Arrancar Racial Information

What Are They?
Arrancar's are considered to an evolved species of hollow. They are hollows that have somehow removed their mask to reclaim their humanoid form in a process which is compared to becoming more like a shinigami by their acquisition of a zanpakuto. This change of power is what allows them to become humanoid in shape and, on average, attain a much better potency and evolution in their powers when compared to their hollow forms. However, going beyond the surface, these are often considered the epitome of despair, fear, regret, brutality and all things vile as far as most of them go due to their nature as being originally hollows.

How To Become An Arrancar?
There are a couple of ways to become an arrancar in the Platinum Hearts setting.

Method One - Birth: One of the more common methods in the setting. It is possible for arrancar to simply be born into existence through one or both parents being an arrancar.

Method Two - Mask Removal: This is the most common method. Any hollow, as far as Platinum Hearts is concerned, can become an Arrancar at any level. Therefore, the jump is relatively easy to make it and can be done in the history or in thread if you wish to evolve your hollow.

Method Three - Hogyoku: This is considered the most rare method as far as Platinum Hearts lore is concerned. Just like in the canon, it is possible to create arrancar by using this gem. However, this will often be done through staff reviews because those birthed from this gem are usually stronger than the average arrancar due to the power of the Hogyoku. So, more often than not, Hogyoku approvals will be done through admins or multiple moderators.

Appearance & Physiology
Humanoid Form: Arrancar will typically have a humanoid form after tearing off their mask with some variations. While Bleach does only say Vasto Lordes will guarantee a humanoid form, the nature of Platinum Hearts does allow a lot more creative liberty when it comes to this, some may appear up to eleven feet tall or be completely human in appearance. In addition, due to acquiring similar powers to a shinigami the arrancar are subject to similar physiological factors as they demonstrate a vulnerability in their chests - similar to the shinigami's soul chain and soul sleep - where the Chain of Fate would be located.

Hollow Hole: Arrancar will retain a hole in them somewhere. The hollow hole which represents their lack of heart is difficult to remove, to genuinely be without a hollow hole is to be among a strange case where the arrancar has regained their lost heart, or it is inside of their body and not visible externally. Additionally, due to the nature of the Platinum Heart setting, an arrancar attempt to cosmetically conceal these attributes but they will most certainly still be there in spirit.

Estigma: The fragments of their hollow form in the shape of a mask fragment. This is due to the casting off of their mask and sealing the nucleus of their power into a zanpakuto will leave some fragments leftover. Most arrancar may also have a coloured marking of some sort on their face - some only gain these markings upon the release of their zanpakutō. These markings more or less are leftover marks from their mask that might've been a pattern on their hollow mask before it was cast off as well.

Behaviour and Attributes
Most Arrancar do not have a defined way in which they act. That is utterly up to you. However, for the general masses of arrancar that exist, they have been noted as being brutal, longing for battle, craving destruction and can fall to impulse and temptation quiet easy. Essentially they embody overall negative qualities and individuals that demonstrate more positive qualities are few and far between.

They take the negative aspects of humanity and amplify it to great levels more often than not. Though, to re-state, Arrancar who possess greater self control or yield high quantities of power will often have more diverse personality sets. And, even if your Arrancar does not, it is up to the player as to how to incorporate these traits.

How To Kill An Arrancar
Arrancar are killed in a similar vein to any other creature, after sustaining fatal damage whether that is hitting a specific vital spot such as the head or heart or after receiving too much damage. While they have a lot of survivability through their dog-eat-dog environment in Hueco Mundo, and if they possess the high-speed regeneration that they carry on from their time as a hollow. Upon being killed, all the souls that the arrancar consumed as a hollow are returned to the soul cycle upon being cleansed, or in the case of Quincy entirely erased.

Powers & Traits
Similar to how Shinigami have Kido and other techniques, Hollows have similar ones that can be either unique or available to all of their race. Hollows are usually capable of gaining this energy for "powers" by devouring souls as a Hollow, then being capable of using powers like Cero and so on.

Other Hollow Attributes: As they evolve and gain greater understanding of their hollow powers, some arrancar can retain previous abilities from the hollows not listed here and even develop them further. Below are the ones that they would reasonably have access to from the get-go.

Cero: This is a very powerful and extremely swift blast of energy that can be made by anyone infected by hollows. It has been shown my some Gillian-class hollows to blast even towns apart, their wide array of power being quite scary. As the classes of hollows goes up, the power of their cero is also quite unique and strong. Most cero of basic hollow have shown to be simply red in colour. A cero can also be shot from a variety of locations, each unique to the hollow in question; this can be the tongue, finger tip, fist or even eyeball if one wished.

Garganta: The method in which all hollows use to travel between different realms. When in use, a black rift literally tears open the fabric of space to pass through. The most common usage is to travel from Hueco Mundo to the living realm, but users whom are more adept at this could try and use it for different means. Normal hollows only use this as a method of transportation, though. Many of the reasons garganta is a very powerful tool is for it's utility and mass transportation which can hold endless numbers of "foot soldiers" or people within it. High-level Arrancar are capable of using Descorrer.

Hierro: By condensing their reiryoku within their skin, an arrancar is capable of hardenining it to be like steel which allows them to reduce oncoming damage and even prevent situations such as being cut from being struck by blades. A general rule of thumb is that the hierro can be in proportion to a user's reiryoku, and so a powerful arrancar with a great deal of spiritual power is likely to have a very powerful hierro although this is not absolute for individuals that pursue greater levels of this ability can be outliers. Additionally, while it is powerful it is possible for an opponent to adapt against a hierro with exposure and factors to back it up.

High-Speed regeneration: Generally self explanatory, all hollows are capable of having the ability to regenerate their bodies in a timely manner. It is said that if they have taken drastic damage to organs and vitals, however, they cannot regenerate these easily which makes them still vulnerable depending in their individual characteristics.

The Arrancar's Unique Powers: It is a worthwhile note to state that most of their powers should represent some aspect of their human life, regret or reason they became a hollow to begin with. These are creatures whom are the embodiment of negative aspects of the human spirit, so it makes sense to have their abilities reflect that.

As many of the Espada do, Yammy Llargo is a fair example to take homage from. The reason for this is because rage was his general theme, and in his Ressureccion, that allotted him enhanced strength the further enraged he became as well as other factors. Coyote Starrk possessed another arrancar as his zanpakuto due to his feelings of lonlieness and so on.

Zanpakutō: An arrancar's zanpakuto is formed when the arrancar tears off their mask or it is removed in some manner before it is sealed into the form of anything really; be it a weapon, an object or a living thing. It is the nucleus of their prior hollow powers and is what the power is sealed into. By activating it, they can reclaim those attributes that were sealed into the zanpakuto..

Resurrección: Upon calling out their zanpakuto and intiating its release, resurrección is the release form that most Arrancar have. This release often brings the embodiment of their hollow powers to the surface. They become substantially more powerful depending on how skilled they are in the resurreccion itself and some arrancar opt to exist in this state permanently to maintain greater power at the cost of their humanoid forms.

Most appearances in Resurrección are often animalistic in a lot of cases. However, it is not restricted to that. The physical form they take when released is ultimately up to you and how you feel it operates with the theme of your Arrancar's hollow attributes. For example, for something simple, you could have your arrancar's eyes, arms, legs and chest be devoured by flames to represent the rage of a life unfilled and transformed into the element of fire or something to that effect.

Resurrección - Segunda Etapa: As far as Platinum Hearts is concerned, Segunda Etapa is considered the last stage of an Arrancar's Resurrección. This is because it serves as an enhancement to their hollow powers and brings it to a higher level of power. Similar to the way that bankai does a shinigami's but to a much more grand and rarer scale.

In terms of appearance? Most Segunda Etapa forms will have some sort of physical change to reflect the symbolism of their aspect of death and hollow powers being awakened to a higher form. For example, going back to our previous example of someone with the ability to produce flames of rage, their whole body could potentially be devoured by flames to induce the unfathomable amount of hostility and aggression their pained spirit expresses when unleashed in this form.

Note: Arrancar do not have five racial skills but upon making an arrancar the member has the option to pick between Regenerar or Aumentar. These skills cannot be taken together, so the arrancar cannot give up a different skill to take both of these skills. This is due to the skills being based on whether the arrancar has given up their regeneration to acquire more power or if they have retained their high-speed regeneration upon becoming an arrancar.

Cero: An iconic ability for hollows. It is performed by the user gathering their reiryoku into a compacted form and firing it as a blast. Traditionally, it is shot from the mouth until they acquire greater experience with the technique. The higher an arrancar climbs in this field the more powerful, precise, and faster their ceros may become. With greater experience comes the capacity to display their own unique variants of the cero which are personalised, and besides unique applications one can begin to unlock greater forms of cero such as the Gran Rey Cero and the Cero Oscuras.

