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Bleach: Omnibus #5
Bleach (3-in-1 Edition), Vol. 5: Includes vols. 13, 14 & 15
The Undead
Ichigo may have thought getting into the Soul Society was hard, but it did nothing to prepare him and his friends for the reality of the Seireitei! Now the rescuers are all split up, forced to take on battle-hardened Soul Reapers without backup. Can Ichigo train hard enough and fast enough to take down Rukia’s jailer before it’s too late?!
Ichigo may have thought getting into the Soul Society was hard, but it did nothing to prepare him and his friends for the reality of the Seireitei! Now the rescuers are all split up, forced to take on battle-hardened Soul Reapers without backup. Can Ichigo train hard enough and fast enough to take down Rukia’s jailer before it’s too late?!
576 pages, Paperback
First published May 7, 2013
7 people are currently reading
226 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews
November 12, 2021
I have decided I don't like the Soul Society arc. When I was in the Substitute Soul Reaper arc, I was excited for each new volume, and upset if I didn't get to read any on a given day. I actively passed up the chance to read from the middle of Soul Society arc several times in a row. I feel like the people that love Soul Society arc love it because of the anime, not the manga, and that makes sense, because it's incredibly action heavy, and you have the obviously more kinetic medium making better use of that, it can set the scene better with a score, and they ability to control how fast you experience the action makes the flash backs sit better. In the manga...it's something of a mess. And because it's mostly action, and you can really blaze through it, the power creep feels intense. Back in the living world they're still in Summer vacation, meanwhile Ichigo is already on his second training arc. Also, Kubo does a great job of making the Soul Society feel like a society, but he's just throwing way too many characters at us, so many of which are one-note, and so few get any depth. Right now, this is just a shonen battle manga. It's a pretty solid one, but that's all. I really hope it elevates itself again soon.
June 20, 2013
I felt so much nostalgia reading this. I forgot how much I loved Hanataro, and Ishida and Orihime's amusing double act. This edition also includes important battles, a look at Yoruichi's true form for the first time, and a lot of important bits of backstory on Soul Reaper characters we'll see a lot of in the future.
May 9, 2024
This is a weird thing to say, but this omnibus is very important for porn. One of the first doujin I can recall reading, when I was twelve or thirteen, was about Yoruichi teaching Ichigo how to unlock Bankai through sex. Or it was normal Bankai training but they had sex in the hot spring. I don't actually remember.
Artists Tony and Raita, coincidentally both responsible for the art of different Sega RPG series, have books featuring girls introduced in the Soul Society Arc. The importance of this volume is one of the dudes had Nemu illustrations, and Nemu was introduced here rather than the previous omnibus which introduced Nanao and Momo who feature in the works as well. I don't quite remember who all is in whose book, even though I looked it up recently. The significance is I'm quite sure I own physical copies of the books but all my H is scattered among different boxes and I'm too lazy to dig things up. It's maybe important to note I purchased these for the sake of the art itself; especially the Raita book was purchased alongside non-H books of Fate/ series illustrations. Looking into it again (via ExH), Raita's book features Nemu, Nanao, and Rangiku as hookers, then a story of Momo with Aizen. The Tony one is hilarious, and I think maybe I hadn't read it before because I feel like I would have remembered this: Mayuri creating a dildo modeled after his Bankai to stimulate Nemu, who cries out "Quincy-sama!," and is soon rescued by Uryu. The first several pages are color illustrations of other girls, Nemu included, but missing Nanao. Soi Fon features alongside Yoruichi, which means it may better fit the next omnibus, but the connection to the Uryu-Mayuri fight is notable here.
Anyway, to review this actual manga:
I feel like Studio Pierrot must have goofed a lot in its anime adaptation, as I'm sure is their wont (see also: the massive amount of filler in Naruto). A lot of the fights so far have felt faster than I remembered, but I mostly remember the anime rather than the manga. A major chunk of this omnibus is Uryu's fight against Captain Kurotsuchi, including our first on-page depiction of a Bankai. In my memory, the giant caterpillar baby monster thrashed around a lot more, rather than get one-shot by Super Uryu. I also could have sworn we saw Senbonzakura in Bankai before this, but I guess I'm just thinking of... wait, I looked up the technique I was thinking of, and it's Kageyoshi, which is part of his Bankai. So... Huh. I guess that's in the Renji battle. Well, I'm trying to remember anime I watched like sixteen or seventeen years ago, so whatever.
