Aizen Sosuke

Before leaving Soul Society, Aizen appeared to be a calm, intelligent man. He had brown hair, soft brown eyes, and rectangular-framed glasses. He wore a haori over the standard Shinigami uniform. During his departure to Hueco Mundo, he broke his glasses and slicked his hair back. One strand fell over his face. As he admitted to Renji Abarai, the Aizen everyone knew never existed, as demonstrated by the change in his style.

In Hueco Mundo, Aizen initially wore Arrancar attire over his Shinigami uniform. After they kidnapped Orihime Inoue, he appears in full Arrancar-style attire, complete with a purple sash.

After being implanted with the Hōgyoku, Aizen's appearance changes several times (see below). When he is defeated by Ichigo Kurosaki, he loses all of his physical changes and returns to his original state. His height is 186

Despite his villainous behavior, Aizen is a surprisingly polite intellectual with a soft voice. He often calls his subordinates by name. He very rarely expresses his anxiety or pain. He often manages to carry out his complex plans. When entering battle, Aizen acts relaxed and carefree, trying to make small talk with his opponent, which often irritates the latter.

Aizen appeared to be a very kind, respected captain, and admired by many, especially his lieutenant Momo Hinamori. However, this was only a mask that hid his villainous and manipulative nature. In reality, he cares little for his subordinates and uses them as pawns to achieve his plans. By his own words, Aizen does not abide by any moral or ethical laws, as he views them as nothing more than an obstacle to realizing his potential. He will stop at nothing to manipulate people and, if necessary, kill them in order to fulfill his ambitions. He often toys with his subordinates for fun. Unlike most Shinigami and even some Espada, Aizen has no sense of honor or pity.

When he was a captain, he was known to like tofu and dislike boiled eggs. He usually spent his free time reading, and he also gave lectures on calligraphy at the Shinigami Academy, a master of the art. The club was incredibly popular with the students, and many were saddened by Aizen's sudden departure.

As the commander of his army of Arrancar, Aizen controls his subordinates by either inspiring respect or fear. Ulquiorra Cifer says that they are all there to further Aizen's ambitions. Aizen keeps the more violent individuals, like Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez, in line through intimidation or deception. The Arrancar Aislinger Wernarr states that the Arrancar follow him because he has no fear, and this inspires "beings born from fear and pain."

Aizen's true goal was to overthrow the king of Soul Society. As he and his followers were leaving Soul Society, he told 13th Division Captain Jūshirō Ukitake that "no one has ever stood on top of the world", not even the gods, but he seeks to "stand in the heavens and end the unbearable emptiness of the world's throne". According to Kisuke Urahara, after gaining control of the Hōgyoku, Aizen became less cautious in battle, such as allowing Urahara to cast a level 90 Kidō on him. Aizen himself admits that his new powers allow him to relax. After gaining his new powers, Aizen became arrogant and overconfident, often not even thinking through his attacks and defenses as he did before, or even bothering to study his opponent's attacks or even his own. Aizen solo. In his new form, he gained delusions of grandeur, believing himself to be superior to Shinigami and Hollows. Due to his arrogance and intelligence, Aizen is easily angered when faced with something he does not understand; for example, when he sees Ichigo Kurosaki use the Final Getsuga Tenshou, he becomes enraged because he cannot understand how the man could surpass him. After being temporarily freed from the Void, he became calm and casual once again, brushing off Shunsui Kyōraku's praise of his current abilities and even changing his stance somewhat, expressing a desire to fight against Yhwach and help Ichigo before returning to prison. He disagrees with Yhwach's philosophy of uniting all three planes of existence to eliminate the fear of death, and believes that humans will never have the courage to move against such a threat in Yhwach's world. Despite Aizen's cold-bloodedness, lack of pity and moral standards, Ichigo suggests that deep down he felt lonely and wished for someone in this world who could understand and appreciate him. In his opinion, all this time Aizen was trying to find someone who could recognize his talent and strength, but he never succeeded.

