Sōsuke Aizen
Sōsuke Aizen is a male anime and manga character who features in Bleach.
Contents |
Biography
Origin
Sōsuke Aizen (Japanese: 藍染 惣右介, Hepburn: Aizen Sōsuke) was a male Shinigami who came to be an inhabitant of the Soul Society. At some point, he began to conduct research into the Hōgyoku in secret. This saw him begin to sacrifice hundreds of Shinigami and Rukongai citizens as part of his experiments with the Hōgyoku. Around this time, he came to encounter a young Gin Ichimaru and noticed his talent as a warrior. Aizen later gained the attention of Captain Shinji Hirako and inducted into his squad the 5th Division. Eventually, he came to be promoted to the rank of lieutenant but this was because Captain Hirako wanted to keep a close eye on Sōsuke as he found him to be a dangerous individual. Despite this, Aizen was aware of this and kept himself one step ahead of the Shinigami Captain. This allowed him to continue his experiments and research on the Hōgyoku where he looked to study the process of Hollowfication.
Around 110 years ago, he was present when the Gotei 13 had gathered including Aizen where they were informed that Kirio Hikifune had joined the ranks of the Royal Guard. Thus, the 12th Division was now leaderless and a decision was made to find a new captain to head them. Ultimately, the position was given to Kisuke Urahara who had been promoted to the rank with Aizen believing that the man was too carefree and relaxed to be a captain.
He along with Gin and Kaname then secretly travelled to Hueco Mundo where they arranged an audience with the self-proclaimed god king of the realm which was Barragan Luisenbarn. The purpose of the meeting was to discuss an alliance between them but Luisenbarn refused where he attacked Aizen but quickly was outmatched by the rogue shinigami. Thus, they were able to force Barragan into servitude whereupon Aizen appropriated his palace Las Noches that he reconstructed in his own image. During this time, he sought out others that could be transformed into Arrancar where he intended for the most powerful to join the ranks of his Espada. He was responsible for evolving powerful Hollows into Arrancar by partly shattering their masks. One of their number came to seek revenge against Tier Harribel though Aizen intervened and killed the Arrancar. This allowed him to recruit Harribel into the Espada and later was responsible for recruiting Coyote Stark.
Soul Society
From the shadows, Aizen arranged for Rukia Kuchiki to meet with Ichigo Kurosaki thus manipulating events so that the human could become a Shinigami. From there, by began sending Hollows in Karakura Town to alert the Soul Society for the location to get the Hōgyoku that was concealed within her body. Around this time, Rukia Kuchiki was forcibly brought back to the Soul Society to answer for her recent actions. This meant that the Hōgyoku concealed within her had returned with Aizen then forming an elaborate conspiracy to acquire it. This involved killing all the members of Central 46 where he used his abilities to masquerade as them where he an order made for Rukia to be executed as soon as possible. He also looked to instil further chaos among the Gotei 13 by telling Lieutenant Renji Abarai of a possible conspiracy within the Soul Society. It was then that Gin helped fake Aizen's death in order to cause the captains and lieutenants to fight amongst themselves. Among the manipulations included having his lieutenant Momo Hinamori believe her childhood friend Tōshirō Hitsugaya was responsible for his death in an effort to get her out of the way. This combined with the coming execution of Rukia Kuchiki split the Gotei 13 into factions that ended up openly fighting against one another whilst Gin executed elements of the plan. Around this time, Ichigo Kurosaki and his friends had infiltrated the Soul Society in an effort to save Rukia thus adding to the chaos. By this point, Captain Retsu Unohana began to suspect there was something wrong with Aizen's supposedly dead body. Meanwhile, Aizen was deep within the Shinigami Research and Development Institute where he observed events in the Soul Society and through a camera fly came to witness a fight between a Hollowfied Ichigo Kurosaki and Captain Byakuya Kuchiki. At Central 46, Aizen came to reveal himself to be alive to his lieutenant where he apologised to the heartbroken Momo Hinamori where he said his farewell to her as he stabbed her in the chest with his Zanpakutō after which he left her for dead. As Aizen and Gin prepare to leave, Hitsugaya arrives and is shocked to see Aizen standing alongside Gin. Aizen assures Hitsugaya that he is here in the flesh before noting to Gin that Hitsugaya is back sooner than expected. With Gin apologizing and assuming that his lieutenant, Izuru Kira, must have failed, a confused Hitsugaya wonders what they are talking about, which leads Aizen to reveal that he is referring to the tactic of dividing and conquering, the most basic way of weakening an enemy. Hitsugaya then demands to know where Hinamori is, and as Aizen points out that he should already know, Hitsugaya angrily rushes past him and Gin to the dark room, where he discovers Hinamori lying on the ground. Aizen expresses embarrassment at Hitsugaya having found her and apologizes for him finding out like this before suggesting that he should have chopped up Hinamori and hidden the pieces. When a stunned Hitsugaya asks Aizen and Gin how long they have been conspiring together, Aizen answers that they have done so from the beginning, clarifying that he has never considered anyone but Gin to be his lieutenant ever since he became a captain. With Hitsugaya accusing him of having deceived Hinamori and the other Shinigami this whole time, Aizen claims that he never thought of it like this and that he perceived it as none of the other Shinigami recognizing his true identity. Demanding to know how Aizen could be so cruel, Hitsugaya reminds him that Hinamori joined the Gotei 13 and worked hard just to be at his side, only for Aizen to acknowledge this as making her very easy to manipulate and pointing to this as the reason he requested her to join his division. As Hitsugaya stares at him in astonishment, Aizen instructed him to remember that admiration is the state furthest from understanding.
