Ganju Shiba
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| Bleach character | |
|---|---|
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| Ganju Shiba | |
| Occupation | Leader of a boar-mounted group; convenience store clerk (anime) |
| Birthday | October 15 |
| Height | 182 cm (5' 11¾") |
| Weight | 106 kg (233.7 lbs) |
| Seiyū | Wataru Takagi |
| Voice actor | Kyle Hebert |
Ganju Shiba (志波 岩鷲 Shiba Ganju?) is a character in the manga and anime series Bleach. He is the younger brother of Kūkaku Shiba and Kaien Shiba, the deceased lieutenant of the Gotei 13's 13th Division.
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[edit] Character outline
An outrageous figure, Ganju wears a vest, scarf, bandana, and pair of goggles. He is often found with his gang, who all ride large boars. Ganju's boar is named Bonnie (affectionately referred to as Bonnie-chan). The omake sketch after episode 114 implies that Bonnie was accidentally cooked into a stew by Retsu Unohana during a friendly cookout including her, Ganju, and a few others from the 4th Division.
Ganju possesses a deep hatred for shinigami, a hot temper, and a strong ego. Though he always acts tough, he has shown that he also has a softer side, and is easily cowed by his older sister Kūkaku. Because he is not particularly attractive, it has been a running joke in the series that rather than deny this fact, he tends to talk around the subject, especially when Yumichika Ayasegawa makes note of it.
[edit] History
Because of his brother Kaien's death at the hands of Rukia Kuchiki when he was still young, Ganju holds a grudge against all shinigami. This grudge is slow to dissipate even after he learns the truth of the incident.
It is implied that after Kaien's death, the Shiba clan lost its status as one of the Noble Clans (which include the Kuchiki and Shihouin clans). There now remain only four Noble Clans, as the Shiba had been the fifth.[1] Upon Ganju's introduction, he and Kūkaku are the only remaining members of the clan.
[edit] Synopsis
[edit] Soul Society arc
After volunteering to go with Ichigo's company on their trip into Seireitei by his sister, Ganju hopes to determine the truth behind Kaien's death and why his brother so strongly desired to become a shinigami. After they are fired from Kūkaku's cannon, he attempts to continue the spell's incantation in order to control the trajectory of the spirit cannon ball. He fails in part because of Ichigo's inability to control his spirit power, and as a result the group's members are sent in four different directions. Furthermore, Ganju and Ichigo manage to remain together during the split, therefore being forced to work with each other.
The two run into the 3rd and 5th seat of the 11th Division, Ikkaku Madarame and Yumichika Ayasegawa respectively. Ganju runs off and Yumichika follows, leaving Ichigo to fight Ikkaku while Yumichika pursues him. Ganju manages to defeat the vain Yumichika by throwing a firework at him while Yumichika was in the air. Alerted by the firework, Ichigo and Ganju meet up again, each being pursued by one half of 11th Division, so that together they become cornered by nearly the entire division, the exceptions being Captain Kenpachi Zaraki and Lieutenant Yachiru Kusajishi (who are having difficulty navigating Seireitei in their attempt to find the strongest intruder to fight), and the defeated Ikkaku and Yumichika.
The pair kidnap 4th Division member Hanatarō Yamada in hopes of using him as a hostage, but discover that the 11th Division doesn't care about the lives of 4th Division members. Ganju and Ichigo flee with Hanatarō, who is deemed useless until he reveals a passageway through the sewers that will get them to Rukia Kuchiki, who is being held in the Shrine of Penitence until her execution.
While Ichigo is forced to fight Zaraki, Ganju and Hanatarō go to rescue Rukia. Upon seeing Rukia's face, however, Ganju recognizes that she is the shinigami who killed his brother. He initially refuses to save her, but changes his mind when Byakuya Kuchiki arrives. When Hanatarō decides to risk his life for Rukia, Ganju puts aside his pride for his brother and attempts to fight Byakuya. After being heavily wounded by Byakuya, Ichigo arrives to save them. However, Yoruichi Shihouin and Captain Jūshirō Ukitake of the 13th Division disrupt the fight; Ichigo is evacuated and Ganju is brought to 4th Division headquarters for healing.
Ganju ends up in the 4th Division jail with Uryū Ishida and Chad until they are broken out by Orihime Inoue and the elite members of the 11th Division. They attempt to find and aid Ichigo on the day of Rukia's execution, arriving only after Ichigo's fight with Byakuya.
As Soul Society recovers from the conspiracy surrounding Rukia's execution, Ganju is last seen being berated by Kūkaku for being useless during the rescue attempt as Rukia arrives to apologize to them for Kaien's death.
[edit] Bount arc
In the anime, Kūkaku sends Ganju to the human world to investigate the Bounts. He is soon reunited with his friend, Hanatarō Yamada, and is given a job at the same convenience store as Hanatarō by the manager. Ganju puts in several appearances during his stay in the real world and even manages to kill the Bount twins Hō and Ban. He also shows up on a boar at one point, having stolen it from a nearby zoo. After the Bounts infiltrate Soul Society, he continues to accompany and assist Ichigo's group in the spirit world.
[edit] Abilities
Though Ganju is not a shinigami, he is a member of the Shiba clan and can fight on a level above that of an average shinigami but lower than that of a seated officer. He has a zanpakutō which resembles a meat cleaver or a Chinese Dadao, though he never demonstrates the ability to use its initial release. Ganju's sword skills are limited, so he relies primarily on his arsenal of fireworks, his agility, and his earth magic.
Ganju's earth magic doesn't seem to operate on the same principal as standard shinigami kidō. The one technique he uses, Stone Wave (石波 seppa?), doesn't need an incantation to work and is unnumbered. The spell can reduce whatever it is aimed at to sand or quicksand. He can even perform it with his feet.
[edit] References
- ^ Kubo, Tite (2006). Bleach Official Character Book Souls. Tokyo, Japan: Shueisha, 31. ISBN 4-08-874079-3
