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Welcome to The Platinum Hearts Scroller. Here you can find our most recent Of the Year and Of the Season winners. Happy Roleplaying! --- Member of the Year: Locke --- Character of the Year: Alastair Eisfluch --- New Characters of the Year: Mizu Morikawa and Igendai Gyakusuma --- Social Thread of the Year: A Letter for Hymn --- Combat Thread of the Year: Raise Your Spirits --- Member of the Season: Paradigm --- Characters of the Season: Byakuya Kuchiki and Klein Schwarzwotan --- Applications of the Season: Armina Willsaam and Klein Schwarzwotan --- Fight Thread of the Season: Search and Destroy --- Social Thread of the Season: Damage Assessment --- Event Thread of the Season: Midnight Assault
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JJ
JJ
Rower of Rock. And Souls.
Joined : 2011-03-03
Posts : 5174
Age : 27
Location : , Location, Location!

Member Info
Platinum Points:
Kuro Okami [Approved, 0-5; Shinigami] [Hazard Rating A] Left_bar_bleue20650/20000Kuro Okami [Approved, 0-5; Shinigami] [Hazard Rating A] Empty_bar_bleue  (20650/20000)
Tiers:

Kuro Okami [Approved, 0-5; Shinigami] [Hazard Rating A] Empty Kuro Okami [Approved, 0-5; Shinigami] [Hazard Rating A]

Tue Apr 10, 2012 7:50 am
Race Spec Here:
https://www.platinumhearts.net/t10328-the-official-ph-shinigami-racial-specs

Coding In Template By: [THEFROST]

THE SHINIGAMI TEMPLATE

Enter The Shinigami
非再生可能


I. Basic Information


» Name: Kuro Okami
» Alias: Captain of the Stealth Force, the Shadow Shinigami
» Age: 312
» Gender: Male

» Association: Gotei United

» Appearance Written:

Unkempt white strands top the head of the man known as Kuro Okami. Below that, his deep gray eyes are a touch more difficult to notice. Above his left eye, he has a red star-shaped tattoo, with a scar that drops down the left side of his face. His Captain's Haori is much smaller than most captain's, and he wears it like a cloak, having a unique hood on the back. Underneath that, his Shinigami uniform is also heavily customized, wrapping around his body in a manner much more similar to that of the Stealth Force. He comes in at about 5'6'', making him pretty short compared with most of the people around him.

His bearing can vary wildly. At times, he will walk about vacantly, not a single muscle tensed. Other times, his whole body will be rigid as stone, every single action thought about. He occasionally moves sporadically, as if he is unable to find a comfortable position. His gaze often alternates between completely vacant and completely serious. His body also exhibits several scars, along with the one major one on his face. The two biggest concentrations of scars, however, are on his left wrist and the center of his back. The scars also have a decent amount around his arms and legs, though his neck and lower torso are relatively free of them. He also has patches of his body that are darkened from serious burns which he has experienced.

Along the man's left arm, there is a charred black presence. His arm is human sized and shaped, but it is obsidian black along its entire length.

» Appearance Image:


I. Personality


» Personality:
Plain: Kuro will tell you how it is. He doesn't have time to go into every single detail about every little thing; so he'll tell it to you as quickly as possible. This isn't him try to be rude, and he never thinks of it as such. It is simply how he acts.

Assassin Mentality: Kuro is definitely geared to be an assassin. However, when he begins a mission, his entire self begins to change. His eyes gain a new kind of hardness, his entire body simultaneously relaxes and tightens up, and his mind becomes clear as day. This Kuro cuts down all targets within his path, never going into a bloodlusting frenzy due to his collection and control. If you are fighting him and he enters this state, be extremely cautious; as this is a state with which he is deadly efficient.

Assassin Mentality - Analysis: When Kuro is aiming to do battle in a serious manner, for his job, he becomes much more adept at locating his opponent's vital points. He has gained a significant amount of experience with dispatching creatures of various types. He does not enjoy fighting, in all honesty. He finds the idea of sparring to be useless other than in making sure that one can attack and defend themselves reliably. Typically, when he goes after someone with the intent to kill, he begins with the throat, the stomach, and the eyes. If these methods do not elicit some form of reaction, he attempts to gather more information about his opponent.

Assassin Mentality - Discourtesy: While on the job, Kuro is not talkative. He rarely will reply to jeers and jabs by his adversaries, as to him the only job is to kill them. When friends or allies try to talk to him in this state, he will typically only reply with the movement of his head, or a terse sentence.

Assassin Mentality - Ultraviolence: Occasionally, Kuro forgets himself when he is pursuing a target. This can lead to him brutalizing the target, particularly considering that his targets tend to be Hollows and Demons, who can be annoying to dispatch of. Because of this, Kuro seems to have no reservations towards doing whatever it takes to ensure that the target has been dispatched. Attacking downed opponents is not something shameful to him in the least, and he would be confused if someone thought that it was unusual for him to treat adversaries this way.

Assassin Mentality - Willpower: Kuro's assassin mentality ultimately comes back to his own willpower. To him, his job is the most important thing he could possibly do, and as a result he tends to use his willpower to overcome physical or mental pain. The amount of pain which it would take to force him to actually stop and register it, or become stunned by it, would equate to torture. Slashing into his arm with a sword would make him pause and flinch, but he would refuse to allow it to get in the way of his next attack or action, as long as that is possible. Kuro's body is not well taken care of, and as a result of this, scars cover his form.

Lack of Self-Respect: A strong feature of Kuro's personality is that he does not value his own life that much. To him, if something is strong enough to kill him, then that was all it is. He does not chase death, but he is as afraid of it as he likely should be. When he is in casual settings, he will rarely dodge any expletive amount of force pushed against him. This has, and will, lead to some awkward situations with the members of his squadron, considering how often they use various weapons.

Battle-hardened: Kuro is somewhat versed in the ways of the world, having seen his share of bloodshed and carnage, as well as experiencing several things already known to mankind. He is not a clueless individual, although he is still not very good at giving advice. Being someone's senior is always a strange feeling for him, although he is eventually able to adjust.

Difficulty of Trust: He has forgotten how to trust, or had forgotten. As the scars that mar his back remind him, trusting people is hard. However, this does not mean he is incapable of trust; over the last few years, the members of his squad have helped him regain that sense.

Cheer Mentality: However, when he is not in battle, Kuro becomes quite different. The stress of his kind of life causes him to have to find some kind of outlet, and that outlet is his daily life. In his daily life he tends to have a small smile or vacant expressionon his face, and his body is constantly relaxed. It takes a lot for him to react and change into his Assassin Mentality, but it takes almost as much for him to change back to Cheer Mentality. Interestingly, if he is made to eat pancakes he instantly changes into the Cheer Mentality.

Impulsive: However, despite everything else, Kuro also has a bad habit of being impulsive. He will often do things without thinking, such as taking things from a plate that isn't his, or randomly stabbing his frienemy, whoever they may be. 90% of the time, however, he will realize his screw up, apologize and ask for forgiveness. The other 10% involves food of some kind… He can be impulsive in any Mentality, but the actions he performs in Assassin Mentality tend to have much less consequence than those done in Cheer Mentality.

Care for his Squad: To Kuro, the most important thing to keep around are the other members of his squad. This has caused several problems in the past with his tendency to be a solitary scout, or challenge foes who are significantly more powerful than him. While Kuro does not care much for himself, and cares little for the rest of the Gotei outside of his mission, he will now sit idly by while members of his squad come under attack. To him, that is the biggest shame that he could suffer.

Crushing Apathy: Towards many subjects, Kuro only experiences apathy. His own personal hygiene is something he struggles with on occasion, as well as communicating his business with the rest of the Gotei. He does not often socialize, and the concepts of love and lust tend to be lost upon him. Typically, when he attends captain's meetings, he'll stay laid out on the table or whatever other manner, and will only respond if directly addressed.

Fueled Hatred: Kuro has an extreme reaction to demons who he sees as meddling in the affairs of the Gotei or bringing grief unto others. This hatred is so strong that he will often become violent towards these individuals on sight, unless they are able to prove that there is a misunderstanding. This is not to say that he dislikes all demons; but the second that they give into the nature of dark activities which Kuro can witness, they become a target.

Fair Treatment of Others
Despite how he may act towards certain demons who perform negative actions against others, one of Kuro's founding principals is that all beings and creatures are essentially born equal. Sometimes, the weak do get consumed and eaten by the strong. That is something that happens. However, if he witnesses injustice being performed for the raw sake of someone's ego, then the is more than willing to step in and intervene, even at great personal cost. This is one of Kuro's ethics; that people should be treated the same, should be treated fairly... unless, of course, they are a demon causing chaos and sticking their noses in where they do not belong.

Deep Emptiness - Lack of Self Worth
Kuro does not feel... satisfied by this life. To him, satisfaction ceased to be a question after a while. He finds some measure of happiness and joy in interacting with his squad and doing his duty as a member of Soul Society, but he feels... empty inside. He feels like there is nothing really deep to him, so he does not talk about himself. He does not talk about his feelings, or what they mean. He does not believe that his emotions have value most of the time, due to the abandonment of Kaminari. While he is not unable to talk about his feelings, he will never bring them up himself, and he will generally not become invested in a conversation discussing them. One small exception to this is in the matter of leadership, or what someone should do if they wish to lead others. This is one matter that he does have strong opinions of; but he still does not think much of his own skills in this regard. The reason why Kuro spends so much time developing his abilities and skills is because he feels that it is something that he can spend time doing that has value, but even then they are just tools to him, like a hammer or screwdriver in his toolkit. He does not take particular pride in them, or his Zanpakuto, despite his closeness to it.

» Likes: Pancakes, his squad, Shinigami doing their jobs, hard working people, leaders, playing games, being allowed to be himself, kindness.

» Dislikes: People who stress out other people, leaders who don't deserve to lead, being alone, demons who cause trouble.


I. History


» History:

Born to uncertain parents under a specific sign, he was the one designated by his people to become the defender of his small village. A village where children laughed, the elderly relaxed and lamented old times amongst themselves and their kin. However, there was something quite not right about their village; and that was the massive temple that was held at the village's center.

This temple was devoted to none, but rather created to contain a great shadow in the temple's center. Kuro was raised inside of the temple, and learned the ways of the shadows so that he could defend his village against the thing in the temple's core. Kuro as a child was very impulsive and care free; however, as he began to grow older and his 'teachers' all began to agree that he was too old for such tomfoolery, they quickly beat the cheerful impulse out of him, replacing it with a strange cold nature that did not fit the boy at all.

So it came to pass that Kuro became a warrior, in mind and body. As his strikes with his blade were quick, taking down his targets with a flourish, he was often called upon by the village to punish criminals inside the community. His targets never said what he did to them when he caught them, although he tended to be a bit more lenient to the drunk and the poor.

Finally, he went after the son of a nobleman. However, unlike all of his other disciplined subjects, this pig squealed. Quite loudly, in fact. So it was that when Kuro arrived back at the temple the next day, to finding nothing but the corpse of his Master, the one who taught him the ways of the shadows and the only one still alive of the ones who had overseen his training. As he beheld the corpse, Kuro was stricken. For the first time in his time as a wielder of the shadows, he could not see what to do.

He knew who had been responsible for this, and as Kuro meditated before the corpse of his master an idea came to him. As he arose from his place of resting, his eyes were sharp, and yet dull. He was completely focused on his mission, unable to see any other thing. He quickly made his way into the nobleman's house, moving through the strange sewage lines that the building had, moving arm over arm as he held his breath for over ten minutes straight.

At last he came to an empty room, and entered it without being seen. A door was opened, and before the nobleman's son fully walked into the room, Kuro was already around behind him and back in the door. He looked upwards, quickly ascending to the beams above, moving over to the center of the room. This was definitely a secret place, a private room from the looks of it. Kuro looked down, his gaze hardening as he beheld the nobleman.

