The BLEACH universe is filled with various types of being that are all in some way, derivative of one of the series' most important motifs: the human soul. The Quincy race is a faction that had been referred to throughout the original anime series, and now in the Thousand-Year Blood War arc, which adapts the climactic finale of the BLEACH series, the true extent of the combat potential of the Quincies is slowly being revealed.
Episode 3 of BLEACH: Thousand-Year Blood War saw the reveal of a device that is a part of the basic structure in the conception of the major factions or races in the BLEACH universe: each race has an ability of some kind that grants them an immense boost in combat potential and can in theory turn the tide of any battle in their favour. For the Quincies, this ultimate ability was explored when Uryu used the Letzt Stil; however, the Sternritter officer Quilge Opie reveals that this move is a relic of the past – the Quincies now make use of an incredibly powerful ability known as Quincy: Völlstandig.
Etymology
Since
BLEACH
also assigns a linguistic component to the terminology used by different races in-universe, all Quincy-related topics will invariably have some kind of German undercurrent. The Völlstandig is no different, with the word being German for "in completion/completely"; however, the VIZ translation of Völlstandig is "Holy Form". The ability is the successor to the obsolete Quincy: Letzt Stil (Quincy: Last Style), a last resort technique that enabled a Quincy to absorb reishi at a rate far greater than what is usually possible, at the cost of immense strain on the body and permanent inability to manipulate reishi afterwards.Given the technique's huge drawbacks and fragility, the Völlstandig was developed to overcome these limitations. Like its predecessor, Quincy: Völlstandig employs the user's Sanrei Glove (known as "
Leidan Hant
" to the Wandenreich) as a catalyst. In this form, a Quincy's capacity for reishi absorption increases dramatically as they literally siphon the environment and employ huge amounts of reishi in their Spirit Weapons, which are also completely made up of reishi. There is variation in terms of the appearance and abilities of a Völlstandig from Quincy to Quincy, but each Völlstandig offers its user an incredible upper-hand in battle.
Appearance and Abilities
While the appearance varies, there are some overarching themes that are apparent in the different Völlstandig forms. Generally, users of this technique undergo
a dramatic change in appearance
that has them appearing with "angel-like" characteristics such as brilliant wings of shimmering reishi and varying forms of crowns of shimmering light, otherwise known as Heiligenschein. In this form, a Quincy is capable of increased dominance of reishi, and as seen with Quilge Opie, the form's gluttonous consumption of reishi is not limited to inanimate objects but even spiritual abilities and living souls. When he absorbs the reishi of the Hollow beast Ayon, Quilge's Völlstandig changes in appearance and a pair of eyes grow in his wings, and he takes on a more monstrous appearance overall. The form also dramatically increases the effect of the Quincy's Schrift, making their abilities have an even greater range and more devastating effects.
Since each member of the Sternritter has a different Schrift, the true extent of their abilities can be vastly different. As Sternritter J – "The Jail", Quilge Opie is capable of creating a perfect prison made of reishi, one that can make anyone inside undetectable and incapable of making any kind of outside contact, and is impossible to break from the inside. This ability is even capable of closing interdimensional gateways and will persist even in Quilge Opie's death. In this form, Quincies still have access to staples of the Quincy move-set, such as the Heiligpfeil (Holy Arrow) and Hirenkyaku.
Weaknesses and Drawbacks
