Name: Unagi Tsunami
Appearance:
Captain Unagi is a tall man, standing in at 6'7", and muscular yet lean. His features, particularly around his face, are round with plenty of curves, but his skin is rough and scarred. Unagi's right eye, which is blind and of a bluish-white color, is covered by a patch while his left eye is dark brown. His hair is a tannish brown, and unkempt, long enough to reach his shoulders and usually covers his features from sight. Overall he has the looks and appearance of a man in his late 20s. While he does wear the standard shinigami uniform and captain's haori, his outlook and personality means that he simply cannot live without modifying it. The tail of his haori is frayed and torn up, while the inside of the collar is imprinted with a jolly roger. He does not, however, wear the standard straw shoes, preferring to go barefoot wherever life takes him.
Age: Appears 29
Gender: Male
Height: 6'7"
Weight: 230 lbs
Hair Colour: Tan-brown
Eye Colour: Dark brown
Birthday: June 1
Clan/Family: N/A
Race: Soul
Rank: 9th Division Veteran Captain
Spiritual Energy Colour: His reiatsu is ocean-green and manifests with many tendrils, like the kraken.
Personality: Captain Unagi believes in freedom and the rights of the individual to do what they want. He believes in basic order and governance, but doesn't think that anybody needs to be shackled to it. Due to this, he is a fairly laidback, though very bombastic man. He gives orders and he expects them to be followed, but trusts in his men to get it done their own way without needing him to supervise or dictate exactly how they complete their task, leading to some taking advantage of this trusting nature. That said, in normal interactions he comes across as quite gruff, if not rude and overpowering with his strong presence. He is not a man to be crossed, for once you have earned his ire Captain Unagi Tsunami will crush you like his namesake. He is also a natural protector and father to his comrades, making him a perfect fit as the captain of the Seireitei protection division.
History: Originally came to Soul Society as a baby when his human body died drowning in a shipwreck. He was the only casualty, so his family did not come to Rukongai with him. For many years he grew up with his adopted family of fisherman, who let him run about and do pretty much whatever he wanted so long as he stayed out of trouble. By the time he had become a young man, the massive amounts of reiatsu he contained attracted shinigami, who decided to recruit him into the Shino Academy. His family encouraged it, since living in Seireitei was a better standard of life than even the nicest districts of Rukongai. Unagi packed up, said his goodbyes, and set off to become a shinigami.
His years at the Shino Academy were not the best. Unagi's penchant for personal freedom and resent of being made to do anything he didn't feel like doing did not exactly mesh well with a school with a strict schedule and hierarchy. Eventually he learned to deal with it, but let's just say he has plenty of black marks on his record. During this time, he found that he was fairly well-rounded in his abilities, except for where kidou was concerned. He struggled and struggled but could never grasp the more advanced aspects of the art, or rather he didn't care to. To cope with the stress that despite his great potential he may be forced to drop out, Unagi took to drinking and brawling.
The young shinigami in training setup an underground fight club of sorts. Only fists were allowed, no killing, and of course the most important rule: don't talk about fight club. Thanks to his extracurricular activities, Unagi could cope with the rest of the academy's demands and burn off that extra anger and stress. He kept up his underground fighting ring until the year he was set to graduate when a most unexpected opponent entered the ring. This man was not a student, but a full fledged shinigami. The 8th seat of division 11, the combat specialists. Apparently word had spread out just enough that it caught this man's interest, so he decided he wanted to personally test the mettle of these soon-to-be shinigami.
In a bout that took over an hour with many ups and downs, Unagi finally bested his opponent. The seated shinigami took the defeat in stride, and once graduation time came it was that very same man that sponsored Unagi's entry into division 11. For several years Unagi fought alongside (and oftentimes, with) his fellow battlers of the 11th, but something just never sat right with him. Unlike back at the academy, these fights weren't that fulfilling. Sure, when he was purifying hollows using Otokonoroman he felt alive and invigorated, but the constant bouts and arguments and conflict with his own comrades were just tiring.
Eventually he figured it out. Despite what he had done back in the academy, Unagi didn't like fighting for its own sake. He didn't want to just battle, there had to be meaning behind the clashing blades and crossing fists. Back at the academy he needed something to blow off steam, and he wanted to do it. Now there wasn't any reason for it. Plus, his fellows would talk down to him for his artistic talents even when he beat the shit out of them and that just wouldn't do at all. With this revelation in mind Unagi requested a transfer from the 11th to the 9th.
Years passed by and Unagi rose through the ranks and he gained more and more control of his power. During his time as lieutenant, the then captain of the 9th decided that after 200 years of service it was time to retire. Unagi, having acquired his bankai a few decades earlier, stepped forward for the position. He was evaluated and found to be a fine suit for the job. That was over 100 years ago and since then Unagi has been restructuring the 9th division a bit. In order to maintain the peace he can often be found patrolling the skies above Seireitei in his bankai Boken no Tensen, personally keeping out a watchful eye for trouble makers and invaders. He knows they're likely not around, but he feels that the presence of the great ship gives a certain peace of mind to his charges, and he loves the wind in his hair.
Relationships/Friendships/Rivalries/Siblings:- Lieutenant Nero Kimashi - Unagi and his right hand actually get along very well, both professionally and personally. Unagi refers to Nero affectionately as his "first mate" instead of lieutenant, and trusts Nero to get his job done in his own way.
- Captain Yuka Mogami - The two share a mutual respect for one another and the way they treat their men. While Unagi is the more energetic of the two, they both are fairly laid back and trusting of their men. The key difference is that for Mogami, this comes from her favoring the carrot more than the stick. For Unagi, it's about freedom and self-expression. While the "why" differs, the "what" is nearly identical, so when they meet for business reasons they get along quite well.
