Zanpakutou Quick Guide
I'm still a long way away from a full roster of zanpakutou posts, but I've done the short version for nearly all of them to various people at various times. So, here it is all collected in one place. As always, this is NOT CANON. It is based on canon, but it is still just my interpretation. Let's get started then, shall we?
Zangetsu (Ichigo's zanpakutou)
Zangetsu is...there's no possible way I could summarize him. There's just not. Put it this way. The Zanpakutou Chronicles? Those of you who got on board after January 2nd probably won't know this, but the series went through a minor name change on that date, to go with a change in focus. Guess what it used to be, and the first two guesses don't count.
Benihime (Kisuke's zanpakutou)
nikita_cheri111 described Benihime once as "dark and powerful and terrifyingly seductive." That's about the size of it. She's one of the scariest and most intense zanpakutou. She's a master manipulator--a true puppet master. No one's safe, not even Kisuke. Imagine someone with all Kisuke's intelligence, deviousness and ruthlessness but none of that pesky morality holding her back, all with a deadly, feminine edge. I keep comparing her to Aizen whenever I talk to people about her, with Aizen coming up short. She's also one of the only ones that I have a clear mental picture of, physically. Here's the fun part--except for a few constants, it's changed since her time in Soul Society. She's exactly as tall as Kisuke, has pale skin, golden eyes and dark red hair and wears a light blue scarf. Those are the constants. In Soul Society--when her blade form was a katana--her hair was long and straight and she wore traditional clothes in earth tones, mostly browns and greens. In the human world--when her blade form was changed to a sword cane to blend in--her spirit's appearance changed as well. These days, she has a preference for manifesting in all-black modern clothes, generally slim-fit jeans, long-sleeved shirts and boots. She's never been given to showing a lot of skin, but by all accounts, she doesn't need to. *laughs* This and her inevitable zanpakutou post will probably be the only places you'll see me spell out her appearance, unless I can figure out a way to do it in-story without it wandering into exodump territory.
Ryuujin Jakka (Yamamoto's zanpakutou)
Ryuujin Jakka is fire. Sometimes he manifests as a flame, sometimes as a being of lava, sometimes in a more or less human shape. He's one of the few zanpakuotou who does this. But, he's the first zanpakutou, so it's not like there was anyone who could tell him not to do so. He's kind of like the archetype of the commander--strong, solemn, concerned more about winning the battle and doing right by his men than the lengths he has to go to in the process. The zanpakutou don't have quite the same command structure as their shinigami--an unseated shinigami can overrule a captain's zanpakutou, when dealing with his or her own zanpakutou, if that makes any sense--but in the absence of any shinigami, Ryuujin Jakka would be at the top of the food chain, as it were.
Suzumebachi (Soifon's zanpakutou)
Someone, I forget who, gave me Suzumebachi for the prompt "Kickass" on the 28 Zanpakutou meme. He wasn't the one who ended up getting assigned to that prompt, and that's good, because he's really not. He's one of the few physically small zanpakutou spirits, as well as one of the few who isn't the same gender as his shinigami. He's a small, winged stinging insect. I picture him as something like a hornet on manga. *grin* The essence is there, and most of the structure, but it doesn't look exactly real. Personality-wise, he's Soifon. He doesn't have much of a personality of his own. He acts as her weapon, her messenger, whatever she needs. But he is not her partner, and with the zanpakutou, that's an important distinction. He hmmm...facilitates more than helps. If that makes any sense.
Shinsou (Gin's zanpakutou)
I don't have a clear picture of Shinsou. I know he's a tormentor and a player of games. I know he's bloodthirsty. When I try to picture him, I get a sense of sinuous movement and white fur, but nothing clear. That's about it.
Wabisuke (Kira's zanpakutou)
Whenever I channel Wabisuke, I get a sense of barely-hidden steel. He holds all the strength and purpose that Kira's either lost or never had. He and Shinsou Do Not Get Along, but Wabisuke doesn't have Kira's air of "please violate me," so it's more adversarial. Wabisuke still holds a grudge for what Gin and Shinsou did to Kira, and what they wanted to do to him. I get the impression that an all-out battle between the two zanpakutou would be destructive on a scale that would do the Eleventh proud.
Minazuki (Unohana's zanpakutou)
Minazuki is a healer. This basically defines everything about her. She can fight, will fight if she has to, but it goes against her grain. Since her shinigami is also a healer, this works out well, to say the least. Minazuki is calm and serene by nature, and cool under pressure. Her thought processes are more...intuitive? Yeah, that's it. As a result, she is occasionally just a bit more impulsive than her shinigami. Not so much that it's shown yet, but enough that they're really better when they're in balance than otherwise.
Itegumo (Isane's zanpakutou)
Itegumo is a rarity in the Fourth division--a true warrior zanpakutou. She attacks and defends--she does not heal. I see her as an ice zanpakutou, but not as strong as Sode no Shirayuki, and certainly not as strong as Hyourinmaru. She's completely devoted to Minazuki. I don't know much more about her yet.
Hisagomaru (Hanatarou's zanpakutou)
Hisagomaru is a contradiction--a support zanpakutou (healer) with a powerful combat ability. As a result, he tends to be very indecisive. He could be a strong zanpakutou, but he's generally not, unless Hanatarou needs or asks him to be. Those two have a very odd relationship that I'm still not completely clear on just yet.
Kyoka Suigetsu (Aizen's zanpakutou)
Kyoka Suigetsu changes like the wind, and not in a good way. I have yet to clearly pin him down. I can't even see him alone, and he shows a different face with every other character put him up against. What doesn't change is that he's a silky kind of sadistic. That's all I've got so far, but he's got a drabble and a half pending, so who knows.
