The Underscore's Bleach review, 457: End of Bond 3

[The Underscore]

457 End of Bond 3

Geez, around this time last year I actually had vacation. Free time, sunny skies and whatnot. Right now I'm still busy with work and it's raining the entire day... Time for some Bleach to cleanse my soul . Thanks to Mangastream and Binktopia for giving the scanlation! On to the review a.s.a.p.!

Bleach chapter 456, End of Bond 2, rated by 13 voters, gets an average score of:

8.3

Great

Last week it was obvious Kuugo would have to face Xcution on his own. But is this something people want to see?

One voter wasn't interested at all. With plenty of other things to see, Kuugo isn't exactly the most interesting to see now is he?

Seven voters don't really want to see Kuugo fighting Xcution, but they wouldn't mind if it were to happen. It is better to see how the fight goes rather than someone, say Wonderweiss, suddenly shows up at a different fight even though he was facing other opponents, say Kensei .

Eight voters would like to see Kuugo fighting, but not right now. With everything going on right now, Kuugo's fight can be shown at a later moment. Where's Isshin, Urahara, and Ishida? Right? More importantly, where's Rukia and KON?!

But the majority of the voters just want to see blood. Nine voters want to see Kuugo fighting Xcution, and they want to see it now! Lucky for them, Kubo delivers.

Living the Xcution

Kuugo's more interested in Ichigo's fight than his own... did he vote in the poll?

With Ichigo going into a rage at the end of last week's chapter, his despair reaches Kuugo's ears. As Kuugo's distracted by Ichigo, Jackie takes this opportunity to activate her 'Dirty Boots'. Quite frankly, I'm surprised she's waited this long to activate her Fullbring. Perhaps there's more to her Fullbring than just bringing it out. Maybe she had to wait for her boots to get dirty in the first place. Whatever the case, Jackie initiates the series of attacks aimed at Kuugo by trying to catch him off guard.

Kuugo quickly ducks out of the way so he can keep his head on his neck. In this moment, Giriko activates his 'Time tells no lies'. We see that his Fullbring flings the pocket watch's numbers at the target. Still, there's no clue as to what preparations are required or how the conditions are set. My guess is that one of the requirements is for the numbers to attach or enter the target. Or at least a part of the numbers has to as some of them appear to be broken. My guess is that Time tells no lies covers its target like a powder of sorts to manipulate it. Whatever the case, Kuugo just backs off as quickly as he can to ensure he isn't hit.

But as he leaps into the air, Riruka activates her 'Dollhouse' while using her Love Gun. This confused me a bit at first, but then it got me thinking that Riruka's 'Dollhouse' couldn't just be about shrinking and storing things. My guess would be that her Fullbring works on toys in general, rather than just her 'Dollhouse'. The toy's properties just get magnified, much like other item's properties are increased with the use of Fullbring. This could explain how Mr. Pork could be infused with the Yakuza and why the Love Gun could be used as a weapon. Same as how a child can imagine his/her toy to do extraordinary things by using some imagination, Riruka is possibly manifesting those fantasies using the 'Dollhouse' ability. If I'm right about this, Riruka's Fullbring is a lot more dangerous than I thought it to be at first.

Whatever the case, Riruka's Love Gun appears to be useless against Kuugo as he easily deflects the attack. But Kuugo isn't just facing Xcution, as he is reminded of by the flying sushi.

Hitting the jackpot

Does this work on lottery tickets as well?

Shishigawara joins the party as he follows up on Riruka's attack. Now, this is something I failed to mention in last week's review, and quite frankly I'm not sure whether this has been discussed anywhere yet -my guess is that it has been-, but how come no one from Xcution is bothered by him appearing during this fight and somewhat taking the lead? What's more, why doesn't Shishigawara have any problems with what's happening here right now?

Tsukishima's Fullbring allows him to insert his own existence into a person's life. How come the Xcution members aren't curious about Shishigawara then? Does this mean that Tsukishima's Fullbring can insert other people's existence besides his own? Then again, it seems that 'Book of the End' is more of a brainwashing device than a manipulator of memories if you look at the way the Xcution members are behaving right now. They aren't talking at all, just calling out their Fullbrings. Why wouldn't they say something to Kuugo? They even spoke to Tsukishima even though he had betrayed them, so why not Kuugo? As to why Shishigawara not having any problems with what is happening right now, I suppose it's the same as with the Xcution members. The reason I feel he should have problems with what's happening has to do with the fact that he should have a clearer view of what Tsukishima's ability does to people. Why doesn't he find it strange that he adores Tsukishima this much while knowing about this ability? Or did Tsukishima manipulate Shishigawara the same way he did the other Xcution members? Tricking him into thinking he always knew the other members?

Speaking of Fullbrings that don't make a lot of sense even though we have been told what they're supposed to do, there's the matter of Shishigawara's Fullbring. As Shishigawara punches Kuugo's Fullbring, a part of Kuugo's 'Cross of Scaffold' breaks off in spite of his attack not impressing Kuugo. Shishigawara starts gloating about how great his punch was and how lucky Kuugo was for not getting hit by that roll. Shishigawara then explains how his Fullbring manipulates probability, which causes things to "just happen" in the user's favor. It just happened to break off part of the 'Cross of Scaffold' as well as it caused for a coin to coincidentally cause a screw to go loose. Most likely, this probability manipulation is focused around destruction, with the Fullbring being on his fists and all. This is probably why Shishigawara was so sure about himself while facing Orihime. Whatever the case, Shishigawara's Fullbring will be more than annoying to face.

Getsuga Tenshou reincarnated

I think I liked the Getsuga Rasentenshou better...

With last week's rage still continuing, Ichigo charges at Tsukishima. Tsukishima mocks Ichigo for being so enraged that he can't even speak. But as he tries to reach the bluffing heights of characters like Aizen and Gin, he forgets to keep his guard up. Ichigo decides to finally incorporate some of his unarmed fighting into his battles after a long, long time by kicking Tsukishima. Ever since Ichigo started using his Bankai in his fight with Byakuya, he had solely focused on using Zangetsu's blade and the Tensa Zangetsu. Only when he was overtaken by his Hollow side did he do something to deviate from this. It is only now, while using this still unnamed Fullbring that he is forced to try something new.

