Board Thread:Questions and Answers/@comment-31283382-20131221170348/@comment-8986886-20131222002222

MilanVukas wrote: I read somewhere that Asauchi are forged from souls of passed Death gods. Is that true? And also, if it is, what is Ryujin Jakka forged of (since it belongs to first Death god)?

Nimaiya claims that noone, save Ichigo, has ever managed to create a Zanpakutõ, without first possessing an Asauchi. On the other hand, Nimaiya also explains that he needs Shinigami souls to forge his Asauchi.

The first Zanpakutõ were likely forged, using just ordinary Souls possessing high spiritual energy. If you stay true to every word, though, according to Nimaiya it's not the Zanpakutõ that defines a Shinigami, since that would present a catch-22. So what is the one thing that makes a Shinigami different from an ordinary Soul?