IC INFORMATION
character name: Gin Ichimaru
Fandom: Bleach
Timeline: 399ish, right after his Bankai that cuts the town in half.
character's age: Appears to be in his mid-twenties, but over 100.
powers, skills, pets and equipment:
As a former Division Captain, Gin is a force to be reckoned with. He's a Shunpo expert, meaning that he can move faster than the eye can follow. He also knows a thing or two about Kido (magic spells, essentially) though he doesn't seem to rely on them very much. He is durable with quite a bit of spiritual pressure of his own, and intelligence to match. He graduated from the Shinigami Academy within a year, securing the title of a child prodigy. When he has to get his hands dirty, he's a master swordsman who killed the former 3rd seat of the 5th division when he was still a child. Gin seems extremely balanced from his official battle data:
Offense (80), Defense (80), Mobility (80), Kidō/Reiatsu (80), Intelligence (80), Physical Strength (80)
His zanpakuto is named Shinso, "God Spear", even though it looks like a simple wakizashi while in its sealed form. Shinso's shikai (initial release) is triggered by the phrase "Shoot to kill". This causes his blade to grow white before extending at the speed of a bullet, impaling with force from great distances. It can extend 100 times its original length, impaling multiple targets or slicing if Gin swings it while extended.
At first, Gin's bankai (final release) doesn't appear to be much different, just enhanced. It's important to note, however, that bankai isn't attainable by just anyone. Only the strongest and best-trained Shinigami can both materialize their zanpakuto's spirit and bring it under control. But the power that it brings comes in handy.
Gin's bankai is Kamishini no Yari (God-killing Spear). When bankai is performed, the blade can extend to just over 8 miles at 500 times the speed of sound, able to retract just as quickly. It is the zanpakuto of ultimate speed, but the length and sheer power of it are greatly multiplied as well -- to the point that he was able to cut a town in half in a single stroke from a distance. Gin will likely comment more on the length and power, but only to take the attention away from speed. Speed kills, and he knows it.
But it is more than a one-shot bankai. Gin can also perform Buto by holding Kamishini no Yari tightly with both hands and positioning the hilt against the center of his chest. The blade can then extend and contract at rapid speed, piercing an enemy with a technique that's too fast to be seen by most. Even this technique can be repeated multiple times for Buto Renjin, where it seems that numerous blades are piercing, indistinguishable from one another.
And now that you've read that, it's important to note that he lied about his bankai. What actually happens is that Kamishini no Yari can turn to dust for just a second as it expands and contracts. Inside the blade is a poison that dissolves cells. If he leaves a piece of his sword in an opponent after piercing them, he can release the poison at any time with the command "Kill, Kamishini no Yari" while touching the victim. Their cells will then start to break down and the victim dissolves from the inside out.
Oh, and I'd like for the mist to make him a little more tangible...like he's running around in a gigai all the time.
canon history:
Shoot to Kill
Gin wastes no time establishing himself as the man you love to hate. When Rukia is brought back to Soul Society to be executed, Gin is one of the few who would even dare to tease Byakuya about it. And when Ichigo and company come to rescue her, it is Gin, Captain of the 3rd Division, who is waiting on the other side of the gate. Ichigo might've just defeated a giant gatekeeper, but Gin was another story. He kept the others at bay with just his reiatsu (spiritual pressure).
But he was polite enough to wave "bye bye" to them as the gate lowered, leaving them on the outside looking in.
But he didn't kill them, which should've been easy for him. When later questioned about this at a meeting of the Captains, Gin feigned ignorance and played it off as a careless mistake. It was less than convincing, but he didn't sweat it. Not even when Captain Aizen flung his accusations and warnings in passing, which was conveniently overheard by Captain Hitsugaya.
And then the domino effect began...Hitsugaya warned Hinamori that Gin might do something to her Captain. Aizen's was discovered murdered a short time later. Zanpakuto's clashed, and yet none of them were Gin's.
After reading a letter from her late Captain, Hinamori comes to believe that Hitsugaya is responsible for his death. And when her hands bleed from holding her sword so tightly, Hitsugaya attempts to make good on his promise to Gin that if any of her blood was spilled, he would kill him. The dominoes had started to fall. But the fight ends with the arrival of Rangiku.
But lo and behold, Aizen wasn't dead. And while Gin is revealed to be his right hand man, it's obvious that he was given a little more credit than he was due. As he's ascending to Hueco Mundo, he drops his smile to apologize to Rangiku, commenting that he wouldn't have minded being held by her a little longer.
After that, Gin does a whoooole lotta creepin' until the invasion of the fake Karakura town. When Hiyori, one of the visoreds fighting along with the shinigami, goes for Aizen, Gin barely gets any exercise by cutting her in half. Though his motives have always been a touch questionable, it's starting to speed up. He faces Ichigo for a rematch, during which the former remarks that he couldn't get a feel for Gin the first time he fought. No thoughts, no opinions, no real motivation. Nothing.
Gin breezes past this and goes on to start "explaining" his Bankai to him. And then he shows him but cutting a bunch of buildings in half.
But there's a history before the history. As a child he met a starving child, Rangiku Matsumoto, whom he shared dried persimmons with. They lived together in Rukongai for awhile before he suddenly decided to become a shinigami, leaving her behind. His reasons for this action are surprisingly sentimental. Gin spotted three shinigami presenting the Hōgyoku to Aizen...the same three shinigami he saw leaving the area where he found Rangiku. barely clinging to life. After deciding that Aizen was their leader, Gin swore revenge on Rangiku's behalf.
He's waiting for his moment and Anatole will force him to be waiting that much longer. For all intents and purposes, he's loyal to Sousuke Aizen and fully committed to the path that he blazes.
personality:
Gin is an enigma to others in both personality and motivations. He hides everything behind a fox's mask, narrowed eyes and a perpetual grin that give the beholder nothing more than a bad feeling. The feeling of being strangled by snakes...yeah, that's the one. It's true that he does use his grin as an act of intimidation. It gives one the feeling that Gin feels no surprise, no sadness, no fear. Even worse, he knows a joke and you're not in on it. He even looks like a skeleton, all tall and thin and sharp.
The man is just creepy.
Gin is highly observant and calculating right down to his very words. He says things, knowing they're likely to earn certain reactions. Chances are, he's counting on it. His eyes may be closed, but he's watching you. For weakness. For a chance at mischief. For a chance to strike. If he's complimenting you? Chances are he's really making fun of you. He drips with sarcasm. He flirts with cruelty.
Needless to say, he's not a man to be trusted. But he doesn't try to make you trust him either. He really doesn't seem to care when others think the worst of him...if anything, he seems to get a kick out of it. Even before his treachery of Soul Society was official, there were those who suspected it. And Gin did very little to plead his case. But he didn't discourage anyone who came to his defense, either. Such as his lieutenant, Izuru Kira.
He just smiled.
Gin is neither an idiot nor a lightweight. He graduated from the Shinigami Academy in one year and went straight to a seated position in the 5th Division. His ability to manipulate is enhanced by his intellect because it enables him to look ahead and place would-be opponents in impossible circumstances. He's not the guy who rushes right into the fight. He's the guy who goads you into bringing the fight to him.
Despite everything, Gin does seem to genuinely care about Rangiku Matsumoto. Though they've known each other since they were children, Gin is a mystery to her as well. He was always leaving her behind, following his own schemes. But she is one of the very few people who has made his mask slip.
By all appearances, he's also loyal to Sousuke Aizen. Though he has been known to eavesdrop on a conversation or two, and has a habit of closely observing the actions and reactions of his allies. For entertainment purposes only, of course.