Unofficial fan guide. CharHaven is not affiliated with, sponsored by, or endorsed by the creator or publishers of Bleach. Every example here is original.
An original character in a world you love works best when the sheet answers two questions: what can they do, and what do they want badly enough to get into trouble over. Everything else can come out in play.
Start with the short sheet
- Name and what people call them. A formal name, and the one their squad or friends actually use.
- What they are. Soul Reaper, Arrancar, Quincy, human with spiritual awareness, or something in between.
- One thing they want. A seat in a division, revenge, to be left alone, to find out what happened to someone.
- One thing that is wrong with them. A fear, a grudge, a habit that gets people hurt.
- Their power in one sentence. If you need a paragraph, it is probably doing too much.
That is enough to write a first scene. The fields below are for when you want more.
Soul Reaper (Shinigami)
- Division and rank. An unseated officer has more room to grow, and more reasons to be sent somewhere dangerous, than a captain.
- Zanpakutō name and spirit. Give the sword a personality that disagrees with its wielder about something. That argument is a story.
- Shikai: release phrase and one ability. One clear trick with one clear cost. A blade that controls ice but numbs the wielder's hands is more useful to a writer than one that simply wins.
- Bankai. Optional, and worth leaving as a goal rather than a starting stat. Wanting it is often better roleplay than having it.
- Strengths and gaps. Swordplay, speed, kidō, endurance: pick the two they are good at and one they avoid.
Arrancar
- Who they were as a Hollow. The hunger they had before the mask broke still shapes them.
- What is left of the mask, and where the hole is. Small physical details are what other players remember.
- Resurrección: release phrase and form. What the sealed sword turns back into, and what that reveals about them.
- Rank, if any. A number is a reputation to defend, and a target.
- Why they follow anyone at all. Loyalty, fear, boredom, a debt.
Quincy
- The shape of their bow and how they draw spirit particles into it. A bow that looks like something personal says a lot for one line.
- Family and training. Most Quincy learned from someone. Who, and what did it cost?
- Their feeling about Soul Reapers. Inherited hatred, curiosity, or a friendship they have to hide.
- One technique they are known for, and one they have never managed.
Keeping powers interesting
The best abilities in this kind of setting have a rule the other player can learn and use. Write down three things: what the power does, what it cannot do, and what it costs to use. If your character can answer every threat, other people have nothing to do in a scene with them.
It also helps to decide what your character is bad at before you decide what they are good at. A Soul Reaper who cannot use kidō at all has a reason to ask for help.
Starting a roleplay with them
- A first assignment in the human world that goes wrong in a small way.
- A Hollow that seems to recognise them.
- A rival from the academy who made a seat first.
- A message from someone who should not be able to send one.
A note on images
Use art you made, art you commissioned, or art the artist has told you that you may use, and credit them. Official artwork and screenshots belong to their rights holders and are not allowed on CharHaven profiles. A character with no image yet is fine: the sheet is what people read.
Use a starter
Three free starters, Soul Reaper, Arrancar and Quincy, fill in the fields above so you only have to change what makes your character yours. A new character starts as a private draft, and you choose when anyone else can see it. When you publish, mark it as an unofficial fan character.
