A Knife in the Dark [Nagato Meta]

Who is Nagato?

Nagato is a soul who 107 years old, 36 of those years as a living human. He died in 1945 in WW2 during the Battle of Manila. After this he would live in the Rukongai for several years where he joined a group of Anti-Gotei revolutionaries. During this time he even took part in the murder of a Shinigami whose Zanpakutō he stole. Eventually they were, of course, defeated having drawn the Gotei's attention truly due to their actions. Nagato was arrested by the Sixth but after only a year was released by the Second. He underwent a year of "reeducation" and came out fully believing in the necessity of the Shinigami and their role in maintaining the balance. In 1964 he began to entered the Academy under the Second Division's recommendation and was given a gift, or rather a reminder, the Zanpakutō that he had stolen from the Shinigami he killed.

Nagato graduated from the Academy in 1971. From then he served in the Sixth Squad where he ended up specialising as a Hunter - Part of a group tasked with tracking down, capturing and executing criminals or threats to the Soul Society. In this role he worked primarily with the Second due to his former relationship with the Division. During this time he partnered up with a new recruit who would become one of his few friends, a Shinigami called Yuudai Oshiro .

In the 1990's, desperate to discover his Shikai, he began working with Zâbel Kohara a veteran and Fourth Division Researcher. During those years he mistakenly tried to force the ability and as such discovered a false release before eventually managing to manifest a true Shikai.

He was involved in the Massacre, fighting alongside his comrades to defend the Soul Society from invading Hollow and by 2015 he was a 10th Seat of the Sixth Division. It was around this time that the Sixth was merged with the Second. While most of the Rokubatai went to join the Onmitsukidō, including his partner, Nagato volunteered to join the First as an unseated officer. He stayed with the First for a year serving in the Records Office helping move the Sixth's Files, primarily Criminal Reports, over to the First while making sure they were organised correctly.

After that years was up Nagato was moved to the Second Division as an Unseated Shinigami. This is where he currently is working once more with his former partner.


What is Nagato up to now?

Currently he's trying to make some progress in the Second, get himself raised up to at least his former rank that he once held in the Sixth. He believes deeply in the role of the Shinigami believing that they fulfil the most important function in existence, that the balance needs to be upheld above all else.

He also believes that the Gotei is currently facing a number of severe threats:

• Vaizards infesting the ranks of the Gotei's military itself. Corruption from within. Weakness being rewarded rather than punished.
• Quincy seemingly increasing their activity. The destruction of souls threatening the sanctity of the Cycle.
• Rogue Shinigami who are, perhaps, the greatest threat to the Shinigami. All Soul Reapers should serve loyally, faithfully and unquestioningly. A single rogue Soul Reaper is proof of the Gotei's fallibility. This can not be suffered and such traitors should be persecuted immediately.

Goals and Views

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 suitable 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 any 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.

What am I looking for?

Right now I've no big asks. I'd like for Nagato to meet more Shinigami whether it ends up a pleasant or unpleasant encounter doesn't really matter.

It'd also be nice for him to face a few of the threats he fears such as Quincy, Rogues and Arrancar.