Spoilers for the final chapter of BLEACH: The Thousand Year Blood War! The last enemy is a Quincy?

The Thousand Year Blood War is scheduled to begin airing in October 2022. This is the final story of BLEACH, which reveals the long-running conflict between Shinigami (Soul Reaper) and Quincy and the true roots of the main character, Ichigo Kurosaki. The story is a perfect climax to BLEACH, as it recounts the foreshadowing of the past, features fascinating characters from both sides of the conflict, and depicts the previously undisclosed swastika solutions of many popular characters. This article is an in-depth look at The Thousand Year Blood War, its highlights and episodes! This is a must-see for those who can’t wait to see it and want to prepare for it.

|The last enemy is Quincy!

© Kubo Taito / Shueisha, TV Tokyo, dentsu, Pierrot

The story begins after Tale of the Lost Agent. As usual, Ichigo and his friends are engaged in Shinigami (Soul Reaper) activities in this world, when suddenly they are attacked by someone who looks like an Arrancar. This Arrancar, who was thought to be an enemy, possessed the power of Quincy, just like Ishida Uryu. At the same time, a mysterious organization called “The Wandenreich” attacked the Soul Society and killed many Shinigami (Soul Reapers). Investigations revealed that they were the army of Quincy, a group that was supposed to have been destroyed.

Although Quincy itself has existed since the beginning, until now only Uryu and his father, Ryugen, have been seen in the film. However, their true identities are finally revealed in The Thousand Year Blood War. Shinigami (Soul Reaper) and Quincy both make their living defeating the void, but their different ways of defeating it have led to a conflict between the two groups. After a long battle, most of the Quincy were destroyed by Shinigami (Soul Reaper).

The Wandenreich, which controls the Hueco Mundo and uses Arrancar and his men, and Uryu, Ichigo’s former comrade in arms, have joined the Wandenreich. The Wandenreich is a man who has been in power for years.

|What is the new enemy “The Wandenreich”?

The Wandenreich, headed by Yhwach, is an organization composed entirely of Quincy members. They were divided into two elite units, Sternritter and Jagdarmee, and showed such strength that they instantly killed the second-in-command during the first invasion of the Soul Society. Once known as “Lichtreich,” they had built a technological civilization that was on par with the present day, but 1,000 years ago, they launched an invasion of the Soul Society and were defeated by the Shinigami (Soul Reaper) forces led by Captain Yamamoto. The organization was believed to have been destroyed. In fact, however, they had managed to save their lives by creating a shadow space in the Soul Society and escaping into it. A thousand years later, The Wandenreich is once again on the move to avenge their former humiliation.

His Majesty” Yhwach, head of The Wandenreich

© Kubo Taito / Shueisha, TV Tokyo, dentsu, Pierrot

Yhwach is the leader of “The Wandenreich” and the rathbone of The Thousand Year Blood War. He is considered the founder of all Quincy and possesses “The Almighty,” the power to foresee and alter the future. This ability loses its effect if Yhwach learns of its own abilities. In other words, it is a threatening power that makes it impossible for Yhwach to inflict even a single wound, let alone defeat him. He also has the special ability to share his soul to enhance the body and soul of others, and when the other person dies, the soul is returned to Yhwach with the person’s knowledge, experience, and abilities engraved on it. He is called “His Majesty” by his subordinates and appears charismatic, but he is ruthless and ruthless, willing to sacrifice friend or foe in order to achieve his goals.

What is Sternritter?

Sternritter is an elite team of The Wandenreich, with over 20 members. Each member has been given a letter of the alphabet by Yhwach that corresponds to his or her abilities, and their individual combat skills are so strong that they are able to outnumber the captains of Gotei 13. They fight using Blut, a combat technique that strengthens the body, Schrift, which is the equivalent of the first solution in Shinigami (Soul Reaper)’s Zanpakutō, and Quincy: Vollständig, which is comparable to Bankai. Many members of the same clan have little loyalty to Yhwach, and many characters have personality problems without betraying or killing each other in the inner circle. The organization seems to have considerable shortcomings in terms of teamwork.

|Bankai is Stolen! The plight of the Soul Society

© Kubo Taito / Shueisha, TV Tokyo, dentsu, Pierrot

Sternritter has a fighting power beyond human knowledge, but what made Gotei 13 particularly difficult was the medalize technique, a technique to take away Shinigami’s (Soul Reaper) “Bankai”. They used a metal plate called a “medallion” to take away Shinigami’s (Soul Reaper’s) “bankai” and use it themselves. However, there are a few disadvantages: medalize cannot be used in combination with Vollständig because of its heavy burden, and taking away a bankai that is out of proportion to one’s ability may also pose a danger to the Sternritter side. Perhaps the purpose is to weaken the opponent (disabling the Bankai). When The Wandenreich invaded Soul Society, the four captains including Byakuya Kuchiki were deprived of Bankai at once, resulting in more than 1,000 casualties in only 7 minutes after the invasion, and Soul Society suffered tremendous damage.

|Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto is dead! The Terrifying Power of Yhwach

© Kubo Taito / Shueisha, TV Tokyo, dentsu, Pierrot

The Shinigami (Soul Reaper) regain their fighting spirit when Araki, the captain of the 11th squadron, and Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto, the commander-in-chief, go to the battlefield. Yamamoto confronts Yhwach, the general of the enemy, and the two have a history of fighting a battle 1000 years ago. Yamamoto succeeds in defeating Yhwach with Bankai “Zanka no Tachi”. However, the opponent he had killed was a fake, and the real Yhwach appeared shortly afterward and took Yamamoto’s Bankai away from him. With the Bankai he took, Yamamoto’s body is cut in two, and the strongest captain in Gotei 13 dies in battle.

|Soul King, and now Zero Division! Who are they and what are their capabilities?

With Gotei 13’s defeat at the hands of The Wandenreich following the death of its commander-in-chief, and the entire Soul Society in a state of crisis, the focus turns to the existence of the Zero Division, whose name has only been revealed, and the Soul King, the king of the Soul Society. The Zero Division is a small elite unit of five members, each of whom is stronger than a captain. The total strength of the five members is said to be greater than the entire Gotei 13 army. If Gotei 13 is like a police force, then Zero Division is like the imperial police in this world. Normally, the Zero Division plays the role of protecting the Soul King, the entity that maintains the balance of the world. They heal Byakuya’s wounds, which were said to be unrecoverable, and rehabilitate Ichigo’s zanpakutō to give him practice, but despite their power, they are easily defeated by The Wandenreich. They left the stage without showing off their strength, and few battle scenes were shown.

|Ichigo discovers his roots! His mother was Quincy! Who is The Zangetsu’s ?

The protagonist of this work, Ichigo Kurosaki, was previously known to possess both Shinigami (Soul Reaper) and Hollow powers. However, in The Thousand Year Blood War, it is newly revealed that he also possesses the power of Quincy. In fact, his mother, Kurosaki Masaki, is a pure-blood Quincy and was originally the fiancée of Uryu’s father, Ryugen. She was murdered by Hollow eight years ago when Yhwach took her power. Naturally, Ichigo is of that blood and has inherited Quincy’s power as well. Zangetsu”, the man who had been calling himself Zangetsu in his mental world, was the embodiment of Quincy’s power hidden within him, and looked just like Yhwach a thousand years ago. There are not many scenes in which Ichigo uses Quincy’s power, but there are scenes in which he unknowingly uses his blood suit to defend himself during the course of the work.

|Unohana was the “first” Kenpachi! Fateful Battle with Zaraki

After the Wandenreich retreated, Kyoraku, the new commander-in-chief of the Wandenreich, told a startling revelation: Unohana was the first Kenpachi, the original leader of what is now the 11th Wandenreich.

Unohana was the first Kenpachi, who formed the current Eleventh Division, and was once one of the greatest villains in the history of the Soul Society. Unohana was the one who discovered Zaraki in the past. The first time they fought, Zaraki suppressed his power so that he would not kill the first person with whom he could fight on equal terms. Unohana felt guilty that he had stopped Zaraki’s growth. This duel is a rehearsal to remove the limiter that he unknowingly put on Zaraki, and after a fierce battle, Unohana is cut down by Zaraki who remembers his “sleeping power.

|Former enemies Aizen, Tsukishima, Grim Joe, and others appear as allies!

The Thousand Year Blood War is filled with episodes in which characters who have stood in front of Ichigo and his friends as enemies now appear to join them. The characters who once fought against Ichigo are now on their side and fighting alongside them. …… is such an encouraging story. It is such a reassuring thing, isn’t it? One of the highlights of the film is that you can often see such heart-warming developments.

Grim Joe Jaggerjack.

Grim Joe is one of the Espada who appeared in the Arrancar Arc. He once appeared before Ichigo as one of Aizen’s subordinates, and they fought to the death. In The Thousand Year Blood War, when Ichigo and his men are about to enter the Soul King’s palace, which has been invaded by the enemy, he is called by Yoruichi to join them for the simple reason that he does not want Hueco Mundo to collapse due to Yhwach’s plot. However, although he lends a helping hand, he does not at all maintain his stance as “Ichigo’s enemy,” and just as he is about to go it alone, he encounters Sternritter’s Askin. Once he was disabled by Askin without having time to perform a resurrección. Urahara healed him, and this time, in a state of resurrección, he attacked him by surprise and inflicted a fatal wound. However, later, the dying Askin was again seriously wounded in a last ditch effort, and was rescued by Neriel.

