History Characters / BleachTwoPointOne

[[redirect:Characters/Bleach]]

[[redirect:Characters/BleachAizenAndHisCohorts]]

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

* For the main characters, go to Characters/{{Bleach}}.
* For Gotei 13 characters, go to Characters/BleachTwo.
** For Non-Gotei 13 Soul Reapers, Visoreds, and Fullbringers, go to Characters/BleachTwoPointTwo.
* For the Arrancars, go to Characters/BleachThree.
* For the denizens of Karakura Town and the Soul Society, go to Characters/BleachFour.
* For the Vandenreich, go to Characters/BleachFive.
* For the anime-only characters, go to Characters/BleachAnime.

[[AC:[[Characters/BleachTwo << Previous page]] | [[Characters/BleachTwoPointTwo Next page >>]]]]

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!Contains spoilers

In case you're wondering, the SlidingScaleOfVillainEffectiveness puts them at '''Infinite''', since they won... well, every fight. [[spoiler:Put up with it until the Deicide Mini-Arc, Ichigo gets his DeusExMachina, and ''then'' the thing goes to Hell.]] Likewise, the SlidingScaleOfVillainThreat has the group at a section between National and Global Threat.

[[foldercontrol]]

[[folder:Sosuke Aizen]]
[floatboxright:
'''Species:''' Shinigami\\
'''Affiliation''': Soul Society (formerly) / Las Noches\\
'''Zanpakutō:''' ''Kyōka Suigetsu''\\
'''Bankai:''' ''Unknown'']

http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/aizen001_3883.png
http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/aizen002_3898.png
[[caption-width:270:Before and after TheReveal]]
->''"No one stands on the top of the world. Not you, not me, not even gods. But the unbearable vacancy of the throne in the sky is over. From now on...'''I will be sitting on it'''."''

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 GovernmentConspiracy 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, KickTheDog tendencies, elaborate schemes, and mysterious aura. His Zanpakuto is [[MasterOfIllusion Kyoka]] [[MindScrew Suigetsu]], where he can trick you with his near-perfect illusions. After five long years, Aizen was ''finally'' defeated [[spoiler:by Ichigo and imprisoned by the new Central 46.]]

--> Voiced by: ShowHayami (JP), KyleHebert (US), Ricardo Mendoza (Latin American Spanish)

