Line #35 Bleach/TropesAToB


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5	%% Explaining a trope is more than just saying "In season two" or "Bob is this for Alice." It means actually going into detail about how the trope is used in the series.
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10	[[WMG:[[center: [- '''Tropes for ''Manga/{{Bleach}}'''''\
11	'''Tropes A to B''' \| Bleach/TropesCToD \| Bleach/TropesEToG ([[FamousLastWords/{{Bleach}} Famous Last Words]]) \| Bleach/TropesHToK \| Bleach/TropesLToN \| Bleach/TropesOToR \| Bleach/TropesSToT ([[SpoilerOpening/{{Bleach}} Spoiler Opening]]) \| Bleach/TropesUToZ ([[WhamEpisode/{{Bleach}} Wham Episode]])]]]]-]
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15	[[folder:A]]
16	* AbortedArc:
17	** After his battle with Grand Fisher, Ichigo vows to become stonger so he can kill him one day and avenge his mother. This plotline was never followed up on and when Grand Fisher returns as an Arrancar he winds up killed by Isshin instead.
18	** The confrontation between Uryu Ishida and Mayuri Kurotsuchi in the Soul Society Arc establishes the 12th Divsion Captain as Uryu's personal nemesis for setting up the death of Uryu's grandfather and other Quincy, but the story drops this plot point and their antagonism is never followed up on even when the Wandenreich enter the story.
19	** Grimmjow and Ulquiorra both tell Ichigo, independently, that rescuing Orihime is meaningless because something unseen -- psychological damage, or [[MoreThanMindControl perhaps something]] [[ManchurianAgent even more sinister]] -- has been done to her during her stay in Hueco Mundo to make her "one of (them)". This is never elaborated upon and Orihime seems just fine.[[note]]Though the anime shows that, upon feeling Ichigo's 'death' by the hands of Ulquiorra, some kind of dark reiatsu is shown leaving Orihime's body, which can be interpreted as, whatever they did to her, it came undone due to the shock.[[/note]]
20	* AbsurdCuttingPower: The zanpakutou of both Shinigami and Arrancars, and Quincy EnergyWeapons, can often cut through almost anything. Such magic-born weapons have the potential to cleave through even buildings and mountains. The effectiveness usually depends on the wielder's spiritual power, meaning the ability of the weapon to cleave through anything is limited by the wielder's spiritual strength and not the weapon itself. Zanpakutou even begin existence with limitless potential but become restricted by the wielder's own limitations.
21	* AbsurdlyPowerfulSchoolJurisdiction: In episode 10, Ichigo and Rukia are grabbed by security when they tried to interfere with one of Don Kanonji's public exorcisms off campus. In episode 11 it's revealed that their actions were captured on film and they and the other students who were there are called before the school administration for possible disciplinary action.
22	* AdaptationDistillation: The musicals, which cut out most of the side characters and even some of the main characters who turn out to be utterly pivotal to the story's meta-plot, such as Uryuu.
23	** The anime adaptation of the Thousand Year Blood War arc removed many comedic or fanservice-focused moments, such as Kon's buffed-up form being left out, and excising the jokes about Rukia's 'peach' and Rangiku's glistening breasts.
24	* AdaptationDyeJob: The anime does this a lot, changing hair colours, lightening Harribel's skin tone, changing the colours of Yumichika's feathers. They also assumed that Ryuuken's hair was white due to age, despite the flashbacks they animated showing his hair was still white when he was younger. They also assumed Gin's eyes were red but, when the manga revealed they were blue, the anime changed his eye colour accordingly.
25	* AdaptationExpansion: Slow pacing led to a chronic OvertookTheManga problem. The anime added a lot of extra content in order to buy time.
26	** In the Substitute Soul Reaper arc, the anime pads "Memories in the Rain" with a Soul Reaper sent to check on Rukia who discovers her secret but decides not to turn her in yet because he think she might be sowing some wild oats.
27	** [[InconsistentSpelling Kurodo, Lirin, and Noba]], three recurring characters exclusive to the anime. They showed up as minor antagonists in a filler story, but since DefeatMeansFriendship, they stick around for much longer, making cameo appearances for comedy purposes in the canon storyline. They also have a tendency to dance around during the end credits.
28	** "Karakurizer", a {{Sentai}} parody, was originally three or four between-chapter illustrations. The anime expanded this into two very, very funny episodes[[note]]214 and 215, FYI[[/note]].
29	** The anime goes into much more detail about the day-to-day lives of the Soul Reapers and expands on their backstories before joining the 13 Court Guards. Ikkaku's backstory is only a couple of panels in the manga but an entire filler episode in the anime.
30	** Kubo wrote the Menos Forest mini-arc for the manga but it got cut in order to accelerate the Espada fights. It was included in full in the anime.
31	** The relatively short fights in the Arrancar Arc are lengthened in the anime. Given the sheer number of fights involved, it certainly bought them a little time before catching up to the manga yet again.
32	*** In Grimmjow and Ichigo's first CurbStompBattle, Ichigo gets his face beaten in for a ''lot'' longer than in the manga. In the manga, it lasts about two or three panels; in the anime, it lasts about ten minutes. Ten ''long'' minutes.
33	*** In the anime, the monster Allon spends an entire minute slapping his chest wound for no plot-related, or dramatic, purpose. That did not happen in the manga.
34	** Ichigo's decision to meet X-Cution receives a full anime episode. In the manga, Ichigo realises Ryuuken has decided to protect Orihime because he can't, so immediately calls them for help. In the anime, a full day goes by, allowing him to fight the thugs who attacked his friends and family, and meet Tsukishima, who flees from Ryuuken's sudden appearance. Ryuuken tells Ichigo he's incapable of protecting others right now, which prompts Ichigo to place the call.
35	** Kubo has confirmed that the upcoming anime adaptation of the final arc will expand on certain events, such as who exactly defeated Rukia [[spoiler:when the Sternritter first attacked]].[[note]]It was Meninas, FYI.[[/note]]
36	*** Episode 7 of the "Thousand-Year Blood War" adaptation begins with [[spoiler:the original Thirteen Court Guard Captains thwarting the Vandenreich's original invasion of Soul Society]], an event that was only mentioned and alluded to in a single panel. The scene also depicts the appearances of the captains along with [[spoiler:a younger Yamamoto and Unohana]], something that was only revealed in an artwork by Kubo mere days before the episode's airing.
