Bleach Club

[Andromeda]

I don't even know what Matsumoto's zanpukto can do? And I don't know how powerful she is either. So I would say that Renji would win because I know how he fights and that he actually has been seen fighting for me. I know that Matsumoto can fight, she's not a vice-captain for no reason. But either way, even without a bankai I think that Renji would have the advantage just because he is so focused on surpassing Byukuya and being strong. If I knew what Matsumoto could do I'd have more to say, but unfortunately I don't know how she fights.

Another episode of Bleach tonight. And Yoruichi finally revealed herself to Ichigo and the others. I see what they were talking about when she prevented Byukuya from releasing his Shikai and no doubt killing Ichigo. Ichigo might have fought a captain, but fighting a captain that actually using a Shikai and a Bankai, well Ichigo never has really done that before. Kenpachi's Zanpukto did not hold any special abilities that Ichigo had to think about. It was just a sword fight. You fight Byukuya its no longer a sword fight.

They mentioned flash steps, and called them as such. They did not use the Japanese name for the technique. Either way, that is another vocab word from the English dub for us. Its not really a change, so not much to worry about. Rukia made a big deal out of it, but it was definitely cool see that that Ichigo was unimpressed by it. In a straight sword fight Ichigo would stand an even shot at fighting Byukuya. Since, Zangetsu is not really that special in his Shikai form. There is that chasm making attack he can do, but I'm not sure if that is really unique to the Shikai form or just having a lot of focus power in the sword. That aside once Byukuya comes serious Ichigo is pretty much screwed without his Bankai to give him the speed advantage. Ichigo probably could deal a little bit with the Shikai form, but not in the state that he is now being wounded.

It was also interesting that they felt Ichigo's presence or rather his spirit pressure. While it did not affect them, obviously, it was nice to see that Ichigo is giving off that level power of now. It makes him seem that more impressive, even though he is still a novice.

It was quite funny the scene with Yoruichi. Ichigo is quite embarrassed by a woman with no clothes. But that is a pretty normal reaction. It was still pretty funny to watch him. And then he just flies off. Also it was nice to see squad 13 captain for once. He did not do any fighting, but it was nice to actually see him out and about now. The Soul Society as a lot of rules though, prohibiting the use of released Zanpukto's and being a crime. That is pretty crazy. I can understand not releasing Bankai's, because most of them are insanely large and would disrupt order. But Shikai seems a little excessive for a crime.

That aside, I was watching Bleach during the week and they are entering the Soul Society now. They just beat Gedonbo. But seeing that Urahara got shocked when he touched the entrance was curious. I guess that is the main reason why he cannot return, he was restricted from returning. But Yoruichi and go probably because she did not commit a crime I guess, like Urahara did. I wonder if Urahara could break that barrier if he really wanted to return to the Soul Society. I bet he could being a captain and with all of the inventions he made.

Also I was thinking about the club name. You want me to remove the under new leadership from the title? Its a little out dated at this point, since I don't think anyone even remembers that failed one that existed prior to this one. Its up to you Xeim, just offering.

[Evangel]

I agree with Rommy with the whole Ichigo-Yoruichi scene. It was hilarious. Interesting how he's supposed to be 15, mature most of the time, then BAM! naked girl. It was funny to see him actually act his age for once.

The wing thing was cool. I found it interesting that he was able to use it. He has tons of spiritual energy but doesn't exactly know how to control it. On the topic of spiritual energy and stuff, how would one describe Spiritual Pressure. It looked like a strong wind by the way their hair was blowing directly down on them. But the total screen effect looked like gravity was increasing on them or something.

As for Renji v. Matsumoto, I would know who would win. Upon further look into Matsumoto's Zanpakuto, I'd have to say she would win. There are just too many holes in Renji's defence when he's attacking.

Spoiler: Matsumoto's Shikai has more range. Like Byakuya, her Zanpakuto turns to ash that she uses to cut like a sword. This is a great asset when getting passed a foes' defences.

Renji on the other hand has a limited attack. While he can only strike 3 times before the blade returns to normal, Matsumoto can attack indefinately. Also, Renji is beat by Matsumoto due to the total surface are they can attack. He can say, only strike the shoulder, Matsumoto on the other hand can attack multiple parts. So, final answer, Matsumoto.

[Xeim]

About the club name: Yes, it would be nice to have the “new leadership” removed. It may even be nice to come up with a creative title for the club. It’s early here, so my creative mind isn’t completely awake, but I’ll put in some ideas to be thought on and rated by the club. If none are liked too much, I’ll think up some more... ^^; For now though, at least, taking out the new leadership part would be nice, if it’s not too much trouble. ^^

Seiritai Sanctuary <- yay for alliteration?

