The Soul King is a very mysterious yet important character in the Bleach universe, but just how powerful is he? In the all-out war between Soul Reapers and Quincy, is Yhwach stronger than the Soul King in Bleach?
Before we pit them against each other, let's dig deeper into this enigmatic and almost God-like character in Bleach.
Spoiler Warning: There are spoilers related to Bleach: TYBW in this article.
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Who Is the Soul King?
The first mention of the Soul King was in Bleach Chapter 223, titled The Scarlet Creation. In this chapter, Yamamoto reveals that there is indeed a Soul King, but no Shinigami has ever been able to see him.
His existence remains a tight-knit secret but his name is revealed to be Reio.
It's also revealed that the Soul King and the Royal Family are protected by the Royal Guard.
The Soul King's prime purpose is to control the flow of souls into and out of Soul Society and ensure a stable flow.
Without the Soul King’s presence, there will be no balance, and the Soul Society, Hueco Mundo, the Human World, and Dangai will collapse and merge into one.
The Soul King looks like a humanoid with dark hair, thin eyebrows, and black eyes with four irises. Interestingly, he doesn’t have any limbs.
Since the Soul King is important to Soul Society, he resides in what looks like a glowing crystal inside the Royal Palace quarters.
What Is the Soul King and Yhwach’s Relationship?
The Soul King and Yhwach both have eyes with more than one iris, indicating that they are related to each other. Yhwach refers to the Soul King as his father, but it is evident from their interactions that there is no love between them.
Moreover, the Soul King and the King of the Quincy, Yhwach, likely possess similar powers.
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Is Yhwach Stronger Than the Soul King?
The Soul King possesses immeasurable spiritual power that's incomparable to any being in the Bleach universe. So, it is highly unlikely that Yhwach is stronger than the Soul King.
The Father of all Quincy has massive amounts of Reiryoku but he collapsed upon absorbing the Soul King in the Royal Palace.
As a matter of fact, Yhwach is unable to completely consume the energy poured out by the Soul King.
After absorbing the Soul King, Yhwach acknowledges what it feels like to be overflowing with that much power.
Moreover, two severed parts of the Soul King, his heart and left arm, contain enough spiritual power that Yhwach referred to them as part of his personal guard – the Schutzstaffel.
You may watch more of Yhwach and the Soul King in Bleach: Thousand Year Blood War, which is set to return for its second part in July 2023.
Bleach: TYBW is available for streaming on Hulu and Disney+.
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