Untrained: At this stage the arrancar is incapable of properly executing cero.

Beginner: At this stage the arrancar can utilise basic cero without any unique applications. An arrancar of this level will also only be able to use cero from one particular spot whether it is their chest, mouth, or a finger.

Adept: At this stage the arrancar is able to utilise bala, and show some unique forms of cero albeit with minor adjustments. They may showcase more freedom from where they fire the cero from but a pose often gives away their preparation.

Advanced: At this stage the arrancar is able to utilise Gran Rey Cero. They are able to show far greater adaptability with their cero. Having multiple variants of cero or having feats such as altering trajectory, acquiring homing cero, and incorporating their own hollow powers' effects into the cero itself.

Elite: At this stage the arrancar is able to utilise Cero Oscuras, however they are unable to utilise it outside of their resurreccion. Their cero may function as a medium of their hollow powers or demonstrate feats which incorporate their unique characteristics into the cero. The arrancar can utilise cero without any warning as opposed to most needing to take aim.

Master: At this stage the arrancar can utillise Cero Oscuras outside of their Resurreccion. They can begin to stretch the limits of cero where it becomes difficult to quantify their feats as being normal such as using their cero as a medium to call forth abstract effects which can almost seem magical to others. Their cero is able to demonstrate high-level feats such as the technique distorting reality around it.

Grand Master: At this stage the arrancar has no limit of what they could accomplish with their cero. An arrancar of this level can demonstrate the ability to replicate or create feats with their cero on the spot making them highly versatile.

Núcleo: The nucleus is the foundation of the arrancar's hollow powers, sealed into their zanpakuto upon becoming an arrancar through the removal of their mask. It serves as not only their unique powers as a hollow that represent their missing heart but also how much of their hollow attributes were retained upon becoming an arrancar. As the arrancar develops their hollow nucleus, so too do they begin to reacquire and build upon their hollow side, reflected in their zanpakuto and their aspect of death.

Untrained: At this level the arrancar possesses negligible hollow qualities to the point they could be mistaken for a shinigami if not for physical characteristics. An arrancar of this state would have a very basic resurreccion, if any, and show no changes beyond a minor physical change. There is no power increase when using their resurreccion at this level.

Beginner: At this level the arrancar can demonstrate a minimal amount of hollow attributes that would've possessed in the past such as the ability to create a garganta and acidic touch Upon using their resurreccion they gain a 100% increase to their capabilities.

Adept: At this level the arrancar can demonstrate some of their own unique hollow abilities such as Gonzui, or more generalised ones such as soul-body separation. Upon using their resurreccion they gain an increase of 200% to their capabilities.

Advanced: At this level the arrancar can display unique forms soul-body separation, acid touch, and soul consumption if they cultivate it. Upon using their resurreccion they gain an increase of 300% to their capabilities.

Elite: At this level the arrancar is expected to retain all their prior attributes as a hollow if not showcasing unique usages of them. All hollow abilities are retained in full prior to removal of their mask. Upon using their resurreccion they gain an increase of 500% to their capabilities.

Master: At this level the arrancar can showcase hollow powers that were not in their reach prior to becoming an arrancar such as being able to use Negacion. They gain access to the Segunda Etapa form of their resurreccion. Upon using their resurreccion they gain an increase of 750% to their capabilities. Upon using their Resurreccion: Segunda Etapa, the arrancar may have it active indefinitely with an increase of 1000%, or they may utilise it for 3 posts with an increase of 1500%.

Grand Master: At this level the arrancar is beyond the scope of being a mere hollow with shinigami attributes. Upon using their resurreccion they gain an increase of 1000% to their capabilities. Upon using their Resurreccion: Segunda Etapa, the arrancar may have it active indefinitely with an increase of 1200%, or they may utilise it for 5 posts with an increase of 2000%.

Aumentar: Arrancar possess the capability upon removing their mask to retain or sacrifice their high-speed regeneration in exchange for greater power. Their regeneration can never be reclaimed as a result of this, the sacrifice of their survivability comes with the benefit of having an edge over others which makes it quite common for an arrancar to give up their regeneration for these benefits.

Untrained: No augmentation properties present. Likely retained their regeneration upon becoming an arrancar.

Beginner: At this stage the arrancar will have a passive boost of 50%.

Adept: At this stage the arrancar will have a passive boost of 100%

Advanced: At this stage the arrancar will have a passive boost of 200%.

Elite: At this stage the arrancar will have a passive boost of 300%.

Master: At this stage the arrancar will have a passive boost of 500%.

Grand Master: At this stage the arrancar will have a passive boost of 750%.

Regenerar: An ability retained from their status as a hollow, an arrancar retains their ability of high-speed regeneration which allows for the recovery of their body. Most arrancar give this up for the sake of more power due to taking away the energy cost to regenerate their bodies however it is a very valuable trait to keep in many circumstances which lead into their survivability compared to other races.

Untrained: No high-speed regeneration properties present. Likely given up upon becoming an arrancar.

Beginner: Superficial wounds are healed quickly. Greater damage takes a bit longer and may not he healed before the fight is over unless it is an extended bout. Amputations take a great deal of time but can still be regrown within a day or two.

Adept: Deep wounds can be healed quickly, some maiming such as a hand being burnt beyond repair could be dealt with immediately and be alleviated in the heat of combat as long. Amputations can be expected to heal in half a day.

Advanced: Healing occurs as soon as the arrancar is wounded as long as it does not affect the internal organs or brain. An amputated limb could even be healed potentially depending on if they can get a moment of reprieve in a fight.

Elite: The arrancar has reached the natural peak of high-speed regeneration. They heal as soon as they are wounded, whole limbs can be reformed after being damaged. Organs remain difficult to heal but not impossible, expecting to see them regenerated within the same day of being wounded.

Master: The arrancar's wounds heal immediately but unlike the standard arrancar, they can display peculiar variations of the regeneration such as their organs being able to heal despite receiving damage, or specific attributes such as healing from specific damage faster, specific regions being faster, and so on.

Grand Master: The arrancar's regeneration has reached a level which is undefinable. It is likely that even destruction of the brain may not kill them, or maybe they can imbue an ally with their regenerative factor.

Sonido: The high-speed movement and equivalent of the shinigami's shunpo, sonido differs in that it carries a static sound when executed as normal and that it does not exert reiatsu when they move which makes it harder to sense an arrancar when they are using sonido compared to other races. It is this trait of their high-speed movement that builds on their predatory nature and makes them excel at hit and run tactics.

Untrained: The arrancar is unable to utilise sonido in any capacity.

Beginner: At this stage the arrancar is able to utilise sonido to move around reliably though the static sound tends to give them away. It would not be out of the realm of possibility that overexertion of their abilities would cause it to lapse and they hurt themselves in the process. They are competent with the basics.

Adept: At this stage the arrancar is able to use sonido to reliably travel, move around the battlefield, and find their presence hard to detect when using sonido. They might be able to do a simple variation or unique technique but it is relatively limited compared to those with greater experience.

Advanced:At this stage the arrancar has reached the upper levels of a sonido user, at this level one can begin to start doing more advanced techniques such as applying afterimages to create speed clones or techniques which are fast enough to interfere with a person's senses from the speed at what it is executed.

Elite: At this stage the arrancar has hit the accepted ceiling of sonido, they are among the best. They're able to make adjustments to their sonido on the fly, developing unique variations here and there. Jumping between the fight as a blur for those who can't keep up or being almost undetectable by how fast they can move.

Master: At thise stage the arrancar has become a true master of sonido, and the quickness in which they are able to unleash their attacks will make them revered as a legend in the art of high-speed movement allowing them to be nigh-undetectable with only a faint sound to ever suggest they were there in the first place.

Grand Master: At this level the arrancar is capable of utilizing sonido at a level of mastery that can be considered flawless to those less skilled. Their proficiency allows them to use this skill as easy as one would breath, being able to utilize it an innumerable amount of times as they please without worry of failure they can almost appear to be teleporting around the battlefield with the way they move, and remain completely undetectable when they move.

What Are Their Origins?
Arrancar have no set time when they started coming into being, as they are derived from hollows and the removal of their mask. However, arrancar were quite rare and natural arrancar were not incredibly present until the event of Aizen creating the Espada, induing mask removal through the usage of the Hogyoku to create his army where they became more known.

After the defeat of Aizen, the arrancar as a race inherited the position as being the rulers of Hueco Mundo and maintained the Espada up until the point of their union with Sin Fall to become Shadow Fall. Many arrancar joined the ranks of this organisation and for a long time were associated with the demon race as a result.