Bleach: How are Pernida and Gerard different from the other Sternritters?

The Thousand-Year Blood War Arc in Bleach introduces the Quincy King Yhwach as its main antagonist. This intimidating figure possesses abilities beyond comprehension and a powerful army known as the Wandenreich to support his goals. This group has a power hierarchy of its own, and the Sternritter are the most elite of Yhwach’s warriors, who have served him for over a millennium.

Each Sternritter is granted a unique Schrift, a letter bestowing a special ability that is engraved onto their soul by Yhwach. Notable examples include Ishida’s A: Antithesis and Haschwalth’s B: The Balance. However, Pernida and Gerard Valkyrie are the only Sternritters who did not receive their Schrift from Yhwach.

Fans may be confused by this, as the series doesn’t delve too deeply into the matter, and both characters still have letters alongside their names. To understand this better, however, it is crucial to know the history of Bleach. As explained primarily in the Bleach: Can’t Fear Your Own World novel, The Soul King Adnyeus was a central existence born over a million years ago when the world was still one.

He helped stabilize the world by defeating the dangerous Hollows who were running rampant. Unfortunately, ancestors of the five noble families conspired with Ichibe Hyosube to split the realms and use the Soul King’s powers for themselves. For this sake, the Soul King was dismembered and sealed inside a crystal.

The body parts of the Soul King that were torn away went on to gain sentience and form identities of their own. Adnyeus’ left arm came into Yhwach’s possession after a confrontation against Ichibe. It went on to become Pernida Parnkgjas. Similarly, Gerard Valkyrie is the heart of the Soul King, though the circumstances surrounding his allegiance to Yhwach remain a mystery.

Both figures joined Yhwach’s Sternritter and eventually became part of the Schutzstaffel, the highest-ranked members even among the Sternritter. Gerard’s personality makes it difficult to tell that he is part of the Soul King, but Pernida makes it clear that it is an alien lifeform. Its true appearance is that of a giant left arm, and it initially lacked speech and conventional intelligence, though it went on to learn them at a rapid pace.

Therefore, due to their pre-existing connection with the Soul King, both Pernida and Gerard were already blessed with supernatural powers. As a result, the Schrift Yhwach gave them was only honorary and did not actually give them abilities.

What Schrifts do Pernida and Gerard have in Bleach?

Pernida is designated with the Schrift C: The Compulsory, which allows it to manipulate the nerves of targets through contact. This enables Pernida to control opponents and crush them with ease. By attaching its own nerves to others, Pernida can also rapidly evolve and gain knowledge.

Gerard Valkyrie’s Schrift is M: The Miracle. This is an extremely broken skill that allows him to survive impossible situations and manifest any miracles built upon the hopes and fears of those around him. Additionally, when Gerard is dealt damage, he grows stronger and can increase his size. These reality-altering powers defy logic and are based upon feelings, which is fitting since Gerard represents the heart.

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Pernida and Gerard are the sole Sternritters who did not receive powers from their Schrift and only use it as a name. This is because of their connection to the Soul King, giving them powers right from the beginning without needing to inherit them from Yhwach. However, they do not display any loyalty to Soul Society despite their origins and remain faithful to Yhwach right until the very end.

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