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 Posted: Sun Oct 15, 2006 6:23 am
Index
Shinigamis
Zampakutos.
Arrancar.
Quincy.
Vizards.
Soul Society.
Hueco Mundo.
Hollows
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Posted: Sun Oct 15, 2006 6:32 am
Shinigamis:Shinigami are purely spiritual beings -- as such, their bodies are composed of ectoplasm (reishi), and they can only be seen by other spiritually aware entities, which excludes most humans. In the series, shinigami are portrayed as being capable of affecting physical objects, however, so that their presence could be detected by ordinary humans. The most prominent supernatural power possessed by a shinigami is their zanpakutō, or soul cutting sword, which is generated from the shinigami's soul. Shinigami naturally give off a spirit force, which varies greatly in magnitude with the strength of the shinigami. Their zanpakutō consist of this force concentrated into a blade.
Their operations are based out of Soul Society, which is the afterlife in Bleach. Travel between the human world and Soul Society is extremely limited and monitored, but some shinigami are stationed in the human world to carry out their duties, and therefore must often travel between the two. In addition, it is a crime for a shinigami to remain in the human world longer than a certain time limit. A shinigami's duties include leading Pluses (ghosts) to Soul Society in a practice called soul burial, and the cleansing of hollows (evil spirits). Shinigamis are also responsible for governing the flow of spirits between the human world and Soul Society.
Shinigami Training:
The majority of training for individuals wanting to become shinigami is done through the Shinigami Academy. This is a 6-year academy, training its students to fight hollows and do soul burial duties. The academy was founded by Shigekuni Yamamoto-Genryūsai about 2000 years before the main Bleach storyline "Guild current time setting". All new members who wish to become shinigamis must pass all the classes given in the academy sub-forum as well as passing the training exercises in other to become full shinigamis.
Shinigami Duties:
Protect human souls.
Destroy Hollows.
Perform Soul burials.
Keep the balance of souls between worlds.
Protect and enforce the law all over Soul Society.
Additional duties are given depending on your squad.
Gottei 13:
The Gotei 13 (護廷十三隊 goteijūsantai) has 13 divisions. Each division has its own leader "Captain" as well as its own respecialization. New shinigamis are sent to one of these after graduation from the academy depending on the results of their examination and area of expertise.
Ranks:
As with any other army, the Gotei 13 has ranks. There are 21 ranks for officers but no ranks for non-officers. The ranks and their descriptions are below, from highest to lowest.
Sōtaichō: (総隊長, lit. General commander or Commander-General) - this rank is the Commander-General of the Gotei 13 and the Captain of the 1st Division; the implication is that this is an ex officio. The current holder of this title is Shigekuni Yamamoto-Genryūsai.
Taichō (隊長, lit. unit commander) - this rank is usually referred to as captain in the English version of the manga, fansubs, scanlations, and websites (including Wikipedia), and is also appropriate according to the size of the unit they lead, because of the size of a single Gotei 13 'unit' [隊] (over 200 troops, but probably still a 3-digit number). The Viz translation renders the units as 'companies', rather than the widely accepted 'divisions', which is more appropriate, because captains lead companies in real life. However, given that each 'Captain' in Bleach leads a major part of a military wing or corps, they could be division commanders or Generals. Most literally, the name simply means 'unit commander', which could be practically any officer rank.
Captains are the most respected shinigami (with the Central 46 Chambers, Demon Art Corps, and special forces leaders possibly being on equal status), and are some of the most prominent shinigami. Every captain in Gotei 13 history has been able to use the final release of the zanpakutō (bankai), except Kenpachi Zaraki, who won his status through sheer strength. Knowing the final release gives captains a default strength advantage of 5 to 10 times over shinigami who are not able to perform it. However, knowing it is only a fraction (although a large one) of a captain's power. They have also extensively trained, if not mastered, their final releases, allowing them to actually use the enormous power and size of their final releases effectively in battle. Most captains are also skilled in the use of flash steps, demon arts, and generally have excellent knowledge of shinigami history and battle tactics. All of these factors create a huge power-gap between captains and the next highest level; a captain can generally defeat several lieutenants at once without even needing to release his bankai.
There are three ways to become a Gotei 13 captain:
To take the captain proficiency test (隊首 taishu), which requires the knowledge of the final release (bankai). Presumably, most shinigami become captains using this method. At least three existing captains, including the Commander-General, have to witness the test.
To have personal recommendations from at least 6 captains, and approval from at least 3 of the remaining 7.
To defeat a captain one-on-one with at least 100 witnesses[citation needed] from the captain’s division. Kenpachi Zaraki is the only known captain who achieved his rank using this method.
Fukutaichō: (副隊長, lit. vice-unit commander) - this is the rank attributed to the 2nd Seat of each division. Because captain describes the unit commander, vice-captain is the most literally accurate translation that most fansub and scanlation groups use. (The Viz translation of the manga renders the rank as the even wordier "assistant captain.") Although this does not apply to modern armies, traditionally, in real-life armies, the lieutenant has been the adjutant of the captain (as is the case for fukutaichō and taichō in Bleach). Therefore, lieutenant is the correct real-life equivalent of this rank. Holders of this rank in Gotei 13 have also been called adjutants.
