Bleach 432 – Your Soul to Take
After several weeks of slow development, this chapter suddenly threw out some big developments and the plot twists yet again. For one, Chad finally shows up and from what’s implied, he is affiliated with the “Xcution” in some way. This was quite a surprise and I did not see it coming at all, instead expecting that he would be attacked as Ishida did. Regardless, Chad seems fine and he’s also looks pretty surprised at seeing Ichigo there, although from his interactions with Riruka it’s obvious they had previous contact with Chad. As for Riruka, she really gives off the same annoying vibes as Hiyori does, and as I mentioned before they seem parallel to the Vizard. Also if Chad is allied with the Xcution, I have trouble imagining them as villains, but the unclear allegiances (so far) do make things more interesting, as opposed to the usual clear-cut good guy/bad guy drama.
Ginjou also reveals the nature of his group, explaining his powers as drawing out the souls of objects and manipulating them to their advantage. He transforms his necklace into a huge sword (looks bigger than Ichigo’s) leaving him in utter shock. However, I can’t help but feel that this power is rather strange and doesn’t seem very well thought-out by the author, as it’s pretty much equivalent to a “everything is alive and can help me” religious philosphy. The whole thing also has a filler feel to it, but even so, I’ll lay off the judgement for now since it could turn out to be awesome. Chad perhaps could learn those abilities and combine them with his own to become really strong, and the attempt to bring back Ichigo’s powers is also likely to be achieved with the help of this “fullbringer” ability. With all the mystery in the air, I am starting to look forward to the next few chapters, and that’s always a good thing.
December 28, 2010 at 3:45 amKurisu Vi Britannia
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I’m skeptical about this, new powers like that being brought in after everything?
I agree it does have a huge filler feeling to it :/
My japanese isn’t that great but I believe it to be Ichiban Desu?
December 28, 2010 at 3:45 amvirox
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I also thought that this new ability wasn’t well thought-through – it just sounds really odd, given that everything consists of atoms, it’s strange to say that an “object”, however they define that has a soul. If anything, each atom should have it’s own soul. Otherwise, we have to assume that this “soul” develops somewhen during the creation of the object, which would be a very lax explaination.
Kubo might pull something big off with this, at least I hope so, but I can’t help but feel that he took merely five minutes to think of this development.
December 28, 2010 at 3:56 amvirox
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*”however they define that, has a soul”
someone please fix this and delete this second comment :)
December 28, 2010 at 4:03 amKurisu Vi Britannia
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Maybe it’s kinda like Naruto’s Sage mode? Everything has life ‘power’ in it lmao.
December 28, 2010 at 5:23 amLoL
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It has sense. Their main religion is sintoism, so everything has a soul and is alive is not a strange idea for a japanese who read this. And there are tons of mangas out there with the same concept of things.
December 28, 2010 at 10:58 amvirox
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Thanks for letting me know.
Kinda feels better now, hehe :D
December 31, 2010 at 9:57 pmOtaku_Brawler
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Ya, like in Ah My Goddess. When Keichi learns about the souls of the bikes and tools he works with.
December 28, 2010 at 5:45 amAlpha
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As an example http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tsukumogami . Old Things turning into youkai is an existing idea, objects having an soul isn’t that different.
December 28, 2010 at 7:40 amBossun
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You seem to be a scientist, so let me put it this way, have you ever heard of emergent properties? Just because one level of organization, take the necklace for example, as a specific property, doesn’t mean the levels before it [molecules, atoms, etc.] all have that same property. For instance, a plant we consider to be alive. A rock we do not. Both are made of atoms, right? The same concept applies here. Even though an object is made up of atoms and has a soul, that doesn’t necessarily mean each atom has its own soul, even though both are atoms.
And like everyone else is saying, this isn’t an original concept. Even Spirit Bomb was taking “spirit power” from every living thing. This is just taking the soul or spirit of an object and manipulating it in a desirable fashion
December 28, 2010 at 11:06 amvirox
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No I am not, lol. That was just my basic knowledge I took from chemistry lessons :D.
It’s just hard for me to accept the idea that even man-made stuff like donuts contain a soul.
I totally forgot about the spirit bomb, but I guess that’s natural since I can easily understand that living things have a soul, so I didn’t consider it.
Anyway, I guess it somehow works out – since it’s the idea of their main religion.
December 28, 2010 at 7:51 amZaku_Fan
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As mentioned by the others, its pretty much gels with the old japanese folklore, so the japanese (bleach’s main market) probably have no problems getting the gist of it immediately.
Bleach is pretty much harry potter type fantasy, so explaining reiatsu or the new power using gravity, the weak and string force or such is pretty much going to be tough.
