What do you think of Kaname Tosen and his role in Bleach? What's your favourite Tosen moment? Was he right in his crusade against the Soul Society? Let me know!
He certainly got a taste of Soul Society's injustice up close, no doubt it contributed to his eventual twisted take on justice and in a sense, became no different than those who use their noble status to get away with atrocity.
when he burned Grimmjow's arm. I remember being pissed at the anime for not giving it top notch animation. Or maybe when he dons his mask and wrecks Komamura and Hisagi
Hisagi said it best in the light novels. While Tosen was right (and as it turned out, he saw the original sin as part of Soul Society's injustice), they still had to stop him. One aspect that should have been talked about is that his Bankai causes hallucinations because of the sense deprivation and lets one imagine their worst fears. That's important because it allowed Tosen to sympathize with Yhwach because he knew what Yhwach went through as an infant. Yhwach was deprived of all his senses and had to hallucinate his worst fears for a million years, which eventually drove him insane. Tosen defended Yhwach because succumbing to fear was only natural and proof that Yhwach was not a monster but human. Only a monster wouldn't succumb to fear. While Tosen was thinking of Kenpachi, the irony is that even Kenpachi succumbed to that fear. Muken functions the same way as Tosen's Bankai and takes away all senses which drives everyone mad. When Kenpachi fought Unohana he feared losing her forever and the sense deprivation caused him to hallucinate (hence the weird imagery during the fight). Even Kenpachi was not a monster. But the one character who never succumbed to that fear, the true monster was Aizen. The sense dreprivation had no effect on him. Tosen thought Aizen was the path to true justice, but in truth, Aizen was the true monster, and that Tosen allied himself with this monster led him to fall to revenge and his eventual downfall.
My fave Tosen moment is his fight with his Komamura!! I think Tosen had the right to be angry but just the way he went about getting justice was flawed.
I think Tosen is the same guy he was in SS. He knows that Uryu has nothing to do with the justice he seeks and humans have nothing to do with SS's issues, that is why he cries, because he knows SS will execute Uryu especially as a Quincy, Yamamoto and Mayuri would have never let him live. When he kills Shinigami and follows Aizen's order, he probably knows he's not being righteous, but it is necessary evil to allow Aizen to change the whole system.
@@Turnpost2552 Tousen believes that bloodshed is necessary in the case of implementing justice, not the type of bloodshed for fun that Kenpachi commits. It boggles my mind how people can't tell this basic ideal of Tousen and call him a hypocrite. If you pay attention to history, almost no cruel and unjust system have been changed without blood. And some of who shed that blood are our heroes today.
Say what you will but if everyone listened to Mayuri there would actually be less bloodshed or lives lost. Gin and tosen just had flawed ambitions and motives....
Tosen vs Zaraki was very symbolic. Tosen had the advantage, but tried to savor his feeling of superiority over a shinigami that gets his way through violence. Tosen tried to take out his hatred of his friend's killer out on Kenpachi and it backfired.
@@the_goofy_guyy8071 Tosen doesn't really have any feats other than getting ragdolled by eyepatch Kenpachi (below Shikai Ichigo lv) and cutting the arm of base grimmjow when Aizen said that was his punishment. His best showings are against another fodder character, Komamura.
"I won't tell you not to bear grudges. I won't tell you not to hate. just don't lose youself to revenge" - such a great line from komamura. also loved when hisagi said "your eyes saw better when you were blind"
It's honestly ironic, both Kaname and Komamura met their ends, of life or service, as the most devout followers of their idols. Kaname went out a grotesque model of Aizens ideals, nearly perfect in all ways of design. Komamura ripped out his own heart, set aside any ideals or dreams he had for himself, for the honour of Yamamoto and the Soul Society he built. They both dipped into darker parts of themselves to pursue those goals, that ultimately became their undoing. Hubris and rage.
I still remember that initial Tosen flashback with Komamura where he first states his philosophy on justice being "the path that *sees* the least bloodshed" and kind of thinking to myself, "but he's blind. that's a kind of dangerous philosophy to have." and lo and behold, when the twist is revealed and Komamura questions Tosen's honor, he doubles down saying the path he walks is justice because he sees no bloodshed. It's just so chilling to have a character who is so blatently willing to commit atrocities for the sake of his goals while justifying whatever he does with a loophole in his philosophy.
Yeah when he said he sees no bloodshed that's an obvious sign he's using a loophole in his own words to justify killing. He wouldn't say the same thing if he could see. So he's just telling himself that to make himself feel justified in what he's doing. Justice based on revenge is a flawed piece of logic to have since all revenge does is create an infinite loop of victims and people seeking justice for said revenge sake. In the end all it creates is endless bloodshed
So what’s the difference between him, Gin, and Aizen? Or rather what’s the difference between him and anyone else in the series. All of Soul Societys gotei are complicit in that behavior which is why it’s such a messed up place. No one is justified in this series
Tosen is stupidly underrated. He's a fascinating character. His Zanpakuto is very unique too. It's a shame we only saw his Bankai once. It's probably my favorite.
@@micah459 they won because his resurrection actually made him weaker because they gave the blind swordsman his eyesight…but it’s still a loss just a technical loss….he could’ve beat Kenny if he just went for the head instead of playing with him and let’s him figure out his bankai
@@jpthastoner8217 All that shit doesn't matter because he still lost. Him not being able to finish off opponents quicker actually adds more to his Ls. I'm a Tosen fan but let's stop acting like this dude didn't take only Ls
I definitely think the relationship between Sajin and Tosen (and to the extent Shuhei), is one of the best pieces of character development in the series. The flawed perception of justice is fun to analyze and watch throughout the Arrancar saga.
The 'ending' of this relationship with Komamura dying to satisfy his revenge really does empower the thought that aside from their philosophical differences. They truly were the same.
Ironic that the only person who Aizen couldn’t possibly control was the one person who trusted in and was devoted to him. Tosen is totally encapsulated by vengeance disguised as justice to cope and his ideology, that’s why he’s blind. It’s symbolic. I’m glad you called him a zealot since we all know zealots are blind to the truth. Kaname was always the zealot who had been played by the cult leader, as many are. Loves his character, 100% realistic, he’s very conflicted and lost in pursuit of something good. Loved how Tosen and Aizen have almost opposite but similar bankai. Zaraki and Tosen are definitely 100% opposites.
at first I thought Aizen killed Tousen because he was changing sides, but when the soul suicide thing came about, I thought it couldn't be it because Tousen is the Ultimate Vizard. He controls his hollow perfectly and he's not a quincy, hollow powers are compatible. He's Aizen's masterpiece that white and all the arrancars amounted to. CFYOW's explanation worked really well for me. As for how Aizen did it, I think it was either a kido he planted in him when he promised to finish him off or maybe it was a condition he imposed with the hogyoku when he hollowified him. And I don't see it as direspectful, the attack was probably programmed and it might have been gruesome but nothing could be left of him or SS would have kept his body and studied it. Mayuri would have been all over his corpse.
one thing he seems to forget is that Tosen actually asked Aizen to put him down if he ever started to forgive the Soul Society not because he was worried that he'd be reintegrated back into it but because the instant he forgave them then everything he did up till that point would no longer be justice but pointless slaughter and Tosen didn't want that. Not to mention that page where he says Aizen is smirking has the side of his mouth hidden so saying he's smirking in the scene is a stretch, not to mention his eyes seem to have a sorrowful look to them. as for aizen blowing up Tosen, Tosen specifically asks Aizen to erase his entire existence and to leave no trace, which is why he was blown up.
What is the confusion about how Aizen did it? At any point you see Aizen during this arc it is likely an illusion and not his real body. I always assumed he just walked over and hit him with his blade, and the smirking version of his was an illusion. Basically he was always doing what he did to Momo anytime another hostile soul reaper is around, unless otherwise stated by Ichigo. This is also why Aizen feared Yamamoto, because in a direct duel Yama would just destroy everything in every direction with as much force as possible and there is likely some sort of distance limit to making new illusions (i.e in order to fake his own death to Yama he would need to be somewhat close to know what type of illusion to use. Yama would know this and just annihilate everything, soul reapers and humans included. The narrative problem with this is also that Yama's bankai literally completely annihilates everything so it would be hard for Aizen to fake, and if Yama did actually kill him there wouldn't be a body or anything left behind. Complete annihilation).
