Bleach [Bleach]Manga thoughts

It's Zaraki Motherfucking Kenpachi.

Goddamnit Knight! :p
 

AoMythology

Apparently a report-er
knight504 said:
That would be Kenpachi's face.

Closer than anyone would ever want it to be.
Yes - the 'penis' is his eye, to be exact.

trevelyan1983 said:
It's Zaraki Motherfucking Kenpachi.

Goddamnit Knight! :p
He's supposed to be a knight, but he's got ninja skillz too! :p
 
Arrancar Downfall Arc (Chapter 341 - 423)
 

Lyxandra

Well-Known Member
Eeeeeeeeeeehhhhhhhhhhhhhh....................... I only read the pages you linked to and even that was an ordeal.
 
Now I'm reading One Piece at the same time to revitalise my wearied soul.

The Lost Agent Arc (Chapter 414 - 479)
  • Damn cop-out.
  • Kubo throws in the term "high-end medium" but I don't recall him bothering to explain the term in the first place and it's not like it actually matters. It says Karin grown stronger - though how would Ichigo know? - but she was perfectly capable of perceiving Wholes, Hollows and Shinigami for a while before the timeskip so there's nothing to indicate this is the case. And it's a pity he didn't use this time to make Yuzu a medium as well.
  • So the badge was literally powering itself with Ichigo's reiatsu since I doubt it just got switched off. I just assumed it had its own power source (or didn't really rely on a power source).
  • 17 months later and Imoyama's still there? Wait, Ichigo wouldn't have a clue who's assigned to Karakura Town anymore anyway.
  • It'd been nice to have some indication of Ichigo's future goals there. I still think he should have gone into law enforcement...which he might have done since we never clearly found out in the last chapter.
  • Careful what you wish for and all that.
  • Did Ginji hire this guy to steal his bag? It's hard to believe that any part of this was a coincidence.
  • Shame Ichigo didn't build upon those skills any further. I'd have liked it if he'd gone on to practice kendo and martial arts during the timeskip in an unconscious way of holding onto the powers he once had. And it'd meant that he would have improved himself during this time for when he gets his powers rather than being at the same level his was 14 months ago, if not worse due to rustiness.
  • I like the imagery of that open zipper like a fanged mouth.
  • Poor boy. It's because Keigo hangs with the resident lady killer, Mizuiro. He did a decent job of attracting chick at Kanonji's show until Mizuiro went overboard.
  • Dreaming of Aizen? Freaky.
  • Ichigo the Substitute Sportsman. I thought that rather clever of him. Though if this was a martial arts manga, he'd be the arrogant talented guy who jumps between clubs and gets shown up the real players.
  • Orihime making a dynamic entrance. And after the tiresome damsel in distress the Hueco Mundo Arc forced her to become, seeing Orihime's humorous side is refreshing.
  • If Ichigo has an actual job than why freelance with the sports club? If the clubs pay better then stuck to that, if the job pays better than stop skipping. But I guess if he can get away with it...
  • It might have been cool if these guys returned for a vengeance fight and had gotten spirit powers courtesy of the antagonists.
  • For a moment there, I was reminded of Szayel. Ugh.
  • It'd be surprising if Soul Society wasn't fully aware of Uryuu's hollow hunting. They know what and where he is and obviously no-one's taken an issue with it as the impact of one Quincy probably has very little consequence on the balance. Unless he started hunting Menos, I suppose.
  • A fine addition to the female cast.
  • This sounds like the kind of job Orihime might enjoy, tbh.
  • In a single moment, Ichigo sinks 90% of his own ships.
  • Such drama.
  • That moment of self-realization.
  • Did that brief meeting with Ginjo somehow leave traces? But Ichigo meets spiritually-empowered humans regularly anyway.
  • A very fitting occupation for Orihime.
  • Kubo got way too into doing these kind of scenes for Aizen. I don't recall people being nearly that dramatic before the Arrancar Downfall Arc.
  • Pity their aging doesn't prove that Jinta and Ururu really were just humans. It's a shame they don't hang out with Karin and Yuzu. Do these two even show up again now?
  • If only this investigation actually went somewhere.
  • Ginjo's quite presumptuous here. He's right, unfortunately, because their family seems to suck at communication but what would he have done if the Kurosakis were actually straight with one another?
  • It's weird that what's basically just a shopping trip to make Karin's life easier as a medium gets blown out of proportion.
  • It would have been cool to learn that Karin and Yuzu had been training as Shinigami and were protecting Karakura in their brother's place. Even if they still never had anything to do with the main plot, just knowing that they were a part of the spirit world would have been interesting.
  • Those blank manga pages are now being used to details Keigo's numerous hairstyles over the timeskip.
  • Sad that Ichigo's cheerful attitude is what tells people that something's wrong with him.
  • Orihime's getting hot and bothered. I can't help but wonder what the reaction would have been if these two had hooked up over the timeskip and are just casually reintroduced to readers as boyfriend and girlfriend.
  • Does Uryuu think of spirit particle fluctuations specifically because he's comparing the movement to Quincy or because all such techniques involve spirit particles?
  • Girl, you so crazy.
  • I'm reminded that the we never got to see Sora in Soul Society even though we didn't have the parakeet kid show up. Sora would have been a more impactful character, tbh, though they could have both shown up as a part of the same 'family'.
  • IIRC, Karin's chest was a subject of conversation even then.
  • Man, humans with powers as the enemy sounds interesting...or it would a few hundred chapters ago. I stand by the idea that the Substitute Shinigami Arc should have been followed or continued with the equivalent of the Fullbring Arc.
  • You can freaking communicate. Don't call the suspicious guy who showed up just as something bad happens.
  • That's a ridiculous security procedure. Trouble from who exactly? I feel like that sequence was put in just to waste a page.
  • So did Isshin just got on a trip without telling anyone? That's not exactly responsible parenting. And what about the clinic?
  • This is the kind of setup the main characters should have gotten. A place of their own to meet up and deal with spiritual matters, probably with a training room in the basement. Teenagers with double lives should totally get their own hideout.
  • Chad's always got style.
  • The Fullbringers' soul manipulation is an interesting concept. Shikigami/Tsukumogami
  • Ichigo's tantrums are annoying as ever. Maybe it's unfair but it feels like he hasn't matured at all in the past year at all and these outbursts are like an annoying parallel to his reactions with Gin and Aizen.
  • Ginjo says that but their powers are more like a cross between a Shinigami and Quincy. Even if their origin from being attacked by Hollows is the same, it could be said that their naturally developed powers to oppose those Hollows.
  • Comparing Hollowfication to Fullbring would make more sense if there were any known consequences to the power. Ichigo has a second personality that tried to take over his body and couldn't lose himself to his destructive impulses. Fullbringers just are and it seems like their distaste is purely because they don't like the idea of it coming from a Hollow. Chad's powers are genuinely just like a Hollow and yet he has no such problems.
  • I guess that half-Shinigami, half-Human was meant to Ginjo who might had a bunch of different Fullbring if this was true. I wish we hadn't gotten into the whole 'this race is the opposite to this race'.
  • Yet Ichigo didn't make the slightest effort to regain that power. There's no indication that he even asked if there was a way to restore his power when Urahara and Isshin are both available and the only fighting he gets up to is incidents with thugs so he doesn't pursue that kind of lifestyle even as a human.
  • What good little sisters.
  • I miss the underground cave.
  • Dollhouse is such a lame ability. Seeing how its only the second Fullbring we're shown and the first one's ability we see, it's an incredibly underwhelming introduction to the primary powers of these main characters.
  • How NOT to train people with awaken a power they had literally only just heard of. It's also weird to assume that Ichigo would have a Fullbring at all; he may have had Hollow powers in the past but that doesn't mean that they would manifest like their own.
  • The object you love most? Gosh, that means Chad's Fullbring must be the medallion more valuable than his own life. Nothing else could possibly make sense.
  • That's messed up.
  • Time Tell No Lies isn't much better than Dollhouse. Out of all the ideas you could have with time manipulation, timers that trigger conditions sounds boring as hell.
  • Even today, Chad's spiritual powers being turned into a Fullbring is something I hate. At least they didn't try to ruin Orihime with that shit too.
  • This was a nice touch.
  • Heil!
  • Making a terrible power even worse.
  • Weird that he can hear voices when the badge never had any kind of communication device. Except it's Hollow warning. Maybe it's based on that.
  • Just like Riruka. They should hook up and never appear again.
  • Orihime just can't quite do the serious face thing.
  • Does that mean that there's no spiritual energy involved at all?
  • Ah, how quickly Orihime disappoints. Obviously Tsukishima's just meant to be that good and it's essentially an ambush but I'd like that stab require a bit more effort than a small distraction and quick step in.
