#cfyow spoilers

[saltysatellite804]

SPOILERS for Bleach novels.

Dude can Aizen just talk to whoever from Muken?? I'm so confused by these novels. How does that work? Like I figured he was able to with Azashiro cause of the guy's powers to be everywhere at once... but in cfyow?? He talks to Shuhei? I... what is happening...

[dopepoisonivyoncrack]

I would have rather went to sleep since I got a long week ahead but my brain decided now, at 1:30 a.m. out of all time, to fixate on the new added scene in Bleach. Manga and novel spoilers ahead!

Yhwach took in all his godly centuries life, the pain, the suffering, the fear of death of all the people whose souls he absorbed or returned to him. Along with everything that made their soul, their knowledge and history, their kindness, their anger, everything, good and bad and in between. While being an entity of its own, the son of a divine being, thanks to his intimate connection and condition for living, he can also be considered a mass of souls. Although different than that of arrancars! Anyway, what still seemed to prevail from his intake of humanity, was their fear of death and the negative aspects of death. I can imagine becoming unbearable to ignore the tormented souls, all those feelings and knowledge that become part of his being. Its natural he wanted to do something about it. He wanted to help, he wanted to break the cycle. And he knew there was a time when fear of death didn't existed, because everything was one. And he knew the shinigami had something to do with the separation. And he knew he had the power to do something about it.

Yet how was he treated when he went to the shinigami? Ichibe might have said the truth in that the Soul King was the one to separate the worlds, because he had the power to do it. But what Ichibe then showed Yhwach, the part that Yhwach didn't knew until then, was not part of the Soul King's plan. Separating the world in 3, and life and death is one thing. Being chopped and stripped of everything and reduced to a mindless piece of meat to serve as the linchpin and have some shinigami(s) rule the worlds as they want while pretending they follow the will of god was most likely not part of the plan. How can they pretend to follow the will of god when they themselves stripped him of the power to express his will and sealed him? It is an outrageous farce! And they know not everyone would agree with such a state of the world, nor accept such thing as their god, so they hide it. Some that found out the truth became known as Bleach's villains but who can truly blame them?

There are 2 options. To bow their head and ignore or accept such farce only so the worlds will continue as their are. Because there must have been a reason to divide the worlds in the first place (despite the coup by the shinigami), the damage was done, and there is almost no one that could replace the Soul King, which is unfortunately needed to sustain the worlds.

And second option, to rebel. Either as Aizen, to try and become Soul King, a god with will and voice and everything. Or as Yhwach, to reset the worlds completely, erase the farce with everything. If you ask me, Aizen acted for himself, Yhwach acted for the people. Yhwach truly wanted peace for their souls, peace as a world without these conflicts between the 3 worlds, necessary conflicts to maintain the balance, conflicts born of the current situation like with Aizen, and so on.

Anyway, back to the scene with Ichibe and Yhwach... to be treated so condescending, to have his eyes sealed because his power to see past his lies and manipulation was inconvenient and be told to go live in modesty.... I would probably go rabid with rage! Yhwach held himself so well, going as far as expressing relief that his eyes were sealed so he wouldn't have to endure this any longer.

If having the power to do something about it, why should he accept the humiliation to himself? To his father? To his people? Why should he ignore the cries of the souls that return to him? Why would he cease to exist and leave them behind just so he wouldn't feel them anymore? Why in the knowing of truth would he allow this farce to continue and leave shinigami to rule the worlds as they please?

What is the value of courage of living in a world like that? Despite all...

Isn't this the message of the series? I have mixed feelings about it but I'll leave that for another post, along with a 3rd option I thought of.

[neo-zone]

After finishing The Glory (yes the Netflix K-Drama), can't help but think that Bambies are one heck of dysfunctional friend group

Not that they're the type that is so heinously selfish and won't hesitate to backstab/frame each other to save their own ass, but there's a blatant gap between Bambietta (their supposed leader) and the rest of Bambies, made obvious during the second part of Quincy invasion to Seireitei & post-invasion

Their nonchalant, fucked up idea of staying together forever and won't letting Bambietta die even if it means she's gonna stuck as a pitiful husk of her former self for as long as Giselle wished, basically fate worse than death

The fact that Liltotto seemed perfectly fine and kinda ignorant with how awful Giselle abused and humiliated Bambietta beyond her limit

How the four relied on and trusted Liltotto as their leader figure more than Bambietta. Both during the TYBW arc and CFYOW arc

That disconnect between one member and the rest is not supposed to be there to be called a normal and healthy friend group

Bambietta feels like a not really wanted presence on their group, yet they still keep her around reluctantly because well, she's their friend too, not because they really care for her like how the other four genuinely care and trust each other

Now I'm curious on how they actually met each other and formed the group. Who started the group? Who joined first? Who joined later? Who joined the last? How that affected the dynamic of Bambies?

[creativesplat]

OK, but Urahara being sincere and reflecting at the end of CFYOW was 👌

“When the time comes that I really do become someone who could be called a villain, it would be best to leave behind someone who can definitely determine I’ve sinned right?”

Anyway, when my digital art stuff gets back on its feet, I might draw a bit more of this.

[scenfau]

Semi-realistic painting of Urozakuro from BLEACH, SAFWY novel.

[blue-dream-rhapsody]

Spoilers for the end of the TYBW manga! If you’re only watching the anime, this will be in like the last two episodes of the whole show, so look away!

This is gonna sound like me being biased again (and I definitely am, don’t get me wrong) but I think I have a universally true argument here.

Renji was a weird choice to have go with Ichigo to the last clash with Yhwach.

