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Shinrei Kurosaki
Riesprofilenew
Kanji 心霊黒崎
Characteristics
Race Soul
Gender Male
Professional Status
Affiliation Kenji Hiroshi
Previous Affiliation Ryū Order
Occupation Shinigami
Team Grat cell
Previous Team Ryū Guard
Partner Numerous:
Previous Partner Numerous:
Base of Operations Grat
Personal Status
Marital Status Single
Education Numerous:
Family Numerous:
Clan(s) Shiba clan
Status Active
Zanpakutō
Shikai Raikōisan
Bankai Raiden

Shinrei Kurosaki (心霊黒崎), known occasionally by the alias Ries Nohr (リースも), and alternatively as Shinrei Hiroshi and Shinrei Shiba, is the son of Kenji Hiroshi and Eri Kurosaki, though Kenji was initially unaware of his existence. He is the eldest of Kenji's six children and counts Arisa, Kentaro, Hotaru, Akira and Kay as his siblings. Through his father he is a member of the noble Shiba clan and through his mother he is a distant relative of a family with a long and distinguished Quincy lineage. Shinrei himself is not a Quincy however and instead counts himself as a Visored; one of the few Shinigami who have crossed over into the realm of their mortal enemies and gained Hollow-like abilities. Shinrei owes his status to a joint experiment carried out by Bansui Amatsuki and Kagura, and only the unexpected intervention of Kenji prevented Shinrei succumbing to Soul Suicide.

From Part II onward Shinrei serves as a supporting character in the series who is often seen in the company of Kenji, and in many ways replaces Kazuma Nishiki as Kenji's protege. As a core member of the Ryū Guard he fought throughout the First Spiritual War against Averian's premier Battle Doll, often at the forefront right alongside his father and Van Satonaka. When his father and Van successfully employed an archaic and highly dangerous ritual to fuse their bodies into a single entity referred to as Shiba Satonaka, it was Shinrei who fought Averian one-on-one to buy the duo the time they needed to execute it. Per the beginning of Part III Shinrei remained a supporting character whose sheer strength rivalled that of Kenji and Kusaka, with many believing that he would one day enter into a league all his own. Despite this he did not help in the battles against the returned Averian or Arturo Plateado, instead acting as a check on the growing power of the criminal Kikkashō organisation.

Just before the advent of The Collapse and the beginning of Part IV, Shinrei was tasked by his father to keep an eye on Garrett Sheppard and Tiffany Henderson, as the latter possessed the same Zanpakutō as Shinrei himself, whilst the former was the son of a former Shinigami Captain whom the Kikkashō had begun to show considerable interest in. It was Shinrei, acting under the persona of Ries and inhabiting a specialised Gigai, who prevented The Collapse utterly destroying Grat, though he lost his memories as a result and believed himself to be Ries. He subsequently joined Garrett and his friends in safeguarding the surrounding area from spiritual threats, whilst also developing a fierce rivalry with Garrett.

Shinrei eventually regained his memories and opted to remain in Grat with his new friends. Garrett once joked that he had become the "muscle" of the Grat cell of Onmitsu.

Appearance[]

Shinrei, in the guise of Ries, utilized a specially-made Gigai with an appearance different to his natural look.[1] Ries is a wiry young man with long silver-coloured hair he usually keeps tied up in a tight ponytail, and sports a black tribal-like tattoo on his right cheek. He is partial towards loose-fitting jackets and padded trousers, complimented by a silver chain necklace and chain belt.[2] When training Ries dons a personalized white-coloured gi that echoes the style worn by Aaron and Garrett Sheppard, which sports a heavier cotton jacket and reinforced trousers similar to the gi worn in Brazilian jiu-jitsu.[3] His true appearance however is slightly different; he does not sport long hair, nor does he sport a facial tattoo. In his spirit form Shinrei foregoes traditional Shinigami attire in favour of a pair of black trousers and stout leather boots, with his upper body exposed to the elements.[4] His shoulders, lower back, and right arm are adorned in tribal tattoos with a loose Celtic-themed motif, and he sports piercings on his left ear.[1] In terms of facial structure his Soul form differs enough from his Gigai appearance that even Kentaro and Sanada failed to recognize that Ries was, in fact, Shinrei. The Gigai is noted to appear older and more mature, whilst Shinrei's Soul form looks younger by comparison.

Personality[]

Shinrei pissed off

Shinrei furious over his family being attacked.