Kuro took a few moments, sitting on the beam with his legs hanging as he prepared himself, wrapping some line around some of his knives. He looked down at the nobleman, deftly dropping knives this way and that as they descended, landing next to the man's limbs silently. Kuro himself then slid himself around, holding himself on the beam by his legs, wielding his blade in both hands and pointing the tip directly at the sleeping man's nose.

Kuro let the blade down, easily slicing through the material of the man's sleepwear. He rested the blade just above the man's heart, before preparing spit in his mouth and releasing it in a direct shot at the man's eye. He suddenly flinched, blinking as he was unable to move from the spot. Around his limbs and neck wire was holding him down, and in front of his chest was a star shaped line. "You are despicable. Know that this day I could easily have killed you and taken your heart. It would be far too easy for me to. However, for today, I am merely carrying out the will of my master." He explained, as his blade's tip shifted, Kuro flicking his wrist as the blade drew blood from the man's wrist.

"Whatever dark forces you may have used against my Master will not be able to effect me. I shall not sleep, I shall never rest until you are completely destroyed." He stated simply, his
focused eyes meeting the terrified ones of the whimpering man before him. "You have destroyed yourself by your double-standards. Congratulations. I know I will personally be attending your bankruptcy auction. Maybe show them where this room is." He said simply, before standing up on the pillar and looking skywards, moving his sword quickly as he made three cuts into the wood. He prepared his legs and leaped, leaving the man in his current situation and causing Kuro to escape, the man's blood still covering the tip of the blade.

Kuro meditated once more, and came to two conclusions. First, having close ties to mentors would only hurt him.. But at the same time, those bonds were unavoidable. Second, that the best way to incur wrath against the man would be to run up his debt. Kuro quickly looked into the man's affairs, learning of his 'darker' connections.

He began moving quickly, carrying out the punishments of all those responsible for aiding the man. In addition, he began to troll around the marketplace of his townplace, a hat obscuring a full view of his face, learning the patterns of a certain individual. Then, one day not long after the death of his master, he walked past the nobleman's son, his blade moving faster than the human eye could see as it slid along the bottom of the bag. Coins suddenly burst from it, covering the ground as the children and the poor of the village quickly cooped them up, Kuro vanishing quickly into the crowd once more.

Gradually, the nobleman could no longer maintain the debt he had gathered. No new money was coming in, and after six months of being unable to use the finances he had, his debt had become a great beast.

Kuro's back rested lightly on a brick wall one evening, his gaze looking upwards casually one evening as he listened to the pleasant cries of the nobleman just a little bit down the alley next to him as individuals he owed money to caused him to squeal in pain, squealing just as his son had. Kuro blinked, and looked over as the man with his broken legs crawled down the alleyway, looking up and gripping the pantleg of the only human life he could find.

However, as Kuro's eyes met the man's, his stone cold face blank, the man's expression of relief changed to further terror, if that were possible. Kuro's leg lifted up, his foot aimed at the man's face, before he froze, before lowering his foot back to neutral position once more. "This is the difference between you and me." He said simply, looking down at the man. "I strike back at the source of my anger. And also unlike you… My rage is just." He said simply, before turning around. his face still looking forwards as he continued to walk along, completely neglecting the man now as he held up a hand as if asking for help… But Kuro knew he would be receiving none. He closed his eyes as he made his way back to the temple, satisfied.

However, as Kuro lifted his eye lids to blink at something before him, he suddenly stopped, falling aback. "W-what…" He said simply, dumbstruck. The temple was gone; in its place, merely a gigantic crater. His eyes widened, as he began taking a step back. The beast! I haven't been paying attention to it- He realized, suddenly cut off by a gigantic claw shooting towards him.

His eyes changed instantly, adopting the harsher light as his body spun in the air as he dodged, placing his feet firmly on the appendage as two blades fell from each sleeve, Kuro laying the blades out as he quickly ran up the arm, slashing it horribly. He leaped into the air above the beast, holding his blades in front of himself. His body began to fade from the speed he was using. His blades shot against the creature's face, as it was rent multiple times. The beast cried out, shooting its unwounded arm out and gripping Kuro firmly as he fell to his bosom.

"…I finally get the opportunity to destroy you!" He voiced clearly, the beast confused as it began to squeeze him. Kuro's personal blade was pushing, digging into the skin of the much bigger creature, as he began working his way towards its heart. The thing with the beast was that it had to be killed by dragging the back of one's sword up through its heart; that was the only way to attack the vital blood vessels that kept it alive and destroy it. He grunted, his body feeling the pressure as his blade started cutting through blood vessels, his reverse-edged blade cutting up through it as he began to cry out from the pain of the pressure.

At last, he gave a great cry, the beast giving one as well as the two put their final efforts into their attack. The beast could feel the damage it was taking, and knew it had to quickly kill Kuro. However, Kuro was not done quite yet as his arms brought the blade up, the beast crying out as Kuro cried out with it, feeling his ribcage shattered into hundreds of thousands of pieces as the bits of bones stabbed into his flesh, cutting all through his torso and piercing many of his vital organs. He knew in that moment that he was dead; there was no possible way that he could have survived that much damage. But he didn't expect for the beast to die. He managed to perform out of his own expectations, feeling the strength leave the creature along with its vital force.

Kuro blinked as he came into consciousness once more, looking down at his hands. ...Where is it… He wondered, looking at the destroyed temple and the corpses of himself and the beast. Pain wracked his body, his lungs punctured in so many places. He fished around the beast's insides, before at last relaxing. Got it..! He thought to himself as he drew out the reverse edged blade. He beheld the crest on its bottom, a somewhat sad look on his face. ...I have failed. He thought to himself, looking at the destroyed temple, and his own destroyed body, as he held the blade in front of his stomach, eyes looking upwards towards the sky.

The only way to regain my honor… and… end this pain… He thought, as he looked up into the rising sun, the warm rays touching his face as he opened one eyes into them, blinking. "Is to show my repentance..." He choked out, as the blade plunged deep inside of him, piercing straight through his heart as the Reverse-Edged Shinigami's inspired blade that was passed through the generations of warriors before him performed Konso on his soul, judging him to have lived a fair and honorable life as he vanished from that spot, before suddenly waking up again.

* * * * *

...Where am I? He wondered as he reappeared inside of a small wooden house, looking down at his feet. I died… Is this perhaps Nirvana? He wondered, looking around. If it was his paradise, this would have done fine for Kuro. However, he knew that it wasn't going to be that easy. He blinked, getting out of the futon he was on and going forwards as he walked out of the house, closing his eyes against the harsh light of the Soul Society.

Kuro Okami's time at the Academy is a bit of an urban legend. On the one hand, he succeeded in every practical examination. On the other, he just could not seem to handle the pen-and-paper portions of his learning. He was terrible at documentation, and this held him back over and over and over again. He spent several years at the academy as a result, and it was only through brute force rote-memory that he was able to pass every aspect of the Academy's written portions, allowing him to finally enter the company of the 13 Court Guard Squads.

Over the time period that he spent in school, he often was exposed to new students coursing ahead of him. Because of this, his personality reverted a bit back to what it had always been meant to be. There were few authoritative figures who would give him any positive attention towards the end of his days there, so he felt that he had to fill the void by himself. He gained many sporadic and impulsive habits from this, and some of the razor-sharp focus that had been instilled into him by the temple was lost.

Then, Kuro began his days as a Shinigami at last.


While he was only in the position of member, he lovingly performed his duties, keeping Jenna’s office and the administration buildings of the Soul Society spic and span, taking a large amount of pride in his work. He performed his duties diligently, for an entire year. And then, it happened. Jenna went to stand up to the Central 46… and died in the process. At the same time, Hinashi vanished from the squadron, leaving only Kuro and a small group of members. However, it didn’t hit many of the others like it did Kuro. He took it so hard that he actually visited Central 46...

Kuro's acquisition of his Shikai is not something which he has discussed with hardly anyone, even to this day. His silence on the topic, or just refusing to speak about it, leaving the room, leaves members of his own squad to speculate what happened.

Kuro Okami stood over the burning remnants of the Central 46, looking at the funeral pyre that his Captain Commander had left behind. Confused emotions filled his entire body, admiration for what she had done, sadness at his idol, his role model, killing herself like this. It hurt him, struck despair deep into his soul. Hate at his own uselessness, hate at his own impulsiveness, hate at himself. He loathed the person that he was for failing the woman he had cared about the most, the one who had looked at him and saw potential.

The cold feeling of steel along his wrist as he sought some kind of release from this loathing, some kind of punishment for his failure, any kind of way to make it stop. Pain slid up his wrist, but it also vindicated him. I deserve this. He thought, tears streaming down his face as he brought his blade all the way down, blood dripping onto the hot ground… a voice ringing out to him.

The Voice of Kuroi no Inu.

Kuro's rise to the position of Lieutenant Colonel shocked a great many of other members, however, none could deny Kuro was capable enough for the position.

Some time after he had accepted, he met another shinigami in the wastelands, with the agreement to earn him his Shikai. However, during the battle, a spirit came upon them, targeting the unsuspecting Kuro. It took over his entire body, completely changing it, leaving it how it looks presently, During this battle, Kuro learned more and more about his inner demon, until the demon finally took control of his body. This resulted in him collapsing, and being taken back to soul society.

Not long after that, Kuro met someone who changed the course of his life forever. Her name was Kaminari Hatekeyama, and she joined his squad after they briefly interacted. During her time in first division, Kuro unlocked the power of his Bankai, and the relationship between the two deepened. It grew and grew, parts of Kuro maturing that he thought had been lost long ago. They spent time together training, doing missions, relaxing, and even going on vacations together. At last, they were engaged to be wed, and Kuro's life was filled with smiles and happiness…

Until the day she disappeared.

At first, Kuro tried to deny it. She just did not come home. Day after day, day after day, day after day. Day after day. Each and every day that passed, a bit of Kuro's paranoia grew. And then finally, an entire month had passed. He had searched and searched and searched, but there was no information. She was gone. Completely and utterly gone.

His Nariri was gone.

Kuro's memories and life slowly faded into darkness after that. The Shinigami assigned him the captain of squad two, then the captain of squad thirteen. It did not matter much to him. He requested that they give him his duties, always taking on more and more extermination jobs. More and more, he took long trips away from the Seireitei, and for weeks at a time the Soul Society could not explain where one of its captains had gone. The infestations of hollows and other minor antagonist forces decreased significantly during this time, and rumors of the bloodthirsty Captain Kuro began to arise in Seireitei.

More time passed, more battles occurred. Kuro's dismal mood and lack of emotions came into play several times over the next few years, gaining a more and more abysmal reputation as time passed. His brutality, his anger at his opponents, the lengths to which he was willing to go. Many thought it was too far, but he never once pointed these traits towards a member of the Seireitei or its allies.

Kuro was finally reinstated as the captain of the Stealth Division, and that was when things began to take a turn for the better, thanks to the addition of a young man to his squadron. His name was Henrex Astillion, and he had nearly as many mental problems darkening his skies as Kuro did. The two of them got along like wildfire, a relationship that had its ups and downs. Kuro's life was in a strange balance, having a new care and concern for the members of his squad and beginning to find how to talk and communicate normally with others once again.

He still finds it difficult to smile, but he is no longer terrified of doing it.

I. Equipment


» Equipment:
Kuro does not have carry any specific equipment to deal with peculiar situations, other than his Haori and other clothing. He technically has a Gigai assigned to him, but he does not use it. In this way, he is a bit of a purist, though he would never describe himself as such.

I. Racial Techniques/Abilities/Skills


» Racial Abilities:
Unyielding Stamina
One of Kuro's foundational traits is the raw amount of physical and spiritual stamina he possesses. This stamina has been created from what he loves, what he hates, his past, his training, his obsessions he adopted to keep himself sane, and his own refusal to give up. This has led to him being able to keep himself going and alive within places like Hueco Mundo for extended periods of time, up to months at a time completely alone.

