Munetaka Yagyuu

Munetaka Yagyuu (柳生宗崇 | やぎゅうむねたか | Yagyū Munetaka) is a dark and mysterious figure throughout the anime. This older gentleman, with an injured eye and scar, dresses in Western-style clothing, carries a katana, and rides a motorcycle as he disappears from the city. He works from the shadows, at first using Marie Claire as his servant to observe Tendou Kodzunu's progress in disrupting the Ryumyaku (Dragon Vein). The black cat that Claire keeps is his familiar.

Yagyuu is, in fact, the prime antagonist, and his ultimate goal, though vague, is to throw society into chaos and conflict; he seeks a new world order to exalt himself. The first opportunity, he uses the revival of the Kodzunu clan, allowing Tendou to do as he pleases and merely bearing witness to the events. Later, after besting Tougo Narutaki in a private duel, he turns to manipulating the Martial Fist; he uses them to kill innocent people, including putting a hit on those fighting the demons. He seems to stay one step ahead of the protagonists, already knowing that Ryuuji Yashiro exists and locating the Black Dragon, Yin to the Golden Dragon.

He has a distinctive appearance with a scar over an injured eye and typically wears Western-style clothing. He is further characterized by his use of a katana and motorcycle.

He has a dark and mysterious personality.

Besides his extreme knowledge and proficient martial arts, his supernaturnal powers are unmatched. Yagyuu even granted Tendou Kodzunu and Renji Magatsu their demonic arcane abilities, though both were overcome by the Dark Arts and turned into demons themselves. When Ryuuji finally awakens to his powers as a Vessel , Yagyuu is also able to invoke the Dark Arts in a Unification Ritual, thoroughly absorbing the boy's newfound powers.

His past is an enigma, and the only personal details known is that his birth day is July 25th. However, his evil powers were seen throughout Japan's history. Munetaka Yagyuu was present over 150 year earlier, during the Edo period, manipulating the characters fighting the Tokugawa shogunate - including Tendou Kodzunu's ancestors.

Yagyuu was once sealed away by earlier Stars of Fate, including Genma Hiyuu, who sacrificed his own life to save his newborn son, Tatsuma . But Yagyuu eventually broke free of his imprisonment, his Dark Arts reborn, and continues his quest for domination.

When he's efforts prove fruitless, and Tatsuma Hiyuu stronger than he anticipated, Yagyuu flees the battlefield for China. According to videogame sources, there is the possibility that is his homeland, or at least where he draws his powers.

Hogyoku: A powerful object originally created by Kisuke Urahara. Once equipped, Yagyuu is granted the ability of high-speed regeneration, and constant evolution in the form of more powerful transformations.

Kyoka Suigetsu: Yagyuu's Zanpakuto is his primary means of close quarters combat and is a part of his soul imbued into an Asauchi. In its sealed form, Yagyuu's Zanpakuto takes the form of a Katana with a green hilt accompanied with a green sheath. The sword has two release states aside from its sealed state, that being its first release, Shikai, and its second release, Bankai. Yagyuu's Shikai allows him to place anyone who witnesses its release under hypnosis in which he can control all of their senses to create flawless illusions

Perfect Hypnosis: Yagyuu can control the 5 senses of his opponents with the Shikai of his Zanpakuto, who'll be completely succumbed to the Hypnosis once activated.

Bankai: The ultimate and final release to a Zanpakuto. The difference in power between Shikai and Bankai is generally around 5-10 times more powerful. Even though Bankai is the final stage of a Zanpakuto, it does not mean the Soul Reaper's growth ends there. A Bankai, especially one recently obtained, can evolve even further as its Soul Reaper gets stronger. Yagyuu's Bankai is unknown.

Shikai: The initial release to a Soul Reaper's Zanpakuto. It is activated by a command while declaring the name of the Zanpakuto Spirit. It changes the shape of the Zanpakuto and/or granting special abilities. Yagyuu's Shikai is Kyoka Suigetsu, released on the command "Shatter".

Fragor: Yagyuu concentrates a large amount of Reoatsu into one of his wings and fires it upon his foe for a massive AOE strike.

Ultra Fragor: Yagyuu grabs his foe and surrounds them with his six wings, each part of said wings charges up their own Fragor to imprison the foe with the power of 6 Fragor.

Kido: Spells cast by Soul Reapers with strong enough Reiryoku and Reiryoku control. Kido is divided into mainly three categories: Hado for attacks, Bakudo for battle support and Kaido for healing. The spells are ranking from 1-99 with 1 being the weaker and easier spells to cast and 99 being the most powerful and difficult to cast. Skilled users can cast Kido without the need of an incantation; however, casting without incantation does reduce the Kido's effectiveness less than a third of its full potential

El Escudo: A light green Reiatsu barrier that Aizen can summon around his person to block an incoming attack.

Millón Escudo: An advanced form of El Escudo, Millón Escudo is simply a million El Escudo that Yagyuu can form around any part of his body for even greater protection.

Bakudo #26: Kyokko: A spell that bends light in order to hide the caster and their Reiatsu.

Bakudo #81: Danku: Upon activation, the caster generates a barrier that is capable of the complete nullification of any Hado of the level 89 or lower. However, this barrier is not solely limited to Hado as it can nullify the effects of abilities that are similar to Hado.

Hado #1: Sho: The practitioner points at their target with their index finger, a small amount of energy is dispelled from the tip of the index finger with enough force to thrust a considerable amount of kinetic force at a target, which is pushed back a few feet from the practitioner.

Hado #4: Byakurai: The practitioner gathers high-density spiritual energy, which they discharge from both hands. Alternatively, Yagyuu points at the intended target with their index finger and generates a concentrated bolt of lightning to use against the target.

Hado #11: Tsuzuri Raiden: An electric current is run through any object Yagyuu touches, which damages anything or anyone which is in contact with the object the current runs through.

Hado #12: Fushibi: A net formed by Reiatsu which can be accompanied with Shakkaho, mawhich has entangled his opponents, resulting in a large explosion around all of them

Hado #31: Shakkaho: Generating high-temperature flames, Yagyuu discharges it from one or both hands. The practitioner generates and fires an orb of crimson red energy on his palm or finger. The orb can be small, medium, or large, depending on the level of power being used. The destructive power released by the blast can vary between a simple explosion to a pillar of energy, and in both instances, the spell causes concussive as well as burn damage.

Hado #32: Okasen: Raising their Zanpakuto horizontally in front of them, Yagyuu generates a yellow orb, which widens itself along the length of his sword. Once it is fully charged, it fires a wide, horizontal arc of yellow energy at the target. One's hand can be used as a catalyst for the spell instead of a Zanpakuto, but it produces a shorter arc.

Hado #33: Sokatsui: Blue flames are discharged from the palm of his hand at his target and generates a torrent of blue energy before firing it. The energy moves like a direct blast or a large wave of energy, dependent on the amount of power which is placed into it.

Hado #73: Soren Sokatsui: An advanced form of Hado #33: Sokatsui, it has twice the effectiveness. Generating blue energy with his index and middle fingers, Yagyuu makes a pushing motion with both of his palms to push the gathered energy toward the target in a concentrated blast. It is essentially a doubled version of Sokatsui because the user fires two bursts of blue energy with much greater potency than the single shot variety.

Hado #54: Haien: Yagyuu fires an oblong blast of purple energy from their hand which completely incinerates a target upon contact.

Hado #57: Daichi Ten'yo: Yagyuu thrusts his hands outward, causing objects around him to levitate and throwing them toward the destination which he chooses. The technique is precise enough to counter opposing flying objects.

Hado #58: Tenran: Levitating his sheathed Zanpakuto in front of him, Aizen lightly hits one of its ends, causing it to spin like a fan. Stopping it, Yagyuu creates a widening tornado-like blast, which is fired toward the target. A hand can be used as a catalyst for the spell if his Zanpakuto is not available.

Hado #63: Raikoho: Lightning Reiryoku is gathered into Yagyuu's arm and released towards the target like a shock-wave.

Hado #78: Zangerin: Yagyuu generates a large amount of energy from his Zanpakuto before blasting it outward in an arc-like slash.

Hado #88: Hiryu Gekizoku Shinten Raiho: A high-level Hado which only Kido masters can use. Yagyuu raises his arm forward and outstretched, occasionally using their free hand to grip the firing arm for extra support, with the palm facing flat toward the target, and fires a gigantic beam of electrical and spiritual energy, which creates an enormous explosion upon impact.

Hado #90: Kurohitsugi: The target is sealed inside a large black coffin and are seemingly cut while inside. A large torrent of gravity is located inside that distorts space and time while restricting any chance for escape.

Hado #91: Senju Koten Taiho: Generating ten pink energy points around himself, Yagyuu fires them all at his target, resulting in an exceedingly devastating explosion.

Hado #96: Itto Kaso: A forbidden Kido that causes a brief shockwave followed by a massive pillar of red fire erupting from the ground in the shape of a katana's tip. The blast from the pillar is so forceful that it can completely obliterate all buildings within its vicinity.

Hado #99: Goryutenmetsu: Five large pillars of light are generated around the caster composed of Reiatsu that resemble large dragons. A forbidden Kido as it not only destroys the surroundings, it absorbs nearby Reiatsu to enhance itself.