Jushiro Ukitake

Jūshirō Ukitake (浮竹 十四郎, Ukitake Jūshirō) is the captain of the 13th Division in the Gotei 13. His lieutenant is Rukia Kuchiki.

Background
Jūshirō is the eldest son from the low-class aristocratic Ukitake family. He has five brothers and two sisters, whom he essentially supports by himself. He, along with Shunsui Kyōraku, were one of the first graduates of Captain Yamamoto's Shin'ō Academy and they were the first graduates to become captains. Furthermore, he was personally trained by Yamamoto himself.[10 ] He and Kyōraku are the oldest captains among the Gotei 13, with the exception of Retsu Unohana and Yamamoto himself. It is stated that the four of them have been captains of the Gotei 13 for at least 100 years as of 110 years ago before the current time.[11 ]

Approximately 110 years ago, Ukitake was first seen arriving at the 1st Division Headquarters with Captain Shunsui Kyōraku and Lieutenant Lisa Yadōmaru of the 8th Division. He first asked about the whereabouts of the 12th Division captain. As Shunsui and Captains Love Aikawa and Shinji Hirako started a conversation about the status of the Gotei 13, he reminded Shunsui not to forget Captain Unohana as one of the captains from 100 years ago.[12 ]

He was again seen waiting for the promotion ceremony to begin at the 1st Division Headquarters along with the rest of the assembled captains. He witnessed the arrival of the newly-appointed Captain of the 12th Division, Kisuke Urahara.[13 ]

The following day, he tried to persuade a then-reluctant Kaien Shiba into becoming his lieutenant. The two conversed about the current happenings in Soul Society, including a young Gin Ichimaru, who happened to be a child prodigy surpassing the previous record set by Kaien himself. Kaien shrugged off any attempt Jūshirō makes at him being any type of prodigy. While visiting the Shiba residence, Jūshirō was shown to be quite popular with the servants, with Kaien noting that Jūshirō was still very charming and that he had a smile that made his servants blush. Jūshirō dismisses the compliment as he tries to remain humble about his notable quality.[14 ]

9 years later, Ukitake was present at an emergency meeting called by Captain-Commander Yamamoto, where he decided to create an investigation team to locate the missing 9th Division squad members. When he gave out orders, Yamamoto ordered him to guard the Seireitei.[15 ] Jūshirō was seemingly stunned by Kyōraku sending Lisa to investigate the disappearance of the 9th Division captain and lieutenant.[16 ] Jūshirō, due to his illness, was rarely able to fulfill his role as captain on a regular basis, instead having Kaien fill the role under his guidance.[17 ]

Sometime later, when a then-unknown Hollow killed a squad being lead by Kaien's wife, Miyako Shiba, Kaien became enraged and wanted revenge. Despite this, Jūshirō tried to reason with him that nothing was known of this new Hollow. Kaien did not relent, so Jūshirō gave him the only information they did have, the lair of the creature. The following night, Jūshirō, Kaien, and Rukia Kuchiki traveled to the Hollow's lair, and when they arrived, Kaien asked for permission to fight the creature alone, which Jūshirō allowed. Kaien fought the creature evenly until it used its unique technique and destroyed his Zanpakutō. However Kaien continued to fight the creature with his bare hands. Eventually, the battle started to turn against Kaien, causing Rukia to try and assist him. Jūshirō stopped Rukia from assisting, explaining that Kaien was fighting for his honor. The Hollow's abilities allowed it to possess Kaien and Jūshirō began to fight it, but his illness got in the way and allowed the Hollow to attack Rukia. But at that moment, to both Jūshirō and Rukia's horror, Kaien took control and impaled himself upon Rukia's sword, thanking the captain for understanding the value of his honor and that of his wife's.[18 ]

Sometime in the past, Ukitake gave Kūgo Ginjō a badge that allowed him the recognition of being the first ever Substitute Shinigami.[19 ]

Personality
Ukitake's favorite food is ohagi. In his free time he feeds the carp in the lake of Ugendō's garden and also trims the bonsai there, despite lacking the artistic sense necessary for the latter. He also writes a novel series in the Seireitei Communication titled "Rejection of the Twin Fishes!" (Sōgyō no Okotowari!), in which the lead character, Sōgyo, fights evil and saves innocent villagers. Sōgyo's catchphrase is "I refuse that!" (そいつはお断りだ！, Soitsu wa Okotowari da!) and is hugely popular among the children in Seireitei. The serial is frequently on hiatus, but when it is in the magazine, it ranks in the top three features.[3 ]

Ukitake is well-respected and highly honorable, and always treats those around him with respect, even those who are weaker or not as highly ranked as he is. As a result, he can be easily approached by other members of Soul Society who seek favors or advice from the captain. Due to his high moral code, Ukitake will never let any harm come to either his underlings or those who attempt to protect them.[4 ] He refuses to give up when he believes something is wrong and will break a rule to do what is right.[5 ] He is also quite perceptive, as seen when he analyzes the various disturbances caused in Soul Society,[6 ] and has the ability to correctly judge people's character, as noted by Yamamoto, and knows when they are lonely. He observes that, before meeting Ichigo Kurosaki and his friends, Rukia often had trouble opening up about certain things and was very lonely, but sees a difference in her when she spends time training with Orihime Inoue.

Ukitake has on occasion given people strange or unwanted gifts for no apparent reason, particularly Toshiro Hitsugaya because of their similar sounding names and hair color.[7 ]

Due to his long-standing position with the Gotei 13, Ukitake is one of the most proficient combatants in Soul Society and always maintains a level of honor and integrity when engaging in battle, much like his best friend Shunsui. He refuses to fight with a child or even in the presence of a child, even if that child is an Arrancar.[8 ] He always maintains a semblance of respect for his opponent and is polite in combat situations. He also has a high measure of mercy, never taking the chance to kill Lilynette, but rather actually try to teach her how to be a better fighter, even though she was an enemy.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-8">[9 ]

Appearance
Ukitake is a tall man with a somewhat emaciated appearance, caused by an illness which occasionally causes him to cough up blood. Because of his illness, he often spends his time recuperating at Ugendō, his family's estate. During one of his attacks when he was much younger, his hair turned white over a three-day period. This is why his eyebrows are black, the color his hair used to be.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Charbook_0-4">[1 ]

110 years ago, he wore his hair in a long ponytail. Currently his hair is worn long, almost reaching his waist. He wears it parted on the left side with one long piece that tends to fall over his right eye. He has green eyes.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-1">[2 ] Ukitake wears the common Shinigami uniform with a long sleeved captain's haori, and a crimson lining. He wears a narrow white obi, in which he secures his Zanpakutō.

Voice Actors
Japanese : Hideo Ishikawa

English : Liam O' Brien