Thursday 26 May 2016

The Form-Changing Zanpakuto

When it comes to the common theme of Zanpakuto in Bleach, they generally share the same trends, except in certain circumstances.

As Byakuya narrated to us, a Zanpakuto is normally expect to generate a large weapon or effect when the Shinigami goes from Shikai to Bankai.  The few exceptions to this rule among normal Shinigami are Unohana, Yamamoto, and Ichibei.  These three can be called 'exceptions' because they are among the three most powerful Shinigami in the series, and their Bankai do not "expand" the form of their Shikai.  Instead, their Bankai can be said to "compress" the power of their Zanpakuto to make their power even more potent.  Ichimonji is even more unusual because, given its power over "Names", Shirafude doesn't expand its ability to utilize "Black" - it instead gives Ichibei the power to "Re-Name" whatever he has blotted out with Ichimonji, which is arguably even more dangerous than simply using more "Black".

But as of late, I have noticed that there are three Zanpakuto that have completely unique effects, and are functionally different from every other Zanpakuto in the series.  One of these was commonly known, the other was hinted at two years back when its Bankai was revealed, the most recent one only showed up in the past month, but it is only with the recent chapter that it has been fully confirmed for the first:

Zangetsu, Sode no Shirayuki, and Nozarashi.

We have known about Zangetsu's unique Bankai for over a decade.  Even though it was a "fake" Zanpakuto created by Ichigo's Quincy power, Tensa Zangetsu compressed Ichigo's power, rather than expanding it, as most Bankai do.  But what makes Tensa Zangetsu different from Zanka no Tachi (from a blazing inferno to a charred blade with all the heat compressed along the edge), and Minazuki (giant manta creature to a blood red blade of acid), is that Tensa Zangetsu transforms Ichigo's Shihakusho and augments his combat speed and physical strength by a considerable degree.  

Now Ichigo has his "true" Zangetsu.  While he has yet to show his Bankai yet (and it is implied that he is not even in Shikai), we saw that Ichigo can use Zangetsu to make himself undergo a Hollow-like transformation.  In the past, Ichigo underwent Hollowfication using a Hollow Mask, but now he has used the true Zangetsu to physically transform his body into a likeness akin to the fused Tensa Zangetsu from "Deicide".  This is an ability unlike anything we have ever seen before in the entire series, especially from a Shinigami Zanpakuto.  It truly shows that Ichigo is more than just a Shinigami - he is also a Hollow, and a Quincy as well.  

But what struck me the most about Ichigo's transformation is how much his appearance resonates with Zaraki's appearance when Yachiru (should probably say Nozarashi from now on) triggered his Bankai.  Aside from breaking the record of the fastest attained Bankai in existence, Nozarashi was a long anticipated Zanpakuto.  Not only was it long anticipated, but its power definitely lives up to the one who wields it.  But more than that, it also disproved the notion of a constant-release Zanpakuto (propagated by Ichigo's "fake" Zangetsu) because Zaraki does have a release command, and that command transforms Nozarashi from a chipped katana into a massive war-cleaver/axe as almost as big as Zaraki himself.

The Bankai is where things get interesting.  When Yachiru gives Zaraki the power of Bankai, Nozarashi actually shrinks.  It roughly retains its form, but the blade is much smaller, and the tassel and attachment at the top of the blade disappears, leaving it bare.  It is much like Tensa Zangetsu in this regard, but the biggest change is Zaraki's overall appearance, because his skin turns completely red, he grows horns and appears to have a black marking in the center of his forehead.  But more than that, the increase in Zaraki's physical strength and speed in his Bankai is astronomical, completely overwhelming Gerard, who had previously bested Zaraki when Zaraki had Nozarashi released and had taken off his eye-patch.  That said, because of how new it is, his body couldn't handle the overwhelming power it put out, akin to Ichigo over-stressing the bones of his body from over-using the hyper-speed combat of Tensa Zangetsu.

This is also akin to how Rukia has to be careful with de-thawing from when she reaches Absolute Zero, lest she damage her own body as well.  

NOTE: I'm saving this for last because I want to clarify that I don't intend to start any arguments over how the power works.  For the purpose of this theory, I won't choose to debate the issue.

