Shunsuke Kotobuki [Approved, 0-3]

Name: Kotobuki, Shunsuke [寿 俊佐(ことぶき)]
True Age: 352
Gender: Male
Personality:
Shunsuke is the epitome of a gentle giant. Standing at a whopping 6'9, people would think he's an intimidating and frightening guy. Well, he's not. Not really, anyways. Let's say you're about 5'0 and bump into him. Well, you're obviously going to stare up at him, right? Well, what do you expect to see on his face? A frown? A scowl? The harshest stare one can give? No, Shunsuke does none of that. Shunsuke would scratch the back of his head and give you the goofiest smile imaginable. He'll apologize profusely, saying it's his fault. If the other person wants to talk to him, he'll gladly talk. He might be late for a meeting, but he'd rather not be rude. Being rude is bad, especially in an organization where friendships just help you get your life saved easier. But if they don't want to talk (meaning they wouldn't start a conversation), he'll excuse himself and be on his way. This makes people think he keeps to himself.

But to say he keeps to himself isn't right. Shunsuke is friendly and will talk to people. He'll even open up a bit about himself, but he won't let anyone pry too deep. Not that he'll just outright go "I'm not telling you," he'll just change the subject. It's not even that he won't talk about things that have happened to him, but he just doesn't want other people to hear him. As soon as they hear it, their opinions of him change. There is no doubt in Shunsuke's mind that if he said what he did, what he saw, and what he couldn't stop... then he would no longer have anyone near him. And that's rude. He doesn't consider it keeping it a secret from them as his records are (to his knowledge) in the Gotei's archives. They can go and look whenever they want. And frankly, the report is worded better than anything he would be able to say about the situations. It's also impartial and shows that it was a mission and not something he could refuse.

Shunsuke's name is interesting. Shunsuke means "Sagacious Help" and Kotobuki means "Long Life." Considering what he's done, "help" is ironic. However, he does help others. He constantly gives away his Haori to children in the Soul Society so they can be warm at night. This makes it hard for people to determine he's the Captain of the 9th Division... if it weren't for his height, of course. Him being so tall helps people identify him. He's even taller than Kenpachi Zaraki, excluding Kenpachi's spiky hair. He always stands two extra steps away from Kenpachi in Captains' Meetings so his eyes don't get gouged out by Kenpachi's hair. Though, his height does have challenges. He essentially has to limbo to get through most doors—only the door to the meeting hall, the door to the 7th Division Captain's office, and the door to his office are tall enough so he doesn't have to duck under. But physical things aren't the only reason his height causes problems. Some Shinigami are intimidated by his height, especially those around 5'0 and shorter. He'll apologize for being so tall, but he'll also say that he can't help it. It's worse when he can squat down and still be taller than people standing up.

Shunsuke doesn't want to fight. Not anymore. It's odd, as he is a Captain with Bankai, but it's true. He'd rather just apologize and take a punch than fight back. But if an actual fight for survival happens, Shunsuke always gives the opponent three chances to surrender. Each chance comes after an attack. But after the third one, he has no choice. He does not enjoy battle like some other Captains. His eyes are generally always sad when he has to fight. But that doesn't mean he doesn't aim to kill. Rather, this is when the gentle giant side of him goes away. He becomes effecient to the point to where people wonder if he actually does enjoy battle. And of course, he doesn't. He just wants it to be over as quickly as possible. After a sortie where he kills or wounds someone, he locks himself in his office and will not allow anyone in. And that's because people would think he was a traitor if they saw him praying or crying over having to kill the enemy.

Shunsuke isn't book smart. For a Captain he's decent, but he's not some super-genius. Rather, Shunsuke is more... emotionally smart. He can read someone very easily, but he won't let them know. That's just rude. However, this lets him trust people easier. He really doesn't distrust anyone, bar they give him a reason to. Back in the early 2000s when the Aizen thing was going on, Shunsuke didn't know what to believe at first. It wasn't until the incident on Soukyouku hill that he finally made up his mind not to trust the three former Captains. But just because he trusts someone doesn't mean he has to like them. Although he respected and trusted former Captain-Commander Genryuusai Yamamoto, the fact is Shunsuke despised the man. He didn' t wish harm or death upon him, but he would never be able to smile in the presence of him, let alone look him in the eyes with nothing but sheer and utter hatred striking at the old man.

