You Don't Understand the Soul King

[@AnUtterMesh]

Kenpachi likely has the Soul Kings balls. Explains his will and to keep fighting against escalating odds. Soul King testosterone!

[@Physcowrld]

Ok ok thats…..actually a good argument

[@PsyrikAntz967831]

either that or he’s tied to or from Hell

[@android0391]

🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@ClulssCrs3310]

I love this lol

[@nathaninostroza7655]

I love Kenny as much as the next cat, but naaaaahh, his power s in the script. Great character and great fighting scenes, but inmensely over rated for me. It was all fine, narrative wise, with him til his fight with Retsu. Beyond that it's just like they add power to Kenny at convenience, but they get away with that 'cause Kenny s so beloved by everyone.

[@1rotzy]

Wasn't Gremmy kept in a basement for most of his life because he was too dangerous? If so, I find it ironic that Yhwack did exactly to a piece of his dad that the Soul Reapers did to his body.

[@kierafurneaux3172]

This is also what was done to Aura Michibane by her parents. Pernida was also kept sealed in chains until YHVH needed him

[@roywempor8395]

I guess it's the fate of his parts

[@manuelacosta9463]

The fate of the Spirit King perfectly encapsulates what happens to those who try to do good in the Bleach universe. He tried to protect humans and then started to mingle and emphasize with them, the ancestors except the Shiba certainly became paranoid of this and decided to mutilate/seal him as part of their plans while then initiating a deadly coverup. Same thing nearly happened to Ichigo, it didn't matter that he is a savior who protects and does the morally right thing.

[@whythoisreal]

It has many ties to judeo Christian themes truly

[@daviddupler3761]

Is it because the Soul Society is less of a governing body and closer to Yakuza? They don't want change, they want to maintain their power. It's Reaper law to kill or seal every other race that displays soul powers outside their own. This is the Reapers world, they created this natural order when they butchered the Soul King.

[@manuelacosta9463]

@@daviddupler3761 Yes. Tokinada says as such in the CFYOW light novel. He rants to Yoruichi that the nobles are rotten hypocrites who despite claims of honor, justice and order, would happily join him in his imperialist aggression to slate their greed and want of power. Yoruichi sadly acknowledges this to be true. Meet the new bosses, same as the old ones.

[@daviddupler3761]

@@manuelacosta9463 Then isn't Soul Society the agent of the exact entropy they claim to be preventing? While Aizen and Yhwch may not be right, they're not wrong either.

[@nahte123456]

Eh, it'd never work. Ichigo wouldn't let them beat him like the SK did and has most of the SS top brass on his side. I mean...they can TRY but even Bach said Ichigo's power was to much. Who's going to make him? Ichibe who got positively spanked by a Bach levels below the one Ichigo fought?

[@KingdomSteppers777]

The fact the shiba😮 clan was a family of empathy explains why ichigo accepted both his shingami and Quincy side and why he’s so powerful

[@RadarFinsR]

Also a note to his family's character traits. Isshin, Ichigo, Kaien all sacrifice in their arcs to protect others.

[@Purriah]

Masaki too. @@RadarFinsR

[@dougdoug2469]

​​@@PurriahMasaki was a Kurosaki though, not a Shiba

[@tylerdurden3722]

@@RadarFinsR That has nothing to do with empathy. That's more selfless self-sacrifice. Empathy is the ability to understand the emotions of others (especially when others have emotions different from one's own) The Shiba clan founder had a greater ability to mentally process the emotional experiences of hollows, etc

[@ultimateshadeofwar]

There is something that gives strength to what you said that the Soul King saw Ichigo and he desire for him to be born. When Ichigo arrives on the Soul King palace to train, it's mention that the Soul King is happy to have Ichigo here... I found that most interesting, especially after everything we see regarding the Soul King, but if all that is left of him is spirit, the Kokoro, it would make sense that at feeling who he has been waiting for, he is happy.

[@titanx7668]

That's wholesome but hella sad at the same time.

[@ultimateshadeofwar]

@@titanx7668 Agree, through my personal theory, it's that the Soul king wanted the world of Bleach to exist, so that's why allow himself to go through the horrors of what it was done to him. And that he is happy because Ichigo is the hope to let his legacy live foreward when he is gone.

[@jrgenvellesen7800]

There is a interesting idea that because the Soul King was so powerful, he himself grew apathetic and disillusioned with life itself. Going with the theme of Bleach that being Perfect, leads into stagnation. So, Reio, who could see and do anything, would rather see what others would want to create. Which is why he allowed the original sin to happen.

[@yamatonoryuujin4871]

Meh not really interesting overdone and literally done in every fiction ever when it comes to nigh omnipotent beings. Hell that's the most boring idea; the ones that are most interesting are those that resemble human behaviour but something more, omnipotent beings not tied down to the misconceptions and cynicisms of man and showcases how a perfect being can't be tied down to the standards of people. That's why the eternals, Lucifer, the one above all, etc. And etc. Are memorable they are near perfect beings that have flaws on a human's standards but on their own they don't care as it's basically a quirk of theirs. They choose to have these personalities because they are far removed from the rest, hell I think that's one of the reason why the Soul King is memorable aside from the Mystery he chose an almost illogical and flawed option.

[@jrgenvellesen7800]

@@yamatonoryuujin4871 The reason I think you could chose the interpretation I talked about, is because it would be consistent with the theme of Bleach. The story repeatedly illustrates that the more powerful you are, the more likely you are to end up isolated and depressed, or being unable to form genuine connections with others. Characters like Kenpachi, Starrk, Gremmy, Aizen and Yhwach all fit into this theme in some way. Plus, as Radman said, a being like the Soul King who was basically all-seeing and all-knowing, would be both the pinnacle of self-actualization, yet unable to acually function as a individual, since someone who can do anything, would find no real meaning in anything. It is the reason why the Soul King as a character seems so full of contradictions. Which is best symbolised by his arms, who literally are on opposite sides and embody two contradicting ideas. How can you have a world of free will, yet there is a God that can see, know and do anyhing? The answer? God is dead and we killed him. Why? Because he let it happen.

[@Proaz15]

​@@yamatonoryuujin4871"every fiction character" process to name the most famous and basic omnipotence characters in fiction.

[@Obstone0]

​@@yamatonoryuujin4871 I can't name a single piece of fiction that has a plot where the king who is very powerful lets people kill him because he is bored and alone. Ironically, the plot you named as more interesting is very overdone compared to the latter.