In response, Hitsugaya grasps his Zanpakutō and activates his Bankai, Daiguren Hyōrinmaru. As Hitsugaya declares that he is going to kill Aizen, the latter simply admonishes Hitsugaya for making rash threats because it makes him seem weak and slashes Hitsugaya across the chest, leaving him to collapse in shock while bleeding heavily as Daiguren Hyōrinmaru breaks apart. Commenting on how nice it is to see ice at this time of year, Aizen is stopped by Unohana, who has figured out something is wrong with his corpse doll, only for Aizen to bring out his corpse doll and disclose to Unohana and her lieutenant, Isane Kotetsu, the true abilities of his Zanpakutō. This allows Unohana to deduce the ritual for being affected by the hypnosis, after which Aizen reveals Kaname Tōsen has always been his subordinate because he cannot see. Aizen has Gin bring the two of them to Sōkyoku Hill, where Tōsen had brought Renji and Rukia to him. When Aizen asks Renji to put Rukia down, Renji refuses. Commenting on Renji's stubbornness, Aizen says that it is acceptable if Renji wishes to hold on to Rukia, but he will have to leave the arms he is holding her with behind. Drawing his sword, Aizen attacks Renji, but Renji is able to draw his sword in time to dodge Aizen's attack, leaving only his right arm damaged. Applauding his ability to dodge, Aizen expresses happiness with the improvements in Renji's skill because he was one of Aizen's subordinates. Telling Renji he does not want things to be harder because while he finds it difficult to hold back his strength, Aizen states he finds it unbearable for a subordinate to die. Challenging this assertion, Renji asks Aizen why he killed Momo. When Aizen states it was an act of compassion because he has trained Momo so she could not live without him, Renji says Aizen is not the captain he knew, prompting Aizen to state he was the same man, but neither Renji nor anyone else had realized what he was. When Renji attacks Aizen with his Shikai, Aizen blocks it with his bare hand and easily cuts the segments of the blade apart while also cutting up Renji. When Renji refuses to give up Rukia, Aizen prepares to kill him, only to be stopped by Ichigo. Ichigo teams up with Renji, but even after using Renji's strongest attack with his Shikai to create an opening for Ichigo, the attack fails. Displaying his power by blocking Ichigo's blade with a single finger and nearly cutting him in half, Aizen cuts down Renji and approaches Rukia. Beginning to drag Rukia off, Aizen explains his plans to the critically injured but still conscious Ichigo, only for 7th Division Captain Sajin Komamura to appear and attack him. Critically injuring Komamura with Hadō #90. Kurohitsugi, Aizen removes the Hōgyoku from Rukia's body using information obtained from Kisuke Urahara's research hidden in the chambers of Central 46. Surprised the procedure did not kill Rukia and having no further use for her, Aizen orders Gin to kill Rukia as he prepares to leave, only for 6th Division Captain Byakuya Kuchiki to save Rukia by taking the blow himself.
