Shinji Hirako is the captain of the Fifth Division of the Gotei 13, as well as the former informal leader of the Vizards, shinigami who gained the forbidden power of hollows. He once already held this captain position, but was exiled from the Soul Society after the incident of forced transformation into a hollow (hollowfication), organized by his own lieutenant – Sosuke Aizen. Despite his outward frivolity and love of jokes, Shinji is incredibly perceptive: he was one of the few who sensed the danger emanating from Aizen long before his betrayal. His zanpakutō, Sakanade, inverts the opponent's perception, and his bankai, Sakashima Yokoshima Happō Fusagari, forces all who fall under its influence to see each other as enemies. Shinji is a warrior who fights with a smile, but in battle becomes cold and calculating. After returning to service in the Gotei, he maintained ties with the Vizards and continues to protect the balance of the worlds, using both the experience of an exile and the power of a hollow.
