Kurosaki Ichigo is the main lead of Bleach but lately I feel his character is overshadowed by the presence of other cooler shingami and espada as the story advanced. If the much-awaited Vasto Lorde were to make their appearance that would really hurt his popularity. Maybe this post can help Ichigo boost his votes.
Before we feature the Ichigo Sword Replica from TopSwords, a quick description : Ichigo's zanpakutou is called Zangetsu which translates "moon cutter". Unlike other zanpakutou, Zangetsu is always in shikai form which is a huge long cleaver (a butcher's dream come true). The sword doesn’t have a cross-guard (hey it’s an oversized cleaver) and the handle is actually the full-tang of the sword wrapped in white bandage cloth. Only in animes can you get a thin-tang that supports a huge blade without fail.
The cloth originally wraps the whole blade when not in battle, kind of like a scabbard. When Ichigo wield Zangetsu for a fight, the cloth mystically unveils the huge blade and shortens to just a meter or two overhanging from the handle end. Zangetsu has the ability to strike an energy blast in the shape of a crescent moon called Getsuga Tensho or "moon-fang piercer of heavens". The energy blast is blue in shikai state and black in bankai state.
Bleach fans will be keen to have their own Ichigo
Ichigo Sword Replica Zangetsu from TopSwords.
It is made of 440 Stainless Steel with a full-tang construction. The blade has 2 tones of colour – one black and the other polished steel. White cloth wraps the handle with a short excess overhanging from the hilt-end just like in the anime. The sword replica also comes with a leather sheath.
The Ichigo Sword Replica Zangetsu is not exactly the same size as that in the anime. I guess if it was, the cleaver would be one heck of a sword to wield – too much weight and unbalanced. The sword would wield you, not the other way around. Also the tang would probably fail after a few swings.
Some customers feedback that the cloth grip comes off after some time which is quite common in many decorative swords in the lower price range. So buyers just need to avoid abusive force on the grip. You may also want to be careful when sheathing the sword since the scabbard is made of leather and not wood.
If safety is your concern, there is always the
wooden Zangetsu sword from 247Swords.
It has an overall length of 52” and blade length of 40”. There’s also the 2 tone colours applied to the blade – black and silver.
If you're looking for Bleach costume, check out the site at
AllAnimeDVD.com. They have several selections of Shinigami, Espada, Quincy and other Bleach costumes. Perfect for Halloween, birthdays, cosplay events and themed parties. Just take your pick.
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all. To send off 2008 with a bang, here's a lengthy post on Kuchiki Byakuya. Byakuya is the 28th head of the Kuchiki clan, one of the four great noble families in Soul Society. As captain of the 6th Division, Byakuya wears the standard captain uniform along with a white headpiece called a kenseikan, symbolizing his noble rank as the head of the Kuchiki family. He also wears a white scarf made by the master weaver, Tsujishiro Kuroemon III. The scarf is made from silver-white windflower light silk (ginpaku kazahana no uzuginu) and is a family heirloom handed down through the generations to the head of the Kuchiki family. It is said that the cost of just one such scarf can build ten houses. In the anime, the scarf is shown to be light green.
Byakuya's zanpakuto is called Senbonzakura which literally means 'thousand cherry blossoms'. How aristocrat is that? Senbonzakura's shikai form is released by the command chire or scatter. The zanpakuto's blade disperse into thousands of tiny blades. The release has one weakness - it can be negated before it's completed. This was shown when Yoruichi Shihouin wrapped the blade with a cloth during Byakuya's short battle with Ichigo. After release, Senbonzakura's tiny blades are invisible to the naked eye. However they reflect light in such a way that they appear as cherry blossom petals. This is how the zanpakuto got its name. Byakuya can control the blades at will, allowing him to shred opponents at a distance and break through almost any defense. While Byakuya can control the blades with his mind alone, using his hands allows him to do so more effectively and making the blades move twice as fast.
Byakuya's bankai, named Senbonzakura Kageyoshi or 'Vibrant Display of a Thousand Cherry Blossoms', is essentially a much larger version of Senbonzakura's shikai. To activate it, Byakuya drops his sword. The sword passes through the ground and two rows of giant blades rise up from the ground. These then scatter into millions of tiny blades. The number of blades is so great that Byakuya can use them for defense and offense at the same time. He commonly forms them into large masses of blades to crush opponents.
