Post by Nagato Ishikawa on May 28, 2017 9:03:33 GMT -5
Ishikawa, Nagato
イシカワ長門
Unseated Officer - 2nd Division of the Gotei 5
[ AT A GLANCE ]
Given Name: Nagato (長門)
Family Name: Ishikawa (イシカワ)
Human Name and Title Captain David Huang (黄大卫)
Ethnicity: Chinese-American
Age: 107 (36 years alive, 2 days as a plus Soul, 19 years in the Rukongai, 6 years in the Academy and 46 years in the Gotei.)
Year of Birth: 1909 AD
Apparent Age: Late 30's
Birthday: February 15th
Gender: Male
Height: 5’11”/181cms
Weight: 151 lbs/68.5kg
Hair Colour: Black
Eye Colour: Light Blue
Skin Tone: Light
Dominant Hand: Right handed - Martially he could be considered almost ambidextrous.
Former Ranks (Chronological Order)
Current Rank: Unseated Officer: Second Division - 2016 to Ongoing
Positive Traits:
Negative Traits:
Loyalties: The Gotei Five.
Snapshots:
[ ON THE SURFACE ]
Physical Description
Nagato was born 108 years ago but passed into the Rukongai 72 years ago and, like all souls, aged at a decreased pace since then. For the majority of his human life he aged quite slowly, keeping a very youthful exterior, it wasn’t until after he joined the war that his physical aging began to accelerate. By the time of Nagato’s death he looked to be in his early thirties and in the 72 years since he entered the Soul Society the man has only visibly aged a few years. Mid-to-late thirties is the best that anyone can put to the man however. Nagato’s face has been aged by an existence of violence, hard work and pain which are the primary indicator of his age. Despite this harsh aging Nagato might have been considered a handsome man were it not for the hard lines of his face giving his features an almost gaunt look. This already cold and unforgiving appearance is only made worse by the man’s expression to seemingly default to a scowl of some sort. It has been said that on the occasions where he grins it can sometimes be even more unsettling that when he looks furious.
The man stands at an unimpressive 181cms and weighs in at 68.5kg with his lean build causing him to not stand out much amongst his peers. What does help him stand out is his surprisingly pale skin and bright blue eyes, often regarded as cold, which create a sharp contrast to his pitch black hair. The man wears his hair in a medium length and plain fashion with the back coming down the nape of his neck, the sides cut around his ears and the fringe splayed across his forehead unevenly but with the longest part being the centre. Perhaps Nagato’s most eye catching feature is his long Fu Manchu moustache, the one part of his appearance he really cares about, which matches the colour of his hair.
Physical Build
As already mentioned Nagato stands a little short of 6 foot in height with an incredibly lean and toned build of a man much younger than he appears having hard whipcord like muscles. Once upon a time the Shinigami had a much bulkier build but has let himself become slimmer over the years but despite that he’s probably stronger, faster and more flexible than he’s ever been.
Nagato’s form has been shaped by his training regime, a constantly shifting workout schedule that the martial artist spends endless hours working on. In it’s current form the Shinigami focuses primarily on the weapon focused art of Kali and the empty hand mixed martial art known as Jeet Kune Do. This is all supplemented by large amounts of endurance exercises such as running and jump rope, core workouts like crunches and situps and strength training using weights. All of this is assisted by a carefully planned diet. The result of all of this is a man with an exceptionally muscular form, especially considering how lean he keeps himself. Of note is his trim waist and powerful legs, products of his empty hand training as well as his broad chest, powerful shoulders and well developed arms from the flowing Kali Stick Drills.
However his body is far from perfect despite the amount of work the man puts in. Decades of serving as a warrior for the Court of Pure Souls as well as a mixture of poor fortune against criminals and a violent existence in the Rukongai has left its mark. His torso, arms and legs are covered in scarring ranging from small faint line to dark criss-crossed scarring. Whilst the majority of these are only cosmetic there are a number that still ache from time to time, the worst being from a Rogue Shinigami in 1997.
Bearing:
A severe looking man the Shinigami can usually be found purposely striding around the Seireitei, or the Rukongai, depending on his goal at the time. His expression is often distant, cold and uncaring while his blue eyes, which would be considered a pretty feature in another face, gleam like ice seemingly without emotion. Although he makes an effort to appear steely it is not uncommon for the man to seem angry or frustrated causing his walk to become more akin to a furious march. A private individual, whether irritated or not, he prefers to keep his thoughts and feelings to himself.
Due to the lifetime of training and his finely honed body he moves with what could be compared to a dancer’s grace largely thanks to his Kali training. His movements are perfectly co-ordinated and, despite his build, his actions are surprisingly gentle. Thanks to his training regime the man has wonderful body mechanics and a perfect posture, something he learned to focus on during his numerous recovery periods after injuries sustained in the line of duty. One would expect the martial artist to be self-disciplined to the point of being capable of meditating in perfect stillness for lengthy periods of time like many traditional masters however this is not the case. Instead Nagato is practically incapable of it being restless needing to always be in action, even if only intellectually.
However when his fury is aroused those dead, cold, eyes burn with intense rage and he has a tendency to clench his teeth so that the muscles along his jaw and neck bulge. His movements become swifter and more forceful causing his gracefulness to transform into something more brutal and almost primal.
Voice
Nagato has a deep baritone voice that can come across as quite sinister and intimidating especially when angered. The man’s tones suits his rather dark appearance. There often seems to be an underlying tone of irritation or barely restrained fury when he speaks, even at the best of times. It is said when laughing or openly amused Nagato can sound more like he’s growling than any expected sound of amusement.
When it comes to any sort of regional accent Nagato's voice is somewhat lacking. The man has worked hard over the years to lose any trace of an accent and instead speaks with the bland, almost generic, tones of the Seireitei and inner districts. Once upon a time the man's voice was instead thick, somewhat higher, accent of the poorer districts, a distinct note of Nagato's particular one was how many sentences would end with a rise in pitch with a question like intonation pattern. When using his true accent the man tends to speak extremely quickly as did the other denizens of the Rukongai district he found himself in during the first years of his afterlife.
It should be noted that Nagato has only ever made the mistake of letting his accent slip a rare few times in front of another Soul Reaper and works hard to hide it. In truth he does so out of a strong hatred and distaste for where he came from.
Clothing
As a shinigami Nagato wears the same standard issue uniform of the Gotei that the majority of his colleagues wear. This uniform consists of the black kosode and hakama, along with a white shitagi and a white himo. For footwork he wears white tabi with straw waraji. The inside of Nagato’s kosode has the Second Division insignia emblazoned upon it. Despite his militaristic attitude and his pride as a soldier Nagato actually dislikes this style of clothing.
Nagato’s preference is for western style clothing and tends to dress in loose pants, long sleeved tops and leather boots. When it comes to these styles of clothings the man has a tendency for items of drab grey colours.
Gigai
Nagato’s gigai is an almost exact copy of the man. It is, perhaps, slightly less extreme in its athleticism and the fake body is missing the old scars his real form carries. Other than that it’s almost precisely the same.
When walking amongst the living the man tends to stick to black pinstriped suits which he pairs off with sleek green lensed glasses. The disguised Soul Reaper also likes to carry an umbrella with him regardless of the weather after getting caught one too many times in the rain without one. He finds it an utter pain when his Gigai gets soaked.
Spiritual Energy Colour: Semi-translucent Silver.
Spiritual Description
Nagato’s spiritual aura floats around him like an ethereal mist being hard to visibly see unless it’s forcefully exerted although this doesn’t affect the ability for spiritually attuned individuals to sense it. His Reiatsu seems to want to thin out as much as possible as if it’s trying to make itself as unnoticeable as it can. In conflicts however it changes completely reflecting the Shinigami’s mental state. It will cling to his body, becoming sharp like a blade, as Nagato focuses on the battle. The sensation that it evokes is like a chilling gale lashing against bare skin. However when Nagato loses his temper his Reiatsu is known to pulse and tremble becoming like a hot dry wind.
[ BEHIND THE EYES ]
Personality
Nagato is a servant of the Gotei 5 through and through. Although he doesn’t recall his life before he passed on to the Soul Society, the man resembles Captain David Huang S-2 Intelligence Officer who he once was. There are differences however as David grew up in a modern and relatively fair society. In comparison Nagato has been moulded into a harsher individual by the life he’s lived, first in the slums of the Rukongai and then later, by the Feudal Society of the Seireitei.
A Militaristic man who has dedicated his entire existence to serving as a Shinigami of the Seireitei, he also openly believes that all Soul Reapers need to understand that this is their entire purpose in life. His every action is in pursuit of his duty and he stringently follows the letter of the Law, orders from his Commanders and the rules that help the Gotei maintain the Balance. He in inflexible and unyielding in the pursuit of his duties believing in doing things a certain way and will not be swayed. This means Nagato is a practically incorruptible member of the Second Division but likewise he prefers his own methods and is not open to changing his tried and tested ways. However this also means that it can be very difficult to shake the faith that Nagato has in the Gotei and he is frequently blind to the imperfections of the organisation he services instead using excuses to claim that whatever inferiorities they might have are acceptable in pursuit of the Greater Good. Many say the man to be apathetic and cruel when dealing with others being incapable of showing mercy however Nagato simply claims to be faithfully protecting the peace. At the end of the day he will do whatever he feels he must as a true Shinigami.
As a soldier, and even from before those days, Nagato was a student of the martial arts. Thanks to this he is a very disciplined individual both mentally and physically. He has an extreme amount of control over himself, this shows itself in his very organised behaviour in his day to day dealings. This makes him both an efficient agent of the Second Division while also being extremely skilled at paperwork and the more bureaucratic side of being a Soul Reaper. However despite this discipline he is still an easily irritated and angry man. He finds many things and people annoying but this rage issue can sometimes boil over into extremely brutal behaviour, there is more than one incident of Nagato using excessive violence in pursuit of his duties during his time with the Sixth Division. He tries to balance his temper with his pragmatic view of the world but such control is not always possible. As an aside Nagato believes the studying of Martial Arts shouldn’t be for some foolish spiritual fulfilment or for focusing on “improving” yourself and that all combat skills exist to inflict harm. As such he’s fully aware that he’s studying the art of violence but claims that it is focused violence which is what makes it an art.
Another trait of the man, one that was often praised, is his focus which may be a side effect of his extensive self-discipline. Once he locks onto something he is extremely persistent and engages in tenacious pursuit of it until he completes his goals. Whilst this served him admirably as an Enforcer, and later Hunter of the Rokubatai, it also had a large downside. When Nagato fails to solve his problem or reach his goal it has a tendency to evolve into an obsession. This was known to occur when the man struggled to solve a crime that he was investigating or to apprehend a suspect. It is this that has driven Nagato on to become the skilled individual he is but, likewise, it can also cause him to become distracted for extensive periods of time.
