I think there is a deeper reason why Yhwach recruited the Arrancar.
And captured Harribel.
It was stated that the Arrancar had been recruited because they were valuable assets he needed no training.
But we never saw them again and funny enough the Shinigami side ended up using Arrancar soldiers. I was hoping that the anime would expand that plot point.
But I think the true reason Yhwach recruited them were as a backup to Ichigo to break the Soul King's seal. In the anime Yhwach revealed he needed someone who was a Shinigami, Quincy, Human, Hollow and Fullbringer to break the seal. I think he used the Arrancar as a base to create the being he needed. Arrancar already have Shinigami and Hollow powers and Yhwach was able to grant Ebern Quincy powers.
I think BG9 is a result of this. There is a theory that BG9 is Shawlong Koufang because of their similarities. And in the anime they have the same voice actors. I think he was experimented on but ended up becoming a full Quincy. Him having a 9 in his name suggests he is the ninth version.
I think the group that Luders Friegen was that first invaded the Sereitei are Arrancars who were experimented on. Maybe in the anime they will appear.
This might be controversial take, and I might be wrong, but I have never seen Aizen as someone who is against the hierarchical systems.
He thinks it is natural for beings to seek hierarchy for their comfort, he imposes hierarchy (numbers) into his Espada, he originates from the deeply hierarchical system (Gotei 13) and, liking it or not, it is a part of him.
He believes the strongest should be on top of that system, and if he is the strongest, the most capable, the smartest - then nobody should rule over him.
This made me think, if Aizen was this strong from the start, and he quickly noticed the difference separating him from the other Souls, and Soul Reapers, he still believed that the Soul King was an entity that was more powerful than him, the entity that has some plan for Three Realms. And perhaps that was a reassuring thought. Because if there is someone to rely on, someone stronger, than there also is some order to this world, and it all makes sense, and he is not alone.
But the Soul King turned out to be but a puppet, mutilated and sealed by the lesser beings. Even if Reio had been strong once, now the weak decided for him. There was no godly plan, only Soul Reapers' deception. The hierarchy was all wrong, and turned upside down.
This meant for Aizen, that he could rely only on himself, there was no stronger entity in whom he could put his trust in. He would have to take matters in his own hands then. The throne cannot be vacant. If he is the strongest, he should correct the hierarchy back to how it should be.
And so the plan started to form.
But Aizen's grand plan isn't only cold logic, there is a strong feeling of anger motivating him. Anger at the Soul King for allowing this treachery to happen, anger at the strong to allow the weak to rule over him. Also, a sense of being lied to, tricked, and gaslighted as the original sin is kept secret for so many centuries.
The irony is, Aizen's new hierarchy would also start with deception, lies, and his crimes - the same way the royal families operated.
And even more bitter irony to that - Aizen in the end gets exactly the Soul King treatment. He is a parallel to Reio's fate, sealed away, judged and imprisoned by Shinigami and Central 46 - by beings weaker than him.
Perhaps this puts his ideas about the Soul King into perspective, making him see that being the strongest not always equals ruling over the weak.
Perhaps what happened to Reio wasn't what Aizen had thought - it could be the act of self-sacrifice that in his selfishness Aizen wouldn't comprehend.
kon is the lynchpin of the three worlds and if you disagree you’re literally a central 46 plant
KON IS THE TRUE SOUL KING CANDIDATE. I have zero braincells left because they all fused together to form this ONE ABSOLUTE TRUTH. I will die on this hill, and I’ll do it while stuffed with cotton. Look at the receipts! LOOK AT THEM!!
1. "OPERATION SPEARHEAD" WAS A COVER-UP
You really think Central 46—the same people who wanted to execute Rukia for sharing a snack—suddenly found a moral compass? "Oh, Mod Souls are unethical! We must destroy them!" LIES. PROPAGANDA. SLANDER. They didn’t destroy the Mod Souls because they felt bad for corpses; they destroyed them because they were TOO SUCCESSFUL. They created a soul that can survive indefinitely and enhance any vessel. That’s not a soldier; that’s a GOD PROTOTYPE. Kon wasn’t "missed." He was extricated.
2. HE IS LITERALLY INDESTRUCTIBLE
Explain to me—with your human logic—how this tiny perverted lion has been stepped on by KENPACHI ZARAKI, chewed by Hollows, tortured by Rukia and flattened by spiritual pressure that would turn a Lesser Soul into literal mist.
The Facts: In Bleach, souls shatter under pressure.
The Reality: Kon is immutable. He is a "steady state" being. You know who else is a steady state being? THE SOUL KING. Kon is the only character in the series who can maintain his ego while his physical vessel is being used as a literal footstool. He is the anchor. He is the lynchpin.
