BLEACH #49

Bleach #49

by Tite Kubo

Ichigo Kurosaki never asked for the ability to see ghosts--he was born with the gift. When his family is attacked by a Hollow--a malevolent lost soul--Ichigo becomes a Soul Reaper, dedicating his life to protecting the innocent and helping the tortured spirits themselves find peace. Find out why Tite Kubo's Bleach has become an international manga smash-hit!

Genres: Manga, Fantasy, Graphic Novels, Shonen, Comics, Comics Manga, Young Adult

Paperback

First published April 21, 2011

About the author

Noriaki Kubo, known professionally as Tite Kubo ( 久保帯人), is a Japanese manga artist and character designer. His manga series Bleach (2001–2016) had over 130 million copies in circulation as of 2022.

Reviews

[Sana⁷ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Karakura Town, 7.00 A.M., Monday
Ichigo Kurosaki: Age 17
Hair: Orange
Eyes: Brown
Occupation: High School Student

I can't see ghosts. Now I don't have any Soul Reaper powers.

17 months passed since the battle against Aizen. Ichigo Kurosaki, a normal human, is now at his senior year in high school. He has a job and also takes requests to join school's sports teams to earn money.

I never felt superior for being able to see ghosts. I never thought I could make a living or save somebody's life with it. All it made me do was crave a life where I didn't have to see them. And now I've got what I always wanted.

Ichigo can't see ghosts anymore, which also means that he cannot feel the presence of the Hollows. The role of the high-end medium of the Kurosaki family is taken by Karin. It seems like Ichigo is okay with the way his life looks like now. There is basically no evidence that he was ever someone else than just a normal human. That he was ever a Soul Reaper. That he was ever a hero who had saved the world.

Ichigo is fine. Everything is fine.

"You don't miss her?"
"No reason to. I finally have a normal life after sixteen years. I'd be fine with this peace and quiet until the day I die."

He looks like he's fine, but to anyone who really knows him it's obvious that he's not fine. It's not like he ever wanted to be a hero. All he wanted was to protect the people he loved. That's how he used his powers. But now he's powerless, unable to protect anyone.

This truth is like a punch in the face when strange things starts to happen around Ichigo. Both Orihime and Ishida feel an ominous spiritual pressure lurking behind Ichigo. Ichigo himself encounters a strange man who suggests him that his family is keeping secrets from him. But things gets serious when one of Ichigo's friends is suddenly attacked and ends up in a hospital.

Dammit! What's going on? What happened right under my nose?! Isn't there... Isn't there anything I can do?!

Desperate to find answers and to protect the people he cares for, Ichigo reaches out to the stranger he had previously encountered. He finds out that he knows a way to bring Ichigo's Soul Reaper powers back. But can Ichigo trust him? Is he an ally... or a foe? Can he really do what he says he can do or is it just a trick?

The Fullbringer arc is an arc that I think most of BLEACH fans doesn't like. I can understand why. It can feel pretty boring and unnecessary. There isn't much of action. Either Hollows nor Soul Reapers are present. This arc is concentrating on Ichigo, his physical and mental state, his emotions and his development. I will be honest here - it's not my favorite arc either, but not because it feels boring or unnecessary to me (it does not). It's because it's painful to get through. Ichigo was always incredibly vulnerable, despite all his awesome powers, but in the Fullbringer arc he's like a lamb displayed for slaughter. It seems like he's left by everyone he used to know (except for his human friends and his family, of course) and he's no longer the powerhouse he used to be. He doesn't have any necessary informations that he needs to protect himself and the people he cares for. He is painfully vulnerable and this fact is immediately used by his enemies - enemies he didn't even knew he has. When I think about all that happens in this arc, I just want to cry. I'm not sure how I will get through this (pray for me), but I have to, because I need to get to TYBW (another painful arc, see how lucky I am?). I hope that I will be strong enough to read all the way through both arcs.



