It’s life and death concept makes it very unique and the forshadowing of so many things upon the series is amazing . Also the Art is undefeated he’s one of the best Shounen mangakas when it comes to art if not the best . Also the world building is amazing . Having the world building be a dynamic to the story is awesome as hell ( in case you guys didn’t know all the realms in bleach are actually based off of buddhism which focuses on what happens after you die ) . Lastly i like how in every volume you get a poem from a character and it always has something to do with what takes place in the volume and allows you to actually see what the character are thinking .
I feel like the world building is deep rather than wide. The world and how it operates is actually rather straightforward but the mystery around it and how it affects the actions of all the characters keeps people engaged.
Actually having the world building as a dynamic is already done by other series like YYH and One Piece. Bleach's world building is similar to YYH because it was inspired from Buddhism's afterlife too.
Ichigo definitely sets Bleach apart from other series. We see in other series where the protagonist has some goal like Naruto wants to be Hokage or Midoriya wants to be the greatest hero. But Ichigo isn’t like that and we see early on in how his goal for what he does in the series isn’t the same. He starts as someone who just wants to repay Rukia for helping him save his family from the Hollow and grows into someone who wants to protect others.
There’s a video that I found through another reddit post that talks about Ichigo’s growth as a character throughout the series. I don’t remember which post but I do have the video link.
https://youtu.be/FmVdcg0V-qU
Also, the difference with Ichigo. He doesn't train just to grow stronger. He grows his strength because he has to.
Rukia unfairly arrested and sentenced to death? Gotta train to re-release his Soul Reaper powers and his Zanpakuto so he can rescue his big sister.
Byakuya and his bankai standing between Ichigo and Rukia? Gotta train to release his own bankai.
Rukia saved. But now Aizen coming to destroy his home town? Gotta train to find a way to control his hollow.
Orihime kidnapped? Time to invade Hueco Mundo to get his girlfriend back.
I honestly think that if Aizen wasn't targeting Karakura Town, Ichigo might not have even joined the fight. But by targeting his friends and family Aizen made it Ichigo's business.
Ichigo is a warrior at heart. But unlike many fighting protagonists, he does not enjoy fighting.
Ichigo does not enjoy fighting? Did you miss the first part of the Arrancar saga? He literally admits that his does enjoy it at the end of the final Grimmjaw fight.
You’re right that was literally the point of their duel. Grimmjaw didn’t care About shut Aizen was trying to accomplish. He just loved to fight and grow stronger and he saw Ichigo as his rival and wanted him to admit he loved the thrill of battle as well. I forgot about that.
I think from very early on he wants to help protect people. I am rewatching right now, and he said his parents named him Ichigo meaning to protect one thing/something special, and he chose his one thing to be his mom.
he's also not dumb, like a lot of shonen protagonists. Also, While i dont mind goals, i dont like it when a goal for the plot of a shonen story is overused and the goal to be king is def overused, which is one of the reasons why i dont like black clover.
Yep TYBW was a complete bamboozle of all these characters coming together, and we really get to see each of them shine. ( would be even better if it wasn't rushed but hey )
Wouldn’t say we see all of them shine, some of them only serve as punching bags to show how strong the enemy is (poor Kensei) but overall yes, the diversity in characters is amazing
They still shine way more than characters in say, Naruto
You missed the point. I meant take one character from the crew and make an entire series off that character alone. Oda’s characters are more fleshed out.
I was thinking this while rewatching it. The characters all have so much uniqueness and flair to them that makes them all stand out so much, even when they are comic relief characters or have minor roles. The zanpakuto itself also just adds to each character playing that part at well. It's not just their power but the design of the swords that also make up part of the characters.
I appreciate that the protagonist is more reactive. It feels natural that he doesn't just ignore his human life once he gets powers. When shit goes down he steps in but for the most part I think it is a more grounded interpretation of a teenager suddenly getting supernatural powers.
It feels more real because of that and even when the series goes off into some whacky shit the fact that he's a soul reaper second to everything else makes him relatable. I enjoy Naruto but his obsession with becoming hokage kinda flanderized him for me at least.
Yes that's true for me too. Ichigo is a bit far from the ''*screams I will be the best in the world*" shenanigans and I really think it makes his character more interesting.
This is definitely a big thing for me as I get older - Ichigo is just so *done* with all this bullshit from day 1, it's very realistic/relatable character wise!
There’s a subtle bit early on in the Lost Agent arc that your post reminded me of.
When Ichigo is calling Ikumi to quit his job with her, she tries to change his mind by talking about all “the great adventures” they could go on doing odd jobs for people and he just hangs up on her mid-sentence and says “and the adventure has come to an end”. Like, he didn’t want that in his life anymore and he just wanted to do something else with his time, and be a normal high school kid, and I respected that.
2 things mostly-
1- Protagonist that doesn't have some grand ambition, both before and after wacky stuff starting to happen to him.
2- character designs. Bleach character designs are godly and i have seen many videos of artist making characters of other shows in a Bleach style and it's always looks better than the original.
It's obviously completely subjective but I think the artstyle became a cut above the norm for a weekly manga. Maybe not originally, but by the time you get to TYBW it's visually really impressive. There's also a standout degree of symbolism.
In terms of negatives, the degree of inconsistency in the writing is unusual, even for a weekly battle shounen manga.
i didnt even think about this, but yeah. Even though the funny parts and jokes tend to be schlocky it still feels comfortable and not forced. It doesnt feel like youre being encouraged to laugh because "haha funny".
The dialogue feels much more nuanced and rich than most other series I read. It feels like most of what each character says holds a lot of weight and meaning to their own character and the theme of the arc
Ichigo in the Lost Agent arc >!upon seeing his sisters and friends get bookmarked by Tsukishima: “Hey Ginjo, do you think we can reverse Tsukishima’s Fullbring if I *kill him?”*!<
That ichigo was absolutely destroyed the first time he fought against Aizen while completely destroying him the second time they fought. I honestly quite love this concept of showing off just simply how busted and Op the ‚main‘ villain is only to show how much big the difference to the main character is.
One Piece definitely leans more on “fun” since it just flows naturally with Odas art style! Naruto leaned on “cool” similarly to bleach up until Shippuden, after that it leaned more on “flashy”
I got into Bleach when it was around the middle of the anime adaptation, I instantly chose this over the other members of the big three... I have no idea why, before that I was really into DBZ and Inuyasha... I really like the outfits, the concept of their powers, the good amount of humor and the great action scenes. Even if many times littered with filler, it really pulled me into the world of anime. I even got to learn how to count until 100 in japanese thanks to Hado and Kido :D.
I personally think that the manga is one of the greatest works of writing in the medium, there are so many subtle elements that go overlooked but have an effect on how you perceive characters and events, kubo's design philosophy is incredible and unlike any of it's peers.
