Kubo Reveals NEW DETAILS on ESPADA NUMBERS, Komamura's History, Zanpakuto + More! | Klub Outside Q&A 

What's going on with the Espada numbers after this reveal, and what does it really mean for their ranking? Let me know your thoughts on all of the new information! I hope you all had an amazing Christmas! 🎄

Give it another year or two, and how the Espada are ranked will be changed again. At this point I think Kubo has embraced the chaos he inadvertently caused and is doing it to have some fun.

I think what Kubo meant with the comments about asauchi not growing as the shinigami grow is meant to reflect that once you become a full-fledged Shinigami with a connection to your zanpaku, it's base form solidifies as the wielder's personal sword, but the shikai can change as the shinigami's bond grows deeper, revealing more of the true shape of their soul

The Aspects of Death concept does work for the Espada. Aspects of death you could say exist for all Hollows as there is a reason they became a Hollow. The “chosen” of the hollows becomes an Arrancar, powered by the Hogyoku elevating their aspect and distinguishing it further but I think all Hollows have a predisposition toward a certain aspect based on how they became a hollow. If Aizen redesignated a number, he would simply be re-ranking pre-existing Aspects of death, not changing their Aspect. He would not shift the numbers sequentially but dismiss a number and assign it to another Arrancar completely. 0 - 9 Aspects Each Arrancar is governed by this Aspect in their soul When an Arrancar loses its designation, its aspect doesn’t change but it is no longer recognised as the strongest holder of said Aspect

So Yamamoto bestowed the name Komamura (translated as “(from the) Lion-dog Village” to a young, three-metre tall werewolf form the Beast Realm. That's a real surname in Japan, thus both hiding and revealing his origin. Before that day he had only the name he was given: Sajin - which means "dust, trash, garbage." It's easy to understand why Komamura felt accepted in a way he never felt among his own people.

"Blaze of God" is a very cool and fitting name for Bambietta's Vollständig. And the fact that Yama was the one to give Komamura a family name, adds a lot to why the old man was so important to Sajin.

I think the reason for Bambietta's Vollständig's change is due to her becoming a zombie: like its owner, the Quincy power is a broken shadow of its former self. It's like a mighty inferno that has turned into a flickering candle. Also, the concept art of Bambietta's "evolved" Vollständig is amazing!👏 Imagine the world of possibilities for her new abilities: slashes from her claws would incinerate enemies in seconds or cause them to explode etc.

Does this mean that Dordoni is also sacrifice. I noticed something about all former Tres Espada they seem to be less evil than the other. Dordoni helps Ichigo in the end, Nelliel is actually on the good side. Harribel is so human compared to the other Espada.

The asauchi shape changed once it becomes a zanpakuto, then the sealed form stays the same and only shikai and bankai can evolve according to the growth of the owner. If you remember the episode Nimaya mentions Zaraki we see the moment Zaraki grabs the Asauchi the sword changes into into Nozarashi's sealed form.

Wouldn't be surprised if Kubo's contribution to the Hogyoku Resurreccion was just that he designed them, and then somebody else came in and gave them names (along with assigning Nel an aspect of death, assuming that they are unique).

The beast realm is something that definitely needs more exploration, we have two key characters who espouse that while trying to distance themselves from their family's ways. Yoruichi sure was not comfortable with her status and her refusal to return to it postwar says it all.

Zofiel is a fitting name for Bambiettas vollstandig. Plus it changing form and name in sklaverai when shes a zombie is so cool, I wish we got to see Zofiel/Zombiel in action

The Espada "ranking" was always weird, and "messy" is the perfect description.

The fact that Grimmjow and Lupi can trade off being the sixth espada without it effecting the rank of anyone below them seems to suggest that it was never just based on ability. This might just be me making excuses, but I like to think the whole ranking system was devised by Aizen as a form of social control and personal amusement. He can use giving espada a different number as a bribe or reward that costs him nothing and it keeps them infighting, which is both amusing and cuts down on people questioning him.

Kubo makes up these answers on the spot.

I personally love the name of Bambietta’s Vollstandig: Zofiel, Blaze of God. I think it totally suits her exceptionally well. Now the Bambietta fans can rest easy since we finally found out what the name of her Vollstandig after not knowing it for so long.

