Welcome back, Bleach fans. How'd you like that 7th Episode Twist in the last update? I'd like to start things off by reminding you just how far in the past all of the events thus far have taken place, in comparison to when the series starts. Urahara and Yoruichi, who in the manga have been exiled from Soul Society but remain on good terms with many of the other Reapers, were still in their Captain positions. Kaien Shiba was in Squad 5, though I think he would have mentioned Ukitake offering him a position in his squad if we had viewed more of his events in Free Time. Aizen was a mere Lieutenant when the Kudo twins got to know him, but he was the Captain of Squad 5 when first encountered in the manga, and a major antagonist shortly after that. And Arrancar were so rare that Soul Society more or less panicked the second that Arturo's name was dropped. All in all, it was a very different from the Bleach world we knew and possibly loved...
...A world that we are now about to enter.
Strange Voice (that looks like the stuffed animal that we've been seeing during Free Time): "Wake up. C'mon now. Wakey, wakey! Darling! Time to wake uuuuuuup! GET YOUR BUTT UP NOW!"
Orange Hair Man (that looks like the main protagonist of the whole Bleach series): "YIKES!"
A light flicks on, and we see that we are now in the bedroom of Ichigo Kurosaki, who has just been awoken by Kon. Kon, for those that don't know, is a 'Mod Soul', AKA a Gikongan (remember that term from the last Urahara Free Time event?) with modified abilities. He takes care of Ichigo's mortal body when the young adult is doing Soul Reaper business, and inhabits a stuffed lion toy when he's not. Anyways, Ichigo wonders what all of Kon's yelling is for, the Mod Soul tells him he should wake up more quickly if he hates being yelled at. Kon pulls out Ichigo's Substitute Soul Reaper Combat Pass, which is making a weird noise to indicate that Hollows are in the mortal realm...well, at least in Ichigo's hometown. I have no idea if Americans or Europeans ever have to deal with Hollow problems...anyways, Kon tells Ichigo that the next time that thing goes off, he should be on his feet and ready in three seconds or less. Ichigo apologizes, saying that he's heard the Combat Pass's alarm so often he could sleep through it, and quickly transforms into a Soul Reaper. The orange-haired man quickly escapes, leaving Kon in the teddy bear since it's the middle of the night and his body will be fine. Kon is a tad displeased.
I'm Ichigo Kurosaki. I'm not your average high school student. I'm a Soul Reaper, but I bet you already figured that out. Actually, I'm a substitute Soul Reaper, but that's another story. It's been several days since we somehow managed to resolve the crisis over in Soul Society. Summer vacation's over, and it's back to school again. It's like nothing ever happened. But Hollows keep popping up here in Karakura Town. And I defeat them each and every time. Yep, it's back to the old grind for me.
Elsewhere in town, Ichigo's friends Uryu, Chad, and Orihime also sense the presence of Hollows, and start running. Ichigo arrives first, thanks to Flash Step, and the others pop in seconds later. Ichigo tells them that they didn't need to worry and that he could have handled this himself, but his friends still wanted to provide support. Oh, and Orihime also thinks that an evening stroll in this weather can be very refreshing, though the other guys tell her that a stroll at 3 in the morning can't be good for her. Ichigo tells them to focus so they can handle things and go home, and we get a new tutorial. It's about Bankai, as the rest of the game is basically an Alternate Universe retelling of the Arrancar Invasion arc of the main series, and Ichigo has learned that technique by this point. As soon as Ichigo has gained enough Spiritual Pressure by fighting enemies or absorbing it from the battlefield, he can change into a form that grants all of his stats a major boost. However, SP falls each turn when Bankai is active, and when it runs out, Ichigo will return to his original form with no Pressure whatsoever. Additionally, Bankai has different bonus effects depending on the Reaper; for example, Ichigo's Bankai also changes his type from Power to Speed.
Later on, we'll also get a tutorial about a new kind of unit appearing on the battlefield: Wholes. But for now, let's just take a look at who's going to participate in this battle.
