Bleach/Characters/Two Point One

Everything About Fiction You Never Wanted to Know.


Characters that appeared in Tite Kubo's Bleach. This page deals with Aizen's faction.

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WARNING! There are unmarked Spoilers ahead. Beware.

In case you're wondering, the Sliding Scale of Villain Effectiveness puts them at Infinite, since they won... well, every fight. Put up with it until the Deicide Mini-Arc, Ichigo gets his Deus Ex Machina, and then the thing goes to Hell. Likewise, the Sliding Scale of Villain Threat has the group at a section between National and Global Threat.

Sosuke Aizen

Species: Shinigami
Affiliation: Soul Society (formerly) / Las Noches
Zanpakutou: Kyōka Suigetsu

Before and after The Reveal

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At first, Aizen presents himself as the affable and gentle Captain of the 5th squad. During the Soul Society arc, he is apparently murdered for investigating the Government Conspiracy behind Rukia Kuchiki's unusually harsh treatment by Central 46 following her arrest. In truth, he masterminded said conspiracy--and many more--in an elaborate gambit to acquire the Hogyoku (read:MacGuffin) which opposing Chessmaster Urahara Kisuke had hidden in Rukia's gigai in an equally elaborate bid to destroy it. After revealing himself and retreating from Soul Society, he takes up residence in the world of Hollows, Hueco Mundo, and uses the aforementioned MacGuffin to create the Arrancar army, in hopes of eventually finding the King's Key and becoming 'the one to stand atop heavens'. He is noted for his extraordinarily powerful abilities, Kick the Dog tendencies, elaborate schemes, and mysterious aura. His Zanpakuto is Kyoka Suigetsu, where he can trick you with his near-perfect illusions. After five long years, Aizen was finally defeated by Ichigo and imprisoned by the new Central 46.

Voiced by: Show Hayami (JP), Kyle Hebert (US)

  • Above Good and Evil: While explaining that several people have tried to break the boundaries between Hollows and Shinigami, or otherwise surpass their limits, he says that they failed either because they simply lacked the potential, or they were held back by morality and ethics. Later, he gets angry with Urahara for letting his sense of right and wrong stop him from trying to change the world.
  • The Ace: There are multiple superpower lotteries in Bleach, and Aizen never took home less than the bronze in any of them. That said, he may also be a deconstruction of The Ace: how long can one person be that much better at everything than virtually everyone around him before he develops a god complex and starts crossing the Moral Event Horizon just because no one can stop him?
  • Achilles' Heel: His shikai can be countered by touching it before it's released.
  • Actually a Doombot: Uses his illusions for it, or Gin (to distract Komamura in the Seireitei Hill) and Momo (for Hitsugaya).
  • Adaptive Ability: For a certain period of time, the Hougyoku allowed Aizen to utilize this.
  • Advancing Boss of Doom: After absorbing the Hougyoku and making his way to the real Karakura Town; it's all Tatsuki and company can do to keep away from him, and to make it worse, Aizen insinuates that he's not stopping them at every turn just because he doesn't feel like doing things that way.
  • Always Someone Better: While Aizen is said to be one of the most powerful Shinigami, and possesses something of Jack of All Stats status with all the advantages that implies, the following also applies:
    • Aizen acknowledged Urahara as being the only shinigami in Soul Society who had greater intelligence than him.
    • Yamamoto has more raw destructive power and is physically stronger.
    • Ichigo has more reiatsu.
  • And I Must Scream: His final fate as of his last appearance to date. Though he doesn't seem particularly worried about it...
  • Anticlimax Boss: Gets inflicted by this from Ichigo, who even addressed it to some degree.
  • Arch Enemy: He's earned the hatred of a good number of characters throughout the series.
    • Every single Visored wants him dead.
    • Hitsugaya was willing to risk losing his captaincy if it meant avenging Hinamori.
    • Komamura blames Aizen for what happened to Tousen.
    • Baraggan had his formerly prosperous authority overruled and found himself forcibly subjugated under Aizen's wing.
    • Gin Ichimaru, of all people, given that Aizen stole a piece of Rangiku's soul for the Hogyoku.
    • Possibly subverted with Rukia; he created the Hollow responsible for killing her mentor, but we've had no indication to date how she feels about that.
    • Another subversion comes from Byakuya; while it's perfectly logical to assume that he's not at all happy with Aizen messing around with Rukia's life and feelings, we never get a chance to see him express that on-screen.
    • Inverted with Urahara; he hates Urahara's willingness to maintain the status quo, but we don't have any idea how Urahara really feels about Aizen. All we know is that the vast majority of this manga so far has been driven by what amounts to a chess game between the two, for what goal is still unknown.
    • Averted with Ichigo. Aizen himself even addressed it.
  • Arson, Murder, and Jaywalking: Tortured Momo and Orihime repeatedly, killed off several of his own underlings, done everything on the Karma Houdini page besides remaining unscathed, and messed with Arrancar Research Time.
  • Authority Equals Asskicking: As Captain of the 5th Division. And the inversion...
  • Asskicking Equals Authority: The Arrancar follow him partly because of his strength, and partly because of his lack of fear.
  • Bad Guys Do the Dirty Work: After Komamura and Hisagi beat Tousen, Aizen (apparently) finishes him off.
  • Be Careful What You Wish For: He wished for Ichigo to become very powerful, so that he would have a Worthy Opponent. Problem is, he got what he asked for...and more.
  • Badass Bookworm: As "Captain" Aizen.
  • Bad Boss: After The Reveal, yes. Very much yes.
  • Barehanded Blade Block: He can block a sword with one finger.
  • Berserk Button: Finally pressed when Ichigo gained the upper hand over him in battle leading to a Villainous Breakdown, but he reserved the full madness of it for Urahara whom he feels is a traitor to their vast intellects to not side with his view of the world and Spirit King.
  • Beware the Superman: Apparently, the reason he turned evil was that he discovered early that he was so much more powerful than everyone around him, even Captains, and just couldn't or wouldn't empathize with them due to the sheer power difference.
  • Beyond the Impossible: He wants the Hogyoku because it can break the physical laws separating shinigami and the divine.
  • Big Bad: Aside from anime-only villains, both in fillers and movies, virtually everything that happened in the series' run has him involved - or personally responsible - in some way.
    • Bigger Bad: Although he definitely played a role in the Hueco Mundo arc (primarily involving Orihime), Aizen was noticeably less involved overall, whereas the majority of the screen time was given to the Espada.
    • Disc One Final Boss: Seems to be shaping up as one. Following the six years (real-time) that it took for him to finally face defeat, Word of God confirmed that point marked the story being half over (cue jokes from the Japanese voice actors that this meant the story would continue for another ten years).
    • Non-Action Big Bad: During the Arrancar Invasion and Hueco Mundo arcs, as well as half of the Fake Karakura arc, but in the last case, it was because he was trapped.
    • Predecessor Villain: Started getting this treatment following the Time Skip.
  • Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: Maybe one of the BEST examples ever, given that he ended up as the Big Bad for the rest of the series afterward.
  • Bishounen: Compare Captain Aizen, to Aizen after The Reveal.
  • Black Eyes of Evil: Both his cocoon and "evolved" forms feature these, the cocoon's being pure black while evolved Aizen is more like a typical Visored's eyes.
  • Board to Death: Aizen to the Central 46.
  • Body Horror: The Shapeshifter Swan Song mish-mash his "final" form is, which is turned up to eleven when Urahara's seal kicks in. Somehow, it's made even more horrific in the Anime as a David Cronenberg-esque ooze rises from his feet to envelop his body while ethereal spears shaped like crosses impale him. It's worse when you realize he has no idea what's happening to him at first. The form prior to that also counts.
  • Brought Down to Normal: Apparently he desired to be a normal shinigami. As a result, his Deicide fight with Ichigo's Mugetsu allows him to be depowered to a normal shinigami level... and an imprisoned one at that.
  • Butterfly of Death and Rebirth: During the third time he evolved, he had six wings, seraph-style... except they look a bit too much like a butterfly's wings.
  • By the Power of Greyskull: "Shatter - Kyoka Suigetsu."
  • Calling Your Attacks: He hardly if ever does this, but the final Kido he uses really takes the cake for how long it is.

