Tōshirō Hitsugaya

is the captain of the 10th Division in the Gotei 13. His lieutenant is Rangiku Matsumoto. He formerly served as the 3rd Seat of the 10th Division under Isshin Shiba.

Appearance
Hitsugaya is short, with turquoise eyes and short, spiked, white hair, which tends to draw attention in the Human World. He wears a standard sleeveless captain's haori with a green sash around his shoulders, held together by a round, star-like clip. The sash holds his Zanpakutō's sheath in place on his back and is tied to it at either end. He sometimes walks around in his tabi. He is relatively young by Shinigami standards, and has the appearance of a child. In the Human World, he wears a black, short-sleeved, golf shirt and gray pants. He also wore the uniform of Karakura High School.

Before Hitsugaya was a captain, his hair was not as spiky, with only a few spikes here and there. He also wore the standard Shinigami outfit, but with the addition of the 10th Division's insignia on the left breast of his outfit.

17 months following Aizen's defeat, shortly after Ichigo regains his Shinigami powers, Hitsugaya appears sporting a hairstyle similar to that before he became a Shinigami, and a long turquoise scarf. His green sash has also changed to a thin chain, but still retains the star-like clip.

After training for an unspecified amount of time in preparation to fight the Wandenreich, Hitsugaya's hair appears to have grown longer, his fringe now reaching down to his eyes despite being held up by a newly acquired bandanna. He also appears lankier than before, with his robes loosely hanging off of his body.

After being zombified by Giselle Gewelle, Hitsugaya's appearance changes dramatically. He now wears a white double-breasted trench coat with black lapels that is fastened by four buttons on either side and which has a badge with a six-pointed cross on its left breast. He has a black belt with a large buckle around his waist, slightly baggy white pants, and white boots with furry black liners. He retains the thin chain holding his Zanpakutō's sheath around his upper torso.

Personality
Hitsugaya is generally mature and serious, in contrast to his free-spirited lieutenant, Rangiku Matsumoto. Despite their personality differences, he and Rangiku seem very close as she is willing to follow Hitsugaya's orders through-and-through for important assignments out on the field. Hitsugaya is also easily annoyed by others goofing off or drawing unneeded attention to themselves, such as when he leads a team of Shinigami into Ichigo Kurosaki's school. He mainly dislikes anything that he deems childish as well as being described as something close to a child, such as being deemed as akin to an elementary school child; other things he's not fond of are summer and warm weather in general.

Hitsugaya's favorite foods are watermelon and amanattō, though he does not like dried persimmons. During his childhood in West Rukongai, he was so skilled with spinning tops that he became the local undefeated champion. He often works very hard, but his motive seems to be that if he finishes quickly, he can return to his afternoon nap as he believes in the saying "children who sleep well, grow well". With this in mind, he hopes to grow quickly (and the saying is also a wish shared by his subordinates). Naturally however, they do not voice this fact in front of him, for even regularly practicing this adage for so long, he did not really grow in height.

Hitsugaya is usually joked about by many of the other Shinigami in Soul Society as well as by his enemies, though he tolerates these jokes and goes on with his duties (having often developed a cold attitude toward most people). Although he becomes angry towards such jokes at times, he doesn't take action against whomever insulted him unless they are his enemies.

The only thing he cannot tolerate is not being addressed as "Captain Hitsugaya," or an inappropriate use of his name, as he worked very hard for the title. However (likely as a sign of lingering immaturity), he does not return favor via not addressing any other captain with their title, and only by their last names. The only person that actually calls him by his given name is Ichigo (who he constantly reminds to address him properly), and Hinamori (whom he is overly protective of as both were old childhood friends) who is the only person allowed to get away usually with not addressing him properly.

In that regard, Hinamori tends to call him "Hitsugaya-kun" and both she and Ukitake occasionally use "Shiro-chan" (シロちゃん) — a nickname meaning "Whitey" in reference to his hair — in both cases without any full repercussion other than Hitsugaya only being slightly miffed at Hinamori specifically unlike with how she used such a name for him in their past together (and/or Hitsugaya often focusing on another topic). In addition, Karin and her friends call him by his first name and are never given any serious rebukes for it.

To his chagrin, Hitsugaya has often received candy and other foods from Jūshirō Ukitake because their given names having the same suffix of "shirō" (as "Jūshirō" and "Tōshirō" sound similar) and because they both have white hair, making them both "Shiro-chan" in that sense.

During his duel with Gin Ichimaru, Ichimaru remarks that Hitsugaya is the embodiment of a heavenly guardian that would be reincarnated every few centuries.

Echoing Jaws of Hell arc
Three hours before Ukitake's Konsō Reisai, Mayuri informs the lieutenants that they are to assemble in the Human World in order to perform the Jogimen Reibaku ceremony, prompting Hitsugaya to question why he set up a vast hologram network to tell them about this when they already knew of the date and time in advance, though Rangiku theorizes that he is reacting to Urahara's recent technological advancements. Later, after gathering at Ukitake's grave, Hitsugaya and the other captains are confused to see Jigoku no Rinki floating in the air around them and are informed by Shunsui that the true purpose of the Konsō Reisai is to send deceased captains to Hell, to their shock.

