Mimihagi (ミミハギ, Mimihagi) is a fallen god known to operate in the outer districts of Eastern Rukongai. Its true identity is the Right Arm of the Soul King (霊王の右腕, Reiō no Migiude),[1] which governs "Stillness" (静止, Seishi); Mimihagi's counterpart is Pernida Parnkgjas.[2]
Appearance
When Jūshirō Ukitake was a boy, Mimihagi took the form of a humanoid entity with a body shaped like an arm and a clenched right fist, with a single, large eye on the back of the fist. It wore a simple tunic and had a large band encircling the area behind the fist.[1]
In the present time, Mimihagi lacks a physical body entirely, instead appearing as an entity of Reishi in the form of living darkness that takes varying forms between his classical form, with a symbolic representation of its single eye as a shadow, and the form of a hand and arm made up of intangible darkness.[3]
History
When Jūshirō Ukitake was three years old, he developed a lung disease, which caused the doctors in the area to abandon him when they could not treat it. His parents took him to Mimihagi's shrine and prayed for Mimihagi to take his lungs away, which Mimihagi did. This allowed Ukitake to survive and become a Shinigami.[4]
Plot
The Thousand-Year Blood War arc
During the second invasion of the Wandenreich, Ukitake activates the Kamikake in preparation for becoming the right arm of the Soul King.[5] When the Soul King dies, Ukitake begins the process of replacing him by allowing Mimihagi to take the rest of his body, which will allow him to replace the Soul King in exchange for his life. As he does this, a shadow resembling Mimihagi begins rising off his back before extending toward the sky as Ukitake screams in pain.[6] Darkness erupts from Ukitake's orifices as Mimihagi continues rising into the sky; shortly afterward, the tremors in Soul Society stop.[7]
Mimihagi reaches the Soul King Palace, where it shocks those present upon enveloping the bifurcated Soul King. Yhwach notes Mimihagi managed to escape his eyes before demanding to know why Mimihagi is interfering, only for Mimihagi to close its eye in response.[8] Yhwach attempts to attack Mimihagi, but he is blocked by a shadowy barrier. Wondering if the will of the Soul King no longer resides in Mimihagi, Yhwach decides to destroy both it and the Soul King, but Ichigo Kurosaki interferes, allowing Yoruichi Shihōin to set up a barrier around Mimihagi while proclaiming that they will let it become the new Soul King because it has managed to stabilize Soul Society and is the arm of the Soul King himself.[9]
However, Uryū Ishida appears and shoots Yoruichi in the shoulder, causing the barrier she set up to shatter. After Yoruichi is incapacitated and Ichigo is distracted, Yhwach begins ripping Mimihagi off of the Soul King.[10] After his Schutzstaffel arrive and Uryū causes the rest of Ichigo's friends to fall off the palace, Yhwach sees Mimihagi trying to attack him and disposes of it before absorbing the Soul King, causing him to gain a pattern resembling a chain of eyes covering the left side of his body and the tremors to resume in Soul Society.[11] Regardless, Mimihagi remains alive due to still being connected to Ukitake, and continues to use its powers to keep the Three Worlds separate despite Yhwach's attempts to merge them.[12]
Powers and Abilities
Immense Spiritual Power: As the Soul King's Right Arm, Mimihagi fittingly possesses great amounts of Reiryoku, enough to resist a continued assault from Yhwach's own immense Reiatsu for several minutes, though Yhwach eventually prevailed and overpowered Mimihagi.[13]
Precognitive Immunity: Mimihagi, like the Soul King and Pernida, is immune to the precognitive abilities of The Almighty, which keeps it from appearing in any of Yhwach's visions, even when they are in the same room in the future.[14]
Precognition: According to Yhwach, Mimihagi likewise has the Soul King's power to see into the future.[15]
Umbrakinesis: Being a living shadow, Mimihagi seemingly has some control over darkness itself. When Yhwach tried to attack Mimihagi, it erected a wall of darkness in an attempt to stop the Quincy.[16]
Consumption: Yhwach implies that Mimihagi has the ability to assimilate him through consuming him. When Mimihagi tried to do so, Yhwach stopped it and absorbed Mimihagi instead.[17]
Stagnation Governance: Just as Pernida governs Progress, Mimihagi as the Soul King's right arm governs the domain of "Stillness" (静止, Seishi), or in other words, stagnation: the stopping of development, growth, and progress. Therefore, Mimihagi can use its power to inhibit change (such as the progression of an illness), which Mimihagi chiefly accomplishes via symbiosis with whatever being it is attached to.[2]
- Life Extension: Mimihagi bestows blessings upon those who offer it anything aside from an eye, since it already possesses its own. In turn, its power stops the progression of whatever is afflicting a body part or organ of those it blesses; this grants a reprieve from the inevitable for a time, extending their life and making them capable of what they otherwise would not be capable of doing. With his diseased lungs taken from him, Ukitake survived his illness and became a captain of the Gotei 13, but he frequently coughs up blood and becomes too sick to fulfill his duties as a captain at times.[18] The following is one prayer to Mimihagi:
"Lord Mimihagi, Lord Mimihagi. Kill the illness eating away our child, and devour his organs.