[@MasterNabber]

​@yamatonoryuujin48 Nah that's overused and trashy, humans are boring. A being like reio is infinitely more interesting

[@madambutterfly1997]

Yhwach is to the Soul King what Old man Zangetsu is to ichigo. An independent manifestation and personification of his Quincy powers. That’s why all Quincy get absorbed into Yhwach’s soul when they die.

[@SoyElBrokas]

Humm thats a good theory

[@Hedgehog3342]

yeah that's what i was thinking. a somehow split of the soul king but more focused on the quincy powers aspect, thus yhwach.

[@abominationdesolation8322]

The soul king is partly based on a Shinto legend in which Ameterasu, the sun goddess, sends her grandson and 5 lesser gods to rule the earth in her place. Bleach is a story about how those 5 gods betrayed their leader and took the throne for themselves. It is possible that the other gods exist in the "Astral realm" which may be as invisible to souls as souls are to the living. Reio and the others were sent here by incarnation, meaning they had to be born in flesh to live here.

[@Chandsab-c9g]

that's pretty good and adds a f ton of lore if Kubo expands on it in the hell arc, man I wish after the hell arc Bleach goes on for a thousand chapters like One piece with massive worldbuilding😂

[@zeroskaterz92]

Seems like the "Astral realm" you described here would be Hell since the Shinigami didn't even see the Beasts from Hell at first until they revealed themselves. One of them was Szayel who was dead and got reincarnated as a denizen of Hell.

[@maxwang956]

I think it also take some cues from Norse myth. In the beginning there was only light and darkness and a void in between them, from that void sprang Ymir, the first giant and later came other giants and gods including Odin. Eventually Odin and his brothers got tired of living in the void and decided to kill Ymir, butchering his body and using it as raw material to fill the void and create the universe. In Norse myth Odin is intelligent and wise, but also cunning and untrustworthy, he has his own agenda and his own vision for what is the greater good and it may or may not be good for you, doesn't that sound alot like a certain monk we know?

[@Grayson-Winchester]

I wonder, if Ichibei would have asked him that in the worst case scenario if Ichigo would be willing to become the Soul king. If he said it would be either him or Aizen, what would Ichigo have answered? Without having to kill him and seal him in a crystal just genuinely ask. Let's imagine that Ichibei and Kyoraku would have bowed down their heads to humblely ask Ichigo. I mean this is why Shunsui gave his friends the soul tickets in the first place.

[@R7dman]

I definitely think Ichigo would have accepted and sacrificed himself but man, I really want to see a scene like this now. It could happen in Hell, if the Reiokyu is attacked again and Yhwach is killed or set free somehow

[@Grayson-Winchester]

@@R7dman I think so too. Ichigo yelled at Yhwach that he would protect the soul society, the living world and hueco Mundo. To protect it all. Byakuya at the brink of death already entreated Ichigo with all his pride gone and nothing more than the trust and respect for him. Byakuya: please, please protect soul society............ Kurosaki Ichigo Ichigo: 😤

[@gstvntt]

I don't know if ichigo would accept, I mean his whole trope is the protector but dang

[@gogozeppeli9267]

It would have been a very bitter sweet ending

[@mrbubbles6468]

I mean, based on his character, in fact based on Aizen, Yuha and him I think they all might have agreed honestly. They would have just all tried to create another way first.

[@theshonenmaster2989]

I think that a lot of people don't understand bleach in general and act like "CuH BlEAcH iS oNly hYPed for ITs ARTwOrk THaT's aLL huhuhuhuhu ! KUBO IN GenERAL is A baD Writer HUHUH BLEACh is THE woRST Of THE bIG Iii HUHUHUHUH" edit: (some people got triggered by my comment how funny)

[@ultimate3000]

wild because all I know dragon ball Z for is fights. no story from what I've seen. no way bleach could be the worst

[@BBK113]

@@ultimate3000 1. DragonBall isn't in the big 3 & 2 every series is going to have a story what are you on about

[@theshonenmaster2989]

@@ultimate3000 aight first things first, it's not cuz you prefer bleach to dbz that you must downgrade dbz to give props to bleach then before that trash called db ass, there was a whole lore bout goku and his origins of sayains and stuff so even if dbz is famous for its fights, there's actually a story Furthermore, dbz is not in the big III, it is above the big III, stop putting dbz in the big III and at the same downgrading bleach and dbz for no reason as if their authors did something bad to you XD And we could also criticize naruto's ending with these aliens coming out of nowhere but that wasn't my intention here...

[@ofimportance5458]

Bleach is just generally ass. Boring ass power system man. Fights are lame too

[@ofimportance5458]

Bleach fan saying aliens came out of nowhere lmaoo

[@hujendong3730]

6 hour long ichigo/bleach analysis now a 1 hour long soul king analysis. We are here to have a meal.

[@Pandach_1]

Start watching these on 1.75 speed to be more productive with life.

48:58 is such a perfect encapsulation of the entire story as far as the idea of cycles, free will, and the winners being the ones to write history. Ywach's death alone makes the existence of the soul king 100x more interesting. The fact that someone as powerful and determined as Ywach, who rejected the current world order and despised the shinigami for the reio's existence, was not only forced to absorb the soul king's power but to also replace it as the new linchpin (without free will). It REALLY makes you look at Ichibei with a lot more distrust. He heavily implies (if not outright states) that the Reio likely accepted it's fate as a limbless linchpin because he "didn't resist" EVEN though he was seemingly all powerful and all seeing. Thus, events transpire as they do likely because the Reio saw it and "willed it." But clearly, we see someone (albeit probably less powerful) like Ywach being forced to become the Reio because he did have a weakness/blind spot/whatever you want to call it. So clearly it's not IMPOSSIBLE for a god-like being to be subjugated/defeated against their will. Especially given the nature of cycles in the bleach universe and how long ago it was. It really really makes you wonder the circumstances of the Reio initially coming to be. It also raises the possibility of this Reio (before Ywach) not necessarily having been the first one to exist. But obviously, Ichibei would probably not disclose that because the implications would be absolutely insane. Anyway, this was such an excellent video!!

[@manuelacosta9463]

Indeed. Just goes to show how centuries of propaganda and lies molded Soul Society while also enacting a deadly coverup. The fact that the King's essence ferociously attacked all Shinigami while sparing the others certainly showed us what likely really happened back then. It really throws Soul Society's leadership into a far more sinister light as if it wasn't so already.

