Who is Yhwach in Bleach TYBW? Story, first appearance, personality, powers

Updated on June 6, 11:46 a.m. (GMT+8): Improved relevancy.

The Thousand-Year Blood War also comes with what feels like a thousand characters.

The Bleach TYBW anime is a welcome adaptation for diehard fans. But for those who want to know a bit more about each character without veering off into endgame spoilers, here’s an introduction to Yhwach — the main villain of the new Bleach anime.

Warning: Spoilers ahead if you haven’t read Bleach chapters 484 to 686

Who is Yhwach in Bleach Thousand Year Blood War?

Yhwach is the progenitor of the Quincies, a supposedly extinct race of warriors that were exterminated by the Soul Reapers.

Yhwach is a grave, polarizing man. While treated with the utmost respect by his subordinates and proclaiming his desire for a world without death, he’s also merciless. To reclaim his own strength and power, he shows zero hesitation at killing his subordinates.

The villain’s main goal is to meld all three realms — the Living World, Hueco Mundo, and Soul Society — into one, thus creating a world without death. To that end, one needed to kill the Soul King, a powerful entity that keeps all three realms separate, thus maintaining the cycle of life, death, and rebirth.

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Personality and powers of Yhwach in Bleach TYBW

He shows complete and utter disregard for Arrancars, but he appreciates power — even from ages-old opponent Genryuusai Shigekuni Yamamoto.

Yhwach’s innate ability is to distribute pieces of his own soul to others touched by him, explaining his army of Strenritters with their unique Schrifts and powers. He can take back these fragments for himself, giving him a boost in power and mortality.

Yhwach’s iconic ability is The Almighty, giving him precognition on a massive scale. Instead of seeing just the future, he sees every one of them — and can even alter them to suit his demands. This allows him to be nearly omnipotent.

Through the Thousand-Year Blood War, Yhwach shows a remarkable ability to adapt to his opponents. He takes down several of the strongest Soul Reapers — including Kenpachi Zaraki and Ichigo Kurosaki.

First appearance of Yhwach in Bleach TYBW

Yhwach first appears in chapter 484 of the Bleach manga, and the first episode of the Bleach TYBW anime.

Where to read and watch Bleach

All 686 chapters of Bleach are officially available on the VIZ Media website.

The anime adaptation first aired on October 10, 2022. The series is available on several major streaming platforms, including Disney Plus, Netflix, and Prime Video, depending on your region.

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