Well Bleach fans, looks like the wait is finally over. For y’all to make it to the Top 12 Countdown I mean. I mean, part two of the anime is set to return in July as the trailer that was released earlier this week to coincide with episodes 12 and 13 of the Thousand Year Blood War arc. But for now, it looks like the hour of reckoning has arrived in the form of one of the episodes making it to the countdown if y’all already read the title already. Coming at number four of the Top 12 Countdown of 2022 is Bleach: Thousand Year Blood War with “The Fire”.
Let’s not kid ourselves, the seasonal anime for the year, mostly with the Fall season... had gone through the roof when it comes to anime series that was coming out with their new season or series that had been long anticipated. Ranging from the new seasons of Mob Psycho and My Hero Academia to anime series that people have long waited to see be adapted from the manga...primarily Chainsaw Man. Which I should probably need to check it out because I haven’t watched it. One of the two anime series that be long anticipated and well...this is one of the two series.
It’s been a decade since the original Bleach anime ended back in 2012 and a lot of people have been playing the waiting game for when it’ll be coming back despite the manga was going on at the time in its final arc all the way to the series’...you could say abrupt end in August of 2016 and a 73-page one-shot chapter just last year. Flashing forward to 2022 and here we are, and even though we thought 2020 or 2021 would finally be the year the anime would come back, but because of COVID and getting things together from the animation to the voice acting, 2022 would be that year. Ten years since the original anime ended and ten years later, the anime returns. And out of the thirteen episodes that just came out from the first part of the new anime, y’all already read the title of the post, and the sixth episode of the Thousand Blood Year War anime has been chosen. And for good reasons.
And it’s mostly on the battle that is the primary focus for this episode and that is the Yamamoto vs Yhwach fight. Sure, the episode began with an added anime-only scene into the episode with Uryu reading the history of the Quincies after finding out that the enemies for this are...well, Quincies. Rattling his head after finding out he and his dad might not be the sole surviving members of their race upon reading. Including the part of the book about what happened a thousand years ago between the Quincies and the Shinigami, the spotlight throughout the episode would be the fight. The rematch from over a thousand years ago between the Head Captain of the Gotei 13 and the Kaiser of the Quincies.
And I got to say, this fight did not disappoint. This episode did not disappoint once Yamamoto enters the scene to take on Yhwach. Sure, he entered the battlefield in the previous episode when taking out Driscoll, the person responsible for Sasakibe’s death and also stealing his Bankai. Now to take the big man himself after defeating Kenpachi off-camera like a ragdoll and you can see what the anime is doing. Sure, certain moments from the manga had to be cut and some people do have complaints over that, as well as the pacing. Trying to tone down the comedic moments that would only fit for the original anime to make things serious since...this is a war. But all negativity aside, this episode took the cake for yours truly.
We got the appetizer from this fight with Yamamoto drawing out his Zanpaktou against Yhwach and you already know that we’re in business as the two fought on top of the building surrounding the area with Yamamoto trying to land a hit on Yhwach. Screaming the tiles of the roof onto Yhwach like they’re projectiles. More than enough for Yhwach to draw out his sword and if you think that it’s going to be a sword-on-sword fight between two leaders of each side? Well...you’re sorely mistaken. Because that’s when the head captain decides to pull the ultimate ace up his sleeve and that is, of course, his Bankai.
And I’m not gonna lie, the episode did it beautifully with the animation and visuals when Yamamoto uses his Bankai. The animation and the visuals and the way Yamamoto’s voice actor spoke, both in Japanese and English, what else to say but god fucking damn that looks insane. And Yamamoto’s Bankai, Zanka no Tachi, has four abilities which you could say it feels something you see from a compass or something.
With Zanka no Tachi West, all of the heat is being transported into Yamamoto’s blade. Turning the sky from a dark, cloudy day to a void of white as if they were on the sun. And every Shinigami and Quincy are feeling the heat from Ukitake feeling his throat getting dry. Cang Du sees Hyorinmaru melting as the water quickly evaporates while battling a Bankai-less Toshiro and Rangiku. Even to the Fourth Squad Barracks where Isane noticed her skin getting dry while having the vase slowly cracking and the flower starting to burn. Yeah, let’s talk about how dry your skin is while not bringing up the thousand of corpses lying on the ground. Also, note that everyone in Squad Four can’t leave their post while the battle is going. They respond two episodes later while taking care of the wounded. Head Captain’s orders to not leave the area. Because having the medical unit to be taken out by the Quincies would be the last thing the Soul Society wants.
Also, the Shinigami and Quincies can handle this type of heat but if a human were to come to terms with the brutal high temperatures...that’s a heat stroke waiting to happen in mere seconds. The blade burnt to a crisp and a tap from it would cause the place, without hitting the opponent, to combust as if it’s the set from the Oppenheimer film and setting off a nuke. And this is just the start of Yamamoto using his Bankai. That’s the East portion of the Bankai from the Head Captain after describing the West.
