Chihiro Akane

Chihiro Akane was the Vice captain of Eleventh company, but had power that could be compared to that of an experienced captain.

Appearance
Chihiro is a beautiful woman with brown hair and eyes. Buramu noted that it seems that it seems like there is an eternal light in her eyes. She has a pretty figure and likes to arm and leg protection under her uniform.

Personality
She gets angry fast but can calm down just as fast. Chihiro is very passionate about everything she does, but she can be calm and considerate too, as she can read people's emotions easily. She's also very stubborn and will never admit she was wrong.

History
She was born in the Zaraki district in Rukongai and survived somehow. Chihiro became a legend there, as she slaughtered whole gangs with her bare hands. After she almost died during one of her fights, she decided to go to the Academy and graduated in less than two years. People used to mock her for her fragile look, but she beat that out of anyone who dared to say so. Through her determination, she became Vice Captain and everyone thought of her as the first female captain of Eleventh Company.

Bearing the sadness arc
Chihiro was ordered to go out on an experiment in Hueco Mundo. She had to test a certain substance, that could potentially weaken hollows if you stand near to them. But because it might backfire, Chihiro needed protection, so newbie captain Buramu Akuma was selected for the task. They initially fought each other, causing the mission to be delayed. In the two days they spent together in an attempt to solve their differences, Buramu and Chihiro fell in love with each other. When they arrived in Hueco Mundo, they decided to live together after the mission was done. However, the substance inside Chihiro backfired and she became a slave to Senso, who mocked Buramu for his weakness. Chihiro and Senso almost killed Buramu, but he luckily defeated them both. Buramu brought her back to Soul Society, to the hill they spent most of their hours together. There, Chihiro used her Zanpaktou to cremate her own body.

Powers and Abilities
Master swordmanship specialist: This goes without saying. As a Vice captain of Eleventh company, she has vast experience and skill on Zanjutsu.

Shunpo expert: Because of her skill at Shunpo, Chihiro considered enlisting in the Second Division, but she couldn't fight quietly.

Kido practitioner: She really sucks at Kido. If she wasn't that good at Zanjutsu, Chihiro would still be at the Academy.

Master Hakuda combatant: Her skill at Hakuda was proven against Buramu, who was sent flying after a hit. Really scary, especially since she's a woman.

Great Spiritual Power: Her Reiatsu was on par with that of Buramu, so her Spiritual power is indeed great.

Immense Strength: Scariest part. On par with Buramu, and that's saying a lot.

Great Speed: Seeing her skill at shunpo, her speed really isn't something you can debate about. Fastest woman of her time outside of the Second Division.

Immense Durability: She can practically take any hit without succumbing. Has been known to kill hollow with broken arms.

Sharp Intellect: Although she may seem rash and unwise at first, she is very good at reading people and thinking of stratetgies while fighting.

Zanpakuto
Tenhi (Heavenly fire) : When sealed her sword looks rather short for a katana. The handle is dark blue and the blade also seems to have some blue pigments. Shikai special ability: The blue flames on her sword feed on Spiritual pressure. She can put flames on anything that posesses any kind of Spiritual pressure with her Zanpaktou. However, she has to touch her opponent or be very close to him/her. Bankai special ability: These flames have the same effect as in shikai, except that they become extremely destructive and can't be put out until either Chihiro or her opponent runs out of power. However, these flames feed on her own Spiritual pressure. But since she doesn't use her massive Spiritual pressure for nothing else than battling, she's pretty much safe for a long time.
 * Shikai: The activation command is 'Consume all that opposes, Tenhi'. When in Shikai, small blue flames seem to dance on the blade.
 * Bankai: Tenhi Joka (Heavenly purifying fire): Chihiro's Zanpaktou is swallowed by flames and disappears. Then the handle appears again in her hand with a blade of pure blue fire.
 * Joka Ryu (purifying dragon): A giant dragon of blue fir surrounds Chihiro and consumes her Spiritual pressure even faster. However, a hit from this will drain the opponent and it is almost unavoidable, as her speed and strength are boosted in this form.

Relationships
Buramu Akuma: The only man she ever loved. Even though they were together for only a few days and they had an all-out battle when they first met, it was clear they were meant to be together. Her favorite sparring partner.

Trivia

 * Despite her beauty, she never made it into the top ten of most desirable women of Soul Society. Probably because of her personality.