Espada (Bleach)

The Espada are an anime and manga team that features in Bleach.

History

The Espada (十刃, (エスパーダ), Esupāda; Spanish for "Sword", Japanese for "Ten Blades") were a group of Arrancar that were created by Sōsuke Aizen after he went rogue from the Soul Society. After travelling to Hueco Mundo, he decided to use the power of the Hōgyoku in order to turn the most powerful Hollows into fully formed Arrancar. The top ten strongest were used to create his elite warriors that were the Espada who served under him whilst those created afterwards. During Aizen's rule, he came to regularly sent out the Espada to seek out Vasto Lorde-class Menos in order for them to be recruited into his army and to transform them into Arrancar. At one point, Nnoitra Gilga was responsible for toppling Nelliel Tu Odelschwanck from her position as 3rd in the Espada where her injuries forced her to wander Hueco Mundo in a child-like state.

Lord Aizen dispatched Ulquiorra Schifer and Yammy Riyalgo to the world of the living to Karakura Town in order to investigate a human substitute shinigami for his strength. They later returned to Los Noches where Cifer reported his findings to Aizen and the assembled Espada. Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez came to berate Ulquiorra for leaving Ichigo alive to potentially threaten them another day, though Schifer promised to deal with him if this were to ever occur. Despite that, Grimmjow decided to take his Fracción as they went to the world of the living. Arriving there, they used Pesquisa to detect everyone with substantial Reiatsu across Karakura Town and prepare to kill them all. Grimmjow orders his Fracción to not let any of their targets escape before they leap out across Karakura Town, immediately alerting Ichigo and the Shinigami. As Rukia realizes what they are planning and that Sado is one of the targets, Ikkaku and Yumichika move out while Hitsugaya and Rangiku are confronted by Shawlong Koufang and Nakeem Grindina. Elsewhere, Sado is attacked by Di Roy Rinker, but Ichigo intercepts the latter's hand mid-jab as Edrad Liones and Yylfordt Granz confront Ikkaku and Renji. Simultaneously, as Ichigo prepares to battle Di Roy, Rukia steps in and swallows a Chappy pill to reveal that she has regained her Shinigami powers from living in the Reishi-dense Soul Society. With Chappy restraining Ichigo, Di Roy attacks Rukia while she is talking to him and declines to learn her name, prompting Rukia to ask him to remember the name of her sword and initiate Some no mai, Tsukishiro. Though Di Roy attempts to escape it by leaping into the air, Rukia freezes him solid in a pillar of ice, which shatters behind her. Suddenly, Grimmjow confronts them both, intimidating them with his powerful Reiatsu, while his remaining Fracción sense Di Roy's death and disparage him for being so weak. Rukia was alarmed by Grimmjow's powerful Reiatsu and attempted to warn Ichigo against fighting him, but Grimmjow immediately impaled her on his hand and deduced that she was not the stronger of the two of them, causing Ichigo to attack him in rage.

As Ichigo attacks him, Grimmjow effortlessly blocks the blade with his hand, pushing Ichigo away. Grimmjow decides to toy with Ichigo, goading him to release his Bankai and attack him. After threatening to do to Ichigo what he did to Rukia, an angered Ichigo quickly complies to the request and releases.[30] The two of them clash again, but even with his Bankai, Ichigo is unable to land a solid hit on Grimmjow. Grimmjow expresses his disappointment in the Bankai, saying that it only increases Ichigo's speed. However, Ichigo surprises him by unleashing his Getsuga Tenshō, landing a direct hit and scarring Grimmjow's torso. Grimmjow is surprised and delighted by the technique. Grimmjow laughs, noting that the turn of events is great, and that now he finds Ichigo worth killing. Grimmjow takes out his Zanpakutō and states that Ichigo shouldn't just stand there, as it is his turn. But before Grimmjow can act, he is stopped by the arrival of Kaname Tōsen, who tells him to sheathe his sword. Grimmjow becomes enraged that Tōsen is there and demands an explanation. Tōsen tells him that he has attacked the Human World, mobilizing five Arrancar without permission and leading them to their deaths as well as the fact that it was all against orders. He tells him that Aizen is furious and that his punishment will be decided in Hueco Mundo. Tōsen opens a Garganta and the two leave, much to Grimmjow's chagrin. When Ichigo demands that he come back as their fight was not over yet, Grimmjow states that he is a fool, as that is the only reason Ichigo is still alive. He then noted how Ichigo's Getsuga Tenshō is damaging his own body and that its use is limited. He goes on to say that even if he could continuously use the technique, it's still not powerful enough to defeat him in his released state. He then tells Ichigo to remember his name and to pray that he never hears it again, for, if he does, it will be the last thing he hears.

In Hueco Mundo, when Aizen refused to punish Grimmjow for his actions, Tōsen asks that he be allowed to execute him. Grimmjow notes that he must have a personal problem with him, prompting Tōsen to explain that he serves justice and doesn't tolerate those who sow discord. He then suddenly severs and incinerates Grimmjow's left arm. Enraged, Grimmjow moves to attack him, but is quickly told to stop by Aizen, who reminds him that if he were to attack Tōsen, he would have no reason to pardon him. Realizing his situation, Grimmjow reluctantly leaves. A month later, the Espada were gathered as Aizen oversaw the creation of a new Arrancar named Wonderweiss Margela. Though not one of their number, Wonderweiss was noted for possessing Espada levels of spiritual strength.

