Kenzo Konpaku

Kenzo Konpaku is a blind Shinigami currently working in S-Division as a stealth specialist.

Appearance
Kenzo has dull gray eyes and unkempt black hair. He has black tattoos which arc under his eyes and down his neck, the reason for which (if any) is unknown. He wears a thin red Omnitskido uniform under the standard red robes of S-division. He has discarded the Shinigami robes in favor of just the Omnitskido uniform on multiple occasions, mostly because he dislikes the sound they make when he moves around.

Personality
Due to his hearing abilities Kenzo Konpaku has fallen into the role of a quiet loner. Almost anything that makes sound has been known to set him on edge, even quiet breathing being enough to make him angry. Kenzo spends the majority of his free time in training or in meditation, often reflecting on his actions from the previous day. He is driven by his desire to make the Seireitei a better place while maintaining the balance of souls, hoping to do away with all of the injustices he observed during his time in the Omnitskido. He is willing to use any force and trickery necessary to reach his goal, even if it causes people to think of him badly. He has made Arashi Hasu his personal rival due to Arashi's seemingly unstoppable rate of growth. Kenzo actively measures his own power level against his, making sure that he himself is always becoming stronger.

Kenzo has also made a hobby out of playing the Koto, but he admits that he isn't very good at it due to lack of practice.

History
Kenzo's history before he entered the academy is largely unknown. He arrived in the Soul Society alone and quickly began on a quest to explore it entirely. While in one of the higher districts he was attacked by a hollow, an encounter that he was only able to survive by using Ten-Ko Bakudan. While the hollow was defeated, it was at the cost of Kenzo's vision. Over the next ten years Kenzo adapted to operate through his hearing, trained himself to control his spirit pressure, and made the decision to become a Shinigami.

He was accepted into the academy and became quick rivals with Arashi Hasu after they had a sparring session on their first day. The two fought constantly until the decision was made to limit their sparring to once a year in order to avoid conflict with their basic schoolwork. The fights gained a reputation for being particularly brutal and even sided. In fact, over all the years they spent fighting neither one was able to come out victorious. Kenzo graduated alongside Arashi after 70 years in the academy.

After graduation Kenzo entered 2nd division, commonly being placed on guard duty because of his hearing. It is thought that during this time Kenzo also developed his invisibility and sonar abilities with all of his free time. After Aizen was revealed to be a traitor to the Gotei 13 he was drafted into the 2nd branch of the Omnitskido in order to aid in rooting out any more hidden traitors. After two years Kenzo found himself unable to justify the things he had been doing to other souls and requested a transfer out; The result of which landed him in S-Division alongside his old rival Arashi.

New Transfers Mini Arc
Kenzo Konpaku is the first of the Five Man Battalion to be transferred to S-Division, arriving at the same time as Arashi Hasu. Both are introduced to Captain Kishirii who debriefs them on their new jobs and gives Kenzo the position of stealth specialist. Before the day ends the Captain fetches Hanazichi Kusagari and challenges them both to a simple sparring match, with their only goal being to land a blow on her. Even though Kusagari's tremorsense prevents him from sneaking up on her, Kenzo manages to land a blow through her defenses. Arashi fails the same challenge right after. Later that day Kenzo Approaches the lieutenant privately and asks for personal training, which she agrees to give at the top of Sokyoku Hill.

Lieutenant makes a bet with Kenzo the next day: If he can deal any wound to her while she is released, no matter how small, she will sponsor him for a seated position when the time comes. His first attempt is met with failure as her Zanpakuto repels all of his attacks. She advises him to focus on his meditations and return to try again the next day. While meditating Kenzo makes contact with his Zanpakuto spirit for the first time, and is posed with the question of why "Why do you do what you do?". Convinced that the answer to this will gain him his Shikai, Kenzo begins philosophizing with his Zanpakuto. Every answer he gives is accepted, but not correct.

During his second sparring match with Lieutenant, Kenzo disarms her, catching her off guard and allowing him to land a wounding blow. The massive spirit pressure difference causes him to pass out from the trauma. When he comes to Lieutenant congratulates him on a job well done and he returns to his meditations, determined to learn his Zanpakuto's secrets. Over the course of the next week he is able to enter his inner world and meet his spirit in person, becoming just as fascinated with the spirits identity as he was with the question originally posed to him. After a long series of question and answer sessions, Kenzo was able to identify his Zanpakuto spirit as the last breath of all living things. He was rewarded with his Zanpakuto spirit's name, but was told that he did not yet have the power to release Saigo.

