bleach spotlight: Rangiku Matsumoto

year 14, month 7

It's another week of Bleach spotlight, and we are back to talk about someone who is surely a fan favourite of many, for at least a couple very good reasons. I am of course talking about the spicy, lazy and funny Rangiku Matsumoto!

Who is Rangiku Matsumoto?

It is quite hard to forget about who Rangiku Matsumoto is, but in case you are a bit confused, she is the wonderfully hilarious lieutenant of the 10th division, under the strict and exasperated command of the young Captain Tōshirō Hitsugaya, and even served under Isshin Shiba (Ichigo's father) when he was still captain.

Needless to say, Rangiku is a beautiful woman who loves to style herself and add to her uniform to be more memorable... not that she needs help with that at all. Looks aside, she is an extremely likeable and relatable character. She is a true slacker, hating on paperwork at any given chance (who likes paperwork anyway) and being fond of sake, even during working hours. This of course causes her captain to loose it on multiple occasions, which is absolutely hilarious to watch every time. Despite these traits, she is also an incredibly caring person, often having a "big sister" energy when she interacts with the other female characters. She is an incredibly loyal friend and someone that can be very forgiving and generous.

Rangiku Matsumoto's powers and abilities

Despite her being lazy and liking to complain a lot, Rangiku Matsumoto remains an extremely powerful and proficient shinigami. She is an expert at swordmanship and the kido arts, and is also able to deal noticeable damages without a blade and simply using hakuda. She has also proven to be a skilled tactician with a great acumen in battle, and of course her position as lieutenant sheds a light on her spiritual power.

Zanpakuto: Haineko

I am sure that many were left completely shocked the first time we saw Rangiku Matsumoto's released zanpakuto. Its name, Haineko, means Ash Cat and the themed is brought up starting with the sword's tsuba, which is cat-shaped and, honestly, adorable.

The release command is “Growl”, and once the zanpakuto is released, the blade turns to ash that can be directed and controlled by Rangiku with a flick of her finger. Even if it looks like ash or dust, which one would argue is completely innocuous, in reality the blade shatters into a million tiny blades that have the power of causing very small and painful cats on the opponent. While one simple small cut might seem laugheable, a million of them would bring everyone to their knees. That being said, this blade is incredibly versatile, as the ash can also be used to create shields to protect Rangiku or others, as well as to reduce the visibilty or to trap the opponent into an ash tornado.

Despite her and her captain often bickering, the two have actually developed a combination move, with Rangiku Matsumoto creating multilayer wall of ash organized in a net-like formation. Tōshirō then uses this net to build his ice walls, making them extremely more heat resistant. We love a good smart combo!

What can we conclude about Rangiku Matsumoto? Never judge a book by its cover! She might seem lazy and obsessed with her looks, but she is instead extremely kind and powerful, you wouldn't want to cross her! So, what do YOU think of Rangiku? Please tell us in the comments!
 

Create your own shinigami on World of Reapers

If you are reading this article, you may be a big fan of Rangiku Matsumoto and also of the Shinigami race, and you perhaps want to get the chance to create and play a character just like her. Well, you are in luck!
In World of Reapers, you can create your own original Shinigami, develop your powers bit by bit and have your own unique Zanpakuto!
If you want to make a Rangiku-like character, here is what you'll do: once you create a character, you will take a sorting test that will place you into one of the four Clans we have in WoR: Quincy, Fullbringer, Shinigami and Arrancar. If you get shinigami clan, excellent job! Now, you want to chose the east origin, which will tell people that you are affiliated to the Soul Society, and then you can start creating your profile and backstory immediately! With some hard work and dedication, you'll even be able to become a lieutenant, just like our beloved Rangiku.

So, what are you waiting for? Create your World of Reapers character now, it's completely free!

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