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* AboveGoodAndEvil: 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.
* TheAce: There are multiple [[SuperpowerLottery superpower lotteries]] in ''Bleach'', and Aizen never took home less than the bronze in any of them. That said, he may also be a [[DeconstructedTrope deconstruction]] of TheAce: how long can one person be that much better at everything than virtually everyone around him before he develops a [[AGodAmI god complex]] and starts crossing the MoralEventHorizon [[ForTheEvulz just because no one can stop him]]?
* AchillesHeel: His shikai can be countered by [[spoiler:touching it before it's released.]]
* ActuallyADoombot: Uses his illusions for it, or Gin (to distract Komamura in the Seireitei Hill) and [[spoiler:Momo (for Hitsugaya).]]
* AdaptiveAbility: [[spoiler: For a certain period of time, the Hougyoku allowed Aizen to utilize this.]]
* AdvancingBossOfDoom: [[spoiler: 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 ''[[{{Troll}} just because he doesn't feel like doing things that way.]]'']]
* AGodAmI: "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.
* AlwaysSomeoneBetter: While Aizen is said to be one of the most powerful Shinigami, and possesses something of JackOfAllStats status with [[TheAce all the advantages]] that implies, the following also applies:
** Aizen acknowledged [[GuileHero Urahara]] as being the only shinigami in Soul Society who had greater intelligence than him.
*** [[spoiler: It pisses him off]]
** [[BadassGrandpa Yamamoto]] has more raw destructive power and is physically stronger.
** [[TheHero Ichigo]] has more reiatsu.
* AndIMustScream: [[spoiler:His final fate as of his last appearance to date. Though he doesn't seem particularly worried about it...]]
* AntiClimaxBoss: Gets inflicted by this from [[spoiler:Ichigo]], who even addressed it to some degree. [[invoked]]
* ArchEnemy: He's '''[[CompleteMonster 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.
** [[TheStarscream Baraggan]] had his formerly prosperous [[EvilOverlord authority]] overruled and found himself forcibly subjugated under Aizen's wing.
** [[spoiler:''Gin Ichimaru'']], of all people, given that Aizen stole a piece of [[spoiler: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 [[AntagonistInMourning Ichigo]]. Aizen himself even addressed it.
* ArsonMurderAndJaywalking: [[KickTheDog Tortured Momo]] [[BreakTheCutie and Orihime]] [[CompleteMonster repeatedly]], [[YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness killed off several of his own underlings]], [[IHaveYourWife done]] [[BadBoss everything]] [[KillSat on]] [[LongList the]] KarmaHoudini page besides remaining unscathed, [[{{Beat}} and]] [[LargeHam messed]] [[VillainsOutShopping with]] [[{{Omake}} Arrancar Research Time]].
* AuthorityEqualsAsskicking: As Captain of the 5th Division. And the inversion...
* AsskickingEqualsAuthority: The Arrancar follow him partly because of his strength, and partly because of his lack of fear.
* BadGuysDoTheDirtyWork: After Komamura and Hisagi beat Tousen, Aizen (apparently) finishes him off.
* BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor: He wished for Ichigo to become very powerful, so that he would have a WorthyOpponent. Problem is, he got what he asked for...and more.
* BadassBookworm: As "Captain" Aizen.
* BadBoss: After TheReveal, [[KickTheDog yes]]. [[ManipulativeBastard Very]] [[YouHaveFailedMe much]] [[MoralEventHorizon yes]].
* BarehandedBladeBlock: He can block a sword with '''one finger'''.
* BerserkButton: Finally pressed when Ichigo gained the upper hand over him in battle leading to a VillainousBreakdown, 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.
* BewareTheSuperman: 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.
* BeyondTheImpossible: He wants the Hogyoku because it can break the physical laws separating shinigami and ''the divine''.
* BigBad: 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.
** BiggerBad: 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.
** DiscOneFinalBoss: Seems to be shaping up as one. Following the six years (real-time) that it took for him to finally face defeat, WordOfGod 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).
** NonActionBigBad: 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.
** PredecessorVillain: Started getting this treatment following the TimeSkip.
* BitchInSheepsClothing: Maybe one of the BEST examples ''ever'', given that he ended up as the BigBad for the rest of the series afterward.
* {{Bishounen}}: Compare Captain Aizen, to Aizen after TheReveal.
* [[spoiler:BlackEyesOfEvil: 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.]]
* BoardToDeath: Aizen to the Central 46.
* BodyHorror: The ShapeshifterSwanSong mish-mash his "final" form is, which is [[UpToEleven turned up to eleven]] when [[spoiler: Urahara's seal kicks in. Somehow, it's made even more horrific in the Anime as a [[DavidCronenberg David Cronenberg-esque]] ooze rises from his feet to envelop his body while ethereal spears ''shaped like crosses'' impale him.]] [[FridgeHorror It's worse when you realize he has no idea what's happening to him at first.]] The form prior to that also counts.
* [[spoiler:BroughtDownToNormal: 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.]]
* [[spoiler:ButterflyOfDeathAndRebirth: During the third time he evolved, he had six wings, seraph-style... except they look a bit too much like a butterfly's wings.]]
* ByThePowerOfGreyskull: "Shatter - Kyoka Suigetsu."
* CallingYourAttacks: He hardly if ever does this, but the final Kido he uses really takes the cake for how long it is.
-->[[spoiler: "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!"]]