When we get to the South in his attempts to take down Yhwach and I got to say, out of the four abilities of Yamamoto’s Bankai...this has to be the fave for yours truly. The visuals switch from light to dark. The look at Yhwach’s face when seeing the skeletons coming out from the crater. Hell, the animation for the skeletons looks freaking amazing. And the sounds of the skeletons coming out with the hearing of the bones cracking as each skeleton move towards Yhwach...like...it’s freaking mental on what Studio Perriot was doing and holy fucking shit, this looks badass. Especially with how the South's ability played out. Playing with Yhwach’s psyche by having each of the skeletons turning into his men who had fallen in battle. This sold the episode for me from this arc so far. It looks horrifying with Yamamoto raising the dead to mess with Yhwach. The CGI with the skeletons looks nice that it almost looks like something coming out of the rotoscope. Like something coming out from...I think the only example I can think of...you could think Courage the Cowardly Dog as the prime example and it would be a good one with the idea of mixing 2D with 3D. I can think of the animated Lord of the Rings film from the 1970s. This looks fucking amazing and is pretty much my favorite moment from this episode.
And then we get to the North and it’s pretty much simple if you describe it as a fuck all to end the battle with Yhwach by slicing him in half. Cutting out of existence from the blade as if they’re being nuked inside the range of a nuclear bomb being dropped. This episode could be summed up as Yamamoto going all out on Yhwach and it delivered when putting on a show to the viewers of what his Bankai is capable of. As if Yhwach didn’t do anything to attack in return. And surprise, surprise, he didn’t because that was actually Yhwach that Yamamoto decimated, and instead, it’s a fake. Turned out to be Stern Ritter “Y” Royd Lloyd taking Yhwach’s spot in the battle against Yamamoto. And the real Yhwach...where was he? Well...where else?
Deep underground in the Central 46 prison and having a small chat with an imprisoned Sosuke Aizen. It’s been a while since I last read the manga but I think in the manga regarding Aizen at this point of the arc, it was just a cameo and had to wait for around 100+ chapters for his actual return. But here with the anime...his first appearance since the end of the Fake Karakura Town arc and being sealed away and imprisoned. Asking Aizen to join forces because Yhwach thinks that they both have a common goal of taking down the Soul Society. But Aizen, being the troll king that he is, declines the offer. I mean, yeah, they do have the same goal in taking down the Soul Society but a difference in something else. Don’t want to spoil it for the anime-only viewers but anyone who reads the manga already knows what I’m about to say regarding the different goals between the two. That and also Yhwach would have a difficult time killing him because of the Hogyoku fused inside him. And also scolded Yhwach that a Quincy like Yhwach would ask a Soul Reaper to team up. Otherwise, it was nice to see Aizen once again, and looking at this scene, jokes aside, this was his first interaction with someone while serving his time. Though now after watching the Unohana and Kenpachi fight a few episodes later after this one, I’m pretty sure that Aizen got a front-row seat to the action. Just saying.
Closing out the episode with Yamamoto being shocked about what Yhwach was actually doing while battling Royd while as Yhwach during his fight. Ready to activate his Bankai once more but ends up getting stolen by the Quincy leader, pulls out his reishi sword, and uh...y’all already know where this was going. Oh yeah, dead. Letting his guard down after using his Bankai against your opponent who isn’t your opponent but instead, it’s someone from the opposite camp transforming into your opponent. And this is the result of this battle with Yamamoto thinking that he got the dub against Yhwach, until Yhwach decided to pull a fast one in the final minutes of the episode after leaving the Muken. By the way, manga readers, I know it sucks that it wasn’t being used from Yhwach, spoilers for the anime only viewers, later in the arc but pray to God that the anime will do justice for once.
So all and all, it’s a pretty amazing episode for the first part of the Thousand Year Blood War arc for the Bleach anime. Sure, there are other episodes after that like the aforementioned Ichigo vs Yhwach fight in the next episode from yesterday’s post. Or the Unohana and Kenpachi fight. Or hell, the backstory with Isshin and Masaki that we recently got from the anime alongside Ichigo getting his new Zanpaktou. Out of the magician’s hat to pull the rabbit, this was this episode to be added to the countdown.
And what’s not to like? The visuals, animation, music choice, and voice acting between Yamamoto and Yhwach had been top-notch, and...the original anime ended ten years ago and ten years later with the anime’s return...it was worth the wait. It was worth the wait. And picking this fight to be added to the countdown was pretty much a good choice. I mean...it is my list after all. But the episode did not disappoint with this fight. Especially with Yamamoto unleashing his Bankai against the fake Yhwach. Everything is on point with each ability that was being thrown. Especially with the South with the skeletons coming out from the crater and using it to mess with his psyche by transforming it into Yhwach’s fallen soldiers...it was perfect. Horrific with the tone, in a good way, as if you’re watching a horror anime but it was perfect to watch it when seeing it for the first time. And the fight itself did not disappoint, even if the person Yamamoto faced isn’t the actual Yhwach.
But besides that, you also have Aizen’s return and his little chat with Yhwach in the underground prison, I thought it was nice. Mostly with Aizen returning and being as calm and collected since the last time we saw him. As well as the added scene into the arc with Uryu reading through the book about the history of the Quincies and him questioning whether he should continue to aid the Soul Reapers and Ichigo or align himself with the Quincies since the antagonists of the arc are...well, Quincies. It was a pretty good episode from the first part of the arc in the anime and after thirteen episodes in for yours truly to see, the waiting begins for the summer anime to take its place for the anime to return.
And that concludes the Number 4 spot in the Top 12 Countdown of 2022. What do you think about this episode? Should it be higher, lower, or stay put on your list? Put it in the comments below as we prepare to go into the Number 3 spot of the Top 12 Countdown. Which episode and series will be taking the third spot? Find and see sometime tomorrow. Follow me on Tumblr, Twitter, Mastodon, and Instagram for updates and behind-the-scenes stuff. And y’all should know the drill by now...
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