First impression

What you see

Renji first appears in Chapter 51 & 52, at the end of volume 6. He, along with Byakuya, were on a mission from the Soul Society to bring back Rukia and kill the human who took her Shinigami powers (aka, Ichigo). He finds Rukia, who has left Ichigo's house, and attacks her, telling her their mission and to bring out the "human." Ishida intervenes but was easily defeated by Renji. When Renji was about to kill Ishida, Ichigo arrives at the scene. They fight and Renji gets the upperhand when he calls out Zabimaru but Ichigo gets a sudden surge in spiritual power and is on the verge of defeating Renji when Byakuya takes over.

From this first encounter, a lot can be learned about Renji's personality. First of all, he's loud and arrogant, quite confident of his powers. He's the Vice Captain of the 6th Division so he has reason for that confidence. He seems very respectful to Byakuya, his superior, but there seems to be something else (more on this at the Byakuya page). He is easily angered, especially when it comes to fighting, wanting to defeat the enemy at all costs. He seems to know Rukia on a personal level, not just because they're part of the Gotei 13 together. Towards Ichigo, he couldn't believe that he gave Menos (a HUGE Hollow) a scar and in the sudden strength he displayed when his life was in danger. He doesn't seem to care about Rukia's execution even though he knows her. It's as if Renji is just following the law of the Soul Society and only cares about executing his orders.

Okay, so this is what we know about Renji at first glance. But how indicative is this of his real personality? Everyone knows that a person is more complicated than what you can see on the surface, much like an iceberg in the middle of the ocean. For a deeper analysis of Renji's personality and hidden emotions, please proceed.