Bleach: Thousand Year Blood War was not just a long-awaited anime adaptation of BleachThe final story arc, but it also proved to be worth the wait, as the anime improved on the manga’s story in many ways. The creation of the original manga was fraught with problems, from pacing and deadline issues to Tite Kubo’s failing health, so the anime offered a chance to rewrite the story as Kubo always dreamed.
Thousand Year Blood War portrays the conflict between BleachThe Soul Reapers and the Quincy, a group they believed had been practically wiped out a thousand years earlier. With the return of their seemingly unstoppable leader, Yhwach, the Quincy begin an attack on Soul Society that causes mass destruction, and at the same time, Yhwach is increasingly closer to his true goal: the destruction of reality and the creation of a new universe. . The revelation of other Quincy pits Ichigo and his Quincy friend Uryu against each other, bringing a personal element to the fight for survival.
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Yamamoto’s final fight has been extended
Episode 6, “The Fire”
Captain Yamamoto’s final battle in the series was extended in the anime, with many additional scenes of his combat with the Sternritter who disguised himself as Yhwach, Royd Lloyd. Given that this is the first time fans have really seen Yamamoto let loose and use his full power, it was certainly satisfying to see him fight even better than he did in the manga.. Most notably, several flashbacks were added to Yamamoto’s original battle with Yhwach 1,000 years ago, showing how the two fights were parallel.
The added gunshots have the effect of driving home the seriousness of this battle and make Yamamoto’s ultimate fate all the more shocking as his power has been exposed more fully. Yamamoto may not have fought Yhwach, but it was still an honorable death.
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Introducing the original 13 captains
Episode 7, “Born in the Dark”
The anime adaptation added scenes that harken back to the original confrontation between the Quincy and the Soul Reapers 1,000 years ago and Included among them was a photo of the first generation of Soul Reaper captains. There are some familiar faces in the group, like Yamamoto and Unohana, but there are also a number of new characters, designed by Kubo, who are shown off for the first time. These characters are seen again in flashback during episode 9, “The Drop,” offering a more detailed look at some of these captains, whom Kyoraku calls the strongest generation of captains.
Fans were especially excited about the addition of these new characters, as many believe they will be relevant to the “Hell Arc” that was first introduced in the anniversary special. While that remains to be seen, Soul Society’s additional story is still appreciated by most fans.
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Ichigo’s Irazusando Training
Episode 15, “Peace of Shadows”
Thousand Year Blood War added some very important new scenes of Ichigo’s training with Squad Zero, depicting him traveling along a path known as “Irazusando” – a forbidden path that leads to a shrine. Ichigo must simply walk the path, but with each step it becomes more difficult, and as he progresses, Ichigo begins to receive visions of the Soul King’s life, including the very creation of the world in its current state, as well as the Soul King’s dismemberment.which made it the cornerstone of reality.
The scene was hotly debated when it debuted, with many fans believing this to be a test to see if Ichigo was a potential candidate to become a new Soul King. Given that Ichigo managed to reach the end of the path, it appears he passed the test.
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Shinji Hirako’s Bankai Revealed
Episode 16, “The Fundamental Virulence”
Tfacilitated in the first previews of part 2, the reveal of Captain Shinji Hirako’s Bankai, which had been ignored in the manga, became a highly anticipated moment in the manga. Thousand Year Blood War anime. Shinji’s Bankai, when activated, manifests as a giant flower that releases a pink mist, causing confusion among friends and enemies, causing enemies to destroy each other.. It immediately becomes clear why Shinji doesn’t often use his Bankai – he’s a serious threat to his own allies.
Shinji’s Bankai skill is certainly valid, but it only makes sense to use it in situations like this where allies have already been killed. Of course, he still has a weakness: attacking indiscriminately can still allow enemies to target Shinji, and that’s exactly what happens when he faces Bambietta Basterbine.
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Squad Zero demonstrates its true power
Episode 26, “BLACK”
The battle between Squad Zero and Yhwach’s elite guard is very different in the anime. Instead of being defeated, the other members of Squad Zero kill each other, unlocking a blood seal on Senjumaru Shutara’s Bankai. Senjumaru uses his Bankai on all of the members of Yhwach’s elite guard, creating bespoke prison dimensions for each of them that reflect their final fates in the manga.. Even Uryu is captured this way, and the Quincy are completely unable to fight his overwhelming power.