The last, and perhaps most applaudable, side of Nagato is his adherence to logic. As a human it made him a skilled mathematician and statistician, later it was what allowed him to become such a talented Intelligence Officer for the US Army. Later, as a Shinigami, his problem solving abilities would allow him to develop into a promising Law Enforcement Officer. It also carries into his more physical activities which has helped the man advance his martial skills as well as being a benefit during battles. However his analytical skills, despite being impressive, suffer under Nagato’s tendency to live in the moment. He prefers to focus on the immediate situation and worry about what he is currently working on rather than concerning himself with the future and the past. This has, on more than one occasion, led to the man making mistakes or missing out on surprisingly obvious clues to a puzzle he’s attempting to solve. Despite this he is either too stubborn or blind to his own weaknesses to try and counter this issue. A darker side of the man’s analytical skill, although Nagato sees it as a strength, is how cunning he is. He can use his observations to target the weaknesses of others, take advantage of the people around him or manipulate people and events as he wishes.
One part of Nagato that few people see is the man on a personal level. For the most part he has neither the patience nor inclination to get to know his fellow Shinigami beyond the professional level. However there are a rare few who have managed to work their way past the man’s indifference and suffer through his unpleasant nature long enough to find the man beneath. Towards these people, who Nagato might even regard as friends, he will be fiercely loyal and will go out of his way to help. He cares deeply for such individuals and will be extremely protective towards them. He tends to disguise this pleasant side of himself beneath layers of biting sarcasm and sharp criticisms.
Past Achievements
Goals
Views on the 5 Court Guard Squads
Views on the Various Races
[ GUARDIAN ANGEL ]
Zanpakutō Name: Kako to Mirai (Trans: Past and Future)
True Release Phrase: “Look Back while Gazing Forward.”
False Release Phrase: “Focus on the Moment.”
Zanpakutō Type: Temporal Manipulation.
Zanpakutō Spirit:
Kako to Mirai appears as a striking woman in her early fifties, she has fair skin and beautiful long, brown hair with white highlights. The woman dresses in a flowing archaic long white gown. This was his Zanpakutō Spirit as he first met her and he was shocked at what appeared to be a calm, gentle, and wise woman. Instead she turned out to be utterly infuriating and unhelpful. The woman rarely speaks and when such words can be drawn from her she largely only speaks about the immediate situation. Focusing on things that are occurring in the very moment, she speaks caring neither for things that have already occurred or what might happen in the future. She has a great interest in art and can often be found painting or taking part in some other artisan craft when Nagato visits his inner world.
The Shinigami couldn’t comprehend how his own Spirit could be so unhelpful. It took years for Nagato to understand what he was missing. It turned out that Kako to Mirai was a false form, rather she was actually they and they were actually Kako and Mirai. Despite this being revealed the Spirits still claim to both be separate and together.
Kako is the older looking of the two sisters although they claim to be twins. Kako, meaning past, appears to be a tall, beautiful woman in her late twenties. The woman has a slight tan, long disheveled brown hair and bright green eyes. Blessed with a well toned and athletic body, she possesses a large bust and wide hips. Dressing scantily in a white dress which reaches just beyond her knees, the top barely wraps around her torso leaving the majority of her back and sides bare, as well as the lower half of her stomach. She is easily the most talkative of the three spirits. Kako spends a large portion of her time reminiscing about what has already come to pass and studying history from large tomes, although Nagato has absolutely no idea where she gets such things from.
However she does have her own hobbies, being an active and cheerful woman she loves music, dancing and singing as well as sharing Nagato’s interest in martial arts. Of all the spirits she is the only one that is willing and eager to engage him in sparring matches to practice his various styles of fighting.
Mirai appears to be the younger of the supposed twins taking the form of a young lady in her late teens or early twenties. Physically she appears as an extremely pale woman with long white-blonde hair with carefully applied makeup which is vaguely reminiscent of the nobility from feudal China. She is also extremely delicate, almost ghostly, in appearance being very slim and relatively short but is no less beautiful than her sister. This isn’t helped by her tendency to appear like she’s daydreaming when she gets lost in thought. Mirai tends to wear silk clothing that shares similarities to the Chinese Cheongsam.
She is everything that Kako is not. Where Kako is loud, she is reserved, where her sister is hyperactive she is contemplative. It is hard to draw her into a conversation but when Mirai speaks it is mostly about what she believes might come and she admits to often worrying about what fate might bring next. One topic that can bring some enthusiasm when talking with her is making plans as she shows quite a bit of interest in speculating on what might be the best path to take.
Despite Mirai’s quiet nature she does have at least one interest that Nagato has discovered. The Spirit is extremely interested in astrology of all traditions and will sometimes even explain such things to Nagato without any prompting, an unusual action from the gentle spirit.
Despite her apparent lack of activity the woman is just as skilled at Kali as her sister, perhaps more so, but rarely can be made to take part in such activities.
One thing Nagato has discovered which he finds annoying about all 3 spirits is that whether obnoxiously loud, frustratingly quiet or exhaustingly confusing they are all much, much smarter than he.
Of note Nagato only realised relatively recently after reading some Human literature that his Zanpakutō bears at least a passing resemblance to the Roman Goddess of Prophecy Carmenta and her two aspects/companions Antevorta Goddess of the Future and Postverta Goddess of the past.
Inner World
Nagato’s inner world is one that he enjoys visiting greatly and a place that brings him great piece. It is known as “The Village” filled with simple humble buildings built along a gently flowing river and within a clearing in a heavily forested area. Mountains surround the entire area completely and can not be passed through any effort.
Large fields of colourful flowers are growing amongst the village being cared for by the lively Kako. There is also a large empty area that the woman keeps cleared to be used for martial arts practice for whenever Nagato wishes to join her for training.
Despite the basic huts and buildings within the area their insides do not logically conform to their appearance. Entering one leads to a vast library of seemingly unending knowledge which appears to be larger than the village itself, while another goes to a grand art studio or to a modern space observatory. The locations these huts lead to are ever changing and are seemingly not tied to the buildings themselves. Nagato has yet to visit all these areas although he has begun to work out that these portals seem to be dictated by the time of day, month, year and the position of the stars themselves as well as the lunar cycle. Whenever he attempts to question the Spirits they simply ignore his query but they appear to be able to navigate to any area without trouble.
While Kako can usually be found either running around the village, fishing in the river, caring for the gardens or lying in the sun reading it is usually much more difficult to find Mirai. The quieter sister is usually in the observatory but when she does go outside the younger looking Spirit will wander off into the huge forests where she’ll simply sit and appear to daydream. If it’s night she may be found staring up at the skies as if trying to pick secret's out from the heavens. However this is not to say that Kako spends all her time in the outdoors but when she enters the strange other dimension filled with various areas the past obsessed Spirit will usually spends large portions of her time in the library.
Although they rarely combine into Kako to Mirai these days, when they do the fused Spirit prefer to spend her time in the Art Studio painting, sculpting and undertaking other hobbies which display her great creativity.
Shikai Power: Temporal Probability Predicting.
Power Description
On the surface Kako to Mirai’s power seems to be the gift to see the immediate future actions of anyone in sight. This appears as a ghostly image acting moments before the real person moves however that would be a colossal simplification. In reality the dual Zanpakutō Spirits work in concert to look into both the person’s past actions while also looking at all their possible immediate future actions. This allows them to determine the most likely outcome and then they will use Nagato’s subconscious to analyse the situation and narrow this down further. In circumstances where there are multiple possible outcomes they will all be shown at once.
Whilst this can be quite a formidable power it has it’s weaknesses. During battle an opponent with little past fighting experience will make the process of narrowing down their possible actions more difficult. The prediction can also be wrong in which case the ghostly before-image will distract Nagato. Also when there are multiple instantaneous predictions it can be quite difficult to visually track in the middle of battle.
However the greatest, and most worrying, weakness of his Zanpakutō is that Nagato needs to keep physical contact with both bastons as the spirits communicate with one another through him. If he loses one of the sticks in the heat of battle then the power will simply cease to function.
Sealed Zanpakutō Form:
Unlike most Shinigami Nagato does not use a sword, in fact his weapon isn’t of Japanese design at all. This is likely for the best as despite the Soul Reaper’s extensive weapons training he never really had the knack for the Japanese Longsword. Rather the sealed form of Kako to Mirai takes the form of a 1943 M3 Fighting Knife/Trench Knife, the weapon that Nagato used in the last three years of his life up until his death.
The weapon uses a bayonet-style spear-point blade of 6 7/8 inches with a 3 1/2 inch false edge. The weapon appears to be forged from carbon steel which has been parkerized to give it a non-reflective gray finish. Unlike the actual US Army M3 Knife it has a tacked leather round handle. The overall length of the weapon is 11 ⅝ inches.
The knife rests in a dark green scabbard with a steel throat known as a M8A1 Fiber Comp-Glass Reinforced Nylon Sheath.
How he wears the weapon depends on what clothes he has chosen. When wearing his Shihakushō he will carry the weapon inside his jacket. When wearing more western clothes he tends to strap the knife to his boot. In either case he tries to keep it out of sight as the element of surprise can be a powerful weapon.
Released Zanpakutō Form
When released the two spirits of Nagato’s Zanpakutō cause a dual weapon release taking the form of Nagato’s favourite type of weapon. They appear as a set of Bastons, also known as Kali/Eskrima/Arnis sticks.
The completely identical sticks are 28 inches long and approximately an inch in diameter. The sticks appears to be made from Indonesian Rattan with a black banding pattern. Although they seem to be made from mere wood, and as such one would think would be useless against steel weaponry, they are much more durable than they appear due to their spiritual nature.
The form of this weapon was exceptionally useful for Nagato as he could use them for disarms and in combination with his empty hand techniques to perform locks or other disabling strikes when capturing criminals during his time with the Sixth. However it would be wrong to underestimate impact weaponry for they can still break, crack and shatter on the Soul Reaper’s opponents.
It is not unheard of for Nagato to keep his Shikai released for lengthy periods of time as he prefers these weapons to the short knife of his sealed weapon.
False Release Zanpakutō Form:
For years Nagato failed to communicate with his spirit and when he finally did the man couldn’t understand how she could be so impossibly unhelpful. Later he realised she was hiding her true form until Nagato would admit, even if only in the heat of the moment, that he had to think of more than just the moment he was living in.
It was during this period lying between communicating with the fused spirit and learning of her true form that he found a way to force a release without any accompanying understanding. Nagato’s Zanpakutō transforms into a Filipino Dahong palay like those he once trained with in his human life and later in the Soul Society once rediscovering Kali.
The weapon is not a very large sword with it blade only reaching 21.25” and having an overall length of 27.75″ with the handle only being large enough for a single handed grip. The blade is single edged with a curved cutting edge. The overall blade profile is known as a rice leaf shape. The weapon is simple in design and unadorned.
Due to being a false release it grants no benefits or powers.
Not so Common Knowledge:
Nagato is exceptionally private about his Shikai to the point that only one other individual is aware of it’s power. This is partially because he is aware of the weaknesses of his weapon and also because he believes keeping it hidden gives him an advantage in combat.
However part of this is also due to the Seireitei’s rules around temporal Kidō. The Shinigami believes that, despite it technically being a subtype of Temporal Manipulation, that he is in the clear due to the fact that it’s limited to a type of imperfect prediction. Despite that he’s unwilling to take that risk regardless of his own dedication to upholding the Gotei’s laws.
It’s worth noting that very few people in the Soul Society are aware of which release is his true Shikai, many assuming it must be the sword not the sticks. Nagato has never confirmed which to any one but his closest friends. He also enjoys the element of surprise and the tactical advantages of having a weapon that can assume 3 separate forms.
