The Thousand-Year Blood War Arc

Upon Luders Friegen’s return to the Wandenreich base, Yhwach expresses his disdain for conflict by severing Luders’ arm as punishment for arguing with Asguiaro Ebern. When Luders declines Yhwach’s offer to lie down before him in exchange for his legs, Yhwach questions his estimate of five days for war preparations, noting that he only cares about the present, not the future. After killing Luders, Yhwach turns to Ebern, acknowledging that while he has no reason to praise or blame him, Ebern’s role in delaying Ichigo Kurosaki is complete. Ebern is then decapitated, and Jugram Haschwalth inquires whether it is wise to kill an Arrancar when they can easily be taught to fight. Yhwach dismisses the concern, pointing out that they have already taken control of Hueco Mundo, where more soldiers can be gathered, as he gazes at the imprisoned Tier Harribel.

Learning that Ebern’s medallion was ineffective in sealing Ichigo’s Bankai, Yhwach concludes that a special strategy will be required. He instructs Haschwalth to send the Jagdarmee to Hueco Mundo to capture some of the remaining Arrancar alive. Later, when informed of Ichigo’s battle with Quilge Opie, Yhwach sees this as the perfect opportunity to invade Soul Society and orders his Sternritter to be notified.

Yhwach soon arrives above the Seireitei, observing the conflict below. He allows Haschwalth to spare some soldiers as a “benign” gesture. Afterward, Yhwach descends into Muken to visit Sōsuke Aizen, offering him a place in the Wandenreich. Aizen refuses, finding it absurd that a Quincy king would align with a Shinigami. Yhwach deems it too time-consuming to either kill or restrain Aizen and departs, unaware that he was speaking to an illusion created by Aizen’s Kyōka Suigetsu. Aizen manipulates Yhwach’s perception of time, making him believe their encounter lasted only a few minutes, though it actually spanned far longer.

Shortly after, Yamamoto realizes that he is fighting Royd Lloyd, who had been mimicking Yhwach, not the Quincy King himself. At this moment, Yhwach arrives and obliterates Royd for his service. He then reveals to Yamamoto that he had visited Aizen and rejected him as an ally, not because of a lack of threat, but due to the time it would take to contain him. Yhwach then steals Yamamoto’s Bankai, Zanka no Tachi, which only he can control, before killing Yamamoto with a devastating attack. Yhwach chastises Yamamoto for his failure to exploit others and claims the original Gotei 13 was far more fearsome than its current iteration. Yhwach then orders the complete annihilation of Soul Society.

As the Sternritter proceed with their destruction of the Seireitei, Yhwach is interrupted by the arrival of Ichigo Kurosaki. Though impressed by Ichigo’s escape from Quilge’s jail, Yhwach remains confident and quickly subdues him, preparing to bring him back to the Wandenreich to recruit him. However, Ichigo’s latent Quincy powers activate, allowing him to resist Yhwach’s attacks. Yhwach explains that Ichigo’s Quincy blood had been awakened by absorbing the Reiatsu of Quilge’s jail, which was designed to be inescapable for anyone but a Quincy. Before Yhwach can reveal more about Ichigo’s heritage, shadows appear, signaling that Yhwach’s time outside the Schatten Bereich is up. Realizing that Aizen had manipulated his sense of time, Yhwach retreats, promising to return for Ichigo.

Days later, Yhwach formally introduces Uryū Ishida as his successor, much to the shock of the Sternritter. He reveals that Uryū’s survival during the Auswählen is the reason for this choice, as Uryū possesses a unique power that even Yhwach acknowledges as potentially greater than his own. Following this, Yhwach leads the Wandenreich’s invasion of the Royal Palace, easily dispatching the Royal Guard with the help of his elite Schutzstaffel. UsingAuswählen, Yhwach revives his fallen Schutzstaffel by draining the life force of his Sternritter left in the Seireitei.

Yhwach proceeds to confront Ichibē Hyōsube, the leader of the Royal Guard. Despite Ichibē’s attempts to stop him, Yhwach overcomes him using the power ofThe Almighty, which grants Yhwach the ability to foresee and alter the future. After defeating Ichibē, Yhwach reaches the Soul King and reveals that the Soul King is his father. He kills the Soul King, aiming to reshape the world by merging the Human World, Soul Society, and Hueco Mundo, eliminating death in the process.

Ichigo and his allies arrive too late to prevent Yhwach from killing the Soul King. Yhwach manipulates Ichigo’s Quincy blood, causing him to unwittingly strike the Soul King. This accelerates the collapse of the realms, and Yhwach prepares to fully realize his plan. However, Ichigo, along with his allies, continues to resist, with Ichigo battling Yhwach directly in the Royal Palace. Despite Yhwach’s overwhelming power and his ability to foresee and manipulate all possible futures, Ichigo is able to land a crucial blow with the assistance of Aizen’s illusions.

In the final moments of the battle, Uryū fires a silver arrow, made from the Still Silver, into Yhwach, which neutralizesThe Almightyand gives Ichigo the opening to deliver the final strike. As Yhwach is cut down by Ichigo’s blade, he laments that his vision of a world without death will never come to pass. Ten years later, Yhwach’s Reiatsu briefly resurfaces in an attempt to destroy the future, but it quickly fades, confirming his defeat at Ichigo’s hands.