3. URAHARA "ACCIDENTALLY" GAVE HIM TO ICHIGO?
lmao. lol, even.
Kisuke(Aka Sosuke Aizen, yes I'm still holding onto this) "I have a plan for my plan's backup plan" Urahara does NOT do accidents. He hid the Hogyoku in a girl's soul! You think he just handed over a top-secret Mod Soul to the main character by mistake?
Urahara put the Backup King in the hands of the only person strong enough to protect him. Ichigo isn't the protagonist; he's the SECRET SERVICE.
4. THE NAME. THE WORDPLAY. THE AUDACITY.
Kubo loves puns. He lives for them.
Kaizo Konpaku (Modified Soul) -> Kon.
Reio (Soul King).
If you look at the linguistic roots, Kon is the "Soul" (Konpaku) waiting to be "King." It’s hiding in plain sight! He is the Literal Soul of the World stuffed into a plushie so Aizen wouldn't notice. Aizen was looking at the heavens while the True King was busy trying to look up skirts. IT’S THE PERFECT DISGUISE.
5. THE TYBW "BUFF" UPGRADE
In the final arc(in chap 521), the Zero Division—the guys who LITERALLY ONLY CARE ABOUT THE SOUL KING—takes Kon to the Royal Palace.
"Oh, it's just a gag! He's buff now! Haha!"
WAKE UP. Why would Ichibei, the man who names all things, waste five seconds on a plushie unless that plushie’s soul needed to be hardened for the vacuum of godhood? They were reinforcing the vessel. They were prepping the spare tire because Yhwach was coming for the original.
THE VERDICT:
Kon is a perfect, universal vessel. He can be inserted into anything and maximize its potential. He is durable, he is hidden, and he is currently living in Ichigo’s bedroom. The Soul Society isn't a monarchy; it's a waiting room, and the King is a lion with a foot fetish.
* puts bowl out * Come get your Chaos Theory Omake
Note: Minor spoilers for Ch 4 of Chaos Theory.
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Ichibei: Hmmm. The vibes..... they are off..... hmmm. what could be causing this. hmmmm...... the soul king..... i need to protect the soul king..... it is my duty. Reio, what has agitated you so? What troubles you...?
Meanwhile the Soul King partying it up because he knows he's finally gonna die after Millenia of suffering:
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Rukia confronting Urahara : WHAT THE FUCK IS UP WITH MY GIGAI YOU SHADY SHOPKEEPER. SPEAK.
Urahara: *professional gatekeep, gaslight, girlboss* Are you sure you're not imagining this Kuchiki San?
Urahara: * interally * FUCK. FUCK. SHIT. ABORT. ABORT. SHE'S ONTO US-
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Aizen on his way to HM: Man, I'm getting slightly worried about Ichigo, I wish he'd show some signs of reactivity but I suppose that's one wish even the Hogyoku can't fulfill.
Hogyoku: ....
Hogyoku: Bet.
Aizen: * panicking * NO. NO. NO. NOT LIKE THAT. SAY SIKE. SAY SIKE RIGHT NOW-
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(Did I spend too much time making that soul king Gif? yes. yes I did)
(There's more Omake in the AITTF tag, don't forget to check it out for more crack!)
I'm sick and have too much time on my hands that's spent alone, so bare with me here.
Genuine question for any Bleach fans: what happened to the Soul King's legs?
He was cut into pieces and locked into that crystal, fine.
His arms both gained sentience enough to have names, eyes, a mind more or less of their own and opinions on who to side with in a war between Shinigamis and Quincies.
In Pernida's case that even means going toe to toe with Kurotsuchi for a while during their battle, intelligence growing every second they fought and having an actual physical form.
Mimhagi seems to have stuck to a less physical form, but is still aware enough to choose to help young Ukitake and then take a stand against Yhwach.
But what about the legs?
They got cut of just the same, but we never see them? What, between Pernidas disembodied arm and the horrors that are Kurotsuchi's multiple Bankai forms, Kubo looked at the idea of sentient legs and went 'Naah, that's too wild?'
Are they just lying around in a room on one of the Squad 0 Islands? Did Ichibei cut them off and then lock them up or just forget about them?
This might just be signs of me still being a little sick and exhausted, but what if they're just chilling in Hueco Mundo?
Like, Aizen takes a walk through the Menos Forest and comes across a pair of inhumanly large legs with eyes halfway up their shins who just... stare at him, and decides his walk was long enough, and maybe he should just go back home and check whether or not Gin spiked his tea.
(This feels more and more like a shitpost but I can't help but laugh at that visual)
Or are they with the fifth Nobel Clan Kubo never came around to introducing? Do we not see any of those people because they're secretly all leg-people and ashamed of that?
If it was explained somewhere please let me know, but until then: what happened to the legs?
