Name: Niklas Einzbern
Age: 230
Visual Age: he looks to be in his mid 20s.
Years since Entrance into the Gotei 13: 197
Gender: Male
Division: 8th
Rank: Captain
Appearance: He stands at about 6'0", with an athletic build. His hair is a golden blond and is kept at about mid-back length, and is normally tied in a braid. His eyes are an icy blue color, while his skin is relatively pale, as he doesn't seem to tan very well. He wears the standard Captain's outfit, with the number 8 in the rhombus emblem of the Gotei 13 on the back of the Haori. The underside of his Captain's Haori is a dark, almost navy blue. A personal addition to his outfit is a black Obi, into which the scabbard for his Zanpakuto is tucked.
Personality: Despite his age, his personality is still very much that of a youth's. He is brave, hardheaded, and impatient, a deadly combination in some cases. However, he is normally able to at least exhibit a modicum of patience if required. In battle, he is completely focused on fighting his opponent, though he still maintains at least a vague awareness of what's going on around him. He also likes to hold back just enough in combat to give his enemy at least the illusion of a chance, unless they are obviously too weak to fight him, in which case he will refuse to fight them, unless they insist on it. When he isn't fighting, and if there isn't a battle currently going on, he is fairly friendly and relaxed, and usually commands his division in a lax manner, rarely punishing minor offenses and generally allowing his subordinates to do as they wish. About the only time he is serious when it comes to the running of his division is in the case of major offenses, or if battle is on the horizon or already underway, as the 8th may need to move out at any moment.
Fighting Style: His fighting style is something of a fusion of Speed and Power. He is a master with Shunpo (Flashstep), a master swordsman, and is quite deadly in hand-to-hand combat as well. Furthermore, he is quite proficient with utilizing the skills of his Shikai and Bankai to maximum effect. He possesses the greatest amount of raw Reiatsu out of all the Captains, but his skills with Kido are very limited, as even the simpler spells give him difficulty. Compared to most other Captains, his defensive skills are somewhat lacking. Because he normally keeps the majority of his Reiatsu sealed away by sheer will alone, his Zanpakuto still needs to be released like any other.
Background:
Niklas' life began in Prussia, in the year 1770. Having been born into a middle-class family, in the middle of a war no less, his life was a series of hardships. As soon as he was old enough to work, his father had him help out in the printshop he ran. He spent most of his early life working in the printshop, helping his father as they attempted to eke out a living. However, when he was 15, a call went out for more soldiers to aid in the war against Poland, and he was just the right age to join. Packing up his meager belongings, he went off to join the Prussian Army, hoping to support his family better as a soldier. This lasted for almost his entire life, until he finally died on the battlefield. Then, the next thing he knew, a strange man dressed in odd, black robelike garments was guiding him, and many other souls, through a strange passageway. When it ended, he found himself in the Soul Society.
After having been guided there, the souls were left to do as they wish. Many found surrogate families that took them in. Others ended up living on their own. Niklas was one of the former, though for the first couple of years, the culture shock was so drastic he had difficulty fitting in. Eventually, however, he soon became accustomed to his new life. As time passed on, he began to grow restless. When he had served in the Prussian military, he had felt as if he was finally doing something worthwhile, and every day had the potential for a great deal of excitement, rather than doing the same boring routine, day in and day out. Eventually, he began exploring the further districts of Rukongai, using his fists and a knowledge of fighting gained from years as a soldier to take down criminals. As the years passed, his skill grew greater, and he discovered an odd power that rested within him. He had no idea what it was, but he found that what he could use of it greatly enhanced his strength and speed. As time went on, it began to grow quite rapidly, though he eventually learned to suppress it, so as not to overwhelm people just by being near him.
Over his time in the Soul Society, he had learned of a "Reaper Academy", where Shinigami like the one he had met, as well as what he occasionally saw patrolling Rukongai, were trained. This was part of the reason he began to patrol the more lawless districts, as he hoped to gain enough skill and power to pass the 'entry exam'. Eventually, after 20 years of being in the Soul Society, and almost 7 years of 'training', he went to apply for the exam. For him, the exam was surprisingly easy; All he had to do was demonstrate a knowledge of how to control "Spirit Energy", which was apparently the power he had discovered. After proving himself competent, and after it was found just how immense his Spirit Pressure was, he was allowed into Seiretei to attend the Reaper Academy.
His next 6 years were spent in the Reaper Academy. He learned about the history of the Soul Society, the Gotei 13, and of the Hollows. He learned more formal combat methods, the art of Shunpo, and how to harness his Spirit Energy, or Reiatsu, to use Kido. His scores in Kido, however, were the lowest out of his entire class. Finally, at the very start of his term, he was given his Zanpakuto, Zantetsuken, and told that if he wished to unlock it's Shikai, then he'd need to meditate with the sword and become familiar with it. Over the course of his time in the academy, he continued to hone his skills, polishing them from their rough start as a german soldier. During his stay in the academy, he would hear the spirit of his sword, and through it, learn it's name, Zantetsuken. Thanks to this, he was able to rather quickly learn to unleash Shikai. Due to this, after leaving the Academy, he was a shoe-in as a Lieutenant in the 8th division. It would be another 10 years, however, before he learned to unleash Bankai. Once he had finally learned the secret to doing so, he was able to successfully take the Captain Proficiency Exam and succeed his old Captain, who had wished to retire. Since then, he has loyally served Soul Society in his new position.
Wed Jan 02, 2013 5:26 am by 
