Karasu Shirai

Karasu Shirai (白井 鴉, Shirai Karasu) is the 11th seat of the Second Division and a member of the Onmitsukidou (Stealth Force in the English Dub), specifically in the Punishment Force. She is secretly aligned with Sōsuke Aizen.

Appearance


Karasu is a slim woman standing slightly above average height, shown to be toned and rather muscular under her uniform. She has slightly tanned skin and narrow, bottle green eyes. Her hair is light brown and reaches her shoulders, with long bangs split to her left and swept to the right. Exposed on the left side of her head is a small, silver, icicle-shaped earring. During Second Division duties, she wears the standard shihakushō with no modifications, save for two black sleeves on her wrists. During duties as a member of the Punishment Force of the Onmitsukidō, she wears the standard black outfit, all of her hair being held under a bandana except for some of her bangs.

At the time she joined with Sōsuke Aizen nearly 200 years ago, she visually resembled a late-teenager, her hair more scruffed and appearing messily cut to her jawline. Having not yet become a member of the Second Division, she only wore the Punishment Force uniform with her hair similarly hidden under a bandana during missions.

Personality
Though Karasu is an inherently laid-back and observant individual with a snarky remark every now and then, she is quickly shown to also be very blunt and assertive. She believes strongly in remaining aware of one’s place in life; she very rarely challenges higher authority however much she may dislike them, while also quickly shutting down anyone who tries to step on her. Socially, she’s distant and difficult to approach, and struggles to make genuine friends due to her introvertedness and constant wariness. Consequently, her ability to sense someone’s true intentions, ominous especially, is almost uncanny, as shown when she set eyes upon Sousuke Aizen. She is very sharp, observant and seemingly wise beyond her years, and at her core is the instinct to survive and grow stronger.

Karasu likes spicy food but dislikes Natto, and she often goes for walks through markets and the Rukongai, where she often gives and talks to the poor. Outside of work, she loves sports and sparring and will do so with others indiscriminately, earning her odd friendship groups. She loves nature and tree-climbing, becoming antsy when cooped up indoors for too long, and has a strong dislike for grand shows of luxury. Karasu can be insensitive, awkward and even flustered in delicate emotional situations – once, when a younger female shinigami burst into tears in front of her, she stiffened up and became flustered at what to do, only to awkwardly display forced optimism. In other cases, such as lazy squad members, she is often overly blunt in a way that gets her scolded.

History
Karasu remembers little to nothing of her past life, only knowing that it was lonely and not dissimiliar from the slum life. She feels that it's better forgotten.

After she died in the living world as a late teen, Karasu was sent to the poverty-ridden 79th Rukongai district Ibara (茨, thorny shrub), not remembering her name except for her last name, "Shirai". She quickly adapted to thievery, shocked at the lack of food and constantly starving. Desperate, she encountered a large group around a campfire in a forest hoarding food and attempted to steal from them, only to be swiftly apprehended and tied to a tree. The group was a thieving gang that forcefully governed the district called the "Dogs of Ibara", and consisted of gifted members of the district who banded together. Noticing that Karasu had decent reiatsu and some fighting skill, they offered for her to tag along, and she warily accepted knowing she would be killed otherwise. When asked for her name, she gave them her last name, Shirai. It would later be revealed that she was invited into the group as something of a joke, and there were bets on how quickly she would be killed off.



Eager to survive, Karasu remained a member of the group for decades, and eventually grew to be a valuable member of the group. She became close friends with the group’s leader, a muscular woman named Hagetaka. One day during this time of friendship, Hagetaka asked what Karasu’s first name was, but the latter admitted that she had forgotten it. Hagetaka thought for a moment before giving her the first name “Karasu”, saying that she too was once nameless and was given the name of a bird by the previous leader (Karasu means “crow/raven”, Hagetaka means “vulture”).