I also realized that Tosen and Aizen have similar abilities. Tosen's and Aizen's zanpaktou robs you of your ability to trust your senses and the weaknesses of the abilities is coming into contact with the zanpaktou.
I feel like gin and tousen's relationship is like how Bleach Abridged shows it, with Gin always being snide and cracking inappropriate jokes with tousen just ignoring him out of annoyance
I’d ABSOLUTELY LOVE to see a Kaname cameo in the final arc similar to Szyeal’s cameo with Mayuri. I can absolutely picture an apparition of Kaname sitting next to a dehumanized Kommomura following his transformation with a look of pity on his face before Iba carries his captain away.
I think the walking the same path could be the fact that Sajin is devotedly loyal to Yamamoto, while Tosen is the same to Aizen which is also why he knew he would cross swords with him because even though they're friends they follow two different lords and neither's loyalty is shakeable.
Tosen is the "The road to hell is paved with good intentions" character done pretty well. He had a valid point -- his friend shouldn't be denied justice just because the perpetrator has higher status -- but the once innocent people began to suffer to right these wrongs, he stopped enacting justice and righteous retribution and was merely pursuing vengeance and engaging in terrorism. Not too uncommon a pitfall, but tragic nonetheless. Kinda wish he got to see that justice was done, but not everyone gets their fairytale ending.
To him, he's still enacting justice and righteous retribution even though some innocent people had to suffer. As he told Aizen, if he ever forgave the Soul Society/Soul Reapers, then everything he did would become merely a slaughter.
The only thing is his logic is horribly flawed. He thinks he's enacting justice when all he's doing is killing. All that does is create more victims. Sure the person that killed his friend should receive justice for what they did but how many people did Tosen kill for the sake of his so called justice? He's no better than they are since he's killing to get revenge for killing. It's just an endless cycle. Say for example he ended up killing let's say Hisagi. Well then Izuru and Rangiku and Komamura would come after Tosen because he killed Hisagi. All it is is revenge with no end
The fight in Fake Karakura arc was my favourite moment from Tosen. I think that the dialogue exchange is as action and emotion packed as the fight it self is. I agree that it is a bit odd how Aizen explodes Kaname, but it could be the mercy kill CFYOW explains and at the same time be so gruesome on purpose to get on Kumamura's nerves. But as always, thanks Mr. Tommo for your great work.
I always liked the different designs Tosen has soul society arc is my favorite. Also side note happy to see this today has been a rough day so I’m happy to watch videos like this.
I always thought he was an interesting character. Also really liked that kubo gave him so many different looks and hair styles. So many artist, not just manga artist, draw black people with one look. Yeah most characters have one look but it's usually a different look and style. Most black characters all have the same look every time when artist draw them. So to see Tosen drawn with so many different styles of hair is really cool and refreshing!
Tosen was the perfect Vizard, a product of hundreds of years of Aizen's research, so the Soul Suicide explanation doesn't really make sense. He's nothing like the other Vizards who were just Aizen's failed experiments. He's so well-fused and in tune with his Hollow that he could even release his resurrección. Also, I don't feel the death was gruesome or disrespectful since it was immediate and Tosen was completely wiped out as he wished. In comparison, Aizen simply slashed Halibel and left her to bleed to death because he didn't give a crap about her. That's how Aizen treated people without any respect. I personally think that Aizen killed Tosen before he could spend more time with Hisagi because perhaps Aizen didn't want to see the person closest to him slip away further, but this is 100% a theory. It sounds selfish and it fits Aizen. And I would argue that Aizen wasn't smirking, but this is up to each person's interpretation. It didn't look like any of his smirks which he made throughout the series. To me, he looked sad.
Think it is mentioned in CFYOW that Aizen, for once, actually hesitated when Tosen asked Aizen to kill him if he every started sympathising with the SS. I personally think the only person Aizen ever truly 'trusted' and 'cared' for as a comrade is Tosen, Aizen has always been wary of Gin.
@@eliasmartin9842 Yeah I just reread that part. Aizen also said "Let me promise you that. Before you suffer from the plight of forgiving the Soul Reapers, I will erase you with certainty." I guess if he actually killed Tosen before Tosen could spend more time with Hisagi for the reason I speculated i.e. to prevent Tosen from slipping away further, it wasn't exactly selfishness. It's more like he did it for the unwavering Tosen he knew rather than the current faltered Tosen. I agree with you that Aizen only trusted and "cared" for Tosen. He certainly didn't give a crap about any of the Espada and he never trusted Gin.
@@willbec1611 I think Aizen at that point saw killing Tosen as an act of mercy to maybe his only 'friend'. Tosen imo was massively conflicted between his friendship with Komamura and his ultimate goal and revenge. So when Aizen saw Tosen slipping away and giving in to his friendship with Soul Reapers once again, he knew it was time to end his life to spare him from suffering the weight of his actions.
I like that Tosen made such an impression on Hisagi that even after everything happened. Hisagi defends Tosen name in respect to Kensai who he also admires and respects. Also I agree that the 2 on 1 clash to bring Tosen to the light battle is one of my favorite as well ans I’m glad Hisagi got to get the final blow
I think it is really interesting how Tosen and Gin help show the duality of Aizen. With Tosen, you can understand why he is rebelling against a Society that is so corrupt that a man can kill his wife, who had done nothing wrong, on what was basically a whim and walk away pretty much without punishment. But, there is also the undeniable fact, that he also craved power and enjoyed taunting even the people that cared about him. While Gin, seems like he enjoyes being cruel, making snide remarks and toying with people. But, deep down, he is actually seeking to right a wrong done by someone so far above him, that he had no choice but to join them, in order to get a chance of making things better. I think there's definitely some symbolism in how Tosen is blind, but is Aizen's most loyal confidant, while Gin intentionally keeps his eyes closed, and because of this, Aizen could always sense that Gin was never truly loyal to him. Even the fact that Tosen turns into a literal monster and Gin views himself as a metaphorical monster, and how Aizen ends up becoming both. There is definitely a lot you can take away from that trio of characters and I really like how much depth Kubo was able to give all three of them.
For me, Kaname is the perfect example of the phase "road to hell is paved with good intentions". He tried to got Tokinada to face justice for what he did to Kakyoo but somewhere along the way he forget his true goal and become a monster Kakyoo would not have wanted him to be.
Tosens so cool and i wish we got more from him His relationship with komamura and hisagi is so complex and kubo did a wonderful job building on it and giving it a great payoff I wish we got so see him and aizens dynamic because that wpuldve elevated him as an even mpre complex character that more people probably wouldve liked😁
Tozen is a monster that can’t “see” he’s a monster Gin is a good man that no one can “see” isn’t a monster. They really are perfect foils of each other
With the Tousen crying over Uryu thing, remember, Tousen was in league with Aizen, who knew about the first Quincy war and presumably about the war crimes the shinigami comitted during it, and would have shared this dark flawed history of soul society with Tousen. And then when he cuts down Uryu, a Quincy, that is in a way him now joining in on what the Shinigami have done to Quincy, ie, that in fighting Uryu, his blade is stained in Quincy blood to, which puts him closer to the same level as Yamamoto and Unohana and what they did. That was probably morally crushing for him. Like imagine you are a fervent black lives matter supporter and know everything there is to know about systemic racism, but then, you wind up in a situation where your hand is forced and you have to call the police on a black person doing some stereotypical crime and you just sit there and watch the systemic ripple effects that you calling the police on them have. It makes you feel like you've undermined yourself, and also, is something you probably truly didn't want to do. Imagine if Tousen knew the context of what Mayuri did to Uryu's grandfather. Just imagine that, Tousen on the sidelines watching from the shadows *cheering Uryu on and is genuinely hyped when he wins* but then, FUCK, now Tousen now has to be the one to put him down, right after Uryu did the just thing of making Mayuri pay for at least a fraction of what he has done. I can see him in tears over that, seeing Uryu get justice, and then having to be the person to take it away. In fact I can imagine Tousen made a point of him being the one to handle Uryu, because at the very least if he did it, drone who knew and respected the context, he could give Uryu as respectful an end as possible and pay some semblance of homage to him. Imagine his disgust if Kenpachi had been the one to find Uryu. Damn that was rough, and you don't even realize that right away. That is a gem hidden in plain sight.
I never looked at it in this way. Man its deep. What I don't understand about tbe Thousand Year Blood war arc is that none of the qunicies go after Mauri. Uru should have taken out one of the vice captains to prove his loyalty to the sternritter. Was expecting a scar like character to fight Mauri.
