Kurotsuchi Mayuri is by far the strangest and the most eccentric captain in the Gotei 13. Be it his unique inventions, his deranged attitude, or even his weird fashion sense, everything about Kurotsuchi screams bizarre, creepy, and quite frankly, borderline lunatic. And as the leader of the research division of the Gotei 13, Kurotsuchi is actually something of a scientist himself, but even the term Mad Scientist is still too tame for a man like him.
Truth be told, other than his creativity and useful inventions, the only redeemable part about Kurotsuchi is actually his highly capable vice captain. A meek girl by the name of Nemuri Nanago. She rarely talks, she doesn’t stand out like a sore thumb, and she is actually kind to others. A complete opposite of her captain. That being said, Nemu actually has a dark secret that is way more shocking than you might think.
The Truth About Nemuri Nanago
The truth about Kurotsuchi’s vice captain actually lies in her name, Nemuri Nanago, roughly translated into Sleeping Number 7. Yes, Nemu is actually an artificial being created by Mayuri Kurotsuchi. To be more precise, she is the seventh artificial being resulting from Kurotsuchi’s experiments. Needless to say, not many people know about this fact. Only those who are close to Kurotsuchi, such as his staff at the 12th Division, and several Captains and higher up officers in the Gotei 13.
Nemu was created using the Gigai and Gikon technology. Gigai is an artificial body that a shinigami can use whenever they need to visit the human world. Remember that time when Captain Hitsugaya and a few other officers visited Ichigo’s home for quite some time? They used their own Gigai for that mission. Gikon is an artificial soul that a substitute shinigami can put into his body so that his body can move and act as normal even though its original soul is out fighting hollows. Remember Kon, the talking doll that is always around Ichigo? He is a Gikon that Ichigo would use whenever he wants to do any Shinigami’s missions.
By putting an artificial soul into an artificial body, Kurotsuchi managed to create an artificial shinigami. Needless to say, the process is way more complex than it sounds. Which is why it took him seven tries to finally get it right, and that successful experiment is none other than Nemuri Nanago, his vice captain.
Nemu's Unique Abilities
Even though Nemu is an artificial being, she initially has the same capability as an average shinigami. That is why Kurotsuchi decided to tweak her body so that it can display all kinds of unique abilities. The first and most obvious one is an enhanced physique. Compared to a regular shinigami, Nemu is far stronger, faster, and also a lot more agile and durable.
Enhanced physical abilities alone should put Nemu at an advantage in most combat situations, but Kurotsuchi didn’t stop there. He also equipped Nemu with the ability to manipulate her body and soul. There is some limit to how much she can manipulate both of those things, but this ability is especially useful during combat. For example, by twirling her arms, she can easily pierce massive rocks. She can also use part of her soul as a lethal projectile beam, sort of like an enhanced version of a shinigami’s Kido.
Another notable ability that Kurotsuchi disturbingly gave to Nemu is turning his body into a chemical repository. He put different kinds of poisons or a slew of all-purpose chemicals that can be turned into different kinds of useful and dangerous weapons, all into different parts of her body. Kurotsuchi can extract these chemicals from her anytime he wants, and use it however he sees fit. This process is generally painless to Nemu, barring some slight discomfort. Interestingly enough, all of these chemicals end up making Nemu immune to most poisons and chemical attacks.
Nemu And Mayuri's Relationship
Judging from what’s been described above, it’s easy to think that Kurotsuchi is some kind of monster who treats Nemu as a mere product of his experiment. And that is somewhat true, at least for the early part of the series. But as time goes by, Kurotsuchi begins to treat her a bit more kindly. Akon, a lieutenant of the 12th Division, thinks that these changes happen because Kurotsuchi finally begins to open up his heart to Nemu.
You see, although Nemu is an artificial being, she was born just like any normal baby. Furthermore, Kurotsuchi only had one goal in mind when he created Nemu, which is to see her grow, both in physical and mental capacity. At first, he simply wants to see how his greatest masterpiece would turn out, but as time goes by, and he gets to see how Nemu develops as a person, not just as his puppet, he begins to think of her as her daughter. But Kurotsuchi, being the tsundere that he is, he rarely shows that compassionate side of him.
Nemu herself has always thought highly of Kurotsuchi, despite all the horrible things that he has done to her. To Nemu, he is the one who gave her the chance to live in this world, and she will forever be thankful, respect, and also care for him. After all, he is the only father that she ever knew. That is why in the later part of the series, Nemu begins to refer to herself as Nemu Kurotsuchi.