It's because Shunsuke can keep a cool head that he never lashed out against Yamamoto. When he's angry, he doesn't do anything. Rather, he just stays silent. He knows nothing good comes out of him being angry, so why try to continue it? He removes himself from the stressor so he can calm down. If that's impossible, he'll ignore the stressor. The guy is good at ignoring people, especially being so tall. Other than Captain Zaraki, he just has to look dead-ahead and he won't be able to see anyone. A cheap move, but it's one of the benefits of being tall. He feels that getting angry or annoyed at someone and then lashing out at them doesn't do any good. If he had lashed out at the Captain-Commander all those years ago because he was angry with him, then he would have been executed. And honestly, he's not one to want to die.

Shunsuke doesn't live to bear his sins. Shunsuke doesn't live to protect himself. What does he live for then? The man has to live for something, right? Well, to be fair, it's not as easy as one might think to answer. To say he lives to "protect others" is too vague and isn't right. Shunsuke moreso just doesn't want to see history repeated. He's seen it first-hand, so there's no need for other people to witness it or worse... be a part of it. He's one that doesn't dwell on the past in depression all the time, although a normal person would. What happened has made him a severely depressed person to the point where for a year after his return, he was locked up under supervision so he wouldn't kill himself. He thought of it at that point. He thought of it long before that point as well, but he never could bring himself to do it. A Shinigami even smuggled in a knife and told him "If you're going to do it, do it. If not, quit being a baby and move on." For three days, he stared at that knife. He never once touched it, but he reached out to it.


Random Notes: These are small notes about Shunsuke that don't fit into other sections or are just too short and abstract on their own for flow. More will be added later!

• Nicknames: Shunsuke doesn't mind nicknames, so long as they're not too out-of-this-world. The one he prefers most is simply "Shun."
  

Appearance:

Spoiler:

Appearance Age: 27~32
Height: 7'0 (213cm)
Weight:  185 lbs (84.8 kg)



Unreleased Abilities:
Hakuda: When it comes to Hakuda, Shunsuke could be considered one of the best among the Captains. He's better at defensive moves and throws than he is at taking the offense. It's his way of saying "I'd rather not fight you, so please calm down."
Zanjutsu: Shunsuke's second-best skill. It's nothing to scoff at, but it's also nothing to praise either.
Kidō: Shunsuke's third-best skill. He focuses so much on Bakudo that he really doesn't remember much Hadou.
Shunpo: Shunsuke's worst skill. His large size made Shunpo a little unwieldy, so he's not too great at it. Probably one of the worst Captains when it comes to this.

Unnatural Reiatsu: Shunsuke's Reiatsu is something else. When he's normally just walking around or even in the middle of a mild fight, his Reiatsu is somewhat warming. It's constantly referred to as "bittersweet" when other people feel it. But one can easily tell when he gets truly angry. It's hard to do, but that feeling is more than enough to warn people to get away. It's like that eerie silence right before a storm gets to its worst. The wind stops, birds stop chirping, and there is simply an ominous feeling that no one can put their finger on. This is his reiatsu trying to trigger people's "flight" side of their fight-or-flight reflex.

Zanpakutō Spirit Manifestation: So long as he does not have his Bankai active, Shunsuke can have Amaterasu summoned to his side. She does not have any abilities while beside him.
Zanpakutō:

Zanpakutō Release Phrase: Guide My Hand
Other Weapons: None.


Zanpakutō Spirit Name: Amaterasu (天照)
Zanpakutō Spirit Appearance:


Zanpakutō Spirit Personality: Amaterasu is the bundle of sun Shunsuke wants to be. She is pure, childlike, and completely innocent. She keeps Shunsuke's spirits up mainly. However, she also knows when to let Shunsuke go wild. She doesn't really like how he's always secretly brooding, so she constantly is trying to cheer him up. Either that or she's on his shoulder, hitting his head, telling him to be happier.