* CombatPragmatist: 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. [[spoiler:When he stops doing so, it's a clue to the viewers that he's going to be defeated soon.]]
* CompleteMonster: 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. [[invoked]]
* CompleteImmortality: As of Deicide arc. [[spoiler: You might think that he lost the war, but come to think of 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.]]
* ComplexityAddiction: 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.
* CovertPervert: 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'''''.
* CurbStompBattle: What his battles are when anyone else takes him on. Inverted by [[spoiler:Ichigo, who effortlessly humiliates his now-monstrous form.]]
* DangerouslyGenreSavvy: Explains his [[JustBetweenYouAndMe evil plan]] to Ichigo...[[SubvertedTrope 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, [[spoiler: anticipates and plans for [[TheDragon his Dragon]] to betray him for the same reason]], stomps the Gotei 13 by relying consistently on his most broken ability rather than something AwesomeYetImpractical (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.
* [[spoiler:DefiantToTheEnd: Sorta, as he seems to be unfazed when condemned to ''millennium'' of solitary confinement.]]
** [[spoiler: Was this during the climax to the Deicide Arc]]
* [[spoiler:DidntSeeThatComing: Subverted - while he did predict that [[TheStarscream 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.]]
** [[spoiler: CallBack 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.]]
* DiabolicalMastermind: 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.
* DiminishingVillainThreat: While he was still a ''very'' difficult opponent, his greatest asset was his cunning. Come the Deicide arc, and he's fully discarded that in favor of his OneWingedAngel.
* DrunkWithPower: 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 HoistByHisOwnPetard.
* DrunkOnTheDarkSide: The stronger Aizen gets, the more visibly unstable he becomes.
* EldritchAbomination: Inverted; he views the Spirit King in this light.
** [[spoiler: Played straight after Ichigo overpowers his strongest kido and he forces the Hogyoku to evolve him into a Hollow-like monster.]]
* EvilCounterpart: To Kisuke Urahara, note the similar-sounding given names. They're both super-geniuses who tend to use their allies like pawns and enjoy {{Troll}}ing allies and enemies alike. Except that Urahara actually cares about his allies in the end. [[spoiler:In fact, he believes they are so alike that he's ''surprised '' Urahara isn't just as evil as he is.]]
** [[spoiler: 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.
* [[spoiler:EvilIsNotAToy[=/=]RealityWarpingIsNotAToy: Aizen's relationship with the Hougyoku didn't quite develop the way he had expected.]]
* EvilGenius: His EvilPlan in the Soul Society arc firmly entrenches him as one.
* EvilOverlord: Residing within his enormous white-clad fortress of Las Noches, located at the very center of [[WorldHalfEmpty Hueco Mundo]], Aizen directly commands an army of powerful warriors called [[BishonenLine Arrancar]], from [[EliteMook Numeros]] to [[QuirkyMiniBossSquad Fraccion]] and [[ImplacableMan 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.
* EvilSorceror: Can use up to Level 90 Kido spells without the incantation, though apparently he can't get them to full power.
* EvilSoundsDeep: He's voiced by ShowHayami, so it should be expected.
* [[spoiler:EyesDoNotBelongThere: On his wings.]]
* FakingTheDead: And HOW.
* FauxAffablyEvil: "We'll talk about the intruders in a minute. But first, does everyone have their tea?"
* FlatCharacter: Unlike several other antagonists, Aizen's primary role as a character is to be MrExposition, TheChessmaster and an ArchEnemy to anyone not named Ichigo, Rukia or Urahara.
* ForgotAboutHisPowers: [[spoiler: Hit with this '''hard''' after he [[KickTheDog tricks Hitsugaya into stabbing Hinamori]]. Beyond that point, he doesn't use his unbreakable illusions at all, even when he's [[CurbstompBattle 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 BroughtDownToNormal, is uncertain.]]
* ForTheEvulz: 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.
* FountainOfExpies: 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.
** [[SuicidalCosmicTemperTantrum Jin Kariya]] of the Bount arc? A [[ManipulativeBastard manipulative]], [[ChronicBackstabbingDisorder backstabbing]] [[TheChessmaster chessmaster]] who smirks a lot, frequently betrays his allies, and mopped the floor with TheHero for many of their fights.
** [[YouKilledMyFather Shusuke Amagai]] of the New Captain arc? A captain that portrays himself as a ReasonableAuthorityFigure with an amicable disposition, who ends up being the mastermind behind a conspiracy.
** [[IJustWantToBeSpecial Kouga Kuchiki]] of the Zanpakuto Unknown Tales arc? A PersonOfMassDestruction 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.
** [[MadScientist Kageroza Inaba]] of the Invading Army arc? A traitorous, overpowered, glasses-wearing Shinigami that pretends to be polite and amicable, possessing an [[MadScientist acute expertise with science]], who becomes master of his own realm. He single-handedly creates an army of captain-level {{Evil Counterpart}}s, [[DepravedBisexual 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.
** [[spoiler:[[SixthRangerTraitor Kokuto]] from Hell Chapter, the fourth film? A deliberate CompleteMonster that pretended to be an ally, [[NotQuiteDead 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 TheHero'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 ManipulativeBastard with a unique special ability that he uses for MindRape; he even resembles Aizen by a bit. [[spoiler: Inverted in that he's in a BigBadDuumvirate with Ginjou, who ironically is much like an evil Isshin, and Tsukishima himself is resembling Gin with every MindRape he commits.]]
** Even [[WebOriginal FANON]] is starting now, one of the better examples is this [[http://bleachfanfiction.wikia.com/wiki/Takahashi_Ishikawa man]], who ventures almost from being an Expy into CopyCatSue territory.
* FreudianExcuse: Suggested by Ichigo that he went crazy due to LonelyAtTheTop and wanted to create someone on the same level as he was. [[spoiler: 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.