Weaker than average Kido
Kuro's Kido ability is not that impressive. It was something that he originally experimented with quite a bit, but his interest in it waned once he had acquired his Shikai and began experimenting with its shadow based abilities. As a result, Kuro's experience with Kido has dropped dramatically, and he only keeps a hold of the more useful rudimentary spells, favoring his shadow influenced abilities.

Master Energy Manipulator
Kuro has spent an exhaustive amount of time on perfecting his control over his spiritual energy. This ability has been harnessed both in the training halls and in combat. It is because of this that he was able to develop the Shadow's Shunko, and gain the mastery that he has over his shadow manipulation. This experience has been augmented by the close relationship that Kuro has with his zanpakuto and the constant trials that he was beset by Piero. Due to Piero's nature of chaotic energy, Kuro became extremely skilled at getting his energy to do what he wanted, since otherwise the Laughing Gray would have fought him for control at every corner.

Extremely Skilled, Adaptive Swordsman
Kuro has spent a large amount of time perfecting his swordplay. His style of swordsmanship is similar to Hyoho Niten Ichi Ryu, the school founded by Musashi Miyamoto. That is to say that his swordplay focuses on being usable in all conditions. When Kuro's hand is wrapped around a blade, he focuses on coming out of the present situation alive, accomplishing his objective. While he typically will not stoop to dirty tricks, he does not regard unorthodoxy as inherently underhanded.

That unorthodoxy helps Kuro use his blades with the rest of his abilities, primarily his Shunpo and his Shadow Manipulation. An example of this would be his ability to drop one sword into his other hand, using the hand that the sword had occupied previously to form a downwards spike, driving what would have just been the hilt of a sword the moment before into a much more damaging blow, while righting his blade.

Another large component about Kuro's fighting style is how emotionless he appears to be while doing it, most of the time. There are times when he will lose his cool, typically when one of the few attachments that he has to this world is violated or attacked, but that will generally result in his efficiency being reduced.

Kuro's focus on adaptive methods of combat have contributed to his techniques having to do with his shadow manipulation as well, and the most intense moments where this trait comes into play tends to be when he goes into Shadow Shunko.

Dance of Shadows
The actual sword style which Kuro utilizes is one which has several 'steps' to it. The forms that this style uses are meant to be as interchangeable as possible, and most of the forms are as minor as stepping forwards and slashing one's sword directly in front of them. However, these small motions can be taken to a ridiculous length, including movements such as going almost down on one's knee and thrusting their blade forwards, or even doing a slash as one recovers from a back hop. The Shadow Dance style is focused on the principle of 'always drawn', and as a result it makes the intense amount of focus that Kuro uses with it make him move almost like a professional dancer would. Kuro's thinking is always a step ahead of where he's standing, using his body like a puppetmaster would their puppet.

Weapon Variety Veteran
Kuro is skilled with several different types of weapons, from balls and chains to shuriken to swords and daggers, his training from life causing for his interest in the different martial weapons to cause him to gain a significant amount of skill with various weapons. The best example of this is his experience with the Strings of the Dark Concert. Even while he was developing that technique, he already had a decent amount of idea of what they would be useful for, and that caused for them to grow more familiar to him in a shorter amount of time.

Brutal Blows
Kuro's attacks tend to be savage in their raw nature, willing to do as much damage as possible to achieve the job. He is willing to use any kind of tactic he can come up with to defeat his opponent, including hitting them in a weak point. As a result, Kuro's attacks tend to be pointed and savage, not always a relentless barrage but a sequence of set-ups into a terrific finale where he tries to hit a weakpoint with everything that he has.

Tenacity - Durability
Kuro's body is appropriately durable for a Shinigami Captain. In fact, it is probably a bit more than that, considering how much abuse it has gone through over the years. However, despite that durability, for someone as skilled as he is in matters of swordplay, energy manipulation, and Shunpo… he is sorely lacking in raw toughness. A good sword slash from a powerful enough hollow would tear his flesh apart, and a great example of his problems in this area show themselves from the sword blow that he received from Tsubasa, leaving a massive scar around the front of his chest despite blocking the attack with his zanpakuto and getting immediate medical attention.

Despite his lack of specialization in this area, what enhancement he does have comes entirely from his own tenacity. The tenacity that has gripped him expresses itself in a nearly unnatural way, Kuro forcing his body far past its natural limits, feeling it breaking down and forcing it to get back up again, over and over again until the task is done or it stops listening to his brain.

Dark Raw Energy
Kuro's energy supplies are the trait that he has advanced the most in over the last few years. While his tenacity, skill with energy, and potency with the blade have continually increased in that time, his raw supply of energy has skyrocketed. Perhaps because of how often he exhausts it combined with the closeness he feels with his Zanpakuto, Kuro's supplies of energy have become vast. This has influenced his Shadow Sense and his Shadowform, making them as potent as they are, and comes into play physically with the usage of his Shadow manipulation.

Shadowy Step of the Silent
Kuro's strongest trait, just a bit better than his manipulation of energy and weapon skill, is his raw speed. This can be seen best when he uses it to appear on the scenes of situations, crossing massive distances as he dances from shadow to shadow. These actions also demonstrate how much stamina he has, even when moving as fast as he can. Catching the man off-guard is difficult, despite how air-headed he can seem at times. His reaction speed is through the roof because of the danger of his work, processing information that he receives from his Shadow Sense almost as fast as someone using a Cybermind, thanks to a combination of trained instinct and observational ability.

Kuro's skill with Hoho is what allowed for him to eventually create his Shadow Shunko, and also can drive his Shadow Manipulation to the limits by trying to manipulate it competently at high speed.

Observational Skill of the Assassin
Kuro spends an inordinate amount of time at observing multiple instances. The power of Shadow Sense is the ultimate representation of Kuro's observational skill, allowing for him to process such a large area's contents, learning what is regular and what is irregular. This observational ability also contributes to his Shadow Manipulation, using it to better direct his individual attacks or defend himself.

A method by which he tries to use this ability in combat is by trying to ascertain how to deal the most damage to his enemy. He can end up spending entire convoluted schemes that he cracks rapidly to test whether or not a certain strategy deals more damage to an enemy.

END OF THE POST


Third Application.


Last edited by JJ on Wed Jan 29, 2020 4:12 pm; edited 13 times in total




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THE SHINIGAMI TEMPLATE

Enter The Shinigami
非再生可能


I. Sealed Powers


» Zanpakutô Name: Akai me no Kuroi Inu [Kuroi Inu]

» Zanpakutô Spirit Appearance:
Akai Kuroi Inu takes the form of a large jet-black wolf. His body ripples with muscle and his sharp teeth are usually displayed. When he speaks to Kuro, his mouth does not move, but Kuro is able to hear his voice. The one time that Akai Kuroi Inu does open his mouth outside of combat is to howl, which creates its own interesting effect. Within Kuro's inner world, when Akai Kuroi Inu howls, the darkness all around him becomes replaced by a dim light, as if out of respect to the wolf.

» Inner World:
Kuro Okami's inner world is a vast void of pure darkness. There are no structures in this space, nothing to collapse or fall down or attack. There is only black darkness. While there are no structures, there is Akai Kuroi Inu. Kuro's zanpakuto spirit is easily able to see through the darkness in this space, as well as the other 'presences' within Kuro's Inner World. Kuro's Inner World is inhabited by a peculiar natural phenomenon, in the form of 'shades'. These wolf or tiger-esque beasts constituting of darkness move aimlessly through the darkness of Kuro's Inner World. They are mostly harmless, as long as they are given their space. If their space is violated, however, they will become violent until they are struck with a strong enough blow to disperse the shadowy power making up their bodies.

This plane of darkness does have one single source of light. If an individual were to look into the sky, they would see a full moon. This moon is always full, and always radiant, as bright as a moon is able to be. It does not provide enough light to penetrate the darkness of Kuro's inner world, but by looking at it, one can still make out its shape, no matter where they are in his inner world.

» Zanpakutô Appearance:
Kuro's zanpakuto, while sealed, takes the form of a jet-black katana. While not the most stealthy weapon, it serves more as a symbol of status to the man's life. It is also interesting in that it has no guard, which was not always the case. The handle has no intricate design, although it does have a single white dot on the base of the hilt. The blade rests on Kuro's left hip, meaning that he typically draws it with his right arm.

» Sealed Zanpakutô Power:

The Shadows of the Wolf
Kuro Okami's zanpakuto deals in and manipulates shadows. The Zanpakuto does not necessarily deal with darkness, and in fact a total absence of light decreases the effectiveness of Kuro's zanpakuto more than daylight does. Because of Kuro's evolution and closeness with his zanpakuto, he has come close to fully realizing its potential. Even though he has come close to that zenith, it is not difficult to see that the 'zenith' of Kuro's zanpakuto is less than most other Shinigami's.

For example, his Zanpakuto does have offensive abilities, but typically these abilities do not amount to the massive expulsion of raw energy like a cero or a similar 'doom-blast'. Kuro's zanpakuto is based more on mechanics and the skill of its wielder, and therefore is better suited towards fulfilling tasks than ramming its power against another.

Shadowform
The most primal and powerful ability granted by Kuro's Zanpakuto is Shadowform. If Kuro is able to place his body on 'untapped' shadows [explained further below], the shadows absorb his form, making his body relatively intangible. In appearance, Kuro's body takes on only the form of his own shadow, and his shadow is more or less defined by the shadows that he attempts to blend in with. Once his shadow has entered within a space, it leaves a trail behind in the direction that Kuro is attempting to travel. The shadow moves at the pace of a person running, although it begins to melt away when Kuro reappears from the next position.

In other words, Kuro is able to drop his figure into a shadow. Depending on how dark that shadow is will affect how large Kuro's own 'shadow reflection' becomes. This 'shadow reflection' can be attacked and interacted with. For example, if a person grabs onto the shadow reflection and Kuro is unable to get them off of it, then they are able to physically drag him out of the reflection. Generally speaking, however, this tends to be more reflective upon actions like blows or energy attacks.

The moment Kuro enters into Shadowform, the shadow that he leaves behind begins to shrink as it extends to where he is attempting to rise out of the shadows. The amount of damage that Kuro takes, therefore, is dependent on how rapidly the aggressor is able to impact the area where Kuro disappeared into the shadow, or how much 'area' the spot they hit takes up. If Kuro's shadow has only a small amount of behind, then he will only take a small fraction of the damage. If Kuro does this as an emergency measure, however, he will still end up taking three-fourths or more of the amount of damage that was directed his way.

This ability allows for Kuro to move at extremely rapid paces. Moving from shadow to shadow is almost instantaneous, and can often be done several times within a post. While engaged in combat, however, the focus that Kuro has to place on his opponent prevents him from using this ability at an exponential range, and therefore that part of Shadowform is discussed down below.

Kuro moves fastest when he moves within shadows. If he tries to cross a patch of light while in shadowform, he only is able to move as fast as he could without Shunpo. In addition, he leaves behind a great big patch of shadow when he attempts to cross through light, creating a very vulnerable 'shadow reflection'. He has to be careful not to move across popular walkways with this ability, for example, because all those people stepping on that shadow would feel like his whole body getting stepped on in various areas.

As far as energy expenditure goes, using this could be thought of as running at break-neck speed for a regular human. It is something that feels natural for Kuro to do, and feels no more awkward than using his arms and legs to run or jump. However, the more he tries to use it in a post, especially to keep dodging or maneuvering, the slower and less potent it becomes. If Kuro tries using this for rapid movement more than four times in a single post, he begins to slow down a noticeable amount, even while moving in shadow.

Another important factor to consider is what allows him to create the 'shadow reflection'. He needs at least enough space for his body's vertical area to take up, and he enters the shadow's as fast as he moves into them. If he were to attempt to enter them at an angle and there were not enough shadows to make room for his head, for example, he would bonk it, before slipping in as his body rights itself. Then the 'reflection' would form, and Kuro would be off.

Another interesting thing to note is that the shadow can be difficult for normal people to make out. Of course, if Kuro is travelling along a lit area, it's easy to see his body's shape dashing as a shadow. Otherwise, his shadow's reflection will be more well defined if the shadow's he has entered are not that dark.

