Thread by @TimeIguess

BLEACH SPOILERS

I said I would make a thread on Mizuiro and what he does in the Bleach. To me I genuinely love this character and believe he's up there with Don Kanonji when it comes to being not respected enough.

This will cover Mizuiro's character in the first arc and what he does in the arrancar arc. A big focus and the reason I wanted to make this thread in the first place is chapter 0.8 "A Wonderful Error."

His introduction is in the second chapter of the manga. He's shown to be pretty nonchalant as he explains Ichigo might be absent today because a truck crashed into his house. Its also explained he normally comes to school with Ichigo. This shows him as pretty carefree.

His next important moment is in chapter 7 when he comments on how much time Ichigo and Rukia are spending together and him and Ichigo have a moment talking about how if he cared what people thought he would have died his hair black. Mizuiro acknowledges that as true.

Ichigo then cuts in when Mizuiro introduces himself saying his hobby is to pick up chicks. Mizuiro says he only goes for older women. Ichigo than restates because Rukia is much older than them. Most readers didn't take this scene seriously but it actually is very important.

In chapter 0.8/107.5 titled "A Wonderful Error" its shown Mizuiro is over at an older women's house alone early in the morning before his first day of high school. He gets a call from his mom which reveals she's a prostitute and she complains how he never thinks about her.

The older women comments on it and he says "I don't have a mother." She then offers to drive him to school. This reveals how he sleeps with older women to replace his mom. In a way selling his body so he can forget about his mom and have a place to be other than his own home.

The chapter continues with Mizuiro and Keigo at school discussing how Ichigo and Chad are gonna be going to the same school as them. Keigo is overreacting and talking about their reputation and how they are bad while Mizuiro says you shouldnt listen to rumors and isnt bothered.

Ichigo and Chad coming flying in while in a fight and Mizuiro introduces himself and Keigo to Ichigo. Ichigo comments on how Mizuiro praises Keigo as interesting. He also asks if Mizuiro is good at coming up with excuses.

Mizuiro replies "pathologically so." Mizuiro thinks "This Happiness Who Should I Tell About it?"

The chapter ends with Mizuiro and Keigo talking about how Ichigo and Chad are nothing like they thought. Keigo asks if Mizuiro is gonna call Nanako today (which we can assume is that older women we saw him with earlier) and Mizuiro responds with "No...Not Today." Keigo says good.

Now that I've recapped a whole lot of Mizuiro scenes for most people that won't remember/read this vital stuff we can move onto the interesting things I purposely skipped over. To start with this earlier in the chapter. Miziuiro has this little thought.

This shows him thinking about how when everything is working normally for him communication has failed. Things are working correctly yet there is a fundamental issue even when all the cords he is talking about are connected.

In the later half of the chapter this is expanded upon. "I sometimes think we're all connected to this world by countless cords. Like patients in the ICU." I see this as him seeing connections as people that are useful to each other and fulfill each others wants and needs.

Also the idea everyone is a patient with issues they use other people to solve. Those cords represent trauma. He continues "We try hard not to let any of the cords get severed." This refers to both dealing with relationships but also dealing with problems.

Not letting your relationships fall apart but also not allowing your "cords" to be cut which creates more issues. People fill their holes made from trauma with people and when those relationships fail it creates more trauma and they use more people to fill and the cycle repeats.

The cords representing those trauma's themselves while also representing the relationships that try to fill the holes left behind by trauma only to become more trauma.... very beautiful in a messed up way.

This also is about how the trauma stems from the relationships so trying to replace those broken relationships isnt helping and just creating more issues. Mizuiro tries to fix his deep rooted mother issues by dating older women but that just makes it worse.

He finishes with "But the truth is, no matter how hard you try, they get cut... and its very hard to reconnect them the way they were. I still can't do it." This is saying how as life goes on you get more trauma from bad experiences no matter how hard you try not avoid it.

At the same time relationships will come and go in life. Not every relationship lasts and they will leave you with more trauma. The connects you have turning into the trauma and repeating that cycle forever. The idea that you use the same broken cord to make more connections.

Mizuiro taking that same broken cord and deep rooted trauma he has from his mom and trying to fix it by using that cord to form connections with older women to fill that hole he has in his heart will never work. The cord is mangled beyond repair and cant be used.

What needs to happen is removing that broken cord and getting a fresh one. You can still rebuild the same connection with a fresh cord. You can still plug in a fresh cord to the same monitor. Trying to fix a cord that's cut isn't worth it. It will never be the same.

The relationships that ended up mattering to Mizuiro weren't ones meant to fill the hole from his mother but instead ones totally separate from that. Fresh cords. Its no coincidence this is the same chapter Mizuiro meets Ichigo. This perfectly applies to him and the entire manga.

Ichigo struggles with his relationships with his friends the entire manga because he's using the same broken cord that his mother left. He wants to protect everyone because of what happened with his mother. Rukia sees Kaien in Ichigo and feels the past repeating itself in SS arc.

Orihime's arc with her brother solving itself so earlier in the series but her issues of still trying to use the same cord of trauma/seeing relationships through the one she had with her brother stayed until she realized she had to see Ichigo through a new lens (fresh cord).

Grandfisher directly showing Ichigo's relationship with his mother on a cord adds to this. That "corrupted" cord his relationship with his mother and all of his relationships are built on. Just how he could kill Grandfisher he couldn't remove that cord.

Mizuiro's issues paralleling with Ichigo's is perfect because while everyone would acknowledge the way Mizuiro copes with his issues with his mom ISNT acceptable or healthy most don't call out Ichigo's unhealthy obsession with his mom.

Ichigo truly only heals after accepting the Quincy part of him that represents his mother is HIM and not something outside himself.

I also wanted to talk about how Mizuiro compares Ichigo and Uryu and says they are similar. I consider this foreshadowing even if some don't. Whether you want to say it foreshadows Ichigo and Uryu both having issues that stem from their mothers or the Quincy thing.

Its also super interesting that this entire metaphor of seeing the world and relationships with people through needs and trauma is very Quincy like. The idea of filling the missing piece of your soul in with others. But it can never truly be filled the way you'd like.

Mizuiro providing something to the story that applies to every single character and paralleling Ichigo in such a beautiful way makes me love him. I truly think he's not respected enough for this and the perspective he offers to the story through this dialogue he has.

If you enjoyed this and actually read all of it (lol my fault) thank you so much. I enjoyed making this a lot. Gerard thread on the way soon. I love this story man. RAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH please gimme some thoughts or at least say you think im a dumb idiot i wanna discuss 😭

Bro I always want to add more so I will. Just the idea of connections being based on missing pieces from trauma..... man. Just read this its blinding how beautiful it is truly. These cords being forcefully reconnected has devastating consequences.

In the same way trying to force a relationship that no longer works will only hurt you even if it feels like you are making progress for a little while. Replacing those issues with distractions will only help for so long before it just hurts even more than before. I LOVE THIS GUY