Bleach 612: Dirty

Zach Goodier

http://readms.com/r/bleach/612/2664/1

Juha Bach stand before the Soul King, claiming that he suffered humiliation because of his father. Ichigo and his friends are on the way, determined to stop him.  However, Ichibei stands idle, silently claiming that Juha Bach is now completely unstoppable.  Does Ichigo have what it takes to end this threat once and for all?

Back in Soul Society, Kisuke Urahara is gathering the captains of the Soul Society in order to attempt to break into the the Soul King's palace.  However, with half of the captains wounded or missing, will his plan still be able to work? The other is that even with the collective power, they lack the means, at least until Urahara explains that the Heavenly Armor owned by the Shihoin clan can be used to get in.  Does that mean this is another key, or does the armor have some other means of getting them into the palace?

After the long wait, this felt like another filler chapter, which is disappointing.  It's not that Kubo wasted time, but aside from Kisuke's plan, which doesn't seem all that great, there really wasn't anything new or noteworthy that wasn't already covered in the last chapters.  I just thought that after such a long wait things might move forward a little more quickly, but it looks like we'll have to remain patient until everything is ready.  The Captains might be needed to help with Juha Bach's personal guard, but I'm not sure if any of them will be able to put up any sort of fight against the king himself, but since it's Urahara's plan then it will probably work out, somehow.

Bleach 610: Mausoleum of Skulls

Zach Goodier

http://www.mangapanda.com/bleach/610

Juha Bach's true power has awoken, and now Ichibei stands before "The Almighty."  However, Ichibei isn't done yet, and he has a final technique to prove it.  However, will his power have any effect on the seemingly untouchable Juha Bach and all seeing "eyes?"  And moreover, will Ichigo arrive in time to help in this increasingly hopeless battle against a demi-god?

Ichibei had a good run, but I think his number's come up.  He seems to have exhausted all his options, and he's been put against the ropes, with no way out.  If nothing else, he has managed to draw out Juha Bach's powers, so hopefully everyone else might have the chance to find out if there are any limitations to it, and possibly give our heroes an advantage in the future battles.  However, it is more than likely that Ichigo will just have to power through it, like he so often does, although I am not sure how at this point.

Bleach 609: A

Zach Goodier

http://www.mangapanda.com/bleach/609

Ichibei seems have Juha Bach right where he wants him, as he covers him in ink, erasing his name and his powers.  He unleashes his bankai to put an end to the battle, using his bankai's power to rename the King of the Quincy "Black Ant," making him only have the powers of an ant.  He then proceeds to smash Juha Bach through the floor, sending him flying downward, before crushing him.  Could this really be the end of the King of the Quincy?  Well, or course not.  Juha Bach unleashes his true power, revealing their significance of the letter "A," which represents "The Almighty."  He instantly undoes all the changes made my Ichibei's ink, and strikes what appears to be a mortal blow to the leader of the Soul Reapers.  It looks like events are fully turned against Squad 0, and now we have to hope Ichigo and friends can arrive soon, before events get even more out of control.

We all knew this was coming, that Ichibei couldn't possibly win against Juha Bach, because that just wouldn't allow Ichigo to have his epic final fight. Still, having seen a preview at what Juha Bach's powers are really like does put a bit of perspective on things, making me realize that Ichigo is still very much an underdog in this fight.  But still, neither he nor Juha Bach have fully released their powers yet.

Bleach 608

Zach Goodier

http://www.mangapanda.com/bleach/608

Ichibei's zanpakuto is revealed, but is it a brush, or a blade?  Juha Bach struggles to figure out what the true nature of his opponent's weapon is as he rushes forward, eager to fight.  Meanwhile, throughout the world of the living, as well as the Seretei, everything black seems to be in the process of being somehow drained of its' dark color.  Back in the palace, Ichibei's swings send black ink splattering all over the field, including onto Juha Bach's own sword.  However, we have already seen that Ichimonji's earlier powers have little effect on curbing Juha Bach's strength, so will this change anything?

The action is still in high gear, and while the chapter itself seems fairly short, it does pack a punch with some decent action, plus we get to see what Ichibei's true powers are.  At this point, I don't think he'll win, because that's for Ichigo to do, but this has been a high-octane fight that has at least stalled the Quincy to allow Ichigo and company to cover a lot of ground to come help.  Still, anything could happen at this point, I just don't think that Juha Bach is anywhere close to being against the ropes, but Ichibei looks like he's only just warming up, as well.

Bleach 607: The Master

Zach Goodier

http://www.mangapanda.com/bleach/607

The battle at the Soul Palace continues, and Ichibei has started to step up his attack, while Juha Bach starts to show some new abilities he has in his arsenal.  However, no matter what Juha Bach throws at Ichibei, "The Eccentric Monk" seems to be able to overpower or shrug off everything thrown at him.  He tells Juha Bach that he should "learn his place" as a "human," and that his attempt to cut Juha Bach's power in half was an attempt to help him "save face" with the Quincy for being defeated.  Then, Ichibei pulls the brush off his zanpakuto in the final panel, calling out its' name: Ichimonji.  His zanpakuto appears to be naginata-style spear, with the only visual change being the brush has been replaced with a blade.  It's abilities are, as of yet, unknown.