Karakura Kendo Club <- Ok...kind of a joke...but it sounds funny. And if you guys like it...then that’s good. ^^;

Rukongai Residents <- I can’t get away from alliteration this morning ^^;

Urahara Shop <- Um...no comment for this one. O_o

Shinigami Scientists <- Well...we do analyze them and stuff, but this will probably be considered lame...and I understand that ^^’

Arrancar Analysts <- same as above with arrancar. Though, they’ll probably be killed being villains and all, so I wouldn’t really go for this one

Karakura Town <- We aren’t within the minds of seritai, though we do know some things, and we try to put two and two together.

Shinigami Sentinels <- more alliteration. Personally, I like this one though.

But, if you think changing the name this drastically would cause confusion, we can just leave it as “Bleach Club.”

The Soul Society as a lot of rules though, prohibiting the use of released Zanpukto's and being a crime.

Well, to throw in my two cents here, the release of either form of zanpukto would alert the other shinigami of an increase in reiatsu, causing them to think that the one releasing it was in real danger. Now, in a peaceful setting, this would cause shinigami to leave guard duty and other such things, and some form of criminal could sneak in. The fact that it would cause that risk is probably what makes it a crime. It’s excessive, but necessary.

And for the fight I presented: I’d have to say that I think Matsumoto would win. Jecht pretty much covered what I would say though, so this will be rather short. ^^;

Spoiler: Since her zanpukto can turn into ash, it would be very useful for getting around Renji’s zanbimaru. Matsumoto’s rather fast, so it would be hard for Renji to hit her. In the end, her Heinako could most likely surround Renji, and give him a rather serious wound that would end the fight.

Regarding the barrier and Urahara...he was a captain, yes, but there are other captains. A barrier to keep out exiled shinigami would probably be made by several people of captain level or higher (like a captain-commander) to actually keep the exiled person out. Perhaps he could come up with an invention, but it’d have to be pretty powerful.

And the scene with Yourichi...it still makes me laugh looking back on it. She’s so catlike...she teases and toys with Ichigo until he looks like he’s going to go insane.

Though, speaking of yourichi, I do wonder what allows her to turn into a cat. If it’s been explained in the show, forgive me for forgetting, but I don’t believe it has. What do you all think? Some kind of method developed by Urahara?

[CLOUD]

About the fight of Renji & Rangiku, i'd say that Renji would win. Judging by their shinkais, it seems that Matsumoto would pwn him easily. Just bcause her sword can turn into ash.

But, judging from Renji's resolve, he can fight for a longer time, has higher reiatsu & is overall stronger, since he did achieve Bankai. About Matsumoto's speed & stuff...Renji has the same traits as well, but he doesn't have the humongous breasts she has. That's a hindrance for her & if Abarai gets to make them pop out, there's an opening for you.

About him having to attack no more than 3 times before the blade turning to normal; he's not dumb enough to attack from a great distance. And if anything, he can use his special finishing move, with the seperate blades & kill her. There's no evading that move.

So Renji.

About Yuruichi; i have no idea, but i think that it's got something to do with kisuke to help her hide in the real world.

[Rasler]

I don't think Yoruichi's cat transformation ability is ever explained. From what I have seen, it is a unique ability in the Bleach universe. Perhaps it's a unique innate trait, like Zaraki's ability to endure/ignore pain.

I'm not terribly picky about changes between subbed/dubbed anime, but I just watched the latest dubbed ep on Adult Swim, and I rather dislike what they've done with Byakuya's voice. Rather than his original dignified indoor-voice, he now has a baritone yell-talk.

[Andromeda]

Well I'll change the club to Bleach Club for the time being, just removing the new leadership from the title. Whenever you decide on a final name for it I'll change it again. It is a fairly easy thing to change. So just let me know when you have a decision.

And I guess I can understand about it distracting people if someone released their Zanpukto and they picked it up. So does that mean that we will be restricted in when we can use it? Just during training sessions? Though what about Ikkiku, he used his Shikai against Ichigo before the war time order was made. Unless that order only holds for Captains only. And Captains are not allowed to release their Zanpukto, but others are allowed to. Its a little confusing the way it is, and I don't remember the episode when Yamamato gave them the order that they could release their Zanpukto.

On the barrier, do we even know how the barrier is created to keep out exiled souls? Because if it was a captain that made it, then if that captain died or something the barrier would be weakened possibly. Or if say Aizen or someone with him helped make it. Then the barrier could be weaker, if it is made as you suggest. But then again, it could just be a spell or invention of theirs that makes it possible. So I would imagine that Urahara probably could get through if he really wanted to try to do it. If he became a Vizard, then he might be able to open portals like hollows do and enter that way.

