.:000:. Personality/Abilities/Background
.:Personality:.
Nanao’s character is a study of contrasts. She is an imposing woman who wields a pen as effectively as any sword. She possesses a cool demeanor and a level head, but is known to be prone to occasional (and admittedly brief) outbursts of vocal surprise or vexation at her captain’s frequent shenanigans. Her wit is as sharp as her formidable intellect, but she often shows a great deal of caring and concern for her friends and subordinates, though these displays are usually of the subtle variety.
Since she’s often seen in the company of her captain, Kyouraku Shunsui, it’s easy to see that her personality is, in many ways, the antithesis of his. Nanao is a stickler for following rules and regulations. With a captain as notoriously lackadaisical as hers, she'd have to be. She is as reserved as he is outgoing, as serious as he is silly, and as prickly toward him as he is affectionate toward her. Those who observe her following and cleaning up after him might view her as something of a harpy. She can't really help that, though, since Kyouraku-taichou depends almost entirely on her to do the bulk of his work. Although her wellspring of patience seems to run about as deep as his sake cache (ie. very, very deep), she’s a quick draw at employing a fan or book to help keep him and his wandering hands in line. She’s also the first person at the scene to help drag him back home after an all-night bender, and her irritation is always tempered with genuine fondness and admiration, so it balances out in the end.
Pragmatic efficiency is the hallmark of her administrative leadership style: she never expends words or energy on unnecessary debate or deliberation, preferring to cut straight to the heart of any matter and simply get things done. She can be very stern with her subordinates when the situation mandates decisive action. Her reputation as a strict (occasionally wrathful) disciplinarian precedes her, as well as her nigh-legendary ability to fill and file more paperwork than should be humanly possible in extremely short periods of time. She’s an accomplished researcher and analyst, a skill which came in handy when Gotei 13 was scrambling to figure out what exactly Aizen was planning in the aftermath of his betrayal.
Outside of her no-nonsense, professional persona, Nanao honestly isn't a complete stick in the mud. As the vice-president of the Shinigami Women’s Association, she’s frequently organizing outings and fundraisers for the ladies of the organization. Nanao isn’t terribly vain, but she does take pride in her tidy appearance. She is always meticulously groomed, and when she’s in civilian garb she makes an effort to look coordinated and fashionable. Special care is taken with hair clips and accessories, and when she goes out shopping with the girls, that’s invariably the first purchase she’ll make. Truth be told, Nanao would probably rather stay in and read a book than go gallivanting about.
.:Abilities:.
Shinigami abilities: Nanao is a lieutenant of the Gotei 13, meaning that she is far more powerful and has much more reiatsu (spiritual power) than the average rank and file.
Kidou expert: Also called ‘the demon arts.’ Kidou requires time and finesse to master. Nanao has kidou powers comparable to Hinamori Momo’s abilities, therefore is able to cast at minimum mid-range spells without the aid of an incantation, and implies that she is probably also able to chain spells to greater effect.
Swordsmanship: Nanao is never seen wielding a sword, but she does own one. As a lieutenant, she would have to display above-average proficiency in the use of her zanpakutou. (Her sword is never named in canon, but will be named Tonbishijin (鳶詩人 , Black Kite Poet) for any memories or abilities remembered while in Edensphere.)
Flash step: Nanao is able to almost match the speed of a captain-level flash step. Shunsui made it seem like a game, joking that she came in last place when she arrived at the scene of a fight a moment after he and and fellow captain Ukitake Jyuushirou.
Clerical work: Being responsible for most all of the paperwork that circulates through her Division, Nanao’s organizational and time-management skills make her an outstanding records keeper.
Research/Analysis: Aside from her clerical skills, Nanao’s keen mind, patience, and love of reading make her an excellent researcher, able to gather, analyze, synthesize, and interpret information from varied texts.
.:Background:.
Ise Nanao hails from a merchant family that resides in one of the lower districts of Rukongai. She was granted admission to the Shinigami Academy from a very early age because of her unusually high aptitude for kidou and her quiet, studious nature. She made short work of all the offered courses, matriculating in half the average time and leaving the majority of her much older classmates in the dust.
Because of her skill with kidou, Nanao’s post-graduation prospects seemed that they might lead her into a career as a healer in the Fourth Division or a member of the Kidou Corps. She changed her mind, however, when Yadomaru Lisa (the current lieutenant of the Eighth Division) picked her out of the crowd and put in a bid for her to enter that Division instead. Nanao set a record at that time as the youngest active member of the Eighth, though she was kept off the field until she was older.
