Forum:Theory on Isshin's past as a Captain (Thread closed)

Theory on Isshin's past as a Captain
A rather simple thought, but, is it possible that Isshin was the captain of Squad 11 before Kenpachi? I know it shows that Kenpachi killed the previous captain in order to become the next one, but what if he wasn't actually killed, and that person was Isshin himself? --Lyani 20:16, 23 August 2009 (UTC)

I don't think so. Kenpachi advanced to captain in a trial-by-combat that required 200 witnesses from the involved division. Everyone seems pretty definitive in saying Kepachi killed the previous Captain.

Not that it couldn't happen somehow. Kenpachi is bloodyminded but not bloodthirsty. He won't kill an opponent just because he lost a fight with him (like Ikkaku, for example). So it is possible to survive losing to a combat monster like Kenpachi! Great Cthulhu 20:39, 23 August 2009 (UTC)

Oh here we go again... There was a topic already discussing Isshin but.. Shinji didn't recognize Isshin's reiatsu when he fought Grand Fisher, so he couldn't be the defeated captain of the 11th division 100+ years ago... Deimonos 21:08, 23 August 2009 (UTC)

Also don't forget that Tosen verbally confirmed Zaraki's predecessor's death. Arrancar109 21:16, 23 August 2009 (UTC)

There are many theories out there. You should check out the older thread. And you will read a lot of opinions in depth. Quadrupus 02:04, 24 August 2009 (UTC)

My theory:
 * He is captain class (captain haori)
 * He knows Urahara (obviously Yoruichi) and Uryu's father Ryuken. He also knows about the Vizards, though Shinji didn't understand his reiatsu signature. Both Urahara and Ryuken know about his power (lost and recovery), meaning he is a contemporary of the two, older than Urahara and surely older than Shinji.
 * Referenced to the Pendulum arc and the following table...




 * ...I've noticed that (I don't take the idea of the Zero Squad or else as they certainly don't wear captain's haoris) there is no division where Isshin could have been the captain except:
 * He couldn't definitely have been captain of the 1st (Yamamoto), 2nd (Shihoin family, Onmitsukido), 4th (Unohana), 6th (Kuchiki family, Ginrei), 8th (Shunsui), 12th (Kirio Hikifune) or the 13th (Ukitake). ::Remaining options: 3rd, 5th, 7th, 9th, 10th and 11th
 * 10th: No captain known, hinted or present during the Pendulum arc
 * 3rd: Rojuro became captain of the 3rd division 3 years before Urahara, but before that no informations about the precedent captain.

He was probably born after Genryusai, Unohana, Shunsui, Ukitake and Ginrei but before the Vizards ex-captains, and maybe same age or younger than Kirio Hikifune.
 * As he befriend Ryuken, they probably met during the slaughter of the Quincys and Isshin banished to the Human Realm because he protested against the massacre. Baronofash 03:43, 24 August 2009 (UTC)

The problem with your theory would be that you assume he is older then either Urahara or the Vizards where there is nothing to support that. In fact it is more likely that he is younger if anything. As he has only not been a shinigami for the past 20 years. Which means he was one and still serving as one in some official capacity before that time. Ruyken is a quincy but human so he would have a average human lifespan. Urahara is obviously well around 200 years old. The likelhood being that he cant be a someone prior to shinji because we would have seen him. So its more likely that he is either as old as Shinji or younger. but it makes no sense either way considering he has only not been a shinigami for 20 years meaning either he was active before that time as a captain or he was not a captain at all. The only captain that is recent is Hitsugaya of the 10th division. Also you take the 11th out of the equation because there is no proof zaraki is not the 10th kenpachi and there is no reason to assume anyone would have that position but zaraki and the captain he killed to take it. the 3rd 9th and 5th were open apparently till aizen, tosen and gin took them. As having vacant seats for extended amount of time seems to be natural among the gotei 13. No one knows when the 7th came about but durable strong heavy hitters seem to run that division.Salubri 04:00, 24 August 2009 (UTC)

Anyway, he has a captain-like haori, meaning he was certainly a captain. Urahara knows about his power. But if he was a younger captain than Shinji, could you explain why NONE of the older captains (except Genryusai) aren't aware of his existence. The name Kurosaki could have been remembered if he was captain of the Gotei 13, if he lost is shinigami's powers 20 years ago, they won't forget his name. Every characters with strong reiatsu are under the surveillance of the R&D 12th division, then they would probably found out his reiatsu signature when he killed Grand Fisher. I don't say he was a captain BUT he MAYBE was a captain, and probably or perhaps at my speculated period. He could have been an officer in a different squad than the Gotei 13, who knows. Somehow, Aizen could be aware of the Kurosaki's family.
 * 1) First of all, it's a theory with speculations not affirmations.
 * 1) In the case of Zaraki, I am persuaded that he is not the 11th Kempachi in the reason that in the Pendulum arc (in Japanese), Shinji compared the 11th Kempachi to a lazy pig suggesting he's fat. I don't see Zaraki lazy nor fat. Plus if Zaraki was effectively the 10th or 11th Kempachi, means that he became captain of the 11th division before Tousen, then could you explain how Zaraki fought against his predecessor when Tousen had already his captain haori (remember Maki Ichinose).Baronofash 06:16, 24 August 2009 (UTC)