[ BRUTAL ART ]
Kali
“A proper flow is the instinctual ability to adapt to a confrontational situation naturally, no matter the range of the weapon.” - Grandmaster Remy A. Presas
Nagato’s main martial art is the Filipino Fighting Style of Kali also known as Arnis and Eskrima. The focus of this art is on weaponry such as sticks, swords, knives and even more unusual things such as pieces of fabric. There are also unarmed components although this is far from Nagato’s focus in this art.
The man first learned this art as a human when serving in the US Army. While stationed in the Philippines which he continued to develop during the hand-to-hand combat with the Japanese in WW2. After dying he retained the skills instinctively but with no memory attached to them. It was only later in the Rukongai when he met individuals who had knowledge of the skill that he was able to relearn the techniques and associated terminology. He would continue to work towards mastering the art over the decades including seeking out other practitioners in the Soul Society.
Jeet Kune Do
“Empty your mind, be formless. Shapeless, like water. If you put water into a cup, it becomes the cup. You put water into a bottle and it becomes the bottle. You put it into a teapot, it becomes the teapot. Now, water can flow or it can crash.” - Bruce Lee
The martial art invented by Bruce Lee in 1969. The version that Nagato studies is known as JKD Concepts, taking what is useful and casting aside that which is not. His own style is comprised of using Wing Chun as a base but diverging into a true Mixed Martial Art format. This means it consists of techniques from Chinese Martial Arts, Indonesian Martial arts, BJJ, Boxing, Savate, Muay Thai, Kickboxing as well as the application of pragmatism. Constantly evolving and changing as Nagato attempts to become as skilled and powerful. Nagato picked this style up in the early 80’s after meeting a number of practitioners in the Second and Sixth Divisions who were willing to teach.
Other Arts
“Research your own experience. Absorb what is useful, reject what is useless, and add what is specifically your own” - Guro Dan Inosanto
To a lesser extent Nagato has trained in other arts. The primary of these are Gotei Zanjutsu and Hakuda. However he has also trained in styles such as the Karate, Jiu Jitsu, Iaijutsu, Judo, Tae Kwon Do as well as many of the styles previously mentioned that he has adapted for his JKD. One worth mentioning, although he doesn’t train in any more, would be the Internal Chinese Martial Arts which his father tutored him in during his early years as a mortal. He constantly seeks out new arts to learn and integrate into his personal JKD style.
[ LEGACY CREATED ]
Full Timeline
Amongst the Living
A Lost Soul
Citizen of the Rukongai
Academy Student
Sixth Division
First Division
Sixth Division
Origin
The Shinigami Nagato Ishikawa, then known as David Huang, was born in Honolulu the Capital of Hawaii in 1909. Nagato was born to a Chinese Father and an English-American Mother, he might have faced discrimination for his ethnicity but he was lucky that his mother came from money and that her parents doted on their grandson. His Father, an Accountant, trained him in Martial Arts from a young age as well as seeking out other teachers from the local Chinese Community. Meanwhile his mother pushed him in his academic studies. Eventually he would attend UCLA and graduate with a BSc in Applied Mathematics and Statistics, during this time he met the woman who would become his wife. Not wishing to follow his father into finance he enlisted into the Hawaii National Guard and later attended Officer Candidate School where he earned his Commission graduating as a Second Lieutenant. Just after graduating David got married to his long-term girlfriend, in 1938 he took a break from active service when his son was born. Two years later he would return to full active service and receives a promotion to First lieutenant.
In the first half of 1941 David was tapped by Military Intelligence and made an S-2 Intelligence Officer. A few months later he was dispatched to the USAFFE (United States Army Forces in the Far East) in October to the Philippines. Here he served as a liaison between Filipino Scouts and HQ. During this time he grew close to the local community and began to study their martial art Kali. A year later he was promoted to Captain and stayed behind with USFIP operations (United States Forces in the Philippines) after General Douglas MacArthur pulled out due to the Japanese threat. Later, when USFIP surrendered, David carried on unofficially fighting alongside the guerrilla forces of the Philippine Resistance.
Joining Hunters ROTC, a Filipino guerrilla unit, he would mostly help with intelligence gathering however he took part in numerous skirmishes with the Japanese. On more than one occasion he even engaged in hand-to-hand combat using his trusty M3 Trench Knife and, occasionally, Filipino Bolo Swords. Unfortunately, towards the end of the war, during the Battle of Manila Captain David Huang was struck in the neck by a stray bullet. He perished. An unceremonious end to an unpublished career. Due to the unofficial nature of his work he was never even counted in final death statistics of the battle.
The man that had been David Huang was dead and replaced by a wandering Plus Soul. One that couldn’t properly recall who, or even what, he had been. Within a few days a black garbed figure carrying a sword whispered words of assurance and sent him on his way to the next life.
The memoryless soul awoke in a place known as the Rukongai, specifically the 76th District in East Rukongai Sakahone. It was an impoverished and violent town that he found himself in. Luckily it seemed his state of confusing amnesia was not uncommon, in fact it seemed to be universal for all the other souls. He was swiftly adopted by a sort of family, a gathering of likewise lost souls who banded together to look after one another. It was these men who gave him the name Nagato Ishikawa. It was during these first months that he and his new family were attacked by thugs however he picked up two sticks and fought them, even killing a few of them. As time went by Nagato found himself with more unexplained martial knowledge with sticks, knives, swords and empty hand. Wishing to explore this side of himself, and also seeking an outlet for his anger at living in such shit conditions, he joined an illegal underworld fighting circuit. Some of these fights ended in bruises and cuts however most ended in much worse. To Nagato’s shock he didn’t feel much guilt at these actions and he deeply enjoyed the violence in which he was taking part. A few years later the area he lived in began suffering harassment from semi-organised bandits. A group of talented fighters from the fighting circuit, including Nagato, teamed up to fight the bandits while teaching others how to inflict as much harm on these enemies as possible. It was during this period that Nagato began to develop a great appetite, a sign of growing Spiritual Power, but so far out from the Soul Society it was far from a guarantee that he’d ever learn to use it.
The next few years were what would decide the direction of Nagato’s existence. In 1956 he joined a group of individuals, so called revolutionaries, who were forming an Anti-Seireitei Faction. He found such a group attractive. The excitement from the underworld fight clubs had grown stale and he needed a new outlet for his rage, blaming the Shinigami for his lot in life was easy. However the most attractive part of it all was having a purpose for the first time in memory. His involvement in this group would eventually lead to an event that would bring the wrath of the Gotei down upon them. There had been on and off tensions with the few Shinigami that entered the District this far out but nothing ever came of it, until now. A Soul Reaper Patrol was ambushed by the revolutionaries however Nagato knew better than his compatriots and remained hidden during the fight. Two Shinigami defended themselves before splitting up to deal with fleeing attackers after it failed. Nagato tailed one of these Soul Reapers and, after he finished killing his attackers, Nagato attacked him. Almost sawing his head off with a knife before the swordsman could defend himself; stealing the dead man’s Zanpakutō, Nagato fled. The other revolutionaries treated him as a hero upon his return with the Shinigami’s weapon, while Nagato was proud feeling no shame at having used the other men’s deaths to his advantage; after all, it had been pragmatic. The Anti-Seireitei group patted themselves on the back for having defeated such a powerful enemy unfortunately they were deeply mistaken. They had managed to kill one inexperienced Soul Reaper carrying a Asauchi but now they were the targets of much more powerful beings. It was the Sixth Division that found them and within a matter of hours the group was broken, fleeing in all directions and Nagato was arrested.
Rise to Power
Nagato spent a year in Nawatsuki prison expecting to be executed. However he was released on parole by the Second Division and put through a reeducation program. At first this was simple chats telling him about the Gotei 6 and their history, the purpose of each division and other tidbits of information. In the beginning, still filled with hate, the man had refused to listen and other methods were used to make him amenable. Drugs, Kidō and other less fancy means were used to “open his mind”. In time he began to realise that the purpose of the Shinigami was much more important than the hurt feelings of a few Rukongai citizens. The parolee took an odd turn when he was taken out into the districts to see a Second Division squad slaughter a Hollow on the borders of the Soul Society. Any belief or faith that Nagato had held in the Revolution had now completely shifted to the Seireitei and the Defenders of the Balance. By the end of the year his parole officers informed him that he’d be attending the Academy and that failure was not an option for him, he either would become a Shinigami or he would never see daylight again. The first day of his attending the Academy he was given a very familiar Asauchi and told simply to remember that from this point on the past wouldn’t matter, who he was didn’t matter because from this point on he lived to be a blade of the Soul Society.
Nagato’s time at the academy went relatively well. He was moderately skilled at Zanjutsu and Hakuda showing more aptitude for unorthodox styles than the Gotei Styles. He was also quite talented in Hoho but showed little skill in Kidō barely scraping a pass. During his second year as a student he was taken aside by a joint Second and Sixth Taskforce to help them hunt down the remains of the revolutionaires. They had grown more dangerous and their cause was spreading. What Nagato didn’t know was that this was also a test of his loyalty however the Gotei needn't have been concerned as the student believed completely in the cause that he now pursued. Within a few weeks they had arrested or killed the remaining dissenters. Nagato would return to his duties however he would occasionally still be pulled aside by the Second Division to complete small missions which helped hone his skills. In 1970 he graduated with good marks in physical areas but lesser ones in Shinigami Spellcraft. He had formed no real friendships or attachments at the academy having little time for the majority of the Upper Class Souls that were attending. Upon graduation he sought to join the Second Division due to his work he’d already done with them but it was believed his new found respect for the Law, his need for Order as well as his knowledge of the Rukongai made him an ideal Sixth Division Recruit.
After a trial year as a recruit, largely as a patrolling officer in the Rukongai, he was promoted to Unseated Officer and spent more time in the World of the Living. In 1974 he was assigned to Rukongai Law Enforcement which he found extremely fulfilling as the man’s belief in the utter necessity and supremacy of the Law began to grow. Nagato spent every moment of his free time either pursuing his duty as a Soul Reaper or undergoing Martial Arts Training. After putting through an official request Nagato was given permission to train alongside the Second Division who he deeply respected and believed to be the greatest technically skilled martial artists within all of the Soul Society. It was because of this, and his history with that Division, that he was assigned to an unofficial joint Second-Sixth Taskforce to deal with internal criminal threats that fell under both Squads’ purviews.
After a few years Nagato found it much easier to work with the more private soldiers in the Second and, due to this, earned commendations for his service. If he had been a man of more individuality he might have requested a transfer but he it never occurred to him as the soldier believed that if he needed to be transferred that his superiors would make that choice. However due to this good service he was promoted to 20th Seat despite his lack of Shikai and was reassigned to Law Enforcement. It was around this time that he was assigned a recruit called Yuudai Oshiro as a partner to train. His new partner was annoyingly upbeat and talkative however he was also a quick student when it came to martial arts. Yuudai proved himself quite the skilled fighter already despite having only recently graduated which earned the stern Officer’s respect. Overtime Yuudai’s endless enthusiasm, and being easy to work with, meant that even someone as indifferent as Nagato began to trust the man as his partner. A year later Nagato was asked to join the Hunter Squad and work with the Second Division once more which he agreed to on the basis that he could take the now Unseated Officer Oshiro with him. This was agreed to.