Have we done a comparison with Zaraki? Well I think he works with Sanosuke from Rurouni Kenshin. They both enjoy fighting and have a more up front in your face style of combat that suits them. They are not flashy with anything that they do and there is not really any secrets that they hide behind. Sanosuke only becomes stronger later, but he has his Zanbato which is akin a little to the Zanpukto. More in sound than anything. Its completely oversized, but is a testament to his strength.

[Xeim]

Alrighty. Last time I counted up the posts seems to have been exactly a month ago, so I decided today would be a good one to do it again. I've counted up the posts in the club and in the RP, but not the OOC. Now, the members who have ONLY posted in the RP and not in the club have no chance of becoming a vice-captain. If they've posted at least a couple times to contribute to discussion then they do. I've marked the members who've done this with "only RP posts." There is only one at this point in time.

7/16/07

1st Division (Captain: Xeim)

Cloud:19
Jenova33: 13
Asch: 6
Lady Rika: 5
Marluxia: 4


2nd Division (Captain: Devox)

Oathkeeper13: 22
Captain Devox: 11
Yuuki: 4
Casanova [OCAU]: 3
com1k:2
Evilyuna: 0

3rd Division (Captain: Holocaust)

Captain Mr. Sandman: 87
Omega OwA: 11
Sephiroth 2234: 3
Shadowtheif: 2
FinalFantasy Freak: 2
Black dragon 09: 0

4th Division (Captain: abarai renji)

Vice Captain Andromeda: 81
Captain abarai renji: 50
Jecht: 19
Suzu Kitamura: 5
DarkWolf: 1
Cactrot: 0


5th Division (Captain: Rasler)

Captain Rasler: 28
Great Writer Vicky: 8
Kuradic: 3 (only RP posts)
GrimJaw: 2
Kaitou: 0
Emoloz: 0

6th Division (no captain at present)

WaterPrince: 1

Top Three Posters:

Mr. Sandman with 87 posts
Andromeda with 81 posts
Abarai renji with 50 posts

Well that's true about Ikkaku...but you have to remember it is Ikkaku. He's rather like Kenpachi, and is often reckless. There's already an uproar going on, so him releasing his zanpukto will cause people to come, but he probably figures it won't matter either way. And remember that he had Ichigo leave before someone got there. It's been a while since I've seen the episode, so the context in which he had him leave I've forgotten, but the point was...Ichigo left, so even if people did come to check up on Ikkaku, we wouldn't have seen them so we wouldn't know. I don't know if that's quite the answer you were looking for but...

And on the subject of the barrier, they probably have numerous people restore it every once in a while to keep it from weakening. They aren't dumb in SOul Society. And, even if it was as spell or invention, they'd still need to restore or repair it every so often. They know what they're doing....I think.

And yes, you're right about Kenpachi and Sanosuke. I never saw that before. Though, he's only like him in a battle sense. Sanosuke's personality is lazier and more easily provoked than Kenpachi.

[CLOUD]

That's right. I don't remember a single mention of Ikkaku being punished or something after releashing his blade at the fight against Ichigo. But it's natural. With the ryoka running wild up and down in the Seretei, who would take time to care about such matters?

I don't think that the barrier is made and maintained as it is by one person only. That's almost impossible. It must be created by the 12th Division. It's not the kind you would lift using kidou. Beside4s, come to think of it, in Soul Society they have one hell of a scientific progress, even if it's not similar to the real world's progress.

[Darkwolf]

yeah, with all the things going on, maybe nobody noticed he released his blade, the only reason why Renji was punished, was because Byakuya saw that he did and ordered him to a cell, Ikkaku's captain couldn't care less, so that must be the reason, and when Ikkaku was interrogated, he acted like he didnt know anything. It might be that nobody sensed that he released his weapon, and he just got away with it.

Spoiler: What I was most surprised about was how the two captains with the double weapons got away with fighting against the leader of the shinigami, but I guess there wasnt really much of a fight at all, it seems like they just stood around until the Aizen incident intensified. After all that, I laughed so hard when Kenpachi ran after Ichigo looking for another fight even after Soul Society accepted Ichigo and the others as allies.

As for Yourichi's ability to transform into a cat, I have never heard it explained at all yet, it just seems to be accepted as one of her abilities.

[Andromeda]

So we are up to 6 Squads now? Who's going to fill into the captain position? Just an idea, but there are some members that have not even posting. What if you put them into the groups of shinigami that never learned their zanpukto names. Sort of like a reserve ranks where you don't necessary kick them out of the club, but free up ranks in the current squads so that people that join can fit into them. Just an idea.