Lieutenants function as executive officers for their division and take care of day-to-day operations as well as supervise them. They (along with their captain) are not assigned to one specific squad.[1] They generally only know shikai, but are the second strongest in their division. Some have gained bankai; this is natural seeing as they would be the most seasoned and skilled shikai users. However, these lieutenants are still not fully at the level of a captain for previously mentioned reasons, namely their relative lack of battle experience. In the case of a division captain's death, departure, or other circumstances making him unable to perform his duties, the lieutenant acts as the substitute captain in his place, until another can be assigned.
Seated officers: All Gotei 13 officers who hold lower ranks than the above, are referred to as seated officers. Captains have the rank of 1st Seat and lieutenants are 2nd Seat. Next to that, there are 18 more seats (3rd to 20th). 3rd seat officers are ranked higher than 4th seat, etc. There seems to be a distinction between senior and junior seated officers, just like in real-life armies. In Gotei 13, only one person can hold a senior officer rank (such as 3rd or 5th seat), but there are several holders of junior officer ranks (e.g. 20th seat). This may vary from division to division however, as there are two 3rd Seats in the 13th Division. In Japanese, the rank is usually spelled using the seat number followed by the word 'seat' (席 seki), e.g. (三席 sanzeki), although sometimes the word 'No.' (第, dai) is used, e.g. (第三席 daisanzeki).
Comabat:
The shinigami have four forms of combat: zanjutsu (swordsmanship), hakuda (hand-to-hand), hohō (foot combat) and kidō (demon arts).
Zanjutsu
Probably the most common and well known of the four forms of shinigami combat is zanjutsu (斬術, lit. cutting technique; translated as swordsmanship). In this form of combat, a shinigami fights with the shinigami's zanpakutō. The zanpakutō (lit. soul cutting sword; translated to soul slayer or soul cutter in the American version) is the shinigami's weapon and the measure of the shinigami's power and ability. Although it looks similar to a katana, it is actually a living part of the shinigami's soul--possibly inspired by the samurai tradition that "the sword is the soul of the warrior". In addition to its basic form, each zanpakutō has two enhanced forms: shikai ("initial release") and bankai ("full or final release"); the shape of the sword varies radically to suit the shinigami's needs. Senior shinigami usually master the shikai; only the strongest of the shinigami, usually captains and above, are able to use bankai.
Hakuda
There is currently little information about hakuda (白打, lit. white hits, refers to hand-to-hand combat). Special forces troops, especially those of higher ranks such as Soifon, are known to be well-trained in hand-to-hand combat.
Hohō
Not much is known about hohō (歩法, foot combat). Flash Steps (shunpo), essentially moving faster than normal eyes can follow (so that one appears to teleport), is the only technique that has thus far been implied (in the anime) to belong to this type of combat.
Kidō
The demon arts (鬼道 kidō) are a type of combat or healing sorcery used by shinigami. Demon arts spells are divided into two major groups: blast spells (破道 hadō), used for direct attack, and binding spells (縛道 bakudō), which are spells that restrain someone or have other effects. To perform a demon arts spell, one must call out the incantation for the spell, similar to releasing a zanpakutō. It is also possible to bypass the incantation for spells, as with the shikai release, however, each level gets successively harder to cast with success or full effectiveness. Even experienced captains cannot bypass a level 90 spell while maintaining its full power.
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Posted: Sun Oct 15, 2006 3:40 pm
ZanpakutōsA zanpakutō (斬魄刀, lit. soul cutting sword), called a soul slayer in the English version (also a soul cutter in some translations), is a fictional type of sword used by the shinigami. The art of using a zanpakutō is called zanjutsu (swordsmanship). Most zanpakutō in their sealed form look like katanas, but the shape and form varies by the person. Zanpakutō are not just tools, but also living beings. They are a shinigami's partner in battle and while they can regenerate if broken, they cannot be replaced. As a shinigami gains power, the zanpakutō can change form by allowing the inner being to manifest itself to a greater degree in the outside world. The sword and the inner being are synonymous to each other. It has also been revealed that since zanpakutō are created with the shinagami, they also tend to have a personality based on their owners. Zanpakutō are used to fight hollows and other shinigami as well as to liberate or help pluses ascend to Soul Society.
There are three levels of zanpakutō manifestation. The first is the sealed form, followed by two levels of seal release: initial release (始解 shikai), and final release (卍解 bankai). In the sealed form, most zanpakutō resemble katanas, and do not exhibit any special abilities. The greater a shinigami's spiritual power, the larger the sword appears. As such, Isshin Kurosaki notes that high level shinigami must be capable of maintaining and suppressing the size of their sword, otherwise shinigami like the captains of the Gotei 13 would end up swinging around swords the size of skyscrapers.
A properly-trained shinigami can make his or her zanpakutō smaller if they wish, or radically change its appearance (Kisuke Urahara's Benihime is, in sealed form, a cane, while Shigekuni Yamamoto-Genryūsai's Ryūjin Jakka is usually in the form of a gnarled walking stick). Shinigami usually carry their zanpakutō in the sealed state, releasing them only when necessary. Certain shinigami, notably Ichigo Kurosaki, have their zanpakutō continuously in released form. Soul Society law prohibits the release of zanpakutō within the walled city of Seireitei in times of peace.
