Ichigo Kurosaki

is a Human who has Shinigami powers. He is also a Substitute Shinigami. Ichigo is the son of Isshin and Masaki Kurosaki, and older brother of Karin and Yuzu.

Appearance
Ichigo's most distinguishing feature is his spiky orange hair, a trait he has been ridiculed about for years on end. He is a fairly tall, lean-built young man with peach skin and brown eyes. He likes to wear tight clothes. He has a tendency to wear shirts patterned with the number 15 because his name is a homonym for the number. Since becoming a Shinigami, he has become noticeably more muscular, as noted by his sister Karin. When in his spiritual form, Ichigo wears the standard Shinigami attire, with the addition of a strap across his chest. Initially, it was a thick brown belt to hold his Zanpakutō sheath, but it later became a red rosary-like strap. It is shaped like a kite with a flat top and bottom. Ichigo's appearance has caused several people, including Jūshirō Ukitake, to note a similarity to Kaien Shiba, the former lieutenant of the 13th Division. After training in the Dangai, Ichigo's hair grows considerably, and he is noticeably taller, as stated by his friends. After Ichigo loses his Shinigami powers, his appearance reverts to the way it was before his Dangai training.

Seventeen months after defeating Aizen, Ichigo's overall appearance does not change, but he becomes taller and grows sideburns. After regaining his powers, Ichigo's Shinigami attire consists of a thicker strap across his chest. He has four black vertical lines on his forearms and black, tattoo-like bands crossing over his chest, wrists, and ankles. Similar bands, but with white ends, lie around his neck as collars.

Personality
When he was younger, Ichigo considered his mother to be the center of his world, always smiling when he was with Masaki and regularly holding her hand. Despite crying whenever he lost in a match at the dojo he attended, Ichigo started to smile again as soon as he saw Masaki when she came to pick him up. At a very young age, Ichigo heard his father saying his name means "to protect one thing," which instilled in him a desire to protect his mother. When his sisters were born, he began attending a dojo for the sake of protecting them. Since then, the number of people he wishes to protect has continued to grow, causing Ichigo to risk his life to protect both the people close to him and complete strangers.

As a teenager, Ichigo is stubborn, short-tempered, strong-willed, and impulsive. Despite claiming not to care about what other people think about him, he attempts to maintain a detached and "cool" image. He generally keeps his face set in a near-permanent scowl, with his eyebrows drawn together. His outspoken, hot-headed demeanor is a trait Ichigo himself has acknowledged, and if somebody picks a fight with him, he cannot help fighting back. He coldly refers to his teachers as "instructors". He is genuinely compassionate and empathetic towards others, promising to bring a Plus flowers and a toy plane, or soothing others when they become upset.

Ichigo is a capable student, ranked 23rd in his year at school, who studies regularly and does not neglect his schoolwork. He works as hard as he does to overcome the misconceptions many have about him based on his hair color and fighting. Ichigo hates fortune telling, horoscopes, feng shui, psychics, and anyone whose trade involves taking money from people for things they cannot see. He has difficulty remembering people's faces and names. Ichigo becomes extremely shy and uncomfortable around nude or immodestly dressed women, a fact both Yoruichi Shihōin and Rangiku Matsumoto have teased him for. Ichigo is often disrespectful when talking to those older than himself, calling Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto "gramps" and referring to several of the Shinigami captains by their given names without using honorifics.

When it comes to fighting, Ichigo has a complex sense of honor; he regularly seeks to exact revenge for the cruel actions of his opponent, such as instilling the fear of being murdered in Shrieker and cutting off the right arm of Yammy Llargo in retaliation for him ripping Yasutora Sado's right arm off. He often taunts and belittles his opponents when fighting, sometimes attacking without warning. Ichigo has a strong desire to win his fights, but in what he views as a legitimate manner. To this end, he has often refused the aid of his inner Hollow, even when knowing it would allow him to win. Ichigo's resolve in battle can waver at times, which can impede his fighting prowess, and goes into a state of depression and self-loathing when he loses a major battle or lets a friend down.

