Background
Yhwach is the father of all Quincy, the son of the Soul King, and the first villain in the series who preys on the setting itself rather than any one person. A thousand years ago he warred with the Gotei 13 and was sealed for nine centuries and nine decades by Genryusai Yamamoto. The seal's terms are the plot of the final arc: he regains his heartbeat, then his reason, then his power, feeding on the souls of Quincy he deems impure through the Auswahlen, the selection that killed Uryu's mother and crippled Masaki Kurosaki in a single day in 1994.
His empire, the Wandenreich, hides inside the shadows of the Seireitei for the entire series before striking. The first invasion kills Yamamoto, whose Bankai Yhwach steals and uses to burn the old man to nothing, and shatters Ichigo's Tensa Zangetsu. The second conquers the Soul King Palace outright. Yhwach personally unseals the Soul King and absorbs him, remaking the royal realm into Wahrwelt, a Quincy city in the sky, and taking the throne of the world.
His Schrift is A, The Almighty: eyes that see every possible future and the power to rewrite any of them. The show is careful about its one limit, sleep. While Yhwach rests, the power passes to Jugram Haschwalth, and the aired anime builds its endgame in that window: assassins creeping toward a sleeping king, Uryu's betrayal timed to the hour, Ichigo climbing the tower. Part 3 closes with the gamble failing, Yhwach's eyes opening, and his Reiatsu flooding the throne room over the zombie Sternritter sent to kill him in his sleep.
Key Events
27 momentsThe Wandenreich (Quincy empire) declare war on Soul Society. Yhwach vows to destroy Soul Society in five days.
Introduced: Father of all Quincy, leader of the Wandenreich, final antagonist
Schrift revealed: "A": The Almighty
Kenpachi vs. Royd (Yhwach impersonation). Kenpachi defeated but alive
Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto, killed by Yhwach. Killed by Yhwach after his own power is consumed
Royd Lloyd, killed by Yhwach. Crushed by Yhwach after completing his impersonation mission
Yamamoto vs. Yhwach (decoy). Yamamoto is killed by the real Yhwach after defeating Royd Lloyd's impersonation
Yhwach's 'Auswählen' ability revealed, he can revoke the power of any Quincy he deems impure.
Uryū Ishida chooses the Wandenreich. Uryū is inducted into the Sternritter as 'A'
Uryū Ishida joins the Wandenreich, announced as the Sternritter 'A' The Antithesis and Yhwach's chosen successor.
Yhwach (actually Royd Lloyd) steals Bankai from multiple captains including Hitsugaya, Suì-Fēng and Kyōraku.
Cang Du, killed by Bazz-B (with Yhwach's permission). Impaled by Bazz-B after being captured and brought to Yhwach
BG9, killed by Haschwalth. Executed by Yhwach's allies after failing in the invasion
Yamamoto is killed by the real Yhwach after mortally wounding Royd Lloyd's decoy. Royd reveals the identity deception in his final moments.
Bazz-B, killed by Jugram Haschwalth. Cut down by Haschwalth in their duel at Silbern, remembering how he once invited Jugram to become his underling
Vollständig activated. Uryū awakens his Quincy: Vollständig in his decisive confrontation under Yhwach's watch.
Uryū Ishida vs Jugram Haschwalth. Uryū stays behind so Ichigo can reach the sleeping Yhwach, but Haschwalth, holding the borrowed Almighty, sees through every trap and runs him through
Haschwalth reveals Yhwach's true wish: annihilating the Three Worlds to build a new Quincy monarchy. A rift opens beneath Wahrwelt and over Karakura Town.
Urahara is one of Yhwach's five designated Special War Powers, alongside Ichigo, Kenpachi, Ichibe'e, and Aizen, chosen for his innumerable tricks.
Ichigo and Orihime vs Yhwach. The Soul King's darkness swallows every Getsuga Tenshō until Ichigo wakes Zangetsu's Hollow side with Yhwach's own Quincy Reiatsu
Yhwach exposes Ichibe'e's design: Ichigo was taken in and given the Soul King's memories to be installed as the next Soul King, a living lynchpin for the Three Worlds.
Wakes Zangetsu's Hollowfied form by exposing the blade to Yhwach's Quincy Reiatsu, regaining the horn and markings from the Ulquiorra fight
Fires Cero Creciente, a Getsuga Tenshō fused with a Gran Rey Cero, into Yhwach's side
Bankai revealed: True Zangetsu (Blood Chains Ichigo). Called under a full lunar eclipse after Yhwach pins him. A second horn mirrors the first, red Reiatsu chains ring his neck and wrists, and Rukia names it the power of Ichigo's true Zangetsu.
Ichigo and Rukia vs Yhwach. Yhwach runs both through and stands on Ichigo's head; Ichigo's Bankai turns it around until Orihime flies into Yhwach herself and the chamber fills with red petals
Blood Chains Ichigo deflects a dozen of Yhwach's beams behind a wall of red Reiatsu chains and spawns shadow clones that attack from every angle
The Shun Shun Rikka leave her hairpins and reform as a six-petaled flower she takes in her hands, a form of Shun Shun Rikka that walks through Yhwach's beams unharmed
Personal Data
Also Known As
The Almighty
Your Majesty
Quincy King
Voice Actors
Takayuki Sugou
Richard Epcar