December 28, 2010 at 9:13 pmamado
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I think its much more easier to think he is using the spirit particles of an object just like what uryu does.
December 28, 2010 at 3:52 amSuppa Tenko
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Remember that a lot of writers assume their readers are dumb… which is partially true but still. Kubo probably ran out of ideas after Aizen went godmode and is probably milking the series for all its worth right now.
December 28, 2010 at 7:33 amBossun
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I don’t think they’d let him continue the series if he was actually out of ideas
December 31, 2010 at 2:16 amSpacyRicochet
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You obviously underestimate the greediness of businesses.
Perhaps that’s a bit unfair, but it’s a truth that it’s cheaper and usually more profitable for a business to continue a winning concept until it’s not winning anymore than it is to create something original again and hope for the best. Either Kubo has to want to give up on Bleach for awhile or its sales have to go down horribly before they’ll start thinking of something else.
This is not only true for manga and anime (though I like the fact that most stories only go on for a couple of seasons), but also for western stuff. Just look at most TV-series which were great for two episodes and after that everyone turns out to be the other’s mother/twice removed godchild/not actually existing sister.
December 28, 2010 at 10:02 amSOSAnimeBoy
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Even if he was out of ideas, his editor(s) would be previewing his chapters a few weeks in advance to make sure things are not going bat shit crazy.
December 30, 2010 at 1:25 pmShiden
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The evidence is in conflict with this assertion. :D
December 28, 2010 at 2:07 pmLoL
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Don’t blame the author when is the publisher who keeps milking the author when a series comes open. And it happens quite a lot in jump series.
December 30, 2010 at 6:36 amderp…
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Lol wins the cookie. If bleach stay popular. They won’t him end it, even if he wants too. (though I don’t he does actually wants too.)
Kubo seems to care more about having fun with the characters, than making a completely coherent plot.
December 28, 2010 at 4:05 amAnot
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Wasn’t Chad given a coin by Oscar Joaquín?
Maybe he is one of those “Fullbringers” and brought out the soul of the coin to create his abnormal powers.
December 28, 2010 at 4:59 amAeous
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I kinda like this arc, it kinda reminds me of some of the earlier bleach episodes when ichigo was first getting his shinigami powers. More importantly is who is behind this fullbringer group, I doubt they just randomly wanted to help ichigo, someone is pulling the strings on this one. Could be someone good, but would be more interesting if it was someone evil; you’d think that maybe they were responsible for helping Isshin get his powers back since he obviously lost them before when he used his final getsuga tensho in the past.
I don’t think chad belongs to this group, but may just be someone they need to help in the process since he is a human with special abilities. He has never once shown a hint of fullbringer power before so him being a part of this group all along seems like a stretch.
December 28, 2010 at 6:22 amKarmafan
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It makes sense that Chad would be working with them (or at least they helping him to get more power). He has always been the really strong big guy that got worked whenever a boss showed up. He wanted to be useful to Ichigo and the rest of his friends and going with these guys in hopes of bringing out his powers is a logical move.
December 29, 2010 at 8:07 pmOmegan
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I wish it was like yuyu hakusho where the main hero’s friends were actually useful!
ITs been pretty much Ichigo vs the world for a while now. Hopefully Chad can at least show up on Ichigo’s radar/
December 28, 2010 at 8:13 amUnknownVoice
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methinks people who have aprobkem with this power should read up on shinto in wiki.
Or hell just read up on the word in the title of this chapter – Pantheism.
Its a philosophical belief that everything in existence is a part of god and thus is a god and thus is separate god and thus has a soul. It connects REALLY nice with Urahara’s comments on Soul King being the lynchpin of the entire universe.
December 28, 2010 at 10:33 amRex
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Ichigo’s mother was a fullbringer. Calling it now.
December 28, 2010 at 11:45 amKarmafan
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I have always thought Ichigo’s mom was not a normal human from the real world. Either a hollow that got her humanity back or more likely Ichigo’s dad was her bodyguard and she was from the Spirit King’s family or some form of royalty. I know folks are gonna say “well she was just a human” but we found out his dad wasn’t a normal human so anything is possible.
December 28, 2010 at 5:27 pmGekokujou
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Okay I think I got the flow of where this conversation is going so here goes. *Breathes in* Next thing you know, Ichigo’s mum will still be alive.
Anyway, I’m really hoping there’s more to these Fullbringers’ powers as so far I am not impressed. I don’t mind the concept behind it but how powerful they are is the question I want to know the answer to pronto.
