Nnoitra Gilga

Nnoitra Gilga (ノイトラ・ジルガ, Noitora Jiruga; Viz: Nnoitora Gilga) was an Arrancar and the Quinto (5th) Espada in Sousuke Aizen's army, representing the form of death of Despair (絶望, Zetsubō). Nnoitra is a very tall man with a thin and lanky body. His face is frequently set in a huge smile which reveals his upper teeth. His black hair hangs past his shoulders, concealing the left side of his face and a large white eyepatch with one exposed dark gray eye. The eyepatch hides his mask fragments, consisting of a small set of jawbones and teeth surrounding his Hollow hole. The tattoo signifying his rank as 5th Espada is located on his tongue.

His clothing consists of a modified Arrancar jacket with an overblown spoon-like hood and an opening starting at the neckline, showing most of his midsection, and closing at his waist. He also wears six rings around his wrists, three on each arm. He wears the standard hakama, but the ends of his pant legs close inside extended and curved boots.

When he was the 8th Espada, Nnoitra's hair was shorter and messier, he lacked the spoon hood, and he wore his jacket's collar upturned. The mark on his tongue also showed an 8 instead of a 5.

Nnoitra is extremely crude, sadistic, and lecherous, accented by his snake-like eyes and perverted attitude towards Orihime, rudely referring to her as "pet-sama". He even went as far to ask Ulquiorra Cifer how well he "disciplined" her. He is an extremely foul-mouthed man, and is also a firm believer in male chauvinism and openly insults (and regularly attacked) Nelliel Tu Odelschwanck, the former 3rd Espada, though it's unknown if he holds the same grudge toward Tier Harribel. He maintains this behavior towards her even after having been saved by her from committing suicide, showing ungratefulness in his treatment of Nelliel.

His overall goal is to be the absolute strongest, to which he would pridefully crush any and all opposition in a single strike except for those he deems "weak" not to waste time killing. Ironically, he treats virtually every one of his opponents the same way, often physically and psychologically overwhelm them with his superior Hierro and strength. He also does not hesitate to use any means - even unfair ones - in order to dominate the battlefield and thus has no qualms attacking stronger opponents who are already injured; a trait both Ichigo Kurosaki and Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez berate him for. He does, however, possess his own concern for the wellbeing of his loyal Fracción, Tesra Lindocruz, having attempted to warn Tesra to withdraw from battle after he determined via his Pesquisa that Kenpachi Zaraki was stronger than he had initially anticipated.

One of Nnoitra's most notable characteristics is his insatiable bloodlust, unbridled sadism, and hunger for battle; often justifying his amoral mindset as having no belief in salvation for himself nor his Hollow kind that not even Sousuke Aizen could change. Because fighting is his way of life, he continually strives to be stronger, and he considers himself indebted to Aizen for allowing him to exceed his natural fighting limits. At the same time, Nnoitra is also driven by fighting with suicidal ideation in mind; striving for a fulfilling end by dying in battle on his own two feet while drowning in his own blood. To appease his craving for a good fight, he even defies a direct order from Aizen to patiently lie in wait for Ichigo Kurosaki and his friends when they try to infiltrate Las Noches in a bid to free Orihime Inoue.

In his later moments during his battle with Kenpachi Zaraki, he begins to show signs of weakness and desperation, and becomes increasingly frustrated over his inability to overcome the powerful captain. This stems from an inferiority complex he developed while serving as 8th Espada, due to his apparent inability to best his opponents. Whenever his opponents refuse to kill him during a battle, particularly Zaraki and Nelliel, Nnoitra takes it as a direct affront to his pride as both would label him as weak, fueling his hatred for weakness in battle. Thus, Nnoitra will refuse all forms of assistance during an ongoing battle, even chastising Tesra for blocking Chad's last attack and even pushing back at him for attempting to rush to his side (and releasing Orihime Inoue in the process) after surviving Nelliel's Cero Doble.

Great Spiritual Power: As the Quinto Espada, Nnoitra has incredibly high Reiatsu. It is because of this high spiritual power that Nnoitra has strong Hierro. After releasing his Resurrección, Nnoitra's power even received a compliment from Kenpachi Zaraki, a captain well known for his own immense Reiatsu.[40]

Master Scytheman: Nnoitra is highly masterful with his unique Zanpakutō. He used his skill to become somewhat of a savage brute, as the lack of true law in Hueco Mundo allowed him plenty of opportunities to engage in battle against Hollows and other Arrancar alike. He effortlessly wields his large Zanpakutō with ease, taking advantage of its unique shape to maximize his attacks. He is equally capable of using it as a ranged projectile as he is using it as a melee weapon. He commonly uses brute strength to hack down an enemy's defense.[41][42][43][44]

Sonído (響転ソニード, Sonīdo; Spanish for "Sound", Japanese for "Reverberating Turn"): Nnoitra has used Sonído when discussing Orihime Inoue with Ulquiorra Cifer.[45] He has also used it in battle, but his skill level with the technique is unknown. He is fast enough to overwhelm a battle-worn Ichigo using his Bankai.

