Fanfic / White

White is a Bleach What If? fanfic by Melkor's Mercy on Fanfiction Dot Net.

What if Rukia had never shown up and given Ichigo Shinigami powers? What if the hollow killed him instead? How would this affect Aizen's plans of betrayal? Ichigo finds himself eaten by a hollow shortly after death and awakens within the desolate realm of Hueco Mundo as a Gillian. With only fragmented memories of his past life, he struggles to achieve purpose.

Currently dead as of February 27, 2020 at 27 chapters and 323,307 words. Beware of unmarked spoilers.

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Tropes

• Adaptational Badass:
  • Not only does Ichigo become a Vasto Lorde, he also becomes an Arrancar, is ranked the Cero Espada, and achieves Segunda Etapa. On top of that, it turns out that he's actually the reincarnation of Zangetsu, the very first king of the Hollows!
  • Loly, Menoly, and Appaci gain a power boost from killing and cannibalizing Yammy along with their training under Ichigo's tutelage, making them much stronger fighters.
  • Grimmjow is even more powerful than canon, having evolved into a Vasto Lorde by the time of his battle against Ichigo and Barragan.
  • Barragan is ranked the Primera Espada instead of the Segunda thanks to Aizen's revised Hollow ranking system and later unlocks the ability to conjure black holes through his Segunda Etapa.
  • Wonderweiss is a full-fledged member of the Espada rather than a mere Living Macguffin.
  • Ichigo's sisters also get a lot stronger than their canon selves, with Karin becoming a Soul Reaper and Yuzu awakening her latent Quincy powers inherited from their mother Masaki before getting recruited into the Vandenreich and receiving her Schrift, the Light, from Yhwach.
  • The Espada and the rest of the Arrancars are MUCH stronger thanks to Ichigo's influence, with Barragan, Hallibel, Nelliel, and Starrk unlocking Segunda Etapa and the other Arrancars undergoing training to improving their combat and teamwork skills to better combat the Sternritters of the Vandenreich. Their ranks are bolstered even further with the recruitment of the Abyssal Scar's Hollow population and Athena Plateado, who is one of the surviving members of the original Espada.
  • Ayon is practically an unstoppable juggernaut due to its progenitors being a lot more powerful than their canon counterparts.
• Adaptational Deviation: Zommari's Resurrecion is altered from its original flower-shaped form into a more armored and mobile appearance that protects the eyes all over his body due to the author wanting to make it more practical for combat.
• Adaptation Expansion: Hueco Mundo has a much richer history beyond its status as the home dimension of the Hollows here; in particular, it's hinted that it used to be a rising power rivaling the likes of Soul Society before Yamamoto and Unohana killed Zangetsu in battle, turning it into a desolate, lawless wasteland as Hollow society fell apart in the wake of their king's death causing an intractable succession crisis among Zangetsu's inner circle.
• Adaptational Intelligence: Wonderweiss retains his intelligence instead of being reduced into a Manchild with the sole purpose of countering Yamamoto's zanpakuto.
• Adaptational Jerkass:
  • In Ichigo's case, living in Hueco Mundo has eroded his trust and made him more ruthless since he Had to Be Sharp in a world where almost everyone wouldn't have hesitated to kill him in a microsecond. Fortunately, he manages to mellow out a bit thanks to all the friends and allies he makes among the Hollows.
  • Considering how most of the story has a Hollow-centered viewpoint, the Shingami (and by extension, the Gotei 13) are cast in a more antagonistic light with their Fantastic Racism towards Hollows and the implication that they attacked Zangetsu when the Hollow king came to negotiate with them.
• Adaptational Nice Guy:
  • Loly, unlike her canon counterpart, is not an Inferiority Superiority Complex Green-Eyed Monster who is fanatically devoted to her boss.
  • Ulquiorra, while still as emotionless as ever, lacks the all-encompassing nihilism he had in canon thanks to Ichigo managing to befriend him early on in the story.