I'm going a bit out of order here. Probably should have mentioned the Zaraki battle which opens this volume, and is the first Captain battle of real significance (since Chad jobbed to Kyoraku). This battle is notable for the Tenshinhan-esque way Zaraki is moved to Ichigo's side through the joy of battle... kind of. Kenpachi is characterized in such a way that we can imagine he was always about fighting strong dudes, whereas Tenshinhan in Dragon Ball considered himself to be an evil assassin before Jackie Chun and Son Goku showed him the beauty of fighting-in-itself. Zaraki is probably more like Son Goku in his later life, honestly. There's probably an obvious Saint Seiya influence I'm missing for being behind in that manga, and knowing Kubo worshipped Kurumada. But whatever. Anyway, one of the most HYPE moments in this omnibus is Zaraki and his boys hanging out with Orihime at the end of Volume 15, having basically allied themselves with Ichigo.
I can see how people may take issue with the pacing of this manga, but I don't mind it, and also don't care. What I mean is, Ichigo starts losing to Zaraki until he decides to push himself more and magically becomes strong enough. Later, he enters training to unlock Bankai in three days, and while he hasn't unlocked it by the end of this omnibus we have no reason to expect it won't happen. He will definitely become as strong as he needs to be to go toe-to-toe with Byakuya (I keep swapping between using people's family names and given names, but it would be weird to refer to Byakuya as "Kuchiki" when he shares the name with Rukia...). We can imagine Ichigo will still struggle in battle until he decides to push himself again (which is exactly what will happen btw). But the point of Bleach is, quite boldly, cool character designs and fights. Narrative is a lesser concern for Kubo. As it should be. Or, as it needn't not be. People judge shōnen battle manga for the strength of their storytelling, but... mate, it's comic books for twelve-year-olds. And if you're consuming Art for the sake of "plot," you have other problems you need to work on - such as lacking a Soul to understand the Sublime.
Artists Tony and Raita, coincidentally both responsible for the art of different Sega RPG series, have books featuring girls introduced in the Soul Society Arc. The importance of this volume is one of the dudes had Nemu illustrations, and Nemu was introduced here rather than the previous omnibus which introduced Nanao and Momo who feature in the works as well. I don't quite remember who all is in whose book, even though I looked it up recently. The significance is I'm quite sure I own physical copies of the books but all my H is scattered among different boxes and I'm too lazy to dig things up. It's maybe important to note I purchased these for the sake of the art itself; especially the Raita book was purchased alongside non-H books of Fate/ series illustrations. Looking into it again (via ExH), Raita's book features Nemu, Nanao, and Rangiku as hookers, then a story of Momo with Aizen. The Tony one is hilarious, and I think maybe I hadn't read it before because I feel like I would have remembered this: Mayuri creating a dildo modeled after his Bankai to stimulate Nemu, who cries out "Quincy-sama!," and is soon rescued by Uryu. The first several pages are color illustrations of other girls, Nemu included, but missing Nanao. Soi Fon features alongside Yoruichi, which means it may better fit the next omnibus, but the connection to the Uryu-Mayuri fight is notable here.
Anyway, to review this actual manga:
I feel like Studio Pierrot must have goofed a lot in its anime adaptation, as I'm sure is their wont (see also: the massive amount of filler in Naruto). A lot of the fights so far have felt faster than I remembered, but I mostly remember the anime rather than the manga. A major chunk of this omnibus is Uryu's fight against Captain Kurotsuchi, including our first on-page depiction of a Bankai. In my memory, the giant caterpillar baby monster thrashed around a lot more, rather than get one-shot by Super Uryu. I also could have sworn we saw Senbonzakura in Bankai before this, but I guess I'm just thinking of... wait, I looked up the technique I was thinking of, and it's Kageyoshi, which is part of his Bankai. So... Huh. I guess that's in the Renji battle. Well, I'm trying to remember anime I watched like sixteen or seventeen years ago, so whatever.
