@Zobozun Sent it...
Actually, while she is very skilled at Hoho, her incredible weight slows her down considerably. So it's physically impossible for her to create afterimages. And her Zanpaktou can create a light, and shoot Heat Beams, but she rarely, if ever, actually uses it because it doesn't feel natural to her. It was more, what her Shikai can do, rather than what it does do. And she also has Zero Reiatsu, due to the total inability to extrude in any way. So let's break it down.
'Can't use the many powers related to sheer reiatsu volume' Yes, she has zero Reiatsu. 'lacks the wide scale applications and highly destructive abilities of many other zanpakuto' yes, her bubble of darkness is only about eleven foot, and her most destructive technique is basically heat beam cross, which has a very limited hitbox and is pretty dam overt. 'can't do Hakuda barrages' She's pretty slow compared to most Lieutenants. 'can't spam Hoho afterimages or engage in a long distance shupo chase' yes. She's skilled with Hoho's usage, but physically can't built up much speed. 'and who is armed with one of the most basic of weapons' Fists are one of the most basic of weapons. So yes.
I removed the part about being outmuscled, because yea, Mirja has a hell of a lot of muscles. But that's her trick. One trick pony. Punch things.
If I wanted that, I'd describe his reiatsu as average, but state it was spread out over a larger distance. Not only would this actually make his presence more faint, but it would also allow him to better detect the movement of other people through the reiatsu allowing him to better track people's actions even without being able to see them. It gives you your 360 degree field of perception (not vision), and something akin to "danger sense," without making it a zanpakuto ability, or sounding more powerful than it is.
Moving on. So you want to not get one shot/totally wrecked by people's various abilities? This is a slightly more difficult issue, as you've brought up, but making yourself basically immune to those abilities, while it does make people have to fight Toshiro with less ranged/elemental/energy-based means, also happens to take away a lot of agency in regards to everyone else's characters--which is why (If I understand Axel properly) you got called out for it by a GM.
What I would do is make his zanpakuto a melee/physical type, with a focus on defense. Maybe it doesn't ramp up the amount of damage he can take, or even create a shield around him, but perhaps it amplifies his sensory abilities, allowing him to better evade such attacks--though doing so will still require exceptional skill and positioning--which is his focus anyways. Conversely, you could say that it makes his body an extension of his blade, rather than his blade an extension of his body. By this I mean he might be able to deflect, parry, and block attacks as if he were a sword. It could also reduce his body's weight and/or allow him to redistribute his center of gravity.
Someone fires Byakurai at him, for example, and he could choose either to slap the flat of his blade against it, deflecting it to the side, or he might use his hand and forearm to strike it and it would cause the same effect that his blade would. Plus, a zanpakuto is typically pretty goddamn durable, so it might not make his own body as durable as someone like Mirja, or Kenpachi Zaraki, for example, but it would very well give him a better chance of defending himself against, not to mention countering, various forms of attack. You could also give him exceptional control over what "little," reiatsu/reiryoku he has, allowing him to perhaps exhale small amounts of spirtual energy or refresh his body with his internal reiryoku, to purge poisons over a set amount of time depending on the effect of the poison and its strength (how fast acting it is).
All of these, while they could be considered exceptional skills, do fall into the realm of the "average shinigami," who happens to be able to use what they have cleverly.
Hopefully some of this helps.
Doesn't sound much like helping.
Sounds more like an attempt to make him to play a different guy entirely. Let the man talk with the GM on his own.
*Drops mic* Shoske out.
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Thank you for offering actual help. Trust me, I know what Toshiro's style will be like so that's a non-issue. But no seriously, you do see how a couple of the skills you've given me are just another way of describing things I already had but were shot down, right? Beyond the fusing the Zanpakuto with the body, which is something I love but avoided because we already have two lieutenants who operate like that so I didn't want to add another to the mix. I'd like to talk about this a bit more, over application and theme and whatnot, but I need to leave for several hours, just letting you know I've seen it and it's helpful.
@ProProDid...Did you just call me Kenny... *Sad Face*
Just saying this so you know that I'm not going to abuse anything xD
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q.q. Here I thought we had something going, darling.
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And what do you mean by that? xD
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Obviously it's flirting to abuse me.