Ichigo takes a serious beating in The Lost Agent arc, but I think he comes out stronger on the other side. What did you think of this dark moment for our main character, and his development in this arc on the whole? Let me know!
What did I think? Honestly I hated this arc, it's pretty much the sole reason I have hesitated to watch bleach over again. It's not even that it's bad though, quite the opposite, it does it's job incredibly well in fact. That said I have always disliked memory manipulation in anime. On an emotional level it's the highest order of gaslighting and it kinda infuriates and saddens me. It also makes me feel like these "bonds" are flimsy things that aren't ultimately worth much in the end, like it's a power sure and there isn't much characters can do against it. But it still makes me have a disdain for ichigos "friends" like, with friendships that flimsy who needs enemies?. Either way great video, I look forward to the next one 🙂
I loved the fullbring arc for the most part, but I felt it was really rushed towards the end. I think kubo wanted to tell a slightly longer story but couldn't for what I'm assuming was his declining health. It does so much well but didn't leave a good taste once all was said and done
I hated this Arc reading it and looking back it's one of my favorites. Kubo did a wonderful job of following up Aizen by choosing not to follow up at all.
Honesty think that the fullbringer arc did the best for ichigo’s character I don’t think we really get him this deconstructed or challenged in this kind of way. I love how this arc really shows ichigo’s desires front and center and also having him finally win through getting the help he always gave to others
You say he’s never been challenged in this way before but he’s been in plenty of situations where he and his friends/family where going to be killed and where desperate situations. Tsukishima’s actions, while bad, weren’t nearly as bad as most of the other villains have done or tried to do yet wasn’t as willing to kill them as he was towards Tsukishima. Like, he spared Grimmjow despite him trying to kill him and friends on multiple occasions and felt bad about the way he defeated Ulquiorra despite nearly killing him(twice) and trying to kill his friends. Tsukishima and Ginjo didnt even have the intention to kill Ichigo and his friends, just wanted his power yet It seems strange that Ichigo would breakdown like that despite the stakes not being nearly as high. He had a lesser breakdown when he felt Aizen’s overwhelming power and felt powerless to stop him from marching towards Karakura Town and killing the whole town. It just feels like inappropriate
Ichigo just loosing it after being psychologically tortured by tsukishima manipulating his friend's and then ginjo robbing him of his powers after he finally had the chance to protect again was really powerful. I'm glad Kubo wrote ichigo to have high points and low points throughout the story and clearly this is one of his lowest.
For real, I really felt him when he started crying and the rain just hit considering how symbolic the rain is with despair. It was beautiful but damn it hurt me too
A lot of people don't realise that total annihilation of whatever is causing you problems will make it go away. Sometimes talking things through just doesn't work.
Or jealous I mean zangetsu is like "so we're fighting to kill right" Ichigo: 😁 Zangetsu:"to kill right?" Ichigo:🤗 Then the next thing you know the very second he isn't with zangetsu-san Full bring ability:"we gonna kill him" Ichigo:"ape don't kill ape ... But book mark is bookmark"
It was genuinely very shocking bcuz Ichigo never uttered the word "Kill" before that, that's what made the end of Fullbring arc even more depressing. Ichigo's sanity was lost with Ginjo saying, "Those eyes doesn't look like they want to kill me, they look like they are trying to understand me".
Not quite. When he was travelling through the Garganta making his way towards Karakura Town he told himself many times to kill Aizen with his first swing so he wouldn't fall under Kyoka. It's episode 292 in case u wanna check it out.
@@youthinkso2695 what I think he's trying to say is that while yes ichigo has had intent to kill, it was never out of hatred and anger rather than a means a survival.
But that´s what i liked about it. Obviously, the enemies are not comparable with the likes of Grimmjoq, Ulqoirra or Aizen. But the arc was more personal. Ichigo was not a passive protagonist, he wanted his powers back and later his family and friends that Tsukihima controlled. The fullbringers wanted to take everything from Ichigo to bring him to the lowest.
Which is weird because several of Ichigo’s enemies have tried to kill him and his friends on multiple occasions and yet he never bore hatred towards them. The exception being Grand Fisher because he killed his mother and all that.