Of course, this is still Ichigo we're talking about, as such he takes the opportunity of Tsukishima crashing into the mansion to fire off a Getsuga Tenshou. Here's where I got a bit annoyed by Ichigo's Fullbring as it got me thinking about what's wrong with it. Remember when Ichigo first brought out his Fullbring? That's right, the Swastika that appeared. Where is it right now? Don't get me wrong, I don't mind Kubo deviating from Ichigo's basic Shinigami appearance with this Fullbring, but why use the Swastika like that and not have it appear in the design anymore? Why not create a guard like that again, be it smaller or whatever? Of course, that isn't my biggest issue here. The thing I'm bothered with is the way Ichigo fired the Getsuga Tenshou here. Sure, the fact that it looks a lot faster than the old Getsuga's is interesting, though I get the idea it affects the power as well. But why can he now fire it with one hand on the blade? When Ichigo used the Getsuga Rasentenshou, it could only be fired with two hands on the guard. Now, he fires it with a single hand on the blade. Maybe it has to do with the armor Ichigo is wearing right now, but it just bothered me a bit. That and the fact that Kubo spent time on explaining how the Rasentenshou's spin was key to its power. Maybe the Rasentenshou will be a new finishing move or something, but I'm just disappointed by Kubo just dropping it like this.

Luckily I'm easily distracted from these things by pretty pictures and explosions, which Kubo gave us in this part of the chapter as well. Tsukishima diverts the Getsuga Tenshou after being surprised by its speed. In spite of being so surprised, he manages to throw it out of his way, letting it land in the forest. With all of this happening, I can't help but wonder why Ichigo's friends aren't coming out to see what's happening. Let's face it, they've done it before with Aizen of all people running around. Could it be that they've wizened up a bit in the 17 months since? Then again, it's probably a good thing they aren't coming out. I doubt Ichigo could win against Keigo if he were to meddle .

Chapter's end?

Come on Tsukishima, don't give up now! Let Ichigo beat you around a bit more

Catching his breath after deflecting the Getsuga Tenshou, Tsukishima is amazed at Ichigo's development. He didn't expect Ichigo to be able to fire off a Getsuga Tenshou nor did he expect him to be so fast. Again, Tsukishima shows to know more about Ichigo's abilities than he should. I wonder whether this will have to do with his Fullbring or there being more behind it. I'm hoping for the latter as it could be a leeway into the next arc.

But what's more interesting than this is the fact that Tsukishima believes Ichigo has managed to combine his Shinigami powers with his Fullbring abilities. Has it really already happened? The way Kuugo brought it, it seemed as if this current Fullbring state was just a stepping stone to completely recovering Ichigo's Shinigami powers. Tsukishima, however, makes it seem like this is a final state in Ichigo's current power development. The reason he believes this is unclear, but he certainly thinks to know how it came to be like this. The reason Tsukishima showed Ichigo despair was solely to have him complete his powers. Not that it's a big surprise to hear this, but at least we got confirmation of this being Tsukishima's end goal when he first confronted Ichigo.

With Ichigo having completed his Fullbring, even though we still don't know its name, Tsukishima decides to wrap things up. Things aren't looking too good for Ichigo and Kuugo.

When friends become foes

Chad's probably jealous that Ichigo got a full body armor before him...

As Tsukishima decides that things can come to an end, things are looking rather glum for Ichigo and Kuugo as they are facing overwhelming odds. Kuugo is facing four opponents at once. Though he's doing good considering he's only thrown out of a window, but he still has trouble with the effects of his opponents' Fullbrings, especially with Shishigawara's rather broken ability -get it, broken?... you know, as it breaks things with ease yet for something that's supposed to work by the throw of a dice it somehow manages to work most of the times?-. Funny how he isn't that bothered about having to face his friends though . Perhaps it's because he knows that right now, they aren't his friends. The only one he has as an ally right now is Ichigo. It is as he is analyzing his situation that he starts to wondering about how Ichigo's doing. He then sees what's happening at that time.

Ichigo charges at Tsukishima again, probably realizing that the Getsuga Tenshou won't work anyways. It is then that Chad and Inoue get in the way again. I'll admit that I'm not too surprised by Chad interfering this much. He's always been someone to throw his body in the way to protect others. Right now he isn't protecting Tsukishima as much as it seems though. Chad is more focused on protecting Ichigo from making a mistake he'll regret later if you were to ask me. Orihime is doing the same thing, which explains why she's so actively getting in the way. She's probably hoping that if she stands in Ichigo's way he'll snap back to his senses as he's out of his senses looking at it from her (current) point of view.

With his friends standing in his way again, Ichigo once more pleads for them to move out of the way. With Chad right in front of him, Ichigo tries to reason with him first. But Ichigo gets the same words sent right back at him. Seeing the disappointment in Chad's eyes once more causes Ichigo to change strategies. Rather than chasing after Tsukishima, he demands that Tsukishima comes to him. Tsukishima then gladly accepts the invitation.

Alone

Dramatic? Yes. Best move at this time? Most certainly not

Tsukishima quickly moves to Ichigo's back to strike him with his 'Book of the End'. Ichigo tries to block the attack best he can, only for Kuugo to suddenly pop up. Odd thing here is that Tsukishima uses a diagonal slash when he initiates his attack, yet the cut comes from a different angle in the picture above. But that's not what bothered me most. Why would Kuugo allow himself to get hit like this? If he has the time to get in the middle of the attack, why wouldn't he have the time to put his 'Cross of Scaffold' in the way? I get that it's in the heat of the moment and all, but Kuugo didn't strike me as that sort of a character.

