BLEACH SPOTLIGHT: HOLLOWS

year 15, month 10

Hollows! Yes, the creatures that all of us spend years learning how to control, hunt and purify (or dispatch if needed). Of all the things that we Soul Reapers will encounter regularly, hollows are by far at number one on the list. So much so that we even have an entire class revolving around Hollow anatomy, strengths, weaknesses, history and more. Sensei Enoshima already does a superb job teaching all of us plenty about thee creatures, but let's take some time to borrow his knowledge for this article as we dive into the loooooore of the Hollow species!
 

HOLLOWS AND THEIR CLASSES

Like us, Hollows are creatures that can constantly evolve in power, though their methods are slightly... different. While we all become stronger through gaining knowledge and fighting our hearts out, Hollows gain their strength by snacking. More specifically, they must devour souls in order to grow stronger, which is why they are constantly on the hunt for human souls. All hollows start out as human souls that stray in the human world for far too long. Consumed by despair, they change into these primitive creatures that only wish to satiate their hunger.

Despite usually being simple enough to defeat for a seasoned Soul Reaper, if too many Hollows merge together into one, they will for the first Hollow class; a Menos Grande, or a Gillian. These hulking cloaked skyscrapers are actually the weakest stage, but can still be very challenging to defeat for anyone below Lieutenant class. Once at this stage, the Gillians will only seek to eat more and more, until they reach the next possible evolution, Adjuchas. These hollows are smaller, but replace that beastly strength with speed, intellect, and the ability to even lead Gillians to war. As if Adjuchas weren't rare enough, there is yet still another class above them, the Vasto Lorde. These beings are the final evolution of Hollows, and are even powerful enough to overwhelm a Captain. Now, it's unknown if eating enough souls can turn an Adjuchas into a Vasto Lorde, but so far that's the only working theory.

HISTORICAL HOLLOW LORE

Hollows play an important part in the canon lore as they do in the WoR lore. While we all know plenty about the history of Hollows in that timeline, what do we know about Hollows in the WoR timeline? Well, even though they've popped up everywhere, the Hollows have had two major events in WoR history. The first, is the Hollowfication Plague far back in the WoR history that reshaped the Soul Society into what it is now. A dreadful and powerful version of the Vizard Hollowfication that struck all Soul Reapers across the world and eradicated them, nearly destroying the Soul Society. Were it not for the heroes of our past, who knows who the Soul Society may have looked like! The second major event is the Hollow Invasion in our more recent history, where a certain Quincy (who shall not be named) unleashed a tear in the sky, allowing thousands of Hollows to spill out and attack the Soul Society.

Even though we have many Hollows in history causing trouble, WoR is still home to those who have Hollow blood in them and use that to defend our world. From Vasto Lorde Arrancar, to Hollow-taming Shinigami, there's many who have used Hollows and their powers to their advantage, and more to come in the future!

did you like this blog?