| An 80 page essay about the Buddhist Symbolism in Bleach: http://www.academia.edu/3620074/Life_Death_ and_the_Path_to_Enlightenment_Buddhist_Symbolism_in_the_Manga_Bleach_ ----- Article by Dr. Otto F. von Feigenblatt (MA, PhD, FRAS, FRAI, GCEG) How Bleach is one of the series that is leading the way from Japanese Exceptionalism to Globalism and Hybridity. http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2195562 The bleach portion. ----- Thanks to whoever made these. Zangetsu x Yhwach http://i.imgur.com/pZqW3Wz.jpg Shinigami truth http://i.imgur.com/qqAX2f8.jpg Power Explanation http://i.imgur.com/fx5Epq8.jpg Aizen Good Guy? https://s7.postimg.org/95f3yjz49/1470571082286.jpg Ichigo x Rukia zan connection. ------ The infamous "Kurosaki kun,help me" speech from Orihime. ---------- Orihime’s name is based on the legendary Orihime/Vega (weaver princess) in the Tanabata story. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tanabata Orihime is part of the sewing/handicrafts club at school and her symbolic number is written as 7/7, indicating 7th July which is the date of the Tanabata Festival in Japan. Orihime's english-translated name by Kubo himself had her as ‘Vega Highwell’, in Japanese/Chinese mythology, Vega is another name for Orihime, and is linked to the Tanabata story. Ichigo’s birthday is on 15/7, which falls on Obon Festival, which is part of the Tanabata Festival. Ichigo’s hollow form in the Lust arc is in the motif of a bull/ox, which is a reference to Kengyuu/Altair being a cow-herder in the legend. In the legend, the lovers aren’t able to meet if it rains because the rivers would be flooded over and the boatsman can’t ferry Orihime to Kengyuu (Ichigo hates the rain). In one of the illustrated Karakura town maps, Ichigo and Orihime’s homes are separated by a river and connected by a small bridge. In Chinese/Japanese mythology, Orihime (Vega) and Kengyuu (Altair) are separated by a river (which is a metaphor for outer space, where Vega and Altair are constellations). The Bleach pilot chapter had stronger hints to the Tanabata legend, where Orihime and Ichigo are separated at the end because Orihime had died and become a ghost/soul, but it was hinted that she would come back to visit him. The chapter after Orihime confesses to Ichigo and leaves for Hueco Mundo is called 'Eagle Without Wings’. Vega (Orihime) is also known as 'the falling eagle’ in medieval astronomy, and both Vega and Altair are depicted as birds. The chapter when Ichigo goes off to rescue Orihime is called 'Winged Eagles’. Altair (Kengyuu) is also known as 'the flying eagle’ in medieval astronomy. --------------------------------------------------- Aizen Myō'ō - one of the Wisdom Kings. The Lust-Drenched Mantra King, The Impassioned One, patron of those caught by desire or attachment. http://www.buddhist-artwork.com/statues-buddhism/aizen-myoo-statues.html Not only is their name similar but they both have a third eye which is associated with higher consciousness, clairvoyance and precognition. Aizen's squad 5 flower is the Lilly of the Valley, sometimes called "Ladder to Heaven. The flower is closely associated within christian tradition with the second coming of Jesus. Said to represent Jacob's Ladder, which was the ladder to heaven Jacob dreamed about, and is thought to be a symbolic reference to Jesus Aizen wanting to go to the royal realm) The flower is also symbolically connected with a general return to happiness in the world. It is said that the flower's bloom brings back the nightingale's song each May. Aizen was born on May 29th.  Kyouka Suigetsu (鏡花水月) literally means "mirror flower, water moon" Aizen and the number 5, before his betrayal Aizen Myō'ō is closely connected with the magical wish-granting jewel (Houjyu 宝珠) It is the inspiration for the hogyoku, which grants the deepest heartfelt desire of a person.  Aizen as Satan/Lucifer The similarities. Butterfly Aizen is the false god form, Monster Aizen and The Beast/Satan comparison - --------------------------------------------------- Mimihage sama - ----------------------------------------- Character Analysis Thanks to Asura 大神 from Narutoforums :) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Espada are all based on an Aspect of Death, which led to their downfall. "Each Espada has a form of death they rule over. These forms are the 10 main causes of death amongst humans. They also describe each Espada's abilities, ideology, and reason for existence." -Baraggan Aspects Of Death -------------------------------------------- Very interesting and accurate comparison of Aizen and the Espada to the Sephirot. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sephirot Ain, Ain Soph and Ain Soph Aur http://www.webofqabalah.com/id28.html Kenpachi x Yachiru |