I think that maybe what Kubo meant in terms of aspects of death is that they are set to be these 10 we learn about but they arent directly connected to the numbers themselves, it just happened to be that both 6th and 3rd Espadas had the same power level as their replacement. Or even if its not what Kubo meant and its connected to numbers i think my theory makes a lot more sense

We've seen unimprinted asauchi all have a square guard, and after becoming imprinted they get a custom guard. As for the shikai changing according to growth Toshiro's shikai used to have a chain but it lost it later on.

It doesn't get any better when you realize that Dordoni was once Espada #3 aswell. Somehow that dude represents 'Sacrifice' 🤣🤣🤣

After that answer the whole "which Espada is the strongest" debate will flare up again a lot. That's gonna be fun

The Espada makes me more and more realize manga artists, or at least authors of long running series have a hard time keeping their lore and ideas together. They seem to forget or not keep notes on what they originally planned, or just decided to change their mind.

About the death aspects answer. I believe in the symbolic world of Bleach aspects of death represents your potential. For example if you represent "Senescence" then you (at your maximum potential) can't be stronger than someone who represents "Solitude" (at its maximum potential). Thats pretty much explains all the mess with numbering of the Espada (like Nell, Luffy and Ulkiora situations). About the asauchi answer. Idk maybe it's a wordplay. Like asauchi can't change but Zanpakuto can.

In regards to Shikai growth, we could look at Rukia. Her Shikai's main ability changed after she went through the Squad Zero regimen, revealing its "true power".

The aspect of death is something I thought about myself and I'm glad to see it confirmed. I agree that it messes with the whole ranking system, but you could argue that an Espada's power is linked to their aspect of death. In this case, Nnoitra would be able to become stronger specifically because he managed to embody despair. Maybe that is the aspect his soul resonates the most with. On a different note, I would go a step further and say the hollow hole's placement is also the same for those who embody the same aspect of death.

Keep in mind that in the comment about Zanpakuto, the question is specifically about the *blade* of neutral Asauchi. Not the hilt or the sheath. The way the comment is translated "shallow stroke" does seem to refer to the hilt/guard area of the swords, which actually does not change in size in any of the Zanpakuto. The individual features might change once a soul reaper pours their essence in it, but it doesn't get bigger. For example all base form Zanpakuto have different guards, fabric, decorations etc. The blade always changes in every aspect. Size, length, girth, curve and so on. It makes sense as these Zanpakuto are not Asauchi anymore. They have been interacting with a host user for a while. Overall I think it works. The actual size of the hilt doesn't change, but, the blade and its features evolve over time.

Love your videos brother Ive been checking out your backlog and its great. Thanks for all the info

I wonder why none of the Espada have "Revenge" as their aspect of death. I mean, throughout history, vengeance and death have been very closely connected. If the new ranking system is truly based on the Espadas' aspects of death, the Revenge-Espada would definitely be one of the upper ranks. It's of course possible that "Revenge" was secretly Gin's aspect of death (that, or "Betrayal").🤔

Great vid brosky. Kamamura getting his name from the head captain is a mind blower for me. Ive always been intrigued by his story. It also explains the connection they all have to the head captain. Like with Kurakou when we see him as a child and see his growth and ultimately becoming the new Head Captain

I actually agree with kubo here to makes Nnoitra promoted from 8 to 5, from Insanity to despair because of by his history. and also swap their ranks such as 1 to 2, there is no way for aizen doing that for any reason

I knew Bambietta had to have had a name to her Vollständig and an enhanced Holy Form! I’m glad we finally know its name and how it looks! It sucks that we couldn’t see it in the manga and anime!

I’d love for you to do a break down history of the espada as an organization. Who were the earliest members, how do you become an espada, how are the ranking determined and how are they in the current timeline of the bleach universe. I love the group but there a lot of questions I have for them

Firstly I have to say I'm a huge fan of the channel, keeps me up to date and in the know. Thanks ETA, you're much appreciated. As for the Legion Go, what's there not to like? I love it and the concept it is pushing in terms of design and usage.

