History DethroningMoment / Bleach

We stand in awe before that which cannot be seen, but that doesn't mean these moments suck any less.

* Tropers/{{MisterOM}}. The Ending. Just... The Ending. For me, Bleach was always enjoyable because even at its crappiest moments, it always had something to keep me entertained. Heck, I even enjoyed the anime’s filler arcs as a guilty pleasure because even when Bleach sucked, it always managed to keep my interest. The ending? Not so much. Now, before I explain why, let me just make one thing clear: I am fully aware that this isn’t all Kubo’s fault. Kubo got screwed over by ExecutiveMeddling several times when he was writing Bleach and the story suffered a lot for it. The ending, however, suffered more of it than any other part of the story. Where do I even begin with this? I’ll state the three main problems. First, how rushed it was. Bleach got cancelled early, which didn’t leave Kubo with much time to write an ending for it. This resulted in the ending being rushed and incomplete, thus leaving several plot threads hanging and creating a bazillion plotholes. Second, the clashing mood. By nature, shonen manga tend to be slow paced (which is why ArchivePanic tends to be a common problem due to the large number of chapters in most of them), which can be a problem. However, the ending goes too far in the other direction, trying desperately to wrap up the story with a disappointing DistantFinale that doesn’t feel happy at all, but just plain desperate. It’s especially weird because at this point, you’re probably gonna be used to the book’s slow pace and atmosphere, but then suddenly it does a complete 180 and crams too much exposition and information to properly process the whole thing... all in just one short chapter. Third, there’s... where the romance subplots went. Leaving aside that there wasn’t much of a resolution when it comes to the romantic part of the book, there’s also the fact that it’s barely adressed at all. Now, just to be clear, this isn’t just about the shipping or anything, but just because it doesn’t seem to make much sense that [[spoiler: Kubo would [[ShipSinking ship sink]] Ichigo and Rukia without at least having them adress the matter first. He could’ve at least had them adress it by having them decide to just be friends, but nope! The worst part is, there was already a lot of intentional ShipTease between both Rukia and Ichigo, but now these moments seem like pointless filler that Kubo just put there to screw with his fans. Just to be clear, the problem does not lie with who ended up with who (Ichigo with Orihime and Rukia with Renji), but rather with how it was handled.]] So, to recap, there are three major problems with the ending: 1. The dangling unresolved plot threads and many plot holes, 2. The sudden change of pace that causes a mood whiplash and 3. [[spoiler:the way the romance subplots were resolved.]]