Ichigo despises those who mistreat their allies in any way, even if they are his own enemies. He is disgusted when an individual berates his/her own allies, such as when Yammy calls Ulquiorra Cifer, Nnoitra Gilga, and Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez "trash". He expresses anger towards those who go as far as attacking their own allies, stating he cannot forgive those who murder their own comrades.

History
Ichigo was born on July 15th as the son of Isshin Kurosaki and Masaki Kurosaki, 15 years before he became a Shinigami. His sisters Karin Kurosaki and Yuzu Kurosaki were born a few years later. When he was four, Ichigo joined a karate dojo, where he met and befriended Tatsuki Arisawa. Though Tatsuki beat Ichigo in every match they had, she would help Ichigo if he was being picked on by bullies and cheer him up if he was upset.

Ichigo was able to see Pluses for as long as he could remember. He could see them so clearly, as a child, he could not tell the living from the dead. This resulted in him appearing to other people to be looking at deserted places and talking to himself. This caused people to say he could see ghosts, though when Tatsuki asked him about this, he denied being able to see them.

On June 17th, when Ichigo was nine years old, he and his mother were walking home alongside one of Karakura Town's rivers, which was swollen from heavy rain. Seeing a girl near the river, Ichigo thought she was about to jump into it. Unable to tell the difference between ghosts and living people, Ichigo ran towards her to stop her, unaware the girl was the lure of the Hollow Grand Fisher. Masaki tried to stop him, but he did not listen. After failing to grab hold of the girl, Ichigo lost consciousness for a time. When he awoke, Masaki was lying on top of him, covered in blood. Starting the day after Masaki's death, Ichigo repeatedly skipped school to go to the riverbank where Masaki died. Tatsuki found him there, where he would stay from morning until night, wandering along the bank as if searching for his mother, squatting down if he was tired and then wandering some more.

One day, when Ichigo was twelve, prior to the Kurosaki Clinic opening, he heard the bell ring and answered the door to find a girl with her brother on her back. He had been in a car accident, and was covered in blood. The clinic did not have the equipment necessary to save him, and he died before an ambulance arrived to transfer him to Karakura Hospital. Sometime later, he learned the girl was Orihime Inoue.

Ichigo later entered Mashiba Junior High School. During this time, Ichigo finally defeated Tatsuki in a karate match, and had not had another match with her since. Ichigo regularly got into fights with thugs, due to the unusual color of his hair. During one of these fights, he received help from Yasutora Sado. Shortly after, Ichigo returned the favor when he rescued Sado from two gang members roughing him up. When the thugs later abducted Sado, Ichigo found them and knocked down their leader, Yokochini. Using Yokochini's phone to ring for an ambulance for each of the five thugs, he beat up all of them. After Sado was freed, they made a pact to protect and fight for each other.

Shortly before Ichigo became a Shinigami, he and Sado began attending Karakura High School, and their reputations preceded them. During a fight with a gang led by Reiichi Ōshima, Ichigo and Sado met Keigo Asano and Mizuiro Kojima, saving the former in the process. While Keigo was initially afraid of Ichigo and Sado, both he and Mizuiro later became friends with them.

Bount arc (anime only)
Note: Events occurring in this arc are only in the anime and do not constitute canon material.

The New Captain Shūsuke Amagai arc (anime only)
Note: Events occurring in this arc are only in the anime and do not constitute canon material.

Zanpakutō Unknown Tales arc (anime only)
Note: Events occurring in this arc are only in the anime and do not constitute canon material.

Beast Swords arc (anime only)
Note: Events occurring in this arc are only in the anime and do not constitute canon material.

Gotei 13 Invading Army arc (anime only)
Note: Events occurring in this arc are only in the anime and do not constitute canon material.

