Tite Kubo's hit shonen manga Bleach came to an end in Japan with 74 volumes to its name, and the franchise went dark for a few years after that. Now it's back, and the series feels fresher than ever with the one-shot chapter released in August. Years have passed, but the journey is not yet over.
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The hero Ichigo Kurosaki has grown up, and he and Orihime Inoue have a son, Kazui Kurosaki, who's ready for a few adventures of his own. The gates to Hell itself have been thrown open, and no one's ready for the chaos that's about to follow. Ichigo, Kazui, Ichika, and more are in for a wild ride in the new story arc, and fans already know a few things for certain. What are they?
8 The Soul Society & Human World Have Serious Overlap
For centuries, the Soul Society and the world of the living, such as Karakura Town, were quite distinct and had limited contact. Humans knew nothing of the Soul Society, and Soul Reapers were ignorant of human culture, technology, and social constructs. But now, the two worlds are colliding peacefully.
Ever since the Soul Society arc, these worlds have been coming together, and Soul Reapers are happily borrowing technology such as TV sets, smartphones, and hologram technology, not to mention pop culture such as social media and even gyaru fashion. It's a new age for everyone.
7 Ichika Abarai Is Ambitious & Driven
Rukia Kuchiki is married toLieutenant Renji Abarai, and by now, they have a young daughter named Ichika Abarai. She takes after both parents and is raised in the Soul Society. Ichika has already proven herself to be a driven and goal-oriented girl, and she's quick to show off her skills.
Little Ichika is training with an expert swordsman, Ikkaku Madarame, to hone her skills quickly and become an expert fighter in no time. Ichika is playful but aggressive, and she won't tolerate anything that interferes with her growth. She's a rising star among Soul Reapers.
6 Kazui Kurosaki Can Make Portals
Kazui Kurosaki lives in Karakura Town with his family, and he doesn't often interact with the Soul Society. But he did wander off one night to a shrine, and when prompted, he clapped his hands and summoned a toothy portal.
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Kazui believed that this portal would lead to a realm filled with other people to meet, and despite the potential danger, Kazui seemed totally relaxed. His ability to make portals may be highly consequential in the new story arc.
5 Strong Spiritual Entities Go To Hell
The Soul Society isn't the only afterlife that awaits the souls of the dead. Hell is real, and its gates have appeared a few times so far. But it's not just evil Hollows that go there. Sufficiently powerful fighters go there upon death as well, whether they were villains or noble heroes.
As Captain Shunsui Kyoraku explained, ultra-powerful beings, like Captains, go to Hell so their immense power can be contained. They have too much dense spirit energy for that energy to just dissolve into the air.
4 Yhwach, Sosuke Aizen, & Yamamoto Pushed Hell To The Brink
More and more ultra-powerful beings are going to Hell upon their deaths, and Hell can only contain so many of them. Szayelaporro Grantz, the former 8th Espada, emerged from Hell to explain that Hell has reached a tipping point, causing the gates to open from the inside.
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Previously, powerful beings could keep those gates closed with their spiritual pressure, such as Captain Retsu Unohana and Yamamoto. But now that they're inside Hell, that pressure is forcing the gates open from the other side, and there's insufficient outside pressure to keep them closed. Not even Yhwach is available to force the gates closed from the outside.
3 Hell Is Home To Strange Hollows
Ordinary Hollows are a familiar sight for all Soul Reapers, even powerful Menos-class Hollows. However, the new story arc is featuring a brand-new type of Hollow: the beasts of Hell. These Hollows are all large and powerful, and their Hollow holes are contained in fleshy rings.
Stranger still is the fact that these beasts of hell emit no spiritual pressure, so Soul Reapers can't sense them, allowing them to easily ambush their enemies. These beasts can only be detected by sight.
2 Szayelaporro Grantz Is Now Hell's Jailer
During the Hueco Mundo story arc, Szayelaporro was the 8th Espada, but he died at the hands of Captain Mayuri Kurotsuchi. His evil nature meant he was doomed to visit Hell, and he didn't mind at all. In fact, he likes Hell, as he explained in the new one-shot chapter.
Szayelaporro has attained the rank of Jailer and can use new abilities that reflect his status, such as conjuring black chains to bind and attack his enemies. It's likely that he will be a major antagonist in the new arc, possibly the final or penultimate boss battle for the heroes to face.
1 New Soul Reapers Have Arrived
The one-shot chapter introduced two new Soul Reaper officers who belong to squads 7 and 8. Yuyu Yayahara is the new Lieutenant of squad 8, serving under Captain Lisa Yadomaru,a former Visored, and she is the Soul Society's first gyaru. She can also use a bear jaw-themed attack without needing her zanpakuto.
Another new face is Atau Rindo, a silent boy who serves in squad 7 under Captain Tetsuzaemon Iba. He can write the name of animals on his zanpakuto to summon a great number of those animals, typically birds. No doubt Yuyu and Atau will appear many more times in future installments.
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