Bleach Thousand Year Blood War episode 18 review
The first half of this episode was an absolute snoozefest. That’s because it was all about the Captains of Squad 3 and Squad 9. Those numbers should ring a bell, as those are two of the three whose Captains betrayed the Soul Society. So, they got replaced – but not by their Lieutenants, which would have been really cool. No, they got replaced by some of the characters that appeared late in the original anime. They’re all men, and they have mostly no personality, with the exception of Squad 3 Captain, who at least shows some sort of difference between himself and Squad 9 Captain.
So, those guys fight and get beaten. But who shows up? RenRuki! That’s right, my third-favorite couple in Bleach (behind IchiHime and YoruHara) are here to join the fray. Rukia, of course, is reduced to simply picking up the two defeated Captains and trying to get them to safety. Renji, on the other hand, is in a battle… and actually wins! He defeats James, the boxing Stern Ritter. (Or is it Sternritter?) In any case, Renji learned the name of his Bankai from the guy who came up with all the names for the Soul Society, and now he’s able to fully use his Bankai. He beats James and beats him good. A lot more satisfying than if Squad 3 or 9 Captains had beaten him. (By the way, if you’re going to kill off Captains, kill off those guys. No one really cares about them anyway.)
Best girl of the episode: Rukia (2)
Episode rating: 7/10
Tommy A. Phillips 