* TheLuckyCat: I love Bleach, I really do, but since I've heard more and more about the post Aizen-arcs, the less I've liked the sound of them. My personal DMOS? The fact that of the Espada, only Halibel, Grimmjow and Neliel survived. Halibel I can understand, as she was by far one of the mosy sympathetic and powerful of the Espada and got cruelly oneshot by Aizen before she really got to shine. Grimmjow is also obvious because they never ''showed'' his death, plus he's a [[PopularityPower very popular character]] and an interesting one. But Neliel? What, exactly, makes her so worthy of survival? She did nothing in the Arrancar Arc! She was there to be ComicRelief and drop bits and pieces of exposition on Las Noches, but her child form was a clingy, annoying nuisance, and her personality as an adult wasn't any better. She didn't even defeat Nnoitra - all she did was showboat for a bit and buy time for a dramatic arrival for Kenpachi. Plus, she was in her fucking released form and Nnoitra was still able to fight her pretty evenly, so don't give me the "she would have beaten him if she didn't turn back into a kid" argument - no she wouldn't have! Nnoitra, a character who came pretty close to killing ''Kenpachi'', said himself that the Espada got much stronger once Neliel was exiled, and if he was lying, then [[FridgeLogic wouldn't Aizen have made more of an effort to look for a supposedly "strong" warrior if Neliel truly was better than Nnoitra?]] Then after she turned back into a kid she basically vanished from the narrative. But let's also be honest - Neliel's personality and philosophy make no sense for her species. The most sympathetic of the Espada have their own goals that make them tragic characters - Starrk wasn't evil, he was just lonely and wanted companions, which Aizen gave him. Halibel knew the males would prey on females and wanted to protect her companions, which is why Orihime revived her. Neliel is just randomly a TokenGoodTeammate with ''really'' annoying sidekicks. Honestly, while Nnoitra might have been a hateful bastard, out of the two his behaviour is the one that actually ''makes sense''. He's a Hollow, a creature born of death and despair! Neliel tagging around after him, patronising him and calling him an animal actually kind of makes ''her'' the bad guy, from an Arrancar's perspective. Look at Loly and Menoly's [[OhCrap reaction]] when Orihime heals them after they brutalised her - they're disturbed and terrified by this act. Neliel's "kind, gentle" nature makes her the anomaly, but it's never explained why she has such a radically human viewpoint when she's a species of TheHeartless - if she didn't have a mask fragment you'd never even know she's meant to be an arrancar. So Neliel coming back into the narrative to now patronise Grimmjow, glomp Ichigo (which wasn't funny the first time and isn't now - how dumb do you have to be to hug a person over and over and not notice your SuperStrength is hurting them?) and then continue to do nothing of note does not endear me to her character. I wish she'd died with Nnoitra, honestly, because it would have been more appropriate for their history, of two utterly incompatible worldviews destroying each other. But nope, here's Neliel - [[MsFanservice she has big tits and a cutesy attitude]], so let's slap an underserving ActionGirl title on her despite the fact her kid form is there [[BigBrotherInstinct so Ichigo has something to motivate him]], then [[FauxActionGirl she has one fight in the series she doesn't even win]]. Why is ''this'' a character who gets to survive when [[IJustWantToHaveFriends Starrk]] had a tragic, heartbreaking death and [[TheStoic Ulquiorra]], who underwent perhaps [[WhatIsThisThingYouCallLove the]] [[LackofEmpathy most]] CharacterDevelopment of all the Espada, didn't?

* Tropers/MartyMcfly1990: When Ichigo got back his {{Shinigami}} powers. Ichigo losing his powers at the end of the Winter War was, in my opinion, one of the most pivotal moments of the show and the manga. The Getsuga Tensho was an attack that was supposed to sacrifice all his powers and from my understanding he could never get them back. And while the Xcution arc was a bit plodding at times, seeing Ichigo develop new powers and abilities that were interesting and separate from his {{Shinigami}} powers. But that moment he got his powers back, I realized that there would be no lasting consequences for him, that no matter what happens to him there would always be a DeusExMachina that wouldn't get him out of a jam or help him defeat a seemingly overpowering opponent. In essence, there was no stakes anymore. The main characters PlotArmor was too powerful, the fan favorites too popular and the story no longer had a goal. At that moment, I gave up on Bleach and from what I heard from fans who stuck with it to the end, I didn't miss anything worthwhile.

* Tropers/MartyMcfly1990: When Ichigo got back his shinigami powers. Ichigo losing his powers at the end of the Winter War was, in my opinion, one of the most pivotal moments of the show and the manga. The Getsua Tensho was an attack that was supposed to sacrifice all his powers and from my understanding he could never get them back. And while the Xcution arc was a bit plodding at times, seeing Ichigo develop new powers and abilities that were interesting and separate from his shimigami powers. But that moment he got his powers back, I realized that there would be no lasting consequences for him, that no matter what happens to him there would always be a deus ex machina that wouldn't get him out of a jam or help him defeat a seemingly overpowering opponent. In essence, there was no stakes anymore. The main characters plot armor was too powerful, the fan favorites too popular and the story no longer had a goal. At that moment, I gave up on Bleach and from what I heard from fans who stuck with it to the end, I didn't miss anything worthwhile.

