Sōsuke Aizen (Seireitou)

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"Yhwach, the world that you desired to create may indeed have been devoid of fear. However, in a world without the fear of death, men could not face that fear and seek out hope. Certainly, they could keep walking onward by merely living, but that would be very different from walking onward while conquering their own fears. That is why we give the act of walking onward a special name. We call it 'courage'." — Aizen reflecting upon Yhwach's vision.

Sōsuke Aizen
BeforeBefore - ImprisonedImprisoned
Name	Sōsuke Aizen
Kanji	藍染 惣右介
Romaji	Aizen Sousuke
Characteristics
Race	Shinigami
Birthday	May 29
Age	Unknown
Gender	Male
Height	186 cm (6'1")
Weight	74 kg (163 lbs)
Blood Type	A
Professional Status
Affiliation	Himself
Previous Affiliation	Gotei 13 Arrancar Army
Occupation	Unknown
Previous Occupation	Captain of the Fifth Division Instructor at the Shinō Academy Leader of the Arrancar Army
Team	None
Previous Team	Fifth Division
Partner	None
Previous Partner	Kaname Tōsen Shinji Hirako Momo Hinamori Gin Ichimaru
Base of Operations	Central Great Underground Prison
Personal Status
Marital Status	Single
Relatives	None
Education	Shinō Academy
Status	Active
Powers
Main Skill	Hōgyoku Fusion

"The gaze into the sun." - Tite Kubo

Sōsuke Aizen (藍染 惣右介, Aizen Sousuke) is a male Shinigami that was imprisoned within the Central Great Underground Prison for his acts of treason against the Soul Society. He served as the former Captain of the Fifth Division in the Gotei 13, with his lieutenant at that time being Momo Hinamori. Abandoning his post alongside his followers, Gin Ichimaru and Kaname Tōsen, Aizen declared war against the Shinigami with his army of Arrancar in order to create the Ōken so as to go to the Soul King Palace, kill the King of Souls, and take his place as the ruler over all Soul Society. In the process, Aizen sought to transcend his own limits as a Shinigami by fusing together with the Hōgyoku, essentially reaching the heights of godhood. However, his attempt was thwarted by the efforts of both Ichigo Kurosaki and Kisuke Urahara, leading to his defeat and subsequent sentence of twenty thousand years imprisonment by the Central 46 within the lowest level of the underground prison. Aizen would later be released two years later by Shunsui Kyōraku on a temporary basis during the war against the Wandenreich, eventually facing off against the leader of the Quincy, Yhwach, in the final moments of the conflict.

Appearance

Aizen in his uniform.

In Hueco Mundo, Aizen is first seen wearing Arrancar clothes over his Shihakusho. Afterwards, but before his transformation, Aizen wore full clothing similar in style to the Arrancar.

Prior to his departure from Soul Society, he appeared as a mild-featured man with brown scholarly hair enhanced by square glasses. He wore the standard Shinigami uniform with a captain's haori. However, during his ascent to Hueco Mundo, he removed his glasses and swept a hand through his hair, revealing menacing eyes and a very different hairstyle (swept back hair, with a strand hanging in his face). As he had previously revealed to Renji Abarai, the Aizen they all knew never existed and this would seem to be a visual representation of that claim. Aizen's appearance changes again upon his initial defeat by Ichigo Kurosaki. Aizen looses all of the physical changes made by his transformation and returns to the physical form he had prior to transforming. The only visible signs of his change that is left is in his left eye which has a purple sclera and white iris and pupil.

Retaining his appearance from his Hōgyoku form, Aizen wears a white cloak that is split in four sections near his waist. There is a cross in the middle of the cloak, showing where the Hōgyoku was embedded in him. Despite being removed by Sōkudo, the Hōgyoku still seems to reside in his chest. While in this form, his Zanpakutō becomes fused to his arm. However, he is capable of making it disappear with a simple gesture. Also, when he is attacked, his body appears to crack and fold under damage, only actually bleeding when an attack is powerful enough. Besides this, Aizen retains his same appearance, with the addition of long hair, and gray eyes with purple sclera.

Once he eventually achieved his Tsumikami stature, Aizen returned to wearing the same white haori uniform that he wore as Hueco Mundo's leader.

