Kubo Tite's Bleach is known for a lot of things, especially its now-iconic villain Sosuke Aizen. By now, it’s no spoiler to say that Aizen fooled everyone. When he first appeared, no one suspected that the bespectacled captain of the 5th Division would become one of anime’s most legendary foes.
While Aizen’s true intentions were only revealed near The Soul Society arc’s end, some clues pointing to his truth were actually hidden in plain sight. Thing is, these hints only make sense when revisiting Bleach.
10 Rukia's Death Penalty Was Unreasonably Harsh
For the crime of passing her Shinigami powers to protect a human – who the Shinigami are charged to protect – Rukia is sentenced to death by a giant flaming bird. Aside from said bird usually being saved for heinous offenders, Rukia’s execution was slated to occur in 25 days instead of the usual 35.
At first, this seemed like a good way to establish how draconian Soul Society is. However, capital punishment for what amounts to self-defense was too brutal. Central 46 isn’t exactly merciful, but it’s not unreasonably sadistic. The severity hinted that Aizen took over the judiciary and was using it to get his hands on the Hogyoku hidden in Rukia’s body as soon as possible.
9 He Faded Too Well In The Gotei 13’s Background
The Gotei 13 is comprised of eccentric and unforgettable captains and vice-captains, but Aizen stood out for the exact opposite reason. Simply put, having Aizen in the Gotei 13 was like seeing the mild-mannered Clark Kent hang out with Super Saiyans. To say that he looked misplaced is an understatement. However, this was all according to Aizen’s plans.
Because he was always overshadowed by louder personalities and only called attention to himself when he talked, Aizen was the least suspected Shinigami when it was deduced that there was a traitor in their ranks. It may have been easy to miss at the time but now, Aizen’s faux politeness is a dead giveaway that he was hiding his true self and intentions.
8 His “Death” Contradicted His Assumed Power Level
Captains, by virtue of existing, are some of the most powerful Shinigami in all of Soul Society. It should go without saying that injuring a captain – let alone killing one – is nigh-impossible. Despite that, Aizen was apparently killed with ease. In a vacuum, Captain Aizen’s sudden death meant things were getting serious, but some inconsistencies contradicted it.
If Aizen was really killed by Ichigo and friends, captains like Kenpachi and Mayuri should’ve died. If Aizen was killed by a fellow Shinigami, Ichimaru would’ve stopped being covert after such a brazen kill, while someone would’ve died when Kenpachi and Tosen clashed. Given how godlike his powers were later revealed to be, Aizen was literally too powerful to off-screen.
7 He Was The Only One Who Took The Conspiracy Seriously
The Gotei 13 aren’t the most unanimous bunch, and they’re prone to disagreements. But while they debated about how just or otherwise executing Rukia may have been, they generally agreed to follow Central 46’s orders. The one exception was Aizen, who seemed to be the only one to take a possible conspiracy seriously and investigate it.
Aizen was even part of a small group of captains who interrogated Ichimaru, before they were interrupted by an emergency. While the others verbally threw their weight around, Aizen seemed to be the only who understood the situation’s gravity. This wasn’t a counterproductive move but rather Aizen legitimizing his planted leads before faking his death to seal the deal.
6 He Was The Only Captain Who Shared His Suspicions With Renji
Shortly after Ichigo’s squad breaks into Soul Society, Aizen approaches Renji to discuss some serious concerns. Aizen tells Renji that a conspiracy might be at play, citing Rukia’s sped up execution date and her punishment’s excess as proof. When asked why he was saying these, Aizen claimed it was because he knew Renji and Rukia were close.
While it fit his courteous disguise, Aizen didn’t do this out of the kindness of his heart. In fact, he was sowing doubt and discord in the Gotei 13 while giving them a wild goose chase for a conspiracy he made up. The plan worked, as his suspicions later influenced Renji’s defection and going against Byakuya’s orders, thus throwing Soul Society into even more chaos.
5 His Death Was Too Well-Timed
Just when it seemed like he was getting close to unraveling the conspiracy and exposing the mastermind, Aizen is brutally killed and his corpse gets pinned to a tower for all to see. But as revealed sometime later, Aizen faked his death to cover his tracks and give himself more room to move.
In hindsight, Aizen’s assassination was too conveniently timed – especially to those familiar with clichés and tropes. If Aizen was good the whole time, his death would just be a means to ramp up the stakes. Obviously, this wasn’t the case since it was too well-timed and there were just enough strange details that raised suspicions.
4 Ichimaru Was An Obvious Red Herring
One of the most obvious false leads was Ichimaru, who was deliberately designed to look as evil as possible. The sly and untrustworthy captain cheekily defied orders, while also antagonizing Aizen whenever he could. The biggest red herring was mocking Rukia on her execution date, implying that he sped up the death sentence just to see her suffer.
Those who guessed that Ichimaru was a bad guy were right, but they overestimated his villainy. While he was a part of the conspiracy, he was only Aizen’s henchman. Ichimaru’s lack of grander ambitions beyond killing for entertainment should’ve clued viewers that he was only following orders and that there was a larger force manipulating everyone behind the scenes.
3 He Left Hinamori A Posthumous Mission
After she lost her composure and almost struck Ichimaru, Hinamori got temporarily imprisoned in a holding cell. There, she receives a letter from Aizen, which acts as his last will and testament. Through the letter, Aizen tells Hinamori that he was killed for “investigating” a conspiracy that led back to an unlikely suspect: her childhood friend Hitsugaya.
While it was safe to suspect everyone, Hitsugaya being guilty was too implausible. Minus Aizen’s words, there was no evidence. The biggest red flag was Hitsugaya’s observation that Aizen – who was shown to be an organized and practical captain who took responsibility for everything he did – uncharacteristically left an unfinished task to an underling, while also appealing to emotions.
2 His Resurrection Was Beyond Suspicious
This is a last-minute clue, but it still bears mentioning. When Hinamori is visited by a still-alive Aizen, he claims that he faked his death to keep her safe while he did a covert mission. While a distraught Hinamori was relieved to see her beloved captain alive and well, the fact that he somehow survived getting impaled to a tower was suspect.
Even if the Aizen that Hinamori met in the Central 46’s residences was the good-natured captain she looked up to, him somehow resurrecting was a massive red flag. While most viewers finally realized that Aizen was evil the moment he stepped out of the shadows, others still clung to the hope that one of the Gotei 13’s righteous captains came back to save the day.
1 His Zanpakuto’s Ability Wasn’t Revealed Earlier For A Reason
Bleach is all about the Zanpakuto and what abilities they harbor. By the midpoint of the Soul Society arc, majority of the captains and vice-captains’ Zanpakuto were revealed or at least named and teased in Shikai form. However, Aizen died before he even drew his sword. This wasn’t accidental, because Aizen’s Zanpakuto is a game-breaking plot twist.
Aizen wields Kyoka Suigetsu, a Zanpakuto that hypnotizes its targets by manipulating their five senses. He hypnotized all of Soul Society before Bleach even began when he presented Kyoka Suigetsu during his induction ceremony. The sword’s unsheathing near the arc’s end wasn’t done for world-building, but to flip the tables and change Bleach forever.
0 Comments