Turning around, Aizen prepares to draw his Zanpakutō in order to finish Rukia himself, but is stopped by Yoruichi Shihōin. When he is threatened with death from 2nd Division Captain Suì-Fēng's Zanpakutō if he moves, Aizen calls Yoruichi a nostalgic face and notes how not even Yoruichi and Suì-Fēng will be able to come after him while fighting the hypnotized Gatekeepers. As Kūkaku Shiba and Jidanbō Ikkanzaka arrive to assist them, Gin is restrained by 10th Division Lieutenant Rangiku Matsumoto and apologizes for being unable to help Aizen. As they are surrounded by every captain and lieutenant of the Gotei 13 still capable of moving, Aizen smiled and says it is time. Realizing something is wrong, Yoruichi runs away and tells Suì-Fēng to get away. When Aizen, Gin, and Tōsen are bathed in light, Captain-Commander Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto calls the others off and reveals Aizen, Tōsen, and Gin became completely untouchable the moment they were covered in this light, called a Negación, a separate world created by Menos Grande when rescuing one of their own which transports them to Hueco Mundo. While leaving, Aizen removes his glasses and changes his hairstyle by combing a hand through it. As his glasses evaporate into dust, Aizen announces his goal to stand atop of the world in the heavens and take the place of the absent gods, something no one has ever done before. Before finally ascending into the portal created by the Menos' arrival, he bids farewell to all of the Shinigami present and tells Ichigo he was very interesting for a Human.
Heuco Mundo
Later, Aizen sends Grand Fisher and two other powerful Hollows to the Human World. Grand Fisher came to be killed by Isshin Kurosaki whilst the other two Hollows were killed by Ryūken Ishida. Isshin and Urahara began to theorize Aizen sent these pseudo-Arrancar to the Human World in order to look for information on Ichigo. He then dispatched two of his Espada namely Ulquiorra Cifer and Yammy Llargo to the world of the living with the purpose of finding Ichigo Kurosaki to test his potential in resisting them. The two later returned where they stood before Aizen and the Espada as Ulquiorra shared his visual experiences with them all. During this time, Aizen noticed the potential in the human Orihime Inoue who had a power that was seemingly to heal. By this point, Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez decided to take a number of Numeros without permission into the world of the living in order to eliminate anyone with spiritual pressure in karakura Town. Kaname Tōsen was responsible for bringing Grimmjow back to Hueco Mundo though the other Arrancar that accompanied him were all killed by their enemies. Brought before Aizen, Kaname suggested that Grimmjow be killed for his disobedience and acting on his own. However, Aizen claimed that Grimmjow was acting simply according to his wishes and had decided to spare his life. Despite that, Kaname cut off Grimmjow's arm as his punishment leading to his demotion from the ranks of the Espada. In this time, he became aware of a low-ranking Arrancar named Patros looking to depose him by taking the Hōgyoku and attempting to unlock it in Karakura Town. Aizen used his illusions to make Patros and his co-conspirators believe they succeeded in their mission but they were ultimately killed by Ichigo Kurosaki's allies. It was then that he decided to enact the next stage of his plans which involved the capture of Orihime Inoe. This saw him dispatch a number of Espada to attack Karakura Town in order to engage the Soul Society and their allies there. In this moment, Orihime Inoe was returning to the world of the living from the Soul Society where whilst travelling between dimensions she was intercepted by Ulquiorra who dispatched her shinigami guards. He then forced her to willingly travel with him to Hueco Mundo leading to the Arrancar attack on Karakura Town being called off as the plan had been achieved. Ulquiorra presented her before Aizen who wanted a demonstration of her power which saw her healing Grimmjow's lost arm thus restoring his position among the Espada. Aizen then commented that Inoe's power was not healing but rather rejecting reality and undoing events which made her useful in his plans in unlocking the Hōgyoku. He then orchestrated events so that Orihime would willingly stay in Hueco Mundo leading to her being declared a traitor by the Soul Society. After examining Orihime's powers, Aizen decided to initiate another invasion on Karakura Town, letting Ulquiorra pick the members of the invasion force, though Aizen personally sends Grimmjow as well. Ulquiorra, Grimmjow, Yammy, Luppi Antenor, and Wonderweiss Margela go to invade Karakura Town to capture Orihime. Ulquiorra succeeds in forcing Orihime to join Aizen's side and brings her to Las Noches, where he has her display her power by restoring Grimmjow's amputated left arm and reveals to the Arrancar present how Orihime's powers are rejection, meaning she can 'reject' anything which has happened.
