- Full Name: Kousuke Nyazaki (Pron. Niyazaki)
Alias/Title: The Soul King/Cat Katena
Nickname: Kousuke, Nyakkun
Gender: Male
Date of Birth: 8/04
Actual Age: Predates earliest known recordings of age
Appearance Age: Early-to-mid twenties
- Height: 5' 11"
Weight: 168 lbs
Eye Color: Brown
Hair Color: Umber
Nationality: Japanese
Reiatsu Color: Black
- Zodiac Sign: Cat
Affiliation: Shinigami
Hobbies:
- Shogi
Chess
Checkers
Playing with Cats
Likes:
- Cats
The Katena
His creations, the Shinigami
Board games
Dislikes:
- Oppression
Overwhelming Strength
Loud Noises
The Rain
Personality: For being considered the strongest being there is, or at least, the most important, Kousuke is a man who hates strength and what it entails. He, like cats, prefers to laze about in the sun, or waste the day away by sleeping. However, the duties he has to the people he made, and his position, have made it so he requires strength. When he trains, it is said the effects can even be felt in the Human World, although this is truly just speculation. Much of Kousuke's training is done by the mind, playing Shogi or Chess.
Fastidious and intelligent, Kousuke seems to appear too young for how attentive to detail he is. Indeed, he is quite cat-like, both in body and mind. He thinks somewhat highly of himself, and gives great affections to the things he cares for the most. But even the objects of his highest adoration cannot escape his penchant for pet names. Many of these are generalized, used in such a way that it appears as if he's deliberately not calling one by their name as a way to show he is indeed above them. In reality, the opposite is quite true, as him calling you a pet name is among the highest form of affection he will give out.
As expected of one who is so attentive to detail, he loves board games, particularly Shogi and Chess. Kousuke tells himself, and others that he's really quite good at the game, but always against better players, and has never won a single game in his life. To an outsider, it may make them wonder about what greats he plays against in his palace. However, the entire Royal Family is truly nothing but himself and his pet cats, the numbers of which reach in the hundreds. This means that his only opponents have been one of his many pet cats, and he, according to himself, hasn't ever beaten any of them.
But this love of strategic board games translates well onto the battlefield. Able to handle adversity and willing to take large risks for large gains, Kousuke is indeed a tough opponent. However, because of his hatred of strength and innate laziness, he often holds back for all of a fight until it becomes clear his opponent will neither give up nor be able to win easily. These are the kinds of fights he hates the most, as they often devolve into battles of brute, oppressive force.
Sexual Preference: Straight
Family: The Katena are his "natural" family, but his cats are the only family he has known for some time.
Background:
Kousuke Nyazaki was not always the Soul King. Indeed, he was not even always a Shinigami. He had started much further back, long before records could keep track of such things. He was part of a family. He had brothers and sisters whom he loved very much. Born as one of the Katena, he was a child without a year. The Cat was never worshipped, not by standard means, like his brothers and sisters. The lazy, loved, middle child, Kousuke did what he could to help the family he had, as they were the only family he thought he would ever know. The Katena thrived, for many years. They fed on the souls of the people that walked among them, they were all worshipped as deities. In time, even Kousuke found those who would believe in him just as fervently as his family.
But with more time, the Katena began to slowly lose their grip on the world. There were more people. They couldn't possibly collect all of them. Not to mention, with the thirteen of them there, the souls were growing weaker. It was hurting the things that gave them their power. And so the Katena met and decided. They would create a new home, and guide the souls of the already dead there. In this world, the collected spirits did not turn or sour. They grew slowly stronger; reserves for when the Katena felt particularly hungry. With the spirits rounded up, twelve of the Katena left. Kousuke would not be joining them. He was to watch over the human world, and would be joined by a member of his family. Every year, the brother or sister he shared the world with, collecting souls, would change. And so it continued, but still the humans numbers were much too high.
