Soifon

Soifon (砕蜂, Suìfēng in the Pinyin transliteration of Mandarin Chinese, often romanized as Soi Fong after the Cantonese pronunciation) is the Commander-in-chief of the Onmitsukidō and the captain of the 2nd Division in the Gotei 13. Her lieutenant in the latter unit is Marechiyo Ōmaeda.

Appearance
Soifon is a relatively short and petite woman with black hair. She wears a traditional Shinigami Captain's uniform with a sleeveless haori and a yellow obi tied around her waist. Underneath her standard Shinigami captain's uniform, Soifon wears the uniform of the Commander-in-chief of the Onmitsukidō, which has no sleeves and doesn't cover the back, though she does wear long black arm bands. Her hair is worn short with two long braids bound in white cloth each ending in a large golden ring. 110 years ago, Soifon's hair was shoulder-length and had a softer look to it. Instead of wearing the standard Shinigami sandals with tabi, she wears traditional Chinese shoes with ordinary white socks.

Personality
Soifon is staunchly loyal, firm, and unbending in her beliefs. She is a hard worker and takes a strong moral stance — she particularly believes in following orders. She is generally reserved and truly not arrogant in any manner like her lieutenant, though she is not above mocking/joking around with her opponents or smirking while in combat, a trait also seen in her predicessor. She will not hesitate in the slightest to strike down even her subordinates if they stand in her way. She chooses to ignore all her subordinates, including her lieutenant Ōmaeda, believing that personal struggle builds character. Soifon, like most female Shinigami, is a member of the Shinigami Women's Association.

Soifon likes fish, but dislikes meat. She also seems to be quite obsessed with Yoruichi, and often spends her free time dreaming about the days when they fought together and practiced Shunpō. In a Valentine's Day omake, she even tried to give her a heart shaped box of chocolates with little success and she seems to love anything that resembles a black cat, which is Yoruichi's alternate form, and she has a large collection of black cat shaped merchandise. In one of the Shinigami Golden Cup chapters, Soifon is given a black cat plushie by Matsumoto, who has just returned from a mission in the real world. It is also known that since Yoruichi's reappearance, she began to collect cat accessories and had the 2nd Division quarters installed with floor-heating (the expenses were covered by her lieutenant). Soifon once seems to be affectionately admiring pictures of Yoruichi. Later, as part of the photo collecting project of the Shinigami Woman's Association she attempts to take nude photos of Yoruichi while she is distracted but fails miserably. When the Shinigami Women's Association is tasked with designing a new cellphone for Shinigami ladies, she submits a design featuring a black cat's head with a bee body (the cat representing Yoruichi and the bee representing herself), with a private line that would allow her to talk to Yoruichi as much as she wanted. The request was denied. When Yamamoto commands the Gotei 13 Captains to design a Shinigami video game, Soifon proposed a game with her and Yoruichi as the protagonists. Her lieutenant, Ōmaeda, tells her plainly that she is the only person who will play such a game. Soifon's name means broken (or rather, to break) bee and the name of her Zanpakutō, Suzumebachi, means hornet.

Soifon is a person of incredible resolve, not hesitating to do whatever it takes to complete a mission and defeat her enemy; an example of this can be seen during her battle with the Segunda Espada, after being exposed to an attack she orders her Lieutenant to remove her arm without hesitation. Very rarely will Soifon show signs of desperation or emotion on the battlefield, except when it concerns her former master. Despite her cold demeanor and constant attack towards her Lieutenant, she has displayed a certain level of faith in him (trusting him to act as a distraction while she carries out a plan). Her stubborn attitude is so great that even now she still seems to hold a degree of dislike for Kisuke Urahara be it because Yoruichi used to tease her about him, or she found his lazy demeanor undisciplined or that she still blames him for her mentor's abandonment over one hundred years previously. This is shown when she asks Hachigen Ushōda to place the shop owner in a barrier for a month in exchange for using her Bankai a second time in one day.

History
Soifon was born Shaolin Fon (蜂 梢綾, Feng Shaolin in the Pinyin transliteration of Mandarin Chinese) into the Fon house, one of the lower noble houses affiliated with the Shihōin noble house. She was in the 9th Generation of her family and as the youngest of six siblings she joined the Executive Militia of the Onmitsukidō as was tradition in her family. Upon joining the militia, she dropped her given name Shaolin Fon, and inherited the code name that her great-grandmother used, Soifon. Out of her five older siblings, two died on the first mission, then two more on the second. The last one died on the sixth mission.