Nanao grew to be terribly fond of her lieutenant, would visit her (and subsequently, the captain) for monthly reading sessions. This would change the night that Lisa went away on a mission, never to return. Nanao was heartbroken over the loss of her favorite superior officer, but was determined to do well in all of her duties for the sake of Lisa’s memory. She began to take on more and more responsibilities as she grew, ascending the ranks with time and hard work.
By the time she managed to achieve the position as lieutenant, Nanao realized that perhaps this job was not all it had been cracked up to be. She spent the majority of her time filling out and filing paperwork, chasing after the captain when he had some meeting or other to attend, standing in for him or forging his signature when he couldn’t be found. The two of them quickly fell into a routine of games, with each pursuing the other for various reasons: her for his signature, usually, and him with cute nicknames and declarations of love, which she rejected with varying degrees of physical violence. Despite any quirks in their relationship, things seemed to work out, and the Eighth Division ran like a well-oiled machine under her supervision.
When the ryouka (Ichigo and company) invaded Soul Society to rescue Kuchiki Rukia, Nanao was first seen with Kyouraku, advising him of their progress. She helped him make a dramatic entrance by scattering flower petals around him, but ruined the effect by beaning him with the basket. After his confrontation with Chad, she requested permission to finish off the teen with a kidou blast, but he refused to let her dirty her hands with such a task and had her take the ryouka to the Fourth Division instead.
Nanao didn’t turn up again until the day of Rukia’s execution, when she found Kyouraku-taichou lazing around on a roof and told him to get ready to go. She also told him that, regardless of his decisions (if he chose to intervene in the execution), she would follow him at a safe distance so as to not get dragged into trouble. This didn’t pan out as planned, since following him lead her into a direct confrontation with Captain Commander Yamamoto, whose spiritual pressure was so overwhelming that Nanao was rendered unable to breath by the force of it. Shunsui quickly intervened and carried her to a safe distance where she wouldn’t be harmed in the ensuing battle.
After the fiasco surrounding the execution and the revelation of Aizen’s true nature and treachery, Nanao is seen again assisting captains Kyouraku and Ukitake as they tried to uncover the depths of Aizen’s plots by finding all his research in the Gotei 13’s archives.
Currently, she is one of the few high-ranking individuals to have not made an appearance in either Hueco Mundo or the fake Karakura Town. This probably means that she was left behind in Soul Society to help guard the Court of Pure Souls.
Nanao’s character is a study of contrasts. She is an imposing woman who wields a pen as effectively as any sword. She possesses a cool demeanor and a level head, but is known to be prone to occasional (and admittedly brief) outbursts of vocal surprise or vexation at her captain’s frequent shenanigans. Her wit is as sharp as her formidable intellect, but she often shows a great deal of caring and concern for her friends and subordinates, though these displays are usually of the subtle variety.
Since she’s often seen in the company of her captain, Kyouraku Shunsui, it’s easy to see that her personality is, in many ways, the antithesis of his. Nanao is a stickler for following rules and regulations. With a captain as notoriously lackadaisical as hers, she'd have to be. She is as reserved as he is outgoing, as serious as he is silly, and as prickly toward him as he is affectionate toward her. Those who observe her following and cleaning up after him might view her as something of a harpy. She can't really help that, though, since Kyouraku-taichou depends almost entirely on her to do the bulk of his work. Although her wellspring of patience seems to run about as deep as his sake cache (ie. very, very deep), she’s a quick draw at employing a fan or book to help keep him and his wandering hands in line. She’s also the first person at the scene to help drag him back home after an all-night bender, and her irritation is always tempered with genuine fondness and admiration, so it balances out in the end.
Pragmatic efficiency is the hallmark of her administrative leadership style: she never expends words or energy on unnecessary debate or deliberation, preferring to cut straight to the heart of any matter and simply get things done. She can be very stern with her subordinates when the situation mandates decisive action. Her reputation as a strict (occasionally wrathful) disciplinarian precedes her, as well as her nigh-legendary ability to fill and file more paperwork than should be humanly possible in extremely short periods of time. She’s an accomplished researcher and analyst, a skill which came in handy when Gotei 13 was scrambling to figure out what exactly Aizen was planning in the aftermath of his betrayal.
Outside of her no-nonsense, professional persona, Nanao honestly isn't a complete stick in the mud. As the vice-president of the Shinigami Women’s Association, she’s frequently organizing outings and fundraisers for the ladies of the organization. Nanao isn’t terribly vain, but she does take pride in her tidy appearance. She is always meticulously groomed, and when she’s in civilian garb she makes an effort to look coordinated and fashionable. Special care is taken with hair clips and accessories, and when she goes out shopping with the girls, that’s invariably the first purchase she’ll make. Truth be told, Nanao would probably rather stay in and read a book than go gallivanting about.