37	* AdaptationExplanationExtrication: The Thousand-Year Blood War anime's adaptation of the "Everything But the Rain" flashback arc made some pretty hefty cuts while rushing through the opening fight between Isshin and White, most notably [[spoiler:Aizen noticing the fight on his surveillance of Naruki City and deciding to watch it in person, then following his [[BackStab back slash]] on Isshin by explaining to Gin that this was done to prevent Isshin from using his Bankai by destabilizing his Reiatsu, since it wouldn't be a fair test of White's capabilities otherwise]]. Consequently, all that's left of his involvement is [[spoiler:Aizen slashing Isshin, then standing there smirking while Isshin demands he reveal himself]], with no observable reason for him to do so due to those two scenes being removed and essentially turning another calculated move into an uncharacteristically ForTheEvulz moment.
38	* AdaptationInducedPlotHole: The anime makes several changes to the canon story of the manga. These are mostly harmless but a few do end up contradicting facts established in canon:
39	** In both anime and canon, when Ichigo first meets Renji, Renji expresses surprise over the size of Ichigo's zanpakutou. Ichigo admits he noticed it was large compared to Rukia's but, not having met any other Shinigami until now, he had nothing to compare it to. The anime creates the plot hole because it had inserted ShipTease scenes in Episodes 8-9 where Ichigo fights another Shinigami over Rukia and therefore gets to see another Shinigami's weapon up close. These scenes do not exist in the canon.
40	** In the swimsuit colour spread of the female cast, there's a rare instance of Unohana wearing her braid at her back instead of the front, but we can only see her from the back. In the anime adaptation (based on the spread, corresponding volume sketches and the beach omake), Unohana is also shown from the front, however there's nothing special about her neckline/collarbone that would warrant her braid to hide it. This is at odds with a later revelation about her in the final arc of the manga: [[spoiler:as the first Kenpachi and Yachiru Unohana, she got in a fight with a child Kenpachi Zaraki, and he gave her a scar on her collarbone. The scar, which she now hides behind her braid as Retsu Unohana, still aches whenever she sees him.]]
41	* AdaptationalEarlyAppearance: The anime does this quite frequently.
42	** In the manga, Chad first appears in Chapter 7 (and this story is put into the anime at episode 4). But in the second episode, he's there offering to help repair Ichigo's house after the fight against Fish Bone D.
43	** Ishida gets an odd treatment of this. He has a different EarlyBirdCameo in the manga versus the anime, but still gets introduced in the same story arc.
44	** While less noticeable than other examples, in the anime, Kiyone and Sentarou (Ukitake's bickering third seats) first appear in Ukitake's debut when he hears about Aizen [[spoiler:supposedly having been killed]]. In the manga, a faceless messenger tells him, and Kiyone and Sentarou don't arrive until he calls them out of hiding a few chapters later.
45	* AerithAndBob: The names in Bleach are very diverse. Initially the majority of characters introduced are Japanese residents from the World of the Living or residents from Soul Society which is based on the Edo period, so they predominantly have Japanese names. However, as new Arrancar and Quincy characters are introduced throughout the series, the names started having many different origins, but how mundane or unsual the names are varies a lot even within each race:
46	** The Arrancar tend to have faux-Spanish sounding names, with most of them being named after real life designers and architects (with some twists, though). As a result, some Arrancar have common names (Hispanic or not) such as Charlotte, Luppi, Franceska, and Baraggan, while others are called Ulquiorra, Nnoitra, Rudbornn, and Yylfordt.
47	** The Wandenreich's names in general seem like an attempt to reflect several different nationalities. Some of the names are pretty common, such as Robert, Giselle, Candice, Jerome, and Berenice. On the other hand, we also have Nianzol, Quilge, Liltotto, and [=NaNaNa=]. Justified for some cases, such as [=BG9=], which is a robot, and Yhwach, [[MeaningfulName a reference to the Tetragrammaton (YHWH)]].
48	* AlasPoorVillain: Though most villain deaths in are happy moments, there are some who are written to be tragic.
49	** Early on, Orihime's [[ICannotSelfTerminate hollowfied brother]] kills himself with Ichigo's sword in a moment of lucidity.
50	** In the Fake Karakura Town arc, [[spoiler:Ulquiorra and Starrk]]. The former dies [[spoiler:finally understanding what it means to be human]] whereas the latter dies [[spoiler:after only fighting to protect his friends.]]
51	** Lilynette:
52	*** [[spoiler:If Starrk is dead, there's a good chance she went with him. It's never exactly clear whose perspective the dying flashback of the two meeting as separate beings for the first time is from, if it's not from both of them.]]
53	*** [[spoiler: In the anime she dies first. She was controlling the wolves, and protected Stark from an attack. Kyoraku used the wind from his Bushugoma attack to separate the reishi that made up the wolves.]]
54	** For all of [[spoiler:Charlotte]]'s LargeHam behavior, he faced his death at the hands of [[spoiler:Yumichika]] quietly and even with dignity.
55	** In [[spoiler:Shizuku]] and [[spoiler:Homura]]'s dying moments, the viewer learns the truth about their connection with Rukia, and they [[spoiler:became possessed in the course of saving her]].
56	* AllIsWellThatEndsWell:
57	** Ishida brings [[EncounterBait hollow bait]] to a dispute where a tape measure would suffice. No one brings it up again after they're done solving the problems he created, except in the anime-only New Captain Amagai arc. Aizen gives it a passing mention in Chapter 397, and that's probably the last we'll ever hear of it.
58	** Mayuri bribed Soul Reapers to avoid saving Quincies from dying so he could experiment on them in the afterlife until they died ''again''. He also rigged Soul Reapers from his own division to be unwitting suicide bombs. No one, not even Ishida, brings this up at any point after the Soul Society arc.
59	* AllJustADream:
60	** Episode 287, it is even said that it is just a dream during the episode.
61	** It happens again in the monster episode (episode 304), Once again, Ichigo mentions that it's got to be a dream.
62	* AllThereInTheManual: The series' ending was rushed due to the creator's increasing ill-health making it impossible for him to continue, so many of the plot points Kubo was unable to expand on were then explained in several light novels. Some of the things explained there include:
63	** Shaz Domino was [[spoiler: ''not'' an original Sternritter, and was a creation by Gremmy.]]
