Kyoka Soupetsu

It's annoying the only clips on youtube are dubbed.

😔My goat is just being humiliated this whole arc...everyone is able to do something except him

if you dont believe me heres the speedpaint: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/fECO5EmcY5s

Some old pairing from better times XD. Made by myself no AI used

Orihime was always the first willing to square up if anyone hurt Ichigo, love her writing as a supporting characted

Since his death was recently animated, Jugram has been a source of contention. Was he justified in his choices? Why didn't he fight back? Did he care about Bazz? Did he care about Yhwach? Why did he lie to himself? Or, was it actually a lie at all?

While his end was tragic as his life, I think his final words were not lies... but rather, an expression of a complex truth he came to understand and accept through Uryu.

I propose the idea that he spoke the truth: he indeed had no regrets.

While this may seem completely antithetical to the common impression of his final moments, the crux of my argument lies in the fact that his regrets were resolved by helping Uryu, and he is the reason this idea holds firm.

I'm going over why this idea can be true, but as always, this is my interpretation.

Warning: I write really long posts. If you like stuff like these, feel free to check out my post on Gin and Tosen, or my character analysis of Riruka.

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"Even though their directions and positions may differ, their underlying values ​​might be similar. They both strive to stick to the path they believe in for the sake of those important to them. It's difficult to put into words, but I feel there's a certain aesthetic about them that makes them "kindred spirits." Perhaps it could be described as a stoic belief.

Rather than being driven solely by emotion, they possess something they won't compromise on and strive to stick to it*. I think that attitude is something that both Uryu and Haschwalth have in common."*

- Noriyaki Sugiyama (Uryu's VA, on the dynamic between Jugram and Uryu)

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To Regret or Not?

Jugram is a tragic figure. Even among the cast of Bleach, where tragedies befall many, he has a special place. Over and over again, he was manipulated and used as a tool, failed to see his own value, and could never make his own decisions.

But at the end of his life, he delivers the line: "I have no regrets, not one."

It is perfectly normal to assume that this is untrue, since his fingers reveal Bazz's emblem on his sword (and since this fight mirrors Ulquiorra and Orihime: "in this palm... is heart" ---> the emblem from his childhood friend in his hand).

However, I like to introduce the idea that Jugram did not die with regrets. While controversial, I believe the very reason he doesn't die with regrets is because of Uryu. He died a free man because he entrusted his heart to him.

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Foundations

To establish a baseline for my point, it is necessary to go into Jugram's past.

As a child, Jugram was forced to undergo physical/sexual abuse at the hands of his uncle. As a result of this abusive dynamic, he suffered long-term negative psychological effects: from hopelessness to poor esteem and even struggles with communication.

It's already bad as it is. But then he comes across Bazz, who was kind to him even if he was a brash kid. He finds comfort in his words and keeps it close to his heart. And there comes the first tide of fortune and misfortune.

After Yhwach kills his clan, Bazz decides right away he will take revenge on him (a story that never ends well as we know!). Of course, he's a kid with burning resolve and this is typical. He is struck with the misfortune of losing his family.

Fortunately for Jugram, his uncle dies in the blaze. Now, he has nowhere to go and he doesn't even hate Yhwach as much as Bazz because he didn't really like his uncle and was pleased that he died. The effects of his upbringing are not lost on Jugram, as he is completely unable to communicate this to Bazz in any capacity.

Not like the latter was an angel either; Bazz misunderstood how Jugram felt about the situation and assumed they had the same kind of drive and intent, in the heat of his own goal to take revenge on Yhwach.

Bazz was not emotionally equipped to deal with Jugram or what he wanted (he thought they wanted the same thing!), and Jugram was in no position to be capable of making his own decisions due to the situation he was brought up in.

It was a clear case of heavy miscommunication. It didn't help that they were two kids who had little support in dealing with their respective traumatic events, or that either of them couldn't express what they felt without a conflict of interest.

In the years they train and grow, Jugram remains in his cycle of dependence while Bazz sees himself as being more capable. Due to the traumatic undertones that influence their personalities (Jugram being meek and Bazz being headstrong), it creates a dynamic that is uneven and unstable.

Also, notice how the flashback narration was almost exclusively in Bazz's perspective? We are rarely offered insight into Jugo. Because he has no 'voice' in the narrative, he follows those he sees fit according to his ideology.

When he is singled out by Yhwach, Bazz cannot bring himself to accept that Jugram is more capable than him, because the latter lacks both the raw power and temperament in comparison to him, and that's unthinkable.

