Digging Up Old Theories - Kikoo (Sokyoku) and the "Third Race"

This one is an oldie - over two years old now.


As of recently, the Sokyoku...To be more accurate, the entity inside Sokyoku, Kikoo ("Blaze Fledgling King"), has caught my interest.  We know it is used for executions in Soul Society, particularly of Captains, and we also know that the Shihouin Shield, and artifact which was handed down to the Clan from the "gods", is capable of destroying the Sokyoku.  We also know that it is supposed to boast the power of one million Zanpakuto, a power multiplied by tenfold when it strikes a target, and should have been impossible to block, even by Captains, yet Ichigo did just that. 

It's debut was literally flaming, only to be destroyed within two chapters of its emergence.  What Kikoo is has caught my curiosity, which has led me to speculate about what it is.  For that, I have at least one theory on the subject: Kikoo is an imprisoned spiritual entity, with Sokyoku being its seal.  This theory will go into a story narrative, so bear with me.

Millenia ago, when the Soul King was rising to power, he created the first King's Key, and gained access to what would be known as the Royal Realm.  The Royal Realm is not simply a dimension hidden away in Soul Society that the King might have created, but it was an already existing dimension that the Soul King strove to reach.  Originally, the Royal Realm was home to "The Abstracts", spiritual beings of great power beyond that of the Shinigami, and embodiments of the primary and fundamental elements of the Universe.  In other words, "Beings of Reason".

Koutotsu was a "Being of Reason" embodying space-time, and Kikoo would be a "Being of Reason" embodying Fire.

When the Soul King arrived in the Royal Realm, he first conquered it, and the "Beings of Reason" that dwelled there.  The Soul King could do this because he was a "Being that Defied Reason", or "one that transcends both Shinigami and Hollow".  In the dynamic of the universe, the Shinigami and Hollow (or potentially a third, unknown spiritual race) embodies elements of the Universe themselves, which are opposites, like Yin and Yang.  While weaker than the "Beings of Reason", they are the most numerous, as each "Being of Reason" is singular in what it embodies.  In a reversal, the Shinigami would represent "Death", while the Hollows would represent "Soul". 
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My potential reasoning for this is because the Shinigami are the guides to the "afterlife", and Hollows might represent "soul" because of one simple fact: Fullbring is derived from Hollow reiatsu, and the basis of its power is "soul manipulation".  This ties into my theory of a third spiritual race, since how can Hollow powers and Fullbring be so drastically different from one another?  My belief is that Hollow and Fullbring powers are two separate parts of a "complete power".  Of the Fullbringers, Ginjou was closest to it through his abilities after absorbing Ichigo's Fullbring, and the Arrancar are closer to it as well because they are Hollows who gained Shinigami-like powers.  But they never reach it; while Ginjou might have gone beyond it by fusing Fullbring and Shinigami powers, Arrancars are only imitating it through their Shinigami-like powers. 

This "Third Race" would possess all the powers of Hollow and Arrancar, but their function has a basis in Fullbring and "Soul manipulation".  Because of this, the "Third Race" could potentially have "spells" that Human Fullbringers would consider to be Fullbring abilities (Memory manipulation, Dimension Creation, etc.), as their equivalent to Shinigami Kido.  They would have their own Inner Worlds and "Inner Spirits" like the Shinigami, only with them being like Ichigo's Inner Hollow, because of the "Third Race's" relation to Hollow and Fullbringers, as part of the same family tree of power.  Even if Hollow powers are a "corrupt" form of the "Third Race" power, and the Fullbringers a dilution, both of them still achieve the same effect as the "Third Race" when they fuse with Shinigami powers: "creating a power that transcends both Shinigami and Hollow".

Neither Shinigami nor Hollow are truly "good" or "evil"; they are simply opposite sides of the same coin.  This is why when the two powers fuse together into one power, the being inside whom they fuse acquires power that "transcends the Shinigami and Hollow", as well as power that "Defies Reason".  It could be said that Fullbringers and the "Third Race" would "manipulate reason" wtih their abilities, but with "Absolute Reason" like Koutotsu and Kikoo, they don't have any effect upon them, being beyond their ability to control. 
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Getting back to my narration.

Having conquered the home of the "Beings of Reason", and renamed it the Royal Realm, the Soul King imprisons all the "Beings of Reason", except two: Koutotsu and Kikoo.  Koutotsu is a non-sentient "Being of Reason" embodying Space-Time.  The Soul King decided to use Koutotsu as a "guard" for the Precipice World, with the Koutotsu's presence there attracting layers of space-time, accelerating time to a point where the 2000-fold time density in the Dangai now exists. 

Kikoo, on the other hand, was one of the most powerful "Beings of Reason", embodying Fire, one of the four primary elements of the Universe.  Not willing to let Kikoo run rampant in Royal Realm, yet none of the prisons he devised for the other "Beings of Reason" being able to contain Kikoo, he created Sokyoku.  Stabbing Kikoo with it, it absorbed the entity, and sealed it inside Sokyoku, stripping it of its free will and sentience.  He then presents the Sokyoku as a "gift" to Soul Society, which they use for the execution of Captain-level individuals, showing off the unbridled power of Kikoo, which is only truly released when it connects with its intended target. 

The Shihouin Shield was originally devised as a means of destroying Sokyoku, and dispersing Kikoo, should the fierce fire spirit ever regain its free will, and begin to run rampant, seeking revenge for its sealing.  However, it was instead used to stop it from destroying both Ichigo and Rukia by Ukitake and Kyoraku.  The Soul King, having been locked away in the Royal Realm, is not aware of this.  Because it is a "Being of Reason", Kikoo is not truly dead, and could one day reform, and return to exact its vengance for the injustice inflicted upon its kind...

Bleach Chapter 605 Review

Can Things Go Back to What They Once Were?
The chapter opens with Kyoraku hopping through the rubble of the battle as he observes all the damage that was done during the past two days of battle. As he does so, he observes the destroyed buildings, and wonders if the Seireitei will be restored to what it once was if their "Quincy friends" are sent home, and if the damage done to the buildings will revert or remain.

As we turn the page, we see that Kyoraku is actually talking to Ukitake as he is saying this, who says that the buildings can simply be repaired if that is the case. It has been a very long time since we last saw Ukitake (not since the second invasion started 58 chapters ago), and it seems his body is completely wrapped in bandages underneath the Shihakusho. When we last saw him, he was in some kind of temple or hot spring with a lotus sculpture in it.

The Shadow is God's Presence

As they finish their brief discussion on the state of the Seireitei's buildings, Kyoraku points out that the Royal Guard let the invasion into their realm happen. This implies that the Royal Guard either had the means of prevent Yhwach and Co from reaching the Royal Realm but they chose not to do so, or they sent Ichigo down to the Seireitei knowing his Ouken Clothing would allow Yhwach to get into the Royal Realm. In other words, the Royal Guard wanted Yhwach to come to them so they could deal with him.

But the big mystery presented in this chapter is the existence of the "Kamikake". Whatever it is, it is connected to what Ukitake was doing before, Kyoraku knows about it meaning he was in on it, and it was apparently a success. Kyoraku confirms this when he looks down to see this bizarre shape with a ring around it and an eye in the middle of it - all stemming from Ukitake's shadow.

Ukitake describes this "thing" as "The 'Kamikake' based on what was foreseen". I doubt it is something to do with some kind of Shinigami Prophecy, because Ukitake and Kyoraku seem to have made this venture on their own. Whatever it is supposed to be, it is linked directly to Ukitake himself, and it may be the reason for the bandages around his body.

I must say, this was almost nostalgic. Just as Ukitake and Kyoraku worked behind the scenes together in the Soul Society arc to save Rukia, so they have done so here with whatever power or force the "Kamikake" is.

