Toshiro Hitsugaya

"Frozen passion." - Tite Kubo[1]

Tōshirō Hitsugaya (日番谷 冬獅郎, Hitsugaya Tōshirō) is the captain of the 10th Division in the Gotei 13. His lieutenant is Rangiku Matsumoto.

Appearance
Tōshirō is short, with turquoise eyes and short, spiked, white hair, which tends to draw attention in the Human World.[2][3] He wears a standard sleeveless captain's haori with a green sash around his shoulders, held together by a round, star-like clip. The sash holds his Zanpakutō's sheath in place on his back and is tied to it at either end. He sometimes walks around in histabi. He is relatively young by Shinigami standards, and has the appearance of a child. In the Human World, he wears a black, short-sleeved, golf shirt and gray pants. He also wore the uniform of Karakura High School.

Before Tōshirō was a captain, his hair was not as spiky, with only a few spikes here and there. He also wore the standard Shinigami outfit, but with the addition of the 10th Division's insignia on the left breast of his outfit.[4]

17 months following Aizen's defeat, shortly after Ichigo regains his Shinigami powers, Tōshirō appears sporting a hairstyle similar to that before he became a Shinigami, and a long turquoise scarf.[5][6] His green sash has also changed to a thin chain, but still retains the star-like clip.[7]

After training for an unspecified amount of time in preparation to fight the Wandenreich, Tōshirō's hair appears to have grown longer, his fringe now reaching down to his eyes despite being held up by a newly acquired bandanna. He also appears lankier than before, with his robes loosely hanging off of his body.[8]

After being zombified by Giselle Gewelle, Hitsugaya's appearance changes dramatically. He now wears a white double-breasted trench coat with black lapels that is fastened by four buttons on either side and which has a badge with a six-pointed cross on its left breast. He has a black belt with a large buckle around his waist, slightly baggy white pants, and white boots with furry black liners. He retains the thin chain holding his Zanpakutō's sheath around his upper torso.[9]

Personality
Hitsugaya is generally mature and serious, in contrast to his free-spirited lieutenant, Rangiku Matsumoto. Despite their personality differences, he and Rangiku seem very close. Tōshirō is shown to be easily annoyed by others goofing off or drawing unneeded attention to themselves, as shown when he leads a team of Shinigami into Ichigo Kurosaki's school.[2] Hitsugaya hates anything that he deems childish as well as being described as something close to a child, such as an elementary school child. He is overly protective of Momo Hinamori, due to the fact that they were old childhood friends. Hitsugaya dislikes summer and warm weather in general.

Tōshirō's favorite foods are watermelon and amanattō. He does not like dried persimmons. During his childhood in West Rukongai, he was so skilled with spinning tops that he became the local undefeated champion. He works very hard, but his motive seems to be that if he finishes quickly, he can return to his afternoon nap. He believes in the saying "children who sleep well, grow well," and hopes to grow quickly, a wish shared by his subordinates. Naturally, they do not voice this fact in front of him, for even regularly practicing this adage for so long, he did not really grow in height.[10]

Hitsugaya is usually joked about by many of the other Shinigami in Soul Society as well as by his enemies. Hitsugaya has developed a cold attitude toward most people; he tolerates these jokes and goes on with his duties. Although he has shown anger towards jokes, he doesn't take action against whomever insulted him unless they are his enemies. The only thing he cannot tolerate is not being addressed as "Captain Hitsugaya," or an inappropriate use of his name, as he worked very hard for the title, so he gets angry when not addressed as such. He does not address any other officer with their title, only their last names. The only person that actually calls him by his given name is Ichigo, who is constantly reminded to address him properly, and Hinamori, who is the only person allowed to get away with it. Hinamori tends to call him "Hitsugaya-kun" and both she and Ukitake occasionally use "Shirō-chan" (シロちゃん) — a nickname meaning "Whitey" (Snowy in the English manga) in reference to his hair — in both cases without any repercussion. In addition, Karin and her friends call him by his first name and they are never given any rebukes for it. Jūshirō Ukitake often gives Hitsugaya candy and other food because "Jūshirō" and "Tōshirō" sound similar and because they both have white hair, making them both "Shirō-chan."

