Kuchiki

Biodata

Power Progression

Background / History

Kyōka originated in the Rukon District. Stronger than most residents, he drove off thugs and extortionists because he could not tolerate their abuse of weaker souls. After saving the eldest daughter of the Kuchiki family during a Rukon District incident, he received a recommendation to attend the academy, became a Shinigami, married into the family, and took the name Kuchiki Kyōka. 83

He completed his Bankai while still attending the Central Spirit Arts Academy. His own early success later contributed to his assumption that a captain from a great noble family would necessarily have mastered Zanpakutō releases. 88

His adoption into the Kuchiki family was formally officiated by Kuchiki Ginrei, granting him the family name, a red Kazahana, and a Star-Tugging Pin as symbols of his noble standing. 54

Yan Si subsequently wrote his life story, Reversed Life, improving his public reputation. Kyōka invested deeply in the work because he wanted his achievements to be recognized and remembered; his unusually strong emotional resonance also supplied high-quality spiritual-power seeds to Yan Si’s Zanpakutō. 62 63 65 77

The death of his brother-in-law, Kuchiki Sōjun, heightened his concern for the family’s position. He regarded his relentless patrols and accomplishments as both protection of the Kuchiki name and a means of avenging Sōjun, at one point sleeping only two hours a night while carrying out his duties. 62 73

During the aristocratic unrest, Kyōka ruthlessly suppressed rebel Shinigami at Mount Kofuku; his Shikai turned enemy Zanpakutō against their wielders, killing more than a hundred combatants. 65 66 Captain-General Yamamoto subsequently appointed him to lead the Special Suppression Force directly under the First Division, entrusting him with restoring order in the Rukon District. 69

Noble Council members later sought to destroy his reputation and arranged an ambush against him. Accused of killing innocents for merit, Kyōka was taken away by Ginrei after the confrontation. 73 74 76

The resulting conviction stripped Kyōka of his seated-officer position, sealed his Zanpakutō, and imposed a hundred-year sentence. Muramasa nevertheless manifested inside his cell and cut through his restraints and the iron bars. Kyōka spared the wounded Ninth Division guards, then killed the three nobles who had orchestrated his framing before heading toward the Maggot’s Nest to find a friend. 80

He broke into the Maggot’s Nest to free Yan Si, turning Benihime against Urahara Kisuke when Urahara refused to surrender the prisoner. Urahara broke his own blade and attacked with Sōkatsui, but Kyōka countered with ice and blasted him into the darkness. Kyōka then opened Yan Si’s cell and led him away through a concealed route behind the Second Division barracks; Yan Si suspected that Urahara had merely pretended to be incapacitated. 82

Kyōka was subsequently blamed for the deaths of more than half the Noble Council, although he insisted that he had killed only the three conspirators. Ginrei stated that he believed Kyōka was not lying, but argued that his prison break had destroyed his means of proving his innocence. Their confrontation deepened Kyōka’s sense of abandonment, and he cut away and discarded his Star-Tugging Pin during his rejection of the family’s authority. 83 85

After being betrayed and believing Yan Si dead, Kyōka attacked the noble district. His slaughter triggered a breakthrough to second-rank spiritual power, after which he released Bankai and confronted Yoruichi Shihōin. 87 He ultimately rejected Yamamoto’s offer to return peacefully and attempted to flee to the Human World through a portal within the Kuchiki estate. 90

Yamamoto incapacitated him with One Bone, sending him and Muramasa through several houses. Yoruichi then restrained him with the Spirit-Binding Coffin, stagnating his Reishi and forcing Muramasa back into sword form. Before the seal took full effect, Kyōka attempted to tell Yamamoto that Yan Si had predicted a future threat to Soul Society, but Yoruichi sealed his mouth before he could finish. 90

Yoruichi and Yamamoto ultimately sealed him. Ginrei secretly kept the sealed Kyōka in a coffin deep within the Kuchiki estate so that his daughter could occasionally visit her husband. Kyōka remained conscious during decades of confinement in darkness; thirty-three years remained on his sentence when he later emerged. 206 207