Lord Mimihagi, Lord Mimihagi. The divine hand from the heavens... please bless us with your power..."
ミミハギ様 ミミハギ様 吾子の腑 喰らう病を殺し 代わりて その腑を喰らい給え。
ミミハギ様 ミミハギ様 天より降りし神の手の 御眼の力を差し伸べ給え。
"Mimihagi-sama, Mimihagi-sama. Ago no fu kurau yamai o koroshi, kawarite sono fu o kurai tamae.
Mimihagi-sama, Mimihagi-sama. Ten yori furishi kami no te no, on-me no chikara o sashinobe tamae."[19]
- Kamikake (神掛, Divine Possession; Viz "Divine Vow"): Kamikake is a ritual that an individual who has had part of their body taken by Mimihagi can perform by sacrificing the rest of their body and their life in exchange for becoming the vessel for Mimihagi in the role of the right arm of the Soul King. Initially, the Kamikake changes the user's shadow into something resembling Mimihagi itself.[5] Later, the shadow will spread across the user's entire body before stretching toward the sky in the shape of a hand.[20] In the final stages, darkness erupts from the user's orifices to form the hand.[21] However, this is only a temporary solution in the event of the Soul King dying; once the user dies, the effect ends.[22] The full effect is initiated by the following incantation:
"Lord Mimihagi, Lord Mimihagi. Pray, release Thou the power of Thine August Eye. Pray, abandon Thou the Power of Thine August Eye that Thou hast buried within mine innards."
ミミハギ様 ミミハギ様 御眼の力を開き給え 我が腑に埋めし御眼の力を 我が腑を見放し開き給え
"Mimihagi-sama, Mimihagi-sama. On-me no chikara o hiraki tamae. Waga fu ni uzumeshi on-me no chikara o. Waga fu o mihanashi hiraki tamae."[23]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Bleach manga; Chapter 616, page 12
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Bleach manga; Chapter 639, page 6
- ↑ Bleach manga; Chapter 617, pages 1-3
- ↑ Bleach manga; Chapter 616, pages 9-12
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Bleach manga; Chapter 605, page 3
- ↑ Bleach manga; Chapter 616, pages 4-15
- ↑ Bleach manga; Chapter 617, pages 1-4
- ↑ Bleach manga; Chapter 617, pages 5-7
- ↑ Bleach manga; Chapter 618, pages 9-12
- ↑ Bleach manga; Chapter 619, pages 7-16
- ↑ Bleach manga; Chapter 620, pages 13-16
- ↑ Bleach anime; Episode 405
- ↑ Bleach anime; Episode 396
- ↑ Bleach manga; Chapter 617, pages 6-8
- ↑ Bleach manga; Chapter 620, page 14
- ↑ Bleach manga; Chapter 618
- ↑ Bleach manga; Chapter 620
- ↑ Bleach manga; Chapter 616, pages 10-12
- ↑ Bleach anime; Episode 395
- ↑ Bleach manga; Chapter 616, pages 14-15
- ↑ Bleach manga; Chapter 617, pages 2-4
- ↑ Bleach manga; Chapter 617, page 10
- ↑ Bleach manga; Chapter 616, page 7
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