(L) Bleach - Thousand-Year Blood War Arc - anime episode discussion

[Obelisk ze Tormentor]

It's amazing how Kubo's simplistic-yet-incomprehensible (if not lazy) art of Zaraki & Unohana's fight is transformed into a bloody spectacle. This TBYW episode certainly has surpassed the manga in almost every imaginable way that it actually elevates it. It's certainly one of the most glow-up a shonen manga has received that I've seen since HxH (1999) & Demon Slayer.

And yes, count me in as people who are surprised to hear the calm voice of Zaraki's Zank.

[Frontier]

Originally Posted by Obelisk ze Tormentor

It's amazing how Kubo's simplistic-yet-incomprehensible (if not lazy) art of Zaraki & Unohana's fight is transformed into a bloody spectacle. This TBYW episode certainly has surpassed the manga in almost every imaginable way that it actually elevates it. It's certainly one of the most glow-up a shonen manga has received that I've seen since HxH (1999) & Demon Slayer.

And yes, count me in as people who are surprised to hear the calm voice of Zaraki's Zank.

That's probably intentional on Kubo's part .

[Gerard07]

Will the last Bleach episode of the season be a 1 hour special?.

[MCAL]

Originally Posted by Gerard07

Will the last Bleach episode of the season be a 1 hour special?.

Yes, but its just the 12th and 13th episode combined into one and not episode 13 being an hour long.

[Galaxian]

Originally Posted by MCAL

Yes, but its just the 12th and 13th episode combined into one and not episode 13 being an hour long.

It will be very disappointing if...

Spoiler for :

Both "Everything but the Rain" and "The Sword is Me" get condensed into that 1 hour special...

[Kanon]

Originally Posted by Galaxian

It will be very disappointing if...

Spoiler for :

Both "Everything but the Rain" and "The Sword is Me" get condensed into that 1 hour special...

Don't forget there's an episode 11. Everything but the Rain starts next week since it's the title of the episode, so it won't be condensed in the "special". Pretty sure it'll be episode 11 and 12, with 13 reserved for that.

At any rate, it looks like I was right about where this cour would end. I have a pretty good idea which scene exactly it's going to end on.

[Galaxian]

Originally Posted by Kanon

Don't forget there's an episode 11. Everything but the Rain starts next week since it's the title of the episode, so it won't be condensed in the "special". Pretty sure it'll be episode 11 and 12, with 13 reserved for that.

At any rate, it looks like I was right about where this cour would end. I have a pretty good idea which scene exactly it's going to end on.

Either the later part of the arc is going to have a lot of expanded material, or they are going to run out of story by the time the final cour begins... Unless they take a page out the Naruto anime and start adapting novel material, which wouldn't be the worst thing.

[Kanon]

Originally Posted by Galaxian

Either the later part of the arc is going to have a lot of expanded material, or they are going to run out of story by the time the final cour begins... Unless they take a page out the Naruto anime and start adapting novel material, which wouldn't be the worst thing.

I admit, I'm also puzzled as to how they're going to fill this many episodes, especially since they cut a lot of stuff for no reason. The second half of the arc is some of the worst Bleach has to offer, so it wouldn't be a bad thing if they made a lot of changes and gave characters who did absolutely nothing in the manga something to do. I'm thinking of two persons in particular, but there are more.

I certainly wouldn't be against novel adaptations either. The one by Narita is apparently really good.

[FlareKnight]

Admittedly I'm not sure how this arc is going to play out or the material they have to work with. But I'm sure they did plan it out before picking an episode count. If they want to lean into expanding heavily on whatever the finale is going to be that sounds like a solid plan to me.

Either way, I've enjoyed the trip so far. Getting some good moment throughout this first cour. Curious to see what note they want to leave this first cour on. Especially with a double episode coming after this next episode.

[Frontier]

Rain...rain can really set up the atmosphere and tone of an episode, as it does so well here .

There's a lot of stuff the audience generally takes at face-value in a show like this, like why Ichigo having his own Zanpakuto even though he didn't go through any of the normal process for a Soul Reaper to obtain one, but sometimes there's much more going on than meets the eye .

Isshin! And right when it seems like he and Ichigo are going to have their long-awaited talk...Ichigo just bails. Well, he's still a kid and there's a lot going on in his head, so I don't blame him .

Izumi! Man, she was a nice surprise! Still being as forward and supportive to Ichigo, throwing her massive rack around .