I think it was a pretty nuanced look into a moral quandary inherent to Ichigo's character. "What happens if a Protector can no longer protect?" Its complex, dark and far more grey and in my opinion the fulbringer/lost agent arc is an underappreciated marvel.
@@MrMagnetron2 yeah but tsukishima brought it home, turned his freinds and family against him, THAT is special kind of cunt who needs his pretty boy face crushed in . I would kill anyone who did that to me or a freind of mine I don't care what there sob story is
I love the Fullbring arc. It questioned Ichigo’s morality so much that he went from sparing hollows (ulquiorra), even feeling bad for Aizen after defeating him, to asking if killing a human would return his friends and family to normal.
Fullbring arc is like early Bleach or Yu Yu Hakusho, which I enjoyed. Also shows you don't need to have a world ending villain to be a good villain. Wouldn't have minded more smaller scale arcs, which is why I liked the filler arcs, even if they might have over stayed their welcome at times.
Me too. I feel like the Soul Society overtook the story. It’s especially painful when you consider that Ichigo isn’t that important to the Soul Society narrative besides being powerful.
@@guythat779 I'm kinda ok with the Bount arc cause I always wonder how long the Arrancar have been around. It feels weird that so much happened in such a short timespan.
Yeah if Ichigo kills Tsukishima his friends and family would go back to normal, but Ichigo would never be the same. That would have been the ultimate consequence of his decision and I kinda like that
It would be the perfect crime bc no one else would know and yet it would be the worst decision in his life bc he killed someone and wouldn't be punished for it for Ichigo it would be the worst it would be a living hell.
This was the most scariest gut wrenching arc in bleach. I was insane seeing everyone you love think you're crazy and you're the only one that knows the truth. I must say this was the highlight of the full bring arc. To push an innocent Ichigo like that. That's insane.😬
Incredible video as always! I've always seen this arc dissed and I can understand why people don't like it (sometimes it feels a bit too uneventful for me) but the moment in Bleach that has *always* stuck out the most to me, that was the most emotionally impactful, was when Ichigo was sobbing on his knees in the rain in front of Tsukishima and Kugo. I can remember it so vividly to a level unlike any other Bleach moment. Don't get me wrong, there are other amazing moments, but that one just sticks with me. The darkness of it all. I can almost feel Ichigo's despair through the screen. Made me really reevaluate the entire arc and come to a new appreciation for it.
Tsukashima and Ginjo were revealed to be angry children/stray dogs to me in the end, wanted Ichigo to kill them but still ended up pitying them. Very important arc for Ichigo’s character development. You’re right bro, it’s crucial to who he is in the end. It all started with Ichigo stabbing Rukia to get a faux power; this arc brings it full circle when she stabs him to give him his true power. When they stole Ichigo’s powers after he just got them back, I wanted him to kill them both, that just me? I wanted them to pay in blood. Never felt so bad for a manga character as I felt for Ichigo at that point, when he’s crying on the ground. I was angry and confused too, Kubo did a good job making us see how broken he was. Ichigo just got his powers back and now you betray him, really? In retrospect I really love this arc. The artwork is phenomenal, hands down. Ichigo kills Ginjo with no animosity and then goes to get his body back; such a great arc for Ichigo. I wish it had been longer too now looking back, it was just so hard to make us happy after Aizen, whatever he did would’ve gotten hate. Without this arc Ichigo doesn’t make sense in the end, this arc made him grow up. I like how Ichigo is the only one who can’t be fooled by Aizen and he’s also the only one who can see Tsukashima for who he is, that’s a common trope, Ichigo being the only one who can see the truth. Tsukashima has his own version of Kyoka Suigetsu, smaller scale, memories rather than senses. Kubo loves his villains that mess with perception, Yhwach is there as well. Ichigo didn’t kill Ulquiorra, he faded away because he went against his own nature. His nature is despair and he stopped despairing and gained a heart so he could not exist in that form any longer, just like when Komamura could not exist as a man anymore when he changed his nature. Just like Ichibe talks about, when you change your nature you change your name and cannot exist in that form any longer. Lost agent arc had a great premise: how can you stop an enemy that fights you in the past and not time travel wise? Before the fight ever begins Tsukashima has all ready won so how can Ichigo succeed? And the answer was he couldn’t, he was helpless and gave in to despair and it was his friends who save him this time. They protect him for a change when he’s at his most vulnerable. This arc really played into the last arc and I think a lot of people don’t realize that. People who say Kubo is a bad writer don’t get this arc at all.
