Shinigami powers
Ichigo, though not possessing any formal shinigami rank, can fight on the level of a shinigami captain and possesses several powerful techniques. According to Aizen and Urahara, Ichigo’s most astounding ability is his growth rate: he grasps the basic control of advanced techniques in days where it might take someone else weeks or years. One example is the final release of his zanpakut¨, which he learns in three days while a normal shinigami would require hundreds of years of combat experience and at least ten additional years of special training to learn the same thing. It should be noted, however, that he used a special device designed by Urahara to accelerate the process. He also quickly gains mastery of flash steps while training with Yoruichi.
Physically, Ichigo is in top form even when not in his spiritual body. Ichigo has been trained in martial arts since he was a small child, both professionally and by his father’s constant assaults and surprise attacks when at home. He regularly fought and defeated bullies and gangsters when in high school, and was a better martial artist than even Tatsuki, the second-strongest high school girl in Japan, before they were in middle school.[4]
When he is in his shinigami body, Ichigo’s already impressive strength is greatly enhanced. He can easily wield his giant sword one-handed, leap several stories into the air, and in one case even fought off three lieutenants and their released zanpakut¨ bare-handed in rapid succession. He even shattered one of their released zanpakut¨ in a single punch.
In terms of fighting style, Ichigo relies mostly on his zanpakut¨ and the use of flash steps, and thus would be considered a swordsmanship specialist. Ichigo has never been formally taught kid¨ (demon arts).
Normally, when going to the human world, captain and vice-captain-ranked shinigami have a limit placed on their power so they will not cause “unnecessary influence." Because he is not a ranked officer, Ichigo possesses no such limit. What exactly this “unnecessary influence” refers to is unclear.
He is also a shinketsu (A full blood shinigami since his father is also a shinigami)This might explain why he could see ghosts in the first place
Hollow powers
Ichigo’s powers are not limited to just shinigami abilities; he possesses hollow powers as a result of his training with Urahara. Because he had to temporarily become a hollow (at least partially) to awaken his shinigami powers, he possesses a hollow spirit within him. The title page of chapter 220 depicts the inner hollow with the mirror writing of Ichigo’s name.
At different points in the series, Ichigo’s hollow powers have manifested themselves in different ways. Initially, Ichigo’s hollow mask would appear on his body to block fatal blows, which Ichigo never noticed until after the fact. During his battle with Byakuya Kuchiki, the mask appeared on his face when he was near death, allowing his inner hollow to take over until Ichigo suppressed it. The same event is repeated multiple times after that, though Ichigo’s ability to suppress it got quicker each time. Eventually, Ichigo’s ability to suppress his hollow got quick enough that he could suppress it almost instantly. However, doing so left him effectively paralyzed during such periods, since his concentration was focused on suppressing it rather than fighting.
While his inner hollow is dominant, Ichigo is able to ignore any current injuries and becomes far faster and stronger than normal. The arrancar Ulquiorra has claimed that Ichigo’s hollow-enhanced strength is even greater than his own when berserk, but fluctuates widely; Ichigo’s fluctuations were the primary reason why he let Ichigo survive their first encounter.
While he was in training with the vizard, Ichigo was completely overcome by his inner hollow for a short period, to the point that his body transformed into a hollow. As a full hollow, Ichigo demonstrated some of their common abilities, including instantaneous regeneration, enhancement of limbs, and the ability to fire energy blasts from his fingers. However, this form didn’t last long as Ichigo emerged from the hollow shell as his standard shinigami self.
After training with the vizard and subjugating his inner hollow, Ichigo can use his hollow mask while retaining his personality, but only for eleven seconds at a time.[5] During this transformation, his hollow powers supplement his shinigami powers, giving him a vast increase in both strength and speed.