  • Nnoitra lacks his canon counterpart's rampant misogyny, thanks in part to Nelliel demonstrating to him why she's ranked above him in the Espada hierarchy by manhandling BG9 with ease when the cybernetic Sternritter invades Hueco Mundo with Kirge.
  • Luppi is notably less arrogant compared to his canon counterpart, accepting his position as Wonderweiss' Fraccion without much issue when the Espada chooses him.
  • Soifon drops her prejudice towards Hollows after she's transformed into one and is much less high-strung compared to her canon counterpart by the time Ichigo runs into her.
• Adaptation Relationship Overhaul: While Szayelaporro and Yylfordt had no love for each other in canon despite their relationship as siblings, here, they are markedly closer to each other. In fact, Szayel, who coldly brushed off Yylfordt's death in canon, is enraged when he learns that Giselle turned his brother's corpse into a zombie.
• Adaptational Wimp:
  • The new and revised Espada ranking system devised by Aizen ranks Arrancar based on skill and future potential for growth instead of pure spiritual power, which means that a few of these cases are bound to occur.
    • Nnoitra is ranked the Octava Espada, five ranks below his canon rank of Quinto.
    • Nel is ranked the Quinta Espada instead of the Tercera Espada.
    • Zommari is ranked the Novena Espada rather than the Séptima.
    • Starrk is ranked the Segunda Espada after Barragan takes the seat of Primera Espada.
  • Due to never meeting Rukia and thus never coming into contact with the Hōgyoku, Orihime and presumably Chad are normal humans and as such, are completely uninvolved with the plot.
• Affably Evil: Aizen is quite cordial towards Ichigo considering that both of them are Lonely at the Top due to being the only people who seek to go beyond the boundaries of the spiritual world. As for everyone else, he'll veer towards Faux Affably Evil depending on the situation.
• Almighty Janitor: Despite being the second most powerful being in Hueco Mundo and Ichigo's partner in crime, Aizen has no real authority over Las Noches or the Arrancar, instead opting to defer to Ichigo and advise him.
• Alpha Bitch: Ayame Yukimura is a stuck-up Jerkass who constantly tries to antagonize Karin after she's enrolled in the Shinigami Academy and pretends to be a champion for the common people when it's abundantly clear she's not, with her Zanpakuto's name being a clever reference to her dishonest, bitchy personality.
• Always Chaotic Evil: Soul Society sees Hollows as inhuman and bloodthirsty monsters by default even if they have become arrancars, and given how violent some arrancars are even after they gain humanity, they do have something of a point here.
• Armor-Piercing Question: Soifon gives Ichigo one that makes him rethink his stance on Shingami after he defeats Athena Plateado.
  Soifon: I was wrong, okay? There are good people among the Hollows...but the same can be said for the Shinigami as well. You're wrong too... Ichigo. I've seen countless innocent people die to Hollows. Do you really think you're any more justified than we are by wiping us out?
• Ascended Extra:
  • Loly, Menoly, Apacci, Rose, and Sang-sun have a bigger presence in the story, with the former three ending up as his Fracciones and all of them getting stronger under his tutelage.
  • The Espada have a more prominent role in the story thanks to Ichigo's status as High King of Hueco Mundo.
  • Ichigo's sisters have more prominent roles in the story, with each awakening their spiritual powers due to their heritage as Shinigami and Quincy and receiving training to better utilize them.
• Asshole Victim: Giselle Gewelle is brutally executed on Ichigo's orders after he learns of her attempt to zombify his little sister Yuzu, and it's hard to say she didn't had it coming for her thanks to her manipulative, untrustworthy behavior.
• Asskicking Leads to Leadership: Ichigo becomes High King of Hueco Mundo by defeating Barragan and Grimmjow for the title, which, considering how powerful both Hollows are as Vasto Lordes, is no mean feat.
• Berserk Button: Ichigo has two: making any mention of Shinigami and harming his loved ones. Giselle ends up triggering the latter when he's informed that she tried to convert Yuzu into her undead thrall.
