BLEACH―ブリーチ― 24

Bleach #24

by Tite Kubo, 久保帯人

一護達死神軍団は、グリムジョー率いる破面6人に挑むものの、その圧倒的な強さに大苦戦を強いられていた！　だが、絶体絶命と思われた瞬間、ついに『限定解除』が下りた！　死神軍団、いよいよ反撃開始へ…！！

Genres: Manga, Fantasy, Graphic Novels, Comics, Shonen, Fiction, Action

192 pages, Paperback

First published October 4, 2006

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 4 out of 5]

"I didn't protect anyone. I couldn't defeat our enemies. I... lost..." [Ichigo]

Volume 24 focuses on the fights against Grimmjow and his Hollow squad, and on the fights' aftermath. Ikkaku's battle against Edorad is over. Ikkaku wins, but he's heavily injured. Both Matsumoto and Rukia are down. Now it's time for Hitsugaya's, Renji's and, of course, Ichigo's fights. While Hitsugaya's and Renji's opponents' ranks are lower than Grimmjow's one, both Soul Reapers still struggle to defeat them. The situation is really tough, it seems like the victory is gonna be on the Arrancars' side. Ichigo's having the worst luck and basically fighting in two fronts - he's not only going against Grimmjow, he's also struggling to control his inner Hollow.

Are all Arrancars this strong?! If they are... we're in trouble, Ichigo. [Renji]

When the fights are over and the enemies are finally defeated, no one celebrates. It seems like this win doesn't matter. Both Hitsugaya and Rukia needed Orihime's help to get back to their feet, while Ikkaku, who struggled to walk, had to lean on Yumichika. If the heroes struggled so hard with only the Hollow minions, how can the Soul Society and the world of the living breathe in relief? It seems like the real danger will be coming soon and no one is prepared for it.

The battles had their consequences, not only for our heroes, but also for the antagonist, Grimmjow (who came to the Karakura Town without anyone's permission). Ishida is now training with his father to get back his Quincy powers - he will succeed if he wouldn't be killed first. Chad, after being told by Ichigo to step back from the fight, goes to Urahara with a need to get stronger. Orihime's sad, because Ichigo's sad. And Ichigo makes a decision that he needed to make a long time ago, actually. His guilt of not being able to protect his friends is eating him alive just as much as his inner Hollow is eating him alive. He needs to take matters in his own hands, but will he succeed or will he lose? Does he even have time to become stronger before another attack will come?



Some of my thoughts while reading:

~ I feel like Ikkaku's need to live and die as Zaraki's subordinate it's as destructive for both him and the Soul Society (if he revealed how strong he truly is, he might become a better asset), as it is admirable.
~ I love how much Yumichika believes in Ikkaku. It's so cute.
~ Why is Ururu the only one being affected by the Arrancars' spiritual pressure? Why didn't the same happen to Jinta? And why something like this had never happen again? Anyways, Ururu, you're a queen! 👏
~ The image of small figure of Ururu being impaled by one of Ilfort's horns is as impressive as painful to look at. My poor, poor girl, ouch 😨
~ The fact that this volume is the start of Grimmjow's obsession with Ichigo... 🤭
~ Get lost, Tousen, with all your justice speeches! 😒
~ Ichigo's face expression, while watching Rukia being healed, hurt me 😭
~ THE VIZARDS ARE COMING BACK, YAY!! 🥰

[James DeSantis · Rating 4 out of 5]

This finishes up the fights with the soul reapers and the mysterious group who wants to basically fuck them up.

Grimjaw gets to show off his moves and damn...he is a bit scary.

Our three Captains unleash something new...not gonna lie it was badass.

I actually really enjoyed this volume. Hoping this arc is better than expected.

[Angela Auten · Rating 5 out of 5]

I <3 Bleach so much. Grimmjow. I love him so much. He was in this volume! I love the fight between him and Ichigo that happens in the later volumes!

[Agnese Rosengren · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quattro stelle anziché cinque solo perché il modo in cui si sono risolti gli scontri non mi ha convinta del tutto, ma in generale è stato un ottimo volume.

[Subham · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was a pretty decent volume, we have fights happening with Arrancars/Arankarus and like you see they are getting owned for most of the fight, Hitsugaya vs Shawlong and Renji vs Eilfort but when the limit release is activated, the captains come out on top and you see their real powers when they dont have to hold back and when they defeat them its just a sight to behold! Amazing art there though the chs are read in minutes, plus interesting revelations about Ikkaku! Tousen comes and takes Grimmjow away and we finally meet Aizen and Gin and its good, Ichigo realizes how outclass he is and need to retrain and control his iinner hollow, its a good volume with realizations and epic fights and is building towards the next big arc!