Personality

Despite his current villainous status and former position of authority, Aizen is a surprisingly polite, soft-spoken intellectual, often addressing his subordinates by their given names. He rarely shows any sign of alarm or distress and often has entire situations planned out well in advance. Whenever confronted, Aizen is casual and uncaring, attempting to draw out a conversation and make small talk, which often infuriates the one he is talking to.

Aizen initially appeared to be a very kind, well-respected captain and was looked up to by many, especially his lieutenant Momo Hinamori. However, this was just a mask to disguise his manipulative and very dangerous nature. In truth, he cares very little for his underlings (both past and present), and is willing to use almost everyone around him as pawns in his twisted game of chess. In his own words, Aizen claims to be unaffected by any form of morals or ethics as he views them as mere restriction on his potential. He is, therefore, willing to stop at nothing to further his selfish ambitions, including manipulating or killing anyone if he deems it to be necessary. He is fond of long, complicated, and somewhat convoluted plots, many of which do not have any real reason until he reveals them, and frequently appears to toy with his underlings for amusement. Unlike most of the other Shinigami who appear to have some kind of honor and kindness, including some Espada, Aizen lacks genuine compassion and honor. During his time as a captain, he was known to like tofu, but he disliked boiled eggs. In his free time, he often read and he also gave a special lecture of calligraphy at Shinō Academy, given that he excelled in this branch of arts. This optional course was immensely popular among the Shinigami students, and many of them felt great sorrow at Aizen's sudden departure.

As the commander of his army of Arrancar, Aizen controls his new minions either through acquired respect or fear. Ulquiorra Cifer, one of his noticeably loyal subordinates, revealed in a conversation with Orihime Inoue that they are all here to further Aizen's ambitions. For more rowdy individuals like Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez, he keeps them in line through intimidation and mind games. The Arrancar Iceringer also claims that they follow Aizen because he has no fear, something which beings born from fear and despair find inspiring. Other Arrancar occasionally follow Aizen for reasons unique to themselves, such as Szayel Aporro Granz, who follows Aizen with the hopes that he will eradicate the world of all non-Hollows. To date, the equally manipulative Gin Ichimaru is the only person who seems to be able to see through Aizen's manipulation. Ichimaru has also shown that he has some sense of Aizen's emotions and feelings, correctly identifying that Aizen was enjoying the invasion of Ichigo and his friends and their successes within Las Noches, as well as picking-up on the fact that Aizen had registered the arrival of Hinamori in battle of Fake Karakura Town and was surprised by it. By contrast, Kaname Tōsen has shown no such understanding and has fallen victim to one of Aizen's more minor mind games when Aizen off-handedly manipulated him into punishing Grimmjow for him while Aizen himself kept up his appearance of benevolence.

Aizen's true objective is to overthrow the king of the Soul Society. As he and his fellow traitor captains were departing from the Soul Society, he told Jūshirō Ukitake that "no one has stood on the top of the world", not even the gods, but he aspires to "stand in the heavens and end the unbearable vacancy on the world's throne". To do this, he needs the Ōken (王鍵, Royal Key), a tri-pronged golden key that opens a portal to the dimension in which the Spirit King resides. While the location of the key is known only to Captain-Commander Yamamoto, Aizen knows how the original was created and how to manufacture another. To do this, 100,000 souls need to be gathered together (which will kill all the entities used) and vaporize a significant portion of the area used in its forging. His sights are therefore set on Karakura Town, which has an unusually large concentration of spirit particles.

According to Kisuke Urahara, since mastering the Hōgyoku, Aizen has become less cautious in battle; noting that before he subdued the device Aizen would not have allowed him to use level 90 Kidō. And Aizen admits that his new powers allow him to let his guard down. Also due to this newfound power, he has developed more of a seemingly arrogant and overconfident attitude, often not even thinking his attacks or defense through anymore like he used to, or even bothering to find out the effects of his opponents' and his own attacks. In his newest form, he has also developed a severe superiority complex, believing he is now above both Shinigami and Hollows. Because of his superior attitude and high intelligence, Aizen is easily enraged when facing something or someone that he doesn't understand; for example, when witnessing Ichigo in his "Final" form, Aizen becomes furious because he is unable to comprehend how a human has surpassed him.