Shinrei is more like Ino than any of Kenji's other children despite the fact that he spends far more time with Kenji than he does with her, and is unrelated to Ino by blood.[5] Unlike Kentaro he is polite and straightforward,[2] he is quiet and reserved in comparison to the excitable twins,[6] and he dotes on his two sisters; specifically Kay,[1] and it is with her whom Shinrei shares his deepest bond.[7] Kentaro's desire to confirm Shinrei's ultimate fate was to lay Kay's heart to rest.[8] Shinrei considers a threat against his family a threat against himself and often responds with excessive degrees of violence in response, even if the threat was in jest and delivered by his father's friends.[9] It was shown that he extended the same courtesy to Van Satonaka, for Shinrei saw the man as family; specifically an uncle.[10] He would later extend the same over-the-top protectiveness to his newfound friends, which was a trait he continued to exhibit even after suffering amnesia.[11]

Kenji and Shinrei

Shinrei was one of the few to see through Kenji's impostor.

In the beginning Shinrei's disguise as Ries was simply physical to fool Tiffany, for she had little experience of Shinrei's personality but had seen his face,[12] and also knew his name.[13] As such much of the personality Ries demonstrated before suffering genuine amnesia where Shinrei's actual traits. As Ries he demonstrated a sharp intuition and battlefield sense, and trained Garrett without the latter truly realising it, by building a rivalry with him that forced him to develop at a quicker pace.[3] His keen observation ensured that when Kenji's impostor appeared, Shinrei was one of the first targeted, for he was one of a very short list that saw through the deception.[14]

Shinrei is in possession of a do-or-die attitude and does not hesitate to throw himself headlong into danger, even if he should be facing superior opposition.[10] This trait continued to be dominant even when he suffered genuine amnesia, and was especially prevalent when he fought alongside or against Garrett.[15] He flung everything he had at the destructive out-pour caused by The Collapse without the slightest hint of fear or a seconds hesitation, and likewise demonstrated complete faith in his own strength.[7] It was only when he suffered amnesia that Shinrei began to exhibit signs of self-doubt and hesitation,[16] though he was quickly brought out of his downward spiral by the spirit of his Zanpakutō who helped him regain his memories.[4]

His amnesia did cause some minor changes to his attitude when he did eventually regain his memories. He not only developed an interest in gambling,[11] but he also became more cocky and confrontational and often goaded Garrett into a fight, though the pair demonstrated remarkable synergy when they did actually work together.[15] He also developed an interest in formula one racing, though its not exactly clear whether this occurred before or after his amnesia, though the claim that his taste-buds are essentially dead -- thanks to Ino's poor cooking -- is true.[17] He also professed to like movies but again its unclear if this was feigned interest or genuine.[18] Ironically the changes he underwent after recovering his memories served to make Shinrei quite similar to his father.

History[]

Shinrei was born the son of Kenji Hiroshi and Eri Kurosaki, though he was abandoned by Eri to protect him from those who pursued her, and was captured as a result. Shinrei grew up in the Rukongai unaware of his parentage and without a name. Despite his mother's actions he was soon captured as well, though by who remained a mystery. He was subjected to experimentation involving Hollowfication and let loose on the Soul Society, where destiny intervened. His father Kenji, who was unknowing of the relationship, encountered his son wrecking havoc, and proceeded to transport him back to Horiwari, where Kenji successfully treated him. Once there Kenji discovered Shinrei's parentage and resolved to look after the child; naming him Shinrei. Shinrei became a member of the Ryū Order and began to shadow his father.[19]

Despite his youth Shinrei's potential was deemed by Maki Zhijun to be boundless, and was subsequently trained by Kenji, Kusaka and Maki. He was already approaching the power Kenji himself possessed when the First Spiritual War began, and fought alongside his father, Sanada Shirono, Kaimen Kazuki and Van Satonaka in some of the harshest conflicts of the war. In one battle he personally held off Averian in a one-on-one battle to allow his father and Van to fuse, resulting in the Arrancar's temporary defeat.[10]

Riesbeatslloyd

Shinrei once defeated Lloyd in an unsanctioned street fight, though he does not remember fighting him.

