The BEST Arc in Bleach: The Fullbring Arc (I'm serious)

[@TotallyNotMark]

I've had to reupload this 3 different times. Please leave a like to help signal boost this video if you can! Thanks :)

[@javelinmaster2]

Man does KZbin hate the fullbring arc?

[@jordanwebster4170]

3rd times the charm mark

[@ratoh1710]

Have some engagement then :)

[@Deathmare235]

I was thinking I saw you upload the other day

[@HanmaHeiro]

Many of us are here for ya. Here's another view. Hoping third time's the charm

[@kingofafrica7015]

What Byakuya said to Tsukishima is one of the best lines in the series “I cannot begin to repay the debts I owe you. Such is my gratitude. However,you are an enemy of Ichigo Kurosaki. Debt or not,I feel no remorse in cutting you down.” To this day is one of the lines that give me goosebumps with Byakuya willing to ignore a lifetime of friendship for the sole reason that Ichigo said so

[@syressx9098]

BOY

[@DidntExpect]

Byakuya is a ride-or-die, change my mind

[@corruptangel6793]

That one moment is why Byakuya is my fifth favorite character in the series

[@DemonicsInc]

Byakuya really said "you fucked with our boi ya shouldn't have did that

[@ayame8095]

It’s funny how Byakuya has a scene like this in pretty much every arc. In soul society he was going to kill the person he probably loves the most at the time for the vow to his parents. in the Arrancar saga he cut his own tendons when Zommari took them over. In TLA he killed Tsukishima. And minor spoilers: In the TYBW he resists Pepe’s “love” and still attacks him even though he’s being forced to be so madly in love with him that anyone else would do anything he wants.

[@nelosparda4798]

For those who don't know KZbin has been copyright striking Mark fullbring video which is why his been reuploading it

[@Shinyprofjareth]

Ok I was so confused 😕

[@mickieramirez5807]

More than fine with me, this is my favorite review because I love this arc too!

[@sssrickilive6384]

And imma keep watching

[@dinogt8477]

cry more

[@andreabosio6452]

I thought so, i was watching it and then blocked to do something, when i tried to see in my search history to finish it, it wasn't there...i was like "not again"

[@ant7433]

For me, it was the split moment when rukia stabs ichigo, and he’s like “no not you too….” That shit almost broke my heart

[@vrinkee]

Yeah, that entire bit where he's in the rain confronted by his friends and is breaking down, just to see Rukia stab him in the back too... Thinks his dad and Urahara have betrayed him too. Man, it was intense. My favourite scene in Bleach. Him running back and forth seeing all his family and friends pushing this false reality on him, then them starting to fight him, him losing Ginjo too and then his powers, crying helplessly in the rain... All of it. I haven't read the manga version of the Fullbring Arc, but my opinions on the anime adaptation of the entire arc, besides this one scene, are the same as Mark's. My absolute favourite arc. We get to see Ichigo, Orihime, and Chad in a much more human light, and distance makes the heart grow fonder. It was a beautiful payoff seeing Rukia and the other shinigami at the end. The thriller vibes (thriller/mystery/crime is my favourite genre for live action media) were just right too while the sense of betrayal, hopelessness, and loneliness were all too human and relatable.

[@aestuslibi]

Notice how ichigo never said he wanted to KILL someone in the previous chapters, he always wanted to DEFEAT them, also showing empathy for them (towards ulquiorra and towards grimmjow when he slowly lowered his seemlessly dead body down to the ground or when he felt astounded that Nnoitra would attack an almost dead person). Yet, to prove how much desperation Ichigo's feeling, how much it is impossibile for him to accept a reality he always protected and loved turned against him, Kubo drew this Ichigo who wanted to kill Tsukishima.

[@delix787]

🗣🗣🗣🗣🗣 FACTS!!

[@neltins5308]

Psychological torture, abuse, things like extreme manipulation, gaslighting, lying to others & making people think you are in the wrong, themes like betrayal, doubt, fear, insecurity making people act out... its all these things the other big shonens didn't go in deep with like the Fullbring arc, its the Bleach arc that's a lot more enjoyable for mature adults that have suffered through a lot of similar things in the past

[@pogo8050]

Ichigo when facing the villain of 6 years who kidnapped his love interest, attempted to murder all his friends, manipulated all the events of his life and orchestrated the murder of his mom: *I sleep* Ichigo when facing a guy who cut Ishida in his shoulder and makes his friends demand an apology: *REAL SHIT?!*

[@pepeelghetto1231]

​@@pogo8050There is so much wrong with this comment lol. What 6 years are you tslking about? Lmao Ichigo at that point had no clue about Masaki, do you even pay attention? Orihime and His friends were already safe when He faces Aizen too So wtf bruh??

[@pogo8050]

@@pepeelghetto1231 are you stupid? Ichigo has every reason in the world to be furious with Aizen and want him dead. Granted, I did misspeak. Aizen did not have his mom killed. That was the other smug, omnipotent guy who have controlled all other aspects of Ichigo’s life. So that’s an L I will hold. That said, the point stands. Ichigo being more upset with Tsukishima trolling him, than he was with Aizen, to the point he’s completely blasé when he beats him is ridicolous.

[@commonviewer2488]

The scale was smaller, but the stakes being specifically Ichigo's everything- his power, friends, and family- made this the most suspenseful arc in all of Bleach.

[@feveredmushroomHD]

I could not agree more! Ichigo didn't want the one piece or to become hokage Only thing he wants is just enough strength to protect the ones he cares for.

[@Keurgui1]

It’s the only arc where you’re literally put in Ichigo’s shoes and the smaller scale helps put it in to perspective Imagine some guy, who you already know is a monster, is thought of as a friend or family. It’s horrifying just thinking about it, and my heart goes out to anyone who can even sort of relate to Ichigo’s plight here

[@boochtron]

I despise this arc

[@neltins5308]

The most terrifying thing to me is there are abusive ex boyfriend men like this as well, they're the abusive ex boyfriend stereotype but actually have intelligence & use it like Gringo, Aizen to manipulate & isolate a girl from all her family, best friends, while growing bonded with them only so they can then abuse or take advantage of the isolated girl.

[@ramonandrajo6348]

@@boochtron Whatever, normie. XD

[@gabrieldossantos1116]

Tsukishima messing with his family was the most personal attack Ichigo ever received in his life. Sure Aizen wanted to kill his family but he never actually got to do anything. All the other Ichigo's rivals never got to actually hurt him personally. But oh boy Tsukishima in a few pages made our boy borderline psychotic, gaslighting him and holding his entire family hostage

[@joelsasmad]

For me the best villain in the series.

[@aokyoutsuki7744]

I remember not batting an eye to it when i was younger, rewatching it around 2 years back, it really creeps in that unsettling feeling, what crushes me the most is when chad and orihime protecting tsukishima against ichigo, using the powers they trained to ease ichigo's burden, especially when orihime said "tsukishima is our friend right? But why does everytime i see ichigo cry, it creates an unbearable pain..."

[@SuperHornetX]

Aizen never wanted to kill Ichigo's family.

[@joelsasmad]

@@SuperHornetX He did threaten to do so knowing Ichigo would come.

[@SuperHornetX]

@@joelsasmad Only to anger Ichigo to get him to become stronger. I feel for Aizen though.

[@Dupingmaster]

I'm surprised you didn't bring focus on the scene where Ichigo was in max despair, and being stabbed randomly into the back, he sees his dad/urahara, him thinking they turned too. The split moment where he drops to the lowest of low, before being brough back by seeing Rukia.

[@rwbyab7423]

There's honestly so many painful little moments in this arc. That entire sequence with his utter despair, the part where he is so desperate to end this madness that he's willing to outright murder someone, if he really picked this arc apart there's SO much emotional weight to it.

[@shorewall]

That was the moment for me. After everything we've seen, it's natural to believe that Ichigo's dad could be turned too. And to have Ichigo think that his dad just came and stabbed him in the back, and having to come to terms with that? Chills. Yet we don't waste it, we don't overstretch it. We're hit with the lowest of the low, before hitting the highest of the high. It's Rukia, she's back, and the SS is there to have Ichigo's back.