Powers & Abilities
Child Prodigy: Perhaps the most astonishing trait of Hitsugaya is his intellect and natural talent. He is the most gifted prodigy the Soul Society has had since Gin Ichimaru, entering the Shinigami Academy on his first try despite his young age, graduating from the academy in a single year with the highest written and performance scores in each of his classes, joining the Gotei 13 shortly afterwards, and then becoming the youngest Shinigami to ever reach the rank of captain. He has been called many things due to this. Renji and Iba have called him a child genius, and Ichimaru has called him the embodiment of the "heavenly white angel that blesses Soul Society once a century". In terms of intellect, Hitsugaya is equally impressive. He was the first to suspect Ichimaru of treason, and saw that there was more to Rukia's execution than what was being said. Shunsui, one of the strongest Shinigami in history, states that because he is a genius, within 100 years, Hitsugaya could surpass him.


 * Expert Strategist & Tactician: Despite his age, Hitsugaya has great instinct and intuition in battle. He is generally aware of everything in his presence, and is also able to see through most deceptions. For example, he discerned that Gin Ichimaru was more than he seemed, although he was not yet sharp enough to realize it was all part of Aizen's plot. He is also a keen analyst, able to deduce the basic mechanics behind an opponent's attacks, and quickly figuring out its strength and weakness to better counter it. As a captain, he is a capable leader. He is given missions from Captain-Commander Yamamoto to lead teams into the Human World many times to deal with threats. For example, Hitsugaya led the team sent by Soul Society that reinforced Ichigo's group against the Arrancar. In battle, he has great instincts against incoming danger, such as from his reaction to Harribel's initial attack after releasing. After losing his Bankai to the Sternritter, Hitsugaya was forced to come up with several creative and unorthodox methods of using his limited Shikai capabilities, such as combining his Zanpakutō powers with Matsumoto's Haineko to create vacuum ice blades, creating a wall made of thin, interwoven ice threads and even generating a field of icy mist.

Master Swordsman: Hitsugaya is masterful at swordsmanship, capable of utilizing his size to effectively counter and outmaneuver his opponents. His skill in swordsmanship is evident in the fact that he is the youngest Shinigami captain; he is therefore one of the youngest Shinigami to achieve Bankai. His skill in swordsmanship is great enough that he rarely uses even his Shikai in battle, at which he has great proficiency with. Instead, he relies on Hyōrinmaru's sealed form, only using its Shikai or Bankai when things get tough.

Shunpo Expert: Hitsugaya is highly proficient in Shunpo. Repeatedly in battle, he is able to block and dodge dangerous attacks.

Hakuda Combatant: Though usually relying upon his Zanpakutō in combat, Hitsugaya was able to knock out a grief-fueled Hinamori with a single blow, while in mid-air.

Immense Spiritual Power: Hitsugaya's spiritual power has the same effect as his Zanpakutō, as it is an elemental representative of ice. His Spiritual Pressure is said to be very large and "cold". Even before he became a Shinigami, his spiritual pressure was immense and uncontrollable, like Ichigo's, and caused people around him to freeze, namely his grandmother, who lived with him at the time. This cold spiritual power of his reflects his attitude as well. He is also the youngest Shinigami to ever achieve their Bankai. He even had visions of Hyōrinmaru's spirit before he attained it or entered the Shinigami academy. He is able to hide his presence well; on several occasions he manages to surprise Hinamori and Matsumoto with his sudden appearances, which leads them to complain about him "sneaking up" on them. His Reiatsu is white.

Enhanced Endurance: Despite his young and lean appearance, Hitsugaya is a resilient fighter. He survived the attacks of Shawlong Koufang while at 20 percent of his actual strength. He also remained able to fight after taking a direct, piercing attack from Bazz-B.

Zanpakutō
Hyōrinmaru redirects here. For the manifested spirit see Hyōrinmaru (Zanpakutō spirit)

When sealed, Hyōrinmaru looks like a normal katana with the exception of the guard, which is in the shape of a four-pointed bronze-colored star. Its hilt is light blue, and sheath dark blue. The sheath completely dissolves when he draws his sword. The sword is somewhat longer than most Zanpakutō, at about 1.4 meters long. This makes it taller than Hitsugaya, preventing him from wearing it at the hip. Because of this, Hitsugaya instead carries it on his back by his green sash over his right shoulder.

Hyōrinmaru is the strongest of all ice-element Zanpakutō in Soul Society. As such, Hitsugaya doesn't need water to be present in order for him to use its abilities. Hitsugaya's control over Hyōrinmaru's power is great enough to use some of its Bankai techniques while in Shikai, though it can backfire and affect him as well. The difference in ability between Hyōrinmaru's Shikai and Bankai is very small; the true difference lies in the quantities of ice each form can create, with the Shikai only being able to create comparatively small quantities.


 * Shikai: Hyōrinmaru's release command is . In its Shikai, Hyōrinmaru extends slightly in length, and gains a crescent-shaped blade attached to its hilt by a long metal chain, which can extend greatly, if necessary, by force of will. The chain itself can be used for attack, or to entangle a target.


