#comparing ulquiorra to when he was introduced

[tae-shimura-is-my-wife]

!Long post!

Ulquiorra and Orihime relationship didn't started as the cutest or nicest thing ever and i can recognize that, but i don't ship them because he kidnapped her (by Aizen's order) or for saying distateful things to Ori.

Ulquiorra it's not a human, he doesn't have moral and lives in a cruel world, which makes sense of why he's so nihilistic, Ulquiorra didn't treat her like a princess at the start and tried to break Ori spirit, but at the moment she didn't acted like anyone else he got surprised and then wanted to understand her and what she is feeling, she literally changed his world view! Only with her feelings Ori made Ulquiorra, a hollow, a "bad creature" question everything what he thought was right.

Ulquiorra not only tried to understand her, but also was slowly chaging his behaviour to her, especially after he listened to her crying because of him, he even protected Ori from Ichigo's attacks when she wasn't necessary to Aizen anymore.

That's the reason why i don't feel uncomfortable, because despite they having a rowdy start, Ulquiorra a corrupted soul was willing to understand and change for Ori. No she didn't fixed him or need to, Ori didn't forced him to anything! He did it HIMSELF! Kinda in a unconsciously way, but because of her!

The idea of this ship for me is them living a peaceful life together after his redemption, not this dark and edgy "omg he kidnapped her so s3xy!" or "he atormented her so many s#xual tension!". Especially because Nel is an example that not all hollows are bad! And a Hollow having a rendemption arc would be amazing c'mon!

I don't speak for everyone in the fandom, because people have different interpretations, but this is how i view them.

This is why they often paralled to Beauty and the Beast, a nice and kind girl changed Beast worldview and willing to change his behaviour, because of her! She didn't fixed him, he did it himself! And after he become a actually good person, he could live a wonderful life by her side.

[pcharming7]

I finished re-reading Bleach and I have to say, Kubo’s visual storytelling is great (his actual storytelling is…a little more all over the place, but still). I especially like the way he introduces large groups of characters. It’s usually in a big one-to-two-page spread, and they always do a great job of telling us about characters and the world without saying anything. Take this shot where we see the Gotei 13 Captains gathered together for the first time:

We don’t know much about any of these guys by this point, but we can already tell that they’re a varied group of people with very distinct designs. However, they’re all standing upright in two orderly lines with stoic facial expressions, reflecting the strict and regimented nature of Soul Society. They may all look unique and have their own personalities, but ultimately they fall into the uniformity and discipline of a standing army.

That’s good visual language on its own, but then compare that to when the Espada are sitting in the meeting room at Las Noches:

They’re sitting instead of standing at attention, their poses are all over the place, and some look like they’re paying attention while some clearly aren’t. Unlike the disciplined Court Guards, the Espada don’t seem to have much cohesion at all, and there’s far more emphasis on their individualism through their more varied poses and expressions (Ulquiorra’s waiting patiently, Yammy’s at the end looking annoyed, you can’t even see Nnoitora’s face since he’s reclining in his chair, etc.).

The Espada are meant to be foils to the Court Guard Captains, so Kubo highlights the differences between the two groups by having a parallel shot that give off wildly different tones. That’s incredibly strong visual storytelling, and that’s not even getting into the context for the two scenes and how they parallel each other, but that’ll take way to long to talk about and I don’t have the time or patience quite honestly.

Bleach may get a lot of shit for its writing, but it’s art never, and I mean never, misses.

[arrancxr]

What would each espada pick as their favorite and least favorite thing about the world of the living?

Starrk

Favorite — Soft and warm things everywhere. Pillows, blankets, sunbeams, fireplaces, and all the best places to sleep. Compared to the arrangements in Las Noches, the human world is a paradise of wonderfully comfortable ways to curl up and rest.

Least Favorite — Everything is loud and bright and exhausting. Public places, especially in cities, are so tiring he can hardly handle it. And there's something very, very uncomfortable about being surrounded by so many utterly uncaring people then.

Halibel

Favorite — Overall, Halibel likes human behavior. Your species isn't as violent and cruel as she's used to, and seeing things like happy children, people helping each other, and other such wonders makes her happier than she would have expected.

