Third Division Captain: Yamaneko, Jinai

Name: Yamaneko, Jinai

Alias(es): Jiji ; the Whore of the Third ; the Ink Angel

Age: 137

Gender: Female

Race: Shinigami

Affiliation: Captain of the Third Division ; Overseer of Mankind

Overview: Yamaneko Jinai, Captain of the Third Division and a woman who has become a cult legend and a role model for thousands, was not born into the stellar life many think she was. Almost a century and a half ago, she was given a different name in a different world. In Europe she lived as the daughter of an English nobleman for nearly thirteen years. As a Shinigami, her memories of this era have eroded. Even now she only remembers the blurriest glimpses of what was once a prestigious and rich life. That is for the best. Her father used his fame and money to gamble away massive sums of money. It was a rampant problem kept hidden from both his family and friends, one that had long since spiralled out of control. At the age of thirteen she was kidnapped, raped, and killed by a band of criminals wanting revenge on her father for cheating them of their money. It was fortunate that for most of the ordeal she was drugged. The medicine they used on her destroyed many of her memories. This allowed her to pass on after they slit her throat and threw her into a river to die. With no idea how she became a soul, the young noble girl was able to pass on peacefully to the next world.

Unfortunately for her, the Rukongai was no better. She was given her ticket by the Shinigami of the ninth and sent to the outskirts of the seventy-fifth Rukongai district. Districts beyond sixty were blasted places where the laws of old rulers still held true. Power was king here, and as a little girl with no memories and no name, Jinai had none. She was found within a day's time of arrival, and her fate began to match that of her previous life. She was beaten at first for resisting the human smugglers that captured her. Then she was raped again and again, for days at a time, with little care, food, or water given. After the bandits believed they had broken her, they sold her to a nobleman that lived in the first Rukongai district. There she lived for half a century as his concubine; a plaything to pass the time with when the wife was out or an object to beat when deals went sour. It was this nobleman who named her Yamaneko Jinai. Yamaneko, or mountain cat, for where he had bought her from. Jinai itself a play of words. She was what he considered charity, but nothing more than dust in the world. Under what he claimed to be tender love and care, she was valued as a well-crafted doll. Nothing more, nothing less.

What the bandits nor noblemen understood was that Jinai's spiritual powers had been growing steadily over the years. The incredibly violent abuse she suffered as a child awoke her latent powers, and coming to the Soul Society did nothing other than bolster them. She ate more than what the nobleman was willing to give, and continued to grow over the years. Eventually she became too much of a burden to remain a doll. Jinai had aged far beyond the nobleman's tastes, and her spiritual needs made her an undesirable pet. Jinai was thrown out into the streets once more, but this time she was not sent back to a life of sexual slavery. Her incredible spiritual power earned the notice of one of the many Shinigami that policed the civilized districts of the Rukongai. He escorted her to the Shinto Academy, paid her enrolment fee, and let her own prowess speak for itself. While in her final two years, her talents were so well recognized that she was going on missions with accomplished Shinigami in the field. After graduation she was the top recruit for the Third Division, focused primarily on the affairs of the Human World, and exploded into the star she is today. Few had Jinai's raw capabilities, and after two decades she had gained enough fame in the Seireitei to be nominated for the position of the Third Division's Captain; a position she has served as ever since.

Appearance: Try as they might to defile her, Jinai's time free of her previous life has turned her into woman whose beauty is without compare. She is tall for her gender, standing a little above five and a half feet. Her skin is fair as porcelain; pale and soft and appearing as if a single wrong touch might shatter her. Jinai's frame is equally as beautiful. She is slender where she should be, and curvy in all the proper places. Her hips are a sight to, and her chest, while not small, is not overbearing like some others. Those who see Jinai and believe the rumours of her past find little reason to doubt why she was so coveted on the black market. Time and time again she has won awards for being one of the most beautiful women of the Seireitei. She often declines these, allowing others to take up the mantle, and never will she accept any of the hundreds of offers she receives to model in any way. But the accolades have continued to find her all the same.

