Kaname Tōsen
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| Bleach character | |
|---|---|
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| Kaname Tōsen | |
| Occupation | Commanding officer in Sōsuke Aizen's army; former shinigami captain of the 9th Division |
| Birthday | November 13 |
| Height | 176 cm (5' 9¼") |
| Weight | 61 kg (134.5 lb) |
| Zanpakutō | Suzumushi |
| Seiyū | Toshiyuki Morikawa |
| Voice actor | Dave Wittenberg |
Kaname Tōsen (東仙 要 Tōsen Kaname?) is a character in the manga and anime series Bleach. He is originally captain of the 9th Division of the Gotei 13, but has since left Soul Society for other goals. His lieutenant and acting replacement is Shūhei Hisagi.
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[edit] Character outline
Tōsen has dark skin and dark brown hair (purple in the anime). He wears the traditional shinigami uniform with the sleeves rolled up to the shoulder and his captain's haori over it; the uniform is tied with a purple obi sash. He also wears an orange scarf around his neck, white boots, and black, fingerless gloves. He has been blind since birth and therefore wears a clear visor, although this was not always the case.
Tōsen's creed in life is to "take the path with the least bloodshed."
[edit] History
Tōsen dedicated his life to following the path with the least bloodshed when someone special to him died. She herself followed this path and Tōsen idolized her for it, and thus made it his when she died. Her love of peace and desire not to fight, even when her husband threatened and killed her, left a deep impression on Tōsen. He took her zanpakutō upon her death and vowed that he would fight for justice without unnecessary bloodshed from then on. Shortly after, Tōsen joined the shinigami.
Tōsen met up with his good friend, Sajin Komamura, while he was still in the shinigami academy. They took to each other quickly, because at that point Komamura was ashamed of his fox head and Tōsen could not see it. Komamura joined the shinigami and they became close friends and eventually captains in the Gotei 13, though the exact details aren't known. When Aizen was still the lieutenant of the 5th Division, Tōsen was already on good terms with him.
Years later, Kenpachi Zaraki came into Seireitei and killed the former captain of the 11th Division. Ever since that day, Tōsen saw Kenpachi as a monster who served no purpose but to create chaos and would eventually break the tenuous peace of Soul Society.
[edit] Synopsis
[edit] Soul Society arc
Tōsen first appears at the shinigami captains meeting. After Sōsuke Aizen is killed, he laments the fact that blood has been spilled and that more violence will be needed to stop the intruder attack. When Uryū Ishida reaches the top of the stairs to the Shrine of Penitence, Tōsen uses his initial release to disable Ishida.
On their way to Rukia's execution, Sajin Komamura and Tōsen confront Kenpachi Zaraki when he frees the intruders. Both attack with their initial releases, but neither do any significant damage. This reaffirms Tōsen's suspicion that Kenpachi has always been a danger to Soul Society and must be stopped in order to avoid more bloodshed. Tōsen uses his final release to get the upper hand, cutting off all of Kenpachi's senses except touch. However, Kenpachi quickly devises a method to overcome this disability, and slashes Tōsen across the chest after purposefully letting Tōsen impale him with his sword. Zaraki grabs the sword before it can be removed, thus regaining his senses. Tōsen is saved from a fatal blow by Komamura, who uses his helmet to block the attack. Tōsen is healed soon after Komamura runs to see why General Yamamoto is fighting.
Tōsen is next seen when he confronts Renji Abarai and Rukia Kuchiki, teleporting them back to the execution grounds. It is revealed that Tōsen is a willing part of Aizen's conspiracy. Unlike most of Soul Society, Tōsen's blindness made him immune to the hypnotism ability of Aizen's zanpakutō. Tōsen had voluntarily chosen to side with Aizen and Ichimaru, seeing it as the path of least bloodshed. After they are confronted by the remaining captains, lieutenants, and intruders, they are rescued by hollows, who draw them into Hueco Mundo with negación beams. Before leaving, Komamura asks Tōsen where his morals have gone and Tōsen replies by saying he is still following the path he believes will bring justice and the least bloodshed.
[edit] Arrancar arc
Tōsen makes an appearance in the human world during Grimmjow Jaggerjack's attack. He wears clothing similar to the arrancar along with longer gloves, smaller goggles, and his hair let down. He brings Grimmjow back to Hueco Mundo for breaking orders and getting five other arrancar killed. Back in Hueco Mundo, Tōsen requests permission to execute Grimmjow, but is denied by Aizen. It becomes apparent that he views Grimmjow, like Kenpachi Zaraki, as having no morals and that killing him in the name of justice would be righteous. Respecting Aizen's wishes, Tōsen doesn't kill Grimmjow; however, he does cut off Grimmjow's left arm and burns it using a kidō spell. Grimmjow threatens to kill Tōsen, but Aizen immediately stops the quarrel with the threat that he would kill Grimmjow if he assaulted Tōsen. His relationships with the other characters are slowly being shown, like the affection Wonderwice Margera seems to have towards him.
[edit] Suzumushi
The name of Tōsen's zanpakutō is Suzumushi (清虫, lit. Pure Insects, Bell Bug in the Viz translation). In its regular state, Suzumushi looks like a regular katana. Its crossguard is shaped like a tear drop, and at the wide part of the teardrop are several teardrop-shaped holes. Hanging off the tear's tip is a small ring. Unlike most zanpakutō, Suzumushi has two release commands, each producing a unique automatic effect. Additionally, he is unique in that his zanpakutō was not originally his; it belonged to the unnamed friend who set him on his path.
Suzumushi's regular release command is "chime" (鳴け nake?), which has the automatic effect of projecting a high-pitched tone over a wide area, overloading the hearing of anyone in range and knocking them unconscious. (This comparatively humane and painless technique fits with Tōsen's self-presentation as a proponent of justice.) Suzumushi's second release command is "smash his limbs" (四肢を潰すよ shishi wo tsubusu yo?), which changes Suzumushi into its Benihikō (紅飛蝗, lit. Crimson Flying Locusts) form. Suzumushi vibrates momentarily and, after Tōsen moves the blade around him in a circle, a trail appears from the sword's path. The trail turns into hundreds of blades that rain down on his opponents.
Suzumushi's final release, named Enma Kōrogi (閻魔蟋蟀, lit. Enma cricket),1 creates a large, black dome centered at Tōsen's location and anchored to the ground with ten rings. Anyone within the dome loses the ability to sense anything around them, what Tōsen called Mumyō (無明, lit. ignorance). The only sense they retain is that of touch. The weakness of this technique is that which makes Tōsen immune to it: Suzumushi itself. Anything touching Suzumushi's hilt is immune to the dome's effects, so anyone who is able to grab Suzumushi recovers their senses.
