Which of the answers did you find the most interesting? How would Gin fare against Askin? Why can't there be more than 5 members in the Zero Division? And do these new revelations about Driscoll's 'The Overkill' make him weaker than before? Let me know your thoughts down below!
I think Driscoll's quote could be interpreted like this: he killed 100 before and he killed a 100 now meaning his power now is equal to what it was during the first invasion. He also killed Chojiro that time showing that he is far stronger currently than a vice captain like Hisagi.
On that Askin question if Gin could still cut him Gin should be able to. Askin came into contact with Grimmjow yet Grimmjow still killed him but then again Grimm is a hollow so idk.
I like the poetic irony of the Royal Palace turning into the shape of a Quincy Cross after Yhwach becomes the Soul King. It is one of those neat "Ah, that is cool" moments in the series.
RE Overkill, the reason I think Driscoll mentioned 100 killings in the First Invasion to Hisagi was as a comparison, not to imply they stacked. It was to say "I'm as strong now as I was when I killed Sasakibe."
This is how I understood it the first time I read the chapter. Not "I'm twice as strong as when I killed Sasakibe", just "I'm exactly as strong now as I was then."
@@ThermiteKitty either way works. Because Driscoll absolutley seems like the kind of guy that would just not sleep or eat if he knew a battle was coming up in the near future to save what hed accumulated.
I think a cool theory for why there are 5 cities is because of the 5 original nobles. Maybe they, or someone in their families served as the original squad 0 or many created the cities
not quite squad zero predated the formation of the gotei 13 by an unknown (but most likely huge) length of time, the first shihoin head himself, chika shihoin, was present at the time of goteis formation, but most likely not present for the same amount of time as someone like yamamoto was beforehand tite still needs to elaborate on shinuchis and what predated the shinigami as a whole, as even shutara lacked a shinuchi and merely had a bankai (though this could have been a byproduct of ichibei simply renaming it)
@@randomdude6446 assuming that is explicitly stated, there was a huge gap between the time they had kids and the time they split the soul king. 998,000 years before yamamoto was even born had such occured, likely meaning that the first noble house heads had actually been normal (otherwise, they would have been immortal like ichibei, shutara, oetsu etc)
Gins Bankai is a legit instant kill one shot. What makes it underrated is its basic presentation I think, But it truly is a an OP bankai. Its understandable why he saved the secret for Aizen.
The reason Yushiro’s punch did not do anything to Askin after him having gained the immunity is because Yushiro’s whole "power" lies in his reishi. Without it, he’s just a little boy. And what he can possibly do to a Schutzstaffel member by just punching him without any reishi backup? Exactly, nothing.
Me: "Wow, Driscoll's power is so OP. He could gain infinite power over time." Kubo: "The buff is removed by sleeping, eating, or loss of consciousness." Me: "Wow, Driscoll's power is trash."
I mean that makes sense. Because, if not, why wouldn't Driscoll massacre thousands of animals or humans or hollows or whatever before the invasion started to get so powerful nobody could match him? Unless there was a limit to his power, which now we know is the case.
@@joaquincortescasas8114 it makes sense, except that Driscol talkes about how he is still stronger from all the shinigami he killed last time doing the second invasion. So didn't he sleep or eat at all for a week?
@@Dragonpuncher123 He never said he mantained his buff from the previous 100 shinigami he killed, only that he killed 100 the last time. You can imply that he either lost his buff and regained it by killing 100 more shinigami, or that he just avoided eating and sleeping for a week and kept it. Both interpretations could be valid soo 🤷♂️ The point still stands that the limitation of his powers make complete sense. Because he would've been marginally stronger if he always kept the increasing buffs.
Yhwach was the son of the soul king, perhaps the reason the Quincy cross is shaped the way it is is because of the shape of the royal palace and surrounding cities and not the other way around.
Regarding the 5 limit: - there is probably a limit of how many Ouken they can have active at the same time - Shukaku Shiba might have been who owned the 5th city before Hikifune - Kubo probably has a "former Division 0 member" as a villain idea in his backpocket Driscols ability was probably limited _because_ of Gremmy. Gremmy was just the one case where Yhwach went overboard. And then he decided to cut back a bit.
I also remember Kenpachi Kuruyashiki was asked to join the Zero Division but he said no as he’s too lazy for the job. So if he had excepted then Hikifune wouldn’t have been able to join the Zero Division right???
Considering Gremmy is "presumably" the brain of soul king, I don't think he was given a script by Yhwach either. But the true nature of Gremmy was never confirmed as far as I know so, you may be right.
Pernida and Gerard were said to have gotten "powers" before Yhwach gave it to them **but not their Shrifts** so we dont know or have confirmation on them themselves let alone Gremmy who is just implied not even confirmed to be a piece of Reio@@anuragjuyal7614
I'm at 10:39, and all I can imagine is Gin releasing Shinso while pointing up and just pushing Askin into space since it hypothetically can't Pierce him.
The blade would stop, and also Askin can just hirenkyaku or use his shadow movement to teleport back on to the ground. Or just dodge it? I mean, bro was dodging and at points even blitzing Kirinji so his speed is no joke either.
I'm interpreting the Driscoll text differently. He's saying that last time he killed around 100 people and was able to one-shot a Vice-Captain. And now, confronted with Hisagi, another Vice-Captain (who has Bankai), Driscoll is boasting that he's already killed 100 so killing Hisagi should be no problem.
Here's my own crackpot theory about the Royal Palace; that the original Ōkens were not bestowed upon the members of the Zero Division by the Soul King as has been stated, but in fact the five cities we see in the Royal Palace are actually the remnants of cities that were previous Jūreichis; specifically ones sacrificed throughout various points in history by the Royal Families or leaders of Soul Society to create Ōkens - one for each member of the Zero Division. Throughout history we have tales of cities and their inhabitants that have entirely vanished in catastrophic natural disasters; mythical places like Atlantis that supposedly never existed - largely in part because they have never been found. I understand how this may sound strange, but what if after these five cities (and their inhabitants) were forged into Ōkens, the cities themselves were made a part of the Royal Palace so as to remove them from human history? To me, this actually makes a bit more logical sense than what is stated in the manga - after all, the true history of the creation of the Ōken would almost certainly be covered up if this was the case.
I had the same theory for years, and after the novels I believe it was the 5 Noble clans that created those 5 palaces for themselves (1 for each representative of their families) that were later handed over to Zero Division because they went down to Soul Society and create Central 46 (which kept the formula to make Okens that Aizen read) and rule Soul Society. Because it's boring to be with a lifeless god, when you can rule people like a god yourself (especially for the Tsunayashiro Clan)
Like several Espada, Gin is another character that would’ve been very useful in the Quincy war. Even if they don’t quite “scale” to the strongest sternritter, some of their abilities on their own would’ve been hard to counter.
@@glc704 yeah, even someone like Barragan wouldn't be very threatening considering how many quincy can repeatedly produce massive destructive explosions
For the whole 5 cities thing, we saw (in the anime at least) that the 4 non-Ichibe members are all bound by a blood pact to control their power and are each appointed a cardinal direction, maybe a reason could be that this or some similar magics working could only handle up to 5 royal guards at a time
I feel the main thing we don't know is how the ability scales. As mentioned if the ability scales off the target killed then you'd only want to fight people at your level or steal kills of a higher quality. If it is linear it could be abused in a different sense. Killing ant colony of over 1 million before a battle begins would be more efficient, but who knows.
Ya was thinking of it like a point system like are large animals worth more soul kill like 100 ants equal one human. What about plants could he got to the front yard and swing his sword around cutting grass to "kill" it. Oh also does drinking water count as eating? I can see if having a meal count as eating but what if after killing 100 dudes he take out a bottle of whiskey to drink down. Also does this mean during combat if someone shoves a rice ball down his throat so he have to shallow than his buff disappears. So many wacky fun questions bring up now lol.
For the zanpakuto question, particularly about the fixed “rest” period before being returned to Nimaiya, my first thought was that it would take some time for the absent Shinigami’s reiatsu/imprint to fully leave the sword. Iirc, Shinigami essentially imprint their asauchi with their essence, eventually awakening their own zanpakuto spirit - so it makes sense that even after death or whatnot, it takes time for that essence to completely fade away. Then Nimaiya takes the “empty” sword and can reforge it, like recycling a clean can. If this is the case, it also raises some interesting possibilities for what happens when a Shinigami “neglects” their zanpakuto (looking at you, Yoruichi!). Yoruichi says she has to regularly soothe her zanpakuto because she doesn’t use it…I wonder: If, in theory, a Shinigami loses/misplaces/ignores their zanpakuto for long enough, would it essentially revert to an asauchi of sorts? A kind of “use it or lose it” principle? 🤔 Just my two cents on the matter! Thank you for highlighting these questions - one of the things I love about Bleach is that we get to speculate about this type of stuff!
I think that there is a difference between "resignation" and "retirement". In Turn Back the Pendulum, they also mentioned that Rose replaced the retired 3rd Division captain. I don’t read Japanese, but I imagine that different characters are used and those "resignation" and "retirement" aren’t as similar in Japanese as the words can be interpreted in English.
If this is a What-if? Asking. I REALLY want Gin to win. Don't know if a head-shot from range would do in Askin or the chip-off-blade poison would work fast enough.
If Jugram’s and Bazz-b’s plan would have worked out exactly as they wanted. Hashwalth would have been in a similar position as Gin. Waiting for the one opportunity to strike but Bazz-b never even made it near Yhwach.
