♠Rank/Affiliation
Unseated||Eleventh
♠Gender
Female
♠Nickname(s)/Alias(es)
Some have come to refer to her as the Red Demon and on occasions just Red. Ryuu does not care for either, thinking them to be childish.
♠Age
A delightful twenty seven years
♠Face Claim
Touko Aozaki||kara no Kyokai
♠Description
The older woman sports a head of fiery red locks that, in recent years, she has kept relatively short. The approximate length is to the small of her back accompanied by thick bangs that have the tendency to fall into her eyes. Often times Ryuu will keep her hair tied up with her bangs collecting to the right side of her face for the most part. The shinigami is taller than most, standing at five foot ten inches with a well proportioned figure. Not one to stray from an either a scowl or a smirk, wine red eyes flare with a cold fire. Her eyes are probably the most expressive feature as they can change from being a deep red full of anger to a bright red of excitement. There have been a few occasions where they become a dull color from exhaustion or heavy emotions. As Ryuu is part of the Eleventh division, it comes without much shock that she bears a collection of scars. There a few that are worth mentioning. The thin scar along her cheek that starts at her cheekbone and cuts into the side of her head and ear. Another scar is diagonal to her chest, with its jagged edges starting from her collarbone all the way to just past her navel. A different scar is on her shoulder from a hollow attack when she first started out as an unseated shinigami. Ryuu’s knuckles are also scarred from punching things when she was unable to control her temper.
♠Preferred Clothing
When it comes to the kind of clothing that she tends to wear, Ryuu wears whatever is comfortable and easy to move around in. In regards to her uniform, she wears the top fairly loose which opens up to reveal some cleavage. A dark colored sash is tied around her waist with the end of it trailing just behind her.
♠Oddities
Whenever she is deep in thought, Ryuu chews on her lip. It has led to her biting down too hard and drawing blood but that hasn’t kept her from doing so.
Ryuu is, more often than not, seen holding her zanpakuto in her arms as it is an unusual length. With it being longer than most, Ryuu hasn’t been able to to procure something to carry it with.
Both a nifty skill but also a bad quirk, Ryuu has taught herself to remove herself from a situation. This has happened on some occasions where her eyes becoming dull to blind herself from feeling pain or panic.
♠Hobbies
Like most other shinigami of the Eleventh division, Ryuu enjoys training until she drops from exhaustion or is too bloody to continue. She also enjoys collecting old decorative swords.
♠Phobia(s)
One of Ryuu’s worst fears is having others grow tired of her presence and push her away. Another is simply being forgotten over time until she no longer exists. Ryuu also does not care of losing those she holds dear to her or of becoming useless when they need her the most.
♠Personality
As one would expect of a woman with fiery red hair and burning eyes, Ryuu is the epitome fury. In recent years, the older woman has been able to keep her temper in check, for the most part that is. Many have bore witness to her wrathful nature over the years and very few wish to bear the brunt of it. Often times, Ryuu goes into something of a trance when in such an enraged state. She normally does not take heed of her actions or how reckless they can be. The shinigami has, on many occasions, injured herself out of vicious outbursts. Ryuu can sometimes be quick to draw her sword and she is also very outspoken, regardless of who she is speaking to. There have been many occasions where she has been forced to undergo punishment for speaking out of line. Ryuu has not done much to quell this frank and fiery nature of hers, but she has gotten better at controlling it. To make matters worse, Ryuu is as stubborn an ox. Once the shinigami makes up her mind, not much can push her into changing it. If anything, pushing her to change her mind is likely to get her to dig in her heels even further into the ground. Ryuu is without a doubt, a very head strong woman. This is caused her some pain over the years as she refuses to stop when her body or mind is telling her otherwise. She is often pushing herself beyond her limits and collapsed from exhaustion once or twice before. Unfortunately, Ryuu does not see it as her body telling her to rest but as a reminder that she is not strong enough in her current state.
