Bleach Speculation (Chapters 300+)

[uc pseudonym]

New chapter, nothing immensely exciting. It does look like we're going all the way to 0, though, unless he plans to do something as terrible as stopping at -48.

I'm sorry but I like evil Aizen. I don't want him to turn out good.

His large panel this chapter? Yes, that was excellent. I personally am a big fan of evil!good characters, so this would be fine with me.

I'm curious as to why you think that. Of course killing the King doesn't sound particularly ominous to me, but I'm not the super villain here.

I don't really think it, I just wish it was true. As I already somewhat said, SS jumps to the conclusion that this is Aizen's goal with very limited proof: a few missing books. If Aizen was willing to fake his own death to mislead people about his goals, what makes them think he wouldn't check out some books as a red herring? I'd do it.

Also, carefully read the scene where Hinamori collapses right around this time... I think Yamamoto seems suspicious here. This might just be ambiguous art, but I'd prefer to believe it is planned. But that might be misplaced confidence, based on the following...

Did anyone else see the interview conducted by American Shonen Jump? It has some interest for us here, naturally, but one question in particular bothered me:

SJ:Do you have an ending in mind for Bleach? How much of the story is written in advance? And do you ever change your mind about what will happen?

KT: I still haven't decided how the series will end. As for how far ahead I write, that all depends. Occasionally, when I get ideas for scenes, I try to link them by imagining the most interesting route. I don't know where the scenes will go, because the ideas don't arrive in order. Things tend to be all over the place. I might think of a scene that belongs much, much later in the story, and to get there I might have to draw a lot of other things first. If there's a scene I definitely want to draw, it doesn't change, but how I get there might.

I'm disappointed. While I think he's had quite a few important scenes in mind from the beginning, this explains why certain parts of the plot are so clunky and why there are so many characters who are barely utilized.

[Doubleshadow]

I'd do it.

And the Resident Evil Mastermind makes a Freudian Slip. Or direct declaration. Whichever.

I'm hoping for some explanation as to why Azien is so powerful. The "just 'cause" explanation isn't terribly interesting to me.

[GeneD]

New chapter, nothing immensely exciting. It does look like we're going all the way to 0, though, unless he plans to do something as terrible as stopping at -48.

I was hoping for some Urahara vs. Aizen action. Oh well.

I don't really think it, I just wish it was true. As I already somewhat said, SS jumps to the conclusion that this is Aizen's goal with very limited proof: a few missing books. If Aizen was willing to fake his own death to mislead people about his goals, what makes them think he wouldn't check out some books as a red herring? I'd do it.

I see what you mean. He did go through a lot of trouble, but to leave careless "evidence" like that behind seems quite unlikely. I will be disappointed if it was an oversight on Aizen's part.

I'm hoping for some explanation as to why Azien is so powerful. The "just 'cause" explanation isn't terribly interesting to me.

I've never thought about that before, but I agree it would be nice to get a proper explanation.

[Elycien]

We do need to remember though, that since the time Rukia was found in the real world, Aizen was the one giving the orders as the central 46, if I remember correctly. So technically we haven't seen much of how they work.

The fact that no one suspected that the central 46 were acting abnormally is a bit worrying though. It suggests that it's not unusual for them to push executions forward for no reason etc.

I'm not a big fan of General Yamamoto as the current person in charge though.

I dunno, it did seem to worry several of the captains, but they didn't try to do anything about it. So perhaps, even though it was abnormal, they're so powerful/possibly vindictive that no one wanted to argue back.

These chapters have destroyed my favorite cracktheory, though. XDDD Which was that Urahara was actually the King of Soul Society.

Time to replace it with my second-favorite cracktheory... HANATAROU is the king of Soul Society!

[ich1990]

I'm hoping for some explanation as to why Azien is so powerful.

[spoiler=]Becuase he is the illegitimate child of Urahara and Rukia.[/spoiler]

Actually, I am hoping that his deadliness is based more in trickery than actual skill or power. Perhaps he uses his sword to mess with the perceptions and senses of his opponent.