To be clear, I’m very fond of Renji. I also think the conversation he and Ichigo have on their way there was a fantastic moment in their friendship, and want to keep it intact as much as possible. It’s just that, when I think of the magnitude of this particular moment, the literal last battle at the end of the series, it just feels odd for Renji of all his friends to have this pretty prominent spot.

Who is Ichigo teaming up with here? Aizen, the major antagonist for basically half the series. Uryu, the enemy-turned-friendly rival-turned-fake enemy-turned-genuine ally just acting as an infiltrator all along because he’s got roots in this battle. And… Renji. The Guy.

Like seriously, I’m trying to pinpoint exactly what narrative function Renji’s presence here serves, and for every one I can find, there’s just someone who does a better job? Like, okay, say he’s serving as the presence of a Soul Reaper. Except Rukia would also do that, down to the rank they have, and given her meeting Ichigo is how the series began, it would additionally be a natural bookend for her to be fighting alongside him at the end. (And obviously I am deliberately ignoring bullshit like power levels or whatever, because of the four in this alliance Ichigo’s ridealong contributes little more than a distraction while Aizen tanks the damage, Uryu fires the arrow, and Ichigo makes the cut.)

Rukia is also the member of his friend group Ichigo probably interacts with the least in this whole arc who isn’t Uryu Away For Plot Reasons Ishida (or maybe Chad, who I’ll talk about in a moment too), whereas he and Renji go through a chunk of the Royal Palace stuff together. So it seems like that final battle would be the chance to actually give her a meaningful interaction with him as, again, a mirror to the start of the series.

(Disclaimer: I don’t mean this in a shipping sense in any way, shape, or form, though you can certainly take it as you like. That’s not the only way their bond can be relevant, though. My point is simply that Rukia has more narrative importance to Bleach itself than Renji does, compared to how little time she spends interacting with the series’ protagonist in the final arc compared to him.)

So as far as all of that stuff is concerned, Rukia carries more weight, but let’s say Renji was chosen as Ichigo’s closest guy friend or something along those lines. Um. Chad??? My beloved Yasutora Sado??? Like of course Kubo seems allergic to giving Chad anything significant to do at any point past his introduction, but come on! He’s supposed to be Ichigo’s best friend! Again, I’m ignoring power levels. Maybe the combination of Aizen and Yhwach’s presence would’ve been too much for him to withstand given Fullbringer scale, but I still think he’d make more narrative sense than Renji, and that should be what matters more.

Friendly rival? Well that’s Uryu who is already there, and has a way larger stake in this than anyone in Ichigo’s friend group regardless. Less that he doesn’t meet the criteria if we can’t count Uryu, choosing Renji for this reason would just be doubling down on the same thing.

You could also argue Orihime should’ve been the one, as the one Ichigo eventually ends up with (although she at least was with him at the fight just before this, so it being someone else this time doesn’t bother me). And Renji is just, not that!

Renji goes with Ichigo because it’s in character for him, and I don’t disagree with that by any means. But this is the conclusion of the entire 74-volume narrative and I’m struggling to explain why he specifically is the one chosen by Kubo to be a part of this battle if anyone had to be at all. It’s like he went out of his way to choose the least impactful character possible to fulfill this role.

So okay, Kubo, I can play hardball. You want somebody who isn’t Rukia, Chad, or Orihime? I can do that. I’ll even give you someone who’s already right there so you don’t have to make them come running up at the last moment!

You know who should’ve gone with Ichigo to that very last confrontation? Kugo Ginjo, obviously!

Don’t leave, hold on, let me explain myself.

First is the kind of obvious thing, which is that while it was on a smaller scale than they were, Ginjo was an arc villain just as much as Aizen and Yhwach were. He’s the mastermind and the climactic battle of The Lost Agent. So wouldn’t it be fun if Ichigo had the help of the first two arc villains in defeating the third?

The quartet of Ichigo, Kugo, Aizen, and Yhwach is also interesting because they all have connections to the Reio in some form, being either candidates for the role inherently, or having attempted to become or usurp him. There’s really no one else who approaches this (barring Urahara, for the hogyoku).

But wait, you may be saying, why would Ginjo fight on the side of Shinigami if his whole thing is that he hates them? To which I say—he wouldn’t! But I think he would be willing to fight to help Ichigo. Maybe not for everything ever, but maybe for the time where if Ichigo loses, everything will very clearly fall apart, including for the people he obviously still cares about in Xcution. (Also, does he know about Soul King stuff at this point, including that the both of them are candidates to replace it? Preventing that being necessary for both their sakes might be good.)

Not to mention, this would be the first time Ichigo and Kugo can fight together consciously as Deputies. It would give us a more concrete picture of how they feel about one another now that the Lost Agent conflict is over, seeing as this gets very little resolution on either side—and give Ichigo back what it was that Kugo had almost given him during that arc, a “big brother” figure he can rely on in a desperate situation, instead of having to be that figure himself.

Plus… fixing Ichigo’s sword was really kind of just Tsukishima’s repayment, wasn’t it? Ginjo shows up and says four lines, (and probably a fifth on the way there that was “Tsukishima do the thing”) and that’s what exactly? Is that supposed to make up for the extremely personal betrayal? Is that a sufficient expression of gratitude for the respect of taking his body back from the Court Guards’ grasp? He still had to say something about paying Ichigo back because debt’s about all the obligation Tsukishima would ever respond to, but what’s his contribution other than holding that “leash”?

