Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War Killed Off Another Major Fan Favorite

The Thousand Year Blood War same some major players fall before the Wandenreich in Bleach’s major anime comeback, but the latest episode gave viewers a death that some might not have seen coming. In deciding to fight back against the Sternritter, the Soul Society has decided to take a different approach in attempting to boost Kenpachi’s strength, with the original “Kenpachi” Unohana being dispatched in a fight to the death. Now, fans are taking the opportunity to say goodbye to a real Shinigami. 

Not only did this latest episode see Unohana, the original Kenpachi and member of the thirteen captains that helped create the Soul Society, face down Kenpachi in a bid to help him learn to wield his Bankai, but it also explored the past between the two. Earlier in her career, she was confronted with the man who would become Kenpachi as a child, and despite his young age, the latter was more than a match for the Shinigami. In fighting against Kenpachi, Unohana realized that she had to leave everything on the line when it came to unlocking her opponent’s true strength, and she certainly did.

R.I.P. Kenpachi

Unfortunately, the original Kenpachi, Unohana, was killed during her battle with the man who would take her name, bidding farewell to her most beloved foe, with the current Kenpachi managing to hear a voice from his sword that might just be his long-awaited Bankai awakening:

I'm psychologically destroyed.

Unohana's death was, without a doubt, the one that hurt me the most. I was paralysed for 10 minutes and just after that I fell into tears without stopping. It's going to hurt for a long time.

Damn you, Kenpachi. #BLEACHTYBW #BLEACH_anime pic.twitter.com/4Lf8E8PHn0

— Dandadan Migraine (October ‘24) (@Creatormigraine) December 12, 2022

The upcoming finale for Bleach’s first cours of its big anime comeback will be an hour long, and the series has yet to announce when the Thousand Year Blood War Arc will resume. However, fans will have plenty to look forward to as the season has confirmed that it will be over fifty episodes long, and based on the events taking place in the manga, there is plenty more death to come. 

Tite Kubo has yet to confirm if the manga will return with new chapters, following the special one-shot that landed last year and showed us the Soul Society years following the Blood War’s conclusion, though based on the resurgence of the Shonen franchise, it’s becoming more likely.

What did you think of Unohana’s death scene? 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 world of the Soul Society.