Nikorasu Akimoto

Position
Nikorasu Akimoto is the current captain of the sixth division and the current head of the Kuchiki clan. His former Lieutenants were, Ayumi Kuchiki, Shigeru Funaki, and Jeisen Tababito respectively. He became a member of the Kuchiki clan through marrage and became head of the Kuchiki clan after the death of his spouse Ayumi Kuchiki.

Appearance
Nikorasu Akimoto is 6'1'' feet tall with ear length black hair and red eyes. He has fair skin complexion. He wears the traditional Shinigami shihaksho and Captain's haori. His haori has a tall collar and is golden embroidered along the collar. He also has a silver and iron shoulder guard on his right shoulder as well as matching guantlets on both arms and hands with fine leather gloves underneath. ''

Biography and Background


Nikorasu Akimoto was born into the lower noble family of Akimoto in Rukon district. He was the son of Hiei and Kikyo Akimoto. He was the youngest of 3 children. His older brother, Lee Akimoto, was a shinigami of the sixth squad. Yumi, his sister, was a proper noble woman. Akimoto lived a happy life for 16 years with his family learning his studies and the art of the sword from his private instructor Shidao Myri. Then, one night his estate was assaulted by scores of hired mercs and his family and all their severants were slaughtered. Akimoto witnessed his parents and siblings killed by the man who hired the mercenaries. After mercilessly killing his family the man searched the grounds for Nikorasu. Nikorasu was able to keep unditected until he was found by Shidao. Nikorasu survived only due to Shidao leading him to a secret passage way through the family vaults. On his way out Nikorasu grabbed his families sword and swore to avenge their deaths.

After escaping Nikorasu vowed revenge. He lived a life on the move, never staying in one place too long. He became obsessed with killing every merc that had a part in his family's death. Nikorasu was hailed as a swordsmen protege. Nikorasu carved through nearly every mercenary group in the Rukon district searching for the mercs that stole his life. And while he did not notice it, his spiritual pressure increased over time with every life he took. Consumed by rage, grief, and a lust for revenge. It did not matter to him who he killed to reach his goal. When he wiped out merc gangs he would slaughter their families if they stood in his way. After several decades of this he finally found the merc gang responsible. He wiped them out but was never able to discover the identity of the person that hired them. Nevertheless, Akimoto had reached something resembling closure after killing the mercs. However, with his quest fro vengence over, he felt lost. His purpose had been revenge for so long that killing was all he knew now. So he became a merc/bounty hunter for hire and a very profitable one at that. Upon becoming a mercany Akimoto developed a code that strictly stated he would not kill unarmed targets or children. Due to his exploits for slaughtering the many merc gangs Akimoto was known as a hero to many of the common folk for freeing them from the merc gang's exploited rule. This meant he was hired quite often to deal with many problems be they hollows, criminals, serial killers, rapists, drug cartels, etc. Few of the common folk knew of the innocent lives he had also killed along the way, others however took advantage of that fact.

At some point Akimoto was hired by two shinigami Ryuunosuke and Kazue Kasai to track down various individuals ranging from nobles to other persons of interest. After tracking them down he would either capture them to be interogated or kill them on the spot. Akimoto assumed they were corrupt nobles and a threat to the Seireitei so he did not question his assignments, but he did question the brutality and twisted nature of his employers. His last job for them Akimoto was to inflitrate a compound and eliminate a group of people, his priority target were three individuals. During his recon Akimoto discovered that his targets were families, mostly unarmed women and children. Upon further recon he discovered his primary target was the family of a captain of the Gotei 13. Everything made sense now. The people he had been hired to kill were all connected to his employer's squads. They were blackmailing and killing people important to their superiors in order to climb their way up the ranks. Upon discovering this Akimoto cut ties to the Kasai's and allowed his targets to go free. He then left an unanomus tip with the Seireitei the Kasai's were behind these many murders, leading to their arrest.

