Okada Ayano: Pt. 1

Name: Okada Ayano

Nickname(s): The Butterfly; the Hooded Master; the Jewel; Grandmaster Okada

Age: 298

Sex: Female

Sexual Preference: Heterosexual

Species: Shinigami

Alliance: 3rd Division Captain

Personality: Body dysmorphia is a mental condition that causes the sufferer to see brutal flaws in their visual appearance no matter the situation, even if their objective beauty is reinforced by loved ones on a near-constant basis. Ayano is affected heavily from this disorder, which was brought over from the disrespect she suffered through in life. It has supplanted itself deep in her psyche, and no manner of emotional training or mental fortification has been able to relieve the pain of seeing herself in the mirror. This is why the Butterfly, who seems so stunning to the outside world, can do nothing but hide her face within the unnatural shadow of a white hood; it is why she must appease the irrational beast that lurks within her own self-image, no matter the cost to her personal pride or the curious stares of those who wonder at the meaning of her actions.

In social situations, this personality trait is most clearly seen when Ayano receives a compliment on her looks. Where a mentally healthy individual might express thanks for the gesture, Captain Okada looks down and covers more of her face with the shadow, often with a frown or a horribly embarrassed pursing of her lips. Sometimes, if the words come from someone she feels particularly comfortable with, she will simply blush and turn away, which is a sign that while she very much disagrees with their opinion, she does not harbor resentment at their comment. The only individual who is capable of complimenting her without receiving a visible reaction is Ayano's Lieutenant, Genryusekki Tatsuya. This is simply due to the extreme consistency of these compliments, which have turned into a measure of bonding between the two of them. Tatsuya mostly does it to tease the Captain, and as such, Ayano hardly recognizes the link to her actual appearance within the words.

Another incredibly important facet of Ayano's personality is her status as the Grandmaster of Zanjutsu, a title given to her after decades of training under the previous holder of the position—a man she once considered a surrogate father. He had found her on the streets of Rukongai and had recognized in her a level of potential that no one else had; he was the one who gave her the nickname 'Butterfly', which has traveled with her to her current position. The man trained her, enrolled her in the Shinō Academy, and helped her rise in the ranks until she attained the position of Captain. Then, when she could rise no higher, he challenged her to a fight to the death, seeing in her a strength he found lacking in himself. Despite Ayano's protests, she eventually accepted the duel, and after a battle that lasted three hours and resulted in the death of her closest friend, she found herself christened with the title of 'Grandmaster'.

It was in her path towards Grandmaster that Ayano found her passion: swordplay. Her natural talents for it were so prodigal that they bordered on the unthinkable. She discovered that, through Zanjutsu, her self-confidence found a certain indelible, unshakable balance, and that feature of her personal reality has sewn itself into the fabric of her life in no small way. Eight hours of every day is spent purely on continuing her endless mastery of her blades, whether it be through meditation or combat drills or actual contact-sparring with the only man capable of challenging her consistently, Seisui Naito. It is a thing that functions similarly to therapy, as her feelings are best expressed and relieved through Zanjutsu. And not only has it culminated as a level of perfection in the arts of swordplay, but it has also allowed her to retain a functional mental status despite her crippling self-image.

While it would be difficult to suspect through conversation, Ayano has a tremendous—although fundamentally justified—ego about her abilities with Zanjutsu. In almost all facets of her personal life, the Jewel is relatively meek. Even in her professional actions as leader of a division within the Gotei 13, which she takes seriously, she seems neutral and accepting of her limitations. With her swords, however, there is no boundary that her mind is unwilling to cross, and her belief in herself is beyond compare. Ayano fully (and rightly) believes that she is the most capable swordsman in the Gotei 13, despite others being stronger physically (Seisui Naito) or beyond her grasp of power (Harotaissen Tsuribakki).

During battle, Ayano thrives. The issues with her self-confidence are stripped away when her blades clash against steel, unleashing a side of her personality that only the strongest ever see. She becomes self-assured and can communicate in ways that would have been impossible in any normal setting. As such, she is a strong believer in the concept of sparring, where two allied combatants can communicate through movements and conflict what neither of them could either say with words. Seisui Naito, who cannot ably speak due to a medical condition, shares this belief, which is what initially brought the two Captains together and made them into the rumor-mill sensation that they have become.