Zanpakutō Spirit's World: Unknown. Amaterasu has always come to Shunsuke, strangely, and won't let Shunsuke in too much. The most he can see is a rock blocking what looks to be a cave. The rock is taller than he is. To this date, the rock hasn't budged that Shunsuke has been able to tell. He also can not move it. The boulder has many talismans on it, as well as a mirror. Amaterasu is known to communicate through the mirror when Shunsuke is in there.

Shikai Name: Ten no Jiyuu (天の自由; lit. Freedom of Heaven)
Shikai Appearance: Ten no Jiyuu takes the form of two items. The first is a large broadsword taller than Shunsuke. Well, it's more like a single piece of metal that's been sharpened to be a sword.

The second is optional, which is only added if Shunsuke uses the phrase "Panzer vor," which is a military phrase meaning "Armor forward!" It is a mask that covers the top half of Shunsuke's face.


Shikai Abilities: His Shikai is split in half, with half of his abilities working with the mask, and half not.

Kuroi Kiyoshiyari: (黒い聖槍; lit. Black Holy Spear) The ability of the sword when Shunsuke doesn't have his mask on is simple. His sword acts as a "vent" for Shunsuke's reiatsu. This means his reiatsu, which would normally be coming from his body, is only pushed out through his sword. This gives his swords faster swings while not changing its shape or weight.

Yoroi—Akuma no Honbun: (鎧—悪魔の本文; lit. Armor—Body of the Devil) The only ability Shunsuke has while his mask is on. The mask essentially "shuts off" the "vent" of Shunsuke's sword. This means that all of that Reiatsu he would once be expelling begins to accumulate in his body as well as his sword. This gives his sword stronger and faster swings, as now even his body has the extra pressure. However, using it, especially for extended periods, is dangerous. If he builds up too much pressure, he's in danger of destroying his body when he releases his Shikai, as the extra reiatsu is let out from his entire body all at once after re-sealing his Zanpakutō. It's common for him to end up looking like the Hulk after it, as his clothes are incapable of handling the release.

Bankai Name: Ten no Jiyuu (天の事由; lit. Reason of Heaven)
Bankai Appearance: Shunsuke basically turns grey. Well, grey and stone-like. His eyes turn red and his clothes warp into something out of hard fantasy. He has a sword... well, not really a sword. Basically, Shunsuke's main weapon in Bankai is a sharpened plate of steel that acts as a giant sword. The sword is broken after about five feet of blade.


Bankai Abilities: Shunsuke loses the ability to perform ALL Kidō while in Bankai. He also can not use Shikai abilities. Currently, Shunsuke can keep Bankai up for eight rounds of posting.

Ishi no Hada: (石の肌; lit. Skin of Stone) Shunsuke's body becomes like stone. If you touch his skin, it's like rubbing a smooth stone which has been smoothly eroded by rivers over many centuries. Shunsuke's durability is multiplied 10 times. The worst part is that it isn't just his skin. It's his entire body. The problem is that while he is in Bankai, it's effectively impossible to heal him. You can re-attach arms and whatnot, but it's basically like putting a dead fish on there. There is no nerve connection. His body is also much slower, thanks to his body basically turning to stone.

Yama no Tsuyo: (山の強; lit. Strength of Mountains) Yama no Tsuyo is where Ten no Jiyuu gets its title as one of the "strongest" Zanpakutō. Not so much strongest as in sheer power, but more or less strongest as in sheer raw physical power. Yama no Tsuyo gives Shunsuke strength on the level of a certain other male Captain who is known for wearing an eyepatch. His strength is basically upped past normal human limits and then some. He can lift cars like they were chairs—large, unwieldy chairs mind you—and throw them like he was on an episode of Springer.

