The Mysteries of His Majesty
As the chapter begins with those lights around Yhwach's arms again, we hear Nimaiya thinking about what Yhwach might do, pointing out that they have little info about Yhwach's power outside of the battle with Genryuusai he had 1000 years ago, and in the current war with his copy (Royd), and he concludes that the first thing to do is cut off one of Yhwach's arms as a light envelops the area.
Now this was very interesting to see. Even the Royal Guard, for all of the knowledge they possess of the Soul Society, know next to nothing about Yhwach. They do not seem to know about the nature of his powers, so even Nimaiya - the guy who just bull-dozed through the Elite Guard of Stern Ritter - has to ponder what to do against Yhwach first.
It is clear that the Quincy were secretive in regards to all levels of their society. The fact that Isshin knew about the Auswahlen means that he must have needed to hear it from Ryuuken, most likely after what happened on June 17th.
If the Royal Guard do not know what Yhwach is about to do, then it doesn't bode well at all.
Desecration of the Undead
But before that happens, we cut down to a most disturbing scene indeed: Giselle is feeding off of the undead Bambietta, because it seems she...I mean he...Never mind, I don't care anymore...needs to take back her blood in order to heal her wounds this time around. This is topped off by more disturbing treatment of Bambietta, as Giselle beats her down for worrying about dying (again), and just as quickly goes about how "how much cuter" she is when she is dead, a scene interrupted by Liltotto. We also get a glimpse of Giselle's Vollstandig wings - wings shaped like bone.
Liltotto confirms that Pepe was indeed eaten (and he tasted disgusting), that Candice was taken down by Byakuya (no full confirmation of her death), and that she "dealt with" Meninas, who she thinks shouldn't be dead, and comments on how things will be a little rougher for them with the other guys gone (including Pepe).
But to be blunt, the entire exchange still reminds me of why I don't like the group. I mean, Giselle's feeding off of the zombified Bambietta's blood, and Liltotto doesn't even flinch at the sight, not to mention her callous dismissal of her cannibalism of Pepe, regardless of how much of a bastard he himself was.
Gunpoint of Despair
At this point, we see the gun of and FINALLY get the name and letter of a certain Quincy people were waiting a long time to see:
Stern Ritter "N" Robert Accutrone
However, like two other Schrift - "K" and "U" - we still do not know what the Schrift stands for at the current point in time.
As for the reason why he has Liltotto at gunpoint, he then asks Liltotto if she is aware that Yhwach has gone up to the Royal Realm. As Liltotto asks Robert to explain himself, he then mentions that the Stern Ritter down below were not taken up to the Royal Realm with him, with Liltotto simply assuming that it means they should just keep fighting until Yhwach returns.
Then Robert snaps and points out why the he has fallen past the point of despair: the Stern Ritter left behind by Yhwach were deemed useless by him. As Liltotto asks what Robert means, he refers to Liltotto and Giselle (presumably others as well who are younger than him) as newcomers who have no understanding of what terrors Yhwach is capable of.
This is a marked departure from the calm, collected supporter of Yhwach we saw in the first invasion. However, his explicit mention of "terror" most likely means that his loyalty to Yhwach is not out of blind devotion, but soul-gripping fear of him - the same thing that As Nodt claimed was the only thing he feared.
As for his comment on Giselle and Liltotto being newcomers, it leads me to think that Robert was one of the Quincy who lived in the Vandenreich itself, rather than being recruited from the Living World Echt Quincy.
Then we get to the main cause for his despair.
Hell Has Come
He states that the Stern Ritter exist for His Majesty, and delivers this wham line that confirms what a number of people were speculating about at the end of last week's chapter: "Stern Ritter who are deemed unnecessary are cut down by the Auswahlen!"
Just as he finishes saying this, the light from the Auswahlen comes crashing down upon him, and seemingly reduces him down to a skeleton. While this could be what actually happened to him, a part of me suspects it is for dramatic effect, just as how being struck by lighting shows the skeleton underneath the skin for a brief moment.
As Liltotto witnesses this, she pushes herself and Giselle out of the way of more Auswahlen lights, even though that her powers are still being stolen regardless. Liltotto is completely caught off guard by this display. As the scene cuts away to show NaNaNa, Bazz-B, and at least two other (unseen) Stern Ritter struck by the Auswahlen, Liltotto pleadingly asks what were the Stern Ritter to him.
While I did state my distaste for the FemRitters earlier, this scene did earn me sympathy for Liltotto. At the end of the day, she is still just a child, and her devastated response to what is happening shows that she was loyal to Yhwach and his cause. The Stern Ritter looked upon Yhwach like he was their God, and he rewarded their loyalty by striking them down when he deemed them useless for upcoming battles. Truly, this would be Hell for the Stern Ritter. The only question remaining now is whether or not those struck by the Auswahlen will only have their powers stolen, or their lives ripped out of them completely.
More importantly, now we know the full scope of what Askin's words meant. In at least some translations, Askin comments on whether or not he'll be "lucky" enough to be chosen or not. In chapter 599, we learnt he meant whether or not he'd be chosen to accompany Yhwach as part of the Elite Guard, but now we know why he asked if he'd be "lucky" - not being chosen meant getting targeted by Auswahlen.
I'll digress from the chapter for a moment to make a comment about the "upcoming battles". Although the invasion of the Royal Realm would seem like the final battle in this war, Robert's words seem to imply that there are more battles to come in the future. It makes one wonder: after the Royal Realm, what was supposed to be next?
As the Auswahlen is in full effect, we cut back to the Royal Realm. As Yhwach talks about how he and the Elite Guard are "Comrades", we see Gerard and Lille rise up from the ground behind him with what appears to be the beginnings of their Vollstandig, Askin rising up from the ground once more, and Nimaiya looks on with an expression that reflects the chapter title perfectly as Yhwach states simply: "Squad Zero...Shall we?"
Well, we were expecting a "Miracle" for the past two weeks to revive the Elite Guard members, and we got one - it just wasn't from Gerard. We probably should have been careful what we wished for.
I had suspected that Yhwach would use Auswahlen in this chapter in last week's discussion, but I was thinking along the lines of him using it on the Shinigami who were infected with his soul fragments, not the Stern Ritter themselves. I guess I was mistaken, and it is entirely possible that the Auswahlen can only target the Quincy, but I still have a nagging feeling about all of this, especially since Kubo made certain to point out that the Shinigami were also infected with pieces of Yhwach's soul.
Wednesday 29 October 2014
Tuesday 28 October 2014
Bleach Chapter 602 Review
The Median of Death
The first page of the chapter is dedicated to explaining what a "lethal dose" is - the amount of a substance that the body can intake or can exist in the body before it becomes lethal to the target. Once that limit is exceed, you will die as a result. It also explains that there is a "Median" for the "lethal dose", which is the amount required on average to kill 50% of a tested group of people, followed by a number of examples, which includes the puffer fish's poison, nicotine and even Vitamin C.
At this point in time, this seems to be the second ability in Bleach that is directly related to a scientific concept (the other being Rukia's Sode no Shirayuki), so it is interesting to see Kubo bring science into the equation regarding powers in Bleach once more.
Dealer of Death, Drinker of the Lethal Dose
With the explanation given, we cut back to Askin who explains the detail of just what "The Death Dealing" (written in the RAW as "Lethal Dose") is and how it works. Based on what Askin is saying, the power automatically calculates the 100% "lethal dose" whenever a substance is "absorbed" (going off Mangastream), and he can freely manipulate that amount as he sees fit.
Initially, Nimaiya does not quite understand what Askin is talking about, but Askin states that it doesn't matter because Nimaiya is about to die anyway, and we see Nimaiya fall to his knees as Askin licks his own blood. He then proceeds to narrate how he lowered the "lethal dose level" for the amount of blood Nimaiya's body can safely hold before it becomes fatal. He goes on to cryptically state that the same goes for him as he proceeds to drink a mouthful of blood from his hands.
Looking at how this scene played out - Nimaiya collapsing further the more blood Askin drank - I do believe we are seeing the mechanism by which "The Death Dealing" works. In order for Askin to manipulate the "lethal dose level" of a specific substance in an opponent, he first needs to ingest that substance and introduce it into his own system. In this case, he ingests the blood spilling from the wounds Nimaiya inflicted on him to target the "lethal dose levels" of the blood in Nimaiya's body.
I do not know how it would work with other substances, but that seems to be how Askin tried to take out Nimaiya in this chapter.
Die of Too Much, Die of Too Little
As Askin finishes explaining how he thinks Nimaiya underestimated Askin because of the personality he gives off, Nimaiya thanks Askin for explaining his power, cuts his own neck and proceeds to try to attack Askin again. Nimaiya explains what he understood from Askin's description of "The Death Dealing", and decided to cut his own neck to reduce the amount of blood in his body down to levels that would not be lethal.
However, Askin points out it is not that simple. After a short banter about the approximate ratio of blood in the body per kg for someone of Nimaiya's weight - and the point where someone dies if they lose too much blood - Askin comments that he reduced the "lethal dose" of the amount of blood Nimaiya can safely lose to 1.6 Litres.
