Discussing the additions and symbolism in the first 2 episodes of Bleach: The Thousand Year Blood War’s third cour: “The Conflict”
Being a Bleach fan has been pretty good for the past few years. While the manga finished publication back in 2016, there’s been no shortage of new content. In 2021, the manga’s author Tite Kubo dropped the “No Breaths From Hell” chapter, which dropped lore about Hell and teased a potential comeback for the manga at some point. Kubo’s been answering questions about the series on Klub Outside, which has been very enlightening and generated a lot of discussion on forums. A new video game has been announced. Most relevant to the topic at hand, the Bleach anime has finally adapted the ‘Thousand Year Blood War’ arc. Under the supervision of Kubo, the adaptation has been stellar so far. It already promises to be the definitive version of the arc with a plethora of expanded scenes and lore that Kubo couldn’t put in the weekly release due to time constraints and poor health.
The four-cour arc has now begun its third cour (that’s anime lingo for “quarter”, a 3-month broadcasting block) and the first two episodes “A” and “Kill the King” have already been released. They feature the new opening “Without Words” by Six Lounge, a rock song with multi-layered lyrics about defying fate. The accompanying visuals are mostly monochromatic, with colours reserved for prominent character’s eyes, sword guards or powers. The striking imagery is reminiscent of the opening for the first cour, “Scar“, which contrasted greyscale characters with vibrant magenta environments.
Both episodes are excellent, and definitely worth watching if you’re a fan of the original series or manga. If you’re new to the series I wouldn’t recommend diving into them blind, start with Bleach and then watch Bleach: The Thousand Year Blood War from episode 1.
Continue reading for a more detailed breakdown. Spoilers ahead!
The first episode shows both Yhwach and Uryu Ishida demonstrate the powers of their “A” schrift against their Squad Zero opponents. This is already more content than the manga, in which all of Squad Zero was dealt with off-panel (apart from Ichibei). The second episode ends up being a lore-rich spectacle that shows vignettes of Yhwach’s past with his father, the Soul King, and how the Soul King came to be the lynchpin holding the three worlds together. It features a fight between Ichigo and Yhwach that mirrors the battle from the end of the first cour, and concludes with Ichigo being manipulated to “kill the king”. The manga didn’t make it explicit, but the anime notes that Ichigo’s nature as a perfect hybrid of every spiritual being in the three worlds makes him the final piece of the puzzle necessary to break the seal on the Soul King and unravel the ties that bind the current world.
It’s a strong opening set of episodes that feels just as novel for manga readers as it does for anime onlies. The animation is fluid and well-directed (Yhwach using his schrift at the 9 minute mark for both episodes was a highlight), the use of colour is stellar and the voice actors provide some great performances. If you’re familiar with Bleach you won’t be surprised by the predictable rhythm of the battles, however. You can pretty much guess the outcome of Yhwach’s encounter with Ichibei when the monk starts chanting a full incantation for a few minutes (historically any attack that’s been augmented with a complete chant while its target remains motionless is then rendered powerless in a casual display of dominance by said target). Regardless, it was executed in a way that that presented all combatants as formidable.
I would also argue the second episode doesn’t utilise the characters in Ichigo’s entourage very well. Orihime gets a cool moment where she instantly heals Ichigo, but she shows no urgency in trying to repair the Soul King, even though her being shown to be powerless to do so would have only added to the drama at the time. I can’t fault Chad or Ganju for not trying to attack Yhwach, since they (and especially we as the audience) have no reason to believe they would not be a hindrance in this circumstance. Despite that, the episode delivers on providing poignant imagery and satisfying interactions between the central characters.
Kubo often creates contrasts between any two characters that find themselves in opposition or cooperation. The aesthetic of the Arrancar arc was facilitated by his desire to see a shinigami with a mask fight a hollow that took their mask off, for example.
In the first episode, Yhwach uses his schrift ‘The Almighty’ to circumvent Ichibei’s abstract and frightening abilities. Yhwach’s powers basically allow him to see and control fate, which is something Ichigo attempts to defy every arc, whether its imposed on him by the stringent laws of an ancient Soul Reaper military organisation, a man with a reality-altering marble grafted to his chest, or even another Substitute Shinigami. It’s a subtle way of propping him up as Ichigo’s final boss. Meanwhile, Uryu fights against Senjimaru, who has already disposed of the other Schutzstaffel with her bankai (Shatatsu Karagara Shigarami no Tsuji), which traps her enemies in tapestries that manga readers have noticed reflect fates these Quincy will experience later. Uryu overcomes her ability with “The Antithesis”, which reverses the situation between any targets. In this case, Uryu is reversing fate, foreshadowing friction with Yhwach later as well as potentially explaining how Uryu managed to survive Yhwach purging mixed-blood Quincy 9 years prior. Finally, both Yhwach and Uryu powers are shown activating with their eyes.