[@thacobell4700]

@@shorewall "The SS is there to have Ichigo's back." Phrasing. :D

[@weirdgilly8727]

@@thacobell4700 😂😂😂😂😂

[@pogo8050]

Using buildup where Isshin and Urahara was acting mysterious the entire arc for no other reason than to create false tension, instead of actually you know, having them solve all the problems, which they could have done with a fingersnap. And to then further flip it on the head by having Soul Society giving back Ichigo´s powers with no strings attached. Thus making all the training meaningless. Also no idea how anyone can find Ichigo being ganged up on and told to apologies repeatedly anything but laughable stupid. Is this actually something people found emotional and compelling?

[@mwalzy98]

For the entirety of bleach, we’ve been looking at threats against the world through the lenses of ichigo. Ichigo’s motivator is obviously his friends and family; his desire to protect them. It’s why he does what he does. The fullbring arc is character centric. It doesn’t give us a “the world is about to end” threat. It gives us a threat that destroys Ichigo’s world, ie. his friends and family. The relationships Ichigo has with his loved ones is what drives his character. Literally ripping that away leaves him in true despair. One thing I was hoping mark was gonna bring up during the moment when ichigo gets his powers back is that it wasn’t just Rukia standing behind him saying “here you go”, we first see Ishiin and Urahara standing there with ichigo almost accepting the fact that “yeah sure. Only makes sense that you two are here. Everyone else I care about has turned on me.” The absolute despair in Ichigo’s eyes. My god

[@shorewall]

That moment was such delicious angst and despair. I wanted to drink Ichigo's tears! And then from lowest low to highest high. :D

[@enigmadrath1780]

Mark: This isn't a series that particularly tugs at my heart strings Me: *still not over Gin's death almost 15 years after the fact* That aside, YES! This arc is criminally underrated and it's sad they had to rush the ending because the manga readers at the time didn't like it and wanted it over and done with.

[@syressx9098]

Gin

[@moonkiitty]

We were DEEP into TYBW arc before I realized he was 100% dead. :'(

[@enigmadrath1780]

@@moonkiitty To be fair, the series is pretty inconsistent in terms of what makes for a killing blow. We've have character literally cut in half, or slashes a million times, or stabbed straight through the heart/chest, and then just show up later fully healed. In comparison, Aizen stabbing Gin through the chest and ripping one arm off wasn't even the most gruesome attack, so I also kept waiting on him to return at some point :(

[@goldenbomber9770]

I still get chills from the Moment right before Ichigo gets his powers back. Screaming at Ginjo "Give them back!", even with no hope left he didn't give in.

[@TheJoshening]

It's my favorite moment. It showed Ichigos character to its deepest depths. How utterly desperate he was. Crying and begging. So incredible!

[@Sorenthaz]

The anime really did a great job amplifying the whole thing too. The music hit the mark so well with the reveal that Ginjo was actually the one who attacked Ishida, and then we get Chokakku again when Ichigo gets his powers back.

[@reasondro]

It was so sad, kubo nailed it

[@revwantstobattle]

The scene where Tsukishima appears in Ichigo’s house and torments him has got to be one of the cruelest moments I have ever seen in Bleach. The entire segment is…unsettling. I mean, you have an enemy who intends to kill you and your friends show up to your house and he makes it clear that he’s attacked your younger sisters, your classmates and friends, and even your boss who you care for deeply. It’s not like they’re dead. It’s just that they all think you’re insane. They think you’re attacking a friend. They still talk, move, and act normally but it feels unsettling. It feels unnatural. It feels unnecessarily evil. It even pushed Ichigo to a point I had thought he would never reach. The desire to kill someone. As a shonen character, I thought that Ichigo would never suggest such a thing. Most shonen protagonists have a moral compass that prevents them from murdering anyone no matter how evil they may be. Hell, Naruto Uzumaki more often than not, forgives most of his enemies even when the villain clearly doesn’t deserve it. I had thought that Ichigo would simply try to defeat Tsukishima without killing him like he did for Ikkaku, Renji, Byakuya, Kenpachi, Grimmjow, and Aizen. He was even unhappy when his hollow basically killed Ulquiorra but never would I have thought that he would resolve to kill. I believe it shows how far he’s willing to go to protect his loved ones, especially in a situation like this. As far as Ichigo was concerned, Tsukishima’s memory manipulation may have been irreversible, and if he had killed him, his family and friend would view him as a murderer for the rest of his life. This is what I mean by this segment being cruel.

[@Myhaay]

this is not necessarily true, as we see early in the SS arc, Ichigo needs to fight with the intent to kill to be at his most effective, whether they live after the fight or not is up to their strength or Kubo's choice, but while engaged in battle, when he strikes..... he kills as said by Urahara and echoed by Ichigo, afterwards or seeing his enemy completely defeated, yes he will most certainly show mercy, but the getsugatensho fired at byakuya or whoever for example, did have the intent to kill.

[@Aflay1]

@@Myhaay Never the less, sloth. Ichigo was never the type of malicious person to immediately resolve to killing a person willingly. *We are talking about a villain that quite literally surgically turned everyone against you, and spat in the face of everything Ichigo stood for as a person in what I would say was a particularly vulnerable state.* That's pretty cruel. Cancerous, even. That's a level of gaslighting that would make Aizen proud.

[@mjm3091]

It is important to mention thought that no one was this cruel in the series before. Ikkaku, Renji and Byakuya were fighting to defend their home and their values. Kenpachi did it for sport - and in actually did not want to kill anyone, as he prefers to fight endlessly. Grimmjow and Ulquiorra were like animals working with their instincts. XCution were just cruel playing with Ichigo's mind to destroy him.

[@gabrieldossantos1116]

Tsukishima did the most personal damage to Ichigo than any other antagonist tbh. Sure Aizen and Yawech are much more powerful and want to destroy/rule the world and have killed thousands of people but that is an escale of damage that is just hard to imagine. But personally holding his family hostage and gaslighting him into believe he was insane is actually enough to cloud his judgement and bring him to his lowest point in life. To put in perspective to those who think Ichigo overreacted: most cops can keep their cool when dealing with mass murderers or serial killers but completely lose their mind when it is one of their family members who is in danger. It is a natural and human thing to have this kind of reaction when you're loved ones are directly in danger

[@Myhaay]

@@Aflay1 I never disagreed with the OP (that's why i said "not necessarily"), I was just offering some nuance to his statements, because Ichigo does indeed fight with the intent to kill when his opponent is strong, otherwise he would be unbale to defeat them. I agree with everything you said.

[@shadowsofpain]

As someone that read Bleach week to week, I think being able to binge read helps this arc a lot, and paradoxically hinders the Arrancar arc. The previous arc kept one hooked by dangling the conclusion of fights week to week, drawing up hype and discussion for the next chapter. It worked there but it had the effect of making the fullbring arc feel super slow and boring till the tsukishima threat gets properly introduced.

[@four-en-tee]

I suppose in retrospect then, it works in the Fullbring Arc's favor now that Bleach is concluded.

[@m_d_thp]

I had a different experience though, when this arc was coming out weekly. There was a significantly amount of talks questioning the depth of Ichigo as a character since we haven't really had any recent intimate story line that focuses on Ichigo himself as the front and center, since any moments like that are all subtley or presented as second fiddle to character that are being saved in the previous arc. It's like people finally Kubo is doing it now, but then people focused on different aspects they can diss bleach.

[@JrtrJusty]

@@four-en-tee Bleach isn’t finished we’re just in a second time skip 😂

[@lukeseguin1875]

It also completely throws out all of the themes and plot lines of the rest of the story. Mystery of aizen and ichigos powers how it relates to his family, nope throw that out and throw a whole completely not needed set of villains into the story. How about all of the themes of finding a place to fit in, let's just throw all of that away and for 50 chapters right a story with the opposite theme of the rest of the story. How about visual problems, ichigos completely dumb swastika weapon, bleaches strongest point, and mark agreed, was it's ability to clearly depict fights in a matter that makes emotions clear. What does a throwing swastika mean?

[@m_d_thp]

@@lukeseguin1875 it don't completely throw away all the story beats, lol. It clearly address and adds upon how Ichigo affected the rest of the side characters and the concept of fullbring. I mean per arc Bleach deals with a different set of group people, its still keeping up Bleach basic story structure. It tackles Ichigo's main motivation which every story eventually do. What happens when Ichigo can't protect his friends anymore? It even shows how big of a price defeating Aizen really takes. The swatiska is not really random, it has been in Bleach since freaking tensa Zangetsu debut. It alludes more to the buddhist meaning of the symbol and you can also allude it to his Quincy roots. The swatiska at this point is not even remotely that random.