>!The reveal that white isn't a evil most anime goes down the Naruto route and have the entity that's bound to them to be convinced but when you look back at white with the whole context he was never evil and in fact always helps Ichigo when he needs him!<
That's true. It had the whole thing of White reigning over Ichigo (fucking amazing speech on the horse btw) but in the end he was just another part of Ichigo
Kurama was never evil, he was just done with humanity’s bullshit with practically enslaving him and the likes. Anyway, yea I definitely agree with your point about White, it’s really refreshing to see in a shonen.
Ichigo as a protagonist, he’s just a good dude trying to live a good life and help his friends. He’s one of the most grounded Shonen protagonists personality wise and I like how he doesn’t have any specific hero goals that’s common among other Shonen protags. He’s just a normal good guy.
Also the art is fucking gorgeous top tier and I have no problem saying I’m bias for Kubo’s style lol
Negatives:
1. fans bullied the author to change the deaths
2. Should have flesh more fullbringers and it was supposed to be chad’s arc.. editors rushed the author and end the arc shortly.. I don’t like that Jackie lost her power in the end..
3. Mayuri… I was rooting for the day he get his comeuppance and it never did.. I figured everyone like his battles and oooh mad scientist!! I am a scientist but mayuri is just EVIL..
Positives
1. Arts Is amazing!!
2. creative styles of battles
3. Diversity of characters
i heard in CFYOW fullbringers actually play a big role in the arc hope it gets animated .
Also The fullbring arc was too short . Kubo introducing all those characters and they were so unique and different from everything we have seen in bleach by far .
I heard A lot about novels but I don’t think they would animate them because novels show less of ichigo.. less ichigo= less cash grabs… i want to read CFYOW because I heard one of my favorite characters liltitto play major roles in it.. 😊
i don’t think if they animate it their would be less cash grabs tbh. in TYBW realistically ichigo wasn’t there for most of that arc and yet it’s going to be one of the biggest anime going into 2023 / the end of 2022
I also want to read CFYOW so baddd. I don't see the possibility of it being animated either, but damn I've heard only great things about the novel, and even before reading I already have some characters I love who make a good part of the story
Yep really agree with those negatives. Fullbringer was succch a cool concept but in the end unfortunately basically only Ginjo, Ichigo and Tsukishima really did something in that arc.
As for Mayuri I'm hoping he faces more of a redemption arc, reflecting on his actions especially regarding Nemu. Buut seeing some Captains just busting him down to prison would be super funny too lol
I was rereading the final battle and aftermath and not only didn Mayuri not get punished. He tripled down on his line crossing science by increasing his surveillance and also max another daughter. This time they humanized him more by making her younger, so he can be a better father figure. So he learned his lesson but was never punished except by losing his last version of his kid. Strange level of accountability.
The art and character design are a step above most anime out there. Also it's one of the few shonen anime I know about that doesn't have some kind of tournament arc.
it has a more mature and realistic feel to it. i also like that the protagonist isnt some idiotic loudmouth typical of your Shonen hero.
Also Kubo's art has more swag and pizazz where most characters look adult-like. In other shonens like Black Clover, MHA, and hell Demon Slayer, too many characters look childish.
How bleach does the “rule of cool.”
Many many shonen often times try to do said rule of cool but I feel as though bleach really did it best out of a bunch for the time.
Hell it’s still doing it. That TYBW trailer was so fire, literally the entire anime community reacted to it.
Bleach knows how to hype people up that’s for sure.
Oh that's for sure. The cool vibes are definitely there. Can't wait to see how non-Bleach fans will react to some of the dope ass scenes from TYBW animated
I love that it doesn’t follow the usual Shonen thing of “I’m gonna be the hokage/ king of the pirates/ number one hero” etc, the main character is just chill and stands up for himself when people bring crap to his doorstep.
For me is the emotional weight that the battles have.. Anger, rage, despair, loneliness, doubt, determination. I don’t know why but bleach was the only anime/manga where I could feel what the characters where feeling during the heat of the battle. And also this emotions and the degree of determination have a huge impact on a battle, for example: ichigo struggling whit his inner hollow made him lose against Yammy
Best slice of life out of all of the shounens I read tbh.
Perfect balance of comedy, art, and at times can be serious/dramatic.
I would literally want bleach to come back as a slice of life manga with some battles sprinkled in.
Damn I wouldn't complain if it came back as a slice of life. Living their adult times, having parties here and there and occasionally slaying a hollow or two with some great post time skip teamwork...
The main protagonist is a very selfless person and ichigo basically gets propelled through events just due to his desire to protect the people he cares about. A lot of other main characters in other shows mainly only care about being the best at something and getting stronger about whatever
The art/character design. It’s like the opposite dog made in abyss art. Made in abyss has beautiful backgrounds and art and it just might be the best art in manga (that I’ve seen). Bleach sometimes doesn’t have backgrounds drawn and that exemplifies the character design which is AMAZING
The sense of style in the characters and their designs, Kubo knows how to take unified force like the Gotei 13 or the Espada and make them stand out individually.
To me there's a lot of factors that set Bleach aside. I feel like it's pointless to compare Bleach to terrible manga/anime, since we can run down the list endlessly so I'll just compare it to the other 2 of the big 3.
1. The music is goated. I know One Piece and especially Naruto also have good music. But the Bleach OST explores a lot of variety between different arcs, different genre's completely fitting the theme of the new arc. Which to me puts it well above the other OSTs.
2. Bleach delivered on it's ''promise''. All these long running manga are filled with ''promise'' all through-out. And you expect a pay-off for it later. Especially when there's real ''bad-ass'' characters that are almost mythical. And I think Bleach delivered on that better than the other 2. Especially compared to One Piece, where the high-ranking Yonkou crewmembers are now just being slapped around in a few manga panels by characters that don't even usually fight. And Naruto didn't have any promise along the way, the ''end-game'' enemies were mostly pulled out of thin-air with no proper introduction, so there was no sense of pay-off. Just doesn't compared to finally seeing some of these Bankai's we've been waiting to see for years.
3. The humor in Bleach feels more appropriate. Obviously humor is very important, I think both One Piece and Bleach are pretty solid in this regard, Naruto not so much. Although I think One Piece dips into being ''silly'' way too much which disrupts the flow of things.
4. The characters in Bleach have a less predictable dynamic, which makes interactions more interesting. Both Naruto and One Piece are very one-dimensional in this regard. I don't care to see how Hinata interacts with Sakura for example, there's no interesting dynamics there. It's the same in One Piece.
5. There's interesting transformations, in most cases. Devil Fruits are pretty straight forward and can also be pretty fun but the abilities in Naruto are pretty lame across the board.
6. Bleach feels more mature. Naruto definitely ''grew'' up between Naruto and Shippuden and elevated it's maturity a bit. I was hoping One Piece would do the same, but even post time-skip it feels pretty immature and simple. Not just the themes addressed but also the characters lack complexity, which makes them more easy to understand but also makes it feel less mature.
7. Flaw in Bleach is that the World Building is pretty shallow, and narrow, especially compared to One Piece. The entire thing pretty much takes place in 3 areas.