It is at this moment that Ichigo and Kuugo both realize they're in trouble. Sure, Kuugo won't know a thing, but at this time he realizes that his mind will be swiped of almost everything that happened and he'll join Tsukishima soon. Ichigo realizes that he'll be completely on his own now, a situation that's still new for him. Things are looking really bad for Ichigo.

But in Karakura town we find one friend of Ichigo's that could be a beacon of crispy white light. The one ally that hasn't shown himself ever since the zombie madness started is now moving about. Is he heading to where Ichigo is, or somewhere else? Time will tell...

An entertaining chapter for sure. Plenty of action between both Ichigo and Kuugo's fights. The revelation of Shishigawara's Fullbring was covered quickly during battle without taking the pace out of it, which I appreciated. If only the ability would make a bit more sense than it does right now . Ichigo showing off the completion of his Fullbring confirms that this arc is probably coming to a close within 10 chapters, give or take. But I'm not going to put any money on that as I'm bad at predictions as it is. Besides, remember what happened with the Deicide chapters when I predicted their end?...

Tsukishima's final attack at Ichigo being thwarted by Kuugo was interesting, but a bit boring as well. It's all going too smoothly for Tsukishima like this. Then again, it's possible that Tsukishima's attack won't work on Kuugo. He did aim for Ichigo, so he wanted to insert his existence into Ichigo's story, rather than Kuugo's. So who knows?

Anyways, in spite of some minor details, this has been a great chapter. Art was good, pacing was right, and a great set up for next week's chapter with Ishida running around again.

Tsukishima suddenly wants to wrap things up quickly with Ichigo by cutting him with the 'Book of the End'. This all happened after Tsukishima concluded that Ichigo had fully developed his Fullbring ability and managed to meld it with his Shinigami powers. A couple of you already theorized this, so I can't take credit for this week's headspinner: Does Tsukishima want to obtain Ichigo's Shinigami powers by taking Ichigo's Fullbring powers?

Just to elaborate on this a bit. What if Tsukishima killed the first Shinigami substitute to achieve just this, but failed because that Shinigami substitute didn't have the Fullbring powers integrated with his Shinigami powers yet. The reason he then let Ichigo develop his Fullbring powers before seriously going after him was to make sure Ichigo was the right material to take in.

Here's what I think will happen in the upcoming chapters. For a moment, everyone will be surprised to see Kuugo had been slashed down. But then 'Book of the End's effect starts erasing that event from existence. With Kuugo joining the Tsukishima cronies he'll go further into what Yukio said about finally remembering. Xcution and Orihime (remember, besides Orihime, everyone who's fighting is in Xcution) will then try to calm Ichigo down. Ichigo, however, will still face off against Tsukishima.

Meanwhile, Ishida will encounter Urahara and Isshin and explain what is going on based on what he's experienced. The scene will then go back to Ichigo and Tsukishima.

Ichigo will be beaten up badly as he's facing really bad odds, Ishida then enters with the spirit Zanpakutou Isshin had. Tsukishima will think that Ishida is there to help him as Ishida fires the spirit Zanpakutou with his bow. The sword will land in Ichigo, causing its effect to take place...


That’s it for this week’s review. I hope you guys enjoyed it. Be sure to let me know what your thoughts are on this week’s chapter and/or review, give any theories that you may have and to vote in this week’s poll. Don’t forget to rate this week’s chapter! I’ll see you guys again next week! For those of you who still didn't get answers on their replies in the past two weeks, keep reading!

Rate this week's chapter by clicking on the picture above!

Chapter 455 replies

..It's hard to believe that we were approaching the end of the Deicide chapters this time last year, don't you think? This came to mind after seeing the 'End of Bond' title leading up to a possible series of chapters and if the 'End of Bond' chapters are anything like the 'End of Hypnosis' ones, then we're bound to see something major before the year's end. As for the chapter itself, it was pretty good but definitely another buildup. Unlike with Aizen, I find myself quietly going for Tsukishima. After all, things were relatively boring in Kakakura before he started making moves. Hell, he even threw a party in his mansion

Regarding some of the points you made in the review, I thought about it a couple of weeks back and I don't see Moe as anything more than a gag character. Still, I don't remember exactly but the places where Moe and Tsukishima were seen together don't really remind me of the mansion Tsukishima is in now. My guess is that the mansion is the former Xcution headquarters/something Yukio inherited.

On the topic of Yukio, I'm probably one of the few that doesn't see his fullbring as something that is overpowered. After all, Yukio himself spelled out its limitations and its only good as long as you are in his game, not including that Atari GPS feature. I voted for Tsukishima for what should be obvious reasons. Not much else to say about this chapter that you didn't mention in the review. I was just curious to know if Chad's powers have upgraded in any way (arm looks a bit different in that angle) or if we'll see any new tricks from Inoue. Oh and I'm more curious to see Ishida than Urahara and Isshin to be honest.

With Kuugo formerly introducing Ichigo to Xcution at the end of last year, it's interesting to see how this arc is forming up. Thanks, looking forward to more chapters and more reviews that help sort them out

It really has been a year since Deicide, hasn't it? Hopefully the outcome of these chapters will be like the 'End of hypnosis' ones. I'll admit that Tsukishima's hands on approach is a bit more appealing for a villain than Aizen's invisible approach. Still, Aizen's goal was a lot more appealing, vague though it may have been .

Judging by the latest chapter, Moe isn't much of a gag character, isn't he? Still a fool, I'll admit, but his ability is turning out to be quite troublesome. With his ability to manipulate probability it's possible that the mansion they're in belongs to Moe as well...

I agree with you when it comes to Isshin and Urahara being more interesting right now. Still, the last couple of chapters have been entertaining enough to leave Urahara and Isshin out of the picture for the moment.

Thank you for replying to my post, Underscore! I thoroughly enjoyed the rant. XD

I will wait until your review of the next chapter, which contains more information on Book of the End, to see how your thoughts on the mechanics of this Fullbring have changed if at all since I must admit that I did get a little confused in your thoughts on its mechanics. I think I understood what you were trying to say though. *eagerly awaiting next review to see if I correctly understood you*

Concerning the poll, I voted for Giriko's Time tells no lies.