Depending on how deeply you look into Sode no Shirayuki's ability over the course of the manga, you can see that Kubo has been setting up the reveal about the nature of her Zanpakuto ever since the Aaroniero fight.  While it is a Zanpakuto that can use various techniques to freeze Rukia's opponents, the core ability of Sode no Shirayuki instead affects Rukia herself.  This is similar to Zaraki's Bankai; this is similar to the transformation Ichigo has undergone in the recent chapter.  But in Rukia's case, the effect isn't visible (at least in the Shikai), but it does affect her body. 

Sode no Shirayuki gives Rukia the ability to manipulate the reishi comprising her entire body, and allows her to continue functioning even when Sode no Shirayuki reduces her body temperature to below zero Celsius, a temperature at which all of her physical bodily functions would cease to function.  Not only does her body temperature reduce itself to below zero, but she can manipulate her body temperature to reach all the way down to Absolute Zero.  But, akin to Ichigo over-exerting himself in regards to speed with Tensa Zangetsu, and Zaraki's arm ripping off from Nozarashi giving him too much power, Rukia can only stay at Absolute Zero for four seconds, and has to de-thaw slowly in order to not risk injuring herself.

Hakka no Togame takes this ability one step further.  The sole changes to her Zanpakuto are the ribbon on the handle disappearing, and the blade turning to pure ice.  What is most striking, however, is her physical appearance.  Like Ichigo's Shihakusho, Rukia's Shihakusho changes into a pure white kimono/robe , and even the leggings of her Shihakusho also turn white (or that could be ice).  Moreover, Rukia's hair also turns pure white when she is using Hakka no Togame, and wears a crown of ice.  I've heard some people claim that Rukia can't move in this state or else she'll shatter herself; that her physical appearance is purely aesthetic.  But we did see Rukia moving immediately after releasing Hakka no Togame (she wound up behind As Nodt when she released in front of him), and the fact that her Shihakusho changes form, just as Ichigo's Tensa Zangetsu did, implies that Hakka no Togame may lend towards a similar fighting style, with the Zanpakuto able to reduce her body temperature all the way down to Absolute Zero being Rukia's version of Zaraki's Oni appearance, and Ichigo's current Hollow appearance.

All three of these Zanpakuto and Bankai are completely unique from every other Zanpakuto seen thus far.  

NOTE: One could count Daiguren reaching maturity and Toshiro aging along with it as a similar kind of Zanpakuto, but I'm banking on Toshiro reaching adulthood being a permanent effect of the Bankai reaching maturity, rather than a special transformation of the Bankai itself.

The question that remains is why these three are the ones who have such unique Zanpakuto, and is there anything they have in common with one another that connects them all together.

When you look at Zaraki and Ichigo, both of them possess monstrous potential compared to every other character in the series.  In that same vein, both of them had something holding all that potential back (Quincy Zangetsu for Ichigo; subconscious shackles on his own power for Zaraki).  The two of them were also marked as "Special War Potentials" by Yhwach, so Yhwach was aware of both of their hidden potential long before they themselves were aware.

In Ichigo's case, we know why he has such immense potential - his soul is made up of Shinigami and Quincy, and Human and Hollow, a combination which, as finally shown, affords him unique abilities and a Transcendent potential.  But in the case of Zaraki, we do not know where he came from.  All we know is that he was a child from the Zaraki district, in the most brutal and unlawful part of the Rukongai, who came upon an Asauchi dropped by a dead Shinigami.

In the case of Rukia, the ability of Sode no Shirayuki does speak of the potential she also possesses as a character.  From my own observations, I came to realize a while back that you can judge a Shinigami's potential based on the power and ability of their Zanpakuto.  It is no coincidence that all of the most powerful Shinigami in the series tend to possess the most powerful kinds of Zanpakuto, and the most powerful Bankai, and not many abilities are more dangerous or more powerful than Absolute Zero.  

But what is unique about her power may point towards exactly why she has such a Zanpakuto to begin with, and why everyone else does as well: the fact that she manipulates the reishi of her own body sounds more akin to a Quincy ability than an ability a normal Shinigami would possess.  The basis of the original Tensa Zangetsuwas Ichigo's Quincy power.  I am not certain what this means for Zaraki, given he is the only one out of the three whose Shihakusho does not change appearance, but he does get the most drastic physical transformation.  

NOTE: Oh, and Zaraki's the only one without a mono-color Zanpakuto, though Ichigo may be going the Yin-Yang route.

