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Directly continuing the previous episode with a back-to-back release, the battles at Soul King Palace come to an unending conclusion as Squad 0 takes the situation to a new height and intends to completely wreck the Quincies with the reveals of their universe-trembling Bankai.
Clashes of the Overpowered Royal Guards
As noted in the Episode 25 review, it is impossible for everyone who has read the manga and knows the story to not be surprised and impressed by how Pierrot adapts the Squad 0 fights. With the guidance of Tite Kibo, all off-screen fights that left us wondering are finally answered with cool prolonged combat for both each Squad 0 member and Sternritter.
Mind-Breaking Correction for The Strongest
Since the fights are not the only question from the manga, the anime also resolves the question of how on Earth the Squad 0 members could be killed by Yhwach’s Royal Guards. This question was arguably the most mind-boggling unanswered moment in the final arc of Bleach, considering how powerful Squad 0 is supposed to be. And finally, the anime rectifies that statement and power-scaling in an outstanding way.
They are not killed by the Quincies but by themselves. Well at least three of them, due to a simple reason: suppressing power. Their spiritual pressure can easily break and rip apart the three realms when their Bankai is activated. Thus, Senjumaru is trusted as the executioner of the invaders, and the suicides of Oetsu, Tenjiro, and Kirio allow her to unleash “Shatatsu Karagara Shigarami no Tsuji”.
This correction or should we say “retcon” is a needed addition to the story that not only makes the deaths of Squad 0 members feel sensical but most importantly also proves a bold statement about how powerful these five chosen soul reapers truly are. With her dimension-shaking abilities, it is all it takes to easily overwhelm Yhwach’s chosen men are a gigantic loom, red cloth, and six instant steps.
Let the Blackness Rename
Above the floating platform which becomes the battleground of the others, Ichibe takes his fight with Yhwach to the next step with the reveal of his Shikai, “Ichimonji”. This moment once again shows how extremely powerful the strongest Shinigami can be. With the ink coming out from his brush-shaped sword with the capability to erase objects’ names and strip away their abilities, Ichibe ultimately gives big trouble to The Almighty.
But as Yhwach’s title sounds, it is self-explanatory when Yhwach always finds ways to turn the table around, at least before Ichibe unleashes his Bankai. As the first-ever ultimate power release, Ichibe calls the technique Shin’uchi and unveils his “Shirafude Ichimonji” which possesses even more terrifying power to rename every being in existence.
With the reveal of Squad 0’s out-of-world powers, the Shinigami gains triumph and victory as all of the Quincy is shown to be devastated and wrecked, at least for the moment.
Final Verdict
The second part of the Thousand-Year Blood War arc clearly delivers never-to-see astonishing and incredible moments with superb visuals. The prolonged and additional scenes like Senjumaru’s first-ever Bankai reveal or the two Royal Guards’ clashes serve as pure satisfaction and joy rather than the old style of “Pierrot’s classic fillers”. The wait is worth it, and if we must wait for another few months to get this adaptation quality, the break would be one hell of exciting anticipation since the chaos at Soul King Palace is only just about to begin.
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