Who are SQUAD ZERO? - The STRONGEST SHINIGAMI in Bleach and the ROYAL PALACE, EXPLAINED!

[@MrTommo2304]

Now that Squad Zero and the Royal Palace have finally arrived in the anime, I thought it was time to collate everything we currently know about them as a group into one place! What are your opinions of Squad Zero? Let me know!

[@nodatastored684]

I believe the whole saga was a trap to rejuvenate the Soul King and Osho set it up with the Shihoin Clan as Yoruichi is The Realms Princess Royal and defender, it's odd how late she arrived with no explanation other than Reishi collection, and the Nobles didn't happen Since the First Gotei, had their white badge robes, Shutara was a member

[@CaptainKotetsu]

Ichibe is my favorite as a character, and Senjumaru is the best in terms of design.

[@Raifyiix]

i just hope oetsu, hikifune and senjumaru get a proper fight agaisnt the schutzstaffel just that and ill be very happy

[@michaelbarnes6589]

I hope the anime extends the fights because they were mowed down in the Manga but will see

[@willgazlay5711]

You mentioned Ichibei being something of a “holy figure” in one of your videos and that he might not be an actual shinigami…could you expand on that? Also, do you think Yamamoto was offered a position amongst the Zero Squad? He essentially created the Gotei.

[@tommyespino777]

I feel like Aizen would have had an easier time getting in the royal palace if he just tried to join the zero division lol

[@TheFireStarter1215]

Kubo should rewrite a filler arc where Aizen's trajectory goes there.

[@Gumbier_Than]

But what special skill did he have to be able to get there?

[@chefgrigs]

@@Gumbier_Than exactly, the 0 squad are contributors to the foundation of SS, not just op warriors otherwise Yamamoto defo shoulda been apart of it

[@andrejosue98]

@@Gumbier_Than Aizen created the Hogyouku, he is probably the only on par with Urahara in intelligence lol, he is fine

[@D2TD4Life]

@@andrejosue98 But would he Contribute the Hogyoku for SS, most definitely not lol so he has the qualifications, but not the selflessness to actually give it to others

[@MrGksarathy]

I like that the Zero Division are generally quite comedic and flamboyant because it makes them memorable and contrasts well with the true horror of their job. This is especially so for Ichibei because of how frighteningly cavalier he is about the fate of the Soul King and his attempts to do it again with Ichigo, and more successfully, with Ywach. Also, it's interesting how Ichibei seems to legitimately believe that the Soul King is guiding him. You would think he'd be more self-aware about what he's pulling, but no.

[@akirakurusu4215]

Interesting. Might be me misunderstanding it, but I always understood that Ichibei has always just pretended that he is the voice of the Soul King, while using that pretext to manipulate o there for his own benefit.

[@MrGksarathy]

@@akirakurusu4215 That's what I think too, but even when speaking to those who know the true state of the King, he insists the Soul King is speaking through him and seems to genuinely believe he is following the King's directives. In any case, it's likely the Soul King was able to plan in his prison and had something of a will remaining.

[@antoj.5119]

@@akirakurusu4215 I think he justs wants to maintain things as they are, that's why he considered using Ichigo as a replacement for the soul king at one point.

[@donimmortal7692]

Their bone are infused with portion of Soul King, so it is within a realm of possibility that Soul King can make his intention known through it.

[@chasinghaze0962]

The fact that Kubo gave Nimaya a white puffer jacket instead of white cloak is *chef's kiss* :)

[@Khannn_fx1]

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[@D-Skotes]

Damn Ichibe really brought the whole Squad down just to pick up a backup battery.

[@DuyTran-kp3ol]

I think the soldiers that are in charge of killing Menos Grande are the black soldiers that Senjumaru summons.

[@nobleactual7693]

Probably. But it is also a possibility that Kubo "forgot" or changed the role of the Royal Guard. Perhaps he didn't think it through, or mitigated the strength of a Menos Grande when he introduced the evolution of a Hollow (Gilian, to Adjuchas, to Vasto Lorde). I honestly think he just retconed it, and had Rukia mention its alleged power, in the beginning of the series,r in order to hype up Ichigo.

[@asellape9270]

Kyōraku’s face when he mentions the Zero Company to Aizen is hilarious to me. It’s like he’s high out of his mind.

[@Crunchysopa52]

when doesn't he look high outta his mind lol

[@asellape9270]

@@Crunchysopa52 Well, you know... there are those few serious times.

[@apugbyanyothername3263]

It would be interesting to see Kisuke Urahara being part of Zero Division for creating the hogyoku.

[@fryingpan63]

Well, Aizen actually created it first Kisuke (who didn't know Aizen had created one as well) created it after Aizen had fed Kisuke's hogyoku to his hogyoku

[@fucku9849]

Yeah but the hogyoku didn't bring any good within it so

[@mystery5719]

Anything that does not effect,change soul society or benefit it would not be able to join the royal squad

[@Official_RetroMania]

It's interesting that the Squad Zero is also changing over time just much slower than the Gotei 13. It is possible to still get inside the Zero Squad if you invent something create something so amazing that you leave a legacy behind you.

[@eusaboston]

But how are their bones going to change now that soul king died?

[@Official_RetroMania]

@@eusaboston Yeah true... That was the case when the King was still "alive". Do even the Squad Zero have a purpose now? That's a question I just had now, thanks for it! The purpose of Squad Zero is to protect the Soul King but he is no more and Yhwach's reiatsu has replaced the Soul King after he was defeated. So what is the purpose of the ZERO Squad now?

