The second cour of Bleach: Thousand Year Blood War is out, and fans have received yet another banging episode. The last time we logged in, the Soul Society was in chaos as the Bankai of the Gotei 13 were stolen, and they were left vulnerable.
In episode 15, the plot continues as Yhwach orders the Sternritters to finish what they began and annihilate everything in their paths. The Quincies had successfully predicted that the captains would fight them despite lacking their Bankais.
When the Sternritters reached Soul Society, their theory was proven true, and every captain was ready to slay the enemies despite their weakened state.
The battle seemed to favor the captains for a bleak moment as Soi Fon and Hitsugaya seemed to be winning, but the tables were turned on them very soon.
On top of the disastrous ending, a credit scene after the ending theme song piqued the curiosity of Bleach fans even more.
As Ichigo proceeded to the palace to train as directed by Ichibei, he could feel the increasing pressure on his body. Forcing him to drag his feet. All the while, Ichibe was reciting creepy poetry, ending it with-
“If you don’t enter there, there’s no way out. Those who will die regardless call it ‘Irazudando’.”
Ichigo is training in the Soul King Palace above Seireitei. Ichibei informed him that if he wanted to become more than a Soul Reaper, he would have to reach a strange place denoted by Irazusando. So what exactly does the word mean? Read on to learn more about it.
What Is Irazusando?
So what is this “Unapproachable Path”? If we were to divide the word, it means “the road to the shrine of no entry.” Wherever Ichigo is being sent, he will not have an easy time figuring things out.
The poem recited by Ichibei also mentions, “Those who are unworthy to be a vessel succumb to its weight as it turns to stone.” It might indicate the heavy pressure that Ichigo feels as he keeps progressing on the path.
If Ichigo can’t recover from the heaviness, then he will break apart, and “for such a vessel, there is no way out.” “But if one does not enter, there is no path.” this might also mean the situation Ichigo is in where only reaching the strange place holds any hope to become better.
Either Irazusando refers to the place Ichigo is in search of for training, or it’s the actual name of the shrine it is headed to, denoting that it should not be entered. Another very believable theory is that Irazusando is actually the name of the Soul King. The name of the Soul King was never revealed in the manga, and Kubo commented that it would only be unveiled in the anime.
Ichibei’s poem also fits the state of the Soul King perfectly. Reio, or the Soul King, is in a constant state of omniscience. He is a God-like entity who is tied to the Soul Society, the human world, as well as the Hueco Mundo.
The Soul King is a ‘vessel’ for whom duty has no end and ‘names wither in silence’ in eternity. As a vessel, he has ‘no way out.’
Will the anime really reveal the Soul King and his purpose soon? Let’s hope that episode 15 clears up all the confusion among fans.
Did you catch the latest episode of Bleach: Thousand Year Blood War Arc? Tell us what you think of the anime so far in the comments below.