Also for the three of them being revealed alive like a hundred chapters ago, that sure is a whole lot of no payoff. Like for Tsukishima it’s great payoff, but for Ginjo? What was the point of the training they all did with Ganju? Was it really about Ganju getting stronger? And we never got an answer why Kukaku took them in in the first place, could that really have just been chance?

If I want to put on my conspiracy cap—I half suspect Ginjo was meant to go from the time of their reappearance, and more of his backstory was supposed to come to light/he was supposed to get some additional development. But as Kubo’s health deteriorated and he got toward the home stretch, just like it would’ve been difficult to give Rukia the proper due if she’d gone, it became too much for him to do Ginjo justice, or maybe to set up for his role in CFYOW, so he decided to not do it altogether, rather than half-ass it. (This is what I tell myself, anyway). He already has a completely justifiable reason to show up at the last minute with the need for Tsukishima’s ability. He’s been training, supposedly. He owes Ichigo something and acknowledges it. He’s thematically fitting, he’s been absent for so much time after being teased, we know he was doing something because he went looking for Ukitake, it really just makes too much sense.

I doubt Kubo is planning any out-and-out rewrites of anything significant as the anime proceeds, but if he were to tweak the ending at all, I certainly think this would be reasonable.

Anyway, we’ll see what part 2 brings. CFYOW content is getting teased for sure, so who knows what’s in store!

[maounosekai]

WFM x CFYOW crossover fancomic because Suletta and Hikone both have something in common :')

[doomxdriven]

The Ōin being described as something extradimensional is interesting. Being so deeply connected to the Soul King, one then has to wonder more about their origins as well.

In CFYOW Ichibei explains that the Soul King was just 'born' one day, supposedly as a natural response of the Primordial World (existence as it was before the realms of Hueco Mundo, the Soul Society, and The World of the Living were created) to the Menos threat at the time, but this is presented as Ichibei's opinion on why/how the Soul King first appeared and not really a concrete fact.

The Soul King undoubtedly came onto the scene with the express intent of stopping the Primordial World's cataclysmic stagnation, but where they came from and how is still very much a matter for debate.

The true nature of the Soul King is also up for debate, as well.

One could definitely see the Soul King's actions as benevolent, or at least marginally 'good', from their first actions to their last, but especially where their last actions are concerned, allowing themselves to be sealed away (with the knowledge they would later be betrayed) is perplexing, and makes you wonder what their actual goal and motives are, what their logic was for everything.

Interestingly, the Soul King is referred to as a 'devil' and a 'savior', by Tokinada, too, which is a conclusion you could definitely come to if you examine all of the Soul King's actions.

More than that, 'Soul King' or 'Reio' isn't even who they originally were, it was what they became after their internment...

But what am I getting to with all of this, you ask? Well; no one really knows a damn thing about the Soul King, not even the people who supposedly existed alongside them before their sacrifice, no one knows anything concrete, not of their origins, of their nature, of their motives, or even of their true identity...

The 'Soul King' could have been a generally benevolent force, or they could have been something else, something that was/is so beyond anyone's comprehension that their true nature couldn't be perceived.

All the more reason, why the likes of Jin, Kusaka, and Bansui/Parca messing around with something like the Ōin or power related to the Soul King is very dicey. They, like everyone else, truly don't know anything-- they think they do, yes they know the 'histories', and like Ichibei, Parca was even around when a lot of that shit happened, but they really don't know what they are toying with, or worse, what is toying with them.

[akashis-waifu]

An Eternity of Mind Games with You (Aizen Sousuke x Reader)

Canon-divergence one-shot, set years after TBYW. Female reader is the Soul King, so is Aizen if you squint hard enough. Your first name is "Hana" for plot-purposes.

Tags: Domestic!Aizen with usual sass, wholesome, fluff, cringe but we embrace it. Immortal x immortal, enemies struggling with new established co-dependency. This might seem slightly out of character, but we've got Kyoka Suigetsu to blame. Contains spoilers on the ending of TBYW and CFYOW!

"Oh please, dear wife."

You raise an eyebrow at your self-proclaimed husband. The two of you have only been together for a decade as Lord and retainer — co-rulers, if you squint hard enough — after Aizen Sousuke tricked you into absorbing the Hougyoku, which apparently had long merged with his spirit. In effect, the man became a part of the Soul King and is now able to use your authority, as long as you agree to it.

In return, you get to wield one of the greatest Zanpakuto, Kyoka Suigetsu. You see it as an absolute win, the Central 46 doesn't.

As to why Aizen insists that you two are husband and wife, he argues that "A system where a man and a woman govern together is called monarchy. And it goes without saying that a King and a Queen are married." He seems to have put the cart before the horse, a very uncharacteristic blunder for the renowned war criminal. You simply guess that the fusion might have caused him brain damage.

"I swear, I haven't used Kyoka Suigetsu for a long time. There is literally no reason for you to act delusional."

He feigns to be hurt at your words. "You are the king, I am the queen. How can we not be married?"

"It's crazy how you easily admit to being the queen now." During your ascension, you had to repeatedly remind him that the Soul King was you. If he insisted on his god-complex-driven monarchy delusion, the Queen would be him.

Aizen shrugs. "As the human saying goes, let me cook."

Chills run down your spine. Something is wrong. "Maybe I'm the delusional one."

"Took you a long time to realize."

A shattering sound awakens you. After adjusting to reality, you glare at Aizen Sousuke who has successfully swiped the two Heavenly Tickets out of your hand.

"Please stop using Kyoka Suigetsu on me."

He chuckles mockingly. "You have a funny mind, I can't help it."

