Torijaku
From Inga no Kusari wiki
Torijaku (Enlightened Rooster) is Sanpuu Kikkai's Zanpakutō.
Unreleased, Kikkai's is quite normal. The hilt is made of two woven bands, one maroon and one navy blue. These bands are made of the finest silk ribbon, hinting at his noble heritage. The tsuba (crossguard) of the blade is circular, with embossed images on it depicting the twelve animals of the Chinese Zodiac in a well-kept garden. The zanpakutō's saya (or sheath) is made from polished mahogany, with an ivory panel covering one side with a frieze depicting a similar scene to that on the blade's tsuba. The whole thing is tied to Kikkai's side by a length of cord, tied to the saya both ends. He slings this over his shoulder and lets the katana hang loosely by his waist.
Contents |
Spirit Description
Torijaku is a large rooster, his resplendent head sitting level with Kikkai's shoulder.
His deep red wattle hangs from his neck and runs low, barely a few inches separate it from the ground below. At the end of the fleshy lobe are three golden rings, each one inset with a red ruby. His crest stands high above him, never leaning to one side or becoming limp. It is at first red like his wattle, but unlike a normal cockerel's crest, this comb changes colour, and reaches beyond his head, about halfway down his neck. It first changes from red to yellow in a gentle gradient, before the yellow stops in the great arc around the middle of the crest, replaced by a deep blue hue that continues until the flesh meets feathers.
His eyes are a striking and pupilless white, and the feathers around his head and neck a fiery amber, that colour replaced in places by the curling black spirals filled with blue. As the amber of his 'bib' ends, the feathers turn a deep blue, which slowly darken until the remainder of his feathers on his body are a deepest black. His feet are quite unremarkable, the feathers leading to his legs slowly turning from black to a deep green.
Shikai
Release Command: Nakigoe, Torijaku! (Crow, Englightened Rooster)
When released, the blade does not change shape in a radical way, instead the tsuba guard vanishes and the wrapped ribbons around the hilt change colour to resemble a rooster's tail feathers, with thin golden lines to mimic the separate 'hairs' of the feather. The blade itself lengthens slightly, and grows broader at the pointed end, but only by a little.
The most noticeable change, however, is the appearance of three iron rings at the base of the blade. These rings are looped through the metal of the katana itself, with just enough room in the holes that they run through to roll and dangle loosely. It is with the noise of these rings that Kikkai draws most of his abilities.
Shikai Abilities
The Crowing Cockerel
The first of Torijaku's abilities is tied with the three rings looped through the blade. By shaking the blade and making the rings sound out, Kikkai can boost the strength, power, duration or difficulty to break of any kidō spell he casts by 25%.
Winter Seed Store
The second ability of Torijaku is also linked with the rings, but not the sound of it. The rings can act as a sort of kidō conductor, which allows Kikkai to store spells within the blade itself. He can only store one spell within the blade at any one time, but he can do this to either empower his zanjutsu strikes (such as electrifying the blade by casting White Lightning upon it), or he can keep the spell for later use. The latter of these uses allows him to store a spell for use in an emergency, or to act as a surprise for his opponent.
Silent Englightenment
The final of Torijaku's abilities is the power to cast spells at full power, even if Kikkai doesn't say the incantation. Of course, this only applies to those spells that he can cast without an incantation, but there is no penalty for him omitting the words.
Strengths
- Crowing Cockerel: The additional 25% can prove invaluable when Kikkai is trying to conserve reiatsu, allowing him to put less energy into a spell and still get the desired result. In addition, at the top levels of kidō mastery, the added power pushes his level of expertise above even those that would normally be considered his equals
- Winter Seed Store: By casting a strong spell early on in the fight, Kikkai can fight until both he and his opponent are tired, and then unleash a full-power spell at the very end, securing him a victory. He can also use the ability to give his blade pseudo-elemental properties, despite it not being an elemental zanpakutō.
- Silent Enlightenment: Being able to cast spells at full power without the incantation saves both time and breath. This ability is cumulative alongside Crowing Cockerel, allowing him to cast spells at 125% power even without the incantation.
Weaknesses
- Lack of defences: Torijaku provides Kikkai with no additional abilities to defend himself, only boosting a very small area of his combat prowess. He gains no powers that would allow him to evade attacks or prevent being ambushed that he doesn't already have at his disposal.
- Crowing Cockerel: Kikkai must shake his sword and make the rings sound out in order to take advantage of the power boost to his spells. While the boost is useful, the power has no effect if he only shakes the sword a little. The ability is of no use when stealth is of the essence.
- Winter Seed Store: Only one spell can be stored at a time, and if the spell has been hidden away for later use, there is no way for Kikkai to know which spell is in there or even if there is one stored besides his memory. The reiatsu is used when he casts the spell into the blade, therefore if he doesn't use the spell, that reiatsu is used.
- Silent Enlightenment: This only applies to spells he can say without the incantation anyway.
