How Tite Kubo Lies About Bleach’s Toshiro Hitsugaya
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The shōnen anime Bleach is well known for its intriguing power systems, especially when applied to Soul Reapers. The captains of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads are, with exception, at the pinnacle of the sword release system. Among these, Captain Toshiro Hitsugaya is notable for being exceptional due to his status as a child prodigy when mastering his zanpakuto, Hyorinmaru. Tite Kubo introduces Toshiro as a capable and clever character; however, Toshiro’s abilities come with restrictions that keep him from reaching his full potential.
Among the other characters, Toshiro is viewed as one of the weaker captains because of this limit. Though he is talented, he isn’t talented enough to be a major threat to the enemies of Soul Society. Characters such as Sosuke Aizen and Shawlong Koufang are both confident in their ability to defeat Toshiro when confronting him. Despite the fact that Hyorinmaru is said to be the strongest ice zanpakuto in the series, his bankai is on a timer. As a result, Toshiro must work to finish his fights in mere minutes. In the Thousand-Year Blood War arc, after several fights and losses, Kubo finally reveals the truth about Captain Toshiro Hitsugaya’s bankai. Chapter 670 of the Bleach manga proves Toshiro is far more powerful than otherwise believed.
One of the first things the audience learns about Hyorinmaru is that it’s supposed to be the strongest ice zanpakuto. It is most certainly more powerful than Rukia Kuchiki’s Sode no Shirayuki. While this might evoke comparisons to Captain-Commander Genryusai Yamamoto’s Ryujin Jakka, the strongest fire zanpakuto, Hyorinmaru, is nowhere near as strong. Toshiro is easily able to defeat Shawlong Koufang, but he struggles against Tier Harribel. Despite winning both fights, Toshiro is outshone by fellow captains Jushiro Ukitake and Shunsui Kyoraku.
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