As the duo continued their work as Hunters, also known as the Pursuit Hounds, Nagato became very frustrated. His young partner had only graduated the academy a few years ago but had already been accepted into the Hunters, Nagato had at first believed this was because of his request but later it became obvious that it was due to the junior Shinigami having unlocked Shikai. Having seen the power this granted his counterpart Nagato grew desperate in his attempts to find a way to unlock his own but had been unable to communicate with his Zanpakutō Spirit. So in 1990 Nagato approached the Fourth to seek out an expert in the matter who might be able to grant him access to any unclassified research into Zanpakutō Spirits and their relationships with their Shinigami. One researcher, an ancient Soul and a Shinigami with centuries of service, called Zâbel Kohara offered to help him. Her offer was that if Nagato would become her research subject for this topic of study then she would offer him her full assistance. Feeling like he had no time to waste the Sixth Division Shinigami agreed.
Nagato would continue on as an exemplary Hunter of Squad Six but was unable to find advancement within the division due to his power and skill plateauing. Blaming this on his lack of Shikai he threw himself into his cooperative studies with Zâbel. For years the two Shinigami made little progress however it was not Nagato, or even Zâbel, that managed to communicate with his mysterious Spirit. Rather it was Zâbel’s own Zanpakutō Spirit that made the connection thanks to the Fourth Division Shinigami’s Shikai release. After this, and after reading large volumes of texts on the subject, Nagato managed to make a connection with the Spirit inhabiting his sword. This Spirit was called Kako to Mirai. Unfortunately she was utterly useless and the man still couldn’t use Shikai. It was only after another few years that Nagato grew suspicious of Kako to Mirai, that she was somehow imperfect or incomplete as she lacked any wish to teach her Shinigami. He didn’t believe she was lying, or actively trying to work against him, rather she just seemed to be extremely unhelpful. Obsessed with current events but unwilling to talk about what had already happened or what might come to past she was extremely infuriating. Despite not unlocking his first release Nagato was grateful for all the time and effort Zâbel put into their project, he grew close to the woman and she became one of perhaps only two friends that he had ever made in the Seireitei. Out of perhaps sheer frustration and anger Nagato forced his Zanpakutō to assume a release without earning any understanding of the Spirit. Due to this the false release had no power although many assumed this was his Shikai and he only ever confirmed to Zâbel and Yuudai that this was not the case.
It wasn’t until 1997 that during a mission that Nagato managed to make the progress he had been pushing for all those years. A Hunter Squad was dispatched to deal with a Rogue Shinigami however when they found him he seemed mad and far more powerful than the Gotei Records had indicated. With only minutes Nagato and Yuudai were the only surviving members of the six man squad that was despatched to deal with the Rogue. Even wounded as he was their target initially managed to overpower the remaining pair. It was during this fight that Nagato reached his limit fearing that his best friend would be killed and that they’d fail to apprehend the traitorous murderer. Reaching deep into his soul he screamed at his Spirit to help but when she only responded with observations on the current situation, claiming that he shouldn’t worry as they were still alive, he snapped. It was then that the Shinigami snarled back that she needed to think what this could lead to.. If they failed here today then the repercussions of having the powerful traitor on the loose could threaten the sanctity of the Gotei. His Spirit chuckled in response and told him he was quite right, that they did need think about more than just this moment. She whispered a phrase softly into his mind which Nagato instinctively repeated. Releasing his Shikai he found himself armed with two Kali Sticks and threw himself at his opponent. Despite the release his opponent was still faster and stronger however Nagato now found he could see a ghostly image of the Rogue moving moments before the real man did. Using this strange power he managed to out maneuver the enemy and used the sticks to shatter his hip and arm. Meanwhile Yuudai moved in to support. The two realised their enemy was too powerful and dangerous to safely capture between them and so they destroyed the traitor on the spot.
Returning to the Soul Society the Shinigami were applauded for ending the man although their reports of the enemy confused their superiors as the Rogue had only been a low class Soul Reaper. Thanks to his Shikai however the next decade saw Nagato make more professional advancement than he had in the decade prior although he never confirmed which release was the true one or what it’s powers were. In 2003 he was promoted to 14th seat allowing him to jump up 6 seated positions. He continued to serve and began showing more officer traits. Not only was he a competent Hunter but a proven squad leader who provided direction to his partner over the years. More than this he had a knack for administrative work and was able to write, file and organise reports swiftly and efficiently. By 2011 he jumped another 4 seats to the impressive position of 10th Seat of Division Six.
He was content. The man was serving the Soul Society and improving himself. Everything seemed fine...but all of that would change.
Call to Action
Things began to change in 2013 when Tova caused the “The Great Seireitei Massacre”. Nagato was deployed as part of the Shinigami forces to defend the Soul Society from this threat. Nagato never could recall exactly what happened. He was fairly certain he saw the great enemy himself before blacking out. Whether he was simply caught in a shockwave of one of Tova’s incredible Cero or something similar he would never find out as he didn’t wake until a few weeks later in the Third Division’s hospital. Finding out that Captain Commander Mitsutaka Karahashi had perished Nagato was furious that he’d been utterly worthless during the event. Pushing himself further than before he began to increase his training regime. More than this he poured even more hours into his active duty.
Circumstances would cause Nagato to alter his path once more when the Sixth was merged with the Second Division. However unlike the majority of his comrades he volunteered to join the First Division and assist them with overseeing the transferring and reorganising of all of the Sixth’s criminal records. This voluntary Division move caused Nagato to be dropped back down to Unseated Rank which he accepted as a temporary set back. This was also the first time since meeting him that Yuudai and Nagato were no longer working together as partners.
A year later when the administrative duties Nagato had taken over were completed he joined the Second Division. However any plans of progress were once again disrupted by another invasion of the Soul Society, this time by Obsession and his Hollow forces. Nagato was deployed with numerous Shinigami from all Divisions to protect the Rukongai from numerous Hollow. Despite his experience and fighting proficiency the Shinigami actually struggled in this duty. Decades of chasing criminals, tracking down threats and even fighting Rogue Shinigami had left Nagato shockingly unused to combating Hollow. However he managed to keep fighting until the Invasion ended although he received quite severe injuries.
Now it is 2017. Nagato despairs at what he sees within and beyond the walls of the Seireitei. Vaizards, unholy and corrupt Shinigami, have infested all ranks of the Soul Society even the Captaincy itself. The Quincy have become a true threat for the first time in centuries and need to be addressed. Reports of Rogue Shinigami have also begun to surface and these traitorous scum must be apprehended, judged and dealt with. Things appear to be falling apart and Nagato will do everything he can to undo this damage through any means necessary
イシカワ長門
Unseated Officer - 2nd Division of the Gotei 5
[ AT A GLANCE ]
Given Name: Nagato (長門)
Family Name: Ishikawa (イシカワ)
Human Name and Title Captain David Huang (黄大卫)
Ethnicity: Chinese-American
Age: 107 (36 years alive, 2 days as a plus Soul, 19 years in the Rukongai, 6 years in the Academy and 46 years in the Gotei.)
Year of Birth: 1909 AD
Apparent Age: Late 30's
Birthday: February 15th
Gender: Male
Height: 5’11”/181cms
Weight: 151 lbs/68.5kg
Hair Colour: Black
Eye Colour: Light Blue
Skin Tone: Light
Dominant Hand: Right handed - Martially he could be considered almost ambidextrous.
Former Ranks (Chronological Order)
- Parolee: Second Division - 1963
- Student: Shin'ō Academy - 1964 to 1970
- Recruit: Sixth Division - 1970 to 1971
- Unseated Officer: Sixth Division - 1971 to 1987
- 20th Seat (Enforcer): Sixth Division - 1987 to 1988
- 20th Seat (Hunter Squad): Sixth Division - 1988 to 1998
- 14th Seat (Hunter Squad): Sixth Division - 1998 to 2011
- 10th Seat (Hunter Squad): Sixth Division - 2011 to 2015
- Unseated Officer (Records Office): First Division - 2015 to 2016
Current Rank: Unseated Officer: Second Division - 2016 to Ongoing
Positive Traits:
- Analytical
“As a human his academic studies were focused on statistics and probability and as a soldier he served as an intelligence officer. Later Nagato the Shinigami would join the Sixth Division where his ability to analyse the situation and apply logic was extremely helpful.” - Cunning
“Thanks to his impressive analytical skills, and perhaps even as a carry over from his past life, Nagato is skilled at problem solving and exploiting any weaknesses he sees. Also due to his persona and indifferent nature it can be difficult for others to get a read on him. Although many would not see his deceitful and manipulative traits as attractive to Nagato they are a strength, and something of which to be proud.” - Dedicated
“There are few things more important to Nagato than having ideals and nothing is more worthy of his time than pursuing such things. At his core he is a believer and his faith comes in the form of the necessary role the Shinigami play in the cycle.” - Disciplined
“A student of the martial arts is nothing without discipline; Nagato is fully aware of this and has disciplined himself both physically and mentally to improve himself as a soldier." - Unyielding
“Nagato is not easily swayed, he has his beliefs and goals. It is difficult to change this Soul’s way of thinking. Although easily seen as resolute he could also be considered inflexible.”
Negative Traits:
- Militant
“All Shinigami are Soldiers of the Seireitei. Nagato takes this to an extreme. 24/7 he lives his life as a member of the military, the warrior class of the Soul Society and believes that all Soul Reapers should live in such a way. All Shinigami must follow the laws of their society, the orders of their superiors and pursue their duties towards the Balance at all times.” - Indifferent
“A blunt individual he doesn’t have much time for empathy. Beyond his duties, ideals and his small number of personal interests there are few things Nagato cares about. He tends to come off as apathetic to the feelings or suffering of others, even when they are people for whom he might be concerned. This apathy is born of his overly analytical mindset and need for efficient solutions. At the end of the day the result is simply far more important than the feelings or even well being of others.” - Inflexible
“Nagato doesn’t change his mind easily. Whilst many times this is a good thing showing him as a strong willed individual, it also means that sometimes he refuses to accept reality when it conflicts with his belief. In the past he has been known to ignore possible merciful ways to enact his duties preferring to coldly enact the law and punishments without discrimination.” - Irascible
“Despite his self-discipline Nagato is a violent man by his very nature, easily irritated and angered. In fact much of his training has been about trying to learn to control this element of himself. There has been more than one occasion when the Shinigami has been reprimanded for excessive violence. This side of the man can be extremely brutal to behold. He would never admit it but Nagato also enjoys the violence that he participates in although whether as a release for his pent up anger or simply because he is a sadist even the man himself couldn’t say.” - Obsessive
“The downside of his focus is that sometimes Nagato gets get quite fanatical when it comes to certain subjects. Back during his time in the Sixth he was well known for becoming haunted by criminals he was unable to track down as well as by crimes that he couldn’t solve.”
Loyalties: The Gotei Five.
Snapshots:
- 1909: Born in Honolulu, Hawaii
- 1945: Killed in the Battle of Manila.
- 1945: Arrives in the Rukongai with no memory. Is accepted into a makeshift family.
