Warning: Spoilers for Bleach: The Thousand-Year Blood War, Episode 10Ichigo of Bleach has suffered many a defeat at the hands of his enemies, but never before has one so thoroughly won as the Quincy, who destroyed Ichigo’s Zanpakuto and would’ve gone on to kill him had their time not run out. It seems that Ichigo’s Zanpakuto won’t be getting replaced any time soon, however, after his trip to the Soul King’s Palace.
Ichigo, Renji, Rukia, and Byakuya were all taken to the Soul King’s Palace to help them recover from their injuries. Ichigo and Renji were back on their feet quickly after some time in Tenjiro Kirinji’s hot springs, and proceeded on to the next member of Bleach’s Squad Zero, Kirio Hikifune, who prepared them a meal that would help to energize and rejuvenate. They were then sent on to the third member, Oetsu Nimaiya, who was supposed to help the two Soul Reapers fix their Zanpakuto.
Nimaiya, however, was unimpressed by Ichigo and Renji at first glance, and challenged them to survive against primitive Zanpakuto spirits called Asauchi for 72 hours–difficult enough under any conditions, but especially so without their swords. Both managed to make it to the time limit, but while Renji passed, Ichigo did not. That’s when Nimaiya revealed that the purpose of this challenge was to allow one of the Asauchi to choose them as its master. One chose Renji, but apparently none of them took a liking to Ichigo, and without a willing Asauchi, there’s no way to create a new Zanpakuto. It’s also revealed then that Ichigo’s Zanpakuto, which he obtained at the same time as his Soul Reaper powers, has not had an Asauchi/Zanpakuto spirit in it this entire time. Ichigo is rejected and sent back home to the Kurosaki clinic in the world of the living, dumbfounded at the turn of events.
The Mysteries of Ichigo’s Zanpakuto
Savvy viewers may have already had questions about Ichigo’s Zanpakuto after learning about the Asauchi. If Zanpakuto normally need to be crafted by Nimaiya, how would Ichigo have been able to get one as soon as he transformed? The most logical assumption is that this has something to do with the fact that Ichigo’s father, Isshin Kurosaki, was once a Soul Reaper himself, and is thus not an ordinary human. And, since it’s now known that Ichigo’s mother was a Quincy, it’s possible that has some relation as well. The “old man” manifestation of his Zanpakuto, Zangetsu, does look a bit like Yhwach, after all. It’s also possible that Ichigo’s “inner hollow” could be the cause, similar to an Arrancar, or even his Fullbringer powers, which would’ve hypothetically been latent at the start of Bleach.
There may still be hope that Nimaiya will change his mind should Ichigo return, but for now, Bleach‘s hero is going to be without his sword for the foreseeable future.
New episodes of Bleach: The Thousand-Year Blood War currently premiere on Mondays on Hulu.