That's enough for now. I'll start with Senbonzakura in another entry.
Zangetsu (Ichigo's zanpakutou)
Zangetsu is...there's no possible way I could summarize him. There's just not. Put it this way. The Zanpakutou Chronicles? Those of you who got on board after January 2nd probably won't know this, but the series went through a minor name change on that date, to go with a change in focus. Guess what it used to be, and the first two guesses don't count.
Benihime (Kisuke's zanpakutou)
nikita_cheri111 described Benihime once as "dark and powerful and terrifyingly seductive." That's about the size of it. She's one of the scariest and most intense zanpakutou. She's a master manipulator--a true puppet master. No one's safe, not even Kisuke. Imagine someone with all Kisuke's intelligence, deviousness and ruthlessness but none of that pesky morality holding her back, all with a deadly, feminine edge. I keep comparing her to Aizen whenever I talk to people about her, with Aizen coming up short. She's also one of the only ones that I have a clear mental picture of, physically. Here's the fun part--except for a few constants, it's changed since her time in Soul Society. She's exactly as tall as Kisuke, has pale skin, golden eyes and dark red hair and wears a light blue scarf. Those are the constants. In Soul Society--when her blade form was a katana--her hair was long and straight and she wore traditional clothes in earth tones, mostly browns and greens. In the human world--when her blade form was changed to a sword cane to blend in--her spirit's appearance changed as well. These days, she has a preference for manifesting in all-black modern clothes, generally slim-fit jeans, long-sleeved shirts and boots. She's never been given to showing a lot of skin, but by all accounts, she doesn't need to. *laughs* This and her inevitable zanpakutou post will probably be the only places you'll see me spell out her appearance, unless I can figure out a way to do it in-story without it wandering into exodump territory.
Ryuujin Jakka (Yamamoto's zanpakutou)
Ryuujin Jakka is fire. Sometimes he manifests as a flame, sometimes as a being of lava, sometimes in a more or less human shape. He's one of the few zanpakuotou who does this. But, he's the first zanpakutou, so it's not like there was anyone who could tell him not to do so. He's kind of like the archetype of the commander--strong, solemn, concerned more about winning the battle and doing right by his men than the lengths he has to go to in the process. The zanpakutou don't have quite the same command structure as their shinigami--an unseated shinigami can overrule a captain's zanpakutou, when dealing with his or her own zanpakutou, if that makes any sense--but in the absence of any shinigami, Ryuujin Jakka would be at the top of the food chain, as it were.
Suzumebachi (Soifon's zanpakutou)
Someone, I forget who, gave me Suzumebachi for the prompt "Kickass" on the 28 Zanpakutou meme. He wasn't the one who ended up getting assigned to that prompt, and that's good, because he's really not. He's one of the few physically small zanpakutou spirits, as well as one of the few who isn't the same gender as his shinigami. He's a small, winged stinging insect. I picture him as something like a hornet on manga. *grin* The essence is there, and most of the structure, but it doesn't look exactly real. Personality-wise, he's Soifon. He doesn't have much of a personality of his own. He acts as her weapon, her messenger, whatever she needs. But he is not her partner, and with the zanpakutou, that's an important distinction. He hmmm...facilitates more than helps. If that makes any sense.
Shinsou (Gin's zanpakutou)
I don't have a clear picture of Shinsou. I know he's a tormentor and a player of games. I know he's bloodthirsty. When I try to picture him, I get a sense of sinuous movement and white fur, but nothing clear. That's about it.
Wabisuke (Kira's zanpakutou)
Whenever I channel Wabisuke, I get a sense of barely-hidden steel. He holds all the strength and purpose that Kira's either lost or never had. He and Shinsou Do Not Get Along, but Wabisuke doesn't have Kira's air of "please violate me," so it's more adversarial. Wabisuke still holds a grudge for what Gin and Shinsou did to Kira, and what they wanted to do to him. I get the impression that an all-out battle between the two zanpakutou would be destructive on a scale that would do the Eleventh proud.
Minazuki (Unohana's zanpakutou)
Minazuki is a healer. This basically defines everything about her. She can fight, will fight if she has to, but it goes against her grain. Since her shinigami is also a healer, this works out well, to say the least. Minazuki is calm and serene by nature, and cool under pressure. Her thought processes are more...intuitive? Yeah, that's it. As a result, she is occasionally just a bit more impulsive than her shinigami. Not so much that it's shown yet, but enough that they're really better when they're in balance than otherwise.
Itegumo (Isane's zanpakutou)
Itegumo is a rarity in the Fourth division--a true warrior zanpakutou. She attacks and defends--she does not heal. I see her as an ice zanpakutou, but not as strong as Sode no Shirayuki, and certainly not as strong as Hyourinmaru. She's completely devoted to Minazuki. I don't know much more about her yet.
Hisagomaru (Hanatarou's zanpakutou)
Hisagomaru is a contradiction--a support zanpakutou (healer) with a powerful combat ability. As a result, he tends to be very indecisive. He could be a strong zanpakutou, but he's generally not, unless Hanatarou needs or asks him to be. Those two have a very odd relationship that I'm still not completely clear on just yet.
Kyoka Suigetsu (Aizen's zanpakutou)
Kyoka Suigetsu changes like the wind, and not in a good way. I have yet to clearly pin him down. I can't even see him alone, and he shows a different face with every other character put him up against. What doesn't change is that he's a silky kind of sadistic. That's all I've got so far, but he's got a drabble and a half pending, so who knows.
That's enough for now. I'll start with Senbonzakura in another entry.