Saibo Tsubaki

Saibo Tsubaki is the current 8th Division Captain, and is infamous within Seireitei for subjecting his subordinate to a variety of extreme and childish games. Seeking constant amusement, Saibo considers all members of the Gotei 13 his friend, even if some of them would rather avoid his company.

Appearance
Standing at 5'10" and weighing approximately 175 lbs, his aquamarine eyes give off his lighthearted, if not lazy demeanor. He grows his chestnut brown hair down to the nape of his neck, and sports a finely-trimmed goatee that he claims is envied by the rest of his squad. Like most, he dons the standard Shihakusho. While his Haori is similar to the white long-sleeved variant, he specifically asked that it had a collar, buttons, and pockets like a trench coat, stating that “trench coats are cool”. (Note: He leaves it unbuttoned)

Personality
Saibo is usually easy to get along with, as he enjoys the company of others and treats everyone as a friend unless they give him a reason otherwise. However, this also means that he commonly invades people's 'personal space' whether it be by standing too close or asking private, even inappropriate questions. He says that being in the Reserves means he needs to stay up to speed with all the Divisions, but it's mostly due to his need to satiate his boredom.

After the Arrancar Invasion Saibo's carefree personality had become slightly marred. However, those who had known him for awhile say that he is, at heart, a very carefree person who, more than anything else, just likes having fun and making friends. More often than not, if you see him it will be because he's bored and curious and has decided to pop in on your Division to see what you're up to.

If there is something important that needs to be done by 8th Division then it shall take top priority. Beware if Saibo gets extremely bored, however, as old habits die hard. If there isn't a state of emergency or an assignment for the Division he has been known to summon the ranked members of his Division for games of his own creation. He once required them to play a game that involved a variation of 20 questions while balancing a fruit upon one's forehead. While most are harmless, there is always the chance that he will ask for creative ideas from some of the other captains.

Living
Saibo was trained in the way of the sword at a young age. By the time he was in his mid-twenties, he had grown into a fully-fledged Samurai. During the late 1700s/early 1800s they began to fall to the technology of guns and gunpowder. He wasn't a hero standing at the front lines on the battlefield, but neither was he a coward. He was a sufficient warrior, but that wouldn't be enough to change this inevitable fate. As more of his fellow samurai fell in battle, he soon found himself facing insurmountable odds. He shook his head, wondering why he'd tried so hard to gain strength in life if this is what his fate was destined to be. Sword in hand, he charged the enemy, taking out a small platoon of riflemen before being gunned down, quickly bleeding to death.

After Death
Shortly after his death, Saibo found himself in the Rukongai district. By this point, most of his initiative was gone, and he had settled with the mediocre lifestyle that was expected in Rukongai. He needed to find some way to keep himself entertained, and that soon led to gambling. He won some days, but most he lost. After losing a bet he couldn't keep he found himself paying for it by visitation of local thug. It was a group of four men, each taking turns punching him in the gut while two others held him. He was beginning to cough up blood and was slipping in and out of consciousness. Before things escalated any furhter, a man in a black shihakusho intervened and easily fended off the men who'd assaulted him. The man held out his hand, helping Saibo up, who stumbled as he stood.

“Who..are you?” Saibo strained to get out, clutching his stomach.

“..an ally.” he replied, smiling. “You have the look of some one who wants more in life than they have..”

“You've got that right..everything here's so boring..wouldn't have been in this mess if things were actually fun around here.” “

Well, if you're looking for something to do, why don't you become a Shinigami like myself?” the figure chuckled and turned away before leaving Saibo with one final statement. “Join the Academy..you may find what you're looking for.”

Academy Days
After joining the Academy and beginning his training as a Shinigami, Saibo still found things to complain about. While he was being kept occupied with training and studying, he constantly groaned about how much work it involved. While he was seldom to hold his tongue, he still obeyed the orders of his superiors and gave respect where respect was due. He just had to get stronger, he told himself. Once I graduate from the Academy, then the real fun will begin. He buckled down and in a few years finally achieved his goal. After Graduation he was placed in the 8th Division. At first he was brushed off as a new recruit and spent his time in the living quarters messing with his facial hair and appearance. But eventually he was given assignments by the ranked officers and quickly proved himself to his superiors. As the years passed, he slowly worked his way through the ranks, gaining respect and dissent equally through his odd necessity for entertainment. One day, while trying to paint with his feet, he was informed that the current Captain had disappeared without a trace, and that it was necessary for him as Lieutenant to fill the position. Saibo chuckled, thinking that now was finally the time for him to have some true, genuine fun.

