It feels like they are still building for something bigger in the next one.
Summary:

Uryu literally took off the training glove and unleased immense power but it will cause him to lose his powers. The captain he is fighting realizes he can win and uses his bankai. Uryu blasts a hole in him but before he dies. The captain stabs himself and turns into a liquid and gets away. Uryu starts to feel his powers fading, leaves, and goes to the stairs of where Rukia is being kept. He then runs into another captain and is instantly defeated in one blow.

Ichego finds out in order to preform bankia he will need to force Zangetsu ( his sword) into submitting. Rengi breaks out of prison and is also chatting with his sword. Ganju, Chad and Uryu are sharing a prison cell. They decide just to wait for ichego and prepare for their next fight. Orihime got picked up by the 11 company and is with kenpachi and his assistants, who said they will protect her so they can see Ichego again.

A few of the assistant captains that were in prison for fighting got let go by Gin. Captain Hitsugaya said he is going to save Hinamori because he things Gin is trying to kill her. Ichego showed a ton of improvement in his fighting skills during day one. Yoruichi tells him to relax and heal in the hot spring. She tells him Urahara used to be a soul reaper and that she was best friends with him. Hitsugaya confronts Gin and Hinamori appears and says she is going to kill Gin

While I’m still enjoying the series as a whole, I found myself getting a bit lost amid the flood of new faces and the intricate web of relationships between the various Soul Reapers. With so many captains, lieutenants, and squad members appearing in rapid succession, it felt overwhelming at times to keep track of who’s who and what their motives are.

This volume also focuses heavily on training and preparation, which, while necessary for the story’s progression, did slow down the pace a bit. I felt somewhat disconnected as the narrative shifted its focus away from the core group of characters we’ve grown attached to and more toward the inner workings of the Soul Society. It’s clear that Tite Kubo is laying a lot of groundwork here, building up to something bigger, but this particular volume didn’t quite grip me as much as some of the previous ones.

However, despite these points, there’s still plenty to enjoy in Volume 15. The world-building is rich, and Kubo’s artwork remains dynamic and engaging. The tension is building, and there are enough hints of intrigue and mystery to keep me turning the pages. I’m hoping that the next few volumes will pay off this setup and bring the story back into sharper focus, especially as Ichigo and his friends push deeper into the heart of the Soul Society.

Uryu fought so well he is such a bad ass. He used ranso tengai and a super op glove, but it is supposed to take away his power which would be awful. Also everyone is being kept aliveprisoner which I am glad for Meanwhile Ichigo is with Yoruichi practicing bankai with Zangetsu who I love seeing.

Plot armour

WHY URYU!? It almost feels like a waste that he gave up his Quincy powers and that Captain still escaped. I guess without doing so he would have died though...

Training is tough for Ichigo as he races to master Bankai, and a fight is about to break loose among the Soul Reapers over Captain Aizen’s death.

Great side story about the camaraderie between Renji, Momo, and Kira at the end.

My favourite scene was the one with Gin & Rangiku as children! A short but at the same time beautiful scene!

The existence of the serious factional splits among the Soul Reapers are becoming more obvious, but the reasons for the continued existence of some of them is not. The captain of the 12th Company is too creepy and weird to continue to exist within the organization that the Soul Reapers claim to be, so he is yet another clue that something has been wrong for a long time. When we learn the connection between that company and an already-shown character, that seems like a major clue that something has gone sideways.
I'm curious about the results of Uryu's actions, but at least we're finally seeing a reason for the weird bracelet.

"Uryuu... You'll eventually learn what your father cares about the most. When you find out what you truly want to protect... and if you still wish to walk the path of a Quincy... you will face a battle you cannot avoid. A battle beyond your abilities. A time will come when you will have to sacrifice yourself. When it comes, use this."

I'm sorry master. I still don't understand my father. I'm not even sure what I want to protect... But I think I at least know what I won't allow.


In Bleach Volume 15 we got to the conclusion of the Ishida vs Mayuri fight. Sadly, despite a win, there was no reason for Ishida to celebrate. He got some kind of revenge, but there is no relief and no joy. Nothing will bring the 2,661 Quincies (that Mayuri experimented on) back. And nothing will bring his grandfather back.

We got a flashback of a little Ishida talking with both his father and his grandfather. The two adults, despite being a family, couldn't be more different. The father doesn't want anything to do with a legacy of the Quincy, while the grandfather actively worked as a Quincy and made Uryuu his student. This difference made the little Uryuu stand in between his father and his grandfather.

"But... I can see them! The Hollows and the people they attack. The Soul Reapers can't handle it by themselves, I've seen it with my own eyes! Why... Dad must be able to see those things, too. So how...? How can he ignore them? Master, I want to be strong! I want to be a powerful Quincy and protect everyone from that Hollows! Then maybe Dad will think Quincies are worth something."

Ishida being the rational one in the team while Ichigo being the hothead who attacks first and asks questions later, seem like they are like a fire and water. But deep in their hearts they are the same. They both have a great need to become strong, but not just for the sake of being powerful, but because of the need to protect others. (And this is the same guy who manipulated Ichigo into a Soul Reaper vs Quincy battle if who will kill more Hollows. Incredible.) And they both are ready for a sacrifice if they think it's needed.

