Highlights
- Gerard Valkyrie, also known as "M - The Miracle," is one of the most powerful members of Yhwach's forces in Bleach.
- Gerard possesses immense physical strength and the ability to reflect damage onto his opponents using his sword, Hoffnung.
- His most fearsome power is "The Miracle," which allows him to manipulate probability and manifest the thoughts and emotions of those around him, granting him unbelievable strength and size.
Able to turn the hopes of his allies into his own strength and manifest miracles that defy all logic, Gerard Valkyrie is one of the most fearsome members of Yhwach's forces in Bleach. He has often been described as the "heart" of the Soul King, and goes by the designation "M - The Miracle" among the ranks of the Wandenreich's Sternritter. Unlike most of his fellow Quincy, apart from Pernida Parnkgjas — the left hand of the Soul King — Gerard possessed his abilities even before he was granted a Schrift by Yhwach. Thus, he and Pernida are anomalies even among the Sternritter, which is only a hint of the fearsome power he wields.
Loud, brash, energetic, and aggressive, Gerard is never one to back down from a fight, and was able to go up against several Gotei 13 Captains and Lieutenants at once. His unique abilities permitted him to attain truly monstrous levels of power over the course of a fight, to a point where he might seem nigh on invincible. Indeed, Gerard may be one of the strongest characters in Bleach, both for his base strength, and the ridiculous advantages he gains while using his Schrift in battle. But where exactly does he stand among the plethora of immeasurably powerful individuals who participated in the Quincy Blood War?
Boisterous Powerhouse
Aggressive, confident in his abilities, and eternally optimistic, Gerard Valkyrie exhibited a level of self-confidence that bordered on pure arrogance when dealing with the Shinigami of the Gotei 13. Despite this, he was also quite compassionate towards his fellow Sternritter but did not tolerate weakness, and also had a self-righteous streak. Essentially, Gerard viewed his strength to be second only to Yhwach's own, seeing himself as the most powerful among all the Quincy of the Wandenreich.
He was a swordsman in his own right, as his spirit weapon was a black double-edged sword with a star on its hilt known as Hoffnung, which means "hope" in German. While his attacks are quite basic when compared to the more complex maneuvers of Shinigami Zanjutsu, Gerard could deliver powerful, effective strikes with his blade due to his raw physical strength, which more than compensated for his technical deficiencies. The blade he wielded was quite durable on its own, and could even withstand the force of Kenpachi Zaraki's fearsome strikes.
The main advantage Gerard gained in wielding Hoffnung, was its ability to reflect damage on to his opponents. Since Hoffnung represented the hopes of those who were allied with him, any damage to the blade would manifest as injuries on the bodies of his adversaries. This meant that even small chips in the sword would lead to his enemies incurring major slashes or gashes on their bodies, making it extremely difficult to go up against Gerard head on. Toshiro Hitsugaya, the Captain of the 10th Division, was only able to nullify this ability by freezing Hoffnung completely. Besides this, he also uses a shield in battle and can wield the Heilig Bogen to fire Heilig Pfeil when required.
The Might Of The Miracle
In combination with his vast reserves of Spiritual Power, brute strength, and the ability to manipulate Reishi in his surroundings, Gerard's most terrifying power is his innate ability, "The Miracle." Unlike the Schrifts of the Sternritter, Gerard has always possessed this ability. With it, he can manifest the thoughts and emotions of those around him, turning unlikely events into reality. This power is at its most potent when Gerard is up against insurmountable odds, such that the simple act of declaring something to be impossible, will lead to said event taking place almost exactly as he intended. This was clearly observed in how he grew considerably stronger after seemingly being defeated by Renji Abarai and Byakuya Kuchiki, at the start of the Gotei 13's fight against him.
At its fundamental level, The Miracle grants Gerard incredible boosts in strength, size, and speed when he is up against odds that he cannot contend with. The augmentations to his physical prowess and size represent the probability manipulation technique that is central to how The Miracle works, giving Gerard the tools he needs to attain victory whenever he wishes it. This aspect of his power is triggered whenever he takes damage. By focusing on his opponents' fear of being unable to destroy him, Gerard can convert the damage inflicted on his body to these physical enhancements.
There is a relationship between the amount of damage he suffers and the degree to which his powers and size are increased. Major injuries can cause him to grow to a size where he dwarfs even skyscrapers, with a proportional increase in strength as well. Gerard refers to this form as his "Godly Size," hinting that it may be the currently tested limit of his abilities. Moreover, beyond augmenting his stature and power, The Miracle also instantly repairs any damage to Gerard's body and restores it to full health. This applies to even the most serious of injuries, as he was able to grow a new arm immediately after it was cut off, and survive being bifurcated by simply stitching the two halves of his body back together.
Ascending To The Next Level
By forming a Quincy Zeichen in the air with his blood, Gerard can trigger his Quincy: Vollstandig, which transforms his appearance even further. In the absence of his normal winged helmet, he gains a Norse Reishi helmet as well as thick patterns that adorn his arms and legs. Completing the transformation, his weapons also feature changes to their designs, as a star extends over the outer rim of his shield while the star on the hilt of his blade Hoffnung turns white.
Much like other Quincy: Vollstandig forms, Gerard gains white Reishi wings. He can also fire energy blasts from the tip of Hoffnung after activating this form, which are shown to be powerful enough to decimate entire city blocks in a single explosion. In the event that his body is destroyed, Gerard has also displayed a second form of his Quincy: Vollstandig, where he is a being of pure energy, with a face resembling the helmet of a knight and two spikes protruding diagonally outward from his shoulders.
If left unchecked, it is all but certain that Gerard's power could reach insurmountable heights, as The Miracle augments his already terrifying strength to levels previously unheard of. During his fight against the Gotei 13, his Reiatsu grew so vast that it became difficult for him to sense those of the Captain level Shinigami in his vicinity, which is a worrying statement on its own. He easily overpowered most of his opponents, who were some of the strongest combatants in the Gotei 13.
It took the combined efforts of three Captains in Toshiro Hitsugaya, Byakuya Kuchiki, and Kenpachi Zaraki to turn the tide of the battle in their favor, after Renji Abarai and the Visored were unable to gain a foothold in the fight. Even with this match up, Gerard seemed to have control of the fight due to his ever expanding strength, until Yhwach's Auswahlen finally killed him and brought the fight to an end. Hence, the true limit of Gerard's frightening power still cannot be fully understand, easily placing him among the strongest combatants in Bleach's Thousand Year Blood War.
BLEACH: Thousand-Year Blood War Part 2 – The Separation is available to stream on Hulu and Disney+.