List of Bounts in Bleach

In the "Bleach" series anime, the nihongo|BountsBleach Original Sound Track 2, CD Jacket, page 6] |バウント|baunto are a group of humans with special abilities. They are the main antagonists during the series' anime-exclusive Bount and Bount Assault on Soul Society arcs. The Bounts live by consuming human souls, which potentially gives them everlasting youth; according to Kisuke Urahara, they have historically been known as vampires. Like Soul Reapers, they each have a unique weapon known as a doll, a familiar equivalent to the Soul Reaper "zanpakutō". Like a "zanpakutō", a doll is its creator's power given physical form. However, instead of taking the form of actual weapons like "zanpakutō" do, dolls are mostly self-sufficient creatures when released, although they tend to be used as weapons in various ways; for instance, Gō Koga can mold his metal-based doll Dalk into a large battleaxe, and Ryō Udagawa uses his doll Frieda, who takes the form of a snake, as a sword and whip. A use of the German language is an apparent theme among the Bount given that several of their dolls have names based on German words. Additionally, both Koga and Kariya each use German incantations within the Bount arc (one to open a gate to Soul Society and one to release "Jōkaishō"). IGN criticized the Bounts as being "lame bad guys," noting that the "bittō" in particular were like "something straight out of a bad sci-fi movie," but admitted they were "decent plot devices" to develop the other characters. [ [http://tv.ign.com/articles/916/916375p1.html IGN: Ichigo vs. Dalk! Appearance of the Faded Darkness Review] ]

Cain

anime voices|Takayuki Fujimoto|TBA
Cain is a young male Bount whom Jin Kariya had left in Koga's care many years ago. He has cropped reddish-brown hair and blue eyes, and often seen with a similar expression to Ichigo Kurosaki's. He states that before he came to live with Koga, he had a difficult life.

Waineton is Cain's doll. Cain learned to conjure Waineton (a large praying mantis-type creature) using a training book written by Kariya which held the appropriate rites. However, Cain had not yet been properly prepared by Koga when he attempted to summon a doll on his own. Eager to show Koga his creation, Cain tried to push Waineton to show his abilities despite Waineton's claim to be tired and was killed when Waineton decided to 'test' him. Koga appears to carry a great deal of guilt over Cain's death.

Hō and Ban

Ho anime voices|Daisuke Sakaguchi|Sam Riegel
Ban anime voices|Daisuke Sakaguchi|Brian Beacock
nihongo|Hō|鵬 and nihongo|Ban|磐 are child-like twin Bounts who work together telepathically and use their dolls (Hō controls Guhl and Ban controls Günther) to manipulate water. They attacked Karakura Hospital in an attempt to kidnap Uryū Ishida. They were defeated by a combined effort from Noba (whose plush form at the time afforded him immunity against the Bount Doll's power) and the newly arrived Ganju Shiba. After Noba used repetitive short distance teleports to knock Ban unconscious, forcing Hō to control both dolls simultaneously, Ganju destroyed their dolls with fireworks, killing the twins as a result.

nihongo|Guhl|グール|Gūru and nihongo|Günther|ギュンター|Gyuntā are Hō and Ban's twin dolls, respectively. Both dolls take the form of bottlecaps. When released, the dolls can control water, making destroying them quite difficult since the bottlecaps are small targets within the large eyestalk-like shape they take. In order to kill opponents, Guhl and Günther form a large stalk around their enemies and restrain them, forcibly drowning them. They also have the ability to force themselves into the human body (as 70% of the human body is water) and tear the enemy apart from the inside out. They are stronger when more water surrounds them. Each control one doll, but both of them can apparently control either if need be, as Hō demonstrates. Ban and Ho can control the dolls to a more devastating degree by merging their large bodies of water. But the downside is, Ban and Ho need to be side-by-side with each other in order to coordinate properly the doll's attacks; the twins being more than a few feet away from each other would result in their concentration (which is synchronized via something like telepathy) getting broken off.

Jin Kariya

anime voices|Toru Ohkawa|Troy Baker
nihongo|Jin Kariya|狩矢 神|Kariya Jin is the leader of the Bounts and the chief antagonist during the Bount arc. According to the cast list in episode 83, his real name was Eugene Currier, but he adopted a Japanese-style name later in his life. He has white hair, a scar on his chin (the result of a Hollow attack which occurred when he was a child), long upward-curving eyebrows, and bright red eyes, and is the most powerful member of the Bount group. Initially, according to Yoshino, his goal was to consume living spirits and gain massive amounts of power. However, this had a 50% chance of ripping open the barrier between the mortal world and the world of hollows. As the series progressed, however, he revealed that his plans were to invade Soul Society. He controls the clan's power to the dolls with a pack of cards referred to as the "seal". Kariya also has hidden powers, which allow him to easily defeat Hollows and others' dolls. He is also able to deflect attacks and immobilize opponents with a single touch. Unlike the other Bounts, Kariya can use the abilities of his doll without it being called out, as he merged with it long ago as the tattoo (seal) on his upper body indicates. This would explain why he is able to deflect other dolls' attacks; in episode 95 it is revealed that his doll's ability is to manipulate wind. Although he unlocked the "Jōkaishō" and apparently gained the ability to annihilate Seireitei, he was defeated after a tremendous fight with Ichigo.