Aizen Sōsuke and Kaname Tōsen infiltrated the sealed chamber and removed its protections. After persuading Muramasa to accept their intervention, Aizen placed the Soul Jade over Kyōka’s heart while Tōsen poured a refined concentration of power from ten thousand Hollows onto him. The procedure raised Kyōka’s spiritual power into first-class, produced a white Hollow mask, and enabled his awakening. 206

Upon escaping, Kyōka confronted the now-adult Byakuya, who ordered him back into confinement. He defeated Byakuya but abandoned the finishing blow when his weakened wife pleaded for her nephew’s life. His release also killed fifteen Kuchiki guards, while his immense Reiatsu endangered nearby souls, including Hisana. 207 208 209 216

Kyōka subsequently defeated the hundred-strong Punishment Force and severely injured Yoruichi. Mistaking a pillar of fire from the Tsunayashiro estate for Yamamoto’s attack, he feared that he was being manipulated again and retreated to master his altered powers. He later appeared beside Aizen and, at Aizen’s encouragement, departed for Seireitei to kill surviving nobles implicated in his persecution. 214 220

Aizen subsequently helped Kyōka stabilize his transformation and restore Muramasa’s abilities while masked. Kyōka again sought Ryūjin Jakka, but Yamamoto had hidden the sword, frustrating the attempt even though Muramasa could enter his inner world. 231

At the Hill of the Twin Executions, Kyōka fought Kenpachi Zaraki while Muramasa’s power extended over Seireitei. Although he repeatedly wounded Zaraki and struck his head with a Cero, Zaraki continued fighting and inflicted severe injuries in return. Kyōka recalled Muramasa’s dispersed power to concentrate on the duel, allowing rebellious Zanpakutō elsewhere to recover. The ensuing battle shattered most of his mask and nearly severed his right shoulder. When he attempted to withdraw, Byakuya blocked him with Senbonzakura. Kyōka refused to accept defeat and charged through the blades to reach his nephew. 231 232

Appearance

Kyōka maintains the formal bearing expected of a great noble even while restrained or under accusation. His spiritual pressure manifests as a dense purple mist. 79 87

• Formerly wore the red Kazahana signifying his place in the Kuchiki family. Its color distinguished his status as a man marrying into the family from members of direct lineage, who wore white. 54 79 207
• Wore a Star-Tugging Pin in his hair after his formal induction, but cut it away and threw it at Ginrei’s feet during his rebellion. 54 85
• At his induction banquet, appeared tall and upright in a white patterned haori and hakama, with sharp eyes and a cold, severe expression. 53
• Projects purple Reiatsu, which expanded from roughly ten to fifty meters during his rampage. 87
• After Hollowfication, wears a smooth, undecorated white bone mask with two narrow eye slits containing scarlet lights. 206
• His transformed skin develops grayish-white, bony areas, while Muramasa’s blade becomes deep purple with writhing, veinlike patterns. 207 214
• After his awakening, no longer wears the family hairpin or Kazahana, explicitly invoking their absence when rejecting Byakuya’s appeal to the Kuchiki crest. 207
• During his battle with Zaraki, his mask shatters until only a small piece remains attached to its lower-right side, exposing a pale, bloodless face. 231

Personality

Kyōka is straightforward, ambitious, and intensely concerned with earning recognition as someone worthy of the Kuchiki name. His wish to gain Ginrei’s approval drives much of his conduct, including his goal of becoming a division captain. 73 74 83

His lack of experience with noble intrigue leaves him vulnerable to manipulation. Though he initially seeks to uphold order and family honor, repeated betrayal turns his resentment toward the noble class into open violence. 83 85 87

He remains deeply loyal to those he recognizes as his own. Even after being adopted into nobility, he retains the instinct to oppose oppression that shaped his life in Rukon District. 83

His vengeance is not always indiscriminate. During his first prison escape, he deliberately spared injured guards while executing the three conspirators responsible for his conviction. After Hollowfication, his wife’s intervention similarly stopped him from killing Byakuya. 80 208

