Baraggan Louisenbairn

is an Arrancar in Sōsuke Aizen's army and is the segunda (2nd) Espada.

Appearance
Barragan is an elderly Arrancar with a large white mustache and white hair. His Hollow hole is not visible, but the remnants of his mask takes the form of a five pointed crown just above his forehead. His face is lined by large scars on the left side of his chin and across his right eye. Despite his aged appearance, Barragan is quite stocky and muscular, especially when compared to the other Espada, and when standing (albeit with the slouch of an elderly person) is about as tall as General Yamamoto of the Gotei 13, making him the Espada's shortest member.

He wears a regal white leather coat with fur lining, short sleeves and three fur stripes running along the bottom. He also wears an armband on both his wrists and a belt which consists of three thick chains attached to a large metal disk with a sun emblem. His overall appearance is like that of a barbarian, more close to a Viking due to his Zanpakutō's appearance and his scar, which is like the Viking god Odin, aside from the fact that Odin sacrificed his left eye and not his right. Although Starrk indirectly confirms his status as the second most powerful Espada, the location of his Espada tattoo is currently unknown.

When he was the King of Hueco Mundo, his crown has four elegant protrusions which, too, are ornately decorated.

Personality
Barragan exhibits typical Arrancar traits; arrogance, stubbornness, pride, boastfulness, and a fairly cold, serious demeanor. He doesn't hesitate to impose his perceived authority over others, as shown when he takes the role of leader after Aizen was 'decommissioned', even going as far as openly challenging two other powerful Espada (including one higher in rank than himself) to disagree. Barragan refers to Aizen as "the Boss" and his opponents as "ants"; his Fracción, on the other hand, refer to him as "his majesty". Like a "king", he doesn't bring his Zanpakutō with himself - his Fracción take care of it, as well as of his throne. He's also able to analyze situations quickly and calmly, such as finding the four pillars making the fake Karakura Town.

Barragan's arrogance stems from both facts that he was the former King of Hueco Mundo prior to Aizen's ascension and that he could control time, specifically aging. Ironically, the power that he claimed was absolute, the power of age and death, was used against him.

As the Espada of Old Age, Barragan possesses a sense of fatalism that comes from his power, bragging that death by aging is something that the mind cannot fathom, except that it is inevitable even for Shinigami. He even lectures that for everything that can exist for a lifetime cannot exist forever; even the word "forever" is meaningless as it was born out of the fear of death. This philosophy makes Barragan quite merciless against his enemies as he can literally rot the flesh from their bodies.

However, for all his pride and power, Barragan is easily enraged. Whenever this happens, he flies into a blind rage, and starts cursing at his opponents. Usually, he would go completely all out in trying to attack the offender, and anyone else in the way (which is in stark contrast to his normally cool and level headed self), even against all odds. Barragan also held a grudge for Aizen since the day the two met: Barragan's final act was an attempt on Aizen's life, which was in vain.

History
Before becoming an Espada, Barragan was the undisputed God-King of Hueco Mundo and original ruler of Las Noches. He reigned over an open court with many servants and had a large army of Hollows. He was increasingly bored as a result of nothing to do, nothing to conquer and no one to defeat, thus rendering his army nearly useless. It's only purpose had become awaiting the invasion of another force. Unexpectedly, Barragan receives news that someone has killed one of his subordinates. Then Sōsuke Aizen, Gin Ichimaru and Kaname Tōsen appear at the entrance to the court. When a large Hollow attacks Aizen, Tōsen steps in and kills the creature with very little effort. Aizen then states that that he and Barragan have never met before and asks him if he is the king of Hueco Mundo. Barragan confirms his status, and asks Aizen who they are. Barragan pointed out that they had no masks, which made it obvious to him that they weren't Hollow, which led him to ask if they are humans or Shinigami, however the question was not answered. Despite asking, he stated he had very little care about what they were, stating that he was so bored that if it weren't for their arrival, he would have split his army in two and made them kill each other. He then welcomes them to his palace of Las Noches.

