I. Personal Information

First Name: Kichiro
Last Name: Yoshi
Alias(es): You Dolt!
Gender: Male
Age: 180
Birthday: April 22
Sexuality: Heterosexual
Reiryoku Colour: Blue

II. Gotei XIII Information

Division: 8
Seat: Unseated

III. Appearance

Height: 6 ft. 4 in.
Weight: 160 lbs.
Hair: Dark Purple
Eyes: Dark Purple
Tattoo/scars: None
General Appearance:

Kichiro Yoshi is a young man who stands at six feet four inches tall and is one hundred sixty pounds. He has long, purple hair, which ends up braided in the back into a ponytail with a thin white ribbon, and finally a set of long bangs covering his forehead in front. His dark purple eyes are sincere and serious, but give off a lazy appearance based on how his eyelids are generally half closed. His nose is not bulbous or oblong, yet rather more rounded and his cheeks and face are neither oblong or bulbous either, they are only slightly rounded. He has a rather sharp chin and no facial hair other than the hair growing on the top of his head.

His neck is long, but not really thick and he has a set of slopped shoulders rather than broad ones. It is hard to see his muscles, but he has no bugling muscles, scars, or body parts that are too obtrusive anywhere on him. Thus making him appear as a thin, lanky person.

On a normal basis Kichiro wears a Shihakushō on and off duty. On a normal basis he wears a white fundoshi loincloth, a dark purple kosode with a white colored shitagi underneath, and a purple hakama over the main parts of his body. He also wears a set of black waraji sandal as well. Covering all this clothing, with a purple kosode is against the normal regulations probably, but he does not like the color black, so he refuses to wear the regular standard. He also sticks out because he wears a long white sash, and a nice white obi to match.

IV. Personality

Personality:

Kichiro is the strong silent type, or he at least appears this way. He does not trust easily in the people around him, including his own sword's spirit. He is working on this though for himself so that he may become a better person overall. He understands ultimately that people have to rely on each other at some point, so rather than sit around and wait he at least accepts the presence of people to a small extent. He is not a crybaby, and generally humble, but will sometimes break the rules forced upon him and the other squads.

He likes a good fight due to what happened in his past due to his killing of his own father, mother, and the second death of his father as a hollow. He puts his most trust after these incidents in a Shinigami named Ryuuji who retired from the eighth division after he properly joined it. He does not like to visit him though due to the fact he felt the rather young Shinigami retired early.

He spends most of his nights watching the eighth division barracks and hunting hollows due to his desire to get stronger for the above mentioned people so he nor anyone else can repeat the mistakes in the past he did. He feels quite relieved when he saves children and other people and watches them smile for he does not do that often himself. His memories are often filled with bad thoughts of the past, which he tries to keep suppressed from others by interacting as necessary and no more.

This is the rather simple cookie cutter life of Kichiro Yoshi. It looks much like a disaster when you combine his background and history, but it is who he is. Nothing more can be said for a Shinigami who wields a sword with a crow spirit, except that appearances can be deceiving. Behind his rather bland exterior is someone who has killed in the past as a means of self defense and has regretted this since then.

Likes:

Kichiro likes to walk in the rain and in forests. For some reason, they remind him of his mother and the tears he shed when he and his father were made to move into the mountains outside Akibahara on her whim, something he did not know until later. Even though he had a slight hatred towards her he liked the fact he was able to find somone like Ryuuji to stop his heart from killing her. Although it was not technically against the Sereitei rules, he would often hunt hollows in the area of Akibahara rather slowly just to get chances to watch women wander around who looked like his mother. The Gotei 13 found out and had him reassigned to barrack quite frequently to separate his soul from the living desires of lust. They did not want him to become a lecher of sorts like Shunsui. Yes, even the most stern looking man can hide some secrets and his like of certain women was one of these. Although, he also had other interests, which included playing checkers, eating warm soup and drinking a caffeinated drink called cocoa. Though these interests have been relatively few in number some people have tried to become his friend with limited success. He usually takes a liking though to people who wish to cross swords and get stronger.