The Thousand-Year Blood War arc
When Ryūnosuke Yuki is attacked by Hollows, Ichigo saves him and, along with Orihime, Uryū, and Sado, defeats the Hollows. Later, after Ichigo fights Asguiaro Ebern, who speaks of stealing Ichigo's Bankai,    Yuki returns to Soul Society for Chōjirō's funeral. Later, Nel Tu and Pesche arrive in the Human World in order to request Ichigo's aid. After Uryū declines to come with them, Ichigo, Orihime, Sado and Urahara travel to Hueco Mundo in order to investigate. Upon arriving, they witness the slaughter and destruction left in the wake of the Wandenreich. Coming across a Wandenreich camp, Ichigo and the others watch as the Tres Bestias intervene in the Wandenreich's selection of Arrancar soldiers. After the Tres Bestias are defeated, Ichigo fights Quilge Opie as Orihime tends to the wounded. Later, after Quilge activates Quincy: Vollständig, the Tres Bestias regain consciousness and unleash Ayon against him. When Quilge absorbs Ayon with Sklaverei and begins to absorb Orihime and the others, Ichigo activates his Bankai and attacks him.

As the fight progresses, Quilge is overwhelmed by Ichigo and desperately attempts to steal his Bankai, only to discover he is unable to do so. Eventually, Urahara is contacted by Akon and informs Ichigo the Wandenreich is currently attacking Soul Society. As Ichigo travels through a Garganta opened by Urahara, Akon informs him of the situation in Soul Society. When Quilge traps him in a Reishi prison, Ichigo loses contact with Akon and is unable to free himself. Eventually, Akon frees Ichigo, who enters Soul Society and travels to a heavily wounded Byakuya's location. After Byakuya begs him to save Soul Society, Ichigo confronts Yhwach. Upon learning Yhwach is the one who ordered the destruction of the Seireitei, an enraged Ichigo attacks him, only to be taken down with ease. Upon stabbing Ichigo, a surprised Yhwach witnesses Ichigo using Blut Vene as Ichigo engulfs him in a blast of Reiatsu.

Emerging from this, Yhwach informs Ichigo that Quilge's cage was not meant to hold a Quincy. Hinting at a secret regarding Masaki, Yhwach attempts to subdue Ichigo once more, only to be stopped by "shadows". When Ichigo attempts to stop Yhwach from leaving, Jugram Haschwalth cuts the blade of Tensa Zangetsu in two. Afterwards, Ichigo visits a wounded Rukia and Renji in the hospital before being summoned to the 12th Division, After Mayuri reveals a broken Bankai can never be fixed, Ichigo witnesses the arrival of the Royal Guard, who take him to the Soul King Palace in order to reforge his Bankai. After being healed by Tenjirō Kirinji's hot springs and having his power restored and increased by Kirio Hikifune's food, Ichigo travels to Ōetsu Nimaiya's palace, where he and Renji are forced to fight the Asauchi in order to have their Zanpakutō reforged. Three days later, Ichigo has failed to defeat the Asauchi and is sent back to the Human World by Nimaiya. After Ikumi takes him in, Ichigo is found by Isshin, who tells him how he met Masaki and reveals the circumstances surrounding her death.

Afterwards, Ichigo returns to Nimaiya's palace, where he chooses an Asauchi who resembles Ichigo's inner Hollow. Traveling to Nimaiya's forge, Ichigo watches as Nimaiya's bodyguards help him forge Ichigo's new Zanpakutō. When he questions Nimaiya about the nature of his forging, Ichigo learns the being who claimed to be Zangetsu is actually his Quincy powers and heavily resembles Yhwach from 1000 years ago. Entering his inner world, Ichigo demands answers from the being he knows as Zangetsu, who reveals Hollow Ichigo is Ichigo's true Zanpakutō, whom he has been mostly suppressing. Afterwards, he allows Ichigo to access the full power of his true Zanpakutō. In the real world, Ichigo grabs his new Zanpakutō while it is being forged, which Nimaiya allows. After a burst of heat, Ichigo stands with his new Zanpakutō, which is now comprised of two distinct blades, and acknowledges both his Quincy powers and the real Zangetsu as being his Zanpakutō.

