Warning: The following article contains spoilers for episode 21 of Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War.
If viewers thought they had seen it all in the first part of Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War, they thought wrong. Part two, titled The Separation, gives us just as much material to sink our teeth into, and episode 21, “The Headless Star,” is a prime example of that.
By now, fans have gotten used to seeing Ichigo Kurosaki’s evolution as a Soul Reaper, with the character steadily growing in strength and power. Naturally, a huge part of that is related to Ichigo’s connection with his Zanpakuto, Zangetsu, and the unlocking of its several forms, as well as new techniques. In “The Headless Star,” while facing off against Candice, the protagonist once again rises to the task by creating a never-seen-before move, the Getsuga Jujisho. It’s an impressively flashy technique, that’s for sure, but understanding it is far more important than just seeing it put to use (despite how cool that may be).
What is Getsuga Jujisho and how does Ichigo use it?
If the name Getsuga Jujisho sounds somewhat familiar, that’s because it is. This technique can be considered a variation — or upgrade, more like — of another that we’ve seen Ichigo pull off enough times already, Getsuga Tensho. To understand the former then, you must first understand the latter.
After the substitute Soul Reaper learned the name of his Zanpakuto and unlocked its second form, Shikai, with it came Getsuga Tenhso, a special ability also known as Moon Fang Heaven-Piercer, or Piercer of Heaven, in the English anime translation. With this signature move, Ichigo’s blade absorbs spiritual power with a single slashing movement, before releasing it from the tip in the form of highly concentrated spiritual pressure, the physical manifestation of that power. This way, the magnitude of Ichigo’s slashing attack increases, propelled forward with impressive power.
Getsuga Jujisho works similarly, but instead of using a single blade, it requires Ichigo to use the dual-blade version of Zangetsu. When Ichigo makes a horizontal slashing movement with one blade, the Zanpakuto begins absorbing spiritual power as it would for the Getsuga Tensho, but it’s not immediately unleashed. Instead, by using the second blade to make a vertical slash, the Soul Reaper creates a cross shape, launching a more powerful attack that results in a massive explosion.
It’s a shame that we only got to see this technique late into the series, but it was totally worth the wait.