"The oozing crest of corruption! The arrogant vessel of madness! Deny the seething urge! Stun and flicker! Disrupt the sleep! The crawling queen of iron! The eternally self-destructing ball of mud! Unite! Repulse! Fill the earth, and know your powerlessness! Hado Number 90: Kurohitsugi!"

  • Combat Pragmatist: His primary method of fighting is either catching his opponents completely by surprise with his Shikai or verbally taunting them into making mistakes, and then striking when their guard is down. When he stops doing so, it's a clue to the viewers that he's going to be defeated soon.
  • Complete Monster: He planned to invoke this against Ichigo, when he said that he'd string the corpses of Ichigo's friends on display for the latter to see. It's the mildest he's ever thought to achieve, with his track record.
  • Complete Immortality: As of Deicide arc. You might think that he lost the war, but come to think aof it, he's now both ageless and immortal. Even if he spends that 20k years in prison (and we all know this won't happen), he'll be still an incredible threat to Soul Society. Hell, he IS God, even though Soul King is still in charge.
  • Complexity Addiction: Aizen spent decades experimenting on hollows to produce one that could neutralize Yamamoto's zanpakutou. He spent years experimenting on producing powerful enough Arrancar that it would draw out the Gotei 13 from Soul Society into a position where they could be openly attacked and fought and... in the end, he simply does the job himself. Lampshaded by Aizen himself who does express disappointment that after all this effort and planning, it was amazing to think he could simply do the job by himself, after all. However, there was an indication much, much earlier in the manga from Isshin and Urahara that Aizen might simply be using his new arrancar to experiment with their power levels for some purpose.
  • Covert Pervert: Mentioned once in an Episode preview. To measure Orihime, Aizen used his eyes to get the right measurements for her uniform. Yes, you read it right; he basically undressed Orihime with his eyes.
  • Curb Stomp Battle: What his battles are when anyone else takes him on. Inverted by Ichigo, who effortlessly humiliates his now-monstrous form.
  • Dangerously Genre Savvy: Explains his evil plan to Ichigo...twice, lying at some point although he's so proud of his habit of mixing truth and lies to create his own reality that it's not certain where he's lied and where he's told the truth, and adjusts his plans to account for the possibility that the heroes might win. Encourages Ichigo to grow stronger only because he needs him to be, anticipates and plans for his Dragon to betray him for the same reason, stomps the Gotei 13 by relying consistently on his most broken ability rather than something Awesome Yet Impractical (despite being strong enough to take them all on normally anyway), and calculates exactly what buttons to press for each character that would take them off their game.
  • Defiant to the End: Sorta, as he seems to be unfazed when condemned to millennium of solitary confinement.
  • Didn't See That Coming: Subverted - while he did predict that Gin would try to kill him one day, (and in a double subversion banked on it because he needed fear of death to evolve in power) he didn't see how. A bit of an awesome moment for Gin when he reveals that the deadliest part about Shinso isn't speed or length, but its poison.
    • Call Back and Foreshadowing: In the Turn Back the Pendulum arc, when Aizen betrayed Shinji, Shinji had known Aizen would betray him, but the "how" of it completely surprised him. Aizen told him that it's not the treachery you can see coming that's dangerous, it's the treachery you can't see coming. A lot of fans felt those words would come back to bite him later on and they did, Gin-style.
  • Diabolical Mastermind: he defected from the law-abiding Soul Society and upgraded the army he had been building (but at a lower power level) as part of a vast scheme he had been developing for decades.
  • Drunk with Power: He went a little crazy with power after his increasingly unnatural power upgrades left him feeling more and more as though his plans were unfolding flawlessly. Turned out to be a case of Hoist by His Own Petard.
  • Drunk on the Dark Side: The stronger Aizen gets, the more visibly unstable he becomes.
  • Eldritch Abomination: Inverted; he views the Spirit King in this light.
    • Played straight after Ichigo overpowers his strongest kido and he forces the Hogyoku to evolve him into a Hollow-like monster.
  • Evil Counterpart: To Kisuke Urahara, note the similar-sounding given names. They're both super-geniuses who tend to use their allies like pawns and enjoy Trolling allies and enemies alike. Except that Urahara actually cares about his allies in the end. In fact, he believes they are so alike that he's surprised Urahara isn't just as evil as he is.
    • According to the Unmasked Databook's explanation for why Aizen chose to pursue godhood, it says Aizen did so out of loneliness because he was more powerful than anyone around him. That's right, Aizen is a reflection of what his own ally Coyote Starrk could have been if Starrk let his ambition overcome his desire for friends. And moral compass.
    • Could also have been an evil counterpart to Toshiro Hitsugaya. As a kid, Aizen was ostracized due to how powerful he was. He decided to become even more powerful as a result, which turned him into the loveable bastard we all know. After Momo went to the Shinigami Academy, Toshiro's spiritual energy began to freeze everything around him, and he could have gone the same way as Aizen had he not met Rangiku. It's notable that of all the available captains, it's always Hitsugaya Aizen targets first.
  • Evil Is Not a Toy/Reality Warping Is Not a Toy: Aizen's relationship with the Hougyoku didn't quite develop the way he had expected.
  • Evil Genius: His entire Xanatos Gambit in the Soul Society arc firmly entrenches him as one.
  • Evil Overlord: Residing within his enormous white-clad fortress of Las Noches, located at the very center of Hueco Mundo, Aizen directly commands an army of powerful warriors called Arrancar, from Numeros to Fraccion and Espada, through added charisma, immense strength and unflappable fearlessness, but has no qualms manipulating, betraying and killing them whenever he's in the mood for it.
  • Evil Sorceror: Can use up to Level 90 Kido spells without the incantation, though apparently he can't get them to full power.
  • Evil Sounds Deep: He's voiced by Show Hayami, so it should be expected.
  • Eyes Do Not Belong There: On his wings.
  • Faking the Dead: And HOW.
  • Faux Affably Evil: "We'll talk about the intruders in a minute. But first, does everyone have their tea?"
  • Flat Character: Unlike several other antagonists, Aizen's primary role as a character is to be Mr. Exposition, The Chessmaster and an Arch Enemy to anyone not named Ichigo, Rukia or Urahara.
  • Forgot About His Powers: Hit with this hard after he tricks Hitsugaya into stabbing Hinamori. Beyond that point, he doesn't use his unbreakable illusions at all, even when he's getting thrown around like a rag doll by Ichigo. He loses his zanpakuto right at the end of this period, although whether that's a reaction to his neglect of it or related to his secret desire to be Brought Down to Normal, is uncertain.
  • For the Evulz: There isn't really a better explanation for half the things he does. He's just that big a dick. Lampshaded once by Gin who tells Aizen to his face that he's only doing certain things to have fun. Aizen doesn't deny it.
  • Fountain of Expies: Studio Pierrot liberally recycles aspects of Aizen's character into their own antagonists for Bleach, in no small part due to the impact he made to the series. It's also inverted; instead of other series taking their cues from Aizen, Studio Pierrot used Aizen as a template for anime-exclusive villains of the same series.
    • Jin Kariya of the Bount arc? A manipulative, backstabbing chessmaster who smirks a lot, frequently betrays his allies, and mopped the floor with The Hero for many of their fights.
    • Shusuke Amagai of the New Captain arc? A captain that portrays himself as a Reasonable Authority Figure with an amicable disposition, who ends up being the mastermind behind a conspiracy.
    • Kouga Kuchiki of the Zanpakuto Unknown Tales arc? A Person of Mass Destruction that gets sealed away for years, mistreats his subordinates, betrays his most loyal ally by stabbing through their chest and possesses a sense-manipulating illusion ability, He faces his defeat at the hands of someone "beneath" him.
    • Kageroza Inaba of the Invading Army arc? A traitorous, overpowered, glasses-wearing Shinigami that pretends to be polite and amicable, possessing an acute expertise with science, who becomes master of his own realm. He single-handedly creates an army of captain-level Evil Counterparts, invades the personal space of males and females alike, expresses interest in (and actively goes after) a much younger girl, and covertly uses the Central 46 to continue his work behind the scenes.
    • Kokuto from Hell Chapter, the fourth film? A deliberate Complete Monster that pretended to be an ally, faked his death, revealed his betrayal by stabbing someone nearby and butchering a person close to the protagonist. He faced defeat through the best attack of The Hero's super-powered form and gets sealed after assuming that he'd won afterward.
    • Even the manga is getting in on the act. Shukuro Tsukishima is a constantly smiling Manipulative Bastard with a unique special ability that he uses for Mind Rape; he even resembles Aizen by a bit. Inverted in that he's in a Big Bad Duumvirate with Ginjou, who ironically is much like an evil Isshin, and Tsukishima himself is resembling Gin with every Mind Rape he commits.
    • Even FANON is starting now, one of the better examples is this man, who ventures almost from being an Expy into Copy Cat Sue territory.
  • Freudian Excuse: Suggested by Ichigo that he went crazy due to Lonely at the Top and wanted to create someone on the same level as he was. The databook confirms this; apparently Aizen's power meant he was isolated and mistrusted in his youth, and he wanted to become a god and create his own world as a result. It doesn't even begin to justify a single one of the heinous crimes he committed.
  • The Glasses Come Off: At the end of the Soul Society arc.
  • A God Am I: Aizen planned to become a being like the Soul King by using the Hogyoku to recreate the world as he saw fit. "No one has ever stood in the Heavens. Not you, not me, not even God, but soon, that unbearable vacancy on the throne in the sky will be filled. From now on... I will stand in Heaven!"
    • He built an artificial sky, possibly with spying capabilities.
  • Good Hair, Evil Hair: Slicking his hair back is the first thing he does after revealing his evilness.
  • Hannibal Lecture: Aizen seems prone to these, both right after The Reveal that he's indeed the Big Bad of the series, and to both Shinji and Ichigo in the current arc, critiquing their methods of fighting him. It seems to have the effect of saddling Shinji with an Idiot Ball and sapping Ichigo of his confidence, until Komamura of all people shows up to deliver a Shut UP, Hannibal, but by then, he already finished all he said and later had Ichimaru slice Hiyori in half for trying to shut him up.
    • Gets an epic Shut UP, Hannibal from an improved Ichigo when he FACE GRABS Aizen and takes him to another area before he realizes what's happened.
  • Hoist by His Own Petard: According to Urahara, the reason his sealing spell finally works is because the Hougyoku Aizen relied so heavily upon finally took back its power and stopped viewing him as its master. Ichigo disagreed with Urahara's comment and said the Hougyoku was actually responding to a secret desire within Aizen to be Brought Down to Normal... either way, things apparently didn't go as Aizen planned.
  • Humanoid Abomination: All of his "Chrysalis" stages, but special mentioning goes to his last one: Hollow masks on his wings, three huge holes in his body, facial skin splitting apart to reveal a black skull, arms that mutated into claws, and eyes no longer visible.
  • I Am a Humanitarian: He intends to eventually eat Ichigo. Can't decide whether that kills or fuels the Foe Yay. Maybe both.
  • I Just Want to Have Friends: After Ichigo and Aizen have their great battle, Ichigo is left feeling this was Aizen's deepest reason for way he walked the path he did, along with seeking a Worthy Opponent.
  • I Lied: His excuse to Ichigo when the latter lampshades that he has given a Motive Rant twice - two different ones. Aizen lampshades that if Ichigo thinks he's lying this time, then he shouldn't assume that he wasn't actually lying the first time.
  • Immortality:He appears to have become a Type 1. The Central 46 doesn't know how to kill him, and one even warns him not to get cocky "just because you're immortal".
  • Implacable Man: He survived having his cellular structure broken down by poison, for starters.
  • Irony: While lieutenant of the 5th Division, Aizen betrayed and nearly killed Captain Hirako. Although Hirako had expected treachery from Aizen, he was caught off-guard by the nature of it. Aizen becomes captain and third-seat Gin Ichimaru becomes lieutenant. Guess who just tried to kill Aizen and guess who had fully expected an assassination attempt but was nevertheless caught off-guard by the nature of it.
    • Aisslinger mentioned that the reason the Arrancars follow Aizen is because he lacks fear. Later, it was revealed that it's the fear for his own life that makes him evolve (become stronger).
    • Chapter 419: "ABANDON YOUR ARROGANCE, HUMAN!"
    • Every fight involving Aizen has been a Curb Stomp Battle, including the last one, where he's on the receiving end.
    • If you include the Unmasked databook, there's also an ironic twist with Harribel's fate compared to his. Harribel and her followers were saved by Orihime's compassion, the emotion Aizen looked down on so much. Aizen, who believed compassion is weakness and morality is for fools, is currently sealed and powerless, while Harribel and her followers, who stood out from other hollows by a strong sense of Nakama, are saved and free to return home to Hueco Mundo.
  • The Juggernaut: After absorbing the Hogyoku, his already Implacable Man level rose to this trope and beyond. Bluntly put, not even the single, most absolutely powerful attack from the protagonist himself could so much as even defeat the bastard, only weaken him for a brief period.
  • Lack of Empathy: One of his defining traits, really, and by his own admission, he considers morality and empathy as weaknesses which must be expunged in order to reach one's full potential. One can attribute that to his backstory, where he never managed to form any real emotional ties to anyone; he lacks it because he never received it.
  • Lightning Bruiser
  • Lonely at the Top: Or so Ichigo believes, after his battle with Aizen during the Deicide Arc. He disagrees with Urahara's assessment to imply that the Hogyoku might have responded to Aizen's desire to be normal and therefore found a way to ensure exactly that which therefore infers that, if the Hogyoku gave him what he wanted, he didn't actually lose mastery of it at all.
  • Mad Scientist: Not as overt about it as Mayuri or Urahara, but he is still a genius that performed highly unethical experiments on shinigami, hollows and ordinary Rukongai souls.
  • The Man Behind the Man: He plays this role in the Soul Society arc until his reveal. Later on, he claims he's been doing it for much, much longer, without which this story may never have happened.
  • Manipulative Bastard: Most especially to Momo Hinamori.
  • Master of Illusion: Kyoka Suigetsu's shikai ability.
  • Moral Event Horizon: The author himself went on record to say that he wanted to make Aizen "more evil" in an interview, so this was every bit as intended as it looked. Aizen made Hinamori extremely loyal to him, using her trust in his word to pit her against her childhood friend (Hitsugaya), in order to keep his cover from getting blown. When he revealed that he faked his death to her, Aizen let Hinamori move in to hug him, before running straight through her chest with his sword and mocking Hitsugaya about it. His psychological tricks were so successful that she still believed he was innocent. Afterward, in the Fake Karakura arc, he used his illusions to trick Hitsugaya into stabbing his childhood friend. God knows just how traumatized she is from it, now.
  • Nice Job Fixing It, Villain: He planned for Ichigo to go through his Training from Hell, but he benefited from it more than Aizen expected, and Ichigo kicked him up and down Karakura Town.
  • Nightmare Face: First ever villain in Bleach to have a truly disgusting and deformed face, right here.
  • Nightmare Fuel Station Attendant: As of 419, he now qualifies for this in the extreme.
  • No Saving Throw: There is no resisting his illusions unless you can touch Kyouka Suigetsu's blade before he activates his shikai.