Kongōseki no Kokoro: (金剛石の心; lit. Heart of Diamond) Shunsuke's strongest part of his body is his heart. It can be removed from his body, but piercing it is another story altogether. After five direct hits, Shunsuke is forcibly ejected from his Bankai.

Kurogane no Ken: (鉄の剣; lit. Sword of Iron) Shunsuke has a sword that grows with each cut into a piece of metal that is not connected to another person. This basically means he can cut into a car, and that car is now turned into the blade on his sword. Of course, the more metal he gets the heavier it is. The max it can be where he can lift it is 30,000 lbs (13607kg or 13.6 megagrams). This is not how much he can be to swing it, but to simply lift it. This is the equivalent of swinging an empty tractor-trailer (truck and trailer).


Character Background:

1749-1799: [TBA]

1800-1850: Fire and... More Fire

1851-1938: [TBA]


1939-1945: Reich and Wrong

1939... things were going on across the world. Although it had been nearly fifteen years, the Gotei was still handling things from the Great War. The Shinigami were sent out day-by-day to just survey the battlegrounds to make sure no new Hollows would appear. Even though it had been many years, the fact was that there was a lot of ground to cover. The Gotei couldn't send entire Divisions out to do surveys. Instead, members of certain divisions were stationed long-term there. Each day, the so-called 100-man Recon Corps would do nothing but survey a certain stretch of land assigned by the field commanders. With hundreds upon hundreds of square miles of land, it was not an easy job. What was worse was that only three square miles could be covered in a day at best. What was taking so long wasn't the distances, but the terrain. The Shinigami had to go in every nook and cranny to see if there were any lingering souls. At best, there wouldn't be any. At worst, there'd be hollows. And a battle with a hollow just slowed them down more. Across the so-called no man's land, battles were frequent. This is were progress halted as a war of their own was going on all while the rest of the world rebuilt.

Shunsuke was part of the Fifth Regiment of the Recon Corps. The First Regiment was charged with guarding the base camp. The rest were sent out to do the dirty work on shifts. Each regiment had 20 Shinigami, but rarely were they all deployed at once. The Fifth Regiment was the lowest on the totem pole, so it was generally never deployed anyways. But with the sheer number of Hollows, the Recon Corps couldn't help but to deploy everyone they could. There days where Shunsuke would just stand atop mounds where dead bodies where buried in just to get a better view and to look for odd shapes across the horizon. It was horrible, but it was what he had to do. Other days, he'd be on the frontlines in battle until he could no longer stand.

September 1, 1939. That was the day Shunsuke hates. No other day in his life does he hate more than this. It was the start of all things terrible for him. And he didn't even have any control over it. He was somewhere around France... while countless iron crosses were barreling into Poland. Upon hearing the news, all missions were halted. Did the people not learn? Was all the work that the Recon Corps had done about to be undone? The orders to halt did not come from the Recon Corps commander, but from the Captain-Commander. He ordered Shinigami to watch the movements, but not to do anything. And so, that's what Shunsuke did. They sat on their asses, watching and listening to the events unfolding in Europe. Shunsuke was a part of the Recon Corps until January of 1940. He was called back to the Soul Society at that point to receive orders he would learn to regret.

The Recon Corps was pushed back deeper into France at around that time, as they didn't want the possibility of the incoming Nazi troops seeing them. They also had no idea what to do. All while Shunsuke was staring at his new orders. He protested them, but he was not given a way out. He was ordered to commence the mission immediately and was rushed out of the Captain-Commander's office. What was this terrible mission? What was it he learned to hate more than anything? He was to be taking upon an alias and filling that man's shoes as a spy. He was to inform the Gotei on what was going on in certain areas... as some reports had been quite... troublesome. For the next five-and-a-half years... Shunsuke would be known as Obersturmführer Ulrich Schenkopf... a half-Japanese member of the elite Schutzstaffel. His orders were to spy on the occultist practices of the Third Reich to make sure it wouldn't affect the Soul Cycle or harm the Gotei... or worse, the Spirit King.