Decades of conscious confinement initially leave him unexpectedly calm and reflective upon seeing Byakuya grown into a captain and family head. That composure breaks when Byakuya invokes the family crest and threatens to eliminate him, exposing his enduring resentment toward the identity he once sought to uphold. 207

Hollowfication intensifies his emotions and appetite for violence without erasing his sense of self. Unlike the frenzied Kensei, Kyōka remembers his identity and objectives and can converse normally. He also shows greater tactical caution than during his original rebellion, withdrawing when he believes Yamamoto is nearby and prioritizing control of his unfamiliar powers. 214 220

Despite that caution, his pride remains easily provoked. He dismisses Zaraki as a beast and disparages his captaincy because he does not know his Zanpakutō’s name. When Zaraki suggests that he is frightened, Kyōka abandons his concern about being delayed and recalls Muramasa’s power with the single-minded intention of killing him. Even after sustaining crippling injuries and being confronted by Byakuya, he insists that he has not lost. 231 232

Tōsen views Kyōka’s vengeance as fundamentally directionless: unlike his own professed pursuit of justice, Kyōka seeks repayment in blood without considering what should follow. This is Tōsen’s assessment of him rather than a goal Kyōka articulates for himself. 231

Abilities & Skills

Muramasa

Kyōka wields Muramasa, a Zanpakutō capable of making other Zanpakutō rebel against their wielders. Its power allows him to turn an opponent’s own weapon into the source of their death. 65 87

• Released with the command “Whisper.” 65
• Enemy swords may break free, turn their blades, or directly attack their owners. 65
• Muramasa can establish a connection through physical contact and use spiritual threads to invade an opponent’s mind. 87
• The ability is ineffective against an opponent who seals their heart and enters a state of no thought or intention. 85
• It is less decisive against fighters who do not rely on Zanpakutō, such as specialists in Hakuda and assassination. 85
• Failed to extract Yoruichi’s Zanpakutō because she had not trained its Shikai and still possessed only an Asauchi. 88
• Can command liberated Zanpakutō even after their wielders’ deaths, using them to attack or form layered defensive barriers around Kyōka. 88 89
• Can manifest independently despite Kyōka’s confinement and sealed weapon, as demonstrated during his prison rescue and his long imprisonment at the estate. 80 206
• Made Benihime rebel against Urahara, prompting him to break his own Zanpakutō rather than allow it to attack him. 82
• Physical separation from a trained Zanpakutō is not normally sufficient protection; Muramasa expected his ability to affect Yoruichi’s sword even if it were far away. 88
• Can enter Yamamoto’s inner world, but this did not allow him to release Ryūjin Jakka after Yamamoto hid the sword. 231

After Hollowfication, Kyōka cannot initially activate Muramasa’s Zanpakutō-control power. Although the spirit returns to his side, the blade fails to answer his attempts to turn nearby swords against their owners. Aizen identifies the cause as overwhelming Hollow power suppressing Kyōka’s Shinigami Reiatsu and disrupting his soul’s connection to the weapon. Restoring normal Zanpakutō use while masked requires balancing his Shinigami and Hollow powers. 214 215 220

With Aizen’s assistance, Kyōka subsequently achieves sufficient control for his mask and Muramasa to coexist, restoring normal use of the weapon’s ability. During the battle at the Hill of the Twin Executions, Muramasa’s dispersed spiritual power blankets Seireitei as pale-purple clouds and sustains Zanpakutō rebellion. Kyōka can recall that power into his blade to strengthen his direct combat, but the process takes time, and affected Zanpakutō begin regaining their senses as the power withdraws. 231

Bankai: Gokōjō Chū Muramasa

Kyōka activates his Bankai during his confrontation with Yoruichi, drawing surrounding purple spiritual mist into Muramasa. 87