Shi kai: {Initial release}
The first level of seal release, shikai, is achieved by learning the sword's name. By speaking a command phrase to the sword (unique to each shinigami), the zanpakutō will assume its released form. This step may be bypassed by expert shinigami, usually those who are at least approaching discovery of their final release. In released form, most zanpakutō have a different physical appearance, as well as one or more special abilities, often reflecting a strength or the personality of the wielder. Achievement of the initial release is a mark of expert control of a zanpakutō, and it appears to be a requirement for advancement within the shinigami ranks, as most seated officers and presumably all lieutenants are capable of the initial release.
Ban kai: {Final release}
The second and final level of seal release, bankai, sometimes also called full release, is a rare capability usually limited to captain and sometimes lieutenant-level shinigami. Those who attain this power are remembered throughout shinigami history.
To become capable of the final release, a shinigami must materialize the sword's personification and subjugate it. In the final form, the zanpakutō assumes a third physical appearance, and can fully manifest itself in the outside world, increasing its power by five to ten times. Certain shinigami also have the appearance of their clothing changed when they use their final release. All zanpakutō in the final form possess some type of powerful ability. Most skilled users also have several special attacks while using the final release, which require them to say a special command, similar to the initial release. Maintaining full release is taxing for the wielder, and cannot be held for exceedingly long periods of time.
The final release (bankai) generally requires years of training to acquire, and another ten years to master. However, there have been two exceptions to this: Ichigo Kurosaki and Kisuke Urahara. They acquired their final releases within three days of training, using a method pioneered by Urahara. Normally, a shinigami must have the strength and ability to manifest the sword's spirit into the real world before he can even begin his final release training; Urahara's method involves forcibly calling the spirit of the zanpakutō into the user's world through the use of a special doll. Thus, the years of experience to acquire the knowledge and strength to begin the final release training can be bypassed.
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Posted: Sun Oct 15, 2006 3:44 pm
Arrancar:The arrancar (sometimes written allankar or arankaru) are a group of hollows who have almost completely removed their masks and gained shinigami powers. This makes them a fundamental opposite to the vizard, who were originally shinigami that acquired hollow powers. Initially, only a very small number of hollows could do this, and their strength was limited. Sōsuke Aizen used the orb of distortion (hōgyoku) to create numerous new arrancar with significantly higher power levels.
Arrancar and ordinary hollows differ in 2 ways: the location of their holes, and the almost-total disappearance of their masks. When hollow become arrancar, the chances of them retaining a humanoid form increase with their intelligence; only Vasto Lorde-based arrancar have a 100% chance of assuming a humanoid form.
If powerful enough, an arrancar seals its power in the form of a zanpakutō. Therefore, their first release is a simple unsealing of the arrancar's true power and form. Arrancar do not have a known second release.
The name arrancar, is a Spanish verb meaning "to remove" or "to rip off", hence it was used in reference to the removal of the hollow masks. In the manga, it is written 破面 (lit. rip mask), but has no native Japanese pronunciation, using the katakana for arankaru instead.
Abilities:
Like the shinigami, the hollows have a multitude of combat skills and abilities. They usually acquire energy to power their abilities by devouring souls, but can also ingest energy from the air when in spiritual realms such as Hueco Mundo.
Gonzui is a technique applied by Yammy to suck the souls from a large number of living people. Those with above average energy are able to survive despite being weakened.
Cero (虚閃, Spanish for zero) is a high powered energy blast that can be fired from the mouth, or hand. Only menos, arrancar and vizard have so far been shown to use cero, and it appears that higher classes of hollow can use it more efficiently. It is unknown whether sufficiently strong regular hollows are capable of it, but when Ichigo Kurosaki's inner hollow fully took over he almost shot a cero of his own before Ichigo regained control of his body.
Negación (反膜, Spanish for negation) is used to rescue fellow hollows. It has so far only been used by the gillian class. A beam of light encases the hollow's comrades and seals them off from the dimension they are in. They then float back to safety in another dimension.[4]
Sonido (響転, Spanish for sound) is the arrancar equivalent of the shinigami shunpō or Quincy hirenkyaku; it allows the user to travel at incredibly high speeds.[5]
Pesquisa (探査回路, Spanish for search) is an arrancar technique used to sense spiritual pressure.[6]
Hierro (鋼皮, Spanish for iron) refers to the ultratough skin of the arrancar; while very strong, it is by no means invincible.[7]
Bala (虚弾, Spanish for bullet) is an arrancar technique in which the user hardens his spiritual pressure and fires it at around 20 times the speed of a cero blast. It is not quite so strong as cero, however.
Garganta (黒腔, Spanish for throat) is a technique used by the arrancar to travel between Hueco Mundo and other dimensions. It literally tears open the dimensional fabric seperating the worlds, revealing a tunnel of whirling, torrential energy that must be focused and solidified to create a discernable pathway.
Zampaktou Arrancar release:
The arrancar zanpakutō release differs greatly from that of a shinigami. Arrancar have only one revealed form of release, as opposed to initial and final releases. Once an arrancar releases their zanpakutō, it turns into an outer shell/armor, which works to protect the arrancar and increase its attack power. It also gives the arrancar a certain natural ability, e.g. Edorad Leones's Volcanica enables Edorad to shoot fire.
As a side note:
Arracar "Numeros" and Arrancar "Espada" Don't exist in this guild, simply put, there is no Aizen not there is a hogyoku so yeah...