But I wanted to see it!!! Bambietta’s named Vollstandig!!! 😭😭😭 I would be so excited to see it!!! I hope that when we get hell, the quincy girls have a part to play. I could see Mayuri somehow managing to return their Vollstandigs to them, and he could even give Bambietta a proper zombification, freeing her from Giselle’s disgusting hands. I would be all for it. And then we could see everything we missed from her 😍😍😍

Is it possible that several of the espada numbering meanings could be true? Maybe it's the case that when Aizen took over, he was like "Nah, that death aspect stuff is cool and all, but I'm ordering you by your spiritual pressure instead." It would make sense that someone like Barrigan, who hated Aizen would still give the explanation of the "real" espadas were numbered from before Aizen came along.

Merry Christmas, Pal!

Tommo, the aspects of death being tied to the ranks is a retcon but I believe that Kubo is going to link them to the Hogyoku and what Aizen perceives to be the ones with strongest potential in his concept of evolution. Rage is 0 because Aizen perceives his lingering anger against the Soul Society to be the strongest and most lasting growing factor for himself and the Hogyoku, Loneliness is 1 because Aizen sees that cutting ties with everyone to reach the top is essential, Age is 2 because time must pass on for things to grow and get stronger which ties to Aizen plotting for years and honing his skills to their limit before enacting his plan, Sacrifice is 3 because one must be willing to give their all and risk everything to win which reflects of how Aizen was fearless and put himself at death's door for the sake of evolving, Emptiness is 4 because feeling hollow towards the world as it is without bonds with others or beliefs in a higher power was essential for Aizen to seek his ultimate goal of becoming a god, Despair is 5 because before becoming empty and seeking godhood Aizen felt crushed by despair and his main motivation was escaping it, Destruction is 6 because before falling into despair Aizen lashed out violently against the world he perceived as corrupt and though that destroying the source of his pain was the greatest motivation, Ecstasy is 7 because before trying to destroy the source of his pain Aizen tried to dull it with pleasure without finding any satiation, 8 is Madness because finding out the truth of Soul Society drove Aizen mad and being driven insane by something can make you much more dangerous and powerful, Greed is 9 because it was Aizen's initial ambition to rise above the crowd due to his prodigy which drove him away from others and into the mindwrecking revelations about the Soul King and the corruption of Soul Society. As you can see, Aizen sees the aspects of death as a natural progression in strenght for himself and others even if the Espada in question would have trouble grasping what their rank is meant to represent. Nnoitra was completely mad as 8 trying to die against a strong opponent to prove his point but after his dishonorable victory against Nelliel he went on from the ectsasy of removing her to trying to destroy other strong opponents to rise in power then finally giving into despair when he realized his battles weren't improving him as he once hoped. The Hogyoku in turn increased his strenght to Espada 5 as it reflected on Nnoitra Aizen's own path of evolution. Likewise Starrk became Espada 1 because he had albeit involuntarily grown alone and strong as a Vasto Lorde even without the Hogyoku while Barragan remained Espada 2 because despite him being one of the oldest Vasto Lorde with a power directly tied to Age he still surrounded himself with cohorts to validate his identity as a king rather than breaking bonds in search of more power and thus the Hogyoku didn't improve him much. Yammy became Espada 0 because despite being an Adjuchas he had pretty much undergone all other aspects of death before as he was a lone wolf with no regards for his comrades and his only remaining motivation was his rage against everyone he perceived as wronging him. As such the Hogyoku boosted his power to incredible levels but the shallow nature of his emotional evolution left him with just raw physical might and not much else. Another interesting development is that even if the Hollow/Arrancar had already reached a higher aspect of death before the Hogyoku, if his innate potential was already at the limit of what their evolution could give them then the Hogyoku would reject them and they would be booted to the Privaron Espada as they really couldn't grow anymore for Aizen at least. Mayuri proved that some Numeros, Privarons and alternative Espada could be made substantially stronger with scietific improvements but as far as Aizen's own reflection in the Hogyoku went those who reached a dead end in his scale of evolution had only a peripheral role on the scheme of things.

I've always thought the aspects of death were part of the reason as to why the espada were so powerful. We know hollows are the way they are because unfulfilled desires or lasting grievances, so I believed that the espada were so powerful because their grievances were more generalized and, for lack of a better word, deep than say Acidwire, who just wanted to look after Orihime. This answer from Kubo kinda throws that all out now. Oh well.