• Riruka's Dollhouse is really not that impressive, especially compared to the much more powerful and useful Invaders must Die, but I can imagine scenarios in which it could be rather interesting.
• Chad's Fullbring has always bored me. I don't know if it has gained some new, interesting abilities, but there is nothing there to even come close to the realm of being overpowered; it just allows him to take a hit and make explosive punches.
• I think there is more to Ginjou and Ichigo's two Fullbring, but given what we have seen thus far, they don't seem overpowered.
• I don't know how powerful she can get, as you are correct that her boots could get pretty dirty, but I think there is probably a limit both to how dirty her boots can get and how much her physical skills can enhance.
• Yukio's Invaders Must Die came quite close to getting my vote just due to vast array of things it can do, but most of those things seem to require you to enter his virtual world to take effect. The new tracking ability is a bit of a game-changer (pun intended ), but I still think that even it probably is something that Yukio imposes inside his virtual world somehow. Perhaps he placed the tracking thing on Ichigo and Ginjou one of the times they were in his virtual world (in Ichigo's case, that one time we saw) and Ginjou somehow forgot, perhaps somehow accomplished by Book of the End.
• Book of the End was another close contender, but given the events of 456, I feel less intimidated by the seeming "hax" -ness I thought it had.
• Finally, Giriko's Time Tells No Lies... I don't at this moment see limitations on its essentially reality-altering powers. Unlike with Yukio where you seem to need to enter the virtual world for him to affect reality, Giriko can impose time-sensitive conditions from seemingly anywhere, and it seems he can easily do so without being noticed as he was able to place the conditions on Ichigo's training session in his own way without Riruka realizing how he did it. If he doesn't tell you the conditions, there doesn't seem any way to figure them out for yourself. The only limitation that we have seen thus far on this Fullbring is that he can't alter the conditions once he has set them, which in itself is rather scary. There is a certain absoluteness to this power that is quite imposing and puts this Fullbring in another league for me.

I think I broke something while writing that rant you know? Hopefully last week's review lived up to your expectations.

Nice break down for the Fullbring abilities. I wanted to incorporate your list in last week's poll results, but I was in a bit of a hurry which made me skip it... But I agree that Giriko's 'Time tells no lies' is still a rather overpowered ability, if not the most overpowered one.

Hail Almight Underscore... yes.. it's me... and I'm back... from being LOST ... (insert LOST music)... (and my jokes have not improved )

Thanks for the review! It's awesome as always Though not as awesome as the chapter itself... and the next one... though maybe it's just me. Reading several Bleach chapters at once this time did not bring me the same level of satisfaction as it used to. But knowing kubo he'll have something up his sleeve

The question of the day is, was and probably will be for the next month is: WHAT does Tsukishima want? I really can not even beging to imagine what his goal might be other than dissing good guys just for the sake of it... any ideas? (or did I miss something??)

You were lost, but not forgotten. Much like this post of yours .

You're welcome for the review. It's a good thing the review itself wasn't as good as the chapter. Kubo'd have a problem if that were the case . I have been trying to find the time to reread the chapters of this current arc myself, yet haven't been that successful. Maybe you're right about the chapters not being as satisfying as the older ones in rereading them at once. That's probably the tradeoff for the chapters standing better on their own than the older ones.

As for Tsukishima's goal, I'm not too sure either. One possibility is the one I mentioned in this week's headspinner.

Chapter 456 replies

A very good review,Underscore.As an answer to your question " What if Tsukishima's Book of the End also allows him to "read" his target's past experience and learn those immediately? " : I have no doubt that Tsukishima can read a target's past experience,mainly because of the flashbacks in the previous chapter,there is no way Tsukishima blindly inserts his presence into a person's past.I am completely sure that he can read the past of the target(proof are the flashbacks where Tsukishima appears against Aizen and to save Rukia)and choose where it is best to insert himself.
I shall answer another question that you didn't ask :-D "What does Tsukishima want from Ichigo, really?" My guess is that Tsukishima wants to make Ichigo his "friend" thus having complete control on Ichigo(like Chad and Orihime)and after Ichigo regains his FGT powers to use Ichigo to do something evil.However,it was proved way back that Tsukishima didn't want to kill Ichigo(I don't remember the chapter,however Tsukishima was facing Yukio and said something along the lines "So you didn't want me to tamper with Ichigo until he completes his FB" or something like this,which makes me think that Tsukishima is intending to use Ichigo for some bad things.
The only ones who could easily solve this problem would be either a Shinigami either Ishida,though I am sure of the latter.Ishida will most likely make an entrance in the next chapter,and save Ichigo.
Another thing I am fairly concerned about,this "despair" if I may call it so must have effected Ichigo and his Fullbring.Last time Ichigo was being attacked mentally (by ulquiorra and his transformation) he couldn't maintain the mask and he wasn't able to fully focus.I think that all the recent events that made Ichigo despair have happened with the intention of making Ichigo's Hollow appear or something like this.
Another thing I am fairly concerned about : Zangetsu's comeback is conditioned by the fact that Ichigo must have a spiritual body,which he lacks right now.Maybe Urahara and Isshin will use that Zanpakutou-white-thingy to force Ichigo's Fullbring to turn into a spiritual body.

Thanks.

I guess I should've asked what Tsukishima really wants with Ichigo, though this week's headspinner sort of covers that . You were right on the mark when it came to the whole despair thing, great catch . I wonder if you'll be right about the spirit Zanpakutou as well. It would be nice to have Ishida handling things if you were to ask me .

Thanks for the review Underscore and congrats on the new sidekick..
..or perhaps you may be the new sidekick

Your last caption in the review stuck out to me...There's a good chance that things wouldn't be the way they are now had it not been for Ichigo's persistence on having power. With literally almost everyone around him capable enough to protect what's dear to him, couldn't he be content with the way things were? Probably not. But it seems as though his Spider-Man influenced Fullbring isn't enough to do much now. What good is speed when your own allies are keeping you from saving them from the real threat?

