High Intellect: Arguably, the most fearsome trait of Sōsuke Aizen is his tremendous intellect. He is well-versed in the history, strategy, tactics of the Soul Society, and is privy to knowledge previously unknown to many, such as the knowledge of the existence of the Ōken, as well as the obscure method in which to make one.[118] He has also created several Hollows and Arrancar while being able to avoid arousing any suspicion from the majority of his fellow Shinigami.[119][120] For over 110 years, he had also been engaging in experiments that involved unique and highly dangerous manipulations of spirit energy and spirit particles, including experiments involving the Hollowfication of Shinigami, something that had never been done before.[121] He has an innate knowledge of the Hōgyoku, rivaling that of its creator, Kisuke Urahara, even the extent required for him to destroy it.[122][123] He is able to figure out Shinji Hirako's Shikai ability's true nature and then deduce that it produces an optical illusion, allowing him to counter its effect.[124] He effectively deduces the true power of the Hōgyoku via trial and error of situations that revolve around it.[125]
Master Manipulator: He has shown himself to be a very crafty and cunning man since his public betrayal of the Soul Society. The most noticeable trait is his ability to deceive and manipulate others around them in multiple manners. For years, he was effectively able to convince everyone around him that he was a kind-hearted man with the best intentions for the Soul Society, while performing horrific actions.[126][127] He has a great talent for analyzing and observing everything in his presence, allowing him to quickly understand a person's pattern of thinking and better manipulate them. He is also a powerful strategist, capable of formulating well-thought-out plans several steps ahead of others. These plans are incredibly involved and detailed, and are planned-out with the long term in mind, making them seem slightly convoluted. His most well known plan spans over 110 years, a great accomplishment given that it required moving people around like pieces on a chessboard, as well as making sure they played the role he had planned out for them.[128][129][130] He is masterful when it comes to "plans within plans," such as kidnapping Orihime, allowing him to use her abilities to extend the shelf life of the Hōgyoku, and to trap the Ryoka and 4 Captains after the departure of Gin, Tōsen and himself in Hueco Mundo, making it easier for him to accomplish the ends of his first plan, to create the Ōken and gain access to the Royal Dimension.[131][132]

Master Tactician: He has also shown himself as a powerful and flexible tactician, capable of adjusting seamlessly to any given combat situation, if not plan out events well in advance. He understands the strengths, weaknesses and mannerisms of his enemies and creates strategies to achieve victory; this includes modifying an Arrancar for the sole purpose of defeating Yamamoto, a Shinigami whose abilities surpass his own.[133]. Though it can be said that the majority of his tactics rely heavily on his Zanpakutō's special ability, there are few better tactics than manipulating all the senses of your opponents, making it easier for one to attack.[134][135] Despite viewing his power as worlds beyond others, he is also shown to be highly cautious in battle, placing special protections on himself so as to leave no blind-spots.[136]


Aizen using Hadō #90: Kurohitsugi (Black Coffin).
Kidō Master: Aizen has a great mastery at using Kidō spells. He is skilled enough to use Kidō without the use of their incantation; he used the Black Coffin (ranked 90) spell, and even though he did not control it entirely (utilizing only a third of the spell's original strength), it was sufficient enough to disable fellow Captain Sajin Komamura.[137] He has even used the Splitting Void (ranked 81) spell to block another Kidō attack by Tessai Tsukabishi, who was Captain of the Kidō Corps and reasonably the most proficient Kidō master in the Soul Society at the time, while Aizen himself was only a lieutenant.[138] He can produce powerful protection spells to his person while in battle.[139]
Immense Strength: He is powerful enough to stop Ichigo's Bankai with just one index finger (albeit Ichigo was already battle-worn from fighting Byakuya Kuchiki) and almost cut him in half with a single swing of a sword and stopped Renji's Shikai with his bare hand and broke it with one swing, injuring Renji in the process. He was also able to stop Komamura's Shikai with his bare hand, proving his strength was more than enough to combat someone of his same level.[140][141][142] Aizen further shows his strength by being able to effortlessly cut through the sword and wrist of Komamura's Bankai.[143]

