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Bleach #55
Bleach―ブリーチ― 55 [Burīchi 55]
何かを告げるかのように、尸魂界に鳴り響く警報音。突然、姿を消した流魂街の住民達。一方、一護達のいる空座町にも、静かに不穏な影が近づいていた…。終焉へと動き出した物語。最終章・千年血戦篇、開幕！！
200 pages, Paperback
First published June 4, 2012
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1053 people want to read
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October 2, 2024
Lost I feel a little like, a child who's lost, a little like
Everything's changed a lot, I didn't like all of the pain
Lost, confused, a lot of it, it's hard to take, and cause of it
(Everything's changed) I thought I'd make it through the pain
Everything's changed
(Shiro Sagisu, Mike Wyzgowski, "Nothing can be explained - bis 2022 (TYBW Ver.)")
This part of the song perfectly shows the way I have felt when I watched all of the currently available BLEACH: Thousand Year Blood War anime episodes. Since the manga version is mostly the same as the anime version, it doesn't make anything better (in the contrary).
I will now dive deeper into my thoughts and feelings regarding not only the currently read Volume 55, but probably also the TYBW as a whole (but don't worry, I will try to not include any spoilers).
"Captain... This is the work of..."
"A certain party, obviously. The only ones capable of removing Hollows from existence itself are them and them alone."
If someone read the manga as a whole before watching the anime, then they were ready for what was coming with the premiere of TYBW in 2022. I didn't do so, so I was totally not ready. You can't even imagine the amount of shock I have been experienced while watching the first episode of TYBW alone. As the title says, the new arc is a war arc, so, technically, I should've been prepared for, well, everything that follows when we talk about a war. I can't say that the previous events of BLEACH felt all cute like candy and rainbows, in the contrary, things looked incredibly serious and people died, but it wasn't a freaking bloodbath like in the TYBW!
"Who goes there?"
"Our greetings to you. You must be Yamamoto Genryuusai Shigekuni, Captain Commander of the Gotei 13. We are here to declare war."
Of course I worried about all of my favorite characters before. The previous villains did not came to play, so it looked like anyone can die at any moment. But nothing, absolutely nothing I have been through before prepared me for the events of TYBW. I kid you not, when I finished watching episode one, I didn't play the next one for a really, really long time. I felt guilty as hell, and I cried a lot (because I was sooooo excited to watch the new episodes), but the amount of fear I have felt was much more stronger (the situation repeated itself a couple of episodes later).
"You must have noticed, surely? To some degree, at least, Kurosaki-san. All of these currences are connected. Something quite out of the ordinary is afoot. Something quite worrying indeed."
The atmosphere in the TYBW is completely different than on any of the previous arcs. For starters, the new characters that we follow in the begining, after arriving in the Karakura Town for a routine patrol, are ambushed by a couple of Hollows. It wouldn't been anything extraordinary if it were just ordinary Hollows. But the ones that had shown up were MONSTROUS. If I didn't know better, I would assume that Aizen got free and is shaming again. But nah. The big ass Hollows didn't stand any chance against Ichigo and the gang, of course, but an ordinary Soul Reaper wouldn't stand any chance. The Hollows weren't a big part of the story, and Ichigo's entrance was as epic as always (if not more), but this incident was enough to freak me out.
Then the Knights came and declared a war in the most awful way possible. Yes, someone died, but I will not say who. Anyways, I barely knew this character and for all I cared, they didn't need to exist, but I still screamed and bursted into tears the moment the death scene happened. It wasn't an important character, but it was enough to let me know what I will be dealing with. WITH FREAKING PAIN AND SORROW AND AGONY.
AND SHOCK. AN ENORMOUS CHUNK OF SHOCK.
"They have abilities like nothing we have ever seen. We were left with no leader, and no means of resistance. The best we could do was to run frantically for our lives..."
I always praised Tite Kubo's balance between the funny moments and the serious stuff. The manga just like the anime, despite being a war arc, does have funny scenes and, while loving them all before, I feel like I have never appreciated them enough. In here, in the TYBW arc, the funny scenes could feel irritating and wrong, considering the whole war thing, but, to be honest, I am grateful for their existence. They are silly, sometimes too silly for a serious arc like TYBW, but they are doing their job - they keep me sane and give me a little bit of peace before the next bloodbath scene.
"How many times do I have to tell you? Conflict does not please me. Now let's hear your reports, in the name of peace."
How to introduce a villain in a menacing way? Show him talk about peace, but then make him immediately kill one subordinate, following by a murder of a another. All of the Bleach villains were intimidating, each in their own way, but Yhwach is on a whole different level. I was afraid of both Aizen and Ginjou, but Yhwach TERRIFIES ME. Not just because he's ruthless when it comes to his subordinates, but also because he has this deeply dark aura around himself. He's obviously powerful, but you don't know how much powerful until you will see for yourself. It's a frightening power and I know that my boy, Ichigo, is also incredibly powerful, but I am honestly not sure if their levels are matching... :(
"All right, everyone, silence! It's time for the big Hollow and Arrancar selection contest to begin! This contest will determine whether you live or die!"
First if all, I want to say that I really like the fact that Tite Kubo got inspiration from Spain (with Espada) and Germany (with Wandenreich). Despite the Sternritters being the bad guys, I am happy to see all the German words being used in the story (no, I am not German, but I have a big sentiment for this language). Second if all, it's not only Yhwach who's frightening in the TYBW arc. He's the most menacing character, that's for sure, but the all the Sternritters are also big players in the story. Knowing Tite Kubo, it was obvious that the new characters will be interesting in their own ways, and that's indeed the case, even with the villains. Each of them is unique when it comes to their appearance, their presence, their character and their powers. It's a whole package, honestly. I hate these characters since they are attacking my favs, but I can appreciate how special each of them is.
"I get it. Let's go and save them."
"Wait a moment! Dondochakka wasn't a part of that group! I didn't sense his reiatsu!"
"So what? We're going to save Dondochakka in the end. What does it matter how many others we save along the way?"
I did not say anything about my favorite boy yet AND THAT NEEDS TO CHANGE ASAP. But first of all, I need to point out how incredible the change of Tite Kubo's art is. I always appreciated his drawings, but man, the way it changed overtime, how it became better and better, needs to be studied. Just compare the previous art with the TYBW one, it's outstanding! Okay, now let's go to my boy, Ichigo. You cannot imagine the amount of happiness I have felt to see him again. (and hearing the "Number One" song playing in the background in the anime ver.). His entrance was cool as hell (he always has the coolest entrances!) and he looks more powerful than ever before. He once again gets involved in the Soul Reapers' business (despite the Soul Reapers' doing their best to keep him away), and bless it for happening, because, let's face it, otherwise the Soul Society would be doomed. This time, he's not only there for the Soul Reapers, but also for the Hueco Mundo residents - yes, the Hollows and the Arrancars - the beings that were considered enemies this whole time. Ichigo's a precious soul that just can't stay away from anyone who's in the need of help, no matter if they are humans, Soul Reapers or Hollows. I just hope that this precious soul will be as protected by the others as he is protective of them.
Anyways, in Volume 55 the Wandenreich declares war on the Soul Reapers and the Soul Society is frantically trying to prepare itself for the upcoming attack. The book ends with a conversation between Mayuri and Yamamoto that tells us some shocking news (they were shocking for me, at least). Despite saying that he will attack in five days, Yhwach uses Ichigo's distraction in Hueco Mundo and is already on his way to the Soul Society. The bloodbath is coming, you guys, and I AM TERRIFIED. I don't want to get through it once again, I really don't, but a must is a must, so I'm jumping into Volume 56 as we speak. I have the tissues ready! ;)
Some things I have to speak about (yes, I still have things to say): - beware of the spoilers for Volume 55!
~ Akon is a 3rd seat?! Congratulations! 🎉
~ Everyone, absolutely everyone are looking different now, so I am asking, what is the exact time jump between TYBW and the Fullbringers arc because I am confused very, very much!
~ MAYURI IS GLOWING, LMAO 😂
~ Why the hell were Yuki and Shino, obviously Shinigami rookies, send to the one place that is ALWAYS full of (dangerous) Hollows?! Who thought it would be a good idea?!
~ Yuki knew that a strong Shinigami Representative is guarding the Karakura Town, but still asked Who are you? when he saw him. I mean, who else could it be?!
~ I don't remember Hiyori and Lisa being shown in the first episode of the anime, but they were shown in the manga (for a little while, but still)!
~THE KARAKURA TEAM LOOKING GOOD!
~ "Ungh... Why would he kick me without warning? Is he some kind of fool?" - I honestly don't know what else did Ebern expect after showing in Ichigo's home like that
~ I am deeply sorry for Ebern though :(
~ The Wandenreich's delegation send to declare war in Yamamoto's office looked goofy as hell, like aliens lmao (I'm sorry)
~ Why did Ichigo still use Bankai despite knowing that it's a trap? Dude, please.
~ Chojiro's body flying out of nowhere scared the crap out of me!
~ The way Byakuya introduced Chojiro on his funeral day as a example of an undying loyalty and strength didn't work for me in the slightest. You tell me that the guy was able to use Bankai, but never done it in the battle until the day of his death? Like really?? He did show up for a moment during the Winter War, but never fought, why though if he knew Bankai? And why was he declaring that he will always follow Yamamoto but didn't stood on his side in the Winter War? With a due respect, but I don't buy it.
~ It was so nice to see Nel again! I missed her (and Ichigo together)!
~ I like the fact that Halibel is the new ruler of Hueco Mundo. She was the best out of the big three of the Espada.
~ Why did Yhwach said that he suspected that Ichigo's Bankai cannot be stolen? Considering who he is and who he resembles (which I am still incredibly confused about), it's obvious that he already knew that it was impossible, but still send Ebern there. Ebern died for nothing.