I'm going a bit out of order here. Probably should have mentioned the Zaraki battle which opens this volume, and is the first Captain battle of real significance (since Chad jobbed to Kyoraku). This battle is notable for the Tenshinhan-esque way Zaraki is moved to Ichigo's side through the joy of battle... kind of. Kenpachi is characterized in such a way that we can imagine he was always about fighting strong dudes, whereas Tenshinhan in Dragon Ball considered himself to be an evil assassin before Jackie Chun and Son Goku showed him the beauty of fighting-in-itself. Zaraki is probably more like Son Goku in his later life, honestly. There's probably an obvious Saint Seiya influence I'm missing for being behind in that manga, and knowing Kubo worshipped Kurumada. But whatever. Anyway, one of the most HYPE moments in this omnibus is Zaraki and his boys hanging out with Orihime at the end of Volume 15, having basically allied themselves with Ichigo.
I can see how people may take issue with the pacing of this manga, but I don't mind it, and also don't care. What I mean is, Ichigo starts losing to Zaraki until he decides to push himself more and magically becomes strong enough. Later, he enters training to unlock Bankai in three days, and while he hasn't unlocked it by the end of this omnibus we have no reason to expect it won't happen. He will definitely become as strong as he needs to be to go toe-to-toe with Byakuya (I keep swapping between using people's family names and given names, but it would be weird to refer to Byakuya as "Kuchiki" when he shares the name with Rukia...). We can imagine Ichigo will still struggle in battle until he decides to push himself again (which is exactly what will happen btw). But the point of Bleach is, quite boldly, cool character designs and fights. Narrative is a lesser concern for Kubo. As it should be. Or, as it needn't not be. People judge shōnen battle manga for the strength of their storytelling, but... mate, it's comic books for twelve-year-olds. And if you're consuming Art for the sake of "plot," you have other problems you need to work on - such as lacking a Soul to understand the Sublime.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 25, 2018
That fight with Kenpachi was amazing; great action with a very interesting character, hope we see more of him. I loved how we keep learning more and more about this huge cast of characters the series has just been filled with. The series really oponed itself up to greatness with this soul society arc. They might be villains but they serve greatly as oppositions to our heroes. I am quite intrigued with the Aizen murder since it is the more important plot line at the end of the day, I feel like it will showcase the real villains. Although I love Ichigo and the squad the captains and their assistants are stealing all the scenes they are in. The captain of company 12th (research) creeps me out a lot, how is that considered a hero. Maybe I’m naive to think soul reapers are supposed to be good guys. The concept of Bankai will also open up the door for more incredible battled that will make characters be even more interesting and distinguishable from each other. Does Gin have eyes or just lines the whole time, could not scream “I am a villain!” louder. It seems like we will be learning more about the new characters in the following volume which I am excited about since they are the most interesting thing to me at the moment.
May 18, 2025
STRANGE ALLIANCES AND DARK PLOTS MAKE FOR AN ENGAGING INSTALLMENT!
By this point, I believe that it’s safe to say Bleach has well and truly found its footing. We have our central cast as well as the Gotei 13, and conflict abounds all throughout the Seireitei. The 5th 3-in-1 Omnibus brings with it a wealth of revelations, world building via expansion of the magic system(s), and intrigue as the mystery of Aizen’s fate remains up in the air.
All of that, alongside some extremely memorable action sequences - specifically, Ichigo vs. Kenpachi and Ishida vs. Kurotsuchi. (Side note: to this day, I don’t like Kurotsuchi. But as he’s not necessarily written to be likable, I just deal with it.)
More than that, we also have Yoruichi’s true form revealed; a little of her history along with Urahara’s, and the stunning and bizarre twist as Momo seems to turn on Hitsugaya.
I would say without a doubt that this is prime Bleach. Intense, twisty, action-packed and full of a vibrant cast of amazing characters. The best remains ahead, but it IS coming quickly now and I’m beyond excited to re-experience one of my favorite moments in fiction, very soon…
That said, I already own the next volume so full speed ahead!
By this point, I believe that it’s safe to say Bleach has well and truly found its footing. We have our central cast as well as the Gotei 13, and conflict abounds all throughout the Seireitei. The 5th 3-in-1 Omnibus brings with it a wealth of revelations, world building via expansion of the magic system(s), and intrigue as the mystery of Aizen’s fate remains up in the air.