[@JamirQuest]

Why didn’t Ywach take Ichibe bankai? I always was curious about that?

[@Official_RetroMania]

@@JamirQuest Hmmm... That's a good question. Maybe because it isn't really a "bankai" because Ichibe is the oldest Shinigami although is a question if he is even one. He is probably the second oldest character after the Soul King himself. Second explanation could be that you can only link to your body one bankai aka steal only one. Yhwach already had Yamamoto's so maybe he couldn't steal a second one, we never saw someone taking 2 bankai's only one. Or explanation 3# Kubo just forgot lmao.

[@delitatactics6721]

@@JamirQuest because he is beneath him ... Plus he already has yama's. Ichibei pissed him off. He just wanted to curbstomp him

[@manuelacosta9463]

In a way Squad Zero being taken out easily symbolizes the system as a whole. A facade. Ennificient, self defeating and only concerned with it's maintenance no matter the cost for the leadership. The pristine rebuilding of the palace is also symbolic of what Squad Zero spreads about the war, painting it as an innocent defensive one where the 'king' never died. Ichibei's casual discussion of what was done to the Spirit King by the ancestors creepily mirrors his behavior around Ichigo, more so given what they almost did to him.

[@FireAngelChris]

Great insight I said this awhile also Shunsi was questioning these things after the war.

[@manuelacosta9463]

@@FireAngelChris Indeed. In the aftermath shown in WDKALY Kira, Rose and Yoruichi are disgusted by the narrative spread by Squad Zero and other nobles. They wonder at all the blatant lies they were taught throughout their lives and indoctrination to become part of Gotei 13. The novel also implies that Soul Society's new peace is only on the surface.

[@FireAngelChris]

@@manuelacosta9463 I need to finish this novel for sure then. I started reading the first few pages. It make senses that it was all a sham. I have said it for years their ways was outdated and unfair. Look at all the travesty that went on. What they did to kisuke and others flat out nasty.

[@manuelacosta9463]

@@FireAngelChris Indeed. It's Ironic then that Kisuke and Yoruichi spent a substantial portion of their lives killing to keep the system in place only for Aizen's manipulations ended it and even when the scheme is exposed, they are still ostracized(or at least Kisuke is).

[@FireAngelChris]

@@manuelacosta9463 Yeah truly nasty work on all levels. Shoot the visords got done dirty. Was surprised when I saw them back as captains.

[@CjSoils]

I don’t have any friends that have read bleach, and I read it all to polish off The Big 3. Finding your channel for a couple months now has been like having a friend I can gush over it with. :D

[@xoulmannn]

Well now u have another, hello 👋🏽

[@YenSnipest]

Everyone always talks about how squad 0 got to take it out really easily. Their opponents literally came back to life they got beat. And we do not know how many more times they got beat before finally taking down the guys who aren't allowed to just stand backup.

[@Khannn_fx1]

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[@kruelangel]

Perhaps seeing Squad 0 in a world building perspective might shed more light on them. Let's assume we start at the very beginning. At the very top we have the Soul King, he regulates soul between worlds. Then we need someone to give names to stuff (Ichibei). Souls are probably naked at this point so we need clothes (Senjumaru). For sustenance we need tools for hunting and farming (Nimaiya). Then maybe Hollows start attacking everyone so we need weapons to defend ourselves. People started forming groups and stay together to be well protected (Yama-jii). All those fighting get you hurt so you will need some healing, might as well enjoy some relaxing soak (Kirinji). So then things just move forward from here (building of Soul Society, creation of squads, etc). So from here we can probably infer that Squad 0 + Yama-jii is part of creating Soul Society itself (except Kirio) and the reason why Yama-jii is not in Squad 0 might simply be a division of task. Yama-jii has a dojo so he is better suited down here than up in Soul Palace. Also in Bleach we can also say that the older you are the stronger you can be. So it make sense when Kyoraku said that Squad 0 is way stronger than the current Gotei 13. To Ichibei's eye Soifon might as well be a toddler. On another note, I always thought that Ichibei might be Soul King's Voice/Mouth, kinda like Mouth of Sauron.

[@Khannn_fx1]

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[@corruptangel6793]

With the amount of souls Oetsu needs to forge Asauchi, I could see that as being the reason the Gotie 13 are supposed to leave the Menos Grande to them. Not out of threat level, but because they're a collosal mass of souls and Oetsu therefore has a monopoly on them. Either that or Rukia was mistaken about the type of Menos Grande and only the elder ones are beyond what normal Captains can handle. After all, they grow infinitely stronger and bigger the more souls they eat without changing form.

[@yami122]

found it odd that by the end of the story even the strongest hollows are MUCH weaker then the stronger shinigami barragan the hollows god king was trash next to aizen or yamamoto or kenpatchi

[@corruptangel6793]

@@yami122 well, I think the issue is lack of reason to grow stronger. With his ability, and multi-Captain lvl strength, Barragon had no reason to get stronger for countless years until Aizen came and steamrolled him. Had he been more dedicated in growing stronger, he could have easily rivaled Ichibe by the time he met Aizen. Even normal Vasto Lorde become the top of the food chain and can only be threatened by other Vasto Lorde who are very rare to run into, or natural born arrancar who are even more rare. Then there's also the aspects of death they embody, most of which have a self-sabotaging nature.