~ Ichigo covering Nel's eyes with his hand (despite the fact that Nel had to obviously already seen all the bodies and blood and despite the fact that she's actually not a child) is so considerate of him.
~ The Hollow and Arrancar contest made by Quilge is totally sick and twisted and not only because of all the violence, but because of the fact that they forcefully took away all of their swords. It's not like the Arrancars would have been hopeless without the swords, but they were stronger with them. Quilge's smug face really pissed me off.
~ I am really happy to know that Hallibel's ladies (Apache, Mila Rose and Sun-Sun) are still alive. How it's possible after Yamamoto's attack? I don't know, but I don't care. It's nice to see them and see them bickering again!
~ The fact that it's Mayuri that is responsible for the vanishing of more than twenty thousand residents of the Rukongai shouldn't surprise me considering he's a freak, but his confession still left me shocked and speechless.
~ Why didn't Yamamoto kill Yhwach when he had the chance? Why didn't he try to track him down this whole time, knowing that he's alive and definitely plotting revenge??
Everything's changed a lot, I didn't like all of the pain
Lost, confused, a lot of it, it's hard to take, and cause of it
(Everything's changed) I thought I'd make it through the pain
Everything's changed
(Shiro Sagisu, Mike Wyzgowski, "Nothing can be explained - bis 2022 (TYBW Ver.)")
This part of the song perfectly shows the way I have felt when I watched all of the currently available BLEACH: Thousand Year Blood War anime episodes. Since the manga version is mostly the same as the anime version, it doesn't make anything better (in the contrary).
I will now dive deeper into my thoughts and feelings regarding not only the currently read Volume 55, but probably also the TYBW as a whole (but don't worry, I will try to not include any spoilers).
"Captain... This is the work of..."
"A certain party, obviously. The only ones capable of removing Hollows from existence itself are them and them alone."
If someone read the manga as a whole before watching the anime, then they were ready for what was coming with the premiere of TYBW in 2022. I didn't do so, so I was totally not ready. You can't even imagine the amount of shock I have been experienced while watching the first episode of TYBW alone. As the title says, the new arc is a war arc, so, technically, I should've been prepared for, well, everything that follows when we talk about a war. I can't say that the previous events of BLEACH felt all cute like candy and rainbows, in the contrary, things looked incredibly serious and people died, but it wasn't a freaking bloodbath like in the TYBW!
"Who goes there?"
"Our greetings to you. You must be Yamamoto Genryuusai Shigekuni, Captain Commander of the Gotei 13. We are here to declare war."
Of course I worried about all of my favorite characters before. The previous villains did not came to play, so it looked like anyone can die at any moment. But nothing, absolutely nothing I have been through before prepared me for the events of TYBW. I kid you not, when I finished watching episode one, I didn't play the next one for a really, really long time. I felt guilty as hell, and I cried a lot (because I was sooooo excited to watch the new episodes), but the amount of fear I have felt was much more stronger (the situation repeated itself a couple of episodes later).
"You must have noticed, surely? To some degree, at least, Kurosaki-san. All of these currences are connected. Something quite out of the ordinary is afoot. Something quite worrying indeed."
The atmosphere in the TYBW is completely different than on any of the previous arcs. For starters, the new characters that we follow in the begining, after arriving in the Karakura Town for a routine patrol, are ambushed by a couple of Hollows. It wouldn't been anything extraordinary if it were just ordinary Hollows. But the ones that had shown up were MONSTROUS. If I didn't know better, I would assume that Aizen got free and is shaming again. But nah. The big ass Hollows didn't stand any chance against Ichigo and the gang, of course, but an ordinary Soul Reaper wouldn't stand any chance. The Hollows weren't a big part of the story, and Ichigo's entrance was as epic as always (if not more), but this incident was enough to freak me out.
Then the Knights came and declared a war in the most awful way possible. Yes, someone died, but I will not say who. Anyways, I barely knew this character and for all I cared, they didn't need to exist, but I still screamed and bursted into tears the moment the death scene happened. It wasn't an important character, but it was enough to let me know what I will be dealing with. WITH FREAKING PAIN AND SORROW AND AGONY.
AND SHOCK. AN ENORMOUS CHUNK OF SHOCK.
"They have abilities like nothing we have ever seen. We were left with no leader, and no means of resistance. The best we could do was to run frantically for our lives..."
I always praised Tite Kubo's balance between the funny moments and the serious stuff. The manga just like the anime, despite being a war arc, does have funny scenes and, while loving them all before, I feel like I have never appreciated them enough. In here, in the TYBW arc, the funny scenes could feel irritating and wrong, considering the whole war thing, but, to be honest, I am grateful for their existence. They are silly, sometimes too silly for a serious arc like TYBW, but they are doing their job - they keep me sane and give me a little bit of peace before the next bloodbath scene.
"How many times do I have to tell you? Conflict does not please me. Now let's hear your reports, in the name of peace."
How to introduce a villain in a menacing way? Show him talk about peace, but then make him immediately kill one subordinate, following by a murder of a another. All of the Bleach villains were intimidating, each in their own way, but Yhwach is on a whole different level. I was afraid of both Aizen and Ginjou, but Yhwach TERRIFIES ME. Not just because he's ruthless when it comes to his subordinates, but also because he has this deeply dark aura around himself. He's obviously powerful, but you don't know how much powerful until you will see for yourself. It's a frightening power and I know that my boy, Ichigo, is also incredibly powerful, but I am honestly not sure if their levels are matching... :(
"All right, everyone, silence! It's time for the big Hollow and Arrancar selection contest to begin! This contest will determine whether you live or die!"
First if all, I want to say that I really like the fact that Tite Kubo got inspiration from Spain (with Espada) and Germany (with Wandenreich). Despite the Sternritters being the bad guys, I am happy to see all the German words being used in the story (no, I am not German, but I have a big sentiment for this language). Second if all, it's not only Yhwach who's frightening in the TYBW arc. He's the most menacing character, that's for sure, but the all the Sternritters are also big players in the story. Knowing Tite Kubo, it was obvious that the new characters will be interesting in their own ways, and that's indeed the case, even with the villains. Each of them is unique when it comes to their appearance, their presence, their character and their powers. It's a whole package, honestly. I hate these characters since they are attacking my favs, but I can appreciate how special each of them is.
"I get it. Let's go and save them."
"Wait a moment! Dondochakka wasn't a part of that group! I didn't sense his reiatsu!"
"So what? We're going to save Dondochakka in the end. What does it matter how many others we save along the way?"
I did not say anything about my favorite boy yet AND THAT NEEDS TO CHANGE ASAP. But first of all, I need to point out how incredible the change of Tite Kubo's art is. I always appreciated his drawings, but man, the way it changed overtime, how it became better and better, needs to be studied. Just compare the previous art with the TYBW one, it's outstanding! Okay, now let's go to my boy, Ichigo. You cannot imagine the amount of happiness I have felt to see him again. (and hearing the "Number One" song playing in the background in the anime ver.). His entrance was cool as hell (he always has the coolest entrances!) and he looks more powerful than ever before. He once again gets involved in the Soul Reapers' business (despite the Soul Reapers' doing their best to keep him away), and bless it for happening, because, let's face it, otherwise the Soul Society would be doomed. This time, he's not only there for the Soul Reapers, but also for the Hueco Mundo residents - yes, the Hollows and the Arrancars - the beings that were considered enemies this whole time. Ichigo's a precious soul that just can't stay away from anyone who's in the need of help, no matter if they are humans, Soul Reapers or Hollows. I just hope that this precious soul will be as protected by the others as he is protective of them.
Anyways, in Volume 55 the Wandenreich declares war on the Soul Reapers and the Soul Society is frantically trying to prepare itself for the upcoming attack. The book ends with a conversation between Mayuri and Yamamoto that tells us some shocking news (they were shocking for me, at least). Despite saying that he will attack in five days, Yhwach uses Ichigo's distraction in Hueco Mundo and is already on his way to the Soul Society. The bloodbath is coming, you guys, and I AM TERRIFIED. I don't want to get through it once again, I really don't, but a must is a must, so I'm jumping into Volume 56 as we speak. I have the tissues ready! ;)
Some things I have to speak about (yes, I still have things to say): - beware of the spoilers for Volume 55!
~ Akon is a 3rd seat?! Congratulations! 🎉
~ Everyone, absolutely everyone are looking different now, so I am asking, what is the exact time jump between TYBW and the Fullbringers arc because I am confused very, very much!
~ MAYURI IS GLOWING, LMAO 😂
~ Why the hell were Yuki and Shino, obviously Shinigami rookies, send to the one place that is ALWAYS full of (dangerous) Hollows?! Who thought it would be a good idea?!
~ Yuki knew that a strong Shinigami Representative is guarding the Karakura Town, but still asked Who are you? when he saw him. I mean, who else could it be?!
~ I don't remember Hiyori and Lisa being shown in the first episode of the anime, but they were shown in the manga (for a little while, but still)!
~THE KARAKURA TEAM LOOKING GOOD!
~ "Ungh... Why would he kick me without warning? Is he some kind of fool?" - I honestly don't know what else did Ebern expect after showing in Ichigo's home like that
~ I am deeply sorry for Ebern though :(
~ The Wandenreich's delegation send to declare war in Yamamoto's office looked goofy as hell, like aliens lmao (I'm sorry)
~ Why did Ichigo still use Bankai despite knowing that it's a trap? Dude, please.
~ Chojiro's body flying out of nowhere scared the crap out of me!
~ The way Byakuya introduced Chojiro on his funeral day as a example of an undying loyalty and strength didn't work for me in the slightest. You tell me that the guy was able to use Bankai, but never done it in the battle until the day of his death? Like really?? He did show up for a moment during the Winter War, but never fought, why though if he knew Bankai? And why was he declaring that he will always follow Yamamoto but didn't stood on his side in the Winter War? With a due respect, but I don't buy it.
~ It was so nice to see Nel again! I missed her (and Ichigo together)!
~ I like the fact that Halibel is the new ruler of Hueco Mundo. She was the best out of the big three of the Espada.
~ Why did Yhwach said that he suspected that Ichigo's Bankai cannot be stolen? Considering who he is and who he resembles (which I am still incredibly confused about), it's obvious that he already knew that it was impossible, but still send Ebern there. Ebern died for nothing.
~ Ichigo covering Nel's eyes with his hand (despite the fact that Nel had to obviously already seen all the bodies and blood and despite the fact that she's actually not a child) is so considerate of him.
~ The Hollow and Arrancar contest made by Quilge is totally sick and twisted and not only because of all the violence, but because of the fact that they forcefully took away all of their swords. It's not like the Arrancars would have been hopeless without the swords, but they were stronger with them. Quilge's smug face really pissed me off.
~ I am really happy to know that Hallibel's ladies (Apache, Mila Rose and Sun-Sun) are still alive. How it's possible after Yamamoto's attack? I don't know, but I don't care. It's nice to see them and see them bickering again!
~ The fact that it's Mayuri that is responsible for the vanishing of more than twenty thousand residents of the Rukongai shouldn't surprise me considering he's a freak, but his confession still left me shocked and speechless.
~ Why didn't Yamamoto kill Yhwach when he had the chance? Why didn't he try to track him down this whole time, knowing that he's alive and definitely plotting revenge??
February 1, 2025
Oh no 😵💫
January 14, 2023
This was a fast-paced and interesting start to this new arc. With the Bleach: Thousand Year Blood War anime adaptation being released, I watched several episodes and knew I wanted to catch up on the manga before the entire arc was translated into anime form. While I loved the new anime for its fast pace and new and improved animation, I preferred this volume to the first episode. I feel like this volume does a better job at the fast pacing than the anime does. The anime seemed to breeze right through the events of this volume despite the fact that the events of the first volume are spread out over several episodes and technically the manga is a faster pace. I feel like the plot point of Mayuri sacrificing thousands of souls in order to balance the scales of souls caused by the Quincy eliminating an unprecedented amount of Hollows at once was better illustrated here. I think that the comment made by the Head Captain about how Mayuri would have gotten proper authorization to do so if he had just asked was especially dark and chilling. I liked seeing the different surviving Arrancar appear in this issue and them fighting against the new threat to Hueco Mundo. This volume did an amazing job at illustrating the deadly threat of the Quincy, and I like how they’re modelled after Nazi Germany.
February 10, 2013
After having problems with the past Deputy Soul Reaper, Ginjo. Ichigo and the Soul Society got a new one. It was now because of the thousand year problem of Genryusai Yamamoto.
They are the Quincies. They want Yama-jii and the Soul Soceity dead. They wanted to take over. It's still in the beginning so it was not yet explained fully. But I have read the manga chapters advance somewhere and I know that it will all be coming down to Soul Society.
I think this would be the biggest problem they ever had. As I always say I want to know what is Ichigo's history. His father as we all know is a Shinigami too. That's why he got a shinigami powers in the first place. BUT his father haven't really talked about it all. Plus his mother. So I believe this manga would not yet end. There're still mysteries needed to be solve.
As always, I really like Nel! :) And well, it all comes down to Ichigo anyway. Whether or not the enemies would make a move depends on Ichigo. LOL. They're about to attack Soul Society because Ichigo is in Hueco Mundo. How cowardly.
Kudos to Tite Kubo! :)
They are the Quincies. They want Yama-jii and the Soul Soceity dead. They wanted to take over. It's still in the beginning so it was not yet explained fully. But I have read the manga chapters advance somewhere and I know that it will all be coming down to Soul Society.
I think this would be the biggest problem they ever had. As I always say I want to know what is Ichigo's history. His father as we all know is a Shinigami too. That's why he got a shinigami powers in the first place. BUT his father haven't really talked about it all. Plus his mother. So I believe this manga would not yet end. There're still mysteries needed to be solve.
As always, I really like Nel! :) And well, it all comes down to Ichigo anyway. Whether or not the enemies would make a move depends on Ichigo. LOL. They're about to attack Soul Society because Ichigo is in Hueco Mundo. How cowardly.
Kudos to Tite Kubo! :)
May 17, 2020
And so, here we are, with the beginning of the final Bleach arc and it introduces us to a brand-new German (?) villain that especially looks to explore an unexplored angle with one of Bleach's main characters.
For the time being, I like what the premise is all about but will need to see if it will lead anywhere truly interesting of if this is going to end up being the downfall of the franchise.
Yours truly,
Lashaan | Blogger and Book Reviewer
Official blog: https://bookidote.com/
For the time being, I like what the premise is all about but will need to see if it will lead anywhere truly interesting of if this is going to end up being the downfall of the franchise.
Yours truly,
Lashaan | Blogger and Book Reviewer
Official blog: https://bookidote.com/
April 24, 2013
25 March 2013
Rating: * * * 1/2
My heart shattered when I opened to the first page of Bleach, Volume 55: The Blood Warfare and saw this:
FINAL ????? Nooooooooooooo!!!
Say it isn't so! I cannot imagine a world where there is noByakuya Bleach to look forward to. I need my regular fix of badass Byakuya Soul Reapers. I don't know how I'm going to survive. Bleach is such a special series in that it contains every exciting element from all of your favorite manga and rolls it into the perfect rollicking adventure. Tite Kubo's masterful storytelling and incredible artwork has spoiled me so much that not many manga can compare. I'm going to really miss Byakuya this series when it comes to an end. Sigh. It is a sad, sad day.
As much as I love Bleach, I didn't find this volume to be super exciting, but I'm okay with that because thrilling battles are sure to come very soon. It seems Tite Kubo is cleverly calculating the end to involve characters from the past and present. I'm secretly hoping that he ends it in a way that results in a Soul Reaper spin-off! One can only dream, right?
Rating: * * * 1/2
My heart shattered when I opened to the first page of Bleach, Volume 55: The Blood Warfare and saw this:
FINAL ????? Nooooooooooooo!!!
Say it isn't so! I cannot imagine a world where there is no
As much as I love Bleach, I didn't find this volume to be super exciting, but I'm okay with that because thrilling battles are sure to come very soon. It seems Tite Kubo is cleverly calculating the end to involve characters from the past and present. I'm secretly hoping that he ends it in a way that results in a Soul Reaper spin-off! One can only dream, right?
November 3, 2012
The new arc isn't impressive at all. It's slightly better than the last one. The Fullbringer arc was kind of stupid for me. This has the potential to be interesting although the one-sided "war" wasn't so far. And it seems we'll never be able to see some of the captain's bankais at the rate the deaths are going.
Oh Aizen please find some way to come out! Or Ichigo! You release him to have him help you! Urahara, show me your bankai or more of your nifty tricks!
Oh Aizen please find some way to come out! Or Ichigo! You release him to have him help you! Urahara, show me your bankai or more of your nifty tricks!
November 6, 2022
The beginning of the Final Arc! I love how each of the arcs have tackled a different aspect of the world (Soul Reapers, Hollows, Fullbringers, and now Quincies)
June 13, 2025
First volume in a new arc and we already have so much intrigue and questionable decisions 👀 this arc looks very promising
June 29, 2025
Amazing start to the new arc! I only remembered the saddest part of this from the anime. Nell remains hilarious 😂
October 30, 2022
Officially into unknown territory with this new arc! You could tell that Tite Kubo had the freedom of not shying away from the gore and violence since this was the next arc after the show originally ended. Great start, and excited to see where the story goes!
February 2, 2024
I just think we are making it up as we go along. I miss Ichigo being hollowed :((((((((((((
July 17, 2013
Bleach is back in the swing of things: new arc, new antagonist, same Ichigo and friends. But this time, this may be the last battle for Kurosaki and the whole of Soul Society. A new group of dangerous warriors have descended upon the various realms of Bleach, intent on wiping out those who won't join them. The name of this story is the Thousand-Year Blood Arc, and as Tite Kubo sets the stage for the series finale, the body count is already steadily rising. It's the beginning of the end for this shonen superstar and it still manages to demand your full attention as ever before.
You can read my complete review of BLEACH volume 55 at my blog, Nagareboshi Reviews: http://nagareboshi-reviews.blogspot.com/
You can read my complete review of BLEACH volume 55 at my blog, Nagareboshi Reviews: http://nagareboshi-reviews.blogspot.com/
March 5, 2013
It was hard to know where Tite Kubo would go with this story. Having finished his XCution arc, Kubo wisely decides to launch his final arc with an intriguing villain. As with the previous one, he, so far at least, gives his villains time to grow and develop and become interesting. In addition, the story actually builds off of the foundation laid throughout the series. It's almost as if he knew where he was going from the beginning. I'm curious to see how he finishes it.
April 9, 2015
MI QUERIDO BLEACH, lo echaba tanto de menos!!!. Tras mi intento fallido de leerme todo el manga desde el principio, finalmente he decidido leerlo desde donde lo deje con la serie, y la verdad es que no he podido tomar mejor idea: nuevos enemigos, nuevas muertes, nuevos roles.... ESTOY DESEANDO SEGUIR
July 1, 2012
Quanto mais leio desta chamada última arc mais me convenço que não o é. Esperar para ver. Ainda pode dar muita volta.
É difícil não rasgar um pequeno sorriso perante a confluência de personagens. Esta arc promete...
É difícil não rasgar um pequeno sorriso perante a confluência de personagens. Esta arc promete...
August 29, 2016
Spent Saturday catching up with one of my favorite manga that I put down years ago. Love this series:)
Read
December 28, 2022ooh I think this arc will be so good I need answers like right now
October 24, 2025
TBA
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 30, 2020
Given that Manga, and especially Shonen is split up into bigger arcs as composed to volumes I will be analyzing and reviewing this by Arc. I also reread this manga over the span of 2 months, some days reading as much as 100 chapters a day. It would be quite tedious for me to review each 7-8 chapter volume. So this will be copy and pasted throughout all of the 72 manga volumes. That being said, if you're looking at this without having viewed the series...spoiler warning. I don't recap anything, but I also mention things that happen. If you want me to answer the question "Should I pick this up?" Yes. Even if you stop at the end of the Soul Society Arc. It's worth it.
Karakura Town Arc - Chapters 1-56 - Rating: 7/10
(The official page lumps this in with the Soul Society Arc however I feel as if they are two very separate arcs with two very separate themes)
- A fun introduction.
-An interesting premise on the idea of ghosts and demons (Hollows)
-Does a good job of introducing the characters and I especially enjoyed the love for characters like Chad, Orihime and Uryu as these characters would later lose more and more spotlight as the series went on.
-It is a bit of a monster of the week. When it works, like with Chad's introduction story. It works. But Characters like Don Kanonji felt superficial and very gimmicky. Which, fair. I didn't enjoy them as much.
Soul Society Arc - Chapters 57-182 - Rating: 10/10
-The height of Bleach
-Establishes an afterlife seemingly perfectly. Later on revealed to be full of plot holes and never fleshed out but hey! That's not an issue in THIS arc. The fights are top tier, the themes of Ichigo owing a life debt to Rukia and his passion and determination to rise above literally God's army is inspiring and to this day is why I love Ichigo so much. He doesn't have some grandiose plan. He doesn't have a major goal to accomplish. He is a protector by heart, losing his mother has made him sour to failing to protect those he cares about and he'll do anything in his power never to feel that helpless again. Very powerful stuff.
-The twist near the end of this arc is revolutionary and would make waves for the next 200 chapters onward. A perfect ending and set up for the forthcoming arc.
-The only issues I have for this arc would be Ichigo's lightning speed progression. The guy goes from being able to barely defeat a third seat to besting multiple captains in roughly 100 or less chapters. I get that that is the point and him defeating captains was more of a struck of luck, but progression and pacing wise it feels very unearned and a factor of "for the plot he needed to be this strong" It only seems as fast as it is because Ichigo's progression slows drastically down for the rest of the story moving foreword so it's only now that I make that criticism.
-Also, and this will be an issue in most Shonen. There are 13 Captains with 13 Vice Captains and seats that branch all the way to 10 I believe? Regardless, there's a fudge ton of characters that are introduced here and it can get a little jarring at times. Luckily, Kubo does a great job at making their designs and characters unique despite such a large cast.
Hueco Mundo Arc - Chapters 183-423 - Rating 7/10
-This is another arc where personally I would split it up into two separate arcs. But for the sake of this review I will simply refer to the first half of the arc and the later half of the arc. First Half 9/10. Second Half. 5/10.
-The first half of this arc is a great continuation of the last. Ichigo now struggles with his inner demons and it affects his ability to protect the ones he loves. We are also introduced to a deadly unknown new villains. The Arrancars/Espada to this day remain one of my favorite villain factions in all of manga enemies.
-Just so you're aware I would say the first half of this arc ends right around the point of Ichigo vs Grimmjow. Grimmjow is one of the first Arrancar that Ichigo faces. And he's also one of two Espada that he faces three times. The conclusion of that fight shows Ichigo conquering his inner demons. Where Grimmjow is very much fighting to establish himself. Grimmjow has to fight Ichigo to prove to his fallen comrades that he is as good as he says he is. He doesn't care about Aizen, he doesn't care about the rest of the Espada. It is very personal for him. For Ichigo, Orohime is within his grasp of saving and he views this as his "final" battle. It's my favorite fight in all of Bleach.
-However, this is where things start to take a bit of dip in quality in my opinion. We had a goal and we were striving towards that goal. Each character of the original cast coming to repay the debt they made to their friend who had risked her life to save them in the Soul society arc. But somewhere along the way it seems we just had a fighter fest. Captains would face enemies with no themes or character revelations. The Espadas got a little light but nothing that made their fights compelling. You almost just feel bad for the Espada as they were monsters turned into a military force by an unstoppable tyrant. But even that wasn't enough to make half of the fights interesting. Now, that's with knowing the outcome. These fights played little importance in the larger scheme of things. Where at least in the Hueco Mundo fights each match up had the protagonists striving for a goal. Rukia to defeat Aaroneiro to free her former superiors soul. Byakuya to defend Rukia. Renji and Uryu teamwork. Nel to protect Ichigo and get revenge on Nnoitra. Whereas Stark fought Kyoraku.....cause.....and Hitsugaya fought Halibel because Water vs Ice would be cool.
-This leaves me to the end. I won't say it wasn't satisfying that Ichigo was able to defeat Aizen. And yes, I do feel like his new power was earned. 3 months of training. But this was clearly a last minute decision to save Aizen for a later date and the show must go on. I do feel like it wasn't as satisfying as 200+ chapter buildup needed to be.
The Fullbring Arc - Chapters 424-479 - Rating: 8/10
-A very underrated arc. And yes, I acknowledge that rating wise I think the Fullbring arc is superior to the Hueco Mundo arc. That is mostly true. Though I like the first half of the Hueco Mundo Arc more than the Fullbring arc. The end of the HM arc really brought it down for me. The Fullbring Arc is much more concise and is actually the shortest arc in the series and works as a glorified Ichigo getting his powers back arc. But that doesn't mean its bad.
-When I read it originally back when it was coming out in 2010. (Cause I'm Old) It wasn't phenomenal. In fact, I hated it. But wouldn't you? It took just short of a year to get to the point that we were at. But upon rereading it, it gave much deserved love to the characters who hadn't been shown love in quite some time. The original cast. It was a very character focused arc. Ichigo never seemed more human. And despite me hating it before for taking so long, reading weekly can sometimes hurt these mystery based arcs. The twist is heavily foreshadowed and I really appreciated it.
-That being said, the end was super rushed. This was a big bummer for me. The villains this time around were humans. And the ones who had the most exposure and relations with these characters were the original cast who again....were humans. So to have the soul reapers, who have no connection to the fullbringers show up and basically no diff most of the fullbringers felt very forced and fanservicey to me. This very well could have not been Kubo's call. As the community was very vocal about their dislike for this arc as it was going on. But I appreciate it now much more as I appreciate character and story over big sword fights. Lol.
The Thousand Year Blood War Arc - Chapters 424-689 - Rating: 5/10
-And we're finally here. The final and largest arc within the Bleach story. And man...does it not stick the landing.
-That being said, this arc has phenomenal moments. Kenpachi's Shikai and Bankai. Ichigo's double swords. Renji's true Bankai. Rukia's Bankai. And many more. However, they are put together against the most break neck speed arc that I have ever read. Kubo was very ambitious when he introduced 26 new villains. However, most of them got barely any screen time and a lot of them even got off screened by higher level captains. This was unlike the Espada who each got a full double page spread for their Resurrections.
-Yhwach himself was a phenomenal villain but was dealt with swiftly and imo dirty. They did him dirty.
-There was just something off. The mood changed and it was very apparent. The villains had random powers instead of the powers reflecting their personalities or needs. The finale felt so underwhelming.
-Ichigo gets to be the strongest he's ever been....but he doesn't defeat a single person besides the main villain despite being in several fights.
-It isn't a good arc. In fact, I would say it's the worst. Hopefully the anime does a better job with this already mammoth of a story. 260 chapters is no joke.
This gives the story of Bleach an Overall rating of 7.4/10. Which to me is above average. It has it's ups and downs. It's not perfect. But when it's high, it's peak shonen. But when it's low, it's very forgettable.
Karakura Town Arc - Chapters 1-56 - Rating: 7/10
(The official page lumps this in with the Soul Society Arc however I feel as if they are two very separate arcs with two very separate themes)
- A fun introduction.
-An interesting premise on the idea of ghosts and demons (Hollows)
-Does a good job of introducing the characters and I especially enjoyed the love for characters like Chad, Orihime and Uryu as these characters would later lose more and more spotlight as the series went on.
-It is a bit of a monster of the week. When it works, like with Chad's introduction story. It works. But Characters like Don Kanonji felt superficial and very gimmicky. Which, fair. I didn't enjoy them as much.
Soul Society Arc - Chapters 57-182 - Rating: 10/10
-The height of Bleach
-Establishes an afterlife seemingly perfectly. Later on revealed to be full of plot holes and never fleshed out but hey! That's not an issue in THIS arc. The fights are top tier, the themes of Ichigo owing a life debt to Rukia and his passion and determination to rise above literally God's army is inspiring and to this day is why I love Ichigo so much. He doesn't have some grandiose plan. He doesn't have a major goal to accomplish. He is a protector by heart, losing his mother has made him sour to failing to protect those he cares about and he'll do anything in his power never to feel that helpless again. Very powerful stuff.
-The twist near the end of this arc is revolutionary and would make waves for the next 200 chapters onward. A perfect ending and set up for the forthcoming arc.
-The only issues I have for this arc would be Ichigo's lightning speed progression. The guy goes from being able to barely defeat a third seat to besting multiple captains in roughly 100 or less chapters. I get that that is the point and him defeating captains was more of a struck of luck, but progression and pacing wise it feels very unearned and a factor of "for the plot he needed to be this strong" It only seems as fast as it is because Ichigo's progression slows drastically down for the rest of the story moving foreword so it's only now that I make that criticism.
-Also, and this will be an issue in most Shonen. There are 13 Captains with 13 Vice Captains and seats that branch all the way to 10 I believe? Regardless, there's a fudge ton of characters that are introduced here and it can get a little jarring at times. Luckily, Kubo does a great job at making their designs and characters unique despite such a large cast.
Hueco Mundo Arc - Chapters 183-423 - Rating 7/10
-This is another arc where personally I would split it up into two separate arcs. But for the sake of this review I will simply refer to the first half of the arc and the later half of the arc. First Half 9/10. Second Half. 5/10.
-The first half of this arc is a great continuation of the last. Ichigo now struggles with his inner demons and it affects his ability to protect the ones he loves. We are also introduced to a deadly unknown new villains. The Arrancars/Espada to this day remain one of my favorite villain factions in all of manga enemies.
-Just so you're aware I would say the first half of this arc ends right around the point of Ichigo vs Grimmjow. Grimmjow is one of the first Arrancar that Ichigo faces. And he's also one of two Espada that he faces three times. The conclusion of that fight shows Ichigo conquering his inner demons. Where Grimmjow is very much fighting to establish himself. Grimmjow has to fight Ichigo to prove to his fallen comrades that he is as good as he says he is. He doesn't care about Aizen, he doesn't care about the rest of the Espada. It is very personal for him. For Ichigo, Orohime is within his grasp of saving and he views this as his "final" battle. It's my favorite fight in all of Bleach.
-However, this is where things start to take a bit of dip in quality in my opinion. We had a goal and we were striving towards that goal. Each character of the original cast coming to repay the debt they made to their friend who had risked her life to save them in the Soul society arc. But somewhere along the way it seems we just had a fighter fest. Captains would face enemies with no themes or character revelations. The Espadas got a little light but nothing that made their fights compelling. You almost just feel bad for the Espada as they were monsters turned into a military force by an unstoppable tyrant. But even that wasn't enough to make half of the fights interesting. Now, that's with knowing the outcome. These fights played little importance in the larger scheme of things. Where at least in the Hueco Mundo fights each match up had the protagonists striving for a goal. Rukia to defeat Aaroneiro to free her former superiors soul. Byakuya to defend Rukia. Renji and Uryu teamwork. Nel to protect Ichigo and get revenge on Nnoitra. Whereas Stark fought Kyoraku.....cause.....and Hitsugaya fought Halibel because Water vs Ice would be cool.
-This leaves me to the end. I won't say it wasn't satisfying that Ichigo was able to defeat Aizen. And yes, I do feel like his new power was earned. 3 months of training. But this was clearly a last minute decision to save Aizen for a later date and the show must go on. I do feel like it wasn't as satisfying as 200+ chapter buildup needed to be.
The Fullbring Arc - Chapters 424-479 - Rating: 8/10
-A very underrated arc. And yes, I acknowledge that rating wise I think the Fullbring arc is superior to the Hueco Mundo arc. That is mostly true. Though I like the first half of the Hueco Mundo Arc more than the Fullbring arc. The end of the HM arc really brought it down for me. The Fullbring Arc is much more concise and is actually the shortest arc in the series and works as a glorified Ichigo getting his powers back arc. But that doesn't mean its bad.
-When I read it originally back when it was coming out in 2010. (Cause I'm Old) It wasn't phenomenal. In fact, I hated it. But wouldn't you? It took just short of a year to get to the point that we were at. But upon rereading it, it gave much deserved love to the characters who hadn't been shown love in quite some time. The original cast. It was a very character focused arc. Ichigo never seemed more human. And despite me hating it before for taking so long, reading weekly can sometimes hurt these mystery based arcs. The twist is heavily foreshadowed and I really appreciated it.
-That being said, the end was super rushed. This was a big bummer for me. The villains this time around were humans. And the ones who had the most exposure and relations with these characters were the original cast who again....were humans. So to have the soul reapers, who have no connection to the fullbringers show up and basically no diff most of the fullbringers felt very forced and fanservicey to me. This very well could have not been Kubo's call. As the community was very vocal about their dislike for this arc as it was going on. But I appreciate it now much more as I appreciate character and story over big sword fights. Lol.
The Thousand Year Blood War Arc - Chapters 424-689 - Rating: 5/10
-And we're finally here. The final and largest arc within the Bleach story. And man...does it not stick the landing.
-That being said, this arc has phenomenal moments. Kenpachi's Shikai and Bankai. Ichigo's double swords. Renji's true Bankai. Rukia's Bankai. And many more. However, they are put together against the most break neck speed arc that I have ever read. Kubo was very ambitious when he introduced 26 new villains. However, most of them got barely any screen time and a lot of them even got off screened by higher level captains. This was unlike the Espada who each got a full double page spread for their Resurrections.
-Yhwach himself was a phenomenal villain but was dealt with swiftly and imo dirty. They did him dirty.
-There was just something off. The mood changed and it was very apparent. The villains had random powers instead of the powers reflecting their personalities or needs. The finale felt so underwhelming.
-Ichigo gets to be the strongest he's ever been....but he doesn't defeat a single person besides the main villain despite being in several fights.
-It isn't a good arc. In fact, I would say it's the worst. Hopefully the anime does a better job with this already mammoth of a story. 260 chapters is no joke.
This gives the story of Bleach an Overall rating of 7.4/10. Which to me is above average. It has it's ups and downs. It's not perfect. But when it's high, it's peak shonen. But when it's low, it's very forgettable.
January 11, 2020
Reviewed on Lili Lost in a Book
I’ve read graphic novels in the past and, like, one comic book maybe, but this was my very first manga! Last Spring I binge watched the entire Bleach anime and I fell immediately in love with it! When I was nearing the end of the anime, I found out that the very last arc of the series was never adapted 😩 So because I loved the show, and because I’m a completionist, I just had to find out how the series ended, so I decided to give the manga a shot. And guess what? No surprise, but I loved it. Lol. Granted, it took me a little while to get used to because it was a new medium for me, but I’m so glad I gave it a shot!
The “me” problem: because this was a new medium for me, I did have a little bit of a hard time getting into the manga. One of the reasons was because I am just used to reading novels that I would just zip through the text in this and barely glance at the illustrations, and before I knew it, some guy lost an arm and I didn’t even know when! Lol. I had to slow myself down and actually pause and look at everything cause otherwise I would miss bits here and there.
I also had some trouble deciphering some of the illustrations because they were in black and white and sometimes close up. Again, I had to stop and really take in the illustrations, to get what was going on but also to appreciate them because there were some that were particularly beautiful...
I also loved all the little sketches sprinkled throughout the book.
I love Yumichika! 😂 Anyway, having said all that, I think this was a good manga to start on because I was already familiar with the world and loved the characters. I just love all the silly character interactions and how they make me laugh because they say the dumbest things! I love it! Lol. And little Nel actually makes an appearance! I love her! She is so cute and I love her interactions with Ichigo! We also got some Rukia and Renji action there at the end, which yay! They are some of my favorite characters!
So, this last arc starts with Soul Society residents disappearing all of a sudden and some Soul Reapers go and investigate and try to figure out what the heck is going on. On top of that, the Soul Society is being threatened by an unknown enemy... which we actually find out who it is at the end of the volume and oh my god! I was so surprised!
The Soul Society isn’t the only place experiencing weird things. Strange things are happening in Hueco Mundo too. Ichigo was in the world of the living battling someone, but with new weird/cool powers... Can’t wait to see more of that! Anyway, Urahara helps Ichigo and his friends go to Hueco Mundo to see what’s up. Once there they realize that Hueco Mundo is being run a third party. It’s no longer the Arrancars that were under Aizen’s control. In fact, Ichigo helps the Arrancars against this new threat, and the irony is not lost on me, seeing as how they were the enemy not that long ago. Lol.
This was just the intro of what is definitely bigger things at play. The revelation of the new threat was insane! I can’t wait to find out what their deal is and what the heck is going on.
I’ve read graphic novels in the past and, like, one comic book maybe, but this was my very first manga! Last Spring I binge watched the entire Bleach anime and I fell immediately in love with it! When I was nearing the end of the anime, I found out that the very last arc of the series was never adapted 😩 So because I loved the show, and because I’m a completionist, I just had to find out how the series ended, so I decided to give the manga a shot. And guess what? No surprise, but I loved it. Lol. Granted, it took me a little while to get used to because it was a new medium for me, but I’m so glad I gave it a shot!
The “me” problem: because this was a new medium for me, I did have a little bit of a hard time getting into the manga. One of the reasons was because I am just used to reading novels that I would just zip through the text in this and barely glance at the illustrations, and before I knew it, some guy lost an arm and I didn’t even know when! Lol. I had to slow myself down and actually pause and look at everything cause otherwise I would miss bits here and there.
I also had some trouble deciphering some of the illustrations because they were in black and white and sometimes close up. Again, I had to stop and really take in the illustrations, to get what was going on but also to appreciate them because there were some that were particularly beautiful...
I also loved all the little sketches sprinkled throughout the book.
I love Yumichika! 😂 Anyway, having said all that, I think this was a good manga to start on because I was already familiar with the world and loved the characters. I just love all the silly character interactions and how they make me laugh because they say the dumbest things! I love it! Lol. And little Nel actually makes an appearance! I love her! She is so cute and I love her interactions with Ichigo! We also got some Rukia and Renji action there at the end, which yay! They are some of my favorite characters!
So, this last arc starts with Soul Society residents disappearing all of a sudden and some Soul Reapers go and investigate and try to figure out what the heck is going on. On top of that, the Soul Society is being threatened by an unknown enemy... which we actually find out who it is at the end of the volume and oh my god! I was so surprised!
The Soul Society isn’t the only place experiencing weird things. Strange things are happening in Hueco Mundo too. Ichigo was in the world of the living battling someone, but with new weird/cool powers... Can’t wait to see more of that! Anyway, Urahara helps Ichigo and his friends go to Hueco Mundo to see what’s up. Once there they realize that Hueco Mundo is being run a third party. It’s no longer the Arrancars that were under Aizen’s control. In fact, Ichigo helps the Arrancars against this new threat, and the irony is not lost on me, seeing as how they were the enemy not that long ago. Lol.
This was just the intro of what is definitely bigger things at play. The revelation of the new threat was insane! I can’t wait to find out what their deal is and what the heck is going on.
August 19, 2024
VOLUME 55: CHAPTER 480-489
Arc 11: The Thousand Year Blood War
The 3rd Division found a report about a Hollows that being destroyed in mass. Soul Society in emergency state again as the balance between the Soul Society and human world will collapsed if the numbers of Hollows being destroyed keep increasing. In Karakura Town, two new Shinigami were assigned to take care of the town; Shino and Yuki. But both of them were defeated and Ichigo come to save them. 2 days later, Shino and Yuki stayed at Ichigo's home. Suddenly, a mysterious guy named himself as Ivan Azgiaro appears. Ichigo fights Ivan who have a Hollow mask on his left eye but his power resemble Quincy. Ivan provoked Ichigo to used his Bankai. He used something to steal Ichigo's Bankai but failed and he then retreated.
In Rukongai, Ikkaku and Yumichika investigate about the resident disappearances. In Seireitei, a group of white men intruded 1st Division quarter. They declared a war with Soul Society in front of Yamamoto. Sasakibe was attacked by the group. The group named themself as Wandenreich will annihilated Soul Society in 5 days. The group then retreated. Before Sasakibe died, he said to Yamamoto that the group can used Bankai. A funeral was held for Sasakibe. A report come out that the intruders killed 106 members of 1st Division in 182 seconds.
The group and Ivan come back to their base to report to their leader. Luders Friegen and Ivan have a small fight then the leader cut Luders' right arm. His cruelty shown as he didn't satisfied with Luders report that Wandenreich will invade Soul Society in 5 days and instantly killed him. He also killed Ivan. He then revealed that he already captured Tier Halibel. Hueco Mundo has fallen to Wandenreich. Nel and Pesche come to human world and see Ichigo to tell about Hueco Mundo. Dondochakka was captured by Wandenreich. Ichigo and his friends will go to Hueco Mundo except Uryuu. Urahara will arrange their journey to Hueco Mundo.
Gotei 13 is meeting right now to strike first the intruder. Kira suspecting something weird about the vanishing resident of Rukongai. This is related to Ikkaku and Yumichika findings about the footprints where some barefoot and some wear sandals. Resident of District 50 and above doesn't wear sandals so the sandals seems likely Shinigami's. Kira starts to suspecting Mayuri for hiding something. Mayuri tells Yamamoto that he and his division kills 28,000 residents of Rukongai to balance the soul in Soul Society and the human world. Due to Uryuu's infiltration before, Mayuri had warned Yamamoto about the coming of Quincy. Yamamoto failed again after he failed to kill the leader of Wandenreich 1,000 years ago.
Hueco Mundo was taken over by Jagdarmee (Hunting Army) of Wandenreich led by Quilge Opie. Opie randomly killed the remaining Arrancars and will present who have guts to fight back to the leader. Loly and Menoly fight back they was defeated. Suddenly, the Tres Bestias appears. The Tres Bestias were easily defeated by Opie. Ichigo then confronts Opie. Opie addressed Ichigo as Special War Potential and fight Ichigo. The leader of Wandenreich knows the information about Ichigo who infiltrated Hueco Mundo. He and his Sternritter will invade Soul Society immediately.
Arc 11: The Thousand Year Blood War
The 3rd Division found a report about a Hollows that being destroyed in mass. Soul Society in emergency state again as the balance between the Soul Society and human world will collapsed if the numbers of Hollows being destroyed keep increasing. In Karakura Town, two new Shinigami were assigned to take care of the town; Shino and Yuki. But both of them were defeated and Ichigo come to save them. 2 days later, Shino and Yuki stayed at Ichigo's home. Suddenly, a mysterious guy named himself as Ivan Azgiaro appears. Ichigo fights Ivan who have a Hollow mask on his left eye but his power resemble Quincy. Ivan provoked Ichigo to used his Bankai. He used something to steal Ichigo's Bankai but failed and he then retreated.
In Rukongai, Ikkaku and Yumichika investigate about the resident disappearances. In Seireitei, a group of white men intruded 1st Division quarter. They declared a war with Soul Society in front of Yamamoto. Sasakibe was attacked by the group. The group named themself as Wandenreich will annihilated Soul Society in 5 days. The group then retreated. Before Sasakibe died, he said to Yamamoto that the group can used Bankai. A funeral was held for Sasakibe. A report come out that the intruders killed 106 members of 1st Division in 182 seconds.
The group and Ivan come back to their base to report to their leader. Luders Friegen and Ivan have a small fight then the leader cut Luders' right arm. His cruelty shown as he didn't satisfied with Luders report that Wandenreich will invade Soul Society in 5 days and instantly killed him. He also killed Ivan. He then revealed that he already captured Tier Halibel. Hueco Mundo has fallen to Wandenreich. Nel and Pesche come to human world and see Ichigo to tell about Hueco Mundo. Dondochakka was captured by Wandenreich. Ichigo and his friends will go to Hueco Mundo except Uryuu. Urahara will arrange their journey to Hueco Mundo.
Gotei 13 is meeting right now to strike first the intruder. Kira suspecting something weird about the vanishing resident of Rukongai. This is related to Ikkaku and Yumichika findings about the footprints where some barefoot and some wear sandals. Resident of District 50 and above doesn't wear sandals so the sandals seems likely Shinigami's. Kira starts to suspecting Mayuri for hiding something. Mayuri tells Yamamoto that he and his division kills 28,000 residents of Rukongai to balance the soul in Soul Society and the human world. Due to Uryuu's infiltration before, Mayuri had warned Yamamoto about the coming of Quincy. Yamamoto failed again after he failed to kill the leader of Wandenreich 1,000 years ago.
Hueco Mundo was taken over by Jagdarmee (Hunting Army) of Wandenreich led by Quilge Opie. Opie randomly killed the remaining Arrancars and will present who have guts to fight back to the leader. Loly and Menoly fight back they was defeated. Suddenly, the Tres Bestias appears. The Tres Bestias were easily defeated by Opie. Ichigo then confronts Opie. Opie addressed Ichigo as Special War Potential and fight Ichigo. The leader of Wandenreich knows the information about Ichigo who infiltrated Hueco Mundo. He and his Sternritter will invade Soul Society immediately.
April 18, 2022
Hollows are beginning to disappear at an alarming rate. This is especially bad news to those in the Soul Society who monitor such things because of the delicate balance that exists between the Soul Society and the World of the Living. Should this balance be disrupted, well, the result would not be pretty. And Kurotsuchi has an idea who is responsible for this imbalance.
It’s Yuki’s first day on the job but he’s very tired, having been too worried to get much sleep the night before. He is yelled at by Shino, who tells him he has nothing to fear while she’s around and to pull his act together! They travel to Karakura Town to begin making their rounds. Yuki is dismayed that they are patrolling separately, especially when he runs into his first Hollows! And oh dear, they’ve got Shino on the ground, unconscious. What’s a new guy to do? Luckily for him, the Deputy Soul Reaper arrives to save the day!
Yuki awakens a day later to learn he missed the battle. While Ichigo is trying to get the new Soul Reaper out of his bed, other people assemble – Orihime, Chad, Uryu and some guy named Ebern. Ebern? Who the heck is that? Ichigo realizes this new guy, who he believes to be an Arrancar, has come on account of him so he decides to handle him quickly. Except Ebern is not an Arrancar, not at all. And what he is is surprising.
Meanwhile a situation is developing in the Rukongai. Entire villages of people are disappearing. Even as the Soul Reapers investigate, Captain General Yamamoto is visited by a contingent who have come to declare war! Even as he faces them down, Ebern taunts Ichigo to use his bankai and defeat him. However when Ichigo does as he wishes, Ebern seems frustrated that Ichigo’s bankai doesn’t disappear. What does that even mean? He departs in a huff, leaving a confused Ichigo.
Tragedy strikes the Soul Society with the death of one of their own, although the Captain General is safe. Yuki receives the news and relays it to Ichigo and the others. Suddenly, Ichigo spots something hurtling toward the earth and hastens to catch it, only to discover it is none other than Nel! Hueco Mundo has been attacked! Naturally, Ichigo feels the need to help, as do Chad and Orihime, and even Kiskue. But Uryu has to sit this one out because he cannot conscience saving Hollows.
There is a new villain on the scene, and he has subordinates who seem to be as evil and crazy as he is! They call themselves the Vandenreich, the Invisible Empire… and the most surprising thing about them is that they are an army of Quincies! Now Soul Society and Hueco Mundo and the World of the Living are all in danger. These guys have a trick up their sleeves – they don’t just seal the Soul Reapers’ bankais – they can steal them! How does that even work? And why does Ichigo seem immune to that? Will Ichigo once again be the key to everyone’s survival?
I’m reminded of that old saying – be careful what you wish for. I wished for the end of the Fullbring arc and the arrival of the new arc. Well, it’s here, and I have a feeling we’re in for a bumpy ride!
It’s Yuki’s first day on the job but he’s very tired, having been too worried to get much sleep the night before. He is yelled at by Shino, who tells him he has nothing to fear while she’s around and to pull his act together! They travel to Karakura Town to begin making their rounds. Yuki is dismayed that they are patrolling separately, especially when he runs into his first Hollows! And oh dear, they’ve got Shino on the ground, unconscious. What’s a new guy to do? Luckily for him, the Deputy Soul Reaper arrives to save the day!
Yuki awakens a day later to learn he missed the battle. While Ichigo is trying to get the new Soul Reaper out of his bed, other people assemble – Orihime, Chad, Uryu and some guy named Ebern. Ebern? Who the heck is that? Ichigo realizes this new guy, who he believes to be an Arrancar, has come on account of him so he decides to handle him quickly. Except Ebern is not an Arrancar, not at all. And what he is is surprising.
Meanwhile a situation is developing in the Rukongai. Entire villages of people are disappearing. Even as the Soul Reapers investigate, Captain General Yamamoto is visited by a contingent who have come to declare war! Even as he faces them down, Ebern taunts Ichigo to use his bankai and defeat him. However when Ichigo does as he wishes, Ebern seems frustrated that Ichigo’s bankai doesn’t disappear. What does that even mean? He departs in a huff, leaving a confused Ichigo.
Tragedy strikes the Soul Society with the death of one of their own, although the Captain General is safe. Yuki receives the news and relays it to Ichigo and the others. Suddenly, Ichigo spots something hurtling toward the earth and hastens to catch it, only to discover it is none other than Nel! Hueco Mundo has been attacked! Naturally, Ichigo feels the need to help, as do Chad and Orihime, and even Kiskue. But Uryu has to sit this one out because he cannot conscience saving Hollows.
There is a new villain on the scene, and he has subordinates who seem to be as evil and crazy as he is! They call themselves the Vandenreich, the Invisible Empire… and the most surprising thing about them is that they are an army of Quincies! Now Soul Society and Hueco Mundo and the World of the Living are all in danger. These guys have a trick up their sleeves – they don’t just seal the Soul Reapers’ bankais – they can steal them! How does that even work? And why does Ichigo seem immune to that? Will Ichigo once again be the key to everyone’s survival?
I’m reminded of that old saying – be careful what you wish for. I wished for the end of the Fullbring arc and the arrival of the new arc. Well, it’s here, and I have a feeling we’re in for a bumpy ride!
January 8, 2026
4/5 (Review is for the series as a whole and does not contain spoilers)
Ichigo Kurosaki is a high school student who can see ghosts. When an evil spirit, called a hollow, attacks his family, he meets Rukia, a soul reaper tasked with fighting against hollows. But when Rukia is injured, Ichigo must make the decision to take over the role of soul reaper to help fight against hollows to save his hometown.
Bleach is a classic manga and one of the more popular options for those starting out in the genre/format. It features themes of friendship, growing up and changing, and never giving up. One of the most enjoyable elements of this series is watching the progression as the characters learn and evolve. Ichigo has a tendency to be really cocky, especially at the start of the series, but as time goes on and he learns more about the world he’s in, he changes and becomes more willing to listen to the advice given to him by other characters. His friends also continue to grow and progress along with him. Additionally, there is a change in the art style of the characters as the story progresses, which makes it easy to see how they have changed as they all get older. There were two elements about this series that I disliked. The first was that I felt the ending was a bit rushed, and there were some things that I was a bit confused about. However, I recognize that the author was sick and so that attributed to the way things ended. The other element that I disliked was the sheer number of characters in the series by the end. Many of the characters that I thought were dead or gone ended up coming back, and I had to try and remember who they all were. I definitely think I needed to make myself a character sheet with information about each character to help me remember everyone in the end. In terms of assessing age appropriateness for this series, I would say that it’s an okay series for middle school and up. A couple of considerations to keep in mind when deciding if it’s right for you: 1. There is some violence (which is common for shonen mangas), including some elements of body horror, but it’s not too bad. 2. There is no sexual content, although many of the women are drawn disproportionately (which is common in manga written by men). 3. The main character is fifteen years old at the start of the series and only gets older as it progresses. And 4. The themes are a bit mature in that they require some deeper level thinking in order to fully understand them all. Overall, I enjoyed this series for its interesting premise, and would definitely recommend it to those who enjoy the traditional shonen manga.
Ichigo Kurosaki is a high school student who can see ghosts. When an evil spirit, called a hollow, attacks his family, he meets Rukia, a soul reaper tasked with fighting against hollows. But when Rukia is injured, Ichigo must make the decision to take over the role of soul reaper to help fight against hollows to save his hometown.
Bleach is a classic manga and one of the more popular options for those starting out in the genre/format. It features themes of friendship, growing up and changing, and never giving up. One of the most enjoyable elements of this series is watching the progression as the characters learn and evolve. Ichigo has a tendency to be really cocky, especially at the start of the series, but as time goes on and he learns more about the world he’s in, he changes and becomes more willing to listen to the advice given to him by other characters. His friends also continue to grow and progress along with him. Additionally, there is a change in the art style of the characters as the story progresses, which makes it easy to see how they have changed as they all get older. There were two elements about this series that I disliked. The first was that I felt the ending was a bit rushed, and there were some things that I was a bit confused about. However, I recognize that the author was sick and so that attributed to the way things ended. The other element that I disliked was the sheer number of characters in the series by the end. Many of the characters that I thought were dead or gone ended up coming back, and I had to try and remember who they all were. I definitely think I needed to make myself a character sheet with information about each character to help me remember everyone in the end. In terms of assessing age appropriateness for this series, I would say that it’s an okay series for middle school and up. A couple of considerations to keep in mind when deciding if it’s right for you: 1. There is some violence (which is common for shonen mangas), including some elements of body horror, but it’s not too bad. 2. There is no sexual content, although many of the women are drawn disproportionately (which is common in manga written by men). 3. The main character is fifteen years old at the start of the series and only gets older as it progresses. And 4. The themes are a bit mature in that they require some deeper level thinking in order to fully understand them all. Overall, I enjoyed this series for its interesting premise, and would definitely recommend it to those who enjoy the traditional shonen manga.
December 2, 2023
This is a good start to a new arc and I loved seeing Nel again. I also love Ichigo and his friends’ interactions with each other as always.
Spoiler for anyone who hasn’t seen the Thousand Year Blood War Arc anime (I have not seen it yet since I want to finish the manga volumes first but I was spoiled on a few things when the chapters for this arc were being published in the magazine years ago) or read the manga for this arc yet.
It hasn’t happened yet but I know that later on Uryu will change sides later on in this arc/series. I have a few theories about that that I wanted to put down somewhere so I decided to just type them on my review for the first volume of this arc. While I was spoiled on Uryu joining the enemy’s side and on the ending on this series, I wasn’t spoiled on why he switches sides, thankfully. I have reread and rewatched the series this year and it doesn’t seem possible to me that Uryu is like Sasuke Uchiha, it just doesn’t make sense considering how well they know each other and considering how good friends they are. Even in the beginning of this volume we see that. Whereas Sasuke and Naruto were NOT nearly as good friends despite what Naruto likes to believe (I still think Shikamaru was a way better friend to Naruto and they also knew each other better but of course Naruto and the creator had to ignore him most of the time and act like Sasuke was better, ugh, yes I’m still salty about that). Uryu is NOT the same as wo-is-me emo boy Sasuke, he is a way better person and friend than Sasuke was throughout the series (I know Sasuke changes by the end of the series but after his horrible behaviour throughout the series, I don’t care how much he changes, I do believe in second chances but it’s too late), which is why I believe that he maybe decided to infiltrate the enemy to find a weakness or maybe he already knows the leader’s weakness but didn’t tell anyone because he doesn’t think they would be able to act like he really betrayed them and maybe he doesn’t want to get them involved or maybe he got brainwashed or manipulated to join them. It has to be something like these, I just can’t believe that he would actually betray Ichigo, Chad and Orihime like that especially after everything they've been through. Like I said, he’s NOT Sasuke despite the stupid memes I’ve seen. If I’m wrong I will be very shocked and the series would not be my second favourite series anymore. Please nobody tell me if I’m right or wrong, I don’t want to know until I get to that volume.
Blog: nazreads.ca
Twitter: Naz_readsanime
Instagram: nazreads01, nazcosplay, nradesigns, charmedanimegirl01
Spoiler for anyone who hasn’t seen the Thousand Year Blood War Arc anime (I have not seen it yet since I want to finish the manga volumes first but I was spoiled on a few things when the chapters for this arc were being published in the magazine years ago) or read the manga for this arc yet.
It hasn’t happened yet but I know that later on Uryu will change sides later on in this arc/series. I have a few theories about that that I wanted to put down somewhere so I decided to just type them on my review for the first volume of this arc. While I was spoiled on Uryu joining the enemy’s side and on the ending on this series, I wasn’t spoiled on why he switches sides, thankfully. I have reread and rewatched the series this year and it doesn’t seem possible to me that Uryu is like Sasuke Uchiha, it just doesn’t make sense considering how well they know each other and considering how good friends they are. Even in the beginning of this volume we see that. Whereas Sasuke and Naruto were NOT nearly as good friends despite what Naruto likes to believe (I still think Shikamaru was a way better friend to Naruto and they also knew each other better but of course Naruto and the creator had to ignore him most of the time and act like Sasuke was better, ugh, yes I’m still salty about that). Uryu is NOT the same as wo-is-me emo boy Sasuke, he is a way better person and friend than Sasuke was throughout the series (I know Sasuke changes by the end of the series but after his horrible behaviour throughout the series, I don’t care how much he changes, I do believe in second chances but it’s too late), which is why I believe that he maybe decided to infiltrate the enemy to find a weakness or maybe he already knows the leader’s weakness but didn’t tell anyone because he doesn’t think they would be able to act like he really betrayed them and maybe he doesn’t want to get them involved or maybe he got brainwashed or manipulated to join them. It has to be something like these, I just can’t believe that he would actually betray Ichigo, Chad and Orihime like that especially after everything they've been through. Like I said, he’s NOT Sasuke despite the stupid memes I’ve seen. If I’m wrong I will be very shocked and the series would not be my second favourite series anymore. Please nobody tell me if I’m right or wrong, I don’t want to know until I get to that volume.
Blog: nazreads.ca
Twitter: Naz_readsanime
Instagram: nazreads01, nazcosplay, nradesigns, charmedanimegirl01
October 30, 2019
Bleach, Vol. 55 continues where the previous tankōbon left off and contains the next ten chapters (480–489) of the on-going manga series.
Soul Society begins to notice that a large number of Hollows in the World of the living has been exterminated and that people in the Rukon District have been disappearing. Meanwhile, while helping Karakura Town's new residential Soul Reaper, Ichigo Kurosaki encounters a strange Arrancar named Ebern Asguiaro who attempts to steal Ichigo's Bankai before escaping. At the same time, Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto encounters a group of masked men who are of the Wandenreich and have come to tell him that the Soul Society will be destroyed in five days. The group also reveals to have fatally wounded Chōjirō Sasakibe who later died of his wounds.
Asguiaro and the leader of the masked figures, another arrancar named Luders Friegen, are killed by Wandenreich's leader. As a funeral is held for Chōjirō, Ichigo encounters Nel Tu and Pesche Guatiche who reveal that Hueco Mundo, having been ruled by Tier Harribel since Sōsuke Aizen's defeat, has been taken over by the Wandenreich with many arrancars including Dondochakka captured.
Ichigo arrives to Hueco Mundo with Yasutora "Chad" Sado, Orihime Inoue, and Kisuke Urahara as they find Wandenreich's Quilge Opie fighting Harribel's Fracciónes, now known as the Tres Bestias. Meanwhile in Soul Society, Mayuri Kurotsuchi confesses to having had the missing Rukon residents murdered to maintain the balance of soul and that the hollows' destruction is caused by Wandenreich, revealed to be Quincies whose leader is someone Yamamoto failed to kill. Meanwhile, informed on Ichigo being in Hueco Mundo, the Wandenreich's leader declares an assault on the Seireitei.
This tankōbon is written and illustrated by Tite Kubo. Wandenreich, a new organization, is introduced. Composed of Quincies, human mediums that have the ability to detect the existence of Hollows and are rivals to the Shinigami, they have filled the power vacuum in Hueco Mundo, when Sōsuke Aizen was defeated. It appears that the Wandenreich is opening old rivalries as they declare war on Soul Society and the Shinigami.
All in all, Bleach, Vol. 55 is a wonderful continuation to a series that seems intriguing and I cannot wait to read more.
Soul Society begins to notice that a large number of Hollows in the World of the living has been exterminated and that people in the Rukon District have been disappearing. Meanwhile, while helping Karakura Town's new residential Soul Reaper, Ichigo Kurosaki encounters a strange Arrancar named Ebern Asguiaro who attempts to steal Ichigo's Bankai before escaping. At the same time, Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto encounters a group of masked men who are of the Wandenreich and have come to tell him that the Soul Society will be destroyed in five days. The group also reveals to have fatally wounded Chōjirō Sasakibe who later died of his wounds.
Asguiaro and the leader of the masked figures, another arrancar named Luders Friegen, are killed by Wandenreich's leader. As a funeral is held for Chōjirō, Ichigo encounters Nel Tu and Pesche Guatiche who reveal that Hueco Mundo, having been ruled by Tier Harribel since Sōsuke Aizen's defeat, has been taken over by the Wandenreich with many arrancars including Dondochakka captured.
Ichigo arrives to Hueco Mundo with Yasutora "Chad" Sado, Orihime Inoue, and Kisuke Urahara as they find Wandenreich's Quilge Opie fighting Harribel's Fracciónes, now known as the Tres Bestias. Meanwhile in Soul Society, Mayuri Kurotsuchi confesses to having had the missing Rukon residents murdered to maintain the balance of soul and that the hollows' destruction is caused by Wandenreich, revealed to be Quincies whose leader is someone Yamamoto failed to kill. Meanwhile, informed on Ichigo being in Hueco Mundo, the Wandenreich's leader declares an assault on the Seireitei.
This tankōbon is written and illustrated by Tite Kubo. Wandenreich, a new organization, is introduced. Composed of Quincies, human mediums that have the ability to detect the existence of Hollows and are rivals to the Shinigami, they have filled the power vacuum in Hueco Mundo, when Sōsuke Aizen was defeated. It appears that the Wandenreich is opening old rivalries as they declare war on Soul Society and the Shinigami.
All in all, Bleach, Vol. 55 is a wonderful continuation to a series that seems intriguing and I cannot wait to read more.
September 5, 2025
The peace of the Soul Society is completely shattered by a threat far older and more sinister than Aizen. This is Bleach volume 55 by Tite Kubo and is one of the popular shonen jump manga of our time period. The other world, which accepted Kurosaki Ichigo as one of them, is under attack by an old enemy that was thought to be completely erased from existence. I believe this is the biggest, most interesting, and craziest fight in the entire series.
To begin with, the chapter slowly reveals the enemies that Ichigo will face. The manga starts off with a group of soul reapers, or people who have the ability to bring the dead into soul society, investigating the disappearance of the hollows, or monsters. Our main character is later introduced to help out struggling soul reapers. This causes an enemy to track down Ichigo and to introduce himself to the story and what his purpose was later. Moving on, the manga has a ton of critique strengths.
Moreover, the manga has many critique strengths such as unique artistic expression. A lot of the characters' expressions are represented in many different ways. For instance, there was a part in the manga where the General Head captain was drawn with an expression of furiousness and regret when he was confronted about not being able to kill the king of their enemy. There are also funny expressions such as over exaggerated sobbing for unserious moments such as small insults. Many other expressions have been illustrated in different ways in the manga. However there are a few critique weaknesses in the manga.
Another key aspect, there are a few critique weaknesses I’ve experienced in the manga. There is a lot of skipping to different parts of what is going on throughout the manga. This mostly confused me when they switched the fighting scenes back into discovering more about their enemy at a different time. There are times where the main character fights battles and then it gets switched into another conflict, meeting, or scene that is off topic from the current issue going on. Such as Ichigo fighting a battle with this invader in his home, which immediately goes into the raid of the soul society, then going back to the enemy getting away from Ichigo.
In conclusion, the manga, Bleach Volume 55 by Tite Kubo, is important and relevant today as it marks the beginning of the “Thousand Year Blood War” arc, which is the final part of the manga. The intended audience for this manga is people who like wholesome interactions with characters, insanely cool fights, and rivalries. The author did achieve their purpose as a lot of people with the similar interests I have mentioned read the manga series. I recommend this manga to people who like long character developments, powerful fights, and magical powers to fight off enemies with. I rate this manga five stars out of five as it really has nice illustrations, cool fights being the first volume of the thousand year blood war arc, and how we get to see brutal fights.
To begin with, the chapter slowly reveals the enemies that Ichigo will face. The manga starts off with a group of soul reapers, or people who have the ability to bring the dead into soul society, investigating the disappearance of the hollows, or monsters. Our main character is later introduced to help out struggling soul reapers. This causes an enemy to track down Ichigo and to introduce himself to the story and what his purpose was later. Moving on, the manga has a ton of critique strengths.
Moreover, the manga has many critique strengths such as unique artistic expression. A lot of the characters' expressions are represented in many different ways. For instance, there was a part in the manga where the General Head captain was drawn with an expression of furiousness and regret when he was confronted about not being able to kill the king of their enemy. There are also funny expressions such as over exaggerated sobbing for unserious moments such as small insults. Many other expressions have been illustrated in different ways in the manga. However there are a few critique weaknesses in the manga.
Another key aspect, there are a few critique weaknesses I’ve experienced in the manga. There is a lot of skipping to different parts of what is going on throughout the manga. This mostly confused me when they switched the fighting scenes back into discovering more about their enemy at a different time. There are times where the main character fights battles and then it gets switched into another conflict, meeting, or scene that is off topic from the current issue going on. Such as Ichigo fighting a battle with this invader in his home, which immediately goes into the raid of the soul society, then going back to the enemy getting away from Ichigo.
In conclusion, the manga, Bleach Volume 55 by Tite Kubo, is important and relevant today as it marks the beginning of the “Thousand Year Blood War” arc, which is the final part of the manga. The intended audience for this manga is people who like wholesome interactions with characters, insanely cool fights, and rivalries. The author did achieve their purpose as a lot of people with the similar interests I have mentioned read the manga series. I recommend this manga to people who like long character developments, powerful fights, and magical powers to fight off enemies with. I rate this manga five stars out of five as it really has nice illustrations, cool fights being the first volume of the thousand year blood war arc, and how we get to see brutal fights.
May 27, 2024
This was a fast-paced and interesting start to this new arc. With the Bleach: Thousand Year Blood War anime adaptation being released, I watched several episodes and knew I wanted to catch up on the manga before the entire arc was translated into anime form. While I loved the new anime for its fast pace and new and improved animation, I preferred this volume to the first episode. I feel like this volume does a better job at the fast pacing than the anime does. The anime seemed to breeze right through the events of this volume despite the fact that the events of the first volume are spread out over several episodes and technically the manga is a faster pace. I feel like the plot point of Mayuri sacrificing thousands of souls in order to balance the scales of souls caused by the Quincy eliminating an unprecedented amount of Hollows at once was better illustrated here. I think that the comment made by the Head Captain about how Mayuri would have gotten proper authorization to do so if he had just asked was especially dark and chilling. I liked seeing the different surviving Arrancar appear in this issue and them fighting against the new threat to Hueco Mundo. This volume did an amazing job at illustrating the deadly threat of the Quincy, and I like how they’re modelled after Nazi Germany.
September 5, 2020
This volume starts off remarkably strong. For once we have Ichigo Kurosaki being on top of the game! Unlike other arcs, which always start with Ichigo encountering some overwhelming force that can destroy him, we get to see Ichigo as a proper Deputy Soul Reaper kicking some hollows' asses! He actually steps into the mentor role a bit with some newly assigned Soul Reapers who are meant to patrol Karakura Town, and seeing this older and more confident Ichigo take them on is great. He's matured over the course of the series and has gained the respect of Soul Society (in their own odd way), and unlike the Lost Agent arc he actually has his full powers now! As the story goes on we get to see a hint of what happened to the Arrancars after their arc, along with the welcome return of one of my favourite characters (and a dreadful return of some of my least favourite). It's the start of the Thousand Year Blood War arc of Bleach, the big finale that lasts the rest of the series, and we're going to see some all-powerful Quincy warriors fight! It certainly feels like a finale, taking bits and pieces of everything we've seen so far and using the Quincy characters as this overlooked but incredibly cool concept from the very first volumes.
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