Character Profile: Ichimaru Gin

Gin Ichimaru (市丸 ギン ,Ichimaru Gin) is a fictional character and a major antagonist in the anime and manga series Bleach created by Tite Kubo. He is the captain of the 3rd Division in the Gotei 13 until he betrays Soul Society, and after that he becomes a commander in Sōsuke Aizen’s arrancar army. His lieutenant was Izuru Kira.

Gin’s most distinguishing characteristic is his expression; with his slitted eyes and ever-present grin, his face looks like that of a fox. Ichigo derisively nicknames him “fox-face” in their first meeting because of this (in the English dub, he instead replies with a more generalized insult). He also has unusual silver hair, which has a purple tint to it in the anime; his name refers to his hair color, gin (銀, “silver”). Gin rarely removes his smile or opens his eyes; his eyes open when he is significantly annoyed or angry. There are only a few times when he opens his eyes: once in a flashback when he and Aizen rescued Momo Hinamori and other students from hollows, and the other during a battle with 10th Division Captain Tōshirō Hitsugaya. His eyes are alternately portrayed as light green/blue, blood red, and yellow. In contrast, there are far more moments when he stops smiling, those usually being lesser degrees of annoyance, genuinely apologetic moments, or in deep contemplation over a sudden epiphany.

Gin’s constant happy façade tends to have the opposite effect on those he meets, making them instantly distrust him. His use of sarcasm only further encourages this, especially in those who have known him for a long time. Rukia comments on how she felt like snakes were wrapping around her neck whenever Gin spoke, despite the fact that he was speaking to her brother at the time. Kaname Tōsen notes that Gin has a similar effect on just about everyone when explaining Wonderweiss Margera’s frightened reaction to Gin. In the anime, Gin speaks with a distinct Osaka dialect, which is indirect and polite. His English dubbed voice is also formal and polite, but with a rather mocking and facetious undertone.

After betraying Soul Society, Gin switches his captain’s attire for a similar but unmarked garment. He now wears a long, white robe over his normal Soul Reaper hakama. The hilt of his zanpakutōzanpakutō is not visible with this outfit. visible protrudes from under the robe through the opening down to his waist. Later, Ichimaru is seen wearing a white hakama like the arrancar, instead of the black one he first appears in. Gin wears his robe open in a narrow ‘V’ down to his waist, closed to below the hips, then open again to the hem, which falls about mid-calf. His robe has long bell sleeves where he hides his hands as is done with kimono sleeves. The lining of the robe and edges or layers of the under-robe(s) appear black. From other examples, it is likely he is also wearing black tabi with white waraji. His

Gin saved Rangiku Matsumoto from starvation when they were children, and the two have been good friends since then. Rangiku is the only person Gin seems to truly care about, although he seems to “disappear” often, as Rangiku puts it. He also never tells her where he’s going. Gin was considered a child prodigy since he graduated from the academy within a year and was assigned to a seated position in the 5th Division. Gin killed the 3rd seat of the division with ease, which aroused Aizen’s interest in him. Before he became captain of the 3rd Division, he served under Captain Sōsuke Aizen as the lieutenant of 5th Division. A lesser point is his constant talks with Byakuya Kuchiki, which Rukia believes he did specifically to unsettle her since she was afraid of him.

Gin’s first major appearance is at the gates leading into the Seireitei, following Jidanbō’s defeat by Ichigo Kurosaki. He easily repels the two without killing them, simultaneously closing the gate which Jidanbō was holding open (it is later revealed by Aizen that he ordered Gin to do so). The other captains question his failure to kill opponents whom he should have had no trouble killing, but a second intrusion by Ichigo’s group, followed by the supposed death of Aizen, leaves them with bigger concerns. Aizen, having faked his death, has Gin deliberately cast suspicion on himself, thereby drawing attention away from Aizen’s activities. After Aizen’s plot is revealed and they retreat to Hueco Mundo, Gin bids Rangiku Matsumoto farewell and apologizes to her in one of the rare moments in which he doesn’t smile.

In Hueco Mundo, Gin jokingly chides Aizen over his habit of playing around with his subordinates. When Ichigo’s group breaks into Las Noches, he observes them, even altering the position of the halls when no one is around. When Ulquiorra Schiffer catches him in the act, Gin denies changing anything, saying that he wouldn’t do that to “those kids” and that he does not like “sad stories”. He later appears alongside Aizen and Tosen in Karakura Town, commenting on Kira’s sudden change in emotion to Tōsen and remarks that Kira is ‘doing well’.

Gin Ichimaru’s zanpakutō is Shinsō (神鎗 , literally “Divine spear”). It takes the form of a wakizashi when sealed. The guard is shaped like an ‘S’. Shinsō’s shikai is triggered by the phrase “shoot to kill” (射殺せ ,ikorose); in the anime, this was slightly changed to the declarative ikorosu. In the English translation of the series, the phrase is inconsistent between uses, but mostly describes stabbing (slay, impale, pierce). Another trigger phrase, used in the first Soul Society arc, was “Shoot ‘em dead”. Its first rendering in the Viz translation was “skewer that punk”.

In its shikai, Shinsō’s blade glows white and extends at high speed to impale Gin’s opponents. In addition to making it a deadly long-range weapon, the extending blade also carries tremendous force without affecting Gin, making it useful for dislodging heavy objects, as seen when Gin pushes both Ichigo Kurosaki and the giant Jidanbō out from under the Seireitei gate, despite Jidanbō being firmly braced under it. Once extended, Gin can maintain the blade’s length and swing Shinsō in wide arcs, simultaneously attacking multiple targets with speed and ease.