• PERSONALITY
Being the subordinate of one of the famed captains of the Soul Society, since they are the strongest within their division, it is inevitable that there are those who idolize them. Kiyone and Sentarou of the Thirteenth Division are no exception when it comes to idolizing Ukitake and they aren’t afraid to show it. What is it that makes Ukitake unique from the other captains of the Soul Society? What is it that makes him who he is?

As Yamamoto said before his fight with Ukitake and Shunsui, Ukitake is someone who has always been seen to be quite amiable and was the center of attention in crowds while they were at the academy. Even after becoming captain, Ukitake maintains this composure and remains as amiable as he was in the academy despite the personalities of the other captains.

Ukitake is also the type who would remain just to those who have commited wrong doings or those who are condemned by the Soul Society despite it going against his will. An instance of this would be when Byakuya had left Ukitake the mess he made by the Senzaikyuu. The Soul Society’s orders at the time were to kill all intruders, but, instead he had ordered Kiyone to have the Fourth Division to treat Ganjyuu for his wounds, understanding that although the intruders are being blamed for the death of Aizen, they may not be the ones who did it. As for Hanatarou’s role in helping Ichigo and his friends, knowing that he would be punished for his doings, Ukitake had Kiyone and Sentarou accompany Hanatarou back to the Fourth Division with a letter written by him asking for Unohana to punish Hanatarou with mercy.

We All Have Weaknesses
Throughout the series Ukitake is found wanting to save someone, planning on saving someone, or is in the process of saving someone. That is his weakness. In other words, this is his character flaw. A prime example of this would include the scene which Ukitake is introduced. He is seen to be quite hysterical about the fact that Aizen was ‘murdered’, and was also disappointed by the murder taking place while he was asleep. He describes his actions as being “unforgivable”, but how is it “unforgivable” when he was in no position to help him? Chances are the Fifth Divison office where Aizen resided before his ‘murder’ was probably far away from the location of the Thirteenth Division’s office. Also, Aizen was ‘murdered’, not only while Ukitake was asleep, but while many people were. The execution of Rukia had also caused Ukitake to action and had him stressed to the extent which his illness inhibits and slows him down. For example, unsealing the Shihounin artifact took him longer than originally planned, and also, the process of unsealing it had noticeably made Ukitake exhausted. Although unsealing an artifact such as that may have caused anyone difficulties, keep in mind that it isn’t one of Ukitake’s shinigami strengths.

Like Byakuya said in chapter 134 of the manga, Ukitake had lost several friends due to his inabilities caused by his illness. So, what was it that made Ukitake extremely concerned with others? Or maybe it runs deeper than that? Perhaps something happened to him before he entered the academy which caused Ukitake to consider becoming a shinigami? Nevertheless, Ukitake is experienced when it comes to saving people. He demonstrates this when he realized that Yoruichi was trying to save Ichigo by directly inserting drugs into his abdomen. In that scene, Ukitake had asked what kind of drugs Yoruichi had used on Ichigo and named two drugs which are presumably used the same way as she had just demonstrated.

When trying to save someone, Ukitake would take all the chances he has to ensure the safety of the person who he is trying to save. During the flashback of Kaien’s death, after Kaien was possessed by the Hollow, he took over the fight and had asked Rukia to leave for the sake of her safety. Ukitake had wanted to find a way to separate the bodies of Kaien and the Hollow, but when he realized that it was impossible, he decided to kill Kaien himself.

Would Ukitake’s constant want to save people be linked to his illness? Would it be possible for someone, such as Ukitake, who seems to mostly care for others develop such an illness because of his or her self neglect?

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