Shūhei Hisagi

Shūhei Hisagi (檜佐木 修兵, Hisagi Shūhei) was the former lieutenant of the 9th Division, formerly under Captain Kaname Tōsen and is now the captain of the Ninth Division himself.

Appearance
Shūhei Hisagi is a tall and lean-built man with short black hair and three scars straight over his eye that lead down to his right cheek (gained during a past Hollow attack). He also has the number "69" tattooed on his left cheek (inspired by Kensei Muguruma, who saved him from a Hollow when he was young), as well as a blue-striped tattoo running across his left cheek and over the bridge of his nose. He wears a choker around his throat and matching armbands on both upper arms. These have explosive properties as seen in his fight with Findor Carias. Hisagi wears a sleeveless Shinigami robe, and has his lieutenant insignia tied to his left arm. Back when he asked Tosen to remove him as a seated officer, he wore a Shinigami robe with sleeves and did not have the blue-striped tattoo.

Personality
Hisagi is an extremely mature and calm individual, a state that is slightly at odds with his somewhat punk-like appearance. He usually takes responsibility and tends to avoid violence when possible. He seems to be virtuous, much like his captain's image; Their views often coincide until it is revealed that Kaname Tōsen is a subordinate of Sōsuke Aizen. He is often seen in the company of the 3rd Division lieutenant, Izuru Kira. He comes from the lower class, but when he is pressed for cash, he is ready to rely on any free food source available, including one provided by someone as obtuse and snotty as 2nd Division Lieutenant Marechiyo Ōmaeda.

Hisagi has stated that he does not like the shape of his Zanpakutō's Shikai release, as it looks like something meant to "reap life itself". He also fears his sword's power, because to him, it is something of a sign of respect to battle for justice as well as a testament to the true strength of one's character, this philosophy is taught to him by his former captain, given the latter's "follow the path with the least bloodshed" creed, indicating a reasonable closeness between the two. It also seems that while battling, he becomes a darker person and seeks fear in his enemy while in battle.

In the absence of Tōsen, not only does the leadership of his division weigh on him, but also the chief editorial position of Seireitei Communication. In what little free time he has, he likes to practice on a guitar that he found on one of his missions to the human world and brought back to Soul Society. As members of his division find his practice annoying, he tends to do it in the mountains of Rukongai. He receives proper guidance at last in the handling of the instrument from Yasutora Sado after the Ryoka invasion. He dreams of starting a band. He has a new serial article running in Seireitei Communication, titled "Please Teach Me! Shūhei Sensei!!", but it hasn't managed to get popular yet. It is also known that he cooks well and his favorite food is Vienna sausage, while he dislikes sea urchins.

History
Approximately 100 years before the current story line, a young Hisagi and several of his playmates fell prey to a Hollow attack in Rukongai. Luckily, it wasn't long until they were saved by Kensei Muguruma and the 9th Division. After defeating the Hollow, Kensei attempted to cheer Hisagi up (albeit with a slightly scary, demanding manner) and asked his name. This was when Hisagi saw Kensei's "69" tattoo on his chest and acquired the inspiration to get the same tattoo on his cheek.

Hisagi was already a famous Shinigami even before becoming a seated officer. He began taking missions with the Gotei 13 when he was still a student of the Shinigami Academy. During his last year of study, Hisagi and two of his classmates, Kanisawa and Aoga, were assigned to lead a field lesson on performing the Konsō with Freshman Class One, the class which Renji Abarai, Izuru Kira, and Momo Hinamori were members of. All went well until the end of the lesson, when a group of Huge Hollows took the class by surprise. As both Kanisawa and Aoga were killed, Hisagi ordered all the freshmen to run and tried to fend off the hollows himself until help arrived. However, he was quickly overpowered, and if Renji, Izuru, and Momo hadn't turned back to help, he could easily have died then and there. Fortunately, back-up arrived in the forms of Captain Aizen and his then Lieutenant, Gin Ichimaru. The scars on Hisagi’s face were acquired in that incident. Kira mentioned that Hisagi failed the entrance exam for the academy twice. However, his talent allowed him to become a seated officer in the Gotei 13 without having to pass additional tests in the end.