All of that, alongside some extremely memorable action sequences - specifically, Ichigo vs. Kenpachi and Ishida vs. Kurotsuchi. (Side note: to this day, I don’t like Kurotsuchi. But as he’s not necessarily written to be likable, I just deal with it.)
More than that, we also have Yoruichi’s true form revealed; a little of her history along with Urahara’s, and the stunning and bizarre twist as Momo seems to turn on Hitsugaya.
I would say without a doubt that this is prime Bleach. Intense, twisty, action-packed and full of a vibrant cast of amazing characters. The best remains ahead, but it IS coming quickly now and I’m beyond excited to re-experience one of my favorite moments in fiction, very soon…
That said, I already own the next volume so full speed ahead!
June 12, 2023
Two Yamada Hanatarou rants incoming:
1) HANATAROU'S ROLE IN THE STORY:
I know Yamada Hanatarou gets a lot of flack for being useless (from fans and from the shinigami outside of his own company) but his part in the Soul Society arc is SO important because he’s overlooked. Because he’s powerless (virtually, anyhow; his company is known for being so weak that they’re a relief team instead of a combat unit, and he’s not high up in the ranks in his own company either; he gets sent to do cleaning and such tasks). Because people don’t think he’s important. Hanatarou’s part in this arc is one of the crucial points in the story. Rukia treats him gently, Rukia’s friends show him mercy, and because these acts of unasked-for, unconditionally offered kindness move him in the competitive, eye-for-an-eye world of Seireitei, he decides to aid their efforts to save Rukia. He’s a little cog in this giant machine, but without his movements, the whole thing would go bust.
2) HANATAROU'S BRAVERY (volunteering to fight Byakuya)
Hanatarou is TINY. He's practically a child. He doesn't have a zanpakuto. And Kuchiki Byakuya is one of the most powerful shinigami in Seireitei. The man's absolutely RUTHLESS and everyone's terrified of him. And yet!!!! This small child who cleans the prison cells and gets bullied by older stronger shinigami says I will take the ring to Mordor! (How can you not love him!!)
1) HANATAROU'S ROLE IN THE STORY:
I know Yamada Hanatarou gets a lot of flack for being useless (from fans and from the shinigami outside of his own company) but his part in the Soul Society arc is SO important because he’s overlooked. Because he’s powerless (virtually, anyhow; his company is known for being so weak that they’re a relief team instead of a combat unit, and he’s not high up in the ranks in his own company either; he gets sent to do cleaning and such tasks). Because people don’t think he’s important. Hanatarou’s part in this arc is one of the crucial points in the story. Rukia treats him gently, Rukia’s friends show him mercy, and because these acts of unasked-for, unconditionally offered kindness move him in the competitive, eye-for-an-eye world of Seireitei, he decides to aid their efforts to save Rukia. He’s a little cog in this giant machine, but without his movements, the whole thing would go bust.
2) HANATAROU'S BRAVERY (volunteering to fight Byakuya)
Hanatarou is TINY. He's practically a child. He doesn't have a zanpakuto. And Kuchiki Byakuya is one of the most powerful shinigami in Seireitei. The man's absolutely RUTHLESS and everyone's terrified of him. And yet!!!! This small child who cleans the prison cells and gets bullied by older stronger shinigami says I will take the ring to Mordor! (How can you not love him!!)
July 6, 2018
Volume 5 is picking up a whole lot of pace and the introduction of interesting captain Soul Reapers just keeps making it more interesting. Ichigo defeated Kenpachi Zaraki but wounded by Byakuya Kuchiki, only to be whisk away by Mr. Yoruichi for more training; Uryu finally reveal his secret training here on one of the most enigmatic captains only to be defeated after sustain some wounds and a back story of some of the assistant captains. For me, this keeps better and better in terms of character development but not much of a plot yet. Onwards to the next volume.
