Hitsugaya has always stood out from the other Shinigami captains and from other Shinigami in general due to his youth. He’s a prodigy that has worked hard for every honor he has won. As a result, Hitsugaya became the youngest Shinigami to ever reach the title of captain in the history of soul society. While many of his peers acknowledge his youth, they also recognize that it won’t be long before he’ll be the strongest of the captains, and even as it is, he’s already fierce competition for any of them.

Despite his youth and success, he’s not at all impulsive or brash. Hitsugaya still takes his time in combat trying to understand his opponents and thinks more about a given situation than even the far older captains he works with do. Hitsugaya’s the sort of character who doesn’t shy away from continuing to improve even as it feels like he’s already on the pathway to surpassing the captains around him. A defeat, such as the one he suffers against Aizen, pushes him into working harder so that he won’t repeat the same mistake again. While Ichigo is the star of Bleach, Hitsugaya also has all the elements of a terrific shounen lead.

Part of Hitsugaya’s success must be put at the feet (or tail) of his zanpakuto. Hyorinmaru might be the most straightforward of the zanpakutos among the captains but that doesn’t take away from how great it looks and how powerful it is. It’s essentially an ice dragon and by proxy, Hitsugaya’s attacks center around his ability to create ice without the presence of water; however, if water is present than Hyorinmaru’s versatility only increases. The presence of water allows Hyorinmaru to be at its most dangerous because Hitsugaya becomes able to assert some control over the surrounding weather,

Of course, the best part of Hyorinmaru is how it looks when Hitsugaya chooses to activate his Bankai. He gets wings and a tail made of ice that makes him look like a dragon-human hybrid with Hyorinmaru’s head wrapped around his shoulder. His Bankai simply strengthens his ability but the key to Hyorinmaru comes in its versatility and thanks to Hitsugaya’s intelligence, that versatility is near endless. Prisons, clones, walls of ice, and shields are just some of the ways Hitsugaya can alter Hyorinmaru to adapt to any given fight.

Hitsugaya recognizes that he may be misjudged because of his look and youth and so he tries to maintain a demeanor that matches the spirit of Hyorinmaru: he’s cool, calm, and collected. His level-headedness is what helps him lead his division in the Shinigami and is part of the reason why he’s become one of the most formidable fighters among the captains. Hitsugaya does a good job of not being rattled by most of his peers and enemies alike despite the easy criticism they can throw his way such as the predictable comments on his short height.

Of course, that isn’t to say Hitsugaya is perfect in his ideals; and that’s what makes him a well-rounded character. He still gets snippy when people don’t give him his due respect, and he can get emotional when it comes to protecting those around him that he genuinely cares about. During his fight with Aizen, particularly after he accidentally impales Hinamori, Hitsugaya completely loses his composure and it nearly costs him his life. We’re not yet sure whether Hitsugaya should learn to maintain his coolness or if that part of him is what keeps him human among the many incredible feats he’s capable of.