Afterwards, Aizen dispatched the Espada to Karakura Town where they were to provide a distraction in order for Ulquiorra to capture Orihime. Once she was captured by Ulquiorra, the Espada assault was called off and the attackers returned to Los Noches.

Los Noches was later infiltrated by Ichigo Kurosaki and his compatriots who were looking to rescue Orihime from the Arrancar. Meanwhile, several Arrancar began to see Orihime as a threat due to the attention she received from Aizen and started to pick on her. However, Grimmjow intervened to protect her as he saw her as a means of having another fight against Ichigo.

During this time, the Soul Society had launched its secret operation where they sent three of their captains with their lieutenants into Hueco Mundo once the Garganta had been stabilised. This allowed them to arrive just in time to rescue Ichigo and his comrades during their respective battles against the Espada. However, this fell into Aizen's trap as he then sealed the Garganta thus trapping the Gotei 13 Captain's within Hueco Mundo and revealed that his kidnapping of Orihime was done so simply as bait to try his foes to him. Trapping them in Hueco Mundo, it meant that the Gotei 13's fighting strength had been cut in half whereupon Aizen called on the Espada to attack Karakura Town in order to sacrifice it to become the Oken Key. Upon arriving, the Espada were confronted by the remaining Gotei 13 under Head Captain Yamamoto who had anticipated Aizen's plot and had actually moved Karakura Town into the Soul Society whilst replacing it with a duplicate. Thus, the Espada came to battle the Gotei 13 where they intended to journey into the Soul Society to destroy the real Karakura Town. During the battle, Aizen along with his lieutenants Tosen and Ichimaru were separated from the Arrancar who were forced to battle the Shinigami themselves. This saw individual fights being fought between the Arrancar and Shinigami starting with the lower ranks before them being fought between the stronger fighters. Many of the Shinigami were wounded in these fights though their Arrancar opponents were vanquished in the process. As such, many of the Espada were defeated and killed in the process before Aizen and his lieutenants intervened in the battle. Aizen would ultimately end up betraying Tier Harribel and killing Tosen after deeming them no longer of any use. This was because he saw everyone else as mere stepping stones to achieving his goals. Thus, he severed ties with the Espada who he treated the Espada as tools and believed were too weak to aid him any further. As such, Aizen was not at all distressed over the deaths of the Espada and calmly congratulated the intruders in Las Noches for their victories against the Espada as he left for Karakura Town.

In aftermath, any surviving Espada returned to Hueco Mundo where after the deaths of Coyote and Baraggan led to Harribel taking over that realm. She came to be the new ruler of Los Noches with the Arrancar rallying under her rule. This was until they came under attack from the Wandenreich empire and its army of Quincy. They came to massacre many of the Arrancar with Tier Harribel herself being defeated by His Majesty Yhwach. As a result, Heuco Mundo fell under the control of the Wandenreich who either killed weak Arrancar into their forces or forcibly conscripted them. Nelliel came to warn Ichigo of the attack whilst Grimmjow came to be one of the few Espada to had survived this onslaught.

Overview

In appearance, the Espada was an group of powerful Arrancar all of whom had shed their former Hollow forms and gained Shinigami-like powers.

Their ranks were comprised of ten Arrancar of exemplary strength who were given a number from 0-9. The lower the number, the greater level of Reiryoku (霊力, Spiritual Power) was held by the Espada member. Each Espada had a tattoo with their number somewhere on their bodies. It was said that each of the Espada represented an aspect of death.

Their immense amount of power and leadership status meant that they exerted a great deal of control as well as influence over Hollows of Huenco Mundo. They were also privy to several of Aizen's plans and most intimate secrets though not all of his plans.

As Aizen's subordinates, they were privy to several of his plans and most intimate secrets. Though his allies, Aizen treated them more as tools to do his bidding. In fact, he was not at all distressed over the deaths of the Espada and even congratulated his enemies over their victory.

Within the Espada's hierarchy, a higher-ranked member could give orders to lower-ranked members. On missions, they operated either alone or in pairs with the senior ranking member holding authority over the other. Typically, lower ranking Espada tended to only loosely follow orders and showed little restraint leading to them rushing into battle. This sometimes forced their partner to intervene in order to prevent the loss of a member of the Espada. Under Aizen's reign, any Espada ranked 4th or higher are not allowed to release their Zanpakutō within Las Noches, nor are any Espada allowed to discharge a Gran Rey Cero as both are powerful enough to destroy the majority of Las Noches.