Motive for Visiting the Central 46

Kyoraku mentions that the Kamikake's success means they'll be able to handle a little more strain, and then tells Ukitake goodbye for the moment. As Ukitake asks where Kyoraku is going, he responds that he is going to the Central 46.

With all that has happened, I'm surprised that the Central 46 apparently managed to remain intact, much less not be targeted by the Stern Ritter. Since Kyoraku is the Captain-Commander now, I suspect - as is everyone else most likely - that Kyoraku is going to propose something drastic to the Central 46, something he will make them allow.

While I was supportive of the idea that Aizen had disguised himself as Okikiba using his power, I can see the possibility that Kyoraku is going to ask the Central 46 to bring up Aizen for the upcoming battles. But if it isn't Aizen, then it might be something or someone else entirety that Kyoraku is going to talk to the Central 46.

I must admit, it'd be a hoot if the person he's going to ask the Central 46 to release is Azashiro Soya. But if it's not a person, then it may be the other means to reach the Royal Realm, since Kyoraku seems set on going to the Royal Realm to assist the Royal Guard.

I'll Beat You From Within This Space

As we cut back to the Royal Realm, Ichibei is seen painting lines on the ground, and proclaims that he will defeat Yhwach within the distance between the two lines he painted, all with a big and jolly look on his face. However, Yhwach states that calculation is off, because he says that he'll have Ichibei Hyosube dead in three paces less than that.

As we have seen for the past few chapters, Yhwach has been pretty confident in his abilities and those of his Elite Guard. With how the Elite Guard started to perform after having the power of the Auswahlen shared with them, I can see where Yhwach's confidence comes from. He is powerful, he knows it, and he is set on his goals. His Elite Guard have started giving the other four members of the Royal Guard trouble, and they broke the Cage of Life, allowing Yhwach to get out and confront Ichibei in the first place.

While Ichibei is treating the situation in a jolly manner, Yhwach is much more serious about the confrontation. As Ichibei places the finishing touches on his preparation for battle - a "Seal" drawn in the air on the path to the Spirit King Palace, he reminds Yhwach that he should not use his name so casually.

Then we see what Ichibei meant when he said he would defeat Yhwach from within that space - it wasn't about fighting Yhwach in the space, but the space from where he'd launch his attack.

Palm Thrust of Buddha

Cue a giant hand sailing towards Yhwach, an image that actually surprises Yhwach. The hand distorts the air/space around it as it moves forward, collides with Yhwach and sends him flying, the air burning around him because of the speed at which he was blown away. In the same page, Ichibei catches up with Yhwach and explains the name of the attack - Senri Tsuutenshou (Heaven-piercing Palm of One Thousand Ri). As the name implies, anything hit by the technique is sent flying one thousand ri i.e. Three Thousand Nine Hundred Twenty-Seven Kilometres.

We've seen some pretty crazy powers in the Thousand Year Blood War arc, but this the only other time outside of Zaraki smashing the meteor with Nozarashi that such a feat was done casually. It doesn't even seem like Ichibei is using his Zanpakuto for this technique. Whatever it is, be a Hakuda, Kido, or a combination of both like Shunko, the Senri Tsuutenshou is a crazy powerful ability.

Yhwach tries to retaliate, but something is wrong.

He cannot even speak.

Speak Not the Name of the One Who Calls the True Name

Just as Ichibei warned Yhwach, speaking his name one too many times in a casual manner causes him to lose his voice, meaning Yhwach cannot use any technique that require calling names to retaliate against Ichibei. Ichibei manifests the hand of Senrei Tsuutenshou again - showing us the hand seems to be made of spirit energy - and tells Yhwach to make sure he repents before hitting him again with a palm thrust, sending Yhwach flying downward.

Well, there's no question about it now - Ichibei Hyosube is the Captain of the Royal Guard, and for good reason. While Nimaiya could curb-stomp the Elite Guard pre-Auswahlen single-handedly, he still needed help from Kirinji when Askin's "The Death-Dealing" started to affect him. But what Ichibei is doing here blows that feat away - literally. Not once, but twice has he sent Yhwach flying with the Senri Tsuutenshou, and he even briefly gained the upper hand by neutralizing Yhwach's voice.

Considering Yhwach is the same man who killed Yamamoto, that speaks volumes about how powerful Ichibei is. I have little doubt now that he may be the one Shinigami from a thousand years ago who was stronger than Yamamoto. Not only is he one of the oldest Shinigami - the one who named all things in the Soul Society - but his power is also a result of thousands of years of living and honing it. No wonder Yhwach wanted to deal with him personally - he's the only one that probably stood a chance against Ichibei.

Give Me The Voice

As Yhwach is sent flying another 1000 ri, he deals with the loss of his voice in a rather unorthodox way - he pierces his own neck with two of his fingers and streams reishi/power into it, thereby "bestowing" upon himself his "Voice" once more, upon which he immediately creates the Zankuto Bougen (Great Holy Bow) below him, and shoots himself with an arrow to force himself back up to Ichibei's position, slightly cutting his back in the process and drawing a trickle of blood.

This very pragmatic maneuver on Yhwach's part shows just what kind of an opponent Ichibei is. Not only did he have to stab his fingers into his own neck to restore his "Voice", but he also created the Zankuto Bougen to stop himself from flying any further from the Senri Tsuutenshou's attack by shooting himself with an arrow to get back up to Ichibei's position - while Ichibei only has a small cut on his back.

Let me repeat - Yhwach wounded himself twice already in this battle, and Ichibei just has a small cut. If Yhwach has not yet unleashed his true power (implied in 514), then he'll probably need to release at least some of that power in order to stand a better chance against Ichibei.

To get back to the Zankuto Bougen, I have a feeling that this gives more evidence to the idea that Yhwach's Schrift is "The Arrow". While it seems mundane compared to stuff like "The Visionary", what power would be more befitting the "Father of the Quincy" than a Schrift based on the traditional weapons of the Quincy, the Spirit Bow and Heilig Pfiel? It would certainly fit with the power Uryu has displayed with his Spirit Bow, and he shares "A" with Yhwach. After all, he already possesses the Auswahlen as "one of the powers" he possesses, according to Haschwalth.

Let's look at the indicators: he killed Yamamoto with a broadsword-like Heilig Pfiel he summoned from a giant spirit bow he created; he fires his normal Heilig Pfiel from his index finger, and how he has created a giant reishi construct with six giant Heilig Pfiel already primed.

So at this point, I will safely conclude that Yhwach is "The Arrow".

The Demon Monk

The chapter ends with Ichibei commenting on Yhwach firing an arrow through his own body to force himself back up to Ichibei's position, and calls him terrifying. As he states that now he has no choice but to kill Yhwach, we are treated to Ichibei's completely white eyes as he says these words. If Ichibei was part of the Gotei 13 when it was first created, then I can definitely see the demonic personality of the original Gotei 13 shining through in his expression here. Him being a part of the original Gotei 13 can be solidified by the fact Yhwach knows him enough to call him by his full name.

The leaders of the Vandenreich and the Royal Guard are now fighting each other, and already we have an intense battle that is on an entirely different level on our hands. Looking forward to seeing more.

Instinct and Desire, Belief and Enlightenment - The Nature of Powers

With Bleach Chapter 560, we saw a very unusual Quincy ability with "The Superstar", and it most likely threw everyone for a loop in one way or another. How does such an ability relate to reishi manipulation, and how could such an odd ability exist in Bleach?