Zangetsu
Ichigo’s zanpakut¨ is named Zangetsu (”ØÔ lit. moon cutter). Ichigo calls him “old man” or “uncle” (¤ª¤Ã¤µ¤ó, ossan?), since Zangetsu’s spirit resembles a 30-40 year-old man. Zangetsu has also been called the “black-clothed man” (ü\Ò¤ÎÄÐ, kokui no otoko?).[6] Unlike those of most shinigami, who can seal their zanpakut¨ after releasing it, Ichigo’s zanpakut¨ is always in its initial release state like the zanpakut¨ of Kenpachi Zaraki, likely due to the fact that both men possess unusually large amounts of spiritual energy. Yoruichi Shihouin has stated that his zanpakut¨ is a full-time released form type, implying that it is simply a type of zanpakut¨ that, once initially released, remains in said state.
When Ichigo first becomes a shinigami, his zanpakut¨ is simply an oversized version of a regular sealed zanpakut¨, complete with an equally oversized sheath on his back. The large size is due to Ichigo’s immense spiritual power, which he didn’t know how to control. As a result, the sword itself was rather weak, since very little spiritual power was used to create it. Byakuya Kuchiki cuts off most of the blade during his first encounter with Ichigo and Kisuke Urahara subsequently slices it down to the hilt during their training, forcing Ichigo to learn the name of his zanpakut¨ in order to release its true form.
The released form of Zangetsu resembles an oversized, though more elegant, cleaver blade without a hilt guard. The sword is as tall as Ichigo is, 1.74 meters, and has a black blade with a silver edge. Ichigo carries his zanpakut¨ on his back by the cloth wrapped around the handle. When not in combat, the cloth extends to cover the rest of the sword and falls away when necessary, shrinking back to a manageable size. The cloth can also be used to swing the weapon like a flail and toss it at opponents, but this is rarely done. Zangetsu’s special ability is the getsuga tensh¨ (ÔÂÑÀÌìÐn, lit. moon sky-piercing fang), which fires concentrated energy blasts from the tip of the blade in the shape of a crescent moon. Ichigo uses this ability without knowing its name several times, but masters the technique later on when he discovers its name. As stated by Zangetsu, knowing and not knowing the name of an attack makes a difference in the amount of power that it releases.
The final release of Zangetsu, named Tensa Zangetsu (Ììæi”ØÔÂ, lit. heavenly chains moon cutter), is considered completely out of the ordinary for any zanpakut¨. Unlike most final releases, which usually create some sort of massive creature or effect, Ichigo’s final release actually shrinks his sword down to a nodachi (Japanese long sword) with a black blade, a handguard in the shape of the manji (which is the kanji for “ban," meaning “full”
, and a short chain dangling as the blade’s tassel, which replaces the cloth from its initial release form. In addition to his sword, Ichigo’s robe is replaced with a long-sleeved, ankle-length black coat with red lining that is closed at his chest, much like that of Zangetsu himself.
While Ichigo’s final release is usually a fairly short transformation, the initial transformation (as well as a few others for dramatic effect) has an extended sequence. First, Ichigo concentrates his spiritual aura around himself and his sword. The cloth section of his sword then wraps around his arm and Ichigo fires a blast forward or toward where his sword is facing. The transformation leaves a tremendous tornado behind, which when receding reveals Ichigo in his final release. In most cases, Ichigo merely performs a quickened version of the drawn-out transformation, excluding the large forward blast and the cloth wrapping around his arm.
As explained by Byakuya Kuchiki, Ichigo’s final release is a compression of his power, rather than a vast expansion as other final releases are. This hugely compressed power enables Ichigo to move at speeds exceeding those of flash steps, and gives him matching agility and reflexes, allowing him to use his natural strength to its limits. This form doesn’t gain any additional special abilities, but it does possess an improved, black version of getsuga tensh¨.[7] In addition to the change in color, the black getsuga tensh¨ is much stronger and its path can be willfully controlled by Ichigo. The move was first displayed by Ichigo’s inner hollow, and initially carried the risk of causing his inner hollow to surface if used too much. With Ichigo’s later control over his inner hollow, this no longer is a problem.
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Games
» Ichigo Kurosaki vs. Z
. Anyway I will admit Ichigo is very very very strong, but I don’t see him beating Z. Ichigo is fast as hell but I thought he’ll be able to fly to Saturn from Earth in five seconds. While Ichigo can whipe out hollows, Z can wipe out an entire fleet of battleships.Ichigo can slice buildings in half,Z destroyed the moon without even trying. Z wins in a curbstomp.