If a shadow's area has been 'tapped' that Kuro is travelling within, then he will not suffer any directly ill effects. However, his speed will be reduced by about a fourth through that area, and his shadow will be well defined in that space, diminishing about half as quickly as it would normally.

A decent example of Kuro's use of this technique in combat would be to consider a target launching an energy blast at him. Seeing the large amount of energy that the opponent is concentrating, Kuro would then take evasive action, using his Shadow Sense to determine where he could evade. He would then leap into that shadow, his 'shadow reflection' becoming as well defined as the shadow is dim. Then, the opponent would launch their blast as the shadow reflection appears, and then Kuro would travel as fast as he could along the path of shadows, possibly even having to cross a patch of light into a greater set of shadow. Then, the blast would hit the original target, and Kuro would feel the effects at a decreased amount, meaning that the damage would seem more minor as he reappeared out of the shadow, when he reappears.

Shadowform - Long Travel
However, when Kuro is not involved in combat or having to focus on threats being assessed against him, he is able to use Shadowform at its highest level. When this occurs, Kuro is able to use his full speed while being linked with the shadows, allowing for him to cover great distances over a matter of minutes. The darker the general area that he is trying to traverse, the easier this ability is to use, and generally if Kuro appears in an area that then becomes a threat zone, him trying to use normal Shadowform again becomes as decreased or taxed as if he had overused it several times already for the first post after the area becomes a threat.

Shadow Manipulation General: The Darkness of the Soul
Kuro has the ability to manipulate shadows. This is his primary ability, the one he spends the most time working on and developing. He has mastered methods of making his shadows extremely large or extremely small, as fine as silk or as rough and grating as rock. More than just that, though, he has mastered micro processes to cause certain physical 'influences' on the shadows that he manipulates. For example, if he wanted to make a noose, first he would use the technique of wrapping the shadow's flow, then using the idea of finely grating to cause the twirled substance to have the consistency and feeling of rope.

In this singular area, Kuro is essentially unmatched. At least, he has never met another individual more skilled than he at manipulating shadows. As a result, it would be extremely difficult to override or take over a construct that Kuro is actively manipulating, whether from himself or from an outside source of shadow.

The last thing that needs to be mentioned about Kuro's manipulation of the shadows, as a whole, is his ability to manipulate multiple sources simultaneously. Taking out a variety of weapons of shapes and sizes is something which would not tax him greatly, hucking a varied arsenal at his opponent. For example, Kuro could create a stream of shadow flooding out of his arm, tossing it forwards before letting shuriken and daggers and maces stream outwards in a barrage on his target.

When it comes to dealing with Kuro's shadow constructs, one can always dodge or block his various attacks. Of course, once someone realizes that he is able to manipulate external sources of shadow, they will have to watch themselves to not wind up in a vulnerable position. Kuro cannot generally give his shadows peculiar traits, though it has been noted that he can allow for his shadows to 'channel' other influences, such as lightning, ice, or fire. Of course, he cannot produce these supernatural elements himself, but he can alter his shadows to channel them once he has been exposed to them a few times.

Shadow Manipulation - Tapped/Untapped resources
When it comes to Kuro's manipulation of the Shadows for his various techniques and abilities, where he actively uses shadow and shapes it in various ways, he does expend ambient shadows when he attempts to use them. When Kuro has drawn power from shaded areas around him, those areas change color, becoming slightly 'gray'. They are no longer solid black. For Kuro's purposes, the area of a house-sized building would grant him the equivalent energy of around a cero.

The radius of power which Kuro is able to draw from changes each time he releases another stage of his zanpakuto. In his base form, he is able to get the resources of about a fourth of a city block of where he can see. The amount of time that it takes for him to gather the 'energy' from these shadows is usually rapid, and he does not have to focus on drawing the shadows in once the process has started. Obviously, he cannot output shadow related abilities at the same time that he is absorbing shadows.

If Kuro were to amass all the shadows of his radius at once, however, he would have to stand completely still for a post in order to do so.

Interestingly, the more shadow-based power that Kuro has absorbed or is preparing to use, the more whisps of black darkness emanate from his eyes, fingertips, and outline of his body.

Shadow Manipulation - Source: Self
Kuro's spiritual power, while able to be expressed still in the form of kido or as raw spiritual force, has a bit of a difficult time doing so. This is because of how used he is to using it in a manner to augment his shadow manipulation. Because of the amount of time he has spent training this ability, he is able to mold and reform his energy as shadowy constructs essentially at will.

The greatest benefit of Kuro's practice with his shadow manipulation is that he tends to use highly efficient methods of acquiring the goal he is looking for. Some of these 'styles' of using his shadows are discussed further below.

Another important aspect of his shadow manipulation, when being used from his own body, is his ability to increase the shadow's intensity. As long as Kuro is touching or is in contact with the constructs of shadow, he is able to reinforce them. However, he must choose to reinforce them all at once. There are two kinds of reinforcement he can perform: 'sharpness' and 'firmness'. The sharper or more sturdy that he makes his shadows, the more energy that he uses to do so. The sharpest and most firm that he can make any line of shadow is just a bit weaker than that of his zanpakuto. To do this, however, he must expend a large amount of energy, to the point where he would not be able to create eight sword-sized constructs of energy with these traits in a single post while he has not released his zanpakuto.

Shadow Manipulation - Source: Outer
When Kuro is manipulating outer sources of shadow, he is able to cause constructs of shadow to form by indicating with parts of his body. Obviously, he is only able to use up as much 'energy' as that constructed space of shadow allows, as explained in Tapped and Untapped Resources. A typical example would be Kuro gesturing at an area, and then forming a net of shadow-constructed rope from it, dragging it out of the shadow and tossing it onto a target, with the rope being as sturdy as that source of shadow would allow, leaving it grayed out after use.

Shadow Style: Shadow Dome
One of Kuro's most defensive applications of his Shadow Manipulation is his ability to surround himself in an extremely defensive dome. By clasping both hands together, he is able to flood his spiritual energy out as the material for a shadow construct. Once he has formed it, more 'gentle' pools of shadow material form around his body, creating a kind of shock absorption area within the sphere. From there, he hardens the outside of the shell as much as possible. This sphere is able to hold together at least somewhat against all but the most ferocious of onslaughts, but it has the disadvantage of making Kuro feel the shockwaves of even smaller attacks.

The power of the sphere is also contingent upon Kuro's own state as far as how drained he is. The more drained he is, the weaker the sphere will be, and while it will usually help Kuro survive most colossal attacks, it is just as possible that his sphere is overwhelmed and Kuro winds up laying in a pile of broken shadowy construct, completely exhausted. This sphere takes a lot of out him for its effect, and he will be noticeably more drained after using it, even basic shadow manipulations seeming to take more focus out of him than normal. As a result, he tends to only use this as a last resort, or while training to improve his stamina.

Shadow Style: Budded Force
One of the more intricate creations that Kuro is able to perform, and one that has taken him no small amount of time to master the use of. These small buds are able to be placed anywhere that Kuro's hands have touched. He generally is not able to produce them with outer sources of shadow. By allowing a stream of shadow to descend down one of his fingers, Kuro is able to create a 'bud' of energy, surrounded by a shadow construct. When this bud is released by Kuro's will, it transforms into a shadow construct that was determined and specified before Kuro placed it.

However, if one of these constructs is ruptured, then they will violently explode with Shadow's Force with a power equivalent to a small bit less than what Kuro put into it.

Shadow Style: Strings of the Dark Concert
A peculiar manner of fighting which Kuro has put a huge amount of time into developing, this style uses a series of String-like shadows. These shadows are constantly being recreated and firmed up by Kuro's contact with them, using a similar concept as Vise Limb to form them. Essentially, this ability allows for Kuro to create several dozen small strings that flow either from his hands or snake out of shadow that he is manipulating. Typically, however, they will only be created from his hands, because that will allow for him to give them enough energy to be effective.

These wires that he produces are quite durable, being able to be used to block minor melee attacks, or even hold someone in place with an appreciable amount of force. On top of this, each of the wires is as sharp as a blade, approaching levels of sharpness close to that of a Shinigami's zanpakuto. Each wire is difficult to make out, being made of shadow, but they each appear to glisten when they attack in the light. These wires have a variety of uses for Kuro, from lifting up items to attacking others, or using them like grappling hooks.

Typically, Kuro cannot use them for more than four posts consecutively, though at that point he will have used up a significant amount of energy in his sealed state, especially if he has used them to their limit. These strings can be Kuro's most bothersome shadow constructs to deal with in combat, due to their movement being limited by Kuro's ability to direct them simultaneously and the amount of area that they can cover.

Minor Alteration to Strings: The Disk
A peculiar technique which Kuro has utilized previously involves using the Strings of the Dark Concert bound to a bladed Shadow Construct, whipping it forwards, rapidly rotating, ripping at whatever it can, before pulling it back, which can lead to hitting an opponent in the back if they are not aware of what is going on around them.

Shadow Manipulation Specialty - Shadow Force
When Kuro focuses his energy into a single location, usually on his body, he is able to then fire off blasts of energy using 'unformed' material that he typically uses to build his shadow constructs. This comes out as raw energy, and when Kuro uses his energy in this manner, it blasts out. Now, because of how Kuro has grown to use his energy, this tires him out quite a bit to use, and he is not well known for firing off blasts of shadowy energy. However, if required, he is fairly comfortable with whipping off a Bala-sized blast of energy, either as a distraction or to serve some other purpose. A full scale blast is something that would take a lot out of him in his sealed state, and is something that he would not get that much better at even as he releases the power of his Zanpakuto. Imagine a chef being told to cook by throwing his food into a raging inferno. Kuro's just not able to output techniques like this well.

This ability does have one augmentation, however, and that is when Kuro has entered into Shadow Shunko.

Shadow Manipulation Specialty - Vise Limb
Kuro typically creates his shadow constructs and then sends them after his target, turning them into fire-and-forget projectiles, typically causing them to dissipate after they land on their target, or once their purpose has caused for them to expire.

This is not the case with the Vise Limb specialty manipulation. This construct is one which Kuro must constantly place his focus within, and can end up using so much force that he is unable to manipulate anything else. This is a shadow stream which Kuro is able to manipulate as potently as if it were another limb. He typically guides it with one of his arms, and can use it for attack or defense. It can strike an opponent with a blunt attack, becoming extremely sharp. It can also become rough and ragged, used as a defensive mechanism against melee attacks or small energy attacks. Kuro is not able to make it very large and constantly use it at max potency, never becoming larger than his own body.

The most dangerous part of this limb, however, is when Kuro forms the fist of the hand controlling the vise limb. (He could technically still use this ability if he lost both of his limbs, using the full focus of his mind to focus the shadow.) When the hand closes, the shadow limb tries to wrap around whatever it is immediately in contact with, like a snake. The vise-grip that the limb creates is one which constantly increases in pressure, and one which Kuro is able to pump more of his raw energy into to increase the force. After about a post of increasing pressure, Kuro has to finally release it, although the amount of force produced by this point will typically be enough to deal serious damage even to someone who is at a level similar to Kuro's own.

Shadow Manipulation Specialty - Umbral Love
The Shadow Manipulation Specialty which Kuro uses the least, and as a result, he is not very skilled with it. He has not done much to develop it beyond his initial experiments with it, as it does not have any effect on himself. However, this ability is something which he is theoretically able to call upon, and is a strong example of the kind of variety which Kuro strives to have access to. Umbral Love produces shadows which will not fade, even if Kuro is incapacitated or disabled, or even slain. The amount of energy that it takes to create this, combined with Kuro's lack of practice, result in this being the most stressful kind of construct for him to create.

The Umbral Love constructs have two defining traits. The first is their softness. They are as tender and soft as a person could possibly imagine, their very presence possibly having a positive effect on the psyche of a person who touches it. The second trait is their raw durability. The Umbral Love's shadows are extremely difficult to break or pierce through, but because of Kuro's limitations in regards to this technique, he is unable to use this to any appreciable effect in battle. What he has figured out is that creating a human-sized amount of this kind of Shadow Construct would take the entirety of his spiritual supplies. This should make it fairly obvious how durable these constructs can be, as Kuro's spiritual supplies are not decimated that easily.