Shukuro Tsukishima

Tsukishima is the man who appeared before Ichigo in Tale of the Lost Agent when he was trying to regain the Shinigami (Soul Reaper) powers he once lost. He used his powers to manipulate Ichigo’s family, friends, and almost everyone around him, driving him into a mental corner. He eventually lost the battle and died peacefully. ……, but it is revealed that he actually lived peacefully after his death on the outskirts of the Soul Society village.

In the film, he appears to repay Ichigo’s debt to Yhwach after Yhwach breaks his Zanpakutō/Zangetsu and puts him in a pinch. Yhwach, who can change the future as he pleases, destroys Zangetsu in all future axes, creating a situation that even Orihime cannot fix. But this is where Tsukishima’s ability comes in handy. He is the possessor of the “Book of the End,” a power that allows him to freely change the past of the person he has cut. Tsukishima created a past in which Zangetsu could not be broken, allowing Orihime’s power to repair Zangetsu.

Aizen Sosuke

Aizen Sosuke, who betrayed the Soul Society with the ambition “I will become a god,” was defeated by Ichigo in the decisive battle of Karakura cho and sealed away, only to reappear in The Thousand Year Blood War. When Yhwach visits Aizen in prison during the Soul Society invasion, he offers to take him under his wing. Aizen, however, firmly rejects the offer. He then uses his Kyōka Suigetsu, an ability that disrupts the perception and judgment of others, to dull Yhwach’s sense of time and avert the collapse of the Soul Society by The Wandenreich. After that, he was regarded as a possible opponent to Yhwach’s threat and became an adversary to “The Wandenreich”. Although forced to wear restraints, he demonstrated the strength of the strongest class.

|Ishida Uryu, Ichigo Kurosaki, and Aizen have done it!

© Kubo Taito / Shueisha, TV Tokyo, dentsu, Pierrot

Ichigo, who had revived Zangetsu through Tsukishima’s ability, joined the battle between Aizen and Yhwach. At first, it seemed that Aizen, unable to give his full strength due to his restraints, and Ichigo, once defeated, would not be able to defeat Yhwach in a joint fight. However, Aizen’s Kyōka Suigetsu gave Yhwach the illusion that the two were inverted. Misjudging the situation, he was slashed in the back by the real Ichigo. Yhwach, who had suffered his first mortal wound, somehow manages to get back on his feet and gets back into fighting shape. Shortly thereafter, Uryu, who had left Ichigo’s side and joined the Sternritter, intervenes in the battle. Ishida, who had been named by Yhwach as his successor, was supposed to be on the side of The Wandenreich (……), but he had taken this action only to protect Ichigo and the others and to defeat him from the inside. Uryu succeeded in stopping Yhwach’s movement with “Still Silver,” which can nullify any person’s ability for a brief moment. Taking advantage of the moment when his ability is controlled, Ichigo swings Zangetsu at Yhwach. Yhwach’s body is cut in two, and the worst enemy in the history of Soul Society is defeated by Ichigo, Aizen, and Ishida.

|And then peace comes–. What happens after the story?

In the Soul Society, Rukia Kuchiki is appointed captain of the Thirteenth Division in place of Ukitake, who was killed in battle. Meanwhile, in the present world, Ichigo and Orihime marry and give birth to a boy named Kurosaki Kazui. At the same time, Renji and Rukia have a baby girl named Abarai Ichika. As for Yhwach, a part of it remains even 10 years after its defeat, and Shinigami (Soul Reaper) and others are always ready for battle in Soul Society. One day, however, Shinigami happened to find a “residue of Yhwach’s power” leaking from a hole in the space and innocently touched it with his hand, causing the residue to disappear! This situation is a little strange, but when you think about it simply, is it because Kazuyuki inherited a power similar to Orihime’s “rejection of events”? The story thus comes to an end.

|Fierce battles and fierce fighting worthy of the final chapter! Let’s reread “The Thousand Year Blood War” [and look forward to the animated version].

© Kubo Taito / Shueisha, TV Tokyo, dentsu, Pierrot

BLEACH ended its 16-year history with a hint of the next generation of heroes, and the title of the final episode, “Death & Strawberry,” was the same as the first, bringing us back to the roots of BLEACH. The Thousand Year Blood War is a perfect culmination of the series, with many exciting developments including Quincy, Ichigo’s roots, and the appearance of many Bankai who had not yet appeared in the series. It is impossible to fully convey the charm of the manga, so why not take this opportunity to reread the manga?