Bleach Chapter 574

Bleach 574 was the continuation of Kenpachi vs Sternritter battle. The battle itself didn’t really progress much and was overall just Kenpachi doing what we all knew he would do and avoid every attack that was thrown at him. The attacks that V were using against him were predominantly elemental based attacks like the lava or water, sometimes he tried to mix it up a bit by trying to crush him as well as drown him simultaniously. Where other characters may experience trouble in these situations Kenpachi notoriously uses brute force to counter any attack. Simply put the only way that Kenpachi has ever been defeated is by some else overpowering him using even more brute force and recklessness than him (rare). It’s not that it would be impossible for him to die by being drowned etc, its just that brutality is apart of Kenpachi’s character design and there is no way Kubo would ruin his character by having him fall to something that would be considered ‘trickery’ or not ‘pure’ fighting.

In the chapter we also learn that Kenpachi may have more control over his reiatsu now, after we see some of the soldiers discussing it amongst themselves. This could be either that Kenpachi has grown in his control and ability since his fight with Unohana,  this would likely be due to learning the name of his Zanpakuto. This could also be the result of V’s ability however I don’t think that would be of any advantage and is therefore unlikely.

Although this fight is mainly between Kenpachi and V, Yachiru is still amongst it all which I initially found to be quite surprising. For some reason Yachiru has been in what seems to be a state of shock since Kanpachi arrived, her face hasn’t changed and she hasn’t physically moved. Yachiru is likely to be too terrified to move, which is more than understandable being that she is still a little girl. This element will likely bring more depth to the fight and will maybe even serve as a reminder that he is not just fighting for his own love of fighting.

The character V continues to be puzzling  and I feel as though he is not really the best opponent for Kenpachi. The character is likely being written to irritate us and therefore have a much more satisfying death or defeat in the end. V also seems to have a sense of confidence despite all of his attacks failing so far which not only adds to the irritability, but also makes you wonder how powerful he really is. V understands that Yachiru is Kenpachi’s weakness in this fight however this is overcome when we learn that V’s ability is only working as long as he is concentrating on it. This could be V’s downfall especially since he is the manipulative type of fighter, and concentrating on may things at the same time is crucial to him.

Next week I hope we see a continuation of the battle with more content in it, we have learned most of the extent of V’s powers and personally I would like Kubo to finish this fight and have Kenpachi move onto a more suitable opponent. However, I suspect that due to the odd match up Kubo has something unexpected planned which I hope will prove to be satisfying as a reader. I give this chapter a 7/10 due to its lack of content, but none the less I still very much enjoyed the fighting and I would love to see this get animated. Good job Kubo, but not the best you’ve ever done, however I could be proven wrong in the following chapters.