• Benevolent Boss: Ichigo, as High King of Hueco Mundo, treats all his subordinates with kindness and justice and helps them get stronger so they can be better prepared to face off against Soul Society and the Vandenreich.
• Big Brother Instinct: Even as a Hollow, Ichigo still cares for his sisters Karin and Yuzu and will go to any lengths to protect them, which is demonstrated when Ichigo sends Zommari to rescue Yuzu from the Vandenreich and bring her to Las Noches amidst the first battle for Hueco Mundo.
• Big Damn Heroes:
  • In chapter 11, Ichigo shows up in time to save Nel from Bambietta and Giselle.
  • During the Vandenreich invasion of Hueco Mundo, Ichigo arrives with Ulquiorra, the hollows of the Abyssal Scar, and Athena's group just in time to give the Arrancars enough firepower to repel the Quincy forces.
• Black-and-Grey Morality: Ichigo and his army of Hollows have no interest in consuming souls or causing undue trouble, but they're still planning on taking down Soul Society and the Vandenreich for their unprovoked attacks on Hollows and Fantastic Racism against their kind. Soul Society in general view Hollows as savage monsters only worthy of death, though some members are more willing to negotiate compared to their more bloodthirsty compatriots and are aware that violence may be necessary when dealing with Ichigo. On the other hand, the Vandenreich seeks to conquer all of the spiritual realms and are all too willing to commit genocide against anyone who isn't with them.
• Break the Haughty:
  • Barragan and Grimmjow are humbled by their defeats to Ichigo and become loyal allies to him, learning from their defeats to increase their strength and skills.
  • Soifon loses her Fantastic Racism after getting transformed into a Hollow and taken in by Athena Plateado, as her life with the former Espada helps put Hollow life into perspective for the former captain of the Second Division.
• Both Sides Have a Point:
  • When Yoruichi insists that Ichigo is Beyond Redemption and needs to be killed for the sake of the universe, Rukia and Karin retort that he's not as vicious as everyone believes he is given how he respectively let Rukia go after using her as a hostage and looked after Karin when he visited her. Both sides later acknowledge that while negotiation would be the most ideal solution for their current problem, they still have to be ready to fight if words fail to dissuade him from destroying Soul Society.
  • Ichigo and Soifon both acknowledge that just as Soul Society and Hueco Mundo have less savory members within their ranks, they also have good people who genuinely believe in what's right after he spares Athena.
• Can't Kill You, Still Need You: Ichigo attempts to kill Aizen for his deception after he dispels Kyoka Suigetsu's illusion. Aizen points out neither of them gain anything by fighting each other, leading to Ichigo deciding to let him live so long as he doesn't betray him.
• Character Development:
  • Ichigo manages to regain his humanity and mellow out to an extent, becoming a Benevolent Boss and Reasonable Authority Figure within Hueco Mundo.
  • Soifon grows into a much more open-minded and understanding person after her Hollowfication, seeing that Soul Reapers and Arrancars aren't so different from each other in wanting to protect their people from harm.
• Clueless Chick-Magnet: A good amount of the female Hollow population are attracted to him, with Ichigo none the wiser mainly due to his focus on preparing Hueco Mundo for war against Soul Society and the Vandenreich. He wises up a little bit to what's going on after having sex with Harribel in chapter 22.
• Composite Character:
  • Ichigo's personality is a combination of his personality as a human and that of his inner Hollow due to his death and Hollowfication fusing them together.
  • Zangetsu is Ichigo's inner Hollow after he died in his fight against Yamamoto and Unohana and reincarnated himself through unknown means.
• Cruel and Unusual Death:
  • Barragan uses his Segunda Etapa's Hacha de Singularidad to erase Gremmy via black hole.
  • Mask de Masculine is left to rot after Barragan engulfs him in a massive Respira-infused cero, vaporizing his companion James so he cannot heal himself.
