Riki Nagakura

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"So send me then. If you're so spineless you won't go yourself then send me in your place! Even if it kills me... anyone who tries to kill Kentaro will answer to me, and I'll rip them apart!"

—Riki to Kenji regarding Kentaro.^[src]

Wolf
Name	Riki Nagakura
Kanji	リキ長倉
Characteristics
Race	Fōrun-juu
Gender	Male
Eyes	Blue
Hair	Blonde
Professional Status
Affiliation	Six Directions
Partner	Kentaro Hiroshi
Base of Operations	Reikai
Personal Status
Clan(s)	Nagakura clan
Status	Active
Zanpakutō

When you have confidence, you can have a lot of fun. And when you have fun, you can do amazing things. - Kenji-Taichō

Rikimaru Nagakura (力丸長倉), known almost exclusively by the shortened Riki Nagakura (リキ長倉, Nagakura Riki), and known by the title of Wolf (狼, Ōkami), is a Fōrun-juu and the childhood friend of Kentaro Hiroshi. He was one of five who joined Kentaro on his personal travels around the World of the Living during the later events of the First Spiritual War, and stood beside his friend when the latter rescued Akiye from the Imawashī. Just before The Collapse Riki had officially joined the Ryū Order, where he served as a liaison to the Gotei 13; specifically the 7th Division.

He was thought to have lost his life during the Collapse. He survived due to the intervention of his eldest sibling, Shin Nagakura, thus quashing the rumours of the latter's survival, though Riki himself was left near-death, surviving only due to the simultaneous intervention of Anko Amatsuki, Ayumi and Kenji Hiroshi. He made his return just in-time to aid the Six Directions during the Second Battle of Nishiendo, arguably saving the life of Kentaro in the process. He has since joined Kentaro in the struggle against the Gotei Remnant, Kikkashō and Imawashī. In the words of Kenji himself Riki "must do for Kentaro what Kusaka did for me", thus solidifying his place as Kentaro's right-hand man, as well as the primary supporting character of the series going forward.

Appearance

Riki following the Collapse.

Riki, throughout the events of Part II, possessed a somewhat punk-like exterior; he wore casual clothing consisting mostly of frayed jeans, short-sleeved V-neck shirts, and a long black coat that reached down to his knees. He kept his blond-coloured hair styled in prominent spikes with a sideways-swept fringe that obscured his blue-coloured eyes. He retained this style into the beginning of Part III with little alteration aside from a tidier haircut. He toned the spikes down and cut his fringe tight, and was seen wearing a headband emblazoned with the emblem of a leaf, in addition to his prior clothing scheme. Towards the end of Part III however he began wearing an orange tracksuit with black shoulders and sleeves, as well as a short-sleeved red coat with a black flame-like pattern running along the base.

After he returned following the Collapse Riki's appearance underwent vast changes. He matured and subsequently lost most of his punkish exterior, with his prior spikes having been cropped short. Unlike the tracksuit he favoured towards the end of Part III Riki now prefers an orange hooded sweatshirt and black and orange shorts, alongside black sandals, the overall look being finished off by his previously seen red short-sleeved coat. In addition his right forearm is covered in bandages from the fingertip to just below the elbow.

Personality

Riki has a reputation for violence and mayhem, not to mention a degree of competitiveness that borders on obsession, which he demonstrated during his battle with Rutilus Maculosus Lupus. He is quick to anger and often opts to use his fists to solve a problem rather than work things out diplomatically, which often put him at a disadvantage. All of these traits came to the forefront during his interactions with Rozeluxe Meitzen. Riki went out of his way to annoy the latter and make his life difficult, which Rozeluxe himself reciprocated, leading to many over-the-top and humorous meetings between the two. Regardless, Riki values his friends above anything else, and has went to extreme lengths to protect them, notably beating Hikaru to within an inch of his life when his bullying of Kentaro continued, and using his own body as a shield multiple times to protect Ashni from Rutilus. Shin Nagakura inferred that Riki was a bit of a womaniser for he claimed he could not keep track of all Riki's conquests, noting that Riki had his eye on Ashni and Kujina Satonaka at the same time, before then shifting his attention to Anko Amatsuki. Shin eventually dragged a confession from his little brother: prior to her disappearance Riki and Anko partook in an intense affair, which Shin poked fun at, asking if this was the last time Riki got any nookie.