  • Won't Work On Me: At first he seems to be immune to nearly everything the good guys throw at him.
  • Not So Stoic: "GIN... YOU BASTARD...!!"
    • Also, "A PERFECTLY CHANTED BLACK COFFIN BY I, THE ONE WHO HAS SURPASSED BOTH HOLLOW AND SHINIGAMI! A TORRENT OF GRAVITY CAPABLE OF DISTORTING SPACE-TIME ITSELF! A BEING SUCH AS YOU CANNOT EVEN BEGIN TO COMPREHEND IT!" and "ABANDON YOUR ARROGANCE, HUMAN!!"
    • In 421 he gives a final rant moments before sealed away about how much he hates Urahara. He thinks that a genius of Urahara's caliber shouldn't just bow down to the Spirit King and instead work to create a world that doesn't need it.
  • One-Winged Angel: Goes through several versions of this.
  • Orcus on His Throne: For all of his astonishingly convoluted plans, it was actually possible for him to make his plans go faster and smoother (or skip them altogether, as it turns out), not to mention that since he's hyped up as one of the strongest characters, he hardly uses his full strength when he really should. It's no different from many of the other characters, but still.
    • Justified, though, since it turns out he needed to wait for Ichigo to get stronger (if anything, his plans sped this up) and, later, it turns out it was necessary to let him fuse properly with the Hogyoku.
  • Out-Gambitted: A pretty darn risky gambit by Urahara's at that. He casts a Kido on Aizen on the basis that it'll only work if Ichigo was capable of pushing Aizen to his limit.
  • Painful Transformation: The final form has his face being split into a black skull and six wings bursting from his back, as well as the pillar of energy revealing this form bursts into blood.
  • The Paragon Always Rebels: He was once the most beloved of the Gotei 13 Captains.
  • Paranoia Fuel: Inflicted this on The Hero. Given the nature of Aizen's abilities, Ichigo briefly experienced this once he confronted Aizen again back at the fake Karakura Town. Aizen played it up for all it was worth.
  • Person of Mass Destruction: Oh. My. God.
    • He managed to out-do himself in 419, using an energy blast from just one wing tip and its just a tiny ball, yet it created the biggest explosion in the series yet.
  • Physical God: He was determined to become one and at one point firmly believed that's what was happening to him. His opponents... disagreed.
  • Power Gives You Wings: As of Chapter 415, big butterfly wings. Jury's out as to whether they're stupid or just plain creepy... well, the hollow wings he got after that, at least, are now creepy.
  • Power Makes Your Hair Grow: As always, mullets are a sign of great power Bleach.
  • Rage Against the Heavens: This is pretty much his modus operandi, with it becoming gradually more evident in the Deicide arc. He wants to remove the Spirit King, and place himself as God. He believed the Hogyouku would help him achieve this aim.
  • Reasonable Authority Figure: Part of his Xanatos Gambit, where he acted like one to fool everyone else into thinking as such.
  • Sanity Slippage: His Villainous Breakdown is pretty phenomenal, but it's really sealed by the end of his fight with Ichigo; by the time he's utterly defeated, rejected by the Hogyoku as its master, and stripped of all his powers, Aizen's so far gone he doesn't even realize what's going on and thinks he's achieving a higher state. This puts a very different spin on his smug dismissal of the nigh-eternity in solitary confinement he's been sentenced to; rather than being so arrogant because he has a plan, Aizen's arrogance in his final moments might be purely because he literally cannot comprehend that he has lost everything, and there will be no second chance.
  • Satan: If you think about it, there is some elements of an analogy to Lucifer's rise and fall. Once a respected and incredibly gifted Shinigami captain, he sought to challenge the heavens itself, and remove the Spirit King, to make himself God. After he merges with the Hogyoku, one of the forms he assumes is a sort-of seraph/butterfly figure, before he transforms into a demonic-looking figure. After his defeat, he is sealed away for 20,000 years.
    • It's not just a demonic-looking form; its based the Great Red Dragon paintings by William Blake (as seen in Red Dragon), which is itself supposed to be Satan as portrayed in The Book of Revelations. His whole schtick as a Villain with Good Publicity also recalls The Crucible and other works where The Devil is referenced as deceiving everyone with his good nature "until an hour before he fell", as well.
    • And there is his ultimate fate, locked away, immobile, in the deepest darkest prison Soul Society has to offer. It recalls The Divine Comedy where Satan is trapped in the lowest circle of Hell, stuck in a frozen lake, unable to move. And just as Satan is only frozen because he keeps beating his huge wings trying to escape (thus freezing the lake over), Aizen giving attitude to the judges just gets him an even longer sentence. Both, then, are held down by their stubbornness.
  • Say My Name: When about to get sealed: "URAHARA KISUKE!!!"
  • Scary Shiny Glasses
  • Serial Escalation: How much more powerful can he get and just how many convoluted plans does he have in his brain!?
  • Sealed Evil in a Can: Gets sealed by Urahara in Chapter 421. Now to see if it sticks.
  • Single-Stroke Battle: Oneshots practically everyone.
  • Slasher Smile: In Chapter 418, he seems to be really enjoying his fight with Ichigo, or at least testing out the power of his new form.
  • Smug Snake: Arguably has downgraded from Magnificent Bastard into this once the final battle began. During their individual confrontations, especially once he transformed, Aizen's arrogance shows its ultimate extreme once he starts purely relying on brute force against Urahara, Isshin, Yoruichi, Gin and Ichigo, completely foregoing any tactics in favor of pure strength and cheap tricks to gain the upper hand. In Chapter 417, he cements himself here by assuming that Ichigo is completely powerless because he cannot comprehend the nature of Ichigo's new form, right before Ichigo throws him across town in a single gesture.
    • He manages to get even worse in Chapter 418, as he talks about how strong he's become and expresses disbelief that Ichigo actually blocked his sword with his bare hand. Granted, those viewing this would have been too, considering this is Aizen.
    • His gradual descent into megalomania was noticeable practically since The Reveal. Similarly, while being able to improvise on the spot and claim bullshit about how anything and everything was a part of his plans, he, for example, failed to deduce the reason for Ichigo's calmer mental state in the real Karakura Town. His previous schemes succeeded in granting him enough mojo to just overwhelm everyone with sheer power, until now, against someone even he's recognized as far more powerful than him, and Aizen is not taking that news very well.
  • The Social Expert: When he bothers to be.
  • The Sociopath: definitely qualifies. Charming facade? Check. Lacks empathy? Check. Violent? Check. Treats people as tools? Check. Manipulative? Check - and how!
  • The Stoic: If Ulquiorra is the prince of this trope, then Aizen is the king. His constant smug smile has remained unbroken for such a long time that any slight alteration in his facade leads to immediate excitement from readers. To give you an idea of how bad it is when Shinji explained that his shikai affects all five senses, and all of fandom went into an uproar because the speech caused Aizen's eyes to widen ever-so-slightly more than normal.
  • Superpower Lottery: There are several lotteries in Bleach, ranging from speed to sheer power to special ability and so on. Aizen basically won them all.
  • Superpower Meltdown: Despite his ever-increasing power, Aizen's claims of shattering the line between Shinigami and Hollow are starting to falter - every time he evolves, he loses just a little more of his Shinigami form and becomes more Hollow, culminating in his final form... a very Hollow-like creature with three eyes, three Hollow holes, and three "wings" on either side of his back, each tipped with a Hollow Mask and an Eye.
  • Tall, Dark and Handsome: While wearing his stylish Las Noches outfit.
  • Talking Is a Free Action: He loves his speeches, and when someone actually tries to subvert this trope, he lampshades it by criticizing them for interrupting him, but considering that his response to someone interrupting one of his speeches normally consists of him promptly cutting down the fool for speaking out of turn, it might as well be.
  • That Man Is Dead: Verbally subverted.

