Up until now, the main character, Kurosaki Ichigo, has fought many different opponents. In the Soul Society arc, he fought against members of the Gotei 13, in the Arrancar arc, he fought against the Arrancar and Espadas led by Aizen Sousuke, and in the Disappearance of the Substitute Shinigami arc, he fought against the XCUTION led by Ginjo Kugo. Then, in the final chapter, "BLEACH: The Thousand-Year Blood War Arc," an enemy that appeared before Kurosaki Ichigo was the "Invisible Empire (Wandenreich)" led by Yhwach. So, in this article, we would like to introduce you to the Invisible Empire.
What was the origin of the "Invisible Empire (Wandenreich)"?
The Quincy Empire led by leader Yhwach. Over 1000 years ago, Yhwach conquered the "Empire of Light (Licht Reich)" and reigned as His Majesty. After the Empire of Light, Yhwach set his sights on Soul Society and invaded it 1000 years ago, but was defeated by Yamamoto Genryusai and the Gotei 13. At that time, Yamamoto Genryusai was unable to kill Yhwach.
What measures did the defeated Yhwach take?
After losing the battle, Yhwach used a drastic technique to create a space of spiritual particles in the shadow of the Soul Society's Seirei, where he somehow managed to survive. He then changed his name to the "Invisible Empire" and spent 999 years focusing on increasing his military power and his own complete revival.
Who is Leader Yhwach?
He is said to be the ancestor of all Quincy. In front of his subordinates, he appears calm, saying things like "Don't fight in front of me, I don't like fighting" and "Let's listen to peace talk," but he is a cold-hearted and ruthless dictator who will execute those who disrespect him or lose without hesitation.
Innate power: "The power to share souls"
Yhwach was born blind, deaf, mute, and unable to move, but as a baby he was treated like a treasure. This was because anyone who touched the baby was given a share of his soul, and their own missing parts, such as emotional wounds, physical wounds, and illnesses, were healed. And when the person who received the soul died, the soul returned along with the knowledge, abilities, and talents that the person possessed. Every time the soul returned, the baby's body began to move, and by that time people had begun to call him by the name of God.
Yhwach's ability is...
Yhwach's ability is "The Almighty," an ability that begins with the sacred letter "A." It is not just the power to see the future, but the power to change the future, allowing him to interfere with everything he sees and change it as he pleases. However, the hallucinations shown by Aizen Sousuke's "Kyouka Suigetsu" can make it difficult to distinguish between dreams, hallucinations, and precognition, which can hinder his ability.
The power used to invade Soul Society
After failing in the Millennium Blood War arc 1000 years ago, Yhwach used the technique "Ausvehlen" 9 years before the second invasion. At this time, he stole all the powers of Quincy except for those of pure blood and regained his powers. Originally, if Yhwach himself judged it unnecessary, he could take the powers from all Quincy, and he could use them for himself or give them to those who had died to revive them. Those who have their powers stolen not only lose their abilities and are damaged, but in the worst case scenario, they may lose their lives.
What is the organizational structure of the Invisible Empire?!
The main force led by Yhwach is the Sternritter, and below that is the hunting unit (Jagdarmee), which handles the aftermath of the occupation. The general soldiers are all dressed in white and feature black masks, and all dressed the same.
What kind of unit is the Sternritter?
They are an elite unit of the Invisible Empire, and are given a letter of the alphabet called a Sacred Letter (Schrift) by Yhwach. The meaning of the alphabet represents the ability associated with that letter, and it is engraved into Yhwach's soul and given to him. When they die, the given ability returns to Yhwach and becomes his nourishment. Their individual combat abilities are so high that they even overwhelm the captains of the Gotei 13. Now, let's introduce the members of the Sternröder.
His holy letter is "B" Eughram Hashvald
When Yhwach was young and ruled the Empire of Light, he was gathering people to form the Sternritter, and became Yhwach's right-hand man and aide. He is currently the highest-ranking Sternritter Grandmaster and serves as the leader of the Sternritter.
Successor candidate and assistant to the emperor
He serves alongside Yhwach and is said to be a successor candidate. While Yhwach is asleep, his abilities are swapped with Yhwach's, and he is able to use his "omniscience" ability to see into the future. However, this power is limited and he cannot use it as fully as Yhwach.
The ability of the holy letter "B"!
The ability is "World Harmony (The Balance)". The power to share the misfortune that occurs in the range world with the lucky ones. If you block Hashbart's attack, which causes a phenomenon like a reversal of events, it will be considered good luck, and the next attack will be bad luck and you will be unable to deal with it. He also wields a shield with an inverted pentagram design called the "Freundschild (Substitute Shield)," which allows him to redirect any misfortune he receives onto the shield and bounce it back at his opponent, and can also inflict twice the misfortune on his opponent with the power of "World Harmony."
The same power as Yhwach...
Hashbart was unable to use the power of a shinigami from a young age. This is because, like Yhwach, he is a rare being who possesses the "power to share." After Yhwach was born, Hashbart was the first shinigami to possess the power of "sharing."
The sacred letter is "D" Askin Nakkurubaru
His attitude and way of speaking make him seem light-hearted and laid-back, but in fact he always acts calmly and carefully, and observes his opponents closely. On his second visit to Soul Society, when he appeared at the Technology Development Bureau, he confronted Kurotsuchi Mayuri, but said, "It looks like it's going to take a long time, so let's stop," and did not fight. The reason was that he had to use various of his own abilities to defeat Kurotsuchi Mayuri, and I think he decided that it would not be a good idea to reveal his abilities now.