7 years after she joined the the Executive Militia, she was transferred to the militia's corps-commanders, Yoruichi Shihōins personal guards. Yoruichi took the young Soifon under her wing as her protégée, and they developed a close relationship.

110 years ago, Soifon, in her capacity as a head of the guard, was highly protective of Yoruichi and her honor. She had a short temper when it came to Kisuke Urahara and Yoruichi's intention of putting him up for promotion to be the new captain of the 12th division. She saw his carefree attitude as him being lazy and bad at his job. Soifon confronts Yoruichi, concerned that she is overestimating Urahara's capabilities. She proceeds to explain that she believes it was a mistake to even appoint him as Corps Commander of the Detention Unit and goes on to say that he is undeserving of such a position. While Yoruichi readily admits to the fact that Urahara is not really a hard worker, she dismisses Soifon's criticisms and playfully insinuates that her focus on him must have romantic connotations, though Soifon denies it entirely and stalks off. After spending the day following Urahara around Soul Society while taking notes, she returns to the 2nd Division barracks to show Yoruichi her evidence of Urahara's lack of competence in his position. Soifon arrives to find Urahara already there talking with Yoruichi. Soifon is then told that Urahara will be taking the captain proficiency exam, to which she stands in disbelief. Yoruichi confirms it and further asks that Soifon attend the exam as well. Yoruichi explains that normally only captains are allowed to attend but that she has asked special permission to allow Soifon to attend. Soifon is at first confused about why she should attend but Yoruichi tells her there is no need to keep secrets as she knows Soifon is attracted to Urahara. Soifon denies this, so Yoruichi explains that she knows all about how Soifon having followed him around all day. Soifon admits that she was following Urahara around, but tells her it was to prove that he is lazy, incompetent, and not worthy of Yoruichi's praise. Soifon hands her note to Yoruichi, who reads them and comments on how detailed they are, when Urahara doesn't deny any of the information in the report Soifon is shocked that he would be so truthful to his seemingly unprofessional actions. Yoruichi unsurprised quips that Urahara never changes as well as praising Soifon for her intelligence gathering skills. At first Soifon was happy until she realized that Yoruichi regarded the notes not as intelligence information but rather as a love letter. Soifon is reasonably distressed and Yoruichi laughs it off and tells her to loosen up as she wasn't serious. They are then interrupted by the arrival of a squad member who delivers the message that the people Urahara has been looking for has been found, though Soifon comments on if he doesn't return in time that it will put a strain of the 2nd Divisions reputation as well as Yoruichi. To which Yoruichi simply dismisses tell Urahara to hurry off to his duty and telling Soifon to come along to help prepare for his the captain's proficiency test. She follows Urahara and his men to a remote area where Shinigami defectors are hiding and watches as Urahara enters the building by himself. She then bears witness to his advanced spiritual pressure and is amazed to find he single handily defeated all the defectors with only Hakuda.

A day or so after Urahara takes over the 12th Division, Yoruichi is told by a Onmitsukidō member that Urahara has entered into the Detention Unit property with claims that he was previously given approval to be there. Yoruichi can't seem to recall when or even if he asked for permission or whether she granted it, but when asked if she would have him removed seeing as she can't recall she nonchalantly tells her division members to not bother and to allow him to go where he likes. When asked if she has remembered the incident in question, Yoruichi plainly says no. Soifon becomes distressed and prepares to voice her disapproval, Yoruichi tells her to calm down as its Kisuke they are talking about, stating he must have had an idea of some kind.

9 years later when Yoruichi leaves Soul Society to help her exiled friend Urahara, she abandoned all of her titles. Soifon felt betrayed by Yoruichi's abandonment and the circumstances surrounding them. As a result, she trained herself in order to surpass Yoruichi and take the titles she abandoned. She ultimately unified the Onmitsukidō as well as the Punishment Force after Yoruichi disappeared.

Plot
Needs to be added.

Equipment
Ginjōhan (銀条反, Stripe of Inverted Silver): A steel sash worn under armor, its contributing weight makes it harder for the wearer to move fast. The tremendous recoil produced by using her Bankai requires that Soifon be anchored to a nearby stationary object via this cloth-like material.

