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Bleach Thousand-Year Blood War part 3 is one of the most-awaited anime series in 2024, and for good reason since it is going to focus on the climax of author Tite Kubo's most popular story. This cour is set to cover a lot of major plot points in the final arcs, which suffered in the manga since Kubo had to be rushed for a combination of editorial and health reasons.
Therefore, there are a lot of fans with a lot of expectations for Bleach Thousand-Year Blood War part 3 to fix the most prominent mistakes of the manga, which is even more hopeful because Kubo himself has been adding modifications to the anime adaptation of this final arc, and the results have been very positive. Of course, this doesn't mean that everything is going to be perfect, which is why here are, in no particular order, five ways this cour could fail and five more that could make it a huge success.
Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers for the Bleach Thousand-Year Blood War part 3 and the series as a whole. Any opinion expressed here belongs to the author and not Sportskeeda.
5 ways Bleach Thousand-Year Blood War part 3 could go wrong
1) Not setting up the Silver Arrowhead
If there is an element that Bleach Thousand-Year Blood War part 3 cannot ignore or leave as it was in the manga, that is the way the Silver Arrowhead was set up in the story. Most fans of the series have been very critical of how that tool showed up in the final moments of the story and was instrumental in Yhwach's defeat, making it feel like a massive deus ex machina.
As mentioned earlier, Kubo was heavily rushed in the final portion of the manga for several reasons, and some plot points were not developed as well as he could, with the Silver Arrowhead being the most important since it led to the main villain's downfall. This is also very connected to the character of Ryuken Ishida, Uryu's father, who spent years doing research to discover a way to destroy Yhwach.
The idea of Ryuken creating a weapon to defeat the man who took the life of his wife and also the life of Ichigo Kurosaki's mother, Masaki, is very good and connects to the "Everything But The Rain" flashback earlier in the arc. However, the concept of the Silver Arrowhead needs a bit more focus and development, which leads to more attention to Ryuken and even Ichigo's father, Isshin, who spends most of the arc with the Quincy doctor.
2) Not developing the Jugram and Bazz-B suplot
Bleach Thousand-Year Blood War part 3, as mentioned earlier, is very likely to cover the climax of the final arc, and this includes concluding most of the Quincy army's role in the story. In that regard, if there is a subplot that needs to be developed, it is that of Jugram Haschwalt and Bazz-B.
Most of the Quincy army had interesting designs and abilities, which is fitting of Kubo's writing, but were lacking a sense of individuality that other groups in the series had. Jugram and Bazz-B were the exceptions, though, with them being shown as childhood friends and growing apart as the former was chosen to be Yhwach's right-hand man while the latter wanted to take the life of the Quincy leader.
It was an interesting conflict, and they are two of the most developed characters among the antagonists of this arc, although that doesn't mean that their resolution wasn't rushed in the manga. Therefore, it needs to be avoided yet again so fans can see the best version of this storyline.
3) Not giving Uryu Ishida more time on the spotlight
Uryu Ishida, on paper, should have a very prominent role to play in Bleach Thousand-Year Blood War part 3, especially at the beginning since the previous cour ended in the middle of his battle with Senjumaru. Considering that battle is one of the additions to the anime adaptation, including the element of Senjumaru's Bankai, Studio Pierrot should not fumble at this particular moment.
Beyond that, considering that this is an arc focusing on the Quincy, it makes sense that the most prominent member of that race in the series should be given a lot more attention and development. Uryu's role in the arc is not very prominent in the manga, and the anime has already added new scenes involving him, but this cour should be very central to him.
Bleach Thousand-Year Blood War part 3 is very likely to be the moment where Uryu reveals his true intentions to the Quincy army and is also likely to show possible clashes with both Ichigo Kurosaki and Jugram Haschwalt, albeit for different reasons. Therefore, this cour needs to give the character the focus and attention he deserves.
4) Not changing the way Gerard Valkyrie is defeated
This might be hard to believe for people who haven't read the Bleach manga, but Gerard Valkyrie, a member of Yhwach's elite Quincy guard, the Schutzstaffel, is one of the most controversial antagonists in the series. Not because of his personality or anything along those lines, but rather by the way he was defeated, which can be considered a cop-out by Kubo in the final portion of the manga.
Gerard Valkyrie happens to be the heart of the Soul King, the creator of the three worlds in the series, and he wields The Miracle, which is an ability that allows him to make unlikely events take place. This is shown in full force during his battle with Zaraki Kenpachi, Byakuya Kuchiki, and Toshiro Hitsugaya, where they managed to kill the member of the Schutzstaffel time and time again, only for the latter to come back to life because of a "miracle."
It is worth pointing out that this is a powered Byakuya after healing with the Zero Division, Hitsugaya using his Bankai in his adult form, and Zaraki using his own Bankai for the first time. These three powerful Shinigami couldn't defeat Valkyrie, and the latter ultimately died because Yhwach absorbed him, which felt like a copout by Kubo as he couldn't find a way for the protagonists to defeat Gerard.
5) Not giving Rukia a greater role
If Bleach Thousand-Year Blood War part 3 is going to remain loyal to the manga, Rukia Kuchiki is one of the characters who gets one of the worst deals in the coming episodes, at least proportional to her role throughout the series. And considering how she was instrumental during large portions of Bleach and how much of a fan-favorite she is, it would be a disservice.
