Bleach – Aizen’s secret weapon against Genryusai Yamamoto
With almost all the captains and vice-captains from the Gotei 13 down from Aizen’s assault, it falls to Yamamoto Genryusai and Ichigo to defend Karakura town. Picking off from the previous issue, Aizen easily takes out Soifon, Toshiro, Kyoraku, and Hirako in one well swoop. He doesn’t kill them but incapacitates them so that they can watch how the battle unfolds and eventually ends (which is the number one mistake of all villains, lol). Stepping up to the plate to take on Aizen next is the most powerful shinigami in the Gotei 13 – Yamamoto Genryusai.
Battle starts with Aizen mocking the old captain. The two exchange words and then Aizen moves in for a sudden and deadly attack. He impales Genryusai in the gut with his blade. However when it looked like it was all over, it turns out that this was part of Yamamoto’s plan. He grabs Aizen’s arm, locks him into place, and uses one of his most destructive techniques ever. A hellish inferno that would engulf and turn everything into ashes. This attack would even kill all the surviving shinigami in the battlefield!
Remember Magic: the Gathering card games? There was a term there called “sideboards”. These cards are practically useless in normal play but they can defeat one or two kinds of cards easily. That was their only purpose. Aizen reveals his sideboard against Yamamoto – Wonderweiss the Arancar. Apparently Wonderweiss was modified and made just to counter Ryujin Jaka (Yamamoto’s fire Zanpaktou).
Wonderweiss can extinguish the flames, leaving Yamamoto without the awesome fiery powers of his Zanpaktou. Issue ends with Aizen towering over the last remaining Shinigami captain.
Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura, and Kakashi reunited
Naruto Manga 484 reunites Team 7: Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura, and Kakashi. This is one of the more exciting and disturbing issues released. First we see how Sasuke has fallen badly into his hatred and frustration with Konoha to the point that he won’t flinch with the idea of killing his former comrades and friends.
One of the most haunting parts of the issue was when Naruto was speeding towards the encounter. He remembers key moments in his past which involved his elders and even Itachi telling him that maybe the best thing he can do for Sasuke is to kill him. Other than Itachi, he also thinks back to what the Raikage and even Gaara said in his previous meetings with them. This really builds up the moment and sets up one hell of an epic encounter between the two former comrades.
Back in the battlefield, Kakashi barely manages to keep up with Sasuke. The Susanoo almost kills Kakashi but he’s able to blast it away with the Mangekyou Sharingan. Kakashi tries to reason with his former student but Sasuke reveals that he really doesn’t give a damn anymore and tries to do another attack. However it looks like the constant use of the Sharingan has finally taken it’s toll on Sasuke. His vision blurs and the Susanoo fades.
Sakura takes advantage of the situation by flanking Sasuke and goes for the final blow. However she hesitates and stops her attack a few seconds away before she deals the killing strike. Apparently she doesn’t have the strength and the conviction to kill the man that she fell in love with. Sasuke retaliates and moves in to kill Sakura. Kakashi desperately tries to stop him.
Naruto comes in for the save.
The stage is set for the final confrontation between Sasuke and Naruto. I can’t friggin’ wait for the next issue! 
Naruto Manga 482: Sakura confronts Sasuke
Naruto Manga 482 is out early as well. It started out boring but towards the end the pace picked up and eventually became worth the wait. Things start out with Madara and Sasuke discussing their next steps. Madara gives Sasuke instructions to rest first while he extracts the eye from Danzo’s corpse. He also advises him to kill Karin since she knows too much about them and she has nothing to offer them anymore. Talk about cold blooded right?
Meanwhile, Sakura manages to stun and escape the Konoha ninjas with her so that she can confront Sasuke alone. She uses some sort of sleeping bomb to temporarily incapacitate them. She breaks away and heads for Sasuke’s direction.
Naruto, on the other hand, is stopped by Captain Yamato from getting up from bed. He explains that he should rest up and that Kakashi will be the one to take care of Sakura and Sasuke. Of course this doesn’t stop our favorite gutsy ninja. While under the covers of his sheets he manages to make a hole in the floor and attempts to escape so that he can go to where Kakashi and Sakura went to.
Back to Sasuke – he’s about to deal the final blow to Karin when Sakura manages to reach him. She calls out to her former teammate and says the most insane thing ever. Apparently Sakura wants to go rogue as well and she wants to join Sasuke. I have a feeling that she’s up to something though.
And that’s a wrap for this week’s manga issue.
Bleach Manga 392 – Aizen kicks Captain Butt
In Bleach Manga 391, the captains all ganged up on Aizen and managed to finally corner him with a series of combo attacks. It took Soifon, Kyoraku, Toshiro, and Hirako combined to actually deal a “fatal” blow. However, that was all for show. Apparently all of them were under the spell of Aizen’s illusion. Ichigo calls their attention to the bloody and sad truth. It wasn’t Aizen that they actually “killed”.