This really shows how dangerous Askin's power actually is. Even if you were to try to bleed yourself out to reduce the amount of blood in your body down to a point below the "lethal dose" threshold set out by Askin's "The Death Dealing", he also manipulates the opposite end of the spectrum - how much blood you can lose before you die.
In any other situation, Askin would have legitimately had Nimaiya on the ropes.
Hot Spring Demon and the God of Swords
Unfortunately for Askin, Nimaiya calls for Tenjiro to provide aid. As revealed, while the water Kirinji used initially was the White Bone Hell water, Kirinji is using the Blood Pond Hell water to replenish and replace the blood Nimaiya lost.
A possible reason why this would nullify Askin's ability is because the Blood Pond Hell water is now mixed in with Nimaiya's own blood. The target substance of Askin's ability did not possess that kind of composition, so "The Death Dealing" would no longer have a hold on Nimaiya's body as a result.
Looking at how the battle in the Royal Realm is turning out so far, it is nice to see how the Royal Guard members are combining their unique abilities to aid each other and to fight against Yhwach and Co. You really get the idea that the Royal Guard are a group that works together to combat threats. This is in stark contrast to the Gotei 13, who are generally independent of one another.
In this situation, Nimaiya would have been finished if he did not have Kirinji backing him up.
Death Comes to the Death Dealer...?
Now we reach the point that has gotten people up in arms - Nimaiya seemingly kills Askin. After Nimaiya strikes, Askin thinks back to when he thought that Nimaiya had underestimated him, and calmly realizes that he was the one who underestimated Nimaiya.
It is rare for a villainous character to calmly accept their defeat in such a manner in any media, and it can be a powerful moment when it does occur. In the case of the Stern Ritter, Gremmy and Askin are two notable aversions of villains completely breaking down as they die, as the two of them calmly realized why they were defeated and accepted their deaths. They neither begged for mercy, nor went down screaming, not comprehending that they have lost; they simply accepted death as it came.
In this case, however, the question is whether or not Askin is dead this time. After all, Nimaiya did not kill him successfully in the last chapter, even though it looked like he cut his throat open. It is likely that Askin's power can keep him alive through the same method it uses to kill - it increases the "lethal dose level" of Askin's body, meaning he can lose more blood than the average person before it becomes lethal, or something along those lines. As he stated last chapter, Yhwach took him in because "he just wouldn't die", and that what Nimaiya did to him was nowhere near enough to kill him. As a result, it is entirely possible that the blow Nimaiya hit him with this time is still enough.
Either way, Nimaiya is confident that he can now take on Yhwach without interruption, who seems to be preparing for battle himself.
-------------------------------
As to whether or not Askin is dead, I suppose we will have to wait for the upcoming chapter to see what the end result is. Given that one of the Quincy among the Elite Guard is "The Miracle", we might get a come back of the entire Elite Guard.
The first page of the chapter is dedicated to explaining what a "lethal dose" is - the amount of a substance that the body can intake or can exist in the body before it becomes lethal to the target. Once that limit is exceed, you will die as a result. It also explains that there is a "Median" for the "lethal dose", which is the amount required on average to kill 50% of a tested group of people, followed by a number of examples, which includes the puffer fish's poison, nicotine and even Vitamin C.
At this point in time, this seems to be the second ability in Bleach that is directly related to a scientific concept (the other being Rukia's Sode no Shirayuki), so it is interesting to see Kubo bring science into the equation regarding powers in Bleach once more.
Dealer of Death, Drinker of the Lethal Dose
With the explanation given, we cut back to Askin who explains the detail of just what "The Death Dealing" (written in the RAW as "Lethal Dose") is and how it works. Based on what Askin is saying, the power automatically calculates the 100% "lethal dose" whenever a substance is "absorbed" (going off Mangastream), and he can freely manipulate that amount as he sees fit.
Initially, Nimaiya does not quite understand what Askin is talking about, but Askin states that it doesn't matter because Nimaiya is about to die anyway, and we see Nimaiya fall to his knees as Askin licks his own blood. He then proceeds to narrate how he lowered the "lethal dose level" for the amount of blood Nimaiya's body can safely hold before it becomes fatal. He goes on to cryptically state that the same goes for him as he proceeds to drink a mouthful of blood from his hands.
Looking at how this scene played out - Nimaiya collapsing further the more blood Askin drank - I do believe we are seeing the mechanism by which "The Death Dealing" works. In order for Askin to manipulate the "lethal dose level" of a specific substance in an opponent, he first needs to ingest that substance and introduce it into his own system. In this case, he ingests the blood spilling from the wounds Nimaiya inflicted on him to target the "lethal dose levels" of the blood in Nimaiya's body.
I do not know how it would work with other substances, but that seems to be how Askin tried to take out Nimaiya in this chapter.
Die of Too Much, Die of Too Little
As Askin finishes explaining how he thinks Nimaiya underestimated Askin because of the personality he gives off, Nimaiya thanks Askin for explaining his power, cuts his own neck and proceeds to try to attack Askin again. Nimaiya explains what he understood from Askin's description of "The Death Dealing", and decided to cut his own neck to reduce the amount of blood in his body down to levels that would not be lethal.
However, Askin points out it is not that simple. After a short banter about the approximate ratio of blood in the body per kg for someone of Nimaiya's weight - and the point where someone dies if they lose too much blood - Askin comments that he reduced the "lethal dose" of the amount of blood Nimaiya can safely lose to 1.6 Litres.
This really shows how dangerous Askin's power actually is. Even if you were to try to bleed yourself out to reduce the amount of blood in your body down to a point below the "lethal dose" threshold set out by Askin's "The Death Dealing", he also manipulates the opposite end of the spectrum - how much blood you can lose before you die.
In any other situation, Askin would have legitimately had Nimaiya on the ropes.
Hot Spring Demon and the God of Swords
Unfortunately for Askin, Nimaiya calls for Tenjiro to provide aid. As revealed, while the water Kirinji used initially was the White Bone Hell water, Kirinji is using the Blood Pond Hell water to replenish and replace the blood Nimaiya lost.
A possible reason why this would nullify Askin's ability is because the Blood Pond Hell water is now mixed in with Nimaiya's own blood. The target substance of Askin's ability did not possess that kind of composition, so "The Death Dealing" would no longer have a hold on Nimaiya's body as a result.
Looking at how the battle in the Royal Realm is turning out so far, it is nice to see how the Royal Guard members are combining their unique abilities to aid each other and to fight against Yhwach and Co. You really get the idea that the Royal Guard are a group that works together to combat threats. This is in stark contrast to the Gotei 13, who are generally independent of one another.
In this situation, Nimaiya would have been finished if he did not have Kirinji backing him up.
Death Comes to the Death Dealer...?
Now we reach the point that has gotten people up in arms - Nimaiya seemingly kills Askin. After Nimaiya strikes, Askin thinks back to when he thought that Nimaiya had underestimated him, and calmly realizes that he was the one who underestimated Nimaiya.
It is rare for a villainous character to calmly accept their defeat in such a manner in any media, and it can be a powerful moment when it does occur. In the case of the Stern Ritter, Gremmy and Askin are two notable aversions of villains completely breaking down as they die, as the two of them calmly realized why they were defeated and accepted their deaths. They neither begged for mercy, nor went down screaming, not comprehending that they have lost; they simply accepted death as it came.
In this case, however, the question is whether or not Askin is dead this time. After all, Nimaiya did not kill him successfully in the last chapter, even though it looked like he cut his throat open. It is likely that Askin's power can keep him alive through the same method it uses to kill - it increases the "lethal dose level" of Askin's body, meaning he can lose more blood than the average person before it becomes lethal, or something along those lines. As he stated last chapter, Yhwach took him in because "he just wouldn't die", and that what Nimaiya did to him was nowhere near enough to kill him. As a result, it is entirely possible that the blow Nimaiya hit him with this time is still enough.
Either way, Nimaiya is confident that he can now take on Yhwach without interruption, who seems to be preparing for battle himself.
-------------------------------
As to whether or not Askin is dead, I suppose we will have to wait for the upcoming chapter to see what the end result is. Given that one of the Quincy among the Elite Guard is "The Miracle", we might get a come back of the entire Elite Guard.
Bleach Chapter 599 Review
"Overkill" on the "Wind"
Well, it looks like Nianzol did not survive Shutara's trap, and he falls as Shutara throws his words about bad habits back in his face as he dies.
I know some people are likely disappointed about this, but I am also reminded a bit about Driscoll in the way Nianzol went down within two chapters of his introductions. We were not formally introduced to Driscoll until the chapter before Yamamoto vaporized him, and it was in that time he was revealed as the one who killed Chojiro.
When you got over twenty individuals in a group of antagonists to juggle around, you can't spend a long amount of time on all of them or else things will drag out to an intolerable extent. An antagonist being taken down within two chapters of their introduction is not unheard of in regards to manga, as I have seen it happen in other stories.
For example, one of the twenty-seven Stand users fought by Jotaro and Co in "Stardust Crusaders" had "The Sun". It was a very powerful Stand, but its user was this overweight fellow who went down to a rock thrown by Star Platinum, had no dialogue whatsoever, and only appeared in two chapters (his Stand, at least). In Nianzol's case, he was used as a means to show off Shutara, who was able to think around Nianzol's ability.