- 1956: Joins Anti-Seireitei Revolutionaries.
- 1961: Part of a group that kills a Shinigami Patrol.
- 1962: Arrested by the Sixth Division.
- 1963: Released and undergoes reeducated by the Second Division.
- 1964 - 1970: Joins and eventually Graduates from the Academy.
- 1971: Join’s the Sixth Division
- 1997: Unlocks Shikai
- 2013: Injured during the Massacre
- 2015: Temporarily joins the First Division.
- 2016: Joins the Second Division.
[ ON THE SURFACE ]
Physical Description
Nagato was born 108 years ago but passed into the Rukongai 72 years ago and, like all souls, aged at a decreased pace since then. For the majority of his human life he aged quite slowly, keeping a very youthful exterior, it wasn’t until after he joined the war that his physical aging began to accelerate. By the time of Nagato’s death he looked to be in his early thirties and in the 72 years since he entered the Soul Society the man has only visibly aged a few years. Mid-to-late thirties is the best that anyone can put to the man however. Nagato’s face has been aged by an existence of violence, hard work and pain which are the primary indicator of his age. Despite this harsh aging Nagato might have been considered a handsome man were it not for the hard lines of his face giving his features an almost gaunt look. This already cold and unforgiving appearance is only made worse by the man’s expression to seemingly default to a scowl of some sort. It has been said that on the occasions where he grins it can sometimes be even more unsettling that when he looks furious.
The man stands at an unimpressive 181cms and weighs in at 68.5kg with his lean build causing him to not stand out much amongst his peers. What does help him stand out is his surprisingly pale skin and bright blue eyes, often regarded as cold, which create a sharp contrast to his pitch black hair. The man wears his hair in a medium length and plain fashion with the back coming down the nape of his neck, the sides cut around his ears and the fringe splayed across his forehead unevenly but with the longest part being the centre. Perhaps Nagato’s most eye catching feature is his long Fu Manchu moustache, the one part of his appearance he really cares about, which matches the colour of his hair.
Physical Build
As already mentioned Nagato stands a little short of 6 foot in height with an incredibly lean and toned build of a man much younger than he appears having hard whipcord like muscles. Once upon a time the Shinigami had a much bulkier build but has let himself become slimmer over the years but despite that he’s probably stronger, faster and more flexible than he’s ever been.
Nagato’s form has been shaped by his training regime, a constantly shifting workout schedule that the martial artist spends endless hours working on. In it’s current form the Shinigami focuses primarily on the weapon focused art of Kali and the empty hand mixed martial art known as Jeet Kune Do. This is all supplemented by large amounts of endurance exercises such as running and jump rope, core workouts like crunches and situps and strength training using weights. All of this is assisted by a carefully planned diet. The result of all of this is a man with an exceptionally muscular form, especially considering how lean he keeps himself. Of note is his trim waist and powerful legs, products of his empty hand training as well as his broad chest, powerful shoulders and well developed arms from the flowing Kali Stick Drills.
However his body is far from perfect despite the amount of work the man puts in. Decades of serving as a warrior for the Court of Pure Souls as well as a mixture of poor fortune against criminals and a violent existence in the Rukongai has left its mark. His torso, arms and legs are covered in scarring ranging from small faint line to dark criss-crossed scarring. Whilst the majority of these are only cosmetic there are a number that still ache from time to time, the worst being from a Rogue Shinigami in 1997.
Bearing:
A severe looking man the Shinigami can usually be found purposely striding around the Seireitei, or the Rukongai, depending on his goal at the time. His expression is often distant, cold and uncaring while his blue eyes, which would be considered a pretty feature in another face, gleam like ice seemingly without emotion. Although he makes an effort to appear steely it is not uncommon for the man to seem angry or frustrated causing his walk to become more akin to a furious march. A private individual, whether irritated or not, he prefers to keep his thoughts and feelings to himself.
Due to the lifetime of training and his finely honed body he moves with what could be compared to a dancer’s grace largely thanks to his Kali training. His movements are perfectly co-ordinated and, despite his build, his actions are surprisingly gentle. Thanks to his training regime the man has wonderful body mechanics and a perfect posture, something he learned to focus on during his numerous recovery periods after injuries sustained in the line of duty. One would expect the martial artist to be self-disciplined to the point of being capable of meditating in perfect stillness for lengthy periods of time like many traditional masters however this is not the case. Instead Nagato is practically incapable of it being restless needing to always be in action, even if only intellectually.
However when his fury is aroused those dead, cold, eyes burn with intense rage and he has a tendency to clench his teeth so that the muscles along his jaw and neck bulge. His movements become swifter and more forceful causing his gracefulness to transform into something more brutal and almost primal.
Voice
Nagato has a deep baritone voice that can come across as quite sinister and intimidating especially when angered. The man’s tones suits his rather dark appearance. There often seems to be an underlying tone of irritation or barely restrained fury when he speaks, even at the best of times. It is said when laughing or openly amused Nagato can sound more like he’s growling than any expected sound of amusement.
When it comes to any sort of regional accent Nagato's voice is somewhat lacking. The man has worked hard over the years to lose any trace of an accent and instead speaks with the bland, almost generic, tones of the Seireitei and inner districts. Once upon a time the man's voice was instead thick, somewhat higher, accent of the poorer districts, a distinct note of Nagato's particular one was how many sentences would end with a rise in pitch with a question like intonation pattern. When using his true accent the man tends to speak extremely quickly as did the other denizens of the Rukongai district he found himself in during the first years of his afterlife.
It should be noted that Nagato has only ever made the mistake of letting his accent slip a rare few times in front of another Soul Reaper and works hard to hide it. In truth he does so out of a strong hatred and distaste for where he came from.
Clothing
As a shinigami Nagato wears the same standard issue uniform of the Gotei that the majority of his colleagues wear. This uniform consists of the black kosode and hakama, along with a white shitagi and a white himo. For footwork he wears white tabi with straw waraji. The inside of Nagato’s kosode has the Second Division insignia emblazoned upon it. Despite his militaristic attitude and his pride as a soldier Nagato actually dislikes this style of clothing.
Nagato’s preference is for western style clothing and tends to dress in loose pants, long sleeved tops and leather boots. When it comes to these styles of clothings the man has a tendency for items of drab grey colours.
Gigai
Nagato’s gigai is an almost exact copy of the man. It is, perhaps, slightly less extreme in its athleticism and the fake body is missing the old scars his real form carries. Other than that it’s almost precisely the same.
When walking amongst the living the man tends to stick to black pinstriped suits which he pairs off with sleek green lensed glasses. The disguised Soul Reaper also likes to carry an umbrella with him regardless of the weather after getting caught one too many times in the rain without one. He finds it an utter pain when his Gigai gets soaked.
Spiritual Energy Colour: Semi-translucent Silver.
Spiritual Description
Nagato’s spiritual aura floats around him like an ethereal mist being hard to visibly see unless it’s forcefully exerted although this doesn’t affect the ability for spiritually attuned individuals to sense it. His Reiatsu seems to want to thin out as much as possible as if it’s trying to make itself as unnoticeable as it can. In conflicts however it changes completely reflecting the Shinigami’s mental state. It will cling to his body, becoming sharp like a blade, as Nagato focuses on the battle. The sensation that it evokes is like a chilling gale lashing against bare skin. However when Nagato loses his temper his Reiatsu is known to pulse and tremble becoming like a hot dry wind.
[ BEHIND THE EYES ]
Personality
Nagato is a servant of the Gotei 5 through and through. Although he doesn’t recall his life before he passed on to the Soul Society, the man resembles Captain David Huang S-2 Intelligence Officer who he once was. There are differences however as David grew up in a modern and relatively fair society. In comparison Nagato has been moulded into a harsher individual by the life he’s lived, first in the slums of the Rukongai and then later, by the Feudal Society of the Seireitei.
A Militaristic man who has dedicated his entire existence to serving as a Shinigami of the Seireitei, he also openly believes that all Soul Reapers need to understand that this is their entire purpose in life. His every action is in pursuit of his duty and he stringently follows the letter of the Law, orders from his Commanders and the rules that help the Gotei maintain the Balance. He in inflexible and unyielding in the pursuit of his duties believing in doing things a certain way and will not be swayed. This means Nagato is a practically incorruptible member of the Second Division but likewise he prefers his own methods and is not open to changing his tried and tested ways. However this also means that it can be very difficult to shake the faith that Nagato has in the Gotei and he is frequently blind to the imperfections of the organisation he services instead using excuses to claim that whatever inferiorities they might have are acceptable in pursuit of the Greater Good. Many say the man to be apathetic and cruel when dealing with others being incapable of showing mercy however Nagato simply claims to be faithfully protecting the peace. At the end of the day he will do whatever he feels he must as a true Shinigami.
As a soldier, and even from before those days, Nagato was a student of the martial arts. Thanks to this he is a very disciplined individual both mentally and physically. He has an extreme amount of control over himself, this shows itself in his very organised behaviour in his day to day dealings. This makes him both an efficient agent of the Second Division while also being extremely skilled at paperwork and the more bureaucratic side of being a Soul Reaper. However despite this discipline he is still an easily irritated and angry man. He finds many things and people annoying but this rage issue can sometimes boil over into extremely brutal behaviour, there is more than one incident of Nagato using excessive violence in pursuit of his duties during his time with the Sixth Division. He tries to balance his temper with his pragmatic view of the world but such control is not always possible. As an aside Nagato believes the studying of Martial Arts shouldn’t be for some foolish spiritual fulfilment or for focusing on “improving” yourself and that all combat skills exist to inflict harm. As such he’s fully aware that he’s studying the art of violence but claims that it is focused violence which is what makes it an art.
Another trait of the man, one that was often praised, is his focus which may be a side effect of his extensive self-discipline. Once he locks onto something he is extremely persistent and engages in tenacious pursuit of it until he completes his goals. Whilst this served him admirably as an Enforcer, and later Hunter of the Rokubatai, it also had a large downside. When Nagato fails to solve his problem or reach his goal it has a tendency to evolve into an obsession. This was known to occur when the man struggled to solve a crime that he was investigating or to apprehend a suspect. It is this that has driven Nagato on to become the skilled individual he is but, likewise, it can also cause him to become distracted for extensive periods of time.
The last, and perhaps most applaudable, side of Nagato is his adherence to logic. As a human it made him a skilled mathematician and statistician, later it was what allowed him to become such a talented Intelligence Officer for the US Army. Later, as a Shinigami, his problem solving abilities would allow him to develop into a promising Law Enforcement Officer. It also carries into his more physical activities which has helped the man advance his martial skills as well as being a benefit during battles. However his analytical skills, despite being impressive, suffer under Nagato’s tendency to live in the moment. He prefers to focus on the immediate situation and worry about what he is currently working on rather than concerning himself with the future and the past. This has, on more than one occasion, led to the man making mistakes or missing out on surprisingly obvious clues to a puzzle he’s attempting to solve. Despite this he is either too stubborn or blind to his own weaknesses to try and counter this issue. A darker side of the man’s analytical skill, although Nagato sees it as a strength, is how cunning he is. He can use his observations to target the weaknesses of others, take advantage of the people around him or manipulate people and events as he wishes.