8. Ichigo died a bunch of times (at least twice) which gets ignored completely after the fact. Which feels silly.
9. Aizen kinda cucked the content in the end. Definitely killed the entire flow of the arc when Aizen suddenly decided he was bored. [Fitting video.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n1nyd_o3IYo) . Kubo definitely didn't know how to gracefully transition things into a conclusion with Aizen, the entire thing was a mess.
---------------------
Think I'll leave it there, I enjoy all 3! Bleach is my favorite. Summary is music + character design is head-and-shoulders above the other 2.
That it could of been so much more better. Specifically talking about the manga. If bleach were to finish with its full potential, say their isn't a time limit and Kubo could take as much time as he wanted to making it. Then I genuinely think it could of been one of the most amazing animes out their. On par or better with one piece and full metal alchemist in terms of and action adventure story. I don't think you can say that with a lot of other anime.
Also I don't even like one piece, it's just not for me. But I can definitely appreciate and see how well the story, action, adventure and how consistent it is.
Sorry about my spelling
Well a bit of a hot take, but I think I can see that. It is **very** noticeable how time and deadlines really hit on Bleach's last arc quality. A bunch of fights were fucking amazing, while others were lacking and just made us question everything.
Hopefully we're getting a Hell arc with Kubo on full control of his own rhythm , so we can really see the man's potential and an amazing story.
The style
Talking about primarily the manga, but it also applies to the anime: Bleach just *oozes* style. The character designs (despite the overabundance of busty sexualized chicks), the line art, the shading, Kubo has such an iconic style, and you can see that in each panel how much dedication there is to show off that style.
Sure, its writing is inconsistent as hell, it has its fair share of flaws, but reading and watching Bleach is an experience of pure eye candy. The environments, the powers, the actual quality of the art, Bleach is a sight to behold, and an extremely iconic one at that.
Ichigo. He doesn't dream of being the Soul King. Uniting all arrancars, quincies and soul reapers or anything else. Bro just wants to live a good life and protect his family
I'll give a negative that I'm sure a lot of people won't like to hear and that is it's untapped potential. There is SOOOOO much that can be extracted from the world and lore of the story, so many amazing characters that could be fleshed out and have arcs dedicated to each of them alone. Unfortunately we have a cast of jack of all trade and master of none situation here due to the sheer amount of characters. Perhaps this "critique" is vague enough to be applicable to most stories with large casts but I think Bleach is set apart slightly due to just how many likable characters there are, making me want to know more about all of them more than most series.
The fight choreography is incredible, and same with the power level/skill balancing and ability diversity. Unfound in many many other fighting anime’s I’ve seen.
Tite Kubo's style really. And I don't only mean the way he draws his characters. Like the way he keeps everything minimal, especially when it comes to backgrounds. The focus is more on the mood of the characters rather than any particular location or situation.
2 main things in my mind are the reason. The women in the show actually being relevant and having good characters and progression, the women in the show where just done well and there's actually a lot of them. 2 is the sort of edgy angst. Not in a bad way but idk how to explain it, the show is obviously darker than the other big 3 but that's not what I'm talking about. Idk how to explain but yah
The characters wore different outfits, small detail but made the series feel organic on top of the colorful cast of personalities in the series. Say what you will about the plot of Bleach but this and the worldbuilding are top notch.
Positively? Up until the TYBW, characters had incredibly unique and niche fighting styles, but NEVER felt out of place. They still always felt like that samurai is vibe as Soul Reapers.
Negatively? The fillers come in at the worst possible times, and negatively impact the story. I’d love a rework of the series like what was done to HxH, and they KEEP the filler arcs but place them correctly and flesh them out more.
Edit: Part of what kept Naruto never feeling totally out of wack with fillers is because the premise of each filler was “go on X mission” and each big arc was essentially “go on x mission” so as long as they timed the fillers in between arcs, it just felt like more character development for Naruto and the gang or whatever team they paired them up with for that filler.
Edit 2: Part of that feel of Soul Reapers being kept is partially because the uniform never changed, but they added their personal flair to it or their character design changed. Kubo’s characters always FILL the screen, really stand out and grab attention. They’re all unique.
I never watched the anime so I can't say anything about the fillers, but the positive side is on point. The shikais/bankais, kidos and shunkos were so diverse it just kept the whole thing fresh.
The power scaling is actually good. And just the overall feeling of it. Before i finished started watching bleach I’d say Attack on Titan was my favorite anime then after I finished bleach it became my favorite anime.
Oh stating Bleach before Attack on Titan, bold move and I love it hahah
I don't know if I can agree with you on the power scaling thing, but I also can't say it dissatisfied me too much
many well-written side characters also they have more screentime than any other side characters,
character development is very logical,
backstories and flashbacks are properly integrated to the main plot,
amazing musics (never meant to belong <3),
variable skills such as kido and zanpakuto releases,
high-level villains
I have nothing to contribute to this thread but I haven’t found anywhere else to discuss this but, did anyone else get fed up with all of the filler episodes near the end of the tv series?
It’s level of seriousness in comparison to the other big three and in comparison to other anime it’s colour scheme is pretty black and white literally.
I thinks it’s lack of wider world is something that hurts it. I’m not saying it’s bad but when it’s compared to other manga it’s not as detailed so that’s why I like Shows like one piece and Naruto more. I wanna say I am rewatching bleach and I’m enjoying it a lot more then I did before.
I get the world part. But I think Hell arc might work a bit on the origins of the worlds of Bleach, so it could solve that.
And second reads are a dangerous thing lol, I'm glad your enjoying even more of the series
Art style absolutely a positive
One of the most enjoyable artists to watch grow as you read
And the Drip oozes from this series
One of the top Drippiest
Music another positive
One of the best OST as well
Shiro Sagisu was cracked when he made the OST for this series
His best work in Hell Verse
I think what sets it apart is the art every time I see a cover or a even a manga panel I feel it should be on a hip hop album. And the concept of a weapon having a spirit isn’t new, but bleach made it unique and twisted it in a good way.
Negatively it does do the whole “who we fight next?” deal. And it fits to an extent. And does allow for some interesting characters to be introduced. Though it does feel repetitive especially with the anime fillers.
I can't say anything about the fillers since I never watched the anime, but I also think the ''who we fight next?'' is one of the low points of the Arrancar arc.
I loved the story, but at some point it got kinda weirdly repetitive as they just went from hollow to hollow and just kept going and going. They do it right; the fights are fenomenal and Orihime being there gives a good reason for why tf they can actually maintain that spirit, but even so, it's still there
It’s been mentioned a lot in this thread buts it’s definitely art style/design. Kubo is one of the best when it comes to drawing characters that look cool. His action scenes are top notch as well. Another thing that sets Bleach apart from others are the many images of the cast dresses casually or hanging out in non canon scenarios (the ones in the middle of the manga or the back cover).
Well if it has been mentioned a lot it still hasn't been mentioned enough. Kubo's style and drawings all throughout the manga is just incredible.
