Mayuri Kurotsuchi

Mayuri Kurotsuchi is the captain of the 12th Division in the Gotei 13 and 2nd president of the Shinigami Research Institute. His lieutenant is Nemu Kurotsuchi, his artificially-created "daughter". Mayuri's appearance has a skeletal-like look to it with a skull-like visage. His face is painted entirely white with the inner portion of his face painted black with the exception of his nose. His eyes are a golden color and he constantly bares his teeth giving the appearance of him constantly smiling. Both his ears are seemingly replaced with stubbed golden cones. His fingernails are blue and, with the exception of the fingernail on his right middle finger, are all short. The one long fingernail is as long as the finger itself. He also wears a white hat with two ends that point to his right and a large purple scarf around his neck. His whole body, even his face and hands, has been painted black and white. He repaints his make-up every morning, as he always removes it before going to bed.

Without his makeup, Mayuri has blue hair and honey gold eyes. He has small, slatted portcullises with multiple earrings in place of where his ears would be, and his body is covered in scars. Upon entering Hueco Mundo, Mayuri reveals a new look: his face paint had changed with him creating a black cross upon the center of his face covering everything but his nose and a small portion of his lower chin. His ear attachments have become shorter and rounder but wider, his chin has a long golden attachment reminiscent of an Egyptian Pharaoh beard, his teeth have become a golden color, and he no longer wears a hat as there is a golden frame around his face. His hair is also styled into "horns," that slope down from the top of his head and frame his face, which when viewed from the front looks much like a Pharaoh's crown. 17 months after Aizen's defeat, Mayuri displays another new look. The black face paint covers much of his face, leaving thin white lines going up his face and a white nose. He wears a long, golden headdress which curves back to his mid back. Underneath his chin are two opposite facing strands from the mask. On the backside of the headdress the Twelfth Division symbol is painted. Following the first invasion by the Wandenreich, Mayuri dons a bright white overcoat with many ridges on the front. The overcoat also has a hood that has many protrusions that give the appearance of a sun. The shoes he wears has changed to be a plain white pair with the shoes splitting into opposite points at the toe. 110 years ago, Mayuri's appearance was similar to his current appearances, but with minimal details. He was still largely painted white except for the black paint which was arranged around his eyes like a large domino mask. He had gold cones covering his ears and blue hair combed back on the top of his head. Mayuri Kurotsuchi is a researcher and personifies the stereotype of the mad scientist. By his early actions during the Ryoka Invasion, he is displayed as sadistic and cruel. He sees everyone and everything not as a living being, but as an object to be researched including himself. He has little respect or regard for most others, and was even willing to turn his own men (who were not aware of his plans) into living bombs in an attempt to capture Uryū Ishida and Orihime Inoue for experimentation. He also withheld vital information about the Bounts from the other Shinigami in order to capture one as a research subject for himself. However, while he usually shows disregard for life, he has been known to warn people of possible dangers when they present themselves. As a scientist, Mayuri despises perfection, as he believes that achieving such a state leaves him with absolutely nothing more to strive for namely imagination, knowledge and improvements which would result in nothing but despair; because of this, he derided Szayelaporro Granz for claiming to be a "perfect life form". It is known that Mayuri's favorite food is pike fish, and that he does not like onion. One of his free-time activities is reading every character published in Seireitei Communication. He himself publishes a serialization in the journal, titled "Effective Medication for the Brain", which apparently contains detailed instructions on preparation of medicine and their application. Surprisingly, it is highly popular among the readers. In battle, Mayuri likes to toy with his opponent, torturing them little by little until they can hardly stand. This was shown in both the fight with Uryū and his Espada counterpart Szayelaporro. Every time he fights he uses it as an experiment testing himself and his opponent little by little. He also uses it as an opportunity to implant microbes or other things in case they get away. Before engaging, though, he will make extensive research on his possible opponents to tilt the chance of winning in his favor.It is seen that, before the Winter War, he is busy reading in the library with a note on the door saying, "Enter and Die." He's shown to be doing this every time before he fights, against both the Bounts and the Espada. While Mayuri holds life in disregard in favor of his research, he does believe in his duties as a member of the Gotei 13, and that all members of the organization are to be prepared to give up their lives in order to protect the Seireitei. To this end, he would gladly cut down any former comrades, even if they are under the enemy's control, test many of his experimental drugs on such comrades for the sake of his research which he believes to be the sake of the Seireitei, and even force his zombified fellow captains to become his minions to fight to their last breath for the sake of Gotei 13 and Soul Society, as opposed to killing them out of mercy.