@@manuelacosta9463 right!! I totally forgot about that part too! I had been wondering why only the shinigami were being attacked but that also really helps explain a possible reason!

[@sanddry738]

When I first experienced Bleach, I never expected the SK to be this fascinating yet horrifying concept. It really spins the entire Bleach Universe on its head and creates so much speculation and meaning. It’s not something that I think will ever be spelled out because it doesn’t need to be. Also one point to be made but the anime which Kubo supervises confirms Yhwach is a biological son. In one of the opening scenes you see conception and an unknowing being as his mother holding him before he grows. Overall, really insightful video! I have a ton to think about now with these concepts especially with Cour 2 reaching the end. Mimihagi especially…

[@mrbubbles6468]

Honestly Kubo greatest issue with his manga is he’s overly vague and under-explained about key important things and often over explains stuff that doesn’t matter. That being said, I honestly get the feeling that had he been in better health at the time we would have got a more detailed backstory for the Soul King in the main work. Not that I think Kubo should have ever really explained the Soul King. But with how over-explained the rest of his universe is I assume he would have if he’d had more time.

[@Hamzethegoat]

I agree especially cause most Shonen fans need to be spoon fed even emotions like character crying to make audience understand it’s a sad moment. And honestly characters do spend to much time on unimportant shit that is my biggest issue with Bleach but other then that it’s peak

[@chasinghaze0962]

Well I think that's what Kubo thinks is cool. For better or for worse. That's why I think Bleach is not for everyone.

[@uraharakisuke1329]

I personally like his vagueness, it makes you really interested in analysing the story in detail. Still, I would have liked it more if Kubo had explained it all in more detail because the majority of fans who are casual readers don't pick up on the small hints he leaves

[@IppoX90]

I'm personally into that everything is not explained completely and that it's up to interpretation.

[@mrbubbles6468]

@@HamzethegoatOf course they do. Shonen’s primary audiance are young boys.

[@HunterOfArtemisMtF]

To me one of the things that strike me about the Soul King is how his story mirrors aspects to the story of Christ, this is pushed even harder by the imagery and liniage of the quincy. God's allows himself to be sacrificed for the sake of the world after being betrayed by one close to him. Ichibei to me is the Judas in Reyos story and the betrayal of the royal families His crucifixion.

[@teyvatato2148]

This was an amazing video man! Great job breaking down such a massive amount of content while providing beautiful interpretations of the themes and greater concepts of the series. Kubo would be proud no doubt

[@yeonbibi191]

After watching the latest ep and this, I'm questioning myself why is this making me tear up, lol. The relationship between the Soul King and Yhwach was a tragedy, and both of what happened to them was indeed tragic

[@detectivecritics]

lovely video as always. one thing that struck me whilst watching it was the persistent emphasis on the "abstract" over the "structures" being reflected in reio and gremmy (feeding stardust's nasty agenda w this but issa necessary sacrifice). reio a guy who has seen everything, his experiences would necessarily be recorded in his brain na? but gremmy being a locked up child with no stimulus is a focal point in his loss, cuz it shackled his imagination. reios experiences more so pervade the entire universe. can't be held within the brain. it also adds to my idea that the almighty is a separate entity, not inherent to either reio nor yhwach nor ichigo, cuz the past/present/future experienced by reio is still emblematized by the almighty, despite the actual storage unit being taken out of him. thanks for putting shit into perspective my bro, this is gonna be sumn to come back to again and again because of its subject matter and how central it is. and as such u have done a brilliant job of conveying it

[@R7dman]

Almighty being an external existence like the worm in AoT such a fire theory man, works perfectly

[@orugantishivapriya6305]

maybe there was a world before the current time even before the soul king in which the almighty existed .The rulers of the world created hell in contradiction to the living world . The almighty might have resisted the idea of the creation of hell as it is a pit of eternal suffering. Which led to the destruction of everything except for hell which led to high concentration of Rishi in the primordial world which created the hollows and the soul king. That's how it became a power without body . Spending all eternity in the pinnacle of nothingness waiting for something that would most likely never happen . When the soul king came it immediately entered his body to use him as it's host . I do know that what I just said is unimaginably impossible to actually happen but who knows .

[@orugantishivapriya6305]

I even have a theory on bleach's cosmology and the actual size of it .

[@titanx7668]

I mean we could see that not only the arms of the soul king were different entities, but his own reiatsu moved on its own and in a certain way had a life of its own. That's a good one.

[@mistermcgainz5692]

Just wanted to say I appreciate all your videos so much. I have a lot of time to listen to things since I’m a landscaper. I have binged nearly all of your videos this week. And I love how well spoken and understood all of what you talk about is. Thanks for all your work

[@R7dman]

That’s awesome to hear! I’m glad my videos can keep you company

[@HonestHeartsClub]

I think the Soul King didn’t want his son to end up like him.

[@no1hasmyburgerh6057]

I mean yhwach literally had to watch his father get torn to shreds

[@DiamondRYN]

“You don’t understand the soul king” Honestly just say “you don’t understand bleach”, since there are so many people who call bleach trash since they don’t understand this master piece. Once you piece everything together after watching the epic battles it’s truly such a master piece! On and episode 25 and 26 were legendary.

[@1rotzy]

Another major cycle that trumps even the cycle of life and death can be the cycle of change. In the old world, it was stagnant, and when the first Menos rose up, the Soul King was created, and so to was the cycle of life and death. When these two sides went to war, represented by the Quincy and Shinigami, death won to prevent taking steps backward. But when the old order of death was stagnating, newer and more powerful threats arose to shake it to its foundations. Aizen killed the old governing body, Ywach took the old Head Captain off the board with the old linchpin. When Shunsui became Head Captain, he started making changes that people hated, but in the face of everything, we're changes that were needed. And finally, the most important aspect of the world, Ichigo Kurosaki. Ichigo seems like an accident created by Aizen, but for all we know the same thing could have been said for the Soul King. Ichigo keeps on throwing a wrench in everything he is involved in. Through him other characters rise to new heights, old rules are tossed out. To me, if the Soul King is the linchpin of life and death, Ichigo is the Linchpin of change.

[@MANJYOMETHUNDER111]

I think that the main reason the Soul King chose to be inanimate was his trust in his descendents to bring forth the future he desired. Like a good God, he made the universe and then stepped away.

