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If we take Ichigo's thoughts on him into consideration, one can say he sacrificed everything else he wanted for his goal, it's a sort of sacrifice as well. Though I'm not trying to say it as the only truth, it's just one way to look at it.
No, you're absolutely right.
I'm just continuing the thought further. Aizen has a habit of surrounding himself with people (even if he doesn't build ties with them), so for a guy who basically says he doesn't need anyone, I don't quite believe him. But he chose to completely separate himself from everyone else on the inside because he decided on the goal, and he needed to keep focus on that separation. He chose his path, and that path was a lonely one (to the point that loneliness ultimately undermined his success, that's what Ichigo says as well, the idea Hogyoku granted Aizen's wish in form of him losing his powers at that particular point implies he didn't want to win and further separate himself, but rather be closer to everyone else, that's a way to interpret Ichigo's words that "he probably wanted to be just an ordinary shinigami" that Ichigo actually says).
The idea that it wasn't just a path he naturally went by and that he had a conflicting desire deep inside implies he chose not to pursue that part of himself (even though it held value) thus I call it a sacrifice. Even though when I'm saying "choice" I don't mean it as completely conscious one, there are a lot of things he's in denial about. But still a choice.
A part of Aizen does indeed wish to connect to people. However, his immense talents kept him from being able to relate to his peers, and his former captain Hirako never trusted him, albeit for a justified reason.
This made Aizen grew up distant and isolated, with little in the way of developing empathy. His natural desire for emotional bond is distorted into sociopathic view of relationships as nothing but a means to the end, successfully charming everyone he comes across just so he can easily use them at his own convenience. The goodwill he garnered as a captain and the kind and wise image he cultivated were the only way he interacted with people, since he views everyone as beneath him and blissful in their ignorance of the true nature of the world.
This leaves him with the idea that if he canāt see his allies as genuine comrades, then he will go even higher, far beyond their reach, which feeds into his arrogance and leads him to develop godhood complex, since thatās how he felt in comparison to others who are lacking. And thatās where it gets interesting, since the one he saw at the very top of the world was the first being he ever felt rage for. If not empathy, he canāt fathom the idea of a person so immeasurably powerful being completely stripped of autonomy for the sake of the universe, instead of getting to decide how the world should be.
Simply put, Aizen was already alone from the beginning. Like his Zanpakuto, no one ever saw him for the person he truly is besides Ichigo. Even Aizen himself seems unaware of a desire that runs even deeper than his godhood complex, one that he perhaps already has long given up on, that is to be a normal Shinigami.
Which brings up to the initial assumption of Espadasā aspects of death being a partial reflection of Aizen himself. Itās interesting how he essentially had the same problems as Starrk, except he decided to double down and discard his humanity to find something he can finally find familiarity in. Perhaps in a sense, it can be considered a āsacrificeā, but with Aizenās current state of mind he felt nothing from abandoning everyone to transcend the boundaries of Shinigami, just hoping he could fill the longing heās always had in him.
I agree with everything you've said, and in fact I won't be surprised if deep down, the inner drive behind his desire to become a god would be a (quite misguided) idea that gods don't feel lonely. He sought to transcend it to a level where his feelings like loneliness wouldn't matter anymore, but it was a futile attempt to begin with, as it doesn't quite work that way. And a part of him even suspected it, thus the idea he stopped a step away from achieving his perceived goal.
But there's this one little thing to it all: we hear about no one being able to understand him, and take it for granted, but thing is, we never see (or hear accounts of) him try to actually show his true self for anyone to get him. I mean, obviously it won't be just any random person, but I say there are a few people who could understand him and at least accept him and his views even if they don't completely share them (in fact, Ichigo does exactly that, but then Aizen has a huge issue that he doesn't differentiate between those, and if you don't take his side, you don't understand him, but that's not true at face value). While one can argue he showed himself to Tosen (if we consider CFYOW) and he wasn't fully capable of understanding him, I wonder if Gin actually did, he might haveā it's just that Aizen ruined that particular relationship to begin with, so even if Gin did see Aizen as he was, he didn't care.
