This is an ICHIMARU GIN roleplay blog for the manga series Bleach by Tite Kubo. This blog primarily explores the main arcs in which Gin is the Third Division Captain of the Gotei 13, an elite force of Shinigami within Soul Society - as well as his traitorous arc involving the defection of himself alongside Aizen Sousuke & Tousen Kaname to the world of Hueco Mundo.
// MAIN VERSES.
CANON // Arrancar Arc.
CANON-DIVERGENT // Redemption.
ALTERNATE UNIVERSE // Hitman / Modern.For more information, check out my verses page.
// CHARACTER OVERVIEW.
| NAME | Ichimaru Gin / 市丸 ギン |
| AGE | 150+ |
| GENDER | Cisgender Male |
| ORIENTATION | Demisexual / Romantic |
| ETHNICITY | Japanese |
| HEIGHT | 6’1” |
| WEIGHT | 152 lbs |
| SPECIES | Shinigami |
| OCCUPATION | ( Previously ) Third Division captain in the Gotei 13, co-commander of Aizen’s Arrancar army |
| KNOWN FOR | His constant grin & intimidating / unreadable presence |
// HISTORY.
Gin grew up in the Rukongai on the outskirts of a run-down village beyond the walls of the Seireitei… in the midst of terrible experimentations on souls to fuel the creation of a wish-fulfilling orb — at the hand of AIZEN SOUSUKE. Due to those traitorous exploits, Gin met & quickly saved & befriended a collapsed young MATSUMOTO RANGIKU after she was attacked by a group of men in order to harvest part of her soul for the Hogyoku.Together, he & Rangiku weathered the harsh life of poverty & starvation within the Rukongai, creating a strong bond between them to the extent that Rangiku agreed with Gin that the day they met would become her birthday, & that she never counted the days until she met him. One night, whilst gathering firewood, Gin caught a glimpse of the men who took Rangiku’s soul piece bowing before Aizen. Gin connected the dots, focused in on Aizen, & swore to kill him for causing Rangiku pain. The boy later killed the three men who assaulted Rangiku, donned a stolen bloodied uniform from a felled foe upon his shoulders, & promised a confused & concerned Rangiku that he’d “fix things” for them both by becoming a Shinigami.Joining Shino Academy, Gin quickly excelled & broke all existing records, hailed as a genius prodigy unmatched, via graduating within a single year. He was swiftly accepted into the Gotei 13 straight from the Academy, which was seen as a rare occurrence. Gin placed himself as a high-ranking Shinigami immediately by murdering the Third Seat of the Fifth Division & taking his place to stand at Lieutenant Aizen’s side. Alongside a loyal TOUSEN KANAME, Gin worked for Aizen throughout his numerous Hollowification endeavors & eventually learned the single weakness of Aizen’s terrifying Zanpakuto’s ability to cast full-encompassing illusions. Gin was able to convince Aizen to disclose the secret whilst still just a child.Acting as his Lieutenant, Gin partook in the manipulative plots involving the lives of others ( like MASAKI, ISSHIN ) & took part in saving HISAGI SHUUHEI, ABARAI RENJI, HINAMORI MOMO, & KIRA IZURU from an assault of swarming strong Hollow during a Shinigami Academy training exercise which in turn showcased their future subordinates.Gin reached captaincy around the same time KUCHIKI BYAKUYA achieved the status, & was given the Third Division with Izuru as his Lieutenant. Gin continuously operated secret missions to conquer Hueco Mundo, namely confronting BARAGGON LOUISENBAIRN, the self-proclaimed king of Hueco Mundo, as well as KUROSAKI ICHIGO’S ‘Inner Hollow’ during an incident involving an unborn Ichigo’s young parents.Tweaking events, watching, & lurking – Gin shadowed Aizen as KUCHIKI RUKIA was aligned with Ichigo’s path to kickstart his life as Karakura Town’s substitute Shinigami. The plot to overthrow Soul Society swiftly began to fall into motion & perfectly masked his true motives...
// PERSONALITY.