* GambitIndex
** TheChessmaster: [[spoiler:Every battle Ichigo has fought played into Aizen's plans, even the ones that Aizen didn't personally arrange.]]
** CrazyPrepared: [[spoiler: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.]]
** ManipulativeBastard: 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.
** ThePlan Master of these.
* TheGlassesComeOff: At the end of the Soul Society arc.
* GoodHairEvilHair: Slicking his hair back is the first thing he does after revealing his evilness.
* HannibalLecture: Aizen seems prone to these, both right after TheReveal that he's indeed the BigBad of the series, and to both [[spoiler:Shinji and Ichigo in the current arc, critiquing their methods of fighting him. It seems to have the effect of saddling Shinji with an IdiotBall and sapping Ichigo of his confidence, until ''Komamura '' of all people shows up to deliver a ShutUpHannibal, but by then, he already finished all he said and later had Ichimaru slice Hiyori in half for trying to shut him up.]]
** [[spoiler: Gets an epic ShutUpHannibal from an improved Ichigo when he FACE GRABS Aizen and takes him to another area before he realizes what's happened.]]
* [[spoiler:HoistByHisOwnPetard: 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 BroughtDownToNormal... either way, things apparently didn't go as Aizen planned.]]
* [[spoiler:HumanoidAbomination: 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.]]
* [[spoiler:IAmAHumanitarian: He intends to eventually eat Ichigo. Can't decide whether that kills or fuels the FoeYay. Maybe both.]]
* IJustWantToHaveFriends: 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 WorthyOpponent.
* ILied: His excuse to Ichigo when the latter lampshades that he has given a MotiveRant twice - two different ones. Aizen [[LampshadeHanging lampshades]] that if Ichigo thinks he's lying this time, then he shouldn't assume that he wasn't actually lying the first time.
* ImplacableMan: [[spoiler: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. [[spoiler: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 [[spoiler:it's the fear for his own life that makes him evolve (become stronger).]]
** [[spoiler:Chapter 419: "[[{{Hypocrite}} ABANDON YOUR ARROGANCE, HUMAN]]!"]]
** Every fight involving Aizen has been a CurbStompBattle, including the last one, where ''he's'' on the receiving end.
** [[spoiler: If you include [[AllThereInTheManual 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 {{True Companions}}hip, are saved and free to return home to Hueco Mundo.]]
* TheJuggernaut: [[spoiler:After absorbing the Hogyoku, his already ImplacableMan 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.]]
* LackOfEmpathy: 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 [[LonelyAtTheTop backstory]], where he never managed to form any real emotional ties to anyone; he lacks it because he never received it.
* LightningBruiser
* [[spoiler:LonelyAtTheTop: 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.]]
* MadScientist: 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.
* TheManBehindTheMan: He plays this role in the Soul Society arc until his reveal. [[spoiler: Later on, he claims he's been doing it for much, much longer, without which this story may never have happened.]]
* ManipulativeBastard: [[BreakTheCutie Most]] [[MoreThanMindControl especially]] [[MindRape to]] Momo Hinamori.
* MasterOfIllusion: Kyoka Suigetsu's shikai ability.
* MoralEventHorizon: 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 [[spoiler:''trick Hitsugaya into stabbing his childhood friend.'' God knows just how traumatized she is from it, now.]] [[invoked]]
* NiceJobFixingItVillain: [[spoiler: He planned for Ichigo to go through his TrainingFromHell, but he benefited from it more than Aizen expected, and Ichigo kicked him up and down Karakura Town.]]
* NightmareFace: First ever villain in ''Bleach'' to have a truly disgusting and deformed face, right [[spoiler:[[http://read.mangashare.com/Bleach/chapter-420/page015.html here]]. ]]
* NightmareFuelStationAttendant: [[spoiler:As of 419, he now qualifies for this in the extreme.]]
* NoSavingThrow: There is no resisting his illusions [[spoiler:unless you can touch Kyouka Suigetsu's blade before he activates his shikai.]]
* NoSell: At first he seems to be immune to nearly everything the good guys throw at him.
* [[spoiler:NotSoStoic: "GIN... YOU BASTARD...!!"]]
** [[spoiler: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!!"]]
** [[spoiler: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.]]
* [[spoiler:OneWingedAngel: Goes through several versions of this.]]
* OrcusOnHisThrone: For all of his [[GambitRoulette 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 [[spoiler: it was necessary to let him fuse properly with the Hogyoku.]]
* OutGambitted: [[spoiler: 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.]]
* PainfulTransformation: 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.
* TheParagonAlwaysRebels: He was once the most beloved of the Gotei 13 Captains.