Least Favorite — Even so, she tends to feel very unprepared. The human world has different rules and expectations, and she always feels shamefully out of place. It leaves her acutely aware of how trained for violence she is compared to your species.

Ulquiorra

Favorite — Not much, honestly. The human world as a whole is very, very uncomfortable for Ulquiorra. He can't stand humans and the way they live, and everything is so utterly different that his unadaptable personality just can't deal with it for long.

Least Favorite — Absolutely the sensory input. All of the sounds, lights, smells, and more are so overwhelming that it actually makes him sick more often than not. Ulquiorra has serious problems with sensory overload when he's in your world.

Nnoitra

Favorite — You're the only thing he likes about the human world, honestly. Nnoitra is so uncomfortable in such an unfamiliar place that being with you (...and seeing how happy you are) is the main thing he can find pleasant about being stuck there for long.

Least Favorite — He always feels incredibly out of place. The human world makes Nnoitra all too aware of the "beast" he thinks he is, and that doesn't do his mental health any good. He hates being out and around normal people more than anything.

Grimmjow

Favorite — The safety. Even though things could still go wrong, the human world feels much more peaceful and relaxing, especially with you there. Being able to relax and rest for once is nicer than it has any right to be, almost embarrassingly so.

Least Favorite — Not being able to pick fights like he's used to. Grimmjow's response to and method for solving conflicts is to get violent, and because that's not allowed, he's often left not knowing what to do. It's both stressful and frustrating for him.

Szayel

Favorite — So many new things to learn and experience! Szayel enjoys the novelty and newness of the human world and is absolutely taking notes (at least mental) on all of the things you introduce him to. There's plenty of information to be gained...

Least Favorite — The human world does not do good things for his paranoia. Between not having his lab, being unable to do much of anything to defend himself, and everything being new and strange, Szayel tends to be quite anxious in your world.

Aaroniero

Favorite — The isolation from other Hollows. There's very little in the human world that he has to worry about hurting him, and that's... pleasant. Even if his instincts don't always get the message, he can feel a little bit safer there with you alone.

Least Favorite — The atmosphere itself is uncomfortable. Sunlight is too bright and makes him nervous. There's nowhere dark and safe to hide, especially with countless people everywhere. He always feels both trapped and much too exposed.

[littleeyesofpallas]

This isn’t really translation based, and I think most of the key lines I’ve pulled for this are more or less accurate (plus im getting a little tired of juggling Japanese dictionaries) so i’m gonna be lazy and just use Viz’s translations for this...

Looking over the early Arrancar Arc for Orihime stuff, one of the HUGE plot hooks Kubo built up and then once again totally ditched part way into the arc, was the nature of Orihime and Chad’s powers, and how they weren’t just random sidekicks but a part the entire Hollow-Shinigami dynamic and hybrid powers that the arc was all about.

At the onset of the arc the premise we’d originally been given for Chad and Orihime’s powers was still in play: That their powers came specifically from Ichigo.  As it happens their powers are also actually very similar to Ichgo’s and Kubo goes out of his way to make them even more so as this arc gears up...

Right off the bat Ichigo’s name is written literally as “One Protect” and in chapter 2, Ichigo’s attitude about that is explicitly laid out: He won’t let people get hurt if he can help it,but he also won’t make the abstract or high minded commitment to protecting “everyone.”  It’s an interesting way to frame a hero’s morality, but there’s a certain pragmatism to it and Kubo actually explicitly plays with this idea in the Arrancar... until he doesn’t...

Kubo also expands on this a little when he brings up Ichigo’s relationship with his mother in vol.3.  It actually makes him a little more typically heroic.  But it also establishes that he was once a wimpy kid who got strong to protect the people he loves.

So, it doesn’t feel super noticeable that when Orihime and Chad get their powers initially, they are both based on protecting people (because that’s kind of just generic heroism anyway) but the Arrancar Arc builds on the theme pretty explicitly...

Chad’s trajectory for the arc starts when Ichigo recuses him from DiRoy when Grimmjow’s gang attacks Karakura.  Not only is Chad kind of humiliated and ashamed of his weakness compared to Ichigo, but Rukia even takes note of it and chastises Ichigo for being inconsiderate and thinking he has to do everything himself.