- Player's Side
- Ichigo Kurosaki, Power-type, Level 13 (has the ability Bankai 1, which boosts evasion and mobility during Bankai)
- Uryu Ishida, Speed-type, Level 10 (has the skill Ginreikojaku, which attacks one enemy from up to 4 spaces away and can be used after moving)
- Yasutora "Chad" Sado, Power-type, Level 10 (has the offensive skill El Directo, which costs HP to use instead of SP, and is probably better off not used at all because of Chad's horrible accuracy)
- Orihime Inoue, Tech-type, Level 10 (has the skill Sotenkishun, which also costs HP instead of SP, but can heal up to three units in a straight line)
- Hollow's Side
- Hell Mantis, Power-type, Lv 8
- Hell Mantis, Power-type, Lv 8
- Hell Mantis, Power-type, Lv 8
- Numb Jelly, Speed-type, Lv 8
- Whole's Side
- Male Whole, Lv 8 (11 turns until it turns into a Hollow)
- Female Whole, Lv 8 (11 turns until it turns into a Hollow)
To make a long story short, Orihime should only be used for healing, Chad is powerful but slow, Uryu has an amazing skill, and Ichigo should be leading the charge and absorbing Pressure whenever he cannot simply attack. On Turn 2, Ichigo notices the Wholes, and states that he'll perform Konso for them. We then get that Whole tutorial I mentioned earlier. Wholes are recently-departed spirits that, if left unchecked for a certain amount of turns, will transform into Hollows. If a Soul Reaper stands next to a Whole before they are corrupted and uses their turn to perform Konso, the Whole will leave the battlefield and the Reaper will instantly gain 100 experience points (AKA level up immediately). Uryu takes care of the Power-type Mantis with his skill while standing next to Chad and Ichigo, who defeat the Speed-type Mantis and wound the third one. This is followed shortly by Orihime healing all three, since at least two of them had taken damage at this point, and Orihime's Attack stat of 5 means that she isn't really suited for anything else. Chad then uses a Support from Ichigo to finish off the other Mantis, and everyone starts heading towards the Jelly and the Wholes. Orihime levels up the second time she uses her skill, while the Jelly retreats to the point that it's right beside the Wholes. Thankfully, it is impossible for a Hollow to attack a Whole. Ichigo activates Bankai on Turn 4, and as his Movement upgrades from 3 to 7, he can easily reach the Wholes and the last opponent. Ichigo performs Konso on a Whole instead of attacking, Chad absorbs some Pressure, Uryu uses a skill, and Orihime heals them despite their HP being at max and gains yet another level anyways. The Hollow gets knocked down to half HP by Ichigo's counter, and while the Whole seems fine, his counter ticks down by two points this turn instead of just one thanks to the Hollow's proximity. The Hollow falls at the end of Turn 5 thanks to most of the team beating it up at close range, with Uryu landing the final hit as a Counter. The battle doesn't end until Ichigo performs Konso on the last Whole, giving Orihime the opportunity to heal one last time and finish at Level 13 with 22 HP. Did I mention that she never got hit once? At least the move costs less than Chad's skill...
The battle ends, and Ichigo and Orihime remark on how easy that was. Another Male Whole pops in, and the gang walks over to it. Ichigo's going to perform Konso on it as well, and Orihime comments that the Whole is going to Soul Society. Just then, everyone feels a sudden burst of spiritual pressure from elsewhere in town. Ichigo figures that it's more Hollows, and asks the others to go on ahead while he performs Konso. They agree and leave, but not before Uryu urges Ichigo to hurry. The Karakura Youth, AKA the Male Whole, thanks Ichigo as he's Konso'd to Soul Society. Ichigo can now go and find the others...but before he can even take a step, he's stopped by a strange blonde man. Said man then quickly pulls out a katana and swings it, but Ichigo reacts quickly enough to block.
Ichigo: "Huh?! Who are you?!
Shady Youth (the blonde guy): "..."
Ichigo: "That's a...Is that a Zanpakuto? Are you a Soul Reaper?!"
Shady Youth: "Hmph. Dummy. Somebody with your spirit energy shouldn't be so easily rattled. It'll echo around the world. They'll feel your presence."
Ichigo: "I asked you who you were!"
Shady Youth: You're gonna be a handful. I'm Shinji Hirako. Here. Take a good look. Recognize this?"
