Bleach 3: Aizen

Dear Readers,

I have covered the wonders of the good side of Bleach in my first two posts. Now I feel that I need to complete the main theme by covering the darker side. The side of Aizen. Note: I am writing this under the understanding that my readers have read my first two Bleach posts, and there is a SPOILER ALERT!!!.

This is Aizen Sosuke. He may seem benign and nice, but inside his heart he is conniving and mischievous. He was the captain of the 5th division of the shinigami army. Aizen has high intellect, and his research rivaled Urahara Kisuke, who was the main shinigami scientist operating in the human world.

The research that the shinigami have acquired has allowed them the means of creating items commonly referred to as "soul candy". They are "mod souls" or modified spirits that are encased inside a small candy like sphere. These modified spirits are created from disembodied spirits that are then given special traits. Such as Kon. Kon has the modification of incredible strength in his legs. This causes speed and powerful kicks. Having spirits in candy form could be possible in the same way that spirits can possess bodies not of their form, meaning the same form or shape of the spirit. For example, in Mark 5:9-13 there is the story of Legion. Jesus comes upon a man possessed of about two thousand demons, all of which are able to occupy that one human body, not to mention the man's own spirit is also residing there. Jesus casts them into a herd of swine nearby. Again, swine are not even in the same shape of a human, yet the demons were able to possess their bodies. Therefore, a spirit's influence can be bound inside of something much smaller than the spirit itself.

Kon, and modified spirits like him, were created for the intended purpose of occupying the false body of a shinigami, called a gigai, which are used to allow the shinigami ability to interact with the physical world. The mod spirit can occupy the gigai while the shinigami fights a hollow or anything else as a spirit. As shown above, through happy accidents it was discovered that the soul candy can also animate other objects as well, including a plush doll.

Ichigo uses Kon to keep his body alive and safe when he, Ichigo, has to fight. Thus the reason for the spirits being modified to house powers as well.

While it is also important to note that there was an anime only arc that involved the creation of reigai, artificial spirit bodies, which were used in conjunction with red soul candy. From this arc, though not considered cannon of the series, we can see what might actually fuel soul candy is intelligence. For the red soul candy, they are intelligences that have been organized into personalities, but naked from a spirit body (Abraham 3:22-23) thus their need for a reigai. For the regular yellowish soul candy, they are merely spirits, of course having intelligence and personality, but not being naked intelligence. Intelligence is the light of truth (Doctrine and Covenants 93:29, 36). From this definition, it would make sense why the reigai have "electrical" sparks that emanate from their eyes. If the intelligence, which is now awakened and being used but not permanently bonded to the reigai, is compared or described as light. then that light, which is a form of energy, could be causing that ocular discharge. Especially since the eye is considered the light or portal of the body (Matthew 6:22-23). If any of you have a desire to learn what I mean by intelligence, you can see an earlier post I had entitled "Glory of God is Intelligence":
http://jacobugothbeliefs.blogspot.com/2015/08/facebook-request-3-glory-of-god-is.html

 One might wonder what this has to do with Aizen and his evil plot. Aizen, long before Urahara began to progress in his research field of soul candy, envisioned and created a hogyoku (breakdown sphere).

A hogyoku is created by "sacrificing" the spirits of countless shinigami and normal individuals and encasing them inside of the sphere. Ironically, this reminds me of two items of extreme power.

First, mostly to get it out of the way, there is the "Philosopher's Stone" from Fullmetal Alchemist. In order to create this object of immeasurable power, one has to sacrifice the blood of thousands of people in a three-dimensional alchemy symbol. I do think that this concept was made even more ironic with Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone.

