Was Barragan the king of Hueco Mundo in Bleach? His origins, explained

Tite Kubo's Bleach series is home to some of the most intriguing and celebrated antagonists in the anime world, including Ichigo's arch-nemesis, Sosuke Aizen, and Yhwach, to name a few. Among them lies an equally intriguing and mysterious antagonist - Barragan Luisenbarn, who made quite an impression on the fanbase in his first few appearances.

While Barragan's character is mostly shrouded in mystery, he once was the undisputed King of Hueco Mundo before eventually transitioning into a subordinate under Aizen. With that in mind, let us look at Barragan Luisenbarn's complete origins in Bleach and explore the reasons behind his decision to follow Aizen.

Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers for the Bleach series. Reader's discretion is advised.

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Barragan's origins in Bleach explained

Barragan, as seen in the Bleach anime (Image via Pierrot)

Prior to becoming the Segunda Espada (Second Espada) of Sosuke Aizen's army, Barragan Luisenbarn was the undisputed king of Hueco Mundo and the original ruler of Las Noches. While not much is known about his rise to power, it can be inferred that Barragan's rule was marked by fear and power, which allowed him to reign supreme over the desolate land of Hueco Mundo.

An interesting fact about Barragan's reign is that it seemed to be a boring and monotonous eternity for him since Hueco Mundo mostly remained an unchallenged domain during his rule.

With nothing to do, nothing to conquer, or no one to defeat, Barragan grew exceedingly bored of his rule and awaited the invasion of another force. As a result, his army was nearly rendered useless for most of the time, which eventually led to his downfall at the hands of Aizen.

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Why Barragan chose to follow Aizen and give him Hueco Mundo

Barragan Luisenbarn, as seen in the anime (Image via Pierrot)

Barragan Luisenbarn's transition from an undisputed King to Sosuke Aizen's subordinate is certainly one of the most intriguing and pivotal moments of the Bleach series.

In order to achieve his goal of overthrowing the Soul Society and creating the Oken, Aizen required an army of powerful Arrancars, leading to his faceoff against Barragan and his army. As expected, Aizen's approach to recruiting Barragan was not one of diplomacy or persuasion but of sheer dominance.

When Aizen approached Barragan, he did so with an overwhelming display of power. He effortlessly wiped out the latter's army and inflicted a crushing defeat on the self-proclaimed "God-King of Hueco Mundo."

This battle ended up being both a humiliation and a revelation for Barragan. As a ruler who believed in the supremacy of power, Aizen's effortless victory shattered his illusions of invincibility.

For Barragan, it was also a stark reminder of the limits of his own power as well as the futility of his arrogance. After witnessing and recognizing Aizen's superior strength, Barragan likely made a decision to completely submit to the former rather than opposing him.

Furthermore, it is also possible that Barragan's allegiance to Aizen was driven by a mix of respect and resentment. While he certainly may have resented the latter for subjugating him, he might also have recognized Aizen's potential to reshape the world in a way that aligned with some of his own beliefs.

Lastly, Aizen offered Barragan and the other Arrancars the promise of greater power through the Hogyoku, an artifact capable of breaking the boundaries between Hollows and Shinigami. Such a promise of receiving greater power might have been enticing to Barragan, who sought to transcend his own limitations and achieve greater dominance.

As such, it is evident why Barragan decided to align himself with Aizen, especially after witnessing that he had more to gain by submitting to him rather than opposing him, which was pretty much impossible regardless.

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Related Links:

• Barragan’s Arrogante in Bleach could have spoiled Yhwach's plans in Thousand-year Blood War
• Why Barragan was a wasted potential in Bleach? Explained
• Bleach will never reveal Aizen's backstory (and Kubo's old interview proves it)