Ganju's got a distinctive look—vest, scarf, bandana, goggles—and he's usually rolling around with his gang on massive boars. His own boar is named Bonnie (or Bonnie-chan to those close to him). There's an omake sketch after episode 114 that jokingly suggests Retsu Unohana accidentally turned Bonnie into stew during a cookout, though he always shows up fine in the next episode, so it's clearly running gag material.
Personality-wise, Ganju's hot-tempered with a massive ego and a genuine hatred for shinigami—something rooted in real trauma. His older sister Kūkaku can shut him down instantly despite his tough-guy act, and he eventually bonds with Ichigo Kurosaki in a way that mirrors Ichigo and Renji's dynamic. Fans often note that his lack of conventional attractiveness is played for laughs; he doesn't deny it so much as awkwardly deflect, especially when Yumichika brings it up.
The source of his shinigami hatred runs deep: his brother Kaien Shiba was killed by Rukia Kuchiki when Ganju was young. Learning the truth doesn't immediately dissolve that grudge. The incident also had major consequences for his entire clan—the Shiba lost their standing as one of the Five Noble Clans, leaving only four in power now (the Kuchiki, Shihouin, and two others). By the time Ganju appears in the series, only he and Kūkaku remain.
Despite being a civilian, Ganju can hold his own in combat above average shinigami level, though he doesn't match high-ranking officers. He carries a zanpakutō shaped like a meat cleaver or Chinese dadao, but never actually demonstrates its release. His real strengths are agility, fireworks, and his signature earth magic—specifically Stone Wave, an unnumbered technique that doesn't require incantation and can reduce targets to sand or quicksand. He can even cast it with his feet, which came in handy when he needed to blast holes through walls while evading Yumichika.
Content compiled by AnimeList.moe from publicly available sources.
