#im not saying i need explanation for everything bc thats super unrealistic for a manga

[unohanadaydreams]

Sometimes I get really caught up in wondering what Unohana's motivations were for helping to found the SS and like, some theories:

1. Her original intention was purely to kill the soul king. She was presumably a child while the king was active and alive. I also imagine she was probably from a particularly rough rukongai. How much worse were things while quincy and shinigami were actively feuding within soul society? Perhaps people she cared about were killed by Quincy or she was abused by them somehow. Maybe she was just a shinigami who grew to resent the "others". Her motivations could be endless.

But, after the soul society is formed, she is seen as bored, listless, and empty per her interaction with young Kenpachi, which leads me to believe what she sought to do was finished (subduing the soul king) and she didnt know how to handle being essentially purposeless after such a grand campaign.

I imagine she went from trying to survive, to trying to get stronger, to trying to kill the soul king, to....being a captain, the strongest position possible, with no real threats to her person, the soul king conquered. And she has to make peace with that and actually figure out who she is and what kind of life she wants now that she isnt just trying to climb higher and higher. She lowers her head. She sees what's around her. She meets a boy. And she smiles.

2. She started out as a revolutionary, aiming to make things better for the rukongais. This one seems plausible to me due to the person she becomes--the character she is when first introduced.

Side note on this one: Kubo gives us the reason that she left so Kenpachi could take her place/she wasnt worthy, but I'm taking that as a "I'm aimless and depressed" and not at face value, because Unohana retrofitting her life around Kenpachi is dumb. I think the main reason she cared AT ALL for Kenpachi was because he probably reminded her a loooot of herself. A rukongai rat desperately lashing out for strength, with a solid code of personal ethics, who obviously has a soft spot for people (yachiru, ikkaku, yumichika), who she fears will become aimless once he reaches his goals, like she did. Who she fears will be merely used (which he is) like she was.

Back on topic, I imagine things were probably way worse pre-seireitei. It's clear that there was once a larger emphasis on nobility (and might still be. Manga canon never got much into the actual politics outside of the first arc w/ Rukia and Byakuya, but the image I got was of a faded relevance) and with the constant clash among shinigami and quincy as well as the lack of protection for the rukongai (since I'm presuming seireitei didnt exist at the time), I'm sure in her days as a youth, Everywhere was a lawless battle zone. I dont imagine the nobility gave a shit about structuring the rukongai and just wanted preferential treatment within the new government. And a huge wall.

So, you have this very strong shinigami who can hold her own against quincy in battle and could realistically be swayed to fight for you if you cater to the commoners a bit and promise her dangerous enemies to 1v1. The nobility and many of the older generation don't like the idea because shes a criminal--she doesnt play by their rules or respect their values; she only cares about honesty and strength. You're able to get everyone to play nice, because you're patient and wise and Yachiru can rally shinigami behind her that were previously thought to be lost to lawless abandon in the rukongais. She believes in something better so earnestly that they do to. So you tell her what she wants to hear.

I dont find it hard to believe that Yamamoto lied about what exactly the new government would be willing to do for the rukongais after the soul king was defeated. And after everything is said and done, what is Unohana going to do? After the foundation is placed and everything's built and things still arent as she thought, what can she do? Rip apart any of the infrastructure she was able to get them because it isnt enough? She knows she could take out plenty of people on her way down, but she also knows her fate would be the maggots nest and that's not going to happen.

So shes depressed and aimless, going to the worst run rukongais and fighting anyone. Everyone. Sparing them the fate of living. Sparing them the disappointment of the Seireitei, who will never give a shit about them. Sparing herself from having to face the truth of what happened and who she is now; shes a war hero and a captain and she should be happy and proud and fulfilled, after all. And then she sees herself in a boy, who cuts her throat--cuts the throat of a captain--and feels something, realizes that things can still change and she isnt stagnant. Realizes that there is still true will and strength out here, enough to touch the likes of her.

So she finds the strength to move on, to create again.

3. Self-preservation, pure and simple.

I think for this one, the most likely scenarios would be that she either did something reckless and illegal towards the shinigami or Quincy. If it was toward the quincy and shes being hunted, well: the enemy of thine enemy is thy friend. If it's against the shinigami, then I find it likely Yamamoto knew she was more valuable to him alive than dead.

This one is built upon the fact that I think Unohana was pretty fucking young when all of this went down; she doesn't look near Yamamoto's age and I can imagine any young person raised in war torn squalor is going to get up to some truly reckless shit in the name of Strength and Power.

As far as WHAT she did? I bet she probably organized some rather substantial attacks on the quincy, attempting to test her strength against enemies with powers she wasnt used to fighting. Maybe even got too close to winning against a high ranking official and got herself a spite bounty.

For the shinigami, I honestly think her existence was enough to get her in trouble, since a nobility and seniority driven society is gonna look at a super powered rukongai girl with no respect for government or hierarchy as a menace. But to be spicy, I'll say she probably punched a noble in a bar fight and laughed when she found out who they were. Or she seduced a Kuchiki woman. Actually combine them. That was what got her in the "fight with us or die" shackles. Chaotic lesbianism.

You could very well combine any and all of these, but I needed some level of organization or this wouldve turned into a more aimless and lengthy post.