Honestly about the Espada, the best answer could be a mix of all the above. It could be that the original espada were the embodiments of the numbers meaning, and when a new one is made it could be the process of becoming an arancar would have this numbers meaning put to them and future espada members would best fit the rank. Like their position is based on both power and personality at the time, or the number alters one’s personality on given the rank.

I feel like a lot of creators will come up with different answers if they made a decision about something years ago and they just don't remember they have two ideas in their head they just can't remember which one they went with so that probably explains kubo's different answers to the same question.

Kubo the chillest guy around. Love the questions he answers that many don't even think of asking. The salary question of SS concerning Ichigo is quite interesting😅

Good ol' Tite Capper🧢 Kubo, Always making stuff up on the fly even since the bleach days were still going.

The Asauchi changing could easily be people customizing them to their liking, so at a base level, they don’t change but can be customized, like how most have unique tsuba or are hidden in other items, like Kisuke’s Cane, and Yama’s staff. The Zero Division’s Weapons could easily have been specially forged by Oetsu. Also, I believe the Shikai changing based on growth represents the shikai evolving based on the character's personal growth. As for the Espada, I believe Aizen simply chooses the strongest to represent each aspect, and the numbers shift based on reiatsu levels, (as we see with Yammy going from 10 to 0 when his reaitsu increases.) So it’s simply just the numbers that change, and the aspects that are set in stone. I could easily see the still living Espada, if their tattoos still existed, having their numbers shift over time due to the pecking order changing.

Try to understand, the same way Aizen was able to replace Nelliel with Hallibel, simply means Aizen can replace Espadas when needed. He can enhance & make them stronger with Hogyoku. He made Wonderweis, & he was stronger that all other espadas, just the fact he could seal all of Yamamootos powers. Kubo knows what he's doing. 👍 And its ok that Aizen would prefer to have certain Arrancars with similar personalities to replace another. Also, not because Nelliel & Hallibel have the same number dont necssarily mean they are equal in power or strength. 👍

For the Aspects of Death part of it, the other wierd thing, outside of their individuality, is the existence of the Privaron Espada. This would mean Dordoni would have Sacrifice as well, not just Nel and Harribel. While Cirucci would be Despair, Gantenbainne would be Intoxication, Picaro was Decay, and the "original" Grantz was Rage(instead of Madness). The only thing I think which could tell the difference maybe on who they are individually, is maybe different kinds of things under the same Aspect of Death. Like Dordoni, Nel, and Harribel could have all been Sacrifice, but for different reasons, like Nel's Lamentation(as an example). There has to be some sort of difference between the three of them, just because of how Hollows get stronger and are formed.

I was sick starting Christmas day. Barely feeling fine now, but still had a good time

This thing with the Espada kind of suggests that there may be two hollows with the same aspect of death in the Espada at once... like, what if Nel was still around when Halibel joined? She's definitely still strong enough to remain an Espada, so she'd likely be bumped down to 4, 5, or 6, which are different aspects than sacrifice. Unless you can have two Espadas share a rank, which would make things even more confusing.

In a way, Nnoitra represented the aspect of Madness perfectly when he kept trying over and over again to defeat Nel.

15:23 Maybe when the zanpakuto spirit is formed in the sword The best form of sword changes depending on the zanpakuto spirits I am pretty sure no soul reaper knew ahead of time what their abilities would be

15:27 My theory is it's that process of a Shinigami pouring their spiritual pressure into the asouchi that causes it to take on attributes suiting to its wielder. However once that process is completed and the shinigami has effectively "imprinted" onto the sword, it will no longer change and it's only the shikai and bankai forms that will actually grow as they are the living forms. That may also explain why Ichigo's asauchi was so large. It was filled with his spiritual pressure and that caused it to change shape.

Barragan said "they are our abilities, our thoughts, and the reason for our existence" I personally interpret this as each espada embodied their aspect of death in AT LEAST ONE of those ways he mentioned, rather than all of them.