During his duel with Gin Ichimaru, Ichimaru remarks that Hitsugaya is the embodiment of a heavenly guardian that would be reincarnated every few centuries.[11]

History
Hitsugaya comes from the province of Junrinan in the 1st District of West Rukongai.[12] There, he lived with his grandmother and Momo Hinamori. As a young child, Hitsugaya was a bit of a brat who liked to eat watermelons and poke fun at Hinamori. She called him "Shiro-chan" and he retorted by calling her "Bed-wetter Momo." The two were close friends and Hitsugaya, despite being younger and much shorter than his friend, always felt that he needs to protect her.[13]

Even at a young, untrained age, Hitsugaya could hear the calling of his Zanpakutō spirit, Hyōrinmaru. Despite this, he never told anyone and couldn't accurately determine what was happening other than to assume it was an ever recurring dream.[14]

When Hinamori left to become a Shinigami, he portrayed himself as happy to see her go, though it was more of an act than his true feelings. Her next door friends were scared of him, even though he had never done anything to them. His grandmother, "Granny," and Hinamori were the only ones in the district that weren't afraid of him. His personality was supposedly "cold as ice" or at least thought to be, and he often wondered if it was due to his appearance or attitude.[15] When Momo had been in the Shinigami Academy for 5 years, he began to notice how he hadn't grown an inch. He noticed that Hinamori's hair grew longer and she visited less often, seemingly having a goal in her life now. He also noticed that "Granny" was getting skinnier.[16]

While out at the market one day a shopkeeper, whom he was buying items from, was treating him disdainfully. He then meetsRangiku Matsumoto, who yells at the shop keeper for being rude to Hitsugaya and reproached him for his poor customer skills. When Hitsugaya turns around, he is knocked down by bumping into Rangiku's bosom. She then yells at him for "lying there and crying about it and not standing up like a man," although it was she who had knocked him down in the first place. He then shakes her off and runs away.[17]

Later that night, he has a vivid dream of a gigantic, icy blue, serpentine dragon with large wings and an echoing voice. This dream is markedly different from the previous ones, where he had only experienced sensations, but nothing substantial to what the meaning might be. This time, however, the reason behind the dreams not only materializes, but tries to tell him its name. Hitsugaya cannot hear him, however, as his voice is muffled by strong winds. He then wakes up in a cold sweat.[18]Upon waking up, he sees Rangiku and is surprised to see her in his home. She immediately tells him to stop leaking his Reiatsu everywhere and to get some sleep. She further explains that his grandmother looks pretty cold, which causes Hitsugaya to notice for the first time that the room is exceedingly cold and affecting his grandmother.

Rangiku then tells him he should become a Shinigami, stating that kids with power as strong as his need to learn how to bring their power under control. She explains that if he stays the way he is, his power will end up killing his grandmother. At first, Hitsugaya isn't sure what she is talking about, but she calmly places her hand on his chest and asks him if he hears a voice calling out to him. She explains to him that once he has found that voice, he'll understand how to control his power. She then notes that for that to happen he must become a Shinigami.[19]

Soon after, he tells his grandmother of his intentions of becoming a Shinigami. Much to Hitsugaya's surprise, she is happy for him. She tells him that she had always felt that he holds everything in because he didn't want to leave her, but doing so was only hurting him and in turn, seeing him that way, hurt her. Hitsugaya then leaves to follow his own path with his grandmother's blessing.[20]

With Hitsugaya's natural talent, he quickly entered the Shinigami Academy and graduated early despite his age. Hinamori continued to call him "Shirō-chan" out of habit and felt she needed to protect him. Because of a promise she had made, she only began to call him "Hitsugaya-kun" after he had achieved his Zanpakutō's Shikai and was recognized as a Shinigami.[1]

Hitsugaya eventually joined the 10th Division under Isshin Shiba, working his way up to the rank of 3rd seat. One day, Hitsugaya reported to Isshin that a Shinigami in Naruki City died two months ago. Isshin was aware of the situation, having knowledge that theGotei 13 was investigating the incident. Hitsugaya then informed him that two more individuals died in the past month, while investigating the cause. Concerned, Isshin decided to investigate the cause himself. Rangiku tried to go to assist him, but Hitsugaya stopped her, informing her that they were not strong enough to assist him.[21] Afterwards he was also present to witness Rangiku's rage towards their captain for returning to the Living World, seemingly on a whim.[22]