• Mastered Bankai while still attending the Central Spirit Arts Academy. 88
• Manifested Muramasa’s phantom form as an independent combatant. 87
• Enabled Muramasa to attack directly with purple spiritual threads. 87
• Could potentially threaten even exceptionally powerful Zanpakutō if Muramasa established control over them. 89
• Tōsen identifies Muramasa’s Bankai as an especially valuable threat to Shinigami because of its ability to make their Zanpakutō rebel. 231

Spiritual Power and Combat

Kyōka possesses Captain-class potential and later attained second-rank spiritual power. 55 87

• Swiftly wiped out a force of over one hundred enemy Shinigami during the Mount Kofuku conflict. 65
• Led suppression patrols effectively enough to restore order in the Rukon District. 70
• Continues fighting with full force even when confronted by Ginrei’s defensive barrier. 85
• Used ice to counter Urahara’s Sōkatsui during his rescue of Yan Si. 82
• Used the fire technique Adamant Blast against Yoruichi, who destroyed it with Shunkō. The attack formed a fireball more than fifteen meters in diameter at his blade’s tip. 88
• Attempted Shadow Binding Technique by driving his Zanpakutō into the ground, but could not keep pace with Yoruichi’s movements. The technique spreads thin black lines from his shadow across the ground, intended to immobilize an opponent upon touching their shadow. 88
• After Hollowfication, his Reiatsu spread across Seireitei and overwhelmed ordinary Shinigami and Rukongai souls. Hisana’s spiritual body began disintegrating under its pressure. 209
• Defeated Byakuya despite his use of Bankai and powerful concentrated blade attacks. 208
• Defeated all one hundred members of the Punishment Force and severely injured Yoruichi, reversing the balance of their earlier confrontation. All Punishment Force members survived. 214
• Despite reaching first-rank spiritual power, remained substantially below Yamamoto’s level in Yan Si’s assessment; Yan Si also judged that Aizen could still control him. 209
• Cut Zaraki across the chest and waist and landed a Cero directly against his head, but failed to incapacitate him. Zaraki’s strength challenged Kyōka even while wielding his sword one-handed, and his counterattacks inflicted wounds through Kyōka’s transformed defenses. 231
• Recalled Muramasa’s dispersed power to concentrate his Reiatsu for direct combat against Zaraki. The resulting clash left Kyōka’s mask shattered and his right shoulder nearly severed. 231

Hollowfication / Visored Powers

The Soul Jade and concentrated Hollow power transform Kyōka into a Visored, combining Shinigami and Hollow characteristics and raising his spiritual power into first-class. He retains his identity, but his initial masked state is dominated by Hollow power rather than a stable enhancement of his original Shinigami abilities. Aizen later teaches him to stabilize the transformation sufficiently to use Muramasa while masked. 206 216 220 231

He also uses White Ray to pierce Byakuya’s shoulder during their battle. His transformation does not make him invulnerable: Yoruichi’s Shunkō strike, amplified by her Heavenly Armament Pòwàng, cracks his mask. 208 214

Equipment / Items

• Muramasa — Zanpakutō whose abilities center on forcing other Zanpakutō to betray their wielders. After Hollowfication, Kyōka continues wielding it physically but initially loses access to its control ability. Aizen subsequently helps him restore that ability while retaining his mask. 65 87 214 220 231
• Red Kazahana — Former emblem of Kyōka’s formal status within the Kuchiki family; no longer worn after his estrangement. 54 207
• Star-Tugging Pin — Hair ornament marking his noble induction; discarded during his confrontation with Ginrei. 54 85
• Hollow mask — Smooth white bone mask formed during Aizen’s Soul Jade procedure, with narrow eye slits and scarlet lights beneath them. Later manifests at will, but is largely shattered during his fight with Zaraki. 206 231
• Spirit Seal Bindings / Spirit-Binding Coffin — Shihoin divine armament used to restrain him inside his coffin. The bindings stagnate his Reishi and stop the spiritual power of beings who touch them, preventing Muramasa from freeing him; Aizen overcomes them through superior Reiatsu. 90 206