"The Aizen you knew...never even existed."

Aizen: Urahara Kisuke! I despise you! Why does a man of your intellect sit idle?!
...
Urahara: ...That's the way the world is.
Aizen: That's the logic of a loser! A winner must always think not of how the world is, but how the world should be!

  • Victory Fakeout: Most notably when he used Hinamori as a Human Shield against Hitsugaya.
  • Villainous Breakdown
  • Winged Humanoid: As of chapter 415.
  • Walking Wasteland: During the Deicide Arc, he's so absurdly powerful that only powerful spirits can survive just being in his presence. Otherwise, humans straight up die (read: explode) and objects literally disintegrate. Best shown in 409, where there's a trail of corpses behind him as a result of this.
  • We Have Reserves: Doesn't care much about losses that his army suffers. He doesn't actually have any reserves, he'd just been waiting for his literal Plot Armor to start growing properly before he got started.
  • Wicked Cultured: During his time as Captain of Squad 5, he taught a popular class in Caligraphy at the Shinigami Academy. When Hueco Mundo is invaded, he is primarily concerned with making sure everybody has their tea before discussing the matter. Also a master swordsman, martial artist and scientist, to the point where the Shinigami Woman’s Association recommended him as a teacher for students who want to become a Badass Bookworm....which suggests he's also a bit of a feminist.
  • Worthy Opponent: After Ichigo and Aizen have their great battle, Ichigo is left feeling this was Aizen's deepest reason for why he walked the path he did, along with I Just Want to Have Friends.
  • Xanatos Wrote This Character
    • The Chessmaster: Every battle Ichigo has fought played into Aizen's plans, even the ones that Aizen didn't personally arrange.
    • Crazy Prepared: Aizen apparently demonstrates Batman-level planning when he installed an invisible shield at the base of his neck, figuring someone at some point would try to hit him there.
    • Manipulative Bastard: What he did to poor Hinamori, mentally and physically, is regarded as his worst act so far. So far. Let's see if he can top it.
    • Xanatos Gambit, Gambit Roulette and Xanatos Speed Chess: Master of these.
  • You Have Outlived Your Usefulness: Poor Harribel.

Gin Ichimaru

Species: Shinigami
Affiliation: Soul Society (formerly) / Las Noches
Zanpakutou: Shinsō

Gin is the former Captain of the 3rd squad, whose face is forever fixed in Eyes Always Shut and a foxy smile to go along with it. He was also involved in the past with Rangiku, the only person he's shown something resembling more-or-less genuine kindness to. Though suspected as the Big Bad of the Soul Society arc, turns out he's only a subordinate of Aizen, and follows him to Hueco Mundo. He proves to be wildly popular despite his actions -- maybe it's something to do with his playfully good manners, his beautiful voice, and his foxy face. His Zanpakuto is Shinso, where he extends its length to enormous levels, making him appear like a sniper.

As of the Deicide arc, it's revealed that the only reason Gin ever worked with Aizen was to get revenge on him for stealing pieces of Rangiku's soul to feed Aizen's first Hogyoku, and to get those pieces back for Rangiku as well. He attempted to kill Aizen, and almost succeeded, but Aizen pulled a moment of completely unsurprising Villainous Resolve and killed him. As Gin died, he admitted to himself that he had failed, but he managed to take solace when Ichigo arrived and was finally powerful enough to defeat Aizen.

