The Underscore
September 16, 2010, 03:11 PM
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420 Deicide 22
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Bleach chapter 419, Deicide 21 [Transcendent God Rock], after being rated by 53 voters gets an average score of:
7.7
Great
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Aizen just kept falling and falling from his position as invincible God, to overpowered Hollow. The thing that made Aizen turn into a monstrosity, is the topic of last week's poll. Last week, Aizen suddenly transformed, much to his own surprise. Where his other evolutions were sought out, his latest evolution was caused by the Hougyoku's desire not to lose to a mere human. Or at least that's what Aizen thought. Well then, is this a sign of the Hougyoku taking things over now? Here's what you guys thought:
Three voters don't think the Hougyoku is taking over for Aizen. They probably believe that the Hougyoku is just protecting its master, or itself through Aizen, but Aizen is still in charge. Besides, how could someone like Aizen be manipulated by an inanimate object, even if it has a soul?
Ten voters plain didn't care about this. Whether the Hougyoku takes over or not, things are moving along whether they like it, or not. So who cares? The other sixty-three voters, apparently ;).
25 voters weren't sure whether the Hougyoku is taking over or not. There have been some signs that could prove this theory to be true, then again, there's more than enough proof to say otherwise. "Maybe" is the safest way to go in this case.
35 voters, however, answered the poll with a yes. The monster we saw last week only wore a part of Aizen's visage, but it wasn't the good old Aizen they loved (to hate). The Hougyoku probably had enough of having to transform Aizen so often in such a short time, so he might as well take the body out for a spin to see where it gets him...
Revelation
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Don't blink, don't blink... wait, this situation means we'll get a flashb~~
Aizen showed a vibrant display of power last week after what seems to be his final transformation. Where Ichigo was capable of crushing a 90's level Hadou with his bare hands, Aizen's final transformation gave him enough power to actually injure Ichigo, be it only slightly. Aizen wanted to finish Ichigo off with what seemed an evolved form of a Cero, but Ichigo was done playing with Aizen. He threw Aizen off and promised us the Final Getsuga Tenshou. The traditional black reiatsu that is fired by Ichigo's Tensa Zangetsu suddenly starts pouring out from Ichigo's right arm as Aizen witnesses something incredible. Where we only see Aizen's face from Ichigo's perspective, Aizen looks as Ichigo as he can't help but wonder what "that form" is. At this point we could expect to see a new Visored form for Ichigo, but before we get to see Ichigo's new form, we finally learn how he obtained it.
Path to ascension
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With vertical becoming horizontal, falling down gets a bit tricky, you know?
The first thing we see in the flashback of Ichigo's training is that Ichigo's Tensa Zangetsu suddenly snaps. After weeks, months, of beating, the blade finally broke. But breaking Tensa Zangetsu isn't enough for Arrancar Zangetsu, as he blasts Ichigo into one of the buildings. But Ichigo won't stay down for long as he immediately repositions himself away from his opponent. Where Ichigo started his training in despair, Ichigo now looks more like he did after facing off against Aizen a couple of chapters ago. More collected and focused, though this isn't shown in his inner-world. I'm not entirely sure what Kubo wanted to show with this as the current state of Ichigo's inner world suggests he's still drowning in despair. While the purpose of defeating Arrancar Zangetsu is to crush that which brings Ichigo despair and to obtain the Final Getsuga Tenshou in one go, I would expect some gradual changes reflected in Ichigo's inner world. Either way, Ichigo still doesn't give up, even after weeks of fighting.
Perhaps all the fighting is what caused Ichigo's behavior to change like this. Ichigo has proven to develop best during fights, so after fighting for a couple of weeks straight it isn't too strange for him to have learned to use a poker-face as he does here. Then again, Ichigo's determination may be the reason he looks like this, as he tells Arrancar Zangetsu he won't fall until he obtains the Final Getsuga Tenshou. In spite of this determination, which Old-man Zangetsu once yearned for, Arrancar Zangetsu isn't willing to give his master the power of the Final Getsuga Tenshou.
Arrancar Zangetsu charges towards Ichigo, who starts thinking about his current situation. No matter how you look at it, Ichigo is at a disadvantage at this point. He's been fighting for weeks and Arrancar Zangetsu doesn't even have a scratch on him. Arrancar Zangetsu is so powerful, that he would be able to easily defeat Ichigo if he wanted to. In spite of him not wanting to teach Ichigo, he still faces him in a fight instead of rejecting him from Ichigo's inner world. But all Ichigo senses from Arrancar Zangetsu's blade is sadness. Once again, Ichigo shows us that he has the ability to read his opponent through the clashing of Zanpakutou, though since he fought Gin he has been able to use this during the battles, instead of interpreting after the fights. After reading Arrancar Zangetsu's heart, Ichigo makes a bold decision.
Suicide?
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Don't try this at home kids, only do it in your inner world when guided by your Zanpakutou
Ichigo throws away what remains of his blade, much to Arrancar Zangetsu's surprise. As Arrancar Zangetsu's blade pierces Ichigo, he gives Ichigo his compliments. Arrancar Zangetsu then tells Ichigo that the Final Getsuga Tenshou isn't acquired by only accepting his blade. Though it is strange for Arrancar Zangetsu to say something like this to the master he just stabbed, we suddenly see Ichigo in prime condition. Not only that, Ichigo tells Arrancar Zangetsu that the blade in his chest doesn't even hurt. Arrancar Zangetsu then explains that it only makes sense that it doesn't hurt. The Tensa Zangetsu he wields is Ichigo, so as long as he accepts himself there is no reason he would feel any pain. In spite of his master being safe, Zangetsu starts crying.