When Chad goes to Urahara for help, Urahara mentions to himself that Chad’s powers are like a Hollow’s: specifically he trails off, but when you turn the page the first thing you see is Ichigo’s Hollow mask.  Like with Tatsuki, Kubo is playing very deliberately with juxtaposition and scene transitions, and the natural pacing of having to thumb through physical pages of a manga, viewing two pages at a time.  Then when Chad’s powers further develop as the team invades Los Noches, Chad’s powers are explicitly described as being more Hollow-like, and the true form of his arm takes on the shape of a shield, further emphasizing the already existing them of protection that surrounds Ichigo’s team.

Furthermore, Chad’s second arm form is explicitly described as the power to fight for himself, where as his first arm power is the power to fight for others.  Although Chad doesn’t appear to have the same kind of internal struggles that Ichigo does with his inner hollow and mask, Chad is actually displaying the same dichotomy that Ichigo is here, where Ichigo’s Hollow is all about self preservation and even just raw fighting instinct which is at odds with his need to protect others: Ichigo never lets himself being “selfish,” everything he does he has to do for others.  Chad learning to fight for himself is also co-related to his more/most hollow-like powers.

Orihime too is given the beginnings of a character arc early here where she feels inadequate, at first by being unable to cheer up Ichigo the way Rukia does, then in her inability to save Chad from Yammy and Ulquiorra, and finally with the way Urahara and Yamamoto try to exclude her from their war plans.  When she’s abducted by Ulquiorra, she isn’t just kidnapped, she is coerced into making the decision to save her friends with her compliance.  And once she’s in Los Noches as Aizen’s captive, she realizes that there is something only she can do to help protect everyone, and that is to use her position as a prisoner and as an asset to Aizen’s plans, to try and use her powers to get rid of the Hougyoku... which she never does....

And this wasn’t a few incidental lines just thrown around either, it comes up multiple times and even starts to develop a little bit and point in a very clear direction.  One of the big things the arc was building toward (which never happened) was the idea that Ichigo would eventually get to Orihime and she would refuse to be rescued.  Aizen specifically planned her abduction to look like she defected on her own; Ulquiorra brings up the fact that Ichigo came to rescue her based on trust and faith, but no on the certainty that she was actually innocent; and when Grimmjow talks about Ichigo not understanding what’s going on “inside” her.  It’s all pointing to the fact that Ichigo doesn’t get that his rescuing Orihime isn’t what’s best for her, because it’ll just make her feel helpless again.  Ichigo’s drive to protect people is a strength as a “hero” but it’s actually a weakness as a character.

Also Kubo repeatedly hammers home the idea that the rescue party was doomed to failure: The team splits up because Rukia and Renji guilt trip Ichigo about how his need to protect people forces him to not trust his allies, Dordonii foreshadows that Ichigo is too soft hearted to be fighting the likes of the Arrancar, Ulquiorra’s big reveal as being only #4, all Ichigo’s friends struggling through their Espada fights...  The whole Orihime rescue arc was set up like it was going to be a twist on the last rescue arc, until week after week fights with no plot development really started to drag on, and I get the feeling Kubo got some strong urges from his editor to drop the sidestories and just move the core plot along instead of introducing yet more Arrancar, leading to more and more fights that would only further stall the plot.  The Ulquiorra-Grimmjow-Szayelaporro-Nnoitra marathon in particular wasted legitimately almost a YEAR(50+ chapters) of weekly publications without anyone actually getting any closer to their established goals.

In conjunction with the explicit time frame we’d been given at the start of the arc --roughly 5 months until Winter, when the Hougyoku would be ready.  It seemed pretty clear that the sensible development would be that the rescue arc would fail, Ichigo & co. would be forced to retreat, and then they’d all complete their actual training  in the months left before the Winter War’s projected date.  And as we knew, Aizen had found a kind of hack to use the Hougyoku even before the projected date, so the eventual confrontation would mean Aizen’s forces would be far beyond Soul Society’s projections.  Orihime would have time to try and further her plans, earning Aizen��s trust and finding time and means to sneak her way to the Hougyoku.  Chad very possibly would’ve been left in Hueco Mundo during the retreat, where he could further develop the Hollow aspects of his powers in ways he couldn’t back on Earth.  Uryuu would be forced to confront his father about breaking his promise not to consort with Shinigami.  And Ichigo would actually finish his Visored training properly.