December 29, 2010 at 12:33 ampingpong
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but soul society never heard of the abilities of full bring before this arc so i doubt it
December 28, 2010 at 11:51 amarky
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Orihime seems more a fullbringer now, using the souls of her hairpins
December 28, 2010 at 12:18 pmGermanguy
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don’t think so, She still keeps her Hairpins, when She call Her Spirits
But Chad, dunno. As if the Writer would smack into our face the Ring around his neck, in the last Pic… “Hello, *blink blink* i am outside of the Shirt. My Ring is Special too”
December 28, 2010 at 12:34 pmUnknownVoice
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thats not much of a ring. Thats his medallion his abuelo gfted to him. ANd yes its most likely source of his powers, just like how orihime’s hairpins are the source of her powers and so on.
December 28, 2010 at 12:50 pmAgevhunter
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Doesn’t anyone think that Xcution’s way of getting Ichigo’s shinigamis power back is through the use of Fullbring on Ichigo’s badge? This would be similar to what Uryu had to use during the Bount Filler Arc. It would mean that Ichigo would rely on the badge for its spiritual powers and not for use of turning escaping his body. Just a thought
December 28, 2010 at 5:30 pmGekokujou
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It would honestly be interesting if it turned out that way. At the very least it would make Ichigo somewhat different from how he was before if he starts using fullbring as well.
December 28, 2010 at 2:58 pmchloesong92
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“I’ll lay off the judgement for now since it could turn out to be awesome”
This is a good quote and approach to life. *mentally saves* :Db
After reading the other comments, I’m really hoping we’ll find out more about Ichigo’s mother soon.
December 28, 2010 at 4:51 pmviral
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Getting lazy, PROOOF? Using the same picture as in the last chapter’s post? :P
December 28, 2010 at 5:42 pmProoof
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hah I had picked a new image, don’t know how I didn’t notice the mistake
December 28, 2010 at 5:44 pmTikal
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I for one and very aware of linkings to shinto and such but this fullbringer stuff in bleach goes against what the show has established. It just feels tacked on and weird. I mean we know that normal humans have gathered powers in Bleach (chad, orohime, etc). BUT it always seemed to revolve around the effect of being exposed to Ichigo and his craziness.
Which while odd I accepted as part of lore. But now Kubo wants me to believe that magically everything has a soul and that thats what these new powers tap into. I mean really?
For me to accept that EVERYTHING has a soul in Bleach then by proxy EVERYTHING must have the ability to be a hollow.
And so what Ichigo will learn how to bring out his hollow side soul or some BS so he can fight whatever trouble is inevitable linked to his father and eventually mother.
December 28, 2010 at 8:23 pmtman
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bleach alchemy lolz
December 28, 2010 at 10:15 pmCode fanboy
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To be honest, this seems to be getting closer and closer to type moon, with the western sword and all. Anyway, so nothing much about this teams new power. Compared to the Vizards, this power doesn’t seem much.
December 28, 2010 at 11:13 pmkaz
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when i read the part about “fullbring”, the manga/anime RAVE suddenly pops into my mind. =)
December 29, 2010 at 12:06 amAznSoulBoy
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Well this is shit…
First, it doesn’t make sense
Second, even if u can make everything into something else, what would be ur advantage? You gain no speed or whatsoever lol.
Thirdly, I feel watching FMA.
December 29, 2010 at 3:54 amPablock
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Hirako looked like a villian n the beginning too. I think it will be the same with deal like with the vizards. Kubo’s lack in ideas.
December 29, 2010 at 1:44 pmZaku Fan
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I’m thinking more likely he was not satisfied with how the Vizards developed so he “erased” them and this is the Vizards storyline Mk 2
December 29, 2010 at 2:01 pmKandur
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That’s a quite preposterous statement. What makes you think they do not know about it? Shinigami are not known from informing Ichigo about everything, or anything, in particular. We got introduced to many things at the moment they became revelant, the Spirit King, the Royal Key, the Menos Grande, even the Menos levels too (which Rukia did not mention at the Menos’ first appearance); but right now there is no Shinigami around at all, who could go “Oh, Of course! Those Fullbringer guys! Yes that happend blah bla blah centuries ago…”.
Saying they do not know about it just because we haven’t heard about it yet? That doesn’t even make sense in the in-universe logic :) These guys don’t tell Ichigo anything before it’s too late.
December 29, 2010 at 10:39 pmSecsuey
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there are only 3 types of arcs in bleach
-training arc
-rescue arc
-lets get more characters arc
December 30, 2010 at 4:31 pmOmegan
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U forgot the arc dedicated to having everyone but Ichigo get owned
December 31, 2010 at 8:07 pmKentaiyoshimi
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and arcs where Aizen just sits around in God-Mode and says “Just as planned.”
January 1, 2011 at 8:41 amfreedomapoc
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bleach goes fma yeey :p
January 4, 2011 at 8:23 pmVelius
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Anything that is not connected to Aizen is going to have a “filler feel” to it.