Tōshirō Hitsugaya

"Frozen passion"

- Tite Kubo talking about Tōshirō Tōshirō Hitsugaya is the captain of the 10th Division of the Gotei 13 and a hero from Bleach.

Past
Tōshirō was born in the Junrinan province in the 1st District of the West Rukongai. He lived with his grandmother and Momo Hinamori and acted somewhat bratty when he was younger, often making fun of Momo. However the two were still close friends and Tōshirō always felt a need to protect her. Even when he was young and untrained, Hitsugaya could hear his Zanpakuto spirit, Hyōrinmaru, calling out to him in his dreams. However Tōshirō never told anyone about this and didn’t know what exactly was happening, deciding to just assume it was a dream. After Momo went to Shinigami Academy to become a Shinigami, Tōshirō pretended to be happy she was leaving, but it was really just an act. The people who lived around him were scared of him, even though he never did anything to make them fear him. Only his grandmother and Momo were the exceptions and everyone thought Tōshirō was cold as ice, making him often wonder if it was due to his appearance or behavior. 5 years after Momo had joined the Shinigami Academy, Tōshirō noticed that he hadn’t grown any taller and that Momo had visited less often, as well as that his grandmother was getting skinnier. While at the market, Tōshirō was treated disdainfully by a shopkeeper and Rangiku Matsumoto showed up, scolding the shopkeeper for being rude to the boy. Tōshirō turned around, only to be knocked down by her and she yelled at him for lying down and not standing up for himself. However he just shook off Rangiku and ran way. Later that night, Tōshirō had a dream of a gigantic serpentine dragon of ice, which was different from the last few, where he’d experienced sensations, but nothing suggesting the meaning. The dragon tried to tell Tōshirō its name, but he couldn’t hear it since the dragon’s voice was being muted by strong wings and woke up in a cold sweat. Tōshirō saw Rangiku much to his surprise and she told him to stop letting his spiritual energy out. She noted that that his grandmother looked pretty cold and Tōshirō noticed that the room was freezing cold and was getting to his grandmother. Rangiku told him he should become a Shinigami, since kids with power like Tōshirō’s needed to learn how to control it. If he didn’t, his power could kill his grandmother. At first, Tōshirō wasn’t sure what Rangiku was telling him, but she placed her hand on his chest, asking if he heard a voiced calling to him. She explained to Tōshirō that when he finds the voice, he’d understand how to control his power and he had to become a Shinigami to do so. Soon after this Tōshirō told his grandmother that he planned to become a Shinigami and much to his surprise, she was happy for him. She explained that she always that Tōshirō held everything in because he didn’t want to leave her, but doing so only hurt him, thus hurting her. Tōshirō then left to follow his path with the blessing of his grandmother. He excelled in the Shinigami Academy and graduated early. With his abilities and knowledge, Tōshirō became the youngest captain in the Gotei 13 in history. He also befriended Jidanbō Ikkanzaka, one of the gatekeepers of the Seireitei, who taught him the “city rules”.

Ryoka Invasion
Tōshirō was called to a meeting of the captains called by Captain Commander Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto about the arrival of Ichigo Kurosaki and his friends in the Seireitei to save Rukia Kuchiki. But as the meeting degenerated into bickering among the captains, Tōshirō stated that it was old men engaging in pointless arguments as usual. However his sense of intuition and sense of observation caused Tōshirō to suspect the 3rd Division captain Gin Ichmaru, of foul play as the circumstances around the execution of Rukia grew more complicated. Tōshirō warned Momo about this, but this made her attack Gin after Sosuke Aizen was apparently killed. As Izuru Kira defended Gin, the 10th Division captain intervened and ordered the two lieutenants to be imprisoned. Tōshirō then asked Gin if he was going to kill Momo. He calmly denied it, but Tōshirō threatened to kill Gin if he harmed her in anyway. Later on, after Gin released Kira from prison, a suspicious Tōshirō confronted them, but Momo showed up, attacking the 10th Divison captain under the belief that he’d killed Aizen. When she gripped her sword so hard her hands bled, Tōshirō followed up on his threat and attacked Gin. He released his Zanpakuto and warned Kira to get away, suggesting that he be at least 12 kilometers away. As they fought, Tōshirō froze Gin’s left arm, actually making him open his eyes and lose his smile. The 10th Division captain managed to finally trap Gin, who tried to kill Momo with his Zanpakuto to distract Tōshirō, but Rangiku, now Tōshirō’s lieutenant, stopped him. She threatened to fight Gin as well and he withdrew. Tōshirō, seeing all the chaos Rukia’s execution was causing and convinced Gin was behind it, began wondering which recent occurrences were false and which were true. However Tōshirō and Rangiku received a Jigokuchō, a spirit butterfly that carried messages in the Seireitei, that told them Rukia’s execution had been moved up to tomorrow. Tōshirō decided that he had to stop the execution so as to stop Gin’s plans by going to talk to the Central 46. But when he arrived at the Central 46’s assembly hall, Tōshirō and Rangiku found all of them were dead and he found that they’d been dead for at least 2 days. However he was concerned about the exact time since the Soul Society had been under martial law and Central 46’s headquarters had been locked down since Renji Abarai had been defeated by Ichigo. Also the 13 seals of protection on the assembly hall from the lockdown were still active and there was no sign of any intruders. Tōshirō realized that they must have been killed before being sealed in and all the recent orders that they’d been sending out were fake. He also realized that this plot was too elaborate for Gin to have carried out alone. Tōshirō suddenly noticed Kira and the captain and Rangiku chased after him with Tōshirō demanding to know if he killed Central 46. Kira replied that he hadn’t, having just arrived after the captain did and told Tōshirō he should be protecting Momo instead of pursuing him. He revealed that she escaped the 10th Division Barracks where she had been imprisoned, using her skill at Kido and breaking the barrier holding her was easy for her. Tōshirō realized that Momo had been following him and Rangiku, so he turned back, ordering Rangiku to deal with Kira. Tōshirō headed back to the Central 46’s chambers where he found Aizen alive and with Gin, much to his confusion. He also found Momo badly injured and asked Aizen when he and Gin became comrades, but Aizen explained that they’d always been comrades. Tōshirō accused him of deceiving everyone from the beginning and Aizen explained the reasons for his deception, before stating that he would teach Tōshirō admiration was the furthest thing from understanding. Determined to kill Aizen for his betrayal, the 10th Division captain released his Bankai and attacked, only to hit an illusion of the traitor created by his Shikai. This allowed Aizen to badly wound Tōshirō, but captain Retsu Unohana arrived on the scene, prompting Aizen to retreat. She performed emergency surgery on Tōshirō and Momo and managed to put them both in stable condition. After recovering, the captain watched over a still unconscious Momo.