[@antoinettefuller5519]

I think Jugram might have a piece of the soul king within him because yhwach is able to pass the almighty to him when he is resting.

[@danurkresnamurti3598]

Spoiler alert... Jugram is part of Ywach soul or half soul

[@AtenSol12]

I think it ironic the world that yhwach wanted to create. Like he wanted a world of imbalance and chaos but acts as if bec it was the original way reality works it was the best way. But we have it established that hollows being destroyed screws the balance of the world both in its primordial state and and in its current structure. He Unironically wants imbalance. And since hollows exist because they have to exist not through actual corruption but just by nature of possibility.., yhwach wouldve created a world that would collapse in on itself. Or rather recreated a world where it’s necessary to transform it into the structure we have today or existence would cease.

[@AtenSol12]

Also i super look forward to the ichigo chain of fate of the sk video Thatll be great

[@sq147]

Bro you work too hard😂😂

[@dargosinger]

Thought this was gonna be about the real Soul King, Brook.

[@michaelanuradha-khufu74]

Definitely ironic Yhwach became what he despised most. Also, if Reio really got cut down and his remaining power absorbed, is his corpse just somewhere in the Royal Palace? It'd be great to see more entities empowered from the remnants of the Soul King like an army empowered by each of his hairs or an entity with one of his eyes...

[@User5hdbh]

Yhwach despised most?

[@ToneChange2001]

I love videos like this because it shows that there is more to bleach and its character's and story the revolves around them with deep hidden meanings that kubo as a writer dosent shove these things down are throat but allows us to figure these things out our selves so it's funny when i see people say there's nothing to bleach but cool fights and good soundtrack no there's more to it that i feel like people don't try to understand and don't want to give it credit because its bleach which is sad.

[@spacedust3479]

I agree, I had someone tell me bleach didn't even have good fights or writing. Most of the time someone tells me that, I assume they just don't like well written media lol

[@strayorion2031]

I've always intepreted yhwach's history as some dark twist on the story of jesus christ, in this case it was his father who was sacrficed for humanity sins but jesus became vengeful from witnessing the sacrifice of his father

[@detritusofseattle]

This sounds a lot like Egyptian mythology around Osiris. In Egyptian myth, Osiris was the ruler of heaven. His rival and brother, Set, the god of evil and chaos, killed him and scattered his body into twenty pieces. Isis, Osiris' wife and the goddess of magic, brought those pieces back together. Using her magic, she was able to raise him from death long enough for them to defeat Set and for her and him to conceive a child together. That child was Horus, and he is the one that every Pharoah is said to be a reincarnation of. While Horus rules as the king in Egypt in the land of the living, Osiris rules over the afterlife, surrounded by several gods. Isis (magic), Anubis (death, mummification), Maat (justice and balance), Amut (the soul devourer), and Thoth (the scribe). Osiris' job as ruler of the afterlife is to help keep the balance of souls entering the Duat, judging those that will move on and those that will be devoured by Amut. Hmmm. Those gods may have some reflection in the royal guards. The first obvious one that comes to mind is Ichibei and Thoth. Thoth created writing, and thus names, and is very heavily associated with magic. Given that Isis is the goddess of magic and healed Osiris in the first place, I could see her connection to Kirinji or perhaps with Hikifune. Not sure which. Mummification is a kind of sealing or binding, so perhaps there is a connection between Anubis and Nimaiya, since it is his invention, the zanpakuto, that seals the shinigami's powers into a blade form. He also has what I would probably say is the ultimate sword, so sharp it can't be sheathed. Sounds like the ultimate soul slayer. A perfect weapon for the god of death and mummification. I was thinking Senjumaru could be tied to Maat due to her ability to basically weave fate, allowing her to rule over the balance of the world. All speculative, of course, but I find the idea interesting.

[@Grognack]

Definitely food for thought! Thank you for sharing!

[@SJ-qd6ev]

It's interesting that mostly every villain of bleach is a revolutionary trying to undone the injustice while the heroes are the oppressive force who wants to maintain status quo. Though mostly anime shounen protagonist want to maintain status quo

[@NamHoang-mh4ev]

Isn't that almost all shounens

[@SJ-qd6ev]

@@NamHoang-mh4ev yeah, except for one piece, shit is actively against status quo. But you see most of time our protagonists aren't actively ignoring injustices. Naruto changed the world even though he is part of system. The mere influence of our protagonist changes the world for better. Meanwhile in bleach all ichigo did was save institution, while nothing changed. They call it the original sin but don't feel sinner enough to not repeat same thing with ywatch corpse. Or as a matter of fact use groom ichigo to take it's place

[@tnuhenaj3752]

Ichigo actually says if fate is a millstone then we are the grist. The grist is basically the corn and flour and shit that the millstone grinds down. So he is saying fate grinds people down. then he says if he can't protect people from the wheel (the millstone i.e. fate) then he wants enough strength and a sword to shatter fate. The soul king is kinda like azathoth in the sense that if hes disturbed all of reality ends as we know it. Thus it can be said that the soul king is the fate of the bleach universe itself. Anyway ichigo does use yhwach's sword to kill the reio but i don't think thats him shattering fate because he gets absorbed by yhwach who becomes the new reio. The blade to shatter fate is zangetsu. Theres more in there like how the sword used to kill yhwach is the one ichigo wielded when ichigo thought the old man was his shinigami powers when he was actually yhwach so its kinda like he got taken out by himself. and there is the independent but related theme of courage. It's complicated how they intersect though and i don't want to think more now. On that note my theory is that the fourth pupil is the ability to literally be linked to the future. With 2 pupils yhwach can see the future and with 3 he can change the future. But the future he is changing is only the future that exists because of the soul king with 4 pupils in the first place. Or i'm wrong and the 3rd pupil allows yhwach to see into the past. One to look at the future, one to look at the present and one to look at the past.

