Mayuri Kurotsuchi
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| Mayuri Kurotsuchi | |
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| Occupation | Shinigami captain of the 12th Division, 2nd president of the Shinigami Research Institute |
| Birthday | January 30 |
| Height | 174 cm (5' 8½") |
| Weight | 54 kg (119 lb) |
| Zanpakutō | Ashisogi Jizō |
| Theme Song | Kenichi Ito - 9 Underground |
| Seiyū | Ryusei Nakao |
Mayuri Kurotsuchi (涅 マユリ Kurotsuchi Mayuri?) is a character in the anime and manga series Bleach. He is the captain of the 12th Division in the Gotei 13 and 2nd president of the Shinigami Research Institute. His lieutenant is Nemu Kurotsuchi.
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[edit] Character outline
Mayuri Kurotsuchi is a researcher and personifies the stereotype of the mad scientist. In the earlier episodes of the anime, he is displayed as one of the most sadistic and cruel characters in the series, although not necessarily evil. He sees everyone and everything not so much as a living being, but as an object to be researched - including himself. He has little respect or regard for most others, and was even willing to turn his own men (who were not aware of his plans) into inadvertent human bombs in an attempt to capture Uryū Ishida and Orihime Inoue for experimentation.
Kurotsuchi's appearance has a very skeletal look to it, with a skull like visage. Thus, it serves to make him to look the most inhumane, as evidenced by his research experiments. His fingernails are blue, and are all short, except for the fingernail on his right middle finger, which is as long as the finger itself. He has also performed various experiments on himself, upgrading certain body parts to function as weapons. His left arm can extend out like a grappling hook, his right can shoot concussive waves, and he is able to pull part of his ear out to form a scythe attached to a rope-like ligament and used like a manriki-gusari. In case he is defeated, he is able to transform into a blob-like entity, unable to be attacked or attack, until he is able to reconstitute himself. If a statement Nemu gave Uryū is correct, the only way Kurotsuchi can be killed is by a direct blow to the head, in a manner similar to that of destroying zombies.
Kurotsuchi is revealed to have blue hair and yellow eyes (in the anime) when unmasked. It appears his physical modifications become undone each time he reconstitutes himself, although he is heavily scarred and his ears appear to be permanently removed.
[edit] History
Little is known about the history of Mayuri, except that he succeeded Kisuke Urahara in leading the research institute as well as becoming captain of the 12th Division of the Gotei 13.
He also experimented on 2,661 Quincy, including Sōken Ishida, Uryū's master and grandfather, in his studies.
[edit] Research and inventions
Bleach does not go in-depth about Mayuri's inventions, unlike Urahara's. However, one major invention is present, which is Mayuri's lieutenant and "daughter", Nemu Kurotsuchi, who is the ultimate result of his gigai and modified soul research. It is implied that Mayuri has done extensive research on modifying bodies, as shows by his modifications of his own body, including the ability to regenerate bodyparts by means of injection of an unknown substance.
Another one of Mayuri's abilities likely achieved scientifically is his ability to meld with the color and texture of the environment.
Mayuri has also researched the Quincy extensively, having researched 2,661 test subjects.
[edit] Synopsis
Mayuri Kurotsuchi first appears early in the Soul Society arc at the captains' meeting discussing Gin Ichimaru's encounter with Ichigo Kurosaki and how he failed to kill him. Later, Ichigo’s rescue group breaks into Seireitei and Mayuri orders his division to find them and bring them back to be experimented on. When Ichigo defeats Ikkaku Madarame, Mayuri arrives to question him and is angered by Ikkaku’s claim that he lost without finding out any information. He then tries to punish Ikkaku but Kenpachi Zaraki shows up and challenges his authority to do so at which point Mayuri retreats.
Later Mayuri finds Uryū Ishida and Orihime Inoue just after 11th Division's Makizō Aramaki challenges them, and sends several subordinates to trick Ishida and Inoue into coming with them. However, Ishida sees through this and Mayuri then uses the men as human bombs, which fails; Inoue saves Ishida and Aramaki with her shield ability, which fascinates Mayuri who then offers Inoue the chance to be his test subject.
Ishida then reveals himself as a Quincy, only to be told by Mayuri that he has finished researching the Quincy.