Rise of the Bounts
When news came of the Bounts’ activities in the human world, Tōshirō put together a team of Shinigami consisting of Rangiku, Kira, Shūhei Hisagi, and Yumichika Ayasegawa. He sent them to Karakura Town to fight the Bounts, saying they couldn’t rely on just Ichigo Kurosaki on this occasion. After the Bounts invaded the Soul Society, Tōshirō, Renji, and Rangiku began investigating reports of Bount activity in a forest in the Rukongai. However the Bounts were gone by the time they arrived and they were confronted by Maki Ichinose, who fought Tōshirō. Ichinose managed to use his Zanpakuto’s light powers to confuse the captain as well as Renji and Rangiku. Ichigo and Yasutora “Chad” Sado showed up to help but they didn’t do any better than Tōshirō and the others. However Kenpachi Zaraki arrived, telling Tōshirō to take the others and deal with the Bounts who were invading the Seireitei. The 10th Division captain later went to a captains meeting where captain Suì-Fēng was being debriefed on the situation. However captain Mayuri Kurotsuchi started to blame Tōshirō for the Bounts being in the Seireitei so as to shift blame from himself. The two started to argue, but Shunsui Kyōraku came to Tōshirō’s defense, pointing out that the Bounts getting into the Soul Society was the 12th Division’s fault. Despite this, Yamamoto took away Tōshirō’s position as commander of the defensive force. Some time later, Tōshirō faced off against the Bount, Go Koga, who’d been defeating many members of the 10th Division. Tōshirō battled his Doll, Dalk, and managed to easily freeze and shatter Dalk with his Zanpakuto’s Shikai. However Koga release Dalk’s true battle-axe form while Tōshirō released his Bankai. They battled with Koga constantly healing his wounds by absorbing spiritual energy particles from the area. But eventually his body started to reject them and tried to hit Tōshirō with a finishing blow. This failed and the captain struck him down, before returning to the 10th Divison barracks where he told his squad to give Koga a proper burial, not knowing he was still alive.

Battles with the Arrancar
Tōshirō was assigned to lead an expeditionary force consisting of himself, Rangiku, Renji, Ikkaku Madarame, Yumichika, and Rukia to protect Karakura Town from the Arrancar. They met up with Ichigo at his school and later at his house, Tōshirō explained to him about the Arrancar and the threat they represented. That night, one of the Espada, the 10 most powerful Arrancar, Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez led a group of Arrancar to attack Karakura Town. Tōshirō faced off against the Arrancar Shawlong Kufang, who easily fought him despite the captain using his Bankai. After they fought for a time, the Arrancar analyzed Tōshirō’s Bankai and decided that while he could wait for it to run out of energy and disappear, it would better to finish him off now. Shawlong released his Zanpakuto, entering his Resurrección form and managed to badly wound Tōshirō. The captain had even more trouble fighting the Arrancar in Resurrección, who managed to cut through one of the ice wings of Tōshirō’s Bankai. Tōshirō then asked Shawlong, who said he was Arrancar #11 earlier, about his number and he explained how the numbering of the Arrancar worked. However Tōshirō finally received authorization from the Soul Society to remove his Gentei Reiin, which limited his power, and did so, using his full power to suddenly freeze Shawlong’s arm. The Arrancar asked what just happened and Tōshirō explained that Gentei Reiin was a limiter put on captains and lieutenants when they entered the human world to prevent them from affecting things too much. With it gone, Tōshirō was at five times the power he was fighting at before and prepared his Ryusenka technique and though Shawlong tried to retreat, the attack caught him, freezing him solid and shattering him. However Tōshirō immediately collapsed due to his wounds and exhaustion and Rangiku rushed to his aid, calling for Orihime Inoue to heal him. Later Tōshirō had a video meeting with Yamamoto, who explained Aizen’s plans about creating the King’s Key. The Captain-Commander then let Momo talk to Tōshirō, who was surprised to see her up and asked her if she should really be walking around. Momo insisted she was better and apologized to Tōshirō for not listening to him and attacking him. The captain just told her no to worry about it and to go back to bed, pointing out she had bags under her eyes. Momo thanked Tōshirō for accepting her apology, but he then told her she looked like a child and she wouldn’t grow if she didn’t sleep. Momo then yelled at him that he shouldn’t be the one to talk about growing, but Tōshirō replied that she was supposed to call him “Captain Hitsugaya”. Momo then asked him if he was going to fight Aizen, which he confirmed and she asked if he was going to kill Aizen. Momo begged Tōshirō not to, saying that Aizen had to have a good reason for his actions or someone was forcing him to. However Yamamoto knocked Momo out, handing her to his lieutenant, Chōjirō Sasakibe, and apologized to Tōshirō for his seeing that, saying he wanted only to respect her wish to speak to him, but it seemed that it was too soon. Tōshirō was enraged at the terrible impact Aizen had left on Momo. Some time later, another group of Arrancar attacked as Tōshirō oversaw Yumichika and Rangiku talking with their Zanpakuto. He faced off against Yammy Llargo, the 10th Espada, and managed to freeze him briefly, only for the Arrancar to break free and say the attack felt refreshing. Tōshirō realized that his Shikai even at full power wasn’t enough, but Luppi Antenor, the new 6th Espada, intervened, insisting on fighting the captain and his comrades alone. Luppi released his Zanpakuto and Tōshirō, remembering how much more powerful an Arrancar became when they did this, tried attacking before he could with his Bankai. However Luppi succeeded and attacked Tōshirō with the tentacles of his Resurrección form, knocking him to the ground with one attack. But the 10th Division captain regenerated his damaged Bankai and came to the rescue of his subordinates, freezing Luppi’s tentacles. Tōshirō then criticized him for not making sure to finish him off and explained that his Zanpakuto gave him command of all the water in the air. He then used his Sennen Hyoro technique, trapping Luppi between pillars of ice. However a Negación freed Luppi and he swore to Tōshirō that he would twist his head off next time. Soon after this, Tōshirō and his team found out that Orihime had gone to Hueco Mundo with the Arrancar and they returned to the Soul Society to prepare for the war with Aizen’s forces.

