Name : Abarai Renji
Birthday August 31
Height 188 cm (6' 2")
Weight 78 kg (172 lb)
Occupation : Shinigami, lieutenant of the 6th Division, presently undercover and posing as high school student.
Renji is one of the more memorable characters in Bleach, even if only in terms of his appearance. He has long light crimson hair, usually kept in a high ponytail, and his entire body appears to be covered in tribal tattoo work. How he got these tattoos is unknown, but it appears that with every achievement Renji attains, his tattoos increase as well, from his early days as a shinigami candidate till when he was imprisoned by Byakuya Kuchiki (his tattoos cover his entire back at this point of time). He had no visible tattoos before entering the Shinigami Academy.
Like virtually all shinigami, Renji is most often seen in formal Japanese clothing, consisting of the following: A black kimono, black hakama pants and zori sandals. He occasionally tosses in a bit of headgear as well, usually consisting  of either a bandana or sets of goggles (created by the 12th Division Technological Department used to sense Rukia's dwindling spiritual pressure in his debut and a different pair for his fight against Ichigo in Soul Society).
As far as his personality goes, Renji is about as eccentric as any other shinigami. He varies from smug and cocky in his first appearances to downright angsty and depressed after his major defeats, but shows himself to be an incredibly serious and determined fighter when confronted with an actual challenge. Willing to fight, kill, and die for whatever he believes in, Renji is a dangerous man to those who stand in his way.
 Renji is also extremely loyal to Rukia Kuchiki, and has shown hints of even being in love with her. Following his second battle with Ichigo, it appears that the two have gained mutual respect and trust toward one-another and share a friendly rivalry.
Renji Abarai came from the 78th district of Rukongai and grew up as an orphan with several other children, including Rukia Kuchiki. The company of children lived by stealing or hunting for food, but eventually they died one by one until only Renji and Rukia were left, which is when they decided to become shinigami.
At the shinigami academy, Renji was admitted into the top class, being very adept at swordsmanship (zanjutsu), although quite inept at demon arts (kidou). His senpai (senior student) was Sh��hei Hisagi. At the academy, Renji befriended Izuru Kira and Momo Hinamori, who each proceeded to become lieutenants. His relationship with Rukia became distant after her adoption by the Kuchiki family and he felt he had no place interfering with her life now that she was a noble, despite the fact they both seemed to regret losing the company and confidence of the other.
 Renji, Kira and Hinamori served under Sousuke Aizen and Gin Ichimaru in the 5th division, after which Kira and Hinamori (the loyal ones) were put under Ichimaru and Aizen in the 3rd and 5th divisions respectively. The rebellious Renji was moved to the 11th Division. It is here that he became friends with Ikkaku Madarame, the person who would teach Renji how to fight. Renji was later admitted as lieutenant into the 6th Division.
Ever since he first met Byakuya Kuchiki, Renji Abarai's greatest dream has been to surpass him in strength (hinted as not so much to advance as a shinigami but for the sake of Rukia).
After the events at Soul Society and the emerging threat of the arrancar in the human world, Renji, along with Rukia and four other shinigami, are assigned to aid Ichigo Kurosaki in the living world. It would appear he is going to be living with Kisuke Urahara for the duration of his assignment.
 The espada Grimmjow Jaggerjack leads an assault on anyone in the material world with spirit power leading to Renji fighting with the arrancar Il Forte Grantz. Even his bankai appears to be no match for Ill Forte's unreleased power. Ururu Tsumugiya, the girl who works at the Urahara shop, interferes, injuring Il Forte and forcing him to release his zanpakutou (Del Toro), impaling her on one of his newly-grown horns in the release. Renji was heavily outclassed at that point, as its horns broke through one of Renji's blades effortlessly. However, he, along with Hitsugaya and Rangiku, gained the license to "Lift the Limit", so that he could use more of his power. As he told Ichigo when they fought in Soul Society, when shinigami are sent to human world, they are not allowed to use too much power, for fear that it will negatively influence normal humans. He then defeated Il Forte but was revealed to be spiritually drained at the end.
After the battle, Urahara allows him to live at the shop. However, Urahara has persisted in avoiding Renji's questions (which are the primary reasons as to why Renji decided to go to Urahara's shop). Recently, Renji has been seen helping train Yasutora Sado to increase his ability because of an agreement Renji made with Urahara; Renji will do what ever miscellaneous jobs (and help train Chad) Urahara asks of him for the next three months in exchange for the answers to all of Renji's questions.
|