You make some great points. Ichigo didn't even say kill when fighting Juha Bach, the man who killed his mother. It really shows how desperate Ichigo was at this point and how much he matured He finally made peace with his mother's death and he stayed true to his nature: someone who fights to protect, not destroy
Umm what did it fix???? Ichigo powers gotten back. Great. Chad still fodder, Orihime still doing samething. Uryu stilll treated like fodder. Then you kill the Main villian and then he becomes back to life because he is now in soul society like, why does he still have powers? why does he still remember? why isnt he in hell being a jerk in general ? Why isnt he in hell? (he is plenty strong as well hell arc he would be considered captian level) Why didnt Gingo take full bringers powers of dirty boots, she hated her powers and the gingo stabs ichi? Tsikshima has a very insidious power I am surprised Byakuya let him live, the guy should be dead and is a straight up menace and should be studied immensly and exploited for further use and they just let him go??????????!?!??!??!?! Gingo by himself is fodder for soul society Ichigos Dad, Yourichi, Urahara would obliterate him. Tsukishima is interesting the Arc existing is quite interesting though. Fixes ehhh no.lol BUTTTTTTTT Looked it up, more specifically on Tsuki's, I stand corrected. It's literal past manipulation on a single target that affects the target's present, even though it really doesn't as the present doesn't really change so it really is more of a ridiculously convoluted memory manipulation. What a confusing ability. How did Tsukishima hange the floor plan in byakuya fight like. Mind R@pe a floor tile tf????
While true it got too repetitive for my tastes. By the of end arrancar arc I already got tired of Ichigo’s bouts of despair and that he should’ve reached a point where he wouldn’t have to deal with that anymore.
@@MrMagnetron2 yeah but no one fucked with his head like tsukishima did, tsukishima mentally tortured him, turned his friends against him, brought him to a point where he was willing to commit murder, I think in this case his despair is jusified
@@MrMagnetron2 you gotta remember he lost his mother as a child and never got that resolved. Hell Ishin killed Gran Fisher not Ichigo so he never got his revenge (better Ishin then Ichigo because revenge isnt the right path). Even after the Full bringer Arc this was once again not fully resolved, he still had trauma, inner turmoil he couldnt protect his friends, guilt he killed his mother because he wasnt strong enough. Thats why him wanting to protect everyone runs so deeply because he doesnt want them to hurt like he does. It wasnt until everything but the rain that finally, finally he could stop blaming him self and self punishing carrying the burden of his mother's death. Learning who he truly is at the core. Sound familiar? You should know fully well trauma and internal turmoil will never go away, will forever be a present in your daily life until you recognize and resolve it by self healing, finding out what was the deep internal cause of it, finding the truth. Imo fullbringer was a stepping stone for him to get to the truth. When BLEACH began, ichigo stated how he didnt want to have his powers to see ghosts. How ironic he lost them for the great good yet missed them and wish he never lost them. How thrilled was he when there was a way to protect only to be snatched from once again. He knew what how it was to be powerless, he wasnt going to be powerless ever again. Anyway if you this far reading, I dont get how you cant see Ichigos redemption to despair when his chains break and cries out he want his powers back, instead of mopping and crying doing nothing he decided to stand up and fight for them. His spirit not broken, ending his despair.
The explanation I always had for why urahara didn't just talk to Ichigo was that this was also a test by the soul society to see what he would do. So I could totally see them telling Urahara "We will do this but don't tell Ichigo because he needs to make his own decision".
Exactly!!! Why do u think 3 captains and 2 LTs showed up besides rukia? They were litteraly there to end Ichigo there and then if he decided to take ginjos side after finding out the truth. That's why they all left after they heard his answer, it's like- everything's Allright we're good to go now.