Immense Spiritual Power: Even by captain-level standards, Aizen has shown to have tremendous spiritual energy. Marechiyo Ōmaeda commented that Aizen's very presence is monstrously overwhelming.[144] A hint to his actual level of spirit power is given when he turns Wonderweiss Margela into an Arrancar; before activating the Hōgyoku, and states that despite its half-awakened state, it can be fully activated when temporarily fusing with someone with twice as much spiritual power as an average captain-level Shinigami (referring to himself).[145] The force of Aizen's spiritual power is also great enough to, without any visible effort, bring the 6th Espada to his knees[146]. He has commented that it takes a lot for him not to "crush an ant" (referring to Renji) in his path. He also claims that he is more powerful than all of the Espada.[147] Aizen has shown that his reiatsu is powerful enough to nullify abilities, such as when he negated Suì-Fēng's Nigeki Kessatsu technique.[148]

Master Swordsmanship Specialist: While the full extent of his prowess has yet to be known, he has demonstrated the ability to effortlessly fight back an opponent's Shikai and Bankai with his own blade still sealed. He has also demonstrated the ability to perform tremendously powerful and precise strikes, capable of cutting through very sturdy targets, such as Renji's Shikai. He was also able to easily cut down four captains (two which used their Bankai) and four Visored (with three being former captains of Gotei 13) with ease.[149]

Shunpo Master: He is perceived to be so fast that one cannot discern even being attacked by him until after it has taken place.[150] Aizen is shown to easily outmaneuver Ichigo's Bankai and Hollow mask-enhanced speed to the point he could casually lay a hand on his chest and still dodge a point-blank attack.[151] He is capable of effortlessly dodging simultaneous attacks at close range and the evasion of Bankai level techniques. He moves so fast that opponents commonly do not know his movements until after he has made them and is skilled enough in his movements to evade at high speeds even when being attacked from behind.[152][153] It's questionable if he is as fast as Yoruichi Shihōin or Suì-Fēng, especially seeing as they both caught him before he was able to unsheathe his sword to engage in battle before his escape from the Soul Society.[154]

Hakuda Master: While preferring to finish his fights quickly with his Zanpakutō or Kidō, Aizen is a highly capable fighter unarmed as well. Repeatedly, Aizen has shown himself able to effortlessly catch his opponent's weapons barehanded. While fighting offensively, he has shown tremendous agility and dexterity, able to combine both sword and barehanded skills to simultaneously strike with his sword and kick opponents with great force.[155]

ZanpakutōEdit

Kyōka Suigetsu
Kyōka Suigetsu (鏡花水月, Mirror Flower, Water Moon): In its sealed form, it resembles a normal katana. The only decoration is the tsuba, which is a hexagon instead of a rectangle. The two sides parallel to the blade are long, whereas the four sides above and below the blade are shortened, making it into almost a diamond or prism-like shape. It has a green handle.
Shikai: The release command is "Shatter" (砕けろ, kudakero) and is used to both activate and deactivate it.[156] The name Kyōka Suigetsu hints at its illusionary properties; the moon reflected in water and a flower in a mirror are things that can be seen but not held. It is a Chinese saying for seeing and desiring something that is a dream that cannot be easily grasped in hand, teaching people about temptations.