[@AncientChi]

@@yami122 I agree hollow rubes into kind of a joke the longer the series went on

[@Khannn_fx1]

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[@Khannn_fx1]

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[@effarig4017]

Originally, I hated that they got taken out the way they did, but years later I actually really like it. Mainly because of Tenjiro's interaction with Soi Fon and how he reprimanded her and the whole gotei 13 for failing to protect soul society during the initial invasion. Only for them to similarly fail to protect the soul king, and gotei 13 has to save the day. It highlights their pompousness that I didn't quite catch on my first read.

[@hoofhearted4]

they were always going to lose because they arent the heroes to win, but they lost far too quickly and weren't given any sort of limelight which I hope the anime gives them.

[@dan_da5213]

@@hoofhearted4yea they were arrogant af about the whole situation but would be nice for them to not get instantly annihilated.

[@Vezuls]

Tbh I liked it. One of them damn near solo’d Ywach’s elite guard. They only won bc Ywach killed basically everyone else to give them more power. They definitely shower their skill, but they were too arrogant. Ichibei definitely showed how powerful he is as well, but again, too arrotant

[@Khannn_fx1]

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[@Khannn_fx1]

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[@saundersjordan21]

watching ichebei fight is going to insane

[@tylerty777]

It's been so long since I watched the original bleach series and read the manga that I've forgotten a lot of things. I had no idea they mentioned squad zero so early that's a great detail. 😊

[@alejandromarino1557]

I think that tenjiro was maybe the second captain of the fourth division and the one who made that division a healing division. That’s why he was promoted to the zero division

[@Isiel42]

My headcanon is that Ichibe knew the Soul King personally before he was sealed away. I really hope this is confirmed at some point.

[@GreatRoostar]

I've always thought this too. Why else would be so focused on protecting the balance of the world?

[@ironl4nd]

I agree.

[@MrGksarathy]

I think that's more or less canon, since Ichibei was there when the Soul Kjng was mutilated and sealed away, and he is fanatically loyal to said founders.

[@udiin6518]

@@MrGksarathy not sure it's ever said he's loyal to the founders themselves to any extent, but its certainly true that he agrees with their decision and does whatever it takes to keep things as they are. Personally i always thought it was more of a selfish decision (since the Soul King's pieces seem to have some level of resistance to Ichimonji)

[@MrGksarathy]

@@udiin6518 Considering how he prioritizes keeping their descendants alive and how genuinely fond he was of Ichigo due to his resemblance to the Shiba ancestor, I'd say he's plenty fond of them and their legacy. Honestly, I'd like to see those guys come back in the Hell Arc, and I want to know if they died before the era of the Zanpakuto and Shinigami combat arts.

[@Mrkeyis123]

I came here after watching TYBW episode 26 !!! Kubo finally did justice to Squad Zero.

[@Nyxoxic]

Just wanted to take a moment to give thanks to you for the amazing Bleach content coverage. Listening to your vids while at work helps me stay productive and thinking about the series I love a lot. Not a lot of appreciation to others goes around so just wanted to take that moment to give thanks. Looking forward to your future content too!

[@Khannn_fx1]

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[@marcusc9931]

14:35 Giving your army the means to get nearly dead heroes back to service is a huge strategic asset.

[@Kubinda12345]

It's interesting that the flower of the 0th division has 4 parts/leafs. Since Kirio joined relatively recently, I always thought that the reason why they have chosen such flower is because there were 4 members when it was chosen. Meaning that when Yama founded Gotei 13, every division had chosen its own flower and 0th division copied it since it sounded like a good idea to them.

[@yami122]

the flag is based likely on the soul kings eyes

[@Kubinda12345]

@@yami122 Perhaps a 2 for 1 deal.

[@CNNBlackmailSupport]

The Daphne is a 4 "petaloid" flower with a single open area in between them. There are 4 directions for the palace guards, east, north, south, and west, so that tracks with the Daphne "flower" in that regard. The central area is white, while the petals are black, in the logo, which probably indicates Ichibe and his specific power/role as the central figure for the Zero Division. It also looks like the Soul King's eye, so I don't know if there needs to be hidden layers of meaning regarding their poisonous or uncaring nature. [I might not be explaining this well, but you should get the concept] Some symbols have hidden meanings or contextual meanings, but they usually don't cover a wide range of meanings as well. For example, a Green Wolf Flag could mean that the flag represented a loner and a healer, but it can't really represent a loner if you are also linking wolves to being tight knit pack animals. It can mean one or the other, but not both, at least at the same time. Assuming the green wolf flag guy is a loner and a healer, those two aspects satisfy the meaning of the symbol. You don't need to assume that he is "itching for a fight" because wolves have fleas, and fleas make them itch. You don't need to assume the green wolf means he is a wild and uncontrollable beast, because you already know the wolf means he is a loner. The purpose of the wolf has been fulfilled by communicating his loner status through symbolism. Obviously, intentional symbols with multiple meanings exist in stories, but they are almost always a result of designing the character around the symbol later on in the story. For example, the green wolf symbolizes the character's loner and a healer nature in the early story, and future development gets based on other aspects of the symbol. Maybe the character finds out his family has wolf blood, or maybe he is related to the two royal houses, who have yellow and blue flags which explain why his is green. Meaning and layers are basically ret-conned into the symbol. At the end of the full series, it looks like the writer wrote the symbol to fit the meanings, when they actually wrote the meanings because they fit the symbol. It's a magic trick that really works best when you are telling a long story. [End of concept] I'm not saying that Kubo couldnt, or wouldnt, have designed the Zero Division symbol with the poisonous aspect of the Daphne flower in mind. Kubo is definitely amazing at making symbols with multiple simultaneous literal and metaphorical meanings. In a visual medium, the flower fits the organizational makeup of the Zero Division as perfectly as the stars on an American flag fit the amount of States. The stars aren't a hint that Americans are from a different solar system, their arrangement isn't indicating a love of parallel lines, and their spacing isn't because Americans believe in lots of room to grow. An iceberg may symbolize something small being visible while larger parts are hidden, but it probably doesn't also represent the temperature, buoyancy, or being slick. Or maybe he did intend for them to have a poisonous aspect that was hidden.