 * Shikai Special Ability: Hyōrinmaru allows Hitsugaya to control water and ice. His slashes create an immense amount of spiritual power which overflows from the tip of the blade, creating a flow of ice shaped like a Chinese dragon. The dragon flies towards opponents and instantly freezes anything it touches. Hyōrinmaru can create multiple ice dragons to attack an opponent from various angles. The chain-blade also freezes anything Hitsugaya traps with it. The power it expels is so overwhelming that in Soul Society (where Hitsugaya is not placed under a limiter), its mere release affects the weather within the immediate vicinity, creating a thunderstorm or blizzard.


 * One of Hyōrinmaru's basic powers, as well as its strongest. It allows him to control the weather in the immediate vicinity, or more specifically, the water in the surrounding atmosphere. The ability is usable in both Shikai and Bankai. However, Hitsugaya states that this aspect of his powers is not fully mature, and that he doesn't like to use it in Bankai mode, as he is unsure of whether or not he could keep it from killing everyone in the vicinity.


 * To fight effectively despite the small quantities of ice his Hyōrinmaru can create, Hitsugaya has developed this method of ice creation in conjunction with Rangiku's Zanpakutō, Haineko. By using the ashes of Rangiku's Shikai to create layers of ice, and then by removing the ashes and having Haineko return to its sword form, Hitsugaya can create a multi-layer ice wall with several empty layers. This enables the little ice Hyōrinmaru can create to be able to withstand fire attacks with little damage. Hitsugaya can then manipulate this ice to use as a sword.


 * This ability allows Hitsugaya to control his Shinkū Tasō Hyōheki technique and manipulate the ice by gathering it at the tip of Hyōrinmaru before expelling it forward, creating a large blade of ice which impales his opponent.


 * Hitsugaya generates a protective wall of ice by finely weaving threads of ice together.


 * Hitsugaya can lay down a trap by placing five snowflake-shaped ice crystals on the ground in a pentagonal formation. When an opponent steps into the trap, each snowflake sends a line of ice towards them. The space within the pentagon is then encased in a large pillar of ice, trapping the opponent.


 * Bankai: : Hitsugaya's Bankai causes ice to flow from Hyōrinmaru onto Hitsugaya, starting at his right arm, which ice forms onto in the shape of a dragon's head around his sword hand, encasing the sword up to the hilt, which also changes from the shape of a four-pointed star to that of an eight-pointed star. The ice continues forming up over his shoulders, with two large wings sprouting from his back and a long tail. The ice forms down his left arm and encases his hand, which ends in a claw. Hitsugaya's feet are encased in ice in a similar manner to his left hand, as they also end in claws. These new ice limbs are movable, and can be used as an extension of himself to aid in battle. During some appearances of his Bankai, three flowers of ice form floating behind him, each consisting of four purple petals shaped like diamonds. These flowers melt away, petal by petal, as Hitsugaya's battle progresses, leading Shawlong Koufang to speculate that Hitsugaya's Bankai will deactivate when all twelve petals disappear, assuming that the captain's Bankai was incomplete due to his young age. During his fight with Luppi, these petals were noticeably absent. However, during his fight in the Fake Karakura Town, they were present once more.


 * Hollowfied Bankai: During the Quincy Blood War, Hitsugaya has his Bankai stolen and later receives a pill from Urahara as a measure to retrieve it from the Wandenreich. Upon returning to him, Daiguren Hyōrinmaru changes its appearance due to being temporarily Hollowfied. A sash of ice resembling Hyōrinmaru's tail diagonally crosses Hitsugaya's chest, and he gains a mask of ice covering half his face with a hole for his eye, as well as two protrusions on his head resembling horns.


 * According to Hitsugaya, should his Bankai somehow end up trying to attack itself, the ice would instead be deflected somewhere else rather than actually attack the Bankai, as demonstrated when Cang Du attempts to attack him with it.


 * Bankai Special Ability: Much like his Shikai, Hitsugaya can freeze objects and areas, though the radius and strength of the freezing is greater. Because the Bankai's freezing ability is much greater, Hitsugaya can swing his tail around as a weapon to try and freeze objects. Hyōrinmaru's Bankai lets Hitsugaya access several additional techniques.


 * Bankai Regeneration: During his battle with Luppi Antenor, Hitsugaya's Bankai was damaged. However, it regenerated, and Hitsugaya stated that as long as there is water in the air, his Bankai can be revived indefinitely. (Unnamed)


 * Upon activating his Bankai, Hitsugaya is able to create and shape a large amount of ice into his exact likeness. It is very life-like, as it can appear to bleed. He stated that he can usually only trick an opponent once with it, so he usually saves it for towards the end of a battle.


 * Shield of Ice Wings: Hitsugaya is capable of wrapping his wings around himself like a sphere, protecting him from attacks. (Unnamed)


 * When Hitsugaya stabs his opponents, a huge forward burst of ice erupts from the point of contact between Hyōrinmaru and the opponents, encasing and freezing them. Hitsugaya then proceeds to shatter the ice, and his opponent with it.


 * Hitsugaya creates many ice pillars, which encircle him and his enemy. At his command (when he turns his sword 90 degrees counter-clockwise), these pillars then move towards the enemy, enveloping and crushing them. Though this technique is very powerful, Hitsugaya infers that it takes a considerable amount of time to prepare, and therefore the distraction of his enemy is crucial in successfully completing this attack.


