They both smile creepy but gin smiles all the time!!!!! But he didn't smile wen he died.....

Unohana is scarier than one would initially think. She has two things going for her that Gin does not:

1) She looks harmless most of the time. If anything, she looks more peaceful than even the 13th Captain. Only a few times have we gotten to see her darker side, and she scares EVERYONE. When she gets that dark expression, no one feels safe. It's that juxtaposition that really gives her a lot of points in my book.

2) She's a black box. We don't know what she's capable of, and neither do most of the characters. Of all the captains in Soul Society, we know the least about her, and that's saying something. Recall that she is one of the eldest captains (the only one that we know is older is Yamamoto, and the only others that might be are Shunsui and Ukitake), and we know far more about them. We have at least seen their shikai abilities. She is also, as far as we've seen, the only undefeated captain in the series (though, admittedly, she's never been involved in a fight). Don't know about you guys, but all of that makes her pretty scary to me.

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I agree with a lot of what was said about Retsu however, your forgetting the part that makes her scariest to all of the men involved in the series... she's a woman, and a serious one at that that who has really never lost her temper but they all understand quite well that they should not argue with her. Question: When have you seen another woman be intimidated by her?

The thing that separates mayuri from the crowd however, I feel, is that his zanpakotou is a baby that breathes poison. This poison is also constantly updated too so, in that regards, it's similar to what we would call the flu... with much more deadly effects. Sure Gin has a ridiculous zanpakotou that is ruthlessly brutal but I believe, when used with enough skill which we know isn't a factor for a captain level shinigami, ashisogi jizo (or however you spell it I think I got it right though] is a much more ruthless zanpakotou even when comparing just Mayuri's shikai to Gin's bankai. The idea that you can't move your limbs but you can feel every ounce of pain is a type of paralysis that horrifies the poo right through my pants and into the neighbor's house through multiple sets of walls. Unohana cannot compare to either though because the fright she instills on others is a factor of humor in the bleach series where both Mayuri and Gin are ruthless murderers.

The thing that puts Mayuri on top is his sick and frighteningly accurate logic and the method in which he uses that against his opponents. I.E. I'll pull out the most frightening fights of both candidates and you pick which one you would rather be on the losing end of: Ichimaru Gin vs. Kurosaki Ichigo (When we first see his Bankai] Kurosutchi Mayuri vs. Szayel Aporro (Which happens to be my favorite fight in the entire series simply because of the whole sick logic thing I was telling you about]... come on... what a way to grow old and die aye? The fight of the scientists as I call it was so frightening and ruthless on Mayuri's part... he actually murdered his zanpakotou in that fight because he had no use for it anymore (and because it attacked him... yeah scary] No one can compare to Mayuri's ruthlessness and shear bone chilling fright. Mayuri is actually my favorite captain might I add followed by Kenpachi Zaraki then followed by Soi Fon which is also quite ruthless and arguably the captain who I believe would win a fight against most of the other captains depending obviously on circumstances but none of that is relevant just got in a rant for a sec ha... I love Bleach!

Well, that's true, but Retsu has never had that dark expression of hers in front of a woman, so we cannot know how efficacious that would be in inspiring fear.

I don't doubt that Mayuri induces fear, there's no doubt about it. He easily, as you said, has one of the creepiest and most frightening blades, and there's something to be said about being a "ruthless murderer" (though, in all honesty, I would say that Gin doesn't fully embody that trait). Hell, Mayuri's my absolute favorite character in the series for his amazing logic and fighting style. The way he wins fights is nothing short of insane. If we're talking about the most frightening character due to blatant actions, the prize goes to him hands down.

Still, I would stick to my answer on this one. Much as Mayuri always has a backup plan, always some way to come out on top, he's become (in his own way) sort of predictable as a result. It might sound crazy, but he has a reputation for that kind of thing now. He still inspires fear, but it's out in front and on display for all to see. What's Unohana's reputation? Head of the fourth squad, and don't get her angry? We know she's one of the most practiced captains, that she's probably one of the strongest too, and yet little else. I think the hidden dagger is much scarier than the obvious serrated sword.

Mayuri can be(to me) at times,also Gin mainly when he smiles at times.

