Board Thread:General Discussion/@comment-24317446-20160321225110

Warning: Manga pages and anime excerpts will be used in the defense and reinforcement of this theory. Therefore, spoilers are entirely possible, and likely.

This theory asserts that the Hōgyoku never actually rejected Aizen, and that this notion was merely speculation on Urahara's part. According to this theory, what actually occurred was Aizen's further evolution and transcendence. This theory will cover six general lines or topics of evidence: Hōgyoku evolution, the "rejection", the nature of Kyōka Suigetsu, the nature of Zanpakutō, Ichigo's theory about Aizen's loneliness, and Urahara's knowledge.

Hōgyoku Evolution

Sometime after Aizen first implanted the Hōgyoku into his chest, Isshin Kurosaki begins overpowering Aizen, due to both his previous victory over 7 Captain-level beings, and his own limits as a Shinigami. As a result of being near-death or realizing that death is probable, the Hōgyoku begins to manipulate Aizen's physiology and enhance it. During Aizen's First Fusion, Urahara's wrist seals cause Aizen's Reiatsu to swell within his body, which would have resulted in the explosion and annihilation of Aizen's body. However, the Hōgyoku negates this, and transforms Aizen's exterior into a hard chrysalis-like material, while the interior is constantly fluctuating as his soul is being reconstructed. During Aizen's Third Fusion, Ichimaru Gin nearly kills Aizen with Kamishini no Yari, as both almost all of Aizen's torso and heart are dissolved, resulting in him transforming into his Fourth Fusion. Do you see the pattern here? I certainly do. The only deviation in this pattern is the transformation of Aizen into his Final Fusion, which was due to intense negative emotion, especially anger (remember when Aizen pointed out that negative emotions like anger accelerate Hollowfication?), rather than fatal circumstances. During his Final Fusion, Aizen is completely obliterated to the point of disintegration by Mugetsu. However, he is reassembled at the molecular level, and the point of impact (the vertical slash) is the last to be healed. What happens next in the pattern? Evolution. The only reason Kyūjūrokkei Kakafūmetsu activated at all was due to the period of weakness between transformations, as described here by Urahara himself, not because Aizen had grown weak in general.

The "Rejection"

Urahara claims that the Hōgyoku has rejected Aizen because he is weak, yet the Hōgyoku did not reject Aizen after he lost his torso and heart- the generator of Reiatsu. This and this show that "rejection" is not possible, as Aizen was near-death, lacked the very thing that makes him strong, and fearful, yet the Hogyoku made no move to reject him, and if it did so, was immediately smothered. Why reject him at the point that it did, when Ichigo, the only threat to Aizen, was beginning to lose his powers and was not capable of retaliation, and Aizen was basically home-free to evolve? Why not reject him here, when he is clearly at his weakest to the point of not even being able to stand?

The Nature of Kyōka Suigetsu

"The special ability of Kyōka Suigetsu is Kanzen Saimin (完全催眠, Complete Hypnosis). It controls the five senses to the point where it can make the target misinterpret another person's form, shape, mass, feel, and smell to be an enemy's." - Bleach Wiki

Kyōka Suigetsu obviously focuses on illusory properties. Say that Aizen evolved even further, and actually did merge with Kyōka Suigetsu (which is already very likely, if not guaranteed). How do you think he would have appeared in his next form? Grand? All-powerful? Fearful? I would not surmise such, not based on the nature of Kyōka Suigetsu. He likely would have taken on a normal appearance (check), and became more powerful (check).

The Nature of Zanpakutō

"It is possible for a Shinigami to lose harmony with their Zanpakutō if they are suffering from mental instability, resulting in the Zanpakutō spirit in question unable to hear their wielder's voice, and thus causing the Shinigami to lose access to the sword's Shikai despite knowing its name." - Bleach Wiki

Aizen was clearly mentally unstable due to a severe superiority complex and possible psychological contamination by the Hōgyoku. It is therefore likely that he lost touch with Kyōka Suigetsu, thus causing his now-merged powers to retreat into himself until he regained sanity and therefore communication with his blade.

Ichigo's Theory about Aizen's Loneliness

The notion and evidence presented under The nature of Zanpakutō is further supported by this. He states that he only sensed "loneliness" in Kyōka Suigetsu, and then assumed this represented Aizen's heart as well. However, this loneliness could purely be Kyōka Suigetsu's. Think about it- you are Aizen's Zanpakutō spirit. He has relied on you for many years to maintain his image and ruse, plausibly meditated with you, and understood you. And you understood him back. However, he then implants the Hōgyoku into his chest, and he then begins relying purely on the Hōgyoku, and only uses you as a weapon, just like Zaraki Kenpachi did with his Zanpakutō. His psyche then begins to devolve as his power evolves, and you can't really understand him anymore, let alone communicate with him, but the Hōgyoku forces you through sheer will to remain fused and connected with him. What do you feel? Loneliness?

Urahara's Knowledge

Urahara claims that the Hōgyoku rejected Aizen and reversed his transformation and sapped his power, but when did Urahara become an expert on the will of the Hōgyoku? He is the same man who mistook the Hōgyoku's power as blurring the line between Hollow and Shinigami, not realizing it was only his own desire. He is not even aware of how to destroy it. I'm not going to suddenly believe him when he says he perfectly understands the Hōgyoku and what's it thinking when he has a past of the exact opposite.

TL;DR

The Hōgyoku's rejection of Aizen as its master was actually Aizen's evolution and merge with Kyōka Suigetsu disguised as devolving back into a Shinigami and Kyōka Suigetsu's destruction. Aizen is both currently merged with Kyōka Suigetsu and transcendent due to the Hōgyoku's rejection never taking place. 