Again, Kuro cannot even use this shadow specialty to his own advantage, only to the advantage of others.

Shadow Manipulation Specialty - Rapid Blows
A technique which gains a hefty boost under the Shunko of the Shadows, Rapid Blows is the fastest kind of shadow that Kuro can produce. Kuro starts with a typical shadow construct of any kind, and then floods shadow energy around the object, causing an instantaneous rebound-type influence to surround it. The object then rockets forwards, moving much faster than Kuro would make it go with typical manipulation.

This is one of the micro-utilizations of his abilities that Kuro has spent a considerable amount of time developing, and takes a minute amount of energy to produce. Typically, he cannot accumulate enough energy to create more than six full attacks with this influence possessing them in a post. The speed which the weapons he uses with this can reach nearly shunpo-levels, although the speed is decreased the larger the object he is attempting to toss is. A typical application of this ability would be Kuro producing two hands full of shadow-constructed Shuriken, throwing them all out in a pattern and causing them to move much faster than normal, bursting forth and trying to hit an opponent in multiple places.

Shadow Manipulation Specialty - Crushing Night
By fueling a significant amount of energy into a given attack, Kuro can cause for his shadows to become much more weighty than normal. In addition, he can apply this effect to any shadow construct he is in contact with, using his spiritual power to greatly increase the weight he can throw around. Because this is not a manner of fighting which he has spent a significant amount of time training, and most of his experience comes from having to use it in combat, Kuro is typically only able to use this ability to weight his shadows twice per post. An example of this usage is creating a massive spiked ball on chain, filling it with Crushing Night a few moments before releasing it or hucking it at his enemy.

Kuro cannot combine Crushing Night with Rapid Blows, but he can influence Vise Limb with it. If he does this, he typically will dispel the Vise Limb after using it, as it would take a significant amount of energy to reconstruct the limb. Additionally, it takes more energy to apply Crushing Night to a larger object, or to weight that object more. Shadow Constructs afflicted by Crushing Night tend to dissipate immediately after use.

Shunko of the Shadows
Several years ago, Kuro had an idea. That idea was to emulate those beings of light and legend, Soi Fon and Yoruichi Shihoin. He became privy to their theories of development and others who had interacted with them thanks to his own experiences in the Stealth Force, but even before joining he had been experimenting with this technique. This technique is one which Kuro has continued to develop over time, but only recently has been 'mastered' to the point where he has been able to experiment with enhancing his individual skills.

Just entering this state is a process, requiring for Kuro to remain still for the better part of a post, cultivating his own Shadow Energy as he wraps it around himself. This type of shadow is closest to Shadow Force in its qualities, but even though it is similar, the amount of control and focus that Kuro must focus onto it to make it work the way he wants to means that even if he's beaten across the face with an energy attack and splayed out on the ground, the shadows will continue to build without erupting around his body.

Finally, when at last this culmination of power has reached the appropriate limit, Kuro manipulates it in the proper way to use in combat. It is like flipping a switch, a physical sensation that once achieved finally feels natural, like wearing a pair of pants or leather gloves. That energy forms around Kuro's body, causing for streams of forceful shadow to form around his back and head, almost like dark fire covering the entirety of his body.

Once this state has been achieved, Kuro's ability to output energy increases by an immense amount. Whereas before his usage of energy could be described as conservative at best, that status changes completely when he releases this state of energy manipulation. While in this state, he is able to output entire streams of energy with little effort, the amount of spiritual pressure coursing through him able to even make the ground lightly shake from the force of his steps and keeping this state together.

Shadow Force: Exertion
When Kuro enters into this Shunko-like state, he almost becomes a hand to hand fighter. His feet, elbows, and hands all become acceptable weapons to him. When he creates an impact in this state, an absolutely torrential amount of force accompanies it. A blow to the ground in this state would create a substantial crater, causing the earth in the general vicinity to shake lightly.

Shadow Force: Pressure Reversal
Like a bird freed from its cage, Kuro's body moves so much looser once he enters into this state. His movements become light and completely free of stress, like a squirrel released from a cage as he dashes about, his limbs moving easily and naturally. In fact, it's not unusual to hear a small, sporadic little laugh from the man as he flows and rips about. His speed was difficult to follow in his sealed state, but it rises to a higher plane once he has released this form. Even compared with the highest amount of speed he could acquire just from ascending using his Zanpakuto, Kuro's Shadow Shunko is comparatively faster.

Shadowform Alteration - Shunko
Once he has entered into his Shadow Shunko, Kuro's Shadowform behaves differently as well. Entering into his Shadowform greatly expands the shadow around where he enters into the ground, often causing a decent amount of the battlefield to turn into shadows. Additionally, when Kuro enters into the shadows while in this state, the ground appears to darken and burn as intensely as the presence that surrounds Kuro's body, though this is more a visual effect than anything else. He remains as restricted in this state as he would be normally.

Shadow Force Alteration - Shunko
While in this state, Kuro's Shadow Force takes a substantial increase, while his other Shadow Manipulation's become much more difficult to use. This is because Kuro must now focus on maintaining the power that is radiating around his entire form. However, that energy makes it much easier for Kuro to use his Shadow Force than before. He can output waves of energy with ease in this force, blasting out with it up to eight times over the course of two posts.

Shadow Force: Compressed Sphere
Kuro is able to focus the Shadow Force in a unique manner when he enters this form, condensing it down into a ball the size of a baseball. By tossing this ball, it then explodes like a bomb, causing explosive damage to everything around it, trying to rip away and crush defenses. Kuro can create up to two of these spheres within a post.

Rapid Blows Alteration - Shunko
While Kuro cannot often create items more complicated than three of his strings or a couple of knives simultaneously in this state, his Rapid Blow's Specialty begins applying to most of the shadow-based attacks he uses. His Shadow Force strikes much faster and more violently when he releases it, his knives move even faster, and his strings can rapidly whip back and forth if he focuses on it.

Crushing Night Alteration - Shunko
Kuro cannot really use Crushing Night while he has released his Shadow Shunko's state. However, he can use it augment his own body. For example, he could crush down with a knee, smashing into an opponent with a much greater amount of weight and pressure than normal. Typically, he cannot do this more than once every two posts, due to his inexperience with Crushing Night and the danger that such a move could pose to his own body, as its durability is not increased in this state.

I. Shikai


» Shikai Release Phrase:
Everyone Leaves a Shadow… Akai me no Kuroi Inu…

» Shikai Appearance:
Kuo's sword splits in half, dividing itself length wise, as Kuro grabs the new second part, and forms two dagger-like tantos, one for each of his hands. The swords are completely black in color, and have a reach of about two feet each. The blades are designed for stabbing, their sharpest point being where the blade tapers off. The blades lack a guard of any kind, and the handle is marred with black tape.

» Shikai Abilities:

Spirit of Darkness
Once Kuro enters into his Shikai state, his presence… decreases. His entire body becomes darker around its sharp edges, making it harder to make him out even when looking directly at him under sunlight. In addition, Kuro's spiritual presence becomes much smaller than before, like the light decreasing as the sun sets. Finally, his own shadow expands exponentially, reaching out for tens of feet behind him, like a giant's. In addition, Kuro can direct this shadow in any direction, despite the influence of the sun or other light sources. The most dangerous place that he typically can put this shadow is directly beneath an enemy who is standing on the ground.

Shadow Manipulation Source: Inner Shadow
When he enters into his Shikai, Kuro gains as much influence over the shadow that his body leaves behind as he has giving off shadow from his body. The most dramatic example of this application would be something like this shadow extending underneath an enemy, and a Vise Limb sliding out from it, wrapping around their legs, rooting them to the spot, or even trying to drag them down onto their knees. The power of the constructs that Kuro can exert from his shadow are just a fraction less than the ones that come directly from his body.

Another decent example of this new source of manipulation is when Kuro enters into his Shunko of Shadows. By focusing his power on this shadow, he's able to then release a catastrophic amount of energy at once, enough to topple buildings and rip and explode intensely within the area it erupts on. Typically, though, Kuro can only release a massive wave like that from his shadow once per post, due to the strain of releasing such a massive amount of energy.

Cape of Convulsions - Appearance
Kuro's former spirit was once known as Piero, and the curse that Piero left upon Kuro's body is still apparent in his white hair and black arm, and the scar on his face. However, with Piero's merging with Kuroi no Inu, Kuro's existence as a shinigami has altered back to the pure blooded creature which he once was. In some ways, it is as if Kuro's soul had finally processed the presence which had assailed it, merging the creature fully within himself.

When Kuro enters into his Shikai, his zanpakuto merges into its two dagger like states. Meanwhile, from that white hair of his, a beautiful white coat flows around his body, completely covering it. This coat is pure-white in color, soft as down, with several feathers around the collar. While Kuro wears the cape, a masquerade mask dons along his face, turning his eyes completely black in color. The cape flows around him unnaturally, as if it were possessed by a specter.

Cape of Convulsions - Abilities
The cape which Kuro dons in his Shikai can cover his entire body, and typically serves one purpose, being a shield. When a moderate sized energy blast is thrown Kuro's way, he can surround himself with the material, protecting himself as the cape absorbs the majority of the impact. Typically, the material is only strong enough to do this up to once a post, and if destroyed three or more times takes a three post cooldown before it is able to be reformed again. If Kuro is assailed by an attack larger than a moderate one, the cape will be unable to absorb enough of the damage, causing for Kuro to be knocked aside.

The cape can be retracted, sliding back into the mask on Kuro's face. This is important, because of the fact that Kuro cannot use Shadowform or Shadow Sense as long as he is wearing the cape.. He can still use most of his other shadow-related abilities while wearing the cape, and even sometimes will use the cape to mask an attack which he is forming behind it.

Disarming Greatsword: Warrior-Knight Wolf of Shadows
This is an extremely peculiar ability that Kuro gains access to while he is in his Shikai. He is essentially able to combine his Zanpakuto swords and his left arm together. The result is a greatsword larger than his own body, and a massive boost of strength for the Shadow Shinigami. His shadow manipulations become a bit weaker when he creates this tool, as it subsumes a decent amount of his connection with Kuroi no Inu. His left arm becomes replaced by a stump when this happen, looking as if it is made of metal, like the flat end of a hammer.

Kuro wields the greatsword as if it hardly weighs anything, just enough to influence his own body. The fascinating part of using this greatsword is that Kuro is able to combine it with his Dance of Shadows style of fighting, leading to him attacking at completely awkward angles, whipping the great blade back and forth, dashing with it, even spinning with it above his head. In this manner, his attack pattern becomes unpredictable and vicious, coming at his opponents from multiple angles consecutively, as if he will never tire while he wields this blade.

The sword itself is special in that it deals a tremendous amount of damage for a single piece of equipment in Kuro's kit. Some of the most destructive attacks that Kuro can produce involves him separating this sword from himself, and then going into Shadow Shunko, swinging the greatsword around to great blasts of sound and dark energy. In fact, one strategy that Kuro can use in battle involves separating the blade from himself, and then defending himself with it while he focuses on reforming his shadow's abilities.

However, due to the negative effects of the blade on his Shadow Manipulation, entering into Shunko of the Shadows with it or taking it out while in that state tends to cause a massive dip in the power of his energy, rerouting that destructive force into the greatsword. While Kuro can then return the sword back into its original form, the sword will take up to a full post to dematerialize completely back to normal.

Augmentation of the Shadows
Once he has entered into his Shikai, the amount of energy which Kuro is able to output to use in his shadow constructs is ramped up considerably. His control over the shadows does not really change, as that is not something dictated by his Zanpakuto. His skill and control over the shadows that he outputs from himself comes from himself.

