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Given that Manga, and especially Shonen, is often divided into larger arcs rather than just volumes, I will be analyzing and reviewing this by Arc. I also reread this manga over a span of 2 months, sometimes reading as many as 100 chapters a day. Reviewing each 7 - 8 chapter volume would be quite tedious for me. So this format will be used throughout all of the 72 manga volumes. That being said, if you're looking at this without having viewed the series, spoiler warning. I don't recap everything, but I do mention events that occur. If you want to know if you should pick this up, the answer is yes. Even if you stop at the end of the Soul Society Arc, it's worth it. Karakura Town Arc - Chapters 1 - 56 - Rating: 7/10
(The official page combines this with the Soul Society Arc, but I think they are two very distinct arcs with different themes)
- It's a fun introduction.
- The concept of ghosts and demons (Hollows) is interesting.
- It does a good job of introducing the characters. I especially liked the development of characters like Chad, Orihime, and Uryu, although they would receive less attention as the series progressed.
- It has a bit of a monster-of-the-week feel. When it works, like with Chad's introduction, it's great. But characters like Don Kanonji felt superficial and gimmicky, and I didn't enjoy them as much. Soul Society Arc - Chapters 57 - 182 - Rating: 10/10
- This is the peak of Bleach.
- It seemingly creates a perfect afterlife, although later it's revealed to have plot holes and not be fully fleshed out. But that's not a problem in this arc. The fights are excellent, and the themes of Ichigo owing a life debt to Rukia and his determination to rise above God's army are inspiring. To this day, this is why I love Ichigo so much. He doesn't have a grand plan or a major goal to achieve. He's a protector at heart, and losing his mother has made him bitter about failing to protect those he cares about. He'll do anything in his power never to feel that helpless again. It's very powerful stuff.
- The twist near the end of this arc is revolutionary and would have an impact on the next 200 chapters. It's a perfect ending and setup for the upcoming arc.
- The only issues I have with this arc are Ichigo's extremely fast progression. He goes from barely being able to defeat a third seat to defeating multiple captains in about 100 chapters or less. I understand the point, but in terms of progression and pacing, it feels unearned and like a plot device. This is only noticeable because Ichigo's progression slows down significantly for the rest of the story.
- Also, like in most Shonen, there are a lot of characters introduced here. There are 13 captains, 13 vice-captains, and seats that go all the way to 10, I think. With such a large cast, it can be a bit overwhelming at times. Fortunately, Kubo does a great job of making their designs and characters unique. Hueco Mundo Arc - Chapters 183 - 423 - Rating 7/10
- Personally, I would split this arc into two separate arcs. But for the purposes of this review, I'll refer to the first half and the second half. The first half is 9/10, and the second half is 5/10.
- The first half of this arc is a great continuation of the previous one. Ichigo now struggles with his inner demons, which affects his ability to protect those he loves. We're also introduced to a new and deadly group of villains, the Arrancars/Espada, who remain one of my favorite villain factions in all of manga.
- Just so you know, I would say the first half of this arc ends around the point of Ichigo vs Grimmjow. Grimmjow is one of the first Arrancar that Ichigo faces and one of two Espada that he faces three times. The conclusion of this fight shows Ichigo conquering his inner demons. Grimmjow is fighting to establish himself, and it's very personal for him. For Ichigo, saving Orihime is within his reach, and he sees this as his "final" battle. It's my favorite fight in all of Bleach.
- However, this is where the quality starts to decline a bit for me. We had a goal and were working towards it, but somewhere along the way, it seems like we just had a fighter fest. The captains faced enemies with no real themes or character revelations. The Espadas got a bit of development, but not enough to make their fights truly compelling. You almost feel bad for them as they were turned into a military force by an unstoppable tyrant. But even that wasn't enough to make half of the fights interesting.
- This brings me to the end. I won't say it wasn't satisfying that Ichigo was able to defeat Aizen, and I do think his new power was earned. But it was clearly a last-minute decision to save Aizen for a later date, and the show had to go on. I don't think it was as satisfying as the 200+ chapter buildup deserved. The Fullbring Arc - Chapters 424 - 479 - Rating: 8/10
- This is a very underrated arc. I acknowledge that, rating-wise, I think the Fullbring arc is better than the Hueco Mundo arc. That's mostly true, although I like the first half of the Hueco Mundo Arc more than the Fullbring arc. The end of the HM arc really brought it down for me. The Fullbring Arc is much more concise and is essentially an arc about Ichigo getting his powers back, but that doesn't mean it's bad.
