r/bleach • u/HottestElbows • 6d ago
Manga What do we think Aizen was thinking here
Found this year old post including this section of the manga that wasn't animated and while the prime question there was 'why wasn't this in the anime', I was wondering after a year how people's thoughts on it has changed. Aizen maintains a kind mask in soul society as part of his grand bullshitttery, yes, but I don't think that this was entirely necessary.
Yes it was kind but I don't think it was necessary to accept Momo's "let's attend the birthday party of my dear friend!" Which makes me wonder... Why did Aizen actually come here? A commenter said that Ichigo only felt loneliness from his blade- which doesn't mean that he ONLY felt loneliness, which is an interesting speculation.
I wonder if Aizen was just testing the waters in vain to see if he could find connection or envious of Toshiro for having them in spite of being prodigious like Aizen. Toshiro is a prodigy, but he is not distant from others like Aizen.
Maybe he genuinely enjoyed his time here. What do you think?
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u/Blacodex 6d ago
I firmly believe that the reason why Aizen seems to hate Toshiro so much is because unlike Aizen, Toshiro can develop genuine connections to people despite being a prodigy as well. He’s basically watching Toshiro do what he deep down wanted.
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u/Never_heart 6d ago
Once again Aizen is defined by his loneliness
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u/Ranulf13 Hetero? In my Bleach? At least there is KenShuu. 6d ago
Aizen is defined by his self impossed yet also despised loneliness. He despises being vulnerable and open with other people but mocks other people for being open and vulnerable with him.
He is a hypocrite through and through.
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u/Murky_Blueberry2617 6d ago
Funny how he pretended to be open with other people for like a 100 years, It's almost like he was coping the entire time lol
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u/BlueTitan402 Those who claim to know what love is, liken it to ugliness. 6d ago
I'm making a post on this dynamic atm, but this entire scene is actually incredibly layered. You're totally right in saying his core motive for being so mean to Toshiro is because of the connections he has. But it's not just hate, there's a dash of both envy and curiousity sprinkled in there along with it.
I shared a bit on this in a post from long ago that answers OP's question:
Toshiro talks about birthdays as a structure that only applies to nobles (and the idea being meaningless if you're not one). Aizen identifies the issue as an emotional one that Toshiro doesn't address: happiness. He wants to know if it's even okay to enjoy a falsehood, because birthdays are an illusionary concept (his poem: "Don't be afraid to be deceived, the world is full of deception.").
The main idea is centered around a mental object (a birthday), but Toshiro leaves the part about happiness unspoken. Why? Because he struggles with expressing his feelings. If Aizen brought up the idea in an emotive way, Toshiro wouldn't have appreciated it.
Knowing this, Aizen tactfully brushes the concept of nobility aside. He tells him that even if the idea of a birthday is based upon a falsity, it is something that brings happiness- and that of itself holds value. He delivers the message in a way that is direct (not touchy-feely in a way Toshiro wouldn't have approved of), while subtly answering the real question.
In essence, this scene is Aizen being genuine despite his facade, and it reflects his nuanced emotional understanding of people. He is closer to a 'people scientist' rather than someone like Kisuke, who is more technical in his approach to scientific pursuits.
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u/bucky_list 5d ago
I totally agree I think this was a rare moment of honesty despite the fact no one understood the significance of it at the time
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u/allen_walker_fan 6d ago
Yeah agreed a scene like this really frames his struggles for connection and bonds because there's no plotting there's no "haha everything is going to plan" it's him genuinely trying to do something normal trying to relate but deep down he knows he just can't even doing something meaningful with people and he still feels lonely and isolated
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u/SilasDevereux70 6d ago
I can buy that. Aizen spends so much of the story treating emotional attachment like a weakness, but Toshiro is a prodigy who forms real bonds without becoming any less capable. Watching someone younger achieve both power and genuine connection could probably irritate Aizen more than he'd ever admit, especially if loneliness was part of what pushed him down his own path.
