Gin Ichimaru is the captain of the 3rd Division in Gotei 13 before he betrayed Soul Society and joined Sosuke Aizen's Arrancar army as a commander. During his stay as captain in Soul Society, he had a loyal lieutenant Izuru Kira. Gin's story started from the day he saved Rangiku Matsumoto from starvation when they were still children, and this resulted in the two being good friends ever since. Rangiku is the only person Gin seems to truly care about, although he tends to disappear often, as Rangiku puts it. He also very secretive about his movements and never shares much with her. Gin was considered a child prodigy when he graduated from the academy within one year. He was then assigned to a seated position in the 5th Division. There Gin killed the 3rd seat of the division with ease, which made Aizen truly interested in him. When Aizen was made Captain of the 5th Division, Gin was promoted to lieutenant rank.

Gin Ichimaru's zanpakuto is Shinso which literally translates to 'Divine Spear'. Shinso takes the form of a wakizashi (Japanese short sword) when sealed. The guard looks very similar to an 'S'. Shinso is released into shikai mode by the phrase ikorose or 'shoot to kill' (how cool is that?). In shikai form, Shinso's blade glows bright-white and extends at high speed to impale an enemy. This was first shown in the confrontation with Kurosaki Ichigo who tried to break-in to Soul Society. In addition to making it a deadly long-range weapon, Shinso's extending blade also carries tremendous force without affecting Gin, making it useful to dislodge heavy objects. Gin pushed both Ichigo and the giant Jidanbo out from under the Seireitei gate, despite the latter being firmly braced under it. Once extended, Gin can maintain the blade's length and swing Shinso in wide arcs, attacking multiple targets quickly and simultaneously.

While it hasn't been seen in the actual series, various Bleach console games have depicted Shinso as having additional abilities. In Bleach: The Blade of Fate, Bleach: Dark Souls, and Bleach: Shattered Blade, Gin fires Shinso into the sky and swords similar to Shinso's unreleased state rain all around him. In Bleach: Blade Battlers, Gin shoots Shinso into the ground and the blade hits the opponent from underneath, whereas in Bleach: Heat the Soul 5, a wave of blades instead shoots up from the ground to hit the opponent. Gin's bankai ability has not been revealed yet but I wouldn't be surprised if it's a huge long sword that can extend sideways too. Just my imagination.

The Gin Ichimaru Shinso Zanpakuto Sword replica from 247Swords have an overall length of 38", blade length 27" and handle length 11". The scabbard that comes with the sword is made of wood with a high-gloss black liquid finish. At the scabbard, a black cotton sage-o (hanging cord) is tied around a wooden Kurigata (loop for the cord). The Koi-guchi (open-end scabbard mouth) is black bull horn to match the sword's color. The blade is made of 440 stainless steel and comes factory sharpened. What's different with this replica is (I'm sure you guessed it too) - the length, it's more of a Japanese katana than a wakizashi. Maybe the manufacturer wanted to make it more worthwhile for their customers, give it the extra mile or inches so to speak. But the other thing is the hilt is wrapped in black rather than blue as in the anime. Most probably this sword was designed based on the black and white manga.

There is another version of Gin Ichimaru Shinso Zanpakuto Sword replica from TotalActionAnime. It is a bit longer with overall length at 40" and blade length 27". The blade's edge is not that sharp and is made of polished stainless steel. The handle is wrapped in black leather (again) and the sword replica comes with a high-gloss black scabbard.

Kuchiki Byakuya is the 28th head of the Kuchiki clan, one of the four great noble families in Soul Society. As captain of the 6th Division, Byakuya wears the standard captain uniform along with a white headpiece called a kenseikan, symbolizing his noble rank as the head of the Kuchiki family. He also wears a white scarf made by the master weaver, Tsujishiro Kuroemon III. The scarf is made from silver-white windflower light silk (ginpaku kazahana no uzuginu) and is a family heirloom handed down through the generations to the head of the Kuchiki family. It is said that the cost of just one such scarf can build ten houses. In the anime, the scarf is shown to be light green.

Byakuya's zanpakuto is called Senbonzakura which literally means 'thousand cherry blossoms'. How aristocrat is that? Senbonzakura's shikai form is released by the command chire or scatter. The zanpakuto's blade disperse into thousands of tiny blades. The release has one weakness - it can be negated before it's completed. This was shown when Yoruichi Shihouin wrapped the blade with a cloth during Byakuya's short battle with Ichigo. After release, Senbonzakura's tiny blades are invisible to the naked eye. However they reflect light in such a way that they appear as cherry blossom petals. This is how the zanpakuto got its name. Byakuya can control the blades at will, allowing him to shred opponents at a distance and break through almost any defense. While Byakuya can control the blades with his mind alone, using his hands allows him to do so more effectively and making the blades move twice as fast.

Byakuya's bankai, named Senbonzakura Kageyoshi or 'Vibrant Display of a Thousand Cherry Blossoms', is essentially a much larger version of Senbonzakura's shikai. To activate it, Byakuya drops his sword. The sword passes through the ground and two rows of giant blades rise up from the ground. These then scatter into millions of tiny blades. The number of blades is so great that Byakuya can use them for defense and offense at the same time. He commonly forms them into large masses of blades to crush opponents.

Byakuya's bankai has several attack techniques, achieved by arranging the blades in different patterns. They are activated by saying the name of the technique followed by the name of his bankai. Each form has its own distinct advantage. One of them is senkei or 'massacre scene', which unites the scattered petals into countless zanpakuto swords that surround Byakuya and his opponent. In this form, Byakuya has no defense and concentrates his bankai on killing the enemy. While Byakuya can control these swords as he does his regular blades, he usually attacks with just one in hand. He remarks in his battle with Ichigo that he normally only shows senkei to those he has sworn to kill by his own hand, Ichigo being the second to see this. After immobilizing an opponent, he can summon other blades to hit them while they're trapped. He can also use all the blades at once for an immensely powerful strike. In Bleach Movie 2 : Diamond Dust Rebellion, Byakuya surprisingly used Senkei as a barrier which only protects those inside it from an external barrage of Ceros blasts. He also displayed the ability to activate Kageyoshi from inside Senkei, shattering all rows of swords at once.

Another attack technique Byakuya used is gokei or 'pivotal scene' during the battle with Espada number 8, Zommari Leroux. This technique aligns every blade in a spherical formation around an opponent, which then collapses from every possible angle, leaving no blind spots and preventing any chance of escape. As a final attack Byakuya can use shukei or 'final scene'. This technique condenses all of tiny blades into a single sword, drastically increasing its cutting power. The blade appears bright white and its aura takes the form of a bird, earning it the name hakuteiken or 'white imperial sword'. Byakuya also grows white wings and a halo-like circle in the back, both made of spiritual power.

There are only a handful of Senbonzakura sword replicas, one of them is from Grey Eagles. The Kuchiki Byakuya Zanpakuto Senbonzakura sword replica from Grey Eagles has an overall length of 42" and blade length 26". The blade is made of carbon steel with a false edge. The signature guard is exactly as seen in the anime, with the shape of a double '8'. The sword replica has a simple blue-nylon wrapped handle and comes with a wooden scabbard. The scabbard has a black finish and tied to it is a blue nylon sageo (cord). Overall the Senbonzakura sword replica is simple in design, which is why the price is pretty affordable.