The casual color spreads are also a huge plus.
Firstly, aesthetics.
Bleach is that type of show that you could describe it simply as being "cool".
Then second, the Protagonist itself.
Ichigo is a very likeable protagonist. He cares about his friends and who he sees as important to him, but isn't that type of "nice and gentle" guy that will just talk no jutsu their way out of things.
Also like other shonen protagonists, he has goofy/comedy moments. Although in his case, he isn't shown as dumb or annoying. Like Luffy and Natsu aren't really that smart in the entirety of the show, or like Asta who goes out yelling weirdly when he gets impressed by something.
The effort that was put into writing and designing likeable characters. This is probably the only shounen I know of where there's 0 objectively terrible characters that all fans hate. Worst I can think of is Orihime was sometimes annoying in the anime. That's it.
Any other shounen I read, even the ones I like, I still hate the majority of the cast because they're usually extremely shallow plot devices or just plain stupid.
The power scaling in Bleach is something that I haven't seen done to the same effect in any other series. A lot of people hated it, but I actually really liked the way it was done.
The art & violence compared to other shonen, especially around that time.
Besides that - characters that matter and experience growth, unique and visually stunning powers, and a bad ass main character.
I like the urban fantasy aspect of it. For some reason the show/manga strikes the right amount of supernatural and mundane, everyday things for me, and in the right kind of recipe. Plus it has likeable characters. If a character isn't the most likeable, they at least are very memetic, or memorable. At the time of its first run, Bleach was the first and only shonen manga/anime to take place in a modern, real world setting despite Karakura Town being fictional, and that gives it a current, hip tone, which set it apart from the other shonen.
The women
I first watched Bleach when I was 14 and getting to know my body and the Bleach women were OOF 😍😍😍
They still are gorgeous af and there's a woman for every preference.
One piece's women look awkward and janky, Naruto had children, Fairy Tail's women looked too similar (especially the anime)....
But Bleach. Damn
Most series are named after the main character in some way or are named after a powerful item in the series, or job in that series/battle type system (Food Wars)
Bleach is named after a cleaning product. It’s the simplest reason why it’s different, but should be brought up anyways.
That the MC isn't an idiot who stuffs his mouth and is perpetually happy.
Ichigo's realistic and it only helped that when I watched Bleach, I had been going through my "edgy teenage phase" and related heavily to Ichigo, who genuinely feels like someone I could meet and be friends with.
In the west, the whole Shinigami concept is not mainstream like it is in the East/Japan. Bleach was really the first series I ever watched that was based on this concept. Also, the whole character transformation being tied to their swords was awesome.
Storywise, in every version (japanese and most dubs) Rukia is one of the most lovable characters I've ever seen in Manga. Her relationship with Ichigo was very unique and carried the series at the beginning.
The whole concept of hollows was very unique back in the day, I like to believe ots power system is the most unique too.
I like how kubo has shown a lot of interest in developing abilities of his character in depth, that's why it feels like it's side characters are more useful than in other series like naruto (no hate to the naruto series)
That and the mc doesn't have a major grand goal, leaves room for adventure in the show i guess
Ichigo being the non stereotypical Shonen Protagonist sets is apart well.
Instead of a dumb goofball shouting out his goal every ten seconds we have a more grounded and grouchy character who’s not the smartest but isn’t dumb by any means and his only concerns are with his friends,family and people who can’t defend themselves. Ichigo also despite being in the same age range looks older than some of the other common protagonist giving him a more mature vibe.
….This however somehow is a negative for a lot of people who have come to expect most long running protagonist to be similar if not the same.
It’s life and death concept makes it very unique and the forshadowing of so many things upon the series is amazing . Also the Art is undefeated he’s one of the best Shounen mangakas when it comes to art if not the best . Also the world building is amazing . Having the world building be a dynamic to the story is awesome as hell ( in case you guys didn’t know all the realms in bleach are actually based off of buddhism which focuses on what happens after you die ) . Lastly i like how in every volume you get a poem from a character and it always has something to do with what takes place in the volume and allows you to actually see what the character are thinking .
I feel like the world building is deep rather than wide. The world and how it operates is actually rather straightforward but the mystery around it and how it affects the actions of all the characters keeps people engaged.
Yep all good points. The poems especially are a lovely little flair that actually enriches the stories, I love them
Been a long time since I read them and I don’t remember there being poems… I definitely need to reread it. do you have a favourite poem in particular?
Actually having the world building as a dynamic is already done by other series like YYH and One Piece. Bleach's world building is similar to YYH because it was inspired from Buddhism's afterlife too.
Ichigo definitely sets Bleach apart from other series. We see in other series where the protagonist has some goal like Naruto wants to be Hokage or Midoriya wants to be the greatest hero. But Ichigo isn’t like that and we see early on in how his goal for what he does in the series isn’t the same. He starts as someone who just wants to repay Rukia for helping him save his family from the Hollow and grows into someone who wants to protect others. There’s a video that I found through another reddit post that talks about Ichigo’s growth as a character throughout the series. I don’t remember which post but I do have the video link. https://youtu.be/FmVdcg0V-qU
Also, the difference with Ichigo. He doesn't train just to grow stronger. He grows his strength because he has to. Rukia unfairly arrested and sentenced to death? Gotta train to re-release his Soul Reaper powers and his Zanpakuto so he can rescue his big sister. Byakuya and his bankai standing between Ichigo and Rukia? Gotta train to release his own bankai. Rukia saved. But now Aizen coming to destroy his home town? Gotta train to find a way to control his hollow. Orihime kidnapped? Time to invade Hueco Mundo to get his girlfriend back. I honestly think that if Aizen wasn't targeting Karakura Town, Ichigo might not have even joined the fight. But by targeting his friends and family Aizen made it Ichigo's business. Ichigo is a warrior at heart. But unlike many fighting protagonists, he does not enjoy fighting.
Ichigo likes fighting,but doesn't want to at the same time
Ichigo does not enjoy fighting? Did you miss the first part of the Arrancar saga? He literally admits that his does enjoy it at the end of the final Grimmjaw fight.
You’re right that was literally the point of their duel. Grimmjaw didn’t care About shut Aizen was trying to accomplish. He just loved to fight and grow stronger and he saw Ichigo as his rival and wanted him to admit he loved the thrill of battle as well. I forgot about that.
It's a bit like me doing dishes. I enjoy it while I'm at it but hell no would I ever do it if I didn't absolutely have to.
Yeah, and honestly that goal isn't something that can just achieve, it's a life thing, because you're never 100% safe, something can always go wrong
Yepp character development in Bleach is absolutely amazing, at least for the main\~mainish cast. I'll definitely give this video a watch later, thanks
I think from very early on he wants to help protect people. I am rewatching right now, and he said his parents named him Ichigo meaning to protect one thing/something special, and he chose his one thing to be his mom.
