It’s just like most of us speculated last week – Yamamoto truly is a monster, even without his sword. Like he says to Aizen – the fact that he’s been the commander of the Gotei 13 for 1000 years, means that during these 100 years a stronger being hasn’t been born. In this chapter Wonderweiss looked like nothing more than a retarded octopus. Too bad the chapter itself only lasted about 5 seconds.

Aizen explains that in order to achieve Wonderweiss’ abilities, a few things had to be sacrificed – the Arrancar’s intelligence, memories, language and maybe even his potency. But Aizen seems very confident, that even though Wonderweiss is a moron, his ability to neutralize Ryuujin Jakka makes up for it a hundred fold. Or rather e underestimates Yamamoto by thinking that his main source of power is his sword.

Well, the Captain-commander displays beautifully that such accusations are complete bullshit. With a single punch Yamamoto makes Winderwiess a second hole, a much bigger one than his original hollow hole, and sends him flying all the way across town. He doesn’t waste any time and goes straight to the next target – Aizen. I would’ve loved to see that asshole’s face get squished like a lemon, but unfortunately – no dice. Apparently Wonderweiss is one of the few Arrancars, like Ulquiorra, who’s retained his instant regeneration ability. He just manages to get between Yamamoto’s fist and Aizen’s head, forcing the old man to jump back a couple of feet.
It becomes clear to Yamamoo, that even though Wonderweiis is strong and can regenerate, he not only lacks speech, but any common sense at all. The poor thing doesn’t even have a basic defensive or offensive strategy. Except killing everything in sight.

The battle between the two rages on, but Yamamoto obviously has the upper hand. After a couple of useless barrages, Wonderweiss loses an arm, but instead grows a million more. Very convenient. He traps Yama-jii and gives him quite a trashing, but it’s again completely ineffective – the old man only suffers a few minor scratches. Ripping off the hollow’s two original arms, he prepares a finishing attack.

For the very first time Wonderweiss looks worried and with good reason – just imagine – if Yamamoto’s one hand punch was able to almost cut the Arrancar in half, the “Twin Bone” (Soukotsu) technique will probably put him out of commission. At the very least, he’s going to end up looking like Hiyori.
So, new answers and new questions – if Wonderweiss is so much weaker that Yamamoto and Yamamoto can obviously handle both the Arrancar and even Aizen, then is this the end of Aizen’s plan? Unless someone goes bankai, Wonderweiss has a second ressureccion, or Yama-jii gets a stroke, a heart attack and kidney and liver failure at the same time, then this is pretty much the end of the Karakura Arc. What plot twist will Kubo Tite come up with for the next chapter?

Last week I was a bit disappointed that there was no chapter, as things had gotten quite interesting, but I see now that Kubo taking his time was really for the better. This was one of the better Bleach chapters – at the least it had giant stuff and hellish things.

In the last chapter easily cut down four Captains, he even ripped a leg and arm off Hitsugaya. Note that this is the first time anyone has lost a leg in Bleach (if you exclude Yammi, but he has 1489673249 legs, so it doesn’t count), unlike losing an arm in Star Wars-like fashion, which has only happened about 50 times already. Anyway, after this stunning defeat the only fighters left are Ichigo and Yamamoto (and Unohana, but she’s busy healing, so she doesn’t count). And so Yamamoto charges Aizen, but an unlikely opponent interferes.

I think everyone already knew that Wonderweiss was “special” in more than one way, a lot of people thought he’s fight Yamamoto, but not many suspected that he’d be his ultimate weakness. We knew from the beginning that Wonderweiss was different from the other Espada, as he was not only a confirmed Vasto Lorde, but also the last Arrancar to be created.

Many people were dissatisfied with Yamamoto, because he “just stood there, doing nuthin’”, but the truth is now revealed – he was preparing his ultimate attack – “Enetsu Jigoku” (Hell’s Flames). The Captain Commander had to finally step in after his entire elite unit was destroyed. He made a massive, flashy entrance, very beautiful, very effective. His strategy was also very good – catch the opponent and burn him to a crisp. There were however a few minor faults in this plan…

First – getting yourself and your entire army killed is a definite no-no. This has been planned probably just before Aizen’s arrival, so even if everyone in Karakura dies, at least Byakuya, Kenpachi, Mayuri and Unohana would survive. Not the best team to lead Soul Society, but they might manage somehow.
Second –  when the enemy stabs you in the stomach, you don’t just say “He’s been caught”, like you’ve planned this exact situation for 1214237986235987623897 years, but you say: “Damn, that nigga stabbed me, but at least I got ‘is hand. ”
Third – if you have bankai – use it from the start.

