While it was a subtle indicator, Zangetsu’s ever-changing appearance represented Ichigo’s understanding of his powers. No one’s powers were cooler than the protagonist’s, in this case, Ichigo Kurosaki’s from Bleach, as is typical of most shonen anime. Ichigo was much more than he appeared to be at the start of the series, and it was later revealed that he was the son of a Soul Reaper captain and a full-blooded Quincy, both of whom possessed the Hollow known as White. As a result, Ichigo, their first child, is a human, a Soul Reaper, a Quincy, and even part Hollow hybrid, making him a truly unique being.
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Ichigo’s Zanpakuto, Zangetsu, represented his Soul Reaper powers as well as the foundation for all of his other powers. It also represented his ever-growing understanding of his powers and true nature. Zangestu’s shape changed throughout the series. Ichigo underwent some kind of change or gained a better understanding of his potential every time this happened. The sword he used at the start of the series, for example, was never seen again after he unlocked his Shikai. This was due to the fact that the spiritual energy he was using was primarily Rukia’s, with his own leaking out just enough to influence the sword’s size.
Soul Reaper abilities of kurosaki Ichigo were unique from the beginning.
When Ichigo awoke his own Soul Reaper capabilities and was on the verge of becoming a Hollow, readers and viewers received their first real look of his genuine abilities. Even if the almost Hollowfication was now explained away, this was the first time the narrative even made a hint at Ichigo’s true nature. His Soul Reaper skills began to emerge in a way that was unique from every other situation.
When they enlist in the group, all Soul Reapers from the Soul Society are granted Zanpakuto. These particular Zanpakuto are called Asauchi and were personally created by Oetsu Nimaiya. When these Zanpakuto are presented to their respective Soul Reapers, they don’t really have any particular abilities because the Soul Reapers must imprint their own souls and power onto the blade. As each Zanpakuto has its own name, abilities, and spiritual energy, there are no identical Zanpakuto. But if he didn’t have an Asauchi, how did Ichigo manage to do this?
Asauchi are created by fusing the souls of several Soul Reapers into the shape of a blade. This is also how Sosuke Aizen created the Hollow known as White, which infected Ichigo’s mother and was eventually passed on to Ichigo himself. Instead of imprinting his power and soul onto an Asauchi, Ichigo imprinted them on the Hollow within him, transforming it into his Zanpakuto spirit. This explains why his inner Hollow resembled a completely white Ichigo.
Ichigo kurosaki’s Quincy Powers were manifested in Old Man Zangetsu.
For the majority of the series, He is led to believe that Old Man Zangetsu, not White, is his Zanpakuto spirit. All of this was a lie concocted by the Old Man spirit, who was actually the manifestation of his Quincy powers. Knowing that becoming a Soul Reaper would mean going up against Ywhach, the Old Man did everything he could to control those powers and become the dominant spirit within Ichigo kurosaki. He only relented when he realised Ichigo would perish if he didn’t have access to more of his Soul Reaper and Hollow powers.
Ichigo kurosaki initially only had access to his Shikai, which, while extremely powerful, was only a fraction of his true power. Zangetsu resembled a massive khyber knife in this state. In this state, Ichigo’s spiritual energy was bright blue, similar to that of a Quincy, which could be an indication of the Old Man’s interference. Even in this Shikai state, the inner Hollow was able to intervene on Ichigo’s behalf here and there, primarily by training him inside Ichigo’s “inner world” or by creating Hollow Masks to protect him.
Ichigo kurosaki‘s original Bankai was probably the clearest indication of the link between his Soul Reaper and Hollow powers. Ichigo’s sword transforms into a long, black katana, which resembles White’s own blades when it attacked Ichigo’s parents, Isshin and Masaki. Ichigo’s spiritual energy became pitch-black with a blood-red outline around it, which Ulquiorra described as feeling more like a Hollow’s energy than a Soul Reaper’s. He also obtained a cloak similar to the Old Man’s and became significantly faster and stronger than befor
Ichigo kurosaki was able to use both the Hollow and Soul Reaper abilities at once.
If that wasn’t enough, White Ichigo would only try to take control in Bankai. To perform Bankai, a Soul Reaper must have an extremely strong connection to their Zanpakuto and be able to draw out its full power. In Ichigo’s case, because his Zanpakuto is a Hollow, he would need to draw out even more of White Ichigo’s power and forge a stronger bond between the two. This most likely made it much easier for Ichigo’s inner Hollow to exert control over him, as evidenced by his fight with Byakuya.
This influence and struggle for control would become a major plot point in Bleach during the Arrancar arc. Ichigo kurosaki not only came to terms with his spirit during this arc, but he also mastered his Hollow-based powers by being able to draw out more of them. Ichigo would grow a Hollow mask over his face while maintaining his blade. The agreement they reached was that Ichigo would retain control of his body, but if he failed, his inner Hollow would take over.