One thing that does change pretty significantly, however, is the boost of strength and stamina that Kuro gets for standing in a more shadowed area. For example, if the area Kuro's in is roughly half covered in shadows around the ground, then Kuro's strength and ability to keep fighting is augmented considerably. In the twilight hour or an area with a similar amount of long shadows, Kuro's ability to keep fighting is augmented in a fantastic manner, making him difficult to put down and keep down while in his Shikai. Of course, this augmentation is lost if the other person is able to produce a source of light bright enough to dispel the shadows in the area around Kuro.

Stamina of the Dark
The only natural trait that Kuro possesses himself that is augmented by his Shikai is his Stamina. Even when he is beaten, bloodied, or smashed into the pavement, he can force himself to get back up, as if he is possessed by an absurd amount of adrenaline. In reality, his Zanpakuto's Shadows are being used to try to hold his body together more efficiently, using the shadows that Kuro can output to try to prevent wounds that would disable him from being able to exactly do so. They do not keep him from feeling the incredible pain of such wounds, or help him choose to stay upright. They simply help make it possible for him to do so. This stamina boost does have a limit, however; after five posts of extremely rough play, it will give out, usually calling Kuro to pass out unconscious on the spot from his body finally fully realizing how much damage it had taken, as if it had been left 'in the dark' to its true status up until then.

Umbral Slash
Kuro's Shikai provides a host of benefits in a couple different ways, but at the end of the day, the true activity of any Shinigami's Shikai comes back to the weapons that they are holding. Kuro's Shikai is no different. While the power of his shadow constructs is without a doubt where he has put most of his training and practice, there is still his skill with the blade to consider.

When Kuro slashes something with one of his zanpakuto, he has the ability to create an 'Umbral Crevice' on that target. This is essentially an extremely concentrated 'infection' of Kuro's shadow energy on whatever his Zanpakuto touched. Once the Umbral Crevice has been placed onto a target, a couple of different effects begin afflicting the target.

Umbral Slash - Sensory Information
As long as Umbral Slash is applied to a surface, Kuro has deep 'knowledge' about the object that the mark is applied to. Specifically, its location. For him, it's like using a fingertip against the object at all times the mark is applied. Even if he were knocked on the ground and his thoughts were scattered, he would still 'feel' the sensory information from the Umbral Slash.

Umbral Claw of the Shadow Captain
When Kuro enters into his Shikai, his left arm becomes completely covered in dark shadows, and as a result, he regains one of the original traits that Piero afflicted his body with. Essentially, Kuro gains the ability to expand his arm, his fingertips turning into claws with the ability to score into walls from how sharp they are. That is, if the force of the hand slamming against the wall does not cause it to collapse. The full size of the limb becomes large enough that it could grip around a human sized figure, and any damage done to the limb by energy or physical attacks is reflected back on Kuro's left arm when the limb returns to normal.

While this claw is able to utilize a fair amount of force, and is able to be used comfortably both in and out of Shadow Shunko, it is less durable than Kuro's body is normally, and therefore typically is only used for defense as a last resort. For example, if Kuro were hit by an energy blast and block with his expanded Umbral Claw, causing the entire wrist and fingers to shatter, then returning the limb back to its natural state would cause for his fingers and arm to be completely unusable, his fingers warped in extremely irregular ways.

Shadowmere
The Steed of Darkness is a peculiar individual which Kuro can summon. By infusing one of his swords with his energy, he is able to summon forth a steed, sacrificing the blade for the creation of the shadow horse. The horse is reasonably durable, significantly tougher than a normal horse. It is made purely out of Kuro's shadow manipulation, and therefore can be as fast as he can manipulate his shadows.

This technique was developed out of Kuro's curiosity of whether or not he could manipulate shadows to the point of making something seem like a living creature with it. The steed is created relatively easily, and disperses after about two posts from creation, if it lives that long.

Shades of Darkness: Kuro can create a pair of Shades with his power that can see through almost any darkness, in which case that darkness is pure and absolute. Once created, he cannot create another pair for at least a post and they remain constructed until they are broken, removed, lost, or taken off from the person who first wears them.

I. Bankai



» Bankai Release Phrase:
My Burdens Flow into the Night... Kuroi no Inu.

» Bankai Release Actions:
Kuro draws back both hands, before releasing his Zanpakuto, falling down backwards onto his back with a great thump.

» Bankai Appearance:
Since Kuro's zanpakuto consumed Piero, the nature of his bankai has changed. Originaly, Kuro's bankai gave him access to multiple swords, which he used to dance across the battlefield.

However, after absorbing Piero, Kuro's zanpakuto underwent a change. This transformation also reflected the changes in Kuro's persona. Now, his Bankai is referred to as 'the abyss'. When he enters into this form, black shadowy substance begins flowing over his body, constantly pouring forth. This substance drips down to the ground, pooling around Kuro's body in his Bankai.

Both of his zanpakuto shrink down, becoming the size of knives, a backwards hook coming out of them at the halfway mark. Additionally, rope made out of shadow as durable as the zanpakuto themselves affix themselves to the hilt of the daggers. White-gold bands appear around both of Kuro's arms, affixed to the shadowy rope. This effectively allows for Kuro to use his zanpakuto as if they were kunai on chain.

In many ways, Kuro's bankai has changed to reflect his state of mind. As far as conscious control goes, there are little to no fine-tuned abilities which Kuro gains. He develops an 'emotional' connection with the Abyssal Mass which forms around his body, and uses his most basic desires to use it in crude, imprecise ways.

Image reference:
Spoiler:

» Bankai Abilities:

Uncontrolled Darkness - The Abyssal Mass
Once Kuro enters into his Bankai, his entire body becomes consumed by the shadowy energy he can produce. It has a persistent physical form, with the feel and consistency of mud. This can make it difficult for others to move through, and if they are not sufficiently strong enough, could prevent movement altogether. While Kuro is in his Bankai, more and more of this substance will pour of his body from his arms down. The substance does not make it more difficult for Kuro to move, as it slides around and conforms to his movements without him having to do anything or indicate for it to do as such.

Shadow Manipulation Trait Alteration: Persistency
While in his Bankai, all shadow constructs Kuro creates or manipulates disperses from its physical form after a post. Instead of becoming shadows, however, the constructs become part of the Abyssal Mass. It is important to note, however, that Kuro cannot draw any energy specifically from the Abyssal Mass; but he is able to use it to channel his own energy through, like shooting a jet of water inside of a pool that then goes outside of the pool.

Shadow Manipulation Trait Alteration: Pooling
The peculiar shadow infused substance that comes off of Kuro's body, and from his shadowy constructs, and now follows Kuro's body, wherever it moves to. Like a gelatinous mass, it follows its host, whether Kuro wishes for it to or not. Interestingly, the more there is to the pool, the more it drains Kuro as it moves around. The Abyssal Mass moves faster than water does down a slope, usually keeping up with the Shadow Shinigami. As long as part of the mass is underneath him, it appears to be content.

Shadow Manipulation: Evolution to Wishes
Kuro's Bankai does not interact with shadows in the same way Kuro normally does. While it does not lose any functionality, it does gain a new method of interacting with Kuro's shadows. Each of these techniques are things which are not generally adaptable, such that his shadow manipulations are. They are not things which Kuro can practice to become better at forming. He may become smarter in regards to using or implementing them, but not better or more efficient at creating them. Each of these techniques utilize different amounts of the black pool beneath Kuro while he is in his Bankai. They are referred to as 'Abyss Wishes'.

Abyss Wish
Typically, Kuro should only ever be able to make one Abyss Wish per post. To do any more would take extraordinary circumstances not stemming from himself. This is due to the fact that most of the collected Abyssal Mass should be expended when Kuro makes an Abyss Wish. Additionally, Abyss Wishes are the only way for Kuro to decrease the size of the Abyssal Mass that follows him in his Bankai. Using these wishes requires significantly more energy than allowing the mass to follow Kuro for a post, but becomes a much more efficient use of energy when you consider it moving around with him for multiple posts. This is not something that always occurs to Kuro, however, and is a significant drawback of his Bankai.

Abyss Wish: Desire for Creation
The simplest Abyss Wish is Kuro's ability to augment his shadow constructs with the collected Abyssal Mass. Whatever construct Kuro is manipulating at the time becomes infused with all the substance beneath Kuro's body. The construct now hits harder, with more force, becomes sharper if that is a factor, and moves faster. The intensity of these upgrades scales with the amount of Abyssal Mass Kuro infuses it with. This wish takes about a post's worth of Abyssal Mass generated from Kuro's body, or a decent number of his dispersed constructs. This ability is activated from Kuro's desire for his constructs to be better, to be more efficient, to better handle the task at hand.

Abyss Wish: Desire for Annihilation
This technique activates from Kuro's desire to be rid of his surroundings. All at once, the Abyssal Mass begins to destabilize, making threatening hissing noises. A short time later, within the same post, the mass then erupts in a cataclysm of destructive force. The deeper within the pool something is, the more damage it takes from this effect. The further something is from the imploding mass, the less forceful the explosion's impact. This Wish takes at least a post's worth of Abyssal Mass, and the ensuing explosion would be enough to destabilize and topple most nearby buildings.

Important to note: Kuro is not immune to the effects of this detonation. If he were standing inside the mass itself with three or more posts of substance having accumulated, he would be incapacitated at the minimum from the ensuing explosion.

Abyss Wish: Desire for Clearance
Towards whatever direction Kuro indicates, the Abyssal Mass bursts forth with great force. Anything in the direction that Kuro has indicated gets blown back by the great torrent of mass and pressure. Buildings will topple if this move is used in the street, or a large crater would appear if this was used against the side of a mountain or something similar. It would take a spectacular amount of force to divert this Wish, not to mention stopping it. Kuro is unaffected by this Wish's effects, as the Abyssal Mass moves along him as it normally does. This wish is fueled by a desire that says 'Let me through!'. It requires at least two posts worth of Abyssal Mass to activate.

Abyss Wish: Desire for Attention
This wish infuses the Wish with about a post's worth of Abyssal Mass. The mass then changes the 'target' of its pooling trait from Kuro to whomever or whatever he indicates, in the same manner as how the pool centers around Kuro. Whatever Abyssal Mass remains after the infusion centers in on the target, surrounding their body with the obtuse material. The material moves faster due to the infusion, becoming thicker and harder to move through, and more resilient to energy and physical attacks blowing it away. It lasts for a post for every two charges that remain after the infusion. It therefore requires at least two 'charges' of Abyssal Mass to activate, for the result of a highly effective 'smokescreen' that is difficult to move in for less than a post. Kuro cannot manipulate this Abyssal Mass further after it has left his body, as a new pool will begin forming around him after he has launched this one. This Wish is supported by Kuro's desire to be 'noticed' by whatever the target is, to have their attention, to remove their attention from anything else. Kuro can still create shadow constructs from within the Abyss Wish's Abyssal Mass as he could normally, until it disperses.

Abyss Wish: Desire for Collapse
This is the only Abyss Wish with a physical component involved in its creation. Kuro must before the physical component to activate this. Because of this, it is rare that Kuro uses it. By concentrating all of the Abyssal Mass at the end of his outstretched hands, Kuro can cause the Abyssal Mass to condense into a sphere-like shape. Once it has finished forming, which usually takes about a post, the mass then bursts forwards, performing its primary function. Streams of shadowy constructs burst outwards, like dozens of knives, that then separate into hundreds of knives, trying to decimate everything in their path. They are all focused on a single target which Kuro defines. Kuro can manipulate the attack through his hands, causing something like all of the streams to attack from above, or making the barrage pursue a moving target. The translation is not perfect, but if there is enough space it is usually possible for Kuro to redirect them. The attack's various streams move about as fast as one of Kuro's shadowy construct attacks. The attack uses up three posts of the Abyssal Mass forming around Kuro. He can move at any time and in any fashion short of Shadowform or Flash Step while using this technique. The strain on his body from using it means that he can only perform this attack once per thread. What makes this attack so dangerous is how long the attack lasts. The onslaught lasts for an entire post.