In the original version, it was called the Philosopher's Stone. The book series, nor movies, ever described how it was made, only that it created the elixir of life. Indeed, blood has often been the symbol of life (Deuteronomy 12:23), from vampires drinking it, to Christ's life blood shed (Luke 22:44). If blood is the life of mortality, then light and truth are the life of our spirits. No wonder we are commanded to "feast upon the words of Christ" (2 Nephi 32:3). I also think that it is interesting how both with the concept of vampire's longevity and the healing, restoring powers of the Philosopher's stone, both present false forms of immortality. Immortality meaning the spirit and the body being inseparably connected. Though neither dies from old age, they can still die from other causes, and their lives are on condition of partaking of blood or the elixir of life. While, the Christ's atoning blood, which we partake of symbolically when we take the sacrament on the Sabbath, is the key to returning to our Father in Heaven and obtaining true immortality.

That all being said, doesn't this hogyoku bring to remembrance the galaxy marble from Men In Black? The hogyoku is still the size of a small marble or any of the other soul candy, therefore, with all of the "sacrificed" spirits contained therein, it is very near like unto a galaxy contained within. Indeed the scriptures say that "...there is no space in the which there is no kingdom; and there is no kingdom in which there is no space...." (Doctrine and Covenants 88:37).

Quick rant.....The Higgs Field and the Higgs Boson. Now, literally within the past few years, physicists have been trying to figure out why particles have mass, whether that is quarks, or electrons and protons. Mathematically, they found that they can calculate the mass of sub-atomic particles as if they were moving through a substance. Thus the Higgs Field theory. This theory involves a field, almost like a liquid, that the particles are constantly moving through, thus constantly giving them mass. This theory was later proved with the discovery of the Higgs Boson. Using a super collider, they smash sub-atomic particles together at high speeds. This was how they discovered quarks, but also, they found that there was occasionally a temporary particle that lasts for only a few thousandths of a second. I compare it to dropping a rock in water. Usually it causes ripples, but sometimes a drop of water will splash up. That "drop of water" which then falls and returns to the body of water is the Higgs Boson. Basically a drop of the Higgs Field that becomes temporarily dislodged and therefore measurable or "visible".

The reason I went on this rant is because before these discoveries, scientists thought that the space between quarks, protons and electrons was empty space. Now we know that it is filled with this Higgs Field, which in turn can have infinite amount of "drops of water" or Higgs Bosons. Truly, there was no kingdom, an atom, without space, and there is no space, without a kingdom, the Higgs Field. Joseph Smith, as the Prophet and the mouth piece of God, recorded that scripture back in the 1800's.

Now that rant is over, I will return to the plot of the movie Men In Black. The reason that the cockroach alien and the Arquillians (the little alien inside the head) were after that little galaxy, was because it both supplied resources and energy. Now, in a similar way, the hogyoku emits energy. As the translated name of breakdown sphere suggests, the energy breaks down bonds. Specifically, the bonds separating shinigami and hollow.

The first account of this taking place was when Aizen stole the hogyoku and used to to turn Shinji Hirako and some other shinigami into visored. The individuals exposed become weak and ill, then begin vomiting and oozing white slime from their mouth and eyes. As the hollow goo spreads and hardens, it creates an inner hollow for the individual to have to deal with. I have likened the inner hollow to the "natural man" (Mosiah 3:19) within each of us. Thus, this hollowfication is giving into the influence of the hogyoku.

To contain this energy, after Urahara retrieved his hogyoku and dealt with the incident with Shinji, he created a shell around it. This shell was supposed to keep its energy from leaking out and infecting others. We could compare this to the banishment of the one third of the host of heaven that followed Lucifer and his plan (Revelations 12:4). These angels of the Devil, or demons, would be contained within the hogyoku. They have the power to tempt us, but have fallen. Urahara later hid it inside Rukia, a shinigami that was Ichigo's first contact with Soul Society.

Now comes the first big scandal of the series. Aizen manages to get Rukia sentenced to be executed. During the days and hours leading up to the event, Ichigo launches an attack, with his friends, to try and rescue Rukia. Aizen uses the ensuing chaos to first, fake his own death. Ironic how one of Satan's greatest lies is that he does not exist. 

