Renji Abarai

Renji Abarai (阿散井 恋次, Abarai Renji) is a character and major figure in the manga series Bleach created by Tite Kubo. He is the lieutenant of the 6th Division in the Gotei 13 under captain Byakuya Kuchiki.

Character outline
Renji is one of the most unusual characters in Bleach in terms of his appearance, long crimson hair, usually kept in a high ponytail, and his entire upper body is covered in tribal tattoo work. How he got these tattoos is unknown, but it appears that with every achievement Renji attains, his tattoos increase as well, starting from his early days as a shinigami candidate until when he was imprisoned by Byakuya Kuchiki (his tattoos cover his entire back at this point of time). He dresses in the standard shinigami outfit, though he usually includes some sort of elaborate headgear (usually expensive-looking glasses or a white headband). All of Renji's sunglasses are from Seireitei's popular "Silver Dragonfly Glasses Store" and cost half a year's worth of his paycheck. Unfortunately, every time he wears a pair, they are broken in one way or another (usually in a fight with Ichigo). He likes taiyaki (a popular fish-shaped pancake usually filled with sweet bean paste) and dislikes spicy food.

As far as his personality goes, Renji is about as eccentric as any other shinigami. He varies from smug and cocky in his first appearances to downright angsty and depressed after his major defeats, but shows himself to be an incredibly serious and determined fighter when confronted with an actual challenge. Willing to fight, kill, and die for whatever he believes in, Renji is a dangerous man to those who stand in his way. He is one of the few shinigami that possess bankai, making him one of the strongest non-captain shinigami. He is similar to Ichigo Kurosaki in many aspects, and the two are mistaken for brothers in the anime's Bount arc. Ichigo claims they are cousins to keep things simple, allowing many hilarious situations to occur later.