Nel is a female Arrancar with blue-green hair. She sports a large scar running across her forehead to her nose, as well as larger-than-normal incisors. A reddish line runs horizontally across her face, just below her eyes.
The fragments of his hollow mask form a cartoonish representation of a skull on top of his head. A crack runs through the left side of the mask and four teeth are shattered. The location of the hole is currently unknown. She wears a simple outfit consisting of a green dress which, in its original form, tears into a top and skirt.
In her previous form, she was a tall woman with long, wavy hair, retaining similar features. Her skull mask undergoes a slight transformation, her features appearing sharper and less cartoonish, while a pair of curved horns appear. A large “3” is tattooed on her back, indicating that she was once the 3rd Espada.
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PERSONALITY
Nel stands out for her appearance, which contrasts sharply with her language, using strange phrases and words you wouldn’t expect to hear from the mouth of such a young child. For example, she refers to her uvula as a “throat penis” and calls herself a masochist. Ichigo Kurosaki assumes that his Hollow companions are responsible for this situation. Nel and her companions also stand out among the Hollow, for although most of them are malevolent, Nel actually fears the Shinigami and considers them the villains. Despite this, she develops an attachment to Ichigo and follows him to Las Noches. During their super sentai intro, she prefers to be called “The Thieves: Nel-Don-Pe.” What’s more, she seems to speak with a slight lisp in her childlike form, frequently pronouncing “S “s as “T “s.
In her Nelliel form, she’s much more mature, calm, logical, sophisticated and intelligent than when she was a child. She also takes a balanced approach to her fighting style, asserting that if the motivation for a fight is based on hatred, prejudice or simple competition, as Nnoitra does, then this is simply animal instinct and gives an image of a “childish”, “unworthy” and “not truly warrior” challenger. Although Nelliel has proved, in her final minutes as a fully-fledged Espada, that it can be “acceptable” when it comes to revenge, she doesn’t even consider it a valid reason to fight. Unlike many Arrancar, Nelliel is rather pacifist and, according to her Fracción, she despised engaging in combat even when she was part of the higher ranks of the Espada, unless it was in self-defense and to protect her loved ones. This is why Pesche and Dondochakka decided to accept her in her child form and exiled themselves from Las Noches. She refuses to finish off weaker or wounded opponents and stops fighting them once they’re neutralized or unable to fight, a trait she shares with Kenpachi Zaraki.
As evidenced by her many battles with Nnoitra, Nelliel is relatively calm and quiet in battle, preferring to speak only when addressed, which is quite rare among most Arrancar. We even notice that she enjoys reading, often immersing herself in a book after a mission or while waiting for Nnoitra to wake up after their recent battle.
Nelliel has also proved herself to be a loyal, respectful and trustworthy warrior, diligently following her commander’s orders, provided he has proved her worth.
She also has a good grasp of things, is analytical, easy-going and quite compassionate, especially towards her friends. She’s full of humor and displays a cheerful, energetic demeanor when she’s not on duty. Despite her physical growth, she somehow retains her childlike affection for Ichigo, as evidenced by the fact that she hugged him after attacking Nnoitra without realizing that Ichigo was losing consciousness (although the anime flashback to Nel’s accident suggests that she’s always had an element of childhood outside of combat).
HISTORY
L’ARC DE HUECO MUNDO
At first, Nel is pursued by Pesche Guatiche, Dondochakka Bilstin and Bawabawa. As Ichigo Kurosaki, Yasutora Sado and Uryū Ishida head to Las Noches to rescue Orihime Inoue, they encounter Nel and mistake her for a human girl being pursued by three hollows. After Ichigo and his friends attack the three pursuers, Nel yells at them to stop being mean to them. Ichigo then realizes that Nel herself is a hollow and not a human. They all apologize to Ichigo and his friends for not thinking that their game of “eternal pursuit” would cause such a misunderstanding, then introduce themselves. Nel explains to Ichigo that Dondochakka and Pesche are his brothers and that Bawabawa is their pet. This revelation disturbs Ichigo, as he had never heard of Arrancar having siblings. Dondochakka explains that he found Nel lying there and decided to become her brother. They all decide to ride Bawabawa to get to Las Noches more quickly.