One part of Nagato that few people see is the man on a personal level. For the most part he has neither the patience nor inclination to get to know his fellow Shinigami beyond the professional level. However there are a rare few who have managed to work their way past the man’s indifference and suffer through his unpleasant nature long enough to find the man beneath. Towards these people, who Nagato might even regard as friends, he will be fiercely loyal and will go out of his way to help. He cares deeply for such individuals and will be extremely protective towards them. He tends to disguise this pleasant side of himself beneath layers of biting sarcasm and sharp criticisms.
Past Achievements
- Unlocked Shikai
- Taught Kali to Sixth Division members.
- Reached 10th Seat in the Sixth Division.
- High Arrest Numbers.
- Executed a Number of Shinigami Traitors.
Goals
- Reach at least 10th Seat in the Second Division.
- Master Kali.
- Improve his unarmed skill.
- Find a way to deal with the Vaizard issue.
- Hunt down any Rogue Shinigami who have betrayed the Soul Society.
- Learn of the growing Quincy Threat and find a way to counter it.
Views on the 5 Court Guard Squads
- First Division
The Command Centre of the Gotei. They do crucial clerical and bureaucratic work. He does believe they should hand over all law enforcement to the Second however. - Second Division
Essential to the Security of the Soul Society. He feels they need to take on both the monitoring and dealing of internal and external threats. - Third Division
Nagato has little time for Kidō personally but he sees the necessity for a division to run the medical treatment which all militaries need. - Fourth Division
Nagato believes knowledge is power and the Fourth’s role is necessary. However he feels they are given too much latitude as soldiers and as such the quality of the Shinigami in this division tend to be the lowest of all the Gotei. - Fifth Division
Pure soldiery. A blunt, indiscriminate hammer to crush the enemies of Gotei. Nagato has a great respect for them however they are unsuitable for more subtle threats.
Views on the Various Races
- Shinigami
The Keepers of the Balance, the Soldiers of the Natural Cycle and the Protectors of Souls. Essential and necessary so long as they fulfil their purpose. Once they wander from their path then they must be dealt with. - Vaizards
Corrupted. Unholy. It disgusts Nagato that they have not been forcibly purified, it sickens him that they’re still allowed to serve as Soul Reapers and it utterly horrifies him that they are still allowed to retain positions of power. - Hollow
Dangerous beasts but the majority of the time it is not their fault. Such creatures must be destroyed but it is a gift to do so, purifying them will allow their souls to return to the natural cycle. - Arrancar
Unlike Hollow these beings are purposefully villainous. As intelligent as any Soul Reaper and largely aligned with the Las Noches these beings must be opposed at every step. - Quincy
A grave threat. Whether intentionally malicious or simply ignorant of the harm they cause is unimportant. They must be stopped and the sooner the Gotei takes action the better it will be for all souls. - Mortal Spiritualists
Ignorant. Not as grave a threat as the Quincy but they still need to be observed. They could, through their lack of knowledge and experience, cause more harm than good despite the best of intentions. - Humans
Simple souls. Young, weak, defenceless and without purpose. They should be pitied and, when possible, it is a Shinigami’s duty to defend them from the Hollow threat that they can’t even see. However Nagato knows it’s not always possible to protect them and doesn’t believe it’s worth the Gotei’s limited resources to attempt to do so in all situations. It’s a simple risk cost analysis. Even when they are devoured or killed they’ll simply pass back into the cycle sooner or later. Everything dies.
[ GUARDIAN ANGEL ]
Zanpakutō Name: Kako to Mirai (Trans: Past and Future)
True Release Phrase: “Look Back while Gazing Forward.”
False Release Phrase: “Focus on the Moment.”
Zanpakutō Type: Temporal Manipulation.
Zanpakutō Spirit:
Kako to Mirai appears as a striking woman in her early fifties, she has fair skin and beautiful long, brown hair with white highlights. The woman dresses in a flowing archaic long white gown. This was his Zanpakutō Spirit as he first met her and he was shocked at what appeared to be a calm, gentle, and wise woman. Instead she turned out to be utterly infuriating and unhelpful. The woman rarely speaks and when such words can be drawn from her she largely only speaks about the immediate situation. Focusing on things that are occurring in the very moment, she speaks caring neither for things that have already occurred or what might happen in the future. She has a great interest in art and can often be found painting or taking part in some other artisan craft when Nagato visits his inner world.
The Shinigami couldn’t comprehend how his own Spirit could be so unhelpful. It took years for Nagato to understand what he was missing. It turned out that Kako to Mirai was a false form, rather she was actually they and they were actually Kako and Mirai. Despite this being revealed the Spirits still claim to both be separate and together.
Kako is the older looking of the two sisters although they claim to be twins. Kako, meaning past, appears to be a tall, beautiful woman in her late twenties. The woman has a slight tan, long disheveled brown hair and bright green eyes. Blessed with a well toned and athletic body, she possesses a large bust and wide hips. Dressing scantily in a white dress which reaches just beyond her knees, the top barely wraps around her torso leaving the majority of her back and sides bare, as well as the lower half of her stomach. She is easily the most talkative of the three spirits. Kako spends a large portion of her time reminiscing about what has already come to pass and studying history from large tomes, although Nagato has absolutely no idea where she gets such things from.
However she does have her own hobbies, being an active and cheerful woman she loves music, dancing and singing as well as sharing Nagato’s interest in martial arts. Of all the spirits she is the only one that is willing and eager to engage him in sparring matches to practice his various styles of fighting.
Mirai appears to be the younger of the supposed twins taking the form of a young lady in her late teens or early twenties. Physically she appears as an extremely pale woman with long white-blonde hair with carefully applied makeup which is vaguely reminiscent of the nobility from feudal China. She is also extremely delicate, almost ghostly, in appearance being very slim and relatively short but is no less beautiful than her sister. This isn’t helped by her tendency to appear like she’s daydreaming when she gets lost in thought. Mirai tends to wear silk clothing that shares similarities to the Chinese Cheongsam.
She is everything that Kako is not. Where Kako is loud, she is reserved, where her sister is hyperactive she is contemplative. It is hard to draw her into a conversation but when Mirai speaks it is mostly about what she believes might come and she admits to often worrying about what fate might bring next. One topic that can bring some enthusiasm when talking with her is making plans as she shows quite a bit of interest in speculating on what might be the best path to take.
Despite Mirai’s quiet nature she does have at least one interest that Nagato has discovered. The Spirit is extremely interested in astrology of all traditions and will sometimes even explain such things to Nagato without any prompting, an unusual action from the gentle spirit.
Despite her apparent lack of activity the woman is just as skilled at Kali as her sister, perhaps more so, but rarely can be made to take part in such activities.
One thing Nagato has discovered which he finds annoying about all 3 spirits is that whether obnoxiously loud, frustratingly quiet or exhaustingly confusing they are all much, much smarter than he.
Of note Nagato only realised relatively recently after reading some Human literature that his Zanpakutō bears at least a passing resemblance to the Roman Goddess of Prophecy Carmenta and her two aspects/companions Antevorta Goddess of the Future and Postverta Goddess of the past.
Inner World
Nagato’s inner world is one that he enjoys visiting greatly and a place that brings him great piece. It is known as “The Village” filled with simple humble buildings built along a gently flowing river and within a clearing in a heavily forested area. Mountains surround the entire area completely and can not be passed through any effort.
Large fields of colourful flowers are growing amongst the village being cared for by the lively Kako. There is also a large empty area that the woman keeps cleared to be used for martial arts practice for whenever Nagato wishes to join her for training.
Despite the basic huts and buildings within the area their insides do not logically conform to their appearance. Entering one leads to a vast library of seemingly unending knowledge which appears to be larger than the village itself, while another goes to a grand art studio or to a modern space observatory. The locations these huts lead to are ever changing and are seemingly not tied to the buildings themselves. Nagato has yet to visit all these areas although he has begun to work out that these portals seem to be dictated by the time of day, month, year and the position of the stars themselves as well as the lunar cycle. Whenever he attempts to question the Spirits they simply ignore his query but they appear to be able to navigate to any area without trouble.
While Kako can usually be found either running around the village, fishing in the river, caring for the gardens or lying in the sun reading it is usually much more difficult to find Mirai. The quieter sister is usually in the observatory but when she does go outside the younger looking Spirit will wander off into the huge forests where she’ll simply sit and appear to daydream. If it’s night she may be found staring up at the skies as if trying to pick secret's out from the heavens. However this is not to say that Kako spends all her time in the outdoors but when she enters the strange other dimension filled with various areas the past obsessed Spirit will usually spends large portions of her time in the library.
Although they rarely combine into Kako to Mirai these days, when they do the fused Spirit prefer to spend her time in the Art Studio painting, sculpting and undertaking other hobbies which display her great creativity.
Shikai Power: Temporal Probability Predicting.
Power Description
On the surface Kako to Mirai’s power seems to be the gift to see the immediate future actions of anyone in sight. This appears as a ghostly image acting moments before the real person moves however that would be a colossal simplification. In reality the dual Zanpakutō Spirits work in concert to look into both the person’s past actions while also looking at all their possible immediate future actions. This allows them to determine the most likely outcome and then they will use Nagato’s subconscious to analyse the situation and narrow this down further. In circumstances where there are multiple possible outcomes they will all be shown at once.
Whilst this can be quite a formidable power it has it’s weaknesses. During battle an opponent with little past fighting experience will make the process of narrowing down their possible actions more difficult. The prediction can also be wrong in which case the ghostly before-image will distract Nagato. Also when there are multiple instantaneous predictions it can be quite difficult to visually track in the middle of battle.
However the greatest, and most worrying, weakness of his Zanpakutō is that Nagato needs to keep physical contact with both bastons as the spirits communicate with one another through him. If he loses one of the sticks in the heat of battle then the power will simply cease to function.
Sealed Zanpakutō Form:
Unlike most Shinigami Nagato does not use a sword, in fact his weapon isn’t of Japanese design at all. This is likely for the best as despite the Soul Reaper’s extensive weapons training he never really had the knack for the Japanese Longsword. Rather the sealed form of Kako to Mirai takes the form of a 1943 M3 Fighting Knife/Trench Knife, the weapon that Nagato used in the last three years of his life up until his death.
The weapon uses a bayonet-style spear-point blade of 6 7/8 inches with a 3 1/2 inch false edge. The weapon appears to be forged from carbon steel which has been parkerized to give it a non-reflective gray finish. Unlike the actual US Army M3 Knife it has a tacked leather round handle. The overall length of the weapon is 11 ⅝ inches.
The knife rests in a dark green scabbard with a steel throat known as a M8A1 Fiber Comp-Glass Reinforced Nylon Sheath.
How he wears the weapon depends on what clothes he has chosen. When wearing his Shihakushō he will carry the weapon inside his jacket. When wearing more western clothes he tends to strap the knife to his boot. In either case he tries to keep it out of sight as the element of surprise can be a powerful weapon.
Released Zanpakutō Form
When released the two spirits of Nagato’s Zanpakutō cause a dual weapon release taking the form of Nagato’s favourite type of weapon. They appear as a set of Bastons, also known as Kali/Eskrima/Arnis sticks.