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Posted: Sun Oct 15, 2006 4:02 pm
Quincy:Originally a mixture of survivors of hollow attacks and those who'd lost loved ones to hollows, the Quincy developed a variety of supernatural powers to hunt and kill hollows before they attacked humans (and to destroy those who already had), including the ability to control spiritual energy. The Quincy are nearly extinct due to extermination by the shinigami about 200 years before the main Bleach storyline.
As opposed to the shinigami, Quincy actually kill hollows, rather than cleanse their spirits. This difference was what led to the Quincy-shinigami war. The Quincy's actions were slowly disrupting the balance of souls between the two worlds, and would eventually have destroyed both worlds. The end of the war showed the shinigami victorious, and the Quincy line was closely monitored over the decades. Later Quincies advanced the idea that since they (the more numerous Quincies) were already among the living, they could act as "first responders" to hollow attacks, protecting humans until the less-numerous shinigami could send a representative to finish the hollow off. Embittered by the recent war, the shinigamis refused to participate, opting instead to allocate their limited resources to reacting to the most dangerous hollows and current hollow attacks. This caused great enmity towards shinigami by Uryū Ishida, Ichigo's classmate and a Quincy, whose grandfather (the last advocate of the Quincy plan) had been slain by a team of hollows before the shinigami could arrive.
The final point of contrast between Quincy and shinigami (though minor, at best) is their respective choice of uniform. While the shinigami wear traditional, black, flowing hakama, the Quincy wore slightly futuristic, white, and form-fitting western-style clothing. One peculiar recurring motif of Quincy is that of a cross, which appears frequently in their uniforms.
Combat:
Unlike shinigami, who use their inner spiritual power to fight, the Quincy fuel their abilities by absorbing the spiritual energy of their surroundings. They primarily absorb spiritual energy from the atmosphere, and in environments denser in spiritual particles such as Soul Society they have an easier time collecting this energy. To a sufficiently powerful Quincy, there is no difference between spiritual particles and spiritual energy as a source of power.
The Quincy's weapon of preference is a bow constructed of spiritual energy. They summon these using an artifact called a Quincy Cross, which all Quincy possess. This cross can also be in the form of a pentacle and it seems its shape is important, but this has not yet been expanded on. In the Anime Quincy have also been seen to fight using crossbows with spirit arrows loaded in them.
A Quincy's power can be significantly enhanced using the sanrei (散霊) gloves. A Quincy needs to complete a week of intense training in order to be able to use these gloves. The gloves, which operate by strongly repulsing spirit particles from the user, make it nearly impossible for the Quincy to summon their bow. Any Quincy who is able to successfully utilize their powers while wearing the sanrei gloves will experience a breakthrough in their strength. This training is also the basis for the Quincy final form.
A Quincy who wields the sanrei gloves may remove them in desperate cases, entering a state known as the Quincy final form. By removing the artificial repulsion to spiritual energy that the gloves placed on them, the Quincy will experience an abrupt increase in power, along with a change in appearance. While in this form, the Quincy will absorb energy from their surroundings at such an alarming rate that they can actually deconstruct spiritual objects. In such a state the Quincy is able to fight with extreme strength and speed, and can completely overwhelm an average Shinigami captain. However, the final form is a double-edged sword, as it pushes the user beyond the limits of power that their human body can withstand. After a short period of use, the Quincy will completely lose all his powers, and will no longer be able to serve as a Quincy because his overloaded body will seal itself off from all spiritual power in self-preservation. The final form is only used as a last resort, as though it is possible to regain Quincy powers afterwards the process is exceedingly difficult.
The only way for a Quincy to regain their powers after using the final form is to first exhaust themselves mentally and physically, and then to be hit exactly 19 mm to right of their heart with a spirit arrow. After this a pentacle will form in the center of their chest and their powers will be restored.
The Quincy can also use the energy they gather, or use silver tubes filled with spiritual energy (gintō) to perform various offensive, support and defensive techniques similar to the Shinigami kidō.
Quincy items:
The Quincy have several artifacts/items which help them in different ways. Below are the ones that have been shown:
Quincy cross (滅却十字 mekkyaku jūji)[1] - an object which a Quincy uses as a focus to summon a bow. Some of these crosses are actually in the shape of pentacles.
Hollow bait - a scattering coin that lures hollows.[2]
Sanrei gloves (散霊手套 sanrei shutō) - gloves which can increase a Quincy's power exponentially, but require difficult and dangerous training (wielding them for a week constantly firing spiritual arrows).
Silver tubes (銀筒 gintō) are small silver tubes which can store spiritual energy. They can be used by a Quincy who has lost his powers to perform various techniques by calling out commands, much like the Shinigami's demon arts.[3]
Soul-synthesized silver (霊化銀 reika gin) - used by Ryūken to construct the hidden chamber where Uryū trains in. Possibly used to make silver tubes.[4]
Soul-synthesized glass (霊化硝子 reika gurasu) - also used to construct the hidden chamber in the Karakura Hospital.[4]
Quincy Bangle (anime only) - an old tool held by the Gotei 13 Research division which draws in spiritrons from the environment. When in the hands of one who knows how to form and direct spirit particles, it can mimic the natural talent of the Quincy. Given by Nemu Kurotsuchi to Uryū in order to restore his power temporarily, he notes that it is fragile and could give out at any time.
Quincy techniques:
There are some special techniques which only a few Quincy throughout history have been able to use. They are listed below.
