Bleach: What Does My Son Born in the Dark Mean? Explained

Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War had a huge revelation when it became apparent that Ichigo was always something more than we thought he was. This happened in his fight with Yhwach, the leader and king of the Quincys. One of the most interesting things that happened during the fight was when Yhwach called Ichigo “my son born in the dark.” So, what did Yhwach mean when he called Ichigo “my son born in the dark?”

When Yhwach called Ichigo “my son born in the dark,” he was referring to him as a Quincy that had no idea that he was actually a Quincy. As the father of all of the Quincys, Ichigo was one of his descendants. But Ichigo was born in the dark because he had no idea that he was actually a Quincy.

The thing about Ichigo is that he was always a unique person due to his bloodline, as he was the combination of different bloodlines that are prominent in the Bleach universe. In that regard, him being a Quincy is something that was surprising as he also had the blood and genetics of powerful beings that are able to use reiatsu. Now, with that said, let’s talk more about that statement from Yhwach.

Is Ichigo Yhwach’s Son?

Ever since Ichigo Kurosaki was introduced in Bleach, the thing that was clear was that he was a unique person with special abilities that were almost never seen in the history of the world. He quickly became attuned to his Shinigami powers because he actually had the blood of a Shinigami. After that, he learned that he had the powers of a Hollow as well as he used these powers to good effect during a good part of the storyline.

However, a new wrinkle was added to the entire story of Ichigo Kurosaki during the Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War arc. In this storyline, the Quincy king named Yhwach was back to full power and was now ready to resume his war against Soul Society and the Shinigami. He and his Sternritter were powerful enough that they killed a lot of Shinigami and even ended the life of none other than Yamamoto, the strongest person in Sereitei.

After that, Ichigo arrived in Sereitei and went immediately to Yhwach to confront him. But the problem was that Yhwach was too powerful for him to handle, and that allowed the Quincy king to overpower Ichigo quickly. But when he stabbed Ichigo in the neck to immobilize him, that was when Ichigo’s Quincy powers surfaced as he was able to use Blut Vene to block Yhwach’s attacks. 

Yhwach wanted to take Ichigo back to Wandenreich because he wanted him to join the Quincys. So, before leaving the fight to return to his castle, Yhwach referred to Ichigo as “my son born in the dark.” Does that mean that Ichigo is Yhwach’s son?

In a way, Ichigo is Yhwach’s son but also isn’t. Ichigo’s parentage has been established as his father is Isshin Kurosaki and his mother is Masaki Kurosaki. In that regard, Yhwach is not his father. But the thing is that he is still the son of Yhwach.

As the king of all Quincys and the man from which all of the Quincys descended, Yhwach is the father of all of the Quincys that ever existed, as all of them can trace their lineage back to him. Of course, the Quincys that are working under Yhwach are known as the Echt Quincys, which are pure-blooded Quincys that have bloodlines that were never mixed with non-Quincys. As such, all of these Quincys are direct descendants of Yhwach, and that makes them his children.

In Ichigo’s case, he is the son of Masaki Kurosaki, who was actually an Echt Quincy the entire time. She met Ichigo’s father and fell in love with him, and the rest was history. However, she was killed by a Hollow when Ichigo was still young, and that’s the reason why she was never able to tell Ichigo that he was a Quincy or even train him in the use of his Quincy powers.

Considering that Ichigo is a Quincy and is the son of an Echt Quincy, that means that he is also a son to Yhwach, who is the father of all of the Quincys. He is a far direct descendant of Yhwach, and that’s why he is also related to the enemy that he seeks to defeat during the events of Thousand-Year Blood War.

What did Yhwach Mean By “My Son Born In The Dark?”

As mentioned, Yhwach called Ichigo “my son born in the dark.” Of course, he was referring to Ichigo as his son because all of the Quincys are direct descendants of Yhwach. And considering that Ichigo is part Quincy due to his mother’s side, then he is also a son to Yhwach.

Then again, it is puzzling why he said that Ichigo was born in the dark, as not a lot of people actually know what Yhwach was referring to. But there are really good reasons why Ichigo was “born in the dark,” as Yhwach would say.

The first reason we could think of is the fact that he was born without any knowledge that he was a Quincy at all. It was only during the events of the Thousand-Year Blood War that Ichigo was actually confirmed to be a Quincy, as this was something that was never discussed in Bleach before. And because Ichigo was always in the dark or was always clueless about the fact that he was a Quincy, Yhwach called him “my son born in the dark.”

Meanwhile, the second reason we could think of is the fact that Yhwach and the other Quincys believe that the Shinigami are dark beings compared to them. The Quincys often refer to themselves as holy beings due to the fact that they exist to destroy Hollows totally. As such, it is possible that Yhwach referred to Ichigo as a son born in the dark because he was more of a Shinigami than a Quincy. Of course, he was also raised by a Shinigami, as his father used to be a captain in Soul Society.

With all that said, the point is that Yhwach still sees Ichigo as someone who could eventually become an asset to his mission to destroy Soul Society, as he is still a Quincy despite the fact that he always saw himself as a Shinigami. That explains why Yhwach didn’t try to kill Ichigo during their first meeting, as he believed that he could still win him over to his side.