#bleachplease

We also know that powerful Reiatsu tends to make weaker souls fall ill (from Hitsugaya’s backstory), which is why I headcanon Aizen’s biological mother perishing during, or shortly after, giving birth to him.

This is important because I think the lack of a mother figure had a great influence on Aizen’s psyche. His inability, or reluctance, to form bonds with others could be a reflection of the absence of a mother-child bond. Female characters in Bleach are often associated with themes of empathy, heart, and emotional connection (for example Orihime and her theme of “becoming the rain,” Rukia in relation to Kaien, or Masaki being the emotional center of the Kurosaki family). The lack of these traits in Aizen could suggest a missing motherly/feminine influence. This is also supported by the lack of any close relationship between Aizen and female characters.

The death of his mother could — but didn’t necessarily have to — cause some sort of social stigma around Aizen as the one who “killed” his own mother. Regardless of whether that was true or not, I don’t think Aizen’s upbringing was tragic or traumatic, nor do I think he grew up in poverty. On the contrary, I believe that whoever raised him provided a reasonably comfortable standard of living. Why? Because a hostile environment (like the one in Zaraki’s backstory) and poor living conditions would more likely produce survival instincts than a thirst for knowledge in a child.

I imagine Aizen learned how to read and write early on, and that someone taught him proper manners — things that sparked his interest in gaining even more knowledge. If his caretakers themselves weren’t educated, they likely wouldn’t have provided this kind of upbringing.

One personal headcanon I especially like is that Aizen grew up near a teahouse in one of the districts, where a friend of his biological mother took care of him. By observing geisha at work, he learned about music, poetry, the art of conversation, and seduction — skills that would later become useful in his game of pretend.

I can also imagine several other possible circumstances surrounding Aizen’s upbringing, especially those connected to his strong Reiatsu. We know that Reiatsu lures hungry Hollows, so this could have been a source of misfortune for the people around him. We also know that Aizen resents dependence. Perhaps this originated from people — or other children — relying on him from a very young age because of either his intellect or his Reiatsu potential, instead of acting independently. This could have created both a burden of responsibility for someone so young and a sense of superiority. Both traits would be important for his later actions.

As a child, I headcanon Aizen as very introverted, quiet, observant — and a little odd. Not because he was traumatized, but because he was still in the process of learning through observation and experimentation: how to fit into society, how to behave in order to achieve the desired reaction from others, and how not to accidentally say something too harsh or too factual and upset people because of it.

Momo - here the scene borders on intimate as Aizen deliberately cultivated the fake trust between them. He lures Momo close, stabs her while thanking her, keeping his facade of kind Captain Aizen till the very end. However, his initial plan was for Hitsugaya to kill her. He, again, didn't want to kill Momo himself. He didn't find her worthy of his sword. Of his truth. But when he does finally stab her, he claims this is mercy. He doesn't believe that Momo would be able to go on without him. Also, again (like with Rukia) he speaks of chopping Momo's body into pieces in front of someone who cares about Momo - in front of her friend Hitsugaya. So he not only discards Momo as a pawn he used, he additionally uses her as a trigger for another character.

And then comes the second time he tries to repeat the same model. During Fake Karakura Town fight, Aizen orchestrates everything the way that Hitsugaya stabs Hinamori (as Aizen initially wanted him to). So this says two things: Aizen still doesn't see Hinamori as a person who might have grown stronger after the suffering he caused her, he sees Hitsugaya that way - that is why he mentally tortures him. And he still uses Hinamori much like a mindless puppet. Even worse in this case, because here Hinamori isn't just brainwashed by him, she is basically injured and unconscious so he probably has to physically place her in his place for Hitsugaya to stab her. That is very similar to dragging Rukia around like a ragdoll. Also, it solidifies how Aizen has absolutely no sentiment for his ex-subordinate (unlike Gin or Kaname).

Hiyori - during Pendulum Arc Hiyori is getting Hollowfied alongside Kensei, Shinji, and the others. Hollowfication itself, in her case, is an unfortunate coincidence (Urahara ordered her to go there) but what happens during Aizen's conversation with Shinji is, again, the same pattern we have already seen. Aizen knows Hiyori is Shinji's friend. So to trigger Shinji, or perhaps to emotionally hurt him, Aizen orders Kaname to attack Hiyori. He doesn't do it himself. Of course not. That would be below Aizen. And he doesn't do it because Hiyori poses any danger, he does that after she speaks Shinji's name. While Hiyori is cut down, Aizen pays her no attention. He casually speaks to Shinji. And his provocation works.