Kenzo was also sent to fetch Leigh Zebaum and was the one to debrief him on the goings-on of S-division.

The Life God Arc
Shortly after Kenzo learns the identity of his Zanpakuto, Grand Marshal Yuu Kishirii calls the Five Man Battalion together for their first mission in the human world; Searching for an S-potential in a rural area. While performing surveillance on one of the suspected humans, Kenzo discovers a man masking a high level of spirit pressure. After Kenzo contacts his compatriots through kido, Arashi sets off in hot pursuit of the man. Kenzo follows shortly behind, finding Arashi in combat with two people, one of whom wields a released Zanpakuto. Once Arashi is captured by the two, Kenzo sneaks into the room and disables the the woman with a Zanpakuto with Ten-Ko Bakudan. The rest of the battalion enters and engages the large man at the same time, managing to capture him. While awaiting a Dangai home, Ryuske Enagi appears and holds the battalion captive. When Third Marshal Takeshi Tahada engages Ryuske Enagi, both Kenzo and Arashi attempt to release their Shikai. Both attempts fail and the group is captured and brought back to the Sekaitsugami base.

In the Sekiatsugami base, Enagi and Hakuba Sugari explain the Sekaitsugami organization to the battalion, offering each member the option of betraying S-division and joining them. Before answering them the group breaks free of the area and begins a mad dash towards the exit. While most of the group is forced into engaging Enagi and Sugari, Kenzo sneaks away and breaks through to the outside, using a Tracer Bracelet designed for S-Potentials to contact Captain Kishirii. He is re-captured by Sugari and Rin, whom he had just blinded with Ten-Ko Bakudan. Captain Kishirii and Lieutenant Kusagiri arrive in the Sekaitsugami base, defeating Sugari and causing the Sekaitsugami to disperse in the human world.

A week later during The Third Session, Arashi successfully releases his Zanpakuto to kill a Gillian Class Menos. Because of this Kenzo begins intense meditation and training, during which he realizes that due to Saigo's personality he will only obtain his shikai in a fight against another intelligent Shinigami. As such, Kenzo requests that the battalion be assigned to combating the Seikaitsugami members that had escaped the fall of their base. The next mission they are sent on is considered high risk.

Near the end of their mission, while Kenzo is attempting to figure out who killed the S Potential the group were tracking, he is challenged to a fight by Rin. When the two meet outside they begin a debate about their own moral values, with each deciding that the other must die. Rin releases her Zanpakuto, and without any choice Kenzo draws his. Saigo pulls him into his inner world to prove that he has become strong enough to wield him, giving Kenzo the simple task of reaching him. By showing that he now walks his path with conviction and without regret, Kenzo is able to release his Zanpakuto and defeat Rin.

Later, when meditating inside his inner world, Kenzo accepts that why he does what he does is up to him and only him, setting out on a new path simply to know what lies at the end.

Powers and Abilities
Practiced Swordsman: Kenzo is self trained and has proven himself to be highly skilled with his sealed Zanpakuto. During a sparring match with Lieutenant Hanazichi Kusagari he was able to find a gap in her defenses and strike her. He was able to do so again while Hanazichi was using her released Zanpakuto, going so far as to disarm her and strike while she was defenseless.

Master level Perception: After being blinded Kenzo subjected himself to an intense training regime, resulting in now unmatched hearing capabilities. He routinely demonstrates the ability to hear heartbeats from across the room, hear hollows from miles away, and hear speech from across the S-Division barracks.

Kidō Practitioner: Kenzo is capable of executing low level Kido, specializing in Bakudo that transmit information across great distances. While he does not hold much skill with them, he is still the only member of his battalion capable of creating a Hell Butterfly.

Average Spiritual Power: Kenzo's spiritual pressure, when it has been measured, is of an average level. His Reiatsu is bright white in color.

Reiatsu Detection: Kenzo is adept at detecting spiritual pressure, and has been able to detect it through a high level Seikaitsugami member's attempt to mask it.

Spirit Pressure Control: Kenzo has developed his ability to control his spiritual pressure since a young age, and has created several techniques that are unique to him as a result. He can mask his spirit pressure perfectly, making it undetecable to all but the most skilled shinigami.


 * Ten'nomegumi de Aruku (Walk with Heaven's Grace): Kenzo can manipulate his spiritual pressure in such a way that light bends around it, rendering him almost completely invisible.


 * Tengoku no shisen (Gaze of Heaven): By releasing faint waves of spiritual pressure Kenzo can discern his surroundings, allowing him to circumvent his blindness. While this normally only works in front of him, he can alter it to work in a 360 degree radius.