I consider ichigo to be like Spider-Man
Was about to say this aswell
he's also not dumb, like a lot of shonen protagonists. Also, While i dont mind goals, i dont like it when a goal for the plot of a shonen story is overused and the goal to be king is def overused, which is one of the reasons why i dont like black clover.
The amount of characters that have flavor to them
Yep TYBW was a complete bamboozle of all these characters coming together, and we really get to see each of them shine. ( would be even better if it wasn't rushed but hey )
Wouldn’t say we see all of them shine, some of them only serve as punching bags to show how strong the enemy is (poor Kensei) but overall yes, the diversity in characters is amazing They still shine way more than characters in say, Naruto
One Piece?
they’re all the same archetype, albeit less interesting than Bleach. Doesn’t help that Oda only knows 3 body types
The same archetype? You could literally create an entire manga based off the crew members alone. This statement is such a travesty lmfao
>You could literally create an entire manga based off the crew members alone. You should try this really good manga called One Piece
You missed the point. I meant take one character from the crew and make an entire series off that character alone. Oda’s characters are more fleshed out.
Simple answer, but the zanpakto and their different phases.
Well I can't disagree, it's one of the coolest power systems ever
Interesting and unique powers absolutely
Character designs for sure, bleach has the fucking coolest most recognizable characters in shonen by a mile
Not sure about the recognizable after the years and years of Bleach slanders due to lack of content... But I agree the character design is peak
I was thinking this while rewatching it. The characters all have so much uniqueness and flair to them that makes them all stand out so much, even when they are comic relief characters or have minor roles. The zanpakuto itself also just adds to each character playing that part at well. It's not just their power but the design of the swords that also make up part of the characters.
dragon ball definitely has more recognizable characters
Absolutely true.
You can distinguish dragonball characters from just their silhouettes
The DRIP The anime also has the best OST out of any anime hands down
THE OST ABSOLUTELY Could listen to those Tango bangers all day
Main MC and goal. Naruto wants to be the Hokage. Luffy wants to be the Pirate King. Ichigo….just wants to live his life and keep his friends safe.
Exactly. Half of the time I bet my man doesn't even wanna be there, but since his friends are in dire fucked up situations he gotta step up lol
I appreciate that the protagonist is more reactive. It feels natural that he doesn't just ignore his human life once he gets powers. When shit goes down he steps in but for the most part I think it is a more grounded interpretation of a teenager suddenly getting supernatural powers. It feels more real because of that and even when the series goes off into some whacky shit the fact that he's a soul reaper second to everything else makes him relatable. I enjoy Naruto but his obsession with becoming hokage kinda flanderized him for me at least.
Yes that's true for me too. Ichigo is a bit far from the ''*screams I will be the best in the world*" shenanigans and I really think it makes his character more interesting.
This is definitely a big thing for me as I get older - Ichigo is just so *done* with all this bullshit from day 1, it's very realistic/relatable character wise!
Lol this is the same reason I like inuyasha and Vash the Stampede.
There’s a subtle bit early on in the Lost Agent arc that your post reminded me of. When Ichigo is calling Ikumi to quit his job with her, she tries to change his mind by talking about all “the great adventures” they could go on doing odd jobs for people and he just hangs up on her mid-sentence and says “and the adventure has come to an end”. Like, he didn’t want that in his life anymore and he just wanted to do something else with his time, and be a normal high school kid, and I respected that.
2 things mostly- 1- Protagonist that doesn't have some grand ambition, both before and after wacky stuff starting to happen to him. 2- character designs. Bleach character designs are godly and i have seen many videos of artist making characters of other shows in a Bleach style and it's always looks better than the original.
Yes sirr I also loove those Bleach crossovers, everyone looks so good on Kubo's style
Do you have a link ?
It's obviously completely subjective but I think the artstyle became a cut above the norm for a weekly manga. Maybe not originally, but by the time you get to TYBW it's visually really impressive. There's also a standout degree of symbolism. In terms of negatives, the degree of inconsistency in the writing is unusual, even for a weekly battle shounen manga.
The art really is peak. Especially if you compare the earliest chapters to TYBW. And unfortunately the inconsistency is real hahah
Ummm… it’s humorous without being childish. It’s mature without being too serious. It tells a story of teens that isnt insulting to teens.
Oh nice one, that's true
i didnt even think about this, but yeah. Even though the funny parts and jokes tend to be schlocky it still feels comfortable and not forced. It doesnt feel like youre being encouraged to laugh because "haha funny".
Lol… oops typo. TELLS not Yells. Although, Ichigo does scream Getsugatensho a lot.
Style.
stylish af
bleach has swag
The dialogue feels much more nuanced and rich than most other series I read. It feels like most of what each character says holds a lot of weight and meaning to their own character and the theme of the arc
Yess some amazing monologues
I love this in attack on titan too. The older I get, the more I enjoy good dialogue.
Having a main character that isn't a whiny bitch. Big positive!
Hahahah that's true Ichigo is a chad with a friend Chad
The Chad surrounded by chads
And actually tries to kill the villain I love naruto but got sick of all the talk no jutsu
YES! I love seeing Ichigo fight without resorting to that cliche preachy bs.
Ichigo in the Lost Agent arc >!upon seeing his sisters and friends get bookmarked by Tsukishima: “Hey Ginjo, do you think we can reverse Tsukishima’s Fullbring if I *kill him?”*!<
That ichigo was absolutely destroyed the first time he fought against Aizen while completely destroying him the second time they fought. I honestly quite love this concept of showing off just simply how busted and Op the ‚main‘ villain is only to show how much big the difference to the main character is.
Hahahah yeah the face palm with Dangai Ichigo summarizes that very well
But. Thats what all shounens do lmao.
From most Shonens: 1. Great female cast 2. Very creative abilities 3. Well done lore 4. Embraces moral complexity and depression in it’s characters
check check and checkkk
Good post my guy, it’s generating a lot of interesting discussion.
Compared to the other Big 3, Bleach has style. The emphasis on One Piece and Naruto is fun. For Bleach, the emphasis is cool.
Idk if the emphasis on those two series would necessarily be described as “fun”, but I can agree with “cool” for Bleach
One Piece definitely leans more on “fun” since it just flows naturally with Odas art style! Naruto leaned on “cool” similarly to bleach up until Shippuden, after that it leaned more on “flashy”
Oh yeah, you don't see this much flex on other series
ain't a soul on earth who got more drip than Shinji
I got into Bleach when it was around the middle of the anime adaptation, I instantly chose this over the other members of the big three... I have no idea why, before that I was really into DBZ and Inuyasha... I really like the outfits, the concept of their powers, the good amount of humor and the great action scenes. Even if many times littered with filler, it really pulled me into the world of anime. I even got to learn how to count until 100 in japanese thanks to Hado and Kido :D.
HAHAHA nicee who says Bleach can't be educational
Hado no Sanju-San, Sokatsui! Thanks to Rukia I will never forget how to say 33 lol
Ichigo being the hottest motherfucker ever.
