Gerard Valkyrie

is a Quincy and a member of the Wandenreich's Sternritter with the designation "M" - The Miracle, as well as one of Yhwach's. He is also the heart of the Soul King.

Appearance
Gerard is a tall and broad muscular man with light blonde, shoulder-length hair, and pupil-less eyes. He wears a winged helmet and a white cloak fastened at the front with three buttons and a dark red Hagal rune on the left-hand side. Underneath this cloak, he wears a red cape held by a pin on both shoulders, gauntlets on either arm, black pants with a white X-shaped belt and disc-shaped buckle, and white shinguards with discs on his kneecaps. Underneath his mask, Gerard has black sideways M-shaped marks covering the sides of his face, and wears a thin black braid around his scalp.

Personality
Gerard is a very aggressive man, rushing forward to attack Senjumaru Shutara almost immediately after being summoned to the Soul King Palace. He is also very confident in his power, proclaiming that Senjumaru could not hope to stop his blade with her delicate arms, and reacting with interest and amusement rather than apprehension when she summons a massive guard to fight him. Even when confronted by several lieutenant- and captain-level Shinigami, Gerard demanded that they all attack him at once because none of them would stand a chance in a one-on-one fight with him. However, he is unnerved by Kirio Hikifune's cage of trees, referring to it as an "eerie trick". He boisterously commends his opponents if they impress him in battle, and believes he is the greatest and mightiest of the Quincy.

He holds Yhwach in very high regard, as he loudly berated Lille Barro for killing and leaving Senjumaru's "corpse" in Yhwach's path and even ordered him to clear it up immediately.

In contrast to most Sternritter, he is benevolent toward most of his teammates, having caught and carried Pernida Parnkgjas after it fell off the Soul King Palace, and openly expressed his approval for Uryū Ishida after the latter explained his method of protecting Yhwach. However, this attitude is not expressed towards all of his allies, as he promised to kill Askin Nakk Le Vaar if he fell behind in battle.

He also showed his disapproval of sadism, as he promised to draw Hoffnung against Zaraki after catching a glimpse of his passion for wanting to cut him off.

History
Gerard and Pernida Parnkgjas did not have any special powers bestowed upon them by Yhwach, as they were the only Sternritter who possessed their special abilities from the beginning. Eventually, Yhwach bestowed a Schrift upon each of them in recognition of their status.

The Thousand-Year Blood War arc
When Yhwach summons his elite force, the Schutzstaffel, Gerard is among those who emerge from his shadow. Taking off his white cloak, Gerard promises to cut down Askin Nakk Le Vaar if the latter gets in his way before attacking Senjumaru Shutara, who blocks with her needle. However, Gerard easily destroys her needle with a single slash of his sword, Hoffnung, and demands to know if Senjumaru thinks she can block Hoffnung with her thin arm before attacking once more. When Senjumaru summons a much larger version of her guard, a grinning Gerard notes how big it is.

After Lille Barro seemingly kills Senjumaru, Gerard berates him for leaving the body in Yhwach's path before expressing disbelief at someone so weak being in the Royal Guard. When Kirio Hikifune surrounds the group with a cage of trees, an unnerved Gerard comments on how eerie it is before taunting Lille for being seemingly unable to pierce it with his Heilig Pfeil. After listening to Hikifune explain the nature of the cage, Gerard and the other Sternritter watch as Ōetsu Nimaiya lands before them and proclaims that the real fight begins here. Gerard immediately attacks Nimaiya, who dodges before cutting him down.

Soon afterward, Gerard is resurrected through the power of Yhwach's Auswählen. After Yhwach kills the Soul King and is confronted by Ichigo Kurosaki and his friends, Gerard and the other Schutztaffel arrive to confront them, with Gerard noting that he expected more of an army to oppose them. When Uryū Ishida manages to accurately predict what Lille is about to tell him about properly protecting Yhwach, a laughing Gerard proclaims that Uryū has their acknowledgment.

