With the Soul King dead, the Soul Society trembles, and all three worlds – Seireitei, Hueco Mundo, and World of Living all cease to exist. This is when Ukitake Jushiro the current Captain of Squad 13 of Soul Society comes in to take over as the next Soul Society. The story behind Ukitake having an incurable lung disease from birth and getting saved by the Mimihagi was finally revealed in the Bleach Thousand Year Blood War. Jushiro was saved by the powers of the divine god Mimihagi when he was about to die as a 3-year-old kid.
Who is Mimihagi?
Mimihagi is the right-hand of the Soul King which is considered the fallen deity of Rukon East 76 district, Sakahone. It is the divine power of the Soul King that got detached which governs “stillness.” Mimihagi doesn’t hold a physical entity which includes an eye in the dark hand-like structure more of a humanoid form.
When all the doctors of the Rukon district were left with no choice but to save Ukitake, his parents took him to the shrine of Mimihagi to save him from the illness. Jushiro was saved by attaching the power of Mimihagi to the lungs. However, it doesn’t cure his illness but lets him live and become a Shinigami.
After the Seireitei starts to shudder, Ukitake performs Kamikake before and takes up the place of Royal Palace as the next Soul King. The existence and presence of Mimihagi was never teased before but it holds a crucial role in the Bleach Thousand Year Blood War final saga.
What is Kamikake?
Kamikake is a “Divine Possession” or “Divine Vow,” is a very particular rite that can only be performed by those who are in one way or another involved with Mimihagi, that is, those to whom Mimihagi has taken a part of the body. The ritual includes making a prayer to Mimihagi and sharpening one’s own body to give it, as well as one’s life, for the use of Mimihagi, for the position of the right hand of the Soul King. After the completion of the ritual, every organ belongs to Mimihagi letting one become the embodiment of Mimihagi and the right arm of the Soul King.
How Ukitake is connected to Kamikake?
While Jushiro was suffering from a lung illness as a child the powers of Mimihagi were placed inside his organ, lungs preventing him from dying because of the illness. Ukitake can perform a ritual to expand the power of Mimihagi to his entire body and organs.
Ukitake becomes the next Soul King
Mimihagi stops and protects the power of the Soul King stopping the trembling of the world. However, this will only last until Ukitake is alive. Yhwach was shocked to witness the move as his eyes couldn’t foresee this future by his power of Almighty.
Ukitake’s sacrifice to become the stand-in Soul King brings many major events in the battle of Quincies vs Soul Reapers in the Bleach Thousand Year Blood War that led to different ends of the war.
