'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,/9j/2wBDAAYEBQYFBAYGBQYHBwYIChAKCgkJChQODwwQFxQYGBcUFhYaHSUfGhsjHBYWICwgIyYnKSopGR8tMC0oMCUoKSj/2wBDAQcHBwoIChMKChMoGhYaKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCj/wgARCAAGAAoDASIAAhEBAxEB/8QAFgABAQEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAUH/8QAFAEBAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA//aAAwDAQACEAMQAAAAxGyKX//EAB8QAAICAQQDAAAAAAAAAAAAAAIDAQQABRESIRRSwf/aAAgBAQABPwBGpvqPQy051tVAxNYEW0yO8HMSX3HWPNcdobdkBeUtgeEdcu/bP//EABURAQEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAC/9oACAECAQE/AJf/xAAVEQEBAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAv/aAAgBAwEBPwCn/9k='%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
At the end of Bleach TYBW episode 7, Quincy king Yhwach's subordinate Haschwalth broke Ichigo's Zanpakuto in one blow. As if losing to the Quincy was not enough, the captain of the 12th Division of the Gotei 13, Mayuri, revealed to Ichigo in Bleach TYBW episode 8 that a broken Zanpakuto can be restored only if it is in Shikai form, but not if it is in Bankai form.
According to the manga, Ikkaku was able to reassemble his Zanpakuto after it broke in Bankai. However, it has never had the same power since, whereas Renji's Bankai was still broken.
In episode 8, Ichibei of squad zero informs Ichigo that there may be a way for him to reforge his Zanpakuto in the Royal Palace, and Ouetsu Nimaiya will be crucial in the process, though it will not be the old Zangetsu.
Trending
Disclaimer: This article contains heavy spoilers from Bleach TYBW.
How will Ichigo regain his Zanpakuto in Bleach TYBW?
Who is Ouetsu Nimaiya?
Known as the Blade God, Ouetsu Nimaiya, the eccentric and highly energetic Captain of the Zero Division, is also its Third Officer.
Nimaiya explains in the Bleach TYBW arc of the manga that each of the six thousand Gotei 13 members is given a nameless Zanpakuto, an Asauchi, which, over time, combines with their own essence and gives birth to a unique weapon. All of these Asauchi are forged by him. Even the Soul King saw his invention of the Zanpakuto as a fitting reason to promote him from the Gotei 13 to Royal Guard.
Why did Ichigo's Zanpakuto break?
In the manga, when Renji and Ichigo arrive at Nimaiya's house, he takes them to Galaxy Houou, where a large group of women greets them. Nimaiya later explains that each of them is a Zanpakuto and chastises the two for being unable to tell the difference between a Shinigami and a Zanpakuto. He cautions them that an unappreciated Zanpakuto is brittle.
In the true Houou estate, which is a shack, Nimaiya challenges them to face the army of angry nameless Zanpakuto before he considers reforging their Zanpakuto.
Nimaiya ends the fight between Ichigo, Renji, and the Asauchi after three days and declares that Renji has won the challenge, but Ichigo has not. Later on, Nimaiya explains that Ichigo lost the challenge and his Zanpakuto because he does not yet know himself. Since the Zanpakuto is linked to one's soul, self-knowledge is essential to forge a Zanpakuto.
How will Ichigo get his Zanpakuto back?
In Bleach, Ichigo returns to Nimaiya after learning about his Quincy ancestry and is once again surrounded by Asauchi's embodiments in the Houou estate. But this time is different, and Nimaiya notices it.
Instead of fighting, Ichigo extends his hand, and an Asauchi kneels down and takes it. This Asauchi begins to resemble Ichigo's inner Hollow. Nimaiya uses Ichigo's inner Hollow to begin preparing the new Zanpakuto. He also reveals to Ichigo that the inner entity he mistook for Zangetsu is actually the manifestation of his innate Quincy powers.
By the time the Zanpakuto is finished, Ichigo has made peace with both parts of himself, and he even incorporates a portion of his soul into the new blade. The new Zanpakuto is made up of two blades, one representing Ichigo's Hollow and the other his Quincy side.
