Ikkaku Madarame

Ikkaku is a tall, thin young man with an athletic build and a bald head. In fact, many Shinigami, particularly those of the 11th Division such as Yachiru Kusajishi, refer to him as "bowling ball", "chrome dome", or "fix-it head". Ikkaku's bald head reflects the sun very strongly, causing the members of the 8th and 11th Division to make fun of him. He also has a distinctive red marking on the outer corner of his eye. He also has a vertical scar on his left chest, given to him by Ichigo in battle.[3] He wears a standard Shinigami uniform except he does not wear tabi with his sandals. Seventeen months after defeating Aizen, he wears a gold-plated pauldron on his right arm with the kanji for "dragon" (龍) on it.

In terms of his attitude, Ikkaku is a typical representative of his squad: hot-tempered, loves fighting, and is rude. This has been noted by Tetsuzaemon Iba in particular. He loves fighting so much that he is unwilling to travel anywhere without a sword, resorting to carrying a wooden sword when posing as a student at Ichigo Kurosaki's school. Ikkaku is self-conscious about his baldness, to the point that he often claims that his head is "shaven" when it is clearly not. He threatens anyone who points this out.

Ikkaku shares many personality traits with his squad captain, Kenpachi Zaraki, which explains why they have such respect for each other. Like Kenpachi, Ikkaku finds combat fun and tries to have as much fun as he can, even willing to take mortal risks to drag out a fight as long as possible. He also shares Kenpachi's tendency to limit his skills in order to make a fight last longer (in his case, using his Bankai or even Shikai as a last resort against his opponents). Ikkaku even smiles constantly like Kenpachi when engaging in combat with a formidable opponent.

Like all members of the 11th Division, he believes that the only battles worth fighting are those fought one-on-one. Even the threat of death is no excuse to ignore this fact, as he believes that the winner should be determined when the others are dead. In his fight against the Arrancar Choi Non Po, Ikkaku was losing, but refused to give up.[6][7]

However, Ikkaku does have a sense of loyalty and responsibility, unlike many of the other lower-ranked members of the 11th Division, and is devoted to his captain, whom he wishes to die under. He views survivors as a loss to his battle fortune, as taught by his captain, and is also wise enough to carry a bleed-stopping ointment in the hilt of his Zanpakutō.

Master Swordsman: Despite having long held the rank of only Third Seat in his division, his position belies his skills, which would be more suited to a low-ranking captain. As stated by Yumichika Ayasegawa, Ikkaku is the second strongest man in the 11th Division.[10] He uses a fighting style marked by being crude yet powerful while using complex movements, allowing him to lunge with his sword on the left and defend with his sheath on the right, though he is ambidextrous and can easily switch between the two methods. Ikkaku often fights with his sword in a normal grip and his sheath in a reverse grip, showing his mastery of both forms of sword fighting. He uses irregular directional attacks, and while this leaves many holes in his defense, he is more than capable of making surprise attacks.[11] However, his mastery of this skill is so great that Renji Abarai asked Ikkaku to train him.[12]

Naginatajutsu Master: Ikkaku's Zanpakutō takes the form of a Naginata in its Shikai, with Ikkaku wielding it more skillfully than swords.[13] Bojuzu Master: Ikkaku's Zanpakutō is shaped like a naginata; in its Shikai, the weapon can split into a staff made up of three parts connected by chains, and then back into a naginata. Ikkaku's experience allows him to wield both the staff and its chained form with equal skill, giving him an advantage in combat due to the many attack options he has.[14][15] Flash Step: Ikkaku is quite skilled at using Flash Step, but most often uses it to fight in lockstep with a stronger opponent, thus gaining an advantage in battle.

High Spiritual Power: Being only a third seat, Ikkaku boasts a high level of spiritual power, and has the spiritual power of a lieutenant in the Gotei 13. His spiritual energy is red in color.

Enhanced Physical Strength: Ikakku possesses a high level of durability, as he was able to block a punch from Edrad Liones in his Resurrección even after receiving severe injuries.

Some enemies also noted the power of his blows. Enhanced Durability: Like his captain, Ikkaku can continue fighting with serious injuries without showing any visible fatigue. During his battle with Edrad Liones, Ikkaku sustained heavy injuries, but was still able to use his Bankai and ultimately defeat the Arrancar.[17] During his battle against Moe Shishigawara, even after receiving several critical hits that left him coughing up blood, he continued to fight with a smile on his face and gained the upper hand against Moe.[18] Enhanced Durability: Despite having multiple injuries, Ikkaku is able to continue fighting.[19][20] Additionally, his muscle control is highly advanced, as after dislocating his shoulder, he was able to reset it by tensing his muscles.[21]

Hōzukimaru: It appears like any normal Zanpakutō when sealed; however, the hilt is hollow, containing a small vial of healing ointment, which Ikkaku can open by removing the pommel. Hōzukimaru's tsuba is an oval with what appears to be three small teardrops in relief on the top and bottom. Rarely worn at his side like most Shinigami, Ikkaku typically carries the sealed Hōzukimaru in his hand so he can quickly draw it in battle and wield the sheath in his other hand as a secondary weapon.

Shikai: The Shikai's release command is "Grow". Hōzukimaru's Shikai is unusual in that Ikkaku slams the hilt (and sometimes the pommel) into the sheath when he says the release command. Once activated, it takes the form of what was originally envisioned as a Kikuchi Yari with a shaft made of wax wood. The pommel has a red tassel made of horsehair. While it is capable of delivering powerful strikes, it is not very durable, causing it to shatter from particularly powerful strikes.

Sakero: Sansetsukon: Ikkaku splits the naginata into its true form, its sections being able to independently connect and separate again at will. This surprises opponents when they attack. These chains are also able to extend to a considerable length, allowing Ikkaku to swing his weapon like a flail at medium range.

Bankai: Ryūmon Hōzukimaru Activating it during his battle with Edrad, Ikkaku collapses the broken Shikai back into a spear and recites the Bankai release command. The two main weapons are a Chinese monk's spade and a standard guandao. Both swords feature a traditional horsehair tassel on the hilt and long cylindrical weights on the pommel. The pommels are connected by a heavy chain to a central section that resembles an axe blade with a parallel handle forged on the blunt end and a dragon crest on one side of the blade. Ikkaku typically holds one blade in each hand and allows the central section to float behind him, though he will occasionally spin the entire structure around, using the handle as a pivot point.

Bankai Special Ability: Ikkaku's Bankai, like his Shikai, is unusual. Other than increasing his power, the Bankai has no special abilities or special defensive properties, but releases a small amount of Reiatsu that begins to grow in power. Ikkaku views Hōzukimaru differently than other Bankai users view their Zanpakutō, as they simply wake them from their slumber and use them when they need their Bankai. If it causes him to wake up suddenly, making it much more difficult to injure enemies without getting hurt than it should be, his Bankai becomes increasingly powerful as the battle drags on. After activating his Bankai, Ikkaku's Reiatsu rises up the dragon's crest, slowly turning it crimson. Ikkaku states that the Zanpakutō is very lazy in battle and needs to be awakened through causing and receiving injury. When the crest is completely filled, Ryūmon Hōzukimaru is in full