Bleach: The Final Cut, originally known as Bleach: The Second Cut, is a Bleach fanfiction written by MarchLochnessMarch
as a re-imagining of the Tite Kubo's famous work. It starts out as an outline describing changes made to the plot, but overtime becomes more like a written novel.
Note: The story is currently being rewritten, so most of these tropes mainly apply to the original draft.
The story can be found on here, here, and here. The original draft can be found here.
- Adaptational Badass: Several characters become more capable combatants here in this story. Examples include:
- Chad goes from a Faux Action Guy to a combatant capable of knocking out Yammy. He gets to properly show himself as a fighter throughout the story.
- Orihime zig-zags between this and Adaptational Wimp. On one hand, her powers have been limited to the point that she can't bring back the dead. But at the same time, she becomes a more capable Action Girl, manages to free herself from Jirobo's grip when he tries to take her hostage, greatly contributes in Byakuya's fight against Barragan, and is able to defeat Moe, a Fullbringer, all by herself. She also bears a fragment of the Soul King's essence within her like Rangiku, which helped her to awaken her abilities.
- Yammy also zig-zags between this and Adaptational Wimp. He actually remains the Tenth Espada, even after unleashing his Resurrección, but actually puts up a better fight than he did in canon, to the point of actually challenging two Captain-level Shinigami. It really says something that Kenpachi actually enjoys fighting Yammy, whereas in canon, he called the fight against him "boring" and spend more time arguing with Byakuya than fighting Yammy.
- Nel, because of the circumstances behind her transformation into a child being different here, is fully able to recover her strength when she changes back and is able to fight Nnorita to a standstill and kill him.
- Tatsuki becomes a Fullbringer in the Fullbringer arc.
- Karin awakens her Shinigami powers after Ichigo sacrificed his to stop Aizen.
- Adaptation Deviation: The story starts out similarly to the manga with only a few changes, then starts to make changes to how the plot moves forward.
- Adaptational Early Appearance: Members of the Sternritter (Berenice Gabrielli, Robert Accutrone, and Cang Du) make their appearance in chapter 7 to restore Uryu's powers in exchange for his service to Yhwach, whereas in canon they don't appear until the Thousand Year Blood War arc. The same goes for Bazzard Black, who makes his first appearance in the Fullbringer Arc in this story.
- Adaptation Expansion: This fanfiction expands on Aizen's past, but with a twist. It's revealed here that the "Sōsuke Aizen" who would conspire against Soul Society was actually a Street Urchin born in the Rukongai who had kidnapped and stole the identity of the real Aizen, the son of a First Division officer. From that point onward, "Aizen" would rise up in the ranks to get to where he is in modern day, setting the stage for his plan to steal the Hōgyoku and take over Hueco Mundo.
- Adaptational Jerkass:
- Downplayed in Nelliel's case. She's actually one of the kindest Arrancar in canon, and remains so here in this story, but the fanfiction gives her a more selfish reason for never killing Nnoitra in her backstory. While she was a member of the Espada, her aspect of death was lamentation, and she fed on his misery every time she overpowered him, something she's deeply ashamed of.
- Played straight with Jackie Tristan. While she's one of the least malevolent members of Xcution in canon, here, she is noticeably a lot crueller, actually gloating of Xcution's success and Chad and Tatsuki's role in it.
- Adaptational Personality Change:
- Downplayed in Mayuri's case. He still treats Nemu inhumanely, though he doesn't sadistically beat her like in canon. According to
Word of God, this change is not done to make Mayuri a better person, but to provide better continuity between their relationship and its endpoint. - Downplayed in Tōsen's case. While he still joins Aizen for revenge against Soul Society and his childhood friend's killer, he doesn't use the justification that Aizen's way is the path to less bloodshed, thus preventing him from coming off as a hypocrite.
- Downplayed in Mayuri's case. He still treats Nemu inhumanely, though he doesn't sadistically beat her like in canon. According to
- Adapted Out: Don Kanoji doesn't make an appearance in this fanfiction because the author, despite liking his character, finds him irrelevant to the overall plot.
- Ascended Extra: Tatsuki and Karin become more plot-relevant in this story, especially in the Fullbringer arc where Tatsuki becomes a Fullbringer and Karin awakens her Shinigami powers.
- Awesomeness by Analysis: Urahara is able to come up with a countermeasure to Aizen's Kyoka Suigetsu this way. Correctly guessing that the Shikai can manipulate Reiatsu perception as well, Urahara creates the Arisubijōn, a device that observe gradations in Reiatsu, and has Isshin fight Aizen so Urahara can calibrate the device accordingly and allow him to see through the illusions by observing the change in Reiatsu.
- Bait-and-Switch: Aizen's backstory first shows him as a timid boy who was rescued by a Street Urchin in the Rukongai, with that urchin apparently inspiring him to grow a spine and start taking a stand against the status quo. Then the ending of the chapter reveals that the Aizen who would conspire against Soul Society is actually that very same urchin, having kidnapped and stole the real Aizen's identity, allowing him to rise up in the ranks with the Gotei 13 none the wiser.
- The Bad Guy Wins: Unlike in canon, Ginjo and Tsukishima manage to escape after the former steals Ichigo's Fullbring, allowing them to set the next stage of their plan in motion.
- The Beastmaster: Tatsuki fights alongside her pet weasel Ringo, with her Fullbring allowing her to fuse with him.
- Capture and Replicate: It's revealed here that the Sōsuke Aizen that conspired against Soul Society is actually a Street Urchin from the Rukongai District who kidnapped and stole the identity of the real Aizen, the son of a First Division captain, keeping him trapped in an underground cellar since his ability take on someone else's appearance requires that person to be alive.