* ParanoiaFuel: Inflicted this on TheHero. Given the nature of Aizen's abilities, Ichigo briefly experienced this once he confronted Aizen again back at the fake Karakura Town. [[DangerouslyGenreSavvy Aizen played it up for all it was worth]]. [[invoked]]
* PersonOfMassDestruction: Oh. My. God.
** [[spoiler: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.]]
* PhysicalGod: He was determined to become one and at one point firmly believed that's what was happening to him. His opponents... disagreed.
* [[spoiler:PowerGivesYouWings: 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.]]
* [[spoiler:PowerMakesYourHairGrow: As always, mullets are a sign of great power ''Bleach'']].
* RageAgainstTheHeavens: 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.
* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: Part of his BatmanGambit, where he acted like one to fool everyone else into thinking as such.
* SanitySlippage: His VillainousBreakdown 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 [[spoiler:and fall]]. Once a respected and incredibly gifted Shinigami captain, he sought to challenge the heavens itself, and remove the Spirit King, [[AGodAmI to make himself God]]. After [[spoiler: 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.]]
** [[spoiler: It's not just a demonic-looking form; its based the Great Red Dragon paintings by William Blake (as seen in [[TheSilenceOfTheLambs Red Dragon]]), which is itself supposed to be Satan as portrayed in [[Literature/TheBible The Book of Revelations]]. His whole schtick as a VillainWithGoodPublicity also recalls ''TheCrucible'' 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, [[spoiler: locked away, immobile, in the deepest darkest prison Soul Society has to offer. It recalls ''TheDivineComedy'' 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.]]
* SayMyName: [[spoiler:When about to get sealed: "URAHARA KISUKE!!!"]]
* ScaryShinyGlasses
* SerialEscalation: How much more powerful can he get and just ''how'' many convoluted plans does he have in his brain!?
* [[spoiler:SealedEvilInACan]]: [[spoiler:Gets sealed by Urahara in Chapter 421. Now to see if it sticks.]]
* SingleStrokeBattle: Oneshots practically everyone.
* [[spoiler:SlasherSmile: In Chapter 418, he seems to be really enjoying his fight with Ichigo, or at least testing out the power of his new form.]]
* SmugSnake: Arguably has downgraded from Magnificent Bastard into this once the final battle began. [[spoiler: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.]]
** [[spoiler:He manages to get even worse in Chapter 418, as he talks about how strong he's become and expresses disbelief that Ichigo actually [[BarehandedBladeBlock 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 TheReveal. 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 [[VillainousBreakdown Aizen is not taking that news very well]].
* TheSocialExpert: When he bothers to be.
* TheSociopath: definitely qualifies. Charming facade? Check. Lacks empathy? Check. Violent? Check. Treats people as tools? Check. Manipulative? Check - and how!
* TheStoic: 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 [[spoiler: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.
* SuperpowerLottery: There are several lotteries in ''Bleach'', ranging from speed to sheer power to special ability and so on. Aizen basically won them all.
* SuperpowerMeltdown: Despite his ever-increasing power, Aizen's claims of shattering the line between Shinigami and Hollow are starting to falter - [[spoiler: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 [[RuleOfThree three eyes, three Hollow holes, and three "wings"]] on either side of his back, each tipped with a Hollow Mask and an Eye.]]
* TallDarkAndHandsome: While wearing his stylish Las Noches outfit.
* TalkingIsAFreeAction: 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.
* ThatManIsDead: Verbally subverted.
--> "The Aizen you knew...'''never even existed'''."
* TheThirtySixStratagems: He's used ''twenty-four'' of them so far. Go check out the page.
* [[spoiler:ThisCannotBe: After over 300 chapters of everything going "according to plan", this happens when Aizen finally finds something he didn't expect.]]
* [[spoiler:TooPowerfulToLive: Even Ichigo's Final Getsuga Tensho wasn't strong enough to kill Aizen due to his HealingFactor, so he had to be [[SealedEvilInACan sealed]] to be defeated.]]
* {{Ubermensch}}: He seems to see himself as one, with Kisuke Urahara as his Last Man, if his [[spoiler:VillainousBreakdown immediately prior to becoming SealedEvilInACan]] is any indication.
--> [[spoiler:'''Aizen:''' Urahara Kisuke! I despise you! Why does a man of your intellect sit idle?!]]\\
[[spoiler:..]].\\
[[spoiler:'''Urahara:''' ...That's the way the world is.]]\\
[[spoiler:'''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!]]
* VictoryFakeout: Most notably when he [[spoiler:used Hinamori as a HumanShield against Hitsugaya]].
* VillainousBreakdown
* [[spoiler:WingedHumanoid: As of chapter 415.]]
* WalkingWasteland: 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.
* WeHaveReserves: 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 PlotArmor to start growing properly before he got started.
* WickedCultured: 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 BadassBookworm....which suggests he's also a bit of a feminist.
* WorthyOpponent: 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 IJustWantToHaveFriends.
* YouHaveOutLivedYourUsefulness: [[spoiler:Poor Harribel.]]
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Gin Ichimaru]]
[floatboxright:
'''Species:''' Shinigami\\
'''Affiliation''': Soul Society (formerly) / Las Noches\\
'''Zanpakutō:''' ''Shinsō''\\
'''Bankai:''' ''Kamishini no Yari'']