Despite all of this, Ryuu has a side that isn’t as bristly. While it certainly takes some time for her to warm up to a person, once that happens one has a loyal friend. Ryuu can easily grow attached to people especially in a protective manner. This may be due to her years in the Rukongai where she has, on a few occasions, looked after younger souls. However, she has also learned to detach herself from people and situations. This is a form of defense on her part to avoid feeling hurt, whether it be physical pain or mental pain. Going back to her protective streak, Ryuu still has the tendency to do so. At the same time, she is not lenient towards those who are weak. She has a well trained eye to distinguish between those who are capable of standing on their own and those who cannot. She can of course, show compassion to those close to her. It isn’t unheard of but a bit rare to bear witness to.
♠Family
Ryuu rarely speaks of her adoptive family as she severed ties with them some years ago.
♠Personal History
Having grown up in the Rukongai, Ryuu did not live a privileged past. At least not until she was adopted by the Shosuke family. Before then she had wandered all around the outer districts in hopes of finding sanctuary within the older abandoned buildings. It was a cold winter and she spotted light. Like any soul who need warmth she was drawn to it but was attacked by a savage boy. She managed to pay him back for the wound he gave her but after a certain point, Ryuu doesn’t remember much. A few years later and Ryuu enrolled in the Academy in hopes of finally getting some protection. With splendid results, in part thanks to her overwhelming strength and natural talent with a sword, Ryuu attracted the attention of the Shosuke family. They were looking to expand their family of renowned shinigami. Ryuu was reluctant but eventually caved in at the urge of a friend. The red head became the adopted daughter of the head of the family, Sai Shosuke and his wife, Renka Shosuke.
As the years went by, Ryuu received a lot of support from them and was able to advance a bit quicker than most due to this influence. The push was subtle so she never noticed. The head of the family did have a biological son, Yumeji Shosuke however it did not seem he was destined to be a great swordsman like the rest of his family. Ryuu was unaware of the family's treatment of him until she finally did happen upon it. Angered by the severe and unreasonable punishments he received, Ryuu decided to protect him by taking up training him. Whenever he messed up, Ryuu would be punished for it. This lasted for some time, even after she graduated from the Academy. By then, however, Yumeji was much better and a few months later he was released from her care. The two had grown close as one would expect of real siblings. Unfortunately, their father did not think his progress was good and felt it would ruin their family name if he continued any longer in the Academy. So he suggested that Yumeji be sent on a hollow patrol despite not actually be on par with that kind of work. The Head paid the other shinigami charged with the task to let Yumeji die at the hands of a hollow so at least then, the family name could be saved.
When Ryuu found out she went into mourning. A few months later and Ryuu found out the circumstances under which Yumeji had died and confronted her father about it. He did not deny his actions but warned her that if she was to avenge him, she would be going against him. Ryuu was well aware of this and instead chose to seek revenge through the shinigami that had that duty. To cut a long story short, Ryuu cut them down but not without sustaining injuries herself. She went on probation but was no upset by this. She was seething with rage and none wished to be on the receiving end. After probation was over, Ryuu cut ties with the Shosuke family.
♠ Zanpakuto
Ten no bānā||Burner of the Heavens||A sword as long as she is tall, Ryuu is often left carrying her sword in her arms. The hilt has a black and red design with a dragon curling around the hilt, while the guard is black and is as normal as one would expect.
♠Shikai
Burn the Heavens, Shroud the Land
Ten no bānā||The zapakuto actually seems to get smaller in size in its shikai form. The hilt along with the rest of the sword becomes an obsidian black. If one were to look closely they'd see what may be a fire dwelling within the confines of the black blade.
-One of the abilities that Ten no bānā has is that Ryuu is able to adjust the amount of heat it throws off but she cannot lower its temperature.
♠Specialties
Strength|| Capable of toppling foes three times her size, Ryuu is known for her overwhelming strength.
Swordsmanship|| One of the best in her graduating class, the redhead is able to wield her zapakuto in both hands due to a recent injury that prevented her from using her dominant hand. She cuts clean and precise with her strength following just behind it.