64	** Yhwach's [[spoiler: corpse is the new Soul King, and it's implied that this was how the previous Soul king came to be, and that this was the doing of the founders of the Five Noble Families.]]
65	** [[spoiler: Ichigo was originally going to be the next Soul King.]]
66	** [[spoiler: Being the Soul King is actually a terrible fate, and the Five Noble Families did this to Yhwach's father. This was the true cause of his hatred for Soul Society and desire to kill the Soul King: it's a mercy kill.]]
67	* AlternateCharacterReading: Creator/TiteKubo is very fond of using furigana to completely change how the kanji names of every Hollow- and Quincy-related term. All Hollow terms have kanji names with GratuitousSpanish pronunciations; eg. the Hollow dimension is Hueco Mundo, Spanish for "Hollow World" [[note]]Correctly written, this should have been "Mundo Hueco"; in Spanish, the noun precedes the adjective.[[/note]] and it is written as 虚圏 which literally means "Hollow Sphere", but gets the furigana ウェコムンド or ''Wekomundo''. Quincies get GratuitousGerman; the blood-empowered Blut (German for "Blood") technique is written as 血装 and literally means "Blood Clothes" but is read as ''Burūto''. The Fullbringers get GratuitousEnglish, although very few of their terms have alternate kanji meanings other than Chad...but because of his Mexican heritage all of his have Spanish names.
68	* AmateurFilmMakingPlot: In anime episode #298. In order to make money to repair the Soul Society, the 13 Court Guard squads split into teams, with each team making a movie to enter in the Seireitei International Film Festival. Ichigo Kurosaki becomes involved with several of the teams' efforts. He ends up making a film with Rukia, Renji, Rangiku, Uryu, Orihime, Chad and Captain Kuchiki.
69	* AncestorVeneration: The people of Karakura Town venerate their ancestors, praying for them and remembering them on a regular basis. There turns out to be a good reason for this. Not all people go to the Soul Society after they die - some wander the world of the living. If the veneration of them ceases, these lost souls are vulnerable to falling into despair, being turned into hollows (evil ghosts) and returning to plague the living. This is what happened to Orihime Inoue's brother Sora when she stops praying for him: he becomes the hollow Acidwire.
70	* AngelsPose: Rukia, Orihime and Rangiku strike it at the end of the 10th anime opening.
71	* AnimalMotifs / AnimalStereotypes: Many characters, reflected through their powers or appearances. See Trope Pages for detail.
72	* AnimatedActors: Some of the {{Omake}} have the characters as these.
73	* AnimationBump:
74	** In the 13 Court Guards Invasion filler arc, the last part of Ichigo's fight with the final ArcVillain is almost movie quality.
75	** The first season has several animation bumps, notably the first few episodes and their key scenes, such as Ichigo taking Rukia's powers are considerably detailed and shaded/coloured to give a more cinematic feel.
76	** A decade after the end of the anime series in 2012, Creator/StudioPierrot picked ''Bleach'' up again for the anime adaptation of the ''Thousand-Year Blood War'' arc, and the animation style has been ramped up to surpass even the four original movies.
77	* AnthropomorphicPersonification: Zanpakutou's personality, thoughts, and beliefs are built from the soul of the Soul Reaper who created them and can represent the subconscious of that Soul Reaper.
78	* AntiClimax: Yammy is a minor Espada who gains increasing importance as the Arrancar Arc drags on. He initially acts as first-level enemy for Ichigo to lose to when the Arrancar are first introduced, and is defeated by Urahara and Yoruichi who come to Ichigo's rescue. While he interferes at the edges of Ichigo's quest to rescue Orihime from Hueco Mundo, he doesn't play any significant role beyond acting as a reason to keep Ichigo's friends busy while he engages in the important fight with Orihime's captor, Ulquiorra. Eventually, he acts as a gathering point for several captains, with Mayuri and Byakuya watching as Kenpachi fights him. When Kenpachi struggles to defeat Yammy, Byakuya joins in the battle while Mayuri waits on the sidelines for a dead body to collect for his research. However, the fight between Kenpachi, Byakuya and Yammy is never shown. Instead, Kenpachi and Byakuya later return, badly injured and unwilling to discuss the fight beyond Kenpachi calling it 'boring'. A final clip of Yammy shows him dying on a devastated battlefield accompanied only by his loyal dog.
79	* ApathyKilledTheCat: Many characters over the course of the series, usually played for laughs; Ichigo is a frequent participant.
80	* ArcNumber:
81	** The number 5 keeps cropping up.
82	*** Rescues involve five people: Five Ryouka to the Soul Society (Ichigo, Orihime, Sado, Uryuu and Yoruichi). Five invaders to Hueco Mundo (Ichigo, Uryuu, Sado, Renji and Rukia). Instigated by Urahara, Isshin and Rukia, five Soul Reapers rescue Ichigo (Byakuya, Renji, Kenpachi, Ikkaku and Hitsugaya). When the Royal Special Task Force rescues the 13 Court Guards, there are five members (Ichibei, Senjumaru, Ouetsu, Kirio and Tenjirou).
83	*** The Quincies are dominated by the number 5. Their cross motif is a five-pointed cross that can appear in both pentacle and pentagram formation. There are also special attacks that utilize five Seele Schneiders to pull off. Later on, they reveal they've designated five Special War Potentials that they take very great interest in (Ichigo, Kenpachi, and Aizen are quickly confirmed, Yamamoto is quickly excluded, the remaining identities are a mystery for a long time).
84	** Significant time periods use the number 2.
85	*** 2,000 years ago Yamamoto created the modern Spiritual Arts Academy. The fandom estimates it's closer to 2,100 years ago but that Kubo is rounding to 2,000. [[spoiler:It was also the last time Choujirou ever used bankai in public until the Vandenreich invasion.]]
86	*** 200 years ago was the Quincy massacre, leading to a massive social change among the Soul Reapers that "softened" them and caused an unusual and prolonged period of captain turnover. It also led to the invention of powering up techniques by the Quincies such as Vollstandig.
87	*** 20 years ago before the beginning of the main story, Aizen created a brand new type of Hollow experiment that brought Isshin, Urahara and Ryuuken together, setting off the main storyline.
