Nanda, Rai Pt. 1

Name: Rai Nanda

Nickname(s): Apex Predator; El León; The Wandering Sentinel

Age: 1132

Sex: Male

Sexual Preference: Heterosexual

Species: Anthropomorphic Shinigami

Alliance: 5th Division Captain; Hueco Mundo Special Operations Force



Appearance: The Nanda clan is small and one of the very few anthropomorphic clan’s still in existence within the Soul Society. Where the Nanda’s call home is a remote location to the south of the Rukongai secluded from society. They are a pride of lions, unlike the other beast that live in Soul Society, these are more powerful than you average lion and can communicate in the language of the humans. Being stuck between the realm of beast and humans, anthropomorphic souls are usually ridiculed driving them to the far reaches of the forest. Some create zero tolerance for the humans and only have ill intentions towards them. It has always been a difficult relationship, but Rai is the first to come out of the clan to make a peace offering with the human souls. Many believed them to be a myth and since Rai’s disappearance into Hueco Mundo no other anthropomorphic Shinigami has risen. His return was truly astonishing making the myth of the animal like souls a reality. 

Standing at seven feet and seven inches, the humanoid lion is a rather tall creature and weighs approximately three hundred and forty pounds. Every ounce of his body is covered in hard muscles, with random scars across his torso. These are daily reminders of his time in Hueco Mundo. With him being a lion, he has a layer of light brown fur over his skin that covers his body entirely. His mane is a darker shade of brown and his ears pop out his head. By simply standing before him, one feels like they are in the presence of a majestic, mythical being. His eyes are yellow with a black sclera, typically found in big cats. Like all felines, Rai has retractable claws, said claws being completely black and sharp enough to tear through stone and steel effortlessly. Like all of those that are in the service of the Gotei Thirteen, Rai is obligated to wear some sort of uniform. Rai has choose to wear the traditional Shihakushō with the exception of the foot gear, since he has huge paws instead of feet and he actually prefers to walk bare footed. The black padding beneath his feet is enough to protect him from the hard surface he treads on, no matter the weather conditions. No alterations is done to his uniform, or his haori. Since he is a Captain, Rai is rarely found without his haori on, keeping it just like it was first tailored; long sleeve, neat and clean, lined with a light brown color.


Personality: Every student of the Shinigami Academy is familiar with the betrayal of Santa Gushiken, the first captain of the fifth division, which scarred many Shinigami, Rai not being an exception. He was sent on a mission when he was a young cub into Hueco Mundo, led by the third seat of the fifth division at the time. It was a suicide mission orchestrated by Santa for research purposes, but luckily, Rai survived being trapped in Hueco Mundo for centuries, five hundred and fifty-four years to be exact. After entering the world where beast reside, the group was ambushed immediately. They fought for days and managed to push back the enemy as they made their escape to the Jardín de Reyes. Eventually, Rai was the sole survivor of the group. Without knowledge on how to get back home he used every bit of his survival skills to get by. Years went on and he slowly adapted to the life of the Hollow.

This life experience shaped him into the being he is today. Adaptable to any situation, he is known for his excellent survival skills. He spent many years relying on his instinct and gut feeling, which was necessary in order to survive in the savage lands of Hueco Mundo. Constantly aware of his surroundings, he does quick and thorough scans of every new area he sets foot in. Even though he has lived in Soul Society for many years now, he still doesn’t feel completely safe, anywhere. Rai is always alert and ready for any type of situation and those that like creeping around places have learned to avoid him, since nothing gets by him and he is quick to retaliate with violence. Accustomed to sleeping with one eye open, it is now a habit that will stick with him for the rest of his life.

A firm believer in that everyone has some sort of evil within them, he has a hard time trusting people and tends to keep to himself, especially around new faces. Despite his trust issues, it does not impede him in doing his job and being a loyal Shinigami. He doesn’t seclude himself from the world, however, he does enjoy being left alone and not bothered with trivial matters. There are instances that Rai will be very vocal, mainly when he needs to be or he disagrees with orders, though he will rarely disobey orders, only those that affect his morality. He is always prepared to be betrayed by everyone, even the Soul King, so he doesn't get too attached to others and tries not to form strong, deep, bonds. His subordinates are the closest people to him, but he keeps them at a distance. All matters are kept strictly professional, him not having anyone in his division that knows him on a true personal level.

He is called the Wandering Sentinel by many, since he never stays in one place but is constantly watching for malicious intent. Never having the leisure to settle down in a specific location, El León is always on the move. This is the sole reason Rai occupies the grand majority of his time with the job; exploring the vast world of Hueco Mundo and keeping the Hollow and Arrancar threat on check. Regardless of his solitary nature, he has shown excellent leadership skills and takes his job very seriously, often keeping his division members working at all times. To him, success in all missions is a must, but he does prioritize on the safety of the Shinigami’s that are deployed and no man or woman is to be left behind. Only time he will tolerate a failed mission will be when a dangerous situation occurs threatening the wellbeing of his members. He is a very cautious individual after all.