[@Khannn_fx1]

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[@matthewbird9255]

Video Idea: “How strong is a captain in general?” And “How does this strength compare to the average person?” In terms of real word calculations. Speed Strength Durability etc.. Love your videos!

[@Khannn_fx1]

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[@thedarkblitz]

To me the 3 males are like a primordial force, the monk Ichibei was the first one like a "namer of things", then you get the zanpakuto creator Nimaiya or "the swordsmith" and last but not least "the lord of healing" or first healer Tenjiro. The females are ascended beings that somehow earnt their "promotion/ascension" through the ages.

[@djdrack4681]

Its likely that Kirinji is either from before the Gotei 13 (and was never a captain) or was an early captain (while Unohana was still in 11th division). Everything says that Ichibe is 10s to 100s of mil of years old (from the primordial world), and Oetsu has to be older than Gotei 13...bcuz even in the beginning Yamamoto already had his zanpakuto. The Shinoo academy was supposed to be 2000yrs old and older than Gotei 13. It was originally implied that Yamamoto's zanpakuto was the 'oldest, strongest, most powerful'...likely just tall tale. But if it wasn't, perhaps Zanga no tachi's corpse army (supposedly millions or billions) was in fact HIM (having the power) killing all the souls for Oetsu to make the Asauchi (cuz there are 2k squad members x 13 = and if there are say 100-1000 souls per asauchi, that's 2.6mil to 26mil souls needed AT MINIMUM).

[@nickr8380]

Aizen getting pissed at ichigo for going there easily while he ended up locked underground lol

[@vileluca]

Rukia's peach is the strongest member of squad zero

[@jimmusthegrimmace]

we need more of the big woman with the purple hair. shes a dime in both forms.

[@MahiMahi-yu5jo]

I feel the mechanism of the Tenchuuren is a deliberate safety precaution. No one take it back to the Soul Palace because it's a one way mode of transport. They will need to depen on the Shiba, which will clue in Soul Society if something were to go wrong

[@kierafurneaux3172]

So, the 0 division taking care of menos could mean that Rukia had only read about hikomikidomoe and extrapolated it to cover ALL menos

[@Khannn_fx1]

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[@fullyactivated]

They weren’t taken out that easily, and the people that took them out were like the squad zero of the quinces

[@Khannn_fx1]

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[@superthorc6894]

No more Zero Squad Slander after this Episode

[@totalfine4778]

Great video as always! Speaking of the combined power of the Zero Division, I think that Kubo totally delivered on his claim that together they're more powerful than the Gotei 13. After all, when it's impossible to compare these two teams properly, 'cause we've barely seen the Zero Squad fight, we can simply compare the amount of power that was needed to take each of them down. What was required to defeat the Gotei 13 during the 1st Quincy invasion? - some mid-tier Sternritters + base Yhwach What was required to defeat the Zero Division? - top-tier Sternritters (the Schutzstaffel), which also had to be revived + Almighty Yhwach So Kyoraku saying that their compined power is greater than that of the entire Gotei 13 definitely makes sence.

[@Khannn_fx1]

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[@Visionary4787]

I’m surprised you didn’t mention when ichigo was first introduced to zangetsu and his name was crossed out and ichigo said he didn’t hear the name, wasn’t that ichibe’s power being used there?

[@MegaHerpthederp]

I believe Akon said that the Sternritter had captain class powers, so the Schutzstaffel being able to take out the zero division actually made them feel intimidating. I personally got caught up with bleach on chapter 60 back in the day, so I had a certain image in my head eventually of how powerful an Espada made from a vastro lordo would be based off the hype. That never lived up to it in my opinion, but when the Schutzstaffel showed up and cleaned house it felt like a delivery on a threat kubo was very clear about. I would say this is a time I was alright with seeing such powerful people...for lack of a better term, job. In the context of the story I loved them dumping both lore and fast training on the main characters, it didn't seem clunky or too expositional in my opinion.

[@yami122]

yea the top 3 or 4 espada were really hyped but did little heck stark could not hit shunsui then when he did it hardly mattered

[@jurajvucaj1819]

When you said "Kubo allowed 0 division to appear" I was like Kubo is soul king 😂😂

[@FabiusPyromanus]

Ichibei vs. Ywach is one of my all time favorite one on one battles in manga.! It really carries that heavy mythological feeling (beginning/end of time vibe).

[@CaptainKotetsu]

If I had to pick, Ichibe is my favorite of these five characters. He’s still pretty greasy but I’d pick him first. He’s also the only one that didn’t feel overhyped when it was actually time to throw down.

[@dominicvigil7720]

Mine would have to be Oetsu. I liked how goofy he is but the moment the sternritter arrived he was serious and did very well against them and I enjoyed his fighting style.