Secretive yet blunt, Gin will often say seemingly whatever comes to mind, though he remains unreadable in the sense that what he says never truly aligns, straight & true, with his thoughts. Gin’s mind is a daunting labyrinth of twisted truths & falsified facts, deeper meanings hidden in plain sight, walls towering, the type to convey distance whilst still within physical reach, sly remarks with a quick tongue balancing malice & mirth — all simultaneously speaking of playfulness & simplicity. A smile is his trademark, but his reputation post-betrayal is wholly negative.He has his goals, his daily routines, that can help narrow down the gears of his process – however, nothing can be gained from him without tediously tearing through the numerous facades that shield him, nor can he be reached simply for the sake of reaching him. Not even the closest person to him fully understood his actions & behaviors to the extent that other lovers would of their partner. He’s not proud of his secretive nature, however, he simply is secretive by design. Openness, of that regard, does not come to Gin naturally.Outwardly Gin appears as a trickster whose intentions are not clear enough to discern whether his sarcasm is a sinister slicing knife or a playful fingered jab. There are times when he can pull off both. The Kansai-ben dialect & speech pattern helps him dance between those lines. Whimsical actions are difficult to label, as Gin strives to appear calculated & casual to an unsettling extent with all his actions down to the strides he takes, his posture, & the fluid gestures made during a conversation. These are all contributing factors into what makes him sociable, a gossiper at heart, one who enjoys people-watching as well as mingling aimlessly among crowds.His presence is akin to a snake’s, secret power & danger dripping in the air like venom, however, lurking in that the threat is not always clearly present. His movements & speech contribute to the allurement of anyone nearby, & may even at times be considered charming. Though Gin is introduced in the narrative as a villainous character, his leadership of the Third Division & relationship with his lieutenant have, in hindsight, been described as extremely supportive — with rumors of how his division members held high loyalty to their beloved captain.Gin can be at times sorely negative, however, in his outlook on others & especially on himself. He isn’t above completely dragging his name through the mud if it means slinging some at someone he dislikes, & he can be sadistic in his treatment of others in that he doesn’t necessarily care about them on any kind of deep personal level. He’s a masochist, a liar, & a killer. The negativity could go on & on, though many of those traits have flip-sides, motivations, & core virtues that became twisted in time; patience, loyalty, passion –– he has plenty. What drives Gin does not redeem him, he knows this, but it also allows him to not be so easily defined as a pure villain. Possible selfishness & his apparent lack of compassion are both mirrored by his utter selflessness & absolute devotion.The positives are reserved solely for Rangiku, & even then Gin struggles to reveal his heart to her — for many reasons, including the fear of endangering her via confessions of love, creating a visible ‘weakness’ & connection between them to be potentially exploited by Aizen much like Hinamori was used against her childhood friend. Theirs is a quiet love that unfolds in the background of Soul Society’s drama, of Ichigo’s rise to power, of Aizen’s rise to godhood, & Gin keeps a certain softness for Rangiku that no other person may ever see.Perhaps, in another lifetime, he’d give in to this desire to be with her, give up his vow for murder & instead pledge himself to her in an act of intimate normalcy. Maybe they could have stayed together in whatever capacity, lived as lovers, & slowly grown old together. Instead, he gradually distances himself from her in a fleeting fashion up until his death. He’s utterly self-destructive in that regard.
// APPEARANCE.