Tōsen comments that it's interesting that Barragan calls a place without walls or a ceiling a palace, asking if it's a joke on his part. Barragan plainly states that he has no need for a ceiling, as he is a king and the very sky of Hueco Mundo is the roof of his palace. Aizen unsheathes his Zanpakutō and asks that Barragan take a look at his sword and tells him that its name is Kyōka Suigetsu as he holds it up for all to see. Barragan questions what he is doing, to which Aizen asks him if he is happy with what he has. Barragan only stared confused at Aizen. Therefore, Aizen starts over by asking if he ever feels that this place is not where he should be, asking him if he wants to rise even higher, simply stating that he will aid Barragan if he follows him. He further states that if he does so, he will give him more power and a new world. Barragan laughed at the notion, and claimed that he was the king of Hueco Mundo, king of the world, that there was no one higher than him and no new world for him. No longer amused by the intruders, Barragan ordered his army to crush them all. Aizen then released his shikai and in that instant, to Barragan's surprise, his army was decimated. Aizen comments that this is Barragan's world. This caused Barragan to rise up from his throne and ready himself to attack Aizen with his Gran Caída. But Aizen only stood there and taunted Barragan, stating that it's ironic that Barragan, being the king of Hueco Mundo, is dressed in black and ready to attack, and that he looked just like a Shinigami. Barragan then tells Aizen to "Shut up" and that he will kill him with his own hands, and will make him regret giving him power, as he is the king, a god that will never die. He silently vows to hunt Aizen down for all eternity.

Hueco Mundo arc
He first appears during Aizen's meeting with the Espada about Ichigo Kurosaki, Yasutora Sado and Uryū Ishida entering Hueco Mundo to save Orihime Inoue. He sits between Yammy Rialgo and Szayel Aporro Granz and complains about the intruders along with Aaroniero Arruruerie, Yammy, Szayel and Nnoitra Jiruga.

After Aaroniero is killed in battle by Rukia Kuchiki, he gives an angry remark about the deceased Espada for "dying such a pathetic death."

Fake Karakura Town arc
After Aizen travels to destroy Karakura Town, he is met with resistance by the Gotei 13 Captains that are currently not in Hueco Mundo. Aizen then summons Barragan and his Fracción along with the other two strongest Espada and their Fracción to do battle with the Gotei 13. Once Aizen, Gin, and Tōsen are trapped in Yamamoto's Shikai, he himself decides to give all orders despite only being the Second Espada. His Fracción, Choe Neng Poww, Ggio Vega and Avirama Redder, then pull out a throne for him to sit upon as he decisively finds the four pillars that are keeping the real Karakura Town in Soul Society. He then orders his Fracción, Findor Carias to send Hollows to destroy them, but the Hollows however are killed by Ikkaku Madarame, Yumichika Ayasegawa, Izuru Kira, and Shūhei Hisagi, who are protecting the pillars. In response, he then sends four members of his Fracción, Poww, Cuuhlhourne, Avirama, and Findor, to a different pillar stating that if they are going to guard them using ants he'll just have to send dragons to crush them.

In the ensuing battles, one by one, three of his Fracción are defeated and killed. His Fracción, Poww is able to destroy one of the pillars after he defeated Ikkaku, but with the intervention of Captain Sajin Komamura, he is also killed and the damage to the tower is temporarily repaired. Barragan, furious at having lost over half of his Fracción, prepares to take action himself but is persuaded otherwise by Ggio Vega, one of his two remaining Fracción, who pleads with him to leave the Shinigami to him and his other Fracción, Nirgge Parduoc. Barragan agrees and gives them a pre-battle pep talk before they engage Soifon and Marechiyo Ōmaeda but ultimately both are also killed. He then rises from his throne, ready to engage both Soifon and Ōmaeda in battle.

During the battle, Soifon and Ōmaeda are seen worn out from their fight against Barragan. He comments on how even their combined efforts have failed to budge him. Ōmaeda believed they were having so much trouble because their limiters were still active, but Soifon tells him they are already at full strength. Disappointed, Barragan draws out his Zanpakutō from his throne, a massive battle axe. Soifon tries to attack him, but before her kick connects his head, her leg is slowed down. Barragan grabs her foot and throws her away. As Soifon recovers from the throw, she tries to analyze just what Barragan's ability is. Seeing the confused look on Soifon, Barragan tells her that each of the Espadas have an aspects of death, and that his aspect is "time". He then demonstrates his powers by "aging" the bones in Soifon's left arm, breaking them in the process. He then releases his Zanpakutō, intent on quickly finishing the battle.