Ichigo later contacts Urahara. When Kirinji asks him if he is ready, Ichigo, now wearing new clothes, confirms this. Looking around, a surprised Ichigo asks Kirinji and Senjumaru where the Tenchuren is, prompting Kirinji to reveal they are walking. As Senjumaru manifests a flight of spiral stairs below the platform they are standing on, Kirinji tells Ichigo he will have to use the stairs instead of the Tenchuren and waits for Ichigo to express shock, only for Ichigo to state this is okay. As Ichigo says it should only take him half a day to reach the Seireitei if he hurries, Ichibei laughs and notes Ichigo no longer overreacts before revealing the Wandenreich has already begun attacking the Seireitei. Launching himself down the stairs, an irritated Ichigo tells Ichibei to tell him about these things sooner. Calling after him, Hikifune throws a package toward Ichigo and tells him it is a rice ball for him to eat if he gets hungry on the way to the Seireitei. Saying he will eat it if he gets hungry while fighting, Ichigo thanks Hikifune. Telling Urahara it will take some time for him to get there, Ichigo asks him to resist until he arrives even if the fight gets tough. As Urahara confirms this, Ichigo notes Urahara did not say anything about the Seireitei's current condition and rockets forward.

While Giselle Gewelle, Liltotto Lamperd, Candice Catnipp and Meninas McAllon are trying to finish off the defeated Kenpachi Zaraki, Ichigo arrives in Seireitei and smashes through a nearby tower. Bypassing the Sternritter, he goes to Kenpachi's side and comments on Zaraki's condition. Zaraki asks him what he came there for, with Ichigo replying that he came there to help him. When Ichigo asks Kenpachi if he can stand, Kenpachi notes Ichigo should be looking out for himself. Candice attacks him, but Ichigo grabs her arm and throws her into a building before repeating the process with Liltotto, Meninas, and Giselle. As Liltotto notes she expected this kind of power from a Special War Potential, an enraged Candice proclaims she will never forgive Ichigo for ruining her appearance and summons her bow before using Galvano Blast, which fires a 5 gigajoule blast of electricity at Ichigo. However, Ichigo emerges unharmed with his cape missing, notes that he will not have as much trouble fighting the girls as he thought he would, and prepares to take them on.

Equipment

 * : Given to Ichigo by Ukitake before leaving Soul Society for the first time, the pendant he commonly carries on his belt signifies his position as a Substitute Shinigami, allowing him to remain active in the Human World. The pendant gives Ichigo the ability to separate his soul from his body in the absence of Rukia's glove or Kon. It alerts him to the presence of Hollows in Karakura Town, much like Rukia's Denreishinki. Ukitake informs Ichigo the badge can also be dangerous, and thus it has built-in protection making it invisible to normal Humans.  Zennosuke Kurumadani tells Ichigo he has never heard of his "Seal of Approval", causing Ichigo to refer to it as useless before Shinji's arrival. When Ichigo loses his powers, all of the mentioned abilities of the badge are lost as well. Kūgo Ginjō tells Ichigo the true purpose of the badge is to observe and restrict the owner. It is at once a surveillance device for Soul Society and a device to absorb, analyze, and control the user's Reiatsu. It is also a device for communicating with Soul Society, as Ichigo could hear Rukia's voice coming from it. As the badge absorbed and stored Ichigo's Reiatsu, Ichigo used it as his Fullbring focus.


 * Protective Charm: A Kidō-based charm given to him by his father. If the owner is attacked by hostile forces, it acts as a defense by forming a barrier, as displayed when Kon (while in Ichigo's body) was attacked by the Arrancar Grand Fisher. Ichigo was unaware of the charm's power, and was told it once belonged to his mother. The latter is proven to be a lie, as Isshin later reveals he created the charm recently.

Natural Abilities
Expert Hand-to-Hand Combatant: Physically, Ichigo's Human body is in top form. Ichigo has been trained in martial arts since he was a small child, both professionally and by his father. He has repeatedly shown great agility and coordination in his attacks. In addition to having powerful kicks and punches, Ichigo is proficient in counterattacks, takedowns, and body locks. He has repeatedly caught an opponent's weapon strikes with a single hand. He effortlessly defeats multiple bullies and gangsters on a regular basis, and is a better martial artist than Tatsuki Arisawa, who is ranked the second strongest girl in all of Japan despite her fighting with a broken arm. He effortlessly knocked out three lieutenants in rapid succession, while bare-handed, with a single strike each. While he has stopped training, constant attacks from bullies and his father keep his skills fresh.