I think that Neliel being Lamentation and Sacrifice can exist at the same time. Like each aspect of death, while set, can be multifaceted. Nel representing the sorrow of loss from sacrifice, and Haribel being the act of sacrificing ones self for others. Likewise moving from one to another is just moving from one aspect to a different one as your experience changes.

I got a sweet bleach hoodie, orange sleeves with a grey body. Also I love these lore videos, they're so fascinating to learn about

New Sajin lore??? Ive never hit the watch button so fast

I think it's a bit simpler than that with the aspect of death. Kubo might be saying that: All Espada sharing the same number happened to govern the same aspects of death. Yes, they're numerically ranked by their Reiatsu/lethality whatever, but Kubo wrote the characters so that the ones who shared the same rank would have the same aspect of death. This could work in two ways: First way: if Kubo wrote a character to fit a certain aspect of death, he would adjust their "power level" to match the rank fitting that aspect. Second way: If Kubo is filling a rank that has already been assigned an aspect of death (for example, Nel being given rank 3, that already has Harribel with the sacrifice aspect), that character would then be automatically assigned with the same aspect of death in the writing stage.

If numbers doesn’t matter than it reopen uquiora vs stark vs yami debate again. Oh my this is gonna be fun.

About Nel's aspect of death, I think I see how this works : Before the betrayal, her representing sacrifice made sense since she always protected her fractiones. But then she got betrayed and lost many things because of that bastard, lamentation is more fitting to her. And the thing is, now that the Espada as an organization are no more (regarding the numeros) well she does not have to be embodying any of the ten aspects of death. Also I always thought it was more than a coincidence that the first aspect of death was solitude... Perhaps the ranking of deaths is Kubo's take on the matter...

The aspects of death seem more like stages of grief in anger can be 10 and then flip to 0 since loneliness is followed by anger

Honestly my guess about the aspect of death is more so a case that when he threw them together that was what he had in his head and made the characters based around that. A writer coming up with the aspects as a theme then throwing them in a numbered list then making characters around it. Nel herself was given the number 3 since that was what aspect she fit in his head which is why the two share the same number and would put her above NNoitra (or maybe Nel was designed before Harribel). The numbers still dictate the strength as the story implies, just the aspects is the writing convention Kubo used to theme each Espada out design wise with it being a thematic choice rather then some actual story aspect.

For the first answer, the only way I can make it make sense is if I look at it from the perspective of something Aizen made up. He was probably bored one day and decided to tell the Espada that they each represent an aspect of death. He didn't want to make up a new one every time he got a new espada, so he decided to make them dependent on the Espada's number. But he still wanted to make the numbers represent power, so he made sure that the aspects would be likely to fit an arrancar of that power level. He new that the strongest would also be the loneliest, and that Barragan would always be number two, so those were pretty easy. An arrancar representing sacrifice would also be pretty powerful, same with nothingness, despair and destruction. He probably didn't care about the rankings for 7 through 10, so he just gave those whichever number gave them the best aspect of death.

Alright I have to say it! Sajin Komamura deserved a movie way more than Toshiro. Would have been more interesting and gave us insight into the werewolves of Bleach. How cool would it have been to see a few members of the werewolf clan come after Sajin for abandoning the clan and seeing flashbacks to how he met Yamamoto and joining the Gotai 13? Instead we got toshiro being emo.

I feel Isshin explained the Asauchi/Zanpakto shape thing when he fought Grand Fisher when Fisher was bragging on how big his Zanpakto was because of his spiritual pressure and that Isshins blade being so small ment he was weak, only to have Isshin cut him down and explain that captain level Soul Reapers have to ability to control the size of their Zanpakto; as he said "or they all would be walking around with swords the size of buildings" So my guess is that Unohana and Toshiro chose those shapes for their swords out of preference, Unohana to pay homage to her true nature as a Kenpachi and Toshiro as a way to highlight his power in spite of his small stature. A better example Captain level Zanpakto flexing is Yamamoto and Kisuke making their Zanpakto look like walking staffs and canes.

I wonder if the kindness Yamamoto showed to Komoamura has something to do with Yamamoto being old enough to have first-hand knowledge about the circumstances that led to Komamura's clan being cursed, as well as have been personal friends of some of Sajin's ancestors, like the original 7th Division Captain.

I'm glad that Bambietta finally has her Volstandig name which means every Bambi now has their Volstandig names.

