Summary
Fans are in for a treat in the fifth episode ofBLEACH: Thousand-Year Blood War Part 3as a fan-favourite character makes a return to the series after a very long time. The Sexta Espada, Grimmjow Jaegerjacquez, made his first full appearance in theBLEACHanime since his defeat by series protagonist Ichigo Kurosaki all the way backin the Hueco Mundo arc.
While it was just a cameo, we can expect Grimmjow to feature a lot more in the coming episodes, as the “Protection of the Soul King Great War” has reached a very important checkpoint. How can Grimmjow’s involvement help the Shinigami defeat Yhwach and protect the balance of the realms?
Living Jaguar
During the fourth episode of the first cours ofBLEACH: Thousand-Year Blood War, “Kill the Shadow”, when Sternritter J – The Jail, Quilge Opie was terrorizing the residents of Hueco Mundo and taking some Hollows away to serve under Yhwach, Grimmjow’s presence was hinted at. After Ichigo beat the Quincy and managed to leave for Soul Society, he used Ransōtengai to control his beaten body and attempted to attack Urahara, Nel Tu, Chad and Orihime, but he was bissected by an unknown force who then turned his blade towards Urahara. In episode 8, “The Shooting Star Project (Zero Mix)”, Ichigo is about to commencehis training with the Zero Squadand gets a chance to speak to Urahara via live video feed when he hears a familiar voice.
The source of the voice is briefly seen in the video, and there’s an unmistakable hole in his abdomen which confirms Ichigo’s suspicions. The voice even gets agitated upon hearing Ichigo’s voice. He worries about his friends being around that individual, but Urahara tells him that they “came to a nice agreement” and are clearly safe, so it’s nothing to worry about. The exact nature of Urahara’s deal with Grimmjow is not yet known as of Part 3 episode 5; however, it is finally time for the living jaguar to make his appearance, and wecan expect him to have gotten strongersince his fight against Ichigo. During episode 5 ofBLEACH: Thousand-Year Blood War Part 3, there’s a scene with a silhoutte walking towards what looks like a Garganta. It turns out to be Grimmjow, with the Garganta opening up to Soul Society, and Ichigo is shocked to see him emerge from the open maw.
What Can We Expect?
Immensely Important Combat Potential
Since his introduction, Grimmjow has been presented as something like a rival for Ichigo, and ever since his defeat in the Hueco Mundo arc, he has been itching for another chance to have a go at Ichigo; however, their reunion in combat will have to wait. Having Grimmjow on their side is a massive advantage due to his immense skill in battle and high spiritual pressure. As the former no. 6 Espada, Grimmjow was at a point the sixth strongest of Aizen’s underlings and gave Ichigo a very tough time whenever they fought. The fact that Tier Harribel, the current ruler of Hueco Mundo and former Tres Espada was unable to escape the clutches of Quilge Opie and the Jagdarmee (Hunting Corps), but Grimmjow avoided capture and even killed an Ayon-infused Quilge Opie (in Quincy: Vollständig) with one slash means that he will be very useful in battle.
Beyond Grimmjow’s abilities, the fact that he is a Hollow will be very important in battles against Quincies, given the fact thatHollow reishi is toxic to Quincies. Grimmjow has already had quite a major role in the background of the “Protection of the Soul King Great War” as it is most likely his and the reishi of Nel Tu (as well as Pesche Guatiche and Dondochakka Birstanne) used in Urahara’s creation of the black pills that enabled the Shinigami to take back their Bankai which had been stolen by the Sternritter in the first cours ofBLEACH: Thousand-Year Blood War. Now that he has finally made his full appearance, his inclusion in the opening sequence of this cours can no longer be seen as a spoiler, and we can expect the series to really sink its claws into the immense action that is yet to come.