ichii_1Dec 14, 2018 7:15 PM
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| you are my favorite person |
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| Can all this finally explain why the series is called Bleach then? That's the more important question. |
   I envy your delusion; I wish I could live in it  |
| And he'll never die I suppose (or not in the near future). |
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| It explains why Tatsuki disappears from the manga? |
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Protaku94 said: Can all this finally explain why the series is called Bleach then? That's the more important question. According to interviews by Kubo - The title wasn't Bleach when Tite Kubo decided to draw a story about Shinigami. This was before he drew the one-shot manga that appeared in Akamaru Jump. The weapon wasn't a sword, but a scythe. Only Rukia had a scythe and the other characters used guns. At that point, the title was Snipe (as in "Sniper"). Right before he started drawing, he began to think that a sword would be better and realized he couldn't use Snipe as a title anymore. He began looking for a title that grasped the bigger picture. Shinigami are associated with the color black, but it would have been boring to use "black". "White", on the other hand, can suggest black as a complementary color. So Tite Kubo chose "Bleach" to evoke the impression of the color white. Another one is that shinigami "cleanse" souls, similar to what bleach does (Kubo himself mentioned this in an interview, but it's not clear whether he noticed this before or after deciding on the name). Another is that Kubo is a fan of the band Nirvana, and their first album is Bleach. Praland said: It explains why Tatsuki disappears from the manga? She does appear now and then. But since she' a supporting character, she doesn't get huge screen time obviously. Did you know Tatsuki's favorite wristband is the exact color of Ichigo's hair? or there was actually supposed to be a blonde girl who was supposed to be one of Orihime's close friends, along with Tatsuki. But the blonde girl was cut out and ultimately forgotten. |
ichii_1Apr 15, 2015 1:03 PM
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| *increasing Bleach score to a 10* Based ichii_1 thanks for sharing. Really shows what a great writer Kubo is,sadly none else in this community(95%) tries to think deeply about it's themes ;( |
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Praland said: It explains why Tatsuki disappears from the manga? She's still waiting together with Keigo and Mizuiro when they'll be allowed to come and meet up with Ichigo. I don't think there'd be anything she could do in the current happenings. |
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| Mindblowing, Bleach turned out to be the greatest manga of all time. All hail Kubo. |
| Kirinji Tenjiro Kirinji and Mudras Yes, Tenjirou is seen doing a mudra. Mudras are symbolic gestures that are commonly done with the hands and fingers. Each hand sign has its own deep meaning. The mudra that Kirinji is doing is the gesture of debate. It is for discussion and the teaching of Buddhist concepts. This emphasizes the fact that Kirinji is wiser than he may let on, and it gives insight into his nature. "Lightning-Fast Tenjirō" (雷迅の天示郎, Raijin no Tenjirō) 迅-- Swift, fast 雷-- Lightning bolt; thunder This is yet another connection Tenjirou has to thunder and lightning. The Qilin is known to have a roar of thunder and a golden even flashing body with fire. His zanpakutou itself glows (in certain instances) and is tied to sparkling and flashing like lightning. Tenjirou is seen as lightning fast. There is a pun here, as well. Raijin, his title, also means the god of thunder and lightning. Raijin is a muscular man with the appearance of an Oni. Tenjirou himself sports a muscular body and is known as an Oni. Raijin is generally surrounded by drums. He beats these drums to produce thunder.  Raijin beating one of his drums.... Raijin used to be a terrible, evil demon, but he was captured by warriors of heaven, and he has worked for the Buddha ever since. Raijin likes to throw lightning and make thunder. Kirinji's connection to this is his shining lightning flash shikai. In addition, Kirinji is called Raijin because his speed and attacks are as fast as the lightning that Raijin himself shoots down to his enemies. Zanpakutou: Kinpika Kinpika (金毘迦, Gilded Splendor) We've already talked a little bit about this zanpakutou during the Qilin section, but let's delve a little deeper. 