[@ARecusant]

Tsukishima's entire existence felt like an apology for how little they did with Aizen with regards to Ichigo and his personal involvement. Both of them having hypnoswords struck an immediate connection during the arc, and for a while I thought we were going to get some reveal that Aizen was back. Thankfully, we got much better twists instead.

[@shorewall]

FOR REAL. :D

[@nicholaskling2425]

Fullbring is criminally underrated. The moment Ichigo gets his powers stolen is heartbreaking.

[@aokyoutsuki7744]

When his friends claimed tsukishima as their friend and fought back ichigo, that hurt me more than i ever thought watching a fictional media, i FELT that betrayal and i CARED

[@NamelessTheHater]

Apparently people disliked this arc… But, I’m glad to see everyone else agrees that they also like this arc.

[@pogo8050]

--- Why? He gets his true, much better powers back immediately.

[@aokyoutsuki7744]

@@pogo8050 that sounds a bit.. powerscaler nerdy, its more of like appreciating each look with a particular note in ichigo's story, like pre shikai, post shikai, bankai, hollow mask, dangai and finally to true bankai. While dangai is short it got a big impact while fullbring is lesser due to the arc its related to while having such a stellar glow up from the first bankai, also its true bankai lost the sleek composed look so thats another one to note

[@pogo8050]

@@aokyoutsuki7744 The arc is dedicated to Ichigo getting his powers back. He has his complete Fullbringer 3-4 chapters then he loses it before we can see it’s potential. Then basically the next chapter he gets his shinigami powers back. That are way greater than his Fullbringer powers. So why would anyone care about him losing his Fullbringer? We don’t get any time to familiarize ourselves with it and the consequences of losing it disappear almost instantly. It’s not so much about the powerscaling as it is set up and expectations.

[@MrBigtank78]

Seeing ichigo lose his mind on who to trust in each chapter was chilling and creative by Kubo. Seeing him breakdown after losing everything hurt and just to see Rukia again to give Ichigo the hope needed to prevail the day was the highlight of the series!

[@captainskullkidd]

I honestly loved this arc when I was first reading through it and was always confused why people hated it. Seeing Mark call it the best makes me smile.

[@wikitiki209]

i think it's good, but not the best, but i do enjoy the duplicitous nature of it, but him shit talking the rest of the series because he doesn't like fight scenes is ridiculous

[@captainskullkidd]

@@wikitiki209 I think he said he didn’t like how many there were not that he did t like them.

[@gallatinwrestling6422]

@@captainskullkidd This is how slander starts

[@archivelibrarian6818]

@@wikitiki209 he didnt shit talk the fights lmao he literally just has the opinion that a lot of the fights are unnecessary as they dont give anything to the story which is completely true. maybe go watch his video on those arcs lmao. that was like the one negative criticism he had. literally everything else was fine.

[@chasinghaze0962]

People are realising now that this arc is good. So it's not as hated as back then. I read it in 2019 and enjoyed it

[@witherslayer-7315]

I feel like the fullbringer arc is an arc that just gets better and better as time goes on. I didn't really appreciate it as much when I first read and watched it. But after re-reading an analyzing it, I realized just how well written and how important overall this arc is to the story of bleach and Ichigo's character.

[@GonUFO]

I think this was the arc I was the most excited for when I watched bleach with my sisters. the character writing is just crazy and one where kubos writing can just SHINE. You get ichigos lowest moment and can feel the desperation in trying to get his powers back. So sad how hard this arc gets missed

[@shorewall]

Yeah, there is the stereotype that Kubo can make good designs, without mentioning other things. But this arc shows how off the chain Kubo can be when he's at his best. I felt the passion. And then it got panned by the audience. I feel bad for Kubo. If he was allowed to write like this, we might talk about Bleach like we do Chainsaw Man.

[@ODBS_]

IDK why but I laughed so hard during this arc every time Tsukishima-san used his ability to configure someone's memories, I found it hilarious instead of annoying, like watching some epic scene and an unrelated guy appears out of nowhere Tsukishima's ability even became a meme like Naruto keeps saying that when there's no one for him as a kid, Tsukishima was there for him

[@koraboinaneelaveni7147]

Same lol

[@thetrueholybob434]

I think it's supposed to feel sorta comedic.

[@donovan4222]

Yeah it was kinda hilarious how they took all these iconic moments from the series and just photoshopped tsukishima in like “hey guys I’m here too!”

[@ilyas863]

that was only in the anime tho wasn’t it?

[@ilyas863]

a few panels in the manga but they seemed serious

[@D-Skotes]

Fun fact about the subtle writing of this arc when under the influence of Book of the End Ginjo calls Ichigo by his first name and when he is his normal self he calls him Kurosaki.

[@insertchannelnamehere7154]

So glad the fullbringer arc is getting the love it deserves. It’s my favorite arc in the series.

[@floreaciprian9742]

yea i never really got the hate about it. It may not be as violent and full of action like the rest, but the mental torture ichigo is going through is terrifying

[@neltins5308]

LOL I rewatched the Fullbring arc remembering so much hatred when I was a young pre teen all because of every fan I've seen telling me its the worst arc & super terrible before I ever saw it. Now as a grown adult thinking about it and actually having experienced a lot of the things Ichigo did while I was in college, all the betrayal, doubt, difficult to process emotions, depression etc... I think the Fullbring arc is the most genius arc. A lot of Bleach fans are just crazy man .-. they think if there's not a lot of big flashy battles or whatever like in Dragon Ball Super that its not a good story.

[@bestsnail8256]

Thank goodness it's back up! This arc left a huge impression on me when I was younger. It straight up turns into a psychological horror and affects Ichigo in ways I hadn't experienced in media at the time. He sincerely wants to MURDER Tsukishima and it feels like it's not even primarily out of anger but rather desperation. Hopefully this video earns the arc more respect and leads people to reread it with a new perspective.

[@cyanboy2049]

true

[@dinogt8477]

garbage

[@NinthShinigami]

Fullbring is such an underrated arc imho. It was a great arc for Ichigo and his character even some of the side characters like Orihime, was more grounded than the other arcs prior to this one, and refreshing after the massive Arrancar saga. Ginjo and Tsukishima are both great antagonists, especially Ginjo because he’s such a mirror to Ichigo as a character. My favorite moment is easily when Ginjo leaves Ichigo betrayed, vulnerable, and crying. It was a tear jerker for me. More so when Rukia and some of the Gotei members popped up again, giving him his powers back. Seeing Ichigo kick Ginjo’s ass was very satisfying. Phenomenal arc imo, and I’m happy to know Mark really liked it as well :) I’ve had to type something like this out three times now lmaooo

[@minhhieule5079]

It was peak

[@alphang1888]

As an anime only, I still loved this arc more than any of the others ones, but I heard from others that they didn't like it as much or it wasn't as good. I'm glad this arc is getting the praise it deserves. It was a fresh change of pace and had the most personal moments for Ichigo. I was popping off by the end of this arc. Thanks for making this video.

[@drawinglikeasir]

Big props to the editor. Throughout watching this video a second time I only now noticed little easter eggs like 0:56 where he snuck Tsukishima in.

[@jeandzwieleski8151]

Dude! tnx, I didn't notice that!

[@TenebraeXVII]

what are you talking about? Tsukishima has been there for us from the very beginning. He was always in the opening.

[@valentds]

i was fucking confused on the first cover of the manga with him

[@Woodenfan]

@@TenebraeXVII Yeah, seriously, OP's gaslighting us. Tsukishima was the MVP of the Arrancar arc, you should've seen him no-diff Ulquiorra's Segunda Etapa.

[@totallynotmusic7803]

Took me an innecesary amount of time but totally worth it no regrets

[@UnitedGem44]

It's so nice to finally hear someone else also like this arc. I had to pause Bleach because* of the big amounts of fights happening, and then when it just switched to Fullbringers awesome pacing and character development. Idk it was just so great

[@Ziggerath]

seriously, in the anime even, the pacing was soo much better in the fullbring arc compared to anything before that it sorta felt like I was watching a more mature seinin. That was probably the only arc I could genuinely recommend to non shonen fans

[@gabrieldossantos1116]

@@Ziggerath It's interesting because Fullbringer was the first Bleach Arc I watched on the weekly basis so I thought it was a bit slower than it should. But that maybe was a consequence of the weekly thing. I thought the filler arcs were fine and most of them are twice the size of Fullbring lmao

[@williansouza8724]

@@gabrieldossantos1116 fullbring arc only has what, about 20 episodes? it’s so short and packed full of emotions and newness to the series. i have to rewatch it. when i first came across this arc i remember being quite interested in the emotional aspects but disappointed that it was so damn slow. i was in middle school, so i believe i’ve changed since then and i might like it like i love the substitute shinigami arc.

