Name: Jotaro Kobayashi
Aliases/ Nicknames: Monta Joe
Age: Died at 20, so that's where he stays
Seat: Vice Captain of the 11th
Height: 6' 4"
Weight: 170, due to muscles
Personality: It's hard to really pin a trait onto the guy they nicknamed "monkey". That word fits him to a point though, giving an idea of his never-ending energy and tendency to have fun at the expense of all of those around him. Apart from his light-hearted being is an almost primal determination, his vow to never back down while his goal is in mind, which is a good reason for his current rank. Though he likes having fun above all else, this young man challenges all before him with his sword, and will never back down when a fight is possible. Jotaro seems to have little sense of duty and only honors the rules in duels, but he's an overall upright shinigami with a solid sense of justice.
Theme Song(s): Because We Can!
Physical Description: Moderately tall and of a medium build, it's easy to pick out the path of a fighter in this boy's life. Even with the Shinigami robes, worn almost entirely open from the shoulders to the waist, his strong shoulders and compact limbs are obvious. He keeps his auburn hair somewhat short and away from his eyes, to avoid it being used against him in combat, though it isn't paticularly well-groomed. A number of scars litter his torso, quite like all of his squad, including the most prominent of them, the three diagonal scars across his chest, which he refuses to allow the healers touch.
Zanpakuto Name and Sealed Description: Kuro Masaru (Black Monkey God) takes the form of a Kodaichi in sealed form, with a sheer black sheath with no decorations, along with black ribbon Tsuka ito. The Tsuba is a black iron disk carved with the image of a forest and mountains, with the outline of the mountain cut completely out of the circle. Amoungst other Zanpakuto, the decorations on the Tsuba, and the forest scenery on the Kashira, are considered works of art.
Zanpaku-to Sword Type: Kodachi, with a handle made for two hands
Zanpaku-to Element: No notable element prevails
Shikai: "Rule the forest, Kuro Masaru!" *not attained*
Jotaro's Shikai takes the form of a long red spear, adorned with bronze ornamentation along the bottom, and from three-quarters of the way up to the blade. Just before the blade is a large tuft of red horse hair, a common fixture on chinese weapons made to distract the opponent, and make them misjudge the weapon's point of attack, length, and overall direction. The blade itself is about 9" to one foot in lenth, curved slightly, and is flat, with a split down the back made to catch blades amoungst other uses.
[reference: general shape]
Though the 11th squad frowns upon fancy techniques and zanpaku-to skills, there are a number of techniques unique to Monta Joe:
See No Evil: Jotaro slams the end of the spear into the ground, and sweeps up, sending dirt, dust, and minor shrapnel into the air. Made as a cheap shot to distract or confuse the enemy, as well as temporarily inhibit sight at its best.
Monkey See, Monkey Do: Imitate the enemy's movements for a while, in order to get a feel for their next move and throw them off of their focus a little. When they make the first attack, Jotaro then catches the weapon with the blade's slit, and counters with a blunt strike straight to the enemy.
Son Gokuu: A simple attack that begins with a jab, which stops mid-attack, and quickly switches to a forward leap and jab. The main point of this attack is a feint, quite like that in fencing, made to break defense by forcing the enemy to block early. With the red horse hair near the blade, the attack gives the spear an illusion of growing, much like the legendary staff belonging to the attack's namesake.
Made Ya Look!: The spear is spun around quickly between two hands, making full use of the red horse hair as a distraction. As the opponent tries to keep up with just where the weapon is, Jotaro delivers a sliding kick straight towards the leg.
Trickster Priest: Using the spear, Jotaro pole vaults off of the ground, flipping after his boosted jump to lift the weapon with him. He then lands both legs on the enemy in an axe kick, and follows up with a full blow to their back with the spear's shaft.
Thousand Riot: Using the ground behind him, Jotaro continually pushes the spear forward, and slams it back, delivering a series of dozens of quick, long-reaching stabs that can be followed up easily with the "Trickster Priest" move.
This is simply a sample of his move-set, and more are constantly being invented.
Bankai: "Patron of the Forest and God of Mountains. Lend Your Strength, Shippou-ushiro Masaru! Jotaro is currently preparing for Bankai Training. He tends to put off the actual training though, simply because he never really gave the full effort.
The spear completely dissapears at the utterance of its release command. In its place, polished silver pauldrons shaped like large diamonds rest on his shoulders, each outfitted with silver armor going down the arms, and ending with large silver gauntlets, easily doubling his reach. Under the shoulder plates and ringing the gauntlets is a mane of red horse hair similar to that on his Shikai. On his back is another silver plate, the main source of it's extra title (Silver-back).
Unlike his previous weapon, Silver-back has a small list of abilities that gives it quite the same function that Kuro Masaru, namely adding to his range and strength. The heavy metal that his Bankai is made up of adds a lot of power to each hit, as well as a great defense given the size of each hand on the gauntlet. Because of the heavy compacting of reiatsu, he's able to hit harder and move faster, much like other physical types. Apart from the simple nature as a boosting armor, Shippou-ushiro Masaru is able to be held together by putting energy into it, allowing the peices to be thrown and manipulated on Monta Joe's command, as long as he has the strength to do so.
The fighting style involved with using his Bankai is completely unique, though his move set has yet to really come to light.
Kidou: As a proud member of the 11th, he refuses to use any Kidou, even if he may know a few.
Bakudo: N/A
Hado: N/A
Other: Jotaro relies heavily on techniques he invented for himself, some with a slightly magical effect, though none are known at the time.
Skills: Monta Joe was a born fighter, above all else. He's very creative, which he channels into naming and creating attacks on a whim, making every battle against him both a guessing game and a gallery tour of sorts. He is very clever, even as a part of the squad of fighters, and finds crafty, if not a little dirty, methods of fighting both against his fellow Shinigami in duels and against hollows. The main reason he earned his nickname was his above-average Hoho, and skill with countering, making him appear to be a monkey when he fights, and even when he moves, adding flair to his daily motion.
Bio: From the slums to the academy, anyone could have predicted the course of this young man's life. At a young age he displayed a talent for armed combat, and thievery for the sake of trouble. Eventually, this would lead him into trouble which only a shinigami could have saved him from, and from that moment on, he decided to become one of them, not for the sake of heroics; he does it for the excitement. His rise to Vice was quick and understandable, propelled by his combatant nature and skill with his spear-type Shikai. Though he's grown lazy about improving further, he aims to make a worthy Vice Captain, and does all he can to strengthen and challenge those around him to grow, as well as support the other ranked officers in their undertakings.
