Quote:
Originally Posted by Geta Boshi
There is a very logical explanation to this if you compare Ichigo's Zanapkuto from chapter Chapter 66 to the one cut in in two by Byakuya in Chapter 55, the cut is at the exact same place . When he emerges from shaft he has the same Zanapakuto its the reminiscent of that Zanapkuto NOT Zangestsu .
Zanegstu is more like a cleaver while ichigo's zanapkuto was more so like a butter knife . Urahara cut ONLY the blade and cross guard . But when Zangetsu is called out the new Zanapkuto that emerges has an entire different Hilt (Pommel and Grip)
Ichigo original sword's Pommel has ribbons and his Hilt had Cross Hatchings / Decorations . If it was the same zanapakuto it would have remained as Urahara didn't touch any of these two parts . Then there is also the different type of Blade
Before : (Pommel Ribbons) (Grip Cross-Hatching / Decoration)
After : (No Pommel) (Bare Grip)
Urahara only cut the blade and cross gaurd NEVER the Hilt (Pommel and Grip) |
Sorry to play devil's advocate, but I just want to make sure that I get everything.
I hadn't picked up on the fact that the blade that Ichigo emerged out of the shattered shaft with was in the same condition as the one from his encounter with Byakuya. They can't be the same blade because Ichigo was using Sode no Shirayuki before and Ichigo was relieved of her powers when Byakuya injured him. But why have Ichigo come out with a sword reminiscent of his days with Rukia's powers when he obviously doesn't have her powers anymore? Why not just have him come out with a normal katana? Visual impact? If it is solely for visual impact and to emphasize Urahara literally hacking away at his former self, it really threw my plot logic for a loop.
I was also under the impression that the hilt of a blade included the cross guard, that the cross guard + grip + pommel = hilt. Double checking on wikipedia, that's what it says too.
But even if that weren't the case, I'm not sure I follow your point on the fact that Urahara only cut the blade and guard and never the pommel and grip. Even if Urahara didn't cut these parts, I believe that they would have changed along with the pommel and grip when Ichigo called out Zangetsu. Many shinigami seem to only seal the blade, thus retaining the hilt when they release (Byakuya, Renji, Kira, Matsumoto, Hinamori etc.) but there are others whose
entire sword changes when released, thus changing the hilt along with the blade (Rukia, Shunsui, Ukitake, Urahara, Soi Fon, Hitsugaya (addition of pommel), etc.) so the appearance of an entirely different hilt isn't unseen.
I'm almost positive that the blade that Ichigo comes out of the shattered shaft with is Zangetsu, it just doesn't look like a cleaver because Ichigo hadn't learned/fully heard/acknowledged (take your pick) Zangetsu's name yet. Plus, zanpakutou are tied to one's soul, and that was the blade that Ichigo pulled out of the box in his soul while in the shattered shaft (Ch. 63, Pg. 16). If shikai is level 1, then I see the butter knife as level 0. I'm sure Shinigami Academy students deal with their zanpakutou's at level 0 too, I wouldn't expect them to learn shikai right away.
Does that clarify my confusion? And if I go the other route and try to say that Ichigo was using Zangetsu at level 0 from the beginning and Rukia's powers were just the vehicle that allowed him to use Zangetsu before he developed his own shinigami powers, it doesn't explain why the cross guard looks the same as Rukia's.
AAAA... my brain hurts...