Later, in Fake Karakura Town Arc this provocation is repeated by Aizen. Hiyori is targeted by Gin, however, Aizen comments on Shinji's reaction to her getting bisected. So it is not about Hiyori. Her bond with Shinji is used to get to Shinji before his fight against Aizen even starts. But Shinji manages to collect himself emotionally, probably knowing what Aizen intended.

Harribel - the only female Espada at the time of Arrancar Saga, and also the only Espada Aizen strikes down with his own sword. Not because she disobeyed him or betrayed him. No. Because she disappointed him. Bored him. Couldn't finish her fight fast enough. The fact that Aizen cuts her down himself might look like respect. He likes to tell his opponent that even drawing his sword against them IS a form of respect. However, the way he goes about it is totally disrespectful. Using hypnosis on her to stab her in the back. Telling her: "Don't make me swing my sword twice at someone like you." There is no respect in his words, and the treatment she got for her loyalty. The disrespect in this case might originate from multiple factors, not purely for her being a female warrior. Aizen is generally disappointed with Arrancars as lesser beings than himself, coming from Hollows. Aizen also doesn't accept reliance, and Harribel, sharing trust and respect with her three Fracción, represents trust, teamwork, support - things Aizen does not appreciate.

Orihime - she seems like an exception at first, as Aizen expresses interest in her power, almost appreciating what she is capable of. However, this quickly got dismissed by Aizen himself. He is not using Orihime's powers for any of his plans, and he treats her as a bait to lure Ichigo into Las Noches so he can further pushes his progress. So the moment Aizen realizes a female could be exceptionally powerful, he keeps her at a distance. Locks her up in her room. Allows potential harm to be directed her way (Loly and Menoly), and leaves her in a position of damsel to be saved. Telling her than a girl like her only needs to smile, which reads like an attempt to diminish her contribution to the war.

I am not counting in Lisa, Mashiro, and Soi-fon into this because in these cases the fight doesn't seem to vary from Aizen's encounter with male characters.

Yoruichi is an honorable mention, not because she gets attacked by him in any particularly cruel or personal way, but because during their 3 vs 1 battle it is Yoruichi who gets the most ignored verbally by Aizen. He has a dialogue exchange with Urahara, he comments on Ishin's Getsuga, but Yoruichi's comment about her legs (which is jokingly flirtatious on purpose to defuse Aizen's god-level ego at that moment) is met with a wall of Aizen's emotionless, flat reaction. Also, during the same encounter, Urahara is the one who gets the most of Aizen's attention, while Yoruichi is being clearly ignored conversation-wise. I think this is telling. It shows whom Aizen would rather treat as a conversation partner.

From these examples we see that female characters often work as extensions or emotional access/weaknesses of male characters he interacts with. He recognizes the connection, and uses it. He rarely engages in a longer conversation with a female character. He doesn't seem to see them as worthy or likely to progress after challenging them, he rather discards them when not useful anymore.

At the same time, there is no significant female character in Aizen's circle of closest subordinates. He is often accompanied by Gin and Tosen after they leave Soul Society. The Espada has only one female member. And his Arrancar maids - Loly and Menoly - get no attention from him, and are treated rather coldly, and strictly.

Interesting fact is that his two closest followers - Gin and Tosen, both have strong bonds with female characters. Kaname's whole philosophy of justice is inspired by his friend - Kakyō, and his need for revenge is a reaction to her getting brutally murdered.

Similarly, Gin's motivation began with Rangiku getting hurt by Aizen's lackeys. He is following Aizen for revenge, just like Kaname, and this revenge would be irrelevant if the bond with a female character had never existed. Aizen gets a glimpse into a power of that bond when Rangiku's cries over Gin's mutilated body. And what is Aizen's response to that scene? He tightens his grip on his sword, ready to strike her down. Just like he did to Gin.

As we see, Aizen not only targets multiple female characters, he also tends to target male characters who has a strong, personal connection to females. His main opponent are:

Ichigo - who inherited his protectiveness from his deep bond with his mother, and who also shares respectful and loving bonds with both Rukia and Orihime (both targeted by Aizen).

Urahara - who has a strong partnership with Yoruichi, and who also tried his best to befriend Hiyori during the pendulum arc.

These two characters, thanks to their connections (including, but not limited to, women) defeat Aizen in the Arrancar Saga.