 * This ability is an extension of Hyōrinmaru's Tensō Jūrin power. However, because Hitsugaya dislikes using Tensō Jūrin while his Bankai is active, he rarely uses it. The ability opens up a huge hole in the clouds, through which a large amount of snow floats down onto his opponent. As the snow comes into contact with the opponent, ice flowers sprout all over their body, instantly trapping them in a pillar of ice. Hitsugaya claimed that when the last of the 100 petals falls, the life of the one who touched it will be over.


 * Hitsugaya freezes water into ice and then swings his Zanpakutō in an arc, firing an array of ice daggers at his target.


 * With this technique, Hitsugaya swings his sword in a linear direction and creates overflowing ice from his blade in the form of a crescent.
 * This ability allows Hitsugaya to control his Hyōryū Senbi technique and send it up into the air.


 * [[Image:671Adult Hitsugaya.png|thumb|right|190px|Hitsugaya's aged form using his complete Bankai.]]


 * Completed Daiguren Hyōrinmaru: Following the final battle against Aizen, Hitsugaya trained and strengthened his Bankai considerably, completing its development after eighteen months of hard work. Sometime later during his battle against Gerard Valkyrie, Hitsugaya states that Daiguren Hyōrinmaru reaches completion when the last petal of his ice flowers falls. He claims that his power was not mature enough to use his Bankai to its fullest, but he managed to age himself to an adult body when it reached completion in order to achieve its full potential. As an adult using his Bankai, Hitsugaya is tall and lanky, and has ice covering his shoulders, forearms, and knees.


 * Flash-Freezing: In his matured form, Hitsugaya can flash-freeze extremely large objects at a distance with a simple hand gesture; this also extends to objects that his sword cuts. Additionally, anything that he freezes will have all of its functions and abilities negated. If anyone touches Hitsugaya while he is in this form, they will be flash-frozen as well. (Unnamed)


 * In his matured form, Hitsugaya can freeze all matter in front of him after four seconds of building up his power.

Zanpakutō
Extreme Heat: When presented with the level of heat generated by Yamamoto's Bankai, Zanka no Tachi, Hyōrinmaru in Shikai or Bankai begins to melt and is rendered useless.

Movies

 * Hitsugaya appears in all four animated movie adaptations of Bleach.
 * In the second movie, Bleach: The DiamondDust Rebellion, he is one of the two main characters. When the "King's Seal," an ancient artifact, is stolen, Hitsugaya goes out in search of the thieves. After crossing paths with and fighting them, he goes missing, leading Seireitei to suspect him of treachery. As Ichigo Kurosaki and others go out in search of Hitsugaya, Hitsugaya himself stumbles across a dark secret concerning a long-dead Shinigami.

Video Games

 * Hitsugaya has been a playable character in most Bleach-related video games. Often, he is playable in several different forms, such as his Shikai and Bankai and even in a Gigai. In Heat the Soul 4, Hitsugaya is also playable in his school uniform. In Soul Resurrección, only his Bankai is playable.
 * In Brave Souls specifically, Hitsugaya's completed Bankai appears for the first time outside of the manga in the Thousand Year Blood War Arc summons. In this form, Hitsugaya is a melee character with the "Power" Attribute and the "Hollow Killer" ability who has a chance to inflict Freeze with every attack. His unlockable skills are "Debilitator +5 secs.", "Devastation +40%", "Frenzy +1", "Long Reach +20%", "Sprinter +1", and "Weaken Defense", while his Soul Trait is "Strong Attack Recharge Time -12%"; meanwhile, his Arena Traits are "Strong Attack Damage +13%" and "Focus +30", while his Arena Abilities other than "All Stats +5%" are "Strong Attack Damage +10%" at level 5 and "Strong Attack Damage +20%" at level 10. Hitsugaya's special is, where freezes all matter in the time it takes to walk four steps, freezing enemies and inflicting immense damage.
 * Also in Brave Souls, Hitsugaya is playable in his zombie form from the Thousand Year Blood War arc. Here, his skin is a dark tan color instead of red, while his eyes are red. In this form, Hitsugaya is a melee strong attack character with the "Mind" Attribute and the "Arrancar Killer" ability who has a chance to inflict Freeze with every attack other than his second Strong Attack, which instead has a chance to inflict Weaken. His unlockable skills are "Berserker +20%", "Bruiser +20%", "Debilitator +5 secs.", "Devastation +40%", "Frenzy +1", "Long Reach +20%", "Poise", and "Sprinter +1", while his Soul Trait is "Strong Attack Recharge Time -12%"; meanwhile, his Arena Traits are "Strong Attack Damage +13%" and "Spiritual Pressure +90", while his Arena Abilities other than "All Stats +5%" are "Freeze Duration -100%" at level 5 and "Strong Attack Damage +30%" at level 10. Hitsugaya's special is, where he clothes himself in ice and attacks, inflicting immense damage and Freeze; the ice formed by his Bankai is gray instead of blue.