The ability of the sacred letter "D"!
The ability is "The Death Dealing". It can accurately measure the "completely lethal dose" that will cause 100% death in the target and manipulate that amount. If the lethal dose is lowered, it can kill with 1g even if 100g is required. The scary thing about this ability is that all substances in the opponent's body can be targeted by this ability, and it is Nakkurubaru who decides the target. For example, if the target is "blood" and the lethal dose is changed to the amount that will cause death by blood loss, the opponent will die as is, or even if blood is drawn below the lethal dose.
Nakkurubaru's loyalty
According to Nakkurubaru, his loyalty to Yhwach is twice as strong as that of a Pomeranian, and he is not loyal but has a strong interest in Yhwach, and I think his interest in seeing what he will create after destroying the three worlds of "Soul Society, Hueco Mundo, and the present world" is equal to his loyalty.
The sacred letter is "E" Bambietta Bustervine
She has long black hair and wears a white military uniform with a miniskirt style, and her nickname is "Bampi". She is the leader of a team of five female shinigami called the Bumpies. Bambietta looks down on the other members of the Bambies, but in reality, she is the one who is being ostracized by the other four, but she does not realize it.
What is Bambietta's personality?
Her confident face and bullish behavior make her appear cheerful at first glance, but in reality she is quite combative, short-tempered, and irritable. She also has a cruel side, as she chooses handsome men from among her subordinates and kills them to relieve her frustrations.
The ability of the sacred letter "E"!
The ability "The Explode". This is the ability to transform anything that comes into contact with Bambietta's spiritual particles into a bomb. She can freely cause explosions from small to large. This power is an ability that is impossible to defend against, as it can turn anything into a bomb as long as it comes into contact with the spiritual particles emitted by Bambietta.
The sacred letter is "H" Buzzbee
A Shinigami with a distinctive red-haired mohawk. He wears a nut in his left ear and a bolt in his right ear as piercings. He seems to have a similar aesthetic sense to Renji Abarai, as he calls Renji Abarai's eyebrows "cool", but he was furious when Renji made fun of his red-haired mohawk. He has been friends with Hashbart since childhood and called him Yugo, and he still calls Hashbart Yugo.
Childhood feud with Yhwach
BuzzBee, the son of a lord, had his family killed by Yhwach, and Hugo (Hashbart) lost his uncle when the forest he lived in was burned. The two swore revenge on Yhwach and honed their skills, but Hugo was recognized as Yhwach's other half and followed him as his aide. Three years later, BuzzBee also joined the Sternritter and continued to provoke Hugo. It may have been jealousy that Hugo was chosen instead of him.
What is the ability of the holy letter "H"?
The ability is "The Heat." The power to freely control flames. It can counteract the flames of Captain Yamamoto's Shikai, "Ryujin Wakabi," and melt Hitsugaya Toshiro's ice wall.
The holy letter is "T" Candice Catnip
A female shinigami with a gyaru-like appearance who wears the most revealing clothes among the Sternritter, she goes by the nickname "Candy" and belongs to the Bambies. She is more foul-mouthed than Bambietta, has a short temper, and is combative. Her hobby is to make advances on handsome soldiers, and she doesn't seem to get along with Bambietta, who kills handsome men.
The ability of the holy letter "T"!
The ability is "The Thunderbolt". With the ability to control lightning, she can launch air and palm lightning attacks. She can also turn herself into lightning, and has high mobility and can move at the same speed as lightning.
The holy glyph is "V" Gremy Thummew
A boy wearing a long coat with a hood up. When confronting Zaraki Kenpachi, he says, "I think I'm the strongest in the Sternritter," so he seems to be proud of being the strongest in the Sternritter.
The Most Dangerous Person in the Sternritter
Gremmy lacks a sense of belonging, and is seen by those around him as the most dangerous person in the Sternritter, where a sense of camaraderie is weak. He has no qualms about involving his master, Yhwach, in an attack, and may even massacre his fellow Sternritter members. He was imprisoned for a long time due to his dangerous personality.
The ability of the sacred letter "V"!
The ability is "The Visionary". It is the ability to make what he imagines come true. He can weaken the opponent's bones, heal his own wounds and increase their hardness, and create natural and artificial objects as well as life. However, it is a double-edged power in that if he imagines something that is detrimental to himself, the effect will also appear on himself.
The holy glyph is "X" Lije Baro
A dark-skinned Quincy wearing a sleeveless military uniform, with a distinctive X in a circle on his left eye. He was apparently the first to be given powers by Yhwach, and calls himself "Yhwach's greatest masterpiece." He has an arrogant and overconfident personality, to the point of calling himself "God's messenger."
The ability of the holy glyph "X"!
The ability is "The Exaxis". It is the ability to penetrate everything in the line of fire of the giant rifle, the spiritual weapon "Diagram". It cannot be blocked by any protective wall or Zanpakuto within range. Since the Diagram is a "bow" made of his own spiritual particles, it can be reconstructed any number of times even if it is destroyed.
Summary
I've put together a summary of the "Invisible Empire." Considering the invasion of Soul Society by the Empire of Light 1000 years ago and the start of the Thousand-Year Blood War arc, Yhwach's obsession with his ambition is incredible. Although I wasn't able to introduce everyone this time, not only Yhwach but also the Sternritter has many unique and strong characters, and I'm looking forward to the battle with Kurosaki Ichigo and the members of the Gotei 13. There are also other unexpected characters involved in the story, so please look forward to that as well. Thank you for reading to the end.
