Shinji Hirako

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Bleach character
Shinji Hirako
Occupation	Unofficial vizard leader
Seiyū	Masaya Onosaka

Shinji Hirako (平子 真子, Hirako Shinji^?) is a character in the manga and anime series Bleach. Shinji is a vizard and initially acts as their recruiter, later appearing in a more solid leadership role.

An early design of Shinji can be seen in the first chapter's cover art, along with other future characters such as Yasutora Sado and Uryū Ishida, making it clear he was planned well before his introduction.

[edit] Character outline

First image of Shinji Hirako in the anime, during the 83rd episode's opening credits.

Shinji, like Gin Ichimaru, speaks a Japanese dialect known as Kansai-ben. His first introduction in the anime's opening credits has him dressed like Lupin the III, likely as a homage on the part of the animators. Shinji also has his tongue pierced with a ring, although it does not seem to be a common tongue ring.

Shinji's role, as well as the role of the vizard as a whole, remains unclear. Kisuke Urahara mentions that they might be valuable allies in the fight against the arrancar. It is unknown as of now where Shinji stands in the vizard ranks. Unlike in Soul Society, where the rank is given accordingly to shinigami within a division, or in Hueco Mundo, where a number is assigned to each arrancar reflecting their strength, the vizard have not yet revealed a structure based on hierarchy. At the very least, he is capable of fighting beyond the level of a standard shinigami captain, as shown by his ability to hold his own easily against Grimmjow Jaggerjack. After the point at which Ichigo arrives at the vizard warehouse, Shinji appears to step more obviously into a position of unofficial leadership, as he is seen structuring the group's fighting rotations during the battle with Ichigo's Hollow, setting Ichigo's training limits, chastising Ichigo harshly for disrespect, giving direct orders to Kensei and Love and having them immediately obey, and constantly playing the role of calculating observer. The reactions of the other vizard as Shinji begins to fight with Ichigo in the warehouse (remarks that it is foolish for Ichigo to battle Shinji and that Shinji isn't taking the fight seriously at all) also imply that Shinji is very powerful and not someone to be taken lightly.

Shinji's character is somewhat comical, adding a bit of levity to situations that are otherwise serious, and he seems to be adept at annoying his younger looking associate, Hiyori Sarugaki, which usually gets him in trouble with her and earns him a beating. He also appears to have a history of referring to cute girls he meets as his 'first crush,' albeit with a deadpan look on his face and Kensei claiming that it is 'another one of [his] gone-too-far lies.' One of his previous acclaimed crushes was Lisa Yadōmaru, a fellow vizard, and his current is Orihime Inoue.

[edit] Synopsis

[edit] Arrancar arc

Shortly after his introduction, Shinji reveals that he is trying to recruit Ichigo for the vizard. He enrolls at Ichigo's high school in the hopes of convincing him to join the vizard ranks. Ichigo refuses, at first, despite being faced with the possibility of being consumed by his inner hollow. Upon seeing Shinji at school the next day, Ichigo confronts him, asking him what he was still doing at school when he had already refused Shinji's proposal, to which Shinji replied, "You think a guy like me would give up on a guy like you that easily?"

When reporting his failure, a rather rude and short-tempered girl named Hiyori Sarugaki appears. One of Shinji's fellow vizard, she enters the scene rather abruptly, violently slapping Shinji with her sandal, and asks him what's taking him so long. Shinji later has a calmer scene in the sky with Hiyori which reveals the scorned, exiled nature of the vizard community. Hiyori remarks sadly that neither humans nor shinigami like them, and Shinji comforts her by telling her that it will all change soon.

After his fight with Grimmjow Jaggerjack, Ichigo, feeling that his attempts to suppress his inner hollow are failing, rethinks the initial offer Shinji had made him and seeks out the vizard, discovering their hideout in an abandoned warehouse. Ichigo is greeted in the warehouse by a smiling Shinji and seven other vizard.

When Ichigo confronts the vizard, Shinji asks him if he has finally decided to join them. Ichigo, rather brazenly, tells them that he's only using them in order to learn how to control his inner hollow. This angers Shinji and the two immediately begin fighting. Their battle is cut short, however, when Hiyori violently slaps Shinji across the head with her sandal, sending him flying out the window of the warehouse. Deciding to take matters into her own hands, she orders Hachigen, a large male vizard in white, to buff up the shield. The shield's function is to conceal the spiritual energy of those within from shinigami and hollow alike.

After fighting a seemingly losing battle against Hiyori's hollow, Ichigo's own hollow manages to manifest itself and proceeds to savagely beat Hiyori. However, a returned Shinji, with the help of the other vizard, manages to subdue the newly transformed Ichigo, reverting him back to his original state. Shinji remarks that in order to control one's inner hollow, one must force it into the very core of their soul.

When Ichigo becomes increasingly impatient with the vizard's refusal to give him a direct way to control his inner hollow, Shinji reveals that the vizard are more aware of the nature of the Orb of Distortion (Hougyoku) and Sōsuke Aizen's plans than Ichigo realizes. He decides to step up Ichigo's training, knocking out Ichigo and transporting him into his inner world, where he is to confront his hollow side. While this is happening, Ichigo's hollow takes over completely, transforming him into a full hollow. This "hollow Ichigo" is kept under control by the various vizard, who take turns battling it. Once Ichigo emerges from the hollow shell as his shinigami self, he begins further training with the vizard, which Shinji oversees.

Shinji Hirako with his Hollow mask

Shinji steps into action again when Rukia is on the verge of being killed by Grimmjow Jaggerjack. Shinji proves to be a fair opponent for the ferocious Grimmjow, and gains the upper hand by putting his hollow mask on. Shinji also displays his ability to use hollow powers by firing a cero blast at Grimmjow. Grimmjow nearly releases his zanpakutō to contend with Shinji, but is forced to retreat by Ulquiorra before he can do so.

[edit] Zanpakutō

Not much has been revealed about Shinji's zanpakutō, as he rarely uses or even visibly wears it. The hilt and sheath are red. None of his release states have been shown, and the times that he does seriously fight he seems to rely more on his mask-given hollow powers, such as cero blasts, to deal damage.