Yoruichi Shihoin
From Bleach
Yoruichi Shihoin is a supporting character in Bleach, the former captain of Squad 2 and head of the noble Shihoin clan, famed as the Flash Goddess for her unmatched speed, who first appears to Ichigo's group as a talking black cat. She is voiced by Satsuki Yukino in Japanese and Wendee Lee in English.
About Yoruichi Shihoin
Former captain of Squad 2 and head of the noble Shihoin clan, known across the Soul Society as the Flash Goddess for her unmatched speed. Yoruichi first appears as a talking black cat, which she uses to tease her old friend Urahara and to train Ichigo for his invasion of the Soul Society. Playful, confident and decades ahead of everyone around her, she fights with hand-to-hand Shunko rather than a sword.
Appearance
Yoruichi is a tall, athletic woman with dark skin, golden eyes and long purple-black hair usually tied in a high ponytail. In the Soul Society she favoured the sleeveless, backless uniform of the Onmitsukido commander; in the living world she wears practical, close-fitting clothes built for movement. Her other form is just as famous: a small black cat with a deep, masculine voice, which she uses to tease everyone who does not know the cat is her.
Personality
Yoruichi treats the world like it was arranged for her entertainment. Rank doesn't impress her. Danger doesn't sober her. Embarrassment, hers or anyone else's, is a seasoning. She teases Byakuya Kuchiki the way she did when he was a boy chasing her around the manor, and she turns into a cat partly for the espionage and partly because people's faces are funny. Easy to forget, watching all this, that she's one of the most experienced commanders the Soul Society ever produced. She walked away from a captain's seat and a great clan in a single night to save her friends, and she didn't hesitate, and she has never once looked back.
Background & Story
Yoruichi was born heir to the Shihoin, one of the four great noble houses, and became both captain of Squad 2 and commander of the Onmitsukido, the Soul Society's stealth and execution corps. She grew up tormenting the young Byakuya and befriending the brilliant Kisuke Urahara. When Aizen framed Urahara a century ago, Yoruichi used her position to break him and the transformed captains out of custody, then vanished into exile with them, abandoning her clan, her titles and her home in a single night. She has lived in the living world since, and it is Yoruichi who trains Ichigo's group and opens the road into the Soul Society for Rukia's rescue.
Powers & Abilities
- Shunpo (Flash Step): Yoruichi is the greatest Flash Step user in the Soul Society's history, the 'Flash Goddess', fast enough to carry a passenger across a city in moments.
- Shunko: Her own invention, fusing hand-to-hand combat with Kido: spirit energy wreathes her back and shoulders, multiplying the force of every strike.
- Cat transformation: She can take the form of a black cat at will, a trick she uses for spying, travel and embarrassing old friends.
Key Relationships
- Urahara Kisuke: Her childhood friend and partner in exile; the two of them operate like one mind split across two troublemakers.
- Byakuya Kuchiki: She trained and teased him as a boy, and still delights in outrunning the Kuchiki head.
- Ichigo Kurosaki: She trained him for the invasion of the Soul Society, in her cat form, to his lasting horror.
Quick Answers
Why is Yoruichi a cat in Bleach?
She can transform into a black cat at will. The form is perfect for moving unseen, and she enjoys the reactions of people who do not know the cat is a former captain.
Who voices Yoruichi Shihoin?
Satsuki Yukino voices Yoruichi's human form in Japanese, and Wendee Lee voices her in the English dub.
What is Shunko?
A technique Yoruichi invented that combines hand-to-hand fighting with Kido, coating the fighter's back and arms in compressed spirit energy for explosive strikes.