Flashbacks showing Kariya's childhood as a small boy are seen throughout the Bount episodes. A former Soul Reaper by the name of Rantao, however, saves him and other Bounts and gathers them in a hidden cave system. Rantao's appeal to Central 46 is rejected, and Soul Reapers are dispatched to annihilate the remaining Bounts. The young Kariya is saved by Rantao, however, and is given the first Bount seal to master and control their respective dolls. This seal, when activated, allowed the young Kariya to merge with his doll during the Hollow attack in which he received the scar on his chin.

nihongo|Messer|メッサー|Messā|German for "knife" is Jin Kariya's doll. Unlike most other dolls, Messer doesn't seem to be capable of speech. When called, Messer causes the sky above Kariya to turn dark and the clouds to swirl towards him. Wind from this release can be felt from very far away. Kariya's raised hand and the swirling clouds meet in a massive tornado, after which his forearm and hand are covered in metal. Messer is a wind elemental that takes the form of a liquid metal sword hilt in the shape of the Bount crest. The blade is made of a spinning column of wind, resembling a drill bit. It can also use air friction to electrify the blade. Messer is strong enough to contend with Zangetsu, Ichigo Kurosaki's "zanpakutō", and his "getsuga tenshō" attack in bankai form. He died at the hands of Ichigo.

Gō Koga

anime voices|Tohru Furusawa|Richard Epcar
nihongo|Gō Koga|古賀 剛|Koga Gō is a large and muscular man who resembles a punkish biker with spiky orange hair. Even without using his doll, Koga has impressive physical strength, able to easily overpower Ichigo with just his bare hands. His doll is Dalk, a female metallic doll who can control her molecules and reshape herself at will. According to episode 83, Koga's real name is Claude Gauguin, and he lived in a European country in years past. He has lived for over 12 generations, though the toll of living those years among short-lived humans has taken a notable effect on him. After a falling out with Kariya over his plan to destroy Soul Society, which Koga found too extreme, Koga attempted to find and stop Kariya himself. He ended up fighting and losing to Tōshirō Hitsugaya instead, as neither he nor Dalk could contend with the extreme cold and long-range nature of Hitsugaya's "zanpakutō". He did not die, however, and was secretly taken by Yoruichi Shihouin to Rantao's home, where he was nursed back to health. Upon discovering that he was the last Bount, he apologized for the actions of his race, and Kariya in particular. He was last seen living with Rantao. No mention is made of Dalk's fate; however, considering that Bount are supposed to die with their dolls, it can be assumed either that she still exists in some form or Koga is merely an exception to conventional Bount rules, like Yoshino.

nihongo|Dalk|ダルク|Daruku is Koga's doll. She takes the form of a metal sphere with the Bount seal upon it when sealed. When released, she forms into a rather flirtatious, semi-humanoid/spider-like shape and can control the metal that makes up her body, reforming it into any shape she wishes. She is able to split herself into tiny spheres no bigger than a ball bearing, making it very difficult to destroy her. She uses a variety of attacks in combat, such as creating metallic webs to entrap her opponent, firing pieces of her body as projectiles, and even turning her arms into machine guns to fire makeshift bullets through. After Koga drank the bitto's soul elixir, Dalk became even more spider-like, retaining only her humanoid torso. She also gained much more metal to work with. Dalk has trouble with cold-based attacks, which make it difficult for her to split her body apart. As a heavy, metal-based creature, she is also vulnerable to Izuru Kira's zanpakutō, Wabisuke, which doubles the weight of anything it cuts. In contrast, Dalk seems to be nearly invulnerable to heat. After Dalk's original form is defeated or otherwise destroyed, it can reform into a large battle axe that Koga wields, referred to by Koga as her core form.