Powers & Abilities
Master Hand-to-Hand Combatant: As the leader of the Onmitsukidō, she is required to be highly proficient in hand-to-hand combat, which she had been training in ever since she first joined the Onmitsukidō. She is most likely the most proficient hand-to-hand combatant in all of Soul Society, being able to fight evenly, and gain the upper hand, against her mentor Yoruichi Shihōin. She can sufficiently block and attack others and is hard to actively lay a hand on unless she allows it.

Great Spiritual Power: As the Captain of the 2nd Division, she boasts a great amount of spiritual energy.

Master Assassin: As the Commander-in-Chief of the Onmitsukidō, Soifon is is one of the foremost masters in the art of assassination. She is known to be skillful in staying hidden. Using Flash Steps, she has disabled the opponents without them being able to see her, as she did while catching the arrows of one of the Dark Ones in battle. She also used this ability to sneak up on Aizen and temporarily capture him before he escaped to Hueco Mundo. She has studied all the disciplines of the punishment force since she was a child, including poison. Because of this, over the years she has developed a resistance to nearly every poison there is.

Enhanced Strength: Soifon is strong enough to take on bigger opponents despite her smaller stature. Easily overcoming those four times her size. She has shown herself capable of lifting large slabs of concrete debris that she was buried under with little or no effort.

Enhanced Durability: Soifon is highly durable, able sustain being kicked into buildings with enough force to go through walls and bring whole sections down on top of her while attaining no apparent injury. She even survived having her left arm cut off, and still remained active to engage in battle.

Flash Steps Master: As the leader of the Onmitsukidō, she is also required to be highly proficient in Flash Steps. She has been shown to almost keep up with her mentor Yoruichi Shihōin, being able to hit her once with the Nigeki Kessatsu, but not getting a chance to do so again as Yoruichi was faster. She actively uses her mastery of Shunpo techniques and is highly proficient in evasion in close quarters as well as from a distance. Thus making hitting her almost impossible if not for the most advanced combatant. Her movements are noticeably so fast that few would be likely to see an attack take place. It has also been noted by Suzemebachi that her Shunpo is the fastest of all Soul Society (excluding Yoruichi).
 * Clones: Soifon is able to create at least 15 clones of herself at once using Shunpo, similar in principle to Zommari Leroux's Gemelos Sonído. While they are indistinguishable from her true self and mimic her movements, they do not seem to last long.
 * Utsusemi (空蝉; Cicada): Way of Onmitsu, 3rd of the Shiho. It allows for a movement at great, sudden speed, leaving at least one tangible after-image behind.

Master Swordsmanship Specialist: Soifon is masterful in swordsmanship, usually only employing her Zanpakutō when she faces a opponent with a drawn weapon. She is unique in that her fighting style is different from traditional styles. Soifon holds the blade horizontally with the it alongside her arm in a reverse grip, using the blade like a large dagger with it pointed backwards towards the bottom of her gripping hand. All strikes are made by sweeping the arm forward as though throwing a punch while whipping the blade forward away from the arm quickly in a broad arc. She is quite adept at blocking with the blade in this manner as well. She also fights in the normal style masterfully, given to being proficient in two variations of sword fighting.

Master Strategist & Tactician: As Commander of the Secret Mobile Corps and Captain of the 2nd Division, Soifon has shown herself to be a capable leader. Repeatedly through the series, Soifon has shown to be insightful and crafty, quickly capable of understanding any situation that presents itself and adjust to it effectively. Soifon has shown an innate skill to determine what actions should be taken in battle. The tactics she employs are based on subterfuge and confusion. She has shown to be adept in putting her opponents into a false sense of security and allowing them to underestimate her abilities. A common tactic of hers is to gauge the opponent's strengths and weaknesses in the middle of combat.

Kidō Expert: As Captain of the 2nd Division and the Commander-in-Chief of the Onmitsukidō Soifon is well versed in art of Kidō, though she prefers to use Shunpo and hand-to-hand fighting techniques. She is experienced enough that she is able to mix it with other hand-to-hand combat techniques.