Following the time spent in the Muken along with his subsequent death during the Vandenreich crisis and time spent in Hell, Aizen's personality began to return to his former manipulative and self-composed side. Aizen feels that he has been "enlightened" from his experiences in Hell, though what he means by this is unknown.

Powers & Abilities

"That's not good. You're all gravely misunderstanding Aizen-taichō's abilities. Aizen-taichō isn't feared because he can use Kyōka Suigetsu. Yes, Kyōka Suigetsu's power is terrifying. But that alone would not have been enough to subdue those who would rather die than to obey. There was only one reason why those powerful Arrancar were able to function together as the Espada, despite their personal motives. Because he's strong. All of Aizen-taichō's abilities are far beyond anyone else's. You're going to take precautions against Kyōka Suigetsu? Your plans aren't good enough. You're going to take precautions against everything else? Still not good enough. Even if you gather your minds and take precautions for every misfortune, such as the Sky falling down or the Earth splitting apart... No matter what approach you take, Aizen-taichō's power is still far superior." — Gin Ichimaru speaking of Aizen's true prowess.

Aizen's Battle Data, clockwise. Top: Offense (100), Top Right: Defense (90), Bottom right: Mobility (90), Bottom: Kidō/Reiatsu (100), Bottom Left: Intelligence (100), Top Left: Physical Strength (80). Total: 560/600.

According to Gin Ichimaru, Aizen's power is such that he did not require the illusionary might of his former Zanpakutō, Kyōka Suigetsu, in order to defeat the Captains of the Gotei 13 as well as the Visoreds single-handedly. It was theorized by Ichigo Kurosaki that Aizen had felt alone in his vast power from the moment he was born, implying that Aizen himself was a unique individual even from the start.

Massive Spiritual Power: Even by captain-level standards, Aizen has shown to have tremendous spiritual energy. Marechiyo Ōmaeda commented that Aizen's very presence is monstrously overwhelming. A hint to his actual level of spirit power is given when he turns Wonderweiss Margela into an Arrancar; before activating the Hōgyoku, and states that despite its half-awakened state, it can be fully activated when temporarily fusing with someone with twice as much spiritual power as an average Captain-class Shinigami (referring to himself). The force of Aizen's spiritual power is also great enough to, without any visible effort, bring the Sixth Espada to his knees. He has commented that it takes a lot for him not to "crush an ant" (referring to Renji Abarai) in his path. He also claims that he is more powerful than all of the Espada. Aizen has shown that his reiatsu is powerful enough to nullify abilities, such as when he negated Suì-Fēng's Nigeki Kessatsu technique. By his own admission, Aizen's spiritual power is at such a level that both Shinigami and Humans are incapable of sensing his reiatsu, unless he voluntarily lowers his level and allows them to interfere. He compares this to how a two-dimensional being is incapable of interfering with a three-dimensional one. Isshin Kurosaki surmised that Aizen's spiritual power can only be sensed by someone that is at the same level as him.

Genius Intellect: Arguably the most fearsome trait of Aizen is his tremendous intellect. He is well-versed in the history, strategy, tactics of the Soul Society, and is privy to knowledge previously unknown to many, such as knowing of the existence of the Ōken, as well as the obscure method in which to make one. He has also created several hollows and Arrancar while being able to avoid arousing any suspicion from most of his fellow Shinigami, most likely due to his Zanpakutō's illusionary abilities. He also, for over 110 years, had been engaging in experiments that involved unique and highly dangerous manipulations of spirit energy and spirit particles. His most startling experiment involves the Hollowfication of Shinigami, something unseen before and still unknown to have ever taken place again. He has an innate knowledge of the Hōgyoku, rivalling that of its creator, Kisuke Urahara, even the extent required for him to destroy it. He is able to figure out Shinji Hirako's shikai ability's true nature and then deduce that it produces an optical illusion, allowing him to counter its effect. He effectively deduces the true power of the Hōgyoku via trial and error of situations that revolve around it.

