Kamen: Pt. 1

Equipment:

Black Box: Kamen's white body contains a vast amount of incredibly compact technology, but almost all of it is dedicated to battle, power conversion, and basic functions. Thousands of miles of wire and circuitry are stuffed into the solid mass that is his humanoid form. But those elements are not the only things that exist within his body. Everything that is 'Kamen’—his personality, intelligence, and experiences—are all stored in a 'black box' less than a few inches in diameter. This coin-sized chip is set deep within in his left thigh, far from the normal areas targeted for fatal injury in battle, in order to keep it safe. Surrounding it is a thick layer of armor plating that can withstand the cutting force of a Captain-class Zanpakutō. As long as the black box is kept from harm, Kamen still exists, and any damaged parts of his shell can be replaced without altering the core of his being. Thankfully, the box transmits information via wireless signals, so the loss of the leg that houses it will not stop his full body from functioning.

Reiatsu Battery: Technology as advanced as Kamen requires a power source with nearly limitless energy potential. Captain Hanjimono found a solution with the help of his Lieutenant, Hayashi Ishurimoto, and a group of premier scientists brought in from all corners of Soul Society. They found a way to chemically alter Sekkisekki, a material known to stifle spiritual energy, to do just the opposite of its natural inclination. The resulting material was capable of absorbing a tremendous amount of Reiatsu in a relatively safe container. This monumental accomplishment, unfortunately, only produced enough to create two batteries; one is locked deep within the Yorushi family vaults in case the other is destroyed. Captain-Commander Harotaissen, the wielder of the most Reiatsu in Soul Society, volunteered to donate a full day of meditation to feeding this battery. Seisui Naito did the same. With two powerhouses having fueled the battery with their energy, Kamen can function fully—fighting included—for another ten years before a recharge would be needed.

Missile Cavity: With the combat-focus of the 11^th Division in mind, Hanjimono Kin installed a large missile battery within Kamen's chest at least a foot in diameter and a couple of inches deep. The structure is stabilized with kinetic rods that form Kamen’s ‘skeleton’, allowing the kickback to remain minimal so long as his footing is stable. When activated, a two-door panel opens in the front of his chest and slides tightly against his skin. Each missile launched generates smoke and heat from the propellants, which is vented through six holes, arranged like that of a dice-face, along the upper-half of his back. In order to address the varying conditions that Kamen would likely face in his Shinigami duties, Captain Hanjimono designed and installed four types of missiles. Should the Mannequin run low on ammunition, the 12th Division has a production line set up to make additional supplies.

• High-Impact Missiles: The most basic of armaments, with inspiration drawn almost entirely from human-world technology, these missiles are jam-packed with explosives set to detonate on impact. Because of the size constraints of the chest cavity, Captain Hanjimono made these microrockets barely a half-inch in diameter, fitting twenty into the outer corners of the battery. Launched at high speeds, most often in groups of three or more, the concussive force of a single impact is similar to an infantry rocket in the modern world, which is often enough to deal serious damage to even the largest of Menos Grande. Kamen has utilized them for everything from distractions to clearing obstacles to direct assaults. His aim is even good enough to intercept another projectile mid-flight. Unfortunately, due to their small size and high yield, Kin was not able to install any tracking or guidance into their compact internal chambers, making them strictly point-and-shoot.

• Acidic Missile: The acidic missiles are a bit larger than their brute-force cousins. This is due to their thick casings, which are made from a resilient composite to contain the volatile compounds that slush around inside. There are ten of these in Kamen's chest cavity. Upon impact, a small divider within the missile breaks with the help of a contained internal explosion. This causes two separated, highly acidic liquids to mix together as they spread out across the impact site. The resulting compound is so reactive that it can eat through steel in seconds and cover a site as large as ten feet in diameter. Once released, this light-yellow acid continues to dissolve organic and inorganic material until the chemical bonds are exhausted; it usually takes fifteen seconds to become neutral, after which it settles as a clear, odorless semisolid. Unlike the high-impact missiles, these acidic cousins have little use past their military applications. The compounds are uncontrollable once combined, making it too dangerous to manipulate until the effects wear off.