You try to take the tickets from him. Those are your mode of transportation to Seireitei! "It's Rukia's inauguration today. We really need to go!"

"You can go by yourself."

"I can't leave you here alone!"

Aizen smiles. He knows that it is a matter of distrust — that he might destroy the Soul Palace in your absence — but teases you nonetheless. "What a caring wife you are."

"Is the illusion not over yet?"

"My apologies. I'm simply not in the mood to head to Seireitei today," he explains briefly, before turning around. "Feel free to go without me."

You watch with curious eyes as Aizen leaves the room. He has undoubtedly mellowed out compared to 10 years ago. Memories flash through your mind.

At the end of the war, you were supposed to absorb Yhwach, become the Soul King, and be sacrificed as the new linchpin of the Three Realms. If Aizen hadn't given you the Hougyoku that granted your divinity as the Soul King, you wouldn't have gained the authority to banish Hyosube Ichibe.

If it weren't for Aizen, you would've been mutilated into a thoughtless doll. You may not express it, but you are eternally grateful to him.

Standing at the edge of the Soul Palace, you stare at the boundless sky below. It is almost time for your departure.

"He tells me to go by myself, but he knows I hate jumping all the way down to Soul Society. He could have at least returned my ticket to me." You sigh and jump anyway.

Upon arriving at Seireitei, you use Kyoka Suigetsu to disguise yourself as a white butterfly. You dispel the Shikai after reaching the 13th Division.

"Hana-san! Ah, I mean, Soul King!" Kuchiki Rukia hastily corrects herself. She then invites you to a celebratory dinner and you spend some time with the Thirteen Court Guard Squads.

The party ends late. Rukia offers the Kuchiki residence for you to spend the night in, but you decline, worried that someone might wreak havoc in your palace if left alone for too long.

She suggests to escort you to Shiba Kuukaku's hideout, aware that you would need the cannon to return to the Soul Palace. Still, you refuse, "No no! No need. It's already late, Rukia, go to sleep. I usually disguise myself as a harmless butterfly when I go around Seireitei to avoid unnecessary attention. Don't worry!"

On the way to the hideout, you feel that you're being followed. You instantly regret declining her offer.

When Aizen finds you in the middle of Seireitei, you are already bleeding from a large cut on your torso. He rushes to your side and activates the Hougyoku to accelerate your healing. As if to laud his effort, you soon regain consciousness.

"Aizen...?" you ask, vision still blurry. "What are you doing here? I... I thought you didn't want to go."

"You're not adept at using Kyoka Suigetsu yet. An incident like this is bound to happen."

"I see," you chuckle weakly. "No wonder she saw through my disguise."

His grip on your shoulder tightens. "Who was it?"

"Candace."

"Candace?"

You cough out blood multiple times and reach out to caress his cheek, as if ready to utter your last words — which would be if he doesn't take the joke lightly.

"Can deez nuts."

Aizen deadpans. A shattering sound takes him out of his reverie, and he looks over his shoulder to see you fiddling with the tickets that he had previously hidden in his sleeves.

Of course, the whole farce was an illusion. He should've known since the Hougyoku grants instant regeneration. He sighs in annoyance. "I'd like to take the Hougyoku back. You're too insufferable."

"Is that a request for divorce?"

He smirks. "So, you acknowledge our marriage."

"Hell no!" You click your tongue, frustrated that he always has the perfect comebacks. "Can't you act normal for once? What happened to Aizen Sousuke, the war criminal?"

"You prefer that version of me?" He pushes his hair back. You aren't used to that sight since he always has his hair down when you're alone together.

You visibly cringe. "Stop doing that. What would you do if people recognized you?"

"We're using Kyoka Suigetsu. From their perspective, we are nothing but butterflies attracted to beautiful flowers basking in the moonlight."

You frown at him. "We're literally walking on concrete. Not a single flower can be found here."

"There is."

Aizen raises your chin, staring directly into your eyes. "Hana."

Too stunned to speak, you allow yourself a moment to think.

You finally understand why Aizen was so popular when he was still with the Thirteen Court Guard Squads. His strength, intellect, charisma — the sultry voice and handsome features that you will never admit to his face — he used everything at his disposal to manipulate everyone.

It will never work on you, though. Not today, nor in a million years.

You are good, he is evil. You are yang, he is yin.

You are pure, he is corrupted.

The Soul King can never let Aizen Sousuke dye Her in his color, for that would mean the end of the Three Realms.

You give him a thin smile. "Would you like the Hougyoku back? I can hand it to you now."

"Oh, you jest." Aizen feels the sudden shift in mood and lets you go. That's enough teasing, he muses to himself.

With an eternity to look forward to, he doesn't mind biding his time. You are the Soul King, the strongest, most benevolent, and most dangerous being in the Three Realms. It goes without saying that you are the greatest challenge he will ever face. It could take hundreds or thousands of years — even millions — but he knows that you will submit to him one day.

It's not a matter of if, but when.

You extend a hand at him. "Let's go home, Sousuke."

But, he has to make sure you don't win him over first.

[troius]

cant fear your own world reveals aizen did kill tosen due to tosen asking him that if it looked like if he lost his way and returned to soul society he would kill him aizen calls it mercy and it does imply he actually cared about tosen given the whole fear being important for evolution

Wow spoilers! I guess I'll have to see for myself when I get around to reading CFYOW (still have one large write-up, a bunch of posts, and a whole other light novel to read first).

[saltysatellite804]

Oh my god.

Cfyow vent below cut.