Voiced by: Koji Yusa (JP), Doug Erholtz (US)

  • Absurdly Sharp Blade: His Bankai when first introduced definitely counts. Its strength is speed followed by its length, but still, able to slice through a bunch of buildings faraway make it even more powerful, considering how long the sword actually is!
  • Actually, That's My Assistant: Non-comedic example; everyone (including the readers) at first thought that he's the Big Bad, but it actually turns out to be the guy above.
  • Affably Evil: Yes, he's Faux Affably Evil too, but he's pretty polite and easygoing despite being one of the scariest men in Bleach. Take a look at his Arrancar Encyclopepia segments.
  • Ambiguous Disorder: Yes. Gin. Is. Not. Normal.
  • Ambiguous Situation: Back when Gin and Aizen were in the Dangai, just after Aizen destroyed the Cleaner, the Senkaimon portal opened up just outside of the real Karakura Town, right on the fields. Was it Gins maneuvering/choosing of the Senkaimon or Aizens mayhem on the Cleaner that changed their trajectory?
  • Animal Motifs: He's snaked themed and his zanpakutou's abilities are centred around the concept of a snake, right down to his ambush strike (a hidden attack from behind his haori) reflects the concept of a striking snake. In-universe, some people compare him to a fox because of his prankster nature. Put the snake and fox together, however, and he becomes the non-animal symbol of Inari.
  • Anti-Villain
  • Ax Crazy: Implied to be this, as evidenced in one of Momo's flashbacks when he killed a hollow.)
    • Pretty much confirmed in 414, by Gin himself.
  • Badass
  • Badass Back
  • Baddie Flattery
  • Becoming the Mask: Might have happened to him in in his past. He started out as a sweet Street Urchin who would go out of his way to help out his only friend and fellow orphan, Rangiku. After she was brutalized by Aizen's men, Gin decided to worm his way into Aizen's trust in a bid to kill him. The first thing he did was kill one of the men responsible and take his place in Aizen's squad. Things just got worse from there. After spending decades acting the part of a scheming and bloodthirsty Smug Snake that someone like Aizen would want as a second-in-command, Gin pretty much became one for real, though he never lost sight of his original goal. The only times he drops the mask and shows signs of his past self are the times he is forced to confront Rangiku, his Morality Pet.
  • Best Served Cold: And HOW! He waited and prepared at least one century for the perfect single one moment to avenge Matsumoto by killing Aizen. That's what one calls "patience".
  • BFS: His shikai has his sword extend to the length of 100 regular swords. His bankai extends the range for 13 kilometers.
    • He lied about that. But it's still ridiculously long and fast, and can secrete a deadly poison.
  • Bishounen: In those rare times when he opens his eyes and stops smiling, it's revealed he is very pretty.
  • Boring but Practical: Gin's bankai. It's mainly an upgraded shikai and thus it lacks a significant amount of luster compared to every other bankai. Once you think about it for a little bit, it occurs to you that it is one of the most ridiculously overpowered bankai in the series.
  • Broke Your Arm Punching Out Cthulhu: It was supposed to be Gin's CMOA--until we found out just how damaged Aizen really was. Ouch.
  • By the Power of Greyskull: "Shoot to Kill - Shinso!", "Bankai - Kamishini no Yari!"
  • Calling Your Attacks: "Buto", "Buto: Renjin", "Kill - Kamishini no Yari!"
  • Cheshire Cat Grin: The ever-constant expression on his face.
  • Child Prodigy: Graduated out of the academy in one year.
  • Childhood Friend: with Rangiku.
    • Childhood Friend Romance: Ambiguous/Open-Ended classification. The bond between them was very strong and Gin's volume poem, a partner to Rangiku's pained volume poem, talks about the pain of love, suggesting there might have been more than the supertrope at work but too ambiguous to classify accurately.
  • Chronic Backstabbing Disorder: There have been lots and lots of that up until now, and in the Deicide Arc that he's ready to oppose Aizen's direct interests by killing, or otherwise ensuring that Aizen won't be able to get his hands on, Ichigo.
    • The newest recipient of his backnifing ways just happens to be Aizen, though this time, the knife is poisoned.
  • Co-Dragons: Shared the position with Kaname Tosen.
    • Ironically, Tosen was more of a straight-up lieutenant to Aizen; Ichimaru was more of a tagalong assassin that deliberately waited for an opportunity (or mood) to act upon his goal of killing Aizen.
  • Combat Pragmatist: Among other things, he's quite fond of "shooting" Shinsou from behind his sleeve, throwing dust in his opponent's eyes, and pointing his zanpakuto at his opponent before extending it so they will be impaled.
  • Creepy Child: He is shown to have been this in the Turn Back the Pendulum arc.
  • Cunning Like a Fox: Best way to sum him up.
  • Dangerously Genre Savvy: He spins a web of lies within lies to ensure his true abilities are kept as secret as possible. This means that Ichigo has to peel away the layers of Gin's misdirections to find the true threat of his bankai. His success at this does impress Gin but it's only later that we learn Ichigo hadn't learned the full truth even if he was in the right ballpark. The reason for all the obfuscation was quite simply because he had planned on killing Aizen and he knew that no matter how much information about Aizen's weaknesses he had learned, he couldn't afford for Aizen to learn his.
    • Wrong Genre Savvy: Unfortunately for Gin, no matter how Genre Savvy he is, he completely believes the only one allowed to kill Aizen is him. He doesn't understand until it's far too late that the only one allowed to kill the Big Bad is The Hero... and that's not him.
  • Devil in Plain Sight: Just about anyone except Izuru and Rangiku, who he's generally nicer to, can tell he's bad news right when they meet him. Even Aizen and the Espada are leery of him.
  • Did You Just Punch Out Cthulhu? He ambushed Aizen and took out most of Aizen's chest. Then it turned into a case of Broke Your Arm Punching Out Cthulhu.
  • Does This Remind You of Anything?: "My 'Shinsou'... do you know how far it stretches?" This also contributes to his Memetic Molester status, along with his infamous RAPEface.
  • Enfant Terrible: He was this kind of kid. Read the rest of the page to find out why.
  • Enigmatic Minion: For the longest time since his debut, nobody really knew what went behind the Cheshire Cat Grin and Eyes Always Shut, so speculation raged for years on end until his motive was finally revealed.
  • Expy: He has one, in the form of Hazama. They both have the same hairstyle, fox eyes, usually, and (in Extend only) the have same English voice actor.
    • Interestingly enough, both are on opposite sides of their Creators loving them; Gin is shown as a Butt Monkey in his "Arrancar Encyclopedia" episodes; Hazama, on the other hand, has been given too much fun, going so far as to make him a Badass Troll canon AND free time.
  • Eyes Always Shut: Usually, but he does open them several times. In Japan this is indicative of his shifty nature.
    • A lot of the times, Gin’s eyes being open is an indication of anger (or, less often, surprise). Example in Chapter 415, we know that thanks to Gin seeing Rangiku unconscious on the ground, her injuries caused by Aizen’s cronies, he is pissed. How do we know, might you ask? His eyes are open!
  • Gender Blender Name: He has a girl's name. It means "Silver." Snicker.