I love how Tousen's character exposes one of core human weaknesses, blindness to our own subconscious and to our own feelings. He thinks he functions entirely based on rationality as pursuer of justice, but everyone from outside can see that there are deep emotions running behind of all this. A pitch black desire for revenge.
No one covers Bleach like this guy on any platform, keep it up! By the way, do you guys think the anime will return in a weekly format, all the epiodes at once or in seasons?
I think Aizen and Tousen were heroes who wanted to fix the corrupt system they experienced. There are too many real life examples where corrupt systems had been fixed by brave people through bloodshed.
Tosen feels like such a tragic character. He lost an important person, and became focused on revenge. I think he would have been a good person with good morals if he wasn't being commanded by a person like Aizen. His values are so interested. It seems like some of his values like pacifism and justice arent fake, but his want for revenge was amplified by Aizen. I think he is like Stark or Ulquiorra because he was just manipulated by Aizen. He is so warped. Such a great character
Tousen is an interesting character whose motives are made much deeper in the Can't Fear Your Own World novel. His motives kind of remind me of a communist. He sees injustice, wants to fight it but his methods are incredibly extreme and is responsible for endless deaths. As for his fight with Komamura and Hisagi: I really like the dialogue, the beginning, Tousen's mask and the ending but I don't like Tousen's Resurrection since it's quite weak. I would've loved more if he used his bankai and Komamura fought with his senses which he would've learned from Kenpachi in exchange for teaching Kenpachi to talk to his Zanpakutou. Anyway I wonder if Aizen recruted him because he's blind. I mean if Tousen wasn't with Aizen he could've really messed up his Kyoka Suigetsu based plans.
Dude should’ve practiced his resurrection before using it in a life or death scenario. Plus i think Aizen could’ve tweaked it if Tosen was unhappy with it.
It was my understanding that Aizen had kyoka suigetsu active at all times during the fake karakura town fight and just wasn't doing anything with it and killed tosen the way described in the novel, but since he never actually saw him as an equal he killed him in the least flattering way possible.
An amazing character analysis for one of the more underrated characters in the series. There's actually a lot of symbolism and ideas explored in Tosen's character, the big ones obviously being justice vs. vengeance and the notion of "blind justice". I think one way to look at Tosen's character that might help conceptualize him is powerlessness, a state of being that's actually explored throughout Bleach. As a blind man, he's at a major disadvantage and thus can't see the world the same way as others, literally. Then his best friend ends up murdered by her own husband (after reading CFYW, I felt Tosen's probably one of the unluckiest characters in Bleach) and he can't do a thing about it. At the end of the day, he's been powerless to protect or hold onto anything he cares about. I think in his own warped way, Aizen respected that and gave him the opportunity to grab more power, and was pleased with how far Tosen was willing to go for it. When he is in a position of power though, you can see some of the bitterness and anger he's held come spilling out. His Bankai is a pretty good symbolization of it and his resurreccion, where he clearly let his newfound sight and power go to his head. Just like Hisagi said, he let all the power go to his head thus he lost sight of himself. Between Aizen, Gin, and Tosen, I think he's definitely fits the "tragic villain" title the most.
This is why Aizen killed him. Tosen was a good man that was corrupted by loss and vengeance. He hated the soul society for not seeking justice for his friends death, so he tried to embody justice by taking revenge. But all the while, he is in denial about what his hatred is doing to his original ideas of peace. That's why he talks of peace, but wants revenge.
A contrast with Tousan and Kenpachi I find interesting is killing. When they fight Tousan, or Komamura I forget, comment they think he enjoys killing. But Zaraki doesn't, he just likes the fight, even commenting he prefers not killing since than they can fight again later. But we see Tousan speak about wanting to kill anyone he thinks is "responsible".
You're absolutely right - I actually think it's Komamura who says it's time for the killing you enjoy so much, but I think your point still stands for sure.
Kaname tousen Was always one of my favorite characters I liked him the first time I saw him And honestly he's very relatible Meaning we very similar personalities
When I first saw tosen's abilities I though he was so cool. I was shocked to find out he was a bad guy :( I wish we got more fights with his bankai. Redemption for this character would have been great, but I suppose Kubo couldn't do it with him and Gin.
I always felt that Tosen should have been the one to betray Aizen instead of Gin for two reasons. The first which is the most obvious, Tosen is blind. He should automatically be immune to Aizen's hypnosis being that Aizen's shikai requires the zan be seen first by the individual in order for the hypnosis to take effect. The second reason being that it would have been a great way to bring Tosen back to his original self, show that he has truly come to realize his wrongs, and give him the redemption he truly deserved.
Tosen is design and ability wise my absolute most favorite character in Bleach. A blind swordsman whose bankai turns his blindness into a deadly environment for his enemies is such a cool concept. The fact that his zanpaktou is almost all about disorientating his enemy, be it his Shikai which produces an ultra sonic wave that knocks people out or his aforementioned bankai which robs the opponent of all senses but touch just fits him sooo much. However, I really don´t like his resurreccion as it completely turns around his character tbh. Although, you could say that the resurreccion showed how he really felt inside I guess. I think I don´t like his resureccion not because of the change in his nature but in his design. Big ass cricket just doesn´t look cool, his Hollowfication with the blank white mask though, that look rocked!
*@Tommo* ⚔️ Awesome video, absolutely phenomenally executed. Tosen has always been my favorite in the series. His design, writing, abilities, he’s such a unique, but fascinating character. Even though he’s *barely* shown. Same goes for Komamura, same exact position.
@@sukuna716 Yes but this is an anime. Since he no longer had cool hair and a sleek design or had big warlocks exposed, he was unfortunately only symbolizing fodder material…RIP 🙏
Him having his best friend murdered and then knowing her killer got a slap on the wrist due to being a noble sure set his take on justice. The ugly truth of Soul Society's laws pushed him and then meeting Aizen immediately after he was attacked by Tokinada's bodyguards finished his turn. His quick death was merciful, had he lived he would've been executed for treason anyway certainly after enduring nightmarish torture at Soifon's hands. Tousen is a true tragedy.
Why would Soi Fon be doing some torturing? his punishment/sentence if he lived is still unknown at that, doesn't mean torture was bound to occur too lol
@@Crunchysopa52 She's known to get her hands on anyone accused of treason and post Aizen central 46 were not known for liniancy, especially for someone close to him. Alternatively Yoruichi, Sajin and Shuhei would undoubtedly intervene for clemency.
Tousen is a True Definition of Blind Justice as His Injustice of Royal Family (Mainly Tsunayashiro through Tokinada) causing his perspective of Good and Evil Destroyed and doesn't help that Aizen take advantage of Tousen through False Charismatic Demeanour causing Tousen fall into a Very Deep Darkness that in his dead his only Salvation was Died in the side of his Remaining Hope (Komamura and Hisagi) Tousen Deserve Better (Of The Three he obviously the least interesting one and the one with the least role and impact in the story only serve as a Pawn in Aizen Grand Scheme, not to mentioned he also the most hated of the Trio by Hardcore Fan because of his disrespectful to Komamura during his Ressurecion by calling him Ugly and His Hypocrisy regarding his So Called Justice)
Wow thank you for this video! Tosen is my favorite character from Bleach and you really nailed him and his justice psychology. Enjoying your videos. You've gained a subscriber but more importantly I've found my Bleach channel. Good work
Although kaname Doesn’t have much screen time in the series.. I really appreciate Tite Kubo for being extensively one of the first manga artist to actually portray Blk characters with an actual decorum of respect.. with fleshed out personalities.. Tousen is captivating to everyone beyond even ppl who look like me.. because at that time we never had a portrayal of blk ppl in Anime who weren’t almost clown like, illiterate or beast like in appearance and thought.. to see one treated lwith actual consideration and integrity.. Treated as a human being.. is what partially drew most of us to him.