Calling the Espada to a meeting, Aizen invites them to have some tea. As they are drinking their tea, Aizen reveals to them the presence of Ichigo, Uryū, and Sado. When the Espada begin to dismiss the group as not dangerous, Aizen warns them to not underestimate the trio and reveals their exploits in Soul Society. When Aizen identifies Orihime as the missing member of their group and states they have come to rescue her, Grimmjow begins to leave and states he is going to go eradicate the threat in Aizen's name. Stopping him, Aizen resorts to intimidating Grimmjow with his Reiatsu when the latter hesitates to back down. As Grimmjow is brought to his knees by Aizen's immense Reiatsu, Aizen tells the other Espada to return to their palaces and wait patiently. Telling them not to be overconfident, Aizen says they do not to be afraid because no one can defeat them as long as they are with him. At one point, Aizen has Orihime brought to his room by Loly Aivirrne and Menoly Mallia. After sending the two Arrancar away, Aizen shows Orihime the Hōgyoku. Asking Orihime to interpret him showing her the Hōgyoku as a sign of his trust in her, Aizen asks Orihime to use Sōten Kisshun to undo some minor damage which has occurred to the Hōgyoku from being repeatedly reawakened. Following the arrival of Ichigo and company at Las Noches, Aizen is informed of Dordoni Alessandro Del Socaccio's death by a messenger. Unsurprised by Dordoni's demise, Aizen expresses surprise at Ichigo struggling against him. Cornering the messenger by catching him in a lie of omission, Aizen demands to know who sent the Exequias after Dordoni. When the messenger does not answer, Szayelaporro Granz intervenes and reveals he is the one who did so before begging Aizen's forgiveness, which Aizen grants him. As Szayelaporro turns to leave, Aizen tells him to make his reports more thorough next time, shocking Szayelaporro, before asking him if the Reiatsu record he obtained from Dordoni will aid in his research. Confirming this, Szayelaporro leaves. Following his departure, Gin, who had been present in with Aizen the entire time, asks Aizen if he is enjoying himself even though his subordinates are losing, prompting Aizen to confess the emotion he is feeling at the moment is akin to enjoyment. After Aaroniero Arruruerie, Szayelaporro, Zommari Rureaux, Grimmjow, and Nnoitra Gilga are defeated by Ichigo, his friends, and the invading Shinigami captains, Aizen has Coyote Starrk bring Orihime to him. Telling Orihime to smile and wait where she is while they go and destroy Karakura Town, Aizen has Tōsen use Bakudō #77. Tenteikūra. Using this, Aizen reveals his true motivation behind the capture of Orihime to Ichigo and the others: by kidnapping Orihime, he inspired Ichigo and his friends to attempt a rescue, thereby depriving Soul Society of a valuable military asset, and when four captains assisted in her rescue, adding to the three which had already defected, Soul Society was left at half its regular strength, so he and his forces are now ready to attack. Leaving with Gin, Tōsen, Tier Harribel, Baraggan Louisenbairn, Starrk, and their Fracción to invade Karakura Town, Aizen leaves Las Noches in the hands of Ulquiorra.
Fake Karakura Town
In response, the Soul Society staged their next move where they dispatched four Shinigami Captains to Hueco Mundo who battled their Espada counterparts. However, this fell into Aizen's plans who then closed the Garganta thus trapping them in Hueco Mundo. This meant that the Gotei 13's fighting strength had been reduced by half allowing for Aizen to launch his attack against Karakura Town in order to sacrifice it to create the Ōken key. Arriving to the world of the living, he was confronted by the Gotei 13 headed by Captain-Commander Yamamoto who had prepared for this confrontation with the Soul Society having substituted Karakura Town so that they could battle in a fake version of the settlement without any threat to its inhabitants. Despite this plan, Aizen had already seen through this deception but decided to use this as an opportunity to eliminate the Gotei 13 thus allowing him to attack the Soul Society itself. Captain Yamamoto then unleashed an attack that trapped Aizen, Ichimaru and Tosen behind a wall of flame leaving the battle to be waged by his Espada lieutenants. In the battle, many of the Hollows were killed where by this point the flames trapping Aizen were dispelled. The Gotei 13 then received aid from Shinji Hirako and the Visored who had arrived on the scene to lend their might against the Arrancar. Despite events, everything proceeded according to his plans though by this point he came to be disappointed in the Espada. This saw him turning against them where he badly injured Tier Harribel despite her loyalty to him. After dealing with her, he was confronted by the Gotei 13 along with the Visored who had arrived at the scene. In this time, he witnessed Kaname Tōsen's defeat at the hands of Sajin Komamura and Shūhei Hisagi leading to Aizen killing his subordinate. This caused Komamura to go into a rage and he charged Sōsuke where he was nearly killed if not for Ichigo's sudden arrival. As Ichigo's Getsuga Tenshō hits a barrier which Aizen had created, Aizen