Jump to ratings and reviews
Rate this book

Bleach #5

Bleach #05: Rightarm of the Giant

Rate this book
Fifteen-year-old high school student Ichigo Kurosaki has martial arts skills and the ability to see ghosts, and his life is about to change when he meets Rukia Kuchiki, a soul reaper and protector of innocents.

192 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 2002

139 people are currently reading
2611 people want to read

About the author

Tite Kubo

1,122 books1,981 followers
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.

Ratings & Reviews

What do you think?
Rate this book

Friends & Following

Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!

Community Reviews

5 stars
6,237 (52%)
4 stars
3,623 (30%)
3 stars
1,716 (14%)
2 stars
314 (2%)
1 star
77 (<1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 315 reviews
Profile Image for Lauren Lanz.
897 reviews308 followers
March 23, 2022
I love that Chad and Orihime got to shine in this volume! Chad is such a sweetheart; the little snippet of his backstory was really touching. I didn't expect how quickly Orihime would throw herself into danger to protect her friends, she's a queen.
Profile Image for Sana⁷.
387 reviews168 followers
May 12, 2024
Search well, Kurosaki Ichigo. Among the people close to you, it's not just your family who have a high spiritual power. If you haven't even realized that, you'll surely be defeated by me. The disappointment in yourself will kill you. And you'll be aware of the low level of your abilities, on the other side of the rubicon. [Ishida]

In Volume 5 we got a proper introduction to the character of Ishida and to the history of the Quincy clan. Ishida wants to compete against Ichigo and prove that a Quincy is better than a Shinigami and that the Shinigami shouldn't be relevant. In response to Ishida's challenge, Ichigo makes a good point that this competition is ridiculous and that he doesn't have anything to do with Ishida's grudge against the Soul Society. It should end at that, but Ichigo, while being a complete dumbass, let Ishida provoke him and the competition started.

I have to say that while I love Ishida's character, I am judging him HARD for the incredibly foolish and incredibly dangerous idea of the competition. He KNEW that Ichigo is only a "temporary Shinigami", that he got his powers from Rukia, and that he didn't have any real connection to the Soul Society - heck, he also had no idea about the existence of the Quincy clan and their history - but Ishida, while being led by arrogance and stubbornness, still decided to manipulate him into the fight. He tried to show Quincy's supremacy over the Shinigami, but he had chose a completely dumb way to do so. He endangered EVERYONE, including Ichigo's family members and his own classmates, because he believed that he will kill every Hollow before anyone will get hurt. Guess what, Ishida, PEOPLE DID GET HURT.

While Ishida and Ichigo were being complete morons and their dumb competition started, we got other characters running into a danger and developing powers. Like two of Ichigo's friends: Sado "Chad" Yasutora and Inoue Orihime.

I understand, Abuelo. My giant fists are not for the sake of causing pain. My giant body is for the sake of protecting others. [Chad]

I really love the scene with Chad and Karin. I wish we could see more of theirs interactions (we didn't, not in the anime, at least). I also liked the little flashback with Chad's grandfather that tried to teach him to be a protector instead of a bully. Chad is such a cinnamon roll despite looking tough and I really admire his strength, his bravery and his big, big heart.

My first thought was "I wish I wasn't aware of it". My next thought was "we have to get out of here." That is, when I found that, those were the only two things that I could rise to the surface in my wretchedly buzzing mind. [Orihime]

THAT SCENE WAS DARK, OMG. I saw the anime, so I thought that I was ready, but damn, I totally wasn't! The anime didn't quite show the gruesome situation that Orihime, Tatsuki, Chizuru and other students found themselves in. Yes, they fought against the dangerous Hollow that could control them as it wished, but in the anime the Hollow wasn't as sick and twisted like it was in the manga. I felt truly horrified! I also have to say that I like that the author made a reference to Orihime and Tatsuki as a princess and a dragon (it's really accurate). Their friendship is one of the best ones in Bleach, that's for sure. I also have to admit that Orihime made a big impression on me when she stood up against the Hollow. It was shown in the anime too, but this scene portrayed in the manga had much more impact.