The completely identical sticks are 28 inches long and approximately an inch in diameter. The sticks appears to be made from Indonesian Rattan with a black banding pattern. Although they seem to be made from mere wood, and as such one would think would be useless against steel weaponry, they are much more durable than they appear due to their spiritual nature.
The form of this weapon was exceptionally useful for Nagato as he could use them for disarms and in combination with his empty hand techniques to perform locks or other disabling strikes when capturing criminals during his time with the Sixth. However it would be wrong to underestimate impact weaponry for they can still break, crack and shatter on the Soul Reaper’s opponents.
It is not unheard of for Nagato to keep his Shikai released for lengthy periods of time as he prefers these weapons to the short knife of his sealed weapon.
False Release Zanpakutō Form:
For years Nagato failed to communicate with his spirit and when he finally did the man couldn’t understand how she could be so impossibly unhelpful. Later he realised she was hiding her true form until Nagato would admit, even if only in the heat of the moment, that he had to think of more than just the moment he was living in.
It was during this period lying between communicating with the fused spirit and learning of her true form that he found a way to force a release without any accompanying understanding. Nagato’s Zanpakutō transforms into a Filipino Dahong palay like those he once trained with in his human life and later in the Soul Society once rediscovering Kali.
The weapon is not a very large sword with it blade only reaching 21.25” and having an overall length of 27.75″ with the handle only being large enough for a single handed grip. The blade is single edged with a curved cutting edge. The overall blade profile is known as a rice leaf shape. The weapon is simple in design and unadorned.
Due to being a false release it grants no benefits or powers.
Not so Common Knowledge:
Nagato is exceptionally private about his Shikai to the point that only one other individual is aware of it’s power. This is partially because he is aware of the weaknesses of his weapon and also because he believes keeping it hidden gives him an advantage in combat.
However part of this is also due to the Seireitei’s rules around temporal Kidō. The Shinigami believes that, despite it technically being a subtype of Temporal Manipulation, that he is in the clear due to the fact that it’s limited to a type of imperfect prediction. Despite that he’s unwilling to take that risk regardless of his own dedication to upholding the Gotei’s laws.
It’s worth noting that very few people in the Soul Society are aware of which release is his true Shikai, many assuming it must be the sword not the sticks. Nagato has never confirmed which to any one but his closest friends. He also enjoys the element of surprise and the tactical advantages of having a weapon that can assume 3 separate forms.
[ BRUTAL ART ]
Kali
“A proper flow is the instinctual ability to adapt to a confrontational situation naturally, no matter the range of the weapon.” - Grandmaster Remy A. Presas
Nagato’s main martial art is the Filipino Fighting Style of Kali also known as Arnis and Eskrima. The focus of this art is on weaponry such as sticks, swords, knives and even more unusual things such as pieces of fabric. There are also unarmed components although this is far from Nagato’s focus in this art.
The man first learned this art as a human when serving in the US Army. While stationed in the Philippines which he continued to develop during the hand-to-hand combat with the Japanese in WW2. After dying he retained the skills instinctively but with no memory attached to them. It was only later in the Rukongai when he met individuals who had knowledge of the skill that he was able to relearn the techniques and associated terminology. He would continue to work towards mastering the art over the decades including seeking out other practitioners in the Soul Society.
Jeet Kune Do
“Empty your mind, be formless. Shapeless, like water. If you put water into a cup, it becomes the cup. You put water into a bottle and it becomes the bottle. You put it into a teapot, it becomes the teapot. Now, water can flow or it can crash.” - Bruce Lee
The martial art invented by Bruce Lee in 1969. The version that Nagato studies is known as JKD Concepts, taking what is useful and casting aside that which is not. His own style is comprised of using Wing Chun as a base but diverging into a true Mixed Martial Art format. This means it consists of techniques from Chinese Martial Arts, Indonesian Martial arts, BJJ, Boxing, Savate, Muay Thai, Kickboxing as well as the application of pragmatism. Constantly evolving and changing as Nagato attempts to become as skilled and powerful. Nagato picked this style up in the early 80’s after meeting a number of practitioners in the Second and Sixth Divisions who were willing to teach.
Other Arts
“Research your own experience. Absorb what is useful, reject what is useless, and add what is specifically your own” - Guro Dan Inosanto
To a lesser extent Nagato has trained in other arts. The primary of these are Gotei Zanjutsu and Hakuda. However he has also trained in styles such as the Karate, Jiu Jitsu, Iaijutsu, Judo, Tae Kwon Do as well as many of the styles previously mentioned that he has adapted for his JKD. One worth mentioning, although he doesn’t train in any more, would be the Internal Chinese Martial Arts which his father tutored him in during his early years as a mortal. He constantly seeks out new arts to learn and integrate into his personal JKD style.
[ LEGACY CREATED ]
Full Timeline
Amongst the Living
- 1909: Born in Honolulu, Hawaii.
- 1931: Graduates from UCLA with a Bachelors in Applied Mathematics & Statistics.
- 1934: Enlists into the Hawaii National Guard.
- 1936: Earns a Commission after graduating from the Officer Candidate School.
- 1938: Son is born, takes a break from active service.
- 1940: Returns to active service as a Lieutenant.
- 1941: Attached to USAFFE as a S-2 and dispatched to the Philippines.
- 1942: Promoted to Captain.
- 1942: Remains in the Philippines as part of USFIP operations.
- 1942: Refuses to surrender and joins Philippine resistance
- 1945: Killed in the Battle of Manila.
A Lost Soul
- 1945: Almost immediately passes on to the Soul Society.
Citizen of the Rukongai
- 1945: Arrives in the Rukongai with no memory. Is accepted into a makeshift family.
- 1947: Joins an underworld fight club.
- 1950: Joins a group of Martial Artists. Teaches others while countering Bandit activity.
- 1956: Joins Anti-Seireitei Revolutionaries.
- 1961: Part of a group that kills a Shinigami Patrol.
- 1962: Arrested by the Sixth Division.
- 1963: Released and reeducated by the Second Division.
Academy Student
- 1964: Joins the Academy.
- 1966: Joins a task force to help hunt down remaining Revolutionaries.
- 1970: Graduates and is assigned to the Sixth Division.
Sixth Division
- 1971: Becomes a full Division member after a trial year as a recruit.
- 1974: Assigned to Rukongai law enforcement.
- 1979: Assigned to work with the Second Division to deal with internal threats.
- 1987: Promoted to 20th Seat to work as an Enforcer.
- 1988: Attached to the Second Division to work in a Hunter Squad.
- 1989: Gets Partnered with Yuudai Oshiro.
- 1990: Frustrated at still failing to obtain Shikai he approaches the Fourth for access to Zanpakutō Spirit research.
- 1994: Unlock False-Shikai Release.
- 1997: Unlocks Shikai when apprehending a Renegade Soul Reaper.
- 2003: Promoted to 14th Seat.
- 2011: Promoted to 10th Seat
- 2013: Nearly killed during the Massacre.
First Division
- 2015: After the dissolution of the Sixth he temporarily joins the First.
Sixth Division
- 2016: Joins the Second Division as an Unseated Shinigami.
- 2016: Defends Rukongai from Obsession’s Hollow forces.
- 2017: Current Time.
Origin
The Shinigami Nagato Ishikawa, then known as David Huang, was born in Honolulu the Capital of Hawaii in 1909. Nagato was born to a Chinese Father and an English-American Mother, he might have faced discrimination for his ethnicity but he was lucky that his mother came from money and that her parents doted on their grandson. His Father, an Accountant, trained him in Martial Arts from a young age as well as seeking out other teachers from the local Chinese Community. Meanwhile his mother pushed him in his academic studies. Eventually he would attend UCLA and graduate with a BSc in Applied Mathematics and Statistics, during this time he met the woman who would become his wife. Not wishing to follow his father into finance he enlisted into the Hawaii National Guard and later attended Officer Candidate School where he earned his Commission graduating as a Second Lieutenant. Just after graduating David got married to his long-term girlfriend, in 1938 he took a break from active service when his son was born. Two years later he would return to full active service and receives a promotion to First lieutenant.
In the first half of 1941 David was tapped by Military Intelligence and made an S-2 Intelligence Officer. A few months later he was dispatched to the USAFFE (United States Army Forces in the Far East) in October to the Philippines. Here he served as a liaison between Filipino Scouts and HQ. During this time he grew close to the local community and began to study their martial art Kali. A year later he was promoted to Captain and stayed behind with USFIP operations (United States Forces in the Philippines) after General Douglas MacArthur pulled out due to the Japanese threat. Later, when USFIP surrendered, David carried on unofficially fighting alongside the guerrilla forces of the Philippine Resistance.
Joining Hunters ROTC, a Filipino guerrilla unit, he would mostly help with intelligence gathering however he took part in numerous skirmishes with the Japanese. On more than one occasion he even engaged in hand-to-hand combat using his trusty M3 Trench Knife and, occasionally, Filipino Bolo Swords. Unfortunately, towards the end of the war, during the Battle of Manila Captain David Huang was struck in the neck by a stray bullet. He perished. An unceremonious end to an unpublished career. Due to the unofficial nature of his work he was never even counted in final death statistics of the battle.
The man that had been David Huang was dead and replaced by a wandering Plus Soul. One that couldn’t properly recall who, or even what, he had been. Within a few days a black garbed figure carrying a sword whispered words of assurance and sent him on his way to the next life.
The memoryless soul awoke in a place known as the Rukongai, specifically the 76th District in East Rukongai Sakahone. It was an impoverished and violent town that he found himself in. Luckily it seemed his state of confusing amnesia was not uncommon, in fact it seemed to be universal for all the other souls. He was swiftly adopted by a sort of family, a gathering of likewise lost souls who banded together to look after one another. It was these men who gave him the name Nagato Ishikawa. It was during these first months that he and his new family were attacked by thugs however he picked up two sticks and fought them, even killing a few of them. As time went by Nagato found himself with more unexplained martial knowledge with sticks, knives, swords and empty hand. Wishing to explore this side of himself, and also seeking an outlet for his anger at living in such shit conditions, he joined an illegal underworld fighting circuit. Some of these fights ended in bruises and cuts however most ended in much worse. To Nagato’s shock he didn’t feel much guilt at these actions and he deeply enjoyed the violence in which he was taking part. A few years later the area he lived in began suffering harassment from semi-organised bandits. A group of talented fighters from the fighting circuit, including Nagato, teamed up to fight the bandits while teaching others how to inflict as much harm on these enemies as possible. It was during this period that Nagato began to develop a great appetite, a sign of growing Spiritual Power, but so far out from the Soul Society it was far from a guarantee that he’d ever learn to use it.
