Will Aizen Return in Bleach?! (ブリーチ)

                                          Will Aizen ever make his return in Bleach? 


So then,  it's been a long time since my last post, but since I had some free time and a topic in mind I decided to give this a try and see how things go! Of course, the subject of this post is whether Aizen will one day end up returning to Bleach, so time to get started!


Truth be told, I think it's practically a guarantee that Aizen will one day make a return in some way, shape or form. Will I be happy if he does? Considering I am a big fan of his, then yes I would definitely be very happy to see him.

Of course liking him isn't any kind of reason for why I think he will come back, so thankfully Tite Kubo has done a good job of leaving the possibility open all by himself. Think about it - Aizen could have so easily been sealed away forever or killed during his epic scale battle with Ichigo, but instead he was merely captured and locked away by Soul Society. If Kubo had no intention of using Aizen again, why would he have kept him alive? To have him there forever rotting away in some dungeon would make little sense, and it certainly doesn't fit in with the way Kubo thinks or writes.

Another reason for his return could be because Aizen has had the privilege of a massive buildup all throughout the Bleach series, no villain could really match up with all he has done and the massive role he has played in everything. We now have the Stern Ritter / Quincy as villains, and while I personally believe Kubo has done a fantastic job thus far with the arc, there is little doubt that currently the villains need more depth to them. I do not doubt Kubo will reveal and add a lot more to them, afterall, Kubo himself has said this will be the longest arc of the series, so he has plenty of time to get such things sorted. However, there is no denying that for the majority of Bleach fans, the main villain will always be Aizen.

In an interview earlier this year (before the current arc started), Tite Kubo himself commented on how he hopes to see Aizen again someday which says an awful lot coming from the author himself. Obviously what he would have liked at the time and what he will do at a later date can always change, but I do believe Kubo deliberately left Aizen alive so he had that option later down the line. Despite all the trolling Aizen has done (or perhaps because of his trolling), he has gained a considerable fan base, not to mention even people who hate him or the Manga will read just to see what crazy thing he does next.

While there is still plenty of potential for the Quincy storyline, I would be very surprised if Aizen does not get involved in some way. Will it be by being the mastermind behind the Quincy plans, or else helping an overwhelmed Soul Society fight back in the war? Only time will tell, and that's if my prediction is right about him coming back in the first place.

Too many things add up and make sense for Aizen to be involved again, and it's a possibility I can't see Tite Kubo passing up. Of course pretty much every thing I have said here is pure speculation and we may never see Aizen again, but as an Aizen fan, right now I feel pretty confident in the fact we will see everyones' favourite troll again before the series comes to an end.

Bleach Chapter 501 - Hear.Fear.Hear - Review / Thoughts

Wow, Tite Kubo sure knows how to make a war arc! Chapter 501 of Bleach is another good one, but also be prepared for something that's as creepy as feck too!

Seriously, I felt so damn bad for Byakuya in this chapter. Here we have one of the strongest guys from Soul Society, and already he has had his Bankai stolen and made to feel fear like he has never felt before. As Nodt did compliment him on even remaining sane after being hit by the attack, but damn, it was such a messed up thing to happen.

If this sort of thing happened to Byakuya of all characters (one who beforehand most people would have guessed would be well suited to fighting him), then who knows how the heck anyone is going to be able to stop As Nodt.

Also of course it looks like it could be the end of Byakuya, which if it turns out to be the case will be a shame as I have always really liked him. It would certainly show that Kubo is taking no prisoners though, and that no character is off-limits in terms of who dies in this arc.

Unlike Naruto which has been hit and miss through it's own war arc, Bleach has consistently been turning out great chapter after great chapter, and Kubo has done a great job in actually making this feel like a real war with real casualties and sacrifice.

This was a really good chapter yet again, though I admit it creeped me out seeing the panels with Rukia (Byakuya's worst fear version of course) and to a lesser extent the bugs crawling all over him. As Nodt is a sadistic person and he must have the creepiest ability yet seen in Bleach.