 * Additionally, Hitsugaya is playable in a form drawing from his fight with Gin Ichimaru in Soul Society. In this form, Hitsugaya is a ranged strong attack character with the "Speed" attribute and the "No Affiliation Killer" ability who has a chance to inflict Freeze with every attack. His unlockable skills are "Berserker +20%", "Bruiser +20%", "Debilitator +5 secs.", "Devastation +40%", "Fire Duration -100%", "Frenzy", and "Sprinter +1", while his Soul Trait is "Strong Attack Recharge Time -12%"; his Arena Traits are "Strong Attack Damage +13%" and "Spiritual Pressure +90", while his Arena Abilities other than "All Stats +5%" are "Freeze Duration -100%" at level 5 and "Strong Attack Damage +30%" at level 10. His special is, where Hitsugaya uses his Reiatsu to control a powerful ice dragon that inflicts immense damage and Freeze.


 * Hitsugaya is also playable in a form drawing from his appearance in Bleach: The DiamondDust Rebellion. In this form, Hitsugaya is a ranged character with the "Speed" Attribute and the "Shinigami Killer" ability who has a chance to inflict Freeze with every attack and has a third Strong Attack that functions as a charged move. His unlockable skills are "Bruiser +20%", "Debilitator +5 secs.", "Devastation +40%", "Frenzy", "Havoc +20%", and "Sprinter +1", while his Soul Trait is "Strong Attack Damage +20%"; when Resurrected, his unlockable skills are "Berserker +20%", "Bruiser +20%", "Debilitator +5 secs.", "Devastation +40%", "Frenzy", "Havoc +20%", and "Sprinter +1", while his Soul Traits are "Strong Attack Damage +20%" and "Strong Attack Recharge Time -10%"; when Resurrected, his unlockable skills are "Berserker +20%", "Bruiser +20%", "Debilitator +5 secs.", "Devastation +40%", "Frenzy +1", "Havoc +20%", and "Sprinter +1", while His Soul Traits are "Strong Attack Damage +20%" and "Strong Attack Recharge Time -10%". Meanwhile his Arena Traits are "Strong Attack Recharge Time -7%" and "Focus +30", while his Arena Abilities other than "All Stats +5%" are "Strong Attack Damage +10%" at level 5 and "Strong Attack Damage +20%" at level 10. Hitsugaya's special is, where he unleashes ice from the end of his blade, inflicting immense damage and Freeze.


 * Additionally, Hitsugaya is playable in a form relying entirely on Kidō as part of the Kidō Tournament event. In this form, Hitsugaya is a ranged strong attack character with the "Heart" Attribute and the "Quincy Killer" ability. His normal attacks are Hadō #31. Shakkahō and has a chance to inflict Burn, his first Strong Attack is Bakudō #62. Hyapporankan and has a chance to inflict Paralysis, his second Strong attack is Hadō #33. Sōkatsui and has a chance to inflict Burn, and his third Strong Attack is Hadō #33. Sōkatsui followed by Hadō #31. Shakkahō with a chance to inflict Burn. He has three Innate Skills built in at ★5: "Guard Break", "Freeze Duration -100%", and "Party Recover 20% Stamina", and his unlockable skills are "Party Heart Attribute Captain Damage to Status Ailment-Affected Enemies +20%", "Party Heart Attribute Captain Strong Attack Damage +20%", "Berserker +40%", "Bruiser +20%", "Debilitator +5 secs.", "Devastation +40%", "Frenzy +1", and "Sprinter +1", while his Soul Trait is "Mind Droplet Drop +30%"; meanwhile, his Arena Traits are "Strong Attack Recharge Time -7%" and "Focus +30", while his Arena Abilities other than "All Stats +5%" are "Strong Attack Damage +10%" at level 5 and "Strong Attack Damage +20%" at level 10. Hitsugaya's special is, where he attacks a target with an ice dragon and Hadō #31. Shakkahō simultaneously to inflict immense damage, Freeze, and Burn.
 * Hitsugaya is also playable as an alternate-universe version of himself introduced as part of the Bleach: Spirits Are Forever With You tie-in event who gained a power beyond Bankai.


 * Upon attaining this power, Hitsugaya gained thin medium-length branch-like horns rising up from his temples, an extended green sash floating behind his head and connected to two golden medallions on his shoulders, a set of ice-encrusted armor beneath his shihakushō featuring ice around his neck and a deep blue breastplate with two small ice plates above it, a sharp ice protrusion reaching eye level on either shoulder, two sets of medium-sized and ornate bat-like ice wings with segmented "fingers" and lines of ice diamonds marking each tip floating in the air behind his torso, a long trail of ice extending from beneath each golden medallion, and ice encrusting the edges of his haori in large diamonds, with his ice-encrusted hands gaining red fingernails and the ice petals floating behind him turning crimson while gaining four additional, smaller petals per set, diagonally adjacent to the original petals.
 * In this form, Hitsugaya is a melee strong attack character with the "Technique" Attribute and the "Shinigami Killer" and "Squad Zero Killer" abilities who has a chance to inflict Freeze with every attack and whose Gauge Trigger is "Strong Attack". He has two innate Gauge Effect skills built in - "Berserker +100%" and "Damage Taken -50%" - and three Innate Skills built in at ★5: "Full Stamina Only Increased Strong Attack Damage +40%", "Damage Inflicted at Full STA +20%", and "Sprinter +2", while his unlockable skills are "Gauge Effect Heal 30%", "Gauge Effect Strong Attack Recharge 30%", "Berserker +40%", "Bombardment +1", "Debilitator +5 secs.", "Frenzy +1", "Havoc +20%", "Marauder", "Shared Complete Status Immunity", and "Status Ailment Spiritual Pressure Boost +80%", while his Soul Trait is "Strong Attack Recharge Time -12%". Meanwhile, his Arena Traits are "Strong Attack Damage +13%" and "Strong Attack Recharge Time -7%", while his Arena Abilities other than "All Stats +5%" are "Start Power-Up Item +2" at level 2, "Frenzy +1" at level 5, and "Increased Special Move Uses +1" at level 10. Hitsugaya's special is, where he creates flower-shaped icicles that shatter with the swing of his sword, inflicting immense damage and Freeze.