When I stopped to think about it, I now believe that the individual abilities of the Quincy may tie into what Aizen mentioned about "Human" hearts in "Deicide":

"...However, it is a peculiar quality of living beings... // ...that when it comes to achieving those petty desires that their crude hearts enshrine... // ...they tend to have remarkable levels of success."

...but living creatures are truly mysterious, you know?
4: Despite the nature of what they wish for with their stunted hearts,
5: they are built so that they are able to realize such.

Before, I only attributed what Aizen said to Fullbring, because the concept of "fulfilling desires" ties into how Fullbring works flawlessly - a Fullbring is a power "born form desire", and the kind of power that is manifested is based on the "desire" of the individual.

But considering Aizen said "living beings" in general, and how "Humans" and "Quincy" fall under that category, it can arguably be applied to the Quincy as well. True, Royd and Loyd seem to counteract this argument because they were born with "The Yourself", but they could have also had "The Yourself" because they were born as identical twins.

So just as Fullbring is "a power of desire", the power of a Quincy is "a power of belief". The Quincy all begin with the basic bow and arrow but, as their power evolves, they shape and create their unique abilities based on their individual beliefs, as well as a power befitting their own personality.

Currently, it seems no Quincy's power shows this more clearly than "The Superstar" just because of how unusual it is.

Alternatively, the Shinigami and the Hollow represent the "inner self" - the "enlightened" inner self or the "instinctual" inner self respectively. Shinigami are "born" with their Zanpakuto power, which represents their "inner selves", while the Hollow is the embodiment of the "instincts" that exists in all individuals.

This is where the opposition between the soul types exist, because of the correlation between the two sets of souls.

Shinigami and Quincy are opposite because the nature of their powers are opposite: while the Quincy form their powers based on "belief/faith", the Shinigami's Zanpakuto is one of "enlightenment", through the understanding of one's own soul, and the acceptance of both the good and bad that comes with it.

"Belief" is trust, faith or confidence in the existence of something or in someone. This is evidence in the Quincy's monotheistic nature and symbolism: they hold a "belief" in God, and that "belief" can also be related to themselves and their powers, as "belief" also encompasses "ideal", often without proof. "Enlightenment" is the opposite, as to be "enlightened" is to have achieved understanding and knowledge of something. For the Shinigami, that "enlightenment" is the understanding of themselves and their own soul through the Zanpakuto.

Humans and Hollow are opposite in the same manner, because "desire" and "instinct" can be seen as two sides of the same coin. We have not really seen any pure "Human" power in the series - aside from potentially Kanonji and the Were-wolf Clan - but Fullbring best represents the "desire" aspect of the "Human" power.

"To desire" something is to want to possess something or to want something to happen. A Fullbringer's ability allows them to "bring about that desire" through their power. "Instinct", on the other hand, is the primal form of "desire", a powerful motivation carved into the behaviour and nature of an individual. This is what the body, Mask and power of a Hollow represents - the primal instincts of the soul.

Digging Up Old Theories: The Planes of Souls - An Analysis of Deicide

During "Deicide", Aizen made numerous references to the concept of "Transcendence", comparing it to the relationship between it and Humans and Shinigami as akin to the relationship between a two-dimensional object and three-dimensional objects - because he was in a 'higher plane', Humans and Shinigami could not feel his spiritual power. I think that Aizen was not wrong when he was making this analogy, as he was quite specific when used only the second and third dimensions of objects while ignoring the first dimension.

In Bleach, I believe that the dimensions Aizen made reference to is linked to the nature of the soul itself - in other words, the different "planes of souls". So if Humans and Shinigami occupy the 2nd dimension, while Aizen occupies the 3rd dimension (and Ichigo was able to ascend into a 4th dimension), what would the 1st dimension be?

Looking back with what I know now, I think that answer is clear: the "soul" in "matter" are the "first plane of souls"; living beings and spirits make up the "second plane of souls"; a Transcendental Being like what Aizen became resides in the "third plane of souls", and Ichigo managed to transcend into the "fourth plane of souls" when he "became one with his power".

During "Deicide", Aizen made a curious comment that stuck in my mind and blossomed into thought with the Lost Agent Arc:

"Living beings are strange creatures. They are designed to realize whatever their under-sized hearts desire."

The above is the Viz translation, and translations at Mangahelper give it more depth.

Cnet128 has Aizen say:

when it comes to achieving those petty desires that their crude hearts enshrine... // ...they tend to have remarkable levels of success.

While molokidan translated this:

Despite the nature of what they wish for with their stunted hearts,
5: they are built so that they are able to realize such.

All three point toward one common idea: the Human heart is designed to realize whatever it is the individual desires most. Looking back on this after the Lost Agent arc, I realized Aizen may have been referring to the nature of Fullbring.

Fullbring is a power that allows Humans to manipulate the "souls" in "matter", and each Fullbringer has a unique ability that is closely aligned with a specific desire. By drawing out the souls in matter and boosting it with their own to unleash a greater power, a Fullbringer essentially manipulates "Reason" to achieve their desires.

This "Power of Reason" is a trait possessed by "one-dimensional souls", as it is what defines the Laws of Nature. A Fullbringer can change the "nature of matter" through manipulating the "souls" contained within "matter". To be more accurate, what would define a "two dimensional soul" is the ability to draw out its own power through various methods, something a "one dimensional soul" cannot do.

A "three dimensional soul", on the other hand, defies "Reason" itself.

We saw this occur when Aizen destroyed the Koutotsu. Gin described the Koutotsu as a "Being of Reason/Force of Nature", depending on the translation, and he and Isshin stated that no Shinigami should be able to do anything to it with reiatsu. However, Aizen destroyed the Koutotsu by letting it hit him. The Koutotsu, as a "Being of Reason", was something no being possessing reiatsu should be able to effect, as it was essentially a living embodiment of the Laws of Nature that define the world of Bleach. To even consider destroying it would require one to possess power that stands above and defies "Reason" itself - an action that gives scope to what a Transcendental Being is.

"Transcending one's limits" have been mentioned before in regards to Hollowfication and Hollows becoming Arrancar - even Aizen said Inoue's powers were beyond Human limits - yet neither Visoreds, Arrancar or Fullbringers can possibly be grouped into the same category as a Transcendental Being.

It is at this point where the opposition of souls Urahara brought up applies. While it is Humans and Hollow who are opposites of one another, the process of Hollowfication involves breaking down the barrier between Shinigami and Hollow - otherwise incompatible beings - in order to allow a Shinigami to go beyond their normal limits. However, there exists a natural instability in such a process, leading to "soul suicide" in Shinigami. In regards to Quincy, the opposites of Shinigami, they cannot even gain Hollow power and are out-right destroyed by a Hollow's essence.

As Urahara also explained, the way to stop "soul suicide" in a Visored - and halt Hollowfication in a Quincy altogether - is to introduce an element that corrects the 'imbalance' of a soul caused by such a process. For Visoreds, it is a vaccine of Quincy arrows of light and Human souls; in Masaki's case, Isshin had to become Shinigami-Human and have his soul tied to hers and White's to balance out her Quincy-Hollow.

In contrast, Fullbringers and Arrancar are completely stable, and the reason for this is likely due to the fact Human and Hollow already balance with one another. Fullbring is a Human power derived from Hollow reiryoku; Arrancars are created when a Hollow breaks their mask and regains their Human form. We have yet to see a straight-forward Shinigami-Quincy, but they would likely balance out in a similar fashion.

As a result, a Transcendental Being - or "three dimensional soul" - is likely an entity where the above four soul types are perfectly balanced with one another.

Essentially, it means that a "three dimensional soul" is created when all four types of "two dimensional souls" exist and balance with one another within a single individual. We saw this in "The Lust" with Zangetsu, "Deicide" with Aizen, and I believe we also saw it with Ginjo in "The Lost Agent arc".

