Bleach: The Thousand Year Blood War

[Ramza00]

Which is inherently much more interesting. "Gain the trust and respect of these people so you can take away their burdens" is much more heroic than a lot of what happens in the series, and emotional work is still work.

Maybe someday Ichigo would be such a person, a therapist, an analyst or something close to it.

But Ichigo was still a teenager with PTSD and he was leaning into one way of seeing his name. He is "the one who protects (one/best guardian.)"

Ichigo has only one move for it is forged out of trauma. He was not way to take away other peoples traumas and layer it onto himself both literally in his psyche but also from a magical science perspective.

The twist does kind of make sense from a narrative standpoint (could have been better executed / telegraphed at key moments)

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Likewise for your 2nd point I will argue Mr. Hat and Clogs is merely turning Ichigo into a weapon and actually making his trauma worse even if Ichigo is capable of more and higher level spiritual pressure feats.

Spoilers for the Anime, from the Thousand Year Blood War Manga

Spoiler: Spoilers

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Which is ironic once we learn the religious figure Mr Hat and Clogs Banaki represents, which is also in the name of his Bankai "Avalokiteśvara".

To put it just flat out there, Avalokiteśvara in stories outside Bleach is not anything like Kisuke. This makes you call into question why Mr Hat and Clogs Bankai is Avalokitesvara in the first place and Kisuke may have obtained Bankai in 3 days via a "short cut." Yet perhaps he may not understand his Sword, much like Ichigo does not understand his own Self let alone his Sword.

Are we truly sure Mr Hat and Clogs is a good mentor or a mentor who is part a Villain who also is trying to do good?