  • Fake history is fake. The history itself is pretty flimsy anyway but it's the kind of thing you'd expect to be made sense of once when we learn more about Tsukishima's motivations and past. Oh well, it's not going to matter in the end.
  • Urahara's always been on the shady side but believing that he might be the enemy because of...what? His spiritually sensitive sister visiting Urahara's shop? His friends being attacked by an unknown assailant. Plus his dad was right there with him. If I didn't know better I'd wonder if someone had laid the mind whammy on Ichigo himself.
  • At least he's honest.
  • I don't see the point in Shishigawara. It feels like he's just taking up space.
  • The Dirty Boots are certainly than the other Fullbrings but still a bit too quirky for me; I'd have preferred earth manipulation myself which is a rare enough in this series.
  • Jackie says that as if Shinigami are somehow invulnerable to harm. A spirit body is just another kind of flesh and blood. Until now, there was no concern about Uryuu, Chad or Orihime's human body somehow being too fragile, at least anymore than the rest of the spiritual beings, general speaking.
  • This has got Ichigo vs Renji all over.
  • Damn right.
  • Chad hits the nail on the head.
  • This feels like another instance of Chad's ability being shoehorned as a Fullbring.
  • Back in black.
  • Though the shihakusho was the least important part of his bankai. Chad's powers might as well be classed as a clad-type too.
  • Oops.
  • Ichigo's been pulling out various Fullbringer tricks and yet Chad hasn't ever demonstrated anything similar.
  • More remarks about squishy Humans.
  • Ginjo's sword power is something I would have preferred as a technique for Ichigo.
  • Still lame. And by all that is holy, I hope that's not mucus.
  • Knowing that Ichigo beat Jackie down with a half-assed Fullbring after all her trash talk is pleasing.
  • Don't see why Chad couldn't help Ichigo in his training himself. Given that this was meant to Chad-centric and the friendship they shared, having Chad help him out with sparring would work.
  • If Yukio could do this, then what the point of using Riruka's Dollhouse? It works better as a training location in every way and saves time besides.
  • Well, you can't deny Orihime's commitment to Ichigo.
  • Perhaps you should speak to the person in question first and foremost. A lot of trouble would have been avoided if Isshin and Urahara had been upfront about their intentions.
  • Chad might as well just sit on his ass for all the good he does.
  • That should have been the start of something beautiful. That combination shields opens the possibility of at least three more techniques she could pull out the bag (offence/heal, heal/defence & attack/defence/heal) on top of the improvements she should have made to her basic three, and that's just the bare minimum of her potential abilities. Said belief is reinforced by Orihime and Chad's resolve. It's only natural to expect that they've finally grown enough to stand against the kind of opponents that they were helpless against previously and will be facing again in time. How frustrating to know the truth.
  • Those faces.
  • It certainly beats whining about your past in a life-and-death battle, eh, Riruka?
  • If Ichigo could sense Tsukishima but not Ginjo then it obviously isn't because it's not a zanpakuto and sure as hell doesn't have anything to do with trust. Why would he ever trust the people trying to kill him in the past? Dumbass.
  • Ichigo's naivety is embarrassing.
  • Dammit, Orihime, don't stop just because the enemy says not to bother. And if anyone could break out of something unbreakable, it should be you. I'd like to see her reject the whole damn dimension, tbh.
  • Weak ass provocation.
  • Funny that Chad looked perfectly alright. Needing someone else around to save you from your own power seems odd to me anyway.
  • Too right.
  • Just another day.
  • Whoa, Ichigo just did 1400 push-ups?
  • Doughnuts and hotdogs for breakfast just cuz.
  • More emphasis on Fullbringers relying on their physical body rather than spiritual energy. Pretty weird considering their abilities are about manipulating souls.
  • Given the result of this, Ginjo must be thinking of some rather unimpressive Shinigami as an example.
  • Aside from having too much white and that silly plating over his face, it's not a bad look. It should be more black than white, be a bit slimmer and should have a real mask over his face.
  • I quite like the sword though.
  • I'm sure Kubo genuinely forgot about giving it a name. Even if it was intended to be short lived, don't mention it if you're not gonna use it.
  • That's genuinely disturbing. And it only gets worse from there.
  • Ironic. Well, almost.
  • Good, good. Give in to the dark side.
  • What the hell is this place, seriously?
  • This would be the part where Ichigo names it. Of course, it would either be called "Zangetsu" or "Slaying Moon".
  • Ichigo vs Orihime & Chad should have been epic. But aside from Orihime blocking one attack and Chad throwing a couple punches, it's a really lackluster fight.
  • It's not often that Ichigo straight up loses his shit.
  • Looks relatively harmless. I guess that Giriko uses the numerals to set his timers.
  • A speedy Getsuga's pretty cool. Shame Zangetsu doesn't have two sword modes or something to fire different types.
  • I presume Ginjo needed to fuse his Shinigami badge with his Fullbring to make it possible to absorb Ichigo's Shinigami Fullbring.
  • Ah, so Ichigo did think about regaining his power. Yet there's still nothing to suggest he spoke to Urahara the smartest guy around or Isshin who had lost his powers and then regained them. Come on, dude.
  • Ma girl's back.
  • DEATHBERRY!!!
  • Straight face -_-
  • If Ginjo's assuming that, I suppose that means that he was a Human with a Shinigami parent as well. Even so, I can't help but wonder what the whole "stab in the heart" thing is originally meant for since I doubt Shinigami are taught it for the sake of empowering Humans.
  • I was so very disappointed to see Renji without the captain's haori the first time around. Also, this is where you can tell Hitsugaya is too damn popular as he's the one person that Ichigo didn't meet before the very end of the Soul Society and never fought at all. I like the guy but they've had like 2-3 interactions in total of little importance so he's just got no business being here.
  • That air pressure.
  • Heaven-Piercer, indeed.
  • Why assume the Fullbring has anything to do with it when Ichigo's just been restored to his original power and form? It's obvious that his basic abilities are going to change. And it's not like Ginjo has a proper benchmark to compare it to unless he'd somehow watched Ichigo's fights during the Arrancar Arc.
  • Bitchin' Getsuga Tensho!
  • So Ichigo's basically has random bits of metal welded onto his skin. Must look weird if he takes that top off.
  • Is something wrong with Kenpachi's neck? His head seems to be fixed at an odd angle.
  • If only they'd done this seventeen months ago after Ichigo (and Urahara) had just saved their asses.
  • So much for Chad and Orihime achieving anything.
  • Not something I paid attention to before but Xcution don't have very interesting character designs.
  • Just taking a walk.
  • ...What the fuck does that have to do with time?
  • Truer words.
  • Heh, that did amuse me.
  • To be fair, Ichigo was doing pretty well in the "resolved to kill" department.
  • One of the most boring fights in the manga.
  • The perfect enemy for Chad. If only.
  • It looks cool but it only so impressive when against these Fullbringers.
  • I'm going to assume Renji means actually killing a woman since he just smacked her so hard she can't move and he nearly Rukia cut up a few times once.
  • Yukio's comparison to god just makes me wish Orihime had been his enemy to tear his dimension apart from the inside out and even tear up some monsters. But after seeing this, now I think that Rukia would have been a good match instead of Hitsugaya who, as I said, shouldn't really have been there. Her abilities would allow her to accomplish the same thing where we wouldn't have to suffer her silly fight with Riruka. 
  • Isn't dying for Kenpachi his whole shtick? Can't imagine Kenpachi would care that much.
  • If this fight had never happened, I'd have liked to have seen this scene back during Ichigo vs Byakuya to give some earlier credence to Ichigo's analytical ability. He had the opportunity to experience it himself given how close he got to Byakuya in that battle.
  • This is not how you show Rukia is worthy of her new rank. Seriously.
  • Love me some banter.
  • Yes, we're back to the physical bow. Pity that Uryuu does little more than jack shit in this arc.
  • In other words, thanks for the memories.
  • That conviction.
  • No thanks, bro.
  • To be honest, this is perfectly reasonable on Soul Society's part.
  • The only thing I don't like about this bankai is the exaggerated end of the blade and the white robe beneath his coat. Make the sword's blade more like it used to be and replace the under robe with something like chest armour and it'd be cool.
  • Ichigo's Hollowfication should have looked something like that later, only without the stupid horn. As if his face was the mask rather than actually wearing a mask. If Zangetsu had always been the Hollow, that's kinda how I imagine he would have looked in bankai himself.
  • Another technique for Zangetsu though it's basically just Cero. Even so.
  • Nothing like grabbing your's enemy attack to show who's boss.
  • FATALITY!
  • All that talk about human's weak bodies and Tsukishima's running around with a god-damned, fist-sized hole in his torso.
  • Why do the two characters with the most important back story have theirs skipped when we're stuck with the others.
  • Sad bunch of losers.
  • I couldn't give a shit you mind raping sonuvabitch.
  • Don't mind me, just passing through.
  • That's really something that should have come up earlier.
  • FINAL ARC GET!!!
 