Shinrei seemingly drew on his own real-life experiences when crafting himself the Ries persona. A year prior to this event Shinrei, like Hawke Kori, was involved in a number of unsanctioned fighting events in the World of the Living, though he avoided meeting Hawke's friends.[2] At a street-fighting event he encountered Lloyd and defeated him with swift ease.[3] When Shinrei appeared later as Ries he claimed that he could only remember the week previously, which was around the time that Kenji and Kusaka gave him the mission to safeguard Garrett Sheppard and Tiffany Henderson from the Kikkashō.[13] Shinrei did not recognize Lloyd when he integrated himself into Garrett's group, suggesting his claims of amnesia to be genuine; though, in truth, he merely used it to his advantage.[18]

Shinrei would befriend Rōjin, with the two being described as thick-as-thieves. The relationship soured however when Shinrei learned that Rōjin was in-league with Kagura; one of the men responsible for Shinrei's Hollowfication. The two fought with Shinrei seemingly killing Rōjin.[7]

Synopsis[]

Main article -- Bleach (Kenji Hiroshi).

Part II[]

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

Prelude to War arc[]

Making a Stand arc[]

Final Clash arc[]

Part III[]

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

Impostor arc[]

Second Coming of Averian arc[]

Blank period[]

Part IV[]

Main article -- Bleach: Cataclysm.

Investigating Grat arc[]

Peri-Collapse Events[]

Rising arc[]

Equipment[]

  • Gigai: Shinrei's Gigai, which is essential to his Ries persona, was specially crafted by Kenji and Kusaka so that Shinrei could befriend Garrett and company without arousing the suspicion of the Kikkashō,[13] or Tiffany who had met him previously.[12] Whilst it mimics the body of a Human perfectly, the Gigai has been enhanced so that Shinrei does not need to reveal his Shinigami form to protect himself or others (though he can remove himself from it effortlessly).[1] The Gigai allows him to use some measure of his spiritual abilities, including limited access to his Shikai, without revealing his true form.[7] Following The Collapse, which saw Shinrei genuinely lose his memories, he embraced the Ries persona, with him forgetting that he exists in a fake body.[20] Upon regaining his memories Shinrei continued using his Gigai but would leave it for battle.[4]

Powers and Abilities[]

"The hell is this reiatsu!? Christ! I hope its friendly."
—Garrett remarking on the sheer strength of Shinrei's reiatsu.[src]

Devastating Spiritual Energy: Shinrei is a remarkably powerful Shinigami despite his young age; one capable of standing toe-to-toe with Averian's primary body in a one-on-one situation.[10] Just prior to The Collapse the mere exertion of his reiatsu was enough to destroy countless Hollow, and frighten the likes of Garrett and Tiffany.[1] Kusaka also stated that Shinrei should be contacted to protect Garrett and Tiffany from the Kikkashō; this infers that his strength is significant.[13] He proved to be the only individual with sufficient power to counteract The Collapse. This puts Shinrei's unrestrained power at a level higher than Kenji and Kusaka, as neither could actually stop The Collapse, despite their best attempts.[20] Even restricted by his specialised Gigai, which drastically limited access to his spiritual abilities, Shinrei was still slightly more powerful than a Captain-class fighter of Rōjin's calibre.[7] His control over his reiatsu is masterful. Even when restrained he was capable of expending his reiatsu as a potent shock-wave during his battle with Randy, breaking the larger man's grip effortlessly.[2] Like his father Shinrei's reiatsu is electrically charged, and manifests as powerful electrical discharges.[14]

Stealth Mastery: Although he was abysmal in the beginning on account of his reiatsu being uncontrolled, Shinrei eventually gained a reputation for sneaking up on people undetected both visually and spiritually.[21] Averian later admitted that Shinrei was the sole member of the Ryū Order who was capable of spying on him without being detected.[22] He later claimed that he owed his considerable skills to Rōjin.[7]

Zanjutsu Mastery: Even as a child Shinrei was a remarkable swordsman. He was capable of contending with Averian long enough to buy time for Kenji and Van to use the Fusion Technique.[10] He was also fit to completely dominate Ichihara Kōhai in their brief battle, someone who is himself a master swordsman.[23] His superior skills enabled him to effortlessly clash with Rōjin; to the point he pointed out that he could have killed Rōjin "six-times over by now".[7] Like his father Shinrei is described as a "blade", whether he is armed or not. He has demonstrated the ability to electrically charge his hands to create makeshift blades with an edge sharp enough to cut the limbs off several Soulless and casually punch through skin and bone.[15]

Kidō: Shinrei is a practitioner of Van and his father's Nigendō style, which he used to stabilise Lloyd and Randy Jones.[10] He is capable of employing Kidō with impressive power even whilst inside his Gigai.[2] His sheer strength, coupled with his Bankai, enabled him to repulse the destructive force of The Collapse over Grat;[7] a feat not even Kenji or Kusaka showed fit to replicate.[20] His skill extends to standard medical applications as well, with his expertise enabling him to quickly mend the neck injury Shinrei inflicted upon Randy during their match.[2]