Gin stands tall, lithe, with sharp features ( wrists, chin, jaw, etc. ) that speak of his earlier childhood’s likely state of undernourishment. As a captain, however, a certain amount of muscle developed via the constant training of kenjutsu ( the art of wielding a sword ) & hakuda ( hand-to-hand or close-quarters combat ) required & expected mastery of for higher ranking Shinigami. Gin’s strength, therefore, isn’t so easily determined by physical indicators, as oftentimes the strength of an individual within Bleach is directly linked to their spiritual pressure. His key traits noticed by others are his silver hair, stunning blue eyes ( rarely shown ), smiling mouth, & slender hands.Generally, Gin could be considered sickly to some extent no matter the verse or context — be it sleep deprivation or forgetting to eat due to being raised in an environment where food wasn’t always readily available, Gin hardly takes on a fully healthy appearance. His hair, short, straight, messily covers his forehead & temples, highlighting his typically unopened eyes & sharp, pale overall demeanor.As a child, Gin wore a plain dark yukata with a white pattern asymmetrically trailing down the left side. As he joined the Gotei 13 & became the Third Seat of the Fifth Division under Aizen, Gin wore traditional black Shinigami attire. A lieutenant badge was earned with his eventual rising in rank, residing on his left arm, & later forward ( in his Captain Verse ) Gin earned a white captain’s haori bearing three strikes framed in black on its back to signify his promotion to the head of the Third Division of the Gotei 13. It’s notable that his black Shinigami uniform’s sleeves are lengthier than average, specifically to cater to Gin’s habit of hiding his hands within them.After his betrayal of Soul Society, in the Arrancar Arc Verse, Gin’s outfit changed to mimic the same uniform style as the Arrancar & Espada within Hueco Mundo, black-lined white robes, loosely fit & flowing, obscuring nearly everything save for his collarbone & a portion of his chest. He favors these clothes, as they obscure or dramatize his movements into unreadable levels especially while in combat, & he regularly enjoys the advantages of being able to hide the threat of his weapon within layers of clothing.In Failure Verse & Redemption Verse scenarios, Gin’s appearance is worse for wear, fatigued & tattered. He sports a looser combination of his Las Noches uniform, dirty white hakama torn at his ankles, & several snags littering his lengthy sleeves. The right’s covered, a vacant sleeve obscuring a brutal wound & missing limb – the remains of what was once a black hooded reiatsu-concealing cloak drapes across mostly his right, stopping mid-calf, clasped from his left shoulder & across his collarbone. His remaining left hand can be partially covered by a glove ( fingers remain free ) meant to help him maintain a better grip on his weapon without his palm suffering too much abuse.The traitor bears multiple scars, mainly across his chest in a massive diagonal strike starting from his left shoulder down towards his right hip. A secondary stab scar, much smaller, resides over his heart. Gin doesn’t actively try to hide these scars. He mainly focuses on being sure that his right shoulder & ugly marred stump of a limb lost remains covered. Gin has refused healing not out of pride or stubbornness, rather, based solely on the belief that he does not deserve it. INOUE ORIHIME was a prisoner within Las Noches, & therefore Gin dislikes the idea of asking her to do such a thing for him.In the Redemption Verse alternative, Gin wears his typical Shinigami uniform, & plus the haori, once reinstated as the Third Division Captain. He does his best to appear less fatigued as described above whilst still bearing the same wounds. Yet, his smiles are not quite the same, if Gin even ventures to attempt the facade.
// ABILITIES.
Being a Shinigami, Gin automatically has the power of invisibility to any mortal eye unassisted by powers or spiritual awareness. He carries with him a presence, reiatsu, that aligns with his rank & strength via an unseen force in the air. Gin can manipulate it to where it can pressure individuals to fall to their knees, fully collapse, & become unable to breathe or overcome the power — some may even lose consciousness depending on the potency & focus Gin has. In more intense moments of Gin showing his reiatsu’s strength, & depending on the extent, his spiritual pressure can become visible, seeping from his form, in a glowing icy white — wisps of energy carrying his intention to kill akin to knives at a throat, canonly also likened to the sensation of being strangled / engulfed by multiple snakes simultaneously. Here’s more details about Gin’s reiatsu.As a Captain of the Gotei 13, Gin was required to master Kido, a type of magic that can heal, attack, bind, shield, & many other abilities depending on the spell cast. Gin’s favorite, in particular, is an incapacitating Kido, like “Hakufuku”, which casts a trance upon its targets until they fall into unconsciousness akin to a stun. His other go-to is a teleportation Kido known as “Sentan Hakuja” in which white coils of cloth surround the caster & their chosen target area ( anyone inside of it will be brought along ) & promptly engulfs them to appear in an entirely different area. Though Gin’s never shown performing other Kido throughout the series, here’s more information on what Gin is capable of in terms of spells.Any Shinigami worth their uniform is capable of performing Shunpo or “flash step”, that allows the spirit to travel unseen ( or at a rapid near-untraceable pace ) within a single step across a stretch of distance. The distance of a Shunpo can also determine skill of the art, as well as the speed of the step as well. All captain-class Shinigami are required mastery of this ability, & Gin showcases his speeds & ability to move undetected by the eye multiple times. To anyone meeting a Shinigami for the first time, a Shunpo is a signature blink-and-you-miss-it move, a staple for all who wield a Zanpakuto, or soul-slayer sword.