Whether Byakuya is dead or not is still anyone's guess at this point, but what I do know for sure is that Soul Society needs a plan and fast, and at this rate, it needs to be a plan WITHOUT Ichigo.

Bleach Chapter 500 - Rescuer in The Deep Dark - Review / Thoughts

So here it is, Bleach has finally reached the 500 chapter milestone! Bleach and Tite Kubo have taken some flack before for various reasons, but the series now can't be faulted at all, while Kubo is showing just how excellent Bleach can be with this fantastic arc.

So yes, Bleach is now at 500 chapters, and chapter 500 itself was another fine chapter from what has been an excellent arc. Things have really gone crazy, and this week was no exception. Jidanbou was raging for unknown reasons, Ichigo was desperately trying to escape the prison he was put in, and Kirge gets sliced in half by some unknown person!

I don't know who it is obviously, but Urahara seemed genuinely shocked by whoever it is, and that itself is not only a rarity but is also worrying. This being Urahara I have faith that even if it turns out to be an enemy, he will probably escape with his life, but I would be absolutely gutted if anything bad did end up happening to Urahara.

The two names that I keep seeing mentioned are Grimmjow and Aizen, but of course that's just pure fan speculation. I can't honestly see it being Grimmjow, as there's no way Urahara would have such a reaction unless he had improved/changed significantly since the last time we saw him. Aizen would definitely warrant such a reaction, but in my opinion it won't be him either. While I do definitely think Aizen will make a return, it's probably still too early for him to make an appearance yet, so I wouldn't bet on it being him either.

This chapter certainly threw up some interesting questions, and nobody bar Kubo himself has any idea what the answers will be. What I can say for sure though is that it made for a very enjoyable chapter, and as this is such a landmark I am really pleased for Kubo and for Bleach as a whole. There are a lot of mysteries in this arc, and Kubo has done a fantastic job of keeping things both exciting and interesting.

This was yet another excellent chapter from this excellent arc, and I have to say that if this does ever get animated in some way, I think the quality will easily win over all the people who doubted Bleach and Kubo after the Fullbring arc.

Bleach Chapter 497 - Kill The Shadow 2 - Review / Thoughts

Bleach 497 continues where the last chapter left off, and once again the Captains are in a mess trying to come up with a way of actually fighting the Stern Ritter without Bankai, and once again the chapter is decent but not anything special.

This week (and last week) are more like setup chapters, basically letting everyone know how disadvantaged the Shinigami are currently and how much of a threat the Stern Ritter are. Soul Society is in a mess at the moment, and to be honest without Hitsugaya's quick thinking of getting Matsumoto to send a message to all the other captains, almost certainly a lot more of their Bankai would have been stolen.

Renji was a bit of an idiot for being about to use Bankai even though he was warned not to, so it's just as well Byakuya was there to stop him. I do understand to some extent though because it's clear that panic and frustration are starting to set in, and nobody has any idea what to do.

Ichigo being called back though will most likely change things. We know that for some reason his Bankai can't be stolen, and it wouldn't surprise me if the reason they want him back isn't so that he can necessarily help in the fight (for the moment anyway), but is instead for maybe Mayuri doing some research in to what is preventing his from being stolen so that they might be able to use it for the other captains.

Even Kyoraku seems to be having a tough time against the Stern Ritter, and being slashed like that hardly increases his chances of winning. I can definitely see a fair few casualties during this war, with Kira and Sasakibe being the first couple of what is likely to be many. This again does beg the question of just what Soul Society can do to try and defend themselves, but I guess we will find out in the upcoming chapters.

Overall this was a decent enough chapter, the past two weeks have certainly done a pretty good job of setting things up, but admittedly I am hoping for something a bit more epic and / or action packed in the next chapter.

Bleach Chapter 489 – March of The Starcross – Review / Thoughts

This week I have to say that without a doubt, Bleach 489 was the standout chapter between this and Naruto. Whereas Naruto was firmly rooted in past events, Bleach was very much in the present, as well as setting up something brilliant for the future chapters.
 