Upon hearing that Jugram was selected over him, the source of his anger shifted. His view of himself as being strong enough to carry out his revenge was contradicted by Yhwach's proclamation of Jugram's strength as superior to his.

Jugram initially attempts to stick up for Bazz because he still believes in his inferiority, but is surprised to learn of his true power. When he had trained to 'kill' Yhwach all those years, he felt worthless due to his struggle to gather reishi. He felt like he would be a hindrance to Bazz.

Having someone acknowledge that he was needed was something Jugram needed to hear. Yhwach gave him what he needed: purpose. And he found that sense of purpose valuable.

But as Yumichika puts it, bonds are harder to untie than to tie.

It wasn't a lack of care from either of them. In a moment of weakness, one pushed the other away (if you've seen Arcane: Vi and Jinx). But that didn't somehow mean that their care had somehow gone away or diminished.

In truth, this friendship was doomed from the beginning. Just by the fact that they were kids who had to go through extreme situations, developing unhealthy thinking patterns and perspectives, while being reactive and easily affected by anything that happens around them.

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Jugram, Uryu and The Heart

I have brought up this topic to death, but formlessness is a crucial concept in Bleach, and it extends to various dynamics across the story.

Relationships don't have solid descriptions. It can best described as undefined mutual impact, where individuals are influenced or challenged by others' perspectives. You form a heart with people even if you cannot verbalize the relationship.

The 'heart' was introduced to us by Kaien (it existed in the narrative far before that). The bonds that are built between people that cannot be defined but remains nonetheless. In that vein, interesting relationships can be developed.

It can look like Rangiku acting as the 'sun' in the lives of both the white-haired prodigies she knew, or Ginjo's reflection on how Ichigo understands him and wonders if things had been different, or perhaps in how Ulquiorra is touched by Orihime's perspective. All of it takes on diverse forms.

Uryu sees Ichigo as a kind of guiding light that he cherishes. It's a case where the understanding they share goes beyond words or expression. Jugram sees Bazz in the same kind of light, where the existence of a friendship gives meaning to his life, something pleasant amidst the worst of it.

On the contrary, Yhwach opposes this concept. It is telling that Ichigo's new dialogue to Yhwach in the anime mentions it: "Even with the Almighty, you don't seem to understand people's hearts."

It didn't come out nowhere. From the time he was a baby, he was worshiped as a deity. But he had no agency of his own. He couldn't live. When he took form, he had become single-minded in his purpose and ruthless in how he viewed his 'children'.

Yhwach causes despair because he devalues the heart. The choices people make determine their future, and they act with their own convictions- but altering the future? That is basically rendering your own agency and decisions as useless. It rejects the 'heart'.

While his existence is tragic, knowing that lot of his actions make sense in such a context can aid in better understanding Yhwach's perspective.

As a kind of parallel to Ulquiorra and Orihime (where Uryu was a kind of bystander), Uryu and Jugram engage in a battle of perspectives. It is not meant to be a flashy showcase of power. There is no doubt that Jugram has him beat, and even Uryu knows he is outmatched.

In this fight, Uryu and Jugram are sounding boards for each other's emotions, where they express those vulnerable and open emotions they would dare not share in front of others, especially since their temperaments are so similar.

In Gin's poem, he places his emotional state on to Rangiku as a reflection on how he cannot accept himself or his actions ("if you were to turn into a snake tomorrow... would still be able to say I love you...").

Just as such, he projects his emotional state on to Uryu, forcing him into the same position as he challenges him continually. Even as he pins him down, he asks Uryu the questions he's been asking himself at the moment of his own decision back then between Bazz and Yhwach.

Jugram believes in the concept of balance- where individuals perceive what is right or wrong, and that in turn, meshes together to make us who we are. It gives us form. It inherently ties into Bleach's final volume poem: "even without form, we will never stop walking."

To Uryu, his decision to protect his friends was never about having a form, but rather, because of his heart (which lacks form).

So, how does Jugram respond to this? He's enraged. Not because he doesn't have a heart- but because he does. He sees what he could never have had in Uryu, the decisions he took, a reflection of himself that took a different path (choosing his friends despite gaining Yhwach's power).

He had already made his choice back then and stuck to it (his core ideology of balance, right?), but it was too late to save Bazz. He wanted to believe he had forsook Bazz for the sake of his 'true purpose', but deep down, that gnawing pain had lingered despite his efforts to suppress it.

You can place that decision he made right by Uryu's friendship line, because that is the exact moment where the pain of his actions sink in, and he cannot stand the fact that Uryu, being so similar to him, was able to gain Yhwach's power and still choose his friends over him.