 * Ten-do Katta (Heavenly Earth Cutter): By fueling his spiritual pressure into his arms, Kenzo can execute attacks with his his Zanpakuto as if he were much more powerful than he actually is. This only works with his sealed, undisguised Zanpakuto. This attack puts Kenzo at risk of dislocating his arm due to the strength of the swing.


 * Ten-ko Bakudan (Heaven Light Bomb): Kenzo releases and ignites all of his spiritual pressure at once, creating a surge of intense light. This attack permanently blinds anyone who is caught in it, including himself. This attack leaves him unable to utilize his other spiritual pressure techniques for several hours. Kenzo has only ever done this twice, once as a child defending himself from a hollow, and once defending his batallion from the Sekaitsugami member Rin.

Stealth Master: Kenzo is a master of stealth, able to hide himself perfectly from captain class Shinigami such as Hakuba Sugari. Grand Marshall Yuu Kishirii is only able to faintly detect Kenzo through spiritual pressure despite being "the best at detecting spirit pressure".

Zanpakuto
Saigo redirects here. For the manifested spirit who appears in Kenzo's Inner World, see Saigo (Zanpakutō spirit).

Saigo (Last Breath): In it's sealed form Saigo is a long, slender two bladed sword with a pure black handle. The blades are curved slightly, with the bottom blade having a serrated base. Kenzo usually disguises his zonpakuto as his blind cane, and is adept at fighting with each form. Because of the brutal nature of his released zonpakuto, Kenzo refuses to train with it alongside anyone. There is currently no living person who knows of it's abilities other than Kenzo, though he has revealed to Grand Marshal Yuu Kishirii that it is a wind type zonpakuto.


 * Shikai: Its Shikai command is "Whisper". Kenzo quickly spins the blade above his head, completing several rotations before lowering it to face level and quietly speaking the release command. As he does so it smokes away, leaving nothing but a tiny dual bladed knife in his hand. It has a pure black handle, the blades are curved, and the bottom blade is serrated; similar to its sealed state. The transformation is accompanied by a gust of air in all directions.


 * Shikai Special Ability: Saigo is a Wind Type zonpakuto. It possesses a number of techniques labeled by Saigo himself as "Pilgrimages". Besides wind techniques, Saigo's general ability is the creation and manipulation of air. This includes the air within living beings. Kenzo has also demonstrated the ability the have Saigo float in the air in front of his hand, but only during pilgrimages. While these are currently the only pilgrimages Kenzo knows, he has only just achieved Shikai and is in the process of developing more.


 * Ichi Junrei, Ochiru (First Pilgrimage, Drop Dead): Kenzo pushes his hand forward while calling out the name of this ability, forcing the blade to spin in front of his hand at high velocity in a clockwise direction. This creates a massive wind tunnel that Kenzo is able to control as if it were an extension of his own body, sending all those who come into contact with it flying backwards. If the target is knocked into a wall, it will crush them under the force.


 * Nii Junrei, Mada Kodo (Second Pilgrimage, Still beating): To execute this pilgrimage Kenzo must successfully cut his opponent while calling out the name of this technique. Should he do so, wind will rush into the wound after a short delay (three seconds), assaulting the target from the inside out. The gust that this creates is enough to damage the surrounding area, and possibly even people that are in close proximity to the victim. If the target is hit multiple times by this technique over the span of several seconds, each instance will go off after it's own delay. If he is unable to cut the target, this pilgrimage has no effect.


 * San Junrei, Ikigiri (Third Pilgrimage, Short of Breath): Kenzo pushes his hand forward while calling out the name of this ability, forcing the blade to spin in front of his hand at high velocity in a counter-clockwise direction. This creates a massive vacuum that Kenzo is able to control as if it were an extension of his own body. When directed over a targets face it will rip all oxygen out of the targets lungs. One second of being influenced by this technique is enough to leave a target physically exhausted and unable to fight at full strength, if they are still able to fight at all.


 * Shi Junrei, Tenbatsu (Fourth Pilgrimage, Damnation): In order to use this pilgrimage Kenzo speaks the name of this technique in a whisper while blowing through his hand into a rapidly spinning Saigo. This creates an incredibly thin wind tunnel that Kenzo can control at will. When it comes into contact with a living being the oxygen in every cell of their body will rapidly expand, creating an effect similar to "the bends". This leaves the target in complete agony, unable to do anything other than scream. Kenzo is unable to speak while maintaining the wind tunnel, though the effect only requires the wind tunnel to be in contact with the target for a brief instance.


 * Bankai: Not Yet Achieved