Dislikes:

He does not like it when people play tricks on each other. He also does not like it when he is woken up from the naps he likes to take. He hates tomatoes also and a lot of other kinds of healthy, green foods. When it comes to friendships he feels he does not need too many and thus dislikes it when some people constantly put themselves forward as trying to be another person's friend when they clearly are not really friend material. Honesty is a must in his book as well as peace and quiet, as he hates the brash kind of loudmouths the world has.

Motivations:

Kichiro is motivated by his will to live; although, he may not understand how he wants to live yet he will not let anyone take away his dreams until he has at least tried to go for them himself. He sees his "sensei" Ryuuji Senryu has a savior and benefactor in his life, and because he retired early Kichiro feels motivated to pay him back and become as strong as he possibly can. One other thing he is motivated to do is find a rival so that he may grow stronger quickly and not feel as un-encouraged as in the past when he could not use his legs. He hopes to use his new found strength to eliminate as many hollows as possible.

Fears:

He is scared of cats, cars, and the occasional super strong type of opponent. Although these frighten him he brandishes his will against them. The first two fears he has are quite random but his fear of strong opponents has ties to his history, likes, and dislikes. Cameras and giant mobs of people chasing him also scare him. He is afraid of these because he has genuine good looks and normally wants to be left alone unless he engages himself with people. It could also stem from the practical aspect that he could get crushed by them or have information put out on him that is completely false. Kichiro likes to be honest mostly, so he fears what any sort of dishonesty could do to him and his image.

V. Zanpakutō Spirit Information

Zanpakutō First Name: Ue
Zanpakutō Last Name: Karasu
Zanpakutō Element: None
Zanpakutō Type: Kido
Zanpakutō Personality:

Ue is a quiet spirit who strikes out with ferocity only if the people she sees are about to do things she considers stupid, such as attacking without a good reason, talking badly to others, or breaking the law. Of course, in these regards, neither she nor her owner acts a as stickler for the rules of the Sereitei. That is ironic since they like to protect them, which indicates of their highly fence sitter like personalities. The phrase, "I do not like to do anything unless I have to." is an objective statement in their life.

More often than not Ue will sit around with Kichiro and read books since they cannot bring themselves to do real tasks. She considers reading as one of the few other activities spirits can do besides fighting because Zanpakutō spirits end up more dead than their Shinigami counterparts. They are, after all, just souls shaped in the form of inanimate swords. As such, she does not like her owner bothering her, unless he wants to fight since he regularly calls her out for that reason alone. She rarely smiles, but when she does one knows said Zapakutō spirit is happy due to how infrequently she does.

Although, if he or anyone else does bother her, though it takes her a while before she will go around reprimanding someone. She knows she can isolate herself quite easily, especially within her owner's inner world and will end up going back there if manifested with no purpose in mind. It is all a part of her "I will not do anything unless I have to attitude."

When teamed up with Kichiro on the battlefield though, and actually in the mood to work, Ue's power becomes manifested in her user's Zanpakutō to the extent that it changes their personalities. Ue will always start off in acting as meek and quiet stated above, but when Kichiro releases her power to turn her into her Shikai form she gains a rather taunting and seditious in her tone of voice and actions. She will begin to catcall her opponents and point out their weaknesses until they go into a blind rage and start to fight Kichiro, even if they may not have wanted to.

At first, when used, the cuts given by her in her sealed form and this form will seem weak, but swift reflecting upon her weak personality. Yet once released from these constraints in her Bankai form Ue will eventually bring about the true force of her owner Kichiro, which is to slay those who step into their path with a notion to fight. As he fights, she will constantly nag him about the huge amount of power she now possesses in this final form in an effect to get him to really use it. Sometimes, he will, but other times she still has to coax him occasionally to get him to use it. Perhaps, the overall budding theme of her personality versus is that neither the owner nor sword gets along with the other nor trusts them due to their bickering.

One of her favorite catchphrases towards him is “You Dolt!” and therefore everyone calls him a dolt who can see the spirit he possesses within his blade since she calls him that on a regular basis. Many, who can see her also sense that Ue’s presence around him may be too strong of an influence on him and have considered destroying her. She is nice and generally bearable in her sealed state, but quite a few of the higher-ranking officers have been reluctant to teach him how to use Shikai or Bankai due to what he could potentially do with her in her other forms. She is not necessarily a danger, but a simply a risk on the battlefield.