What truly defines Jinai's beauty is the reason for one of the nicknames her supporters have given her: "the Ink Angel." When Jinai joined the Third Division and went to the Human World for the first time, she became infatuated with tattoos of all kinds. To her, they marked any man or woman as their own unique person. Since then, she has attained more tattoos then most can count. Her left arm is covered in a complete sleeve from knuckle to shoulder. Designs of human cartoons, such as old classics like Voltron and new ones like Hello Kitty, are represented with logos and character pieces. Musical notes dance around in rivers of a dozen colors, along with hearts, Pokémon, and even religious symbols such as the Christian cross. Jinai's personal favorite on her left sleeve is a depiction of Godzilla breathing his atomic breath, inked onto the underside of her forearm. Her right is no less decorated. While the left is covered in symbols of culture, the right is covered in scenes of nature. The back of her hand is a grassy field with tall marigold flowers stretching up to her elbow. From these grasses come dragonflies that dance around the bottom of her forearm. Further up are mountains. Though the traumatic events she experienced as a child haunt her still, the mountains of the Rukongai is the first home she can remember. Waterfalls stream down her biceps from their peaks, which stand covered in clouds at her shoulder. A third tattoo starts just at her right collar bone. It takes the form of curving line of doves, outlined in green and back, that goes around her breast, down her right side, and curves back in to stop at the inside of her left thigh--cutting across her waist to do so.

Of all of Jinai's tattoos, none are more sacred to her then the ones on her back. They were her first, and represent the most to the Inked Angel. Two grey wings are etched onto each shoulder blade, meeting in between at the center of a large marigold flower. These wings are part of the reason she is considered the Inked Angel, as they were designed by one of the most famous tattoo artists within all the Soul Society. The stem goes all the way down her spine where it sprouts into two more blooms, each going up half the distance of the original. These represent the Three Truths of Buddhism, something her lieutenant taught her and something she values greatly. Of all her tattoos, which sometimes change with the magic of the Yonbantai and the few artists within the Seireitei, this elaborate piece is something she will never have removed or altered. It is her most precious possession beyond her zanpakutou, and something that Jinai truly believes represents the woman she has become.

Though the tattoos and beautiful body earn the awe of most, Jinai's face is not without it's own merits. She appears young, with no wrinkles, blemishes, or even a beauty mark. Her ears are small and round, both pierced heavily along the cartilage. Cherry red lipstick is one of Jinai's favorite things, and she wears it at all times. Her nose is gentle, her cheeks slight and easy to blush, her chin and upper lip are hair free. Dark black mascara helps bring out another of her defining features: a pair of eyes that some consider to be some of the most beautiful in the Seireitei; a grand compliment, given the likes of some captains. They are stunning and gorgeous, both a dark and rich grey flecked with gold. When she was bought as a child, the nobleman said that her eyes were half the reason he paid the price he did for her. They are exotic and noble, something that most Rukongai-born soul’s lack. Jinai's hair is of similar elegance. The flowing black locks fall in waves around her head, parted perfectly at the forehead and often falling behind both of her ears, or over one and exposing the other. Rarely does she tie it back into a tail even if fighting, and it stops just above the blooms of the marigold that rests between her shoulder blades. So dark is her hair that it can often be seen catching the light and shining. Just as her eyes mark her as something more than baseborn, so does her hair. Few can believe that she is not a member of some rich and powerful Seireitei house.