Ichigo asks Zangetsu why he's crying, though he probably already knows the answer deep down inside. Zangetsu then refers to the moment the battle for the Final Getsuga Tenshou started. Here, Zangetsu revealed he didn't want to protect what Ichigo wanted to protect. It was already quite obvious that Zangetsu was referring to Ichigo at this time, but now we know for sure. The moment he tells Ichigo that he was protecting Ichigo, the ocean of despair starts disappearing. Perhaps this was the natural result of Zangetsu's defeat, though this may also be Ichigo who finally realizes that even his inner-Hollow was set on protecting him. Nonetheless, Ichigo is surprised to hear this remarkable answer. As he asks Zangetsu for an explanation, he learns that the answer will come to him eventually along with the way to obtain the Final Getsuga Tenshou. For the answer had always been inside of him...
Jinzen
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Yet somehow, this means Aizen was right...
We then witness what Aizen saw at the start of this chapter. When Arrancar Zangetsu said acquiring his blade wasn't enough, he wasn't kidding. The Final Getsuga Tenshou isn't just another blast of Reiatsu, it is Ichigo becoming the Getsuga himself. But not just becoming the attack, as Ichigo is wrapped in bandages and his hair turned black, but turning his being into the attack. First thing to note is the fact that this Getsuga Ichigo has all of the essential basics Zangetsu had. The cloth wrapped around Ichigo is the combination of the Bankai transformation with the cloth he had on the Shikai. I was actually quite pleased to see how Kubo used the cloth for this final transformation. But unlike the other two Zanpakutou forms, this one doesn't have a blade anymore. It almost seems as if Ichigo's right arm has now become like El Brazo Derecho del Diablo, as opposed to Chad's left arm :amuse. But to emphasize the Bankai's part of the power, the black reiatsu it used to emit is swirling around Ichigo.
Then there's the aspect of the two beings inside of Ichigo: Zangetsu. Both the Old-man and Shirosaki are a part of Zangetsu, though only Shirosaki manifested itself more notably in Ichigo's appearance through the form of a mask and even Hollowfication at certain times. But now Ichigo's body transformed only at the hair, which has grown long -same as Ichigonator- and black -same as Old-man Zangetsu- showing that Ichigo has accepted both sides of his power and has now become one with his Zanpakutou.
In this sense, Aizen was right. A couple of chapters he did explain that beings who truly evolved became attached to their Zanpakutou. I'd say Ichigo has pushed it to the extreme in this case. Perhaps Aizen can find some comfort in this fact. But why would Zangetsu be so reluctant to give Ichigo this power? He did mention that he had to obtain more than just Zangetsu's blade and Ichigo already said that he had to become the Getsuga. Ichigo then reveals, what many of you already predicted, that he has to sacrifice all his Shinigami powers in order to use this Final Getsuga Tenshou, explaining why it is the final one.
While I was somewhat reluctant to accept this outcome, it was probably the most logical one. The only issue with this development is simple: Isshin. Isshin knew of the Final Getsuga Tenshou and most likely used it once before. Looking at the force Ichigo has at this time, we can only wonder whether Isshin had a strength similar to that before he became a husband and then a father. But more importantly: what would force him to use such excessive force to begin with? But I digress, let's see what the target of this Final Getsuga Tenshou thinks of the entity that will destroy him.
Utter defeat
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Plotkai... that's the most obvious/popular explanation
While Ichigo explains he is planning to sacrifice all his powers in order to defeat Aizen, Aizen's mind is working in overdrive. Even though Ichigo's power is obviously greater than he can perceive, the fact that he can't perceive it concerns him more than Ichigo's revelation. Aizen explains that he evolved into a being that surpassed the dimension where humans, Shinigami, and Hollows live, making it impossible for them to even sense him unless he lowered himself to their level. He compares it to him being in a third dimension, where Shinigami and Hollows are in the second dimension. But if he can't sense anything from Ichigo, where he can sense everything from the third dimension and lower, it would mean that Ichigo has achieved a completely different level of power. Ichigo has achieved a power on a completely different level from Aizen in this short period of time, be it at a far greater price.
In just over 16 years, Ichigo managed to obtain everything Aizen has worked for during decades, centuries. If this were to happen to you, you'd be agitated as well, wouldn't you? Aizen can't keep his frustration hidden anymore as he starts yelling and screaming how he shouldn't have been beaten by something so low as a human. With this, everything that Aizen was has been destroyed. From the grand mastermind who predicted everything, manipulated everything in order for him to obtain the ultimate power to overthrow the spirit king, he has been degraded to an antagonist turned monster and mad. Truly, this has been a painful sight over the course of these chapters. All that is left of Aizen is a shell of his former grandeur. Aizen has now become... Hollow.
The Moonless sky
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The end?...
When faced with a Hollow, it is a Shinigami's duty to strike him down for the sake of protecting other souls, no matter the price. Aizen, turned Hollow, is now faced by Ichigo, who is sacrificing his Shinigami powers in order to defeat him. The chained moon is now unchained, causing it to fall from the sky as it crashes down upon Ichigo's opponent, turning the night sky dark for the rest of time. The same moonless sky appears in Soul Society as the darkness devours everything as Ichigo reveals the true name of the Final Getsuga Tenshou: Mugetsu. Is this enough to defeat Aizen for good? Is this massive explosion of black Reiatsu truly the Final Getsuga Tenshou? Is Ichigo's hair turning black a sign that there won't be any Bleach in the future? Time will tell...