AoMythology

Apparently a report-er
Isshin didn't lose his powers to the Final Getsuga. He lost them to suppress his (future) wife's Hollow, because as a Quincy, she was weak to Hollow reiatsu. I think.
 
We know that now but Ichigo - and us readers at the time - had no idea that was the case as everything pointed to the Final Getsuga being the cause of his power loss up until the conclusion of the flashback in the Quincy Arc (or around there). Based on what knowledge did have, it would have been logical to investigate that but there wasn't even implied that Isshin had a different experience or that the method wouldn't work for Ichigo. It was just ignored which feels like a cop-out to me.
 
knight504 said:
We know that now but Ichigo - and us readers at the time - had no idea that was the case as everything pointed to the Final Getsuga being the cause of his power loss up until the conclusion of the flashback in the Quincy Arc (or around there). Based on what knowledge did have, it would have been logical to investigate that but there wasn't even implied that Isshin had a different experience or that the method wouldn't work for Ichigo. It was just ignored which feels like a cop-out to me.
Not to mention, it also felt like a retconned explanation much like the translation SNAFU with Aizen initially explaining Ichigo's family history as "shinigami and--" felt like a publication retcon.

And, hilariously enough, IT WAS A LIE IN THE END.
 
One Piece is too damn good distracting. Not sure how I'm gonna break this down since there's no anime format to follow but whatevs.