http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/gin001_7969.png
->''"Would you like me to save you?... [[{{Troll}} Just kidding]]."''

Gin is the former Captain of the 3rd squad, whose face is forever fixed in EyesAlwaysShut 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 BigBad of the Soul Society arc, turns out he's only a subordinate of Aizen, and follows him to Hueco Mundo. He proves to be [[DracoInLeatherPants 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 [[spoiler: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: KojiYusa (JP), DougErholtz (US), Carlos del Campo (Latin American Spanish)

-----
* AbsurdlySharpBlade: His Bankai [[spoiler:when first introduced]] definitely counts. Its strength is [[spoiler: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!]]
* ActuallyThatsMyAssistant: 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.
* AffablyEvil: Yes, he's FauxAffablyEvil too, but he's pretty polite and easygoing despite being one of the scariest men in Bleach. Take a look at his [[{{Omake}} Arrancar Encyclopepia]] segments.
* AmbiguousDisorder: Yes. Gin. Is. Not. Normal.
* AmbiguousSituation: 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?
* AnimalMotifs: 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.
* AntiVillain
* AxCrazy: Implied to be this, as evidenced in one of Momo's flashbacks when he killed a hollow.)
** [[spoiler:Pretty much confirmed in 414, by Gin himself.]]
*** If he wasn't [[spoiler:[[ILied lying, again]].]]
* {{Badass}}
* BadassBack
* BaddieFlattery
* [[spoiler:BecomingTheMask]]: ''Might'' have happened to him in in his past. [[spoiler:He started out as a sweet StreetUrchin 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 [[KlingonPromotion kill one of the men responsible and take his place in Aizen's squad]]]]. Things just got worse from there. [[spoiler:After spending decades acting the part of a scheming and bloodthirsty SmugSnake 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 [[spoiler:Rangiku, his MoralityPet.]]
* [[spoiler:BestServedCold]]: And HOW! [[spoiler: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 [[spoiler:extends the range for 13 kilometers.]]
** [[spoiler:[[ILied He lied]] about that]]. But it's still ''ridiculously long'' and fast, and [[spoiler: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.
* BoringButPractical: [[spoiler: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.]]
* [[spoiler:BrokeYourArmPunchingOutCthulhu]]: It was supposed to be Gin's CMOA--[[spoiler:until we found out just how damaged Aizen really was. Ouch.]]
* ByThePowerOfGreyskull: "Shoot to Kill - Shinso!", "Bankai - Kamishini no Yari!"
* CallingYourAttacks: "Buto", "Buto: Renjin", [[spoiler: "Kill - Kamishini no Yari!"]]
* CheshireCatGrin: The ever-constant expression on his face.
* ChildProdigy: Graduated out of the academy in ''one year.''
* ChildhoodFriend: with Rangiku.
** ChildhoodFriendRomance: 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.
* ChronicBackstabbingDisorder: There have been lots and lots of that up until now, and in the Deicide Arc [[spoiler: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.]]
** [[spoiler:The newest recipient of his backnifing ways just happens to be Aizen, though this time, the knife is poisoned.]]
* CoDragons: Shared the position with Kaname Tosen.
** Ironically, Tosen was more of a straight-up lieutenant to Aizen; Ichimaru was more of a tagalong assassin [[spoiler:that deliberately waited for an opportunity (or mood) to act upon his goal of killing Aizen.]]
* CombatPragmatist: 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.
* CreepyBlueEyes: 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.
* CreepyChild: He is shown to have been this in the ''Turn Back the Pendulum'' arc.
* CunningLikeAFox: Best way to sum him up.
* DangerouslyGenreSavvy: 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. [[spoiler: 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.]]
** WrongGenreSavvy: [[spoiler: Unfortunately for Gin, no matter how GenreSavvy 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 BigBad is TheHero... and that's not him.]]
* DevilInPlainSight: 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.
* DidYouJustPunchOutCthulhu [[spoiler: : He ambushed Aizen and took out most of Aizen's chest. Then it turned into a case of BrokeYourArmPunchingOutCthulhu.]]
* DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything: "My 'Shinsou'... [[FreudWasRight do you know how far it stretches]]?" This also contributes to his MemeticMolester status, along with his infamous [[OffModel RAPEface]].
* EnfantTerrible: He was this kind of kid. Read the rest of the page to find out why.
* EnigmaticMinion: For the longest time since his debut, nobody really knew what went behind the CheshireCatGrin and EyesAlwaysShut, so speculation raged for years on end until his motive was finally revealed.
* {{Expy}}: He has one, in the form of [[BlazBlue 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 ButtMonkey 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}} [[MemeticMutation canon AND free time.]]
* EyesAlwaysShut: 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, [[spoiler: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!
* GenderBlenderName: He has a girl's name. It means "Silver." Snicker.
** His surname, Ichimaru, was also the name of a famous geisha.
* [[spoiler:HeWhoFightsMonsters]]
* HiddenAgendaVillain: 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. [[spoiler:He never quite makes it to AmbiguouslyEvil since he's just too much of a dick, but he was actually trying to assassinate Aizen.]]
* [[spoiler:HopeSpot: His [[HeelFaceTurn Heel Face]] [[TheReveal Reveal]] going from DidYouJustPunchOutCthulhu to BrokeYourArmPunchingOutCthulhu.]]
* IAmNotLeftHanded: Subverted! [[spoiler:Ichigo sees through his deception right away and realizes that Gin's Bankai specializes in speed as well as range.]]