Bakkoto Incident
Tōshirō was doing paperwork when Rangiku asked if he’d heard about the 3rd Division getting a new captain. Not stopping his work, he replied that he was a captain so obviously he knew. Rangiku mused on the idea of Kira having mastered his Bankai, but Tōshirō told her it wasn’t him and he didn’t actually know who it was. He explained that they’d all find out tomorrow before telling Rangiku to get back to work. Later, Tōshirō attended the promotion of Shusuke Amagai to captain of the 3rd Division. Afterwards, he plainly left along with a few of the other captains. After Ichigo and Rukia came to the Soul Society to rescue Rurichiyo Kasumiōji, Tōshirō and the rest of the Gotei 13 were put on high alert and ordered to stop Ichigo, who was accused of kidnapping and assassination attempts on her life. Tōshirō and his squad were assigned to guarding the gates to the Kasumiōji’s compound. Ichigo tried to sneak inside, but Tōshirō sensed his spiritual energy and told him to come out. Rukia tried to make him listen to their explanation and he said he would, but only when he brought them to Yamamoto. However Amagai revealed he was also there and Tōshirō was surprised to see him helping Ichigo. Amagai engaged the 10th Division captain, who told him to pull buck but he refused. Tōshirō warned Amagai that he couldn’t hold back against him and the two released their Zanpakuto, before they began fighting. However Byakuya Kuchiki showed up as they were fighting and gave them the order to take down the Kasumiōji clan, saying there was evidence that they had committed treason. After overseeing the Gotei 13’s fight with the Kasumiōji’s assassins, Tōshirō and Byakuya showed up as Ichigo was fighting Amagai, watching Amagai trying to attack Yamamoto. He looked on as Yoruichi Shihōin explained to Amagai the true circumstances behind his father’s death and Amagai killed himself for his actions.

Battle in the Fake Karakura Town
Tōshirō, along with the captains and their lieutenants not in Hueco Mundo, went to the fake version of Karakura Town in the human world to face off against Aizen, Gin, Tosen, his three strongest Espada, and their Fracción. After the Fracción Baraggan Louisenbairn sent to destroy the pillars keeping Karakura Town in the Soul Society were defeated, the Arrancar and Shinigami faced off against each other. Tōshirō and Rangiku confronted Tier Harribel and her Fracción and while his lieutenant fought the Fracción, Tōshirō faced Harribel alone. As they fought, Momo arrived on the scene to help Rangiku and Tōshirō remembered when she asked him not to kill Aizen. Harribel asked him why his spiritual energy became disordered, but he replied that he didn’t know as he wondered why Momo was there. After the defeat of Harribel’s Fracción, she forced Tōshirō back with just the force of her blade swing and unzipped her jacket to reveal her Espada tattoo, marking her as the 3rd Espada. Tōshirō was shocked that with Harribel’s power, she was only the 3rd Espada. Harribel declared that he hadn’t demonstrated her full power yet and her power suddenly increased greatly, prompting Tōshirō to use his Bankai. Harribel charged him, eventually knocking him to the ground as she asked if this was a captain’s full strength. She promised to end the fight and released her Zanpakuto, causing Tōshirō to note that her appearance hadn’t changed very much, but underestimating her could prove to be fatal. Harribel apparently managed to slash the right side of Tōshirō’s body before he could react and believed him beaten she turned her attention to Yamamoto. However Tōshirō suddenly appeared and attacked her, but she managed to counter his attacks. Harribel realized that she’d struck down an ice clone of the captain and Tōshirō said it was a one time technique, he’d been trying to save for later. However he hadn’t expected the power and speed Harribel’s Resurrección form gave her. Tōshirō then told her not to underestimate a captain before they resumed fighting. Eventually the two revealed to each other that they could use the water around them to attack and started using each other’s attacks against each other. Tōshirō eventually told Harribel a law of battle, that one faced the greatest danger when they used their greatest attack. She fired a Cero at him, but he easily dealt with it, noting that it was rather weak, and deduced that they were both waiting for the area to become filled with condensation. Tōshirō then stated that when that happened, Harribel was going to finish him off with one strike. He decided that he was tired of waiting and said he never tried one of his techniques in Bankai before. Harribel asked what he was talking about and Tōshirō explained that he didn’t need to wait for condensation to build, Hyōrinmaru was the most powerful ice-based Zanpakuto and all water around was his to command. Tōshirō then used his technique, Hyoten Hyakkaso, and asked Harribel for her name. She told him and he said his name and rank, before his technique took effect, causing the sky to darken and snow to start falling. Harribel tried to melt the snow, but the moment she touched the snowflakes, flowers made of ice appeared on her body. Tōshirō explained that when all one hundred flowers had bloomed, she would be dead, telling her that she wouldn’t be able to avenge her Fracción. But after Wonderweiss Margela arrived with the Fura creature, he let out a terrible scream that destroyed the pillar of ice flowers, releasing Harribel, who engaged him again. Tōshirō was then alerted to Aizen being released form the prison of fire Yamamoto trapped him in. However the Visored arrived to help the Gotei 13 and Tōshirō had no clue who they were, nothing that they were quite powerful after they donned their Hollow masks and easily destroyed the Gillians being spawned by Fura. Tōshirō then contemplated on Sajin Komamura’s declaration he would fight beside the Visored, but Harribel tried to attack while his back was turned. Tōshirō went to draw his Zanpakuto, but two of the Visored, Lisa Yadōmaru and Hiyori Sarugaki blocked the attack before he could. Tōshirō then said there didn’t seem to be time to worry if the Visored were allies or enemies, which basically meant he was willing to fight alongside them. Tōshirō then asked Hiyori if he could ask her a question, but she just told him to keep it short and she wouldn’t tell him anything else about them. The captain replied that he only wanted to ask a favor, if they could fight Harribel alone while he went to battle Aizen. Hiyori angrily asked if he was crazy, saying the Visored had come to kill Aizen too and anyways, Tōshirō was having trouble fighting Harribel, so what made him think he could defeat Aizen. The captain realized that he was acting irrationally and Hiyori kept yelling at him until he apologized. However she kept berating him, questioning his position as captain, and when she called him, “shorty”, he finally snapped. Tōshirō grabbed her and screamed that she was shorter than him and they continued to fight until Lisa charged at Harribel. They all attacked her together, but the battle was ended when Aizen appeared, cutting down the 3rd Espada. Tōshirō was shocked by this and Aizen challenged him, along with the other Gotei 13 and Visored in battle.