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Before going into this chapter, let's take a quick look at my prediction from last week:
Next week, Ichigo will start off with firing off the Final Getsuga Tenshou. Aizen will probably notice the way the chain around Ichigo's arm is disappearing during the first three or four pages. Then we'll see a reaction from Aizen, as Ichigo thinks back on what made the Final Getsuga Tenshou so dangerous that Zangetsu wouldn't want to teach him. Ichigo then fires off the Final Getsuga Tenshou, giving us a two page spread of its devastating effect. The chapter will end with Aizen completely destroyed, leaving only the Hougyoku, which will hover in the place Aizen once stood. Ichigo will then take the Hougyoku, leaving us with the cliffhanger of what will happen now as Aizen (seemingly) has met his end....
The week after that, we might get a bit of information from Ichigo, possibly seeing the side-effects of the Final Getsuga Tenshou (such as a permanent sacrifice of Ichigo's reiatsu, which even Orihime's Santen Kesshun has trouble recovering) as the scene changes to Las Noches. Here, we will Orihime and Ishida going to the place Aizen hid the Hougyoku Orihime saw. As the two arrive in the hidden chamber, they will find more than just the crumbling crystal...
Somehow I don't seem to be too far off if you ask me. Sure, some things have been turned around a bit, but that doesn't change the fact that most of the prediction did come true. Hopefully I'm right about this not being the end for Bleach just yet :amuse. But enough on the predictions, let's take get to the overview of this chapter.
The Mugetsu as a concept is great if you ask me. The power was what you would expect from an evolved being sacrificing everything he has. The price for the attack is rather steep, but Isshin is living proof that this doesn't have to be the end. Though there might be a catch, which I'll cover in the next section. The flashback to Ichigo's training was predictable as well as the result of that training. But then again, I wouldn't have wanted it any other way. This is the most logical way for Kubo to stop Aizen as it incorporates plenty of things that were shown throughout the story. From the way Shinigami obtain great power by becoming one with their Zanpakutou, to the way the Final Getsuga Tenshou is probably related to why Isshin became human. Though not a spectacular way to end things parse, it was the only option that would fit in principle.
Then there's Aizen. Though part of me is disappointed at what has become of him, I can also appreciate what happened to him. Bleach started out with Shinigami and Hollows and this chapter ended the same way. But in this case Aizen was the Hollow. Going from a great Shinigami to a egomaniacal monster obsessed with power which destroyed everything he ever was, same as what happens to all spirits that turn into Hollows. Because of the way this ties in I can appreciate this on some level. But perhaps a bigger part of me is disappointed about the fact that Aizen turned out this way.
I guess I can only state the obvious about this chapter. It was awesomely bad, or horrifically good if you will. Everything that happened made sense on the one hand, while it really seems like plot-kai on the other hand. Honestly I can't choose yet. Time will tell... let's see whether the discussions can persuade me either way.
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Mugetsu was the final Getsuga Tenshou, which was final due to it sacrificing all of Ichigo's Shinigami powers. We know that Isshin became a human at some point and he even suggested that he used a Mugetsu as well. But in spite of this, he eventually turned up as a Shinigami, using a Getsuga Tenshou against Aizen during this arc as well. This gives me three things to make your heads spin:
1) Does this mean Ichigo will have to regain all of his powers again during a new arc, where we will finally learn how he actually obtained his Bankai and Hollow control in the first place?
2) Will Ichigo still be able to turn into a Shinigami, but have a permanently sealed Zangetsu which he can use for nothing but Getsuga Tenshou's?
3)Ichigo said he had to give up his Shinigami powers, could this mean that he will only have Hollow powers left after this (and possibly become the villain himself) or did he just use the term Shinigami powers to describe them both?
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I'd say that last week's prediction could still fit and I'm sticking with that one. Just change the order a bit and you'll see that it still works as a prediction. But I'll throw in two more predictions for the heck of it.
The first one is my least favorite and I'd say most of you would agree. After this chapter ends, we will get one final chapter for Bleach. In this chapter, Yammy will come to an end along with Las Noches. Everyone will meet up with Ichigo who will have passed out after using Mugetsu. Ichigo will wake up a couple of weeks after these events where he will learn what happened afterwards. Ichigo will have lost his ability to see ghosts along with his Shinigami powers, forcing Rukia (and Renji) to visit him in their Gigai for one last time. Rukia and Ichigo will have to part ways for good this time, as she wipes his memory clean. Ichigo then picks up his life from where it was before the mess with Shinigami happened. As we learn that Ichigo is treated differently by some of his friends (Orihime, Chad, and Ishida) he will comment on how he hasn't seen ghosts for a while. The rest of the town also had their memories swiped by the Gotei 13, bringing peace to Karakura town once more. But on the last page we catch a hint that Ichigo is capable of seeing ghosts again, as he gets a request from a small girl with a chain on her chest as some ruffians kicked a tribute to her...