It was Hinamori!
Man. That was just sad. I literally almost shed a tear after what really happened was revealed.
Anyway, after that Aizen wipes the floor with the Vice-Captains. Screaming out in frustration and desperation, Hitsugaya flies down and blindly attacks Aizen in rage. All the other captains back him up in one final assault. However they’re all no match for Aizen and he easily takes them down with little or no effort at all.
It will be very interesting to see what will happen in the next few issues. What can the Shinigami force do against the awesome and insane power of Aizen? I mean it’s bordering already on ridiculous. x.x
PS: There’s no Bleach Manga for next week. It’s going on a break.
Naruto Manga 481 – Danzo Goes Kaboom
Naruto 481 is the conclusion between the epic battle between Sasuke and Danzo. It was revealed in the earlier issues that Danzo’s secret to multiple lives was in his right arm. He was using the Izanagi to manipulate time and space. However this skill had a time limit and he was slowly running out of Sharingan eyes to use it on. In the last issue, Danzo took Karin hostage in an attempt to slow down Sasuke’s onslaught. However, Sasuke did the unimaginable. Using a long range chidori, Sasuke impaled both Karin and Danzo.
In a last attempt to kill everyone with him, Danzo uses some sort of a self destruct technique which is really bloody. Apparently it’s a vacuum-based skill which sucked all opponents near to him which would force them to die together with him. Weird skill. Here’s a screenshot of the aftermath:
Fortunately though Sasuke and Madara were able to escape it. Now they plan to move on to attack Konoha.
In the other part of the issue, Sakura tries to leave her team and go after Sasuke herself. She tries to use a bomb of sorts to escape but Sai stops her and the groups tries to reason with her that they should go as a team. This girl is really weird and is in for a brutal death. I mean, Sasuke killed Karin. He can easily take down Sakura if he wanted to as well.
Personally this issue is a major milestone because it shows two things about Sasuke:
1. He is insanely powerful to the point that he can kill Danzo with his multiple Izanagis.
2. He is insanely evil because he does not hesitate to kill his friends and allies.
Can’t wait to see how Naruto will deal with his former best friend.
Naruto 479 – Izanagi and the Karmic Strike
Naruto Manga 479 deconstructs the Izanagi technique of the Sharingan and ends in another thrilling cliffhanger which will definitely make you anticipate next week’s Naruto Manga 480. In this issue, Tobi and Karin both figure out the Izanagi. According to the explanations scattered all over this issue, it’s basically a technique where Danzo can manipulate reality and illusion for 60 seconds then the eye that cast the spell will permanently close. This enables him to “fake” his deaths and reappear. Since he has 10 eyes on his arm, he can supernaturally extend the duration. There was also a part in the issue where he says that it will take some time before he can use his arm again after all 10 eyes expire, which means there’s a way for him to regenerate the powers of the eyes in his arm. Scary.
Despite the Izanagi, Danzo is still having a hard time beating Sasuke’s Susanoo. In one attempt, he summons a Tapir which literally sucks in the entire place which immobilizes the Susanoo. Danzo attacks from behind and uses the Tapir’s vacuum to amplify his air attack. He manages to break through the defense of Sasuke and closes in for the kill. However, Sasuke is a quick thinker and uses a fireball to shut the Tapir’s mouth and lands a solid punch with Susanoo on Danzo, sending the Hokage crashing to the ground.
Sasuke figures out the duration of the Izanagi and decides to continue to go all out so he can force Danzo to expire all 10 eyes. In the last part of the issue, Danzo launches one final physical attack after Sasuke’s Susanoo finally fades. Sasuke responds by covering his sword with electricity and also attacks. The two end up dealing a karmic strike, piercing one another with their blades. What happens next? Naruto Manga issue 480 next week will have the answer.
Personally, I have a feeling Sasuke cast a spell using his Mangekyou Sharingan before both blows connected.
Naruto Manga 477 – Danzo Invincible?
Naruto Manga 477 continues the epic battle between Danzo and Sasuke. Despite using Susanoo to crush Danzo’s body to pieces, Danzo is still alive and appears behind Sasuke. This actually happens again for several times and Danzo keeps appearing again despite getting brutally slaughtered by Susanoo. In fact at one point he’s hit by Amaterasu. This really makes you wonder what the true power is of his Sharingan covered right arm. Are those eyes like extra lives or something?
Karin tries to analyze the Chakra flow to figure out what’s going on. Based on her initial scan, this isn’t genjutsu since the chakra isn’t being disturbed. The Danzos aren’t clones as well. Towards the end of the issue it looks like she figures something out but it’s not totally revealed (we’ll have to wait for the next issue to find out what she discovered). One thing is for sure, defeating Danzo is not a walk in the park and we definitely haven’t seen the full extent of his powers yet.