Other characters, to whom Aizen seems to be particularly cruel toward are Hitsugaya, and Shinji. And again, both of them share strong, mutual bonds with female friends (Momo, and Hiyori). I already covered Kaname and Gin, I just want to add that in both cases Aizen kill them personally, as if punishing them for choosing the connection over his goal.

All the instances mentioned above, can suggest some sort of resentment or jealousy that Aizen carries toward other male characters who share emotional closeness with female characters. Or who perhaps are simply able to create meaningful, deep bonds with an aspect opposite to their own.

This resentment could be interpreted in a philosophical way, rather than as a simple misogyny. What he attacks is what the female characters symbolize.

Femininity in Bleach is connected with connection, care, attachment, protection of others and sacrificing oneself for the others (Masaki is an example, and how she defeats White by letting him bite her). Emotional intelligence represented by Orihime is another meaningful theme connected to femininity. With this comes compassion, empathy, supporting others and letting others rely on you emotionally (again, Orihime shows this, but also Ikumi, and Kukaku). And we already briefly touched on sisterhood, teamwork, motherhood and camaraderie represented by characters who are able to bring others together (Harribel, Matsumoto when supporting Orihime, Rukia training with Orihime). This places femininity as an important factor in creating community, and bonding people together, not by force, but by support and understanding.

Naturally, Aizen despises and lacks all these aspects, and they might be threatening to his belief in extreme individualism and self-sufficiency, his hate of dependency and reliance, refusal of being understood and connecting with others. What female characters represent in Bleach conflicts directly with Aizen's self-construct.

This could hint at Aizen's lack of internal balance between female and male aspects of self (anima and animus in Jungian interpretation, or yin and yang in thaois).

Yang - in taoism is a male aspect, the light (Aizen is compared to being like the Sun), white color (Aizen's color for the most of the Arrancar Saga), expansion, active energy, progress, strength. These are all aspects that Aizen clearly shows through the series.

Yin - the female aspect associated with the black (Shinigami color), the night, the moon, the stillness, passiveness, acceptance, introversion, the energy directed inward, intuition, treachery. Aizen exhibits only some of these aspects.

However, his power and his sword strongly resonate with Yin aspect (illusions, moon, secrecy), which makes me believe that Kyoka Suigetsu embodies Aizen's anima (female aspect), which he never fully accepted, internalized, or embraced. This creates an interesting contradiction: the power that defines him originates from aspects of himself that he appears unwilling to consciously acknowledge. Perhaps this is why we never see his Bankai.

Psychologically, this lack of acceptance of his own Yin/female aspect is self-destructive and keeps him from connecting.

The imbalance within Aizen may be caused by the absence of a maternal figure in his formative days, however this is speculative.

Whatever the reason, Aizen in multiple instances exhibits a dismissive attitude or violent rejection toward characters who are connected with female characters naturally, or toward female representation themselves, suggesting that he externalizes the rejection of a part of his own nature. But he also seems to envy what he dismisses because it makes him incomplete. Hollow. As three hollow holes he carries within himself after his final transformation.

However, as the series progresses, we learn that: a) Gin’s true goal was always to kill Aizen. b) Aizen’s goal is to replace the Soul King, and changing a system built on violence and lies. c) Tousen is killed by Aizen out of something resembling mercy.

These facts reverse the initial dynamic and make me question who was truly “blind”, and who actually saw Aizen’s "true nature".

I think both Gin and Tousen are right. They both “see” the truth, but neither sees it fully. The lack/impossibility of understanding Aizen fully (which, I'd argue is both thematic writing for his character, and explained be his actions inside the plot, not only caused by Tousen and Gin's limitations) leads to their deaths all the same, no matter loyal or not. They perceive different aspects of Aizen because Aizen functions like a mirror; ultimately, they see reflected in him what already exists within their own hearts and souls.

Tousen sees the positive side of Aizen’s goals. He may not be blinded so much as aligned with Aizen’s worldview, which makes him the only person who openly supports both Aizen’s objective and his methodology. Deep down, Tousen is a man of justice, and so he recognizes a form of justice in Aizen’s ultimate vision. He is also a man who hates the system he lives in (same as Aizen).

Meanwhile, Gin is ultimately a cruel man himself, and therefore he perceives Aizen’s darker aspects more clearly. He instinctively recognizes lies, cruelty, and manipulation because those are also his own methods. And in the end, he prioritizes his personal revenge over Aizen’s supposedly “noble” vision of change. He goes about it the same way Aizen goes about his goals.

Their own natures are reflected back at them and it shapes how they perceive Aizen himself. Both of them are simultaneously correct and incorrect about him because he's neither purely just nor evil.