[@gabrieldossantos1116]

@@williansouza8724 Yeah I think the pacing is fine but I was binge watching the other arcs and the Fullbringer was the first one I watched on the weakly release so that's probably why I felt like it was too slow in comparison to the others. But it does have 20-ish episodes while the *Filler* Bount Arc has almost 60 which I always thought it was funny lmao

[@TheReaIestOne]

Finally someone appreciates fullbring arc the way I do. I'm a serious Rezero fanboy, i love stories that delve deeper into the character motivations and their insecurities. I absolutely love this arc especially seeing Ichigo all cornered. May be this arc came out when i wasn't mentally mature enough to appreciate it, but still I never really hated it either.

[@mallymay9439]

I just rewatched this arc in preparation for TYBW and I really enjoyed it more when I watched it right after the Aizen arc. I loved the slower pace and getting deeper insight into Ichigo's inner conflicts. I loved having a villain that Ichigo truly loathed and genuinely wanted to kill. After all, Aizen never really felt like Ichigo's true antagonist, unlike others like Grimmjow or Ulquiorra or Byakuya. Aizen really was Urahara's villain and Ichigo was their chess piece.

[@supereststinger]

This arc mentioning how all items have their own little souls, which is why you feel so connected to your item, was such a cool concept that I wished they went into more.

[@Fernando-ek8jp]

Which is why I think I didn't like this arc too much. It felt like filler, almost everything from this arc is cast away in the next one (heck, the Vizard also get basically forgotten). It's a good self contained story, but with little to no repercussions going forward aside from the end when Ichigo returns to status quo (being a shinigami).

[@cosmicflower5891]

Really didn't expect this much praise for the arc, but dang I'm here for it. Also another hint of symbolism you might've missed was during Byakuya vs Tsukishima. I'd like to note, Byakuya use to be one of Ichigo's greatest hurdles and adversary. He'd go so far to the point of executing Rukia for the sake of upholding the rules of the Soul Society. But, after he was changed by Ichigo, it was so cool how he went to Hueco Mundo for the sake of saving them. The point is, Byakuya considers Ichigo to be a great friend to him, that being one of the major antagonists earlier in the story, was the one to deal with his tormentor Tsukishima. Which says a lot of the Character writing in this series

[@legion0764]

If you watched his video about his critiques in the arrancar arc. You'll know he'll like this arc THAT much.

[@dinogt8477]

no one cares

[@cosmicflower5891]

@@legion0764 I'd think he really did, but I'm suprised he treated it like God's gift to man kind

[@chasinghaze0962]

@@cosmicflower5891 And I am assuming he is not gonna like TYBW as much. Especially 2nd half

[@Eiszahn]

@@chasinghaze0962 i was just thinking the exact same thing lmao really curious about his opinion on the TYBW Arc

[@chasinghaze0962]

3rd time commenting. So will keep it short this time: - Confirmation of Ichigo's true passion - Finally seeing the manifestation of Ichigo's character arc/growth throughout the series - Ginjo, Riruka 10/10. (I would have liked Ginjo backstory from novels here) - Building more on Orihime, Chad and some plot points (would have loved more Chad tho) - Ichigo shikai/Bankai looks cool af 9/10

[@changedcj007]

Im still mad he didint get the point of the arrancar arc though

[@chasinghaze0962]

@@changedcj007 I am used to it at this point.

[@shorewall]

@@changedcj007 I can see how people miss the needle in that gigantic haystack.

[@changedcj007]

@@shorewall Yeah i wish arrancar arc was a lot shorter, i still think the themes in the arrancar arc is some of the best that bleach can offer

[@danny123451]

The main issue with this arc that i have always heard is how it ended. It was cut short because japanese fans did not like it so the captains were brought in to effortlessly clean it all up. This was especially frustrating to long time fans as this arc was the perfect opportunity for ichigo's friends to shine, but instead Chad once again spends his time with his best friend the floor.

[@djmeagaaim17]

Yeah the climax of the arc was definately the worst part of it how rushed it was and how forced the soul reapers were. Granted I can see why the japanese fanbase did not like the arc too much. The beginning of the arc really slow and the soul reapers have always been the favorties among the japanese fanbase. I think they had already lost interest in the main characters and the human stuff long ago by this point in the story, so having an entire arc about them was always going to be an uphill battle for Kubo, and ultimately, he caved in. Its unfortunatley really especially since it hurt the arc's final act and the arc as a whole. This arc had a lot of missed opportunities and wasted potential. I like this arc more now than I did reading it week to week in the manga thanks to the anime version which I thought made it far more digestable, though the final act sucks in my opinion. Yeah, it was dissapointing for Chad to get reunited the wih his best friend the floor again for the third time in row. I place this arc straight in the middle. I still have the first 2 arcs above this one though that might change in the near future as have been rewatching the arc in the anime more. Overall, its a solid to decent arc plauged by its ential poor reception coming off the heals of the arrancar arc and the somewhat slow start that this arc had which ultimatley led to its lackluster conclusion. I wonder if Kubo had taken sometime off after the arrancar before doing the fullbring arc, would it have been received better entially? I think the issue too was that people were starting to get burnt out of Bleach in general, especially with the questionable final portions of the arrancar. I know some people including myself were underwhelmed with how some of the battles with the espada and Aizen panned out. So there may have been already a lack of trust for Kubo to deliver going into the fullbring arc, espeically with Ichigo not having any powers going into, and the somewhat slow start that the arc had on a week to week basis did not help either. I think sometime away from the series maybe would have done some good for it. Make people actually miss the series a bit. Seeing people's reaction to the return of the anime and the possiblity of a new arc as well seeing people's hype for a possible return for Naruto that is not Boruto has made me come to this conclusion. I think it would have benefited Kubo too to take some time away from the series to recharge his batteries so he could come back stronger. I would not be surprised if he was getting burnt out of the series too, especially come off the gaunlet that was the arrancar arc.

[@Jgarcia05]

The problem is that after being cought under Tsukishima's ability I don't see how Orihime or Chad could do something to help Ichigo but definitely the captains and lieutenants arriving out of nowhere was too much. I wished Kubo would've used Ishin and Urahara for this mather instead.

[@dstreet4599]

@@Jgarcia05 Probably have them fight it off like Byakuya did? I found it dumb that Byakuya trusts Ichigo so much that he'd turn on an important figure in his life but the second Chad and Orihime have second thoughts about trying to stop Ichigo from hurting Tskuishima, they go through a mental breakdown and have to be KO'd from behind so they don't suffer permanent damage.

[@krishnansubramoni7801]

@@dstreet4599 To be fair, Byakuya is probably the only one who could resist Tsukishima since we have seen that he is completely capable of killing a loved one (Rukia) he's known for years and clearly values very much, for the sake of duty or a promise or whatever. Byakuya is a man of sheer discipline beyond anything else, and memories are a very emotional thing which most people are susceptible to without insane mental training.

[@Druguzu]

@@dstreet4599 That's the thing, Byakuya didn't fight it off, he genuinely thought he killed his mentor that he admired dearly. He is just a man of honor, and he made it his mission to fight for Ichigo and Rukia, even if it meant fighting people he cared about. But I agree, this arc was supposed to be Chad's, and he got more sidelined than any of Ichigo's other friends. Even Uryu will have redemption in the anime.

[@InSane4352]

This has always been my favorite arc of Bleach. The karakura town, slice of life feel being turned into a psychological thriller was amazing to witness. Glad to see it not being shit on for once.