As for the storage of zampakuto, maybe the spirits doesn't disappear right away, maybe they keep living for some time after it's wielder died, most likely this time is longer for strong shinigamis, and to ensure that they aren't used for wrong are stored, and when the spirit finally dies the empty blade is transformed into a asauchi. Even, maybe Kenpachi could've use the former wielder zampakuto spirit if he had talked to his blade before it disappeared, as a matter of fact, maybe Zampo Kenju IS the shikai of the former wielder of Kenpachi's blade, and Yachiru just absorber the traces of the spirit when Kempachi made the zampakuto his. So, storing the blades until the spirits die could be a possibility.
Considering that both Tosen and Kenpachi are using swords that came from others after their death, I would say that yes the spirits do linger for some time.
Kubo stated in another Klub Outside answer that if a shinigami takes up the zanpakuto of another fallen shinigami they either co-mingle and adapt the existing zanpakuto spirit (Tosen) or they overwrite it with a new one (Kenpachi) on a case by case basis. Since Tosen's friend's death was the motivation for Tosen joining Aizen it makes sense that he didn't want to forget her and would go out of his way to keep her zanpakuto spirit. Kenpachi on the other hand presumably didn't know and wouldn't care about the person he looted the zanpakuto from. My theory is the spirt survives for awhile until it runs out of whatever fumes of reiryoku is left from it's former owner. Otherwise if the funereal ritual is performed than it goes to hell with it's owner.
The former lieutenant of Squad 6 before Renji left his position to run his sunglasses shop too. It's definitely unusual and I hope Kubo explains "leaving the Gotei" more at some point.
Gin’s bankai ability is literally a insist kill move. If Gin were to Hit Askin in the head or heart, he wins. And by the time Askin realize it, it’s over
(Ignore the pfp lol) If it connects. Askin is an observant, intelligent combatant with quick reflexes - he managed to dodge what Lille, Pernida and Gerard could not. Aizen was fighting extremely carelessly, I don't think Kamishini no Yari could make contact
@@glc704change a lot since gin basically warned ichigo about it, had he gone for the pierce at the start he would have killed him in one-shot. Also gin did cut ichigo in the shoulder (and not in the close combat but after making several step back to give him time and space to avoid a fatal blow). Gin would simply get close enough and stab him because unlike others he doesn’t speak about his power.
20:36 I think considering what Kubo has said, he's just trying to say that "I'm as strong as when i was here the last time, so you can't beat me when Sasakibe lost"
Two main points regarding the squad zero members: 1. It's not ichibe who choses the members, rather he receives the info from reio himself (dunno how, but ichibe clearly said that ichigo and friends are guests of reio). 2. Reio could see the future million year before. Therefore, he would already know that there would only be 5 RGs before he is replaced as the Soul king.
On the topic of recycling Zanpakutou, my understanding is that a zanpakutou spending time without a master has the inverse effect of spending time with one. Spending time with their zanpakutou slowly shapes it into a reflection of the wielder, but a zanpakutou that's become a reflection slowly loses it's definition of the wielder if it's separated from them for too long, such as if the wielder dies, and the more developed the zanpakutou (IE How much the wielder has bonded with it, shikai-bankai etc.) the longer it takes for that definition to wear down. Oetsu can then reshape it into a new blank-slate Asauchi once it's lost enough of it's imprinted wielder to be basically an Asauchi again in essence. A captain-level zanpakutou probably takes absolute ages to get down to that point, but remember that 99.99% of all soul reapers through history don't even get to shikai so presumably those have all been MUCH faster to degrade. It could also explain the whole comment about how a zanpakutou name could reappear through history but never twice in the same era; maybe only the same recycled zanpakutou can re-emerge with the same name after being recycled and being matched with a new wielder sufficiently similar to a previous one.
I don't think zanpakutous are extinguished by oetsu to become asauchi again, because if i remember correctly, in one of Klub Outside Q&A, Kubo states that a zanpakutou name can reappear from time to time (in the hundreds of years i think), but a two zanpakutous with the same name can never exist in the same era/time period. So maybe, a zanpakutou spirit goes into hibernation when oetsu turns them back into asauchi, waiting for their new owner to appear.
It's possible a 'soul' reappears overtime when factoring in reincarnation and the balance of souls and reshi across the three worlds. Personality and skill may differ between when a/the 'soul' returns. Thus it's almost improbable that anyone would witness a zanpakutou name reappear after it has returned to an asauchi.
@@SinHurr souls go back into the cycle of rebirth unless they're in hell. its likely that the reason these sword names repeat after usually hundreds of years is because the soul went through the cycle again. the name remains the same due to the soul being originally one way but the personality of both the wielder and spirit as well as possibly some variety of ability change.
The Zanpakto question makes sense because at the end of the day it’s a tool to manifest the soul. The spirit seems to be inside the soul itself and just manifests through the weapon. (Hitsugaya as a child shows this) So leaving a blade away from the owner for ages probably removes the influences from the spirit and then is refined to become a blank slate for reuse
The Driscoll’s effect did reset after the first invasion. I remember the arrow he impaled Sasakibe with was much larger that the one he aims at Yamamoto
I’m glad Kubo gave an accurate answer regarding a battle between Gin and Askin. I still wish we got a full battle between Mayuri and Askin. Now that would truly be a battle of poison and wits. If they could add a 6th member to the royal guard, I definitely think urahara would’ve been worthy considering he created the hogyoku and even the Bankai mastery device.
To be fair Aizen created hogyoku first, the bankai device also is just a branch of the process of mastering zanpakuto which is nimaiya creation, plus it’s not a device that grants anything, you still need immense work and talent to succeed in 3 days so it simply speed up the process for those who already can achieve it.
You know, on the whole Mayuri/Askin hypothetical, I've never understood the interest in that one. To me, the Deathdealing kinda seems hand made to auto defeat Mayuri. In the same way how Kenpachi just cannot fight Pernida, I felt the same applied here
@@envan7865 well against Askin any drugs would be pointless because all his drugs and poisons last long inside the body, they are not istant-death so Askin would simply become immune to them, but Mayuri would have fun by basically using him as a subject for dozens of poisons and drugs on a subject that won't die.lol At the same time, if Mayuri can keep the battle on drugs and manage to use one that blocks Askin even for a few moments he could cut his head off, at the same time if they fight Askin would just adapt to his reiatsu, voiding a lot of option of Mayuri's powers. HOWEVER, the form of his bankai he used against Pernida might be a solution since once he analysed the information and transferred to his sword he can create an Ashisogi Jizo made specifically to counter the opponent power, in this similar to Deathdealing. Maybe he could create an ashisogi jizo that manages to overcome the immunity of Askin someway. Askin in this battle as an immense advantage but Mayuri's tybw bankai is an unpredictable variant.
@@envan7865 from a surface level it might seem that way, but askin also refused to fight mayuri earlier on. mayuri is just too smart, as smart as urahara yet lacking the social control and willing to go to whatever length. just as how he created "new blood" to counter giselle's technique as far fetched as it sounds do not put it beyond mayuri to disrupt or alter reishi. or like with hitsugaya what if askin doesnt even know he has been infected with a drug or when?
The zero division being 5 members COULD be a roundabout reference to a myth found in both Japan and China about the '5 heavenly points' being the north, east, south, west and center. The zero division are divine beings themselves and are said to rule over the whole world of the soul society so there is a certain parallel there.
13:32 This question is kinda redundant because you could also just ask, why are the only 13 court guard squads when there are other Bankai users who could technically head their own squads? Why has it only been 13 since 2,000+ years ago and not 20 or even 50? Even just considering the current number of Gotei members with Bankai, the number exceeds 13. It is fixed, and that makes sense both just story-wise and politically. Yhwach has 20+ captain class sternritters for example, each one being a leader of their own squad. For him, the reason is obvious, the letters in the alphabet are 26 therefore he has 26+ captain class sternritters. So the ranks are fixed, both for Yamamoto's Gotei and Yhwach's Sternritter... It would stand to reason that Osho's Squad 0 also has a fixed number, afterall not many in history could boast the power to singlehandedly overcome the Gotei 13... so 5 seems like an appropriate cap. Also, I'd assume that the Reio's bones that Ichibei uses to amp a new member's power is limited to just 4 (maybe the limbs) and without the Reio's power they can't protect the palace. Either way, the idea that the number is fixed makes sense narratively.
Regarding royal guards, i have had this question too since forever. And while Hikifune's invention of artificial souls was amazing and we still use it today, she would probably be the first one to be evicted if a new candidate appears. Ichibei is the head so he is irreplaceable. Oetsu nimaiya is the "only creator" of zanpakuto, his position stays solid too, Senjumaru is in charge of the garbs that are literally weaved from Oken.....like Aizen was going batshit crazy trying to recreate Oken, while this woman is weaving clothes out of Oken using bones and hairs of royal guards(what does this mean specifically though? I understand the hair part, but how are they obtaining bones of royal guards?) and Kirinji is arguably the best healer in Soul Society, not to mention i would prefer to have a healer in my party at all times. So this leaves Hikifune as the only one that can be knocked out. But the problem is, IF they are supposed to protect the Royal Family(first of all, who all are part of the royal family even?), why not take someone strong...why only "contributions" to soul society are concerned? What makes Hikifune stronger than Urahara or yamaji? Was Hikifune the strongest person they could take without crippling the gotei 13(like if they took Yamaji, the royal guard would be strengthened but the gotei 13 would grow supppperrrr weak)? Or did her bankai made her truly the strongest shinigami of that time(but we know Yamaji has been holding that title ever since the gotei13 was established) or the second strongest?If not, what is putting her above Urahara.? Or were they collected by Ichibei, for a very specific purpose..aka train the soldiers..train Ichigo...as long as someone was capable of contributing to this, they were acceptable?