Zanpakutō Appearance:

Ue Karasu's Spirit Form Human and Beast:

Ue Karasu takes the form of a woman who stands at five feet five inches tall, and who weighs around one hundred thirty pounds. She has a rather lean appearance, but is of a normal height to weight ratio, therefore she has no bulging muscles nor much in term of body fat hanging from her body. Ue stands out as a very threatening spirit, despite her size. This is due to how she has an extremely pasty skin tone, chin length light green hair with long bangs, which looks to be light grey or white, and a stern set of blue gray eyes. Thus making her seem like a ghost oftentimes.

At all times, she wears an aqua kimono whose sleeves end up cut off at the shoulder to reveal her shoulders underneath. Anyway, around her neck, there dangles white furry tassels, and on her feet are a set of pure white geta sandals. The thing that stands out most with her appearance is obi on her waist, which is a large blue gray ribbon with ball and white flower designs on it.

As a fierce fighting spirit, she carries with her own katana, but only uses it to train in Kichiro's mind or threaten people when necessary. This katana has a pink and black design with a white line going down the scabbard. In all appearances, one would say it is a normal katana, about twenty three and a half inches in length, and no more than five pounds, but to her it is the will she imposes on people, and thus like all other parts of a spirit comes from Reiryoku and really does not have these physical properties to an extent.

Her crow form is but a secondary appearance she can take on and she switches between it and her human form as she needs to. It is more simple than her other form in that she looks like any regular black crow, except with red eyes and a grey beak. In this form, she's not too tall either standing at about two feet in height and weighing no more than twenty four pounds.

VI. Inner World

Inner World Appearance:


The inner world of Kichiro is a large green forest of deciduous trees and many ponds. These are the kinds of trees one would find on the coast of a marine climate. The reason he has this kind of inner world is because it reminds him of his mother whom he never got to really know her due to history of having separated from him at an early age to work in Edo as a waitress. She made the promise with him to meet up, if she ever collected enough money. Unfortunately, Kichiro died before this ever became possible. So he now wanders this inner world of his mind trying to remember her and often gets lost in its large understory due to it. The only living thing in the forest is Ue Karasu who can be found perched on the tallest trees, or walking around the forest in her human form, occasionally with an umbrella. Rain is a frequent issue in the forest due to how often Kichiro cries over never having been able to understand his mother, and this rain that falls in the forest is meant to represent the tears he has for her.

VII. Zanpakutō Sealed Form

Zanpakutō Appearance:


Kichiro's Zanpakutō is a sword whose sealed state has two primary colors, gold and black. The sword is twenty six inches long and weighs three pounds. It is semi-light for a Zanpakutō, and therefore, has some trouble occasionally when it collides with other swords. The hilt is entirely black, except for the gold attached piece at the bottom whose design reminds one of a butterfly maybe, but is really just a cut open geometric design allowing one to see the black part of the hilt underneath. Overall, this part of the sword is 8 inches long.

The guard of the sword is a solid gold oval which is about half an inch across in all directions. The blade which is black on one side and and gray along the jagged cutting edge designed on it, is eighteen inches long. Perhaps, causing the entire length of the sword to be deceiving. All in All the scabbard is solid black with a few solid gold attachments, most of these are patterned off the design on the end of the hilt.

VIII. History

History:

A boy named Kichiro Yoshi, born one hundred eighty years ago, began his way into the world under the guidance of two watchful parents. Their names were Asuka and Nobu Yoshi and they lived near the Mitsuke city gate in Akibahara, Edo. The two of them were the proudest parents there could ever be and they were beholden to the standing of the lower middle class. Both worked respectively as a server and a fishmonger in Akibahara's marketplace where many merchants sold their wares and lesser-known samurai lived. They were optimistic for their son Kichiro, so they took it upon themselves not to gamble, drink, or party around him too much. They even bought a nice one-story house for the entire family. Kichiro lived a normal and peaceful life with them until the age of eight.