[@NicoB]

Appreciate you checking out Bleach, it's been enjoyable listening to your thoughts about the series. I'm personally in the camp of "this arc is pretty meh." I agree with a good bit of what you said, in regards to Tsukshima's messing with people's thoughts, the contrasts to the earlier substitute shinigami arc, and some very great moments with Ichigo finally getting his powers back. Not to mention Tsukishima's fight with Byakuya is fantastic. My biggest issues with this arc stem from pacing and characterization overall. I think this arc starts off abysmally slow, granted I'm coming from the perspective of reading this on the weekly when it was happening. But I remember feeling incredibly bored for the first third of this arc. They spend a little too much time following Ichigo doing his side job, school stuff, and extra curriculars before the actual plot starts happening. Character motivations for the Fullbringers were also pretty weak and underbaked. So...they basically went through all that effort JUST to steal Ichigo's Fullbring, and then I guess upend Soul Society or something at some point? Ginjo's betrayal by Soul Society wasn't really explained well enough to feel justified. He just sounded pissed off that they were being monitored through the badge. This actually gets a much better explanation in some side novel material, but going off the manga itself, they give very little reasoning for Ginjo's outrage. Similarly, most members of the Fullbringers are so forgettable. Dirty boots, video game boy, butler guy, not-Hiyori, and Tsukishima. And again, their actual motivation behind even needing Ichigo's powers to begin with (which btw, they would have had no idea how his powers would actually manifest when he finally controlled them, so how did they even know it would be useful for them?) didn't really make any sense to me. I remember when Tsukishima freaks out over Ginjo's death and just being like "wait, you actually gave a shit about him?" As there really was no indication at all of that, even after he removed his manipulation of his memories. Also, the fact that Ichigo has his complete fullbring powers for all of two seconds before we just return to the status quo and give him all his Shinigami powers back always bugged the crap outta me. Seems like a waste of a cool new form. Ginjo's reasoning for "sparing" Ishida from Tsukishima's mind affecting powers was so insanely stupid. "It would be too boring if we got a battle we couldn't possibly lose!" So they leave Ishida intact as a possible chance for Ichigo to figure out Ginjo's methods. It felt like such a forced way of leading the story to the big reveal. And finally, this arc's overall impact on Ichigo's story feels incredibly minimal. Aside from getting his powers back, how did Ichigo actually change from how he was before he lost them? Did this arc really have any big effects on his character? I'd argue not really. He gets his powers back, kills Ginjo, everything is as it was. Ginjo's feelings of betrayal with Soul Society wasn't news to Ichigo, as he already had his suspicions long before and had believed Ukitake purposefully made it obvious for him. His resolve to fight is something he's also lost and regained at least three to four times before this arc, so again, nothing we haven't seen already. And sadly, almost none of the characters introduced in this arc actually return for anything meaningful in the subsequent final arc, albeit for ONE moment at the very very end by Tsukishima for all of two pages (Ginjo is there too btw, but literally does nothing). In the end, I think the ideas of this arc are way better than the actual execution of it.

[@shorewall]

I would rather have stayed in the Fullbring world, than get the TYBW arc, which made me quit Bleach. I think people should get what they want out of media, and I don't blame anyone for liking or not liking something. But on that same token, I want to stand up and say, the Fullbring arc, at the time and week to week, was more enjoyable for me than the Arrancar arc. The Arrancar arc would have been where I quit Bleach, but I gutted it out to see what happened to Aizen. Afterwards, I was happy with that as an ending. But Fullbring earned my respect, and even though I would happily cut TYBW from the Bleach "Canon", I would keep the Fullbring arc, for what it gives us with regards to Ichigo himself. Ichigo is one of the blandest protagonists in Shounen, because he doesn't want to be a Shounen Protagonist. Goku loves to fight, Luffy wants to be Pirate King, Naruto wants to be Hokage. Ichigo wants a normal life. And when he gets it, by then it isn't what he wants anymore, and then it becomes a nightmare. The Full bring arc focuses on what had been glimpses in other arcs. What does Ichigo really want? Does he want his friends to be kidnapped? Does he want to fight monsters? The characters say he does, but he doesn't act like it. But here we get to see, in 4k, why Ichigo wants power, why he wants to fight. Because if he can't, then his family and friends could be in danger, and he can't do anything about it. (Aizen wasn't targeting Ichigo. He seemed more to be targeting Hitsugaya, picking on Momo. :D) Furthermore, it does a great job of giving us a problem that violence can't solve (until it does, lol). How much better does Ichigo with a Bankai fare? And it's a great power reset. Most battle manga really need a power reset at some point. DBZ and Naruto are two great examples of manga that need and needed a power reset. (One Piece avoids this by setting the Yonko and Admirals at the top from the beginning, and they are still at the top. And we are just getting there, and then One Piece will probably (probably) end.)

[@Honest_Mids_Masher]

For Ginjo the answer is in the light novel Cant Fear Your Own World and as for what's shown in the anime it's the fact that they not only monitor him, control his powers and put other contingencies in place ready to kill him. He feels like a chained animal trained to do one specific thing. For Ichigo's powers it really didn't matter what mattered is that as long as it's strong enough they get a power boost and they're well aware of Ichigo's potential and how strong he is. Thw rest is a personal disagreement so that's not something I should be talking about except for Ichigo's lack of change. First off at the start of the manga Ichigo was scared of killing Hollows for once being human and yet in this arc we not only see him harming Tsukishima but also trying to kill him. The fact that this is a side of Ichigo we've never seen before already makes this a notable development for Ichigo and then there's the main point of this arc. To make Ichigo be a Soul Reaper for no other reason other than the fact he wants to. The substitute Shinigami Arc had him being a Soul Reaper because he owed Rukia to wanting revenge on Grand Fisher, him owing Rukia goes on throughout Soul Society Arc, then Arrancar Arc where it goes from just protecting his friends to specifically Orihime and Kurakara town from Aizen. Fullbringer Arc has Ichigo requesting to still continue being a Soul Reaper despite there being no benefit for him to continue being one anymore. Without this Arc Ichigo would have no reason to still be a Soul Reaper. With the last arc keep in mind it is rushed in the end so there was probably supposed to be a role for the rest of them but it never got added due to outside influence

[@tristanalain9239]

I am so glad someone is willing to actually give this arc the credit it is due

[@Talyrion]

I have a few complaints about this arc, but there's something I can never hate it for: the whole sequence where Tsukishima stalks Ichigo while turning his friends one by one is straight out of an horror story, and might be the best Bleach moment ever.

[@Sammy-S]

One of my favourite moments too!

[@shootout-shinobi6672]

Dude I agree with you there, not only is his power uniquely scary but it’s easily the best means of taking the wind outta ichigos sails so to speak.

[@stevemark5468]

Yeah I agree Tho I didn’t like the arc at first because of how much ichigo had to go through to get his powers back But then I was in middle school at the time 😂😂

[@nobafan7515]

Is it weird I didn't buy ginjo still trying to persuade ichigo to side with him after his heel turn?

[@TheREALHugo4]

This time, the video BETTER NOT be blocked again because WE NEED that review.

[@cosmicflower5891]

KZbin won't accept this bleach opinion

[@sofarsogood8680]

When Ichigo turned his face towards who stabbed a sword behind him, i thought for a sec , Ichigo believed that he has been betrayed by another person even in his lowest point at that moment. Unlike anime, in manga , Kubo didn't revealed Rukia in the exact panel after. He let readers & also Ichigo questionning first who that person was, before revealing it to be Rukia.

[@edcaous]

The anime didn't reveal Rukia first either. It showed Uruhara.

[@dragonvolt1875]

As an anime watcher the scene when tsukishima appeared in ichigos house actually made me shed a tear or two that scene is so good in the anime it's so tense and feels like genuine horror

[@JonnyViper]

Two scenes always ring with me. When Ichgo's sisters realize he's back to his normal self. It felt so impactful. And then of course, one of the final scenes when he got stabbed with the sword

[@joshuaw8873]

I wasn't aware this arc was unpopular. I'm glad to see you praise it so much! This and Soul Society were always my two favorite parts of Bleach.

[@blackfox4138]

At the time it was released, the sudden change in pace put a lot of people off. Likewise, just about everyone viewed it as nothing more than an excuse to give Ichigo his powers back, so many of them didn’t think too hard about the writing or story; instead they just opted to wait until Ichigo got his powers back.

[@jj6184]

Full being arc is one of my favorites. Since Ichigo has no more powers the villains can be tense, but also more down to earth. And we have more time for character development for Ichigo. And most of all this was so refreshing since the arrancar arc was so long.