Last week we got to see what looked like the beginning of Ichigo vs Kirge, but Ichigo instead starts off against a few other Quincy instead as you can see in the picture above. It doesn’t take long for Ichigo to realise that the people who before were only known to him as the Vandenreich were in fact Quincy. Kirge even comments on the fact that he invaded without even being 100% sure of who they were, not that it makes a difference to Ichigo as we all know by now.

Rather than Ichigo fighting, this chapter was more focused on the strange events that have been taking place in Soul Society, and who’s to blame for it. To begin with we just see Rukia pacing the floor in Soul Society where she is waiting for the captain’s meeting, with Renji telling her to calm down and take it easy, only for Kira to appear and interrupt. He tells them that something is bothering him, and explains how he used to think all the Vandenreich / Quincy stuff was connected with the disappearances from Rukongai, but now he realises that’s not the case.

Kira begins to explain his thoughts on the matters, and asks a question as well. When Yachiru answers, it confirms things for him, and he asks Nemu what Mayuri is hiding (having concluded that there was something odd about the way things had been done and investigated by his group). Nemu says Mayuri never told her anything about the disappearances, with Kira saying he will just have to report it to Yamamoto himself. Later in the chapter, we see Yamamoto confront Mayuri about it and asks him what’s going on. Mayuri tells him that it’s true he was behind the disappearances, as he had some Shinigami go in to Rukongai and kill the people to keep the balance between spirits and people even. Yamamoto asks why he didn’t ask for permission, saying that under the current circumstances it would have been approved anyway.

Mayuri says that if things had got worse, his unit would have been held responsible for it, hence why he went ahead and did it anyway. Yamamoto responds by saying that if they had reported things sooner, then maybe things wouldn’t have become so serious in the first place. Without hesitation, Mayuri tells Yamamoto he is wrong. He then says how right back when Ishida first invaded Soul Society along with Ichigo etc he warned him of what could one day happen, but that Yamamoto claimed his fears were baseless and denied it.

Mayuri then says Yamamoto is the one to blame because he didn’t lill “that man“  1000 years ago. Meanwhile, with Ichigo distracted by his battle with Kirge and the other Quincy, the king declares that now is the perfect chance to invade Soul Society, and so they head off to do just that.

But yes, that was the main content of the chapter. As you can tell, things are getting very serious with potential consequences being unthinkable. The dischord in Soul Society just reminded me of something Kubo said in the interview he did shortly before the arc came out, that being that Soul Society would be devastated like never before (or something along those lines).

I mean, while I know the Quincy invasion is going to have a huge impact on everything, maybe a part of what will make things so devastating and like nothing they have ever seen before will be that Soul Society will become full of rifts between the Gotei 13. With this chapter we can already see that Mayuri is unhappy with Yamamoto, and Yamamoto doesn’t seem too happy with Mayuri either. Of course we have no idea who “That man” is / was, but he could even come back to play some huge role, whether that be what happened in the past or even if he is still alive and active somehow today.

I was expecting this to be an action and battle filled chapter, but instead we were given something that is playing far more with the distrust and psychological aspect of things, and as a fan of that sort of thing then I enjoyed it a lot. Kubo really has done a spectacular job with this arc, and I can’t commend him enough for it. Kubo gets a lot of stick from people for all his trolling and “asspulls” that seemed to be brought up for every arc, but this time I can’t imagine there are too many fans who would criticise what he has done in this war arc.

This was a pretty awesome chapter, despite not being what I (and I suspect many others were expecting), and I really can see next week being fantastic, especially if the Quincy do indeed reach Soul Society by then.

Bleach Chapter 488 – Bond Behind Blast – Review / Thoughts

I have to say this was a pretty good chapter. This week I definitely have to say that Bleach was better than Naruto, so needless to say I was pretty happy with chapter 488.
 