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i might look nice but.....i could have a feeling of killing today >:)

oo. .k then . . .
._.

I agree with you white flame about the hidden dagger bit however I feel like I wouldn't feel any kind of way about captain Unohana touching me. Heck I might actually feel very warm and soothed because she genuinely is one of the most soft spoken, kind hearted, motherly women on this show.

Captain Kurotsuchi however... He is also my favorite character in the show so that much at least we can agree on... I would be frozen pale with fear if told me that I would make a good lab rat. It would scare me even more when he says, "I have no interest in you. Dispose of him Nemu" then that biatch jumps down with a drill arm and you know the rest haha.

One think we can both agree on though is that the show, and all anime shows for that matter... heck every show with main characters... all of it is predictable because how can you kill of the main characters? They always have more tricks up there sleeves. Even Ichigo's reckless ass always ends up on top whether he just magically stumbles upon the answer or someone comes by and saves him. So predictability isn't really much of an argument.

The only reason why people are frightened of Captain Unohana is because she is old not necessarily strong. I can only think of 1 time where she fights and yes she can use a lot of kido with no incantations but that's not really impressive. There's a reason why she's captain of the healing squad... it's because she's a healer not a killer. I could never be afraid of such a soft loveable woman.

And she does intimidate one woman on the show, her vice. I forgot about her.

Oh and by the way I specifically remember a convo between Ukitake and Shunsui during the "Shinigami Illustrated Picture Book" where they were wondering how old Unohana is. It was pretty funny.

I also think the "fear" she inspires is more-so respect for her age and wisdom. Kind of the way that others talk about Genryusai. Of course non of them would argue with him not just because he's the strongest though it's because he's the oldest and most wise. I think that the similar thing is going on with Unohana.

Like I said before though about her abilities in battle. She can use a lot of Kido at a time with no incantations which is impressive but all of her other roles in battle have been strictly support. I don't believe she can really fight at a captains level. That though I'm hoping to be proven wrong about.

{sorry for the multiple posts without waiting for a response back you just got me thinking. It's a good thing. Good discussion]

I think we're agreeing on the majority of these points. Everything you've said about Mayuri, and, for that matter, a large portion of what you've said about Unohana, I can thoroughly agree with. I even agree with your point about main characters, and how they've widely become predictable in how they are somehow always capable of coming out on top (much to my chagrin as well).

However, there are a few points on which we differ. I think overall, I can condense it down to two points: how common the feeling is, and whether they're really scared or just deferential.

First, while I agree that most of the time Unohana is a source of calm and placidity, that really makes me all the more nervous about upsetting her. If anything, I think that makes me more uncertain. I would always have my hackles up with Mayuri because I expect the fear. Unohana brings a calm into the room, and can turn a room to icy stillness and uncertainty in a moment. That abrupt change, even if it's infrequent, makes me more fearful of her. I also think that makes her less predictable. While I agree with you that the majority of people within the show are highly predictable in battle and methods, Unohana seems to defy that.

As for the second point, I'm not so sure it's deference. The dark look that covers her face gets the response directly, as though people are suddenly overcome with a fear of what's to come. Admittedly, it's not a threat of pain directly like with Mayuri, I don't think she'd ever threaten that directly. But I can't help but wonder, since she is a healer, whether or not she's likely to inflict pain on others and then heal it so it shows no scars. This is, perhaps, more of an external viewpoint. It's not supported by anything I've seen in the show directly. Still, there's a lot behind that dark cast to her gaze, and I'd be hard pressed to make the claim that the cold sweat that some of the most powerful characters in the show have developed upon seeing it is merely out of deference.

Also admittedly, I understand that she hasn't presented herself with abilities that showcase her strength. However, we still don't know what she's capable of with her shikai and bankai, neither of which has been revealed. The most we've seen is a sort of manifestation of her shikai. Certainly, the likelihood is that healing is involved in at least one of them, but we can assume that she could fend for herself.