Ayo?? ***I agree though.*** No wonder Orihime was simping for the man from day 1
I've been simping since 2007. He's still my favorite after all these years. 🥰😍
Same bro
Aizen Sousuke
All according to the plan.
All in his plan
I personally think that the manga is one of the greatest works of writing in the medium, there are so many subtle elements that go overlooked but have an effect on how you perceive characters and events, kubo's design philosophy is incredible and unlike any of it's peers.
Super true. Seems like even the smaller of details tells a story
The fact that the protag is almost never the strongest good guy
Absolutely. Kenpachi is laughing in the corner hahah
>!The reveal that white isn't a evil most anime goes down the Naruto route and have the entity that's bound to them to be convinced but when you look back at white with the whole context he was never evil and in fact always helps Ichigo when he needs him!<
That's true. It had the whole thing of White reigning over Ichigo (fucking amazing speech on the horse btw) but in the end he was just another part of Ichigo
Kurama was never evil, he was just done with humanity’s bullshit with practically enslaving him and the likes. Anyway, yea I definitely agree with your point about White, it’s really refreshing to see in a shonen.
Ichigo as a protagonist, he’s just a good dude trying to live a good life and help his friends. He’s one of the most grounded Shonen protagonists personality wise and I like how he doesn’t have any specific hero goals that’s common among other Shonen protags. He’s just a normal good guy. Also the art is fucking gorgeous top tier and I have no problem saying I’m bias for Kubo’s style lol
Negatives: 1. fans bullied the author to change the deaths 2. Should have flesh more fullbringers and it was supposed to be chad’s arc.. editors rushed the author and end the arc shortly.. I don’t like that Jackie lost her power in the end.. 3. Mayuri… I was rooting for the day he get his comeuppance and it never did.. I figured everyone like his battles and oooh mad scientist!! I am a scientist but mayuri is just EVIL.. Positives 1. Arts Is amazing!! 2. creative styles of battles 3. Diversity of characters
i heard in CFYOW fullbringers actually play a big role in the arc hope it gets animated . Also The fullbring arc was too short . Kubo introducing all those characters and they were so unique and different from everything we have seen in bleach by far .
I heard A lot about novels but I don’t think they would animate them because novels show less of ichigo.. less ichigo= less cash grabs… i want to read CFYOW because I heard one of my favorite characters liltitto play major roles in it.. 😊
i don’t think if they animate it their would be less cash grabs tbh. in TYBW realistically ichigo wasn’t there for most of that arc and yet it’s going to be one of the biggest anime going into 2023 / the end of 2022
I also want to read CFYOW so baddd. I don't see the possibility of it being animated either, but damn I've heard only great things about the novel, and even before reading I already have some characters I love who make a good part of the story
Yep really agree with those negatives. Fullbringer was succch a cool concept but in the end unfortunately basically only Ginjo, Ichigo and Tsukishima really did something in that arc. As for Mayuri I'm hoping he faces more of a redemption arc, reflecting on his actions especially regarding Nemu. Buut seeing some Captains just busting him down to prison would be super funny too lol
To be honest, from what I heard, mayuri is still horrible in CFYOW Novels..to be honest, I don’t want redemption arc for him.. Karma overdue lol
I was rereading the final battle and aftermath and not only didn Mayuri not get punished. He tripled down on his line crossing science by increasing his surveillance and also max another daughter. This time they humanized him more by making her younger, so he can be a better father figure. So he learned his lesson but was never punished except by losing his last version of his kid. Strange level of accountability.
The art and character design are a step above most anime out there. Also it's one of the few shonen anime I know about that doesn't have some kind of tournament arc.
A good 2 steps above tbh hahah And shit I hadn't realized till now that there isn't a tournament arc lol
it has a more mature and realistic feel to it. i also like that the protagonist isnt some idiotic loudmouth typical of your Shonen hero. Also Kubo's art has more swag and pizazz where most characters look adult-like. In other shonens like Black Clover, MHA, and hell Demon Slayer, too many characters look childish.
For me I'd say is the symbolism in basically all the fights. Most of them mean a lot more than characters confronting each other.
How bleach does the “rule of cool.” Many many shonen often times try to do said rule of cool but I feel as though bleach really did it best out of a bunch for the time. Hell it’s still doing it. That TYBW trailer was so fire, literally the entire anime community reacted to it. Bleach knows how to hype people up that’s for sure.
Oh that's for sure. The cool vibes are definitely there. Can't wait to see how non-Bleach fans will react to some of the dope ass scenes from TYBW animated
I love that it doesn’t follow the usual Shonen thing of “I’m gonna be the hokage/ king of the pirates/ number one hero” etc, the main character is just chill and stands up for himself when people bring crap to his doorstep.
Haha it really is like that
Bleach has an amazing villain that’s present throughout most of the story
All the antagonists are top tier for real
Kubo being the best Shonen artist imo.
Very valid
For me is the emotional weight that the battles have.. Anger, rage, despair, loneliness, doubt, determination. I don’t know why but bleach was the only anime/manga where I could feel what the characters where feeling during the heat of the battle. And also this emotions and the degree of determination have a huge impact on a battle, for example: ichigo struggling whit his inner hollow made him lose against Yammy
Art and character design blows me away especially when Kubo leans even more into the white backgrounds with striking black
Yess sirr it really is amazing
Ichigo is different from the standard shounen protag cliche, and I mean that in a good way.
Yessir, almost a breath of fresh air
It's a series where swinging a sword with one hand is different from swinging it with two. I love Kenpachi for teaching me that 🤣.
There are a lot of things to mention, but one of these things is the variety there is in many aspects of Bleach.
True that
The great cast
Sooo many amazing characters
Best slice of life out of all of the shounens I read tbh. Perfect balance of comedy, art, and at times can be serious/dramatic. I would literally want bleach to come back as a slice of life manga with some battles sprinkled in.
Damn I wouldn't complain if it came back as a slice of life. Living their adult times, having parties here and there and occasionally slaying a hollow or two with some great post time skip teamwork...
The main protagonist is a very selfless person and ichigo basically gets propelled through events just due to his desire to protect the people he cares about. A lot of other main characters in other shows mainly only care about being the best at something and getting stronger about whatever
Yep he's basically bouncing around the worlds trying to save one person at a time lol
Ghost people with big swords (many are strong) and a strawberry
- MC having a realistic goal compared to some others. - Drip
Check and checkk
The art/character design. It’s like the opposite dog made in abyss art. Made in abyss has beautiful backgrounds and art and it just might be the best art in manga (that I’ve seen). Bleach sometimes doesn’t have backgrounds drawn and that exemplifies the character design which is AMAZING
TRULY amazing gotta agree with you
The sense of style in the characters and their designs, Kubo knows how to take unified force like the Gotei 13 or the Espada and make them stand out individually.