* Tropers/MartyMcfly1990: When Ichigo got back his shimigami powers. Ichigo losing his powers at the end of the Winter War was, in my opinion, one of the most pivotal moments of the show and the manga. The Getsua Tensho was an attack that was supposed to sacrifice all his powers and from my understanding he could never get them back. And while the Xcution arc was a bit plodding at times, seeing Ichigo develop new powers and abilities that were interesting and separate from his shimigami powers. But that moment he got his powers back, I realized that there would be no lasting consequences for him, that no matter what happens to him there would always be a deus ex machina that wouldn't get him out of a jam or help him defeat a seemingly overpowering opponent. In essence, there was no stakes anymore. The main characters plot armor was too powerful, the fan favorites too popular and the story no longer had a goal. At that moment, I gave up on Bleach and from what I heard from fans who stuck with it to the end, I didn't miss anything worthwhile.

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* [=grimmkittylove=]: Like the person above, the Ichigo vs. Ulquiorra fight was my moment, but for somewhat different reasons. I was really looking forward to that battle, and it was utterly disappointing in every aspect possible, but especially in the way Orihime's role was dealt with. I was hoping against hope that Ichigo was actually dead (or at least permanently out of the fight) so that Orihime could live up to her determination not to be protected by Ichigo anymore and start protecting him, but of course she fell miserably short, becoming a broken record who could only repeat Ichigo's name. What? What happened to her [[RealityWarper powers that could supposedly defy the will of God if she got determined]] and [[CharacterDevelopment character development]]? What happened to the girl who slapped her captor for talking badly about her friends even though he could have killed her quite easily? I was hoping for something along the lines of [[Manga/FullMetalAlchemist Riza Hawkeye]]-esque [[BerserkerTears Berserker Tears]] and a pain-fueled attack against her tormentor and the one who had just killed the boy she loved. Instead, I get a desperate girl screaming for a dead man to save her, and Ichithing responding to [[FanNickname Strawberry-kun]]'s [[ChronicHeroSyndrome Chronic Hero Syndrome]] in order to [[CurbStompBattle curbstomp]] Ulquiorra in an utterly boring, pointless battle. This isn't about [[RealWomenNeverWearDresses her pretty white dress]]; it's about portraying one of the heroines, who has endless possibilities as a unique and powerful character, as a wishy-washy mess who doesn't even attempt to live up to her own goals. Great job, Kubo. You're on your way to becoming just as bad as Manga/{{Naruto}} when it comes to ruining potentially great female characters.