There is a contradiction within Aizen, and both Gin and Tousen choose which aspects of him they wish to resonate with. And at the same time, they both represents different aspects of his character - the goal, and the methodology.

The Soul King was replaced, just as Aizen wanted, and perhaps in the future another, better way of replacing the linchpin will become possible.

Yamamoto died and was replaced by a more progressive Head Captain, leaving the Gotei 13 with no original members remaining — the old Gotei is gone.

There was a technological boom in Soul Society thanks to Mayuri and Urahara working together again.

The Royal Houses — at least the Kuchiki clan — seem to have become less traditional, as Rukia's marriage to the low-born Renji didn't draw much attention.

The Central 46 was entirely replaced, and its decisions were influenced by both Ukitake and Shunsui, which suggests less centralized power and more flexibility within the institution.

The Visored were accepted back into the Gotei, Arrancars helped during the war, and even some Quincies aligned with them — all signs of a shift toward a more open-minded, inclusive, and less antagonistic structure within the new Gotei 13.

Things changed slowly for the better, without Aizen ruling over reality. Instead, Ichigo's bravery and self-sacrifice influenced the people within the system.

So Aizen remaining imprisoned feels more like his own choice than a punishment, as though there is no longer any need for him in this reality. The systemic change he wanted is happening at its own pace, and his goal has lost its meaning because Aizen himself has changed — influenced both by Ichigo and by his own defeat.

He lost, yes, but that defeat was exactly what he needed in order to confront his own flaws and internal contradictions.

During his sealing, Aizen is at his lowest, all his "godly" powers begin peeling away. He realizes he is not going to evolve into anything greater, and he fully understands that he has lost. At that moment, all his anger and despair resurface.

And that becomes the transformative moment for him.

He is forced to look beneath all that control and beneath the cold, collected facade — and it's an ugly, very human picture, but it is exactly the mirror he needed. Only then can he begin to understand himself without illusions, facades, or self-deception.

The evolution tends to look ugly, after all.

(A shoutout to this beautiful post by @cheese183818 who explained it better than I can. Go read it!)

To sum up, Aizen wins something important, he gained the mental space and time to self-reflect and accept the part of himself that had been deeply neglected through years of pretending, living a lie, and detaching himself from reality and from the people around him.

We know that he succeeds in this self-discovery because he is one of the only two characters shown to have fused with their zanpakuto. And from Ichigo's story arc, we know that this kind of integration is not only about power — it is about embracing the parts of oneself that were feared, hated, or misunderstood.

“Do I?” he asked, knowing all too well that this had become a pattern, and he would have to do something about it soon.

He took another lover, finding one was never too difficult for a man like Aizen – handsome, eloquent, well-liked by almost everyone. Strangely enough, when he was with his new plaything, his mind still returned to the time he had spent with you.

Perhaps his body had grown familiar to yours, and that was why he didn’t feel the same satisfaction? It certainly started to bother him, like an unsolved arithmetical problem.

So he found you again, and to his surprise, you were doing just fine without his attention. You had your own life, your goals, your friends. You were never as addicted to him as he had thought.

This realization sparked a pang of something unfamiliar within him. Irritation. How dare you move on after all he’d done to you? And how dare you talk to this other man?

He didn’t exactly understand why it was bothering him. He would need more research on that topic. Deep down he boiled with self-directed anger, because you certainly did not deserve that much of his focus. Yet he had to admit that he apparently had developed some sort of attachment. Attachment that was supposed to be beneath him. Why wasn’t it beneath him then? He didn’t know.

He observed you from a distance for some time, as part of a strategic intelligence-gathering effort. Hidden in the shadows, he watched you from afar. He learned your schedule, the names of your friends, and your preferences.

When he approached you once again, he was prepared. Now he already knew everything there is to know about you. And with his charisma, and magnetic charm, he would easily lure you back into his spiderweb of manipulation and lies.

So when you told him that you didn’t want to play his twisted games anymore, a cold bitter resentment started to coil beneath his ribs. He wouldn’t show you his anger; he was too proud for that. His face stayed perfectly calm as he reached for his sword.

It had been a mistake to leave you alive, and now he decided it was the time to correct it. Doing it with his own hands, the intimate way, felt like a proper way of saying goodbye.

And as he held you, bleeding out in his arms, the satisfaction and relief of having solved the problem never came. On the contrary, he instantly regretted his decision.

You weren’t just a distraction, Aizen slowly realized.

This wasn’t mere obsession.

This ugly feeling he had… it might have been love.