Mabashi

anime voices|Daisuke Ono|Keith Silverstein
A redheaded male Bount, nihongo|Mabashi|馬橋|Mabashi wears sleek blue clothing, has a tongue-stud, and seems to be quite cocky in his speech and manners. Unlike the other Bounts, Mabashi isn't afraid to speak his own mind, even if his opinion and ideas do not correlate with Kariya's. His doll is Liz, a small, mouse-like creature that can possess others. Mabashi is initially resistant to drinking the purified soul elixir created by the "bitto", but is forced to by Kariya, and he quickly becomes addicted to it. Once the Bounts enter Soul Society, he uses Liz to turn the Soul Reapers on one another. While doing so, he finds Soifon and is defeated and killed when she strikes him in the chest twice using Suzumebachi.

nihongo|Ritz|リズ|Rizu is Mabashi's doll. When sealed, she takes the form of a seed that hangs on Mabashi's necklace. When the seed is dropped onto the ground, it sprouts into a small, flower-like, mouse creature (that also somewhat resembles a miniature fox) that has the ability to possess others. The possession can be resisted to a small degree, as shown when Rukia was able to temporarily regain control over her body while possessed. Ritz is also capable of moving at lightning-fast speed and traveling through the ground. After going to Soul Society, Ritz gained the ability to make clones of herself, which she can use to attack and take control of large groups of people. Her ability to possess others also became more apparent due to the sudden darkening of the upper portion of the person(s) that her clones happen to be possessing at the time. Ritz speaks like an elevator operator when moving, as she announces her direction before each move.

Ryō Udagawa

A man who looks much like the traditional depictions of a vampire, nihongo|Ryō Udagawa|宇田川 稜|Udagawa Ryō is Kariya's former right hand man and views all humans as food. His doll is Fried, a snake-like creature that can copy itself. He secretly plots to overthrow Kariya as leader by stealing his seal, but is killed by Maki Ichinose. IGN praised Udagawa as an "interesting enemy," "always seeming to be in control, and always having this cocky attitude about him." [ [http://tv.ign.com/articles/887/887980p1.html IGN: The Moment of Collision! An Evil Hand Draws Near to the Quincy Review] ]

nihongo|Fried|フリード|Furīdo|Old German for "protection" is Udagawa's doll. When sealed, she takes the form of a small, gold pocket watch that Udagawa keeps on his person. When unsealed, it takes the form of a gold snake with a forked tail and is usually wrapped around Udagawa's shoulders. She can be used as a sword, shield, and whip. Fried also grants Udagawa the power to turn objects in the shape of lines such as pipes, ropes and cracks on roads into snakes and create seals that summon massive pillars of snakes should an enemy step on them.

awatari

anime voices|Yuzuru Fujimoto|Joe J. Thomas
nihongo|Sawatari|沢渡 seems to be the oldest Bount, but this is merely a by-product of his eating habits. He has been consuming living souls for far longer than any other Bount, causing him to age over one hundred and fifty years. Like Udagawa, doing so was part of his secret plot to overthrow Kariya as leader of the Bounts. Sawatari is much like the stereotypical "cranky old man," looking down on younger people. He is usually seen sitting in a large chair that appears to be made of stone.

After the Bounts invaded Soul Society, Sawatari confronts Mayuri Kurotsuchi. As they fought, it was revealed that Mayuri had been chasing after Sawatari all along with his sensor device. Mayuri initially wanted Sawatari as a research subject, but became annoyed with Sawatari's continued resistance and killed him instead.

Sawatari's chair is actually his doll, nihongo|Baura|バウラ, which takes the form of a whale that can swallow opponents whole; its stomach is a link to another dimension, and anything caught inside is eventually dissolved, leaving the soul for Sawatari to absorb. Being a fish-like entity, Baura travels around by "swimming" through solid objects by means of phasing through a different dimension that only he can access. To emerge, however, the exit point must be large enough to accommodate him. In Soul Society, his power is enhanced, allowing him to move to his dimension in midair. While in his dimension, his and Sawatari's spiritual pressure is effectively concealed until Baura chooses to resurface.

Ugaki

anime voices|Katsumi Suzuki|Kirk Thornton
nihongo|Ugaki|宇柿|Ugaki is a male Bount who has the appearance of a professional middle-aged man. He wears a shirt and tie, glasses, and has his hair combed to one side. Ugaki's doll is Gesell, a large monster summoned from shadows. Ugaki fights using guerilla tactics, using his light-projecting eyes to create shadows for his doll to attack from while he remains away from the fighting. Ugaki helped Kariya to develop the "bitto". His doll, in its true form, was severely injured in combat by Renji Abarai's use of his bankai and went out of control, a turn of events implied to be at least partially influenced by Kariya.