I seem to recall him shredding ban-kai Hitsugaya by catching him off guard. That could have happened because he is so insanely powerful, but then you have to ask yourself why the SS members didn't notice that they had someone so strong in their midst (perhaps by using one of Urahara's special cloaks?). I think a more likely explanation is that Aizen used his sword to make it seem like he was standing still, when he was actually attacking. The appearance of speed, not speed itself.

If this is indeed the case, how do you fight someone like that?

[uc pseudonym]

I'm hoping for some explanation as to why Azien is so powerful. The "just 'cause" explanation isn't terribly interesting to me.

Agreed. I have some hope because his power seems a bit unusual - Orihime and others have commented about it occasionally - so Kubo might have something in mind. But I'd accept even "he trained really hard" if he's given a motivation for doing so. If his sole purpose is the generic strength speech he gave at the end of the SS arc, I'll be disappointed.

Actually, I am hoping that his deadliness is based more in trickery than actual skill or power. Perhaps he uses his sword to mess with the perceptions and senses of his opponent.

I am an advocate of the theory that he does both. While he definitely used this against Komamura and probably used it against Hitsugaya, he still has to be fairly strong in order to take out a Captain in one shot (he also stopped Ichigo's Bankai with a finger). Furthermore, if he is to be believed about using twice a normal Captain's reiatsu to activate the Hogyoku, he's in Yamamoto's league.

If this is indeed the case, how do you fight someone like that?

I wonder exactly the same thing. Kubo had better have a good idea in mind for this.

[GeneD]

If this is indeed the case, how do you fight someone like that?

It will probably involve Ichigo, fatal wounds that don't quite do the trick and some epic power up/transformation. Heck, maybe someone will even actually die.

[Kawaiikneko]

I wonder exactly the same thing. Kubo had better have a good idea in mind for this.

Somehow, I doubt it. All of Ichigo's victories usually come about by believing in himself more or remembering his purposes or otherwise having some sort of epiphany, and then attacking with stronger brute force. I'm thinking the pattern probably won't break.

Heck, maybe someone will even actually die.

Oh, I hope! So many authors ruin otherwise poignant moments by bringing the character back to full health within a few chapters... Hinamori? How much stronger and serious would his betrayal be if Aizen had killed her for good? (Unless, of course, his intentions aren't entirely evil and he left her enough room to live on purpose... in which case her living is acceptable.)

Thought of something else. Has Ichigo ever seen him release his sword? Because the illusion only works against people who have seen it... hm?

[uc pseudonym]

No one dies in Bleach!

(Unless, of course, his intentions aren't entirely evil and he left her enough room to live on purpose... in which case her living is acceptable.)

Or if his intentions were completely evil and he has a reason for leaving her alive. I'm hoping he didn't almost-kill so many people just out of arrogance.

Thought of something else. Has Ichigo ever seen him release his sword? Because the illusion only works against people who have seen it... hm?

Yeah, I've done some thinking about this as well. That had better not be a "Ichigo is our only hope" type of thing. But even so, how hard would it be for Aizen just to release it in the battle? I see a variety of possibilities:
1) Ichigo has to fight blindfolded or without looking at Aizen often.
2) Ichigo gets random anti-illusion power because he's the protagonist.
3) Aizen's Bankai/Vaizard release is normal and he never uses his shikai (this would be terrible).

[LadyRushia]

I think Tatsuki should kill Aizen. That would be totally unexpected, XDD.

But in all seriousness I get the feeling that Orihime is going to fight back sometime. so she may be more involved in the next battle than expected.

[GeneD]

I found some Bleach "rules" (well they're more like guidelines). Some of them are good, some okay. I had to edit some harsh language out, but just check that I got everything. Hope you enjoy them, it's pretty late right now, so I'm laughing at everything.

•Aizen: When he say jumps you say "how high", when he asks if you enjoyed your tea you say "Mmmm you've got to give me the recipe!"