- Captain Airi Mao - They have an alright working relationship, but lack nearly anything in common. They're on fairly neutral terms, but neither offends the other, even if Unagi thinks she could stand to lighten up a bit.
- Captain Kuroda Kenshin - Of all his fellow captains, Kenshin is the one Unagi probably gets along with best. The two have a history together in the 11th division and were good friends at the time, though Unagi had a higher seat. When Unagi left for the 9th division with the intention of making captain, Kenshin promised Unagi that he'd become captain of the 11th. Both accomplished their goal, and now Unagi leads the defense force while Kenshin leads the offense. Together they are the shield and sword of the Soul Society.
Other: Reiatsu - In terms of pure raw energy, Unagi has some of the most of any shinigami. It really comes in handy with such a large bankai that he enjoys keeping active.
Writing - As editor-in-chief of the Seireitei News Magazine, the gruff, adventurous, and overbearing Unagi shows himself to actually be talented in the art of wordsmithing. Who knew?
~Zanpakuto~
Zanpakuto name: Otokonoroman (Man's Romance)
Type: Combat type
Zanpakuto Shikai Release command: Crash down!
Spirit Appearance(Optional): Otokonoroman (Man's Romance) appears to be a man, perhaps a little shorter than average, of tan skin and skinny frame. It's hair is short and red, its eyes blue as the sea, and it always has a smile no matter what the situation or circumstances. It appears to wear raggedy, storm-weathered clothing without a care in the world.
Inner world: Unagi's inner world is a little simple. A large island, situated in the middle of a vast ocean, complete with jungle, lagoon, and an active volcano, with a small port. At least, it's simple in theory. See, this inner world looks like a sea chart. As in, a three dimensional chart you can walk around in. Wrap your head around that visual, it still gives Unagi a migraine when he visits!
Sealed appearance: While sealed, Unagi's zanpakutou appears to be a katana, but instead of the usual cross guard it has a curved handguard like one would find on a cutlass.
Shikai appearance: a rusty, old looking anchor. The weapon is larger than Unagi himself, but he lifts and manipulates it with tremendous ease. While the outer portions are dull, the inner hook is extremely sharp. More than one hollow has met its end by beheading. Many have died by the sheer weight of the weapon crushing them, too. Another feature is the rope tied to the end of the anchor. This rope lets Unagi swing Otokonoroman around like a giant pendulum, or it can be used to ensnare and trip up opponents.
Bankai appearance: Bōken no Tensen (Heavenly Ship of Adventure). Some shinigami keep the nature of their bankai a secret. Some are known but rarely seen, spoken of in hushed whispers. Boken no Tensen is... Not one of them, but to be fair it would be impossible not to know about his bankai. Unagi activates his bankai by uttering the word, then flinging his zanpakutou upward into the air (if currently in shikai, he will keep hold of the rope). In an explosive display of power, the weapon expands into what looks to be a seafaring ship from the 15th century, only this one sails through air! Unagi's apparel also goes through a change, as his haori becomes a black longcoat with red inner lining, thick boots cover his feet, and he gains a cutlass on his side. This ship is fairly mobile, though obviously not suited for duels or fighting a small number of opponents and is thus best used during Unagi's patrols, against large enemies (such as menos), or big groups. It possesses six cannons, three on each side, which fire pure reiatsu on the captain's command. Attached to the bow is the "forward lance," a large sword blade thirty feet long used for ramming.
Shikai special ability: Who needs a special ability? It's big, heavy, blunt AND sharp, and it can be swung around.
Shikai skills: Otokonoroman has no skills.
Bankai skills: 1.
Telepathic control - Unagi is able to telepathically control all movement and use of his bankai, including steering, speed, sails, ropes, anchors, cannons, even the floorboards. However for this to work he must be on board. If separated, Boken no Tensen becomes a large ship that anybody with the right know-how can sail.
2.
Forward lance - It's a large blade on the bow. It's used for ramming. 'nuff said.
3.
Reiatsu cannons - There are six of them, and they fire pure reiatsu. Each shot takes about ten seconds to recharge, more if Unagi fires all the cannons at once.
4.
Kurasshu ikari no nami (Crashing Fury Wave)(Ultimate Skill) - The big one. A single shot attack that drains Unagi of all his reiatsu, releasing his massive pool of energy in a single concentrated beam. The forward lance glows with energy, charging up for a full minute, then blasts everything its got straight forward.
Non-lethal Zanpakuto Skills: Transportation, patrolling Seireitei from the skies, securing ships near land
Skills & MasteriesZanjutsu - Mastery. In terms of swordsmanship, Unagi is great though he focuses more on raw power than skilled strikes. He's no berserker mind you, but his swordsmanship is definitely geared more toward overwhelming the enemy than outpacing them.
Kido - Average. Despite his vast reserves of spiritual energy, Unagi is... Not great at kidou. He barely passed in the Shino Academy and even now he's only average at best.
Hakuda - Mastery. Hand to hand combat is where Unagi really shines through. He is quite agile and well trained in fighting with his bare hands. In fact, it's often his preferred method of combat and few have ever been able to make him fight seriously when it came to a martial arts spar.
Hoho - Expert. Shunpo is a technique and style that follows grace and speed above all else. Unagi is better than most shinigami in the art, though if he had to keep up with another captain-level fighter that specialized even a little, he'd find himself coming up short.
Perception - Mastery. Unagi may only have one good eye, but
damn that's one good eye! Since he spends a great deal of his time aboard his bankai and patrols the Seireitei, he's learned to spot trouble a mile away, and in fact has one of the best sixth senses in all of Soul Society.
Leaves