Bleach covers many themes, among them the paradox of striving for perfection but never reaching it. This is how Captain Mayuri Kurotsuchi and Szayelaporro Grantz differ. There are plenty of "mad scientist" characters in the world of anime and fiction in general, and in Bleach, Captain Kurotsuchi and Szayelaporro may seem similar in broad strokes at first. However, their first and only duel proved that science can be either a tool or a trap that dooms a researcher to failure.
Szayelaporro's Great Quest
Among the ten elite Espadas, Szayelaporro Grants was unusual in a few distinct ways. Like some of the others, such as Grimmjow Jaegerjaques and Nnoitora Gilga, he strove to become the ultimate power in all of Hueco Mundo and break free of the curse of being a Hollow, but unlike them, he used science to pursue this goal. Grimmjow tried to fight and eat his way to the top, while this pink-haired Espada took a step back to analyze his own powers and the true nature of Hollows. He was once a fearsome Vasto Lorde until he intentionally regressed to an Adjuchas state and cast off half of his power as Ilfort Grants (his "brother"). This gave Szayelaporro a chance to start over on his own terms, to become a greater being than any Vasto Lorde that came before him. Through science, of course.
Szayelaporro used the traditional tools and methods of science, but for a goal that most scientists would recoil from. He didn't just want to improve himself and unravel the mysteries of the world; he wanted to become perfect, and that meant a stale, dead end. He experimented on Hollows nonstop and used the ability Gabriel to become an immortal, phoenix-like being that could (in theory) put him at the top. His power, however, was fairly limited. He grew arrogant and complacent, simply because no one else in Hueco Mundo was attempting what he was. He lost the spirit of exploration and curiosity in exchange for obsessive ambition, putting him a tier below Captain Kurotsuchi.
For Captain Kurotsuchi, The Quest Never Ends
Like Szayelaporro, Captain Kurotsuchi has a curious and brilliant mind, using science to explore the mysteries of the universe and seek ever-greater heights of power. Unlike his Espada counterpart, Mayuri takes pleasure in the journey, not the destination, and he genuinely enjoys what he does. It's both a job and a hobby, and he intends to savor it. He's perfectly in tune with the true nature of science and engineering: to constantly strive toward something new and never hit a dead end. Szayelaporro thought he was working toward a prize. Mayuri knew the quest for knowledge was endless.
Mayuri's flexible mindset was always ready to move on to the next project, rather than fixate on something impossible like perfection. For example, Mayuri (brutally) captured and studied many Quincy and learned all he needed to learn about that race, then declared himself finished with the topic and moved on, rather than try to make the "perfect" Quincy. There was always a new field to study, and Mayuri was ready for it. He began to study Hollows, Arrancars and the garganta instead, getting most of this work done during and after the story's Hueco Mundo arc. By the time the Soul Reapers were fighting the Sternritter, Mayuri had learned enough about the Arrancars to revive four of them as zombies and use them in combat, and he wasn't content to coast on this achievement. Some years later, he had moved on again, since he didn't tie himself down to one quest.
Szayelaporro's quest to become the ultimate being meant he imposed a false roadblock on himself, while Mayuri Kurotsuchi proved that there was always something new to learn, some new way to improve, some new way to savor the thrill of discovery and science. In that way, perhaps Mayuri was a perfect scientist after all.
