Vizard
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The vizard (仮面の軍勢 vaizādo?, also spelled visored or vaizard), alternatively known as "masked soldiers," are a group of rogue shinigami in the anime and manga series Bleach who have illegally acquired hollow powers.[1]
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[edit] Overview
The vizard are the antithesis to the arrancar; they are shinigami who have obtained hollow powers and whose shinigami powers remain dominant (although they do have to undergo a process and maintain their dominance over their hollow), while the arrancar are hollows that have obtained shinigami powers and whose hollow powers remain dominant. Having began as shinigami, the vizard appear entirely human. Unlike the arrancar, they do not have holes or partial masks (common traits of transformed hollows) anywhere on their body, though they can produce the latter on demand, and they carry zanpakutō like normal shinigami. When using their hollow powers, a vizard's appearance does not change except for the mask on their face.
The existence of shinigami/hollow hybrids was first hinted fairly early in the manga. When Ichigo was training with Kisuke Urahara, Urahara severed Ichigo's soul chain in order to force him to regain his lost shinigami powers, lest he become a hollow instead. Ichigo was able to recover his shinigami powers when his body began the process of turning into a hollow. Ichigo's transformation happened out of sequence, his mask forming first instead of his body breaking apart and reforming, a sign of his resistance. When he emerged as a shinigami, he was also wearing a hollow's mask, which he broke off. After he arrived in Soul Society, the hollow mask reappeared on his person on several occasions, even though he kept throwing it away. In the fight against Byakuya Kuchiki, Ichigo's hollow form resurfaced and his mask started to reform around his face. However, before he completely transformed, Ichigo was able to regain control and tear off the mask once again. Whether this process is uniform for all vizard or merely unique to Ichigo is unclear, though the later symptoms are hinted at being common.
Ichigo later discovers that there are other shinigami who have acquired hollow powers besides himself. Shinji Hirako, a boy carrying a zanpakutō and a hollow mask, reveals that these renegade shinigami call themselves the vizard; Shinji tries to convince Ichigo to join their group, saying that only he can teach Ichigo how to control his 'hollow within' and keep it from taking over and destroying everything Ichigo cares about. Ichigo initially refuses Shinji's offer, but relents after realizing he can't control his inner hollow on his own. However, Ichigo insists that he's merely using them to learn how to control his inner hollow.
It is unclear what the motives of the vizard are. It is known, however, that vizard are considered criminals by Soul Society for committing the ultimate taboo of acquiring hollow powers. Hollows would also never accept a vizard, due to their former status as shinigami. It is because of this that it can be presumed that the only side the vizard are on is their own. Regardless, they seem to be valuable allies-to-be in the battle against Sōsuke Aizen's army of arrancar, as Kisuke Urahara mentioned.
[edit] Abilities
In battle, the vizard use their hollow powers to augment their shinigami abilities, granting them massive increases in speed, stamina, and strength. They also gain access to some of the common hollow abilities, such as cero blasts. Also, at least in Ichigo's case, bodily harm can seemingly be ignored while wearing their masks. Vizard zanpakutō seem to function in the same manner as those of standard shinigami. The vizard remain in complete control while wearing their masks, unlike Ichigo's early unstable transformations. While this transformation seems to have a time limit initially, more experienced members are apparently able to maintain their hollow forms indefinitely. As suggested by Aizen, the fusion of the two spiritual entities allows these shinigami to reach levels of power far surpassing that of any ordinary shinigami or hollow.
[edit] Members
There are eight known members of the vizard; five men and three women. While Ichigo Kurosaki has trained with the vizard and has the same abilities, he is not considered a part of the group. It's unknown if they are related.
- Shinji Hirako
- Love
- Rose
- Hiyori Sarugaki
- Hachigen Ushōda
- Lisa Yadōmaru
- Mashiro
- Kensei Muguruma
[edit] Trivia
- "Vizard" is an archaic English word for "a mask worn to disguise the face."
- Three members of the vizard speak kansai-ben, a Japanese dialect.
- Hollowification (虚化 horō-ka?) is the term used by Dordonii to refer to the act of donning one's hollow mask.[2]
[edit] References
| Franchise: | Media and materials • Manga chapters • Anime episodes • Movie • Video games • Musical |
|---|---|
| Races: | Arrancar • Bount • Hollow • Quincy • Shinigami • Vizard |
| Lists: | Bounts • Hollows • Other |
| Combat: | Kidō • Zanpakutō |
| Locations: | Hueco Mundo • Karakura Town • Soul Society |