 * Additionally, Hitsugaya is playable as an alternate-reality version of himself from a technology-oriented Soul Society known as the Machine Society. In this form, Hitsugaya is a melee strong attack character with the "Power" attribute and the "Arrancar Killer" ability who has a chance to inflict Weaken with every attack. His unlockable skills are "Berserker +20%", "Bruiser +20%", "Debilitator +5 secs.", "Devastation +40%", "Frenzy +1", "Guard Break", and "Sprinter +1", while his Soul Trait is "Strong Attack Recharge Time -12%". Hitsugaya's special is, where he wields a magical cane that inflicts immense damage and Weaken.


 * Hitsugaya is also playable in winter clothing as part of the 2021 Christmas holiday event. In this form, Hitsugaya is a ranged strong attack character with the "Power" Attribute and the "No Affiliation Killer" ability who has a chance to inflict Freeze with every attack. He has three Innate Skills built in at ★5: "Freeze Duration -100%", "Freezer Every 5 Seconds", and "Damage to Frozen Enemies +20%", and his unlockable skills are "Berserker +40%", "Bruiser +20%", "Debilitator +5 secs.", "Devastation +40%", "Frenzy +1", "Havoc +20%", "Increased Status Ailment Chance Against Technique Attribute No Affiliation Enemies +10%", "Sprinter +1", and "Technique Link Slot Potions +5", while his Soul Trait is "Strong Attack Recharge Time -12%"; meanwhile, his Arena Traits are "Strong Attack Damage +13%" and "Spiritual Pressure +90", while his Arena Abilities other than "All Stats +5%" are "Damage to Frozen Enemies +20%" at level 5 and "Strong Attack Damage +30%" at level 10. Hitsugaya's special is, where he points his gun skyward and fires a shower of snow to decorate the tree, inflicting immense damage and Freeze.


 * Additionally, Hitsugaya is playable in a variant based off the Party Time theme. In this form, Hitsugaya is a ranged strong attack character with a "Mind" Attribute and the "Hollow Killer" ability who has a chance to inflict Freeze with every attack. He has three Innate Skills built in at ★5: "Party Recover 20% Stamina", "Read Hollow Dodges" and "Sprinter +1", and his unlockable skills are "Berserker +20%", "Bruiser +20%", "Debilitator +5 secs.", "Devastation +40%", "Frenzy +1", "Guard Break", "Heart Droplet Drop +30%", "Heart Link Slot Potions +5", and "Weaken Defense", while his Soul Trait is "Strong Attack Recharge Time -12%". Meanwhile, his Arena Traits are "Strong Attack Damage +13%" and "Spiritual Pressure +90", while his Arena Abilities other than "All Stats +5%" are "Damage to Frozen Enemies +20%" at level 5 and "Strong Attack Damage +30%" at level 10. Hitsugaya's special is, where he creates a hand-mixed cocktail that debuffs nearby enemies while inflicting immense damage and Freeze.


 * Hitsugaya is also playable in a variant based off the White Day theme. In this form, Hitsugaya is a melee normal attack character with a "Technique" Attribute and the "Captain Killer" ability who has a chance to inflict Freeze with every attack. His unlockable skills are "Berserker +40%", "Blast Zone +40%", "Bruiser +30%", "Debilitator +5 secs.", "Havoc +30%", "Long Reach +20%", and "Sprinter +1", while his Soul Trait is "Dodge 11%"; when Resurrected, his unlockable skills are "Blast Zone +40%", "Bruiser +30%", "Debilitator +5 secs.", "Frenzy +1", "Havoc +30%", "Long Reach +20%", and "Sprinter +1", while His Soul Traits are "Dodge 11%" and "Freeze Duration -55%". Meanwhile, his Arena Traits are "Normal Attack Damage +13%" and "Attack +45", while his Arena Abilities other than "All Stats +5%" are "Normal Attack Damage +10%" at level 5 and "Normal Attack Damage +20%" at level 10. Hitsugaya's special is, where he creates a giant ice flower that inflicts immense damage and Freeze to any enemy it touches.


