Shunsui Kyōraku vs. Coyote Starrk: Final Fight (2024)

Shunsui Kyōraku vs. Coyote Starrk: Final Fight is the final phase in the battle between 8th Division captain, Shunsui Kyōraku and Primera Espada, Coyote Starrk after the Visored Love Aikawa & Rōjūrō Ōtoribashi fought against Starrk. It is one of the last battles that occurs in the Fake Karakura Town between the forces of the Gotei 13 and a member of the top three Espada.

Prelude[]

Both Love and Rose take up the fight against Starrk. Initially, they find themselves comfortably holding up against the Primera Espada as Love is able to send Starrk flying to ground with his Shikai, partly due to Starrk's own demoralization after the death of Baraggan Louisenbairn and Sōsuke Aizen's lack of concern for the fall of the Segunda Espada. Their situation then turns when Starrk unleashes his Resurrección's special ability that creates a large pack of wolves.^[2]These pieces from both Starrk and Lilynette Gingerbuck's soul give the two Visored quite a hard time and are able to damage them. After explaining the nature of the wolves, Starrk offers to "look the other way" and let the Visored escape as he sees that their battle will end in his victory. Love rejects taking any such action, prompting Starrk to point out that while he doesn't like to give the "deathblow", he has no choice, but to do so. As he lowers himself down onto the top of a building and prepares to finish them off, he is suddenly surprised by a blade from out of the shadows that pierces from behind and out through the front of his chest.^[3]

Battle[]

Not only is Starrk surprised by the attack but both Love and Rōjūrō are as well. Starrk turns around towards the direction of the attack and looks back at his own shadow as a figure begins rising up from it. To Love's surprise, it is Captain Shunsui Kyōraku, who stares coldly at Starrk as the shadow drips from his body. Holding his hand on the wound, Starrk questions Kyōraku on what technique he just used; stating that it is ridiculous that Kyōraku can hide in the shadows, and wonders if Kyōraku was holding back an attack like that the entire time. As Kyōraku states the name of the technique, Kageoni, he denies Starrk's charge that he was holding back, but rather his Zanpakutō "wasn't in the mood" and that playing with Katen Kyōkotsu tires him out. He explains that Katen Kyōkotsu's power is to make children's games real. Kyōraku further elaborates on his Zanpakutō's abilities, telling Starrk that Katen Kyōkotsu makes the rules, and that those who step into the domain of her Reiatsu, including himself, are forced to obey those rules. However, he is not required to tell his opponents about the rules that are applied for his Takaoni and Kageoni attacks. According to Kyōraku, Katen Kyōkotsu makes it so that "if you win, you live" and " if you lose, you die" and so Katen Kyōkotsu is quite a selfish Zanpakutō. He tells Starrk that while all his effort has been for the sake of Katen Kyōkotsu, it is certainly hard work for him. Kyōraku plunges the sword on his right into the ground which sends a Kageoni attack at Starrk. Starrk is able to avoid this attack, and Kyōraku compliments the Espada for learning quickly just as he had expected from his opponent.^[4]

Backing away, Starrk thinks to himself that he is alone while a memory flashes in his mind, and forms a sword of Reiryoku in his right hand as Kyōraku moves up to cross blades with Starrk. With this, Kyōraku starts a color-based game called Irooni and calls out the color grey. Starrk notices, but is unable to dodge in time as Kyōraku slashes his right arm. To Starrk's surprise though, the actual wound is shallow which confuses Starrk as the attack felt so deep that he thought his arm would come off. Starrk quickly begins deducting the nature of Kyōraku's Irooni, thinking about how Kyōraku had started a color-based game and had called the color grey as his entire arm is grey, but there is no grey on Kyōraku's body. Kyōraku interrupts Starrk's thoughts, asking what is wrong and that it is his turn to call out a color, but he will only be able to cut the color that he names. Starrk obliges and calls out white. Kyōraku is slightly surprised and has his back wounded by Starrk despite turning around to block the slash.^[5]

Kyōraku applauds Starrk on a good move, explaining more about Irooni and how one will take damage if the opponent cuts you on the color called out, as well as warning Starrk on the fact that the higher the risk a color is to your person, the greater the injuries inflicted shall be. He states that it makes the most sense for Starrk to choose white as it is the color that will allow the greatest amount of damage to be doled out. Kyōraku compliments Starrk on his amazing abilities one more time especially for figuring out Irooni's rule in one shot, as he had planned to give out hints a little bit at a time, stating Starrk is really hard to deal with. The two cross swords again and Starrk remarks to himself that he could say the same thing of Kyōraku, questioning why he has to fight such a powerful person. Starrk begins to have flashbacks of his past. He recalls how he always envied the weak ones because all of his friends withered away just from Starrk's presence, which prompted him to split his soul in two out of loneliness. He goes on about how both Lilynette and Starrk do not remember which of them they originally looked like before they split and that their original appearance corresponded to neither of them, but the point was that splitting into two was the only way to escape the loneliness they felt. Starrk had envied the weak ones and wanted to become weak because he could at least gather up with others then, and if that were not possible, he wanted to have friends as strong as him.^[6]

Starrk then swipes away Kyōraku's haori as it flies towards him, only for it to uncover Kyōraku himself who is crouching before Starrk as he prepares an attack. Kyōraku calls out black and slashes Starrk directly across the chest and Hollow Hole, causing a great amount of blood to spurt out from the wound. The area around Starrk's Hollow hole begins to crack and the wound brings out an even greater torrent of blood that bursts from his chest. As he falls out the sky, surrounded in his own falling blood, Starrk remembers his first meeting with Aizen and apologizes for not being able to repay him for his help in escaping his loneliness. He loses consciousness and dies as he falls to the ground, while Kyōraku looks on without expression.^[7]

Aftermath[]

Love and Rose appear behind Kyōraku, thanking the captain for the assistance. Kyōraku responds by saying that he is just glad that they are safe. Love tells Kyōraku that he never changes, pointing out that he lacks the style to not always intrude into other people's fights. Kyōraku returns his Zanpakutō to its sealed state and retorts that "getting caught up in style and throwing away victory is something for the lower ranks to do" as "Captains can't even think about doing such a carefree thing." He advises Love to not "try to be a good guy" as "it doesn't matter who owes who" because "from the instant they enter into a war, both sides are evil."^[8]

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