The pace has been frantic and the artwork of a consistently high standard, especially when you consider how detailed each cell of the One Piece manga has been as each cell seems crammed full of, not new weird and wonderful characters but also, some of the most important characters in the whole of the One Piece universe! If you’ve been following the manga, you’ll know what I mean.  

Cross Epoch (Fan Art)

In honour/respect of Oda taking a break, I thought I would do a quick review of one of his collaborative efforts with Akira Toriyama, on a one-shot/one-off manga called ‘Cross Epoch’.

Now who is Akira Toriyama? You may not recognise his name, but if I were to mention ‘Dragon Ball’, I would guess you would know exactly what I was talking about and Toriyama is the brain behind it all. Taking a look at his bibliography on Wikipedia, it’s clear that aside from Dragon Ball, there is very little else that he has done aside from a number of one-shot manga pieces.

Cross Epoch, is a fusion of both Oda and Toriyama best known works, namely, One Piece and Dragon Ball, respectively. It’s sees a cross over escapade involving all the main characters of each manga, teaming up to defeat a common foe, which happens to be none other than the complete nuisance, Buggy the Clown and Emperor Pilaf, who together form a gang called the “Pilappaggy Villains Union”.

The Whole Gang! (Fan Art)

You’ll find all the characters involved and in true anime/manga fashion they all have their perfect counterparts that would be their equivalent character in the other manga, as  each  One Piece character teams  up with a character from Dragon Ball.

As it is a one-shot manga there is not much that can be accomplished  in 20 pages, so the storyline in weak and a bit on the wacky side as so made little sense to me, but then again it could be said it’s not really about the storyline as it is more about having a bit of fun and seeing the characters in completely different context. Something particularly for the fans that would get a kick out of seeing these two very successful manga in their own right join together.

The drawing and artwork is very similar to One Piece in style and layout and the characters are all that you would expect from an Oda piece. I’m not exactly clear on how or what Toriyama contributed in terms of style aside from maybe assisting in the storyline.

Overall, if your a One Piece fan or a Dragon Ball fan (if they still exist), it’s worth a look but not much more. Enjoy it for what it is, a bit of light hearted fun by some seriously talented mangaka.

Have you read Cross Epoch? What were your thoughts? Tell us in the comments below.

A DrangonBall Z fan? Read our review of the anime TV series.

At the end of the previous chapter we saw Kensei step in to protect Mashiro against  Wonderweiss’ surprising strength that caught Mashiro a little off guard, leaving her severely injured.

Kensei Bankai (Fan Art)

This chapter is important because, as far as I can remember, this is the first time we have seen a Vizard Bankai. In case we were unsure whether they had a Bankai at all or if their Hollowfication was as far as their powers extended. While maybe not a complete surprise as many of the Vizard where originally Captains of the Gotei-13 many years ago, it should be expected that they would have a Bankai, albeit my original thoughts that it would be something a little different to the normal Bankai that we’ve seen so far.

Once Kensei goes Bankai he turns his full attention on dealing with the unruly Wonderweiss who, for his lack of respect, will be taught a lesson for getting “above himself” .

As Kensei and Wonderweiss collide headlong into battle with one another, we return to the eerie calm of Aizen facing the Gotei-13 and remaining Vizards who are well and truly riled up and ready to go.

Hiyori sees red! (Fan Art)

Shinji Hirako, appearing to be leading the collation of Captains and Vizard, warns everyone of Aizen’s abilities demanding caution.

It’s uncertain if he directed this at Hiyori Sarugaki or just to everyone around him, yet Hiyori responds indignantly with “I know!”, seemingly because she felt patronised by Shinji. Granted this is just Hiyori’s small-person complex speaking.

As Aizen begins taunting the group gathered before him, we see Shinji tell Hiyori to relax her grip on her katana. It appears as though the very voice of Aizen is enough for Hiyori to become extremely angry.

Aizen continues to taunt and bait the group in making the first move. The quote of the Chapter is from Aizen:

“Whether you approach with caution or without, or even if you do not approach me at all, the result will be the same. I do not speak of the future. Your demise is an already inescapable fact of the past.”