Soifon is terrified upon seeing Barragan's new form, a skeletal king. As he walks, his presence affects the building he steps on, aging them and causing their structure to crumble. Barragan stretches his fleshless arm towards Soifon. She screams at Ōmaeda to retreat, as he is no match for this enemy. The Espada snarkily remarks she isn't much of a match for him either. He unleashes his attack at her, "Respira", a mist which decays anything it touches. Even as she is running away, Soifon's broken arm is touched by the mist and quickly begins to rot away to the bone. In a panic, she demands Ōmaeda to cut her affected arm off to stop the affliction from spreading further. After Ōmaeda severs her arm, Barragan taunts her, saying how comical it is that a Shinigami, a god of death, can also fear death.

As Ōmaeda is still in a shock at how powerful Barragan is, Soifon suddenly tells him that she will need him to act as decoy. He tries to convince her otherwise, but she ignores his pleas and vanishes to execute her plan. Barragan takes no notice and rushes at Ōmaeda, who screams and runs for his life. Barragan sends a sluggish Respira at Ōmaeda to frighten and taunt him as he flees. He tries to counter by releasing his Zanpakutō, sending fragments of stone at the Espada but Barragan's decaying power prevents anything from touching him. That's when Ōmaeda realizes Kidō would probably be able to reach his enemy, thinking perhaps it's Barragan's weakness. However, he remembers he is not skilled in such abilities, and creates a smoke curtain in order to keep running away. Soifon hears his cries for help between two buildings, and she activates her Bankai.

Growing tired of taunting the Shinigami, Barragan uses "Gran Caída" to finish him off. He hears Soifon call Bankai and turns to face her. She emerges and explains her reluctance to use her Bankai, Jakuhō Raikōben, due to it being too large and heavy to function as an assassin's weapon. She then states that Jakuhō Raikōben's attack is "too flashy for assassination" but nevertheless fires a powerful projectile attack at Barragan, resulting in a huge explosion. The Espada showed no sign of fear prior to being struck by the Bankai and was even somewhat amused. After Wonderweiss Margera and his companion arrive in Karakura Town, Barragan arises from the smoke, completely unharmed.

After the Vizard finish off the Gillians, Hachigen Ushōda goes to Soifon and Ōmaeda's aid and greets her. But the latter did not acknowledge him, saying she haven't seen him before in her life. Growing tired of waiting, Barragan then confronts Hachi, who encases Barragan before the latter can attack. Hachi then states Barragan's power as truly fearsome. However, Barragan is able to use his aging power to get out of the Kidō cage and states that age can touch kidō, surprising Hachi.

Barragan then explains how all things, even kidō, are effected by age. Barragan continues explaining that "humans die, animals die, plants die and even Shinigami die. For everything that dies there is age too. If things that Human's create can die then kidō, created by Shinigami, is no different. As kidō may last for a thousand years. But it cannot last forever". Barragan contends that 'forever' is nothing more then a meaningless word born out of the fear of aging.

He then proceeds to attack. Hachi generates a rectangular plank in between his hands and multiples it into rows in front of him. The constructs connect together into a wall that holds off Barragan's Respira. Barragan states that he already has said that it will rot, as the Respira begins to chisel away at the integrity of the wall. Hachi begins recite the incantation, to which Barragan comments on how clever Hachi is, since a incantation said after a spell can strengthen it. But he also warns that he is too late. Hachi puts his hands up in front of him saying the spell name causing large beams to build up in front of him, creating a very thick and large wall many stories high to separate him and Barragan further. It's something that Barragan only calls nice acrobatics. But he then stands there, wondering what is happening behind the wall and notes that they don't seem to be doing anything.

As nothing is happening, Barragan believes it was only to stall for time and begins to rot the barrier away, but is then surprised by the forming of three new barriers around him. Hachi then begins an incantation that creates a cube-like barrier around the Espada. Still seeing this as a waste, Barragan is amused that Hachi continues to use tactics that he believes won't work. Hachi then explains how Barragan aged Soifon's Bankai's attack so the explosion wouldn't touch him, but by putting up the barrier, the explosion would be close enough to harm Barragan. Soifon then appears behind Barragan and fires her Bankai through an opening.

