Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War – Part 3 Episode 5 Review

Part 3 of the Thousand-Year Blood War rages ahead for another week, and after last week’s episode left me with a sour taste in my mouth, I was ready to see how the series would draw me back in, as we move away from the Ichigo/Ishida dynamic, and back towards the more high-stakes, world-threatening conflict led by Yhwach.

Though this week’s episode was far from the most action-packed episode of Bleach, I felt far more engaged with this episode’s plot developments than last week’s, as we took a step back from all the sword-swinging, and instead focused on a more dialogue-heavy approach to Bleach’s storyline. Without further ado, let’s get into all there is to talk about for this episode of Bleach – spoilers ahead!

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The Review

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The huge kickoff moment of this week’s episode was Aizen’s arrival to the Soul Society, much to the alarm of practically every Soul Reaper that isn’t Shunsui Kyōraku. A major praise that I have to give to this season of Bleach so far is the handling of Aizen’s character. The main antagonist of the Thousand-Year Blood War is Yhwach, and with the integration of Aizen into this plotline, there were two potentially disastrous outcomes that could have befallen the show – either Yhwach would be overshadowed by Aizen, or Aizen would have to appear uncharacteristically weak to avoid this overshadowing.

Luckily, neither of these two scenarios have come to pass, and instead, Aizen has been inserted intelligently into the story as a way of not only upping the ante when it comes to this war, but as a way of playing into the exploration of Soul Reapers’ moral ambiguity. It’s unsurprising, in some ways, that Shunsui has enlisted Aizen’s help this season. Let’s not forget one of Bleach’s most infamous arcs, where Rukia faced execution simply for endangering the Soul Society. When it comes to the safety of the Society, Soul Reapers lose any sense of their moral compass – the protection of their world comes first and foremost.

Speaking of unusual team-ups, this episode was full of them, as the Quincies who felt betrayed at their abandonment by Yhwach last season approach the Soul Reapers and offer to assist them in exchange for their help in getting revenge on the Quincy King. Personally, I was very excited to see this storyline come back into play. Yhwach’s abandonment of his military last season was quite a moment last season, so I’m glad that the abandoned Quincies haven’t simply died off-screen, or remained loyal to Yhwach regardless of his actions.

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This team-up now shifts the Thousand-Year Blood War to a whole new plain, in its very nature. For the first two parts of this arc, the conflict has been between the Soul Society and the Quincies. Now, it is a battle to save the world itself from Yhwach who seeks to destroy it, with varying interests coming together in an army against him. In some ways, this sets the stage for Ishida to change sides in this war, but if/when he does, I doubt it’ll pique my interest anymore than Ishida’s storyline has since the beginning of the series.

With this team-up of nearly every character in the show, however, it does make me wonder just how much of this Yhwach foresaw as part of his master plan. The ranks against him are growing expeditiously, and considering Ichigo gave him quite a run for his money in a one-on-one fight not too long ago, I do question whether Yhwach was wise to throw his ranks away like he did last season. Should he be defeated by this newfound alliance, his plan will end up looking fairly miserable in the grand scheme of things, tainted by flawed execution. Bleach, however, is unpredictable to say the least, so we’ll just have to see where this takes us.

Aizen does, however, make some very strong points as the episode comes to a close. He remarks that this team-up is not founded on some shared motivation to save the Soul Society. Instead, the entire army is bound by shared hatred of Yhwach and his plans. This brought to mind the question – what happens after Yhwach is defeated? What future is there for the Quincies after they exact their revenge on the King? In some ways, this alliance seems destined to fail down the line. I hope that the story is prepared to tackle these questions, and doesn’t leave loose ends in regard to them – we need answers!

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The episode came to a relatively pleasant ending, with Ichigo’s team recuperating from their loss against Yhwach and his squad. Kon makes an appearance which, in many ways, signifies that this scene is not meant to be taken too seriously, and Orihime once again pulls through as the MVP of the group, as she heals everyone’s injuries and passes out from exhaustion. The episode didn’t go off without one closing twist however, as Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez appears as a new member of Ichigo’s team, much to his surprise, and fear.

Grimmjow’s arrival has been long teased as a turning point in this conflict, though fans were unsure when he would finally return in all his glory to the show. The character’s absence from the series since the Hueco Mundo arc has long been criticised by fans, and his return is likely to be one of the most talked about moments of the Thousand-Year Blood War for a very long time. I personally cannot wait to see where his arrival takes us next week as the show moves forward.

Though this week was a relatively calmer episode of Bleach, more focused on dialogue and preparation rather than action and battles, it was a much appreciated respite from a bullet train of a season to this point. With so many players in the field, and so many ways the story could go, it’s almost impossible to predict where Bleach is going next, so for now, all we can do is wait for the next episode. What did you think of this episode? Be sure to let us know in the comments!

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Where to Watch Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War?

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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 4 Review

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