Ulrich's history was that of a German father and Japanese mother. His father was a former employee of the German consulate. Ulrich was sent to Germany when he was 17 at the height of Nazism and was enlisted in the SS. He was given special consideration for being bilingual with one of Germany's allies, but that didn't help him when a plane crash left him missing... and that's where Shunsuke came in. Ulrich, who also was 6'9 somehow, had died while carrying documents of the Nazi's occult research, which is what piqued the interest of the Gotei 13. Upon careful consideration, a lookalike was found. That was Shunsuke. Shunsuke would use a gigai to take Ulrich's place. Using "injuries from the plane crash" as an excuse, Shunsuke would be able to bypass normal measures that he would not know. It was risky, but there were threats to the Gotei. Inside those documents, there were sketches of men and women clad in black kimono wielding Katana...

Shunsuke stepped through a Senkaimon and exited the Soul Society to be somewhere in Germany's forests near that plane crash. He was able to find his way to a phone and was able to contact a small Heer patrol that took him to a hospital.  The Gigai was pre-damaged to simulate injuries from a plane crash. With a broken arm, cuts, scratches, and etc. there was no way he was being found out. Within a month, he was back to regular duty. He was flown back to Weimar. It wasn't a bad city, but he was lost. Using a map, he eventually did find his way to the field office of the SS in the city. He felt strange there. People looked at him with joy and fear at the same time. Some saw him, clad in a black uniform, as a savior of their failing country. Others saw him, clad in that same black uniform, as a monster. Shunsuke had no other choice than to go ahead. He couldn't waste time on pondering if little Helga or little Marius saw him as a savior or a monster.

The field office was his first experience with other SS officers. The swastikas emblazoned within a white circle upon a crimson background danced outside the building. Inside, only people in the same black uniform he was in were seen. He reached the head of Weimar's field office, who he was to report to only after getting lost and asking directions from a young secretary. The head of Weimar's field office was Oberführer Otto Schenner. Schenner was a 45-year-old officer who was highly respected for his duties. He had lost an eye (and his hair) in Poland, and so he was now relegated to desk duty. He was seen as a gentle man for his 5'4 height and 175 pound weight. Although he was short and stocky, the man could knock the wind out of any of the soldiers within the oak-lined halls of this office.

Shunsuke wasn't immediately seen by Otto, so he had to awkwardly wait in a chair far too small for him. A few minutes later, a man with blond hair and piercing blue eyes stepped out of Otto's office. The one thing that caught Shunsuke's eye was the armband of the man, for that was no swastika. However, he was in no position to question it. He was just ready to get out of that damn chair. The first thing he heard when he stepped into Otto's office was "My God, you're tall." After a bit of an awkward laugh, Otto instructed Shunsuke on what he was to be doing. Basically, there was going to be a construction project near Weimar and Shunsuke was to be the overseer of the construction. However, the majority of the construction would be underground and that is where Shunsuke, or rather, Ulrich came in. Ulrich's documents (which were carefully copied by the Gotei and sent back with Shunsuke) also included mentions of an underground facility that could house secret projects.

Shunsuke accepted his orders, as if he had any other choice. He was sent out to the town of Ohrdruf, which is where the project was being undertaken at. He met the commander of the project, Standartenführer Wilhelm Kirke, who was a man around 5'11. He was more skin-and-bones than he was a soldier. The one thing that stood out about Wilhelm was his one brown and one blue eye. Shunsuke's temporary office was shown to him by Wilhelm, which was nothing special. It was an old train car that was parked just outside the tunnels on a side line. Beside his car were two rail lines that were used to transport supplies and workers inside. The workers were coming from the nearby Ohrdruf concentration camp as well as the larger Buchenwald camp. His first day, Wilhelm said he was lucky. There were two new trainfulls for workers coming from both Buchenwald and Ohrdruf. A few hours after his arrival, two trains pulled into the facility. Shunsuke was able to see the passengers disembark first-hand...

