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Petite and youthful, Nemu has black hair with slightly parted bangs and is pulled back into a long braid. Her expression is almost always melancholic, and it is rare to see her smile or show any real joy in her distinctive green eyes. Her uniform consists of a short black kimono with a white nagajuban under it. She wears a traditional wide white obi with a red cord fastening it. On her left sleeve is her lieutenant's armband. In addition she wears white gloves that cover only the back of her hands and wrists; as well as a dark red choker.[2][3]
edit Personality
Due to the fact that she was abused and mistreated in every possible way by her "father/creator," Mayuri, Nemu is a very shy, withdrawn, and introverted individual, preferring to stay silent in her captain's presence. Despite Mayuri's seemingly lack of care for her existence she is very loyal to him, to the point of willing to badly injure herself just to give him an advantage in battle.[4] Unlike her "father," however, she seems to have compassion for others, saving Uryū Ishida's life as a thanks for not killing Mayuri.[5]
Being the daughter of Mayuri, they share several similar traits. One such trait is their food preference. Nemu, just like her father, likes pike fish, and dislikes onion. Other similarities are their interest in Human experimentation and their main free-time activity, which is reading every single character published in Seireitei Communication.
It is also known that Nemu is being considered to be the next vice-president of the Shinigami Women's Association, supposedly because she carries out President Yachiru Kusajishi's orders just as faithfully as the ones of her father. Such orders included building hidden tunnels and a hide-out on the Kuchiki grounds for the members of the association to use. Surprisingly, Nemu shows great joy at the prospect, making it one of the few, if not only, times in the series she has shown actual emotion.
edit History
Little else is known about Nemu outside of the fact she is the artificially created "daughter" of Mayuri Kurotsuchi. He seems to have used a combination of Gigai and Artificial soul technologies to bring her to existence.[1] While she is partly resistant to poisons[6] she is still affected by Mayuri's Zanpakutō, though it is non-fatal to her.[7]
edit Plot
Soul Society arc
Nemu is first seen alongside Mayuri during an interrogation of Ikkaku Madarame after losing to Ichigo Kurosaki. Though saying nothing, her father tells her to keep quiet prior to the two of them being intruded by Kenpachi Zaraki, also in search of Ichigo.[8]
Later, when Mayuri is tracking Uryū Ishida and Orihime Inoue, he sends some of his other subordinates to escort them, only to later detonate bombs planted on them (unknown to the subordinates themselves) once they have located them (along with 11th Division member, Makizō Aramaki). After Makizō and Orihime flee, Uryū battles Mayuri. In the initial stages of the battle, Nemu grabs hold of Uryū's spirit arrow and tackles him as a distraction while Mayuri tries to strike him down. This is only partially successful, as Mayuri strikes Uryū's arm while nearly bifurcating Nemu. Mayuri scolds her for letting go of Uryū and beats her. After Uryū pleads for him to stop, he leaves Nemu alone, who lies motionlessly (since Mayuri's Zanpakutō paralyzes the individuals it cuts) during the duration of Mayuri and Uryū's battle, watching them fight.
Nemu assisting Uryū out of gratitude for sparing her father.
At the conclusion of the battle, she witnesses Uryū in his Quincy Final Form nearly kill Mayuri, but the captain liquefies himself and escapes. Nemu thanks Uryū for not killing Mayuri; though, he states that he was trying to kill him the whole time. Despite this, out of gratitude, she gives him the antidote for the poison spewed by Konjiki Ashisogi Jizō and advises him to leave, since the scene would be investigated later (because a captain's Bankai was released within the Seireitei).
By the time when Sōsuke Aizen, Gin Ichimaru, and Kaname Tōsen are revealed to be traitors, both she and Mayuri have recovered from their encounter with Uryū and she asks her captain if he would assist the other captains in capturing Aizen. Mayuri tells her that he has no interest in doing so.[9]
Bount arc (anime only)
Note: Events occurring in this arc are only in the anime and do not constitute canon material.