The Dogs regularly suffered from sporadic attacks by shinigami – wild, battle-hungry eleventh division members always responded to the Dog’s activities, but there were also many violent shinigami who simply took advantage of the lack of consequences in the slums. Despite staying on top of attacks, group members were also mysteriously going missing in the night. Hagetaka became fed up and confided in Karasu that she was desperate for a solution that wouldn't paint a bigger target on the group. Karasu suggested she become a shinigami and get within their system so she could warn them, as she was sure to get in with her skill level. However, she withheld the fact that she had desired to leave the group and become a shinigami for some time. With reluctance, Hagetaka let Karasu go, on the condition that she visited and brought gifts, to which she agreed and assumedly did.

After one failed attempt, Karasu was enrolled in the academy, struggling but learning. A year into her schooling, however, she suddenly caught news that the infamous Dogs of Ibara had all been slaughtered at once. Dismayed, she raced to the district after her classes, finding the bloodbath of every member, including Hagetaka. She fell to her knees and cried, realising how important they really were to her and was remorseful that she had tried to leave them.

While crying, she recalled that the group had hidden bunkers, and began frantically combing through them for survivors. Before long, she nearly barged into a frightened male group member named Takerou, who immediately tried to swing at her and was dodged, before realising who she was. He remarked his surprise at seeing her, and confessed that he was only alive because he “drew the short straw” to scout the bunkers beforehand.

He quickly informed her that about a week earlier, a "tall, shady shinigami with brown hair and black glasses" had approached the group, demanding they either work for him or relinquish their hold on the district. They easily declined, to which the man suspiciously advised they do so before "something bad happens". They launched to attack him, but he had vanished. Then, that morning, an organised shinigami squad much stronger than the usual rogue 11th squad members strategically killed everyone within minutes. Seething, Karasu vowed to him she would find the man and make him pay.

After composing herself, she asked Takerou what he was going to do next, and he replied that he didn’t know what to do without the group or how long he would even last. She offered to help get him into the academy, but he vehemently refused, saying he wanted nothing to do with shinigami “monsters”. With a haunted expression, he told her to leave him, expressing gratitude that he was able to give her information but that he wasn’t sure they would meet again. At an unknown time much later, she revisited the bunker and found his corpse, where it’s implied he commited suicide. After she left him in the bunker, Karasu took Hagetaka’s treasured white earring, later wearing it as a relic of the Dogs and Hagetaka. She then spent the evening and night burying the bodies in a mass grave.

From then on, Karasu was so invested in studying and growing stronger that she was moved to the special advanced class before graduating a year early. She was placed into the Punishment Force of the Onmitsukidou due to her intelligence and skill in close-combat. Though not eager to be blended into another group, she took advantage of the group's secrecy in finding the group’s killer and hiding herself. A short time later, she set eyes on a man who fit the description: Sōsuke Aizen, the fifth division lieutenant at the time.

Since then, she spied on him as much as she could away from the watchful eyes of the Onmitsukidō. She noted that despite his friendly, quiet demeanor, there was something very off about him. As time passed, she began doubting her vengeful motives upon suspecting that he may be hiding his true strength, and wondered if sacrificing even her own life could ever kill him. She decided that, at the very least, she had to know why he chose to have the Dogs of Ibara slaughtered.

(MORE TO BE ADDED)

Equipment

 * Ishimōfu (石毛布 stone blanket): A very crude anti-reiatsu, wearable blanket made by Karasu as an escape tool in a last resort situation. It consists of a normal pale green blanket with sections of discarded Sekkiseki sewn onto it in elevated rows. There are also leaves and branches attached to it, allowing for physical camouflage in the forests. The blanket hides the user’s reiatsu nearly entirely by lowering the user’s reiatsu and preventing it from passing through the material wherever it is applied. However, it is extremely taxing on the user, dangerous even, as their reitsu is both brought to its lowest and trapped withing the blanket if it is enclosed. It is said to feel like wearing a blanket manifestation of a high-class captain's reiatsu. It is also apparently heavy and difficult to maneuver in. Karasu unaffectionately refers to it as “ishiwaru” (石悪), a play on ijiwaru (evil/mean-spirited), due to its adverse effects.
 * Small knife: Karasu owns, and sometimes carries, a small metallic knife with a worn, bandaged handle. In her rukongai and early shinigami days, when any hair got into her face, she would simply take out the knife and chop it until satisfied. She stopped using it for that purpose upon discovering barbers.