That was Shunsuke's first, but certainly not his last, look into the hell that was Nazism. As many people as physically possible were stuffed into each car. Their bodies were shaven and were only clothed in dirty, torn, and old prison uniforms if anything at all. Their eyes pleaded for help if they were empty, the people's souls broken from torment at whatever camps they came from. This was the workforce of this facility, codenamed "Siegfried." There were plans of another facility to be built at one entrance to this one to act as a decoy. It was codenamed "Olga." Siegfried was the original Ulrich Schenkopf's idea, while Olga was an added condition by the planning bureaus. Shunsuke couldn't help any of them, as that'd break his identity. Instead, he just had to watch. He watched as those who would not move were gunned down. Those that fell, kicked around. Those that looked around too much, beaten with the stock of a rifle. Shunsuke was forced to watch that, and worse, he was forced to watch it while being unable to show any grief.

Shunsuke watched as they were forced into tunnels to dig out more of the mountain. At this time, there were only 3 or 4 tunnels. It wasn't that impressive, but over time, there would be 25 of these main tunnels dug. And inside these main ones were further smaller ones that would lead to different rooms. There were the ones that led to the massive communication center or some that led to an underground factory. But the strangest of all were the ones that did not exist on a map of the facility. Shunsuke was told that they would be added to his map, but that it was not to be discussed with anyone but officers of the SS. This made Shunsuke realize that something was going on here.

But no matter how much he'd push, Shunsuke couldn't get an answer. He eventually gave up on trying to push an answer out of someone and instead wait for the construction of the tunnels to be finished. Blasting was an everyday occurrence for him, and so hearing far-off Volle Deckung! followed by a shaking was almost as regular as the ticking of a clock. He became so used to it that within a week, Volle Deckung! made his body stop writing or anything like that. Even today, his body will do that if he hears that. Over time, the facility was expanded. However, the part he was trying to get into wouldn't be done for quite some time.

In mid-1941, Shunsuke was given a tour of Buchenwald. It was a terrible place. Guards were fed well, as were officers. But the prisoners... it was deplorable. It was sheer hell for them. Their bodies were like the ones he had seen at Jonastal. Their ribs were the most defined feature of all of them. The small rags most wore were barely enough to cover their genitals. But in a place like this hell, such trivial things didn't matter. He even saw a couple of prisoners eat their clothing. It was hard to stomach, especially for someone who had just eaten. But the other SS officers were just indifferent to it. They had probably been dealing with these people day in and day out and were just used to it. Shunsuke could do nothing but ignore any of the eyes that screamed help. He couldn't do anything against the mission.

Shunsuke's tour ended with a trip to a gas chamber. Workers who were crippled or were trouble were sent here. Shunsuke, as a veteran SS officer, was offered a "chance of a lifetime" to release the safety valve. It wasn't something he could turn down. And so, Shunsuke personally extinguished the lives of so many he would never know. After that, he was offered a meal, but he respectfully declined. He was then asked to do a special duty for a while, and that was replace the officer that oversaw the prisoner train. He had been killed recently, and well, that created a big position to fill. The other officer was in recovery from the same accident and would take over as soon as he could walk again. But in the meantime, that needed to be filled. Since Shunsuke's true office was not able to accessed, it was a perfect job for him so he wouldn't be sitting around. So he was essentially forced to accept by Kirke.

Shunsuke would sometimes be in the only officer's car on the train that was carrying the prisoners. When that happened, he couldn't eat. He could only thing of how tightly packed those people were. No matter what, Shunsuke was always seeing them as people. Some of his co-workers saw them as monsters and some saw them as livestock. But Shunsuke and Shunsuke alone still felt they were human beings. And yet, he couldn't get sick from the sights, smells, and sounds any more. It was as if this hell was a disease, and his body was starting to create an immunity to it. He hated that. He wanted to be able to be sick. He didn't want to become like them.

