JŪSHIRŌ UKITAKE

ukki (by yachiru) || male || unsure || non-rogue || thirteenth division
late twenties to early thirties || unsure || unsure

APPEARANCE

PERSONALITY

❝Friendship that embraces all.❞


Known for his particularly 'devastating' smile and natural charm, Juushirou Ukitake is easily the most affable Captain of the Gotei 13. Though it is neither expected nor required of a man of his military rank, he addresses every Shinigami of the court guard companies with due courtesy and respect, regardless of their division placement, personal standing, nobility, or lack-thereof. He is a man who commands respect by giving it first, and in doing so, he promotes the unity of not only those he directly presides over, but the whole of the Seireitei.

Where his own division is concerned, Juushirou openly rejects the conventional method of conducting his subordinates as though they're the cogs of a well-oiled machine, choosing to instead adopt them like family; Rukia, he treats very much like a daughter, and he holds Kaien's memory close to his heart like that of a treasured son. It is largely because of Juushirou's gentle temperament that the 13th Division is said to have a warm, supportive atmosphere, and one can only assume that his kindness is terribly infectious.

As a Captain, Juushirou is magnanimous, formal, and a strong advocate of peace; and as a man, he is highly honorable, ingrained with his own sense of pride, and gifted with a resolute sense of morality. With conviction, he holds the belief that while the law governing the Court of Pure Souls is necessary to maintain a harmonious state of affairs, it is not absolute. Standing among the few who initially dared to question both the legitimacy and rationale behind the sentencing for Rukia Kuchiki's alleged crimes, as well as her atypical execution date, he took matters into his own hands, first making an emotional appeal to Byakuya Kuchiki, Rukia's older brother, to personally intervene.

When attempting to sway the younger Captain proved to be futile, Juushirou set his sights on making an appeal to the Central 46, but ultimately meets with another dead end when his request for a meeting is denied. Left with no other viable alternative, Juushirou showcases his crafty old man ability to operate in absolute secrecy by obtaining the Shihouin Shield, an artifact capable of destroying the Soukyoku, the device used to carry out executions of capital offenders. If the situation calls for it, it is not out of Juushirou's capacity to be extremely cunning and shrewd, especially when the matter involves a member of his own division. He is more than willing to go to any length in order to ensure the safety of his subordinates, even if it means breaking the law and subsequently incurring the wrath of his superior, the Captain Commander.

Succeeding in his plot to destroy the Soukyoku, Juushirou, along with Kyouraku Shunsui, is then confronted by Captain Commander Genryuusai Yamamoto himself, who implicitly states that he 'has no mercy for those who obstruct justice'. Juushirou proceeds to argue that it is necessary to follow through with his own, individual sense of justice, and that he must 'protect it with everything he has', just as Yamamoto had once instructed him to do. For Juushirou, there is no disparity between 'obstructing' justice and blindly supporting its enforcement during a time of great political controversy — there is only doing what is ethical and what is right.

With that said, it is important to note Juushirou is a far cry from naïve. Though he is irenic to a fault, preferring to resolve conflicts without bearing arms, he is not so inexperienced to believe all skirmishes can come to an end without bloodshed. For Juushirou, fights are always solemn occurrences, and when he enters the battlefield it is always with the will to protect in mind. The ends justify the means when a single life poses a threat to countless others, and there is perhaps no man more qualified to make that particular decision than Juushirou, who would not raise his sword unless the utilization of violence was an absolute necessity.

Of course though, he still holds several stipulations while in combat: when in the presence of a child, he will always refuse to engage in battle, and he will never treat his opponent with anything but the utmost respect. If not for the skill he readily displays while wielding Sougyo no Kotowari, one would surely mistake him for an amateur because of the sheer amount of chivalry he affords to even his enemies.


❝Remember this well: there are two types of fights.
As we have put our lives in battle, we must be able to distinguish between the two.
The fight to protect life, and the fight to protect pride.❞


If Juushirou possesses one profound character flaw, it is most certainly the tremendous value he places on pride, both that of himself and of others. When his late lieutenant, Kaien Shiba, requested permission to enter combat with a Hollow on his own, Juushirou gave his consent without hesitation. The Hollow, responsible for the deaths of several members of the 13th division, including that of Kaien's wife, held Kaien's dignity within its grasp, and Juushirou could not deny his lieutenant the chance to reclaim it. His decision to allow Kaien to set foot onto the battlefield also tips a hat to another predominant flaw: caring too much for the physical and mental welfare of those close to him.

Acutely aware that emotional wounds are capable of hurting more than tangible ones, Juushirou prevented Rukia from stepping in when the fight took a drastic turn for the worse. If she had been allowed to interfere, she very well may have saved Kaien's life, but at the same time, she would have murdered both his pride as a lieutenant and honor as a husband. His reverence for Kaien's integrity prevented him from drawing his own blade until it was much too late, and because of it, Kaien fell defending the lives he sought to avenge.

Just as he is not incapable of making grave misjudgments and mistakes, he is not immune to losing his temper. Like many others, upon hearing the news of Aizen's betrayal, he confronted his former comrade with fury and disbelief, accusing the other man of misguided arrogance, only to be called arrogant for making presumptions in return. Similarly, when Byakuya inferred that the loss of yet another subordinate should be insubstantial to Juushirou after already losing so many, Juushirou completely fell victim to his anger. At the time, it was completely incomprehensible to him, how Byakuya could hold his sister's life in such ill regard, and the severity of his indignation induced a sudden onset of his illness.

The affliction which Juushirou suffers from is chronic, though it has yet to be given a name. The symptoms — fatigue, shortness of breath, chest pains, and hemoptysis — strongly reflect those of tuberculosis and occur in flares, the most severe rendering him incapacitated for weeks at a time; the most meager serving as little more than annoying bouts of coughing and upsets. It is revealed that, at the tender age of three, Juushirou contracted a "serious lung disease", one which should have taken his life at the time. After being labeled as a lost cause by his doctors, Juushirou was then spirited away to the shrine of an old god known as Mimihagi. There, in a fit of desperation, Juushirou's parents invoked Mimihagi with a prayer, offering Juushirou's lungs to the god in sacrifice. Their prayer was heard, but at a cost: Juushirou was saved, though his body became a vessel for the god itself, and he would remain sickly for the remainder of his life because of it.


❝I have served with this life which I once thought was lost, so it is an honor to die for the Gotei.❞


It should also be said that while Juushirou is ill quite often, his malady defines him in no way, shape, or form. Rather than being embittered by his constant ailment, he views the life he was given as a gift, one which he must give back for the sake of the Seireitei. With or without his sickness, at the end of the day, he is still the man who encourages with candy and snacks that are expertly concealed within the sleeves of his haori and cares for those who are in need of it. And he is still the Captain who wishes fleeting moments of peace would last just a little while longer.

HISTORY