Izuru Kira

Izuru Kira
Bleach character
Izuru Kira.
Created by	Tite Kubo
Voiced by	Takahiro Sakurai (Japanese) Grant George (English)
Profile
Date of birth	March 27
Occupation	Shinigami
Title	Lieutenant of the 3rd Division.
Zanpakutō	Wabisuke

Izuru Kira (吉良 イヅル, Kira Izuru^?) is a fictional character in the anime and manga series Bleach created by Tite Kubo. He is the lieutenant of the Gotei 13's 3rd Division, formerly under Gin Ichimaru. He missed the top ten of the recent 2006 popularity poll, being right behind Orihime Inoue with a score of 2,873 by just 28 votes.

Character outline

Kira has blue eyes, and blond hair worn as such that it covers half of his face. It also extends into two 'horns', although this is something relatively recent. Otherwise, his appearance is fairly ordinary compared to other shinigami. Although it is not explicitly stated in any official record, Kira appears to be ambidextrous as he shakes hands with his left hand though wields Wabisuke with his right.^[1]

Kira is dedicated to both his friends and his duties, perhaps to the point of fault. Despite the close friendship he shares with Momo Hinamori, Kira shows that his loyalty knows no boundaries when he defends his captain from Hinamori while she is in a grief-induced rage from her own captain's "death". Despite this, he calls himself a 'monster' afterwards for raising his sword against Hinamori.

History

A younger Kira during his training at the Shinigami Academy.

Like many characters, Kira's past is not explored extensively. It is known that his parents, Kagekiyo and Shizuka Kira,^[2] were dead before he entered the shinigami academy and that his family was one of the lower nobility.^[3] This is also hinted at when Renji Abarai comments on how only the rich use a handshake as a greeting when Kira does just that.

While at the shinigami academy, Kira met and befriended Hinamori and Renji. The three of them were the top of their class, with Shūhei Hisagi as their upperclassman (in omake chapters Hisagi, Renji, and Kira usually spend time together). Having seen their potential, they were later placed in the 5th Division by Sōsuke Aizen. Renji's rebellious nature led to his move to the 11th Division, while Kira and Hinamori remained in the 5th Division with Captain Aizen and his then-lieutenant, Gin Ichimaru. Kira was later promoted to the lieutenant of 3rd Division, once Gin became captain.^[4]

Synopsis

Kira is first seen attempting to find, and later rescue, Renji, who leaves a lieutenant meeting to fight Ichigo Kurosaki. During Sōsuke Aizen's plot against Soul Society, Kira plays a role as a significant, yet also clueless, puppet, his loyalty and dedication to following orders used against him by Gin. Later on, Kira battles and loses to 10th Division lieutenant Rangiku Matsumoto, his weight-affecting zanpakutō rendered useless by her zanpakutō's ability to dissolve into ash.

During the anime's Bount arc, Kira rescues Ichigo from the Bount Koga Gō, and later helps Ichigo fight his way into the Bount hideout. He is left to guard the entrance to the Seireitei following the successful infiltration by the Bount.

Wabisuke

Kira's zanpakutō is Wabisuke (侘助, lit. miserable man, but can also be translated as apology, Viz: The Penitent One). Its shikai command is "raise your head" (面を上げろ, omote o agero^?).

When activated, Wabisuke's shikai bends the blade into a square hook. In this form, Wabisuke doubles the weight of whatever it strikes. The ability affects both inanimate objects and living beings. Though a seemingly pointless ability in sword combat, the effect is cumulative. With a second hit from Wabisuke, the weight will double again and so on, exponentially. Thus, after seven or eight blocked attacks, his opponents are unable to lift their own swords. Once Wabisuke's effect becomes noticeable, Kira's opponents often fall to their knees with their heads bent down, as if in apology, thus the name of Kira's zanpakutō.

References

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