Mayuri and Ishida proceed to fight with Mayuri paralysing Ishida and his lieutenant Nemu Kurotsuchi (who he has no qualms about slicing through to injure Ishida) with Ashisogi Jizō's initial release (shikai). He then strikes Nemu for letting go of Ishida too early and kicks her repeatedly when she says that she may be dying due to her wound, insisting to both her and Ishida that saying such a thing is insulting to him, as he created her. Mayuri then tells Ishida of his research on the Quincy and reveals that the last Quincy he experimented on was Sōken Ishida, Uryū's grandfather. Ishida uses an ability called ransōtengai to move even with Ashisogi Jizo's paralysis effect, which impresses Mayuri, since none of the 2,661 Quincy he experimented on before could do this, and decides to take Ishida back alive and experiment on him. Ishida eventually breaks his sanrei glove and temporarily obtains incredible power and easily defeats Mayuri even after Mayuri brings forth his final release (bankai). A badly injured Mayuri then turns himself into liquid to escape, leaving Ishida and Nemu behind.
[edit] Anime (Bount arc)
Mayuri Kurotsuchi first re-appears when 8th Division captain Shunsui Kyōraku visits him asking to see the data on the Bounts, as the data is missing from the central library. Mayuri refuses him access without written permission (which takes 3 months to procure). Kyōraku then tells Mayuri there are bad rumours about him circulating and leaves. Mayuri, angered at Kyōraku's implications, tries to delete the data on Bounts, but finds that it has been locked without his consent.
Mayuri then unlocks the information and decides that he wants a Bount test subject. He discovers that the Bounts need a Quincy's help in order to come to Soul Society, and gives Uryū Ishida an artifact which lets him use Quincy powers. He later discovers, to his chagrin, that the data in question was placed on purpose by the Bount ally Maki Ichinose, so that Mayuri would help the Bounts enter Soul Society.
Mayuri eventually corners the Bount Sawatari and faces off against him. Mayuri succeeds in stabbing Sawatari with his initial release, paralyzing the limb. Sawatari escapes, but Mayuri is able to find him easily thanks to a rudimentary tracker he has made. He then performs his final release and kills Sawatari.
[edit] Ashisogi Jizō
Ashisogi Jizō (疋殺 地蔵) is Mayuri Kurotsuchi's zanpakutō. It can be translated into English in several ways, but the most logical one (judging by the sword's appearance) is: Ksitigarbha's killer head. Ksitigarbha is a bodhisattva that watches over children and the underworld. In Japan, where he is known as Jizō, he looks rather like a baby dressed as a Buddhist monk; Kurotsuchi's zanpakutō has what looks like a giant baby's head on it.
Its initial release command is kakimushire (掻き毟れ, rip/scratch out!) and the sword transforms into a deformed trident with a baby's head (or a praying monk) in place of the guard. When an opponent is stabbed by Ashisogi Jizō, the victim becomes paralyzed (nerve endings disabled). The victim, unable to move, is still capable of feeling pain. However, there are techniques to counter this. During the Bount arc (anime only) it is shown that healing the stab wound does not remove the inflicted paralysis.
The final release (bankai) is Golden Ashisogi Jizō (金色疋殺地蔵 konjiki ashisogi jizō), which has the form of a giant caterpillar with a grotesque baby's head, and a halo. This form lets out poison derivative of Mayuri's blood from its mouth which is lethal to anyone who breathes it within a large radius. Also, several blades stretch out from its stomach, making direct attacks possible. During the Bount Arc (anime only), it appears that these blades are retractable. Mayuri's final release was the first one shown in Bleach.
Additionally, if he stabs himself with his blade, Mayuri will turn into a liquid (green in colour in the anime). He cannot attack or be attacked in this form; thus, it can effectively be used for escape. However, it is uncertain whether this ability has anything do with the powers of Ashisogi Jizō and may instead relate to the various modifications Mayuri has made to his own body.
[edit] Trivia
- Kurotsuchi's last name is one of the few (if not the only one) in Bleach which uses kanji based on the meaning of the name and not the sound. 'Kurotsuchi' means black soil (kuro - black; tsuchi - soil), as does the kanji (涅). However, the kanji's reading (prounciation) is ne or so.
- In episode 89 he attended one of the Shinigami Women's Association meetings as a replacement for Nemu. He was asked to leave the meeting by Nanao Ise.
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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 |
