“He no longer breathes or has heartbeats”: Tite Kubo Gave Stranger Powers to Izuru Kira, But 1 Thing About Him Still Bothers Bleach Fans

Recently, Tite Kubo’s Bleach anime series shocked the entire fandom by releasing two episodes together to mark the ending of Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War cour 3 “Calamity.” The two episodes were incredibly important as they gave insight into what the fourth cour will portray and how the Soul Reapers have been progressing against the Quincies.

Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War | Credit: Studio Pierrot

Both Bleach episodes featured some great moments, but one aspect that was totally unexpected for anime fans was the return of Izuru Kira, the lieutenant of the 3rd Division in the Gotei 13 of Soul Society. Kira was one of the first characters who died during the beginning of the invasion by the Quincies, and he was absent from the central narrative for a long time.

However, his return is not as simple as it may look. It looks like he has become more powerful than before, and he refers to himself as a dead person. This has led to fans questioning how he is able to function and how he was able to come back from the dead, making up for one of the strangest aspects of Bleach.

Izuru Kira returns from the dead

December 28, 2024, saw the release of Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War episodes 13 and 14, which marked the ending of the third cour of the series. These episodes were basically the setup for the fourth cour, which is why they left a lot of things on a cliffhanger. The biggest cliffhanger among them all was certainly the return of Izuru Kira, who was pronounced dead in episode 3.

His death was a shocking aspect as it marked the beginning of the first invasion of the Quincies in Soul Society in Bleach. He was shot through the chest by Bazz-B, a member of the Wandenreich’s Sternritter, who took him by surprise. His attack left a big hole in his chest, which would have killed any normal character, and that’s what was supposed to happen.

Izuru Kira Shot Through the Chest | Credit: Studio Pierrot

However, when the clones of Lille Barro started falling and attacking the Soul Society, Izuru came out of the shadows and sliced one of them quite easily. It was a hint that Tite Kubo had given some kind of power-up to Izuru, who calls himself a dead person. The fourth cour of Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War will reflect more on his return and how he managed to become stronger even after almost dying in Bleach.

Is Izuru Kira dead or alive?

Kira’s return has sparked a huge debate about whether he is dead or alive, considering the state he is in. As Bleach fans saw, he still has a hole in his body, but it is somehow attached through rods, and he has also gained a hand to control his Zanpakuto. Not only that, but he also received some kind of strange power that helped him take down one of the clones of Lille Barro.

Izuru Kira Returns From The Dead | Credit: Studio Pierrot

According to the Bleach manga, Izuru Kira was saved by Mayuri, the captain of the 12th Division in the Gotei 13 and the 2nd president of the Shinigami Research Institute.

The Beginning of the Revive of Tomorrow, a short novel by Ryogo Narita from the Bleach franchise’s 13 Blade databook, sheds more light on Izuru’s condition and how he came back.

In the novel, it is revealed that Mayuri rescued Kira using a body remodeling technology that allowed him to survive the massive attack by Bazz-B. Not only that, but the body remodeling technology provided extra power and strength to Izuru, making him one of the strongest characters in Bleach.

Bleach is available to watch on Hulu.