Well, if the first two were unavoidable and the third was less powerful than hellfire, then it would be ok. But even Aizen admits that Yamamoto is a lot stronger than anyone else. He could have used bankai, but he chose to use a force even more incredible, so that he could finish his enemy in an instant, without giving him time to react.

Too bad it was ineffective. Wonderweiss’ appearance was the end of all fire in this arc. His ressureccion – Extinguir is a unique modification that allows him neutralize Ryuujin Jakka’s flames. Which means Yamamoto’s power was just reduced by at least 50%.
Aizen says that Wonderwiess has been specialized into only one area of combat – being the Espada’s fireman. But if he came to attack Yamamoto, then that means he’s already defeated Kensei – a captain-class fighter, who not only used his bankai against the retarded Arrancar, but who is also a Vizard – which should mean that Wonderweiss’ opponent was by no means a pushover. Yet he was beaten, wchih indicates that he’s not only good at putting out fires, but that he is a very strong fighter, probably at the rank of Yammy, Stark and Ulquiorra, or maybe even stronger. Not to mention that he stopped Yamamoto’s sword with his bare hand…

Things are looking grim for the Captain Commander. He should, however be able to handle Wonderweiss even without his sword – he’s a specialist at Kidou, Shunpo and the other shinigami techniques. The problem is that Aizen is there.  If it were just the old man against the retard he could win and get his sword back to beat Aizen. But if that sneaky bastard decides to interfere, then Yamamoto is finished. Our only hope lies in Ichigo backing him up. Or Unohana. Or Urahara and co. Or whoever just decides to drop by for a visit…

Personally I don’t think so. The power gap seems too great for Aizen to lose. Aizen and Gin haven’t even gone beyond shikai and have taken out almost the entire Gotei squad very effortlessly. They still have bankai, and presumably a hollow mask, then ressureccion. The only person who is might be strong enough to take Aizen on is Yamamoto. There are two problems with that happening though: 1.) He is also under Aizen’s hypnosis, 2.) He isn’t Ichigo. Everyone who has ever read a shonen manga knows the main character has to be the one to defeat the main bad guy. I actually think that if Yamamoto ever finally does step up to fight, he will lose his life in this battle (but probably with the same result as Sarutobi Vs. Orochimaru in Naruto, where he sacrifices himself to at least halt Aizen’s current onslaught).

Aizen could have finished this battle long ago, just look at what he has done so far, with so little effort. He is toying with the shinigami. He could have prevented his Espada from dying, but let them continue their battles out of self amusement. I believe he wanted Ichigo to see what is happening here. From the beginning of this battle Aizen knew who he would kill, and who he would leave alive.

By the end of this battle, Ichigo will have experienced an eye-opener like never before. To close this immense gap between himself and Aizen he will either have to train with that mysterious faja of his, or partake in a a little theory I’ve had for a while. The theory is that after this battle, and after seeing how Aizen treats them, some of the Arrancar may betray him. I think that there may be some Espada still alive after this. Starkk was never officially confirmed as dead, Grimjoww isn’t dead, and even though she was stabbed through the torso, Harribel could still survive. Hell Momo was stabbed the same way by Aizen back in the Central 46 chamber and lived. If they decided to betray Aizen, they know they will have to side with somebody to survive. Even if they hate shinigami, Ichigo is kind of like a middle man. If they find common ground, I think they could be very helpful in teaching Ichigo to control his hollow powers. Possibly a fully controlled ressurccion like the one that fought Ulquiorra? I just read somebody talking about Toshiro and his huge defeat. It is probable that he is due for some epic training as well. I don’t think he will look toward hollow powers, but that is always an interesting option.

It seems as though Aizen is dealing a fatal blow to the strength of the shinigami, there would still be a substantial amount of enemies left for him later.  The Zero Division contains soldiers that are all above the level of the captains (aside from Yamamoto), Urahara, Yoruichi, Tessai, and Mr. Kurosaki will be powerful allies. And all those Aizen decides to let live will probably all fight again next battle.  I suspect the next giant bout will probably take place in the Royal Dimension.