    • His surname, Ichimaru, was also the name of a famous geisha.
  • He Who Fights Monsters
  • Hidden Agenda Villain: Gin never really expressed much interest in what Aizen was doing; Aizen himself even seemed suspicious of Gin every now and then, causing a lot of fan speculation as to what he was really trying to do. He never quite makes it to Ambiguously Evil since he's just too much of a dick, but he was actually trying to assassinate Aizen.
  • I Am Not Left-Handed: Subverted! Ichigo sees through his deception right away and realizes that Gin's Bankai specializes in speed as well as range.
    • Double subversion: His bankai is also really poisonous.
  • Icy Blue Eyes: Gin prides himself on having a cold and calculating personality, at least that's what he keeps telling Aizen. His eyes more than help him convey this imagery.
  • I Lied: Seems to be a frequent trait of his.
  • Irony: His entire motivation was to help Rangiku. She'd have probably been much happier if Gin had just dropped the issue with Aizen's attack from the get-go.
  • I Will Protect Her: To Rangiku, having decided to become a Shinigami so she wouldn't suffer anymore and as revenge for the injuries she suffered at the hands of Aizen's cronies as a child.
  • Jack of All Stats: According to his stats.
  • Jerkass Facade: Subverted; he's still an asshole, but to what degree is anyones' guess. Even his Kick the Dog moments seemed to 'help' Aizen's enemies to a degree (i.e. toying with Rukia delayed her execution enough that Ichigo intervened just at the last second; bifurcating Hiyori provoked Shinji into using his Zanpakuto on Aizen; knocking Rangiku out kept her from getting caught in the crossfire with Aizen; and delivering a resolve-breaking speech to Ichigo partly succeeded in giving him 'incentive' to hone his skills with Isshin.
  • Kansai Regional Accent: He talks with this, despite being everything a Kyoto-ben isn't.
  • Kick the Dog: See Manipulative Bastard.
    • Slicing Hiyori in half back at the fake Karakura Town.
    • Also, his treatment of Rangiku in Chapter 412. Subverted actually.
  • Kick the Son of a Bitch: He betrayed Aizen. It was awesome.
  • Kitsune: To the point that Kubo drew him as such for Chapter 414.
  • Lovable Traitor: Betrays everyone in the Soul Society twice: Once during the Soul Society arc, and again during the Pendulum arc. Gin even refers to himself as a Snake, but this only further endears him to the fandom. Therefore, every fan simply held their breath and waited for his Chronic Backstabbing Disorder to act up against Aizen. It finally happens in Chapter 414, and it is awesome.
  • Love Makes You Evil: Still not entirely sure to what degree that he "loved" Rangiku, but it was his borderline obsession with reclaiming a part of her soul that made him into the Jerkass he is today.
  • Manipulative Bastard: He stops by to see Rukia before her execution, and, being a villain, offers her a chance to escape death if she'll join him... only to, seconds later, admit he was just screwin' with her, so there was really no point in answering since he was going to let her die no matter what she said, all while keeping that goddamn smile. What an asshole.
  • Names to Run Away From Really Fast: Not Gin himself, but definitely his bankai. You've gotta be super strong or super brave to not shudder at the name Godslayer Spear.
  • Noble Demon: See above and below.
  • No Social Skills: For all of his Manipulative Bastard moments, Rangiku, pretty much his whole reason for joining the 13 Court Guards, and joining Aizen, and EVERYTHING, would probably be a billion times happier had he just stayed with her and supported her. Despite this, he obviously believes that avenging her by killing the incredibly powerful Sosuke Aizen, and getting back half her soul (which she appears to be doing just fine without), is the best way to help her. Yeah, Gin sure knows a lot about people.
  • Obfuscating Stupidity
  • Obviously Evil: The only people surprised when he turned out to be a bad guy were the ones that felt nobody THAT clearly villainous could actually be a villain. Even now, some people wonder...
  • The Only One Allowed to Defeat You: Justified. He believes that his bankai is the only thing that can kill Aizen. He was right... but Aizen with the Hougyoku was a different story entirely.
  • OOC Is Serious Business: Is Gin frowning? With his eyes open? Run away, run now, run fast, RUN FOREVER.
  • Pet the Dog: He's an unrepentant bastard, but seems to have a genuine soft spot for his childhood friend Rangiku. To the point of apologizing with a regretful look before leaving for Hueco Mundo.
    • Along with this, he later tells Tousen that he's glad Kira 'is doing well' (After Izuru killed Avirima) and wished him luck in the Omake segments during the Captain Amagai arc.
  • Perpetual Smiler
  • Person of Mass Destruction: Weeeell, if you can extend your sword up to 13km and cut everything on the way, such as buildings, like paper, just by swinging it...
  • Poisoned Weapons: His bankai's true power.
  • Red Eyes, Take Warning: When the anime team had to pick an eye colour for Gin, they played with this trope. Then Kubo revealed Gin's eyes were actually blue. Considering his Magnificent Bastard mentality and fans focus on his ocular pigmentation, the obvious jokes were made by the fandom.
  • Red Herring: Possibly deliberately. Prior to the revelation of Aizen as the series' Big Bad, he was the leading contender for being the primary villain and the one suspected of most of the wrongdoing that had taken place over the course of the Soul Society arc. And of course, partially subverted when he actually turned out to be evil anyway, just not the most evil.
  • "The Reason You Suck" Speech: Gin calmly picks Ichigo apart during their battle, chiding him for having absolutely no chance against either him or Aizen anymore. Turns out it was a Gambit Roulette. See Stealth Mentor below.
  • Shadow Archetype: Can be seen as one to Hitsugaya.
  • Shout-Out: Got one in Hazama.
  • Smug Snake: He calls himself this. Subverted in the end when his plan is revealed.
  • Stealth Mentor: Becomes one to Ichigo during the Deicide arc. His "The Reason You Suck" Speech was designed to help Ichigo get over his Despair Event Horizon, as he was no good against Aizen like that. After Gin's attempt to kill Aizen fails, he takes note of Ichigo's eyes, happy to see that his resolve has returned.
  • Trickster Archetype
  • The Unfettered
  • Used to Be a Sweet Kid: Cheerful Child saved Rangiku from starving, is responsible for her even having a birthday, decided to kill Aizen for hurting her... Oh, and according to someone he used to and could still be Moe. Others hate Aizen on the basis that he was the reason that Gin seems to have turned out kinda Ax Crazy, Affably Evil, and a Devil in Plain Sight.
  • Well-Intentioned Extremist: While he wasn't entirely wrong, Rangiku, the woman he's avenging would rather he had spent time with her rather than worry about Aizen.
  • White-Haired Pretty Boy: The "pretty" part is debatable-- Tite Kubo didn't exactly design him to be, you know, really attractive... but try telling all his fangirls that.
  • Wrong Genre Savvy: Apparently was shooting for the role of deep cover hero... until Aizen had a plan for that, too. Dammit.
    • To be fair, Aizen never managed to counter his objective even when he was expecting it. He lucked out due to the Hogyoku's protection. There was also the back-up plan of helping Ichigo that did finally do him in.


