Warning: Spoilers for Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War
Summary
The anime adaptation ofBleach: Thousand-Year Blood Warhas already stunned fans in its first two cours, and the third cour is now well on its way, with a release date set for October 2024. Many fans would agree that the anime adaptation has improved the story ofThousand-Year Blood War, even if it has had to cut a few things down to do it.
While the first two cours may have benefited from cutting some material, the back half of the anime is likely going to have the opposite problem: the story needs to be expanded, not condensed. TheThousand-Year Blood Waranime has already proven that it’s not afraid to add new scenes which weren’t present in the source material, and it’s no secret that series creator Tite Kubo has worked closely with the anime team to help craft these new scenes and ensure that they fit in with the existing story seamlessly. But of all the scenes in the second half of the story arc, there’s one which I feel needs help above all others, andthat scene is the final battle.
Bleach’s Final Battle with Yhwach is Wildly Disappointing
How Ywhach is Defeated in the Manga
Ichigo’s final fight with Yhwach begins in chapter 678 and ends in chapter 684, running for a mere 6 chapters. Ichigo, who has received an upgraded Bankai, proceeds to confront Yhwach as one of the last people who can stand in his way. Yhwach has everything he needs to win the day at this point, so it’s all up to Ichigo to put an end to his schemes. Ichigo activates his Bankai and prepares to attack, when suddenly the sword just breaks out of nowhere. Yhwach tells Ichigo that he recognized the threat the blade posed, and thus “broke it in the future,” which somehow had the effect of breaking it in the present as well.
That’s whenYhwach reveals the true nature of his Schrift, The Almighty: it allows him to not only see the future, but to alter it to fit his whims. Ichigo despairs, realizing that even Orihime’s power won’t be enough to counteract such an ability. Rukia and Renji arrive right as Yhwach heads through a portal, daring Ichigo to follow him. Renji tries to talk some sense into Ichigo when he’s suddenly stabbed by a blade. It turns out to be the Fullbringer ability of Tsukishima, who uses his power to rewrite time such that Ichigo’s Bankai never broke. With his sword restored, Ichigo goes after Yhwach.
That’s when Ichigo’s father and Uryu’s father conveniently show up with an arrowhead made out of Still Silver, a substance formed in the hearts of Quincies killed by Yhwach’s Auswhalen, which somehow acts as his secret weakness. Uryu takes the arrow and chases after Ichigo and Yhwach. Yhwach arrives in the Soul Society andencounters Aizen, who stands against him. Ichigo emerges from the portal and launches an attack, only for Yhwach to destroy his Bankai again in the exact same way. Yhwach stabs who he thinks is Ichigo, but turns out to be Aizen. Ichigo uses the opportunity to cut Yhwach in half… but he heals from that, too.
As Yhwach reforms, he’s suddenly pierced by Uryu’s special arrow, halting his powers for a brief moment. Ichigo strikes again, successfully killing him this time, and the next chapter skips straight to the epilogue.
The Thousand-Year Blood War Anime Must Change the Final Battle
Yhwach’s Defeat Must Be More Narratively Satisfying
There are many problems with this final battle scene which the anime adaptation could rectify. Firstly, while it’s intended to be shocking, seeing Ichigo’s Bankai broken before he even gets to put his new power to use is quite disappointing.Secondly, Yhwach’s ability… just doesn’t make a lot of sense. Why would breaking Ichigo’s sword in the future have any effect on it in the present? If that’s the case, why couldn’t Yhwach simply kill anyone who opposes him in the future and have it affect them in the present? It gives the battle the feeling of a playground duel between children: “I’ll use my Bankai against you!” “Nuh uh, I broke your Bankai in the future, so you’re able to’t use it!”
Next is the Still Silver Arrowhead. This particular item wasn’t really foreshadowed in any meaningful way; the two father characters simply show up with it in hand, and somehow know that it will do exactly what they need it to do. The arrowhead itself is fine, and is a good way to incorporate Uryu in the finale, but it needed to be set up better earlier in the story, something the anime could do with relative ease. There’s also the fact that, for a final battle, it really doesn’t involve all that much fighting. Every time the action is about to begin, Yhwach cancels it out, which kills any excitement that might be brewing.
The easy solution to many of these problems would be to have Ichigo and Yhwach actually fight when Ichigo first shows up, instead of breaking his Bankai immediately. This could be played off as Yhwach simply toying with Ichigo, but it would still give fans a chance to see just whatIchigo’s new Bankaiis actually capable of, something that is never seen in the ending as-is. It also feels utterly pointless fixing his Bankai with Tsukishima’s ability if Yhwach is just going to break it again instantly. Removing Tsukishima is probably not an option, so the solution might be just to not break his weapon a second time. After all, breaking it didn’t stop Ichigo from killing him with it.
I’m not going to pretend to have all the answers for how to fix the final battle ofThousand-Year Blood War; that’s something that only Tite Kubo and the writers at Studio Pierrot can do. They’re surely familiar with the complaints about this final battle and will make the changes necessary to create a more satisfying ending. TheBleach: Thousand-Year Blood Waranime team must take the time they need to expand on the arc’s weaker elements if they’re to deliver on the already stellar reputation that the adaptation has developed.
Bleach: Thousand Year Blood War
Cast
Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War is a sequel series to the popular anime from creator Tite Kubo. This anime follows Ichigo and his friends as they investigate why people are disappearing while trouble arises in the Soul Society. The first season was released in 2022 and has been critically acclaimed since its beginning.