Engaging Aizen
After Ichigo arrived on the scene, Tōshirō banded together with the other captains and Visored to prevent him from being affected by Aizen’s Zanpakuto. Tōshirō said that if no one attacked, the battle wouldn’t start and attacked Aizen, who called him reckless. However he replied that making opponents miss their opportunities to attack was what Aizen was good at. Aizen managed to avoid Tōshirō’s first attack only to by attacked by Shunsui from the flank and Aizen complimented him for being smart enough not to fight him alone. Tōshirō asked Aizen about what he’d previously said about swords lacking hatred being like eagles without wings. He went on to say that placing ones responsibility only in your blade was what being a captain meant and they did not swing their swords out of hatred. Tōshirō then stated that Aizen lacked the qualities it took to be a captain, but Aizen replied that it was amusing that Tōshirō said such a thing since what happened to Momo had made him more hateful than any other captains. Tōshirō released his Bankai as Shunsui attacked again and admitted that his blade was full of anger and he’d come to Karakura Town to kill Aizen, even if it cost him his position of captain. Tōshirō attacked, telling Aizen to prepare himself, but he failed to land a hit on him. Komamura and Love Aikawa joined in, attacking Aizen together, as Komamura apologized to Tōshirō for doing so. However the 10th Division captain told him he hadn’t planned to fight Aizen alone. When Suì-Fēng attacked the rogue captain, Tōshirō froze Aizen’s arm holding his Zanpakuto. He then took advantage of Suì-Fēng and Shunsui attacking Aizen to charge at him, declaring that it was over. The rogue captain noted that Tōshirō was so young, he took whatever opportunity he had without thinking it through, a major flaw. However Aizen noticed that Shinji Hirako was holding his Zanpakuto’s Shikai form and realized that he was being affected by its perception reversal power. Tōshirō was attacking from behind, not the front and he was able to impale Aizen through the chest. Ichigo asked the Gotei 13 what they were doing and Tōshirō realized that he’d impaled Momo instead, having been affected by the hypnotic power of Aizen’s Zanpakuto. As Tōshirō cradled her, she asked why, causing him to throw himself in a blind range at Aizen. Shunsui tried stop the 10th Division captain, but he ignored the warning and Aizen managed to slash Tōshirō’s Bankai, severing his left arm and leg, as well as cut down the captains. As Tōshirō fell to the ground, Aizen told him and the other Shinigami that he wouldn’t kill them, so they could see the outcome of the battle. 10 days after Ichigo defeated Aizen, Tōshirō was healed and began training in a secluded cave, ashamed that he was so unable to keep Momo safe, even though she survived. Tōshirō swore to become stronger and be able to use Hyōrinmaru to its full capabilities.

Zanpakuto Rebellion
Tōshirō was trying to communicate with Hyōrinmaru in his inner world and felt that something was wrong, asking his Zanpakuto spirit what it was. However the spirit just disappeared without answering, confusing Tōshirō. But he then heard Rangiku causing a ruckus and went to see her, asking her what was wrong. She explained that her Zanpakuto wouldn’t release and Isane Kotetsu and Momo came in. Isane asked what was wrong and Rangiku explained the problem. Momo told her to be more compassionate, since she was very close to her own Zanpakuto to the point that they had the same feelings. Tōshirō was surprised by this and Isane said her Zanpakuto wasn’t responding to her either, which the captain noted was a strange coincidence and he wondered what was going on. Later, Tōshirō was called to an emergency meeting of the most powerful Shinigami in the Gotei 13 by Yamamoto, but when they arrived, they couldn’t see the Captain-Commander anywhere. However Chōjirō arrived on the scene, badly wounded, and collapsed, before a mysterious man, Muramasa, showed up. He said that Yamamoto would not be showing up and the captains demanded to know what was going on. Tōshirō watched as Komamura tried to attack Muramasa with his Bankai, only for it to strike him instead. Muramasa revealed he’d freed the Zanpakuto spirits of all the Shinigami present and Tōshirō saw Hyōrinmaru appear next to him, before walking over to join Muramasa. The Shinigami began battling the Zanpakuto spirits with Tōshirō fighting Senbonzakura only to get pushed back. Later, Tōshirō confronted Hyōrinmaru, who had lost his memories, as he was fighting Ichigo. Tōshirō told his Zanpakuto his name and that he was his master, who Hyōrinmaru had been looking for. However the Zanpakuto spirit refused to believe that a child was his master and Tōshirō insisted it was true. The two began battling and Hyōrinmaru quickly took the advantage. As they fought, Tōshirō asked the Zanpakuto spirit what his instinctual goal was and Hyōrinmaru said that he wanted to find the place he belonged. Tōshirō, able to relate to the pain of not fitting in, became determined to regain his Zanpakuto spirit. He managed to summon the Shikai form of Hyōrinmaru, proving that he was his master and the Zanpakuto spirit broke his ties with Muramasa, returning to Tōshirō. After the battle, Hyōrinmaru brought him to the 4th Divison barracks to be healed and later, Tōshirō woke up as the Shinigami were fighting the Zanpakuto spirits. As he tried to get up, Hyōrinmaru told him not to push himself and have faith in the other Shinigami. The Zanpakuto spirit also pointed out that Tōshirō had proven that the Zanpakuto rebellion would not destroy the Shinigami. Later on, Tōshirō and Hyōrinmaru showed up to help Ichigo as he was trying to escape Ryujin Jakka by freezing the spirit’s flames, allowing him to pursue Muramasa to the human world. Later on, Tōshirō, along with Hyōrinmaru, several other Shinigami, and their Zanpakuto spirits, to help Ichigo deal with Muramasa, who’d spawned a huge dome-like form and created a Garganta, summoning numerous Gillians. Tōshirō and Hyōrinmaru worked together to fight the Gillians, before Tōshirō released his Bankai to join his allies in closing the Garganta with their spiritual energy. They succeeded and Ichgio emerged from Muramasa’s dome, having defeated him.

Rise of the Toju
After the chaos Muramasa caused, the Gotei 13 was given a day off to party, much to Tōshirō’s annoyance, particularly since his division got rather out of control and may of them even passed out from drinking. Tōshirō only watched over the party, which had been held at the request of Rukia and Sode no Shirayuki actually hoping to attract a Toju, a Zanpakuto spirit that lost its master, that earlier attacked the Kuchiki family manor. A drunken Rangiku started to pester Tōshirō who decided that he’d had enough and that the attempt had failed. He went to leave, telling Rukia it was up to her to turn the lights out and keep the party under control. As Tōshirō left, he was followed by the still drunk Rangiku, who told him she wanted to drink more, much to his annoyance. Tōshirō later received an order to go to the human world to take down any Toju that escaped there. Much to his annoyance, Rangiku and Haineko decided to come with Tōshirō and Hyōrinmaru to help, but mostly to have fun in the human world. After arriving, he met up with Ichigo to whom he explained the situation and they went off to search for Toju. Soon after this, Tōshirō found Ichigo fighting a Toju that had fused with a Hollow and helped him destroy it.

Reigai Uprising
A month after Aizen was defeated, Tōshirō ran into captains Shunsui and Jūshirō Ukitake outside the 1st Division barracks. He told them he’d been reporting on the cleansing of the area around Karakura Town after it had been brought to the Soul Society. Shunsui told Tōshirō that Nanao had informed it would be finished that day, much to his surprise, and he complained about Rangiku slacking off at her job, since it was supposed to be the 10th Division’s job. Later Tōshirō contacted Rangiku and criticized her for failing to make regular progress reports. She said they were done and Tōshirō ordered her to come back to the Soul Society, but not before criticizing her behavior more. The next night, Tōshirō talked with Akon, telling him he hadn’t been able to contact Nanao or Rangiku, even thought they said they were returning. He asked if there was a record of them passing through the Dangai and Inaba revealed that there was no report of them returning. Tōshirō, Shunsui, and Ukitake informed Yamamoto of what was going on and Mayuri said they had to be in the Human World. Tōshirō said he found it hard to believe that they would stay without contacting the Gotei 13 and said the SRDI must have missed something. However news came of Nanao and Rangiku’s return and the two said that they’d only been gone for three hours. At a captain’s meeting later, Tōshirō listened to Mayuri explain that there was a time gap between the human world and the Soul Society and requested that they carry out a detailed study. Tōshirō, Byakuya, and Renji were ordered to help, but he failed to meet them in the Dangai. They emerged from a Senkaimon and were told that contact had been lost with the Dangai, resulting in a state of emergency. Soon after this, Ichigo arrived in the Soul Society only to be arrested as a material witness by Tōshirō and other Shinigami. Later, Tōshirō went to the human world with his fellow Shinigami to help fight Inaba and his Reigai. He brought down the Reigai of Nanao and grabbed the unconscious Nozomi Kujō, taking her to safety. After Inaba was forced to retreat, Tōshirō met with the rest of the Gotei 13 in Ichigo’s room. He, Byakuya, Kenpachi, and Komamura decided to go back to the Soul Society to fight Inaba. As they were passing through the Senkaimon, Inaba sped up the restrictive current inside, forcing Komamura to stay behind. Tōshirō, Byakuya, and Kenpachi managed to get through and split up as they each headed toward the 12th Division barracks. As Tōshirō was going through the Seireitei, he ran into Momo Hinamori, much to his surprise. She explained that she woke up in the 12th Division with everyone gone and appeared to be very scared. Tōshirō told her that she should find a safe place away from the fighting and she reassured him that she was all right. But she suddenly stumbled and Tōshirō caught her before she fell off the roof they were on. However Momo attacked him and he blocked, noticing a bracelet on her arm and realizing she was a Reigai. She asked if she was going to try and kill her again, making Tōshirō flashback to the battle with Aizen. Reigai Momo stabbed him in the stomach and he ran, refusing to fight her or protect himself. But another Momo appeared, saying it was unforgivable to hurt Tōshirō. She began fighting the Reigai Momo and Tōshirō stood back, confused which of them was the real one. Eventually he stepped between them, but they both stabbed him and he realized they were both Reigai. As they moved to attack Tōshirō, Yoruichi showed up and defeated the two with her Shunko technique. He thanked her for the help and continued on to the 12th Division barracks, arriving at the same time as Kenpachi. They talked about the fate of the other captains, before Inaba showed up to face them. Tōshirō told him that most of his forces had been destroyed and demanded to know who exactly he was. Inaba released his Shikai to fight them and Tōshirō noticed that he couldn’t sense any spiritual energy coming from it. Kenpachi just charged Inaba, irritating Tōshirō, who joined in, saying Kenpachi couldn’t just fight Inaba alone. Eventually he realized Inaba was waiting for something and tried to warn him, but Kenpachi just charged hhim. Inaba used his Zanpakuto to open a portal to the Dangai, almost catching Kenpachi in it, but he avoided it. Tōshirō used his Shikai to attack Inaba, but he used another portal to block the attack. Tōshirō deduced that Inaba’s Zanpakuto could manipulate space and seal his enemies in the Dangai. He began attacking from a distance, but Inaba opened a portal that fired Tōshirō’s ice attack back at him. Inaba revealed that he could record and recreat space and stated that he recorded Tōshirō’s attacks. As the fight continued, the 10th Division captain figured out how Inaba was using his Zanpakuto’s power and tried to stop him from recording space by preventing him from spinning his Zanpakuto right. However Inaba spun it the other way, recreating one of Kenpachi’s attacks, wounding Tōshirō. However Suì-Fēng and other members of the Gotei 13 showed up to help fight Inaba and more Reigai. Yoruichi and Suì-Fēng managed to give Tōshirō and Kenpachi an opening to successfully attack Inaba, but he dissipated and reformed, managed to strike all of the Shinigami. Tōshirō watched Mayuri and Inaba talk and Inaba destroyed one of his Reigai. Inaba picked up a red pill from its remains and Tōshirō asked if it was a Gikon, but Mayuri explained that it was a Mod-Soul. Inaba then released the full power of his Reigai and summoned more of them to the battle as Mayuri explained that as long as their pill forms were preserved, they could keep going, they just needed new bodies. As the captains fought the reigai, Tōshirō found himself fighting the Reigai Byakuya. Later on, as Ichigo and Kisuka Urahara were being pursued by the Reigai, Tōshirō and the captains came to their aid and he confronted his Reigai. As the two fought, Reigai Tōshirō quickly started winning and deduced that he wouldn’t retreat out of pride. Tōshirō replied that he wouldn’t do so because of his duty, but he continued to be pushed back. However Rangiku, along with the other lieutenants, came to help, but despite this Tōshirō and the other captains still had trouble fighting the Reigai. Byakuya managed to figure out the Reigai valued self-preservation and wouldn’t attack first, fearing a group counter attack. With this knowledge, Tōshirō started to taunt the Reigai, asking if they were all afraid to strike first. Soon after this, Oko Yushima used his Renzan: Hajo Kuri technique so as to destroy the Soul Society. Before Tōshirō and the Shinigami could step forward to stop it, the Reigai did, saying they wanted to protect the Soul Society in their own way. They then destroyed the technique, sacrificing themselves as Tōshirō and the other Shinigami watched.

