Ganju Shiba
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| Ganju Shiba | |
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| Occupation | Leader of a boar-mounted group, convenience store clerk (anime) |
| Birthday | October 15 |
| Height | 182 cm (5'11 ½") |
| 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 anime and manga 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, bandanna, 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).
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.
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.
[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 Shiba had been the fifth[1]. Upon Ganju's introduction, he and Kūkaku are the only remaining members of the clan.
[edit] Synopsis
Forced 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. (According to Yumichika, however, they are actually the 2nd and 3rd strongest members of their division.) Ganju runs off, 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 Hantarō 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's zanpakutō, 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] Anime only
In the anime, Kūkaku sends him 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. 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 is a relatively powerful fighter on a higher level than the average shinigami. He has a zanpakutō which resembles a meat cleaver or a Chinese Dadao, though he never demonstrates the ability to use initial release (shikai). Ganju's sword skills are limited, so when in combat he relies primarily on his arsenal of fireworks, his agility, and his earth magic.
Exactly how Ganju's earth magic works is never explained, but it is seemingly a specialized type of demon arts (kidō). If so, he must be skilled at it, as he is able to bypass the incantations for his spells. He is able to turn objects into sand and quicksand with his Stone Wave (石波 seppa) ability.
[edit] Trivia
- Ganju's beloved pet pig, Bonnie, makes a cameo appearance in episode 9 and in the original pilot for the anime shown at Jump Festa.
[edit] References
- ^ Kubo, Tite (2006). Bleach Official Character Book Souls. Tokyo, Japan: Shueisha, 31. ISBN 4088740793
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| Karakura High Schoolers: | Ichigo Kurosaki | Orihime Inoue | Uryū Ishida | Yasutora "Chad" Sado | Tatsuki Arisawa | Keigo Asano |
| Shinigami: | Shigekuni Yamamoto-Genryūsai & Chōjirō Sasakibe | Soifon & Marechiyo Ōmaeda | Gin Ichimaru & Izuru Kira | Retsu Unohana, Isane Kotetsu, & Hanatarō Yamada | Sōsuke Aizen & Momo Hinamori | Byakuya Kuchiki & Renji Abarai | Sajin Komamura & Tetsuzaemon Iba | Shunsui Kyōraku & Nanao Ise | Kaname Tōsen & Shūhei Hisagi | Tōshirō Hitsugaya & Rangiku Matsumoto | Kenpachi Zaraki, Yachiru Kusajishi, Ikkaku Madarame, & Yumichika Ayasegawa | Mayuri Kurotsuchi & Nemu Kurotsuchi | Jūshirō Ukitake, Kaien Shiba & Rukia Kuchiki | Kisuke Urahara, Yoruichi Shihouin, & Isshin Kurosaki |
| Vizard: | Shinji Hirako | Other Vizard |
| Arrancar: | Ulquiorra | Grimmjow Jaggerjack | Yammy | Wonderwice Margera | Other Arrancar |
| Other characters: | Ganju Shiba | Kon | Ryūken Ishida | Jin Kariya | Other Bounts |