Other things I need to talk about:

~ Keigo is as dramatic in the manga as he is in the anime - I'm not sure yet if it's a good or a bad thing
~ the fact that Ichigo had no idea that Ishida was one of his classmates cracks me up
~ I still can't believe that Ishida is a member of a Handi-craft Club, it's funny every time
~ Ishida looks MUCH BETTER in the manga than in the anime!
~ I think that it's incredibly impressive that Don Kanonji sensed the danger in Karakura Town while being in a completely different location
~ WHY IS NO ONE TALKING HOW HANDSOME TSUBAKI IS??
Profile Image for Juho Pohjalainen.
Author 5 books348 followers
May 18, 2024
Quincies don't seem to have any way to handle the regular dead. For someone claiming to be so much better than a Soul Reaper, that was a pretty big oversight from Uryu. I wish someone had brought it up.
Profile Image for Mangrii.
1,138 reviews480 followers
March 16, 2023
¡Llego el momento de Chad y Orihime!

Recordaba como era el "despertar" de Chad, pero no el de Orihime. Sigo creyendo que lo que me enamora de Bleach, incluso en esta relectura, es que se toma su tiempo para ir desgranando a cada personaje y darle un empaque, tanto a su personalidad como a sus poderes sobrenaturales.

Pd: odio a los Quincy, pero no es novedad.
Profile Image for Angela Auten.
Author 6 books135 followers
January 31, 2019
Bleach Volume 5 Review

Manga Rating: 5 stars out of 5.

Story Line: 5 stars out of 5. I really enjoyed this volume! Ichigo really wants to find out why Uryu hates soul reapers. It's actually bothering him. He starts to follow Uryu. Uryu is able to sense him. Ichigo questions how he knows that. Ichigo has a lot of spirit energy pouring out of him. Uryu challenges Ichigo to a battle. Whoever beats the most hollows wins. Uryu wants to prove that Quincy's are better than soul reapers. Ichigo is angry that Uryu broke the hollow bait. He doesn't want any innocent people to get hurt. Ichigo is worried about his family now. Ichigo doesn't realize that his other friends also have powers as well.

Also in this volume Chad and Orihime unlock their powers. Chad is with his friends when he senses an evil presence. He runs away from his friends. He doesn't want them to get hurt either. He runs into Ichigo's sister who also is able to sense hollows. Chad thinks about his grandfather and his powers activate. His right arm transforms. He strikes the hollow and then passes out. He is not used to using his powers.

Orihime is with Tatsuki at school when the hollow attacks. She uses her classmates to attack Orihime. Her Shun Shun Rikka are born from her distress. They teach her how to use her powers. She is able to reject anything that is around her. She is also able to heal people.

I actually kept this review short and to the point. I'm proud of myself. I usually go into full detail about them. The last Naruto review I wrote was like that too. I'm going to try to keep them as simple as this one. It was easy!

Also I have started watching Bleach again. I'm only going watch the first three seasons. I watched the live action movie...it was very disappointing. That is the only reason that I'm watching it. That movie totally ruined my life. I need to write a review about it, but I need to rewatch it do so. They also did dub it into english which is a bit weird...but whatever.

Characters: 5 stars out of 5.
Ichigo- My main squeeze! I love him so much. I can't help it!
Uryu- He's awesome sauce.
Rukia- Eh, she's okay still. She probably will never grow on me.
Orihime- I do love her.
Chad-I love him too!
Kon- Annoying, but comedy relief!!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Lashaan Balasingam.
1,475 reviews4,623 followers
January 10, 2020
Uryu and Ichigo go head to head as ideologies clash and the world-building grows. This instantly reminds the reader the world is much richer than it seems as mangaka Tite Kubo explores the history that has been perduring through generations.

The fun part of this volume is when Chad and Orihime are given the chance to shine here as they unlock their hidden potential through the chaos issued by Uryu. Things get quite exciting henceforth!

