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.

Eragon is a 2006 fantasy-adventure movie with lots of CGI effects but it didn't come anywhere close to The Lord of The Rings success trail. Instead, it was named the 10th worst reviewed movie of 2006 on Rotten Tomatoes, and the 31st highest grossing movie of 2006 in the States. That aside, I was only interested in Rachel Weisz who lent her voice for Saphira the dragon. She'd make one hell of a hot dragon among their kind. The film is loosely based on the novel with the same name by author Christopher Paolini. The movie was directed by Stefen Fangmeier (his directing debut), who had previously worked as a visual effects director on Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events and Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World.

Eragon is a farm boy in his late-teens who lives in a small village named Carvahall in the fictional and magical country of Alagaesia, where dragons and other magical creatures wander. One day while hunting, Eragon finds a dragon egg from which hatches a blue dragon named Saphira. Eragon decides to keep Saphira a secret, but a pair of magical creatures called The Razac are sent by the King of Alagaesia, Galbatorix, to find Eragon and the dragon. Eragon flees home, and later returns to find his uncle Garrow murdered by the Razac. With vengeance in his heart, he sets out on a journey to avenge his uncle. Accompanied by a wise storyteller named Brom, Eragon and Saphira take up the legacy of legendary Dragon Riders. He learns magic, swordfighting, and dragon-riding to fulfill the legend of the dragon riders and his destiny, to help over throw the Empire and it's tyrant king, Galbatorix. Eragon is also given a mighty sword named Zar'roc by Brom. Frankly I slept through half the movie cause the storyline is so predictable. The only merit of the fantasy flick is the beautiful Zar'roc sword.

Zar'roc was originally created by an elf named Rhunon, the smith of the Dragon Riders. The sword belonged to Morzan, but was taken by Brom after his death. Before Morzan's death, Zar'roc was feared by many as his ultimate weapon. It also symbolized agony and betrayal, as Morzan had killed many Riders with Zar'roc. Brom gave the sword to Eragon, although he refrained from telling him the blade's history. The history of Zar'roc was eventually revealed to Eragon by Murtagh while they were traveling to the Varden. Eragon used Zar'roc to defeat Durza, a Shade of immense power, in the Battle under Farthen Dur. After defeating Eragon at the Battle of the Burning Plains, Murtagh claimed Zar'roc as his own, declaring that Morzan's sword should have gone to him, the oldest son of Morzan, and not Eragon, the youngest. "Zar'roc" in the ancient language means "misery".

As expected, there are several inconsistencies between the movie adaptation and the book. Zar'roc has a ruby embedded into the hilt, however in the Eragon movie it instead is a sapphire. Morzan's insignia appears on neither the sheath nor the blade in the movie. The sheath is also black rather than wine-red, like in the book. What's more is that the handle of the sword is leather-black, not silver-wrapped like in the book.


The Zar'roc Sword of Eragon Movie Replica by Top Swords is one of the most eye-catching movie swords ever created due to the colour combinations used in its design. Just check out the image below and you'll notice instantly the red blade with a central ridge and the striking blue crystal pommel. The guard is casted as two dragon heads with long horns, and its surface is engraved to replicate the dragon's scale. The Zar'roc Movie Sword replica has an overall length of 51 inch. Its blade is made of stainless steel with a central ridge. A wooden display plaque is included with the sword, not forgetting the cerfiticate of authenticity since it is a licensed reproduction from the movie. That alone will give you a hint of its price tag, get ready to part with at least $150.

If 51 inch is just too long for you (hehe), there is always the shorter movie sword set with a stand. And you get not 1, not 2, not 3, but 5 Mini Sword reproductions from the movie. This Eragon Mini Movie Sword Set comes with 5 extremely detailed miniature swords - Zar'roc, Sword of Galbatorix, Sword of Brom, Sword of Arya, and Sword of Durza. Each measures an overall length of 12.75 inch. A custom display stand holds all the mini swords in place and a certificate of authenticity is also included.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Luke Skywalker's lightsaber has been on Star Wars movie fans' Christmas lists for more than 30 years.

On Thursday, one fan spent $240,000 to get the real thing: the movie prop that Mark Hamill used in the first two films in the original "Star Wars" trilogy.

The lightsaber highlighted several Hollywood memorabilia sold at an auction in Los Angeles by Profiles in History. The auction house said it sold about $3.5 million in memorabilia.

The droid helmet worn by Anthony Daniels to play C-3PO sold for $120,000, and the costume Marlon Brando wore in the "Superman" movie went for $72,000.

The first British edition of "You Only Live Twice" inscribed by Ian Fleming sold for $84,000. Roald Dahl's handwritten screenplay for the movie of the same title sold for $96,000.

I observed a few visitors to my blog were searching for The Heaven's Fall sword from Hong Kong's 2005 'Seven Swords' movie directed by Tsui Hark. Yes, I do monitor my blog's traffic profile to see what visitors look for and try to fill in the 'missing link' whenever I can. I hope they come back again and find this post useful. Seven Swords was the opening film to the 2005 Venice Film Festival. Adapted from the Chinese novel 'Seven Swords of Mount Heaven' written by renowned Wuxia author Liang Yusheng, Seven Swords is also a tribute movie to Akira Kurosawa's infamous 1954 film 'Seven Samurai'. The film is the first of a planned trilogy and was originally four hours long before edited down to 153 minutes. There's even a Hong Kong TV series version, I only watched a few episodes cause Donnie Yen's not in it. Otherwise I would be glued to my TV set instead of my laptop.

The movie starts with Master Shadow-glow who leaves behind the mundane affairs of the world and goes hermit among the peaks of Mount Heaven. After spending few decades there, he became a great master of sword-casting and made seven prized swords. They were given the names The Unlearn, The Dragon, The Transcience, The Star-chasers, The Celestial Beam, The Deity and The Heaven's Fall. The seven swords represent the seven states of period and mind that Master Shadow-glow experienced on Mount Heaven. Each one of them bears a different meaning.

The Heaven's Fall sword had a unique origin. Master Shadow-glow practices austerity by casting swords and had over a thousand swords with different styles and functions. However, when these swords are compared with The Deity, they are inferior in both shape and spirit. One day, as usual, Master Shadow-glow was watching the clouds and mountains from afar. Out of the blue, a stream of clouds plunged down like a waterfall, drawing a frozen line across the sky. Master Shadow-glow suddenly was enlightened with the fact that The Deity is too primitive and is thus restrained in both shape and spirit. In a bid to break the confines of The Deity, Master Shadow-glow melted a hundred swords to cast The Heaven's Fall. The sword was later given to Wu Yuanyin.

The Heaven's Fall attack form is free-style and follows the mind of the swordsman who wield it. Wu Yuanying was initially unable to control the sword until she learnt how to free her mind. The sword is an elemental sword of water especially unique with a handle that resembles a flute. The holes in the handle respond to different functions, used to slide the blade from one side of the handle to the other. With its affinity to water, The Heaven’s Fall is extremely deadly when wet, as energy can be channelled into the sword and the water droplets on it be directed towards enemies as projectiles weapons. It is used most effectively together with The Unlearnt and The Star Chasers.

The Heaven Fall Sword Movie Replica by Topicool has three circle cut outs which allow the blade to be locked in place in the handle. The blade slides from one end of the handle to the other just like in the movies. The movie sword can even be used with the handle locked in the center of the blade, so you will get the blade coming out of each side of the handle (like a short bo with blades). The movie sword has an overall length of 40", blade length 27.5" and handle length 12.25". Blade thickness is about 0.125" and the whole sword weighs approximately 5 lbs.