Visored Information

Wed Oct 30, 2019 5:02 pm

死神・The Masked Gods, Visoreds

The[Visored] are the antithesis to the Arrancar as Shinigami who have obtained Hollow powers. Having begun as Shinigami, the Visored appear entirely human and, barring when they are using their powers, are indistinguishable from ordinary Shinigami. To gain access to their Hollow powers, a Visored dons a Hollow mask. This allows them to augment their Shinigami abilities with Hollow powers, as well as giving them access to some of the more generic Hollow abilities. Their spiritual pressure likewise changes into a mix of Hollow and Shinigami. This process of donning one's Hollow mask is referred to as Hollowfication.

死神・Shinigami Abilities and Releases

Due to being spiritual beings, Shinigami have a plethora of supernatural abilities at their disposal. While they can age and die of natural causes or as a result of physical injury as regular humans, Shinigami have extended life-spans and it is not uncommon for one to live for thousands of years. Although they can be injured and die like regular humans, it takes considerably greater injuries for the latter to occur than it would in regular humans.

Shinigami also naturally give off Spiritual Energy, which varies greatly in magnitude with the strength of a Shinigami. Additionally, unlike humans, they do not have to eat anything to sustain themselves, though they engage in the act none the less as Shinigami and other spiritual beings only become hungry when they used too much Spiritual Energy within a short amount of time.

They also have access to [Kidou], techniques that Shinigami use to focus their Spiritual Energy into magic spells of various powers. They are ranked by numbers in ascending order -- they range from 1 to 99 and are divided into Hadou (offensive spells) and Bakudou (Defensive/utility spells). The higher the number, the more powerful and complex the spell.

Lastly, Shinigami also have access to [Hohou], a variety of techniques associated with movement, including jumping and [Shunpo] (flash step).

斬魄刀・Zanpakutou Releases

[Zanpakutou] are the trademark weapons of the Shinigami. Capable of cutting spiritual bodies, they are among the few weapons which can be used to combat Hollows. Each Shinigami carries a Zanpakutō, and each Zanpakutō is unique: the swords are reflections of a Shinigami's power and soul, and sentient beings unto themselves. The Zanpakutō's name is the name of the living spirit which empowers the sword and lends its strength to the Shinigami who wields it. These beings can vary greatly in appearance, and have their own distinct personalities, which are similar to their owner's.

The Zanpakutō of low-ranking Shinigami are called Asauchi and do not have names, but the Zanpakutō of high-ranking Shinigami do have names. In its sealed state, a Zanpakutō has the form of a Japanese sword. Such weapons are unique swords generated from their owner's souls. Its shape differs depending on its owner.

[Shikai] is the first release available to a Zanpakutou. To activate it, the Shinigami needs to learn the name of their Zanpakutou and call it out via a command. This is not as easy as simply picking a name, for the living spirit of the Zanpakutou already has its own name. The Shinigami must be able to communicate and harmonize with their Zanpakutou effectively, which requires being able to speak to the spirit within its world. The blade changes shape and gains special abilities by chanting the command. The commands vary between users and range from a simple imperative verb to a short poem. This step may be bypassed by expert Shinigami who have learned how to use their Bankai.

[Bankai] is the second upgraded form of a Zanpakutou. To achieve Bankai, one must be able to materialize and subjugate their Zanpakutou spirit. Materialization means the opposite of getting dragged into the Zanpakutou's inner world: the wielder needs to summon the Zanpakutou's spirit into the physical world. It usually takes ten years or more to achieve, plus the experience needed to master it. Even though Bankai is the final stage of a Zanpakutou, it does not mean the Shinigami's growth ends there. A Bankai, especially one recently obtained, can evolve even further as its Shinigami gets stronger.

[Full-Hollow Form] Due to having a hollow fused with their Asauchi, a Visored's zanpakutou cannot achieve its final form due to the hollow influence over their zanpakutou. However, an experienced Visored can call upon a powerful and complete hollow form, known as Full-Hollow form.