Hyōrinmaru (Zanpakutō spirit)

This article is about the manifested spirit of Tōshirō Hitsugaya's Zanpakutō. For his Zanpakutō and its abilities, see Hyōrinmaru.

is the manifested spirit of Tōshirō Hitsugaya's Zanpakutō that is seen during the anime-exclusive Zanpakutō Unknown Tales arc.

Character Outline
Hyōrinmaru appears as a tall, young man with long, wild, teal green hair, an icy blue X across the center of his face, and gray eyes. In his human form, Hyōrinmaru appears as a stoic and silent man dressed in loose samurai-like garments a chain around his waist (similar to his Zanpakutō form) and a dull gold adornment on his chest (similar to the design on Hitsugaya's sash). His arms and legs are covered in ice, similar to Tōshirō when using Bankai, and he has a prehensile tail with an icy tip. At any time, Hyōrinmaru can take the form of a gigantic, icy blue, serpentine dragon with large wings and an echoing voice.

He is portrayed as calm and silent, only speaking when it is something of importance, as shown when talking to Ichigo. His composure is great enough to even put up with the juvenile antics of his fellow Zanpakutō spirits, even when he is caught in the middle of it. Unlike the other manifested Zanpakutō spirits, Hyōrinmaru does not remember his name or his master. His reason for rebelling against the Shinigami is to find the place where he and his power can be understood. He seems to have a slightly humorous side to him as well. During one of the anime omakes, Isane Kotetsu steps in to check up on Tōshirō who was still recovering from his battle only to find the flowers, the basket of fruit, the curtains, and his blanket frozen. Also, there were two statues of Tōshirō and Hyōrinmaru bowing down to him, while he asks Isane casually if something was the matter. After being scolded by her, and having all of the ice removed, Hyōrinmaru simply says his release command and freezes the room again, this time completely, shocking Isane.

Synopsis
Hyōrinmaru first appears when he, along with Muramasa, join all of the Zanpakutō spirits in a cave. He, along with Muramasa, are welcomed by Suzumebachi and Tobiume, immediately charming both and prompting the former to comment on him that he looks 'kind of cool.' Later, he appears before Hitsugaya in his dragon form. Hitsugaya notices that something is wrong, but when Hitsugaya asks Hyōrinmaru what is wrong, the dragon vanishes. He is then seen along with the rest of the Zanpakutō spirits that appear before the Shinigami that have gathered at the Sōkyoku Hill. He, along with Senbonzakura and Ashisogi Jizō, appears seemingly out of thin air and walks past his former master before joining the rest of the spirits. He is then seen defending Muramasa from an attempted strike from Ikkaku Madarame.

He is later seen in the cave from the beginning of the arc after Ichigo's seeming defeat of Muramasa. Haineko and Tobiume are arguing persistently over the male spirits battling, then fight themselves until Hyōrinmaru shows himself. Haineko then runs behind him calling him an affectionate name, which Hyōrinmaru shows no reaction to.

Hyōrinmaru appears later while Ichigo Kurosaki is hunting for Byakuya Kuchiki. He tells Ichigo that Muramasa's orders were to not fight Ichigo, though he admits he does not know why. He then proceeds to attack and seal Ichigo within an ice pillar. Ichigo manages to break out with his Bankai and prepares to counterattack. Hyōrinmaru shows surprise at this and asks him what his Zanpakutō's name is, but Ichigo remarks that is none of his concern. The ice Zanpakutō realizes that Ichigo is not his former master and says that he has no more business with Ichigo and starts to walk away. When asked by Ichigo if he knows who his former master is, Hyōrinmaru replies that he does not know, nor does he know his own name. He uses the Sennen Hyōrō on Ichigo and continues to leave. Hitsugaya then appears and tells Hyōrinmaru his name and that he's Hitsugaya's Zanpakutō.