Highly capable and knowledgeable, he quickly became the youngest of the captains within the Gotei 13 in the entire history of Soul Society.[1] He is also a friend of Jidanbō Ikkanzaka, the West Gate Keeper, who taught him the "city rules."[1]

Powers & Abilities
Child Prodigy: Perhaps the most astonishing trait of Hitsugaya is his intellect and natural talent. He is the most gifted prodigy the Soul Society has had since Gin Ichimaru, as shown from him entering the Shinigami Academy on his first try despite his young age, graduating from the academy in a single year with the highest written and performance scores in each of his classes, joining the Gotei 13 shortly afterwards, and then becoming the youngest Shinigami to ever reach the rank of captain. He has been called many things due to this. Renji and Iba have called him a child genius, and Ichimaru has called him the embodiment of the "heavenly white angel that blesses Soul Society once a century". In terms of intellect, Hitsugaya is equally impressive. He was the first to suspect Ichimaru of treason, and saw that there was more to Rukia's execution than what was being said. Shunsui, one of the strongest Shinigami in history, states that because he is a genius, within 100 years, Hitsugaya could surpass him.[141] Master Swordsman: Hitsugaya is masterful at swordsmanship, capable of utilizing his size to effectively counter and outmaneuver his opponents. His skill in swordsmanship is evident in the fact that he is the youngest Shinigami captain; he is therefore one of the youngest Shinigami to achieve Bankai. His skill in swordsmanship is great enough that he rarely uses even his Shikai in battle, of which he has shown great proficiency with. Instead, he relies on Hyōrinmaru's sealed form, only using its Shikai or Bankai when things get tough.[147][148][149]
 * Expert Strategist & Tactician: Despite his age, Hitsugaya has repeatedly shown great instinct and intuition in battle. He is generally aware of everything in his presence, and is also able to see through most deceptions. For example, he discerned that Gin Ichimaru was more than he seemed, although he was not yet sharp enough to realize it was all part of Aizen's plot. He is also a keen analyst, able to deduce the basic mechanics behind an opponent's attacks, and quickly figuring out its strength and weakness to better counter it.[100] As a captain, he is a capable leader. He is given missions from Captain-Commander Yamamoto to lead teams into the Human World many times to deal with threats. For example, Hitsugaya led the team sent by Soul Society that reinforced Ichigo's group against the Arrancar.[142] In battle, he has shown great instincts against incoming danger, as shown from his reaction to Harribel's initial attack after releasing.[143] After losing his Bankai to the Sternritter, Hitsugaya was forced to come up with several creative and unorthodox methods of using his limited Shikai capabilities, such as combining his Zanpakutō powers with Matsumoto's Haineko to create vacuum ice blades, creating a wall made of thin, interwoven ice threads and even generating a field of icy mist.[144][145][146]

Kidō Expert: Hitsugaya is highly proficient in Kidō, and is capable of performing high-level Kidō spells without the incantation. For example, during his battle with Hyōrinmaru, he used a level 63 binding spell without the incantation.[87]

Shunpo Expert: Hitsugaya is highly proficient in Shunpo. Repeatedly in battle, he has shown himself able to block and dodge dangerous attacks.

Hakuda Combatant: Hitsugaya was able to knock out a grief-fueled Hinamori with a single blow, while in mid-air. [150] However, he is usually seen using his Zanpakutō, so his skill in this field remains to be seen.