Thousand Year Blood War Arc: Part 1 (Chapter 480 - 514)
  • Ah, I remember how excited I was by the idea of Quincy antagonists.
  • Pity that the opening chapter was made so underwhelming by Kubo's bad habit of introducing unnecessary characters. It spends almost the whole chapter on these losers when we've just learned that the Quincy are back. At least bring an existing character such as Maki-Maki from the Soul Society Arc or even, and I say this knowing he shows up later anyway, Ganju who had decided to become a Shinigami after making peace with his brother's death and had quickly graduated from the Academy and become a seated officer. That would have been an interesting callback.
  • Increasing the number of personnel stationed in Karakura seems like a waste of resources considering the number of spiritually powerful being live in that area, Ichigo only being one of them.
  • Hollow bait, it has been too long. That would probably be quite a useful tool for training Shinigami. I wonder exactly how it manages to attract Hollows.
  • Feels like it's a been too long since we saw regular Hollows.
  • The first symptoms of the Living World and Soul Society falling apart from the looks of it. Though nothing really comes off the damage the Quincy are causing until the Spirit King goes down.
  • It's like those Shinigami were introduced purely for this scene. Honestly, you could have combined those first two chapters by just starting off in Karakura Town with Ichigo and co. saving local spirits from the Hollows attracted by the mysterious enemy's bait.
  • TEAM KARAKURA!!!
  • No-one likes it when someone stands up on your bed. It's just bad manners.
  • And so is going in through the window so you get what you deserve. Props to Ichigo going on the offensive in his human form and to Orihime for that nice bit of teamwork.
  • An Arrancar is an Arrancar is an Arrancar. I presume that they undergo some kind of mental conditioning to reject their Hollow selves but I don't believe this is ever expanded on.
  • I like how, from the very start, it's obvious that we aren't dealing with your typical bow and arrows.
  • That's honestly quite an underwhelming appearance. I blame the plain black masks.
  • But they've got balls at least.
  • This is the new kid's 2nd chapter cover. You'd think he was important.
  • Add this to the list of top quotes.
  • Does the lack of a zanpakuto mean that Arrancar sacrifice their Resurreccion to utility Quincy powers?
  • Rather than doing what he says, a better plan would be to defeat him without bankai and then interrogate him to learn his intentions. Bonus points if Ichigo pretended to go into bankai only to attack when the Arrancar's guard is down.
  • The entire sequence for stealing bankai was a lot more drawn out originally. It doesn't even look like he's trying to capture it so much as destroy. I think it works better like this rather than the instant capture later demonstrated as it makes seems like it's possible to avoid or defend against by escaping it range or stopping the spell.
  • That's quite the war declaration.
  • Given what's happens later, Chojiro did a rather piss poor job of explaining the bankai thing. How hard is it to just say "they can steal bankai"?
  • Even that sounds like he's destroying the bankai rather than stealing it but I guess that was a deliberate deception on Kubo's part.
  • I never liked the ice theme for the Vandenreich headquarters. I remember hoping that the Quincy had all escaped from Hell - or conquered it - to take vengeance on the Shinigami. Good times.
  • Supposedly all of those masked (heh) fellas were Arrancar then.
  • I recall being underwhelmed by Yhwach's trigger happy attitude. I was a poor first impression and he never really improved from there.
  • I forgot Chojiro wasn't the only casualty.
  • This implies that the barrier around Soul Society prevents unwanted entries such as a Hollow's Garganta. But the barrier supposedly isn't there most of them time anyway and didn't those Menos infiltrate Seireitei to rescue Aizen?
  • Hello again, little friend. I was always a little disappointed that Orihime never healed her mask after Aizen's army was defeated since it's the type of skill that should be within her abilities.
  • Yhwach's continues to disappoint with his shit talk.
  • So they weren't all Arrancars. Killing your own soldiers is in no way a good strategy. If nothing else, they would be useful as a vanguard in the offensive against Soul Society. I do like how he's building random constructs from reishi though.
  • If not for the supplementary material, we wouldn't even know Halibel was alive in the first place. Not that it matters because I don't recall her ever making another appearance so I'm not sure why they even bothered with her; I suppose her purpose was just to make a point about Yhwach's power and this is a more visible reminder than dust in the wind. I still think would have been the preferred Espada to keep as sticking with the other Arrancars in Hueco Mundo would fit his need for friends.
  • Didn't miss this guy.
  • Chojiro's bankai was a decent concept at heart but with terrible execution. The idea that the Captain-Commander's right-hand man had the ability to use bankai is perfectly fine in itself - makes more sense than Ikkaku for instance - but Chojiro is forever just that guy who got one-shotted by Ichigo and didn't even participate in the battle against the Arrancar. And having a bankai he deliberately never used in battle felt silly.
  • I wonder if Soul Society knew about the new status quo in Hueco Mundo. With the ability to travel with Garganta and the loss of the strongest Arrancar, it's a wonder that the Gotei 13 never took an offensive against Las Noches and then work on clearing out Hueco Mundo after they had recovered from the war (which didn't do much damage to them all told).
  • It'd have been cool to see Hueco Mundo when it was first invaded to give a glimpse of what life was like there after Aizen and to show the upcoming dangers of Quincies.
  • This makes it sounds like the reishi fire was really dangerous and important to their battle strategy but, aside from the entrance of the Sternritter later, the ability doesn't come up again. It could have at least been used to causing additional destruction to Soul Society though I suppose such power could overshadow The Heat.
  • Quilge was one of the better Sternritter, in my opinion.
  • I suppose these Arrancar must have been leftovers from Aizen's time since they'd otherwise be imperfect Arrancar who don't amount to much. Well, neither do these guys but you know what I mean.
  • Seeing these two bitches survive is just depressing. And they got trounced so effortlessly I can't even enjoy it; they should have released their zanpakuto instead of introducing themselves. I mean, they'd still get slapped down but at least they'd put in some effort.
  • Yeah, you do that, Nel.
  • Big them up all you like, kiddo. We know they're just fodder.
  • You mad?
  • We're wasting a bit too much time on the mystery of the missing Rukongai residents.
  • Mayuri's actions were arguably in the right in this scenario but Nemu saying that just tells you everything about her morality.
  • Fullbring's so lame it doesn't even get technique names.
  • A Quincy with a sword? What sorcery is this?!
  • At least Yhwach shows some savvy.
  • And so the mystery is solved. I'm not sure why they tried to trick everyone by disguising their actions, leading a waste of resources during a critical time, when they would have to report this action anyway. This could have been a way of putting Mayuri at odds with the reader once again in time for the Quincies since they would surely want to kill the man who had tortured and killed 2'661 Quincy over the past century in the most reprehensible of ways. At the time, it seemed a given that they would be gunning for him.
  • Suddenly there's history between the Shinigami and Quincy from a thousand years ago instead of two hundred years ago like you'd expect.
  • Star Knights being based on their Quincy Crosses, I guess.
  • Well, Uryuu's remarkably ignorant about the Quincy, to be honest. Nice catch anyway.
  • I don't think Uryuu's uniqueness is ever fully explained so this doesn't really go anywhere.
  • Funky looking angel.
  • Why the hell did his eyes change? I don't think that happens to anyone else.
  • Can't wait for Uryuu to bring out his new and improved Letzt Stile, yessir.
  • Ishida Souken's decision to reject the evolution of Quincy powers isn't explained either, I think. I presume it's because he believed in a future where Shinigami and Quincy worked together while these guys want to destroy them.
  • I wish we'd have learned the names of the other Vollsterndich (Vollstandig, wasn't it?). They weren't essential or an intrinsic part of the technique but it just seems lazy to exclude any.
  • Ayon says hey.
  • Where does Hueco Mundo fit into this equation, I wonder? The shadow of the Living World?
  • Being the target for an exposition speech would have been better suited for a Hanatarou reappearance rather than wasted on the new guys who I'm fairly sure never appears again after this battle.
  • So Yhwach can make their Blut more powerful. Though I don't recall any indication that he actually does so.
  • Odd that they didn't tie this ability into their bankai stealing given that what they steal becomes tied to their power.
  • That's a bit too broken and begs the question of why the other Sternritter didn't abuse the hell out of this ability. It'd be more reasonable if spiritual entities couldn't be affected by its power.
  • Terrible logic when the Wandenreich perfectly infiltrated Seireitei to make their war declaration in the first place.
  • So quick!
  • I'm reminded of Ichigo's assault on the three Lieutenants...if he was a cold-blooded killer. To be honest, everyone capable of it should have entered shikai as soon as the attack began.
  • Is that Askin beneath the hood? Why keep hiding?
  • Man, imagine if the Arrancar Arc had been like this.
  • This is the first indication of the Sternritters' Epithets. As the first one introduced, it's ridiculous how long it takes to learn what U stands for.
  • Way to insult all the Shinigami ladies, Komamura. That statement would make more sense if she at least looked like a kid.
  • It's Hierro all over again. Why does everyone else get super hard bodies?
  • Fucking. Idiots. Words can't express the level of stupidity displayed here. Their first instinct should have been to contact each other with this place with one of the Captains making the sacrifice to gather more information. Hell, they should have planned this from the start during that meeting they had. Among these four, Soi Fon would have been the best choice as she's a professional scout and is the most capable of fighting enemies without a bankai. As it is, this scene would have made more sense if the Shinigami didn't know that the Quincy could do anything to their bankai such as if the Overkill had ensured that Chojiro was dead first before sending his corpse flying as a warning message.
  • This is what I mean by how fast the bankai theft became later. The difference between those two scenes is ridiculously extreme and removes any means of defence aside from not using bankai in the first place. Obviously this is meant to be the difference between a Quincy knock-off and the real thing but I'd have preferred something closer to the original.
  • Hitsugaya's panic attack doesn't make much sense since we know their zanpakuto are still fully capable of shikai. I suppose it would work if we were told that their zanpakuto spirit was actually damaged by the theft which temporarily messed them up.
  • Better late than never. But it's a sad day when I agree with Mayuri.
  • We learn the name of mustache's Vollsterndich before his own or even his Epithet. Its release is disappointingly tame in comparison to Quilge's unfortunately.
  • Well, Ichigo's got friends in odd places. Shame they never took the Vizards to Hueco Mundo though as their air would have been good for them.
  • With two letters being revealed so far, we can guess that there are still 10 Sternritter who haven't even appeared in Seireitei yet. Though 16 Sternritter already outnumbers the Gotei 13.
  • And yet Blut only gets passing mentions from here on out so so much for strategy.
  • Nostalgic. Quilge is probably one of my favorite Sternritter simply because he fights exactly like you'd expect a powerful Quincy to fight and even his Epiphet is fairly reasonable.
  • Those are some handy tools.
  • That's the second time a gate guardian's been mind controlled into hurting the good guys. But the mind control we're shown with Jidanbou and here doesn't really match what we know the cause to be. I'm glad we not forced to see that horrendous character just yet but I don't think Kubo had full settled on what his power should be. Also, I'm disappointed that they're attacking the science division but there's no indication anyone's going after Mayuri.
  • Traumatic.
  • It's ridiculous how long it took to get confirmation for this.
  • Creepy as fuck. As Nodt in a nutshell.
  • Here's Byakuya getting utterly freaking wrecked.
  • After watching all the Captains getting beaten down, this was a nice change of pace.
  • It would have been nice if all the Sternritter had had such clear cut introductions.
  • Unfortunately this was the part where it became obvious that the Epithets were going to be random ass powers rather than logical extensions of being Quincy. Do we even get a proper explanation how these weird powers even manifest?
  • Where's your mask, Ichigo? There's genuinely no reason that he wouldn't think to Hollowfy when he's desperate to escape and needs to use all of his power to do so. But the thought doesn't cross his mind. And the only reason that should happen if he can't Hollowfy yet there's no explanation for why he wouldn't be able to before or after this point. It's just treated as if the possibility doesn't exist without any attempt to justify its absence.
  • The boss has entered the building.
  • Seriously, why master bankai just to never use it for 2'000 years? The fact that it's so powerful it's being compared to Hyourinmaru just makes it worse. Christ, it was strong enough to wound Yamamoto and Chojiro swore he perfect it for the rest of his life specifically to be useful to him. It's bug me enough that it's difficult  to appreciate the relationship that Kubo's trying to portray here.
  • Driscoll couldn't handle the heat.
  • Gremmy's imaginary meteor wasn't the first one to appear in Soul Society, no sir.
  • Kenpachi getting smacked down was fitting, I think. Firstly because his opponents were ones that matched up well against his own skills and secondly because he was always strong enough to win (or draw) without putting in much effort to get there. Being overwhelmed like this against an understandably powerful opponent struck me as a good opportunity for growth on Kenpachi's part.
  • The Captain-Commander has landed. And he mad.
  • I guess Rose got bitchslapped off-screen then since the U was facing off against him originally.
  • Zanka no Tachi!!!
  • If only that were true, Yamamoto. It's far more interesting than just being a matter of power. It's also a shame that the mention of Ichigo's evolution doesn't go anywhere since he ends up going in a completely different direction for all the wrong reasons.
  • Of course, unnecessarily revealing his last skill in light of his belief is just stupid. Even if Yhwach was killed, there's still an army of Sternrriter and Jugram himself is literally just watching the entire battle.
  • That "oh shit" moment.
  • When the Wandenreichi's history starts to get confusing.
  • Not sure why there couldn't have just been the one Yourself who copies all of that. Though it's impressive that Royd was strong enough to trounce Kenpachi with his own power.
  • Firing arrows without the bows was badass.
  • The worst death scene ever. It's just so ridiculously anti-climactic after everything that had led up to it with Yamamoto just standing there while Ywach goes through the most elaborate act of unsheathing his sword as if losing his bankai made him utterly helpless and freaking immobile. This should have been where Yamamoto engages in an epic but futile struggle weakened from the use and loss of his bankai but defiant nevertheless, against Yhwach who, at this early stage, fights with only the basic skills of a Quincy but taken the greatest heights e.g. he doesn't drop a sword-arrow from the sky just to cut down Yamamoto, he makes arrows fall like a goddamn rainstorm against the Captain-Commander's fiery charge.
  • The revelation that the Gotei 13 were originally just a group of killers was actually a nice twist in my mind as they were always thought to have started out as protectors of the realm from the beginning. It's a damn shame we never saw the founders of the organization in a flashback.
  • Quincy mooks are so much better than Shinigami mooks.
  • Akon's a pretty cool guy for a side character.
  • One of those Bleach mini-novels gave Shaz Domino the ability of regeneration by absorbing reishi and was a creation of Gremmy known as V for Viability. That actually sounds like a legit Epithet I would have been happy to see in canon (until things get dragged out with too many chapters spent on a character that just doesn't die). It probably would have more reasonable than The Miracle.
  • This scene with Byakuya was beautiful to read
  • *snap*
  • Yet another anti-climax followed by the moment Kubo ruined Ichigo (again?).
 

