Powers & Abilities
Master Swordsman: Urahara is an extremely skilled swordsman, possessing powerful strikes with equally impressive speed behind them. He can perform attacks with perfect precision and stop them in an instant. His abilities are considered highly dangerous by Ulquiorra Cifer, the 4th Espada, who opted to avoid fighting Urahara. While Urahara's preferred fighting style seems to be swordsmanship, he is highly proficient in combining it with his other skills and instantly switching between any of them. His usual methods in battle are striking from various angles to confuse and catch his opponents off-guard for sneak attacks. He kept Ichigo constantly pressured during their training despite Ichigo's much larger blade. He rarely relies on more than Shikai, as seen against Yammy, the 10th Arrancar. He achieved Bankai within a short time through a process he devised, relying on sheer skill against the blade's spirit.
- Shitonegaeshi (Japanese for "Cushion Return"): A pinning technique which subdues an opponent and immobilizes them on the ground using coercion alone, with Urahara suspending the tip of his cane just millimeters from their face after he has struck them down.
- Hozuri (Japanese for "Cheek Stroke"): A simple but precise slash technique which is meant only to lightly graze and cause superficial wounds.
Hakuda Master: As a former commander of the Detention Unit of the Onmitsukidō, Urahara was not allowed to use weapons in the Nest of Maggots, so he became highly proficient in unarmed combat. His skills are great enough to force Yoruichi at her peak to fight seriously during their regular sparring sessions. During his days as a Shinigami, even when only a third seat officer, he effortlessly took down several Shinigami deserters unarmed, and emerged unscathed afterwards.
Shunpo Master: As a former Onmitsukidō unit commander, Urahara has exceptional skill in Shunpo and is well-versed in its various techniques. He is so fast, an opponent does not notice when he replaces himself with a portable Gigai for misdirection; this is further demonstrated when he uses this tactic effectively against Aizen. The fact that he could always keep up with Yoruichi's speed during sparring sessions is further proof of his mastery of this skill.
Kido Master: As the former head of the SRDI, Urahara has immense knowledge and understanding of the flow, application, and consistency of spiritual energy. He knows how to break barriers of the spiritually superior noble clans, a feat which even captains cannot achieve. He can silently, and without warning, use low and mid-level Kidō to great effect. He can rapidly use a single high-level Kidō repeatedly, or multiple ones in quick succession, by name alone, without incantation or calling the type and level, while retaining considerable power and control. He is highly proficient in healing Kidō. He can use level 99 Kidō, but has more difficulty with Kidō above level 88 without incantation, as he had to use the incantation to ensure enough power for a level 91 Kidō. He can use multiple Kidō in conjunction for various combination and diversion tactics, and have them remain undetected until sprung in sync in a chain reaction. Urahara can create his own unique high-level Kidō. Aizen admitted that if not for the Hōgyoku, Urahara's prowess would have surely defeated him.
- Keikaigi (Japanese for "World-Tying Rite"): This technique connects the space tying two worlds together to produce a Garganta. The opening is generated between two large wooden posts jutting out from two large rock formations. He is later able to open the portal silently and whenever he chooses.
Immense Spiritual Power: As a former captain of the 12th Division, Urahara boasts great amounts of spiritual energy. His energy is intense enough to make opponents with high levels of energy sweat in fear. When releasing his spiritual pressure, it can create a shockwave strong enough to affect a considerable area and launch back weaker individuals. He has demonstrated noticeably great reserves of energy, launching multiple high-level Kidō and Shikai attacks in a single battle without tiring. He is quite skilled in hiding his spiritual energy, able to remain unnoticed by both allies and enemies. His Reiatsu is red.
Genius Intellect: Urahara has proven himself to be the most intelligent being both within and outside of Soul Society. Much of his intellect is seen in scientific inventions, deduction of situations, and combat tactics. Aizen himself acknowledges Urahara's intelligence surpasses his own immense intellect.He is very insightful of other people, allowing him to seemingly predict anything well in advance. After Orihime inadvertently revealed her powers to Ulquiorra, Urahara correctly deduced Aizen would try to capture Orihime to use her against Soul Society, and had already prepared to send Ichigo to Hueco Mundo before he even had a chance to ask. Kisuke is a highly capable teacher. In only five days of unorthodox training, he conditioned Ichigo into an experienced fighter on par with lieutenant-level Shinigami. His knowledge has led him to an innate understanding of the abilities of others and what happens when independent variables are entered into an equation.