That and regardless of how powerful Tsukishima's ability is, I find it a bit off that Inoue and Chad aren't giving Ichigo the benefit of the doubt. Tsukishima getting praise for what Ichigo has accomplished is almost as bad as Aizen writing off all of Ichigo's accomplishments as part of his plan. Tsukishima is a worthy successor indeed

Imuki's words about trusting adults will probably make more sense once Urahara and Isshin show up as the clean up crew. Kuugo did a nice screw job of messing with Ichigo's perception of Urahara but with the way Ichigo looks now, it doesn't seem all that different from how powerless he was back in FKT. I'm still a bit confused about how Isshin could allow these things to happen to his daughters though..

Oh well, best thing out of this chapter was the color spread- Namely Aizen and Urahara chatting, confirming that Soi Fon still has an arm, Hyori is..Hyori, and that Kubo seriously detests Kensei and Mashiro

You're welcome. With this kitten around I suddenly have the urge to wear wooden sandals and a striped hat... I wonder what's up with that

No matter how you cut it, Ichigo has been rather selfish since he learned of the opportunity to regain his powers. In fact, it was even before that when he tried to impose himself on the sports clubs at school. There he was needed and he even had people bidding on his services. Though it could have had something to do about needing money to live on his own as Keigo said then, but part of it could have something to do about Ichigo wanting to be needed by his friends.

I'm certainly with you when it comes to Isshin being a dead beat dad

[g0dzax]

Thanks for the review,Underscore.Regarding the chapter there are a few things that I'd like to comment about:
-first of all,Kuugo is fighting against 4 Fullbringers yet he still manages to hold his ground against them all,maybe this is because he already knows what each FB can do,thus he knows how to evade their attacks or effects,I think that this is actually true,since Kuugo is only worried about Shishigawara's FB rather than his ex-colleagues FBs;

-Jackie must have waited to be get her boots dirty,because behind her you can see the wall destroyed by Tsukishima,and her boots must have gotten dirty because of the dust or something like that;

-Giriko's "Time tells no lies" seems to work like a close-range attack: from his watch numbers fly at the target and I think that they must hit the target for the FB to activate(incredibly,it seems to remind me of Shinji's Shikai,you have to smell the "mist" or whatever it is for the Shikai to activate,Giriko's FB seems to work in a similar way,the target must be hit by the numbers for the FB to active,and this seems to be true based on the fact that Kuugo quickly dodged the numbers,maybe he knew this is how Giriko's FB activates),also only Giriko knows what the conditions are->this makes his FB incredibly dangerous,what if he sets a condition like : "You must eat a rabbit in 2 seconds or you will die.",this seems to be a very hax ability;

-unfortunately,I can't comprehend Riruka's FB,she activated "Dollhouse" by using her "Love Gun",maybe all her FB toys are connected to each other and can draw on each other's properties,thus allowing the "Love Gun" to work like the "Dollhouse" thus shrinking or storing things,and if she had the "Dollhouse" she could have activated the "Loge Gun's" properties;

-regarding your question on Shishigawara

how come no one from Xcution is bothered by him appearing during this fight and somewhat taking the lead?What's more,why doesn't Shishigawara have any problems with what's happening here right now?

,I don't recall any discussions regarding this,it's actually interesting and I can think of several possibilities here : Shishigawara doesn't have any problems with this because he adores Tsukishima and will do anything for Tsukishima,even if it means killing another person,maybe because (like Chad and Inoue and everyone) he's been affected by Tsukishima's FB and is now under his control,this would explain Shishigawara's actions,also there is no indication that Shishigawara is aware of Tsukishima's true FB;

-regarding the Xcution members and their atitude towards Shishigawara,I think that prior to this battle Tsukishima introduced Shishigawara as a new member to Xcution,what's more gave him the status of leader,and since everyone is under Tsukishima's control,the only thing they could do is agree to this(since everyone seems to think that Tsukshima is a god(of trolling);

-now,we've just gotten another hax FB user: Shishigawara;I am honest when I say that his ability is more hax than any other FB,if he hits someone's body,it would "just happen" that his heart would fail from the blow,or if he throws a rock at someone,it "just happens" that the rock hits a vital point and stop blood flow through there or something like this;

-maybe the Swastika doesn't appear anymore because at first his FB tried to copy his old Bankai,and now that his FB is complete the Swastika doesn't appear anymore because the FB isn't copying anymore his old Bankai,it actually made a new power that seems to do not have the Swastika;

-I don't think that we'll see Getsuga Rasentenshou anymore,and it makes a bit sad,the Getsuga Rasentenshou appeared as a teaser of a sorts,because Ichigo's FB wasn't complete and it couldn't copy the Getsuga Tenshou and thus Getsuga Rasentenshou was born,however now that his FB is complete it copies perfectly the old GT;

-there is NO WAY the Vizards or Isshin or Uhara or Yoruichi or god damn it,someone reiatsu-aware,didn't nothice the GT's explosion,it is completely far-stretched to assume that Shinji or Urahara can not feel or see the explosion(and the sudden burst of reiatsu),I wonder what the heck they're doing(maybe this is all a plan of Isshin to get Ichigo's powers back,and that's why no one is responding to all this madness);

-I dissagree with Tsukishima thinking that Ichigo has merged his FB with his shinigami powers,because for to be a Shinigami means to have a Zanpakutou,Ichigo doesn't have a Zanpakutou right now,only a FB sword(also,he is in his human body,I thought Shinigamis have a spiritual body);

-dunno if someone noticed it,but there is some blood near Ginjou's face when he gets cut,tha same thing that happened with Ishida and IF Ishida shows up to help Ichigo,it means that Ginjou will not be under the control of Tsukishima;