• Firebomb Missile: Extremely heavy ordinance that rivals the pure destructive power of human-world weapons, the firebomb series of missiles are designed for crowd control and to cause widespread damage to landscapes and physical structures. Hanjimono Kin outfitted three within Kamen's chest for redundancy. This weapon cannot deal as much damage as a Captain-class Zanpakutō technique, but it has enough power to go above and beyond any normal Lieutenant-class ability. The insides of these bronze-tipped projectiles are filled with a napalm-like semisolid that can be projected across a massive area upon impact. The explosion lights this material on fire immediately, spreading the flames over the target zone in a matter of seconds; it only takes a few moments for an entire building to catch fire. These flames are stoked by water thanks to the oil-like properties of the chemical used as the accelerant, making it incredibly difficult to stop the destruction before the life of the fire takes its natural course.

• Sensory Overload Missile: The sensory overload missile was the most difficult to design, expensive to produce, and destructive in its somewhat controversial application. It is easily the largest and heaviest, as well; only one can fit into the center of the battery at any given time. When launched, the sensory overload missile tracks a target designated by Kamen through his extended, computer-based senses. Captains should have no problem making short work of the tracking system, even with its redundancies and advanced software, but anyone below that class would be hard-pressed to avoid the effects of this armament. Unlike the other types of missiles, this one is not activated upon impact, nor does it employ any kind of internal explosion. The sensory overload missile simply opens up with Kamen's mental command, releasing a flurry of extraordinarily bright fluorescent lights in a symphony of colors. Those who fail to shield their eyes are almost always blinded, while anyone prone to seizures risks extreme injury if exposed for more than a few seconds. Loud noises—like shrieking, impacting chunks of metal—echo out from within the lights as specially designed devices turn on. Kamen is immune to these effects due to his unique senses, but few others are so lucky. Once the sensory overload missile is launched, the 11th Division Lieutenant generally attempts to end the battle as quickly and decisively as possible. 

Abilities: 

Zanjutsu Master: As a reliquary of electronic records, Kamen was designed as the perfect soldier to combat Hollow, rogue Shinigami, and any other threat as a member of the Lieutenant-class. This purpose was further honed into his design due to his placement as the second-in-command of the most martially-oriented Division in the Gotei 13. Because of his encyclopedic knowledge of swordplay and all forms of Zanjutsu, tied with his electronic brain and premier control of his limbs, he can rightfully be labeled as a master of close-quarters-combat with a weapon. But categorical knowledge only goes so far. While he can effortlessly perform any technique within the parameters of his strength and flexibility, his creativity and lateral thinking leaves a lot to be desired—as does his experience. Once he spends a few more years in combat, it is likely that he will determine his own preferred style, but even then it is unlikely that he will improve much overall. This is truer still because of his locked strength and speed, which will never increase, no matter how much he might train. As a master of Zanjutsu, he can easily defeat most in his class in a regular fight.

Hakuda Expert: Although his skills in Hakuda were given a backseat to his implanted knowledge of Zanjutsu, Kamen has a natural proficiency for hand-to-hand combat thanks to his strength and the number of stances/techniques he has memorized. Only a small portion of his pre-installed memory existed for the purpose of unarmed combat, however, and his final repertoire leaves him shy of masters. Still, he is more than capable of holding his own against all but the strongest of hand-to-hand fighters. When in combat, he tends to employ rather straightforward attacks that use his enhanced strength to the best advantage. Haymakers, roundhouse kicks, and other high-impact, low-difficulty moves seem to do the most amount of damage in the shortest amount of time, which is why he has relied on them so heavily in his Hakuda practices. Fatal techniques like snapping someone's neck or breaking their spine are also employed. For him, pulling punches is usually an error in judgment.

Shunpo Expert: Although incapable of Kidō, a Shinigami art that requires a 'soul', Kamen is adequately able to control his energy to perform the Hohō technique of Shunpo. With much of his power circuits routed to muscle function, combat, and his spiritual senses, only a small portion (in comparative terms) is dedicated to advanced movement. The result is a level of speed just a little below that of other Lieutenants, who can train their bodies to move better under the conditions of Shunpo. Kamen can never improve thanks to his artificial body, nor is there technology advanced enough to increase his capabilities through upgrades. This static level of speed is a potential threat to him during combat. Should a quick enemy figure out just how fast the 11th Division Lieutenant can move, and that he cannot possibly go any faster, it would be a rather simple task to outmaneuver and defeat him with minimal effort. As such, Kamen takes great pains to mask his limits and move far slower than his full speed, luring his enemies into a false sense of security.