March 8, 2022
Volume 5 of Bleach 3-in-1 edition (13, 14, 15). The rescue mission to save Rukia continues and the gang finds that they have more allies than they thought. This book contains the following fights:
- Ichigo Kurosaki versus Kenpachi Zaraki
- Uryû Ishida versus Mayuri Kurotsuchi
- Ichigo Kurosaki versus Kenpachi Zaraki
- Uryû Ishida versus Mayuri Kurotsuchi
February 4, 2023
The mission to save Rukia continues. Ichigo is determined to get to Rukia no matter who stands in his way. He fights a foe Kenpachi, strong and ruthless then finds his inner strength to continue. Soul reaper arch is one of my favourites as it delves deeper into the story.
June 12, 2024
Feel like I have to give this a 5 star rating for the Uryu fight alone. I also loved seeing Ichigo train to get stronger, and the backstory at the end was interesting. I am looking forward to reading the next one
August 14, 2019
More great volumes, Love Bleach!!😻😁 Sooo many awesome characters and epic fights😻😻😁⚔️
July 31, 2020
There’s so much foreshadowing and cool battles. I have a few non-canon ships so we’ll see how the author treats them. I don’t really like the cat lady or the creepy captain.
August 6, 2020
This volume contains volumes 13, 14, 15.
Overall is solid, with some good battle scenes and some character development.
Overall is solid, with some good battle scenes and some character development.
March 4, 2021
I might be a bit overwhelmed by all the different characters, but the main plot lines are really interesting - Ichigo's especially. I also love that that we got to see more of Uryu's past.
July 28, 2022
finally Ukitake appears 💖💜
I love Renji, Momo and Kira so much and I always enjoy the SS Academy flashback scenes.
I love Renji, Momo and Kira so much and I always enjoy the SS Academy flashback scenes.
November 24, 2022
4/5: not sure we needed another training arc when it feels like we just got one
a lot of political intrigue too, nice
what's up with that mask
LET'S GO ICHIGO
a lot of political intrigue too, nice
what's up with that mask
LET'S GO ICHIGO
May 28, 2024
I really love the more mature feel to the volumes now.
Still perfectly balanced by action, plot and humor. It is actually quite breathtaking just how many sub plots, character background and depth is going on and I am here for all of it!!!
The art continues to amaze and depicts the action scenes with little confusion.
Already looking forward to vol. 6
Still perfectly balanced by action, plot and humor. It is actually quite breathtaking just how many sub plots, character background and depth is going on and I am here for all of it!!!
The art continues to amaze and depicts the action scenes with little confusion.
Already looking forward to vol. 6
August 5, 2024
kenpachi is just op and it’s so funny but badass ichigo stand his ground against him, then kenpachi just turns his monitor on and actually just opens his eyes
January 21, 2025
My library system no longer has copies of Bleach vol 13 so I had to read vol 13 in this 3-in-1 edition. For my reviews of each volume please see the single volume entries.
Good classic manga.
Good classic manga.
February 27, 2025
I don't think i ever learned what happened with Aizen the last time I read this series...so I'm interested to see how his mystery gets resolved.
July 9, 2025
Fortsatt like bra som jeg husker 🤌🤌🤌
November 16, 2013
My review contains no spoilers for this volume, however I can no longer refrain from including occasional spoilers for previous volumes.
