The Dark Arm Born with an incurable lung disease, Ukitake is saved from death after his parents pray to a local deity of the Rukon district, Mimihagi the right arm of the Soul King that crashed down to the Soul Society which fuses to Ukitake's body, thus stopping his sickness from progressing, but not curing him. Ukitake joins the Soul Reaper Academy under the tutelage of Yamamoto, Sasakibe and Unohana, and becomes close friends with his sparring partner Shunsui, confiding in him about Mimihagi...