Tuesday, March 31, 2009

[Theory] What is Ichigo? Who is his Father? These questions answered and More!

This is a theory I took it from Mangahelpers about Kurosaki Ichigo from Bleach. Enjoy it!

By: The_hidden_one19

Ichigo Kurosaki has proven himself to be the ultimate "breaker of the mold" within the Bleach Universe.

The rules that apply to other characters do not apply to Ichigo. Why? TO answer this, I propose the following topics.

Who is Ichigo's father?
What is his origin? (shinigami/vizard/etc)
What is his connection to Urahara?

What is the source of Ichigo's power?
Is Ichigo a Shinigami?
Is Ichigo a Vizard?

How did Ichigo gain his powers? (*MAIN THEORY*)


First of all, Who is Ichigo's Father. We all knew him to be an annoyance, always overly enthusiastic and rather rough towards his son, But shortly after the Soul Society Arc (In the manga. It would have been after the Bounto Arc in the anime.) we saw the reappearance of Grand Fisher, the hollow who killed Ichigo's mother. However, Grand Fisher was changed. He was on his way to becoming an arrancar. Ichigo's father saved Kon (inside of Ichigo's body) from Grand Fisher. He then destroyed Grand Fisher and had a nice chat with Urahara.

What is his Origin? When Ichigo's father faces off against Grand Fisher, he wears not only the robes of a shinigami, but also the Haori(jacket) of a captain. When Grand Fisher Boasts that his zanpaktou is the size of a building, Ichigo's father informs him that a Captain-level shinigami controls the size of his zanpaktou, or else they would all be the size of buildings. He then easily defeats Grand Fisher, leaving behind only questions. Due to his appearance and knowledge, undoubtedly Ichigo's father was a Captain of Soul Society. He may have even been elevated to the Royal Guard.

But how does he know Urahara? That question is perhaps the easiest one to answer. One of the reasons for Urahara's continued exile from Soul Society is the fact that he had created a gigai (false body) that would consume the reiatsu of the spirit within. Once the spirits excess reiatsu was consumed, that spirit would be locked in the body and would become a living human. This was Urahara's plan with Rukia. I believe that Ichigo's father, on assignment in the Real world, Fell in love with a human woman. Perhaps his wife died in Soul Society and when she re-incarnated in the Real World, he followed and when the time was right, he took on the gigai so that he could live a life as a human. Thus, Ichigo and his sisters were born, all of them carrying a greater amount of Spiritual energy than the norm for a human, especially Ichigo.

But why now? Why does Ichigo's father have his powers back now of all times? This I attribute to the fact that once Ichigo's reiatsu was exposed to the spirit world and began to flood the areas around him with spirit energy, while it gathered in his friends and allowed them to manifest powers of their own, It also gathered within his father, allowing his father to regain the powers that he had once lost.

So what is the source of Ichigo's power? His father. He inherited his spiritual energy from his father. However, this does not explain how Ichigo developed a hollow form and how he was able to call his own Shinigami powers forward. Here are the most pressing questions.

Is Ichigo a shinigami?

No. Ichigo has some of the powers of a shinigami, yet he was never trained in the Academy, he was never accepted into a squad, and most importantly of all, Ichigo is still a living Human. However, on a small side-note:

One of the vizards, the one who joined Ichigo's class, made mention that the only reason he did it was because he was the only one of the vizards who were still alive. In the Flashbacks we learned that he was indeed a Captain in the past. So it may be possible for living humans to become shinigami, even captains. This character may set a precedent.

Also, I find it hard to believe that Kenpachi attended the shinigami academy. The academy would never have survived. As such, attending the academy may also be optional. However, being accepted as a member of a squad seems to be a prerequisite to being considered a true shinigami. This implies that the individual shows themselves capable of following the orders that they are given. Ichigo would never be capable of blindly following those orders. As such, I feel he could never be a true shinigami.

Is Ichigo a vizard?

No. A vizard is defined as a shinigami who has taken on the powers of a hollow. A Vizard has established training as a shinigami. Hollow powers are added after wards, building upon pre-established Shingami powers and training.

In Ichigo's case, I see his hollow abilities evenly balancing his shinigami abilities. He has been learning them both at the same time. He has been forced to balance his abilities from the Beginning.

The vizards we know of were a result of experimentation in Hollowification. This was explained as breaking down the barriers between being a shinigami and a hollow. The established vizards were all once shinigami of the 13 squads. They were victims of Aizens experiments. Only through Urahara's invention of the Hogyoku which has shown the ability to completely break down that barrier. Urahara used this invention to allow the Shinigami-vizards to take control of themselves.

If every vizard thus far has been a result of Hollowification of some sort through the Hogyoku, then how did Ichigo come to posses hollow powers. When was he ever exposed to the hogyoku?

And thus is my Prime Theory. Ichigo was exposed to the Hogyoku. Once.

In the very first Manga chapter/Anime Episode when Rukia sinks her sword into Ichigo's chest (right where the hollow hole would have gone incidentally), she intended to pass half of her powers on to Ichigo. But for some reason Ichigo TOOK all her power. Normally Ichigo was leaking out soo much spirit energy that it was sufficient to dull Rukia's senses so that she could not hear the approach of the hollow in that first episode/chapter. Spirit energy was Constantly leaking out of Ichigo. So why would Ichigo take energy? The only reason for this is that the energy that he normally flooded out, was gone. Rukia's powers were taken to fill the void.

But where did Ichigo's spirit energy go to?

And what was special about Rukia at this time?

At the time, The Hogyoku was hidden within Rukia's body, sealed. But as Aizen later demonstrated, by forcing energy through the hogyoku, it would awaken, and it's powers would become active. I believe that Ichigo's powers went straight to the Hogyoku, which then microwaved Ichigo a bit, beginning the gradual breakdown within his soul. I believe that the Hogyoku opened the barrier for Ichigo to attain Shinigami powers and at the same time broke open his hollow barrier. Of course, it started slowly, though as time has progressed, the breaks have been growing and growing until there is little barrier left.

It is my belief that Ichigo's current state (As of Manga Chapter 351) is a result of the barrier between Hollow and Shinigami being completely dissolved. This form is the True complete mixing of the two powers. This I believe is what Aizen wishes to accomplish within himself.

Ichigo is not Shinigami, He is not Vizard. He is a step above vizard. A true Complete mixing of abilities. While Vizards and Arrancar are a slight mixing of abilities, Ichigo is displaying a true blend.

Thoughts? Opinions? If I am full of, it, please let me know. If not, then Please add any information you have that may support my theory, as well as any that might blow it out of the water. Thanks!