Aizen tries to show them the futility of their situation, suggesting that their fates have already been sealed before they have even moved. Recognising the blatant attempt by Aizen to provoke a reaction, Shinji once more warns the group to not react. To which Aizen responds.

“What are you afraid of? You already died that night a hundred years ago.”

Gin takes out Hiyori (Fan Art)

This is direct reference to when the Vizards, standing before him, became Hollowfied during the Pendulum arc which retells of the catastrophe by jumping a 100 years into the past while the Vizards were still Captains and Vice-Captains of the Gotei-13.

At hearing this, Hiyori, unable to restrain herself any longer, attacks Aizen, despite Shinji calling for her to stop. Just as she raises her blade, Hiyori is cut down by Gin Ichimaru, but not just cut – Hiyori is cut in two!

Gin, with his weird smile breathes out, “One down”  as Shinji shouts Hiyori’s name rushing to catch her.

What the heck just happened?! What did Gin do? His Zanpakutō, Shinsō, still in it’s Shikai form, seemed to stretch and split Hiyori in two with minimal effort.  Upon first reading these pages,  it wasn’t immediately clear that Hiyori had been cleanly cut in two/bifurcated by Gin, but it is clearer when we see Shinji holding just the top half of Hiyori’s body in the distance and at the same time we see her feet and the lower part of her body lying on the floor in the foreground.

Ichigo is coming! (Fan Art)

Shinji then calls out to Hacchi but then realises that after his fight with Barragan he is unable to assist in restoring Hiyori’s body as he still only has one hand. At that moment he remembers Ichigo and the others, in particular Orihime Inoue and her healing/time reversing ability that would undoubtedly be able to help save the dying Hiyori. Shinji then shouts towards the sky, calling Ichigo’s name.

Anyone notice how Shinji’s main contribution to this Chapter was just to shout people’s names? Let’s hope his contribution is greater in the next Chapter.

The chapter ends with our long absent hero, Ichigo flying through the sky with a look of urgency and determination upon his face, flying to save his comrades and flying towards Aizen.

What’s going to happen next? Is that the end of Hiyori Sarugaki? Will Inoue make it in time? What will Ichigo do when he arrives? So many questions. Drop your thoughts and feedback in the comments below.

We begin this chapter with Aizen in the process of executing Tia Harribel, the Espada Tres, who also happens to be the only remaining Espada.Was Aizen lashing out in a moment of madness last week? I would have said so had he not always been portrayed as a heartless and calculating individual that not only because his Zanpakutō, Kyōka Suigetsu, has some strange and powerful illusion abilities but that he is also a master manipulator of the highest caliber.

Mashiro vs Wonderweiss (Fan Art)

Aizen states that he would not have bothered recruiting the Espada had he known that he could defeat them on his own. At that moment Harribel strikes Aizen in a rage, appearing to pierce him from the unexpected attack, especially as she should be dead already! The result? The tip of a katana appears through Harribel shoulder and we discover that Harribel only struck the illusion of Aizen and he was now delivering the final blow.

Distracted by the events above, Mashiro Kuna on the ground is surprised by the odd character that is Wonderweiss Margera (Wandāwaisu Marujera), who until that time was face down on the ground after getting a good beating from Mashiro.

Wonderweiss is a strange character, to say the least.  He has appeared in subsequent arc, albeit most would have simply ignored him as his involvement was fairly short lived or minor. He seems to be quite young and easily distracted by a range of things. He also seems to hold a significant amount of power but the fullest extent of which is still yet to be seen. He seems to be Aizen’s wild card or even the Ace up his sleeve, but we still don’t know what’s going to happen to him or what he is capable of. It’s clear that he must at the very least, be on par in strength to some of the top end Espada. Could he be stronger than the Primera Espada, Starrk?

As Wonderweiss attacks Mashiro, she spots it and delivers a bone crushing kick to the face sending him flying.  Kensei Muguruma comes running in warning Mashiro that she’s been her Hollowfied form for too long to which Mashiro decents that Kensei doesn’t know how long she can keep her mask on for.