The Katena met again, this time without Kousuke. They created an army out of their strongest souls, and sent them to cull the humans population to manageable amounts. When news of this reached Kousuke, it horrified him. He asked his brothers and sisters to reconsider, even abandoning his post in the Human World for a month to try and talk them out of it. It did not work, and upon his return, a third of the world had been culled. Although still hurt by such a decision without his input, Kousuke remained silent. It seemed that had been the worst of the culling, and it was true the harvesting of souls had not been that bad in the following years. It stayed this way for a long time But he began to see a pattern. As more people appeared, the number that were cut from life increased. He began to worry that the source of the Katena's power was being destroyed. And so without their counsel, Kousuke did something that would change everything.
In secret, he spared Thirteen Souls, one for each of his family, and bestowed upon them a power. This power was like that of a Katena's. It was not as strong. These beings that he had created would never be able to obtain the Kochaku stage, a full merging of body, mind, and soul, but they could come close. He sent them on, told them to find others, and in secret, bestow upon them the same power he had given them. Kousuke would give them orders whenever he found the time. The thirteen men and women would go on to not disappoint him, and he was glad he had picked people opposite of his family. But he had also started a war.
The war, once started, raged on for months like an unending storm. The amount of lives lost were innumerable. The Katena could not stop Kousuke's Shinigami because there were too many, and their own forces could not be replenished. Not only that, but Kousuke was also spending all of his time in the Human World, as if oblivious to the war going on behind the veil. When he was finally called to the world his family had made so long ago, Kousuke came. He saw his generals, his Captains, all thirteen of them, captured and bound. Looking at his brothers and sisters, they seemed tired and exhausted. Undoubtedly, they had used their Kochaku states, and it had drained them. But Kousuke, Kousuke had been waiting and gathering power. And because he had not fought, he was not tired. As his brothers and sisters demanded to know who the Soul King was and where he was, they were surprised as Kousuke answered.
Hating every moment of the battle that followed, Kousuke warred momentarily with his family, defeating each and every one of them. But instead of killing them, he sealed them in the heavens above the Human World. The Cat could not bear killing the family he loved, and thought that if they slept above the world, they could see the harm they had wrought upon the spirits and people below. He would free them when they saw their wrongs. In the mean time, he helped build homes for the surviving souls. He created guidelines for his Captains to follow. He created the Gotei Thirteen, the fusion of his brothers' and sisters' hard work and his own, what he saw as the pinnacle of his career. It was also during this time that Kousuke obtained a new zanpakuto, placing his original one in a location of hiding that no one would ever find it in. The effects were severe of course, as it did limit him for quite some time after the fact and even changed his zanpakuto entirely. While he has never bothered to try it, he presumes that his old one no longer works as a result.
With everything as he thought it should be, Kousuke did one last thing for his Shinigami. He took his thirteen captains, he divided his power evenly among them all. Taking this into account, he bade them farewell, and disappeared into another realm, tucked away in the world of souls his family had made. It was here that Kousuke has performed countless acts that have invisibly guided the Shinigami. But all is not well. Always watching, Kousuke saw his creations forget about their origins. Not all, but most. Still, he said nothing. But it is because of this that the Celestial Yggdrasil has been on his mind in his days playing against his pet cats. He worries he may have to step in and fight once more. He's already had to examine brutalities far beyond the scope of the mind.
And now with Kiyoshi inside the Seireitei, another battle is certainly on the horizon.
- Zanpakutō Name: Eien [Permanence]
Zanpakutō Type: Kido
Sealed Zanpakutō: The sealed zanpakuto is a wakizashi in a standard black scabbard with a plain black hilt. On the end of the pommel, there is the image of a cat paw in crimson coloring. The guard is a standard square guard, with no embellishments or particular design. The only striking feature is the cat paw imprinted upon the pommel of the otherwise nondescript weapon.
Zanpakutō Spirit: Spirit
- Shikai Incantation: "Stamp they presence into the soul, Eien."
Release Appearance: Shikai
Description:
Once released, the zanpakuto condenses into a small marble shape that is then eaten by Kousuke. Once devoured, Kousuke may recreate the marble, holding up to five of them at any given moment. Once thrown, the marbles utilize their passive ability and detonate. Holding one of the marbles is not necessary for Kousuke to use his Shikai abilities.
The role of the zanpakuto in battle is to utilize powerful damaging techniques that simultaneously lock down and pin the opponent. In doing so, the zanpakuto and its wielder exude a powerful influence on the battle field. However, despite being incredibly powerful, many killing blows must come from Kousuke's own hands.