Hohō Mastery: Shinrei's speed in his Shinigami body allowed him to keep pace with and react to the attacks of Averian, which indicated that his speed was comparable to Kenji and Van at this time.[10] He was likewise capable of completely outpacing Ichihara, where he also demonstrated the speed required to employ tag-team attacks with his father.[23] He later demonstrated complete mastery of the technique; he was notably fit to completely outpace someone of Rōjin's superb skill, who was described as one of Anika Shihōin's best students.[7] Even his standard movements without Shunpo enhancement are incredible. Shinrei, even whilst restrained by his Gigai, was able to avoid Randy's power-focused attacks in the latter stages of their fight,[2] and even match the quickly growing Garrett.[15]

  • Hikarakuyō (飛花落葉, "Blossoms Fall and Leaves Scatter"): a Shunpo technique which is exclusively utilised by Shinigami.[24] Shinrei, even when restricted by his Gigai, is capable of creating a number of persistent after-images that are capable of not only following and mimicking his own movements, but branching off to attack numerous targets.[3]

Hakuda Mastery: Like his father Shinrei is described as a "blade". Whether he's armed or not he retains a fighting style indicative of a swordsman, and can electrically charge his hands to create makeshift blades with excessive cutting and penetrative power.[15] During his stint as Ries, Shinrei demonstrated a potent hybrid style, and identified himself as a mixed-martial artist.[2] Even though he prefers Zanjutsu over Hakuda his skills are highly advanced. Shinrei spars regularly with Garrett and, during his amnesia, the two where more-or-less evenly matched.[3]

Enhanced Strength: Shinrei's restrained strength is still excessive. He possessed enough strength to snap Randy's neck with a single kick,[2] can casually throw a charging Hollow over his shoulder,[1] and plunge his hand into the stomach of a Kikkashō agent with remarkable ease.[15] In his Shinigami body Shinrei's strength is backed by his powerful reiatsu. Even as a child he was fit to temporarily match the likes of the real Averian.[10]

Zanpakutō[]

"What I'm sensing right now doesn't even feel like spiritual pressure!"
Lloyd describing Shinrei's Bankai.[src]

Raikōisan (雷光 遺産, Lightning Inheritance). Shinrei, in the same manner as Tōshirō Hitsugaya and Sōjirō Kusaka, wields the same Zanpakutō as Tiffany Henderson.[12] His Zanpakutō takes the form of a nodachi with grey-coloured hilt wrapping and a square-shaped guard missing its four corners.[1] Raikōisan is male and when he appeared before Shinrei to help restore his memories he took the appearance of Shinrei's spiritual body.[4]

Inazumashikai

Shinrei's released Zanpakutō in its initial form.

  • Shikai: Shinrei, like Tiffany, releases his Zanpakutō with the command "Let Loose". This is followed by his Zanpakutō producing a wild electrical current that burns on contact with opposition.[1] Its appearance is identical to Kenji's old Aoi Inazuma; specifically straight-edged dual-blades with two jutte-like prongs near the base and tip that appear like fangs.[25] Through usage of the command "Let Loose and Collapse All Creation", Shinrei releases Raikōisan into an enhanced form.[4]
Shikai Special Abilities: Raikōisan is capable of adopting an enhanced state through use of the verbal command "Collapse, Raikōisan" once it has already been released,[1] or through the command "Let Loose and Collapse All Creation" when sealed.[26] This command electrically charges not only the Zanpakutō itself but also electrically charges Shinrei's body, with the blades themselves joining together at the base of the hilts to form a long double-bladed weapon.[4] The enhanced state of Raikōisan enhances Shinrei's already potent physical and spiritual parameters.
  • Limited Gigai Access: During his stint as Ries he demonstrated the ability to access the powers of his Shikai without actually leaving his Gigai,[14] which was first believed by Garrett and his friends to be simple lighting manipulation of the kind favoured by Kenji.[1] He can even access some of Raikōisan's enhanced powers, for he frequently covers his hands in lightning to create makeshift blades.[15]
  • Enhanced Kidō: Whilst a trait initially demonstrated by Tiffany during the Second Battle of Grat, Shinrei has taken this specific ability further. Tiffany can only augment Kidō spells with a lightning or electrical nature, whilst Shinrei can enhance any spell with power funnelled from either his Shikai or Bankai.[7]
  • Bankai: Raiden (雷電, Thunder and Lightning). Shinrei's Bankai produces an immediate effect on the weather, producing powerful storms over the entirety of Grat.[4] The spiritual power of Raiden is so massive that Lloyd -- a Quincy highly sensitive to reiatsu -- remarked that Shinrei's power didn't even feel like reiatsu.[7]
Bankai Special Ability: Shinrei's Bankai allows him to deftly control the storm it summons, to the point he can still it with a mere hand gesture.[4] He can target individuals with lethal precision; a single bolt of lightning possesses the destructive power to kill Captain-class Shinigami with one strike. With its power Shinrei brought the Second Battle of Grat to a sudden halt and secured victory against the Kikkashō-backed-Imawashī invaders in one master-stroke.[7]