This second prediction is my personal favorite, even though it doesn't have Ichigo either... In the after wakes of the final battle between Ichigo and Aizen, the people who were awake in Karakura town are trapped. Only a single boy is capable of moving a bit. He then hears a man's voice as he turns around to find a Shinigami with an afro. The Shinigami offers the young boy a part of his powers, so that he can help his friends in this time of need. The boy looks around as he sees the people close to them in dire need and then decides to go along with the Shinigami's request. Before the Shinigami gives the boy his powers, he introduces himself to the boy as Zennosuke Kurumadani. The boy then gives his own name, before thrusting a Zanpakutou through himself: Asano Keigo...
That’s it for this week’s review. I hope you guys enjoyed it even if there is bound to be a lot more to be covered. Be sure to let me know what your thoughts are on this week’s chapter and/or review. I'm really curious what you guys think about this chapter as my head is still spinning a bit after reading it :amuse. I know, I know, how could I, The Underscore Mask, fail you like this? Well, the chapter blew me away and when I fell, the mask cracked a bit. So until I find some superglue I'll have to do with this mediocre Underscore level of reviewing -perhaps lower than that-, so help a reviewer out by letting me know your thoughts. Also, give any theories that you may have and vote in this week’s poll. Don’t forget to rate this week’s chapter! I’ll see you guys again next week! The Underscore will be coming back soon enough as well!
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Click on the picture above to rate this week’s chapter, and as a reminder here’s what the ratings are:
1.0: Abysmal
1.1 - 3.4: Awful
3.5.-5.4: Bad
5.5-6.9: Average
7.0-8.9: Great
9.0-9.9: Awesome
10: Perfect
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I forgot about TBTP, but that was still only, what, 12 chapters? Put all the extras together and that's a little over 15, I think. So maybe 3%. Still, it's a very significant fraction.
TBTP, I could understand giving the same name to it, since it was a break from the current story for an extended flashback. But this run of Deicides is just absurd.
Madara saying he pushed Yahiko to start Akatsuki, nice plot twist. Very nice one, IMO.
Madara saying he gave Nagato the Rinnegan? WTF? Where the hell did he get it? Madara could just be BSing Konan. Wouldn't be the first time he did it (remember what he told Sasuke about the Kyuubi attack?).
Notice though, I didn't say Naruto was picking up the slack, I said Negima. As is Mahou Sensei Negima, an entirely different manga.
And yes, I do like seeing Konan kick ass. Much better than the worthless PoS that Sakura became. I really thought she;d be more awesome. After Sasori she just totally crapped out.
Taking a second look at the chapter, Aizen's wound regeneration did see a ton more Hollow-like, kinda like Wonderweiss'. I didn't notice that until just now.
Finally, your reviews need more line breaks.
Deicide just keeps rolling and rolling... if these Deicides run into the ten percent of the chapters, I, The Underscore Mask, will be around for a long looo~~ng time... (I don't think Sogeking made enough appearances for me to make awesome intros to my, better than The Underscore's because I have a mask, reviews. )
As for the Negima picking up the slack, I thought you were also referring to the other titles after that which is why I ranted about Naruto last week :amuse. I agree on the Negima part by the way ;).
As for the line breaks... Once I start my endless ranting I can't help but writing down all my thoughts. It's like rolling a boulder from a hill. It starts off slowly, but once it gets rolling it's hard to stop and you just have to hope that it ends up where you intended to instead of against the side of a truck! :p
Thanks, Hollowfied Underscore. :amuse
You make a good point about certain themes that may be more..reminiscent than others. It's just that I remember enjoying the series more for having its own form of organized chaos...It's a pain to read through ones that seem so familiar. :darn
I remember reading a comment that questioned why Yamamoto would use a suicidal shikai technique as opposed to bankai...That came to mind with Aizen in the Deicide chapters. Aizen's transformations, as fierce as they are, haven't exactly shook the series like the Captain-Commander or the Monstrous Ichigo in terms of taking it to new levels, at least not just yet IMO (not to compare Yama and Hollow Ichigo but you get the point).
I remember Aizen's KS being the biggest deal so I really don't see why something like Aizen's bankai not being used from Gin's betrayal onwards THEN for the Hogyoku to really show its power. After all, Aizen should exhaust his shinigami self before really showing new heights of power, I think. HOPEFULLY, this is Kubo saving the best for last...:toc
Ahh, at the time I wasn't on my personal computer where I have some of the more recent manga sites bookmarked. Unfortunately, their names really don't stick out like One Manga did/does. It helps to have the volumes at hand for reference sake and if it weren't for other fans and sites like Bleach Wikia, I'd refer to a whole lot of characters as 'What's-Their-Face(s)' :sweatdrop
Rereading the same stories over and over again can be a bit bland, even if they are put in a different cover... Bleach is the fifth anime/manga I got into, (DBZ, Pokémon (so sue me), FMA, and Naruto coming before that respectively) so on some level most of it was new to me. Especially the idea of Shinigami was something I hadn't really come across. Take the table thrown for joke purposes with that and the story just grew on me :amuse.
As for why Yamamoto used the suicidal hadou instead of his Bankai. He was pretty burnt up at the time, and perhaps his Bankai requires him to wield something big, which might be hard in the state he was in at that time. Besides, Aizen was prepared for something like the Bankai as he had shown with Wonderweiss, so the hadou was a better bet at that time. But I agree that not even Aizen gave me the feel that Genryuusai did the first time he showed full force against his pupils...
Kyouka Suigetsu suddenly losing its importance is rather strange.... Maybe it will play a part soon...
As for the what's his face characters... I'll have to admit that I The Underscore stumbles across that problem as well at times :amuse.