• Master Manipulator: He has shown himself to be a very crafty and cunning man since his public betrayal of the Soul Society. The most noticeable trait is his ability to deceive and manipulate others around them in multiple manners. For years, he was effectively able to convince everyone around him that he was a kind-hearted man with the best intentions for the Soul Society, while performing horrific actions. He has a great talent for analyzing and observing everything in his presence, allowing him to quickly understand a person's pattern of thinking and better manipulate them. He is also a powerful strategist, capable of formulating well-thought-out plans several steps ahead of others. These plans are incredibly involved and detailed, and are planned-out with the long term in mind, making them seem slightly convoluted. His most well known plan spans over 110 years, a great accomplishment given that it required moving people around like pieces on a chessboard, as well as making sure they played the role he had planned out for them. He is masterful when it comes to "plans within plans," such as kidnapping Orihime, allowing him to use her abilities to extend the shelf life of the Hōgyoku, and to trap the Ryoka and four Captains after the departure of Gin, Tōsen and himself in Hueco Mundo, making it easier for him to accomplish the ends of his first plan, to create the Ōken and gain access to the Royal Dimension.
• Master Tactician: He has also shown himself as a powerful and flexible tactician, capable of adjusting seamlessly to any given combat situation, if not plan out events well in advance. He understands the strengths, weaknesses and mannerisms of his enemies and creates strategies to achieve victory; this includes modifying an Arrancar for the sole purpose of defeating Yamamoto, a Shinigami whose abilities surpass his own. Though it can be said that the majority of his tactics rely heavily on his Zanpakutō's special ability, there are few better tactics than manipulating all the senses of your opponents, making it easier for one to attack. Despite viewing his power as worlds beyond others, he is also shown to be highly cautious in battle, placing special protections on himself so as to leave no blind-spots.

Aizen defeating four Captains simultaneously.

Immense Strength: He is powerful enough to stop Ichigo's Bankai with just one index finger (albeit Ichigo was already battle-worn from fighting Byakuya Kuchiki) and almost cut him in half with a single swing of a sword, and stopped Renji's Shikai with his bare hand and broke it with one swing, injuring Renji in the process. He was also able to stop Komamura's Shikai with his bare hand, proving his strength was more than enough to combat someone of his same level. Aizen further shows his strength by being able to effortlessly cut through the sword and wrist of Sajin Komamura's Bankai. Retaining powers from his former Hōgyoku fusion as well as his evolution as a Tsumikami, Aizen's physical strength has been significantly increased. He is able to easily strike through a target's flesh with a single nonchalant sweep of his bare hands. Aizen is strong enough to cause a shockwave after being knocked down by Yoruichi Shihōin. This shockwave was fast and strong enough to catch even Yoruichi off guard and subsequently destroy the anti-hierro armor on her left leg.

Aizen catching an Arrancar's blade.

Hakuda Master: While preferring to finish his fights quickly with his superior swordsmanship techniques utilizing his Zanpakutō or rather using overwhelming Kidō to dominate an opponent, Aizen is a highly capable fighter unarmed as well. Repeatedly, Aizen has shown himself able to effortlessly catch his opponent's weapons barehanded. While fighting offensively, he has shown tremendous agility and dexterity, able to combine both sword and barehanded skills to simultaneously strike with his sword and kick opponents with great force, allowing for him to be considered a master in this combat field. In order to display his superior power, Aizen takes to preforming several unarmed feats that even the most skilled Hakuda practitioners would not dare attempt in order to deal with an opponent's blade combat. He relies primarily on "torite" (捕手, "catching hand"), a discipline within the Jujutsu martial art that deals in techniques and motions that allow the user to essentially deflect, block, and catch onto sharp bladed weapons. He revealed such feats during battle against multiple opponents. During his first confrontation with Ichigo, he was able to use a minor-scale use of torite by catching onto Ichigo's Tensa Zangetsu with a single finger; albeit, Ichigo was severely weakened from his battle against Byakuya Kuchiki. Later, Aizen preformed a similar feat by catching Ichigo's Bankai blade with one hand. Jujutsu, in general, consists of a system of every conceivable technique that can cause damage to an opponent. It is for this reason that, when tied into Aizen's complete lack of morals, Jujutsu is probably the most dangerous Hakuda style under Aizen's use. Because any form of technique to any target spot is allowed, Aizen has a limitless range of targets on an opponent's body, also allowing for him to attack pressure points with ease. He can crack bone joints in order to make it impossible for an opponent to ever hold a sword again or damage the nerves through the use of grappling techniques at close-range. Aizen makes full use of "kyūsho-jitsu" (急所, pressure point style) in these close-range situations, making it extremely dangerous to allow him to come into open hand contact. While Aizen may utilize other principles that exist in martial arts such as Aikido or Bartitsu, more specifically Bartitsu, these appear to all supplement his main Hakuda form which revolves around his unique Jujutsu style.

