Ichigo Kurosaki (White)

**Ichigo Kurosaki** (黒崎 一護) was a Human (Quincey) who is now the King of Hollows. Ichigo is the son of Isshin and Masaki Kurosaki, and older brother of Karin and Yuzu.

## Kurosaki Ichigo

### Aliases

Strawberry (when alive), Devourer (Adjuchas within the Menos Forrest), White, King White, High King White, King of Hollows, King of Hueco Mundo

### Relatives

Kurosaki Ishin (father), Kurosaki Masaki (mother, dead in all), Kurosaki Yuzu (sister), Kurosaki Karin (sister), Shiba Kaien (cousin), Shiba Kūkaku (cousin), Shiba Ganju (cousin), Ishida Uryū (distant cousin), Ishida Ryūken, Zangetsu (past incarnation/Zanpakutou/"Inner-Self"), Yhwach ("ancestral father")

### Affiliation

Kurosaki family, Hollow army, Arrancar, Loly Aivirrne (Fracción), Menoly Mallia (Fracción), Emilou Apacci (Fracción)

### Occupation

Student (formerly, when alive), King of Hollows, Cero Espada

## Physical description

### Species

Human/Quincy (formerly), Vasto Lorde-class Menos Arrancar

### Height

174 cm (5'8½") (formerly, during human), 181 cm (5'11¼")

### Weight

61 kg (134 lbs.) (formerly, during human), 66 kg (145 lbs.)

### Eye color

White sclera and Brown iris (formerly, during human), Black sclera and Yellow iris

## History

### Early Years

Ichigo was born on July 15th as the son of Isshin Kurosaki and Masaki Kurosaki, 15 years before he became a Shinigami. His sisters Karin Kurosaki and Yuzu Kurosaki were born a few years later. When he was four, Ichigo joined a karate dojo, where he met and befriended Tatsuki Arisawa. Though Tatsuki beat Ichigo in every match they had, she would help Ichigo if he was being picked on by bullies and cheer him up if he was upset.

Ichigo was able to see Pluses for as long as he could remember. He could see them so clearly, as a child, he could not tell the living from the dead. This resulted in him appearing to other people to be looking at deserted places and talking to himself. This caused people to say he could see ghosts, though when Tatsuki asked him about this, he denied being able to see them.

On June 17th, when Ichigo was nine years old, he and his mother were walking home alongside one of Karakura Town's rivers, which was swollen from heavy rain. Seeing a girl near the river, Ichigo thought she was about to jump into it. Unable to tell the difference between ghosts and living people, Ichigo ran towards her to stop her, unaware the girl was the lure of the Hollow Grand Fisher. Masaki tried to stop him, but he did not listen. After failing to grab hold of the girl, Ichigo lost consciousness for a time. When he awoke, Masaki was lying on top of him, covered in blood. Starting the day after Masaki's death, Ichigo repeatedly skipped school to go to the riverbank where Masaki died. Tatsuki found him there, where he would stay from morning until night, wandering along the bank as if searching for his mother, squatting down if he was tired and then wandering some more.

One day, when Ichigo was twelve, prior to the Kurosaki Clinic opening, he heard the bell ring and answered the door to find a girl with her brother on her back. He had been in a car accident and was covered in blood. The clinic did not have the equipment necessary to save him, and he died before an ambulance arrived to transfer him to Karakura Hospital. Sometime later, he learned the girl was Orihime Inoue.

Ichigo later entered Mashiba Junior High School. During this time, Ichigo finally defeated Tatsuki in a karate match, and had not had another match with her since. Ichigo regularly got into fights with thugs, due to the unusual color of his hair. During one of these fights, he received help from Yasutora Sado. Shortly after, Ichigo returned the favor when he rescued Sado from two gang members roughing him up. When the thugs later abducted Sado, Ichigo found them and knocked down their leader, Yokochini. Using Yokochini's phone to ring for an ambulance for each of the five thugs, he beat up all of them. After Sado was freed, they made a pact to protect and fight for each other.

### Teen Years

#### High School

he and Sado began attending Karakura High School, and their reputations preceded them. During a fight with a gang led by Reiichi Ōshima, Ichigo and Sado met Keigo Asano and Mizuiro Kojima, saving the former in the process. While Keigo was initially afraid of Ichigo and Sado, both he and Mizuiro later became friends with them. Ichigo later met Uryū Ishida, asking him why he chose to attend Karakura and not a gifted school, as he would have thought that Uryū would want to follow in his father's footsteps and become a doctor. However, Uryū replied that he had no desire to become one.