88	*** Aizen's fate. [[spoiler: He receives a sentence of 20,000 years for his crimes.]]
89	** Yhwach is heavily associated with the number nine, to the point where there's a Quincy poem made over it. He was sealed for 999 years: after 900 years, he reclaimed his heartbeat; after 90 years, he reclaimed his ability to reason; after 9 years, he reclaimed his power. [[spoiler: And after 9 days, he's destined to "reclaim the world".]]
90	* ArcWelding: The manga looks like it's split into two parts, each with its own BigBad. However, the final arc ties together both parts and both villains. Events as diverse as the death of Ichigo's mother, Rukia's execution, Ichigo's substitute badge, Aizen's Hollowfication experiments, Urahara's failure to save the Vizards, and Ryuuken's hatred of Quincies are all connected. WordOfGod is that the manga's end was being planned during the final stages of the Soul Society arc, but the Arrancar Arc suffered a period of ExecutiveMeddling before he could get the story back on track.
91	* ArcWords: "God" during the Thousand Year Blood War arc. Several of the Vandenreich compare their abilities to that of gods or deities, or in general behave like overenthusiastic zealots. This is capped off by their leader, Yhwach himself, who not only is worshiped by them as their GodEmperor, but actually AnswersToTheNameOfGod ("Yhwach" is a loose transliteration of YHVH", the Hebrew name for {{God}}).
92	* ArmyOfThievesAndWhores: The original Gotei 13 consisted of the thirteen most vile and dangerous criminals in Soul Society. While it has gradually become more noble in nature it still recruits people like Kenpachi Zaraki and Mayuri Kurotsuchi, who in any ordinary society would be executed.
93	* ArtEvolution: Kubo [[http://i.imgur.com/ZItDyp6.jpg re-polishes]] his style; the usual differences are in the eyes and chins, but some characters have undergone more dramatic changes. Ichigo's clothing, for example, has evolved considerably over the course of the story.
94	%%* ArtShift: In the {{Stinger}} of Episode 350, for no apparent reason.
95	* ArtisticLicenseBiology: Rukia's zanpakuto power allows her to lower the temperature of her body cells to absolute zero. This renders them effectively "dead" making her immune to As Nodt's fear thorns. However, As Nodt's Vollständig allows him to induce fear through the optical nerves of her eye to get around her power, indicating Kubo doesn't think optical nerves are cells.
96	* ArtificialHuman: The Bounts were artificial humans that were accidentally created in a botched experiment by the R&D department of Soul Society in the past. They obtained immortality by feasting on human souls.
97	* ArtificialRiverbank: All of Karakura Town is built around a big river with suck banks. Said river is good for watching fireworks, doing exercise, and [[BreadEggsMilkSquick being devoured by The Heartless]].
98	* ArtisticAge: The main human (or equivalent) cast look at least nineteen but are actually in the 15-17 range. Ironically, Rukia looks the most like that age, but is ReallySevenHundredYearsOld. What makes this even more bizarre is that Chad is ''explicitly'' YoungerThanHeLooks on top of that.
99	* AscendedMeme: See the trope page for the list.
100	** "So the studio stepped in" is a meme from one of the previews in the Zanpakuto Tales filler arc, where the skit has characters asking if Kenpachi's zanpakutou will materialise. Another character comments that if it did, Soul Society would be destroyed and the show would end, prompting the first character to cynically observe the studio must have stepped in.
101	** Also, the "Leek Spin Girl" meme has appeared as an official card in the Bleach CCG. ''Orihime -- Leek Spin.''
102	* AsideComment
103	** Anime episode 298. While Ichigo is being shanghaied into making a movie, he turns to the camera and says "I need an agent."
104	** Anime episode 346. Riruka Dokugamine says that wearing contact lenses makes her eyes dry out as soon as she puts them in, then turns to face the camera in a close up and says "It's because my eyes are so ginormous." (a reference to the large eyes of anime characters).
105	* AsLongAsItSoundsForeign: Some of the names Kubo comes up with for characters seem to be completely unlike the others. One of the most notable examples is [=NaNaNa=] Nahjakoop.
106	* AssimilationBackfire: After Urahara comes with a way to [[spoiler:Hollowify Bankai, we find out that a Hollowified Bankai is poisonous to Quincy.]]
107	* AsskickingLeadsToLeadership: The 13 Court Guards.
108	* AssKickingPose: Parodied/Subverted with Tatsufusa, 8th Division 3rd seat, and his Zanpakuto-flailing.
109	* AsYouKnow: Used often in the anime. An egregious one happens in the Invading Army arc, when a random Soul Reaper says "Ichigo Kurosaki, who has been imprisoned for being in the Dangai, has escaped!" to Ukitake and Kyoraku, ''who already knew why Ichigo was imprisoned''.
110	* AtrociousArthropods:
111	** Shawlong Koufan is one of the Arrancar, an advanced form of [[TheHeartless Hollow]] with Shinigami-like powers. Shawlong Koufar is an Arrancar with an earwig AnimalMotif. His [[SuperMode Resurrecion]] form is earwig-themed and comes with CreepyLongFingers that are capable of cutting up a ([[PowerLimiter restrained]]) Hitsugaya.
112	** Loly Aivirnne is a sadistic and abusive Arrancar whose Resurrecion form turns her into a giant centipede.
113	** Kaname Tosen is a traitor Shinigami who underwent the Hollowfication process after joining with [[BigBad Aizen]].His Hollow form is giant cricket creature.
114	** Sosuke Aizen is the BigBad of the pre-timeskip half of the series. His Hogyoku transformations are modeled after a butterfly, with his final form being a disturbing, eldritch butterfly-like creature.
115	* AuthorAppeal: Creator/TiteKubo once said that if he wasn't a manga artist, he'd like to be a designer of either fashion or architecture and that he wrote ''Manga/{{Bleach}}'' to be kimono-heavy because he loved the idea of beautifully billowing sleeves during battle. He's also a huge music buff and loves the sound and nuance of languages.
116	** The Arrancar are named after models, artists and architects from around the world. Entire manga panels are lovingly devoted to zoom in/out shots of characters standing in dramatic poses with clothing billowing around them. Most characters look like models that have stepped onto a catwalk. ClothingDamage for men and scantily clad women abound. He won't draw backgrounds so that panels can focus exclusively on the drama and emotion of a character without distraction. His volume and chapter cover artwork often depicts characters in artistic poses, dressed in provocative, cutting-edge clothing. One [[AllThereInTheManual interviewer]] even said the way the entire manga is structured on a page makes it look like movie stills put together to create a cinematic experience.
