Arrancar Information

An Arrancar (破面 (アランカル), arankaru; Spanish for "To Tear Off", Japanese for "Ripped Mask") is a Hollow that has removed its mask and has gained Shinigami-like powers. Arrancar are usually much more powerful than their Hollow counterparts. Arrancar are a group of Hollows that gained similar powers to that of a Shinigami by removing their masks. The individuals that Aizen turned into Arrancar using the Hōgyoku possess powers far beyond those of previous Arrancar. Especially powerful Arrancar were assigned ten numbers by Sōsuke Aizen and came to be known as the Espada. Arrancar are the result of Hollows removing their masks. However, an average Hollow removing their mask would not be a problem for the Gotei 13: to hold their own against the Gotei 13, the ones removing their masks would need to be Gillian or stronger.

An Arrancar that was previously a normal Hollow, rather than a Menos-class, has been shown to be more powerful than some Vasto Lorde. This is shown when the Hammerhead Arrancar manages to defeat Tier Harribel and her future Fracción.
Pseudo-Arrancar have not developed much in the past few decades. Sōsuke Aizen was the first to create a breakthrough; Aizen has tried to create a full Arrancar by using the Hōgyoku. The number that the Arrancar (with numbers 11 and above) have are not the order of their strength, but rather the order of their birth. First, via the Hōgyoku, they are reborn from Hollows into Arrancar. Then, according to the order in which they are born, they were assigned a number, starting with eleven.

Arrancar and ordinary Hollows differ in several ways:

Humanoid Form: A Menos usually takes on a Human shape when it becomes an Arrancar. The only ones that will definitely get a 100% Humanoid form are Vasto Lorde-class Menos. For the remaining two levels, there are many who don't get a completely Humanoid form, despite becoming Arrancar. Therefore, the closer one looks to a Hollow, the lower its power of reasoning. All Arrancar retain a hole in them somewhere, as well as fragments of their Hollow form (in the shape of protrusions and partial masks). Some Arrancar have claimed that they gave up their Human forms in order to obtain enormous power. While some Arrancar (e.g. Nnoitra Gilga and Tier Harribel) prefer to conceal the remnants of their past, others choose to hide their faces completely to escape unwanted attention. Most also have a colored marking of some sort on their face, although some only gain these markings upon the release of their Zanpakutō (Ex: Nnoitra, Szayelaporro, and Harribel). A few cases that include visible markings without the release of a Zanpakutō include Ulquiorra's tear marks, Sung-Sun's pink dots, the dashes under Grimmjow's eyes, the marking which runs across Nelliel's cheekbones and nose, and the marks on Yammy's cheek bones.

Physiology: Uryū Ishida theorized Arrancar share not only the powers of Shinigami, but also their anatomy. During his battle with Cirucci Sanderwicci, he aimed for the area where the Chain of Fate would be located, and upon striking it Cirucci immediately lost not only her release form and mask fragment, but seemingly all traces of her former power.

Estigma: The pattern on an Arrancar's face. It is potentially the remaining part of a mask and is unique to each individual. The pattern may appear when performing Resurrección for some Arrancar.

Hole: one of the most distinctive characteristics of an Arrancar is the hole in their body. It is said to represent the lack of souls that is difficult to fill.

Zanpakutō: The Arrancar seal the nuclei of their abilities within the form of a sword. It is entirely different from what Shinigami use. When they release their Zanpakutōs' seals, they unleash their true power and their true form. The combat efficiency of an Arrancar with a released Zanpakutō is increased several times over. Therefore, an Arrancar's release of their Zanpakutō is merely a temporary restoration to their former selves, granting them any powers their Hollow form possesses. The act of release is called Resurrección (Spanish for "Resurrection"), which is activated with a command phrase followed by the name of the sword. An Espada's Resurrección is claimed to be different from that of a normal Arrancar.

Appearance
The Arrancar under Aizen's command had a standard theme for their clothing. Their uniforms consist of a white jacket, black sash, white hakama, black tabi and white zōri that bear an opposing similarity to a Shinigami's zōri; in essence, the uniforms are basically inverted Shinigami uniforms. Arrancar uniforms display more variation than those worn by Shinigami however. The current group of Espada possess essentially the same clothing, except individual members are allowed a more personal outfit.

Personality Traits & Mindsets
While most of the Arrancar either develop or retain their own personality traits, the majority of Arrancar appear to be similarly cold, cruel, ambitious, impatient, selfish, overconfident, ruthless, arrogant, impulsive, brutal, relentless, battle-hungry, overbearing, short-tempered, indifferent, and/or egotistical.

Although Arrancar are Hollows who have gained Shinigami-like powers, most still refer to themselves as Hollows (such as Ulquiorra, Zommari, Grimmjow, etc.) This is similar to how Ichigo Kurosaki still refers to himself as a Shinigami despite his steady evolution into a Visored.

Racial Abilities

Bala (虚弾 (バラ), bara; Spanish for "Bullet", Japanese for "Hollow Bullet") is an Arrancar-exclusive technique which hardens the user's Reiatsu and releases it in a swift yet potent blast. While similar in function to a Cero, the technique is not nearly as powerful, but, thanks to its composition, its speed is 20 times faster, allowing it to be fired in quick succession. In addition, it possesses more concussive force than a typical Cero does. A Bala's ultimate speed and power varies depending on the Arrancar using it; while the power of Yammy Llargo's version is equated with a particularly powerful punch, Ulquiorra Cifer's can blast large holes into an enemy's body.