Well Ikkaku was not the only one that released his Zanpukto, there was two others. The one that fought Uryuu and the other one that fought or rather chased Ganju. They all released their zanpukto, though the one that fought Uryuu can't be a shinigami anymore because of what Uryuu did to him. The other one is still around and I guess Zaraki does not care about them doing what they do.

However, the two vice-captains Kira and Momo they released their zanpuktos and got put in jail. Though Momo did try to attack a captain, though Kira only was defending Gin. So there is some justification there. There just seems to be a double standard running around.

[Victoria]

I would think someone can just go to Division 1, because there are only 5 underlings there, and 6 underlings everywhere else. Why is that? o.O;

But anyway, I agree that the filler needs to stop right now, seeing as the Bounto arc ended not too long ago as well. The filler started too soon, I think.

[Rasler]

This just occurred to me: Aizen is a parallel to LotR's Saruman or Star Wars's Count Dooku.

All are excellent orators.
All are manipulative.
All were originally good, but became evil.*
All had the desire to surpass his own limits, and began studying the dark/forbidden side.
All remain cleverly disguised as good guys until they decide to reveal their true intentions.
All are extremely formidable combatants.
Aizen and Saruman's focus is on creating an armies of hybrid creatures.

*Aizen claims that "The Aizen you once knew never existed", showing that he had actually been an antagonist at least since he reached his limit as a captain level Shinigami. But before that, it is not unreasonable to assume that he was originally protagonistic.

[Andromeda]

Actually of the squads have an empty slot, its for the Vice-Captain, with the exception of squad 4 which does have a vice-captain, but is still with an open slot because I moved out of the 3-7 ranks. Xeim is just not included in the list below for posts, she just does not. The others include their captain, and thus 6. Though I would be curious to see where Xeim stands in posts.

Either way, you are right Rasler, there is a surprising likeness to their characters. Aizen was hiding behind the side of good until he was ready to make his move. Though he is different from the others that they he is not really following anyone else. Dooku was more or less under the Emperor and Saruman while may not be directly under Sauron, he was doing things for him. Aizen was working on his own and is the top in the list. He is the one in control manipulating everything towards his own advantages. But otherwise, yeah they are very similiar in nature.

Similiar to Sauron, Aizen uses illusions to trick people and allow himself to do what he wishes. Sauron disguised himself and entered the courts of the elves and men where he was able to spread corruption and break things from the inside. I don't know if Aizen really managed to break things completely, but he did corrupt things and shake things up a lot. Which left the Soul Society with handful of problems of their own.

[Rasler]

Well, the Hollows did allow Aizen to dwell in Hueco Mundo. Aizen might owe a kind of debt to the Hollows, or perhaps they are happy with their symbiotic relationship: Aizen making the Hollows into Arrancar while simultaneously making increasingly perfect Arrancar and building an army. But it seems now it has come to a point where he is too powerful to evict, even if they wanted to.

I would have expected by this point for Aizen to have used the Orb of Distortion on himself an the other rogue captains and become Vizards. But I guess that's the biggest obstacle for Soul Society to overcome after defeating the Espada and the Arrancar hordes.




An interesting little activity to do would be to try to determine each character's Zanpakuto avatar. Only Ichigo's and Renji's have been visually confirmed.

Ichigo - a cloaked man / hollow
Renji - A baboon with a snake for a tail. Both heads' personalities are stubborn and eager to fight.
Ikkaku - Probably a serpentine dragon, as seen on his Bankai, confirmed to be lazy
Yumichika - Almost definitely a peacock, shikai's special ability looks like peacock feathers. Since zanpakutos are said to be like their owners, and Yumichika's so beauty-centric, a peacock makes sense.
Urahara - Unknown, but confirmed to be one of the few female zanpakutos. Due to its abilities being blood-based, I'd imagine a eternally bleeding avatar. Something unexpected from the man who hides much.
Zaraki - Possibly a skull. We see a nasty-looking skull formation of energy when Zaraki went full strength against Ichigo during the Soul Society arc.
Aizen - I think it'd be neat if Aizen was his own avatar. To have an exact copy of yourself with identical knowledge as your partner would be awesome.

-edit- Snagged a vaguely scary pic of H-Ichigo from episode 117-ish.

[Xeim]

As for where I stand in the ranks...perhaps I'll count it up sometime. It may be interesting to see. I'd probably be up in the same range as Andromeda, renji, and Mr. Sandman.