[@FireAngelChris]

@@dominicvigil7720 Same here and he essentially washed them all to start.

[@mauriciovidrio9885]

The thing that i wanted to most was having all 5 threats fighting Yhwach at the same time.. wouldve been a great fight

[@felipez3115]

Yhwach would use Almighty against everyone and you would probably complain anyway.

[@yami122]

not like they could do much

[@CowboyPrestige101]

I get that but that would just feel like Madara vs the 5 kage again. I'm glad they did it the way they did

[@gammafrost]

That’s exactly how it should have been and I also thought that would have occurred had kubo been given time to end it how he wanted. We should have had all 5 of them teaming up against a soul king empowered ywach

[@gammafrost]

@@yami122ou’re severely underestimating them. Urahara created the damn hogyoku that allowed Aizen to transcend. Kenpachi awakened his true powers and knows his Zanpakuto. Ichigo achieved his true Bankai and can use both his hollow and Quincy abilities. Aizen is a literal god who kept growing in power even when sealed and hasn’t revealed his Bankai yet. Ichibei can literally strip your powers away. You still think they wouldn’t be able to put a dent in ywach ?

[@akumaking1]

So early Tite Kubo was writing “Zombie Powder”

[@Mugetsu2021]

Really great video, much different than your original one from 2 years ago. Goated content creator

[@Khannn_fx1]

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[@theroad599]

Jugram going ham with them videos since the anime aired Keep up the great work boss

[@jordanjmdjmd74]

Ready to see my man Ouetsu taking out some sternritter get animated!

[@quackxhead]

Mrtommos voice is soothing as hell. Way better than simourahara and obnoxious ass balls deep anime

[@victorzhang622]

Facts

[@VRBH1]

Really hope the Zero Squad get the chance to show what they can do in the anime because the were a joke in the manga. I still remember Gerard stating that he had never been forced to become this large before when he faced several regular Gotei 13 captains even though he had just fought part of the Zero Squad shortly before. The same Zero Squad who were meant to be stronger than the entire Gotei 13 combined. During the last episode (episode 8), there were already a lot of things from the manga that were shortened or completely left out of the anime that would've been a good asset to the episode. Was afraid that this type of stuff would happen. This is what happens when an anime is too dependent on source material for good quality content and when said source material is already rushed due to the mangaka being forced to leave things out of the manga due to time constraints or an argument with the magazine.

[@corruptangel6793]

Gerard turns damage into size. That simply means no-one blended his entire body up the way Byakuya did. Also, power wise the 0 Division are monsters even with what little we see. Kirinji's waters can kill even Fullbring Bankai Ichigo with ease, and he can casually blitz Soi-Fon so utterly she couldn't comprehend what happened. Shutara's assassination skills make Yoruichi and Soi-Fon look like useless toddlers by comparison. Oetsu soloed 3 of the Schutzstaffel effortlessly. Two of them being Gerard and Pernida. Finally, Ichibe dominated Yhwach with ease until Yhwach outhaxed him with the Almighty. Remember, they won with minor difficulty. Yhwach had to revive and amp the Schutzstaffel to give them a chance. Lilel even says they never had a chance to use their abilties until their revival.

[@CaulkMongler]

The power creep is real. We’re just to expect that they’re just weak? Arrogant? Ignorant? Dumb?

[@varsoonhks3211]

12th Division? Senjumaru? 12th Division?! No, not at all--Senjumaru was a precursor to what we see with both the Second Division and the Onmitsukido. Her line about easily breaking into Mayuri's lab speaks towards her capability as an infiltrator and much less so this notion that she owned it at one point (keep in mind that it was Kisuke that started the Research and Development Institute in the first place--far, far after Senjumaru would have been around, as we see Yamamoto wearing a shihakusho as far back as the OG Gotei flashbacks). Senjumaru's many armaments link her primarily to the Shihouin, as she makes use of the same reality-warping illusory fabric that Yoruichi uses in her first encounter with Byakuya. Furthermore, one major thing Tommo didn't mention at all about Senjumaru is that she does not have any physical arms. It is highly likely that she lost her arms while experimenting with some precursor variant of Shunko--this link becomes more evident when you consider that both Yoruichi and SoiFon has specialized shakusho made specifically to facilitate use of this technique that concentrates reishi into the arms and shoulders. Moreover, the -maru suffix in her name also aligns her with fictional ninja, as it had become very popular at the time to use the suffix in fantasy series to denote characters of samurai or ninja caste but also as a quick and easy naming convention for making a name out of some other word that describes the character. Here, that other word is Senju--it literally translates to a 'thousand hands'. This is immediately evocative of the Thousand Hands Buddha, which Senjumaru's design is in clear reference to as well--hilariously, this ends up with further connection to BLEACH's contemporary in Naruto as the famous head of the Senju clan of ninja, Hashirama, can use a thousand-handed buddha technique. This all serves to align Senjumaru as a Kannon figure within the mythological allegories of BLEACH. This is all to say that she is consistently portrayed as a figure that does not have any sort of connection to the themes present in the 12th Division. To drive this point even further home, Hikifune herself is literally expressed to us as the former 12th Division captain--when you consider that Hikifune was a pioneer in soul modification, the connection there is much clearer so it would be narratively pointless to align Senjumaru as just another 12th Division connection.

