Name : Shiba Ganju
Birthday : October 15
Height : 182 cm
Weight : 106 kg
Occupation : Leader of a boar-mounted group

Shiba Ganju is the younger brother of Kuukaku Shiba and Kaien Shiba, the deceased lieutenant of the Gotei 13's 13th Division. Because of his brother Kaien's death at the hands of Rukia Kuchiki when Ganju was still young, he holds a grudge against all shinigami. This grudge is slow to dissipate even after Ganju learns the truth of the incident.

It is implied at after Kaien's death, the Shiba clan, one of the Noble Clans (which included the Kuchiki and Shihouin clans), was removed from the group (which now only contains four clans, Shiba had originally been the fifth, as revealed in Bleach Character Book). Upon Ganju's introduction, he and Kuukaku are the only remaining members of the clan.

Forced to go with Ichigo's company on their trip into Seireitei by his sister, Ganju hopes to determine the truth behind Kaien's death and why his brother had wished to become a shinigami so badly. After they are fired from Kuukaku's cannon, he attempts to cast a second spell to control the trajectory of the spirit cannon ball. The group is broken up and Ganju and Ichigo are forced to work together.

The two run into two of the 3rd and 4th strongest members of the 11th Division, Ikkaku Madarame and Yumichika Ayasegawa. Ganju runs off, leaving Ichigo to fight Ikkaku while Yumichika pursues him. Ganju manages to defeat the vain Yumichika when the latter is in the air and Ganju throws a firework at him. Alerted by the firework, Ichigo and Ganju meet up again, each being pursued by one half of 11th Division (in effect, the entire division) with the sole exceptions being Captain Kenpachi Zaraki and Lieutenant Yachiru Kusajishi (who are attempting to find the invader with the highest spiritual pressure to fight), and the defeated Ikkaku Madarame and Yumichika Ayasegawa.

The pair kidnap 4th Division member Hanatarou Yamada in hopes of using him as a hostage, but discover that the 11th Division doesn't care about the lives of 4th Division members. Ganju and Ichigo flee with Hanatarou, who is deemed a useless hostage until he reveals a way to get to Rukia Kuchiki, who is being held in the Shrine of Penitence until her execution.

While Ichigo is forced to fight Zaraki, Ganju and Hantarou go to rescue Rukia. Upon seeing Rukia's face, Ganju recognizes her as the shinigami who killed his brother. He refuses to save her until Byakuya Kuchiki appears to stop Rukia's would-be-rescuers. When Hanatarou decides to risk his life for Rukia, Ganju puts aside his pride for his brother and attempts to fight Byakuya. After being heavily wounded by Byakuya's zanpakutou, Ichigo arrives to save them. However, Yoruichi Shihouin and Captain Juushirou Ukitake of the 13th Division disrupt the fight; Ichigo is evacuated and Ganju is brought to 4th Division headquarters for healing.

Ganju ends up in the 4th Division jail with Uryuu Ishida and Chad until they are broken out by Orihime Inoue and the elite members of the 11th Division. They attempt to find and aid Ichigo on the day of Rukia's execution, arriving only after Ichigo's fight with Byakuya.

As Soul Society recovers from the conspiracy surrounding Rukia's execution, Ganju is last seen being berated by Kuukaku for being useless during the rescue attempt as Rukia arrives to apologize to them for Kaien's death.