Hollowfication



Hollowfcation is the term used to describe when a Shinigami gains Hollow powers. In doing so, the Shinigami's strength greatly increases as well as their agility, speed, and stamina. In addition, the Shinigami also obtain access to Hollow powers such as Cero. The particular group of Shinigami who have undergone Hollowfication are the Vizard. There are eight members of the Vizard, whom were all either captain-class or lieutenant-class (excluding Ichigo Kurosaki). As Aizen stated, "a normal soul can't contain the prototype" when undergoing Hollowfication, therefore, Shinigami have to be the ones who undergo this process.

After a Shinigami obtains Hollow powers, they have to don their Hollow mask in order to have access to it. The mask eventually wears off after a certain period of time. The time interval is different for each Vizard. For example, on her first try, Mashiro Kuna could maintain her mask for at least 15 hours without tiring. On the other hand, Ichigo could only maintain his mask for four seconds at first (though he managed to train enough with the Vizard to maintain it for a confirmed 11 seconds just a bit prior to his second battle with Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez). This is the reason they go under special training to build up their stamina so they could hold their masks for a longer period of time. The appearance of each Hollow mask is different to every individual.

The Vizard, sans Ichigo, fell victim to Hollowfcation as a result of Sōsuke Aizen's experiments about 100 years before the current storyline to create a Shinigami/Hollow hybrid. It is unknown how Aizen achieved this process but it was considered a failure because they weren't perfect hybrids. Ichigo, on the other hand, obtained his Vizard powers differently. As a result of regaining his Shinigami powers, a Hollow had spawned within his conscience. After eventually subjugating his inner Hollow, Ichigo is finally able to don his Hollow mask like the other Vizard can.