-another thing I am bothered with right now,Ginjou was freaking cut in his HEART,(or at least,that's what I saw)and he is a human,how the heck can a human survive a blow like that?!there is no way to survive a wound like that,only if Inoue heals him can he survive,otherwise I see Ginjou dead the next chapter;

-it's been shown that the book the end doesn't make it's effect immediately,so even if Ginjou is still alive,it will take awhile for him to be under Tsukishima's complete control(if this happens),because at first both Chad and Inoue had an eerie feeling of Tsukishima being a friend,so Ginjou still won't be under Tsukishima's control the next chapter;

-also,I can only think right now of a single possibility of how Ichigo can merge his shinigami powers and FB : first of all,he has to regain his spiritual body,right now he can't be taken out of his human body,also he is NOT a shinigami so even if he were to get in his spiritual body he wouldn't have the Shinigami clothing.Thus,the way to merge his FB and shinigami powers could work like this : the white Zanpakutou will be used on Ichigo and his FB will actually become his spiritual body,thus his spiritual body and human body would be merged,since he can use the FB to cover his human body in his spiritual body,effectively his FB becomes a spiritual "armor" body,and so Ichigo is in his human body but also has his spiritual body covering him.Also,he must get back his Zanpakutou,and by the way things look right now(his armor and GT) it seems that we'll get back Zangetsu in another form(different from the previous two ones) also because it's a new,merged power he will NOT have a Bankai or Shikai,but rather an unique,ultimately complete Zanpakutou;

-

Why would Kuugo allow himself to get hit like this?

I'm thinking that Kuugo had time to block with his sword,but he chose to get cut so that Ichigo will think of him as a close friend,thus becoming closer to Ichigo;

-about the headspinner,I think that Tsukishima actually doesn't not want Ichigo's powers,I seriously doubt it,I am sure that there is someone else in the shadows that made all these things happen(remember Tsukishima's word : "It's over for me.") meaning that his role has ended and will now finish HIS part of the job so that someone else will take care of the next step,would LOL if Isshin hired Tsukishima to do all this so that Ichigo's FB would be complete and Ichigo would be ready for the next step in his quest of regaining his shinigami powers.I don't trust what the Xcution members said about Tsukishima,mainly because of this : before,they thought that Tsukishima was a villain and now they're actually helping him,I think that Ginjou was made to think that Tsukishima killed all the previous Xcution members by using his "Book Of End" and inserting his presence in Ginjou's past,thus making Ginjou think that Tsukishima killed all the previous members,whereas in the original,true past Tsukishima didn't kill anyone;

Finally finished my HUGE ranting .This is what I predict for the next chapter: the first 6 pages will show Ichigo in horror and despair as Ginjou was cut,a short conversation between Ginjou and Tsukishima,the next 6 pages Ichigo will fly into rage like never before and start attacking Tuskishima with all his might and power,also insert here more of Tsukishima's trolling,the next 6 pages show Ichigo's being beated by everyone else HOWEVER Chad and Inou won't hit him,only the Xcution members will fight Ichigo and thus 18 pages are done,for the last three pages I predict Ishida shows up together with Isshin and Urahara and everyone is like "OMG who are they " and Chad and Inoue will have an awesomely drawn suprise face.

le : can't believe how much I typed o.O

[The Underscore]

Thanks for the review,Underscore.Regarding the chapter there are a few things that I'd like to comment about:
-first of all,Kuugo is fighting against 4 Fullbringers yet he still manages to hold his ground against them all,maybe this is because he already knows what each FB can do,thus he knows how to evade their attacks or effects,I think that this is actually true,since Kuugo is only worried about Shishigawara's FB rather than his ex-colleagues FBs;

-Jackie must have waited to be get her boots dirty,because behind her you can see the wall destroyed by Tsukishima,and her boots must have gotten dirty because of the dust or something like that;

-Giriko's "Time tells no lies" seems to work like a close-range attack: from his watch numbers fly at the target and I think that they must hit the target for the FB to activate(incredibly,it seems to remind me of Shinji's Shikai,you have to smell the "mist" or whatever it is for the Shikai to activate,Giriko's FB seems to work in a similar way,the target must be hit by the numbers for the FB to active,and this seems to be true based on the fact that Kuugo quickly dodged the numbers,maybe he knew this is how Giriko's FB activates),also only Giriko knows what the conditions are->this makes his FB incredibly dangerous,what if he sets a condition like : "You must eat a rabbit in 2 seconds or you will die.",this seems to be a very hax ability;

-unfortunately,I can't comprehend Riruka's FB,she activated "Dollhouse" by using her "Love Gun",maybe all her FB toys are connected to each other and can draw on each other's properties,thus allowing the "Love Gun" to work like the "Dollhouse" thus shrinking or storing things,and if she had the "Dollhouse" she could have activated the "Loge Gun's" properties;

-regarding your question on Shishigawara,I don't recall any discussions regarding this,it's actually interesting and I can think of several possibilities here : Shishigawara doesn't have any problems with this because he adores Tsukishima and will do anything for Tsukishima,even if it means killing another person,maybe because (like Chad and Inoue and everyone) he's been affected by Tsukishima's FB and is now under his control,this would explain Shishigawara's actions,also there is no indication that Shishigawara is aware of Tsukishima's true FB;

-regarding the Xcution members and their atitude towards Shishigawara,I think that prior to this battle Tsukishima introduced Shishigawara as a new member to Xcution,what's more gave him the status of leader,and since everyone is under Tsukishima's control,the only thing they could do is agree to this(since everyone seems to think that Tsukshima is a god(of trolling);

-now,we've just gotten another hax FB user: Shishigawara;I am honest when I say that his ability is more hax than any other FB,if he hits someone's body,it would "just happen" that his heart would fail from the blow,or if he throws a rock at someone,it "just happens" that the rock hits a vital point and stop blood flow through there or something like this;

-maybe the Swastika doesn't appear anymore because at first his FB tried to copy his old Bankai,and now that his FB is complete the Swastika doesn't appear anymore because the FB isn't copying anymore his old Bankai,it actually made a new power that seems to do not have the Swastika;