As for you idea on moving people who haven't posted since the've joined or something into a division that hasn't learned their zanpukto name...I like it but there may be a lot of spaces opened up. I have an idea for who should be the next captain, but it may be better if we go with that. Check the first post to see what I decide. ^^;

As for Momo and Kira...they released their zanpukto's right under everyone's noses. Of course they'll get caught. Ikkaku and the others probably got off easy because they were protecting themselves.

And yes, the filler does need to stop. >.< It was good the first time, but it's gotten boring.

As for Rasler's activity:

Urahara- I think perhaps a vampire-like female or something. It seems to me she'd be elegant, seeing that her name means "Crimson Princess."

Zarakai: This one would be tough to figure out really, seeing as we don't have a name or power to go off of. But, zanpukto's are reflections of the users soul, so their abilities reflect their user. So...perhaps a wild cat or dog of some sort?

Aizen: I do like your idea Rasler, but I see his as a water sprite of some sort. Who knows though.

Matsumoto: Heniko, or Ash Cat. I see a leopard or panther. Probably the latter as a gray panther.

Hitsugaya: Perhaps some form of dragon, seeing that's what his attacks resmble. Ichigo looks like his zanpukto avatar when he enters bankai, so perhaps Hitsu does the same?

[Andromeda]

That's a very nice pictures of Hollow Ichigo Rasler. Unlike the other masks I've seen his mouth is open and moving not looking fixed. It is going to be very exciting to see that when it comes around.

How many filler episodes have they done right now in the middle of the arc? I know that they did one filler in the Soul Society arc and just continued on. Maybe they are doing something like that and not really breaking from the action completely to just do filler. Though I know that the manga has not finished with the Heuco Mondo arc yet, and I don't know if they are going on further. And the anime must be getting close to finishing the Arrancar arc and going into the next arc. Though I would expect them to reach the end first before doing full on arc like with Bount.

That aside another thing I remember thanks to watching Bleach in reruns. Gin used his Shikai on Ichigo. Though it seemed when he got dragged in front of the captains they were more upset that he let them go than that he released his Zanpukto. The episode where they have that meeting is coming up, but it seems that if it was a such a serious problem they would be on him about that rather than no killing them. Or at least weighing them equally or something. Yes, I'm dragging it on, but there just seems to be inconsistency. And hey it gives us something to discuss.

For humor sake I think Hitsugaya's Zanpukto avatar should be some girl or playful child. Someone that is funny and silly as a counter balance to his always in control self. Plus I think it would be funny to see Hitsugaya sweat a little. But knowing him and it being a reflection of the Soul Reaper, it is probably some dry as bones dragon with little sense of humor.

But then again Ikkaku's is lazy apparently, and Ikkaku seems pretty focused. He probably has his lazy side, but there seems to be a contrast there. Though Ichigo's Zangetsu is not really a contrast, just a more aware and focus very the serious brooding appearance of Ichigo.

I wonder what Zenbon Zakura looks like, its like cherry blossoms and pink in hue and very elegant. Which works well for Byukuya, though I'd almost imagine that it would look like his wife. It just seems to fit his type for some reason. He seems to at least care in some part about his family and loved ones that it would be apprioriate for it to have some likeness. Either that or its a talking tree which needs to really make up for the lack of humanity in Byukuya.

And what about Aizen and his. That'd be a little strange. Though I was thinking last night, that if complete hyponesis is his Shikai's power. Then what would his Bankai be? His shikai is so powerful, one can only imagine how crazy powerful the Bankai would be not to mention how cheap it would be as well. Aizen's Zanpukto really doesn't like to play by the books. Makes you think his avatar is like an old mage or a thief someone that is secretative in appearance and hides behind a lot of layers.

[Rasler]

Several interesting tidbits for your pleasure:

Aizen might not even have a bankai. His shikai would easily be able to trick others into thinking that he had a bankai. Also, Ichinose's shikai's ability is awfully similar to what Aizen claimed his shikai's ability to be.

Around the episode 118-ish area, Yumichika and Ikkaku visit a convenience store and have a humorous bit of cultureshock. They can't wrap their heads around the concept of individually wrapped rice-balls. As such, they start claiming conspiracy and other nonsense.

I really like the idea that Zaraki's avatar could be a ragged stray dog.

On our previous discussion about aging in the Soul Society:
When Chad meets and speaks with the cockatiel-kid again early in the Soul Society arc, it is mentioned that upon entering Soul Society, you do not change. However, this contradicts flashback sequences in which we see Soul Society characters noticably younger.

