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“ | That story was entirely true...my sister was murdered. And I made sure the guys who did it, died a slow and painful death. QUIT BUGGING ME!! Time it felt good, of course that was only temporary! Bring back my sister! I lived with that pain everyday, it was worse than anything I could've ever imagined! The only way I could get revenge was to make everyone else experience the same agony I was going through!! Was that so wrong?! WAS THAT A REASON TO SEND ME TO HELL FOR ALL ETERNITY?! I tried countless number of times to escape, but each time a kushinada crushed me and dragged me back to the depths. Then one day, I was you in battle and realized that in your hollowfied state, you'd be strong enough to break through Hell's barriers. I passed that information on to other sinners, and my plan started to take shape. I'll do anything it takes to get out of here. If that means turning the world of the living into a living hell, then so be it!! | „ |
~ Kokutō revealing his true nature and main goal to Ichigo. |
Kokutō is a Togabito that is determined to escape Hell and the main antagonist of Bleach: Hell Chapter.
He was voiced by Kazuya Nakai, who also voiced Urashiki Ōtsutsuki in Boruto: Naruto Next Generations and Hoshiyomi in Inuyasha in the Japanese version and Travis Willingham, who also voiced Black Zetsu in Naruto.
History[]
Past[]
When Kokutō was still a human, his younger sister, who he truly loved, was killed and he killed her murderer in revenge, This resulted in his descent into Hell for all eternity. Kokuto tried countless number of times to escape Hell, but each time a Kushinada crushed him and dragged him back to the depts. One day, Kokutō watched Hollow Ichigo’s battle with Ulquiorra Cifer in Hueco Mundo, during the war against Sōsuke Aizen and his army, and in doing so, carefully planned to use his power to break his chains and escape Hell.
Aiding Ichigo[]
Kokutō first appeared when one of Shuren's henchmen, Gunjō, was taking Ichigo Kurosaki’s sisters, Karin and Yuzu. Shuren and Gunjō attacked him, but Kokutō was easily able to fend them off, and thus Shuren ordered his allies to retreat. The rift they were trying to leave through earlier opened, and Shuren's group managed to escape with Yuzu.
Ichigo questions Kokutō by angrily asking him what he knew about Shuren and his comrades, and where they took Yuzu. However, the Togabito told him to calm down, despite Ichigo's outbursts. After Rukia managed to calm Ichigo down, she began questioning Kokutō. She asked him if he was wearing was a Hell’s Chain, and with it, he told her his name and confirmed to Rukia that he was indeed a Togabito. Upon asking why he helped them fight Shuren, he clarified that he wasn’t really helping them, he just disliked them and how the way they operate. Ichigo demanded that Kokutō bring him to Hell since Yuzu could die there, of which he confirmed since the air in Hell was toxic for humans. In doing so he briefly described Hell to Ichigo, before asking him if he still wanted to go there. Kokutō agreed to go with Ichigo and his friends to Hell, since he wanted to teach Shuren and his comrades a lesson. Rukia pointed out that he must have committed a heinous crime, like the other denizens of Hell. Kokutō then said he deserved it for what he’d done in life, sadly saying that people did evil things for those that they loved.
As they went through the Hell Gate, Kokutō and Ichigo's company ended up in the first level of Hell. Kokutō said that Shuren’s base was at the lowest level of Hell, so they began heading deeper. As they went, Ichigo noticed people watching them and Kokutō revealed they were also Togabito, explaining that they kept their abilities in Hell to try and fight the Kushanāda. Suddenly Kokutō said their group had been found, and one of the Kushanāda, a guardian of Hell, appeared before them. It devoured several Togabito and attacked the group, who tried to retreat only to find themselves surrounded. Ichigo manages to use his Getsuga Tensho to destroy them, but his Hollow Mask suddenly keeps materializing on his face. Kokutō asked if that was Hollow power, which Ichigo confirmed, and the Togabito said the air in Hell was probably affecting Ichigo and his inner Hollow. They eventually came to an empty space, by jumping off and landing in Hell’s second level on a stone flower. But Garogai, Taikon, and Gunjō arrived and they began to fight with Ichigo and his friends. Kokutō explained that now that they were not wearing the cloaks they were wearing in the Human World previously, they were much stronger in Hell. Eventually, Kokutō informed Ichigo that Yuzu was further away, so he and Ichigo went on ahead while Uryu, Rukia, and Renji dealt with the other Togabito.