* TheLuckyCat: I love Bleach, I really do, but since I've heard more and more about the post Aizen-arcs, the less I've liked the sound of them. My personal DMOS? The fact that of the Espada, only Halibel, Grimmjow and Neliel survived. Halibel I can understand, as she was by far one of the mosy sympathetic and powerful of the Espada and got cruelly oneshot by Aizen before she really got to shine. Grimmjow is also obvious because they never ''showed'' his death, plus he's a [[PopularityPower very popular character]] and an interesting one. But Neliel? What, exactly, makes her so worthy of survival? She did nothing in the Arrancar Arc! She was there to be ComicRelief and drop bits and pieces of exposition on Las Noches, but her child form was a clingy, annoying nuisance, and her personality as an adult wasn't any better. She didn't even defeat Nnoitra - all she did was showboat for a bit and buy time for a dramatic arrival for Kenpachi. Plus, she was in her fucking released form and Nnoitra was still able to fight her pretty evenly, so don't give me the "she would have beaten him if she didn't turn back into a kid" argument - no she wouldn't have! Nnoitra, a character who came pretty close to killing ''Kenpachi'', said himself that the Espada got much stronger once Neliel was exiled, and if he was lying, then [[FridgeLogic wouldn't Aizen have made more of an effort to look for a supposedly "strong" warrior if Neliel truly was better than Nnoitra?]] Then after she turned back into a kid she basically vanished from the narrative. But let's also be honest - Neliel's personality and philosophy make no sense for her species. The most sympathetic of the Espada have their own goals that make them tragic characters - Starrk wasn't evil, he was just lonely and wanted companions, which Aizen gave him. Halibel knew the males would prey on females and wanted to protect her companions, which is why Orihime revived her. Neliel is just randomly a TokenGoodTeammate with ''really'' annoying sidekicks. Honestly, while Nnoitra might have been a hateful bastard, out of the two his behaviour is the one that actually ''makes sense''. He's a Hollow, a creature born of death and despair! Neliel tagging around after him, patronising him and calling him an animal actually kind of makes ''her'' the bad guy, from an arrancar's perspective. Look at Loly and Menoly's [[OhCrap reaction]] when Orihime heals them after they brutalised her - they're disturbed and terrified by this act. Neliel's "kind, gentle" nature makes her the anomaly, but it's never explained why she has such a radically human viewpoint when she's a species of TheHeartless - if she didn't have a mask fragment you'd never even know she's meant to be an arrancar. So Neliel coming back into the narrative to now patronise Grimmjow, glomp Ichigo (which wasn't funny the first time and isn't now - how dumb do you have to be to hug a person over and over and not notice your SuperStrength is hurting them?) and then continue to do nothing of note does not endear me to her character. I wish she'd died with Nnoitra, honestly, because it would have been more appropriate for their history, of two utterly incompatible worldviews destroying each other. But nope, here's Neliel - [[MsFanservice she has big tits and a cutesy attitude]], so let's slap an underserving ActionGirl title on her despite the fact her kid form is there [[BigBrotherInstinct so Ichigo has something to motivate him]], then [[FauxActionGirl she has one fight in the series she doesn't even win]]. Why is ''this'' a character who gets to survive when [[IJustWantToHaveFriends Starrk]] had a tragic, heartbreaking death and [[TheStoic Ulquiorra]], who underwent perhaps [[WhatIsThisThingYouCallLove the]] [[LackofEmpathy most]] CharacterDevelopment of all the Espada, didn't?