I agree. It's also a shame because bleach is also another anime that has a hip hop theme in it or should I say an urban theme to it you would think that would be more black characters
Ok so hear me out: Does anyone else feel this way?🤣 Bleach has a habit of making black characters look dope 🔥 in base form but their transformations weird af. Zommari (resurrecion), Tosen (resurreccion), Pepe (vollstandig), Lille Varo (vollstandig). Nanana Najakoop was a question mark in my book tho🤣 Chad is Spanish so he doesn't count This isn't nitpicking, just an observation and something I just got used to over time. Still absolutely love the series but I remember reading Blood War Arc, seeing Lille and being like "yoo Kubo is gonna do him dirty" And I was right. He turned into a friggin *owl* 🦉 at the end🤣
I enjoyed Kaneme Tosen’s development, his character is relatable. People always hope for justice and that in the end justice will prevail, however, there is no such thing as a perfect system of justice. There will always be those taking advantage of the system. Aizen wants to become a God, Tosen wants a perfect system of justice. But all it is is someone dictating what is right and wrong. Hence no perfect system, but there is always the desire.
Your insight and commentary in these videos is so great and gets me so enthralled with the videos. Keep up the great work can’t wait to binge every video!
Also as a bit of a caviot, he is someone id like to see if they ever do the hell arc. Maybe give him a redeption within it, a chance to reconsilate with Sajin and Hisagi.
As far as Hisage becoming captain, wasn’t it said somewhere that you have to have a bankai in order to get have a chance to rise to that rank? That would explain why Hisage would not get offered that position…
The light novel does paint him a little better because just going from manga, he does come across as a bit infantile through his worldview imo To me Kakyo's murder came across more like an unsolved case or simply ignored more than anything and it's more Tousen railing against the caprice of the world and joins Aizen to resolved that which is fine enough for a motivation I suppose but felt like a stretch to join someone like Aizen. However to learn rather than caprice and neglect, it was a very deliberate and systemic reason for the cover up that was revealed in CFYOW really frames his conceit and mindset a lot better. He effective gave up on the world, he says justice but it's really revenge as in burn the whole thing down. Again another that need more flashback because I really wanted to see when and how Aizen convinced him to join Pound for pound he has my one of my favourite designs in the entire franchise and manga in general, just top tier drip and Kubo fashion design skills really shines through him. That orange rope ascot from SS is my favourite look and yeah TBH it was pretty refreshing seeing a black character done like this, which was pretty few and far between at the time.
I absolutely love this character and I loved his swords abilities I always look for it at anime cons in my area I haven't found it yet but if I find it I'm definitely getting it. Aside from that I loved how his character was handled even though I wish they fleshed it out a bit more. When I 1st got into the series he was my favorite captain Just based on appearances
I didn't care about Tosen much at first then I read CFYOW and rewatched FKT so now he's in my top ten bleach characters. His relationship with Komamura is very touching, there's a lot of layers to it. Also the way his backstory and motives are expanded upon on the novels are what really sold me on his humanity as a character while still keeping him a hypocrite that needed to be defeated too. The philosophy he taught Hisagi is also very interesting, being also how he wasn't afraid of anything in his bug form then he had no right to fight anymore per his words. His last moments make me emotional, and I think from Aizen's perspective that was a mercy kill as Tosen seemed to truly accept Komamura and Hisagi as friends which is what he told Aizen was the thing he didn't want before.
Tosen was a great antagonist. He was very nuanced and layered and more sympathetic than Gin in my opinion. Tosen lost someone He cared about and his rage slowly turned him into a monster. His final interaction with Hisagi and Komamura
I always saw it as if Tosen ever lost sight of his goal, if his resolve started to drop, and he begins to lose his motivation to avenge his friend and begins to accept Soul Society and begins to allow and forgive the trespasses or people who run the Soul Society; he wishes that Aizen would kill him. It would end up destroying the pureness that Tosen believes himself to be and in a sense to Tosen become corrupted and at that point, he would rather die than live through that. Of course, Tosen then who believed in his goal 1000% vs Tosen who lost and began to open himself up to the possibility he was wrong this whole time and begins to mend his heart after all that time is dead before he could do anything about it. I think the soul suicide idea seems cool. I also wonder if Kyoka Suigetsu could have been active and Aizen went down there to deal that blow himself.
@16:27 context is important. In his eyes yes. Because the whole point of murking the civilians was to sacrifice them creating an ouken(soul key). Remember Karakura Town is a spiritually dense area & it was necessary to achieve their goals. Sacrifice a town was necessary to them.
Have to say I absolutely love these analysis videos and all of your work. I think Bleach is right up there with my all time favorite Rorouni Kenshin and the information and perspective you add to the story and my understanding of what is going on. (haven't read the manga only seen the anime)
I always saw Tosen as the blind monk who fell to corruption and could have been pulled out but was pulled deeper do to a false god that is a fallen angel. And with his death scene why can’t it be a combination of both Aizen mercy killing and soul suicide with the both causing that bloody explosion. Finally as I said earlier Aizen more than likely found him at a critical point and reinforced his negative qualities.
Man I LOVE this channel. I could watch and listen to Bleach content all day! On my third rewatch of the series and hypedAH for its return. Thank you for the awesome deep dives into all things Bleach MrTommo2304. Wait, were you born on April 23rd?
Ah yes, the true Vizard. I loved that Komamura/Hisagi vs Tosen smack down in the anime more than the Manga, mainly because you have Distancia para un Duelo harmonizing it. Jesus the Arrancar OST was too powerful
What do you think of Kaname Tosen and his role in Bleach? What's your favourite Tosen moment? Was he right in his crusade against the Soul Society? Let me know!
Loved it !! Tosen and gin always stood out to me
He certainly got a taste of Soul Society's injustice up close, no doubt it contributed to his eventual twisted take on justice and in a sense, became no different than those who use their noble status to get away with atrocity.
when he burned Grimmjow's arm. I remember being pissed at the anime for not giving it top notch animation. Or maybe when he dons his mask and wrecks Komamura and Hisagi
Hisagi said it best in the light novels. While Tosen was right (and as it turned out, he saw the original sin as part of Soul Society's injustice), they still had to stop him. One aspect that should have been talked about is that his Bankai causes hallucinations because of the sense deprivation and lets one imagine their worst fears.
That's important because it allowed Tosen to sympathize with Yhwach because he knew what Yhwach went through as an infant. Yhwach was deprived of all his senses and had to hallucinate his worst fears for a million years, which eventually drove him insane. Tosen defended Yhwach because succumbing to fear was only natural and proof that Yhwach was not a monster but human. Only a monster wouldn't succumb to fear.
While Tosen was thinking of Kenpachi, the irony is that even Kenpachi succumbed to that fear. Muken functions the same way as Tosen's Bankai and takes away all senses which drives everyone mad. When Kenpachi fought Unohana he feared losing her forever and the sense deprivation caused him to hallucinate (hence the weird imagery during the fight). Even Kenpachi was not a monster. But the one character who never succumbed to that fear, the true monster was Aizen. The sense dreprivation had no effect on him. Tosen thought Aizen was the path to true justice, but in truth, Aizen was the true monster, and that Tosen allied himself with this monster led him to fall to revenge and his eventual downfall.
My fave Tosen moment is his fight with his Komamura!! I think Tosen had the right to be angry but just the way he went about getting justice was flawed.
The prideful Komamura ultimately losing himself to revenge hits different when you understand Tosen closer.
Kaname Tousen is one of the most Underrated characters in all of Bleach.
He is such a multi-layer character.
I think Tosen is the same guy he was in SS. He knows that Uryu has nothing to do with the justice he seeks and humans have nothing to do with SS's issues, that is why he cries, because he knows SS will execute Uryu especially as a Quincy, Yamamoto and Mayuri would have never let him live. When he kills Shinigami and follows Aizen's order, he probably knows he's not being righteous, but it is necessary evil to allow Aizen to change the whole system.
Tosen hurting Uryu, goes very against Tosen own moral code. Totally agree.
@@Turnpost2552 Also maybe I'm reaching here but he's basically seeing people do what he couldn't do, which was fight for his friend's life.
@@Turnpost2552 Tousen believes that bloodshed is necessary in the case of implementing justice, not the type of bloodshed for fun that Kenpachi commits.
It boggles my mind how people can't tell this basic ideal of Tousen and call him a hypocrite. If you pay attention to history, almost no cruel and unjust system have been changed without blood. And some of who shed that blood are our heroes today.
@@maciekwucow3989 exactly
Say what you will but if everyone listened to Mayuri there would actually be less bloodshed or lives lost.
Gin and tosen just had flawed ambitions and motives....
Gin and Tousen deserve there own novel honestly. Probably a hell arc book with them reflecting on their sins and siding with Aizen
I'd be interested in that.
CFYOW is pretty much a Tosen novel tbh
What sins?
