The following contains spoilers for Episode 5 of Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War "Wrath as a Lightning," now streaming on Hulu & Disney+.On November 7th, 2022 at 11:30 am EDT, Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War streamed the fifth episode of the series, Wrath as a Lightning. The war continues to rage on with the Sternritters easily annihilating the Squad Captains and Lieutenants of the Soul Reapers. Without their Bankai, the Soul Reapers remain at a disadvantage.
As a quick recap, episode 4 of Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War ends with Sternritter J's unexpected attack on Urahara, Inoue, and Chad, where the audience is left in the dark about whether these three will die or not. Due to Sternritter J's mysterious ability, Ichigo Kurosaki is trapped in an inescapable prison in the Garganta.
The Last Resort
The episode starts out inside the Shinigami Research and Development Institute. An announcement is made to all Soul Society members stating that Ichigo is on the way to Soul Society to help fight against the Sternritters. All the Squad Members are told that Ichigo is the only one whose Bankai can't be stolen. The current vice president, Akon, continues to track Ichigo's Spiritual Pressure but loses the signal in the Garganta. He sends members of the department to wait at the gate between Hueco Mundo and Soul Society, but Ichigo doesn't arrive.
Almost immediately after the announcement ends, Jidanbō Ikkanzaka, the gatekeeper of the White Road Gate attacks the SRDI. Behind him in the shot is one of the Sternritters, whose clearly controlling him. Although not shown on screen, it is suspected that Jidanbō slaughtered several of his own comrades in the SRDI. Their dying screams and voices echo through the Soul Phone that connects Akon to Ichigo throughout this horrifying scene.
The Defeat of Sternritter J
Continuing where the last episode left off, Sternritter J is set on a course to exterminate Urahara, Inoue, and Chad. Before he can unleash the fatal strike, Sternritter J is defeated by a mysterious figure. While this figure is not shown, Urahara seems to recognize them.
Based on his expression, the figure doesn't seem to be an ally or a foe to either the Soul Reapers or the Sternritters. As Sternritter J's body was split into two sections, it is safe to assume that he won't be reviving any time soon even with his overpowered ability, Ransōtengai.
The Defeat of Captain Byakuya
In a shocking turn of events, Captain Byakuya is severely overpowered. Even after uncovering the truth behind Sternritter F's ability, he can't win the fight. As the arrows strike him, he exhibits a clear change in attitude. With his Bankai stolen and his chances of winning slim to none, fear takes control. The arrows themselves trigger the instinctual fears of their target upon contact. Sternritter F shows just how sadistic he is as the fight continues.
Using the Medallion, Sternritter F unleashes Captain Byakuya's Bankai, Senbonzakura, against him. After a minute or so of nonstop attacks, Captain Byakuya and Renji collapse and are in critical condition. Rukia as well is shown being struck down by one of the female members of the Sternritters. What is scariest about this scene is the dark imagery shown: Rukia's face starts melting off revealing muscle and bone, and Captain Byakuya's body starts being infested with thousands of flies.
A Gleam of Hope
Ichigo Kurosaki, the main character of the series, is trapped for the entire episode in Quilge Opie's ability, The Jail, which is a Reishi construct that traps its target in an undetectable zone. Ichigo unleashes his Bankai, Getsuga Tenshō, without any luck to escape. Later in the episode, however, there seems to be a glimpse of hope. After sensing the defeat of Captain Byakuya, Renji, and Rukia, his body releases streams of green light. The audience will have to, unfortunately, wait until future episodes to find out what this ability is and if it can help him escape.
The Defeat of Three Sternritters
Unlike the other Squad Captains of the Gotei 13, Kenpachi Zaraki is abnormally strong. In the time that it took for the other Squad Captains to fight one Sternritter, Kenpachi killed three of them. Bringing their dead bodies to Sternritter B and Yhwach, he announces that he's only interested in fighting the King of the Quincies himself. In a series of flashbacks, each of the three Sternritters is briefly shown being outmatched by Kenpachi with a single strike.
The Defeat of Sternritter O
Sternritter O, The Overkill, is the Sternritter responsible for slaughtering Lieutenant Sasakibe in an earlier episode. He's shown to be prideful and arrogant revealing his special ability without a care in the world. Apparently, with every person that he kills, he grows stronger and stronger. Having killed 100 Soul Reapers during the first attack and killing an additional 100 Soul Reapers in this attack, he's actively gloating about his strength.
Right before he kills another Squad Member, Head Captain Yamamoto arrives on the scene. Since Sternritter O was the person responsible for Lieutenant Sasakibe's death, he has full control over his Bankai, Kōkō Gonryō Rikyū. Unleashing the Bankai on Head Captain Yamamato, Sternritter O believes he has won. For future reference, Sternritter O's Bankai releases a swarm of purple lightning strikes. Head Captain Yamamoto easily survives the attack and burns Sternritter O to a burnt crisp using his fire-based abilities.
The Meaning Behind the Name
In the middle of the episode, a flashback sequence reveals the history between Head Captain Yamamoto and Lieutenant Sasakibe. In his youth, Lieutenant Sasakibe sought out Head Captain Yamamoto in order to become his right-hand man. Not wanting to copy him, Lieutenant Sasakibe refuses to study under him as a student. Taking Head Captain Yamamoto's words to heart, however, he trains and unlocks his Bankai, Kōkō Gonryō Rikyū.
During a one-to-one sparring match between them, Lieutenant Sasakibe unleashes his Bankai, Kōkō Gonryō Rikyū, and leaves a permanent scar on Head Captain Yamamoto's forehead. In a strange series of events, Head Captain Yamamoto's nickname starts as Eijisai and then becomes Jujisai after receiving the scar. Due to Lieutenant Sasakibe's stubbornness, however, Head Captain Yamamoto creates the name Genryūsai in his honor.
The Defeat of Kenpachi Zaraki
Although labeled as one of the Special Threats in the Wandenreich's Daten, Kenpachi is no match for the all-powerful Yhwach. Unlike his successes in defeating the other Sternritters, Yhwach comes close to killing him. It is only due to Head Captain Yamamoto's appearance in the area that delays his death. What this tells the audience is that even one of the strongest Soul Reapers isn't enough to defeat the King of the Quincies. Whether it is Head Captain Yamamoto or Yhwach, the audience will have to wait and see who survives as the victor.
The Art of Anger
A significant detail that is mentioned by several Squad Captains and Lieutenants is Head Captain Yamamoto's anger. Not only does his Spiritual Pressure lift the spirits of all Soul Reapers in Soul Society, but it also reveals part of his personality. As mentioned by one of the Soul Reapers, even when he fought on the frontline, it didn't evoke this much emotion. These scenes are as scary as they are exciting, as the battle between Yhwach and Head Captain Yamamoto is heavily alluded to and will reach its climax in the episodes to come.
At the end of the episode, the poem that appears on the screen is, "The heart burns. Even though the rain falls." Along with this poem comes the next episode's title, The Fire, which is set to air on November 14th, 2022 at 11:30 am EDT. Faithful fans of the Bleach: Thousand-Year War series will have to wait at the edge of their seat to see the epic fight in the next episode.