Equipment:

The White Hood: The only piece of spectacular equipment that the Butterfly uses is the white hood seamlessly fused with her Captain's haori, which constantly casts a seemingly impenetrable shadow over the upper half of her face. Most people write the obscuring shadow off as a simple curiosity, never thinking too deeply about how bright light does not seem to affect its properties. This only means that the subtlety of its enchantment is working. In reality, the original hood was crafted by the Yorushi family by special request of Ayano's former master, who had it installed on her outfit on the first day of her entering the Shinō Academy to boost her confidence and let her show her true skills for her proctors. Since then, Ayano has had a copy crafted into all of her uniforms and has used its Kidō-based shadows to mask what she sees as her greatest weakness. It has played a pivotal role in her rise to power, allowing her to avoid the worst pitfalls of her condition and continue her training relatively uninterrupted. Only by physically removing the hood can the shadows be stopped, and no amount of light can reveal her face (damage can still be done to her eyes through a bright enough glare, and the shadows give her no other forms of protection past peace-of-mind).

Abilities:

Zanjutsu Grandmaster: Nothing can be said about Okada Ayano's abilities as a Shinigami without examining her utter mastery over the art of Zanjustu, which remains the most prevalent factor in her life, influencing her decisions on a daily basis and consuming a massive quantity of her time. Eight hours of each day are devoted entirely to the continued studies of her twin Zanpakutō, despite the fact that she has mastered them to the point where they function more like intuitive limbs that disembodied weapons—many have said that she is more attuned to her swords than she is to her own legs or arms, which may have a bit of truth to it. She spends these long treks of time meditating, reading, and sparring in the hopes that her skills never fail when she needs them the most. Through this training, Ayano has effectively imprinted the skills of Zanjutsu into the forefront of her mind, making them as important to her as any other bodily function. They can always be called upon with minimal mental effort. In battle, her control over these weapons is flawless; she is permanently aware of the motions and positions of her blades. It bleeds through in her ability to manipulate the field of melee combat through incredibly versatile movements and masterful knowledge of an uncountable variety of styles. Much of her life during her training to become the Grandmaster was spent studying the myriad techniques of the human world, bringing them to a level only she could. And this has paid off in spades.

• Tai Chi: The human style of Tai Chi quickly became Ayano's favorite during her training, partially due to her master's belief in its tenants, and partially due to her love of its beauty and fluidity. She originally focused on the meditative stances. Then she moved on to the hand-to-hand combat techniques, which remain the only real foundation of Hakuda that she employs. From there came a mastery of using a single sword, which was traditional for most forms of Tai Chi. When Ayano wanted to use both of her blades, however, she found the human world version of the style lacking in depth and practice. Determined to master the tenants of Tai Chi to their fullest, the Butterfly created her own interpretation using both of her blades. This whirling, perfectly balanced style of Zanjutsu has become the most spectacular incarnation of swordplay in Soul Society, and only a few Shinigami besides Ayano herself have been able to grasp its core principles and movements. In battle, the 3rd Division Captain can use these Tai Chi stances to manipulate the melee attacks of her opponents, redirecting the force of their strikes with one blade while attacking them simultaneously with the other. She utilizes sweeping, dance-like movements to prevent her opponents from predicting her attacks and defenses, which only serves to make her uncanny talents more devastating.

• Energy Redirection: Ayano's grasp of Tai Chi and fluid movement affords her a unique ability that has, to this day, been impossible for any other Shinigami replicate naturally. She discovered the ability under duress of combat, when an Arrancar used its Cero against her. Through instinct and training alone, with no prior knowledge that such a thing was possible, the Butterfly managed to twist her swords around the projectile and the center of her chi, redirecting it in a curve and launching it safely away from her body. Since then, she has honed this skill to where it is now. Although particularly fearsome energy attacks can force their way through this redirection, many of Ayano's opponents find their arsenal of ranged options limited. When pressed, the Butterfly can utilize this technique as more than just a defensive gesture. If there is enough time between the launch of the attack and when it reaches her body, she can position herself in a way that will allow her to bend the energy back at its source, turning the attack on the opponent who launched it. Although Ayano rarely uses this offensive version of her technique, noting that most species are resistant to their own abilities, it has seen battle when multiple opponents are present, giving her the opportunity to strike at morale as well as increase the potential damage dealt by the redirected attacks.

• Tsumujikaze (Whirlwind): Only usable during her sealed or Shikai state, Tsumujikaze is a Zanjutsu style that has been dubbed 'the terror' of Ayano's fighting repertoire. While Tai Chi is by far its superior in proficiency, Tsumujikaze holds the title of most devastating, able to quickly dispatch enemies with no care towards manipulation. It relies on the tassels that hang from the pommels of Ayano's weapons—the reason why she cannot use it during Bankai, as her weapons no longer feature them during her final release. By grabbing hold of them and twirling her Zanpakutō, Ayano can turn her blades into cutting 'disks' that rotate at a rate of a few hundred times per second, cutting gashes into whatever they touch. While this alone is a formidable stance, she is also capable of swinging the weapons around her body in a manner not dissimilar to nunchaku, creating an area of danger for anyone who wishes to enter melee combat with her. Many enemies have fallen to this style, commonly by misjudging the power produced by the centrifugal movement of the blades.

