The Thousand-Year Blood War arc begins with a bang. Compared to the previous story arcs, this one is definitely the most shocking and thrilling. After all, what better way to shock your audience than by letting them witness one of the most surprising and deadliest invasions in the history of anime.
There are a lot of interesting things happening at this early stage of the Thousand-Year Blood War arc. Some of you may like how everything unfolds, while some of you may find it distasteful and unbelievable. What we can all agree on, however, is the fact that for all intent and purposes, the Quincy invasion of Soul Society is very successful. But why though? Well, here are a couple of reasons why they managed to accomplish such a feat.
Thorough Information On The Enemy
It is actually not the first time a big war happened between shinigami from the Soul Society and Quincy from the Wandenreich. They have clashed with each other around 1000 years before the current storyline. At the time, the shinigami under the leadership of Genryuusai Yamamoto managed to utterly defeat Yhwach and his Quincy. There were so many deaths on Quincy's side that they decided to retreat and hide in order to prevent further losses.
This first war was not only a huge blow to Yhwach and his ambition, but the number of Quincy was also significantly reduced after this. But despite being on the losing side, Yhwach learned an incredible lesson after that bloodbath. Accurate and thorough information is the key to win the next war.
So he bides his time as he waits for his soldiers to recuperate and grow in size, while at the same time, he also keeps collecting information on the state of Soul Society, and the power of its military forces, especially the Gotei 13 Captains. As a result, when the time finally comes for them to invade the Soul Society, they already have the data of the combat prowess of every significant individual there, and the perfect plan to counter them.
A Blitz Attack
As a follow-up to that vital information, the Quincy also adopted a Blitz Attack strategy. This simply means they hit as hard and as fast as they can, right out of the gate. There’s no elaborate siege, no covert operation, and no time-wasting negotiation. They come, they kill, and destroy everything and everyone that stands in their path.
They did announce their arrival beforehand, but it’s safe to say that the shinigami is clearly ill-prepared. The reason is once again, because they don’t have enough data about the Quincy. Against this type of enemy, a quick and powerful direct attack is the best strategy for the Quincy.
The Medallion
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The Quincy may have the upper-hand when it comes to information and their surprise, blitz attack. But surely the powerful captains of the Gotei 13 that have countless combat experiences under their belt should’ve been able to counter, or at the very least, defend against the Quincy’s attacks, right? Well, that’s where the Medallion comes in.
The Medallion is, by far, the strongest weapon/tool in the Quincy’s armament. Because this Medallion can steal the Bankai of a shinigami near its vicinity. Once stolen, the original owner of the Bankai won’t be able to use it. On the other hand, the Quincy who stole the Bankai can freely equip and use it. In order for the Medallion to work, the user needs to know about the Bankai itself, such as its characteristics, its power level, some of its offensive/defensive moves, etc.
Since the captains of Gotei 13 have been flaunting their Bankai during their recent fights (especially against Aizen and the Arrancar), the Quincy has plenty of data about their Bankai. So they simply snatch it away, and fire the Bankai back to its owner.
Inciting Fear, Panic, And Distress
The Quincy initiate their invasion with a bang. They slip into the Soul Society, and immediately wreak havoc and kill as many shinigami as they can. As for the Sternritter, they quickly hunt the captains and other high-level shinigami in order to steal their bankai, and if possible, to kill them. There are two main reasons why they do it this way.
The first reason is to gain as much momentum as possible by taking advantage of the surprised and confused shinigami. It is their Blitz Attack. The second one is to cause fear, panic, and distress among the citizens and the low-level soldiers. After all, when you see a group of enemies who fight with strange powers, and can easily beat the vice-captains, and even fight on an even ground with the captains, you’ll be filled with the feelings of dread, which lead to panic and distress.
This means you won’t be able to perform as good as you should be, nor can you fight as a proper group, which in turn makes it that much easier for the Quincy to defeat the shinigami’s scattering forces. So to summarize, detailed information, speedy attacks, ultimate weapons, and panic and terror, are the main reasons why the Quincy’s invasion to Soul Society is so successful.