Bleach Speculation (Chapters 300+)

[ChristianKitsune]

EDIT Wrong thread! XD'

[Bap]

solike. I was just wondering and stuff the other day... and like. Orihime and Chad got their powers from being near Ichigo with his reiatsu stuff spilling out around him, and being exposed to it and stuff, right? xD;;;

Butlike. Orihime's powers are like. So... superl337osms. And like... how could her powers have only come from being exposed to Ichigo? D: Do you think she might've already had some... for lack of a better word, "skill" of her own? o:

[MasterDias]

Well, I think it's quite possible that they had some sort of dormant spiritual potential in the first place. given the nature of Orihime's powers and Chad's absurd durability even before he got powers.

Really though, I have wondered if there isn't some other factor involved that caused their powers to manifest when they did, but I have no real evidence or anything.

About the latest chapter: I'm not exactly sure what to say, but Ishida seems to have his hands full. Ha ha.
I guess that leaves Rukia and Chad on their own.

[samuraidragon]

It seems the latest chapter was mainly for comic relief, or at least that was the impression I got while reading it. I have to admit though, the Espada's (can't remember her name) release was pretty nice looking.

[uc pseudonym]

It wasn't bad, though it is rather obvious she is going to die very soon (seems random, has already released, just had a chapter cover). Probably when Ishida stops running and actually fights back, presumably once he has his strategy fully developed. She's 105, which likely implies that there are at least five Ex-Expada. One for each character?

What I find interesting about this chapter is that it seems we have minor Hollows teaming up with the main characters. I would be impressed if Bleach took a strategic direction with this, but I doubt it will last.

Really though, I have wondered if there isn't some other factor involved that caused their powers to manifest when they did, but I have no real evidence or anything.

About Chad and Orihime's powers, I've always felt they were one of the weaker parts of the series. It hasn't been explained terribly well but unlike some other aspects I don't have a sense that Kubo Tite is setting up for something.

[Kami]

Okay-- I've been really busy lately and I have -finally- caught up e.e;

As to Ishida's situation, like MasterDias said: " He has his hands full"-- though I believe he will probably pull something out of his hat sooner or later =] Seeing as he did the 4-page long talk about how his powers are stronger xD;

It's been hinted at that Nell has some sort of uber-spectacular power by the other hollow [ forgot his name] ...and I'm wondering if it was how she "ate" the Cero attack and spit it back at Dordoni [ ? Sorry, the scan was fuzzy where his name was].. I can't wait to see how that turns out.

Random side note : I feel a little evil with saying this, ....but half of me kinda wants Orihime to stay with the Espada =x Does anyone else feel this way, or is it just me ? XD;

-Kami

[uc pseudonym]

I haven't actually read the newest chapter yet (no solid raw has appeared as of this post) but there is a spoiler image around the net that has Ishida carrying a sword in addition to his new bow. This could be interesting in a variety of ways, though I withold true comment until I read the chapter in full (though I'll bet Ishida doesn't use the weapon until next chapter).

[samuraidragon]

I didn't notice this, but I will look again.

EDIT: Never mind, I thought you meant 256, I didn't look at the date of the post.

[samuraidragon]

The RAW is released! Ishida does indeed have a sword.

[uc pseudonym]

It looks as though he is fighting using one of his arrows. Given the dialogue at the end of the chapter, it seems as though he intends to fight close quarters now, which given the damage his sword did to her wing will probably mean the end of the fight soon (unless she has strong regenerative capabilities or another ability).

I'm not sure exactly what I think of this. On one hand it makes logistic sense that Ishida would gain a hand-to-hand skill, but he'll lose the distinctiveness of his fighting style.

[samuraidragon]

It looked to me like there were at least four other loops he could of pulled next to the one he pulled out for the sword. I wonder if this means he has other weapons as well? Regardless, I still believe he will remain a ranged fighter, with the sword to supplement if necessary.

[Kami]

Kekeke ! I knew he would pull something out of his pants. XD

I noted that he had at least 4-5 of the arrow/sword items pinned to his belt. I'm wondering why he had so many ? Is it a one-time use sort of item, or it takes a while to charge ? Or maybe he just felt like carrying that many o.O; Anywho- It kinda gave me the impression of a one-time use sort of skill. His fight will definatly be over soon-- Maybe we will see who Chad and Renji are fighting =]

-Kami

[samuraidragon]

That's what I was suggesting in my post, maybe there are other weapons that he can use as well. I hadn't thought about it being a one use thing though, but I sort of doubt it; time will tell though.

[uc pseudonym]

Actually, that was where I got my idea that he was fighting using "arrows" of a sort, and thus he pulled one from his quiver. In any case he seems to be indicating he'll fight close-range from here on out, so unless he expects to beat her quickly the sword has to be good for a while. But we'll have to see.

[samuraidragon]

Well I just got finished reading 258. I'll wait to discus until everyone else has read it.

