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Hollow Ichigo
| Hollow Ichigo | |
|---|---|
 Horō Ichigo
| |
| Age | Unknown |
| Gender | Male |
| Height | 175cm (5'9") |
| Weight | 61kg (134 lbs) |
| Species | Hollow |
| Affiliation | Ichigo Kurosaki |
| Zanpakutō | Zangetsu Shikai: Zangetsu Bankai: Tensa Zangetsu |
| Debut | Animé: Episode 39 Manga: Volume 13, Chapter 110 |
| Seiyū | Masakazu Morita |
Hollow Ichigo (Horō Ichigo), also referred to as Ichigo's inner hollow, or more appropriately The Hollow Within Ichigo's Conscience, is a powerful spirit that was born when Ichigo Kurosaki underwent training with Kisuke Urahara to regain his shinigami powers. His relationship with Ichigo represents the idiom "two sides of the same coin," or (more appropriately) the philosophical concept of yin and yang. Unlike other hollows, who are the central villains of Bleach, Hollow Ichigo plays the role of the anti-hero who eventually becomes Ichigo's greatest obstacle and ally as the plot progresses.
Appearance[edit]
Hollow Ichigo, other than having the same physique as Ichigo, has several distinct physical features that easily set him and Ichigo apart. Within Ichigo's conscience, Hollow Ichigo has white hair, extremely pale skin, and yellow eyes with black scleras. Conversely to Ichigo, he wears a white and black shihakusho with a black cord, as opposed to black and white with a red cord, which together with his physical features has earned him the nickname Shirosaki among fans of the Bleach series, as opposed to Kurosaki (shiro translates to white and kuro to black). When he controls Ichigo's soul, Hollow Ichigo still appears as Ichigo only with yellow eyes and black scleras. Additionally, a hollow mask will begin to manifest which continues to develop for as long as he remains in control until Ichigo appears as a full bodied hollow.
Personality[edit]
Hollow Ichigo comes across as a very sadistic person with an insatiable appetite for battle, much like Kenpachi Zaraki. During combat, he often grins and laughs maniacally. Hollow Ichigo also likes to talk sarcastically and make witty remarks. Though he and Ichigo reside in the same soul, he refers to him as "king," as Ichigo is the dominant person. Typically, he made it is goal to "devour" Ichigo and control his soul permanently. Although he considers Ichigo a formidable adversary, Hollow Ichigo has saved Ichigo from near death on several occasions directly or indirectly. Nevertheless, on occasions where he temporarily assumes control of Ichigo's soul, he merely treats the situations as opportunities to fight and enjoy himself while taunting Ichigo for his incompetence in combat. Hollow Ichigo has also acted as Ichigo's mentor in some circumstances, much like Zangetsu, though his methods are brutal, unfriendly, and backed by his ulterior motive of eliminating Ichigo.
Plot Synopsis[edit]
Soul Society arc[edit]
Hollow Ichigo makes his debut in Ichigo's conscience after Ichigo receives a fatal blow in his fight with Kenpachi Zaraki. Zangetsu, testing Ichigo's trust, has him fight Hollow Ichigo using a regular katana while Hollow Ichigo uses Zangetsu. Hollow Ichigo quickly overpowers Ichigo, using Zangetsu like a lance which surprised Ichigo. He criticized Ichigo for failing to strengthen his relationship with Zangetsu and relying too much on his own strength. Upon recognizing his mistake, Ichigo regained Zangetsu as Hollow Ichigo charged in for another attack. After Ichigo left, Hollow Ichigo returned to Zangetsu, revealing his goal to acquire Ichigo's powers for himself.
Hollow Ichigo's next appearance occurs during Ichigo's duel with Byakuya Kuchiki. Ichigo, who had recently achieved bankai and held the advantage, began to lose ground after Byakuya activated his bankai's "massacre scene." When Ichigo was rendered incapacitated by Byakuya's white lightning spell, Byakuya prepared to strike him down only to see Ichigo's hand suddenly grab his sword. After being asked who he was, Hollow Ichigo raised his head and responded with "I have no name," revealing a partially formed hollow mask and yellow eye with a black sclera. Catching Byakuya off guard, he quickly struck Byakuya across the chest and then proceeded to criticize Ichigo for being unable to properly use bankai, which baffled Byakuya as he watched him. Hollow Ichigo went on the offensive again, relentlessly attacking Byakuya with a barrage of black colored Getsuga Tenshō. Using those as a diversion, he managed to sneak behind Byakuya and fire a Getsuga at point blank range. Byakuya, appearing fatigued and battered, asked Hollow Ichigo if he was a hollow after observing his mask and quality of his spiritual energy. Wittily dodging his question, Hollow Ichigo announced he would finish off Byakuya, only to be thwarted by Ichigo who began to resist Hollow Ichigo's control of his soul by grabbing and pulling on his mask. Struggling to maintain control, Hollow Ichigo tried to convince Ichigo that he could win if he stayed in control, but before long Ichigo succeeded in ripping off his mask and regaining dominance of his soul.
Bount arc (anime only)[edit]
Hollow Ichigo returns when Ichigo falls unconscious in his fight against the bount Gō Koga and his doll Dalk, once again saving Ichigo from certain death. Upon assuming control, he quickly defeats Dalk before Ichigo begins to resist and regain control of his soul. Towards the end of the arc, Hollow Ichigo makes a very brief appearance during Ichigo's fight with bount leader Jin Kariya, managing to fire off one Getsuga Tenshō before fading back into Ichigo's soul. However, this time only Ichigo's eyes turned yellow rather than Hollow Ichigo's other physical features including the black scleras and hollow mask appearing as well.
Arrancar arc[edit]
As Hollow Ichigo increases in power, his presence within Ichigo becomes increasingly stronger and difficult to suppress. This becomes evident in Ichigo's fight with tenth Espada Yammy Riyalgo, where Hollow Ichigo attempted to assume control of Ichigo's soul though Ichigo fervently resisted. However, this conflict caused the paralysis of his body, therefore giving Yammy the opportunity to beat Ichigo senseless. Later on at the conclusion of Ichigo's fight with sixth Espada Grimmjow Jaegerjaques, Hollow Ichigo once again began to encroach on Ichigo's soul after Ichigo fired a Getsuga Tenshō in bankai. Fortunately for him, Grimmjow was forced to return to Hueco Mundo when Kaname Tōsen made an unexpected, timely arrival.
Hollow Ichigo's next appearance is back inside Ichigo's conscience, where he confronts Ichigo who is seeking to permanently suppress him. Before their fight ensues, Ichigo notices Zangetsu's absence and angrily questions Hollow Ichigo of his whereabouts. Smirking, Hollow Ichigo wittily replies with a question asking whether Ichigo is speaking of the Zangetsu on his back or the one he is holding in his hand, revealing a white Zangetsu. Then as he charges toward Ichigo, he directly answers Ichigo's question declaring that he himself is Zangetsu.