I kinda went off on a tangent here, but yeah...  Orihime and Chad plot threads that Kubo pretty meticulously set up and just didn’t do anything with...

[ichirukilover]

Imagine thinking IR had no development after the SS arc. And here I thought we are supposed to be the ones who read the manga with their ass. Makes you wonder what development looks to those people. Sharing the same panel?

There really are people out there that think like this….I’m like…binch I wish they didn’t got development after that!!! At least you know I would have seen the shitty end game couples coming but no. What these people are missing is that, that moment (after the SS arc) was the perfect time to stop developing IR yes, and that’s probably what they wished for but instead what did Ku/bo do? 

Matching poems, matching cover books, matching names, Then we get Rukia coming back in the manga appearing through the window like some shoujo heroine, with Ichigo looking at her like….binch with heart eyes only able to stare at her and say her name. He was moping untill then but then she comes back and he is back to his old self again, grinning like an idiot after she screams at him how he is “the man in her heart”. What’s more she gets officaly introduced into the family!!!!!! They get sexual innuendos (once again), he freaks out bc she sat!on!his!bed! Isshin put her in the twins room and she COMPLAINS BC I WANT TO STAY IN YOUR ROOM! And he is all like talk with my dad……askahksajksaf god I can’t with these two.

Renjo I know I’m the third wheel so I’m going to leave you two alone, Ino/ue being jealous of them! Ichigo finally going to train with the vizard after Rukia gets hurt by Grimmjow, let’s not forget how all his friends nearly died and he got beaten to a pulp bc of Yami and Ulquiorra BUT Ichigo is so stuck up on Grimmjow, Grimmjow who later clearly says what Ichigo’s deal is. Ichigo turning back and refusing to fight Ulquiorra bc Rukia is hurt, not dead absolutely he refuses to believe that and he has to save her! When seconds before he didn’t do the same for Chad. God I could go on forever, their goodbye, the fb arc, the evrything but the rain falshback and let’s not forget how meanwhile throught it all and parallels we actually got to see how“IH” and “RR” didn’t stand a chance compared to IR. Like Ku/bo did everything he could to make IchiRuki the best thing ever.

Yeah rigth antis IR got no development at all after the SS arc, keep telling yourselves that, maybe you’ll believe it.

[my-cuppa-bleach]

Bleach Arcs: Ranked

So, once again, I’m stealing this idea from @incorrctbleach​, because I wanted to rank the general Bleach arcs in the same way they did. (I know I said I was going to do a post about Bankai next, and I’m working on it, but... it’s hard.) I’m just gonna use the arc divisions that they used, so if you wanna see that post, click here.

12. The Bount Invasion arc

This arc is... Okay, I really did try to understand this arc when I was watching it, but it’s so hard to understand because it doesn’t make sense. I had no idea why they were out for revenge on Soul Society, all the characters were flat, and their abilities were horrid. Honestly, everything about this arc makes me angry. Not to mention, it ruined Ishida’s character for me for a very long time. He was represented really badly in this arc and I couldn’t bring myself to fall in love with him again until the anime returned to the Hueco Mundo arc. Plus, it dragged on for forever. I can’t really explain beyond that, and I don’t think I have to because I imagine most people hate this arc.

11. The Lost Substitute Shinigami arc

Otherwise known as the Fullbring arc. So, I don’t really hate any arc like I hate the Bount arc, but this arc fell the flattest in terms of story, to me. Again, the antagonists were extremely flat, and I didn’t have any sort of emotional response toward any of them. Not hate, not interest, not a sense of liking; they were all just... blah. I mean, Riruka was alright, I guess, but compared to the plethora of rich characters we’d gotten before the Fullbring arc, every single Fullbringer was a let down. I will say that seeing Ichigo deal with his lack of powers and the breakdown he had at the end was great, but the lack of beloved characters was a shame, as well. Their return in the end is the sole reason this arc isn’t at the bottom of the list, to be honest... Plus, it isn’t a total waste of time like the Bount arc.