Fighting Xcution
Tōshirō helped in the effort to restore Ichigo’s Shinigami powers by placing his spiritual energy into a sword designed by Urahara, along with many of the other notable Shinigami. Rukia used the sword on Ichigo, successfully restoring his powers, and Kugo Ginjo stated there was no way Rukia could’ve given him back all his powers on her own. However Tōshirō, Renji, Byakuya, Kenpachi, and Ikkaku appeared, revealing that they’d helped. As Ichigo fought Kugo and realized how many people had contributed their energy, Renji explained that Yamamoto had ordered everyone to do so. Tōshirō explained that Yamamoto wouldn’t have done so normally, but Ichigo changed the Soul Society though his will to fight and he should proudly accept his new powers. Tōshirō continued to explain that Yamamoto gave the order for two reasons, first, Ichigo had saved the Soul Society and second, so he could stop Kugo, the first Substitute Shinigami, who’d given up the position and disappeared. Ichigo asked how that could be possible and Tōshirō reminded him of when Ukitake gave him his Substitute Shinigami badge. He explained that the laws regarded Susbtitute Shinigami were put in place solely because of Kugo. Byakuya interrupted and Tōshirō said he’d explain at a better time, right now Ichigo needed to focus on Kugo. After the members of Xcution received empowerment from Ichigo’s Fullbring, Yukio Hans Vorarlberna demonstrated his Fullbring’s new power to affect the world outside his video game, his Fullbring medium. Ikkaku apparently managed to stab him in the back, but Yukio revealed that he was fine and attacked Ikkaku. Tōshirō parried his attack, telling Ikkaku to keep up his guard, and Yukio told the captain that he was good, asking if he wanted bonus points, but Tōshirō refused. Yukio then separated everyone into different rooms, facing the captain himself. Tōshirō was trapped in Yukio’s video game world where he was attacked by digital missiles, but handled them with ease, noting that he was annoyed to have to fight someone so “tiresome”. Tōshirō eventually faced off against Yukio himself, who complimented him for getting that far unharmed. Yukio explained the powers of Fullbring, saying that he was god of this space and created giant monsters to attack Tōshirō. The captain managed to easily dodge them and Yukio mockingly said that since he had a family, he must have had a loving elite family. Tōshirō deduced from that statement that Yukio was abandoned as a child and asked him about it. The Fullbringer angrily explained that he ran way form his family and made his father commit suicide. However Tōshirō took advantage of the situation to freeze his legs and controllers and reminded Yukio that he programmed the monsters to attack him relentlessly as they surrounded the two. Tōshirō told him he should probably deactivate them and destroyed the monsters before they harmed Yukio. The Fullbringer was surprised that Tōshirō saved him, but the captain replied that he didn’t do it out of mercy, he did so because he didn’t know if the dimension Yukio had generated would disappear if he died. Tōshirō then froze all of the Fullbringers body except his head and right arm and told him if got rid of all the rooms he’d created, he’d get to live. Yukio did so and Tōshirō met up with the other Shinigami, brining along the still trapped Yukio. When he saw Byakuya had Rukia with him, unconscious, Yukio told Tōshirō he didn’t know what happened to her opponent, Riruka Dokugamine, and he only knew her basic powers. Tōshirō told the Fullbringer to get rid of the last pocket dimension, but Yukio said he couldn’t. Tōshirō watched along with the other Shinigami as Ichigo broke through the pocket dimension using his Bankai. Following this, Tōshirō went to leave with the other Gotie 13 members as Byakuya reminded Rukia they were only supposed to observe Ichigo and what he chose to do. Tōshirō told her that the captains had know if a new Subsitute Shinigami ever showed up, Kugo would take an interest in them. Thus they had agreed to use that new Substitute to lure Kugo out and take out both. But Ichigo had changed the Soul Society and so they had decided to restore his powers and watch over him instead. Tōshirō reminded Rukia of her reaction to being told to watch Ichigo and acknowledged that she had been right about him. He went on to say he was glad that Ichigo was the one who followed Kugo, before returning to the Soul Society. Later when Ichigo came to the Soul Society to ask for Kugo’s body so he could bury it in the human world, Tōshirō was told of his arrival and greeted him along with the other captains at the 1st Divison captains, then heard his request.