Immense Durability: Aizen's durability is further enhanced due to the Hōgyoku's evolution of his body. Because of this, he can withstand a level 91 destruction spell without suffering any damage. His durability is great enough to block Isshin's Zanpakutō with just his foot and withstand a massive punch from an armored Yoruichi. He performs in battle as if he were unharmed, even while taking a lot of damage. He takes on Isshin's point-blank Getsuga Tenshō attack, and seems unfazed by the attack, despite having a bleeding gash on his forehead. He willingly lets the Kōtotsu collide with him, destroying it, while he remains unharmed.

Immense Speed: Aizen's new-found power enhances his speed to the point that even captain-level opponents cannot register his movements. His speed is so great that he is able to catch the likes of Yoruichi Shihōin off guard. He can seemingly incapacitate three captain-level opponents instantaneously.

Protective Regeneration: After his interaction with the Hōgyoku, Aizen's internal reiryoku actively protects him by healing his injuries almost instantly. Aizen was able to take a point-blank level 96 destruction spell and escape only suffering slight burns. Immediately following that, he took a point-blank Hollow mask-enhanced black Getsuga Tenshō and survived the attack. He can come out unfazed after being hurled into several buildings. After being hit by Ichigo's Mugetsu, he was shown to have somewhat regenerated from the damage.

Zanjutsu Master

While the full extent of his prowess has yet to be known, he has demonstrated the ability to effortlessly fight back an opponent's Shikai and Bankai with his own blade still sealed. He has also demonstrated the ability to perform tremendously powerful and precise strikes, capable of striking through very sturdy targets, such as Renji's Shikai, Harribel's hierro, and Komamura's Bankai. His skill in Zanjutsu has allowed him to master distinctive swordsmanship styles that can be used to overwhelming degrees.

Aizen engaging in sword combat.

General Swordsmanship Prowess: Truly a thing of fearsome power, Aizen's ability in Zanjutsu makes it unnecessary for him to need destructive Kidō spells or even any form of direct Hakuda techniques in order for him to dominate his opponents in combat. He was so sure of his abilities that he claimed he could defeat Ichigo Kurosaki in his Bankai state without the need to cause any damage to the surrounding buildings of Karakura Town. Gin Ichimaru professed that Aizen's power is overwhelming to the point that he can defeat even Captain-class opponents without the need of his Zanpakutō's special abilities. This claim was proven to be true as Aizen's skill level was great enough to easily cut down four Captains (two which used their Bankai) and four Visored (with three being former captains of Gotei 13 and two of which used their Hollow masks) with ease. Aizen's style of Zanjutsu appears to revolve around Kenjutsu primarily, utilizing Kendō-esque techniques and strikes in order to test an opponent's might and effectively defeat them with his overwhelming strength. Despite how "showy" Aizen appears himself to be, his movements are all but wasted. His body motions itself in an almost regal manner when engaging in combat, so finely tuned that he can stop his attacks at a moment's notice and subsequently execute lethal attacks with absolute precision while retaining calmness and composure. His extreme cutting strength is also evident as he is capable of easily cutting through an Espada's hierro which is harder than steel, as shown when he defeated Harribel, as well as slicing apart a skyscraper in the fake Karakura Town with a mere flick of the wrist. His master-level skills and strength with his sword make it so he is capable of always fighting with one hand free, in order to make use of Kidō to supplement his fighting. While not as often, Aizen also makes use of Iaidō, as shown when moving to cut opponents in an instance whom attempt to charge straight at him. He displayed his Iaidō prowess during his first match against Ichigo, where after he blocked the blade of Ichigo's Tensa Zangetsu, Aizen proceeded to draw his blade with his opposing hand and cut Ichigo down straight down the middle, all in a matter of a second; a speed so quick, Ichigo did not realize he had been struck until after he fell to the ground in a puddle of his own blood. Aizen later claimed that he had attempted to bifurcate the latter but sarcastically retorted that he didn't put enough strength into the strike, implying that he was most likely holding back the full brunt of his force.