Knyght

The Collector
Thousand Year Blood War Arc: Part 2 (Chapter 514 - 546)
  • As the only founding members of the Gotei 13 still part of the organisation, I would have liked to have seen some connection between Yamamoto and Unohana.
  • More like Ichigo distracted Yhwach for a couple of minutes who then returned home on schedule. Ichigo's actually being fairly honest there.
  • Goddamn cop-out. It's a travesty that Kubo put so much effort into what I found to be a genuinely touching farewell for Byakuya only to waste it.
  • One of my most hated retcons.
  • Ryuumon Houzukimaru wasn't exactly powerful in the first place so that's not saying much.
  • I guess Zabimaru's head has an auto repair feature.
  • Kon returns...for some reason. Not sure why they bothered bringing him. The scene with the video conference could have been done with Ichigo's phone or something.
  • Weakening the Spirit King's protection when Seireitei's attacked strikes me as a design flaw.
  • I liked the revelation the the Zero Division only consists of five Shinigami rather than actual divisions.
  • Pity they don't live up to the hype.
  • I'm usually a fan of nicknames but just giving them to the characters who are hidden away near the Royal Palace seems a waste.
  • Cuz you can't heal the dead, bro.
  • The Spirit King gives orders? It seemed more like a statue from what I remember.
  • Soi Fon is far to prone to childish outbursts. Can't blame her for being pissed off though.
  • Those hands don't get much of an explanation from what I recall. I expected them just to be her shikai but the Zeroes using random abilities instead of their zanpakuto was an annoying habit of theirs.
  • Scenes like this (and this earlier one) make it rather jarring to learn who Unohana once was and there's not much to bridge the gap between the two sides of her characters.
  • Or you could end up with something entirely different cuz this train is about to go off the rails.
  • That's one dumbass design flaw. The whole thing was just a weak method of briefly reintroducing Kuukaku (with implications regarding his family) and those literally the worst possible Fullbringers they could bring back into the story. Tsukishima's the only one I remember doing anything anyway. It'd have been interesting if the Shiba Clan has ties to the Quincy - perhaps being heavily involved in the massacre 200 years ago - and the events led to them becoming a fallen noble house in the first place
  • A weird way of saying that Aizen was going to turn himself into a Ouken, I guess.
  • If they have entire cities to themselves then they must be pretty barren places. Who else would end up living there if there are only five members in the division?
  • Sexy times. And peaches!
  • surprisingly disappointing character design from what little is shown here.
  • Like those rocket tubes, another silly design flaw.
  • To be honest, it just sounds like anyone of lieutenant-class and above could bathe in there rather than those guys being particularly special.
  • I still enjoy those little moments that big up the protagonist. That said, I think Kubo was definitely going in a different direction with Spirit King or, rather, I think he actually had a direction once and then completely lost sight of it. It seems like Ichigo was originally meant to meet the King before ever leaving the realm.
  • To be honest, Kenpachi doesn't particularly learn any zanjutsu from what we saw. And stopping Yamamoto from teaching Zaraki to control him is a pretty weak plan when it was only his disinterest that stopped him from continuing to learn of his own initiative.
  • KENPACHI YACHIRU!!!
  • As epic as that reveal is, having reread the manga I can say that there's practically no foreshadowing for Unohana Retsu being "Kenpachi" or "Yachiru". She shows no enthusiasm for battle or even the slightest willingness to fight, spends her entire time as a healer who seems like the most pacific character in the whole manga and not once is there any indication of their being any connection between herself and Zaraki who I don't recall even appearing in the same scene (barring captain meetings). What makes it worse is that in an interview, Kubo states that "In the Soul Society arc, the name Yachiru was meant for Unohana." Knowing who she was from the beginning but giving the readers knowing seems negligent.
  • The summary of Kon's existence.
  • Honestly, Renji feels like a better friend to Ichigo than Chad most of the time.
  • From blubber to babe.
  • There's another mention of Soul Society's million year history. Yet we only hear about the last 2'000 years at best.
  • If using spiritual pressure keeps you fit - shouldn't that be spiritual energy? The terms are confusing - then it's a wonder that there have any fat people in Seireitei. Yeah, I'm looking at you Omaeda.
  • Kon's here and yet there's not even the slightest mention of actual mod souls.
  • That moment when Kubo start to spoil zanpakuto for me. Though I was at least expecting an explanation for the Sokyoku's creation if we're in the Phoenix Palace of all places.
  • Instant character hate. At least Killer B redeemed his shitty rapping by being a genuine badass.
  • Ichigo's paranoia is much appreciated.
  • It's almost impressive how the highest collection of zanpakuto spirits in the manga are a bunch of hot yet generic women (and men). This scene have looked like art from the anime's Zanpakuto Rebellion Arc with beings of all shapes, sizes and forms filling the palace.
  • Christ, I never realised the asauchi had mouths for eyes. I always thought their eyes looking fucking weird but could never tell why. Personally, I would have made them eyeless with just a hungry mouth instead.
  • Oetsu says all that but I think he ever says how they should think of their zanpakuto, only how they shouldn't. It doesn't exactly help clarify things.
  • Seriously, I thought that thing was crying before and now it turns out it was just drooling. What the actual fuck?
  • Here Zaraki talks to Unohana as if he knew who she was all along. So why was there no indication of this beforehand?
  • shivers
  • Unohana's language works a lot better with the Viz translation as it sounds more like herself from up till now. Compare with the Mangastream translation. Also, that scar was the reason that Kubo deliberately never showed Unohana's chest on the bikini color page for all the girls.
  • Yamamoto recruiting Unohana to his cause and her as a criminal is something I'd liked to have seen.
  • Gosh, maybe you should have kept a healer around then.
  • In that same interview, Kubo mentioned that Isane knew who Unohana really was which is why she would have her hair down in Isane's presence at the end of the Soul Society Arc. That and the bikini thing are practically the only 'foreshadowing' we get about this.
  • Too bad that Zaraki doesn't exactly make any changes there even after this fight.
  • When I started to realise that Zaraki's developent wasn't going to go in a direction I'd like...
  • Now that was a very surprising thing to see. Though a bit bitter given the reason he lost to her in the first place as revealed soon after.
  • Such a morbidly amusing scene. When you kill enough then the piles of corpses just all blur together, I guess.
  • What bugs me about this is that it isn't about Zaraki becoming more skilled at zanjutsu, it's just that his power keeps increasing which raises his natural abilities enough to adapt to Unohana. It's like when Ichigo was fighting Renji and unconsciously let his spiritual pressure explode, making him so fast and strong that Renji couldn't keep up anymore.
  • Exactly what I was hoping Kubo wouldn't do to Zaraki. The idea of Zaraki returning to his original strength instead of actually growing stronger leaves a bad taste in my mouth.
  • And then Unohana being weaker than Zaraki as a child several hundred years ago just ruins it all.
  • Why does everyone forget about Yamamoto? Same thing happened when Kenpachi was originally introduced as "the strongest Shinigami".
  • My original hope was that Unohana would use this extreme training to practically burn all of her skills into Zaraki's body, forcing him to match and replicate the countless styles she had mastered to try and overcome her.
  • If only you used those mad healing skills at the end of this fight. I guess she had completely exhausted herself by that point since they were fighting for several days.
  • Rape face galore.
  • I'm just going assume that Unohana's bankai is a state of constant destruction and regeneration until one party can't fight any more.
  • She appears to have learned healing after her battle with Zaraki and yet appeared to have completely stopped fighting despite learning it for the sake of enjoying it even more. It would have made more sense if she had essentially put away her sword and had devoted herself to healing until it was necessary to train Zaraki.
  • Except there are like another ten Kenpachi before Zaraki ever becomes one for some reason. Why she apparently just left him there, I have no idea.
  • Imagine the children.
  • How sad that her purpose in life was to die by Zaraki's hand.