However, I once believed that it was simply Shinigami-Hollow-Human balanced in one being.

In support of the Shinigami-Hollow-Human I mentioned earlier, Ginjo told Ichigo that his Shinigami power would fuse with his Fullbring, and that Ichigo would "gain a power transcending the Shinigami". The last time a character talked about "power transcending the Shinigami", he previously destroyed the Koutotsu. Supporting the idea that Ginjo was talking about full-blown Transcendence, when Ichigo released his Bankai after gaining his powers back he shattered Yukio's "chatroom".

An entire team of Captain-level Shinigami were implied to not be able to break into it if they combined all their power, but Ichigo shattered it by releasing his Bankai. It is likely not because Ichigo was stronger than all five of said Captains combined, but because the "nature" of his power allowed him to transcend and defy the laws governing Yukio's "Invaders Must Die", allowing him to interact with it in a way normal Shinigami couldn't.

Also supporting the idea of Shinigami-Human-Hollow Transcendence is Zangetsu during "The Lust", which also indicates a concept of "dominance" in regards to Transcendental Beings. When Zangetsu came out on the Dome, he was more Hollow than Shinigami ("Quincy" Zangetsu was suppressing the Shinigami power), so what we saw behaved and fought like a Hollow. It was likely this entity's power that Aizen used as the basis for his Transcendence, leading to his more Hollow-like appearance with each transformation.

We saw this again in "The Lost Agent arc" between Ichigo and Ginjo. While Ginjo was a Fullbringer who had Shinigami power fuse with his Fullbring i.e. the one he stole from Ichigo, Ichigo was a Shinigami who had his Fullbring fuse with his Shinigami power. In short, Ichigo expressed his power through the medium of a Shinigami, while Ginjo did so through Fullbring, leading to their strikingly different appearances when they entered Bankai - Ichigo remained the same, but Ginjo took on a Hollow-like appearance.

However, Urahara's explanation indicates that a perfect fusion of Shinigami and Hollow balanced by a Human soul isn't enough - there needs to be a Quincy component. "Quincy" Zangetsu provided this for Ichigo, and the idea gives interesting implications for Ginjo - something I'll get into later because of how late it is where I am.

So now we finally move onto the "fourth plane of power/souls" that Ichigo achieved in Deicide. What this "fourth plane of souls" is likely pertains to what the essence behind the Final Getsuga Tenshou was - "becoming Getsuga" i.e. becoming one with his power.

Please note that I do not think this is something exclusive to Transcendents, as Isshin is evidence that Shinigami can "become one with their power". Rather, it indicates that "becoming one with your power" is a natural form of Transcendence accessible to Shinigami. As a result, similar forms likely exist with Hollow, Quincy, and potentially Fullbringer.

Obviously, we have seen what this entails for Shinigami, so I will elaborate on Hollow and Quincy.

In regards to Hollows, I believe this is a state they can only achieve once they become Arrancar, and that it is the Segunda Etapa that Ulquiorra used during "The Lust". The basis of a Resurreccion is to return the Arrancar to its 'true form', usually something representing what they originally looked like as Hollows to varying degrees. But we know there is a Second Stage because of Ulquiorra, and one detail sticks out in my mind regarding his Segunda Etapa - the missing Mask Fragment.

A Mask Fragment often changes with the release of the Resurreccion, but Ulquiorra's Segunda Etapa caused the Mask Fragment to disappear completely. As implied by Neliel's turning into a child after her Mask fragment was broken, there is considerable power stored in the Mask Fragment that most Arrancar do not tap into. I believe that tapping into that power involves completely fusing the power of the Hollow with the Arrancar's Human body, their form of "becoming one with their power".

This is possibly evidenced by Uryu noting how the 'nature' of Ulquiorra's reiatsu was different after he went into Segunda Etapa.

In the case of the Quincy, the answer appears to be getting complicated with the depictions of the Stern Ritter and their power, but I do believe the Letzt Stil is the Quincy's key to their "Transcendence" . Much like the Final Getsuga Tenshou, the Letzt Stil increases the Quincy's power to new heights, but the end result with both of them is that the individual using it loses their powers. A Quincy loses their power as a Quincy but still retains their spiritual power, while a Shinigami loses their spiritual power entirely.

The Letzt Stil centers around increasing the Quincy's ability to collect reishi to such an extent that they exert "dominance over reishi", and an example of the power achievable through this method is seen with Uryu when he used it against Mayuri. I cannot say with certainty that a Quincy "becomes one with their power" because of this, but reishi dominance is a power that goes beyond the normal limits of Quincy, as Mayuri pointed out. But perhaps it is that reishi dominance - considering manipulating reishi is the center of a Quincy's power - that symbolizes them "becoming one with their power".

At this point, a similar power existing for Fullbringers is only speculation, but it would likely entail something related to their ability to manipulate the "souls" in "matter" - maybe even along the lines of Shinigami and Hollow, considering the manner a Fullbringer manifests their power is similar to a Zanpakuto. Rather than channelling their power through an item they have a close attachment to, the height of a Fullbringer's power would involve a manipulation of all the "souls" in the "matter" comprising their body, and channeling their power via that method.

For Shinigami, Hollow, Human and Quincy, this would potentially give them access to the 'third plane of power', but I cannot say that with certainty. For a Transcendental Being, this allows them to enter into the 'fourth plane of power'.

Digging Up Old Theories - Discussion of the Ouken

The following is a part of a series of blog posts that involve me digging up old theories and archiving them here on Bleach - Beyond the Pages.

It is so that more people can look at these theories, and so I don't have to go back in time to find them again.

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The Ouken was one of the major plot-points relating to the Arrancar saga. Aizen sought to create it in order to reach the Royal Realm and kill the Spirit King, and the price for creating one was the destruction of Karakura Town and its 100,000 inhabitants due to the Jureichi (Important Spirit Ground) the town rested on.

Until then, we all assumed that it was an inanimate object (specifically a special key), but it was not until the recent arc that we learnt what the true nature of the Ouken was - the Ouken is a living being. With the Royal Guard members, it was the Spirit King who 'manifested' the power of the Ouken into the bones of the Royal Guard members, allowing them to open the door to the Royal Realm for themselves and anyone they choose to allow.

In Aizen's case, creating an Ouken with his spiritual power would involve re-creating a member of the Royal Guard - creating life, as Shutara put it. In all likelihood, a normal Aizen would have never been able to succeed in such a process, adding another explanation for why Aizen sought the power of a "Transcendental Being" - the power of one is required to create a living Ouken.

This gives way to a number of possibilities - what would the powers of a living Ouken be? Knowing what we know now, the Ouken would not have only been made from the "souls" of 100,000 Humans, but also the "souls" of all the "matter" within the Jureichi. A possible way for figuring out the power of an Ouken would be to look at the Royal Guards themselves.

However, there is one other detail that should be worth considering - the fact that the Great Spirit Library contained the information on the method Aizen intended to use.

Information on such a method would not have existed in the Spirit Library's records unless the process had been done in the past. In other words, a living Ouken was created at some point in the past. It is not among the Royal Guard because Ichibei said that all of the Royal Guard had the power of the Ouken "manifested" into their bones by the Spirit King, which in itself raises the question as to who created the Ouken, when did they do it, why was it done, and where is that Ouken now.

For that, I believe Yamamoto may have given us the answer to three of the four questions:

1) Yamamoto said that the knowledge of the Ouken's location was passed down only through successive generations of the Gotei 13's Captain-Commander via oral tradition. Yamamoto had been the only Gotei 13 Captain-Commander since he created it 1000 years ago before his death, meaning only he knew the location of the living Ouken.

