Does Ichigo use Mugetsu a second time in Bleach? Explained

Throughout the Bleach series, the protagonist, Ichigo Kurosaki, has had some of the most hype-worthy moments that have had the entire fanbase cheering for him. Tite Kubo’s writing for his main character is such that tension and excitement permeate the air whenever he is on screen.

With the Bleach Thousand Year Blood War anime making its return, there seem to be a couple of questions that fans want answers to. One of them concerns Ichigo’s Bankai ability. The question is: does Ichigo use Mugetsu more than once in the Bleach series?

Disclaimer: This article could contain minor spoilers from the manga chapters.

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Does Ichigo use Mugetsu more than once in Bleach?

No, Ichigo does not use Mugetsu a second time in the Bleach series. The move is such that it allows Ichigo to use this attack only once. The follow-up question is, why can Mugetsu be used only once? To understand that, we will have to take a deeper dive into Ichigo’s Bankai.

As fans know, Bankai is a weapon that is used by Shinigami, Arrancar, and the Visored. This weapon has a total of three forms. Its original or sealed state, the Shikai, and the Bankai. The Bankai is the most upgraded and powerful version of one’s Zanpakuto, and Ichigo’s Bankai is known as Tensa Zangetsu.

Ichigo's appearance when he executes Mugetsu in episode 309 (Image via Studio Pierrot)

Mugetsu, also known as Saigo no Getsuga Tensho (The Final Moon Fang Heaven Piercer), can only be used once. When Ichigo Kurosaki utilizes this technique in Bleach episode 309, his form changes. He goes on to explain that by executing the Mugetsu technique, he becomes Getsuga itself. Upon execution, the user, Ichigo Kurosaki, loses all of his Shinigami abilities.

It was one of the defining moments of Bleach for two reasons. The first was the visual aspect of this attack. Fans loved this design on Ichigo since it gave him an incredibly menacing aura. The second reason is that this attack was used on one of the primary antagonists of this series, Sosuke Aizen.

What shocked fans was that the Mugetsu didn’t manage to kill Aizen, despite it being one of, if not the strongest, moves in Ichigo’s arsenal. Such was Aizen’s might in the anime and manga series.

Aizen in his strongest form (Image via Studio Pierrot)

When Mugetsu was first shown in the Bleach series, Ichigo created a massive black-colored Reiatsu in his hand. He proceeded to swing it in the direction of Aizen, creating a massive cloud of Reiatsu. This cloud accelerated at a constant rate and hit Aizen, destroying everything present in the blast radius.

One thing to keep in mind was that Sosuke Aizen was in his strongest form. It was known as the Final Fusion form, which fans dubbed “Butterfly Aizen” owing to its appearance.

Aizen was unstoppable in this form, and things looked quite bleak for Ichigo and his group. If not for his Mugetsu technique, things could have gone south pretty quickly. That being said, Ichigo managed to regain his powers later in the series, all thanks to Rukia and Gotei 13.

Stay tuned for more anime and manga news as 2023 progresses.