Bleach Will Implode if Tite Kubo Doesn’t Answer a Painful Plot Hole That Makes the Quincy Stronger Than the Shinigami

After its 10-year hiatus, Bleach is turning heads with its stellar sequel. The series is centered on the Quincy Blood War arc that underlines the strife between Shinigami and Quincies.

With impeccable animation and splendid visuals, Studio Pierrot brings out Tite Kubo’s brilliance in each scene. And while the series is at its Third Cour, several questions remain unanswered mostly.

Uryu and Ichigo in a still from the Thousand-Year Blood War anime | Credit: Studio Pierrot

This includes the burning mystery of all time which is yet to be addressed in the anime. The chokehold that the quincies have on the shinigami extends to their powers as well. Several fans have pointed to this aspect incessantly.

And though irregular power scaling is a common problem in most anime, Tite Kubo has yet to explore this element. Partly, though, there is an explanation for this plothole as well which seems too convoluted for the most part. This further circles back to the incessant plotholes in the series.

Why are Quincies stronger than Shinigami?

While Shinigamis are cool and badass, Quincies are second to none in terms of their abilities. Both races are arch rivals in every sense considering their past conflicts. This makes sense, especially with the bad blood both rivals share.

As descendants of the Soul King, both Shinigami and Quincies possess immeasurable power. While the Soul Reapers rule the Seireitei, the Quincies rule the Wandenreich. There is, however, a massive difference between their strength.

Uryu Ishida in a still from Thousand-Year Blood War anime | Credit: Studio Pierrot

Despite possessing daunting abilities, Quincies have the upper hand over the Shinigami. Their ability to manipulate reishi into weapons is remarkable in every aspect. And while this seems impressive, there is a downside to it as well.

While they can absorb Bankai, manipulate reishi, and foresee the future, they’re vulnerable to hollows. Their reishi manipulation gives them an upper hand against the Shinigami. While Shinigami are made of reiryoku, they fall flat in this aspect.

A bonus to this is their Vollständig which is parallel to a Shinigami’s Bankai. It is the ultimate form that comes with its pros and cons. That isn’t to say, that Shinigami are weak, but the Quincies reign supreme in this aspect.

Conversely, Tite Kubo has yet to charter this aspect in the series. While Reishi’s manipulation and maneuvering seem plausible, it would need fleshing out. This also ties well with the glaring plotholes in the series that add to its inconsistency.

Bleach and the incessant saga of plotholes

One of the blatant criticisms of Bleach is the sheer amount of plotholes that are inconclusive for the most part. Be it Aizen’s intel on the Soul King or Yachiru having a Zanpakuto, the series’ plot inconsistencies make no sense at all.

Similarly, Quincy and Shinigami being arch nemesis is brilliantly explored through hierarchies in the sequel anime. And though Quincies’ overpowering abilities make them daunting and unparalleled, their reishi manipulation isn’t enough to dispel the inconclusiveness.

Ichigo Kurosaki in a still from Thousand-Year Blood War | Credit: Studio Pierrot

Rather, it makes the plot too convoluted for people to understand. Both races and their hatred for each other is valid. This extends to them sharing a conflicted past.

On top of that, Shinigami’s massacring of Quincy along with the latter’s hierarchy adds more depth to the plot. With anime-only scenes, the series was able to bring out the manga’s brilliance in more ways than one.

Whether or not this plothole will be addressed remains uncertain. For now, we can hope for Studio Pierrot and Kubo to work together on anime-only scenes. This would help in making the course intelligible and involuted.

Bleach is available for streaming on Crunchyroll. The manga is available for reading on Viz Media.