On the way, Ichigo wonders if these beings are really Arrancar, as they seem different from those he’s met in the human world. Nel explains that those who went to the human world were Numeros, Arrancar at least as powerful as Menos Grande. She also explains that they are led by the Espadas and are expert fighters who are considered “dirty insects”. She then remarks that Ichigo himself doesn’t look like an Arrancar due to the lack of mask and black clothes. Ichigo then reveals to her that he is a Shinigami, which panics Nel, who thinks they will all be killed if they go to Las Noches. Suddenly, Runuganga, the guardian of the white sands, appears and confronts Nel and his friends.
Runuganga explains that he has obtained information from Las Noches about the intruders’ invasion and considers Nel’s joining them unforgivable. Nel tries to explain that she is not with them, but Ichigo then uses his Getsuga Tenshō attack to cut Runuganga’s head in two. However, Runuganga gets back up and reforms his head, as he is composed of all the sand in the area. Nel explains to Ichigo that Runuganga can always reconstitute itself. Realizing that he can’t defeat him, Ichigo decides to escape and think of a strategy. Runuganga refuses to let him go and creates a huge chasm in the sand that sucks them in. Ichigo asks Nel if he has a weakness, and she reveals that it’s water. He then asks her where they can find water. Suddenly, a gigantic blast of ice arrives and completely freezes Runuganga. The ice then shatters, killing Runuganga. Intrigued by this event, Ichigo tries to find out who is responsible for this attack and discovers that it is Rukia Kuchiki and Renji Abarai. Ichigo jumps from Bawabawa and heads for Rukia and Renji. Nel is panicked, as she continues to believe that Shinigami are evil. Eventually, Ichigo returns with Rukia and Renji, and they all resume their ascent of Bawabawa. Together, they manage to reach the side of Las Noches and force their way into the palace.
Ichigo and his group enter Las Noches and disperse in five different directions, leaving Nel and his brothers behind. The siblings decide to follow Ichigo but soon get lost. Nel is the only one who manages to catch up with Ichigo, arriving just in time to confront Dordonii Alessandro Del Socacchio, a Privaron Espada wearing number 103. When Dordonii tries to throw a Cero at Ichigo, Nel intervenes, absorbing the attack and throwing it back. Furious, Dordonii attacks Nel, but she is saved by Ichigo. Ichigo apologizes to her for holding back his power, which caused her to intervene and injure herself. Dordonii then tries to attack Nel to incite Ichigo to use his Hollowfication. Ichigo, enraged, pulls Nel to safety and easily confronts Dordonii, beating him with ease as Nel looks on. Dordonii later wakes up to see Nel using his “saliva” to heal his wounds. He then explains to Ichigo and Nel why he attacked them, then tries to attack them again, even though he knows he’s already defeated. Ichigo quickly neutralizes him and leaves with Nel.
During their progress deeper into Las Noches, she witnesses Ichigo’s clashes with Ulquiorra Cifer, the 4th Espada, and Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez, the 6th Espada.
After Ichigo defeats Grimmjow, they are suddenly attacked by none other than Nnoitra Jiruga, the 5th Espada. As they fight, Nnoitra notices Nel, recognizes her and calls her pathetic, mocking her broken mask. Ichigo then wonders how Nnoitra knows Nel. Nnoitra explains that he wondered why she was there, thinking that Ichigo had brought her, but he now understands that Ichigo led her without knowing her true identity. Ichigo doesn’t understand what Nnoitra means, and the Espada reveals that she is in fact Nelliel Tu Odelschwanck, a former Espada. Nel tries to deny the accusations, prompting Nnoitra to trample her. Ichigo intervenes to protect her, but is himself violently attacked by Nnoitra and thrown into the air. Nnoitra then notices that Nel seems to have lost her memory, but adds that this is not surprising since she has suffered a serious head injury. Intrigued, Ichigo wonders what he means by “head injury”. Nnoitra explains that he’s the one who “broke her head”, while he holds Nel by the head.
