Yoruichi Shihōin

Did You Know?

• In the 3rd popularity poll for Bleach, Yoruichi placed 7th with 3,744 votes, behind Byakuya Kuchiki with 3,752 and surpassing Kisuke Urahara by 68 votes.
• Louis Kemner writing for Comic Book Resources described Yoruichi as Soul Society's 'rogue hero' who cares about 'doing the right thing, at any cost'.

Character outline

Yoruichi Shihōin is a woman who can transform into a black cat for extended periods. She is intelligent and witty, with intimate knowledge of Soul Society due to her former roles as leader of the Stealth Forces and 2nd Division captain. Though born into nobility, she behaves differently from other nobles; she instructed a young Soifon to call her by her first name, reluctantly accepting "Yoruichi-sama" ("Lady Yoruichi" in the dub). She speaks in a dialect using 'washi' (a term old men use) instead of more feminine terms.

Like Kisuke Urahara, she tends to avoid battles, preferring to help after a fight or observe from afar, but intervenes if her side cannot otherwise win. She trained Chad and Orihime before their entrance into Soul Society and supervised Ichigo Kurosaki's bankai training using methods developed by Urahara. The author stated Yoruichi prefers to drink milk, fitting her cat transformation.

Appearances

Yoruichi Shihōin once led the 2nd Division as its captain, commanded the Stealth Forces as its General Administrator, and oversaw the Executive Militia as its Corps Commander. She is the first woman and the 22nd head of the Shihōin family, one of the four noble houses, and commanded considerable respect in Soul Society. Her exact age is unknown, but she is older than Byakuya Kuchiki, whom she has called "Little Byakuya" since his childhood. Byakuya, in turn, called her a "demon cat" and considered himself her superior despite her rank and status, a belief she easily exploited with playful pranks.

Her closest friend is Kisuke Urahara; they played together daily as children under the Sōkyoku hill in a training space he built, and later trained there as adults. Urahara served as her third seat in the 2nd Division before she recommended him for captain of the 12th Division. As Stealth Forces commander, she took Soifon in as a guard and mentor, teaching her most of her techniques. Soifon later succeeded her as head of the Stealth Forces after Yoruichi fled Soul Society.

Yoruichi created numerous flash step techniques and taught some to Byakuya. A century before the main storyline, she helped Urahara, Tessai, and the Visoreds escape Soul Society, abandoning her high position.

Analysis

Her ability to turn into a cat lets her avoid being seen as a sexual object, and her life as a fugitive makes her animal form a symbol of resistance against the Gotei 13’s patriarchal system. The bond between Yoruichi and Suì Fēng is the series’ most fully developed romantic relationship, though it is not sexual. Neither woman is depicted as ethnically Japanese: Suì Fēng is Chinese, while Yoruichi has dark skin and golden eyes. Their dynamic, with Suì Fēng serving Yoruichi both professionally and personally, mirrors real-world power relations between China and Japan.