Yours truly,

Lashaan | Blogger and Book Reviewer
Official blog: https://bookidote.com/
Profile Image for Jeremiah.
89 reviews13 followers
May 31, 2023
I like Uryū Ishida the Quincy that hates Soul Reapers. Now things are starting to get interesting.
Profile Image for lana.
205 reviews42 followers
November 6, 2024
I can't protect you without holding a sword. I can't embrace you while holding a sword.

another captivating volume!!
Profile Image for Nick.
259 reviews21 followers
May 13, 2008
Overall Rating: A+
Synopsis: Ichigo Kurosaki sees ghosts, and fights...a lot. All of this is pretty normal for Ichigo, but then he meets Rukia Kuchiki, a Shinigami (Death God) and member of the mysterious Soul Society. When a Hollow, an evil spirit, attacks Ichigo and his family, Rukia attempts to defeat the Hollow, but is wounded. To help him save his family, she lends Ichigo some of her powers, but something goes wrong, and Ichigo absorbs every last drop of her energy. Ichigo becomes a temporary Shinigami, and works with Rukia to handle the hunting of hollows until Rukia can recover. At least, that was the plan...

Before I picked up the manga, I saw the first four episodes of the anime at Stellarcon '06. It was a fansub (this was before it was airing on Adult Swim), so the translation wasn't great, but I fell in love with the characters and mythology of the series. I immediately started picking up the manga and planning a costume for Ichigo. A few months later, I cosplayed Ichigo at Heroescon, had read all of the manga that had been translated, and watched as much of the anime as I could get my hands on.

So, what's the big deal, right? I think it comes down to the characters. There are dozens of of them, and the writer Tite Kubo takes the time to give them all detailed backgrounds and relationships. I'm 19 volumes in, and while there's plenty of action, it's the character development I'm hooked to.

In the first 19 volumes, there are three main groups of characters, humans, the Shingami, and the Quincies. When humans die, their souls become Wholes or Hollows. Wholes are normal spirits, but the spirits that become Hollows are corrupted souls that must feed on the souls of the living (kind of like spiritual vampires). The Shinigami release Wholes and help them cross over to the Soul Society (the spirit world), and cleanse the Hollows so that they can cross over as well. They do so using big ass swords called zanpakutō.

The Quincies use bows made of spiritual energy in the form of bows to hunt Hollows, similarly to the Shinigami. However, unlike the Shingami, who purify the souls of the Hollows preserving the balance of souls between the two world, the Quincies destroy them. This endangers the balance of the world, and as a result the two groups went to war. The Shinigami won, and there is now only one Quincy left, Uryū Ishida. Despite his hatred of Shinigami, Uryū eventually becomes friends Ichigo, and even travels to the Soul Society with him.

This only scratches at the surface of the series. I have only seen ~50 episodes of the anime, but what I have seen follows the manga very closely. I highly recommend checking out the series, it's fun, interesting, and has some great cosplay opportunities.

For more manga and anime reviews, please check out Hobotaku.
Profile Image for Anh.
23 reviews
March 14, 2018
I hate that Quincy guy, such a jerk man. He challenged Ichigo and spread the hollows everywhere without Ichigo accept the challenge. Oh my god, he sometimes get on my nerves. Recommend!!!!
Profile Image for clea.
351 reviews365 followers
March 10, 2022
seriously???? this is the most boring action arc ive ever read what the hell was that! + fuck uryu or whatever his name was
Profile Image for Mel.
827 reviews31 followers
July 18, 2023
Such a good volume! Love how intense it's been getting and seeing all the different types of Hollows.

Seeing two characters powers get revealed had me on the edge of my seat. I was nervous for Tatsouki there for a sec, too.

In this volume we find out more about the Quincies and why they hate the Soul Reapers so much. A Quiny challenges Ichigo to a game, and releases bait to attract hordes of Hollows. As Ichigo tries to stave them off, some of his close friends are revealed to have some supernatural abilities.

