Ichigo’s Journey: Anime and the Monomyth – Part 3

Here is part 3 of my discussion on the Hero’s Journey in anime, specifically how the anime “Bleach” plugs into the symbolism of Joseph Campbell’s monomyth and thereby taps into archetypes and ideas that appeal to our collective unconscious. If you haven’t read Part 1 and Part 2, do so now to catch up on the discussion.

Initiation

Ichigo Recovers After His Battle with Abarai Renji

The Road of Trials

While the whole process of the Hero’s Journey is important for the transformation of the human spirit and the attainment of the “ultimate boon,” which can be as significant as the salvation of humanity or as personal as the rescue of a dear friend, the most important stage is the Road of Trials. Through the tests, tasks, struggles and fights along the road, the hero’s spirit is essentially folded, pounded, and honed, much like a katana (or zanpakutou), so they can face the ever-increasing challenges they’ll face.

This stage is recognized as the most essential because none of us is capable of just walking in and grabbing the object of our goals without the kind of effort that takes us out of our comfort zones. It would be impossible for Ichigo to enter Soul Society, stop the execution of Rukia on Soukyoku Hill, or battle Captain Kuchiki Byakuya if he doesn’t first overcome his own weaknesses and step through the ranks of Soul Society.

Just as in the refinement of any metal, such as gold or steel, involves intense heat and violent moulding, Ichigo’s immense reiatsu (spirit power) is finely sharpened by his battles with Ikkaku, Renji, and Kenpachi.

Batter my heart, three-person’d God ; for you
As yet but knock ; breathe, shine, and seek to mend ;
That I may rise, and stand, o’erthrow me, and bend
Your force, to break, blow, burn, and make me new.
— John Donne, Holy Sonnet XIV

Ichigo's Deus ex Machina

The Meeting with the Goddess

Oftentimes in myths, the hero comes to a point in their journey when they meet their goddess, or a member of the opposite sex that represents an all-powerful and unconditional love. This is not the kind of romantic love that you may first assume, though it is possible. For instance, the goddess in The Lord of the Rings is represented by the elf queen Galadriel, and there was no romantic love between her and Frodo. Within “Bleach,” the goddess is represented by none other than the Goddess of the Flash, Yoruichi Shihoin.

“The meeting with the goddess (who is incarnate in every woman) is the final test of the talent of the hero to win the boon of love (charity: amor fati), which is life itself enjoyed as the encasement of eternity.”

As with Frodo and Galadriel, there is no romantic love between Ichigo and Yuroichi. (Though there’s no doubt that the teenaged Ichigo experienced lust when Yuroichi revealed her true form, transforming from a cat into a nude woman. Can you blame him?) Yuroichi reveals the secrets of shunpo (flash step) and helps Ichigo achieve bankai (the most powerful form for his zanpakutou, Zangetsu).

Woman as Temptress

In many myths, the hero faces many temptations to abandon his quest, and oftentimes these temptations are represented by a woman. Why a woman? Because even the ancients recognized that lust was a powerful temptation for every male hero.

However, Ichigo’s journey varies from this phase. As often as he is beaten down and as often as he looks forward at even more daunting trials, he stays firm in his resolve to keep moving forward. In fact, for a teenager, he shows nearly superhuman restraint around the women in his life (Inoue, Rukia, Yuroichi, etc.).

Ichigo and Zangetsu Battle

Atonement with the Father

In this phase, the hero has to resolve the conflicting opposites in his psyche (the id and the superego), or as Campbell calls it, “the abandonment of the self-generated double-monster…” The father image represents whatever holds ultimate power in the hero’s life. For Ichigo, this is his zanpakutou, Zangetsu, and his on-going ordeal is that he has to continually evolve this relationship in order to gain control of that ultimate power in his life.

Once inside Soul Society, Ichigo must face the personification of his id, the White Hollow Ichigo, in order to defeat Captain Kenpachi. Later, in order to achieve bankai, Ichigo has to battle Zangetsu himself.

“It is in this ordeal that the hero may derive hope and assurance from the helpful female figure, by whose magic (pollen charms or power of intercession) he is protected through all the frightening experiences of the father’s ego-shattering initiation.”

Ichigo Battles Byakuya

Apotheosis

While in the purest form, apotheosis means the exaltation of someone to a divine status, Campbell sees apotheosis as the expansion of the hero’s consciousness after he defeats his foe. This is a continual phase for Ichigo. He must first grow more powerful before he fights each successive fight, and he must move beyond the realm of his own strength during each fight in order to survive.

In the end, not only has Ichigo exalted himself into the role of a bankai-weilding death god (an exceedingly rare accomplishment for even real shinigami), but he is recognized by the leadership of Soul Society as one of them with the awarding of the Substite Shinigami badge.

The Ultimate Boon

The Ultimate Boon is the accomplishment of the goal of the hero’s quest. Everything that leads up to this phase serves to purify and prepare the hero to be worthy of its acquisition. “Its guardians dare release it only to the duly proven.”

For Ichigo, his goal for entering Soul Society is the rescue of Kuchiki Rukia from execution, and the guardians of Soul Society certainly do their part to prove his worthiness. Due to the refinement he experiences along his path, he is able to withstand the power of the instrument of execution used to obliterate shinigami, called “Soukyoku“. It is a giant halberd said to have the power of a million zanpakutou.

In addition to accomplishing his own goal, he helps uncover an even larger conspiracy to upset the balance of the Universe. This sets up the future arcs in which Ichigo aids Soul Society in its battle against the world of the Hollows, known as Hueco Mundo.

—————-

This concludes Part 3 of this series. I will publish the 4th and final part next week.

When I explained what I was trying to accomplish in this series to a friend, they said, “Dude, I just like the show. I watch it for the action.” And this is perfectly fine. Story-telling has been used for many thousands of years to entertain.

My goal is to show how these entertaining stories can also be used to illuminate everyday human challenges. By seeing how the hero overcomes their challenges to accomplish goals, we can see our own struggles in a new light.

So, what challenges have you faced on the Road of Trials? What aspects of your own personality do you have to fight in order to be prepared and purified for the ultimate boon in your life? Have you met your goddess and experienced that unconditional love?