 * Shunkō (瞬閧, Flash Cry): An advanced technique that combines hand-to-hand combat and Kidō. She fights by surrounding her back and arms with pressurized Kidō. The keisen uniform has no back or sleeves because they will rip apart when the technique is activated. What is known of it so far is that it can allow her to instantly neutralize an opponent's movement. Soifon's version of the technique is new to her and incomplete, its use of compressed Kidō is not visibly seen. She can use the technique to greater degree later on, using it to block a devastating lighting blast as well as dissipate it and then to block a a blade attack as well as push it back with only her bare hand with only the energy of the technique as a barrier despite the strength of the wielder. She has shown that she can focus the technique's pressurized Kidō onto specific areas of her body to make the protection exceedingly more concentrated.

Zanpakutō
Suzumebachi (雀蜂, Hornet): In its sealed form, it resembles a wakizashi with a yellow hilt reminiscent of a Chinese dao. It is kept sheathed horizontally behind Soifon's lower back hanging by a rope.
 * Shikai: triggered by the command "Sting all Enemies to Death" (尽敵螫殺, Jinteki Shakusetsu) . Grasping onto Suzumebachi with her right hand, the entire sword will glow white and shrink in size. When the emitted glow dies out, it is revealed that Suzumebachi has now taken on the form of a black and gold gauntlet that has a small chain linking it to a stinger-like blade on Soifon's middle finger. The "stinger" is about twice as long as the normal length of Soifon's fingers, slightly increasing her striking distance. The colors and pattern of the Shikai resemble those of a hornet, fitting for the Zanpakutō's name. In this form, Suzumebachi is still capable of withstanding an opponent's sword attacks, as Soifon can block incoming attacks with the "stinger" and gauntlet portions.
 * Shikai Special Ability:
 * Nigeki Kessatsu (弐撃決殺, death in two steps) As its first step, Soifon stabs her enemy with Suzumebachi’s blade. Not only leaving a rather deep wound, the attack leaves a butterfly-shaped stamp on the user’s body. Spreading from the center of the wound, known as Hōmonka (蜂紋華, hornet's crest), this stamp becomes the target of Soifon’s second attack. If struck in this same spot that was hit the first time, the person will inevitably die and thus illustrate "Death in Two Steps." When the ability takes effect, a larger crest quickly spreads out from the two smaller ones, completely destroying the victim's body. The crests are maintained by Soifon's will and are impossible to remove unless she wills it; when Yoruichi was still in charge of the Onmitsukidō, Soifon could only maintain the crests for half an hour. The mechanics behind Suzumebachi's ability takes effect not through point of entry but rather point of actual surface contact. This ability is caused by a venom that Suzumebachi secretes. When it enters the target's body, it spreads throughout their body in a matter of minutes, if not seconds, destroying it without a trace. The effect of the poison takes slightly longer to work for those who have enhanced spiritual power.
 * Counter-Poison: Soifon can use the same venom that Suzumebachi secretes for Nigeki Kessatsu as a counter-poison by stabbing herself.


 * Bankai: Jakuhō Raikōben (雀蜂雷公鞭, Hornet Thunder Whip): Its appearance is that of a protective armor that encases Soifon's entire right arm and comes all the way above her shoulder to form a face shield that she uses to cover the right side of her face. The casing comes off and reveals a weapon with the similar make of a missile attached to a base. Before she activated her Bankai, Soifon wrapped a heavy metal sash (Ginjōhan) around the building she stood on, in preparation for the attack's massive recoil and the resulting powerful explosion. She uses her Bankai so rarely that it has remained largely unseen by the members of Soul Society; even her own Lieutenant comments on having never seen it before. Soifon explains that she would prefer not to use her Bankai. She believes that it offends her pride as a Covert Ops agent, as "It's too large to hide, too heavy to move, and its attack is too flashy for assassination."
 * Bankai Special Ability: Being a ranged weapon of the artillery sort, Jakuhō Raikōben has the ability to launch the missile attached to its base. To do so, Soifon must first raise and aim the huge missile, using the slits present in her face guard to be able to see while doing so. Once targeted, small fins extend from numerous points along the missile, before it is fired. After a successful hit, the missile creates a powerful and massive explosion. The burst of explosive energy after the detonation is powerful enough to not only blow away Soifon and her lieutenant, but also rip the steel sash she was tied with, despite both of them being a long distance away from the explosion. Soifon is capable of firing more than one missile at the same level of power. This attack has a normal limit of firing no more than one missile every three days; doing so more often taxes her noticeably.