Shikai Nullification
Once Kuro has initiated his Bankai, all of the shadow constructs that he had made prior disappear. His body returns to the way it was when he began his Shikai, and if he is within Shadow Shunko, it also fades away. His body returns to its original state, minus any damage he has been inflicted or energy he has spent. He loses the ability to construct Shadowmere, and he also cannot separate his arm from his body to create the greatsword. These reflections on Piero's influence become more subdued, as Kuro's Zanpakuto becomes stronger reflected. He does retain the Cape of Convulsions and his Umbral Claw, however.

Cascading Spiritual Force
Once he enters into his Bankai, Kuro's energy reserves receive a massive buff. The easiest way to see this reflected is how large the Abyssal Mass can become, and yet Kuro can still move around relatively fluidly and use the techniques that he has spent so much time developing. Typically, he is able to maintain his bankai even at strenuous levels for more than eight posts, although anything past that becomes dicey.

Stamina of the Abyssal Soul
Similar to his Shikai, his Bankai also continues to grant Kuro a boost to his physical stamina. Even if he is exhausted, or even missing something as serious as a limb, his Bankai will give him the physical energy and adrenaline required to feel like he can still fight, and focus well enough to typically do what he attempts. This can lead to some rather mortifying scenarios, as putting him down requires an immense amount of damage, and for several parts of his body to not work properly.

Shadow Manipulation Physical Buff
While it may appear that Kuro's shadowy constructs become unilaterally more effective while he is in his Bankai, this is more because he is comfortable using more energy on creating them and enhancing them. As a result, his shadowy constructs become faster, sharper, more forceful, and more durable.

Shadow Manipulation Mental Buff
Because Kuro's Zanpakuto, his shadow manipulations, and his mental state become more intertwined within his Bankai, it becomes significantly less mentally exhausting for him to use his shadow manipulation techniques, and their various small manipulations that provide extra buffs. However, this can lead to a decrease in accuracy, because it appears that he is generally more linked to his shadow constructs, he loses some of that razor-thin mental focus that leads to them working so efficiently. On the whole, therefore, it is possible for a smart enough adversary to actually outwit Kuro more effectively while he is in his Bankai.

Zanpakuto Realignment
Of course, a Shinigami's physical manifestations within their Bankai are only a part of the story. At the end of the day, the Zanpakuto is a weapon, utilized by its owner in combat. For Kuro Okami, his Zanpakuto becomes a more complex implement. On the whole, Kuro's Bankai fights a lot more generally, where Kuro commands his shadows to attack from within the Abyssal Mass that forms around him, using his Shadow Sense and sensory abilities to keep track of his targets. As a result, a close-range weapon like daggers no longer becomes useful in any regard. Therefore, Kuro's Zanpakuto in Bankai become… smaller.

Despite being smaller, they do not lose their ability to inflict Umbral Slashes upon those that they come into contact with. Additionally, they are just as sharp as before, and the speed at which they move is equivalent to Kuro's fastest movement without using Shunpo.

While he typically only uses two of them, Kuro in fact has eight of the knives, with four bands attached to each arm. The other six tend to remain hidden, until Kuro needs to pull them out.

Zanpakuto Remote Manipulation
Kuro's connection with his zanpakuto mean that they are able to behave unlike normal daggers. They move in the direction that he desires, at the speed that he desires, and can even remain suspended in air. He can use them as grappling hooks if he desires, or even climb up their ropes. Even while he uses all eight of the different daggers, they require little to no energy to cause to move or act in the way that Kuro desires for them to. He can even wield all eight of them as if they were normal blades, parrying and dueling with others. Each rope is able to maintain the blade against force as well as Kuro's own arm could.

Shadow Manipulation Through Zanpakuto Rope
The shadows that the ropes create have the same effects as Kuro's own shadow. In other words, he can create constructs from them as efficiently as Shadow Manipulation where the source is himself. However, constructs created from the ropes require the same kind of focus as his normal manipulations do, as if the buff that is granted by his Bankai in this regard is nullified. Therefore, he typically cannot create shadow constructs from more than one line at a time.

Abyss Prayer: Desire for Power
Up to twice per thread, Kuro can forcibly eject out shadow power in the form of Abyssal Mass from his body, causing a post's worth of the stuff to form at his feet. This uses up a fairly substantial amount of energy, however, and Kuro will be physically exhausted during the post that he performs it. This technique also has a two post cooldown, and if used more than twice per thread will exhaust Kuro, despite his boosted stamina.

Abyss Wish: The Dark Soul
Five posts worth of Abyssal Mass. That is how much must be generated by Kuro's body, how much he must have at hand, to use this Abyssal Wish. Typically, if Kuro knows that he is going to use this Wish, he will not allow for his emotions to get out of control enough to activate any of the others. This Wish causes for the Abyssal Mass to extend out of Kuro's body, expanding and puffing up in size as it rises into the sky.

For three hundred feet around Kuro's body, the Abyssal Mass surges into the sky, creating a dome of pure shadow. This dome then shifts, allowing for several thousand rays of light to pass through the dark, creating an arena-like space within. While within this arena like space, the Shadows then converge on Kuro's body, his entire body changing from releasing shadows passively to releasing shadows like in Shadow Shunko. In fact, if he is within Shadow Shunko while this has been activated, then he does not have to wait for the post that this procedure normally takes.

The Dark Soul is Kuro's method by which to achieve the deepest level of Shinigami power: their Shikokai. Because of his affliction with Piero, he was not a pureblooded Shinigami for a significant amount of time, and the Disturbed Energies that Piero produced within his soul still affect him even as he attempts to reach the height of his Zanpakuto's power. This dome lasts until Kuro is rendered unconscious or his Zanpakuto stops being actively released. Parts of it can be shattered or destroyed by attacks, but the dome itself will not crumble unless all of its supports are broken.

Additionally, for the first time, the shadowy energy that exudes from Kuro's body creates shadow in the space within the dome.

END OF THE POST


Last edited by JJ on Sat May 26, 2018 1:45 pm; edited 3 times in total




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THE SHINIGAMI TEMPLATE

I. Shikokai



» Shikokai Disclaimer:
Kuro does presently have the ability to activate Shikokai. The amount of time that he has spent within Soul Society, his constant training, the amount of activity that he has done through missions, and how far he has pushed his Zanpakuto have resulted in him being able to achieve this state, his soul finally reaching this pinnacle as it consumed the impurity that was Piero from within Kuro's soul. However, at the present time, Kuro has not yet released his Shikokai, and is not consciously aware that he can do so. This should be rectified in the near future, in which case this disclaimer section will be removed, and his Shikokai be further fleshed out and approved beyond the initial release state described below.

» Shikokai Release Phrase:
Lies and truth are meaningless in the dark. This is the truth of our Souls: Kuroi no Inu.

» Shikokai Appearance:
Kuro's entire body changes, his body finally gaining some of the height that he has been denied, his body maturing into that an of an adult. Around his entire body, the shadow that poured out comes to a halt, reforming as plated armor, his body cloaked beneath it. Along the top of his head, a helmet constructs itself, concealing his face from view, only shadow visible underneath it. Out of the top of his head, a shadowy braid of what looks like hair sprouts, reaching out to up to three feet in length.

In addition, a sickening cracking sound is heard, as his left arm is dislocated from his shoulder, wrapped in armor and unable to be moved. Kuro's Zanpakuto also changes, as the eight daggers form into one single blade around his right gauntleted hand, the bands forming into the armor around both arms. Together, they form a massive greatsword, as large as Kuro's own body. He wields this gigantic weapon with one arm.

Near Kuro's body, meanwhile, any extra shadow forms together, becoming a gigantic wolf-like creature with yellow eyes. This creature is Kuroi no Inu having its own physical form. The great beast stands at about thirty-five feet tall, and therefore Kuro's Shikokai cannot be activated while he is indoors, or else Kuroi no Inu will destroy whatever building he is inside of.

» Shikokai Abilities:

Shadow Knight
While in this state, Kuro's entire body becomes 'consumed' by the shadows. The massive wolf that appears next to him is his Zanpakuto spirit, and becomes the primary method by which to harm Kuro. In this state, his physical body stops feeling pain completely, and beneath his armor, it is possible to see that his skin and bones have all been consumed by the shadowy presence. As a result, even if the armor is broken or the shadowy parts attacked, they will break off, Kuro seemingly unaffected by their loss. If the armor on part of his body is destroyed, then that part will not be reformed, with the exception of his right arm. If parts of his right arm are destroyed, than armor pieces from his left will then replace it automatically, trying to prevent him from being able to drop the weapon that he carries.

Armor of the Dark Soul
The armor which Kuro wears in this form is incredibly durable. All of his Shadow Manipulation skills are employed into its creation and maintenance, making it extremely difficult to break. It can be scratched, dented, marred, but actually causing the pieces to shatter and broken into dust is a feat that requires an equivalently powerful amount of force as the intensity by which Kuro put into its creation. Additionally, once the armor has been created, Kuro is generally unable to reform any part of it while in Shikokai, as to do so would take a post's worth of concentration to reform a limb's worth of armor, making it extremely impractical to do in the middle of combat.

Shattered Right Arm
While in his Shikokai, Kuro loses all access to his right arm from the shoulder down. He cannot move any of his fingers, and the whole thing acts as if it is broken. He cannot reform it into the Umbral Claw, or any other fashion. The arm is completely useless in every regard, besides his body flailing about and it possibly crashing into someone else. He can use it as a shield, however, blocking attacks by turning his body and taking the hit to his already useless arm. Since it is completely covered in the same armor as the rest of his body, it is efficient at this task.

The Dark Soul Guardian
While in this form, the Wolf which accompanies Kuro is actually the part which can be dealt direct damage, and cause for Kuro to be stopped in his tracks. The Wolf is controlled by Kuroi no Inu, and it also loses the ability to directly communicate with Kuro while in this form. The only way for the two of them to communicate, therefore, is body language and similar indications. They are proficient at communicating in this way, generally. An interesting thing to note about this is that they do not actually look at one another; they sense each other's shadows to use this form of communication.

The gigantic wolf is extremely durable, being a creature spawned from Kuro's Shikokai. Taking it down would require making it unable to move via incapacitating each of its legs, and finally crushing its skull. If this actually happens, and Kuroi no Inu is slain, and not just incapacitated, then Kuro will die as well. However, this will then activate Soulless Knight.

Kuroi no Inu has a couple of interesting things that it can do while in this form. Once per post, for instance, it is able to create a blast of pure Shadow that can bowl over a target similar to how Abyss Wish - Desire for Clearance can, and by charging up for a post can cause for an attack like Abyss Wish - Desire for Annihilation to be released, though this would not harm Kuroi no Inu itself.

Kuroi no Inu is as fast as Kuro himself is, and can even use Shunpo-like movement once per post, despite its massive size. Typically, the amount of force which the massive wolf can create is enough to bowl over most adversaries if they are impacted with it.

Greatsword of the Dark
The sword which Kuro wields actually has two forms. The first is the one where he wields it himself, a weapon as large as his body is, wielded in his right hand. This weapon is extremely heavy, only able to be lifted by Kuro because of the shadow manipulation along his left arm. As a result, anything that is impacted with the sword tends to be knocked away, the amount of defense required to stop it completely being much higher than most individuals are capable of. However, the interesting part is how fluidly Kuro wields it. The Greatsword which he can wield in his Shikai is a precursor to this weapon, and he can wield it in the same manner.

Greatsword of the Dark: Shadow Blades
By tossing his blade into his own shadow, Kuro is able to force the blade to shoot out of the shadow of any other person that he indicates. This is the most dangerous and stealthy move that this form is capable of, and therefore it only tends to be effective the first time that it is used in a thread. Even if an individual is extremely high in the sky, as long as they are leaving a shadow, this will cause the blade to rise up, heading directly for where there body is, fixed to their location via their shadow, at least until it passes them. The blade hits with the same impact as a mass energy attack released by Kuro's body at full power could produce, and can shatter bones or even sever limbs if the target is not careful. This does take a pretty heavy tax on Kuro, however, due to the weight of the sword and the force required. Additionally, the sword must be retrieved after this.