### Death and a New Beginning

After scaring some skateboarders away from a dead girl's resting place, Ichigo, apologizing to her, promises to bring her some new flowers to replace those damaged by the skaters, telling her to go to heaven quickly. As a Hollow attack the house, Ichigo, upon hearing his sister's pleas for help, rushes to stop the Hollow. Surprised at its monstrous appearance, Ichigo charges at it only to be ripped from his physical body and dragged into the tear of space the hollow opened to Hueco Mundo, where his soul was subsequently devoured by said Hollow.

#### A Hollow Exitance I: Gillian

Ichigo awoke within a mass of memories and identified his own by which he learned that by following them he had a body of a white "robed" Menos Grande form, but the memories and his identity were lost to him. He was then ordered by an Adjuchas-class Menos called Reaper to join other Menos Grande in his army, noticing the new Gillian who he labels a "thinker" is different Reaper christens him White. Once back in the world of the living, White views the battle against the Death Gods and comes to understand revenge by which he charges his very first Cero then launches it at his people's enemies. Having actually grabbed and hurled Zaraki Kenpachi far away, the Death Gods are shocked this and being the last Gillian left, White grabs Reaper then retreats with only the impulse to protect his fellow Menos in mind.

#### A Hollow Existance II: Adjuchas

Convinced that White has a grand destiny, Reaper asks him to eat him so as to start the new "thinker" off on his future. Not understanding the Adjuchas' words obeys him anyway, only to find a ravenous hunger well-up from within and then White turns cannibal as he eats his fellow Gillian. This ceaseless feasting continues until White evolves into an Adjuchas-class Menos, instinctively knowing he needs consume more, the new Adjuchas continued to devour Gillian but found they were not satisfactory anymore. So, he starts eating his fellow Adjuchas-class Menos with the forrest and he finds there are not any more left, then he digs his way up toward the top of the crystalline "trees."

Once White comes out of the sand, he meets a bigcat shaped Adjucha named Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez; after a rather one-sided scuffle between them, White won and decided to spare out of respect. Initially Grimmjow thought he was being looked down on but the other hollow assured him that it was because he gave him "more than a I half-way decent fight."

## Appearance

Ichigo's most distinguishing feature is his spiky orange hair, a trait he has been ridiculed about for years on end. He is a fairly tall, lean-built young man with peach skin and brown eyes. He likes to wear slim fitting clothes. He has a tendency to wear shirts patterned with the number 15 because his name is a homonym for the number. As soon as he gained dominence of the Menos Grande (Gillian) body and became a "Thinker," Ichigo's unique mask manifested as an almost normal looking skull with wo long forward-pointing horns, with black strips extending from their center towards the tips. There were also four spike-shaped marks, two of them stopping by the forehead and the other two stretching past the eyes and teeth, going past his chin. There are small marks resembling a heart, but with the top and bottom open, extending from the inner corners of his eyes. The normal Gillian black "robe" is completely bone white.

About seventeen months or so later, after consuming enough Menos White evolves into a large, mostly white form that resembles a western dragon. While his mask does not change, he now has blackish red markings around his new body as well as a long, shaggy mane of orange hair. Shortly after consuming even more Adjuchas, White evolved further into a Vasto Lorde by which he also unknowingly regained his humanity there by reaching a state to become an arrancar.

After training at the Soul King Palace, Ichigo wears his standard black *shihakushō*, but with some notable changes: he has two white shoulder plates crossing his chest in an X shape that hold his Shikai blades in place, with the first plate on his left shoulder having three sections adorned with red scales, the second plate having three sections adorned with red scales on his right waist, and a white cloak with black markings tied around his waist.

## Personality

When he was younger, Ichigo considered his mother to be the center of his world, always smiling when he was with Masaki and regularly holding her hand. Despite crying whenever he lost in a match at the dojo he attended, Ichigo started to smile again as soon as he saw Masaki when she came to pick him up. At a very young age, Ichigo heard his father saying his name means "to protect one thing," which instilled in him a desire to protect his mother. When his sisters were born, he began attending a dojo for the sake of protecting them. Since then, the number of people he wishes to protect has continued to grow, causing Ichigo to risk his life to protect both the people close to him and complete strangers.