Hirenkyaku (飛簾脚) (Flying Screen Step) - A high level Quincy technique analogous to 'shunpo' (shinigami) or 'sonido' (arrancar.) By manipulating gathered spiritual particles under their feet, the user can ride the platform of energy to a desired location, or even ride the platform for long periods of time enabling the ability of flight. Mayuri Kurotsuchi complimented Uryū Ishida on being able to use this technique at such a young age.
Ransōtengai (乱装天傀) (Heavenly Wild Puppet Suit) - a high level technique allowing the user to control their body parts using strings of spirit energy controlled by their brain. By using this technique, they are able to control their body as one would a puppet. It was originally created to allow old Quincy to fight effectively, and is rare enough that Mayuri Kurotsuchi had never encountered a Quincy (out of the 2661 that he examined or studied) who could use it. Uryū Ishida is a known user of this technique, which he utilized to continue fighting when his nerves were 'paralyzed' by Kurotsuchi's weapon.
Final Form - not really a technique, this is actually a last resort move performed by removing the sanrei gloves. By removing the heavy spiritual restriction the gloves place on them, the Quincy will gain an incredible amount of power. It is somewhat comparable to the zanpakutō final release (bankai), but it can normally only be done once, seeing that the Quincy will lose their powers shortly afterwards due to burnout.
Silver tube techniques:
A list of techniques that utilize silver tubes (gintō):
Haizen (聖噬)
Incantation: Feel the wrath of battle and accept this sacred chalice - Sacred Bite!
Creates a transparent, rectangular beam of energy from four silver tubes which slices through the opponent.[6]
Gritz (五架縛 Gurittsu)
Incantation: A silver rod strikes the five-fingered stone bed - Quintuple Restraining Frames!
Utilises a silver tube to form a man-sized pentacle symbol which envelops its target.[7]
Volcore (緑杯 Vorukōru)
Incantation: Tilt the goblet to the west - Emerald Grail!
Uses a silver tube to create a large blast which Ishida uses to cushions impacts. The exact effect is unknown.
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Posted: Sun Oct 15, 2006 4:14 pm
Vizards:The vizard are the antithesis to the arrancar; their dominant species is shinigami and their subordinate species is hollow. They are intent on subduing their inner hollow, just like a shinigami must learn to master and seal their zanpakutō. To achieve their full power in battle they release their inner hollows while maintaining control of themselves. This has a time limit and more experienced vizard are apparently able to hold on to their hollow forms indefinitely.
The vizard appear entirely human. They do not have holes (to signify a hollow) anywhere on their body, and they carry zanpakutō like normal shinigami. It is unknown how vizard zanpakutō function, but it can be assumed to be closer to a shinigami's than the arrancar's. The vizard do not have any hollow masks showing on their face, although they can materialize a full mask on demand. It is thought that the fusion of the two spiritual entities allows these shinigami to reach levels of spiritual power far surpassing that of any ordinary shinigami or hollow.
It is unclear what the motives of the vizard are. It is known, however, that vizard are considered criminals by Soul Society for committing the ultimate taboo of acquiring the powers of a hollow. Hollows would also never accept a vizard, due to their former status as shinigami. It is because of this that it can be presumed that the only side the vizard are on is their own. Regardless, they seem to be valuable allies-to-be in the battle against Sōsuke Aizen's army of arrancar, as Kisuke Urahara mentioned.
The existence of shinigami/hollow hybrids was first hinted fairly early in the manga. When Ichigo was training with Kisuke Urahara, Ichigo began the process of turning into a hollow. However, Ichigo resisted the transformation, and became a shinigami wearing a hollow's mask, which he then tore off and threw away. After he arrived in Soul Society, the hollow mask kept reappearing on his person at several occasions, even though he kept throwing it away. In the fight against Byakuya Kuchiki, Ichigo's hollow form resurfaced and his mask started to reform around his face. However, before he completely transformed, Ichigo was able to regain control and tear off the mask once again.
7 of the 8 vizard and their zanpakutō, holding down Ichigo Kurosaki
Enlarge
7 of the 8 vizard and their zanpakutō, holding down Ichigo Kurosaki
Ichigo later discovers that there are other shinigami who have acquired hollow powers besides himself. Shinji Hirako, a boy carrying a zanpakutō and a hollow mask, reveals that these renegade shinigami call themselves the vizard; Shinji beckons Ichigo to come with him, saying that only he can teach Ichigo how to control his 'hollow within' and keep it from taking him over and destroying everything around him. However, Ichigo initially refuses Shinji's offer. This leads another vizard, Hiyori Sarugaki, appearing to be Shinji's superior, to order Shinji to take Ichigo by force. As of chapter 214, eight vizard are known to be in the human world, including Shinji and Hiyori. This is discovered when Ichigo "seeks advice" concerning how to control his inner hollow.
A vizard starts out as a shinigami, and his shinigami powers remain dominant over his hollow powers, but only because they actively repress their inner hollows. On the other hand, an arrancar starts out as a hollow, and his hollow powers remain dominant over his shinigami powers. It is unclear whether the term vizard means precisely the noted group of shinigami who acquired hollow powers, or any shinigami who does so.
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Posted: Sun Oct 15, 2006 6:37 pm
Soul Society.Soul Society consists of two portions, the cities where most people live, called the Rukongai; and the walled castle where the spirit world nobility and the shinigami live, known as Seireitei (lit. Court of Pure Souls).