- When I first read it back in 2010 when it was being released, it wasn't great. In fact, I hated it. But wouldn't you? It took almost a year to get to the point we were at. However, upon rereading it, I realized it gave much-needed attention to the characters who hadn't been developed in a long time, the original cast. It was a very character-focused arc, and Ichigo seemed more human than ever. Despite my initial dislike for it taking so long, reading weekly can sometimes hurt mystery-based arcs. The twist is heavily foreshadowed, and I really appreciated it.
- That being said, the end was very rushed, which was a big disappointment for me. The villains this time were humans, and the characters who had the most connection to them were the original cast, who were also humans. So having the soul reapers, who have no connection to the fullbringers, show up and basically defeat most of them felt very forced and like fanservice to me. This may not have been Kubo's decision, as the community was very vocal about their dislike for this arc as it was being released. But I appreciate it more now because I value character and story over big sword fights. Lol. The Thousand Year Blood War Arc - Chapters 424 - 689 - Rating: 5/10
- And here we are, at the final and largest arc in the Bleach story. And unfortunately, it doesn't quite land.
- That being said, this arc has some amazing moments. Kenpachi's Shikai and Bankai, Ichigo's double swords, Renji's true Bankai, Rukia's Bankai, and many more. However, they are all part of an arc that moves at breakneck speed. Kubo was very ambitious when he introduced 26 new villains, but most of them got very little screen time, and many were even defeated off-screen by higher-level captains. This was unlike the Espada, who each got a full double-page spread for their Resurrections.
- Yhwach himself was a great villain, but he was dealt with quickly and, in my opinion, unfairly.
- There was just something off about this arc. The mood changed, and it was very noticeable. The villains had random powers that didn't seem to reflect their personalities or needs. The finale felt very underwhelming.
- Ichigo gets to be the strongest he's ever been, but he doesn't defeat a single person besides the main villain, even though he's in several fights.
- It's not a good arc. In fact, I would say it's the worst. Hopefully, the anime will do a better job with this already huge story. 260 chapters is no small feat. This gives the story of Bleach an overall rating of 7.4/10, which I think is above average. It has its highs and lows. It's not perfect, but when it's good, it's peak Shonen. But when it's bad, it's very forgettable.
(The official page combines this with the Soul Society Arc, but I think they are two very distinct arcs with different themes)
- It's a fun introduction.
- The concept of ghosts and demons (Hollows) is interesting.
- It does a good job of introducing the characters. I especially liked the development of characters like Chad, Orihime, and Uryu, although they would receive less attention as the series progressed.
- It has a bit of a monster-of-the-week feel. When it works, like with Chad's introduction, it's great. But characters like Don Kanonji felt superficial and gimmicky, and I didn't enjoy them as much. Soul Society Arc - Chapters 57 - 182 - Rating: 10/10
- This is the peak of Bleach.
- It seemingly creates a perfect afterlife, although later it's revealed to have plot holes and not be fully fleshed out. But that's not a problem in this arc. The fights are excellent, and the themes of Ichigo owing a life debt to Rukia and his determination to rise above God's army are inspiring. To this day, this is why I love Ichigo so much. He doesn't have a grand plan or a major goal to achieve. He's a protector at heart, and losing his mother has made him bitter about failing to protect those he cares about. He'll do anything in his power never to feel that helpless again. It's very powerful stuff.
- The twist near the end of this arc is revolutionary and would have an impact on the next 200 chapters. It's a perfect ending and setup for the upcoming arc.
- The only issues I have with this arc are Ichigo's extremely fast progression. He goes from barely being able to defeat a third seat to defeating multiple captains in about 100 chapters or less. I understand the point, but in terms of progression and pacing, it feels unearned and like a plot device. This is only noticeable because Ichigo's progression slows down significantly for the rest of the story.