[uc pseudonym]

Ah, I thought there wasn't a Jump this week. I shall have to read 258, though I probably won't get a chance while I'm logged on CAA.

[samuraidragon]

There wasn't, but somehow it got leaked I guess. Since this issues wasn't supposed to be out 'til next week, and it was another double issue, we now have to wait two weeks.

[uc pseudonym]

Such is a bit annoying, yes. Anyway, I read the chapter but forgot to comment until now.

In short: I approve. It is a somewhat unique weapon, Ishida keeps his distinctive style, the fighting seems vaguely intelligent without being overexplained or trying too hard, and I've always thought that Quincys should be able to use their enemies' spirit particles.

[samuraidragon]

Finally Chad gets another arm. I've been waiting for that since he first got his power. That's interesting that he identifies his power with the hollows', but it makes sense to me. This is pure speculation, but I wonder if since Ichigo's power was what gave Inoue and Chad theirs, Chad's is tied to Ichigo's hollow?

We now know that Ishida and Chad are strong enough to survive, which leaves Renji, who we already know is captain level, and Rukia, who we can only speculate about for now. I call the next chapter being about her, haha.

What did everyone else think?

[Bap]

When you say tied to Ichigo's hollow, do you mean that in the sorta like... symbolic sense, or like, actually tied in to his actual hollow-side? @o@a Because if it's the latter, didn't Chad get his powers before Ichigo went through the whole thing with the hollow?

[Phantasmagloria]

is chad the dude who talks to animals?

[samuraidragon]

When you say tied to Ichigo's hollow, do you mean that in the sorta like... symbolic sense, or like, actually tied in to his actual hollow-side? @o@a Because if it's the latter, didn't Chad get his powers before Ichigo went through the whole thing with the hollow?

Well, I think the hollow has existed since the beginning along with his shinigami powers. Since Ichigo's reitsu drew out Chad's, I wonder if Chad was infused with the hollow's reitsu or something. Like I said, pure speculation.

I find it interesting that Chad's armor is similar to the hollows' as is his language. I wonder if he'll develop a mask.

is chad the dude who talks to animals?

Um, yes; but if you need to ask that, this probably isn't the thread for you. Read the first post by UC and see if you fall into the correct category.

[uc pseudonym]

Speaking of that post, we could be due for a title change. Perhaps when we pass chapter 300.

Finally Chad gets another arm. I've been waiting for that since he first got his power.

I approve of this upgrade. Getting another arm was a logical if straightforward step, but I really like the fact that he's been attacking with his defensive arm. This Ex-Espada is probably finished, but that process might consume another chapter before we see Renji or Rukia do anything.

Well, I think the hollow has existed since the beginning along with his shinigami powers.

That's an arguable point. Most people would say that Ichigo didn't have a Hollow side until the shaft incident. I thought your idea was rather interesting, though. Note that Orihime's power has been said to be similar to a Vaizard's, which is somewhat of a parallel.

[uc pseudonym]

Well, I'm pleased to see that this next chapter actually breaks the pattern we've been seeing recently (Person A fights Faceless Enemy A, Person B fights Faceless Enemy B, and so on). Still, you have to feel sorry for Chad. He hasn't won a battle since the beginning of the series and now that he finally gets a massive upgrade and a few chapters of glory it seems he's going to get utterly crushed again.

Unless, of course, Bleach seriously impresses me and makes it such that Chad actually can fight an Espada. Perhaps his opponent is even more of a tank than he is, but Chad is faster and can hence chip away at him.

[samuraidragon]

*still hopes for full body armor*

[uc pseudonym]

That's entirely possible, depending on how many more power jumps the characters will get before the series ends. I wonder about that myself, as it will determine how long the series will continue. It seems likely that everyone but Ichigo needs another boost before being able to fight the Espada, but the real question is just how far below Aizen the main characters are. He seems completely unconcerned with their attack so far.

[MasterDias]

With his power boost, Chad got overconfidant.
But is this new guy one of the Espada that we saw at that conference room some chapters back? I can't remember.

[uc pseudonym]

He's one of the Espada, yes, though we don't know his rank. Also, he spoke to Ulquiorra in a hallway more recently.

[MasterDias]

Well, this was unexpected.
The masked espada has a certain face from Rukia's past...

But I really am wondering how well "Team Ichigo" can possibly do against the Espada. If Chad was taken out in one hit...

[uc pseudonym]

Most manga try to end every chapter with a cliffhanger, but this is the first one in a while that's really interested me. Theoretically it can't be Kaien entirely, but I could see him somehow gaining dominance over the Hollow (though it's not certain how he survived). If this is just a cheap trick, though, I'll be disappointed.

Chad's loss basically confirms what I've been thinking: Ichigo and company can't win. However, if Espada #9 is possibly working with them or at least not entirely against them, things seem more reasonable (at least as far as finding a way to retreat until they're stronger).