Greatsword of the Shadows
When Kuroi no Inu's mouth wraps around the blade's hilt, it changes completely. The blade becomes as massive as Kuroi no Inu's body, as if it is a greatsword in relation to the one wielding it. It takes a large amount of energy for Kuroi no Inu to wield the weapon, even though the sword is essentially a representation of itself. Despite these difficulties, the wolf seems able to wield the weapon with next to no strain, dashing about with it, slashing with it, even spinning in great circles in an attempt to decimate everything around it. While the sword is like this, it cannot perform Blade of Shadows.

Shadow Shunko Adaptation
While in this state, Kuro's body behaves as if it is under the effects of Shadow Shunko. Indeed, for Kuro to be able to move in this state, with how heavy his armor and weapon are, he has to release Shadow Shunko and keep it active the entire time that he is in his Shikokai. It is not as difficult for him to maintain, but he does tend to use hand to hand attacks similar to his Shunko's normal style while in Shikokai. In other words, despite the immense weight of what he is wearing, Kuro does not lose the ability to move as quickly as he normally does, or output force in a similar manner.

Loss of Shadow Manipulation
Practically, Kuro loses his ability to create his Shadow Manipulation constructs. He does gain the ability to manipulate the shadows around his own body, similar to how he does in Shadow Shunko. However, when it comes to creating constructs, he is simply.. Unable to. He has instead chosen to focus all of his considerable skill into making himself an efficient warrior, able to fight alongside and even protect Kuroi no Inu. He is guardian, warrior, knight, and combatant. He is still able to use Shadowform in this form, still maintains his skill with a blade, his fighting style, and his other sealed abilities.

Strength of the Soul Steeped in the Darkness
Kuro's strength in his Shikokai appears to receive a massive increase. However, this is truly the force of his Shadow Manipulation being focused so intensely around his body. As a result, if he is restrained or something similar, whatever is restraining him will have an immensely difficult time holding him still, as the amount of pressure and energy and force which he exudes and manipulates continues to rise until he is finally released. Similarly, physical blows given by Kuro in this state tend to be painful to the extreme, their spiritual nature even damaging spiritual constructs thrown at him or protecting his enemies, if they are compatible.

Abyss Marks
While Kuro's weapon is no longer to distribute Umbral Slashes, it does become able to create a construct known as Abyss Marks. This is one of the few ways that Kuro can manipulate shadows outside of his body while in this form, and this is because they are an extremely simple construct. When Kuro's Greatsword of the Dark slides along or cuts into a shadow, that shadow then releases a torrent of tentacle-like restraints, moving directly towards Kuro's target. Typically, he can only do this once per post, and it takes a post cooldown to use again. These ropes are almost as durable as the armor around Kuro's body, and can be difficult to escape if they manage to catch their target. They move as fast as Kuro's shadow constructs did in his Bankai, and are designed to restrain the opponent, not crush them. If used on a target significantly weaker than Kuro while in his bankai, however, they may experience physical pain or even breaking bones from these restraints.

Shadow Smash
Kuro is also able to physically assail his opponents. If he ever hits an opponent against a surface, like the ground or a rock face or a mountain, and there is a shadow where they impact with, then the same amount of impact that Kuro's body dealt to them is received from that shadow as well. This means that Kuro will typically tend to drive his opponents into a corner, or manipulate the light around him. Needless to say, if there is no source of light at all, then this is ability is unable to work. Additionally, if the target creates a source of light where they would have otherwise impacted, then they are unaffected by the negative effects of this ability. This ability does not apply to Kuroi no Inu, or when Kuro attacks someone with the Greatsword of the Dark.

Soulless Knight
When Kuro is slain via Kuroi no Inu's death in this state, his body becomes completely mindless, running off of the remaining shadow energy. Because of how singular his purpose tends to be in this state, his body will continue to attack whatever it is he is fighting for up to four posts after he has died, almost indistinguishable from when he was alive. After this point, the shadow knight will remain standing in the place where Kuroi no Inu was slain, only becoming aggressive towards whatever attacks it. There the creature will remain, its body slowly dissipating unless someone comes after it that is strong enough to break apart its armor enough to completely dispel it.

I. Skill Sheet


General Skills
  • Durability: Advanced
  • General Speed: Advanced
  • Strength: Advanced
  • Weapon Skill: Elite


Shinigami Skills
  • Hoho: Elite
  • Kidō: Advanced
  • Zanjutsu: Advanced
  • Hakuda: Advanced


Will Skills
  • Willpower/Determination: Advanced
  • Mental Deduction: Advanced
  • Pain Endurance: Advanced
  • Focus: Master


I. Role Play Sample


» Roleplay Sample:
[From Inverse Infection: Ground Zero.]

The desolation in every direction was disturbing, and in some cases, disgusting. The figure who moved along the shadows, however, did not take in a bit of this. He was here to perform reconnaissance, sent by his Division. He was not sent alone. A platoon of Shinigami had been sent to the area, but the majority of them were still camped outside of it. Kuro had gone in by himself in order to assess the situation. He had encountered this once. The images of those two women who had been able to destroy entire divisions still burned in the forefront of his mind.

”Give me a break..” He muttered to himself as he slid along, or rather, whispered to himself. He did not really mean it; in fact, he did not mean much of anything at the moment. The landscape did not impress him in the slightest. To him, the figure in the sky might as well have been screaming her presence. She was creating a great big shadow on the ground that was disconnected from everything else; an oddity. She thought that he was flash-stepping; in reality, his body was being absorbed and displaced within the shadows. As the flames she created resulted in the creation of several dozen shadows, Kuro’s eyes flickered upwards. She was creating light sources… thus creating more shadows.

There was a reason that Kuro had come alone. He was no hero, but he was not stupid, either. He had faith in his own abilities to perform reconnaissance, but there was absolutely no way that he could guarantee the safety of his men in this place. Once again, he recalled the vicious attacks from the last time this situation had occurred. Perhaps she was seeing the multiple Shinigami that had accompanied Kuro; in fact, they were simply manipulations of shadows. Shadows within shadows, as it were. Normally, they would be skulking through the shadows, so it was easy to create the illusion that there were several more figures than a single man. If she read their energy signatures, however, she would find them blank.

”…” Kuro was silent as the attack smashed into the most obvious wave of shadows, dispersing them utterly. He did not move an inch from his current location, his eyes observing everything. There was no possible way that real Shinigami would be here for her to slaughter; the shadows were the only things destroyed. The demonic energy, however, made him twitch. It made his left eye hurt, though he did not move or otherwise betray his position, cloaked as he was within the shadows, down to his energy. Gently wrapping his hands around the twin blades of his Shikai, he allowed for his body to travel along the shadows once again.

A peculiar sensation, travelling through the shadows. One had to lose all sense of self, and allow themselves to be dragged in along the darkness. Within darkness, all were equal, everything was one. All had one thing in common: absence of the light. This was the only place that Kuro found truly comfortable. Having moved close enough now, he could make out her words.

”Slaughtering hollows…?” He asked, his eyes not looking at his target as his right hand moved forwards, shadows pouring out along his blade. He had collected quite a lot moving around as he had, and this all resulted in a single stabbing motion. Aim for the heart. She has something that is preventing her from touching the chair. Sharp, sharper, sharper, sharp as possible. This was the single directive that possessed Kuro as he moved to eliminate the highest profile threat in the area. His blade emerged through the back of her chair, his body lurking within the shadows behind it as he stabbed through, the shadows clashing into her armor as they increased in raw cutting power, compounding as the shadows ripped away at her defenses. Smoothly, therefore, he would attempt to stab his blade directly through her, its sharp edge attempting to tear through her body and directly through her heart.

Releasing his grip on the blade, Kuro’s body slowly moved back. If the Zanpakutō had lodged itself within her, she would be captured by the nature of Zanpakutō themselves; the blade would be far too heavy for her to lift. If it fell, it would fall into its own shadow, returning back to Kuro’s hands as he leaned against the back of the ‘chair’ she had made. ”I’ve done that a few times… a few… hundred times…”

With that utterance, a peculiar thing happened. Demonica would be hit by an intent to kill that would likely surprise even her. It drowned out everything else in the nearby area; back at the camp, hairs began to rise on the backs of necks. It was a darkness, a desire to eliminate life, to cease the existence of others. That emotion was pouring out from behind Demonica’s chair, almost as paralyzing as any spiritual pressure of a Captain Shinigami. It declared his intent bright as day, and more than that… it also showed his ‘stability’.

Kuro himself was almost unaffected by madness for this very reason. He had learned long ago how to drown himself in his killing intent. So long as he had that dark will, there was next to no way for another to influence his mind. He was able to focus purely on his goal, and become almost like a tool. His body was a tool to his goals. Those goals tended to align with the Seireitei, because they had his loyalty.

Kuro’s back remained on her chair, before tilting his head to the side as he allowed himself to be carried by that simple momentum. His entire body was tossed downwards, his arms still crossed over his chest. As he fell, the shadows beneath him shot outwards, wrapping themselves Demonica’s body, or at least trying their best to. Kuro’s body slid into his own shadow, before sliding away once again, his body laying on the ground as he reappeared some distance behind her. He was face down, his stomach laying on the ground, his head tilted up to look at her.

The killing intent had stopped for the moment. His actions thus far had been almost like an animal playing with its food. If Demonica did not do anything about the streams of shadows that attempted to bind her, they would all plunge into where his blade had attacked once already, attempting to drive themselves through her heart once again as well.

Kuro was not merciful. He would continue to weaken that spot and attempt to destroy her core repeatedly. He did not feel any kind of sympathy towards this other living being, and it would probably be best if she didn’t feel any for him, either. He looked up from where he was laying on the ground. You idiot… did you see what she did earlier…? Do you have any idea what’ll happen to you if you get hit by that? The Ziamichi spirit within him questioned, in an uncharacteristically grave tone. ”Yeah, but I figure she’s really not that bright if she uses that much power on a bunch of shadows.” Kuro replied aloud, with no apparent care for the demon that was just ten yards away from him.

He was hoping that she would attempt to charge him next. He already had his next attack ready if she went for the physical assault, and if she went for a metaphysical one, he would quickly use the opportunity to nab the shadows that would be produced, using the opportunity to go for another critical attack. You’ve been kinda different since you remembered her, huh, moron? The Laughing Gray asked his master, his tone still too serious. ”It happened. Now I’m just Kuro Okami, leader of the Stealth Division, here to put an end to this senseless madness. There’s nothing here to disturb me in the slightest. Once we kill her, we’ll shut it all down.” He said with a deadpan tone, though his blank eyes never looked away from the demoness before him…

END OF THE POST


Last edited by JJ on Tue Sep 03, 2019 12:31 pm; edited 1 time in total




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« Application Checklist »
  • Name [X]
  • Appropriate Age [X]
  • Gender [X]
  • Appearance Present [X]
  • Appearance Picture is Visible [X]
  • Appearance is Not Claimed [X]
  • 10 sentences for personality [X]
  • History is of appropriate length [X]
  • Powers are not Godmod/Overpowered [X]
  • Powers are described reasonably enough [X]
  • Application/RP Sample is not in First Person [X]
  • Skills are not filled in (Omit if a Hollow)[X]


Will Skills
  • Willpower/Determination: Elite
    Mental Deduction: Advanced
    Pain Endurance: Elite
    Focus: Master


Code:
[b][u]Will Skills[/u][/b]
[list][*][b]Willpower/Determination:[/b] Elite
[b]Mental Deduction:[/b] Advanced
[b]Pain Endurance:[/b] Elite
[b]Focus:[/b] Master[/list]

  • Comments/Notes: Good shit. Also, giving Kuro Master in Focus due to the development of his character over the course of more than half a decade, his history as a focus-focused character, and how much his abilities stress the necessity of focus.

    Tier: Re-approved at the same tier, 0-5



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