About

Neliel Tu Oderschvank

Nel is a female Arrancar that has hazel eyes and blue-green hair. She has a large scar coming down from her forehead to her nose, larger than average incisors, and a crimson line that stretches horizontally across her face right below her eyes.

The remains of her Hollow mask make up a cartoonish skull on the top of her head. A crack runs along the left side of the mask and four of the teeth on it are broken off. The location of her Hollow hole is currently unknown. Her clothing consists of a simple green gown, which, in her original form, tears to become a top and skirt.

Her previous form is that of a full-figured woman with long waving hair but otherwise similar features. Her skull mask changes slightly, its features appearing sharper and less cartoonish with a pair of curved horns. A large "3" is tattooed on her back, indicating that she was the former 3rd Espada.

Personality

Nel's appearance is in stark contrast to her vocabulary, which contains a number of bizarre phrases and words one wouldn't expect such a small child to know, such as calling her uvula a "throat p***s" and referring to herself as a masochist. Ichigo Kurosaki assumes her Hollow companions are responsible for this. Nel and her companions also represent oddities among Hollows, though most Hollows are evil, Nel actually fears Shinigami, assuming they are in fact the evil ones. In spite of this, she develops an attachment to Ichigo and follows him into Las Noches. During their super sentai intro she prefers the name "Thieves: Nel-Don-Pe." She also seems to speak with a lisp in her child form, frequently pronouncing "S"s as "T"s.

As Neliel, she is much more mature, composed, logical, sophisticated, and intelligent than her child form. She is also relatively level-headed in terms of how to fight, stating that if one's excuse for a battle is to fight out of hatred, prejudice, or simple competition, as Nnoitra does, then it is merely instinctual and animalistic, and that it makes the challenger look "childish," "unworthy," and "not much of a warrior". Though Neliel has proven during her last few minutes as a full-fledged Espada that it is 'acceptable' when it involves vengeance, she does not view even that as a reason to fight. Unlike many of the Arrancar, Neliel is somewhat pacifistic, and according to her Fracción, has despised engaging in combat even when she was still among the upper ranks of the Espada, unless it involves self-defense and protecting those dear to her heart. It is for this reason that Pesche and Dondochakka decided to simply be content with her child form and banished themselves from Las Noches. She refuses to finish off weaker or injured opponents, and will stop fighting them once they've been disabled or incapacitated, a trait shared with Kenpachi Zaraki.

As witnessed during her numerous fights with Nnoitra, Neliel's shown to be relatively calm and silent when fighting, preferring to speak only when spoken to, a rather uncommon trait among most Arrancar. She is even shown to enjoy reading, usually seen reading a book after her mission or after waiting for Nnoitra to wake up after their recent battle.

Neliel's also shown to be a loyal, respectful, and trustworthy warrior, who will diligently follow the orders of her commander, provided said commander has proven his worth.

She's also knowledgeable, analytical, easygoing, fairly compassionate (usually towards her friends), humorous in her own right, and exhibits a cheerful, energetic demeanor when off-duty. Although having grown up physically, she somehow retains her child-like affection over Ichigo, best-shown when she unexpectedly bear-hugged him after attacking Nnoitra without realizing that Ichigo was losing consciousness (although the anime's flashback of Nel's accident suggested that she was always somewhat childish outside of combat).

History

Several years earlier, Neliel held the rank of 3rd Espada. During her time in that position, she was constantly challenged by Nnoitra Gilga to fights to prove that males are stronger than females. Nnoitra once laid waste to an entire colony of Arrancar, prompting Neliel to ask him why as he was given no order to do so. Nnoitra stated that no one ever ordered him not to kill them. Neliel reminded him that Aizen's order were to "seek the Vasto Lorde", she further explained that murdering entire colonies stood against that order. He responds that not everyone is loyal to Aizen and if they resist they are rebels and killing rebels is like helping Aizen. He further reasoned that if he can take them out then they are not Vasto Lorde, stating that he is following orders just fine. He then informs her that she has gotten awfully uptight over a couple hundred hollows. Neliel suggested that he should think before he speaks, as they themselves were once Hollows just like those he killed; it was their own good fortune that they evolved beyond that, nothing more. Nnoitra taunts her to attack if she felt she could beat him if it made her mad. She plainly responded that she was shocked as even becoming an Arrancar, Nnoitra was nothing more then a child. Nnoitra questioned her comment but is attacked and seemingly knocked unconscious. When he wakes up he sees she is sitting near him reading a book while a dead Hollow lies nearby. He asked her why she helped him, Neliel simply tells him that she did not 'help him', she simply prevented the Espada from losing a member by putting an end to his suicidal behavior. Nnoitra explains that he can't stand her and she would obviously know that, asking why she keeps following him around. She simply stared at him and stated that its because he was weaker than her. Sometime later Nnoitra continued to kill Arrancar and Hollow alike, determining they were unfortunate for facing him. Neliel noted to him that it was an Arrancar he just killed to which he responded he knew that and wanted to state as a fact something he would only explain once. Something he wanted her to know was that if she insisted to continually follow him around, then no matter who stood in his path, he would not be benevolent or merciful.

