The Vizard are the antithesis to the Arrancar as Shinigami who have obtained Hollow powers.[1]
Having begun as Shinigami, the Vizard appear entirely Human, and barring those times where they are using their powers are indistinguishable from ordinary Shinigami. To gain access to their Hollow powers, a Vizard dons a Hollow mask. This allows them to augment their Shinigami abilities with Hollow powers, as well as giving them access to some of the more generic Hollow abilities. Their spiritual pressure likewise changes into a mix of Hollow and Shinigami. This process of donning one's Hollow mask is referred to as Hollowfication.[2]
The Vizard have been shown to be former Captain and Lieutenant Shinigami. They are considered criminals by the Soul Society for committing the ultimate taboo of acquiring Hollow powers; their status as former leaders of Soul Society also marks them as traitors.[3]
During their introduction they are seen as reclusive and thought to be only having loyalty to themselves and it is unknown what role they will take in the upcoming battle but they are still considered to be valuable allies in the battle against Sōsuke Aizen's army of Arrancar, as Kisuke Urahara mentioned.[4] The Vizard have not shown any sort of hierarchy, seeming to prefer a loose-knit organization.
Their intentions are finally revealed when they arrive at the Battle of Karakura Town. Even after the events that made them outlaws to the Soul Society 100 years ago, the Vizard bare no ill will toward the Gotei 13, though they prefer not to consider themselves the allies of the former organization they belonged to either. They expressively consider themselves enemies of Aizen, and by extension, the Espada. They have also stated that they are allies of Ichigo Kurosaki.[5]
The existence of Shinigami/Hollow hybrids is first hinted at early in the series. In order to regain his Shinigami powers after being stripped of them, Ichigo Kurosaki has his Chain of Fate severed by Kisuke Urahara in order to force him to regain his lost power before becoming a Hollow. Ichigo is only able to succeed once he begins transforming into a Hollow. Ichigo's transformation happens out of sequence, his mask forming first instead of his body breaking apart and reforming, a sign of his resistance to becoming a Hollow, and he emerges as a Shinigami wearing a Hollow's mask, which he breaks off. After he arrived in Soul Society, the Hollow mask reappears on his person on several occasions, even though he repeatedly discarded it, to block mortal and fatal blows. In his fight against Byakuya Kuchiki, Ichigo's inner Hollow took some control of his body, causing his mask to reform around his face. Ichigo is able to regain control and tear off the mask before the transformation completes.
Process 1: This process is based entirely on force of will by a normal soul, though with the intention of gaining Shinigami powers it doesn't have access to or failing and becoming a hollow. Becoming a Vizard is a extremely rare occurrence of this process. When Ichigo's spirit chain was completely eroded he underwent the normal transformation of a plus into a hollow. The significant difference being that normally when a plus transforms into a hollow the spirit form shatters and reconstitutes itself into the new monstrous form. Ichigo's transformation was entirely out of sequence, as the hollow mask was being formed first while his body was still that of a plus, showing that he was resisting the transformation. Ichigo enters into an internal world where he is forced to find his spiritual powers in a small amount of time, by sheer coincidence he does so, but in the middle of becoming fully transformed into a hollow. Therefore it is that singular moment that allowed Ichigo to gain both Shinigami powers and acquire hollow powers at the same time.
Process 2: It is unclear how the other Vizard gained their current status. What is known is that Sōsuke Aizen was instrumental in the Hollowfication process (though whether he knew of the full potential results is left to question). This process used seems to spread as some form of possible infection through wounds, that has the desired effects on souls with high-level spiritual energy as compared to souls with low-level spiritual energy. Causing those infected great sickness and fatigue until they vomit up a white liquid that forms the beginnings of their hollow mask, which then proceeds to transform their bodies and warping their minds. Other than that all that is known is that the process is accelerated by aggressive emotions. The conclusive result makes a Shinigami into a primarily hollow-like humanoid which is a highly unstable transformation causing mindlessness aggression.
Process 3: Aside from the dangerous method used by Urahara on Ichigo, the Hōgyoku could allow a Shinigami to use Hollow powers (presumably in relation to the Vizard creation), but it has only been shown doing the opposite (creating the Arrancar). Urahara's Hōgyoku played a vital part in the process of making the Vizard currently what they are, as he tried to use it to return them to their previous state. But according to Urahara, what his device did was not what he had intended (turning them into a stable form of complete hybrids) and he considers the solution a failure on his part, though they didn't become complete Hollows due to his intervention and did eventually gain control over their new power.
When Ichigo's Hollow powers started to increasingly manifest while not under his control, Shinji explains that Ichigo's conflict with his inner Hollow is a common symptom other Vizard had to deal with at one point or another in order to master their abilities.
Around 101 years before the current time, people in the Soul Society started to disappear, but more than simple death, there were no bodies found; only the victims' clothes remained. The situation caused a great uproar in the Gotei 13 as investigations groups where sent out and not heard from again. Due to this, the 9th Division's command structure took it upon themselves to investigate the situation. Kensei Muguruma, then-captain of the Ninth Division, Mashiro Kuna, his then-lieutenant and their subordinates comprising the 3rd to 6th Seats. They were all mysteriously cut down by a then-unknown assailant that succeeded in taking them all by surprise using some unknown method. When much like the previous disappearance their reiastu disappeared the Gotei 13 became worried and sent out a new investigation team personally hand picked by Capatin-Commander Yamamoto to see what has happened. Captains Shinji Hirako of the 5th Division, Love Aikawa of the 7th Division and Rōjūrō Otoribashi of the 3rd Division, along with Lieutenant of the Kidō Corps' Hachigen Ushōda, and Kyōraku's Lieutenant Lisa Yadōmaru all set out to find out where they disappeared to. Urahara's lieutenant, Hiyori Sarugaki was already on her way to collect samples of the disappearance sight per Urahara's request.