When he was a teenager, Ichigo was stubborn, short-tempered, strong-willed, and impulsive. Despite claiming not to care about what other people think about him, he attempts to maintain a detached and "cool" image. He generally kept his face set in a near-permanent scowl, with his eyebrows drawn together. His outspoken, hot-headed demeanor is a trait Ichigo himself has acknowledged, and if somebody picks a fight with him, he cannot help fighting back. He would coldly refered to his teachers as "instructors". He is genuinely compassionate and empathetic towards others, promising to bring a Plus flowers and a toy plane, or soothing others when they become upset.

Ichigo is a capable student, ranked 23rd in his year at school, who studies regularly and does not neglect his schoolwork. He works as hard as he does to overcome the misconceptions many have about him based on his hair color and fighting. Ichigo hates fortune telling, horoscopes, feng shui, psychics, and anyone whose trade involves taking money from people for things they cannot see. He has difficulty remembering people's faces and names. However, Ichigo can remember the names of noticeable individuals even when they did not directly tell him their names. Ichigo used to become extremely shy and uncomfortable around nude or immodestly dressed women. Ichigo is often disrespectful when talking to those older than himself and referring to several of the other Arrancar by their given names without using honorifics.

When it comes to fighting, Ichigo has a complex sense of honor; he regularly seeks to exact revenge for the cruel actions of his opponent. He often taunts and belittles his opponents when fighting, sometimes attacking without warning. Ichigo has a strong desire to win his fights, but in what he views as a legitimate manner. Ichigo's resolve in battle can waver at times, which can impede his fighting prowess, and goes into a state of depression and self-loathing when he loses a major battle or lets a friend down.

Ichigo despises those who mistreat their allies in any way, even if they are his own enemies.

## Attributes

### Natural Abilities

**Expert Hand-to-Hand Combatant**: Physically, Ichigo's Human body is in top form, having been trained in martial arts since he was a small child, both professionally and by his father. He has repeatedly shown great agility and coordination in his attacks. In addition to having powerful strikes, Ichigo is proficient in counterattacks, takedowns, throws and body locks. He has repeatedly caught an opponent's weapon strikes with a single hand. He effortlessly defeats multiple bullies and gangsters on a regular basis and is a better martial artist than Tatsuki Arisawa. While he has stopped training, constant attacks from bullies and his father keep his skills fresh.

**Enhanced Strength**: Even while not in his Shinigami form, Ichigo is deceptively strong, smashing a man's head through a concrete road with a single kick, and later kicking Asguiaro Ebern from his bedroom into the street without injuring his leg from the man's *Hierro*.

**Enhanced Speed & Reflexes**: Even without Shunpo, Ichigo is a very fast and agile fighter, able to take down three high-level opponents and pick up his Zanpakutō before any of them hit the ground. Ichigo possesses great reflexes, dodging a strike with no wasted effort and immediately counterattacking. He can strike quickly, without warning, and in rapid succession. His speed allows him to follow the movements of faster opponents to better analyze their movements, and block otherwise fatal strikes. Even when struck by surprise by Tenjirō Kirinji, who is fast enough to outpace Suì-Fēng, Ichigo counterattacked and injured said attacker without anybody else noticing. Ichigo managed to dodge a surprise point-blank shot to the head and attempt to perform a counter against Robert Accutrone, who was fast enough to match and pressure a fast Captain such as Shunsui in terms of speed.

**Enhanced Durability**: While only a teenage human, Ichigo is a highly resilient young man, safely breaking free from a binding spell (albeit a low-level one) and withstanding an assault from a large Hollow.