117	** Volume and chapter titles are usually inspired by music, especially album and song titles, and often include the terms 'mix' or 'reprise' to evoke musicality. He also inserts a lot of gratuitous 'language X' due to his love of languages and word play, and his desire to associate the "feel" of a language with a particular race: He feels German sounds like an organised, intellectual and efficient language, so it's the language of the regimented and militaristic Quincies. He feels Spanish has an "Evil is Sexy" flair, so it's the language of the Hollows, especially the fan-service Arrancars. He'll throw in English or slang Japanese for the "cool" characters and uses historical Japanese for traditional and spiritual characters, such as the Shinigamis' Tokugawa-era culture.
118	%%AuthorsSavingThrow moved to YMMV tab. Please don't add back here.
119	* AuthorAvatar: Kuugo, with the other Fullbringers representing different types of misadjusted readers. Tsukishima, the self-insert fanfic guy etcetera. Hence, "Welcome to OUR execution".
120	* AwesomeButImpractical: There are a number of impractically huge weapons, such as Renji's flail, Baraggan's axe, Nnoitra's sickle and Ikkaku's Bankai. Soifon hates her Bankai because it is so impractical for her preferred combat style, being huge, heavy, noisy, flashy, unhideable, and using too much power for her to do it again too many times.
121	[[/folder]]
122
123	[[folder: B]]
124	* BackFromTheDead:
125	** In the [[{{Anime}} 13 Court Guards]] [[{{Filler}} Invasion Arc]], it doesn't matter how many times the Reigai are killed, they can keep being resurrected by the same science that [[MadScientist created them]] in the first place.
126	** Due to the reincarnation cycle of souls, if living humans die, there's a chance they could crop up later on in the events as ghosts. Also, due to several characters being heavily involved in [[MadScientist highly creative]] [[ForScience scientific endeavour]] based on reiatsu and body experimentation, some characters that died have returned to the story as [[TheUndead undead]] beings. [[spoiler: Living humans returning as ghosts include Ginjou, Tsukishima and Giriko. Undead characters resurrected by science include Dordonni, Cirucci, Luppi and Charlotte.]]
127	* BackToBackBadasses
128	** Inverted in anime episode 14 ''"Back to Back, a Fight to the Death!"'' Ichigo forcibly gets newfound rival Ishida to do this to stave off a legion of Hollows while at the same time trying to convince him of a NotSoDifferentRemark.
129	** The {{anime}} season "The New Captain Shusuke Amagai".
130	*** The opening title includes Ichigo and Captain Amagai back to back.
131	*** In episode 186 Rukia and Rangiku Matsumoto, who had been fighting moments earlier, end up back to back facing off against an attack by ninja {{mooks}}.
132	** Toshiro and Rangiku at the beginning of episode 222.
133	** Referenced in the Zanpakuto tales filler arc, with Kuchiki Byakuya and Senbonzakura.
134	--> '''Senbonzakura''' Master, I will watch your back.
135	--> '''Byakuya''' That's not necessary.
136	** Anime episode #319. While fighting against the Reigei guarding the Senkaimon gate, Ichigo and Rukia briefly stand back to back facing them.
137	* BadassArmy: The Vandenreich are the most destructive one to date in ''{{Manga/Bleach}}'', effortlessly crippling the 13 Court Guards in one assault. They are led by the Stern Ritter who command the elite Soldats.
138	* BadassCape: The Vandenreich all get special capes.
139	* BadBoss: The villains in general. Aizen couldn't care less about his minions if he tried, and the Vandenreich is even worse; [[TheEmperor Yhwach]] and [[AxCrazy Bambietta]] have both been shown killing subordinates [[ForTheEvulz just because]]. Also justified for Yhwach [[spoiler:because he gains the power of every Vandenreich that dies. Killing them serves a purpose for him.]]
140	* BarbieDollAnatomy: Although Bleach makes liberal use of SceneryCensor to hide the worst, it's quite clear that this trope is at work as well, especially whenever Yoruichi is stripped down.
141	* BarefootCaptives: All prisoners of the Soul Society must wear standard outfits of white gowns and bare feet. This is most evident when Rukia is being held for execution, but all the main characters wind up in the outfit eventually.
142	* BarefootPoverty: Becomes a plot point during the final arc - the denizens of Soul Society's worst districts are disappearing en masse, leaving only footprints, including some shoe prints. [[spoiler: It's revealed that people who live within Districts 50-80 are so poverty-stricken, none have been known to wear shoes for 550 years. This clues in [[AwesomenessByAnalysis Lieutenant Kira]] to the fact that the conclusion villagers killed each other is wrong and that entire villages are being slaughtered by Soul Reapers. Thanks to Kira's revelation, it's discovered that, because a huge number of Hollows were annihilated by Quincies, [[MadScientist Mayuri's]] men comitted mass murder to avoid a pan-dimensional disaster that could destroy entire worlds: killing spirit-dwelling villagers counter-balanced the destroyed Hollows in a case of BalancingDeathsBooks.]]
143	* BarelyThereSwimwear: In the BeachEpisode based on the manga omakes, the women are shopping for swimwear and [[HugeSchoolGirl Isane]] is mourning the fact all the cute costumes are for shorter women. Her sister Kiyone finds her a swimsuit that she can wear, the catch being that it's entirely too revealing and skimpy for [[ShrinkingViolet Isane]] to even contemplate wearing it. Her captain, [[MamaBear Unohana]] intervenes and takes Kiyone's side, further shocking Isane. Then she reveals the swimming costume she's going to wear and even Kiyone's jaw hits the floor. Only Isane's and Unohana's swimwear are commented on in-universe so only they fit this trope.
144	* BattleAura: Spiritual force is initially depicted as wind, but later in the series develops into auras. Certain high-power characters can even incapacitate weaker opponents simply by releasing their auras.
145	* BeachEpisode: Episode 228, and the omake of Volume 26, which also includes Orihime licking off the juices left from some artificially created watermelon monsters created by the 12th division.
146	* BecomeYourWeapon: The Arrancar all merge with their Zanpakuto when they want to go OneWingedAngel.