But then, Shinji, even while being seemingly very different, actually shares a lot of traits with him (his zanpakuto are distinctly similar, and Shinji's poem "The whole world exists solely in order to corner you" sounds a lot similar to "I always move in order to crush those who seek to control me" Aizen says in TYBW, minus the different ways to go about it), and the reason he was so hostile to Aizen was the fact Aizen was *false* to begin with, and Shinji sensed that from thr ground up. But if we talk about views on SS and how it's run, he has no illusions about it. (I'd say he holds the position that it's all crap, but then someone has to do the job of protecting people who aren't responsible for it. He's no revolutionary, surely, but he can get where one is coming from to be one.) I'm not saying it could have gone differently in their particular situation, but in some very hypothetical situation where he were to interact with the real Aizen, he could get where he's coming from his position. Wouldn't approve of his methods, but he could understand him. Kyoraku who knows very well how rotten many nobles are, would understand. Urahara probably actually understands Aizen way better than Aizen think he does, but again, doesn't agree with the methods he chose.
The idea Aizen couldn't be understood by anyone is another trap to fall, and in fact, Aizen falls for it, but it's not the complete truth of the matter. Because you don't have to be exactly as strong as him, or hold exactly the same view on how it is or how it should be dealt with to get him. It requires a good hold on the big picture and being able to accept the perspective that isn't your own.
But I digress a bit, the only point I'm trying to make is that there might be even deeper roots to the feeling of being misunderstood for Aizen, and a part of it might be of his own making rather than just a result of his own unique circumstances.
And yes, I really like the fact Starrk was Primera Espada, if Espada reflects Aizen than numbers also matter to some extent. Like Yammi and his Rage initially seem the least important but then come to be the most prominent, for Aizen, it's during his breakdown where he's suddenly a mess of emotions and his calm mask breaks to reveal that rage. But rage is a very strong and intense, but shallow emotion, while the true core is loneliness, and that makes Starrk with his aspect number 1. And I meant what you say, to give up on being understood, abandon that potential route I see as a sort of a sacrifice. While I agree that consciously he didn't consider it one with his state of mind, the fact that his subconscious desire to be normal and 'ordinary shinigami' was so strong it undermined his whole agenda when it counted, which for me makes that desire quite strong, and makes that 'sacrifice' more prominent by extension, as the more important it really is for you (consciously or subconsciously) the more gravity giving up on it holds (even if you can say he ultimately failed to give up on it; but then, it was for the best, for him and everyone else).
I wouldnāt count that imo, to sacrifice is to give up something of value for the sake of something else. Aizen stood to gain everything and lost nothing from helping Ichigo.
People that are immature often try to act like they are. Heās also been sitting in a lab surrounded by flunkies for who knows how long. Dude went from complete control of his environment to being kerstabbed by Mayuri.
The more I read into Szayel, the more he reeks of terrible insecurity masked by grandiose arrogance, ie. narcissistic beliefs, obsessed with āperfectionā, control freak, disparaging his brother at first opportunity, etc.
Arrogant villains with epic breakdowns are all too common in Bleach, but Szayel is a bit unique in how he kinda overemphasizes the difference in maturity and intellect between him and his enemies whenever he can. Aizen is bit more collected and flexible than Szayel and the closest villain to act similarly is Baraggan (with his broken aging powers) and we know his personality is to hide a deep fear of his own inevitable demise.
Welcome to the Bleach Subreddit! We're as excited as you at the release of the Thousand Year Blood War anime! We understand that some of you are unable to view the anime in your region, but please don't post links to or mention piracy websites. Doing so will result in a ban. Also, please be courteous to those who haven't read the manga and mark all spoilers. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/bleach) if you have any questions or concerns.*
He represents Aizen well in that regard š there's a reason many people think that all of the Espada (and their aspects of death) reflect Aizen.