•Style matters: Espada strength is gauged by who has the best tailor and hair stylist...if you dress like a filler scrub chances you are a (so to be dead and forgotten) filler scrub!

•Defeat: If you lose to the main character and you're still alive guess what buddy...YOU'RE A SIDE KICK! Welcome to eternal FAIL

•Double teaming: Noooo; fight the ridiculously powerful hero on your own, you can beat him...really.

•You can't beat Kenpachi: You'd have a better chance jumping off the page and killing Tite Kubo

•You can't kill Rukia: She is like a cockroach...she can survive a nuclear cero winter.

•Death: It doesn’t happen to the good guys. At the very most, they will be rendered incapacitated for a while.

•Blood: Renji has all of it and he's AB+ so he won't give any to you.

•Spanish: The worse you use it, the better it sounds as a name.

•Espada: They have double consonants in their names for no apparent reason.

•Rukia: Darn it! Almost got her that time!

•Hueco Mundo: Where tea is served...best.

•New rule: No matter where he is Byakuya will ALWAYS save Rukia

•Orihime: If your a villain and you touch her your gonna die, someone’s gonna kill you okay.

•Sneering: The more you sneer, the more likely you are to replace it with a "WT_, I got pwned" face.

•WT_ I got pwned face: Appears on your face whenever the opponent reveals his next level of awesomeness.

•Make-up: Guys can wear it too, as long as you can back it up with a Cero.

•Hotness: You can be the father of the apocalypse, but if you're not fangirl-worthy then you just can't make the cut.

•Smile While You Work: While fighting, always smile so it looks like you were expecting everything and that you would, hands down, win every battle.

•Flashbacks: Either in the beginning of the battle or at the end (before you get your but handed to you), you or your enemy must have a flashback to prove the significance of a battle (and clog up anime and manga as well).

•Ultimate Defence: If you have one, you are 100% sure to be killed in the 1 or 2 episodes after you show it.

•What Do You Mean, Justice?: If you are a blind bad guy, and your belief is that justice is what you're aiming for by going bad, is just an excuse to try and be cool.

•Ichigo and Rukia: If you have almost defeated them or if you have already defeated them, be very afraid. They will come back to beat you to a pulp.

•Fighting - if some upbeat rockish music starts playing then the good guys probably think they’re gonna win. When this music plays you have a 75% chance of surviving depending on how many times you’ve fought already.
*Immunity Clause-this has no effect on you if you are Aizen Sosuke and you will proceed to pwn with one of your index fingers. :

•Smiling: Just do it. Creeps the heck out of people.

•Cero: Rather than using an extremely powerful move (eg. cero) to take an enemy by surprise and rid of them quickly and conveniently, you must confront them first and use weak attacks. Only when you are weak can you use a strong move, which flops due to your tiredness and ends in your doom.

•Death: If you do not die, it is mostly because you have a large army of fanboys/fangirls that the creators do not want to upset. There are a lot of merch opportunities for you too!

•AIZEN: No one leaves the table during Aizen's tea time, NO ONE!!

•Lazy: Turns out that the lazier you are the stronger you seem to be.

•Facial Expressions: If their facial expression never/rarely change regardless of situation, chances are they're very powerful and generally hard core.

•Stabs: It doesn't matter if you're stabbed in the chest, stomach, shoulder; anywhere. YOU WILL LIVE!

•Hueco Mundo: "Free arm! Free arm! Who needs their arm replaced?!"

•Sado: getting pwn3d all the time sucks...but hey someone has to make Ichigo look good!

•Random Breezes: If you stand still in the middle of a fight, or you just got told a big plot twist/revelation/event, a breeze will come by and make your hair move to make it look more dramatic.

--As for how to fight Aizen, I don't see what could stop him from releasing his sword in a fight with Ichigo, but I'm sure there will be something. Or Ichigo will be able to defeat him regardless due to protagonist-power.

[Doubleshadow]

And so we have returned to the present, or so it is suggested. I find myself wondering how Yourichi acquired her information and shape-shifting abilities.