Barragan emerges from this blast alive, but severely damaged, since a large portion of his head has been blown off. The fact that he was damaged by a Shinigami sends him into a rage, causing him to release Respira everywhere. Eventually, one hits Hachi's arm. However, before it can spread to the rest of his body, Hachi transports his arm into Barragan's stomach, causing him to dissolve from the inside out, thus ending the life of the Espada.

As he dies, Barragan recalls the first time he met Sōsuke Aizen and before disintegrating completely, throws his Gran Caída at him in one last attempt to fulfill his vow to kill him. Barragan's final attack proves futile, however, as the weapon rots away before it can reach Aizen, who turns his back on Barragan as he disintegrates entirely.

Powers & Abilities
Barragan is the segunda (second) Espada, making him the 2nd most powerful Arrancar in Sōsuke Aizen's Army.

Enhanced Strength: Despite his elderly appearance, Barragan has shown great physical strength from his ability to effortlessly crush his arm-rest made of bone and to wield his large Zanpakutō with enough force to slice through large buildings with extreme ease and only a casual swing.

Garganta: Garganta is how Arrancar move to and from Hueco Mundo. Barragan has the ability to use the technique. It literally tears open the dimensional fabric separating the worlds, revealing a tunnel of whirling, torrential energy that must be focused and solidified to create a discernible pathway. He is seen using one to travel to the fake Karakura Town.

Hierro: Barragan also appears to have a strong Hierro, taking a direct hit from Soifon's Jakuho Raikoben and only having the left part of his skull and his lower right arm destroyed.

Immense Spiritual Power: As a member of the top four Espada, Barragan is forbidden to release his Zanpakutō inside Las Noches because such a release could destroy the entire fortress. His spiritual power is dark red. It was powerful enough to send a shockwave across Karakura Town, just because of Barragan's anger. As a Hollow, he was also known as King of Hueco Mundo, meaning that even before his Shinigamification, his powers were vast and well known.

Sonído Master: Despite his aged appearance, Barragan is able to keep up with, and even deceive, the likes of Soifon, one of the fastest of all Shinigami. His proficiency in Sonído is so great that he was able to get behind a surprised Soifon and lightly tap her on the shoulder, while the latter could only react with confusion at what just transpired, another proof of this is that he could use Sonído to escape the blast of Soifon´s Bankai when using Respira to make it explode.

Time Dilation Field: As the Espada who represents "aging", Barragan is able to dilate time around him, thereby reducing the speed of any target that comes near him and making their efforts at attacking him useless, and thus has sufficient enough time to counter them. He used this aspect of the ability in his fight against Soifon and Ōmaeda, so that they were incapable of landing a hit on him. The ability also allows him to accelerate the age of whatever he touches, causing the appropriate damage that comes with aging. This portion of his ability was used to age Soifon's left arm to the point that its bones became so brittle that they eventually broke. This ability seems to be augmented after Barragan has released his Zanpakutō, as he demonstrates being able to deteriorate numerous rocks thrown at him by Ōmaeda's Shikai, as it makes contact with his field, and possibly Soifon's Bankai, where he remains unharmed even after receiving a direct hit. What's worse, Barragan can even use his time dilation field on Kidō as he demonstrated when Hachigen encased him in a Kidō cage, which he somehow negated with the field, stating that aging even reaches Kidō, likely implying he accelerated the Kidō cage to the point where it would wear off or run out of sufficient energy.

Zanpakutō

 * Barragan's Zanpakutō takes the form of a large, double-headed battle axe with a pair of rounded blades and a slit-eye pendant in the middle of its focal point. Despite it being roughly the same size as himself, Barragan wields his Zanpakutō with a single hand relatively easily. During the Battle of the Fake Karakura Town, he originally kept it hidden in his throne.


