Noblesse Oblige.

As expected, Aizen merged from the smoke unharmed. It also seems he has completed his transformation: the whole body of Aizen is covered by a white Hougyoku armor. Aizen instantly shunpos in between Urahara and Isshin and says Urahara's powerful attack combo was not enough to defeat his new Hougyoku conquered self. Aizen proceeds to rip out the reiatsu seals from his wrists and mocks Urahara's attempt. Both Urahara and Isshin rush at Aizen but Aizen displays a surprisingly dextrous combination of movement that repels both attackers with ease. However, Urahara and Isshin had hid chains in their attack and now release the trap which binds Aizens limbs. Aizen calls this a mockery but is suddenly smacked into the ground with an attack from above. The attacker turns out to be Yoroichi; it seems she has finally decided to appear. Yoroichi is wearing armor-like equipment on her arms and legs. It is revealed that the equipment is anti-hierro weapon designed by Urahara. Yoroichi does not stop after one attack and punches the prone Aizen again, which had enough power to blow up the surrounding. Yoroichi relaxes but Urahara warns her to get out of the way. Suddenly a huge attack emerges from below and Yoroichi attempts to dodge. She is quick enough to escape without injury, but the equipment attached to her right leg got destroyed. Aizen emerges from the smoke created by his attack saying he will crush them into tiny remnants one by one. Aizen's chest is cracked deeply from Yoroichi's attack but he is unphased.

As the Hougyoku start to healing Aizen's injury, Aizen tells our heroes of Karakura town that their combined effort towards defeating him symbolizes their hope and spirit. Aizen intends to smash their spirit by proving nothing they do will work and then proceed to kill them. When he finishes talking, Aizen shunpos to Yoroichi and deals a damaging attack which blows up the area around them. As they resume their fighting, Ichigo watches on. Gin catches Ichigo's attention by suggesting they both sit down and enjoy the fight from the sidelines. Gin admits he didn't know of Aizen's plan to merge with the Hougyoku and that he did it while Gin wasn't looking. Nevertheless, now that Aizen has merged, Gin claims that Urahara and them are all going to die. Ichigo responds by questioning how Gin can be sure of his own safety from Aizen. Gin says he didn't expect a response like this because it makes like sound like Ichigo has already accepted defeat. Gin rebukes Ichigo for being weak and suddenly begins to attack him. Ichigo dodges the first attack but Gin immediately follows with an even stronger attack. In order to block it Ichigo is forced to finally don his Hollow mask. Gin's attack slices through the town, destroying all the buildings on the way. The commotion wakes up Kira and he notices that Matsumoto is gone. She is seen from afar running towards the battle to where Gin is.


Kira tries to chase after her but he collapses from fatigue. Apparently Kira managed to close up Matsumoto's severe wound above her hip to keep her from dying but Matsumoto is still in critical condition. The scene switches back to Ichigo and Gin and it appears Ichigo has already been defeated. Gin derides him for having such a brittle mask and no Hollowfication power. Gin tells Ichigo to run. Meanwhile,  the smoke clears from Aizen's attack and it is revealed Yoroichi managed to escape without injury once again but at the cost of the equipment on her right arm being destroyed. Urahara and Yoroichi banter some more and Aizen says this is all a ploy to distract him. He recognizes Urahara's intellect as the only one in Soul Society that is higher than his own. But despite this, it doesn't matter anymore because Aizen holds power many times greater than them meaning he cannot be defeated. Urahara responds by sending a Hadou flying at Aizen's face. This is meant as a distraction so Yoroichi can get in close and land another hit. However, Aizen saw through this immediately and effortlessly blocks Yoroichi's attack. Yoroichi sends another punch powered with Senkou and the attack smashes through Aizen's defense and proceeds to crack his outer shell again. Yoroichi tries to followup with another attack but Aizen blocks her while reiterating how they cannot defeat him. Urahara comes from behind and ensnares Aizen with his zanpakutou Behime's ability. Aizen states he cannot be binder with such a skill and Urahara stabs his zanpakutou into the web his ability created. This lights a fuse which engulfs Aizen in a enormous fiery explosion. Aizen emerges barely wounded and he calls their efforts comical. Before he can finish speaking, Isshin appears behind him and deals a point blank Getsuga Tenshou reminiscent of Ichigo's attack on Aizen a while ago.

Thoughts:
1. Why is Ichigo so weak? I don't even know how to explain this anymore.