This was a clear foreshadowing of Ichigo kurosaki’s eventual transformation into a full Hollow. Ichigo was stronger than ever in this form, with full access to both his Hollow and Soul Reaper abilities. In many ways, this was the most authentic manifestation of his Bankai at the time. Given that his Hollow was his Zanpakuto, their bond was probably the strongest it had ever been.
Ichigo Kurosaki was able to access hollow powers without the mask thanks to his mastery of Fullbring.
Surprisingly, it was that connection that ultimately saved his powers. Ichigo eventually lost all of his powers after his final battle with Aizen and ended up learning Fullbring as a way to regain them. Fullbring was a human-created power that relied on Hollow spiritual energy. Children of mothers who had survived Hollow attacks were able to draw souls and power from inanimate objects, particularly those with which they had a connection. Because of their connection, he realised that by accessing his Hollow powers, he should be able to reawaken his Soul Reaper ones.
In Ichigo kurosaki’s case, he used his Substitute Soul Reaper badge, which he had carried with him since the beginning of his journey and even contained a significant amount of his power. He was able to regain his powers with a little help from Rukia, who used her own Soul Reaper powers to jumpstart the vestiges of what remained of his own, but now stronger than ever due to his stronger connection to his Hollow powers.
Zangetsu was a completely different monster after mastering Fullbring and regaining his Soul Reaper abilities. The blades in both Shikai and Bankai had grown larger, with his Shikai becoming even larger than before and his Bankai becoming longer with unique grooves on the top, more closely resembling White’s original arm blades. At this point, Ichigo appeared to be as powerful as he was while wearing the Hollow mask without ever having to wear it.
Ichigo kurosaki’s Inner Hollow was the true Zangetsu.
Despite this, Ichigo still hadn’t unlocked his true powers and didn’t even have a genuine Zanpakuto. It wasn’t until he lost to Ywhach and went to have his Bankai reforged that he discovered he never even had a true Zanpkuto. It was around this time that he discovered his true origins, as well as his parents’, which helped him fully understand who he was and what his powers could be.
His parents were one of the main reasons his Hollow and Soul Reaper abilities were so closely linked. Ichigo kurosaki’s father, Isshin Shiba, created a soul chain between his Soul Reaper powers and the Hollow inside her to prevent Ichigo’s mother, a Quincy named Masaki Kurosaki, from Hollowfying after she was infected by White. This resulted in Isshin losing his Soul Reaper abilities, but it also permanently linked the Hollow to them. This made Ichigo’s Soul Reaper powers the same as his Hollow powers, but distinct from his Quincy powers.
This revelation led to a meeting within Nimaiya’s mind/soul with the Old Man, who finally revealed that he had been lying to Ichigo the entire time. He revealed himself to be a manifestation of his Quincy powers, as well as that Ichigo’s inner Hollow had been the true Zangetsu the entire time. Surprisingly, Ichigo realised the Old Man was wrong, and instead of gaining one Zanpakuto, he ended up with two, the larger representing his Hollow Powers and the smaller representing his Quincy Powers. Ichigo kurosaki’ s Soul Reaper abilities served as the foundation for the three of them becoming Zanpakuto.
In order to control his power, Ichigo kurosaki had to learn to be at peace.
Now, Ichigo was able to wield both sets of abilities as weapons and even enter a Hollowfied state while still being fully in control of his body. He would get a horn on the left side of his head, Hollow insignia, and a snow-white bigger sword in this form. In Bankai, the swords would combine to represent the harmony and balance of his abilities, with the smaller sword changing into a rigid white shell over the bigger blade, which became an exact replica of his original Shikai.
This form and Bankai both mirror the combined state that the Zangetsu spirits assumed while preparing Ichigo in the Dangai for his decisive battle with Aizen. Ichigo was trained by this combined form of both spirits to develop his full potential as a Soul Reaper, making him more powerful than Aizen after fusing with Hogyoku. So it seems logical that they work as a team to make Ichigo the strongest he has ever been, with strength even greater than Ywhach’s.
It may seem strange to think that the Old Man was in error, but the truth was more likely that he didn’t comprehend who he was any more fully than Ichigo ever did. No Quincy had ever experienced a manifestation of their powers in the form of a spirit like Ichigo did, which established the Old Man’s uniqueness. Further proving that he was a Zanpakuto spirit on par with White, the Old Man not only helped Ichigo practise most of the time while limiting his power. This is illustrated by the way the Quincy blade on his new Bankai encircles the Hollow one, boosting it rather than stifling it. Finally achieving the inner harmony that both of his Zanpakuto spirits desired, Ichigo was able to fully exercise the power that was born to him.
Best anime I have watched till now🔥♥️
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