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Bleach TYBW episode 21 titled The Headless Star was released on August 26, 2023, at 11 pm JST. Produced by Studio Pierrot, the latest episode of Bleach TYBW saw the return of the protagonist, Ichigo Kurosaki, following his intense training at the Royal Palace.
With the remix of the iconic Number One playing in the background, the substitute soul reaper, Ichigo Kurosaki entered the battlefield to save the Soul Society. Once again, Studio Pierrot hit the mark with its marvelous animation quality. The action-heavy episode featured visual brilliance that captivated the audience.
From Ichgo's iconic entry to his despair at seeing Uryu Ishida standing at the other end of the spectrum, Studio Pierrot brought the artistic splendor of Tite Kubo's title to life in Bleach TYBW episode 21.
Bleach TYBW episode 21 highlights
Yhwach wakes up from his sleep and the Quincy girls overwhelm Zaraki and his Squad members
Bleach TYBW episode 21 kicked off with the visuals of Yhwach's past as seen in the first episode of this season. Back to the present, the King of Quincy opened his eyes and said that he could see the world clearly once again. He wished for the end of the abominable world and said that there was no turning back.
The scene shifted to the battlefield where Zaraki searched for his lieutenant, Yachiru, who went missing following the battle against Gremmy Thoumeaux. The Captain of the 11th Division ordered his troops to look for Yachiru. Suddenly, he was struck by a bolt of lightning from Candice Catnipp, one of the Sternritters.
Bleach TYBW episode 21 saw Zaraki and his troops being ambushed by the Quincy girls. While Candice struck Zaraki with her thunder, Liltotto ate several 11th Division squad members. Similarly, Giselle turned a group of Shinigami soldiers into her puppets and ordered them to kill themselves.
Another Quincy girl named Meninas dropped a giant piece of rock over a group of 11th Division Soul Reaper troops and crushed them to death. Even though Zaraki was extremely fatigued by the previous battle against Gremmy, he tried his best to tackle the four Quincy girls.
However, he wasn't in the best condition to battle, and the Quincy girls were looking to finish off a worn-out Zaraki.
Ichigo returns to the Soul Society, saves Zaraki, and combats the Quincy girls
The best moment of Bleach TYBW episode 21 was the arrival of Ichigo Kurosaki in Seireitei. The Substitute Soul Reaper traversed through 72 layers of barriers that existed between the Soul Society and the Royal Palace to return to the battlefield and save the Soul Society.
Ichigo's familiar Reiatsu was noticed by Rukia, Byakuya, Renji, Madarame, and other Soul Reapers in Bleach TYBW episode 21. Upon his arrival, the Substitute Soul Reaper saw Zaraki in a tattered state and assured him that he had come to help.
At that moment, the Quincy girls rushed at Ichigo with a flurry of attacks. However, the orange-haired Shinigami easily deflected them. Liltotto knew that they were dealing with the Number One Special Threat.
Candice Catnipp on the other hand was furious about getting dirtied by Ichigo. She mentioned how she had to get up every morning to set her hair before everyone woke up. The Sternritter T then blasted a Galvano Blast at Ichigo, but it did nothing. As a result, all of them shot Heilig Pfeil at Ichigo, but the substitute soul reaper sent all of them flying.
The Sternritter E then released her Vollstandig and swore to end the Number One Special Threat all by herself and take the credit. However, Ichigo knocked Candice out. To gain an upper hand in the battle, all the Bambi girls used Sklavie Rai and unleashed their Vollstandig.
The Quincy girls' appearance changed as a result of their Vollstandig, and they tried to beat Ichigo with their unique techniques in Bleach TYBW episode 21. However, the substitute Soul Reaper had gone through intense training at the Royal Palace and surpassed the powers of a Soul Reaper. Therefore, he was unfazed by their attacks.
Candice then used Sklavie Rai to absorb Reishi and launched a final attack named Electrocution. However, Ichigo Kurosaki countered it with a new power in his arsenal, Getsuga Jujisho. The cross-shaped Getsuga obliterated Candice's left hand. However, she was healed by Gigi shortly after.
Other Sternritters join the battlefield, and Mayuri explains the dent in the Soul Shield Membrane
Despite several futile attempts, Candice kept charging at Ichigo. However, she and the other girls were shot by Bazz-B's Burner Finger One. The other Sternritters, namely Bazz-B, Nanana, Pepe, and others arrived and wanted to take the glory all for themselves. As several Sternritters circled Ichigo, a flash of light appeared from a distance, shocking Ichigo himself.
The scene shifted to the Research and the Development Institute where Mayuri explained the hole in the Soul Shield Membrane. Mayuri stated that Ichigo caused a hole in the Soul Shield Membrane that acted as a shield between the Soul Society and the Soul King's Palace, as a result of traversing the 72 layers of protection.
The opening of the Soul Shield Membrane required 6,000 seconds to close. In other words, this was the exact opportunity that Yhwach was looking for to infiltrate the Soul King's Palace.
A brief scene featuring Shunsui was also shown in Bleach TYBW, and fans were teased with Aizen Sosuke's visual at the Muken.
Ichigo Kurosaki is flabbergasted to find Uryu on the other side of the spectrum
Having seen the light in the distance, Ichigo charged at it, but he was ambushed by the Sternritters in Bleach TYBW episode 21. However, Renji, Rukia, and other Soul Reapers came to the rescue and told Ichigo to go to Yhwach, as they would clear his path of the Sternritters.
Upon reaching the destination, Ichigo Kurosaki was dumbfounded to see Uryu standing beside the enemy. He couldn't believe that his friend had joined Yhwach's troops. He couldn't reason with Uryu as the latter shot a series of spirit arrows at him.
At that moment, Chad and Orihime also arrived and deflected Uryu's arrows. The episode ended with Yhwach, accompanied by Uryu and Haschwalth, moving upwards to the Soul King's Palace.
Unfortunately, Bleach TYBW episode 21 didn't feature a poem at the end. The next installment of Bleach TYBW will be a recap of episodes 14-21. It remains to be seen how Ichigo confronts the truth and regains his stance to fight Yhwach.
Be sure to keep up with more anime news and manga updates as 2023 progresses.
