and being viciously attacked by his own Bankai.

Enhanced Durability: Byakuya was able to resist the unique healing properties of Tenjirō Kirinji's hot springs without rotting away after being fully healed; Kirinji even stated he stayed in longer than anyone else.

Zanpakuto
Senbonzakura (Thousand Cherry Blossoms): Senbonzakura is a regular katana. It has a simple cross guard, with an open frame much like a four-pane window. It has a bronze guard, with lavender hilt-wrapping, and a white sheath.
 * Shikai: It is triggered by the command "Scatter" (chire).