I think Tokinada should get an award for being the worst written character I have ever seen in my life. And Aura. Hikone can get a lil leeway cause he's a Frankenstein monster and I cant quite hate him... But he still is annoying... Maybe I'm exaggerating but I'm literally sitting here saying out loud "what is happening" every mission I'm playing for BBS. Nothing in that story makes a shred of sense like in a "I cant suspend my disbelief" way. What is even happening with the Fullbringers I'm gonna scream. I'll save the rest of this vent for when I do finish the story. I mostly made this post to dish on fucking Tokinada.

Mr. Fucking "Hurdur I'm so evil hurhur". I dont even want him to die (I mean I do but that feels too good for a his character, like only decently written villains get to die tbh). I just want to forget he exists in this piece of fiction entirely.

ETA: okay real talk I am absolutely mad that they turned the story of Kaname's friend's death from a fucking critique of nobles having too much power and abusing it to "oh that one guy just sucked and killed his wife cause hes EEVIL and it was part of a plot. No good noble would ever do that :)" vibe.

[dopepoisonivyoncrack]

So I'm reading CFYOW and....

This is when Grimmjow was poisoned during the fight with Luppi, with the poisons that Mayuri has hidden in him. I immediately stopped thinking that...OMG, being subjected to Askin's poisons made Grimmjow more tolerant, eventually saving his life in a "miraculous" way later...way later!!! Only to have the exact confirmation in the next paragraph

[neo-zone]

Let's cast aside logic, how it would affect canon, "but they're already dead", "but it's inevitable", etc, here.

If you could choose one or more Sternritter(s) to survive post-TYBW outside the Bambies (and that unnecessary U letter), who would it be?

I choose Bazz B and Cang Du

Bazz B's entire character and vibe just screams Grimmjow but bro got hit with the bury your gay instead? Come on. He has a lot more to dig as a redeemed antagonist turned ally and probably fixing his power-scalling issue too. Also Renji finally found someone who really appreciated his looks!

Cang Du surviving would challenge his mindset of people dying together and or accept dying if it's by the hand of his god. We could have death cult survivor narrative especially considering how loyal he is from the Wandenreich propaganda compared to most of the other Sternritters (Also I just want someone to be Bazz B's constant company and that unfortunately couldn't be Haschwalth)

[namazunomegami]

https://www.tumblr.com/namazunomegami/742981942790832128/one-day-ill-present-my-hour-long-dissertation?source=share

I consider Geto to be more like Aizen and Gojo like Urahara, why do you think Geto is like Gin?

Although, I do think if it was Aizen in Geto’s place, he would’ve succeeded with his plans lol. Aizen don’t play like that.

Oh, anon, my love. Brace yourself for my upcoming analysis *cracks knuckles*

Some of the information I have gathered are from the Can’t Fear Your Own World light novels. If you don’t want spoilers, this is your chance to stop reading this post!!

Well, I can understand why people associate Aizen with Geto. I get it, both are powerful, inherently manipulative handsome blorbo materials with an evil plan… but…

Let me propose an idea for you, my dear. What if we start viewing Kenjaku as Aizen’s counterpart?

Both of their past is shrouded in mystery. We may never know why, when, and how they started their journey towards evil (unlike Gin and Geto but I'm gonna get back to this later). What we do know that they’re kinda… evil for the sake of evil (it’s a recurring thing in the main villains of Bleach, it gets repetitive after some arcs but minor antagonists are more fleshed out in that aspect).

Another obvious parallel: both Aizen and Kenjaku directly created the MC of their plot. Aizen with his Hollowfication fuckery with White and Kenny with... well, getting the backshots.

Absorption as a recurring metaphor: Aizen’s Hogyoku absorbs spiritual energy so Aizen can fuse it with himself later on to be an almost godlike being, Kenjaku absorbs power through their and Geto’s curse technique. It was a gamechanging moment when they absorbed Mahito and extracted his technique and when they absorbed Tengen.

And if I mention Tengen…

Their plans have something to do with an ancient powerful lifeform. In CFYOW, it is revealed that Aizen wanted to get rid of the Soul King and in the TYBW arc, the Royal Guards state that in order to make it happen, he needed to create an Oken, a key to the royal palace. The only way to have access to the Oken is if you acquire the bones from one of the Squad 0 members. And as we know, the Royal Guards are extremely ancient beings who created anything that Shinigami use to this day. I think Aizen wanted to aquire enough power with the Hogyoku to later kill the Royal Guards and use their bones to get into the royal palace.

Kenjaku has an old connection to Tengen, and since she had no vessel to merge with because Amanai was killed, her evolution can be used for Kenny’s plans, which is to merge humanity with Tengen for the sake of… utter curiosity.

So, both of their plans have something to do with creating a sort of primordial chaos. If Aizen succeeded, killing the Soul King would disrupt the balance of the whole universe. Balance between the World of the Living, Soul Society and Hueco Mundo is a key concept throughout Bleach. If the souls between the worlds are out of balance, the worlds will collide on each other. And before the Soul King’s creation, the world was in this inherently chaotic state.

Let’s stick to the plans a little bit more…

Aizen and Kenjaku has a solid plan. They’re crazily prepared, literally nothing can hinder their endeavor because they have subplans and other infuriating fuckery. Everything you do is going to move their plan forward.

And I think Geto has no well developed plan to genocide the non-sorcerers. It’s a headcannon of mine so take it with a grain of salt, but I believe that he has absolutely no idea how he’s going to make this plan work. Deep down I think he knows what he wants is impossible. Maybe he got burnt out during those 10 years and declares war for the sake of Jujutsu High finally killing him. He lost all his hope, killing him is mercy.