Later, Gerard and the other Schutzstaffel sit on couches in the palace. Noticing Uryū looks worried, Gerard assures him that Yhwach is going to completely absorb the Soul King without being harmed. After Yhwach completely absorbs the Soul King, Jugram Haschwalth informs Gerard and the others of this, to their surprise, before bringing them to the Soul King's chambers, where they find Yhwach oozing darkness. When Yhwach turns around to reveal that he has gained several more eyes, Gerard and the others are shocked. Due to Yhwach's immense power, the top of the palace shatters, forcing the Sternritter to move to pieces of rubble for safety.

Afterwards, Gerard is present alongside Haschwalth and the other Sternritter when Yhwach explains the name of his new palace, Wahrwelt, and how it will be the cornerstone of their new world. Later, a messenger informs Haschwalth that the Schutzstaffel have each gone to a different part of the city.

Gerard runs through the city, looking for opponents, but runs into a dead end. He then curses his fellow three Schutzstaffel. Eventually, Gerard confronts the Shinigami who have not been taken down by Lille and commends them for making it so far before proclaiming that they will have to get past him. When Renji Abarai attempts to confront him alone while the others move on, Gerard blocks their path with his cape before demanding that they all attack him at once.

Renji and Byakuya Kuchiki manage to wound Gerard. They send him flying back, saying the Quincy should not underestimate a captain and lieutenant and that he could never hope to beat them. However, Gerard laughs and says he would need a miracle to do that. Gerard explains that miracles should only occur under certain circumstances so that people recognize them for what they are. As Gerard proclaims that he will show the Shinigami a true miracle, Byakuya engulfs his head with Senbonzakura before flicking the blades sideways, which causes Gerard's bloody helmet to fly off, and blasting Gerard a second time.

However, as Byakuya and the others attempt to leave, an enormous Gerard appears before them, having used The Miracle to increase his size, and admits that he has never been damaged to this extent before. Gerard breaks off and throws a tower at the Shinigami, forcing them to scatter, before smashing his hand into the area where Shinji and Momo are. When Byakuya attacks him with Senbonzakura, Gerard blocks the petals with his hand before destroying the building where Byakuya is standing. After blowing away Rukia and Renji with his breath, Gerard proclaims that there are no miracles coming to save the Shinigami.

Soon afterward, Gerard laments how he has already defeated the captain-class Shinigami and noting that he will simply have to search for survivors before smashing the building where Hiyori Sarugaki and Hachigen Ushōda are hiding. As Gerard proclaims that making the impossible possible is the definition of a miracle, Hiyori dons her Hollow mask and fires a Cero at him, but Gerard merely brushes it off and claims that it will take more than this to defeat him, only to be surprised when Hachigen, Love Aikawa, and Lisa Yadōmaru attack him all at once. However, Gerard withstands their attacks and repels the Visored before deciding to flatten the area, only for Tōshirō Hitsugaya to appear and freeze his arm in place.

After Hitsugaya introduces himself as the captain of the 10th Division, Gerard introduces himself as a member of the "benevolent" Schutzstaffel and shatters the ice covering his arm before proclaiming that they should be friends as he smashes the area where Hitsugaya is standing. However, Hitsugaya merely dodges and states he is not interested in making friends before activating his Bankai, Daiguren Hyōrinmaru, and engulfing the upper half of Gerard's body in ice. Gerard shrugs off Hitsugaya's attacks, but as he tries to crush both Hitsugaya and Byakuya, Kenpachi Zaraki arrives and chops off his forearm.

After regenerating his arm and announcing its enhanced power, Gerard stomps on Kenpachi and Hitsugaya, only to be thrown into the tower at the center of Wahrwelt by Kenpachi. When Kenpachi attacks him once more, Gerard repels his attack by batting him away with his shield, sending Kenpachi flying through multiple buildings, before unsheathing Hoffnung while noting that it is worth letting his sword rust a little against a being of darkness like Kenpachi. After Kenpachi releases his Zanpakutō, Nozarashi, Gerard clashes with him, but is ultimately pushed back once more, though he notes that Kenpachi managed to nick the blade of Hoffnung as Kenpachi sustains a large cut to his chest.