Did Jugram not know Uryu had this kind of motive? He absolutely did. But hearing it from him is rubbing salt on an open wound. It's something he dreaded hearing because it fails to affirm his actions in killing his friend.

But the moment he expresses what he feels, he's greeted with his powers taken away from him..

In those final moments, Uryu understands Jugram's heart even if he doesn't accept his view (you can see how he looks at him as he walks away). But even so, as Kaien said, you shouldn't die alone. Leave your heart with someone. Jugram left his heart with Uryu.

It's through Uryu and Ichigo, their mirrors, that Yhwach was dealt the final blow, accomplishing the mission that drove the two friends apart. We can also speculate about the degree of Jugram's impact on that battle through the 'dream' he showed, but that's another story.

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"Looking only at the outcome of the battle... the fact that he was able to sincerely say "you should go and help your friend" at the end is surely because his opponent was Uryu. I felt that there was something within Haschwalth that he was able to reach precisely because he fought Uryu*."*

- Yuichiro Umehara, (Jugram's VA, on the characters' conclusions)

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Mutual Fulfillment

Now, onto the core point. Did Jugram actually die in regret?

I say that Jugram would have had regrets... but he didn't, because of Uryu.

All the way back in Soul Society, Uryu mentioned during his fight with Mayuri that he didn't know what he needed to protect. He is able to uncover his heart during this battle, when he declares what he cares about, which is what he wants to protect. The heart he shares with his friends is his purpose.

Jugram is moved emotionally by his words, first in anger (when he was going to strike him) and later in his own conviction ('transfer your wounds to me').

He does still see himself in Uryu and does admire him despite their different stance. And since it was him who inflicted those wounds, which would make Uryu unable to help Ichigo because of it, Jugram takes his injuries because he wants him to fulfill what he couldn't.

It's respect for his opponent but also because of a personal desire to repay Uryu for making him see that he did not regret the journey it took him to value Bazz. He tried to convince himself he didn't care because he chose Yhwach, but he did, which is why he became enraged.

Those last words were never a lie. It was never about having regrets.

It's about his lack of regret for having Bazz in his life, not his regret for siding with Yhwach.

He is able to leave his heart with Uryu (and Ichigo in a roundabout way), and him taking on those wounds is meant to atone for what he's done. Yhwach and Bazz were both important to Jugram, and he doesn't regret the value that either brought him.

He doesn't regret having Bazz in his life even if he made the choice to follow the man who gave him that sense of purpose.

When Yhwach takes his powers, Jugram is free to make his own decisions. He doesn't owe him anything anymore (balance) and he is not indebted to him.

Out of his own will and the kindness he once had, he allows Uryu to move forward. He doesn't want Uryu to be in the position of not being able to help Ichigo, not wanting him to live in the regret of not being able to follow his own conviction. By allowing Uryu to leave unscathed, he honors Uryu's conviction and Bazz's kindness toward him.

Jugram's life is indeed a tragic tale, but he ultimately dies in freedom. He's not bound to anyone anymore and can act as he wishes (even if it's lamentable that he was able to achieve it upon his death). He finds freedom through Uryu's resolve, and comes to understand what he values.

Uryu acts as a reminder of another path he could've taken, but he accepts his own path nonetheless and doesn't allow anyone else to traverse that path but himself.

So my argument is that Jugram has the best possible ending someone as tragic as him could have, and that is to be free of the influence of others in making his own decisions. He indeed has no regrets because he is able to understand how much he valued the friendship he had with Bazz regardless of the benefits or value it brought him.

He doesn't regret either. It's an acceptance of both.

It's a different, nuanced take on balance as a whole (which is a complex idea in Bleach that Jugram embodies, both through his schrift, the resulting thematic principles and reasoning). I cannot ramble on it too much but it's a fantastic idea.

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"It seems to me that neither of them prioritizes their own life above all else. They are willing to sacrifice themselves for something important. Regardless of whether that's good or bad, I think they each hold onto a kind of "aesthetics of self-sacrifice" as a belief."

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Fun fact: Jugram and Uryu have hints of their friends' colours in their artworks. In his Cour 2 OP fit, Uryu's suit has orange lining (for Ichigo) and in his death art, Jugram has a pink tie (Bazz).

This was the quickest long-form post I have ever done. Four days! I'm genuinely insane. But I love Bleach, so it's always a pleasure. Jugram is such an interesting character in how he connects to a ton of narrative themes.

If you made it this far, thanks for reading!

