Captain Toshiro Hitsugaya is often teased for his youthful appearance by other Bleach characters, but even his most severe critics have to acknowledge that the young Shinigami is one of the most powerful members of the Gotei 13. Hitsugaya proves this fact over and over again in the Thousand Year Blood War Arc.
The Squad 10 Captain is solemn when compared to his colleagues, although his generally unflappable demeanor is shaken when the Sternritter mount their first attack on Soul Society. Hitsugaya is initially buoyed by the struggles of his comrades, but this sense of security is utterly destroyed upon the death of Captain-Commander Yamamoto Genryusai.
10 Hitsugaya's Bankai Is Stolen
Hitsugaya is initially confident when the Sternritter invade, and takes his Vice-Captain, Matsumoto along with him when fighting. He consequently releases his magnificent ice-dragon bankai Daiguren Hyourinmaru which, to be fair, would have destroyed most Sternritter at their peak.
Unfortunately, Cang Du employs a special medallion to "steal" Hitsugaya's bankai, leaving the captain at the Quincy's mercy. Fortunately, he's one of the sharpest minds in Soul Society, which is why he orders Matsumoto to transmit the nature of this technique to the remaining members of the Gotei 13.
9 He Creates Some Incredible Shikai Techniques With Matsumoto
During the subsequent attack by the Wandenreich, Hitsugaya confidently marches into battle armed with nothing more than his shikai, Hyorinmaru. His new opponent turns out to be the fire-powered Bazz-B, also known as The Heat, who could have never been defeated by a mere shikai.
However, Hitsugaya blends his ice with the ash produced from Matsumoto's Haineko to generate a complex barrier of ice and vacuum that fire cannot break through. Of course, the Shinigami truly underestimate the power of Bazz-B's Burner Fingers.
8 Hitsugaya Is Temporarily (& Partially) Hollowfied
When Cang Du unleashes Daiguren Hyorinmaru, he barely has a chance to use it before Hitsugaya eats a Shin'eiyaku tablet (an Urahara preparation that temporarily Hollowfies anyone who consumes it).
This leads to Hitsugaya's bankai returning to its original wielder, which shocks Cang Du. The Shinigami captain proceeds to hold an internal conversation with Daiguren Hyorinmaru and, interestingly, develops a hollow-esque mask across half his face.
7 He Is Somehow Converted Into A Zombie By Giselle Gewelle
Hitsugaya presumably collapses from exhaustion after battling Cang Du, which is probably when his unconscious body is discovered by Giselle Gewelle, The Zombie.
She transforms him into one of her puppets and forces him to defeat his own comrades, such as Yumichika Ayasegawa and Ikkaku Madarame. However, when Hitsugaya is pitted against the genius of Mayuri Kurotsuchi, the tides of battle turn decidedly against the zombified captain.
6 Hitsugaya Suffers A Seemingly Eternal Time-Loop
Mayuri's blocks and dodges nearly every attack from Hitsugaya, until the latter goes bankai and seemingly kills Mayuri. The scene suddenly shifts to the beginning of their fight, perplexing Hitsugaya, but he goes ahead and cuts Mayuri down another time.
The same event repeats, and Mayuri maliciously mentions that the Squad 10 captain is experiencing the influence of one of his various chemical cocktails. Thankfully, Hitsugaya's misery ends soon enough.
5 He Loses Considerable Amounts Of Lifespan
Mayuri ultimately defeats Giselle, and transports Hitsugaya and Matsumoto into a container-like device that is supposed to remove the effects of the Quincy's Zombification.
Unfortunately, this technique has an unavoidable side-effect: reducing the "patient's" lifespan. However, Mayuri prefers to save Hitsugaya and accepts the consequences on his behalf. Unsurprisingly, Hitsugaya grateful for having been saved.
4 Hitsugaya Takes On Gerard Valkyrie, The Heart Of The Soul King
Hitsugaya and Byakuya team up to fight Gerard Valkyrie, whose Miracle Schrift is proving a real thorn in their sides. Thankfully, they get a moment of respite when Kenpachi interrupts the battle with his newly acquired shikai and bankai.
The Squad 11 captain is soon defeated (ironically by exerting too much reiatsu for his body to handle), and the other two captains are forced to shift gears rapidly when Gerard activates Aschetonig. Taking this entity on requires Hitsugaya to confirm something that many fans had theorized for a long time.
3 He Reveals His Fully Matured Bankai
When Byakuya — after watching Hitsugaya's "timer" petals fade — asks him to revert into shikai state and conserve energy. However, Hitsugaya tells him that the timer doesn't imply a loss of reiatsu but the exact opposite.
He is converted into an adult version of himself, and his bankai, Daiguren Hyorinmaru, receives a massive power augmentation. Hitsugaya reveals that his normal strength isn't enough to wield the full force of his bankai, explaining his physical transformation.
2 Hitsugaya's Shikai Hyoketsu Can Literally Freeze Concepts
In his "completed" form, Hitsugaya has access to far more impressive abilities and techniques than if he had chosen to remain his usual age. One of them, Shikai Hyoketsu, loosely translates to mean "the freezing of the four worlds," and is so comprehensive that it can pretty much freeze ideas.
Gerard's sword, Hoffnung, possesses the power to manifest "hope," meaning that any harm to the blade would be reflected and magnified. Shikai Hyoketsu bypasses this abstract notion and prevents Hoffnung from working as it should.
1 He Looks Exactly The Same Even After A Decade
The Bleach manga finally wrapped up with an epilogue set ten years after Yhwach's defeat — many things have changed, one of the most important being Rukia's new status as the Division 13 Captain.
Hitsugaya is also shown commenting about the decade of peace they have had and comforts Hisagi by telling him that not being able to use bankai is a good thing. Hitsugaya somehow looks identical to his past self, perhaps slightly younger even. Then again, Shinigami don't age like humans do.
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