Shunsui Kyoraku/Powers & Abilities (2025)

Powers & Abilities[]

Master Swordsman: While hating the concept of having to engage in a fight, Shunsui is one of the most proficient swordsmen in all of Soul Society. He is a highly adaptable combatant, as his two swords have allowed him to become ambidextrous, letting him switch them between his hands. Shunsui usually swings with more strength in his left hand than his right, however, he can easily switch or balance the strength between his two hands, allowing him to surprise his opponent. Shunsui states that he only uses his wakizashi in situations where his katana is too difficult to use. Shunsui's fighting style involves evasion and attacking an opponent either in the front or back, using the element of surprise to overwhelm them. His two swords move at a different pace, something he takes advantage of while fighting. While the enemy is at the mercy of his wakizashi’s speed, his tachi swoops in for the final blow. Shunsui,s incredible skill in Zanjutsu is sufficient that he fight on equal footing with the 1st Espada Coyote Starrk with his Shikai alone and he has even held his own against the likes of Yamamoto and Aizen.

Hakuda Combatant: While rarely observed performing hand-to-hand combat, instead preferring to rely upon his skills in other areas, Shunsui has at least some proficiency in this area.

• Tsukiyubi (撞指, Thrust Fingers): A technique where the user simply extends the index and middle fingers of one hand in unison while they are in contact with an opponent. This gesture possesses enough physical force to effortlessly send someone of even Chad's stature flying several meters away.

Shunpo Master:As a captain, Shunsui is exceptional in the art of Shunpo. During his battle against Yamamoto, he notably makes a massive leap in Shunpo to remove Nanao from the battlefield and return almost instantly, a feat commended even by Yamamoto prior to battle. Shunsui's skill is high enough for him to effortlessly dodge Starrk's attacks without mussing his hat or kimono.

Kido Expert: Shunsui is highly proficient in Kido . He is able to cast mid to high level spells with ease having used Hado #78 Zangerin to considerable effect without incantation

Master Strategist & Tactician: Despite his laid-back attitude, Shunsui has repeatedly shown himself to be a perceptive and insightful man. According to Yamamoto, even when he was younger, Shunsui has always had an eye for seeing the true character of anyone he meets. Shunsui easily saw through Kurotsuchi's attempt to hide being used by the Bounts. He was also one of the few people to suspect that Aizen was hiding something. In battle, Shunsui has proven to be very adept at noticing and understanding details in an opponent's skills or attack patterns. During his battle against Chad, he quickly determined the basics behind Chad's Reiryoku blasts, warning him about those kinds of techniques, and even explaining that his energy blasts would eventually use up his life energy.Shunsui has also proven himself very persuasive. Shortly after becoming Captain-Commander, he was able to convince Central 46 to agree to all his new requests.

Immense Spiritual Power: As one of the oldest and strongest Captains in the Gotei 13, Kyōraku has tremendous spiritual power. He, alongside his best friend Jūshirō Ukitake, are said to possess Reiatsu unmatched by their peers or predecessors. He is not overwhelmed by the Reiatsu of Captain-Commander Yamamoto, though most people would be in such a situation. His power is further displayed in his ability to defeat Coyote Starrk's released form with only his Shikai. His might was also later recognized by being promoted to the status of Captain-Commander.

Enhanced Strength: Shunsui has shown that he possesses relatively high physical strength, as demonstrated when he cracked a barrier, which Aizen had erected, with just a single attack from his Shikai. His strength is great enough that he could also deflect Sados blasts with a single hand.

Immense Durability and Endurance: Shunsui has proven that he is very durable, even by Shinigami standards. He was able to endure the attacks of Captain-Commander Yamamoto, whose Zanpakutō is the most devastating in all of Soul Society in terms of destructive power.He was also able to withstand a Cero at point-blank range from Starrk in his released form without any noticeable injuries. Shunsui,s resillience is also demosntrated by the fact that he was one of the last captains fighting against Aizen who used three strikes to defeat Shunsui where most of the others were defeated in one or two blows.

Zanpakutō[]

Katen Kyokotsu(花天狂骨, Flower Heaven, Crazy Bone; Viz "Flower-Heaven Bone of Madness"): His Zanpakutō is unique in that it exists as a daisho sword pair, consisting of a tachi and a wakizashi. Their cross guards are rectangles, with the corners cut off, decorated by a pattern of cherry petals and lines, and each sports a dark-blue handle. He keeps them sheathed through his waist tie at his left side, however, during battle, the swords have been shown to be placed on both sides of his sash. Like other Zanpakutō, Katen Kyōkotsu has a personality of her own. However, unlike other Zanpakutō, this personality shines through in battle and prevents Shunsui from fighting at full power until Katen Kyōkotsu is in the mood for it. Because of this, Shunsui does not like to "play" with "her".

• Shikai: Its Shikai command is "Flower Wind Rage and Flower God Roar, Heavenly Wind Rage and Heavenly Demon Sneer" (花風紊れて花神啼き天風紊れて天魔嗤う, hana kaze midarete, kashin naki, tenpū midarete, tenma warau; Viz "When the Flower Wind Rages, the Flower God Roars, When the Wind of Heaven Rages, the God of the Underworld Sneers"). Kyōraku sets the two blades against each other in a cross, and then pulls after uttering the poem-like command. When the flash clears, Katen Kyōkotsu has become a pair of huge, black, heavily curved Chinese scimitars with silver edges. The hilt and tsuba of each are still the same as they were in Katen Kyōkotsu's sealed-form, but they now sport long red tassels dangling from the end. Despite the two swords becoming identical in this state, Shunsui has stated they still work the same way; one (the wakizashi) is used mainly for speed strikes, and the other (the tachi) is used mainly for power strikes. Thusly, they still exist as a daisho sword pair, with the wakizashi being slightly smaller in size than the tachi.

  

Shikai Special Ability: The power of Katen Kyōkotsu is to "make children's games real". The Zanpakutō makes the rules, and anyone who steps within the boundaries of its spiritual pressure is forced to play by those rules, including Shunsui himself. According to Shunsui, "if you win you live, if you lose you die".

• Bushogoma (不精独楽, Lazy Spinning Top): Shunsui rotates with both blades facing in opposite directions, creating large wind blades that fire toward an opponent from Katen Kyōkotsu. The wind blades join together, forming a spinning circle of wind that, upon contact with a target, envelopes the target with tornado-like intensity. The attack is not only dangerous, but can disorient an opponent trapped within it. The technique is powerful enough to counteract high-powered Cero blasts. The game this technique represents is a spinning top game.
• Takaoni (嶄鬼, Mountain Demon): This move was used in Shunsui's battle with Starrk, but Starrk's attack hid the nature of the technique. However, Shunsui later explains that in this "game", whoever is higher up "wins."
• Kageoni (影鬼, Shadow Demon): The rule of this game is that whoever gets their shadow stepped on "loses". The game itself allows competitors to manipulate shadows to their advantage. For example, Shunsui has demonstrated the ability to hide himself in shadows when using this technique, and he can also control the shadows, using them to attack an opponent by attacking the shadow they are currently standing upon.
• Irooni (色鬼, Colorful Demon): In this color-based game, you say the name of the color you want to cut with your sword, and you cannot cut anything else. If the color that you call does not exist on your body, the damage is minimal, even if the attack would normally inflict a much more severe wound. However, the opposite is also true; by calling out a color you're wearing and attacking, the damage given is proportional to the amount of that color on you. To maximize damage, you have to use a color that maximizes the risks to yourself as well as your enemy. For example, by wearing black robes and calling "black," one would inflict massive damage on an enemy if struck even if the actual blow itself was minor, but the caller would also suffer serious damage if he/she is struck by the enemy in return.

• Bankai: Not yet revealed. Ukitake warned Shunsui not to release his Bankai "where others can see."