• Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.

The definitive Bleach Anime/Manga Thread!

Status
Not open for further replies.
bleach_logo.jpg


Index
1.What is Bleach?
2. Hollows and Spirits
3. Death central to the story
4. How does it all come together?
5. Sides
6.How does Death work?
7.Quincy
8.Current Episode
9.Current Chapter

1.What is it?: Bleach is a manga published in weekly Shonen Jump! by Tite Kubo

The story is set in modern day japan and revolves around the life of Kurosaki Ichigo who lost his mom at a young age under mysterious circumstances. Riddled with guilt he's still managed to make friends with even some of the most unlikely people. One day he encounters a mysterious girl who calls herself a "Shinigami" and from that day on his life is changed forever. The main idea behind the story is that when one dies they are not sent to heaven or hell directly but rather go to another plane called "Soul Society" where they become spirits and live lives similar to ours. Some join the ranks of Shinigami who are charged with the duty of protecting living humans from hollows. A human spirit that was corrupted when it was not sent to the afterlife. (The Death and the Strawberry)
______________________________________________________


2.Hollows? Spirits? Shinigami?
: Spirit--->Shinigami(Sent to the afterlife)
spirit--->Hollow(A spirit that was not sent off)
______________________________________________________

3.Death: Death plays an important role in the story. Since to become a shinigami or a hollow in the first place one must have died. This can also be accomplished by removing what is known as "The chain of fate" which connects to the core of a persons soul. The main character awakened his Shinigami side by this means thanks to the help of Urahara Kisuke.
_______________________________________________________

4.How does it all work?: Humans cannot see or interact with spiritual beings be it Shinigami or hollows unless they have a significant amount of spiritual energy. Ichigo has always been able to see spirits since he was little. Along with this spirtual awareness comes the nasty side affect of hollows being able to pick up on ones "Reiatsu" or spiritual signature. If consumed by a hollow one in turn becomes one.
________________________________________________________

5.So it's just shinigami vs hollow?: Not quite. In part two of the story it has been discovered that hollows who remove their masks can gain the ability of a shinigami since they were a human spirit in the beginning and likewise Shinigami can gain hollow powers since everyone has a Shinigami/Hollow side to their souls.
________________________________________________________

6.What happens when someone dies then?: If a hollow dies it will turn back to its human form and that person will be automatically sent to Soul Society with a cleansed spirit. Likewise if a "Arrancar" a hollow made from many that has removed its mask dies it will split and each individuals souls will be cleansed. When a Shinigami dies however they are reincarnated and sent back to Earth to love through another life and try to stay on a good path. This is taken almost straight from Buddhism as one tries to break the continuous cycle to reach true heaven.

7.Quincy:A special group of humans known as Quincy who utilize bows are born with the ability to see spirits. Most were hunted down and killed by Soul Society however since when they defeat a hollow it simply fades from existence and the soul cannot be cleansed. Ichigo befriends one of the last quincy "Ishida" and they become quick friends.

8.Wait! Wait! How do Shinigami fight?: Shinigami fight by utilizing the power of "Soul cutters" otherwise known as "Zanpkatou". The weapons are the actual will of the persons soul manifested and as such things such as guns, knives etc cannot harm a Shinigami if they can be seen at all. There are two stages to a Zanpaktou:
1) Shikai: This is the intial stage and the weapon almost always looks like a katana. Some have different shapes though and length sometimes even no hilt. It is the msot basic form of a Zanpkatou and requires that the Shinigami learn the name of the Zanpaktou as they all have their own individual personality. This takes a long time to achieve and most Shinigami never even reach this stage.

2) Bankai: This is the most powerful form of a Zanpaktou and a Shinigami apart from "Hybridization" which is a union of the hollow and Shinigami side of a persons soul. Hybrtidization is a forbidden act as most of the time the hollow side takes over and becomes violent.

Bankai requires extensive training and commitment to ones Zanpaktou. It can take up to and over 100 years to even begin to achieve it. As such it is usually a requirement that is someone wishes to become a Captain; one who is in charge of a divison of Shinigami that they require this skill as a homage to their skill.
---------------------------------------------
8.Current episode: Bleach 126
Current Manga chapter:Bleach 265


9.Releases
: Bleach manga usually comes out on Thursday/Friday and the Anime is every Wednesday and is released by dattebayo quickly usually an hour after the RAW comes out(Google it)


Hollow2.jpg

After all, there's nothing but fear reflected in your sword.
When you dodge, "I'm afraid of getting cut".
When you attack, "I'm afraid of cutting someone".
Even when you try to protect someone; "I'm afraid of letting them die".

Yes, your sword only speaks to me of absurd fear.
That's not it.
What's neccesary in a fight isn't fear.
Nothing can be born from that.

If you dodge, "I won't let them cut me".
If you protect someone, "I won't let them die".
If you attack, "I'll cut them".

Well can't you see...
... the resolve to cut you reflected in my sword?

-Urahara Kisuke

Some memorable quotes:


a) "I can't protect you without holding a sword.
I can't embrace you while holding a sword."

b) "Yes, there is no Fate for us
Only those who are swallowed by
Ignorance and fear and miss a step
Fall into the rapid river called Fate"

c) "If it rusts, it can never be trusted
If its owner fails to control it, it will cut him
Yes, pride is
Like a blade"

d) "We are all
dead since we are born
The end is
there before anything starts
If to live is
to continue learning
The end is when we learn the very last thing
To finally discover the end
and learning about it completely
is what death is
We are not allowed to learn about something
Those who cannot transcend death,
shouldn't learn of anything"

e)If you were stronger than me, then running would be useless; you would have caught up for sure, but if you are weaker than me, i just have do beat you and move on
 
Hero said:
We have a Bleach thread already.

Someone let me know when one of the good guys actually dies.
This is the dfinitive version though. More info and easier for people to get into the series.

And er
Orihime is basically dead now.
That's one thing that is kind of missing in the story right now. But with the winter war you'll see them drop like flies.

Kabuki Waq said:
The Bounto arc was so crap i just had to quit. But i heard it gets better after that arc.
Yeah. Bountou was filler though ;)
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top Bottom