Immense Spiritual Power: Tōshirō's spiritual power has the same effect as his Zanpakutō, as it is an elemental representative of ice. His Spiritual Pressure is said to be very large and "cold". Even before he became a Shinigami, his spiritual pressure was immense and uncontrollable, like Ichigo's, and caused people around him to freeze, namely his grandmother, who lived with him at the time. This cold spiritual power of his reflects his attitude as well. He is also the youngest Shinigami to ever achieve their Bankai. He even had visions of Hyōrinmaru's spirit before he attained it or entered the Shinigami academy.[151]He is able to hide his presence well; on several occasions he manages to surprise Hinamori and Matsumoto with his sudden appearances, which leads them to complain about him "sneaking up" on them.[152] His Reiatsu is white.[91]

Enhanced Endurance: Despite his young and lean appearance, Tōshirō has shown himself to be a resilient fighter. He survived the attacks of Shawlong Koufang while at 20 percent of his actual strength.[153] He is also able to continue to fight after taking a direct hit by Bazz-B. [154]

Zanpakutō
Hyōrinmaru redirects here. For the manifested spirit that appears in the Zanpakutō Unknown Tales and Beast Swords arcs see Hyōrinmaru (Zanpakutō spirit)

Hyōrinmaru (氷輪丸, Ice Ring) When sealed, Hyōrinmaru looks like a normal katana with the exception of the guard, which is in the shape of a four-pointed bronze-colored star. Its hilt is light blue, and sheath dark blue. The sheath completely dissolves when he draws his sword. The sword is somewhat longer than most Zanpakutō, at about 1.4 meters long. This makes it taller than Hitsugaya, preventing him from wearing it at the hip. Because of this, Hitsugaya instead carries it on his back by his green sash over his right shoulder.

Hyōrinmaru is the strongest of all ice-element Zanpakutō in Soul Society. As such, Hitsugaya doesn't need water to be present in order for him to use its abilities.[155] Hitsugaya's control over Hyōrinmaru's power is great enough to use its Bankai attacks while in Shikai, though with less control over them.[87]The difference in ability between Hyōrinmaru's Shikai and Bankai is very small; the true difference lies in the quantities of ice each form can create, with the Shikai only being able to create comparatively small quantities.[156]
 * Shikai: Hyōrinmaru's release command is "Sit Upon the Frozen Heavens" (霜天に坐せ, sōten ni zase; Viz "Reign over the Frosted Heavens"). In its Shikai, Hyōrinmaru extends slightly in length, and gains a crescent-shaped blade attached to its hilt by a long metal chain, which can extend greatly, if necessary, by force of will. The chain itself can be used for attack, or to entangle a target.[157]
 * Shikai Special Ability: Hyōrinmaru allows Hitsugaya to control water and ice. His slashes create an immense amount of spiritual power which overflows from the tip of the blade, creating a flow of ice shaped like a Chinese dragon. The dragon flies towards opponents and instantly freezes anything it touches. Hyōrinmaru can create multiple ice dragons to attack an opponent from various angles.[158] Hitsugaya can also direct his slashes towards the ground and form a wave of ice, which rushes over his opponents, overwhelming and freezing them.[159] The chain-blade also freezes anything Hitsugaya traps with it. The power it expels is so overwhelming that in Soul Society (where Hitsugaya is not placed under a limiter), its mere release affects the weather within the immediate vicinity, creating a thunderstorm or blizzard.[160]


 * Tensō Jūrin (天相従臨, Subjugation of the Heavens): One of Hyōrinmaru's basic powers, as well as its strongest. It allows him to control the weather in the immediate vicinity, or more specifically, the water in the surrounding atmosphere. The ability is usable in both Shikai and Bankai.[161] However, Hitsugaya states that this aspect of his powers is not fully mature, and that he doesn't like to use it in Bankai mode, as he is unsure of whether or not he could keep it from killing everyone in the vicinity.


 * Shinkū Tasō Hyōheki (真空多層氷壁, Multilayer Vacuum Ice Wall): To counteract the small quantities of ice his Hyōrinmaru can create, Hitsugaya has developed this method of ice creation in conjunction with Rangiku's Zanpakutō, Haineko. By using the ashes of Rangiku's Shikai to create layers of ice, and then by removing the ashes and having Haineko return to its sword form, Hitsugaya can create a multi-layer ice wall with several empty layers. This enables the little ice Hyōrinmaru can create to be able to withstand fire attacks with little damage. Hitsugaya can then manipulate this ice to use as a sword.[162]


 * Shinkū no Kōri no Yaiba (真空の氷の刃, Vacuum Ice Blade): This ability allows Hitsugaya to control his Shinkū Tasō Hyōheki technique and manipulate the ice by gathering it at Hyōrinmaru's tip and expelling it forward creating a large blade of ice to impale his opponent.[163]