Kaname Tōsen

Species: Visored
Affiliation: Soul Society (formerly) / Las Noches
Zanpakutou: Suzumushi

Kaname Tosen is the former Captain of the 9th squad. He's a dark-skinned blind man driven to join Soul Society to enforce justice and follow the path of least bloodshed, inspired by the tragic death of his old friend who was murdered by her husband ( though it's later revealed revenge was his true motive). He forms a good friendship with Captain Komamura, but he was eventually goaded by Aizen to join his schemes (impressed with his ideals, not because he was being hypnotized). His Zanpakuto is Suzumushi, which negates your senses as the environment is enveloped in a black sphere.

He participated in the Fake Karakura arc, fighting Komamura and Hisagi, before ultimately dying in an apparent Superpower Meltdown.

Voiced by: Toshiyuki Morikawa (JP), David Rasner (US)

  • Achilles' Heel: His bankai can be negated by touching his sword.
  • Alas, Poor Villain: Hisagi and Komamura feel this way about him; they're even willing to forgive him and wish well for his recovery.
  • Badass: Severed Grimmjow's arm and used a Kido spell to destroy it. That's probably his most memorable scene.
  • Bait and Switch: It seemed like Gizaeimon killed Tosen and Eishima, before Gizaeimon himself fell to the ground, dead.
  • The Blank: His Visored mask has been revealed to be just a blank white shell over his face. Well, it's not as if he needs eyeholes...
  • Black Dude Dies First. He's the first fatality among the thirteen captains.
  • Blind Black Guy
  • Blind Justice: He's a blind warrior for justice. However, his pursuit of justice was warped by his desire for revenge, resulting in him siding with the enemy and leaving behind two people who swore to open his eyes to the true path of justice. They did.
  • Broken Pedestal: Shuuhei practically worshipped him before finding out what a bastard he is.
  • By the Power of Greyskull: "Cry - Suzumushi!", "Suzumushi Nishiki: Benihikō!", "Bankai - Suzumushi Tsuishiki: Enma Kōrogi!", "Suzumushi Hyakushiki: Grillar Grillo!"
  • The Brute: He's far from stupid, but he's usually the first of the three main villains to get involved in the fight.
  • Clipped-Wing Angel: His Resurreccion gives him an immensely powerful insectoid form, which includes working eyes. As he's about to finish off Komamura, Hisagi sneaks up on him and stabs him through the head. Hisagi claims that if Tousen hadn't been distracted by his newfound sight, he would have easily sensed him and dodged it.
  • Cool Shades and Sunglasses at Night
  • Death by Irony: He died because he was too busy calling Komamura ugly and basking in his newly-gained sight to notice his own former lieutenant was about to stab him in the skull, which he would have detected instantly were he still blind.
  • Co-Dragons: Along with Gin Ichimaru, he was 'Commander' under Aizen.
    • Dragon with an Agenda: He's certainly subservient to (and somewhat fearful of) Aizen, but Tosen only really joined Aizen in order to wipe out the Shinigami.
  • Disability Immunity: Since he's blind Aizen's illusions have no effect on him. Not that they would need to even if he weren't blind but...
  • Dropped a Bridge on Him: After getting his throat stabbed, he suddenly explodes into a pool of blood; Komamura blames Aizen for that.
  • Drunk with Power: What he becomes when he activates his Resurreccion.
  • The Faceless: As a 5th Seat. Hell, we didn't even know it was Tosen until he unmasked himself
    • After first releasing Grillar Grillo, he sports another mask. Keeps it until he performs a Ressurreccion.
  • Failure Knight / Love Makes You Evil: His frustration and pain at his best friend's murder is his Start of Darkness.
  • Handicapped Badass: He made captain despite his blindness.
  • Deadly Change-of-Heart: Just as it seems that he'll be able to be redeemed, Aizen uses his monstrous reiatsu to blow him up.
  • Idiot Ball: His bankai is just as, or possibly even more broken than Aizen's shikai, yet he can't stop talking instead of finishing off his opponent.
    • Particularly notable in that, he can't stop talking, even though his Bankai removed Kenpachi's senses, meaning he didn't even know Tousen was talking to him.
  • In the Back: To Kensei Muguruma, 3rd Seat Heizo Kasaki, 4th Seat Shinobu Eishima (off-screen) and 6th Seat Todo Gizaeimom in the Turn back The Pendulum arc. Of the four, only Kensei survived.
  • Justice Will Prevail: Even if you have to pull a Face Heel Turn.
  • Kick the Dog: During the TBTP arc, when Hiyori tried to help Shinji stave off Hollowfication, this was Tosen's response.
    • When Hisagi spent most of his time asking if it was all a lie during their fight, Tosen runs him through the gut.
    • After going One-Winged Angel and gaining sight for the first time, he looks to Komamura and admits that that Komamura is uglier than he thought. Owch.
  • Manly Tears. A dying Tosen sheds those when Komamura says that he'll still be sad upon losing him.
  • Mask Power and Mask of Power: Aizen has hollowified him.
  • Motive Rant: Over why he hates Zaraki.
  • Munchkin: Komamura accuses him of being one when he goes Hollow form.
  • Nightmare Face: His Hollow mask isn't totally featureless. As his speech grows more and more fevered, the mask splits about where his mouth should be, giving him a creepy Slasher Smile.
  • Odd Friendship: With Wonderweiss Margela.
  • One-Winged Angel: His Resurreccion? Grillar Grillo. Huge and deformed, much like the Brundlefly from the David Cronenberg version of The Fly. A lot like The Fly. So much so that it may even count as a Shout-Out.
  • Psycho Supporter
  • Revenge: The whole reason for his supposed hypocrisy, which from his point of view is far from it- not betraying Soul Society would've been hypocrisy, to him.
  • Revenge Before Reason: Subverted, he calls Komamura out on never questioning why he joined the people who killed his most precious person. To him, joining Aizen was a very logical step.
  • Scary Black Man
  • Superpower Lottery: His shikai generates Gale Force Sound and a Storm of Blades. His bankai covers the field with a dome of darkness that negates the opponent's senses except touch. And that's before his Hollowfication.
  • Twofer Token Minority: He's black and blind.
  • Unlucky Childhood Friend. To the lady who became his reason to fight.
    • And as he is dying, he finally realizes he's lost his way - when he thinks of her, he can finally see her face... but it takes him a lot to recognize her.
  • Villainous Breakdown: It's pretty epic.
  • White Mask of Doom: In Resurrecion. Doubles as The Blank initially as well.
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