Who is Chōjirō Sasakibe? [information]
[Q&A last updated on 7/20/09]
Stats
Name:[ 雀部 長次] Sasakibe Chōjirō
Birthdate: November 4
Height: 175.26 cm (5'9")
Weight: 66.36 kg (146 lbs.)
Gender: Male
Species: Shinigami
Partner: Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto
Affiliation: Soul Society
Team: 1st Division
Occupation: Lieutenant of the 1st Division
Zanpakutō
Shikai: Gonryōmaru
Debut (Manga)
Volume 10, Chapter 83
Appears in Anime and Manga
Seiyū (Voice Actor)
Taro Yamaguchi(Japanese)
Michael McConnohie(English)
"Man of little words, always standing by the Overall Captain's side in waiting is Lieutenant, Sasakibe Chōjirō. While they are a famous combination that is easily distinguishable, the only difference between them that cannot be reconciled seems to be their food preference..." - Tite Kubo
Commonly asked questions:
Q. Why play Chōjirō Sasakibe? He barely has any canon & he is a minor character!
A. Why the hell does anyone want to be Charlotte Coolhorn...? Because the character is interesting despite the minor character status he has right now in the series.
While it is true that Sasakibe barely has any canon within the manga, within the BLEACH anime, he has had more dialogue within. I honestly feel that in the current arc that Kubo Tite will finally utilize Sasakibe's character to be more than General Yamamoto's "Yes" man. I do not think that Kubo would have went through all the hassle to give Sasakibe a snazzy design, his own zanpakuto and even give him such a high rank as the First Lieutenant, if he didn't plan on having Sasakibe actually have a role within BLEACH.
The series might be coming to a close during the Karakura Arc but that doesn't mean there is no chance for Sasakibe to finally get some limelight. Out of the Gotei 13, he is the only shinigami who hasn't battled as of yet and he did open the barrier to allow Shinji and his Vaizards into the scuffle.
If Kubo doesn't finally do something with Sasakibe, I may finally scream with rage but I am very hopeful he will do SOMETHING with this character.
Q. How will you play Sasakibe?
A. Considering that whatever information about Sasakibe is lax at best, I am plotting on playing him as a reserved and respectful individual. He is the second-in-command for Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto and I highly doubt he would have been given such a responsiblity by the old man if Yamamoto didn't trust or value him in some way. With that said, I do not think that Sasakibe would be a foolish man or foolhardy enough to betray that trust. Sasakikbe seems to take his work very seriously and is not prone to be as much of a goofball as some of the other members of the Gotei 13.
However, I do believe that Sasakibe has a more laid back personality that he only shows once he is off duty.
Q. What about his love for Western Culture? How will you portray that?
A. I think Sasakibe's love for Western Culture mirrors the same admiration that Fukuzawa Yukichi had for the West. Now, it is uncertain if Kubo Tite could have possibly based Sasakibe's personality based upon Fukuzawa but the idea that Sasakibe is so obessessed with the culture of the West do suggest otherwise. However, this is merely head canon on my part to attempt to flesh out a character who has been horribly neglected within one of the most popular shounen titles out.
Q. Isn't Sasakibe blind or something? Within the manga, he doesn't have any pupils like another BLEACH character but in the anime, he seems to be able to see...
A. Now I know there is a debate within the fandom that claims that Sasakibe is blind because his eyes are blank just like Kaname Tousen's within the manga. However, the anime seems to depict Sasakibe differently by actually drawing in his pupils.
This mess up could be solely because of different art style since the anime is a tad different in art than the manga, although I do not believe this to be the case.
I believe that Kubo Tite did that to either indicate that Sasakibe is blind or for a reason that he hasn't explained yet within the manga. So in my attempt to combine both the anime and the manga together to help flesh out this character, I have decided that Sasakibe is capable of sight but not in the same means in how we value sight to be like.
I am quite sure that Sasakibe, given how long he has been a member for the Gotei 13, is capable of seeing or sensing reiatsu well enough that he doesn't need quote on quote "sight" to help him see. With that said, I'm going to assume that he is not actually fully blind but enough that he could be relying on reading reiatsu to see.
Q. Since Sasakibe's powers haven't been fully explored yet within the anime or the manga, just how powerful is he and what sort of skills does he have?
A. Good question!
Sasakibe does posses a zanpakuto like many other lieutenants of the Gotei 13 but the power of his zanpakuto hasn't been addressed yet in BLEACH. Some critics claim that Sasakibe's powers are weak considering how easily he was defeated by Ichigo Kurosaki in the anime but I do not believe that to be true.
However, with that said I also do not believe he would be as powerful as any of the leading characters in BLEACH.
Considering that Sasakibe's zanpakuto's powers haven't been developed yet, I will have to rely on some headcanon to help remedy that in roleplays that won't overshadow or hinder his would be capabilities.
For now, I will definitely rely on Sasakibe's canon as a Kidō Expert to help fulfill the void and mystery revolving around his zanpakuto, the Gonryōmaru.
It is also a given that he is also a Flash Step expert considering it is common that all Shinigami are capable of that.
Any questions of concern about my portrayal of Chōjirō Sasakibe, please address them to my concrit post. Thank you.