Aizen is able to fake his death, because his zampakuto's ability is hypnotism over all five senses: sight, hearing, touch, smell, taste. When he became a captain, he used this ability to set the hypnosis into play upon all of the shinigami. They all thought his power was water based, but that was just the illusion he caused them to see. It is also ironic how Satan's main objective is to deceive us and place us under his dominion. Making us his slaves or pawns (Moses 4:3).

Now that everyone believes that he is dead, and that Ichigo and his gang are at fault, he makes preparations to remove the hogyoku from Rukia, ripping it out of her spirit. Having acquired his trophy, Aizen escapes Soul Society with two other captains that he managed to convince to join him, by entering Hueco Mundo (the Hollow World) thanks to some Gillians. There, in Hueco Mundo, Aizen somewhat pronounces himself king and begins experimenting on the hollows.

For example, Grimmjow the adjuchas was transformed into an arrancar (Spanish: arankaru, to tear off or ripped mask in Japanese). His hollow mask was cracked as a sign of the breaking bond between hollow and shinigami, and again, as zampakuto and hollows, when they become stronger, they become more human. So it is with arrancar.

Using Grimmjow as an example, he obtains a sword, like an asuachi for a shinigami. Also, his mask has become merely that half of a bony smile. Once again, his appearance resembles the human he used to be. I will compare this to the battle of good and evil around us. Those who choose to do evil, they usually go about doing their own thing. Yes, they can hurt others in the process, but that is because they don't care who they hurt. They are the hollows. Arrancar, however, would be likend unto those who take whatever power or use of the word of God, the sword of the spirit, and use it to attack the things of God. Even the Devil can quote scripture when it suits his needs. Indeed, if shinigami are the servants of God, who would hold the priesthood of God, then the arrancar would be those who not only do evil, but use the very priesthood of the Devil.

I do think that it is interesting that the priesthood of God is given to man through the laying on of hands, using a physical body. Since Satan has no body, I wonder how he bestows his priesthood.

Then there is the arrancar's powers. Similar to the shikai of a shinigami, they have a stage called their release. In the more common translations it is called resurreccion or resurrection, I prefer to use the term release, because it is more accurate, though the Japanese translation is "returning blade". This stage is a release of their inner animal, the hollow they have become.

(Ulquiorra's release top left, Ulquiorra's second release top right) Now, there is one arrancar, that I know of, who has as second release or segunda etopa. That would be the equivalent of a bankai of a shinigami. As one can see, Ulquiorra becomes more monstrous with this second release.

The most common attack of higher level hollows and arrancar is the cero. If translated from Spanish, it become zero, but the general translation is hollow flash or doom blast. This attack includes the charging or gathering of reishi and compressing it into a point, and then release it in a devastating blast. Most hollows use their mouths to exhale the blast, but arrancar, like Ulquiorra above, tend to either use their fingers or horns as the gathering points. I think that the zero version of the name is significant, for it reminds me plotting a graph. There is the X-axis and the Y-axis. One is going horizontal, the other vertical. Where the two meet, that is the zero point on the graph. all other points are either positive or negative on either the X or Y axis. Go figure, you need to know graphs and point plotting perform a cero.

A very similar attack that was developed by arrancar is the bala (bullet). I have noticed that this ability focuses more on the rotation of the reishi rather than the pressurizing at a single point. Because of the lack of need to charge and build up reishi, it works for a quick, fairly powerful attack.

Another ability, very similar to the use of reiatsu by shinigami, is hierro or steel skin. In case if anyone questioned as to whether or not the Devil's priesthood had equal false versions of the armor of God as I presented in my first Bleach post, it is likely that it does.

Now that I have covered the creations that Aizen was making, let us turn to what he did to himself. He bonded the hogyoku to his spirit body, feeding it his own shinigami powers. This caused him to gain dominion over it.

Because of this connection, its energy began to transform him. Very similar to the hollowfication that created the visored, it formed a chrysalis of the same substance to protect him during the metamorphosis.

Quickly, I think that it is interesting how in Digimon, Lucemon (Lucifer) went from an angel, to a fallen angel, and then to a larva stage before becoming the Satan dragon version.