...Okay, let me interrupt the plot for a few moments. Anybody who already knows Shinji's backstory and his relationship with the other Reapers might be a tad confused, for previous events conflict with it. But as already stated, this game is in an Alternate Universe, for neither the Kudo twins nor the Suzunami siblings (or Arturo, or a few other characters we'll meet later on) exist in the canon story. Additionally, when this game was made, some things had yet to be revealed, and other matters had not even been thought of at the time. And one of those matters just happens to include the backstory of the blonde-haired Visored we have just encountered. If any other conflicts with continuity occur during this Liveblog, I suggest that we just roll with it and remember the MST3K Mantra: "It's just a show; I should really just relax."
Moving back to the plot, Shinji pulls out a Hollow mask, which surprises Ichigo. Shinji explains that he's a Vizored, otherwise known as a Soul Reaper who crossed over into the realm of the Hollows...just like Ichigo. Ichigo again expresses shock, this time at Shinji knowing about his Hollow side, and Shinji asks Ichigo to join his army. Ichigo doesn't care about Shinji's views and refuses to abandon his friends to join him, and then leaves before Shinji can stop him. Shinji scoffs, and states that Ichigo's a punk.
Elsewhere in Karakura Town, a Shady Man that wouldn't look out of place on a stage is attempting to wake up some kid. Said kid happens to be our protagonist, Matsuri Kudo. She slowly opens her eyes, and shrieks as the first thing she sees is a smiling face hovering just above her own. The Shady Man says hello, introduces himself as Don Kan'onji (the century's premier spiritualist), and he was just concerned about her. Matsuri's a tad too confused about what's happening to say proper introductions, so Kan'onji tells her that "Hello" is a common greeting and that it would be polite if she said "Hello" back to him. Matsuri manages to state 'Greetings', but Kan'onji wants a bona-fide, wide-smiled 'Hello', and is quite happy when Matsuri complies. He notices that Matsuri still seems half-asleep, so he explains that he was nearby filming for his show when he saw her sprawled on the ground and wanted to make sure that she was all right.
Matsuri understands Don Kan'onji, but still wonders where she is. She then notices that the reishi is thin, and asks if she's in the human world. Kan'onji tells her that she's in a public park in Karakura Town, and tells her that he's a human, but can see her nonetheless. He asks for an enthusiastic round of applause for this amazing feat, and gets one...from himself. Matsuri notes that this doesn't look like what she thought the human world was supposed to look like, and Kan'onji notices that Matsuri is wearing the same black outfit that his "Number One Pupil" wears. Matsuri then asks about Kan'onji's own outfit, and after noting how it's too gaudy and unrefined for him to be a samurai, she decides that he must be a ninja disguised as a travelling entertainer. Don Kan'onji's seems pleased with this assumption and has a good chuckle, but fire then seems to burn behind him.
Don Kan'onji: "Of course I'm not a ninja! What kind of super-sneaky ninja goes around shouting 'Cannon baaaaall'?!"
For the record, this is still a far better reaction than a Fujimaru-focused play through, where Fujumaru mistakes Kan'onji for a kabuki actor and the Don doesn't even try to play along for a second.
Time passes as Don Kan'onji fills Matsuri in about how the days of feudal lords are long gone, and Matsuri thinks he's joking at first. Kan'onji tells her that he's being honest, and adds that while he's not sure if ninjas are still around, he bets that they'd all be big fans of his. Matsuri asks if she's really in the future, and Kan'onji tells her that unless she's suffered a bump on the head, that's exactly the case. Matsuri has no time to mope about all the years that she's passed by, however, for she and Don Kan'onji now sense the same Hollows that Ichigo's gang noticed. Matsuri feels that they're no ordinary Hollows, and...
Don Kan'onji: "Shall we go check it out, kid? What do you say? The honor and glory of fighting by the side of the great Don Kan'onji can be—"
Matsuri: "Goodbye! Um...Mr. Ninja-in-Disguise!" (leaves)
Don Kan'onji: "What?! Hey, wait a minute! Don't go speeding off like that! How am I supposed to keep up with you?! And the name's 'Don Kan'onji,' by the way! How could you go and leave me behind? Now, that hurts! That really hurts!"
And this update ends at a party selection screen, where we can only select Matsuri. But on the bright side, we can update her abilities with the Points earned in the Arturo fight, and we can have her start a Co-Op bond with the four teenagers she hasn't even met yet. As we've already gone through a lot of action in this instalment, now seems like a good time to end it. Thank you all for reading, and have a tremendous day!
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