Tosen vs Zaraki was very symbolic. Tosen had the advantage, but tried to savor his feeling of superiority over a shinigami that gets his way through violence. Tosen tried to take out his hatred of his friend's killer out on Kenpachi and it backfired.
respect to you bro
Nah Tosen is simply fodder tier, probably weaker than Renji tbh
@@chavaspada now Renji is but back then he wasn’t basically lost to espada number 9 but in the tybw he is way more powerful
@@the_goofy_guyy8071 Tosen doesn't really have any feats other than getting ragdolled by eyepatch Kenpachi (below Shikai Ichigo lv) and cutting the arm of base grimmjow when Aizen said that was his punishment. His best showings are against another fodder character, Komamura.
@@chavaspada If you actually looked into their story arcs and watched the fucking video you would know that they are not fucking fodder!
"I won't tell you not to bear grudges. I won't tell you not to hate. just don't lose youself to revenge" - such a great line from komamura. also loved when hisagi said "your eyes saw better when you were blind"
How sad that Hisagi sticks so firmly to his misunderstanding of Tousen that he rejects the notion that Tousen was always that man.
It's honestly ironic, both Kaname and Komamura met their ends, of life or service, as the most devout followers of their idols. Kaname went out a grotesque model of Aizens ideals, nearly perfect in all ways of design. Komamura ripped out his own heart, set aside any ideals or dreams he had for himself, for the honour of Yamamoto and the Soul Society he built. They both dipped into darker parts of themselves to pursue those goals, that ultimately became their undoing. Hubris and rage.
I still remember that initial Tosen flashback with Komamura where he first states his philosophy on justice being "the path that *sees* the least bloodshed" and kind of thinking to myself, "but he's blind. that's a kind of dangerous philosophy to have." and lo and behold, when the twist is revealed and Komamura questions Tosen's honor, he doubles down saying the path he walks is justice because he sees no bloodshed. It's just so chilling to have a character who is so blatently willing to commit atrocities for the sake of his goals while justifying whatever he does with a loophole in his philosophy.
Justice is blind after all
He's a rugged idealist. By any means necessary.
Yeah when he said he sees no bloodshed that's an obvious sign he's using a loophole in his own words to justify killing. He wouldn't say the same thing if he could see. So he's just telling himself that to make himself feel justified in what he's doing. Justice based on revenge is a flawed piece of logic to have since all revenge does is create an infinite loop of victims and people seeking justice for said revenge sake. In the end all it creates is endless bloodshed
So what’s the difference between him, Gin, and Aizen? Or rather what’s the difference between him and anyone else in the series. All of Soul Societys gotei are complicit in that behavior which is why it’s such a messed up place. No one is justified in this series
Tosen is stupidly underrated. He's a fascinating character. His Zanpakuto is very unique too. It's a shame we only saw his Bankai once. It's probably my favorite.
I like Tosen but he's always getting his ass kicked and his cool design doesn't fit his weak ass character imo
@@micah459 the only character that legit beat him was kenny lol.
@@Jaquantaviousthe3rd So Hisagi and Komamura didn't win?
@@micah459 they won because his resurrection actually made him weaker because they gave the blind swordsman his eyesight…but it’s still a loss just a technical loss….he could’ve beat Kenny if he just went for the head instead of playing with him and let’s him figure out his bankai
@@jpthastoner8217 All that shit doesn't matter because he still lost. Him not being able to finish off opponents quicker actually adds more to his Ls. I'm a Tosen fan but let's stop acting like this dude didn't take only Ls
I definitely think the relationship between Sajin and Tosen (and to the extent Shuhei), is one of the best pieces of character development in the series. The flawed perception of justice is fun to analyze and watch throughout the Arrancar saga.
The 'ending' of this relationship with Komamura dying to satisfy his revenge really does empower the thought that aside from their philosophical differences. They truly were the same.
@@eliasmartin9842
He didn’t actually die. He turned into a beast
Ironic that the only person who Aizen couldn’t possibly control was the one person who trusted in and was devoted to him. Tosen is totally encapsulated by vengeance disguised as justice to cope and his ideology, that’s why he’s blind. It’s symbolic. I’m glad you called him a zealot since we all know zealots are blind to the truth. Kaname was always the zealot who had been played by the cult leader, as many are. Loves his character, 100% realistic, he’s very conflicted and lost in pursuit of something good. Loved how Tosen and Aizen have almost opposite but similar bankai. Zaraki and Tosen are definitely 100% opposites.
at first I thought Aizen killed Tousen because he was changing sides, but when the soul suicide thing came about, I thought it couldn't be it because Tousen is the Ultimate Vizard. He controls his hollow perfectly and he's not a quincy, hollow powers are compatible. He's Aizen's masterpiece that white and all the arrancars amounted to.
CFYOW's explanation worked really well for me. As for how Aizen did it, I think it was either a kido he planted in him when he promised to finish him off or maybe it was a condition he imposed with the hogyoku when he hollowified him. And I don't see it as direspectful, the attack was probably programmed and it might have been gruesome but nothing could be left of him or SS would have kept his body and studied it. Mayuri would have been all over his corpse.
one thing he seems to forget is that Tosen actually asked Aizen to put him down if he ever started to forgive the Soul Society not because he was worried that he'd be reintegrated back into it but because the instant he forgave them then everything he did up till that point would no longer be justice but pointless slaughter and Tosen didn't want that. Not to mention that page where he says Aizen is smirking has the side of his mouth hidden so saying he's smirking in the scene is a stretch, not to mention his eyes seem to have a sorrowful look to them.
as for aizen blowing up Tosen, Tosen specifically asks Aizen to erase his entire existence and to leave no trace, which is why he was blown up.
@@Vandalieu I wholeheartedly agree with you. A bit surprised a lot of people see it exactly like you and I do.
Yeah Mayuri would've done some fucked up shit to Tosen's body if he could and Hisagi and Komamura wouldn't be able to do a thing about it
@@nickyb3800 it is in the novels however
What is the confusion about how Aizen did it? At any point you see Aizen during this arc it is likely an illusion and not his real body. I always assumed he just walked over and hit him with his blade, and the smirking version of his was an illusion. Basically he was always doing what he did to Momo anytime another hostile soul reaper is around, unless otherwise stated by Ichigo. This is also why Aizen feared Yamamoto, because in a direct duel Yama would just destroy everything in every direction with as much force as possible and there is likely some sort of distance limit to making new illusions (i.e in order to fake his own death to Yama he would need to be somewhat close to know what type of illusion to use. Yama would know this and just annihilate everything, soul reapers and humans included. The narrative problem with this is also that Yama's bankai literally completely annihilates everything so it would be hard for Aizen to fake, and if Yama did actually kill him there wouldn't be a body or anything left behind. Complete annihilation).
I also realized that Tosen and Aizen have similar abilities. Tosen's and Aizen's zanpaktou robs you of your ability to trust your senses and the weaknesses of the abilities is coming into contact with the zanpaktou.
I agree with you there. The funny thing is, his probably one of the few people who could (in theory) fight Aizen's OP ability
If Tousen never Jobbed to Zaraki. Im sure his Bankai would have been considered top tier
@@mosesndlovu490 He could, but he would get defeated either way since Aizen doesn't solely depend on his swords ability. He's too strong.
I feel like gin and tousen's relationship is like how Bleach Abridged shows it, with Gin always being snide and cracking inappropriate jokes with tousen just ignoring him out of annoyance
I’d ABSOLUTELY LOVE to see a Kaname cameo in the final arc similar to Szyeal’s cameo with Mayuri.
I can absolutely picture an apparition of Kaname sitting next to a dehumanized Kommomura following his transformation with a look of pity on his face before Iba carries his captain away.
Would that make it a Kaname-O?
Open the senkaimon, I’ll see myself out.
I think the walking the same path could be the fact that Sajin is devotedly loyal to Yamamoto, while Tosen is the same to Aizen which is also why he knew he would cross swords with him because even though they're friends they follow two different lords and neither's loyalty is shakeable.
Tosen is the "The road to hell is paved with good intentions" character done pretty well. He had a valid point -- his friend shouldn't be denied justice just because the perpetrator has higher status -- but the once innocent people began to suffer to right these wrongs, he stopped enacting justice and righteous retribution and was merely pursuing vengeance and engaging in terrorism. Not too uncommon a pitfall, but tragic nonetheless. Kinda wish he got to see that justice was done, but not everyone gets their fairytale ending.