Ichigo yells at Nnoitra to stop and lashes out at him, but Nnoitra blocks the blow with a powerful punch to the middle of his chest. However, Ichigo realizes that despite the contact of his blade, he has failed to inflict any damage. Nnoitra asks him if he has forgotten that it is impossible to cut him with this sword. He then kicks Ichigo again, throwing him further, and explains that Nel has always driven him mad, just as Ichigo is doing now, which is why he smashed her head from behind and expelled her from Las Noches. Ichigo implores Nnoitra to leave Nel alone and rushes to attack him, but Nnoitra blocks his attacks and throws Nel aside. As he makes his way towards a wounded Ichigo, Nnoitra declares that it’s time to put an end to this situation. He grabs Ichigo’s sword arm and breaks his wrist. The sight of the wounded Ichigo then triggers Nel’s transformation back into his original form, which greatly surprises Nnoitra.
Nnoitra notices that she has returned to her original form. Before he can react, she uses Sonído to pull Ichigo to safety away from him. After a short, reassuring chat with Ichigo, in which he confirms that they are still friends, Nel decides to confront Nnoitra. Although Ichigo is initially uncertain, he discovers that she was once the 3rd Espada. Nelliel rushes to attack Nnoitra and slices through his chest before he can react, taking him completely by surprise. He tries to counterattack, but she knocks him off balance and pushes him back with a simple kick on his Zanpakutō. He finally stops and throws a Cero at her, causing Ichigo to scream in an attempt to warn him.
Nelliel simply raises her hand to stop the explosion, which takes Nnoitra by surprise. She then sucks the entire explosion into her mouth and throws a Cero Doble at him, causing a huge explosion. Tesra lets Orihime go as he flees to help his master, but as soon as he does, he is sent flying into the surrounding debris. Nnoitra appears wounded on his right side and asks Tesra who told him to let go of that woman, then apologizes. Nnoitra smiles at Nelliel and asks what’s wrong, given that he was hit by a Cero she absorbed before adding her own… so why is he still alive? He notices that the expression on her face poses this question. He then admits to having forgotten his Cero Doble, his signature technique. He then explains that she doesn’t understand because she’s forgotten one thing. Since she left Las Noches, he asks her how many years it’s been since her disappearance. He then tells her not to think that the power of today’s Espadas is the same as when she was an Espada, and that the number on her back has no meaning now.
The two Arrancar continue to fight, facing each other evenly. As they fight, Nnoitra asks if she remembers calling him a beast and even saying that their strengths were not equal. He then gloats, asking her how it feels to be beaten to death by that same beast. Nelliel then throws away her Zanpakutō as Nnoitra provokes her, telling her it’s a pity as it will be difficult to regain her transformed form after returning to her original one. So she doesn’t want to resort to it and starts releasing her Zanpakutō. Nnoitra, realizing what she’s doing, tries to stop her but isn’t quick enough and is pushed back by the release of his reiatsu. He is quickly overwhelmed by the “Lanzador Verde” technique, which he tries to stop with his Zanpakutō, but the attack manages to hit him, knocking him against a slab or rock. Nelliel approaches Nnoitra and tells him it’s all over, but that he shouldn’t despair, as she won’t take his life. In an instant, she becomes a child again, which surprises everyone. Nnoitra tramples her and laughs, then kicks her, prompting an enraged Ichigo to attack again before being tackled to the ground. After tiring of fighting Ichigo, Nnoitra orders Tesra to kill him, and Tesra gives him her Zanpakutō and starts beating Ichigo mercilessly. Nnoitra then forces Tesra to watch Ichigo being brutalized.
She is soon healed by Orihime when Kenpachi Zaraki arrives to fight Tesra, then Nnoitra. Presumably, by looking at Nnoitra and speaking his name as he dies, Nel regains her memory. However, when Coyote Starrk suddenly appears to kidnap Orihime, Nel remains on the battlefield while Ichigo leaves to rescue her.
Soon later, Nel realizes that the group and Ichigo aren’t coming back; she gets up to take her leave. In all likelihood, she’ll never see her allies or enemies again. Her three “brothers” have come to see her and left for the world of Hueco Mundo shortly after fighting alongside Ichigo and his friends, leaving Nel alone while Ichigo goes off to rescue Orihime. Nel decides to leave the battlefield, not knowing whether she will ever see her allies or her enemies again. Her “brothers” came to see her, but then left for the world of Hueco Mundo. The current situation therefore marks a stopping point in Nel’s story and her interactions with the other characters.
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