Sunday, March 4, 2012

Featured Fight: Tier Harribel's fight in Fake Karakura Town (P.1)

Episodes: 221, 226, 273-275 (First fight concluded), 278 (Harribel freed, as well as the revival of the other Espada members), 280,  281 (Barely shown), 282, 283 (Concluded)


Participants: 
Toshiro Hitsugaya
Lisa Yadomaru

Hiyori Sarugaki
Tier Harribel
Aizen Sosuke

  • Toshiro Hitsugaya 
  • Lisa Yadomaru
  • Hiyori Sarugaki
  • Tier Harribel
  • Aizen Sosuke
Before the battle, Hitsugaya and his lieutenant, Matsumoto, was preparing themselves to face their opponents when they got surrounded by Harribel's Fraccions:  Sung-Sun, Mila Rose, and Apacci. As Hitsugaya and Matsumoto are surrounded by the three, Matsumoto offers to handle them so Hitsugaya can fight Harribel, the Espada. Hitsugaya asks her if she can handle the three Fraccions and as Matsumoto affirms her confidence, Hitsugaya leaves to appear in front of Harribel. Apacci is about to stop Hitsugaya but is told to refrain from Harribel. Harribel draws her Zanpakuto and Hitsugaya follows suit. They then begin their battle. 


Hitsugaya Toshiro vs. Tier Harribel 


Harribel reveals her mask remnants and her rank.
After Harribel's Fraccion's deaths, Harribel becomes furious and begins to fill her blade with yellow energy. Before Hitsugaya knows it, Harribel fights him much more aggressively, forcing him back with sheer power from her blade swing. She murmured her Fraccions' names to acknowledge them and unzips her jacket to reveal her rank as the 3rd Espada, signified by the tattoo on her right breast.  Hitsugaya worries how strong she is and shocked to find out that she is only ranked third. Harribel questions Hitsugaya's statement and coldly replies that she has yet to fully demonstrate her strength. As she begins to charge, Hitsugaya quickly uses Bankai in an attempt to match her very sudden and large increase in power. Immediately, Harribel rushes at him and slashes, her sword still containing yellow energy, Hitsugaya barely has time to defend himself. 
Hitsugaya attacked by Harribel, the Tres Espada.


Harribel's release form
As their match continues, Hitsugaya is thrown down into the street even in his Bankai. He prepares to counter but Harribel gives him no chance due to using her Ola Azul technique. Harribel manages to push Hitsugaya to the ground and mocks him, questioning "whether this is the full strength of a captain" that defeated her three Fraccion. She then states that she will end the battle and proceeds to release her Zanpakuto. As she calls the release command of her Resurreccion, she is completely enveloped by a heart-shaped surge of water, forming a cocoon-like cyclone that she then cuts herself out of. Hitsugaya notes that Harribel's Resurreccion form has not changed her appearance as much as he predicted, but remembers that he must keep his guard against her. Without saying a word, Harribel raises her weapon  and suddenly slashes off Hitsugaya's right hand and wing before he even realizes it. Believing the young captain to be defeated, Harribel comments her disappointment saying that he stood no chance as the dragon of ice sinks to the bottom of the sea with the bite of a shark. 


Harribel then turns her sight to Captain-Commander Yamamoto, determined to avenge her Fraccions' deaths after believing that Hitsugaya has been defeated. However, before she can take any action towards him, she is forced to dodge an attack by an uninjured Hitsugaya, the one she cut down was an illusion made of ice. Hitsugaya advises her not to underestimate the captains' abilities so much. 


As their fight ensues, Harribel directs torrents of water at Hitsugaya that he simply freezes before they reach. Harribel  begins to be encased in ice but breaks free. Hitsugaya then tells her to underestimate him as she surely must have realized her situation now. He tells her that since his Zanpakutō is an ice-element Zanpakutō, and so all water will only become his weapon even if that water is her weapon. Therefore, he reasons that since Harribel only total control over water, her attacks will never reach him. Harribel plainly comments that her attacks will reach him soon enough and tries to incite Hitsugaya into coming closer. Hitsugaya questions if Harribel really thought a taunt like that would actually him closer to her and launches an attack, stating that such a thing was why he said she was underestimating him. Harribel calmly retorts back that it is Hitsugaya who is underestimating her and reciprocates the situation by melting his ice with Hirviendo, stating the opposite of what Hitsugaya said is also possible and is an inviolable law of battle. She returns Hitsugaya's attack with Cascada.

As Hitsugaya tries to keep up with Harribel and protect the injured lieutenants (Rangiku Matsumoto , Momo Hinamori, Shuuhei Hisagi , Tetsuzaemon Iba ) who are being healed by Izuru Kira nearby, he is injured severely from Harribel's Cascada and a Cero. But, when Harribel comments on Hitsugaya not being able to fight at full strength, Hitsugaya stands up and extols at Hyorinmaru being the strongest of all snow and ice Zanpakuto, which gives the wielder the control of the heavens. He then unleashes his never-before seen attack: Hyoten Hyakkaso. 
Hitsugaya successfully uses Hyoten Hyakkaso against Harribel
As his technique begins to take effect, a huge hole opens in the clouds. Even Coyote Starrk notices and is surprised as he fights against Shunsui Kyouraku. Harribel is also surprised, asking Hitsugaya what it is. She learns that Hyoten Hyakkaso is an extension of Tenso Jurin which Hitsugaya explains that Tenso Jurin is one of Hyourinmaru's basic powers, but also its strongest. He tells her that his powers are not fully mature and that he doesn't like to use Tenso Jurin in Bankai mode, as he is unsure of whether or not he could control it and keep it from killing everyone in the vicinity. He regards this concern as unnecessary though, seeing as half of the ice flowers of his Bankai are already gone. Before proceeding, he asks for his opponent's name, to which she replies; Tier Harribel. Hitsugaya then states his name and rank before attacking with Hyoten Hyakkaso. As the sky darkens, snow begins to fall from the hole in the clouds. Harribel attempts to melt the snow with her Hirviendo ability, but ice flowers begin to bloom the moment her sword touches the snow and then on her body. As she questions Hitsugaya's attack, Hitsugaya calmly tells her that Hyoten Hyakkaso causes anything that touches the snow to freeze into the shape of a flower. He states that once one hundred flowers have bloomed, she will die. He then apologizes, stating that he is not going to let her avenge her underlings after all.