Byakuya's bankai has several attack techniques, achieved by arranging the blades in different patterns. They are activated by saying the name of the technique followed by the name of his bankai. Each form has its own distinct advantage. One of them is senkei or 'massacre scene', which unites the scattered petals into countless zanpakuto swords that surround Byakuya and his opponent. In this form, Byakuya has no defense and concentrates his bankai on killing the enemy. While Byakuya can control these swords as he does his regular blades, he usually attacks with just one in hand. He remarks in his battle with Ichigo that he normally only shows senkei to those he has sworn to kill by his own hand, Ichigo being the second to see this. After immobilizing an opponent, he can summon other blades to hit them while they're trapped. He can also use all the blades at once for an immensely powerful strike. In Bleach Movie 2 : Diamond Dust Rebellion, Byakuya surprisingly used Senkei as a barrier which only protects those inside it from an external barrage of Ceros blasts. He also displayed the ability to activate Kageyoshi from inside Senkei, shattering all rows of swords at once.
Another attack technique Byakuya used is gokei or 'pivotal scene' during the battle with Espada number 8, Zommari Leroux. This technique aligns every blade in a spherical formation around an opponent, which then collapses from every possible angle, leaving no blind spots and preventing any chance of escape. As a final attack Byakuya can use shukei or 'final scene'. This technique condenses all of tiny blades into a single sword, drastically increasing its cutting power. The blade appears bright white and its aura takes the form of a bird, earning it the name hakuteiken or 'white imperial sword'. Byakuya also grows white wings and a halo-like circle in the back, both made of spiritual power.
There are only a handful of Senbonzakura sword replicas, one of them is from Grey Eagles. The Kuchiki Byakuya Zanpakuto Senbonzakura sword replica from Grey Eagles
has an overall length of 42" and blade length 26". The blade is made of carbon steel with a false edge. The signature guard is exactly as seen in the anime, with the shape of a double '8'. The sword replica has a simple blue-nylon wrapped handle and comes with a wooden scabbard. The scabbard has a black finish and tied to it is a blue nylon sageo (cord). Overall the Senbonzakura sword replica is simple in design, which is why the price is pretty affordable.
have an overall length of 38", blade length 27" and handle length 11". The scabbard that comes with the sword is made of wood with a high-gloss black liquid finish. At the scabbard, a black cotton sage-o (hanging cord) is tied around a wooden Kurigata (loop for the cord). The Koi-guchi (open-end scabbard mouth) is black bull horn to match the sword's color. The blade is made of 440 stainless steel and comes factory sharpened. What's different with this replica is (I'm sure you guessed it too) - the length, it's more of a Japanese katana than a wakizashi. Maybe the manufacturer wanted to make it more worthwhile for their customers, give it the extra mile or inches so to speak. But the other thing is the hilt is wrapped in black rather than blue as in the anime. Most probably this sword was designed based on the black and white manga.
It is a bit longer with overall length at 40" and blade length 27". The blade's edge is not that sharp and is made of polished stainless steel. The handle is wrapped in black leather (again) and the sword replica comes with a high-gloss black scabbard.
The Bleach sword replica has an overall length of 34.5", blade length 23" (4 of them) and handle length 11.25". It comes with a free wooden display plaque. The Fuji Kujaku blade is made of 440 stainless steel which splits open to 4 blades with black and silver color. The handle is made of replicated ray skin and black cotton wrap. Inside the cord-wrapped handle are two traditional Japanese dragons with two pegs holding the tang together. What worries me about this sword is the wear-and-tear on the hinge where the 4 blades rotate. With frequent use over a long term, the hinge may loosen-up so it's wise not to tighten and loosen it numerous times. The blades are shorter compared to what's seen in the anime. Other than that, it looks pretty awesome.
This Bleach sword replica has the same overall length of 34.5". Each of its 4 blades also measures 23" long while the handle is 11" long. A custom-made wall plaque is included with the sword. From the image, this sword looks more stunning cause the blade's curve is at a less angle compared to the one from 247Swords, which makes it look longer too. In my opinion, this replica looks more similar to the anime.
is a good buy. Last checked, there were no stocks available even from other dealers. Made of high-carbon steel, the sword has razor sharp edge with a full-tang. Overall length is 41” while blade length is 30”. The guard is made of stainless steel with black liquid finish. Although Ichigo Bankai Sword does not have a scabbard in the anime, for a functional sword it's just wrong not to have one. Cool thing is the Musashi scabbard has the same high-gloss black liquid finish. The sword replica comes wrapped in a sword bag placed inside a dazzling Chinese red silk box. Nice touch actually but if you prefer to display it out in the open, there is a display stand included.
As its name implies, the overall length is 56” while blade length is 37”, much longer than Musashi's. The blade is made of high-carbon steel and the sword comes with a wooden scabbard, both having black liquid finish.
which I believe is more of a decorative sword.
excellent for cosplay. The wooden blade has a solid black liquid finish and the guard is made of plastic with the same black liquid finish.
is a good buy for its low price and quality.