2. Isshin was able to do Getsuga Tenshou, which means his zanpakutou is Tensa Zangetsu? I don't know how two people can have the same zanpakutou because in the Bleach movie Diamond Dust Rebellion, Hitsugaya's friend was persecuted for also having Hyourinmaru. I guess this can be explained by saying either the movie is non canon (independent of manga) or by the fact Isshin isn't part of Soul Society so he isn't under their jurisdiction. I guess another explanation would be that Ichigo got his zanpakutou way after Isshin did so in Soul Society's eyes there was no overlap. Either way, I wasn't happy with this revelation at first because Tensa Zangetsu is a pretty boring zanpakutou. But then I realized maybe Ichigo just sucks and Isshin can show us how it is really used. Also, Isshin actually has control over Zangetsu as he is shown to be able to keep it in it's sealed form.  Not only that, he managed to release a Getsuga Tenshou without releasing his zanpakutou.

3. Finally, I really enjoy the Karakura heroes' attack combos because they are actually smart and well thought out. I haven't seen strategy in a long time probably because Ichigo doesn't have a concept of what it is. All we see is strong people pwning weak people until the weak people get a power up and become the strong person thus proceeding to pwn the strong person that is now deemed as weak. Here, Urahara and them are clearly the underdogs, yet they are using strategy to fight on par with Aizen.

*this whole post was typed with an iPad =p

Labels: Bleach, Manga

The island that Naruto and company (Yamato, Gai, and another Jounin) arrived at is protected by a barrier that will alert them if enemies approach. Furthermore, the physical characteristics of the island is repelling as it is composed of humongous spikes. Finally, the inhabitants of the island are enormous beasts like the squid, gorillas, or pandas. Needless to say, Kirabi has tamed them all or became their friends - fist pump the gorilla. The dimwitted Naruto didn't realize that Kirabi was the Hachibi until Motoi told him so - I mean what else could be an oxtopus (ox + octopus =p). After learning of this, Naruto immediately goes to Kirabi to learn about how to control his inner Bijuu. However, Kirabi is only interested in rap rhymes and fist pumps, and he ended up shrugging Naruto off after Naruto tried to tempt him with Harem no Jutsu. Naruto goes to Motoi for help and Motoi brings him to the Waterfall of Truth. When Naruto meditates in the Waterfall of Truth, his true inner self appears before him. It turns out his inner self is liked by the Kyubi because he embodies all the hidden hatred within Naruto's heart. Dark Naruto attacks Naruto but they are evenly matched in skill and technique. Due to a stalemate, Naruto exits his inner world and converses with Yamato and Motoi about what happened. Motoi says Naruto will not be able to control the Kyubi if he doesn't defeat his inner self. Naruto asks him to tell about how Kirabi managed to conquer his inner self because that might give him some hints on how to defeat Dark Naruto. Motoi explains that Kirabi was treated the same way as Naruto was treated for being a Jinchuuriki, but it never got him depressed or anything because he was trying to be a good host for his brother, the current Raikage. Motoi states that Kirabi is pretty much a village hero and he holds tremendous respect towards Kirabi. Because of this, Yamato and Naruto ask Motoi to appeal to Kirabi in their place to help with the training, but Motoi reveals that he can't do that because he had previously tried to assassinate Kirabi.

Motoi flashback to a time when the Hachibi did not have a compatible host, causing the village to constantly try to keep it under their control. Due to the previous Raikage's and Kirabi's brother's power they were able to do so, but always at the cost of many casualties. The wild Hachibi killed many villagers in its rampages and one of them was Motoi's father. Thus, Motoi developed a grudge towards the Hachibi. The Jinchuuriki at the time who lost control and killed Motoi's father died when the Kumogakure extracted the Bijuu from him. As a result, Motoi now had nowhere to displace his anger. However, when his close friend Kirabi willingly accepted the role as the next Jinchuuriki, Motoi attempted to kill him because he thought Kirabi would not be able to control the Hachibi as well. Not only did Motoi fail the assassination, but Kirabi also proved him wrong by besting the Hachibi. Thus, Motoi became too ashamed to speak to Kirabi again. Yamato asks why did he tell them all this and Motoi admitted he was trying to apologize by telling this to another Jinchuuriki because he couldn't say it to Kirabi's face. Naruto got upset that he was being used so he left to go ponder on a spike overlooking the sea. He thinks back to his own difficult childhood and also Gaara's and empathizes with what Kirabi went through. It turns out Yamato and Motoi ran after Naruto but got delayed because they were attacked by the giant squid. The squid appears before Naruto with Motoi in its grasp and Naruto immediately confuses it with the Hachibi again. Yamato set him straight and they both begin to attack the squid. However, Kirabi appears in Hachibi form and knocks the squid unconscious in one punch. Motoi asks him why did he save him and Kirabi turns a blind eye to their past and offers him a fist pump.