Hollowfication[]

Shinrei's Hollowfication was the result of the experiments carried out by Bansui and Kagura in an attempt to recreate the research of Sōsuke Aizen. Whilst successful the experiment produced the same flawed state as Aizen's attempts did, which left Shinrei on the verge of Soul Suicide.[19] Only Kenji's expertise on the subject enabled him to pull through and become a Visored.[27] Unlike Kentaro, who consistently pushed his limits in regards to his own Hollowfication, Shinrei opts instead to fight as a Shinigami. As such he rarely actually uses his Hollow powers, even when faced with the outpouring of energy caused by The Collapse.[20]

  • Power Augmentation: The original intent behind Hollowfication was to bring about an enhanced being whose power alone was greater than either a Shinigami or Hollow would be capable of reaching on their own.[28] With his mask donned Shinrei experiences heightened ceilings of power, whilst expressing a unique duel-type spiritual signature not unlike that of an Arrancar.[29]
  • Enhanced Speed: During his initial uncontrolled usage Shinrei's speed was enough to take Kenji by surprise.[19]
  • Enhanced Strength: During his initial uncontrolled usage Shinrei attempted to strike at Kenji, who managed to dodge. Nevertheless Kenji remarked that the blow "would have split his skull open".[19]

Behind the Scenes[]

  • Shinrei's appearance is drawn from three different sources. The first and second are from Samurai Deeper Kyo, and are used to indicate his growth. The first, Sasuke Sarutobi, is used to depict Shinrei in his youth -- measured as Part II and III in-story. The second, Akira, is used for his post-Collapse appearances, which constitutes Part IV and is supposed to depict Shinrei as a young man. Finally his Gigai appearance is based on Shō Kano from Kenichi, which is more of a teenage appearance. A series of other images, mostly of silver-haired or white-haired anime or manga characters, where also used; chief amongst them his primary Shinigami appearance.
  • Ries is the first character to appear in the Investigating Grat arc who did not originally make an appearance in the author's earlier and now-defunct storyline regarding Garrett and his friends. He was made specifically as a rival character of sorts to Garrett, replacing Aaron in the role, whilst providing a back-story for an already established character to survive The Collapse.
  • Day 28: Grat Runs Red revealed that Ries was, in fact, Shinrei. This fact was foreshadowed in an earlier chapter, Day 14: Learning the Truth, where Kusaka requested that Shinrei be placed on-standby to aid Garrett and his friends should they need help. The letters in Ries Nohr was also taken from letters making up Shinrei Hiroshi.
  • Shinrei's status as Garrett's rival was also the reason for Shinrei suffering genuine amnesia following The Collapse. In terms of raw power and skill Shinrei would trounce Garrett hands down without breaking a sweat, so the decision was made to impair Shinrei through memory-loss to even the playing field. This enabled the two to progress together at a close-to-even pace.
  • Shinrei was originally a very different character. Whilst his back-story remains relatively unchanged, even with the 2015 retcon that took place in Bleach (Kenji Hiroshi), his character underwent significant changes all the same. He essentially adopted a role akin to that of Tōshirō Hitsugaya and the Visored, in that he was the focal point that tied the author's universe with that of the canon Bleach manga. In this case he ties Garrett Sheppard and his friends more closely to the characters established throughout Parts I, II and III.
  • In Part II, which saw Shinrei introduced to the storyline, it was revealed that he wielded the same Zanpakutō as Kenji, which was Aoi Inazuma. As was the case with Kenji, this Zanpakutō was in actuality a nickname, which hid the full extent of his Zanpakutō's power. Tiffany Henderson was then revealed to utilize the same Zanpakutō as Shinrei in a manner similar to both Tōshirō Hitsugaya and Sōjirō Kusaka wielding Hyōrinmaru. Shinrei, Kenji and Tiffany all utilize lightning as their predominant means of attack and defence.

References & notes[]

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