Bleach’s Thousand-Year Blood War has a lot of significant moments that define the entire story of the franchise, but for me, the most crucial moment was the death of Kuchiki Byakuya, the 28th head of the Kuchiki Clan and the captain of the 6th Division in the Gotei 13. The moment is crucial because while it looks like Byakuya is dead, Tite Kubo brings him back.
Ideally, Byakuya should have stayed dead considering the fact that he not only lost his Bankai but also had no further character development in Bleach. Thus, a part of me believes Kuchiki Byakuya should have stayed dead, as it would have been a perfect conclusion to his individual storyline in Bleach. However, despite the contentious return, Kubo managed to somehow make Byakuya significant once again.
This was first seen during the excruciating Bleach fight between Kuchiki Rukia and Äs Nödt, the villain who stole Byakuya’s Bankai. Byakuya helps Rukia unlock the true potential of her Bankai, who then goes on to defeat Äs Nödt. After the battle, Byakuya expresses his true feelings about Rukia and her Bankai, which makes his controversial return worthy in my eyes.
The contentious return of Kuchiki Byakuya in Bleach
Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War saw the death of many major Bleach characters, and one of them was supposed to be Kuchiki Byakuya. When the attack of the Quincies on the Soul Society started, I was confident that Tite Kubo would pit Kuchiki Byakuya with a significantly stronger opponent, and the Bleach manga creator did not disappoint at all.
Byakuya was faced by Äs Nödt, one of the strongest Quincies in Yhwach’s army who used the power of fear against his opponents. He had the ability to induce fear in his opponents, and while Byakuya looked like he was winning in the beginning, things started changing for the worse as Äs Nödt took control of the battle and stole Byakuya’s Bankai in Bleach.
Not only that, when Ichigo finally met Byakuya, it looked like he was too close to death and would take his last breath any second. While it was a difficult moment for Bleach fans, I was satisfied in some way as his death would work as the perfect motivator for characters like Ichigo and Rukia, who would unlock a new potential in Bleach.
However, all of this changed when Kubo decided to bring Byakuya back and add him to the next phase of the Bleach storyline. This was a controversial moment because just like me, many other Bleach fans were under the pretense that Byakuya was dead, and it would enhance Ichigo and Rukia’s character development in Bleach.
Tite Kubo changed my opinion about Byakuya’s return
Byakuya’s return from the dead obviously caused an uproar among Bleach fans, who then went on to assume that Kubo brought him back under pressure. I also felt that Kubo was unnecessarily dragging the character, which makes no sense for the Bleach storyline. However, all of this changed when Byakuya decided to take part in the battle between Rukia and Äs Nödt.
Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War part 2 episode 6 was a special one as it portrayed Rukia’s revenge on Äs Nödt for almost killing his brother. However, despite dominating most of the fight, Äs Nödt got the upper hand and managed to trap Rukia.
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It looked like she was going to be defeated just like Byakuya, but as the story moved forward, Byakuya made a comeback and freed her from Äs Nödt’s dome.
He then helps her understand the true potential of her Bankai, which results in Rukia defeating Äs Nödt. After the battle, Byakuya, in his subtle way, appreciates Rukia and her Bankai, which feels like a wholesome moment. This moment proved me wrong and became the best answer to why Kubo brought Byakuya back in Bleach.
Bleach is available to watch on Hulu.
This post belongs to FandomWire and first appeared on FandomWire