When it comes to her attire, Jinai is a captain who enjoys modifying her own uniform. Her shihakusho is sleeveless, fully exposing both of her tattooed arms. It also lacks a back, for similar reasons. Exposing her tattoos is something Jinai believes to be absolutely essential to who she is. The kosode she wears around her body is tight at the back of her neck, allowing it to properly cover her breast. As a captain, it is mandatory of her to wear the traditional haori of her station. At first she sought ways around this, such as elaborate methods to keep the overall theme of her station while allowing her tattoos the light of day. All of her attempts were met with rejection, however. As a result, she can often be found removing her haori during the day, slinging it over one arm or folding it up on her desk or table. Though she understands and even respects the legendary white cloth that marks her with a similarly legendary status, Jinai is far too fond of her body art to keep it covered. Both her hakama and sandals, as well as her sash, are all per Shinigami regulation. She has yet to move on to getting her legs tattooed, and so she has yet to find a need to customize any part of her lower attire.

Personality: Jinai's personality is two-sided; one that is public, and one that she keeps in the depths of her heart. On the outside she is a bright and beautiful woman, one who is eager to accept any challenge or to tackle new things the moment she encounters them. This bright personality is what has made her a role model to so many. In the Third Division alone, she has greatly assisted her subordinates with assimilation into the rapidly evolving cultural norms of the Human World. While the Seireitei has remained largely stagnant for two thousand years, the realm they protect is never the same when a Shinigami visits. Jinai's love of the human world has allowed her to spearhead numerous programs to help Shinigami adapt to their new work environment. She is often found encouraging others with a smile, pushing them to do things they would normally never consider, and always joining in when a new curveball comes. Famously, she is the only captain who is extremely interested in the Human World's politics, television shows, and new fads. Many see this as a strange but acceptable passion for any Shinigami, especially one who spends the majority of their duty in a largely foreign realm. What they do not realize is that Jinai's eagerness to throw herself into strange settings is her best means of coping.

Years of rape, beatings, and servitude always leave their marks on their victims, no matter how strong they may be. Jinai was raised as a child in a dark place no better than a cave. With no memories or identity, she truly believed for the first fifty years of her spiritual life that she was no more than property. Used and abused on a daily basis, she was just a doll to be dressed up and played with at her owner’s discretion. When she was finally freed of this life, she had no idea what to do with herself. For the following year, she used the only skill she truly knew--pleasing others--to get by until she was rescued from the streets and delivered into her new life. Jinai's desire to forget about her past has led her down one no brighter than before. She is quick to do various drugs in massive amounts--the only way for her to feel any high given her enormous spiritual power. Often times Jinai will seek out new adventures in life, dropping all responsibilities to pursue them. These spastic distractions from her job has earned her the ire of her peers, many of which consider her unfit for her position. Jinai's desire to ignore and forget about her old life has even led her to forcing others to call her by the nickname "Jiji." The name Jinai, something that is not her own, is something the Inked Angel wishes to one day completely wash away.

This believe that her body is a horrid thing has led to her obsession with tattoos. Though she loves the idea of body art distinguishing people from one another, it is has always held another meaning to her. Jinai does not believe herself to be ugly in any way. However, being a piece of property for so long means that she is compelled to prove to others she is not. Her tattoos, ever growing and ever expanding, are things that she uses to prove to herself that she is more a sexual toy. Still, she cannot escape these dark thoughts that haunt her every night, turning dreams to nightmares and deep sleeps to fretful fights. Another result of this mental scarring is her that Jinai's love life and sexual life are practically non-existent. She has not been with a man since joining the Shinto Academy, and refuses to flirt or even entertain the idea of being close with anyone of the opposite gender. Though she has many female friends, the moment someone mentions relationships or marriage, Jinai shuts down completely. She can hardly even talk to males without constantly looking at her feet, stuttering over her words, and feeling the intense desire to run away. This has severely strained her relationship with her lieutenant, Mumyoujouya. Mumyou is the only man she is even remotely close to, but even then she keeps him at arm’s length. Despite all that he has done for her, such as teaching her the Threefold Truths of Buddhism to help drag her out of that self-loathing pit she has dug, Jinai has all but exiled him to the Human World. She hates herself for this, and it tortures her knowing that she can't overcome this one crippling drawback. But all the same, she blatantly refuses to deal with any male she does not have too.

