Last month, we announced that Tite Kubo’s shonen manga would be making a surprise comeback in the 36th and 37th combined issue of Shueisha’s Weekly Shonen Jump magazine. The special Bleach one-shot takes place twelve years after the conclusion of the Thousand-Year Blood War arc. This chapter is more than just a courtesy call to the denizens of Soul Society though, as the final page indicates a continuation of the series is in the works. You can read it here on Viz’s website with a premium account (which is odd, because it was free to read when it was released last month.)
Before I continue, there will be spoilers going forward. If you’re awaiting the anime adaptation and haven’t read the final arc, there are some major developments you’ll want to discover on your own.
With that out of the way, let’s get into it. Introducing the Howl from the Jaws of Hell arc.
New Faces, Old Foes
The first half is pretty non-offensive and frankly a little boring, but it was still pleasant to see the faces of Soul Society again. We got some antics and eye-lasers from Captain Kurotsuchi’s holograms, which was entertaining. Additionally, we got to see Rukia’s new hairstyle: now sporting a side-ponytail and longer locks.
Additionally, we got to see some of the new blood in the upper ranks of the Gotei 13. Atau Rindō is the new lieutenant of the 7th division under Captain Tetsuzaemon Iba. Although he is deaf, he proves to be a silent, deadly opponent in combat, using his zanpakuto to manifest a kettle of hawks to strip away the flesh of an enemy. I always had a fascination with the deaf warrior motif, and I’m hoping to see more of him down the road.
The new lieutenant of Squad 8, Yuyu Yayahara, also introduces herself here. She’s quickly pinned down as a gyaru, complete with the tanned complexion and excessive fashion that comes with the title. I wasn’t crazy about her introduction, but I did enjoy her zanpakuto’s shikai, which manifests a massive bear phantasm to chomp down foes.
The second half is where things get really interesting. The new chapter goes into the details surrounding a ceremony for sending off captain-level shinigami who have perished. Much like how our own mortal coils break down, decompose, and rejoin the earth, a fallen soul reaper’s reiatsu (spirit energy) also rejoins the environment. However, a captain’s reiatsu is so dense that it cannot rejoin the earth in a manner like other beings. Hence a “Soul Funeral Festival” is held on the 12th anniversary of their funeral, where a hollow is sacrificed in order to dispel their leftover spirit energy.
Things don’t go as planned, however. A squad of aberrant “hollows” appear in the human world and attack the lieutenants and Ichigo. As the squad is distracted, Renji’s leg is suddenly bound by black chains that sprung from a tear in the Earth. A multitude of Hell butterflies escape from the fissure, along with an old foe: Szayelapporo Granz.
In the Soul Society, Shunsui Kyouraku speculates that the Soul Funeral Festival’s objective may actually be damning souls to Hell, a concept that is concurrently confirmed by Szayelapporo in the human world. Former Head Captain Yamamoto, Captain Unohana, and now Captain Ukitake have been sentenced to Hell by their own comrades. Before Szayelapporo can continue on his tirade, he is skewered by a familiar zanpakuto: and it’s none other than Sougyo no Kotowari.
Closing Thoughts
This revelation was absolutely wild. Hell is a concept that was scarcely touched upon in the Bleach universe, and only gingerly during the first arc. The Bleach: Hell Verse movie also explored Hell to some extent, though the canonical verity of it remains unclear. The fact that the final panel says “Howl from the Jaws of Hell Arc” seems to indicate, in no unclear terms, that Bleach is back.
I have to confess I’m excited. Hell has been an enigmatic concept, and it appears that even the Soul Society has scant information surrounding it. The fact that we, the readers of this Bleach one-shot, get to experience this breakthrough development together with the cast themselves is exciting. Regarding Ukitake, he skewers Szayelapporo and drags him back to Hell, indicating that he was acting in defense of his comrades…right? What of Yamamoto and Unohana? Is there a way to rescue their souls? Will Hell’s environment corrupt them? What about other fallen heroes and villains, like the rest of the Espada, Gin, and Tousen? Why was Sougyo no Kotowari twice its normal size?
The Bleach series is shifting into dark new territory, and if Szayelapporo’s demonic visage is any indication, we’re going to have a bloody good time. See you in Hell.
