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Tite Kubo's Bleach Manga Nears Ending

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Samemind

Member
I wanted to get into One Piece, but lost interest around the Vivi arc. Something about the stories just drag for me.
Now to be clear, were you reading the manga or watching the anime? Because the anime is absurdly slower pace than the manga. (tons of filler that occasionally manages to insert plotholes retroactively due to later events in the story)
 

qcf x2

Member
UTpXfCn.jpg

Aww, that's sweet (and sad).

As for Onepiece, it was too kiddy for me and Chopper in particular was an absolute deal breaker. That and the " Omg the next part is sooooo awesome!! Keep watching/reading! You can't stop now!" that I would get from people as I made my way from the beginning of the series to the end of the CP9 arc which was just bizarre to me (and not in a good way).
 

technopath

Neo Member
I got into the series during the Hueco Mundo arc and it always seemed apparent to me that IchiHime would be endgame so I'm not sure how the fandom could have been this blindsided and butthurt by the ending.

Although many people echo the sentiment that the series should have ended with Aizen's defeat, that would have left just as many - if not more - unanswered questions, unresolved plot points, and unseen powers than the ending we already got. I don't regret sticking around since I got to enjoy the Everything But The Rain mini-arc since that was basically TBTP 2.0
 

dabig2

Member
Right. And she grows as a character compared to Orihime. She goes from being a Shy ninja, to standing up for herself, to standing in the way of danger for friends-Kinda emulating Naruto because she looked up to him.

Someone who has actually kept up with Bleach in the last 10 years can probably better contest this, but doesn't this also describe Orihime to a T? From what I remember, Orihime was a shy introvert who was weird as hell and stumbled over her words when talking with Ichigo. She was embarrassingly jealous and insecure. She then became a classic damsel in distress. Now apparently in the last arc she's tag teaming with Ichigo against....god? Or whoever the hell that final villain is. But the point is that it looks like she grew stronger as a character too. She went from being the damsel to literally fighting a god alongside her beau in a 2 on 1 fight. Pretty impressive for the girl from the last time I remember her (which was probably midway Hueco Mundo arc)
 
Someone who has actually kept up with Bleach in the last 10 years can probably better contest this, but doesn't this also describe Orihime to a T? From what I remember, Orihime was a shy introvert who was weird as hell and stumbled over her words when talking with Ichigo. She was embarrassingly jealous and insecure. She then became a classic damsel in distress. Now apparently in the last arc she's tag teaming with Ichigo against....god? Or whoever the hell that final villain is. But the point is that it looks like she grew stronger as a character too. She went from being the damsel to literally fighting a god alongside her beau in a 2 on 1 fight. Pretty impressive for the girl from the last time I remember her (which was probably midway Hueco Mundo arc)
"Fighting" is a strong term. She's as relevant in the fight against Yhwach as Ichigo's Shinihollow form.

She uses her powers like once, Ichigo gets his ass handed to him and Aizen just does what she was supposed to be doing. Kubo probably planned a much more intricate fight with her involved but thats not what he ended up shipping.
 
"Fighting" is a strong term. She's as relevant in the fight against Yhwach as Ichigo's Shinihollow form.

She uses her powers like once, Ichigo gets his ass handed to him and Aizen just does what she was supposed to be doing. Kubo probably planned a much more intricate fight with her involved but thats not what he ended up shipping.

Right.

And I dont think Hinata was ever a damsel? Like Orihime goes into Soul Society, and then she gets captured? Either way after that her role is diminished. Hinata may not be prevalent all the time in Naruto, but every time shes seen as being stronger and strongger until her and Naruto power up together and then use that power to super saiyan their army.

Like...Orihime was supposed to have space/time powers but we barely get to see them after the hueco mundo arc.

Actually holy shit, shes basically Kuwabara. In that what was supposed to be a basic energy sword/energy healing, turns out to be able to slice through a dimension.

Oh my god Bleach is a rip off YuYuHakusho.
 