* Tropers/SinisterHoodedFigure2: There are so many moments where the horribly written villain Yhwach just drags the series down as much as his godawful predecessor Aizen, but the crowning act that destroys any credibility for Yhwach was killing Gerard Valkyrie. Gerard is effectively an invincible elite guard who is the heart of the Soul King, due to his power of miracles. No one else, not even one of the "5 war potentials" Kenpachi, who sacrificed two people he cares about to get stronger, could kill or incapacitate Gerard. First off, Yhwach cops out Gerard's defeat, depriving Kenpachi or a team up of Soul Reapers the chance to perform an ironically miraculous asspull to defeat "Gerard the Miracle." Second, this is an extremely stupid action for Yhwach, who is the Godking and proginator of the fundamentally pragmatic quincies, who generally wouldn't destroy their unkillable soldier just for a power up that doesn't even make them invincible. This is the epitome of bad writing for Bleach, and that's saying something.
* TheLuckyCat: I love Bleach, I really do, but since I've heard more and more about the post Aizen-arcs, the less I've liked the sound of them. My personal DMOS? The fact that of the Espada, only Halibel, Grimmjow and Neliel survived. Halibel I can understand, as she was by far one of the mosy sympathetic and powerful of the Espada and got cruelly oneshot by Aizen before she really got to shine. Grimmjow is also obvious because they never ''showed'' his death, plus he's a [[PopularityPower very popular character]] and an interesting one. But Neliel? What, exactly, makes her so worthy of survival? She did nothing in the Arrancar Arc! She was there to be ComicRelief and drop bits and pieces of exposition on Las Noches, but her child form was a clingy, annoying nuisance, and her personality as an adult wasn't any better. She didn't even defeat Nnoitra - all she did was showboat for a bit and buy time for a dramatic arrival for Kenpachi. Plus, she was in her fucking released form and Nnoitra was still able to fight her pretty evenly, so don't give me the "she would have beaten him if she didn't turn back into a kid" argument - no she wouldn't have! Nnoitra, a character who came pretty close to killing ''Kenpachi'', said himself that the Espada got much stronger once Neliel was exiled, and if he was lying, then [[FridgeLogic wouldn't Aizen have made more of an effort to look for a supposedly "strong" warrior if Neliel truly was better than Nnoitra?]] Then after she turned back into a kid she basically vanished from the narrative. But let's also be honest - Neliel's personality and philosophy make no sense for her species. The most sympathetic of the Espada have their own goals that make them tragic characters - Starrk wasn't evil, he was just lonely and wanted companions, which Aizen gave him. Halibel knew the males would prey on females and wanted to protect her companions, which is why Orihime revived her. Neliel is just randomly a TokenGoodTeammate with ''really'' annoying sidekicks. Honestly, while Nnoitra might have been a hateful bastard, out of the two his behaviour is the one that actually ''makes sense''. He's a Hollow, a creature born of death and despair! Neliel tagging around after him, patronising him and calling him an animal actually kind of makes ''her'' the bad guy, from an arrancar's perspective. Look at Loly and Menoly's [[OhCrap reaction]] when Orihime heals them after they brutalised her - they're disturbed and terrified by this act. Neliel's "kind, gentle" nature makes her the anomaly, but it's never explained why she has such a radically human viewpoint when she's a species of TheHeartless - if she didn't have a mask fragment you'd never even know she's meant to be an arrancar. So Neliel coming back into the narrative to now patronise Grimmjow, glomp Ichigo (which wasn't funny the first time and isn't now - how dumb do you have to be to hug a person over and over and not notice your SuperStrength is hurting them?) and then continue to do nothing of note does not endear me to her character. I wish she'd died with Nnoitra, honestly, because it would have been more appropriate for their history, of two utterly incompatible worldviews destroying each other. But nope, here's Neliel - [[MsFanservice she has big tits and a cutesy attitude]], so let's slap an underserving ActionGirl title on her despite the fact her kid form is there [[BigBrotherInstinct so Ichigo has something to motivate him]], then [[FauxActionGirl she has one fight in the series she didn't even win]]. Why is ''this'' a character who gets to survive when [[IJustWantToHaveFriends Starrk]] had a tragic, heartbreaking death and [[TheStoic Ulquiorra]], who underwent perhaps [[WhatIsThisThingYouCallLove the]] [[LackofEmpathy most]] CharacterDevelopment of all the Espada, didn't?

* Tropers/DrZulu2010: I honestly quit reading a long while before the Vandereich arc; but when I've heard of Kubo breaking his rule of not killing his heroes, I was psyched, to tell the truth. But lastly he has to take my cake and ate it when I've heard that [[spoiler: Ichigo's mother was a Quincy.]] Really Kubo? You have to do it? You have to say that way late into the story? Without foreshadowing or common sense within the continuity? Even the [[Manga/{{Naruto}} Sharingan]] makes more sense than this. You almost got me interested and then, you have taken that interest and grind it to the dust.

* Tropes/{{Kantonkage}}: The fight between Yhwach, and the elite ([[RememberTheNewGuy who came out of nowhere]]) Sternritters and the zero Squad. Somehow the Sternritters win via curbstomp because somehow Yhwach can resurrect people despite the fact that they are in Reishi eating cages. After that the Sternritter miraculously manage to curb stomp the Royal Guard offscreen no less despite the fact they're being hyped as the strongest Shinigami. Then there's Yhwach and Ichibei's fight despite having the advantage Ichibei loses because Yhwach [[NewPowersAsThePlotDemands conveniently managed]] to awaken his "The Almighty" which allows to analyze and breakdown an ability just by looking at it. Is Kubo trying to make him the [[AlternateCompanyEquivalent Alternate Series Equivalent]] of [[Manga/{{Naruto}} Uchiha Madara]]?