Bleach TYBW Overlooks Key Visored Character in Obvious Storyline

Within the narrative of Bleach’s Thousand-Year Blood War, the Quincy exploited a significant weakness of the Shinigami by robbing them of their ultimate weapon—the Bankai. This strategic maneuver was executed by the Sternritter of the Quincy’s Wandenreich army, who utilized specialized medallions to appropriate the Bankai from multiple captains of the Gotei 13, enabling them to wield these powerful abilities for their own advantage.

Fortunately, Kisuke Urahara, a former captain of the 12th Division and ex-president of the Shinigami Research and Development Institute, devised an ingenious solution. He invented the Shin’eiyaku pills, a revolutionary drug that induces a temporary “Hollowfication”of a Bankai. This transformation renders the stolen powers toxic to the Quincy, as they are vulnerable to Hollow-type Reiatsu.

Missed Opportunities for the Visored in the Stolen Bankai Arc

The Quincy’s Strategic Advantage and the Shinigami’s Response

The Shin'eiyaku pills (Image via Studio Pierrot) — The Shin’eiyaku pills (Image via Studio Pierrot)

The Sternritter leveraged their medallions not only to steal Bankai but also to utilize them, provided they had sufficient prowess to control the formidable powers. However, it is important to note that the stolen Bankai could only be harnessed at a fraction of the original user’s strength unless the Quincy trained extensively to master it.

Had it not been for Kisuke Urahara’s clever intervention, the situation could have spiraled out of control for the Shinigami. Urahara’s keen observation noted the Quincy’s inherent susceptibility to Hollow-type Reiatsu, which presented a perfect counter to the thefts facilitated by the medallions. He realized that while the Quincy’s medallions could capture Bankai, they were powerless against the Arrancar’s Resurrección—akin to the Shinigami’s Bankai.

Concocting the Shin’eiyaku pills, Urahara infused them with Hollow Reiatsu to ensure that when a Shinigami consumed the pill, their Bankai would Hollowfy, thus becoming fatal to any Quincy attempting to possess it and poisons their body before returning to its rightful owner.

The Underwhelming Presence of the Visored

The Visored during the battle in Fake Karakura Town (Image via Studio Pierrot)

The Visored—a unique group of Gotei 13 captains and lieutenants who inadvertently gained Hollow powers through Sosuke Aizen’s nefarious experiments—were unjustly labeled as traitors and fled the Soul Society following a death sentence for their supposed transgressions. Despite being innocent victims of circumstance, their fate was intertwined with their perilous powers that violated the fundamental laws governing Shinigami.

Saved by Urahara, the Visored sought refuge in the Human World, ultimately aligning with Ichigo Kurosaki to reclaim control over their unruly Hollow abilities, culminating in their participation in the battle at Fake Karakura Town to exact revenge on Aizen.

While they triumphed in the end, their efforts resulted in a bittersweet outcome. Following Aizen’s defeat, some Visored rejoined the Gotei 13. By mastering their Hollow powers, which manifest as masks, they gained significant boosts to their strength, speed, and Reiatsu. Yet, they primarily demonstrated the ability to combine their masks with Shikai rather than Bankai.

Interestingly, Tite Kubo, the creator of Bleach, indicated that the Visored could potentially combine their Hollow masks with their Bankai. In light of this, it would have been strategic to utilize the Visored—being Shinigami with Hollow powers—against the Quincy, given the Quincy’s acute vulnerability to Hollow-like abilities.

The incongruence between their potential and their actual involvement in the conflict was glaring. The focus on Urahara’s ingenuity and Hitsugaya’s personal vendetta against his Quincy adversary overshadowed the Visored, who desperately needed a moment to step into the limelight. Despite the numerous adjustments in the anime adaptation, this subplot remained stagnant, which was notably dissatisfying given the Visored’s unique capabilities.

Critique of the Stolen Bankai Storyline

Cang Du's attempt to use Hitsugaya's Bankai (Image via Studio Pierrot) — Cang Du’s attempt to use Hitsugaya’s Bankai (Image via Studio Pierrot)

The execution of the stolen Bankai storyline ultimately fell flat, particularly since the Sternritter rarely maximized their use of the stolen powers. This narrative arc devolved, summing up to a personal conflict between Hitsugaya and Cang Du rather than broadening the scope of warfare between the Shinigami and Quincy factions.

A Shinigami devoid of his Bankai is inherently at a disadvantage, which would have paved the way for innovative battles emphasizing skills beyond Bankai, such as Shikai, Kido, and Hakuda techniques. There were slight instances where this was illustrated, such as Hitsugaya and Matsumoto’s combined Shikai and Soifon enhancing her Shunko, but they were marginal compared to the overall scope of the series.

Ultimately, this subplot emerged as one of the less engaging elements of the Bleach TYBW arc, missing an opportunity to intricately weave the Visored into a critical narrative point where their unique strengths could have significantly impacted the outcome against the Quincy’s tactics.

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