This article is just for fun and is not targeted toward an audience unfamiliar with the Bleach series. However, if you’re a fan of Tite Kubo’s Bleach and have never heard Julian Jaynes and the Bicameral Mind I’m hoping that this will provide an entertaining introduction to this daring psychological hypothesis.

[spoiler alert!]

I originally saw the first episode of Bleach on Cartoon Network and have been delightfully following the series ever since. It’s about a orange-haired teenager named Ichigo, who becomes a Shinigami, which roughly translates as a “death god”– like the Grim Reaper in western tradition– which sends departed souls to the afterlife in “Soul Society”. Some of these lost souls turn into “Hollow”, evil spirits which accumulate power by consuming other lost souls and occasionally will turn to attack humans. This serves as a never ending source of conflict for the wide cast of Shinigami to fight off evil in extravagant action sequences. Each of the colorful characters is complemented with a unique weapon called a Zanpakutou which would is considered to be a manifestation of the wielder’s soul in a sword.

This relationship between the Shinigami and the Zanpakutou has several qualities about it that remind me of Julian Jaynes’s Bicameral Mind. The Shinigami are portrayed as conscious actors, in a Jaynesian sense, while the Zanpakutou represent their unconscious instincts to fight and kill. A recurring theme in the series is that Ichigo’s instincts tend to take over in times of severe distress, but he gradually improves at harnessing the Zanpakutou consciously to control the amount of devastation unleashed. The universe of Bleach is one of fiction, but much like Jaynes considers language of the Iliad as a metaphor for the mind of the ancient Greeks, might modern fiction also serve as a metaphor for modern social perceptions of consciousness? I’m going to focus primarily on the bicameral nature of the Shinigami-Zanpakutou relationship, but I’d note that Ichigo represents a slightly more complex model that still has the potential to revert to this bicameral state.

The first thing to note is that Jaynes’ model of consciousness is not the same as awareness, as it is commonly used in language but rather refers to something a bit more technical. There are four key features of Jaynes Consciousness (J-Con): (1) an analog “I”, (2) a metaphor “me”, (3) inner narrative, and (4) introspective mind-space. These four features enable an individual to “test” potential behaviors in the mind-space before trying them out in the real world. In contrast, an “unconscious” being acts instinctively and is immediately focused on the “here and now”. The reason I think Bleach is a great example of J-Con is because Ichigo’s Hollow form personifies the “unconscious” mind and poses a stark contrast to the behavior of Ichigo while he is “conscious”.

Ichigo’s consciousness normally resides in his human body, but when he becomes a Shinigami, his consciousness separates from his physical body. His analog “I” and metaphor “me” are manifested in his Shinigami form. Shinigami can influence their environment, including damage and destruction, and can be also be influenced by their environment, including injury and death. Ichigo is often portrayed narrating fights, consciously breaking apart his opponents fighting style. When Ichigo’s Hollow takes over, he doesn’t bother so much with reading his opponent. He just attacks relentlessly with no concern for how much damage is caused. Ichigo’s conscious mind strives to suppress and control this instinct, so that he may uses its power to protect his friends. Ichigo’s internal mind-space is depicted visually at various points in the series. Ichigo’s world resembles a sideways metropolis. In one of my favorite episodes, Ichigo literally fights against his Hollow self within this inner world.

Now that I’ve established what J-Con is, the next thing I need to define is the bicameral mind. Jaynes argues that prior to the development of J-Con, human beings behaved according to auditory hallucinations originating from the right hemisphere of the brain which commanded them to act. These hallucinations were often perceived to be the voices of “gods” or “ancestors”, and commanded the individual to act. This mode of thinking is very similar to the behaviors of schizophrenics in modern times. In hypnosis, the analog “I” gives up its power to an outside authority and the body follows this sources command. In the schizophrenia and bicameral mind, this authority is a hallucination.

In Bleach, the Zanpaktou often calls out to its Shinigami master through dreams. In the case of Captain Hitsugaya, he had a recurring dream of an icy dragon calling out to him, but he could not hear its name. When he finally heard its name, that’s when he became a Shinigami. The Zanpaktou is often portrayed as its own person, but resides within the soul of its Shinigami. Shinigami become more powerful by communicating with the Zanpaktou. When Shinigami and Zanpaktou fight as one, they come closest to meeting their full potential.

While not part of the manga, episode 255 of the anime involves a fight between Ichigo and Muramasa, a Zanpaktou with powers of hypnosis. Zangetsu, Ichigo’s Zanpaktou, speaks to him:

“Ichigo Feel him” “Zangetsu?” “His hypnosis no longer works on me. I shall be your eyes. But for this to work, we must truly communicate with one another as master and Zanpakutou.” “I understand, old man” (Bleach ep255)

The fight with Muramasa starts to turn around. When Ichigo gains the upper hand, he confesses the change to Muramasa:

“I finally understand what he’s been trying to tell me.” “What?” “We have to acknowledge each other’s existence and accept one another. That’s how Zanpakutou and Shinigami are supposed to interact.” (Bleach ep255)

I feel that this communication between Shinigami and Zanpaktou is much like the bicameral state of mind described by Jaynes. When communicating with Zangetsu, Ichigo does not descend entirely into instinctive behavior, as he does in Hollow form, but rather becomes aware of these instincts and uses them to obtain his goals. Much like bicameral humans followed the commands of auditory hallucinations, Ichigo enters a state of mind where Zangetsu dictates his actions. The wall separating Zangetsu from Ichigo’s analog “I” dissolves to a point where the two parts of his mind act as one. In fights such as the one with Muramasa, the part that is Zangetsu dictates the behavior while the part that is Ichigo listens and obeys. This bicameral state is where Ichigo’s power is greatest.

In the Origin of Consciousness, Jaynes finds support for this theory in the language of the Illiad. In the Illiad, the gods dictated the behavior of the actors. In contrast, the Odyssey presents actors which behave on their own accord. Jaynes argues that this change reflects the development of J-Con taking place in that period. If anything is to be learned from Bleach, it’s that modern culture acknowledges both modes of thinking. While humans generally exhibit behavior consistent with J-Con, the bicameral state is still partially accessible to the mind. As human beings, we need to accept that we have certain instincts. Consciousness provides us with the power to observe these instincts, and choose when and how they manifest themselves.

Ichigo’s story suggests that although humans are still capable of this bicameral state, there are risks associated with entering it. Ichigo’s Hollow self and Zanpaktou are closely related. In relying on his Zanpaktou’s powers, Ichigo runs the risk of his instincts taking over. While Ichigo obtains power by descending into a bicameral-like state, he needs to make sure that he doesn’t completely relinquish conscious control over his actions. Hollow Ichigo says that he is the “horse” and Ichigo is the “king”, but if Ichigo were to let his guard down he will be quick to “take the crown” (Bleach manga 221). In essence, the Hollow Ichigo represents what would happen if Ichigo descended completely into bicameralism. In bicameral individuals, the hallucination is the “king” and the self is the “horse”.