Though mentally damaged by her traumatic past, Jinai is still an optimistic girl. Having managed to build such a grand life for herself is something she takes an immense amount of pride in. For female Shinigami everywhere she is seen as a role model; a powerful woman whom has managed to take control over her own life. In this aspect, she is incredibly strong. When she was promoted to the rank of captain, the nobleman who once owned her attempted to use blackmail to regain ownership of her body. In response, Jinai worked with multiple investigators, blowing the cover of the soul trade in the Rukongai and sending the nobleman to prison. Though many who do not like her have taken to calling her the "Whore of the Third" once the scandal was made public, Jinai is all but immune to the verbal barrages. She understands that she has had a shameful past, and she bares that shame just as Atlas does the sky in Greek mythos.

Having experienced so much foreign culture, Jinai has become an extremely artistic woman. She loves music, painting, writing, cooking, and even learning new languages. As Captain of the Third division, it has been her duty to become fluent with almost every human language to ever exist. Painting and drawing has also captured her attention, but lack of time has all but stunted any talent she has in this area. Reading human books, especially romances, and watching mindless action movies also fills a great deal of her time. Often she can be found organizing book clubs in the Third Division or movie nights as rewards for her subordinates leal service. Music and partying have followed her as well. Her drug addictions and musical preference towards electronic or classical rock has made her someone who loves a good rave or concert. Oftentimes she can be found drinking at these events as well. Only when drunk can she muster up the confidence to talk to a man, though even then she still makes no advances and refuses to flirt. Still, she has developed a dependence on alcohol when participating in public events. It is the crutch she believes she needs to continue functioning.

Jinai holds a very high value of life. More times than one she has gone out of her way in the Human World to pull an innocent bystander out of the jaws of an otherwise grizzly fate. Her traumatic past and almost total rebirth has taught her that anyone can become a great person as long as they wish it. For this reason, she is largely pacifistic. Whenever she does fight, something that is forced more for her then the majority of captains, she rarely ever swings her sword to kill. Even animal life, from a great bear to a small ant, is precious to her. She has helped spearhead many organizations in both the Human World (through indirect means) and the Soul Society to help restore the environment in places where it is otherwise decimated. Many of her female subordinates often come to her with their problems looking for council. Unfortunately, many of the males have taken to seeing her as a strong feminist because of this. Men that do support Third Division's captain argue that she simply has a hard time understanding and dealing with the problems of the opposite gender. Jinai is aware of this controversy, and it has given her bouts of depression in the ensuing struggle to deal with it. She does not enjoy being seen as someone who likes only a portion of her own race, but she simply has no idea how to overcome her flaws to help other people. It is during these episodes that she can be found drinking the most, organizing the largest public events, and secluding herself away from the public eye.

When in battle, many are surprised to find that Jinai is not like many of the other ruthless predators that her fellow captains are. In the Third Division, she was taught, and continues to teach, restraint in the Human World. Only Shinigami with subtle abilities and tactical finesse are allowed to run live missions in the field. When battle does find the Inked Angel, she is always careful to make it quick, and to lessen as much collateral damage as she can. For most of her life she has fought humanity as opposed to hoards of Hollows or rebel Shinigami. This has lead Jinai to mastering the arts of seeming ruthless while in reality she merely desires to subdue the foe. Whenever the Third Division Captain does take a life, generally as a means of last resort, she makes room in her schedule to pray and meditate for the lost soul. It does not matter to her whether it was the life of a Hollow, a rampaging, or even a beast she had to slaughter for one reason or another. Every time something dies by her hand, she can be found that same night meditating in whatever quiet abode she can find. Because of this sacred view on life, Jinai also despises wars. She is one of the biggest advocates against any organized martial conflict against a group of anything that is not Hollow. Additionally, Jinai despises the death penalty, and seeks to have it abolished. In her mind, murder is never an acceptable form of justice, especially for a civilization as advanced as the Shinigami.