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420 Deicide 22
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Bleach chapter 419, Deicide 21 [Transcendent God Rock], after being rated by 53 voters gets an average score of:
7.7
Great
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Aizen just kept falling and falling from his position as invincible God, to overpowered Hollow. The thing that made Aizen turn into a monstrosity, is the topic of last week's poll. Last week, Aizen suddenly transformed, much to his own surprise. Where his other evolutions were sought out, his latest evolution was caused by the Hougyoku's desire not to lose to a mere human. Or at least that's what Aizen thought. Well then, is this a sign of the Hougyoku taking things over now? Here's what you guys thought:
Three voters don't think the Hougyoku is taking over for Aizen. They probably believe that the Hougyoku is just protecting its master, or itself through Aizen, but Aizen is still in charge. Besides, how could someone like Aizen be manipulated by an inanimate object, even if it has a soul?
Ten voters plain didn't care about this. Whether the Hougyoku takes over or not, things are moving along whether they like it, or not. So who cares? The other sixty-three voters, apparently ;).
25 voters weren't sure whether the Hougyoku is taking over or not. There have been some signs that could prove this theory to be true, then again, there's more than enough proof to say otherwise. "Maybe" is the safest way to go in this case.
35 voters, however, answered the poll with a yes. The monster we saw last week only wore a part of Aizen's visage, but it wasn't the good old Aizen they loved (to hate). The Hougyoku probably had enough of having to transform Aizen so often in such a short time, so he might as well take the body out for a spin to see where it gets him...
Revelation
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Don't blink, don't blink... wait, this situation means we'll get a flashb~~
Aizen showed a vibrant display of power last week after what seems to be his final transformation. Where Ichigo was capable of crushing a 90's level Hadou with his bare hands, Aizen's final transformation gave him enough power to actually injure Ichigo, be it only slightly. Aizen wanted to finish Ichigo off with what seemed an evolved form of a Cero, but Ichigo was done playing with Aizen. He threw Aizen off and promised us the Final Getsuga Tenshou. The traditional black reiatsu that is fired by Ichigo's Tensa Zangetsu suddenly starts pouring out from Ichigo's right arm as Aizen witnesses something incredible. Where we only see Aizen's face from Ichigo's perspective, Aizen looks as Ichigo as he can't help but wonder what "that form" is. At this point we could expect to see a new Visored form for Ichigo, but before we get to see Ichigo's new form, we finally learn how he obtained it.
Path to ascension
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With vertical becoming horizontal, falling down gets a bit tricky, you know?
The first thing we see in the flashback of Ichigo's training is that Ichigo's Tensa Zangetsu suddenly snaps. After weeks, months, of beating, the blade finally broke. But breaking Tensa Zangetsu isn't enough for Arrancar Zangetsu, as he blasts Ichigo into one of the buildings. But Ichigo won't stay down for long as he immediately repositions himself away from his opponent. Where Ichigo started his training in despair, Ichigo now looks more like he did after facing off against Aizen a couple of chapters ago. More collected and focused, though this isn't shown in his inner-world. I'm not entirely sure what Kubo wanted to show with this as the current state of Ichigo's inner world suggests he's still drowning in despair. While the purpose of defeating Arrancar Zangetsu is to crush that which brings Ichigo despair and to obtain the Final Getsuga Tenshou in one go, I would expect some gradual changes reflected in Ichigo's inner world. Either way, Ichigo still doesn't give up, even after weeks of fighting.
Perhaps all the fighting is what caused Ichigo's behavior to change like this. Ichigo has proven to develop best during fights, so after fighting for a couple of weeks straight it isn't too strange for him to have learned to use a poker-face as he does here. Then again, Ichigo's determination may be the reason he looks like this, as he tells Arrancar Zangetsu he won't fall until he obtains the Final Getsuga Tenshou. In spite of this determination, which Old-man Zangetsu once yearned for, Arrancar Zangetsu isn't willing to give his master the power of the Final Getsuga Tenshou.
Arrancar Zangetsu charges towards Ichigo, who starts thinking about his current situation. No matter how you look at it, Ichigo is at a disadvantage at this point. He's been fighting for weeks and Arrancar Zangetsu doesn't even have a scratch on him. Arrancar Zangetsu is so powerful, that he would be able to easily defeat Ichigo if he wanted to. In spite of him not wanting to teach Ichigo, he still faces him in a fight instead of rejecting him from Ichigo's inner world. But all Ichigo senses from Arrancar Zangetsu's blade is sadness. Once again, Ichigo shows us that he has the ability to read his opponent through the clashing of Zanpakutou, though since he fought Gin he has been able to use this during the battles, instead of interpreting after the fights. After reading Arrancar Zangetsu's heart, Ichigo makes a bold decision.
Suicide?
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Don't try this at home kids, only do it in your inner world when guided by your Zanpakutou
Ichigo throws away what remains of his blade, much to Arrancar Zangetsu's surprise. As Arrancar Zangetsu's blade pierces Ichigo, he gives Ichigo his compliments. Arrancar Zangetsu then tells Ichigo that the Final Getsuga Tenshou isn't acquired by only accepting his blade. Though it is strange for Arrancar Zangetsu to say something like this to the master he just stabbed, we suddenly see Ichigo in prime condition. Not only that, Ichigo tells Arrancar Zangetsu that the blade in his chest doesn't even hurt. Arrancar Zangetsu then explains that it only makes sense that it doesn't hurt. The Tensa Zangetsu he wields is Ichigo, so as long as he accepts himself there is no reason he would feel any pain. In spite of his master being safe, Zangetsu starts crying.
