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| Indeed,
Rukia recognized his striking similarities with Shiba Kaien (note the
black hair in the shaded flashback segment), a person she deeply loved
and admired. |
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Chapter 117 |
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| Kuchiki
Byakuya recognized this too... |
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Chapter 56 |
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| So
did Ukitake Juushirou, Captain of the 13th Division and Kaien's
superior when he was alive. |
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Chapter 117 |
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| But
Byakuya did not echo Rukia and Ukitake's sentiments for the Shiba family. |
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Chapter 116 |
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| But why
the grudge? And who was Shiba Kaien anyway? He was the Liutenant/Vice-Captain
of Rukia's own 13th division, and the older brother of Ganju and Kuukaku.
Kaien did not share the Shinigami reverence for code, structure,
and regulation... something Byakuya held sacred. |
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Chapter 134 |
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| When
Byakuya revealed that his reasons for being content to not interfere
with Rukia's fate, and even willingness to execute her death sentence
himself out of respect for the Soul Society's (the Shinigami's
world) code, Ichigo indignantly
protested that motivation. This once again reminded Byakuya of Ichigo's
unmistakable parallels with Kaien (note the black hair in the flashback segments
again), who was not afraid to challenge
authority and tradition. |
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Chapter 167 |
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| Kaien
was the world to Rukia. He looked out for her and was perhaps
the only one who made her feel like a normal person instead of a
spoiled brat who got pushed ahead without passing the entrance
exams or a feared/revered noble. It was no wonder that she
developed a profound infatuation with him, but alas he was
married. "As long as you're in my division, I will stand by
you even if I die" he had told her, and die he did... But
before we explore the circumstances of his demise, let us
observe another one of Ichigo's parallels.
We
have already seen that Ichigo looks and acts like Kaien, but he uses
Kaien's exact phrase, as well: "even if I/you die."
Coincidence? I think not. It is obvious that Ichigo is obsessed with
protecting Rukia, but could his overwhelming determination to do so have
originated well before he was born?
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Chapter 134, 152 |
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| It
is relevant to note that the United States manga release by Viz
Media translated Kaien's
"I will stand by you even if I die" as "I'm your
friend for life." This was probably done for sake of
superficial coherence, but it loses a potentially important vow
between Kaien and Rukia that transcends death. If you read the Japanese
chapter 134, the phrase is "Ore wa shin de mo omee no
mikata da" - "I am your friend/ally even if I
die." Likewise, Ichigo's phrase in the Japanese
chapter 152 is "Shin de mo hanasuna yo" -
"Don't let go even if you die." |
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| Kaien's
death was a
tragic event that scarred Rukia for life, and one she dwelled on and
flashbacked to relatively often. The first time she did so in the series
was when Ichigo told her to let him fight the Hollow that killed his
mother without her help. Those words still tore her apart inside with
guilt and anguish, for he was reenacting the circumstances of Kaien's
death. |
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Chapter 23 |
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| When
Kaien's wife and her entire squadron were wiped out by a Hollow, he
disregarded Soul Society's standard procedure of researching the
Hollow's capabilities and then putting together an appropriate task
force. He decided to go after it alone based purely on the knowledge of
its location. The Captain of the 13th division, Ukitake Jyuushiro, and
Rukia accompanied him to the lair, but Kaien insisted on fighting the
Hollow by himself and Jyuushiro obliged. The Hollow shattered his zanpaku-tou
and possessed his body, turning him into a monster. Rukia was forced to
kill him and he died in her arms, grateful for the
opportunity to fight alone. |
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Chapters 133, 135,
136 |
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| Incidentally,
this also spawned Shiba Ganju's hatred of Shinigami, because it
amounted to Rukia killing his brother. I repeat, KAIEN is GANJU'S
BROTHER and RUKIA KILLED HIM. Let that sink in. |
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