A hauntingly cool new cosplay of Bleach's Ulquiorra Cifer recreates the horrifying bat-like form he takes on after the second release of his zanpakuto, Murcielago.
Like all Arrancar in Sosuke Aizen's army, Ulquiorra was given a zanpakuto, a special sword formerly just used by Soul Reapers in combat against Hollows. Besides their abilities to slay the deviant spirits of the departed, a unique trait of Bleach's zanpakuto was that they were "living weapons" with the ability to think on their own, and over time create a bond or partnership with their user such that each would improve and upgrade the other's power and abilities. This bonding aspect of the zanpakuto also exists with the ones used by Ulquiorra and Aizen's other Arrancar, though the effect was different. With the Arrancar, the bond does not raise the powers of both subjects. Rather, it unifies the powers of both into one. The name of Ulquiorra's zanpakuto is Murcielago or Bat. Accordingly, when unsheathed, its bat-like powers merge with Ulquiorra to form a completely new and more powerful form.
However, Ulquiorra has a second transformation that cosplayer Batlifter recreates so well in a post by Xokag3 to Reddit's r/cosplay group page. Despite the powers that an Arrancar gained with the use of their zanpakuto, Ulquiorra did not use his often. He was powerful enough on his own to handle most challenges. However, he occasionally made use of it, such as Bleach Chapter 345 against Ichigo. However, Murcielago has a unique feature, unlike any other Arrancar's zanpakuto. It can be used twice. That is, it allows Ulquiorra to transform a second time. Ulquiorra has used this form so rarely that not even Aizen knows of its existence in Bleach. As illustrated in Bleach Chapter 347, when used, Ulquiorra changes into an even more fearsome bat form that can be seen in Batlifter's cosplay.
The cosplay, which was shot by longtime cosplay photographer @izanamiphoto, perfectly recreates Ulquiorra's demonic second form, including his larger wings, bat eyes, fur-covered arms and legs, and "hollow" hole in the center of his chest continuously oozing blood. This represents the true merging of the zanpakuto with Ulquiorra. The cosplay also evokes one of the oldest horror icons in the genre, namely that of Dracula, vampires, and vampire bats. As the cosplay shows, in his second form, Ulquiorra combines all three characteristics of the icon, while switching out the traditional trait of being undead to being supernatural. There's a reason many consider Ulquiorra to possess one of Bleach's strongest zanpakuto.
In Bleach, Aizen ranked Ulquiorra Cifer as being the fourth in strength and power among his Espada. Clearly, he made this choice without seeing his horrifying second form. If he did, he's surely rank him as his most powerful lieutenant.
Source: Xokag3