Top Quincy in Bleach known as Schutzstaffel, Yhwach’s personal bodyguard, and they feel like overpowered villains who need some Captain-class Grim Reaper to defeat them, and sometimes even that is insufficient. However, there is a secret behind Tite Kubo’s inspiration for these characters that explains their incredible strength.
Schutzstaffel consists of Pernida Parnkgjas, Gerard Valkyrie, Lille Barro and Askin Nakk Le Varr, four famous Quincy Sternritters with very different powers. They are certainly dangerous opponents and much of Bleach’s final battle is spent fighting the Shinigami against these opponents, who cannot be defeated even by the Captain’s powerful Bankai. These elite Sternritters even killed several members of Squad Zero, considered the most powerful Soul Reapers ever. In episode #73 of Bleach, series author Tite Kubo revealed in his author’s note that there is actually a thread that ties these four Quincys together and that explains the incredible power of the four Quincys. Surname.
Quincy Schutzstaffel reflects the history of war
Four Schutzstaffel, each representing four different eras of war: ancient, medieval, modern and present. Pernidas, with its giant hand-like appearance, is said to represent ancient warfare, when humans fought hand-to-hand before weapons were invented. Gerard Valkyrie, a helmeted Thor-esque figure representing the Middle Ages, fights with swords and shields. Lille Barro represents the modern era, more to the point of the 20th century, and fights with rifles while wearing “army blue” similar to a soldier’s uniform. Askin represents the current era and his abilities allow him to calculate the lethal dose of any substance, simulating a chemical weapon.
Given that Yhwach has been around for over 1,000 years, that means he will collect warriors with a very diverse fighting style. Interestingly, despite being representative of the modern era, Lille Barro is said to be the first Quincy bestowed on Schrift by Yhwach, making him well over 1,000 years old, possibly making his rifle the go-to gun. The first gun in the Bleach universe. Pernida and Gerard are even more ancient, being the left arm and heart of the Soul King, respectively, and have their own Schrifts without having to receive them from Yhwach. As such, Askin is appropriately the most recent member of the quartet, as he was promoted during Quincy’s second Seiretei invasion.
The strongest Sternritters represent the essence of war
It will certainly be interesting to see how this theme has shaped the four characters, despite the huge difference between their looks and abilities. Drawing from different eras is a smart decision by Kubo, as it ensures that each character will have very different abilities. By controlling these representations of war, Yhwach appeared much more menacing and consequently his status as the series’ ultimate villain improved. Being representative of the nature of war can also be used to explain why the Schutzstaffel were such powerful villains that they essentially created every level of power established in Bleach to no avail until then.