Profile

Appearance

The spirit of Zangetsu appears as a tall (slightly taller than Kenpachi Zaraki), lean-built, and stoic middle-aged man. He has pale skin, high cheekbones, stubble, and long ragged black hair with brown highlights. His attire consists of a tattered white dress shirt with an upturned collar and cuffs, black pants, low-heeled boots, and a long, amorphous black overcoat with a burgundy highlight that flares out into ragged ends. He wears brown-tinted, semi-transparent wraparound sunglasses. Because of the spirit's appearance, Ichigo tends to call him "Old-man Zangetsu" (斬月のオッサン, Zangetsu no ossan) as a result. Zangetsu has also been called the "black-clothed man" (黒衣の男, kokui no otoko).

In his Bankai form, Tensa Zangetsu resembles a teenage version of himself, closer to Ichigo in height and age, with a noticeably slimmer build and slightly shorter hair. His attire is a more defined, robe-like version of his Shikai form's overcoat, minus the undershirt and sunglasses and with the addition of white lining and a hood.

Personality

Zangetsu is a calm, level-headed Zanpakutō, in stark contrast to his hot-tempered master. He often acts as a mentor to Ichigo and always tries to push his master to become stronger.

While Ichigo's inner world is one of tall glassy skyscrapers, Zangetsu claims to prefer more lush, natural surroundings, like bright, sunny skies, green forests and animals. Oddly, Ichigo's inner Hollow professes to demand the same things as well. When Muramasa frees him of Ichigo's control, his reason for turning on Ichigo is very unique compared to the other rogue Zanpakutō spirits; while their reasons are all self-serving, Zangetsu does not wish to leave Ichigo; he merely wishes to see Ichigo achieve his true potential and find out who is the stronger of the two.

In his Bankai form, Zangetsu seems to portray the same cool and calm collectiveness as he would when not in Bankai; however, he is far more aggressive. While fused with Hollow Ichigo, it seems that Zangetsu is the dominate personality, though he is prone to occasional outbursts like the Hollow once had. During Ichigo's Dangai training, Zangetsu explains that what Ichigo wants to protect is not what he wants to protect. He later reveals that what he wanted to protect was Ichigo himself.