When it comes to Driscoll, these revelations make me think he's the kind of guy who accumulates as much strength as quickly as possible and never engaged in drawn-out, "fair" battles. Also, I imagine this limitation matches the kind of guy Driscoll actually was, a bruiser who craved to kill but ran out of steam quickly.
What I believe the mention of the “last time” meant in relation to the overkill is that he was at a similar level. “I was also this strong last time” rather than “I’m twice as strong now”
I love how he would have to go without eating or sleeping if he wants to keep his buff going making it so he eventually becomes unhinged without sleep and begin to get emaciated from refusing to eat so your facing a monstrous psychopath after a few days!
9:40 There are several explanations: 1) There is a difference between a "physical" attack and a "energy-kido-reiatsu" attack. Shunko is boosting the body with Kidou. Kidou is based on the Reiatsu of the user - that's why Askin was able to get immunity against is. A Zanpakuto is a "physical" weapon that's why Askin could be damaged. 2) Benihime can modify everything. It's possible that before every attack Urahara was modifying the Reiatsu of the blade ever so slightly. 3) It's possible that Urahara had so much strength that he was capable of "physically" damaging Askin despite the Reiatsu immunity. He was the only one who endured the poison for so long and he also boosted his body with Benihime. Personally I think option 1) is correct. Would Gin's Zanpakuto damage Askin? It depends on how Gin's Zanpakuto works - does it extend because of it's "physical" properties or is Gin extending it with a Reiatsu.
Here’s a question I have: If Gin used his Bankai immediately on a Sternritter ready to take his Bankai, would they be able to steal it in time before the Bankai hits them?
The Sternritter do know to be ready for a Bankai because they know it's the trump card. As Nodt could manage it against a pretty damn fast Bankai in Senbonzakura Kageyoshi. Of the 6 times we know a Bankai was stolen, the Sternritter (and Yhwach) got the timing perfectly every single time. As a Shinigami, your choices are 1. Force the Quincy into Vollstandig before you use Bankai 2. Hollowify your Bankai 3. Be too damn strong for the Quincy to handle the Bankai None of these seem possible for Gin (against Askin anyway, against a weaker Sternritter he could potentially overpower them, but I don't think he's outspeeding the Medallion)
I’m curious how stealing Gin’s Bankai would work because it’s literally just manipulating the size of his sword. Would a Sternritter need their own sword in order to use it?
Driscoll could have mentioned the last invasion kill count to Hisagi in the way of "with one hundred kill I was able to kill this other vice captain and I'm at one hundred again, think you can deal with me ?"
There's also the matter that gin vs askin Q&A is speaking specifically about the bankai working and not whether gin can penetrate through askin's blutvene etc.
On the topic of zanpakuto and the spirit of it presumably disappearing with the original user, you have something like Hyorinmaru that is said to come back every so often. So I can't entirely believe that the spirits are all necessarily dead upon user/disappear.
I just realised Gin's Zanpakuto was strong enough to pierce Aizen's skin which not even Yoruichi's modified gloves could deal damage... Also were it not for Aizen's invasion of Karakura town... The Gotei 13 would've never trained to get stronger e.g. Renji... and would have lost way worse in the first Quincy invasion
I think you also have to factor in that Aizen was off guard when struck by Gin. Also I don’t believe it’s fair to say the gotei would have stopped training. They definitely would have but people like renji and toshiro might have taken a bit longer to master their powers.
Honestly, the Sternritter I'd most want to see Gin go up against would be Lille Barro. Where everyone else is up in melee range of their opponent, those two would be having a sniper duel.
If I remember correctly, for Askin to achieve immunity, he needs to receive damage that almost can kill him. So normal cuts and punches are not enough for him to produce immunity.
He drank some blood to let him adjust blood's lethality. iirc his normal version requires ingestion, while in Vollstandig he just needs to make contact with the source. I don't remember either version requiring near-lethal damage, though it's been a while since I read those chapters. The Overkill losing its buff makes sense - Quincies rely on Reishi around them, and don't really store it up internally. It would make sense if a Schrift's buffs/transformations were temporary (i.e. Askin's immunities are temporary and need to be regained, Pernida & Gerard would lose the changes to their forms & revert, etc). As for the Zanpakuto one, I remembered that one (or maybe a different one about Zanpakuto) mentioning that Zanpakuto couldn't be transfered/recycled once its wielder achieved Shikai. Either way, reaching Bankai requires a close bond with one's spirit, so it may be that they're too tightly bound & both go to Hell as one
Actually the 5 members of the Zero Division seems rather simple to me: the five cities of the Royal Palace probably at one time were in control of the five great noble houses while Ichibe attended to Reio personally. Some time after the original sin happened and the decision was made for Reio's dismembered husk to be made into a puppet ruler of Soul Society, the heavens and earth of Soul Society were separated by placing an embargo to the royal realm and the great nobles chose the seireitei to exert their influence over soul society. This left Ichibe with the 5 cities to divvy up as he chose and he felt comfortable taking one for himself and leaving the others for 4 divinely-empowered shinigami under a blood oath seal such that he could never be usurped by these eventual 'peers'.
I'm hoping to see a Gin and Matsumoto reunion in Hell Arc, unless I'm misunderstanding how 'hell' in Bleach works in regards to captain+ level characters.
There can only be 5 probably because Kubo inspired by Godai. Beside elements, it also represents human aspects that fit Ichigo's training in Royal Palace Although not in order. - Earth represents body: Senjumaru made clothing armor. - Water represents blood: Tenjiro provided hot spring. - Fire represents metabolism: Hikifune served foods. - Wind represents mental: Oetsu taught Ichigo to accept himself. - Void represents spiritual or something beyond human comprehension, exactly what Ichibei tried to make Ichigo be. If there's a 6th person, they can simply not promote them until there's empty spot.
Oh oh I actually might have an idea about the limit of 5 zero division members, it’s probably so each of the 5 members + the soul king himself represent the 6 realms of reincarnation from buddism, the soul king of course being the deva realm, senjumaru the asura realm, etc
In regards to the Askin thing, my understanding of the deathdealing is that he gains immunity to substances/reiatsu, and not damage outright. Up until he nullified Yushiro's shunko, he very likely couldn't defend against it even with Blut. Once the immunity kicks in, it's just a matter of defending like normal. I'm sure the same applies to Gin. Even if Kamishini no Yari's poison was negated, there shouldn't be anything stopping Askin from taking damage outside of Blut Vene and his own natural defenses.
Maybe the Royal Guard's limit was based on the Four Great Noble Houses + Ichibe. Maybe a member of the original five houses would guard the king, but when the Shiba clan was kicked out, they needed someone else.
Regarding askin, we always end up forgetting one small part of his ability, he has to ingest a large amount of something before he starts to gain immunity..aka he either has to tank multiple small dosage of 'fatal poison' OR one big dosage to have ingested a sufficient amount. We don't know how big that amount is, but its not small...otherwise this ability would have been beyond busted. Now, Kamishini no yari actually leaves a veryyyy smallll part of its blade that turns into dust...inside the opponents body. That poison is enough to kill aizen(as you said), then it is strong enough to kill anyone. Askin WILL die IF the amount of poison within his body is not sufficient to activate his schrift. Asking MAY survive if that the quantity of poison is sufficient and his schrift activates before the poison shows its effects...which i feel is very highly unlikely considering it is frankly impossible to dodge Kamishini no yari...and with Gin's prodigious talent and Askin's "NON GOD" physiology, he would probably get stabbed right in the heart and just die. In the same vein, i feel Soifon can kill Askin too IF her first dose is not enough to activate the schrift. This would actually make a very cool parallel as he is someone that Yoruichi failed to beat, but Soifon's techniques fit in for this opponent perfectly(not trying to put yoruichi down, but rather showing that they are a good team together)
With the retired Zanpakto I read "depending on the owner" as to mean the power of said shinigami. I imagine a captain level shinigami would have a more powerful Zanpakto as that, after their retirement, would have to remain until the spirit "depowers" if you would, which I imagine would take longer for a captain level shinigami compared to an unseated shinigami who hasn't awakened shikai yet. That's my thoughts at least lol
Could be that the sentence from Driscol when he was talking to Hisagi could also meant: I killed 100 this time, I killed a 100 last time, so I am now at the same point as before
going back to the zero division i belive 5 is the limit due to the balancing of all worlds. Im not sure why i believe that but to me that makes the most sense
Yushiro's punch didn't work on Askin is because Yushiro's technique infuses him with reatsu. So it's his reatsu that does primary damage. But when shinigami cut you with a sword they just cut you. It's not like you can get immunity to physical cuts.
15:04 The soul king might simply know how many members they'll eventually have to complete Squad 0, no one dies and no one's replaced. He just uses the almighty to check and then tells Ichebei (or whoever) that the person who will become a member has been born or is ready. It's possible they have some access to the almighty even without the soul king himself being "alive" which is what's meant by the "soul king" doing anything or the decision was made before the soul king was sealed.
It think with Driscoll telling Hisagi how many people he had killed in both invasions could have been him essentially saying, “I’m as strong as I was last time, and I killed Sasakibe then,” as either intimidation or bragging before going in for the kill.
I love the bit about Driscoll I KNOW You found that interesting after all these years. As you were explaining your theories and thought process I noticed how similar we think! I hope Kubo keeps answering questions like these especially regarding Sternritters and Arrancar. We still dont know what K stands for, do we?
