Summary
Similar to how the Soul Reapers can throw out a devastating Bankai as a last resort when pushed to their limit, Aizen’s personal army, known as the Espada, can perform a similar technique: Resurreccion. Activating a Resurreccion allows the Espada to return back to their bestial original form, gifting them with brand-new powers, and completely changing their design.
Tite Kubo always goes above and beyond when designing powerups for powerful characters inBleach, but from a visual perspective, the Espada stand out as some of the most detailed and memorable of the entire cast.Bleachis a series renowned for its stylish character designs, so it’s time to see how this applies to the Espada’s when entering their final forms.
11Tiburon - Harribel
Harribel Takes On The Appearance Of A Skeletal Warrior In This New Form
Though Harribel’s Resurreccion form isn’t all that different from her regular appearance, it’s still a creative attire for thesilent assassinwhich removes her Hollow Mask and greatly enhances the size of her blade. Activating this form would also grant Harribel bulky shoulder pads that add to the warrior aesthetic of the design.
Unlike a lot of her fellow Espada, Harribel doesn’t turn into a creature or monster after pulling out this ability, more so resembling a mutant whose weapon has been attached to their arm. The design is definitely unique, but not quite as memorable as the other members of the Espada squad.
10Fornicaras - Szayelaporro
Szayelaporro’s Sick And Twisted Personality Shines Through With This Eerie Design
Szayelaporro,the mad scientistof the Espada, takes on a rather unusual and unorthodox form as a last resort. His Resurreccion covers Szayelaporro in a purple jumpsuit marked with lines as if he’s been dissected just like the Espada’s many unfortunate victims. To add to the creepiness, his hands gain giant claws for nails and one of his eyes suddenly becomes covered in markings.
While there’s admittedly a lot going on at once in this appearance, Szayelaporro’s final form does still do a good job of putting across the sick and twisted mind of Espada number 8. Considering this guy has been teased for the long-awaited Hell arc, it’s likely fans will get a chance to see this form many more times in the future.
9Santa Teresa - Nnoitra
Nnoitra’s Beastly Ambition For Power Turns Him Into A Monster
Nnoitra exposes himself as a merciless, bloodthirsty, and power-hungry member of Aizen’s army uponfacing off against Ichigoand Kenpachi during the Hueco Mundo arc. However, it’s only when unleashing his Resurreccion that Nnoitra truly looks the part, growing multiple arms which are all holding razor-sharp blades to slice through anyone who stands in his way, regardless of whether it’s friend or foe.
The addition of the Hollow horns makes Nnoitra look even more beast-like, calling back to his time as a Hollow and showcasing the relentless power that lies underneath the cold surface. It’s a memorable design that even managed to spook Kenpachi with how eerie and intimidating it is.
8Gamuza - Nelliel
Nel Acquires An Elegant Appearance To Grant Her Extra Mobility And Strength
Nel already surprises fans with a transformation after she turns from a child into a full-grown woman in a matter of seconds halfway through the Hueco Mundo arc. The truth is, Nel was actually once a member of the Espada before she was forced out by Nnoitra, which is how she was able to obtain this Resurreccion form, which sees her bottom half become that of a light brown centaur, while a horse tail follows her from behind.
Kubo was clever to use these specific animals as a way to make Nel seem less monstrous than the other Espada, which certainly suits her personality. Despite that though, it still manages to look formidable, especially with the addition of the lance, which she’s able to wield with a single arm, even though it’s more than double the size.
7Ira - Yammy
After Revealing His True Positioning In The Espada, Yammy Flaunts His Unrivaled Strength
Upon revealing that he is actually Espada number 0, making him the strongest of the entire group in terms of pure strength, Yammy decides to show exactly what he’s made of in front of bothKenpachi and Byakuyain an epic transformation sequence. In his Resurreccion, Yammy becomes absolutely enormous, easily towering over the two veteran Captains as his muscles grow to extreme proportions, and his legs turn into tree trunks.