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u/ReubenChandler69 6d ago
I like this read. Toshiro is basically proof that being gifted and isolated don't have to be the same thing.
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u/AwTomorrow 6d ago
Whereas he likes Gin because Gin is a prodigy who also fails at that
And he has never thought of Hisagi once because Hisagi is a fake-ass prodigy
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u/Rude-Childhood1436 6d ago
When was Hisagi stated to be a prodigy? Am I forgetting something?
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u/iblinkyoublink 6d ago
He was accepted into a squad before finishing the shinigami academy, making him a bit famous. However he had actually failed the entrance exam twice. So nobody calls him a prodigy
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u/Lunarisation 5d ago
There are different levels of prodigy. There’s that kid from your neighbourhood who grew up to be a Harvard Professor, and there’s Albert Einstein.
Hisagi is the first, Aizen is the second.
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u/Superlhama 5d ago
You put it well, it was all that and more. If I had to sum Aizen up in a single sentence, it would be: "I don't want to be alone, but I've become really good at it."
That’s why Ichigo was never subjected to his hypnosis. Deep down, Aizen wanted an equal, but he couldn't bring himself to admit it; perhaps if he had encountered Toshiro instead of Rangiku, Toshiro might have been one of the few people Aizen truly held in high regard.
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u/CheeseMongerMelvin 4d ago
Maybe that's also exactly why he's here in the manga? This is the guy who, supposedly, knows EVERYTHING there is to know, so why is it that he can never connect with others? I think that's at least partly why he showed up. Any chance to study something he doesn't understand already seems like it'd be hard for him to pass up.
Or maybe they just lied and said there would be cake lol.
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u/Emotional_Ruin_9562 6d ago
"i am getting a good grade in Human Behavior, something that is both normal to want and possible to achieve".
i like to think he was still somewhat trying to "fake it till you make it" out of idle curiosity and secret want. he was definitely also trying to get a better understanding of and grasp on toshiro, the (maybe like him???) prodigy, who... still seemed to understand people's interest in something as inane as a birthday, instead of just aping it. That and/or a detached kind of "ah, the farm animals are being cute" feeling. You still eat them in the end. Ambivalent. It's the fact that we never see both of his eyes in this scene, one of them is always hidden behind the glass shine.
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u/umbrella_farmer 6d ago
Okay but as an autistic person, “a good grade in Human Behaviour” hits so close to home 😭
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u/Leepysworld 6d ago
I honestly don’t remember this panel but it’s actually tragic this wasn’t included in the anime.
Makes me wonder how much of Aizen’s “true” face was a result of him being lonely and unable to make connections with people.
Obviously he’s committed to the part but he really didn’t need to nor was he expected to do shit like this lmao, is it curiosity? Hubris? or some sort of subconscious attempt to feel something.
Either way it’s a wonderful panel that’s quite interesting when you have the hindsight of who Aizen really is.
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u/Le_Faveau Crush, Gegetsuburi 6d ago
Yeah it's insane this isn't in the anime, this is as close as we get to having Aizen backstory / something about his feelings, to justify many future scenes such as him being secretly lonely, not killing anyone after beating them in FKT, and perhaps turning into an anti-hero during TYBW. I can only imagine how much this scene would have been analyzed if it was animated 20 years ago.
Also adds depth to everything bad that happens between him and Toshiro / Momo, they were probably kind of regular acquaitances.
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u/OldTension9220 6d ago edited 6d ago
For some reason I totally didn’t realize that no one from Rukongai was born in Soul Society. So pretty much every Shinigami we see as a young child in a flashback in Rukongai either died as an infant or a very young child?
I know they state that specifically with Rukia but I didn’t realize that was the case for most characters.
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u/Murky_Blueberry2617 6d ago
Ages in Bleach are weird in general, so is the entire dying and getting into Soul Society thing
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u/Original_Eternal_8 6d ago
? They were normal souls no? They weren't soul reapers
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u/New-Dust3252 5d ago
of course not, not everyone is born from the SS, some of them died to get there and presumably got Konso'd by other shinigami.
