Picture this. You're an extremely powerful Zanpakutou spirit, a mix of Shinigami and Hollow, you know that most of your wielder's enemies are legit fodder.

But there's a problem. Your wielder is a thickhead and also a mix of all combined raced in the universe. Plus, his Quincy part starts larping being you and it works. You decide to follow that decision and play along because hey, old Quincy King is more believable as a benevolent spirit than you looking like a comically evil version of the wielder.

Then you're forced to watch your wielder getting cooked almost every fight and straight up refusing your help, because the larp as a hollow part was too effective. You save his ass constantly but bro doesn't buy it and nerfs himself even though he could stomp everyone standing in his way.

And ultimately, when old Quincy King finally stops the larp and your wielder acknowledges you as the real Zanpakutou spirit, it's to fight the only guy you can't curbstomp in one Getsuga Tenshou, the eldritch Quincy King, alive and well.

Sauce

https://www.pixiv.net/en/users/33581676

made by me, when I should have been doing something else

Prize A: Ichigo Kurosaki (MASTERLISE)
Ichiban Kuji BLEACH: Stirring Souls Vol. 5

--

Good luck~!

I don't know about you, but I change my mind every minute. I can't choose. All voices have different tones and characteristics

So it's taken me FAR too long to get this piece painted!

Seeing as it was finally revealed (for the briefest of moments) I'm the anime, I figured it was about time!

Admittedly the seams on this print aren't as well hidden as my more recent works, but this was one of the first big projects I printed so, I can let myself off easy this time 🙏

“Bankai … I like that word”

Bro isn’t just a villain, he’s a MENACE

Anyways, Yhwach has been a great villain throughout the anime run. I like how he hides his ruthlessness behind promises of a new world for his people, it just makes him that much more terrifying. There had to have been a point where he truly did want to avenge his fallen followers by establishing this new world for and by Quincies, but the mix of unlimited power, hubris, and revenge towards the Soul Society just shows how much of a hypocrite he is. And I think that really adds to his character.

Not saying his goals were ever noble or just, but you can see the difference in how he valued his men during the war 1000 years ago vs. how he treats his followers in this age. Dude insists on promising a new world for his people yet keeps nuking them in the present just to reabsorb their power into his own.

Bro also went Fruit Ninja on Renji, performed a Mortal Kombat Fatality on Rukia, didn’t even let Ganju or Chad up off the ground (he was afraid Chad would one-shot him, trust me), and tossed Orihime at Ichigo like discarded waste, after snapping Tensa Zangetsu. All of that just to tell Ichigo “do not despair”.

I think for now I still prefer Aizen as a villain, but the anime has done a fantastic job in showing how much of a threat Yhwach is beyond just displays of power. It’s how he uses his powers to hurt Ichigo (mentally and psychologically) that really improves his character in my eyes.

In conclusion, Yhwach really is a menace. Someone call J. Jonah Jameson asap.

Isn't that literally the flames he had when he went into Blood Chains? I am literally seeing Blood Chains in that sequence.

Some keep on saying that Blood Chains is his ultimate form and hence is his True Bankai when in fact it's stated that it's his Hollow Bankai hence why it is more akin to his Full Hollow Form aka Vasto Lorde. Infact, he is eerily similar to it. He even has the same markings and then the 2 horns of course.

What I interpretted is that, this form is when he utilises more of his Hollow Powers and you can see how he only used his big Black Blade for bankai and unlike True Bankai, where he sheathed his Quincy Blade. Heck even the flames on his hands and neck look the same as well. Also he never stated it's name unlike True Bankai | Tensa Zangetsu and Rukia even said; "That is your **Zangetsu**" not "**Tensa Zangetsu.**"

I highkey think that Ichigo has 3 bankais. Hollow, Quincy and Combined. (Dunno about a Fullbringer one though)

But hey I could be wrong about all of this.

I always imagine this moment in my head with his laugh having a strong echo at the end of it and there being no OST playing at the same time so that all you can hear throughout the area is his laughter and its echo The moment was already important in the manga so imagine how amazing it could be with the anime’s great adaptation

I've often wondered what concepts Orihime's powers are based on, which led me to study some Buddhism. I found that Shun Shun Rikka seems tied to the concepts of shunyata (emptiness), advaya (non-dualism), ahimsa (non-violence), and karuna (total compassion). The first concept, shunyata, explains that all things lack a permanent or stable identity, which doesn't mean nothing exists; rather, everything exists interdependently through causes and effects. Advaya relates to non-duality, an awakened state where awareness goes beyond ordinary opposites like self and other to avoid conceptual extremes rather than perceiving a single universal state. The concepts of shunyata and advaya connect to her powers, which involve "rejecting" phenomena, reflecting Buddhism's goal of helping people see the material world as an illusion to erase suffering by creating protective barriers, undoing events, and healing wounds. Ahimsa is non-violence toward living things, as seen in Orihime's pacifism. Karuna means compassion, where it's the belief that every living being is free from suffering, not just from feelings, but making it the core to help others. Orihime shows this by supporting not only Ichigo but everyone she cares about. There is also flower symbolism: she is related to a lotus that symbolizes purity and spiritual awakening that comes from emotional resolve. All of these elements are actualized through the series and show all the Buddhist concepts mentioned earlier, but ultimately lead to enlightened detachment from the karmic cycle. So, what do you all think about these observations and the Buddhist themes related to them?

EDIT: Fixing the format and grammar