Now that their one-sided conflict has been resolved, Kirabi accepts Naruto because he tried to save his friend. Naruto reciprocates with many lines of rap yo dattebayo. Kirabi fist pumps him and tells Naruto he is ready for the Waterfall of Truth again. Thus, Naruto enters his inner world and confronts Dark Naruto again. Dark Naruto tells Naruto he has suffered because of the villagers yet now Naruto is accepting their change of heart due to Naruto saving the village. However, Naruto says he must have faith in himself because other people believe in him, and also Kirabi never let any of this affect him. This starts to weaken the Dark Naruto and makes him attack Naruto, while asking what's the reason of his existence. Naruto says they are actually one and thanks him for everything. Naruto intercepts Dark Naruto's attack with a hug and tells him it's going to be alright. Letting go of his own anger at their past, Dark Naruto's eyes lighten and disappears into Naruto. Naruto emerge from the inner world with a smile and Kirabi tells him they are ready for the next step. They both walk through the waterfall - with Yamato following - and steps into a humongous room where Naruto will fight the Kyubi.


On another note, eff OneManga. It's being slow with releases and suspended a bunch of other mangas I am following.

Labels: Manga, Naruto

As Isshin continues to fight Aizen, Ichigo and Gin exchange words. Gin says its being a while since they fought, but Ichigo says he doesn't remember it. He explains that everyone who he has fought with conveyed their minds through the battle; however, Gin was different in that he didn't even look at him despite the fact they were fighting. Ichigo wonders what he was looking at instead and Gin responds he is a creepy kid. Gin next raises his reiatsu and asks Ichigo if he knew how long Shinsou can stretch - 100 sword lengths (approx 100 meters). Next he tells Ichigo to guess how long his Bankai is. Ichigo says he doesn't care, but Gin surprises him by revealing the sword can stretch 13km. Gin claims its hard to grasp how long that distance is, so he intends to show Ichigo by releasing his Bankai, Kamishini no Yari. The release of his sword immediately cuts down every building in sight horizontally and Gin follows through by swinging the sword at Ichigo. The attack pushes Ichigo back tremendously but he manages to block it and stop the momentum. Gin seemed surprised but Ichigo says its not uncommon for one Bankai to block another. Since Gin's sword is halted, Ichigo immediately unleashes a Getsuga at Gin. This attack made contact but Gin emerges with only a light wound. Gin responds that Ichigo is a creepy kid to have stopped his Bankai and he will fight Ichigo the old fashioned way to take care of him. Gin retracts his Bankai and Ichigo notices how fast he did it. Gin uses Shunpo and his unreleased sword to attack Ichigo relentlessly, while Ichigo tries to make sense of Gin's sword. Ichigo realized Gin's sword's power and that he's done for if Gin manages to point the tip of his sword at Ichigo. Just at the moment of this revelation, Gin Shunpos away and shoots out his Bankai, which instantly pierces Ichigo's shoulder. Gin follows with a vertical slash to which Ichigo manages to evade. The missed attack impacts with the ground and destroys the whole section where Ichigo was standing. While the debris was still flying in midair, Ichigo rushes Gin to close the distance. However, Gin had retracted his sword to counter Ichigo's assault and then distances himself again. Ichigo tells Gin he figured out Gin's sword's ability - it's not in the length, but rather how fast Gin can stretch his sword. The whole spiel making Ichigo guess the length of the sword was an attempt to distract him from its true power. Gin ascertains him and further demonstrates that his Bankai can contract at 500x the speed of sound. Considering its maximum distance of 13km, Gin can technically hit anything in a 13km radius in less than 80ms [(13 000 m) / (speed of sound x 500) = 76.4054189 milliseconds]. Gin says he told Ichigo this because Ichigo doesn't stand a chance in hell.