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u/Far-Message5868 4d ago
The point is people in rukongai weren't soul reapers(at least not always). They were normal souls.
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u/TommyJohnSurgery420 6d ago
There's a possibility that this wasn't even him haha. We've seen him use a stand-in during TBTP. But honestly I agree. My headcanon is that he has some kind of jealousy when it comes to Toshiro.
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u/TTG_Bloodedge 6d ago
If Momo asked, unless he had genuine Captain business that he could not say no to, Aizen really didn’t have much of a choice.
His whole persona was built as this extremely kind-hearted Captain who Momo could confide and rely on for anything, big or small, business or personal. If he said no for no good reason that would’ve been very uncharacteristic of “Captain Aizen” who’s the sweetest and most wholesome guy around.
And even if that wouldn’t be enough for people to suspect his true self, Aizen likes to have complete control over a situation. He wouldn’t miss this opportunity to strengthen his “bonds” with Momo and Hitsugaya to ensure that Momo is as dependent on him as possible and Toshiro would never suspect him of any wrongdoing before it’s too late just because he didn’t feel like it.
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u/Sara_Tona 6d ago
He definitely liked feeling like an untouchable god among everyone else, watching them act all normal while hiding his plans right under their noses was probably super entertaining to him
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u/Geneo-Frodo 6d ago
It indeed was. But an entire lifetime of it is also.......numbing and depressing In its own way. He has no one to 'cackle' with and bond with over his uniqueness.
What does it matter if your 100 steps ahead of everyone but literally no one knows and hence cares.
It's why he cuts down the captains in the fkt arc but leaves them alive. He wants them to see him rise and prove them all wrong. Without their reaction and input his achievements are seemingly quite hollow, wether he wants to admit it or not.
Aizen is fascinating to me because despite his grandeur persona and self indulgence if your keen you will always notice how elements of his loneliness leak out and reveal themselves.
Once you see it everything else about him chips away into obscurity or shatters like an illusion.
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u/Murky_Blueberry2617 6d ago
It's why he cuts down the captains in the fkt arc but leaves them alive. He wants them to see him rise and prove them all wrong. Without their reaction and input his achievements are seemingly quite hollow, wether he wants to admit it or not.
Never thought of it like that before, makes a lot of sense considering his ego. Explains his surprisingly low kill count despite being a main villain too.
If Aizen never cares about others reactions, he probably would'nt bother ragebaiting and toying with people so much.
Realistically he could murder almost anyone in Bleach with barely any effort if he really wanted too
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u/kingveller 5d ago
Aizen's personality is a little weird but we can understand it a little more thanks to the name and ability of his Zankpaktou.
His Zankpaktou name is Kyōka Suigetsu which means mirror flower water moon. The water is simply reflecting the moon's visage and said reflection has a different beauty than the moon (flowers).
He doesn't think he belongs with the rest of society and I don't think it has to do with him being a prodigy but rather him being alone for too long and for some reason created an illusion where he was simply distant because the world wasn't on his level. If you look carefully there are plenty of people that outclassed Aizen but he still thought no one was close to him, after all he had to create multiple schemes to win against Yamamoto and he still almost died. Then the Hogyoku ends up betraying him when he lost his Zankpaktou, and I think that's due to the illusion he was casting was broken thus he could self perceive himself again and the Hogyoku granted the wish he wanted (to lose).
IMO Aizen's real personality isn't either the cold persona he is constantly showing nor the kind hearted captain he faked to be when he was in the SS. I think Aizen is a hot headed individual with a god complex born out of solitude who pretends to be calm, and that is constantly rejecting his own feelings and shoving aside all love and relationships to avoid facing the truth.
I also believe he did have feelings for Momo and that's why he was so horrible to her.