nihongo|Gesell|ゲゼル|Gezeru|German for "pupil" or "companion" is Ugaki's doll. It is sealed within a pack of cards resembling tarot cards, which Ugaki uses to control the doll's actions. In its normal state, Gesell takes the form of many small, mouth-like eye creatures. Ugaki can see what the eyes see through his glasses, allowing him to control them from a safe distance. Though they are used to spy on people and act as a lookout, the true purpose of the eyes is to project light, which in turn creates shadows. From the shadows, Gesell can manifest its true form, that of a giant, eyeless monster. It can also manifest single limbs and create various melee weapons from them. Gesell's actions are controlled through Ugaki's placement of the cards on a small mat marked with German incantations. The mat bears a resemblance to the Sephiroth, Tree of Life, as the words on the mat, written by the lines on it, correspond to tarot cards and the "paths to God" found between the Sephiroths. The words written by the lines are also the names of tarot cards in the Major Arcana. The primary card is "Wachter" (Wächter is German for 'Guardian') which allows Gesell's eyes to flash a strong light onto objects and create shadows. After "Wachter" is initialized, other cards are chosen which summon Gesell's limbs or morph them into weapons. The card "Dämon Kraft" (Demon Power) summons a giant purple hand that can capture and injure opponents, one card summons spears to impale, and another summons ropes to immobilize.

Yoshi

anime voices|Yoko Soumi|Stephanie Sheh
nihongo|Yoshi|ヨシ|Yoshi, a female Bount, has dark green hair and wears a purple traditional Chinese-style pao with beige pants. She seems to be somewhat masculine and intimidating. Yoshi appears very eager to gain power when Jin offers it to her, but she is also somewhat reluctant to be blindly following him. Her doll, Nieder, is a sword and fan connected by a chain, both of which are capable of speaking independently. Yoshi also utilizes her feet for kicking opponents in movements that suggest she is a wushu fighter. During the Bounts invasion of Soul Society, Yoshi encounters Rukia and Ririn and tries her best to maim Rukia in her weakened state. However, Byakuya Kuchiki stops her from delivering the final blow. While fighting Uryū, she reveals that she likes to risk her life fighting to get what she wants, but seems irritated by the fact that she can't do so in the modern world; thus, she followed the other Bount into Soul Society, where she could fight as she liked. Her overconfidence proves her undoing, as Uryū exploits a weakness in her transforming doll to fire an arrow through her chest at point-blank range. Shortly before dying, Yoshi mentions that she had fun.

nihongo|Nieder|ニーダー|Nīdā|German for "down" is Yoshi's doll, a combination of a jian and fan which are connected with an extending chain. Both the fan and sword have separate personalities. The jian end has a male voice (although high pitched) and the fan end has a female voice. The fan acts as a shield while the jian is the main weapon. Nieder can transform itself into two different forms: defense and offense. In its defensive form, the fan part of Nieder becomes dominant, enlarging to a size bigger than Yoshi herself and growing armor over Yoshi's left arm. In its offensive form, called Happonjin, the jian part of Nieder becomes dominant and armor extends over Yoshi's right arm. Several energy swords trail behind the main sword, which can be thrown or used to slash from a distance. In either transformation, however, Yoshi can only use one of the weapons, effectively crippling her defenses when in 'jian form' and disabling her offense in 'fan form'. Also, when changing forms, she has to return to her normal form first, which causes a small lag time in which she is defenseless.

Yoshino Sōma

anime voices|Masako Katsuki|Dorothy Elias-Fahn
nihongo|Yoshino Sōma|相馬 芳野|Sōma Yoshino is a slim woman with long brown hair and one of the few Bounts in the series that openly oppose their leader, Jin Kariya. She resembles Uryū Ishida's mother in appearance, which causes a small animosity, as well as a platonic bond, between the two. Though it is stated that the Bounts can not produce life, Yoshino was noted to be the exception to this rule, which Kariya states is because her relationship with her doll borders love, something unseen in other Bounts. Having been created based on the soul of Rantao, the creator of the Bounts, Yoshino bears a striking resemblance to her creator, something addressed multiple times in the series. She merges with Goethe after Kariya removes her seal, and dies when she is impaled through the chest by Kariya, after a short battle between the two.

nihongo|Goethe|ゲーテ|Gēte|the name of a famous German author who wrote The Sorrows of Young Werther is Yoshino Sōma's doll. It takes the form of a claw (on her left hand) and bracelet (on her right hand) when sealed. To unseal Goethe, Yoshino strikes the two pieces together to create a spark, which releases him. Goethe is a fire elemental, able to create and control flame. While mostly humanoid in appearance, it has no legs. It can't be attacked physically, being made of flame, and reforms if dispersed, though it is far from invincible. In Yoshino's last moments, she and Goethe merge to create a stronger, hybrid being, coating Yoshino in a gold armorish plating and allowing her to both control fire and fly.

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