Reaching Shuren[]
Kokutō and Ichigo descended and ended up in a wasteland full of yellow liquid pools. The Togabito said that they only had to get through this area to reach the base and since Shuren’s comrades were fighting Ichigo’s friends, the base's defenses would be weak. However a Kushanāda reached out for them and Kokutō tried to attack it. The guardian smashed him to the ground and his arm was burned by some of the liquid from the pools. The Kushanāda grabbed chains from seemingly thin air, which was linked to Kokutō, but Ichigo sliced through the Kushanāda's arm with a Getsuga Tensho. Ichigo saves Kokutō, to which the latter said he was fine, before grunting in pain, and told Ichigo to just leave him there since the pain was common in Hell. Ichigo asked Kokutō why he was helping him, and the Togabito revealed he’d had a sister once, but she’d been killed, which he blamed himself for so he was willing to undergo any danger for her. Kokutō told Ichigo not to let Yuzu suffer as his sister did and when Ichigo looked surprised, the Togabito said it must not have been convincing to hear that from a heartless creature like a Togabito. Kokutō said they had to hurry or else Ichigo would be letting all his friends down before they headed down to the next level. The two then went to the final level of Hell. The level's ground was covered in black sand and Ichigo sensed spiritual energy from it, prompting Kokutō to explain that the constant assault by Kushanāda made the Togabito lose their will, allowing their bodies to rot before being consumed by the fires of Hell and turning into black sand filled with spiritual energy. Kokutō explained that freedom did not exist anywhere and when Ichigo pointed out that the Togabito came to Karakura Town, Kokutō replied that the Kushanāda’s gaze extended even to the Human World. He then asked Ichigo to free him from Hell after Yuzu was saved, much to Ichigo’s surprise, and Kokutō said he wanted to be reborn so as to see his sister and apologize to her. Ichigo said he would do it if he could and Kokutō apologized for the request before the two ran over one last hill to where Yuzu was. Shuren was waiting for them and Kokutō asked him if he planned to fight the two of them alone, but Shuren reminded them that Togabito didn’t die in Hell. Kokutō realized what he was up to, but not before Shuren summoned the reincarnated Garogai, Taikon, and Gunjō, who’d be beaten by Renji, Uryu, and Rukia earlier. Kokutō said Togabito couldn’t be revived that fast, but Gunjō replied that what he knew could change and attacked him.
Kokutō told Ichigo to save Yuzu and not worry about him, while he took on Garogai, Taikon, and Gunjō. He managed to slash
Garogai in half before being caught by Gunjō’s tentacles above lava and ended up getting impaled by more of them. Taikon said Kokutō couldn’t win now, but he just told Taikon to shut up and threw his sword at the fat Togabito. Taikon just swallowed it, laughing, but Kokutō pulled on his Hell Chains, pulling him into the lava. Kokutō then declared it was over and leaped into the lava, taking Gunjō with him.