2) The above statement would peg the living Ouken's creation at 1000 years ago during the Shinigami-Quincy War the Gotei 13 fought against Yhwach and the Quincy, given that we know the Gotei 13 was created 1000 years ago.

Now, the answers to the who and why are currently theories at the moment, so I will number them in order of "who" and "why":

3) It was the Gotei 13 who created the living Ouken 1,000 years ago. Yhwach said so himself that the original Gotei 13 were a group of cold-hearted killers, and that Yamamoto was a demon of the sword in those days. This also ties into why it would only be Yamamoto who knew the living Ouken's location for the past 1000 years - as the one either responsible for its creation or the one who ordered it, he took it upon himself to watch over and protect the living Ouken as part of his atonement for his sins.

As to the answer of "why" it was created, I believe Yhwach was the one who gradually gave us the answer, culminating in the addendum to the Kaiser Gesang he revealed in chapter 546 - "...And in the span of nine days, he will reclaim the world":

4) The living Ouken was created to reach the Royal Realm and overthrow Yhwach. The addendum to the Kaiser Gesang would only exist if Yhwach had once been the King of Soul Society. If this were to be proven true, it would have great ramifications for the story's future, and bring into question much about Soul Society. More importantly, it would give further in-sight into the nature of the war that took place 1000 years ago.

The one thing that is not fully clear is "where" the Ouken is. Yamamoto is the only confirmed individual who knew where it was, but he was killed by Yhwach. Given Yhwach's power, it is possible he absorbed Yamamoto's soul upon his death and gained knowledge of the Ouken's current location, so one of Yhwach's future goals could be related to finding and acquiring the living Ouken.

After all, Yhwach will likely not be able to reach the Royal Realm without the aid of the Ouken to open the doors - even if he was once the King of Soul Society.

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Well, those are my thoughts on the Ouken that I will share at the moment. Here are some questions to consider:

1) What are your thoughts regarding the Ouken?

2) What powers do you think the Ouken would possess?

3) Who do you think the Ouken could be? A new character? Someone we already know? If so, why do you think it could be that character?

4) Do you believe what we learnt about the "souls" in "matter" in "The Lost Agent arc" affects the nature of the Ouken's creation?
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P.S. I have another post that discusses the nature of the various Ouken we know of so far.  I'll see if I can dig it up and post it here later.

The Four Spiritual Beings - The Significance of Souls

This is not a new discussion.  It is an old one that I dug up and decided to archive here.
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In the recent chapter of Bleach, Urahara tells us that the Arrancar's Resurreccion is almost the same as a Shinigami's Bankai, and we have seen - particularly with Vasto Lordes level Arrancar - that the power increase given by Resurreccion is equivalent to that of a Bankai in most cases.

By this logic, Urahara proposed that the Vandenreich could be able to steal an Arrancar's Resurreccion as easily as they are able to steal a Shinigami's Bankai. But there is also a couple questions this brings up: is it a retcon of the Arrancar's Resurrecion, and how would Medallions able to steal Bankai be able to do the same to Resurreccion?

I believe the answer rests with the Asauchi and the form of a Hollows. As we learnt recently, an Asauchi is made from laying multiple Shinigami souls on top of each other, the end result being blank beings with no individuality.

A Menos Grande is formed from a similar process, only it occurs when Hollows begin to devour other Hollows, which causes their souls to merge with one another to create the mindless Gillian, which themselves are blank slates unless there is one Hollow whose ego/personality exceeds those making up the rest of the Menos. We saw an "alternate" method of creating a Menos with White, who could use a Menos' Cero but was made from multiple Shinigami souls.

As we know, the Gillians who maintain individuality have the potential to become Adjuchas and eventually Menos Grandes, becoming distinct individuals, having progressed beyond the Gillian stage. Once a Hollow breaks their Masks to become Arrancars, they regain their Human forms - or as close to Human forms as they can get - and they store the nucleus of their Hollow powers in the Zanpakuto generated by the evolution into Arrancar.

But more importantly is what happens when one Adjuchas devours even a small piece of another - the evolution of the Adjuchas who had part of their body devoured stops. We also know that an Arrancar who discards a part of their physical form in Resurrecion cannot restore themselves to their original state. This is the same as what happens when Bankai are damaged - a Bankai can never be restored to the way it was, and suffers from decreased power.

The composition of a Menos' body is essentially the same as the Asauchi - multiple souls piled on top of one another - and sealing the nucleus of one's Hollow powers in a Zanpakuto represents the same thing as it does for a Shinigami's Zanpakuto. Just as a Bankai is the complete manifestation of a Shinigami's power, the Resurreccion is the manifestation of the Arrancar's true power.

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But this is not the case with either Fullbringers or Quincy. In the case of Fullbringers, however, their method of manifesting powers functions very much like a Shinigami - they imprint the essence of their soul onto an object they are close to. In the case of Fullbringers, this can be any Human World object they have a close attachment to, and then manifest their powers by amplifying the power of the object's "soul" with their own.

In the case of Quincy, they use the Quincy Cross to act as the focus of their reishi-gathering abilities in order to manifest a Spirit Weapon. As was explained early on, the Quincy and Shinigami are opposites of one another. A Shinigami channels their inner power through their Zanpakuto, "fighting with the power within", while Quincy absorb reishi and combine it with their power to create weapons, "fighting using outside powers".

In other words, both of these subsets of Humans use their powers to manipulate certain spiritual energies - the "soul" of "objects" or the reishi in the atmosphere - in order to create weapons.

This is in stark contrast to the spiritual beings of Shinigami and Arrancar, who possess weapons in the form of Zanpakuto - which are composed of multiple souls piled/mixed together - which represent the "essence" of the Shinigami or Arrancar's soul, and are "released" to display the individual's true power.
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Which brings us to what Urahara mentioned in "Everything But the Rain". When discussing the method of saving Masaki, Urahara explained that Hollows are opposites of Humans, and Shinigami are opposites of Quincy. In essence, Urahara set up the relevance of harmony between these four soul types, and their relationships to one another.

In the case of Hollows and Humans being opposites, this is best seen when looking at both Arrancar and Fullbringers. Both races are hybrid races created by their opposition. In the case of Arrancar, they are "Hollows" who regain their "Human" selves, resulting in their "Hollow" powers being sealed into a Zanpakuto. In the case of Fullbringers, they are "Humans" who were born with "Hollow reiryoku" mixed into their souls. Because they are opposites, this awakened a power that allows "Humans" to manipulate the "souls" in "matter".

But things get messy if you attempt to mix Hollow powers in with the soul of a Shinigami and Quincy. Because they are spiritual beings - and likely because of the nature of the Zanpakuto being similar to Hollows - a Shinigami who gains Hollow powers is able to "Hollowfy", affording them an increase in power. Despite this, there still exists the risk of Shinigami losing control of themselves, becoming mindless monsters, and self-destructing via "soul suicide".

But a Hollow's true anti-thesis is the Quincy. Both races, as we now know, exist in a mutual relationship of destruction. If a Hollow is killed by Quincy arrows, they are erased from existence, and if a Quincy's soul becomes contaminated with a Hollow's essence, their spiritual powers not only become "weakened", but they can also have their own souls destroyed by a Hollow's essence.

Hence, the only soul able to balance out a "Hollow" and resist its "corruption/poison" is a "Human" soul. This makes sense, considering all "Human" souls can become "Hollows" if their Chain of Fate erodes away.

It is different when you mix "Human" with "Shinigami" or "Quincy". The "Human" soul is neutral to both "Shinigami" and "Quincy", but with different effects. With a "Shinigami", they have a "Human" physical body, and must exit that body in order to assume their "Shinigami" form. It also seems that a "Shinigami" ages at the rate of a "Human" in such circumstances - as we saw with Isshin, who became a "Shinigami-Human" and physically aged twenty years as a result.