Some things I need to talk about:

~ I'm grateful that Karin is trying to be independent when it comes the the whole ghosts business. I bet she has questions that she could ask her brother, but she decided to not bother him and I respect that. After Ichigo spending years on protecting his sisters, now it's time for the sisters to protect their brother. I'm admiring Karin's will, but I know what happened. It's a shame that she didn't get any real opportunity to act on her words.
~ Ichigo's face expression when he saw the Substitute Soul Reaper's badge in his backpack broke me :(
~ It was funny to see people beaming with joy when Ichigo agreed to be a part of their team and to see others gloom when he declined their request lol 😆
~ I'm glad to see that Ichigo's and Ishida's relationship didn't change (they are still bickering fools)
~ I also really like Ichigo's relationship with his boss. It's funny! 😂
~ Jinta and Ururu grew up so well! I know that Hiyori and Toshiro didn't grow up at all! 🤣
~ Ginjou is one creepy asshole, jeez 😖
~ The only Fullbringer that I like is Riruka.

[richa ⋆.˚★ · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 stars.

[Jeremiah · Rating 4 out of 5]

A new arc has finally started and it looks like it’s gonna focus around this ability called Fullbring. For some reason there’s this group that wants to help Ichigo regain his soul reaper powers so I’m interested to see how they do that. At least Ichigo got over a year to live a normal life. Now it’s back to business for him.

[Deli · Rating 3 out of 5]

★★★½

The opening for the new arc was intriguing, but we didn’t get a lot of information. I’m curious about where the next volumes will go

[Angela Auten · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm not a huge fan of this arc...so we'll see. This volume was entertaining though. Especially with Ichigo.

[Kuba · Rating 2 out of 5]

Zjazd fabuły straszny i już wiem dlaczego anime obejmowało tylko arc do końca historii Arrancarów 😉

[mari ✮⋆˙⟡ ⋆ · Rating 4 out of 5]

let's get this moving shall we

[Lashaan Balasingam · Rating 3 out of 5]

A brand-new arc begins as Ichigo Kurosaki faces a reality he's not too well-accustomed to lately. Obviously, this wasn't going to stay permanently as a new threat arises with mysterious allies (?) appear out of the blue to get things going.

Xcution remains very underwhelming as an idea but, hopefully, mangaka Tite Kubo has something original planned with this idea.

There's a subtle (not that subtle) change in character design as everyone gets closer to adulthood. I mean, Ichigo is now 17 years old! These changes come in the form of facial expressions though.

Yours truly,

Lashaan | Blogger and Book Reviewer
Official blog: https://bookidote.com/

[Blake the Book Eater · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was such an interesting start to an arc! I am verrrry intrigued and I can’t wait to find out more about the Fullbringers

[Chery · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bajona brutal respecto al tomo anterior.
Este tomo se siente como un retorno a los orígenes de Bleach.

[Agnese Rosengren · Rating 3 out of 5]

Devo essere onesta: questo nuovo arco narrativo non mi convince sotto diversi punti di vista. Per carità, siamo ancora all'inizio e di cose ne devono ancora succedere, ma in un unico volume è stata buttata così tanta carne al fuoco che ne sono uscita davvero confusa e non so come fare per ricollegare i pezzi, quantomeno quelli mostrati finora.
La lettura è stata molto caotica e confusionaria, ma in generale gli avvenimenti più importanti hanno avuto il giusto impatto.
Quindi in generale non mi sento di dare più di tre stelle.

[Alexis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Couldn't stop myself from getting back to the Bleach reread. Rereading Bleach all in one go, it's easy to see how much Kubo's art improves post-time skip. Everything is so clean and crisp and he really learned the value of a deep, deep black.

[Ben Truong · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bleach, Vol. 49 continues where the previous tankōbon left off and contains the next nine chapters (424–432) of the on-going manga series.

Seventeen months after the defeat of Sōsuke Aizen, and at the cost of his Soul Reaper powers, Ichigo Kurosaki has been living in peace as a third year high school student and working part time for Ikumi Unagiya. By chance, having met him while retrieving a stolen bag, Ichigo meets a client who requests an investigation on Isshin Kurosaki.

Declining while intrigued that the figure reveals his spiritual aware younger sister Karin has been visiting Kisuke Urahara. The clone introduces himself as Kūgo Ginjō and gives Ichigo a business card while warning him to contact him before something bad happens to his loved ones. Ichigo later learns that Uryū Ishida, Ryūken Ishida sending the youth home while warning Orihime Inoue to be careful as the assailant is a human with spiritual powers like herself and Yasutora "Chad" Sado.

The next day, Ichigo saves his friends Keigo Asano and Mizuiro Kojima from Moe Shishigawara, the thief that Ichigo encountered the day before. Ichigo then encounters Shishigawara's boss who was the last person Uryū saw before being attacked. The figure flees when Ryūken arrives, telling Ichigo to call an ambulance.

Ichigo, realizing he is being excluded from information due to his lack of powers, decides to contact Kūgo Ginjō. Soon after, Ichigo is introduced to Xcution group whose members possess the ability dubbed as Fullbring, which allows them to manipulate the souls of any physical matter.

This tankōbon is written and illustrated by Tite Kubo. Powerless, Ichigo Kurosaki continues his mundane life, knowing about the spiritual world, but can't do anything about it. He watches Uryū Ishida continue the fight that he was once a part of. He is eventually invited to become a part of a group called Xcution, who apparently could manipulate the souls of any matter.

All in all, Bleach, Vol. 49 is a wonderful continuation to a series that seems intriguing and I cannot wait to read more.

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Vol 49 - 54: Lost Agent of the Soul Reapers Arc

4 stars!

Considering that we’re introduced to 7 new characters, a “new” form of magic, and it all gets more or less wrapped up in 6 volumes…. This arc packs a punch!

I felt like the tone was generally a little darker, and that tracks. Ichigo is a little older now and has been through a lot of shit at this point, so it’s good to see that reflected and that we’re not just thrown back into a silly shonen vibe.

We’re finally exploring the nature of Orihime’s and Chad’s powers, though I would have liked the story to dwell on that connection a little more.

I think it did a good job of introducing the Xcution crew and bringing Ichigo into them without it feeling like a rush job. We build a little on a previous mystery and tease the reader a little further on that (Whatchoo doin Isshin??) and use that to draw Ichigo in. As always, I would have liked more history on the Xcution members. We got maybe half of one single chapter that gave us little scraps of info of where they came from, and while it was nice, I always like to know the characters more. Even with that, I did like the Ginjo and Tsukishima as characters and enjoyed what they brought to the table. My only hope is that we can follow through with some of the questions raised here and give them answers in the next and final arc!

Breakdown:

Vol 49 - 4
Vol 50 - 4
Vol 51 - 4
Vol 52 - 5
Vol 53 - 4
Vol 54 - 4

[Armin safa · Rating 4 out of 5]

و اینم از جلد چهل و نهم مجموعه مانگاbleach...
این جلد یک جورایی شروعی دوباره برای مجموعه بود و خیلی هیجان خاصی نداشت. و با دشمن ها و گروه های با قدرت متفاوت اشنا میشیم تو این جلد...
شخصیت های جدید رو که وارد داستان شدن که هنوز نمی تونم در موردشون چنان نظری بدم اما طراحیشونو دوست داشتم..
این جلد بعد از یک تایم اسکیپ یک سال و پنج ماهی شروع میشه و ممکنه که چند چپتر اول رو دوست نداشته باشین چون کاملا درست حس میکنین اما از چپتر های دیگه خیلی راز آلود میشه و یکم هیجان داره...
طراحی شخصیت ها بعد از تایم اسکیپ انچنان زیاد نبود اما خوب در اومده بودن ولی من طراحی کرکتر اینوعه رو دوست نداشتم...
پیشنهاد میکنم حتما این مانگا رو بخونید...

[K · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don’t know what’s happening

[Michael Homem · Rating 3 out of 5]

Slow start to a new arc, but still interesting.