Akimoto then continued mercany work for several years more years after his encounter with the Kasai's. Across all of this time his powers gradually grew. In fact they grew to the point where if he was angered enough or tapped into his rage his shikai would active though he didn't know it's name.

His reputation grew to the point that he was contacted by the Kuchiki house. They approached him with an offer. There was a deadly power struggle brewing for control of the Kuchiki house. Family members were assassinating each other to rise further up the line of succession. The current Head of the Kuchiki clan and captain of squad 6 Sesshomaru Kuchiki offered to pay him a great sum to guard his daughter, Aymui Kuchiki. The next in line to become head of the Kuchiki house after him.

Akimoto accepted the job and became her personal body guard. Ayumi hated Akimoto at first due to her belief that she could protect herself being a shinigami and all. Akimoto and Ayumi would bicker back and forth. She would sneak away from him and Akimoto would have to find her, etc... Over time there were many assassination attempts on her life. Akimoto saved her life several times and sometimes she would save his. Over time they grew to trust each other and began to open up. Akimoto eventually would tell her of his past and the things he had done. She accepted him for what he was and did not judge him. They began to fall in love and began a romantic relationship in secret for it was forbidden for a commoner to be involved with a noble.

Eventually during the last attempt on Ayumi's life Akimoto's shikai activated. Much to Ayumi's surprise. After this last attempt on Ayumi's life the family members behind the assassinations were finally revealed, and brought to justice. Sesshomaru rewarded Akimoto for his service and granted him a title and place among the Kuchiki family.

In the years following Ayumi asked her father to allow Akimoto to train as a shinigami. Sesshomaru allowed it. Akimoto passed through the academy in a few short months and joined squad 11 for a time before transferring to squad 6 as the Lieutenant under Sesshomaru with Ayumi as the third seat. Akimoto saw Sesshomaru as his mentor and learned a great many things from him. Together Sesshomaru and Ayumi were able to heal the psycological wounds of his past. Akimoto believes to this day he can never repay them for all they've done to make him a better person. During this time he discovered his zanpakuto's name and achieved bankai. Akimoto eventually came forward and revealed his relationship with Ayumi and asked for her hand in marriage. Seshomaru laughed and stated he may be old but he had figured out their relationship long ago regardless of how well they hide it. He agreed. They were married.

Sesshomaru Kuchiki had reached a very old age and transferred the title of head of the house to Akimoto and Ayumi. He also stepped down as captain and nominated Akimoto to replace him. The decision was unanimous. Akimoto became captain and Ayumi was his lieutenant. Sesshomaru passed away years later and told Akimoto he leaves this world knowing his daughter, squad, and house will be in good hands.

<p style="margin:3.75pt0in;background-position:initialinitial;background-repeat:initialinitial;">At some point after this, Akimoto was assigned to take Haruki Kasai under his command to observe. His parents had become fugitives after escaping their execution and their son may have had ties to them. Akimoto <span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:small;line-height:normal;">was ordered to observe Haruki and ensure he had no ties to them beside blood. But Akimoto had planned to take him under his wing even before the orders came down. Akimoto could see right away he was different. Akimoto saw an honorable man that found his way despite all the hardships he must have suffered growing up as in orphan in Rukon. Perhaps Akimoto saw a little of himself in Haruki. Whatever the reason, Akimoto trusted Haruki with his life and made him his fourth seat beneath his third seat Shigeru Funaki.

<p style="margin:3.75pt0in;background-position:initialinitial;background-repeat:initialinitial;"><span style="font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"">It had been centuries since his family was slaughted but Akimoto was still plagued by nightmares of his family being slaughtered. They began to get worse and worse. Until he began to receive visions of Aymui's death.

<p style="margin:3.75pt0in;background-position:initialinitial;background-repeat:initialinitial;"><span style="font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"">Several days after these visions Akimoto finds Ayumi dying with a stab wound though her chest with her assailant standing over her. It is the same man that killed his family centuries ago. Akimoto tries to attack him but he disappears in a cloud of black smoke. Akimoto runs to Ayumi and they exchange final words. Aymui dies in his arms.