10. The New Captain Shūsuke Amagai arc

I’m gonna be real, this arc wasn’t that bad. Sure, Rurichiyo was a little annoying at times, but her scenes with Ichigo were quite sweet. And, sure, Amagai’s reason for wanting to kill Yama was a bit... over-dramatic, but he was also a really neat character. Not to mention, we got to know a little more about Kira through this arc, and I came to love him as a result of that. Is it annoying that it interrupted the Arrancar era? Yeah. Did the final battle not really make sense because the fight with Aizen should’ve prepared Ichigo for anything, especially someone like Amagai? 100%. Was it aggravating that this arc took up multiple seasons and wasn’t clearly fitted into the timeline of the anime? For sure. But, it wasn’t that bad. 

9. The Agent of the Shinigami arc

Here’s the thing: you think this is horrible that this is so low on the list because it’s the first arc, however, that just means the caliber and quality of the series just kept getting better and better, to the point that I’m comfortable having this arc this low on my list. Of course, it was amazing. We got to know Rukia and see her relationship with Ichigo develop, plus the end of the arc was so brilliant with Renji and Byakuya. I don’t have anything bad to say about this arc. I mean, it isn’t as action-packed as the rest of the series, I suppose, but it’s the first arc! Honestly, it’s kind of a comfort arc, for me. It’s nice to think about the simpler days with Ichigo and Rukia. 

8. The Arrancar: The Arrival arc

There was a lot to love in this arc. Grimmjow was introduced, Shinji was introduced (with the other Visoreds), Ichigo began to come to terms with his Hollow abilities, other Shinigami came to The World of the Living, and, most importantly, we finally got back to the Aizen storyline. To be honest, the arcs that take place in The World of the Living aren’t ever as interesting to me as the ones that take place elsewhere (save for one specific arc that I’ll get to later). I think because the resources--like Reishi--are limited, it makes for a slightly duller viewing experience. Which, of course, is fine because you need the slower periods of time to offset the extremely intense periods of time. Everybody was focused on training during this arc, anyway, so it’s understandable. This arc was a good setup for the rest of the Arrancar era, but that’s about it. It’s still amazing, though.

7. The Goeti 13 Invading Army arc

I really wish this could be higher up on the list, but alas, this is where I shall put it. There was a lot to love with this arc, as well. Seeing characters fight against themselves or versions of their comrades was always interesting to watch. One of my absolute favorite sections of this arc belongs to Nozomi and Kon. I will forever be bitter that they didn’t end up together. And, how about that Hollowfied Ichigo in the end? Rukia protecting him from the (admittedly terrible and cringy) antagonist was everything. It’s very similar to the Zanpakutō Unknown Tales arc, and I love that one as well, so it makes sense that this would be amazing to me.

6. The Zanpakutō Unknown Tales arc

Gosh, I loved this arc so much. I absolutely adored everybody’s Zanpakutō spirits. I mean, how could you not? One of my favorites, and this was one of the biggest “WHAT” moments for me during the final arc, was Nanao’s. Their story was absolutely beautiful. I’m also gonna go ahead and say that the Sword Beasts part of this arc was not that bad, either. I rather enjoyed all the individual stories with everybody’s Zanpakutō spirits. Anyway, added on to all of that, the plot with Muramasa and Kōga was terribly sad. I actually felt bad for both of them by the end of it all. I don’t want to gush forever, but this arc was amazing.

5. The Arrancar: The Hueco Mundo arc

Okay, listen. Don’t kill me. I know this is everyone’s favorite arc, and I totally understand why. I don’t have any issues with it, myself. I just don’t happen to enjoy it as much as the next four arcs. It made my top five, though. That’s good, right? No, but honestly, this arc was flawless. Every single fight was perfectly executed, even the fights with the Espada I didn’t care about. The whole arc--everything from meeting Nel to the captains showing up--was extremely entertaining. To be honest, I think all the fillers that interrupted this arc is why it’s number five and not number one. If I had been more immersed in the arc, I probably would’ve enjoyed it even more, but it was pretty damn enjoyable as is. I dunno what else to say. Nel = the cutest cute to ever cute. Grimmjow = daddy. Ulquiorra = eternal sadness for me. RIP UlquiHime. 