Rukia's first-ever Bankai display against As Nodt was one of the best moments of the arc and the character's crowning achievement, but she doesn't do much in the story after that. Her role is sadlydiminished,d and it would be a disservice to the plot that she remains sidelined during the majority of Bleach Thousand-Year Blood War part 3.
It is difficult to see how Rukia could get more involved in Bleach Thousand-Year Blood War part 3, but that also depends on how much Kubo is willing to change in the final portion of the story. But considering her role as a member of the main cast—the reason Ichigo's journey started—it would be a bad decision to leave her sidelined.
5 ways Bleach Thousand-Year Blood War part 3 could be generational
1) More lore of Yhwach and the Soul King
Bleach Thousand-Year Blood War part 3 has the opportunity to double down on what the previous cour did in regards to Yhwach's character and the lore involving the Soul King, which are strongly connected. Most fans of the series agree that the flashback involving Ichibe Hyosube and Yhwach, showing more details of the mutilation of the Soul King and the Quincy leader's motivations, improved the arc drastically, so it makes sense to add more of that.
It would make a lot of sense for Bleach Thousand-Year Blood War part 3 to add more details regarding how the Soul King was betrayed, the reasons behind said betrayal, and how that shaped the character of Yhwach in terms of his revenge against the Shinigami. Some of the series' novels, approved by Kubo, have added more details of the event known as the Original Sin, which is something that could be quite interesting to see in this upcoming cour.
2) More Aizen
Aizen is by far the most popular character in the franchise and could be the winning card of Bleach Thousand-Year Blood War part 3 because of the level of entertainment and charisma he brings to the table. Most manga readers already know that he decided to help the Shinigami against Yhwach, which showed a degree of character development, but it also makes a lot of sense that fans would want to see more of that.
Considering that this project is going to have a fourth cour, it might be too soon to ask Bleach Thousand-Year Blood War part 3 to show Aizen's Bankai, but it would definitely be interesting to see more of his reasoning to aid the Shinigami in this conflict. Furthermore, understanding more of Aizen's disdain for the Soul King and how he was mutilated could be a very fascinating insight into his mindset.
3) More of the Hollow trio
The Hollows were some of the main antagonists during the vast majority of the series but were also massively sidelined during the final arc. This is particularly noticeable when Grimmjow and Nelliel, two of the surviving Espada, show up to help Ichigo and the rest fight the Quincy and have very minor roles, which, hopefully, Bleach Thousand-Year Blood War part 3 can remedy.
Another character who needs a much more prominent role is Tier Harribel, who was the third Espada in the Arrancar and went on to become the ruler of Hueco Mundo after Aizen's defeat. She was defeated and kidnapped by the Quincy earlier in the final arc and Grimmjow and Nelliel wanted to rescue her, which happened offscreen in the manga, so another element that Bleach Thousand-Year Blood War part 3 needs to address is Harribel's whereabouts.
Grimmjow is one of the most popular characters in the series and one of Ichigo's biggest rivals; Nel became close friends with the main cast; and Harribel, as mentioned earlier, became the ruler of an entire world that was invaded by the Quincy. It would make sense for them to have a much more prominent role.
4) More Bankai
There is no denying that Bankai is one of the most popular elements of the series, and Bleach Thousand-Year Blood War part 3 can definitely capitalize on that, especially if the people at Studio Pierrot and Kubo himself want to generate a lot of hype all over the world. And as mentioned earlier, it might be too soon to see Aizen's Bankai since his battle with Yhwach is likely to happen in the fourth cour, there are other options on the table.
Isshin Kurosaki has always been established to be a very powerful Shinigami in his own right, so it would be interesting to see his Bankai. Jushiro Ukitake, despite being fairly liked by the fandom and being one of Yamamoto's apprentices, never had the chance to show his Bankai because of his health condition, so it would be interesting to see if the anime is going to address that topic.
Furthermore, Yoruichi Shihouin's Zanpakuto has not even been shown in the series, and considering her popularity, that could be an interesting direction to take. But if Ichigo and Orihime's battle with Yhwach is shown in this cour, then showing the full extent of the protagonist's true Bankai, only for Yhwach to reverse the effects with the Almighty, could be a major winning card for Bleach Thousand-Year Blood War part 3.
5) Ichibe's plans to sacrifice Ichigo
A major difference from the manga, which is something that Bleach Thousand-Year Blood War part 3 could capitalize on, is the fact that Ichigo is now aware of the Original Sin and the mutilation of the Soul King. He never realized the truth of what happened to the creator of the three worlds and Yhwach's motivation to destroy Soul Society, which is something that could be an interesting direction for Ichigo and his characterization in this arc.
It is also worth pointing out that Ichibe was grooming Ichigo to become a replacement for the Soul King since he is human, Hollow, Fullbringer, Shinigami, and Quincy. Therefore, the third cour could explore this situation, which was revealed in the novels, and add more tension to the conflict in hand for the protagonist.
Final thoughts
Bleach Thousand-Year Blood War part 3 is going to be very important to determine if this series is going to have a very positive conclusion in the anime or not. This is the point of the arc where a lot of people felt that Kubo began to rush the plot and some points fell apart, so here is hoping that the anime can improve the source material and fix the mistakes.
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