To elaborate on my wonderings about Aizen; hypnotic abilities would not explain how he convinced Kaname to join him, or how he manipulated the menos to his side unless they are also subject to his manipulation.

[Elycien]

My inital reaction to the ending of the flashback was "awwww."

My second reaction was "but this might mean more Hanatarou."

So 's all good. ^__^

hm, about Aizen... I imagine neither of those would have been too difficult - offering potential power (Arrancar-form) to the Menos, and convincing Kaname that his was the way of "Justice." Pity we don't get to see how he accomplished that though, especially with Kaname. I didn't think he'd been on Aizen's side for so long.

Now though, I kinda wonder why Urahara didn't say anything about Aizen to Ichigo before sending him off... Although, really, I suppose it didn't much matter - Urahara couldn't have had any idea that Aizen was the one behind Rukia's sentence, and Ichigo really didn't care about Soul Society politics so long as he got Rukia back safe. *shrug*

[uc pseudonym]

It ends with -97? This is pathetic. Unless he plans to pick up the flashbacks again, that's just ridiculous. There were twelve of these, so he could have gone -108, -100 . . . -10, -1, 0. That at least would have been a meaningful countdown.

Anyway, now we have the specific details on the past. Urahara wasn't exactly exiled for the gigai, but it's not worth it to try to reconcile everything.

To elaborate on my wonderings about Aizen]
Unless his Bankai can mind-control or something similar. After all, he's lied about his abilities before. But I think we have indication of the motives for both Kaname and the Menos joining him.

Now though, I kinda wonder why Urahara didn't say anything about Aizen to Ichigo before sending him off... Although, really, I suppose it didn't much matter - Urahara couldn't have had any idea that Aizen was the one behind Rukia's sentence, and Ichigo really didn't care about Soul Society politics so long as he got Rukia back safe. *shrug*

Though shouldn't Urahara have known or at least suspected? Something like that would definitely raise a lot of red flags given that Aizen has already successfully gotten a ton of officers exiled.

[Doubleshadow]

Yup, definitely back in the present. Does anyone else think, upon looking at that first frame, that Aizen stopped and got a perm between dimensions?

So, the old guy laws down the law. Not a bad start to the fight. I'm glad Orihime is showing some strength, and I want to see what that female espada can do. Seeing the vizards and shinigami meeting up again could be interesting, too.

[LadyRushia]

Yup, definitely back in the present. Does anyone else think, upon looking at that first frame, that Aizen stopped and got a perm between dimensions?

He totally did, XD. A dimensional perm is a necessity for any villain about to go to war.

[GeneD]

I thought it looked more like a mini-afro, but "perm" works as well.

It interesting that there was some disscussion concerning how to go about fighting the Espada, instead of the usual "I have the motivation to fight and I will defeat you. Rawr."

I found it funny when Shunsui Kyoraku yelled at Ukitake to get down, since they almost fought Yamamoto before and know what he can do. It's good to see that Bleach still has a little humour.

[uc pseudonym]

I'm disappointed that he took the cheap route of having Aizen and company not involved. Right now I'm not sure if I can trust him to know what he's doing. On the other hand, it would be cool if just when SS seems to be winning the three former Captains step in and change everything. But anything would be better than another scattering of fights that all stop abruptly.

Does anyone else think, upon looking at that first frame, that Aizen stopped and got a perm between dimensions?

You're not the only one by a long shot. On a certain Bleach discussion forum I browse occasionally they have an entire thread devoted to theories about how the difference in humidity between Hueco Mundo and Japan messed with his hair style.

[Doubleshadow]

You're not the only one by a long shot. On a certain Bleach discussion forum I browse occasionally they have an entire thread devoted to theories about how the difference in humidity between Hueco Mundo and Japan messed with his hair style.

Nice to know they're doing something constructive with their lives.

[randomuser83]

Well even with Aizen and his bad hair are locked away it still seems like the 13 squads are still going to get beaten. I wonder if anyone will die in this fight?

