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Warning: Spoilers for Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War Episode #3Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood Warhas made it clear that Yhwach is a nearly invincible enemy, and his power has only grown with the unlocking of his Schrift ability, the Almighty. However, the latest episode has revealed that Yhwach’s ability does have one weakness, and it might provide a clue as to how he can be defeated.
Yhwach’s most noteworthy ability is without a doubt the Almighty, as it allows him to predict the actions of just about anyone and anything into the future, enabling him to subvert any attempts to defeat him with the greatest of ease. He can’t just see one future; he’s able to see into every possible future, allowing him to shape events so that they unfold in his favor, something that’s impossible to prevent without a comparable ability.Yhwach’s ability is unimaginably powerful, and it would be easy to give into despair against such an opponent. However, the Almighty does have one weakness.
The Almighty Has One Thing It Can’t Predict
The Soul King’s Embodiment Can Subvert the Almighty
In the episode, Captain Ukitake begins a ritual which turns his body over to Mimihagi, otherwise known as the right hand of the Soul King. By doing this, Ukitake hopes to take the place of the Soul King and become the new keystone which reality relies upon. As Mimihagi reaches high up into the sky to the Soul King’s palace, Yhwach is shocked.Despite his use of the Almighty, Yhwach was unable to foresee Mimihagi’s interference in his attempt to kill the Soul King and destroy the world as it stands.
Yhwach deduces that he was unable to see the actions of Mimihagi (and by extension, Ukitake, as host of Mimihagi) because it is a part of the Soul King, and thus exists outside of his ability to predict the future. While Ukitake’s attempt seems like it won’t be successful for long, this reveals that the Almighty isn’t as completely invincible as it once appeared. Given that the Soul King had all his limbs removed, there are likely other beings besides Mimihagi which could interfere with his ability to see the future.
Can Ichigo And Friends Use This to Their Advantage?
Ichigo May Already Have What He Needs to Beat Yhwach
In the manga, this weakness of Yhwach’s doesn’t amount to much, but given all the changes which have been made to the story in theThousand-Year Blood Waranime, it could become very significant indeed. One change that may be relevant isIchigo’s special training through the Irazusando path, which saw him gain multiple pupils temporarily (like Yhwach and the Soul King), as well as allowed him to witness some of the Soul King’s history. The purpose of this training hasn’t been made fully clear yet, but it is clear it had to do with testing Ichigo’s compatibility with the Soul King.
Many fans believe this scene was added to show Ichigo being tested as a new potential Soul King, should the Quincy turn out successful in killing the existing Soul King. This information comes from a series of light novels known asCan’t Fear Your Own Worldby Ryoga Narita, which had input from Tite Kubo. With the Irazusando scene, it seemed like some of this lore might be implemented in theanime adaptation ofThousand-Year Blood War, which could be telegraphing a big change to the end of the story arc.
Bleach Confirms The Real Reason Ichigo Is The Series' Hero Alongside The Soul King’s True Name
Thousand-Year Blood War explains why Ichigo had to be the one to do all that he’s done, while simultaneously revealing the true name of the Soul King.
If Yhwach can’t predict the actions of aspects of the Soul King, and these challenges from Squad Zero prepared Ichigo to take the Soul King’s place, thenit may be possible that Ichigo could gain enough aspects of the Soul King to become immune to Yhwach’s the Almighty, making it possible for him to actually confront Yhwach on even ground. That would, of course, require major changes to how the ending ofThousand-Year Blood Warplays out, but given fan dissatisfaction with the ending in the manga, this may well be more along the lines of what Kubo intended all along.
This weakness of Yhwach’s the Almighty could be pivotal, or it could turn out to mean very little, and it’s impossible to say at this point in time. It does, however, prove that even in spite of all his power, Yhwach isn’t omnipotent, and standing against him isn’t inherently futile. Regardless of whether this theory pans out, Ichigo must stay strong in his resolve to stand up to Yhwach if he’s to save the Soul Society and put an end toBleach’sThousand-Year Blood War.
Bleach: Thousand Year Blood War
Cast
Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War is a sequel series to the popular anime from creator Tite Kubo. This anime follows Ichigo and his friends as they investigate why people are disappearing while trouble arises in the Soul Society. The first season was released in 2022 and has been critically acclaimed since its beginning.