It should be noted that even within Soul Society, no one is immortal. People grow old, albeit at a slower pace, and might be able to die of old age. They can also be killed in battle. A soul that dies in Soul Society is reincarnated on earth as a new human.
Shinigami come and leave Soul Society by unlocking the senkaimon (穿界門, lit. world penetration gate) using a Hell Butterfly (地獄蝶 jigokuchō). Pluses, n the other hand, enter Soul Society through the ritual of Soul Burial (魂葬 konsō).
Intruders can also pass through the senkaimon by adding a reishihenkanki, which converts matter into spirit particles. However, they must first pass through dangai (断界, lit. prohibiting world), the bordering dimension between the human world and Soul Society.
Finally, hollows can also directly rip a hole to Soul Society from Hueco Mundo, or in the case of arrancar, use garganta.
Soul Society is ruled by a royal family. Farther down, the Royal Guard and the shinigami enforce order in Soul Society, whereas the Central 46 Chambers serves as the judiciary. All the above, except the royal family and guard, reside in the Seireitei (see below).
The king and the royal family reside in a separate dimension in the very core of Soul Society, which can only be opened with a key, fittingly named the Royal Key (王鍵 ōken).[1] The king's practical role is unknown. The king seems to have no interest in politics and leaves the Central 46 Chambers to such affairs. According to Rangiku Matsumoto, no shinigami in the Gotei 13 has ever seen the king.
Rukogai:
Rukongai (流魂街 lit. wandering soul city) is divided into 320 districts (80 in North Rukongai, 80 in West Rukongai, etc.), each numbered in descending order on how far they are from the center; this results in the higher-numerated (and farther) districts decaying into slums. Thus, while District 1 is peaceful and lawful (and in many cases resembles the antiseptic lifestyle of early-Edo era Kyoto), District 80 is a hardscrabble, violent, crime-infested area that more depicts Heian era Kyoto. There is no indication that the shinigami or any other agencies patrol the streets of rukongai, and as a result, the citizenry are mainly responsible for their day-to-day welfare.
So far, only four names of Rukongai districts are known:
Junrinan (潤林安), part of West Rukongai
78 - Inuzuri, the South Alley of Flowing Spirits
79 - Kusajishi (草鹿), the North Alley of Loitering Spirits
80 - Zaraki (更木), the North Alley of Loitering Spirits
Seireitei:
Seireitei (瀞霊廷, lit. court of pure souls) is in the center of Soul Society, a circular shirō with four main entrances, each guarded by a Gate Guardian. The walls are made of deathstone, a material known to sap all spiritual and psychic energy when one portion is faced in a particular direction, similar to magnetic lodestones.
The majority of the residents of Seireitei, nobility and shinigami alike, do not interact with the citizens of Rukongai. However, residents of Rukongai are allowed to apply for the shinigami academy, which is often the only escape from the poorest conditions of Rukongai. Some Seireitei residents, such as shinigami Yoruichi Shihouin and the Shiba clan, do maintain residences outside the castle.
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Posted: Sun Oct 15, 2006 6:40 pm
Hueco Mundo: Hueco Mundo is located between the living world and Soul Society, but does not appear to be the Dangai. It can only be accessed by ripping a hole in the dimensional fabric separating the worlds, or using a special technique known as a garganta (Spanish for throat). According to the shinigami, all hollows dwell in Hueco Mundo regardless of their shape, size, or power.
The landscape of Hueco Mundo is that of a white desert, with dunes like those of the Sahara and seemingly no end. The desert is littered with what appear to be boulders and dead, shriveled trees, but these are actually a form of quartz. Also notable, there is a much higher concentration of spirit energy in Hueco Mundo's atmosphere than there is in the material world or Soul Society, thus allowing hollows to gain nourishment despite the lack of human souls.
Like that in real world deserts, active life in Hueco Mundo appears to be few and far between. Hollows generally seem to dwell below the surface or in other areas until something provokes them to leave their shelter, like the intrusion of a foreign entity.
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Posted: Tue Oct 17, 2006 7:12 am
Hollow
A hollow is a plus spirit that has lost its heart, and is driven to devour others (both living and dead) to fill that void. Starting out as a standard human ghost, the transformation into a hollow warps the ghost into a uniquely monstrous form, though all hollows wear a vaguely skeletal mask and have an obvious hole in their bodies. Any Plus spirit that is not guided to Soul Society by a shinigami may eventually descend into a hollow. The process normally takes months or years as the Chain of Destiny (因果の鎖 inga no kusari) slowly corrodes, reflecting the warping of the ghost's ties to the living world. However, the process may be accelerated under certain conditions (such as the attack of another hollow or through the use of certain spiritual powers).
In Bleach, the majority of ghosts peacefully move on to Soul Society after their deaths. Some, however, stay in the world of the living to fulfill certain goals, such as looking after a loved one, protecting a particular location, or to continue a grudge from beyond the grave. Unfortunately, with only limited abilities to interact with the living, and by definition tied to these goals, many ghosts find they are unable to cope when their loved ones move on (or old enemies forget them, etc.). At this point, some will become dangerously obsessed with fulfilling those goals, even if the means to fulfill those goals renders them empty (for example, killing anyone who comes near a loved one in order to keep them from hurting the loved one). At this point, the ghost warps into a hollow, and ironically, often makes the focus of their obsessions into their first victims.