As blood spurts from his wound, Kenpachi wonders what just happened, prompting Gerard to claim that The Miracle gives form to the desires and emotions of the masses, which is what increases his size and gives Hoffnung its power to reflect damage. Kenpachi ridicules Gerard for acting like a cliched villain, only for Gerard to ridicule him in turn for not yet having realized the gap between them as they begin clashing, with the two of them complimenting each other's speed and reflexes. Slowly but surely, Gerard begins to overwhelm Kenpachi and points out the waning power behind his strikes before smashing him into the ground. Intercepting Senbonzakura in the air behind him and smashing his sword into Hitsugaya, Gerard proclaims that he is the strongest and greatest warrior who has been bestowed with everything.

When Kenpachi's Bankai is activated, Gerard looks on in surprise before expressing disappointment at Kenpachi's resulting appearance. Claiming that Kenpachi is not worthy of being cut down with Hoffnung, Gerard attempts to punch him, only to be shocked when a roaring Kenpachi rips his arm off. Gerard reminds Kenpachi that cutting off his arms will accomplish nothing, but Kenpachi merely leaps into the air before slashing at Gerard, who has his left forearm cut off along with half of his shield when he attempts to block the strike. Kenpachi punches Gerard in the chin, sending him flying back off the edge of Wahrwelt as he wonders what this power is. Gaining a pair of wings and flying back toward the city, Gerard proclaims that a Shinigami cornering him like this could not occur even in his worst nightmare, but Kenpachi swiftly cuts him in half vertically.

As Gerard's two halves fall onto the city, they suddenly rise and form a Quincy Zeichen with their blood before fusing together once more, resulting in Gerard activating his Quincy: Vollständig, Aschetonig. Gerard destroys a large portion of the city with a blast from Hoffnung before proclaiming that as the most noble knight of God, he will raise his blade even in the face of his own mortality. After Kenpachi fails to attack him due to his arm breaking from the sheer power of his own Bankai, Gerard slashes him into the ground before destroying the building that Hitsugaya is standing on.

When Hitsugaya transforms into an adult, Gerard wonders what purpose this serves before proclaiming that this is how their fight should be. Slamming his sword down, Gerard claims that Hitsugaya is better suited to fight him as an adult before throwing his shield, which Hitsugaya freezes in place in midair before reprimanding Gerard for throwing around large objects that could fall on Seireitei like that. Gerard slashes at Hitsugaya, who cuts through the blade of Hoffnung before stating that its power has ceased to work because it is frozen, prompting Gerard to summon his Heilig Bogen while proclaiming that he will simply crush Hitsugaya with a torrent of power instead. However, Hitsugaya notes that he summoned his bow a second too late as Gerard is frozen solid by Shikai Hyōketsu. Suddenly, Gerard breaks free of the ice and grabs Hitsugaya while proclaiming that he cannot be bound by the elements of this world, only to suddenly be toppled by Kenpachi grabbing and pushing his feet. As Gerard's arm is frozen due to touching Hitsugaya, Byakuya summons the Senkei form of his Bankai before using its secret technique, Ikka Senjinka, to send the blades flying into Gerard's head.

Gerard's head is destroyed by the attack, and his torso is then frozen and shattered by Daiguren Hyōrinmaru. However, Gerard regenerates from his legs up, gaining a helmet-shaped face with a spike on each shoulder. He swipes at Rukia and Renji, who are pulled out of the way by Byakuya. He then strikes at the Shinigami, but is blocked by Byakuya's Bankai.

As Gerard continues battling Byakuya and Hitsugaya, he is suddenly struck by Yhwach's Auswählen, stripping him down to the bone and killing him.

Equipment
Shield: Gerard carries a large, circular bronze shield on his left forearm, which he uses as a sheath for Hoffnung when he is not using it. It is highly durable, having withstood a direct slash from Kenpachi Zaraki without being damaged, but has a limit to how much force it can sustain, as it was easily cut in half by Kenpachi's Bankai.

Cape: Gerard wears a cape that can be stretched to act as a wall, preventing his opponents from passing him.

Powers & Abilities

 * Gerard's innate ability that he has always possessed, rather than being a true Schrift granted by Yhwach's blood. Gerard describes it as the power to manifest "miracles" upon himself by giving form to the thoughts, feelings, and desires of himself and those around him. He also suggests that the more improbable a specific event is, the more likely The Miracle can make said event actually occur.