Relationships

• Kuchiki Ginrei — Adoptive father-in-law and head of the Kuchiki family. Kyōka desperately seeks his recognition, while Ginrei considers him rash and difficult to guide. Ginrei later acknowledges his denial of the additional Noble Council killings but emphasizes that his escape has made proving innocence impossible. After Kyōka’s sealing, Ginrei secretly houses him at the estate so his daughter can visit. 69 73 79 83 206
• Yan Si — Initially approached Kyōka to write his life story and later defended him against Ginrei’s demand for self-reflection. Kyōka breaks into the Maggot’s Nest to rescue him, but subsequently believes Yan Si has deceived him and is dead. Before his sealing, he attempts to reveal Yan Si’s prediction of a future threat to Yamamoto. After awakening decades later, he calmly acknowledges Yan Si as a suitable teacher for Byakuya, although Byakuya cites Yan Si’s judgment that Kyōka’s original mistreatment does not excuse his later killing of innocents. 55 82 84 87 90 207
• Muramasa — His Zanpakutō and closest source of reassurance. Muramasa encourages Kyōka’s confidence and promotes his pursuit of greater power. The spirit rescues him from prison, remains near him during his long sealing, and accepts Aizen’s offer in hopes of freeing him. Hollowfication later disrupts their connection despite Muramasa’s return to sword form, but Aizen’s instruction eventually restores their ability to cooperate while Kyōka is masked. 69 80 89 206 214 220 231
• Yoruichi Shihōin — Opponent during Kyōka’s noble-district rampage. She sought information about Yan Si and decisively outmatched Muramasa’s initial assault. She later helped seal Kyōka and led the attempt to recapture him after his Hollowfication, but his enhanced strength allowed him to severely injure her and escape. 87 89 206 214
• Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto — Appointed Kyōka to command the Special Suppression Force, then confronted him after his rebellion and offered him a chance to return. Yamamoto later helped seal him. Kyōka remains fearful of confronting him after Hollowfication and retreats when he mistakes imitated Ryūjin Jakka flames for Yamamoto’s presence. After restoring Muramasa’s power, he again targets Ryūjin Jakka, but Yamamoto has hidden the sword. 69 90 206 214 231
• Kuchiki family princess — Kyōka’s wife, whose rescue led to his entry into the Kuchiki family. She silently worries over his strained relationship with Ginrei and is permitted occasional visits during his sealing. Her plea for Byakuya’s life stops Kyōka from delivering a finishing blow after his escape. He attempts to approach her, but withdraws after seeing that proximity to his Reiatsu further harms her weakened spiritual body. 73 83 206 208
• Kuchiki Sōjun — Brother-in-law whom Kyōka calls his elder brother. Sōjun’s death during the noble unrest becomes another reason for Kyōka’s determination to protect the family and distinguish himself through service. 62 73
• Kuchiki Byakuya — Nephew by marriage and eventual head of the Kuchiki family and Sixth Division captain. Kyōka initially appraises his growth calmly, but attacks when Byakuya demands his return to confinement in the family’s name. He grievously wounds Byakuya before withdrawing at his wife’s intervention. Byakuya later recognizes that someone is using his uncle in a scheme against the nobles. At the Hill of the Twin Executions, he blocks the wounded Kyōka’s escape and declares that he has lost, prompting Kyōka to charge him through Senbonzakura. 207 208 224 231 232
• Aizen Sōsuke — Removes Kyōka’s seal and engineers his Hollowfication using the Soul Jade. Aizen exploits Kyōka’s resentment and Muramasa’s loyalty, presenting liberation and the abolition of nobility as inducements. Kyōka later waits beside him during the Visored crisis and accepts his invitation to seek revenge on surviving nobles. Aizen subsequently trains him to stabilize his transformation and regain Muramasa’s abilities while masked. 206 220 231
• Kaname Tōsen — Assists Aizen in freeing and transforming Kyōka by supplying the concentrated power of ten thousand Hollows. Tōsen later observes that Kyōka retains a clearer sense of self than the newly masked Kensei. Although their histories both involve suffering at noble hands, Tōsen dislikes Kyōka’s lack of ideals beyond revenge and values him primarily for Muramasa’s usefulness against Shinigami. 206 220 231
• Urahara Kisuke — Opposes Kyōka’s attempt to free Yan Si from the Maggot’s Nest. Kyōka makes Benihime rebel, then counters Urahara’s Kidō after Urahara breaks his own sword. Yan Si suspects that Urahara deliberately feigns defeat. 82
• Kenpachi Zaraki — Opponent at the Hill of the Twin Executions. Kyōka regards him with contempt for his crude fighting style and ignorance of his Zanpakutō’s name, but discovers that his strength and endurance are far greater than expected. Zaraki’s suggestion that Kyōka is frightened provokes him into concentrating all of Muramasa’s power on their duel, which leaves Kyōka badly wounded. 231

