Bleach Reveals Villain’s Shocking Weakness (And What This Means For The Blood War)

The third episode of Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War Part 3 has arrived and the Soul Society is on its back foot. Thanks to Yhwach unleashing his deadliest technique “The Almighty”, Ichigo Kurosaki and his human allies are struggling against the villain’s ability to foresee nearly any attack. Unfortunately for Ichigo, his background as a Quincy is not helping their situation as the shonen protagonist was forced to slice the Soul King in half due to his genetics. While things seem bleak for the Shinigami, a last-minute weakness has been revealed regarding Yhwach that might prove to win the war for the anime heroes.

Warning. If you have yet to watch the latest episode of Bleach’s Thousand Year Blood War, Episode 29, be forewarned that we’ll be covering massive spoiler territory. This latest anime installment might feature the likes of Yhwach and Aizen prominently but the episode also goes into detail when it comes to the past of Soul Society captain, Jushiro Ukitake. In the 13th Squad captain’s earlier years, he suffered from a lung disease that was threatening to cut his life short at the age of three. Ukitake’s parents left with few options, prayed to the presence known as Mimihagi, a fallen deity that grants their request. The spirit has returned to collect on their bargain and Ukitake is now becoming something far different from what he once was.

Yhwach’s Big Weakness

Ukitaka has officially become the “right hand of the Soul King”, meaning that there is still a chance that the lord of the afterlife can be saved. Unfortunately, this also means that Jushiro is giving his life in service of his higher-up and might not make it out of the Blood War alive thanks to this gambit. Even though the Soul King has been sliced in half, Ukitaka’s new status is revealed at the perfect time.

To refresh anime fans’ memories, Yhwach’s big new power is dubbed “The Almighty” and allows the Wandenreich leader to see into the future. This makes attacks sent his way almost guaranteed to be dodged or countered in a way that is beneficial to the Quincy leader. However, once Ukitaka’s shadow form rises from the depths to save the Soul King, Yhwach is unable to foresee this action, meaning that the Sternritter’s power has a definitive weakness.

A Deal With The Devil

While the big villain of the Blood War might be Yhwach, he isn’t the only antagonist that is making an appearance during Bleach’s big anime comeback. During the latest episode, we witness the ned head of the Soul Society, Shunsui Kyoraku, visiting with the nefarious Aizen. With the Shinigami reeling from the Wandenreich’s various attacks, Kyoraku has a deal for Aizen. The villain will be set free from his shackles in the Soul Society and brought to the surface, as Shunsui believes Aizen has the same goals as the Shinigami about the Sternritter.

Unfortunately, Aizen isn’t too thrilled to have visitors and despite the deal, is more than happy to demonstrate his power by taking the fingers of a Soul Society grunt in a bloody display. While Yhwach might have revealed a weakness here, Aizen’s power is nearly impossible to overcome, even with Ichigo’s previous power barely helping the substitute Soul Reaper to eke out a win. Should Aizen and Yhwach meet and have a battle to the death, all bets are off as to which villain will take home the victory.

Want to stay up to date on all things related to Bleach’s Thousand-Year Blood War? Follow along with Team Anime on ComicBook.com for the latest updates on all things Soul Society and hit me up directly @EVComedy to talk comics and anime.