But it is not just Quincy power that may play a factor into the entire issue.  If Ichigo is any indication, all four soul types may play a role, because the culmination of all four soul types has been implied to be what produces the power of a God.

I stated this in my last review of a Bleach chapter:

While some people would be annoyed by this, I see this as fitting with the overall theme of the original three Schutzstaffel so far. While Lille was the only normal Quincy among the trio, all three of them possess the power of a God - Pernida and Gerard are aspects of the Soul King, while Yhwach's Schrift made Lille into one in his Vollstandig. A common theme among these possessors of the power of God is their insane survivability; Pernida's "Progression" allows him to regenerate from being blown apart (only cancerous cells seemingly killed him for good); Lille Barro possesses intangibility, and was able to regenerate into a more powerful form after his head was blown off; "The Miracle" has allowed Gerard to recover from virtually everything the Shinigami have thrown at him, and he keeps on becoming more powerful with each recovery.

If there is something that the three of them collectively remind me of as well, it would be Aizen in "Deicide". He fused with the Hogyoku back then, and we saw that inflicting injury upon him after the Chrysalis stage led to Aizen evolving further and further in power in response to the injuries. When Gin "killed" him, he evolved into his Seraph form, attaining a form and power "transcending both Shinigami and Hollow"; when Ichigo struck him, his subsequent anger caused yet another transformation and increase in power.

In a sense, Aizen was all three of the Schutzstaffel rolled up into one: regeneration from any injury, no matter how severe (Pernida), the power of teleportation (Lille displayed this in Vollstandig), and he progressively became stronger with each injury he recovered from (Gerard). This is not counting the Hogyoku's ability to "manifest the heart's desire", a very similar trait also shared by Gerard's "The Miracle": everything "The Miracle" has allowed Gerard to do was in response to the emotions of his adversaries. 


Ichigo also qualifies for this trend, because the moment he attained the power of a Transcendent Being, according to Aizen, was during his fight with Ulquiorra - the fight where he had a hole blown through his chest, and his Hollow power saved his life and transformed him into H2 Ichigo.  

This is only a possibility, mind you, but this idea of a "God reiryoku" may wind up tying everything together.  If Zaraki's appearance now is like that of one of his Zanpakuto spirits (I'm assuming a second one gave Zaraki the name of his Zanpakuto), then it may confirm an idea I just had in regards to these three characters: When these three characters utilize their Zanpakuto, particularly in Bankai, their physical appearance takes on a form akin to their Inner Spirits.  

The same holds true for Lille, Gerard, and possibly even Aizen.  But, instead of simply taking on physical traits similar to their Inner Spirits, the three of them essentially transformed completely into said Inner Spirits.  The Light Colossus is this for Gerard; the second Vollstandig form was this for Lille Barro; Aizen's final appearance is what his Inner Spirit would like as a Hollow, with his third form potentially being its appearance in Aizen's Shinigami Inner World.

I cannot be entirely sure about Rukia and Zaraki, given we do not know what bloodlines those two came from, but this is definitely the case for Ichigo, as is being proven with his most recent transformation.  

So there you have my theory on the nature of Ichigo, Rukia, and Zaraki's Bankai: their unique Bankai may be the result of all three of them having a Quincy-Shinigami heritage, and/or having been born into bloodlines or circumstances where all four soul types exist within their souls, and give them the potential to attain the power of a God.

Tuesday 10 May 2016

Bleach Chapter 672 Review

I better get back on track with these things.

The Unceasing Miracles

Continuing off from the last chapter, Byakuya assaults Gerard with Ikkasen Jinka, completely obliterating Gerard's head (there isn't even an icy mist left), and losing his head causes Gerard's frozen body to fall apart leaving only his legs intact. Meanwhile, Toshiro is about to collapse from exhaustion from using his Bankai, leaving Byakuya to support his junior Captain. 

It really does seem that Byakuya is taking the role of a mentor or senior towards his younger companion, and it is a side of him we've rarely seen before. He has shown a stronger relationship with Renji, and we know how much he values Rukia as his sister, but this is one of the few times where we see him interact with a Captain whom he isn't in a polarizing relationship with (said Captain being Zaraki). 

Either way, it is clear now that Toshiro having been aged into an adult and using the true power of Daiguren Hyorinmaru has taken quite a toll on Toshiro's body, to the extent that he's barely holding it together. 