[Rubyshiels · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ah yes the angst

[Natasja · Rating 4 out of 5]

New powers and… Chad is back :D
Lost agent arc lets gooo

[Omar Villafane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Secrets on top of secrets. lol they need Harry Potter at this point 🤓

[Julie Hayes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Aizen has been dealt with, Ichigo is back at home—sans his soul reaper powers—and life goes on. Karin has picked up some of Ichigo’s former duties, while Yuzu does her best to win words of praise from her older brother, and Isshin is… well, Isshin. All that Ichigo has to remind him of his time as a deputy soul reaper is his old badge, which is rather worthless, and he doesn’t know why he is holding on to it… but he is. He still has his strength, though, which he exhibits by foiling a robbery by some punk teens. He returns the property to the owner, who is grateful, of course. But once Ichigo is out of earshot, the man reveals that he knows very well who Ichigo is. What can that mean?

Ichigo has been selling his abilities to various sports teams, in order to make some money, besides having a part time job, although he is unsure where his actual future lies. When a gang of miscreants come seeking Ichigo, they mistake Uryu for him, which irritates the Quincy to no end. Although a fight ensues involving both Ichigo and Uryu, that comes to a halt when Ichigo finds himself kidnapped… by his boss! A new client arrives, who turns out to be the man who was the victim of the robbery Ichigo thwarted. He offers Ichigo ramen. Meanwhile a distraught Orihime approaches Uryu with the news that Ichigo has been kidnapped, but he assures her Ichigo is in no danger, that was only his boss.

The man tells Ichigo he wants him to run a background check on someone… on Isshin Kurosaki. Say what? The man already knows of his relationship to Ichigo, and more. He tells Ichigo that he doesn’t really know much about his family, or Uruhara, and suggests Karin should probably not spend so much time at his shop . Ichigo isn’t impressed, and the man returns to his colleagues, seemingly having failed at whatever mission he was on.

Both Uryu and Orihime want to question Ichigo, but Orihime reaches him first. While waiting outside, Uryu sees something strange, and pays the price for his curiosity. While visiting Uryu in the hospital, Orihime reveals she hasn’t seen Chad in a while, as he hasn’t been to school, and she is concerned. Ichigo ends up calling the number on the card the strange man gave him, and agrees to meet with him. But what the man has to say is… too good to be true, surely.

The Aizen arc is now bagged, tagged, and put away, so it’s time to move on to something else. Ichigo is coping with the loss of his powers, although he won’t let his friends see that it bothers him, trying to convince them that it’s business as usual. But he is disturbed and, whether he’ll admit to it or not, he misses Rukia and maybe some of the others. But what can he do?
Or is there something he can do?

Is this the lull before another storm? Have to read the next volume to find out.

[Enrique · Rating 5 out of 5]

After the Arrancar war, Ichigo has gone back to being a regular high school student with Rukia and the Shinigami returning to the Soul Society. 17 months have passed and all seems good for now and several of Ichigo's friends now know of his status as a former Shinigami. But, even in this time of peace, a new figure emerges in Karakura Town. Now questioning his allies and with a new threat around the corner, Ichigo must choose to fight again as another battle begins.


Now many fans of Bleach had thought the series would finish with the defeat of Aizen by Ichigo. And in a way it did seem like the end was near. However, things could not just finish like this with many things to be left out. One key factor though was something mentioned in the end of the SS arc. That being previous Substitue Shinigami. What happened to them? As a major character is seen with a Substitute Shinigami badge, it is most likely that we shall finially learn of their fate.

If you are anxious to see your favorite Shinigami again, then you mighht have to wait. So far only the characters of the human world have been shown after the time skip and newer characters are being revealed. These newer characters include Ichigo's boss Unagiya Ikumi who seems to be a regular human and the important group known as 'Xcution'. It's leader is Ginjo Kugo who is a neutral character that you can't be sure what his game is. At the moment, you don't know what everyone's motives are and what people are planning, but it seems Kubo is planning things out.

You actually feel a lot like Ichigo as you read as you don't know what is really happening. People are being attacked, certain people aren't around, and Ichigo is in a lot of heated panic. What will happen? I don't know. It's refreshing in a way that Bleach is back to it's original starting point where you are unfamiliar with this new saga of sorts.

Those that aren't patient or just can't handle how much Bleach chapters can drag (yes it gets to me too) then you should probably read something else. However if you can handle short chapters that build suspense, then this would be right for you. In the end though, there is always gonna be an epic battle.