Re: The five members of squad zero, I always kind of figured their ability to resurrect would be limited by how many captains there are. They also talk about the fact that they cannot all use bankai at the same time, lest they cause too much damage. Re: retired shinigami and their zanpakto, does kisuke not count as retired? What about Ichigo's dad Isshin? Neither of them were in the gotei 13 for the entire stretch of the present story, only flashbacks, yet they still have their zanpakto
Since the Zanpaktou is technically a portion of the spirit of the owner, maybe those in hell don't actually have asauchi, and the spirit itself went with them to hell leaving the asauchi an empty husk. Hell beings are strange (being that hell is its own world I believe governed by its own soul king level entity), so it wouldn't be absurd if a Shinigami in Hell actually can like an Arrancar manifest their own blade, since they no longer are a Shinigami. And in fact, that might explain why Ukitake's was so big. Because he JUST manifested it for the first time after mere minutes of being in hell as a new species of being. He has no control over its size. This might be its normal size before its compressed into a more useable size.
The zanpaktou and the shinigami is 2 part of the whole picture. When a shinigami dies, probably his/her zanpaktou spirit does as well. For an "ordinary" shinigami death means, that his/her soul and reiatsu is absorbed by the soil of the Soul Socity. After that their soul going back to the big cycle and waiting for reincarnation in the human world. The captain class shinigamies are different. They have so huge reiryoku, that their souls cant be absorbed by the Soul Society and this is why they(and their zanpaktou spirit) are sent to the Hell, by the Konsō Reisai.
I think the yushiro stuff is because shunko makes use of reiatsu whereas zanpaktou are still bladed physical weapons, its in the same manner as to how grimmjow was able to pierce through askin even though they had a previous encounter which would mean he would be immune to grimmjow's hands if that's the logic. its also worth noting nimaiya did manage to kill askin with his zanpaktou, so I think if damaged enough like piercing his head or heart, he could be killed before being able to heal.
Five royal guard members and five noble houses……. maybe theres a connection there? Also i think Driskull is just boasting about how many people he killed rather than to vaguely imply how strong he is at the current moment.
I feel as though when it comes to Zanpakuto spirits it goes like this, When a soul reaper who has imprinted onto his sword dies, they either 1: Go into the cycle of reincarnation with there zanpakuto spirit locked away inside them again, or 2 get sent to hell where there Zanpakuto spirit is placed outside them the same way a hollows whole is placed outside there bodies. By having the Zanpakuto spirit outside the body in hell, it then allows the user to use there Zanpakuto abilities and turns the Zanpakuto spirit itself into the sword, instead of requiring a blank sword to impirint the spirit on.
This quickly devolves into pure headcanon and theorizing with little to no basis, but personally, I like to think that Zanpakutos spirits are more part of a Shinigami's soul than something exterior, with the blade being used as a medium to facilitate communication and channeling their power. And that blade works by having its owner's reiatsu being poured into it, so it is evident that Zanpakutos can absorb reiatsu they are in contact with. But if their owner isn't there anymore, what would happen to them ? It doesn't seem impossible that more and more reiatsu of different people would be absorbed, eventually making it so the owner's reiatsu doesn't dominate anymore. So the blade would end up the opposite of an Asauchi, a sword affected by countless powers, instead of an entirely blank sword. Then, Oetsu would take those sword and somehow purge all of that reiatsu, which would revert them back to an Asauchi. As for why they'd wait this much, maybe out of respect for the original owner ? Or just because it's easier to purge when it's an incoherent mess of energy. As for the Zanpakuto spirit themselves, they would stay inside the Shinigami's inner world, perhaps even still be materialisable by Bankai learners, and repeating the process on another Asauchi could give back the Zanpakuto-related abilities.
I hope we can see Discoll and other unknown enemies in the hell arc because they look really interesting but they were taken out so fast without a sense of attacks, abilities, or holy forms. We can only hope that the new bleach arc is worth the wait.
I mean so, this was ichibies. Choice, with maintaining balance 5 seems like a limit because if there is more, the 0 division will be too much reiatsu within the same area causing a heavy inbalance. Also I can imagine a group of 13 0 Sqaud level of power would be difficult to control when needed ie kill them but 5 is a reasonable number to control.
It kinda seems like Gins poison is like a spiritual poison and Askin can only become immune to any like "real" things. Like tangible stuff. Kinda like Gins poison is like a hollow to a quincy, so Gins poison could kinda of break down Askins ability to block it. Does that make sense ?
The language used when speaking with Hisagi could also be taken to mean "I killed a Vice Captain after killing 100 opponents last time, and I have once again killed 100 and am about to face you" It could be a statement of equivalence, and not one of improvement. In a way this makes a fair bit of sense, as Sasakibe is significantly more powerful than the average vice captain, so either the increase of 100 kills was of little consequence or, with this new information, merely meant that he was at roughly the same level of strength.
I think the limit of the zero division is 5 due to their colossal reiryoku. Perhaps having a sixth member would break the balance ? Not a far stretch when we see how the world reacts due to Senjummaru using her full power.
I think the reason there's only the five Zero Division members (really four, if you discount Ichibe being so ancient and primordial) is because of a limitation involving the world and a "power issue" which we see bits of cropping up in the Hell arc intro. A Zero Division members bankai can shake the universe, and if you assume the 5-10 or at least 3-5 multiplier to spiritual pressure from bankai, then that would mean just 5 members is where that limit for 2 members alive (Ichibe is special remember) may come from. To elaborate a little: Ichibe isn't part of the seal from what I recall, which means when Senjumaru releases Ichibe is still alive and allegedly 1/5 of a bankai unaccounted for. At base all five of them are equal to 1/5 member of the zero division in bankai but to actually release 4 others have to die, but the world can't handle 1.2 (1+1/5) Zero Division bankai units, or so it appears.
#5 is special in japan-5 sources of nature,-5 senses.Each royal guard could represent a god.I know there's one for water,the one who cooks could be grain,fabric lady so on?
Is an upper limit of 5 really that strange? Could be a symbol of the 5 Noble Houses. Or it could symbolize the body of Reio, with the individual palaces being the head, arms, and legs and the central palace which houses Reio being the torso.
Remember that almost all of the Royal Guard members seems to know Urahara on the first name basis. Still wondering if Urahara were born and raised in Soul King Palace but got sent below to Sereitei to live with the Shihoin clan to serve as a shinigami.
5 is the upper limit, as far as we know there have only been 5 members. Before the fifth member, the upper limit was four as far as we know. When Ichibe started the zero division, the 'upper limit' was one as far as we know By the zanpakuto answer, Yoruichi has no zanpakuto anymore, while Kisuke and Isshin have theirs, Tessai may have left his behind
Which of the answers did you find the most interesting? How would Gin fare against Askin? Why can't there be more than 5 members in the Zero Division? And do these new revelations about Driscoll's 'The Overkill' make him weaker than before? Let me know your thoughts down below!
Are you going to do any more burn the witch videos? And how they tie into bleach?
could ywach kill askin. as he’s immune to his reaitsu. i mean without the power etripping
I think there are only five because they're meant to represent the five Noble houses who originally took down the soul king.
I think Driscoll's quote could be interpreted like this: he killed 100 before and he killed a 100 now meaning his power now is equal to what it was during the first invasion. He also killed Chojiro that time showing that he is far stronger currently than a vice captain like Hisagi.
On that Askin question if Gin could still cut him Gin should be able to. Askin came into contact with Grimmjow yet Grimmjow still killed him but then again Grimm is a hollow so idk.
I like the poetic irony of the Royal Palace turning into the shape of a Quincy Cross after Yhwach becomes the Soul King. It is one of those neat "Ah, that is cool" moments in the series.
Can never have too much of Gin being a badass…
Word, Gin's a real hooper like that.
RE Overkill, the reason I think Driscoll mentioned 100 killings in the First Invasion to Hisagi was as a comparison, not to imply they stacked.
It was to say "I'm as strong now as I was when I killed Sasakibe."
This is how I understood it the first time I read the chapter. Not "I'm twice as strong as when I killed Sasakibe", just "I'm exactly as strong now as I was then."
Came to the comments with the same thought.
Yeah to me it was a taunt to Hisagi "I was this strong when I killed Sasakibe, the first division's lieutenant, what chance do *you* have against me"
@@ThermiteKitty either way works. Because Driscoll absolutley seems like the kind of guy that would just not sleep or eat if he knew a battle was coming up in the near future to save what hed accumulated.
I was actually gonna comment the same thing
I think a cool theory for why there are 5 cities is because of the 5 original nobles. Maybe they, or someone in their families served as the original squad 0 or many created the cities
i agree i think the same one for each family
not quite
squad zero predated the formation of the gotei 13 by an unknown (but most likely huge) length of time, the first shihoin head himself, chika shihoin, was present at the time of goteis formation, but most likely not present for the same amount of time as someone like yamamoto was beforehand
tite still needs to elaborate on shinuchis and what predated the shinigami as a whole, as even shutara lacked a shinuchi and merely had a bankai (though this could have been a byproduct of ichibei simply renaming it)
@@overj4351The five noble clans are descendants of the people who split the soul king they are old enough to make this possible
@@randomdude6446 assuming that is explicitly stated, there was a huge gap between the time they had kids and the time they split the soul king. 998,000 years before yamamoto was even born had such occured, likely meaning that the first noble house heads had actually been normal (otherwise, they would have been immortal like ichibei, shutara, oetsu etc)
@@overj4351 Those people are immortal because of the Oken as we learn later not biology
Gins Bankai is a legit instant kill one shot. What makes it underrated is its basic presentation I think, But it truly is a an OP bankai. Its understandable why he saved the secret for Aizen.