  • Giselle is torn apart on Ichigo's orders for attempting to make Yuzu her undead thrall after she is captured alongside the surviving Sternritters.
• Dark and Troubled Past:
  • Bambietta lost her family during the Second World War before she awakened her Quincy abilities and used them to obliterate her family's killers.
  • In general, many in the Vandenreich were influenced to join the organization thanks to Yhwach showing up to lift them out of their sorry situations.
• Death by Adaptation:
  • Ichigo's death in the first chapter can count... somewhat.
  • Giselle is executed on Ichigo's orders after he learns that she tried to turn Yuzu into one of her undead thralls.
• Demoted to Extra:
  • Yammy never joins the Espada in the first place and is killed by Loly, Menoly, and Apacci early in the story.
  • Dondochakka and Pesche are simple Numeros instead of Nel's Fraccion.
  • Orihime, a main character and Ichigo's love interest in canon, has only made one small appearance in Chapter 3.
• Dies Differently in Adaptation:
  • Yammy is killed and eaten by Loly, Menoly, and Appaci early in the story.
  • NaNaNa and Kirge are torn to shreds by Grimmjoww when they decide to fight him.
  • Gremmy is disassembled at the atomic level by a black hole Barragan conjures with his Segunda Etapa.
  • Mask de Masculine dissolves into dust after the Barragan's Cero catches him and his companion James in its blast.
  • Giselle Gewelle is torn apart by Barragan, Grimmjow, and Szayel after Ichigo learns that she attempted to zombify Yuzu.
• Defeat Equals Friendship: Ichigo spares Barragan and Grimmjow after defeating them both for the position of King of Hueco Mundo, co-opting them into his plans for a united Hueco Mundo capable of standing against Soul Society.
• Do with Him as You Will: Ichigo decides to let Yuzu decide the fates of all the Sternritters (minus Giselle) captured in the battle for Hueco Mundo once she recovers from her Power-Strain Blackout.
• Dragons Are Demonic: Considering how Hollows are viewed by Soul Society and how monstrous they can look, Zangetsu and Ichigo fit the bill with their skeletal and menacing appearances in dragon form.
• Enemy Mine: Ichigo unites the Hollows of Hueco Mundo with their collective grudge against Shinigami for indiscriminately killing them.
• Enlightenment Superpower: Segunda Etapa is this for Hollows much like Bankai is for Soul Reapers.
• Everyone Has Standards: Most of the Gotei 13 are appalled at the callous disregard for Soifon's life from the higher-ups after she is Hollowified and attempt to sway Yamamoto into letting them turn her into a Visored to save her life. Unfortunately, Yamamoto refuses to consider their pleas and orders her execution.
• Evil Power Vacuum: Hueco Mundo's fragmented and anarchic state was a result of Zangetsu's death at the hands of the Kenpachi due to his surviving subordinates retreating and fighting each other over who should succeed him as Hueco Mundo's ruler.
• For Want Of A Nail:
  • Due to Ichigo never meeting Rukia in Karakura Town, he is eaten by a Hollow before turning into one, kickstarting the entire plot.
  • Aizen arrives in Hueco Mundo much later than canon due to Ichigo's hollowfication disrupting his initial plans. Aizen being Aizen, he merely views it as a source of amusement than irritation.
  • The Hollows of Hueco Mundo are never subjugated by Aizen since Ichigo unites them under his rule.
• Fusion Dance: Apacci, Loly, Menoly, Milia Rose, and Sang-Sun end up merging into Ayon when they accidentally use more power than intended for the fusion process, resulting in Ayon gaining its own Arrancar form.
• Godzilla Threshold: Urahara, Yoruichi, and Kukaku contact the Zero Squad for help thanks to the looming threats of Ichigo's Arrancar army and the Vandenreich Soul Society is facing, much to Yamamoto's displeasure. Considering how they never show up unless there's a direct threat to the Soul King, it speaks volumes of the magnitude of the current situation.
• Go Mad from the Isolation: Being locked up in the Muken for millennia has done no favors for Arturo's sanity, as Unohana notes.