taunts Ichigo, who attacks again. Dodging, Aizen continues his taunts. When Ichigo begins to waver, Komamura appears beside him and tells Ichigo not to be disheartened, for provoking his opponents is Aizen's forte. He and the other Shinigami and Visored prepare to help Ichigo fight Aizen while avoiding witnessing the release of his Shikai. When Hitsugaya starts the attack, Aizen mocks this, prompting Hitsugaya to state someone needed to start. Becoming angry, Hitsugaya releases his Bankai. Attacked by Hitsugaya, Aizen dodges every attack from Hitsugaya. As Aizen prepares to counterattack, Komamura and Love Aikawa attack him, but Aizen stops them. When Komamura activates his Bankai, Kokujō Tengen Myō'ō, Aizen slices through it, cutting off Komamura's arm. As Aizen attacks Komamura once more, Rōjūrō Ōtoribashi tries to attack Aizen, only for Aizen to pull Rose towards him and slash him, sending Rose falling to the ground. Defeating the remaining Visored, Aizen calls them "Pseudo Arrancar". Moving in front of Aizen, Suì-Fēng mocks him and creates several clones of herself with Shunpo. As the clones attack, Hitsugaya encases Aizen in ice as 8th Division Captain Shunsui Kyōraku emerges from a shadow to attack him. As Hitsugaya attacks him, Aizen glances at him and notes Hitsugaya does not plan ahead due to his young age. Noticing Shinji holding Sakanade, Aizen realizes it is too late to react because he is in the inverted world as Hitsugaya impales him.
Being the only one who has not yet seen Aizen's Shikai, Ichigo shouts at the captains, causing them to realize Aizen used Kyōka Suigetsu and switched places with Momo. Having been lying down next to Izuru and 7th Division Lieutenant Tetsuzaemon Iba, Aizen gets up and walks away after his illusion is revealed. Believing it is Momo who is walking away, Izuru and Iba try to follow him, but are cut down. When Shinji angrily asks Aizen when he cast the illusion, Aizen asks them when they began thinking he was not using Kyōka Suigetsu. Overcome with anger at being fooled by Aizen into attacking Momo, Hitsugaya charges at Aizen while Shunsui warns him to wait. Telling them they are all completely open, Aizen cuts down Hitsugaya, Shunsui, Suì-Fēng, and Shinji. As Aizen defeats the last of his attackers, Yamamoto draws his attention with a huge pillar of fire. Stating Yamamoto is too late and the Gotei 13 will crumble with his defeat, Aizen taunts Yamamoto before stabbing him. Pulling Aizen in, Yamamoto says he can tell it is not an illusion. Activating Ennetsu Jigoku, Yamamoto states everything caught within it will burn. Appearing behind Yamamoto in his Resurrección, Extinguir, Wonderweiss sends Yamamoto crashing to the ground below as Aizen reveals Wonderweiss was made for the sole purpose of stopping Yamamoto's abilities. Employing his hand-to-hand combat skills, Yamamoto defeats Wonderweiss. When Aizen says Yamamoto's flames were all stored within Wonderweiss, Yamamoto attempts to contain them as Wonderweiss' body explodes. Afterwards, as Aizen approaches, a battered Yamamoto uses Hadō #96. Ittō Kasō. Pouncing on Aizen, Ichigo sends him crashing through a nearby building. As the wound he sustained from the attack closes up, Aizen reveals he has placed the Hōgyoku, which instinctively heals its master, in his chest. Complimenting Ichigo's Reiatsu, Aizen states Ichigo has grown as he had planned, surprising Ichigo. Listing various important occurrences in Ichigo's development, Aizen claims they all happened as he desired. When Aizen explains how he found Ichigo to be the perfect subject for his research, Ichigo says Aizen must be lying because of what he said in Soul Society. Revealing he was lying back then, Aizen begins to say why he thought Ichigo would be perfect, but is interrupted by the arrival of Isshin, who states Aizen has said too much. When Isshin moves Ichigo away, Aizen notes this was a smart move. When Aizen asks Gin how long he has been watching, Gin states he did not see an opportunity to help. Attacking Aizen, Isshin sends him crashing through multiple buildings. As their battle continues, Isshin notes Aizen is tiring, prompting Aizen to reveal he has reached the limit of his Shinigami self and the Hōgyoku has begun to understand his desires. Saying the Hōgyoku possesses a will of its own and he only became aware of this after becoming its master, Aizen reveals the true power of the Hōgyoku is not removing of the boundaries between Shinigami and Hollow, but capturing and materializing the hearts around it. Claiming it has brought about the events surrounding Ichigo, Rukia, and Urahara, Aizen states Urahara misunderstood the nature of the Hōgyoku because the breakdown of the barrier between Shinigami and Hollow was his own desire. Claiming Ichigo, Sado, and Orihime all got their powers from the Hōgyoku, Aizen explains more about it before being interrupted by Gin knocking Ichigo into a nearby building. As Ichigo talks to Isshin, Gin asks Aizen if he interrupted his speech. As Aizen says he had reached the end of his speech, his body is enveloped by the Hōgyoku. Stating the Hōgyoku deserves its name, Aizen was interrupted when he was shot from behind by Urahara, whom he welcomed onto the battlefield.