Kensei vs Wonderweiss (Fan Art)

Then just like a boomerang, Wonderweiss comes straight back at Mashiro, trying to catch her off guard. She catches him by the head and smashing him into the ground. This is where we see a glimpse of Wonderweiss’ ability as he springs upward grabbing Mashiro’s scarf and flings her through the air. Indignant at the damage of her scarf, Mashiro attacks again with a Cero only to be canceled out by Wonderweiss doing one of his own.

At that exact moment Mashiro’s mask shatters, loosing her Hollowfied state and along with it the strength that she had, Wonderweiss, as dumb as he may appear, spots the opportunity and punches Mashiro straight in the face sending her flying back into the air. Just as Wonderweiss is about to deliver the final blow to Mashiro, Kensei steps in, catching his fist.

Kensei intervenes, just in time and warning Wonderweiss that he’s “… not the sort of adult who goes easy on kids!”. Yikes!

Wonderweiss may be about to a serious timeout from Kensei! I cannot wait to see what brand of discipline Kensei prefers for unruly kids.

So what do you think is going to happen next? Will Kensei teach Wonderweiss some manners in the next chapter? Leave some thoughts or comments below and tell us what you think.

This chapter opens with additional background to Starrk’s origins and how he ended up with Sōsuke Aizen. We see Aizen stumbles upon Starrk surrounded by a mountains of the remains of hollow, that we can only assume Starrk defeated which Aizen ask’s if he indeed killed them, to which Starrk replies something to the effect of, “No, they just died”. An interesting reply, which helps to further skew the picture we all have of Starrk as increasingly we find him to be troubled, disturbed and so very lonely. I for one have mixed emotions about him,  should I sympathise with him? But I can’t he’s a bad guy, right? Or maybe it’s not supposed to be so clear cut.

Kyouraku Shunsui (Fan Art)

Aizen quickly recognises Starrks strength and attempts to recruit him and Starrk agrees, stating that he, Aizen and the rest of their team also seem to be strong enough to not die by just being in proximity to him (Starrk). Again, an odd response but one that leaves us to make the assumption that he was such a powerful individual that the other hollow could not survive around him which is why is always remained alone.

The chapter then cut’s back to Starrk falling from the sky, after being killed by Shunsui Kyōraku. Seemingly in his final breathe, his final thoughts are thoughts of thanks and failure. Thanks for Aizen for providing him with company that were just as strong as he was which meant he was no longer alone in the world, and also failure, in that he could not repay the debt he felt he owed Aizen.

With this fight over. The Primera Espada has fallen. Some might say he went to soon but it has to be said, his opponent, Shunsui Kyōraku, was a Captain of the Gotei-13 and is also quite possibly the strongest Captain in the Gotei-13 apart from the General, so in some senses it had to end sooner rather than later.

Love Aikawa then complains that Kyōraku interfered in his fight, stating Kyōraku has no style, to which Kyōraku responds:

“Only underlings get caught up in matters of style and lose the battle. A Captain can’t afford such indulgences.”

“[Said to Aikawa] Don’t try to be a good kid. Whether you owe someone or they owe you, the moment you start a fight, your in the wrong either way.”

Wow! What a few line those are! So Kyōraku does have a serious side to him. Instantly we should see that this Captain is deeper than anyone can perceive and his bright and colourful exterior belies his ability to be serious when the situation calls for it. He also hints at the fact that really there are no winner in a fight, no party can leave a fight feeling as if they have done good, because no good can come from another death. In a way I feel this almost in a way is said to honour the defeat of Starrk at his hands. I find myself just liking Kyōraku as a character more and more.

Harribel (Fan Art)

Before we have time to enjoy any more of Kyōraku coolness we switch again back to the fight underway against Tia Harribel (Tia Hariberu), the Espada Tres and Lisa Yadōmaru (Yadōmaru Risa) which has been going on, seemingly all the while the Starrk fight has been going on.

The fight is in full flow and just as Lisa releases her Zanpakutō’,  Haguro Tonbo, Hiyori Sarugaki joins in the fray with her Zanpakutō, Kubikiri Orochi, in Shikai form too. Completing the triple-team attack is Toshiro Hitsugaya.

