Arrancar

When a Menos sheds its mask it usually assumes a human shape, though only Vasto Lorde class Hollows reliably gain a fully human body; the more a given Arrancar still resembles a Hollow, the weaker its reasoning tends to be. Every one keeps a hole somewhere on its body, said to stand for a heart it can never fill, along with leftover mask fragments jutting out as horns, jaws, or crowns. Many also bear a facial marking called the Estigma, a relic of the old mask unique to each individual. Their dress inverts the Shinigami look, favoring white jackets, black sashes, and pale hakama where a Soul Reaper wears mostly black, and it varies far more from one wearer to the next.

Though each keeps or grows its own temperament, the bulk of Arrancar lean cold, cruel, prideful, and hungry for battle. From the moment of their rebirth they simply know their own names, even when they have been split away from a larger being. Loyalty tends to follow strength: many naturally evolved Arrancar bound themselves to Aizen to gain power, some out of genuine respect, and when a mightier force like the Wandenreich rose, most bent to it to survive. Tellingly, the majority still think of themselves as Hollows despite their new Shinigami-like nature.

Arrancar fight with a toolkit that blends Hollow instinct and Shinigami craft. They fire the powerful Cero blast and its rapid, weaker cousin the Bala, move at blinding speed through Sonído, and shrug off blows with the hardened skin called Hierro. Many can read spiritual pressure via Pesquisa, tear open a Garganta with Descorrer, and, though most trade it away for raw strength, heal grievous wounds through high-speed regeneration. Their true might sleeps in the Zanpakutō forged from the broken piece of their mask; the release known as Resurrección restores their original Hollow form and multiplies their combat power several times over.