I thought this arc was good Idk why people don't like it. I feel like I can relate to it. It was cool seeing how he really wants his powers back to protect.
I mean, considering his entire character arc, it makes sense that he'd despair without power to do so, after he desires to protect, and it just hurts him that he does not have that power for at least 17 months, that's a lot to take in, and imagine how many Hollows have been rampant on Ichigo's abscense.. That's just heartbreaking...
I agree it didn't feel like a solid follow up after the aizen incident. The enemies were lame as well except ginjo and tsukishima. Also the fact they redid the very 1st chapter events again for him to get his powers back was kinda meh. The saving grace of this arc was the ginjo vs ichigo showdown. Finally ichigo got to fully dominate instead of fight with some bullshit cheating the battle.
I know not everyone liked this arc, but I think it was necessary. Most anime go with the obvious "this new enemy is even stronger than the last one" but sometimes that just reaches a ridiculous point. Something much more personal and smaller scale was what the series needed before diving into another lengthy arc.
I never read the Lost Agent arc while it was coming out, but definitely enjoyed reading it through once it was done. The moment where Ginjo betrays Ichigo really left a strong impression on me, and it was probably the arc where I liked Ichigo the most.
I am so glad you made a video about this, this struck me as both logical and terrifying coming from Ichigo Edit: That one panel when he says it in particular, the face he is making is so atypical of him
I liked the Kubrick stare Ichigo sports in those panels just as Aizen did before his defeat. It really drove home that Ichigo was going to get lethal to get his life and reality back from Tsukushima and then Ginjo. Aizen will kill thousands to achieve his ego fueled goal while Ichigo would kill one to save his own life for once.
Yeah, I remember watching the anime as this arc progressed and it was so dark it made me feel uncomfortable when watching it. Kubo really did push Ichigo hard and so far that I couldn't see the way out or how it was going to unfold. It was a compelling segment of the show and taking that step back, you're right, it was some solid character development after an arc or an act that could have been the end of a series. The fullbring side of it, I wasn't super enthused by it. It almost felt like a little bit of a letdown and a filler segment to me when I watched it. I can't really explain it better than that.
@@Suzume175 I mean the fullbringer is a cool concept but since Chad was the only fullbring we saw and then what...he lost every major battle we saw him in so by extension the rest of the fullbringers must be the same: weak. The only good thing about the fullbring arc was showing just how bad and crooked the soul society really is.
I loved this arc it really helped shift the story to a different area as opposed to the constant power creep. The Change of pace worked perfectly for the story I just think people didn't understand what was going on or just didn't want to deal with it
Such a deeper level of thinking a lot of people don't like the full bringer arc it feels different but it ends up being a good different when you really think about it
@@seniorsterling1064 that's not really true, yes the soul society arc and hueco mundo arc are quite similar, not surprising kubo toke inspiration from his most famous arc in the series. But when you take a close look at the two arcs it's pretty clear they have very distinct differences between them.
@@courseair1363 except the beats and fights almost all play out the same and it’s really jarring if I watch an arc and think hey this reminds me of this more than 5 times their is a problem, now obviously there are differences but the first half was so incredibly like the saving rukia arc I swear kubo just copied some stuff.
10:10 I'd say Ichigo had more then a reason to want to hate Aizen, hes about to about to destory his town, which put everyone in danger, his friends & sisters, if Aizens plan had gone through, so i'd call it preemptive assault... Also kidnapping orihime, made everyone think she'd willing betray everyone, literally the first time meeting ichigo, he tried to kill ichigo by cutting him in half... I think there's plenty to hate. just my 2 cents. love the content keep it up!
Certainly convenient Byakuya was there to deal with Tsukishima. Though he still killed Ginjo. Speaking of, what exactly was Ginjo’s plan, steal Ichigo’s Fullbring, snd what?
He wanted to get stronger so he can get his revenge from the soul society I recommend to read cfyow novel because it flesh out ginjo's character and it gives his full backstory
Ginjo is similar to Ichigo, in terms of abilities, so he wanted to use Ichigo's powers to enhance his own. They had already been watching Ichigo, so they knew of the nature of his power. Execution was able to benefit from his power as well, since Ichigo's power is also an armor clad-type, giving all of the members an armor clad-type aspect to their powers. Ginjo can't just steal and benefit from just anyone's Fullbring, see Chad as an example. Ginjo needed much more power to be able to stand on equal footing with the Soul Society, which he was a fugitive from, so he could live in peace or wage war, whichever choice he made.