Enhanced Strength: Even while not in his Shinigami form, Ichigo is deceptively strong, smashing a man's head through a concrete road with a single kick, and later kicking Asguiaro Ebern from his bedroom into the street without injuring his leg from the man's Hierro.

Enhanced Speed & Reflexes: Even before learning Shunpo, Ichigo is a very fast and agile fighter. Ichigo possesses great reflexes, dodging a strike with no wasted effort and immediately counterattacking. He can strike quickly, without warning, and in rapid succession. His speed allows him to follow the movements of faster opponents to better analyze their movements, and block otherwise fatal strikes. Even when struck by surprise by Tenjirō Kirinji, who is fast enough to outpace Suì-Fēng, Ichigo counterattacked and injured said attacker without anybody else noticing.

Enhanced Durability: While only a teenage Human, Ichigo is a highly resilient young man, safely breaking free from a binding spell (albeit a low-level one) and withstanding an assault from a large Hollow.

Advanced Growth Rate: According to both Aizen and Urahara, Ichigo's most astounding ability is his growth rate; he grasps the basic control of advanced techniques in days where it would take several years for even the most gifted Shinigami. Shortly after gaining Shinigami powers and with no previous training, he began learning advanced spiritual energy sensing techniques by sheer instinct. While it takes most Shinigami at least 10 years to achieve Bankai, he did so in two days (albeit with the assistance of a special device invented by Urahara which was originally intended for three days). He gains considerable experience in the use of Shunpo while training with Yoruichi, which was done over the same period as his Bankai. Besides his improvements in his Shinigami abilities, Ichigo greatly increased the time he could maintain his Hollow mask, from eleven seconds to considerably longer amounts of time. During his first fight with Ulquiorra, he is instantly incapacitated by one Cero blast, even with his Hollow mask (which broke within a second), but only a few hours later, he withstands another Cero from Ulquiorra without undergoing Hollowfication, and can analyze Ulquiorra's movements much better than before, when he had "felt like [he] was fighting a machine or a statue" and failed to predict and counter his attacks.

Keen Intellect: Despite his somewhat punkish attitude, Ichigo is analytical, perceptive, and deductive. In his high school, Ichigo's grades are almost always near the top, despite his work as a Substitute Shinigami. Aside from that, Ichigo can determine the pattern of his opponent's battle methods and form a proper counter-strategy to defeat his opponent's attacks.

Spiritual Awareness: Since he was a child, Ichigo has had an innate ability to clearly see spiritual beings and sense their presence. After becoming a Shinigami, his senses have continued to improve with time, learning various advanced sensing techniques, such as using a spirit ribbon to find Yūichi Shibata (in bird form). Even from a considerable distance, he can detect the condition of a being with spiritual power. During his intense fight against Kenpachi Zaraki, he clearly sensed and recognized Sado's energy signature even as it weakened, despite the considerable distance between them.

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 * Master Swordsman: In terms of fighting style while in his Shinigami form, Ichigo relies mainly on swordplay. Aside from his initial training with Urahara, he is essentially on a "learn as you go" training regimen; thusly, his skill has developed by fighting rather than formal instruction, becoming even more capable with every fight. His overall skill allows him to fight evenly against sword masters of Byakuya Kuchiki and Kenpachi Zaraki's caliber. While usually fighting right-handed, Ichigo appears to be ambidextrous, as he is proficient in wielding Zangetsu in his left hand.
 * Master Swordsman: In terms of fighting style while in his Shinigami form, Ichigo relies mainly on swordplay. Aside from his initial training with Urahara, he is essentially on a "learn as you go" training regimen; thusly, his skill has developed by fighting rather than formal instruction, becoming even more capable with every fight. His overall skill allows him to fight evenly against sword masters of Byakuya Kuchiki and Kenpachi Zaraki's caliber. While usually fighting right-handed, Ichigo appears to be ambidextrous, as he is proficient in wielding Zangetsu in his left hand.