Revealing his True Colors[]
However, after Ichigo defeated Shuren, Kokutō reappeared, throwing his sword into Ichigo and asked him how he was doing. He proceeded to pull it out, telling Ichigo to shut up when he cried out in pain. He asked Kokutō why, but the Togabito replied that he did it for the same reason that Shuren and his comrades did. Kokutō suddenly noticed Shuren trying to revive and called him a nuisance that wouldn’t stay dead for a few moments, before attacking him. Ichigo asked Kokutō why he betrayed him, but the Togabito replied that everything was going according to plan and they were all helping him, telling Ichigo to Hollowfy and help him and reminding him of his promise. Ichigo then asked about Kokutō’s sister and the Togabito said that was true, explaining he’d killed her murderer, which was why he was in Hell. Shuren began trying to get up again and
Kokutō angrily assaulted him, declaring he wanted everyone to have a taste of his pain since his sister would never come back. Kokutō then pulled away his bandages to reveal the left side of his face was severely burned and disfigured and explained he’d tried to escape a number of times, only to be beaten by the Kushanāda and brought back. But Kokutō had seen a memory of Ichigo in his Hollow form fighting Ulquiorra Cifer and told Shuren and his minions about it. Kokutō then declared he had to get out of Hell no matter what and he didn’t care if it even made Hell and the Human World fuse together. Rukia, Uryu, and Renji showed up, but Kokutō was able to easily defeat each of them. Ichigo angrily attacked the Togabito as Kokutō goaded him on, telling him to let loose all of his hatred and anger. Eventually, the Togabito grabbed Yuzu and showed Ichigo that she couldn’t resist Hell’s miasma anymore and a Hell Chain was growing from her chest.
Unable to take failing, Ichigo’s rage and spiritual energy built and Kokutō dropped Yuzu, having finally gotten what he wanted. Ichigo caught Yuzu and took her to safety, before transforming into his Hollow form. He fired a powerful Cero at Kokutō, but he dodged, allowing the blast to destroy some of his chains. He noted that Shuren and the others thought destroying Hell’s Gate would free them,
but they were wrong, it was their chains that imprisoned them. Ichigo fired another Cero and Kokutō blocked it with an energy shield, protecting himself while more of his chains were destroyed, leaving only one. The explosion managed to reach all the way to the top of Hell, blasting Hell’s Gate open. Ichigo charged a final Cero, but Renji intervened, cutting off one of Ichigo’s horns and making the Cero explode harmlessly. Kokutō leaped towards Ichigo to stop Renji, but Renji used a special, one-time-use Kido spell. Ichigo was surrounded by blue light and Kokutō, unable to reach him in time, asked what was going on, only for Renji to smirk and say it served him right. Ichigo began floating upwards as his Hollow Mask broke away, holding on to Yuzu and Kokutō could only watch in despair as his only hope for escape disappeared, screaming “NO!!!!”
Facing Ichigo Again[]
Kokutō was sitting on a tower surrounded by lava when he noticed lightning in the sky and saw Ichigo, plunging down towards him. Kokutō was pleased that Ichigo was back and when he landed on the ground, the Togabito said he’d thought he’d have to come to the human world for Ichigo to cut his chains but never expected Ichigo to come to him. Kokutō asked him if he’d come for revenge, but much to his surprise, Ichigo said Yuzu was fine, prompting the Togabito to ask why he’d come. Ichigo said he’d come for Rukia, Renji, and Uryu but Kokutō scornfully said that the Shinigami didn’t know Hell very well. He said that Hell had already bound them in chains, turning toward a tree of bones, where Renji and Uryu were bound in chains and rotting. Kokutō explained that Hell hadn’t taken them yet, but he wasn’t in any hurry since Rukia was ready to be resurrected.
Rukia then emerged from the lava, with a Hell Chain wrapped around her and a white version of her outfit. Kokutō grabbed her Hell Chain and pulled her towards him, saying that Hell had a simple rule, those bound with chains were constantly revived and as long as someone had one, they could never escape. Ichigo declared that he’d break their chains and Kokutō noted how dependable he was, before asking him if he’d break his chains. Ichigo replied that wouldn’t happen and shouted that he’d come to defeat the
Togabito, before attacking. As the two fought, Kokutō called Ichigo naïve, saying he couldn’t win no matter how much resolve he had. Eventually, Ichigo began struggling with his inner Hollow again and Kokutō asked him if it was his inner that would destroy the world. He went on to say if that was true, then he should never return and began smashing Ichigo around, saying it was the power of Ichigo’s Hollow form that saved Yuzu and he couldn’t do anything without it. Eventually, Ichigo was knocked into a large skull and Kokutō began stomping on his face, crushing it on the ground and declaring that Ichigo was in a world of despair where resentment and memories preserved one’s sanity. Kokutō continued to goad Ichigo more and more as he brutally attacked him, stabbing his ribs and stepping on his chest, eventually asking Ichigo if he wanted his sisters dragged into Hell again.