Aizen’s and Kenjaku’s plan has no emotional connotation. They’re pragmatists. They don’t want revenge, they're not evil to protect someone. Geto on the other hand has a very idealistic plan, it comes from emotion, selfishness. His main goal is not really genocide but to create a safe world for his loved ones.

And that’s when Gin comes into picture.

But before, let me talk about god complex.

Aizen obviously has one, he wants power equal to the Soul King, he kinda achieves it and he wants to replace the Soul King to control all beings in the world of Bleach. Aizen is dependent on his control, he must always have the upper hand in whatever situation he’s in. Even in Muken! And sometimes I hear fans saying that Geto has a god complex too. But I respectfully disagree with that statement.

What Geto has is a superiority complex. He wants to annihilate non-sorcerers and that’s it. He doesn’t want to lead the remaining sorcerers, he just wants them to be safe. It all stems from his traumas and downward spiral from Hidden Inventory and his beliefs that sorcerers are inherently better because they can’t create curses. He poses as a godly figure and is frequently depicted by Gege as Buddha but for me it’s not enough for a god complex. It’s just superiority. It’s basically the same thought process behind totalitarian regimes and other supremacy groups.

Plus, when Ichigo fights with Aizen who absorbed the Hogyoku, he senses a kind of loneliness from his sword. Isolation. An isolation that comes from him not having an equal in terms of power. It is a theme that I can associate more with Gojo rather than Geto.

But Gin… Oh, my sweet tragic man… how much I love him it's sickening...

The most obvious parallel between Gin and Geto is that they’re both doomed by the narrative. They can never succeed. They both die before accomplishing anything meaningful. They kinda need to, there’s no other possibility for them to live.

Gin’s plan is to get revenge on Aizen violating Rangiku, the only person he genuinely cares for and dedicated his whole life to protect. And besides being a mass murdering maniac, Geto wants an indirect revenge on non-sorcerers because in his twisted little mind, they killed Amanai, they killed Haibara, exploited him and Gojo by curses continuously popping up and they abused Mimiko and Nanako. Very emotionally driven plans and it all comes down to committing evil deeds for the sake of caring.

Gin and Geto come from literal nothing. Gin was a wandering soul in Rukongai, he spent a good chunk of his life in absolute poverty. Being a resident of Rukongai is basically means being the underbelly of society and Shinigami and other figures of political power do not care about them in the slightest. Geto’s parents are non-sorcerers. He has no fancy name, no fancy bloodline, no status in jujutsu society besides him being special grade from the moment he was scouted.

What they both have is talent, dedication, hard work. They’re perceptive, street smart. They both like toying with people they deem as inferior (and ofc they do it with a nice lil smile on their faces). And if I really want to force any similarity out, they both use polite speech.

And their defection has an emotional impact.

Aizen’s treachery is more like treason against society. Order. Status quo. Besides Hinamori nobody is hurt, they’re afraid, furious, disappointed. And you, as the viewer are rather shocked than sad, because you would have never guessed this plot twist. Gin’s and ofc Tosen’s treachery are treason against the people they love. In Geto’s case I think it’s a bit of both, but the latter aspect gets more focus.

When Gin leaves Soul Society Rangiku is a mess, Izuru is a mess because they both loved and trusted him. Izuru literally adored Gin as his captain. When Geto leaves Gojo is a mess and that’s the point I’m gonna catch Gege because we don’t see the reaction of the rest of Jujutsu High! It is not only Gojo who is hurt by Geto’s actions! Shoko, Nanami, Yaga lost him too and we have no idea how they handled the loss!

And now let’s talk about their failure.

Gin fails killing Aizen. Despite all the years he has spent with gaining his trust, he remained completely expendable for Aizen. And when he’s fused with the Hogyoku, Gin has no choice but to sacrifice himself. Gin recognizes his own failure, that he couldn’t avenge Rangiku and get back what she’s lost but at least he could apologize to her.

And after reading CFYOW it gets even more tragic. Rangiku had a particle of the Soul King. And even a mere nail of him means unimaginable spiritual power. Rangiku could have been a powerful Shinigami with enormous potential! And then Aizen took this particle from her, forever hindering her abilities, forever damaging her connection to the spirit of her zanpakuto. Of course Gin went crazy, and his only resolution was revenge.

And I think Gin is doomed because he waits for too long to kill him. He already knew the weakness of Kyoka Suigetsu’s hypnosis since he was a child. But he was waiting. Waiting until it was too late to accomplish anything.

And Geto fails killing all the non-sorcerers. He can’t create a safe world for his loved ones because his plan is inherently impossible to achieve. Though it’s not an apology, but he can tell Gojo that he never had any ill will towards Jujutsu High. Everything he did was for their sake. But he just couldn’t keep living in a world that has wronged him so hard that he can’t find anything that makes him happy.

And they both get to show a secret ultimate technique before their deaths. Gin has the "Kill, Kamishini no Yari" command he uses to poison Aizen and Geto has the Maximum technique Uzumaki.

And now another reason I’m gonna kick Gege in the butt.

Gin’s death has no impact on the plot itself but has an impact on the characters. We see Rangiku breaking down, ugly crying right before Aizen and Ichigo as she’s kneeling right next to his dead body and later in the next arc she reflects on how she deals with the grief.

Geto is the opposite.

His death has an impact on the plot. Kenny arrives, takes possession of his body and cursed technique, Rika’s curse is finally lifted, and she can pass on to the afterlife giving chance for Yuuta to carry on with his life. He can finally connect to people, make friends, an opportunity that he was robbed off since Rika’s death and him accidently cursing her.