I've developed a theory about the nature of existence in Soul Society. Following a similar logic to that of The Divine Comedy, existence occurs on multiple planes. The order of planes from best to worst is: Heaven, Soul Society, Earth, Hueco Mundo, Hell. People on Earth's plane die, and due to intervention by Shinigami, either go to Soul Society or Hell. If no shinigami intervention is made, the soul usually ends up in Hueco Mundo, as a hollow. Soul Society functions as a sort of "second life", wherein those individuals capable of moderating the balance of souls act as civil servants of Heaven. Those incapable of such service live outside the Seireitei and live rather similar lives to those of Earth (albiet anachronistic). If one lives a pure enough life or performs enough service, they are permitted to Heaven. If one does not, they are reincarnated on Earth.
To prevent overcrowding, I believe that Soul Society residents do age. It is likely that only those in the Seireitei have massively slowed aging.

I've started paying attention to the segments at the end of each episode, and some of them are quite entertaining. Small humorous glimpses into the everyday life of the characters. I particularly enjoyed the segment where Orihime bought Komomura a dog brush and he loved it.

[Darkwolf]

Rasler, it seems you have done a bit of thinking about aging in Soul Society, it seems everyone does age in there, maybe it's them growing in maturity, but then again everyone ages, so that theory of mine is gone, It seems like a second life, maybe something along the lines of purgatory, extremely good natured human souls might die and go to heaven directly, while extremely evil natured souls go to hell, then the average souls go to soul society, all this given that a soul reaper has guided their passage, otherwise a hollow might interfere and as I would call it infecting them, where a soul reaper must kill the hollow, allowing the soul to finally move on.

So by Avatars you mean their Soul Slayer's appearance, like how zangetsu looks like a man with a long coat, and how Renji's looks like an ape with a snake as a tail. I believe Aizen's might look like a shadow figure, it's appearance seeming to never be exactly one shape, as his zanpakuto's power is of illusion. Hitsugaya's seems like it would be a white dragon, or a bone dragon as Andromeda said.

Anyways, on how far I am it seems like the Bounto Arc, even if it's a filler arc, seems to be getting more intresting.

Spoiler: I really hate though how Ishida is becoming more of a liability than any kind of asset, the only thing going for him is he's smart, but he's lost his quincy powers and cannot fight whatsoever. I guess the only big reason why he keeps with Ichigo and the others is he is being hunted by the Bount.

I'll need to watch more episodes soon, I seem to have stopped doing that for about a week or so, I've had a friend over and now my cousin's over, but once I get the chance I'll watch much more episodes, as my parents dont consider that "computer time" because it's just like watching tv.

[Andromeda]

Yeah, Rasler I was watching that episode two days ago and thinking about the aging processing again. It makes so little sense at times. I know that we just adopted a method and stuck with it, because if we were so inconsistent with the RP we'd be in trouble. So we had to pick something. They can get away with doing something and not having to explain it that deeply. Its one of the problems Bleach has, there is a lot of things that you're just supposed to accept even though it seems to contradict what you've heard previously. Which leaves you uncertain as to who is right and wrong. The boy said that he had died 1947 I think it was and had not aged a day, according to him. Honestly, if you are a child and its been 50 years, I think you'd recognize if you've aged or not. So I'm a little more inclined to believe that. But it still does not explain way people actually do age, Rukia and Renji aged a lot in that flashback.

We've pretty much come to the conclusion that Soul Reapers do not age or at the very least do so at a very slow rate. But when you aren't a Soul Reaper, you do age. So it does not make sense why people would say one thing or another. The aging process could be really long, but you'd think in 50 years you would have aged some. I'm in the agreement that you do age normally while you are in the Soul Society unless you are a shinigami. However, it does bring up the question what becomes of those that are already extremely old. Like a person dies when they are 102, they probably died of natural causes or organ failure. They lead a long life and are suddenly in the Soul Society as a 102 year old person. Does that mean you pretty much die again when you arrive and get booted back to re-incarnation imediately, lucky you? Or do they get to live as a 102 year old for while. Neither sounds like a good way to go, one you are old a crippled or do not live in the afterlife at all pretty much.

Or perhaps those that do not die of nature causes get booted to the Soul Society. So that all those that die naturally end up in Heaven or something that is meant for eternity. That is one possibility, since it was brought up that the really good end up there. There must be an order and system to the way it works even though it causes itself to not make a lot of sense most of the time.

Hurray for over thinking and analyzing plot holes.

[Rasler]

The internet has exposed me to a new kind of random insanity. Some of the things I've seen have been beyond even my imagination.

For instance, here's Aizen getting stabbed with a swordfish.

[Darkwolf]

Well, I think maybe souls who are trapped in earth may not age, like they're stuck, until a reaper comes along and helps them go to Soul Society and then age normally (unless they're a reaper) and die, and they can go either to heaven or re-incarnation. That is, unless they go to Hell or become a hollow.