Equipment:

Máscara del Rey: The infamously known hollow mask that Rai drags along with him use to belong to a hollow king. It belonged to an ancient Vasto Lorde turned Arrancar that roamed the Forest of Menos for many centuries. It was one of the most dangerous foes he has ever encountered during his time in Hueco Mundo, a battle that went on for three days. The spoils of that exhausting fight was the mask of the nameless king. No matter how much he tried, none of Rai’s attacks didn’t even scratch it. Amazed by the durability of the mask, he decided to remove it from the rest of the body and use it as a shield. Mainly white in color, like the majority of the Hollow’s mask, the shield is long measuring seven feet and seven inches. Its hexagonal like shape makes it vary in width, but at its center point, the shield is two feet and a half. Despite its sturdiness the mask is not very thick, barely passing half an inch, and it is also extremely light. Not unlike most Arrancar’s, the mask has colorful makings that run down both of its sides with a small line on the chin, all green in color. Where once the eyes of the beast glowed is now an empty pitch black socket. The mask is more of a trophy than a shield to Rai, but he couldn’t afford to carry around useless objects while surviving the harsh forest, he had to make use of everything he had.

• Bala: After many years of using the mask as a shield, Rai has discovered that he can channel his Reiryoku into the mask and fire a quick red orb straight ahead. This move is one used by the Arrancar and with many years of practice, he has learned how to fully control it as if he was an Arrancar himself.

• Bala Barrage: The practice he put himself through during his many years has helped him accomplish a feat that not many Hollows themselves have accomplish. By channeling his energy continuously, he can fire a barrage of Bala’s from the mask, similar to a machine gun. Though each Bala doesn’t pose a major threat individually, this continuous attack can deal significant damage.

• Cero: If Rai wishes to hold off the Reiryoku used to supply the Bala for a fraction of a second, a ball of energy will begin to form in the center of the mask. This orb that is created is no other than the infamously known energy blast used by all types of Hollow’s, Cero. The red beam of destructive energy tears through everything in its path until it reaches approximately one hundred feet, where it then loses its steam and dissolved into nothingness.

• Gran Rey Cero: Only once has Rai seen a Gran Rey Cero be performed and it was by the very Arrancar that once wore this mask. Imitating what he saw, Rai nick’s his finger and passes it along the mask. Once that is done the mask begins to glow a dark red before firing off a bigger, more powerful cero blast. This blast is the size of the mask and increases its size the further it travels. The mountain of pure destructive energy that is shot out is terrifying and reaches a good five kilometer distance, leaving only death in its wake. The technique is very powerful and takes up the appropriate amount of Reiryoku to execute, but Rai fears that doing so will weaken the defensive properties of his trophy, so he barely uses it.




Abilities:

Zanjutsu Master: Many years spent in solitude with just him and his Zanpakutō gave him more than enough time to master his art as a swordsman. His style is not any of the ones taught in the Shin’ō Academy, his is a more aggressive and wild style of swordsmanship. But he never veered from his teachings completely. Having blade in hand, Rai can keep up with other master of Zanjutsu perfectly fine, even holding his own against the Grandmaster herself, Asura Sensō. Usually wielding his sword in the common one hand style, he attacks relentlessly, focusing on only defending with his shield. The position he grips the sword may vary, upright or upside down, he is comfortable in holding his sword either way, dominating his opponent regardless. As rare occasion as it may be, Rai has been seen wielding his zanpakutō in the traditional kendo style, but this is only when an opponent forces him to go way back to the basics, which is also the best way of handling a sword.

Sonído Expert: Hohō and all of its basics where engraved into his memory a long, long time ago. After having to focus his attention to survive not only the harsh sands of Hueco Mundo, Rai’s shunpo began to resemble a Sonído every day. The flash step first started picking up the booming noise Sonído does when it is executed. Then he started gaining control the vibrations that make his reiatsu undetectable while doing the step, completely changing the properties of his Shunpo into Sonído. This feat is only achievable by anthropomorphic souls, given the properties of their genetic make-up and their instinctive nature. Now, Rai has completely abandoned what he learned about Hohō and is starting to develop a profound knowledge in Sonído, being the only Shinigami capable of doing so.