Stats
Name:[ 雀部 長次] Sasakibe Chōjirō
Birthdate: November 4
Height: 175.26 cm (5'9")
Weight: 66.36 kg (146 lbs.)
Gender: Male
Species: Shinigami
Partner: Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto
Affiliation: Soul Society
Team: 1st Division
Occupation: Lieutenant of the 1st Division
Zanpakutō
Shikai: Gonryōmaru
Debut (Manga)
Volume 10, Chapter 83
Appears in Anime and Manga
Seiyū (Voice Actor)
Taro Yamaguchi(Japanese)
Michael McConnohie(English)
"Man of little words, always standing by the Overall Captain's side in waiting is Lieutenant, Sasakibe Chōjirō. While they are a famous combination that is easily distinguishable, the only difference between them that cannot be reconciled seems to be their food preference..." - Tite Kubo
Commonly asked questions:
Q. Why play Chōjirō Sasakibe? He barely has any canon & he is a minor character!
A. Why the hell does anyone want to be Charlotte Coolhorn...? Because the character is interesting despite the minor character status he has right now in the series.
While it is true that Sasakibe barely has any canon within the manga, within the BLEACH anime, he has had more dialogue within. I honestly feel that in the current arc that Kubo Tite will finally utilize Sasakibe's character to be more than General Yamamoto's "Yes" man. I do not think that Kubo would have went through all the hassle to give Sasakibe a snazzy design, his own zanpakuto and even give him such a high rank as the First Lieutenant, if he didn't plan on having Sasakibe actually have a role within BLEACH.
The series might be coming to a close during the Karakura Arc but that doesn't mean there is no chance for Sasakibe to finally get some limelight. Out of the Gotei 13, he is the only shinigami who hasn't battled as of yet and he did open the barrier to allow Shinji and his Vaizards into the scuffle.
If Kubo doesn't finally do something with Sasakibe, I may finally scream with rage but I am very hopeful he will do SOMETHING with this character.
Q. How will you play Sasakibe?
A. Considering that whatever information about Sasakibe is lax at best, I am plotting on playing him as a reserved and respectful individual. He is the second-in-command for Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto and I highly doubt he would have been given such a responsiblity by the old man if Yamamoto didn't trust or value him in some way. With that said, I do not think that Sasakibe would be a foolish man or foolhardy enough to betray that trust. Sasakikbe seems to take his work very seriously and is not prone to be as much of a goofball as some of the other members of the Gotei 13.
However, I do believe that Sasakibe has a more laid back personality that he only shows once he is off duty.
Q. What about his love for Western Culture? How will you portray that?
A. I think Sasakibe's love for Western Culture mirrors the same admiration that Fukuzawa Yukichi had for the West. Now, it is uncertain if Kubo Tite could have possibly based Sasakibe's personality based upon Fukuzawa but the idea that Sasakibe is so obessessed with the culture of the West do suggest otherwise. However, this is merely head canon on my part to attempt to flesh out a character who has been horribly neglected within one of the most popular shounen titles out.
Q. Isn't Sasakibe blind or something? Within the manga, he doesn't have any pupils like another BLEACH character but in the anime, he seems to be able to see...
A. Now I know there is a debate within the fandom that claims that Sasakibe is blind because his eyes are blank just like Kaname Tousen's within the manga. However, the anime seems to depict Sasakibe differently by actually drawing in his pupils.
This mess up could be solely because of different art style since the anime is a tad different in art than the manga, although I do not believe this to be the case.
I believe that Kubo Tite did that to either indicate that Sasakibe is blind or for a reason that he hasn't explained yet within the manga. So in my attempt to combine both the anime and the manga together to help flesh out this character, I have decided that Sasakibe is capable of sight but not in the same means in how we value sight to be like.
I am quite sure that Sasakibe, given how long he has been a member for the Gotei 13, is capable of seeing or sensing reiatsu well enough that he doesn't need quote on quote "sight" to help him see. With that said, I'm going to assume that he is not actually fully blind but enough that he could be relying on reading reiatsu to see.
Q. Since Sasakibe's powers haven't been fully explored yet within the anime or the manga, just how powerful is he and what sort of skills does he have?
A. Good question!
Sasakibe does posses a zanpakuto like many other lieutenants of the Gotei 13 but the power of his zanpakuto hasn't been addressed yet in BLEACH. Some critics claim that Sasakibe's powers are weak considering how easily he was defeated by Ichigo Kurosaki in the anime but I do not believe that to be true.
However, with that said I also do not believe he would be as powerful as any of the leading characters in BLEACH.
Considering that Sasakibe's zanpakuto's powers haven't been developed yet, I will have to rely on some headcanon to help remedy that in roleplays that won't overshadow or hinder his would be capabilities.
For now, I will definitely rely on Sasakibe's canon as a Kidō Expert to help fulfill the void and mystery revolving around his zanpakuto, the Gonryōmaru.
It is also a given that he is also a Flash Step expert considering it is common that all Shinigami are capable of that.
Any questions of concern about my portrayal of Chōjirō Sasakibe, please address them to my concrit post. Thank you.