After Urahara said it has been a long time since last they met, the two banter about Aizen's fusion with the Hōgyoku. Stating it was not fusion, Aizen claimed he had subjugated the Hōgyoku, which Urahara had failed to master. Glaring down at Aizen, Urahara admitted it was true he was unable to master it in the past. Questioning his statement, Aizen said he must be unable to admit defeat. Retracting the question, Aizen impaled Urahara and told him he has already lost the chance to command the Hōgyoku. As Urahara's body bursts, Urahara appeared and used Bakudō #61. Rikujōkōrō. Revealing he saw the portable Gigai trick in Yammy's report, Aizen admitted he let his guard down, for he never thought Urahara would use such a petty trick, and asked Urahara what he will do after constricting him. Asking Aizen why he believed Urahara would only use this level of Bakudō, Urahara used Bakudō #63. Sajō Sabaku and Bakudō #73. Kuyō Shibari. When Urahara began chanting an incantation, Aizen asked him if he believed Aizen will allow him to use this Kidō. Stating it is too late to stop it, Urahara fired Hadō #91. Senju Kōten Taihō. After the smoke explosion dissipated, Urahara noted Aizen had let down his guard because of his newfound power. Confirming this, Aizen appeared behind Urahara and attacked him. When Aizen noted the Hōgyoku had made him invincible and he had no need to dodge a level 90 Kidō, Urahara said he was talking about how Aizen would never have come into physical contact with him twice without a plan. Trapped by spiritual energy cuffs at his wrists, Aizen stared in shock. As Urahara explained the nature of the seal, Aizen was enveloped in a pillar of light.
With his spiritual pressure alone, he caused Ichigo's friends to collapse unconscious and was ready to kill them now that nothing stood in his way. It was then that Ichigo Kurosaki had arrived where at first Aizen felt no spiritual pressure. Thus, he came to be disappointed as he felt that his opponent had squandered his chance of becoming strong enough to be a challenge. Ichigo though surprised him as he proved strong enough to grab him and fast enough to prevent Aizen from reacting. The substitute shinigami forced Aizen to a more barren landscape to prevent any innocent bystanders from getting hurt. Though shocked at first, Aizen regained his composure and determined that Ichigo had no lost his spiritual pressure but had simply converted it into physical power. However, though strong, Aizen believed that he was in a superior position and would win their struggle whilst being amuse at Ichigo who seemed sure that he would win instead.
Ten days later, he was brought bound in a chair to stand trial before the judges of Central 46 for high treason alongside a multitude of other crimes. They decided to sentence him to 18,800 years in Muken that was the 8th and lowest level in the underground prison. However, Aizen fond it comical to receive judgement from the likes of the authorities of the Soul Society. This led to him being silenced and declared a traitor with his eyes and mouth bound as the judges raised his sentence to 20,000 years.
Overview
Personality and attributes
In appearance, Sōsuke Aizen was a shinigami from the Soul Society where originally he was a member of the Gotei 12. During that time, he appeared as a mild featured man who had brown scholarly hair and wore square glasses as well as soft brown eyes.
Within the Soul Society, he was seen as being a very kind and well-respected Shinigami who was looked up by many of his comrades. He was said to had liked tofu but disliked boiled eggs. In his free time, he often read and gave a special lecture on calligraphy at the Shin'ō Academy because he excelled in this branch of arts. Though as stated by himself, the Sōsuke known by everyone else was a person who never really existed.
He tended to be casual and uncaring where he attempted to draw out a conversation and make small talk in a way that infuriated his opponent.
Aizen had said that the laws of nature were for beings who must live their lives bound by them.
