Bleach Speculation (Chapters 300+)

[uc pseudonym]

My theory: Tite Kubo is looking for a way to reintroduce fan-favorites into the fight, despite how irrational it would be to do so. He calls them "elite" at the end of this chapter so you are not too shocked when they start whooping hollows way stronger than them. A sort of plot-less power-up if you will.

We are basically of one mind, then. I don't care so long as they don't get fights while the Captains and company do nothing.

I don't recall seeing those guys fight ever so they might be stronger than we think. Or maybe they're secretly elite and hold those lower ranks as a cover?

No, we've gotten some indication of all of their abilities. Though I don't blame you for forgetting - I haven't even bothered to remember all their names.
Ikkaku: has Bankai, but it took everything he had to beat a Gillian Arrancar.
11th Third Seat: He beat the 69 guy, but he's not even as strong as Ikkaku by his own words.
Kira: Vice-Captain who seemed on par with people like Rangiku. Also a massive fan favorite in Japan.
69 Guy: Beaten as mentioned, hasn't done much else.

[ich1990]

Ikkaku: has Bankai, but it took everything he had to beat a Gillian Arrancar.

I remember him barely surviving the Gillian fight, but didn't he have his "limit" in place at that time?

[uc pseudonym]

I remember him barely surviving the Gillian fight, but didn't he have his "limit" in place at that time?

It's unclear. Renji says that only Captains and Vice Captains have a limiter in the real world, so if his Bankai is really a secret than he might never have been under a seal. If he was sealed, however, then that makes him a rather powerful opponent.

[Fish and Chips]

So apparently, Barragan has the ability to summon quirky minibosses from nothing and nowhere.

Verily he is a ruthless opponent.

[uc pseudonym]

See, this is almost exactly what I didn't want to happen. Most of the characters in the series are in the middle of town, including every fielded character I care about, and instead we get to see Ikkaku and Pals. This is "almost" because it hasn't yet skipped over the massive battle while we see Ichigo or the pillar fights.

The four elite warriors could have been Urahara, Yoruichi, Isshin, and Uryuu the elder, but no...

[LadyRushia]

The four elite warriors could have been Urahara, Yoruichi, Isshin, and Uryuu the elder, but no...

Yeah, seriously. I miss seeing Yoruichi fight. These four would've made more sense to use. Maybe Kubo is trying to be fair to the characters he never pays attention to.

[Fish and Chips]

Maybe Kubo is trying to be fair to the characters he never pays attention to.

Yeah, that's it.

[Doubleshadow]

Well, at least we can be certain the manga-ka hasn't lost his sense of humor or is now taking himself too seriously.

Charlotte Coolhorn. Whoa.

[LadyRushia]

LOL yeah. Bleach has had some of the most entertaining villains I've come across in awhile, XD.

[ich1990]

This new chapter just about made me cry. WHY do we have to agonizingly watch these four fight it out with bad guys pulled from Barragan's hat? Seriously, after all of this waiting through the history arc, etc., etc. I really would like to see something of importance happen on the battlefield.

[Doubleshadow]

So, another few chapters long fight from members of the B-team and convenient instant cannon fodder. However, this chapter has two quite welcome bright spots. I liked the colored pages this time around, and seeing the arrancars something other than white on white. Also, I found Kiras speech in this chapter mature, accurate, and a great break for the usual glamorization of the inane and despicable. I'll never look at Marigolds the same way again. It was also nice to see the manga-ka tie together the seemingly random like that.

[GeneD]

I liked Kira's speech too. I'm very glad the "Charlotte Coolhorn" fight is over.

[Mave]

Echoing the thoughts of the last two posts, Kira's speech was great. It was a much-needed refreshing change to the previous fight, which was very....strange.

[uc pseudonym]

If my month of silence didn't make it clear, I've stopped caring about Bleach. According to inside sources, I may start caring again in roughly two pillar fights. Really, it is remarkable both how long Bleach kept my interest and then how abruptly it lost all of it.

