Mayuri Kurotsuchi
Template:Bleach character info Mayuri Kurotsuchi (涅 マユリ, Kurotsuchi Mayuri) is a character from the manga and anime series Bleach. He became captain of the 12th Division in the Gotei 13 and 2nd president of the Shinigami Research Institute after Kisuke Urahara, the former captain and president, was sentenced into exile by Soul Society. His lieutenant is Nemu Kurotsuchi.
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 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.
Mayuri's appearance has a very skeletal look to it with a skull-like visage, giving him the most inhuman look of any human character to fit with his research experiments. His fingernails are blue, and except for the fingernail on his right middle finger, are all short. The one long fingernail is as long as the finger itself. In the anime, Kurotsuchi is revealed to have blue hair and yellow eyes 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.
Mayuri has performed various experiments on himself, some of which include upgrading certain body parts to function as weapons or giving him otherwise useful abilities. His left arm can extend out like a grappling hook and he is able to pull part of his ear out to form a scythe attached to a rope-like ligament for use as a manriki-gusari. He can also blend into his environment with some sort of covering that flakes away once he reveals himself. In case he is defeated, he is able to transform into a liquid blob-like entity, unable to be attacked or attack, until he is able to reconstitute himself. This ability seems to be related to the final release of his zanpakutō. 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.
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.
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 so-called "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 own modifications, including the ability to regenerate bodyparts by means of unknown injected subtance. Another one of Mayuri's abilities likely achieved scientifically is his ability to meld with the color and texture of the environment. He also creates a simple Bount sensor in the Bount arc of the anime. Though not as powerful as Urahara's equivalent modsoul versions, it is far more effective once properly calibrated.
Synopsis
Soul Society arc
Mayuri Kurotsuchi first appears early in the Soul Society arc when the captains meet to discuss 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 outraged 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 Uryū and Orihime into coming with them. However, Uryū sees through this and has Orihime run away, at which point Mayuri uses his men as human bombs, which fails; Orihime saves Uryū and Aramaki with her shield ability, which fascinates Mayuri. Curious about her ability, Mayuri offers Orihime the chance to be his test subject, even saying that he'll treat her better than he usually does with his test subjects. Uryū then reveals himself as a Quincy, only to be told by Mayuri that he has finished researching the Quincy and is uninterested in them.
Nevertheless, Uryū proceeds to fight with Mayuri. Mayuri uses his zanpakutō's initial release to paralyze Uryū along with his lieutenant, Nemu Kurotsuchi, whom he has no qualms about using as a decoy in combat. He then strikes Nemu for letting go of Uryū too early. He continues his abuse after she says that she may be dying due to her wound, insisting to both her and Uryū that saying such a thing is insulting to him, as he created her. Mayuri then tells Uryū of his research on the Quincy and reveals that the last Quincy he experimented on was Sōken Ishida, Uryū's grandfather (whom Mayuri can barely recall). Angered, Uryū uses an ability called ransōtengai to control his own body like a puppet, bypassing the paralysis effect. This impresses Mayuri, since none of the 2,661 Quincy he experimented on before perform such an ability, and he deems Uryū worthy of research. Mayuri is still more than a match for Uryū, but that changes when Uryū breaks his sanrei glove, temporarily increasing his power beyond its natural limits. Mayuri is easily fought off after this, but saves himself with his zanpakutō's special ability, which turns Mayuri into liquid when he stabs himself with it. The effect lasts for several days, so he is left out of the fighting for the rest of the arc.
Bount arc
Mayuri Kurotsuchi reappears 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 about three 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 the Bount, 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 Bount 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. On top of this humiliation, the fact that he kept the information from Kyōraku led Shigekuni Yamamoto-Genryūsai to suspect that Mayuri was betraying Seireitei.
Mayuri eventually corners the Bount Sawatari and faces off against him to exact vengence for his humiliation. Mayuri succeeds in stabbing Sawatari in the arm with his initial release, paralyzing the limb. Sawatari escapes, but Mayuri is able to find him easily thanks to a rudimentary tracker he made before the Bount arrived. He then performs his final release and kills Sawatari.
In one of the Shinicup Cup sketches, Ichigo and Chad stumble upon Mayuri shortly after his victory. Unable to figure out how to carry him properly, Mayuri requests that he be carried on one of their backs. To his dismay, the two begin playing Rock, Paper, Scissors to see who has to do it.
Ashisogi Jizō
Mayuri Kurotsuchi's zanpakutō is Ashisogi Jizō (疋殺 地蔵, lit. Ksitigarbha's Killer Head, though it can be interpreted other ways). 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; Mayuri's zanpakutō has what looks like a giant baby's head on it. Its hilt is wrapped in cloth, and has several spikey protrusions sticking out right below the blade. Unlike most shinigami, his zanpakutō's sheath hangs directly in front of him, instead of to his side as they are commonly worn. Ashisogi Jizō's initial release command is "rip" (掻き毟れ, kakimushire, can also be translated as "scratch out").
In its initial release, Ashisogi Jizō transforms into a deformed trident with curved, serpentine blades and a guard shaped like a baby's head (as Ksitigarbha is depicted), all mounted on his sword's normal hilt. When an opponent is stabbed by Ashisogi Jizō, it disables the nerve endings in the limb it strikes. With a deep enough wound, the victim is left unable to use any limb, regardless of where they were stabbed. Unlike regular paralysis, the paralysis does not affect the victim's ability to feel pain. During the Bount arc, it is shown that healing the stab wound does not remove the inflicted paralysis.
Ashisogi Jizō's final release, named Golden Ashisogi Jizō (金色疋殺地蔵, Konjiki Ashisogi Jizō), returns Mayuri's zanpakutō to its sealed state and produces a giant caterpillar with a grotesque baby's head and a silver halo. The creature breaths a poisonous derivative of Mayuri's blood which is lethal to anyone who breathes it, aside from Mayuri and Nemu. Several blades can also extend from its chest, allowing it to run through and skewer opponents. The zanpakutō itself, when returned to its sealed state, gains the ability to transform Mayuri into a liquid when he stabs himself with the blade. Doing so doesn't kill him, but instead simply leaves him unable to attack or be attacked, making it an effective escape tool. He reforms after a few days. It's uncertain whether this ability is entirely the product of Ashisogi Jizō, since he specifically relates the ability to himself, not opponents. His various physical modifications may have something to do with the effect.
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 (pronunciation) 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. During an earlier sketch, he also eats all the snacks for one of their meetings and feigns innocence when questioned.
- It is possible that Mayuri is ambidexterous, as he wields his zanpakutō in his right hand and his scythe-ear in his left (often simultaneously). In the anime's Bount arc, he briefly wields his zanpakutō left-handed, as well.[1]
- In one of the omake chapters he claims that he can give the zanpakutō a "sex change" and immediately grabs the attention of Renji Abarai and Shūhei Hisagi.
- The fingernail on his right hand is about three inches long.
References
- ^ Bleach Episode 101
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