I am so happy to see this arc get the love it deserves. It's always been my favourite Bleach arc, and people would always think I was just being edgy or contrarian... but that wasn't it. The storytelling was just on another level, and the stakes were actually *higher*.
I finished the show the other week. I never saw the entire thing as a kid. Seei the scene where ginjo took his powers again, then Ichigo breaking down was pretty intense. Him losing literally everything and realizing he couldn't do anything about it, them just breaking down was a great showing.
One thing I've gotten from this channel is appreciation for this whole arc. Brought things back down a bit, set the stage for real character development and all the MCs. Definitely changed my mind!
I've always wondered that if Isshin knew how dangerous Tsukishima was and what he did to his daughters why didn't he confront or deal with him at that time since he has his Soul Reaper powers. To me that would've been a good opportunity to introduce his Shikai and possibly Bankai to the fandom if they fought.
As you said for all the people Ichigo have toke out killing them was the last resort with a kill or get killed situation, but with Tsukishima he could win against him without killing him but he was choosing to kill him willingly knowing there could be another solution. I always loved this arc for how different it was with more focus on the psychological damage rather than physical.
Yes more love to Fullbring Arc. I think more of this arc as the saving Ichigo arc. The arc really does things in a way where Ichigo can't solve the Arc's issue by himself and a pay off to the fruits from the deeds Ichigo did in the previous arcs. Its also refreshing to see how Ichigo's actions this time around kinda mirrors what rukia and orihime went thhrough in their oen respective arcs. The two girls made a decision to the right thing from their own personal perspective but basically they just put themselves in the deep end and falling right off the enemies hands. Ichigo puts himself in the same situation, from his own perspective we can see the somewhat small silver thrread he can handle the situation only to be revealed that in the larger scheme of things, he can't and just fell off by the enemies hand. And in typical bleach fashion the damsrl in distress gets to be saved in the end.
The Lost Agent arch has always been my favourite arch. it is so different then the rest, but in a good way. It takes such an emotional turn, and it shows Ichigo’s mental state better then any other arch! You can visibly tell in the anime and manga that he was depressed after losing his powers, because he didn’t just loose his powers. He lost his drive and a found family. He spent so long trying to let the go, trying to let everything he once was go, but couldn’t. He lost a part of himself, and when he met the fullbringers, he though he found a way to get it all back. When he found out it was all a lie, he broke down. Just like any other person would. People are only strong for so long, people can only take so much. Kubo did an amazing job on this arch and I can’t express that enough.
I really think the fullbring arc was really good for what it represents. It represents a young boy at his lowest point, and he is desperately crawling on his knees to get back to his peak. Its almost poetic in a way, its like your watching life almost. He put his trust in total strangers, and came to regret it. You can feel his desperation throughout the whole thing and its heartbreaking to see Ichigo like that. And
You see....its stuff like this that make me want to reference your videos everytime i here someone say bleach is trash or ichigo doesn't have character development. Amazing work man keeping making these videos for fans and non fans alike!💪👌🙏
This is hands down the best breakdown I have listened to on this arc 👏 my god u are on another level when it comes to explaining how the main character feels an how the reader feels🙏👏 chills bro fucking chills
This arc was actually one of my favourites, and one scene in particular cemented my love of Bleach. That being when Ichigo's powers were stolen, and he cried. It was the first time he had cried at all in the present day storyline, and it really hit home just how much Ichigo was going through, and how bad the situation was. And then Rukia showed up. I just loved it.
I like when a story does that it’s character, breaks them and then reforge them to be better. 17:46 well ichigo wouldn’t have any reason to know just HOW true that is because of how book of the end works. I think when it comes to the whole killing tsukishima thing, ichigo didn’t know that and was unsure if it would work since he got the information from ginjo who already had his fake personality to trick him when he knew what would happen all along. It was the perfect deception to tell the one you’re lying to only what they would want to hear.
