Abarai Renji is one of my favourite shinigamis in Bleach partly due to the voice of Toru Furusawa which really brought life to his smug, arrogant and brash character. Renji is the lieutenant of the 6th Division in the Gotei 13 and reports to captain Kuchiki Byakuya. He earned his eccentric nickname "red pineapple" due to the long crimson hair kept in a high ponytail. His upper body is covered with black tribal tattoos which seem to spread everytime he achieves an advancement. His zanpakutou's spirit Zabimaru also bears similar tattoos but in purple.


Zabimaru means "snake tail" and its spirit (or spirits) takes the form of a baboon with a snake tail. The baboon was portrayed as more dominant of the two. To release Zabimaru's shikai form, Renji commands hoero or "roar". Zabimaru then transforms into a 7-segment blade with a pick-like protrusion on each segment. There are a total of 7 picks, the one at the blade tip the largest. The blade can take-on another form where the segments break from one another, connected by elastic threads. This converts Zabimaru into a long-range weapon more like a whip. It's as if due to Zabimaru's 2 spirits, the blade can assume 2 forms.

Abarai Renji's bankai is called Hihio Zabimaru or "baboon king snake tail"). In bankai state, Zabimaru turns into a giant skeletal snake with a red lion's mane similar to Renji's crimson hair. Renji's outfit also changes with a fur coat over his shoulders and a skeleton on the left arm. Unlike its shikai form, Zabimaru's segments are now bound together by Renji's reiatsu (spiritual power) which can detach and attach again at will. The segments themselves are extremely tough and even if one of it is damaged, Renji can simply detach it and reform Zabimaru. Renji's bankai has the special technique known as hikotsu taiho or "baboon bone cannon" which fires an energy blast from Zabimaru's mouth. He can also use a more powerful technique higa zekko where all the segments detach and sharpen using spiritual energy.


The Functional Abarai Renji Unawaken Zabimaru Sword replica from SwordsSwords is a functional high-carbon steel katana (last checked all stocks were sold out). The Zabimaru sword replica has an overall length of 40", blade length 28" and handle length 12".The sword features a full-tang blade with razor sharp edge. The handle is nylon wrapped in beige red, ray skin and dual-pegged for full functionality. The wooden scabbard is painted in high gloss red liquid finish similar to the anime. Fittings are made of brass and blackened copper. The functional sword replica comes with a sword bag.


If you prefer a decorative sword, why not choose the Stainless Steel Abarai Renji Unawaken Zabimaru Sword replica from Hanzo Steel? The sword replica has an overall length of 41", blade length 27" and handle length 12". The sword comes with a wooden scabbard hand-painted in red with a lacquer coat finish. The tsuka (handle) is wrapped in a red cloth in the popular Tsumami Maki style. The stainless steel blade has a slight factory-sharpened edge with visible hamon (temper line).


If you prefer the shikai or awakened zanpakuto sword, bad news is there are no exact steel replicas available yet. Good news is the wooden 52" Awakened Abarai Renji Zabimaru Sword replica from SwordsSwords. This high-quality wooden sword replica is amazingly light for its size (3lbs) so toting it around the convention hall all day shouldn't work you much sweat. The blade is 35" long with an 11" wide protruding spike at the tip. It has a two-tone paint - silver along the blade edge while the rest is black. The 16" long handle is leather-wrapped for excellent grip. Great for cosplay events.


If you're looking for Bleach costume, check out the site at AllAnimeDVD.com. They have several selections of Shinigami, Espada, Quincy and other Bleach costumes. Perfect for Halloween, birthdays, cosplay events and themed parties. Just take your pick.

The Blade Trilogy was based on Marvel Comics character of the same name which was first brought alive by Wesley Snipes back in 1998. Four years later, Blade II made its way onto the silver screen followed by Blade Trinity in 2004. Blade’s human name was Eric Brooks and his mother’s Vanessa. In the original comic, the daywalker's mother was bitten by a vampire while she was in labor with Blade. This caused the vampire gene to be passed down to Blade turning him into a daywalker or dhampir (half-human half-vampire) and inherit the best traits of both worlds.


In the first film, Blade has a partner – an old man named Whistler. Although Blade is the worst anti-social dhampir there is and prefers to work alone, he developed a strong bond with Whistler who helps supply the firepower needed to blow-up or cause excruciating pain to the bloodsuckers before vanquishing them. The stunning Blade Sword of The Daywalker made its first appearance in this film and continued to be featured in the next two. The main story of this first release is the brewing feud between 'pure-blood' elder-vampires and Deacon Frost, a young upstart in the vampire community who happens to be the culprit that killed Blade’s mother and gave the daywalker his curse. Blade finally uncovers Frost’s mega plan to awaken the La Magra at the Temple of Eternal Night so he can take-on the vampire god’s powers himself.


