Arrancar vs. Shinigami Arc

Season 10 of Bleach (of the same manga written and illustrated by Tite Kubo) aired from Oct. 14, 2008 to Feb. 3, 2009 with a total of 16 episodes – ep. 190-205. The last 2 episodes are fillers.

Ichigo and the Shinigamis continue their battle against the Espada to save Orihime Inoue. This time, the shinigami captains enter Hueco Mundo to lend a helping hand coming face-to-face with the Espada, Aizen’s elite army.

One opening theme and two ending themes:

1. Aqua Timez’ “Velonica”
2. Stereopony’s “Hitohira no Hanabira” (ヒトヒラのハナビラ – A Single Flower Petal) (ep. 190-201)
3. Shion Tsuji’s “Sky Chord”

Bleach: Fade to Black, I Call Your Name was released on Dec. 13, 2008. A spell is cast on Soul Society, where no one remembers who Ichigo and Rukia are. Ichigo enters Soul Society only to realize that not only has Rukia forgotten him, but she doesn’t remember who she is either.

Bleach

• Season 1 (Oct. 2004 – Feb. 22, 2005)

• Season 2 (March – July 2005)

• Season 3 (July 2005 – Jan. 2006)

• Season 4 (Jan. – Aug. 2006)

• Season 5 (Aug. 2006 – Jan. 2007)

• Season 6 (Jan. – June 2007)

• Season 7 (July – Dec. 2007)

• Season 8 (Dec. 2007 – Apr. 2008)

• Season 9 (Apr. – Oct. 2008)

Neliel Tu Oderschvank • Nnoitra Jiruga • Szayel Aporro Granz • Zommari Leroux

As the battle between Ichigo and Grimmjow concludes, a new character emerges. Espada Nnoitra Jiruga (5) appears and tries to eliminate Grimmjow, but Ichigo steps in to protect Grimmjow. As Ichigo and Nnoitra begin to fight, his sole Fraccióne Tesla, who adores Nnoitra, recaptures Inoue, who is prevented from helping otherwise her clips, the source of her powers, will be destroyed. Nnoitra overwhelms the battle-weakened Ichigo and catches an eye of little Nel Tu.

Neliel Tu Oderschvank

He recognizes her instantly as Neliel Tu Oderschvank (ex-3), a former Espada. He uses Nel as his shield against Ichigo, who he pins on the ground. Nnoitra is about to break Ichigo’s arm, when a hysterically crying Nel transforms into her original adult form – a green-haired, busty beauty. Nelliel saves Ichigo and battles Nnoitra. She overpowers him and as a last ditch effort, he releases a cero blast. She uses her cero doble to absorb the blast and redirects it back at him with double the power. However, he emerges with barely a scratch, revealing that the Espada have grown stronger in her absence.

This is not the first time the two have met in battle. Neliel has sparred with Nnoitra before and easily defeated him, but not wanting to battle till the death, she let him go. Instead, Nnoitra attacked Neliel’s Fraccióne Dondochakka and Pesche, and with Szayel abetting him, paralyzed Neliel long enough to attack her. With Szayel’s drugs, Nnoitra then caused her amnesia. He then left her outside Aizen’s palace, where she transformed into an amnesiac child and her two followers vowed to protect her.

Back in the battle, Neliel releases her zanpakutou and transforms into a white centaur, which overpowers Nnoitra. Just as she is about to finish off Nnoitra, she returns to her child form, leaving her defenseless. Ichigo jumps to Nel’s aid, but is stopped by Tesla, who easily defeats the exhausted Ichigo. As the final blow is to be performed, Zaraki Kenpachi (11) appears. An enthusiastic Kenpachi quickly puts down Tesla and takes on Nnoitra. Urahara (ex-12) made garganta gateways into Hueco Mundo stable enough for the shinigami captains to enter.

Aqua Timez’s Velonica

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01 Velonica
02 奏であい
03 薫
04 Velonica -Instrumental-

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Nnoitra Jiruga

Nnoitra Jiruga (5) is able to block attacks with his skin alone, and as a result of this ability, he only fights the strongest and spares the weak. He believes that a woman can never be stronger or outrank a man, which explains his hatred for Neliel. Nnoitra feels alive when he is drowning in his own blood. His zanpakutou, Santa Teresa, becomes two scythes. He is envy.

Before Nnoitra can finish anyone off, Kenpachi Zaraki soon arrives to help them, and he and Nnoitra exchange increasingly more devastating blows, each finding great enjoyment in the fact that they can survive one another’s attacks and therefore prolong the battle. While Kenpachi and Nnoitra fights, Inoue heals a badly injured Nel. Kenpachi is unable to cut through Nnoitra’s tough skin. Eventually Kenpachi cuts through at Nnoitra’s eye patch only to be counterattacked, injuring Kenpachi in the process. It seems, Kenpachi stabbed Nnoitra through his hollow hole. When Nnoitra accidentally tears off Kenpachi’s eyepatch, his power limiter is removed. Calling on his huge amount of reiatsu, Kenpachi finally slices through Nnoitra’s torso. In response, Nnoitra releases his zanpakutou and forms an additional pair of arms. Nnoitra severely wounds Kenpachi, but not before Kenpachi cuts off one of his arms. Unfortunately, Nnoitra regenerates his arm. Knowing that he (Kenpachi) is in danger of dying if he doesn’t react sooner, Kenpachi uses kendo and severely injures Nnoitra with his two-handed strike. Kenpachi then leaves, unwilling to finish Nnoitra off, just as Neliel has done frequently, causing Nnoitra to take a final attack against Kenpachi. Kenpachi then deals him the finishing blow. After a long and destructive battle Nnoitra dies what he believes to be a “warrior’s death;” losing consciousness a split second before his body hits the ground.

