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Woah! BLEACH came out of the gate swinging with the introduction to its final arc, Thousand-Year Blood War. Let me say it did not disappoint, even after ten years since the show aired.
Buckle up Nerds because we’re about to dive into Episode one of the Thousand-Year Blood War Arc to prepare ourselves for what’s to come, as this could be one of the anime community’s heaviest hitters this season.
BLEACH Thousand-Year Blood War Episode 1 Breakdown
We can all agree that even before we got a glimpse of Ichigo and the Gang, the groundwork was set with that ominous voice describing the Quincy King’s rise back to power.
“The confined Quincy King regains his pulse after 900 years. His mind after 90 years. His strength after 9 years.”
Then a mysterious hand comes in, grabbing the Quincy symbol, and we see a shot of an amused smile, similar to what we’ve seen from Souske Aizen before. We get a glimpse of the Soul Society, an emergency protocol for Earth, and then BOOM! Hollows everywhere on two soul reapers, Rynouske and Shino. When all hope seems lost for them, here comes Ichigo and the Gang doing what they do best. Amazing right?
Now getting past the nostalgia of hearing our favorite strawberry yell “Getsuga-tenshou!”, the updated opening theme, and just good old monster fights in general that BLEACH is known for, we will notice a few details foreshadowing what’s to come in the final season of one of Anime’s most beloved series.
A Mysterious New Character Joins The Battle
First, we constantly get tossed back and forth between Ichigo and friends in the human realm and the Soul Society. For the Soul Society, hollow mass extermination is happening worldwide, and entire villages are also missing. The question is, who’s causing it? Two lieutenants find footprints that lead down two paths. Another force taking them or the village’s own people are kidnapping each other.
Second, we are introduced to a new mysterious character, Ebern, who, at first glance, everyone, including us, believes to be an Arrancar. However, upon further discovery, we learn he is a Quincy, and boy does he look like he is a threat, especially when Ichigo unleashes his Banki.
This brings me to the third thing that set’s the stage for what’s to come. Throughout the whole back and forth between Ichigo and Ebern, we’re also reintroduced to the head captain of the 1st division, Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto, who is faced by this season’s antagonists known as the Wandenreich, who suddenly appears in his office.
The Thousand-Year Blood War Begins
Wandenreich quickly establishes itself as a powerful group to look out for by spearing one of Yamamoto’s Lieutenants through a window. Not only that, but without hesitation, they declare that they will declare war on the entirety of the Soul Society — a war that will begin in seven days. If that’s not enough, we also learn that this group has a unique ability or device that allows them to take away a soul reaper’s Bankai.
Of course, in typical protagonist fashion, this device doesn’t work on Ichigo in his fight with Ebern, but this will come back into play in future episodes.
Finally, in the end, we’re shown an interesting set of Quincy’s along with Ebern. Then the most intimidating shot of our series’ final antagonist, the infamous Quincy King, who sits high on his throne. The last thing he says is that he hates senseless violence, which begs, why start it?
BLEACH Thousand-Year Blood War Episode 1 Review
This first episode wowed me. Not only was it visually stunning, but episode 1 came out swinging with conflict, drama, and many cameos. I liked that nothing was changed in art style, animation, or even how they introduced characters. They’re not only sticking to the manga’s story but also finding a way to honor what we loved about the original series we fell in love with.
Anyways, nerds, you’ve heard me rant and rave about this long enough, but I want to leave you with these questions because I will always be around to talk about Anime, especially BLEACH. What do you all think about BLEACH’s return to the anime scene? Have any ideas on what is to come based on the little tidbits we got from the first episode? I know I cannot wait for the second one to come out next week to see Uriu’s reaction to a Quincy attack. So, till next time Nerds!
Bleach is streaming now on Hulu in the US and Disney + internationally.
