Shinji Hirako

Shinji Hirako is the captain of the 5th Division in the Gotei 13. His lieutenant is Momo Hinamori. He also served as a recruiter and the de facto leader of the Visored. Shinji has brown eyes and jaw-length blonde hair with a straight cut and many of his facial expressions reveal his upper teeth. While attempting to recruit Ichigo, he wears a standard Karakura school uniform, though he usually wears trousers, shirt and tie, often supplemented by a newsboy cap and long-coat. Shinji appears to have a round ring pierced in the middle of his tongue. During his first stint as a captain, before he left the Soul Society, his hair was very long, reaching down to the lower part of his back. He wore the standard Shinigami robes with a standard, long-sleeved, captain's haori. Seventeen months after Aizen's defeat, Shinji returns to this attire with the addition of wearing his tie tucked under his robes. His hair which he kept in a short, straight-line cut after becoming a Visored has remained basically the same as well, with the exception of the bang now having a more asymmetrical cut with the left side being longer than the right.

Sometime before the Wandenreich's invasion of Soul Society, Shinji adds a further white robe between his haori and uniform, which is fastened at the front. His tie is also replaced by a broader cravat that is tucked under his new robe and is clasped using a small, silver slide. Shinji is somewhat comical, adding a bit of levity to situations that are otherwise serious. He has a flippant attitude under normal circumstances and seems to like annoying his associate, Hiyori Sarugaki, which usually earns him a slap from one of her sandals. She, in turn, shows him absolutely no respect and frequently insults and attacks him; his behavior towards her is no better, frequently making faces or quick insults at her expense. He also has a history of referring to cute girls he meets as his 'first love', complete with a deadpan look on his face, despite the obvious lie (though he never did this with Hiyori, further annoying her). He also enjoys listening to jazz music, as he had a phonograph that played his vinyl records in his days as a captain. Underneath this, though, he is quite perceptive in terms of regarding other people, and during his time as a captain, was one of the few people who appeared suspicious of his then-lieutenant Sōsuke Aizen, and could apparently sense or see through some of his illusions. He also quickly notes parts of Urahara's personality. Aizen even admitted to being somewhat intimidated by him. Whenever angered or in combat, Shinji is fairly calm, serious, and level-headed. Shinji attends a captain meeting where he is informed about Wandenreich's infiltration, and is ordered to prepare for war alongside other captains. After the invasion of Soul Society begins, whilst relocating, he receives information from the 10th Division on the Sternritter's ability to steal Bankai, causing Shinji to wonder what exactly that idiot was doing. En route to the battlefield, he and Momo sense Yamamoto's Reiatsu moving onto the battlefield. When Momo remarks that she had never seen the Captain-Commander so angry, Shinji calls her an idiot. He says that while even he has never seen him like that either, they need to hurry, otherwise Yamamoto will take all the fun for himself. Shinji and the other captains are then later shocked to sense that Yamamoto had actually died at the hands of Yhwach. Shinji and the other members of the Gotei 13 are then further surprised to sense Ichigo Kurosaki finally enter Soul Society.

Once the Wandenreich retreat, Shinji is seen relatively uninjured as the Shinigami have their wounds treated by the 4th Division. There, he informs Ichigo that Rukia and Renji are out of surgery and brings him to the intensive care ward of the 4th Division barracks. He encourages Ichigo by reminding him that Yhwach had been forced to leave thanks to his intervention. Once Ichigo leaves, Rukia asks Shinji as to why he had such a sorrowful expression, to which he thinks Ichigo's putting it down to not being able to save anyone and doing so poorly in his fight. Rukia then tells him that there must be more to it. He then attends a gathering of the Gotei 13 as they mourn the loss of the Captain-Commander. He remains silent when some of the other captains break down and squabble among each other until Captain Kyōraku comes in to calm everyone down and remind them that the Gotei 13's purpose is to protect Soul Society. As the captains await the arrival of the Royal Guard, Ichigo arrives. Shinji asks if Ichigo is there to watch the Royal Guard arrive, which he states he does not really recommend As soon as the Royal Guards make their entrance, Shinji becomes disappointed as they were not what he had expected, but is then smacked on the head by a plump woman, who then asks if he and Hiyori are doing well. Not recognizing her, Shinji asks for her name and is shocked to learn that it is Kirio Hikifune, noting that she looks nothing like what she resembled before. Soon after, he watches as Suì-Fēng argues with the Royal Guards, as well as when Senjumaru Shutara reveals Byakuya, Rukia, Renji, and Ichigo's Tensa Zangetsu inside large orbs to take back to the Royal Palace along with Ichigo. He gets into an argument with Hiyori on the phone over ordering some package before hanging up. Later, Shinji bears witness to the swift and complete invasion of Soul Society by the Wandenreich. When Urahara begins communication with all the captains, he states that he will introduce himself at a later point. Shinji says to himself that everyone already knows who he is. When Captain Sajin Komamura confronts the Sternritter "E" Bambietta Basterbine, Shinji also arrives to engage her and attempts to provoke her by using Sakanade to confuse and disorient her. He is surprised when she and the rest of the Sternritter all activate their Quincy: Vollständig. As Shinji wonders what the Vollständig is, Bambietta attacks him with an explosion. A badly injured Shinji is knocked to the ground as Bambietta unleashes even more explosions, however he is protected from them by Komamura. Later, Shinji, having been healed by Hinamori, goes with her to the location of Marechiyo Ōmaeda and saves him from the advancing Soldat. Commending Ōmaeda for carrying both his unconscious sister and captain on his shoulder, he orders his lieutenant to heal the wounded. He talks to Ōmaeda regarding Kenpachi Zaraki's apparently imminent death and how he is their last hope. Saying they need to do everything to save Kenpachi, he is interrupted by Bazz-B who says he is going to stop them and then envelops the Shinigami in lava.