The revelation of the Soul King’s name (Adnyeus, a romanisation of Adonai, a gnostic god) and his death at Ichigo’s hands provides an interesting parallel to Ichigo’s self-perception as a celestial body in the orbit of his mother, and how he blames himself for her death and the loss of familial stability she provided. It reinforces his moon symbolism and Aizen’s own theme. i.e. Aizen’s zanpaktou is Kyoka Suigetsu or “Mirrowflower Water Moon”. Aizen wanted to become the new Soul King, but the illusory moon that had made a mockery of all efforts to reach it was soundly defeated by Ichigo, the true moon (who dealt the winning blow with “Mugetsu”, a technique whose name means ‘moonless sky’ that would cast no reflection).
This itself is an iteration on similar symbolism used during the Soul Society arc. Renji wasn’t able to defeat Byakuya, the main antagonist of the arc, who used the “kyoka suigetsu” idiom to describe the difference in ability between them. Renji’s attempt at his sword’s full release was like a monkey reaching at the Moon’s reflection, whereas Byakuya’s station and refined bankai cemented him as the Moon sitting in the sky in the analogy. This paved the way for Byakuya’s final confrontation with Ichigo, who reached Byakuya’s heights with Zangetsu (“Slaying Moon”, or “Moon Cutter”, depending on how you want to read it) and its bankai, Tensa Zangetsu (“Heaven Chain Slaying Moon”.
The fact that the Soul King is named after a demiurgic being also highlights that Yhwach himself, for all his powers, isn’t the son of a “true” god, just a being powerful and important enough to be worshipped as one, and it underscores that the Soul King was never a being of worship, just someone who is being used by an institution for pragmatic purposes.
There’s more meaning to be found in the opening too. The intro opens and ends with a hand reaching out to specks of stardust, which demonstrates how Yhwach’s Almighty ability lets him see all possible futures like grains of sand, and choose them accordingly. Ywach chooses the future where the Soul King is his for the taking and ends the opening in the form he takes after absorbing him. The scenes in between are mostly hints at the upcoming confrontations between the Schutztaffel and everyone left standing from the previous season (and Aizen, who’s been sitting down for over 2 years).
The lyrics of the opening directly address the main theme of the series: to overcome your fears and face them head-on, especially in the face of death. While every relevant faction knows exactly what happens when people die (whether they do it in a flesh and blood body, or as a spirit) they all show an apprehension to it and the majority of the main cast have been affected by it in some form. It’s powerful stuff, that harkens as far back as the very first arc (e.g. the lyrics about praying bring Orihime’s backstory to mind). The track’s name— “Without Words”—highlights Ichigo’s tendency to understand his opponent’s thoughts and feelings through combat. A clash of zanpaktou and other spiritual powers is essentially the two people baring their souls at one another, which is apparent throughout some of the best battles in Bleach (as well as explaining the heavy use of imagery and Kubo’s preference to communicate things implicitly).
Interestingly, some of the scenes towards the end of the OP seem to hint at what is going to happen during the 4th and final cour. A majestic-looking Renji gets a decent amount of real estate (it’s like he traded getting a trailer for Rebirth of Souls for more shine in this), followed immediately by Uryu using his antithesis power with softer-looking eyes. These both allude to the climax of the manga. Whether this is just a teaser of things to come, or an indication that things have been rearranged remains to be seen.
I have had my fill yapping about Bleach for the time being. You can watch the series on Disney Plus, new episodes drop on Saturday. Check out Dandadan’s opening by Creepy Nuts if you want to feel the vibes of a brand new up-and-coming anime, or just want to listen to good music.
He/Him
A flamboyant ultra nerd, Dave participates in the Underlevelled Tournament both for the thrill of the fight, and to avenge the orphans lost in the climax of the previous tournament.
Born: London
Height: ???
Weight: ???
Hobbies: street dance, collecting manga volumes, reading, editing
Likes: short-to-medium walks on the beach, pointing out how things can and will be misconstrued as racism, fighting games, RPGs, anime, Hades, alternative hip hop, conscious hip hop, Mara Wilson, overly long bios, ice-cream
Dislikes: insincere media, his own uncanny resemblance to Richard Ayoade, mayonnaise
