When it comes toBleach, there’s one arc that’s almost universally derided by fans, and that happens to be the “Fullbringer arc,” more properly referred to as the Lost Agent arc. However, this arc doesn’t deserve the degree of hate that it gets, even if it does happen to be the weakest arc inBleach.
The Lost Agent arc takes place after the conclusion of the battle against Aizen, the main villain of the manga/anime for the majority of its run. That no doubt contributed heavily to why the arc is so disliked, as Aizen was absolutely a tough act to follow. However, the Lost Agent arc made some smart choices when it came to trying to top the previous storyline, and that’s that it didn’t try at all. Instead, the Lost Agent arc took a much more focused, smaller-scale approach to telling a story in theBleachuniverse, and it deserves some major credit for that.
The Lost Agent Arc is the Polar Opposite of What Came Before
The Story of Bleach Switched From World-shattering Battles to More Personal Conflicts
It would be easy to, as many manga and anime before it had, introduce a major new villain who would become the new antagonist, taking Aizen’s place, just like how Cell succeeded Frieza inDragon Ball Z. However, Tite Kubo opted to take a very different approach by focusing on certain elements of the story. Now that Aizen was defeated, what happens next? Things go back to normal, as if none of that ever happened? Of course not. Ichigo is particularly deeply affected by Aizen’s defeat, as their success in battle was contingent upon him losing his Soul Reaper powers.
After being given a taste of the fantastical, Ichigo had to go back to the mundane world, and he wasn’t happy about it, even with the support of his friends.
That situation left Ichigo in a very interesting place, emotionally speaking.Ichigo is pretty stoic as manga protagonists go, so seeing him forced to confront these new feelings of loss and helplessness was an interesting turn for the manga to take.After being given a taste of the fantastical, Ichigo had to go back to the mundane world, and he wasn’t happy about it, even with the support of his friends. It’s only natural that he would immediately jump at the chance to regain his powers, so when that opportunity is presented to him, he seizes it with gusto.
The Lost Agent arc spends a lot of time explaining the new power system that is Fullbring, as well as introducing the new characters, members ofa group known as Xcution. It also revealed that Fullbring was the name of the power that Chad had been utilizing throughout the entire series, showing that this wasn’t as disconnected from what came before as it appeared at first glance. As Xcution’s plan is revealed, this turns out to be a far more personal conflict than that between Ichigo and Aizen, and the idea to cast Ginjo as a former Substitute Soul Reaper, like Ichigo, was a fascinating one.
The Fullbringers Showed a New Side of Bleach’s World
The Arc Explored the Human World, a First for the Series
While the beginning ofBleachtakes place firmly in the World of the Living, it doesn’t take long before Ichigo and friends are off in the Soul Society, trying to rescue Rukia. They go almost immediately from there to trying to rescue Orihime in Hueco Mundo, and very little time is spent in the world of the living… up until the Lost Agent arc, of course.The arc revealed that even the World of the Living had powerful, spiritually-aware characters running around, and that their activities could be just as interesting as the events going on in the Soul Society.
The tone and feel of the series did change significantly as a result of this relocation of the plot, which may be a big part of what some fans don’t like about the arc. Ichigo is a different sort of protagonist through this arc than he has been, exploring a new side of the hero as well.The fullbringer villain, Tsukishima, possessed a unique power to implant himself in the memories of others, allowing him (and, as later revealed, Ginjo) to manipulate Ichigo’s friends and allies and turn them against him. The arc’s (relatively) short length also worked in its favor, acting as a breather beforeThousand-Year Blood Warkicked off.
Thousand-Year Blood War Needed a Buffer With Aizen
The Series Benefits From Having an Arc Between Aizen and Yhwach
That “breather” element is extremely crucial. The Hueco Mundo/Arrancar/Aizen storyline lasted for nearly a decade, and by the time it ended, fans were exhausted. The ending of that saga was quite dragged out, and many couldn’t wait for it to finish. In some ways, it’s no surprise that the end of that arc led to many fans dropping the manga, as it felt like it could’ve easily been the end ofBleachaltogether. However, Kubo had more story that he wanted to tell.Diving straight into the massive Thousand-Year Blood War arc would’ve been a mistake, though, so along came the Lost Agent arc.
Essentially, fans ofBleachneeded a chance to relax and let the tension that had been building around Aizen for years subside. Following up that decade-long storyline with a shorter, smaller-scale, and more personal arc was the perfect move, as it let fans see just how much Ichigo had grown over the years, and how much he still wanted to be a part of that world, even after Aizen’s defeat. Ichigo’s struggle to regain his powers and become “useful” once again made for a compelling character arc for him, and set the stage for his grand return against the Quincy perfectly.
None of this is to say thatthe fullbringers' arc is perfect; it radically misuses Chad, for example, and perhaps spends too much time on characters who won’t be particularly relevant moving into the final arc. Still, though, the Lost Agent arc definitely has its redeeming qualities, and at the very least, it acts as a way to let the tension release and build up again between the two big villains of Aizen and Yhwach. The Lost Agent arc may never be seen asBleach’s best, but it does deserve more respect than it gets.