- Master Scientist & Inventor: As the founder and former head of the SRDI, Urahara is a talented inventor and scientist, having created a number of devices and techniques to aid him in battle or otherwise. His intellect in this field is evident, having created the most amazing things in Soul Society's history. As he has been inventing and creating things before becoming a seated officer in the 2nd Division, he can create his inventions in rather short amounts of time. He modified a simple plushy doll into a two-way monitor to speak between dimensions, greatly intriguing Kurotsuchi. Urahara figured out how to restore Ichigo's Shinigami powers seventeen months after losing them. He is a highly adept chemist, having recreated the unique healing properties of both the "White Bone Pond" and "Blood Hell Pond" in his own hot spring. Urahara also has highly capable medical skills, regularly healing Ichigo and his friends when battle-worn. He also has a very detailed understanding of the Hollowfication process and has determined how to stabilize a victim of it, as seen with the Visored.
- Master Strategist & Tactician: Despite his aloof and unkempt appearance, Urahara is a very insightful and cunning man. He possesses great intuition, quickly becoming aware of any incoming danger and reacting to it in time. Urahara has an undeniable talent for thinking things through well in advance, making decisive and accurate decisions quickly in battle, and seemingly perceiving any situation at hand. He is a crafty tactician, easily deceiving both allies and enemies. In battle, he regularly uses cunning and deception to catch his opponents off-guard. He is a very analytical man, quickly seeing through an opponent's power and attack patterns to ultimately make them useless against him. He easily outmaneuvered and tricked Aizen repeatedly in his fight with him.
Enhanced Strength: As a former member of the Onmitsukidō, he received considerable physical conditioning. During his time as commander of the Detention Unit, he effortlessly stopped a punch from a giant man with a single hand. He stopped a kick from the immensely strong Ururu, blocking most of the impact which would have otherwise killed Ichigo. During his training with Ichigo, his strikes possessed enough power to create large craters and launch the younger fighter several meters through solid rock.
Enhanced Speed: Kisuke has demonstrated tremendous speed and reflexes in battle. Even when caught by surprise from an enemy's attack, he can react in time to skillfully dodge or counter the assault. Offensively, he can keep up a quick and rapid assault which forces most opponents on the defense, as he leaves no openings in his attacks.
Enhanced Agility: While normally laid-back, Kisuke is an immensely agile fighter. In battle, he can effectively use the battlefield to his advantage, flipping and jumping from wall to wall to keep his opponents unsure of his attack patterns. Offensively, his agility grants him great balance and dexterity in battle, attacking his opponent from various angles with great accuracy and force.
Enhanced Durability: While not the most imposing in appearance, Kisuke has received considerable physical training from his days in the Onmitsukidō, and is well-conditioned for battle. He can take large amounts of punishment. During his time as a captain, he would regularly be assaulted by his then-lieutenant Hiyori Sarugaki. Each time, he would take the assaults indifferently, if not laugh about it, with little to no adverse effect on himself. His durability caused Hiyori to be more careful about how she would hit him if she did not want to hurt herself instead.
Master Assassin: As a former high-ranking member of the Onmitsukidō, Kisuke possesses considerable mastery in the art of stealth combat. He has repeatedly shown impressive skill in staying hidden and unseen while maneuvering towards his target. He can completely hide his presence, remaining undetected until he intentionally reveals himself. During his battle against Yammy, he repeatedly caught his opponent completely off guard and effectively took advantage of it. Even the perceptive and intuitive Aizen was caught by surprise. He was also able to launch a successful sneak attack on the Quincy Quilge, sensing when he wasn't using his Blut Vene for defend.
Zanpakutō
Benihime (Japanese for "Crimson Princess"): A blade described by Urahara as "not nice", it is one of the few known Zanpakutō with a female spirit owned by a male. When sealed, Benihime is a beige-colored shikomizue (a blade hidden inside a cane) with a curved handle and silver base. As the blade resides in a cane, the cane's handle is still the hilt and the shaft is the sheath, allowing it to still operate like other Zanpakutō. The shaft's base bears a skull and blue flame mark on the bottom, which can separate souls from bodies by pressing the mark to it. Back when Urahara was still in the Gotei 13, Benihime was sealed in an average-sized katana form, with a black sheath worn under Urahara's sash. It had an oval-shaped tsuba, with a snowflake-design embossed in it, and a black hilt-wrapping.
Benihime Sealed.
- Shikai: Benihime's Shikai command is "Awaken". Its Shikai takes the form of a sleek, medium-sized sword. The hilt's grip, which has a gentle black-decorative wrapping, bends forward at the end, with a pommel shaped overlap three times, and a crimson tassel dangling from its base. Instead of a tsuba, there is a U-shape guard covering three inches of blade, with a flower petal design. At the base of the guard is a red string wrapped thrice around the hilt, with a three-loop bow on the back side and a folded paper decoration on the front side. The blade is black with a silver edge, and is somewhat thicker than the cane-sealed state. It remains straight and slim with a somewhat short size, with the tip ending in a slanted razor-like edge instead of tapering to a point.
Benihime Shikai