[@varsoonhks3211]

And, yes, I'm aware there's somewhat of a loose 'stitching' theme between Mayuri, Kisuke, and Senjumaru along with all three having some connection to Bodhisattvas in the way their powers are expressed--these connections are tenuous evidence at best (Yoruichi also uses the same hot springs to heal Ichigo that Kirinji uses--does that make Kirinji 2nd division? Hardly), cherry picked at worst (several, several characters have powers that align them within buddhist spiritual representations; the mixed mythology of BLEACH is part of its appeal), but ultimately these 'connections' all fail to account for Hikifune also having been a confirmed 12th Division captain and lacking those traits.

[@MrGksarathy]

The simplest answer is that Senjumaru likely knew Mayuri and had access to the 12th Division's labs when she was around as opposed to this lengthy-ass convoluted headcanon of yours.

[@varsoonhks3211]

@@MrGksarathy Yeah lol what crazy 'headcanon' to notice that Senjumaru specifically uses techniques that only Yoruichi uses and draw some connection there, wild. You know, if you don't want to engage with the text and draw conclusions about it and discuss our own readings of it, maybe don't follow a channel that's dedicated to literally doing exactly that thing.

[@Khannn_fx1]

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[@HeavenShallTremble]

It's almost like Kubo isn't the brilliant mastermind we thought he was

[@TokinadaTsunayashiro]

I was under the impression that tenjiro invented kaido because he asks unohana if she is using the skills he taught her. To me that means he taught her to heal people

[@in-craig-ible6160]

Since Hikifune was the creator of the Artificial Soul technology, I was hoping her powers and abilities would reflect that. But Kubo decided to go for the Master Chef angle instead. Not a big deal, just something I noticed.

[@Equitine]

I love that all the current zero squad members are the senior to everyone in the gotei 13 except for yamamoto and unahona. And all of their captains are either dead, condemned trators, Or visors. Like things really mellowed out after all current captains got in place basically after unahana stepped down things really mellowed out.

[@Abonphire]

Idk about y’all but I would love like a mini series on the Soul King and the old world. Or at least a novel idk I just want to know more about the Soul King with those crazy abilities and the world before the division.

[@slizzwhizz2549]

word god - Ichibe blade god - Oetsu cover god - senjumaru fibre god - kirio (second most recent appointed) health god - (most recent appointed - unohana not tenjiro - is restructured by the soul king before her defeat by kenpachi - kenpachi becomes the captain commander - doesnt want to fight anything if its too weak - but this does conflict with the hotsprings of urahara and such)

[@slizzwhizz2549]

definitely not something you missed just a fan revision

[@GudaGudaPaisen]

I would never understand. If Ichibei, Oetsu were the godfathers of the names and zanpakutos. Shouldnt they both be at least MUCH older looking like Yamamoto? I never considered they're combat-wise stronger than the stronger ends of the G13 though. Most of them really didnt got the opportunity to showcase more of their powers.

[@akirakurusu4215]

Unohana used her reiatsu to preserve a relatively young appearance, so I guess that these guys are doing the same?

[@pitoseavy4523]

@@akirakurusu4215 wym😂they got soul kings sp with them & they made names & zanpakutos you think they need to make themselves younger literally Even 2000 years ago Yama & his former lieutenant had bankai like before even the gotei cmon man this is crazy to even think

[@corruptangel6793]

They're immortal. Their lives are now tied to the Soul Palace, so they probably stopped aging after being transformed into Oken

[@ClosestOneToGod]

i think Kisuke would be a perfect candidate for a zero squad member, or atleast he could get a nominations

[@Khannn_fx1]

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[@Raion9813]

Has he not been exiled, at least one of his inventions would probably had made him a good candidate

[@kyokashivii7]

The Zero Squad's sigil reminds me of the Soul King's eyes; where he has four irises just like those pedals on their backs.

[@Khannn_fx1]

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[@AshBiggums]

Remember reading this 10yrs ago

[@BigBossOx860]

Thanks for spoiler alert. Can't allow it tho. But ill give a like and comment

[@soldierbreed]

Please do a video on your top 10 favorite bleach moment.

[@delitatactics6721]

Ouetsu really let me down. I don't even remember who he fought or how he died. I forgot everything about him aside from his sword

[@dominicvigil7720]

Ouetsu didn't let me down. One shot all the Sternritters there besides Askin. Goes on to defeat Askin. Only loss because Ywach revived them using the lower level sternritter. The others besides Ichibei let me down. Hopefully the anime fixes the fight to at least show what the others can do and more of Oetsu, but that's just because he's my favorite.

[@delitatactics6721]

@@dominicvigil7720yea I forgot he did do some damage didn't he. It's been so long since I've read tybw arc my memory is fuzzy

[@KingJaq337]

I really need to watch this anime and pick up the Manga I was waiting to binge watch it and let more episodes drop but I can't help it now after watching this

[@njm1738]

Don't let this video distract you from the fact that The Zero Division turned Juha Bach into a Soul King

[@hellovontrez]

Damn this makes me wanna go back and re-read their chapters again lol

[@Tribeck]

Great breakdown great video

[@Khannn_fx1]

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[@jorgegonzalezalvarado]

The only thing I can remember of the zero division is the overall sense of disappointment felt over their whole portrayal in the final arc

[@greyperry]

I'm at lost, how did Senjumaru die after she weaved the enemies' fate. Feeling jumpy-jumpy

[@EmberAwoken]

This new anime 100% absolutely needs to expand on the post Auschwalen Royal Guard battle. These characters demand that respect honestly. The end of the arc was too fast paced and I hope the success of the anime will prove it will be profitable to spend more time in universe…

[@Smiletims]

The thumbnail is 🔥🔥🔥🔥

[@Khannn_fx1]

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[@CaptainKotetsu]

I still think their first impression could’ve been done better. As a fan, the last thing I wanted to see after the invasion was a group of OP characters who come down and say “What’s up losers?” I mean, everything Tenjiro said to Soi Fon was 100% true, but holy sh*t was it insensitive.

