Highlights
- Quincy are unique humans blessed with supernatural powers by their king, Yhwach, making them distinct from regular humans.
- Quincy are vulnerable to Hollows, lack antibodies against them, and rely on archery as their main combat style.
- The Quincy possess special abilities like Spiritual Particle Absorption, Blut for defense, and Hirenkyaku for high-speed movement.
In the early stages of Bleach, the legend of the Quincy has been an important plot point for a long time. Uryuu Ishida’s appearance was a monumental moment that wouldn’t have its payoff until the Thousand-Year Blood War arc. Uryuu’s people have been an important part of the world of Bleach, if not a bit underutilized until the final arc. Many fans remain confused about what the Quincy really are. Their origins and distinction from the other major races continue to be hard to understand for many anime-only fans.
So what exactly are the Quincy, the “monks of destruction”? Why do they have their powers, and how are they different from regular humans? Here’s all you need to know about the holy soldiers of Yhwach.
The Quincy, The Children of God
Beings of Light, Filled with Darkness
Thousands of years ago, a baby without eyesight, hearing, or speech was born. A child that had no way of living properly. But any who touched this child would be healed of their illnesses, blessed by this baby like a miracle. When these people that the baby healed died, their life energy returned to him, and as more energy went into the child, he regained his senses, and eventually, became healthy and powerful. This baby was named Yhwach.
This boy, Yhwach, had the unique ability to share his soul with others, blessing them with God’s light, and then he could take that portion of his soul back, becoming stronger each time. In time, some of the people whom Yhwach shared his energy with developed supernatural abilities, and the race of unique humans called the Quincy were born.
Quincy are a race of humans with supernatural abilities, mainly the control of spiritual particles around them to create weapons and constructs. The Quincy are all the children of Yhwach, and his blood flows through them all. And so, he alone has control over the powers of his people.
”
I swear on the pride of the Quincy, I will kill you.
”-Uryu Ishida
Quincy are divided among two classes, as at some point they started to distinguish themselves based on their ancestry, those who come from lineages of all Quincy, are called Echt Quincty (Real Quincy). Echt are pure-blooded Quincy born from arranged marriages to preserve their bloodline. Quincy mixed with regular humans are called Gemischt (Mixed Breeds).
How Are Quincy Different From Regular Humans?
The Children of God
Among humans, there exist some with higher spiritual pressure. This allows them to see and even interact with ghosts. Humans with even higher spiritual pressure can see Hollows and Soul Reapers. Ichigo Kurosaki, Orihime Inoue, Yasutora Sado, and Tatsuki Arisawa are such humans. Beyond that, for one reason or another, some humans possess supernatural powers. Sado and Orihime are Fullbringers, so they have unique abilities.
Quincy are humans that are born with powers due to their connection to Yhwach. All Quincy are his children, and thus, all of them are distinct from regular humans. Besides being able to see ghosts, Hollows, and Soul Reapers, Quincy can use the specific powers their race is born with.
However, Quincy are particularly vulnerable to Hollows. Human bodies have slight protection from Hollow reiatsu, and they can survive wounds inflicted by them if not lethal. Quincy have no antibodies against them, so they’re especially vulnerable to Hollow attacks.
Quincy Powers and Abilities
Arrows of Light, Hearts of Shadow
The Quincy are equipped with several special abilities thanks to their connection to their king, Yhwach. They have an array of techniques for both offense and defense at their disposal. Starting from the nucleus of their power:
Spiritual Particles Absorbtion
The Quincy can absorb the spiritual particles in their surroundings. This is the basis of their powers. Quincy utilize all the reishi to use their powers, the amount they absorb depending on how much they need for their techniques. This ability is particularly powerful in the Soul Society, since the entire place is made of spiritual particles.
Blut
The Quincy’s main defensive technique. The user makes their reishii flow through their blood vessels, strengthening their bodies. This makes them resilient enough to withstand direct hits from weapons and, in stronger Quincy, powerful special attacks.
Hirenkyaku
Similar to Soul Reaper’s Flash Step or Arrancar’s Sonido, this is the Quincy’s high-speed movement technique. It allows them to move in both ground and air at high speeds by riding on the reishi under the user’s feet.
Archery
Since Quincy are very vulnerable to Hollow, they use archery as their main combat style, as they can stay away from their foes while attacking. Quincy use reishii to create bows and arrows of light. The shape and size of the bows are different for most Quincy.
The Sternritter, Yhwach’s Holy Soldiers
The Invisible Empire
Just like Yhwach can share pieces of his soul with the Quincy, he can also bestow them with power by engraving a letter into their souls. Depending on the letter and the soul of the Quincy, they gain a Schrift, which grants them unique abilities. Sternritter F – The Fear, Äs Nodt, has the power of inflicting extreme irrational fear on his victims, as he lived in deep fear of death due to living with a painful illness.
The Sternritter are 24 Quincy of immense power, each on a completely different level from ordinary Quincy thanks to having received Schrift directly from Yhwach. The Sternritter possess their own unique powers besides Schrift. Each Sternritter has access to higher forms of the previously mentioned abilities.
All Quincy are born with a certain level of power. But they must train to improve on them and be able to join the ranks of Yhwach’s Wandenreich. A Quincy’s purpose is to exterminate Hollows, but with Yhwach’s rule, they now seek to conquer Soul Society.