VS.
Let's start off March right with The Ice Masters, Toya from Yu Yu Hakusho & Toshiro Hitsugaya from Bleach. These two are the epitome of being masterful in their art of ice. Strong, confident, cool, and collected - these two characters are on my top 10 list of favorite Bleach/Yu Yu Hakusho characters (Don't worry, I'll make a list eventually). They are good friends with our protagonists, Ichigo & Yusuke, and have strived to become at the top of their class with the various enemies they've faced. So let's start off March with a Bang by comparing the following: Role in Story, Powers/Abilities, Relationship to Main Character, & Fights.
Role in Story (Toya)
Toya, as stated by Hiei, is a the epitome of someone whose mastered the art of ice. Toya was a part of Team Masho alongside Risho, Jin, Gama, & Bakken - known as being part of the renowned Shinobi of the Demon World. He faced off against Kurama in the Dark Tournament in hopes to avenge Gama's death, but unfortunately lost to him despite having the momentum at first. Some time later, he, alongside Jin, Chu, Rinku, Suzuki, & Shishiwakamaru trained with Genkai in hopes to become stronger. He, alongside his friends, were just about ready to axe off Yusuke in his meeting with Yomi (on orders from Kurama), but later defected alongside Kurama and partook himself in the Demon Tournament sponsored by Yusuke himself where the fate of who'd rule the Demon World was at stake. He eventually would lose to one of Raizen's sparring buddies. He remains as a faithful friend and ally of Yusuke.
Role in Story (Hitsugaya)
Some time after Momo Hinamori, Hitsugaya's childhood friend, joined the Gotei 13 to serve under Captain Aizen, Hitsugaya would enroll in the Shinigami Academy thanks to the efforts of Rangiku Matsumoto's persuasion because of his inability to control his spirit energy that could've ended his grandmother's life. He was 3rd seat of the 10th division under Isshin Shiba, Ichigo's father before changing surname, and eventual captain of the 10th division with Rangiku as his lieutenant. Later on, Hitsugaya would partake in a war against the Ryoka (Ichigo's team), but eventually would face an even bigger threat - Aizen Sousuke. He, alongside Rangiku, Renji, Ikkaku, & Yumichika trained in order to fend off against Aizen's army of Arrancars and eventually facing him off before losing in humiliation because of Aizen's fusion with the Hogyoku. Hitsugaya remains a faithful ally with Ichigo as he faces off against the Vandenreich.
Powers/Abilities (Toya)
Toya is the epitome of having mastered the art of ice in all its ideas/techniques/disciplines. In battle, Toya turns any battlefield by engulfing it in ice, trying to have an elemental advantage over his enemies beforehand. By freezing the terrain around him, it gives the opponents the disadvantage because they are inexperienced with Toya's ability to manipulate the terrain into his favor. Some of his techniques include Shards of Winter, which allows his demon energy to manipulate war molecules into ice crystals - going at incredible high speeds when inflicting damage on his opponents. He is also capable of forming a ice blade from his palm, being able to cut through rock. In the Anime-only arc in Yu Yu Hakusho, Toya is also shown to manipulate the ice terrain to make enemy movement immobile.
Powers/Abilities (Hitsugaya)
Hitsugaya is considered a prodigy at a young age and it clearly shows in his Shikai/Bankai abilities. His Zanpaktou, Hyorinmaru, has the ability to control water & ice. His Bankai is just an extension of his Shikai, but allows him more range with his abilities. Hitsugaya's abilities allow him to make a block of ice as a shield, pierce opponents that completely encase them in ice, use the Ice Dragon's tale to attack opponent, regeneration, create wings made from ice, make ice pillars that encase opponents in the field around his opponent, and finally manipulating water into ice when in contact with anything. Hitsugaya has a large # of attacks in his Shikai & Bankai, but the manipulation of both water and ice gives him an advantage over his opponents.