Ichigo asks Zangetsu why he's crying, though he probably already knows the answer deep down inside. Zangetsu then refers to the moment the battle for the Final Getsuga Tenshou started. Here, Zangetsu revealed he didn't want to protect what Ichigo wanted to protect. It was already quite obvious that Zangetsu was referring to Ichigo at this time, but now we know for sure. The moment he tells Ichigo that he was protecting Ichigo, the ocean of despair starts disappearing. Perhaps this was the natural result of Zangetsu's defeat, though this may also be Ichigo who finally realizes that even his inner-Hollow was set on protecting him. Nonetheless, Ichigo is surprised to hear this remarkable answer. As he asks Zangetsu for an explanation, he learns that the answer will come to him eventually along with the way to obtain the Final Getsuga Tenshou. For the answer had always been inside of him...
Jinzen
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Yet somehow, this means Aizen was right...
We then witness what Aizen saw at the start of this chapter. When Arrancar Zangetsu said acquiring his blade wasn't enough, he wasn't kidding. The Final Getsuga Tenshou isn't just another blast of Reiatsu, it is Ichigo becoming the Getsuga himself. But not just becoming the attack, as Ichigo is wrapped in bandages and his hair turned black, but turning his being into the attack. First thing to note is the fact that this Getsuga Ichigo has all of the essential basics Zangetsu had. The cloth wrapped around Ichigo is the combination of the Bankai transformation with the cloth he had on the Shikai. I was actually quite pleased to see how Kubo used the cloth for this final transformation. But unlike the other two Zanpakutou forms, this one doesn't have a blade anymore. It almost seems as if Ichigo's right arm has now become like El Brazo Derecho del Diablo, as opposed to Chad's left arm :amuse. But to emphasize the Bankai's part of the power, the black reiatsu it used to emit is swirling around Ichigo.
Then there's the aspect of the two beings inside of Ichigo: Zangetsu. Both the Old-man and Shirosaki are a part of Zangetsu, though only Shirosaki manifested itself more notably in Ichigo's appearance through the form of a mask and even Hollowfication at certain times. But now Ichigo's body transformed only at the hair, which has grown long -same as Ichigonator- and black -same as Old-man Zangetsu- showing that Ichigo has accepted both sides of his power and has now become one with his Zanpakutou.
In this sense, Aizen was right. A couple of chapters he did explain that beings who truly evolved became attached to their Zanpakutou. I'd say Ichigo has pushed it to the extreme in this case. Perhaps Aizen can find some comfort in this fact. But why would Zangetsu be so reluctant to give Ichigo this power? He did mention that he had to obtain more than just Zangetsu's blade and Ichigo already said that he had to become the Getsuga. Ichigo then reveals, what many of you already predicted, that he has to sacrifice all his Shinigami powers in order to use this Final Getsuga Tenshou, explaining why it is the final one.
While I was somewhat reluctant to accept this outcome, it was probably the most logical one. The only issue with this development is simple: Isshin. Isshin knew of the Final Getsuga Tenshou and most likely used it once before. Looking at the force Ichigo has at this time, we can only wonder whether Isshin had a strength similar to that before he became a husband and then a father. But more importantly: what would force him to use such excessive force to begin with? But I digress, let's see what the target of this Final Getsuga Tenshou thinks of the entity that will destroy him.
Utter defeat
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Plotkai... that's the most obvious/popular explanation
While Ichigo explains he is planning to sacrifice all his powers in order to defeat Aizen, Aizen's mind is working in overdrive. Even though Ichigo's power is obviously greater than he can perceive, the fact that he can't perceive it concerns him more than Ichigo's revelation. Aizen explains that he evolved into a being that surpassed the dimension where humans, Shinigami, and Hollows live, making it impossible for them to even sense him unless he lowered himself to their level. He compares it to him being in a third dimension, where Shinigami and Hollows are in the second dimension. But if he can't sense anything from Ichigo, where he can sense everything from the third dimension and lower, it would mean that Ichigo has achieved a completely different level of power. Ichigo has achieved a power on a completely different level from Aizen in this short period of time, be it at a far greater price.
In just over 16 years, Ichigo managed to obtain everything Aizen has worked for during decades, centuries. If this were to happen to you, you'd be agitated as well, wouldn't you? Aizen can't keep his frustration hidden anymore as he starts yelling and screaming how he shouldn't have been beaten by something so low as a human. With this, everything that Aizen was has been destroyed. From the grand mastermind who predicted everything, manipulated everything in order for him to obtain the ultimate power to overthrow the spirit king, he has been degraded to an antagonist turned monster and mad. Truly, this has been a painful sight over the course of these chapters. All that is left of Aizen is a shell of his former grandeur. Aizen has now become... Hollow.
The Moonless sky
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The end?...
When faced with a Hollow, it is a Shinigami's duty to strike him down for the sake of protecting other souls, no matter the price. Aizen, turned Hollow, is now faced by Ichigo, who is sacrificing his Shinigami powers in order to defeat him. The chained moon is now unchained, causing it to fall from the sky as it crashes down upon Ichigo's opponent, turning the night sky dark for the rest of time. The same moonless sky appears in Soul Society as the darkness devours everything as Ichigo reveals the true name of the Final Getsuga Tenshou: Mugetsu. Is this enough to defeat Aizen for good? Is this massive explosion of black Reiatsu truly the Final Getsuga Tenshou? Is Ichigo's hair turning black a sign that there won't be any Bleach in the future? Time will tell...