Abilities:
- Ten Toresu [Heaven Trace]
"You cannot run. It always follows."
Holding both hands, palms upturned towards the sky, Kousuke creates a small sphere of energy that floats up into the air. Once it has lifted four meters into the air, it launches at the foe and chases them down for a short time [2 Posts]. Once it nears them, the orb detonates, spraying a mist that seems harmless, but is incredibly dense, weighing down anyone caught under it as it sinks to the ground. The mist lasts for a short while [1 Post] after being created. [5 Post Cool Down]
Kainyu [Intervention]
"This is divine intervention."
Holding out one hand, a small black orb forms in the center of Kousuke's palm. The palm expands outwards and away from his body explosively, heavily damaging anything on the receiving end of the blast. The blast and the orb get no larger than one meter. Because of the short range and explosive release, the technique is great for breaching enemy barriers, natural cover, and outright destroying weaker techniques. [3 Post Cool Down]
Hikari [Light]
"I light the way to a better future."
Holding out a single finger, a shimmering ball of light appears at the tip, no larger than a marble. After only a few seconds, the light extends forwards quickly into a three meter sabre. Although the damage done by this technique is located in a small area no greater than five centimeters (2 inches), it's explosive release and concentrated damage area grant it great piercing power, and also make it an excellent surprise attack at close ranges. [3 Post Cool Down]
Ato [Impression]
"Leave a mark of greatness on the world."
Creating the mark of a crimson cat pawprint on his palm, Kousuke seeks to land a physical blow on his opponent. Should he succeed, the cat paw print transfers over to the point of contact. While the initial blow seems week, the ability takes place a short time later [1 Post]. Once activated, the ability creates a cube above the opponent that attempts to crash down onto them from above. This cube is highly condensed and extremely heavy, aiming to force the foe directly to the ground and hold them there. However, because there is a slight delay from its appearance to when it falls, most foes can dodge the technique with relative ease, provided they are not pinned down. Should Kousuke miss the initial blow, the technique merely fizzles out and does not carry on. [3 Post Cool Down]
Katsu [Threaten]
"Few things are more threatening than thunder."
Passive Ability This ability is one Kousuke cannot turn off or on and remains active for the entire duration of his Shikai. The small marbles used as weapons for this Shikai detonate, creating a loud bang along with a mild explosion. They are contact and force detonated, allowing him to detonate a whole chain (no more than five) with the blast of just one of them. Each blast is 30cm (One foot) across and fairly weak. However, they also pack an additional effect. Each successful blast from a chain on an opponent increases the power of his other techniques upon them and also works the other way around, making their attacks against him even stronger as well.
- Bankai Name: Shouten
Bankai Incantation: "Let us shed our mortal coils, Shouten."
Release Appearance:
Although the Shikai is absorbed into his body until sealed, his Bankai takes the absorption one step further. The center of his body shines as he releases, coursing to every single point in his own body before shimmering away. Kousuke then begins emitting a "starry" reiryoku light from his person, his black reiatsu shimmering with what can only be described as "the light of millions of lives and stars all tumbling from his being."
Description:
Shouten is, as the name sounds, an extremely powerful zanpakuto. It is the weapon that Kousuke has used in the millennium of the Katena's absence, although he does state he misses his old one, as there has been an apparent and significant change between his original zanpakuto and this one.
The purpose of Shouten as a zanpakuto is overwhelming power based on the lore of heavens. While the exact effects of each technique may vary, each and everyone is considered by the Shinigami to be "the strongest of its class." However, as it is a zanpakuto, it is only as strong as it's wielder, a being created and fed by faith, even if it is no longer by his true name.
Abilities:
- Shitenhashira [Four Heavenly Pillars]
"Ancients that hold up the sky."