**Advanced Growth Rate**: Ichigo's most astounding ability is his growth rate; he grasps the basic control of advanced techniques in days where it would take several years for even the most gifted Shinigami. Shortly after gaining Shinigami powers and with no previous training, he began learning advanced spiritual energy sensing techniques by sheer instinct. While it takes most Shinigami at least 10 years to achieve Bankai, he did so in two-and-a-half days (albeit with the assistance of Urahara's invention, which was intended for *three* days). At the same time, he also gained considerable skill and experience in Shunpo while training with Yoruichi. Besides his improvements in his Shinigami abilities, Ichigo greatly increased the time he could maintain his Hollow mask, from eleven seconds to considerably longer amounts of time. During his first fight with Ulquiorra Cifer, he is instantly incapacitated by one Cero blast, even with his Hollow mask (which broke within a second), but only a few hours later after having defeated Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez, he withstands another Cero from Ulquiorra without undergoing Hollowfication, and can analyze Ulquiorra's movements much better than before. When he was deprived of his Shinigami powers, he developed and completed his Fullbring at an astonishing pace as well, even catching Shūkurō Tsukishima off guard. From the onset of the Quincy Blood War, his latent abilities were recognized by the Wandenreich as potent enough to make him one of the **5 Special War Powers**, and the most dangerous of them all after Kenpachi Zaraki's defeat against Royd Lloyd. Ichigo's growth rate during this conflict is such that after his training in the Soul King Palace, he went from needing to use Bankai to combat a single Sternritter's **Quincy: Vollständig** to only relying on his Shikai against multiple fully powered Sternritter. In this short amount of time, he also gained a new Hollow form that he could fully control, and with it, he ingeniously uses a unique blend of techniques powerful enough to wound even a Soul King-empowered Yhwach, faring much better than in their first fight while Yhwach was in a weaker state.

**Keen Intellect**: Despite his somewhat punkish attitude, Ichigo is analytical, perceptive, and deductive. In his high school, Ichigo's grades are almost always near the top, despite his work as a Substitute Shinigami. Aside from that, Ichigo can determine the pattern of his opponent's battle methods and form a proper counterstrategy to defeat his opponent's attacks.

**Immeasurable Spiritual Power**: Ichigo has been noted repeatedly to have exceptionally vast levels of spiritual energy, well-beyond most other Shinigami. It is very heavy, constantly giving off Captain-level Reiatsu even at less than half-strength. Even worn-out, he can continue fighting effectively with repeated usage of **Getsuga Tenshō** while in Bankai. His energy is strong enough to hold back the Sōkyoku, a halberd with the destructive force equivalent to one million Zanpakutō combined, using only his Zanpakutō. Even before his Dangai training, his spiritual energy was strong enough for him to sense Aizen's increased Reiatsu as a result of his Second Fusion with the Hōgyoku while fighting Gin from a considerable distance away, while all former Captains fighting Aizen directly could not. His Reiatsu is golden yellow in color. After his training at the Soul King Palace, Ichigo was able to overwhelm four Sternritter simultaneously, even when each unleashed their **Quincy: Vollständig**, using just his Shikai.

**Novice Reiatsu Control**: Originally, Ichigo's spiritual energy was difficult for him to control, due to its sheer amount being more than his body can consciously contain. Because of this and lack of proper training, it not only leaked out constantly, effectively making stealth impossible against spiritually-aware beings, but his Reiatsu also fluctuated wildly in strength, with Ulquiorra stating that it was unreadable at its weakest point, yet stronger than his own at its highest. Over time, he learned to harden his spiritual energy and enhance the strength of his attacks, or use it as a barrier to reduce the impact of attacks on him, if not negating them completely. He can also channel his spiritual power, able to destroy the Arbor of the Sōkyoku with it, a seemingly impossible feat. According to Kirio Hikifune, Ichigo has gained control over his fluctuating Reiatsu after training in the Soul King Palace, and it is now so powerful that it automatically becomes visible when Ichigo is preparing to battle.
**Spiritual Awareness**: Since he was a child, Ichigo has had an innate ability to clearly see spiritual beings and sense their presence. After becoming a Shinigami, his senses have continued to improve with time, learning various advanced sensing techniques, such as using a spirit ribbon to find Yūichi Shibata (in bird form). Even from a considerable distance, he can detect the condition of a being with spiritual power. During his intense fight against Kenpachi Zaraki, he clearly sensed and recognized Sado's energy signature even as it weakened, despite the considerable distance between them.

### Shinigami Powers & Abilities

**Sonido Expert**

**Shunpo Expert**: Though not particularly versed in its various techniques, Ichigo is proficient enough in Shunpo to keep up with and even surprise high-level and fast opponents with his speed. Byakuya Kuchiki, one of the most proficient users of Shunpo in Soul Society, complimented Ichigo's growing mastery of the technique. Since his training in the Soul King Palace, Ichigo has refined his skill in Shunpo, being able to move several miles in a single leap while simultaneously bypassing the perception of multiple Sternritter.