Shunpo Expert: Though not particularly versed in its various techniques, Ichigo is proficient enough in the technique itself to keep up with and even surprise high-level Shinigami with his speed. Byakuya Kuchiki, one of the most proficient users of Shunpo in Soul Society, complimented Ichigo's growing mastery of the technique. During his first demonstration of this skill, he knocked out three lieutenants and grabbed his Zanpakutō before any of them hit the ground.

Immense Spiritual Power: Ichigo has been noted on several occasions to have tremendously vast levels of spiritual energy, well beyond most other Shinigami. His spiritual power is noted to be heavy, which surprised Renji Abarai. Ichigo constantly gives off Reiatsu at the level of a captain. Even when worn-out in battle, he can continue fighting effectively while still using Getsuga Tenshō or unleashing and maintaining his Bankai. Even at less than half strength, his spiritual energy is comparable to a captain-level fighter. His energy is strong enough to hold back the Sōkyoku, a halberd with the destructive force equivalent to one million Zanpakutō combined, using only his Zanpakutō. His Reiatsu is light-blue in color.


 * Novice Reiatsu Control: Ichigo's spiritual energy is rather difficult for him to control, as he has no formal training in controlling it, and upon Hollowfication, his Reiatsu fluctuates wildly, with it being unreadable at its lowest point and at its highest point greater than that of the 4th Espada Ulquiorra Cifer. Due to this, and him having far more spiritual energy than his body can consciously contain, it leaks out constantly, preventing him from hiding it and effectively making stealth impossible when dealing with other spiritually-aware beings. He has learned how to harden his spiritual energy and enhance the strength of his attacks, or use it as a barrier to reduce the impact of attacks on him, if not negating them completely. He possesses some skill in channeling his spiritual power, as he was able to destroy the Arbor of the Sōkyoku, a seemingly impossible feat which surprised the Gotei 13, by channeling his spiritual power through his sword into the execution stand.

Enhanced Strength: When he is in his Shinigami body, Ichigo's already impressive strength is greatly enhanced. He has knocked out three Shinigami lieutenants with a single punch each, one of which shattered one of their Zanpakutō at the same time. His strength is great enough to easily stop repeated axe blows from Jidanbō before shattering Jidanbō's axes in a single swing, and hurl Rukia a dozen meters into Renji's arms and send them both skidding several meters more, achieving both feats with a single hand. With a single kick, he can break down and launch a large chunk of a stone wall. After regaining his Shinigami powers, one swing from his Zanpakutō produced a shockwave powerful enough to overwhelm Kūgo Ginjō, making the Fullbringer mistake it for a Getsuga Tenshō. When fighting Quilge Opie, Ichigo grabbed one of his Heilig Pfeil with his bare hand without sustaining any damage, despite the considerable explosion it caused when Ichigo threw it back. After returning from the Soul King Palace, Ichigo has increased in strength, allowing him to throw four Sternritter into separate buildings in rapid succession without any visible effort.

Immense Endurance: When in his Shinigami form, Ichigo's endurance is strengthened to the point where he can continue fighting effectively after receiving many injuries, and can survive attacks which would easily kill normal Humans. It was stated by Rukia a Shinigami's life force is their spiritual power. As such, Ichigo can withstand attacks which would be fatal to most Shinigami. Uryū once stated Ichigo was a monster in this regard, and Aizen commented on his ability to continue moving despite grave injuries.

Enhanced Durability: Ichigo becomes much more durable in his Shinigami form. During his last fight with Kūgo Ginjō, he withstood a direct hit from the Getsuga Tenshō created by his opponent, and the damage was only done to one of his arms and part of his face. When fighting Quilge Opie, Ichigo withstood the impact of several Heilig Pfeil fired at him, unharmed, despite the powerful explosion each one caused. Tenjirō Kirinji, a member of the Royal Guard, was amazed at Ichigo's ability to endure the unique healing properties of his "White Skeleton Pond" and "Blood Hell Pond" for so long after fully healing without rotting.