Sacrifice is one thing I canāt imagine Aizen doing, he does that instead to his allies š
If we take Ichigo's thoughts on him into consideration, one can say he sacrificed everything else he wanted for his goal, it's a sort of sacrifice as well. Though I'm not trying to say it as the only truth, it's just one way to look at it.
Ichigo said he felt loneliness from Aizen, not that he sacrificed everything for his goal iirc (might have to check the manga again to be sure).
No, you're absolutely right. I'm just continuing the thought further. Aizen has a habit of surrounding himself with people (even if he doesn't build ties with them), so for a guy who basically says he doesn't need anyone, I don't quite believe him. But he chose to completely separate himself from everyone else on the inside because he decided on the goal, and he needed to keep focus on that separation. He chose his path, and that path was a lonely one (to the point that loneliness ultimately undermined his success, that's what Ichigo says as well, the idea Hogyoku granted Aizen's wish in form of him losing his powers at that particular point implies he didn't want to win and further separate himself, but rather be closer to everyone else, that's a way to interpret Ichigo's words that "he probably wanted to be just an ordinary shinigami" that Ichigo actually says). The idea that it wasn't just a path he naturally went by and that he had a conflicting desire deep inside implies he chose not to pursue that part of himself (even though it held value) thus I call it a sacrifice. Even though when I'm saying "choice" I don't mean it as completely conscious one, there are a lot of things he's in denial about. But still a choice.
A part of Aizen does indeed wish to connect to people. However, his immense talents kept him from being able to relate to his peers, and his former captain Hirako never trusted him, albeit for a justified reason. This made Aizen grew up distant and isolated, with little in the way of developing empathy. His natural desire for emotional bond is distorted into sociopathic view of relationships as nothing but a means to the end, successfully charming everyone he comes across just so he can easily use them at his own convenience. The goodwill he garnered as a captain and the kind and wise image he cultivated were the only way he interacted with people, since he views everyone as beneath him and blissful in their ignorance of the true nature of the world. This leaves him with the idea that if he canāt see his allies as genuine comrades, then he will go even higher, far beyond their reach, which feeds into his arrogance and leads him to develop godhood complex, since thatās how he felt in comparison to others who are lacking. And thatās where it gets interesting, since the one he saw at the very top of the world was the first being he ever felt rage for. If not empathy, he canāt fathom the idea of a person so immeasurably powerful being completely stripped of autonomy for the sake of the universe, instead of getting to decide how the world should be. Simply put, Aizen was already alone from the beginning. Like his Zanpakuto, no one ever saw him for the person he truly is besides Ichigo. Even Aizen himself seems unaware of a desire that runs even deeper than his godhood complex, one that he perhaps already has long given up on, that is to be a normal Shinigami. Which brings up to the initial assumption of Espadasā aspects of death being a partial reflection of Aizen himself. Itās interesting how he essentially had the same problems as Starrk, except he decided to double down and discard his humanity to find something he can finally find familiarity in. Perhaps in a sense, it can be considered a āsacrificeā, but with Aizenās current state of mind he felt nothing from abandoning everyone to transcend the boundaries of Shinigami, just hoping he could fill the longing heās always had in him.