On Kichiro's eighth birthday, Nobu thought it would be good to make him sashimi as a surprise, so he did. Yet when Kichiro went to eat it, he suffered food poisoning and contracted Arthralgia from eating raw fish. This caused him so much joint pain in his legs he was unable to stand and walk anymore. Due to how serious Kichiro's illness became, Asuka and Nobu thought it best to call in the local priest. He came, but nothing within his abilities was able to identify and cure Kichiro. Asuka and Nobu worked overtime to repay the priest for his help, yet the expenses were so many Asuka and Nobu had a falling out.

Asuka said to Nobu one night, "I shall stay here and Edo and work three times more than before to get the treatment Kichiro needs. You must take Kichiro into the mountains of Hokkaido and if he does not heal within three years kill him and return to Edo. Perhaps, if I am lucky, in time I shall get the attention of the emperor's priests who may heal him."

Nobu listened to her words and whisked their son away to hide in a small one story wood shack. He hid up in the mountains and tried all kinds of herbal remedies on his son, but none seemed to work for him. He did this exactly for three years until he could stand it no longer. He bought himself a katana and told his son he had become a samurai. Kichiro did not believe him because the boy was not dumb. He knew how frustrated his mother and father were at him for being ill and worthless to them, but he could not figure out what he should do for himself. His father and mother had constantly fed him different things in order to make him better, but he knew he was a lost cause.

One night, Nobu brought out his katana and drew the blade. He walked over to Kichiro, while he was sleeping, and Kichiro proceeded to wake up just before the terrible blade came down on his head. Fortunately, for Kichiro, Nobu stopped his hand due to the fact he was scared to kill his own son. Kichiro crawled over to his legs and used the weight of his upper body to knock Nobu over. He had used his upper body a lot because he had become bored that he was unable to walk for the last few years. The man fell and Kichiro grabbed the blade from him after a few minutes of wrestling with him. Eventually, he managed to get over top of him stabbed Nobu in the heart to kill him. Before Nobu died though he revealed Kichiro's mother was living in Edo in order to become the emperor's mistress. There he told him she was trying to win his favor so that the emperor could then send out priests to heal Kichiro, and that he was under orders to kill him from his mother and return to Edo if things went badly healing him.

Kichiro was so angry with himself for his father for trying to kill him and at himself for having to kill his own father; he decided to try to return to Edo since his mother was there. It took him three years to get back there due to the loss of his legs and his inability to figure out where the place was, but he managed to thanks to the help of a few farmers here and there who assisted him since he was nothing but a poor beggar. He was lucky since most people would have probably killed him, and had strong reason to since he could not do any major lifting, carrying, physical activities normal men were capable of most of the time. Kichiro though made himself useful by sowing things instead, which is why many more were willing to take him in after a while. It was hard to come by people with good sowing skills and he made sure he was one of these people by making clothes to cover ones' face and body in the cold months.

Eventually he returned to Edo and when he got there, he heard rumors about a famous mistress named Asuka who was one of the concubines of the emperor. Expecting this might somehow be his mother he went into the palace using his beggar's ruse, saying he was seeking the emperor's help to heal his injuries, and was a famous tailor. The people outside let him in on extremely reluctant grounds, and he split away from the guards who watched him as they escorted him in. With a bit of exploration in mind, came face to face with his mother in her personal chamber. There she instantly recognized him as her former son and shook with rage only wondering what could have happened to Nobu who was not with him.

"He's failed,” she uttered thinking that only the worst was true.

To which Kichiro responded, "Yes, father failed, and you became a pig. You promised to help me, at least that's what father revealed before he died by my hand."

"Are you here to kill me then? If so, then you best hurry the guards may come." Asuka responded.

"I know I'm only doing this because you broke your promise..." Kichiro would reply.

It was a hard thing to do, but Kichiro pulled out a knife he used for cutting threads and killed his mother. Thus ending her life, and next, soon his own when the guards finally caught word someone had gotten into the palace under false pretense through the front gate. Before they could imprison him, he took the knife and stabbed himself in the stomach, dying on the spot.

--

When he woke up, he found himself standing next to his dead body and group a of guards gathered around trying to quickly take his body and his mother's away from the spot they had fallen. What was odd was that when he looked at himself he noticed a long chain coming out of his chest connected to the dead body.