To him, he's still enacting justice and righteous retribution even though some innocent people had to suffer. As he told Aizen, if he ever forgave the Soul Society/Soul Reapers, then everything he did would become merely a slaughter.
The only thing is his logic is horribly flawed. He thinks he's enacting justice when all he's doing is killing. All that does is create more victims. Sure the person that killed his friend should receive justice for what they did but how many people did Tosen kill for the sake of his so called justice? He's no better than they are since he's killing to get revenge for killing. It's just an endless cycle. Say for example he ended up killing let's say Hisagi. Well then Izuru and Rangiku and Komamura would come after Tosen because he killed Hisagi. All it is is revenge with no end
@@darknesswave100 exactly.
The fight in Fake Karakura arc was my favourite moment from Tosen. I think that the dialogue exchange is as action and emotion packed as the fight it self is. I agree that it is a bit odd how Aizen explodes Kaname, but it could be the mercy kill CFYOW explains and at the same time be so gruesome on purpose to get on Kumamura's nerves. But as always, thanks Mr. Tommo for your great work.
Thanks so much, glad you liked it :)
Tousen kicking Komamura and sending him flying has gotta be among my favourite moments in the Fake Karakura arc
Tosen is one of my favorite characters in the series and one of the few to call Soul Society out on its bullsh%t
I always liked the different designs Tosen has soul society arc is my favorite.
Also side note happy to see this today has been a rough day so I’m happy to watch videos like this.
I always thought he was an interesting character. Also really liked that kubo gave him so many different looks and hair styles. So many artist, not just manga artist, draw black people with one look. Yeah most characters have one look but it's usually a different look and style. Most black characters all have the same look every time when artist draw them. So to see Tosen drawn with so many different styles of hair is really cool and refreshing!
A lot of shounen characters are encouraged to believe in themselves and never doubt their convictions. Tosen was such a man, too.
Tosen was the perfect Vizard, a product of hundreds of years of Aizen's research, so the Soul Suicide explanation doesn't really make sense. He's nothing like the other Vizards who were just Aizen's failed experiments. He's so well-fused and in tune with his Hollow that he could even release his resurrección.
Also, I don't feel the death was gruesome or disrespectful since it was immediate and Tosen was completely wiped out as he wished. In comparison, Aizen simply slashed Halibel and left her to bleed to death because he didn't give a crap about her. That's how Aizen treated people without any respect.
I personally think that Aizen killed Tosen before he could spend more time with Hisagi because perhaps Aizen didn't want to see the person closest to him slip away further, but this is 100% a theory. It sounds selfish and it fits Aizen. And I would argue that Aizen wasn't smirking, but this is up to each person's interpretation. It didn't look like any of his smirks which he made throughout the series. To me, he looked sad.
Think it is mentioned in CFYOW that Aizen, for once, actually hesitated when Tosen asked Aizen to kill him if he every started sympathising with the SS. I personally think the only person Aizen ever truly 'trusted' and 'cared' for as a comrade is Tosen, Aizen has always been wary of Gin.
@@eliasmartin9842 Yeah I just reread that part. Aizen also said "Let me promise you that. Before you suffer from the plight of forgiving the Soul Reapers, I will erase you with certainty." I guess if he actually killed Tosen before Tosen could spend more time with Hisagi for the reason I speculated i.e. to prevent Tosen from slipping away further, it wasn't exactly selfishness. It's more like he did it for the unwavering Tosen he knew rather than the current faltered Tosen.
I agree with you that Aizen only trusted and "cared" for Tosen. He certainly didn't give a crap about any of the Espada and he never trusted Gin.
@@willbec1611 I think Aizen at that point saw killing Tosen as an act of mercy to maybe his only 'friend'. Tosen imo was massively conflicted between his friendship with Komamura and his ultimate goal and revenge. So when Aizen saw Tosen slipping away and giving in to his friendship with Soul Reapers once again, he knew it was time to end his life to spare him from suffering the weight of his actions.
I like that Tosen made such an impression on Hisagi that even after everything happened. Hisagi defends Tosen name in respect to Kensai who he also admires and respects.
Also I agree that the 2 on 1 clash to bring Tosen to the light battle is one of my favorite as well ans I’m glad Hisagi got to get the final blow
I think it is really interesting how Tosen and Gin help show the duality of Aizen. With Tosen, you can understand why he is rebelling against a Society that is so corrupt that a man can kill his wife, who had done nothing wrong, on what was basically a whim and walk away pretty much without punishment. But, there is also the undeniable fact, that he also craved power and enjoyed taunting even the people that cared about him.
While Gin, seems like he enjoyes being cruel, making snide remarks and toying with people. But, deep down, he is actually seeking to right a wrong done by someone so far above him, that he had no choice but to join them, in order to get a chance of making things better.
I think there's definitely some symbolism in how Tosen is blind, but is Aizen's most loyal confidant, while Gin intentionally keeps his eyes closed, and because of this, Aizen could always sense that Gin was never truly loyal to him.
Even the fact that Tosen turns into a literal monster and Gin views himself as a metaphorical monster, and how Aizen ends up becoming both. There is definitely a lot you can take away from that trio of characters and I really like how much depth Kubo was able to give all three of them.
For me, Kaname is the perfect example of the phase "road to hell is paved with good intentions". He tried to got Tokinada to face justice for what he did to Kakyoo but somewhere along the way he forget his true goal and become a monster Kakyoo would not have wanted him to be.
Tosens so cool and i wish we got more from him
His relationship with komamura and hisagi is so complex and kubo did a wonderful job building on it and giving it a great payoff
I wish we got so see him and aizens dynamic because that wpuldve elevated him as an even mpre complex character that more people probably wouldve liked😁
i wish we did to he is a character that was also fashion forward lol
I love him as a character. Definitely consider cosplaying him one day.✊🏾
Tozen is a monster that can’t “see” he’s a monster
Gin is a good man that no one can “see” isn’t a monster.
They really are perfect foils of each other
gin wasnt a good man, was a moster aswell
gin walked a fine line between good and bad and lost himself along the way following his own motives
L take. Gin was worse than Tosen.
Sweeeet. Kaname is one of my favorites! That man had style. 😎
One could say he was fly....
I see what you did there 🤧
You could even say Superfly 🤯
PS if you don't get the joke please look up the movie Superfly
🪰
With the Tousen crying over Uryu thing, remember, Tousen was in league with Aizen, who knew about the first Quincy war and presumably about the war crimes the shinigami comitted during it, and would have shared this dark flawed history of soul society with Tousen.
And then when he cuts down Uryu, a Quincy, that is in a way him now joining in on what the Shinigami have done to Quincy, ie, that in fighting Uryu, his blade is stained in Quincy blood to, which puts him closer to the same level as Yamamoto and Unohana and what they did. That was probably morally crushing for him.
Like imagine you are a fervent black lives matter supporter and know everything there is to know about systemic racism, but then, you wind up in a situation where your hand is forced and you have to call the police on a black person doing some stereotypical crime and you just sit there and watch the systemic ripple effects that you calling the police on them have. It makes you feel like you've undermined yourself, and also, is something you probably truly didn't want to do.
Imagine if Tousen knew the context of what Mayuri did to Uryu's grandfather. Just imagine that, Tousen on the sidelines watching from the shadows *cheering Uryu on and is genuinely hyped when he wins* but then, FUCK, now Tousen now has to be the one to put him down, right after Uryu did the just thing of making Mayuri pay for at least a fraction of what he has done.
I can see him in tears over that, seeing Uryu get justice, and then having to be the person to take it away. In fact I can imagine Tousen made a point of him being the one to handle Uryu, because at the very least if he did it, drone who knew and respected the context, he could give Uryu as respectful an end as possible and pay some semblance of homage to him. Imagine his disgust if Kenpachi had been the one to find Uryu.
Damn that was rough, and you don't even realize that right away. That is a gem hidden in plain sight.
That’s a really good observation
I love this! Such a good interpretation
I never looked at it in this way. Man its deep. What I don't understand about tbe Thousand Year Blood war arc is that none of the qunicies go after Mauri. Uru should have taken out one of the vice captains to prove his loyalty to the sternritter. Was expecting a scar like character to fight Mauri.
I love how Tousen's character exposes one of core human weaknesses, blindness to our own subconscious and to our own feelings. He thinks he functions entirely based on rationality as pursuer of justice, but everyone from outside can see that there are deep emotions running behind of all this. A pitch black desire for revenge.
