Board Thread:New on Bleach Wiki/@comment-27120311-20151025235010/@comment-26475399-20151220205726

Devmccall wrote: Ichigo's hollow powers were in attached by a death grip to his old soul reapers powers, which he lost. So they are gone.

Coolishy777 wrote: No his powers are not gone. have you been keeping up?

Actually, Devmccall's comment kinda has me thinking.

Ichigo lost his Shinigami powers upon using the Final Getsuga Tenshou. This technique drained him of all his Reiatsu and powers, although due to his genetics, there always remains the fact that his DNA is comprised of Human/Shinigami/Hollow/Quincy. So, yeah, he lost all of his own powers, but there was that tiny now-dormant presence of his hybrid composition, from which his powers were re-awakened with the help of the Captains who poured their Reiatsu into that blade with which Rukia pierced him at the end of the Fullbring arc. In essence (the way i've seen it, anyway), Ichigo's regained powers would have been merely borrowed from those Captains, had it not been for that bit of his soul composition that he really never could possibly lose. The Captains' Reiatsu was simply to give his innate power the overwhelming stimulation it needed in order to fully awaken again.

(Otherwise, wouldn't he be borrowing their powers/techniques, rather than getting to use nothing but his own Getsuga Tenshou? Such being the case as well with Rukia sharing her powers at the beginning of the series: She didn't actually "give" him her powers; she lost hers, yes, but we later find out that Ichigo was truly a Shinigami anyway, and that Rukia sharing her Reiatsu was just awakening Ichigo's natural powers.)

So, with that in mind, now onto the point i'm making here. Since Ichigo lost his powers via FGT, i'm thinking that the mix of his hybrid nature was a bit different upon regaining his powers at the end of the Fullbring arc. Remember during his FGT training, Tensa Zangetsu fully merged with Hollow Ichigo, and that was their state and form when Ichigo uses FGT and thus loses his power. When Ichigo regains his power, i would imagine the two different powers would re-awaken in the same state: merged, together, in harmony.

(I will point out, though, that during Ichigo's Soul Palace training, Old Man Zangetsu and Hollow Ichigo weren't merged, but i believe their respective powers were still in harmony, just the spirit manifestations themselves didn't conjoin. Fully together, though separated... if you will. Which explains the true Zanpakuto dual form; they work together as one, but are channeled through their own vessel of respective blade. Merged in essence and powers, but not in physical manifestation.)

Through this thought process, i believe that Ichigo lost the need for Hollowfication during his training for the Final Getsuga Tenshou, and this carried over when he regained his powers. The moment that Hollowfication became obsolete, was when Tensa Zangetsu merged with Hollow Ichigo.

Now i wonder. Ichigo may not need Hollowfication or the mask anymore, but would he still have this ability just for the sake of having that much control over his Hollow powers? Currently, i'd say the likely answer is no. HOWEVER... maybe his reforged Bankai will include a mask, or some other form of Hollowfication? Be it a mask, some sorta variation or parts of his Vasto Lorde form, a new Arrancar-type appearance, or even... an appearance similar to Ginjo's Bankai (no mask, yet face markings like that of a Hollow mask, and/or the Hollowfied eyes)?

Hmmm. The possibilities. But using a Hollowfication as a separate power for purpose of spiking his strength, i believe Ichigo is far beyond and above that point now, and there is no longer a reason for it to even be an ability or technique anymore.