Vizards
The Vizard masked army (仮面の軍勢, kamen no gunzei), pronounced in English as Visoreds (ヴァイザード, vaizādo), is a group of Shinigami that have acquired Hollow powers. Following the battle at the Fake Karakura Town, they have become central combatants against Sōsuke Aizen's Espada.
The Vizard are the antithesis to the Arrancar as Shinigami who have obtained Hollow powers.
Having begun as Shinigami, the Vizard appear entirely Human and bar 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 more 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 Hollowfication.
Vizard have been shown to be former captain and lieutenant Shinigami. They are considered criminals by the Soul Society for committing the ultimate taboo of acquiring Hollow powers; their status as former leaders of Soul Society also marks them as traitors.
During their introduction, they are viewed as reclusive and are thought to be only having loyalty to themselves, for it was unknown what role they would take in the upcoming battle at the fake Karakura Town. However, they are still considered to be valuable allies in the war against Sōsuke Aizen's army of Arrancar, according to Kisuke Urahara. The Vizard haven't shown any sort of hierarchy, preferring a loose-knit organization.
Their intentions are finally revealed when they arrive at the Battle of the Fake Karakura Town. Even after the events that made them outlaws by Soul Society 100 years ago, the Vizard bare no ill will toward the Gotei 13, but they prefer not to consider themselves allies of the former organization they belonged to either. Instead, they expressively confirm themselves enemies of Aizen, and by extension, the Espada, and state that they are allies of Ichigo Kurosaki.
Vizards
Official:
Shinji Hirako
Love Aikawa
Mahiro Kuna
Kensei Muguruma
Rojuro Otoribashi
Hiyori Sarugaki
Hachigen Ushoda
Lisa Yadomaru
Unofficial
Ichigo Kurosaki
History (WARNING, SPOILERS!!!)
Turn Back the Pendulum arc
Around 100 years before the current storyline, people in the Soul Society started to disappear, but more than simple death, there were no bodies found; only the victims' clothes remained. The situation caused a great uproar in the Gotei 13 as investigations groups where sent out and not heard from again. Due to this, the 9th Division's command structure took it upon themselves to investigate the situation. Kensei Muguruma, then-captain of the Ninth Division, Mashiro Kuna, his then-lieutenant and their subordinates comprising the 3rd to 6th Seats. They were all mysteriously cut down by a then-unknown assailant that succeeded in taking them all by surprise using some unknown method. When much like the previous disappearance their reiastu disappeared the Gotei 13
became worried and sent out a new investigation team personally hand picked by Capatin-Commander Yamamoto to see what has happened. Captains Shinji Hirako of the 5th Division, Love Aikawa of the 7th Division and Rōjūrō Otoribashi of the 3rd Division, along with Lieutenant of the Kidō Corps' Hachigen Ushōda, and Kyōraku's Lieutenant Lisa Yadōmaru all set out to find out where they disappeared to. Urahara's lieutenant, Hiyori Sarugaki was already on her way to collect samples of the disappearance site per Urahara's request.
When the group finally arrives they find Hiyori and then themselves under attack by a Hollowfied Kensei and Mashiro. Even while working as a team they were overpowered by the brutal attacks from the former fellow Shinigami. With the timely arrival of Hachi, Mashiro is bound using Kidō and then after more fighting from Kensei he is bound as well. Hiyori, now being held by Shinji, begins to succumb to the Hollowfication process and attacks Shinji without warning. Then, the others are surrounded with a pitch black darkness unable to sense each other and are systematically cut down. After the darkness is lifted Shinji is the only one still conscious to see that it was all Kaname Tōsen, Kensei's 6th Seat, using his Bankai against them. Shinji tried to question Tōsen about the betrayal of his captain while he and the others were going through various stages of Hollowfication. Aizen, Shinji's lieutenant, then shows up with Gin Ichimaru, Shinji's 3rd Seat in tow, explaining that he was following his orders. Then Aizen begins to explain how he was behind it all and that he had been manipulating Shinji from the start using his Zanpakutō's special ability. He then gives Tōsen permission to get rid of Hiyori whom he attacks. Shinji, who refuses to go down without a fight, engaged in combat with Tōsen. Shinji gained the upper hand due to the increase in his power, but then he succumbed to the Hollowfication process even more and was about to be attacked by Aizen. But the timely arrival of the cloaked 12th Division
Captain Kisuke Urahara and Kidō Captain Tessai Tsukabishi stopped him.
Creation Process
Process 1: This process is based entirely on force of will by a normal soul, though with the intention of gaining Shinigami powers it doesn't have access to or failing and becoming a Hollow. Becoming a Vizard is an extremely rare occurrence of this process. When Ichigo's spirit chain was completely eroded he underwent the normal transformation of a Plus into a Hollow. The significant difference is that normally, when a Plus transforms into a Hollow, the spirit form shatters and reconstitutes itself into the new, monstrous form; Ichigo's transformation was entirely out of sequence, as the Hollow mask was being formed first while his body was still that of a Plus (showing that he was resisting the transformation). Ichigo enters into an internal world where he is forced to find his spiritual powers in a small amount of time, by sheer coincidence he does so, but in the middle of becoming fully transformed into a Hollow. Therefore, it is that singular moment that allowed Ichigo to gain both Shinigami powers and acquire Hollow powers at the same time.
Process 2: It is unclear how the other Vizard gained their current status. What is known is that Sōsuke Aizen was instrumental in the Hollowfication
process (though whether he knew of the full potential of the results is left to be questioned). This process used seems to spread as some form of possible infection through wounds, that has the desired effects on souls with high-level spiritual energy as compared to souls with low-level spiritual energy. Causing those infected great sickness and fatigue until they vomit up a white liquid that forms the beginnings of their Hollow mask, which then proceeds to transform their bodies and warping their minds. Other than that all that is known is that the process is accelerated by aggressive emotions. The conclusive result makes a Shinigami into a primarily Hollow-like humanoid, which is a highly unstable transformation causing mindlessness and aggression.
Process 3: Aside from the dangerous method used by Urahara on Ichigo, the Hōgyoku could allow a Shinigami to use Hollow powers (presumably in relation to the Vizard creation), but it has only been shown doing the opposite (creating the Arrancar). Urahara's Hōgyoku played a vital part in the process of making the Vizard currently what they are, as he tried to use it to return them to their previous state. But according to Urahara, what his device did was not what he had intended (turning them into a stable form of complete hybrids) and he considers the solution a failure on his part, though they didn't become complete Hollows due to his intervention and did eventually gain control over their new power.
When Ichigo's Hollow powers started to increasingly manifest while not under his control, Shinji explains that Ichigo's conflict with his inner Hollow is a common symptom other Vizard had to deal with at one point or another in order to master their abilities.