  Unohana: This is pointless...he's gone insane down there. I doubt I can torture any information out of him.
• Good Is Not Dumb: Ichigo is naturally suspicious towards Aizen due to him having his own agenda apart from his own despite their shared goal of killing the Soul King. Even when their partnership improves somewhat, Ichigo is still wary around him.
• Good Is Not Nice: Sure, Ichigo does care for his friends and family, but he's not afraid to be brutal.
• Good Is Not Soft: Ichigo is quite willing to kill his enemies if it means protecting his allies, loved ones, and himself.
• Go Through Me: Soifon invokes this when Ichigo is about to kill Athena that leads to his Jerkass Realization.
• Grey-and-Grey Morality: Ichigo's conflict against Soul Society leans towards this compared to the Black-and-Grey Morality situation with the Vandenreich, with some members of the Gotei 13 being less inclined towards violence compared to their peers.
• Hidden Depths: As it turns out, Barragan had attempted to reunite Hueco Mundo under his banner after learning of its history from Arturo only to give up on that endeavor when the Vasto Lordes refused to serve under him.
• Holy Burns Evil: Gremmy summons an army of holy knights with his Schrift in an attempt to counteract Barragan's powers based on his Resurrecion's lich-like appearance. Unfortunately for Gremmy, Barragan's powers involve the concept of space-time itself rather than plain old necrotic decay, which lead to his summoned knights biting the dust shortly after despite their "holy" nature.
• Horror Hunger: Ichigo ends up feeling pangs of hunger that drive him to gorge on other Hollows after he eats Raptor.
• Jerkass Realization: Ichigo realizes that he's acted a lot like the Shinigami he hates so much after Soifon gives him an Armor-Piercing Question on his modus operandi regarding Soul Society.
• Kick the Dog: Soifon's Hollowfication via Hogyoku might as well be the pettiest thing that Ichigo has done considering how out of proportion it is to her actions, and it garners Ichigo the disapproval of Athena Plateado after Soifon tells her what he did.
• Knight Templar: Soul Society is stridently convinced that they are in the right for cleansing Hollows, even if those Hollows didn't even throw the first punch in the first place.
• Laser-Guided Amnesia: Ichigo's memories as a human are fragmented due to his Hollowfication, leaving him with no idea on what happened prior to his "death". He eventually regains them.
• Laser-Guided Karma: Ichigo Hollowifies Soifon for her Fantastic Racism towards Hollows and for daring to spy on them. She ends up subverting this trope thanks to her Character Development from being part of Athena's group and from how everyone else around Ichigo does not regard what he did to her as a good thing.
• Lawful Stupid: After Soifon is hollowified while spying on Ichigo and Aizen, Yamamoto is outright told that her only chance for survival is to become a Vizored. Yamamoto declares that while he may have pardoned the Vizored, he refuses to intentionally create one as it's against the law and instead decides to execute her. Luckily, Soifon manages to instinctively activate Negacion and escape to Hueco Mundo, where she becomes an Arrancar under the care of Athena Plateado.
• Leeroy Jenkins: Soifon volunteers herself for what's practically a suicide mission into Hueco Mundo to gather intel on Ichigo and Aizen despite everyone else objecting to her plan. Guess what happens to her?
• Lunacy: Zangetsu's Resurrection, Lunaryu, operated on this motif with its Gravity Master and hydrokinetic powers.
• Make an Example of Them: What Ichigo intended for Soifon's transformation from Shinigami into a Hollow to be. He comes to realize that enemy or not, her transformation into a Hollow with the Hogyoku was basically Disproportionate Retribution after seeing her attempt to pull a Go Through Me after he defeats Athena.
• Mistaken for Gay: Ulquiorra gets a downplayed variant after Gin's remark on him choosing to not have any Fraccion to accompany him.
• My God, What Have I Done?: Ichigo has this when he realizes that he was about kill Nelliel, one of his first friends in Hueco Mundo, after defeating her when she shows up again as an Arrancar.
