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Rangiku Matsumoto FC [v1]

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I think her ability would be more creepy than flat "ash control"

Something related to death and cinder. The invisible cat that in her shikai just scratches, feeding from the bones of the victims by turnind them into ash and so on.
 
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Ah, my favorite topic when it comes to Rangiku
:)

Shikai

She can increase the quantity and range of the ash to the point it could cover the entire battlefield. She can temporarily turn anything Haineko lands on into ash and form constructs like blades or whips or create ash traps. She can teleport by breaking down into ash and then reforming some place else at high speeds and form perfect clones of herself that crumble to ash after being killed or the shikai being deactivated (I'd have loved to see her use this ability on Luppi or Harribel's Fraccion). She can also crytalize her ash.

Bankai

I've seen two ideas from tumblr on her getting a magma themed Bankai. I like those and would take it a step further by giving her attacks based on all volcanic material (lava, steam, volcanic ash, obsidian, pumice).
 
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That's so beautiful! I don't know if this has been discussed before, but if Matsumoto achieved bankai, what does anyone think it would be?

People are so creative when they come up with Shikai/Bankai theories. I liked plenty of those theories over the years, one of them being the one windleopard has posted above.

I may have had a theory at some point, but unfortunately, I've forgotten about it. What I do know is that Rangiku's powers are rather similar to Byakuya's at their base, so she has all it takes to have versatile techniques and even a grand Bankai.
 
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Hmm...bankai...

I was reading Rangiku's poem by Kubo, which is about how it's not terrifying to be sad, but terrifying to not have the happiness that you could have had. And ash being the remnants of a fire, it kind of makes me feel like a lot of her sadness is missing what she could have had before they were taken from her (in a metaphorical fire).

Then I started thinking in that vein and wondered about her bankai being like spontaneous combustion of the ashes. Like reversing the process, so the ashes ignite a fire. :eek:
 
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Hmm...bankai...

I was reading Rangiku's poem by Kubo, which is about how it's not terrifying to be sad, but terrifying to not have the happiness that you could have had. And ash being the remnants of a fire, it kind of makes me feel like a lot of her sadness is missing what she could have had before they were taken from her (in a metaphorical fire).

Then I started thinking in that vein and wondered about her bankai being like spontaneous combustion of the ashes. Like reversing the process, so the ashes ignite a fire. :eek:

That's a common idea for a Bankai. Personally, I'd make it a Shikai ability she hasn't learned yet because I want her Shikai to be more versatile. My theory for why she hasn't learned Bankai yet (besides her laziness) is that there are still abilities with the Shikai she has yet to master. The illusions suggested by TinyTreehouse and turning bones into ash idea by Skiltron seem like interesting ideas.

Anyone know how Rangikue faired in recent popularity polls?

It is possibly related to what we have seen in Naruto and Boruto, meaning Gaara and Shinki. They are able to control the flow of sand or metallic dust.

Even without Bankai, I think with more training Rangiku should be able to use her powers with more variations.
How does ash compare to sand and metallic dust in terms of strength?
 
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Ash is lighter than sand and definitely metallic ash. You probably need more ash to get a strong grip. On the other hand, the lighter ash is faster. It is a nasty way to use and I believe Rangiku would only use it like this in an absolute emergency: Ash is fine and light enough to enter the nose. The opponent would suffocate.
 
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Ash is lighter than sand and definitely metallic ash. You probably need more ash to get a strong grip. On the other hand, the lighter ash is faster. It is a nasty way to use and I believe Rangiku would only use it like this in an absolute emergency: Ash is fine and light enough to enter the nose. The opponent would suffocate.
Thanks. So basically she'd need to generate a large amount of ash to duplicate Gaara's feats with sand but less ash can be used in smaller ways.

I've been looking at other manga characters for inspiration for potential Haineko abilities. The idea have Haineko teleport was gotten from Skullion Raider from Fairy Tail while the ash clone was taken from Shigure from Code: Breaker. I think if you combine this with what you suggested, we'd have a very versatile if not possibly overpowered Zanpakuto.
 
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The thing is, that ability is just too generic. Just ash manipulation? That's not how tite creates Zampakutos.

He does not explicity says it nor he needs to, but Zampakuto are heavily themed on japanese culture. Is Rukia's a generic Ice ability? It is not. Sode no Shirayuki theme is the Yuki-onna. Senbonzakura is not a cool looking cherry blossom themed Zampakuto, is about Yoshitsune Senbonzakura, a theater play, sames a Katen Kyokotsu and the children games they play in Japan, or Hyorinmaru/Gonryomaru, dragon-elemental themed abilities and the believe that dragons control climate.

So, I think you focus too much in the ash part of her hit instead of the cat. Her zampakuto is not an ash zampakuto, is a CAT, that has the power to control ash and hide on it. How is that make sense? Well, a https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bakeneko can control people remains as puppets. That's why I see her ash not as "nature ash" but human cinders. Is the asociation I can make about all Haineko's concepts, among my obvioussly limited knowledge of japanese culture.

If she can only control human cinders in shikai, a bankai where she can control or destroy peoples bodies from the inside in bankai might be plausible. It's just a theory like everyone's is, that's all, but still I do believe the approach is the right one, trying to think as japanese as possible when trying to figure out a bankai.
 
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The thing is, that ability is just too generic. Just ash manipulation? That's not how tite creates Zampakutos.

He does not explicity says it nor he needs to, but Zampakuto are heavily themed on japanese culture. Is Rukia's a generic Ice ability? It is not. Sode no Shirayuki theme is the Yuki-onna. Senbonzakura is not a cool looking cherry blossom themed Zampakuto, is about Yoshitsune Senbonzakura, a theater play, sames a Katen Kyokotsu and the children games they play in Japan, or Hyorinmaru/Gonryomaru, dragon-elemental themed abilities and the believe that dragons control climate.

So, I think you focus too much in the ash part of her hit instead of the cat. Her zampakuto is not an ash zampakuto, is a CAT, that has the power to control ash and hide on it. How is that make sense? Well, a https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bakeneko can control people remains as puppets. That's why I see her ash not as "nature ash" but human cinders. Is the asociation I can make about all Haineko's concepts, among my obvioussly limited knowledge of japanese culture.

If she can only control human cinders in shikai, a bankai where she can control or destroy peoples bodies from the inside in bankai might be plausible. It's just a theory like everyone's is, that's all, but still I do believe the approach is the right one, trying to think as japanese as possible when trying to figure out a bankai.

It's an interesting idea certainly. Controlling human cinders seems like an interesting idea but sadly Yamamoto seems to have the market cornered on that one. A bakeneko themed zanpakuto would be interesting and fitting with zanpakuto powers being associated with Japanese literature and myth (though I don't think all of them fall into that category). Personally, I like the idea of Rangiku's true bankai being a tiger or a kasha https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kasha_(folklore).

I think some of the ideas I mentioned for her shikai would fall into "cat-like" traits (mutliplying and disappearing).
 
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