Tbh I love Tosen and I can’t wait for his special attention in Bleach Brave Souls through his Beyond Bankai form
No one covers Bleach like this guy on any platform, keep it up!
By the way, do you guys think the anime will return in a weekly format, all the epiodes at once or in seasons?
Most likely it'll be a weekly release.
I think Aizen and Tousen were heroes who wanted to fix the corrupt system they experienced. There are too many real life examples where corrupt systems had been fixed by brave people through bloodshed.
Tosen feels like such a tragic character. He lost an important person, and became focused on revenge. I think he would have been a good person with good morals if he wasn't being commanded by a person like Aizen. His values are so interested. It seems like some of his values like pacifism and justice arent fake, but his want for revenge was amplified by Aizen. I think he is like Stark or Ulquiorra because he was just manipulated by Aizen. He is so warped. Such a great character
It still boggles me how Kubo has created so many complex characters with enticing backstories.
"... i can see,.... So this is the sky.....so this is blood ,...I can see ! I can see !!, I can see!!! , I can seeeee it all !!!" Tousen
What Aizen did to him in the end is really fitting, be careful what you wish for when you make a deal with a devil.
Facts
I am so glad he uploaded a video on Kaname Tosen; as soon as I saw the thumbnail my heart almost skipped a beat!
Hope you enjoyed it!
Tousen is an interesting character whose motives are made much deeper in the Can't Fear Your Own World novel.
His motives kind of remind me of a communist. He sees injustice, wants to fight it but his methods are incredibly extreme and is responsible for endless deaths.
As for his fight with Komamura and Hisagi: I really like the dialogue, the beginning, Tousen's mask and the ending but I don't like Tousen's Resurrection since it's quite weak. I would've loved more if he used his bankai and Komamura fought with his senses which he would've learned from Kenpachi in exchange for teaching Kenpachi to talk to his Zanpakutou.
Anyway I wonder if Aizen recruted him because he's blind. I mean if Tousen wasn't with Aizen he could've really messed up his Kyoka Suigetsu based plans.
Dude should’ve practiced his resurrection before using it in a life or death scenario. Plus i think Aizen could’ve tweaked it if Tosen was unhappy with it.
Except communists usually just want power or are consumed by the ideology.
Kaname will always be in my top 5 chars, he’s so goated and IMO has the best non released Zanpakuto design
i loved when hisagi actives his zanpauto in tosens head
It was my understanding that Aizen had kyoka suigetsu active at all times during the fake karakura town fight and just wasn't doing anything with it and killed tosen the way described in the novel, but since he never actually saw him as an equal he killed him in the least flattering way possible.
This Tosen character analysis was wonder! Can't wait for Hisagi's!
Thank you!
I love Kaname Tosen design its so badass^^
I feel like the first moment he activated his Bankai, thought it was beautiful for his character!
Tosen....the original style SWAG of the Soul Society 💯💪🏾
An amazing character analysis for one of the more underrated characters in the series. There's actually a lot of symbolism and ideas explored in Tosen's character, the big ones obviously being justice vs. vengeance and the notion of "blind justice".
I think one way to look at Tosen's character that might help conceptualize him is powerlessness, a state of being that's actually explored throughout Bleach. As a blind man, he's at a major disadvantage and thus can't see the world the same way as others, literally. Then his best friend ends up murdered by her own husband (after reading CFYW, I felt Tosen's probably one of the unluckiest characters in Bleach) and he can't do a thing about it. At the end of the day, he's been powerless to protect or hold onto anything he cares about. I think in his own warped way, Aizen respected that and gave him the opportunity to grab more power, and was pleased with how far Tosen was willing to go for it.
When he is in a position of power though, you can see some of the bitterness and anger he's held come spilling out. His Bankai is a pretty good symbolization of it and his resurreccion, where he clearly let his newfound sight and power go to his head. Just like Hisagi said, he let all the power go to his head thus he lost sight of himself.
Between Aizen, Gin, and Tosen, I think he's definitely fits the "tragic villain" title the most.
I think we need a separate video to analyze the battle between Kenpachi Vs Kaname, brutality vs piety, the love for battle vs the love for justice
This is why Aizen killed him. Tosen was a good man that was corrupted by loss and vengeance.
He hated the soul society for not seeking justice for his friends death, so he tried to embody justice by taking revenge. But all the while, he is in denial about what his hatred is doing to his original ideas of peace.
That's why he talks of peace, but wants revenge.
I agree with all your points MrTommo2304, he's indeed a very intriguing villainous character. Beautiful and tragic how he met his demise.
A contrast with Tousan and Kenpachi I find interesting is killing. When they fight Tousan, or Komamura I forget, comment they think he enjoys killing. But Zaraki doesn't, he just likes the fight, even commenting he prefers not killing since than they can fight again later. But we see Tousan speak about wanting to kill anyone he thinks is "responsible".
You're absolutely right - I actually think it's Komamura who says it's time for the killing you enjoy so much, but I think your point still stands for sure.
Would love to see him come back full circle. If anybody went to hell in a handbasket, it was this man. Definitely a favorite of mine
Kaname tousen Was always one of my favorite characters I liked him the first time I saw him And honestly he's very relatible Meaning we very similar personalities
Hopefully, we see him return within the Hell Verse Manga
💙
When I first saw tosen's abilities I though he was so cool. I was shocked to find out he was a bad guy :( I wish we got more fights with his bankai. Redemption for this character would have been great, but I suppose Kubo couldn't do it with him and Gin.
I always felt that Tosen should have been the one to betray Aizen instead of Gin for two reasons. The first which is the most obvious, Tosen is blind. He should automatically be immune to Aizen's hypnosis being that Aizen's shikai requires the zan be seen first by the individual in order for the hypnosis to take effect. The second reason being that it would have been a great way to bring Tosen back to his original self, show that he has truly come to realize his wrongs, and give him the redemption he truly deserved.
I hope one day Tosen will be able to see this video......
Without having to transform into a beetle😨
A cricket actually 😅
Tosen is design and ability wise my absolute most favorite character in Bleach. A blind swordsman whose bankai turns his blindness into a deadly environment for his enemies is such a cool concept. The fact that his zanpaktou is almost all about disorientating his enemy, be it his Shikai which produces an ultra sonic wave that knocks people out or his aforementioned bankai which robs the opponent of all senses but touch just fits him sooo much. However, I really don´t like his resurreccion as it completely turns around his character tbh. Although, you could say that the resurreccion showed how he really felt inside I guess. I think I don´t like his resureccion not because of the change in his nature but in his design. Big ass cricket just doesn´t look cool, his Hollowfication with the blank white mask though, that look rocked!
He was a tragic character
*@Tommo* ⚔️
Awesome video, absolutely phenomenally executed. Tosen has always been my favorite in the series. His design, writing, abilities, he’s such a unique, but fascinating character. Even though he’s *barely* shown. Same goes for Komamura, same exact position.
Tousen had a pretty creative and badass bankai, it sucks that he became a generic giant monster in his final fight .
I wasn’t a big fan of Tosen, but he was did dirty with that monster design
@@jukappa my thoughts exactly .
it was symbolism
@@sukuna716 Yes but this is an anime. Since he no longer had cool hair and a sleek design or had big warlocks exposed, he was unfortunately only symbolizing fodder material…RIP 🙏
@@sukuna716 I have seen many bleach fans use the “ but it’s symbolic tho” excuse as damage control , doesn’t make the actual writing any less shitty .
Perhaps he cried when taking down Everybody's favorite Quincy because he could relate to the situation
I only just now got that Tosen is literally the physical embodiment of "justice is blind", I feel so dumb.
Bro don’t. Bleach is soooo deep. Just realized that Mayuri’s final battle w pernida mirrors his first battle w uryu.
Tbh i just like him cause of the impact he has on shuhei
Him having his best friend murdered and then knowing her killer got a slap on the wrist due to being a noble sure set his take on justice. The ugly truth of Soul Society's laws pushed him and then meeting Aizen immediately after he was attacked by Tokinada's bodyguards finished his turn. His quick death was merciful, had he lived he would've been executed for treason anyway certainly after enduring nightmarish torture at Soifon's hands. Tousen is a true tragedy.
A true idiot in my eyes
Why would Soi Fon be doing some torturing? his punishment/sentence if he lived is still unknown at that, doesn't mean torture was bound to occur too lol
@@Crunchysopa52 She's known to get her hands on anyone accused of treason and post Aizen central 46 were not known for liniancy, especially for someone close to him. Alternatively Yoruichi, Sajin and Shuhei would undoubtedly intervene for clemency.