...But miracles do not stop for the weary, as what I was concerned about before the chapter came out comes to fruition: "The Miracle" recreates Gerard's body. Based on the panels, it looks like reishi is being pulled from the surroundings to recreate Gerard's body in a new form, but it could just as easily be the power emanating from Gerard's new form that is falling to the ground. 

Either way, I was still as surprised as Toshiro by this. Before the chapter came out, I speculated that Byakuya's Ikkasen Jinka wouldn't kill Gerard because he only aimed for Gerard's head, whereas Gerard is the Heart of the Soul King. As a result, I figured that destroying Gerard's heart would be the only way to kill him. However, that seems to be false, because Gerard's body collapsed shortly after Ikkasen Jinka obliterated his head, and Gerard recreated himself FROM HIS LEGS. We know Gerard is the Heart of the Soul King, but I'm almost tempted to think that Gerard took the Soul King's legs with him when the Soul King was dismembered. 

The Power of God

While some people would be annoyed by this, I see this as fitting with the overall theme of the original three Schutzstaffel so far. While Lille was the only normal Quincy among the trio, all three of them possess the power of a God - Pernida and Gerard are aspects of the Soul King, while Yhwach's Schrift made Lille into one in his Vollstandig. A common theme among these possessors of the power of God is their insane survivability; Pernida's "Progression" allows him to regenerate from being blown apart (only cancerous cells seemingly killed him for good); Lille Barro possesses intangibility, and was able to regenerate into a more powerful form after his head was blown off; "The Miracle" has allowed Gerard to recover from virtually everything the Shinigami have thrown at him, and he keeps on becoming more powerful with each recovery. 

If there is something that the three of them collectively remind me of as well, it would be Aizen in "Deicide". He fused with the Hogyoku back then, and we saw that inflicting injury upon him after the Chrysalis stage led to Aizen evolving further and further in power in response to the injuries. When Gin "killed" him, he evolved into his Seraph form, attaining a form and power "transcending both Shinigami and Hollow"; when Ichigo struck him, his subsequent anger caused yet another transformation and increase in power.

In a sense, Aizen was all three of the Schutzstaffel rolled up into one: regeneration from any injury, no matter how severe (Pernida), the power of teleportation (Lille displayed this in Vollstandig), and he progressively became stronger with each injury he recovered from (Gerard). This is not counting the Hogyoku's ability to "manifest the heart's desire", a very similar trait also shared by Gerard's "The Miracle": everything "The Miracle" has allowed Gerard to do was in response to the emotions of his adversaries. 

I suppose that explains how Gerard was able to regenerate from just his legs: freezing and shattering Gerard was a last-ditch effort on Byakuya and Toshiro's part, so there was likely a tangible fear in both of their hearts that it would not work. "The Miracle" took advantage of that, and recreated Gerard as a colossus of light. 

Frankly, the "Miracle" in this circumstance would be one that would take Gerard down for good. He's gotten so powerful with this power that I'm shocked he hasn't broken the boundary of Transcendence yet. But we can't focus on Gerard right now, because there are other threads of plot to attend to.

A Wonderful Dream Can Be a Nightmare

One of them being Yhwach's dream. 

Now this is the strangest part of the chapter. In Yhwach's dream, Ichigo is before him and cuts him down, but this is Ichigo as he appeared in the Soul Society arc and the Arrancar Saga when "Quincy Zangetsu" was still posing as his Shinigami powers. Moreover, if you look closely at Yhwach in this sequence, his face is that of his current self, but his hair is as short as it was 1000 years ago, and as short as "Quincy Zangetsu's" hair. On top of that, Yhwach seemed happy he had such a dream, with one of the scariest smiles I've seen in Bleach to date. 

Given dreams are considered to have some form of symbolism, there are many ways to interpret what we saw. 

One possibility is that Yhwach dreamed of some form of the future to come. After all, we see a panel that almost exactly mirrors the dream later on in the chapter, but the question is why Yhwach would dream of himself and Ichigo in appearances akin to their younger selves in the present. 