-I don't think that we'll see Getsuga Rasentenshou anymore,and it makes a bit sad,the Getsuga Rasentenshou appeared as a teaser of a sorts,because Ichigo's FB wasn't complete and it couldn't copy the Getsuga Tenshou and thus Getsuga Rasentenshou was born,however now that his FB is complete it copies perfectly the old GT;

-there is NO WAY the Vizards or Isshin or Uhara or Yoruichi or god damn it,someone reiatsu-aware,didn't nothice the GT's explosion,it is completely far-stretched to assume that Shinji or Urahara can not feel or see the explosion(and the sudden burst of reiatsu),I wonder what the heck they're doing(maybe this is all a plan of Isshin to get Ichigo's powers back,and that's why no one is responding to all this madness);

-I dissagree with Tsukishima thinking that Ichigo has merged his FB with his shinigami powers,because for to be a Shinigami means to have a Zanpakutou,Ichigo doesn't have a Zanpakutou right now,only a FB sword(also,he is in his human body,I thought Shinigamis have a spiritual body);

-dunno if someone noticed it,but there is some blood near Ginjou's face when he gets cut,tha same thing that happened with Ishida and IF Ishida shows up to help Ichigo,it means that Ginjou will not be under the control of Tsukishima;

-another thing I am bothered with right now,Ginjou was freaking cut in his HEART,(or at least,that's what I saw)and he is a human,how the heck can a human survive a blow like that?!there is no way to survive a wound like that,only if Inoue heals him can he survive,otherwise I see Ginjou dead the next chapter;

-it's been shown that the book the end doesn't make it's effect immediately,so even if Ginjou is still alive,it will take awhile for him to be under Tsukishima's complete control(if this happens),because at first both Chad and Inoue had an eerie feeling of Tsukishima being a friend,so Ginjou still won't be under Tsukishima's control the next chapter;

-also,I can only think right now of a single possibility of how Ichigo can merge his shinigami powers and FB : first of all,he has to regain his spiritual body,right now he can't be taken out of his human body,also he is NOT a shinigami so even if he were to get in his spiritual body he wouldn't have the Shinigami clothing.Thus,the way to merge his FB and shinigami powers could work like this : the white Zanpakutou will be used on Ichigo and his FB will actually become his spiritual body,thus his spiritual body and human body would be merged,since he can use the FB to cover his human body in his spiritual body,effectively his FB becomes a spiritual "armor" body,and so Ichigo is in his human body but also has his spiritual body covering him.Also,he must get back his Zanpakutou,and by the way things look right now(his armor and GT) it seems that we'll get back Zangetsu in another form(different from the previous two ones) also because it's a new,merged power he will NOT have a Bankai or Shikai,but rather an unique,ultimately complete Zanpakutou;

-
I'm thinking that Kuugo had time to block with his sword,but he chose to get cut so that Ichigo will think of him as a close friend,thus becoming closer to Ichigo;

-about the headspinner,I think that Tsukishima actually doesn't not want Ichigo's powers,I seriously doubt it,I am sure that there is someone else in the shadows that made all these things happen(remember Tsukishima's word : "It's over for me.") meaning that his role has ended and will now finish HIS part of the job so that someone else will take care of the next step,would LOL if Isshin hired Tsukishima to do all this so that Ichigo's FB would be complete and Ichigo would be ready for the next step in his quest of regaining his shinigami powers.I don't trust what the Xcution members said about Tsukishima,mainly because of this : before,they thought that Tsukishima was a villain and now they're actually helping him,I think that Ginjou was made to think that Tsukishima killed all the previous Xcution members by using his "Book Of End" and inserting his presence in Ginjou's past,thus making Ginjou think that Tsukishima killed all the previous members,whereas in the original,true past Tsukishima didn't kill anyone;

Finally finished my HUGE ranting .This is what I predict for the next chapter: the first 6 pages will show Ichigo in horror and despair as Ginjou was cut,a short conversation between Ginjou and Tsukishima,the next 6 pages Ichigo will fly into rage like never before and start attacking Tuskishima with all his might and power,also insert here more of Tsukishima's trolling,the next 6 pages show Ichigo's being beated by everyone else HOWEVER Chad and Inou won't hit him,only the Xcution members will fight Ichigo and thus 18 pages are done,for the last three pages I predict Ishida shows up together with Isshin and Urahara and everyone is like "OMG who are they " and Chad and Inoue will have an awesomely drawn suprise face.

le : can't believe how much I typed o.O

And here I was thinking I went on typing rages when it came to Bleach For someone who only had a few things to comment on this time you really went all out, didn't you? Anyways, let's see what I can say about what you mentioned here... wait a sec, that means I have to read all of this again!

First off, I agree that Kuugo probably has the advantage of knowing his colleagues' powers. Though the same should still be true, I still think that. But with an unknown power facing you, you may never know what could happen. Shishigawara's Fullbring is exactly that.

Jackie activating her Fullbring after dirtying them makes sense, but I doubt her shoes were spotless before. I guess there's a minimum amount of "filth" required for her boots to activate.

Giriko's Fullbring is still overpowered if you ask me, exactly because of the points you mentioned. What's worse, he can make the conditions even more annoying than just targeting a person. Remember what he did with the Dollhouse when Ichigo was first discovering his Fullbring powers? Ichigo was affected, even though he wasn't around during the initiation of the Fullbring.

Riruka's Fullbring... well, you read the review .

I guess Shishigawara could be blinded by adoration for Tsukishima, but this doesn't make this less strange in my opinion. I guess it's because I would have my doubts if I were in Shishigawara's shoes.... Then again, with the way the Xcution members are acting, the same could be happening to Shishigawara. Still... the Xcution members are too quiet...

Shishigawara's powers are too good in a fight, I agree. But I'm expecting that this is an ability based on "luck", meaning that Shishigawara has just been getting lucky for now, but once he has a bad roll of the dice, it could backfire on him.

