One theory of aging in Bleach
Feb. 28th, 2010 01:56 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
branchandrootBecause this has been bouncing around my head for a while, gaining bits, and it's about time to write it down.
I'm not entirely sure that character age is one of the things KT thought all the way out, but I think he had at least a basic idea of how this was supposed to work; what little info we have on aging in Soul Society does suggest a certain shape of rationale, and he's consistent about it.
Among the people at large, there's a big age spread, and we see that aging takes place among the children at least. Among the shinigami, though, what we see is almost entirely people in their physical prime, say twenties to early thirties. The only real exceptions we see are Yamamoto, Kuchiki Ginrei, and Hitsugaya.
Taking Rukia, Renji, and Byakuya as examples, we know that they used to age and now do not. Since the periods of their lives when we see them younger are before they gain their zanpakutou and graduate the academy, this suggests that manifesting and controlling one's spiritual energy stops the regular aging process. That makes a fair amount of sense, considering that everyone in Soul Society is spiritual energy to start with, and it explains why shinigami tend to all look about the same apparent age--the age at which they gained full control of their greater-than-average energy and stabilized it.
Certainly the Visored and Urahara's little enclave have not aged, nor have their gigai's. It seems likely, given this, that Isshin may not be aging either, which could get interesting in another ten years or so when his children start to catch up to and even pass him.
This leaves us with the question of why Yamamoto and Ginrei appear as old as they do, and whether Hitsugaya is going to be stuck in a child's body forever.
My theory is that, even once stabilized, experience has an effect. If the halt to physical aging is essentially the triumph of mind over spiritual matter, then it seems reasonable that one's will and experience have a continuing affect on one's physical appearance. Yamamoto seems to be the oldest shinigami still living, and if his scars are anything to go by he's been through phenomenal stress and conflicts. It seems reasonable that it shows to some extent--though, you notice, only to the extent of having a somewhat aged face. His body is still in top condition, albeit battered.
Ginrei suggests an even more interesting possibility. Perhaps aging is what happens to a shinigami whose will and determination are starting to wear down (I am completely discounting his appearances in the zanpakutou anime arc, here; filler is pretty non-canonical at this point). Given what he says about Byakuya becoming the next leader of the Kuchiki house, during the Turn Back arc, we can assume that Byakuya's parents were killed in the line of duty when he was still quite young; Ginrei has suffered very personal loss, and now has to wait on the maturation of a hot-tempered young buck. That might wear anyone down!
As for Hitsugaya, I note that he allowed or at least did not contradict, during the fight with Grimmjow's gang, that his spiritual power is not yet mature and his attack forms are not yet complete. That suggests that, while his aging may be already suspended or slowed, he has a way yet to go before he entirely stabilizes. If physical appearance is a reflection of spiritual condition, then Hitsugaya seems very likely to mature physically. This, of course, contingent on KT's willingness to let go of the sight gags.
ETA: And Blackmarquise reminds me of Yachiru also! I'm more inclined to think she'll be a tiny tyke for a long time, actually, given these parameters. Her power appears to be mature, and if everything she's lived through already hasn't had enough impact to age her I have to wonder what could.
So there's my theory, based on what we've seen so far. Of course, this suggests that Ichigo's appearance in spiritual form may settle at late teens or early twenties while his material body keeps aging, which could be fodder for all kinds of interesting future-fic.
I'm not entirely sure that character age is one of the things KT thought all the way out, but I think he had at least a basic idea of how this was supposed to work; what little info we have on aging in Soul Society does suggest a certain shape of rationale, and he's consistent about it.
Among the people at large, there's a big age spread, and we see that aging takes place among the children at least. Among the shinigami, though, what we see is almost entirely people in their physical prime, say twenties to early thirties. The only real exceptions we see are Yamamoto, Kuchiki Ginrei, and Hitsugaya.
Taking Rukia, Renji, and Byakuya as examples, we know that they used to age and now do not. Since the periods of their lives when we see them younger are before they gain their zanpakutou and graduate the academy, this suggests that manifesting and controlling one's spiritual energy stops the regular aging process. That makes a fair amount of sense, considering that everyone in Soul Society is spiritual energy to start with, and it explains why shinigami tend to all look about the same apparent age--the age at which they gained full control of their greater-than-average energy and stabilized it.