金--gold, money, metal, etc 毘--assist, save 迦--commonly used in Buddhist words Very close to the Guardian Konpira, one of the connections to this divine general. 金毘羅 金毘迦 Pika is a sound effect that means sparkle, glow, flash like lightning, etc Put it together and we get: Golden sparkle golden glowing, flashing In fact, we see a variation of this sound effect when Tenjirou pulls out the weapon and releases his shikai, and it starts glowing. 煌く きらめく -- to glitter; to glisten; to sparkle; to twinkle; to glare; to gleam His original release command was Kirameke 煌け. This has to do with the Shining golden body of the Qilin. The Qilin is a mythological beast of splendor, golden splendor. In addition, the Qilin's body sparkles, shines, and it is adorned with shining flames. It also has to do with the sparkling and gleam of flashing lightning that accompanies his glowing shikai. the magnificent golden, shining body of the Qilin His current release command is: "Flash from Illuminating Heavens" (天照一閃,Tenshou Issen). As you see, this also fits perfectly with everything I described with Kirameke. There's more to this command, however. 天--Heaven, sky 照--illuminate, shine 一閃-- flash or brandish Interestingly, the first part of this release command (天照) is the name of Amaterasu, the sun goddess of Japanese mythology. This gives Kirinji's zanpakutou's shikai a bright, shining, amazing quality. Here we see his shikai shining brilliantly like the sun with many sun rays that are frequently shown to express Amaterasu's bright glow. Amaterasu is the goddess of the sun and the heavens. She is a major goddess of the Shinto religion. It is said that night and day were separated when Amaterasu was disgusted by the actions of her brother, Tsukuyomi, the god of the moon. He had killed the food goddess, and Amaterasu was angered greatly by this. She split away from him, separating night and day. Her other brother is Susanoo; she considers him a rival of sorts. She had possession of three special items: a sacred mirror, sword, and jewel. |
| Inspiration and Refernces =/= underlying themes and profoundness. A symbolism without substance is a reference. Religion is the easiest thing to use as a basis for references and inspiration. I don't doubt the quality of the above analysis that a lot of you have provided. I'm simply stating that you guys most propably know more than Kubo himself |
| "But don't cry my friends, we are all the same.Every one of us is a human with "H" capital... and now we are two and one of us has to be shit." -Mr.Freeman |
Kanic said: I'm simply stating that you guys most propably know more than Kubo himself No. Kubo doesn't draw backgrounds because he wants to focus on the characters so his character and story have more depth by default. Kubo is a huge Shakespeare fan and it show in his poems and all his names of characters and techniques which each have several meanings which perfectly fit the characters and makes good connections between them,e.g. ulq x orihime, ichigo x rukia etc... don't compare Kubo to some second rate author. Kubo also gives each character a theme song, eg. Ulquiorra's theme is Moonshield by In Flames and Isshin's is Don't drag me down by Social distortion, this isn't evangelion's author. |
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| I actually do believe that Kubo does this intentionally. The problem is, this doesn't automatically make the story any better. |
| lets talk about the poems too they're sugoi |
mayukachan said: lets talk about the poems too they're sugoi -Juha Bach- "Take one step forward. You can never turn back. The whole world. To a sea of blood" -Quilge Opie- "The army moving forward, blowing on the trumpet Never seizing from ringing in the ears; Like a stardust Like the crashing of the pound of military boots" -As Nodt- To live and to be kept alive The difference is nonexistent To die and to be killed The difference is likewise nonexistent All are military/war themed. Juha's means taking a step towards world conquest like Hitler. Quilge's is a dedicated officer. As Nodt's is a person that has joined an army for a greater cause, he is ready for death. As Nodt read the Bible aka Bibel in German. On that note  -NAZIS- Vandenreich = Third Reich Sternritters + Soldat = Wehrmacht Elite Sternritters = Schutzstaffel http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nazi_Germany http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wehrmacht http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schutzstaffel