  • This scene would make so much more sense if Yachiru was standing right beside his sword because the complete dissonance between hearing from Nozarashi now and seeing Yachiru later makes no sense. I'm talking a double-page spread with Yachiru transformed into her real self (whatever that would be) instead of the Shinigami child as she finally reveals her true name.
  • Did Isshin just leave his son's body out in the rain then? I've no clue how Ichigo's outside but back in his human body at the same time.
  • Isshin/Ikumi ftw. If it weren't for that damn Kaoru...
  • I think you're a few years late to be honest but whatever.
  • Because being a Human/Shinigami/Hollow/Fullbringer just isn't enough for some kids.
  • And the moment where Kubo totally ruined zanpakuto for me. The idea that Shinigami weren't ever able to awaken their own innate power with this guy's invention was just so goddamn lame. I wouldn't have minded so much if we'd been told this at the beginning as it would just be like Harry Potter wizards needing a wand but we were left with the belief that Shinigami could manifest zanpakuto himself (which one of the databooks actually, IIRC) and asauchi were just handy tools to help the process. Instead they're an absolute requirement which I really don't like. I don't even like the needs for wands in Harry Potter, tbh.
  • But you still made him spend three days fighting the damn things.
  • Tantalizing hints about the Shiba Clan but nothing more. It isn't even clear if they've been disgraced yet. And if they aren't, how exactly does it fall apart in the next twenty years?
  • Shame we never got to see the three interact in the present.
  • Shinji? Not Urahara? Curious.
  • I chuckled.
  • The resemblance to Orihime is so very strong.
  • Such eagerness.
  • Serious Isshin.
  • Shame Ichigo never gets armoured up like that.
  • I've never quite got why it bothered Isshin that it was black. Are multi-coloured bodies just an innate characteristics of your standard Hollow?
  • I wonder what Mixed Breeds and Pure Breeds mean specifically.
  • Spirit Armour sounds badass enough that I want to see it in action. Actually it must be pretty special when Quincy had Blut Vene for defence.
  • That's kind of like saying that Soul Society knows about all the Adjuchas and Vasto Lorde which they really don't. It's odd that the thought of a Vasto Lorde never even crosses Isshin's mind considering it's appearance and power.
  • ENGETSU!!! I like to think that it's basically a permanent version of when Ichigo wraps a Getsuga around his sword.
  • The lack of bankai was a pain in the ass especially when we're given the impression that it's dangerous and thus must be powerful. I wonder, does Isshin have his powers limited or was the seal bypassed because it was an unauthorized leave?
  • Now is that trick because blood is just an automatic enhancement (like with Gran Rey Cero) or is it related to the burden Engetsu inflicts on Isshin's body?
  • Masaki is suddenly one badass mother-to-be.
  • We didn't even get to see the full armour...
  • Aizen implying that everything isn't in the palm of his hand now and always? Wonders never cease.
  • Ouch.
  • It's ironic that most of the info about Hollowfication comes along long after it had a significant role in the story. And it bugs me that the Vizards being saved had jack shit to do with the Hogyoku despite Aizen's assumptions...but that also means that I'm free to believe that Aizen was full of crap about everything to do with the Hogyoku wish giving powers. Which is fine by me.
  • Hero time.
  • Isshin's Getsuga Tensho still confuses the hell out of me because the one time that he's clearly in shikai is the one time that he never uses it.
  • Things that a son never wants to learn about their mother.
  • Dat romance.
  • I guess Isshin's reishi binding contributed to White Zangetsu being suppressed by Old Man Zangetsu.
  • And yet this fundamental Quincy power is never heard of before this arc despite overshadowing practically every other ability seen so far.
  • Hello, game face.
  • "I'm not your dad, I'm you boss."
  • Uryuu's betrayal should have had more build-up. Literally the last time we saw him he was just chilling in Ichigo's bedroom and all he knows is that Quincy have attacked Hueco Mundo. He shows no indication that he's planning to do anything about it and isn't even concerned by the sudden appearance of the Quincy. Somewhere between now and then, there should have been a scene where Uryuu is confronted by a group of Quincy or something.
  • "Holy shit, Ichigo just vanished!"
  • Know thyself.
  • What a goddamn waste of chapter space this turned out to be.
  • Tousen was the one who cut Kensei down along with his man on the night he was turned into a Hollow. He's got every right. And Tousen was a dick.
  • Bleach's oddest back story.
  • Of all the goddamn characters we could spend time on...
  • I take it that Soifon is training literally on top of a mountain peak because merely doing handstand push-ups - even one-handed - doesn't seem like much with the superhuman strength of a Shinigami. The scene would be improved and better related to her future fight if she was shown training Shunko instead.
  • What clan? Who the hell are you people?!
  • Imagine Ichigo seeing that face when he first entered his inner world. He would have freaked the hell out. But what happened to Hichigo's personality? Because he might as well be a mannequin in this arc for all the involvement he has.
  • Da fuq are you guys? More zanpakuto, I guess, but we're literally introducing five more characters - four, technically - just to watch Oetsu reforge Ichigo's sword when he might as well have done the entire thing himself for all the difference their presence makes to the story.
  • Way to completely overturn everything we thought we knew about Ichigo's powers in a single chapter. I stand by the belief that Hichigo being Zangetsu from the very beginning would have been awesome but, as is, I wish things had just been with left with Hichigo as his Hollow power and Zangetsu as his Shinigami power.
  • Goodbye, game face.
  • Like Bankai!...oh wait.
  • Ichigo would have been the perfect specimen of a Shinigami/Hollow hybrid if OMZ hadn't interfered.
  • Ichigo vs Kenpachi became a whole lot less enjoyable. Retroactively deciding to make events that were perfectly reasonable at the time into foreshadowing for this feels more forced than clever. All the crap about zanpakuto we learned in the fight seems pointless now.
  • Well, that's nice at least.
  • The implications of this scene were pretty hype - though falls a little flat when Ichigo had already reached the absolute pinnacle against Aizen - but Ichigo didn't follow through on this at all. It also begs the question of what Ichigo would have been like without OMZ making things difficult considering he was already remarkably powerful and talented with just a fragment of his ability. How fast would he grown? What would his zanpakuto have looked like? How would he have interacted with its spirit?
  • Even knowing that Ichigo learns to use them properly, the two-bladed zanpakuto still just never worked for me. They should have just merged into one being and one sword.
  • Once again, everything we knew about zanpakuto feels like it just got tossed out of the window. I get the idea that the zanpakuto is essentially just another version of yourself but deciding to fight by yourself being the right answer to using them seems to defeat the whole purpose of having that spirit in the first place.
  • Damn if Uryuu don't look good.
  • Why would Yhwach ever need a successor?
  • Don't be coy, Kubo. Just tell me their powers. Shit like that is why we never find out what K stands for.
  • I personally believed that Jugram's B stood for The Blade - like a super Seele Schneider - to justify being the only guy to ever damage Ichigo's bankai, particularly with just a single swipe.
  • What the hell is that thing? It doesn't have anything to do with Askin or Pepe. That little scene is the reason Askin was suspected to be The Door or The Distortion which, frankly, I'd have preferred for either character.
  • Schrift...I forgot they were called that.
  • Uryuu's survival and hidden power is never expanded on sadly. The only power he displays is the one granted by Yhwach himself.
  • Poor bastard. Seriously, I just feel so sorry for that guy.
  • The Bitchritters!
  • Who's that and what the hell is up with her eyes?
  • Where do the ruins of Hueco Mundo come from?
  • More teasing. Sigh.
  • Shutara's clothing seems like the most pointless of part of this entire exercise but I don't really remember what her clothes are meant to do.
  • There's a lot of other Shinigami would benefit from this to be honest. Seems a waste just to use it for these guys.
  • You'd think the breakdown of dimensions would be treated a little more seriously.
  • Ichigo's still lying to his sisters...actually he probably never even said he was leaving. Probably Isshin's idea.
  • Keigo's a good friend.
  • This gives the impression that Kubo had a different ending in mind for Ichigo then went for a generic happy ending.
  • Yeah, no, that's not happening.
  • Wait, where's Rukongai? That wall only covers Seireitei.
  • Countdown to the end.
 