[@caseyhart4999]

This arc is definitely underrated. I remember reading it week to week when it was coming out and it was great. The issue I think a lot of people have/had at the time is that it comes off the heels of the huge climactic battle with aizen and really slows the story down and makes it so much more personal and some people just didn’t like that I guess. Tsukishima is one of the best villains of the series and I’m glad we get to see them again before the end. I do really hope they maybe get an expanded role in the TYBW anime.

[@shorewall]

I really think DBZ would have benefited from something like this. Hell, most battle manga need a power and stakes reset. DBZ is where we can truly see how bizarre things become when you just keep powering up the setting. It's to the point where they just don't care anymore, and have Master Roshi participate in the Tournament of Power, just because. :D

[@caseyhart4999]

@@shorewall lol seriously I still can’t rationalize having Roshi in the tournament of power. I mean shit it would have made as much sense to have Chaozu participate haha

[@johnman8398]

​@@shorewallI don't think DBZ would have benefitted much from an arc like this at all as its a different type of story not to mention it just wouldn't fit considering the type of MC Goku is. Also DBZ does have a power and stakes reset at the start of arcs but then it builds up towards the climax of the arcs. As for powering up the setting Bleach is just as guilty with power escalation with just as much bs if not moreso especially towards the last arc. To say they don't care is just wrong roshi participated cause they needed members for their team idk where you got they don't care from.

[@marlonorellana9302]

Yes! After rereading this arc as an adult I found my teen brain didn't understand how good this arc was despite not having cool fights

[@FBernkastel]

This. When I was watching anime as a teen I didn't really appreciate this ark, but now when I read the manga I was shocked by how good it is.

[@Fernando-ek8jp]

I still don't appreciate it much because it's basically a concept that could have been its own separate series, yet gets ignored by the rest of bleach. It ended up feeling like filler.

[@JamesW609]

I had a feeling he’d like this arc since he liked the vizard arc

[@djmeagaaim17]

Yeah me too. After hearing his cristims of the arrancar arc having too many fights, i figured he like this arc since it was a smaller scaled arc with fewer fights.

[@ugobrown2357]

@@djmeagaaim17 But dang I didn’t think he was gonna like it this much 😭😭

[@Seriously-not-Jake]

@@djmeagaaim17 the Arrancar arc needed a lot of fights, Ichigo decided to begin a war all for the sake of Orihime at first and then had to save his own town

[@Seriously-not-Jake]

Yeah a lot could be cut out, but that was a manga issue and the anime already being caught up and several filler arcs wouldn't be a good idea

[@dantheman5607]

He only cares about the MC. That’s all it is.

[@_PROPHETofCHAOS]

I AM SO GLAD I'M NOT ALONE ANYMORE! I genuinely loved this arc as well, it got more hate than it deserved, truly underrated.

[@sablen1319]

I’ve always liked it and thought it was the second best arc. So to see someone else on the internet like it is surprising

[@epicmike2055]

Well you won’t stay the only one, in my opinion it was the best arc.

[@shorewall]

This video is like a beacon for those who liked this arc. :D We've been lost in the wilderness before this.

[@RibamarGamer]

This is one of the most underrated and overhated arcs in all of battle shounen history. It's great, seriously!

[@thatoneguy6465]

I only watched the anime, and I loved this arc. It felt so different and came at you in a different way than the rest of the series. It was a great change of pace for me personally

[@PhatPotatoe]

The title made me so happy. I’ve loved the fullbring arc since the anime aired, and was disappointed so many people dislike it

[@Epsilonsama]

First time I read this Arc I wanted it to end so bad but I re-read Bleach recently and I loved this arc and was mad it was so short. There's definitely a difference in reading a manga week by week vs in one go.

[@BotBehavior]

This was Peak Bleach. The anime matured into beautiful animation, and a mature tone to ichigo and his group around him. Ichigo is lost without his powers. We relate to ichigo even more as a young adult l, trying to figure things out. The dude literally almost has a mental breakdown just like any kid this age with mental anguish. It feels real, it feels human. And the stakes are high for him and his friends this arc.

[@navats3592]

Shame the first one got taken down but I'm still so friggin glad that Mark also likes this arc. 'Cause holy shit he puts a lot if not everything about why i like this arc into words so well. One of my favorite moments in this series are those sequence of panels where we see Ichigo get stabbed and turn to see his Dad and Urahara standing there, following with him believing that even they got got just to turn the page for the Rukia reveal is just *chef's kiss*

[@shorewall]

That is my favorite moment in the arc. Ichigo hits the lowest of the low, being backstabbed, he thinks, by his own loving father, in a world of pod people that he used to call friends and family. But we don't overstay it, like you said, turn the page, and Boom! From lowest of the low, to highest of the high, Rukia is back, and everything gets hopeful again.

[@SargonsEye]

I love it when someone has a right opinion and expresses it properly and with detail. Specially if it's about Bleach. Thanks!

[@blindbananabandit2039]

Thank you so very much for understanding the beauty of this incredible arc. Watching it originally as a teen I hated the arc, so when I went back a year or two ago to actually read bleach (only ever watched it fully before this point) it absolutely blew my mind how amazing it was. I really had to put myself in the mindset of a first time reader, because when you don't know how this arc is going to go its an absolute nail biter of poor Ichigo slowly being mentally tortured, being pushed down so far this sweet boy was ready to murder someone even if it meant his family hating him after, and at the end before being saved by Rukia he was broken down completely just sobbing. It's powerful stuff man, and Kubos art is KILLING IT in this arc like omg! I will always love the big bombastic moments from the Arrancar and TYBW arc, but they both have big pacing issues as well as under utilized ideas, so compared to the small package of the fullbringer arc they just can't compete.

[@RiffandRoll.]

Reading this Arc without spoilers and not having to wait each week to keep reading it, makes it a very good arc

[@JAIMEANDRESGG454]

Yes! This is also my favorite Arc, I am glad that you like it as well and hopefully more people has a more positive opinion of this arc after this video

[@majoratwili7312]

SAME!!! This arc is absolutely amazingly done. It's so unique for a shonen battle manga because it focuses more on the psychological aspect of Ichigo rather than "Funni sword man go brrrr." Like... Fuck. The way Kubo screws with us throughout the whole arc with how he draws the shadows on Ginjo at the start in the way he shades his villains before switching to a more normal style to make you go "Maybe I'm going crazy. He's actually a cool dude." And then reaffirming during the climax "Holy shit... Kubo threw me off so hard... And I love it." Then there's the entire climax of the arc. Just.... *fuck.* The entire sequence where everyone is siding with Tsukishima seemingly out of nowhere and treating Ichigo like the villain when he's trying to attack Tsukishima is just so *raw.* You actually *feel* this man's pain as you can visibly see the heartbreak and rage on his face. Tsukishima is the ONLY person he WANTED TO ***MURDER.*** He didn't want to murder Aizen or Gin or Tousen or Byakuya or Kenpachi or Grimmjow or Ulquiorra. He just wanted to fight them and get them to stop being assholes and stop their schemes. But Tsuki? Oh hell nah. Ichigo wanted his head on a fucking pike and I LOVE that. That shows that even the level headed, reasonable and patient Ichigo has his breaking point. I could go on about this arc for HOURS.

[@Manganization]

Man, it feels so great to have someone not dunk on this arc. It's my favourite of the series, and it tells a more compelling and personal story that stuck with me so much more than any other arcs.

[@TheChristXYz]

This was a badass arc to binge, it felt like kubo sensei really did go back to square one in the best ways possible.

[@dragonballzgamer-playingdb6064]

Truly the most underrated arc, and one of my favorites in this series. Thank you for reviewing this series so far, it's given me something to listen to in the background and think about Bleach in a different light. I can't wait for your review of the Thousand Year Blood War if you're getting around to it.

[@gabrielnakamura9114]

I spoiled myself about the twist at the end and it still was mind boggling when it happened because it was written so incredibly well I absolutely love this arc

[@smjaiteh]

I didn’t love the Fullbringer arc like the other ones, but I’m genuinely happy that you had so much fun with it, and I’m having fun re-evaluating Bleach going through this series.

[@gilbertoflores7397]

I assumed he'd love this arc, in his other arc reviews, he kept saying he loved the slower slice of life sections, and the secondary characters. which this arc focuses a lot more on. I suspected he was going to love this arc based on his likes.

