The March of Corpses was a fitting prelude to Juha Bach’s defeat.

——

Kaka Juumanokushi Daisoujin is unleashed upon Juha Bach and he panics. It is an odd move to use for characters aligned with the side of goodness since he is using the corpses of the dead. Usually, good characters would be blessed with the power of light, but having this power of darkness is strange. Even more so, when it was revealed that they were the characters that served as Juha Bach’s underlings, it just felt pretty evil. 

Yamamoto poses the question that all of us have been thinking of since the arc began with Ichigo fighting and not having his Bankai stolen: Why didn’t they steal certain characters’ Bankai? In this case, it seemed to fit in line with predictions that said the Bankai needed to be analyzed beforehand. Because Yamamoto’s Bankai differed from how it was when he first encountered Juha Bach, it was impossible to steal. I wonder if this means that Ichigo’s Bankai still has unknown skills or if it means a few of the remaining characters have yet to unleash theirs?

Zanka no Tachi North cut Juha Bach in half. It was a devastating and cruel final blow. One has to wonder how Yamamoto could act in such a manner even against a foe. Why was there no choice for repentance or final words? Why didn’t he even offer him a choice to change his ways and come to the good side? In some ways, I liked how it played out, but for a protagonist and a good-sided character, why did he have to handle it in such a cruel manner?

Chapter 509 was an excellent closing chapter to this mini arc of sorts for Captain Commander Yamamoto. Singlehandedly defeating Juha Bach in a few focused chapters was an excellent move for Kubo to take. The closing page was one of confusion, as it seemed that it may not have actually been Juha Bach? Regardless, I was impressed with Captain Commander and hope to see him more in the future. I have a feeling that we are definitely in the final chapters of Bleach.

GO Rating: 4/5

[mangastream]