Zanpakutō

 * Shikai: After his Bankai's sword is broken, Ichigo discovers he does not possess a true Zanpakutō, but instead wields one formed from his inherited fusion of his Shinigami/Hollow powers. Later, Zangetsu is personally reforged by Ōetsu Nimaiya, using an actual Asauchi. In his inner world, Ichigo, coming to terms with his heritage and powers, gains access to his true Zanpakutō, which had been suppressed all this time. His actual Zanpakutō takes the form of two separate, purely black, blades. One is the size of his previous sword, once again in the shape of a khyber knife, with the grip at the base of the blade and a handle extending back from this about roughly the width and length of Ichigo's forearm. There is a thin, hollowed-out portion running along the back edge of the blade from the base to the middle of the blade. The second blade is relatively small, about the size of Ichigo's arm, and is similar to the first blade, but resembles a trench knife more than a sword. Unlike its counterpart, it has an enclosed handle, with a portion acting like a hand guard. Both blades represent a different facet of Ichigo's powers: the larger blade represents his inner Hollow (the manifestation of his Shinigami/Hollow powers) and the smaller blade represents "the old man" (the manifestation of his Quincy powers). After gaining his new Zanpakutō, Ichigo wraps the hilts of both swords in cloth, and now carries the larger blade on his back and the shorter blade on his right hip.


 * Shikai Special Ability: Zangetsu's Shikai is largely used for melee combat, but possesses one known special ability.


 * At the instant of the slash, Zangetsu, absorbing Ichigo's spiritual energy, releases highly condensed spiritual energy at the tip of the blade, which, magnifying the slash attack, flies forward. This slash takes the form of a crescent moon or the shape of a wave. Ichigo uses this ability without knowing its name several times, but masters the technique later on during his Bankai training. As stated by Zangetsu, knowing the name of an attack heightens its power compared to its strength when the wielder does not know its name. The Getsuga Tenshō is a powerful technique with great force, capable of causing large-scale damage and destruction. Ichigo has used this technique in several different manners, such as striking the ground, creating an omnidirectional blast which knocks away incoming attacks, or slashing at the ground, upturning it and crushing everything in its path. After Ichigo regains his Shinigami powers for the second time, his Getsuga Tenshō is noticeably larger and stronger than it was before he lost his powers. A single strike from it cleanly cut off the top portion of Tsukishima's mansion and dispersed an entire rainstorm.


 * Bankai: : After being influenced by the remaining traces of Ichigo's Fullbring, the appearance of his Bankai changes. He wears a white undershirt beneath his black shihakushō, which is now open. Held together by three "x"-shaped marks, it ends in a number of coattails. Ichigo wears black gloves, with white "x"-shaped marks appear on both the gloves and his forearms. Tensa Zangetsu's blade is much longer (roughly the length of his Shikai), and becomes more curved as it nears the tip, with three protrusions along the blunt end of the sword close to its tip. While retaining its manji-like shape, the tsuba becomes more curved and jagged. Tensa Zangetsu's chain is now longer, attaching to both the base of the sword's hilt and to Ichigo's glove, forming a wide loop.


 * Bankai Special Ability: Tensa Zangetsu, much like its Shikai form, is used heavily for melee combat, but also possesses a certain special ability.


 * Hyper-Speed Combat: Ichigo takes all the power of his Bankai, compresses it into a small, condensed form, and uses the power of the Bankai to perform high-speed combat. His new speed enhances his Shunpo prowess, allowing him to create dozens of afterimages to confuse his opponent.


 * Enhanced Strength: Ichigo's Bankai further enhances his naturally great strength. He effortlessly blocked a punch from Yammy Llargo, an Espada known primarily for his immense strength, and cut through his Hierro with relative ease. The sudden boost in strength upon releasing allows Ichigo to break free from any attack which binds him or prevents him from moving. After his training in the Dangai, Ichigo's strength drastically increases to the point where a single swing of his sword can level a mountain. He can grab Aizen's Zanpakutō blade with his bare hand without feeling any of the exerted force, though said force could do considerable damage to the surrounding area. He can effortlessly break through Hadō 90. Kurohitsugi, with full incantation, with just his bare hand. After his Shinigami powers are restored, Ichigo can catch a massive blast produced by Kūgo Ginjō's Bankai one-handed and crush it. With only a swing of his sword, he can create a huge shock wave.


