about kaien

Be warned that this section contains unmarked spoilers. :3


Shiba Kaien was the fukutaichou of the Thirteenth Division under Ukitake Jyuushirou (first appearing in chapter 134 of the manga). He is often considered a father/older brother figure to Kuchiki Rukia, and also a romantic interest (one-sided, on her end). He was a prodigy among shinigami, graduating from the academy in one year instead of six and becoming a vice captain within five years. In appearance, he loosely resembles Kurosaki Ichigo, though he has tattoos on his left arm and darker, longer hair.

Upbeat and kind to his subordinates (if not slightly rough-mannered), Kaien was also the eldest son of the Shiba clan, one of the main noble clans (comparable to Kuchiki and Shihouin). He had a younger brother, Ganju, and a younger sister, Kuukaku, and was married to the third seat of his division. Kaien essentially ran the Thirteenth Division prior to his death because Ukitake was often sick and unable to run day to day operations. The subordinates of Thirteenth greatly respected and admired him.

When his wife and the rest of her squad were killed by a hollow, Kaien went to avenge her death, accompanied only by Ukitake and Rukia. Kaien fought the hollow in a solo battle; Ukitake and Rukia decided not to intervene since it was a battle for honor and pride, not a battle for life or survival. The hollow eventually merged/took over Kaien's body, forcing Ukitake to step in. However a sudden attack of his illness took over, disabling him from fighting. The hollow then turned its attention to Rukia, but Kaien took control momentarily and forced his body onto her sword, killing both Kaien and the hollow.

Both Kuukaku and especially Ganju became distrustful of shinigami after Kaien's death. The Shiba clan was eventually removed from the top noble families, although it is unclear whether this was caused by Kaien's actions during life, or by his death. The clan eventually left Seireitei to live in their residence in Rukongai. The clan diminished and now consists only of Kaien's younger sister and brother. Rukia, who felt the most responsible for Kaien's death, carried a heavy amount of guilt for his death until very recently in the storyline, when she apologized to Kaien's relatives. The incident weighed especially heavy on her as she watched Ichigo Kurosaki fight the hollow known as Grand Fisher alone and as her execution was about to be carried out. She blamed herself for Kaien's death and thus thought that she wasn't worth saving.

Kaien's zanpakuto was Nejibana (literally screw flower) and first appeared in chapter 135 of the manga. Its abilities are unknown as it was destroyed by the hollow that possessed him upon its only initial release. Its release command is Suiten Sakamake (literally uncoil the liquid heavens!). In the video game for GameCube, Nejibana's shikai is revealed to be a sort of trident.

about this site

This fanlisting is run by Gali, who loves Kaien and Bleach and the rest of everything about the series to death! She named this site "Dance Against The Grey" from the song Oceans Away by The Fray, because Kaien, despite being a noble, did just that. Defying everything is something he's damned good at, and Gali happens to love this! XD

The artwork used on this layout is by the fantastic Devilette. She roxors and please, please, please appreciate the beauty that is her art!