His arms are also attached with all sorts of Hollowified materials and ornaments, along with black cylinders sticking out from his back, making him appear like some sort of gigantic war machine. While many fans weren’t happy with the Yammy reveal in the story, there’s no doubt that the actual design is still a marvel to look at.
6Glotoneria - Aaroniero
The Weirdness Of Aaroniero’s Unique Power Is Emphasized Through This Otherworldly Design
Aaroniero’sspecial abilityallows him to consume Hollows, who he can then absorb the strength of, allowing him to utilize their powers in his own battles. This weirdness of this ability is perfectly presented through the transformation that accompanies it, with Aaroniero’s legs becoming a giant octopus-like monstrosity that can always be seen with creepy grins and menacing eyes covering its body.
It’s an interesting choice to have Aaroniero resting on top of the form rather than becoming the beast itself, but it’s a good detail that helps to put the sheer size of the monster in perspective, making for a creepy, but eye-catching design which is hard to look away from during its brief single appearance in the series.
5Brujeria - Zommari
Zommari Possesses A Hypnotic And Incredibly Creative Form When Activating Resurreccion
When Zommari activates Brujeria, there is nobody in the room he can’t see, as this form plants eyes onto every part of the Espada’s body, including the large pink sack that replaces his legs. Additionally, Zommari’s very own eyes turn pitch black as he pierces the souls of his victims, making for an extremely creative design that Kubo clearly had an absolute blast creating.
It also perfectly feeds into Zommari’s power, Amor, which allows him to steal sovereignty from anything he gazes at. Zommari himself would be one of the least memorable of the Espada overall, but that certainly doesn’t also apply to his captivating ultimate formwhich he shows against Byakuya.
4Pantera - Grimmjow
The “King” Harnesses His Primal Instincts When Pushed To His Limit
Grimmjow already comes across as a pretty dangerous enemy for Ichigo to take down in his regular form, but when using Resurreccion, he turns into a true beast with his mind being focused on nothing more than bloodshed and chaos. The most noticeable change is Grimmjow’s hair growing out and a mask covering the top half of his head.
However, there are a lot of neat details in Grimmjow’s new design to look out for, from the sharp talons covering his arms to the whip-like tail that he regularly uses in his fight against Ichigo. It’s an epic design that has become a synonymous bit of iconography fromthe Arrancar arc.
3Los Lobos - Starrk
Kubo Decided To Make Starrk Somehow Look Even More Stylish When Calling Out His Hounds
Tite Kubo has been known to be very creative with the clothing of the characters inBleach, often being seen as a master at creating character designs that are effortlessly stylish. A prime example of this is Starrk, thenumber 1 Espadawho obtains a long wooly coat, a single eye visor, and fluffy legwarmers upon unleashing Resurreccion.
It’s hard not to gawk at this design with how badass it is, showing that a form doesn’t need to go too over the top to stand out from a visual perspective. Though it is, unfortunately, unlikely that Starrk will ever show up again to showcase this form, it would definitely be a treat if he were to make a cameo in Hell somehow later down the line to show Los Lobos one more time.
2Segunda Etapa -Ulquiorra
A Visual Representation Of Ulquiorra’s ‘True Despair’
Ulquiorra is the only Espada to possess a second Resurreccion which he calls Segunda Etapa, allowing him to enter avampiric-like formthat sees him sprout giant pitch-black wings and devilish horns extending from his head. With the stark contrast of his pale hollow skin, this design is a perfect representation of the emptiness associated with Ulquiorra’s character.
Another small detail that helps convey this is how Ulquiorra’s hole begins leaking in this form, along with his eyes. This showcase of ‘true despair’ by Ulquiorra shook Ichigo to his core when it showed up, and while it does look terrifying, it’s also a gorgeous piece of artwork that is clearly inspired by gothic horror and vampire stories.