With "Quincy", who are Humans with spiritual powers, a Pure-blood "Quincy" marrying a "Human" and having children produces a "Half-blood" Quincy. At this point, it is purely hypothesis, but it is a notion I have heard elsewhere and agree with - specifically Milareppa at OneManga, IIRC.

While a Half-Blood "Quincy" might not have the same innate potential as a Pure-Blood, their "Human" sides might give them the "natural defenses/antibodies" to Hollows that Pure-Bloods lack. This is how we've seen Uryu be injured by Hollows numerous times, yet he has not been "poisoned" like we have just seen happen with Cang Du, and what happened with Masaki. So while they might be considered "inferior" to the Pure-Bloods, a Half-Blood is actually "superior" in the fact they have natural defenses against a Hollow's essence.
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In regards to "Shinigami" and "Quincy", we have not seen a clear end-result of that outside of two - potentially three - instances. In the first instance at the beginning of the series, just by touching Ichigo's Zanpakuto, Uryu's Kojaku, his Spirit Weapon, changed form and most likely would have produced an exponentially more powerful arrow than his normal self.

For the second, we have Ichigo himself. He wields the powers of the Shinigami, but now that his Quincy powers have awakened and his true Zanpakuto revealed, we know three things: 1) Ichigo now possesses dual Zanpakuto, a trait only Kyoraku and Ukitake have displayed among the Shinigami, 2) Ichigo has a manifestation of Quincy powers in his Inner World, and 3) that manifestation can activate the Blut to protect Ichigo even when Ichigo himself is unaware he can use the ability.

The third is how Ichigo and his sisters were safe from the Auswahlen. We know Uryu was also unaffected, but I'll get to that later. Because of their Quincy heritage, the Kurosaki siblings should have all been targeted by the Auswahlen, but Yhwach could touch none of them - he could only take Masaki's powers - so we know that a Shinigami-Quincy hybrid is immune to Yhwach's Auswahlen, essentially meaning they exist outside of his influence.

As to what this means, Grand Fisher mentioned that Ichigo was a "Trueblood" upon learning his father was a Shinigami. But what is a "True Blood"? The terminology Kubo uses for that term is different from the "Pure Blood" and "Half-Blood" used to refer to the Quincy and their lineages.

It could simply mean Ichigo has Shinigami heritage, but why would "True Blood" be used to refer to just anyone with a Shinigami heritage? I think that it is hinting at something in regards to Humans born with "Shinigami" powers. The possibility exists that the only way a "Human" can be born with "Shinigami" powers is if one of their parents was a Shinigami and the other a Quincy. As a result of these two opposing races existing in one being, the end result is a "True Blood" - an individual possessing both the power of "Shinigami" and "Quincy".
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In the end, it is all a matter of the balance between souls and their relationships to one another, which brings us to the last section of my post (hopefully) - the nature of Transcendence.

"Transcendence" appears to be rooted in "transcending Shinigami and Hollow", and Hollowfication was Aizen's main research route in achieving that goal. However, "Hollowfication" is unstable, so creating a "stable" Visored requires a vaccine made from Quincy Arrows of Light and Human souls, with the vaccine's two parts balancing with the conflicting Shinigami and Hollow essences to stabilize the soul. But compared to an Arrancar, a stable hybrid of "Human" and "Hollow", the Visoreds are imperfect.

This is where the "Human" essence becomes key to achieving Transcendence. The "Human" side has to balance with the "Hollow" side in order to make it stable, which will result in a fusion of "Shinigami" and "Hollow" to create a being "transcending both Shinigami and Hollow". Ginjo also made mention of this when discussing Ichigo's Fullbring - when his Shinigami reiatsu fused with his Fullbring, he would gain a power "transcending the Shinigami".

It is because of Ichigo's "Human" side that the "Hollow" powers passed onto him from Masaki, who was infected with Hollowfication by White, fused with his Shinigami powers and became his Zanpakuto without resulting in "soul suicide".

However, there is a catch. As we saw with Aizen, Ichigo and Ginjo, any Transcendental Being with only those three essences inside them - "Hollow", "Shinigami" and "Human" - will appear distinctly Hollow-like in appearance. They may wield Zanpakuto, but their physical appearance is still that of Hollows. Aizen might have been because of the Hogyoku, but we saw the upper limit of this with the abomination he became at the end.

Which brings me to the second, complete stage of Transcendence. In this stage, all four soul essences are in balance with one another - "Shinigami" and "Quincy", and "Human" and "Hollow". Ichigo is the main example of this thus far in the series, and embodies the balance of souls in the series - one the Blood War has thrown out of balance for the past one thousand years.

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As a result, the key theme of the Final Blood War arc is not solely about the Quincy, but it will be about the role they fill in the balance of souls in the Bleach universe. If their existence only threatened the balance and to cause the destruction of the world, why would they exist in the first place?

The Nature of Segunda Etapa and Mugetsu

The Arrancar were the antagonists that enthralled a number of readers with Bleach. They were Hollows who had removed their Masks to regain their Human forms, and who had sealed the power of their souls within Zanpakuto. When an Arrancar released their Zanpakuto in what is called "Resurreccion", the power of their soul - their original Hollow form - is restored to them. In doing so, the Arrancar gain access to their abilities, their combat power is multiplied, and their reiatsu level increases.

As Urahara described it in the recent arc, the Resurreccion is akin to a Bankai in its function. The Bankai is the second release of the Zanpakuto, requiring one to subjugate their Zanpakuto spirit in order to learn its name. Given that the Stern Ritter were able to steal the Bankai with the Star Medallion - an act indicated to steal the Zanpakuto Spirit as well - it means that the Bankai is the full manifestation of the "power of the soul" of the Shinigami.

However, the Arrancar Saga showcased two forms that appear to be above these two releases: the Segunda Etapa and Ichigo's Mugetsu.

The Segunda Etapa seemingly came out of the blue in Ulquiorra's fight with Ichigo. As if beating him down with Murcielago was not enough, Ulquiorra went a step beyond the Resurreccion of any Arrancar seen before him or since then and revealed the Segunda Etapa - a "Second Stage" to the Resurreccion. As Uryu described the reiatsu of the Segunda Etapa, it was not simply the power of the reiatsu released by Segunda Etapa that was different - there existed a fundamental difference in its reiatsu. To be specific, Uryu described the reiatsu as feeling like "there's an ocean coming down on him", and that it was too thick and dark to be considered "reiatsu".

Ichigo's Mugetsu is the name given to the form he took when activating "The Final Getsuga Tenshou", a technique that caused Ichigo to lose all his Shinigami power upon activation. What must be noted is the change in form. Not only did Ichigo's Shihakusho undergo a radical change into a blue-gray binding around his body and mouth, but his physical appearance changed as well - his hair turned long and pitch-black, and there were markings on his arms as well. Although Aizen could not sense him in that state, I can imagine that there was a fundamental change in the nature of his reiatsu as a result of activating the technique.

I believe Ichigo's Mugetsu provides the key to understanding what happened with the Segunda Etapa, and where that power came from. When Ichigo exited the Dangai after completing his training to attain the "Final Getsuga Tenshou", we observed that Tensa Zangetsu had agglutinated itself to Ichigo's right arm. While a similar evolution to Aizen's Transcendence, the purpose was fundamentally different. When Ichigo activated the Final Getusga Tenshou, Tensa Zangetsu vanished and was replaced by a stream of spiritual power emanating from Ichigo's right arm. As Ichigo described it, "he became Getsuga", meaning Ichigo had "become one" with his Zanpakuto and its power.