The Light

Member
Ending would've been better if Kubo continued from yhwach being cut then moving from there. If Kubo was going to do the 10 years later thing it should've been about changing the way things were done in soul society.
 

dabig2

Member
"Fighting" is a strong term. She's as relevant in the fight against Yhwach as Ichigo's Shinihollow form.

She uses her powers like once, Ichigo gets his ass handed to him and Aizen just does what she was supposed to be doing. Kubo probably planned a much more intricate fight with her involved but thats not what he ended up shipping.

Does it matter though? What matters is that she's supposedly strong and capable enough to be trusted to even be within 10 miles of a fight between overpowered character. SS arc Orihime would have melted instantly from presence alone.

Right.

And I dont think Hinata was ever a damsel? Like Orihime goes into Soul Society, and then she gets captured? Either way after that her role is diminished. Hinata may not be prevalent all the time in Naruto, but every time shes seen as being stronger and strongger until her and Naruto power up together and then use that power to super saiyan their army.

Like...Orihime was supposed to have space/time powers but we barely get to see them after the hueco mundo arc.

Actually holy shit, shes basically Kuwabara. In that what was supposed to be a basic energy sword/energy healing, turns out to be able to slice through a dimension.

Oh my god Bleach is a rip off YuYuHakusho.

Hinata was never important enough in the main story to be a damsel. But I do remember her getting destroyed twice (once as a kid and then again as a teen) causing Naruto to react strongly, which is damsel enough.

Lol, Bleach was always a YYH ripoff. That was one of the most consistently said things back in the early days.
 
Hinata being destroyed isnt damsel though when it comes to Naruto. Naruto reacted the same when Sasuke got destroyed by ice needle boy.

Now Sasuke, thats a damsel in distress.
 
Does it matter though? What matters is that she's supposedly strong and capable enough to be trusted to even be within 10 miles of a fight between overpowered character. SS arc Orihime would have melted instantly from presence alone.
It does matter because at the end of the day her being there made no difference whatsoever. She could have been what enabled Ichigo to have a fair fight vs Yhwach by using her time powers to counter his, but did nothing. She was worse than a damsel, she was basically the hero version of that midget that kept shouting DONT LOSE to power up the super hero quincy.
 
She's kind and basically the only character from Naruto's generation that gave two shits about him before he started bodying people. Not much of a fighter but constantly throws herself at harms way to help people she cares about.

Plus she's cute.

I don't know why people keep perpetuating this. Hinata had a crush on Naruto when everyone either disliked him or didn't associate with him, and that's it. She didn't act on those feelings or even interacted with him on any level until he had already surrounded himself with people that cared for him and were willing to prove it (e.g. Sasuke sacrificing himself for Naruto against Haku, or Sakura about to pull out of the written exam in order to preserve his dream).

Hinata ain't shit. She never was, and she wouldn't have been relevant if it she weren't popular for dumb ass reasons like her VA being a pop star in Japan.

Kishimoto thoroughly shat the bed with Sakura, who at the end point was basically a human L, but at least there was consistent and positive development there for her as a character and between her and Naruto, or for so long as Sasuke wasn't mentioned or involved anyway.

Sad thing is, Hinata could have been such a great character. Black sheep of the family looked down upon for her kindness, lack of confidence and unwillingness to hurt her sister in order to advance? Come on, that's got underdog written all over it. She would have been perfect for him if Kishimoto actually did anything with her character. The Last don't count for shit either, that was just a heap of insulting retcons packed into a film.
 

dabig2

Member
It does matter because at the end of the day her being there made no difference whatsoever. She could have been what enabled Ichigo to have a fair fight vs Yhwach by using her time powers to counter his, but did nothing. She was worse than a damsel, she was basically the hero version of that midget that kept shouting DONT LOSE to power up the super hero quincy.

That's Kubo's failing of a writer and the fact that he gave up on the series a few years ago, but from the scans I've seen, he definitely wanted the reader to understand that Orihime being there is her growing up and growing strong herself, complete with flashbacks to past arcs where she was wholly dependent on Ichigo and pathetically weak. Now, Ichigo explicitly trusts her over the other 100+ characters out there to be with him to finish the fight. What actually happened in the final battle (that Kubo was probably forced at gunpoint to write and finish) is inconsequential to the bigger picture he was trying to feed people still reading - that Orihime is now a boss ass bitch compared to yesteryear.
 

