BLEACH: The Most Powerful Hollow in History

Key Takeaways

Novels expand on the aftermath of BLEACH’s Thousand-Year Blood War, revealing hidden plots in Soul Society.
Hikone Ubuginu, a modified soul with a powerful Zanpakutō derived from an ancient Hollow, plays a critical role.
Tokinada Tsunayashiro, orchestrator of tragic events, links past and present characters through schemes and secrets.

As a scholar of Bleach lore and a connoisseur of Japanese linguistics, I find the name “Ikomikidomoe” to be a fascinating enigma that even native speakers might struggle to decipher without proper context. It’s like a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an anime plot twist.

Ryohgo Narita’s “Can’t Fear Your Own World” novels offer additional insights to Tite Kubo’s “BLEACH”, delving into events that transpired following the epic Thousand-Year Blood War between Shinigami and Quincies, a conflict not fully covered in the original manga. Post-war, Soul Society underwent a phase of rebuilding.

Meanwhile, many top officials in Seireitei were oblivious to the fact that a noble clan member from antiquity secretly intended to exploit the turmoil for positioning a new contender for the Soul King’s throne. This individual is none other than Hikone Ubuginu, a modified soul and one of only two beings in history with the same composition as the Soul King. Armed with an extraordinary Zanpakuto, which has lain dormant due to its containment of the most potent Hollow in existence – namelessly referred to as “Ikomikidomoe”.

The One That Tried to Eat the Soul King

Just What Is Ikomikidomoe?

BLEACH: The Most Powerful Hollow in History

In ancient times, within Soul Society’s formative years, an exceptionally potent Adjuchas-class Menos Grande gained widespread recognition across various realms. This entity’s power held such esteem that even Barragan Louisernbairn, the Espada number 2 and ruler of Hueco Mundo, showed respect towards it. An agreement was reached between these two formidable beings to maintain non-interference with each other. To clarify, Adjuchas is a stage in the evolution of Menos Grande that occurs after the initial Gillian phase. During this stage, Hollows become more intelligent and powerful than their original forms, adopting shapes resembling humans as they significantly shrink in size compared to the Gillians.

The Menos Grande consists of numerous standard-sized Caverns, possessing a vast emptiness compared to regular ones, leading them to devour each other since the essence of ordinary spirits has become insubstantial. The development of Hollows may be partly explained by their insatiable hunger, mirroring the void that defines their existence. Transformation into Adjuchas occurs when one of the countless Hollows within a Gillian successfully seizes control over the body and assumes dominance as its personality.

Transforming from mindless living like Gillian and achieving personal growth, or self-realization, is what triggers evolution in a Menos Grande. However, this development requires the consumption of numerous souls, which must be stronger than typical Hollow souls. In ancient times, before Shinigami were armed with Zanpakutō, even the powerful Adjuchas managed to breach Soul Society and came close to consuming the Soul King, the cornerstone of the current order of existence.

In a remarkable turn of events, Ichibē Hyōsube vanquished the menacing entity known as The Hollow. He accomplished this by annihilating its name using his Zanpakutō’s powers, Ichimonji. However, The Hollow held an overwhelming number of souls, rendering immediate purification impossible. This predicament prompted Ōetsu Nimaiya, the trailblazer of Zanpakutō, to confine it within a sword, later renamed Ikomikidomoe, through Ichimonji Shirafude, and concealed it in the Hōōden – the section of the Soul King’s Palace where Ōetsu dwells. During the tumultuous Thousand-Year Blood War, Tokinada Tsunayashiro swiped Ikomikidomoe and passed it on to his lieutenant, Hikone Ubuginu, a unique being with Hollow, Shinigami, and Quincy lineages, composed of the souls of numerous Fullbringers.

The Tsunayashiro Clan

The Enemy Who Tainted Tōsen and Destroyed Ginjō’s Reputation

As a member of the far-reaching Tsunayashiro Clan, one of Soul Society’s mighty Five Great Noble Families, I orchestrated a devastating tragedy within my own family, aiming to ascend to the position of clan head. With this newfound authority, I gained access to the most classified corners of Soul Society, uncovering secrets that tarnished not only my clan but each of the Five Great Noble Houses.

Regardless of being accused of murdering his wife and another Shinigami, Tokinada’s noble lineage spared him from punishment, causing distress to Kaname Tōsen, a close friend of the victim Kakyō. Seeking justice for Kakyō’s death, Tōsen requested an audience with the Central 46. In response, Tokinada feigned as another friend of Kakyō, expressing regret over his inability to safeguard her.

I myself shared with Tōsen that the murderer, who happened to be her husband, wasn’t brought to justice due to his affiliation with one of the Great Noble Houses. When Tōsen inquired why the peacekeepers, like us Shinigami, had let such a criminal go unpunished, I explained it was because our concept of peace had been preserved, albeit at a cost. I then posed a question to Tōsen, asking if he sought vengeance, as that wasn’t the wish of Kakyō.

Yet, he cruelly informed Tōsen that he was indeed the murderer, distorting his understanding of Shinigami and their ethical principles. In the initial appointment of Ginjō Kugō as a Substitute Shinigami, there was a suggestion to monitor him and his Fullbringer allies using the Substitute Badge. However, Ukitake rejected this idea. Tokinada Tsunayashiro masterminded the massacre of Ginjō’s associates, making it appear as if the Shinigami had been tracking the Fullbringers’ activities all along. In reality, this was a ruse to recover the crucial component that defines them – a fragment of the Soul King; the very same element that drew Hollows towards their pregnant mothers initially. He aimed to utilize these fragments in the formation of a unified soul capable of assuming the role of the Soul King.

“Ikomikidomoe”

What Does It Mean?

As a gamer, I stumbled upon the unique name “Ikomikidomoe,” which is actually the Romanization of 已己巳己巴. Typically, these characters are read individually and their meanings can change based on context. What makes this set unusual is that it’s an example of a four-character idiom or compound noun known as “yojijukugo“. These idioms often have meanings that aren’t easily derived from the individual characters because they’re more like phrases or sayings. In this case, the first four characters, “ikomiki” is an idiom that signifies things being one and the same. The similarity in appearance of these characters, along with the repetition of “己”, meaning “self,” contributes to this interpretation.

Given the chance, why don’t we come up with a detailed moniker for him? You are merely an unnamed mass of Emptiness, consuming only those like yourself. It seems appropriate that you remain stationary while continually devouring yourself without discrimination.

–Ichibē Hyōsube, BLEACH: Can’t Fear Your Own World

The part labeled “tomoe” poses a challenge, and it’s worth mentioning that even native Japanese speakers may find the meaning of “Ikomikidomoe” elusive without further explanation. Arturo-Plateado’s insightful analysis on Reddit suggests that the reading of the last kanji is influenced more by Chinese than Japanese, resembling the preceding four to maintain a theme of similarity. In Chinese, “巴” symbolizes the Bā, a legendary giant snake said to have consumed an entire elephant and spat out the bones after three years; this has given rise to the idiom 巴蛇吞象, “bā shé tūn xiàng“, which describes extreme hunger, gluttony, or more fittingly, excessive greed.

This name reflects Ichibe’s unique sense of humor, with a double meaning: it satirically underscores its emptiness, yet it also symbolizes its ambitious attempt to consume the Soul King, an effort that proved self-destructive. In essence, the name represents something insatiably hungry for those similar to itself, like an Ouroboros. However, as another Redditor pointed out, the Hollows incorporate mythological themes. Ikomikidomoe is likened to Apophis, the Egyptian serpent of chaos, symbolizing darkness and disorder – the one that devours the sun.

2024-09-30 22:34