I think a cool design for Bazz B’s holy form that would fit his character would be more of the rectangular shaped wings we saw in cour 2 that act like heat vents that release heat waves. He deserves better than what they gave him. Flaming angel wings would be cool, but Gerard already has the red angel wings.

I feel like lamentation and sacrifice are almost two sides to the same aspect myself. And I like to think that the aspects of death directly tie to their respective numbers and the Espada going through those numbers means they have elevated to a different aspect of death. If they get demoted, then it would mean they were forced to then regress in power until they had fully integrated that aspect of death again. A sort of mastery of their core fears as hollow.

Your videos butter My biscuits thank you

I got the 3 vol of Can’t Fear Your Own World! Almost halfway through the first!

My theory is that the asauchi takes its sealed zanpakuto form once the soul reaper imprints on it. This being when characters like kyuoraku got his second sword and kenpachi’s sword changed. After that they only change in Shikai and/or Bankai

The reasons do not have to be mutually exclusive. It can be that the aspects themselves provide power that matches the ranking.

Around 13:27 It could be more of a case of the customizing the Asauchi, the anime did something interesting with showing you the way the Asauchi looks, like just a wooden blade in a wooden sheath. This is not a coincidence, this is how traditionaly Japanese Katana looked before the user gave it a guard or a tsubasa, among other things.

I think the change in the sealed form of the zanpakuto happened after they poured their souls into it. Gin's zanpakuto became a wakizashi, and tosen's stayed as it is because his memory with that previous owner. As for shikai and bankai changing, I think Ichigo and renji are a good example, as they grew to know about themselves and their zanpakuto it will change too

I wish kubo just say menos or regular powerful hollow all have different or similar aspect of death. My head canon Zangetsu hollow self is protection and tousen is revenge.

On the asauchi question, think of it like a bucket, you fill it with dyed water (your reiatsu). But with Zaraki taking an asauchi of a corpse, the reiatsu inside would be overtaken by his as time went on. And about Kyoraku, his zanpakuto being two spirits, katen and kyokotsu, also refer to his ability to control his temperament. His shikai shows his more playful side, while bankai becomes more dramatic, serious.

I got the first 6 volumes of the manga!!! I'm hoping to eventually collect the whole set, so it's a start

I got the first 9 volumes of Bleach physical manga for Christmass so im very happy with that. Had read bleach many times before but now i finaly got the physical version

00:51 I didn’t get anything Bleach related but I did have to buy Literal Bleach 😂

Remember, back in the Soul Society Arc it's basically started that Kenpachi's sword is basically in a constant "release" state which might imply it's a pseudo-Shikai kind if like how having the wrong name changes the Shikai/Bankai.

5:36 I can literally hear you trying to hold your laughter here hahaha

I honestly think we need a old Gotei prequel instead of jaws from hell. Give us a series where Yamamoto is collecting all the previous captions and detailing his life so we could get all the unanswered questions.

the asauchi is the unimprinted form, once its offically imprinted the form is likely able to change since its no longer a base asauchi despite being a base sealed zanpakuto, as now it had a name and isnt just this blank slate, the asauchi are a standardized un-named zanpakuto so once imprinted on by a shinigami and becomes there named blade its form probably changes to fit the indivivual, its really not that hard to figure out also i think the word "grow" in this context didnt mean size,

For that zaraki zanpakuto question it has to simply be the new "piece of soul" becoming the "new owner" of the blade so it changes appearance because the original owner is dead and there piece of soul in there zanpakuto is "lost" thus transforming it this also ties to what kubo said in a older Q&A question how you can use a dead persons sword and in some rare anomaly cases some of the original owner power can mix with the new owner powers "slightly" but this is rare

Perhaps the ranking is not based on power but instead on the aspects' power. The most powerful one is rage, then loneliness, the aging, then sacrifice, etc. And each of the espadas was the most powerful arrancar with their respective aspects. Maybe is that why Grimmjow was replaced by Lupi and not Zommari when he was demoted. As for Nnoitora, maybe his aspect changed at some point after he banished Nell (maybe this was the reason it change, he grew desperate to get rid of her) and so Aizen changed his position, not because he became the fifth strongest, but because he became the strongest one with the aspect of desperation.