Freshmaker

I am Korean.
mm, its hard to describe. like ichigo and orihime's relationship went from "nothing" to "romantic" and ichigo and rukia's relationship could have gone from "friends" to "romantic" and I find that one way more believable

Rukia and Renji's really went like:

They liked each other.

Rukia is randomly made into a noble.

They both backed off due to class differences.

Then Renji got stronk enough to qualify as a noble.

Then they accidentally forgot where their kid ended up.
 
That's Kubo's failing of a writer and the fact that he gave up on the series a few years ago, but from the scans I've seen, he definitely wanted the reader to understand that Orihime being there is her growing up and growing strong herself, complete with flashbacks to past arcs where she was wholly dependent on Ichigo and pathetically weak. Now, Ichigo explicitly trusts her over the other 100+ characters out there to be with him to finish the fight. What actually happened in the final battle (that Kubo was probably forced at gunpoint to write and finish) is inconsequential to the bigger picture he was trying to feed people still reading - that Orihime is now a boss ass bitch compared to yesteryear.

This. The faults lie in the execution, not the story itself.

Hell, even if someone thinks Orihime's role in the final battle amounts to nothing, she still plays a bigger role in it than Rukia does. Ironically enough, all Rukia does is show up in-between the final two rounds just in time to see Ywach give his villain spiel and peace out over to Soul Society and then she stays behind with a wounded Orihime and lets Renji go with Ichigo instead to fight Ywach.
 

Nairume

Banned
Lol, Bleach was always a YYH ripoff. That was one of the most consistently said things back in the early days.
The funny thing is that if you look at Bleach as YYH with more swords, Kubo's previous manga was basically Trigun with more swords.

If Kubo gets another shot at a series, clearly his next work needs to be Outlaw Star with more swords.
 

Freshmaker

I am Korean.
The funny thing is that if you look at Bleach as YYH with more swords, Kubo's previous manga was basically Trigun with more swords.

If Kubo gets another shot at a series, clearly his next work needs to be Outlaw Star with more swords.

I want Gundam with more swords.
 

Rainy

Banned
I started rewatching the Bleach anime today, I dropped it after the Soul Society arc when I was in middle school but thought I would revisit it. The nostalgia is strong. Not sure if I'll actually watch anything after the SS arc this time though.
 

tauroxd

Member
Rukia and Renji's really went like:

They liked each other.

Rukia is randomly made into a noble.

They both backed off due to class differences.

Then Renji got stronk enough to qualify as a noble.

Then they accidentally forgot where their kid ended up.

lol! but really, it goes liek that... I would add the speech Renji gave to Ichigo close to the end, but it really was like that lol.
 

FlowersisBritish

fleurs n'est pas britannique
The funny thing is that if you look at Bleach as YYH with more swords, Kubo's previous manga was basically Trigun with more swords.

If Kubo gets another shot at a series, clearly his next work needs to be Outlaw Star with more swords.

Yah know, I might actually be really really up for that.
 
Aww, that's sweet (and sad).

As for Onepiece, it was too kiddy for me and Chopper in particular was an absolute deal breaker. That and the " Omg the next part is sooooo awesome!! Keep watching/reading! You can't stop now!" that I would get from people as I made my way from the beginning of the series to the end of the CP9 arc which was just bizarre to me (and not in a good way).
Choppers flashback was GOAT though.
And do you mean people telling you to read to the next arc repeatedly regardless of what it was or that you need to read to cp9 "for it to be good"?
 
She's kind and basically the only character from Naruto's generation that gave two shits about him before he started bodying people. Not much of a fighter but constantly throws herself at harms way to help people she cares about.

Plus she's cute.

This is just plain wrong. Naruto was alone throughout his early childhood. The first person to actively help was Iruka. Then it was Team 7. Those were his first bonds and the first people to make him feel like he was not alone.
 