[GeneD]

Minus the cool picture on pages 2 and 3, is it just me or did anyone else think this chapter was a bit pointless? Oh well, filler chapter.

[uc pseudonym]

I'm actually glad it only took one chapter to get Ichigo to Ulquiorra. For a while I was worrying he'd have to battle his way up the tower and things would last another 50 chapters before we got to see anything interesting. But doing it in one chapter makes the pacing seem rushed, so I know what you mean.

Where did the Captains go, though? They'll just be ambling around Hueco Mundo, then?

Well even with Aizen and his bad hair are locked away it still seems like the 13 squads are still going to get beaten. I wonder if anyone will die in this fight?

Yeah, one has to wonder. Given Bleach's track record, I imagine either no one will die or one character will do so dramatically.

[GeneD]

Where did the Captains go, though? They'll just be ambling around Hueco Mundo, then?

Eating the dust of protagonist power perhaps?

I liked the new chapter. Now that you mentioned it I'm appreciating the fact that things seem to be moving along.

[AlyssHeart]

Okay! I am way late on this!! But...and this may have already been asked...and I am sorry, but just rambling on here...when one dies in the soul society...what happens? I mean...they are already dead, so...? I don't know...anyway, the other one is...can people be born in the soul society? Or...did Yamamoto..was he just...there...I am sorry...if this is stupid no one has to answer at all...I have just always thought about this..sorry its way off subject to where you guys are though!

[GeneD]

Okay! I am way late on this!! But...and this may have already been asked...and I am sorry, but just rambling on here...when one dies in the soul society...what happens? I mean...they are already dead, so...? I don't know...anyway, the other one is...can people be born in the soul society? Or...did Yamamoto..was he just...there...I am sorry...if this is stupid no one has to answer at all...I have just always thought about this..sorry its way off subject to where you guys are though!

According to Wikipedia

Children can even be born as they are in the human world.

but I'm not sure where this is mentioned in the story. From what I can remember I think souls that die in Soul Society get reincarnated into the real world. In other words, they are born into the world again, creating a continuous cycle of souls between the two places. I might be wrong though.

[uc pseudonym]

Furthermore, do people born in Soul Society get reincarnated as soon as they die, or do they get a free extra life? I suspect it's the former, but the latter would be interesting.

I liked the new chapter. Now that you mentioned it I'm appreciating the fact that things seem to be moving along.

Yeah, this chapter was alright. I hope to see more of the top three Espada, getting to know them better as well as learning their ranks. This chapter might suggest that the old guy is #1, but that isn't certain - there's certainly animosity between the three of them.

Anyone else vaguely irritated that the end chapter text calls a collection of random and medium-strength characters the "elite"? Sure, they're characters the readers know, but character shields don't mean much in Bleach.

[AlyssHeart]

Hmmm...I have thought about the continuous cycle theory before...its possible...and about the baby thing...not being mentioned before? It could possibly be Rukia...you know...I believe she was a baby when her sister abandoned her...but I am not sure if they had died in the real world or not...it never mentioned that, so I have no clue. Oh, and thank you for helping me out...=) it is much appreciated.

[ich1990]

Anyone else vaguely irritated that the end chapter text calls a collection of random and medium-strength characters the "elite"? Sure, they're characters the readers know, but character shields don't mean much in Bleach.

Me. At first I thought it was a translation error, but I am beginning to think that they are actually supposed to be "elite". Why would Yamamoto make such a tactical mistake? These four pillar things need to be defended, so he sends out a low tier Captain, a Lieutenant, a third seat with bankai, and a fifth seat? It doesn't make sense to me. Any of these people would die instantly to the top three espada. However, if Yamamoto and company can keep the top three busy, then these four could probably hold out against lower ranked hollows for a little while.

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.

[LadyRushia]

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?

[GeneD]

Anyone else vaguely irritated that the end chapter text calls a collection of random and medium-strength characters the "elite"?

Yeah, that was strange. ichi1990's theory seems to make sense to me. But then again, these "elite" should be able to handle lower class arrancar. Why they are called "elite" I really wouldn't know.