[Tim · Rating 3 out of 5]

This may come as a shock, but there is lots of fighting. All the time. At least the plot has gotten much more interesting than before, even though the constant mostly-pointless violence is wearing thin.

"Ah-hah! I'm stronger than I appear!" "Ah-hah! I, too, am stronger than I appear!" "Ah-hah! I am actually even stronger than I let on before, so there!" "Ah-hah, this trope is really getting on my nerves!" Argh.

[Elijah · Rating 5 out of 5]

I forgot how crazy Grimmjow was 😅

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

This one was hella intense! And if this is any kind of indicator as to how epic this series is going to get then I’m hyped!!

[Sara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read in: December 2012 and December 2023.

So Ikkaku kicks ass, and defeats his opponent. Rangiku and Tôshiro barely make it through, and Renji survives because Ururu gets into kill mode and almost destroys everything- she is such a silly girl because she seems so beaten down, yet she is so surprisingly kick ass! Ichigo battles the bad bad guy (we have an hierarchy to keep track of), Grimmjow (who I love). The reason our Soul Reapers survive is they are given permission to unlock their full power in the world of the living. However, Grimmjow is taken back to Hueco Mundo because he is in the world of the living without permission (and managed to lose 5 Arrancars without Aizen's authorization. He is escorted by Tôsen and punished (Tôsen cuts off his arm...which will not help his sanity at all! Crazy!).

The end of the volume visits Uryû, who is training with his father to regain his spiritual power. Chad asks to train with Urahara and Ichigo goes to the Visored. What for, we don't yet know!

So good!!

[Jeffrey · Rating 3 out of 5]

After putting pedal to the metal in the first few issues of the new arc, Tite Kubo takes it off a bit despite doing an issue almost entirely composed of fights. After elevating his villains last issue, he reduces them by revealing that some of the protagonists are fighting with limitations. I don't think it serves the story well, but will refrain from full judgment until after I read the follow-on issues.

Still, he does provide a fracture within the evil foe' facade, which promises good things in the future.

[Juho Pohjalainen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have good memories of these fights. The reveal of the good guys having severely held back the whole time could easily have come across as a Deus Ex Machina, but the system was established well in advance so it instead became a satisfying Chekhov's Gun. And there was still a lot of tension in it because it wasn't their choice whether they were allowed to go all out, and the fact that they had to do so against mere foot-soldiers makes for some gloomy premonitions on how bad things will get in the future.

[bri ♡]

oii this volume was so so good

[Ben Truong · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bleach, Vol. 24 continues where the previous tankōbon left off and contains the next nine chapters (206–214) of the on-going manga series.

Collapsing after defeating Arrancar 13 Edorad Leones, Ikkaku Madarame comes to while reminiscing how he joined Squad Eleven and that he kept his Bankai out of respect towards his captain, Kenpachi Zaraki.

Meanwhile, as Arrancar 12 Shawlong Qufang explains the number ranking structure of an Arrancars' power to Tōshirō Hitsugaya, the Soul Reaper captain, Rangiku Matsumoto and Renji Abarai have problems fighting their Arrancar opponents. Luckily, Rangiku receives confirmation from the Soul Society that they have been granted permission to lift their power limits, allowing the Soul Reapers to defeat their opponents at full power.

Meanwhile, Ichigo Kurosaki is overpowered by Grimmjow while contending once more with his inner hollow. Before Sexta Espada Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez can release his zanpakutō, Kaname Tōsen arrives to take the Espada back to Hueco Mundo for acting against Sōsuke Aizen's orders. For his insubordination, Grimmjow is demoted with his arm sliced off by Kaname Tōsen. Ichigo looks for the Vizards as his inner hollow has become too powerful to control.

Meanwhile, Uryū Ishida trains with his father under the Karakura Hospital while Yasutora "Chad" Sado requests Kisuke Urahara to train him.

This tankōbon is written and illustrated by Tite Kubo. Further information is given about the structure of Arrancar society as Shawlong Qufang explained to Tōshirō Hitsugaya and how the top Arrancar are called Espada, which Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez is a part of. Fortunately, the incursion was cut short because it was unsanctioned and Grimmjow was disciplined for it.

All in all, Bleach, Vol. 24 is a wonderful continuation to a series that seems intriguing and I cannot wait to read more.

[Lashaan Balasingam · Rating 3 out of 5]

This story arc greatly focuses on battles with a couple of surprises, some less predictable than others. While they are deadly and fascinating, with excellent artwork, they felt redundant in progression with the introduction of a new Soul Society law that changes the game.

I'm also a bit sad about how Toshiro seems so weak compared to other captains, yet he looks so cool!

I did like the ending that promises new training and new development for several characters.