This is just plain wrong. Naruto was alone throughout his early childhood. The first person to actively help was Iruka. Then it was Team 7. Those were his first bonds and the first people to make him feel like he was not alone.
he didn't say she entered his life, just that she gave a shit, which she did(the problem being she was too shy to get near him or whatever)
 
Awww @ Kohei Horikoshi's comment. Shouting BAN KAI at the top of your lungs still feels great.

As far as iconic phrases uttered by Johnny Young Bosch go, I've always preferred shouting "IT'S MORPHING TIME." I always felt like it was more badass to whisper "Bankai" like Byakuya would do, as if it was something to be treated with respect.

But yeah, my personal nerd preferences aside, Horikoshi's comment is really sweet and I totally get where he's coming from.
 

Froli

Member
Haven't read Bleach for years (7-8 years?) and only checked the last chapter.
I think I did good lol

So, what's the potential big 3 now? My vote is on My Hero Academia
 

vareon

Member
As far as iconic phrases uttered by Johnny Young Bosch go, I've always preferred shouting "IT'S MORPHING TIME." I always felt like it was more badass to whisper "Bankai" like Byakuya would do, as if it was something to be treated with respect.

But yeah, my personal nerd preferences aside, Horikoshi's comment is really sweet and I totally get where he's coming from.

This one I do while dropping an umbrella to the ground. Fun.

Haven't read Bleach for years (7-8 years?) and only checked the last chapter.
I think I did good lol

So, what's the potential big 3 now? My vote is on My Hero Academia

I dunno, I don't think something like the Big 3 days will happen again, or at least it's very hard to happen. One Piece, Naruto, and Bleach run alongside their continuous anime which helped their popularity. Even when they run out of material to animate, their anime would be filled with the infamous filler arcs. Very rare to see in today's era of 1 or 2-cours anime (though they usually continue with new seasons later).

Haikyuu! is popular in Japan but I don't know its international popularity. MHA didn't explode the way I wished it to be lol
 
Even more ironic, Kubo clearly had plans for Rukia to take part in the final fight, given Urahara's words before he disappeared into the void of the forgotten.

Possibly, but Kubo has had a habit of hinting at one of the side-characters having a role in things to come and then never actually doing anything about it.

One of the more blatant examples of that was Orihime in the Hueco Mundo Arc with how Kubo had a) Aizen talk about how Orihime's powers literally violated the laws of nature and had the potential to be broken as hell, b) Orihime wanting to figure out a way of getting rid of the Hogyoku, c) Grimmjow strongly implying to Ichigo that Aizen and Co. had done something to Orihime and that she might not really be on his side anymore.

So while it makes sense that Rukia would have had a bigger role in the final battle had Kubo not been rushed, there is enough reason to believe he could have just easily forgotten all about it by the time he actually got to the final battle and still sidelined Rukia.
 
And why is this even commendable? There are people you know who actually gave a shit about Naruto and actually helped him.
She wasn't constantly making his life worse by giving him shit for trying to be a ninja, for once. She was basically one of the what, four people in the entire village that didn't antagonize his very existence.
 

Stat Flow

He gonna cry in the car
Every thread devolves into shipping war discussions.

Anyone without tinted glasses on could see that IchiHime was end game. The fact that ichigo was always oblivious about love, Rukia was always neutral about it, and Orihime was the only one of the three who had her feelings actually portrayed outright...meant that that was happening. It's how shounen and romance work.

Rukia and Ichigo always worked great as a big sister little brother thing. Strong bonds can exist without them being explicitly romantic. It really isn't much more complicated than that.

Also, Naruto's last arc was garbage. Just like Bleach's.
 
Possibly, but Kubo has had a habit of hinting at one of the side-characters having a role in things to come and then never actually doing anything about it.

One of the more blatant examples of that was Orihime in the Hueco Mundo Arc with how Kubo had a) Aizen talk about how Orihime's powers literally violated the laws of nature and had the potential to be broken as hell, b) Orihime wanting to figure out a way of getting rid of the Hogyoku, c) Grimmjow strongly implying to Ichigo that Aizen and Co. had done something to Orihime and that she might not really be on his side anymore.