I believe this is connected to Segunda Etapa because a very similar transformation occurred when Ulquiorra activated it. His Hollow hole widened and a blood-like marking poured down from the hole, the markings on his face change and the whites of his eyes darkened to a green colouration, his wings transformed, the robe of his Resurreccion vanished, he grew a tail, his feet became bat-like, and his arms and lower body became covered in a black fur.

To those of you paying attention to the description, you'll notice I left something out. I did so because it is crucial to my point.

When Ulquiorra released the Segunda Etapa, his Mask Fragment completely vanished, and in its place are a set of horns on his head.

As implied in Neliel's flashback, the Mask Fragment is very important to the Arrancar. Neliel was aghast when she saw Pesche and Dondochakka's Mask Fragments ripped completely off, and she lost all her power and turned into a kid when Nnoitra severely damaged her Mask. Szayel speculated that the phenomenon happened due to her reiatsu flowing from her broken Mask. Based on the scene in Kirinji's Hot Springs, the core of one's reiatsu is located in their head of Shinigami. The same is likely true for Arrancar, since the blow that cause Neliel to revert to a child was to the head.

As we learnt in "The Lost Agent Arc", the Hollow's "lost heart" becomes their Mask, their physical appearance, and their power. In a sense, the Mask is the core of a Hollow's power. By extension, while an Arrancar's Zanpakuto is the "power of the soul" sealed into the blade, the Mask Fragment of the Arrancar is still part of "the core of their power".

I believe that the Segunda Etapa is more than just a 'second release' - it is the Arrancar "becoming one" with their power. I believe that an Arrancar must be able to release the power that is still contained within the Mask Fragment in order to achieve Segunda Etapa. In doing so, their Human bodies themselves take on a more animalistic appearance akin to but different from their original Hollow form. Just by comparing Ulquiorra's Segunda Etapa to his original Hollow form from UNMASKED, you can see that it is the original Resurreccion which bears more of a resemblance to his original Hollow form, leaving the Segunda Etapa a form beyond their original Hollow selves - one which is a result of the complete unification of their Hollow and Human selves.

While Arrancar may have Shinigami-like powers such as Sonido, Pesquisa and the Arrancar Zanpakuto, the Arrancar are not Shinigami-Hollow hybrids - the powers they gain are only "similar" to the Shinigami - but are "Human-Hollow". It should be clear where this idea comes from - "Hollows" breaking their Masks to regain their "Human" forms and sense of reason. In this sense, the true opposite to an Arrancar is a Fullbringer - "Humans" who are born with power derived from "Hollow" reiryoku.

As Urahara explained in "Everything But the Rain", "Humans" are opposite of "Hollows". By breaking their Masks, "Hollows" break down the boundary between themselves and their opposite. Thus, the Segunda Etapa is the result of the Arrancar's "Human" self 'becoming one' with their "Hollow" self - "the core of their power". The reason why Ulquiorra's reiatsu felt so different is because a fundamental change in his nature occurred at that point - there was no distinction between "Human" and "Hollow" anymore.

At the end of the day, "becoming one" with your power appears to be the true final stage of development in one's abilities, but it is so powerful and rare that only very few people can perform it - much less have knowledge of it.

Bleach Chapter 604 Review

We Will Not Die Here
We begin with Bazz-B screaming in pain as he is struck by the Auswahlen, and Renji asks the Stern Ritter what is going on. As Bazz-B wonders the same thing, he asks His Majesty if that is his way of doing things - taking the powers of his subordinates when he deems them unneeded as both Renji and Rukia look on.

The current events are showing Yhwach to be a very different villain from what Aizen was in the past. While Aizen told Shinji that he only told the Arrancar "to follow him" and "to not trust anyone including him", Liltotto and Bazz-B's reactions to Yhwach's act in this chapter and the last two that Yhwach did not foster that kind of relationship with his subordinates. The shock of betrayal those two are showing indicates that they trusted in Yhwach as their Emperor, even if some of them did show doubts in the past.

At the same time in another area of the Seireitei, as Giselle...Um...Clings to Bambi like a security blanket uttering that he/she refuses to die, both Liltotto and Bazz-B affirm in the same that they both refuse to die in such a way.

Now, I definitely want to see both Bazz-B and Liltotto survive this. As it stands, not only have they been two of the main Stern Ritter in terms of focus in the past twenty-four chapters, but their adamant refusal to die of the Auswahlen shows that they will have unfinished business to take care of with Yhwach. It shows that these two are survivors, and it could provide some hints as to what the lives of these two were like before Yhwach inducted them into the Stern Ritter.

The Danger is Elsewhere

While Rukia and Renji were first-hand witnesses to what is going on, other Shinigami such as Kyoraku and Byakuya are noticing the light emanating from the Seireitei up towards the sky. As the scene shifts to Nanao and "Okikiba", Kyoraku announces that he may have to leave the Squad 1 barracks for a while, stating that it is the Royal Realm that is actually in danger, not the Seireitei.
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To diverge from the review for a bit, I'll explain why Okikiba's name is in quotations.

Simply put, I don't think that is Yamamoto's former third seat, but Aizen using Kyoka Suigetsu's "complete hypnosis" to disguise himself as Okikiba. Back in chapter 510, we saw Yamamoto calling out Okikiba's names as the 1st Division Barracks was blown apart by Yhwach. We know that Yamamoto told Okikiba to watch over the barracks while he was gone, and we know that Yhwach is also too ruthless a man to leave any Shinigami who crosses his path alive.

If the Gotei 13 believes that Okikiba somehow survived the detonation of the 1st Division barracks, then the only conclusion I have is that "Okikiba" is actually Aizen. He's disguised his minions as himself in the past, so why not disguise himself as someone else?
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Back to the review, Kyoraku's statement about leaving the 1st Division Barracks strongly indicates that Kyoraku intends to go up to the Royal Realm, meaning that he has an means of transportation up to the Royal Realm outside of the copy of the Kukaku Cannon that Mayuri made. I've heard it suggested that Kyoraku may actually ride the Shakonmaku barrier up to the Royal Realm (what it usually guards), and it is possible that they could simply use the actual Kukaku Cannon to get up there, but there could be other means that only someone like the Captain-Commander would know about.

With this being the case, I doubt that Kyoraku will go on his own. This is probably the perfect opportunity for Rukia and Renji to follow Ichigo back to the Royal Realm, and I suspect all the remaining Shinigami who are capable of fighting will also go up to the Royal Realm to fight. This means that we'll finally see Ukitake, and I do believe that Ginjo might come along as well, and we'll finally see what the Fullbringers have been up to.

So many individuals might seem like over-kill, but what happens next in the chapter makes me think otherwise...

NOTE: Also, it looks like Kubo forgot to draw Kyoraku with the eye-patch again.

The Redistribution of Power

As we cut back to the Royal Realm, Nimaiya is still standing there in shock and already has holes shot clean through his shoulder, and his knees buckle from the blood loss.

Haschwalth then proceeds to explain to Nimaiya what just happened, and what the Auswahlen is. As we learn, not only can the Auswahlen collect the life force and powers of Quincy deemed "unnecessary", but can also distribute it to other Quincy whom he deems "essential", and calls it the "redistribution of power". Those who have their powers taken from them will perish, cutting to Robert's skeleton (dammit, Kubo! ), and those who receive the power become ever stronger and are reborn, showing us Gerard and Pernida with their new angel wings, and Haschwalth finishes by stating: "This is just one of his Majesty's powers", and that because it was a "transfer of power", not a "transfer of reishi", it was able to completely bypass the Cage of Life.

