Gin Ichimaru
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| Gin Ichimaru | |
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| Occupation | Former shinigami captain of the 3rd Division |
| Birthday | September 10 |
| Height | 185 cm (6' 1") |
| Weight | 69 kg (152 lbs) |
| Zanpakutō | Shinsō |
| Seiyū | Kouji Yusa |
Gin Ichimaru (市丸 ギン Ichimaru Gin?) is a character in the anime and manga series Bleach. He is the former captain of the 3rd Division in the Gotei 13 of Soul Society. His lieutenant was Izuru Kira.
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[edit] Character outline
Ichimaru is fairly ordinary in terms of clothing, and doesn't wear any unique items. However, his overall appearance is not so normal: his eyes are constantly slitted, earning him the nickname "foxface"; he is unusually thin, even for a Bleach character; and furthermore he bears unusual silver hair which in the anime has a purple tint to it (his name refers to his hair color; gin (銀) is Japanese for silver). He also keeps a wide smile most of the time, which he has only been known to wipe off on rare occasions. He has also been known to open his eyes only twice, in the flashback when he and Aizen rescued Momo Hinamori and other students from hollows (Episode 46), and during a battle with 10th Division Captain Tōshirō Hitsugaya (he also opens them during the ending theme for Episode 27 and the opening theme for Episode 91). In the anime his eyes appeared red; however it is disputed whether or not this is canon with regards to the manga since his eyes appear blue on one of the color images.
As Gin doesn't display any emotion while speaking combined with his use of sarcasm, he is distrusted by many, most notably Tōshirō Hitsugaya and Rukia Kuchiki. Rukia once commented on how she felt like snakes were wrapping around her whenever Gin spoke.
It should be noted that in the anime, Gin speaks with a distinct Osaka Dialect, which is also spoken by many rude, clumsy, or rather blunt characters in several other anime series.
[edit] History
Not much is known about Ichimaru's prior history, except that he once saved 10th Division Lieutenant Rangiku Matsumoto's life. They have been friends since then. Hence, Matsumoto is one of the few people Gin seems to truly care about. It is also known that Gin served as the lieutenant of 5th Division Captain Sōsuke Aizen before becoming captain of the 3rd Division and that he became captain at the same time as Byakuya Kuchiki.
[edit] Synopsis
After Ichigo Kurosaki defeats the gatekeeper, Jidanbō, in his quest to save Rukia Kuchiki, Jidanbō lifts the gate to give Ichigo and his companions access to the interior portion of Soul Society. Upon opening the gate Ichigo finds Gin Ichimaru waiting for him on the other side. After Gin purposefully fails to kill the intruders, a meeting of the thirteen division captains is called for him to explain his suspicious actions as Ichimaru, as one of the thirteen captains, should have had no trouble destroying them.
Upon dispersal of the meeting, 10th Division Captain Tōshirō Hitsugaya overhears a scripted exchange between 5th Division Captain Sōsuke Aizen and Gin, which is meant to further increase his suspicions of Gin's foul play; more specifically, the exchange hints that Gin intends to kill Aizen.
As a result, Hitsugaya later warns Aizen's lieutenant, Momo Hinamori, that Aizen's life might be in danger due to Gin and that Gin's lieutenant Izuru Kira, on good terms with her, might also be tainted. The next day Aizen's impaled body is discovered by Hinamori who immediately suspects Gin is the murderer; his appearance at the crime scene shortly after and carefree attitude despite the seriousness of the situation only seem to confirm this. Hinamori subsequently decides to attack Gin in a rage but is intercepted by his lieutenant. Both Kira and Hinamori are arrested. Hitsugaya threatens to kill Gin if Hinamori should shed even a drop of blood.