Countless searches only led to the fact that he, having lost any faith in the possibility of not being alone, decided to hide this dream from everyone and devote himself to achieving higher goals, sparing nothing and no one. But somewhere in the depths of his soul, despite all his aspirations, all his enormous power that distinguished him from others from birth, Aizen wanted only one thing - to become an ordinary Shinigami. Aizen once became a member of the 5th Division under the leadership of Captain Shinji Hirako. He began researching the creation of the Hōgyoku even before Kisuke Urahara. To this end, he fed hundreds of souls of Shinigami and residents of Rukongai who possessed spiritual power to his Hōgyoku. However, it was not satisfied with this. Gin Ichimaru accidentally saw Aizen somewhere in Rukongai along with three other Shinigami kneeling before him. One of the Shinigami hands Aizen the Hōgyoku, which he places in a vial. Aizen and his henchmen abandon the unconscious Rangiku Matsumoto nearby. Shinji eventually promoted Aizen to lieutenant so he could keep a closer eye on him. However, Shinji's action only helped Aizen further his plans. 110 years ago, Aizen comes to his captain's quarters. He and Shinji discuss style and trends before heading to the appointment ceremony held at the 1st Division barracks. When they arrive, he sees 12th Division lieutenant Hiyori Sarugaki attack his captain and watches them argue childishly. He follows him as the other captains gather and briefly discuss the status of the Gotei 13. According to Shunsui Kyōraku, the previous captain of the 12th Division has been promoted. Aizen interrupted him by asking what he meant, first assuming that the captain had been promoted and sent to the Central 46. But Shunsui explained that the promotion had nothing to do with the Central 46 and that Kirio Hikifune had been accepted into Squad Zero. Aizen looked shocked.

That evening, after Kisuke Urahara had met his new squad, Shinji spoke to him briefly about his new role. As Shinji left, he revealed Aizen was hiding behind a disguise. After complimenting his captain, Aizen asked when Shinji had sensed his presence. Stating that he had sensed it since Aizen was in his mother's womb, Shinji ordered him to follow him. Noting his disapproval, Aizen remarked that Shinji was a scary person, to which Shinji replied that the only one who was scary was Aizen. The following night, Aizen watched as Gin killed their squad's third seat. He praised the boy for his abilities.

Nine years later, Shinji and Aizen were walking through Seireitei when they encountered Urahara, Hiyori, and Mayuri Kurotsuchi. While Shinji was engaged in childish bickering with Hiyori, Aizen asked Urahara if he had heard any strange news. Taking a break from their fooling around, Shinji told him about a series of strange deaths in Rukongai, and added that a group of Shinigami from the 9th Division had been dispatched to investigate. Due to the disappearance of the 9th Division's senior officers, Captain Yamamoto called an emergency meeting and assembled a team to conduct further investigation. Upon arriving, the team encountered members of the 9th Division who had become Hollowfied, and were then dealt with by a masked man. Meanwhile, Captain Shunsui Kyōraku, determined to verify his suspicions, took a walk through Seireitei and confirmed that Aizen was there. As it turned out, both investigation teams were dealt with by Kaname Tōsen. When his opponents were no longer able to resist, he removed his mask and showed his face. When the wounded Shinji asked Tōsen why he had betrayed his captain, Aizen, who had arrived with Gin, replied that Tōsen had not betrayed anyone and had only faithfully followed his orders. Shinji admitted that he was not surprised, stating that he had expected betrayal on his part. He explained that he had immediately realized that Aizen was dangerous and could not be trusted. It was for this reason that Shinji had chosen him as his-