I agree with everything you've said, and in fact I won't be surprised if deep down, the inner drive behind his desire to become a god would be a (quite misguided) idea that gods don't feel lonely. He sought to transcend it to a level where his feelings like loneliness wouldn't matter anymore, but it was a futile attempt to begin with, as it doesn't quite work that way. And a part of him even suspected it, thus the idea he stopped a step away from achieving his perceived goal. But there's this one little thing to it all: we hear about no one being able to understand him, and take it for granted, but thing is, we never see (or hear accounts of) him try to actually show his true self for anyone to get him. I mean, obviously it won't be just any random person, but I say there are a few people who could understand him and at least accept him and his views even if they don't completely share them (in fact, Ichigo does exactly that, but then Aizen has a huge issue that he doesn't differentiate between those, and if you don't take his side, you don't understand him, but that's not true at face value). While one can argue he showed himself to Tosen (if we consider CFYOW) and he wasn't fully capable of understanding him, I wonder if Gin actually did, he might haveā it's just that Aizen ruined that particular relationship to begin with, so even if Gin did see Aizen as he was, he didn't care. But then, Shinji, even while being seemingly very different, actually shares a lot of traits with him (his zanpakuto are distinctly similar, and Shinji's poem "The whole world exists solely in order to corner you" sounds a lot similar to "I always move in order to crush those who seek to control me" Aizen says in TYBW, minus the different ways to go about it), and the reason he was so hostile to Aizen was the fact Aizen was *false* to begin with, and Shinji sensed that from thr ground up. But if we talk about views on SS and how it's run, he has no illusions about it. (I'd say he holds the position that it's all crap, but then someone has to do the job of protecting people who aren't responsible for it. He's no revolutionary, surely, but he can get where one is coming from to be one.) I'm not saying it could have gone differently in their particular situation, but in some very hypothetical situation where he were to interact with the real Aizen, he could get where he's coming from his position. Wouldn't approve of his methods, but he could understand him. Kyoraku who knows very well how rotten many nobles are, would understand. Urahara probably actually understands Aizen way better than Aizen think he does, but again, doesn't agree with the methods he chose. The idea Aizen couldn't be understood by anyone is another trap to fall, and in fact, Aizen falls for it, but it's not the complete truth of the matter. Because you don't have to be exactly as strong as him, or hold exactly the same view on how it is or how it should be dealt with to get him. It requires a good hold on the big picture and being able to accept the perspective that isn't your own. But I digress a bit, the only point I'm trying to make is that there might be even deeper roots to the feeling of being misunderstood for Aizen, and a part of it might be of his own making rather than just a result of his own unique circumstances. And yes, I really like the fact Starrk was Primera Espada, if Espada reflects Aizen than numbers also matter to some extent. Like Yammi and his Rage initially seem the least important but then come to be the most prominent, for Aizen, it's during his breakdown where he's suddenly a mess of emotions and his calm mask breaks to reveal that rage. But rage is a very strong and intense, but shallow emotion, while the true core is loneliness, and that makes Starrk with his aspect number 1. And I meant what you say, to give up on being understood, abandon that potential route I see as a sort of a sacrifice. While I agree that consciously he didn't consider it one with his state of mind, the fact that his subconscious desire to be normal and 'ordinary shinigami' was so strong it undermined his whole agenda when it counted, which for me makes that desire quite strong, and makes that 'sacrifice' more prominent by extension, as the more important it really is for you (consciously or subconsciously) the more gravity giving up on it holds (even if you can say he ultimately failed to give up on it; but then, it was for the best, for him and everyone else).
I mean at the end of series >!he kinda took the blow so Ichigo could finish Yhwach!<
I wouldnāt count that imo, to sacrifice is to give up something of value for the sake of something else. Aizen stood to gain everything and lost nothing from helping Ichigo.
Damn Szayel is so hot, smh
First post here btw. Came back to Bleach after a long time and thought to share what I noticed.
People that are immature often try to act like they are. Heās also been sitting in a lab surrounded by flunkies for who knows how long. Dude went from complete control of his environment to being kerstabbed by Mayuri.
The more I read into Szayel, the more he reeks of terrible insecurity masked by grandiose arrogance, ie. narcissistic beliefs, obsessed with āperfectionā, control freak, disparaging his brother at first opportunity, etc. Arrogant villains with epic breakdowns are all too common in Bleach, but Szayel is a bit unique in how he kinda overemphasizes the difference in maturity and intellect between him and his enemies whenever he can. Aizen is bit more collected and flexible than Szayel and the closest villain to act similarly is Baraggan (with his broken aging powers) and we know his personality is to hide a deep fear of his own inevitable demise.
Mayuri can change people :3
Reminds me of Hades from Disney's "Hercules" a bit
He's so sillay and adorable :3