While I am slightly upset that Robert actually bit the dust without us learning anything about his Schrift ability, the state he is in compared to Bazz-B does seem to indicate something. While Bazz-B is holding on for life within the Auswahlen, Robert gave up when he realized what was about to befall him. It is possible that Robert, because he let himself be "taken", was reduced to a skeleton in an instant, whereas Bazz-B is still struggling to stay alive as he refuses to die in such a way. In other words, although Haschwalth said that those selected will perish, there could be a chance for those selected to survive if they have the will to live, even if they still "die" as Quincy.

With that said...

ALERT! ALERT! TRANSCENDENT BEING DETECTED!

I apologize for diverging from my review again, but I have to say this: I believe what Yhwach has done in this chapter all but confirms that Yhwach is a "Transcendent Being". I'm almost ashamed that it did not occur to me last week.

In "Everything But the Rain", we learnt of Yhwach's hand in the deaths of both Uryu and Ichigo's mothers in the form of his "Auswahlen", a power that he used to strip away the life force and powers of all those Quincy he considered "unclean" - the only Gemischt Quincy who survived the Auswahlen was Uryu - and used them in order to "regain his power", as per the Kaiser Gesang. At this point, it was revealed that he could do this because he was the "Father of the Quincy", and that "his blood flows in the veins of all Quincy".

We would not learn "how" he could do it, but we did get an early hint in chapter 540 with the revelation of the identity of the one we thought to be "Zangetsu". This would only be completely introduced in chapter 565 when we were told the story of Yhwach's origins. In that story, we learnt that Yhwach possessed the power "to impart a piece of his soul" onto anyone he comes into physical contact with, and their wounds - be they physical, mental or spiritual - which could not mend with one soul would finally begin to heal. As we learnt from Haschwalth, he can more deeply and more powerfully impart soul fragments by engraving a letter onto a person's soul that represented their ability. This is how Yhwach created the Stern Ritter as a whole, and we know this method can also bring out a person's latent power, as seen with Uryu.

At the same time, that person's knowledge, skills, and talents are engraved inside Yhwach's soul fragment, and when they die the augmented fragment returns to Yhwach. Haschwalth also explained that the power of those who possess a soul fragment of Yhwach is also given to him when they die - we now know how true that statement is.

The fact that the Auswahlen takes both the powers and life-force of those Quincy "selected" makes me realize why those people who originally came into contact with Yhwach had their lives drastically shortened. Back then, Yhwach's physical body was completely crippled - he was deaf, mute, immobile, and blind - and the soul fragments that return to him from those who died after coming into contact with him eventually healed his body - his limbs became mobile, he could see, and he could speak and hear. The reason those people died so soon after coming into contact with Yhwach is because the soul fragments were draining away their life-force over time to give to Yhwach - to heal his body.

But the recent chapter showed us a completely new side to Yhwach's power in respect to the Quincy - even if he takes the power and life-force of Quincy, he can choose to distribute that power to other Quincy. He distributed the power and life-force he took from the Stern Ritter to his Elite Guard, reviving them from other-wise fatal wounds and empowering them even further than before.

A power like that is far beyond anything we have seen in the series up to this point. The only two things I can think of that even come close are the Hogyoku and the Soul King. One is the power "to manifest the desires of those around it" - the events which Aizen described as "miracles" - and the other is the ruler of Soul Society, who turned the bones of the Royal Guard members into Ouken, something that Aizen could only do by using the Jureichi and 100,000 Human souls to create a "living Ouken".

The power Yhwach is displaying is staggering, so the only thing I can think of him as being is a Transcendent, because no Shinigami, Quincy, Hollow or Human has displayed any kind of power remotely close to what he just did with Auswahlen.

Back to the Review - The Perforator of All Creation

To return to the chapter, Nimaiya responds to Haschwalth's words by concluding that is how he is in his current predicament - now that Lille Barro is now much stronger from the power distributed to him by Auswahlen, Nimaiya concludes that his new level of power is how he was able to blast holes in Nimaiya's body when they could not get through before. I assume that Nimaiya is not only referring to the power of the bullets, but their speed as well, since Nimaiya could cut apart the reishi bullets with ease before.

But Lille Barro states there are two misconceptions in Nimaiya's statement. Lille states that he wasn't that his powers were simply made "ever stronger", but that what he used were the innate powers he possessed all along but was unable to bring to the surface earlier. In other words, Lille Barro was implying that he was not actually using his ability beforehand. It is likely that Lille was simply not quick enough to activate it before he was cut down.

Lille then states that the second misconception was that he was firing "bullets". He fires his gun again, but it is "blocked" by both Kirinji's paddle and Hikifune's giant wooden spoon. Given that Kirinji hid his Zanpakuto in the paddle, it is likely Hikifune's Zanpakuto is also hidden in the spoon. Lille Barro then clarifies that his "target cannot be shielded" no matter how many layers of walls there are, causing the two Royal Guard members to see that Lille "shot" two holes through the paddle and spoon and punched a hole clean through Nimaiya's chest.

As we can see, the Kanji of Lille Barro's ability does indeed represent what his power is: "To pierce through all things". That is "The X-Axis's" true power - there are no bullets in "The X-Axis", which simply pierces through anything between the gun's barrel and the intended target. When Hikifune and Kirinji realize what this means, Lille then asks them to line themselves up in a straight line so he can kill them all in one shot.

Death of the Cage of Life

As this is going on, Pernida then uses "The Compulsory" to cause a number of the trunks of the Cage of Life to bend, collapse and break apart, opening the Cage.

Now that we are at this point, I would like to discuss the wings of the Elite Guard. While the presences of the wings would indicate the Vollstandig - we know that Candice's wings appeared on their own without the halo when nearby Stern Ritter released their Vollstandig - I am having some doubts that these wings are actually "Vollstandig". The wings of the Vollstandig we saw the Stern Ritter below use all had a specific shape to them, one that symbolically represented the nature of their power in one form or another. Even among them, there were a specific few Vollstandig that also led to a change in their physical appearance or their wings were uniformly different from the standard Vollstandig wings (As Nodt, Quilge Opie, Pepe Waccabrada), and those ones were also notable because they were the only observed Vollstandig to have names (barring Robert's Grimaniel).

But the Elite Guard, after they had power and life-force distributed to them from the Auswahlen, are decked out in full-blown angel wings. If they are Vollstandig, then I suspect they could be another stage to the power. I have speculated before that the appearance of the Vollstandig could indicate "stages of mastery" over the power - the basic wings and halo set would be the "initial stage", while the Vollstandig that causes a distinct change in physical appearance were a "second stage" - so I could add in these feathery Vollstandig wings as a possible "third stage" only the Elite Guard possess.

But the distinct lack of halos or a change in physical appearance makes me wonder, although Kubo has forgotten to draw halos with the Vollstandig from time to time.

The Monk Who Calls the Real Name

As the Cage is shattered, Yhwach immediately appears in front of Ichibei, who he addresses directly and asks to let him pass. Ichibei's only response is to smile, and to warn Yhwach that calling him by his name in such a familiar tone "may just result in your voice going hoarse".

I think I mentioned before that I believed Nimaiya and Ichibei would be the Vice-Captain and Captain of the Royal Guard respectively based on their age and their contributions. In this chapter, Ichibei's smile to Yhwach, his words and posture just scream that he is the Captain of the Royal Guard. I'll be shocked if he isn't - if there actually is someone above Ichibei that is the Royal Guard's true Commander.

His comrades are encountering trouble with the Elite Guard, yet he's completely chill in the face of Yhwach. I'll say it before, and I'll say it again - if there was anyone before 1000 years ago who was more powerful than Yamamoto, it has to be Ichibei.