lieutenant - to keep an eye on him. Aizen responded by saying that he was grateful for this, as Shinji's distrust had caused him to act distantly towards Aizen and not notice that another person had been following him for the past month. If Hirako had been closer to his lieutenant like the other captains, he would have noticed the subtle differences between the real Aizen and the Aizen created by Kyōka Suigetsu's illusion. Aizen added that he could have always refused to be lieutenant, but he chose not to because being under a captain who did not trust him was ideal for his plans. Shinji was provoked by Aizen's words about his own fault for his situation, but this only accelerated the process of Hollowfication. Aizen thanked him for being so easily provoked; he wanted to see if emotions accelerated the transformation into a Hollow. Aizen ordered Tōsen to finish off Hiyori, and raised his sword towards Shinji. He is suddenly attacked from behind by Urahara, who cuts his lieutenant's chevron off his shoulder. Aizen and Urahara briefly discuss what happened. Aizen initially acts innocent, until Urahara notices that the investigation team does not have simple wounds, but has in fact been Hollowfied. After encouraging Urahara's deduction, Aizen reveals himself to be behind the disappearances in Rukongai. Leaving the crime scene with Gin and Tōsen, Aizen says that there is nothing more to do. When Tessai fires the #88 Destruction Path Hiryū Gekizoku Shinten Raihō at them, Aizen blocks his #81 Binding Path Danku, allowing them to escape. At some point after the Hollowfication incident, Aizen becomes captain of the 5th Division and eventually reveals to Gin the secret to avoiding Kyōka Suigetsu's complete hypnosis.[49] He later makes Gin his lieutenant.[50] Continuing to experiment with Hollows to turn them into Shinigami, Aizen creates Hollows close to Shinigami such as Metastacia and Menos who are able to hide their Reiatsu.

While testing this breed of Menos, Aizen and Gin save first-year students Momo Hinamori, Izuru Kira, and Renji Abarai from them. With the interest generated by them, Aizen realizes their potential and accepts them into his squad. While the obedient and loyal Izuru and Momo became lieutenants of the 3rd and 5th Divisions under Gin and Aizen respectively, Renji proved too rebellious and was transferred to the 11th Division, and was later transferred to the 6th Division and became its lieutenant. Gin and Tōsen later became captains of the 3rd and 9th Divisions respectively, but remained loyal only to Aizen. According to Aizen, even when Momo was his lieutenant, he always thought of Gin as his subordinate. At some point during their captaincy, Aizen, Gin, and Tōsen secretly visit Baraggan Louisenbairn, the King of Hueco Mundo and Lord of Las Noches. He and Baraggan engage in superficial conversation. Aizen asks Baraggan to look at his Zanpakutō. When Aizen asks Baraggan if he is happy with his current situation and would like to join him in a new world where he could gain more power, Baraggan declines the offer and states that there is no power higher than his. Releasing his Shikai, Aizen shows Baraggan the destruction of his army, enslaving him in succession. This created a great enmity between Aizen and Baraggan, who promised to eradicate Aizen's destruction forever. Some time after the Hollowfication incident and during his and Isshin Shiba's tenure as captains, he, Gin, and Tōsen are still working on their Hollowfication experiment and trying to locate Shinji's group. He tells his accomplices to remain patient and assures them that everything is going according to plan.

Soon after, Aizen and his comrades watch the battle between Isshin and one of their Hollow creations through a monitor. Aizen is curious about Isshin's presence in Naruki. When Tōsen states that Isshin did not report his departure, and Gin says that this could cause huge problems,