 * The other video games Hitsugaya has appeared in give him various other techniques:
 * Hitsugaya's neutral special in the Blade Battlers games where he swings out his sword to fire a medium-sized icicle spear that homes-in on his currently-targeted foe. Can also be done in the air, where he fires the ice blast downwards into the ground where it freezes the point of impact before shattering after a while. This move predates the usage of Gunchō Tsurara.
 * In the Bleach DS fighting games (Blade of Fate and Dark Souls), a similar move named directly after his Zanpakutō (Hyōrinmaru) instead fires 3 blasts of ice a spread that flies in a set range as his Special Attack A.
 * or : A technique where Hitsugaya plants Hyōrinmaru's blade into the ground to briefly freeze an area all-around him to both damage and freeze nearby foes. The former name comes from Blade Battlers, as his directional special attack, while the latter name is from Jump Ultimate Stars as both his 2 Koma support attack and 4 Koma Special B. The former move can also even be done while floating in midair in his Bankai state.
 * Hitsugaya's Special Attack B in Blade of Fate and Dark Souls where he slides along the ground dragging his sword's blade with its ice active, then brakes into a jumping upwards slash in a full turn. The forward charge and the sword drag from behind have hitboxes that can lead into the upwards slash which can launch the foe (and also hit enemies behind Hitsugaya in range via the final portion), though smaller targets might not be launched from this attack.
 * Hitsugaya's Special Attack C in Blade of Fate and Dark Souls with him throwing his Shikai's chain sickle encased in ice at the foe and dragging it back to pull them in (and counts as a separate projectile and will linger for a small bit if it does not properly return to Hitsugaya). This is so far the one instance where Hitsugaya covers his Shikai's chain sickle in ice, aside from a non-canon instance in the anime in episode 132.
 * A similar move is used as his Guard Break in Jump Ultimate Stars, only he flails the chain sickle blade in front without any ice attribute.
 * Another similar move akin to his usual way of using the chain sickle (to grapple his opponent) is used in the Heat the Soul games as his downward strong attack, where he reels them in with the chain sickle blade akin to a fishing rod/grappling hook (an attack shared with Sōjirō Kusaka) which functions like a blockable hit-grab. However, the way the hitboxes function tend to be inconsistent across the installments.
 * Hitsugaya's Special Attack D in Blade of Fate and Dark Souls where he slide-kicks forward with ice across the screen at a specific-yet-far-range (basically an ice-empowered version of his crouching heavy attack slide kick), which also knocks down. Despite its appearance, only the medium and RF/Reinforced versions of the move must be blocked low.
 * Hitsugaya's neutral/EX Super Move in Blade Battlers 2nd only in normal/Shikai mode, where he thrusts forward in a rush with Hyōrinmaru to encase the victim in an ice crystal, and upon braking his rush right behind them, turns around the slash apart the ice which knocks the opponent away. However, Hitsugaya will not perform the second slash if he connects with the very ending edge of the dash thrust, causing the victim to remain frozen for a set amount of time.
 * Hitsugaya's 5 Koma Special A in Jump Ultimate Stars, where he slashes upwards to form a brief cluster-wall of ice in front to freeze anyone in range.
 * Hitsugaya's iconic ice dragon technique does not have a name, though it tends to be named in the video games:
 * As his normal Super in the Blade Battlers games only in Shikai state, it is given the name of his Zanpakutō also akin to his Special Attack A in the DS games (Hyōrinmaru).
 * In Jump Ultimate Stars as his 3 Koma support attack and his 4 Koma's Special A, the ice dragon (also named as Hyōrinmaru akin to in the Blade Battlers games) is instead fired as a generic beam with standard beam physics.
 * In the DS games Blade of Fate and Dark Souls, the ice dragon attack is given the name as Hitsugaya's Super Move A. On the ground, the ice dragon was originally fired upwards-and-forwards with an arc akin to that of a dolphin in Blade of Fate, but now gains 3 new flight patterns in Dark Souls (light version on ground has the old arc, light version in the air has the dragon zig-zag downwards, medium versions send it flying forwards in a wavy pattern, while the heavy versions make it zig-zag upwards).
 * In the Heat the Soul series, Hitsugaya's Shikai-state super involves him tossing the chain sickle in unison to bind his foe as he jumps up while also unleashing the ice dragon upon the foe (the chain sickle also freezes their arm if it connects, in ode to his first fight against Gin Ichimaru).


 * Hitsugaya is a playable character in Jump Force. As the Thousand Year Blood War arc version, he has access to his completed Bankai while wearing his Shinigami attire (the state is accessed throughout the rest of the fight when Hitsugaya performs his Awakening or his Awakening Super). Additionally, this version retains the wings of Daiguren Hyōrinmaru unlike the manga, where his completed Bankai starts off wingless and eventually generates a different set of wings.

