Finally stopped skipping filler episodes after one specific arc in Bleach proved me completely wrong

I always skipped every filler episode for years until I watched the Zanpakuto Rebellion arc last month and realized the character development there actually made the canon parts hit way harder, has anyone else had a filler arc change their mind about skipping?

3 comments

3 Comments

kelly9682mo ago

Wait wait wait, hold on. You're telling me the Zanpakuto Rebellion arc actually made you look at Byakuya differently? I thought I was the only one who felt that way after that arc. Like, I went into it thinking it was gonna be some pointless side story and then boom, I'm sitting there actually caring about his relationship with his sword. The way he reacted to Senbonzakura turning on him hit me way harder than I expected. Makes me wonder how many other filler arcs I've been sleeping on.

ryanj602mo ago

Man I feel this so hard lol. I used to skip every filler episode without even thinking about it, like I was too cool for that stuff. Then my buddy made me watch the Zanpakuto Rebellion arc and I was like "okay fine but I'm not gonna pay attention" and now I can't even look at Byakuya the same way. It's embarrassing how wrong I was about the whole thing. Now I gotta go back and watch all the fillers I skipped just to see what else I missed, which is basically admitting defeat to every anime fan I ever argued with.

alicec861mo ago

@kelly968 is right about Byakuya's reaction to Senbonzakura, that scene surprised me too. But you've got the timeline a bit off though, the Zanpakuto Rebellion arc happens right after the Hueco Mundo stuff starts, not after the whole arc finishes. Byakuya's development in that filler actually sets up his later canon fights pretty well because you see him wrestling with what his sword means to him before he has to make those hard choices in the main story. Genuinely wish more filler arcs put that much thought into character work instead of just padding time.