<p style="margin:3.75pt0in;background-position:initialinitial;background-repeat:initialinitial;"><span style="font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"">Akimoto has since been consumed with finding this man and killing him once and for all ever since.

Powers and Abilities
Akimoto's Zanpakto is named Ryū-en Ha (Dragon flame blade) 

Shikai: Release command: Kaen-chū makikomu sorera (Engulf them in flame)

It is a fire/volcano type Zanpakuto. It takes the appearance of a flaming dragon scimitar

Flames emit from the engraving in the middle of the blade and grow outwards over time until the entire blade is engulfed in flame. As the flame grows so too does the spiritual pressure of the shikai meaning the abilities will be more powerful as the fight goes on. However after the entire blade is engulfed in flame. It's power increase will come to a halt and cannot increase any further. In shikai Attack, Defense, Rieatsu, and Reiryoku increase by 5

It has 2 abilities in Shikai:

Doragon Kasaii (Dragon Fire) Its most basic power that can manipulate fire and lava as well as create it. This ability primarily serves as a flame thrower and is fired with the swing of the sword. It covers a wide range of attack and can be difficult to dodge. It isn't usually strong enough to inflict a fatal blow with the wide range. It can be focused into a concentrated heat blast at a single target for maximum effect.

Moeru Ryū (Blazing Dragon) The concentrated heat blast of Doragon kasai at its maximum strength can be fired in this technique. The heat blast takes the form of a dragon made of fire.

Moeru Arashi (Flaming storm) When the blade of Ryū-en Ha is twirled rapidly it will create a  vortex of flame that can be fired at the enemy.

Bankai: Burakku Moeru Ryū-en Ha (Black Blazing Dragon Flame Blade)

The user's body is covered in lava and fire mixed with immense spiritual pressure, giving it the appearance of a humanoid Dragon. The head is covered with the lava taking the appearance of a dragon mixed with a daedric helmet with four long protruding hours extending back but the helmet it can be retracted to show the user's face.) On top of the fire, making up a rough exoskeleton, is molten lava and rock. Two 5 meter long blades made from the same lava material and steel extend from the the middle of his forearm.  Blades made of fire resembling his shikai can also be manifested in each of the wielder's hands if need be. The swords cannot be separated from the wielder as they are now made of flame. It has all of the abilities of it's shikai but they are increased in strength immensely and gains a few other abilities. In Bankai Attack and Rieatsu increase by 5 and defense increases by 10.

Jigoku no sabaki (Infernal Judgement) The wielder raises their blade up to the sky and fires an immense amount of fire and spiritual pressure into the air. After a few moments gigantic fire balls resembling meteorites fall from the sky and converge on their target.

Infanaru Funka (Infernal Eruption) The blade is stabbed into the ground and a massive eruption of lava and flame emits from the ground and converges on the target. The resulting magma and fire left over from the attack can be manipulated by the wielder and used to attack repeatedly.

Maguma no Gajō (Magma Stronghold) is a sub sect power of Infanaru Funka. This technique manipulates the lava and fire to create a 20 meter circumference around the user to protect it from overwhelming attacks. This technique can be risky however. All reiatsu is put into the defensive power of this technique. Once the technique is disengaged it will reform into the bankai's usual state. During the reformation the user is vulnerable.

Eien no gōka (Eternal Hellfire) This is a power used only as a last resort. The flames of the bankai grow outwards, removing itself completely from the user and constrict the air around him. The user pours every last ounce of spiritual pressure into the flames, until it takes the form of a full medieval dragon engulfed in flame. It is then unleashed upon the opponent in one final attack. The Dragon will fly towards it's target, entrap it in a wall of fire, and fall upon it's prey. As the jaws of the dragon close around it's target, the dragon detonates into a massive explosion.(This technique is very risky as the size of the blast and intensity of the heat can possibly harm the user is not carefully released.)

Weaknesses: -The fire expands over time in Shikai, meaning it takes some time for the shikai to reach full strength.