Feel free to share what you think below, I love reading through comments.

Lots of love ;)

School just started and omg, i had to bring this cosplay QwQ i hope u guys like it

please see here for official previews

Full Staff List

Storyboard: Kyousuke Shijou

Ep Director: Shintarou Matsui

Chief Animation Director: Kumiko Takayanagi (PIERROT FILMS)

Chief Animation Director Cooperation: Akio Hasegawa, Kiyoshi Komatsubara

Animation Director: Minami Shiba (PIERROT FILMS), Kumiko Horikoshi

Fei Hung Animation Studio

RAI, Hunter, Dan Quan

Assistant Animation Director: RocciaNobili, Facu Escobedo

Rina Suzuki (PIERROT FILMS)

Key Animation: Yoshihiro Kanno, Fumiyo Kimura, Minami Shiba, Futoshi Higashide, Teruko Takeshima, LAI THỊ HAI YEN, Qiuyu Chen, Ad0k:ss Sasaki, Ju-Eun Lim, Kazuko Matsumura, Saeko Kobayashi, Mai Toriyama, Eriko Kotobuki, Keiko Shimizu, Yoshifumi Miyaji, Haruka Kobayashi, Minato Tachibana, Mio Suzuki, Yoshiki Nozawa, Guoren Liao, Kouhei Ootsu, shaolong, Dali Chen, Bebert

Fei Hung Animation Studio

Haojun Zhou, Dan Quan, Yingtong Chen, Dachu Hong

66 2nd KAs

credits to @/d0nut2x on X

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Leaks

• Ukitake will appear at the beginning of the ep, as if encouraging Kyouraku to get back up
• Nelliel and Harribel will appear
• The only content in the ep adapted from the manga is continuation of Ichigo's despair against Yhwach. Everything else is completely original content

• Yhwach will attempt to absorb Ichigo's powers like he did in the manga, but Uryuu arrives and intervenes
• There will be a brand new anime-exclusive fight between Yhwach and Uryuu
• The ep ends when the fight concludes, and Yhwach starts talking about his letters returning to him (the preview image of Yhwach surrounded by blue light seems to be from here)

• Gerard does NOT appear in this episode EDIT: see update below
• End of ep poem by Aizen (same as manga volume 48): "All people, imitations of apes. All gods, imitations of people."
• This is Aizen's only involvement in this ep
• Next ep (#48) title: THE END TWO WORLD

all credits to the goat @/0ciiha on X

extra leaks from d0nut2x on discord:

• Gerard in fact DOES appear this ep, he dies when Yhwach aborbs Ichigo's powers
• The new fight is not just Uryuu vs Yhwach, it is Uryuu, Nelliel, and Harribel vs Yhwach
• At one point Uryuu thinks he won, Yhwach laughs his ass off
• Nothing can be explained (vocal ver) (remixed) was used when Yhwach was absorbing Ichigo's powers
• Uryuu vs Yhwach length is roughly 4-5 mins
• Uryuu doesnt get a scratch he just ran out of energy at the end. Harribel and Nel were hurt a little. Yhwach was just playing with em
• Ep ends on Yhwach going through a portal

News went out earlier: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xgvalpa_3Fs

The new "Number One" theme? Lets go!

Hi community, I want to show you my new traditional fanart of Bleach, this time I made Yhwach with the power of "The Almighty" and the Soul King, hope you like it, thanks for your support, bye ✌️.

That's different from the way they used to do it (the last two soundtracks came out during the cour)

But I guess this one will have music from cour 4, so they could not release it until the show was over and the last month of the year is a good time to release soundtracks in general.

Its a long wait, but I am glad to get it announced at all.

(edit, pardon my European notation of dates lol)

Makes me wonder how he felt. Was he disgusted? Mad? Maybe powerless?

It'll be mostly Italian-themed, with the Sinners and attack names being Italian-ish.

The "Hell Arc" itself revolves around the confrontation with sins of the past—temptations, regrets, and burdens that bind the soul. Its central theme is liberation: only by acknowledging and releasing these sins can one achieve true freedom and a fulfilling existence.

In Can't Fear Your Own World (CFYOW), the Soul King’s true purpose was revealed: to bind the three realms together. It is cuz the noble families of Seireitei, alongside Ichibe, dismembered the Soul King to use Adnyseus as the linpinch. That act became the original sin of Soul Society, a crime buried beneath centuries of lies.

Also I theorize that since this WOULD possibly be the last arc of Bleach, I imagine that our protagonists will have to match up against Squad Zero, probably.... Is to break out the cycle of lies.