147	* TheBerserker:
148	** Ichigo's [[SuperPoweredEvilSide inner Hollow]], being the personification of his aggression and bloodlust, fights relentlessly and mercilessly, and mocks Ichigo for not doing the same. Whenever it takes over his body it grants him great power and fights far more brutally than Ichigo is willing to and obviously doesn't care about Ichigo's goals. When the two of them fight for dominance [[BattleInTheCenterOfTheMind in Ichigo's inner world]], his body gradually transforms into a lizard-like Hollow as it blindly lashes out at everything in sight.
149	** [[spoiler:Zaraki Kenpachi]]'s bankai seems to put him in an unthinking berserker state. His skin turns red, he stops speaking, and he attacks mindlessly and without much pause whereas usually he either bemoans a boring fight or laughs in enjoyment of a good fight.
150	%%* BetweenMyLegs: Ichigo, Rukia and Yuzu have this shot.
151	* BewareTheNiceOnes: Several. In most cases their [[AsskickingLeadsToLeadership rank alone]] should be enough to put you on guard.
152	** Throughout most of the series, Retsu Unohana is consistently shown to be calm, polite, and caring, yet pretty much everyone in Soul Society up to and including other captains are terrified of making her angry. We eventually learn that this is because [[spoiler: she was once the most notorious criminal in Soul Society, and the first Kenpachi. She was the one who laid the foundations for the [[BloodKnight battle-crazed]] eleventh division, and she only took up healing so that she could last longer in her rematch with Kenpachi Zaraki.]]
153	** Shunsui Kyoraku is shown to be very laid back to the point of laziness, and would rather have a drink with his opponents than fight. He's still one of the most senior captains in the Gotei 13, and when pushed to actually fight he's dangerously competent. The fact that he's the one who [[spoiler: takes over as captain of the first division after Yamamoto's death]] speaks for itself.
154	** Though very amiable and usually too sickly to do much, Jushiro Ukitake is still a force to be reckoned with. Much like his friend Shunsui, Ukitake is one of the oldest captains, and the two often fight alongside each other.
155	** When we first meet Sosuke Aizen, he's portrayed as AFatherToHisMen and one of the nicest, most understanding people in the Gotei 13. Of course, we all know [[BigBad how that turned out]], but even after showing his true colors he's still [[FauxAffablyEvil calm and polite]] to everyone he meets.
156	** Coyote Starrk, much like Kyoraku above would much rather lay around and do nothing than fight, and in fact would probably have sided with the heroes (or at least stayed neutral) had Aizen not earned his UndyingLoyalty first. Unfortunately Aizen did, and doubly unfortunately he's powerful enough that most lesser beings die from the sheer weight of his resting BattleAura, and he's able to BeamSpam what would be a FinishingMove for most normal Arrancar.
157	* BeyondTheImpossible:
158	** Aizen seeks to break the physical rules separating soul reapers from Hollows. Much of his activity has been based on the quest to reach beyond the limits that Shinigami and Hollows are biologically limited by.
159	** This is how Askin sums up Gremmy's power, who goes on to demonstrate the point in battle by CreatingLife, dropping a giant asteroid on the [[ColonyDrop Seireitei]] to destroy it, and exposing Zaraki to the "[[ExplosiveDecompression void of space]]".
160	* {{BFG}}:
161	** Soifon's bankai. [[spoiler: It's a giant stinger missile that is launched from her arm and which is designed to nuke the enemy.]]
162	** In the anime filler Sword Fiend arc, Hanatarou's materialized Zanpakuto, Hisagomaru, unfolds a BFG from the hidden compartment in his chest after absorbing enough pain energy. He, a one or two foot tall Bic-logo looking robot uses a BFG the size of a ''bus''.
163	** Ururu's missile launcher is three times as big as she is.
164	* {{BFS}}: As Byakuya once observes, releasing the power of the Zanpakutou means unleashing a weapon that defies rationality, so many of the weapons are unnaturally sized. Ichigo's huge, oversized blade is one of the milder examples, with one of the stand-out examples being Ikkaku's Bankai, commented on in-universe as, and therefore presenting the trope image for, an ImpossiblyCoolWeapon due to its irrationally huge size.
165	* BigAnimeEyes: In ''The Lost Agent/Fullbringer/[=XCution=]'' arc. The Fullbringer/[=XCution=] character Riruka Dokugamine {{Lampshades}} this in one episode when she says that her eyes dry out easily because they're so large.
166	* BigBad:
167	** In the pre-timeskip half, [[BrokenAce Sosuke Aizen]] is behind almost everything that's happened in this manga. [[spoiler: Even in the final arc where he's technically still in prison, it turns out he's somehow involved in events and he's even tricked Yhwach with his zanpakuto after only a few moments of contact. How and why he's involved, however, takes time for the arc to reveal.]]
168	** In the post-timeskip half, [[GodEmperor Yhwach]], TheEmperor of the [[PuttingOnTheReich Vandenreich]], is revealed to be involved in almost everything Aizen isn't. This includes the existence of the Quincies, the GreatOffScreenWar with the Soul Reapers and the formation of the Vandenreich. He also caused the deaths of [[spoiler: Yamamoto, Ichigo's mother and Uryuu's mother]].
169	* BigDamnHeroes: Kubo ''loves'' this trope, to the point where some encounters have ''multiple'' instances of this trope.
170	** When Renji moves to injure Rukia while he and Byakuya are arresting her, Uyru steps in to save her with an arrow fired at Renji's head. After Renji defeats him and goes the for killing blow, Ichigo shows up with a strike that shatters the ground between them, forcing Renji to back away from Uryu.
171	** When Ganju and Hanatarou are caught trying to break Rukia out of the repentance cell, a brief fight ensues with Byakuya delivering a CurbStompBattle to Ganju. When Byakuya goes to finish him off, Ukitake stops him with a hand on his wrist to prevent the execution. After a few minutes of talking, Ichigo flies in complete with ThemeMusicPowerup to try and take Rukia away. When Byakuya then moves to attack him with Senbonzakura, Yoruichi shows up to seal his zanpakuto and take Ichigo back to their hideout. Yes, that's ''three'' BigDamnHeroes moments for the price of one!
172	%%* BigNo: Multiple examples.
