Bleach V: Well that was a waste of time (Fullbring? What's that?)

[VanBuren]

I think the implication was that Ichigo was subconsciously crippling his Hollow powers because of what happened with Ulquiorra. At least, that's what I got out of the Jinzen training.

[Thrawn183]

*stab*

"Why are you fighting me? We're best friends!"

"...I don't understand the question."

"Oh well. You still can't beat me. After all, I helped you develop your strongest tech--wait, why don't you have any technique beyond "swing really hard"? Oh s--"

*dies*

I'd prefer:

"Oh well. You still can't beat me. After all, I helped you develop your strongest technique. Wait... that just made you stronger!? Woops." *dies*

[Kaez]

New Chapter is up....

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So, his Bankai controls the weather (lightning in particular) and Cap Genocide finishes him off with shikai. He didn't even call out his shikai, which if I am correct it is actually weaker (except for Zaraki's and Ichigos), and still won XD.

[Haruspex_Pariah]

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We got more backstory for the Lieutenant, which tries to explain why we haven't seen his bankai before this. Dunno if I buy it. And the old man roasts Overkill.

I wonder if the bankai thieves have some understanding of the stolen bankai before they use it.

[HandofShadows]

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I wonder if the bankai thieves have some understanding of the stolen bankai before they use it.

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A good possibility. One possibility I came up thought of was that a bankai is tied to it's soul reaper. If the soul reaper dies, might it effect the stolen bankai?

[Silva Stormrage]

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Well old man genocide definitely isn't going to be worfed anytime soon. Maybe against the BBEG?

[Maugan Ra]

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Yeah, that pretty much went as expected. Though I have to admit, I'm quite impressed by Yamamoto basically flaying the Sternritter with fire in a single blow. And hey, cool, backstory from when Yamamoto wasn't quite so old... I can't stop staring at the magnificent moustache.

Though, can anyone help with the translation reference? I take it the nicknames Yamamoto gained through his scars mean something that's lost without being translated.

Also, props to Hisagi. Faced with what he believed was a powerful enemy that might just have knocked the Soutaicho out with a blow, his first instinct is to throw himself forwards to help. Not bad at all.

[KnightDisciple]

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Yeah, that pretty much went as expected. Though I have to admit, I'm quite impressed by Yamamoto basically flaying the Sternritter with fire in a single blow. And hey, cool, backstory from when Yamamoto wasn't quite so old... I can't stop staring at the magnificent moustache.

Though, can anyone help with the translation reference? I take it the nicknames Yamamoto gained through his scars mean something that's lost without being translated.

Also, props to Hisagi. Faced with what he believed was a powerful enemy that might just have knocked the Soutaicho out with a blow, his first instinct is to throw himself forwards to help. Not bad at all.

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I liked this chapter, quite a bit. It was good, meaningful backstory. It was an interesting look at what the Old Man was like way, way back when (including DAT MUSTACHE). It explained why he was so struck by his Vice-Captain's death. It showed how lethal Yamamoto is. And how powerful ("My Vice-Captain's Bankai wasn't that weak!").

And your'e right, Mad Props to Hisagi. I like Hisagi. He's determined, dedicated, and inventive (that armband explosive thing, among other tactics we've seen).

[DiscipleofBob]

Though, can anyone help with the translation reference? I take it the nicknames Yamamoto gained through his scars mean something that's lost without being translated.

I can't be certain without looking at the original Japanese, but I'm fairly certain that the new name combines the old two phoenetically speaking in a way that makes sense in Japanese but leaves the English-reader confused, like how Ichigo's nickname is Strawberry.

Like: "My subordinates called me 'John,' but later some other guys called me 'Sam', therfore I shall be known as... 'JAM'"

...

Okay, that really didn't work either.

[Drolyt]

I can't be certain without looking at the original Japanese, but I'm fairly certain that the new name combines the old two phoenetically speaking in a way that makes sense in Japanese but leaves the English-reader confused, like how Ichigo's nickname is Strawberry.