Isshin showing up in full Soul Reaper regalia to Ichigo is quite the sight, but it also establishes how serious this all is as Ichigo is about to learn the truth about his origin...and the truth about his mother .

Can I just say how amazing it is that Sayaka Ohara was cast as Ichigo's mom 10 years ago, only got like 6 lines and was basically the quintessential anime dead mom, before going on to become such a prolific and popular seiyuu, only to then come back to the role 10 years later to play her as an adorable and enthusiastic high school girl. Like, you can't make this stuff up .

Blonde and young Rangiku was quite the visual .

Isshin was a Chiba (well, that's less of a surprise)!? He was Squad 10 captain!? Rangiku and Hitsugaya served under him!? Hitsugaya stole manju buns and tried to deflect!? They've been to his house! They know his son and daughter! Histugaya played soccer with Karin !

I love how Isshin has no faith in Rangiku taking over Squad 10 and Hitsugaya took over because he actually mastered Bankai before she did (then again, knowing Haineko...). Girls had the same job for years upon years .

Isshin seemed like a pretty jovial and fun guy to work with! But also serious and efficient when the time calls for it .

Aizen! Gin! Tosen! Back to their evil plotting like we're back in the Arrancar arc! So much nostalgia !

Those poor Soul Reaper cannon fodder .

Jeez, Masaki lived with the Ishida's as the last of her family line? Uryu's grandma was hard on her for not living up to her pedigree? She was chummy with Ryuken and there were marriage prospects between them? Just keep piling on the revelations Kubo .

Is Katagiri voiced by Mamiko Noto? I'm catching some vibes from her, particularly when it comes to Ryuken .

"White" reminded me a lot of full-Hollow Ichigo, and was as dangerous too, although maybe that's intentional...

I guess we know where Ichigo got his strong sense of responsibility from (well, maybe from both parents, but that Masaki moment was such an Ichigo move) .

As dangerous as it was and as fun as the team-up was...I kind of wanted to see Isshin's Bankai .

Jeez, Ichigo's mom was hardcore! Had a Hollow bite her so she could shoot it in the head! And Isshin ends up saving her from the explosion like she saved him! How romantic .

So is the implication that Ichigo's Hollow self came from what passed from White to Masaki when it bit her ?

As a Soul Reaper Captain and a Quincy girl made a connection that would end up changing the course of everything, Aizen plotted his plots, and in the present-day Uryu seems to be going through some stuff with...Jugram !?

[Kanon]

Originally Posted by Frontier

Isshin was a Chiba (well, that's less of a surprise)!? He was Squad 10 captain!? Rangiku and Hitsugaya served under him!? Hitsugaya stole manju buns and tried to deflect!? They've been to his house! They know his son and daughter! Histugaya played soccer with Karin !

Matsumoto and Hitsugaya only went to the Kurosaki house once, and I think they all entered through the window back then so there was no opportunity to meet Isshin. And Hitsugaya playing soccer with Karin was filler.
I'd say Isshin being a Shiba is a bigger deal. It had been theorized for years on account of Ichigo looking exactly like Kaien, and it turns out they were cousins (Kukaku referred to Isshin as her uncle when she sent Ichigo to the Royal Palace) so it checks out. Not sure how Kukaku found out Ichigo was her cousin but the most likely possibility is that Yoruichi told her at the beginning of the SS arc and that's what truly convinced her to help him.

I'm a bit disappointed the episode cut so much content (it adapted half a volume). The new material they're planning better be worth it.

Back during the fake Karakura town arc, Aizen certainly wasn't lying when he said he had known about Ichigo since his birth. He basically played matchmaker for his parents! Off the top of my head, cut lines included Aizen stating Isshin wouldn't be able to use his bankai with the cut he received since it takes a heavy toll on his body and him sarcastically thanking Urahara for leaving the reiatsu concealing cloaks as a parting gift.

Isshin's zanpakuto is fire-based. Where does Getsuga Tensho fit into all this?

[Gerard07]

Having seen the chapter, we see Isshin's past, we see Gin again (it gives me some nostalgia) and we saw Isshin and Masaki fight against that Hollow, it was interesting, to wait for the next chapter.

[Frontier]

Originally Posted by Kanon

Matsumoto and Hitsugaya only went to the Kurosaki house once, and I think they all entered through the window back then so there was no opportunity to meet Isshin. And Hitsugaya playing soccer with Karin was filler.
I'd say Isshin being a Shiba is a bigger deal. It had been theorized for years on account of Ichigo looking exactly like Kaien, and it turns out they were cousins (Kukaku referred to Isshin as her uncle when she sent Ichigo to the Royal Palace) so it checks out. Not sure how Kukaku found out Ichigo was her cousin but the most likely possibility is that Yoruichi told her at the beginning of the SS arc and that's what truly convinced her to help him.

