your favorite form of ichigo? (hollow, dangai, mugetsu,ect.)
Honestly? It’s probably a weird answer, but my favorite form is just normal, substitute soul reaper Ichigo.
His hollow form used to make me sad. It just caused him so much misery, you know? Sure, the damage he could take and deal out when hollowfied was impressive, but he was always so terrified of losing what little control he had over it. It was heartbreaking to watch him take that beating from Yammy because he was so afraid of his hollow. And as great as his fight with Ulquiorra was, Ichigo’s desperate attempts to deny his “fake” victory and win on his own merit was depressing. (Plus, his guilt over injuring Uryu.) I’m glad that his hollow has become more of a comrade than an enemy now, and his new form is pretty amazing, but it’s still hard for me to shake the memory of his early experiences with it.
As far as his dangai and mugetsu forms go: they’re awesome designs and were interesting to watch in battle. But still, the end of the Deicide arc wasn’t a happy time for Ichigo. He didn’t get any enjoyment out of defeating Aizen. He already knew he was going to win, and he, like a lot of the other characters at that point, was just exhausted and ready for the fight to be over. He couldn’t even look when Aizen was sealed away. Ichigo had empathy for him, despite everything Aizen had done. And both he and the audience knew that this was the end of his status as a soul reaper. He’d lose his powers, his ability to protect, which means the world to him, but he was willing to give it up if that’s what it took to save everyone. The fight just wasn’t enjoyable for me. Aizen remained pathetically trapped in his delusional god complex until the end. Watching a character you care about give up something they value so highly in order to defeat a person who’s already lost is just… tragic, I guess.
But Ichigo is truly happy as a substitute soul reaper. He’s built up that strength on his own; even if he’s had help from others, it belongs to him. He’s used it to protect the people around him, and at the end of the day, that’s what matters to Ichigo. It’s the form he was in when I started to realize he was my favorite character. It’s the form he fought to regain after he lost it, twice. It’s Ichigo’s origin, the form that has inspired and been adored by so many, including myself.
It’s the form that changed his life for the better. No other form, no matter how cool, can trump that for me.
amandla
areudirty
titsay
s-u-f-j-a-n-s-t-e-v-e-n-s
2087
vaporwave
ellievsbear
turnnoffyourmind
stormborns