Story Role / Major Arcs

Induction into the Kuchiki Family

Kyōka is formally recognized as a Kuchiki noble and Noble Council member. His status makes him a symbol of the family’s willingness to elevate exceptional common-born talent. 54

The red Kazahana simultaneously marks the limits of that acceptance: family rules reserve white for direct descendants and require a man marrying into the family to wear red for life. Yan Si’s biography subsequently helps establish Kyōka as a celebrated figure among common Shinigami and lesser nobles. 54 63 65 73

At the induction banquet, Yan Si proposes recording Kyōka’s life, while Aizen encourages him by emphasizing the reputation such a book could bring. Kyōka initially hesitates because he does not yet understand noble taboos, but agrees after considering how public recognition might strengthen his standing both outside and within the family. 54 55

Aristocratic Riot

As a Third Seat, Kyōka suppresses rebels with brutal efficiency and is rewarded with command of the Special Suppression Force. Noble factions then frame him for atrocities, turning his aspiration for recognition into resentment. 65 69 73 76

Kyōka hopes that the campaign will earn him the vacant Tenth Division captaincy and finally win Ginrei’s approval. Instead, noble agents kill his three remaining subordinates and attempt to assassinate him. His subsequent conviction imposes a hundred-year sentence, but Muramasa frees him, allowing him to execute the three principal conspirators. Further Noble Council deaths are then attributed to him despite his denial. 74 80 83

He also frees Yan Si from the Maggot’s Nest, overcoming Urahara’s apparent resistance through Muramasa and an ice counterattack. Once outside, Yan Si asks him to consider what he wanted before taking the Kuchiki name, briefly turning his attention back toward the ordinary people he once protected rather than the approval of nobles. 82 83

Rebellion Against the Nobles

Kyōka breaks through to second-rank spiritual power, massacres nobles and their forces, and releases Bankai against Yoruichi. Muramasa persuades him to seek Ryūjin Jakka as the means to gain overwhelming power. 87 89

Yoruichi exposes the limits of his reliance on Zanpakutō mastery: Muramasa cannot extract her untrained Asauchi, while her Shunkō and speed overwhelm Kyōka’s direct attacks. Controlled swords from dead Shinigami protect him from her follow-up assault. 88

The upheaval contributes to a broader weakening of noble power. Alongside the actions of Chiziro Sochika and other concealed forces, Kyōka’s rebellion leaves the nobles less able to obstruct Yamamoto’s reforms and efforts to reclaim political authority. 105

Confrontation with Yamamoto

Yamamoto offers Kyōka a path back to service and eventual reinstatement, but Kyōka refuses to trust Soul Society after his betrayals. He chooses escape instead and is incapacitated while attempting to reach the Human World portal. 90

Yamamoto’s One Bone overwhelms both Kyōka and Muramasa, after which Yoruichi wraps Kyōka in the Spirit-Binding Coffin. As his Reishi stagnates and Muramasa disappears, Kyōka tries to expose Yan Si’s prediction of a future danger to Soul Society, but Yoruichi seals his mouth before he can complete the warning. 90