4. The Past arc

I. Love. This. Arc. I wanted more of it. An eternal supply. A seperate series, I don’t care. I’m in love with Shinji, Urahara is my boo, Yoruichi and Soi Fon give me life, and learning how everybody knew each other was bomb as fuck. I cannot tell you how lit I was right after this arc when you see Shinji and the Visoreds walk out of their base to kick Aizen’s ass (which didn’t go very well, but I digress). After seeing all the shit that Aizen put them through, I was hollering, it was so fucking epic. It’s crazy to think that Hiyori and Yoruichi served together or that Aizen was Shinji’s lieutenant or that Mayuri served under Kisuke or that Urahara, Yoruichi, and the Visoreds were captains way before some of my favorite captains were captains. It’s just so cool to see how everything came together for them.

3. The Quincy Blood War arc

I’m not gonna lie... the beginning was slow. Like... boring, almost. And the final fight ended way too abruptly. And I didn’t get the ending I wanted (not just because of the pairings, but because of the fact that I didn’t see how everyone was doing after the ten year timeskip). But everything in between made it so worth while. The battles! Oh my goodness, I need them animated right now. All of them were so good! Namely Kenpachi’s and Unohana’s, the battle Yoruichi and Urahara fought together, and the one Byakuya and Tōshirō fought together. And almost every single character developed a crazy amount. I was so impressed with Renji and Rukia, they were insane. There were so many revelations and bombshells in this arc, as well, and all of them had me shook. I loved it. As far as the final pairings go, no I don’t agree with them, but if Renji and Rukia’s daughter grows up to marry Orihime and Ichigo’s son, all will be forgiven. Love, love, love this arc. I’d also like to add that I want to kill that Haschwalth myself for hurting Bazz-B. 

2. The Soul Society Arc

This was a hard one to place, guys. In the end, it was just perfect. Especially now that I know the Shinigami better after finishing the series. This is yet another arc where the battles were on point. Poor Ichigo fought so many people, but by the end of it all, all of Soul Society respected him and learned to depend on him. Not to make this about ships, but Ichigo coming to save Rukia killed me. I’d die that death a thousand times. Other than that, I just enjoyed meeting all the new characters and learning about them. This arc was very intense, but also serene in a way... weird, but beautiful.

1. The Fake Karakura Town arc

Is this a weird arc to have as my top arc? Hopefully not. I just can’t get over how good it was. For me to be able to see everybody fighting their own individual battles? That was like a dream. And that’s strange because, to be honest, I didn’t really like the top three Espada (although Baraggan’s abilities were the shit). Oh my goodness, and the Visoreds rolling up, ready to throw down and kick some serious ass got me so excited? By the way, when I say “The Fake Karakura Town arc,” I’m including the piece where Aizen and Gin invade Soul Society. Which means I’m including the Ichigo vs. Aizen fight. Which also means I’m including Ichigo and Rukia’s goodbye. So... yeah. All of that. That’s why this is my favorite arc. 

Anyway, let me know if you agree or disagree or, hell, make your own list and tag me! I can’t stop talking about this show. I... I have a problem. I really do.

I promise the Bankai post is coming, I just need to plan it out a little better and get it down on “paper,” so to speak, properly. Thanks for reading! 

[cyansovereign]

“Don’t you realize he’s the same one who attacked Karakura that night? Who sicced his Fraccion on you? Who ran me through?”

He imagined he hadn’t been supposed to hear the little conversation they were having. Of course, having enhanced hearing and a mild curiosity, he really couldn’t help it. While he’d been sure it was going to bother her, Grimmjow really couldn’t have cared less if Renji’s friend had been someone he’d previously attacked. It turned out her name was Rukia. It wasn’t Ichigo, so he didn’t give a shit, just like he hadn’t really given a shit on the previous occasions where they’d met. There was no pre-existing friendship, for sure, but there was probably less animosity on his part than expected. She was of no concern to him.