Enhanced Hierro (鋼皮イエロ, Iero; Spanish for "Iron", Japanese for "Steel Skin"; Viz "Iron Skin"): Nnoitra holds the title of the strongest Hierro of all Arrancar (including the Espada past and present), allowing him to withstand almost any attack with no sign of injury.[48][49][50][51] However, Kenpachi Zaraki eventually found the necessary requirements to harm him after a brief trial-and-error duel; sharpening his Reiatsu in order to cut through Nnoitra's Hierro, which demonstrates that while his Hierro is strong, all the opponent has to do in order to overcome it is "adapt" to its density with their own Reiatsu.[52]

Pesquisa (探査神経ペスキス, Pesukisu; Spanish for "Inquiry", Japanese for "Investigative Nerves"; Viz "Detection Nerves"): The Arrancar ability to sense spiritual energy.

Indice Radar (捜指法インディセ・ラダール, Indise Radāru; Spanish for "Mark Radar", Japanese for "Searching Finger Method"): Nnoitra is capable of using an advanced version of Pesquisa. While the technique normally works by entering a meditative state and functioning like sonar, all Nnoitra needs to do is put his hand to a grounded surface. His Pesquisa is even able to gauge the amount of spiritual power an enemy has, which he uses to identify potentially strong opponents.

Cero (虚閃セロ, Sero; Spanish for "Zero", Japanese for "Hollow Flash"; Viz "Doom Blast"): His Cero attacks are golden, and are fired from the tip of his tongue as opposed to using his hands or fingers like most other Arrancar do.[54][55]

Enhanced Strength: Despite his thin and fragile appearance, Nnoitra is frighteningly strong, and can put a lot of destructive power behind his large Zanpakutō with devastating results. By spinning his Zanpakutō by the chain-link, he can create whirlwinds.[56][57][58]

Santa Teresa (聖哭螳螂サンタ テレサ, Santa Teresa; a common Spanish language name for "Mantis Religiosa," or in English, "Praying Mantis," Japanese for "Holy Wailing Praying Mantis"; Viz "Sacred Screaming Praying Mantis"): Nnoitra's Zanpakutō is uniquely different from the Zanpakutō of many of the other Espada since, unlike the basic sword shape of most Arrancar, Santa Teresa takes the form of a giant scythe-like weapon bearing two crescent moon-shaped blades fused together at the backs, with a large looped chain connected to the shaft at the end of the handle. The chain is connected to Nnoitra's waist, allowing him to perform long-ranged attacks. During Nnoitra's time as the 8th Espada, it had only one crescent moon blade, as opposed to the two that it features now

Resurrección: The release command is Pray (祈れ, inore). Nnoitra gathers spiritual energy, forming a yellow aura around him and creating a small shockwave. He then lifts Santa Teresa over his head and says the release command, which causes spiritual energy to flow out from the empty space of the top blade. In this form, Nnoitra gains an extra set of arms, which take on an insect-like carapace and clawed hands, with each hand holding a large scythe-like weapon as well. The scythes themselves resemble the appendages of a praying mantis, and have a small golden tassel at the end of each staff. He also gains a golden marking extending from his forehead to below his right eye as his estigma, as well as a pair of horns on his head resembling a crescent moon, with his left horn longer than his right. He gains several white, tendril-like appendages around his torso which extend over the sides of his abdomen. His Hollow mask also changes, becoming torn, with the teeth extending over the hole itself.[60] The weapons are used by him to both defend and then rapidly attack his opponent, such as in his fight with Zaraki.[61] Resurrección Special Ability: In this state, Nnoitra's physical abilities are enhanced. Instantaneous Limb Generation: Nnoitra can grow an extra set of arms below the others for a total of six. He keeps one set hidden, which he can grow out instantly to perform surprise attacks.[62] Weapon Generation: Nnoitra can grow his scythe-like weapons out of the folds of his wrists, allowing him to replace lost or damaged weapons easily.[63] Enhanced Strength: In this state, his strength is enhanced even further, allowing him to overwhelm Kenpachi Zaraki during their battle.[64] High-Speed Regeneration (超速再生, Chōsoku Saisei; lit. "Super/Ultra-Fast Regeneration"): Nnoitra has the rare ability to instantly heal injuries while in his released form.[65] The power also allows him to regenerate severed limbs.[66] However, if he is dealt sufficient damage, it is rendered ineffective.

Fraccion Tesra Lindocruz - A male Arrancar who assists Nnoitra wherever he goes. He seems to idolize Nnoitra to a degree, shielding Nnoitra against Chad's last assault, despite criticism from Nnoitra himself. When Tesra attacks Zaraki without assessing his strength, Nnoitra screams at him to get away, before Zaraki deals Tesra a single, severely damaging blow, showing that despite his behavior, Nnoitra has some concern for Tesra's well-being.

Nnoitraa is forced into a ridicilous outfit.