A Zanpakuto (Soul-Cutter Sword) is the maim weapon of the Soul Reapers, the Arrancars, the Vizards, Shinobis, and more. The art of wielding a Zanpakuto is called Zanjutsu.
Overviews
Zanpakuto are the trademark weapons of Soul Reapers. Capable of cutting both spiritual and physical bodies, they are amongst the few weapons which can be used to combat Hollows. Each Soul Reapers carries a Zanpakuto, and each Zanpakuto is unique: as the sword are both reflections of a Soul Reaper's soul and power, and sentient beings unto themselves. The Zanpakuto's name is also the name of the living spirit that empowers the sword and lends its strength to the Soul Reaper who wields it. These beings can vary greatly in appearance and have their own distinct personalities which match their owner's. Normally, the Zanpakuto spirit can only be seen by its wielder. Otherwise, they dwell in their own "inner world", created within the minds of the Soul Reaper who wield them. As such, each Soul Reaper's inner wolrd is drastically from another Soul Reaper's and is unique to themselves. A Zanpakuto's spirit can bring its wielder into its inner world though the Soul Reaper can voluntarily achieve this simply by meditation.
A Zanpakuto's shape and abilities are based on their Soul Reaper's soul. Once a Soul Reaper or Zanpakuto wielder learns his/her sword's name, they are able to communicate with one another and grow stronger together. Zanpakuto are born with their Soul Reaper or Shinobi and they die along with their Soul Reaper and passes down to it's next wielder. When released, they can display a vibrant power. They are one with the Soul Reaper or Zanpakuto wielder, and they share a Soul Reaper's conviction.
Asauchi (meaning "shallow hit") the class of nameless Zanpakuto that all low-class Soul Reapers wield. Soul Reapers who are still in training - those who do not yet belong to any of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads - all wield generic Zanpakuto. Soul Reapers whoare unable to communicate with their Zanpakuto, "the shallow hit", which refers to the grossly-reduced power of a Zanpakuto whose wielder cannot connect with it properly.
Zanpakuto Facts
- Because they are a part of their owner's soul, a Zanpakuto cannot be replaced, thought it will slowly regenerate if it is broken.
- The Zanpakuto size reflects the amount of the swordman's spiritual powers
- If a Soul Reaper pierces the chest of a human with their Zanpakuto and channels their Spiritual Powers through it into the Human body, it will transform that human into a Soul Reaper temporarily. The act does not a high chance of viability even when the human in question has a high level of spiritual energy, and if the method does fail the human will die.
- Every Zanpakuto has its own name
- A Zanpakuto can determine whether or not its wielder is worthy of its powers.
- Normally, even a broken Zanpakuto would return to its original state as its wielder recovered.
- Zanpakuto have a true form. This form resides inside the wielder (the Soul Reaper mostly). A Zanpakuto has a mind and a body that controls their powers.
- Zanpakuto possess their own spiritual pressure, which can be sensed as any spiritual pressure can and is identical to that of their wielder through with subtle differences.
- Though rare, it is not impossible for more than one soul to be attuned to the same spirit. In such cases, ancient law of the Soul Society will not allow two beings to wield the same Zanpakuto, in which cases, they must duel in ownership of the spirit, with the winner gaining it and the loser being sentence to death.
- No matter what form (or size) a Zanpakuto takes, it is alway virtually effortless for its owner to wield because it is a part of its owner's soul. Soul Reaper captains all consciously keep their Zanpakuto in a manageable size, otherwise they would be holding Zanpakuto the size of skyscrapers. Therefore, one cannot judge one's opponent's strength solely by the size of their Zanpakuto.
Obtaining a Zanpakuto
A wielder knows their Zanpakuto spirit very closely and vice versa. The connection is very deep, though in the beginning the connection is one sided with the wielder being unable to fully hear the spirit communicating with them.It is not uncommon for the introduction of the two (the Soul Reaper and Zanpakuto Spirit) to take place in the inner world while the prospective Soul Reapers sleeps.
A Zanpakuto is generated by its wielder upon the solidification of their Spiritual Powers into the sword's form. Commonly, when a Soul Reaper graduates from the training academy, he/she gains his/her own unique weapon. The process by which this happens has not yet been shown. What has been shown is that Ichigo Kurosaki, who was trained independently and in an unusual manner, gained his own Zanpakuto via a test of combat that required him to reach deep within and talk hold of his own power in a way he never had before. Whether this is the same process other Soul Reapers go through is not yet known. At any rate, it is known that when a Soul Reaper obtain their own Zanpakuto, they learn its name and become able to "activate" it. This activated ability is called the "Shikai," the first two levels of activation. When a Zanpakuto sword is changeed into its Shikai form, what is actually being seen is the true form of the weapon.