His mother was standing next to him and she wondered "What is going on..." whereas he kept silent and watched them carry their bodies away, fully knowing both of them had died.

The sound of footsteps were heard behind them but then a man with black hair and black eyes wearing a set of black robes appeared before the two of them. "What-what is going on here?" his mother repeated, "I died, but I can..."

The man covered her mother and then looked up. A large black dog creature with a skeleton mask was drooling before them its saliva quickly dripping down onto the palace floor. The man drew a sword Kichiro noticed on his belt and quickly slew the monster in one blow. Its body then erupted into a blob of black mass before disappearing

"You two have caused quite the trouble... Both of you dying at the same time have attracted too many hollows at once here," the man stated. "This is but the first of many that will come if you stick around here... It's fortunate you died on a sacred ground, but that just makes even more work for me," the man stated as he quickly sheathed his sword.

Neither knew what he spoke of, yet Kichiro felt like he could trust this man. His mother Asuka did not, she was grit her teeth at him and wanted to shout her head off at him for being so violent in front of them. She had no clue what was going on, but if this was a joke of the imperial court, she wished not to be involved in it. As she still wondered in her mind if she died.

Almost like a psychic, the man sensed her feelings, turned to her, and said, "I ought to take you to the other side. You are indeed dead, but a huge liability. Your feelings, they are weak and if you stay out much longer, you will become like the creature I just slew. A creature called a hollow, a creature who was not just any hollow, but your husband."

Kichiro took in this information and could understand where this man was coming from. He had heard of vengeful spirits a few times in his life, but never expected his father to be one. He had gone to his grave happily or so he had thought, perhaps, his father had come back to finish the job he had not finished? Well, if he had, it was too late for that, Kichiro had killed himself, and yet, it seemed spirits could still attack people like him.

The black robed man looked sternly from Kichiro's mother to him, his eyes locked on the chains on their chests. He noticed that Asuka's had gotten much longer than Kichiro's and realized there were might feelings of animosity towards her son. He had been assigned to find them, a mother, son, and father who had fallen on hard times and would all be dead soon or later. He had not found the father until right now, and the other two had died just moments ago, so what could he do? Could he save them both? He decided to try.

"I'm going to give you some advice, I can offer you protection. We are going to go through a quick ritual here, which will let you pass on. That is, if you wish." the man stated as he pulled out his sword again.

Asuka’s eyes widened as he pulled out the sword again. She did not want to have him use it again on herself, or anyone else. This man was just too scary.

The man smiled at her and said as he stepped over to her, "I can tell by the way you look at me that you are quite scared over what I might do. Your son though has been absolutely quiet during this whole conversation though. Why don't I ease your worries then by telling you what I am. For I am a Shinigami, deity that only wants the best for the both of you." He lifted up the bottom part of the sword to show the flat bottom of the hilt. "Here, I on this end of my sword is a special mark with it, when I press it against you, I have the ability to send one to the world beyond, the Sereitei. But only if you wish. I want to know you and your son's decision right now though because we may not have time."

Asuka brought her to her lips and said, "My son and I, we have never been on good terms... I have wanted him dead every since he got ill. Please, let me live, and give my son, Kichiro, the option to go with you. I would like to cut all bonds with him if I could since I failed him as a mother."

The man nodded and looked at the dark purple eyed boy. He could see a fierceness in his eyes that had since changed due to the strange Shinigami's arrival. "Mr. Shinigami, my mother is right, I have felt hated by her and my father since I lost use of my legs. It is the only thing that would explain why I was separated from her for three years. If you could, please, take me away from her, but give her life back." the boy stated.

The man noticed that had clenched his fists at his sides and was not looking at anyone else but him. He walked over to Kichiro and smiled before saying, "Okay, I think I know where to take you. But you need to follow my every word once I do." He proceeded to press his sword's hilt against the boy's head and released his spiritual pressure. A field of white light enveloped Kichiro and in an instant he disappeared. "My name is Kariba Tatsumoto. When you find the time, ask around the place you shall end up at for the nearest gate to the Sereitei from the people in the Rukongai. I will come when the time is right, but please do not get into any trouble."