In Blade II a rare mutation infected the vampires turning them into Reapers, a new specie of vampire with an insatiable bloodlust for both humans and vampires. They increase their numbers by infecting their victims. Blade and Whistler reluctantly agree to an alliance with The Bloodpack, a vampire SWAT team originally trained to eliminate the daywalker.


The third film Blade Trinity introduced Blade to the man on the street. The vampires managed to frame him for the death of several humans. With the daywalker now under the public's scrutiny and in FBI hands, a group called The Nightstalkers came to the rescue and later joined forces with him. This time the alliance is with humans instead and the main villain is Drake short for Dracula I guess. Drake is the first vampire and by far the most powerful. He is also a daywalker just like Blade and the only way to vanquish him is a biological virus.

So will there be a Blade IV in the pipeline? Hard to say. Back in April 24th 2008, Wesley Snipes was sentenced to three years prison for three misdemeanor convictions for willful failure to file federal income tax returns. In vampire language, he didn’t pay his taxes. The last news broadcasted was his temporary release from prison near the end of May. Now we know the daywalker's cryptonite - federal tax.


Here comes the interesting part. The Blade Sword of the Daywalker Movie Replica from Hanzo Steel is a stunning looking piece featuring an overall length of 36” and blade length of 27.5”. The movie sword replica's straight blade is double-edged and made of Stainless Steel. The handle is ribbed for better grip and definitely eye-catching with the raised silver over a black base. But grip it too hard, it'll leave a temporary mark on your hands.


The Blade Sword of the Daywalker has another surprise in store for buyers – a hidden 6” double-edged dagger fixed inside the handle. How about that? With a slight turn, the dagger locks and unlocks itself in place within the handle. The movie sword comes in the same scabbard seen in the film with adjustable shoulder-straps for a more comfortable fit. If you intend to wear it, better have a black leather outfit ready to match.


Another option you can consider is the Blade Sword of the Daywalker Movie Replica from United Cutlery. Last checked, it costs more than twice as much due to the UC brand and its known quality. And get ready for this - even with the higher price tag, the Blade Daywalker Movie Sword doesn’t come with the adjustable shoulder-straps scabbard but instead a display stand. Still, you can purchase the Imitation-Leather Scabbard from United Cutlery separately. If you have deep pockets or more concerned on the quality make, UC is a better alternative.

If you're looking for Lord of The Rings Halloween costumes, TolkienTown is a good place to shop. They've got costumes for both adults and children. You can find cool accessories as well to compliment your existing costumes. Moreover TolkienTown is offering 50% to 90% discounts on selected products in their Massive Overstock Sale drive. Worth checking it out. Just visit TolkienTown - your one-stop center for everything Tolkien.

It's that time of year again. Yep, Halloween is just around the corner and everyone's rushing in and out of stores, trying to get their hands on the right costumes for this year's theme. Well if you rather not jump into the sea of crowds and fight your way to buy your costume, there's an ongoing promotion on Amazon.

From now until Oct 23rd, you get Free Shipping on orders of $25 or more of Halloween costumes and accessories from Select Sellers (CostumeCraze, CostumeKingdom and CostumeSuperCenter) in Amazon's Costumes Store. There are over 10,000 costumes to select from, so feel free to browse-click all of it.

There's even costumes for your pets. But if you only have enough budget for yourself and your pet dog is white, I'd recommend the theme Kiba & Akamaru from Naruto. Just paint your pooch's ears brown. Maximum savings ;)

You can also find wigs, masks, hats, shoes and other accessories that you need to complete your look. Go check it out while stocks last. But take note of the fine print which states the Terms and Condition to quality for the Free Shipping. I've taken the liberty to list it here for you, so happy shopping :

1. Browse for costumes sold by Costume Craze, Costume Kingdom, or Costume SuperCenter at Amazon.com. Please note: Items from multiple sellers will not combine to qualify. The combined $25 must be in one order from one seller.
2. Add costumes to your Shopping Cart until the total amount before taxes, gift-wrap, shipping, and other promotions is $25 or more. The savings does not apply to purchases totaling $25 from multiple sellers.
3. Click the "Proceed to Checkout" button and purchase your products to enjoy free shipping.
4. Offer expires October 23, 2008.

In order to qualify for the Free Shipping, all items purchased must be sent to the same Shipping Address. If you violate any of the terms and conditions listed below, the promotion will be invalid and the rebate will be removed from the order. Limit one savings per order. Offer available for a limited time only.