So it is with Aizen, the example of Lucifer in this series. His cocoon eventually hatched and he became a nearly unbeatable tyrant. As he walked, his reiatsu or spirit pressure is so strong that it could completely disintegrate people who got too close. Yet, as with my comparison in my last post, all of the shinigami could not feel his reiatsu, because it was at such a higher level than their own. I like the comparison of trying to feel rain when you are already under water. They could not tell the difference.

Looking like Aizen was without equal, one of his cohorts betrayed him. The betrayal should have killed Aizen, especially since Gin Ichimaru, the one who tried to slay the beast, stole the hogyoku while doing so. It is here we find that the spiritual connections or bonds, like the reiraku or spirit ribbons I talked about in the first Bleach post, are not effected by distance or space. The hogyoku knew its master was in danger and was dying, and healed or evolved him from a distance. Turning him into what is basically an evil butterfly.

Once again, we see how the powers of darkness, when released, make mankind less human, and more beast. This is when Ichigo intervenes after having learned Saigo no Getsuga Tensho, or the final getsuga. They battle, and because of Aizen's pride, he fails to realize the power difference between righteousness and evil. Ichigo, using his new attack, slices Aizen in half. Yet, Aizen's hogyoku keeps him alive, and he evolves again. Though this new form is more monstrous in appearance, it has come to the point where becoming less human only takes away from his power.

This loss of power allowed a spell or seal that Urahara placed upon him to take effect and bind him, fittingly, inside of a cross or star. Lucifer means "light bringer". Like the light of a star. I think that Aizen's encasement rather looks likes one of the stars that are sometimes placed on top of Christmas trees, and that those stars are interchangeable with angels. On top of that, Satan's greatest achievement, and also his greatest downfall, was influencing the hearts of the children of God enough to crucify their own Messiah. Yet, that act of dying and giving up His life while He hung on the cross enabled Christ to fully become our Savior and Redeemer. With that act, the atonement was finished, and on the third day the very chains of death were broken, chains by which Satan sough to bind the children of men. Indeed, the visual symbols of three crosses, one for Christ, and one on either side representing the thief's that were crucified along with him, acts like a final humiliation upon his head, the greatest height of his dynasty is the cap stone of his tomb. Indeed, the powers of the Godhead, The Father, The Son, and The Holy Ghost will forever be the One True God.

From then, Aizen was bound and locked away. Though, as I stated in my second Bleach post, Satan will not be physically bound, but that he will have no power over the hearts of the children of God any longer, and it will be because of their righteousness.

I will now make my last argument of how Aizen represents Lucifer.
The scriptures describe the mourning over the fall of Lucifer, (Isaiah 14:12-14, 2 Nephi 24:12-14)
"12. How art thou fallen from heave, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!
13. For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north:
14. I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High."

The mourning of Lucifer's fall is so much like the mourning Momo Hinamori expressed after Aizen's betrayal, not just of Soul Society, but by also stabbing Momo with his blade.

Aizen himself expressed his motives, which are undeniably similar to Lucifer's as mentioned above. "No one stands on the top of the world. Not you, not me, not even gods. But the unbearable vacancy of the throne in the sky is over. From now on....I will be sitting on it."

Lucifer's greatest sin was the route sin, the sin that begins all others. That is pride. Pride was the cause and downfall of a son of the morning. That same pride he still tries to tempt us with in the hopes that he can drag us down into his dominion, that we may be miserable like him. Misery truly loves company.

I hope that you have enjoyed this post. I know that most of it was dark and sinister, but there is always the light at the end of the tunnel, the silver lining on every cloud. No matter how bad the war for souls gets, we know how it will end, good will prevail over evil. That should make it so much easier to pick a side, and be willing and have confidence for the fight ahead. I will have one more Bleach post, though it will no longer be about the main plot of the series, it will be about gems of knowledge and inspiration that I have not yet covered. If you have any questions or comments, feel free to post them below. Special thanks to bleach.wikia.com for their useful and relevant information.

Love,
Jacobugoth

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