That leaves the theory, if shinigami dont age normally, then Ichigo must be the youngest reaper, because he's only 15 (I believe, I'd have to watch the first ep again to find out and I really don't want to.)

Spoiler: ...and he became more powerful they Byakuya, making him one of the more power reapers, even if he is a substitute, so if he's that young, and that powerful, what would happen in ten to twenty years O.O it's very possible that he could become the most powerful Reaper...but with the sort of stop of growth in strength after Bankai, that could hold him back, unless that hollow part of him makes him able to surpass the abilities of Reapers...

[Victoria]

I don't really know what to say about the aging topic.
I'll just say that I'll go with what Darkwolf says.

And as far as the flashbacks having them younger, well.. that's called either a screwup or a non-cannon plot device.

[Andromeda]

Well it depends if it was in the manga as well, if it was then it would be canon. I'm reading through the manga currently and have obviously noticed some slight changes, but so far I have not really seen the anime do something that the manga did not. At least that was not clearly stated as being a filler. I'll see when I get up in the higher volumes where they explore the past in the anime and see what the manga did.

And well I saw the episode where they were scolding Ichimaru for failing to kill Ichigo and company. At least in the English version they said nothing about him releasing his Zanpukto. And this was long before the order and he is a captain. They were more upset that he did not kill the intruders than anything.

Its interesting though watching back on the episodes knowing what I know now about the things going on. It seems really strange to have Aizen fighting with Ichimaru, but it is probably him trying to throw off the others. Plus I know who all of the captains are, so I know who and why the 13th captain was missing. Though Matsumoto was making a strange comment about Hitsugaya and that he was missing or something. Seemed a little strange. And then Momo is always Momo worrying about everything. How someone like her became a Vice-Captain I don't know.

[CLOUD]

And then Momo is always Momo worrying about everything. How someone like her became a Vice-Captain I don't know.

Well, Momo is Himanori right? The 5th Division vice captain. The reason why she is a vice captain under Aizen is explained by Aizen himself.

Spoiler: When still training, Hinamori, Renji & kira Izuru were to be assigned into Divisions. Aizen saw that Renji was the 'toughest case" of those three, so he got assigned into the 11th Division. Momo was the easiest to manipulate, especially since she idolized Aizen more than anyone. That way, she would easily help in their plans no matter what. They also used kira under Gin when he became a captain, for he was quite naive & obedient.

About her being a vice captain, other than it being Aizen's doing, her exceptional skills in Kidou are another factor determing that, even if the kidou attacks don't seem that strong when facing Hollows e.t.c.

[FF Ace Cid]

Hi, I'm a Bleach fan, and I would like to join, unfortunately I haven't got to read many of the mangas yet, but I've seen every episode that has been on the air.

[Xeim]

Well, from the number of newer members that we've acquired who join the club and then go almost completely or completely inactive I'm going to enforce a new rule where members must have at least 150 posts to join. It's true they can still go inactive afterwards, but they have a bit of a better chance of staying after that.

So, Final Fantasy Cid, I hate to turn you away, but if you still wish to join once you have 150 or more posts, then come back and re-apply.

And Rasler: You have no idea how hard I lauged when I saw that image of Momo stabbing Aizen....I couldn't breathe.... hehe.

The japanese version of bleach aired more really boring filler last night, and now they've decided to break next wednesday, and I believe air on that Sunday. Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but I do think that's what I read.
Let's just hope that when they come back it won't be...more filler.

Um, I don't really know what to say about all of the discussions, so I'll just propose another character equivalent.


Kon to Miroku (InuYasha)

-Enjoys flirting/watching/touching women

-Usualy gets hit/stepped on because of this

-the show's main "pervert"

Of course, there are differences. Kon doesn't have a true love interest, and is usually left out of the character's plans. But there are a few similarities.

[Rasler]

Unless I'm mistaken, Hinamori is one of the most skilled individuals in Soul Society with magic. So much so that one one point, she's referred to as a Demon Arts (Kido, I guess) specialist. It's a shame that we've never really seen her do much. If Aizen is capable of 90's-level spell without incantation, I wonder what a specialist could do.

And I also noticed that Kido seems to be nigh-useless in combat against Hollows. It is quite effective in battles involving human-like races.

However, it might not be fair to compare anyone to Aizen. Aizen is like a maxed out Red Mage. He's amazingly good at everything, but he's hit the max in all stats and can no longer improve. This comparison might be accurate. Aizen is uber now, but perhaps his potential is lower than certain other characters'.


Soul Society seems to have trouble keeping their captains.

