BLEACH - Sosuke Aizen - Figure Stirring Soul Vol.4 25cm

From Bleach, this Banpresto figurine depicts Sōsuke Aizen in his appearance from Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War. Standing approximately 25 cm tall, it is part of the Ichibansho MASTERLISE – Stirring Souls Vol. 4 collection. 

Aizen is depicted standing in a particularly calm pose, true to his usual self-assurance. He wears a long black outfit divided into several sections, complemented by gloves and boots of the same colour. A large white panel with irregular edges covers his shoulders and contrasts sharply with the dark ensemble. His brown hair is slicked back, whilst a black eye patch covers one of his eyes, reflecting his appearance following his imprisonment in the Muken.

The composition also highlights his Zanpakutō, Kyōka Suigetsu. Aizen holds the long sword lowered in one hand, whilst the other is raised in front of him, palm open. This deliberately restrained pose is in keeping with the character: the sculpture does not seek to depict a spectacular attack, but rather emphasises his presence and apparent control of the situation. The official profile for *Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War* confirms *Kyōka Suigetsu* as his Zanpakutō.

Technical specifications

• Manufacturer: Banpresto / Bandai Spirits

• Range: Ichibansho

• Line: MASTERLISE

• Collection: BLEACH Stirring Souls Vol. 4

• Licence: Bleach

• Character: Sōsuke Aizen

• Version depicted: Thousand-Year Blood War appearance / Muken period

• Type: pre-painted collectable figurine

• Height: approx. 25 cm

• Material: PVC

• Articulation: none

• Weapon depicted: Kyōka Suigetsu

• EAN / JAN: 4573102723949

Character background and lore

Sōsuke Aizen is a former captain of the 5th Division of the Gotei 13. Long regarded as a calm and respected officer, he turns out to be behind many of the events that have thrown the Soul Society and Hueco Mundo into turmoil. The official anime profile directly describes him as responsible for the turmoil that has affected both worlds.

Aizen stands out as much for his spiritual power as for his intelligence and his ability to plan well in advance. His Zanpakutō, Kyōka Suigetsu, is one of the key elements of his strategies and helps to make him one of the major adversaries of Ichigo Kurosaki and the Shinigami.

Following his battle against the Shinigami and Ichigo, Aizen is finally sealed away and sentenced to imprisonment in the Muken, the deepest level of the Great Central Underground Prison of the Soul Society. It is precisely this period in his history that inspired the black, shackled appearance depicted in this figurine.

His role, however, does not end with his imprisonment. During the war against the Wandenreich, the threat posed by Yhwach becomes so great that Captain-Commander Shunsui Kyōraku decides to release Aizen from his prison in order to use his power to defend the Soul Society. Episode 31 of *Thousand-Year Blood War* officially marks his return to Seireitei in the face of Yhwach’s offensive.

This Stirring Souls Vol. 4 figurine therefore focuses on a particularly late incarnation of Aizen: no longer the Captain of the 5th Division nor the leader of Las Noches, but the prisoner of the Muken who has temporarily become a major player in the conflict once more, as calm as ever despite the restrictions imposed on his power.