The Spirit King's Soldiers
Having disposed of Nianzol, Shutara is now confident enough that her soldiers' blades will be enough to reach Yhwach. Yhwach responds by summoning more Stern Ritter from his Shadow, and comments they will be enough to deal with the Spirit King's soldiers.
With these words, I have to re-evaluate my thoughts on the soldiers with Shutara being her Zanpakuto. While strong, the Soldat are still below the level of a Vice-Captain - we saw Momo blow up a group of them with Tobiume - yet Yhwach is confident they will be able to take on the Spirit King's soldiers. He would not be saying that if these soldiers were the result of Shutara's Zanpakuto.
However, they are not all Yhwach has stored in his Shadow...
Stern Ritter of the IX Monogram
Because Yhwach also kept his Elite Guard in his Shadows.
What is distinct about these four is they have the IX monogram emblazoned upon their mantles, which in themselves are visually different from the standard Stern Ritter mantle beyond that. So far, the IX monogram has been associated directly with Yhwach, so this is likely an indicator of their rank within the Stern Ritter.
Now, let us break down the Stern Ritter and their Schrift:
Gerard Valkyrie - Stern Ritter "M" The Miracle: From the start, he seems to take inspiration from the Norse culture, and the helmet he wears is even similar to the comic book Thor's own. His Schrift is "The Miracle", and there are a myriad of things that could mean. By definition, a "Miracle" is an event not attributable to scientific or natural laws, and is often attributed to the acts of supernatural beings - mainly Gods. Considering the religious theme of the Quincy, this is likely the kind of "miracle" Kubo is referring to. Considering the power displayed by the other Stern Ritter whose epithets embody abstract concepts ("The Visionary", "The Balance"), I have a feeling "The Miracle" is going to have a very OP power.
Lille Barro - Stern Ritter "X" The X-Axis: The most distinct features Lille possesses are the X-mark over his left eye, as well as the protrusion visible under his mantle. I would not have expected Stern Ritter "X's" Schrift to be X-Axis. As Andy pointed out in the Sternritter Letter Tally thread, the Kanji used says "rock penetration". At this point, it is hard to guess what it means and has to do with his power. Perhaps it has something to do with Cartesian coordinates, but it is a mystery at this point.
Pernida Parnkgjas - Stern Ritter "C" The Compulsory: The strangest one of the bunch, we don't even see their face. Even the hood of the mantle shows a strange outline - especially with the eyes situated at the top of the hood. The Compulsory is a power we will see later in the chapter, but the word itself is derived from "compulsion", and that is when you compel/force someone to do something. Andy even translated the Kanji as "Compulsory execution".
We already know about Askin, and we finally have his Schrift confirmed as "Deathdealing", and the Kanji used is "lethal dose". It does tie into what Askin mentioned about how many scenarios he would have to try for Mayuri to die. By this, it likely means he can analyze his opponent, and through that determine which scenario would be most likely to kill them, or something like that. I also heard it mention (can't recall if it was here or elsewhere) that the "lethal dose" could tie into his remark of "poison" to Haschwalth.
As Askin points out, he was the only one who was "promoted from below" - he even seems nervous when pointing it out - which means that, while the Stern Ritter all share a joint title, there seem to be a distinct set of ranks within the Stern Ritter hierarchy. It must say a lot about Askin's abilities if Yhwach promoted him to his Elite Guard. That said, it says a lot about the Elite Guard as a whole if Yhwach considers their powers to be great enough to take on the Royal Guard. As it stands, I don't think these guys fought in the first invasion.
NOTE: Personally, I think that there are other members of the Elite Guard that Yhwach might have kept in the Seireitei, but that is just me.
Algorithm of Antagonists
What is going on right now in the Royal Realm is living proof that the Stern Ritter and Quincy as a whole are not simply depicted as greater antagonists than the Arrancar, but are greater than them. The ten Espada were so hyped because they were ranked as the ten most powerful Arrancar in Aizen's army, and the hype further increased because of how Toshiro described the Vasto Lordes.
However, the top three Espada failed to live up to the hype the fandom attributed to them at the end of the day. While Starrk did overwhelm Rose and Love when they went against him, and Barragan had Soi Fon on the ropes, none of them fully defeated a Captain at the end of the day (the only Arrancar to do so in FKT was Wonderweiss), with Starrk and Barragan killed by the Shinigami and Harribel disposed of by Aizen personally. For all the hype the Espada got, they failed to out-right defeat a single Captain of the Gotei 13.
On the other hand, those Stern Ritter whom Yhwach picked to be his Elite Guard are being set up against the Royal Guard, the same group of people described by Shunsui as being stronger than the entire Gotei 13 combined. These four are the Elite Guard, yet the other Stern Ritter still in Soul Society were still able to easily clean the clocks of the Gotei 13, with the only Shinigami (who have fought so far) able to actually fight and defeat them being Rukia, Renji and Byakuya (after training by the Royal Guard), Zaraki Kenpachi (after having his full power awakened), and Mayuri (living up to his claim he's the only one who can win without Bankai). Everyone else suffered complete defeats or pyrrhic victories.
Now Yhwach has marched right into the Royal Realm and he brought Haschwalth, Uryu, and his four Elite Guard members with him, and he is setting up the latter to fight against the Royal Guard. He trusts these four enough to fight against the Shinigami whose contributions to Soul Society shaped its history, and none of them are Haschwalth or Uryu.
Assault of the Elites
As Askin talks about how he needs to make himself look good - looking nervous all the while - Gerard prepares to leap into action, removing his mantle to show a sword and shield, and a freakin' cape (he really is like Thor
). He also tell Askin that he better prove himself useful or else he'll cut him down himself. This seems to set up the difference between the Elite Guard and the normal Stern Ritter - if being in their presence can make Askin sweat, then they must be a big deal.
Gerard channels his Nordic roots and is the first to charge against Shutara, who draws a short blade to respond to Gerard's attack, but he cuts right through it and even appears to cut Shutara as well. As he strikes again with a blow that goes right through the platform, Shutara dodges it and tells her soldiers to enter into the "Soul King Formation" and stop the Stern Ritter. At this point, we see a giant entity appear that bears the same appearance as the foot soldiers with shields on its arms.
As I said before, I am reconsidering these things being Shutara's Zanpakuto, and it is clear now they are not even Human if they can combine themselves into a shape like that. Given that Shutara is commanding them, I am feeling pretty certain they are of her creation, and I suspect they may even be based off the Gigai, if that turns out to be her invention. It would make sense that Shutara's contribution that put her in the Royal Realm be the Gigai, considering her skills in weaving and how it could have led her to invent the Gigai in the first place.
If this is the case, there may be more Spirit King soldiers commanded by other members of the Royal Guard, such as Nimaiya commanding a squad of Asauchi, and it is possible Hikifune could have a squad of Artifical Souls. That would leave Kirinji and Ichibei without subordinates like the other three, but that is just speculation for now.
Summarizing the Behaviour of Defeat
As Gerard comments on the size of the entity, Perinda says something that we and Shutara cannot hear. I think both translations might be wrong here, so I believe Lille is telling us what Perinda is saying: "So it's huge? What of it?" Perinda says more, air is expelled from behind the hood, and the Giant Spirit King Soldier is suddenly twisted and distorted in all the ways a body is not supposed to be twisted as Shutara watches on.
This seems to be what the "compulsory execution" means of the original Kanji: whatever Perinda says, the target's body is "compelled" to act that way, most likely through a bodily manipulation of their reishi. If that is the case it means Perinda seems to be another Stern Ritter whose power is channeled through their voice, like Berenice and Jerome.
As Shutara reacts to this, Lille asks her if she just entertained the possibility that the Royal Realm will fall. As he unveils the freakin' cannon that seems to make up his right arm, he then says this: "If comprehension comes slowly, reaction will also follow suit...that's always how it is...when you're on the losing side of things."
I do believe this fits with the behaviours of the majority of villains in defeat in stories. The comprehension of their defeat comes very slowly to them (if ever) and their reactions to that possibility also comes very slowly.
Once he is finished saying this, he blows a hole in Shutara's skull and that ends the chapter.
At this point, I am thoroughly convinced that this Shutara could be a Gigai of herself she whipped up and sent ahead, as I do not believe Kubo would have one of the Royal Guard killed like that without even showing her Zanpakuto. After all, Urahara has pulled the Gigai trick more than once in his time on-screen, so why not Shutara?
Well, it looks like Nianzol did not survive Shutara's trap, and he falls as Shutara throws his words about bad habits back in his face as he dies.
I know some people are likely disappointed about this, but I am also reminded a bit about Driscoll in the way Nianzol went down within two chapters of his introductions. We were not formally introduced to Driscoll until the chapter before Yamamoto vaporized him, and it was in that time he was revealed as the one who killed Chojiro.
When you got over twenty individuals in a group of antagonists to juggle around, you can't spend a long amount of time on all of them or else things will drag out to an intolerable extent. An antagonist being taken down within two chapters of their introduction is not unheard of in regards to manga, as I have seen it happen in other stories.