 * Ryōjin Hyōheki (綾陣氷壁, Woven-Ice Wall): Hitsugaya generates a protective wall of ice by finely weaving threads of ice together.[164]


 * Rokui Hyōketsujin (六衣氷結陣, Six-Clothed Ice Binding-Array; Viz "Six-Point Ice Formation"): Hitsugaya can lay down a trap by placing five snowflake-shaped ice crystals on the ground in a pentagonal formation. When an opponent steps into the trap, each snowflake sends a line of ice towards them. The space within the pentagon is then encased in a large pillar of ice, trapping the opponent.[165]


 * Bankai: Daiguren Hyōrinmaru (大紅蓮 氷輪丸, Grand Crimson Lotus Ice Ring; Viz "Great Roaring Coldly Shining Moon"): Hitsugaya's Bankai causes ice to flow from Hyōrinmaru onto Hitsugaya, starting at his right arm, which ice forms onto in the shape of a dragon's head around his sword hand, encasing the sword up to the hilt, which also changes from the shape of a four-pointed star to that of an eight-pointed star. The ice continues forming up over his shoulders, with two large wings sprouting from his back and a long tail. The ice forms down his left arm and encases his hand, which ends in a claw. Hitsugaya's feet are encased in ice in a similar manner to his left hand, as they also end in claws.[166] These new ice limbs are movable, and can be used as an extension of himself to aid in battle. During some appearances of his Bankai, three flowers of ice form floating behind him, each consisting of four purple petals shaped like diamonds.[167] These flowers melt away, petal by petal, as Hitsugaya's battle progresses, leading Shawlong Koufang to speculate that Hitsugaya's Bankai will deactivate when all twelve petals disappear, assuming that the captain's Bankai was incomplete due to his young age. During his fight with Luppi, these petals were noticeably absent. However, during his fight in the Fake Karakura Town, they were present once more. Following the final battle against Aizen, Hitsugaya trained and strengthened his Bankai considerably, completing its development after eighteen months of hard work.[168] According to Hitsugaya, should his Bankai somehow end up trying to attack itself, the ice would instead be deflected somewhere else rather than actually attack the Bankai.[169]
 * Bankai Special Ability: Much like his Shikai, Tōshirō can freeze objects and areas, though the radius and strength of the freezing is greater.[170] Because the Bankai's freezing ability is much greater, Tōshirō can swing his tail around as a weapon to try and freeze objects.[171] Hyōrinmaru's Bankai lets Tōshirō access several additional techniques.


 * Bankai Regeneration: During his battle with Luppi Antenor, Hitsugaya's Bankai was damaged. However, it regenerated, and Hitsugaya stated that as long as there is water in the air, his Bankai can be revived indefinitely.[172] (Unnamed)


 * Zanhyō Ningyō (残氷人形, Lingering Ice Puppet/Doll): Upon activating his Bankai, Tōshirō is able to create and shape a large amount of ice into his exact likeness. It is very life-like, as it can appear to bleed. He stated that he can usually only trick an opponent once with it, so he usually saves it for towards the end of a battle.[173]


 * Shield of Ice Wings: Hitsugaya is capable of wrapping his wings around himself like a sphere, protecting him from attacks.[174] (Unnamed)


 * Ryūsenka (竜霰花, Dragon Hail Flower): When Hitsugaya stabs his opponents, a huge burst of ice erupts from the point of contact between Hyōrinmaru and the opponents, encasing and freezing them. Hitsugaya then proceeds to shatter the ice, and his opponent with it.[175]


 * Sennen Hyōrō (千年氷牢, Thousand Years' Ice Prison): Hitsugaya creates many ice pillars, which encircle him and his enemy. At his command (when he turns his sword 90 degrees counter-clockwise), these pillars then move towards the enemy, enveloping and crushing them. Though this technique is very powerful, Hitsugaya infers that it takes a considerable amount of time to prepare, and therefore the distraction of his enemy is crucial in successfully completing this attack.[176]