• Mythical Motifs: All of the ancient Espada are based off of mythical creatures
  • Athena and Arturo Plateado are based off of phoenixes.
  • Miho is based off of kitsune.
  • Taima is based on the thunderbird.
  • Yuvha is based on the basilisk.
• Named by the Adaptation: Robert Accutrone's unnamed Schrift is named the Nexus and is stated by the author to be similar to the teleportation powers of Kurogiri from My Hero Academia.
• "Not So Different" Remark:
  • Nelliel acknowledges that both Ichigo and her share a desire to protect others who can't protect themselves on their own.
  • Soifon remarks that Arrancar are not so different compared to Shinigami after Ichigo spares Athena.
• No-Holds-Barred Beatdown:
  • Grimmjoww tears Kirge and Nanana into pieces after he manages to get the drop on both Quincies.
  • Jerome Guizbatt gets ripped apart by Grimmjoww after he decides to foolishly charge into the Hollow army by himself.
• Passing the Torch: Barragan informs Ichigo that he became ruler of Las Noches after defeating its old ruler Arturo, with Arturo voluntarily ceding the position to him before leaving to parts unknown.
• Pay Evil unto Evil: Giselle getting torn to pieces on Ichigo's orders may seem harsh ... until you realize that she literally tried to turn his little sister into an undead thrall. Combine that with Ichigo's fiercely protective attitude towards family, and it's quite obvious that Giselle had it coming for her.
• "The Reason You Suck" Speech:
  • Ichigo rips into Soifon's presumptuous attitude towards Hollows and Arrancars after she is captured in Hueco Mundo.
  • Arturo Plateado lays into Unohana for presuming that Zangetsu is still dead when she attempts to interrogate him for the location of Zangetsu's Oken, managing to ruffle the normally unflappable captain of the 4th Division.
  Retsu Unohana: It's been centuries, Arturo Plateado ... not that it matters for you. I've come to ask you again for something important.
  Arturo Plateado: The Oken, huh? You want it? I knew you guys were going to ask for it again eventually ... why now though?
  Retsu Unohana: That is none of your concern ... now tell me where it is!
  Arturo Plateado: Or what? You'll torture me? Kill me? Imprison me? I don't have to tell you anything.
  Retsu Unohana: Where is the Oken? I won't ask you again...
  Arturo Plateado: Why do you care anyways? Not like we're going to use it against you now.
  Retsu Unohana: I'm going to make you wish you were dead...
  Arturo Plateado: OH! I know what it is ... Zangetsu's back, isn't he? You're afraid that he's going to come and rescue me and get his Oken back, aren't you? You're afraid! YOU'RE AFRAID! HAHAHA!
  Retsu Unohana: Zangetsu is dead!
  Arturo Plateado: Is this what you tell yourself to sleep at night? Has the rain returned, Kenpachi? (...) The rain is coming, captain! It's coming! HAHAHA!
• Reincarnation: Ichigo is the reincarnated version of Zangetsu, the first High King of Hueco Mundo.
• Retired Badass: Athena Plateado is a former Espada from the era of Zangetsu's reign over Hueco Mundo, and she still retains a good amount of her asskicking skills from those days.
• Sanity Slippage: All Hollows start to lose their minds unless they find something to hold onto, and Ichigo almost becomes feral by the time of his duel with Nelliel before he regains his senses.
• She's All Grown Up: Lilynette is aged up to an adult after Starrk unlocks his Segunda Etapa.
• Shout-Out: Quite a few appear:
  • Barragan's Segunda Etapa is based off of the Skull Knight, complete with armored steed and skeletal motif.
  • Athena Plateado is an Expy of Saori Kido from Saint Seiya, right down to her appearance.
  • Harribel's inner world is based off of the ocean planet from Interstellar.
• Significant Name Overlap: Zangetsu, the first King of the Hollows, shares the same name as Ichigo's Zanpakuto, which also doubles as a Meaningful Name after it's revealed that Ichigo is his reincarnation.