For example, one of the twenty-seven Stand users fought by Jotaro and Co in "Stardust Crusaders" had "The Sun". It was a very powerful Stand, but its user was this overweight fellow who went down to a rock thrown by Star Platinum, had no dialogue whatsoever, and only appeared in two chapters (his Stand, at least). In Nianzol's case, he was used as a means to show off Shutara, who was able to think around Nianzol's ability.
The Spirit King's Soldiers
Having disposed of Nianzol, Shutara is now confident enough that her soldiers' blades will be enough to reach Yhwach. Yhwach responds by summoning more Stern Ritter from his Shadow, and comments they will be enough to deal with the Spirit King's soldiers.
With these words, I have to re-evaluate my thoughts on the soldiers with Shutara being her Zanpakuto. While strong, the Soldat are still below the level of a Vice-Captain - we saw Momo blow up a group of them with Tobiume - yet Yhwach is confident they will be able to take on the Spirit King's soldiers. He would not be saying that if these soldiers were the result of Shutara's Zanpakuto.
However, they are not all Yhwach has stored in his Shadow...
Stern Ritter of the IX Monogram
Because Yhwach also kept his Elite Guard in his Shadows.
What is distinct about these four is they have the IX monogram emblazoned upon their mantles, which in themselves are visually different from the standard Stern Ritter mantle beyond that. So far, the IX monogram has been associated directly with Yhwach, so this is likely an indicator of their rank within the Stern Ritter.
Now, let us break down the Stern Ritter and their Schrift:
Gerard Valkyrie - Stern Ritter "M" The Miracle: From the start, he seems to take inspiration from the Norse culture, and the helmet he wears is even similar to the comic book Thor's own. His Schrift is "The Miracle", and there are a myriad of things that could mean. By definition, a "Miracle" is an event not attributable to scientific or natural laws, and is often attributed to the acts of supernatural beings - mainly Gods. Considering the religious theme of the Quincy, this is likely the kind of "miracle" Kubo is referring to. Considering the power displayed by the other Stern Ritter whose epithets embody abstract concepts ("The Visionary", "The Balance"), I have a feeling "The Miracle" is going to have a very OP power.
Lille Barro - Stern Ritter "X" The X-Axis: The most distinct features Lille possesses are the X-mark over his left eye, as well as the protrusion visible under his mantle. I would not have expected Stern Ritter "X's" Schrift to be X-Axis. As Andy pointed out in the Sternritter Letter Tally thread, the Kanji used says "rock penetration". At this point, it is hard to guess what it means and has to do with his power. Perhaps it has something to do with Cartesian coordinates, but it is a mystery at this point.
Pernida Parnkgjas - Stern Ritter "C" The Compulsory: The strangest one of the bunch, we don't even see their face. Even the hood of the mantle shows a strange outline - especially with the eyes situated at the top of the hood. The Compulsory is a power we will see later in the chapter, but the word itself is derived from "compulsion", and that is when you compel/force someone to do something. Andy even translated the Kanji as "Compulsory execution".
We already know about Askin, and we finally have his Schrift confirmed as "Deathdealing", and the Kanji used is "lethal dose". It does tie into what Askin mentioned about how many scenarios he would have to try for Mayuri to die. By this, it likely means he can analyze his opponent, and through that determine which scenario would be most likely to kill them, or something like that. I also heard it mention (can't recall if it was here or elsewhere) that the "lethal dose" could tie into his remark of "poison" to Haschwalth.
As Askin points out, he was the only one who was "promoted from below" - he even seems nervous when pointing it out - which means that, while the Stern Ritter all share a joint title, there seem to be a distinct set of ranks within the Stern Ritter hierarchy. It must say a lot about Askin's abilities if Yhwach promoted him to his Elite Guard. That said, it says a lot about the Elite Guard as a whole if Yhwach considers their powers to be great enough to take on the Royal Guard. As it stands, I don't think these guys fought in the first invasion.
NOTE: Personally, I think that there are other members of the Elite Guard that Yhwach might have kept in the Seireitei, but that is just me.
Algorithm of Antagonists
What is going on right now in the Royal Realm is living proof that the Stern Ritter and Quincy as a whole are not simply depicted as greater antagonists than the Arrancar, but are greater than them. The ten Espada were so hyped because they were ranked as the ten most powerful Arrancar in Aizen's army, and the hype further increased because of how Toshiro described the Vasto Lordes.
However, the top three Espada failed to live up to the hype the fandom attributed to them at the end of the day. While Starrk did overwhelm Rose and Love when they went against him, and Barragan had Soi Fon on the ropes, none of them fully defeated a Captain at the end of the day (the only Arrancar to do so in FKT was Wonderweiss), with Starrk and Barragan killed by the Shinigami and Harribel disposed of by Aizen personally. For all the hype the Espada got, they failed to out-right defeat a single Captain of the Gotei 13.
On the other hand, those Stern Ritter whom Yhwach picked to be his Elite Guard are being set up against the Royal Guard, the same group of people described by Shunsui as being stronger than the entire Gotei 13 combined. These four are the Elite Guard, yet the other Stern Ritter still in Soul Society were still able to easily clean the clocks of the Gotei 13, with the only Shinigami (who have fought so far) able to actually fight and defeat them being Rukia, Renji and Byakuya (after training by the Royal Guard), Zaraki Kenpachi (after having his full power awakened), and Mayuri (living up to his claim he's the only one who can win without Bankai). Everyone else suffered complete defeats or pyrrhic victories.
Now Yhwach has marched right into the Royal Realm and he brought Haschwalth, Uryu, and his four Elite Guard members with him, and he is setting up the latter to fight against the Royal Guard. He trusts these four enough to fight against the Shinigami whose contributions to Soul Society shaped its history, and none of them are Haschwalth or Uryu.
Assault of the Elites
As Askin talks about how he needs to make himself look good - looking nervous all the while - Gerard prepares to leap into action, removing his mantle to show a sword and shield, and a freakin' cape (he really is like Thor
). He also tell Askin that he better prove himself useful or else he'll cut him down himself. This seems to set up the difference between the Elite Guard and the normal Stern Ritter - if being in their presence can make Askin sweat, then they must be a big deal.Gerard channels his Nordic roots and is the first to charge against Shutara, who draws a short blade to respond to Gerard's attack, but he cuts right through it and even appears to cut Shutara as well. As he strikes again with a blow that goes right through the platform, Shutara dodges it and tells her soldiers to enter into the "Soul King Formation" and stop the Stern Ritter. At this point, we see a giant entity appear that bears the same appearance as the foot soldiers with shields on its arms.
As I said before, I am reconsidering these things being Shutara's Zanpakuto, and it is clear now they are not even Human if they can combine themselves into a shape like that. Given that Shutara is commanding them, I am feeling pretty certain they are of her creation, and I suspect they may even be based off the Gigai, if that turns out to be her invention. It would make sense that Shutara's contribution that put her in the Royal Realm be the Gigai, considering her skills in weaving and how it could have led her to invent the Gigai in the first place.
If this is the case, there may be more Spirit King soldiers commanded by other members of the Royal Guard, such as Nimaiya commanding a squad of Asauchi, and it is possible Hikifune could have a squad of Artifical Souls. That would leave Kirinji and Ichibei without subordinates like the other three, but that is just speculation for now.
Summarizing the Behaviour of Defeat
As Gerard comments on the size of the entity, Perinda says something that we and Shutara cannot hear. I think both translations might be wrong here, so I believe Lille is telling us what Perinda is saying: "So it's huge? What of it?" Perinda says more, air is expelled from behind the hood, and the Giant Spirit King Soldier is suddenly twisted and distorted in all the ways a body is not supposed to be twisted as Shutara watches on.
This seems to be what the "compulsory execution" means of the original Kanji: whatever Perinda says, the target's body is "compelled" to act that way, most likely through a bodily manipulation of their reishi. If that is the case it means Perinda seems to be another Stern Ritter whose power is channeled through their voice, like Berenice and Jerome.
As Shutara reacts to this, Lille asks her if she just entertained the possibility that the Royal Realm will fall. As he unveils the freakin' cannon that seems to make up his right arm, he then says this: "If comprehension comes slowly, reaction will also follow suit...that's always how it is...when you're on the losing side of things."
I do believe this fits with the behaviours of the majority of villains in defeat in stories. The comprehension of their defeat comes very slowly to them (if ever) and their reactions to that possibility also comes very slowly.
Once he is finished saying this, he blows a hole in Shutara's skull and that ends the chapter.
At this point, I am thoroughly convinced that this Shutara could be a Gigai of herself she whipped up and sent ahead, as I do not believe Kubo would have one of the Royal Guard killed like that without even showing her Zanpakuto. After all, Urahara has pulled the Gigai trick more than once in his time on-screen, so why not Shutara?
Bleach Chapter 598 Review
The Shiba Clan and the Royal Realm
Just as Ichigo and Co are about to take off, Ganju comes charging in and we have a comedic moment between the two without a shred of acknowledgement of the Shiba name.
