Shigekuni Yamamoto-Genryusai
Shigekuni Yamamoto-Genryūsai (山本元柳斎 重國 Yamamoto-Genryūsai Shigekuni?) is the leader of the Gotei 13. He is an old man with a long beard. Despite his old age, he has a very muscular body. There are many scars on his torso and head, suggesting numerous battles in his past. Yamamoto believes that laws must be upheld for the benefit of the community and despises those who break them. He founded the Soul Reaper academy about 2000 years before the main Bleach storyline, where he personally instructed Shunsui Kyōraku and Jūshirō Ukitake. He thinks of the two as his own sons, and was proud of both of them when they achieved their captaincy.
Yamamoto's zanpakutō is Ryūjin Jakka (流刃若火 roughly "flowing flame blade"). It is released with the command "all things in the universe, turn to ashes" (万象一切灰燼と為せ banshō issai kaijin to nase). When released, the sword, which is normally kept sealed as Yamamoto's staff, consumes him and the surrounding area in flames. It is the most powerful fire-based zanpakutō in Soul Society, and the sheer power of the flame can disintegrate almost anything the sword is waved at. It also possesses a technique called jōkaku enjō (literally "fortress blaze"), which creates a sphere of flame to imprison enemies. Yamamoto is an exceedingly powerful fighter, able to easily fight two captains with Ryūjin Jakka, and strong enough to paralyze lieutenant-class Soul Reapers simply by releasing a wave of spiritual pressure.