I'm treating the anime filler as more or less canon. I mean, no matter what Kariya was part of Ichigo's Hollow training .

Back during the fake Karakura town arc, Aizen certainly wasn't lying when he said he had known about Ichigo since his birth. He basically played matchmaker for his parents! Off the top of my head, cut lines included Aizen stating Isshin wouldn't be able to use his bankai with the cut he received since it takes a heavy toll on his body and him sarcastically thanking Urahara for leaving the reiatsu concealing cloaks as a parting gift.

Best part is it seemed to turn him on .

[FlareKnight]

There's a lot of great stuff in this episode. And honestly Masaki was freaking cool. No slouch on her sacrifice later in life, but she was great in this flashback. Both in her skills and her guts. Damn. Talk about a wild move to take a hit to deliver a finishing blow. That's counting on a lot going right, but judged it properly. Well mostly. That seems incredibly likely to be the reason Ichigo has a freaking hollow mixed into his soul . But I suppose that did come in handy at times so...still a good choice.

From what we can see Isshin's sword was pretty awesome. Interesting that it showed more fire based abilities. Was Getsuga Tensho something he learned in addition to those fire based abilities? Or did his abilities as a result...of future Aizen shenanigans? Considering Aizen is involved in just about everything that wouldn't surprise me. Still, credit to Aizen for not getting in the way of a good romance.

I'll admit that I completely forgot that Ichigo had a part-time job . Still nice for him to have a place to take a shower when he needs to. And definitely appreciated how seriously Isshin took having this talk with Ichigo. Not sure he's actually ready to talk about this, but he obviously can't put it off any longer. They do not have time to mess around. Ichigo needs to be back on his feet, ready to fight, and understanding his Quincy heritage. So good time for a chat.

Love that Isshin was the Squad 10 captain. I'm sure the antics with him, Toshiro, and Rangiku were pretty fun . Is also kind of amusing that Rangiku just held the same position before and after the change in Captains. It also is impressive how capable Toshiro is considering this shows how fresh he was in the role of Captain by the time of the main show. Relative to his peers it really is amazing he rose to the position so fast.

And no shock that Ishida is being approached at the end of this episode. An arc where Quincy are the enemy doesn't seem like one where the main cast's Quincy can be uninvolved.

[Gerard07]

By the way, what happened to Kon?.

[Frontier]

Originally Posted by Gerard07

By the way, what happened to Kon?.

Hanging out with the Zanpakuto ladies ?

[MAX_COLA_POWER!]

Back in the irrelevance box until the anime decides to bring him out again for comedy relief.

[Stark700]

Next part begins July 2023

https://twitter.com/BLEACHanimation/...13022942953472

[Frontier]

It's so surreal seeing Isshin with the Gotei 13 and giving his report to Old Man Yama...I mean, it's just surreal seeing him and Unohana again. Also the traitor trio just standing there like it's the most normal thing in the world and they weren't already aware of everything Isshin was talking about. Isshin made the right call not telling everybody about Masaki though, she doesn't need that grief from the Soul Society (any more than she already has thanks to Aizen) .

Ahhhh...Isshin and Masaki are thinking of each other! That's so adorable !

It's kind of sad seeing how caring and devoted Ryuken is toward Masaki, knowing his feelings will never be returned and her destiny was to be with a Soul Reaper, of all guys, but he really wanted the best for her. It also set up his animosity with Isshin even if in the end he acknowledged he couldn't be there for her like Isshin was...and I like to think Ryuken found his own happiness .

Oof. Masaki with that giant hollowification hole !

It seems like Ryuken's mom had a leg wound? I wonder where that's from ?

So this is how Urahara got involved with the Kurosaki Family! In some ways he helped lead to Ichigo's birth and everything that came into it as well .

Of course Isshin would throw away everything if it meant saving Masaki! She saved him at expense to herself, he could never live with himself if he did any less for her, even if it means abandoning everything else. But I think looking back on it and everything he gained, he would do it again no matter what .

(I do kind of wonder how the Soul Society felt about the missing Squad 10 Captain who just vanished out of nowhere...then again, it's not their first lost Captain)

Isshin just saving his naked future wife in spirit form from a giant Hollow Head. If that's not love, I don't know what is !

It was pretty obvious who Uryu's mother was, but while Katagiri says what she does is for the Ishida Family and the Quincies...deep down she cares the most about Ryuken, the man she swore her life too ever since they met as kids. And she wants to be there for him and to make him happy. And in the end, she was, for as long as she still lived .

And then everything happens as a matter of course...Urahara helps get Isshin's clinic set up, Masaki graduates from high school and leaves the Ishida's, she and Isshin find themselves drawn to each other and fall deeper in love, and Isshin realizes that Masaki truly is the sun around which he orbits and covets. And thus was Ichigo born !

I see where the Kurosaki kids got their cuteness and @#$%-eating grin from .

Oh yeah, thinking back on it now, if Masaki really was a powerful and skilled Quincy and her powers hadn't left her even after everything, how did Grand Fisher kill her? Well, it turns out that that legend of Yhwach's rebirth wasn't just a legend, and as part of the process he drained the power of "unworthy" Quincies for himself, leaving Masaki helpless and even Katagiri unable to take care of herself...so basically, Yhwach kinda killed both Ichigo and Uryu's moms. Yikes .

So Yhwach is basically the God of the Quincies? Or more of a "father," although he might be my least favorite of Ichigo's daddies and he makes Ryuken seem like father of the year .

Ikumi is the best! Going all the way to Ichigo's to give him his Soul Reaper badge! Also acting surprisingly bashful .

Ah, so Oh-Etsu planned for Ichigo to fix his issues and come back! And just in time! Although I don't think they expected all those Asauchi to bow before him before he found the one that's right for him .

The Soul Society is all training for the next bout with the Sternritter...Hitsugaya is going back to basics now that he's lost his Bankai (and we never got to see perfected Hyoinmaru Bankai), Kensei is having Super Lieutenant Kamen Mashiro beat up Shuhei to teach him Bankai and Shuhei is still sticking up for Tosen, Mayuri and Nemu are doing Mayuri and Nemu things with Ashirogijizo, Komamura is trying to learn a secret technique from a giant dog elder and about to throw hands with him, and Soi Fon is doing some ninja training. Also Mareyo is the pure flower of the Soul Society .

The Nimaiya Bodyguards! As if this dude didn't have enough babes surrounding him, they even beat him up and get their own cool introduction sequence to boot .

Wait...Zangetsu isn't the real Zangetsu!? He's an extension of Ichigo's Quincy Powers and as such a younger form of Yhwach!? Hollow Ichigo is Ichigo's Soul Reaper powers and the source of his Zanpakuto!? All those moments together, every time Zangetsu helped Ichigo, all those times they talked and trained together...I mean, I get where Hollow Ichigo was actually there for all of that and helped out, looking back, but I feel as betrayed as Ichigo does .

(But what about Bishonen Zangetsu that taught him the Final Getsuga Tensho? That was them fused together? Wasn't that the True Zangetsu? Or was that just situational ?)

Even if "Zangetsu" only meant to keep Ichigo from truly becoming a Soul Reaper for his safety (and the sake of the Quincy's mission) and restrained his true power...he was still there for Ichigo through thick and thin, and can't bring himself to kill Ichigo. Because he's proud of him and what he's accomplished, and doesn't want to hold him back any longer. Leaving Ichigo with access to his true power, his full Quincy powers, and a fond farewell. I'm....I'm not crying !

Too Ichigo, both Hollow Ichigo and Quincy Zangetsu were Zangetsu to him, and fittingly his true Zanpakuto is two blades, as he epically achieves his true power with the return of his theme song. And now he's ready to take the fight to Yhwach on his own terms .

Of course, meanwhile...Uryu has joined the Sternritter!? Why!? They killed his mom! Is this a long con ?

[MAX_COLA_POWER!]

Not gonna lie, I always thought Isshin’s time as a captain happened around the TBTP arc because when they showed a color spread in the manga of the Gotei of that time, the squad 10 barracks were missing (quick side bar the bearded man that Kenpachi introduced himself as the Kenpachi from Zaraki a few episodes back was the Kenpachi from said flashback mini arc, Kenpachi Kiganjou). Anyone else wanna bet somewhere out there some folks will call this episode the worse cour ending ever just because of the alterations that were made to the scenes of Isshin rescuing Masaki’s soul? I overall enjoyed this first part of the adaptation, not perfect, but many miles better than the original animé.