Relationship to Yusuke
Toya, upon losing to Kurama in the Dark Tournament, wishes to get stronger and prove he can be a valuable asset. With his relentless training, he became a S-class Demon level. He has much respect for Yusuke's determination and believes he truly is capable of becoming stronger upon seeing him fight Toguro & Yomi in the Dark & Demon Tournaments. It is assumed that Toya is an ally of Yusuke alongside Jin, Chu, Rinku, Suzuki, & Shishiwakamaru.
Relationship to Ichigo
Ichigo and Hitsugaya have a dynamic relationship in Bleach, having assisted him in the fight agains the Arrancars and aiding in thwarting Aizen's plans from coming into fruition. However, Hitsugaya comically gets annoyed when Ichigo doesn't properly call him by his name & title (preferring to call Hitsugaya "Toshiro"). In the 2nd Bleach movie, Ichigo & Hitsugaya have shown to have developed a level of trust in another. Hitsugaya remains as a faithful ally & friend of Ichigo & his friends.
Fights (Wins & Losses) ~ Toya
Toya has had a few fights, but has grown stronger over time in his training. He eventually became at a S-clas Demon level. His record is as followed:
Toya vs. Kurama - Loss
Toya vs. Rinku (Training) - Unconfirmed
Toya vs. Other combatants in Demon Tournament - Win
Toya vs. Kujo - Loss
Fights (Wins & Losses) ~ Hitsugaya
Hitsugaya has had a lot of fights and has grown stronger in every encounter. He is a captain-class Shinigami after all. His record is as followed (not including fillers):
Hitsugaya vs. Gin - Interrupted/Unconfirmed
Hitsugaya vs. Momo (Misunderstanding)- Win
Hitsugaya vs. Aizen (Part 1)- Loss
Hitsugaya vs. Shawlong - Win
Hitsugaya w/Lisa & Hiyori vs. Harribel - Interrupted
Hitsugaya w/allies vs. Aizen (Part 2) - Loss
Hitsugaya vs. Yukio - Win
Hitsugaya vs. Bazz-B - Interrupted (By Cang Du)
Hitsugaya vs. Cang Du - Win
Verdict
And the winner is....
Hitsugaya is more fleshed out than Toya in terms of backstory, fights, abilities, and overall screen-time. Toya, when first introduced, is already a Master of Ice whereas Hitsugaya has to build himself up in order to control his Spiritual Energy. Toya has some interesting abilities, but there isn't much variety. We see Toya fire ice crystals, make the battlefield his terrain, & create a ice sword, but that's it. With Hitsugaya, he possesses much more because he has both a Shikai & a Bankai. And I know this factor will ultimately decide this, but let me spell it out right now: Toya can manipulate ice, but Hitsugaya can manipulate Ice AND Water. This limits Toya's abilities as he can only do so little compared to Hitsugaya. Don't get me wrong, I admire Toya's character, he's one of my favorites, but when you put him back-2-back with Hitsugaya, it's clear that Captain Toshiro Hitsugaya is the winner in the battle of the Ice Masters.
So who do you think won between these two strong characters - Toya from Yu Yu Haksuho or Toshiro Hitsugaya from Bleach? Let me know below on your thoughts. Bleach Hakusho posts all throughout March. Bleach is leading 7-6 against Yu Yu Hakusho. If you haven't yet, check out February's Bleach Hakusho posts.
1) Hiei vs. Byakuya (Bleach)
2) Kuwabara vs. Chad (Yu Yu Hakusho)
3) Genkai vs. Urahara (Bleach)
4) Keiko vs. Orihime (Yu Yu Hakusho)
5) Kurama vs. Uryu (Yu Yu Hakusho)
6) Hiei vs. Sui-Feng (Yu Yu Hakusho)
7) Jin vs. Kensei (Yu Yu Hakusho)
8) Chu vs. Kyoraku (Bleach)
9) The Doctor vs. Kurotsuchi (Bleach)
10) Shinobu vs. Ginjo (Yu Yu Hakusho)
11) Shishiwakamaru vs. Rose (Bleach)
12) Yukina vs. Yuzu (Bleach)
Until then, look forward to Bleach Hakusho posts every Monday, Wednesday, Friday, & Sunday (unless specified). As always, stay classy Bleach fans. Throwback is below.
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