Man with kubo dropping more info on all these characters I really hope he is open to seriously continuing the hell arc after TYBW concludes

I wonder if Kenpachi's asauchi form was more like a part-release (similar to how Yumichika's zanpakutou does a part release if he pisses it off). It's mentioned at one point his sword is stuck in shikai but obviously this is way before the end of the manga

I think what Kubo was saying about the Zanpakutos, and kind of what happens with some of the characters, is that just because they were made originally by Oetsu, is that they were then later modified or perhaps even reforged. Its always struck me as a little odd that Oetsu makes all the Asauchis and then they come down to soul society. But what happens if they get chipped or broken with regular use? Do you have to send them back up? We're told that shikai can naturally regenerate, and the only way to fix a bankai is for Oetsu to reforge them (or Orihime's Soten Kisshun), but for the normal shinigami that seems kind of odd. So I'm sure there are blacksmiths throughout the Sereitei who are responsible for fixing, modifying, and reforging zanpaktuo's Asauchi or sealed form. Thats how many of the captains have these customized forms, or different grips and guards and shapes. Then I think what Kubo says about the Shikai continuing to grow was less "they get bigger", but instead they continue to evolve as the shinigami gets stronger. Gain more base abilities, get stronger versions of existing abilities, takes on new forms to better match their fighting style ect.

Now all we need to know the names of Bazz-B, NaNaNa, and Mask Vollstandig names because they're the only one we seen, but never got names of. Pernida I'm wait on to see if it will name its Vollstandig against Mayuri changing the fight some.

Nelliel seems like the purest form between Sacrifice and Redemption. Lost everything but learned real Sacrifice as she went out of her way to guide Ichigo, even at the cost of her life.Once she regained her powers, because Ichigo protected her along the way, her Natural instict was to protect those who protected her, even it might mean death.. Even Grimmjaw is the aspect of Destruction but gains Redemption by putting his desire to eventually beat Ichigo, to the side , for the greater good

Finally got the first 2 bleach character books for christmas! Kinda forgot about them but nice to finally have.

i do belive that Aizen ranked the aspects of Death in his order, what he thinks are the most important . After that he install the Arrancar who he thinks would fit the aspect he choose , like Nnoitra was madness but madness can turn into dispair so i do think that it makes sense to me atleast . Wish you and all who are reading this a good new year.

Maybe it is both a power snd representation system? Like, arrancars that represent those certain aspects are destined to be above and below others in strength, like any espada that represents agong, is destined to be the second strongest?

Around 14:41 No think this is more in line with how limited Zangetsu works, remember before he obtain his full Shikai, Ichigo's Zangetsu changed from not having a tsubasa to having one in Shikai, and it's form being different. A lot of people assume just it was an effect of the Fullbring, but i think it's more of the black tatoo's that Ichigo has, not so much the form of Zangetsu.

I thought about it, and I think I worked out how the systems can both work together: All ten aspects of Death are symbolized at all times. From the beginning, there has been a representative of Rage, Loneliness, Age, Sacrifice, Nihilism, Despair, Destruction, Drunkenness, Madness, and Gluttony. And every time one of them has died, another one has been chosen to replace that aspect. After that, the numbers may shuffle, if there's enough of a power discrepancy. Perhaps, at one point, Aaroniero's Gluttony was enough to give him dominion over most of the other Espada (I say most, because if he was the Cero Espada before Aizen came along, he would have eaten the others). But as time passed, others surpassed him, and their aspects and numbers changed. Now, Nelliel and Harribel ended up sharing numbers because, I assume, Aizen never had a chance to return to Hueco Mundo between Nelliel's banishment and his acquisition of Urahara's Hogyoku. Shortly after he returned, he sought Harribel out in order to use her to test its new abilities--the slot of #3 had remained open the whole time, and she was a perfect fit, so there was no need to change the numbers around in that slot. Perhaps Loneliness was changed when Starrk arrived; perhaps Ulquiorra was reassigned. Whatever the case, the Aspect ranking can probably change according to some rigorous method of study. Had Luppi's Destructive potential proven to be significantly less adequate than Zommari's speed and puppetry and Szayelaporro's tricks, he might have eventually been demoted...but Aizen was just using the little guy to keep Grimmjow's seat warm, anyway. Had Ichigo killed Grimmjow in those eleven seconds, though, Luppi probably would have had his--and his aspect's--rank changed. A true disgrace.