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Before going into this chapter, let's take a quick look at my prediction from last week:
Next week, Ichigo will start off with firing off the Final Getsuga Tenshou. Aizen will probably notice the way the chain around Ichigo's arm is disappearing during the first three or four pages. Then we'll see a reaction from Aizen, as Ichigo thinks back on what made the Final Getsuga Tenshou so dangerous that Zangetsu wouldn't want to teach him. Ichigo then fires off the Final Getsuga Tenshou, giving us a two page spread of its devastating effect. The chapter will end with Aizen completely destroyed, leaving only the Hougyoku, which will hover in the place Aizen once stood. Ichigo will then take the Hougyoku, leaving us with the cliffhanger of what will happen now as Aizen (seemingly) has met his end....
The week after that, we might get a bit of information from Ichigo, possibly seeing the side-effects of the Final Getsuga Tenshou (such as a permanent sacrifice of Ichigo's reiatsu, which even Orihime's Santen Kesshun has trouble recovering) as the scene changes to Las Noches. Here, we will Orihime and Ishida going to the place Aizen hid the Hougyoku Orihime saw. As the two arrive in the hidden chamber, they will find more than just the crumbling crystal...
Somehow I don't seem to be too far off if you ask me. Sure, some things have been turned around a bit, but that doesn't change the fact that most of the prediction did come true. Hopefully I'm right about this not being the end for Bleach just yet :amuse. But enough on the predictions, let's take get to the overview of this chapter.
The Mugetsu as a concept is great if you ask me. The power was what you would expect from an evolved being sacrificing everything he has. The price for the attack is rather steep, but Isshin is living proof that this doesn't have to be the end. Though there might be a catch, which I'll cover in the next section. The flashback to Ichigo's training was predictable as well as the result of that training. But then again, I wouldn't have wanted it any other way. This is the most logical way for Kubo to stop Aizen as it incorporates plenty of things that were shown throughout the story. From the way Shinigami obtain great power by becoming one with their Zanpakutou, to the way the Final Getsuga Tenshou is probably related to why Isshin became human. Though not a spectacular way to end things parse, it was the only option that would fit in principle.
Then there's Aizen. Though part of me is disappointed at what has become of him, I can also appreciate what happened to him. Bleach started out with Shinigami and Hollows and this chapter ended the same way. But in this case Aizen was the Hollow. Going from a great Shinigami to a egomaniacal monster obsessed with power which destroyed everything he ever was, same as what happens to all spirits that turn into Hollows. Because of the way this ties in I can appreciate this on some level. But perhaps a bigger part of me is disappointed about the fact that Aizen turned out this way.
I guess I can only state the obvious about this chapter. It was awesomely bad, or horrifically good if you will. Everything that happened made sense on the one hand, while it really seems like plot-kai on the other hand. Honestly I can't choose yet. Time will tell... let's see whether the discussions can persuade me either way.
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Mugetsu was the final Getsuga Tenshou, which was final due to it sacrificing all of Ichigo's Shinigami powers. We know that Isshin became a human at some point and he even suggested that he used a Mugetsu as well. But in spite of this, he eventually turned up as a Shinigami, using a Getsuga Tenshou against Aizen during this arc as well. This gives me three things to make your heads spin:
1) Does this mean Ichigo will have to regain all of his powers again during a new arc, where we will finally learn how he actually obtained his Bankai and Hollow control in the first place?
2) Will Ichigo still be able to turn into a Shinigami, but have a permanently sealed Zangetsu which he can use for nothing but Getsuga Tenshou's?
3)Ichigo said he had to give up his Shinigami powers, could this mean that he will only have Hollow powers left after this (and possibly become the villain himself) or did he just use the term Shinigami powers to describe them both?
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I'd say that last week's prediction could still fit and I'm sticking with that one. Just change the order a bit and you'll see that it still works as a prediction. But I'll throw in two more predictions for the heck of it.
The first one is my least favorite and I'd say most of you would agree. After this chapter ends, we will get one final chapter for Bleach. In this chapter, Yammy will come to an end along with Las Noches. Everyone will meet up with Ichigo who will have passed out after using Mugetsu. Ichigo will wake up a couple of weeks after these events where he will learn what happened afterwards. Ichigo will have lost his ability to see ghosts along with his Shinigami powers, forcing Rukia (and Renji) to visit him in their Gigai for one last time. Rukia and Ichigo will have to part ways for good this time, as she wipes his memory clean. Ichigo then picks up his life from where it was before the mess with Shinigami happened. As we learn that Ichigo is treated differently by some of his friends (Orihime, Chad, and Ishida) he will comment on how he hasn't seen ghosts for a while. The rest of the town also had their memories swiped by the Gotei 13, bringing peace to Karakura town once more. But on the last page we catch a hint that Ichigo is capable of seeing ghosts again, as he gets a request from a small girl with a chain on her chest as some ruffians kicked a tribute to her...
This second prediction is my personal favorite, even though it doesn't have Ichigo either... In the after wakes of the final battle between Ichigo and Aizen, the people who were awake in Karakura town are trapped. Only a single boy is capable of moving a bit. He then hears a man's voice as he turns around to find a Shinigami with an afro. The Shinigami offers the young boy a part of his powers, so that he can help his friends in this time of need. The boy looks around as he sees the people close to them in dire need and then decides to go along with the Shinigami's request. Before the Shinigami gives the boy his powers, he introduces himself to the boy as Zennosuke Kurumadani. The boy then gives his own name, before thrusting a Zanpakutou through himself: Asano Keigo...
