In episode 20 of the anime Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War, Zaraki's Nozarashi gets the main spotlight, where he shows his very destructive Shikai abilities.
What are some interesting facts about this one sword? Here are the facts!
1. It used to belong to someone else before it was taken by Zaraki
Unlike most other Zanpakutos which were originally Asauchi which were distributed to each prospective Shinigami, Zaraki's sword has a different history.
It turns out that Nozarashi himself was possessed by someone else while he was still in Asauchi mode. However, the owner apparently died so that the sword was finally picked up by Zaraki.
Unknowingly, Zaraki had forged his soul into the sword, thus making the two of them bound to each other until now.
2. According to Tite Kubo, Nozarashi's physical form resembles that of an adult woman while Yachiru is referred to as a manifestation of his Bankai
Just like Zangetsu, Nozarashi also has his own physical form.
This was confirmed by Tite Kubo in the Question and Answer forum of the Outside Club, where Yachiru is the embodiment of Bankai Nozarashi, while his true form resembles that of an adult woman. The reason why Bankai Nozarashi turned into a Shinigami himself was because he was given the name Yachiru by Zaraki during their first meeting.
You could say the case is similar to Zangetsu, where Shikai's mode is like that of a middle-aged man, while Tensa Zangetsu is in the form of a young man the same age as Ichigo.
3. Zaraki heard his voice after winning against Unohana
Despite their long time together, Zaraki's progress with his own sword is arguably much slower even than Ichigo's. Unlike other Shinigami, Zaraki has never once heard of or communicated with his own Zanpakutō. This was confirmed by Zangetsu, who could hear Nozarashi's voice, and was ignored by Zaraki during his duel against Ichigo.
Now, after reopening his locked combat potential after defeating Unohana, then Zaraki could hear Nozarashi's voice for the first time.
4. His Shikai form is a giant axe
After learning Nozarashi's name, Zaraki began to be able to release his Shikai in the latest episode of the anime Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War. The release command itself is nome or drink. When his Shikai is activated, Nozarashi's own form turns into a giant ax ready to chop up all the enemies that Zaraki is aiming for.
5. Able to split meteors and outer space
Even though he doesn't have any special abilities, Nozarashi himself is fairly destructive. With this weapon, Zaraki is able to easily split a meteor in two, thereby saving Soul Society from total annihilation. Not only a giant object, Zaraki is also able to break through the vacuum created by Gremmy and his clones with a slash of his huge axe.
6. His Bankai is nameless and can make the user go out of control
In terms of Bankai, you can say that Nozarashi is a special example.
His Bankai is able to change Zaraki's appearance to that of an oni, a red-skinned demon monster from Japan. His strength has also become so extraordinary that he is able to compete with Gerard Valkyrie who has evolved into a giant. It's just that the captain of the 11th Division will lose control and even have the potential to injure his own allies as Hitsugaya and Byakuya said. This mode is also still a mystery until the end of the manga, where the name Bankai Zaraki has never been revealed from any official source.
That's a list of interesting facts about Nozarashi, Zaraki Kenpachi's sword.
What do you think?