What if it were used against Hisagi's Bankai? Might end up killing both of them 😅
It’s basically a sniper rifle with poison in sword form which is so cool
Yeah i mean he’s the only person that straight up kills aizen.
The reason Yushiro’s punch did not do anything to Askin after him having gained the immunity is because Yushiro’s whole "power" lies in his reishi. Without it, he’s just a little boy. And what he can possibly do to a Schutzstaffel member by just punching him without any reishi backup? Exactly, nothing.
Me: "Wow, Driscoll's power is so OP. He could gain infinite power over time."
Kubo: "The buff is removed by sleeping, eating, or loss of consciousness."
Me: "Wow, Driscoll's power is trash."
I mean that makes sense. Because, if not, why wouldn't Driscoll massacre thousands of animals or humans or hollows or whatever before the invasion started to get so powerful nobody could match him? Unless there was a limit to his power, which now we know is the case.
*steps on an ant hill*
*becomes God (of ants?)*
@@joaquincortescasas8114 it makes sense, except that Driscol talkes about how he is still stronger from all the shinigami he killed last time doing the second invasion. So didn't he sleep or eat at all for a week?
@@Dragonpuncher123 He never said he mantained his buff from the previous 100 shinigami he killed, only that he killed 100 the last time.
You can imply that he either lost his buff and regained it by killing 100 more shinigami, or that he just avoided eating and sleeping for a week and kept it. Both interpretations could be valid soo 🤷♂️
The point still stands that the limitation of his powers make complete sense. Because he would've been marginally stronger if he always kept the increasing buffs.
@@Dragonpuncher123 Ichigo's dad didn't sleep the entire time he was hyper training to face Aizen which was supposedly a subjective month
Yhwach was the son of the soul king, perhaps the reason the Quincy cross is shaped the way it is is because of the shape of the royal palace and surrounding cities and not the other way around.
Berci's death was ironically overkill and gruesomely iconic. What symbolism.
Same for Bambietta, Mask & Äs Nödt.
@@Columbina3rdHarbringer best girl bambietta deserved better smh
@@TeslatheDestroyer She killed her own men...
@@Columbina3rdHarbringer but have you considered: shes hot
@@TeslatheDestroyershe deserved worse!
Gin even not using his Bankai would be nightmare against so many of the quincies. Just Shikai Gin alone is virtually a one shot if he gets serious.
Nice to get a Gin question
Everytime I think about it Gin might would be crazy to have in the TYBW
Regarding the 5 limit:
- there is probably a limit of how many Ouken they can have active at the same time
- Shukaku Shiba might have been who owned the 5th city before Hikifune
- Kubo probably has a "former Division 0 member" as a villain idea in his backpocket
Driscols ability was probably limited _because_ of Gremmy. Gremmy was just the one case where Yhwach went overboard. And then he decided to cut back a bit.
I also remember Kenpachi Kuruyashiki was asked to join the Zero Division but he said no as he’s too lazy for the job. So if he had excepted then Hikifune wouldn’t have been able to join the Zero Division right???
Considering Gremmy is "presumably" the brain of soul king, I don't think he was given a script by Yhwach either.
But the true nature of Gremmy was never confirmed as far as I know so, you may be right.
@@anuragjuyal7614 Gremmys power could just have been a variant of the Almighty.
Pernida and Gerard were said to have gotten "powers" before Yhwach gave it to them **but not their Shrifts** so we dont know or have confirmation on them themselves let alone Gremmy who is just implied not even confirmed to be a piece of Reio@@anuragjuyal7614
I'm at 10:39, and all I can imagine is Gin releasing Shinso while pointing up and just pushing Askin into space since it hypothetically can't Pierce him.
The blade wouldn’t push it’d only stop
The blade would stop, and also Askin can just hirenkyaku or use his shadow movement to teleport back on to the ground.
Or just dodge it? I mean, bro was dodging and at points even blitzing Kirinji so his speed is no joke either.
@@AntiZubat Why would it stop???? The blade would keep pushing.
@@ARandomEliatrope Askin is immune to it
@@AntiZubat why should he be immune to it gin could pierce through aizen i dont think askin have more durability than him
I'm interpreting the Driscoll text differently.
He's saying that last time he killed around 100 people and was able to one-shot a Vice-Captain.
And now, confronted with Hisagi, another Vice-Captain (who has Bankai), Driscoll is boasting that he's already killed 100 so killing Hisagi should be no problem.
Here's my own crackpot theory about the Royal Palace; that the original Ōkens were not bestowed upon the members of the Zero Division by the Soul King as has been stated, but in fact the five cities we see in the Royal Palace are actually the remnants of cities that were previous Jūreichis; specifically ones sacrificed throughout various points in history by the Royal Families or leaders of Soul Society to create Ōkens - one for each member of the Zero Division.
Throughout history we have tales of cities and their inhabitants that have entirely vanished in catastrophic natural disasters; mythical places like Atlantis that supposedly never existed - largely in part because they have never been found. I understand how this may sound strange, but what if after these five cities (and their inhabitants) were forged into Ōkens, the cities themselves were made a part of the Royal Palace so as to remove them from human history?
To me, this actually makes a bit more logical sense than what is stated in the manga - after all, the true history of the creation of the Ōken would almost certainly be covered up if this was the case.
I’m making this my head cannon now and it makes the story so much darker.
I had the same theory for years, and after the novels I believe it was the 5 Noble clans that created those 5 palaces for themselves (1 for each representative of their families) that were later handed over to Zero Division because they went down to Soul Society and create Central 46 (which kept the formula to make Okens that Aizen read) and rule Soul Society. Because it's boring to be with a lifeless god, when you can rule people like a god yourself (especially for the Tsunayashiro Clan)
Like several Espada, Gin is another character that would’ve been very useful in the Quincy war.
Even if they don’t quite “scale” to the strongest sternritter, some of their abilities on their own would’ve been hard to counter.
Yeah gin deserved more fights
Yeah. Tbh, him and Tosen should've done more or at least survived because the Soul Society definitely would've needed them
Gin and Tosen yeah, espada are fodder
@@glc704 yeah, even someone like Barragan wouldn't be very threatening considering how many quincy can repeatedly produce massive destructive explosions
I mean, he on-shot aizen, he scales to everyone except the shutstaffel
For the whole 5 cities thing, we saw (in the anime at least) that the 4 non-Ichibe members are all bound by a blood pact to control their power and are each appointed a cardinal direction, maybe a reason could be that this or some similar magics working could only handle up to 5 royal guards at a time
I feel the main thing we don't know is how the ability scales. As mentioned if the ability scales off the target killed then you'd only want to fight people at your level or steal kills of a higher quality. If it is linear it could be abused in a different sense. Killing ant colony of over 1 million before a battle begins would be more efficient, but who knows.
Ya was thinking of it like a point system like are large animals worth more soul kill like 100 ants equal one human. What about plants could he got to the front yard and swing his sword around cutting grass to "kill" it. Oh also does drinking water count as eating? I can see if having a meal count as eating but what if after killing 100 dudes he take out a bottle of whiskey to drink down. Also does this mean during combat if someone shoves a rice ball down his throat so he have to shallow than his buff disappears. So many wacky fun questions bring up now lol.
It'd be an interesting way to portray him if he only relied on getting the kill, and not wanting a fight with an equal or near-equal opponent.
For the zanpakuto question, particularly about the fixed “rest” period before being returned to Nimaiya, my first thought was that it would take some time for the absent Shinigami’s reiatsu/imprint to fully leave the sword. Iirc, Shinigami essentially imprint their asauchi with their essence, eventually awakening their own zanpakuto spirit - so it makes sense that even after death or whatnot, it takes time for that essence to completely fade away. Then Nimaiya takes the “empty” sword and can reforge it, like recycling a clean can.
If this is the case, it also raises some interesting possibilities for what happens when a Shinigami “neglects” their zanpakuto (looking at you, Yoruichi!). Yoruichi says she has to regularly soothe her zanpakuto because she doesn’t use it…I wonder: If, in theory, a Shinigami loses/misplaces/ignores their zanpakuto for long enough, would it essentially revert to an asauchi of sorts? A kind of “use it or lose it” principle? 🤔
Just my two cents on the matter! Thank you for highlighting these questions - one of the things I love about Bleach is that we get to speculate about this type of stuff!
I think there are only five because they're meant to represent the five Noble houses who originally took down the soul king
I think that there is a difference between "resignation" and "retirement". In Turn Back the Pendulum, they also mentioned that Rose replaced the retired 3rd Division captain. I don’t read Japanese, but I imagine that different characters are used and those "resignation" and "retirement" aren’t as similar in Japanese as the words can be interpreted in English.
Knowing Gin, he would most DEFINITELY snipe him without ever discussing a thing to Askin in a fight.
Just like he did with Hiyori.
Gin vs Askin? Huh?
More of a what if
If this is a What-if? Asking. I REALLY want Gin to win. Don't know if a head-shot from range would do in Askin or the chip-off-blade poison would work fast enough.
It's 2044 year bro. Hell arc alredy there. Just read the chapters. Askin vs Gin in the Hell realm is amazing
@@Nik-xh8gt there was no Gin in the special chapter lad ive read bleach and even read the novels, dont try to lie to me
@@juhosaarelainen5953next you should read the definition of satire
One minute gang on the best series Mr Tommo makes W
Man, things really heated up for Driscoll on his second trip to soul society.
