All Things Anime

Post #1

BLEACH: THE HOLLOWFICATION QUESTION

Sometimes we see this when the main character of a story is fighting against an enemy of seemingly unsurpassable might; with no other power to turn to, the main character resorts to teaming up with evil in order to defeat evil. And maybe, maybe, he'll even draw his strength from this person or source of evil.

BACKGROUND OF BLEACH

(If you already know all of this, I would encourage you to skip to the section in bold which reads "The Question")

Ichigo Kurosaki is such a main character. The manga and anime Bleach is easily one of the most popular Japanese comics and television shows out there, particularly in the shonen (boys) category. The story follows the adventures of fifteen year-old Ichigo Kurosaki, who becomes a Soul Reaper in order to protect his family from the hunger of a Hollow: a fallen soul/spirit of the underworld.

Ichigo as a Soul Reaper battles a Hollow

Ichigo is plunged into a life of protecting innocent souls from Hollows, as instructed by Rukia Kuchiki, the Soul Reaper that gave him his powers as a Soul Reaper. Soul Reapers have the duty of saving souls from Hollows, sending those souls to the Soul Society, and purifying the Hollows so that they too may be admitted to the Soul Society.

THE ZANPAKUTO

Every sword that a Soul Reaper has—called a "zanpakuto"—possesses a spirit in itself. This spirit, in both its form and personality/countenance, is a reflection of the Soul Reaper that wields the zanpakuto. There is also an element of mystery encompassing the nature of the spirit which is within every zanpakuto.

The spirit of Ichigo's zanpakuto, Zangetsu

These spirits have minds of their own; and although they cooperate with their Soul Reaper in order to further the advancement of power their Soul Reaper is able to unleash, sometimes the spirits might endeavor to control their Soul Reaper.

Once a person becomes a Soul Reaper and possesses a zanpakuto, his soul becomes intertwined or merged with the spirit that fills his sword. The Soul Reaper draws strength from his zanpakuto, and the spirit of the zanpakuto teaches the Soul Reaper how to wield and unlock the power that the spirit possesses. This bond between Soul Reaper and zanpakuto is intense.

Which is why, if a Soul Reaper isn't careful, the spirit of his zanpakuto might turn on him.

THE HOLLOW WITHIN

Ichigo's inner Hollow is exactly like Ichigo but all the light and darkness of his appearance is reversed

Ichigo's zanpakuto, and the spirit accompanying it, is named Zangetsu. Originally unknown to Ichigo, there is another side to Zangetsu—a darker side. Zangetsu is one with a Hollow; they are the same person, but one side is good while the other is evil.

The evil side of Zangetsu was said to have been "born" when Kiskue Urahara—Ichigo's hippy-of-a-mentor—forced Ichigo into regaining his Soul Reaper powers by using a method called "Encroachment". Encroachment caused Ichigo to run the line between turning into a Hollow himself, or becoming a Soul Reaper (since he had lost his power as a Soul Reaper). The result on the surface appeared to be that he became a Soul Reaper again—clean, plain and simple. However, underlying his transformation was the merging of Zangetsu with Ichigo's inner Hollow, who was brought about by Encroachment—as a side effect, so to speak.

Ichigo's Hollow mask begins to form as he undergoes Encroachment

Yet, it proved to be a much bigger "side effect" than Ichigo expected. When Ichigo battles Byakuya Kuchiki, captain of Squad Six of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads, in order to save Rukia from being executed, Ichigo is suddenly possessed by his inner Hollow. The Hollow saves Ichigo's life, but states that Ichigo is too weak to be using Zangetsu/himself. At the time, Ichigo is unaware that the Hollow and Zangetsu are the same person.