AoMythology

Apparently a report-er
If using spiritual pressure keeps you fit - shouldn't that be spiritual energy? The terms are confusing - then it's a wonder that there have any fat people in Seireitei. Yeah, I'm looking at you Omaeda.
Yes, the terms seem interchangeable sometimes.

As for Kirio, she might be like the Akimichi of ''Naruto", and infuse extra power by sacrificing her fat stores.
 

AoMythology

Apparently a report-er
atlas_hugged said:
knight504 said:
This gives the impression that Kubo had a different ending in mind for Ichigo then went for a generic happy ending.
I'm sure the ending Kubo had in mind changed from chapter to chapter.
QFT
 

Knyght

The Collector
Truer words.

AoMythology said:
If using spiritual pressure keeps you fit - shouldn't that be spiritual energy? The terms are confusing - then it's a wonder that there have any fat people in Seireitei. Yeah, I'm looking at you Omaeda.
Yes, the terms seem interchangeable sometimes.

As for Kirio, she might be like the Akimichi of ''Naruto", and infuse extra power by sacrificing her fat stores.
Probably. She bulks up pretty damn fast too.
 

Knyght

The Collector
The Thousand Year Blood War Arc: Part 3 (Chapter 547 - 581)
  • I just noticed that that hollow bit could be useful for quick maneuvering like Ginjo's sword.
  • I can appreciate the Quincy's strategic domination over the Shinigami here.
  • Ukitake's surprisingly useless in this war considering his shikai (and presumably his bankai) should be well suited for fighting Quincies with his energy redirection. What's up the bath anyway? Is it one of those healing springs?
  • It's a clever idea.
  • Nice outfit...for Nemu, that is.
  • There's absolutely nothing that could make me give a fuck about Omaeda. That's the kind of scene I would have liked to have seen Ichigo with his sisters.
  • Revealing The Heat would have been the time to reintroduce the reishi fires burning in Hueco Mundo and got into some details about what makes them so dangerous.
  • When Kubo ruins Hyourinmaru. It's not as if the idea that the shikai produces less ice than the bankai was ever wrong, it's just the way that it's implied that Hyourinmaru is some weak-ass shikai because it can only produce piddling amounts of ice. I mean, we're talking about a zanpakuto that created a huge dragon of ice when first revealed, changed the goddamn weather and nearly killed a vice captain just because they happened to be in the area.
  • In other news, Hitsugaya and Matsumoto working on co-op techniques was nice.
  • Still don't care.
  • A mini-gun? Best Quincy weapon so far.
  • Shouldn't BG9 know that Soifon had perfected Shunko considering this happened two years ago when they've basically been spying on Shinigami for a millennium? And it says that she perfected it yet she never even attempted to use the ability any time before now. It was understandably assumed that she didn't use it specifically because she hadn't mastered it yet.
  • Soifon's Shunko is damn cool but I don't like how it's name conflicts with the two other versions we see later on as I prefer consistency. And seeing how no-one ever comments on the Shunko having a time limit or using it for an extended period, being able to maintain it doesn't feel like that much of a big deal.
  • Check the body, guys. Come on!
  • Seeing as the "data analysis" power belongs to someone else, my headcanon is that BG9 is The Kaleidoscope for the changing arrangement of weaponry his body is made from.
  • Unfortunately, the only fire type powers I'm interested in at this point are Love's bankai and Yhwach uses Zanka no Tachi. Neither of which ever happen, ironically enough.
  • I'd have liked to have seen Nanao's mad kido skills outside of just building a wall.
  • The number of techniques Hitsugaya gets to have is crazy. At least his abilities are center around his zanpakuto unlike various other characters who whip out random powers.
  • That's not a great strategy. Sure it has some psychological warfare but it's not as effective as immediately after the bankai was stolen and it means using unfamiliar abilities they've only just acquired against the people who would know their limitations better than anyone.
  • Cang Du...the Chinese-style Quincy with a weapon suited for martial arts and a power that hardens the body. In what world does it make sense for him not to be fighting Soifon?
  • Urahara fucking with Mayuri like this just goes to show which is the better character.
  • It shows a image of whatshisface from Ichigo's room but that guy (and the other one who got murdered) weren't even shown with a zanpakuto so he doesn't work as a very good example.
  • Wait, did Mayuri seriously not know about the Quincy's weakness to Hollows? After experimenting on thousands of them?
  • More information about the Quincy that should have come about long ago. Hell, since this is Urahara explaining this then it could have been brought up when he first did the exposition for their people. Furthermore this information should make it very clear that the Vizards should be a major threat to the Sternritter with their Hollowfication yet the ability never comes up again.
  • Convenient that the pill has a negative impact even when the bankai is just inside the medallion and not even in use.
  • Where's my hollowfied Jakuho Raikoben?
  • A few days of training with someone else's bankai really doesn't mean shit.
  • So Hyourinmaru going silent continued up until now. Not sure whether that means that the zanpakuto spirit gets stolen (but then how could he use shikai?) or if it just lost the ability to communicate after having a part of itself stolen. And Hitsugaya can apparently invent brand new techniques without involving Hyourinmaru at all even though the original idea was that zanpakuto teach their wielders.
  • Hollow Hyourinmaru! Undoubtedly this is the preview of Ichigo's own hollowfied bankai...
  • That's a big boom.
  • A gift from who? His dad called him out for hiding his face behind a helmet in the first place and it also a giant dog so having body armour available seems odd. Armour is something more Shinigami should wear in general, especially everyone who isn't a super soldier.
  • Shinji just can't fucking learn from his mistakes. He could at least just attack instead of chatting away once the effect takes place.
  • And this would be a good time to go bankai yourself...
  • I can hear Aladdin music in the background. I'm glad Ichigo wrapped up those sword handles since they looked pretty half-assed before.
  • ...I suppose they aren't sending the rocket down to prevent it being used by the Quincy to try and infiltrate the palace with it. Damned if it doesn't feel like a deliberate time waster though. They should just make the thing self-destruct upon landing or something.
  • Don't worry, Ichigo will let you down soon enough.
  • And Shinji's down like the bitch he is.
  • Well, they were technically ordered to finish the fight in an instant so Bambi's doing exactly what she's meant to.
  • These Schrift's are awkward as hell when used in a sentence.
  • I wish Komamura had always looked like this as I never liked his character design as a wolfman and really vague history we're given just made it worse. In that interview I mentioned, Kubo says that he originally designed Komamura to transform from a human to a beast rather than the alternative. That could have worked as a transformation-type zanpakuto, whether his shikai and bankai turned him into a beast or if his shikai was merely based on an animal and his bankai actually turned him into one.
  • DANGAI JOUE!!!
  • Honestly, this could have been an epic ultimate technique for Komamura without bringing in the human transformation gimmick. By removing his armour and laying it power bare, he concentrates all of his power into destructive force in exchange to making himself extremely vulnerable. However any damage inflicted on the giant wouldn't have any effect on Komamura until the short-lived bankai had been expanded, meaning that he could fight without injury or distraction but would then suffer the consequences once the battle is over.
  • Komamura may not be dead but that is one tragic ending.
  • You already know this is gonna be fucked up.
  • Is there any point to this stand-off? They've literally just standing around and wasting time instead of actually dealing with the enemy.
  • More clever planning for the Quincy. They're kind of hit-and-miss. And it just makes me wish that the battle with the Espada had been something closer to this like if the Arrancar has actually assaulted Soul Society itself, attacking the souls in Rukongai first to force the Shinigami out from behind their walls.
  • One of those abstract powers Kubo becomes overly fond of, IIRC.
  • This would be the moment that Hisagi should have used bankai. It would obviously fail miserably but that's no reason not to show what it can do when he explicitly trained for it.
  • Major Armstrong enters the battle! But this is another character that I think would have been the ideal opponent for Chad if Kubo had bothered to utilize him correctly. The man a goddamn luchador and his heroic beliefs would make Chad a fitting counterpoint as his Hollow powers make him a suitable "villain".
  • Tekken Tachikaze is one of my favourite bankai. Only thing that bothers me is that it has wind in the name but no indication that its powers are remotely wind-based.
  • The Superstar, on the other hand, is one of the dumber powers. But Mask compensates for that by genuinely being quite a badass so I actually like him.
  • Nicely brutal.
  • So another one of the Vizard's has a sense-type power. He should have team with Shinji against Aizen.
  • Renji's shikai actually being useful feels like a very rare thing.
  • Why do they get shades but not Ichigo? Ichigo even has a zanpakuto spirit with shades.
  • Renji being the top dog makes a refreshing change.
  • James is weird. Was he made from The Superstar or just some weird dwarf that hangs around for this specific purpose.
  • Not the last time we see such a transformation sadly.
  • Hihiou Zabimaru being a lie is one of the worst retcons of this arcs. Kubo doesn't even make the slightest attempt to justify this as if he just decided that he didn't like the original bankai and wanted to change it on a whim. Yet, if Kubo had ever actually planned this, it would have been so easy to foreshadow back in the day when Renji went out of his way to learn bankai during the Soul Society Arc. Reaching the level of skill required to use the full power of bankai would have been something to look forward rather than just dropped on us out of nowhere.
  • That power is random as hell. But if anyone should have had the ability to know the name of zanpakuto then it's Oetsu who makes the damn things and even know where every single one is.
  • What makes this bankai retcon even worse is that the priest literally just tells him the real name. Renji doesn't earn his bankai's true name for Zabimaru, it just conveniently gets it handed to him by a stranger.
  • SO-OH ZABIMARU!!! Don't let it be said that I actually dislike this bankai but that'd be untrue. I just hate the circumstances of its creation.
  • Gee, maybe you should steal it with your anti-bankai medallion. It would, at the very least, disarm Renji for some time.
  • Being able to switch between Baboon King and Snake King was a definite improvement from the original as Hihio Zabimaru always seemed far too vulnerable at close range, like if Zabimaru was stuck in whip mode and couldn't retract. Unfortunately, I was hoping to see that Snake King could replicate the same appearance and abilities as his original bankai otherwise it meant that all of his previous bankai training went to waste by mastering a skill that he no longer uses. And then Baboon King would have its own equivalent as well which he could switch between or stay in this in-between state for better balance.
  • Yhwach's power granting ability seems like a much more suitable example of The Almighty than the future seeing/changing bullshit he gets later.
  • I guess James was part of the power.
  • Can't say I understand the Father of the Quincies/Mask of the Ruler business at all.
  • This shows Byakuya and Komamura - and presumably Hitsugaya and Soifon fall under this category - but I don't remember anything happened to them in relation to this.
  • Earlier Jugram was saying that Yhwach hates conflict and wants to end things as quickly as possible. I don't see the point of saying that when the truth is the exact opposite and he's got no problem admitting it. And I still don't get the point of a successor with Yhwach able to extend his life like this.
  • Another irrelevant scene. Sure, it implies what Nanana's ability is but it doesn't matter until so much later.
  • Healing barrier. Nifty.
  • "My fear does not enter through wounds." Of course not. That would be too reasonable.
  • We have literally just been through this with Komamura.
  • Sode no Shirayuki's freezing would have made much more sense if it had been treated as the Last Dance of her shikai. I don't get why Kubo thought it'd be a good idea to redefine the basic nature of her zanpakuto to give her a new power because it makes Rukia look way too ignorant about her own weapon. It's like if Hitsugaya had only just realized that Hyourinmaru can shoot ice dragons.
  • Firstly, the mention of reishi makes this sounds more like a Quincy power - The Undead could have been a thing - considering that's literally what they are all about. Secondly, rather than use pseudo-science they could have just said that Shirayuki preserves her life and keeps her mobile as a part of its power. It felt like they were making it more complicated than it needed to be when the last guy was able to somehow rip out his own heart and turn into a human with even less of a logical explanation than what we have here.
  • One of those moments when someone says something that sounds quite profound on the surface but doesn't actually explain anything. It should have just been Senbonzakura Kageyoshi but I guess it was necessary to make it look like Byakuya had improved without his bankai as well. My interpretation of this is that Byakuya's control over Senbonzakura increases so that the speed and force of the blades was improved enough that its mimicked his bankai's effectiveness. No idea if that's really the case but that's what I'm sticking with.
  • That was a nice scene between siblings.
  • Once again, fear is treated as a negative.
  • I used to think that As Nodt's transformation just came out of nowhere but considering Quilge's domination of Ayon's body, it could be treated as an alternative example of transforming by manipulating reishi.
  • So Uryuu wasn't the only survivor then. Feels like we're doing a lot of flip-flopping in this narrative.
  • HAKKA NO TOGAME!!!
  • Like Renji's, this is another bankai we only get to see the once and only see so much of what it can do.
  • Time to see Isane finally use that zanpakuto, right? Right?
  • Considering this guy's origin, this must be one of the most pointless fights yet.
  • The scene that should have killed the "Yachiru is a zanpakuto" idea dead. Not even Isane's speculation on Sanpo Kenjuu's oddness gainsays that.
  • Doesn't get much more over-the-top than that. But Kubo manages nonetheless.
  • I Am Kenpachi.
  • I don't know because if this had any meaning whatsoever, Kubo didn't feel inclined to share it with the readers.
  • I really couldn't care less, Gremmy.
  • Meteors were crapping up everywhere back in those days.
  • Based on the command phrase, I'd speculate that Kenpachi's zanpakuto grows more powerful by drinking his spiritual energy.
  • NOZARASHI!!!
  • An ironic scene knowing what Kenpachi ends up doing to himself later.
  • And Nozarashi immediately returns to its original form.
  • I forgot Gremmy was a bloody brain of all things.
  • So next time we see Yachiru, she shouldn't be in Shinigami uniform. And yet...
  • Now would have been a good time to take that eye-patch off, Kenpachi.
  • That looks so freaking weird. As beings that absorb reishi, why it seemed like a good idea to make The Glutton just have a weird mouth is beyond me.
  • The Power is a lot more reasonable as Schrifts go. But The Zombie is gonna go on for ages soon.
  • Why don't these Soldat ever use bows themselves? After the Hueco Mundo hunting party, all the other mooks were still using swords.
  • Another opportunity for Shinji to release his bankai against a worthy opponent. I'm sure he'll waste it.
  • Oops.
  • "Who, me? I was here all along. Really."
  • Words Kenpachi never expected - or wanted - to hear. At least now he knows what a normal rescue looks like i.e. without threatening to stab the rescued party.
 
knight504 said:
The Thousand Year Blood War Arc: Part 3 (Chapter 547 - 581)
I actually loved this kenpachi fight. The ending was one of the few bright spots in this arc where the defeat of the quincy actually made a little bit of sense.

Also was yachiru ever confirmed to be an actual person?  I remember around her fight with gremmy, and her subsequent disappearance, I thought she might have been a manifestation of Kenpachi's zanpakto or spirit power.
 

Knyght

The Collector
More or less.

The Thousand Year Blood War Arc: Part 4 (Chapter 582 - 615)

  • That's more like it, Ichigo. It feels like ages he did something productive and kicked some ass.
  • Good thing they didn't meet in the first invasion or they would have been real disappointed. Then again, it could have worked as a measuring stick for Ichigo's growth as "latent potential" is meant to be his thing.
  • Substitute Shinigami reporting for duty. I wonder if that armour/scabbards comes with the swords or was made by the Zeroes. And what happened to his weird Fullbring accessories?
  • Why do the Bitchritters have storage compartments for their bow? They can just make their weapons out of nothing.
  • Their personalized arrows imply that they're combining them with their abilities which is something I'd have liked to have seen more of.
  • Power girl literally crushed a bunch of dudes beneath a building but now she's whining about murder. Okay...
  • It doesn't count if you're not using them all at once.
  • Being able to use a different kind of Getsuga with the little blade was clever. Delaying the energy release first has potential and I'd hoped that the little blade could be used for a super-fast Getsuga like with his Fullbring.
  • GETSUGA JUJISHO!!!
  • Good god, Ichigo, don't tell the enemy how not to get hurt. Considering he'd been showing a greater willingness to kill since the Fullbringers and never showed much concern for his opponent until he'd defeated them, this was an unfortunate turn around. This should have been a scene where he thinks to himself that trying to block it isn't going to be enough to stop it.
  • That creepiness is just getting started.
  • I can't only shake my head at these team killing fucktards.
  • All the more reason to have used the rocket ship. Nevertheless, it's fairly obvious that the Zeroes would have been aware of that weakness from the beginning which means that they should be well prepared for an invasion via that method, so it shouldn't be that worrying.#
  • Ichigo just hopping from one enemy to the next was pretty slick, if destined to go wrong.
  • And Zabimaru continues to be useful. My, my.
  • Go, Team Shinigami!
  • So much for the 11th Squad's one-on-one style. I'm not sure if this is a sign of maturity for the characters or just forgetfulness by Kubo.
  • What an amazing off-screen battle this will be.
  • And so Ichigo runs away without defeating a single enemy. The Hueco Mundo Arc had Ichigo face down Dordonni, Grimmjow and Ulquiorra before going on to do more fighting in the Living World but here he's only had a half a battle with The Thunderbolt and a couple of glancing blows against other. Honestly, I would have been cool with Ichigo fighting against the Bitchritters all the way to victory.
  • Uryuu finally reveals his betrayal which ultimately accomplishes nothing in the end. Yawn.
  • Chad looking swag and Orihime looking like a puffy princess. But I kind of feel like Chad would be better off with a sleeveless coat given his arm powers and Orihime's seems uncomfortably similar to her Arrancar outfit which should bring back some bad memories.
  • Remember how Ichigo had matured and become stronger in spirit? Me neither. Obviously, Ichigo going to be shocked to see Uryuu with the enemy so the initial reaction is perfectly reasonable. But the screaming and shouting afterwards wasn't any good. I'd have liked to have seen Ichigo accept what he's seeing and realizing that something is up, whether he's being controlled because he's a Quincy or if he's got a plan especially since he knows that the Ywach was responsible for killing their mothers. Maybe there's a moment of unspoken communication between them to highlight their camaraderie up until now.
  • At least Chad steps up.
  • For fuck's sake, Ichigo literally just got here. He spent half a fucking day just to down down from the palace, did a smidgen of fighting and now needs to all the way back up. This would be like if Aizen had ran off the Soul Society the moment Ichigo arrived in Fake Karakura Town. They could at least be some kind of confrontation before Yhwach runs off again.
  • So Renji did use his bankai again. It turns out to be such a minor event that I forgot.
  • Been a while since there was a bit of humour.
  • Obviously the enemy gets to have the fastest way to travel to the palace.
  • More silly little soldiers.
  • Kirinji is the Holy Guardian of the East. Going by the fanbook, Hikifune is the South & 2nd Officer, Ouetsu is the West and 3rd Officer, and Shutara is the North and 4th officer.
  • And not once do we see Kinpika in action, just Kirinji splashing people with hot water. Kubo must genuinely enjoy just taking the piss. I assume that it's a light-type zanpakuto - and its release command is now "Flash from the Illumination Heavens" - but who the hell knows?
  • IT'S A TRAP!
  • Oh goody, more dead people.
  • This is getting repetitive.
  • That darn fanservice.
  • Seeing how no-one seems to do anything about the distortions except the Vizards, that plan didn't seem to accomplish very much for the Quincies. Everyone was more concerned about the missing Rukongai citizens rather than the reason that got disappeared in the first place. Thinking on it, it could have been interesting if these distortions were actually responsible for the disappearance and they caused souls to 'fall out' of Soul Society through them as the world seeks to correct the balance. If people were actually vanishing from existence because of it, it would have made their threat more apparent.
  • Nice analysis by Yumichika.
  • I'm surprised anyone from the 11th would ever be willing to use kido given their stance on kido-type zanpakuto. But saying that Yumichika and Ikkaku are fighting the same opponent together which is very different from how they'd acted up until this arc.
  • Nasty... Do 'her' friends know she's a dude, I wonder?
  • I feel like I just walked into a hentai doujin.
  • While Mayuri certainly wears out his welcome later down the line, he is a bit amusing at this early stage.
  • Gotta catch 'em all!...Holy shit, I'm imagining Mayuri singing the original Pokemon theme song with his anime voice.
  • I'm choking on the irony.
  • MORE ZOMBIES! The fact that Mayuri was even able to bring back Luppi who had lost half a body and Charlotte who had died in fake Karakura says that he should have been able to bring quite a few of the others, including some of the Espada. But we get stuck with only a few of these losers. I mean, if you gonna starting bring back the Arrancar then you might as well bring back everyone that left a body and just let them go wild on the enemy.
  • Release your swords, guys.
  • Buuuuurrrrrnnnn!
  • Hitsuagaya pulls off the uniform quite well. The Shinigami could definitely do with some modernization.
  • Thin ice, my ass. He just created a mountain with a swing.
  • Now that's really out of character for Yumichika. It's definitely an improvement but kind of comes out of nowhere.
  • The knee spike was a clever move. The implications make Hitsugaya a lot more dangerous in close combat then expected even in shikai.
  • That warms my heart, it does.
  • Oh look, another wonder drug. Kubo said in that interview that Mayuri was the character finds easiest to draw and control, and enjoyed "thinking about techniques that Mayuri is using in the battle. He's the kind of character that I can draw where his performance is different to others, and without the use of swords to battle." Which explains a lot about Mayuri's screen-time.
  • Another instance where the characters should really just attack instead of waiting to be noticed.
  • I can forgive The Thunderbolt since we'd seen everything she could offer, but moustache and NaNaNa had no right to be off-screened.
  • Who the hell did Hisagi take down? He's even thinking about it so he isn't just lying to get under Byakuya's guard.
  • The Worst Sternritter.
  • Minnie should have hulked out all the way at some point.
  • Not even love is enough to get Hisagi to use his goddamn bankai, eh? They should just put him out of his misery.
  • A black guy who controls others with a power named after love. Now where have I seen this before...?
  • And there's the male stripping no-one wanted to see. I apologize to everyone reading this.
  • ohgodmakeitstopwhy
  • Mayuri's been blabbing about duty to Seireitei a fair bit since making his appearance.
  • Pepe dies like a bitch just like Zommari did too.
  • Not a great start for the fabled Zero Squad.
  • Who the hell are these guys? Why aren't they classed as member of the Zero Squad themselves.
  • Both character design and Schrift are terrible. Two tongues? Couldn't they have called it The Whirl?
  • Four pages or so wasted on one of the least qualified members of this mission. Ganju is literally just a dude who turns the ground to sand. At least during the Soul Society Arc he had a personal stake as Kaien's brother but now he has no place here.
  • That was just silly.
  • I still don't get why Shutara is a member of the Zero Squad. Maybe she created the shihakusho uniform but there's nothing impressive about that and the Oken clothing should only be something she'd have made after joining them in the first place since its made with the squad's bones and hair.
  • Fodder against fodder. It mean have been a bit more interesting if we'd seen the Soldat invading each palace and fighting against these "holy soldiers" but they pretty much vanish.
  • At least Kubo didn't try to hide their Schrifts. Askin's sounds far more dramatic than it is.
  • Everyone else at least tries to match the Quincy aesthetic whereas this guy looks like he stepped out of a Roman Colosseum or something.
  • That's not her arm though.
  • Another holy soldier. Seriously, where do they come from?
  • That looks like something more up Giselle's alley.
  • Well, I don't know, who were you fighting before this war?
  • If Ichibei's zanpakuto merely created different effects by inscribing kanji, it would be a big improvement.
  • Why do you people not just use your zanpakuto? Hikifune could have had a plant-type zanpakuto which grows plants from seeds, making this one of its abilities. It could even have been called Sekaiju, the World Tree named after Yggdrasil.
  • Again?! Oetsu has a freaking palace full of zanpakuto - five of them being his personal favourites apparently - and yet he takes his failure into battle. He fights like a badass, don't get me wrong, but this is just dumb. For him, I'd expected a zanpakuto that can transform into any kind of weapon.
  • The Death Dealing is an over-dramatic name given what it does. It should have just been called The Dosage.
  • You'd think Giselle would have been brutally murdered by now.
  • At long last we get a name for mustache. I don't know whether to laugh or cry that Kubo still didn't reveal his Schrift considering he is about to die.
  • If Glutton's a newcomer then I expect she's one of those who survived the first Consecration.
  • More goddamn team kills.
  • I preferred to think that they were bullets that could penetrate anything as it was more like a Quincy power than most.
  • That certainly came out of nowhere.
  • It's a cool power but another one that springs up randomly. Hell, isn't this basically Komamura's shikai?
  • How do you just give yourself a voice?
  • Bizarre rape face.
  • You know who should have been Soifon's second-in-command? This guy, that's who. Yushiro not only has his own ties to Yoruichi due to his blood relation, the contrast between this pretty boy and Soifon would work a lot better for me than that dumbass Omaeda.
  • Ichibei's not even in shikai yet and he's already using weird powers.
  • Moar rape face.
  • ...That didn't explain anything.
  • Even moar rape face.
  • Yeah, screw that "Hado Number..." crap and go straight to the spell.
  • I wonder what a Blut Arterie version of this would do.
  • Just 'cause.
  • ICHIMONJI!!!
  • I feel like we've gone in reverse order here. The brush that cuts names turned into a blade that paints over them. Deliberate, of course, but I don't like it and it was already pretty cheap that Ichimonji could do anything in its sealed state in the first place.
  • Just 'cause.
  • The sheer randomness of this zanpakuto has left me speechless.
  • Isn't Ichibei the guy who invented the name of Bankai? Saying that it's a more modern term implies that someone else came up with it and that he wasn't responsible despite telling Renji the exact opposite. If he can see the true name of things then it doesn't make sense for it to have two completely different names.
  • That reveal was completely ruined by Yhwach's stupid face.
  • Says Yhwach's been fighting with his eyes closed, proceeds to show a series of images with his eyes open. Seems legit.
  • I want to stop reading this is so dumb. This ability to see the future literally comes out of nowhere and has fuck all to do with the powers that had been ascribed to him thus far.
  • Leaves the special eye powers to Kishimoto. He may have gone overboard but at least they never looked genuinely retarded.
  • I don't even know how he did that. Dude just spontaneously blew up.
  • Fucking jobbers.
  • Because there are just no limits to this hax.
  • The Soul King has no arms and legs...but if you look back just under a hundred chapters ago, that wasn't always the case. All this crap about Soul King's body parts that's about to follow weren't planned at all.
  • Yhwach is somehow the Soul King's son yet this gets no explanation whatsoever.
  • Soifon? Kind? Whatever you say...
  • This, however, was a very amusing scene.
  • Oh, well, thanks for wasting everyone's time and sending these guys to their deaths. Much appreciated.
  • Good to know that you're taking the whole "protect the universe" job seriously, Ichibei, and not just sitting around talking to yourself.
  • Hanataro's a Third Seat? Good lad. Pity he gets screwed over by Kiyone and Isane. Damn nepotism.
  • Props to Nanao. She doesn't do much but I like her.
  • Why would you do that? Just yanking out the sword isn't be of any use and he doesn't have any healing skills. Then there's the fact that he's just dived into Yhwach's strike zone with his back turned without preparing to attack or defend.
  • I misremembered that scene. I had thought that Ywach had actually just taken control of Ichigo directly thanks to his Quincy blood - reinforced by Yhwach's following words - but it seems more like the sword itself was a trap. Though there doesn't appear to be any reason for him to let Ichigo do the job instead of just cutting the King down himself so it was presumably just to be a dick.
  • Ffs, those two powers have nothing to do with each other. And this isn't even the end of it.
  • Because...?
  • Christ, this is like the third major villain to ask Ichigo that question.
  • Nobody ever cares about Hell.
  • But what exactly did the Soul King do to organize that chaos? He's described as the lynchpin but there's not enough detail to create the full picture.
  • Orihime fails again. To be fair, she can't really be expected to fix the Soul King but when you're told that her powers tramples in the realm of God then you can't help but get ideas.
 

AoMythology

Apparently a report-er
Yeah, it seems like those fanfiction authors who wrote stories with Yachiru being Kenpachi's Bankai or something similar were right. But, knowing Kubo, we'll never find out for sure.

Edit: Unohana being a killer may not have been properly foreshadowed, but the bloodlust she put out when someone defied her in her domain WAS a clue (not enough of one, granted).
 

goldenarms

Well-Known Member
AoMythology said:
Yeah, it seems like those fanfiction authors who wrote stories with Yachiru being Kenpachi's Bankai or something similar were right. But, knowing Kubo, we'll never find out for sure.

Edit: Unohana being a killer may not have been properly foreshadowed, but the bloodlust she put out when someone defied her in her domain WAS a clue (not enough of one, granted).
Ukitake and Shunsui both feared her and called her like the third most powerful in Soul Society. And if we're being meta here, the super healer stands a really good chance of being a crazy badass killer in the past who turned towards the healing arts as some kind of atonement for a serious blunder.
 

Knyght

The Collector
The scene I expect you're thinking of was fairly innocuous actually (though I think the anime adds an extra bit to that). Based on what we get in-story, it could have believably gone the opposite route with Unohana being the weakest Captain who survived so long because she almost entirely avoided combat and had a shikai and bankai designed to heal. Like the Orihime of the Shinigami.

Fortunately, Kubo at least gave us a bit more info in the supplementary material with stats and a small note to prove that she is powerful.
 

AJ_Katon

Well-Known Member
Was anyone else salty when she died?

I was. Not just because my Unohana/Kenpachi crazy ship was rising, but because it still sounds stupid on why.
 
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