Powers and Abilities
Shunpo Expert: Karasu prides herself on her speed, and it's the core of her Zanpakutou's abilities. Though not on par with Shunpo Masters such as Soi Fon or Yoruichi Shihōin, she can prove difficult to keep up with. She most often uses her speed to evade and deal swift and precise strikes, having used such techniques to take down opponents much bigger than her. Along with her Hakuda skills, her speed is valued and further honed as a member of the Onmitsukidō. Hakuda Master: Karasu has formidable hand-to-hand combat skills, able to fight with her bare hands and feet, as well as knives, daggers, and even make-shift weapons such as snapped branches. Her preferred style of fighting resembles street-fighting, and she herself admits to her tactics being as inelegant as her fighting much of the time.

High Endurance: Her physical and mental endurance are stronger than they appear, allowing her to take a considerable beating and withstand pain for long periods of time. Her high endurance also allows her to withstand the strong adverse effects of Ishimōfu, a Sekkiseki-filled blanket.

Expert Strategist: Karasu boasts a keen intellect, and can strategise in both the short and long term. She has used strategically placed blows to take down enemies much larger than her. During her observation of Aizen, she made sure there were many fail-safes in place were she to be discovered, including a stone blanket made of Sekkiseki and escape routes should she enter any buildings. She even has plans in place for in case she's branded a criminal and must flee the Seireitei.

Zanpakutō
Shokuren (織蓮 weaving lotus]: Its sealed form resembles a Katana with a white woven hilt and gold handguard. The hilt is a metallic gold, and the tsuba is a diamond shape, with only the outline on the sides and with a lotus engraved on either side of the blade in the middle. Like most other shinigami, she carries it by her waist in its sheath.
 * Shikai:It is triggered by the command "Drip" (滴れ shitatare). Upon doing so, the blade glows white and transforms, another blade emerging on the other end of the hilt and both growing longer. When the glow disappears, the wakizashi has become a double-ended sword one-and-a-half times her height. Shokuren's special ability is to be able to cut through air at high speeds using reiatsu in the blade to reduce friction in the air drastically, as well as being incredibly light. The speed grows with Karasu's body strength and skill and currently sits at half the speed of sound. When spun, the fast motion leaves a mirage of the blades resembling that of a lotus. Her overall movement speed, including Shunpo, it also increased, allowing her to move extremely quickly.
 * Shikai Special Ability: In Shikai form, Shokuren has a small selection of additional abilities.


 * Kaben-shin (花弁針 petal needle): The reiatsu in the blade drastically increases and the blade becomes briefly sharper, though Karasu most commonly uses this technique in bursts of a few seconds as she is bringing her blade down to cut her opponent due to its strain.


 * Bankai: Suigai Shōkyūren [水慨咲朽蓮 water's lament, blooming and rotting lotus]: (WIP)

Trivia

 * During her early Rukongai days, Karasu was right-handed. However, she was trained out of it in order to "trust her other hand just as much in battle", becoming ambidextrous. If she dual-wielded in her current state, she would similarly show Kyouraku's drawback of one hand being slightly more adept than the other, albeit a little more obvious.
 * Each year, when new students enroll at the shinigami academy, souls hailing from anywhere between districts 70 and 80 of the Rukongai must attend a side-course held by Karasu, amongst similar others, designed to assist the unstable, sometimes animal-like shinigami that come from such run-down districts. She teaches them things like basic manners, rules, fighting restraint, and other concepts of the more civil and privileged lifestyle of a shinigami. The course's purpose is also to filter "dangerous elements" that need to be sent to the Maggot's Nest with those that simply want a new start.
 * Karasu loathes extravagant things, especially buildings. When she first set sights on the academy building not long after she left the Rukongai. She felt sick having not remotely seen such grandeur and, as someone from a slum, immediately saw it as wasteful and a gross contrast.
 * She enjoys rough sports and sparring with others.
 * Her theme song is 1977 by Ana Tijoux.

Quotes

 * "The most evil person in the world is the one who least reflects ourselves"
 * (WIP)