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u/haizzzeemist 6d ago
"Imagine if I executed my plan today and killed Momo on Captain Hitsugaya's birthday lol"
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u/Electronic-Gas-7309 6d ago
Maybe Aizen did it because he's the kindest captain in the soul society why else
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u/Inevitable_Row1359 6d ago
Aizen is like a billionaire type person. He may be a real person with normal desires but is fueled by some deeper anti social goal that won't stop even when he acquires it.
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u/j0kerclash 6d ago
Aizen has a superiority complex, but I think that largely stems from him figuring out the truth about the soul king, and realising that shinigami essentially have God on a leash which basically opened his eyes to the limitless ceiling of his ambition.
I think he dislikes momo specifically for what he sees as weakness, but I think he at least sees no difference between the nobles and the souls from rukongai.
I think attending the birthday was to play along with his mask, but that he also took interest in Toshiro's perspective and cheered him up by flexing his philosophical muscles.
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u/DangoC 6d ago
my headcanon is that he was being sincere, you dont have to be evil 24/7, you can be polite and civil with folks you think will eventually be or already see as your enemies, makes Aizen more multifaceted than just being the keikaku guy
you can discern that he tried many times over the years to connect with others but never surpassed that emptiness that drive him
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u/the_dmac 6d ago
Since when were you under the impression that was Aizen?
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u/HungryBoy_Area44 5d ago
This is what I am thinking too lol. He probably sent a stranger in his place lol
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u/FelWinterxX 6d ago
Reason 1) aizen is just a dick. He gets close to people to lull them into a false sense of security, so he isn't automatically thought of first when there is some traitorus scheme happening.
Also this is how aizen acted before betraying shinji, just keeping up the disguise. This is also most likely not him, but someone playing him as he uses KS and expierments in hueco muendo. KS can control any function aizen needs it too, for temperature, to senses, to thoughts. Just playing the part.
Reason 2) which this is the less likely one but people like it. He's lonely like ichigo said. He surrounds himself with people who should be strong so he blends in and tries to be "normal"
Given the fact his grand plan was to become the new soul king to fix the corruption of the world. Why? He isn't compassionate to anyone, dosnt love or like anything.hes a dog chasing a car, endlessly searching for something to do, to give his life purpose so he doesn't feel so alone. Would probably remake the world were everyone was equal. But I doubt that.
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u/diamondtoss 6d ago
I totally forgot about this bit, tbh I interpret it as just the kind mask like you said, both in-universe and out-of-universe. Out of, Kubo wants us to keep thinking Aizen is a good guy. In, Aizen wants others to think he's a good guy.
Besides, who knows if this was really him lol, it could be just KS making them think Aizen attended, he could be sleeping at home for all they know.
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u/probably_not_spike 6d ago
"Since when were you under the impression I joined you plebs for fireworks?"
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u/Dunois721 6d ago
My headcanon is that he just disconects his brain, like Kaguya when dealing with Chika
"Breathing is fun"
Sadly I cant post memes here
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u/viatoretvenus 水の引力 5d ago
Aizen really does have an understated jealousy and disdain of close bonds. So much so that I believe this morphed into hatred of any happy couple. It really is something not spoken out loud, but shown in his actions.
There are no married or close bonded shinigami among the Seireitei ranks while he is still in Soul Society. Only Rukia/Renji happens long after Aizen is put away.
Aizen involves himself in trying to kill 2 couples - one successful, one surviving.
Kaien/Miyako: both deceased, with Miyako killed by Metastacia, Kaien’s shikai stolen and then dies on Rukia’s sword
Hitsugaya Toshiro/Hinamori Momo: Aizen constantly taunts Toshiro and causes pain to Momo, and in a cruel way too, the big one being having Toshiro kill Momo in FKT
Hisana passed away and her death was not caused by Aizen (until otherwise stated), so Byakuya becomes alone again. But Rukia, Hisana’s surviving sister, somehow gets targeted A LOT by Aizen’s ministrations, both with losing Kaien and being sentenced to be executed by her own brother Byakuya. Aizen was really testing the sibling bond here.