If Jugram’s and Bazz-b’s plan would have worked out exactly as they wanted. Hashwalth would have been in a similar position as Gin. Waiting for the one opportunity to strike but Bazz-b never even made it near Yhwach.
As for the storage of zampakuto, maybe the spirits doesn't disappear right away, maybe they keep living for some time after it's wielder died, most likely this time is longer for strong shinigamis, and to ensure that they aren't used for wrong are stored, and when the spirit finally dies the empty blade is transformed into a asauchi.
Even, maybe Kenpachi could've use the former wielder zampakuto spirit if he had talked to his blade before it disappeared, as a matter of fact, maybe Zampo Kenju IS the shikai of the former wielder of Kenpachi's blade, and Yachiru just absorber the traces of the spirit when Kempachi made the zampakuto his.
So, storing the blades until the spirits die could be a possibility.
Considering that both Tosen and Kenpachi are using swords that came from others after their death, I would say that yes the spirits do linger for some time.
Kubo stated in another Klub Outside answer that if a shinigami takes up the zanpakuto of another fallen shinigami they either co-mingle and adapt the existing zanpakuto spirit (Tosen) or they overwrite it with a new one (Kenpachi) on a case by case basis. Since Tosen's friend's death was the motivation for Tosen joining Aizen it makes sense that he didn't want to forget her and would go out of his way to keep her zanpakuto spirit. Kenpachi on the other hand presumably didn't know and wouldn't care about the person he looted the zanpakuto from.
My theory is the spirt survives for awhile until it runs out of whatever fumes of reiryoku is left from it's former owner. Otherwise if the funereal ritual is performed than it goes to hell with it's owner.
The former lieutenant of Squad 6 before Renji left his position to run his sunglasses shop too. It's definitely unusual and I hope Kubo explains "leaving the Gotei" more at some point.
Gin’s bankai ability is literally a insist kill move. If Gin were to Hit Askin in the head or heart, he wins. And by the time Askin realize it, it’s over
Good thing he can dodge like the far weaker ichigo could
(Ignore the pfp lol)
If it connects. Askin is an observant, intelligent combatant with quick reflexes - he managed to dodge what Lille, Pernida and Gerard could not. Aizen was fighting extremely carelessly, I don't think Kamishini no Yari could make contact
@@glc704Gin wasn't trying to kill Ichigo, LoL
@@_yisus as if it changes anything about the explicit speed value of his strikes
@@glc704change a lot since gin basically warned ichigo about it, had he gone for the pierce at the start he would have killed him in one-shot. Also gin did cut ichigo in the shoulder (and not in the close combat but after making several step back to give him time and space to avoid a fatal blow). Gin would simply get close enough and stab him because unlike others he doesn’t speak about his power.
20:36
I think considering what Kubo has said, he's just trying to say that "I'm as strong as when i was here the last time, so you can't beat me when Sasakibe lost"
Two main points regarding the squad zero members:
1. It's not ichibe who choses the members, rather he receives the info from reio himself (dunno how, but ichibe clearly said that ichigo and friends are guests of reio).
2. Reio could see the future million year before. Therefore, he would already know that there would only be 5 RGs before he is replaced as the Soul king.
On the topic of recycling Zanpakutou, my understanding is that a zanpakutou spending time without a master has the inverse effect of spending time with one.
Spending time with their zanpakutou slowly shapes it into a reflection of the wielder, but a zanpakutou that's become a reflection slowly loses it's definition of the wielder if it's separated from them for too long, such as if the wielder dies, and the more developed the zanpakutou (IE How much the wielder has bonded with it, shikai-bankai etc.) the longer it takes for that definition to wear down.
Oetsu can then reshape it into a new blank-slate Asauchi once it's lost enough of it's imprinted wielder to be basically an Asauchi again in essence.
A captain-level zanpakutou probably takes absolute ages to get down to that point, but remember that 99.99% of all soul reapers through history don't even get to shikai so presumably those have all been MUCH faster to degrade. It could also explain the whole comment about how a zanpakutou name could reappear through history but never twice in the same era; maybe only the same recycled zanpakutou can re-emerge with the same name after being recycled and being matched with a new wielder sufficiently similar to a previous one.
Absolutely in love with these questions. And I’ll more of our fallen hero Gin and my boy Askin any day. Poison homies for life.
I don't think zanpakutous are extinguished by oetsu to become asauchi again, because if i remember correctly, in one of Klub Outside Q&A, Kubo states that a zanpakutou name can reappear from time to time (in the hundreds of years i think), but a two zanpakutous with the same name can never exist in the same era/time period. So maybe, a zanpakutou spirit goes into hibernation when oetsu turns them back into asauchi, waiting for their new owner to appear.
How does that jive with the long-standing idea that Zanpakuto spirits are born as a part of a shinigami's soul?
It's possible a 'soul' reappears overtime when factoring in reincarnation and the balance of souls and reshi across the three worlds. Personality and skill may differ between when a/the 'soul' returns. Thus it's almost improbable that anyone would witness a zanpakutou name reappear after it has returned to an asauchi.
@@SinHurr souls go back into the cycle of rebirth unless they're in hell. its likely that the reason these sword names repeat after usually hundreds of years is because the soul went through the cycle again. the name remains the same due to the soul being originally one way but the personality of both the wielder and spirit as well as possibly some variety of ability change.
The Zanpakto question makes sense because at the end of the day it’s a tool to manifest the soul. The spirit seems to be inside the soul itself and just manifests through the weapon. (Hitsugaya as a child shows this)
So leaving a blade away from the owner for ages probably removes the influences from the spirit and then is refined to become a blank slate for reuse
It was stated in Klub Outside
The new "It was stated in CFYOW"
The Driscoll’s effect did reset after the first invasion. I remember the arrow he impaled Sasakibe with was much larger that the one he aims at Yamamoto
I think*
If Gin can snipe Askin's heart from the start i dont think he would need to rely on the poison aspect at all.
I’m glad Kubo gave an accurate answer regarding a battle between Gin and Askin. I still wish we got a full battle between Mayuri and Askin. Now that would truly be a battle of poison and wits. If they could add a 6th member to the royal guard, I definitely think urahara would’ve been worthy considering he created the hogyoku and even the Bankai mastery device.
To be fair Aizen created hogyoku first, the bankai device also is just a branch of the process of mastering zanpakuto which is nimaiya creation, plus it’s not a device that grants anything, you still need immense work and talent to succeed in 3 days so it simply speed up the process for those who already can achieve it.
You know, on the whole Mayuri/Askin hypothetical, I've never understood the interest in that one. To me, the Deathdealing kinda seems hand made to auto defeat Mayuri. In the same way how Kenpachi just cannot fight Pernida, I felt the same applied here
@@envan7865 well against Askin any drugs would be pointless because all his drugs and poisons last long inside the body, they are not istant-death so Askin would simply become immune to them, but Mayuri would have fun by basically using him as a subject for dozens of poisons and drugs on a subject that won't die.lol At the same time, if Mayuri can keep the battle on drugs and manage to use one that blocks Askin even for a few moments he could cut his head off, at the same time if they fight Askin would just adapt to his reiatsu, voiding a lot of option of Mayuri's powers. HOWEVER, the form of his bankai he used against Pernida might be a solution since once he analysed the information and transferred to his sword he can create an Ashisogi Jizo made specifically to counter the opponent power, in this similar to Deathdealing. Maybe he could create an ashisogi jizo that manages to overcome the immunity of Askin someway. Askin in this battle as an immense advantage but Mayuri's tybw bankai is an unpredictable variant.
@@Kal911you make some really good points and I know Tommo is gonna cover a hypothetical battle between these 2 in a future video.
@@envan7865 from a surface level it might seem that way, but askin also refused to fight mayuri earlier on. mayuri is just too smart, as smart as urahara yet lacking the social control and willing to go to whatever length. just as how he created "new blood" to counter giselle's technique as far fetched as it sounds do not put it beyond mayuri to disrupt or alter reishi. or like with hitsugaya what if askin doesnt even know he has been infected with a drug or when?
The zero division being 5 members COULD be a roundabout reference to a myth found in both Japan and China about the '5 heavenly points' being the north, east, south, west and center. The zero division are divine beings themselves and are said to rule over the whole world of the soul society so there is a certain parallel there.
13:32
This question is kinda redundant because you could also just ask, why are the only 13 court guard squads when there are other Bankai users who could technically head their own squads? Why has it only been 13 since 2,000+ years ago and not 20 or even 50?
Even just considering the current number of Gotei members with Bankai, the number exceeds 13.
It is fixed, and that makes sense both just story-wise and politically.
Yhwach has 20+ captain class sternritters for example, each one being a leader of their own squad. For him, the reason is obvious, the letters in the alphabet are 26 therefore he has 26+ captain class sternritters.
So the ranks are fixed, both for Yamamoto's Gotei and Yhwach's Sternritter... It would stand to reason that Osho's Squad 0 also has a fixed number, afterall not many in history could boast the power to singlehandedly overcome the Gotei 13... so 5 seems like an appropriate cap.
Also, I'd assume that the Reio's bones that Ichibei uses to amp a new member's power is limited to just 4 (maybe the limbs) and without the Reio's power they can't protect the palace.
Either way, the idea that the number is fixed makes sense narratively.