That having been said, Kira's speech could have been worse.

[ich1990]

That having been said, Kira's speech could have been worse.

Yah, I was thinking that it was kind of generic: "Fighting is bad, but I am gonna kill you anyway." Still, it was better than the previous fight's theme, "I am going to become more beautiful than you by bathing myself in the aesthetics of violence."

Still waiting for the "Elite Four" fights to get over with so that the real fun can begin again.

[MasterDias]

If my month of silence didn't make it clear, I've stopped caring about Bleach. According to inside sources, I may start caring again in roughly two pillar fights.

I actually feel similarly. I generally enjoyed the flashback, but lost my patience with yet another round of fights (and this time especially, between shinigami I don't care about and throw-away arrancar.) Tite Kubo is striking me as a rather inconsistent author at this point. What happened to everything I enjoyed about the earlier arcs?

[MasterDias]

Well, Komamura is probably my least favorite of the Captains gathered there, but I would still prefer to see him fight than any of those four, assuming he didn't just get OHKO'd by that punch...

[uc pseudonym]

I'm glad to see we won't have to see Ikkaku's fight (unless he comes back). Komamura is at least an underused character.

Well, Komamura is probably my least favorite of the Captains gathered there, but I would still prefer to see him fight than any of those four, assuming he didn't just get OHKO'd by that punch...

If he was, that would make him a fairly pathetic character (worse if he uses his Bankai, then loses anyway). Basically his entire contribution to the series would have been getting beaten several times.

[Fish and Chips]

If he was, that would make him a fairly pathetic character (worse if he uses his Bankai, then loses anyway). Basically his entire contribution to the series would have been getting beaten several times.

Isn't is sad, Sasakibe?

Tite Kubo tipped a couple of the captains' hands too early. Anyone who's already released their Bankai and lost is basically cannon fodder for the rest of the series (Mayuri is an exception to this since he has SCIENCE). By contrast, anyone who hasn't, or hasn't used it, is fair game. I have my money on Yamamoto, Shunsui and Ukitaki, and Gin and Aizen. Tosen, Komamura, and Hitsugaya, not so much.

[GeneD]

I liked the chapter title: Knockdown Monster. It has a nice ring to it.

Can anyone explain to me what Kira did to the "I'm so pretty" shinigami (I can never remember his name)? I thought he spat on his face at first, which is beyond gross, but apparently it’s “just a shinten” or at least that’s what I understood for the exchange. Not that I know what a “shinten” is.

I'm glad to see we won't have to see Ikkaku's fight (unless he comes back).

Ditto. The only reason I might have wanted to see the fight is if that arrancar used his zanpakuto. It’]Tite Kubo tipped a couple of the captains' hands too early. Anyone who's already released their Bankai and lost is basically cannon fodder for the rest of the series (Mayuri is an exception to this since he has SCIENCE). By contrast, anyone who hasn't, or hasn't used it, is fair game. I have my money on Yamamoto, Shunsui and Ukitaki, and Gin and Aizen. Tosen, Komamura, and Hitsugaya, not so much.[/QUOTE]I don’t know about Hitsugaya, he has a lot of fan backing. I don’t know if Tite Kubo will be able to resist using him.

[uc pseudonym]

Isn't is sad, Sasakibe?

Tite Kubo tipped a couple of the captains' hands too early. Anyone who's already released their Bankai and lost is basically cannon fodder for the rest of the series (Mayuri is an exception to this since he has SCIENCE). By contrast, anyone who hasn't, or hasn't used it, is fair game. I have my money on Yamamoto, Shunsui and Ukitaki, and Gin and Aizen. Tosen, Komamura, and Hitsugaya, not so much.

Precisely. The only exception to this standard shonen rule is Ichigo, because he is the main character. He can use his Bankai so often that no one really cares anymore (just speaking theoretically, you understand) and it won't matter.