An Espada could be demoted from the group either when they lose strength or cease to be useful to Aizen. Those that suffered this fate were known as the Privaron Espada (十刃落ち (プリバロン・エスパーダ), puribaron esupāda; Spanish for "Deprived Sword", Japanese for "Ten Fallen Blades") where they were officially known to had lost their rank and assigned a new three-digit number. With their demotion, their former position within the Espada was replaced by another powerful Arrancar. They came to reside in Tres Cifras (３ケタ (トレス・シフラス), toresu shifurasu; Japanese for "Three-digit", Spanish for "Three Digits") within their home dimension.

Members of the Espada were served by lesser Arrancar named the Fracción (従属官 (フラシオン) Furashion; Spanish for "Fraction", Japanese for "Subordinate Officers") who served as their subordinates.

It was said that any Espada ranked 4th or higher were not allowed to release their Zanpakutō within Las Noches. In addition, they were not allowed to discharge a Gran Rey Cero as both were powerful enough to destroy the majority of the city.

Each of the Espada had their own quarters within Las Noches which had been designed to suit their specific tastes.

Members

• Coyote Starrk (コヨーテ・スターク, Koyōte Sutāku) : a dark-haired male Arrancar who held the position of Primera (1st) in the Espada. Early in his existence, his loneliness led to him dividing his power thus creating Lilynette Gingerbuck. He was said to represent an aspect of death with his being Solitude.
• Lilynette Gingerbuck (リリネット・ジンジャーバック, Ririnetto Jinjābakku) :
• Baraggan Louisenbairn (バラガン・ルイゼンバーン, Baragan Ruizenbān) : an older male Arrancar who held the position of Segunda (2nd) in the Espada. He was originally the ruler of Hueco Mundo when he was a Hollow until he was deposed by Aizen and forced to become the shinigami's servant. He was said to represent an aspect of death with his being Aging or Time.
• Nelliel Tu Odelschwanck :
• Tier Harribel (ティア・ハリベル, Tia Hariberu; Viz: Tier Halibel) : a blonde haired female Arrancar who held the position of Tres (3rd) in the Espada. She was said to represent an aspect of death with her being Sacrifice.
• Ulquiorra Cifer (ウルキオラ・シファー, Urukiora Shifā) : a dark haired male Arrancar who held the position of Cuatro (4th) in the Espada. He was said to represent an aspect of death with his being Emptiness.
• Tres Bestias :
• Nnoitra Gilga : a tall male with long black hair who wore an eye-patch which covers the remainder of his hollow mask and his hollow hole which was located in his left eye with him being the 5th Espada. He was said to represent an aspect of death with his being Despair. He was shown to be very cocky and claimed to have the strongest hierro of any Espada in the past and present, which enabled him to repel attacks even from sharp weapons by his skin alone. Nnoitra was a firm believer in male dominance and hated the idea of women outranking or being stronger than men. Therefore, he has made it his goal to give women in higher positions their 'deserved' inferior rank. This mindset had led him to attack Nel, who frequently defeated him in battle although never killing him.
• Luppi Antenor : the new 6th Espada who took Grimmjows place after the lost of his arm. He later came to be killed by Grimmjow after his arm was restored by Orihime.
• Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez (グリムジョー・ジャガージャック, Gurimujō Jagājakku) : a blue-haired male Arrancar who held held the position of Sexta (6th) in the Espada. He was said to represent an aspect of death with his being Destruction.
• Zommari Rureaux : a tall muscular male Arrancar holding the rank of 7th Espada and the title for the fastest Sonido. He was said to represent an aspect of death with his being Hedonism.
• Szayelaporro Grantz : the Octava Espada ("eigth" Espada) and the younger brother of Yylfordt Granz, Grimmjow's fraccion. The remainder of his hollow mask forms rectangular framed glasses. He is a proud intellectual and scientist, meticulously analyzing subjects that interest him and organizing his plans down to the most minute detail. However, his research serves to satisfy a sadistic pleasure of using other people as dispensable test subjects. Szayel Aporro has the most fraccion under his control, which are modified to completely restore him when consumed, and can be recreated. He was said to represent an aspect of death with his being Madness.
• Yammy Riyalgo : a very tall and burly, and the remainder of his hollow mask forms a chin with teeth who held the rank of 10th Espada. He was said to represent an aspect of death with his being Rage. Upon the release of his zanpakuto, his rank changed from a ten to a zero, thus making him the Cero Espada ("zero Espada"). Along with his large stature was an inflated ego, which has led to a few mishaps that caused him a great deal of damage. Yammy also had issues controlling his anger, although this becomes his greatest strength whilst in his resurreccion.

Notes

• The Espada was created by Tite Kubo and featured as antagonists in the setting of the Bleach universe.

In other media

Television

• In Bleach, the Espada appeared in the setting of the anime television series adaptation. Shawlong Koufang when he described the Espada showed 11 silhouettes whereas in the manga there are only 10.

Video games

• In Bleach: Brave Souls, the Espada appeared in the setting of the mobile video game. According to the game, Nelliel's aspect of death was revealed to be Lamentation.

Novels

• In Bleach: Spirits Are Forever With You, the Espada appeared in the setting of the novel written by Ryōgo Narita.

Appearances

• Bleach:

External Links

• Bleach Wiki Entry
• Comicvine Entry

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