Renji, though... that was another matter. They had long since passed the point of friends with benefits and entered into some sort of romantic relationship, which after all was why Renji had insisted he be introduced to his circle of friends. This girl’s words had... brought something to light. Something Grimmjow should’ve been on the lookout for. Something he damn well should’ve realized long before now. Why it hadn’t ever crossed his mind was a mystery, and something so huge...

The war had only been a couple years ago. Aizen, pitting his Espada against the Soul Society’s captaincy, and somehow miraculously losing as a result of his own arrogance, and a miracle. Not that he gave a shit what happened to Aizen, the fucker had only just started on the path to getting what he deserved. But in that small time frame, early on in those few months, he’d been battle-hungry. A permanent state he was in, to be sure, but looking back, he’d been practically insatiable compared to now. He had come out of his debut fight, a trip to Karakura to clean up Ulquiorra’s mess, relatively unharmed. Disappointed, but far from unhurt, at least for that time being. His allies though, his friends...

None of them had left alive. A sudden surge of power had seen them decimated, while he’d been too busy caught up in his own power to notice until it was too late. Things had spiraled down from there... Livid, maddening guilt, and a refusal to take responsibility for it. He’d redoubled focus on Kurosaki, thinking that perhaps if he finished what he started, accomplished the goal he’d set out to reach that night, then it might undo the damage somehow. His already temperamental attitude had soured until he was half-mad, on a balancing beam between rage and glee, with the deaths that were his fault in the back of his mind to nudge him out of his limbo and into a wild mood swing every so often.

He knew what the others in the Arrancar army had thought. And they could all get fucked. None of them needed to know how he felt about his former subordinates. It was fine if they thought he didn’t care. And at the same time, it made him want to tear all of their throats out. The fact of the matter was, he was self-destructing.

One of those friends of his had fallen at Renji’s hands. That was what this news had meant. He now knew what that slight spark of recognition had been so long ago when he’d casually flirted with the redhead, someone he’d never seen before with his own eyes. It had been an unconscious reminder. A taste of one of the spiritual pressures that had been present on that night. Renji Abarai had slain one of his Fraccion, one of the only five people who he could truly call close to him. And Grimmjow thought he knew which one. And only today had he realized this, thanks to overhearing that girl’s words.

That had been several hours ago.

It had become hard to look at Renji in those hours since, much less speak to him. Things had melded together, blended, so that anything between now and then was like a blur. Had Renji noticed his silence? Should Grimmjow care if he had? He had forgotten, perhaps, how that pain of self-inflicted loss felt. Was that why it felt so fresh, like he’d experienced it new? No, if anything it was worse. What he’d done was spit in his own wound.

So he had left. If he’d stayed, something bad would surely have happened, and it probably would’ve been instigated by him. He did not want to be near Renji, nor anyone from Soul Society right now, and for any time in the foreseeable future. Howling winds had replaced idle chatter, and the black of night over the blank white of desert had become his home once more. He had to think...

@rugitus

[littleeyesofpallas]

======================01======================

GIN: 破面(アランカル)も五体も消えてもうたし..

Not just Arrancar, but 5 bodies* also have vanished, already...

This particular structure, ＡもＢも reads as "both A and B" or "A as well as B" The kanji being counted here, 体 is specifically a counter for humanoid forms (e.g. dolls, statues, corpses, etc.)

In the moment however, this shows Gin's, and implicitly Aizen's, disregard for the Arrancar as people; they aren't being counted as "5 people," they're just 5 bodies.  Also, it of course refers to the 5 Arrancar killed in the prior events of the manga, why it specifies 5 in particular will be relevant later...

This wording implies that the loss of Arrancar is important, but also that comparatively the headcount in Aizen's forces are more important than their specific power levels or other individual qualities.  Given the context of the story at this point (in which Ulquiorra's return from the first Arrancar encounter specified he has "20 brethren") it suggests that Aizen's not just trying to make powerful Arrancar, he's specifically trying to amass an army.  The use of "already..." at the tail end suggests that it's too soon to have afforded this kind of loss.

AIZEN: 問題無いさ所詮は最下級(ギリアン)だ

In the end the difference is no problem.  It's GILLIAN.