Sōsuke believed that trust in another person was the same as reliance which was a weakness that was of no use to a person. As such, he showed no trust in anyone not even his closest allies. He had said that admiration was the emotion furthest from understanding. In fact, he long suspected that Gin would betray him and kept a close watch over him. Aizen often toyed with his subordinates and controlled his forces through a mixture of respect, intimidation, fear, and mind games. Even his former allies he cared little for them and gave them fake sympathy after revealing his true nature. Such was the case with his former lieutenant Momo Hinamori where he apologised to her before fatally stabbing her. He later said that he should have cut her body up into small pieces and disposed of the remains in an effort to hide her murder.
He had proven himself to be a flawless and flexible tactician who adjusted seamlessly to any given situation. Aizen was known to use the tactic of dividing and conquering against his enemies with this being the most basic way of weakening his foes. Such was the case in the Soul Society where through manipulation he turned his former allies against one another allowing him to enact his own plans. It was shown that he planned for future encounters and set up counters to particular enemies. Such was the case with Head-Captain Yamamoto where he commented that he would struggle in a one-on-one confrontation with his opponent. Thus, he created a particular Arrancar named Wonderweiss Margela with the particular purpose of fighting the head of Squad 1. Wonderweiss's entire development was fixated on this goal where he sacrificed even the ability to speak in order to develop the necessary abilities for Aizen. In particular, this was the power to put out the flames that could be generated by Yamamoto' zanpakto.
It was shown that he could leave his foes alive in order to make them feel helpless and defeated with them forced to observe carefully as the battle reached its conclusion.
Aizen had said that there was no such thing as truth or lies in the world with their only being plain hard facts. He stated though that despite these objective views that all beings simply chose the facts convenient to them and take them as the truth. Sōsuke had said that such things were done because people knew no other way to live. Such beings made up he majority of the world but Aizen said that those facts were inconvenient for their own self-affirmation that make up the real truth. He believed that victors must always speak of the way the world should be rather than the way it was and it was for this reason he rebelled. In fact, he believed that someone of considerable intellect such as himself should not allow themselves to be controlled by the likes of the Soul King who Sōsuke referred to as a 'thing'. Despite its rule in the Soul Society, Aizen refused to acknowledge it and instead wanted to depose the Soul King.
According to Ichigo Kurosaki, Aizen was believed to feel cursed for being strong and had a desire to fight a powerful opponent. However, it was thought that he never came to find someone to match him making him feel alone as a result. It was said that a deep desire for Aizen was a wish that he was not so powerful and rather been born an ordinary person.
As the head of the Espada, he came to rule the Arrancars through respect and fear. They claimed that they all followed him in order to further their master's ambitions. Aizen kept the more unruly members in line through a mixture of intimidation and mind games. It was said that the Arrancar followed him because he showed no fear which they found inspiring as they were creatures born from fear and despair.
Ultimately, Aizen looked to evolve himself into something greater than a shinigami or a Hollow. He believed that such evolution was driven by fear allowing one to attain greater power as a result. In fact it was this fear that one in their current state could be destroyed at any time leading to hem seeking to become stronger. After merging with the Hōgyoku, he no longer was cautious as he became effectively immortal. This saw him no longer having a need to take care in battle nor evade any attack as he simply healed within moments.
Aizen had said that he actually hated Kisuke Urahara as he could not comprehend how someone of his intellect would allow himself to be controlled by the Soul King.
Powers and abilities
As a soul, Sōsuke Aizen was a being that came to reside in the Soul Society where he had the ability to manipulate his spiritual pressure. It was remarked that his mere presence was monstrously overwhelming where the force of his Reiatsu was great enough to bring powerful Arrancar to their knees without much effort.
In addition, his mind had a talent towards science and experimentation. Secretly, he conducted experiments involving unique and highly dangerous manipulations of Reiryoku and Reishi with this including work on Hollowfication of Shinigami. He also had a considerable amount of knowledge about the Soul Society with this covering matters only known to the Captain-Commander. This included being aware of the existence of the Ōken and its method of creation.
Through words alone, he was able to shatter the will of others and undermine their confidence. He also engaged in acts to cause a person to fall into a rage and attack him recklessly.
He was shown to be an extremely powerful combatant who was well above many captain-level Shinigami. According to himself, he was stronger than all the Espada put together. Gin Ichimaru had commented that no amount of preparation could hope to combat Aizen.
He was shown to be trained in Hakuda (白打, White Hits; Viz "Hand-to-Hand Combat") that was a close-combat style of fighting and as a highly capable unarmed fighter. On multiple occasions, he had caught his opponent's weapons with a single bare hand. Typically though, he preferred to finish his fights quickly with his Zanpakutō or Kidō.