Calling forth a primal power, Kousuke summons four pillars that seem to reach endlessly up into the sky, as if it holding it aloft themselves. These four pillars form a square, each side twenty-five meters long, and while the foe is inside the square, Kousuke, whether he is also inside of it or not, may call down a spiritual bolt of lightning, that upon striking an object, are one meter at the base. He can only call down three bolts per post. However, such a powerful has several draw backs as well. The first is the range. In exchange for being unable to simply move above or blow the technique's range, the opponent can actually forcibly cancel the technique by simply running outside of the barrier's range. Stepping through the threshold has no negative consequences for the opponent, aside from canceling the technique, which also alerts Kousuke to the fact the opponent is no longer in range of it. The most noticeable drawback is that Kousuke may not use other techniques for the duration of this one. The very last draw back is that he must actually aim for the opponent, as the bolts do not aim themselves. On top of that, the technique has a short duration and long cool down time, making up for it's incredible power and range of influence. [2 Post Duration, 7 Post Cool Down]
Shi no te [Hand of Death]
"Death comes on swift wings."
Inhaling deeply, Kousuke seems to pull the odd light of reiatsu he's giving off back into his body, dimming the light as he charges his opponent, seeking to grab hold of them. Should he succeed in getting a grip, Kousuke begins channeling the energy into his opponent, and should they be unable to escape by the time he's done [1 Post to fully channel], the energy rubber bands, imploding on the opponent as it rushes back to Kousuke and dealing severe damage to the victim. Should he fail to catch the enemy, the energy explodes violently outwards from being suppressed into a sphere with a one meter radius. The main draw back with this technique is the close proximity of the combatants. After the channeling, whether it succeeds or fails, this technique goes on cool down. [3 Post Cool Down]
Kuroi Taiyo [Black Sun]
"There is little difference between gods and men. Which are you?"
In a similar twist to Shi no Te, this technique is performed as a more counter and defense oriented version of the technique, although with significantly worse end results. Once the opponent is close enough, or should the moment be right, the energy around Kousuke begins dragging in forms of spiritual matter and the nearby landscape, not further than three meters away, purging it of its physical form and converting it directly into reiryoku. Shortly after charging [1 Post], Kousuke unleashes a cataclysmic wave of energy that tears through most objects and can outright kill beings of a lower level and critically injure those that belong below the Lieutenant's ranking, if not worse, while still harshly damaging other foes. Not only that, but the ground beneath his feet, a literal ground zero, is wiped from existence. With his body as the focal point of a spiritual black hole, Kousuke becomes next to impossible to strike with any kind of projectile. Physical attacks, while possible, run the risk of the attacker being unable to escape the pull. Because of the power of the pull, speed is less important than physical strength or the ability to blink to a new location outside the range of the engulfing aura. It should be noted that Kousuke must initiate the technique, causing a small delay for opponent's with otherwise unimpeded movement a chance to escape. It is because of this that it works mostly as a counter, rather than an offensive attack. [5 Post Cool Down]
- Kōchaku Name: Maneki-Neko [Beckoning Cat]
Kōchaku Incantation: Luck is called by the paw of the cat, Maneki-Neko
Release Appearance: Kochaku State
Abilities:
- Kapparau [Steal]
"I think I'm going to swipe that from you."
Being a cat the size of a person really helps, especially when your paw is as big as their head. With this technique, Kousuke uses perhaps one of the most easy to identify skills in his entire arsenal. By making a quick swipe at the foe with his paw, he bats at them, attempting to waylay them or knock them away. Should the opponent be using a technique, whether they be in mid use, charging it up, or the technique be projectile based, he "swipes" it from them, forcing it to cancel and returns it upon the foe immediately. This technique is most beneficially used upon projectiles, as it allows him to chain together his techniques better, however, it can copy certain close ranged techniques associated with zanpakuto. However, this technique has a few glaring weaknesses too. Most noticeably, techniques require special qualities to be stolen. It cannot steal techniques that are predominantly physical in aspect, such as reinforced strikes or changes made to the physical material of the blade. Strikes that infused with special properties such as explosive, cause the blade to catch fire, extended range, or so on, may be affected, whereas a strike in which the cutting edge of the blade is improved or the blade becomes actual fire can not be stolen. Another glaring weakness is it has an odd susceptibility to barrier skills, as while they force the opponent's barrier to fizzle, but construct one of Kousuke's own, rendering the move virtually pointless. Another major drawback is that while it causes a technique to fizzle, techniques that utilize multiple parts simultaneously only have one part affected. This includes barriers with several layers and projectiles that use two or more missiles. While the contacted part will dissipate and form the whole technique over again, the contacted part is the only thing that will disappear. Additionally, as the name implies, Kousuke may not "remember" a technique he has swiped, forcing him to use this move every time he wishes to steal an foe's attack. [5 Post Cool Down]
Neko no Ashi [Cat's Paw]
"It really is good luck."