** Double subversion: [[spoiler:His bankai is also really poisonous.]]
* ILied: Seems to be a frequent trait of his.
* {{Irony}}: His entire motivation was [[spoiler: 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.]]
* [[spoiler:IWillProtectHer: 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.]]
* JackOfAllStats: According to his stats.
* JerkassFacade: Subverted; he's still an asshole, but to what degree is anyones' guess. Even his KickTheDog moments seemed to 'help' Aizen's enemies to a degree (i.e. [[ManipulativeBastard toying with Rukia]] delayed her execution enough that Ichigo [[BigDamnHeroes intervened just at the last second]]; [[HalfTheManHeUsedToBe 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 [[HannibalLecture resolve-breaking]] [[TheReasonYouSuckSpeech speech]] to Ichigo partly succeeded in giving him 'incentive' to hone his skills with Isshin.
* KansaiRegionalAccent: He talks with this, despite being everything a Kyoto-ben ''isn't''.
* KickTheDog: See ManipulativeBastard.
** Slicing Hiyori in half back at the fake Karakura Town.
** Also, [[spoiler:his treatment of [[KickTheMoralityPet Rangiku]] in [[KickThemWhileTheyAreDown Chapter 412]]. Subverted actually.]]
* [[spoiler:KickTheSonOfABitch: He betrayed Aizen. It was awesome.]]
* [[spoiler:KilledOffForReal: By Aizen.]]
* {{Kitsune}}: To the point that Kubo drew him as such for [[CrowningMomentOfAwesome Chapter 414]].
* LovableTraitor: 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 [[AnimalMotifs Snake]], but this [[DracoInLeatherPants only further endears him to the fandom]]. [[spoiler:Therefore, every fan simply held their breath and waited for his ChronicBackstabbingDisorder to act up against Aizen. It finally happens in Chapter 414, and it is '''''awesome'''''.]]
* [[spoiler:LoveMakesYouEvil: 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.]]
* ManipulativeBastard: 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 [[ForTheEvulz 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. ''[[KickTheDog What an asshole]]''.
* NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast: Not Gin himself, but definitely his bankai. You've gotta be super strong or super brave to not shudder at the name [[spoiler:''Godslayer Spear.'']]
* NobleDemon: See above and below.
* NoSocialSkills: For all of his ManipulativeBastard moments, [[spoiler: 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. [[SarcasmMode Yeah, Gin sure knows a lot about people.]]]]
* ObfuscatingStupidity
* ObviouslyEvil: 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...
* TheOnlyOneAllowedToDefeatYou: Justified. He believes that his bankai is [[spoiler:the only thing that can kill Aizen. He was right... but Aizen with the Hougyoku was a different story entirely.]]
* OOCIsSeriousBusiness: Is [[PerpetualSmiler Gin]] ''frowning?'' With [[EyesAlwaysShut his]] '''''eyes open?''''' Run away, run now, run fast, ''RUN FOREVER.''
* PetTheDog: He's an unrepentant bastard, but seems to have a genuine soft spot for his childhood friend Rangiku. [[spoiler: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' ([[spoiler:After Izuru killed Avirima]]) and wished him luck in the Omake segments during the Captain Amagai arc.
* PerpetualSmiler
** SmugSmiler
** SlasherSmile
* PersonOfMassDestruction: Weeeell, if you can [[spoiler:extend your sword up to 13km and cut everything on the way, such as buildings, like paper, just by swinging it...]]
* [[spoiler: PoisonedWeapons: His bankai's true power.]]
* RedEyesTakeWarning: 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 [[IcyBlueEyes blue]]. Considering his MagnificentBastard mentality and fans focus on his ocular pigmentation, the [[http://fc08.deviantart.net/fs71/f/2010/294/7/8/gin_geass_eyes_by_witch12849-d317so9.jpg obvious jokes]] were made by the fandom.
* RedHerring: Possibly deliberately. Prior to the revelation of Aizen as the series' BigBad, 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.
* TheReasonYouSuckSpeech: Gin calmly picks Ichigo apart during their battle, chiding him for having absolutely no chance against either him or Aizen anymore. [[spoiler:Turns out it was a GambitRoulette. See StealthMentor below.]]
* ShadowArchetype: Can be seen as one to Hitsugaya.
* ShoutOut: Got one in [[BlazBlue Hazama]].
* SmugSnake: He calls ''himself'' this. Subverted in the end when his plan is revealed.
* SpringtimeForHitler: {{Word of God}} expresses surprise at the number of fangirls Gin gained over time, as he was designed to be creepy and off-putting.
* [[spoiler:StealthMentor: Becomes one to Ichigo during the Deicide arc. His TheReasonYouSuckSpeech was designed to help Ichigo get over his DespairEventHorizon, 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.]]
* TricksterArchetype
* TheUnfettered
* UsedToBeASweetKid: CheerfulChild [[BoyMeetsGirl saved]] [[MoralityPet Rangiku]] [[CrapsackWorld from starving,]] [[SignificantBirthDate is responsible for her even having a birthday,]] [[spoiler:[[IWillProtectHer 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 AxCrazy, AffablyEvil, and a DevilInPlainSight.
* [[spoiler:WellIntentionedExtremist: While [[TheExtremistWasRight he wasn't entirely wrong,]] Rangiku, the woman he's avenging would rather he had spent time with her rather than worry about Aizen.]]
* WhiteHairedPrettyBoy: 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.
* WrongGenreSavvy: [[spoiler: Apparently was [[IncrediblyLamePun shooting]] for the role of [[TheMole deep cover]] [[TheHero hero]]... [[BrokeYourArmPunchingOutCthulhu until]] [[TheChessmaster Aizen]] [[GambitPileup had a plan]] [[JustAsPlanned for that, too]].]] Dammit.
** [[spoiler: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.]]
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Kaname Tōsen]]
[floatboxright:
'''Species:''' Shinigami-Hollow Hybrid\\
'''Affiliation''': Soul Society (formerly) / Las Noches\\
'''Zanpakutō:''' ''Suzumushi''\\
'''Bankai:''' ''Suzumushi Tsuishiki: Enma Kōrogi''\\
'''Resurrección:''' ''Suzumushi Hyakushiki: Grillar Grillo'']