Abilities

Captain-Class Spiritual Power: As a captain of the Goteijuusantai, Jinai is an extremely powerful Shinigami. Her spiritual abilities were first unearthed after the traumatic events surrounding her death, awakening a greatness that rested in the deepest confines of her heart. It was in the Soul Society where her powers fully bloomed into what they are today. Watered by the constant abuse she was forced to suffer through, Jinai's spirit was given both the need and the fuel required to catapult her into the elite class. By the time she graduated the academy, she was strong enough to fight on par with Menos-class Hollow; an amazing feat generally saved for the top brass of any division. Jinai's aura manifests as a dark red cloud around her, ominous and unsettling. It is filled with the shame and pain she has endured throughout all her life. These two emotions are the source of her powers, and the origin of her current greatness; as a result, Jinai’s aura is discordant Unable to accept her past, Jinai's spiritual power, while great, is roughly half of what it could truly be. A few captains and scholars have even hypothesized that should Jinai ever overcome her mental hurdles, she could potentially become one of the strongest Shinigami of her generation; an impressive feat considering those that she serves with. Regardless, due to the nature of her aura, Jinai is always careful not to flare it, even in combat. She would much prefer to spare allies the discomforts her reiatsu brings.

Enhanced Body: Despite Jinai’s lithe frame, she is capable of divining incredible amounts of strength because of this mystic source. She can shatter stones, shave the sides from buildings, and even bend steel as if it was a children's toy. Many do not expert her strikes with her zanpakutou, no longer than that of a combat knife, to pack enough brute force to sever massive buildings in twain. But a single swing can go beyond that, slicing through the skyscraper-sized Gillians that occasionally appear in the Human World. Likewise, she has incredible endurance. Jinai could fight for days if she was forced too before tiring, even when injured. Blows normally fatal to humans only slow her down, and it takes truly catastrophic damage to actually put her down and out of a fight. This makes her a very scary combatant given her melee focus, as few men or women in any of the realms can keep up with both her skill and physical prowess.

Zanjutsu Master: Due to her zanpakutou’s unique shape, many foes do not take Jinai for an effective swordsmen. Still, if given a full-length katana or anything modelled similarly, the Captain of the Third Division becomes extremely deadly. She can disarm targets with ease with any kind of bladed weapon, and is skilled enough to be able to target ligaments and tendons of her opponents. Rarely does she go for a killing blow, though she is able to simulate such, pressuring opponents with slashes and thrusts that could be fatal if either she or the enemy should miss a beat. Jinai's true strength lies in her attack speed. She is able to attack hundreds of times a minute with any type of bladed weapon, making her into a visceral hurricane of steel. These rapid strikes are often feints, and cause the opponent to slip up more often than not. This allows Jinai to move in for the crippling blow, bringing a quick and bloodless end to most of her fights. In order to make the most out of her small zanpakutou, she learned how to attack at a rapid pace. Studying under a premier duelist who was famed for using knifes, Jinai was able to fully master the art of Zanjutsu. With one hand she can guide and grapple opponents into vulnerable positions so that her knife can strike a fatal blow if a Hollow or sever tendons if something else. This combinations of skills makes Jinai a versatile and dangerous opponent in melee quarters, despite her personal philosophy against excess violence.

Hakuda Master: Out of all her talents, Hakuda was the first that Jinai realized. As a member of the Third Division, she was trained to subdue spiritual humans and to kill Hollow without using excessive force. Of the four combat arts of the Shinigami, Hakuda is the most viable for this, and is the style Jinai has focused the most on. She has learned dozens of martial arts, and trains every day for hours to keep her skills sharp. She prefers to use advanced grappling techniques, disarming targets and putting them into arm bars or leg bars to force submission. Often times Jinai will wrestle another combatant to the ground if they are human or Shinigami, where she can achieve her greatest advantages. Against more powerful or monstrous foes, such as Hollow and Arrancar, she changes a great deal. Jinai employs Tai-Chi against these opponents to keep targets away from her, and uses Tae Kwan Doe and Muay Thai to bully back enemies. When faced with armoured foes, she will draw her short sword zanpakutou, using it as one would a knife. Should that fail, she is perceptive enough to find weak points. Jinai's raw talents in Hakuda affords her the skill needed to break limbs of non-human opponents, and her spiritual energy gives her the strength needed to do so.

