Bleach is a popular manga and anime series that follows the adventures of Ichigo Kurosaki, a teenager who can see ghosts and becomes a Soul Reaper, a warrior who protects the human world from evil spirits called Hollows. Along his journey, Ichigo meets many allies and enemies, including Uryu Ishida, a Quincy who can manipulate spiritual energy, and Yhwach, the leader of the Wandenreich, a group of Quincies who wage war against the Soul Society, the realm of the Soul Reapers.
One of the most intriguing mysteries in Bleach is the relationship between Ichigo, Yhwach and Ishida. How are they connected by blood and destiny? What is the origin and purpose of the Quincy race? And what is the role of the Soul King, the supreme being who governs the balance of the worlds? In this article, we will explore these questions and reveal the truth behind the Quincy bloodline.
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The Father of All Quincies
Yhwach is not only the emperor of the Wandenreich, but also the father of all Quincies. He was born over 1,200 years ago as the son of the Soul King, a mysterious entity who was sacrificed by the ancestors of the Soul Reapers to stabilize the worlds. Yhwach was born with no senses or abilities, but he had a unique power: he could distribute fragments of his soul to other beings, granting them life and power. Those who received his soul fragments became Quincies, and they could return them to Yhwach upon their death, along with their experiences and abilities.
Yhwach used this power to create an army of Quincies, who revered him as their king and father. He also developed a special ability called The Almighty, which allowed him to see all possible futures and manipulate them to his advantage. With his power and vision, Yhwach sought to reclaim his father’s throne and destroy the Soul Society, which he considered to be a corrupted and oppressive system.
The Son Born in Darkness
Ichigo Kurosaki is a rare hybrid of four different races: human, Soul Reaper, Hollow and Quincy. His Quincy heritage comes from his mother, Masaki Kurosaki, who was a pure-blooded Quincy from a prestigious family. Masaki was originally engaged to Uryu Ishida’s father, Ryuken Ishida, as part of an arranged marriage to preserve the Quincy bloodline. However, she fell in love with Ichigo’s father, Isshin Shiba, who was a Soul Reaper from a noble clan.
Masaki lost her Quincy powers due to an event called Auswählen (German for \”Selection\”), which was initiated by Yhwach nine years before Ichigo’s birth. Auswählen was a process by which Yhwach reclaimed his soul fragments from those Quincies he deemed impure or unworthy, killing them in the process. Masaki survived Auswählen thanks to Isshin’s intervention, but she became vulnerable to Hollow attacks. She was killed by a powerful Hollow named Grand Fisher when Ichigo was nine years old.
Because Masaki was a Quincy and had Yhwach’s blood in her veins, Ichigo inherited this trait as well. However, Ichigo’s Quincy powers remained dormant for most of his life, until he confronted Yhwach during the Wandenreich’s invasion of the Soul Society. Yhwach recognized Ichigo as his \”son born in darkness\”, referring to his mixed heritage and his potential as a Quincy. He also claimed that Ichigo was born to kill the Soul King and fulfill Yhwach’s plan.
The Last Surviving Quincy
Uryu Ishida is one of Ichigo’s closest friends and allies. He is also a Quincy who can use spiritual energy to create weapons such as bows and arrows. Uryu is very proud of his Quincy heritage and often clashes with Ichigo over their different views on Soul Reapers and Hollows. Uryu believes that Soul Reapers are enemies of Quincies and that Hollows should be exterminated rather than purified.
Uryu is the son of Ryuken Ishida, a doctor who renounced his Quincy powers after losing his wife Katagiri to Auswählen. Ryuken is also Masaki’s cousin and former fiancé, making him Ichigo’s relative by marriage. Uryu’s grandfather was Soken Ishida, a master Quincy who taught Uryu how to use his powers and instilled in him a sense of honor and compassion. Soken was killed by a group of Hollows when Uryu was a child, which fueled his hatred for Soul Reapers and Hollows.
Uryu is one of the few Quincies who survived Auswählen, which Yhwach used to kill most of his followers and absorb their powers. Yhwach spared Uryu because he detected a special power within him, which he called \”A\” – \”The Antithesis\”. This power allows Uryu to reverse anything that has happened between two targets, such as wounds, effects or outcomes. Yhwach invited Uryu to join the Wandenreich as his successor, hoping to use his power against the Soul King. Uryu accepted the offer, but secretly planned to betray Yhwach and stop his scheme.
The Conclusion of the Quincy Blood War
The Quincy blood war reached its climax when Yhwach succeeded in killing the Soul King and absorbing his power, becoming the new ruler of the worlds. He also absorbed the power of Mimihagi, the right arm of the Soul King that was used by Ukitake to stabilize the Soul King’s body. Yhwach then proceeded to reshape the worlds according to his will, creating a new dimension called Wahrwelt (German for \”True World\”) where he confronted Ichigo and his allies.
Ichigo and Uryu teamed up to fight Yhwach, using their combined powers to overcome his Almighty ability. Ichigo used his true Zanpakuto, Zangetsu, which was a manifestation of his Quincy and Hollow powers, while Uryu used his Antithesis ability to reverse Yhwach’s future manipulation. They managed to wound Yhwach and create an opening for Ichigo to deliver the final blow with his Bankai, Tensa Zangetsu.
However, Yhwach was not defeated yet. He used his last resort, a fragment of his soul that he had planted in every living being, to revive himself and launch a surprise attack on Ichigo and Uryu. He was about to kill them when he was suddenly stopped by an arrow shot by Ryuken and Isshin, who had arrived to help their sons. The arrow was made from the silver that forms in the hearts of Quincies who are affected by Auswählen, and it had the ability to temporarily nullify Yhwach’s powers. Ichigo seized this opportunity and slashed Yhwach with his sword, finally ending his life and restoring peace to the worlds.
The Legacy of the Quincy Race
The Quincy race is a fascinating and tragic part of Bleach’s lore. They are a group of humans who have the ability to manipulate spiritual energy and fight against Hollows, but they also have a dark history of conflict and genocide with Soul Reapers. They are connected by blood to Yhwach, the son of the Soul King and the enemy of all living beings. They are also related to Ichigo Kurosaki, the hero who saved the worlds from Yhwach’s tyranny.
The Quincy bloodline is not only a source of power, but also a source of identity and destiny for its members. Ichigo, Yhwach and Uryu are all Quincies, but they have different personalities, goals and values. They represent different aspects of the Quincy race: its potential, its ambition and its pride. They also show that Quincies are not bound by their blood, but by their choices and actions.
The Quincy race may have been nearly wiped out by Yhwach’s Auswählen, but it still lives on through Ichigo and Uryu, who carry on its legacy in their own ways. Ichigo continues to protect the worlds as a Soul Reaper who embraces all aspects of his heritage, while Uryu follows his own path as a doctor who honors his Quincy roots. They are both examples of how Quincies can coexist with other races and contribute to the balance of the worlds.
Is Yhwach related to Ichigo? The answer is yes, but it is not a simple or straightforward relationship. It is a complex and dynamic relationship that shapes their lives and destinies. It is also a relationship that transcends blood and defines them as individuals.