*sigh* Really, Kubo? You have Ichigo interact with one of the Shiba again and you do not have it brought up that the two of them are related? It was mentioned in "Everything But the Rain" that the two of them are cousins, so I think it would be a good idea to have at least one of them acknowledge it when they meet again.
Never mind, that's not important at the moment. What is important is why Ganju is there - he has a map of the path to the Royal Realm. Although the text can't be made out, we see a series of rings of varying sizes on the scroll Ganju shows us, which appear to indicate some of the 72 barriers that are separating the Royal Realm from the Soul Society, so it is not just a straight shot into it even after the barriers are down. You have to know the actual path to the Royal Realm to reach it, which raises the question of how Yhwach knows so much about the Royal Realm again.
It also makes it clear that the Shiba Clan, regardless of their status as a "fallen" Clan, are still closely linked to the Royal Realm and its functions. It makes me wonder when this relationship was set up to begin with, and what distinguishes the Shiba Clan from all the other Clans.
Now that Ganju is here with the map, they are now fully prepared to set off for the Royal Realm, and Urahara launches them - cannon and all, explaining why it is a one-shot deal.
Unneeded Flashback
The title of this section says it all - I feel Inoue's flashbacks were completely unnecessary, primarily because I don't see how the current situation is anything at all like when Ichigo and go were going to rescue Rukia outside of the people who are there. The Royal Realm is under assault, the Shinigami are fighting against the remaining Stern Ritter, and here is Inoue busy waxy whimsical about how it's like "the old days" except for the fact Uryu wasn't there.
Nor did we need it repeated what Ichigo is going to do when he reaches the Royal Realm, because we all know already what Ichigo will do - try to defeat Yhwach and bring Uryu back.
Which brings me to something else that just occurred to me. They're talking about if "Ishida will come back with us" and "bringing him back with us" without even an understanding of why Uryu is there in the first place. It is almost like the thought process is this: "Uryu's with Yhwach? Then we must bring him back to his senses and we must bring him back to us."
People have compared this to Naruto, but I will truthfully say this: at least Naruto knew why Sasuke left Konoha. Ichigo and Co know nothing about Uryu's reasons for being there, yet they are already making assumptions.
I did not mention it in my original rendition of this review, but it is starting to feel like their words about Uryu just show how little any of them understand his character. None of them have given any thought to why Uryu is with Yhwach, yet they have already decided on the "kick his ass and bring him back" routine.
That said, we also have a problem highlighted about Ichigo in his words about beating Yhwach: he's always half-cocked and arrogant like this. Always thinking that he has the power to beat the newest enemy, especially after he has grown stronger in strength, which always leaves him flat-footed when the enemy overwhelms his efforts.
In this case, I want Yhwach to do that. He is not some light-weight who Ichigo can take down just like that, even after the latter attained his true Zanpakuto and trained in the Royal Realm; Yhwach is the Progenitor of the Quincy, and we have yet to see his full power yet.
Besides, Yhwach spoke of "reclaiming the world in nine days", and this is only the second day of those nine. I'll be fully satisfied when we see Yhwach knock Ichigo down a few pegs, and we'll see Uryu's words proven true: Ichigo can't stop Yhwach as he is now, and just going after him now will be equivalent to throwing his life away.
The Reputation of Senjumaru
Back in the Royal Realm, we see more explained about Nianzol's ability, and it is finally made clear that his "The Wind" refers to the "twisting, bending" version, not the "movement of air". As we see, objects don't simply bend around Nianzol; they can also be bent and twisted themselves. As we see him do it to three of Shutara's men, that even includes people. With just a finger.
But Shutara has figured a way around "The Wind". Using her soldiers as a distraction, she was able to retailor his Stern Ritter robe, and it now includes the insignia of the Royal Guard.
As Nianzol explained before, all the enemies he sees - either with his eyes or intuition - are bent and twisted away from him by "The Wind". However, Shutara exploits this fact by modifying his very robes - one thing which doesn't bend away from Nianzol - which end off the chapter by seemingly impaling Nianzol from the inside as blood gushes out of the robe.
Damn, Shutara must be good to be able to weaponize clothing just by retailoring it mid-battle.
--------------------------------------------
I'm not really of a mind-set to give this chapter a good rating today. While we do have a reason for Ganju being there, and we see how Shutara has managed to deal with Nianzol's ability, the scene inside the cannon with Inoue's whimsical reminiscent just felt like padding.
Just as Ichigo and Co are about to take off, Ganju comes charging in and we have a comedic moment between the two without a shred of acknowledgement of the Shiba name.
*sigh* Really, Kubo? You have Ichigo interact with one of the Shiba again and you do not have it brought up that the two of them are related? It was mentioned in "Everything But the Rain" that the two of them are cousins, so I think it would be a good idea to have at least one of them acknowledge it when they meet again.
Never mind, that's not important at the moment. What is important is why Ganju is there - he has a map of the path to the Royal Realm. Although the text can't be made out, we see a series of rings of varying sizes on the scroll Ganju shows us, which appear to indicate some of the 72 barriers that are separating the Royal Realm from the Soul Society, so it is not just a straight shot into it even after the barriers are down. You have to know the actual path to the Royal Realm to reach it, which raises the question of how Yhwach knows so much about the Royal Realm again.
It also makes it clear that the Shiba Clan, regardless of their status as a "fallen" Clan, are still closely linked to the Royal Realm and its functions. It makes me wonder when this relationship was set up to begin with, and what distinguishes the Shiba Clan from all the other Clans.
Now that Ganju is here with the map, they are now fully prepared to set off for the Royal Realm, and Urahara launches them - cannon and all, explaining why it is a one-shot deal.
Unneeded Flashback
The title of this section says it all - I feel Inoue's flashbacks were completely unnecessary, primarily because I don't see how the current situation is anything at all like when Ichigo and go were going to rescue Rukia outside of the people who are there. The Royal Realm is under assault, the Shinigami are fighting against the remaining Stern Ritter, and here is Inoue busy waxy whimsical about how it's like "the old days" except for the fact Uryu wasn't there.
Nor did we need it repeated what Ichigo is going to do when he reaches the Royal Realm, because we all know already what Ichigo will do - try to defeat Yhwach and bring Uryu back.
Which brings me to something else that just occurred to me. They're talking about if "Ishida will come back with us" and "bringing him back with us" without even an understanding of why Uryu is there in the first place. It is almost like the thought process is this: "Uryu's with Yhwach? Then we must bring him back to his senses and we must bring him back to us."
People have compared this to Naruto, but I will truthfully say this: at least Naruto knew why Sasuke left Konoha. Ichigo and Co know nothing about Uryu's reasons for being there, yet they are already making assumptions.
I did not mention it in my original rendition of this review, but it is starting to feel like their words about Uryu just show how little any of them understand his character. None of them have given any thought to why Uryu is with Yhwach, yet they have already decided on the "kick his ass and bring him back" routine.
That said, we also have a problem highlighted about Ichigo in his words about beating Yhwach: he's always half-cocked and arrogant like this. Always thinking that he has the power to beat the newest enemy, especially after he has grown stronger in strength, which always leaves him flat-footed when the enemy overwhelms his efforts.
In this case, I want Yhwach to do that. He is not some light-weight who Ichigo can take down just like that, even after the latter attained his true Zanpakuto and trained in the Royal Realm; Yhwach is the Progenitor of the Quincy, and we have yet to see his full power yet.
Besides, Yhwach spoke of "reclaiming the world in nine days", and this is only the second day of those nine. I'll be fully satisfied when we see Yhwach knock Ichigo down a few pegs, and we'll see Uryu's words proven true: Ichigo can't stop Yhwach as he is now, and just going after him now will be equivalent to throwing his life away.
The Reputation of Senjumaru
Back in the Royal Realm, we see more explained about Nianzol's ability, and it is finally made clear that his "The Wind" refers to the "twisting, bending" version, not the "movement of air". As we see, objects don't simply bend around Nianzol; they can also be bent and twisted themselves. As we see him do it to three of Shutara's men, that even includes people. With just a finger.
But Shutara has figured a way around "The Wind". Using her soldiers as a distraction, she was able to retailor his Stern Ritter robe, and it now includes the insignia of the Royal Guard.
As Nianzol explained before, all the enemies he sees - either with his eyes or intuition - are bent and twisted away from him by "The Wind". However, Shutara exploits this fact by modifying his very robes - one thing which doesn't bend away from Nianzol - which end off the chapter by seemingly impaling Nianzol from the inside as blood gushes out of the robe.
Damn, Shutara must be good to be able to weaponize clothing just by retailoring it mid-battle.
--------------------------------------------
I'm not really of a mind-set to give this chapter a good rating today. While we do have a reason for Ganju being there, and we see how Shutara has managed to deal with Nianzol's ability, the scene inside the cannon with Inoue's whimsical reminiscent just felt like padding.
Bleach Chapter 597 Review
Just Desserts and the Nature of Villains
As most people predicted in last week's chapter, Liltotto was out for revenge against Pepe for trying to kill her and Meninas (I'm assuming Meninas is still alive), and she immediately activates Vollstandig and uses "The Glutton" to start devouring Pepe while he is pleading for forgiveness and his life.