But I agree with you, I think there is a lot that remains to be seen here. She's one of the least known captains there is. We know less about the extent of her shikai than anyone in the Gotei 13. And what makes me most nervous about her is that what we don't know is baffling. If you look up her battle data, it says her offense is maxed out at 100, as is her intelligence and reiatsu. To give you an idea, Byakuya's is 90 in all of those, and that says a lot about her capabilities. Mayuri matches her in the latter two, but falls far short of her in every other stat. She even beats out Kyoraku on two of those. It's the fact that we know she's that strong, and yet know so little of how she's capable of using it, that makes me so wary. I'd love to know more about her, and I hope this next season will be very revealing.

Well you bring good points. From my perspective I feel like this can be summed up a little more as well. I'm referring to literal fear as far as a feeling and you are conveying more of a fearful awe like a lot of individuals in the show. The fact that we and they know so little of her is a frightening prospect when you put it in to the numbers game. I however am looking at personality traits and how much evil each character is capable of committing.

In essence: I would be fearful of Unohana if I were an espada because I don't know what to expect when facing her. As far as Kurtsuchi is concerned in that regards, I already know what to expect when facing him so he has a base fear that I could overcome being an enemy. But I definitely would be constantly on edge facing Unohana because I have no knowledge of what she's capable of.

Now being an ally or what I already am, just an innocent bystander along for the ride, I would go to Unohana for any reason because she has a motherly aura. Nothing about Kurotsuchi is delightful in any way. Being an ally of his I would always be wary because I know the extent of his care for human life.... he cares for them as much as he can learn from them. If he has nothing to learn then your life means nothing. We've seen this happen numerous times. Although not blatantly attacking his allies, he definitely shows an EVIL indifference because he views all the captains as potential science projects. Being a criminal who was locked up, I'm sure his biggest internal limiter is his enjoyment for his own freedom and the legacy that he's already built. That's it though. That to me is quite a frightening concept.

If I was having relationship troubles I would go cry to Unohana because she seems like the type of woman that would just hold you to her bosom and tell you it'll be ok hahaha. I'm speaking figuratively I'm sure you understand. The only fear that I would have of Unohana is similar to the fear inspired in children when their mother scolds them. That's a matter of respect more then literal fright.

Ok so, to sum it up, I guess it would depend on which side of the river I'm standing on: Friend or enemy. If I was friends of the shinigami I would definitely always be fearful of ANYTHING having to do with Kurotsuchi Mayuri which as we've seen has also inspired fear in the strongest characters on the show. One I would like to point out that has exhibited fear for both is Ichigo. Let's examine the situation. Ichigo was fearful of what might happen if he disobeyed Unohana, so he shut up and did what she said without argument [referring to when him and Unohana were traveling through the precipice world from Hucco Mundo to confront Aizen]. If you remember there were 2 circumstances. She struck fear in him when she wanted him to go behind her because she could make a better reitsu path. He questioned her once and then was frightened by her expression and didn't push the subject. Then when she discovered that his outfit was part of his Bankai and thus a part of his reitsu she commanded him to go back in front of her. He started to question and she gave the dark expression and viola. He's in front again.

Now when Ichigo ingested Ashisogi Jizo's poison in the Zanpakuto arc and then was "presented" with the antidote by Mayuri, what did Ichigo do? Screamed and fought. He didn't want to put anything else in his body from that mad scientist. He knew that it was a bad idea and he wanted nothing to do with it. That is genuine fright. Who did he run to? Not the person that made the poison which would definitely have the most effective antidote considering he is immune to his own poison, he runs to Unohana for healing. Mommy save me from the bad man!!!!!!!!!! It is understood when dealing with Mayuri that you are at his disposal and at his disposal means exactly that. He wants to learn from you but short of that he will quickly dispose of you simply through a failed experiment.

The fear that Unohana inspires, like I said before in an earlier post, is strictly out of respect. She knows better and she won't do any harm that is why people do what she says without question. It's not a factor of fear it's respect.

Like I said before in this post it definitely depends on which side of the river I'm standing. Friend or Foe of the Shinigami.

I know this is going back and forth, if your not enjoying this as much as I am just let me know and I'll stop. The last thing I want to seem like is disrespectful.

I appreciate your insight!

Funniest thing is they are getting longer and longer every time... we might want to consider continuing this conversation through another medium. haha

Unohana. Being a former Kenpachi, the first in fact, I think she would be much more scary in battle than Mayuri ever has been. Plus, I agree with all of the points that Flame made about this.