Name : Kurotsuchi Mayuri
Birthday : January 30
Height : 174 cm
Weight : 54 kg
Occupation : Shinigami captain of the 12th Division, president of the Shinigami Research Institute
Kurotsuchi Mayuri is a researcher and personifies the stereotype of the mad scientist. He is displayed as one of the most sadistic and cruel characters in the series. He sees everyone and everything not so much as a living being, but as an object to be researched - including himself. He has little respect or regard for most others, and was even willing to turn his own men (who were not aware of his plans) into inadvertent human bombs in an attempt to capture Uryuu Ishida and Orihime Inoue for experimentation.
Kurotsuchi's appearance has a very skeletal look to it, with a skull like visage. Thus, it serves to make him to look the most inhumane, as evidenced by his research experiments. He has also performed various experiments on himself, upgrading certain body parts to function as weapons. His arm can extend out like a grappling hook, and he is able to pull part of his ear out to form a scythe attached to a rope-like ligament and used like a manriki-gusari. In case he is defeated, he is able to transform into a blob-like entity, unable to be attacked or attack, until he is able to reconstitute himself. If a statement Nemu gave Uryuu is correct, the only way Kurotsuchi can be killed is by a direct blow to the head, in a manner similar to that of destroying zombies.
Kurotsuchi is revealed to have blue hair and yellow eyes (in the anime) when unmasked. It appears his physical modifications become undone each time he reconstitutes himself, although his earlobes appear to be permanantly removed.
Bleach does not go in-depth about Mayuri's inventions, unlike Urahara's. However, one major invention is present, which is Mayuri's lieutenant and "daughter", Nemu Kurotsuchi, who is the cream of his gigai and modified soul research.
Ashisogi Jizou is Mayuri Kurotsuchi's zanpakutou. It can be translated into English in several ways, but the most logical one (judging by the sword's appearance) is: Ksitigarbha killer head. A Ksitigarbha is a ghost that watches over children and the underworld. In Japanese mythology especially, it looks like a giant baby's head.
Its initial release command is kakimushire and the sword transforms into a deformed trident with a baby's head in place of the guard. When an opponent is stabbed by Ashisogi Jizou, the victim becomes paralyzed (nerve endings disabled). The victim, unable to move, is still capable of feeling pain. However, there are techniques to counter this.
The final release (bankai) is Golden Ashisogi Jizou (konjiki ashisogi jizou), which has the form of a giant caterpillar with a grotesque baby's head, and a halo. This form lets out poison derivative of Mayuri's blood from its mouth which is lethal to anyone who breathes it within a large radius. Also, several blades stretch out from its stomach, making direct attacks possible.
Additionally, if he stabs himself with his blade, Mayuri will turn into a liquid (teal in colour in the anime). He cannot attack or be attacked in this form; thus, it can effectively be used for escape. However, it is uncertain whether this ability has anything do with the powers of Ashisogi Jizou and may instead relate to the various modifications Mayuri has made to his own body.
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