 * Hyōten Hyakkasō (氷天百華葬, Frozen Heaven Hundred Flower Funeral): This ability is an extension of Hyōrinmaru's Tensō Jūrin power. However, because Hitsugaya dislikes using Tensō Jūrin while his Bankai is active, he rarely uses it. The ability opens up a huge hole in the clouds, through which a large amount of snow floats down onto his opponent. As the snow comes into contact with the opponent, ice flowers sprout all over their body, instantly trapping them in a pillar of ice. Hitsugaya claimed that when the last of the 100 petals falls, the life of the one who touched it will be over.[177]


 * Guncho Tsurara (群鳥氷柱, Icicle Flock): Hitsugaya freezes water into ice and then swings his Zanpakutō in an arc, firing an array of ice daggers at his target.[178]


 * Hyōryū Senbi (氷竜旋尾, Ice Dragon Swirling Tail): With this technique, Hitsugaya swings his sword in a linear direction and creates overflowing ice from his blade in the form of a crescent.[179]


 * Zekku (絶空, Void Sever): This ability allows Hitsugaya to control his Hyōryū Senbi technique and send it up into the air.[179]

Trivia

 * Hitsugaya's name is sometimes romanized as Toushiro Hitsugaya.[180]


 * He was voted the most popular character in Bleach in the January 26, 2008 Shōnen Jumpcharacter poll (in previous ones he placed 6th and 2nd).[181]


 * His Zanpakutō Hyōrinmaru won the most popular Zanpakutō poll, while his Bankai, Daiguren Hyōrinmaru, came 16th.
 * In the Bleach best bout poll Hitsugaya's fight with Ichimaru came in fifth place.[182]


 * Hitsugaya wrote a hugely popular serial titled Beautiful Crystal for the Seireitei Communication in which he featured items such as carvings and chairs sculpted from ice. However, the column is currently in hiatus, but is scheduled to resume in due course.[183]


 * The Shinigami Women's Association published a Photo Collection showcasing Hitsugaya calledWinter Lion which was sold out and is now being reprinted. [184]


 * Tōshirō's theme song, as chosen by Tite Kubo, is "Girl's Not Grey" by A.F.I.[185]


 * At the request of Captain Jūshirō Ukitake, Akon and his staff produce a life size figure of Captain Hitsugaya as a birthday gift. Ukitake also requests one of Byakuya Kuchiki.[186]

Quotes

 * "There we go again, old men and their stupid arguments. What a pain."[187]


 * (To Gin Ichimaru) "If you make Hinamori shed even one drop of blood... I'll kill you."[188]


 * (To Momo Hinamori) "Hinamori! How many times do I have to tell you? It's not "Hitsugaya-kun". It's "Captain Hitsugaya"."[189]


 * (To Luppi Antenor) "You're being too lenient with an opponent you've only hit once. Haven't you ever heard of following through?"[190]


 * (To Tier Harribel) "I can't say I expected your speed and range to increase so dramatically the moment you released. It's a good thing I played it safe. This little trick is a one-time deal, so I didn't really want to have to use it quite so early. Don't underestimate it. The power of a Shinigami."[191]


 * (To Tier Harribel) "Since you were kind enough to lecture me, allow me to tell you something. You are in the greatest danger when you execute a flawless strategy. That, too, is the way of battle."[192]


 * (To Sōsuke Aizen) "Wielding one's blade out of duty alone is what it means to be a captain. Wielding one's blade out of hatred is nothing more than petty violence. That is not what we would consider battle."[193]


 * (To Sōsuke Aizen) "You've got it exactly right, Aizen. I wield this blade out of hatred. I didn't come here to do battle. I'm here to slice you to pieces as a sheer act of violence!"[194]


 * (To Sōsuke Aizen) "As long as I can strike you down, I would gladly abandon my status as captain right here and now!"[195]


 * "After the battle with Aizen, I put everything I had into mastering my Bankai. I honed it until it could be called a 'true Bankai'. But now, that Bankai has been taken from me. I must cast aside that which I have lost. I don't have time to be fruitlessly hoping for its return. I must keep moving forward. Moving forward..."[196]

Other

 * Team: Team Natsu
 * Appearance: Episode 2
 * Guild Mark Location: Robe
 * Guild: Fairy Tail
 * Guild Master: Makarov