Memories of Nobody
After the human world suddenly appeared in the sky of the Soul Society, Tōshirō and Rangiku went to the human world to investigate. They met up with Ichigo, before heading to Urahara’s shop and explaining the situation. Urahara explained that the Valley of Screams, a dimension between the Soul Society and the human world, had expanded so that it connected the two. Tōshirō later accompanied the rest of the Gotei 13 forces to try and capture the Shinenju, which had taken the form of a Shinigami named Senna. However the Dark Ones, a group of exiled Shinigami, showed up and engaged them, successfully escaping with Senna. But later, Tōshirō, along with other Shinigami, headed to the Valley of Screams to help Ichigo fight the Dark Ones. Tōshirō took on the Dark One, Riyan, and was forced to constantly defend himself from his rocket attacks. However he eventually used Bankai and froze his supply of ammunition, but finishing him off.

DiamondDust Rebellion
While Tōshirō was in Shinigami academy, he befriended Sojiro Kusaka, another student who was also a friendly rival with him. On the day that they both gained their Zanpakuto, Tōshirō and Kusaka found that they gained the same one, Hyōrinmaru. They were overjoyed at having the same Zanpakuto and their friendship grew. However Central 46 ruled that two Shinigami could not own the same Zanpakuto, it was against the ancient laws of the Soul Society. They decided that the two should fight for the right to bear Hyōrinmaru, but Tōshirō didn’t want to, offering to give up the Zanpakuto. Central 46 forced the two to fight and finally, Kusaka attacked first, but it was actually a test to see who would attack first. Kusaka was killed by members of the Omnitsukido, while more restrained Hitsugaya. As he died and his Zanpakuto dissolved, Kusaka questioned the validity of Central 46’s actions and blamed Tōshirō. Years later, Tōshirō was overseeing the transport of a royal artifact, the Oin. However the procession was attacked by a pair of Arrancar girls and a masked figure who took the Oin and attacked Tōshirō. He recognized the figure as Kusaka and Tōshirō left his post as captain to deal with him. The Seireitei suspected him of being a traitor and the order was given for his capture. After the attack, Tōshirō was found unconscious in the Human World by Ichigo and, knowing the Gotei 13 were looking for him, refused to answer his questions. Ichigo was attacked by the pair of Arrancar, allowing Tōshirō to slip away. He began journeying through the Human World on the run from the Gotei 13 and looking for Kusaka. Tōshirō was eventually tracked down by Izuru Kira and Shūhei Hisagi leading a group of Shinigami. They tried to capture him, but Tōshirō refused to surrender and used his Zanpakuto’s ice powers to escape. Eventually he met up with Kusaka at an abandoned warehouse, who asked if his enrollment in the Shinigami Academy was all for Momo. Tōshirō snarled at him to leave her out of this and Kusaka used the Oin to bring them both to Sokyoku Hill in the Soul Society. Kusaka asked Tōshirō to use his Bankai to cut open the Oin and release its power. The Gotei 13 showed up on the scene to arrest both of them, but Ichigo and Rukia showed up to hold them back so that Tōshirō could settle his dispute with Kusaka, explaining the motivations for his actions. However the captain still refused to accept help from the Gotei 13, prompting Ichigo to hit him in the face and scold him for his stubbornness. Kusaka took advantage of the situation to cut open the Oin himself and began transforming with its power. Ichigo explained to Tōshirō that he under his feelings towards Kusaka, since they were the same ones he had towards his mother, Masaki. With his Division members supporting him, Tōshirō got back to his feet and finally accepted their help. Kusaka, who’d transformed into an enormous ice dragon, easily took on the Gotei 13, before eventually creating a huge ice castle with him immobile at the top. However since Kusaka had not mastered his Bankai, he created a rapidly expanding hemisphere and spawned numerous Hollows, which possessed the ability to regenerate. Kusaka also created a force field that kept out all of the Shinigami except Tōshirō, Ichigo, and a few others. With help from the others, Ichigo and Tōshirō managed to reach the top of Kusaka’s tower and, working together, destroyed his ice form. Tōshirō and Kusaka charged at each other one last time and Tōshirō stabbed him through the chest. Kusaka said he’d never die and Tōshirō told him they’d always be friends, before Kusaka disappeared, leaving his broken Zanpakuto behind. After the fight, Tōshirō quietly thanked Ichigo and the others for their help, but when Rangiku asked what he said, the captain replied that he didn’t say anything. Afterwards, Tōshirō was clear of all charges and was finally able to move on from his past.

Fade to Black
Tōshirō, along with Ikkaku and Yumichika, managed to track down Ichigo and Kon, who they’d forgotten about due to the work of a pair of siblings who wanted to take Rukia. When Ichigo was able to fend off Ikkaku, Tōshirō joined the fight, using a Kido spell to bind Ichigo. But before he could attack the Visored, Renji intervened and said that while his head told him Ichigo was an enemy, his soul said otherwise. The lieutenant asked Tōshirō to let Ichigo leave but Yamamoto arrived on the scene, ordering Ichigo’s capture. However Urahara appeared, letting Ichigo and Renji go and look for Rukia, before explaining to Tōshirō and the other captains how their memories of Rukia and Ichigo had been erased when Rukia’s memories were taken away. Tōshirō asked why they still remembered Mayuri, since his memories had been taken away as well, but Urahara revealed that Mayuri had made backups of his memories. Later, when Dark Rukia, the result of the two siblings fusing with Rukia, released strange spirit particles to wipe out the Soul Society by creating a monstrous creature, Tōshirō and the other captains fought it, eventually destroying it while Ichigo saved Rukia.

Hell Chapter
After the Hell Gate was inadvertently destroyed by Ichigo when he transformed into Hollow form to attack Kokuto, Tōshirō, along with the rest of the Gotei 13’s forces, immediately mobilized to contain the effect it was having on the Human World. Tōshirō, Byakuya, Ukitake, and Yamamoto met about the situation and Tōshirō wondered how the Hell Gate could’ve been destroyed, since it couldn’t have been the Togabito and they didn’t see anyone on the outside do it. However the captains received a report that Ichigo had returned from Hell and they went to meet him. Later, as Tōshirō, Ukitake, and Rangiku were monitoring the gate, they received a message telling them Ichigo, who sought to rescue his friends, who’d been left in Hell, had broken through the barrier around the gate and was heading to the gate. Tōshirō asked Ukitake if they should stop him and the captain told him they should focus on repairing the Hell Gate. The 10th Division captain said he’d handle Ichigo only to realize Ichigo was right behind them. Tōshirō asked if he was looking for revenge, but Ichigo declared that he was going to save his friends. At that moment, a Kushanada, one of the guardians of Hell, emerged from the Hell Gate, forcing to the Gotei 13 to deal with it instead. As Ichigo headed for the gate, Tōshirō told Rangiku not to go after him since the Kushanada was the bigger problem. They managed to defeat it and later, Tōshirō and Rangiku were keeping watch on the Hell Gate in case another Kushanada appeared. However the Hell Gate started fixing itself and just before it closed completely, Ichigo made it out with his friends. Tōshirō started to relax, but Rangiku suddenly hugged him, much to his irritation.