[quote="GeneD"]Can anyone explain to me what Kira did to the "I'm so pretty" shinigami (I can never remember his name)? I thought he spat on his face at first, which is beyond gross, but apparently it’]
When are we talking about, specifically?

[quote="GeneD"]I don’]
I suspect this will happen only if he has something new, though. We've seen a lot of his Bankai, perhaps even more than fandom can merit. Either he will have done some training, or his Bankai's petals will be a countdown to a bigger attack.

[GeneD]

I suspect this will happen only if he has something new, though. We've seen a lot of his Bankai, perhaps even more than fandom can merit. Either he will have done some training, or his Bankai's petals will be a countdown to a bigger attack.

Yeah, I see what you mean. I actually forgot about his "petals". They represent a limit to his bankai, right? So if anything new comes from him it will probably be about surpassing his limit or getting "full" bankai...in about another 300 chapters.

[uc pseudonym]

So, some stuff happened, theoretically we're done with the pillar fights, that's not why I'm posting here. In Kubo Tite's interview at Comic-Con, published in the most recent American Shonen Jump, there was this question and answer:

SJ: Will you ever do an Aizen backstory?
Kubo: Will I...? To be honest, I think part of Aizen's appeal is that he's mysterious. It probably wouldn't be good for his character if I revealed everything about him. If I felt the urge to tell, maybe I would, but I'm just not sure right now.

...if I ever had the opportunity to meet him in person, I think I wouldn't take it. I also fundamentally disagree with his point: mysteriousness is not an end unto itself, it generates interest because it withholds information that is desired and will presumably be given at the appropriate time.

I also had an abrupt realization concerning the key leading to the royal dimension: we know that Aizen needs 100 000 souls and a large area to create it. Given that he learned this by researching how the one that already exists was developed, that means that Soul Society killed that many people at some point in the past. So even if he succeeded, that really just makes the score even.

This is yet another point where Bleach seems to cast Soul Society in a villainous light. If this is one of the few things that is actually planned the plot twist will be great, but right now it is simply bizarre. Can Kubo Tite be doing this subconsciously?

[Doubleshadow]

This felt like a filler chapter. Hopefully, the main captains proclamations indicate that the fights upcoming will be the final fights for this battlefield. I wouldn't be surprised if one more super-powered bad guy appeared, but I'm anticipating the defeats in this next foray being permanent.

[uc pseudonym]

I'm fine with this chapter so long as these are the only battle declarations and after this we get nothing but plot development or fighting. It could still take an entire volume for everyone to show their sword releases, given how those tend to go.

On that subject, I was vaguely amused that the last chapter ended with "The real battle is finally beginning." I couldn't help but mentally add "Twelve chapters after it should have started."

[ich1990]

On that subject, I was vaguely amused that the last chapter ended with "The real battle is finally beginning." I couldn't help but mentally add "Twelve chapters after it should have started."

Yes. At the end of this chapter I thought to myself, "Well, the fighting almost started this chapter." I am a bit spoiled with FMA, so I am getting impatient with Bleach.

[Ingemar]

I have my money on Yamamoto, Shunsui and Ukitaki, and Gin and Aizen.

Haven't caught up, but I'm betting Aizen's bankai is--

[SIZE="7"]THE END[/SIZE]
[SIZE="1"]btw Aizen wins[/SIZE]

[uc pseudonym]

Nearly two months after the battle finally started, something happens that I care enough about to bring back this thread. I was irritated when it looked like we were going to see yet another fight from the Pillar crowd, but instead we get Yamamoto. Maybe we'll also get to see some of the real battles?

Also not bad to see Kido get some use as opposed to Ichigo's "hit things with swords" strategy.

[MasterDias]

Yeah, I thought Hinamori looked really cool when she blasted multiple enemies at once, even if it was ineffective.

Although, it is sort of amusing seeing this thing easily blast through all these vice-captains. Now, I'm predicting Yamamoto will OHKO it.

[Garjzla]

i enjoyed seeing all the new kido and it is gunna be ovious yamamoto is gunna kill the chimara