The loss of the Swastika on Ichigo's blade and the Rasentenshou aren't too great, I guess, but with the time and emphasis given to them I'm just a bit disappointed that they're so easily forgotten.

As for no one reacting to the Getsuga's blast... I'd say that it would take at least some time for people to show up, so I'm not surprised to see anyone yet. But if no one shows up in a chapter or two (due to the explosion), I'll be just as surprised as you are right now.

Like you, I have my doubts that this will be it with Ichigo's powers. I guess that once Ichigo's Shinigami powers return (read: Zangetsu's back), Ichigo's powers will change again. Maybe a changed Shikai and Bankai, but I doubt Kubo will ditch those so easily. Maybe the guard on Ichigo's Fullbring will appear on his Shikai.

Kuugo's cut is hard to explain. I wouldn't be too surprised if the attack didn't have the effect Tsukishima's after, but I don't think Kuugo's cut in two either. Let's not forget that his Fullbring 'Splits' things without leaving an actual mark of it happening, so that should be the case here as well. Maybe the only way for Tsukishima's Fullbring to work is by having the target willing to fight him directly, you know, putting one's soul into it thus leaving it exposed... Whatever the case, we'll find out whether it works at once soon enough.

As for your suggestion for Ichigo's Fullbring and Shinigami powers fusing... I hate it Why you ask? Simple. If Ichigo doesn't need to leave his body to fight anymore, he wouldn't need KON-sama! That's right, that's my greatest objection to your new suggestion for Ichigo's new powers . Still, I find it to be a more than valid reason to oppose that suggestion of yours . Putting the fact that KON-sama won't take over Ichigo's body over anymore if his Fullbring would work like that, it sounds like a pretty good idea. That way Ichigo would have gone up to a whole new level, perhaps finally becoming a true human/Shinigami/Hollow hybrid. Still, no KON equals no good idea

As for Kuugo getting cut to get on Ichigo's good side... The thought crossed my mind, but I wonder how that would work exactly.

The headspinner is all yours, so keep spinning

Your predictions are more likely to happen than my own, mostly because I'm bad with predictions . But I'd say Isshin and Urahara showing up with Ishida is not going to happen. The reason for this is simply because that would cost Kubo an opportunity to for an extra cliffhanger . One for Ishida appearing and another for Isshin and Urahara appearing .

Man, I can't believe how much you typed Thanks for your comment. You wouldn't believe how much time it took for me to reply (mostly because of a crazy kitten that kept attacking my hands and walking over the keyboard ).

[g0dzax]

And here I was thinking I went on typing rages when it came to Bleach For someone who only had a few things to comment on this time you really went all out, didn't you?

Well,if you can believe me,I literally had nothing to do so I decided to comment about this chapter...and really these were a few comments ,and I didn't go all out,you should see me when I comment the whole chapter and really go out...though I don't think anyone wants to see just how much I can type about Bleach .
By the way,I agree with you regarding Kon-sama,I want him back!
I guess the only left is to wait for the next chapter and prepare myself for the next few comments on the next chapter .

[Tsukisama]

Thanks, The Underscore, for your thoughtful review! Once again, it helps me put the chapter into the proper perspective.

I liked your thoughts on the Xcution Fullbrings. (By the way, before I start on that, do you have any ideas on why Yukio isn't currently participating in the fight?) I still find Jackie and sullied shoes lackluster, but all of the others seemed a little more interesting after this chapter.
-I'm glad that we saw somewhat how Giriko's FB activates, but like you mentioned in your response to g0dzax's post, we know that he does not have to place the condition directly on a person for it to work; so, why not just place a condition on the room? Maybe he could not do that because he himself was in the room and he needs to be outside the area of effect for the conditions to be set.
-Riruka's FB definitely got more interesting. When I was reading the chapter, I was thinking that I just remembering incorrectly how it worked and she always used a gun, thinking she must have used it to shrink Ichigo, but your review reminded me that she really did not. (I went back to "Berry in the Box" to see she tosses a heart at him.) So, it seems that her FB is another all-encompassing type where she can alter various things, provided that she has a strong enough attachment to them. Like you said, I am guessing that these modifications must all be toy-related, but given what we have seen from her and the "Dollhouse" FB, what would you say is the most likely and effective way she could be dangerous?
-Shishi's FB is the most fascinating of all. I hoping that, like you mentioned, there is a combination of the numbers on his knuckles that will result in an unfavorable outcome for him. If so, what number would you think that might be? I don't know much about gambling to know if there is a usual unlikely number. I would imagine that, similar to actual gambling, most combinations don't have any effect, which would mean that Shishi's FB is almost always useless except for one lucky punch once in a while. Do you think that is likely the case, or do you think that each combination corresponds to certain type of outcome?

Kuugo's "Cross of Scaffold" is still a disappointment. With all of the new things we have seen from so many including Ichigo, I would have hoped that something new and interesting would come from his, but nothing thus far. I feel exactly the same way about Ichigo's FB as you expressed in your review. I'm hoping that Tsukishima is wrong and that there is still more to it. Even though he didn't use Getsuga Rasentenshou in this battle, I have hope that he will use it again. My guess/wish is that it is a less powerful attack than the Tenshou and that it will come up again in a less intense situation.

I'm glad you explained how you thought others would react to Ichigo and Kuugo getting slashed, because that was a serious point of confusion for me during the chapter. I was thinking that the whole point of Tsukishima not attacking was because he couldn't in front of Ichigo's friends lest it undermine the way they view him now that he has altered their pasts; I thought that was the reason he always seemed to attack people while they were alone with no one else to witness the event, but he just goes straight in for the attack in the midst of everyone.

If he alters Kuugo right then and there, then that means he will either have to make it so that Kuugo acts like he is suddenly coming to his senses or have to alter everyone's memories along with Kuugo's to make this make sense. I'm hoping that it is the former, as the latter would mean that he can continuously change his victim's past without having to strike the person again, making him ridiculously powerful.