And yet, in the other officer's eyes, Shunsuke was like them already. They understood that seeing those sights was going to make someone sick initially, but it would sink in that they were not human. That was their thought process, of course. But Shunsuke's stomach was simply just turning to iron. It was not surprising something like that would happen. It had been a full year since he had first arrived. But the weight of what he was seeing was never diminishing, no matter how hard of a stomach he would get. Shunsuke could never sleep well. He was always tossing and turning, and would only get at most four hours of sleep per night. All of his medical exams noticed high blood pressure, and doctors told him to not get so stressed and relax. Yeah. Relax. Like he could relax. But he couldn't tell them that. Shunsuke had to keep all of that to himself.

Shunsuke's train car office was finally replaced by the actual Ulrich's office. A blasting accident days before Shunsuke arrived had rendered that section unstable, so they were busy reinforcing the passageways for a whole year and a half before Shunsuke could return there. Of course, he could have just used his officer's credentials and forced his way in, but Shunsuke wasn't going to do that. That might arouse suspicion. However, not doing so made him look a little odd. Once he was shown the office, Kirke asked why he didn't do just that. Shunsuke replied that he wanted to make sure that the whole place was safe before doing so. The plane crash made him a little nervous of dangerous places. Kirke bought that, thankfully. Shunsuke looked around and found some more paperwork on the projects he had been working on.

A few weeks after getting himself situated in the new office, Shunsuke was called by Kirke. That area was complete. Shunsuke ran to meet Kirke, as he was more than anxious to finally see what was being done. The main room was a wide, circular chamber. There were multiple tables, each inscribed with different kinds of symbols. One table had runes inscribed onto it, another had alchemic symbols. Others had Buddhist markings and there was one with even Kabbalah marks. Kirke replied to the last mentioned one "Although their kind is vastly... inferior to say the least, we can't deny that there might be some sort of power in their magic. Besides, you yourself suggested it, and so we added it in."

Shunsuke's work from 1941 to 1945 was essentially the same thing. Work on these magical tables to try to get something to work. Everything from animal to human sacrifices was performed. And most of the time, Shunsuke was asked to do it, as he devised the project. It wasn't just sacrifices, however. There were meetings at certain times, wearing certain things, chanting the same certain words over and over. Sometimes there'd be glowing from the tables or maybe smoke. However, nothing like what was expected would happen. In fact, the only thing Shunsuke could tell for sure that was happening... was that souls were being bound to this place. And souls, especially the souls of these tormented prisoners, become dangerous when bound somewhere that's constantly prodding at the boundary of the supernatural. So Shunsuke would sometimes sabotage the rituals to prevent further souls from being bound there. Even now, Shunsuke warns of venturing into that section of Germany. He says there is likely a large breeding ground of Hollows located there. When asked why, he says it's just a "gut feeling."

March of 1945 was an odd month. February was as well, but not as odd as March. February was mainly Shunsuke overhearing communication of places for "that" to be tested. It was odd because there was no mention of what "that" was. Shunsuke was asked not to look into it, as it was something of a different sort of what he was working on and he was not authorized to look into it. And then March happened. Shunsuke was rushed off early one morning via an internal train to the tunnel's exits near Ohrdruf. He was taken to a bunker and was given a pair of goggles and ear muffs. Ten minutes later, a light as bright as 100,000 bolts of lightning and a boom so loud shone and rang at the same time. The time was 9:30 at night. Even today, Shunsuke says "the light I saw on a certain day was the most beautiful and terrifying thing I have seen." It is the only thing he'll tell of his time there. He won't even mention where he saw it, or when he saw it specifically.