 * Resurrección: Arrogante's release phrase is . When releasing his Zanpakutō, Barragan holds it out in front of him with its axe-head pointing downwards, and declares the release. The slit-eye pendant between the axe-blades then opens, and begins to release numerous jet-black flames that literally burn away Barragan's flesh, reducing his entire body to little more than a skeleton, complete with his head becoming a skull and his hands and arms reduced to bone. However, he retains both of his armbands. Afterwards, Barragan's body becomes draped in a black cloak, with a pitch-black fur collar around his neck, which gives him a macabre, Grim Reaper-like, appearance. Several lengths of golden chain, originally worn like a belt around his waist, now dangle out of either of his sleeves. The pendant from his Zanpakutō is now worn around his neck as an elegant necklace. The sandals of his uniform become white, pointed-toe boots. His crown-like mask fragment turns into a full, extravagantly-decorated and bejeweled crown that features a chain which runs downward on the left side. He still retains the scar present on his right eye from his previous form, visible now as an apparent crack in the same location.


 * Resurrección Special Ability: While in his Resurrección form, Barragan is able to age and deteriorate every object around him; even the very building he walks upon begins deteriorating from his mere presence. He is also protected from most close-range, and melee attacks; mainly because everything that comes within a specific range of him rapidly ages and disintegrates before actually making contact. Strangely, his released form is exactly the same as his original hollow form.


 * Barragan unleashes a black, smoke-like, miasma that radiates outward from him. The breath immediately ages and rots anything that it comes into contact with. It can move fast enough to strike even Soifon while she was attempting to escape from it at full speed. The breath decays the skin on Soifon's left arm until only shredded clothes and her arm's skeleton are left behind. Even after escaping the attack, the deterioration continued until the afflicted area had been amputated. Another notable aspect of the ability is that Barragan can control its speed, as he purposefully released a slower Respira when chasing Ōmaeda. Its power is absolute, as it is even able to dissolve Kidō. Under normal circumstances, Barragan is protected from the effects of his own ability. However, this protection is negated if his Respira somehow enters his own body.


 * Barragan now wields a Resurrección form of his original double-bladed axe, which he keeps hidden within his cloak. The axe itself has a much-slimmer and much-darker appearance than its predecessor, featuring two pointed blades and a large spike protruding outwards from its center, in place of the now-absent slit-eye pendant. There are also four chains present around the base of the spike, which appear to extend into his cloak, before attaching to an ornate bracelet worn around his right wrist. Just as before, he wields the axe with a single hand. This is the only weapon wielded by an Arrancar that remains in a form that's vaguely similar to its pre-released state. Barragan uses this in an attempt to finish Ōmaeda off, referring it as his "guillotine." He apparently had this weapon as a Hollow prior to his Shinigamification.

Fracción
Barragan's Fracción consists of six male Arrancar. All but one of his Fracción take the form of animals when they release their Zanpakutō.


 * : is a large and religious Arrancar who was sent to deal with Ikkaku Madarame. Poww surprisingly defeated Ikkaku and was able to land a powerful hit on Captain Sajin Komamura, but he was soon crushed and killed under Sajin's Bankai.
 * : is an Arrancar that appears as if he dresses in drag and is a narcissist like his assigned opponent, Yumichika Ayasegawa. He is soon defeated by Yumichika.
 * : is a very out going Arrancar who screams that he is going to kill his opponent, while demanding his opponent do the same as a way to psyche each other out. He was sent to battle against, and ultimately beheaded by, Izuru Kira.
 * : appears to be the most composed member of Barragan's Fracción. He had an ability not seen before by most Arrancar, which was the ability to increase his power by tearing off a piece of his mask. He was sent to battle against, and killed by Shūhei Hisagi.
 * is the smallest member of Barragan's Fracción. His attitude somewhat mirrors that of his adversary, Soifon, his opponent in the battle over the fake Karakura Town, but he is very sarcastic and enjoys taunting his opponents. He is later killed by Soifon, being stabbed through his right lung.
 * : is the last to be introduced. Facing Marechiyo Ōmaeda in battle, he relies more on his large size and power to win. In the manga, he was ironically killed not by his Shinigami opponent, but by Soifon when she is thrown away by one of Ggio's attacks and crashes against his head, while in the anime, he was crushed by Marechiyo's Shikai.