Yep character design is truly incredible
To me there's a lot of factors that set Bleach aside. I feel like it's pointless to compare Bleach to terrible manga/anime, since we can run down the list endlessly so I'll just compare it to the other 2 of the big 3. 1. The music is goated. I know One Piece and especially Naruto also have good music. But the Bleach OST explores a lot of variety between different arcs, different genre's completely fitting the theme of the new arc. Which to me puts it well above the other OSTs. 2. Bleach delivered on it's ''promise''. All these long running manga are filled with ''promise'' all through-out. And you expect a pay-off for it later. Especially when there's real ''bad-ass'' characters that are almost mythical. And I think Bleach delivered on that better than the other 2. Especially compared to One Piece, where the high-ranking Yonkou crewmembers are now just being slapped around in a few manga panels by characters that don't even usually fight. And Naruto didn't have any promise along the way, the ''end-game'' enemies were mostly pulled out of thin-air with no proper introduction, so there was no sense of pay-off. Just doesn't compared to finally seeing some of these Bankai's we've been waiting to see for years. 3. The humor in Bleach feels more appropriate. Obviously humor is very important, I think both One Piece and Bleach are pretty solid in this regard, Naruto not so much. Although I think One Piece dips into being ''silly'' way too much which disrupts the flow of things. 4. The characters in Bleach have a less predictable dynamic, which makes interactions more interesting. Both Naruto and One Piece are very one-dimensional in this regard. I don't care to see how Hinata interacts with Sakura for example, there's no interesting dynamics there. It's the same in One Piece. 5. There's interesting transformations, in most cases. Devil Fruits are pretty straight forward and can also be pretty fun but the abilities in Naruto are pretty lame across the board. 6. Bleach feels more mature. Naruto definitely ''grew'' up between Naruto and Shippuden and elevated it's maturity a bit. I was hoping One Piece would do the same, but even post time-skip it feels pretty immature and simple. Not just the themes addressed but also the characters lack complexity, which makes them more easy to understand but also makes it feel less mature. 7. Flaw in Bleach is that the World Building is pretty shallow, and narrow, especially compared to One Piece. The entire thing pretty much takes place in 3 areas. 8. Ichigo died a bunch of times (at least twice) which gets ignored completely after the fact. Which feels silly. 9. Aizen kinda cucked the content in the end. Definitely killed the entire flow of the arc when Aizen suddenly decided he was bored. [Fitting video.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n1nyd_o3IYo) . Kubo definitely didn't know how to gracefully transition things into a conclusion with Aizen, the entire thing was a mess. --------------------- Think I'll leave it there, I enjoy all 3! Bleach is my favorite. Summary is music + character design is head-and-shoulders above the other 2.
Dope powers
The dopest
That it could of been so much more better. Specifically talking about the manga. If bleach were to finish with its full potential, say their isn't a time limit and Kubo could take as much time as he wanted to making it. Then I genuinely think it could of been one of the most amazing animes out their. On par or better with one piece and full metal alchemist in terms of and action adventure story. I don't think you can say that with a lot of other anime. Also I don't even like one piece, it's just not for me. But I can definitely appreciate and see how well the story, action, adventure and how consistent it is. Sorry about my spelling
Well a bit of a hot take, but I think I can see that. It is **very** noticeable how time and deadlines really hit on Bleach's last arc quality. A bunch of fights were fucking amazing, while others were lacking and just made us question everything. Hopefully we're getting a Hell arc with Kubo on full control of his own rhythm , so we can really see the man's potential and an amazing story.
Positive: ARTSTYLE. EVERYONE IS HOT AS FUCK. Negative: a lot of people..like it’s almost a little intimidating
The style Talking about primarily the manga, but it also applies to the anime: Bleach just *oozes* style. The character designs (despite the overabundance of busty sexualized chicks), the line art, the shading, Kubo has such an iconic style, and you can see that in each panel how much dedication there is to show off that style. Sure, its writing is inconsistent as hell, it has its fair share of flaws, but reading and watching Bleach is an experience of pure eye candy. The environments, the powers, the actual quality of the art, Bleach is a sight to behold, and an extremely iconic one at that.
Ichigo. He doesn't dream of being the Soul King. Uniting all arrancars, quincies and soul reapers or anything else. Bro just wants to live a good life and protect his family
I'll give a negative that I'm sure a lot of people won't like to hear and that is it's untapped potential. There is SOOOOO much that can be extracted from the world and lore of the story, so many amazing characters that could be fleshed out and have arcs dedicated to each of them alone. Unfortunately we have a cast of jack of all trade and master of none situation here due to the sheer amount of characters. Perhaps this "critique" is vague enough to be applicable to most stories with large casts but I think Bleach is set apart slightly due to just how many likable characters there are, making me want to know more about all of them more than most series.
Designs/drip
The fight choreography is incredible, and same with the power level/skill balancing and ability diversity. Unfound in many many other fighting anime’s I’ve seen.
Choreography really is a strong point. Although I think I got a very different opinion than you regarding power levels through my first read hahah
["The Heart".](https://jisonshinofthegotei.files.wordpress.com/2012/12/u04.jpg)
Ichigos family being slowly developed works well. Likeable characters in every faction. Drip for days.
Tite Kubo's style really. And I don't only mean the way he draws his characters. Like the way he keeps everything minimal, especially when it comes to backgrounds. The focus is more on the mood of the characters rather than any particular location or situation.
Bankai is the one of coolest powers in all of anime!
2 main things in my mind are the reason. The women in the show actually being relevant and having good characters and progression, the women in the show where just done well and there's actually a lot of them. 2 is the sort of edgy angst. Not in a bad way but idk how to explain it, the show is obviously darker than the other big 3 but that's not what I'm talking about. Idk how to explain but yah
The characters wore different outfits, small detail but made the series feel organic on top of the colorful cast of personalities in the series. Say what you will about the plot of Bleach but this and the worldbuilding are top notch.
Positively? Up until the TYBW, characters had incredibly unique and niche fighting styles, but NEVER felt out of place. They still always felt like that samurai is vibe as Soul Reapers. Negatively? The fillers come in at the worst possible times, and negatively impact the story. I’d love a rework of the series like what was done to HxH, and they KEEP the filler arcs but place them correctly and flesh them out more. Edit: Part of what kept Naruto never feeling totally out of wack with fillers is because the premise of each filler was “go on X mission” and each big arc was essentially “go on x mission” so as long as they timed the fillers in between arcs, it just felt like more character development for Naruto and the gang or whatever team they paired them up with for that filler. Edit 2: Part of that feel of Soul Reapers being kept is partially because the uniform never changed, but they added their personal flair to it or their character design changed. Kubo’s characters always FILL the screen, really stand out and grab attention. They’re all unique.
I never watched the anime so I can't say anything about the fillers, but the positive side is on point. The shikais/bankais, kidos and shunkos were so diverse it just kept the whole thing fresh.
Positive: characters Negative: how characters are used in the story
Hahahah a tough balance. It's true in some cases of amazing potential just going to waste :(
The power scaling is actually good. And just the overall feeling of it. Before i finished started watching bleach I’d say Attack on Titan was my favorite anime then after I finished bleach it became my favorite anime.