A weird construction when you put it in English like that, but the obvious intended effect is "They were Gillian."  Again it is specified that that counts for all 5 lost bodies: DiRoy, Edrad, Yylfordt, Nakeem, and Shawlong.

This is also very specifically used here for dramatic tension because we just recently learned that Menos Grande come in 3 power levels, and Gillian is the weakest.  Then after a battle where some very powerful heroes struggled before coming out on top, to be told that the enemies they fought were only the weakest type of enemy was foreboding.  If they’d been specified to be Adjuchas instead it wouldn’t really have had any particular impact because it wouldn’t clarify either the to upper or lower limits of the power scale for the Arrancar.

And the functionality of this point being made here and now is later contradicted during Grimmjow’s flashbacks, but I’ll get to that in a bit...

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AIZEN: 予定には寸分の狂いも無い最上級(ヴァストローデ)を揃えて十刃(エスパーダ)が完成すれば

Not even a tiny bit of irregularity for the plan to gather the VASTLORD and complete the ESPADA.

This was a whole huge plot point that got dropped and I feel like people forget about it altogether.  This isn’t the only time it comes up, though!

When we’re first introduced to Wonderweiss we see him being created by Aizen and the Hougyoku, and we can clearly see him wrapped in bandages before Aizen uses the Hougyoku on him, and his Hollow form is distinctly human shaped and sized, which pegs him as having been a Vastlord.  Given the association of gathering Vastlord and completing(alternatively read as the verb “to perfect”) the Espada, this had initially suggested that Wonderweiss was part of a new generation of Espada that would replace the ones we knew.  Later the Privaron, as well as Grimmjow and Luppi’s dynamic, were put in place to show how quick Aizen was to replace the Espada he already had, yet we never actually did get to see any new Espada by the end of the arc.

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SHAWLONG: 虚(ホロウ)として存在したその瞬問から我等は中級大虚(アジューカス)

From the moment that we existed as HOLLOW(S), we are ADJUCHAS

It’s a slightly odd construction because the tense of “are” doesn’t really work in English.  We know there’s a process to the Menos Grande, which in context we’d actually just been given, so he doesn’t seem to literally mean that they were always Adjuchas.  The only sensible reading then is that he means they were always going to be Adjuchas.  It’s an odd statement to parse at first, but I think all English versions have more or less picked up on this.

...so here we are retconing Grimmjow’s gang of 5 into being Adjuchas instead of Gillians.  Where as there was a distinct purpose to making them, as the first Arrancar defeated in the arc, the weakest in order to create expectations of stronger enemies, by the time this flashback came around, Grimmjow was being hyped up for his climactic battle with Ichigo.  Grimmjow had to be presented as a credible threat, but if Grimmjow’s only goons had all been weaklings, it wouldn’t really make a statement about his power over them, or his power in the moment.  So to make him seem special and inflate his own powerlevel as well.

Really in general this is just the kind of precarious power scale balancing that never really holds up under scrutiny for any shonen battle manga, but it’s highlighted by the fact that Kubo went out of his way to build a specific in-world power structure and then just kind of botched it up.

Also kind of a silly note: Even though they made clear that they were talking about “5 Gillian” following their initial defeat, and they’ve changed them into Adjuchas here, Nakeem is still drawn as a Gillian.  I know he was the weakest ( defeated by Rangiku and Haineko without even releasing his sword) but I think it’s funny that Kubo just didn’t deem him worth designing a hollow form for.  Even though the others clearly were just their Resurreccion with a few holes filled in --with the exception of DiRoy whose hollow design is actually based on his original appearance way way back in Chapter 25, since, like Nakeem, he didn’t get a sword release.

SHAWLONG: お前はその先へ進む者だと

You are the person to advance forward

This bit isn’t actually important, but it was tied to the previous statement so I figured it’d be weird to leave it untranslated.  Despite Shawlong’s talk about Grimmjow’s apparent destiny to become stronger, it’s actually not entirely clear if the implication is that Grimmjow did in fact eventually become a Vastlord before becoming an Arrancar or not.

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I do think it’s funny that Shawlong, having his kind of stoic intellectual cliched appearance, kept getting used for exposition, but so much of the stuff he was used to explain doesn’t actually hold up.