- Damsel out of Distress: When Jirōbō Ikkanzaka attempts to take Orihime hostage, she easily destroys his Zanpakuto and tells him that just because she doesn't have killing intent doesn't mean she's a coward, unlike him. The title of the scene even is even called "Damsel Dishing Out Distress".
- Death by Adaptation: Many characters who survived in canon meet their end here.
- Momo Hinamori actually dies when Aizen stabs her, an event that haunts Toshiro throughout the story.
- Ikakku Madarame mutually dies with Edrad Liones, unlike in canon where he comes out alive.
- Hachi Ushoda is killed by Ulquiorra when the latter comes to kidnap Orihime.
- Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez succumbs to his wounds from Nnorita and dies encouraging Ichigo to get stronger.
- Emilou Apacci and Cyan Sung-Sun are killed by Lisa and Hiyori.
- Loly Aivirrne is killed by Sui-Feng.
- Kensei Muguruma is killed by Sobura Kisada when the former confronts Tsunayashiro for his crimes.
- Dies Differently in Adaptation:
- Grand Fisher is killed by Hollow Ichigo instead of Isshin Kurosaki.
- Zommari Leroux, rather than being killed by Byakuya Kuchiki, is defeated in battle by Uryu and is finished off by Suí-Fēng. Since he's given killed and purified by a Shinigami instead of being erased by a Quincy, Zommari actually dies peacefully instead of a undergoing a Villainous Breakdown in his last moments.
- Nnoitra Gilga is felled by Nelliel instead of Kenpachi.
- Downplayed with Baraggan Louisenbairn. He dies pretty much the same way as in canon (being killed by his own Respira), but it's due to the combined efforts of Orihime and Byakuya rather than Hachi Ushoda solely due to the latter being killed Ulquiorra earlier, leaving Orihime to use Hachi's technique to help Byakuya destroy Baraggan.
- Yammy Llargo, instead of being mortally wounded by Byakuya and Kenpachi and left to die from his injuries, is instead killed by the combined efforts of Kenpachi and Suí-Fēng destroying his head.
- Giriko Kutsuzawa is killed by Uryu instead of Kenpachi.
- Didn't Think This Through: Kensei Muguruma, after acquiring evidence of Tokinada Tsunayashiro's treachery, attempts to use the information he's gained to blackmail him into releasing Shuhei Hisagi. Unfortunately, he failed to consider that Tsunayashiro still had one of his loyal subordinates on-guard to protect him, so Kensei not only gets himself killed, but also provides Tsunayashiro an excuse to label both Ginjo's faction and Ichigo as enemies of Soul Society.
- Deal with the Devil: Uryu Ishida makes one with the Sternritter in Chapter 7, swearing his services to Emperor Yhwach in exchange for restoring his powers so he can fight by friends' side in the fight against Aizen and the Arrancar.
- Due to the Dead: Nelliel requests Ichigo to give Grimmjow and Nnoitra a proper burial because, despite the fact they were cruel enemies to her and Ichigo, they were her former comrades. Ichigo does so.
- Epiphanic Prison: This is the power that Aizen's Bankai, Mugenmagireru Akumanowana, inflicts on the victim. It traps the victim within the recesses of their mind until they can let go of the past and subjugate their Zanpakutō spirit and fully master their power.
- Ghost Amnesia: Unlike in canon, souls that pass onto to the Soul Society lose all memories of their life in the Land of the Living. When Ichigo performs the Konsō on Yūichi Shibata after telling him he'll meet his mother in the Soul Society, Rukia reveals that he won't remember his mother anymore, which horrifies Ichigo since he had told him a lie. Rukia tells him he did the right thing because it allowed to pass on happily, since letting him stay in the Land of the Living would have condemned him to become a Hollow.
- Hypocrisy Nod: When Nel confesses that she never killed Nnorita because she was indulging in his misery, she admits that despite claiming that she would never give in to the Hollows' basest desires, she didn't really practice what she preached and is ashamed of it.
- Last-Second Chance: When Nel admits to Nnorita that she was indulging in her aspect of death (Lamentation) when she refused to kill him and is utterly ashamed of it, she gives Nnorita one last chance to leave and find peace with himself. When Nnorita instead chooses to continue the fight, Nel immediately kills him, though she still makes the request to Ichigo to bury him.
- My God, What Have I Done?:
- Starrk goes through this after seeing the townspeople of Karakura Town running around in a panic, realizing the role he played in their suffering. This, as well as Lilynette's death and Aizen's dismissal of his defeat, causes him to leave the battlefield, grievously wounded, but still alive.
- All of Ichigo's friends undergo this after Tsukishima undoes the brainwashing and restores their memories, horrifying them all with the way they've been treating Ichigo while brainwashed. Orihime especially goes through this to the point of undergoing a Heroic BSoD.
- Oblivious to Love: Lampshaded by Love and Lisa regarding Ichigo's ignorance with Orihime's feelings.
- Relationship Compression: While there was some Ship Tease between Ichigo and Orihime in canon, they never actually get together until sometime during the 10 year Timeskip between the last 2 chapters of the Thousand Year Blood War Arc. Here, Ichigo and Orihime get to form some chemistry between them and become a couple later in the story.
- Spared by the Adaptation: Coyote Starrk survives the Winter War, though not without severe wounds from his fight with the Shinigami. He leaves the battlefield, grief-stricken from the loss of Lilynette and the shame of putting innocent people in danger.