It was shown that he was a Shunpo (瞬歩, Flash Steps) master allowing him to move at incredible speeds. Such was his skill that he could dodge simultaneous attacks at close-range and even when being attacked from behind. This was the case with him in a fight against Ichigo here he managed to easily outmaneuver his Bankai and Hollow mask-enhanced speed to the point where he could casually lay a hand on Kurosaki's chest and still dodge a point-blank attack.
Aizen was shown to have an immense proficiency in the use of Kidō (鬼道, Demon/Spirit Way; Viz "Demon Arts") techniques. Among the spells he knew included:
- Bakudō #81: Dankū (斷空, Splitting Void; Viz "Airtight") : a defensive spell whereby a translucent barrier formed in the shape of a large rectangular wall that was capable of stopping Kido-based attacks going as strong as a level 89.
- Hadō #90: Kurohitsugi (黒棺, Black Coffin) : a Kidō spell whereby he engulfed a target within a black spiritual spear where they were beset upon by intense gravity and lacerated by spikes thus injuring them.
- Hadō #99: Goryūtenmetsu (五龍転滅, Five Swirling Dragons of Destruction; Viz "Five Dragon Destruction") : upon activation, energy erupted over a large area around the user that caused the ground to rise up into pillars whereupon five enormous light purple dragons rose into the air above the user.
Using Kido, he was shown to had created a small barrier around his neck to prevent him from dying through a sneak attack from his blindspot.
A skilled swordsmen, he was able to perform incredibly powerful and precise strikes that could cut through very sturdy targets. His Zanpakutō (斬魄刀, Soul-Cutter Sword; Viz "Soul Slayer") was known as Kyōka Suigetsu (Japanese: 鏡花水月, Translation: Mirror Flower, Water Moon) where in its sealed form and resembled a normal katana. Its shikai (始解, Initial Release) release command was 'Shatter' (砕けろ, kudakero) that could be used to activate or deactivate the blade. This allowed him to use his sword's special ability which was Kanzen Saimin (完全催眠, Complete Hypnosis). It possessed the ability to control the five senses to the point of making a target misinterpret another person's form, shape, mass, feel and even smell with them being mistaken for an enemy. The initial condition for this hypnosis was that the enemy had to see Kyōka Suigetsu at the exact moment it was released. Once seen, the person came to be completely susceptible to the hypnosis every time it was released regardless of how long ago they saw it. With it, he was able to create a decoy of himself or other illusions in order to distract his opponents allowing him to hide his own movements or conduct attacks with impunity. However, the conditions for its use was that it needed to be seen for victims to succumb to the hypnosis with this ability not working on the blind or those who have not seen its release.
At one point, he came to place the Hōgyoku in his chest where it provided him potent healing ability by undoing any damage done to him. According to him, he came to subjugate it to his will and it became a part of him as it was embedded in his chest. He was able to cause it manifest his desires to be beyond a shinigami or Hollow where at first his evolution caused him to form a featureless form. In this state, he was powerful enough to defeat multiple high-ranking shinigami without issue. Once this chrysalis had broken, he manifested in his first evolved form where his face was shown whilst his eyes turned purple. In this state, his sheer presence was enough to nullify the existence of ordinary humans whilst those with some measure of spiritual presence being overwhelmed by his power to the point that they collapsed unconscious. Later, Gin Ichimaru revealed his true intentions and seemingly nearly killed Aizen whilst taking the Hōgyoku but the relic was a part of Sōsuke and he reformed around it even when it was taken from him. By his point, the fear of death allowed his evolution to continue and his physical form had changed once again wit him gaining butterfly-like wings. After his defeat, he lost access to these powers though retained his immortality and tremendous Reiryoku reserves.
Originally, he was a member of the Soul Society and had been a part of the Gotei 13. This saw him rising from a lieutenant and become a captain of his own division.
Aizen came to be the leader of the Espada (十刃, (エスパーダ), Esupāda; Spanish for "Sword", Japanese for "Ten Blades") that consisted of the strongest Arrancar.
Notes
- Sōsuke Aizen was created by Tite Kubo where he featured in the setting of Bleach.
In other media
Television
- In Bleach, Sōsuke Aizen appeared in the setting of the anime television series adaptation were he was voiced by Japanese actor Shō Hayami and by English actor Kyle Hebert in the dub.
Video games
- In Jump Force, Sōsuke Aizen appeared as a playable character in the setting of the crossover fighting video game where he was voiced once again by Japanese actor Shō Hayami.
Appearances
- Bleach:
External Links
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