[@kamikaze9699]

I enjoyed this arc thoroughly too, though I think it was because I was older when I watched it. As a kid, teen, even into my mid-20s, I probably wouldn't have seen it in as positive of a light. But that loss of the badass you once were due to age, loss of friends due to life's twists and turns taking them down different paths, loss of who you once were because you had to make sacrifices for your adult responsibilities; I got that struggle to redefine your purpose once your original was gone. Those who originally fueled your purpose lost, only to be regained after you accept those offering you duty- it made far more sense as an adult than it would've as a kid.

[@jamalcharles9533]

I totally understand why you loved this arc Mark, but this is my perspective. I was one of the many people who thought Bleach should have ended after Aizen's defeat so the the reason why I initially did not like this arc much was because of Aizen fatigue.

[@tearzofthefallen6586]

This is also one of my favorite parts of the series. The destruction of Ichigo's support system, and what he fights for, is the best plan they could have used to try and best him. The conversations and situations are top notch and I've never understood why its thought of as a bad arc.

[@strangepigeon1711]

I loved this arc so much, it was so unique

[@dinogt8477]

its bad

[@ghuff4694]

Bro *THANK YOU* I really enjoyed the fullbring arc the animation was crisp af, it retreads through the territory of pre soul society bleach, Ichigo is emotionally invested without the reason being one of his friends being kidnapped and seeing the captains with new designs was hype af

[@iXSIKOBOIXi]

I've always said that the Fullbring arc is very good. It's not my personal favourite, but it is an incredible arc and necessary in this story at this time. Also just to clear something up for Mark, there is not one episode of filler in the Anime for the Fullbringer arc that I can remember, it sees the biggest jump in quality of animation at that time, and it follows the story very dutifully. I have read the Manga and watched the anime tons and there really isn't much if any cut content in that arc.

[@Manganization]

Yeah, the anime was incredible for this arc. And the amount of effort put into animating Ginjo's wet hair.

[@iXSIKOBOIXi]

@@Manganization It's funny because my best memory of the arc is a combination of the two mediums. I was reading the Manga and I had the OST on in the background and during the defeated part for the Fullbringers where the remnants picked themselves up and left the best ost came on and heightened the scene so much

[@timokampwerth1996]

That's an interesting take, especially since I've always felt that the arc is completely pointless and contributes nothing to the overall story aside from an updated look for Zangetsu, so I'm pretty curious. what makes it a necessary arc in your eyes?

[@Manganization]

@@timokampwerth1996 it ties up some hanging threads regarding the Shinigami badge and Ukitake, it brings Ichigo back to a point where he could continue the story again. It was also important for Ichigo's development where he finally accepts that he does not want to be normal and that he also enjoys fighting, and it also fleshes out his hollow-like ability and brings him closer to what will happen to his relationship with his Zanpakuto in Blood War, which was set up ever since his first training to awaken his Bankai.

[@iXSIKOBOIXi]

@@timokampwerth1996 Necessary for the show to continue I should say. It would be fine to end it after the Arrancar arc but with it continuing we need something to get Ichigo his powers back and this is arguably the best way to do it. I'm interested in hearing why you think it's pointless?

[@neltins5308]

We were all too young & in all kid or adolescence years to fully appreciate & love the Fullbring arc, looking back after having experienced similar things to Ichigo in life now, the Fullbring arc is genius & didn't deserve so much hate from the fandom for not being like a traditional shonen arc

[@Error0101]

Speak for yourself.

[@bqw2094]

Oh please , even after rewatching the arc as a young adult , this arc is boring af

[@Error0101]

@BQ W How so? It's pretty short and the plot never meanders around in one place. I can't imagine getting bored during any of it.

[@bqw2094]

@@Error0101 yeah its short , but there's nothing memorable and the manga version of the arc is so dragged out . I can't take the situation seriously knowing that there a bunch of strong characters living in karakura town that could have easily wasted tsukishima . And it went from boring to stupid when ginjo became the villain , he makes this plan that could have easily fallen apart instead of just altering ichigo's mind instead , kubo knew this was a plothole and has ginjo say " the game won't be any fun if it's fixed so that we can't lose ." That is kubo telling us to ignore a very glaring plothole . The fullbringers were very boring, whether they were good guys or bad guys , they felt like ripoff of the vizards . It seems kubo really wanted to fullbringers to be developed , but they were very unpopular, which was understandable. The fullbringer arc feels like a anime filler . To this day I see it as a waste of time .

[@Error0101]

@BQ W First of all, Ginjo giving Ichigo a fighting chance was said about taking off Uryu's arm and not messing with his memories. It was an attack that was different from all the rest which was Ichigo's big hint that something was off, but he completely missed it. Kubo has Ginjo say this in order to help establish Ginjo's true character. We're all very familiar with brainwashed Ginjo by this point, but Kubo uses this scene to showcase that his real self still isn't a purely evil guy. He believes Ichigo has to have a chance to figure him out and fight back if he's going to fuck him over so royally. Lastly, there wasn't anyone in Karakura town that knew who Tsukishima was or even where he lived. He could literally show up and leave whenever he wanted. And that's not even discussing the fact that Urahara and Issin were busy that whole arc working to restore Ichigo's powers. Ichigo's friends all get thrashed. Who are you expecting to step in, Don Kannoji?

[@giannis003]

Finally you managed to post the video without being taken down thank Tsukishima you manage to do it

[@Superduperbro1]

I honestly thought i was crazy for thinking this was my favorite arc. I just really like what this arc does for ichigo and the other characters on an emotional level

[@slimchelmi6940]

it's how you say, this arc has many strengths, but it couldn't exist like that without the story that came before it while watching the anime, it did seem stretched out abd bloated at times, but goingthrough it again has shown me how good it was, and how much I love the style of writing kubo implemented here

[@Ango825]

YEAH RIGHT??? I always thought that one of the core aspects that gave Ichigo the power to overcome the difficulties he faced: his friends and family, now be completely taken away from him was always sooo interesting. Its like completely challenging the character and what we learned about him to present a fully different style of story. Despite me not growing too attached to some of the new side characters this arc presented, I always enjoyed it and never really understood the amount of hate it recieved by the community.

[@jojobizarrelivingstone594]

I honestly like the 'new beginning' feel of this arc even better than bigger scope environments of the previous arcs

[@agriviaa]

Watching your Bleach series has been an eye opener for me. While I'm one of those who hates Fullbring Arc without proper reasons, I decided to watch all your reviews first, and I appreciate every explanation. One of which is when you say Arrancar Arc was bloated and I was like "Well, now you've mentioned it, it kinda feels bloated." so on and so forth. And seeing the comments section put my mind to "Oh so that's why Fullbring Arc is actually good."

[@thatexoguy6721]

The return of the king!

[@cyanboy2049]

like the ending of fullbring arc is actually really good seeing all the capitans and ichigo regaining his powers and all of his friends going on tsukishima's side gave me literal goosebumps

[@AurasFeel]

I'm glad someone's finally given Tsukishima the credit he deserves. There's something so slimey about the ability to attack not a body, a mind, but relationships that gives him a special kind of flare compared to every other enemy in Bleach.

[@rayvonvelez3129]

I love this arc. I never understood the hate for it. The things ichigo goes through in it really makes you feel for his character more than any other arc imo.

[@blackfox4138]

The issue is more about when it first came out. People had difficulty adjusting to a sudden pace changer like that. Going from a by-the-books battle anime to being a mystery thriller caught a lot of people off guard. And when you only got a small portion of a slower paced story week to week, people either lost patience or just didn’t like it. Fortunately, a lot of people have been giving this arc a second chance now that it’s fully complete, and it’s starting to be looked at in a much more positive light. Or at the very least, the people who didn’t like it now think it’s cool to say they’ve liked it all along.

[@Hayatehiroyuki25]

I watched the fullbring arc after a long Bleach hiatus and loved it. Sent me back to the early days of the series

[@ginsover]

Byakuya's "I owe you everything, but you still a dick bruh" moment is a personal favorite

[@starscorpia4005]

I am glad you liked the fullbring arc. Honestly i loved it personally too and it kept me at the edge of my seat for the whole time.

[@senseker1]

Yay! Finally, been really waiting for you to cover this one. Obv the next one is a doozy, but Fullbring Arc was great.

[@poochyenajones1362]

What a great analysis. Really warms my heart to see this arc getting the love it deserves. Though, not my favourite arc in Bleach, I still find it to be great.