That’s it for this week’s review. I hope you guys enjoyed it even if there is bound to be a lot more to be covered. Be sure to let me know what your thoughts are on this week’s chapter and/or review. I'm really curious what you guys think about this chapter as my head is still spinning a bit after reading it :amuse. I know, I know, how could I, The Underscore Mask, fail you like this? Well, the chapter blew me away and when I fell, the mask cracked a bit. So until I find some superglue I'll have to do with this mediocre Underscore level of reviewing -perhaps lower than that-, so help a reviewer out by letting me know your thoughts. Also, give any theories that you may have and vote in this week’s poll. Don’t forget to rate this week’s chapter! I’ll see you guys again next week! The Underscore will be coming back soon enough as well!
http://i362.photobucket.com/albums/oo70/Underscore_07/ChapterRating-1.png (http://polldaddy.com/poll/3773051/)
Click on the picture above to rate this week’s chapter, and as a reminder here’s what the ratings are:
1.0: Abysmal
1.1 - 3.4: Awful
3.5.-5.4: Bad
5.5-6.9: Average
7.0-8.9: Great
9.0-9.9: Awesome
10: Perfect
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I forgot about TBTP, but that was still only, what, 12 chapters? Put all the extras together and that's a little over 15, I think. So maybe 3%. Still, it's a very significant fraction.
TBTP, I could understand giving the same name to it, since it was a break from the current story for an extended flashback. But this run of Deicides is just absurd.
Madara saying he pushed Yahiko to start Akatsuki, nice plot twist. Very nice one, IMO.
Madara saying he gave Nagato the Rinnegan? WTF? Where the hell did he get it? Madara could just be BSing Konan. Wouldn't be the first time he did it (remember what he told Sasuke about the Kyuubi attack?).
Notice though, I didn't say Naruto was picking up the slack, I said Negima. As is Mahou Sensei Negima, an entirely different manga.
And yes, I do like seeing Konan kick ass. Much better than the worthless PoS that Sakura became. I really thought she;d be more awesome. After Sasori she just totally crapped out.
Taking a second look at the chapter, Aizen's wound regeneration did see a ton more Hollow-like, kinda like Wonderweiss'. I didn't notice that until just now.
Finally, your reviews need more line breaks.
Deicide just keeps rolling and rolling... if these Deicides run into the ten percent of the chapters, I, The Underscore Mask, will be around for a long looo~~ng time... (I don't think Sogeking made enough appearances for me to make awesome intros to my, better than The Underscore's because I have a mask, reviews. )
As for the Negima picking up the slack, I thought you were also referring to the other titles after that which is why I ranted about Naruto last week :amuse. I agree on the Negima part by the way ;).
As for the line breaks... Once I start my endless ranting I can't help but writing down all my thoughts. It's like rolling a boulder from a hill. It starts off slowly, but once it gets rolling it's hard to stop and you just have to hope that it ends up where you intended to instead of against the side of a truck! :p
Thanks, Hollowfied Underscore. :amuse
You make a good point about certain themes that may be more..reminiscent than others. It's just that I remember enjoying the series more for having its own form of organized chaos...It's a pain to read through ones that seem so familiar. :darn
I remember reading a comment that questioned why Yamamoto would use a suicidal shikai technique as opposed to bankai...That came to mind with Aizen in the Deicide chapters. Aizen's transformations, as fierce as they are, haven't exactly shook the series like the Captain-Commander or the Monstrous Ichigo in terms of taking it to new levels, at least not just yet IMO (not to compare Yama and Hollow Ichigo but you get the point).
I remember Aizen's KS being the biggest deal so I really don't see why something like Aizen's bankai not being used from Gin's betrayal onwards THEN for the Hogyoku to really show its power. After all, Aizen should exhaust his shinigami self before really showing new heights of power, I think. HOPEFULLY, this is Kubo saving the best for last...:toc
Ahh, at the time I wasn't on my personal computer where I have some of the more recent manga sites bookmarked. Unfortunately, their names really don't stick out like One Manga did/does. It helps to have the volumes at hand for reference sake and if it weren't for other fans and sites like Bleach Wikia, I'd refer to a whole lot of characters as 'What's-Their-Face(s)' :sweatdrop
Rereading the same stories over and over again can be a bit bland, even if they are put in a different cover... Bleach is the fifth anime/manga I got into, (DBZ, Pokémon (so sue me), FMA, and Naruto coming before that respectively) so on some level most of it was new to me. Especially the idea of Shinigami was something I hadn't really come across. Take the table thrown for joke purposes with that and the story just grew on me :amuse.
As for why Yamamoto used the suicidal hadou instead of his Bankai. He was pretty burnt up at the time, and perhaps his Bankai requires him to wield something big, which might be hard in the state he was in at that time. Besides, Aizen was prepared for something like the Bankai as he had shown with Wonderweiss, so the hadou was a better bet at that time. But I agree that not even Aizen gave me the feel that Genryuusai did the first time he showed full force against his pupils...
Kyouka Suigetsu suddenly losing its importance is rather strange.... Maybe it will play a part soon...
As for the what's his face characters... I'll have to admit that I The Underscore stumbles across that problem as well at times :amuse.