[@qorv4973]

Maybe Askin is the kidney of the soul king. It is the organ that keeps most toxins in check. Orihime may have the liver- inmense regenerative ability and the liver in greek myths represents the heart

[@dytgyfgyffuh243]

This why bleach is better than naruto

[@jahkrmusic]

20:26 How can hollows even exist without humans dying in the first place? I always thought Hollows were humans spirits that couldn't let go. So what's the parameters they exist prior to this? The current Hueco mondo hollows don't eat. Is it that the hunger developed? If so, how/why? I'm a little confused, any info clarifying this would be greatly appreciated

[@Churnobyl]

So much for being perfectly written 🤡

[@jahkrmusic]

@@Churnobyl 😂😂

[@BigBootyDuty]

Primordial Hollows are born from Reishi, not another soul, but is the same spiritual matter that makes up a soul. This was the case for the Primordial Shinigami as well. Shinigami and Hollows are like Dogs and Wolves, virtually the same species, just with different evolutions. The only known Hollow in the main series (not counting the LN) to not be Soul-born is Ulquiorra, who looks alot less human-looking compared to his Espada teammates, with even Uryu commenting that his reiatsu is alien to him. This is also why Hollows and Shinigami can have children, despite technically being spirits. Those children will NOT be soul-born, mind you and this was also the case back in the Primordial world.

[@zoilomccrocklin8487]

The more I see breakdowns and analyses of Bleach that actually read into the poetic aspects of Kubo's grand canvas instead of only reacting to the surface , the more I am glad to be a Bleach fan. Bleach's subtly ingrained tenets of life, death, the soul and its will is not explicitly mentioned nor is it slapped together. It is expressed wholly through the life, existence, actions and personalities of the characters we get to know and love. I feel like this method of storytelling allows Kubo's intended messages to keep its potency and weight instead of dumping it on the reader and losing its value. Bleach has never been a surface level story. Hell, even the concepts of the soul, life and death are not surface level ideas, but ever-present things we as humans don't fully understand. I also feel that Kubo purposely doesn't give us the full story so we can come to our own conclusions and interpretations.

[@lookatdemijipers]

it's a crime how few deep dives people have done into Bleach, it's a lot more complex than people give it credit for

[@alehanedilko2147]

I thought that Yhwach, Aizen and Ichigo are also parts of the Reyo, but not of his body. They are parts of his soul/emotions. Yhwach is His depression, regret, apathy, etc. Aizen is His pride, noble rage, feeling of superioty, desire for justice, etc. Ichigo is His empathy, desire to protect the world/weak/loved one, etc.

[@chaossin7425]

How could a being as Great as the Soul King, with the ability to see all possible futures be imprisoned and mutilated to such extent? Only if he ALLOWED it, of course. Whether through apathy or compassion and intent to create the world he foresaw, who can say?

[@thedarkblitz]

IMO Reio gave up himself to drastically change how the reality was, meaning that the previous reality was way worse than the actual one. IMO worlds used to collide with each other(Hueco Mundo, Soul Society, Human World and Hell) and there where almost no boundaries, making the human world suffer the most. Also if Yhwach was the son of Reio it means that Reio bonded to a mortal women because quincies are half humans so maybe that was a mortal sin for a multidimensional being like Reio back in the days, so maybe there where multiple reasons for Reio to give himself up. JUST IMO.

[@sonyyung5510]

I like how throughout the video you had scenes from Elden Ring, because the Story of Elden Ring and the Story of Bleach are kinda similar. At the same time they are also kinda two sides of the same coin. Elden Ring was primordially Chaotic and was rampant with life and death. Then the Golden order who serve the Elden Beast came and removed death from the world and put it in the Death Rune and brought 'order' to the lands in-between. But the world began to stagnate and people who should've died still lived and walked as undead creatures. So the groups that oppose the Golden Order and/or outer Gods like the Frenzied Flame wish to bring death back on the system to restore it to its primordial state. Meanwhile Bleach is the kind of opposite to where the primordial world used to be one world and there was essentially no death in the cycle of souls. But the Shikigami who didnt want to see the world stagnate mutilated the Soul King, separated the world and brought death into the cycle of souls. Now the Qunices with Bach reject death and want to restore the world to it's deathless state in primordial times. Its a really interesting dichotomy that the two worlds share. Im not surprised both came out of Japan. Probably says alot on their ideology on life.

[@titanx7668]

Wow that's very interesting, I think that bleach is one of the most inspiring pieces of fiction, mostly in Japan. I also noticed that elden ring has some similarities with shadow of the colossus or is it just me?

[@thesnatcher3616]

Nice similarity, but a couple details. The Frenzied Flame didn't neccesarily want to bring "death" back. I don't think any group really wanted to bring "death" back per se. They really just had an alternate take on it. The Golden Order really only kept death away from Gods and their children such as Marika, Radagon, Miquella, and Godwyn. And the undead only spawned due to Godwyn's corpse spreading throughout the lands between which held a fragment of the death rune. It wasn't due to any "stagnation". That would be more akin to Dark Souls, where the fading of the fire brought about the Undead Curse which made humanity basically immortal but at the cost of them potentially becoming mindless hollows. On the topic of the Frenzied Flame and alternate factions desiring "death" though, the Frenzied Flame didn't really want to bring it back much less they just wanted to destroy everything. They wanted to burn everything whether it may be the concepts of the Golden Order or the underground peoples of Nokstella, or the worship of the Moon because they deemed life and exitance of free will and individuality as a mistake and that everything should simply go back to it's most primoridal form which is nothingness. They think the current world has nothing positive to offer or to live for. It's basically a forced suicide on existance itself.

[@sandeepsp37]

To me the Reiō is the most complicated character in bleach. And to make a video about him explaining his character is very difficult. You did a amazing job 😄

[@pharys]