Aizen, interrupted by this interesting turn of events, refers to Isshin's arrival as an unexpected harvest and asks if there is a chance to watch the battle up close. Later, when he arrives at the scene of the battle with Gin and Tōsen, the three are wearing cloaks that conceal their Reiatsu. Aizen attacks Isshin from behind. Commenting on the quality of Urahara's cloaks and how easy it is to perform Kidō while wearing them, allowing the wearer to merge with thin air, Aizen prepares to leave, stating that Isshin will not be able to use Bankai in his current state and that the Hollow experiment would have failed if the captain were to win using only his Shikai. After Tōsen expresses his desire to simply call him "White" because he is their first experiment based on a Shinigami's soul, Aizen comments that it would be ironic to call a Hollow "White" due to his inner whiteness while his outer appearance is completely black. After watching the battle for some time, Aizen and his cohorts notice a Quincy participating in the battle, surprising all three. When Tōsen moves to eliminate her, Aizen stops him from killing her, eagerly stating that they should see what happens next. Later, when he arrives at the scene of the battle with Gin and Tōsen, the three are wearing cloaks that conceal their Reiatsu. Aizen attacks Isshin from behind. Commenting on the quality of Urahara's cloaks and how easy it is to perform Kidō while wearing them, allowing the wearer to merge with thin air, Aizen prepares to leave, stating that Isshin will not be able to use Bankai in his current state and that the Hollow experiment would have failed if the captain had been able to win using only his Shikai. After Tōsen expresses his desire to simply call him "White" due to him being their first experiment based on a Shinigami's soul, Aizen comments that it would be quite ironic to call a Hollow "White" due to his internal whiteness while his external appearance is completely black. After watching the battle for some time, Aizen and his cohorts notice,

Aizen takes part in the battle against the Quincy, which surprises all three of them. When Tōsen decides to eliminate her, Aizen stops him from killing her, eagerly stating that they must see what happens next. Aizen learns of Ichigo Kurosaki's existence the moment he is born. Realizing the significance of his birth, Aizen decides to help Ichigo's development for his own plans. He sends Rukia Kuchiki to Karakura Town for this purpose. Aizen also sets up obstacles that would force Ichigo to become stronger, including the Hollow that attacked his family and the Menos Grande that appeared when Uryū Ishida used Hollow bait. Reiatsu-Hiding Cloak: A cloak created by Urahara that hides the wearer's Reiatsu. Aizen used this cloak to sneak up on and attack Isshin Shiba. Aizen states that it allows the wearer to move with the air around them by combining Kidō with the cloak, almost completely hiding them from view.

Master Swordsman: Aizen is a highly skilled swordsman, his skill complemented by his immense strength. He can perform extremely powerful and precise strikes, and cut through very durable targets, such as Renji's Shikai and Komamura's Bankai. He injures four captains (two of whom were using their Bankai) and four Visored (with three former captains of the Gotei 13) with ease, and easily defeats a Hollow-masked Ichigo Kurosaki. Master Hand-to-Hand Combatant: Although he prefers to quickly end his battles with his Zanpakutō or Kidō, Aizen is a very capable unarmed fighter. On more than one occasion, Aizen has caught his opponent's weapon with one hand. When on the offensive in battle, he displays great agility and dexterity, combining both his sword and hand-to-hand combat skills to simultaneously strike with his sword and kick his opponents with great force. Shunpo Master: Aizen is so fast that opponents are usually unable to discern whether they have been attacked by him until after it has happened. Aizen can easily outmaneuver Ichigo's speed while masked and with his Bankai, to the point where he can casually place his hand on Ichigo's chest and still avoid a pinpoint attack. Aizen can dodge simultaneous attacks at close range and avoid Bankai-level techniques, and even when attacked from behind. Kidō Master: Aizen has vast experience using Kidō spells. He is well-versed in various types of Kidō and is skilled enough to use even high-level Kidō without the use of their spells, such as using Path of Destruction #90 to incapacitate 7th Division Captain Sajin Komamura, albeit only at a third of his power. Even during his time as a lieutenant, he was able to block high-level Path of Destruction spells such as Path of Destruction #88 from the likes of Tessai Tsukabishi, the captain of the Kidō Corps and the most skilled Kidō master in Soul Society at the time, Path of Binding #81 He can also create powerful defensive spells during battle. After his,-