 * Enhanced Getsuga Tenshō: Tensa Zangetsu retains the use of Getsuga Tenshō and can be used in the same ways, but in an enhanced form. When used in Bankai, these potent blasts are black with a red outline, their path can be controlled, and they possess explosively augmented power and speed. During Byakuya Kuchiki's fight with Ichigo, he refers to this attack as a, referring to the attack's darkened color. Ichigo has stated the Black Getsuga was originally Hollow Ichigo's technique, which has been proven, as Ichigo had no knowledge of it during his fight with Byakuya Kuchiki, and Hollow Ichigo stated all Ichigo was doing when he used the technique was copying his inner Hollow. Ichigo can keep Getsuga Tenshō within Tensa Zangetsu to augment his sword swings, or fire it from the tip of the blade as if it were a bullet.


 * Enhanced Spiritual Power: His already vast spiritual energy increases grandly and explosively. His Reiatsu is so intense and rough, as well as thick and heavy, it can suffocate Humans who are in the general vicinity of his released Bankai. Ichigo's Reiatsu is solid in his Bankai. Initially, when he activated his Bankai, he produced a white aura which shot high into the sky. Ever since Ichigo defeated his inner Hollow and affirmed his place as a Visored, he produces a deep black spiritual energy with a crimson outline, which emanates off of Ichigo's body when his spiritual pressure is exerted, replacing his white aura. After his training in the Dangai, Ichigo's ability to sense Reiatsu has increased greatly, as he can now sense his sisters blocks away through various buildings and determine their current status. According to Sōsuke Aizen, by achieving evolution into a dimension separate from Shinigami, both Shinigami and Humans have become unable to feel his Reiatsu unless he voluntarily lowers his level and allows them to interfere, in the same way a two-dimensional being is unable to interfere with a three-dimensional being. In this same way, he surmises Ichigo is standing in a dimension even higher than the one he is in. After Ichigo regains his Shinigami powers for the second time, his Bankai activation reverts back to the way it used to be, shooting a white aura high into the sky. The released energy can break apart Yukio's chatroom, which is said to be indestructible. While in Bankai, Ichigo's Reiatsu turns black, with a blue outline.


 * Enhanced Bankai Duration: Since all of his energy is "compressed", usage of his Bankai does not expel as much spiritual power as other Bankai from the point of activation, allowing him to use Tensa Zangetsu for a much longer duration than any other Bankai users of his level. From his final encounter with Grimmjow in Hueco Mundo until Aizen's defeat, Ichigo continuously stayed in his Bankai state for three months.


 * By using this technique, Ichigo becomes itself. It is referred to as the Final Getsuga Tenshō because if Ichigo uses it, he loses all of his Shinigami powers. For the duration of the ability, Ichigo's hair becomes waist-length and turns black. Light bluish-gray bandages form around his body, tightly wrapped around his torso, right arm, and face, ending just beneath his eyes. Black flame-like markings spread across his chest and wrap around his left arm, and the remains of a tattered black cloak cover his lower body. In this form, Ichigo's body constantly emits smoky black Reiatsu, most of which is focused around his right arm. Being in this form allows Ichigo to use Mugetsu. Once it is used, the transformation dissipates. He will lose consciousness, accompanied by intense pain, with the loss of his Shinigami powers following. Any remaining Reiatsu stabilizes, and he will awaken sometime later (roughly a month), followed shortly by the loss of his remaining Reiryoku. When Ichigo lost his Reiatsu, a tiny portion of it accumulated in a single location inside of him over time, and he began to regain it slightly after a year and a half. While using this technique, Ichigo's Reiatsu turns completely black.


 * Generating a blade of deep black spiritual energy in his hand, Ichigo swings it at the target. Doing so causes a massive veil of black spiritual energy to erupt upwards and approach the target, darkening the sky and heavily damaging anything caught within the blast. The energy continues to rise, dissipating into the sky.


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