// ZANPAKUTO.
All Shinigami are given katana, a Zanpakuto, in which part of their soul resides. These blades carry with them unique powers exclusive to each Shinigami, & may even take on differing forms from a standard katana to mirror that particular person’s unique fighting style / power. Here’s a post describing Gin’s personal style in wielding his sword.Gin’s Zanpakuto takes on the form of a wakizashi, or Japanese short-sword, typically around 3 ⁄ 4ths shorter than a katana-length blade. His wakizashi has a light blue tsuka ( handle / hilt ) with gold rayskin beneath & a golden ’S’ shaped tsuba ( guard ) leading into the blade. Gin wears a black saya ( sheath / scabbard ) on his left ( within canon verses, however Failure / Redemption Verse he must switch to his right to accommodate a left-armed draw ) & is secured within his obi. If Gin is dressed in his standard Shinigami uniform, like within his Captain Verse, then his weapon is visible at his hip. However, when adorned in his Arrancar Arc Verse outfit, & in some cases within Failure Verse, then his clothing’s layers hide his sword entirely instead.All ranked Shinigami within the Gotei 13 discover, to some extent, a bond with the spirit that inhabits their blades. These Zanpakuto spirits have names, & within the name holds the true & unique power of that Zanpakuto for that Shinigami to wield & master. Gin’s Zanpakuto name is Shinso, meaning “divine spear”, & speaking its name & activation phrase ( “ikorose, Shinso” translating to “shoot to kill, Shinso” ) unlocks the sword’s Shikai ability. Every Zanpakuto-wielder can eventually achieve Shikai, & will likely spend decades mastering & refining it completely. Here’s Gin using his Shikai.Shinso’s Shikai prompts for the blade to rapidly shoot to one hundred sword length’s range. Shinso’s speed of extending roughly exceeds that of a bullet, & despite any massive obstacles or bulky enemies, the blade will cut or pierce through relentlessly. Shinso will always reach one hundred standard katana lengths when fired, so if the blow is blocked, the person will still be sent backwards regardless of their own strength.The blade can be slashed, stabbed, & otherwise normally wielded during & / or after its been extended, & will retract at the same rapid rate. Gin abuses his Shikai’s ability in many creative & deadly ways, & will oftentimes obscure his blade via his sleeve, his cloak / captain’s haori, or use other deceptive tricks to make it extremely difficult to keep track of what ( or who ) is within his blade’s reach. Here’s more on Shinso’s speeds.While all Shinigami are capable of achieving Shikai with their Zanpakuto, not all may reach Bankai, the secondary ( & final ) level of power & mastery with their blades. Bankai ushers in an entirely new name, the Zanpakuto spirit’s true & complete name, which includes a massive spike in power described as anywhere around “ten or fifteen times the strength & speed of the Shikai” along with a heightened & / or expansion on their original Shikai’s ability. Here’s more about how Gin uses his sword’s abilities, among his other skills, during combat.Bankai is a signature ability for all captain-class Shinigami, as well as a testament to that individual’s strength & connection with their Zanpakuto spirit. Gin’s Bankai is titled Kamishini No Yari ( god-killing spear ), & is capable of swiftly extending its blade a full 13 kilometers ( 8.07 miles ) at a traveling rate of 500 times the speed of sound. The blade expands / contracts by reducing itself to dust for a minuscule moment, allowing Gin to administer the poisonous contents of the blade’s shards into his enemies at will.Kamishini No Yari’s poison is described as absolute, capable of destroying / devouring the very cells within. Even as an evolved & superior entity to Shinigami & Hollow, Aizen was unable to negate or overpower the potency of Gin’s poison, & in the end succumbed to a massive & instantaneous hole that destroyed the majority of his torso. Were it not for the Hogyoku’s regenerative power, Kamishini No Yari would have succeeded in killing its terrible foe with ease.More about Gin’s Bankai:
BANKAI VISUAL DESCRIPTION & SHIKAI & BANKAI STATS.