Many fascinating characters populate Bleach, some of them downright supernatural. Those such as Yasutora "Chad" Sado and Orihime Inoue are simply humans with supernatural gifts, but Soul Reapers and monstrous Hollows are another matter entirely. Captain Mayuri Kurotsuchi of Squad 12 has a particularly strange physical form.
Soul Reapers live much longer than humans, giving them a rather different perspective on life. Mayuri took things a few steps further with his cunning scientific endeavors, however, and became a truly one-of-a-kind Soul Reaper in the Bleach world. What makes him so unusual among his Soul Reaper peers? Even the other Captains don't know all Mayuri's secrets, but savvy viewers might.
Mayuri Kurotsuchi's Built-In Weapons & Enhancements
As a true scientist, Mayuri is always looking for new concepts to explore and new ways to enhance his physical abilities. To that end he's extensively modified his own body, demonstrating this greatly in the middle of Bleach's Soul Society arc. His arms can detach roughly at the elbow, extending a great distance while staying connected to his body with a cable. Mayuri tried to seize Orihime from afar in this way, until Uryu fought back and forced him to back off.
The clever scientist can detach these arms if they are badly damaged. He can also draw a small scythe from his ears and throw it around, keeping it connected to his body with a cord. Frankly, Mayuri Kurotuschi is almost like Inspector Gadget.
Mayuri Kurotsuchi's Strange Fingernails
Mayuri isn't the most fashionable person in Bleach, but he did make his fingernails look rather unusual and distinct, possibly to intimidate his foes. These nails are also rather short, not even covering his entire fingertips. If a real person's nails were that short, they would probably visit the hospital -- but Mayuri doesn't seen to mind. Oddly, his right middle finger's nail is much longer, like a stinger, and it may be a mirror of his shikai, Ashisogi Jizo. That shikai is often used to stab and paralyze Mayuri's enemies.
Mayuri Kurotsuchi's Face Paint, Hair & Teeth
Captain Mayuri Kurotsuchi made himself look rather scary, almost like a twisted clown or mime. This may have been to have a psychological effect on his enemies. Naturally, he has lightly tanned skin, messy blue hair, gold eyes and an otherwise ordinary physique, as seen when he got out of the bath near the end of Bleach's Soul Society arc. However, Mayuri presents himself very differently in public, diligently applying black and white face paint in different patterns and putting on strange hats and headpieces.
Mayuri wipes off the face paint before going to bed, though, to avoid messes. He also tends to keep his teeth bared while fighting, drawing his lips back to reveal his tall, yellow teeth. With such a unique (and terrifying) expression, it's a wonder he can speak clearly.
Mayuri Kurotsuchi's Inadequate Reflexes & Physical Conditioning
All Soul Reapers in Bleach are trained with the sword, with Captains such as Byakuya Kuchiki and Kenpachi Zaraki usually among the deadliest and most skilled of all. However, by his own admission, Mayuri is below average at swordplay since he spends far more time in his research lab than the practice hall. He lacked the skills to fight the likes of Captain Toshiro Hitsugaya, so he found a solution.
Mayuri made up for his poor reflexes by adding a sensor to his sealed zanpakuto, allowing it to sense and automatically block Toshiro's sword strikes during the Thousand-Year Blood War Arc (a Sternritter was controlling Toshiro). Without that enhancement, Mayuri would have quickly fallen due to his poor reflexes, but his enhanced sword kept him safe. Ideally, none of Mayuri's enemies will ever learn of this weakness.
Mayuri Kurotsuchi's Last Resort: His Ooze Form
Captain Kurotsuchi would much rather not use this emergency option, but if he must, he will. During his fight with the Quincy Uryu Ishida, Mayuri used his bankai only to suffer a grievous injury from Uryu's ultimate attack. He couldn't keep fighting, so he stabbed his own neck with his blade -- and exploded into a green, gory mess. Uryu was shocked to see Mayuri melting into a faceless ooze, but the Captain was actually quite safe in this form.
Mayuri cannot receive or deal any damage in this state, though he could still speak with a disembodied voice to explain all this to Uryu and taunt him one last time. He then oozed into cracks in the ground and vanished, making his way back to his lab to reconstitute himself later. Though he was reborn, he lacked his face paint, clothes and hat.