Now, I know people will likely complain about how "poorly handled" Pepe's character was even in death, but I am not going to complain because we've seen this behaviour of villains in other manga. I've been watching "JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: The Stardust Crusade", and I can think of a couple of Dio's Stand users from the first season who acted all cool and confident when they had the upper hand, but completely broke down or begged for mercy when they started losing.
Not even the Arrancar escaped from that kind of characterization, as a number of them reacted in a similar manner to how a number of Stern Ritter people have complained about being "ungraceful" in defeat. Then again, most people only think about the Espada and ignore the Fraccion. Even then, the Espada suffered the same flaws as some of the Stern Ritter do.
Just look at Barragan. He was supremely confident about his power of "aging", and he always waxed on about the nature of his power, how it was absolute, and how all things are affected by "aging", not that different from As Nodt, Gremmy or Pepe talking about their powers. When he started losing, he also began suffering a villainous breakdown, ranting at Hachigen and calling him an ant, proclaiming his death to be "unforgiveable", all the while calling himself "the God of Hueco Mundo".
So people can complain all they want about the characterization of the Stern Ritter, but it is their fault for hyping the Stern Ritter to the high heavens in the first place without really knowing anything about them aside from "they look cool", and for choosing to ignore how this behaviour was seen in villains in the past and in other series.
Twisting and Turning, Shutara's Relation with Yhwach, and Shadows
After Liltotto finishes off Pepe we cut back to the Royal Realm. According to Kirinji, he hasn't been able to hit Yhwach once while Yhwach hasn't even lifted a finger, not using any illusions or bothering to dodge the attacks, as seen when he tries to attack Yhwach again, and we are treated to a panel with him behind Yhwach and Co, and the platform is bent completely out of shape as if space itself was twisted.
Shutara then shows up and she has a group of ten individuals with her. All of them look the same in every respect, so I suspect that these ten individuals are the Shikai of Shutara's Zanpakuto, as we do not see any of Shutara's arms in this scene. This makes another Zanpakuto that manifests its power through living beings generated by the Zanpakuto. Now, we can assume that her Zanpakuto (the arms) changed shape if these individuals are indeed her Shikai, since Isane commented that any Zanpakuto that manifests living creatures while remaining unchanged is unheard of.
Then she greets Yhwach with "it's been a long time", and asks if he is full of himself after defeating Genryuusai, also commenting on how he dared to enter the Royal Realm without an invitation. Considering Yhwach has been inactive for 990 years, the only way Shutara could possibly have met Yhwach in the past is if she was a member of the original Gotei 13 during the Shinigami-Quincy War of one thousand years ago, but her knowing Mayuri also implies one of two things: Shutara was a Captain in the Gotei 13 for a long time before she was chosen to go to the Royal Realm, or Mayuri is a lot older than we suspect.
So along with Yhwach calling the Royal Realm a "tombstone", it is also clear a number of the Royal Guard members personally know Yhwach from over 1000 years ago.
Yhwach, despite being confronted by Shutara, simply goes up the stairs and walks right past Shutara, who calls him insolent for doing so. This really shows Yhwach's confidence in his power, if he is willing to simply ignore the Royal Guard like this and go straight for the Spirit King. It was commented before this chapter came out that Yhwach might have done to the Royal Realm in part to stop them from training more Shinigami, but that doesn't seem to be the case - it feels like he is only interesting in taking the Spirit King's head.
Shutara then orders the soldiers of her Shikai to strike Yhwach. Looking at the chapter again, I am certain they are Shutara's Shikai because they drew their swords from their freaking HEADS. These individuals looked like they had top-knots before, but it seems those are actually their sword hilts.
However, in their attempt to strike Yhwach their swords and bodies just twist around into a circle, and Shutara echoes Kirinji's bewilderment over the event. At that point, a voice asks Shutara who is insolent, and we see a figure appear out of Yhwach's Shadow. Seeing it happen in this way, I am more and more reminded of the similarity between the Vandenreich's Shadows and the Shadows of Kyoraku's Katen Kyokotsu.
The new Stern Ritter claims Shutara and the Royal Guard are more insolent than they are, and his name and ability are revealed:
Stern Ritter "W" The Wind, Nianzol Weizol, who seems to have a distant look in his eyes with his
double-tongue forming the outline of a "W".
Now to be clear, this is not "Wind" as in moving air, but "Wind" as in twisting things around something. In Nianzol's case, "The Wind" allows him to twist the space around himself, and he is the one responsible for making all of the Royal Guard members' attacks miss. I wonder if this has something to do with what Askin said before Yhwach and Co went to the Royal Realm, since Nianzol's ability is powerful indeed if Yhwach trusted him enough to take to the Royal Realm in his proverbial pocket.
His presence here means we have another example of the power of the Quincy's Shadow. Just as the Vandenreich was hidden in the shadows of the Seireitei in another "space", Yhwach hid a Stern Ritter in a "space" created in his own Shadow. More impressively is that Nianzol's ability could work even from within that same Shadow. It makes me wonder if there are other Stern Ritter that Yhwach and Co have hidden in their Shadows, or if they will summon more of the unseen Stern Ritter to the Royal Realm.
Prepare for Liftoff
Back in the Vandentei, the ground opens up and the Crane Cannon replica emerges from the ground, finally ready to send Ichigo and Co to the Royal Realm by the end of the chapter - all to the beat of a BGM (nice way to announce to any Stern Ritter in the vicinity that you are about to leave).
It appears that Yoruichi will be accompanying Ichigo to the Royal Realm as well, a fact that must make all of Yoruichi's fans happy because it means we will get to see her fight again. It also makes me happy because it means that Ichigo will have someone else aside from Inoue and Sado accompanying him. No offense to their fans, but does anyone actually expect them to be able to do anything against Yhwach and Co? You have Yhwach, the man who killed [B]the Captain-Commander[/B]; Haschwalth, who broke Ichigo's Bankai in two and is the Grandmaster of the Stern Ritter, and you have Uryu, whose possessing the letter "A" like Yhwach likely means he's now more powerful than all the Stern Ritter. Inoue and Sado were stomped by a half-dead Quilge last I checked, and they also were not training in the Royal Realm, and I doubt any regimen Urahara has would equal the Royal Realm's training regimen in efficiency and in boosting their power.
Yes, I know that Uryu's presence is why Inoue and Sado are there at all (the whole "we are Nakama" cliché), but if you could have them there then why not Renji or Rukia as well? They are Uryu's Nakama too, so why are they stuck down in the Vandentei fighting Bazz-B? This cannon only has one shot, so the only possibility of either of them going up to the Royal Realm to assist Ichigo and Co (because goodness knows Sado and Inoue will likely need someone to pull them out of the fire...again) rests in either going up with the Shiba's Crane Cannon, or being taken there along with one of the Stern Ritter if any Stern Ritter are summoned there.
The first one is the most likely, because the second one banks on certain theories of mine regarding Rukia, and I do not intend to let those ideas cloud my judgement.
----------------------------------------------------------
Overall, it was a good chapter and we have momentarily moved away from the fighting in the Seireitei to the Royal Realm, but I do still believe something is about to happen with Mayuri.
As most people predicted in last week's chapter, Liltotto was out for revenge against Pepe for trying to kill her and Meninas (I'm assuming Meninas is still alive), and she immediately activates Vollstandig and uses "The Glutton" to start devouring Pepe while he is pleading for forgiveness and his life.
Now, I know people will likely complain about how "poorly handled" Pepe's character was even in death, but I am not going to complain because we've seen this behaviour of villains in other manga. I've been watching "JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: The Stardust Crusade", and I can think of a couple of Dio's Stand users from the first season who acted all cool and confident when they had the upper hand, but completely broke down or begged for mercy when they started losing.
Not even the Arrancar escaped from that kind of characterization, as a number of them reacted in a similar manner to how a number of Stern Ritter people have complained about being "ungraceful" in defeat. Then again, most people only think about the Espada and ignore the Fraccion. Even then, the Espada suffered the same flaws as some of the Stern Ritter do.
Just look at Barragan. He was supremely confident about his power of "aging", and he always waxed on about the nature of his power, how it was absolute, and how all things are affected by "aging", not that different from As Nodt, Gremmy or Pepe talking about their powers. When he started losing, he also began suffering a villainous breakdown, ranting at Hachigen and calling him an ant, proclaiming his death to be "unforgiveable", all the while calling himself "the God of Hueco Mundo".
So people can complain all they want about the characterization of the Stern Ritter, but it is their fault for hyping the Stern Ritter to the high heavens in the first place without really knowing anything about them aside from "they look cool", and for choosing to ignore how this behaviour was seen in villains in the past and in other series.
Twisting and Turning, Shutara's Relation with Yhwach, and Shadows
After Liltotto finishes off Pepe we cut back to the Royal Realm. According to Kirinji, he hasn't been able to hit Yhwach once while Yhwach hasn't even lifted a finger, not using any illusions or bothering to dodge the attacks, as seen when he tries to attack Yhwach again, and we are treated to a panel with him behind Yhwach and Co, and the platform is bent completely out of shape as if space itself was twisted.