173	* BirdRun: Soul Reapers use a variant of this running style, especially in combat or hurrying to the next scene/encounter.
174	* BishonenLine:
175	** Hollows of Menos class and higher shrink down and get less monstrous-looking as they get stronger: the ultimate Hollow class Vasto Lorde are essentially humans with masks. Rather than simply being equal in power to the captains, their combat capabilities are superior than even that of the captains of the 13 Court Guards. Also, Aizen unlocks the power of Hollows by removing their mask and the change in power is shown by them becoming more human-like.
176	** The Espada's releases are an example of this as one goes up by number until you reach the top 3. Yammy, Aaroniero, Szayel, and Zommari (10th through 7th respectively) are outright monstrous, but they get progressively smaller and arguably less scary. 6th through 3rd Espadas Grimmjow, Nnoitra, Ulquiorra, and Harribel (whose release gives her a much more {{stripperific}} outfit and changes her sword into a BFS, but that's it.) are animal based. Number 2 Baraggan [[SubvertedTrope defies the pattern]] by becoming a skeleton with a flaming fur coat, and 1st Espada Starrk [[DoubleSubverted gets it back on track]] with an eyepatch and a change of clothes. And a pair of really cool guns.[[spoiler:..[[ZigZaggingTrope only for the pattern to once again be defied]] by Yammy, as he's Espada #0 as well.]]
177	** Ichigo's sword. It started out as a positively ''enormous'' [[BuffySpeak katana-thing]] that grew as his power did. However, it was all volume, no density. When he underwent TrainingFromHell and learned to release his Shikai, it settled into a single shape: like a giant, black cleaver. His Bankai form further reduces in size to a black daito (Japanese long sword that is slightly larger than a katana). It also concentrates his power and increases his speed immensely. This is reflected in [[spoiler:the way his sword's spirit looks. Zangetsu is a CoolOldGuy. Tensa Zangetsu is a {{bishonen}}.]]
178	* BittersweetEnding: The end of the Zanpakutou Arc and it's tail-end mini-arc, the Beast Swords Arc.
179	* {{Bizarrchitecture}}:
180	** Kuukaku Shiba's house moves. A lot.
181	** The layout (or at least the corridors) of Las Noches (or at least Szayel's section) can apparently be magically changed from a control room. It wasn't even mentioned that Las Noches is the size of a ''small country''.
182	** Las Noches has nothing on the Seireitei, which is labyrinthine for the sake of confusing invaders.
183	* BlackAndGrayMorality: Despite being guardians of the afterlife, the Soul Reapers are ''far'' from true saints. Several times over, it's pointed out how a number of the Captains can be [[KickTheDog ruthless]], [[SmugSnake arrogant]], [[OmniscientMoralityLicense manipulative]], [[SociopathicHero psychotic]], [[PsychoForHire homicidal]] and/or [[AlternateCharacterInterpretation morally-ambiguous]] at any given scene. ''At best'', they are guilty of negligence in not making the lives of their charges easier (we're lookin' at you [[TeamMom Unohana]], [[spoiler:who used to be ''worse'' as Yachiru Unohana, being the worst criminal of Soul Society even surpassing Aizen]]). One of the few things that helps their hero cred is that their adversaries are the cannibalistic [[TheHeartless Hollows]] and that the former BigBad (a Soul Reaper himself) was a MASSIVE prick. They also merrily employ a certain Mengele-esque MadDoctor who is guilty of partial genocide, extremely extensive torture, and other crimes against humanity for the sake of science, something the leadership does not prevent.
184	* BlindObedience: The 13 Court Guards is supposed to carry out the will of the Central 46 without question. Not even the captains have the power to question the Central 46's decisions. Going against the decisions of the Central 46 is treason and even questioning their orders is forbidden. This is why Aizen chose to masquerade as the Central 46 to order Rukia's execution. This is also why Yamamoto was so angry with Ukitake and Kyouraku's treason. This is also the reason Byakuya gave Ichigo in response to the latter's question about why he was willing to support his sister's execution, although it was eventually revealed that this wasn't the full truth behind Byakuya's behaviour. [[spoiler: Kyouraku's first act as captain-commander is to begin changing this attitude.]]
185	* BloodFromTheMouth: To excess. Getting stabbed in the shoulder really shouldn't make you cough up blood.
186	* BloodierAndGorier: The Thousand Year Blood War has really ramped up the violence by comparison to the earlier events, ranging from Zaraki and Unohana fighting with the flesh peeling off, Opie absorbing Ayon into him, Yamamoto burning Driscoll all the way to the bone, or Byakuya imagining Rukia's face melting.
187	* BlueBlood: Aristocrats vs. commoners are an important theme, regarding.
188	** Most of Soul Society has a feudal level of technology and political organization, including being dominated by a hereditary landed ruling class. The nobility (which lives almost exclusively in Seireitei) is made up of families with a proven ability to breed new spiritually gifted souls -- as opposed to the commoners in Rukongai who are mostly ordinary souls recently arrived from the World of the Living. There is also a major/minor noble distinction, with Seireitei politics dominated by the Four Great Houses, of which we have met the Kuchikis and the Shihouins. The Shibas used to be of equal stature but were exiled to the Rukongai. As a result, the majority of the Soul Reapers of the 13 Court Guards' are at least minor nobility, although in recent times the proportion of gifted commoners from the Rukongai has been increasing.
189	** The Quincy clan has a de facto nobility based on blood "purity". "Pure-blooded" families like the Ishidas command the loyalty of "mixed-blooded" families like the Katagiris and traditionally the two groups do not intermarry.
190	* BondVillainStupidity:
191	** Luppi thinks he's taken down Hitsugaya in one strike and doesn't follow through. Lampshaded by Hitsugaya when he points out that all it did was give him all the time in the world to set up an attack that could curb-stomp Luppi. Luppi was also mocked by his peers upon returning to Hueco Mundo for having been defeated so completely.
192	** Aizen sets up an elaborate method of ensuring Ichigo can train for a power upgrade before they fight. [[spoiler: He was hoping Ichigo would achieve a level of power strong enough for Aizen to reach a new level of power. Unfortunately for Aizen, he completely underestimated Ichigo's growth potential and ended up being curbstomped.]]
