Bleach: Thousand Year Blood War Makes a Major Change to Nell

Of the many Arrancar that were introduced in Bleach’s anime, a fan-favorite has always been Nelliel. While Ichigo might have been fighting against Grimmjow and the other Espada in the past, a common enemy has united the Arrancar and the Soul Society under one banner. Now that the Wandenreich are at full power, Yhwach has taken on the power of the Soul King unto himself and the Shinigami are in dire straits. Luckily, Nel and Grimmjow have arrived in time to help out Ichigo Kurosaki and it would appear that the former has a neat new trick up her sleeve.

Since Nell first hit the scene in the supernatural shonen series, she hasn’t so much been an enemy to Ichigo Kurosaki, but a “frenemy”. The Arrancar initially weren’t all too happy with the Soul Society, giving the Shinigami quite the challenge on their hands. For Nelliel, she instantly became infatuated with Ichigo and didn’t find herself attempting to take him down alongside the other Soul Reapers, Now that both the Shinigami and the Arrancar are united in an attempt to take down the Sternritter, the enigmatic Urahara has given Nel a significant new piece of technology that changed the game for the fan-favorite character.

Nelliel’s New Ability Explained

In the past, Nelliel has struggled with a part of her supernatural self in that she would routinely transform from an adult body to a child one. In working alongside Urahara, Nel has received a new piece of tech in a bracelet that now allows her to switch between her two forms at will. In having a hilarious reunion with Ichigo, Nelliel makes the bold claim that she might never return to her “mini-form” and might remain in her adult body forever.

Of course, not everyone is a fan of the Ichigo/Nel reunion. Grimmjow misses the chance to have a rematch with his eternal rival, the substitute Soul Reaper, while Orihime can’t help but be a tad jealous once Nel jumps all over Kurosaki. Despite the feelings regarding this reunion, the Soul Society is better off now that the Arrancar has joined their side in the Blood War.

The Blood War Continues

While the Soul Society has assembled its ranks and the Arrancar are standing at their side, their chances of victory against Yhwach and the Wandenreich remain slim at best. The leader of the Sternritter has absorbed the full power of the Soul King, meaning that Yhwach not only has the power to see the future before it happens, but is now on the same level as a god. Needless to say, the Quincies are standing tall in this conflict that remains one of the biggest of the 2024 fall anime season.

At this point in time, we are more than halfway through the Blood War’s events, as Bleach has confirmed that this series will be four seasons long. It will be interesting to see if the fourth and final part will arrive next year in 2025, and whether or not this will be the final journey for the Soul Society on the screen. The Thousand-Year Blood War was initially the final arc for the shonen series though creator Tite Kubo did return to create a brand new chapter in Bleach: No Breathes From Hell. As of the writing of this article, Kubo has not confirmed if he will create new stories from the Soul Society though the Blood War has certainly had fans wanting more Bleach.

Want to stay updated on all the happenings of the Soul Society? Follow along with Team Anime on ComicBook.com for the latest updates on the Shinigami and hit me up directly @EVComedy to talk all things comics and anime.