Bleach: Are the Zanpakutou Arc Designs Canon?

As a die-hard Bleach fan who has spent countless hours immersed in the intricate world of Soul Society and its inhabitants, I must say that the Zanpakutou Rebellion Arc was an unexpected delight amidst the ocean of filler episodes. Although it wasn’t canon, it offered a fascinating glimpse into the designs of the Zanpakutou spirits, many of which found their way into the story in one form or another.

The following contains spoilers for the Thousand-Year Blood War arc.

One notable downside of the original Bleach anime is its excessive number of non-canon episodes, often referred to as fillers. Given their weekly release schedule, produced by Studio Pierrot like Naruto, they needed to insert a lot of filler content to prevent syncing with the manga. For instance, Bleach had multiple filler arcs, such as the Bount Arc, the New Captain Amagai Arc, and the Gotei Invading Army Arc. Yet, there’s one arc that many fans still cherish, the Zanpakutou Rebellion Arc.

During the Zanpakutō Rebellion Arc, a fresh antagonist called Muramasa unleashes all the Zanpakutō spirits from their Soul Reaper hosts, making it possible for these spirits to materialize within the Soul Society. This revelation offered fans a glimpse into the unique forms of each Zanpakutō spirit. Although many of these designs are non-canon due to being associated with filler arcs, some continued to influence the narrative in various ways.

Did Tite Kubo Design The Zanpakutou Spirits?

What Role Did The Author Play?

During a conversation with Tite Kubo, the creator of the Bleach manga, and Masashi Kudo, the designer of the Bleach anime, it was revealed that Masashi Kudo was in charge of creating the designs for the Zanpakutou spirits. Although Kubo didn’t personally design the characters, he served as a supervisor, ensuring that all designs adhered to the series’ design philosophy and eventually found their place within the canon.

Characters like Zabimaru and Haineko, the swords associated with Renji Abarai and Rangiku Matsumoto in Bleach, appear to have a focus on sexualization. This becomes particularly noticeable during the Soul Society arc when Zabimaru’s design was first shown. Zabimaru is depicted as a white baboon with a snake tail, but it seems these female and male designs were only used temporarily. In contrast, Haineko’s official design has yet to be unveiled, but her very sexualized appearance aligns well with her master, as Rangiku is known for embodying such design trends within Bleach.

Zangetsu’s True Identity

White Zangetsu as the True Spirit

During the storyline, White Zangetsu serves as Ichigo’s Zanpakuto spirit. At that time, he was known as Hollow Ichigo, long before the pivotal moment in the manga where “The Blade is Me” was revealed. This early appearance already suggested that White Zangetsu was actually the true form of Ichigo’s Zanpakuto. Unlike most other spirits, Zangetsu chooses to side with his master, offering support, albeit in his characteristic aggressive and confrontational manner, while the majority of other spirits engage in conflict with their masters.

In the opening sequence of the series, both Zangetsu and Ichigo are depicted together. This is one method that indicates Tite Kubo’s involvement as the creator of the story. Since Masashi Kudo might not have been aware of Zangetsu’s true identity at the time, this could be a subtle hint or foreshadowing from Tite Kubo about Zangetsu’s eventual revelation, even if it occurred in a non-canonical arc.

Katen Kyokotsu and Sode no Shirayuki

The Two Canon Designs

One of the major characters in the arc is Sode no Shirayuki, Rukia Kuchiki’s Zanpakutou. She’s shown to be a beautiful pale woman with teal hair and a white dress. Similar to the Yuki-Onna of Japanese folklore. This is one of the characters who bring up this debate, as when Rukia uses her Bankai: Hakka no Togame, she transforms into a form that heavily resembles this spirit. Rukia’s Bankai seems to purposely resemble Sode No Shirayuki, making it seem like this filler design may be canon to the original manga.

Shunsui Kyoraku’s spiritual weapon, Katen Kyokotsu, appears as two distinct entities because of the dual essence of his Zanpakuto. One characterizes an elderly, tall woman adorned in a lavish kimono and a golden headpiece, with a patch over her right eye similar to Shunsui, and purple hair. The other is a young girl wearing a mask and ninja-like attire. Although Katen’s design may resemble the sexualized style of some others, it was confirmed as their canonical designs during the Thousand-Year Blood War arc. When Shunsui activates his Bankai, “Katen Kyokotsu Karamatsu Shinjuu,” Katen appears before him. Meanwhile, Kyokotsu manifests for Nanao Ise.

Playfully tormenting might be my way, yet aren’t we bound by a vow to set aside both love and hatred? Aren’t we destined to descend together, just like leaves in autumn?

Kubo may not have personally created the spirits, but he clearly values them deeply. He established some of them as official characters in the manga, and oversaw every aspect of their representation. Thus, Zabimaru’s design is unlikely to be canonical, while Haineko might still be, despite lacking confirmation. On the other hand, Zangetsu and Katen Kyokotsu are officially recognized as their true forms, and Sode no Shirayuki strongly hints at being a canonical character.

2024-08-30 18:03