Cero

Cero is a strong and swift spirit energy-based attack used by upper-level Hollows, Arrancars, and Vizards.

Description
is a form of attack used by Menos, Arrancar and Vizard. It consists of firing a blast of concentrated spirit energy at the target. While in most cases it is fired from the mouth, some Arrancar and Vizard are capable of firing Cero from their hands, fingers and other parts of their bodies.

The power, force, speed, color, and blast area of the cero is dependant on the strength of the user (i. e. the stronger the user the stronger the attack), and there are some Arrancar and Vizard who have come up with their own variation.

Cero Doble
Cero doble, Spanish for "double zero" is a variation performed by Neliel Tu Oderschvank, by swallowing her opponent's Cero and returning it back to the user along with her own cero. This attack was first seeing used against Nnoitra Jiruga.

While in her child form, Nel is only able to return the Cero fired by her opponent as seen used against Dordonii Alessandro Del Socacchio.

Cero Sincrético
is a variation performed by Dondochakka Bilstin and Pesche Guatiche. This attack was first seen being used against Szayel Aporro Granz.

Beautiful Charlotte Cuuhlhourne's Final Holy Wonderful Pretty Super Magnum Sexy Sexy Glamourous Cero
This variation is performed by Charlotte Cuuhlhourne. Despite having a very long name and the shape of a heart, it is just an ordinary Cero as noted by Yumichika Ayasegawa.



Gran Rey Cero
is an Espada-exclusive Cero. It is performed by mixing an Arrancar's own blood with the Cero. The result is a Cero with a much greater attack power and speed as well as a change of color unique to the Espada. This attack was first used by Grimmjow Jeagerjaques in order to incite Ichigo Kurosaki into donning his mask. So far, Grimmjow Jeagerjaques is the only member of the current Espada to utilize this attack.

Others
While most Cero are red or crimson, Ichigo's Hollow form's Cero is tri-focused and crimson, but possibly also come with a pink color. Some Espada appear to have great color variations in their Cero. Ulquiorra Schiffer's is green, Nnoitra Jiruga's is golden yellow, and Neliel Tu Oderschvank's seems to be violet or pink (as she was using Cero Doble; it is unclear if her normal Cero is a different color). Shinji Hirako's Cero, while colored red like normal Ceros, seem to be charged linearly around the edge of his sealed Zanpakutō (instead of being concentrated on a specific appendage), and can thus hit a more extensive area than most other Ceros shown.

=Augmenting the power of a Cero blast= Shinigami-Hollow Hybridization can play a part in increasing the power of a Cero. This is seen in two particular instances. From the way Shinji Hirako charges his Cero, a case can be made that using one's Zanpakutō can radically increase the potency of individual Cero blasts. Also, as Grimmjow is seen drawing blood from his palm (by cutting it with his zanpakutō) before charging his Gran Rey Cero, it is implied that, for Arrancar (or the Espada, at the very least), possession of a zanpakutō and using it in this manner also increases the power of a Cero by a certain extent.

=Defenses Against a Cero attack= Because of the vast power involved in launching a Cero against an opponent, very few countermeasures are available. One of the most noteworthy defenses against Cero attacks is physically blocking it. This may be done by means of a zanpakutō, a Hollow Mask, or,if the individual is powerful enough, by one's bare hands.

A less common defense against Cero is to launch one's own Cero against it (by definition only accessible to another Cero user), or to use a similar attack to cancel out its effects. Kisuke Urahara exploits this weakness to negate Yammy's Cero by launching an offensive blast from his zanpakutō. Grimmjow Jeagerjaques was able to escape serious damage from Shinji Hirako's Cero by firing one of his own against it before it connected.

For individuals who have become Vizards, the act of donning a hollow mask also seem to minimize, though not completely eliminate, the damage done by Cero. The more powerful the Cero, the harder it is to deflect; given that it usually takes time to charge a Cero, it can be proposed that the best defense against a Cero user is simply to create a distraction or preoccupy the user long enough to preempt an attack. Moreover, the time required for charging a Cero also affords a very resourceful combatant a window of vulnerability within which to attack the defenseless Cero user.