Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War Earns Respect for Perfecting a Bankai Tite Kubo Made Too Strong for the Manga

Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War is truly splendid in terms of its animation, pacing, and stunning visuals. With every Cour, Studio Pierrot has taken it up a notch with its finesse. This holds especially true for epic fights and showdowns.

The sequel outdoes its precursor in many aspects but mostly, with its well-paced storyline and character designs. In particular, the anime amped it up by replicating one of the badass moments from the manga.

Rukia Kuchiki in a still from the anime | Credit: Studio Pierrot

Most specifically, the sequel breathes life into Tite Kubo’s badass character and his Bankai. It would be a gross understatement to call it a visual masterpiece. In one of the most epic showdowns, Thousand-Year Blood War’s finesse would have most critics tucking their tails.

Above all though it also points to the element of power scaling in Kubo’s manga. From overpowered to banned, the mangaka left no stone unturned to lend badassery to the characters in terms of their Bankai.

Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War notched up the strongest Bankai in the series

While Bleach may not have impeccable world-building, the series peaks in its impressive power system. One of the most overpowered abilities in the series is Bankai. Apart from kido and shunpo, it is one of the lethal skills of a Shinigami.

To put it simply, it is the ultimate strength of a Shinigami. From Soi Fon to Ikkaku Madarame, Kubo gave his characters some of the ridiculous bankai in the series. On other occasions, though, he gave some of the most broken abilities to the Captains.

Shinji Hirako in a still from the anime | Credit: Studio Pierrot

Be it Byakuya or Unohana, Kubo is a true genius in carving the characters’ Bankai according to their persona. While the former’s Senbonzakura represents the elegance and grace of the nobility, the latter’s bankai Minazuki is symbolic of her latent bloodlust.

Above all, though, the mangaka went the extra mile in his conception of Shinji Hirako’s Bankai. As one of the most lethal abilities, it is considered banned in the Seireitei along with Kenpachi Kuruyashiki’s Bankai. But there’s more to it than meets the eye.

Shinji Hirako’s bankai Sakashima Yokoshima Happofusagari is so formidable that it was barred from the Soul Society. It is one of the most forbidden abilities in the Seireitei that can overturn the outcomes. Its ability to confuse foes makes it potent and lethal in every aspect.

Thousand-Year Blood War brilliantly showcased the broken ability in Cour 2. Notably, Shinji uses it against Quincy soldiers where they attack their allies and kill each other eventually. It may be true that edginess and power-scaling go hand-in-hand in Kubo’s series.

Power scaling and edginess go hand-in-hand in Tite Kubo’s series

Tite Kubo’s characters would put most Shonen heroes to shame in terms of their edginess. His series tops the charts in terms of characterization along with the power-scaling aspect. This ties in well with the side characters taking center stage in the Thousand Year Blood War series.

Genryusai Yamamoto in a still from the anime | Credit: Studio Pierrot

Be it Yamamoto or Senjumaru, Pierrot left no stone unturned in making it wholesome for most fans. The visuals are reminiscent of gameplay, along with the power-packed battle scenes. And though fans have pointed to irregular power scaling, it all balances out.

Apart from that, the series features anime-only scenes that flesh out instances from the manga. From Senjumaru’s daunting abilities to Yamamoto’s showdown, Thousand-Year Blood War takes the series to a whole new level.

By and by, Pierrot understood the assignment well and exceeded the fans’ expectations. It is no wonder the anime is regaining its lost glory in every sense.

Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War is available for streaming on Hulu. The manga is available for reading on Viz.