This statement of mine is going to be off-topic of this thread's discussion, but I feel I need to say this. I'm not sure how reliable that filler is, and many other people here have taken into account that since it's not in the original manga, stuff introduced in the Bount arc, including Tosen's captaincy during Zaraki's fight against his predecessor, are not 100% accurate. I myself am not too sure (I don't recall the "fat" part in the manga, but it might differ from who translates it). I mean, I can see why people would want it to be Zaraki, but the thing that still has me questioning that part is Yachiru, not the Bount arc thing. When Zaraki first encounters Yachiru, she was still a baby or toddler. I'm not sure how old Yachiru is, but something tells me she's under 100 years old. True, we have no way of telling this, and while we do know that shinigami age slower than humans, we don't know how slowly they age, or if some age more rapidly than others. Still, Yachiru has always led me to question whether Zaraki was a captain during the TbtP series or not. Arrancar109 06:27, 24 August 2009 (UTC)


 * Well I belive that Ishin being a Captain is still questionable. Now mind you not his power of Captain-level but him as a Captain. He has a haori with him which is why most belive him to have been one but since it has not been elaborated upon it can still prove him to be something else. Now him having stop being a Shinigami for the last 20 years I don't remeber where this was stated as a fact, did someone actually said or him you/I stopped being a Shinigami 20 years ago? or is this something that someone concluded by maybe reading between the lines of what he/someone said. Now as far as the Zaraki case when the TBtP Captains are having their conversation the say to blame the previous Kenpachi for his ineptitude no mention of him having been killed is said (Chapter -108). Now Zaraki is shown becoming a Captain when Tosen is already an stablish Captain in the Bount arc, however that scene is based of the manga (Chapter 146). An of course with Ishin there is still the chance the he may be 0 Division we know nothing about them except them being previous Captains and who knows since because of this the may wear the Haori of the Division which they commanded in the same way that Ishin was seen wearing his. I hope Tite gives us a litle more info on him so we may finally know the truth behind the man. WhiteStrike 07:39, 24 August 2009 (UTC)

After Isshin kills Grand Fisher, Urahara asks Isshin "How's your shinigami body, after 20 years?", so we know the number for sure (I've got my volume 22 right here, so no question there) My theory is that, if he ever was a captain, he was from either 10th or 3rd division. We don't know for sure when exactly Gin became captain of 3rd division, but Rukia was adopted by the Kuchiki household before that (around 40 years ago). So, as far as we know, the position was vacant since Rose left it, we don't know if there was someone after him, and before Ichimaru. So 3rd could be an option. And 10th is a very possible option, since we know that the captain was dead at the time of TBtP. Maybe Isshin was made captain shortly after the Vizard incident, and that's why Shinji didn't recognize his reiatsu. Then, 20 years ago, he leaves SS and Hitsugaya replaces him (it would match with Toshiro's short age). The only thing that bothers me is that, if Isshin really was a captain 20 years ago, and Rukia became a Shinigami around 40 years ago (since she was adopted a year after Hisana's dead -50 years ago), and was sent to 13th division immediately), then she should've recognized Isshin when she saw him in the Kurosaki clinic, but she has never showed any sort of reaction towards him. Lia Schiffer 19:00, 24 August 2009 (UTC)

I have a slightly outlandish theory as to why no one seems to react to Isshin, particularly Rukia.

Memory modification.

The Shinigami do it to Humans all the time, so what's to say they wouldn't do it to Shinigami? Let's face it, this would be a plum opportunity for Mayuri to test something out on the Shinigami as a whole, and we all know how much he loves experimenting on himself and others.

Feel free to rip this theory to shreds and burn the pieces, though, because I know it's highly unlikely.Angeluscado 19:21, 24 August 2009 (UTC)


 * Well now that makes it even more vague. If Urahara said "How's your shinigami body after 20 years?" than a number of things can have been meant by that. Urahara could be asking How's your... 20 years of not leaving your gigai, or ...20 years of being in the human world or ...20 years since you last fought. His statement leaves more questions that it gives answers. As for the memory replacement thing it could happen but I doubt that it could work since Shinigami have a higher level of spiritual powers and at the start of the series Orihime and Tatsuki were able to remember the event with Acidwire (Sora Inoue). WhiteStrike 22:51, 24 August 2009 (UTC)

Let's say, a theory is nor right nor wrong until it is not confirmed by facts, but it helps to give some ideas even false, because the true ones would finally appear from them. We call them hypothesis.Baronofash 23:49, 24 August 2009 (UTC)

Just something I thought I should add to Lia Schiffer's comment. We do know when Gin took over 3rd Division. In the rescue Rukia arc, when she sees Gin on a bridge, when she's being escorted to the execution site, she has a flashback of her first encounter with Gin. She mentions Ichimaru took the captain slot just a while after Byakuya took his and then she mentions that when he looked at her, she felt like snakes were on her or something. Even disregarding Rukia's statement, around 50-40 prior to the beginning of the show, when Renji & buds are still in the SS academy, Gin is Aizen's Lt. in the 5th Division. So I think it's correct to assume he got the spot after Rukia & buds joined the Gotei 13, like 40 years ago. But yes, we dunno if there was someone there before him, or before Komamura took the 7th division. And as for Shinji's comment about the new Kempachi. Did he really call the guy a fatty?? I hears some "butta" something and dunno if that's some slang for fat ass. Oh well, but Shinji is always annoyed so I have my doubts if we can take him seriously on this one. I just think that if Shinji didn't recognize Isshin's reiatsu, it doesn't necessarily mean the latter didn't "existed" rather that he wasn't on the roster back then. He could've been in the zero division with Hikifune. But he clearly seems older than Renji, Kira, Rukia and Gin, Matsumoto and Hisagi. Maybe as old as Urahara. Question is, why was he in the real world? How did he get out? Did he do it on his own? Was he banished? How did he get his power back? Deimonos 15:48, 25 August 2009 (UTC)