Meanwhile, Isshin is overtaking Aizen in their fight and he says that Aizen is at his limits. Aizen agrees that he is at his limit, but only for his shinigami self. Aizen claims that the Hougyoku has its own will and that will is now finally accepting Aizen's will (meaning they are merging). Isshin remains in the dark so Aizen explains that the Hougyoku's power is not the blurring of the line between Shinigami and Hollows. Instead, its true power is to read the minds of those around it and make manifest what it finds there. Aizen explains the reason why Urahara misidentified the Hougyoku's power as manipulating the boundary between Hollow and Shinigami is because that was his wish as its creator; the reason that Rukia transferred all her spiritual power to Ichigo and then lost her powers as a Shinigami was because she hadn't been given any relief from the pain of killing Kaien; the reason Sado and Inoue had their unique powers brought forth was because they detested their own powerlessness. Furthermore, Aizen elaborates that the Hougyoku doesn't completely work unless the subjects inherently possess the power to fulfill their desire. Their conversation is interrupted by Gin's attack sending Ichigo flying past them into a building. Gin apologizes for the interruption but Aizen says they are finishing up. As he said this, the Hougyoku envelopes more of his body, which indicates the speeding up of the transformation. Suddenly, Aizen gets shot through his shoulder: Urahara finally makes his appearance. Urahara notes the progress of the transformation, and Aizen says that he is mastering the Hougyoku that Urahara couldn't himself. Aizen Shunpos to Urahara and stabs him but Urahara's "body" pops. It turns out this was the inflatable substitute Gigai Urahara used on Yammy. Urahara appears behind Aizen and binds him with Bakudou 61 Six Rods Light Prison, Bakudou 63 Sajyou Sabaku, and Bakudou 73 Kuyou Shibari. Urahara finishes the combo with Hadou 91 Thousand Hands Bright Sky Cannon. Even though Aizen notes the danger of the level 91 Kidou, he does not dodge. Aizen emerges from the smoke unharmed and surprise attacks Urahara from behind; Urahara escapes with a shoulder injury. Urahara says Aizen's carelessness isn't like his old self anymore and Aizen explains this is because he is so strong he doesn't need to be. Urahara clarifies his statements meaning that the old Aizen would not let him try attacks one after another. As he says this, Aizen's hands become bound with reiatsu handcuffs. Urahara explains it is a seal that seals the flow of reiatsu out of one's palms so the victim would be blasted by his own reiatsu. Aizen proceeds to be enveloped by an explosion of light.

Thoughts on~
Gin: The revelation of Gin's abilities did not disappoint but did not impress. Considering Gin's Bankai, it is not very creative as it is just an extension of his Shikai (faster speed and longer length). However, it is very strong. Essentially, the speed and distance of his attacks make him the perfect sniper. If you are standing 13km away, you will have less than 80ms to dodge one of Gin's attacks. The problem here is whether Gin himself can even see his targets this far away (and his eyes being closed all the time doesn't help =P). Nevertheless, I was very satisfied with the spur of some great action pictures and poses for Gin form these chapters.

Aizen: I am very displeased with how Aizen is turning out. First considering his appearance, he is ugly and boring as hell. Aizen looks like a cross between Rudobon (leader of Exequias) and Tosen's Hollowfication form. Hopefully Aizen was right in saying mid-transformation is always ugly and what we see now is not a good representation of his final form. Next, considering his strength, Aizen became weak like a noob. Not more than a few chapters ago, Gin exclaimed on Aizen's insane strength and Aizen proved it by pwning all the captains with little effort and breaking their most powerful combined attacks and Bankais (and this was only with his Shikai). But ever since his bout with Yamamoto, Aizen has fallen from his pedestal of seemingly invincibility. For 390 chapters, Aizen never had more than a scratch on him. Even Yamamoto, who is the strongest Shinigami in 1000 years, only managed to burn his clothing and dirty his face with a self sacrificial high leveled Kidou. Then out of nowhere, Ichigo comes and somehow wounds Aizen with an unmasked Getsuga (remember even Ulquiorra could block this barehandedly). Then immediately after this, some minor comic relief character we haven't seen much of (no offense Isshin) comes in and start beating the crap out of Aizen with just his Zanpakutou - no release or Kidou. I demand the back story on Isshin soon or else I will stop believing in anything logical anymore. Either way, assuming Isshin was more powerful than all the Gotei 13 and Visoreds combined (seeing how all them barely injured Aizen), why doesn't Aizen reveal his true power and release his Bankai. Instead, he relies on the merged Hougyoku to heal him while he tells the enemy all about his plans. Urahara did the right thing and took this opportunity to wail on Aizen with high level attacks. Anyways my point is Aizen seems to have gotten weaker, which might be explained by the fact he is in mid-transformation and his abilities are limited. I don't buy any of this, hopefully we will get our explanations soon.

Urahara:
One word: epic.

Labels: Bleach, Manga