It was early April when the end began. Shunsuke was outside when a plume of smoke and a loud crash hit the mountain above him. Alarms began to sound and Shunsuke rushed inside. It was the Americans. Shunsuke rushed through the soldiers dashing through the hallways with helmets and rifles in hand. As he got further into the facility, the sounds of gunfire halted. But he could still hear the thundering booms. The ground around him shook and dust fell from the ceiling with every one. Shunsuke fell twice trying to get back to somewhere important. Shunsuke took refuge in Ulrich's office during the attack. Instead of fighting, Shunsuke was trying to save as much of Ulrich's research notes as possible. But a heavy explosion knocked a bookshelf down. Atop the bookshelf was a leather-bound notebook. Shunsuke had never noticed it as the bookshelf was built into the wall, or so it seemed. Instead, it was where Ulrich was keeping his diary. He had become dissatisfied with the Führer, and that's why he was hiding it. He mentioned all of his personal thoughts on the projects he was in charge of. That's when Shunsuke figured out that these projects... were not to wage war against the Soul Society. No, it was all a coincidence that Ulrich Kessler was spiritually aware and had seen a Shinigami patrol while vacationing in France. He carried around the sketches with him at all times to see if he'd ever come across them again. All this research into the occult was to do nothing but have an army capable of fighting without fatigue and weapons that could go through armor. The Nazis only were doing this to win the war. The threat was valid originally, but now... now it was too late.

Shunsuke collapsed to his knees and wept. Someone tried to open the door, but the bookshelf was blocking it. Further shelling occurred, and Shunsuke's Gigai was crushed and sent into the vacant store room below. Shunsuke was able to escape that way. He grabbed the notebook and returned to the Soul Society. He reported to Captain-Commander Yamamoto before doing anything. Before saying a word, Shunsuke drew his sword and charged at Yamamoto, crying while doing so. He was swiftly detained by strong Bakudo from Vice-Captain Sasakibe. Sasakibe suggested they kill him then and there, but Yamamoto stopped him. Shunsuke was put on trial, and was found guilty. He could not speak in his defense and most people thought he had become a mute. But he was spared the death penalty and was given a relatively light sentence of fifty years.

1946-2006: Prisoner

Well before the end of the operation, Shunsuke tried to contact the Gotei, but no matter what, he never got a response. He would try all sorts of ways of communication. However, all he got was silence. To this day, the only people that knew of what happened to the communications sent by Shunsuke were Shigekuni Yamamoto-Genryuusai and Chojirou Sasakibe. And with both of them dead, Shunsuke will never know if it was either the communications just not reaching the Gotei or if the two in charge of the Gotei were blatantly ignoring his pleas. He didn't get a chance to ask them, as he was imprisoned in a secret prison for fifty years to... "burn steam off."

So Shunsuke would wait. For years, he did nothing but wait. Wait for the chance to kill Yamamoto. But eventually, he began to question his reasons why killing Yamamoto would do anything. Yes, why would killing Yamamoto atone for his own sins? Wasn't it just revenge for Yamamoto had done? But had Yamamoto even heard his pleas? This is why Yamamoto had wanted Shunsuke to sit and wait. He could understand the hatred Shunsuke was harboring, so he wanted the young Shinigami to understand that killing him wouldn't bring back any of those people. And that is when Shunsuke made his resolve. Shunsuke would try to do anything so no one else would die because of him. Of course, he realized that not killing all the time would get him killed. Shunsuke wasn't some dumb shounen protagonist. He understood that some people are inherently evil, and thus they might need to be killed.

Shunsuke was released in May of 2006. His position was restored and he was given his Zanpakutō back. He then asked to speak to the Captain-Commander. However, he was told that if he was trying to speak to Yamamoto, that he was dead. Shunsuke just wanted to know if his pleas were heard. So he asked to speak to Chojirou Sasakibe. Also dead. Shunsuke would never find out if his pleas were heard.

2007-2049: TBA

2050-Present: Captaincy
Meets Zeref while Zeref is hunting for specimens for his class. Become light friends.

Done enough to be approved. History will be added on later.

• Name [X]
  
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• Appearance Present [X]
  
• Appearance Described in Appropriate Length OR Picture is Visible [X]
  
• Appearance is Not Claimed [X]
  
• 15 sentences for personality [X]
  
• History is 15 sentences [X]
  
• Powers are not Godmod/Overpowered [X]
  
• Powers are described reasonably enough [X]
  
• Application/RP Sample is not in First Person [X]
  
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Comments/Notes: Okay, so the frightening gentle giant.
Tier: 0-3