[Summer · Rating 1 out of 5]

With Ichigo losing his soul reaper powers I hope that the series was going to take a good turn and we can finally get some good character development... but instead Kubo's next plot device is : Ichigo gets his soul reaper powers back.

I'm not even sure what this series wants to do anymore. I don't why I'm still reading it. The characters are sloppy and flat and the plot is all over the place. I guess I keep holding out for 'there's no way this can get any worse; it has to get better.' - but each new volume just disappoints me.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

More of a 3.5 than a 3. New arc, new characters, and I'm still not sure if I'm gonna enjoy this new plot or not. Hopefully, things get explained much better than they have been because the reasons Ichigo gets for current events in this volume just plain stink. Or maybe my brain is tuckered out from watching Mad Men (BOB BENSON, TELL ME ALL YOUR SECRETS) and can't handle processing all of these Tite Kubo plot twists all at once.

[Cristhian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Muchos tienen este arco (The Lost Shinigami) como uno de los mejores.

A mi nunca me gustó el tema del fullbring así que en general, mi calificación no deberá ser mayor a cuatro.

[Yafu · Rating 3 out of 5]

Una de las mejores tapas de toda la serie.

[M.D. Williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

Given that Manga, and especially Shonen is split up into bigger arcs as composed to volumes I will be analyzing and reviewing this by Arc. I also reread this manga over the span of 2 months, some days reading as much as 100 chapters a day. It would be quite tedious for me to review each 7-8 chapter volume. So this will be copy and pasted throughout all of the 72 manga volumes. That being said, if you're looking at this without having viewed the series...spoiler warning. I don't recap anything, but I also mention things that happen. If you want me to answer the question "Should I pick this up?" Yes. Even if you stop at the end of the Soul Society Arc. It's worth it.

Karakura Town Arc - Chapters 1-56 - Rating: 7/10
(The official page lumps this in with the Soul Society Arc however I feel as if they are two very separate arcs with two very separate themes)
- A fun introduction.
-An interesting premise on the idea of ghosts and demons (Hollows)
-Does a good job of introducing the characters and I especially enjoyed the love for characters like Chad, Orihime and Uryu as these characters would later lose more and more spotlight as the series went on.
-It is a bit of a monster of the week. When it works, like with Chad's introduction story. It works. But Characters like Don Kanonji felt superficial and very gimmicky. Which, fair. I didn't enjoy them as much.

Soul Society Arc - Chapters 57-182 - Rating: 10/10
-The height of Bleach
-Establishes an afterlife seemingly perfectly. Later on revealed to be full of plot holes and never fleshed out but hey! That's not an issue in THIS arc. The fights are top tier, the themes of Ichigo owing a life debt to Rukia and his passion and determination to rise above literally God's army is inspiring and to this day is why I love Ichigo so much. He doesn't have some grandiose plan. He doesn't have a major goal to accomplish. He is a protector by heart, losing his mother has made him sour to failing to protect those he cares about and he'll do anything in his power never to feel that helpless again. Very powerful stuff.
-The twist near the end of this arc is revolutionary and would make waves for the next 200 chapters onward. A perfect ending and set up for the forthcoming arc.
-The only issues I have for this arc would be Ichigo's lightning speed progression. The guy goes from being able to barely defeat a third seat to besting multiple captains in roughly 100 or less chapters. I get that that is the point and him defeating captains was more of a struck of luck, but progression and pacing wise it feels very unearned and a factor of "for the plot he needed to be this strong" It only seems as fast as it is because Ichigo's progression slows drastically down for the rest of the story moving foreword so it's only now that I make that criticism.
-Also, and this will be an issue in most Shonen. There are 13 Captains with 13 Vice Captains and seats that branch all the way to 10 I believe? Regardless, there's a fudge ton of characters that are introduced here and it can get a little jarring at times. Luckily, Kubo does a great job at making their designs and characters unique despite such a large cast.