I think Aizen has big plans for Ichigo. I obviously don’t know what yet, maybe the “Kurosaki” (if that is his true name) lineage delves deeper into the plot, and Aizen’s motives than we thought. That would explain not only his interest in Ichigo from earlier, but Gin’s manipulation of the corridors back in Las Noches, Aizen waiting for Ichigo to arrive before putting on such a show, and eventually leaving Ichigo alive.

One of the biggest reasons this can’t be the end is, I just don’t see there being another villain that can fill Aizen’s shoes. He is too strong, stronger than anybody the Bleach-universe has seen before. So his demise might (dare I say it) bring about the end of the series. The series can’t end with so many unanswered questions and mysteries. All the bankais, the truth behind Ichigo’s dad, Ichigo and Orihime finally getting it on, etc…

I know that this was all just a bunch of random information, sorry lol. And of course now that I say this, the next chapter will prove me otherwise.

-ssj

I gotta say – this has been the best issue of Shounen Jump in history. Naruto, Bleach, One Piece, even Reborn – all brilliant chapters.

However most of them have really hit rock bottom when it comes to positivity. Killing popular characters like Hinamori and Ace (or converting them into evil ones, like Sasuke and Sakura) is not fan-pleasing at all, Mr. Kishimoto, Mr. Kubo and Mr. Oda.

Now to get more specific –  Bleach. Hinamori was killed. FINALLY! I’ve been waiting for this for 125097235678971 chapters! She’s the most annoying character in Bleach. In a powerhouse manga like this, she’s totally out of place. Good riddance, I just hope she stays dead this time.

This week Kubo gives us a color page, showing what battles in Bleach were voted the best. Although it’s no surprise to see Ichigo take all top four places, it is surprising to see that Kenpachi vs. Ichigo is missing from the top 10. And quite honestly I didn’t expect Byaku-chan to actually get ahead of Ulqui-chan in the polls, but the Japanese kids just think that Ichigo’s bankai is more awesome than his hollow. This chapter had 24 pages, but still felt a lot shorter than the previous ones -half of it was spent in rejoicing over Aizen’s defeat. But unfortunately it turned out Aizen had just switched places with the injured Hinamori. It must have been right after Komamura was cut down and everything after happened in an instant. Hence Ichigo had no time to react and tell the 4 Captains they were actually targeting Hinamori. Another possibility is that Ichigo is also under hypnosis, but is being led to think he isn’t.

Anyways, Aizen reveals that he’s been using hypnosis ever since he drew his sword three chapters ago. That would mean that maybe he wasn’t as powerful in hand to hand combat as we were made to believe. But that’s also proven wrong at the end of the chapter when Aizen cuts down all of his opponents in an instant. Or maybe he cut them before that, but they were under hypnosis, so they didn’t realize. In any case, this is getting almost ridiculous.

When everybody got mad over Hinamori being switched and becoming an innocent victim, I thought they’d let their guard down and Aizen would take them out one by one. Instead all four of them, and even Kira and Iba got owned in a single hit. There is only positive thing about this – if Ichigo is still not under hypnosis and he’s being underestimated by Aizen, then that gives him a chance to be one of the few survivors the Karakura Arc.
Now, as for this picture, it’s the first time I’ve seen anyone go this berserk in Bleach. Toushiro’s anger has gone beyond anything imaginable or comparable until now. If he survives this fight, I think he’ll have some deep emotional trauma. Right now he’s barely human already; I’m surprised he didn’t explode and form a small ice mushroom. His reaction is too predictable, even though it fits his character perfectly. Oda left a much better cliff-hanger in One Piece. If there’s one thing I’ve learned this week, it’s don’t kill the main character’s sibling. It’s really scary.
Oh, yeah, what’s even scarier – no Bleach chapter next week.

Download Bleach Chapter 390 (BEYOND THE DEATH UNDERSTANDING)

Download Bleach Chapter 391 (The Blazing Glaciers)

Ah, sorry I neglected to write anything for the past three weeks, but the chapters were just so damn short, I just didn’t feel like doing anything. But now that three chapters have passed, I think enough info has been accumulated to make one post about it. And to summarize everything important in one picture:

In short  it’s been an Aizen\Hitsugaya-centered mini-arc, in which four captains, four Vizards, Ichigo and Omaeda take on Aizen. And even if you’d expected Omaeda to be the only one left out of the action, Ichigo has no excuse for being absolutely useless in this fight.

Even though his orders were to wait for an opening on Aizen, he just stands there looking like he’s seen the biggest pair of boobies in the world. In that last scene where Toushiro stabs Aizen, Ichigo’s sword should be going trough the traitor’s head. That boy just doesn’t pay attention. Now, after Aizen gets angry and brutally kills everybody else, there should be some reaction.