The next few years were what would decide the direction of Nagato’s existence. In 1956 he joined a group of individuals, so called revolutionaries, who were forming an Anti-Seireitei Faction. He found such a group attractive. The excitement from the underworld fight clubs had grown stale and he needed a new outlet for his rage, blaming the Shinigami for his lot in life was easy. However the most attractive part of it all was having a purpose for the first time in memory. His involvement in this group would eventually lead to an event that would bring the wrath of the Gotei down upon them. There had been on and off tensions with the few Shinigami that entered the District this far out but nothing ever came of it, until now. A Soul Reaper Patrol was ambushed by the revolutionaries however Nagato knew better than his compatriots and remained hidden during the fight. Two Shinigami defended themselves before splitting up to deal with fleeing attackers after it failed. Nagato tailed one of these Soul Reapers and, after he finished killing his attackers, Nagato attacked him. Almost sawing his head off with a knife before the swordsman could defend himself; stealing the dead man’s Zanpakutō, Nagato fled. The other revolutionaries treated him as a hero upon his return with the Shinigami’s weapon, while Nagato was proud feeling no shame at having used the other men’s deaths to his advantage; after all, it had been pragmatic. The Anti-Seireitei group patted themselves on the back for having defeated such a powerful enemy unfortunately they were deeply mistaken. They had managed to kill one inexperienced Soul Reaper carrying a Asauchi but now they were the targets of much more powerful beings. It was the Sixth Division that found them and within a matter of hours the group was broken, fleeing in all directions and Nagato was arrested.
Rise to Power
Nagato spent a year in Nawatsuki prison expecting to be executed. However he was released on parole by the Second Division and put through a reeducation program. At first this was simple chats telling him about the Gotei 6 and their history, the purpose of each division and other tidbits of information. In the beginning, still filled with hate, the man had refused to listen and other methods were used to make him amenable. Drugs, Kidō and other less fancy means were used to “open his mind”. In time he began to realise that the purpose of the Shinigami was much more important than the hurt feelings of a few Rukongai citizens. The parolee took an odd turn when he was taken out into the districts to see a Second Division squad slaughter a Hollow on the borders of the Soul Society. Any belief or faith that Nagato had held in the Revolution had now completely shifted to the Seireitei and the Defenders of the Balance. By the end of the year his parole officers informed him that he’d be attending the Academy and that failure was not an option for him, he either would become a Shinigami or he would never see daylight again. The first day of his attending the Academy he was given a very familiar Asauchi and told simply to remember that from this point on the past wouldn’t matter, who he was didn’t matter because from this point on he lived to be a blade of the Soul Society.
Nagato’s time at the academy went relatively well. He was moderately skilled at Zanjutsu and Hakuda showing more aptitude for unorthodox styles than the Gotei Styles. He was also quite talented in Hoho but showed little skill in Kidō barely scraping a pass. During his second year as a student he was taken aside by a joint Second and Sixth Taskforce to help them hunt down the remains of the revolutionaires. They had grown more dangerous and their cause was spreading. What Nagato didn’t know was that this was also a test of his loyalty however the Gotei needn't have been concerned as the student believed completely in the cause that he now pursued. Within a few weeks they had arrested or killed the remaining dissenters. Nagato would return to his duties however he would occasionally still be pulled aside by the Second Division to complete small missions which helped hone his skills. In 1970 he graduated with good marks in physical areas but lesser ones in Shinigami Spellcraft. He had formed no real friendships or attachments at the academy having little time for the majority of the Upper Class Souls that were attending. Upon graduation he sought to join the Second Division due to his work he’d already done with them but it was believed his new found respect for the Law, his need for Order as well as his knowledge of the Rukongai made him an ideal Sixth Division Recruit.
After a trial year as a recruit, largely as a patrolling officer in the Rukongai, he was promoted to Unseated Officer and spent more time in the World of the Living. In 1974 he was assigned to Rukongai Law Enforcement which he found extremely fulfilling as the man’s belief in the utter necessity and supremacy of the Law began to grow. Nagato spent every moment of his free time either pursuing his duty as a Soul Reaper or undergoing Martial Arts Training. After putting through an official request Nagato was given permission to train alongside the Second Division who he deeply respected and believed to be the greatest technically skilled martial artists within all of the Soul Society. It was because of this, and his history with that Division, that he was assigned to an unofficial joint Second-Sixth Taskforce to deal with internal criminal threats that fell under both Squads’ purviews.
After a few years Nagato found it much easier to work with the more private soldiers in the Second and, due to this, earned commendations for his service. If he had been a man of more individuality he might have requested a transfer but he it never occurred to him as the soldier believed that if he needed to be transferred that his superiors would make that choice. However due to this good service he was promoted to 20th Seat despite his lack of Shikai and was reassigned to Law Enforcement. It was around this time that he was assigned a recruit called Yuudai Oshiro as a partner to train. His new partner was annoyingly upbeat and talkative however he was also a quick student when it came to martial arts. Yuudai proved himself quite the skilled fighter already despite having only recently graduated which earned the stern Officer’s respect. Overtime Yuudai’s endless enthusiasm, and being easy to work with, meant that even someone as indifferent as Nagato began to trust the man as his partner. A year later Nagato was asked to join the Hunter Squad and work with the Second Division once more which he agreed to on the basis that he could take the now Unseated Officer Oshiro with him. This was agreed to.
As the duo continued their work as Hunters, also known as the Pursuit Hounds, Nagato became very frustrated. His young partner had only graduated the academy a few years ago but had already been accepted into the Hunters, Nagato had at first believed this was because of his request but later it became obvious that it was due to the junior Shinigami having unlocked Shikai. Having seen the power this granted his counterpart Nagato grew desperate in his attempts to find a way to unlock his own but had been unable to communicate with his Zanpakutō Spirit. So in 1990 Nagato approached the Fourth to seek out an expert in the matter who might be able to grant him access to any unclassified research into Zanpakutō Spirits and their relationships with their Shinigami. One researcher, an ancient Soul and a Shinigami with centuries of service, called Zâbel Kohara offered to help him. Her offer was that if Nagato would become her research subject for this topic of study then she would offer him her full assistance. Feeling like he had no time to waste the Sixth Division Shinigami agreed.
Nagato would continue on as an exemplary Hunter of Squad Six but was unable to find advancement within the division due to his power and skill plateauing. Blaming this on his lack of Shikai he threw himself into his cooperative studies with Zâbel. For years the two Shinigami made little progress however it was not Nagato, or even Zâbel, that managed to communicate with his mysterious Spirit. Rather it was Zâbel’s own Zanpakutō Spirit that made the connection thanks to the Fourth Division Shinigami’s Shikai release. After this, and after reading large volumes of texts on the subject, Nagato managed to make a connection with the Spirit inhabiting his sword. This Spirit was called Kako to Mirai. Unfortunately she was utterly useless and the man still couldn’t use Shikai. It was only after another few years that Nagato grew suspicious of Kako to Mirai, that she was somehow imperfect or incomplete as she lacked any wish to teach her Shinigami. He didn’t believe she was lying, or actively trying to work against him, rather she just seemed to be extremely unhelpful. Obsessed with current events but unwilling to talk about what had already happened or what might come to past she was extremely infuriating. Despite not unlocking his first release Nagato was grateful for all the time and effort Zâbel put into their project, he grew close to the woman and she became one of perhaps only two friends that he had ever made in the Seireitei. Out of perhaps sheer frustration and anger Nagato forced his Zanpakutō to assume a release without earning any understanding of the Spirit. Due to this the false release had no power although many assumed this was his Shikai and he only ever confirmed to Zâbel and Yuudai that this was not the case.
It wasn’t until 1997 that during a mission that Nagato managed to make the progress he had been pushing for all those years. A Hunter Squad was dispatched to deal with a Rogue Shinigami however when they found him he seemed mad and far more powerful than the Gotei Records had indicated. With only minutes Nagato and Yuudai were the only surviving members of the six man squad that was despatched to deal with the Rogue. Even wounded as he was their target initially managed to overpower the remaining pair. It was during this fight that Nagato reached his limit fearing that his best friend would be killed and that they’d fail to apprehend the traitorous murderer. Reaching deep into his soul he screamed at his Spirit to help but when she only responded with observations on the current situation, claiming that he shouldn’t worry as they were still alive, he snapped. It was then that the Shinigami snarled back that she needed to think what this could lead to.. If they failed here today then the repercussions of having the powerful traitor on the loose could threaten the sanctity of the Gotei. His Spirit chuckled in response and told him he was quite right, that they did need think about more than just this moment. She whispered a phrase softly into his mind which Nagato instinctively repeated. Releasing his Shikai he found himself armed with two Kali Sticks and threw himself at his opponent. Despite the release his opponent was still faster and stronger however Nagato now found he could see a ghostly image of the Rogue moving moments before the real man did. Using this strange power he managed to out maneuver the enemy and used the sticks to shatter his hip and arm. Meanwhile Yuudai moved in to support. The two realised their enemy was too powerful and dangerous to safely capture between them and so they destroyed the traitor on the spot.
Returning to the Soul Society the Shinigami were applauded for ending the man although their reports of the enemy confused their superiors as the Rogue had only been a low class Soul Reaper. Thanks to his Shikai however the next decade saw Nagato make more professional advancement than he had in the decade prior although he never confirmed which release was the true one or what it’s powers were. In 2003 he was promoted to 14th seat allowing him to jump up 6 seated positions. He continued to serve and began showing more officer traits. Not only was he a competent Hunter but a proven squad leader who provided direction to his partner over the years. More than this he had a knack for administrative work and was able to write, file and organise reports swiftly and efficiently. By 2011 he jumped another 4 seats to the impressive position of 10th Seat of Division Six.
He was content. The man was serving the Soul Society and improving himself. Everything seemed fine...but all of that would change.
Call to Action
Things began to change in 2013 when Tova caused the “The Great Seireitei Massacre”. Nagato was deployed as part of the Shinigami forces to defend the Soul Society from this threat. Nagato never could recall exactly what happened. He was fairly certain he saw the great enemy himself before blacking out. Whether he was simply caught in a shockwave of one of Tova’s incredible Cero or something similar he would never find out as he didn’t wake until a few weeks later in the Third Division’s hospital. Finding out that Captain Commander Mitsutaka Karahashi had perished Nagato was furious that he’d been utterly worthless during the event. Pushing himself further than before he began to increase his training regime. More than this he poured even more hours into his active duty.
Circumstances would cause Nagato to alter his path once more when the Sixth was merged with the Second Division. However unlike the majority of his comrades he volunteered to join the First Division and assist them with overseeing the transferring and reorganising of all of the Sixth’s criminal records. This voluntary Division move caused Nagato to be dropped back down to Unseated Rank which he accepted as a temporary set back. This was also the first time since meeting him that Yuudai and Nagato were no longer working together as partners.
A year later when the administrative duties Nagato had taken over were completed he joined the Second Division. However any plans of progress were once again disrupted by another invasion of the Soul Society, this time by Obsession and his Hollow forces. Nagato was deployed with numerous Shinigami from all Divisions to protect the Rukongai from numerous Hollow. Despite his experience and fighting proficiency the Shinigami actually struggled in this duty. Decades of chasing criminals, tracking down threats and even fighting Rogue Shinigami had left Nagato shockingly unused to combating Hollow. However he managed to keep fighting until the Invasion ended although he received quite severe injuries.
Now it is 2017. Nagato despairs at what he sees within and beyond the walls of the Seireitei. Vaizards, unholy and corrupt Shinigami, have infested all ranks of the Soul Society even the Captaincy itself. The Quincy have become a true threat for the first time in centuries and need to be addressed. Reports of Rogue Shinigami have also begun to surface and these traitorous scum must be apprehended, judged and dealt with. Things appear to be falling apart and Nagato will do everything he can to undo this damage through any means necessary
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