Bleach Chapter 461 – Come Around Our Turn

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Hey folks, ssj’s laptop is suffering from technical problems, so I will be doing this short summary to get discussions going. A fitting title for this chapter. Ichigo pulls of one humongous Getsuga Tensho, one that Ginjo has no way of dodging. Man, I just loved Kubo’s art during those 3-4 pages, especially this one:


In the immediate aftermath, Toshiro tells Ichigo that the reiatsu transferred to him from the special sword Urahara gave to Rukia was infused with that of all the Captains of the 13 Divisions, and that the Commander Yamamoto gave the order to go against Shinigami laws this one time for Ichigo. Ichigo must feel pretty awesome right now after having his life being dragged through the mud these last few chapters.

But of course, Ginjo can’t be downed that easily. As the smoke clears, a transformed Ginjo appears with armor similar to that of Ichigo’s when he mastered his fullbring. Ginjo is revealed to be the first substitute shinigami assigned to Earth, but went AWOL sometime before Ichigo received his powers, it’ll be interesting to hear the full story. Undoubtedly, Ginjo is relying on the shinigami powers he claims to have taken from Ichigo, but let’s see if he’s even half the beast Ichigo is right now.

Other things:
- It’s so nice to see the Soul Society shinigamis return. I’ve missed seeing Rukia around, and her new look is very cute.
- It looks like Urahara returned to Soul Society to plead with the Commander to assist Ichigo. Shame on anybody who doubted his motives in the past, this is like the millionth time he’s come through to save Ichigo and his friends. I also hope this is the beginning of a re-newed cooperation between Urahara and Gotei 13.
- What’s Tschishima been doing this whole time, I still see him as a wild card in this fight, he’s still in control of Ichigo’s friends and the other members of Xcution.
- I wonder what would happen to the members of Xcution after all this is over. It seems to me they’ve been misled by Ginjo this whole time, but how will Soul Society judge them especially with their strict sanctions against non-shinigami beings possessing spiritual-esque powers?
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Bleach Chapter 437 – Swastika Break

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I think ssj is busy this week, so I’ll throw down a quick summary of the chapter and get at least discussions going. Ichigo’s shinigami representative’s badge has activated. Ginjou explains that his badge has retained the memories of Ichigo’s previous battles, so while Ichigo has lost his powers his badge still remembers them. Ichigo refers to the swastika shape his badge forms as a ‘flange’ throughout the chapter, though I couldn’t find a reference, I would assume ‘flange’ was a type of shield/buckler used in ancient times. I found it hilarious when Ichigo tried throwing his weapon like a shuriken and have it fail on him as soon as it leaves his touch — this was definitely a jab at Naruto, especially since many fans instantly thought of the Rasen Shuriken when Ichigo activated his badge. Ichigo eventually figures out that the flange is suited for blocking blows and not slashing, but is able to release a secondary ability that unleashes a projectile similar to Getsuga Tenshou and win the fight. Mewanwhile, Orihime is visting Chad’s home again to see if he has returned but is accosted by some highschool punked named Shishigawara who wants her to die. Dun dun DUN!

Bleach Episode 267 – “Connected Hearts! The Left Fist Prepared for Death”

Ichigo and Ulquiorra’s final battle properly gets underway with the two of them being more or less evenly matched. Ichigo is able to read his opponent’s movements better than he could when they first fought, and manages to wound Ulquiorra, if even slightly. Ichigo surmises that it’s either he is becoming more like a Hollow or his opponent is becoming more human, which angers Ulquiorra. Meanwhile, Chad and Renji fight a gigantic Hollow-Arrancar hybrid in the desert of Hueco Mundo, eventually claiming victory after discovering its weakness. Back in the Tower, Orihime manages to protect Ichigo from a near-lethal attack from Ulquiorra.

Bleach Episode 266 – “Ichigo VS Ulquiorra, Reopened”

This episode recaps the story of the Karakura arc and concludes with Ichigo and Ulquiorra about to renew their fight.