Another possibility that has been entertained is the idea that Yhwach dreamed of another timeline, an aspect of "The Almighty" not linked to its regular use. How would this be an alternate time-line? Consider, for a moment, if Ichigo had not met Rukia, had not been given Shinigami powers by her. Perhaps, in an alternate time-line, Yhwach was the one who took in Ichigo and was the one to awaken Ichigo's potential, since we know he has a vested interest in Ichigo. Because Yhwach awakening Ichigo's potential would be based on Quincy powers, the appearance Zangetsu takes would be its original form, when "Quincy Zangetsu" was in control. But, as the dream entails, this alternate Ichigo eventually rebelled against Yhwach for killing his mother, and cuts him down in cold blood.

But there is a third possibility, and one that I have been concerned about for a while: the dream is symbolic of Ichigo rejecting his Quincy side. That is why Ichigo is seen with his original Zangetsu, and why Yhwach was a mix of his current self and his past self: Yhwach in the dream represents "Quincy Zangetsu", and Ichigo striking Yhwach down is Ichigo subconsciously rejecting his Quincy powers. 

I say this because Ichigo has not once drawn "Quincy Zangetsu" in battle ever since he cut down the Soul King. He used both Zangetsu against Bambietta's group of Stern Ritter, but he only drew Hollow Zangetsu when attacking Yhwach after he was made to kill the Soul King, when Grimmjow appeared and started picking a fight, when he confronted Askin, and when he came across Uryu. 

That is four times Ichigo has not drawn Quincy Zangetsu since he killed the Soul King. Ichigo may have claimed that it doesn't matter if Yhwach's blood flows in his veins, but his subconscious refusal to use Quincy Zangetsu points towards him rejecting his Quincy side, and Quincy Zangetsu as a result. It is a really tragic down-turn for Ichigo after "The Blade is Me", and I think that is why Yhwach was so happy at the dream: without Quincy Zangetsu, Ichigo will be completely incapable of fighting evenly with Yhwach.

An Opponent to Not Make Mistakes Against

Since it is morning and Yhwach as woken up, "The Almighty" has returned to him and Haschwalth once again possesses his own power.

Now, this confuses me a bit. We know Bazz-B commented on night falling when he was confronting Haschwalth, and that was forty chapters ago. Now it is back to day, which means the second night passed while all the battles have taken place. What confuses me is how fast the morning seemed to come (even Yhwach and Haschwalth were surprised it was already morning), especially when Ichigo had only arrived in Soul Society in the early morning of the previous day. 

Kubo really needs to work on how his time frames work at this moment.

Either way, Uryu isn't doing so well, as he's bloodied and bruised while Haschwalth doesn't have a scratch on him. This was to be expected, given Haschwalth had "The Almighty" throughout their fight, but I also suspect that this scene is also a portent of what Ichigo will suffer at the hands of Yhwach. Haschwalth even calls Uryu a beaten animal drenched in blood. But Uryu simply takes it as a compliment, since animals are brave, courageous, and without ill-intent in his mind. 

Here is where I find something rather curious. Haschwalth claims it was a miscalculation to try to kill Uryu during the night, because Haschwalth's natural ability is more suited to combat than Yhwach's "Almighty", especially against someone (Uryu) he shouldn't be making mistakes against, and prepares an attack that looks eerily similar to Getsuga Juujisho.

I say again: Haschwalth says his own power is more suited to combat than "The Almighty". "The Almighty", a precognitive power that allows the user to see the future, "know" every power they "see", make that power their ally, and become unable to be killed or harmed by said abilities, yet Haschwalth's "The Balance" is more suited to combat than it.

While the idea is hard to grasp, I can see where it comes from. When Haschwalth's blade was stopped by "The Iron", "The Balance" caused the scales "to tip", and he proceeded to cut straight through "The Iron". The implication is that "The Balance" is an ability that allows Haschwalth to redress any "imbalances" against himself in combat, and tip the scales back in his favor. In other words, a reactive counter/nullification of an opponent's abilities and power. 

On the other hand, when you look at the above, "The Almighty" is, ironically enough, a defensive ability.Precognition and power immunity are the central elements of "The Almighty"; the ability he used to consume the power of Mimihagi and the Soul King, and his concussive blasts, are extensions of Yhwach's own power, rather than the actual power of the eyes of "The Almighty", even if they are powers he can only use when his eyes are open.

So, while Haschwalth and Yhwach are both Quincy with the ability to "share power with others", it appears their unique abilities apparently contrast with one another: "The Almighty" is the ultimate defensive ability, whereas "The Balance" is an offensive ability.

