Bleach 548 "Peace from Shadows" Summary:

As the Seireitei begins to vanish, the Shinigami enter a state of total disarray, wondering what is causing this phenomenon. Captain-Commander Shunsui Kyōraku stands with Nanao Ise in the First Division barracks, looking down on the chaos. Kyōraku remarks that he had figured the Wandenreich would have something up their sleeve, but he didn't expect this.

Co-Third Seats of the Thirteenth Division Kiyone Kotetsu and Sentarō Kotsubaki, who are as shocked as everyone else in the Seireitei, try to report the situation to their captain, who appears to be preoccupied.

At the Shinigami Research and Development Institute, Akon and Hiyosu are arguing over whether the readings on their machines are true. As Hiyosu tries to argue against the reality of the situation by saying that the instruments that they're using haven't disappeared, the SRDI building begins to undergo the same fate as the rest of the Seireitei, leaving the researchers shocked.

Yhwach, looking down on the chaos as well, begins to explain the Wandenreich's past. After losing the war 1,000 years ago, the Quincies escaped from the Human World, and into the Seireitei, which was very lightly guarded at the time, and used their abilities to manipulate Reishi to create a space in the "shadows," thus giving them their name, the "Invisible Empire." Askin Nakk Le Vaar, standing before a group of surprised Shinigami, explains that their plan was a success, and that because Soul Society is filled with Reishi, the source of the Quincies' power, they could potentially do whatever they wanted. They took this opportunity and spent the next 1,000 years increasing their power. Jugram Haschwalth, walking towards Kyōraku and Nanao, explains that, during both of their previous invasions, they had not broken through the Shakonmaku, as they were inside it the entire time. Kyōraku calmly welcomes Haschwalth and thanks him for the information.

Haschwalth introduces himself to Kyōraku as the Adviser to the Emperor of the Wandenreich and the Grand Master of the Stern Ritter. Kyōraku, in turn, introduces himself as the newly appointed Captain-Commander of the Gotei 13. Haschwalth explains that he knew about Kyōraku's recent position, and came to the First Division barracks for exactly that reason. Kyōraku remarks that he is acting rather hastily, wondering if, after waiting for 1,000 years, he plans to slowly enjoy the battle. Haschwalth responds saying that he has no plans to do so, since Yhwach's orders were "to instantly exterminate the whole enemy (Shinigami) army."

The SRDI researchers start asking Le Vaar how he got into the Seireitei, to which he questions the researchers' intelligence, and asks them if they were even listening to his explanation, saying again that he has been there the whole time. Mayuri Kurotsuchi appears from an invisible doorway, confirming Le Vaar's statement about using the "shadows" to hide themselves. Kurotsuchi emerges from the doorway with Nemu, both of them wearing fairly ridiculous outfits. A mortified Akon asks the captain what he is wearing, but Kurotsuchi ignores his subordinate and continues his explanation. He states that he reformed the inside of his laboratory so that there wouldn't be any shadows.

As a large group of Shinigami state that they can't allow the Stern Ritter to pass, Bazz-B attacks and states that it's not a matter of passing anymore, as they've already invaded. Tōshirō Hitsugaya shows up with Rangiku Matsumoto, stating that the issue of "passing" wasn't about the Stern Ritter, but about Bazz-B's flames, which he blocked with a wall of ice.

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It looks like Hitsugaya and Matsumoto will take the honors of the first round of fights shown as they face off against Bazz-B, Sternritter “H”. Bazz-B’s flames counter Hyourinmaru quite well, especially with the lack of ice produced without bankai. Luckily, like the other shinigami, Hitsugaya and his vice-captain have not been sitting idle during the interlude between the battles, and have developed some new tricks by combining their shikai abilities. Matsumoto interlaces the ash from Haineko into the ice of Hyourinmaru, creating a wall of “multi-layer vacuum ice” that successfully blocks the fire from harming them. The lattice of ice is apparently many times stronger than before, and can also be used offensively. I’m not entirely sure the science behind this tactic is sound; then again, discussing physics in a shounen manga is perhaps a lost cause.
Realism aside, it is a clever idea, but the time Hitsugaya spent explaining the mechanics behind the strategy to his opponent was really unnecessary and counterproductive. Talking too much during battle and getting baited for it is one of Hitsugaya’s flaws, and one of the reasons he’s one of the less impressive captains. It makes zero sense to reveal one’s strategies to opponents and reeks of either arrogance on the character’s part or a convenient way to explain tactics to the audience on the author’s part. Regardless, the 10th squad has demonstrated a strong start to the battle, and Bazz-B is now on the back foot. I don’t think he’s out of the fight yet, but he doesn’t seem particularly strong and Hitsugaya is probably not going down just yet. The chapter overall was quite short on content due to the fact that the battles are still setting up. Understandably, there needs to be some build-up before the more highly anticipated fights are shown, but I’m honestly hoping that Omaeda will get as little screen time as possible. He has had his moments to shine in the past, and has generally ended up blowing it.

Bleach 549 Trivia: While Rangiku hair has been consistently colored Golden Blonde in the manga, there is an orange tint to it in the anime, making it appear Strawberry Blonde instead. In addition, the shade of her eyes differs between the manga and the anime.


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