Hakuda Expert: When it comes down to hand to hand combat, Rai is no master. He does prefer to relay on his zanpakutō more than confronting an opponent with his bare fist. This does not mean that he is completely defenseless when unarmed. Thankfully, he has enough knowledge in fighting that he can instinctively defend himself even without a weapon. His retractable claws are an excellent aid to him in battle. Both hands and feet produce a two inch claw that can cut clean through steel. These natural weapons he has prevents him from truly being disarmed in combat. He uses them to their full ability looking to slash and rip his opponents to shreds. Mixed in with his speed and immense strength, he can make quick work of others with his bare hands, he just lacks the knowledge to perform any advanced technique, but with his natural abilities alone, he is a force to be reckoned with.

Immense Spiritual Pressure: One thing that can be easily distinctive about Rai, besides his appearance, is his immense and unique Reiryoku. The spiritual composition of anthropomorphic souls is one that has rarely been studied. Only a few clans of them live within the Soul Society, most of them being believed to be a myth until the day Rai walked up to the Seireitei in hopes of becoming a Shinigami. Since before his mission that lead him to be abandoned in Hueco Mundo, he had an outstanding amount of Reiryoku that was vibrantly displayed in a snow white color outlined with crystal blue. Now it has developed into a monstrous entity that is capable of suffocating weaker individuals. He has complete mastery over his energy reserved and at full release can incapacitate all but the strongest of the Vice-Captain Class opponents. Whenever Rai is to exert his reiatsu it gives off a vibe akin to a Hollow, but slightly different. It was not always like this, but after spending so many years behind enemy lines, he spiritual energy has evolved.

Lion’s Roar: A Lion’s roar has always been something revered throughout history. Biologically, the Nanda clan are lions in almost every sense, just evolved into a humanoid form. Before they can stand on their own two feet, the young cubs practice their roar every chance they get, eventually it develops into a prestigious roar that strikes fear down an opponent’s spine. Infused with his reiatsu, Rai’s roar is nothing less than earthshattering. The intensity of the roar is capably of paralyzing weak willed foes momentarily, while it will blast those not strong enough to stand in its presence away. It will echo for miles on end, momentarily deafening those too close to him, to say the least, while it can definitely do permanent audio damage. Instinctively, weaker foes will run after the first roar, if they are not paralyzed for too long.

Immense Strength: Beastly strength is used to describe the power level of the Captain of the Fifth Division. Amongst the other Captains, his strength is comparable to the other monsters that have achieved an extreme amount of strength during their many years of training. He does not fall short behind any of them being capable of leveling cities with pure brute force. In a contest of physical strength, Rai Nanda will be victorious, most of the time. There is only a handful of people that can overpower him, which he knows of, everyone else is in for a challenge or utter destruction. Not the type to hold back during a fight, he displays his strength proudly and fully whenever he is to enter combat.

Immense Durability: The years spent in Hueco Mundo where no walk in the park for Rai. Life threw every obstacle it had at him and he still managed to endure it all and prevail. Rai is a well-known survivor and to take him down you will need to deal a lot of damage. His ability to withstand damage and still function normally is beyond impressive. It is to the point that rumors of him being empowered by pain have risen, which he has not given any attention, allowing them to exist. By definition, he is a true warrior, taking hits like a champ going at it blow for blow. He will not tire easily on his own in battle and is believed he can fight for twenty days nonstop. Shrugging off most non-lethal attacks, as easy it is for Rai to deliver punishment he can sustain it in the same fashion.

Enhanced Speed: Naturally, the Nanda clan can out pace most normal souls with ease. Through rigorous training and practice, running for his life when he was still a young cub, he has enhanced his stamina and made himself faster than the norm, without the use of extra powers. With just his natural speed he can out pace Shunpo and Sonído practitioners alike. His anatomic structure helps with his speed, making his legs perfect for running. Not only fast on his feet, Rai’s reflexes and attacking speed is remarkable, making it difficult to attack him by surprise or out speed him with a barrage of attacks. Mixed with his strength, the speed of his attacks are packed with a powerful punch that has ended many lives in one swift movement.

Enhanced Senses: As nature would have it, Rai is not exactly a normal soul. Being an anthropomorphic soul, he has a set of superior animal senses that greatly assist him. His feline eyes adjust to the darkness allowing him to see perfectly. Without the need of blinking frequently, there is very little that can escape from Rai’s field of vision. Capable of swiveling his ears in different directions to help detect the direction sounds come from. He can hear anything for about a kilometer away. His sense of smell has been a great asset to him while he was in Hueco Mundo. Determining different scents and remembering them was all too easy for him, storing an unmeasurable number of scents in his memory bank. Distinguishing different scents made him a very successful hunter/tracker. Lastly, his sense of taste can pick up different flavors with ease, even off the air, if the scent is heavy, and though the papillae does not normally function for tasting they do improve the flavor of whatever he licks. With the combinations off all four of these senses, Rai has been named the Apex Predator.