When the group finally arrives they find Hiyori and then themselves under attack by a Hollowfied Kensei and Machiro. Even while working as a team they were overpowered by the brutal attacks from the former fellow Shinigami. With the timely arrival of Hachi, Machiro is bound using Kidō and then after more fighting from Kensei he is bound as well. Hiyori, now being held by Shinji, begins to succumb to the Hollowfication process and attacks Shinji without warning. Then, the others are surrounded with a pitch black darkness unable to sense each other and are systematically cut down. After the darkness is lifted Shinji is the only one still conscious see that it was all Kaname Tōsen, Kensei's 6th Seat, using his Bankai against them. Shinji tried to question Tōsen about the betrayal of his captain while he and the others were going through various stages of Hollowfication. Aizen, Shinji's lieutenant, then shows up with Gin Ichimaru, Shinji's 3rd Seat in tow, explaining that he was following his orders. Then Aizen begins to explain how he was behind it all and that he had been manipulating Shinji from the start using his Zanpakutō's special ability. He then gives Tōsen permission to get rid of Hiyori whom he attacks. Shinji, who refuses to go down without a fight, engaged in combat with Tōsen. Shinji gained the upper hand due to the increase in his power, but then he succumbed to the Hollowfication process even more and was about to be attacked by Aizen. But the timely arrival of the cloaked 12th Division Captain Kisuke Urahara and Kidō Captain Tessai Tsukabishi stopped him.
Hollow Mask: The Vizard remains in complete control while wearing their masks, unlike Ichigo's early unstable transformations. As suggested by Aizen, the fusion of the two spiritual entities allows these Shinigami to reach levels of power far surpassing that of either Hollow or Shinigami.
The Vizard use their Hollow powers to augment their existing Shinigami abilities, granting them massive increases in speed, stamina, and strength.
The only known side effects to donning the Hollow masks are the specific time limits, which vary from user to user and can be extended with training, though to what extent is unknown. Most of the Vizard appear to have a limit of about 3 minutes after a century of training however Mashiro could maintain hers for 15 hours right from the start and Ichigo expanded his limit from 11 seconds to several minutes in a relatively short period of time so the factors influencing the limits of the masks are still unclear. Every time the mask is used, the Vizard's voices echo as a consequence of both their normal voice and their inner Hollow's voice speaking at the same time.
The Vizard's Zanpakutō function in the same manner as those of standard Shinigami; however, none of them have explicitly used their releases in combat yet, excluding Ichigo and Kensei. The Vizard seem to prefer their Hollow-like powers to their Shinigami abilities.
There are eight known Vizard aside from Ichigo Kurosaki. Five of them are men and the other three are women. Three Vizard speak kansai-ben, a dialect spoken in Osaka and Kyoto. All Vizard are former Shinigami Captains or Lieutenants from approximately 100 years before the main storyline. Ichigo Kurosaki is considered one of their number unofficially more or less by the group's and his own admission.
| Vizard | Rank | Affiliation | Partner | Zanpakutō | Hollow Mask | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shinji Hirako | Former Captain | Formerly 5th Division | Formerly Sōsuke Aizen | Unknown | Double-mouthed Pharaoh mask with a short-flowing hood beneath the back of his neck | Ambushed by Kaname Tōsen; Protected by Sajin Komamura |
| Love Aikawa | Former Captain | Formerly 7th Division | Unknown | Unknown | Traditional Ogre-shaped Oni mask with two small horns at its forehead | Preparing to fight Starrk |
| Kensei Muguruma | Former Captain | Formerly 9th Division | Formerly Mashiro Kuna | Tachikaze | Flat Hockey mask with six slitted eye holes in two columns and extensions that frame his head | Finished off the last Gillian |
| Mashiro Kuna | Former Lieutenant | Formerly 9th Division | Formerly Kensei Muguruma | Unknown | Heart-shaped mask with two goggle-shaped eyes and four slits in its mouth area; Resembles Kamen Rider's mask | Fatally attacked Fūrā and injured Wonderweiss Margera |
| Rōjūrō Otoribashi | Former Captain | Formerly 3rd Division | Unknown | Unknown | Bird-shaped mask; Unique in in the sense that his protrudes from his face instead of being flat | Preparing to fight Starrk |
| Hiyori Sarugaki | Former Lieutenant | Formerly 12th Division | Formerly Kisuke Urahara | Unknown | Skeletal-shaped mask with a prominent horn centered on its forehead and a row of diamond-shaped markings over its eyebrows | Arguing with Tōshirō Hitsugaya |
| Hachigen Ushōda | Former Kidō Corps Lieutenant | Formerly Kidō Corps | Formerly Tessai Tsukabishi | Unknown | Traditional Balinese mask with tusks and feather-shaped spikes at the top of its head | Fighting Barragan Luisenbarn |
| Lisa Yadōmaru | Former Lieutenant | Formerly 8th Division | Formerly Shunsui Kyōraku | Unknown | Diamond-shaped mask with a cross-shaped hole in the middle and its top tip bending over her head | Fighting Tia Harribel |
| Ichigo Kurosaki | Substitute Shinigami | Loosely Soul Society | Rukia Kuchiki | Zangetsu | Pure white skull on the right side, the mask possesses a total of ten red stripes spread across three spots on the left side of his mask | Stuck in Hueco Mundo |