**Master Swordsman**: While fighting in his Shinigami form, Ichigo relies mainly on swordplay. Aside from his initial training with Urahara, he is essentially on a "learn as you go" training regimen; thusly, his skill has developed by fighting rather than formal instruction, becoming even more capable with every fight. His overall skill allows him to fight evenly against sword masters of Byakuya Kuchiki and Kenpachi Zaraki's caliber. While usually fighting right-handed, Ichigo is ambidextrous, proficiently wielding Zangetsu in either hand. Since attaining the true form of Zangetsu, he has displayed great skill at wielding both blades at once without any trouble.

* **Ichigo Homerun** (一護ホームラン, *Ichigo hōmuran*) : Ichigo performs a backhand strike with his Zanpakutō, akin to using a baseball bat.

**Enhanced Strength**: His Arrancar body, Ichigo's already impressive strength is greatly magnified, able to knock out Marechiyo Ōmaeda and destroy his Shikai at the same time with a single punch. He can easily stop repeated axe blows from Jidanbō before shattering Jidanbō's axes in a single swing, and hurl Rukia a dozen meters into Renji's arms and send them both skidding several meters more, achieving both feats with a single arm. With a simple kick, he can break down and launch a large chunk of a stone wall. After regaining his Shinigami powers, one swing from his Zanpakutō produced a shockwave powerful enough to overwhelm Kūgo Ginjō, making the Fullbringer mistake it for a **Getsuga Tenshō**. When fighting Quilge Opie, Ichigo grabbed one of his Heilig Pfeil with his bare hand and threw it back. After returning from the Soul King Palace, Ichigo has increased in strength, allowing him to throw four Sternritter into separate buildings in rapid succession without any visible effort.

**Immense Endurance**: When in Shinigami form, Ichigo is incredibly resilient; he can continue fighting effectively after receiving many injuries, and can survive attacks which would easily kill normal humans and even most Shinigami. Uryū once stated Ichigo was a monster in this regard, and Aizen commented on his ability to continue moving despite being nearly cut in half.

**Enhanced Durability**: Ichigo's durability is also greatly increased in his Shinigami form. During his last fight with Kūgo Ginjō, he withstood a direct hit from the Getsuga Tenshō created by his opponent, only mildly harmed. When fighting Quilge Opie, Ichigo withstood the impact of several Heilig Pfeil fired at him, unharmed, despite the powerful explosion each one caused. Tenjirō Kirinji, a member of the Royal Guard, was amazed at Ichigo's ability to endure the unique healing properties of his **White Skeleton Pond** and **Blood Hell Pond** for so long after fully healing without rotting. After his training in the Soul King Palace, his durability has increased to the point where he can withstand a direct attack from Meninas McAllon with only scratches on his face and retain the ability to move afterward, something which Robert Accutrone commended him for.

### Zanpakutō

**Zangetsu** (斬月, *Slaying Moon*)

* **Ressurccian**: Later, Zangetsu , using an actual Asauchi. In his inner world, Ichigo, coming to terms with his heritage and powers, gains access to his true Zanpakutō, which had been suppressed all this time. His actual Zanpakutō takes the form of two separate, purely black blades. One is the size of his previous sword, once again in the shape of a khyber knife, with the grip at the base of the blade and a handle extending back from this about roughly the width and length of Ichigo's forearm. There is a thin, hollowed-out portion running along the back edge of the blade from the base to the middle of the blade. The second blade is relatively small, about the size of Ichigo's arm, and is similar to the first blade, but resembles a trench knife more than a sword. Unlike its counterpart, it has an enclosed handle, with a portion acting like a hand guard. Both blades represent a different facet of Ichigo's powers: the larger blade represents his inner Hollow (the manifestation of his Shinigami/Hollow powers) and the smaller blade represents "the old man" (the manifestation of his Quincy powers). After gaining his new Zanpakutō, Ichigo wraps the hilts of both swords in cloth, and now carries the larger blade on his back and the shorter blade on his right hip.

**Ressurrectian Special Ability**: Zangetsu's Shikai is largely used for melee combat but possesses two known special abilities.