In the heap of it all when this arc first came out, I followed many RU-vidrs who shitted on it and whatnot. Although I can't really remember how I felt back then, I most likely dismissed it too. But after rewatching/reading it a few years ago and seeing your videos...this arc is so DARK, I LOVE IT. It's (imo) the perfect arc to fit between Aizen and Yhwach. To go right from Aizen to Yhwach is crazy to me, give the fans time to breathe and discover new things. Not to mention how LONG the Arrancar/Aizen arc was. Great vid!
I loved this arc when I first watched it. I had no idea it had so much hate or well, dislike overall back then. It just felt like almost a whole other anime with Ichigo going back to a normal life. The moment when Ginjo takes away his powers and he’s just left there crying in the rain hit me like a truck, I still get shivers watching it. What a masterpiece
I agree this arc is under-rated and seeing the spiritual friends he made come to save him is a great metaphor for doing “good” only to have the worst hit you, but also then overcome that through knowledge/ wisdom from ur past experiences
I was one of the people who enjoyed the fullbringer arc back then. the chapter that ends with tsukishima sitting in kurosakis living room... i still remember reading that and the emotional weight that simple scene carried. the arc is way better than people gave it credit for.
Great video, my guy! It’s interesting to see when the protagonist is at their lowest point and willing to compromise their own morals. Doesn’t help that Tsukishima was a direct antagonist to Ichigo, which is why he was affected so much.
I remember not caring that much about this arc when I first watched it in the anime. But after finding this channel and watching these videos on the fullbringers, I’ll have to rewatch it. In hindsight, all of these moments with Tsukishima and Ginjo, and Ichigo’s character development and despair, all of it is incredible.
@IN REGENERATIONE not quite. Ichigo is both Aizen's and Urahara's wet dream (these are the creators of the Hogyokus). A perfectly balanced being between the 4 major races of their own world that also awakens Fullbringers' powers.
In my head canon I believe that Ichigo was it's master all along. It's not the people that were around Rukia that got their lifes changed, it was Ichigo. Like a live manifestation of the Hogyoku. This can have some base. His enormous, overflowing Reiatsu affected both Orihime and Chad and allowed them to unlock their powers so that they can help him save Rukia. Rukia on top of the Kaien stuff, wished to make up her relationship with renji (this was mutual) and get some love and acknowledgement from Byakuya. For all these, Ichigo was the catalyst. Even for Urahara. Through Ichigo, his name was cleared after more than a century. And Aizen got his wishes granted, first at creating a truly ascended being, second to be relatable to someone (this ending in his arc conflicts a lot with the tybw though)
An ichigo with the orb of bullshit is unbeatable with in bleach ichigo was already on juhas level with horn or bankai with both he’s above him with orb he’d be literally god
I disagree to an extent about killing off book of the end. Having Byakuga kill him was perfect thematically. Had Ichigo killed him it would have made him all the more closer to yuwhah and darkened his soul. Being willing to kill out of spite anger and rage would make him no different than a child who would go on to try and destroy the world because they didn't like the way it treated them/cards it really them. Having the embodiment of duty itself kill him took that burden off Ichigo and allowed him to get back to where he was supposed to. Much like that cut. He spared him from crossing the line you can't recover from.
One of my favorites, the Animated version of course, the tension, the actual training and growth, both in personality and power for ichigo and his friends, also Ginjo.. he is just amazing, his past, the dark in the 13's past. The 13's appearance was merely the final test for ichigo and their way to atone their sins towards the substitute shinigamis.
Glad to see someone else liked this arc as well! I thought it was a welcome change of pace from the threat of overpowered villains to a more psychological threat and hurting him in ways other than just physical strength. the tension as you said built up so nicely, first villain ichigo actually looked like he wanted to kill!
When I first watched it, I was younger and I was bored because I had gotten so spoiled with the grand fights and action but watching it over and this reaction gave me a new perspective and I think it’s objectively a great arc.