- Also, like in most Shonen, there are a lot of characters introduced here. There are 13 captains, 13 vice-captains, and seats that go all the way to 10, I think. With such a large cast, it can be a bit overwhelming at times. Fortunately, Kubo does a great job of making their designs and characters unique. Hueco Mundo Arc - Chapters 183 - 423 - Rating 7/10
- Personally, I would split this arc into two separate arcs. But for the purposes of this review, I'll refer to the first half and the second half. The first half is 9/10, and the second half is 5/10.
- The first half of this arc is a great continuation of the previous one. Ichigo now struggles with his inner demons, which affects his ability to protect those he loves. We're also introduced to a new and deadly group of villains, the Arrancars/Espada, who remain one of my favorite villain factions in all of manga.
- Just so you know, I would say the first half of this arc ends around the point of Ichigo vs Grimmjow. Grimmjow is one of the first Arrancar that Ichigo faces and one of two Espada that he faces three times. The conclusion of this fight shows Ichigo conquering his inner demons. Grimmjow is fighting to establish himself, and it's very personal for him. For Ichigo, saving Orihime is within his reach, and he sees this as his "final" battle. It's my favorite fight in all of Bleach.
- However, this is where the quality starts to decline a bit for me. We had a goal and were working towards it, but somewhere along the way, it seems like we just had a fighter fest. The captains faced enemies with no real themes or character revelations. The Espadas got a bit of development, but not enough to make their fights truly compelling. You almost feel bad for them as they were turned into a military force by an unstoppable tyrant. But even that wasn't enough to make half of the fights interesting.
- This brings me to the end. I won't say it wasn't satisfying that Ichigo was able to defeat Aizen, and I do think his new power was earned. But it was clearly a last-minute decision to save Aizen for a later date, and the show had to go on. I don't think it was as satisfying as the 200+ chapter buildup deserved. The Fullbring Arc - Chapters 424 - 479 - Rating: 8/10
- This is a very underrated arc. I acknowledge that, rating-wise, I think the Fullbring arc is better than the Hueco Mundo arc. That's mostly true, although I like the first half of the Hueco Mundo Arc more than the Fullbring arc. The end of the HM arc really brought it down for me. The Fullbring Arc is much more concise and is essentially an arc about Ichigo getting his powers back, but that doesn't mean it's bad.
- When I first read it back in 2010 when it was being released, it wasn't great. In fact, I hated it. But wouldn't you? It took almost a year to get to the point we were at. However, upon rereading it, I realized it gave much-needed attention to the characters who hadn't been developed in a long time, the original cast. It was a very character-focused arc, and Ichigo seemed more human than ever. Despite my initial dislike for it taking so long, reading weekly can sometimes hurt mystery-based arcs. The twist is heavily foreshadowed, and I really appreciated it.
- That being said, the end was very rushed, which was a big disappointment for me. The villains this time were humans, and the characters who had the most connection to them were the original cast, who were also humans. So having the soul reapers, who have no connection to the fullbringers, show up and basically defeat most of them felt very forced and like fanservice to me. This may not have been Kubo's decision, as the community was very vocal about their dislike for this arc as it was being released. But I appreciate it more now because I value character and story over big sword fights. Lol. The Thousand Year Blood War Arc - Chapters 424 - 689 - Rating: 5/10
- And here we are, at the final and largest arc in the Bleach story. And unfortunately, it doesn't quite land.
- That being said, this arc has some amazing moments. Kenpachi's Shikai and Bankai, Ichigo's double swords, Renji's true Bankai, Rukia's Bankai, and many more. However, they are all part of an arc that moves at breakneck speed. Kubo was very ambitious when he introduced 26 new villains, but most of them got very little screen time, and many were even defeated off-screen by higher-level captains. This was unlike the Espada, who each got a full double-page spread for their Resurrections.
- Yhwach himself was a great villain, but he was dealt with quickly and, in my opinion, unfairly.
- There was just something off about this arc. The mood changed, and it was very noticeable. The villains had random powers that didn't seem to reflect their personalities or needs. The finale felt very underwhelming.
- Ichigo gets to be the strongest he's ever been, but he doesn't defeat a single person besides the main villain, even though he's in several fights.
- It's not a good arc. In fact, I would say it's the worst. Hopefully, the anime will do a better job with this already huge story. 260 chapters is no small feat. This gives the story of Bleach an overall rating of 7.4/10, which I think is above average. It has its highs and lows. It's not perfect, but when it's good, it's peak Shonen. But when it's bad, it's very forgettable.