* **Hyper-Speed Combat**: Ichigo takes all the power of his Bankai, compresses it into a small, condensed form, and uses the power of the Bankai to perform high-speed combat. His new speed enhances his Shunpo prowess, allowing him to create dozens of afterimages to confuse his opponent.
* **Enhanced Strength**: Ichigo's Bankai further enhances his naturally great strength. He effortlessly blocked a punch from Yammy Llargo, an Espada known primarily for his immense strength, and cut through his Hierro with relative ease. The sudden boost in strength upon releasing allows Ichigo to break free from any attack which binds him or prevents him from moving. After his training in the Dangai, Ichigo's strength drastically increases to the point where a single swing of his sword can level a mountain. He can grab Aizen's Zanpakutō blade with his bare hand without feeling any of the exerted force, though said force could do considerable damage to the surrounding area. He can effortlessly break through **Hadō 90. Kurohitsugi**, with full incantation, with just his bare hand. After his Shinigami powers are restored, Ichigo can catch a massive blast produced by Kūgo Ginjō's Bankai one-handed and crush it. With only a swing of his sword, he can create a huge shock wave

* **Getsuga Tenshō** (月牙天衝, *Moon Fang Heaven-Piercer*; "Piercer of Heaven" in the English anime): At the instant of the slash, Zangetsu, absorbing Ichigo's spiritual energy, releases highly condensed spiritual energy at the tip of the blade, which, magnifying the slash attack, flies forward. This slash takes the form of a crescent moon or the shape of a wave. Ichigo uses this ability without knowing its name several times, but masters the technique later on during his Bankai training. As stated by Zangetsu, knowing the name of an attack heightens its power compared to its strength when the wielder does not know its name. The Getsuga Tenshō is a powerful technique with great force, capable of causing large-scale damage and destruction. Ichigo has used this technique in several different manners, such as striking the ground, creating an omnidirectional blast which knocks away incoming attacks, or slashing at the ground, upturning it and crushing everything in its path. After Ichigo regains his Shinigami powers for the second time, his Getsuga Tenshō is noticeably larger and stronger than it was before he lost his powers. A single strike from it cleanly cut off the top portion of Tsukishima's mansion and dispersed an entire rainstorm. After gaining his true Zanpakutō, Ichigo can fire a **Getsuga Tenshō** by simply pointing his smaller sword at the enemy and making a small slash with it. He can also fire a **Getsuga Tenshō** with his larger sword; this version is completely black and is powerful enough to blast a large hole in the Soul King Palace and knock someone as powerful as Yhwach several meters back.
	+ **Getsuga Jūjishō** (月牙十字衝, *Moon Fang Cross-Shaped Piercer*): By firing a **Getsuga Tenshō** with each blade of his Ressurracian, Ichigo can fuse them into a large, cross-shaped blast of energy. It is powerful enough to disperse Candice Catnipp's **Electrocution** technique and completely destroy her left arm on contact.
* **Segundo Etepa**: By using this technique, it would have been referred to as the **Final Getsuga Tenshō** because if Ichigo uses it, he loses all of his Shinigami powers. For the duration of the ability, Ichigo's hair becomes waist-length and turns black. Light bluish-gray bandages form around his body, tightly wrapped around his torso, right arm, and face, ending just beneath his eyes. Black flame-like markings spread across his chest and wrap around his left arm, and the remains of a tattered black cloak cover his lower body. In this form, Ichigo's body constantly emits smoky black Reiatsu, most of which is focused around his right arm. He retains black horns similar to his mask on his head. Being in this form allows Ichigo to use **Mugetsu**. Once it is used, the transformation dissipates. He will lose consciousness. Any remaining Reiatsu stabilizes, and he will awaken sometime later (roughly a month), followed shortly by the loss of his remaining Reiryoku. When Ichigo lost his Reiatsu, a tiny portion of it accumulated in a single location inside of him over time, and he began to regain it slightly after a year and a half. While using this technique, Ichigo's Reiatsu turns completely black.

**Segundo Etepa Special Ability**

* **Mugetsu** (無月, *Moonless Sky*): Generating a blade of deep black spiritual energy in his hand, Ichigo swings it at the target. Doing so causes a massive veil of black spiritual energy to erupt upwards and approach the target, darkening the sky and heavily damaging anything caught within the blast. The energy continues to rise, dissipating into the sky.