In Bleach, Soul Reapers are the black-robed, sword-slinging custodians of dead souls, led by 13 Captains. One of these is Captain Kaname Tosen, the commander of Squad 9. His battle philosophy includes general pacifism whenever possible, and ending an actual fight with bloodless methods. He dislikes fighting, by his own word, but he is a skilled combatant who will shed much blood if his code of justice calls for it. All this is accomplished with his zanpakuto, Suzumushi ("Bell Bug").

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 The Sensory Zanpakuto

kaname tosen bleach

Captain Kaname Tosen's zanpakuto is generally shaped like a katana, but with some unique designs on the handle and hand guard. It has an orange hand guard to match Tosen's cravat, and the tsuba (hand guard) has a teardrop shape, including a ring on the end of the point. Otherwise, Suzumushi can be used as an ordinary zanpakuto, and Tosen can fight even the strongest enemies on par with it, at least for a short time. Tosen believes that if he doesn't have to draw Suzumushi at all, then true justice has been met.

If combat is unavoidable, then Tosen's idea of justice will shift accordingly, and he can activate either or both of Suzumushi's shikai modes. He first demonstrated these in the Soul Society arc against Uryu and Kenpachi, and against Kenpachi, he used the shikai ability called Benihiko. After declaring "Cry, Suzumushi" to activate shikai, Tosen can use Benihiko by swinging the blade in a wide circle, leaving afterimages. Those hundreds of afterimages will harden into real blades and rain on the opponent in a storm.

If Tosen wants a bloodless victory, he can use his shikai's other ability after declaring "Cry, Suzumushi" to overwhelm the enemy's senses. This nameless ability will cause Suzumushi to vibrate rapidly and at just the right frequency to overload the enemy's senses. Once that takes effect, the enemy will pass out, and they can be captured. Tosen used this ability to capture a battle-worn Uru Ishida without harming him further.

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Turning The Tables With Bankai

tosen bankai bleach

Tosen doesn't like having to go this far to defeat his enemies, but if he must, he can wield bankai and fight the enemy on unusual terms. He will declare "Bankai: Suzumushi Tsuishiki: Enma Korogi," and the ring on his zanpakuto's hand guard will expand and rotate. Suzumushi will then create a bulbous black tent of sorts, which envelops the entire battlefield to trap Tosen's enemy inside with him. In this zone, the enemy's senses are completely disabled, especially sight and sound, and thus they are fighting totally blind. Tosen, despite being blind, can easily detect his enemies, and his bankai will not affect his own senses at all.

In this zone, Tosen can easily approach his enemies from any angle and strike them with his zanpakuto, dealing grievous injuries while avoid the enemy's blind counterattacks. In theory, he could defeat practically any opponent in this manner, but the enemy's sense of pain is still present and can be used. Kenpachi was indeed blinded by this bankai, but he realized that if Tosen stabs him, then he can sense Tosen and find him. Kenpachi allowed himself to get stabbed yet again, and he seized Tosen's zanpakuto's hilt to regain his senses. At the expense of taking an injury, Kenpachi dealt a heavy blow in return, and the sheer trauma caused Tosen to lose control of his bankai, which fell apart. As such, Tosen must act quickly to defeat his enemy in a decisive manner before they can counter with a method similar to Kenpachi's.

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