Aizen using Kyōka Suigetsu.
Shikai Special Ability: Kyōka Suigetsu's Shikai ability is Kanzen Saimin (完全催眠, Complete Hypnosis).[157] It controls the five senses to the point that it can make the target misinterpret another person's form, shape, mass, feel and smell to be that of the enemy. The initiation condition for the hypnosis is to show the enemy the release of Kyōka Suigetsu. After seeing it just once, that person will completely succumb to the hypnosis. After that, every time it is released, that person will fall under the thrall of the hypnosis. The hypnosis is apparently long-lasting, seeing as the Visored are still affected by Kyōka Suigetsu even though they were hypnotized at least 110 years ago. Since the spell works when you see the ritual, those who cannot see are consequently immune to the hypnosis.[158] When he turns off the hypnosis by force of will, the image shown melts away/shatters. Kyōka Suigetsu's Complete Hypnosis is absolutely flawless; even if the target is aware that they are under the hypnosis, they cannot resist its influence.[159] Kyōka Suigetsu's hypnotic abilities make it a highly useful tool in combat, as Aizen can quickly create simple or complex illusions to deceive his opponents. For example, by creating a decoy of himself, or other illusions to distract his opponents, Aizen can hide his own movements and attack with impunity. His opponent, meanwhile, will remain focused on the illusion until it's too late to react.[160][161]
While the illusions Kyōka Suigetsu creates are quite powerful, those with considerable power and skill themselves may be able to note slight differences in the illusions compared to the real thing, even if they are not able to determine what, precisely, is different. Captain Retsu Unohana was able to detect something was amiss with Aizen's fake corpse, even though she did not realize what until seeing Aizen alive.[33] Kyōka Suigetsu's reiatsu gives it away to those keen enough to sense its actual presence past the illusions created by its complete hypnosis.[162] Gin reveals that the sole way to escape Kyōka Suigetsu's ability is by touching the blade itself before complete hypnosis is activated.[163]

Bankai: Not Revealed.

Hōgyoku ImplantationEdit
Protective Regeneration: By embedding the Hōgyoku into his chest, it has been demonstrated to actively protect Aizen by healing his injuries almost instantly. Aizen was able to take a point-blank level 96 destruction spell and escape only suffering slight burns.[164] Immediately following that, he took a point-blank Hollow mask-enhanced black Getsuga Tenshō and survived the attack.[165] He can come out unfazed after being hurled into several buildings.[166]
Strength Augmentation: Aizen's already considerable strength is further enhanced by the Hogyoku's evolution of his body. He is able to easily strike through a target's flesh with a single nonchalant sweep of his bare hands.[167]

Durability Augmentation: Aizen's durability is further enhanced due to the Hōgyoku's evolution of his body. Because of this, he can withstand a level 91 destruction spell without suffering any damage.[168]

TransformationEdit

Aizen's "chrysalis" stage.
First Form: After Urahara attempts to block the Reiatsu vents in his wrists with a seal, Aizen emerges from the resulting explosion unscathed as a phantom-like figure. His face is covered with a white canvas and his outfit is now a white cloak that is split in four sections near his waist. There is a cross in the middle of the cloak, showing where the Hōgyoku is embedded in him.[169] After a short struggle with Yoruichi Shihōin, his Zanpakutō becomes fused to his arm.[170] Also, when he is attacked, his body appears to crack and fold under damage, only actually bleeding when an attack is powerful enough.[171]
Enhanced Durability: His durability is great enough to block Isshin's Zanpakutō with just his foot[172] and withstand a massive punch from an armored Yoruichi.[173] He performs in battle as if he were unharmed, even while taking a lot of damage.[174] He takes on Isshin's point-blank Getsuga Tenshō attack, and seems unfazed by the attack, despite having a bleeding gash on his forehead.[175]
Enhanced Strength: Aizen was strong enough to cause a shockwave after being knocked down by Yoruichi. This shockwave was fast and strong enough to catch even Yoruichi off guard and subsequently destroy the Anti-Hierro armor on her left leg.[176]
Enhanced Speed: Aizen's new-found power enhances his speed to the point that even captain-level opponents cannot register his movements. His speed is so great that he is able to catch the likes of Yoruichi Shihōin off guard.[177] He can seemingly incapacitate three captain-level opponents instantaneously.[178]
Regeneration: Aizen also demonstrates a form of regeneration, as seen when he recovers from Yoruichi's first attack.[179]
Enhanced Spiritual Power: After Aizen fuses with the Hōgyoku, both Shinigami and Humans are incapable of sensing his reiatsu, unless he voluntarily lowers his level and allows them to interfere. He compares this to how a two-dimensional being is incapable of interfering with a three-dimensional one.[180] Isshin Kurosaki surmised that Aizen's spiritual power can only be sensed by someone that is at the same level as him.[181]