I really enjoyed this installment and I need to get to the next volume ASAP to see what happens next.
Profile Image for William Bainbridge.
249 reviews
March 7, 2025
It was enjoyable but realistically I'm just getting through it to get back to ichigo. Chad's part was nice but was very bored by orihimes and now I just wanna be back reading about ichigoat hopefully next volume.
Profile Image for Nonah.
209 reviews54 followers
October 31, 2017
Read this in the car before and it’s aweslme as the rest of the serie <3
Profile Image for David.
87 reviews4 followers
June 26, 2021
description

Sin blandir la espada, no puedo protegerte.
Pero blandiendo la espada, no puedo abrazarte.


Un volumen sensacional repleto de estímulos, de nuevos personajes, de Chad. Con nuevas tramas, poderes, más Chad, grandes batallas y... ¿he dicho Chad?

Una bomba.

Mis puños no son grandes para que haga daño.
Mi cuerpo es tan grande para poder proteger a otros.
Profile Image for Carrie (The Butterfly Reader).
1,033 reviews95 followers
December 26, 2017
So this volume is all about Uryū Ishida and learning about the Quincy clan. I love his character. He's a bit of a butthead in this one but he gets better. I love the Quincy clan and wish we could get more about them as they just seem so freaking awesome. Though in this volume we also get to see Chad and Orihime awaken into their powers. Which is cool, Chad is freaking awesome and I've accepted at this point that Orihime isn't going anywhere. No matter how much I wish a freaking Hollow would eat her and end her so I'd never have to see her face again. That might seem like too much but I've always disliked her.... since 2010 when I first found the anime.

We get to learn all of kinds of new info in this volume, we get to see there are more than just Soul Reapers and I thought that was so awesome. The world building is getting bigger and bigger and it's like Christmas, waiting to see what new thing the Tite Kubo will throw in next. This volume is full of action (duh, they all are. It's a fighting manga...) but Ichigo and Rukia aren't in it as much as you'd think. this volume really branches out to fill in the side characters wonderfully. This volume would be a huge 5 stars if it wasn't the volume that gave Orihime more of a reason to be in the storyline.
Profile Image for Philip McCarty.
417 reviews
April 26, 2022
This is a cool volume as it builds out the world that was established while giving the other characters some development. It is also a much more battle oriented volume. Ichigo meets Uryu and is challenged by him to see who can kill the most Hollows after bait is set. Quincy think Hollows should be annihilated while Soul Reapers think they should be sent to the soul society, a neat conflict of ideals here. The highlights of this volume though are Chad unlocking his big punch and learning how to use his strength for kindness, and Orihime and Tatsuki working to take on a hollow. Orihime and Tatsuki have a real beautiful relationship of mutual support and openness. This is a good volume for those who enjoy a character development battles.
Profile Image for Emma.
1,105 reviews101 followers
April 6, 2015
In this volume Ichigo has met a quincy, a clan that kills hollows instead of cleansing them. The quincy challenges Ichigo to a game, whoever kills the most hollows claims superiority.

This puts many of Ichigo's friends in danger, which this volume focuses on. Many of the characters that have been hanging around suddenly become very interesting in these chapters as they discover their powers.

I really enjoyed this volume. It is super action packed even though Ichigo is hardly in it at all. I can't wait to get my hands on the next volume and learn more about Chad's weird arm thing especially.
Profile Image for Elijah.
396 reviews13 followers
May 2, 2022
I forgot how arrogant Ishida was at the beginning smh 🤦🏿. It was also cool to see Chad and Hime get their little come up as well! It feels so good to finally be reading this, now on to the next one 💪🏾
Profile Image for Kluxorious Kluxces.
152 reviews2 followers
December 18, 2016
Of all Ichigo's friends, I think Sado is probably the one that I can hardly give a damn and his story with the parakeet wasn't exactly mind blowing
Displaying 1 - 30 of 315 reviews

Can't find what you're looking for?

Get help and learn more about the design.