 * Probability Manipulation: By Gerard's own accounts, conventional miracles are the result of impossible or near-impossible events actually happening. Because of this, whenever Gerard is up against nigh-impossible odds (e.g. in battle), The Miracle allows him to succeed anyway regardless of his normal chances. When facing off against Byakuya Kuchiki, Shinji Hirako, and Renji Abarai, Gerard noted that it would be impossible for him to win under any normal circumstances, hence why The Miracle increased his power to allow for victory. Likewise, when Gerard noted the impossibility of finding the hiding Visored combatants due to their faint Reiatsu, he immediately located them, claiming that The Miracle allowed for it to happen.


 * Damage Empowerment: By focusing on people's "fear" of being unable to destroy him, Gerard can covert any physical damage wrought upon him, lethal included, into increases of his size and might (including strength, durability, and speed). Said increases are proportional to the damage inflicted, with massive harm done to him letting him grow gigantic, towering over multistoried buildings and utterly dwarding those of human size. Gerard refers to this as his ; upon undergoing the transformation, any injuries incurred prior immediately disappear. In his "Godly Size" form, Gerard becomes strong and hardy enough to smash a concrete tower with a simple backhand, deflect Byakuya's Senbonzakura with another mere swipe of his hand, use his breath to blow away his opponents as well as large chunks of debris, and even repel four Visoreds' coordinated assault. If Gerard loses a limb, it will automatically reform in a flash of light with visible veins, yet stronger than before. Even if he is cut in half vertically, Gerard will simply stitch his body back together.


 * Hope Infusing: Using The Miracle, Gerard can manifest the "hopes" of his allies into his Spirit Weapon, Hoffnung. By doing this, Hoffnung becomes nigh-unbreakable and reflects any damage it does take back onto the attacker.

Wings: If he needs to fly, Gerard can sprout a large pair of gold-colored wings, which also forms an aura of energy around Hoffnung.

Reishi Manipulation: As a Quincy, Gerard primarily absorbs spiritual energy from the atmosphere and combines it with his own spiritual energy to form weapons. He has an easier time collecting this energy in environments with higher concentrations of Reishi, such as in Soul Society or Hueco Mundo.

Immeasurable Spiritual Power: As a member of the Schutzstaffel, as well as being the Soul King's heart, Gerard possesses a truly immense amount of spiritual power that is greater than that of a captain-level Shinigami. Gerard himself expresses the utmost confidence he could take on numerous Shinigami captains and lieutenants by himself, several of whom are noted for being exceptionally powerful even among their peers. In his battle against the Gotei 13 and the Visored, The Miracle increases Gerard's already immense power to the point that he considers the Reiatsu of the captains and Visored so faint that he can barely feel them anymore. As a true testament of Gerard's strength, Kenpachi Zaraki, having already awakened his true power and surpassed Yachiru Unohana, immediately takes off his eyepatch and releases Nozarashi at the start of their battle, instinctively knowing that he must go all out against Gerard in order to even stand a chance.

Immense Strength: With a single swing of his sword, Gerard effortlessly blew a hole through the Vestibule Road in the Soul King Palace with ease, and later damaged part of Kirio Hikifune's Tree of Life with only the force generated by his sword swing. He later leaped from one branch of the reformed Soul King Palace to another, covering the tremendous distance in a single bound.

Swordsman: Gerard possesses some proficiency in wielding Hoffnung, allowing him to deliver basic but precise blows with great power behind them to his opponents during combat.

Hoffnung

 * Gerard's favored weapon manifests in the form of a black, double-edged sword with a black hilt. Its guard is V-shaped and has a star in the center. Gerard commonly stores it in his shield when he is not using it. It is powerful enough to easily shatter Senjumaru Shutara's needle and dent Kirio Hikifune's Cage of Life, and is durable enough to withstand a direct clash with Kenpachi Zaraki's Nozarashi while only sustaining a small nick in the blade.


 * Damage Reflection: According to Gerard, thanks to his The Miracle, Hoffnung is the "hopes" of people bundled together. Damaging "hope" causes "despair", so if Hoffnung is damaged in any way, the combatant who damaged it will suffer injuries in return. For example, a small nick in the blade will result in a disproportionately large cut in the opponent's body. However, Tōshirō Hitsugaya manages to disable this effect by freezing Hoffnung completely solid, ceasing its functions.

