Summary
Born on June 22nd under the Cancer zodiac sign, Ilforte stands 185 cm tall and weighs 67 kg. His origins trace back to his time as a Gillian-class Menos, a stage he reached before Aizen’s takeover of Las Noches and the subsequent arrival in Hueco Mundo via the Hougyoku. He was part of an advanced group of Gillians led by Shawlong Kuufang, having been trained by Edorad Leonnes, Nakim, and D-Roy. Ilforte formed a partnership with these peers to devour other hollows and evolve into a Menos Grande, aiming to avoid the fate of stagnating as simple, unwise Gillians. During their evolution, the group encountered a powerful Adjuchas named Grimmjow Jaggerjack, who appeared as a panther-like entity. Grimmjow managed to wound D-Roy before the latter could even attack. Recognizing his strength, Shawlong and the rest of the group knelt before Grimmjow, requesting him to become their king so they could achieve the status of Vasto Lorde under his leadership. However, after consuming more than 3,000 hollows, their evolution halted. Ilforte observed that their power had ceased to increase after the 1,000th hollow, a stagnation Grimmjow refused to acknowledge, dismissing the others as cowards. To resolve this, Shawlong proposed they consume one another to force further development and avoid regression in the evolutionary scale, a plan Grimmjow accepted. Ilforte Grantz first appeared in Bleach as a sarcastic and effeminate Arrancar with long blond hair. The remnant of his Hollow mask sits atop his head, resembling a broken helmet, and he frequently addresses others as "brother." He is the older brother of Szayel Aporro Granz, the 8th Espada. Despite his rank, Ilforte possesses considerable strength, capable of resisting Renji Abarai’s Bankai at only 20% power without even drawing his Zanpakuto. Conversely, he struggles significantly against Ururu Tsumugiya in his base form but dispatches her easily once he releases his Zanpakuto. He is eventually killed by Renji, who remarks that Ilforte might have won had he not been distracted. Ilforte’s Zanpakuto is named Del Toro, which translates to "of the bull" in Spanish and "pale-horned prince" in Japanese. It is released by the command "skewer." Upon release, Ilforte’s upper body enlarges and becomes encased in bull-like armor, while his mask fully regenerates into horns. In this form, he walks on all fours and uses his horns to skewer his opponents.
