Bleach: What Is Kamikake & How Is It Related to Ukitake?

Jushiro Ukitake, the Captain of the 13th Division, has not played a large role in the Quincy War so far, but it has been made clear that he is doing something in preparation for what is to come (as he was seen praying in Sakahone). Now that Yhwach has come close to the Soul King, Ukitake finally returned, seemingly more powerful than before, as per Kyoraku’s comment, and we have found out that he has prepared himself to initiate Kamikake, as a large shadow appeared behind him. This article will tell you what Kamikake is and how it is connected to Ukitake.

Kamikake and Mimihagi are closely connected, and we know what that means for Ukitake

The story of Kamikake, of course, has to start with Jushiro Ukitake, as it – sadly – starts and ends with him. Ukitake was born as the eldest son of the Ukitake family, which is a family of low-ranking nobles. He has five brothers and two sisters, whom he supports and looks after, mainly by himself.

Along with Shunsui Kyouraku, he was among the first Shinigami to graduate from Genryusai Shigekuni Yamamoto’s Shinigami Academy. Yamamoto also, and that has to be said, personally trained him during the time and held him in high regard. Thus, Ukitake is considered one of the strongest and most skilled Captains of the Gotei 13, and he is also one of the oldest, alongside Kyoraku, second only to (probably) Yamamoto himself and Unohana.

Due to his illness, Ukitake could never properly fulfill his duties, so Kaien Shiba took over the essentials from him later on. Namely, Ukitake contracted a fatal lung illness when he was a child. Since the illness would have killed him, his parents went to pray to the local god Mimihagi to save him and spare his life.

Surprisingly enough, Mimihagi fulfilled their pleas as he entered Ukitake’s body, thus prolonging his life. Although Ukitake constantly had fits and would end up incapacitated for a while due to the illness still being present, he would not die of it as long as Mimihagi was there. This allowed him to become one of the strongest Captains of the Gotei 13 later in the future.

So, now that we have established the connection between Ukitake and Mimihagi let us tell you who exactly Mimihagi is. Mimihagi is a fallen god who served as the right arm of the Soul King and operated in Rukongai’s far eastern regions. Pernida Parnkgjas served as his polar opposite. Mimihagi manifests as a humanoid creature with a body that resembles an arm and a right fist, as well as a sizable eye on the rear of the fist. He’s dressed simply in a dark robe with a sash across his upper body. Mimihagi represents stillness and stability, whereas Pernida represents progress.

Mimihagi’s role in the story was not that big until the final saga, which proved pivotal. Namely, besides keeping him alive, Mimihagi did not do much for Ukitake, but it allowed Ukitake to execute the Kamikake ritual if necessary. And Ukitake was the only one who could do it since he was the only one connected to Mimihagi. So, what is the Kamikake ritual?

Kamikake (神掛), meaning “Divine Possession” or “Divine Vow,” is a very specific ritual that can be executed only by those who are, in one way or another, connected to Mimihagi, i.e., who’ve had part of their body taken by Mimihagi. The ritual involves praying to Mimihagi and honing one’s own body to sacrifice it, along with one’s life, to serve as a vessel for Mimihagi in the role of the right hand of the Soul King.

The process is complex, and aside from preparing the user to become a vessel, it also hones and strengthens their body, as per Kyoraku’s remark in the anime; when he encountered Ukitake, he told him that, seeing that the Kamikake ritual was successful, he was now ready to push himself a bit. It also seems that Ukitake gains some of Mimihagi’s abilities, as he tells Kyoraku that Kamikake had foretold that the Zero Division would allow the invasion of the Soul King’s palace, proving, once again, that Ichibei had a very secret plan in the whole process.

So, what does Kamikake look like? Well, for all we know, it involves a lot of prayer, as we’ve seen Ukitake pray in Sakahone when the second invasion started. He was obviously preparing himself for something, as he did not come to help his friends against the Quincy. This was a big thing, as Ukitake would have surely aided his friends in that battle.

As for the manifestation, the first phase seems to be altering the user’s shadow, as Ukitake’s shadow changed into something resembling Mimihagi himself, proving that the ritual was successful in the end. When it is properly activated, the shadow spreads across the user’s whole body, and after it takes over it, the hand, which is Mimihagi, reaches out of the body and ascends to the Soul King’s palace to stabilize him; this will happen in the series when Yhwach forces Ichigo’s hand to cut the Soul King in half.

Mimihagi will appear and hold the two pieces in place, prompting Yhwach to confirm that Mimihagi had always been out of his reach, just as Pernida was back then.

To fully activate the ritual, one needs to utter the following incantation:

Finally, complete darkness takes over the user in the final phase and forms the hand. This, of course, is only a temporary solution, as it depends on many factors. If the Soul King is still killed, the ritual is useless, and if the user himself is killed. And this is what is ultimately going to happen to Ukitake.

He did help, as he postponed the death of the Soul King, but Yhwach ultimately managed to surpass Mimihagi and absorb the deity, which ended its bond with Ukitake and resulted in Ukitake’s death, as Mimihagi was not there to protect him from the illness anymore. However, Ukitake himself said that he was ready and willing to do this, as it would be the best way of showing his gratitude to Mimihagi for letting him live for such a long time.

Have something to add? Let us know in the comments below!