While Yhwach and his Wandenreich are the big bad guys of Bleach’s Bloody Thousand Year War, This doesn’t mean that old villains remain on the sidelines of Soul Society’s current fight. In fact, the third installment of the anime’s return saw the Shinigami having to rely on one of their own who became one of the biggest threats to the afterlife. Aizen may have been defeated by Ichigo Kurosaki years ago, but that doesn’t mean his power has diminished. Now, the supernatural Shonen series has a surprise for fans just in time for this holiday season.

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Even though Aizen aligned himself with the Shinigami to take on Quincy’s army, that doesn’t mean Soul Society is taking risks.. Freeing the traitorous Soul Reaper, current leader Shunsui Kyoraku still confined Aizen to a chair in the fight against Yhwach’s forces. As the past threat demonstrates, not being able to use his hands or legs still makes him far more powerful than the vast majority of fighters on the playing field. As the Bloody War approaches its grand finale, it will be interesting to see the role that Aizen must play in the final episodes and how Ichigo reacts when the villain sees the light of day again.

(RELATED: Bleach: A Thousand Years of Bloody War, Part 3: Finale with Special Trailer)

Aizen’s Christmas Surprise

In an effort to reward Bleach fans who have waited years for Soul Society to return to the small screen, Studio Pierrot has shared a new gift with fans. By visiting the anime’s official website, you can download a wallpaper that shows one of the Shinigami’s greatest villains getting into the holiday spirit. While we’ll probably never see Aizen delivering gifts or traveling the world to make sure everyone has a good holiday, this is about the closest anime fans can get.