Cero (虚閃 (セロ), Sero; Spanish for "Zero", Japanese for "Hollow Flash", Doom Blast in the Viz translation, literally "Empty Disaster") is an attack used by Menos, Arrancar, and Visored. As a standard energy blast, it consists of firing a powerful blast of concentrated spiritual energy at the target. While in most cases it is fired from the mouth, some Arrancar and Visored can fire Cero from their hands, fingers, and other parts of their bodies. This often requires the user to take on a specific pose, with Coyote Starrk being the only exception in canon. The power, force, speed, and blast area of the Cero is dependent on the strength, spiritual power, and sometimes skill of the user (i.e., the stronger the user, the stronger the attack), and there are some Arrancar who have come up with their own variation of Cero. The charging and firing time for Cero varies greatly, from charging relatively fast to firing it to instantaneously firing one without much charging. Despite the damage it can cause at long range distances, Love Aikawa states the damage a Cero causes as an explosion is more dangerous when used at close range.

Gran Rey Cero (王虚の閃光 (グラン・レイ・セロ), guran rei sero; Spanish for "Grand King Zero", Japanese for "Royal Hollow Flash"): is an Arrancar variation of the Cero technique. It is used by the Espada. It is performed by mixing an Espada's own blood with the Cero. The result is a Cero with much greater attack power and speed and a change of color unique to the Espada. It is many times more powerful than a normal Cero, capable of disturbing the fabric of space. Upon release, it seems to spin like a razor as it compresses and decompresses due to the sheer speed and raw power. Ulquiorra Cifer states using a Gran Rey Cero is one of two things forbidden while inside Las Noches, as it is so overwhelming it could destroy the fortress. The Gran Rey Cero is restricted to those with A and S tiers, no exceptions. It is also especially rare for non-Espada Arrancar to have this ability.

Cero Oscuras (黒虚閃 (セロ・オスキュラス), sero osukyurasu; Spanish for "Dark Zero," Japanese for "Black Hollow Flash"): Cero Oscuras is a special pitch black version of an Arrancar's Cero technique, and possesses a level of power much greater than even the Gran Rey. This special Cero is so powerful, users are banned by the Cero Espada to use it in Las Noches because it is able to destroy nearly the entire main building. Its range is also extremely vast, allowing it to cover a massive area in its destructive power. The extreme power of this technique makes it usable by only the most powerful of powerful Arrancar. Tier-wise, only S-3's and up may use Cero Oscuras while only S-2's may have a more powerful custom Cero technique. Also, it may only be used by Espada and ex-Espada members.

Descorrer (解空(デスコレール), Desukorēru; Japanese for "Loosed Void", Spanish for "Drawing Back/Opening"):[20] A technique used by Espada-level Arrancar, and sometimes others, to open a Garganta between the living world and Hueco Mundo.

Hierro (鋼皮 (イエロ), Iero; Spanish for "Iron", Japanese for "Steel Skin") is a defensive Arrancar technique in which the user's reiryoku condenses, creating a steel-hard skin strong enough to block a Zanpakutō. This allows users to confront some of the sword-wielding Shinigami barehanded. While this technique is exhibited by all Arrancar to some degree, the strength of an individual's Hierro is entirely proportional to the potency of their reiryoku, with Nagato Tengan possessing the strongest Hierro out of all generations of the Espada and Arrancar. Although Hierro can defend against the attacks of a released Zanpakutō, Captain Kenpachi Zaraki discovered he could cut Nnoitra's body in spite of it by adapting to the latter's reiatsu.

Pesquisa (探査回路 (ペスキス), Pesukisu; Spanish for "Inquiry", Japanese for "Probe Circuit") is an advanced Arrancar perception technique which is used to both detect and gauge sources of Reiatsu within the vicinity of the user. Pesquisa functions similarly to sonar, through a radiating pulse sent outwards from the user which reacts to sources of Reiatsu within a certain proximity, allowing them to determine the location of any sensed individuals and granting them an indication of how powerful they actually are. When the ability was first performed by Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez alongside his Fracción, each closed their eyes and entered into a meditative state of mind in order to attain the necessary heightened sense of awareness.

Sonído (響転 (ソニード), Sonīdo; Spanish for "Sound", Japanese for "Sound Ceremony") is a high-speed movement technique of the Arrancar. It is equivalent to the Shinigami's Shunpo, which is roughly equal in terms of speed, and the Quincy's Hirenkyaku. While somewhat similar to Hohō in regards to function and speed, Sonído appears to be more instinctual, seemingly requiring no previous knowledge to perform. It produces a different sound; rather than the swishing or sometimes silent Shunpo of the Shinigami, Sonído makes a booming or static noise. Though the technique is exhibited by most Arrancar, the proficiency with which it can be performed is limited only by the individual, with Zommari Rureaux possessing the self-proclaimed fastest Sonído among the Espada. However, it is unknown if such claims are true, given that Zommari was outranked by six Espada of higher power, with Coyote Starrk in particular being able to cover tremendous distances at such speed that his Sonído seemed akin to teleportation. Starrk's use is notable for the fact that he simply appears solidly instead of shimmering momentarily like other Sonído users. However some Arrancar possess an even greater skill in Sonido than this.

Resurrección: Segunda Etapa (刀剣解放第二階層 (レスレクシオン・セグンダ・エターパ), resurekushion segunda etāpa; Spanish for "Resurrection: Second Stage", Japanese for "Sword's Release: Second Level"): This is an extremely rare second release for Arrancar far surpassing the power of Resurreccion and Bankai, being exponentially stronger. Not only is it extremely extremely rare, but only Arrancar of S-3 strength or higher may have this form. Also, express permission from Gin is required to have this form.