[@talhaansari62]

I liked the fact that it was insensitive but the way it was delivered without any serious undertone in a comedic transaction ruined it for me. If the setting was more serious it could've been a better line.

[@CaptainKotetsu]

@@talhaansari62 My thoughts exactly

[@nobleactual7693]

Well, as you can tell Tenjiro, isn't a particularly "soft" character. You could say that "Lightning-Fast Tenjiro" also applies to his attitude, ie he is brusque and to the point.

[@d0m0b40]

That's kinda the point... There so detached from everything else it's a tonal whiplash when they get involved

[@clwinl]

Would’ve been cool to see the 7th kenpachi in tybw

[@Khannn_fx1]

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[@alexmontague6089]

this has nothing to do with this video! i just didn't know how to message you about this topic! but i love all that you do mate!! never stop. anyway... Can you do a video or even just hit me up personally about the two children that Urahara has with him when he is training Ichigo? like.. who are they, what are they? where do they come from, and what can they do?

[@ayomideotukoya1731]

You should do a video speculating who will be the next captain to join the zero squad. I would think it would either be kisuke or mayuri

[@Khannn_fx1]

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[@nandrirandri4439]

The one thing that I never understand also is that it is said that the info about the royal guard and soul king are passed down from a captain general to the next one while Yama is supposed to be the shinigami that founded the Gotei 13 so it would mean that there is no captain general before Yama.

[@Khannn_fx1]

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[@MjC7192]

the staircase is a copy/Nod too, the 1 million Snake Way from Dragon Ball Z

[@GhostReaper928]

Nice I just started reading the manga for the first time I’m loving it

[@gager998]

Senjumaru making the shihakushō never made sense to me. Like you mentioned, she is heavily implied to have been in the gotei. Mayuri had clearly met her before, and he was a young man in the turn back the pendulum arc so can't be that old. Additionally, all the oldest flashbacks we see of Yamamoto and the older generation has them wearing shihakushōs, or at least robes that are indistinguishable from them. So I don't see how she could be the creator. Plus, the shihakushō don't have any stated special properties and clearly provide no protection from damage, so I don't see why it would be a big deal to begin with. There's other continuity issues with the zero division, but Senjumaru always seemed the most glaring to me.

[@CaulkMongler]

I just think it’s kinda funny that it’s hard to get a grasp of the power creep of literally all the characters. Bankai are supposedly only awakened every 1000 years. The zero division supposedly take care of the Menos Grande, but we readers know they’re small fry early on. The Zero Squad have really just been doing… absolutely nothing this entire time, huh?

[@saiken811]

13:43 Yep I also gained "a little bit of weight" during the pandemic lol.

[@718Insomniac]

Who remembers when Menos Grande seemed scary in bleach. When I think about them now, I laugh, puny ants.

[@delitatactics6721]

Vasto Lordes seem weak in retrospect. Rip stark

[@darthkage2163]

Think they should have made team zero each members of the four known noble houses

[@brianq6244]

What if oetsu blade was used to cut down the soul king, which is why he was so confident to take on yhwach not to kill him but to cut him into pieces. Oetsu honestly the only one I care about

[@saburoshizuyo6404]

4:45 "While it still seems like Kubo will still continue to tweak"

[@Khannn_fx1]

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[@asmylia9880]

I'm fairly assuming the name "Wharwelt" is a typo. Giving most quincy names run a theme of being german, the closest coming to this would be "Wahrwelt", being made from the 2 words "wahr" which stands for "true" and "Welt" which means "world", making it together "(the) True World", to which Ywach is referring to.

[@nobleactual7693]

See, I've always been upset about this. Making an important contribution to the history of the Soul Society does not necessarily make you strong. We can imagine that Senjumaru is the one who invented the shihakusho for Shinigami. Designing a uniform doesn't exactly make one strong (not saying Senjumaru isn't), and members of the Royal Guard obviously need to be *very* strong in order to protect the Soul King. Yamamoto made an incredibly important contribution to Soul Society by founding the Gotei 13. On top of that, it goes without say that he was incredibly strong. Why wasn't *he* given a position in the Royal Guard?

[@nobleactual7693]

@@boomdibam9823 I don't think it was exactly stated how a captain is informed, but if the Soul King personally asks you to join the Royal Guard, I don't think you really have an option to refuse. LOL If power and contribution are the two factors necessary to join the Royal Guard, Yamamoto fits both criteria. He is fully aware that his bankai could destroy him and everything around him, so I don't think he would be so ignorant as to keep his bankai active up to that point. As for Senjumaru, I don't think it was fully stated she could manipulate any type of cloth. She can definitely stitch it to serve multiple purposes, but I don't think it refers to any cloth. She also doesn't literally have 1000 arms. It is moreso an epithet for her, as she is able to stitch things at an unbelievable speed, as though 1,000 arms were all working in tandem. But from what was implied, it seems that a major contribution to SS is more important than strength. Like you said, Kirio doesn't exactly have boastful power, and Kirinji (though we didn't see his zanpakuto), doesn't seem powerful enough to prove that the Royal Guard is stronger than all of the Gotei.

