Nanao Ise

Template:Bleach character info Nanao Ise (伊勢 七緒, Ise Nanao) is a fictional character in the anime and manga series Bleach created by Tite Kubo. She is the lieutenant of the 8th Division of the Gotei 13, under Captain Shunsui Kyōraku, and vice-president of the Shinigami Women's Association.

Character outline

Nanao, in comparison with her flamboyant captain, appears to be a fairly ordinary shinigami. She is almost always carrying a heavy book (apparently the same book each time) and wears glasses. She is a very serious and pragmatic person who often puts up with her captain's silly antics, but like all lieutenants, she is extremely respectful of her captain and follows his instructions without hesitation.

Nanao is often accosted by her captain, whose teasing takes various forms. For instance, in the omake special at the end of episode 97, Rangiku Matsumoto gives Nanao a bikini, purchased in the human world at Kyōraku's request for a "sexy outfit." Nanao's usual reaction is to scold him or hit him with something, usually a fan. When she is particularly annoyed she takes off her glasses, though her face has never been seen while doing so. Apparently this act is quite frightening, as most people who see it are reduced to gibbering wrecks just by witnessing it, even the sadistic cold hearted 12th division captain Mayuri Kurotsuchi fell victim to this intimidating spectacle. In one recent colored omake chapter, she is shown without her glasses and her eyes are depicted as pure red, although it is unknown whether this is her true eye color or just an exaggeration. Notably in another omake chapter Nanao seemed intimidated by captain Byakuya Kuchiki when he filled in for Renji at a Lieutenant's meeting.

Her relationship with her captain provides comic relief, but also represents a close bond with her captain that isn't otherwise found in Bleach. The two are also shown as being very close in the professional sense, which only Tōshirō Hitsugaya and Rangiku Matsumoto seem to match.

When she is about to finish off Chad, Nanao's hand crackles with lightning, suggesting that she may be more adept at kidō than swordsmanship. It is later revealed in Kubo's cliff notes on the sides of omake chapters that just like Momo Hinamori, Nanao is also a kidō master.

Synopsis

Soul Society arc

Nanao first appears when she notifies her captain of the impending threat of outsiders, the closest of which is Chad. When Kyōraku confronts Chad, he has Nanao throw flower petals over him for dramatic effect. She eventually gets annoyed and dumps the entire basket of petals on him, and then throws the basket and hits him in the head, completely ruining his entrance. After Chad loses, she wants to finish him off, but is stopped by Kyōraku.

She later berates her captain for his lack of action as the execution of Rukia Kuchiki approaches, especially as he is thinking more about taking a nap and how General Yamamoto will likely criticize his course of action in the end. Nanao accompanies Kyōraku to the execution (she's seen somewhat upset as Rukia is about to be executed, denying it when Kyōraku asks her about it) and escapes with him when Kyōraku and Jūshirō Ukitake blow up Sōkyoku to prevent it from killing Rukia.

When Yamamoto confronts Kyōraku and Ukitake for their act, Nanao reasons that she can at least do a little to help stall him. She underestimates just how powerful he is, and that he is the Supreme commander of the 13 protection squads for a reason. Yamamoto gives her a mere look in the eyes and she loses her ability to move, and struggles to breath. Being incapacitated, she is berated by Yamamoto stating "I don't have time to teach babies to breathe" refering to the fact that she is crippled in the face of such powerful spirit energy. Kyōraku evacuates her from the scene so she won't be harmed or be in the way, she remains unable to speak and is concerned that they will be slaughtered.

Zanpakutō

File:Nanao02 1.jpg

Nanao's zanpakutō.

Not much is known about Nanao's zanpakutō and she is very rarely seen with it. An illustration in the artbook "All Color but the Black" reveals that her zanpakutō takes the form of what appears to be either a wakizashi or tantō, which she seems to conceal within her sleeve. When on the verge of fighting, she puts her hand inside her uniform, supporting the possibility. A less common theory is that the heavy book she always carries is in fact her zanpakutō, similar to the method in which Yamamoto and Kisuke Urahara disguse their zanpakuto as canes. Additionally, since her zanpakutō is much shorter than the average sword, it could very well fit within such a disguise. In the game Bleach: Heat the Soul 3, Nanao wields a dagger, but it is not clear if it is meant to be her zanpakutō.