During his imprisonment in Muken, Aizen is capable of effortlessly creating powerful Kidō spells at full power, including Way of Destruction #90 while restrained by a Reiatsu-suppressing chair and Way of Destruction #99, the strongest offensive spell of all. Genius-Level Intellect: Perhaps Aizen's most fearsome attribute is his immense intellect. He is well-versed in the history, strategy, and tactics of Soul Society, and he has access to knowledge unknown to many, such as the existence of the Key of the King and the methods for creating it. He has created several Hollows and Arrancar while avoiding suspicion from most of Soul Society. For over 110 years, he has been involved in experiments involving unique and extremely dangerous manipulation of Reiryoku and Reishi, including experiments involving the Hollowfication of Shinigami, something that has never been done before.[89] He has an innate knowledge of the Hōgyoku that rivals that of its creator, Kisuke Urahara. He even knows how to destroy it. He figured out the true nature of Shinji Hirako's Shikai by allowing himself to resist its effect. He is effective at deducing the true nature of the Hōgyoku through trial and error in situations that revolve around him. Master Manipulator: Aizen has proven to be a very cunning and underhanded individual ever since his public betrayal of Soul Society. He can deceive and manipulate those around him in many ways for a variety of purposes. For years, he convinced everyone around him that he was a kind person with the best intentions for Soul Society while committing horrific acts. He has a great talent for analyzing and observing everything in his presence, allowing him to understand a person's mindset and manipulate them better. He can formulate elaborate plans several steps ahead of others, some of which are long-term. His most famous plan spans over 110 years, a great feat that involves moving people like pieces on,-

chessboard, and ensuring that they play the role he has planned for them. He has mastery over plans within plans, such as kidnapping Orihime, allowing her to use her powers to extend the Hogyoku's shelf life, and luring many of his enemies to Hueco Mundo to trap them, making it easier for him to achieve his goal of invading the Soul King Palace. Master Strategist and Tactician: Aizen has proven to be a confident and flexible tactician, seamlessly adapting to any given combat situation if not planning events in advance. He understands the strengths, weaknesses, and characteristics of his enemies and creates strategies to defeat them; this includes modifying an Arrancar for the sole purpose of defeating Captain-Commander Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto, a Shinigami whose abilities are superior to his own. Despite seeing his power as a world beyond others, Aizen is very cautious in battle, paying special attention to himself so as not to leave blind spots. Aizen is strong enough to stop Ichigo's Bankai blade with a single index finger (even though Ichigo was already exhausted from fighting Byakuya Kuchiki) and nearly cut him in half with a single slash of his sword. He can stop Renji Abarai and Sajin Komamura's Shikai with only one hand and destroy them with a single swing, proving that his power is more than enough to fight a captain-level opponent. Aizen also demonstrates his strength by cutting through Komamura's Bankai's sword and wrist. Immediately after Shunsui Kyōraku used the One Key to remove the seal from Aizen's mouth in Muken, Aizen was able to freely move from his bindings without any further interference from Shunsui.

Immortality: Due to his interaction and subsequent fusion with the Hōgyoku, he gained some degree of immortality, allowing him to recover from the damage done by the Final Getsuga Tenshou (though it cost him all the new powers given to him by the Hōgyoku) and survive for 20,000 years in Muken. He took no damage from using Path of Destruction #90 on himself while attempting to free himself from the chair's suppressive spiritual pressure that was holding him back, despite the technique destroying all of Yhwach's remaining eye creatures and most of his surroundings. He was later left unfazed after being dismembered and impaled by Yhwach with the Soul King's powers and survived being consumed by his darkness.

Defensive Regeneration: While implanted into Aizen's chest, the Hōgyoku actively protects Aizen, healing his injuries almost instantly. Aizen withstood a direct attack from Path of Destruction #96. Itto Kasō and only suffered minor burns. Immediately after, he took a Bankai-enhanced and Hollow mask-enhanced Getsuga Tenshō at point-blank range and survived the attack. He appeared unfazed after being launched through several buildings by Isshin Kurosaki.

Strength Enhancement: Aizen's considerable strength is further enhanced by his Hōgyoku body evolution. He can strike a target's body with a single, powerful, casual swing of his bare hands. Enhanced Durability: Aizen's durability is further enhanced by his Hōgyoku body's evolution. Because of this, he can withstand the #91 Senju Koten Taihō's Path of Destruction without any damage.