[@xxfewpxx1407]

@@nobleactual7693 Seem like you clearly don't know what you are talking about. 1. You have the option to refuse lol. This is the case that happened with Kuruyashiki. He was invited to the royal guard but refused and nothing happen to him, so obviously you can refuse. Maybe Yamamoto also got invited to the royal guard but refused, who knows? 2. Power is not the factor that gets you promoted to the royal guard. I don't know where you get that from. Ichibei himself is million years old and the general convention is that he is at least as strong as Yamamoto, if not stronger. So you have Yamamoto equivalent in the royal guard and then the remaining four are made up of captain-class combatants who are older than half of the gotei captains. I don't see how is that not proof enough that the royal guard is stronger than all of gotei. 3. Also did you forget that Ichigo, Rukia, Renji, and Byakuya become so much stronger after training in the palace? So obviously, even if you are weak when you got promoted to the royal guard, they will train you to be stronger. 4. And it seems you also forgot what Yamamoto himself said. He still is the head captain of the gotei for a thousand years because no soul reaper is strong enough to replace him. Who knows, maybe if Kyoraku or Byakuya or someone else has finally surpassed him, he will retire from the gotei and join the rg? Besides, I think Yamamoto getting invited to the royal guard is more like "demoted" than "promoted" The guy is the Commander-in-Chief of the Gotei 13. He controls the army, he has the authority, he takes care of his own organization he found, he has a place and people he wants to protect, he has students he wants to teach, and he has Shunsui and Jushiro to be proud of. So why want to be "promoted" to a literal security guard with no authority and almost nothing to do at all?

[@corruptangel6793]

I imagine Yamamoto would be promoted once a suitable replacement was found to act as Captain Commander. I always figured that if he had lived for another century+, he'd have moved on to the 0 Division and Toshiro would take his place.

[@gabrielrasilva]

Maybe they are true strong but the fact they thing the enemy is weak is what made then lost, like a thousand years ago they lost to Yamamoto, so they think this time they are only a lil stronger.

[@RUS12388991]

Senjumaru 12 division? She was in Zero Squad before Gotei was even formed. As in 2000 years Chojiro's flashback shinigami already wore shihakusho, which is what promoted her to 0 Squad. It was never implied that she was a part of 12 division.

[@Khannn_fx1]

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[@soul8648]

most people forget that the Zero squad or division were facing legit gods

[@permeus2nd]

so personally i think that Kubo made a massive mistake with the zero division, its one thing to say they are powerful but saying that they are stronger than the 13 squads combined doesn't fit with what we actually see him draw and its not like its him saying something then a few years later coming back to it and changing his mind, are we really meant to believe that they are stronger than Yamamoto, Unohana, Byakuya, Shunsui, Ukitake or Kenpachi(the captain's i believe to be the strongest at the min, im leaving out Hitsugaya as he will probaly become one of the strongest as time gose by but now his powers are hit and miss)? lets make it fairer and remove Ichibei and Yamamoto (as Ichibei is probaly a match for the rest of the Gotei 13 by himself but its a stalemate between him and Yama) from the scaling and just have it as the other 4 members of squad 0 vs the other 12 squads of the soul Society even on a 1 v 1 i doubt any of them could be a match for the soul Society captain's listed and someone like Kenny after the TYBW arc can probaly fight all 4 of squad 0 by himself and win. but going back to the drawings we just don't see the S0 members been as strong as Kubo said they are meant to be.

[@gfservantforlife841]

Why is Ichibei so young after so many years

[@DwillGame]

The 0 division power levels are overrated

[@greghooks2239]

I know the story's done but I don't think it's out of the realm of possibility for aizen to still join in some way, shape, or form.

[@Superfastjellyfish669]

I wonder how long they have held their positions

[@Raion9813]

Hikfune is the only one we really know since she was promoted in Turn back the Pendulum which was set 110 years in the past. Ichibe and Oetsu for over 2000 Kirinji and Senjumaru….. no idea

[@LINGGA66]

Ahh, Squad Zero. The Disappointment.

[@hoofhearted4]

I wonder what threats the Zero King protects from is the Gotei should technically stop everything before anything gets to the Soul King. like are they doing things unbeknownst to the Gotei? or are the just chilling until someone like Yhwach makes it up there lol.

[@Khannn_fx1]

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[@keepbuilding1790]

Quick question since they was the only ones around that time isn’t ichibei and the others the original members of the families?

[@pewpew953]

Isn't the royal families the kuchiki, shiba, shihoin, oga, and tsunayashiro clans

[@carloskingdomh]

they are awesome characters

[@dusanpetrovic8689]

Can you make a what if video on what if the vizards used their masks in tybw.

[@BlackThane]

so who lives in that cities surrounding royal palace? are divine guards shinigami too?

[@Khannn_fx1]

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[@lebronzejames3095]

If you belong to the group of people who were reading Bleach manga on a weekly basis back in the day then you know the disappointment for the Zero division, being greater in power than the Gotei 13 as per Kyoraku, to be taken out that easily later on with not a proper demonstration of their powers. I know Cubo wasn't in a good place back then and he was pressured into finishing the manga, but I still have some hope that the anime might does the Zero division some justice seeing how well it's doing right now..

[@Khannn_fx1]

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