Shortly after attaining his position as lieutenant of the 9th Division he asked Tōsen to meet him in a secluded area of Soul Society. Upon his arrival Hisagi asked that Tōsen remove him from his position as during field practice he couldn't effectively battle as he was scared. He explained that he has done similar drills in the real world and notes that his injured right eye was a direct result of one of those drills. He tells Tōsen that ever since then he cannot settle himself every time he unsheathes his blade. Tōsen tells him that his feelings of fear are the very reason he should strive to become a seated officer, as power shouldn't matter to a soldier but knowing his own limitations should. It is Hisagi's fear that allows him to hold his blade for those who share the same fear. Tōsen further explains that a man that does not fear his own blade has no business removing it from his sheath. He tells Hisagi that if the thought of engaging an opponent on the battlefield truly terrifies him to his very core then he is a true soldier and within in his possession he has something that is priceless.

Equipment
Explosive Bands: The bands on Hisagi's neck and arms possess explosive properties. By removing them, he can use them to produce blinding explosions that expel a large amount of smoke.

Powers & Abilities
Expert Swordsmanship Specialist: Reluctant of his Zanpakutō's Shikai form, Hisagi has trained to become especially skilled at swordsmanship so he wouldn't have to rely on it. He has shown to be very crafty with his Zanpakutō as his skills are great enough to regularly fight opponents with released Zanpakutō while his remains sealed, only relying on his own Zanpakutō's released form as a last resort. When Hisagi does release his Zanpakutō, he has shown to be highly proficient in its use, using his mastery of a variation of Kusarigamajutsu (which features fighting at a distance with substantial usage of the chains to ensnare opponents, as well as using his Zanpakutō as a long-ranged, throwing weapon).

Flash Steps Expert: Hisagi is proficient enough in flash steps to keep up with lieutenant-level Shinigami. His skill allows him to move fast enough to dodge a vast majority of multiple Bala blasts that are fired at him.

Expert Hand-to-Hand Combatant: Hisagi has also shown himself to be a highly proficient fighter even when unarmed. During the Bount Invasion, Hisagi demonstrated great skill by incapacitating several possessed Shinigami. In battle, he has shown himself to be tremendously agile and is able to attack from various angles with great dexterity.

Kidō Expert: Hisagi, having been a Shinigami for a long time, seems to be well-versed enough in Kidō to have an understanding of at least fairly high-level Kidō spells without incantation, most noticeably Binding No. 62. He has been seen using them in conjunction with his released Zanpakutō to deliver more damage to his opponents.

Enhanced Durability: Hisagi possesses a high level of resilience and stamina, evidenced by his ability to take heavy damage from Ayon, and be able to fight and ultimately defeat his former captain, despite receiving further grievous injuries.

High Spiritual Power: Being a captain of the Gotei 13, Hisagi also boasts a high spiritual energy.

Zanpakutō
Kazeshini (風死, Wind Death): In its sealed form, Hisagi's sword looks like a regular katana with an octangular tsuba. Hisagi has been seen carrying his Zanpakutō both at his waist and on his back.
 * Shikai: Kazeshini's Shikai command is "Reap" (刈れ, kare). When released, it takes the form of two Kusarigama-like weapons, each with two sickle blades, with one inverted, giving it the resemblance of a pinwheel. The blades are connected to a spiked rod tethered together by a long chain. While in Shikai form, Kazeshini can be swung by its chains in large circles, allowing the bladed portion to spin like a fan. Kazeshini can also be used for entangling an opponent's sword, or other weapons; It can even immobilize opponents. Although he dislikes the shape of his weapon, he is extremely proficient in wielding them; He uses them as projectiles and controls them at range by moving its chains, making Kazeshini's paths unpredictable.
 * Bankai: Not Yet Revealed.