Szayel Aporro Grantz

Renji, Uryuu, Dondochakka and Pesche are trying to escape the room created by Szayelaporro Grantz (8). All directions lead them back to the previous battle zone, where Szayel is waiting. He finally draws his zanpakutou Fornicaras, which creates clones of the four boys. The power limiter in the room is also released to allow an all-out-battle to occur. The clones fight their originals, destroying the building in the process. Szayel destroys the clones, but pulls out voodoo dolls of Renji and Uryuu, which he uses to inflict pain on them by damaging their internal organs. Pesche and Dondochakka then fused their cero blasts to attack Szayel, but he nullifies it easily.

Szayel is the scientist of Espada, thinking highly of himself and following his plans down to the finest detail. He is quite sadistic and views others as little more than research material. Previously, he lost a position as an Espada and was forced to aid Nnoitra to take out Neliel to regain his position. His zanpakutou, in its released state, grows two pairs of thin wings while his lower body transforms into a flock of long tentacles. By wrapping an opponent in his wings, Szayel can create voodoo dolls of them, which he uses to damage their internal organs. If he is eaten, Szayel’s body fuses with his opponent’s nervous system, thus gaining complete control of their body. His final ability, Gabriel the “Annunciation,” allows him to be reborn by impregnating the enemy.

Together with Kenpachi, Unohana Retsu (4) and her lieutenant Kotetsu Isane, Kurotsuchi Mayuri (8) and his lieutenant Nemu and Kuchiki Byakuya (6) and Yamada Hanatarou (4) enter Hueco Mundo to aid the rest. Unohana and Isane go in aid of Gantenbainne and Chad.

Tsuji Shion’s Sky Chord

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Release date: 2009.02.25

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Mayuri and Nemu head toward Szayel. At first, it seems like Mayuri is unable to retaliate against Szayel, who uses his voodoo doll to destroy Mayuri’s organs. However, this is just a façade, as Mayuri replaced his organs with dummies after learning about that ability through implanted bacteria in Uryuu. Mayuri then releases his bankai, poisons Szayel and swallows him. Unfortunately that very same poison inadvertently hurts Uryuu and Renji. Szayel then uses the opportunity to resurrect himself by absorbing Nemu’s reiatsu through his Gabriel technique. The poor hapless fool actually ingests a large dosage of an experimental superhuman drug stored inside Nemu by Mayuri, increasing Szayel’s senses to the point where his body cannot respond to the flood of sensory information, immobilizing him. Everything is slowed down for him. What happens in mere seconds, feels like years for Szayel. Mayuri then stabs Szayel through his heart, but because of the drug, Szayel is effectively paralyzed leading him to suffer a slow and painful death. Mayuri then restores Mayuri and orders her to stay away from Szayel’s lab. He also, charitably, heals Uryuu and Renji’s injuries.

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Zommari Leroux

Meanwhile Byakuya goes in search of his sister, arriving just in time to save her from Espada Zommari Leroux (7).

The cool Byakuya doesn’t acknowledge Zommari as an equal, and in rage, Zommari releases his zanpakutou controlling anything he sees with his eyes. Zommari takes over Byakuya’s arm and leg, and in response, Byakuya severs his own tendons to immobilize himself. Byakuya then orders Hanatarou to take Rukia to safety, but Zommari reacts by having Rukia cut Hanatarou. He then threatens to force Rukia to commit suicide but Byakuya stops Rukia with kidou. With Rukia dispatched, an angry Byakuya releases his bankai, surrounding and overwhelming Zommari with thousands of tiny blades. Zommari survives senbonzakura but Byakuya follows up with kidou, which blocks Zommari’s controlling ability and quickly dispatches him.

Zommari’s zanpakutou is Brujeria and when released, he gains an extra fifty eyes, which he uses to gain control of whatever or whoever they look upon. This technique is called Amor. His vice is his love and adoration for Aizen.

Espada Coyote Starrk (1) arrives at Kenpachi and Nnoitra’s battle site and steals Inoue away, back into an awaiting Aizen. Aizen then tells Inoue that him, Gin (ex-3) and Tousen (ex-9) are preparing the Espada to destroy Karakura Town. Ichigo, sensing Inoue in danger, leaves to save her. Tousen is ordered to contact the shinigami captains, Ichigo and friends with kido. He then reveals the reason why Inoue was brought to Hueco Mundo – to bring the “security” into Hueco Mundo leaving Karakura Town defenseless. Aizen with his Espada Starrk, Barragan and Harribel travel through a portal to Karakura Town and leaves Ulquiorra in charge of Las Noches in his absence. However, General Yamamoto and his group of captains and lieutenants are waiting for him at Karakura Town, much to Aizen’s surprise.

• Season 11 (Feb. – March 2009)

• Season 12 (March – July 2009)

• Season 13 (July 2009 – April 2010)

• Season 14 (April 2010 – March 2011)

• Season 15 (April 2011 – present)

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