After Ichimaru releases Kira from his cell, Hitsugaya becomes suspicious and confronts lieutenant and captain together. He is interrupted by Hinamori, who now thinks that Hitsugaya murdered Aizen, and subsequently tries to kill him. She grips her sword so tightly that her hands become bloody. Hitsugaya acts upon his earlier threat and attacks Gin, releasing his zanpakutō, Hyōrinmaru, warning Kira to get out of the way. Gin and Hitsugaya fight and it is during this fight that Gin reveals his eyes and smile-less face for the first time. Upon being trapped by Hitsugaya, he attempts to kill Hinamori as a distraction, but his attack is blocked by Rangiku Matsumoto, who threatens to fight him if he doesn't stop; Ichimaru disappears, possibly not wanting to harm Matsumoto, his childhood friend. Matsumoto remembers that Gin has also disappeared in such a way in the past, leaving her to wonder what he was up to.
Later, as Rukia is being led to her execution, Gin briefly appears on the bridge to tease her by giving her hope that he would stop the execution if she asked. It is at this point that Rukia mentions her confrontations and fears of him. This serves only to increase suspicions that Gin was the orchestrator of her execution.
When Aizen is revealed to be the mastermind behind the entire conspiracy, Gin is revealed to be nothing more than a subordinate and decoy. When Gin's lieutenant, Kira, who has been acting in accordance with his captain, finds out that Hinamori has been harmed, he feels betrayed.
As Aizen extracts the orb of distortion (hōgyoku) from Rukia's body, he instructs Gin to kill her. He releases his zanpakutō, but Byakuya Kuchiki appears and rescues Rukia, taking the hit from Ichimaru's Shinsō.
Aizen, Gin and Kaname Tōsen are then cornered by most of the other lieutenants and captains. Gin is captured by his friend, Matsumoto. The three escape to Hueco Mundo with the help of the Menos Grande and are deemed traitors to Soul Society. Before leaving, Gin tells Matsumoto he wouldn't have minded being held a little while longer, and also apologizes to her.
Gin has made his return in chapter 213 of the manga, seen only briefly near the end. He is shown to be jokingly chiding Sōsuke Aizen over his habit of playing around with his subordinates. His outfit, like Aizen's and Tōsen's, has been modified since the three abandoned Soul Society. He now wears a long, white robe over his normal shinigami hakama. The hilt of his zanpakutō, Shinsō, is visible over the long collar.
He also appeared for one page in chapter 244, now wearing white hakama, like the arrancar, instead of the black ones he was last seen in. Gin wears his hakama open for his chest area but closed around his gut and groin. The Hakama is again open around his legs. His Hakama has long sleeves and neither his hands nor Shinsō are visible.
[edit] Shinsō
Shinsō (神鎗 Divine Spear) is Gin Ichimaru's zanpakutō. It looks like a wakizashi (Japanese short sword) normally. The sword's initial release is triggered by the phrase "shoot to kill, Shinsō", or "shoot him dead,Shinsō"(射殺せ, 神鎗 ikorose, Shinsō); in the anime this was slightly changed to ikorosu, Shinsō. Activated, the blade can extend at great speeds to impale Gin's opponents from a distance. The sword also carries the full impact when blocked, as shown when it pushed Ichigo Kurosaki out of Seireitei when he first arrived in Soul Society. In addition, he can maintain the extension and swing the activated Shinsō in wide arcs, attacking multiple targets quickly and simultaneously. In the manga and anime, his bankai is yet to be seen. In various Bleach console games, Gin fires Shinsō into the sky, causing it to rain swords, all of which resemble short swords, similar to Shinsō.
[edit] Other information
There is an album inspired by his character called Bleach Beat Collection 5: Ichimaru Gin released in Japan with three unique songs (four total) that include his voice:
- Track: 01 - Sekai wa Sude ni Azamuki no Ue ni(The World is Already Above Deceit)
- Track: 02 - Fuyu no Hanabi featuring Rangiku (Winter Fireworks)
- Track: 03 - Hyōri (Inside and Outside)
- Track: 04 - Sekai wa Sude ni Azamuki no Ue ni (Instrumental Version)
[edit] Trivia
- In the most recent character poll, Ichimaru placed 5th place, despite being a villain.
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| Karakura High School: | 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 |