This caused Ichigo to start losing control to his inner Hollow and transform again, much to Kokutō’s delight. The Kushanāda started coming and the Togabito eagerly told Ichigo that they’d sensed his spiritual energy and were coming to devour him. Kokutō said he’d constantly relive being devoured by the Kushanāda if he didn’t destroy Hell. A large force of Kushanāda finally arrived and Kokutō took Rukia a safe distance away, asking Ichigo what he’d do. But Ichigo asked who would want to be a monster and tore off one of his horns as his Hollow form disintegrated away. Ichigo told Kokutō that he couldn’t get what he wanted because he sought revenge and only made others as miserable as himself. Ichigo said that while he wanted to save his friends, he would never sacrifice innocent people to do it. The Kushanāda granted Ichigo skeletal armor and their power with the amount of spiritual energy being released making Kokutō drop Rukia to brace himself. An unseen force cut Rukia, Uryu, and Renji’s Hell Chains and Kokutō angrily demanded to know what Ichigo did. However, Ichigo replied by asking the Togabito if his sister wanted him to avenge her, confusing him. Kokutō asked Ichigo what he was getting at and Ichigo asked if his sister would want to see the Togabito’s endless spree of murder. He explained there’d be no end to revenge, that he’d just make his sister miserable forever, and his friends didn’t want Ichigo to avenge them, they wanted him to stop Kokutō. Ichigo said that Hell agreed with him, but the Togabito screamed that was impossible and their situations were the same, before throwing himself at Ichigo. The Shinigami agreed, saying they were both humans and older brothers before slashing his sword unleashing a wave of energy at Kokutō, creating a giant gash in the ground. The Togabito crawled out, badly wounded, however, the shackles on his wrists fell away and
he realized his chains were gone. Kokutō declared that he was free, but suddenly, hundreds of chains emerged from the ground. They began impaling and binding the Togabito, who could do nothing until they had completely bound his body. Ichigo said that this was Kokutō’s retribution before the chains dragged him deep into the ground.
Personality[]
Kokutō is malevolent and cruel due to his time in Hell, going as far as to provoke Ichigo into Hollowfying to escape. He seems to believe that making others suffer as he has will make him feel better about his sister’s death. Kokutō also seems to be rather unstable due to the fact that he attacked Ichigo to make Ichigo free him, despite the Shinigami having promised to do so willingly. Kokutō is rather cold, without any sense of remorse, such as when he impaled Ichigo on his sword, before casually asking Ichigo if he was all right. Kokutō is also very good at passing himself off as kind-hearted and truly seemed to want to help Ichigo save his sister because he had one as well.
Powers and Abilities[]
Kokutō has a very high level of spiritual power, able to easily fight Ichigo, and possesses superhuman strength, stamina, and durability. He can also form a powerful energy shield and wields a sword in combat that he is very skilled at using. Kokutō can fire a powerful energy blast out of it and manifest his Hell Chains to protect himself, or to use them as weapons, either in a whip-like manner or to grab his enemy’s limbs and swing them around.
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- Kokutō appears in the videogame Bleach: Soul Resurrección, where he appears as a boss on a few missions though he has no role in the story mode.
- Kokuto may have been vague with how he got revenge, but it's heavily implied he killed the loved of his sister's killers; not them. Killing a killer would be justice in the "eye for an eye" moral law, but if Kokuto sunk to repeating their sins, it makes sense why he was damned. Because he is implied to have gone insane from his grief and only for worse thanks being in Hell.
- Kokuto shows Sinners only need to hide part of their face to leave hell.