Vol. 13: The Undead - This whole volume continues on with the epic battle between Ichigo and Kenpachi. The plot moves further ahead and a few startling revelations are made. Easily summed up but incredibly intense and leaves one panting for the next volume. (5/5)
Vol. 14: White Tower Rocks - Oh wow! Major action in this volume though not much forward movement in plot. Still the same battles between our heroes and the captains. Orihime and Uryu are back. I love Uryu!! I think he's my favourite character at the moment. Major reveal about one of the regulars and some fantastic battle action with a breathtaking ending. I'm soooo glad I'm reading these 3-in-1's!! (5/5)
Vol. 15: Beginning of the Death of Tomorrow - Intense tension continues as do the battles with the captains of the soul reapers. A good portion of the beginning involves Uryu in his epic battle, with a really nasty dude. So far I'm pretty sure they will all eventually end up being on the same side, But not this guy; he is evil!! A few more brief appearances by new characters. Ichigo has been taken away to receive special training within three days which usually takes about 10 years so that he can defeat the strongest captain they have. Book ends on a tense moment then we have a bonus chapter which goes back to the early days of the current sub-commander's days at Soul Reaper Academy. The whole soul reaper intrigue and politics is interesting though I am wanting to get back to the soul reaper's main purpose, that of fighting Hollows(I mentioned this a few volumes ago too); so I was pleased to see a huge Hollow battle in the bonus story. (4/5)
Vol. 13: The Undead - This whole volume continues on with the epic battle between Ichigo and Kenpachi. The plot moves further ahead and a few startling revelations are made. Easily summed up but incredibly intense and leaves one panting for the next volume. (5/5)
Vol. 14: White Tower Rocks - Oh wow! Major action in this volume though not much forward movement in plot. Still the same battles between our heroes and the captains. Orihime and Uryu are back. I love Uryu!! I think he's my favourite character at the moment. Major reveal about one of the regulars and some fantastic battle action with a breathtaking ending. I'm soooo glad I'm reading these 3-in-1's!! (5/5)
Vol. 15: Beginning of the Death of Tomorrow - Intense tension continues as do the battles with the captains of the soul reapers. A good portion of the beginning involves Uryu in his epic battle, with a really nasty dude. So far I'm pretty sure they will all eventually end up being on the same side, But not this guy; he is evil!! A few more brief appearances by new characters. Ichigo has been taken away to receive special training within three days which usually takes about 10 years so that he can defeat the strongest captain they have. Book ends on a tense moment then we have a bonus chapter which goes back to the early days of the current sub-commander's days at Soul Reaper Academy. The whole soul reaper intrigue and politics is interesting though I am wanting to get back to the soul reaper's main purpose, that of fighting Hollows(I mentioned this a few volumes ago too); so I was pleased to see a huge Hollow battle in the bonus story. (4/5)
November 6, 2015
Kyoraku spares Chad's life and takes him to the Fourth Company. Kenny mortally wounds Ichigo and he is forced to fight his hollow self (though he doesn't know this yet) for Zangetsu inside his mind. Ichigo rallies and combines his strength with Zangetsu to win (or perhaps tie, depends how you look at it) with Kenny. We also get to see Kenny's backstory with Yachiru. Ganju and Hanataro go up to rescue Rukia, but Ganju recognizes her as the soul reaper who slew his brother. Byakuya appears the bridge and slices up Ganju. Yoruichi rescues Ichigo, takes him to a hideout, and reveals her human form. Ichigo steals her flying tool and goes to rescue Rukia. Ukitake appears and stops Byakuya from doing anymore damage. Ichigo swoops in and challenges Byakuya and does alright, but Yoruichi stops Byakuya before he can release his zanpakuto. Renji is recovering and we get to see Zabimaru's form (which is a giant tattooed ape with a snake for a tail). Yoruichi challenges Byakuya before she flees. She will train Ichigo to releash bankai in three days and then they can fight. Rika is returned to her cell and Hanataro and Ganju are arrested. Orihime and Uryu get attacked by Kurotsuchi. I found him even more frightening/creepy in the manga than the anime, if that is even possible. Uryu is able to defeat him (he turns into sludge and slithers away) but at the expense of his Quincy powers because he takes off his archer's glove. Uryu is captured by Tosen. Yoruichi summons Zangetsu's physical form so Ichigo may fight him. Gin is confronted by Toshiro, who wants to kill Gin before he can hurt Momo further, but Mom comes and turns her sword on Toshiro. We get to see a snippet (not enough!) of their backstory. We also see Kira, Renji, Rukia, and Momo in reaper school during a flashback.
Want to read
June 13, 2013good
May 16, 2016
uh, hello?
It has Kenpachi Zaraki on the front; why wouldn't I give it five stars?! XD
No, but seriously, this one was good; lots of fighting, great pictures, lots of action.
It has Kenpachi Zaraki on the front; why wouldn't I give it five stars?! XD
No, but seriously, this one was good; lots of fighting, great pictures, lots of action.
December 31, 2016
This is in the middle of a story arc that's dragging out a bit, but hopefully the next volume will be the end of it!
November 19, 2021
Good book except I feel bad for a lot of the characters
May 26, 2022
all i remember from this was Kenpachi vs Ichigo and then I think shit just hit the fan by then i believe
Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews