The Visored (仮面の軍勢 (ヴァイザード), Vaizādo; Japanese for "Masked Army"; Viz "Vizard") is a group of Shinigami that have acquired Hollow powers. Following the battle at the Fake Karakura Town, they have become central combatants against Sōsuke Aizen's Espada and Aizen himself.

"We are, the Masked Army..."

Overview

The Visored are the antithesis to the Arrancar as Shinigami who have obtained Hollow powers.

Having begun as Shinigami, the Visored appear entirely Human and, barring those times where they are using their powers, are indistinguishable from ordinary Shinigami. To gain access to their Hollow powers, a Visored dons a Hollow mask. This allows them to augment their Shinigami abilities with Hollow powers, as well as giving them access to some of the more generic Hollow abilities. Their spiritual pressure likewise changes into a mix of Hollow and Shinigami. This process of donning one's Hollow mask is referred to as Hollowfication.

Visored have been shown to be former captain and lieutenant level Shinigami. They are considered criminals by the Soul Society for committing the ultimate taboo of acquiring Hollow powers; their status as former leaders of Soul Society also marks them as traitors.

During their introduction, they are viewed as reclusive and are thought to have loyalty only to themselves, for it was unknown what role they would take in the battle in the fake Karakura Town. However, they are still considered to be valuable allies in the war against Sōsuke Aizen's army of Arrancar, according to Kisuke Urahara. The Visored haven't shown any sort of hierarchy, preferring a loose-knit organization.

Their intentions are finally revealed when they arrive at the Battle of the Fake Karakura Town. Even after the events that made them outlaws by Soul Society 100 years ago, the Visored bear no ill will toward the Gotei 13, but they prefer not to consider themselves allies of the former organization they belonged to either. Instead, they expressively confirm themselves enemies of Aizen, and by extension, the Espada, and state that they are allies of Ichigo Kurosaki.

Visored are the result of when a Hollow with similar make up of an Asauchi enter their soul and merge with their Zanpakutō.

Powers & Abilities

Hollow Mask: The Hollow mask which covers the head. Unlike the masks of the Arrancar, the masks of the Visored are undamaged. The Visored remain in complete control while wearing their masks (unlike Ichigo's early unstable transformations). According to Aizen, the fusion of the two spiritual entities allows these Shinigami to reach power levels far suring that of either a Hollow or a Shinigami.

The Visored use their Hollow powers to augment their existing Shinigami abilities, granting them massive increases in speed, stamina, and strength.

The only known side effect in donning their Hollow masks is the specific time limit, which varies from to . Fortunately, there is a remedy to this problem: Training (but to what extent is currently unknown); Most of the Visored appear to have a limit of three minutes after a century of training, while Ichigo has expanded his limit from 11 seconds to several minutes in a relatively short period of time, so the factors influencing the limits of the masks are still unclear. Every time their masks are used, the Visored's voices echo as a consequence of both their normal voice and their inner Hollow's voice speaking simultaneously.

Enhanced Speed:

Visored gain a great boost in their speed while Hollowfied. Kensei is able to throw a rapid amount of punches against a Gillian.

Enhanced Strength:

The Visored have shown great strength while using their masks. Love was able to rip a Gillian class Menos in half with his bare hands after the Visored first arrived in the fake Karakura Town.

Cero:

The Visored can fire Ceros just like the Arrancar. Though the origins of Arrancar and Visored differ, they may essentially be the same. Visored gain access to certain Hollow abilities, such as the Cero blast; However, only Shinji, Hiyori and Mashiro have been seen using it.

Power Augmentation:

With the acquisition of the mask through the subjugation of one's inner Hollow, Visored gain access to an additional and separate source of power - aside from the Shinigami powers they already possess - Hollow powers. The accumulation of both powers greatly augments their powers beyond what a Shinigami and/or Hollow alone would be capable of. of the Visored drastically increase their combat abilities by donning their masks and Hollowfying. The length of time they can remain Hollowfied varies with each person.

Mask Protection:

Body damage can seemingly be ignored while wearing their masks, as demonstrated by Ichigo's Hollow during his unwilling transformations.

Reiryoku Enhancement:

Visored have dual spiritual power of both Shinigami and Hollow, which enhances their abilities. While watching Ichigo fight with Grimmjow, Tier Harribel noted that the volume and nature of Ichigo's spiritual power made it seem like she was watching a fight between two Espada. Additionally, Ulquiorra Cifer commented that his Reiatsu was almost exactly like an Espada's.

The Visored's Zanpakutō function in the same manner as those of standard Shinigami. Only Mashiro and Hachigen have yet to release their Zanpakutō.