Despite his violence and forwardness, Riki was a cunning man who was capable of quickly grasping events that where unfolding around him. Shortly after regaining conciousness following the Collapse he immediately came to Kentaro's aid against the Imawashī, and was the force that turned the tide in that particular battle. He later turned his considerable cunning towards converting Hikaru; he was able to convince the latter to become an ally. He correctly postulated that Hikaru only joined the Imawashī to protect Akane, whom he was in a relationship with. After much persuasion, Riki gained Hikaru's support; he agreed to reveal sensitive information regarding the Imawashī, with Riki promising his support in the rescue of Akane and Hinata.

History

Rikimaru, who prefers the shorthand form Riki, is the third of four siblings. Shin and Yuki are his older siblings by a significant margin whilst his younger sister, Rika, is only a year younger. Due to the sudden death of both his mother and father, Shin essentially raised Riki and Rika; his position as a Captain afforded them all a comfortable life, and this was made more comfortable when Yuki became a Lieutenant and married Tadashi, who was also a Captain and a close personal friend of Shin's. Despite his privileged position on account of his siblings standing in the Gotei 13, Riki proved to be a unique young man who was determined to pave his own way in life, and quickly left the Soul Society in favour of Horiwari and the Ryū Order. Shin, wisely, allowed him to do so with his unconditional support; Riki would claim many years later that this approach would have helped Kentaro as well had Kenji pursued it.

Riki and Kentaro as children.

Riki was credited as the one who saved Kentaro Hiroshi from a life of isolation and bitterness. He befriended Kentaro when everyone else ostracised him due to having been born with Hollow powers, which Riki sympathised with, for he was born with the powers of an animal. The two went on to become seasoned warriors in their own right on the battlefields of the First Spiritual War though Kentaro never seen Riki as a rival like the latter did, instead viewing him as a dear friend.

It was revealed much later that, during their youth, Riki left Hikaru -- who was the prime instigator behind Kentaro's bullying -- on the verge of death, requiring Ino Hiroshi to heal him, which left Hikaru with a noticeable fear of Riki that persisted for many years. He would later save Hikaru from invading Soulless and suggested he start and treat people better. This would result in Riki becoming one of the few people Hikaru ever truly trusted; he was willing to betray the Imawashī many years later and aid Riki, but requested that Riki and Kentaro help him rescue Akane.

Synopsis

Main article -- Bleach (Kenji Hiroshi).

Part II

Main article -- Bleach: War of the Worlds.

Introduction Arc

• Averian Strikes Back: Kentaro attacks Kenji!?
• The Footsteps of Fate
• Out On Their Own: The Conflict That Brought Them Together (mentioned)

The Hidden Shadows Arc

• Wandering Aimlessly: Meeting the Mysterious White-Haired Girl
• A Rock and a Hard Place: The Old Swordsman
• Bestiality with a Kind Heart
• A Time for Forgiveness

Soul Society arc

• A Diabolic Preparation
• Soul Society arc: Infiltration
• Soul Society arc: Exploration
• Soul Society arc: Unification

Invasion of Kōhai Tochi arc

• Challenging the Vices Saga
• Challenging the Imawashī: Duel For Freedom!

Part IV

Main article -- Bleach: Cataclysm.

Pre-Collapse Events

• Kentaro vs. Shinzo

Peri-Collapse Events

• Brotherly Affection
• Second Battle of Grat (unconscious)

Post-Collapse Events

• Riki's Revival

Braving the Waves arc

• Second Battle of Nishiendo
• Recruitment Drive

Navigating the Waters arc

• One on One Meeting: Hikaru's Resolve Revealed
• Secrets Revealed
• Solitary Invasion

Equipment

Riki's knife.

• Knife: Riki wields a specialized knife with additional prongs for added lethality that was forged by Kenji using Reijutsu sometime prior to the Collapse, though whether or not it possesses advanced forms like so many of the weapons forged by Kenji is at this time unknown. It does however purge the soul of Hollow and can perform Konsō. He seems to prefer this weapon over his actual Zanpakutō.

