“Arrancar”- is it the longest arc in shounen? In manga? It’s a beast too big for one podcast ep, that’s for sure. Samu and I wrap up our conversation here, and look back at this behemoth as a whole.
Podcast links:
My Taste is Better Than Yours Episode 55 – Bleach: Arrancar Arc (Part 2)
abc
March 30, 2026 at 3:28 pmAs always, thanks for sharing your Bleach thoughts with us! It’s been fun listening to you and Samu discuss Bleach.
On the topic of Soul Society’s consequentialism: it’s pretty telling how in the Soul Society arc, Aizen can just kill and take control of the Central 46 government and issue orders to execute Rukia, and nobody blinks because this is just business as usual.
Fake Karakura Town is also around when I caught up to Bleach. As a Bleach fan, yeah, on one hand, it was cool to see all our favorite characters get their moments, to learn about their secret powers. On the other hand, I totally get the fatigue with too many fights — some fights were much better than others. And as I alluded to in my previous comments, I think this is where a lot of the “Kubo’s making it up along the way” complaints came from, with new powerups and special abilities coming out of nowhere every week.
One fight I want to shout out is Hisagi’s, especially in the anime. I was rewatching Bleach a few years back (had a lot of free time in 2020…) and some of the Fake Karakura Town fights were a slog to get through, but Hisagi’s stood out, both the narrative and how the episode was directed. The episode director was Kazunori Mizuno, who sadly died from overwork while working on Welcome to the Ballroom! and Boruto.
Ah yes, Ichigo vs Ulquiorra had “the heart” chapter I mentioned, which became a meme in the fandom because “Kubo drew a page that had nothing on it except ‘the heart.'” I think it also had the Zeroth Espada plot twist, which angered fans because now their beloved Stark was no longer the strongest.
I think western fans were also confused by Hitsugaya’s popularity. I wonder if it’s like Tanjiro from Kimetsu no Yaiba, just an honest, good kid who’s powerful (but not overpowered), has his own struggles, but fights for his family and friends. Also, I think the one-shot flashback was to promote the second Bleach movie, where he was the main character.
Like Samu, I’m looking forward to hearing your thoughts on the next arc! If I’m remembering the RandomC coverage/retrospective, I think I’m aligned with how Samu feels about that arc.
Guardian Enzo
March 30, 2026 at 4:03 pmThanks for that, very informative.
Maybe the second movie itself had something to do with his popularity? Is this a chicken and egg situation?
abc
March 31, 2026 at 1:15 pmYou know, that might be it. Going by the Bleach fandom wiki (if you consider it reliable) and ANN’s list of chapter release dates:
2005-12-26: Chapter 209, third character poll, Hitsugaya finishes second. This is during the Arrancar Invasion sub-arc, about 15 chapters after Hitsugaya’s team arrives in the living world.
2007-06-05: Second Bleach movie announced.
2007-08-06: Hitsugaya’s flashback chapter.
2007-12-22: Theatrical release.
2008-01-28: Chapter 307, fourth character poll, Hitsugaya finishes first. This is just after Kurotsuchi defeats Szayelaporro, so well after Hitsugaya’s fight with Luppi but before his fight with Harribel.