Like: "My subordinates called me 'John,' but later some other guys called me 'Sam', therfore I shall be known as... 'JAM'"

...

Okay, that really didn't work either.

It worked, it was just silly.

At any rate, the problem with translating written Japanese into English is that a lot of puns in Japanese are based on their insane writing system, which not only doesn't translate into English it doesn't translate into any other language. (To be clear I don't know if this applies to that whole Yamamoto thing, the translation was pretty confusing, but regardless Kubo does this a lot).

Basically it works something like this: over a thousand years ago the Chinese writing system was introduced to Japan. Now, unlike the Latin alphabet Chinese characters are based around meaning, not sound, and doesn't really work for other languages the way the Latin alphabet can be adapted to virtually any language. To get around this the Japanese attached sounds to Chinese characters, but since there are only a few dozen sounds in the Japanese language and over a thousand Chinese characters there are at least a dozen ways of writing any given Japanese sounds. Now for common words there is a set way of writing them, but for names and some other things you get to be creative, since the sounds and the characters can have separate meanings. Kubo does this a lot with hollows, giving their abilities names in Spanish but carefully picking the characters to give it a meaning in Japanese as well. This is also the root of the joke involving Ichigo's name, it usually means strawberry (and thus is more commonly a girl's name) but the way it is written is one/first protector/guardian, which his father says means "protector of one".


Edit: It occurs to me to note that in Japanese words aren't broken into vowels and consonants, but into syllables. This has the odd effect of words that in Japanese look like the combination of two other words don't look like that when transliterated to Latin. Maybe that is what happened with Yamamoto's name.

[Maugan Ra]

Ah, that makes sense. I knew that 'Ichigo' either translated into 'Protector of one' or 'Strawberry' depending on how you wrote it, but it's good to hear of the reasoning behind it.

Still, this is why I'm quite glad that the translations of the manga and anime leave some words unadjusted. 'Getsuga Tenshou' is a fun attack name to roar, but 'Moon Fang pierces Heaven' simply doesn't roll off the tongue as well.

[Julian84]

That was refreshingly direct of old man genocide. No drawn-out battle, he just incinerates him with a single swing.

[thubby]

That was refreshingly direct of old man genocide. No drawn-out battle, he just incinerates him with a single swing.

i really hope that kill sticks, but knowing bleach he'll regenerate or something.

[Hadrian_Emrys]

Given's Kubo's bland style, I suspect that the kill will stick, only to make it all the more bonkers when he fails to take down the BBEG.

[Haruspex_Pariah]

From a story perspective, Ichigo not taking down the big boss seems doubtful (main character, yo). But then again, the stakes seem a bit different here. Have the Quincies professed a desire to destroy Karakura Town, Earth, or anything like that?

[Axinian]

This was the first time in a while where a kill was supposed to be "brutal' or "shocking" was actually either of those things. The guys hits him so hard that the skin from the front of his body burns off. Ouch.

[Maugan Ra]

That was refreshingly direct of old man genocide. No drawn-out battle, he just incinerates him with a single swing.

The whole manga appears to be shifting in favor of short fights with lethal outcomes. Or at least, ones where most of the protracted engagement happens off-panel.

And hey, that makes five Sternritter down, I believe. If they keep up the alphabet naming, only 21 left to go...

[Mando Knight]

As to be expected of the Head Captain!

[Infernally Clay]

I wonder if the bankai thieves have some understanding of the stolen bankai before they use it.

Since the Daten each Stern Ritter received actually tells them who has Bankai, which we know 'cause Äs Nödt said as much, it's not that much of a stretch to believe the Daten also tells them what the Bankai does. Given the Quincy's natural skill at manipulating reishi, that's probably all they need to know (although, as Yamamoto pointed out, their use of Bankai isn't on the same level as the Shinigami it belongs to).

