User blog comment:Glenn Jones/Which espada went to hell/@comment-44061-20120130072939

Hell is commonly reserved for the worst of humans. If a human becomes a hollow they are purified by shinigami of all the sins they committed as a hollow and their soul is brought back into the wheel of balance. If they were already bad as humans before becoming hollows it doesn't matter if their is purification their sins as humans trump it and they are sent to hell. Considering that two arrancar are shown to have died via direct attack by a zanpakuto and they are both seen in hell, there are two possible scenarios. Either they both did wrong as humans before becoming a hollow in the first place or arrancar cannot be cleansed of their sins like a hollow and they go to hell when they die. I dont think that picking characters simply cause you like them makes them exempt. Harribel is alive and therefore not in line as well as apparently Grimmjow. Starrk as understandable his reasoning and how we can sympathize with him he was still an arrancar subject to the destiny that role had for him and for the choice he made to serve Aizen. Ulquiorra definitely was sent to hell, a realization on understanding the human heart at the last minute doesnt absolve him of his deeds similar to Starrk but even worse cause he had no reason beyond being his orders.