There was a fight with the three Fraccion loyal to Harribel – Sun-Sun, Mila Rose and Appaci in this chapter, and Nel was doing her best to hype them up to Ichigo. Speaking of Nel, she was pretty funny in this chapter as she was riding on Ichigo’s back and doing stuff like covering Ichigo’s eyes so he can’t see where he’s going etc. But there was also some serious stuff in the form of the battle I mentioned above, and also with Soul Society preparing for war with the Vandereich.

This chapter confirmed what everyone knew already, that being that the Vandenreich are in fact Quincy. Mayuri confirms it during a meeting between the Gotei 13 and Yamamoto where they are relaying all the info they have on the Vandenreich and preparing to go to war with them. Yamamoto asks if they have found where the Vandenreich (who from this point on I shall refer to as Quincy since it’s been confirmed now) are located, but he is told that they still don’t know yet. Yamamoto tells them to start preparations for war immediately since they were given the 5 day deadline, with Yamamoto saying that they can’t trust people as despicable as the Quincy to even live up to their word, and that they could strike at any time.

Elsewhere, the trio (who Nel referred to as Tres Bestia) finally stop arguing amongst themselves, and instead start fighting and defeating some of the Quincy soldiers. Nel tells Ichigo that they are really powerful and scary, and tells him that he doesn’t even need to do anything as Tres Bestia will probably wipe out the entire army themselves in no time. Of course Ichigo still continues on anyway, while one of the Quincy runs up to the captain and says they are really strong and that they should retreat for now. The Quincy who said it is then just mercilessly killed, and the Quincy captain tells the Fraccion that he has a proposal for them.
He says that they are strong and that it’s wonderful, as they would be perfect pawns for “his majesty”.

He says it’s why he doesn’t want to kill them, and suggests that they surrender instead and become pawns, where at least they would be reunited with Harribel. He then says that there could be no greater joy for them than what he just said, but the Fraccion refuse to listen, telling him not to underestimate them, with them then trying to attack the captain. The Quincy captain says it’s a shame they don’t want to negotiate with him.

Ichigo meanwhile hears a loud explosion, and Nel says it’s probably from the 3 devils and that she won’t make fun of Ichigo if he decides to go back. Just after she finishes saying it however, we get to see the Quincy captain standing on top of a rock or a hill (or something like that anyway) with the three bloody (and presumably) dead bodies of Sun-Sun, Mila Rose and Appaci at his feet. He then notices Ichigo, and comments that now with a Shinigami having arrived that it has been a really busy day for guests.

So yes, that was pretty much the content in the chapter, and it all tied together pretty well. We had the classic mix of seriousness and light hearted scenes / panels which has always been one of my favourite things about Bleach as a whole, and of course it was nice getting 100% proof and confirmation that the Vandenreich are members of the Quincy afterall.

No doubt fans of Sun-Sun, Mila Rose and Appaci will be pissed off that they were wiped out so quickly and effortlessly, but I guess Kubo is doing it just to build up some hype and add some feats to the Quincy before they go up against the Gotei 13 and Soul Society.

Speaking of which, of course it was very interesting to see Ichigo being noticed by the Quincy captain, as it means there could very well be a fight between the two of them in the next chapter. Obviously it’s no guarantee as the captain could have other plans, but if it does go ahead it should be awesome, especially if / when Urahara eventually catches up to Ichigo as well. There is still a lot to come and a lot to expect from this arc and the upcoming chapters, and admittedly this chapter didn’t advance things too much, but overall it was still an enjoyable chapter and one that I really liked reading.

Bleach Chapter 481 – The Tearing - Review / Thoughts

Now as those of you who read my review of last week’s chapter know, I was disappointed by the slow pace and lack of worthwhile happenings. Initially it looked as though this week would be the same, but then things became interesting at the end.
 
Well usually I go in to descriptions of what happened, but I won’t bother as not an awful lot did take place this week, but I will of course cover the points of interest.