[@Mellamogumbo]

I haven’t seen the whole video yet but im so glad you liked it, the fullbring arc is by far my favorite arc in bleach as well

[@maleeks8329]

Love this so much, just a little update, the fan name for this arc is the Fullbring arc but the official name I believe is the Lost Agent Arc. That might have some meaning in it itself

[@HollowKonpaku]

I’m glad you are liking the character interactions a lot. I remember reading this arc week to week in the begining and having Ichigo’s text say “cannot see ghosts”. Was so powerful. Getting excited for the feeling of early Bleach. The characters bouncing off one another and growing. I feel like Kubo really shines there. I would love to see him do a slice of life or a romance manga. Honestly, Kubo’s fight choreography isn’t very dynamic. It usually boils down to close up shots of the character’s feet about to move. Then the next panel is some character behind the other. Then a panel of that person being stabbed. The rinse repeat.

[@shorewall]

Yep. Back in the Big 3, I'd say Naruto had the best fights (until it devolved in the Great Ninja War). One Piece had the best adventure and story. And as everyone always says, Bleach had the best designs. But the Fullbring Arc showed that he could make something amazing. And like a lot of amazing things, it wasn't appreciated in its time. I think his audience, and the times, thought the SS arc was peak, and Arrancar arc was mid. But Fullbring was like a different manga. I loved it, and it was my last hurrah with Bleach. But I can understand, even if I don't agree, why people didn't like it.

[@MiTaReX]

When i read material in favour of Fulbring arc, I see people doing character, pacing, themes and payoff analyses. When I see people bashing it, I see "unga bunga not enough explosions".

[@pepeelghetto1231]

or "Lul ichigo just regain power lul"

[@RetconCrisis]

After watching your last video, I had a feeling that you would like the Fullbring Arc. It's very story focused and a big change of pace, and I feel that a lot of people, like me when I first read it, were a bit disappointed since it was a major shift from the previous arc and had very few actual battles. It's grown on me a lot more over time.

[@shorewall]

Yeah, I think if someone likes the Arrancar Arc, they might not like the Fullbring arc. And if they didn't like then Arrancar Arc, then they might like the Fullbring Arc. They are very different, that's for sure.

[@marclenraymagdaraog691]

@@shorewall yeah cuz if you were still a kid back then like me I hate fullbringer arc. I just want lengthy cool fights but as you grow older you realize how good the fullbringer arc.

[@shorewall]

@@marclenraymagdaraog691 I think that's true. I was in High School when I started reading Bleach, and by the time of the Fullbringer Arc, I was in college, or just out of college. So I was in a different part of my life, and I really liked it.

[@GutsNOnions]

Waiting For Him To Read Into The Thousand Year Bloodwar...Eventually.

[@Yumegipsu]

It's always great to see more people enjoying Fullbring as much as I did. I'd say personally the anime version wasn't bad either (w/ filler guide mind you), I binged the entire arc in a couple days.

[@yokaisucks]

the fullbring arc was the best arc in the anime unironically

[@MachoTM]

theres no filler in the fullbring arc in the anime lol

[@Yumegipsu]

@@MachoTM right I think the last filler arc is right before fullbring starts.

[@anthonyduran6387]

@@MachoTM There is some filler within the fullbring arc. The arc takes place in seasons 24 and 25. While Ichigo is training, Oriheme and Chad are trying to find Tsukishima. That and their fight scene is all filler. Uryu is also investigating in that episode. That's also filler. The first episode of season 25 is entirely filler as well.

[@notanavrageloser]

I read this as it was coming out, so having to wait a week between chapters gave me time to dwell on things. One thing I couldn’t let go of this as how everyone apparently forgot gigais exist. That amnesia was necessary for the story Kubo wanted to tell, but it was just so hard for me to accept that Ichigo hadn’t had any interaction with Rukia or anyone else for so long.

[@m_d_thp]

Like the whole gang, even Rukia don't really want to involve Ichigo with their mess anymore since they all know its rubning salt to the wound for Ichigo. Rukia interacting with Ichigo or the gang talking about hollows in stuff with Ichigo will ony increase Ichigo's yearning to seek his powers back but will only lead to emotional damage since they don't have means to awaken his powers at this point in time. Even Karin don't consult Ichigo for spirit stuff for the same reason. For them its just the same as shoving the fact that Ichigo can't protect them anymore as a shinigami.

[@shorewall]

@@m_d_thp That is a good point (that I agree with), but OP has a good point too. I never thought about gigais, and while it is true that the SS doesn't want to involve Ichgio anymore after he gave his super powers up to fix their mess...I just wanted to see Rukia in cute Kubo fashions on dates with Ichigo! SHIP SHIP SHIP!!! :D

[@m_d_thp]

@@shorewallOf course, my man Renji already took her to dates at that point.

[@power1990]

Really interesting to see you have such a different experience to others (me). I found myself agreeing with a lot of your praise, between the smaller scope, the character-focused story, and the smooth pacing. However, I think what made it hit so much worse for me (besides being kind of burned out on the series reading week-to-week, which I'm sure was a factor), is that the arc failed to get me invested in a lot of the characters. This is most notable with the new characters; most of the fullbringers are one-note to me, and while the shared-trauma aspect is interesting, it's not developed enough for me to actually care about any of them. Even with Ginjo and Tsukishima, I loved their roles in the narrative, but didn't care at all about them as characters (made all the worse by the fact that we never really got to know Ginjo's past in any depth). Ichigo's ultimate fight with Ginjo thus feels like the weakest fight in the series for me; there's not really any weight to it, nor any tension or push and pull. On the other hand, while I liked that the secondary characters were more involved here, and the horror of Tsukishima's ability was compelling, the brainwashing for me took away from any development for Chad and Orihime. Their efforts and growth didn't really seem to matter, especially when it's ultimately the people of Soul Society who make the save. And when it comes down to Ichigo, his turmoil is interesting, yes, but I always find him most compelling when he's trying to work through or resolve conflict within himself, and he doesn't really have that here. He wants to get his powers back, and he does, and for me that's not a terribly interesting character arc, however strong the setup is.

[@thedigiknow]

1000% agree! I tapped out of Bleach back in the day midway through the anime covering the Arrancar arc. In anticipation of Thousand Year Blood War I finished the Arrancar arc via the manga and then I read the Fullbring Arc this past weekend. It was beautifully written, perfectly paced, and like you said, a great mirror of the first arc of Bleach which made me fall in love with the show nearly 20 years ago. Loved this arc!

[@MeMuh7]

I'm so happy you liked this arc. The fullbringer arc is by far my favorite one on bleach.

[@notme952]

the main thing that gets me kind of mad is that mark doesn't understand what the arrancar saga was trying to do with all those fights... the main thing kubo wanted to do with those fights is give char development, like for example without the fight with ichigo and Byakuya in the soul society arc u wouldn't care about Byakuya and without him coming to help in the arrancara saga u would care about him less... basically what im trying to say is that without those fights in the arrancar saga you would not care about most of these chars and wouldn't understand their perspective or their personality.

[@DrewADuckProductions]

Hey Mark, really glad you enjoyed this arc as much as you did! I can't say that I enjoyed it quite as much as some of the other parts of the story, but I can definitely see why someone else would. The mystery-thriller part gets nailed PERFECTLY and the twists and reveals genuinely feel unnerving. While it might not be my favorite arc/part in Bleach, I definitely feel that Tite Kubo was able to use all his experience from writing the previous arcs in order to bring us a fresh take on his story with an interesting premise!

[@SilvaProductions34]

nice pfp

[@Goldenblitzer]

I've only just started the video and I'm so glad that you liked it, I found while watching the anime that I was more excited for the next episode in this one than any other, for the entire arc

[@Eldagusto]

I just read the fullbring arc and I loved it! I took a like year hiatus after binging everything till then. I was very pleasantly surprised how much I loved everything about it. Ginjo was one of the best characters and as you said it was different and refreshing.

[@dudemanguy1492]

The fullbring arc is under rated. It answers questions we didn't know we had, poses things for the future, puts Ichigo's lineage further into questioning, and focuses less on fighting but pumps up the tension to an all time high. Full brings are so under utilized and so much more important then most fans understand because the info is in the light novels

[@SemekiIzuio]

Well that isnt fair to say because the light novels came after the fullbringer not before or during

[@dudemanguy1492]

@@SemekiIzuio that's kinda how story progression works