Summary
Warning: The following contains spoilers for BLEACH: Thousand-Year Blood War Part 2 – The Separation, Episode 3, “The Fundamental Virulence” available to stream onHuluandDisney+.
With the second ambush by the Quincies underway, a key development in the research being conducted by Urahara Kisuke used as a cliffhanger inthe second episode ofBLEACH: Thousand-Year Blood War Part 2introduced the third episode. With hope restored, the Shinigami’s fight is renewed and to add to the hype, a Bankai never before-seen in either the original manga or anime is finally revealed. Hidden away from the carnage, Ichigo continues his journey on the path of no return.
“The Fundamental Virulence” was another action-packed installment in the climactic war between the Shinigami and the Quincies, shining as it has been in direction, visuals, and soundtrack.
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The Cang Du Attitude
Episode 2 begins with a brief reminder of the situation as various shots of Quincies overwhelm various groups of Shinigami. Brief glimpses at the grim battle situations of various Shinigami we know are seen, characters like Tetsuzaemon, Momo Hinamori, Hisagi Shūhei, Yumichika, Ikkaku and fully involved, while Isane Kotetsu heals the wounded. Sternritter I – The Iron, Cang Du, appears just asBazz-B prepares to kill Hitsugaya, interrupting based on orders from Yhwach that the Captains are to be killed by the ones who stole their Bankai.
He lifts his coat to reveal a severely injured Matsumoto, whom he tosses to the ground before unleashing Hitsugaya’s Bankai. Cang Du seems to derive less enjoyment from the war than his brethren, especially as he tells Hitsugaya he will kill him with Matsumoto to keep them together in death. He adds that Hyōrinmaru is the only aspect of Hitsugaya that will remain after he’s gone, and apologizes for what he’s about to do.
The Breakthrough
Urahara Kisuke contacts 12th Squad Captain Mayuri Kurotsuchi about his findings regarding the Bankai that were plundered, and even knows how to create immunity from future incidents. The Arrancar are the key to Urahara’s understanding of the mechanics informing both the Quincies and their medallions because they are beings that have transcended normal Hollows, gaining Shinigami-like powers after breaking their masks. The Arrancar havea technique analogous to the Bankaicalled Resurreción.
Despite the similarity, no Resurreción has been stolen, a fact that led Urahara to believe that the key lies with Hollows. Urahara arrives at the scene and speaks to Kurotsuchi directly, asking for his cooperation, bringing him up to speed about what he saw in Hueco Mundo. Using the shadowless lab that Kurotsuchi created, the Research and Development Division get to work, using creepy-looking bugs called Kaizōchu Insects that are capable of modifying mechanical equipment to exploit Quincy technology in order to regain communication with the Shinigami on the ground.
The Fundamental Virulence
Virulence describes the degree of damage caused by microorganism upon its host. The word itself is derived from the Latin word “virulentus”,meaning “poisoned wound”, and as one would imagine, the word also spawned the word “virus”, describing a type of pathogen (any agent capable of causing disease) that replicates solely within the cells of another living organism. The episode title, “The Fundamental Virulence” is in reference to Urahara’s research and understanding that Hollow reiatsu is like poison to Quincies, as well as the resulting gadget: the Shin’eiyaku, pills which are absorbed upon contact and arecapable of returning stolen Bankai, and grant immunity from Bankai theft.
A little goes a long way as Urahara explains that not much Hollow reiatsu is required for the pills take effect. О̄maeda saves Soi Fon from getting mined for data and delivers her dose of Shineiyaku just in time. With her Bankai back, Soi-Fon unleashes Jakuhō Raikōben while cradled by her Lieutenant as they defeat BG9 together. The medallions themselves begin to react to the Bankai, which have now become poison for the Quincies. The effects enable Hitsugaya to turn the tables on Cang Du as he encases him in ice before collapsing.
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The episode’s best moment as the Shinigami begin turning the tables on the Quincies is the first-time reveal of the Bankai of 5th Squad Captain, Shinji Hirako,Sakashima Yokoshima Happōfusagari, “Inverted World”. TheBLEACH: Can’t Fear Your Own Worldnovelswritten by Ryohgo Narita are the only other time we have been able to see the Bankai. Due to the nature of this Bankai, which makes friends and foes indistinguishable, Shinji is almost never in a situation where it’s safe for him to use – the Seireitei is not necessarily a place where everyone considers everyone else an ally. Being outnumbered by attacking Quincies with no allies in sight, Shinji was able to unleash his Bankai in a gorgeous sequence that turned up the visuals and even had a gorgeous comic-like effect when effects took place.
More effects are revealed when Shinji runs into Bambietta Basterbine who has just run into her favourite dog, Komamura. Swinging his Zanpakutō like a pendulum, Shinji induces various forms of disorientation as everything around Bambi is turned upside-down and her senses no longer work as they should. Shinji’s speech is even reversed, with the subtitles being reversed themselves to add to the effect. At some point, Shinji stops making sense even to us as a soulful soundtrack plays to Bambi’s disorientation. However, the good times end almost as quickly as they began for the Shinigami, as each Sternritter unleashes their true power.
True Despair
The Bankai plundering was not the endgame as the point of doing that was to kill the hope of the Shinigami without even employing the full capacity of the power possessed by the Quincies. Yhwach has sought to create the greatest amount of despair in the Shinigami by giving them glimmers of hope in combat, like he did when he faked the battle againstthe former Captain-Commander. This time, the returned Bankai were the false hope. According to Bambi, the Bankai were only really hindering them, making them unable to use their true trump card: Quincy Vollständig. As each of the present Quincies activate the transformation, pillars of light tipped with Quincy crosses are seen, creating a brilliant light that forebodes ruin.
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