This drabble is under the assumption that the Vaizards gave Ichigo a week off during the training before the winter war happens. Which gives Muramasa the worst timing to attempt his little rebellion of mind control.

Also, for the those who've read the ending Author's note when I first posted this drabble, I take back what I said about Saigo no Getsu (Mugetsu) being an asspull.

Contrast

Ichigo's P.O.V.

Muramasa was finally dead, and the Zanpakuto rebellion resolved, yet I still felt uneasy. Rather than heading straight home like I had originally planned,I had decided to head back to Soul Society with Rukia and Renji to see if they needed any more help with anything. So, here I am with nothing for me to do as I stroll around from barrack to barrack, avoiding Kenpachi and observing everybody's Zanpakuto spirit. I had heard from Rukia that all of the spirits were still out because Muramasa's ability was still in effect, even though he's dead. So the spirits are forced to remain in the material world until the effects finally wear off, but… if that's true, then how did Zangetsu manage to return to my inner world with no problem? The more I think about it, the more things I begin to notice about everyone else and their Zanpakuto spirits.

For one thing, everyone and their spirits are similar to each other in some form or another. For example, Ikkaku and Houzukimaru both have those weird markings at the corner of their eyes and both enjoy one-on-one fighting, drinking, doing their "Lucky Dance" and slacking off. Yumichika and Fuji Kujaku are both vain as hell, have a feather fetish, and look so similar that they could pass for brothers, unlike Ikkaku and his spirit. Speaking of brothers, there are quite a few Zanpakuto spirits who look like they could pass for a close relative or even a sibling, including Hinamori and Tobiume; Ukitake-san and Sougyo no Kotowari; Rukia and Sode no Shirayuki; and Kurotsuchi and Ashisogi Jizo. Okay, that last one might be a stretch, but they both have dark blue hair, and a creepiness level that goes through the roof. Anyways, these aren't the only similarities that I've seen.

Some of the spirits might not physically look like their Shinigami, but they definitely share similar personalities alongside their likes and dislikes. Take Rangiku for example, she and Haineko are both hyperactive ladies who like Orihime's cooking, Shopping, drinking, and slacking off. Meanwhile, Renji and Zabimaru are all loud, slow, and not exactly the brightest bulb in the box. The final similarity with Zanpakuto is that almost all of them match a theme that goes along with their Shika and overall abilities. A prime example of this is Kira's Wabisuke who, true to his ability to double a weapon's weight, carries around a massive stone slab on his back and drags around an iron ball with his ankle. Soi Fon's Suzumebachi actually as the finger blade of her Shikai form attached as her right arm in spirit form.

I could probably go on and on about other people and their Zanpakuto spirits all day. Like how both Byakuya & Senbonzakura both have sticks up their assess; Toshiro's Hyorinmaru has ice-like dragon features to match both his Shikai and Bankai's appearance; and so on and so forth. My point is, all of the Zanpakuto spirits reflect something from their Shinigamis. Which makes sense considering the fact that they all share the same souls. However, all of these comparisons have presented me with the presence of a major contrast: Me and Zangetsu.

Starting off with the obvious would be physical appearance, in short, we look nothing alike. I'm a Japanese teen with short, spiky hair that was a bright, fiery orange color. Meanwhile Zangetsu is an older white man with a stubble and wavy, shoulder-length hair with a dark brown to black color. Honestly, I find this perfectly normal when considering people like Komamura, who's some sort of dog person, alongside his Tenken, who resembles an oni. However, I tried to compare personalities, but I still found nothing.

I admit that I'm loud, and I've been told endless times that I'm stubborn, as well as brash, and an idiot. Ironic considering how high I rank in all of my classes. Zangetsu, on the other hand, is a calm, quiet, and meditative man. Whenever the old man tells me anything, it's a bit cryptic so I have to stop and think to figure out what he's talking about. Plus, I get the feeling that he's way smarter than I'll ever hope to be. Though I am kinda thankful that he's a wise man who can give me hints when I'm in trouble.

I wasn't too worried about this diffrence thanks to other examples, like Toshiro. Seriously, all you have to do is say the guy's name and he goes ballistic. Hyorinmaru, on the other hand, is the complete opposite. I don't think it's even possible for the Zanpakuto spirit to get angry with how cool headed he is, no pun intended. Seeing this difference in personality, I tried comparing Zangetsu to his Shikai.

Honestly, I don't see much considering the theme is the moon and the old man doesn't look very lunar to me. Although his cloak could be compared to the sword's black color or a starless midnight sky, but that's it and it reminds me more of shadows than the moon. Although, maybe standing on a pole constantly is what matches the moon, since there are plenty of pictures out there that consists of the silhouette of a person standing on a pole in front of a full moon, but that might be a stretch. Thinking back to the battle I had with Zangetsu, I suddenly remembered the sole reason I was even able to win that fight at all. I had help from that guy.

Unlike Zangetsu, he looked as if he could be my albino twin. He is as loud and persistent in reaching his goals as I am. He wore what I, but inverted to show that he was my opposite. His skin and hair are as white as the moon, with black sclera to match the midnight sky. Not to mention he fights like a complete lunatic. It doesn't help that the word lunatic derives from the word lunar, as in the moon.

Back at the fight, when I was left without Zangetsu's abilities, he let me borrow his powers. Yet he's a hollow, and he gave me Shinigami techniques. I guess it's because he copied them, but how does a hollow gain abilities created for slaying his own kind? He is the hollow in me, so why doesn't he have a hole or actually wear his mask? Why does he look like a reverse Shinigami rather than that lizard-like beast form that I took when I first hollowfied in the shatter shaft, and in the Vaizard's training area? Most of all, for someone hell bent on destroying me and taking over my soul, he seemed awfully happy when I beat him.

All this comparing, contrasting, and remembering has got me thinking… Zangetsu? What are you not telling me?

I personally had watched the anime before starting on the manga about halfway through the show. When I got to the Zanpakuto rebellion, a friend of mine told me that the studio had actually gotten Tite Kubo to design the Zanpakuto spirits. I found it weird when Zangetsu returned to his sword immediately after being freed from the mind control, aspecially when in a later episode, it was specifically mentioned that the spirits couldn't return to their weilder's inner worlds until Muramasa'a power wore off due to the lack of reiatsu that was needed to sustain the materialization. So when the truth is revealed, it just goes to show that Tite Kubo is a fairly clever writer and doesn't always create ass pulls. However, sometimes his cleverness is missed and something that was actually foreshadowed gets viewed as a Deus Ex Machina, like the Saigo no Getsu (Mugetsu) technique.

Many people consider Mugetsu to be an asspull, but it was foreshadowed by Uryu's Letz Stil. If you've noticed, most, if not all, of the Quincy techniques are parallel to Shinigami Techniques such as the Quincy's Hirenkyaku to Shinigami's Shunpo. and Quincy's Ginto to Shinigami's Kido. We all know how Tite Kubo likes to do repeats, parallels, and symbolism like when he got Rukia willingly taken then did the same with Orihime. So when Ichigo learns Saigo no Getsu, it calls back to when Uryu used Letz Stil which is also a one shot kill technique that removes his powers. Not to mention that both techniques were both considered unheard of and known by only a few.

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P.S.: Which is better: regular Shiro Zan, Bankai Shiro Zan, or Vasto Lorde Shiro Zan with his fabulous hair?

(Shiro Zan = Shirosaki Hichigo if you couldn't tell.)