Hueco Mundo Arc - Chapters 183-423 - Rating 7/10
-This is another arc where personally I would split it up into two separate arcs. But for the sake of this review I will simply refer to the first half of the arc and the later half of the arc. First Half 9/10. Second Half. 5/10.
-The first half of this arc is a great continuation of the last. Ichigo now struggles with his inner demons and it affects his ability to protect the ones he loves. We are also introduced to a deadly unknown new villains. The Arrancars/Espada to this day remain one of my favorite villain factions in all of manga enemies.
-Just so you're aware I would say the first half of this arc ends right around the point of Ichigo vs Grimmjow. Grimmjow is one of the first Arrancar that Ichigo faces. And he's also one of two Espada that he faces three times. The conclusion of that fight shows Ichigo conquering his inner demons. Where Grimmjow is very much fighting to establish himself. Grimmjow has to fight Ichigo to prove to his fallen comrades that he is as good as he says he is. He doesn't care about Aizen, he doesn't care about the rest of the Espada. It is very personal for him. For Ichigo, Orohime is within his grasp of saving and he views this as his "final" battle. It's my favorite fight in all of Bleach.
-However, this is where things start to take a bit of dip in quality in my opinion. We had a goal and we were striving towards that goal. Each character of the original cast coming to repay the debt they made to their friend who had risked her life to save them in the Soul society arc. But somewhere along the way it seems we just had a fighter fest. Captains would face enemies with no themes or character revelations. The Espadas got a little light but nothing that made their fights compelling. You almost just feel bad for the Espada as they were monsters turned into a military force by an unstoppable tyrant. But even that wasn't enough to make half of the fights interesting. Now, that's with knowing the outcome. These fights played little importance in the larger scheme of things. Where at least in the Hueco Mundo fights each match up had the protagonists striving for a goal. Rukia to defeat Aaroneiro to free her former superiors soul. Byakuya to defend Rukia. Renji and Uryu teamwork. Nel to protect Ichigo and get revenge on Nnoitra. Whereas Stark fought Kyoraku.....cause.....and Hitsugaya fought Halibel because Water vs Ice would be cool.
-This leaves me to the end. I won't say it wasn't satisfying that Ichigo was able to defeat Aizen. And yes, I do feel like his new power was earned. 3 months of training. But this was clearly a last minute decision to save Aizen for a later date and the show must go on. I do feel like it wasn't as satisfying as 200+ chapter buildup needed to be.

The Fullbring Arc - Chapters 424-479 - Rating: 8/10
-A very underrated arc. And yes, I acknowledge that rating wise I think the Fullbring arc is superior to the Hueco Mundo arc. That is mostly true. Though I like the first half of the Hueco Mundo Arc more than the Fullbring arc. The end of the HM arc really brought it down for me. The Fullbring Arc is much more concise and is actually the shortest arc in the series and works as a glorified Ichigo getting his powers back arc. But that doesn't mean its bad.
-When I read it originally back when it was coming out in 2010. (Cause I'm Old) It wasn't phenomenal. In fact, I hated it. But wouldn't you? It took just short of a year to get to the point that we were at. But upon rereading it, it gave much deserved love to the characters who hadn't been shown love in quite some time. The original cast. It was a very character focused arc. Ichigo never seemed more human. And despite me hating it before for taking so long, reading weekly can sometimes hurt these mystery based arcs. The twist is heavily foreshadowed and I really appreciated it.
-That being said, the end was super rushed. This was a big bummer for me. The villains this time around were humans. And the ones who had the most exposure and relations with these characters were the original cast who again....were humans. So to have the soul reapers, who have no connection to the fullbringers show up and basically no diff most of the fullbringers felt very forced and fanservicey to me. This very well could have not been Kubo's call. As the community was very vocal about their dislike for this arc as it was going on. But I appreciate it now much more as I appreciate character and story over big sword fights. Lol.

