Nanao Ise
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| Bleach character | |
|---|---|
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| Nanao Ise | |
| Occupation | Shinigami lieutenant of the 8th Division. |
| Birthday | July 7 |
| Height | 164 cm (5' 4⅝") |
| Weight | 48 kg (106 lb) |
| Seiyū | Hitomi Nabatame |
Nanao Ise (伊勢 七緒 Ise Nanao?) is a character in the manga and anime series Bleach. She is the lieutenant of the 8th Division of the Gotei 13, under Captain Shunsui Kyōraku, and vice-president of the Shinigami Women's Association.
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[edit] Character outline
Nanao, in comparison with her flamboyant captain, appears to be a fairly ordinary shinigami. She is almost always carrying a heavy book (apparently the same book each time) and wears glasses. She is a very serious and pragmatic person who often puts up with her captain's silly antics, but like all lieutenants, she is extremely respectful of her captain and follows his instructions without hesitation.
Nanao is often accosted by her captain, whose teasing takes various forms. For instance, in the omake special at the end of episode 97, Rangiku Matsumoto gives Nanao a bikini, purchased in the real world at Kyōraku's request for a "sexy outfit." Nanao's usual reaction is to scold him or hit him with something, usually a fan. When she is particularly annoyed she takes off her glasses, though her face has never been seen while doing this it is apparently quite intimidating since most people who see it are reduced to gibbering wrecks, even the 12th Division captain during an omake chapter. Ironically she was paralyzed with terror in much the same way by General Yamamoto.
Her relationship with her captain provides comic relief, but also represents a close bond with her captain that isn't otherwise found in Bleach. The two are also shown as being very close in the professional sense, which only Tōshirō Hitsugaya and Rangiku Matsumoto seem to match.
When she is about to finish off Chad, Nanao's hand crackles with lightning, suggesting that she may be more adept at kidō than swordsmanship.
[edit] Synopsis
[edit] Soul Society arc
Nanao first appears when she notifies her captain of the impending threat of outsiders, the closest of which is Chad. When Kyōraku confronts Chad, he has Nanao throw flower petals over them for dramatic effect. She eventually gets annoyed and throws the entire basket of petals at him. After Chad loses, she wants to finish him off, but is stopped by Kyōraku.
She later berates her captain for his lack of action as the execution of Rukia Kuchiki approaches, especially as he is thinking more about taking a nap and how General Yamamoto will likely criticize his course of action in the end. Nanao accompanies Kyōraku to the execution and escapes with him when Kyōraku and Jūshirō Ukitake stop Sōkyoku from killing Rukia. When Yamamoto confronts Kyōraku and Ukitake for their act, Nanao reasons that she can at least do a little to help stall him. She underestimates just how powerful he is, however, and ends up losing her ability to even move after a mere look from Yamamoto. She is evacuated from the scene by her captain, unable to speak and worried that they will be slaughtered.
[edit] Zanpakutō
Not much is known about Nanao's zanpakutō and she is very rarely seen with it. An illustration in the artbook "All Color but the Black" reveals that her zanpakutō takes the form of what appears to be either a wakizashi or tantō, which she seems to conceal within her sleeve. When on the verge of fighting, she puts her hand inside her uniform, supporting the possibility. A less common theory is that the heavy book she always carries is in fact her zanpakutō, similar to the method in which Yamamoto disguises Ryūjin Jakka. Additionally, since her zanpakutō is much shorter than the average sword, it could very well fit within such a disguise. In the game Bleach: Heat the Soul 3, Nanao wields a dagger, but it is not clear if it is meant to be her zanpakutō.
