Bleach: Arrancar: The Arrival Arc

“If they show even a glimmer of spiritual pressure, kill them!” Grimmjow Jeagerjaquez

At last.

The Bount filler is over and done with and Bleach picks up where it left off at the end of Season 3, as Ichigo Kurasaki and co return to high school in Karakura Town. And, boy, does it make up for lost time! A highly suspicious new transfer student, Shinji Hirako, introduces himself to the class. Later, he corners Ichigo and reveals that he is a Visored: a Soul Reaper who can wield Hollow powers when putting on a Hollow mask. He has come to tell Ichigo that he is a Visored too. “You’re already on our side.” Ichigo, of course, violently rejects the information – but we see that he’s in denial; his demonic inner Hollow is beginning to make ‘his’ presence felt, tormenting Ichigo with threats to possess him completely. Ichigo finds that – just when he needs his powers to defend his friends – his reluctance to let the Hollow out paralyzes him, with disastrous results.

Ichigo, injured, falls into a deep depression – and then more new students show up at his school. A specially chosen group of Soul Reapers has been sent to investigate the two Hollow-like intruders, Yammy and Ulquiorra, who have already wreaked such havoc in the town. So now we get to see Rangiku and Renji in high school uniform (didn’t we all wish for such a distraction to a dull afternoon of lessons?) Add a highly embarrassed Captain Hitsugaya, the inseparable Ikkaku and Yumichika, and fan service galore ensues, Rangiku making the best of her not inconsiderable assets in a very skimpy outfit. And Rukia. Rukia is back, much to Kon’s delight – but maybe not Ichigo’s, as she merrily blags her way into his home.

Hitsugaya brings unsettling news. The intruders are Arrancars, created by the treacherous Aizen, who has used the powers of the Hogyoku to shatter the boundary between Soul Reapers and Hollows. The two visitors may even be Vasto Lordes, rumoured to be more powerful than the Soul Reaper Captains. The truth is that none of them know precisely what they’re up against, and while the Soul Reapers are adjusting to the world of the living, the emphasis shifts to the traitor Aizen. Having assembled a formidable team of Arrancars, Aizen questions Ulquiorra about their mission. Ulquiorra reveals that he has not destroyed Ichigo because “he might become useful to us in the future.”

And so the first of Aizen’s Arrancars set out for Karakura to wreak more havoc…

These episodes are not all about the high schoolers and the Arrancars, however; a couple of fathers make unexpected and significant appearances early on, with implications, as yet unexplored, for two of the main team.

In Season 6 Bleach is back in the groove, doing what it does best: a blend of crazy humour (with suitably cartoon-style artwork) alternating with high drama, no-holds-barred duelling action. There’s something irresistibly compelling about the crazed, devil-may-care smiles that mangaka Tite Kubo gives some of his wilder characters and Grimmjow Jeagerjaques, the arrogant, blue-haired, blue-eyed Arrancar warrior makes a worthy addition to the Kubo rogues’ gallery.

Although I have to confess that I felt a slight sinking of the spirit when the Arrancars appeared in Karakura Town, anticipating the inevitable beat-em-up by numbers confrontation that is the default setting for so many shonen series. But an unexpected surprise ensues in #119 which centres on Ikkaku Madarame and his death match against the formidable Arrancar Edorad. Flashbacks to Ikkaku’s past could so easily have degenerated into ‘yet more of the same’ but provide a surprisingly revealing and gripping episode in which we learn how Ikkaku and Yumichika first encountered Kenpachi Zaraki.

Music-wise, ‘Rolling star’ by YUI carries over from the last set for the Opening and the more gentle ‘Sakura Biyori’ by Mai Hoshimura is the new Ending Song, with some attractive, wistful animation featuring… drifting cherry blossom petals! Much of Shiro Sagisa’s soundtrack will be familiar, if you’ve been following this series longtime, although some Spanish-style guitar music occasionally accompanies the Arrancars.

In Summary
Bleach is back at its rampaging, swashbuckling best – for the most part. And if you’re a fan of the Soul Society, you’ll have fun watching the Soul Reapers’ appearance as some of the most unconventional high schoolers ever.