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In the second Cour ofBleach Thousand Year Blood War, the anime has added a brand-new sub-plot that wasn’t present in the manga, and that is Ichigo Kurosaki’s special soul training guided by the captain of Squad 0, Ichibe Hyousube. He sent Ichigo to a strange shrine-like hallway.
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With each step, Ichigo feels heavier and more and more exhausted. He starts to see visions, or rather, memories of a certain someone. Ichibe reveals these memories to be from the Soul King.
Who is the Soul King?
The Soul King, or Rei-Oh, is the supposed ruler of the Bleach universe. But in reality, he’s nothing but an inert object used as a lynchpin to hold the realms together. The Soul King was originally a man of mysterious origin possessing an immeasurable amount of reiatsu. And so, in the primordial world of millions of years ago, he created the three realms: Soul Society, Human World, and Hueco Mundo. He was then imprisoned and set as the bridge that holds the three realms together, preventing them from collapsing on themselves and each other.
The Soul King would be the most powerful entity in the Bleach world, if he was able to move or speak. He possesses little consciousness due to his sealed-like state.
What is Ichibe doing to Ichigo?
Through this training, or rather, trial, Ichibe seeks to test if Ichigo could potentially become the new Soul King. Ichigo is a potential candidate due to his unique origin. Ichigo was born human, but from the union of a Quincy mother and a Shinigami father. Both of his parents mixed with the reiatsu of apowerful Hollow, the deadly White, created by Sousuke Aizen. Therefore,Ichigo is a special entitythat unites all three realms within him.
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By enhancing Ichigo’s power and imbuing him with the Soul King’s memories and power, Ichibe is testing if Ichigo will endure and contain this power, or reject it, and die in the process. Should Ichigo endure it, he will become a suitable vessel for the Rei-Oh and, as such, be capable of replacing him.
Why is Ichibe turning Ichigo into the Soul King?
With the imminent threat of Yhwach and the Quincy army, the Soul King’s life may be in danger. If the Soul King perishes, the Bleach universe will collapse, ending all life in it. So,Ichibeis using Ichigo as a contingency plan, should Yhwach kill the Soul King, Ichigo might be suitable to replace him and keep the realms in order.
Should Ichigo become the new Soul King, his life as a substitute shinigami would be over, as he would suffer the same fate as Rei-Oh. He would be imprisoned and forced to become nothing but a lynchpin to hold the universe together.
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