Bleach anime is a fairly good adaptation of its source material, especially when one remembers the godly soundtrack and the stunning visuals. But, I still have some major gripes with how it toned down Tite Kubo’s vision, butchering the intensity and thrill of numerous exciting fights in the series.
The anime also added fillers that created some narrative differences from the manga. All these problems aside, there’s one fight in the anime with filler additions that was quintessential Kubo. Whether it’s the characters, their conclusions, or the general way of life in Bleach, poetry is an indispensable aspect of it all.
The fight between Starrk and Shunsui was slightly altered in the anime. The changes led to a more poetic end compared to the manga, which was a beautiful turn of events in my opinion.
Bleach anime made a positive change with Starrk for once
Bleach anime is infamous for censoring gory scenes and straying away from the manga with filler scenes. The one time the anime got this right was during the fight between Shunsui and Starrk. Both these characters were somewhat alike, and my favorites for what they represented. Despite their immense strength, fighting didn’t feel natural to them.
Starrk’s conclusion was similar in both the anime and the manga with one minor difference. In the anime, Lilynette died before Starrk. The few moments after her death left Starrk reflecting on his life. He always struggled with loneliness, his strength isolated him from everyone. Lilynette saved him from that and stayed with him up until the very end.
Moments before his death, Lilynette had left him. He could continue to fight Shunsui and even win, but there was simply nothing left for him. This Reddit comment explains how this small change and contemplation made Starrk’s conclusion sadder.
Comment
byu/AnimeGokuSolos from discussion
inbleach
This highlights how Starrk was more unique compared to the other Espada. All he desired was a relief from his loneliness. In the end, he was completely alone, but not lonely anymore. His character arc comes full circle in that moment, and the execution of this scene in the anime was brilliant.
Starrk’s character arc was perfection
Starrk always wished to be weak or to find people who were strong enough to be his friends. The Espadas were exactly what he was looking for. In his final moments, he acknowledged how he simply wanted their presence, rather than fighting. He even apologized to Aizen. Fighting a strong opponent like Shunsui helped him in retrospect with the root of his misery.
It was the first time I had seen an anime character with so much self-awareness. He knew what troubled him all those years and all he wanted was to be free from it. Tite Kubo created a great character, and the anime ensured that his appeal was elevated in the best way possible.
Bleach is available to stream on Netflix.
This post belongs to FandomWire and first appeared on FandomWire