Personality
Tōshirō maintains a very serious and mature attitude. This is almost the complete opposite of Rangiku, but they are still close despite this. Tōshirō is very protective of Momo due to their friendship from when they were children. He is easily annoyed when people don’t act seriously or draw unnecessary attention. He also dislikes childish things or when people treat him like he’s a child. Tōshirō has a strong work ethic, but it seems that he only wants to finish quickly so he can take his afternoon nap, believing that it might help him grow taller. Tōshirō also has a very cold and calm attitude, which may be due to people constantly joking about him. This attitude allows him to deal with the jokes and keep up his duties. Though Tōshirō does get angered when people mock him, he doesn’t overreact or take action against them unless they’re his enemies. However he hates when people don’t address him as “Captain Hitsugaya”, since he worked very hard to get that title and only lets Momo get away with it. During Tōshirō’s fight with Gin, Gin noted that Tōshirō is supposed to be the embodiment of a heavenly guardian reincarnated every few centuries. Tōshirō dislikes warm weather and his favorite foods are watermelon and amanatto and in his childhood, he was champion at spinning tops. Captain Ukitake also comically gives Tōshirō candy and snacks because they have similar names and white hair, so they both have the nickname, “Shirō-chan”.

Powers
As a captain, Tōshirō possesses incredible spiritual power, with his spiritual energy being described as very large and cold and he is very good at hiding it, able to sneak on people frequently. Tōshirō also possesses a mastery of swordsmanship, only using the released abilities of his Zanpakuto when things get tough. He is considered a child prodigy in terms of intellect, able to graduate Shinigami Academy in only a year. Tōshirō possesses great battle instincts and is skilled at analyzing an opponent’s abilities, then thinking of a strategy. He has demonstrated that he is a capable leader, often being chosen to lead missions for the Gotei 13. Tōshirō is highly resilient towards attacks and physically strong and possesses mastery of both Shunpo, a Shinigami technique that lets him move at high speeds, to the point that it resembles teleporting, and Kido, able to perform powerful spells with no incantation. Like all Shinigami, Tōshirō’s primary weapon is his Zanpakuto, Hyōrinmaru, which is the strongest ice-type Zanpakuto in the Soul Society. He can release its Shikai form with the release command “Sit upon the frozen heavens”, making its blade increase in length and giving it a cresent-shaped blade attached to the hilt via a long metal chain that can extend and entangle an opponent. When its in Shikai form, Tōshirō can control ice and water and by slashing, he can generate huge flows of ice shaped like Chinese dragons that freeze whatever they hit. He can also slash at the ground to form a wave of ice and the chain blade freezes whatever it entangles. When using Hyōrinmaru’s Shikai, Tōshirō can use the technique, Tenso Jurin, where he can control the water in the surrounding atmosphere. He can also use this technique in Bankai, but he doesn’t like doing so since he’s not sure whether he could control it enough to keep it from killing everyone around him. Like most of the other captains, Tōshirō can release his Bankai, Daiguren Hyōrinmaru, where ice flows onto his body, forming icy armor with a dragon tail and wings, as well as claws on his left hand and feet and a dragon-head on his right hand. Three flowers of ice form above him, which disappear petal by petal as the energy of his Bankai is consumed. It is speculated that when the flowers are gone, Tōshirō’s Bankai will disappear, which is most likely due to his Bankai being incomplete due to his young age. In Bankai, Tōshirō’s power is even greater and he can use more techniques along with his previous ones. He can regenerate his Bankai as long as there is water in the air and use his ice wings as a shield. Tōshirō can also use Zanhyo Ningyo, where he can create a double of himself out of ice that is so life-like that it can seem to bleed, but he says it usually only works once on an opponent. Tōshirō can also use Ryusenka, where he stabs his opponent, causing ice to burst from the hit, encasing his opponent before Tōshirō shatters them. He can also use Sennen Hyoro, where he creates numerous ice pillars around him and his opponent, which on his command, move in on his opponent and crush them. Despite the attack’s great power, Tōshirō implies that it take quite some time to prepare so he has to distract his enemy so that it works. Tōshirō’s next technique is Guncho Tsurara, where he transforms water into ice and swings it in an arc, firing dagger-like shards of ice. Another technique is Hyoryu Senbi, where he swings his sword in a linear direction to create a huge flow of ice in a crescent shape and he can then control it and send it into the air. Tōshirō’s last technique is Hyoten Hyakkaso, which is an extension of Tenso Jurin, but he rarely uses it. This technique opens a huge hole in the clouds making snow fall on his opponent. When the flakes touch their body, each one blooms in ice flowers, developing into a pillar of ice. Tōshirō states that when all 100 flowers bloom, his opponent will be dead.

Trivia

 * Tōshirō came in 6th and 2nd on the second and third Bleach popularity polls, before coming in 1st on the fourth and most recent. His Zanpakuto came in 1st on the Zanpakuto poll, while his Bankai was 16th. Tōshirō’s fight with Gin came in 5th on the Bleach best bout poll.


 * Tōshirō was the author of an extremely popular serial in the Seireitei Communication called “Beautiful Crystal”, where he featured items sculpted from ice. The serial is in hiatus, but is scheduled to resume eventually.


 * Tōshirō was at one point the subject of a photo collection made by the Shinigami Women’s Assocation called “Winter Lion”, which sold out and is currently being reprinted.


 * Tite Kubo has said that Tōshirō’s theme song is “Girl’s Not Grey” by A.F.I.


 * The name of his Zanpakuto means “Ice Ring” and the name of his Bankai means “Grand Crimson Lotus Ice Ring”.