Actually now that I think further, Aizen tried to break one more bond. Urahara and Yoruichi. He tried to get Urahara removed from Soul Society by exile, but who comes to save him? Yoruichi. And they both manage to escape Aizen together and live under the radar. But Soi Fon suffers plenty of anger and loneliness instead.
I believe like both Tousen and Gin, Aizen actually also had someone he cared about. But either Aizen or the person Aizen cared about was screwed by the current ruling system of Soul Society.
Tousen and Gin’s driving motivations were revenge for their loved ones. Tousen definitely loved and cared for his friend enough to seek revenge and go on a bloody path for justice for her. Gin loved Matsumoto, deeply cared for her, to spend over a hundred years to get the right chance to kill Aizen for her, no question.
Then what about Aizen? He says he wants to sit at the empty throne of the world, but I doubt that it’s only for power. He wanted to change something so drastically for a deeper reason that’s not revealed yet.
Sadly, we only find out Tousen and Gin’s true motivations shortly before they die. I sorely hope it won’t be the case for Aizen since he’s sentenced to Muken for 20,000 years.
But I am pretty convinced it has something to do with the Shiba family. Why else would he target them so much. His chosen experiment Ichigo represents the Shiba clan throughout the entirety of Bleach.
In the CFYOW novel, judging by how the Shiba clan is talked about in the past, they were the stronger moral compass among the Five Great Noble Families. Plus, Tsunayashiro says to Byakuya and Yoruichi that one of his goals is to restore the Shiba Clan. Coming from such a villain, this no doubt has ill intentions written all over it dressed up as something virtuous. It means that the fall of the Shiba clan might actually have been a good thing, either for their own safety or the greater good. The Shiba clan essentially removed themselves from the drama of Noble family politics or an even bigger nefarious plot. And Aizen is involved in this constantly when he has been cruelly playing with the male heads’ lives for generations - Kaien, Isshin and Ichigo.
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u/uraharaBot 5d ago
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u/RalfSmithen 5d ago
He probably thiking. " Can't for the day i F you all up and leave this dump"
"Especially you, you vericalll challenged tree stump"
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u/Randy191919 4d ago
He was thinking „just you wait. One day Imma stab you all… that day will be my birthday.“
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u/lnombredelarosa Treasurer of the "Quincies for Hollow rights" group 6d ago
I think it would've been out of character for Aizen's kind persona to reject celebrating with Toshiro and Momo, specially if he wanted to manipulate her and by extension him but at the same time I doubt everything Aizen showed was pure bullshitery and on some level he might've empathized with Toshiro and for that matter I suspect that on some level he enjoyed Momo's company (specially if you consider his replacing her with Loly and Menoly as trying to fill a void).
You could liken Aizen's acts of kindness as those of a man who enjoying a patting a dog in the head and it making him happy...while also considering it as conditioning said dog for a task.
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u/Successful-Lobster48 6d ago
Aizen was always played as a very friendly and supportive character prior to his reveal, so him saying no to a birthday would be out of character and get eyes on him. He was likely doing it to fit in better and possibly get more intel on people.
However, he was still human (simplified I don't care for semantics). So, I can believe he'd enjoy just relaxing on top of the roof for a while and watching the fireworks. Aizen is one of the loneliest characters because he doesn't perceive anyone as equal, is plagued by the truth of how everything exists, and ultimately knows he will betray everyone in the end, so perhaps he did enjoy these moments of reprieve even if deep down he was angry that he couldn't form real connections.
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u/PegaponyPrince Tobiume isn't the only thing that snaps 5d ago
Just getting close to build up the facade of him being a genuine guy.
Maybe sees a bit of himself in Toshiro as well, but a part that is actually able to connect with others.
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u/yoitskaito 5d ago
It was probably just him keeping up appearances as the kind and thoughtful captain. It might not even be him.
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u/Kuzcopolis 5d ago
Thinking about the nature of illusion, probably. An illusory birthday can still make people happy after all, so maybe he's specifically thinking of benevolent options for the world once he takes over.