If Central 46 didn’t have Aiken executed or tortured, I doubt Tousen would have been.
@@annhenriques3520 Because they couldn't kill or even touch Aizen. Remember TYBW?
Finally!! Been waiting to hear your reaction to the vaizard transformation
Great analysis on Tosen! 👍 👏 looking forward to your next analysis video 📹
Tousen is a True Definition of Blind Justice as His Injustice of Royal Family (Mainly Tsunayashiro through Tokinada) causing his perspective of Good and Evil Destroyed and doesn't help that Aizen take advantage of Tousen through False Charismatic Demeanour causing Tousen fall into a Very Deep Darkness that in his dead his only Salvation was Died in the side of his Remaining Hope (Komamura and Hisagi)
Tousen Deserve Better (Of The Three he obviously the least interesting one and the one with the least role and impact in the story only serve as a Pawn in Aizen Grand Scheme, not to mentioned he also the most hated of the Trio by Hardcore Fan because of his disrespectful to Komamura during his Ressurecion by calling him Ugly and His Hypocrisy regarding his So Called Justice)
Tosen is awesome I love the guy
This might sound stupid but I really love that you don't have some f****** dumb intro and once the video starts you just get right into it.
Wow thank you for this video! Tosen is my favorite character from Bleach and you really nailed him and his justice psychology. Enjoying your videos. You've gained a subscriber but more importantly I've found my Bleach channel. Good work
Although kaname Doesn’t have much screen time in the series.. I really appreciate Tite Kubo for being extensively one of the first manga artist to actually portray Blk characters with an actual decorum of respect.. with fleshed out personalities.. Tousen is captivating to everyone beyond even ppl who look like me.. because at that time we never had a portrayal of blk ppl in Anime who weren’t almost clown like, illiterate or beast like in appearance and thought.. to see one treated lwith actual consideration and integrity.. Treated as a human being.. is what partially drew most of us to him.
I agree. It's also a shame because bleach is also another anime that has a hip hop theme in it or should I say an urban theme to it you would think that would be more black characters
@@apollodlee3457 ❤
Couldn’t have said it better myself!!
Ok so hear me out: Does anyone else feel this way?🤣
Bleach has a habit of making black characters look dope 🔥 in base form but their transformations weird af. Zommari (resurrecion), Tosen (resurreccion), Pepe (vollstandig), Lille Varo (vollstandig).
Nanana Najakoop was a question mark in my book tho🤣
Chad is Spanish so he doesn't count
This isn't nitpicking, just an observation and something I just got used to over time. Still absolutely love the series but I remember reading Blood War Arc, seeing Lille and being like "yoo Kubo is gonna do him dirty" And I was right. He turned into a friggin *owl* 🦉 at the end🤣
He's a cool character and pretty no nonsense which is appreciated. Ever since we first saw him he's never really dragged fights out unnecessarily
I enjoyed Kaneme Tosen’s development, his character is relatable. People always hope for justice and that in the end justice will prevail, however, there is no such thing as a perfect system of justice. There will always be those taking advantage of the system. Aizen wants to become a God, Tosen wants a perfect system of justice. But all it is is someone dictating what is right and wrong. Hence no perfect system, but there is always the desire.
Your insight and commentary in these videos is so great and gets me so enthralled with the videos. Keep up the great work can’t wait to binge every video!
I feel like he is one of the most human characters in the series. Which is why he was one of my favorite captains.
Also as a bit of a caviot, he is someone id like to see if they ever do the hell arc. Maybe give him a redeption within it, a chance to reconsilate with Sajin and Hisagi.
As far as Hisage becoming captain, wasn’t it said somewhere that you have to have a bankai in order to get have a chance to rise to that rank? That would explain why Hisage would not get offered that position…
A other good vidoe dude keep it up you rock
Komamura would never betray the soul society but if tosen somehow did get him on their side bankai but as a visored would be crazy
What an inspiration story, pulling viewers with old content that’s covered all over youtube
The light novel does paint him a little better because just going from manga, he does come across as a bit infantile through his worldview imo
To me Kakyo's murder came across more like an unsolved case or simply ignored more than anything and it's more Tousen railing against the caprice of the world and joins Aizen to resolved that which is fine enough for a motivation I suppose but felt like a stretch to join someone like Aizen.
However to learn rather than caprice and neglect, it was a very deliberate and systemic reason for the cover up that was revealed in CFYOW really frames his conceit and mindset a lot better. He effective gave up on the world, he says justice but it's really revenge as in burn the whole thing down.
Again another that need more flashback because I really wanted to see when and how Aizen convinced him to join
Pound for pound he has my one of my favourite designs in the entire franchise and manga in general, just top tier drip and Kubo fashion design skills really shines through him. That orange rope ascot from SS is my favourite look and yeah TBH it was pretty refreshing seeing a black character done like this, which was pretty few and far between at the time.
I absolutely love this character and I loved his swords abilities I always look for it at anime cons in my area I haven't found it yet but if I find it I'm definitely getting it. Aside from that I loved how his character was handled even though I wish they fleshed it out a bit more. When I 1st got into the series he was my favorite captain Just based on appearances
I didn't care about Tosen much at first then I read CFYOW and rewatched FKT so now he's in my top ten bleach characters. His relationship with Komamura is very touching, there's a lot of layers to it. Also the way his backstory and motives are expanded upon on the novels are what really sold me on his humanity as a character while still keeping him a hypocrite that needed to be defeated too. The philosophy he taught Hisagi is also very interesting, being also how he wasn't afraid of anything in his bug form then he had no right to fight anymore per his words. His last moments make me emotional, and I think from Aizen's perspective that was a mercy kill as Tosen seemed to truly accept Komamura and Hisagi as friends which is what he told Aizen was the thing he didn't want before.
been waiting for this analysis, very good work as always mr.tommo. couldnt agree with you more.
Tosen was a great antagonist. He was very nuanced and layered and more sympathetic than Gin in my opinion. Tosen lost someone He cared about and his rage slowly turned him into a monster. His final interaction with Hisagi and Komamura
I always saw it as if Tosen ever lost sight of his goal, if his resolve started to drop, and he begins to lose his motivation to avenge his friend and begins to accept Soul Society and begins to allow and forgive the trespasses or people who run the Soul Society; he wishes that Aizen would kill him. It would end up destroying the pureness that Tosen believes himself to be and in a sense to Tosen become corrupted and at that point, he would rather die than live through that. Of course, Tosen then who believed in his goal 1000% vs Tosen who lost and began to open himself up to the possibility he was wrong this whole time and begins to mend his heart after all that time is dead before he could do anything about it.
I think the soul suicide idea seems cool. I also wonder if Kyoka Suigetsu could have been active and Aizen went down there to deal that blow himself.
@16:27 context is important. In his eyes yes. Because the whole point of murking the civilians was to sacrifice them creating an ouken(soul key). Remember Karakura Town is a spiritually dense area & it was necessary to achieve their goals. Sacrifice a town was necessary to them.
Have to say I absolutely love these analysis videos and all of your work. I think Bleach is right up there with my all time favorite Rorouni Kenshin and the information and perspective you add to the story and my understanding of what is going on. (haven't read the manga only seen the anime)
Tosen has one of the coolest character designs. Kinda wish he got more shine
I always saw Tosen as the blind monk who fell to corruption and could have been pulled out but was pulled deeper do to a false god that is a fallen angel. And with his death scene why can’t it be a combination of both Aizen mercy killing and soul suicide with the both causing that bloody explosion. Finally as I said earlier Aizen more than likely found him at a critical point and reinforced his negative qualities.
Aizen and Tosen has the same energy as Puuchi and Dio.
I like Gin WAAAAAY more, but the relationship fight and dynamic of all involved is one of the best in the series
Man I LOVE this channel. I could watch and listen to Bleach content all day! On my third rewatch of the series and hypedAH for its return. Thank you for the awesome deep dives into all things Bleach MrTommo2304. Wait, were you born on April 23rd?
Ah yes, the true Vizard. I loved that Komamura/Hisagi vs Tosen smack down in the anime more than the Manga, mainly because you have Distancia para un Duelo harmonizing it. Jesus the Arrancar OST was too powerful
Been waiting for this one for a really long time 🙏🙏