Firstly, it was nice to see some of the Visored again. The opening panel with Hiyori and Lisa was welcome, and they even mentioned other members like Hachi too which is a good sign Kubo hasn’t forgot about them. We also got to see that both Shino and Yuki are ok after the previous hollow attack, because (as you can see from the above picture) they were saved by Ichigo, Chad, Ishida and Orihime. I love the panel showing the four of them standing there facing the hollows, it was one of the highlights of the chapter.

A bit later in the chapter Ikkaku is seen in a rush running somewhere, and when asked confirms he has some news. We don’t find out what that news is in this chapter, but we will know soon enough with any luck. The best and most interesting part of the chapter was right at the end, as Ichigo and friends were sat sorting out the food Orihime had brought over to share, suddenly a man appears on the nearby bed and introduces himself as Ivan Azgiaro. Ichigo turns round and sternly just responds by telling him to get off the bed, and then the chapter ends.

Now of course Azgiaro is a new character, and very much appears to be some kind of Arrancar. Kubo hinted in the recent interview about some members of the Arrancar making a return, and it wouldn’t surprise me if this was his way of reintroducing them. From the impression I got Azgiaro doesn’t seem like an enemy or a threat, and is most likely just some sort of messenger for someone else. With this new character’s sudden appearance and Ikkaku’s unknown news there were certainly a few interesting things thrown up in the latest chapter, and overall it was these two things that stood out and saved what otherwise would have been an extremely plain outing for Bleach.

I am looking forward to seeing what is to come next week, and if you plan on reading the next chapter then reading this one is pretty much essential too.

Bleach Chapter 479 – Goodbye to Our Xcution - Review / Thoughts

My first Bleach review for this site, since the Fullbring arc is brought to a close with this chapter, I thought this was as good a time as any to start. But anyway, on to the chapter itself.

Well let me start by saying I think the Fullbring arc as a whole has been very good, it’s my favourite since Turn back the Pendulum in fact. While the ending wasn’t the greatest, overall I think it was a great way to start over after the battle with Aizen. But yes, this is the last chapter of the Fullbring arc regardless, with Kubo apparently mentioning a new arc starting immediately.

I want to say I loved the chapter this week, the arc definitely went out on a high note as we see what happens after the conclusion of Ichigo’s battle with Ginjo. Ichigo himself, ever the noble person, goes to Soul Society requesting Ginjo’s body since he wants to bury him in the mortal/human world. Of course it takes the other captains etc by surprise upon hearing his request, but really of course the readers know it’s pretty typical behaviour for Ichigo. A bit later in the chapter we also get to see Riruka’s departure. After sneaking away from Urahara’s store where she was resting, she eventually disappears herself without telling anyone since she knew everybody would remember her anyway, and she silently thanks Ichigo, Orihime, Chad and Ginjo in her thoughts before disappearing.

I don’t want to ruin it for anyone who is yet to read the chapter, but two familiar faces also make an appearance in this chapter and have apparently returned for good, something I quite honestly couldn’t be happier about, especially as one of them is one of my favourite characters.  This chapter did a good job of wrapping up a couple of loose ends and felt like a rather satisfying end to the arc, what kind of impact the returning characters will have remains to be seen, but overall I loved this chapter much like I have the majority of the Fullbring arc.

What does Kubo have in store next? Who knows, but unfortunately Bleach will be going on yet another break, and this time for 3 weeks, so we will sadly have a long wait to find out.

Bleach Chapter 494 - The Closing Chapter Part One - Review / Thoughts

Oh damn, when Kubo said about all the major stuff that was going to happen and how Soul Society was never going to be the same, he really wasn't trolling this time. 1000 deaths in 7 minutes, who says Kubo doesn't kill off any characters?

I was so surprised by what happened in this chapter I kind of went through it in a daze, I knew things were going to get serious now the invasion had started, but damn, never did I think the first named casualty would come so soon.