My Bleach-telated holiday surprise was that burn the witch prequel!🎉 I KEEPS the earz to the street for my anime fixes, yet had NO clue this was coming to enhance my new year's celebration!!! Up early this new year's morn, watching it now while the wife (her twin sister, my mom, and any other guests passed out around my property) & kids are still sleep! Happy holidaze my man!!!😢

Referrence the Asauchi form and Zaraki: It could be that the Asauchi begins as a normal looking blade for everyone, once bestowed it still needs a bit of time to synchronize with its wielder and the shinigami Zaraki killed hadn't completed that process yet. I reason this because i cant imagine a blade automatically changing forms once given to a shinigami straight away, there must be a bonding process between the asauchi and the shinigami soul which should take some time.

Perhaps the Asauchi changing denotes the Shinigami's talent, be it latent or active. The Zero Division, Kyoraku, Unohana, Kenpachi and Toshiro are among the strongest Shinigami, but also those lauded as the most talented in their fields. As such, perhaps their Asauchi being differentiated reflects that power that cannot be contained to just their Shikai, so it spills to its base form? We see this when Ichigo in the Hell Arc, shows us what seems to be his Asauchi, which is the Fake Zangetsu, which is miles away from a normal katana.

For the asauchi, they change as the Shinigami goes through and graduates from the academy. The asauchi pretty blatantly changes as it is filled by the wielder. I think Kubo is saying that a Zanpakuto's base form wont change but their Shikai will as they get stronger.

I think Kubo used the powerranking of the espada to further show the drive they have and where they can go with it. Thats why I think Nelliel is stronger than Harribel, (In her full form) bcause her "Sacrifice" is 'greater'. I also think that while Baraggan is stronger than Starrk, at that point where Aizen is in Hueko Mundo, "Loneliness" is much more of a porminent cause of death, than dying of old age. It's a really refined story telling narrative, which really needs one's ability to look behind the curtains... or so to speak. I think the numbers also highlighting the power of Aizen. If Aizen can manipulate souls/personalitys on a level, (he manipulated Ichigo's f entire life so I don't put past behind him..) than Ulquiorra Cifer also makes sense. The arrancar CAN change drive/number, but that needs power to achive. Aizen also had the power manipulation with his shikai which is influencing anything he wants. I think the Espada power system has a natural and an unnatural ranking, and whether its the one or the other is influenced by the sole existence of Aizen in Hueco Mundo

My dad (who introduced me to bleach) got me the soundrack volume 1-2 on vinyl for Christmas

I Think the aspect of death affects potential strength which is where the number falls in. If you think of the power of the death being tied to the aspect you can argue the order of the Espada makes sense. But would also explain why despite having a double release with Ulquiorra, he can still be ranked 4th cause the 3 ahead of him could still be stronger if they could release twice. Also makes sense with Grimjow being 6th, despite him gaining significant strength in TYBW.

This reveal makes more sense, as the aspect of death is differing in what is done or what that person interprets. It also makes certain characters who started off as one aspect of death and became another aspect as time went on. Like Sayel Aporro Granz was the embodiment of rage, as he initially fought in a war and was responsible for doing his experiments out of both rage and madness. Once he was relinquished of the rage factor, the aspect of ranking and death fell on Yammy Llargo. Nnoitra was madness incarnate when Nel was around, as he was killing Hollows and other things out of the madness of not being able to beat Nel by himself. Complete insanity, in other words (which is a synonym for madness). He later became 5 because that aspect of death became prevalent when Nel was out of the picture. Nel is both Sacrifice and Lamentation incarnate (since both lamentation and sacrifice go hand in hand). That's all. The Priveron Espada are failed versions of the aspects, since while they did have the aspects of death showing, they weren't perfect representations of what Aizen wanted as the Espada. Like Dordoni is sacrifice, since he had to sacrifice and lament because of what Aizen wanted, as he lost it possibly to Nel at the time. That's all I have to say there.