Demonic Phoenix
Senior Member
Originally posted by EvilAngel
Because i have my doubts being who are hundreds of years old would get much stronger than their current level within a few months.I've been doing some thinking. And it's occurred to me.
"All the captains got stronger" or any statement which resembles this. Is wrong.
We all agree that Bleach is inconsistent strength-wise. So because it;s the captains that seemed to have become buffed we label them as inconsistent. But that assumption is wrong.
"The simplest solution is most often the right one"
Ichigo.
The only person that allows us any insight that makes us think the captains became stronger in order to fight the espada is Ichigo.
I work on the basis the less you have to change in a problem to make it correct would be the simplest. So when i thought about All the captains got a power boost, even Kenpachi who we saw lazing on his butt it didn't seem simple. But in one sentence i found a plausible solution.
Ichigo got weaker.
If that's true, everything fits.
My theory is simply that while his Hollow was fighting him for control his powers were drained. After gaining his mask back he began to learn to use his powers again, thus climbing the ladder back to where he was before.
And before you say it, this does have some backing to it
http://www.onemanga.com/Bleach/218/20/
It was after Ichigo attained Bankai did Shirosaki make his first appearance as Ichigo. I theorise after learning BanKai that is when Shirosaki became stronger then Zangetsu, and starting screwing with Ichigo's power.
And before you say, Ichigo's got stronger even after he got his mask. It's been shown his mask has been changing, that is likely the cause of that.
At the very least that makes more sense than random power boosts for all captains because they did a ickle bit of training.
Fair enough, I concede on the training point (for now 😛). Unless they had some sort of Spirit room (ala DBZ), they couldn't have gained a significant power boost.
Impressive, you have interesting theories. hmm.
Ichigo drop in power makes sense up to a certain point.
Ichigo dipped in power during the gap between SS and the Arrancar arc. He soon regained his original power level and he's long since surpassed the level of power that he demonstrated against Byakuya. Though fair enough, the Bankai Ichigo that fought Grimmjow the first time did seem inferior to the version that appeared when he first activated Bankai.
Another reason could be that the base level of his opponents have been increased, i.e. the bar has been raised.
I have a similar theory...similar.
Zangetsu has most often been the dominant force. The only times Shirosaki has had control over Ichigo (and subjugated Zangetsu) where when he appeared during the fight with Byakuya, the training with the Vizard, and during the fight against Ulquiorra.
I believe that the changes in his mask have reflected his reliance on his hollow side, the amount of control the hollow has as well as the physical state of Ichigo.
The first few appearances of the mask had very few black lines, and those were the times where the mask would just appear to block damage. Pretty soon, Hollow Ichigo broke out but it was in Ichigo's form, so the mask did not change (much?).
Not long after, Hollow Ichigo appears again, this time in a newer form. The mask changes yet again.
Later he gains some control over his hollow powers while being able to stay with his psyche intact for the most part. This mask gains more black lines (10 iirc). Then comes the final fight with Grimmjow where he gains another line that occurs almost simultaneously with the extension of his time limit.
Finally we have his infamous fight against Ulquiorra. The one where Hollow Ichigo appears yet again, this time with a mask unlike any of his other masks. The difference? The Black lines are on the left and the right side. During his fight against Yammy, Ichigo's hollow mask takes on a similar appearance, with lesser lines but on both sides of the mask. This is coupled with a complete hollow eye.
Thus my theory is such; as Ichigo slowly starts to rely more and more on his hollow side, said 'side' grows in control and influence. Ichigo has a finite amount of power in his reserve, the limit of which may or may not be increasing (though in all likelihood, it is increasing).
Thus the balance of power is slowly shifting towards his hollow side. This is turn may explain why Bankai Ichigo appears weaker. His shinigami powers are steadily growing weaker. Concurrently, Ichigo's hollow powers (and access to them while being a Vizard) are evolving, getting stronger; this is demonstrated through the appearance of the newer, stronger Hollow Ichigo in the fight against against Uluqiorra, as well as his slight personality shift against Yammy as noted by Rukia.
