Bleach’s Battle Royale Approach Works Wonders For The Blood War

Bleach’s latest season has a lot of characters, a staggering amount of characters, perhaps too many characters. The Thousand Year Blood War isn’t just taking the opportunity to introduce a handful of new villains to threaten both the physical world along with the spiritual one, it also sees all the captains of the Soul Society, the Arrancar, and Ichigo Kurosaki and his earthly friends all taking part in this new arc. While this can certainly come across as overwhelming, Bleach’s “Battle Royale” style is perfect in conveying the enormity of the events.

We’re only four episodes into Bleach’s Thousand Year Blood War Arc but in that time, a lot has happened. The overall cast, which at this point has gotta be well over thirty when you take into account heroes and villains alike, have started to take part in some serious fights. Where the biggest strength in the diversity of characters lies is the sheer number of different fights that can take place at any given time. Not only does each hero and villain represent a different side of the aisle, but their respective Bankais and/or transformations all also vary to extreme degrees, making for some exhilarating fights. 

Where’s Bankai??

The other added element that we are able to see from this pile-on is a sense of chaos that is permeating the series thanks to the arrival of the Wandenreich. The Arrancar being defeated with ease before the Soul Society had even fought against this villainous branch of the Quincies helped to show just how much of a danger these new antagonists are, especially considering how difficult it was for Ichigo and company to defeat the former in a prior season.

Another strong suit of adding so many villains is being able to see Tite Kubo’s creativity on display, with the idea that even though the Wandenreich all wear similar uniforms, each of them has made it their own and have unique abilities that look dazzling thanks to Studio Pierrot’s animation. We didn’t get much time to see some of the battles that have taken place so far as the Sternritten have already swiped their fair share of Bankais, but the sheer number of heroes and villains involved means that there is something for everyone. 

Do you think Bleach’s cast should be cut down? Who has been your favorite member of the Soul Society? 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 Shinigami.