Highlights
- The four ladies, Liltotto, Meninas, Candice, and Giselle, are a group of Sternritters who are always seen together and have a different dynamic from their colleagues.
- Liltotto, known as "The Glutton," has a scary ability to unhinge her jaw and take a bite out of opponents. She also has a bottomless pit for a stomach.
- Meninas, known as "The Power," may appear cute and polite, but she possesses incredible physical strength and has a clear dislike of being underestimated.
- Note: The content includes spoilers for BLEACH.
The following contains spoilers for BLEACH: Thousand-Year Blood War Part 2, Episode 8, "The Headless Star", available for streaming on Hulu and Disney+.
It also contains references to eating disorders which may be distressing to some readers. Proceed with caution.
While these four ladies (originally 5, but Bambietta is incapacitated) have shown up at various points in BLEACH: Thousand-Year Blood War, their inclusion has largely been in fleeting moments; however, the 8th episode of BLEACH: Thousand-Year Blood War Part 2 – The Separation found a way to draw out an encounter in the manga that was just as fleeting as the others. Candice Catnipp, Giselle Gewelle, Meninas McAllon and Liltotto Lamperd are a group of Sternritters that are always seen together.
As the only women in the upper-ranks of the Quincy army, these four stay close to each other and showcase a different dynamic to the rest of their colleagues, who don't seem as tightly-knit. Their appearance in episode 8, "The Headless Star" extended their brief encounter with the individual considered to be the Number One Special War Power among the ranks of the Shinigami, Ichigo Kurosaki. So, what are the abilities of the group that was once known as "The Bambies"?
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Sternritter G
Liltotto Lamperd is possibly the shortest character in all of BLEACH. Despite her small size and child-like appearance, her Schrift is potentially one of the scariest. Assigned Schrift "G" – The Glutton, Liltotto is capable of unhinging and extending her jaw into a snake-like appendage that can literally take a bite out of the opponent. Gluttony is often regarded one of the "Seven Deadly Sins", one of the seven sins that arise as the malignant contortion of basic human faculties. She uses this ability on several unnamed 11th Squad officers, decapitating them all at once. The Glutton's ability seems to have also given Liltotto the curse of a bottomless pit for a stomach, so she's seen constantly eating. While not a direct result of her ability per sé, Liltotto is constantly deadpan and monotonous in her mannerisms, but she also seems to take great pleasure in using derogatory language when speaking to and about Candice.
Her apparent lack of emotional range may be a characteristic extrapolated from the idea that gluttony can arise from one's need to fill a deep and profound void within themselves. Her Vollständig, Gagael, manifests a number of effects that resemble the open maw of bear traps, which adorn her like bracelets, while her wings with the same jaw-like appearance. Her attacks are all humourously named after combinations of cutlery, like "Spork" and "Spife". When it comes to nomenclature, it's known that names ending with the suffix "-el" are examples of "Theophory"; the embedding of a deity in a name. In Christianity, these names all follow the basic structure "X of God", with Gagael being written in Japanese 神の飢え ("Kami no Ue"), which is translated to "Hunger of God".
Sternritter P
Meninas McAllon is a polite, maybe even nice Sternritter whose special ability seems to contradict her physical appearance. Granted the Schrift "P" – The Power, Meninas' ability is straightforward as it grants her incredible physical strength. While her attacks on Ichigo caused no damage, Meninas was able to send him flying with two hits, and this is an Ichigo fresh from being trained by the most powerful agents in the Soul Society. Her pink hair, frilly skirt and gloves, leg warmers, cutesy voice and calm manner of speaking seem to be in direct opposition to the brutal ways she kills her enemies. Her Vollständig, Pornipora, is written in Japanese 神の力 ("Kami no Chikara), which translates to "Power of God", and it manifests pink puff-like reishi wings and puffy accessories, as well as special moves all based on dumbbells and batons. If "hands" were a Sternritter, it'd be Meninas McAllon. The theophoric name that best suits Meninas would be Ezekiel – "God is strong".
What stands out about Meninas is how she seems rather ditzy but gets noticeably irritated at being underestimated (whether this is real or perceived) as seen during her defeat of Rukia during the first cours of BLEACH: Thousand-Year Blood War, and even in "The Headless Star" when Ichigo tries to dash towards Yhwach despite being surrounded by a number of Quincies. If one considers the idea that people gain what they lack from Yhwach, the idea that someone as stereotypically feminine-presenting, and a little airheaded like Meninas could have endured a life of constant underestimation is not far-fetched when juxtaposed with her clear dislike of being ignored as a threat.
Sternritter T
The most hot-headed of the Bambies, Candice Catnipp is extremely concerned with her appearance and makes sure to dress provocatively. Candice is designated the Schrift "T" – The Thunder, which enables her to send powerful lightning bolts to destroy her enemies as she did with Kenpachi. Due to her fiery personality, Candice is seen making the most attempts to take down Ichigo, and her efforts seemed to be galvanized by Liltotto's observation that he is the Number One threat to Yhwach's plans. Her Vollständig, Balbarriel, features various lightning bolt motifs, including her wings, and when she uses the Sklaverei technique, these lightning bolts manifest as markings on her skin as well. The name "Balbarriel" is written 神の雷霆 in Japanese ("Kami no Raitei" – "Thunderstorm of God"); and the commonly associated name that lines up with Candice would be Ramiel, which is "Thunder of God". Candice has a fairly antagonistic relationship with Liltotto, and the two exchange obscenities regularly.
Sternritter Z
The Sternritter with one of the most terrifying abilities, Giselle Gewelle was designated Schrift Z – The Zombie by Yhwach. The ability enables her to control her enemies through use of her blood, which she can employ after baiting the enemy to launch an attack. She is rather dainty, and has black hair with antennae-like protrusions that make her look like a cockroach. She pretends to be weak, and has a rather goofy personality as she is yet to take anything truly seriously. The ability to control the living and the dead like a bokor is terrifying in the hands of any single villain; however, Giselle's execution of her abilities is both comedic and haunting, and as seen during the fight against Ichigo, she is capable of reconstituting the flesh of the dead to heal her colleagues, not to mention her own rapid regeneration.
Her various accessories and techniques in battle reinforce the living dead concept with her, as she summons a group of reishi skeletons to take down Ichigo. The chibi-like nature of these skeletons points to Giselle's ever-flippant personality, but this sits right above an extremely sadistic nature. Her Vollständig, Azholbiora, doesn't seem to follow the regular naming conventions seen with the others, but in Japanese it is 神の死 ("Kami no Shi" – "Death of God"). The closest possible association would be either the Judaic demon Samael, husband of Lilith once known as the angel of death and the true name of Satan; or Azrael, the angel of death in Islam whose name means "Helper of God" and appears to have a similar root as "Azholbiora".