Ryū Guard

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Ryū Guard
Name	Ryū Guard
Kanji	龍警備
Romanji	Ryū Keibi
Organizational Information
Leader(s)	Numerous: Part II: Kenji Hiroshi Part III: Kenji Hiroshi, Kusaka Kori Part IV: Kentaro Hiroshi, Kenji Hiroshi
Founder(s)	Kenji Hiroshi, Kusaka Kori
Headquarters	Numerous: Part II: Horiwari Part III: Horiwari, Heisekai, Kōhai Tochi Part IV: Reikai, World of the Living
Affiliation	Numerous: Part II & III:Ryū Order, Gotei 13 Part IV: Gotei 13
Purpose	Numerous: Part II: Kill Averian, destroy his army, and end the First Spiritual War. Part III: Kill Oda Kōhai and his Battle Dolls and prevent civil war in Heisekai. Part IV: Kill Averian's true body and his Espada and stop The Outsider's schemes.

The Ryū Guard (龍警備) was a specialized team put together by Kenji Hiroshi and Kusaka Kori with the sole goal of destroying Averian during the First Spiritual War. Following the supposed defeat of Averian the team remained active up through The Collapse with a number of changes.

The original team was active throughout the First Spiritual War and consisted of Kenji himself, Shinrei Kurosaki, Kaimen Kazuki and Sanada Shirono. These four often received aid from Van Satonaka and Kei Yume, who where Kenji's rival and mentor respectively. Tōshirō Hitsugaya and Shūsuke Amagai joined shortly after as full-fledged members active in the World of the Living. Certain members of the Visored, specifically Shinji Hirako, Lisa Yadōmaru and Hiyori Sarugaki would also join the group, even though they never considered themselves "official" members. Tadashi Kori, Shin Nagakura and Ryan Kuchiki would likewise operate on a similar basis and where often viewed as "liaisons" from the Gotei 13.

When Oda Kōhai resurfaced the team had undergone a number of changes over the intervening years. The most notable was the return of founding member Kusaka Kori, who became Kenji's partner once more when he regained his spiritual powers. The new generation of the Shiseiten, which consisted of Kentaro Hiroshi, Hawke Kori, Akiye and David Kori, where also members of the new line-up, and used by Kenji and Kusaka as the counterforce to Oda's Battle Dolls. The three Nishiki siblings, consisting of Tyrell Nishiki, Karis Nishiki and Kazuma Nishiki, where active in Heisekai, and reported directly to Kenji. Shigeru Yūdai and Maki Ichinose, who where posted in Kōhai Tochi respectively, where likewise regarded as members of the Ryū Guard.

Following The Collapse the team splintered. The younger members, headed by Kentaro Hiroshi, broke away to eventually form a new Gotei 13 to oppose Averian and his Espada. Kenji Hiroshi, joined by the older generation, withdrew into the shadows to hunt The Outsider, whom Kenji and Kei believed to be the mastermind of various incidents involving Averian. Both groups occasionally worked in tandem when the need arose, but getting each individual member together all at once was almost unprecedented.

Synopsis

Main article -- Bleach (Kenji Hiroshi).

Part II

Main article -- Bleach: War of the Worlds Part I.

Part III

Main article -- Bleach: War of the Worlds Part II.

Part IV

Main article -- Bleach: Cataclysm.

Membership

First Spiritual War

• Kenji Hiroshi (co-founder, leader)
• Kusaka Kori (co-founder)
• Shinrei Kurosaki
• Sanada Shirono
• Kaimen Kazuki
• Tōshirō Hitsugaya
• Shūsuke Amagai
• Shinji Hirako (unofficial)
• Lisa Yadōmaru (unofficial)
• Hiyori Sarugaki (unofficial)
• Tadashi Kori (unofficial)
• Shin Nagakura (unofficial)
• Ryan Kuchiki (unofficial)

Oda's Rebellion

• Kenji Hiroshi (co-founder, co-leader)
• Kusaka Kori (co-founder, co-leader)
• Kentaro Hiroshi
• Akiye
• Hawke Kori
• David Kori
• Tyrell Nishiki
• Karis Nishiki
• Kazuma Nishiki
• Ryan Kuchiki (unofficial)

Reikai Civil War

Kenji's team

• Kenji Hiroshi (co-founder, leader)
• Lisa Yadōmaru
• Tadashi Kori
• Shin Nagakura
• Tōshirō Hitsugaya (link between teams)
• Maki Ichinose

Kentaro's team

• Kentaro Hiroshi (leader)
• Akiye
• Hawke Kori
• David Kori
• Tōshirō Hitsugaya (link between teams)

Behind the scenes

• In the initial draft of the storyline Alma Shizuka served as the fourth original member of the Ryū Guard, with Shinrei, Kaimen and Sanada. Following the 2015 retcon however she was dropped and her place taken by Kenji himself, who became the group's active leader. Prior to that the team acted without oversight. Alma thus became a non-canon character. Certain aspects of her character where reused with Ayumi Satonaka however.

• The Ryū Guard existed in the original draft of the story but the group's origins where never explained or shown, with the sole exception being the presence of Van Satonaka, who often fought alongside Kenji against Averian. The 2015 retcon included the publishing of two chapters, Meeting of Swordmasters: Kenji vs. Sanada and Test of Resolve, which highlighted the recruitment of both Sanada Shirono and Kaimen Kazuki respectively, whilst showing Kusaka's involvement. Both of these chapters also showed that Shinrei, who had been rescued and informed of his parentage in Coincidental Meetings, had joined Kenji already.

• With the retcon the Ryū Guard essentially became the common link between a large number of the author's characters, with the membership changing as time passed in the story.