• Something Only They Would Say: Ichigo calling Athena "sunlight princess" is what finally convinces her of his status as Zangetsu's reincarnation due to how the late Hollow king used that as an Affectionate Nickname for her while he was still alive.
• Sympathetic P.O.V.: Considering how it's a Hollow-centered story, the Hollows will inevitably come off as more sympathetic than canon while the opposite applies for the Shinigami and Quincies.
• Troll: Gin is still as trollish as ever even in this story.
  Ulquiorra: I don't need a Fraccion... they would get in the way of my duties.
  Gin: Watching Ichigo sleep is a duty now?
• Too Dumb to Live: Jerome's stupid enough to charge into an army of Hollows by himself without any backup and is shredded by Grimmjoww for his troubles.
• Took a Level in Badass: Quite a few characters get stronger than they were in canon.
  • Ichigo himself starts off as an abnormally powerful and sapient Gillian before becoming an Adchujas and Vasto Lorde capable of giving Barragan a challenge by chowing down on Hollows and training himself in Hueco Mundo. And that's not getting into his transformation into an Arrancar!
  • The hollows of Hueco Mundo get a collective example with their transformation into Arrancars and their rigorous training making them powerful enough to fight Sternritters on equal terms
  • Karin awakens her Shinigami powers and unlocks her zanpakuto Aoigetsu thanks to her training as a Shinigami at the Academy in Soul Society.
  • Yuzu awakens her Quincy powers from her mother's side and is trained by the Vandenreich in utilizing them, also gaining her Schrift, the Light, from Yhwach.
• Took a Level in Jerkass: Being a Hollow in Hueco Mundo's unforgiving environment has made Ichigo less trusting and merciful than canon, taking him a while to put his trust in others again.
• Unfriendly Fire:
  • Driscoll is caught in the blast radius of Bambietta's reishi bomb after Nelliel overwhelms him with her newly awakened Segunda Etapa, leaving him a charred wreck that Gin disposes of with ease.
  • Giselle uses her blood mites to zombify Nianzol and Bernice right after their fight against Barragan's Fraccion, later doing the same to Cang Du after he kills all of Grimmjow's Fraccion.
• Unskilled, but Strong: While lacking in finesse when it comes to combat, Ichigo has enough raw power to give Yamamoto and Yhwach a run for their money!
• Was Once a Man: BG9's memories reveal that he used to be a flesh-and-blood Quincy who was converted into a cyborg by his father in an attempt to revive him from his coma.
• We ARE Struggling Together: While the Vandenreich may be "united" against Soul Society and Hueco Mundo, that doesn't mean that its members can trust each other to have their backs. Bazz-B even warns Yuzu of the rampant treachery in the organization when he takes up training duties for her along with Candice.
• Worf Had the Flu: Yhwach isn't at full power yet when the Vandenreich invade Hueco Mundo, which Aizen takes advantage of by using the Hogyoku to insert Hollow reisatsu into him, forcing Yhwach to use his remaining power to order a full-scale retreat for the Vandenreich lest he die from Soul Suicide from the hollowification process running counter to his Quincy nature.
• Worthy Opponent: Grimmjoww and Ichigo regard each other as this after their initial encounter.
  • Barragan also regards Ichigo as this after he defeats and spares him.
• Villainous Breakdown: Gremmy does not take it well when he gets caught in Barragan's black hole. Doubles as This Cannot Be!
• Visionary Villain: Zangetsu sought to kill the Soul King to free his people from the unfair rules it set in place, which made him this in the eyes of Soul Society.
• You Have Outlived Your Usefulness: Bazz-B and Giselle's plan to escape the Vandenreich hinges on averting this fate for themselves by using Yuzu as their ticket to jumping ship to Ichigo's side. While Bazz-B is allowed to live for the time being, Giselle is executed for attempting to zombify Yuzu, an act that instantly earns herself the enmity of Ichigo.

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