Yoruichi Shihouin
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| Bleach character | |
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| Yoruichi Shihouin | |
| Occupation | Ex-commander of the shinigami special forces |
| Birthday | January 1st |
| Height | 156 cm (5' 1⅜") |
| Weight | 42 kg (93 lb) |
| Seiyū | Satsuki Yukino (human form) Shiro Saito (animal form) |
| Voice actor | Terrence Stone (animal form) |
Yoruichi Shihouin (四楓院 夜一 Shihōin Yoruichi?) is a character in the manga and anime series Bleach. Yoruichi's last name is Shihōin (四 Shi, 楓 hō, 院 in), but the u is pronounced clearly (Shi-ho-u-in).
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[edit] Character outline
Yoruichi Shihouin is an attractive, dark-skinned woman who can transform into a black cat for long periods of time. She is intelligent and witty, and is intimately knowledgeable of Soul Society and its workings, as she was the former leader of the special forces. Although of noble birth, she acts differently from other nobles. For instance, she instructed Soifon to refer to her without using honorific suffixes. She also transforms into her human form directly in front of Ichigo on several occasions just to see his reaction to seeing her naked.
Yoruichi tends to avoid battles, preferring to help after a fight is over, but she will step in if she thinks her side cannot win. She was responsible for training Chad and Orihime prior to their entrance into Soul Society. She also supervised Ichigo Kurosaki's final release training using the methods developed by Kisuke Urahara.
According to Tite Kubo, the author of Bleach, Yoruichi prefers to drink milk, which fits with her practice of transforming into a cat most of the time.[1]
[edit] History
Yoruichi was the former head of the special forces. She was also the first female and the 22nd generational head of the Shihouin family (天賜兵装番 tenshiheisōban?), one of the four noble families, and earned much respect in Soul Society while she was there. While her age has not been revealed, she refers to Byakuya Kuchiki as "Little Byakuya," implying that she is much older than he. About 100 years prior to the Bleach storyline, she helped Kisuke Urahara in his escape from Soul Society and was thus relieved of her high status. Yoruichi and Urahara are close friends,[2] as they played together daily when they were children, although many incorrectly believe them to be family.
While Yoruichi was the special forces commander, she took in Soifon as a guard and became her mentor. She taught Soifon most of the techniques she knew. As a result, Soifon succeeded her as head of the special forces after Yoruichi's escape from Soul Society.
Since her departure from Soul Society, it has been stated that she "has kept her distance from battle." According to the manga, Yoruichi disappeared over 100 years before the storyline,[3] but did not fight for 100 years.[4] Her segregation from fighting seems to be the main reason for Yoruichi's struggle during her fight with Soifon after she returns to Soul Society.
[edit] Synopsis
[edit] Soul Society arc
During the Soul Society arc, Yoruichi's role is mainly one of support. After Ichigo's first attempt to defeat Byakuya Kuchiki, she trains him in achieving the final release of his zanpakutō. After Ichigo begins battling Byakuya at the execution grounds, Yoruichi battles Soifon. Despite Soifon's initial success, Yoruichi outmatches her in the use of a powerful technique Soifon thought she had created herself, which Yoruichi initially didn't want to use against her former student. Soifon breaks down into tears, remembering her despair after the disappearance of the mentor which she had looked up to. Yoruichi travels back to the real world after Aizen's betrayal of Soul Society.
[edit] Bount arc
With the help of Soifon, Yoruichi discovered the Bount plot to consume human souls. Though she did not play an active role in fighting the Bount, Yoruichi accompanied Ichigo and his friends to Soul Society, and worked with Byakuya Kuchiki to try and prevent Jin Kariya from releasing Jōkaishō's power. Yoruichi also rescued the Bount Koga Gō and took him to the home of Rantao, the Bount's creator, where he was nursed back to health.
[edit] Arrancar arc
Yoruichi and Urahara rescue Ichigo from death at the hands of the arrancar Yammy. Yoruichi displays considerable strength in being able to throw the large arrancar into the air. She also manages to beat Yammy unconscious, though his tough skin injures her arm in the process. She recuperates quickly later that day.
[edit] Abilities and items
As a member of a noble family and head of the special forces, Yoruichi has acquired many powerful abilities and artifacts. One of her most important and unique abilities is that she can transform into a black cat at will. It is unknown if this ability possesses any time limit, but it is unlikely considering she has used it for so long that she is unused to her human form and dislikes wearing clothing (much to Ichigo's chagrin). As a cat, Yoruichi is still able to use many of her abilities. Her transformation allows her a complete disguise in multiple ways; in addition to not appearing in a human form, her voice as a cat is deep enough for most to assume that she is male.
Yoruichi is also highly skilled in the use of flash steps (瞬歩 shunpo?), a high speed movement ability. Although this is by no means a unique skill, as most seated officers are capable of performing it to various degrees, Yoruichi holds the title Goddess of Flash (瞬神 shunshin?) because she has mastered this ability to such an extent that she can appear to be in several places at once and wipe out entire special forces squadrons in moments. The full extent of her abilities remain unclear, but she was able to outrun Byakuya Kuchiki while carrying an unconscious Ichigo over her shoulder. She was able to perform around 300 steps before feeling out of breath. Furthermore, she admits that she is out of practice after doing so.
Yoruichi is also skilled with flash cry (瞬閧 shunkō?), a technique that combines hand-to-hand combat and kidō. It concentrates high-pressure kidō energy around the body, allowing it to be fired at opponents. It can also be used to instantly neutralize an opponent's movement.
Two of Yoruichi's unique items are accessories that allow the user to fly. One is a small wand with a skull atop it. By using the command "fly," the wand produces a tentacle that acts as a harness and a single, bat-shaped wing that acts as a hang glider. No skill or previous experience is required to use it. The other, known as a tentōken (天踏絢, lit. heavenly dancing figure), is a brown mantle with a large draw string closure at the collar and a large brooch displaying the Shihouin family crest. Like the wand, the tentōken seems to require no skill or previous experience to use. It also seems to be superior to the wand, since it allows one to hover in mid-air and doesn't immobilize one of the user's hands.
Another item, though not in Yoruichi's possession, is the device used by Jūshirō Ukitake and Shunsui Kyōraku to destroy the Sōkyoku. It is a large, shield-like item with the Shihouin family crest stamped on it and a long cord connected to it. When the cord is wrapped around Sōkyoku and two zanpakutō are stabbed into two vertical slots running from its top, their energy flows through the cord and destroys Sōkyoku. Jūshirō Ukitake had it in his possession under some sort of seal.
[edit] Zanpakutō
The name of Yoruichi's zanpakutō is unknown, as she almost never uses it, relying instead on hand to hand combat and shunko techniques. It is shown during the "Sealed Sword Frenzy" OVA, in which she uses it to dispatch a hollow. She also uses it during Soifon's flashback about becoming Yoruichi's protégé. It resembles a kodachi or wakizashi.