"Only one of them is the real me. I can only be defeated by that sword. If you want me to submit, find it before I kill you!" [Zangetsu]

Ichigo, after a tough fight against Zaraki and a nearly death experience against Byakuya, is now training to become stronger and achieve Bankai. His goal is to find the right sword - to find Zangetsu, before three days will pass. But Zangetsu cannot help him. He's the one that Ichigo needs to defeat now. Everyone's, including Ichigo's, lives are on the line. Either Ichigo succeeds and saves everyone, or he will fail and everyone are doomed. Volume 15 covers Day 1 of the training.

While Ichigo is deep in the battle against Zangetsu, Ishida, Ganju and Chad reunite in the Soul Reaper prison. They all are chained and all they can do now is wait for Ichigo, Orihime or Yoruichi to arrive. We know that Ichigo and Yoruichi cannot help them now, but what about Orihime? Well, it seems like she's chilling out with... Zaraki's Squad. How are they friends? Will it play into Ichigo's team favor somehow? We also came back to the murder mystery case. Who is the real murderer? What's Gin's goal? We will see in the next volume! ;)



Some things I need to talk about

~ RIP 2,661 Quincies and Grandpa Ishida [*]
~ Did I say that Mayuri is disgusting? Because he's DISGUSTING!
~ despite Papa Ishida sounding very cold and harsh, I think there is some truth in his words. We do need to focus on the living, not the dead ones. We need to focus on life, not death.
~ little Ishida's tear-streaked face was something I had a hard time going through, poor baby!
~ we saw the first Bankai! (Mayuri's, but still)
~ Nemu is an angel. Why she's still standing on Mayuri's side is truly beyond my understanding. Girl, you deserve much better! Set yourself free!
~ Ishida had the worst luck to run into Tousen after his battle against Mayuri.
~ Kira's devastated face, after his fight against Hinamori, killed me. One image in the manga was much more impactful than the image shown in the anime.
~ Gin finally looked like a bad guy!
~ Kenpachi looked like a titan sitting opposite to Orihime! I never realized how big he is!
~ we got a little Matsumoto/Gin flashback!!

not nice

5 ⭐

Given that Manga, and especially Shonen is split up into bigger arcs as composed to volumes I will be analyzing and reviewing this by Arc. I also reread this manga over the span of 2 months, some days reading as much as 100 chapters a day. It would be quite tedious for me to review each 7-8 chapter volume. So this will be copy and pasted 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 anything, but I also mention things that happen. If you want me to answer the question "Should I pick this up?" 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 lumps this in with the Soul Society Arc however I feel as if they are two very separate arcs with two very separate themes)
- A fun introduction.
-An interesting premise on the idea of ghosts and demons (Hollows)
-Does a good job of introducing the characters and I especially enjoyed the love for characters like Chad, Orihime and Uryu as these characters would later lose more and more spotlight as the series went on.
-It is a bit of a monster of the week. When it works, like with Chad's introduction story. It works. But Characters like Don Kanonji felt superficial and very gimmicky. Which, fair. I didn't enjoy them as much.

Soul Society Arc - Chapters 57-182 - Rating: 10/10
-The height of Bleach
-Establishes an afterlife seemingly perfectly. Later on revealed to be full of plot holes and never fleshed out but hey! That's not an issue in THIS arc. The fights are top tier, the themes of Ichigo owing a life debt to Rukia and his passion and determination to rise above literally God's army is inspiring and to this day is why I love Ichigo so much. He doesn't have some grandiose plan. He doesn't have a major goal to accomplish. He is a protector by heart, losing his mother has made him sour to failing to protect those he cares about and he'll do anything in his power never to feel that helpless again. Very powerful stuff.
-The twist near the end of this arc is revolutionary and would make waves for the next 200 chapters onward. A perfect ending and set up for the forthcoming arc.
-The only issues I have for this arc would be Ichigo's lightning speed progression. The guy goes from being able to barely defeat a third seat to besting multiple captains in roughly 100 or less chapters. I get that that is the point and him defeating captains was more of a struck of luck, but progression and pacing wise it feels very unearned and a factor of "for the plot he needed to be this strong" It only seems as fast as it is because Ichigo's progression slows drastically down for the rest of the story moving foreword so it's only now that I make that criticism.
-Also, and this will be an issue in most Shonen. There are 13 Captains with 13 Vice Captains and seats that branch all the way to 10 I believe? Regardless, there's a fudge ton of characters that are introduced here and it can get a little jarring at times. Luckily, Kubo does a great job at making their designs and characters unique despite such a large cast.