Zanjutsu Techniques: Aizen typically utilizes several named Zanjutsu techniques to great effect, though never does name these techniques, deeming it to be an unnecessary burden of addressing a technique's name prior to its execution. These are often used during moments where an opponent makes a huge opening available to Aizen, allowing him to cut them down in one strike.

Aizen using Agitowari.

• Agitowari (顎割, "Chin/Jaw Splitting"): Truly a formidable technique in the hands of a powerful swordsmen like Aizen, the Agitowari is a Iaidō technique that aims to cut straight across an opponent's upper body or midsection in order to completely and utterly bifurcate them. The strike is withheld either within the sheath or held to the opposite side of the sword-wielding hand and, without warning, it is slashed straight across in a uniform linear strike with immense force behind it, aimed to cut straight through any target that dares stand in its path. It was used by Aizen during two noteworthy moments, in which he defeated and nearly killed the Tres Espada, Tier Harribel, as well as cut down Sajin Komamura with strict ease. The force of the strike is such that this technique is said not to require a second swing of the blade after successful execution; a claim, which, has been proven true almost every time Aizen has used the Agitowari.

Aizen using Ryōdan.

• Ryōdan (両断, "Bisection"): Unlike the conventional use of the Kendō technique, Ryōdan, Aizen does not hold the sword with both hands when executing the Ryōdan, deeming it to be unnecessary. The strength of Ryōdan, just like all techniques of Zanjutsu, is heavily linked to the might and resolution of the executor's willpower. Teeming with an unyielding sense of superiority and overbearing power, Aizen's Ryōdan is potentially the most dangerous and unstoppable technique in his Zanjutsu arsenal. He holds his blade upwards, as if he were making a declaration to the heavens themselves of his impending victory, and slashes down with a cold lack of remorse, utterly slashing in two anything that dares allow itself to be within the scope of the swing. In a single use of the Ryōdan, Aizen was able to completely cut through Sajin's Bankai stucture as well as mortally wound half of the Captain's body, before finishing him off with an Iaidō strike. It is presumed that he held back, for if he were to use the full force of the Ryōdan, Sajin's Bankai would have been destroyed completely with no hope of reparation. Likewise, were it not for the timely intervention of Kyōraku, Suì-Fēng would have suffered the same fate due to her close proximity with Aizen.
• Senmaioroshi (千枚卸, "Thousand-Page Wholesale"): Aizen uses the Senmaioroshi only in fights that require him to defeat several opponents. Using expert timing, slight verbal and/or feint provocation, perfect and non-wasted motions of the hips and upper body, as well as resolute solid strikes of the blade, Aizen is capable of felling even Captain-class warriors in a single instance of the technique. Most noticeably, he used the Senmaioroshi to defeat Tōshirō Hitsugaya, Shunsui Kyōraku, Suì-Fēng, and Shinji Hirako in a single move; all of them considered to be immensely powerful in their own right. In addition, if taken into account that among them was a veteran Captain as well as the leader of the Onmitsukidō, this only goes to show that Aizen remains superior in the art of the blade even to those who are also of master-level prowess.

Kidō Master

Being a true Master, Aizen's ability in Kidō is top-notch. He is skilled enough to use most Kidō spells without the use of their incantation while still retaining their strength and might. Aizen's skill goes far beyond simple application, as his understanding of both fields of Kidō allows him to remain impervious to most Kidō assaults or traps.

Aizen utilizing Hadō #90.

