Vizards and Arrancar's (Espada)
Even though this is an Espada site, we also may able to throw some Vizards in the mix.
The Vizards are the antithesis to the Arrancar, Shinigami who have obtained Hollow powers.[1] Having begun as Shinigami, the vizards appear entirely human, and barring those times where they are using their powers are indistinguishable from ordinary Shinigami. To gain access to their Hollow powers, a vizard dons a Hollow mask. This allows them to augment their Shinigami abilities with Hollow powers, as well as giving them access to some of the generic Hollow abilities. Their spiritual pressure likewise changes into a mix of Hollow and Shinigami. This process of donning one's Hollow mask is referred to as "Hollowification".
Arrancar
An Arrancar is a hollow that has removed its mask to gain Shinigami powers. The transformation is a extremely exclusive & a very unique process. Only a few hollows have the ability to remove their mask and even those who are successful aren't as powerful as those created artificially by Aizen's Hougyoku (Hougyoku is sphere/device that can remove the limitations of a spiritual entity). When a hollow has taking off its mask and transforms into an arrancar is known as shinigamification. The location of a arrancar's holes are differnt than those of a hollow and they only have a small piece of there mask remaining. Arrancar that where originally a vasto lord become the most powerful and guaranteed a humanoid form. If powerful enough, an arrancar can seal his or her excess power into the form of a zanpakuto. An arrancar release/bankai is called resurrection. Because their powers are sealed in their zanpakuto, an arrancar's bankai will usually transform some or all of their body back into whatever their original hollow forms were, allowing them to use their original abilities. Arrancar normally only return to their human form when they reseal their hollow powers; doing so without resealing, though possible, is a permanent change comparable to amputating a limb. The reason arrancar go through such trouble to seal their power is twofold: it allows them to maintain human form and conserve their power in times of inactivity.
Espada
Espada are the "Elite" arrancar composed of the top ten arrancar hand picked by Aizen based on their combat skill. Each Espada is assigned a number of 1 to 10 based on the level, this number is tattooed on their body. They are given special privileges, like ordering lower-ranked Arrancar around. There is a significant gap in power between the Espada and the other ranks.