[Infernally Clay]

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All I can say is... Wow.

[HandofShadows]

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All I can say is... Wow.

I second this.

[Haruspex_Pariah]

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The Commander shows his awesomeness.
Kenpachi gets beaten off-screen.
But I suppose we need to preserve some mystery about the enemy boss's powers. At least until next chapter.

It would be funny if the Commander killed this guy before Ichigo busts himself out of his forcecage-thing. But that seems unlikely.

[DiscipleofBob]

So, this might be a translation error...

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Page 10: Where the new 5th squad vizard captain (never could remember their names) speaks.

It sounds like he should be saying "The old man will steal all the fun."

But on mangahere it says "The old man will still all the fun."

The latter actually still works in a meta sort of way.

And yeah...

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Kenpachi getting an off-screen beatdown is BS.

[Maugan Ra]

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Ah, the benefits to morale that comes of having a walking inferno of annihilation as your commander. Apparently sufficient to inspire heavily wounded soul reapers to get back up and keep fighting.

Kyoraku is still a firm favorite of mine, I must say. Got his eye shot out, but he's still bantering with an easy-going smile... and looking rather scary in at least one of those frames.

Also, I chose to believe that Kenpachi has in no way been defeated. After all, the Nnoitora fight had him flat on his back, bleeding out and unconscious at one point.

And hey, his Majesty has a name now! It might even preserve him from Yamamoto's word choice...

[Soras Teva Gee]

Inb4....

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... Yamamoto bites it for good in the next few chapters...

...because that's where this train wreck is going. This whistle's going "Trololololo-lololo" already.

Also allow me to express my complete apathy towards the off-screen Worfing. The victim became meaningless a bit back when he started to be written from his hype.

[DiscipleofBob]

Inb4....

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... Yamamoto bites it for good in the next few chapters...

...because that's where this train wreck is going. This whistle's going "Trololololo-lololo" already.

Also allow me to express my complete apathy towards the off-screen Worfing. The victim became meaningless a bit back when he started to be written from his hype.

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The problem with Kenpachi being suddenly reduced to Worf status is that up until now Kenpachi's won all his battles through sheer force, including Nnoitra, who even Ichigo couldn't beat.

Kenpachi getting beat is unheard of in the series. The closest he ever came to losing was fighting to a draw with Ichigo in the rescue arc.

Agreed that he's probably not dead yet. Kenpachi's death would hopefully be treated as far more of a big deal than "Oh, btw, this happened off screen, but it's not nearly as important as everyone else's pep talks."

[Mando Knight]

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Old Man Genocide decides to do it in person now...

[Delusion]

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I laughed out loud when I saw Kenpachi was defeated offscreen. Seriously he had it coming, haven't liked the character after Hueco Mundo arc, which he IMO had no business surviving.

[Ramza00]

I think my favorite part of the most recent chapter...

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...is that how Kenpachi goes down and how he would enjoy the violence of it. Buckbeard based off the artwork does not look to be holding Kenpachi with his hand around Kenpachi's throat. Instead it appears as if Buckbeard fingers are shoved into Kenpachi's face where Kenpachi's chin should be. In other words he is holding Kenpachi via his jaw, with his finger's protruding where Kenpachi's mouth/throat would be.

For a man who relishes the fights, who relishes the injuries, the disfiguration, the pain, the bloodshed, there can be no better fight than this. He allows his opponents to attack him first, to cause him pain to prolong the battle and to give himself a handicap. Remember he is a man looking for an equal, he has been disappointed via this quest. He defeated the prior kenpachi (the former 11th squad captain) in a battle with 200 witnesses, he fought the person who holds the title of the strongest swordsman in all of soul society yet he defeated this Kenpachi with a single blow.

[Anyr]

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Turnabout is fair play. Kenpachi has just fallen victim to the same trope that he's inflicted on so many others. Those three Stern Ritter he demolished earlier didn't even get a line, let alone a fight scene.