Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War – Part 3 Episode 3 Review

Episode 3 of the Thousand-Year Blood War has arrived, and with Ichigo bringing on the end of the world in the last episode, it feels like the stakes are higher than ever. Since the return of Bleach in 2022, the quality of Pierrot’s adaptation has been sky high – it feels like Kubo’s true vision of what Bleach was meant to be is finally being realised in full, glorious form.

This episode was packed full of plot development, marking another triumphant week for Bleach, as the third part of this arc marches on. This week, we touched on some of the show’s more underrated characters, caught up with Ichigo and Yhwach’s conflict, and got to interact with the series’ most notorious villain ever. Below, we’re talking all things Episode 3 of the Thousand-Year Blood War – spoilers ahead, so check out the episode first!

---

The Review

Image by Pierrot

The episode begins with a story decision that Bleach loves to pull – a complete subversion of the cliffhanger set up the previous week. After Ichigo cut through the body of the Soul King at the end of Episode 2, Ukitake reveals that he can take the Soul King’s place by calling on an ancient power within him from youth. Thus, the plot of this episode was taken to a place no one could have predicted – Bleach stays surprising us week after week, as we soon dive into the backstory of one of the show’s more underrated characters.

Before we talk about Ukitake’s backstory though, I have to talk about the trippy visuals at the start of this episode. Ukitake standing across from Mimihagi in an endless void, as the title card for the episode appeared above them was an absolutely stunning visual, and really did justice to Kubo’s creative vision. The idea behind Ukitake’s power here was quite abstract, but how well it was animated got me completely on board.

For the most part, the first half of this episode was dedicated to Ukitake’s backstory, exploring his past and how he came to possess this connection to Mimihagi. This backstory caught me off guard for multiple reasons, the first being that I never would have expected Ukitake to be so essential in swaying the tide of the events of last week. More importantly though, backstories feel more rare in Bleach, compared to other anime that turn to them all the time. It’s always a treat to look into the past in this show, especially when that past highlights characters who rarely get the spotlight.

Image by Pierrot

Ukitake, for the most part, flew under my radar up until this point. Bleach is so packed full of characters with incredible designs, amazing powers, and great fight scenes, often, unless a character is a primary protagonist, they fade into the back of my mind. This episode ensured that Ukitake will be one of the most memorable characters from this arc. I often forget about some of the most valuable Soul Reapers and their abilities – this episode brilliantly subverted my expectations, and Ukitake’s self-sacrifice was great to watch, as upsetting as it was in theory.

We then cut back to Ichigo’s team facing off against Yhwach. Finally, all of our Team Ichigo members are getting into the action, and are actually starting to team up against Yhwach. Their lack of teamwork was one of my main critiques of last week’s episode, so it was nice to see some companionship this week! Orihime then tried to heal the Soul King, and call me crazy, but I actually thought it was about to work for a second. Imagine how insane that would have been! Orihime saves the Soul Society single-handedly – I kind of want to see an alternate universe where that happens now.

Then, however, we cut to Aizen, who the showrunners know, at this point, is the star of the show this arc. Hence, we have been teased with his appearance, really ever since the Thousand-Year Blood War began, but especially in the past few weeks. No villain has left an impact on Bleach quite like Aizen has – though Ulquiorra comes close – and let’s just say that, this week, Aizen did not disappoint. He’s as menacing and calculated as ever.

Image by Pierrot

I loved the whole scene – his verbal back-and-forth with Shunsui was like watching magic on screen, as two incredibly intelligent warriors seem to know each other’s next step at all times. The whole scene felt really smart – that was, until that man tried to attack Aizen to confine him, for no reason whatsoever. This random attack felt like an excuse to show off Aizen’s power, and took me out of the scene a little. Why would a man that impulsive even be let down here, anywhere near Aizen? I had no choice but to laugh at the ignorance here.

I wonder what Aizen will do as we move into the upcoming episodes – clearly, he believes Yhwach will conquer the Soul Society, so will he side with our protagonists? It’s likely he has an ace up his sleeve, one which will serve himself above all others, but what path will he take to get there? This episode was another great entry for the Thousand-Year Blood War arc – it set up some great new questions and highlighted some underrated heroes. Aside from that strange scene with Aizen, and some slow moments, I have no complaints.

What did you think of this week’s episode of Bleach? How have you been enjoying the Thousand-Year Blood War so far? Be sure to let us know your thoughts and predictions for future episodes in the comments, and thank you for reading!

---

Where to Watch Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War?

Image by Pierrot

Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War airs weekly on Disney Plus, every Saturday. You can also catch all previous episodes of the Thousand-Year Blood War on the platform, as well as the original run of Bleach from 2004. Happy watching!

See also: Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War – Part 3 Episode 2 Review

• ShareCopied to clipboard
• X
• Facebook