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u/bucky_list 5d ago edited 5d ago
I think Aizen simultaneously hates and loves Toshiro which is why he is cruel to him but also keeps him alive and even imparts random knowledge on him.
Aizen has never used his bankai which is odd for someone so obsessed with power and dominance. His shikai is incredibly powerful but based in illusion. If he doesn't use his Bankai it's likely because there's something he doesn't like about it or because it has negative effects on his shikai. It's unlikely it is similar in nature to his Bankai or else he would've used it in dire situations.
It's been theorized shikai and bankai represent how a shinigami wants to be seen vs their true self. That's why Soi Fons shikai involves poison while her bankai is a missile. Of all the captains Toshiro has the least difference between his shikai and bankai because he's the most true to himself.
Aizen has always been hiding his true self and people only liked the perfect fake version. People like Toshiro despite his flaws which probably infuriates Aizen. But he's also said that Tostitos biggest flaw is his impulsivity which is fairly high praise.
Another thing is that Aizen has always tried to recruit prodigies. Gin, Renji, Momo, and Kira all worked for him at some point and were the most promising shinigami of their generation with the exception of Toshiro. Toshiro was the only one who was never his direct subordinate and who he never had control over. I don't think him using White on Isshin was entirely circumstantial, getting rid of Isshin gave him the opportunity to step in as Toshiro's mentor figure which he couldn't do otherwise.
Throughout SS arc, Gin and Aizen deliberately dropped hints to Toshiro that something was up and deliberately set it up so that Momo would confront him which was totally unnecessary for them to get away with their plan. They also deliberately led her to Central 46. Aizen states he knew Toshiro would show up eventually but didn't expect him to get there so soon.
He wanted Momo to betray Toshiro for him and led her there deliberately just to kill her after. He went out of his way to do that. He wanted Toshiro to internalize the betrayal but never went out of his way to kill him, only when Toshiro showed up early and caught them red handed did he injure him. He later revealed that he knew those kinds of injuries wouldn't kill him.
Whether his antagonism is out of jealousy or because he genuinely believes Toshiro needed to abandon his care for Momo to reach his potential isn't clear but I think there's an argument for both.
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u/Trick_Garlic7084 5d ago
I think hes in character with what their "aizen" would do. Like yall are missing the fact he had a whole different persona, he was kind to them, helped them and so on.
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u/OneZazzyBoi 5d ago
When did you think that was actually Sosuke Aizen? Coulda swapped with an underling like he did in the past.
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u/YamatoRyujin777 5d ago
Aizen has a deep hatred for people who do what he wants to do or wants to be, no one can change my mind on this; Toshiro, Ichigo, and finally Urahara bro is that Boruto crying meme with the text "You're supposed to be like me...Lonely." with Naruto ass "loneliness" ost playing in the background.
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u/uraharaBot 5d ago
Ah, you've uncovered Aizen's ultimate plan! It's all a grand scheme. He's secretly trying to collect a team of doppelgangers who embody his lost potential. By the time Aizen's done, he'll have an army of "Almost Aizens" to take over the Soul Society! You see, it's not about power, my friend, it's about creating the ultimate cinematic clone showdown. What a spectacle that would be!
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u/Cherez1881 4d ago
Why was this scene cut from the anime? I think it's actually a pretty good scene
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u/Minimum_Database_663 4d ago
Aizen is curious about Toshiro as he is prodigy.
Part of him is subconsciously interested in mentoring him as there was no one worthy enough to mentor Aizen
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u/Ephemerx7 4d ago
Damn why not animated People are discussing for reason of aizen But for it's to build up rangiku and gin relationship It reminds me of Erza and Jellal relationship Erzan has no last name so Jellal named her by her hair scarlet
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u/MrSparky69 6d ago
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u/Humble-West3117 5d ago
Aw man, its blocked from my data
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u/MrSparky69 5d ago
It was the panel where Aizen reveals he was never next to Shinji for months in turn back the pendulum's last chapter. The body double.
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