Yours truly,

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

[lana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Live…and dedicate yourself to killing the one who left you alive.

This volume had so much going on. Kenpachi is the goat, Ichigo is going to get stronger and Grimmjow has a lethal face card. Can’t wait for more!

[thi · Rating 5 out of 5]

look at that handsome mfer are you kidding me

[mari ✮⋆˙⟡ ⋆ · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

Hm, first :l , then :o, and now the end, hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm dunno about this one

[Heather Martens · Rating 5 out of 5]

Uryu and grimmjow are kinda Bae?

[K · Rating 4 out of 5]

My brother said bleach goes down hill after the soul society but I really think it’s still fun. Still lighthearted. Also… I liked seeing gin again🫣😳

[len · Rating 5 out of 5]

just for the cover this deserve 5 stars

[Deli · Rating 4 out of 5]

Honestly, is *everyone* in this series a beast?

[Els - cygny · Rating 4 out of 5]

I always love the flashbacks, especially about the Shinigami!

I love all the fights in the anime but they are so well done in the manga as well!

[DonutKnow · Rating 4 out of 5]

So goooood. But bro, Ichigo, what do you have to do this on your own? Do you really need to team up with those masked ones? They look kinda sketchy to me 🤔

[Ronald · Rating 5 out of 5]

Alright, now we get the fight. Arrancars vs Soul Reaper Captains & lieutenants. Things are going bad for the Soul Reapers until plot twist time and Aizen has to come and save the remaining Arrancar. It is a rather good set of fights taking up most of the volume. In the end Ichigo goes to the Vizors to try and learn how to control his inner Hollow.

[Jeremiah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Those Arrancars are insanely powerful!! It took everything they had just to defeat the lower ranked ones. Grimmjow was number 6 and Ichigo couldn’t even defeat him! Just imagine how much stronger 1 through 5 are. I understand why Ichigo went to join the Visoreds because if he can control his hollow side just imagine how much stronger he’ll become.

[ExoDoll · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best manga ever...

[0m4!m · Rating 5 out of 5]

Grimmjow *chef's kiss*

[Daniela Stefania · Rating 3 out of 5]

OMG

[M.D. Williams · Rating 5 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.

[Julie Hayes · Rating 5 out of 5]

A group of Arrancars has arrived in Kakura Town, led by Grimmjow Jeagerjaques. Their mission is to find anyone with even a hint of spiritual pressure… and destroy them. Ikkaku faces a fierce opponent, but the bald Soul Reaper doesn’t know when to give up and continues to fight, despite the odds against him. He can’t help but remember to a fight he’d been in years previously against an opponent who valued his fighting skills and gave him some sound advice.

Toshiro Hitsugaya is often underestimated because of his lack of height and his youthful appearance. The Arrancar he faces is no exception. Meanwhile, Renji is engaged in a fight of his own, and his bankai doesn’t seem to be doing the trick, earning the other’s disdain. Due to all the strange spiritual pressure, Ururu is drawn from her bed, to Jinta’s dismay, fearful of what may happen if he cannot get her under control.

Not all Arrancars are created equal, apparently. Created by Aizen, through the use of the Hogyoku, they “are numbered according to the order of (their) birth, beginning with the number 11. The most gifted killers… receive the numbers one through ten , in descending order of their lethality.” These are known as the Espada. And among these is present in Kakura Town, Espada Sexta—Grimmjow. Small surprise that Ichigo finds himself battling this opponent.

Things are looking pretty grim for everyone (except the Arrancars) who belittle their opponents as being unworthy. But then Rangiku Matumoto receives a call she’s been waiting for from Soul Society, concerning the gentei kaijo (restriction removal). Apparently there is something that keeps Soul Reapers from operating at peak levels when in the World of the Living. Now that they can use more of their powers, perhaps the tide will turn!

Ichigo, however, has never been subject to these restrictions. He battles against Grimmjow himself. Is he up to the challenge, or will he require the intervention of a deux ex machina to save him? What of Uryu, who feels the spiritual pressure of the Arrancars but has promised to have nothing to do with the Soul Reapers? Will he find a way around that? Or will he be forced to sit on the sidelines.

This volume of Bleach is pretty battle heavy as the Soul Reapers and Ichigo square off against Grimmjow and his Arrancars. I like the way the battles aren’t all one-sided or weighed in the favor of the heroes. They’re more realistic in that the good guys don’t always win, and yes, they can get hurt. Sometimes die. I found what happened in Ichigo’s battle with Grimmjow very interesting, as well as its aftermath.

But of course, this is just the tip of the iceberg. To paraphrase the Carpenters, “They’ve only just begun….” Good volume of Bleach, looking forward to the next one.