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The Soul King is a highly mysterious figure who is key to the universe’s balance. So, who exactly is the Soul King in Bleach?
Doubts regarding the Soul King have drawn the intrigue of Bleach fans for several years. Despite being an important individual who influenced the existence of the realms, details about him are yet to be revealed. This arouses a widespread curiosity among the fans regarding the Soul King’s identity and purpose.
The Soul King was the ruler of Soul Society and a sealed god who supported the existence of all the realms. Let us explore this in further detail.
Who Is Bleach’s Soul King?
As mentioned above, the Soul King was a ruler and an existence akin to a god. His real name was Adnyeus and he sustained the flow of souls between the worlds while ensuring their stability.
Without the Soul King, the realms of the living, the dead, and Hueco Mundo would all cease to exist. While this might suggest that he an epitome of ultimate power, the truth is the opposite.
The Soul King was indeed essential to the world’s existence, however, he had no will of his own. His limbs had been severed, and he was sealed away in isolation. Though the Soul King retained immense influence and strength, he remained suspended between life and death, unable to control events.
Where Does the Soul King Stay in Bleach?
The Soul King resided in the Soul King Palace – a separate dimension above the Soul Society. The Palace was protected by the Royal Guard, consisting of five extremely powerful Shinigami.
Also called Squad Zero, they were known to be stronger than the Gotei 13 combined. Each member of Squad Zero could destabilize the realms through their spiritual energy. Squad Zero is comprised of:
- Ichibe Hyosube – The Monk Who Calls the Real Name
- Oetsu Nimaiya – The God of the Sword
- Tenjiro Kirinji – The Hot Spring Demon
- Senjumaru Shutara – The Great Weave Guard
- Kirio Hikifune – The Ruler of Grain
Squad Zero’s main task involved protecting the Soul King, his Palace, and the Royal Family. Due to this, they never interfered in the troubles between the realms.
The Soul King’s existence and the Palace itself were covered in secrecy, which is why few Soul Reapers knew it to be real.
Notably, reaching the Soul King Palace was a trial by fire, as it hovered in mid-air and was protected by spiritual energy. Entering the inner dimension where the Soul King existed also required a special key kept by the Royal Guard.
Even Aizen had planned for several decades to defeat the Soul King before finally attempting it.
How Is Yhwach Related to the Soul King?
In the Thousand-Year Blood War Arc, we get the shocking reveal that Yhwach was the son of the Soul King himself. Details regarding Yhwach’s past are unknown, but we gathered that he was there millions of years ago before the Soul King unwillingly took upon his duties.
As revealed in the light novel Bleach: Can’t Fear Your Own World, there was only one world when the Soul King was born and it was plagued by Hollows. Using his powers, he defeated them while stabilizing the world and its souls. At this time, five individuals decided to betray the Soul King while taking his powers and splitting the world into three realms. These individuals were the ancestors of the noble families and had been helped by Ichibe.
After the Soul King’s powers had been stolen, his limbs were torn and he was trapped inside his crystal structure. Rather than hating his father, Yhwach felt that he was being humiliated by being kept in that state. Due to this, Yhwach only wanted to free the Soul King from his misery.
Is the Soul King Dead in Bleach?
When we originally met the Soul King in Bleach, he was not dead but was not alive either. Due to the ploy of the great houses and Ichibe, he was a mere figurehead without any sense of self.
After defeating all Squad Zero members, Yhwach approached the Soul King and stabbed him through the chest. At this point, Ichigo and his friends reached the Palace and confronted Yhwach. Since there was still the possibility to revive the Soul King, Ichigo grabbed the sword from his chest.
However, in a shocking twist, Yhwach revealed that Ichigo’s Quincy Blood would not allow him to let the Soul King exist. The Blut Vene appeared and spread across his body while forcing Ichigo to swing the sword in his hand.
Hence, Yhwach used The Almighty, which allowed him to see possible futures to manipulate Ichigo. Knowing Ichigo’s lineage of different races would enable him to kill the Soul King, Adnyeus was unwittingly struck down and cut in half by our protagonist’s sword.
Following this, Yhwach absorbed the Soul King’s spirit energy and eventually confirmed his death.
What Will Happen to the Soul Society Without the Soul King?
The Soul King was trapped and used by other parties, but he was still the center of existence. He held control over the balance of the realms and its souls.
With his death, the Soul Society, Hueco Mundo, and the Human World would fall apart. This would ultimately cause all realms to merge back into the single world that existed before the split.
To prevent this from happening immediately, Ukitake released the right arm of the Soul King—Mimihagi. This sacrifice cost him his life, but it replaced the Soul King’s powers and temporarily balanced the realms.
Is Ichigo Connected to the Soul King?
Since Ichigo is part of all the races in Bleach, it comes as no surprise that he was connected to the Soul King.
Ichigo’s mother, Masaki, was a Quincy and had the Quincy King Yhwach’s powers flowing through her. This meant that Ichigo, who was part-Quincy, was connected to Yhwach. Since we already know that Yhwach was the son of the Soul King, this meant Ichigo was indirectly connected to the powerful entity.
Additionally, in Bleach: Can’t Fear Your Own World, it was revealed that Fullbringers have pieces of the Soul King inside them. Since Ichigo himself was able to use Fullbring abilities, this meant that he unknowingly had a part of the Soul King inside of him.
Ichigo was also the person who killed the ruler of the Shinigami. Since the Soul King’s powers were spread between all the realms and races, it was physically impossible for Yhwach to kill him. Ichigo had direct or indirect connections to humans, Quincies, Soul Reapers, Fullbringers, and Hollows.
Since Ichigo was essentially a melting pot of all different species in Bleach, he was the only one capable of killing the Soul King and Yhwach had tricked him into doing it as mentioned earlier. Therefore, though forced into it, Ichigo’s most twisted connection to the Soul King would be that he was the one who killed him.
Conclusion
The Soul King, believed to be an entity of glory and strength, ended up being one of tragedy. Despite his unending power, he was also powerless to use it. This brutal paradox showed that the mysterious figure was crucial to the world’s existence but could only be passive about any injustices that occurred inside the world he created.
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