But it has no impact on the characters. Gojo goes back to being goofy, there’s literally no signs of him being absolutely devastated for killing his only best friend. The only thing we got was the minutes long PTSD flashback before he gets sealed. I mean, it’s still something but it focuses on the past, when Geto was alive, a bit of hope that he was brought back but we have no immediate reaction of his death. And again, my problem with Gege that we get nothing from the other characters despite they lost him too. Like Mimiko and Nanako literally lost their father figure! And my poor girl Shoko… And you know… the whole plothole of what happened to Geto’s body after he was killed. Did Gojo just left him there or what? How could the brain worm crawl themself into him?

I guess that’s it. Sorry it got a bit long. Yeah, I think in terms of characterization and overall plot elements, Geto is the counterpart of Gin rather then Aizen. But I do believe that Gojo has a bit of Urahara in him, you’re right!

And again, thank u for letting me ramble about this stuff, probably gonna go back to edit some additional thoughts bc... i just know myself. Take care anon <33

[bleachbleachbleach]

Hi! Love the blog, it’s great to revel in everything Bleach! I have two questions that have been plaguing me since I reread the manga in the past few months, and I was hoping you (or your followers) could help me. Spoilers for TYBW below!

What did Aizen (or his henchmen) take from Matsumoto for Gin to go to such lengths to avenge her?

And, spoiler:

What happened to Yachiru in the TYBW-arc? Was she the embodiment of Zaraki’s zanpakuto in the end?

Thank you!

We’re glad you’re enjoying the blog! <3

The Matsumoto question is so funny to me, because that’s a topic I’ve seen people discuss with absolute certitude what was taken and what the outcomes would be, and I have always confused because none of it was at all the impression I’d come away with. And I was like, damn, what did I miss??? How could I do you so wrong, Matsumoto, my baby girl, one of my very top blorbos??

The “funny” part comes from me immediately thinking “maybe we have fundamentally different assumptions about the nature of the soul” instead of thinking the MUCH MORE LIKELY, NORMAL, AND CORRECT thing, which is “oh, they read CFYOW and I haven’t.”

Because the version of this discussion I tend see is:

Aizen took a part of Matsumoto’s soul

—> which means she is missing part of her soul

—> which means she’ll probably never be able to achieve bankai

—> ultimate tragedy

I don’t get this train of logic. I don’t mean that as like, a “rawr they’re so wrong and I’m so right” thing. It’s just an interpretation so far beyond my ken my brain short circuits and I quietly let what meager thoughts I do have fall from my head, and then I forget about them.

Below the cut, 12 paragraphs of tangential talk of souls and bankai, and 4 paragraphs directly addressing the questions in the ask. Feel free to scroll to the bottom for those!

I BELIEVE the CFYOW connection here is Aizen explaining bits of Soul King (in Matsumoto’s case, a Nail) found their way into a bunch of people’s souls, and Aizen took it out of Matsumoto and fed it to his Hougyoku. Something something Fullbringers, too, but I’m not the person to ask about this because in addition to not having read CFYOW, I am also not personally interested in  the Soul King or the Hougyoku or the Fullbringers. But this CFYOW info does make other people’s discussions of this make a lot more sense to me!!

All the same, the reason my brain jumped to “different interpretations of the nature of the soul!” is because I don’t think I can personally conceptualize “missing” a *part* of a soul? In my mind, a soul is a soul or it’s not; there’s no decimals involved. Why I’d have this mentally locked in, of all things, I don’t know. I’m not a theist IRL, but apparently this is just How Fictional Souls work.

In my mind, a soul is like a worm, or a liver. Cut out a part of it, and it just keeps worming, or liver-ing, and its state of being and function are basically unchanged. You can’t have <I>part</I> of a soul; it’s either a soul or it’s not. The thing that got cut off is a shed item that has no definition. (Maybe what I actually have a strong opinion about is Matsumoto being a full, self-actualized, undiminished person, irrespective of her traumas.)

As far as Bleach goes, I don’t think we’ve had any canon mentions of souls that don’t exist as whole integrals (e.g. Pluses or Minuses). I mean, Fracciones, LOL, but that’s not really… those are not what I am talking about. XDD And the aforementioned Soul King body parts, but Soul King gonna Soul King. We’ve seen souls dissipate into motes, but I feel like that’s a transition from being a soul into being reishi motes that are Not Soul that will probably reconstitute into some other soul at some later point. The notion of giving someone your shinigami power and why that’s so illegal might factor in here, but those mechanics seem different, too.

There are lots of different interpretations of the nature of the soul, of course, and entire theologies dedicated to these questions. But I think the soul interpretation I like the best and that I think tracks with what we know about zanapakutou is that a soul is not a rigid, singular thing. It’s more a fluid series of occurrences and experiences bound together relationally, which I feel like tracks with the development of a shinigami’s relationship to their zanapakutou; there’s some base that you need to hear the name of, or some extant entity you need to come to understand, but beyond that your bankai (and to be honest, probably the higher-level development of your shikai) is going to be created of your experiences and desires and values and all these things that area part of your wily and ever-shifting but irreducible soul fabric. 

Again, that’s just me and what I think is most interesting to think about. Of all the things that could have umpteen different interpretations, I think souls are high on the list!

But thinking about the whole bankai discussion I see sometimes, here’s why it’s just not something I think about in that way:

1) Everyone we know and their hamster has bankai, sure, but I think one of the big schisms between our perception of this world as readers and the lived experience of shinigami in this world is that bankai is incredibly rare, a largely unknown quantity, and probably not something the average denizen of Soul Society or even Joe Shinigami thinks a lot about in their day-to-day. Bankai is the exception, not the expectation. 