Shutara then shows up and she has a group of ten individuals with her. All of them look the same in every respect, so I suspect that these ten individuals are the Shikai of Shutara's Zanpakuto, as we do not see any of Shutara's arms in this scene. This makes another Zanpakuto that manifests its power through living beings generated by the Zanpakuto. Now, we can assume that her Zanpakuto (the arms) changed shape if these individuals are indeed her Shikai, since Isane commented that any Zanpakuto that manifests living creatures while remaining unchanged is unheard of.
Then she greets Yhwach with "it's been a long time", and asks if he is full of himself after defeating Genryuusai, also commenting on how he dared to enter the Royal Realm without an invitation. Considering Yhwach has been inactive for 990 years, the only way Shutara could possibly have met Yhwach in the past is if she was a member of the original Gotei 13 during the Shinigami-Quincy War of one thousand years ago, but her knowing Mayuri also implies one of two things: Shutara was a Captain in the Gotei 13 for a long time before she was chosen to go to the Royal Realm, or Mayuri is a lot older than we suspect.
So along with Yhwach calling the Royal Realm a "tombstone", it is also clear a number of the Royal Guard members personally know Yhwach from over 1000 years ago.
Yhwach, despite being confronted by Shutara, simply goes up the stairs and walks right past Shutara, who calls him insolent for doing so. This really shows Yhwach's confidence in his power, if he is willing to simply ignore the Royal Guard like this and go straight for the Spirit King. It was commented before this chapter came out that Yhwach might have done to the Royal Realm in part to stop them from training more Shinigami, but that doesn't seem to be the case - it feels like he is only interesting in taking the Spirit King's head.
Shutara then orders the soldiers of her Shikai to strike Yhwach. Looking at the chapter again, I am certain they are Shutara's Shikai because they drew their swords from their freaking HEADS. These individuals looked like they had top-knots before, but it seems those are actually their sword hilts.
However, in their attempt to strike Yhwach their swords and bodies just twist around into a circle, and Shutara echoes Kirinji's bewilderment over the event. At that point, a voice asks Shutara who is insolent, and we see a figure appear out of Yhwach's Shadow. Seeing it happen in this way, I am more and more reminded of the similarity between the Vandenreich's Shadows and the Shadows of Kyoraku's Katen Kyokotsu.
The new Stern Ritter claims Shutara and the Royal Guard are more insolent than they are, and his name and ability are revealed:
Stern Ritter "W" The Wind, Nianzol Weizol, who seems to have a distant look in his eyes with his
double-tongue forming the outline of a "W".
Now to be clear, this is not "Wind" as in moving air, but "Wind" as in twisting things around something. In Nianzol's case, "The Wind" allows him to twist the space around himself, and he is the one responsible for making all of the Royal Guard members' attacks miss. I wonder if this has something to do with what Askin said before Yhwach and Co went to the Royal Realm, since Nianzol's ability is powerful indeed if Yhwach trusted him enough to take to the Royal Realm in his proverbial pocket.
His presence here means we have another example of the power of the Quincy's Shadow. Just as the Vandenreich was hidden in the shadows of the Seireitei in another "space", Yhwach hid a Stern Ritter in a "space" created in his own Shadow. More impressively is that Nianzol's ability could work even from within that same Shadow. It makes me wonder if there are other Stern Ritter that Yhwach and Co have hidden in their Shadows, or if they will summon more of the unseen Stern Ritter to the Royal Realm.
Prepare for Liftoff
Back in the Vandentei, the ground opens up and the Crane Cannon replica emerges from the ground, finally ready to send Ichigo and Co to the Royal Realm by the end of the chapter - all to the beat of a BGM (nice way to announce to any Stern Ritter in the vicinity that you are about to leave).
It appears that Yoruichi will be accompanying Ichigo to the Royal Realm as well, a fact that must make all of Yoruichi's fans happy because it means we will get to see her fight again. It also makes me happy because it means that Ichigo will have someone else aside from Inoue and Sado accompanying him. No offense to their fans, but does anyone actually expect them to be able to do anything against Yhwach and Co? You have Yhwach, the man who killed [B]the Captain-Commander[/B]; Haschwalth, who broke Ichigo's Bankai in two and is the Grandmaster of the Stern Ritter, and you have Uryu, whose possessing the letter "A" like Yhwach likely means he's now more powerful than all the Stern Ritter. Inoue and Sado were stomped by a half-dead Quilge last I checked, and they also were not training in the Royal Realm, and I doubt any regimen Urahara has would equal the Royal Realm's training regimen in efficiency and in boosting their power.
Yes, I know that Uryu's presence is why Inoue and Sado are there at all (the whole "we are Nakama" cliché), but if you could have them there then why not Renji or Rukia as well? They are Uryu's Nakama too, so why are they stuck down in the Vandentei fighting Bazz-B? This cannon only has one shot, so the only possibility of either of them going up to the Royal Realm to assist Ichigo and Co (because goodness knows Sado and Inoue will likely need someone to pull them out of the fire...again) rests in either going up with the Shiba's Crane Cannon, or being taken there along with one of the Stern Ritter if any Stern Ritter are summoned there.
The first one is the most likely, because the second one banks on certain theories of mine regarding Rukia, and I do not intend to let those ideas cloud my judgement.
----------------------------------------------------------
Overall, it was a good chapter and we have momentarily moved away from the fighting in the Seireitei to the Royal Realm, but I do still believe something is about to happen with Mayuri.
Bleach Chapter 596 Review
The Heartless Undead
As the chapter carries off from where we left off last week, the "Love"-afflicted Hisagi moves to strike the zombie!Captains without hesitation, but is thoroughly and swiftly curb-stomped by his former undead Captain, picks up Senbonzakura, and hands it back over to Byakuya.
While the zombies of Giselle did have some personality left, you can tell by the completely dead look in Kensei's eyes here that he is completely gone, moving more like a machine than he is an actual living being. His lack of hesitation to smash Hisagi into the ground contrasts with how Byakuya treated Hisagi in the later chapter, hesitant to cause any more damage to Hisagi which the zombified Kensei ruthlessly exacted.
I'd be impressed if Hisagi managed to get back up from that, as his eyes have gone completely white from the attack.
The Monster of the Gotei 13
Then we see Mayuri show up from his fight with Giselle, and remarks on how the occasion is perfect to study the Kurotsuchi Corpse Squad's performance, all with a sinisterly beaming smile on his face, and brushing off Byakuya's question about what he did to them as a simple "I saved them".
Then we flashback to what happened in the Giselle fight after we cut away to Byakuya. While we only see Rose and Kensei, the Arrancar are seen finishing their fight as both of the zombified Captains fall down, and Kurotsuchi reveals that the drug that affected Toshiro was indeed in Charlotte's body, as it was in all the other Arrancar - with a quick footnote that he is immune to all the drugs he creates. I do believe it was suggested that the drug was in Charlotte's body, and that has proven to be the case. It is the same trick that Mayuri pulled off on Szayel back in the Arrancar saga, and it all but convinces me the technology that Mayuri used to reanimate the Arrancar was the same technology he used to create Nemu.
After all, Luppi had the entire upper half of his body blown off by Grimmjow, and Cirucci had her powers stripped away by Uryu's Seele Schneider. For Luppi to have his upper body back and Cirucci her powers again indicates Mayuri used some pretty impressive applications of the artificial soul and Gigai technology to do what he did to them.
With the Zombie Visoreds down for the count, Mayuri uses the same drug on them that he used on Toshiro, and he gets to dissecting Giselle's power. As people speculated, the concentration of blood seems to play a part in why the skin of the Captain-level Shinigami and Bambietta is its dark colouration. To be specific, only a drop of blood needs to reach the brain for it to take over someone with low reiatsu levels, but an individual with high reiatsu levels has to have the blood reach their heart, increase in the heart, and then spread throughout the body. Giselle's silence confirms Mayuri's theory.
Then we get to the crucial part of the chapter: how Mayuri took control of Giselle's zombies. Just as Mayuri has data on all the Bankai in the Gotei 13, he also has blood samples of all the soldiers of the Gotei 13, and his drug turns the target's blood into "the blood-like substance he created" based on those blood samples. He says first that his drug changed the composition of their blood, then he spells out what this means in crystal clear letters: by injecting this drug into Giselle's zombies, [B]he made them into his own.[/B] To demonstrate this, he has Kensei stab Giselle, leaving the Stern Ritter's fate uncertain.
It is moments like this that serve to remind everyone that Mayuri is THE Monster in the ranks of the Gotei 13. As I mentioned before in earlier posts, I believe that Mayuri's drug not only affects the Shinigami that Giselle turned into zombies, [B]but can be used on living beings to turn them into zombies as well.[/B] It is the wording that is important. He said "your zombies become my zombies", which likely means he can make any individual targeted with the drug into one of his "zombies", and those taken over in this manner will bear those markings on their face and their eyes.
While villains generally have no respect for the lives of others, it is true monsters who have no respect for the sanctity of death, and Mayuri does not respect that sanctity in the slightest. Even as he is called out on his actions by Byakuya, his defense is these words: "Don't you think that protecting Seireitei even after one's death would be the dream of any soldier of the Gotei 13?"