I remember when I initially finished the fullbring arc in the anime back in 2015 and wasn’t a big fan of it but overtime I’ve come to majorly appreciate the fullbring arc in a lot of ways and you hit the nail in the coffin with all the points about it. The Fullbring arc excelled so much in terms of psychological and emotional instead of action and I think when people look back at this arc they’ll start to really appreciate it for what it brought to not only ichigos char development but also the other chars aswell example being the new character designs.
Let's go with the Channel growth! You're gonna be at 75k before the anime adaptation. Late2021-Early2022 has a silver youtube plaque waiting for you ❤💯
I finished reading fullbring arc for the first time a few days ago and the panel where ginjo is behind ichigo during the big reveal had my jaw on the floor, such an amazing arc
I loved the Fullbringer arc while reading it. The people who thought BLEACH should've ended with Aizen's capture were really engaging with the most superficial aspects of it.
i didnt know that tsukushima was removed from their memories when they died. I think kubo should have had the characters remember what they said and have them be horrified about what they did to ichigo. Ichigo deserve at least something from everyone besides his boy ishida
Really glad someone like you exists to spend efforts looking for the valuable meaning of bleach stories, because honestly, Bleach's plot intentions and twists are a bit difficult to understand, even for fans, still, when these plot points are either clarified or explained, story-wise, Bleach becomes more valuable, and Kubo gets the appreciation he really deserves
I loved reading the Fullbring/The Lost Agent arc, the tension, the idea the constant changes between hope and despair, which each time both raise at a similar level. And the tension was something completely different to other mangas and animes, and it was believable. It's my favorite arc of Bleach
I freaken loved it when I read it. Felt the anticipation of how far will this go. And fitted very well with a teenager who had the power to protect his friends to one who lost some and the power to protect them.
I always love your take on the fullbringers, tsukishima being one of my favorite characters as well. I was always so sad people didnt like this arc, because the enemies and powers are so interesting. It reminds me of the bounty arc, which is also disliked but I love.
This is the best analysis of the Lost Agent Arc I've ever seen. I like this Arc as well, but I would love to see more of the new characters. They were not used again until the very end of the Thousand Year Blood War Arc, and I think this is a shame. Anyways, this is one of the most memorable Arcs for me because it was the end of the anime. The animation was the best of the series in my opinion, just like you said the art was at its peak in the manga. Great video!!
This is one of my fav scheen in bleach when ichigo breakdown to teard of depress i just love how we never see this side of ichigo that i love the full bring arc
Those panels of ichigos manic anger give me hollow ichigo vibes, like during his byakuya fight or with hyori, although hollow ichigo is always smiling in the presence of violence, i wonder if the parallels were intentional, showing that even without a connection to his shinigami powers that animalistic rage is still present
You are very correct in that there is much nontypical psychological horror on this arc and it works very well. This combined w the fact that my favorite Shinigami (Ikkaku) gets a very cool fight for the first time in a long while.
This arc is TRULY one of the most important ones in the series. It’s ALL ABOUT Ichigo as a character and what he stands for. His characterization is MOSTLY done in this arc. Which I feel like a lot of people miss.
