Bleach Cliffhanger Sets Up a Heartbreaking Betrayal

By Evan Valentine

Bleach's Thousand Year Blood War brought back the Shonen anime adaptation after years of absence from the small screen, presenting Ichigo and the Soul Society with their most deadly challenge to date via the Wandenreich. With Kurosaki and company licking their wounds after their first horrific encounter with the Sternritter, the first cours of Pierrot's production has ended, and with it, anime viewers were given a surprising turncoat in the final moments of the latest installment. Needless to say, Ichigo and his allies have a lot to worry about in their anime future.

Warning. If you have yet to see the latest installment of Bleach's Thousand Year Blood War anime adaptation, be forewarned that we'll be diving into major spoiler territory.

While a good percentage of this episode focused on Ichigo discovering a new Zanpakuto, losing his sword in the fight against the Wandenreich leader Yhwach, the season also introduced new aspects to the substitute Soul Reaper's origin story. Kurosaki's parents just so happened to be a Shinigami Captain and a member of the Quincy family, with the latter being infected by a Hollow that gave Ichigo the status of an anime "swiss army knife". With the Sternritter being a faction of the Quincy Clan, the traitor might not come as a big surprise when it comes to one of Ichigo's allies' origins.

Bleach: Quincy War

The final moments of the last episodes of the Thousand Year Blood War's first cours see none other than Uryu Ishida approaching Yhwach, the leader of the Sternritter, seemingly working for the nefarious Quincy branch and creating some serious new problems for both Ichigo and the remnants of the Soul Society:

bleach-ishida.jpg
(Photo: Pierrot)

While this might come as a bombshell reveal, it is also entirely possible that Ishida is working undercover in an effort to discover how to take down Yhwach and his nefarious legion. Of course, this will be easier said than done as the Sternritter leader has proven that his strength seems unbeatable at the moment, though hopefully Kurosaki's new sword, along with the training that other Soul Society members are currently undergoing, will be enough to end this Thousand Year Blood War once and for all.

Do you think Ishida has truly left Ichigo and his friends behind to join up with his family? Feel free to let us know in the comments or hit me up directly on Twitter @EVComedy to talk all things comics, anime, and the Thousand Year Blood War. 

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