Bro, this video was impeccable. It was actually so good. I was drawing while listening to it. It felt like reading these significant Bleach chapters again but this time with a whole new outlook. Especially with the recontextualizations of the Fullbringers. Very well done, well written, well researched, and thoroughly backed up. I enjoyed this video. With the most latest episodes of Bleach I suspect you will probably be cornered by this topic again and have alot to say. As for who do I think the remaining parts of the Soul King are.... Assuming that The Soul King's um...."man junk" was cut off, during the mutilation, and like the fingernails, made its way down to the "world", it is likely possible that while the nails entered the souls of people, the um...."fluids" from the "man junk" made its way into a woman, without her knowing. This probably covering the immaculate conception as well as making the mother of Yhwach a "Fullbringer??" who gave birth to the child formed of the genetic material/blueprint of the Soul King. So Yhwach is probably not a piece of the Soul King as much as he is his human embodiment or continuation of his life by reproduction. This probably explains why like the nails, Yhwach has the ability to embed parts of himself in the souls of others, but unlike his father, and more like a fullbringer, he pulls on the souls of those people whenever he desires. Yhwach is a fullbringer, but i think a better term would be: Yhwach is the "Fullest Bringer", but only for souls he has put himself into, similar to Book of The End. The Reishi manipulation as well being the Soul King's ability which he shares basic with every person who becomes a Quincy and passes on their own genetic material as was done to create Yhwach, they are naturally containing pieces of his soul on birth (or at least, the links to those pieces and through those links, YH commands them). This explains how the baby that was born was almost even a stillbirth. Not moving, not seeing, not speaking, nothing, almost alive but not quite dead. As for the manifestation of missing things from the people the baby shared to, I think the baby shared parts of his soul but ALSO manifested what they deeply desired to become whole, almost like a natural Hogyoku. Yhwach is so interesting because similar to how you say the world called for the SK's existence, it is almost as if part of the SK or the world called for the existence of Yhwach. It would be interesting, if Aizen came across the legend of the baby YH long long long ago and through that, he learned more of the nature of the SK. This is probably why he knew YH on sight in Muken. I think Tsukishima probably has the part of the Soul King that governs fate, with the way he is able to invade the past of anything. I think he is even able to invade the future as well. Uryu is likely also a Fullbringer and a Quincy as he is one of TWO Gemischt Quincies to survive Auswahlen (the other one being Ichigo). I imagine, the only thing YH couldn't pull on was a piece of the SK that he has no dominion over. Uryu's power however, is oddly not representative of being a Fullbringer. It is likely that his power is similar to Ginjo's Cross of Scaffold, or even Ichigo's Erosion/Implosion (Chapter Name but ill call it this since H.O.S is named after chapter too) and is just power. Uryu is still Odd. It seems like Uryu's Fullbring power would be the thing that makes his soul unpullable. An immutable object that cannot be moved without the object moving itself. This is probably why YH deemed Uryu his successor. He probably saw that Uryu, unlike YH cannot succumb to Auswahlen, so as a result, when he passes on his genetic material, he will ensure the Quincies live on even should YH be defeated. Making him the new "Father of The Quincy". This might be why Uryu was not dealt with by Tsukishima, but was instead dealt with by a mortal blow from Cross of Scaffold's base sword. His soul wasn't pulled on. This might also explain why Uryu survived hollow damage in Hueco Mundo without doing a Masaki. Something is preserving Uryu's soul from soul-death, soul dissolution. Something perpetuates the nature of it. His power is likely subtle and maybe this manifests in Antithesis as well. Reflecting any damage that would end his soul back to the place it came from. (Damage that would end his soul specifically. Ichigo's Vasto Lorde is a greater existence than him but also a quincy so it probably didnt infect him, but he was still dealt massive blows.) Aizen has long been theorised to be a Soul King related character. If with the Hogyoku naturally submitting to his will, we assume Aizen is a Fullbringer on top of being a Shinigami, then I think I want to assume he is one of the legs, or maybe like a nerve ending that escaped. Kyoka Suigetsu is probably a small representation of one of the SK powers being the creation of dimensions/reality. Aizen doesn't create anything, but him and Kyoka Suigetsu have the power to manipulate the perception of reality of the people they display their power to. I cant imagine who has the Soul King's legs, but I assume that it would be someone of immense power. We also know there is a Beast Realm and that the worlds in Bleach closely resemble the six Bhuddist worlds so it is possible that some are there. There is also Soul Society West Branch and everything in Burn The Witch. It is highly possible that parts of the Soul King made their way into the Dragons. I believe there are great dragons and they are numbered, so possibly that power may have gone into animals. Kazui....Kazui is a problem. Assuming some parts of the SK reincarnate or hide in a weirdo dimension before going into a soul, Kazui likely has one of the biggest parts. Possibly the part that governs creation. Orihime's power Reject's Reality or rather, it returns reality to a form it once had by rejecting a current reality, almost like the mimihagi stops reality so I would like to assume she has a leg. Orihime's power also does not create but is likely just a piece of The Almighty in picking a past that exists and returning that object to it and setting it on another path to the desired future. Likely why Aizen noticed her and specifically said her power "intrudes" or "encroaches" on the God's realm. Why her power is rejection? Probably in the same way that if you deny something, you can make it untrue. It took Book of The End and Souten Kesshun to "fix" Tensa Zangetsu. Book of The End likely did some shiesty Fullbringer pull stuff and Orihime, rejected the reality that gave rise to the sword breaking, sent it back to the point in time before it broke, and moved it to the reality that lead to the future where the sword exists. So Book of The End manipulated the past, where as Orihime manipulated the object and moved it to a different fate. Kazui, like Yhwach isn't an actual Fullbringer but might be the 2nd occurence of the "Fullest Bringer" assuming that YH is the first. He is again descended from a "Fullbringer" in Orihime, and a "spiritual natural recreation of the SK but possibly representing more blueprint for potential", being Ichigo. As a result, Kazui easily befriends spirits of all kinds. He doesn't quite impart his soul that we know of, but it is as if all things gravitate toward him unknowingly. Hell opens for him, he becomes a Shinigami at will, YH's power remnant almost seeks refuge inside him. Kazui is a big fat problem. And I imagine Ichibei is going to be in the mood for some Kazui BBQ. Man, this video has reinspired me. I love Bleach ride or die, but now im even more so in love with it.

[@NamHoang-mh4ev]

Very nice thought experiments! I'm impressed

[@Inedow_The_Source_of_Racism]

Shinji has the legs

[@pharys]

@Inedow_The_Harbinger_of_Racism Legs are shaped like "L's" so it makes sense that he is always taking L's. Checks out.

[@Inedow_The_Source_of_Racism]

@@pharys He ran for 7 episodes of TYBw cour 1

[@kussamanga]

Bleach would be beyond incredible if this breakdown not all (the part about the worlds creation) was in the original manga

[@170skeith]

So wouldn't it make more sense if the still silver arrow was made of pieces of the soul king since the Almighty quite literally wouldn't see it coming and if they start building it up in cour 3 it won't be as much of an ass pull like have someone realize that Yhwach couldn't predict Mimihage's interference because it's a piece of the soul king and outside of what the Almighty can see

[@Ginto3]

Thanks for your efforts!