Heilig Bogen

 * Gerard's Heilig Bogen takes the form of a large gold-colored bow with two sets of handles, one bent at a smaller angle than the other, that support the thick string. He summons it by clasping his hands together before pulling them apart to form the weapon.


 * Gerard can fire enormous Heilig Pfeil, which he refers to as a "pure torrent of power".

Quincy: Vollständig

 * Gerard activates his Quincy: Vollständig by forming a Quincy Zeichen in the air with his blood. In this form, Gerard gains a Norse Reishi helmet, a star extending over the edges of his shield, and thick patterns covering his arms and legs as the star on the hilt of Hoffnung turns white.

Upon being granted power by Yhwach's Auswählen, Gerard's Quincy: Vollständig granted him a Heiligenschein in the shape of the Quincy Zeichen and pair of white, feathery Reishi wings.


 * Energy Blasts: Gerard can fire energy blasts from the tip of Hoffnung that are powerful enough to level entire city blocks.


 * Second Form: After Gerard's body is destroyed by Byakuya Kuchiki's Ikka Senjinka, Gerard recreates his entire body, but unlike his initial form, he now has a face resembling a knight's helmet and two spikes on his shoulders. He seems to be devoid of clothing, and has golden energy patterns on his shoulders and waist. Upon witnessing this transformation, Tōshirō Hitsugaya calls him a "monster".

Trivia

 * In the second best bout poll, Gerard's fight alongside the other Schutzstaffel against Ōetsu Nimaiya ranked 68th.
 * According to Tite Kubo, the visual motifs of the Schutzstaffel are based on different eras of war: Gerard is based off the medieval era.
 * Gerard's shoes are shown to be closed-toed in chapter 655, but change to open-toed in chapter 667.

Appearances in Other Media

 * In Ryōgo Narita's novel Bleach: Can't Fear Your Own World, it is implied that Gerard himself was not the actual heart of the Soul King, but rather was chosen to host it similar to how Jūshirō Ukitake hosted Mimihagi.

Quotes

 * (To Senjumaru Shutara) "A woman’s slender arms cannot hope to halt a strike from my blade!"


 * (To several powerful Shinigami) "At what point did I say this would be a one-on-one fight? In a fair duel, not even a miracle would allow you to defeat me! Come at me together!"


 * (To several powerful Shinigami) "Do you know when the phenomenon known as a “miracle” occurs? If a miracle were to occur at an ordinary moment nobody would think of it as such. 'Oh, hey.' 'You were pretty lucky there.' 'Strange things do happen.' That’s all they’d think."


 * (To the defeated Shinigami) "So terrifying it must be to be powerless! But do not cry in anguish. For no matter how much you cry out, no miracle will save you!"


 * (To the hiding Visored) "Alas, it seems that even Captain-level Shinigami of the Gotei 13 are powerless before my miraculous power. Even their Reiatsu is so tiny that I can scarcely sense it. Must I pick them out from among this rubble and kill them one by one with this titanic form? How bothersome. It is attempting to crush ants in the sand. A near-impossible task... but that is precisely why I will not fail! Did you think I would not find you because it is impossible?! Achieving the impossible is what miracles are for!"


 * (To Kenpachi Zaraki) "So, you managed to knock me down. You are quite strong. I do not like doing this, as it seems cruel, but you leave me no choice. Powerful incarnations of darkness such as yourself deserve to be turned to rust on my blade, Hoffnung!"


 * (To Kenpachi) "My power is that of miracles! Miracles are the incarnation of the hearts of the people! My great and impenetrable body was enlarged to incredible size by the people's 'fear'. And my blade, 'Hoffnung', is formed from the people's 'hope'. So if it cracks, that can only mean 'despair'!"


 * (To Kenpachi) "How indomitable! I admire your spirit! However...mere spirit cannot compensate for the gap in our strength!"


 * (To Tōshirō Hitsugaya and Byakuya Kuchiki) "I am the biggest, strongest and fastest of all Quincy! A warrior granted every blessing! Did you really expect to outwit me in battle?!"


 * "I am 'Aschetonig'. Noble warrior of God. Even in death, I wield this blade for my divine master!"

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