Music
Bleach Beat Collection:
 * Hitsugaya appears in two Bleach Beat Collection albums, the first one was a compilation album with Momo Hinamori and his lieutenant, Rangiku Matsumoto where he sang "This Light I See." The second one was also a compilation album, this time with Ichigo where he sang "Bleach the Limitation."
 * He also featured in the fourth volume of Bleach Breathless Collection, where Romi Paku sings "Shine" as Hitsugaya. There is also a Talk Session on the album, which is shared with Hyōrunmaru.
 * He also appears twice in Bleach "B" Station, first in the second season's second volume and then again in third volume of the third season alongside Sōjirō Kusaka in a Christmas edition.
 * BuriCon - Bleach Concept Covers features Romi Paku performing "Hanabi" as Hitsugaya, alongside Matsumoto's seiyu.
 * Hitsugaya appears in all editions of Rock Musical Bleach, initially played by Takashi Nagayama. He is portrayed by Kido Yuuya in the 10th Anniversary edition in 2011, as well as the 2012 edition.

Censorship

 * When Gin Ichimaru's arm was frozen by Hitsugaya's Zanpakutō, it wasn't grievously wounded, with blood on the ice, in the anime compared to the manga.
 * When Shawlong Koufang slashed across Hitsugaya's chest during their battle, there was significantly less blood shown in the anime than in the manga.
 * After defeating Shawlong, blood splattered from all over Hitsugaya's body and then he collapsed, with Daiguren Hyōrinmaru still being active. In the anime however, no blood splattered from Hitsugaya's body, and his Bankai deactivated before collapsing.

Trivia

 * "Frozen passion." - Tite Kubo
 * Hitsugaya's name is sometimes romanized as Toushiro Hitsugaya.
 * Hitsugaya's theme song, as chosen by Tite Kubo, is "Girl's Not Grey" by A.F.I.
 * Hitsugaya was voted the most popular character in Bleach in the fourth character popularity poll after ranking 6th in the second and 2nd in the third; however, in the next character poll, he was pushed back to 2nd place once again. In the tenth poll, he ranked 8th.
 * His Zanpakutō, Hyōrinmaru, was voted the most popular Zanpakutō in the first Zanpakutō poll, while his Bankai, Daiguren Hyōrinmaru, ranked 16th. However, in the second Zanpakutō poll, Hyōrinmaru was pushed back to 3rd place.
 * In the first best bout poll, Hitsugaya's fight with Gin Ichimaru ranked 5th. In the second, it was pushed back to 10th place while his fight with Tier Harribel ranked 13th, his fight with Mayuri Kurotsuchi while zombified ranked 26th, his fight with Cang Du ranked 27th place, his fight with Yukio Hans Vorarlberna ranked 30th, his fight with Bazz-B ranked 31st, his fight with Momo Hinamori ranked 36th, his fight with Sōsuke Aizen ranked 41st, his fight with Luppi Antenor ranked 47th, and his fight with Shawlong Koufang ranked 53rd.
 * Hitsugaya wrote a hugely popular serial titled Beautiful Crystal for the Seireitei Communication in which he featured items such as carvings and chairs sculpted from ice. However, the column is currently in hiatus, but is scheduled to resume in due course.
 * The Shinigami Women's Association published a Photo Collection showcasing Hitsugaya called Winter Lion which was sold out and is now being reprinted.
 * At the request of Captain Jūshirō Ukitake, Akon and his staff produced a life-sized figure of Hitsugaya as a birthday gift.
 * Hitsugaya and Gin's battle was extended in the anime: before Hitsugaya released Hyorinmaru, he and Gin engaged in a sword fight that resulted in the latter losing a part of his sleeve. This extension featured an error where the chain of Hyōrinmaru appeared and was used to restrain Gin's sword before Hitsugaya actually released his Shikai.
 * In Bleach: Blade of Fate, Hitsugaya's Bankai did not have any wings properly shown until Dark Souls, despite the cutscene showing the initial version of the Bankai in full.

Quotes

 * "There we go again, old men and their stupid arguments. What a pain."


 * (To Gin Ichimaru) "If you make Hinamori shed even one drop of blood... I'll kill you."


 * (To Momo Hinamori) "Hinamori! How many times do I have to tell you? It's not "Hitsugaya-kun". It's "Captain Hitsugaya"."


 * (To Luppi Antenor) "You're being too lenient with an opponent you've only hit once. Haven't you ever heard of following through?"


 * (To Tier Harribel) "I can't say I expected your speed and range to increase so dramatically the moment you released. It's a good thing I played it safe. This little trick is a one-time deal, so I didn't really want to have to use it quite so early. Don't underestimate it. The power of a Shinigami."


 * (To Tier Harribel) "Since you were kind enough to lecture me, allow me to tell you something. You are in the greatest danger when you execute a flawless strategy. That, too, is the way of battle."


 * (To Sōsuke Aizen) "Wielding one's blade out of duty alone is what it means to be a captain. Wielding one's blade out of hatred is nothing more than petty violence. That is not what we would consider battle."


 * (To Sōsuke Aizen) "You've got it exactly right, Aizen. I wield this blade out of hatred. I didn't come here to do battle. I'm here to slice you to pieces as a sheer act of violence!"


 * (To Sōsuke Aizen) "As long as I can strike you down, I would gladly abandon my status as captain right here and now!"


 * "After the battle with Aizen, I put everything I had into mastering my Bankai. I honed it until it could be called a 'true Bankai'. But now, that Bankai has been taken from me. I must cast aside that which I have lost. I don't have time to be fruitlessly hoping for its return. I must keep moving forward. Moving forward..."

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