Bleach Chapter 543 "Letters" Review
There's a looooooooot to talk about this week, Kubo sure did deliver on his birthday.
He's been doing me justice lately, this is the second time we end the previous chapter on a cliffhanger, yet the chapter following stays on it!
I think that's great, especially since i've been dying to see more Vandenreich since the invasion which was about 30 chapters ago...
So Bach's news was that Uryu will be his successor. Unexpected and pretty cool for several reasons.
Well first, you can simultaneously see all the butthurt from his Sternritter, As Nodt's face is my personal favorite. And Oh Yeah, Nanana and As Nodt are still alive after Yamamoto burnt em up. Don't think that should be a surprise as Bazz-B was shown alive only moments after that chapter and Yama is infamous for taking pity on his enemies.
Interestingly, Bach says Uryuu is the only Quincy survivor in the modern world. That could mean a lot of things.
There's like 0% chance Bach is unaware of Ryuken's existence, so is he just ignoring him, or purposely appearing ignorant? This all leads to theories of whether or not Bach is just using Uryuu, which gets more evidence later in the chapter.
Second, this implies the Sternritter are not actually Quincy. Now its already obvious some of these guys are just "Quincified" Arrancar, but maybe it goes even further than that? Are these "dead" Quincy from 1000 years ago like Bach is? That would explain the "in this world" part.
Also does this mean Bach doesn't really deem Ichigo a Quincy despite the fact he can access "pure blooded" Quincy techniques? Questions Questions...
A nice panel to introduce some of the Sternritter that weren't named from the initial invasion. These are some of the most creative/weirdest names i've ever seen. It might seem a bit fast paced to some to introduce so many Sternritter at once, but you gotta remember there are 26 of these fuckers that have to be introduced before another invasion or the actual fighting begins.
I could've sworn Mask would've been "W' for wrestler and i thought Bazz-B would've been higher up, but this all fits. Bazz-B getting all heated up against Bach makes him the Quincy version of Grimmjow to me.
AND ER MAH GERD A PROPER INTRODUCTION FOR HASCHWALTH.
I've been like the biggest Haschwalth fanboy for a while. His design, the way he presents himself and the way he broke Ichigo's bankai without lifting a finger was all amazing. I was convinced he was going to be "A" but OH WELL THIS IS GREAT. Jugram "Jugo" Haschwalth is a cool fucking name and i am on board the hype train for this guy.
Looks like the rest of the Sternritter have a lot of respect for him, and this is part which raises my suspicious even more. The Sternritter "D" guy fully believes and even calls him the Next King...
That and the fact Haschwalth is so silent and nonchalant about the whole Uryuu situation makes me believe Bach is simply leading Uryuu on into a false sense of security.
Speaking of Mr.D, he has the same portal/dimension abilities that Hiyori saw in the beginning of the arc in Karukura Town.
Also we got a tiny glimpse of another Sternritter who has cameras scattered throughout the palace for spying. Quincy Mayuri much.
This is probably the same guy who destroyed the 12th division during the invasion ironically. He had the same laugh and kind of attitude as i would imagine.
So we cut back to Bach who decides to awaken Uryuu's full potential in his blood, and gives him his manuscript letter "A". So looks like Bach was the original Sternritter "A" and is now giving that position to Uryuu? So that raises the question what will Bach do for the Vandenreich now, other than the obvious evil emperor stuff?
This is such a throwback to the Soul Society Arc, Uryuu was actually the strongest amongst Ichigo's group back then. After he fell from grace during the Arrancar Saga, i still kept my hopes for him having a triumphant return even when others spat on his very being, and now i get to have that glorious return. Tis a good day.
I acknowledge that Uryuu is smart and all, but i don't believe he is going to outwit Bach ( that is considering he has an alternate motive ) who is a 1000 year old Quincy God, so if Bach is really manipulating Uryuu here, he's going to win in the end. Don't forget that even though Uryuu is uber mega powerful now, Bach can simply take back the powers at any given time.
There are a lot of more questions to be asked, but overall i thought the chapter was really entertaining and seeing more of the Vandenreich is never a bad thing. Also Uryuu vs Ichigo is happening indefinitely now. Get Hype.
Pros:
Uryu is top tier fuck ye.
A better look at hierarchy and characters within the confines of the Vandenreich.
CALL ME BIASED BUT HASCHWALTH IS RIDICULOUSLY ENTERTAINING TO WATCH.
The Sternritter are all designed and created well...or so it seems so far.
Cons:
The Uryuu power-up is great and all, but making him supposedly as strong as Bach might be overkill, even for Kubo. Not to mention it kind of sucks that he isn't even working/training for this power boost, at least it doesn't seem so. But to be fair, it technically is his own power?????? I'm gonna stop talking now.
Final Verdict 8/10 Great
The A Stands for Aizen.
~ Genie