Quotes

 * "And you're being disrespectful to me, Harribel."
 * (To Starrk and Harribel) "...with the boss unable to move, I'll be giving orders. You'd better not have a problem with that."
 * "If four ants are guarding the pillars, I'll send four dragons to crush them."
 * (To his Fracción) "Do not make me walk a road that is not soaked with the enemy's blood."
 * "The Espada each embody an aspect of death. Those are the ten reasons people die."
 * "Old Age means Time. It is the most powerful and inevitable aspect of death. Everyone must face it sometime."
 * (To Soifon) "With nothing more than a touch, I can age your very bones."
 * "You don't understand. That is what death is. And from now until this battle is over, there will not be one single thing your mind can fathom."
 * "Rot, Arrogante!"
 * "It's funny. Apparently, even Shinigami are afraid of death."
 * (To Hachigen Ushōda) "Did you think that age could not touch Kidō? How ridiculous. Humans die. Animals die. Plants die. Even Shinigami die. And for everything that dies, there is age, too. If things humans create can die, then Kidō, created by Shinigami, is no different. Kidō may last for a thousand years, but it cannot last forever. Of course it can't. After all, the word 'forever' is nothing more than a meaningless word born out of the fear of aging."
 * "Trying to buy time from the one who controls aging is like spitting in the face of a god."
 * "I am the Great Emperor, Barragan Luisenbarn! The God of Hueco Mundo!"
 * "I will kill you. With my own hands. I will make you regret giving me power. I am the king. I am god. I will never die. And I will hunt you for all eternity, Sosuke Aizen."

Trivia

 * Curiously, Barragan and his Fracción's mask fragments are all forms of headgear. Barragan's white crown adds to the idea of him being a "king," according to his Fracción.


 * Oddly, Barragan was never once referred to by himself as an Espada. This may be due to his hatred of Sōsuke Aizen for dethroning him.


 * Interestingly, Barragan's crown did not disintegrate with him, showing that it was never part of his body. This is also proven by the fact that previously, Barragan had a different crown. However, this contradicts the remnants of his hollow mask when he was in human form: no other part of his body resembles it.
 * Curiously Barragan's Respira only aged objects to the bone, yet it affected him while he had nothing but bones.


 * Barragan's aspect of death is aging (or old age).


 * Barragan's release form is similar to the Western personification of the Grim Reaper: a cloaked skeleton who is associated with death, especially with his aspect.


 * Barragan is one of the few Espada not to be seen using a cero, along with Zommari Leroux, Szayel Aporro Granz and Aaroniero Arruruerie.


 * Barragan is one of the Arrancar to retain a type of weapon after his Resurrección. He shares this trait with Starrk, Tia Harribel, Nelliel Tu Oderschvank, Ulquiorra Cifer, Nnoitra Jiruga, Aaroniero Arruruerie, Rudobōn and Mila-Rose. Additionally, it's the only weapon so far that vaguely resembles his own Zanpakutō in its pre-released form.


 * Barragan is the only Espada to have his rank (albeit indirectly) confirmed by another Espada (Starrk).


 * Both Hachigen Ushōda and Soifon lost one of their hands during their battle with Barragan.


 * Barragan is the only Espada to be killed by the effect of his own technique.


 * Barragan is the only Arrancar, so far, to look near identical to his original Hollow-self after his Resurrección, save for two details, his chain and crown. Ironically, his weapon remained the same even after his transition from Hollow to Arrancar.


 * Barragan, so far, is the only Hollow to have a true human skull as his Hollow "mask." All others have a deformed or stylized skull or an animal skull.


 * Barragan is the second Espada whose death is witnessed by other Espada. He's also the second Espada whose death is witnessed by Sōsuke Aizen. The first being Luppi.


 * Barragan could possibly be named after Luis Barragán Morfin, a Mexican architect of the 20th century.


 * Barragan is the second of the Espada to have part of his life as a Hollow revealed, the first being Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez. He is the seventh of the Arrancar in total to have their experiences as Hollows shown, behind Grimmjow and his five fracćion.
 * Barragan is, so far, the only Espada, or Arrancar for that matter, to be killed by a Vizard. He was killed by Hachigen Ushoda.


 * Barragan is the only Espada to have turned on Aizen right before death, as he is shown throwing his Gran Caida at Aizen right before he completely deteriorates. However, the axe disintegrates before it can even reach Aizen.

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