Watching all this going on from a lofty height is Aizen, still removed from the actual fighting and instead just floating in the air watching everything take place. Only now, he decidedes to intervene.

Aizen ends Harribel (Fan Art)

As Aizen calls a halt to the fight between Gin Ichimaru and Shinji Hirako, he appears behind Harribel and immediate executes her in one single motion, slicing her almost in half.

Harribel in shock attempts to ask with her dying breathe, why? To which Aizen responds that he is “done” with her and she is not strong enough to fight for him. Just like that, he kills a comrade, but by his explanation of his actions we can only presume he saw the Espada more has pawns than comrades, fully dispensable when or if they could not perform as he expected them to perform.

The end is quite abrupt and very surprising if not a little expected at the same time, because we do know that Aizen is a cold hearted killer. Afterall he fooled everyone of the Gotei-13 into believing he was their friend and comrade only for him to betray them at the beginning of the arc.

So what now Aizen? You have finished off all your Espada. What remains for you now? What will you next plan be? I think we can rest assured there will be plenty more betrayal and back stabbing from Aizen before the conclusion of this arc.

What did you guys think of this chapter? How would you have rated it out of 10? What do you think will be Aizen’s next move? Drop your thoughts in the comments below.

Good times!

So the chapter starts off with the mighty Raikage and little Uchiha picking up where they left off, after it seems Raikage kills Jugo, at least in this manga people die!

Sasuke vs Raikage Fan Art

So Sasuke hits the big angry black shinobi with a Chidori and it doesn’t seem to leave much of an impression, as the Raikage goes on to body slam/suplex him in some good old fashioned WWF-esque way, possibly rivaling the green-clad Bruce Lee look alikes for best Taijutsu move.

Sasuke somehow survives, then it goes a bit weird – he gets some sort of ribcage-like cocoon around him and releases his Mangekyo Sharingan. Our little Uchiha appears to have been practicing his Amaterasu as he makes a little shield out of the black flames, making him untoucable – or so he thinks – till the Raikage bashes his face in, and pretty much gives up on either his left arm/his whole body.

Sasuke's Amaterasu

So he will either go all out and do some sort of super Hadouken or some sort of lightening punch/knee combo and hope for a double K.O, or he will rip his arm off and call it quits. Its Naruto anyway, he’ll probably get an arm donor and it’ll be stitched on in no time.

And Madara appears to be goading the Konohan’s into what he reckons is an inevitable fight with Sasuke, continuing from his revelation about the eternal struggle between heart and might. A bit Matrix-esque – starring Madara as the architect and Uzumaki-san as Mr Anderson, I guess that makes Sasuke an agent… and Sakura/Hinata trinity? I digress. When it dawns on Neo that he is not the first ‘One’ and the fight he was fated to have is not the first, and was not intended to be the last.

Maybe Konohamaru will get a go as well!

Not sure what Madara stands to gain, he is a bit difficult to gain. He seems immortal, and in fine health – maybe he just likes the entertainment.

OK Predictions – in chapter 589 [or whenever this ends ] either Sasuke or Naruto will have died, and I think Shikamaru might have a cunning hand in it.

Also it appears that apart from Sasuke, only the girl from Hebi looks like she’ll make it through the meeting of the 5 Kages. Bring on 464!

Mangekyou Sharingan Fan Art

So what do you guys think will happen? Do you agree that it will end with either Naruto or Sasuke dying? Speak your minds below:

The way Bleach works is that it only slowly (in some cases very slowly!) reveals secrets; and thats secrets about people, about their abilities and about their pasts. One character in particular I continue to look forward to learning more about are the more illusive Captains of the Gotei-13 of which the anime viewers and manga reader know very little.

Shunsui and Ukitake Fan Art

For me, at the top of this list is Shunsui Kyōraku. He  along with Jūshirō Ukitake are said to be the oldest captains amongst the Gotei-13, with the exception of Retsu Unohana and General Yamamoto of course. Assumptions have been made which suggest they have been Captains of the Gotei 13 for at least 200 years based on a 110 years ago before the current era in which the Bleach universe/story takes place.

