Renji Abarai

official art of renji abarai from bleach. he wears a standard shinigami uniform. he's resting his released zanpakuto, zabimaru, on his shoulder. it is made up of wide segments and has long, sharp points on each one.

Renji Abarai is the Lieutenant of Squad 6 under Byakuya Kuchiki. He first appears in Bleach when he travels to the World of the Living on orders to arrest his childhood friend, Rukia Kuchiki. While they do end up successful, Renji is nearly killed by a newly resolved Ichigo before Byakuya steps in to defeat him.

Renji cares deeply for Rukia but isn't the type to go against orders. Still, he's skeptical of the details of her upcoming execution. When Ichigo eventually arrives to rescue Rukia, Renji fights him with all that he has but, upon his defeat, he begs him to save her.

Here are some Renji fun-facts: his birthday is August 31st, he strives to defeat Byakuya in combat, he likes wearing expensive goggles that he can barely afford, his favorite food is taiyaki, he doesn't like spicy foods, and he likes futsal and tries to get other members of his Squad to play. Essentially, he's just like me for real.

a screenshot from the Bleach anime. it features renji in the uniform for ichigo's school sitting next to rukia on ichigo's bed. they are seriously presenting rukia's childish drawings to ichigo

There are a lot of things I like about Renji. He's really strong and serious about fighting, but he's also silly and reacts to minor events with extreme hyperbole. I like the way he looks. He's so cutes... he has awesome tattoos and long hair and he dresses funny and he's overly emotive. They practically designed him for me. I also like his Zanpakutō, Zabimaru, He's also one of the main characters, which is good because that means he's in like the whole show lol sorry to some of my other faves who get left behind or die.

There aren't many major spoilers about him as a character but he Does get some cool design changes in the future that Do coincide with other spoilers. If you're ready to see some spoilers from Thousand-Year Blood War and the arcs leading up to it, read on below.

[click here to view spoilers]

There isn't much to say that hasn't already been said (he IS a main character after all, so most of his deal gets revealed pretty early on). However, there are a few exceptions.

a screenshot from the Bleach anime. it features renji using his former bankai, hihio zabimaru. he is surrounded by giant spinal segments with the skull of zabimaru looming over his head

After the initial fights during the Soul Society arc, Renji and Ichigo resolve to achieve Bankai so they can save Rukia. Soon, Renji is able to release Hihiō Zabimaru, which is like a big snake made of bones, and Renji gets a cool cloak with a skull on one shoulder. My favorite things include the bones and the fact that they can separate and reconnect at will, which he can use to trick his opponent into thinking they've won and create elaborate traps; the fluffy red mane on the skull; the release command, which is translated to "howl" or "roar;" and that Zabimaru often coils around him protectively.

a screenshot from the Bleach anime. it features renji stabbing mask de masculine with a serated blade in his true bankai form. his skeletal arm, hihio, as well as a chain of bones trail behind him as he moves through the air

Unfortunately, Renji finds out like three hundred episodes later that, actually, that wasn't his real Bankai and his Zanpakutō doesn't trust him as much as he thought. In the Soul King Palace, Renji and Rukia train and learn their true Bankai. There, he learns Sōō Zabimaru, which looks entirely different from Hihiō Zabimaru. He wields what looks like a fairly normal sword, but his right hand is guarded by the skull from his old Bankai and the blade of the sword can become similarly serated. Over his left shoulder, he has a giant, skeletal arm with green fur that follows his left arm's movements, and he has shoulderpads and a belt made of bone.

 a gif from the Bleach anime. renji swings his shikai released zabimaru from side to side, making it extend and coil around

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