Highlights
- Mimihagi is a sentient entity that was once the right hand of the Soul King in Bleach, and it governs stagnation and stillness.
- It has the ability to halt the progression of anything and can heal ailments by attaching itself to those who request its aid.
- Mimihagi can manipulate shadows and erect barriers made of shadows, and it can be summoned by individuals who have performed a ritual to become its vessel.
Having been separated from the main body of the Soul King at some distant point in history, Mimihagi is a sentitent entity which was once the right hand of the Soul King in Bleach. It exists alongside Pernida Parnkgjas, the left hand of the Soul King, where the two govern different aspects of Soul Society's functioning. In the outer areas of Eastern Rukongai, Mimihagi is seen as a fallen deity that grants wishes to those who visit its shrine.
During the Thousand Year Blood War in Bleach, Mimihagi had a significant role to play in the events of the main storyline, as it was revealed that Jushiro Ukitake, the Captain of the 13th Division at the time, was a human host for the entity. Following the death of the Soul King, Ukitake attempted to give up his life in order to allow Mimihagi to replace the Soul King which triggered a series of events leading up to the eventual defeat of Yhwach.
What Is Mimihagi?
Mimihagi was once a being with corporeal form, taking on the appearance of humanoid entity, consisting of a body resembling an outstretched right arm which terminated in a clenched fist featuring one eye in its palm. Donning a simple tunic, its appearance was completed by a large band which encircled the area behind its fist, in a manner resembling a halo. When later summoned by Ukitake, the entity was composed purely of Reishi, or spirit particles, embodying living darkness. Its single eye was symbolically represented as a shadow, and it took on many forms which bore similarities to its original appearance.
When Jushiro Ukitake was a young boy, he was afflicted with a terminal illness that affected his lungs, with no clear means to treat it. As such, the doctors who were in charge of his care resolved to abandon him as they could find no solutions to his ailment. In a last ditch effort to save their child's life, Ukitake's parents went to Mimihagi's shrine in Soul Society and prayed for the deity to take away his lungs.
It was often stated that Mimihagi would grant wishes to those who prayed at its shrine and offered anything to it apart from an eye. To this end, Mimihagi obliged the request of Ukitake's parents and saved Ukitake by taking away his lungs, which allowed him to survive long beyond what was initially expected, which allowed him to become a Shinigami. However, he would still struggle with health issues for most of his life, and was prone to bouts of coughing up blood, indicating that Mimihagi's healing powers were not absolute.
What Abilities Does It Possess?
Contrasting its counterpart, Pernida Parnkgjas which governs progress, Mimihagi oversees stagnation and stillness which is the primary source of its ability to heal. It can halt the progression of anything, and is associated with the cessation of development, growth, and progress, as the antithesis to Pernida Parnkgjas' control over evolution. Its life extending properties are a product of its ability to bring about stagnation, by symbiotically attaching itself to whoever requests its aid.
For years, it was rumored that Mimihagi would issue blessings to anyone who prayed to it and offered something in exchange, save for their eyes, as the deity already possessed one of their own. Mimihagi, would, in turn, stop the progression of whatever ailment or condition they are suffering from for a time, delaying the inevitable for a considerable period. This is how Ukitake was able to live for centuries as a Shinigami, although he was still prone to bouts of ill health.
Mimihagi is also exempt from The Almighty's precognition, just like the Soul King himself, meaning that Yhwach cannot see it in any of the futures he views. Additionally, the entity might also possess the Soul King's ability to peer into the future, according to Yhwach, who believed that Mimihagi could also assimilate other entities through consumption.
Since it is an entity that embodies a living shadow, Mimihagi can manipulate shadows and darkness, and erect barriers made of shadows to protect itself from attack. Individuals such as Ukitake who have given up their organs to Mimihagi can summon it through a ritual known as Kamikakke, which means "divine vow." This act allows them to become a vessel for Mimihagi to take its place as the right hand of the Soul King in the event of his death.
At the time of the Quincy Blood War in Bleach, Jushiro Ukitake performed this ritual following the Soul King's death. To do so, he recited an incantation, which came into effect by altering his own shadow into that of Mimihagi itself, after which the shadow spread out across his body. Eventually, the shadows stretched out towards the heavens in the shape of a hand, as darkness began to erupt from all of Ukitake's orifices, forming the hand. It has been stated that this is only a temporary fix, as the effect will end once the user also dies.
BLEACH: Thousand-Year Blood War Part 2 – The Separation is available to stream on Hulu and Disney+.