Certainly the Visored and Urahara's little enclave have not aged, nor have their gigai's. It seems likely, given this, that Isshin may not be aging either, which could get interesting in another ten years or so when his children start to catch up to and even pass him.
This leaves us with the question of why Yamamoto and Ginrei appear as old as they do, and whether Hitsugaya is going to be stuck in a child's body forever.
My theory is that, even once stabilized, experience has an effect. If the halt to physical aging is essentially the triumph of mind over spiritual matter, then it seems reasonable that one's will and experience have a continuing affect on one's physical appearance. Yamamoto seems to be the oldest shinigami still living, and if his scars are anything to go by he's been through phenomenal stress and conflicts. It seems reasonable that it shows to some extent--though, you notice, only to the extent of having a somewhat aged face. His body is still in top condition, albeit battered.
Ginrei suggests an even more interesting possibility. Perhaps aging is what happens to a shinigami whose will and determination are starting to wear down (I am completely discounting his appearances in the zanpakutou anime arc, here; filler is pretty non-canonical at this point). Given what he says about Byakuya becoming the next leader of the Kuchiki house, during the Turn Back arc, we can assume that Byakuya's parents were killed in the line of duty when he was still quite young; Ginrei has suffered very personal loss, and now has to wait on the maturation of a hot-tempered young buck. That might wear anyone down!
As for Hitsugaya, I note that he allowed or at least did not contradict, during the fight with Grimmjow's gang, that his spiritual power is not yet mature and his attack forms are not yet complete. That suggests that, while his aging may be already suspended or slowed, he has a way yet to go before he entirely stabilizes. If physical appearance is a reflection of spiritual condition, then Hitsugaya seems very likely to mature physically. This, of course, contingent on KT's willingness to let go of the sight gags.
ETA: And Blackmarquise reminds me of Yachiru also! I'm more inclined to think she'll be a tiny tyke for a long time, actually, given these parameters. Her power appears to be mature, and if everything she's lived through already hasn't had enough impact to age her I have to wonder what could.
So there's my theory, based on what we've seen so far. Of course, this suggests that Ichigo's appearance in spiritual form may settle at late teens or early twenties while his material body keeps aging, which could be fodder for all kinds of interesting future-fic.
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no subject
Date: 2010-02-28 07:07 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-02-28 07:16 pm (UTC)The basic idea actually started with an entry, or maybe it was comments, someone else made on
no subject
Date: 2010-02-28 07:21 pm (UTC)http://community.livejournal.com/bleachness/448610.html
Any changes you would like me to make? (Like, maybe a link to your livejournal instead)
no subject
Date: 2010-02-28 07:23 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-02-28 07:25 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-02-28 08:00 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-02-28 07:40 pm (UTC)This always bugged me, but because of your entry, I think I can let that niggle go now.
xx
no subject
Date: 2010-02-28 07:59 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-02-28 08:41 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-02-28 09:11 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-03-01 04:24 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-03-01 04:43 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-03-01 01:41 pm (UTC)However, what doe it means for Yachiru? She's got her zanpakutoh and all but she's not that mature yet. Her case is probably similar to HItsugaya then
no subject
Date: 2010-03-01 04:30 pm (UTC)Yeah, I really do wonder about Yachiru. Within the system I'm theorizing... she might be stuck unless and until some life experience, or sum of experience, causes such a massive change in her self-conception or will that it must be reflected in her appearance. Which, considering everything she's /already/ been thought could take a while!
Apologies for the lack of an account
Date: 2010-03-02 08:54 pm (UTC)The reason for this theory is Yachiru - in appearance she's aged, maybe, two years, over the course of eighty or so. It's also been shown that she has immensely high spiritual pressure, enough to be around Zaraki without any problems. I would assume that eventually (that is, at a later time not shown in the series), she will age enough that her spiritual pressure becomes as high as Kenpatchi's himself, or at least very close.
This theory would also explain why Hitsugaya is aging more slowly than Rukia, and why Rukia appeared to age by ten years in a short space of time and then 'freeze' at her current experience for fifty or so years.
Just my thoughts - I don't think they're at all incompatible with your theory though.
Re: Apologies for the lack of an account
Date: 2010-03-02 09:27 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-03-04 04:46 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-03-04 04:51 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-11-01 10:55 am (UTC)