Hoho Expert: Jinai is a very fast Shinigami, though she does not have the raw speed or agility of some of her peers. Her Shunpo is powerful enough to cross large distances before having to stop. She is capable of turning mid-flight, though the creative and tactical others are capable of are, as of now, beyond her reach. Even with these shortcomings, Jinai is still very acrobatic. Though she does not talk about it, her years as a woman of service have given her the stretching ability of well-seasoned veterans in the arts. She is capable of doing splits, bending in odd directions, and ducking and rolling away from strikes that would catch others out. In combat she uses this agility in her Hakuda and Zanjutsu fighting, and uses Shunpo to dodge away from sudden assaults or to rapidly close a distance gap. Foes that outpace Jinai are some of her greatest headaches, though her endurance gives the Inked Angel the ability to chase down even the flightiest of enemies if need be. With the assistance of Kidou and advanced planning, combating masters of agility despite her range shortcomings becomes a possibility. If given the time, Jinai's raw talent will allow her to completely master the art, and likely become one of the fastest Shinigami of her generation. For now, she is still capable enough to move at the captain-level when required.

Kidou Practitioner: Out of all four of the Shinigami's combat arts, Kidou is Jinai's worse area. She is primarily a melee combatant, and rarely does she go out of her way to cast spells. However, she is still skilled enough to be able to cast those needed by her position. Jinai is very talented at using barriers designed to lock targets in cages or to hide her own spiritual signature. Additionally, she can cast stealth spells with a high success rate. Jinai's biggest weakness when it comes to Kidou is her incredibly small library. Having only been a Shinigami for less than a century, she has had the time needed to learn a wide variety of spells. Those she does wield have their uses, but are generally meant for use to restrain an enemy already defeated. Because of this, it is rare to see her cast a Kidou in combat. Even basic hadou, such as shou, are rarely needed. Jinai considers most of these to be largely inferior to her physical abilities, as well as the power of her zanpakutou, and thus she rarely ever falls back on Kidou unless there are few other options.

Perceptive Combatant: A part of Jinai's talent manifested in her being a particularly observant combatant. She is intelligent enough to deduce the general abilities of her targets through sensing their reiatsu, and can figure out the basic mechanics of most abilities after only seeing them a few times. As a warrior, she is highly adaptive on the battlefield, able to react to sudden appearances of new enemies, dazzling new abilities, and sudden developments while continuing to fight. Sneaking up on her is a difficult thing to manage. Jinai is always aware of her surroundings, as well as any effects on her body. Enemies who employ poison or other invasive tactics often find themselves suddenly firewalled by her talents at dealing with such threats.

Expert Strategist and Tactician: Jinai's time in the Third Division has allowed her to absorb high amounts of information when it comes to strategy. Most of those that she employs are tactics meant to be used with small squads of Shinigami. Sudden raids, quick operations, and stealth movements are her speciality. Additionally, warfare is something Jinai has made sure to study and read up on. With her budding intelligence, she has been able to spearhead, launch, and ensure the success of hundreds of missions during her time as Captain of the Third Division. If confronted with new situations, Jinai is capable of quick-thinking to create a tactic to either get her previous strategy back on track or to stall an opponent to buy herself time to create a new plan. When encountered with foes herself, Jinai takes her time while fighting. She will use her perceptive abilities to find the flaws of her enemies before moving in, often ending combat in a series of highly-advanced, and well-executed strokes. These tactics are safe and passive, allowing her to achieve clean and smooth victories in the operations she is directly involved with. Jinai is also a skilled trainer, and has taught scores of Shinigami the tactics needed to be effective members of her division. These assets are a hint to many that one day, she will become a great general, strategist, and tactician.