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Bleach: Thousand Year Blood War has come out with its latest episode and its conclusion has left fans despairing for the shinigami captain.
Yamamoto's demise in episode 6 although had come as no surprise to manga readers, to see it unfold anew still made quite the impression. The Quincy king Yhwach was the last man standing, heralding a new chapter in the ancient rivalry between Quincy and the shinigami.
Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers for Bleach manga/anime
How did the Shinigami-Quincy rivalry begin in Bleach?
The foundation of the feud between Genryusai Shigekuni Yamamoto, Captain-commander of the Gotei 13, and Quincy King Yhwach can be traced back to the age-old rivalry between the Quincy and the Shinigami.
Although both races shared a common goal in life, that of eliminating malicious stray spirits, or Hollows as we know them, Quincy's overkilling of them quickly drew the soul reapers' attention.
The Shinigamis believed that eradicating hollows on an unprecedented scale would tip the balance of life, resulting in a catastrophic aftermath known as the Collapse of the World, and thus began the feud between the two groups.
So, they turned against the Quincy, fighting them to near extinction for almost a millennium before the events of Bleach.
The highest-ranked Captain-commander of the shinigamis, Yamamoto, faced off first and the strongest Quincy, Yhwach, defeated him. But instead of killing him for good, Yhwach was sealed off indefinitely. The quincies fled from the shinigamis to the one place they knew the reapers would never think of looking: the Seireitei, or Soul Society itself.
There, with the help of Reishi, they founded what we now know as the Wandenreich. They remained hidden for centuries, gathering their strength and rebuilding their army while waiting for their leader to awaken from the cursed slumber.
"The enigma surrounding the Quincy King had been lurking about for quite some time, and also referred to in the prophecy that stated, "The Sealed King of the Quincy, after 900 years, he shall recover his heartbeat. After 90 years, he shall recover his intellect. After nine years, he shall recover his power."
Yhwach had tricked Yamamoto into using his bankai against an imposter at the start of the recent conflict, catching him off guard and setting off the real action. Another shocking moment in the episode was Sosuke Aizen's return.
Theories have been put forward by the fans as to why Yamamoto could not just kill Yhwach during the original battle, but nothing can be said with certainty from the information we have as of yet. In the future, Kubo might decide to provide closure on this aspect.
In Bleach TYBW arc opening chapter, the Quincy king Yhwach finally awakens, heralding the much-awaited final showdown between the two Titanic powers. The fight was the focal point of the most recent episode, culminating in Yamamoto's death at the hands of Yhwach.
However, the rivalry between Quincy and the Shinigami is far from over. The Quincy Blood War will finally put an end to the two's long-standing feud and bring the epic that is Bleach to a close.