Maybe this is the reason why Madara brought out Sasuke? To figure out how Danzo actually fights so that he has a better chance of taking down Danzo after Sasuke falls?
Anyway, just when it looks like all is lost already for Sasuke, he uses a technique which catches even Danzo off guard. the trademark black crows appear out of nowhere and standing beside Danzo is a ghost that he definitely didn’t expect to see in the battlefield – Itachi.
This might be another technique that Itachi impressed on Sasuke – similar to the automatic Amaterasu upon seeing Madara’s Sharingan. At this point your guess is just as good as mine… we all have to wait for Naruto Manga 478 (2 week wait really sucks btw).
Bleach Manga 387 – Hirako Shinji’s Bankai
Bleach Manga issue 387 was released on One Manga a few hours ago. The previous issue was a major cliffhanger since Hirako Shinji was about to reveal his Bankai to Aizen. Tosen also just fell to Hisagi’s surprise attack. Finally things are picking up again for Bleach (even Naruto but that’s for another post)!
Bleach Manga 387 Review
Shinji reveals the awesome power of his Bankai. If I get it correctly, it inverts the senses of the opponent. What’s up is down, what’s down is up, and even the direction of the attack is also reversed. This is a monstrous ability which would easily take down even powerful opponents. At first, even Aizen is thrown off but he quickly recovers and retaliates. In a matter of seconds, Aizen breaks through the technique and lands a solid blow on Shinji.
On the other side of the battlefield, Hisagi and Komamura rush to the side of Tosen who was fatally wounded by Hisagi’s attack. Komamura explains how deep his friendship with Tosen really went and this even makes the former Shinigami Captain shed a tear. He tries to reach out to see Hisagi as well but before he does Aizen brutally finishes him off.
The issue ends with a scene that everyone has been waiting for! Just when everything seems lost, Ichigo finally makes his damned entrance to take on Aizen!
It’s too bad that we’ll have to wait for 2 weeks before the next issue but that’s how the manga cookie crumbles, haha! We’ll all have to wait and see how this will turn out. There are still a lot of characters that haven’t totally jumped into the fray. Captains Yamamoto, Toshiro, and the rest of the Vizards are still in play. Yami is the only Espada left standing and he’s stuck in Hueco Mundo. It looks like it will be Ichigo and Aizen then maybe everyone else against Gin? Or will Aizen bring another force into play?
Can’t wait for Bleach Manga 388!
Bleach Manga 386 – Tosen the “Fly”
We see Tosen’s Resurrection form in Bleach Manga 386 and man it is gross. The grace, class, and mystery of Tosen as a Shinigami Captain was totally destroyed with his Hollow form. In fact, he looked like a giant fly. That, my friends, is not cool at all. In fact, it bordered on sheer stupidity. But I don’t really blame the writer. I’m sure he wanted to show that the Hollow form brings out the ugliness of a person.
Tosen, Lord of the Flies
In his hollow form, Tosen is able to see. A priceless part of the manga was Komamura’s reaction when Tosen tells him that he was much uglier that what he imagined, haha!
Anyway, Tosen blocks the Bankai attack of Komamura and blasts the giant samurai demon with some sort of shattering technique, almost punching a hole through it. Since Komamura also takes damage, the Shinigami Captain falls. However, just before Tosen finishes the job, Hisagi impales his head and executes him with the Shikai of his Zanpaktou. I can’t imagine how powerful Hisagi can be if he were to finally reach Bankai! Believe me, this guy is on Shinigami to watch out for!
I have to give props to the writer for this issue. I loved how Tosen fell in battle. Hisagi said it best, Tosen wouldn’t have fell for such an obvious attack if he was still blind. Apparently gaining sight proved to be a weakness instead of a strength.
Naruto 476 – Danzo vs Sasuke
Danzo’s Sharingan arm was revealed in the previous issue. In Naruto 476, Sasuke confronts Danzo about what he heard from Madara about Itachi. Danzo responds with an attack but he’s blocked by Sasuke’s Susanoo technique. The demonic spirit grabs Danzo and slowly starts to squeeze the life out of him.
Danzo admits that Itachi was ordered to kill his clan by the leaders of Konoha. This infuriates Sasuke and he uses Susanoo to totally crush Danzo’s body. However it wasn’t Danzo’s real body (probably Genjutsu or some sort of substitution technique) and he appears behind Sasuke to finally start the real battle.
While Sasuke and Danzo are fighting it out, Naruto is having one insane emo episode. He turns feverish and hyperventilates after remembering everything that has happened so far with Sasuke and Sakura. He faints and falls to the ground. Death by emo… yeah! xD
And that’s that for Naruto 476. It looks like we’ll have to wait for Naruto 477 to see what Danzo can do with that Sharingan arm of his.