I have said it before, and I will say it again: Mayuri probably represents what the original Gotei 13 was like. He is using whatever means necessary to protect the Gotei 13, even if it means turning dead Shinigami into his own personal squad of zombies in order to achieve that end, killing any Shinigami who turn their blades on the Gotei 13, and reanimating the Arrancar bodies he found to fight against the Quincy with.
His effectiveness is undeniable, but it is for this reason that I believe Mayuri is going to die soon. Not only is he a monster, but his death would also be quite significant as one of the more well-known and prominent Captains in the Gotei 13.
The Undead Feel No Love
After Mayuri is done explaining how he made Kensei and Rose into his zombies, Pepe fires off a Love Kiss that hits Kensei, and boasts about how he managed to turn Giselle's zombies with "The Love" in the past - right before being punched in the face.
This is another thing that sets Giselle's zombies apart from the ones Mayuri made Rose and Kensei into: apparently, Giselle's zombies can be affected by any ability that invokes a certain emotion, so they are not completely emotionless as her undead zombies (what we saw with Bambietta and Toshiro is proof of that).
Mayuri's zombies, however, are completely emotionless, a fact that leaves Pepe completely flabbergasted and slack-jawed.
Cue Kensei channeling his inner Jotaro and repeatedly punching Pepe (including one punch right at the family jewels) and sending the Stern Ritter flying into a distant building. It is clear from this that Pepe is not a physical combatant, and his ability is not geared towards actual battle either, hence his attempted sneak attack on Kensei, and his trying to kill Byakuya only when he had him immobilized.
In other words, his ability is dangerous, but take it away and he is reduced to a squishy wizard.
Comeuppance from the Glutton
As Pepe tries to recover from his beating and says he will never forgive those "loveless bastards", Liltotto shows up in front of him as the chapter ends, seeming to have dealt with Meninas off-screen. Given that Pepe caused Meninas to punch Liltotto in the fact, I reckon that the Glutton will want serious payback against Pepe.
------------------------------------------------------
Given the amount of focus that has been given to Mayuri and his take on the philosophy and duties of the Shinigami of the Gotei 13, I can definitely see that the volume this chapter will be collected in will have Mayuri on its cover, and I can almost say with certainty that Mayuri is about to die soon.
As the chapter carries off from where we left off last week, the "Love"-afflicted Hisagi moves to strike the zombie!Captains without hesitation, but is thoroughly and swiftly curb-stomped by his former undead Captain, picks up Senbonzakura, and hands it back over to Byakuya.
While the zombies of Giselle did have some personality left, you can tell by the completely dead look in Kensei's eyes here that he is completely gone, moving more like a machine than he is an actual living being. His lack of hesitation to smash Hisagi into the ground contrasts with how Byakuya treated Hisagi in the later chapter, hesitant to cause any more damage to Hisagi which the zombified Kensei ruthlessly exacted.
I'd be impressed if Hisagi managed to get back up from that, as his eyes have gone completely white from the attack.
The Monster of the Gotei 13
Then we see Mayuri show up from his fight with Giselle, and remarks on how the occasion is perfect to study the Kurotsuchi Corpse Squad's performance, all with a sinisterly beaming smile on his face, and brushing off Byakuya's question about what he did to them as a simple "I saved them".
Then we flashback to what happened in the Giselle fight after we cut away to Byakuya. While we only see Rose and Kensei, the Arrancar are seen finishing their fight as both of the zombified Captains fall down, and Kurotsuchi reveals that the drug that affected Toshiro was indeed in Charlotte's body, as it was in all the other Arrancar - with a quick footnote that he is immune to all the drugs he creates. I do believe it was suggested that the drug was in Charlotte's body, and that has proven to be the case. It is the same trick that Mayuri pulled off on Szayel back in the Arrancar saga, and it all but convinces me the technology that Mayuri used to reanimate the Arrancar was the same technology he used to create Nemu.
After all, Luppi had the entire upper half of his body blown off by Grimmjow, and Cirucci had her powers stripped away by Uryu's Seele Schneider. For Luppi to have his upper body back and Cirucci her powers again indicates Mayuri used some pretty impressive applications of the artificial soul and Gigai technology to do what he did to them.
With the Zombie Visoreds down for the count, Mayuri uses the same drug on them that he used on Toshiro, and he gets to dissecting Giselle's power. As people speculated, the concentration of blood seems to play a part in why the skin of the Captain-level Shinigami and Bambietta is its dark colouration. To be specific, only a drop of blood needs to reach the brain for it to take over someone with low reiatsu levels, but an individual with high reiatsu levels has to have the blood reach their heart, increase in the heart, and then spread throughout the body. Giselle's silence confirms Mayuri's theory.
Then we get to the crucial part of the chapter: how Mayuri took control of Giselle's zombies. Just as Mayuri has data on all the Bankai in the Gotei 13, he also has blood samples of all the soldiers of the Gotei 13, and his drug turns the target's blood into "the blood-like substance he created" based on those blood samples. He says first that his drug changed the composition of their blood, then he spells out what this means in crystal clear letters: by injecting this drug into Giselle's zombies, [B]he made them into his own.[/B] To demonstrate this, he has Kensei stab Giselle, leaving the Stern Ritter's fate uncertain.
It is moments like this that serve to remind everyone that Mayuri is THE Monster in the ranks of the Gotei 13. As I mentioned before in earlier posts, I believe that Mayuri's drug not only affects the Shinigami that Giselle turned into zombies, [B]but can be used on living beings to turn them into zombies as well.[/B] It is the wording that is important. He said "your zombies become my zombies", which likely means he can make any individual targeted with the drug into one of his "zombies", and those taken over in this manner will bear those markings on their face and their eyes.
While villains generally have no respect for the lives of others, it is true monsters who have no respect for the sanctity of death, and Mayuri does not respect that sanctity in the slightest. Even as he is called out on his actions by Byakuya, his defense is these words: "Don't you think that protecting Seireitei even after one's death would be the dream of any soldier of the Gotei 13?"
I have said it before, and I will say it again: Mayuri probably represents what the original Gotei 13 was like. He is using whatever means necessary to protect the Gotei 13, even if it means turning dead Shinigami into his own personal squad of zombies in order to achieve that end, killing any Shinigami who turn their blades on the Gotei 13, and reanimating the Arrancar bodies he found to fight against the Quincy with.
His effectiveness is undeniable, but it is for this reason that I believe Mayuri is going to die soon. Not only is he a monster, but his death would also be quite significant as one of the more well-known and prominent Captains in the Gotei 13.
The Undead Feel No Love
After Mayuri is done explaining how he made Kensei and Rose into his zombies, Pepe fires off a Love Kiss that hits Kensei, and boasts about how he managed to turn Giselle's zombies with "The Love" in the past - right before being punched in the face.
This is another thing that sets Giselle's zombies apart from the ones Mayuri made Rose and Kensei into: apparently, Giselle's zombies can be affected by any ability that invokes a certain emotion, so they are not completely emotionless as her undead zombies (what we saw with Bambietta and Toshiro is proof of that).
Mayuri's zombies, however, are completely emotionless, a fact that leaves Pepe completely flabbergasted and slack-jawed.
Cue Kensei channeling his inner Jotaro and repeatedly punching Pepe (including one punch right at the family jewels) and sending the Stern Ritter flying into a distant building. It is clear from this that Pepe is not a physical combatant, and his ability is not geared towards actual battle either, hence his attempted sneak attack on Kensei, and his trying to kill Byakuya only when he had him immobilized.
In other words, his ability is dangerous, but take it away and he is reduced to a squishy wizard.
Comeuppance from the Glutton
As Pepe tries to recover from his beating and says he will never forgive those "loveless bastards", Liltotto shows up in front of him as the chapter ends, seeming to have dealt with Meninas off-screen. Given that Pepe caused Meninas to punch Liltotto in the fact, I reckon that the Glutton will want serious payback against Pepe.
------------------------------------------------------
Given the amount of focus that has been given to Mayuri and his take on the philosophy and duties of the Shinigami of the Gotei 13, I can definitely see that the volume this chapter will be collected in will have Mayuri on its cover, and I can almost say with certainty that Mayuri is about to die soon.
Beyond the Pages - Introduction
Bleach is a Japanese manga that is published in Weekly Shounen Jump magazine. Written by Tite Kubo, it has been ongoing since August 2001.
Bleach began as a story about a boy who could see spirits named Ichigo Kurosaki, who met a female Shinigami named Kuchiki Rukia who gave him the powers of the Shinigami in their first encounter so he could protect his family from a spiritual being called a Hollow. Since then, the story has expanded far beyond this basic original premise.
"Beyond the Pages" discusses the various concepts existing in the story in a blog format, as well as gives weekly reviews of each Bleach chapter.
Bleach began as a story about a boy who could see spirits named Ichigo Kurosaki, who met a female Shinigami named Kuchiki Rukia who gave him the powers of the Shinigami in their first encounter so he could protect his family from a spiritual being called a Hollow. Since then, the story has expanded far beyond this basic original premise.
"Beyond the Pages" discusses the various concepts existing in the story in a blog format, as well as gives weekly reviews of each Bleach chapter.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)