So while it makes sense that Rukia would have had a bigger role in the final battle had Kubo not been rushed, there is enough reason to believe he could have just easily forgotten all about it by the time he actually got to the final battle and still sidelined Rukia.

Eh, I don't know.

I'd say Aizen was pretty much correct about Orihime and that came to fruition. I can't argue with the Hogyoku thing, that was just left out. The Grimmjow thing, I thought, was more him referring to her being manipulated to join the group of her own free will rather than something literally being done to her.

I give Kubo a lot of crap, but I don't think he would have fucked up that piece of foreshadowing, especially given how he used Urahara as a mouth piece for it.

I'm not even sure if that was true. Rukia could've gone with Ichigo and Renji

I mean, if the build up wasn't there for whatever was planned, I think leaving her out was the right choice. I wouldn't want another Nanao situation with Rukia, despite the fact that it didn't stop Kubo from doing what he did with Nanao.
 

Dr.Hadji

Member
Romance is always such an afterthought in shounen I'm kind surprised people get so worked up over it (but that's mostly because all the pairings I like end up happening in the end). I do think what little Bleach did show, Ichigo's dad and mom getting together story was pretty cute. In general, I think "how the parents go together" stories are an easy win for a writer. Loved Minato and Kushina's story in Naruto as well.

On the subject of parents, was Yusuke's drunken earthly mother is bio-mom that did the deep with his demon father?
 

Arabesque

Member
On the subject of parents, was Yusuke's drunken earthly mother is bio-mom that did the deep with his demon father?

IIRC, Raijin did the deed with a priestess ages ago, she had a kid, died, and then eons pass, Yusuke's mom has him born by accident on the right stars and planets alignments, and the demon blood in him awakens. Yusuke's mom never slept with any demons (that we are aware of), but Yusuke still sees his demon grandpa as his dad.

Much like a lot of things, I think Togashi just made it cause he wanted it to be.
 
Raizen is not literally Yusuke's father, but his ancestor through Yusuke's mostly-human father, who from all indication, did not realize he had demon blood. Yusuke's mother and father had a bad relationship and split up, leaving Yusuke with his mother.

In the manga, there were a few chapters after the Demon World Tournament that weren't adapted into the anime (rightly so, because they weren't good), but they had a few nice moments. One being Kuwabara actually taking part in a mission with the team and being useful (the mission was lame and rushed, but still), and another being a short appearance by Yusuke's father. We don't learn much about him, but we get a better view of his relationship with Yusuke and his mother. He and Yusuke's mother see Yusuke from a distance. Yusuke's mother tells him not to talk to him, otherwise Yusuke would get angry and try to punch him. Yusuke's father makes a reference to hitting him as a child, and I'm not sure if that was meant to show abuse or it's a cultural thing. Yusuke's mother says they should go out before she remembers why they split up in a few hours, like usual, and they walk together with her smiling.
 

Geg

Member
I dunno, I don't think something like the Big 3 days will happen again, or at least it's very hard to happen. One Piece, Naruto, and Bleach run alongside their continuous anime which helped their popularity. Even when they run out of material to animate, their anime would be filled with the infamous filler arcs. Very rare to see in today's era of 1 or 2-cours anime (though they usually continue with new seasons later).

Haikyuu! is popular in Japan but I don't know its international popularity. MHA didn't explode the way I wished it to be lol

I remember for a while back when Bleach's popularity was waning and Naruto was still running Jump was pushing Toriko pretty hard to replace Bleach as its 3rd biggest series but it never really got that popular
 
I remember for a while back when Bleach's popularity was waning and Naruto was still running Jump was pushing Toriko pretty hard to replace Bleach as its 3rd biggest series but it never really got that popular

Jump wasn't trying to push Toriko to replace Bleach in particular, since Bleach wasn't considered on the same level as Naruto and One Piece in Japan, and I'm pretty sure Bleach was still fairly popular when Toriko was being pushed.

