Spoiler Warning: This post includes heavy spoilers from the Bleach manga by Tite Kubo. So, read it at your own risk.
Yhwach wanted to kill Soul King for a long time to free him from all the humiliations he had faced for years. He had witnessed the deaths of several Quincies, so Yhwach wanted to create a world that would not have any fear of death. Yhwach knew that he must kill the Soul King to achieve his goals, as he was the keystone to prevent the Human World, Soul Society, and Hueco Mundo’s destruction. Hence, he planned the Soul King’s death and tricked Ichigo into being his puppet through this sinister act during the Quincy Blood War. Now, one might wonder who becomes the new Soul King after this tragedy. Well, we have answered this question below.
Who Replaces the Soul King After His Death in Bleach?
Yhwach becomes the new Soul King following Reio Adyneus’ saddening demise at the hands of Ichigo Kurosaki.
Initially, everyone believed Ichigo would get the title of the Soul King, but that never happened – thanks to Tite Kubo’s take on the story. In the light novel series, titled Bleach Can’t Fear Your Own World, we get to see the Soul Society’s higher-ups deciding to use the remains of Yhwach following his defeat against Ichigo and make him the new Soul King.
A Soul King is responsible for stabilizing the three realms; so after Reio Adyneus gets sliced by Ichigo, these worlds start crumbling. To prevent their fall, the shinigami Jushiro Ukitake performed the sacrificial ritual Kamikake so that the fallen deity Mimihagi could take over his body and stop the destabilization of the world.
However, Yhwach absorbs Mimihagi and Soul King’s powers to become more powerful. Even though he wanted to destroy the three realms, he unknowingly saved them from collapsing. So, after getting bifurcated by Ichigo in their final showdown, the antagonist’s remnants were placed at the same place where Reio resided, giving him the responsibility of an anchor of the Hueco Mundo, Soul Society, and the Human World.
Why Ichigo Doesn’t Become the Soul King?
Initially, the higher-ups of Soul Society, including Ichibei Hyosube, were determined to make Ichigo the new Soul King as he was the most deserving candidate. That’s because he showed incredible growth in terms of power throughout the series and was also a Quincy and a soul reaper by nature.
Ichibei intended to make our protagonist carry forward the legacy of the Soul King in case things went wrong in the fight against Yhwach. However, before meeting his demise, Yhwach absorbed Reio and Mimihagi, capturing Ichibei’s attention.
So, after Yhwach’s death, Ichibei had to make the villain the new Soul King for the sake of the three realms.
