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The following contains spoilers for Episode 4 of Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War "Kill the Shadow," now streaming on Hulu & Disney+.On October 31st, 2022 at 11:30 am EST, Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War streamed the fourth episode of the series, Kill the Shadow. Starting exactly where the previous episode ended, Kill the Shadow focuses on the one-to-one battles between Wandenreich's Sternritters and Gotei 13's Soul Reapers. Some of the show's fan favorites return to the screen such as Captain Byakuya Kuchiki and Captain Tōshirō Hitsugaya. Some fresh faces also appear on the screen such as Sternritter B, the blonde-haired Sternritter, and Sternritter F, the black-haired Sternritter.
At the end of the previous episode, March of the Starcross, the Sternritters started their attack on Soul Society igniting sixteen pillars of blue Reishi flames all throughout the thirteen districts. During the first few minutes of this episode, there is a playback sequence of all the events that have happened so far from episode one to episode three in the series. From Ebern's failed attempt to steal Ichigo's Bankai to Sternritter J's complete dominance over Hueco Mundo, the audience is reminded of not only the major plot points but also the unsolved mysteries in the Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War series so far.
Who Are the Sternritters?
Briefly shown in the previous three episodes, the Sternritters are revealed to be the elite fighting force of the Wandenreich under Yhwach's direct command. Several of the members are officially introduced with name cards in this episode including Sternritter B, Sternritter F, Sternritter E, and Sternritter U.
Sternritter B appears to be the commander of the Sternritters given his late introduction and final appearance in the previous episode. However, there has been no official confirmation in the anime yet. Sternritter F appears to be the silent-but-lethal member of the group using his abilities to torture his targets even after their deaths, as noted by one of the surviving squad members. Sternritter E is quoted to look like a harmless, young girl by one of the Gotei 13's Squad Captains; in reality, she is an experienced fighter and has a sharp tongue. Sternritter U appears to be someone who has no qualms criticizing his comrades as seen when he complains about Sternritter B leaving survivors.
Having titles associated with the letters in the alphabet, the audience can assume that, in the upcoming episodes, he or she will be introduced to many more Sternritters who have a title aligning with that system. Even among the members shown in the previous episode and this episode, it is certain that there will be at least a few more members directly involved in the attack on Soul Society.
What Do the Sternritters Want?
Sternritter B and several other members of the Sternritters mention that their primary purpose is to purge all Soul Reapers in Soul Society. Similar to the genocide of The Quincies a thousand years ago, the Sternritters are most likely attacking Soul Society with that same mission in mind.
That doesn't appear to be all they want, however, as the mysterious medallion that they use to seal a Soul Reaper's Bankai and the implied connection to Uryū Ishida seem to further complicate the matter. Uryū Ishida, as seen in the previous episode, discovered information regarding The Quincies in his late grandfather's notebook, so there is a chance more shocking revelations will appear in the series.
What Are the Abilities of the Sternritters?
Kisuke Urahara, Ichigo's mentor, discovers three abilities of the Sternritters that he wants Ichigo to take note of. First, the Sternritters can activate their final form, Vollständig, which absorbs all the Reishi in the surrounding area including the terrain of Hueco Mundo and spiritual abilities such as Inoue Orihime's Santen Kesshun and Chad's Fullbring.
Second, the Sternritters can infuse Reishi into their veins through an ability called Blut. Third, the Sternritters can plunder a Soul Reaper's Bankai. An additional note that Urahara makes is that Sternritters can't use Vollständig and Blut simultaneously for whatever reason. This should give Ichigo a good idea of how to defeat them later in the series.
What Is the Medallion?
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Hinted in the first episode of the season, the Medallion is an object that is thought to seal away a Soul Reaper's Bankai. Prior to his death, Lieutenant Sasakibe details the initial attack on Soul Society and tells the Head Captain of Soul Society, Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto, that his Bankai had been sealed away during the fight against the Sternritters. This episode, however, turns this theory on its head with the revelation that the Medallion's ability is not to seal a Soul Reaper's Bankai, but rather it is used to steal it from them.
During this episode, Squad Captains 2, 6, 7, and 10 are reported to have their Bankai stolen by the Sternritters. This comes as a heavy blow to the Soul Reapers, as the Sternritters are so powerful that they have to use their Bankai in order to make the battle a fair fight but are limited by this device. As each Sternritter has a Medallion of his or her own, the Squad Captains of the Gotei 13 are at a clear disadvantage and have no apparent way to defeat them.
A small detail that should be highlighted, however, is the conversation between Ichigo and Sternritter J during their drawn-out fight towards the end of the episode. Ichigo continues to ask Sternritter J questions about the reason that they want to seal his Bankai. While a lot of his questions are left unanswered, one of them produces quite a violent response. When he asks if the Sternritters are afraid of a Soul Reaper's Bankai, Sternritter J explodes in anger giving Urahara a chance to deal a fatal blow to him. As Bankai are unique to Soul Reapers, it is interesting to see how far The Quincies would go in order to steal the ability away from them.
Why Can't Ichigo's Bankai Be Stolen?
While the first thing that may come to mind for the audience is the convenience of the main character's plot armor, there might be a more fundamental reason, but that information won't be revealed until the future.
As stated by Urahara's analysis, Ichigo is the only Soul Reaper who is unaffected by the Medallion's Bankai-plundering ability. While this immunity provides Ichigo with a reason to return to Soul Society, it also creates more mysteries that are left unsolved by the end of the episode. Avid watchers of the series will have to wait a bit longer before they find out if Ichigo's immunity is caused by chance or tied to something else.
What Will Happen in the Next Episode?
Right before the credits roll, Sternritter J manages to move using a Quincy technique termed Ransōtengai. He then attacks Chad, Inoue, and Urahara with a Quincy arrow that carves out a chunk of their flesh upon impact. Ichigo is trapped in a prison of sorts, and the path to Soul Society is stitched shut. The fate of Soul Society and Hueco Mundo looks grim as the episode ends on a cliffhanger.
Like in the previous three episodes, the visuals revealed after the end of the credits tease the fifth episode of the Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War anime series in the form of a poem and a title card. According to Hulu's translation, the poem reads, "The vow rests in the shade of the willow. Even as the lightning fades." This poem is then followed by the fifth episode's title reveal, Wrath as a Lightning. The audience should expect to see the next episode of the anime series air on November 7, 2022, at 11:30 am EST so long as it stays on schedule.