Sternritters are a small but elite and powerful army and use blitzkrieg methods, sound familiar? The massacre and the holy attitude they had as justification for their acts is the same. The Wehrmacht also had resistance groups and even tired to assassinate Hitler, just like some Sternriters are doing now. Executing their own incompetent members. Drinking the blood of God. SS uniforms and Sternritters comparison- Nazi eagle emblem/Yellow Badge and Yhwach sword https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yellow_badge      Yhwach = YHWH, Yahweh, the god of Judaism. "A" the Almighty is the title YHWH is known as. It doesn't really mix with Nazis now does it? That means Yhwach is a false god and will lead his men to ruin or they know that but still choose to follow him knowing it leads to their doom. |
ichii_1Jun 12, 2016 1:34 PM
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ichii_1 said: That means Yhwach is a false god and will lead his men to ruin. He already did I guess. And those who are still with him will fall too. |
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ichii_1 said: Kanic said: I'm simply stating that you guys most propably know more than Kubo himself No. Kubo doesn't draw backgrounds because he wants to focus on the characters kubo doesn't draw backgrounds because he's a shit artist and he's too socially retarded to work with assistants to draw backgrounds for him. kubo is a shit artist. he is not much better at telling stories. |
| ^yeah and you have evidence to back that up other than your opinion right? XD And the fate series is inspired by bleach, saber meeting shirou = a straight up copy of rukia meeting Ichigo XD Tokyo ghoul is also inspired by bleach if you didn't know. Tyestor said: ichii_1 said: No. Kubo doesn't draw backgrounds because he wants to focus on the characters imbutthurtthatbleachisbetterthanmyshittyanimu Lol typical 95% XD So dumb they can't look beyond the surface. More character analysis added, instead of doing them over, I'll just post the link to the one who did them :) |
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Evangelion said: There are a lot of giant robot shows in Japan, and we did want our story to have a religious theme to help distinguish us. Because Christianity is an uncommon religion in Japan we thought it would be mysterious. None of the staff who worked on Eva are Christians. There is no actual Christian meaning to the show, we just thought the visual symbols of Christianity look cool. If we had known the show would get distributed in the US and Europe we might have rethought that choice. Just a fair reminder. |
Arashi89 said: It's great that they didn't. Evangelion said: There are a lot of giant robot shows in Japan, and we did want our story to have a religious theme to help distinguish us. Because Christianity is an uncommon religion in Japan we thought it would be mysterious. None of the staff who worked on Eva are Christians. There is no actual Christian meaning to the show, we just thought the visual symbols of Christianity look cool. If we had known the show would get distributed in the US and Europe we might have rethought that choice. Just a fair reminder. Do they have a symbolism too as to how Ichigo learned Bankai for a few days as opposed to other Shinigamis learning them for hundreds of years other than that he's the MC and he's OP? |
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| the Baraggan part was where it kinda got bullshit, I don't watch Bleach to bring me down lol |
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| This is probably the best thread I've seen on MAL. |
| Signature removed. Please follow the signature rules, as defined in the Site & Forum Guidelines. |
| This is amazing Ichii |
Protaku said: Can all this finally explain why the series is called Bleach then? That's the more important question. Its for the white backgrounds that are always present. |
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| I think I've figured out the reasoning behind Gerard's "miracle" status. Why he the power is named "miracle" and not "regeneration". (Consider my apologies for any and all mistakes and inaccuracies . Corrections are welcome) If I'm not mistaken among the many different beliefs of the New Bible one common agreement is that the greatest miracle among the ones presented was that of reincarnation (both Lazarus' and Jeesus') while there is actually some sort of debate among the rest (eg there are groups that suggest that Jeesus' mother was not a virgin..). So while all the rest that we have seen so far are to be interpreted as regeneration (Ulqiora, Pernidas etc) they would have fallen through some anti-regenaration tactic -like the one Hitsugaya used recently where he froze all functions - but Gerard being a direct reference to the above - if my assumption is correct- is above that and returns every time as a being closer to godlike . He is also considered a part of the Soul King aka God so "maybe" that's what the whole miracle business is about. |