Kyoraku, with his flamboyant style and care-free demeanor make him standout amongst the Captains of the Gotei-13. His laid back attitude suggests he has nothing to prove — especially if he’s been doing this for over 200 years! So he must be good! And as I’ve mentioned before, he has an almost uncanny resemblance to Kibagami Jubei from Ninja Scroll, but that could be due to the straw hat and long hair.

Anyways, on to the episode!

Starrk Fan Art

We pick up this chapter with the ongoing fight between Love Aikawa and Rōjūrō Otoribashi and the Primera Espada, Coyote Starrk (Koyōte Sutāku) being brought to an abrupt albeit temporary cessation in fighting when Starrk has the point of a massive sword poking through his chest.

After the shock of the surprise attack we learn the interruption has been caused by none other than Shunsui Kyōraku who has decided to join the fray as a result of, as we learn a few cells later, that his Zanpakutō, Katen Kyōkotsu  Flower Heaven, Crazy Bone) was now in the mood to ‘play’. It’s interesting that Kyōraku uses the word play to describe his Zanpakutō’s willingness to fight as being in the mood to ‘play’ which not only suggests his Zanpakutō has some sort of personality and conscientiousness but also that it’s quite a sinister one at that.

It is particularly sinister because  Kyōraku’s Zanpakutō attacks are based on childrens games and it works by adding quite harsh penalties to both the wielder and the victim if they loose. For example, the first attack which Kyōraku makes on Starrk is a game called Kageoni (Shadow Demon) and the rules are basically whoever steps on a Shadow loses.

With Kyōraku’s Zanpakutō, Katen Kyōkotsu, the rules are quite simple. If you win, you live. If you lose, you die.

Katen Kyokotsu Fan Art

As a side note, I have struggled to work out who is in control in this Soul Reaper-Zanpakutō relationship of  Kyōraku and Kyōkotsu, because at times it is almost suggested by Kyōraku that he is being controlled by the will of his Zanpakutō, Kyōkotsu. It definitely brings an interesting element to mix.

Taken aback, Starrk regroups ready to attack but Kyōraku (or is it Kyōkotsu)  begins another game, Irooni ( Colorful Demon). This one, as the romanized name suggests, is a colour-based game where you say the name of the color you want to cut and you cannot cut anything else. If, however, the colour you called does not exist on your body then the damage is minimal, even if normally the attack would inflict a much more severe wound. This is evident by Starrk’s surprised by how slight the damage was on his arm despite it appearing as though Kyōraku attacked with all his might, which would have otherwise been enough to sheer Starrk’s arm clean off.

To maximize damage when playing Irooni, you have to choose  a colour that maximizes the risks to yourself as well. So by selecting a colour that you are wearing the most of, you inflict greater damage provided that person has that colour on them as well. Therefore you attacks are weighted. The greater the risk to the attacker, the greater the attack.

Kyouraku Shunsui Fan Art

Starrk quickly analyses the situation, making the connection between the game and the last call, working out that his arm is clad in grey but Kyōraku has no grey on himself. Quite soon after, Starrk retaliates, calling ‘White’. An excellent choice against a Captain of the Gotei-13 who wear the all-white Haori.

The Chapter here switches to a brief backstory for Starrk (a signal the end is near for him possibly?) and we learn that the reason he has become two is out of a loneliness. There could be some link here to the back story we had a while back for Grimmjow where we learned more about the process Hollow take to become Espada. Essentially the Hollow grow in strength buy eating other weaker Hollow and as they grow stronger they become lone wolves, constantly consuming any weaker Hollow that crosses their path.

Here, we see Starrk’s cries for a companion result in him splitting himself, just so that he would have company. This whole back story helps attribute a greater level of humanity to Starrk. It makes the reader want to sympathise with his plight. He doesn’t want to fight but his fighting is necessitated by the fact he wants to save his friends as we saw in the previous Chapter.

But, before we can get too deep into  Starrk’s past, Kyōraku makes his next move. Kyōraku throws his Haori off toward Starrk, revealing the standard all-black Kimono that all Soul Reapers wear as he prepares for his next ‘Irooni’ attack — calling “Black!”.