YESSS MY FAVORITE MORE KLUB OUTSIDE STUFF 🗣🔥🔥🔥
I hate it, pls stop kubo from cooking. He clearly has forgotten what he has written and some of his answers make no sense
@@DuBstep115 cry harder
@@yahyawihamza4064 I will, senile old man will burn his masterpiece like jk Rowling with his twiits
yes! Been waiting on this vid
Your videos butter My biscuits thank you
Ayo
Regarding royal guards, i have had this question too since forever. And while Hikifune's invention of artificial souls was amazing and we still use it today, she would probably be the first one to be evicted if a new candidate appears.
Ichibei is the head so he is irreplaceable. Oetsu nimaiya is the "only creator" of zanpakuto, his position stays solid too, Senjumaru is in charge of the garbs that are literally weaved from Oken.....like Aizen was going batshit crazy trying to recreate Oken, while this woman is weaving clothes out of Oken using bones and hairs of royal guards(what does this mean specifically though? I understand the hair part, but how are they obtaining bones of royal guards?) and Kirinji is arguably the best healer in Soul Society, not to mention i would prefer to have a healer in my party at all times.
So this leaves Hikifune as the only one that can be knocked out. But the problem is, IF they are supposed to protect the Royal Family(first of all, who all are part of the royal family even?), why not take someone strong...why only "contributions" to soul society are concerned? What makes Hikifune stronger than Urahara or yamaji? Was Hikifune the strongest person they could take without crippling the gotei 13(like if they took Yamaji, the royal guard would be strengthened but the gotei 13 would grow supppperrrr weak)?
Or did her bankai made her truly the strongest shinigami of that time(but we know Yamaji has been holding that title ever since the gotei13 was established) or the second strongest?If not, what is putting her above Urahara.? Or were they collected by Ichibei, for a very specific purpose..aka train the soldiers..train Ichigo...as long as someone was capable of contributing to this, they were acceptable?
When it comes to Driscoll, these revelations make me think he's the kind of guy who accumulates as much strength as quickly as possible and never engaged in drawn-out, "fair" battles. Also, I imagine this limitation matches the kind of guy Driscoll actually was, a bruiser who craved to kill but ran out of steam quickly.
What I believe the mention of the “last time” meant in relation to the overkill is that he was at a similar level. “I was also this strong last time” rather than “I’m twice as strong now”
I love how he would have to go without eating or sleeping if he wants to keep his buff going making it so he eventually becomes unhinged without sleep and begin to get emaciated from refusing to eat so your facing a monstrous psychopath after a few days!
9:40 There are several explanations:
1) There is a difference between a "physical" attack and a "energy-kido-reiatsu" attack. Shunko is boosting the body with Kidou. Kidou is based on the Reiatsu of the user - that's why Askin was able to get immunity against is. A Zanpakuto is a "physical" weapon that's why Askin could be damaged.
2) Benihime can modify everything. It's possible that before every attack Urahara was modifying the Reiatsu of the blade ever so slightly.
3) It's possible that Urahara had so much strength that he was capable of "physically" damaging Askin despite the Reiatsu immunity. He was the only one who endured the poison for so long and he also boosted his body with Benihime.
Personally I think option 1) is correct. Would Gin's Zanpakuto damage Askin? It depends on how Gin's Zanpakuto works - does it extend because of it's "physical" properties or is Gin extending it with a Reiatsu.
There's probably some sort of a stasis machine for Driscoll to prolong how long he can hold on to his buffs.
We need gin in hell arc
Here’s a question I have: If Gin used his Bankai immediately on a Sternritter ready to take his Bankai, would they be able to steal it in time before the Bankai hits them?
The Sternritter do know to be ready for a Bankai because they know it's the trump card. As Nodt could manage it against a pretty damn fast Bankai in Senbonzakura Kageyoshi. Of the 6 times we know a Bankai was stolen, the Sternritter (and Yhwach) got the timing perfectly every single time. As a Shinigami, your choices are
1. Force the Quincy into Vollstandig before you use Bankai
2. Hollowify your Bankai
3. Be too damn strong for the Quincy to handle the Bankai
None of these seem possible for Gin (against Askin anyway, against a weaker Sternritter he could potentially overpower them, but I don't think he's outspeeding the Medallion)
I’m curious how stealing Gin’s Bankai would work because it’s literally just manipulating the size of his sword. Would a Sternritter need their own sword in order to use it?
This is actually really good. It kind of reminds me of how people used to ask who would win in marvel matchups.
Driscoll could have mentioned the last invasion kill count to Hisagi in the way of "with one hundred kill I was able to kill this other vice captain and I'm at one hundred again, think you can deal with me ?"
There's also the matter that gin vs askin Q&A is speaking specifically about the bankai working and not whether gin can penetrate through askin's blutvene etc.
On the topic of zanpakuto and the spirit of it presumably disappearing with the original user, you have something like Hyorinmaru that is said to come back every so often. So I can't entirely believe that the spirits are all necessarily dead upon user/disappear.
I just realised Gin's Zanpakuto was strong enough to pierce Aizen's skin which not even Yoruichi's modified gloves could deal damage...
Also were it not for Aizen's invasion of Karakura town... The Gotei 13 would've never trained to get stronger e.g. Renji... and would have lost way worse in the first Quincy invasion
I think you also have to factor in that Aizen was off guard when struck by Gin. Also I don’t believe it’s fair to say the gotei would have stopped training. They definitely would have but people like renji and toshiro might have taken a bit longer to master their powers.
Honestly, the Sternritter I'd most want to see Gin go up against would be Lille Barro. Where everyone else is up in melee range of their opponent, those two would be having a sniper duel.
If I remember correctly, for Askin to achieve immunity, he needs to receive damage that almost can kill him. So normal cuts and punches are not enough for him to produce immunity.
He drank some blood to let him adjust blood's lethality. iirc his normal version requires ingestion, while in Vollstandig he just needs to make contact with the source. I don't remember either version requiring near-lethal damage, though it's been a while since I read those chapters.
The Overkill losing its buff makes sense - Quincies rely on Reishi around them, and don't really store it up internally. It would make sense if a Schrift's buffs/transformations were temporary (i.e. Askin's immunities are temporary and need to be regained, Pernida & Gerard would lose the changes to their forms & revert, etc).
As for the Zanpakuto one, I remembered that one (or maybe a different one about Zanpakuto) mentioning that Zanpakuto couldn't be transfered/recycled once its wielder achieved Shikai. Either way, reaching Bankai requires a close bond with one's spirit, so it may be that they're too tightly bound & both go to Hell as one
Actually the 5 members of the Zero Division seems rather simple to me: the five cities of the Royal Palace probably at one time were in control of the five great noble houses while Ichibe attended to Reio personally. Some time after the original sin happened and the decision was made for Reio's dismembered husk to be made into a puppet ruler of Soul Society, the heavens and earth of Soul Society were separated by placing an embargo to the royal realm and the great nobles chose the seireitei to exert their influence over soul society.
This left Ichibe with the 5 cities to divvy up as he chose and he felt comfortable taking one for himself and leaving the others for 4 divinely-empowered shinigami under a blood oath seal such that he could never be usurped by these eventual 'peers'.
I'm hoping to see a Gin and Matsumoto reunion in Hell Arc, unless I'm misunderstanding how 'hell' in Bleach works in regards to captain+ level characters.
@Rankiko2020 It would depend on whether or not they performed on the ceremony at Gin's grave.
There can only be 5 probably because Kubo inspired by Godai. Beside elements, it also represents human aspects that fit Ichigo's training in Royal Palace Although not in order.
- Earth represents body: Senjumaru made clothing armor.
- Water represents blood: Tenjiro provided hot spring.
- Fire represents metabolism: Hikifune served foods.
- Wind represents mental: Oetsu taught Ichigo to accept himself.
- Void represents spiritual or something beyond human comprehension, exactly what Ichibei tried to make Ichigo be.
If there's a 6th person, they can simply not promote them until there's empty spot.
Oh oh I actually might have an idea about the limit of 5 zero division members, it’s probably so each of the 5 members + the soul king himself represent the 6 realms of reincarnation from buddism, the soul king of course being the deva realm, senjumaru the asura realm, etc
In regards to the Askin thing, my understanding of the deathdealing is that he gains immunity to substances/reiatsu, and not damage outright. Up until he nullified Yushiro's shunko, he very likely couldn't defend against it even with Blut. Once the immunity kicks in, it's just a matter of defending like normal.
I'm sure the same applies to Gin. Even if Kamishini no Yari's poison was negated, there shouldn't be anything stopping Askin from taking damage outside of Blut Vene and his own natural defenses.
Maybe the Royal Guard's limit was based on the Four Great Noble Houses + Ichibe. Maybe a member of the original five houses would guard the king, but when the Shiba clan was kicked out, they needed someone else.
Regarding askin, we always end up forgetting one small part of his ability, he has to ingest a large amount of something before he starts to gain immunity..aka he either has to tank multiple small dosage of 'fatal poison' OR one big dosage to have ingested a sufficient amount. We don't know how big that amount is, but its not small...otherwise this ability would have been beyond busted.
Now, Kamishini no yari actually leaves a veryyyy smallll part of its blade that turns into dust...inside the opponents body. That poison is enough to kill aizen(as you said), then it is strong enough to kill anyone. Askin WILL die IF the amount of poison within his body is not sufficient to activate his schrift. Asking MAY survive if that the quantity of poison is sufficient and his schrift activates before the poison shows its effects...which i feel is very highly unlikely considering it is frankly impossible to dodge Kamishini no yari...and with Gin's prodigious talent and Askin's "NON GOD" physiology, he would probably get stabbed right in the heart and just die.