• No-Style: Ayano's talent with Zanjutsu can be qualified through her many legitimate, proven styles. Her actual repertoire, however, includes hundreds of movements that do not stem from any particular source; they exist solely due to her thousands of hours of training and her insistence in mastering every avenue of swordplay. These peculiar movements are classified in the broad category of 'No-Style'. Included under this label is her ability to grab any end of her blade, whether released or not, and pummel opponents into the dirt with the hilt of her weapon. While notably peculiar and seemingly useless, the now-Grandmaster insists that even the handle of a weapon can be a legitimate mode of attack, and to ignore its potential is to misunderstand the full purpose of Zanjutsu. At its very core, the 'No-Style' functions in a way that makes Ayano terribly unpredictable in battle. It allows her to find a way to attack in almost any situation so long as she can touch one face of her blades. Rumors abound that she has actually broken her Zanpakutō (with its permission) in hundreds of different ways just to learn how to wield it effectively should a similar situation happen in battle. These rumors are true.

Great Spiritual Power: With a strong amount of Reiryoku, Ayano has spiritual power typical of the Captain-class. It is not as impressive as those whose Reiatsu alone can function as a high-yield weapon, yet it is far greater than most Lieutenant-class individuals could hope to achieve. Unseated Shinigami and unspectacular Hollow are hard-pressed to stand once she releases the full power of her Reiatsu, which is a brilliant red that embodies the passion and unbridled strength of its source. Should she release enough of the energy, it blooms like enormous butterfly wings behind her, reaching a span of over forty feet before trailing off into indistinguishable swatches of crimson, rose, and maroon. When pressed into a battle of Reiatsu against a particularly powerful opponent, Ayano often finds herself somewhat outmatched. This used to be one of her greatest weaknesses. However, since she began sparring with Seisui Naito, whose spiritual power borders on the edge of impossibility, her resistance and endurance to the effects of overwhelming energy have increased tenfold, allowing her to function admirably under such conditions.

Enhanced Strength: As a Captain-class Shinigami, Ayano is capable of seemingly impossible feats of strength for someone of her build. Where other women might have trouble lifting heavy weights, she can do it effortlessly, and she is more than strong enough to stop a physical attack from a Hollow five times her size with the palm of her hand. While this strength is rarely used due to her general preference towards Tai Chi, which only requires fluid movement and the redirection of force, Ayano is capable of dealing terrible amounts of physical damage when she lands a hit with her Zanpakutō. Blocked strikes can sometimes transfer their kinetic energy through the defending weapon, injuring the tissues of whatever limb was holding it. The risk of Ayano simply cutting through a weapon exists, too, and it has been the downfall of many enemies who underestimated her strength and considered themselves beyond damage simply because they could intercept her attacks.

Enhanced Endurance: Like most other Shinigami, Ayano can endure massive amounts of physical damage before succumbing to the pain, falling unconscious, or dying. Her body can withstand injuries that would immediately kill or incapacitate a normal human, such as a ruptured organ or a lost limb, without shutting down. This allows her to continue fighting through otherwise impossible conditions, and it also contributes to her ability to withstand the incredible spiritual pressure that sometimes accompanies intense combat. Although she cannot regrow her limbs or heal grievous wounds without the help of skilled medical Kidō (or the ability of her Bankai), Ayano can fight through the pain without showing it on her face, which can be very unsettling to weaker opponents who would fail under similar constraints. She is resistant to poisons and toxins that would affect weaker individuals, and her skin, which is toughened by her Reiatsu, can block particularly feeble attacks without sustaining any visible damage.

Expert Strategist and Tactician: Ayano may not be the most intelligent Captain, but her far above-average mental capacity, combined with her stringent study of tactics, affords her a great deal of skill when it comes to strategic thinking. Her ability to plan ahead and coordinate the members of her division has been an essential part of many great operations, and it remains a pivotal factor in the function of the Gotei 13. In battle, this tactical ability allows her to analyze her opponents through their movements, drawing on her knowledge of combat and swordplay to predict their intent and adjust her own stances to compensate for strengths and weaknesses. She can plan many steps ahead and adjust her strategies on the fly, giving her an advantage against simple opponents who prefer hacking and slashing. Many would-be rivals have fallen to her sword due to her planning and tactics, and the survivors know just how intelligent she really is.