Shunsui pwns at Irooni

And there it ends for Starrk, or does it?. What is going to happen from here? Can Starrk really survive such an attack? What other games do you think Kyōraku’s Zanpakutō will come up with next? Tell us what you think below:

The Formidable Foes

This chapter is no exception to that rule.

During this flashback we learn where Barragan came from and how exactly he came to be under the rule of Sōsuke Aizen. One of the things I think is executed brilliantly is the absolute power Aizen commands and the amazing gentility in which he commands it. He appears so polite, so friendly and at the same time his power is quite ferocious and devastating.

Throughout the chapter we get glimpses of the raw power of not just Aizen, but also Gin Ichimaru and Kaname Tōsen. It’s almost as though this chapter serves two purposes. While we learn more about Barragan we also see that Aizen, Ichimaru and Tosen are formidable foes and they are strong enough even to bring the king/god of the Hueco Mondo under their authority.

There is not much else to this chapter. There are some poignant words spoken, particularly by Hachigen, who explains that even though Barragan appeared powerful, he had the same weakness and fears as anyone else, despite the fact he continually maintained that he was a god.

Beyond such sentiments it feels more a case of 1 down 2 to go, as now just the Primera Espada and Tercera Espada stand in the way of the Gotei-13 and a showdown with Aizen, Ichimaru and Tosen.

Bleach Fan Art

How exactly they will take down the Primera, Starrk remains to be seen, especially as he has already proven to be more than a handful for potentially the most powerful Captain (with the exception of the General) of the Gotei-13, Shunsui Kyōraku – who looks uncannily like Jubei Kibagami from Ninja Scrolls. Anyone else noticed this?

Well I think it’s safe to say we are all looking forward to the next showdown with ever increasing impatience, especially since the Bleach anime is running filler at the moment. All I can say is, I cannot wait till this section of the story reaches the anime. To see how the manga is interpreted into motion is always a delight to behold.

Till then, drop some feedback below on how you think this arc is progressing. Who do you think will be the one to take down the Primera?

Hawk/Taka formally known as Hebi

What is their purpose there? Well their new mission is plain and simple, the complete destruction of Konoha as vengeance for the Uchicha genocide, as Sasuke believes they were the ones who gave the order.

Upon arriving at the summit, they waste little time getting noticed. Although everyone in the summit was tipped off by the Akatsuki member, Zetsu who appears right in the middle of the summit between all five Kages. After hearing that Sasuke was nearby, the Raikage is the leader of Kumogakure immediately heads out to stop him at all costs.

Raikage Fan Art

Chapter 461 opens with this fight and we see that this won’t be an easy fight for Hawk, as the Raikage and his team are skillful enough to hold their own. Not to mention the Raikage, being the younger brother of Killer Bee, the jinchūriki of the Eight-Tailed beast, is quite strong – strong enough to battle without a weapon and utilises his brute strength to even snap Suigetsu’s sword in half.

Meanwhile back at the summit, amongst all the commotion going on outside, the conspiracy continues as Danzo is revealed to be controlling another Kage with his Sharingan which was an eye transplanted from the body of Shisui Uchiha. As the other Kages seemingly continue the infighting between each other in deciding whether or not to have a single overall leader for all the hidden villages and then who exactly that should be, as they attempt to band together to destroy Akatsuki.

Here, Gaara, steps forward with wisdom that belies his years and challenges the other Kages by asking them how and when they lost themselves. It seems like he remains the only honourable person amongst all these leaders with their own hidden agendas. Will he join them and lead them forward?

The conclusion of this chapter is when we see Jugo enter his ultimate transformation that essentially turns him into a crazed killing machine. We are then left to wait to discover whether or not the Raikage and his team have the ability to stop Jugo in his blood thirsty mode and what exactly will happen if Hawk, lead by Sasuke break this first line of defence.

Let me know what you thought of this chapter below. Things are really picking up. Who will be facing Hawk next and who will lead the hidden villages against Sasuke and Akatsuki?