Warning: SPOILERS for episode #13 of Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War
Summary
- Ichigo finally learns the secret origins of his powers and reforges his sword, unleashing its true power in the season finale of Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War.
- Zangetsu, Ichigo's Zanpakuto, takes on a new form with two separate black blades, representing the balance between his Shinigami/Hollow and Quincy powers.
- The reforged Zangetsu reflects Ichigo's evolution as a character and his acceptance of his true self, giving him a chance to defeat the powerful Quincy Emperor, Yhwach.
After having his Bankai destroyed, Ichigo Kurosaki reforged his sword and unleashed its true power in the season finale of the first cour of Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War. The sword Zangetsu has been a constant presence in Ichigo's life since he became a Shinigami, but he needed to learn about the secret origins of his powers before unleashing the true form of his Zanpakuto.
Just like every Shinigami, Ichigo has a Zanpakuto, a Soul Sword, which he uses to fight and purify the creatures known as Hollows before sending their souls to the afterlife. Every one of Bleach's Zanpakuto has a unique appearance, power, and personality. Ichigo's is called Zangetsu, and it takes the form of a huge khyber knife in his Shikai (first release), and of a black daitō sword in his Bankai.
Zangetsu's spirit always appeared in Ichigo's inner world (a mental landscape) as a middle-aged man with long hair and rugged looks, but the two-part mid-season finale of Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War revealed that Ichigo actually knew nothing about his sword.
Ichigo's New Zangetsu Perfectly Represents His Evolution
In episode 13 of Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War, entitled "The Blade Is Me," Ichigo returns to Ho-ohden, the palace of Zero Division's Nimaiya Oetsu, the creator of all Zanpakuto. After Ichigo failed to acquire a new sword following the destruction of his Bankai by Yhwach, Nimaiya sent him back to Earth where he found out that his mother was actually a Quincy.
Armed with a new understanding of his own nature, Ichigo begins the process of reforging Zangetsu. He confronts what he believed to be the sword's spirit, who reveals he was actually a vestige of Ichigo's Quincy powers, while his "inner Hollow", White, was actually Zangetsu's true spirit. Ichigo resolves to reconcile the two parts of his soul and wield both of them in battle, which results in the new, reforged Zangetsu consisting of two separate black blades.
Zangetsu Symbolizes the Two Parts of Ichigo's Spirit
The larger blade represents Ichigo's inner Hollow in Bleach, which is the manifestation of his Shinigami/Hollow powers. The smaller blade represents what Ichigo called "the old man", now revealed as the manifestation of his Quincy powers. While it's still a mystery what power this new Zangetsu holds (even the manga did not properly show it), the heat of the reforged blade instantly evaporates the sea that Nimaiya uses to quench his blades. It's clear that Ichigo's new Zanpakuto represents the balance that he has worked so hard to reach between his different sides. His unique nature is reflected by the duality of his sword, and it's also the only chance to defeat the powerful Quincy Emperor, Yhwach.
The season finale of Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War's first part revealed the shocking secret of Ichigo's origins, and it also gave fans a glimpse of his true power that will be on display in the second half of the Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War anime. Ichigo's sword, Zangetsu, has accompanied him over the course of countless battles in Bleach, and the reforged blade perfectly represents Ichigo's evolution as a character and his acceptance of his true self.
Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War is currently streaming on Hulu and Disney+.