Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War Cliffhanger Gives Ichigo New Zanpakuto

By Nick Valdez

Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War has officially brought the first part of its new anime series' run to an end, and the cliffhanger from its big finale has revealed Ichigo Kurosaki's new Zanpakuto! It's been a rough run for Ichigo and the rest of the Soul Society thus far in the new anime as following the fight against the Quincies, Ichigo has been left with a broken Zanpakuto. Now on his path to recovery and regaining his strength, he didn't exactly have a straight line to getting his sword reforged ahead of the real final battle against Yhwach and the Sternritter.

The focus of the final episodes of Part 1 of Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War saw Ichigo returning to Earth in order to learn more about his mysterious past, and why he had powers of the Soul Reapers, Hollows, and even Quincies within him. Coming to a new realization in the finale's final moments where he united all of these powers within him, Ichigo was able to forge a new Zanpakuto that was no longer Zangetsu as he had known it before: 

How Does Ichigo Get a New Zanpakuto? 

Episode 13 of Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War reveals that he's gotten Quincy powers from his mother, and with it also has direct ties to Yhwach as the foe's blood flows through every Quincy. It's soon revealed that these Quincy powers took the form of Zangetsu as Ichigo had known it, and had been actively working to suppress his greater power as the Hollow within him grew stronger. But even knowing all of that, Ichigo refused to relent and still pursued Zangetsu's help. 

READ MORE: Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War Confirms Part 2 Release Window | Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War Shares Part 2 Trailer: Watch | Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War Shares Part 2 Poster

But coming to the realization that he will no longer be able to rely on Zangetsu, or the Hollow within him, Ichigo decides to move ahead alone. This forges a new Zanpakuto that had been previously teased during the anime's new opening theme. Carrying two distinct blades to showcase the two sides of his abilities, now Ichigo's moving forward much stronger than ever before. 

How do you like Ichigo's new Zanpakuto so far? Let us know all of your thoughts about it in the comments! You can even reach out to me directly about all things animated and other cool stuff @Valdezology on Twitter!

Trending Now: