Summary
Beyond the famous Gotei 13 ofBleach, atop the Soul Society, is Squad 0. Five Shinigami of extraordinary power who protect the Soul King. Each member was promoted to the squad because they greatly contributed to the history of Soul Society. The leader is Ichibe Hyosube, also named Manako Osho. He is “He Who Speaks the True Name”. Ichibe is the oldest Shinigami in existence.He was present when Adnyeus became the Soul King, and with his dominion over names, he named every item in Soul Society.
When they were first mentioned, Squad 0 was made out to be the absolute pinnacle of the Shinigami, wise and invincible. And yet, in the originalBleachmanga, when they face Yhwach and the Schutztaffel to protect the Soul King from them. They were greatly humiliated. Squad 0 went out with nothing to show their true strength and why they were so important. But this all changed with the release of the Thousand-Year Blood War anime.
Bleach’s Biggest Embarrassment
Squad 0 was first mentioned in the Turn Back the Pendulum arc. The captains of the Gotei 13 said that the former captain of Squad 12, Kirio Hikifune, was promoted to Squad 0, leaving behind her lieutenant, Hiyori Sarugaki, the soon-to-be Vizored. It was then that Kisuke Urahara became the captain of the squad, turning it into the research and development team it is now. The captains mention that it is extremely rare that a member of the Gotei is promoted to Squad 0, and later it is revealed why. To be a member of Squad 0, you must have made an important contribution to the Soul Society. Hikifune’s was the invention of Mod Souls. One of them was Kon, who became Ichigo’s friend living in a lion plushie.
Squad 0 later made their official appearance shortly after the first Quincy invasion. They descend to the Seireitei to speak to the captains and take some of the wounded to the Royal Palace: Byakuya and Rukia Kuchiki, Renji Abarai, Ichigo Kurosaki and his broken Tensa Zangetsu. They do this because, apparently, the Soul King is very interested in Ichigo. In contrast to what has been said about them, Squad 0 are shown to be very jovial people, and quite goofy at times.
Squad 0 then heals these four and trains them, letting them attain much higher power than before. Rukia attains her Bankai, Renji knows Zabimaru’s true name, getting his true Bankai, and Byakuya strengthens his bond with Senbonzakura, becoming much stronger.And Ichigo undergoes the culmination of his life’s arc, knowing the truth about himself and Zangetsu. Squad 0 immediately contributes greatly to the growth of the main characters; they are quickly shown to be the important figures they are supposed to be. But then, Yhwach and the Schutztaffel invaded.
Once the Schutztaffel reaches the Royal Palace, they are met by Senjumaru Shutara, and while she quickly kills Sternritter W - Nianzol Weizol, the powerful Lille Barro shoots her in the head. Senjumaru unveils the illusion made with her fabrics and then the real battle begins, kinda. O-Etsu Nimaiya, Tenjiro Kirinji, and Kirio Hikifune join the battle against the Schutztaffel while Yhwach faces off against Ichibe Hyosube.
Yhwach and Ichibe have an epic battle,showcasing Ichibe’s Bankai and his powerful Futen Taisatsuryoand Yhwach’s true power, The Almighty. The Quincy King defeats Ichibe thanks to his awakening, and then it is shown that Squad 0 has already been defeated. The four of them were killed off-screen by the Schutztaffel. The strongest Shinigami were all defeated off-screen.
For years, Squad 0 was the fandom’s biggest disappointment. They had great build-up, they started great, and then they all fell from grace with little to no fanfare. They were supposed to be the peak of Shinigami power, and they were treated like regular non-seated officers.
Redeemed at Last
Before the release of the Thousand-Year Blood War arc anime, it was revealed that author Tite Kubo would be heavily involved with the production. This was confirmed to be something very important once fans saw brand-new scenes for Uryuu Ishida. This showed that Kubo wasn’t merely a consultant, he was actively working with the staff to expand upon the original manga’s story. Effectively writing the arc in the way he wanted but couldn’t because of his declining health. This sparked an idea in fans' minds:what if Squad 0 was redeemed?
The anime adapted Squad 0’s scenes as usual for Part 1.But Part 2 started a new plotline with Ichigo: Irazu Sando.Ichibe now sends Ichigo into a strange shrine called Irazu Sando. Here, he tests Ichigo as a potential candidate for the Soul King. This further expanded upon Ichibe’s true darker intentions, as well as Ichigo’s closeness to the Soul King that was heavily hinted at before.
And then came their battle against the Schutztaffel,and everything changed. After Senjumaru unveils her illusion and her teammates join in, it doesn’t just cut to Yhwach and Ichibe. Instead, the four members of Squad 0 battle the Schutztaffel to the great joy of all fans. Tenjiro, Kirio and Senjumaru use their Shikai. They fight Haschwalth, Pernida, Askin and Gerard. Oh-Etsu battles Lille Barro in an excellent show of the ultimate swordsman against the gunslinger. There are stages to their fight, showing each character’s powers with excellent animation and music. Squad 0 has a proper time to shine.
They get knocked down by the Quincy, and after Oh-Etsu gets serious, he appoints Senjumaru as the one to defeat the Quincy. Tenjiro, Kirio, and Oh-Etsu take their own lives and this unlocks Senjumaru’s full power, revealing that they’re all linked to each other, and she then shows why.The Three Worlds begin to tremble under the magnitude of her power, and Senjumaru activates her Bankai.
Senjumaru Shutara was always greatly regarded by fans. She has an excellent and unique design, a commanding and alluring personality, and visually distinct powers, and female characters inBleachare often very popular. It was actually director Tomohisa Taguchi’s idea to have Senjumaru in this role, which made Tite Kubo very excited about the prospect of giving her something completely new: her extremely powerful Bankai: Shatatsu Karagara Shigarami No Tsuji.
Senjumaru entraps the four members of the Schutztaffel as well as Jugram Haschwalth and Uryuu Ishida. Making quick work of them. After years of being the fandom’s biggest disappointment, Squad 0 was given a proper, exciting battleagainst the Quincy Royal Guard. Showcasing their powers and fighting style. And most importantly, Senjumaru, the fan favorite, was given a brand-new, awe-inspiring Bankai.
While Senjumaru was ultimately defeated by Uryuu, this didn’t undo their redemption, as this also helped flesh out Uryuu, another character that needed the anime’s expansion. Squad 0 is no longer the laughingstock they used to be, they are now acknowledged as the true powerhouse they were always supposed to be.
