Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War – Part 3 Episode 4 Review

Last week on Bleach, fans were treated to a more introspective episode, as we moved away from the explosive conflict between Ichigo and Yhwach that led to the catastrophic severance of the Soul King, and turned to an episode more focused on backstories and revisiting characters from the show’s past. This week, however, we were thrown right back into the fray, as we catch up with Yhwach’s plan, and Ichigo takes on a familiar foe – or friend?

Below, we’re talking all things that the Thousand-Year Blood War Part 3 Episode 4 had to offer, the twists and turns, the surprises and fights, all the great things that Bleach treats viewers to each and every week. There will be spoilers ahead for this week’s episode, so be sure to watch the episode before reading ahead. Let’s get into the review!

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The Review

Image by Pierrot

If I were to name a theme for this week’s episode, it was Ichigo’s inability to kill. This factor of Ichigo’s conviction is brought up by Yhwach himself in the early stages of the episode, pointing out how Ichigo is unable to end his life despite what a threat he is, but this theme plays a particularly important role later in the episode, and at the climax of this week’s main fight. This week was another spectacle episode for Bleach, where fans will watch an incredible showdown between two very powerful characters, and as a fan of that style of storytelling, I have no particular qualms with this.

Unfortunately, I can’t say I was the most intrigued by this episode that I have been thus far in the show – though I imagine a good chunk of the Bleach fanbase will care a lot more about what went down this week than I did. Uryū Ishida is not a character I’ve ever clicked with, going back as far as his introduction to the series 20 years ago. The dynamic between him and Ichigo has been my least anticipated element of the whole Thousand-Year Blood War conflict, despite how important the show makes it seem. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed this episode for all the elements it should be praised for, but I’m far from emotionally invested in Ichigo and Ishida’s soap opera.

Still, Pierrot managed to grab me and drag me into caring about this fight this week through this episode’s excellent direction. The fight between the two was absolutely incredible to witness, and was a showdown worthy of having a whole Bleach episode dedicated to it, despite how much more interested I personally am in the Yhwach side of things. The use of colour in this fight was particularly stunning, something I’ve loved about Bleach since the second part of the Thousand-Year Blood War, when Ichigo fought against the Bambies – it felt like every colour of the rainbow was used to stunning effect, and here, the clash of yellow and blue was truly stunning.

Image by Pierrot

Again, as I say every week, Pierrot cannot be faulted on their animation when it comes to modern-day Bleach. There’s a certain comfort in watching each episode, knowing you’re in safe hands animation-wise, and you’re never going to be let down. In many ways, Pierrot earn the lengthy breaks between each part of the Thousand-Year Blood War, though they’re frustrating to live through. This fight was also scored incredibly well, with the soundtrack perfectly undertoning the events on-screen.

I will say though, I had to laugh when Ishida launched himself into the air, unveiled a stunning barrage of attacks, and so coldly and casually stated ‘this is my new power’. Now, I love shonen, but sometimes it can be cheesy, and this was one of those moments where the pure cheesiness that shonen has really shined through. I’m not someone who enjoys power-scaling conversations, and I generally just enjoy letting a show take me through the motions when it comes to character strength, but this was so sudden that it even took me out of the moment. Hey, it was fun to watch though, and sometimes, that’s what counts the most.

Ichigo’s friends got into the action this week, which was nice, because if you’ve read my reviews of the last two episodes of this season, I was growing increasingly frustrated with their inclination to just stand still in the corner while Ichigo fought for his life against the world’s greatest threat yet. That being said, my favourite of the group that Ichigo confronted Yhwach with was Yoruichi, who was disposed of fairly quickly, so it wasn’t all good news for me. Still, it seems like his team are finally breaking free of the constraints of background character status, and starting to throw their own blows – a big plus for the episode.

Image by Pierrot

Little was done to move the Ukitake storyline forward this week, but let’s just say, he’s still suffering. Moving on from that, the episode concluded with Ichigo making the incredibly frustrating decision to let himself be shot by Ishida’s arrow – okay, maybe he just couldn’t move in time, but it felt like a dull ending to an otherwise thrilling fight. Again, this might be because I’m just not emotionally invested in their boyhood beef, but it was a bit of a downer of an ending this week.

Well, it would have been if we didn’t get a sweet-sweet post-credits scene! Well, not a lot actually happened to be honest, but we did get a teaser that Yhwach might be growing more eyes sometime soon. This was already sort of given away in the opening sequence, which I know a lot of people have voiced frustration about, but that’s anime openings for you! Fall 2024 is a very action-packed season, with other seasonal shows also delivering non-stop, back-to-back action episodes, and Bleach is, perhaps, the most notable of the bunch. Another strong episode overall.

This episode of Bleach was an enjoyable time, but ultimately, my own disinterest in the long-running storyline between Ichigo and Ishida stopped it from being any sort of standout episode for me personally. I’m hoping that next week we learn what exactly has happened to Yhwach, and move forward the Ukitake storyline to its next stage. What did you think of this week’s episode? Be sure to let us know in the comments!

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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 3 Review

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