His rebellion ends in sealing by Yamamoto and Yoruichi. Ginrei secretly keeps him within the Kuchiki estate, where he spends decades conscious but confined and unable to escape through Muramasa’s intervention. 206 207

Hollowfication and Escape from the Kuchiki Estate

Aizen and Tōsen use Kyōka as a high-level Soul Jade subject, combining the artifact with the refined power of ten thousand Hollows. His resulting first-class Reiatsu and Hollow mask announce his release across Seireitei. 206

Byakuya confronts him as the family’s new head, acknowledging his original persecution while insisting that his subsequent murders still warrant confinement. Kyōka rejects the family crest’s authority and overwhelms Byakuya with his new defenses, speed, and Cero. His wife’s appeal prevents Byakuya’s death, but fifteen estate guards are killed and Hisana is endangered by his spiritual pressure. 207 208 209 216

Yamamoto deploys Yoruichi and the Zanpakutō-less Punishment Force to avoid Muramasa’s known ability. Kyōka defeats the force and gravely wounds Yoruichi, but retreats when fire from the Tsunayashiro estate leads him to suspect Yamamoto’s intervention and another concealed scheme. The flames actually originate from Enrakyōten rather than Ryūjin Jakka. 209 214

Cooperation with Aizen During the Visored Crisis

Aizen studies Kyōka alongside the newly Hollowfied Kensei and Kyunnan Shiro. Unlike those subjects, Kyōka’s Hollow power suppresses his Shinigami nature and prevents normal use of his Zanpakutō, although he retains his reasoning and personal identity. 220

With Seireitei’s captains occupied by the wider crisis, Aizen directs Kyōka’s hatred toward surviving Tsunayashiro members and other high-ranking nobles who allegedly orchestrated his framing. Kyōka chooses vengeance and leaves for Seireitei; the specific results of this renewed attack on the nobles are not established in the available account. 220

Aizen subsequently helps him adapt to his new powers, teaching him to preserve his reason and allow Muramasa and his mask to function together. Kyōka attempts to obtain Ryūjin Jakka again, but reports that Yamamoto has hidden it, leaving Muramasa unable to release the sword even after entering his inner world. 231

Battle on the Hill of the Twin Executions

Kyōka stands with Aizen and Tōsen when the Gotei 13 locates them. Zaraki selects him as an opponent out of excitement at fighting a Visored, and Kyōka dons his mask to meet the attack. Their first exchange reveals that Zaraki’s raw strength can resist his own, forcing Kyōka to reinforce his hands with Hierro before driving him back and cutting his chest. 231

Kyōka inflicts additional wounds and fires a Cero into Zaraki’s head, then prematurely turns away as though the battle is finished. Zaraki survives and wounds his left shoulder deeply enough to expose bone. Kyōka repairs the injury with High-Speed Regeneration, but becomes enraged when Zaraki suggests that he is afraid to continue. 231

He orders Muramasa to recall all of its dispersed power from the clouds over Seireitei. This strengthens his direct combat at the cost of releasing the rebellious Zanpakutō from its influence. Zaraki allows him to complete the recall, and the two clash with overwhelming purple and golden Reiatsu. Kyōka emerges with his mask almost completely shattered and his right shoulder nearly severed; his regeneration has slowed because of his depleted spiritual power. 231

When Kyōka attempts to withdraw, Senbonzakura blocks his route and forces him back. Byakuya confronts him, tells him to stop disgracing the Kuchiki name, and declares that he has already lost. Kyōka instead charges into the surrounding blades, sustaining cuts across his body as he presses forward until he reaches Byakuya. The available account does not establish the final outcome of their confrontation. 231 232

Notable Quotes

“Why can't you acknowledge me!” 85

“Is this what they call nobility? Mere trash.” 87

“You've grown so much.” 207

“Eliminate me?!” 207

“You're no match for me anymore.” 214

“Kill.” 220

“You don't even know your Zanpakutō's name, and you think you deserve to be a captain?” 231

“Muramasa, bring back all your power.” 231

“I haven't lost.” 232

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