Sometime later he challenges her to a fight to which Neliel explains once again that she would not draw her blade against the likes of him. Stating that he will not draw her into his demented world, Nnoitra told her that she was over thinking as the only reason they needed to draw their blades against each other was for the simple sake of drawing their blades. Neliel noted that she did not understand that reasoning. She then asked what drove his blood lust. Nnoitra simply stated that gasping for his final breath in the heat of battle; to have his entire being defined by that moment was his greatest desire. Neliel questioned this philosophy, noting that it would be a temporary high. He agreed to the truth of that but stated that nothing else could fill that void. He was given power and he would use it kill anyone standing in his way until he died on his feet, taking in his last breath.

During this time, Nnoitra would constantly challenge Neliel to battle, each time she would easily defeat him. It was during one of these battle she went to leave and he told her that it was a battle to the finish. When she asked him if he wanted her to finish him off, she told him that she simply refuses and further said him to stop talking all big. She stated that there was a time when they ceased being Human, and became beasts. Now, as Arrancar they had regained their sense of reason. She explained to him that rational people, when going to battle need a reason to fight and he had none. Nnoitra screamed at her that he had a reason, he could not stand her. Neliel detailed that it wasn't a reason just an instinct as he is a beast and she didn't recognize him as a warrior. Therefore she had no reason to bear the life of someone not a warrior. After Neliel left, Nnoitra was approached by Tesra Lindocruz who offered him a hand. In response, he threw his Zanpakutō at him, hitting the structure behind the Arrancar. Nnoitra told him not to act friendly with him, and that just because he lost did not mean they were of the same level. When Tesra asked why he had to pick on Neliel and no other Espada, Nnoitra explained that it was because he hated her, some female being able to outrank, be greater than a man on the battlefield; that was his reason.

Sometime later, Nnoitra teamed up with Szayel Aporro Granz (who was not an Espada at the time) to perform a sneak attack on Neliel as well as test a device he created. As Neliel was searching for her Fracción, she was confronted by Nnoitra, who asked her if she was looking for something. Neliel stated it was none of his business and asked if revealing his weapon was a form of intimidation. She advised him to keep it concealed if he didn't want to look weak and moved on. There was an explosion which got Neliel's attention. Once the smoke settled, she saw the her Fracción, Pesche Guatiche and Dondochakka Birstanne, gravely wounded. She turned to Nnoitra and asked him if he forcibly removed their masks as she became enraged. They initiated a fight during which a device made by Szayel created a fake image of Nnoitra and distracted Neliel. By exploiting the opportunity, Nnoitra attacked Neliel and hit her from behind, causing her a wound to her head and her mask to break on the front left side. The attack scarred her forehead and left her unconscious. He took her unconscious body and stated that she would probably call this an act of a beast but it didn't matter any to him. He was approached from behind by Szayel who asked if there was anything else to which Nnoitra responded that his job was already over. Szayel asked him if he needed to be so cold as they had worked as partner and that he should at least be allowed to admire their end. Nnoitra detailed that he didn't remember being his partner and they just happened to have the same motives. Nnoitra threw Neliel off the side of Las Noches so that he could increase his power by the time she returned. Nnoitra told Szayel that they were going, but Szayel told him that he would appreciate if he lost the presumptuous tone. Nnoitra snapped back that he wasn't even an Espada. Szayel stated that if not for the equipment that he prepared, Nnoitra wouldn't even have had the chance to attack Neliel. Nnoitra then asked if he should really be speaking to him that way. He looks over the side of Las Noches at Neliel and her Fracción's prone bodies and was surprised as she had reverted into a child. Szayel noted that he had not anticipated this and he had never seen anything like it before. He deduced that her Reiatsu was leaking out of the wound on her mask, shrinking her spiritual body as a result.

Afterward, Pesche and Dondochakka vowed that they would protect this newly weakened Nel at any cost. They took the roles of her playful older brothers, never revealing to her their true identities or her own identity for fear of her memories coming back. According to Pesche, this was because she had always hated fighting, and in her child form she was spared from it.