Spoiler: Ichigo's father is revealed to have been a former captain (or at least captain-class)

Urahara was a former captain.
Yoruichi was the commanding officer of the special forces.
Zaraki killed the former Division 11 captain.
Ichimaru, Aizen, and Tousen defected.


Xeim, you forgot the other Miroku-esque perverts of Bleach: Shinji and Keigo.
Shinji has the same problem about accosting every pretty girl he meets.
Keigo is also usually injured in retaliation for his efforts.


By using information from a recent rerun of Bleach, I've learned that not all Soul Society characters originally come from the living world. Hanataro was completely ignorant of nearly all living world knowledge. Therefore, there are two kinds of souls in SS: Those that are from SS and those that came to SS.
SS characters that have no knowledge of the living world shows that people are (born?) in SS. If people are born, it's common sense that they grow up. This proves that aging does occur in SS. Aging leads to dying, which eliminates the likelihood of overcrowding. However, for the ridiculously long lives of the Division members, some method of slowed aging must be in place.

[Andromeda]

Does Hanataro specifically say that he's from the Soul Society? Because even Rukia didn't know about most of the things either. This is due to the gap in time from when they died and when they visited the real world. Rukia is in the hundreds, which means the last time she was in Japan was during the feudal era. There has been a lot of changes since then, so being completely clueless about the real world would be understandable. And who knows how old Hanataro is, he could have been in the Soul Society even longer than Rukia.

Well I'm finally able to post about last Saturday's episode of Bleach. So I can now confirm that the English dubs are sticking with Bankai, as well as Shikai. Yoruichi explained the release and Zanpukto to Ichigo last week and told him that he will learn his Bankai in three day, etc. So I am happy to see that stay and I would imagine that you are as well, being purists for translations. That aside, they showed Zabimaru finally, though it was hard to tell from Renji if he had seen him before. He definitely knew who he was and seemed like he had seem him. It sounded as though it had been a while since they had spoken and seen each other. Which makes me believe that Renji's seen Zabimaru a while ago.

That aside got to see more flash steps, and Byukyua and Yoruichi dance around a little. Though even carrying someone Yoruichi is crazy fast. I can only imagine what she was like in her peak as a captain. But I am a little surprised that Byukuya didn't use his Shikai again after Yoruichi stopped him. But I guess he was not sure if he would be able to touch her, or maybe he did. All the same, it was over quickly.

I can't wait to see tomorrow since Mayuri and Uyruu will begin their fight. Oh I've gotten more Bleach manga. I'm up to volume 5 now and it is very interesting comparing the anime and the manga. Since I remember all of the scene really well as I read through the manga. There was the Kon since that was a lot longer in the manga, that was cut very short in the anime. And I think the Don Kanoji was longer in the manga as well, there was more lead up to I think. It stopped at the end of the Orihime gaining her powers. So when I get volume 6 I will get to see Ichigo fight the Menos, and maybe Renji. I'm lookng for to getting into the Soul Society. Since once I get there I will be catching up with the anime on AS. They are just finished with the Soul Society arc in the manga at volume 19 I think and the Arrancar is going start up soon. That way I can sneak ahead of all of the filler Bount Arc and see what you are all talking about. ^^;

[Evangel]

Oh, man. I thought I was gonna die! The server outage half-killed me.

Any ways, during the outage, I mangaed to get on YouTube and start watching future Bleach episodes. Right now, I'm just beginning the Bount Arc. I have a whole lot to talk about including the Captains, the academy, and some other stuff I don't feel like saying right now since it is 3:00am. O.o

Tomorrow, or is it today? Well, eventually I'll edit this post later and bring up some things I found quite interesting. Indeed.

[Rasler]

Don't use youtube. Go to Crunchyroll.com instead. You need a membership, but it's free, and no spam is sent to you.
The episodes aren't redundant, the quality is better and the subs are consistent, and it has considerably fewer morons running about the place.


During the downtime, I've been watching the Bount arc. Although it's filler, it does have a few scenes that are great. I also like that it goes directly into the Arrancar arc. Very little filler between these two arcs. Fitting, I suppose, since the entire Bount arc is filler.

I've also watched up to episode 135. It sucks that we've hit filler again.

-edit- Blatant contradiction in episode 135. Even though the Bount arc doesn't happen in the manga, it happened in the anime, and is considered canon in the anime. The Mod-soul Lilin revealed that once a mod-soul is put into a host, all other hosts become incompatable. But then again, Kon has been in multiple hosts before. He's used Ichigo's body multiple times, his stuffed lion, and most recently, another stuffed animal.

It seems Lilin's information was incorrect. Since she doesn't exist in the source material, any inaccurate information she reveals may contradict future events from the source material. Which is exactly what happened.