These are the words Kichiro heard before he disappeared from the world he had lived in. As he left though, he caught glimpse of the man turning around towards his mother. He still had things to do with her it seemed an this would be the last he ever saw of her. It didn't really eat at him, but only because he knew she had not cared for him as much as he hoped. Death was to be a new beginning.

--

When he arrived in the other world of the Sereitei he landed in one of the upper districts of the Rukongai, North District 3 to be exact. Kichiro spoke with some of the polite people there and they told him of a gate just south of them where he could indeed meet the kind of person he ended describing to them, people in black robes, or Shinigami. Walking there on his own two feet directly he never got a sense of the many districts behind him or what kind of world he was now in. He was nearly fully indoctrinated into the Sereitei and its teachings by the man who rescued him, Ryuuji Senryu. It was due to this man, he decided to become a member of the Eighth Division that he told Kichiro about when he came to greet him at the gate and that he would let him become a Shinigami only because he saw some small potential in him to do so. He made him go take the Shin'ō Academy entrance test and made him train as a Shinigami for the next six years there.

Unfortunately, it took Kichiro another year after this to join the Eighth Division due to hastily made paper work when he arrived. As a member of the Eighth Division, he spent the next sixty nine years learning how to guard the barracks since Eighth Division members were not normally requested to go to the world of the living often. By the time he finally got the chance to return back to the world of the living his mother was already dead and his past was gone. Still, for some reason it pained him that he had never gotten to really properly grow up with her or his father.

Kichiro spent the next ninety years serving in the Eighth Division until his benefactor Ryuuji decided to retire suddenly while still in his prime. The man simply told Kichiro it was time for him to go do other things. Kichiro did not understand entirely what he meant, but thinking back on it half the time Kichiro noted his duties were protecting his Division's barrack and the other half of the time he spent his days saving pluses from hollows. Ultimately, was there any meaning in their existence? Perhaps, this is what he would have to find out since Ryuuji did not want to continue with this kind of life. Since that time, a few months ago, Kichiro has been hanging around his barracks wondering what he could do with himself.

IX. Other

RP Sample:

On a windy hill, where Sōkyoku stands, a young man with long purple hair sat on the edge of the cliff that dropped off into cobbled streets of the Sereitei below. His purple eyes shifted to the streets below and he could see black dots walking within the walls of the Sereitei. People were clearly on duty, and despite where he was and what he was doing he too was also on duty. He had recently been assigned by the Captain Commander a very important role.

"Guard the cricking Sōkyoku with your life or things will be very bad for you and the squad." his commander Kyōraku-sempai had ordered him. He told him he could go ahead and drink or do whatever he wanted around the enormous execution halberd as long as he did not break it or cut off his own head.

Kichiro was not that stupid to go ahead and falter on the job that badly, but he was sure others in his squad could. He had not told the captain their names, since he wanted no partners for this task to be dragged along with him, so he had simply told the captain, "You can count on me," in the stupidest voice imaginable. It had worked and thus Kichiro was enjoying his day watching people move around the Sereitei while he kept his sword on hand underneath his obi.

The only reason he had been chosen for this job was that they needed an extra man while the regular staff in charge of the halberd cleaned it. Apparently, it was going to be used for yet another execution. Something not normally done on a regular basis. He did not know who was going to get their head chopped off by the dangerous blade or who was being stabbed in the heart, but he figured it was someone dangerous enough to grant usage of the weapon.

Kichiro sighed as his thoughts turned to a question that had worried him for a while. "Why was Soul Society so readily prepared to kill those that went against it?" He understood the place brought justice upon souls and balanced the various worlds out that were in existence, yet for some he knew they were offered a continued chance at life. One such person had been his mother and he could not understand it. Why were Soul Reapers so individualistic in terms of who they brought to the Sereitei and its military establishment? Perhaps, Kichiro would never know. Although, it continued to bug him greatly as he sat for the rest of the day underneath the society's most famous weapon.

Face Claim: Hajime Saitou of Hakuouki Shinsengumi Kitan

I know this is WIP but everyone starts unseated unless given a higher rank from the site opener freebies, which all slots are filled.

Finished.

You forgot to finish your fears.

And a RP sample

I'll get on that. Where's everybody been to tell me this?