Hueco Mundo Arc - Chapters 183-423 - Rating 7/10
-This is another arc where personally I would split it up into two separate arcs. But for the sake of this review I will simply refer to the first half of the arc and the later half of the arc. First Half 9/10. Second Half. 5/10.
-The first half of this arc is a great continuation of the last. Ichigo now struggles with his inner demons and it affects his ability to protect the ones he loves. We are also introduced to a deadly unknown new villains. The Arrancars/Espada to this day remain one of my favorite villain factions in all of manga enemies.
-Just so you're aware I would say the first half of this arc ends right around the point of Ichigo vs Grimmjow. Grimmjow is one of the first Arrancar that Ichigo faces. And he's also one of two Espada that he faces three times. The conclusion of that fight shows Ichigo conquering his inner demons. Where Grimmjow is very much fighting to establish himself. Grimmjow has to fight Ichigo to prove to his fallen comrades that he is as good as he says he is. He doesn't care about Aizen, he doesn't care about the rest of the Espada. It is very personal for him. For Ichigo, Orohime is within his grasp of saving and he views this as his "final" battle. It's my favorite fight in all of Bleach.
-However, this is where things start to take a bit of dip in quality in my opinion. We had a goal and we were striving towards that goal. Each character of the original cast coming to repay the debt they made to their friend who had risked her life to save them in the Soul society arc. But somewhere along the way it seems we just had a fighter fest. Captains would face enemies with no themes or character revelations. The Espadas got a little light but nothing that made their fights compelling. You almost just feel bad for the Espada as they were monsters turned into a military force by an unstoppable tyrant. But even that wasn't enough to make half of the fights interesting. Now, that's with knowing the outcome. These fights played little importance in the larger scheme of things. Where at least in the Hueco Mundo fights each match up had the protagonists striving for a goal. Rukia to defeat Aaroneiro to free her former superiors soul. Byakuya to defend Rukia. Renji and Uryu teamwork. Nel to protect Ichigo and get revenge on Nnoitra. Whereas Stark fought Kyoraku.....cause.....and Hitsugaya fought Halibel because Water vs Ice would be cool.
-This leaves me to the end. I won't say it wasn't satisfying that Ichigo was able to defeat Aizen. And yes, I do feel like his new power was earned. 3 months of training. But this was clearly a last minute decision to save Aizen for a later date and the show must go on. I do feel like it wasn't as satisfying as 200+ chapter buildup needed to be.

The Fullbring Arc - Chapters 424-479 - Rating: 8/10
-A very underrated arc. And yes, I acknowledge that rating wise I think the Fullbring arc is superior to the Hueco Mundo arc. That is mostly true. Though 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 actually the shortest arc in the series and works as a glorified Ichigo getting his powers back arc. But that doesn't mean its bad.
-When I read it originally back when it was coming out in 2010. (Cause I'm Old) It wasn't phenomenal. In fact, I hated it. But wouldn't you? It took just short of a year to get to the point that we were at. But upon rereading it, it gave much deserved love to the characters who hadn't been shown love in quite some time. The original cast. It was a very character focused arc. Ichigo never seemed more human. And despite me hating it before for taking so long, reading weekly can sometimes hurt these mystery based arcs. The twist is heavily foreshadowed and I really appreciated it.
-That being said, the end was super rushed. This was a big bummer for me. The villains this time around were humans. And the ones who had the most exposure and relations with these characters were the original cast who again....were humans. So to have the soul reapers, who have no connection to the fullbringers show up and basically no diff most of the fullbringers felt very forced and fanservicey to me. This very well could have not been Kubo's call. As the community was very vocal about their dislike for this arc as it was going on. But I appreciate it now much more as I appreciate character and story over big sword fights. Lol.

The Thousand Year Blood War Arc - Chapters 424-689 - Rating: 5/10
-And we're finally here. The final and largest arc within the Bleach story. And man...does it not stick the landing.
-That being said, this arc has phenomenal moments. Kenpachi's Shikai and Bankai. Ichigo's double swords. Renji's true Bankai. Rukia's Bankai. And many more. However, they are put together against the most break neck speed arc that I have ever read. Kubo was very ambitious when he introduced 26 new villains. However, most of them got barely any screen time and a lot of them even got off screened by higher level captains. This was unlike the Espada who each got a full double page spread for their Resurrections.
-Yhwach himself was a phenomenal villain but was dealt with swiftly and imo dirty. They did him dirty.
-There was just something off. The mood changed and it was very apparent. The villains had random powers instead of the powers reflecting their personalities or needs. The finale felt so underwhelming.
-Ichigo gets to be the strongest he's ever been....but he doesn't defeat a single person besides the main villain despite being in several fights.
-It isn't a good arc. In fact, I would say it's the worst. Hopefully the anime does a better job with this already mammoth of a story. 260 chapters is no joke.

This gives the story of Bleach an Overall rating of 7.4/10. Which to me is above average. It has it's ups and downs. It's not perfect. But when it's high, it's peak shonen. But when it's low, it's very forgettable.

Ichigo makes it through day one of Bankai training with Yoruichi, Uryu's battle with Mayuri comes to an end, and Kenpachi vows to help Orihime in hopes of seeing Ichigo again. Also, Hinamori believes she has found Aizen's killer. The fight scenes are still my favorite part of the art, but the Konjiki Ashisogi Jizō's character design is insane!!