YAMAMISAKI, KANAN

DŌKA (道果, Path and Realization) is the name of Kanan's zanpakuto. Before we start with that, however, fun fact: Kanan's left leg is amputated below the knee. Inside the lifelike prosthesis that makes it up is her zanpakuto, the hilt accessible by swinging her leg up and pulling out the heel of the fake foot. This reveals a small rod carved out of sekkiseki, inside of which the blade of her zanpakuto rests. However, Kanan rarely uses the sealed form, instead choosing to go straight into released form.

INNER WORLD: Whenever Kanan enters her zanpakuto’s inner world, she finds herself at the edge of a ruined city from medieval Europe. The sky is choked with clouds of grey smoke, fed by rubble fires scattered everywhere, and the sun is blood red. Stone buildings have collapsed in on one another, straw roofs are torn to tatters, and carts are overturned in the streets. The occasional feral animal can be found slinking about the alleyways that lead off from the main streets, but whenever Kanan approaches they flee. The air is heavy with rot and other disgusting fumes, but the city itself seems to be uninhabited. No corpses or bodies can be found anywhere.

The city is arranged in the shape of a wheel, with the streets being the spokes. The outer rim consists of a massive stone wall, blocking out the horizon with no gate in sight. Kanan thus is trapped within and can only progress inwards, towards the hub of the wheel. There, things are much different. At the city’s center resides a circular patch of immaculately-trimmed grass, hemmed by brick. Step into the circle, and the world suddenly looks normal. The city is reconstructed - albeit still deserted - and the sky is blue with a bright yellow sun. Even the sound of birds chirping can be heard. Within the center of this circle can always be found the spirit of Doka, a single rusted watering can sitting next to her.

SPIRIT: Doka doesn’t manifest herself as a person. Instead, she chooses the form of a small forget-me-not flower sprouting from the rubble in the center of the town, about one foot (30 cm) in total height. Her five petals are a brilliant blue that contrasts heavily with the despair of her surroundings, a rather atypical color for the plant. Every so often, a single mote of pollen-like light drifts from the center of the flower and floats into the sky, eventually fading far above. The still air and soil means that Doka is never disturbed nor cared for, but her leaves and petals always looks freshly watered upon Kanan’s arrival. (She always makes sure to water the spirit though, just to make sure.)

When the spirit speaks (how is unknown), her voice is shy and tremulous. Doka sounds like a young girl perpetually on the verge of tears, and Kanan often has to reassure her that she isn’t going to come to harm. However, when her fears dissipate, the spirit is a source of comfort and validation. She always listens to her bearer’s concerns while supporting her without guile or snark. This stems from Kanan’s desire to return to a less complicated world, free of the obligations her duties forces upon her. In shikai, Doka lights up, shooting a brilliant ray towards the grey clouds.

COMMAND: Whisper. (囁け, Sasayake.)

SHIKAI APPEARANCE: When the light and dust clear, Kanan is left holding a khakkhara, or Buddhist monk’s staff. Despite the Japanese translation of “tin staff,” the entire thing is made up of bone - the body is a spinal cord while the hoops are ribs. The finial of the staff is a loop beaten into a shape resembling a spade (like that of a pack of cards), with a sharp point at the top. Six rings hang from this loop, three to each side of the shikai’s body. They make a pleasant jingling sound when rattled, which is supposedly to alert any small animals to the bearer’s passage so they don’t get stepped on. However, Kanan’s version elaborates on this with small bells and tassels hanging from each ring. This causes a faint ringing whenever she swings the staff, which is easily recognizable. Since her style of fighting doesn’t rely on stealth it doesn’t make much of a difference.

SHIKAI ABILITIES:
• Kigaku (棄樂, Indifference to Pleasure) - The most ironic thing about Kanan’s shikai is that it is tailored to undo exactly that at which she is most proficient. (Which in a way may not be a bad thing.) The sound of the bells clanging atop the khakkhara has the effect of destabilizing reiatsu constructs within audible range. This is done via the sound from the bells resonating with the reiatsu wavelengths, causing the shapes to weaken. Normally, this just causes things to be a bit more brittle, reducing the force behind them. However, by banging the end of the khakkhara against the ground, the sound becomes so strong that any reiatsu structures in her way simply crumble to dust. Although this is a potentially devastating effect, it is indiscriminate within its range: any other kido or attacks used by her compatriots will be destroyed as well. Because of Kanan's incredible strength, she can effectively turn to dust anything spiritually constructed within a massive radius of herself.

BANKAI: Concealed.