Ganju Shiba

Ganju is a green-eyed, tall muscular man with chin-length black hair and a partially missing left eyebrow. He wears a vest, scarf, bandanna and pair of goggles.

He wears hakamas, and his feet are wrapped in bandages, resembling tabi socks.

He has a thick and broad facial structure, wide cheekbones and a square face, his nose is wide and Roman—his septum protrudes, giving him an aquiline appearance.

Like all Shibas, he has particularly thick and visible lower eyelashes.

Ganju Shiba (志波 岩鷲, Shiba Ganju),[2] also known as simply Ganju (ガンジュ),[3] is a resident of Rukongai in Soul Society. He is a member of the former noble Shiba Clan and younger brother of Kaien and Kūkaku.

He is the self-proclaimed "Crimson Bullet of West Rukongai" (西流魂街の深紅の弾丸, Nishi Rukongai no Shinku no Dangan), "Person to Call Big Bro of West Rukongai" (西流魂街のアニキと呼びたい人, Nishi Rukongai no Aniki to Yobitai Hito), and "Biggest Shinigami Hater in West Rukongai" (西流魂街一の死神嫌い, Nishi Rukongai Ichi no Shinigami-girai). The second title is claimed to have been held as number one for 14 consecutive years.[3] He is also the self-proclaimed "Man Who Knows the Soul King Palace Better than Anyone" (誰よりも霊王宮を知る男, Dare yori mo Reiōkyū o Shiru Otoko).

Ganju possesses a hot temper, a strong ego and a deep hatred for Shinigami. This grudge is slow to dissipate even after he learns the truth of the incident. Though he always acts tough, he has shown that he also has a softer side, easily being cowed by his older sister Kūkaku (although he does show the ability to stand up to her) and later develops an understanding of Ichigo Kurosaki with a relationship similar to what Ichigo has with Renji Abarai.

He is noted to be rather unattractive and rather than deny this opinion, he tends to talk around the subject, especially when Yumichika Ayasegawa makes note of it. Ganju has been shown to be forgetful, like when he was sent to the World of the Living by his sister to collect information on the situation with the Bount, he was quickly and easily side tracked when he got a job as a convenience store clerk for the convenience store Hanatarō was working in, and later just as quickly forgot about the job and had to rush back in the middle of training to work his shift.

Sword: Ganju wields a short blade that resembles a meat cleaver or a Chinese dao. Blood-Tear Ball (血涙玉, Chinamidama): Ganju often uses fireworks while fighting. The fireworks are Kūkaku-brand and contain chili pepper. He has a holder on his back in which he keeps his fireworks. Creating a smokescreen, the fireworks sting the eyes and irritate the throat.[31] Shiba-shiki Shaka Sendan: Senpen Banka (志波式射花戦段・旋遍万花, Shiba-style Flower-Shooting Battle Stage: Enveloping Whirl of Myriad Flowers): While trying to evade his opponents or distract them, Ganju uses scorch ball-type fireworks to gain some time for himself to complete another technique. During Senpen Banka, which Ganju states is a Shiba Clan technique, he throws several ball-shaped fireworks at his opponent.[32] This technique can lightly injure an officer-level Shinigami.

Hand-to-Hand Combatant: Short-tempered as Ganju is, he is shown himself an able fighter, able to hold his own against Ichigo during their short fight. His style of fighting is brawling, using lunging power strikes to take his opponent down quickly.[34]

Swordsmanship: Though Ganju is not a member of the Shinigami forces, he is part of the Shiba clan and can fight on a level above that of an average Shinigami, but lower than that of the higher ranking seated officers. Ganju's sword skills are limited, so he relies primarily on his arsenal of fireworks, agility, and earth magic.

Enhanced Endurance: During the few fights Ganju was a part of he has demonstrated impressive resilience. Even after several solid hits from Ichigo or slices from Yumichika, he is able to continue fighting effectively.

High Spiritual Power: Being of the Shiba clan, Ganju possesses high spiritual pressure, enough to be acknowledged even by someone as Byakuya Kuchiki, albeit he called it weak. Furthermore, during their confrontation with Zaraki, Ganju was able to retain consciousness (albeit brought down to his knees) by the powerful captain.

Earth Magic: Ganju's earth magic doesn't seem to operate on the same principle as standard Shinigami Kidō, as it is used without incantation and is unnumbered.

Seppa (石波, Stone Wave): By moving his hand in the same pattern as the trembling current, the sign of the Shiba clan, Ganju can reduce anything he touches to sand. He normally uses this as a delay tactic, blasting through walls in order to run away, but he has demonstrated that it has other potential uses in a fight; such as when he used it to sink Ichigo's Zangetsu into the ground up to the handle, effectively rendering it useless. He can also perform "Seppa" with his feet. He has also shown the ability to project a Stone Wave in order to break the fall of himself and Ichigo upon arriving in Seireitei.[35][36] Renkan Seppa Sen (連環石波扇, Stone Wave Fan of Linked Rings): Using his Earth Magic abilities, Ganju draws a trembling current, the sign of the Shiba clan, on a surface with his hand, allowing him to turn anything he touches to sand.[37][38] Ganju can make a number of these symbols over a designated area in a specific pattern before casting another spell, which allows him to turn an even larger area to sand