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

[Frontier]

Maybe the Captains thought they were in a Bleach movie and were thereby contractually obligated to show off their Bankai .

Originally Posted by FlareKnight

Ichigo does seem to be the only trump card they have so far. He's still able to use his bankai no matter how many times they try to steal it from him. But they still are in a bad spot even if his passage wasn't getting harassed. That's a lot of enemies! Honestly they might really need to lean on Kenpachi (who I don't think we saw this week). That guy doesn't bother with bankai anyways and can basically fight on that level. If they can get Ichigo over there and lean on Kenpachi then maybe they can hold out or force a temporary retreat by the Quincy?

Kenpachi was seen when they were flashing to all the captains. Particularly during Rangiku's message (I think that's the only time we saw Ukitake too) .

I mean, Kenpachi without his eyepatch is basically his own Bankai .

[agaric1]

I am just glad to se Neliel return! She was my favorite. Think she will transform and fight soon?

[Wandering Soul]

I got to agree with Mayuri. Every captain that used their Bankai is an idiot. At least Byakuya was working under the assumption they can only seal one bankai at a time and had Renji to back him up. Why did the others use theirs when their lieutenants don't have Bankai to back them up?

[agaric1]

Well, it started and it is starting strong. And Neliel is back!

[Frontier]

Originally Posted by Wandering Soul

I got to agree with Mayuri. Every captain that used their Bankai is an idiot. At least Byakuya was working under the assumption they can only seal one bankai at a time and had Renji to back him up. Why did the others use theirs when their lieutenants don't have Bankai to back them up?

It's Renji though. His Bankai is basically useless .

[Kanon]

Originally Posted by Frontier

It's Renji though. His Bankai is basically useless .

Which is why Byakuya should have ordered him to use his instead. No big loss.

[B214]

Byakuya probably can fight better in his Shikai than Renji in his Bankai. So it's probably better to be the one to got his bankai stolen.

[Frontier]

Originally Posted by B214

Byakuya probably can fight better in his Shikai than Renji in his Bankai. So it's probably better to be the one to got his bankai stolen.

Can they even still use Shikai, though? Hitsugaya was acting like the Zankpato spirit was essentially gone.

[Obelisk ze Tormentor]

Yep, Bleach writing problems slowly creep in again....

Here's also one of my biggest issues with Bleach. After all is said & done, most of Bleach big story arcs are basically just...
"Introduce a new elite group of opposition -> deal with it"

...which Kubo rinsed & repeated again & again:

1. Shinigami -> Captains -> Visored
2. Hollows -> Arrancar -> Espada
3. Fullbringers -> Xcution
4. Quincies -> Sternritters

(there's more if you include anime fillers & movies)

This classic Saint Seiya anime formula is getting old and needs to stop. And yet Bleach anime copied the damn thing on a basic level:

• Gotei 13 Captains = Gold Saints
• Bounts = God Warriors
• Espadas = Mariner Generals
• Sternritters = Specters

Kubo even copied Saint Seiya by having the Sternritters invade SS with no mercy just like how the Specters wreaked havoc on the Sanctuary .

[Frontier]

Originally Posted by Obelisk ze Tormentor

Yep, Bleach writing problems slowly creep in again....

Here's also one of my biggest issues with Bleach. After all is said & done, most of Bleach big story arcs are basically just...
"Introduce a new elite group of opposition -> deal with it"

...which Kubo rinsed & repeated again & again:

1. Shinigami -> Captains -> Visored
2. Hollows -> Arrancar -> Espada
3. Fullbringers -> Xcution
4. Quincies -> Sternritters

(there's more if you include anime fillers & movies)

This classic Saint Seiya anime formula is getting old and needs to stop. And yet Bleach anime copied the damn thing on a basic level:

• Gotei 13 Captains = Gold Saints
• Bounts = God Warriors
• Espadas = Mariner Generals
• Sternritters = Specters

Kubo even copied Saint Seiya by having the Sternritters invade SS with no mercy just like how the Specters wreaked havoc on the Sanctuary .

I feel like that comes with the territory with most Battle Shonen's, and at the end of the day it all comes down to the execution, fights, and the characters involved.

[Kanon]

Originally Posted by Obelisk ze Tormentor

Yep, Bleach writing problems slowly creep in again....

Here's also one of my biggest issues with Bleach. After all is said & done, most of Bleach big story arcs are basically just...
"Introduce a new elite group of opposition -> deal with it"

...which Kubo rinsed & repeated again & again:

1. Shinigami -> Captains -> Visored
2. Hollows -> Arrancar -> Espada
3. Fullbringers -> Xcution
4. Quincies -> Sternritters

(there's more if you include anime fillers & movies)

This classic Saint Seiya anime formula is getting old and needs to stop. And yet Bleach anime copied the damn thing on a basic level:

• Gotei 13 Captains = Gold Saints
• Bounts = God Warriors
• Espadas = Mariner Generals
• Sternritters = Specters

Kubo even copied Saint Seiya by having the Sternritters invade SS with no mercy just like how the Specters wreaked havoc on the Sanctuary .

To be honest Kubo is better at recycling the formula than Kurumada himself is (Next Dimension is absolutely terrible). And I say this as a really big Saint Seiya fan... the anime, that is.

What has always made Bleach stand out from other shounen is the cool factor, really. No other shounen from its time was as stylish as it was. Terrific character designs, great action, and transforming swords. The writing is uneven but can be surprisingly great at times, with memorable characters. And there are the infamous Kubo'd moments, which are sometimes amusingly retarded ("who said Espadas were counted from one to ten?") and others that were just good (the initial Aizen twist, the Hirako reveal, the Isshin reveal). You can tell he mostly makes things up as he goes along, but he does a fairly good job piecing things together. I'm quite fond of this arc's MASSIVE twist, which retroactively filled what appeared to be plot holes.

[FlareKnight]

Originally Posted by agaric1

I am just glad to se Neliel return! She was my favorite. Think she will transform and fight soon?

You never know. Considering how the last episode ended that might be a solid twist to resolve the immediate threat. Possible that Urahara, Inoue, and Chad pick themselves up and take care of the wounded opponent that is still there. But could also get a quick Neliel transformation to take care of that guy that keeps getting in Ichigo's way.

[Obelisk ze Tormentor]

Originally Posted by Kanon

To be honest Kubo is better at recycling the formula than Kurumada himself is (Next Dimension is absolutely terrible). And I say this as a really big Saint Seiya fan... the anime, that is.

Well, of course Kubo needed to be better than Kurumada who popularized the trope 15 years prior. Kubo literally had a decade+ to learn from his predecessor to make his craft better. But writing-wise, it's still not creative enough for me.

[Frontier]

I don't know about "creative" but so far the Sternritter seem pretty cool .

Originally Posted by FlareKnight

You never know. Considering how the last episode ended that might be a solid twist to resolve the immediate threat. Possible that Urahara, Inoue, and Chad pick themselves up and take care of the wounded opponent that is still there. But could also get a quick Neliel transformation to take care of that guy that keeps getting in Ichigo's way.

They could use an Espada's help...

[Frontier]

When in doubt, the Soul Society can always count on Ichigo to come through and be the surprise that turns things around! Even Kenpachi is hyped to see Ichigo come in! It's just too bad he's been slightly...detained .

I don't know what's worse, Jidanbo getting possessed into smashing the science guys or Ichigo having to listen over the phone while all his Soul Society friends and allies get slaughtered and he's powerless to do anything about it. But at least he gets to hear Rukia knowing he'll show up for sure .

Huh, so those letters aren't just for style, each one denotes the true power of a Quincy. Not that Quilge seemingly being finished off by a new contended has freed Ichigo from his jail .

Why would anyone in their right mind pin their hopes on Renji's Bankai? Has nobody been watching this show like we have? They don't even get to steal it because wrestler dude just punts Renji away because he didn't even know he had Bankai .

Wait, is that...really Yoshitsugu Matsuoka as As Nodht? He, like, sounds nothing like any role I have ever seen Matsuoka play. Even Petelgeuse still sounded like him, but he's utterly unrecognizable here. Wow .

So As Nodht has the ability to instill true fear in his opponents...and if that wasn't bad enough, he hits Byakuya with his own Bankai. Savagely swarmed by Senbonzakura Kageyoshi...it's tough to watch. And even Rukia senses her brothers' in trouble. It's...really not looking good for Byakuya there .

It sounds like Rukia fought (and was savagely defeated by) Reina Ueda ?

Kenpachi. The Legend. Zaraki. Not only does he show up with three dead Sternritters on his back that he effectively killed and barely wasted his time on, but he's out to take out the Big Bad Yhwach himself! That's our Kenpachi !

Man, Hisagi lucked out that his opponent just so happened to be the one who killed Sasakibe because I'm not sure Yamamoto would've shown up so quickly otherwise .

It was nice to see the origin of Young(er) Man Yama and Sasakibe and how Sasakibe unlocked his Bankai (one month? Wow) and how precious their relationship to each other was...and Sasakibe truly was a loyal and dutiful right hand man to Genryusai (he even came up with that name for Sasakibe). It makes someone stealing Sasakibe's finely-honed Bankai and misusing it all the more tragic. But it gives Yamamoto plenty of reason to incinerate the piece of @#$% .

It's nice to see Yamamto entering the fight has re-invigorated the Captains and the rest of the Soul Society! Maybe they can hold off a little longer before Ichigo shows up !

Ulp. Well, Kenpachi lost (off-screen), but the real show is going to be Yamamto vs Yhwach as they reunite for their rematch that's built up for centuries .

[FlareKnight]

Of course Kenpachi couldn't beat this guy. It is the final boss of the arc. But hey, at least he did clean up quite a few of the Stern Ritter along the way. I kind of wish he and Yamamoto were more tactical though. They are clearly capable of beating most enemies below Yhwach in strength. So why not crush those guys first while Yhwach is just standing around doing nothing? Yeah, he probably won't stand around the whole time. But he didn't step in while Kenpachi killed three of his Stern Ritter.

I have a feeling that Yamamoto won't do that much better than Kenpachi. He can safely use shikai and he is powerful, but this guy is clearly on a crazy level.

Feel bad for Ichigo. He wants to save his friends but he can't get out of there. I'm guessing he'll have to find some way to do so since it doesn't appear that killing the guy that sealed him will immediately release him.

[Frontier]

Originally Posted by FlareKnight

Of course Kenpachi couldn't beat this guy. It is the final boss of the arc. But hey, at least he did clean up quite a few of the Stern Ritter along the way. I kind of wish he and Yamamoto were more tactical though. They are clearly capable of beating most enemies below Yhwach in strength. So why not crush those guys first while Yhwach is just standing around doing nothing? Yeah, he probably won't stand around the whole time. But he didn't step in while Kenpachi killed three of his Stern Ritter.

I have a feeling that Yamamoto won't do that much better than Kenpachi. He can safely use shikai and he is powerful, but this guy is clearly on a crazy level.

The old adage that the best way to stop an army is by cutting off it's head...

[Kanon]

Figures Kenpachi would be classified as a special threat as well. He beat three of those guys with his eyepatch on. I'm actually rather amazed he managed to reach Yhwach given his bad sense of direction. It didn't work in his or Soul Society's favor in the end, that's one time he should have gotten lost and thinned out the enemy ranks in the process.

The lack of censorship is doing wonders for this season. The scene with Yamamoto roasting that guy wouldn't have had the same impact in the old anime. Sasakibe really was a great right hand man. Makes no sense he jobbed to Ichigo way back then though.

[alex_drian]

Originally Posted by FlareKnight

Of course Kenpachi couldn't beat this guy. It is the final boss of the arc. But hey, at least he did clean up quite a few of the Stern Ritter along the way. I kind of wish he and Yamamoto were more tactical though. They are clearly capable of beating most enemies below Yhwach in strength. So why not crush those guys first while Yhwach is just standing around doing nothing? Yeah, he probably won't stand around the whole time. But he didn't step in while Kenpachi killed three of his Stern Ritter.

Yamamoto and Kenpachi are not the most tactical guys there. They are clearly unga bunga type. The best unga bunga but unga bunga at the end. For thinking thinks through they have Mayuri who...everyone ignored anyways.

That is the thing with this part. The shinigami are not precisely the tactical guys. Never have been. They mostly depend in brute force their way. Have been sitting in their asses for thousand of years. Fighting the occasional Menos Grande was the most they did until Aizen betrayal. Until the SS arc Yamamoto was an enforcer of traditions, unable the change their ways. So much pride, so much hubris. Finally came to bite them in the ass.

As said before there wasn't a need to have 4 Bankai stealed at once. Yes, they needed one fall guy and the 6th squat was the perfect for this as is the only squat with a Lieutenant with Bankai.

While the Quincy had all the time in the world to prepare. Improve abilities, armament (until they basically became the Archer class in Fate), tactics and gathering personnel from their days of shitty bow and arrow only users as Uryu.

The traditional Yamamoto vs the progressive Ywach.

[azenable]

Originally Posted by alex_drian

Yamamoto and Kenpachi are not the most tactical guys there. They are clearly unga bunga type. The best unga bunga but unga bunga at the end. For thinking thinks through they have Mayuri who...everyone ignored anyways.

That is the thing with this part. The shinigami are not precisely the tactical guys. Never have been. They mostly depend in brute force their way. Have been sitting in their asses for thousand of years. Fighting the occasional Menos Grande was the most they did until Aizen betrayal. Until the SS arc Yamamoto was an enforcer of traditions, unable the change their ways. So much pride, so much hubris. Finally came to bite them in the ass.

As said before there wasn't a need to have 4 Bankai stealed at once. Yes, they needed one fall guy and the 6th squat was the perfect for this as is the only squat with a Lieutenant with Bankai.

While the Quincy had all the time in the world to prepare. Improve abilities, armament (until they basically became the Archer class in Fate), tactics and gathering personnel from their days of shitty bow and arrow only users as Uryu.

The traditional Yamamoto vs the progressive Ywach.

6th squad isn't the only squad with Lt having bankai. They're still the discounted Saitama duo in Zaraki's squad.