| "But don't cry my friends, we are all the same.Every one of us is a human with "H" capital... and now we are two and one of us has to be shit." -Mr.Freeman |
Kanic said: Isn't it simply because his power is not regeneration? I think I've figured out the reasoning behind Gerard's "miracle" status. Why he the power is named "miracle" and not "regeneration". He can get bigger using his power, inflict damage to people that put a dent on his sword etc, basically anything miracle related and not limited to regeneration. |
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tr1ckst3r said: Isn't it simply because his power is not regeneration? He can get bigger using his power, inflict damage to people that put a dent on his sword etc, basically anything miracle related and not limited to regeneration. Yes, it's not regeneration so it's not called regeneration. My post was about "why is it called miracle" and the assumption is that reincarnation is considered a miracle and is ,maybe, a direct reference to the aforementioned fact about how the Bible's reincarnation is perceived(which is why I posted here). Perhaps his sword is another reference to another religion's well known miracle ? |
| "But don't cry my friends, we are all the same.Every one of us is a human with "H" capital... and now we are two and one of us has to be shit." -Mr.Freeman |
Kanic said: It's called miracle simply because it is a miracle? It's a power to defy common sense. I don't think there is a deeper meaning behind it.tr1ckst3r said: Isn't it simply because his power is not regeneration? He can get bigger using his power, inflict damage to people that put a dent on his sword etc, basically anything miracle related and not limited to regeneration. Yes, it's not regeneration so it's not called regeneration. My post was about "why is it called miracle" and the assumption is that reincarnation is considered a miracle and is ,maybe, a direct reference to the aforementioned fact about how the Bible's reincarnation is perceived(which is why I posted here). Perhaps his sword is another reference to another religion's well known miracle ? What he did was not reincarnation imo because he is not dead yet so there's no way he got reincarnated, he just miraculously escape dead everytime they try to kill him. |
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tr1ckst3r said: Kanic said: It's called miracle simply because it is a miracle? It's a power to defy common sense. I don't think there is a deeper meaning behind it.Yes, it's not regeneration so it's not called regeneration. My post was about "why is it called miracle" and the assumption is that reincarnation is considered a miracle and is ,maybe, a direct reference to the aforementioned fact about how the Bible's reincarnation is perceived(which is why I posted here). Perhaps his sword is another reference to another religion's well known miracle ? What he did was not reincarnation imo because he is not dead yet so there's no way he got reincarnated, he just miraculously escape dead everytime they try to kill him. It could be that. Maybe I'm just being stubborn about the whole reincarnation thing . Dunno, I'm open to corrections. I'm just suggesting the possibility that his powers are a collection of cultural based miracles |
| "But don't cry my friends, we are all the same.Every one of us is a human with "H" capital... and now we are two and one of us has to be shit." -Mr.Freeman |
| Thanks for the laughs |
| Signature removed. Please follow the signature rules, as defined in the Site & Forum Guidelines. |
| Gonna come back to this thread after I have finished watching Bleach. Bookmarked! |
 Scordolo's Recent Reviews To your eternity Vanitas no Karte |
| Damn let me follow this post that's Deep. |
 POWER IS IMMORTAL |
MadnessWillReign said: Damn let me follow this post that's Deep. Yeah follow it mate, it's indeed pretty deep. |
POWER IS IMMORTAL |
MadnessWillReign said: MadnessWillReign said: Damn let me follow this post that's Deep. Yeah follow it mate, it's indeed pretty deep. WTF there's another guy with my name? How did you copy me? |
POWER IS IMMORTAL |
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