Of course for those of you who have read the chapter (or have seen the pic above) will know, I am referring to Kira. No way was I expecting someone like him to die, especially so early. I always thought Kira was a decent character, I didn't love him but I certainly didn't hate him, but I am not going to lie, what happened to him here just blew me away.

While reading the chapter (and for a while after) I was just stunned more than anything else, 1000 deaths in Soul Society in only 7 minutes, and one of them being Kira?! Now it's had the chance to set in, I actually feel really sad about what happened to Kira. No kind of epic battle, no backstory, just bam! one hit and he had a whole blown through him before he could even swing his sword in the Quincy's direction.

I have to commend Kubo for having the balls to do it, and he is showing Kishimoto how a war should be written. With Naruto there have been no deaths of any notable characters throughout the whole war arc, and it's been going on for a while now. Come on, a war arc without any deaths? That's just absolutely ridiculous.

Kubo on the other hand has killed off unknown (fodder) characters, and already one named character, and he has had far less time to do so. I am not saying war in Manga should be 100% about characters dying, but if there are no deaths on either side it not only looks stupid but also shows that the author lacks the courage to get rid of a character who has any sort of fanbase.

Tite Kubo has been on fire in this arc, I honestly can't fault him for anything he has chosen to do thus far, whereas with Naruto it seems extremely dragged out with nothing much of note taking place. This is not me just using this post to have a go at Kishimoto, but instead just trying to explain why I feel Bleach is handling things 1000 times better than Naruto is, and why I have a lot of respect for Kubo at this present time.

Bleach is getting darker, more serious, and all round more epic with every passing week. Kubo has shown that he is willing to kill characters off and also how bloody and brutal war can be. I get the feeling Kira will be the first of many casualties for Soul Society, and at this present time I don't know how they are going to have any hope of challenging the Quincy.

But what I can say without a doubt is that this chapter was shocking, but very good at the same time. I can't recommend this arc strongly enough for Bleach fans, and I can see people looking back in years to come and realising just how damn good Tite Kubo was during this arc.

Bleach Chapter 492 - Balancer's Justice - Review / Thoughts

Bleach has been on really good form throughout this arc, and for the most part chapter 492 continues that. However, it's still not perfect, as unfortunately it also got a little bogged down unnecessarily.

I am of course referring to Shino and Yuki, the two new characters who were introduced in this arc. Aside from being pretty dislikeable in the first place, interjecting them in to what was otherwise a strong chapter is hardly going to win them many fans, especially as the role they played was pointless for anyone who has been reading or watching Bleach all these years.

Ayon was (pardon the phrase) a beast. He just went on a huge fecking rampage and pulverised Kirge in to the ground. Seriously, he just really went to work on him, punching and smashing him literally in to the ground. It was so intense that Orihime was visibly shocked and acted like it was so gruesome she couldn't believe her eyes, and even Chad commented on how what Ayon was doing was just overkill.

What's really impressive is the fact Kirge somehow managed to not only survive the incredible beating he took (heck, Apacci comments on how amazing it is that he even remained in one piece), but also stabbed Appaci right through the chest. He then got up and shrugged it off like it was nothing, and that was as impressive as heck. It was always likely he was going to win that particular battle, but damn, if that kind of beating doesn't stop him, I really don't know what will.

The battle between Kirge and Ayon was brilliant, and if the whole chapter had been that, then I would have been commmenting on how good it was. Unfortnately though, as I said earlier, it was bogged down by the unnecessary appearance of Shino and Yuki, whose only purpose in this chapter was to give us a recap of why the Quincy and Shinigami are constantly fighting each other. We saw all of this years ago back when we were finding out more about Ishida, so to throw this crap in amongst an awesome fight was nothing more than a waste of everyone's time.

Overall I will still say it's a good chapter purely based on the Kirge vs Ayon stuff, but there is no denying that the Shino and Yuki part was pointless and awful. My advice is to skip their parts as it will tell you nothing you didn't already know, and if you focus purely on the fight, this is a brilliant chapter.