Kousuke moves one of his front paws as if waving or beckoning the opponent. Once he's finished waving, his shadow looms up over the foe and he appears behind the opponent, bringing down his paw with claws extended. This technique is an extremely simple form of blinking (short range, rapid, instantaneous movement), but incredibly useful for dodging incoming projectiles and attacking the foe with an element of surprise. This can even allow Kousuke to slip into barriers, if the room inside is big enough to fit him in there. However, it can only work if he can directly see the opponent, which limits it use somewhat. [3 Post Cool Down]
Nyaa [Meow]
"Nyaa!"
Kousuke's most feline attack, he mewls loudly in the direction of the foe. The sound is quite loud, guaranteed to give away his position if he's hiding. The air and sound waves produced by Kousuke in this attack are a combination of a ram and a barrage of cutting blades. The air is roughly two meters across, and as compressed as it is, can hit hard enough to punch through several layers of concrete while the sound waves lacerate anything in the waves' path. Because of it's bullet force, it is entirely possible that once the wave combination strikes a foe, should it be unblocked, it can carry them on the forefront of the stream while constantly slashing at them. Being a projectile with an effective range of ten meters, it is his Kochaku's longest ranged technique and has the shortest cool down of any of his techniques. [2 Post Cool Down]
- Hadō: Kousuke knows all Hado.
Bakudō: Kousuke knows all Bakudo.
Other:
- Last Resort-Tenchuu [Heaven's Punishment]: Kousuke charges a sphere of a black so dark that seeing through it is nigh impossible, yet this sphere seems to emit light on each of his finger tips on one hand. Each sphere combines in front of his outstretched hand into a single orb with a set of characters inside, and with a lazy swipe, the sphere is fired at his opponent. Once next to or upon contacting the opponent, the sphere splits apart into thirteen orbs, each one seeming to contain the same set of characters on each one. These orbs shotgun from the original orb, spraying outwards in the direction of the foe, causing severe pain upon contact that increases as more of the shotgunned shells find their mark. To prevent obstruction by barriers, these techniques have an incredible amount of piercing power against spiritually made objects, but not against things such as zanpakuto or spiritual beings. It should be little to no surprise that this technique was developed by Kousuke to combat his brothers and sisters, and while it can only work on the Katena, it can also only work on one of them at a time. The characters within the original orb, and subsequently it's thirteen smaller ones, is the particular Katena the technique will work on. This helps prevent unwanted damage in the other Katena while, at best, extremely crippling those that he's fighting. Once used, the technique goes on a substantial cool down. [15 Post Cool Down].
Special Kido-Neko no Hirune [Cat Nap]: Despite the playful name, this is a Kido that is exclusive to Kousuke alone. Developed on his own like Tenchuu, Neko no Hirune is an incredibly powerful binding Kido that goes above and beyond even most Bakudo's capabilities. Able to afflict a group of individual's at once, Kousuke's body emits a gentle white light that douses an area up to ten meters in it's power. With the exception of Kousuke himself, any being caught within the field for a short period of time [1 Post] are forced into a deep slumber and binds their bodies, souls, and memories to the heavens above. Once under, their memories are fogged up and can cause memory loss, false memories, and other forms of mental distress upon the victim's waking. However, despite his own power, Kousuke can only maintain this ability for a very short time [1 Post], just long enough to put some people under. The results are well worth it though, as it bound the slumbering Katena for several millennium. Consequently, this technique is incredibly powerful, and Kousuke refuses to use it again unless there is absolutely no other way. However, there are two drawbacks to the technique. It can indeed affect the user with repeated use, even if the last time it was used was several thousand years ago. Additionally, and perhaps more worrisome, the technique can be ended via the user's desire, whether conscious or subconscious, requiring large amounts of concentration to maintain, even after the technique has already succeeded, in order to insure it does its job properly. [30 Post Cool Down]