This change had a huge impact on the way Squadron Zero was perceived by fans. While many felt they fell easy in the manga, this new scene revealed just a glimpse of what these elite Soul Reapers were capable of, and appears to have finally proven them worthy of their incredible status.
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Ukitake’s additional backstory makes his sacrifice more poignant
Episode 29, “The Black Arm”
The anime takes time to delve into the story of Captain Jushiro Ukitake, revealing exactly how he became the host of the Soul King’s Right Hand, Mimihagi. Born as a sickly child, his parents prayed to Mimihagi, who was then seen as a local deity in the poorer neighborhoods of Soul Society. Ukitake’s lungs were possessed by Mimihagi, who took pity on his situation, allowing him to live a long, normal life and become the successful Soul Reaper that he was..
Adding this backstory to Ukitake just before he makes his sacrifice, giving his entire body to Mimihagi, adds to the tragic element of this and emphasizes what a heroic figure Ukitake is. For him, his entire life has been borrowed time and he is happy to fulfill what he has always considered his ultimate destiny.
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Yhwach’s past has been greatly expanded
Episode 14, “The Last 9 Days” (and others)
Yhwach’s past is expanded upon in several episodes, showing past events such as his encounter with Ichibe 1,000 years ago. Yhwach’s birth and childhood are also revealed, as he is exalted among the people whose souls are linked to his – the Quincy. These flashbacks help give more context to Yhwach’s actions; the scene with Ichibe in particular shows the moment when Yhwach decided to destroy the current reality and that this was the only option available to him.
While these scenes don’t fully vindicate Yhwach, they do make him a slightly more sympathetic character, someone who saw his father humiliated and used to maintain a world order that does the Quincy a great disservice. Just like Ichigo, Yhwach has a goal he wants to accomplish, and their opposing wills must conflict.
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Yhwach and Ichigo fight
Episode 28, “Kill the King”
Part 3 of Thousand Year Blood War added a new major fight sequence between Ichigo and Yhwach, where Ichigo gets to exercise some of his new powers. Ichigo initially appears to be doing very well against Yhwach, but Yhwach soon reveals that he wasn’t using Almighty, and once he starts doing so, things go bad for Ichigo very quickly.. While the end result is the same as the manga, the new fight scene is certainly exciting, and it makes more sense for them to clash here than not.
The change helps make it clear how wide the power gap between Ichigo and Yhwach is, while also making Ichigo look better for putting up a real fight, even against such a powerful opponent, especially when fans had just seen Yhwach defeat totally Ichibe.
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Uryu defeats Senjumaru
Episode 27, “A”
Since Senjumaru used his Bankai to imprison Yhwach’s elite guard, something that didn’t happen in the manga, there should have been a scene that showed how they escaped, as characters like Uryu still have a big role to play in the manga’s version of the plot. . This led to the creation of a new fight scene between Uryu and Senjumaru, where he gets to go toe-to-toe with the powerful member of Squad Zero for some time.. When it looks like Uryu might lose, he manages to use his power Schrift, the Antithesis, to reverse the situation, putting Senjumaru at his mercy.
A common complaint about the manga version Thousand Year Blood War it’s just that Uryu is a little too passive for a story seemingly centered around him, and this fight puts Uryu in a much more significant position, making him directly responsible for freeing Yhwach’s elite guard.
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Uryu and Ichigo fight
Episode 30, “The Traitor”
In the manga, Uryu and Ichigo have a brief confrontation, which results in Uryu knocking Ichigo off the Soul King’s Palace, causing him to fall below. However, this scene doesn’t really represent what a confrontation between these two friends should be. The anime added a long fight sequence between Uryu and Ichigo, with Ichigo reluctant to hurt his former friend.. Uryu uses his Quincy Vollstandig on screen for the first time, something he never did in the manga, and even manages to compete with Ichigo’s Getsuga Tensho, albeit briefly.
This scene carries a lot of emotional weight as the two finally fight and reveals Ichigo’s Quincy heritage to Uryu for the first time. It also further explains how Uryu manages to gain the trust of Yhwach’s elite guard, as he has apparently proven that he has no qualms about fighting his former friend. Due to the emotional impact alone, this is the most significant added scene in Thousand Year Blood Warat least so far.