Bankai
Torijaku - Karura Jigen (Enlightened Rooster - Garuda Manifestation)
Kikkai's sword and sheath merge and extend, to form a staff made from ivory and inlaid with golden ornaments. Along the length of it, the ornaments show the Kanji for various spells. At the top end there is a golden head of a shakujo (Buddhist Prayer Staff), with six rings looped through it.
Standing behind Kikkai, is a massive bronze shikigami. A garuda with the head of a rooster, and a single golden bead sat between its eyes. This golem, though it looks like a stock-still statue, can move, and follows Kikkai wherever he goes, creaking and screeching as it's great bronze body walks. With every footstep it makes the very ground shake, for it stands several men tall, with a wingspan wider than the size of a small house.
Bankai Abilities
Tsumoru (Accumulate)
Tsumoru allows Kikkai to use two or more of the rings to multiply the strength of a spell. He can multiply a spell's power up to six times it's original strength, but then cannot use the rings for any other purpose until the spell is cast. Tsumoru can be said to summon it's effect, but this is not needed. The rings glow white when they are used in this way.
Teiryuu (Stop)
Teiryuu allows Kikkai to make use of the hardened hide of the shikigami that follows him. By uttering the command and hitting the staff aganst the floor (in order to make the rings jangle), the golem drops to one knee and unfurls it's wings, extending them and holding them before Kikkai. This can defend against most attacks, though the movement is very slow. Teiryuu can only be used six times.
When Teiryuu is used, one ring turns from lustrous gold to dulled bronze, with patches of green patina covering it. The ring can not be used for Tsumoru whilst it is like this, and the rings will not return back to gold until Teiryuu has been used six times.
Strengths
Even without using Teiryuu, Kikkai is quite protected from long-ranged attacks aimed at his back, due to the lumbering golem that follows him. He also becomes quite the powerhouse in terms of kidō, able to loose spells with astonishing amounts of power, and with little cost to himself.
Weaknesses
The Teiryuu ability is pitifully useless against fast-paced melee opponents, or anybody who could strike him before those wings lowered around him, for that matter. Speed is definitely an issue there, as is the fact that Tsumoru becomes effectively useless when Teiryuu has been used five times.
The other disadvantage is that, even with spell multiplication and an increased reservoir of reiatsu, Kikkai can still run out of energy if he chooses to use high level spells against his opponent.
Senkai
Houjin Torijaku (Celestial Buddha Enlightened Rooster)
When released, Kikkai's zanpakutō evaporates into a pale yellow smoke, drifting towards his head before vanishing into nothingness. Upon breathing outwards (after inhaling the fumes), two great ethereal wings form, encircling Kikkai in a 160 metre-radius ring. A low mist of the yellow smoke hangs close to the ground, bearing the scent of incense.
The wings are an unconscious kidō barrier forming an 160-metre circle (this could be done without the Senkai, but it occurs naturally when the release is activated), but they cannot be passed into or out of without Kikkai's permission. The circle follows Kikkai wherever he goes, with him stood at the center.
Senkai Abilities
Ukai (Realm of Existence)
Kikkai's Shikai boosted his kidō by sounding the rings looped through the blade's shaft, his Bankai did it by imbuing each ring with reiatsu, in his Senkai, Kikkai does not get a boost for his kidō, instead his words become electrified with the magic that shapes the spells he casts. He has gone beyond merely multiplying the power of magic, his voice is magic.
Every word that Kikkai says when casting a spell becomes reality, in some shape or form. When simply casting the spell without an incantation, the kidō is cast as normal, but the true power of Kikkai's Senkai only becomes apparent when he casts the spell fully. For example, to cast Hadou #8, Shattered Shard, Kikkai would say "Hallowed wind and rain, freeze the water and bring ice." In addition to gaining paralysing needles fired from his finger, Kikkai would summon a hail storm, strengthened by a fierce wind.
Every spell cast whilst Kikkai is in Senkai will make real every thing he says in the incantation, and they will last for the entire length of the Senkai, only vanishing when the zanpakutō is re-sealed. However, spells that bear an incantation which could not be realised (for example, Bakudou #6 "Halt, soldier!"), do not gain the additional realism. The span of this ability is limited to the 160-metre circle.
Strengths
Every word Kikkai says has a consequence when using Senkai, and while the additions may be few at first, following a good hour of fighting, there would be a great deal of threats towards the enemy, not only Kikkai. Whilst the 160-degree circle around Kikkai is just a standard kidō barrier, it does not need to be maintained by concentration from him, due to the fact his zanpakutō sustains it.
Weaknesses
There is no defence besides what Kikkai conjures up for himself, and if one were to make sure he cannot speak, then the incantations would be useless and no effect would happen. Also, Kikkai's zanpakutō disappears to help form the 160-metre circle, so besides the kidō that he casts, he has no way of defending himself should he be attacked physically.