.:Abilities:.
Shinigami abilities: Nanao is a lieutenant of the Gotei 13, meaning that she is far more powerful and has much more reiatsu (spiritual power) than the average rank and file.
Kidou expert: Also called ‘the demon arts.’ Kidou requires time and finesse to master. Nanao has kidou powers comparable to Hinamori Momo’s abilities, therefore is able to cast at minimum mid-range spells without the aid of an incantation, and implies that she is probably also able to chain spells to greater effect.
Swordsmanship: Nanao is never seen wielding a sword, but she does own one. As a lieutenant, she would have to display above-average proficiency in the use of her zanpakutou. (Her sword is never named in canon, but will be named Tonbishijin (鳶詩人 , Black Kite Poet) for any memories or abilities remembered while in Edensphere.)
Flash step: Nanao is able to almost match the speed of a captain-level flash step. Shunsui made it seem like a game, joking that she came in last place when she arrived at the scene of a fight a moment after he and and fellow captain Ukitake Jyuushirou.
Clerical work: Being responsible for most all of the paperwork that circulates through her Division, Nanao’s organizational and time-management skills make her an outstanding records keeper.
Research/Analysis: Aside from her clerical skills, Nanao’s keen mind, patience, and love of reading make her an excellent researcher, able to gather, analyze, synthesize, and interpret information from varied texts.
.:Background:.
Ise Nanao hails from a merchant family that resides in one of the lower districts of Rukongai. She was granted admission to the Shinigami Academy from a very early age because of her unusually high aptitude for kidou and her quiet, studious nature. She made short work of all the offered courses, matriculating in half the average time and leaving the majority of her much older classmates in the dust.
Because of her skill with kidou, Nanao’s post-graduation prospects seemed that they might lead her into a career as a healer in the Fourth Division or a member of the Kidou Corps. She changed her mind, however, when Yadomaru Lisa (the current lieutenant of the Eighth Division) picked her out of the crowd and put in a bid for her to enter that Division instead. Nanao set a record at that time as the youngest active member of the Eighth, though she was kept off the field until she was older.
Nanao grew to be terribly fond of her lieutenant, would visit her (and subsequently, the captain) for monthly reading sessions. This would change the night that Lisa went away on a mission, never to return. Nanao was heartbroken over the loss of her favorite superior officer, but was determined to do well in all of her duties for the sake of Lisa’s memory. She began to take on more and more responsibilities as she grew, ascending the ranks with time and hard work.
By the time she managed to achieve the position as lieutenant, Nanao realized that perhaps this job was not all it had been cracked up to be. She spent the majority of her time filling out and filing paperwork, chasing after the captain when he had some meeting or other to attend, standing in for him or forging his signature when he couldn’t be found. The two of them quickly fell into a routine of games, with each pursuing the other for various reasons: her for his signature, usually, and him with cute nicknames and declarations of love, which she rejected with varying degrees of physical violence. Despite any quirks in their relationship, things seemed to work out, and the Eighth Division ran like a well-oiled machine under her supervision.
When the ryouka (Ichigo and company) invaded Soul Society to rescue Kuchiki Rukia, Nanao was first seen with Kyouraku, advising him of their progress. She helped him make a dramatic entrance by scattering flower petals around him, but ruined the effect by beaning him with the basket. After his confrontation with Chad, she requested permission to finish off the teen with a kidou blast, but he refused to let her dirty her hands with such a task and had her take the ryouka to the Fourth Division instead.
Nanao didn’t turn up again until the day of Rukia’s execution, when she found Kyouraku-taichou lazing around on a roof and told him to get ready to go. She also told him that, regardless of his decisions (if he chose to intervene in the execution), she would follow him at a safe distance so as to not get dragged into trouble. This didn’t pan out as planned, since following him lead her into a direct confrontation with Captain Commander Yamamoto, whose spiritual pressure was so overwhelming that Nanao was rendered unable to breath by the force of it. Shunsui quickly intervened and carried her to a safe distance where she wouldn’t be harmed in the ensuing battle.
After the fiasco surrounding the execution and the revelation of Aizen’s true nature and treachery, Nanao is seen again assisting captains Kyouraku and Ukitake as they tried to uncover the depths of Aizen’s plots by finding all his research in the Gotei 13’s archives.
Currently, she is one of the few high-ranking individuals to have not made an appearance in either Hueco Mundo or the fake Karakura Town. This probably means that she was left behind in Soul Society to help guard the Court of Pure Souls.