She is sent to the world of the living by Mayuri to give Uryū the Quincy Bangle, which allows him to reclaim his lost powers in a limited capacity. Mayuri does this so Uryū Ishida would open the Bount's portal and send them to Soul Society, thereby providing Mayuri an opportunity to capture and study a live Bount.[10]
After the Bounts have invaded the Soul Society, Nemu returns to the Shinigami Research and Development Institute. Some time after the Bounts infiltrate the Seireitei, Jin Kariya arrives and attacks everyone inside. Nemu survives the encounter, as Kariya's main focus is searching for the Jōkaishō. Ichigo Kurosaki and Yasutora Sado arrive and help her out of the debris from Kariya's attack. Injured heavily by Kariya's attack, she is sent to recover.[11]
Hueco Mundo arc
Nemu is captured by Szayel Aporro.
She is brought along by Mayuri to Hueco Mundo, invading the world with her father, Kenpachi Zaraki, Yachiru Kusajishi, Hanatarō Yamada, Byakuya Kuchiki, Retsu Unohana and Isane Kotetsu.[12] Whilst there, she is one of the people who fights with Szayel Aporro Granz, and is the one who is subjected to his Gabriel ability, impregnating her and bursting out of her, reviving himself. This leaves her drained of bodily fluids and mummified. However, one of the several poisons inside Nemu serves to enhance Szayel's state of mental perception to untold levels, to the point where one second feels like an eternity to him, and she is critical in bringing about his defeat.[13] Mayuri then restores her- through questionable and quite possibly very explicit and erotic means given Nemu's utterances and Renji and Uryū's expressions, though Mayuri insists that Renji and Uryū are being quite perverted to jump to such conclusions - and orders her to open the door to Szayel's laboratory. The group discovers two bodies hanging from the ceiling of Szayel's laboratory.[14][15]
Fake Karakura Town arc
Nemu is seen with Mayuri pushing a loaded wagon behind him. Byakuya Kuchiki takes notice of his unusually lenient mood and asks if it has something to do with the wagon behind him. Mayuri confirms this and tells that he is in a good mood because not only has he found some "spoils of war" but at the same place he was also able to analyze the structure of the Garganta. When Ichigo questions his statement, Mayuri begins to rant about what he had learned and orders Nemu to make preparations to send the substitute Shinigami to the Human world.[16]
Beast Swords arc
Nemu accompanies Mayuri and the staff of the SDRI on field research. Upon their return, they discover that the SDRI's buildings have been ruined by Senbonzakura and Zabimaru.[17]
edit Powers & Abilities
Enhanced Strength: Nemu has a substantial amount of strength, even by Shinigami standards, as demonstrated when she effortlessly excavates Szayel's hidden laboratory using only her bare hands.
Expert Hand-to-Hand Combatant: As Nemu normally does not carry her Zanpakutō, she relies on her hand-to-hand combat skill in battle.
Body Modification: Like his own body, Mayuri has implanted various modifications and chemicals within Nemu to use against his opponents. Nemu is mostly immune to the poisons used by Mayuri, including the deadly one used in his Bankai, as well as possesses within herself an augmentation chemical that ultimately does in Szayel Aporro Granz. It is also these modifications that allows Mayuri to revive her when she is in a death-like state.
Chemistry Expert: Though not as knowledgeable as her father, Nemu does know many things regarding the chemicals used by Mayuri in his work, enough to keep an antidote in case anyone becomes poisoned by him.
Enhanced Speed: She appears to also move at high speeds, as seen when Nemu attacks Uryū Ishida to determine whether he still has his Quincy powers.
Inhuman Durability: Her body was designed by Mayuri to have much more durability than a normal person's. She can take wounds that would be fatal to another person and survive, as she demonstrated upon being stabbed by Mayuri during his fight with Uryū. Mayuri himself noted that she was designed to take much more punishment than any normal human or Shinigami could ever sustain.
High Spiritual Energy: Being a lieutenant of the Gotei 13, Nemu boasts a high spiritual energy.
Zanpakutō
Nemu holding her Zanpakutō in her right hand.
Not much is known about Nemu's Zanpakutō as she usually does not carry it around; however, an illustration in the art book "All Color but the Black" reveals that her Zanpakutō takes the form of what appears to be a thin katana with a green hilt and a seemingly warped guard.[18]
* Shikai: Not Yet Revealed
* Bankai: Not Yet Achieved