http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/tosen001_5206.png
->''"My eyes can only see one path and that is the path with the least amount of bloodshed. Justice, is always there, and the path I follow, is justice."''

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 ([[spoiler: 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 SuperpowerMeltdown.

--> Voiced by: ToshiyukiMorikawa (JP), David Rasner (US), IrwinDaayan (Latin American Spanish)

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* AchillesHeel: [[spoiler: His bankai can be negated by touching his sword.]]
* AlasPoorVillain: Hisagi and Komamura feel this way about him; they're even willing to forgive him and wish well for his recovery. [[invoked]]
** [[spoiler: Then he exploded]]
* AxCrazy: Implied with his obsession with justice, it's pretty much obvious once he becomes a Hollow-like insect.
* BadAss: Severed ''Grimmjow's'' arm and used a Kido spell to ''destroy'' it. That's probably his most memorable scene.
* BaitAndSwitch: It seemed like Gizaeimon killed Tosen and Eishima, before Gizaeimon himself fell to the ground, dead.
* [[spoiler:TheBlank: 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...]]
* [[spoiler:BlackDudeDiesFirst. He's the first fatality among the thirteen captains.]]
* BlindBlackGuy
* BlindJustice: 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. [[TearJerker They did.]]
* BrokenPedestal: Shuuhei practically worshipped him before finding out what a bastard he is.
* ByThePowerOfGreyskull: "Cry - Suzumushi!", "Suzumushi Nishiki: Benihikō!", "Bankai - Suzumushi Tsuishiki: Enma Kōrogi!", [[spoiler: "Suzumushi Hyakushiki: Grillar Grillo!"]]
* TheBrute: He's far from stupid, but he's usually the first of the three main villains to get involved in the fight.
* ClippedWingAngel: [[spoiler: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.]]
* CoolShades and SunglassesAtNight
* [[spoiler:DeathByIrony:]] [[spoiler: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.]]
* CoDragons: Along with Gin Ichimaru, he was 'Commander' under Aizen.
** [[spoiler:DragonWithAnAgenda: He's certainly subservient to (and somewhat fearful of) Aizen, but Tosen only really joined Aizen in order to wipe out the Shinigami.]]
* DisabilityImmunity: 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...
* DroppedABridgeOnHim: After getting his throat stabbed, he suddenly explodes into a pool of blood; Komamura blames Aizen for that.
* [[spoiler:DrunkWithPower: What he becomes when he activates his Resurreccion.]]
* [[spoiler: DyingAsYourself]]
* TheFaceless: [[http://images.wikia.com/bleach/en/images/1/1b/Former_9th_Division.png 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.
* FailureKnight / LoveMakesYouEvil: His frustration and pain at his best friend's murder is his StartOfDarkness.
* HandicappedBadass: He made captain despite his blindness.
* [[spoiler:HeelFaceDoorSlam: Just as it seems that he'll be able to be redeemed, Aizen uses his monstrous reiatsu to ''blow him up.'']]
* IdiotBall: 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.''
*** Then again, Kaname isn't the most stable captain.
* InTheBack: 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.
* JusticeWillPrevail: Even if you have to pull a FaceHeelTurn.
** [[spoiler: It's actually revenge.]]
* KickTheDog: During the TBTP arc, when Hiyori tried to help Shinji stave off Hollowfication, [[http://images.wikia.com/bleach/en/images/2/28/Ep211KanameCutsHiyori.png this was Tosen's response]].
** When Hisagi spent most of his time asking if [[WasItAllALie it was all a lie]] during their fight, Tosen runs him through the gut.
** After going OneWingedAngel and gaining sight for the first time, he looks to Komamura and admits that that Komamura is ''uglier'' than he thought. Owch.
* [[spoiler:KilledOffForReal]]: [[spoiler: His release was implied to have been engineered by Aizen to explode if he wasn't useful]]/
* [[spoiler:ManlyTears. A dying Tosen sheds those when Komamura says that he'll still be sad upon losing him.]]
* [[spoiler:MaskPower and MaskOfPower: Aizen has hollowified him.]]
* MotiveRant: Over why he hates Zaraki.
** [[spoiler: Of his revenge to Sajin]]
* MotorMouth: Spends a lot of time ranting about "justice".
* {{Munchkin}}: [[spoiler: Komamura accuses him of being one when he goes Hollow form.]]
* NightmareFace: [[spoiler: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 SlasherSmile.]]
* OddFriendship: With Wonderweiss Margela.
* OneWingedAngel: His [[spoiler:Resurreccion? Grillar Grillo. Huge and deformed, much like the Brundlefly from the DavidCronenberg version of TheFly. A ''lot'' like TheFly. So much so that it may even count as a ShoutOut.]]
* PsychoSupporter: It becomes clear after his rant with Sajin, that he isn't stable at all.
* [[spoiler:{{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.]]
* RevengeBeforeReason: [[spoiler:Subverted, he [[WhatTheHellHero 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.]]
* ScaryBlackMan: Once before losing to Kenpachi, becomes a different kind of scary with his OneWingedAngel.
* SuperpowerLottery: His shikai generates GaleForceSound and a StormOfBlades. His bankai covers the field with a dome of darkness that negates the opponent's senses except touch. [[spoiler: And that's ''before '' his Hollowfication.]]
* TwoferTokenMinority: He's black ''and'' blind.
* UnluckyChildhoodFriend. To the lady who became his reason to fight.
** [[spoiler: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.]]
* VillainousBreakdown: It's pretty epic.
* WhiteMaskOfDoom: In Resurrecion. Doubles as TheBlank initially as well.
[[/folder]]
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* IcyBlueEyes: 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.

* AxCrazy: Implied with his obsession with justice, it's pretty much obvious once he becomes a Hollow-like insect.

** It's actually revenge.

** [[HarsherInHindsight In hindsight]], it hints to the fact that despite his earlier mockery of Kenpachi by suggesting he lost his mind, he himself isn't exactly all that sane himself. The guy did a MotiveRant, and to him, Kenpachi in the Gotei 13 is a fine example of its corruption.

* [[spoiler:KilledOffForReal]]

* PsychoSupporter

* ScaryBlackMan

* CompleteImmortality: As of Deicide arc. [[spoiler: 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.]]

* EvilGenius: His entire XanatosGambit in the Soul Society arc firmly entrenches him as one.

* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: Part of his XanatosGambit, where he acted like one to fool everyone else into thinking as such.

* [[XanatosPlannedThisIndex Xanatos Wrote This Character]]
** TheChessmaster: [[spoiler:Every battle Ichigo has fought played into Aizen's plans, even the ones that Aizen didn't personally arrange.]]
** CrazyPrepared: [[spoiler: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.]]
** ManipulativeBastard: 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.
** XanatosGambit, GambitRoulette and XanatosSpeedChess: Master of these.

* BlindJustice: 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. [[TearJerker And they did.]]

--> Voiced by: ShowHayami (JP), KyleHebert (US)

--> Voiced by: KojiYusa (JP), DougErholtz (US)

--> Voiced by: ToshiyukiMorikawa (JP), David Rasner (US)

* BlindJustice: 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. [[TearJerker They did.]]

'''Species:''' Visored\\

'''Zanpakutō:''' ''Kyōka Suigetsu'']

'''Zanpakutō:''' ''Shinsō'' ]

'''Zanpakutō:''' ''Suzumushi'']

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

->''My eyes can only see one path and that is the path with the least amount of bloodshed. Justice, is always there, and the path I follow, is justice."''

'''Zanpakutō:''' ''Kyōka Suigetsu'' ]

[[caption-width:270:Before and after TheReveal]].

'''Zanpakutou:''' Kyōka Suigetsu ]

'''Zanpakutou:''' Shinsō ]

'''Zanpakutou:''' Suzumushi]

* SpringtimeForHitler: {{Word of God}} expresses surprise at the number of fangirls Gin gained over time, as he was designed to be creepy and off-puting.

* {{Immortality}}:[[spoiler: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".]]

** [[spoiler: If you include [[AllThereInTheManual 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.]]