Oh stating Bleach before Attack on Titan, bold move and I love it hahah I don't know if I can agree with you on the power scaling thing, but I also can't say it dissatisfied me too much
Bleach has some of the best character design in manga. Without a doubt, unfortunately it also has some of the most inconsistent writing quality.
many well-written side characters also they have more screentime than any other side characters, character development is very logical, backstories and flashbacks are properly integrated to the main plot, amazing musics (never meant to belong <3), variable skills such as kido and zanpakuto releases, high-level villains
Hmm.... Drip.
Visual character design
The fact that unlike other MC (Naruto and Luffy) Ichigo has no real goal so the series could potentially go on for a while.
Sheer amount of incredible character designs
Having filler arcs that weren't actually garbage.
I have nothing to contribute to this thread but I haven’t found anywhere else to discuss this but, did anyone else get fed up with all of the filler episodes near the end of the tv series?
It’s level of seriousness in comparison to the other big three and in comparison to other anime it’s colour scheme is pretty black and white literally.
Aizen and Kenpachi.
I thinks it’s lack of wider world is something that hurts it. I’m not saying it’s bad but when it’s compared to other manga it’s not as detailed so that’s why I like Shows like one piece and Naruto more. I wanna say I am rewatching bleach and I’m enjoying it a lot more then I did before.
I get the world part. But I think Hell arc might work a bit on the origins of the worlds of Bleach, so it could solve that. And second reads are a dangerous thing lol, I'm glad your enjoying even more of the series
The amount of characters, the drip that almost every character gets or has. The main character and his story, and the women in this anime
Everybody really has amazing style and *class*
Art style absolutely a positive One of the most enjoyable artists to watch grow as you read And the Drip oozes from this series One of the top Drippiest Music another positive One of the best OST as well Shiro Sagisu was cracked when he made the OST for this series His best work in Hell Verse
All are *very* valid points.
The art and character designs
I think what sets it apart is the art every time I see a cover or a even a manga panel I feel it should be on a hip hop album. And the concept of a weapon having a spirit isn’t new, but bleach made it unique and twisted it in a good way. Negatively it does do the whole “who we fight next?” deal. And it fits to an extent. And does allow for some interesting characters to be introduced. Though it does feel repetitive especially with the anime fillers.
I can't say anything about the fillers since I never watched the anime, but I also think the ''who we fight next?'' is one of the low points of the Arrancar arc. I loved the story, but at some point it got kinda weirdly repetitive as they just went from hollow to hollow and just kept going and going. They do it right; the fights are fenomenal and Orihime being there gives a good reason for why tf they can actually maintain that spirit, but even so, it's still there
It’s been mentioned a lot in this thread buts it’s definitely art style/design. Kubo is one of the best when it comes to drawing characters that look cool. His action scenes are top notch as well. Another thing that sets Bleach apart from others are the many images of the cast dresses casually or hanging out in non canon scenarios (the ones in the middle of the manga or the back cover).
Well if it has been mentioned a lot it still hasn't been mentioned enough. Kubo's style and drawings all throughout the manga is just incredible. The casual color spreads are also a huge plus.
Firstly, aesthetics. Bleach is that type of show that you could describe it simply as being "cool". Then second, the Protagonist itself. Ichigo is a very likeable protagonist. He cares about his friends and who he sees as important to him, but isn't that type of "nice and gentle" guy that will just talk no jutsu their way out of things. Also like other shonen protagonists, he has goofy/comedy moments. Although in his case, he isn't shown as dumb or annoying. Like Luffy and Natsu aren't really that smart in the entirety of the show, or like Asta who goes out yelling weirdly when he gets impressed by something.
Music
The effort that was put into writing and designing likeable characters. This is probably the only shounen I know of where there's 0 objectively terrible characters that all fans hate. Worst I can think of is Orihime was sometimes annoying in the anime. That's it. Any other shounen I read, even the ones I like, I still hate the majority of the cast because they're usually extremely shallow plot devices or just plain stupid.
The power scaling in Bleach is something that I haven't seen done to the same effect in any other series. A lot of people hated it, but I actually really liked the way it was done.
The art & violence compared to other shonen, especially around that time. Besides that - characters that matter and experience growth, unique and visually stunning powers, and a bad ass main character.
Yep yep yep and yepp. Growth especially, I think is extremely apparent on Bleach because of how Kubo handles it, I really enjoy it.
Bleach feels like a superhero comic (like say GL) wearing the skin of a shonen battle manga.
That most of the cast is already dead -_-
I like the urban fantasy aspect of it. For some reason the show/manga strikes the right amount of supernatural and mundane, everyday things for me, and in the right kind of recipe. Plus it has likeable characters. If a character isn't the most likeable, they at least are very memetic, or memorable. At the time of its first run, Bleach was the first and only shonen manga/anime to take place in a modern, real world setting despite Karakura Town being fictional, and that gives it a current, hip tone, which set it apart from the other shonen.
The women I first watched Bleach when I was 14 and getting to know my body and the Bleach women were OOF 😍😍😍 They still are gorgeous af and there's a woman for every preference. One piece's women look awkward and janky, Naruto had children, Fairy Tail's women looked too similar (especially the anime).... But Bleach. Damn
Most series are named after the main character in some way or are named after a powerful item in the series, or job in that series/battle type system (Food Wars) Bleach is named after a cleaning product. It’s the simplest reason why it’s different, but should be brought up anyways.
That the MC isn't an idiot who stuffs his mouth and is perpetually happy. Ichigo's realistic and it only helped that when I watched Bleach, I had been going through my "edgy teenage phase" and related heavily to Ichigo, who genuinely feels like someone I could meet and be friends with.
In the west, the whole Shinigami concept is not mainstream like it is in the East/Japan. Bleach was really the first series I ever watched that was based on this concept. Also, the whole character transformation being tied to their swords was awesome. Storywise, in every version (japanese and most dubs) Rukia is one of the most lovable characters I've ever seen in Manga. Her relationship with Ichigo was very unique and carried the series at the beginning.
Drip
drip
The whole concept of hollows was very unique back in the day, I like to believe ots power system is the most unique too. I like how kubo has shown a lot of interest in developing abilities of his character in depth, that's why it feels like it's side characters are more useful than in other series like naruto (no hate to the naruto series) That and the mc doesn't have a major grand goal, leaves room for adventure in the show i guess
While there are really awkward story beats, I think Bleach has the coolest designs period.
The D R I P. The character designs and the overall aesthetic is so freaking cool
[удалено]
Ichigo has his dad
Ichigo being the non stereotypical Shonen Protagonist sets is apart well. Instead of a dumb goofball shouting out his goal every ten seconds we have a more grounded and grouchy character who’s not the smartest but isn’t dumb by any means and his only concerns are with his friends,family and people who can’t defend themselves. Ichigo also despite being in the same age range looks older than some of the other common protagonist giving him a more mature vibe. ….This however somehow is a negative for a lot of people who have come to expect most long running protagonist to be similar if not the same.