While Uryu has most likely been holding something back (he was given the Schrift "A", after all), I have a feeling that "The Balance" may give Uryu more trouble even if he uses whatever his Schrift turns out to be.

Doomed Resolve

To end off the chapter, Ichigo and Inoue finally arrive at the doors to Yhwach's throne room, where they sense Yhwach's power from within (yet another point that demonstrates Yhwach is still not at the level of power we saw in "Deicide", IMO). Ichigo says that 2-on-1 would be unfair, so he leaves Inoue in charge of defense and tells her to not let him down. Predictably, Inoue is elated that Ichigo said this to her, as she flash-backs to previous moments in the past, and thinks about how she'll finally be able to fight alongside and protect Ichigo. They open the door, and Yhwach is there waiting for them, calling Ichigo is "child of darkness".

As the header for this section should tell, I do not believe that this will go well. Ichigo has already tried to take on Yhwach twice before, and both times he wasn't able to do much to Yhwach. Particularly the second time, since Ichigo actually managed to burn Yhwach's arm with a Getsuga blast the first time they fought, and that was when he was tired from trying to break out of Quilge's "Jail".

The second time around, a Getsuga Tenshou from Ichigo's true Zangetsu didn't so much as put a scratch on Yhwach, who at that time possessed "The Almighty". Now, Ichigo hasn't grown stronger than he was in their second confrontation, whereas Yhwach now possesses the power of the Soul King, a power which holds the three worlds together. If Ichigo doesn't draw Quincy Zangetsu when he goes to fight Yhwach in the next chapter, that will confirm what I mentioned earlier, and essentially seal Ichigo's defeat. 

In regards to Inoue...I am genuinely sorry to say this, but she does not stand a chance in this fight. Not just from an offensive standpoint, but even from the standpoint of defense. Ichigo doesn't know Yhwach's "The Almighty" allows him immunity to any power he has seen and "knows", and Yhwach has already seen Inoue's Rikka (and has likely already seen the rest of the shields in the future). Given what he did to Ichibei's seal after their battle, "The Almighty" likely extends to defensive abilities just as much as offensive abilities. As a result, Yhwach would most likely easily shatter any shields she puts up to protect Ichigo with contemptible ease. 

Even not considering that, a lot of people I have seen here and elsewhere have seen death flags for Inoue after her reminiscence of the times she couldn't protect and fight alongside Ichigo, or have at least commented that something will happen that will keep her from being able to fight alongside and protect Ichigo.

Do I believe that Inoue may die in this battle? While I do understand the impact her dying at this point would have on her friends, I have to say no. No, because this is not the final battle of the series; no, because there are still some loose ends in regards to her character (none of them to do with any theories regarding her being connected to the Soul King, since I don't believe any of those); no, because death would be a mercy in these circumstances. 

Why do I say a mercy? Because when a character dies, that is the end of their character development in the main story, with any remaining chances to expand on their character taking place in flash-backs. If Inoue were to die, it would be in an act of protecting Ichigo, and that would be a wrap on her character development...

If that was all there was left to her character. We still have that business with the Hogyoku that I'm begging for resolution to (if only Kubo can shut down that line of discussion permanently), and there is at least one other thing I want to see addressed, but I won't get into that in the review. 

But here is where I say death would be a mercy in this case: because of how powerful Yhwach is and what abilities he possesses, Inoue's resolution to fight alongside and protect Ichigo in battle is likely going to fail. Even if the only thing she can do is heal Ichigo's injuries, she can't do that fast enough in the middle of a fight against someone like Yhwach, and none of her shields would likely be able to deter him in any shape or form, since I doubt he'd allow Inoue the chance to heal Ichigo at all.

In other words, Inoue will have to bear the fact that she failed to fight alongside or protect Ichigo in the one moment where Ichigo trusted her specifically to fight alongside him. That is going to hurt a lot more than anything that has happened before. 

While I fear the occurrence of "The Lust 2.0", I am afraid that may be what happens here. While I can appreciate the fact that Ichigo is more trusting of his Nakama to fight alongside him (a major of his in the Arrancar Saga), this isn't exactly the best of times or opponents to do so.

As I said earlier, Uryu couldn't lay a scratch on Haschwalth when the latter possessed "The Almighty"; now that Ichigo is fighting Yhwach himself, who has also absorbed the power of the Soul King, while Ichigo may be subconsciously rejecting his Quincy powers...Things are not going to be pretty.