Hyōrinmaru scoffed at the claim that he belonged with a mere child and decided to prove it as such by defeating Hitsugaya. The battle quickly turned to Hyōrinmaru's favor. After Hyōrinmaru explained his only desire was to find the true place he belonged, this prompted Hitsugaya to get his partner back more then ever as he could relate to such loneliness from his childhood. Once Hitsugaya unleashed his Zanpakutō's power, he was finally able to make Hyōrinmaru remember everything, and convince Hyōrinmaru they truly belonged together, prompting Hyōrinmaru to return to Hitsugaya.

Saddened by the pain he caused his partner, Hyōrinmaru brings Hitsugaya back to the 4th Division headquarters to recover, during which he keeps a watchful eye him. When Hitsugaya awakens and attempts to rejoin the fight, Hyōrinmaru convinces him to let his wounds heal and trust in his allies' strength, just as Hitsugaya had convinced Hyōrinmaru to have faith in his young partner's strength. When Hitsugaya has recovered from his injuries, he and Hyōrinmaru help the Shinigami trapped by Ryūjin Jakka. The pair use their Bankai to freeze the flames, allowing Ichigo to escape.

Powers and Abilities
At any time, Hyōrinmaru can manifest the Shikai form of his form self. It is a sword with a long blade, star-shaped tsuba, and a crescent-shaped blade attached to its hilt by a long metal chain, which can extend greatly if necessary by force of will. The chain itself can be used as an attack or to entangle a target.


 * Shikai Special Ability: His slashes can create an immense amount of spiritual power which overflows from the tip of the blade, creating a flow of ice shaped like a Chinese dragon. The dragon flies towards opponents and instantly freezes anything it touches. Hyōrinmaru can create multiple ice dragons to attack an opponent from various angles. He can also further manipulate these dragons to surround a target. Hyōrinmaru can also direct his slashes towards the ground and form a wave of ice which rushes over his opponents, overwhelming and freezing them. The chain-blade also freezes anything Hyōrinmaru traps with it. The power it expels is so overwhelming that in Soul Society, its mere release affects the weather within the immediate vicinity, creating a thunderstorm or a blizzard.


 * Hyōrinmaru creates many ice pillars which encircle him or and his enemy. At his command (when he turns his sword 90 degrees counter-clockwise), these pillars then move towards the enemy, enveloping and crushing it.

Ice Manipulation: Hyōrinmaru is the strongest of all ice-element Zanpakutō in Soul Society. It has the power to control ice and water. As such, it doesn't need water to be present in order for him to use its abilities. The power it expels is so overwhelming that in Soul Society, its mere release affects the weather within the immediate vicinity, creating a thunderstorm or a blizzard. His control is so great, Hyōrinmaru is able to freeze anything he comes in contact with and can instantly perform any of his ice techniques.

Enhanced Speed: Hyōrinmaru has shown to move at tremendous speeds. He is able to surprise Hitsugaya with his speed, thus showing the level of his speed.

Master Swordsmanship Specialist: While only seen for a few seconds, Hyōrinmaru demonstrated impressive skill from effortless being able to block Ikkaku Madarame's attempted attack on Muramasa, as well as being capable of easily countering the attacks from Hitsugaya, a captain level Shinigami.

Immense Spiritual Power: Hyōrinmaru stated that his power is so vast only a truly powerful Shinigami could wield him thus saying he has enormous spiritual power. This is also proven as he was able to easily break through Hitsugaya's Kidō spell.


 * Bankai: Daiguren Hyōrinmaru (大紅蓮 氷輪丸, Great Crimson Lotus Ice Ring): Hyōrinmaru can transform into a gigantic, icy blue, serpentine dragon with large wings. It is capable of firing a beam of ice from its mouth, which is powerful enough to temporarily freeze Ryūjin Jakka's flames.

Quotes

 * (To Hitsugaya) "Don't make me laugh. There's no way that a mere child such as yourself could be my master."

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Hyōrinmaru (espíritu)