The result of the Hōgyoku's transformation of Aizen.
Second Form: After completing his "chrysalis" stage, Aizen shed his sleek phantom-like form to reveal a similar form to his original one, with the addition of long hair, and gray eyes with purple sclera.[182] The exact difference in power between his new form and his previous form is unknown.
Immense Durability: Aizen's durability has been further enhanced. He willingly lets the Kōtotsu collide with him, destroying it, while he remains unharmed.[183]
Immense Spiritual Power: Aizen's already enormous spiritual energy is further enhanced, evident by the fact that by just being near a Human soul, he causes it to collapse and fade away.[184] By his own claim, if Don Kanonji had come into contact with Aizen, the former would cease to exist.[185] Just by touching Gin Ichimaru's arm, his spiritual power caused the area touched to dissolve. [186]

Aizen's Third Form.
Third Form: After having a hole opened up in his chest by Gin's Kamishini no Yari, spiritual energy erupts from his chest and Aizen emerges from the blast in this new form.[187] In this form, he has a hole in the center of his chest with a cross in the middle of it. The form-fitting white robe that enveloped him in his past two forms lengthens and flares out at the ends. In this form, his irises vanish, as well as his eyebrows and the hair curl that usually hangs over his face. There appears to be a diamond-shaped object embedded in his forehead. He has also gained three sets of butterfly-like wings.[188] Also, when he faces Ichigo, his wings become more pointed, rather than rounded. [189]
Regeneration: He is able to regenerate wounds upon his physical form in a matter of minutes.[190]
Enhanced Strength: In this form, he is able to effortlessly attack his opponent with minor movement or force. He was able to throw Gin through a nearby building with ease.[191] He was also able to cause the ground to tear open with the sheer force of his sword swing, even when the blow was blocked.[192]
Teleportation: In this form, he is capable of dematerializing himself from one place and re-materializing himself a distance away. He literally breaks down into a purple particles/shards and reassembles himself.[193][194]

Aizen's Fourth Form.
Fourth Form: After Aizen is struck by Ichigo Kurosaki, the Hōgyoku forces another transformation upon him, which Aizen claims is because it "doesn't want [him] to lose to a mere human."[195] In this form, Aizen takes on a distinctive Hollow-like form. The diamond shaped point breaks open revealing a vertical black third eye upon the center of the forehead, and the skin on his face splits open down the middle and pulls back around the sides of his head to reveal a blackened, demonic-like skull. He develops three holes running vertically down his chest, the Hōgyoku standing at the center of the top hole, his feet become single claws, and his hands becomes blackened, with his right hand fusing with his Zanpakutō. His butterfly-like wings change into a set of six sheet-like wings with eyes set upon the center, adorned with Hollow-like skulls, and trailing into tendrils. Aizen no longer has any semblance of clothing in this form and his musculature becomes more defined.[196]
Spiritual Energy Blast: He is able to release bluish-purple energy ball from the Hollow-like skulls on the top of his wings. One blast is powerful enough to create a large crater with an accompanying explosion that causes a fallout that can be felt miles away from the blast site.[197]
Spiritual Energy Circle: He surrounds his target with his wings and uses the Hollow-like skulls atop his wings to generate a circle of sustained bluish-purple spiritual energy around a target. Upon creation the ring reverberates with power and solidifies while forming three more larger solid rings in concentric formation.[198]
Regeneration: After being hit by Ichigo's Mugetsu he is shown to have regenerated the wound itself, though most of his new form's features have been destroyed and do not return