Most shinigami don’t even have *shikai* and even people like Iemura, who as afar as we’ve seen is basically useless, is a cream of the crop shinigami, skill-wise. Unless you’re Ichigo being bullied into achieving bankai in three days (or Hisagi also being bullied into bankai for some Kensei reason), I feel like shinigami don’t go around thinking “this is why you don’t have bankai” because no one really expects that’s something to expect to be able to achieve. It’d be like going around thinking, “What part of my soul is missing that I can’t win a Nobel Prize?”

2) Maybe I’m just a bad Bleach fan, but I don’t really see a lot of value in achieving bankai, anyway. I mean, for the self-actualization, absolutely! But there is more than one route to self-actualization and I don’t think that not having bankai bars you from other routes. Bankai is a perfect storm of aptitudes and training and self-sorting, not an end-all. If it’s not in your practice, it’s not in your practice. I don’t feel like it’s the Soul Society equivalent of becoming a Pokemon Master, where it’s every ten-year old’s dream, a thing that’s purportedly normal and reasonable to want and achieve.

That reality is important to me, because I feel like it marks the distance between what is highlighted in our experience of Bleach as a plot-driven narrative and the Joe Shinigami experience of mulling about in the background, and that kind of thing really tickles me. Love it.

Okay, Matsumoto’s definitely not a background character. But even for VCs! Most PhDs don’t strive for MacArthur Genius Awards, and the implication isn’t that you’re unambitious or a deficient scholar if you never earn one. I dunno. I understand the trauma/tragedy of having bankai stolen, as in TYBW. What a mindfuck! D: But I don’t respond to “never having achieved bankai” in the same way.

But that’s all a huge tangent! 

What did Aizen take from Matsumoto, for Gin to go to such lengths to avenge her?

For me, the question isn’t “what” did he take; what was this important thing. I think it’s the act of taking—the audacity of feeling justified and empowered to do so. To use the souls of Rukongai for one’s own end, as though they are a resource and not a people.

What happened to Yachiru in the TYBW-arc?

Lots of interpretations here, as well. I’ll share what has always been my perception. Yachiru has always seemed, to me, an entity unto herself. “Child-like,” to a degree, but also nothing like a child, and not treated as a child. But also not treated as other shinigami—there seems to be some understanding that she is an entity unto herself. Don’t question it, just work with it. Which, for all the Gotei’s failures, is something they’re actually pretty good at. They know Yachiru is not really the normative shinigami, but she’s Yachiru, and they’re rolling with it. The same goes for Nemu.

She’s probably one of those things that I mentioned above, for which there is no real definition or designation, because she exists outside of the matrix. She is not a soul; she is not a sword; yet she is also both of those things. Yeah, I think she’s part of Zaraki’s sword, but not in ways that are equivalent to the Zabimaru spirit Renji speaks to in the Soul Society arc; or to dragon-Hyourinmaru, or to the humanoid Zanpakutou spirits in the Zanpakutou Rebellion Arc.

She is Yachiru.

[snurtle]

The weirdest thing to me is Orihime is so... Seperate from everyone else. At first she got her powers from Ichigo, same as Chad, but then wait, Chad's actually just a fullbringer, shuffle him off to a different category, so Orihime's very unique and yet... It's unexplored? I know she has like two fights she REALLY gets to participate in (and one's in the FILLER) but she's made so special and so unused it makes for the weirdest vibe. Honestly all Ichigo's human friends get wasted but her case is special to me.

Oh god, don't get me started on the rest of the human crew. My tears, endless. And yet! Ripe and fertile grounds for plenty of fanfiction/ fan speculation! So it's not all bad, i suppose.

Anyway, I believe??? We get a crumb of validation vis a vis Fullbringers and their generalized weirdness in the novels...

[ lore spoilers for CFYOW and TYBWA if you're invested in keeping up with the anime + extra canon novels in order. Light spoilers under this note, heavy (picture/manga) spoilers under the cut]

I think that it's in CFYOW that Fullbringers are explained as actually having Tiny Mincemeat Pieces of the Soul King in them, which is what makes them so deliciously enticing to hollows. It's also said that you can have bigger/smaller pieces, leading to differentials in power.

And yet. Aura has a full organ (the soul chain/ power amplification organ) , and while she can put Kisuke Urahara on the back foot, that's still not quite the same as what Orihime does. Even for a fullbringer (if she does actually fit into that category along with Chad), she's pretty weird.

I don't beef super hard with her not participating in fights; it's cool that by the fullbringers' entrance, she's not afraid to get into the down and dirty of it, though. I mean, she does this to Ginjo:

and that's just some regular-degular boundaries and self-defense in in the day of a lady who can--

tank hits from Ywhach by the end of TYBW???

After he's absorbed the Soul King, no less. Her shield doesn't even crack.

Like. What's up with that? Weird vibes in fucking deed.

Husb also added an interesting aside, to the tune that souls in Bleach can be overwhelmed by spiritual power that far supersedes their own. It crushes them, renders them sweaty and unable to breathe- lays them flat out on the ground, in the case of Nanao with Yamamoto, or pulps them into paste outright (sometimes without them even being aware of it), such as Hyogoku! Moth-Aizen and that poor random human in Karakura.

It's not that Orihime is going to get 0hko'd, or that she couldn't sense Ywhach's reiatsu. If that were the case, her shield wouldn't be able to block a blow. Which leaves another scenario open to possibility....

So yeah. Weird vibes!