In the same vein, i feel Soifon can kill Askin too IF her first dose is not enough to activate the schrift. This would actually make a very cool parallel as he is someone that Yoruichi failed to beat, but Soifon's techniques fit in for this opponent perfectly(not trying to put yoruichi down, but rather showing that they are a good team together)
With the retired Zanpakto I read "depending on the owner" as to mean the power of said shinigami. I imagine a captain level shinigami would have a more powerful Zanpakto as that, after their retirement, would have to remain until the spirit "depowers" if you would, which I imagine would take longer for a captain level shinigami compared to an unseated shinigami who hasn't awakened shikai yet. That's my thoughts at least lol
Could be that the sentence from Driscol when he was talking to Hisagi could also meant: I killed 100 this time, I killed a 100 last time, so I am now at the same point as before
going back to the zero division i belive 5 is the limit due to the balancing of all worlds. Im not sure why i believe that but to me that makes the most sense
Overkill should just keep a handful of ants in his pocket at all time.
Yushiro's punch didn't work on Askin is because Yushiro's technique infuses him with reatsu. So it's his reatsu that does primary damage. But when shinigami cut you with a sword they just cut you. It's not like you can get immunity to physical cuts.
15:04 The soul king might simply know how many members they'll eventually have to complete Squad 0, no one dies and no one's replaced. He just uses the almighty to check and then tells Ichebei (or whoever) that the person who will become a member has been born or is ready. It's possible they have some access to the almighty even without the soul king himself being "alive" which is what's meant by the "soul king" doing anything or the decision was made before the soul king was sealed.
It think with Driscoll telling Hisagi how many people he had killed in both invasions could have been him essentially saying, “I’m as strong as I was last time, and I killed Sasakibe then,” as either intimidation or bragging before going in for the kill.
just because he is IMMUNE, does not mean he can't get hurt by it. Just like Killua, he is IMMUNE to electric etc, but he still can get hurt by it
I love the bit about Driscoll I KNOW You found that interesting after all these years. As you were explaining your theories and thought process I noticed how similar we think! I hope Kubo keeps answering questions like these especially regarding Sternritters and Arrancar. We still dont know what K stands for, do we?
Man overkill losing it's buff because of eating ruins my whole, "I carry a jar of ants into battle, watch me eat them" head canon.
Yup and gin is a 1 hit kill.
Soon as poison activated. He dies with a whole in his heart
Re: The five members of squad zero, I always kind of figured their ability to resurrect would be limited by how many captains there are. They also talk about the fact that they cannot all use bankai at the same time, lest they cause too much damage.
Re: retired shinigami and their zanpakto, does kisuke not count as retired? What about Ichigo's dad Isshin? Neither of them were in the gotei 13 for the entire stretch of the present story, only flashbacks, yet they still have their zanpakto
Since the Zanpaktou is technically a portion of the spirit of the owner, maybe those in hell don't actually have asauchi, and the spirit itself went with them to hell leaving the asauchi an empty husk. Hell beings are strange (being that hell is its own world I believe governed by its own soul king level entity), so it wouldn't be absurd if a Shinigami in Hell actually can like an Arrancar manifest their own blade, since they no longer are a Shinigami.
And in fact, that might explain why Ukitake's was so big. Because he JUST manifested it for the first time after mere minutes of being in hell as a new species of being. He has no control over its size. This might be its normal size before its compressed into a more useable size.
The zanpaktou and the shinigami is 2 part of the whole picture. When a shinigami dies, probably his/her zanpaktou spirit does as well. For an "ordinary" shinigami death means, that his/her soul and reiatsu is absorbed by the soil of the Soul Socity. After that their soul going back to the big cycle and waiting for reincarnation in the human world. The captain class shinigamies are different. They have so huge reiryoku, that their souls cant be absorbed by the Soul Society and this is why they(and their zanpaktou spirit) are sent to the Hell, by the Konsō Reisai.
I think the yushiro stuff is because shunko makes use of reiatsu whereas zanpaktou are still bladed physical weapons, its in the same manner as to how grimmjow was able to pierce through askin even though they had a previous encounter which would mean he would be immune to grimmjow's hands if that's the logic. its also worth noting nimaiya did manage to kill askin with his zanpaktou, so I think if damaged enough like piercing his head or heart, he could be killed before being able to heal.
i think the upper limit is 5 not because of the cities but because of the seal that was shown in the TYBW anime
Five royal guard members and five noble houses……. maybe theres a connection there? Also i think Driskull is just boasting about how many people he killed rather than to vaguely imply how strong he is at the current moment.
Maybe it's was supposed to be one member of every noble family and Ichibe making up the 5 total members of the zero division.
I feel as though when it comes to Zanpakuto spirits it goes like this, When a soul reaper who has imprinted onto his sword dies, they either 1: Go into the cycle of reincarnation with there zanpakuto spirit locked away inside them again, or 2 get sent to hell where there Zanpakuto spirit is placed outside them the same way a hollows whole is placed outside there bodies. By having the Zanpakuto spirit outside the body in hell, it then allows the user to use there Zanpakuto abilities and turns the Zanpakuto spirit itself into the sword, instead of requiring a blank sword to impirint the spirit on.
This quickly devolves into pure headcanon and theorizing with little to no basis, but personally, I like to think that Zanpakutos spirits are more part of a Shinigami's soul than something exterior, with the blade being used as a medium to facilitate communication and channeling their power.
And that blade works by having its owner's reiatsu being poured into it, so it is evident that Zanpakutos can absorb reiatsu they are in contact with.
But if their owner isn't there anymore, what would happen to them ? It doesn't seem impossible that more and more reiatsu of different people would be absorbed, eventually making it so the owner's reiatsu doesn't dominate anymore.
So the blade would end up the opposite of an Asauchi, a sword affected by countless powers, instead of an entirely blank sword.
Then, Oetsu would take those sword and somehow purge all of that reiatsu, which would revert them back to an Asauchi.
As for why they'd wait this much, maybe out of respect for the original owner ? Or just because it's easier to purge when it's an incoherent mess of energy.
As for the Zanpakuto spirit themselves, they would stay inside the Shinigami's inner world, perhaps even still be materialisable by Bankai learners, and repeating the process on another Asauchi could give back the Zanpakuto-related abilities.
15:50 i always figured there were 5 because only 5 pieces of Reio's body were ever recovered.
Torso, right arm, left arm, heart, brain.
I hope we can see Discoll and other unknown enemies in the hell arc because they look really interesting but they were taken out so fast without a sense of attacks, abilities, or holy forms. We can only hope that the new bleach arc is worth the wait.
I mean so, this was ichibies. Choice, with maintaining balance 5 seems like a limit because if there is more, the 0 division will be too much reiatsu within the same area causing a heavy inbalance. Also I can imagine a group of 13 0 Sqaud level of power would be difficult to control when needed ie kill them but 5 is a reasonable number to control.
It kinda seems like Gins poison is like a spiritual poison and Askin can only become immune to any like "real" things. Like tangible stuff. Kinda like Gins poison is like a hollow to a quincy, so Gins poison could kinda of break down Askins ability to block it. Does that make sense ?
The replacement of the zero division could be a privaron Espada type of situation
The language used when speaking with Hisagi could also be taken to mean "I killed a Vice Captain after killing 100 opponents last time, and I have once again killed 100 and am about to face you" It could be a statement of equivalence, and not one of improvement. In a way this makes a fair bit of sense, as Sasakibe is significantly more powerful than the average vice captain, so either the increase of 100 kills was of little consequence or, with this new information, merely meant that he was at roughly the same level of strength.
I think the limit of the zero division is 5 due to their colossal reiryoku. Perhaps having a sixth member would break the balance ? Not a far stretch when we see how the world reacts due to Senjummaru using her full power.
I think the reason there's only the five Zero Division members (really four, if you discount Ichibe being so ancient and primordial) is because of a limitation involving the world and a "power issue" which we see bits of cropping up in the Hell arc intro.
A Zero Division members bankai can shake the universe, and if you assume the 5-10 or at least 3-5 multiplier to spiritual pressure from bankai, then that would mean just 5 members is where that limit for 2 members alive (Ichibe is special remember) may come from.
To elaborate a little: Ichibe isn't part of the seal from what I recall, which means when Senjumaru releases Ichibe is still alive and allegedly 1/5 of a bankai unaccounted for. At base all five of them are equal to 1/5 member of the zero division in bankai but to actually release 4 others have to die, but the world can't handle 1.2 (1+1/5) Zero Division bankai units, or so it appears.
This would’ve been a very fun battle to watch.
#5 is special in japan-5 sources of nature,-5 senses.Each royal guard could represent a god.I know there's one for water,the one who cooks could be grain,fabric lady so on?
Is an upper limit of 5 really that strange? Could be a symbol of the 5 Noble Houses. Or it could symbolize the body of Reio, with the individual palaces being the head, arms, and legs and the central palace which houses Reio being the torso.
Remember that almost all of the Royal Guard members seems to know Urahara on the first name basis. Still wondering if Urahara were born and raised in Soul King Palace but got sent below to Sereitei to live with the Shihoin clan to serve as a shinigami.
5 is the upper limit, as far as we know there have only been 5 members. Before the fifth member, the upper limit was four as far as we know.
When Ichibe started the zero division, the 'upper limit' was one as far as we know
By the zanpakuto answer, Yoruichi has no zanpakuto anymore, while Kisuke and Isshin have theirs, Tessai may have left his behind