[@carloslwanga3143]

This is one of the most beautiful and well thought out explanations of bleach I have ever seen. Started watching Bleach while at University. I could never put into words or understand what made that show so good thematically but your explanation of the Soul King and the story puts alot of things into perspective. I LOVED IT!

[@FrayTheHunter]

Damn I'm HELLA early, I wasn't even subscribed yet (Which is strange cause I watched several of your hour+ long videos and it popped up randomly. Well, at least it gave me another reason to sub! Lookin forward to this!

[@kierafurneaux3172]

I think that Lille Barro is host to the voice of the Soul King (to be clear, I think that YHVH gave him a schrift as well, but he has a lot of thematic connections to bein the voice of god)

[@felipechaves6100]

The soul king is 霊王 and not 心王. So some of the early points don’t make much sense… the soul in soul king means more spirit than heart and soul.

[@R7dman]

Yeah I know Kokoro isn’t used for Reio but the two concepts complement each-other, they’re very closely linked.

[@Jay-dg5vo]

I just love that this there's this huge influx of bleach content because now whether you think it's good or bad it's receiving the attention it deserves

[@ryanstaiger1712]

I think Bleach is just too deep for most people to understand the story which is why people try to write it off as just a show with well designed characters.

[@soulchain6017]

Your videos are always amazing bro.

[@krxril]

Can u talk about the eyes in bleach universe? why does reio have four, yhwach had two then it changed and became three, mimihagi have one but the other arm (pernida) has two. Can u upload a video telling us why it is different and what does the eyes represent and why yhwach eyes have became three?

[@yosoyyomismo9757]

the Soul King hasn't died. He went to get the One Piece. Even tough he's dead. Yohohohoho

[@tari111090]

gremmy as the soul king's brain i would love to be true too. in chapter 656 askin says among the schutzstaffel specifically, perinda & gerard were the only schutzstaffel who had powers prior to yhwach and were not granted schrifts by yhwach. their existing powers were just named to reflect appropriate letters. at the end of chapter 14 of can't fear your own world volume 2, it is stated specifically that yhwach did grant the v - visionary schrift to gremmy. so maybe there is room for doubt but i think this makes it seem like gremmy likely isn't the soul king's brain after all, which would be a missed opportunity.

[@christophermire3872]

Now I have the Scarecrow singing in my head "If I only had a brain!" 😂

[@Zictoxx]

I think the soul king saw the future with his all might just like yhwach could see the infinite futures and change things in the presence. There's the panel of the soul king standing in a lake and plunged his "sword" or linchpin into the lake and creating the 3 different worlds and him being in the middle of them being the pin holing them all together. He saw the future and he understood what he had to do. Be sealed and mutilated and just waiting for everything to play out like he saw. But i could be looking into it to much but just wanted to add my own input have a lovely day everyone :)

[@philbuttler3427]

I wouldnt say The Soul King was perfectly written, I think it is somewhat confusingly conveyed if you are casually reading but i do think it was way better conveyed by kubo than he was given credit for. Great video really enjoyed it.

[@antmananderson01]

10:44 I love how kubo uses the word Reio to describe the soul king because it literally means King in Portuguese. So when you say The Reio you are literally saying The King. I just thought that was cool.

[@FarmanStyle]

I think the chain of fate is in ichigo because his sword has chain on tip of sheeth

[@rebelotakumg1775]

Counter argument: If it was perfectly written then we would understand it already.

[@Chandsab-c9g]

Can you understand the intent behind everything in the Bible (just an example)

[@gabby_donz]

You are assuming everyone is operating on the same level of literacy

[@jirehtay6092]

He has prefaced it in the beginning. Spoon feeding you isn't Kubo's style.

[@brandanvaquerano5809]

Hmm, is crazy pussy worse than regular pussy? How about sorbet vs. Vanilla ice cream?

[@lylesinstrument-7908]

Same could be said for attack on titan but you aren’t ready to hear that

[@tasyawidi2256]

The only character that can put the begining and an end to concepts The begining of life, the end of life, the begining of death, the end of death, the begining of hope, the end of hope, the begining of dispair, the end of dispair Pretty much with his power to solo his own verse it become the new hope to some, yet once it settle it become the biggest threat, and the begining of despair to some The end of begining, and the begining of an end

[@Ace-pb2bs]

this video was beautiful

[@LEGOMANIAC419]

Tfw Bleach lore sounds more and more like Dark Souls the deeper you look into it...

[@animalia5554]

Rei doesn’t just mean spirit, it also means zero. I find that interesting

[@jhrykkjutku]

But what about his eyes ? They didn't remove THE thing that defined him... Why ?

[@chalo3427]

my god it's rare that I ever watch a 50 minute video so I just wanted to say nice video :D I love your effort into providing visuals for whatever you are saying at the moment seriously thanks for the great video PS Bleach is amazing!~

[@carlos-jm1sk]

What are your thoughts on the reasoning behind OMZ’s name being blacked out when he first speaks to Ichigo? How did Ichibe accomplish this?

[@myl3n]

whats the music playing in the background @37:10

[@varelmarais2222]

This is one of the best Soul King videos I've ever had the pleasure of seeing. It's great how you delve into the basics and the leadup to everything instead of immediately jumping into CFYOW, and your explanation of every event and the interconnections of all of them. Simply amazing

[@ZeroOmega-vg8nq]

We have confirmation that the 5 ancestors did rip out alot of organs from reyoh but what if was also just conceptual things they removed from him? They had ichibei around to help after all. With his piwer ovwr names its not out of possibility that he cut out conceptual things from reyoh like "soul kings love" Orihime i think has to have maybe the soul kings vocal chords. Let me explain. Her power is labelled as "rejecting divine phenomena" And what ways have we seen in stories where things like that happens? When a god like being decrees it with their voice. Orihime has almost always been shown using her power by speaking it first. Not only that it was her words, her voice that gave ulquiorra a heart before he died. Her voice essentially being the voice of the reyoh is what allows her to reject reality. Now of course because her own power comes from reyoh it makes more sense why the voice of god cant affect god itself

[@garvat2246]

the arms of the soul king on first glance do seem to be that the left cause advancement, and the right cause stagnation, But i tend to think of them as the opposite, the left hand worked to change the world back in to what it once was, while the right wished to permit the advancement of the world, only intervening a few times, once with Ukitake, and the second to prevent the collapse of the soul king and thus force Yhwach to move forward and become the new soul king. Edit: like you said at 31:44 the hand fight for the opposite cause of what they represent Second edit: I feel like each iris of the almighty has a purpose, The second grants the ability to see the possible future, The third grants the ability to affect those possible future, and the fourth grants the ability to see destiny. I think that the soul king unlocked the forth pupil and despaired, to see that which could not be defied, and thus either gave himself up to the first soul reapers to be spilt apart, or he made the first soul reapers to split himself apart, his essence could not stay as it was without betraying it self, his soul longed to be courageous, and yet his eyes saw no possibility of him defying destiny. He saw no way in which he could remain as he was and in sense caused his destiny to become reality.