In the first chapter Ichigo had just arrived with Unohana from Hueco Mundo and was ready to face Aizen with his 9 men backup. Initially everyone tried to hit Aizen by themselves, some charging head-on, others aiming their hits silently from behind. It was absolutely useless, though. After a short dialogue about who’s worthy of being a Captain and who’s not, Aizen’s provocations get on Hitsugaya’s nerves and the shorty activates his painstakingly overused bankai. At first I was happy because I thought that the three frozen flowers over his head were gone, but unfortunately they were there in the next chapter… The kid’s once again not made any progress at all. And yet he still manages to inflict an almost fatal wound on an opponent who’s clearly stronger than him.

The second chapter focuses on revealing Aizen’s power from a direct point of view and through Gin’s thoughts. Aizen easily kills Komamura and Rose, without using any Kidou or sword abilities. His sheer spiritual pressure and speed are enough to overwhelm these two experienced fighters and make fools out of another two – Hitsugaya and Love. And Gin, who’s gettin’  no action at the moment, comments that Aizen’s power actually lies within his exterior abilities, rather than in Kyouka Suigetsu, as everyone thought so so far. It seems that the only person who could take Aizen by himself is Yamamoto.
But why is the old fossil missing from battle then? I think that even though he wants to fight, he’ll wait for Aizen to get a bit exhausted first, or at least he’s letting everybody take a shot at the traitor. He could battle Gin, since they’re the only two people who’re unoccupied at the moment, but for some reason that’s not happening. Let’s pray to God Gin doesn’t turn out to be a double agent in the next chapter………….
And as for this week’s chapter, it was simply beautiful. Such exceptional team work from such diverse individuals, it’s almost unexpected. The mix between Kyouraku’s and Shinji’s shikai is absolutely incredible and with Hitsugaya’s ice to make the enemy immobile, it becomes unavoidable. I’d say this combination is at least equal to Kyouka Suigetsu, if not better.
In the begining Aizen swiftly finishes off Love and Lisa and then collides with Soi Fon. A short conversation between the two easily turns into an all-out war, with Soi Fon using her last hidden card – super fast movement. Aizen doesn’t look at all nervous, but is in for a surprise as the tables turn on him. As he draws his sword, his hand is frozen, which allows Soi Fon to land a hit in his stomach. One more and he’s done for. Unfortunately for the good guys, he still has one free arm and catches her hand in midair. Aizen concentrates on eliminating Soi Fon and doesn’t notice Kyouraku hiding in the iceburg’s shadow. The villain takes a second body piercing, this time in the chest area. As he tries to recover he sees Hitsugaya charging straight towards him. A fighter like Aizen would have no problem stopping a head-on attack, but with Shinji confusing his senses,  he can’t avoid getting hit for a third time in a row, this time straight through the heart.
The greatest question in Bleach ever – is this the end of Aizen?! So fast, we haven’t even seen his bankai, we don’t know if he’s hollowfied himself, like Tousen, his death would mean that only Gin, Yammi and Wonderweiss remain to fulfill the evil deeds. At first I thought he was using Kyouka Suigetsu and everyone had actually stabbed Ichigo, or better yet – they’ve killed Omaeda, but if it was one of them with a magic cloak on, then they wouldn’t have known about Shinji’s shikai (probably). Also, Aizen was trying to make a point in not using his hypnotising ability and wanted to defeat everyone with his spiritual force. So that means he has indeed suffered three very serious, maybe life-threatening injuries. But being a master at Kidou,he should be able to patch himself right up, right? Or if he’s hollowfied himself, he can just regenerate. So personally, I don’t think this is the end of Aizen, but it could be the end of the Fake Karakura Arc, because he’ll definitely be pissed now and he’ll try to finish things quickly.
The reason for the contrast in the previous 4-5 chapters with the last pages of this one is to show that Aizen is ridiculously powerful, but he’s not that ridiculously powerful. Or in other words – Ichigo still has a chance to win (in the distant future). Especially if you take into consideration Aizen’s words to Soi Fon – “A battle between shinigami is a battle of reiatsu; my reiatsu will crush your power and attack”, and Unohana’s thoughts about Ichigo’s reiatsu being twice as much as a Captains. Those two statements lead to one thing – theoretically Ichigo is as strong as Aizen, he just lacks experience and any other moves beside Getsuga Tenshou.