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Warning: Contains spoilers for Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War part 3, episode #10.Bleachhas had a wide assortment of villains over the years, but few are as notorious as Mayuri Kurotsuchi. Despite being on the heroes’ side, Mayuri has been characterized as a sociopath who finds joy in making others suffer from his very debut, and even his daughter, Nemu, hasn’t been immune from this, as Mayuri’s first fight saw her constantly suffering physical and verbal abuse from him at every turn.
Mayuri’s horrific actions have made people see him as an even bigger villain thanBleach’s main antagonists, but that no longer seems to be the case.Mayuri’s fight with Pernida inThousand-Year Blood Warhas done a lot to put Mayuri in the spotlight and recontextualize his character, and as of part 3, episode #10,Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood Warhas officially redeemed Mayuri to depict him as objectively being a heroic figure. How well that worked might still be up for debate, but with how much work has been put into it, it’s hard to deny its effectiveness.
Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War Completely Changes How We See Mayuri
How Bleach Made Its Biggest Villain A Hero
Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood Warpart 3, episode #10 was framed largely around Mayuri and Nemu’s relationship, and it was far more positive than one would think. Not only was Mayuri’s verbal abuse framed as Mayuri wanting to protect Nemu, but a flashback to Nemu’s childhood revealed that Mayuri has always been proud of Nemu, as she’s the pinnacle of his research into creating artificial souls.Mayuri, despite his past actions, was revealed to have always cared about Nemu, and even his original abuse of her can be recontextualized as an exaggeration of his inability to show that.
There’s an argument that Mayuri only cares about Nemu because of his research, but even that is quickly refuted. Not only was Mayuri visibly distraught over Nemu’s death to the point that he hallucinated Szayelaporro Granz taunting him, but as Mayuri lost consciousness and slipped into a healing chamber, the last thing he saw was Nemu’s spirit comforting him while he clutched her brain.The ending toBleach: Thousand-Year Blood Warpart 3, episode #10 makes it clear that Mayuri values Nemu as a person and not just an object, and that completely changes how people should see their relationship.
Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood Wardoes a great job of developing Mayuri’s relationships with the larger cast, as well. While even Mayuri’s fellow Soul Reapers used to hate him, after the fight with Pernida, Mayuri is repeatedly thanked for everything he’s done, with even Mayuri remarking how strange it was for so many people to be thanking him.Other characters showing gratitude for Mayuri’s actions as opposed to resentment emphasizes howBleach: Thousand-Year Blood Warwants Mayuri to be seen as a hero, and when added to his interactions with Nemu, it’s hard to see things in any other way.
Bleach Laid The Groundwork For Mayuri’s Redemption Years Ago
Was Mayuri Ever Supposed To Be A Villain In Bleach?
Mayuri’s final fight inBleach: Thousand-Year Blood Warofficially redeems his character, but the groundwork for his redemption was already laid out years ago. When Mayuri appeared in the Hueco Mundo arc, he was still a sadistic sociopath, but it was either directed solely at Szayelaporro or played for laughs, something that would be maintained in his future appearances in the story. Add in how the fight with Szayelaporro also hinted at Mayuri caring about Nemu more than he let on, andBleachwas setting up Mayuri’s redemption years beforeBleach: Thousand-Year Blood Warmade it official.
The biggest sign of Mayuri’s early redemption, however, came from his interactions with Uryu. Originally, Uryu despised Mayuri for his abuse of Nemu and how Mayuri was responsible for the death of Uryu’s grandfather, Soken, and while Uryu still didn’t like having Mayuri around in the Hueco Mundo arc, none of the intense hatred Uryu had in their first fight was retained, and it was barely even referenced.Bleachdropping the animosity between Uryu and Mayuri was a major hint that Mayuri was on the path to redemption, and as ofThousand-Year Blood War, that’s finally born fruit.
Bleach Needed To Make Mayuri A Hero To Make Its Story Work
How Mayuri’s Change In Character Saved Bleach
When the Soul Reapers were first properly introduced in theSoul Society arc, not only were they ready to kill Rukia for something that wasn’t her fault and ultimately helped countless people, but they were also enforcing a brutal class system between the impoverished Rukongai and the wealthy Seireitei, the latter of which encompassed most of their ranks.The Soul Reapers were very much painted as villains when they first appeared inBleach, so it made sense that they would have someone as terrible as Mayuri in their ranks.
Mayuri being a Soul Reaper made sense with how the organization was originally characterized, but the problem is that the story didn’t stick with that. As soon as the Soul Society arc ended, the Soul Reapers became the heroes of the story, and that made it hard to justify someone like Mayuri being in their ranks. Mayuri was also too important to be killed off, soBleachneeded to redeem Mayuri’s character for it to be believable that the Soul Reapers were heroes, a choice that, based on how wellBleach’s story has progressed, was ultimately for the best.
Why Mayuri Is So Much Better As An Anti-Hero Than A Villain In Bleach
Why Mayuri’s Redemption Works In Bleach
Mayuri’s latest fight officially confirms his status as an anti-hero at worst inBleach, and he’s a much better character for it. Even withBleachtoning down Mayuri’s villainy, he’s still an unabashed sadist, but now that it’s played for laughs, every scene of him torturing someone or acting high and mighty is a great source of comedy, especially when one of the villains is the victim of his antics.Mayuri’s shift from sadistic villain to goofy, anti-hero mad scientist made him one of the funniest characters, and just how big a turnaround that is makes it even better.
Mayuri could have been very one-note as a villain, but making him a more heroic figure has given him more depth through his contrast with bigger villains and how it allowed his relationships with Nemu and other characters to evolve, and as such,Mayuri’s more heroic characterization in the later parts ofBleachhas made him one of its most interesting and developed characters, by far. As odd as the shift in Mayuri’s character is, it was ultimately the right decision for the story, and it will be great to see what elseBleach: Thousand-Year Blood Wardoes with it.
Bleach: Thousand Year Blood War
Cast
Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War is a sequel series to the popular anime from creator Tite Kubo. This anime follows Ichigo and his friends as they investigate why people are disappearing while trouble arises in the Soul Society. The first season was released in 2022 and has been critically acclaimed since its beginning.
