He suffers from tuberculosis which acts as an inhibition for him throughout the series; if he fights for too long, or even becomes too agitated, the illness flares up.He is forced to leave most of his duties as a captain to his subordinates so that he can rest. Despite this, Jushiro is respected by many Soul Reapers for his honesty, loyalty, and personal sense of justice.He and his friend Shunsui Kyoraku are two of the oldest and strongest captains in the Gotei 13, both having trained under General Yamamoto roughly a thousand years before the current Bleach storyline.