Little is known about the early history of Mayuri, except that 110 years ago, he was the only prisoner in the Maggot's Nest who was considered dangerous enough to necessitate confinement in a small prison cell, chained to the wall by his ankle. He would, however, one day be visited by Kisuke Urahara who was seeking his genius to become vice-president in the newly thought-of Shinigami Research and Development Institute, a request that would automatically get him out of there. At first Mayuri refused, until Kisuke began teasing him with the fact that he had nothing to tinker with down there and that, as vice-president, he would inherit everything should something happen to Urahara.9 years later, Mayuri was seen with Kisuke Urahara and Hiyori Sarugaki walking through the Seireitei when they were greeted by 5th Division Captain Shinji Hirako and his Lieutenant Sōsuke Aizen. Mayuri showed a distaste for Shinji as he refused to call Mayuri by his full name and only called him by his first, which was too familiar for Mayuri's liking. He seemingly was uninterested in the conversation between Urahara and Aizen who was explaining that the 9th Division had been sent on a special investigation to find out what was happening with the disappearances in the Rukongai. During her brief time as a member of the institute, Hiyori served as a lab manager, which resulted in clashes with Mayuri, who was then 3rd Seat & Vice-President of the Shinigami Research and Development Institute, over who had more authority under the captain. The two constantly got into an ongoing argument about who was in charge, prompting Hiyori to call in Urahara. He explained to her that with the disappearances occurring he had created a new type of Gigai. Before Hiyori could respond they were interrupted by the arrival of Tōdō Izaemon, the 6th Seat of the 9th Division. Urahara agreed to send a researcher over to the investigation site as per the request of Captain Kensei Muguruma of the 9th Division. Urahara elected Hiyori to go to the site, to which she became irritated and asked why he couldn't send someone less important, referring to lab assistant Akon. He questioned if she should continue being a lieutenant prompting Hiyori to attack him, though he simply dodged her. Though reluctant, Hiyori gave in once Urahara explained that she was the only one that he could trust with the task. After an incident that got Urahara and Tessai Tsukabishi banished and several captains and seated officers Hollowfied, Mayuri later succeeded Urahara in leading the Research and Development Institute, as well becoming captain of the 12th Division of the Gotei 13. Years later, after the issue of Shinigami being killed in Naruki City was solved, Mayuri listened to Isshin Shiba's report about his findings in a captains' meeting. Although the Captain-Commander was willing to overlook Isshin's violation of rules, Mayuri expressed his displeasure at how Isshin couldn't bring back the "Mysterious Hollow's" body. He also experimented on Quincy, including Sōken Ishida, Uryū's master and grandfather, in his studies. He was disappointed to learn that Uryū was a Quincy because he considered his study of the Quincy complete and did not want any further Quincy specimens. Mayuri is present at a meeting of the Gotei 13 captains which is convened so that Captain Gin Ichimaru can explain his suspicious actions. Gin, being one of the thirteen captains, should have had no trouble destroying Ichigo and his friends. Gin merely chalks it up to a mistake on his part. Though Mayuri and Kenpachi Zaraki argue over the possibility of him purposefully letting them go, which grows into an argument between the two until they are silenced by Captain-Commander Yamamoto. During the Ryoka Invasion of Soul Society, Mayuri attempts to search for the Ryoka and use them as test subjects. During the search, Mayuri tries to give an unsanctioned interrogation to Ikkaku Madarame while he is healing in the 4th Division headquarters. Ikkaku refuses to tell him the details of his fight. Disturbed that Ikkaku has nothing to offer, he states that he will need to be punished for his behavior, though Mayuri is promptly stopped by Zaraki (who asks him since when does he have authority over the members of other divisions). Mayuri quickly leaves.