Arrancar Invasion
Saibo had just recently been appointed Captain, so it wasn't uncommon for him to be unsure on procedure or the proper action to a situation. He was still becoming accustomed to his new office and the responsibilities that come with being a Division Captain. He spent his time getting his Division's assignments done as quickly as possible so that he could resume inventing new games to play and have fun. However, much of this changed shortly after the Arrancar Invasion. Due to his self-proclaimed friendship with Nonko he was ordered to be questioned extensively to determine if he had, at any point, collaborated with Nonko in his plans. After a straight week of interrogation it was determined that he had no idea of what Nonko had been scheming, and that if anything Saibo seemed to consider any Shinigami he met a 'friend'. He immediately resumed his duties as the 8th Division Captain, sending out all available Shinigami to assist in recovery, crowd control, and all other duties necessary as a result of the destruction of the Seireitei and Rukongai. As a result, he quickly stepped up to his role as the Reserves Captain and quickly came to be considered one of the veteran captains of the Gotei 13, seeing as all other remaining captains were dead or MIA, excluding Azerik Zaraki and the Captain Commander. Saibo did not realize it until much later, but the power shift caused by Nonko's spiritual bomb left little to no effect on him, as his power was essentially at the "average" the bomb reset to. In essence, he was just as powerful as he previously was, and had just as good of a chance in combat as anyone else.

Modern Day
Saibo still spends much of his Division's resources on assisting in the reconstruction and safety of the Soul Society, but still finds time to visit the other Divisions. If at all possible, he tries to speak one-on-one with his subordinates to ensure that if there's ever anything he can do to help them that he is there for them. While his appearance has not changed much in the 30 years since the Arrancar Invasion, he has grown a lot emotionally. While he is still seen as an eccentric Captain who likes to make up odd games for entertainment, and still flirts with his female subordinates on occasion, he is regarded as a kind, caring individual who wants to do everything he can to help others.

Names and Descriptions
Shikai: Ryousei (療性 - Burn the Animal Sacrifice ）

Bankai: Ryousei Kai (療性 悔 - Regret for Burning the Animal Sacrifice)

In it's sealed state, Saibo's Zanpaktou is just a simple blue wrapped katana, with a matching blue sheathe.

In Shikai the guard and hilt change drastically, becoming brass and black colored respectively, while the guard elongates and moves up the blade. The blade is also much straighter than a typical katana, but is still only single edged.

While in Bankai, the blade lengthens considerably, while the guard becomes silver, and changes shape to something very spider-esque in appearance. On the base of the pommel is a human eye.  Zanpaktou Spirit and Inner Realm  Saibo's spirit is a large brown recluse spider, approximately four times larger than himself. Spiders give Saibo the creeps however, and that added extra time to his mastery over bankai. The enormous spider inhabits a ruined cityscape, with a long suspension bridge, covered in what appears to be crystalline spider silk.

Shikai

 * Katsu - Separate: When Saibo strikes an opponent, his blade will pass through harmlessly, but leave behind the sensation that the area "cut" is slowly being torn from the body. For each attempt of this attack, Saibo receives a thin cut to his arms, to a maximum of 10 cuts on each arm. When he has reached the 20 cuts quota, if he continues to use this attack, the skin on his arms will slowly be peeled off.
 * Shin - Stinger: By stabbing an opponent, can induce the effect of being stung by a larger scorpion, and causes a dull throbbing pain in the target area on the victim. This will cause Saibo to have muscle spasms for every 5 attempts of this ability.
 * Gyaku - Reverse: By uttering the name of this ability, Saibo can trade the physical effects his abilities have on him with his opponents, and take on the pain his abilities cause his opponents.
 * Houtsuu - Pain Release: This will release all the pain effects his abilities have induced, but leave the physical effects. Using this will cause his Shikai's abilities to be locked for 10 posts, forcing him to rely on his own skill. This is nullified if he initiates Bankai.

Bankai

 * Morohanotsurugi - Double-Edged Sword: This effect occurs only after bankai is released. When Saibo is hurt that same damage he receives is applied, but doubled, to the opponent. The drawback is that only Saibo will feel the pain. The opponent will feel nothing. If a battle is long and drawn out, this can work in his favor if the opponent does not realize he/she has sustained these painless wounds and loses too much blood or a limb.
 * Mazo no Dengen - Masochist's Power: The more damage Saibo sustains, the larger his reiatsu grows. This effect only applies if he is in a condition to fight.
 * Doku ga Hirogaru - The Poison Spreads: An ability that evolves upon Shin. Should Saibo choose to do so, the dull throbbing pain from the Shin attack will subside, leaving a poison in the opponent's bloodstream. This poison will not kill the opponent, but rather act as a catalyst and amplify the pain of all other wounds. The higher the number of wounds that were caused by Shin, the larger the pain is magnified. If Saibo is knocked unconscious, killed, or seals his Bankai, the poison will dissipate.

Passive
As long as his Zanpakuto is in a released state, Saibo can stop the bleeding of his open wounds. The pain will still be present, and the wound will stay open, but will not continue bleeding so long as the zanpakuto is released. Should he pass out or seal his weapon, the bleeding will continue once again.

The Eye present on the pommel of his Bankai is also linked to his mind, and anything it see's he can see.