193	* BookEnds: The manga's final chapter; [[spoiler:Ichigo's and Orihime's son, Kazui meeting with Ichika, Rukia's and Renji's daughter, mirrors how Ichigo met Rukia: with her coming out of nowhere into Kazui's room, introducing herself as a Soul Reaper before being shocked by Kazui's spiritual power.]] To cement this, the final chapter has the same exact title as the first: Death & Strawberry.
194	* BothSidesHaveAPoint: The Shinigami and Quincies have warred for a thousand years, partly because Quincies destroy Hollow souls as punishment for the killing of humans while Shinigami insist on cleansing Hollow souls back into the reincarnation cycle. Quincies refuse to accept their actions threaten existence itself while Shinigami refuse to accept they're overwhelmed by Hollow numbers and need help. Members of both sides have observed that war means both sides are justified and both sides are evil. Complicating matters is the true origin of the war, known only to a very few on both sides, which centres around the mysterious connection between the Quincy King and the Shinigami Soul King both of whom may not be what they seem.
195	* BoulderBludgeon: In the season two opening, Chad is shown ripping a huge slab of stone out of the ground and throwing it at a group of approaching Soul Reaper combatants.
196	* {{Bowdlerize}}: The anime is rather infamous for toning down some of the violence or nudity. Sometimes, it makes sense, like Harribel's girls and their arms turning into Ayon. At others, it clearly doesn't hold up to par. See [[Bowdlerise/{{Bleach}} trope page]] for full list.
197	* BoyMeetsGirl: Shinigami dwell within the Soul Society, the world of spirits and ghosts. When humans die, Shinigami help their ghosts travel to the Soul Society. Those ghosts with spiritual power can then become Shinigami, although aristocratic Shinigami are born directly into [[SpiritWorld Soul Society]] as spirits. Ichigo and his sisters are the offspring of a Shinigami father who went AWOL from Soul Society to save the life of their human mother. Although their mother has been dead for many years, their Shinigami father remains within the human world, masquerading as a doctor and raising his three children. Ginjou claims that Ichigo is not the first person to have been born from a Shinigami/Human pairing and, as a substitute Shinigami, he might have been talking about himself. However, he leaves the identity of Ichigo's predecessor a mystery. [[spoiler:We later learn that he was indeed talking about himself.]]
198	* BrainBleach:
199	** Renji and Uryuu are horrified by the [[IntimateHealing manner]] in which Mayuri revives Nemu after Szayel's through with her. says it all.
200	** Yumichika reacts to [[MachoCamp Charlotte Cuulhorne]] as if Cuulhorne's appearance warrants such horrified and disgusted reactions. When trying to close his eyes to block out the horror fails, he decides the [[ThisMeansWar only solution]] is to wipe Charlotte out of existence.
201	* BreakingTheFourthWall:
202	** Happens mostly in the previews. In the story itself, it's usually Kon who does it.
203	** Uryu complains to Mayuri that his healing of Nemu was too inappropriate to air on TV.
204	** Gin Ichimaru does it a lot too. Gin, Aizen, and Tōsen are the last three people to be seen in the Sealed Sword Frenzy OVA. They appear after the credits in the human world having tea. Gin gets the last speaking role of the OVA, telling the audience to be "careful on your way home". He also does this a lot during his Arrancar Encyclopedia segments.
205	* BringIt
206	** Kenpachi Zaraki does this twice to Nnoitra during their duel in Hueco Mundo, once by gesture and once verbally.
207	** Episode 363. While fighting Jackie Tristan, Renji Abarai makes a beckoning gesture to her to invite further attack.
208	* BringThemAround: In the first {{Filler}} arc in the anime, one of the Bount is reluctant to [[spoiler: try their HumanResources SuperSerum]]. Then he [[IgnoredEpiphany tries it anyway]] and [[FaceHeelTurn turns into a massive prick]].
209	* BrokenPedestal: [[ManipulativeBastard Aizen]], [[RevengeBeforeReason Tousen]]...
210	* BunniesForCuteness: Rukia has a soul candy dispenser with a cute bunny face on it. When Ichigo learns that Rukia was trying to get that one for ''him'' when she got Kon (who came in a duck-faced dispenser), He calls her on the cuteness and, in a sort of nervous anger, she responds that she likes bunnies.
211	* BunnyEarsLawyer: The members of the Royal Special Task Force are quite...''colourful''. Even Shinji found their [[IncomingHam self-created, full fanfare arrival]] eccentric. It's a miracle anyone would ever allow patients near Kirinji given how bizarre his healing practices actually are, and the others are as bizarre as he is.
212	* BustContrastDuo:
213	** The flat-chested Rukia (who's while generally nice, can be very strict and harsh sometimes) and the much more well-endowed Orihime, who's one of the nicest characters InUniverse.
214	** Another known example is given by Sui Feng (flat and mean) and Yoruichi (has a bigger chest and is considerably nicer).
215	** Among the Soul Reaper lieutenants: Rangiku has an hourglass figure and an extroverted personality despite having a rough childhood, while Momo is petite and timid despite coming from a more privileged background.
216	** There's also the Kotetsu sisters, with tomboyish Kiyone having smallish breasts while her ShrinkingViolet big sister Isane has ''huge'' breasts, though ironically it's ''Isane'' who seems to have a complex about her boobs and her height, while Kiyone tries to encourage her to be more confident.
217	** For the Arrancar, Loly has noticeable cleavage and a nasty disposition, while her partner Menoly has a boyish build and is generally more submissive.
218	** The Vandenreich has a bust-contrast quintet. The bustier they are, the more reliant they are on raw power, with Meninas's signature ability being super-strength, while prepubescent Liltotto Lamperd and [[AmbiguousGender possibly transgender]] Giselle relying on BodyHorror and necromancy.
219	* ButterflyOfDeathAndRebirth: Jigoku-cho, aka hell butterflies, naturally.
220	** Both Aizen's penultimate form and the Soul King's appearance also portray butterfly themes.
221	* ByThePowerOfGreyskull: Releasing Bankai includes stating the command 'Bankai' to activate the transformation, which is completed when the Soul Reaper announces the name of the Bankai's released form. Soul Reapers who do not possess bankai must also speak a verbal command to activate their Shikai (Bankai-possessing Soul Reapers can choose to skip it, although most don't). Arrancar Resurreccion count too, as they always transform.
222
223	[[/folder]]

Context Bleach / TropesAToB