Summary
The following contains spoilers for BLEACH: Thousand-Year Blood War, available onHuluandDisney+.
The 11th episode ofBLEACH: Thousand-Year Blood War Part 2,“Too Early to Win, Too Late to Know"saw the reveal of a number of Quincies who form part of Yhwach’s elite squad of soldiers, including the gun-toting Lille Barro. Assigned the Schrift X by His Majesty Yhwach, Lille is not the only gun wielder in theBLEACHseries by any means, but he’s unique because he’s armed with a sniper rifle attached to his right arm.
What abilities are granted to him by the Schrift, and what makes him one of the deadliest Quincies in the entire series?
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X Marks the Spot
Unlike other Quincies, Lille’s weapon is not a regular Heilig Bogen as it takes the form of a sniper rifle. Normally, the weapon fires what looks like bullets of reishi at the target, which can vary in size and strength. Given the nature of his weapon and abilities, Lille appears to have been “optimized” for their use, including the fact that he appears to be blind in one eye which is encircled by a crosshair tattoo with a tell-tale “X” in the middle. This is the eye that would presumably be shut if he were a regular sniper lining up a shot. The bullets fired from Lille’s weapon have been shown to be particularly powerful, seemingly decimating thefloating Riden of the Zero Squadin the false Soul King Palace, as well as mowing through Oh-Etsu Nimaiya and Shutara Senjumaru a number of times.
Historically, Lille Barro was the very first Quincy to be assigned a Schrift by His Majesty Yhwach, leading the gunman to believe himself to be the closest “to god” and the Quincy King’s best creation. The X-Axis is a devastating ability that is capable of ensuring that a projectile hits a target positioned in the line of sight of the gun with perfect accuracy, regardless of cover or armour. During their fight,the swordsmith Oh-Etsu Nimaiyamisunderstands the ability and attempts to use Yhwach’s positioning to force Lille into a situation where firing would have him hit his leader. However, the X-Axis specifically pierces through everything in a straight line between Lille and the target, meaning that there’s no real need for him to worry about friendly fire. The accuracy of Lille Barro is frightening, as he’s able to pinpoint his enemies' vitals from a considerable distance, and hit them with successive shots.
Virtues, Thrones and Dominions
During the events ofBLEACH: Thousand-Year Blood Warepisodes 25 and 26, “The Master”, and “BLACK”, Yhwach uses the Auswählen to redistribute the powers of the soldiers he left behind in Soul Society to his elite squadron, which caused Lille Barro and some of the others toassume their Quincy: Vollständig. Lille’s Vollständig, Jilliel, manifests two leaf-like wings that are perforated with holes that resemble the wounds inflicted by his gun. There are three such holes in each wing, each uniformly placed, and this particular aspect of his design is to emphasize the abilities of the Schrift X – The X-Axis. While it has yet to be revealed in the anime, this is only the partial manifestation of Lille Barro’s Quincy: Vollständig, and a far more menacing full transformation will be revealed most likely over the course of the upcomingBLEACH: Thousand-Year Blood War Part 3 – The Conflict.
In the full expression of Jilliel, Lille Barro takes on a far more menacing appearance, one that is actually reminiscent of artists' depictions of biblically-accurate angels, particularly because he has multiple pairs of wings. In Christian angelology, angels in Heaven exist on a hierarchical scale of awesomeness, and the higher the angel’s rank, the greater the number of wings they have and the more otherworldly the appearance.Cherubimare angels with two pairs of wings and four faces; while Seraphim are usually described has having two or three pairs of wings.
Zealot
Lille’s spectacular appearance with the multitude of wings is a nod at his belief that he is the greatest creation of Yhwach and the closest to god, since the Seraphim are thehighest-ranking celestial beingsin the angel hierarchy. In this form, Lille is draped in a robe-like costume that has a skirt-like section riddled with the same holes found in his wings. The holes in Lille’s wings are capable of firing projectiles, while he himself remains untouchable due to the enhancement of his X-Axis ability. Like his deceased colleague As Nodt, Lille has a second and final form which removes him even further from his human form, as his form is contorted into a shape reminiscent of an owl but with a sinister, insect-like legs.
Lille’s access to a secondary form beyond his fully manifested Vollständig is also an interesting similarity to As Nodt due to the intense piety towards Yhwach expressed by both characters. “Jilliel” is translated to “Judgment of God”, an aspect to Lille’s personality yet to be fully expressed in the anime; however, in his final form, Lille unleashes a number of attacks that are essentially beams of light, which fits the description of his Vollständig as the manifestation and execution of holy law.
