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Ichigo Kurosaki with his newly forged twin blades on Zanpakuto in Bleach
Ichigo Kurosaki with his newly forged twin blades on Zanpakuto in Bleach (Image via Pierrot)

Bleach: Does Ichigo have two Zanpakuto spirits?

Priya MajumdarBy Updated:4 Mins Read Anime

An essential component in a Shinigami’s battle arsenal is their fighting weapon, and in Bleach‘s case, it’s Zanpakuto. In simple terms, a Zanpakuto is a kind of blade that has different characteristics based on the wielder’s approach to it. In its sheathed form, Zanpakuto resembles a standard katana, but when released, the size, matter, and function changes. 

Interestingly, in Bleach, each Zanpakuto has a spirit and name. So, Byakuya Kuchiki, Captain of 6th Division, has a Zanpakuto whose name is Senbonzakura that is different from Benihime, the Zanpakuto of Kisuke Urahara. Almost every Arrancar, Shinigami, and Visored has a Zanpakuto in Bleach, but only the ones who have a distinguishing rank can possess one. 

An exception to this rule is the Bleach protagonist himself, who, despite being a substitute Shinigami, is a dual Zanpakuto wielder. Now, in Tite Kubo’s series, only very few characters are seen using two dual blades, but even they don’t have two Zanpakuto spirits like Ichigo does. However, the question is why and how did Ichigo even come to possess two Zanpakuto spirits?

Note: This article contains spoilers from the Bleach series.

The reason why the Bleach protagonist has two Zanpakuto spirits is rooted in his origins

Isshin Kurosaki is a former Shinigami of Soul Society, whereas his wife, Masaki, had been a Quincy. As a result of their romantic union, their eldest child, Ichigo Kurosaki, inherited both of their powers. After a much complicated storyline that involved the revelation of his dual powers, the Bleach protagonist’s possession of twin Zangetsu, or Zanpakuto spirit, became a topic of discussion within the fandom.

The Zangetsu, which is the manifestation of his Quincy powers, is a tall, dark, handsome man with shoulder length hair, pointed jaw and cheeks, wears brown-tinted glasses, and dons a black outfit. The other Zangetsu, who is born out of Ichigo’s Hollow Shinigami powers, is a spitting image of the Bleach protagonist, but in inverted colors. This means he has white skin and hair but his tongues and nails are black. His eyes are peculiar in the sense that it has the presence of black, white, and yellow.

Zangetsu - Quincy (left), Zangetsu - Hollow (right) in Bleach
Zangetsu – Quincy (left), Zangetsu – Hollow (right) in Bleach (Image via Studio Pierrot)

The former was introduced much earlier in the series, while the latter was first seen in episode 39 to train Ichigo to get back his Zanpakuto. In fact, both the Zangetsu have different personalities and treat Ichigo accordingly. 

While the difference in the two Zangetsu was established eventually, the merging (not in the strict sense) came after Oetsu Nimaiya forged a black Bankai sword for Ichigo using an actual Asauchi. It was discovered that the substitute Shinigami didn’t possess a true Shikai, which is why his Zanpakuto got broken. 

But then Oetsu masterfully fused the powers of Ichigo’s Quincy and Hollow powers to create a dual blade Zanpakuto that has a true form. Here, the shorter blade is the manifestation of “the old man” (Quincy Zangetsu), while the larger blade is born out of Hollow Zangestu’s abilities. 

The Zanpakuto is likewise helpful in aiding Ichigo in the battle through its various forms and abilities. Aside from the Shikai ability, the twin blades of Ichigo’s reforged Zanpakuto can use Getsuga Tensho and Getsuga Jujisho by absorbing Ichigo’s powers and delivering powerful slashes on the targets. Aside from that, Ichigo’s Bankai and Tensa Zangetsu are also possible due to the merging of the two Zangetsu abilities. 

With Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War Part 2, titled The Separation, only a few days away, the second cour promises to adapt one of the best arcs of the anime. Moreover, it is here that fans will come across Ichigo’s new Zanpakuto and how he uses it to bring down someone as mighty as Soul King-empowered, Yhawach.

 

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Priya is an anime lover and writer at GamesHorizon. A graduate from EFL University, she is deeply interested in anything remotely anime, manga, and fan culture. In her free time, she likes to draw, cook, visit cafes, and read fanfiction on a variety of anime fandoms' ships.