Katen Kyoukotsu

Katen is languid, theatrical and temperamental. Shunsui describes her as moody because she determines which games he may use, and their familiarity resembles a long, occasionally difficult companionship.

Kyōkotsu is quieter, more guarded and childlike in her view of combat. The anime portrays her as playful and mischievous, but her silence and role as a concealed guardian are also reflected in the manga.

Katen Kyoukotsu makes children’s games real within the range of Shunsui’s spiritual pressure. Everyone affected must obey the active game’s rules, including Shunsui. Its games include hiding in shadows with Kageoni, gaining an advantage from higher ground with Takaoni and calling colors to determine cutting strength with Irooni.

The Bankai, Katen Kyōkotsu: Karamatsu Shinjū, surrounds the area with a bleak theatrical atmosphere and unfolds through four acts. It shares wounds between participants, covers them in incurable lesions, submerges them in an inescapable body of water and concludes with a thread that severs the opponent’s throat and head.

Katen also created Kyōkotsu as an offshoot of herself. Kyōkotsu’s body was used to conceal Shinken Hakkyōken, the sacred sword of the Ise family.

Shunsui uses Katen Kyoukotsu’s games against powerful enemies including Coyote Starrk. Because its rules endanger allies as readily as opponents, he cannot always control when or how its abilities become available.

During the battle with Lille Barro, Katen manifests while Shunsui performs Bankai. Kyōkotsu later emerges to return the concealed Shinken Hakkyōken to Nanao Ise, revealing why the Zanpakutō possesses a second spirit.

Shunsui Kyōraku is Katen Kyoukotsu’s wielder. Katen’s mercurial nature complements his relaxed exterior while giving his abilities an element he cannot fully command.

Nanao Ise is connected to Kyōkotsu through Shinken Hakkyōken, which Shunsui Kyōraku concealed at the request of Nanao’s mother. Lille Barro faces Katen’s Bankai and the Ise sword during their final battle.