• Right-arm: Riki lost his right-arm during the Collapse and was left with a multitude of other injuries as a result, leaving him near-death. Kenji utilized his Reijutsu abilities to create Riki an organic replacement using Riki's own tissue and DNA, which Riki keeps covered with bandages. The arm, aside from replacing a lost limb, serves to regulate Riki's vast spiritual power; thus he no longer requires the pills Harumi created for him to bring forth the fullest measure of his abilities, nor is he fatigued by doing so.

Powers and Abilities

Vast Spiritual Energy: Riki, upon his return, was noted to possess a wild and unruly reiatsu, and was powerful enough to contend with Hiden Shinzui, his son Eiji and Hikaru three-on-one, whilst defeating Blake beforehand.

Kidō: Although he rarely utilizes even low-levelled spells of any Kidō category or sub-branch, Riki is a capable practitioner nevertheless, seemingly favouring spells of a supplementary nature. He has mastered Kūsōka to a level even its creator, Kentaro, has not achieved, making his own variation of Kaizō Kūsōka.

Hakuda Mastery: Riki's skill in unarmed martial arts is comparable to Kentaro's mastery of Zanjutsu; as such he is one of the foremost practitioners active in the Reikai following the Collapse, with skill rivalling or possibly exceeding that of Kensei Muguruma. Even as a young man not yet fully grown into his skills he was capable of defeating the likes of Yajuu alongside Kentaro, completely outclassing him, who was himself a Captain-class combatant. Following his relative obscurity throughout Part III and until his return following the Collapse, Riki's skills have improved considerably. He was quickly fit to defeat the likes of Blake upon his arrival, who is himself a master of Hakuda and a skilled assassin, seemingly without much effort. In addition to his sheer mastery of Hakuda as a style in battle, Riki also practices the Nagakura clan's Neijing philosophy, which enables him to drastically augment his Hakuda blows by ensuring none of the brunt force of his strike is lost when he does strike his target. Riki's most noteworthy trait however is Zanshin: a martial art principle which refers to a state of awareness and alertness, which Riki has taken to a whole new level through Kidō. Whilst active Riki's normally blue-coloured eyes turn completely white and he gains a three-hundred-and-sixty degree field of sensory perception over an unspecified area, which drastically improves his capacity to respond to his opponents attacks, or keep track of his allies.

Hohō Mastery: Riki's greatest trait as a younger man was always his skilful speed and near-instantaneous reflexes; traits which drew comparison to that of an animal. He was constantly fit to keep pace with Kentaro even when the latter used his much swifter Sonído; a clear indication of his advanced skill-set. Following the Collapse his speed progressed to the point he was fit to completely outclass the likes of Blake, who was one of the higher-ranked members of the Onmitsukidō to survive the aforementioned event, as well as combat three members of the Imawashi three-on-one, emerging without visible injury.

Culmine

Riki's Culmine takes the form of a wolf-like tattoo on his back. It's release command is also unknown: upon his return following the Collapse, Riki released his Culmine without uttering a single word.

The form Riki assumed upon his return.

• Culmine: Riki assumed an orange-clad form upon his return following the Collapse which stems from his inner animal, which is that of a wolf, meaning it is connected to his Culmine. In this state his clothing is turned a bright shade of orange with various black symbols and his hair, which appears to be streaming spiritual power, stands up in two prominent spikes on either side of his head, with the back gaining in length.

• Enhanced Spiritual Energy: This form allowed Riki to combat Hiden, Eiji, Dastan and Hikaru without suffering visible injury, whilst incapacitating Hikaru for questioning. This is notable considering the aforementioned individuals are confirmed to be of Captain-class ability and Riki himself does not possess a Bankai.

• Enhanced Strength: Riki was capable of knocking Hikaru unconscious in quick order after taking this form, taking the latter in for questioning.

• Enhanced Speed: As Riki did not sustain any visible injuries during his battle with Hiden, Eiji, Dastan and Hikaru, it can be suggested that his speed was sufficient to dodge their attacks; something even Kentaro struggled with using his Shukuchi.

Riki's Culmine Keshin form.

• Culmine Keshin: