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Bleach #66
Bleach―ブリーチ― 66 [Burīchi 66]
ジジの傀儡と化し、仲間である死神を襲う日番谷。しかし、その虚ろなる瞳の先には、怪しく微笑むマユリが…！？ 一方、霊王宮へ踏み入ったユーハバッハを討たんと、守護者たる零番隊が容赦なき刃を向ける！
192 pages, Paperback
First published January 5, 2015
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November 22, 2024
"Faith is love. Belief is love. Attachment to material things is also love! There is no battle where there is no love! That is why battles are so sad... That is why battles are beautiful." [Pepe]
Volume 66 starts the moment the last one left off - and that's how our heroes were forced to fight against captain Hitsugaya. Ikkaku, despite having the potential to become a captain himself, didn't stood a chance - neither had Yumichika. Hitsugaya might have become a zombie, but was capable of using all the fighting techniques that the alive Hitsugaya would use. But the difference between these two is that the alive Hitsugaya would never rise a blade against his allies, while zombie Hitsugaya didn't have such limitations.
"Captain Hitsugaya. There are many drugs I'd like to test on you. You'll allow me, don't you? Hey. Don't worry. Naturally... it's all for the sake of the Seireitei." [Mayuri]
After the horror-like images because of characters like As Nödt and Gwenael, and after zombies (because of Giselle), the time came to surprise me once again. Remember the Edge of Tomorrow movie with phenomenal Tom Cruise and Emily Blunt? Where the character of Tom Cruise had to travel to the past over and over again the moment he died? Well, the first chapters of BLEACH's Volume 66 strongly reminded me of this movie, except there aren't any aliens. I knew that Mayuri is a crazy mf, who is capable of basically everything, but somehow my mind wasn't able to predict that the ability of time travel is also something that Mayuri is able to create. Anyways, Hitsugaya as an enemy was an incredible danger to not just his allies, but the Soul Society as a whole and someone had to stop him. That someone had to be no other than Mayuri Kurotsuchi, of course. I understood why Hitsugaya had to be stopped, but it doesn't change the fact that I hated to see him in pain :( (technically he's a zombie, so he shouldn't feel anything, but because of the fact that he got changed as an alive being, had to be the reason why his reactions were so human-like).
"Geh. Geh. One mind. One body. One glance by my eyes, and your mind will be split in two. A mind and body split in two belong to me as one. Sternritter "L"! Pepe "The Love" is here! Be strung up by my rope of love!"
First of all, Pepe is the only one who was introduced already in the previous chapters, but never named. We saw him for the first time during a conversation between Jugram and Bazz-B that Pepe had been actively listening to. Second of all, he looks like a cupid done wrong. I'm seriously questioning if the guy had ever seen himself in a mirror, because his "pure and innocent form" is the most far from pure and innocent as possible. He would've been Eros if Eros was an ugly creep. His actual name is Pepe Waccabrada (I swear, where did the author took inspiration for all the Quincies names from??) and his power is the power of love. Whoever his attack strikes, fall in love with him and is capable of fighting for him to the moment they die. You might think that it's ridiculous or childish, but it was actually pretty dangerous and could end up in a enormously dark way for our heroes. But hey, do not worry, dear reader, because Mayuri Kurotsuchi is here, remember? And Mayuri has always everything in control :D Third of all, I just want to say that no matter how ugly and creepy Pepe was, his fate was beautifully done. It's a perfect example of the 'karma always hits back' rule.
"Those who suffer defeat in battle are slow to understand and slow to respond. The moment His Majesty set feet in here, Reiokyu had already fallen." [Lille Barro]
While Ichigo and the gang (minus Ishida) are in their way to the Royal Palace, our main antagonist, Yhwach, and his minions already landed there and had a pleasure to meet the Soul King's divine guardians. Yhwach's "Royal Guardians" got introduced and I had finally seen the famous Gerard Valkyrie, Lille Barro and Pernida Parnkgjas (no offense to Askin who's also a royal guardian, I knew him already). Before anyone asks 'but you saw the anime, didn't you remember these characters?', I'm hurrying with the answer - my memory of them was all blurry, besides back then I haven't focused on these characters as much as I should have, because my mind was in overdrive, busy worrying about the consequences of all of these enemies succeeding in their arrival in the Royal Palace (it's something that Aizen tried to do, but failed). I have to say that the character design of Yhwach's royal guards is as impressive as usual. I really like how Valkyrie resembles a viking (or should I say - the Norse god, Thor) and how everything in Lille Barro screams 'I'm the best sniper in the world'. When it comes to Pernida, I cannot say much since he's mostly covered by the cloak, but he kind of looks like he might run the show as one of the curses in Jujutsu Kaisen ;) The abilities of the royal guards weren't yet revealed (except for Askin's one... I guess?), so, despite how cool the Squad 0 members are (Oh-Etsu is truly a sword-god! How awesome!) it looks like the battle will be incredibly tough.
The volume ended up with the royal guards on their knees and with Askin revealing his ability. How will it affect the battle? Can the squad 0 members defeat Yhwach's guards and Yhwach himself or is the Soul King in danger? When will Ichigo and the gang arrive? What will happen with all the Soul Reapers that got turned into zombies? Is there any way to save them or is their fate already decided? We will see in the next volume! ;)
The things I need to talk about: (as usual, beware of the spoilers)
~ I really like Ikkaku's and Yumichika's friendship. They are capable of a lot for each other and I'm here for it!
~ Hitsugaya might have become a zombie, but he's still incredibly handsome 😳
~ "The cells are fresher so they move better when you turn them into zombies before they're dead. Their kind perishes, so it's easier to control them, too. There's nothing, but good things."
"I see. That is quite comical. I'd like to know what's so fun about controlling those without a mind of their own?"
"I wouldn't know. I'm not a sadist." - SAID ONE SADIST (Giselle) TO ANOTHER SADIST (Mayuri) 🙄
~ "You fool. Couldn't you tell he's beyond your capabilities? You will be left there dying as a punishment." - I mean, as much as I don't like Mayuri, he had a point there. What was Charlotte thinking when he attacked Hitsugaya? He fought Yumichika who's a fifth seat, mind you, and lost, so why did he thought he had any chance to win against a captain? 🤨
~ Pepe's making Meninas attack Liltotto is only one of examples of how Yhwach's army operates. It's not "one for all and all for one" type of group, in the contrary. It's a bunch of individuals with their own goals and own business.
~ As much as Pepe creeps me out, it's outstanding that his power is so great that it can turn a Zanpakuto against its master. Crazy!
~ "Thank you for your attention. You lost. Zombie girl." - it would've been satisfying if I didn't know that Giselle survived this 😩
~ "So the result of that... is this? You could've let them die if you wanted to. Why toy with their lives?!"
"As usual, we have a difference of opinion. Don't you think it is the duty of Gotei 13 to protect the Seireitei even in death?" - I'm really tired of Mayuri saying it 😩
~ Ganju is here!! The gang is back!! ☺️👏
~ "Ishida was with us too... I wonder if he'll come back."
"Of course he will. We're going to take Yhwach down. While we're at it, we're gonna smack Ishida upside the head and bring him back! Isn't that what we decided? Although that's... obviously secondary." - OBVIOUSLY, ICHIGO, OBVIOUSLY 🤭
~ Yhwach is pissing me off with his 'haha, I'm always a step before you, peasants' attitude 🙄
~ I think that's interesting that Oh-Etsu is using a sword that he's considering a failure of his creations. In the hands of everyone else it might have been a useless weapon, but it's Oh-Etsu, the Zanpakuto creator. As much as I like all the Squad 0 members, Oh-Etsu is definitely my favorite ☺️
Volume 66 starts the moment the last one left off - and that's how our heroes were forced to fight against captain Hitsugaya. Ikkaku, despite having the potential to become a captain himself, didn't stood a chance - neither had Yumichika. Hitsugaya might have become a zombie, but was capable of using all the fighting techniques that the alive Hitsugaya would use. But the difference between these two is that the alive Hitsugaya would never rise a blade against his allies, while zombie Hitsugaya didn't have such limitations.
"Captain Hitsugaya. There are many drugs I'd like to test on you. You'll allow me, don't you? Hey. Don't worry. Naturally... it's all for the sake of the Seireitei." [Mayuri]
After the horror-like images because of characters like As Nödt and Gwenael, and after zombies (because of Giselle), the time came to surprise me once again. Remember the Edge of Tomorrow movie with phenomenal Tom Cruise and Emily Blunt? Where the character of Tom Cruise had to travel to the past over and over again the moment he died? Well, the first chapters of BLEACH's Volume 66 strongly reminded me of this movie, except there aren't any aliens. I knew that Mayuri is a crazy mf, who is capable of basically everything, but somehow my mind wasn't able to predict that the ability of time travel is also something that Mayuri is able to create. Anyways, Hitsugaya as an enemy was an incredible danger to not just his allies, but the Soul Society as a whole and someone had to stop him. That someone had to be no other than Mayuri Kurotsuchi, of course. I understood why Hitsugaya had to be stopped, but it doesn't change the fact that I hated to see him in pain :( (technically he's a zombie, so he shouldn't feel anything, but because of the fact that he got changed as an alive being, had to be the reason why his reactions were so human-like).
"Geh. Geh. One mind. One body. One glance by my eyes, and your mind will be split in two. A mind and body split in two belong to me as one. Sternritter "L"! Pepe "The Love" is here! Be strung up by my rope of love!"
First of all, Pepe is the only one who was introduced already in the previous chapters, but never named. We saw him for the first time during a conversation between Jugram and Bazz-B that Pepe had been actively listening to. Second of all, he looks like a cupid done wrong. I'm seriously questioning if the guy had ever seen himself in a mirror, because his "pure and innocent form" is the most far from pure and innocent as possible. He would've been Eros if Eros was an ugly creep. His actual name is Pepe Waccabrada (I swear, where did the author took inspiration for all the Quincies names from??) and his power is the power of love. Whoever his attack strikes, fall in love with him and is capable of fighting for him to the moment they die. You might think that it's ridiculous or childish, but it was actually pretty dangerous and could end up in a enormously dark way for our heroes. But hey, do not worry, dear reader, because Mayuri Kurotsuchi is here, remember? And Mayuri has always everything in control :D Third of all, I just want to say that no matter how ugly and creepy Pepe was, his fate was beautifully done. It's a perfect example of the 'karma always hits back' rule.
"Those who suffer defeat in battle are slow to understand and slow to respond. The moment His Majesty set feet in here, Reiokyu had already fallen." [Lille Barro]
While Ichigo and the gang (minus Ishida) are in their way to the Royal Palace, our main antagonist, Yhwach, and his minions already landed there and had a pleasure to meet the Soul King's divine guardians. Yhwach's "Royal Guardians" got introduced and I had finally seen the famous Gerard Valkyrie, Lille Barro and Pernida Parnkgjas (no offense to Askin who's also a royal guardian, I knew him already). Before anyone asks 'but you saw the anime, didn't you remember these characters?', I'm hurrying with the answer - my memory of them was all blurry, besides back then I haven't focused on these characters as much as I should have, because my mind was in overdrive, busy worrying about the consequences of all of these enemies succeeding in their arrival in the Royal Palace (it's something that Aizen tried to do, but failed). I have to say that the character design of Yhwach's royal guards is as impressive as usual. I really like how Valkyrie resembles a viking (or should I say - the Norse god, Thor) and how everything in Lille Barro screams 'I'm the best sniper in the world'. When it comes to Pernida, I cannot say much since he's mostly covered by the cloak, but he kind of looks like he might run the show as one of the curses in Jujutsu Kaisen ;) The abilities of the royal guards weren't yet revealed (except for Askin's one... I guess?), so, despite how cool the Squad 0 members are (Oh-Etsu is truly a sword-god! How awesome!) it looks like the battle will be incredibly tough.
The volume ended up with the royal guards on their knees and with Askin revealing his ability. How will it affect the battle? Can the squad 0 members defeat Yhwach's guards and Yhwach himself or is the Soul King in danger? When will Ichigo and the gang arrive? What will happen with all the Soul Reapers that got turned into zombies? Is there any way to save them or is their fate already decided? We will see in the next volume! ;)
The things I need to talk about: (as usual, beware of the spoilers)
~ I really like Ikkaku's and Yumichika's friendship. They are capable of a lot for each other and I'm here for it!
~ Hitsugaya might have become a zombie, but he's still incredibly handsome 😳
~ "The cells are fresher so they move better when you turn them into zombies before they're dead. Their kind perishes, so it's easier to control them, too. There's nothing, but good things."
"I see. That is quite comical. I'd like to know what's so fun about controlling those without a mind of their own?"
"I wouldn't know. I'm not a sadist." - SAID ONE SADIST (Giselle) TO ANOTHER SADIST (Mayuri) 🙄
~ "You fool. Couldn't you tell he's beyond your capabilities? You will be left there dying as a punishment." - I mean, as much as I don't like Mayuri, he had a point there. What was Charlotte thinking when he attacked Hitsugaya? He fought Yumichika who's a fifth seat, mind you, and lost, so why did he thought he had any chance to win against a captain? 🤨
~ Pepe's making Meninas attack Liltotto is only one of examples of how Yhwach's army operates. It's not "one for all and all for one" type of group, in the contrary. It's a bunch of individuals with their own goals and own business.
~ As much as Pepe creeps me out, it's outstanding that his power is so great that it can turn a Zanpakuto against its master. Crazy!
~ "Thank you for your attention. You lost. Zombie girl." - it would've been satisfying if I didn't know that Giselle survived this 😩
~ "So the result of that... is this? You could've let them die if you wanted to. Why toy with their lives?!"
"As usual, we have a difference of opinion. Don't you think it is the duty of Gotei 13 to protect the Seireitei even in death?" - I'm really tired of Mayuri saying it 😩
~ Ganju is here!! The gang is back!! ☺️👏
~ "Ishida was with us too... I wonder if he'll come back."
"Of course he will. We're going to take Yhwach down. While we're at it, we're gonna smack Ishida upside the head and bring him back! Isn't that what we decided? Although that's... obviously secondary." - OBVIOUSLY, ICHIGO, OBVIOUSLY 🤭
~ Yhwach is pissing me off with his 'haha, I'm always a step before you, peasants' attitude 🙄
~ I think that's interesting that Oh-Etsu is using a sword that he's considering a failure of his creations. In the hands of everyone else it might have been a useless weapon, but it's Oh-Etsu, the Zanpakuto creator. As much as I like all the Squad 0 members, Oh-Etsu is definitely my favorite ☺️
June 27, 2020
This series is going downhill with each volume. Villains continue to be a pain to endure as they get dealt with quite quickly. Mangaka Tite Kubo also doesn't do battle scenes like he used to. Everything feels simple, one overpowering the other, one unveiling a hidden power that either does nothing more than impress before they fall.
The story also halts any real progressing concerning Ichigo as his abilities are still kept a secret until he faces the villain's big boss, a boss that is illustrated too godly for the story's good...
Yours truly,
Lashaan | Blogger and Book Reviewer
Official blog: https://bookidote.com/
The story also halts any real progressing concerning Ichigo as his abilities are still kept a secret until he faces the villain's big boss, a boss that is illustrated too godly for the story's good...
Yours truly,
Lashaan | Blogger and Book Reviewer
Official blog: https://bookidote.com/
March 20, 2023
I like how this volume delved deeper into interesting battles with the Sternritter. I like how some of the Sternritter’s powers parallel and contrast with the powers of some previous Arrancar and Soul Reapears. I like how Byakuya ends up facing Pepe, a Sternritter who’s theme is “Love” in the form of mind control. This directly mirrors Byakuya’s fight with Zommari, the Espada with the ability to control things with his eyes and his “amor”. I didn’t really think Pepe’s character and design was original or interesting considering he mirrored Zommari so heavily, however I think it was inevitable that one of the Sternritter would draw so heavily from Cupid from mythology. I loved seeing the zombified Soul Reaper Captains and Lieutenants and I think it upped the stakes well by having our heroes face off against their own allies. I like how the Karakura Town crew meets up with Ganju as they blast off to the Royal Palace, and I like how they acknowledge how this moment mirrors their invasion of the Soul Society. I liked the fight between the Quincy Royal Guards and Squad Zero. I like how this arc isn’t taking its time and how fast we’re racing towards the conclusion.
December 7, 2020
Yeah this volume was weird, we see zombie-controlled captains fighting others and then its upto Mayuri to find a way to control them and get them on his side and then some black guy called "The Love" enters and tries to control people using his love and Byakuya dodges him until Mayuri comes in there too and saves him and then again Mayuri comes in and trumps and saves the day. Its a weird volume like filled with such unnecessary battles and like sad to see Rangiku being dead and controlled. There is good moments towards the end when Ichigo and co team up with Ganjyu and they have to make their way to the royal palace and in their Yhwach and his lieutenants 4-5 of them engage with the Captains of Squad 0 but they are too powerful and their battle is okay. This volume was boring af and weak too.
October 29, 2022
Aku pusing. Yang mati kebanyakan woiiii
November 10, 2022
Some pretty intense fighting! The raid on the palace continues!
July 17, 2025
Watching Kurotsuchi and Squad Zero fighting in only one volume? Yes please.
March 8, 2021
Reviewed on Lili Lost in a Book
SPOILER WARNING for the last volume!
After the awful cliffhanger in the last volume, I was very excited to dive into this one. And yep, Toshiro is a freaking zombie 😭 I love this character, so this hurt my soul. But Kurotsuchi might have something up his sleeve to help. He’s a crazy scientist but I don't even care as long as Toshiro gets better 😭 The thing he does is very interesting, but promising. So I guess we’ll see.
As for Ichigo and his friends, they’re still on the way trying to save Reiokyu and maybe grab Uruyu on the way and smack some sense into him. Lol. Seriously though, what’s his deal? 😩
Oh and Byakuya is back... yay! I love him! Ganju is also back in this one! I like him too—he’s funny. Lol.
Senjumaru Shutara, who is part of Squad Zero, had a very cool fight in this volume. I really like her—she's sassy. Lol. The entire Squad Zero is just really cool. I’ve been enjoying learning about them and seeing their powers as they continue to fight off the Quincies at Reiokyu.
But ultimately everything is going wrong 😩 Things are looking bleak right now, especially after what happened to Toshiro, so it will be interesting to see how Ichigo and his allies turn things around.
SPOILER WARNING for the last volume!
After the awful cliffhanger in the last volume, I was very excited to dive into this one. And yep, Toshiro is a freaking zombie 😭 I love this character, so this hurt my soul. But Kurotsuchi might have something up his sleeve to help. He’s a crazy scientist but I don't even care as long as Toshiro gets better 😭 The thing he does is very interesting, but promising. So I guess we’ll see.
As for Ichigo and his friends, they’re still on the way trying to save Reiokyu and maybe grab Uruyu on the way and smack some sense into him. Lol. Seriously though, what’s his deal? 😩
Oh and Byakuya is back... yay! I love him! Ganju is also back in this one! I like him too—he’s funny. Lol.
Senjumaru Shutara, who is part of Squad Zero, had a very cool fight in this volume. I really like her—she's sassy. Lol. The entire Squad Zero is just really cool. I’ve been enjoying learning about them and seeing their powers as they continue to fight off the Quincies at Reiokyu.
But ultimately everything is going wrong 😩 Things are looking bleak right now, especially after what happened to Toshiro, so it will be interesting to see how Ichigo and his allies turn things around.
November 22, 2021
Pretty good volume. Finally get to see squad zero at work
Summary:
Toshiro is a zombie and fights Ikkaku and Bakudo, defeating them easily. Captain Kurotsuchi fights Zombie Toshiro and wins. Kurotusuchi sends the arrancars to fight the other captains and assistant captains that have turned zombie. Pepe (mind control qunicy) take over one of the assistant captains minds and Byakuya fights him. Kurotsuchi turns the Zombies into his own with a poison and defeats the zombie quincy and then helps Byakuya defeat Pepe. Gangu joins Ichego Orihime, Chad and Ms. Yoruichi to take down Ywach in the Royal palace. Squad Zero fights Ywach's guards. The Sword one from squad zero takes out the whole group.
Summary:
Toshiro is a zombie and fights Ikkaku and Bakudo, defeating them easily. Captain Kurotsuchi fights Zombie Toshiro and wins. Kurotusuchi sends the arrancars to fight the other captains and assistant captains that have turned zombie. Pepe (mind control qunicy) take over one of the assistant captains minds and Byakuya fights him. Kurotsuchi turns the Zombies into his own with a poison and defeats the zombie quincy and then helps Byakuya defeat Pepe. Gangu joins Ichego Orihime, Chad and Ms. Yoruichi to take down Ywach in the Royal palace. Squad Zero fights Ywach's guards. The Sword one from squad zero takes out the whole group.
June 26, 2025
Byakuya with some cold moments, bro really 1v3ed against the sternritters, I can't decide if its colder that it happened off camera so casually or whether I would have preferred to see it.
Im at the point now where Mayuri proves that he should have been a special war threat. Its genuinely absurd how many feats hes given in TYBW, he unironically has a case for doing the most in the entire arc, soul society would have fallen to pieces without him.
'Its 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, four and to the three, Oh-etsu Niamaiya.' If you Google him im sure it comes as no surprise that I love the man, glad he finally got a bit of scene time here and absolutely aura farmed.
Im at the point now where Mayuri proves that he should have been a special war threat. Its genuinely absurd how many feats hes given in TYBW, he unironically has a case for doing the most in the entire arc, soul society would have fallen to pieces without him.
'Its 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, four and to the three, Oh-etsu Niamaiya.' If you Google him im sure it comes as no surprise that I love the man, glad he finally got a bit of scene time here and absolutely aura farmed.
February 3, 2024
I finished this volume just in time to be told that I’ve reached the 100 chapter limit, fudge
February 15, 2025
12.02.25
April 19, 2022
There's just too much new character vs new character going on here, and we're STILL being introduced to more Sternritter. I don't understand why there needed to be 26 generals--so to speak--when you could have halved that and just had the Seireitei be overrun with footsoldiers AND this would have given the Sternritters more time to shine. You know, make them feel like villains instead of just being annoyances.
When the manga comes back to the characters that we know and love, it's enjoyable, but it seems like more and more it's just focusing on characters that I barely know and don't really care about.
When the manga comes back to the characters that we know and love, it's enjoyable, but it seems like more and more it's just focusing on characters that I barely know and don't really care about.
September 6, 2020
Ah, that Stern Ritter with the cool hair at the end, he looks dangerous, but so cool though...
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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 74 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.
May 19, 2020
For Hitsugaya, Mayuri and Byakuya. You can't expect new characters to grab your attention.
August 26, 2024
VOLUME 66: CHAPTER 592-601
Arc 11: The Thousand Year Blood War
Ikkaku, Yumichika and Charlotte were defeated by Toushiro. Mayuri fights Toushiro and he used a special medicine on Toushiro. Everytime Toushiro kill Mayuri, he will cominf back to the point where Mayuri told him he wants to use a medicine on him. Toushiro is stuck in a time loop. He must change the outcome to get out of the time loop by not killing Mayuri. After a several time of time loop, Toushiro collapsed. Mayuri used another drug as an experiment on Toushiro. Suddenly, zombified Kensei, Rōjūrō and Rangiku appear. Dordoni, Luppi and Cirucci fight them.
At other place, NaNaNa, Robert and Candice was defeated by Byakuya. Hisagi come to Byakuya place and suddenly Byakuya attacks Hisagi. He knows Hisagi was controlled by someone. Sternritter L, PePe Waccabrada (The Love) can make anyone fall in love with him and fight for him. He shoot a love that accidently hit Meninas and then she attack Liltotto. Byakuya fights PePe and he trying to avoid PePe's love. His Zanpakutou defend from the love but suddenly, his Zanpakutou attack him. PePe used his Vollständig: Gudoero. Suddenly, he was kicked by Kensei and Rōjūrō who have been controlled. Luckily, they were controlled by Mayuri. He have a special drug to counter Giselle's ability. Kensei stabbed her and she was defeated. PePe trying to use his love on Kensei but it didn't work. Kensei then attack PePe and instantly defeats him. Liltotto appears before PePe.
In Royal Palace, Kirinji cannot land a hit on Yhwach. They casually walk by him. Senjumaru also appears along with the Royal Guard but Yhwach easily walk passed her. Sternritter W, Nianzol Weizol (The Wind) revealed himself. Everything will bend like a wind if it's get closer to Weizol. Senjumaru managed to pierce through Weizol by using his specialty in sewing. After Weizol was defeated, Yhwach summoned his 4 Sternritter;
- Sternritter M: Gerard Valkyrie (The Miracle)
- Sternritter E, Lille Barro (The Exorcist)
- Sternritter C, Pernida Parnkgjas (The Conversory)
- Sternritter D, Askin Nakk Le Vaar (The Deathdealing)
Valkyrie attacks Senjumaru but she summoned a giant guard. Valkyrie destroyed the guard and Barro take the opportunity to shoot Senjumaru in the head. Barro then shoot one of the Squad 0 Palace and then it's crumbled into ashes. Suddenly, the Royal Palace that Yhwach and the Sternritter invaded is a fake created by Squad 0. The real Squad 0 is still alive and they will fight from now on. Yhwach and the Sternritter were put in the tree cage that will eat all reiatsu. Kirinji is the first one to fight the Sternritters. He instantly killed all four of them. Suddenly, Nakk Le Vaar wakes up.
Arc 11: The Thousand Year Blood War
Ikkaku, Yumichika and Charlotte were defeated by Toushiro. Mayuri fights Toushiro and he used a special medicine on Toushiro. Everytime Toushiro kill Mayuri, he will cominf back to the point where Mayuri told him he wants to use a medicine on him. Toushiro is stuck in a time loop. He must change the outcome to get out of the time loop by not killing Mayuri. After a several time of time loop, Toushiro collapsed. Mayuri used another drug as an experiment on Toushiro. Suddenly, zombified Kensei, Rōjūrō and Rangiku appear. Dordoni, Luppi and Cirucci fight them.
At other place, NaNaNa, Robert and Candice was defeated by Byakuya. Hisagi come to Byakuya place and suddenly Byakuya attacks Hisagi. He knows Hisagi was controlled by someone. Sternritter L, PePe Waccabrada (The Love) can make anyone fall in love with him and fight for him. He shoot a love that accidently hit Meninas and then she attack Liltotto. Byakuya fights PePe and he trying to avoid PePe's love. His Zanpakutou defend from the love but suddenly, his Zanpakutou attack him. PePe used his Vollständig: Gudoero. Suddenly, he was kicked by Kensei and Rōjūrō who have been controlled. Luckily, they were controlled by Mayuri. He have a special drug to counter Giselle's ability. Kensei stabbed her and she was defeated. PePe trying to use his love on Kensei but it didn't work. Kensei then attack PePe and instantly defeats him. Liltotto appears before PePe.
In Royal Palace, Kirinji cannot land a hit on Yhwach. They casually walk by him. Senjumaru also appears along with the Royal Guard but Yhwach easily walk passed her. Sternritter W, Nianzol Weizol (The Wind) revealed himself. Everything will bend like a wind if it's get closer to Weizol. Senjumaru managed to pierce through Weizol by using his specialty in sewing. After Weizol was defeated, Yhwach summoned his 4 Sternritter;
- Sternritter M: Gerard Valkyrie (The Miracle)
- Sternritter E, Lille Barro (The Exorcist)
- Sternritter C, Pernida Parnkgjas (The Conversory)
- Sternritter D, Askin Nakk Le Vaar (The Deathdealing)
Valkyrie attacks Senjumaru but she summoned a giant guard. Valkyrie destroyed the guard and Barro take the opportunity to shoot Senjumaru in the head. Barro then shoot one of the Squad 0 Palace and then it's crumbled into ashes. Suddenly, the Royal Palace that Yhwach and the Sternritter invaded is a fake created by Squad 0. The real Squad 0 is still alive and they will fight from now on. Yhwach and the Sternritter were put in the tree cage that will eat all reiatsu. Kirinji is the first one to fight the Sternritters. He instantly killed all four of them. Suddenly, Nakk Le Vaar wakes up.
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.
November 21, 2019
Bleach, Vol. 66 continues where the previous tankōbon left off and contains the next ten chapters (592–601) of the on-going manga series.
The zombified Tōshirō Hitsugaya easily defeats Ikkaku Madarame, Yumichika Ayasegawa, and Charlotte Chuhlhourne, facing Mayuri Kurotsuchi alongside the zombified versions of Rangiku Matsumoto, Kensei Muguruma, and Rōjūrō "Rose" Ōtoribashi. However, Mayuri manages to call in his resurrected Arrancar, and face the zombified trio with ease and later injects two of them with his modified blood to free them from Giselle Gewelle's control, and make them his own, as she is defeated.
Meanwhile, after an unseen battle with Byakuya Kuchiki fighting against the three Sternriiter members: "N" Robert Accutrone, "T" Candice Catnipp, and "U" NaNaNa Najahkoop, Sternritter "L" PePe Waccabrada uses his ability to control Shūhei Hisagi and Meninas McAllon before overpowering Byakuya while attempting to take out Liltotto Lamperd. However, Byakuya is quickly saved by Mayuri as he has Kensei Muguruma defeat PePe Waccabrada who finds himself eaten by a vengeful Liltotto.
In the Soul King Palace, Tenjirō Kirinji is unable to attack Yhwach due to interference from Sternritter "W" Nianzol Weizol prior to the Sternritter's death by Senjumaru Shutara. After that, Yhwach reveals his elite guard: Sternritters "M" Gerard Valkyrie, "X" Lille Barro, "C" Pernida Parnkgjas and their newest member, Sternritter "D" Askin Nak Le Varr. Though Lille Barro kills Senjumaru Shutara and destroys the palace, it is revealed to an illusion as the other Royal Guards join the battle with Ōetsu Nimaiya swiftly killing off all Yhwach's bodyguards save Askin Nakk Le Vaar who subjects Ōetsu to his ability.
This tankōbon is written and illustrated by Tite Kubo. The tankōbon continues the second invasion of the Seireitei by the Sternritter. The battle seems to be intensifying as deaths are littering through the pages. There seems to be two main battles one outside the Soul King Palace and the other within with Yhwach is currently fighting.
All in all, Bleach, Vol. 66 is a wonderful continuation to a series that seems intriguing and I cannot wait to read more.
The zombified Tōshirō Hitsugaya easily defeats Ikkaku Madarame, Yumichika Ayasegawa, and Charlotte Chuhlhourne, facing Mayuri Kurotsuchi alongside the zombified versions of Rangiku Matsumoto, Kensei Muguruma, and Rōjūrō "Rose" Ōtoribashi. However, Mayuri manages to call in his resurrected Arrancar, and face the zombified trio with ease and later injects two of them with his modified blood to free them from Giselle Gewelle's control, and make them his own, as she is defeated.
Meanwhile, after an unseen battle with Byakuya Kuchiki fighting against the three Sternriiter members: "N" Robert Accutrone, "T" Candice Catnipp, and "U" NaNaNa Najahkoop, Sternritter "L" PePe Waccabrada uses his ability to control Shūhei Hisagi and Meninas McAllon before overpowering Byakuya while attempting to take out Liltotto Lamperd. However, Byakuya is quickly saved by Mayuri as he has Kensei Muguruma defeat PePe Waccabrada who finds himself eaten by a vengeful Liltotto.
In the Soul King Palace, Tenjirō Kirinji is unable to attack Yhwach due to interference from Sternritter "W" Nianzol Weizol prior to the Sternritter's death by Senjumaru Shutara. After that, Yhwach reveals his elite guard: Sternritters "M" Gerard Valkyrie, "X" Lille Barro, "C" Pernida Parnkgjas and their newest member, Sternritter "D" Askin Nak Le Varr. Though Lille Barro kills Senjumaru Shutara and destroys the palace, it is revealed to an illusion as the other Royal Guards join the battle with Ōetsu Nimaiya swiftly killing off all Yhwach's bodyguards save Askin Nakk Le Vaar who subjects Ōetsu to his ability.
This tankōbon is written and illustrated by Tite Kubo. The tankōbon continues the second invasion of the Seireitei by the Sternritter. The battle seems to be intensifying as deaths are littering through the pages. There seems to be two main battles one outside the Soul King Palace and the other within with Yhwach is currently fighting.
All in all, Bleach, Vol. 66 is a wonderful continuation to a series that seems intriguing and I cannot wait to read more.
July 1, 2022
Everyone is appalled when Captain Hitsugaya is presented as one of Gigi’s zombies! Through observation, Kurotsuchi surmises that Hitsugaya was turned into a zombie before he was dead. Does that mean there is hope they can reclaim him? Kurotsuchi is excited at the idea of all the drugs he can test on Hitsugaya… for the sake of the Seireitei, of course.
Stern Ritter L – L for Love – Pepe seems to have Byakuya and Hisagi fighting one another. What’s up with that? They’re too smart to fall for that, right? Meanwhile, Kurotsuchi is having a very interesting conversation with Gigi, in which he explains how he anticipated her moves and countered with his own. In other words, he has turned her zombies into his zombies.
Back at Reiokyu, Yhwach is seemingly impervious to attacks, surrounded by an impenetrable force. He presents to them Stern Ritter W, for the Wind, a strange looking little guy with two tongues. And in other news, just as Ichigo et al are about to take their departure in Kurotsuchi/Uruhara’s device, Ganju arrives and demands to go with them! (Long time no see, Ganju!)
Yhwach has more warriors up his sleeve, so to speak. Stern Ritter M (the Miracle) and Stern Ritter C (the Compulsory). He thinks this is the end of Squad Zero. But nothing is over until the fat lady sings…
Even if they defeat Yhwach… I mean when they defeat him… can life go back to the way it was in the Soul Society, or have they been irrevocably scarred by events? Hitsugaya a zombie? Say it isn’t so! But it is. And now we can only hope Kurotsuchi’s tactics and amazing brain will help bring the Captain back to himself. Hopefully in the next volume we’ll see the arrival of Ichigo and the others. I can’t help but be reminded of the last time we saw this happen, when Ichigo, Chad, Orihime, and Uryu were catapulted into the Seireitei in order to save Rukia. Let’s hope they are equally successful this time!
Another great volume, on tenterhooks waiting for the next one!
Stern Ritter L – L for Love – Pepe seems to have Byakuya and Hisagi fighting one another. What’s up with that? They’re too smart to fall for that, right? Meanwhile, Kurotsuchi is having a very interesting conversation with Gigi, in which he explains how he anticipated her moves and countered with his own. In other words, he has turned her zombies into his zombies.
Back at Reiokyu, Yhwach is seemingly impervious to attacks, surrounded by an impenetrable force. He presents to them Stern Ritter W, for the Wind, a strange looking little guy with two tongues. And in other news, just as Ichigo et al are about to take their departure in Kurotsuchi/Uruhara’s device, Ganju arrives and demands to go with them! (Long time no see, Ganju!)
Yhwach has more warriors up his sleeve, so to speak. Stern Ritter M (the Miracle) and Stern Ritter C (the Compulsory). He thinks this is the end of Squad Zero. But nothing is over until the fat lady sings…
Even if they defeat Yhwach… I mean when they defeat him… can life go back to the way it was in the Soul Society, or have they been irrevocably scarred by events? Hitsugaya a zombie? Say it isn’t so! But it is. And now we can only hope Kurotsuchi’s tactics and amazing brain will help bring the Captain back to himself. Hopefully in the next volume we’ll see the arrival of Ichigo and the others. I can’t help but be reminded of the last time we saw this happen, when Ichigo, Chad, Orihime, and Uryu were catapulted into the Seireitei in order to save Rukia. Let’s hope they are equally successful this time!
Another great volume, on tenterhooks waiting for the next one!
May 27, 2024
I like how this volume delved deeper into interesting battles with the Sternritter. I like how some of the Sternritter’s powers parallel and contrast with the powers of some previous Arrancar and Soul Reapears. I like how Byakuya ends up facing Pepe, a Sternritter who’s theme is “Love” in the form of mind control. This directly mirrors Byakuya’s fight with Zommari, the Espada with the ability to control things with his eyes and his “amor”. I didn’t really think Pepe’s character and design was original or interesting considering he mirrored Zommari so heavily, however I think it was inevitable that one of the Sternritter would draw so heavily from Cupid from mythology. I loved seeing the zombified Soul Reaper Captains and Lieutenants and I think it upped the stakes well by having our heroes face off against their own allies. I like how the Karakura Town crew meets up with Ganju as they blast off to the Royal Palace, and I like how they acknowledge how this moment mirrors their invasion of the Soul Society. I liked the fight between the Quincy Royal Guards and Squad Zero. I like how this arc isn’t taking its time and how fast we’re racing towards the conclusion.
July 24, 2023
Plot:
The plot of the volume actually got me hooked towards the end which, I suppose, is the reason this is getting four stars. You see, in the beginning, I had actually taken a break from reading BLEACH not for any reason specifically. I chose to continue it today and then, I don’t know, it’s like I got tired of the zombies lotline with Gigi for a bit. It’s not bad. It’s entirely on me.
Characters: I loved seeing Senjumaru! I gushed for a bit when I saw her. Not only that but I enjoyed Nimaiya Oetsu in thister! He’s great! I also found it funny that he crafted a sword that could basically cut anything and he just regrets it because he can’t make a scabbard for it lol. Strangely enough, Kurotsuchi is still a delight to see.
Verdict: The volume was redeemed, on my end, by the characters and the spotlight on Division Zero. I’m not implying that the writing is shit—maybe it is, I don’t know—but more that it’s on me because I hit a slump. Nevertheless, phenomenal art by Kubo Tite and the characters are just the highlight!
Characters: I loved seeing Senjumaru! I gushed for a bit when I saw her. Not only that but I enjoyed Nimaiya Oetsu in thister! He’s great! I also found it funny that he crafted a sword that could basically cut anything and he just regrets it because he can’t make a scabbard for it lol. Strangely enough, Kurotsuchi is still a delight to see.
Verdict: The volume was redeemed, on my end, by the characters and the spotlight on Division Zero. I’m not implying that the writing is shit—maybe it is, I don’t know—but more that it’s on me because I hit a slump. Nevertheless, phenomenal art by Kubo Tite and the characters are just the highlight!
May 18, 2024
I'm so close to finishing this series (66/74) but this last arc has been so bad. And I've had it after this installment. The villains don't have any motive, or at least any motive that was built to. They literally came out of left field.
This book pulls some zombie stuff out of nowhere and it's not interesting. It's also full of a bunch of side character battles that no one cares about. It's not properly building Ichigo's final showdown with anyone, or any other characters for that matter. Bad people just show up in front of a captain or vice-captain and the battle ensues. Good shounen battles have a lot of build-up to them. There should also be foreshadowing of what's to come. Instead is just a bunch of stuff thrown in there.
Currently I am so mad I took the time to try and finish this series, but I've made it this far and the volumes only take me like half an hour to read. But there is a wait list for the next volume in my library and I've never been so relieved to have to wait for a book. It's not a good sign.
This book pulls some zombie stuff out of nowhere and it's not interesting. It's also full of a bunch of side character battles that no one cares about. It's not properly building Ichigo's final showdown with anyone, or any other characters for that matter. Bad people just show up in front of a captain or vice-captain and the battle ensues. Good shounen battles have a lot of build-up to them. There should also be foreshadowing of what's to come. Instead is just a bunch of stuff thrown in there.
Currently I am so mad I took the time to try and finish this series, but I've made it this far and the volumes only take me like half an hour to read. But there is a wait list for the next volume in my library and I've never been so relieved to have to wait for a book. It's not a good sign.
March 14, 2023
There's way too many new characters, and unfortunately, none of them are likable or worth investing in. The zombie thing was stupid and honestly still pisses me off.
My Queen Yoruichi finally shows up. I didn't understand what she was up to this whole time, though. I will say, the highlight was seeing Ganju again, and that parallel with them from when they were gonna rescue Rukia. That hit me in the feels. So much has happened. The Soul Society Arc will always have a special place in my heart.
I'm not impressed with Squad 0 tbh. They're supposed to be like the most op characters but i get the feeling they're gonna get their asses handed to them. What's up with that Kubo? You can tell Kubo was going through it because this just doesn't hit as hard as it should. I wanna say this is 3.5 but I'm just not sure it does. I'm kind of fed up with all the Sternritters that keep popping up. Why have an army if you have a thousand captains who can just fuck anyone they encounter up?
My Queen Yoruichi finally shows up. I didn't understand what she was up to this whole time, though. I will say, the highlight was seeing Ganju again, and that parallel with them from when they were gonna rescue Rukia. That hit me in the feels. So much has happened. The Soul Society Arc will always have a special place in my heart.
I'm not impressed with Squad 0 tbh. They're supposed to be like the most op characters but i get the feeling they're gonna get their asses handed to them. What's up with that Kubo? You can tell Kubo was going through it because this just doesn't hit as hard as it should. I wanna say this is 3.5 but I'm just not sure it does. I'm kind of fed up with all the Sternritters that keep popping up. Why have an army if you have a thousand captains who can just fuck anyone they encounter up?
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 13, 2024
This volume has its ups and downs for our heroes as they continue to defend against invading forces. Byakuya kicks butt. I'm really concerned for Hitsugaya. And I'm even more concerned for a bunch of other characters because it seems the implication is that they're really actually dead. I'm hoping that is not the case. We don't get to see much of what I consider our main cast, and we get introduced to a bunch of characters that all seem to die/become irrelevant fairly quickly. I've already requested the next volume.
January 31, 2025
I have to admit...I have not felt this let down in a volume of Bleach in a little while. The entire volume simply felt..."Off". The Love battle made me want to flip the pages ultra quickly and end the sufferingly uninteresting story. The Zombies were the best bit of the story, but this truly felt like a "filler volume" the way animes add episodes just to reach a quota. I know I may sound harsh, but it just did not entertain, and I could not be happier to be done it. The end is much better than the beginning, but I cannot help feeling that this volume was almost all together unnecessary.
September 14, 2020
More boring (and kind of cringey) villains get introduced then beaten in the span of a few chapters, and as Yhwach walks closer to his goal we also get a small reference to Ichigo and his friends coming after him. The pacing is abysmal and it looks like there's no end in sight, just barely developed characters throwing weird powers at each other as the wheels spin and we wait for the inevitable final fight.
October 11, 2021
This arc was much more interesting than the Fullbring arc. We saw more from characters I care about more, and the deeper history of Soul Society was more interesting. I was disappointed in Uryu's limited role (greatly). I still think the Aizen arc was the way it should have ended, but this at least answered a few more critical questions and gave readers the ending they were really looking for, which might have been the point of these arcs to begin with.
December 7, 2024
This series has just become so chaotic for me. This battle just keeps going on and on, with new characters being added every single volume, and it feels like it will never end. I just don't feel invested in this story anymore. There is so much going on, it's hard to follow and it's really hard to care when nothing really seems to be permanent or unfixable. I'm going to finish the series, but this hasn't been a series that I look forward to for a while now.
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