The Thousand Year Blood War Arc - Chapters 424-689 - Rating: 5/10
-And we're finally here. The final and largest arc within the Bleach story. And man...does it not stick the landing.
-That being said, this arc has phenomenal moments. Kenpachi's Shikai and Bankai. Ichigo's double swords. Renji's true Bankai. Rukia's Bankai. And many more. However, they are put together against the most break neck speed arc that I have ever read. Kubo was very ambitious when he introduced 26 new villains. However, most of them got barely any screen time and a lot of them even got off screened by higher level captains. This was unlike the Espada who each got a full double page spread for their Resurrections.
-Yhwach himself was a phenomenal villain but was dealt with swiftly and imo dirty. They did him dirty.
-There was just something off. The mood changed and it was very apparent. The villains had random powers instead of the powers reflecting their personalities or needs. The finale felt so underwhelming.
-Ichigo gets to be the strongest he's ever been....but he doesn't defeat a single person besides the main villain despite being in several fights.
-It isn't a good arc. In fact, I would say it's the worst. Hopefully the anime does a better job with this already mammoth of a story. 260 chapters is no joke.

This gives the story of Bleach an Overall rating of 7.4/10. Which to me is above average. It has it's ups and downs. It's not perfect. But when it's high, it's peak shonen. But when it's low, it's very forgettable.

[Hafeez · Rating 4 out of 5]

VOLUME 49: CHAPTER 424-432
Arc 10: The Lost Substitute Shinigami

17 months have passed since the defeat of Aizen, Ichigo go through his normal life with no Shinigami power. One day, a mysterious man's bag have been snatched. Ichigo help him by retrieving the bag. Now, Ichigo is doing a part-time job at a shop owned by Unagiya Ikumi. The guy that Ichigo helps come to that shop. He wants Ichigo to investigate about Kurosaki Isshin. The guy asked whether Ichigo knows about his family. At the same time, Karin went to see Urahara to buy something. At that point, the guy introduced himself; Kūgo Ginjō.

Inoue went to see Ichigo. Uryuu trying to investigate around the town and suddenly he come across with mysterious guy that can move faster but have no reiatsu. Ishida was attacked. Ryuken said that Uryuu was attacked by a human who have a power same like Inoue and Chad. Ichigo calls a number of an organization called XCUTION. Ichigo went to see Ginjō and his organization in Naruki City. Their objective is to get back Ichigo's Shinigami power. Ginjō said that they are humans who are possesed an innate ability; to draw out and utilizes the soul that resides in all matters. The ability called Fullbring.

XCUTION consists of:
- Kūgo Ginjō (leader)
- Giriko Kutsuzawa
- Yukio Hans Vorarlberna
- Jackie Tristan

[Geo · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the first official volume in the Fullbringer arc, which many fans criticize as being “canon filler”, and it is officially further into the story than I’ve ever seen in the anime. I liked the exploration of Ichigo 17 months after losing his Soul Reaper powers and how quiet his life has become. I loved seeing the younger characters start to look older as the time has passed. This volume felt like an interesting reset as Ichigo attempts to move on from his Soul Reaper days, and it was interesting seeing him as a “normal” human who can’t see spirits. I liked how everyone in the human world that Ichigo is close to now knows his secret and past as a Soul Reaper, it was especially interesting seeing his family interact with him now that they all know the truth about their family’s history. I liked seeing Ichigo’s sisters grow with one determined to protect their family now and the other noticing how Ichigo is hiding his pain. It was also really funny how Karin tells Yuzu that Ichigo “isn’t some anime character”. I like the small look we get into the Fullbringers and their power, and I liked the implication that we’d get more insight into Chad and Orihime’s special abilities in future volumes.

[Maryam · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've been super stoked about Bleach returning to the screen with the newly animated Thousand Year Blood War Arc, I figured I'd go back and revisit what I'd forgotten before venturing to watch the new anime! I remember not being so fond of the Lost Agent Arc after the high of Aizen's defeat, but the start of the arc is still great. It's a nice juxtaposition to see Ichigo as a regular high-school student again, and the timeskip was a treat. Ichigo's burden and guilt of not being able to help the people he cares about and feeling powerless is a very relatable character disposition. Moreover, it's one of the reasons why he's one of my favorite Shonen protagonists--he's not like Naruto wanting to be the Hokage or Luffy wanting to become the Pirate King--he's just a regular guy that wants to protect his family. So relatable and realistic in all honesty! It's the most human virtue but ironically the loftiest goal of them all.

Also, Orihime and her shenanigans are such a treat. The scene with her fantasizing about Ichigo had me lmfao-ing. XD Love her.