A hollow's mask is formed to protect the naked instinct that is left in a being after the loss of its heart, and in some ways is the tangible form of the hollow's madness. The masks of different hollows can differ greatly in shape and form, but they are always white and skull like. The masks also obscure the original identity of the hollows, but if shattered, the hollow may be able to temporarily resume its original form and personality. The hollows have different abilities and differing monstrous appearances; the low level hollows are small and can only attack in a melee style, whereas the bigger and better hollows have all sorts of killing implements. Hollows can be furry (like mammals) or lizard-like in appearance. Other hollows merely appear demonic.
Shinigami do not truly kill hollows. A shinigami's zanpakutō purifies the spirit of the sins it committed as a hollow, and send it to the other side, to enter the Soul Society. However, those hollows who also sinned heavily in life are consigned to hell. The Quincy, however, do destroy hollows. When a Quincy kills a hollow, the spirit is completely annihilated, which has potentially disastrous effects on the spiritual balance of the worlds.
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Types of Hollows
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Menos
In the anime, Menos are created by numerous hollows piling up on top of one another and merging. These composite entities can be enormous, and pose such a serious threat to both the living and the dead that the Soul Society has had to create highly trained strike teams devoted just to handling Menos incursions. In chapter 197 of the manga, three classes of Menos have been revealed: gillian, adjuchas and vasto lorde.
It is important to note the difference between the Menos and the arrancar status. All Menos are classified into one of the three classes; arrancar simply signifies if a hollow has removed its masks or not. Thus, it is possible to have a pure Menos, a non-Menos arrancar, or an arrancar who is based on a Menos.
Gillian (girian) - the weakest class of Menos, they are large and physically strong but not agile, and don't have much brain power. They are formed when many hollows merge together, and though much more powerful than an average hollow, they are still much weaker than a shinigami captain. In Soul Society gillians are known as Menos Grande, and are shown in textbooks discussing Menos.
Adjuchas (ajūkasu) - smaller but smarter than the gillians, they are thought to be far superior. It is likely they could fight evenly with at least a shinigami lieutenant. This type of Menos is much smaller in population compared to the gillian class.
Vasto Lorde (vastorōde) - the top fighters of the Menos with an extremely small population who are believed only to exist within the very depths of Hueco Mundo. They have a more humanoid appearance than the other classes of hollow. Each of them is stronger than an average captain; therefore, Tōshirō Hitsugaya claims that 10 is enough to defeat all of the Soul Society. Soul Society does not have definite information on the number of vasto lorde.
Arrancar
The arrancar (sometimes written allankar or arankaru) are a group of hollows who have almost completely removed their masks and gained shinigami powers. This makes them a fundamental opposite to the vizard, who were originally shinigami that acquired hollow powers. Initially, only a very small number of hollows could do this, and their strength was limited. Sōsuke Aizen used the orb of distortion (hōgyoku) to create numerous new arrancar with significantly higher power levels.
Arrancar and ordinary hollows differ in 2 ways: the location of their holes, and the almost-total disappearance of their masks. When hollow become arrancar, the chances of them retaining a humanoid form increase with their intelligence; only Vasto Lorde-based arrancar have a 100% chance of assuming a humanoid form.
If powerful enough, an arrancar seals its power in the form of a zanpakutō. Therefore, their first release is a simple unsealing of the arrancar's true power and form. Arrancar do not have a known second release.
The name arrancar, is a Spanish verb meaning "to remove" or "to rip off", hence it was used in reference to the removal of the hollow masks. In the manga, it is written 破面 (lit. rip mask), but has no native Japanese pronunciation, using the katakana for arankaru instead.
The Números and Espada (see below) are under Sōsuke Aizen's command; lesser Arrancar are either assigned menial guard duties or ignored altogether.
Números
Números are arrancar who were formerly Menos, and include a 2-digit number (01-99) in their name. They are regarded as combat specialists, and are led by the Espada. The basic Numero uniform consists of a white-collared jacket and robes, held with a black sash. However, the uniform is customizable, giving each Numero a sense of individuality. The fighting ability of Números is thought to be superior to all other arrancar.
Espada
(Japanese: 十刃, lit. ten swords; Spanish: lit. sword)
Espada are arrancar with particularly destructive powers in Aizen's army who are honored with the numbers of 1 to 10, and are subsequently given control over the Números. Espada numbers indicate rank (i.e., arrancar number 1 is stronger than arrancar number 2); All other números have numbers based on their order of birth (i.e., arrancar 11 is the oldest non-Espada).
Espada have a distinct feature that can tell them apart from non-Espada: a tattoo somewhere on their body (e.g. the number 6 on Grimmjow's lower back) reflecting their number as proof of status. Espada are hence the most powerful fighters of the Menos and their strength far surpasses the average Numero, similar to the power gap between the captains and lieutenants in Gotei 13.
The Espada consist of 9 males and one female in Bleach.
Abilities
Like the shinigami, the hollows have a multitude of combat skills and abilities. They usually acquire energy to power their abilities by devouring souls, but can also ingest energy from the air when in spiritual realms such as Hueco Mundo.
Gonzui is a technique applied by Yammy to suck the souls from a large number of living people. Those with above average energy are able to survive despite being weakened.
Cero (虚閃, Spanish for zero) is a high powered energy blast that can be fired from the mouth, or hand. Only menos, arrancar and vizard have so far been shown to use cero, and it appears that higher classes of hollow can use it more efficiently. It is unknown whether sufficiently strong regular hollows are capable of it, but when Ichigo Kurosaki's inner hollow fully took over he almost shot a cero of his own before Ichigo regained control of his body.
Negación (反膜, Spanish for negation) is used to rescue fellow hollows. It has so far only been used by the gillian class. A beam of light encases the hollow's comrades and seals them off from the dimension they are in. They then float back to safety in another dimension.
Sonido (響転, Spanish for sound) is the arrancar equivalent of the shinigami shunpō or Quincy hirenkyaku; it allows the user to travel at incredibly high speeds.
Pesquisa (探査回路, Spanish for search) is an arrancar technique used to sense spiritual pressure.
Hierro (鋼皮, Spanish for iron) refers to the ultratough skin of the arrancar; while very strong, it is by no means invincible.
Bala (虚弾, Spanish for bullet) is an arrancar technique in which the user hardens his spiritual pressure and fires it at around 20 times the speed of a cero blast. It is not quite so strong as cero, however.
Garganta (黒腔, Spanish for throat) is a technique used by the arrancar to travel between Hueco Mundo and other dimensions. It literally tears open the dimensional fabric seperating the worlds, revealing a tunnel of whirling, torrential energy that must be focused and solidified to create a discernable pathway.[8]
Miscellany
While Hueco Mundo is Spanish for Hollow World, the grammatically correct Spanish phrase would be Mundo Hueco, meaning 'a world that is hollow'. Therefore the word hueco was likely meant as a noun (an invention, like many terms in Bleach) to convey the meaning 'world of hollows'.
Menos Grande literally means less big in Spanish ("Big Minus" is also a possible translation, which would make sense given their juxtaposition with "plus" spirits).
The kanji used by Tite Kubo for hollow is 虚, which means emptiness (or 虚ろ, utsuro - hollow). However, it's pronounced hollow (horō) and does not use its native Japanese pronunciation. Similarly, the kanji for Menos Grande is 大虚 (大 - big, 虚 - emptiness).
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Vizard
The Vizard (also spelled Visored, Vaizard or Vaizaado), are a group of rogue shinigami in the manga series Bleach, who have illegally acquired hollow powers.
The vizard are the antithesis to the arrancar; their dominant species is shinigami and their subordinate species is hollow. They are intent on subduing their inner hollow, just like a shinigami must learn to master and seal their zanpakutō. To achieve their full power in battle they release their inner hollows while maintaining control of themselves. This has a time limit and more experienced vizard are apparently able to hold on to their hollow forms indefinitely.
The vizard appear entirely human. They do not have holes (to signify a hollow) anywhere on their body, and they carry zanpakutō like normal shinigami. It is unknown how vizard zanpakutō function, but it can be assumed to be closer to a shinigami's than the arrancar's. The vizard do not have any hollow masks showing on their face, although they can materialize a full mask on demand. It is thought that the fusion of the two spiritual entities allows these shinigami to reach levels of spiritual power far surpassing that of any ordinary shinigami or hollow.
It is unclear what the motives of the vizard are. It is known, however, that vizard are considered criminals by Soul Society for committing the ultimate taboo of acquiring the powers of a hollow. Hollows would also never accept a vizard, due to their former status as shinigami. It is because of this that it can be presumed that the only side the vizard are on is their own. Regardless, they seem to be valuable allies-to-be in the battle against Sōsuke Aizen's army of arrancar, as Kisuke Urahara mentioned.
The existence of shinigami/hollow hybrids was first hinted fairly early in the manga. When Ichigo was training with Kisuke Urahara, Ichigo began the process of turning into a hollow. However, Ichigo resisted the transformation, and became a shinigami wearing a hollow's mask, which he then tore off and threw away. After he arrived in Soul Society, the hollow mask kept reappearing on his person at several occasions, even though he kept throwing it away. In the fight against Byakuya Kuchiki, Ichigo's hollow form resurfaced and his mask started to reform around his face. However, before he completely transformed, Ichigo was able to regain control and tear off the mask once again.
Ichigo later discovers that there are other shinigami who have acquired hollow powers besides himself. Shinji Hirako, a boy carrying a zanpakutō and a hollow mask, reveals that these renegade shinigami call themselves the vizard; Shinji beckons Ichigo to come with him, saying that only he can teach Ichigo how to control his 'hollow within' and keep it from taking him over and destroying everything around him. However, Ichigo initially refuses Shinji's offer. This leads another vizard, Hiyori Sarugaki, appearing to be Shinji's superior, to order Shinji to take Ichigo by force. As of chapter 214, eight vizard are known to be in the human world, including Shinji and Hiyori. This is discovered when Ichigo "seeks advice" concerning how to control his inner hollow.
A vizard starts out as a shinigami, and his shinigami powers remain dominant over his hollow powers, but only because they actively repress their inner hollows. On the other hand, an arrancar starts out as a hollow, and his hollow powers remain dominant over his shinigami powers. It is unclear whether the term vizard means precisely the noted group of shinigami who acquired hollow powers, or any shinigami who does so.
Eight vizard have so far been revealed, five being men and three being women in the Bleach Manga.
Trivia
* "Vizard" is a term meaning mask; a possible reference to the hollow masks that appear on the vizard when in hollow form.
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