Hadō Prowess: Being a man whom firmly believes in his superiority over all others, Aizen reflects this nature in the use of his Kidō. In most cases, he attempts large displays of his overwhelming power by using extremely high-level spells that most Shinigami of even Captain-class would not dare attempt, let alone could preform successfully. One such instance was when he used the Kurohitsugi (ranked 90) spell, and even though he did not control it entirely (utilizing only a third of the spell's original strength), it was sufficient enough to disable fellow Captain Sajin Komamura. When he utilized the spell at nearly full power, it had the power to distort time and space due to the gravitational field it was producing. If not for the strength attained through the mastery of Jinzen, Ichigo would have most likely have not been able to tear through the completed spell. In another large-scale display of his Hadō might, Aizen used the Raikōhō (ranked 63) spell against Isshin Kurosaki, dealing a fatal blow of massive lightning arcs into the latter's stomach, that resulted subsequently in a huge thunder shockwave that emitted sounds as great as the light it brought forth, illuminating all those in the area. Aizen understands a great deal about Hadō mechanics, allowing him to effortlessly block spells cast by other Masters, such as Kisuke Urahara. He has trained himself to be able to correctly identify the normally unnoticeable cracks in a Hadō spell that might be laced with a Bakudō spell, allowing him to not only successfully avoid the consequences should the seal make contact but also how to dispel the initial Hadō strike with ease. However, the most useful application of this understanding lies in his ability to change and alter the spiritual composition and structure of his Hadō spells. Turning a Haien into a formless gas that spreads an intense heat and incinerates all that it touches, or changing Kurohitsugi into that of an invincible spear that nothing will be able to deter it from its path once launched or be able to block it due to its power, are all feats that are well within the scope of Aizen's power.

Aizen blocking Kyōraku with a barrier.

Bakudō Prowess: Just as he himself is calm and composed, this is reflected in the unyielding foundation of his Bakudō spells. They are strong and resolute, shown to be nearly unbreakable to all but the strongest of attacks. He demonstrates this commonly through the use of the Dankū (ranked 81) spell. One such significant instance was when this spell was used to block another Kidō attack by Tessai Tsukabishi, who was Captain of the Kidō Corps and reasonably the most proficient Kidō master in the Soul Society at the time, while Aizen himself was only a lieutenant. It is not only against other Kidō spells that his barriers demonstrate their impervious defensive power. Aizen had used the El Escudo defensive spell in order to block the sneak attack carried out by the Shikai blade of Shunsui Kyōraku, an attack that would prove strong enough to bifurcate any other target, but was rendered utterly useless before Aizen's Bakudō. Similar to that of Kamui, whom also makes a habit of utilizing shields of similar caliber, and also an ability that he makes use of in his Hadō as well, Aizen can rearrange the spiritual integral structure of his spells to produce far stronger defensive or entrapment effects, such as rearranging the flat shape of Dankū into a three-dimensional sphere that would defend his body from all degrees of attack. He can add a delay effect to his spells as well as a repetition effect, allowing a spell to activate a second time after its initial use in order to catch an opponent off-guard.

Aizen placing Millon Escudo on his upper back.

Master of Wards: Despite his overwhelming might, Aizen is a tactical fighter and therefore does not enter battle without placing the necessary precautions, even if there would be no need for them. He is shown to be capable of producing powerful continuous spells to act as extra protection to his being while in battle, such as the Millon Escudo spell. It was revealed to be as effective as it was timely, showing itself to be strong enough to completely block the force of a Bankai-powered Getsuga Tenshō without yielding a single crack. Ever since his fight against Ichigo and sealing by Urahara, due to his own carelessness, Aizen took further steps to ensure he could not be taken by surprise again. He claims to placing far more wards onto his being, though the exact nature of these wards as well as their numbers are unknown. It is presumed that he does not keep this number consistent, placing wards on his body prior to a confrontation in accordance with how many he believes will be required should the battle turn into the worst case scenario.

Quotes

• (To Ichigo Kurosaki) "Why are you putting so much distance between us? If you want to make sure it hits me, then you should get close and fire. Or is it that you're afraid of letting even a part of me out of your field of vision by getting close? If that's the case, then it's a foolish thought. Distance only has meaning in a fight between equals. With you and I, distance holds no meaning at all. Watch... If I do this, my hand is almost instantly at your heart."

Behind the Scenes

The information listed above is a fanwork based on Sōsuke Aizen, and thus, will only be used in works of the author unless permission is given by another user.