Still, they did push it very hard to be the next One Piece, even having the first TV anime episode be a crossover with it. But the anime adaptation just wasn't that good, particularly with censoring; the premise was a tough sell in the US at least, since while hunting is still widely done, it isn't generally celebrated by the same people who would watch anime; the cast and world couldn't catch on the way those of other series did; and any number of smaller issues prevented it from catching on.
 

Arabesque

Member
Raizen is not literally Yusuke's father, but his ancestor through Yusuke's mostly-human father, who from all indication, did not realize he had demon blood. Yusuke's mother and father had a bad relationship and split up, leaving Yusuke with his mother.

You can tell it's been a while when I referred to him as Raijin lol my memories of late YYH had been so foggy.

Jump wasn't trying to push Toriko to replace Bleach in particular, since Bleach wasn't considered on the same level as Naruto and One Piece in Japan, and I'm pretty sure Bleach was still fairly popular when Toriko was being pushed.

Still, they did push it very hard to be the next One Piece, even having the first TV anime episode be a crossover with it. But the anime adaptation just wasn't that good, particularly with censoring; the premise was a tough sell in the US at least, since while hunting is still widely done, it isn't generally celebrated by the same people who would watch anime; the cast and world couldn't catch on the way those of other series did; and any number of smaller issues prevented it from catching on.

I honestly think the reason why the anime didn't end being good was because they tried to sell it as the next One Piece.

I mean, I get why they want another One Piece, but Toriko wasn't that. And it probably would have fared much better if they weren't trying to fit it in that box.

The appeal being lacking in international markets is good point.
 
She wasn't constantly making his life worse by giving him shit for trying to be a ninja, for once. She was basically one of the what, four people in the entire village that didn't antagonize his very existence.

What? A lot of people were not giving Naruto shit/actively antagonizing his existence and more importantly are the few that Naruto himself felt were helping him, while Hinata did nothing.
 

Sub_Level

wants to fuck an Asian grill.
The more I think about it, the more I am weirded out by the fact that a story about the afterlife never touched upon Hell in any meaningful way.

I would imagine that's one of the more basic things you would write about, and it was even mentioned in the first arc.
 

magenta

Member
For all its faults I still like Bleach and will probably continue to buy each chapter till I have the complete set. Hopefully Kubo can rest up for his next project, I love his character art.
 

foxuzamaki

Doesn't read OPs, especially not his own
This one I do while dropping an umbrella to the ground. Fun.



I dunno, I don't think something like the Big 3 days will happen again, or at least it's very hard to happen. One Piece, Naruto, and Bleach run alongside their continuous anime which helped their popularity. Even when they run out of material to animate, their anime would be filled with the infamous filler arcs. Very rare to see in today's era of 1 or 2-cours anime (though they usually continue with new seasons later).

Haikyuu! is popular in Japan but I don't know its international popularity. MHA didn't explode the way I wished it to be lol
Just gotta wait for the obligatory shonen timeskip for MHA, then it'll really take off


I fucking love timeskips
 

foxuzamaki

Doesn't read OPs, especially not his own
The more I think about it, the more I am weirded out by the fact that a story about the afterlife never touched upon Hell in any meaningful way.

I would imagine that's one of the more basic things you would write about, and it was even mentioned in the first arc.

I mean, heuco mundo is basically hell, so there's that.

Also there was a bleach movie about literal christian hell(but the creators forgot and just made it japanese based somewhat) which was intentionally creepy and bloody with even some holy shit moments along with being a visual treat

Movie wasent good but fun to see just once, it even gave ichigo a BS powerup he will never use again
 

Sixfortyfive

He who pursues two rabbits gets two rabbits.
I mean, heuco mundo is basically hell, so there's that.

Also there was a bleach movie about literal christian hell(but the creators forgot and just made it japanese based somewhat) which was intentionally creepy and bloody with even some holy shit moments along with being a visual treat

Movie wasent good but fun to see just once, it even gave ichigo a BS powerup he will never use again

Hell was part of the main canon too, dating back to the Shrieker hollow episode.

I'm not sure if it was ever mentioned again.
 
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