Immense Spiritual Power: While he may be an artificial being without a legitimate 'soul', Kamen has access to a potent well of spiritual power in the form of an internal Reiatsu battery. While a large portion of this energy is spent on the day-to-day demands of powering a fully-functioning cybernetic entity, much of its deepest stores remain completely untapped. Harotaissen Tsuribakki and Seisui Naito, two powerful Shinigami with almost endless wells of Reiryoku, each spent a full day of meditation to pour a tremendous amount of their own power into the battery. The resulting torrents of spiritual energy mixed and fused within the confines of Kamen's body, creating a unique Reiatsu that he calls his own. This purple and white swirling energy not only powers the Mannequin's daily functions, but his combat skills and Zanpakutō, as well. When released, this Reiatsu spreads outwards and generally incapacitates anyone below Lieutenant-class. Kamen's power stores are so vast—just from that one day of meditation—that he is not scheduled for a battery refit for another decade.

Enhanced Strength: The artificial muscle tissues that make up the structure of Kamen's body contain some incredible feats of Seireitei technology. Nanofibers and other composites are wound so tightly underneath his skin that, should they be unraveled, they would circle the Earth over three dozen times. With elasticity far beyond any other material, these fibers mimic normal muscle function perfectly while maintaining a much higher yield than their natural cousins. Unfortunately, these muscle tissues are locked in their capabilities, always operating at 100% efficiency. They have no room for improvement or atrophy. Fine control of his motor skills prevents him from accidentally unleashing more kinetic energy than necessary in day to day life, a safeguard created after serious injuries occurred in the testing stages of his early life. Although his muscles are always operating at their highest yield, Kamen can fold a paper crane—he is actually quite talented at creating them—as easily as he can demolish a building. The massive difference in strength is controlled by his cybernetic brain.

Enhanced Endurance: Made from a composite of incredibly durable, flexible materials, Kamen is uniquely equipped to withstand injuries and conditions that others would be hard-pressed to survive. Enemies that are significantly weaker than him have serious trouble piercing his naturally tough outer layer, which is similar to the shield of Reiatsu that Arrancar and Captain-class Shinigami can produce. His mechanical body and lack of internal organs makes him resistant to certain kinds of injury, such as piercing, limb-loss, and internal bleeding; the redundant systems of his design prevent critical system failure unless the majority of his body (or his black box) is lost. Extreme heat, cold, drought, and other environmental hazards can slow down the functions of his processors, but they rarely do any permanent damage unless they exceed rather high thresholds. This is due to a regulation system that spreads temperatures evenly across his body. Poisons and paralytics are completely useless unless they specifically target the types of materials that make up the majority of Kamen's body, and due to his lack of orifices, administration is next to impossible. In his entirely, the Mannequin is notoriously difficult to kill. In this way he is much like his Captain.

Alternative Senses: A separate project that Hanjimono Kin had been working on for years found its final use in the Mannequin. Kin had been trying to find a way to actively track Arrancar, who can instinctively mask their Reiatsu and become almost impossible to pinpoint effectively. A sort of 'spiritual-energy sonar' was the final result of the project, and it was installed in Kamen as his only major sense. By sending near-constant bursts of energy out in all directions, he is able to see and hear based on how the energy reacts to the objects and waves that surround him. While this allows him to sense everything that a normal individual would be able to, including color (thanks to a program designed to interpret light reflection), it suffers from a fatal flaw; if Kamen should face an enemy with too much Reiatsu or the ability to manipulate/negate spiritual energy, he can be rendered both blind and deaf. The sonar would essentially shut down. In most cases, Kamen's sense gives him an upper hand on his opponents. He can detect lies through blood pressure, see around corners, and retain a three-hundred-sixty-degree awareness.

Expert Tactician & Strategist: Kamen has the mental capacity to process utterly staggering amounts of information. The entire breadth of the Seireitei database was implanted into his mind during production, giving him access to every bit of Soul Society information below classified levels. The extensive historical data and battle records afford Kamen a wealth of tactical knowledge that most would struggle a lifetime to barely comprehend. Famous deployments and maneuvers are at the tip of a mental whim for him, making it a simple matter to match an existing situation to a historical doppelganger and find a potential strategy to mimic. The only issue—what prevents him from becoming a master tactician like Kuchigane Yochi or Kirinonai Utsuro—is his somewhat stubborn reliance on historical examples. Pure creativity and lateral thinking, although quite possible with his advanced program, are not utilized to their full potential, which makes him predictable to those who have an equally advanced knowledge of strategy. As time goes by, Kamen is expected to gain a familiarity with creativity that will foster his growth into a premier strategist.