He has returned and we’re not talking about Aizen. Despite the fact that we’re using the Soul Society traitor in our leading image, Bleach’s Thousand-Year Blood War has brought back a character that has been away far longer than one of the supernatural shonen series’ biggest villains. As Yhwach continues his plan to destroy the Soul King and finally deliver the Quincy clan their long-awaited revenge, Ichigo and his friends are in dire straits. Luckily for them, an old ally has re-emerged and once again shown that the Soul Society has made some powerful friends along the course of Bleach.
Warning. If you have yet to watch the latest episode of Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War, “Against The Judgement,” be forewarned that we’ll dive into some major spoiler territory. The latest anime installment begins with the Soul Society dealing with the after-effects of Yhwach taking down the Soul King as “eye creatures” spring forth in the supernatural world. With Shinsui now taking command of the organization, he has decided to unleash Aizen as an uneasy ally, keeping the villain strapped into a chair. Despite remaining confined, Aizen is still quite the threat as he is able to take out the new monstrosities, growing even more powerful within confinement. Unfortunately, even adding this antagonist’s power to their own, the Shinigami still have quite the fight ahead of them.
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An Arrancar Returns
The long-awaited return we are referring to is Grimmjow’s comeback, the Arrancar that had previously fought Ichigo to a standstill when his clan first emerged as a threat to Soul Society. Thanks to the common enemy of the Wandenreich, former enemies have become allies and Grimmjow is no exception. While Grimmjow had been previously featured in the first section of the Blood War, the latest installment highlights him stepping out of the shadows and joining the Shinigami for one more push against Yhwach.
Grimmjow Returns At The Turn Of The Tide
While the Soul Society is on their way to give Ichigo and his friends some much-needed backup, Grimmjow makes his return to the Royal Palace before the Shinigami arrive. It makes for quite the dynamic scene as the Arrancar joins the collective group that is looking to put a stop to the destruction that the Sternritter have unleashed so far. Hopefully, Grimmjow has been able to amplify his power level to keep in step with the likes of Ichigo and Aizen, especially with Yhwach absorbing the full power of the Soul King into himself.
If you’re unfamiliar with Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez, there is a reason why he has become a fan-favorite in Bleach’s history. First appearing as a villain within the ranks of the Arrancar, both Grimmjow and Ichigo gain a level of respect for one another akin to Dragon Ball’s Goku and Vegeta. Calling them “frenemies” might certainly be the best way to describe this unlikely duo.
We are still early on in the third phase of Bleach’s Thousand-Year Blood War, with one the fourth part of the anime series looking to bring this entire season to an end. Unfortunately, the fight against the Wandenreich might be Ichigo and friends’ final anime adventures unless creator Tite Kubo and Studio Pierrot have something special up their sleeves. In terms of the manga, Kubo did weave a new chapter titled Bleach: No Breathes From Hell which examined the Soul Society years after the Blood War but there has been no word of new chapters since this release.
Want to follow along with the latest developments of the Blood War? Follow along with Team Anime on ComicBook.com for the latest updates on the Soul Society and hit me up directly @EVComedy to talk all things comics and anime.