I wouldn't describe him killing Tsukishima as a "murder in cold blood" if he actually went through with it, nor would I consider it against his established character to do so. He does tend to try and not kill, basically only trying to incapacitate his opponents so they're no longer a threat, which works because 1) most of his fights aren't really personal, like you said it's more of a sense of duty, and 2) if he is able to beat his opponent and they're no longer a threat, then there's no reason to kill them. In the Soul Society Arc the motivation was personal (Rukia being set up for execution), but that was moreso against the organization as a whole and he didn't have a personal grudge against any individual Shinigami (bar Byakuya, but still that was resolved without needing to kill him). Same with the Arrancar Arc- Orihime being kidnapped was personal, but he didn't have a personal grudge against any of the Arrancars other than Grimmjow (which was more of a rivalry than anything else) and Ulquiorra. Ulquiorra was directly responsible for kidnapping Orihime and being her keeper, and used that fact to taunt Ichigo. I fully believe that Ichigo was willing to kill Ulquiorra, though I think it more likely that he would have just been aiming to kill him during the fight rather than killing him after beating him when Ulquiorra was no longer a threat (if that were the case I think it likely he would have let him live). Though we never actually see how that would have played out since Zangetsu killed Ulquiorra and didn't give Ichigo a choice. I also think Ichigo wasn't upset that he killed Ulquiorra, but that he lost control of himself and his "inner hollow" was the one who did it. It seemed more like an honor thing to him rather than him feeling like a murderer. If he had that level if power while still having full control over himself then I don't think he would have held back and stopped himself from killing Ulquiorra. As for how all of this relates to Tsukishima, I think that even though Tsukishima wasn't actively, physically harming his family and friends, he was still messing with their minds, and even enjoyed making them suffer mentally by making them choose between him and Ichigo (another Fullbringer, I wanna say Ginjo, said that he's mentally broken people doing that before), so he is definitely still a threat to his loved ones' safety. While Tsukishima isn't actively physically fighting Ichigo (though we're shown that he definitely can), his powers lie in the mental manipulation, and so I think Ichigo attacking and killing him wouldn't be outright murder. I'd equate it to killing someone during a fight, with Ichigo fighting physically and Tsukishima fighting him using his family and friends against him (and likely physically as well, if Ichigo was able to attack him outright). He's essentially holding Ichigo's friends and family as hostages against him and I find killing him, whether in a fair fight or a sneak attack, to be completely justified. I also didn't think that Kubo was framing it as a bad thing (the video even brings up that in the end it was shown to be the right thing to do, which I don't find to be a contradiction since it's never really treated as a negative). Even if it's possible killing him won't end his control over others it's still the best course of action, and really the only one Ichigo has. Another thing to address- the whole Ichigo not communicating with his dad or Urahara is absolutely bad writing, and excusing it as "well we wouldn't get the story if he did" isn't valid. If the entire premise of your story relies on people behaving in a stupid and irrational way that doesn't make sense, then you need to rethink that and find a way for it to make sense. The bare minimum I'd expect is some sort of explanation like Ichigo doesn't really trust Urahara due to him placing Rukia at risk in the Soul Society Arc, not trusting his father because he kept his Shinigami status a secret for so long, and Isshin and Urahara not telling Ichigo about their plans because they didn't want to get his hopes up if things didn't work out. That isn't what happened, because it's never stated or implied within the story, there's just no reason given, but that would at least give us a reason and have some semblance of sense. Even then, though, that excuse is flimsy and doesn't make much sense. Ichigo really has no reason to distrust Isshin, has clearly shown to be trusting of Urahara and forgiven him for what happened in the past, and while Isshin and Urahara might not have wanted to tell Ichigo about what was going on just in case, there's no reason for Ichigo not to approach them and ask. If it was shown that he did and they were unwilling to tell him, thus causing the distrust, and then Tsukishima's abilities being revealed an adding another layer of distrust because they might have been compromised, then it actually would have been well-written and made sense. But as it's actually written within the manga it's really, really poor writing. I actually don't find Kubo to be a very good author. A lot of his story relies on things like Deus Ex Machina and asspulls, and it seems like every fight when a protagonist is about to lose someone else shows up in the nick of time to save them. There are some other issues like plot inconsistencies and poor reasoning/motivation behind actions (see the previous paragraph). The main reason I've read/watched Bleach was because of the interesting characters, fights, powers, and asthetics, but the writing is extremely flawed and I can recognize that while still enjoying the story.
This was probably the arc that had the most adult themes. It was a really good one. I do like this arc. It does seem different then all the other arcs. It really has some growth for Ichigo. I felt the same way you do. It does press Ichigo to a different limit then he did with Aizen. I also like when the captains and vice captains show up. It's a much more compact arc. I agree and like the fact that you said that it brought him down, and the he had to bring himself up. Felt more intimate. I mean imagine thinking you were the only sane person on the planet. That's how Ichigo must have felt. I still have a ways to go before I get back to that arc and watch it again. I am looking forward to doing so.
I love the Fullbring Arc, I was hooked the moment I watched it especially because of how deep it goes into ichigo and tears him down. It was moving and inspiring, and it was awesome seeing him regain his powers little by little and have to deal with adversity when he was nowhere near strong enough to fight. Love the arc, love the villains, nice.