[@mrshakeback9649]

He’s gonna make a comeback if the story ever picks up.

[@TheAlphaMaG]

Hey man I feel like ichibei understands everything about ryo or the soul king cuz I'm he's the 1 who did this to him lmaoooo

[@cristinamatias5562]

imagine in lord of ring Aizen- Gollum Yhwach- Sauron Galadriel- Soul King

[@awesomeguy3211]

Been enjoying your bleach content a lot, hope to see more brother

[@GM-dg6mj]

we still don't know if he's willingly or was forced to split the world. i personally feel like he willingly accept that fate. there's no way ichibei can force soul king to do it, soul king neggs ichibei

[@rasdan1192]

"You don't understand the soul king" Me: I don't care about Soul King. I want Aizen.

[@devdecker7812]

Something about the soul king... Is creepy. Almost like hes jist chilling, and still "allowing" it . Perhaps he could stop anttime he wanted, and is aware of whats going on

[@TheShindomaru]

Reioh Part Idea: Zaraki is the Teeth of the Soul King. The ferocity he can’t act on, so Zaraki Kenpachi does via his very person and moreso when he taps into his Bankai once.

[@TheCarrionKing27]

"Slave knight" Gales theme eh? I see what you've done there

[@sunnysnow2226]

1 : stagnation 2 : evolution 3 : ? ( Rebirth ) 4 : perfection / stagnation The cycle of 3 or 4 , common religion theme. Evolution work against stagnation towards perfection. Once evolution reach perfection it becomes stagnation. The Soul King is just the perfection of the previous cycle. Only by overcoming it does the next cycle of evolution start.

[@mrsticky005]

Others have said this before but the Quincy Cross as well as Wahrwelt each having five points meeting at a central point are likely symbolic of the Soul Reapers betraying the Soul King (from the Quincy perspective.)

[@allengrove1864]

I think Kenpachi or Ichigo could have the Hakusi. Both because of thier outrageous spiritual pressure and Kenny more than Ichigo (i really like the idea of him having the chain of fate, but would the soul king even have a chain of fate?) Its also likely that Ulquiorra has some part on accout of how different he was from the other arrancar. His regeneration, the quest for the heart(maybe), Segundo Etapa, etc

[@nilan3294]

Would love a video about the potential connection between Ichigo and the SK

[@iXSIKOBOIXi]

I don't think Ichigo has any part of the Soul King because he himself naturally became Soul King like due to being born a Quincy, Shinigami, Human and Hollow hybrid

[@msaag5490]

Kubo has his writing flaws. Particularly cause his main audience would have been shounen fans, who would have been more invested in the fights than whatever deeper philosophical undertones he wanted to write about. Had Bleach been a seinen, I wouldn't be surprised Bleach would be this obtuse. Kubo kept so many of the important details and how they connect to each other under so much layers of subtext that it basically made his story feel like this awkward mess at times. There's not spoon feeding the audience with information, then there's just not explaining the casualty of the story, not explaining the lore, of the importance of events, and how they connect to one another. Seriously, unless you had a cork board maniacally jotting down every minute detail of this story, this video would not exist in this length, especially if the novels never existed. The Elden Ring and Bleach comparisons are rather apt because if you would ask the community what is the part of the game that brings them in, it would be the combat, the bosses, and the impressive monster designs. Lore is for the most part flavoring that embellishes the gameplay, but ultimately the game would be fine without it. You can play that game not giving a damn about the lore, and your experience would still be the majority of what most players experience. If lore was that important it would have a more prominent presence as you played and not hidden through item descriptions and odd NPC text. That's Bleach is that, but not as well executed.

[@e1ovesGames]

ngl this filled in way too many perceived plot holes that i had from just reading

[@Grognack]

This is a bit of a crack theory, but what if Yhwach's mother was a Fullbringer who possessed his reproductive organ, and somehow became impregnated by it, seeming like a virgin birth? Also, phenomenal video. 👏👏👏

[@tyroneford-ru7iw]

The soul King was the only ONE who could do something so he did, even if the five Noble families believe it was them. “The ALMIGHTY”.

[@Hedgehog3342]

what i been wondering most about the soul king is how was yhwach born? i feel as if yhwach was a "fragment" in the sense of soul king somehow split part of his conscious and made yhwach and was using yhwach as a way to re-obtain his powers but through yhwach instead since his original body couldn't do anything. after all soul king let himself get "killed" and let yhwach absorbed him.

[@buglifesmatter]

Reio has four pupils Yhwac has three Pernida has two Mimihagi has one Gerard has zero Could this be some sort of power ranking?

[@343JustMe]

Ichigo with the reios chain of fate would be so hype to find out in the final battle within the anime. Also i feel like toshiros level of prodigious(ness?) nature has to have something to do with the sould king, maybe also azashiro.

[@moodyquijada1342]

Please don't add any part of the soul king to Ichigo. He's special enough as he is, being a hybrid of all races. He's the perfect candidate to replace the soul king because of that

[@DominickRoselli]

Not gonna lie, the idea that Ichigo has/is the Soul Kings Hakusui seems so perfectly within Kubo's ironic wheelhouse of writing- the one born with the power to cut fate itself is able to do so because he is tied to the Chain of Fate itself.

[@Vagabond824]

Amazing and well done video

[@icyarchangeltv]

"Everybody in the world is waiting for the savior who cannot even walk towards them while forgetting that they themselves have legs" is honestly such a good line and it applies to more than just bleach

[@bradyburick1367]

Kubology101 perfection ❤👏👍

[@ucchuman]

45:50 brooo u verbalised santan dharma(hinduism). this video of yours about bleach makes the concept of Brahma and purush so simple to understand for common man @acharyaprashant should hear this

[@msd6069]

Moral of the story...soul king: battery to power 3 realms because he is a vessel with huge reiatsu