Key Takeaways
- Ichigo vs Uryu battle stands out as the best fight in Part 3 due to emotional depth and stunning animation.
- The visual symbolism in the fight reflects themes of structural change and embodies intricate Quincy lore.
- Uryu’s reveal of Quincy: Vollständig showcases his resolve, adds emotional depth, and elevates the fight’s significance.
The fourth episode of BLEACH: Thousand-Year Blood War Part 3 presented various improvements to the events adapted from Tite Kubo’s manga, but the inclusion of a gorgeous, emotional battle between Ichigo and Uryū as Yhwach absorbs the Soul King is definitely the best fight of Part 3 so far, and one of the best fights of the series’ historic return.
The animation production by PIERROT FILMS, direction by Tomohisa Taguchi, and supervision by the author himself have culminated in what will go down as one of the greatest returns of a series in anime history, and this Ichigo vs Uryū fight adds to the series’ acclaim. Here’s a breakdown of the epic bout between the enemies-turned-friends-turned enemies, and why it deserves to be considered among the most iconic battles of the franchise.
RELATED
BLEACH: Thousand-Year Blood War – The Betrayer
A brilliant episode with an unseen battle between Ichigo and Uryu, who has defected to the Quincies and will help Yhwach collapse the realms.
The Most Obvious Positive
Ichigo vs Uryu Was A Triumph in Animation
The one aspect of the Thousand-Year Blood War adaptation that draws the most consistent praise is the high quality of the visuals. While BLEACH had always been considered one of the better-looking anime series of its time, much of this had to do with the inherent beauty of series author Tite Kubo’s art style and the adaptation of the aforementioned for animation by veteran animator and character designer Masashi Kudō, who directed the Terminator Zero anime that dropped in August.
The difference here is the involvement of Kubo in the production, and the infinitely more cinematic, dynamic and filmic approach taken in the direction, which adds depth to the obvious upgrade in the visuals overall. In each cours of BLEACH: Thousand-Year Blood War, there have been multiple episodes that sought to blow open the expectations of the viewers, with several top-tier episodes being the result of the upgraded visual fidelity having a synergistic relationship with the revamped soundtrack, the sound direction, photography and even use of CGI coming together with the thematic and narrative context in which they are used.
This final arc is being adapted in a way that specifically reflects BLEACH as a series, and leans more into Tite Kubo’s creativity to create a uniquely BLEACH experience. Such a scene was already shown in the first episode of Thousand-Year Blood War Part 3 during the conclusion of Ichibē Hyōsube’s fight against Yhwach, but the fight between Ichigo and Uryū has eclipsed that battle, for the way it presents the contrast of an emotional, uncertain Ichigo with Uryū’s cold resoluteness in the face of the destruction of the universe as they know it, and how it reaches a shocking, never-before seen climax as Ichigo falls to the ground with a vicious wound torn out from his torso. The battle was a high-speed, high-octane flurry of reishi arrows whizzing across the battlefield with gorgeously fluid animation as Ichigo evaded the attacks.
The two moved beautifully over the course of the bout, but one of the cooler moments was when they bumped shoulders, bringing them face-to-face and giving us a taste of some close-ranged combat as well. It was a combination of long and close-range combat; a juxtaposition of bow and sword and, therefore, Quincy and Shinigami. Some of it took place on the surface of the Soul King’s Palace, and therefore, in the light, and some in the darkness, but at no point was there a decline in the immense visual quality of the fight.
A Thematic Treasure Trove
Bow and Sword, Light and Dark
Both sides received quite a shock at seeing their counterpart’s growth, with Ichigo learning very early on that Uryū is still a vicious fighter at close quarters, using very graceful movements to evade Ichigo’s attacks, which also contrasted the latter’s large, sweeping motions and high impact moves. Throughout the fight, glimpses of four-pointed stars encased in circles can be seen as part of the dazzling effects related to Uryū’s reishi arrows and Ichigo’s broad swipes with True Zangetsu, visually depicting the underlying theme of structural change that Yhwach wants to enact on the universe as a whole.
Throughout their history, the Quincies have been represented by shapes with three, four and now five points, with a new arm added for each new generation. A six pointed star reminiscent of an asterisk appears on the hooded cloaks worn by the Schutzstaffel, continuing this sense of additional arms on the Quincy’s emblem as a mark of progression. This symbol is known as the IX monogram, created through superimposing the Greek letters Iota and Chi (I and X).
Interestingly, Uryu Ishida doesn’t have one of these, but his arrows do before he makes use of his Quincy: Vollständig. The Quincies bear a lot of Christian/Abrahamic symbolism, and the invocation of Christ at this stage is related to the unresisting manner of the Soul King in his final moments, who bears a similar sacrificial lamb role as Jesus in Christian myth, but Yhwach is in this case technically the “son of God” while also being God because his name is based on the Tetragrammaton. The clashing of the four-pointed “star” and the five-pointed star directly correlate to Ichigo’s attempt to protect the Soul King (represented by four) from the Wandenreich.
The Reveal of Uryu’s New Might
We Finally Get to See Uryu’s Quincy: Vollständig
Perhaps the biggest reason why Ichigo vs Uryū is the best fight of the third cours of BLEACH: Thousand-Year Blood War is the reveal of Uryū Ishida’s version of the ultimate Quincy ability, the Vollständig. During the Soul Society arc, Uryū put his Quincy powers on the line by using the outdated Quincy: Letzt Stil, and went through a lot to regain these abilities. Despite his importance in the final arc of BLEACH, we unfortunately do not get the chance to see the full extent of his abilities in the manga. BLEACH: Thousand-Year Blood War Part 3, episode 4 gives us a first-ever look at Uryū’s Quincy: Vollständig, and it is an incredible moment that shows just how far he is willing to go to protect Yhwach, and how unreachable he is to his friends.
In an emotional battle between former comrades, Uryū’s use of his Vollständig shows his resolve and is reminiscent of the way he defeated 12th Squad Captain Mayuri Kurotsuchi all the way back in episode 43 of the original series. With brilliant, dynamic animation, insane fight choreography, immense plot significance and a never-before seen transformation of a character who has been around since the beginning, the Ichigo vs Uryū fight is definitely another triumph for the series.
BLEACH: Thousand-Year Blood War Part 3 is available on Hulu and Disney+.
