Summary
The following contains spoilers forBLEACH: Thousand-Year Blood War Part 2, Episode 11, “Too Early to Win, Too Late to Know”, available onHuluandDisney+.
Things heat up in the 11th episode ofBLEACH: Thousand-Year Blood War Part 2as Yhwach and his Quincy agents finally arrive at the Soul King’s Palace (or so they thought). Accosted by the members of the Royal Guard, the Quincies appear to have their work cut out for them as it is revealed that the palace they have just arrived at is nothing more than a construction to deter the invasion of the real deal.
Filled with fluid, brutal action and granting even more insight into the true intentions of the Quincy King, this episode was a worthy set-up for the upcoming double-episode finale and the arrival of Ichigo and the gang. With its beautiful visuals of intense combat, this episode definitely raises the expectationsfor the conclusion of this cours.
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20/20
The episode begins with a glimpse at one of the most significant moments inBLEACHlore – the attempted proposal of peace between Shinigami and Quincies.The Monk Who Calls the True Name, Ichibē Hyōsube, visited Yhwach’s empire (then known as the Licht Reigen) to propose a pact of non-aggression between the Shinigami and Quincies. If Quincies agreed not to interfere with Shinigami business, the Shinigami would not interfere with Yhwach’s unification of the Quincies. Yhwach; however, felt belittled by the monk’s words, feeling them to be a deception.
He asks Hyōsube about the state of the world and who was responsible for the separation of the realms as a means to manufacture boundaries over the original oneness of the universe – a oneness he considered to be endless peace. Hyōsube answers that it was the Soul King, but Yhwach follows up by asking “Who brought the fear of death to the people?” to which Hyōsube replies with the same answer. These answers are a deception because they do not carry the whole truth about the true nature of the Soul King and how he came to be the linchpin of the three realms in the first place. With this intro scene, we come to understand Yhwach’s motivations more – because they resemble those of Aizen somewhat – a rejection of the deplorable crime that maintains the current state of the universe.
I Saw
Peace is not something that has been achieved in the universe, according to Yhwach. At the time, Yhwach had access to an ability that granted him omni-precognition; an all-knowing power that is mainfested by the extra irises that appear in his eyes, and had been able to see the truth about what the Soul King’s role truly is. With this,Yhwach could literally see through Hyosube’s liesand even his attempt to use the Left Arm of the Soul King, countering with the Right Arm.
However, Yhwach’s omniscience appears to be unable to see the future of the Soul King’s own body parts, and Hyōsube winds up using the Left Arm to seal away the Quincy King’s precognitive abilities. In the aftermath, Yhwach says he’s happy to have lost his eyes because he no longer has to see the humiliation of the Soul King, deciding that the Soul King and the state of the very world should disappear forever. Back in the present, Yhwach prepares to “forge a world of peace” as Haschwalth summons Soldat to face off against Senjumaru Shutara and masked agents known as the Blade of the Soul King, which brings us to the episode’s meat and bones.
Blast Off
One of this episode’s weaker aspects is in the time wasted on Ganju Shiba’s use as a comedic and expository device, as well as the group’s departure to the palace. While in their rocket to the palace, the group discuss Yhwach’s intentions and ponder the nature of the Soul King. Chad comes up with the possibility that Yhwach wants totake over as as a god, which is more evidence of the scene’s purpose as refresher and a means to direct fans to a conclusion. While Yoruichi knows a bit of the lore, she has no answer to Ichigo’s question about the possibility of replacing an entity like the Soul King, but he mentions the visions he saw while training up there.
This is building up to a big reveal concerning both Ichigo and Yhwach’s composition, but the moment also serves as a moment of nostalgia as Orihime points out the similarity to the time they set out to save Rukia from her execution. Thinking about Uryū working with the enemy makes Orihime solemn so Ichigo reminds her that he fully intends to drag him back with them. Overall, the entire scene could have taken up less time and felt like unnessary leading or exposition, especially considering that the conversation adds nothing we didn’t already know about the Quincy King, the situation or Uryū. However, a brief glimpse of him using blut vene in his eyes as Orihime wonders if he’ll ever go back sows a very interesting seed.
Wound Up
A number of Quincies are introduced as Yhwach’s personal Royal Guard, with the only familiar face being Askin Nakk Le Vaar, who is the only one brought to the palace from the battlefield below. The new guys include Sternritter W – The Wind, Nianzol Weizol;M – The Miracle, Gerard Valkyrie; C – The Compulsory, Pernida Parnkgjas and X – The X-Axis, Lille Barro. The turning point of the episode was when Shutara Senjumaru, who was supposedly shot dead, revealed that she and the rest of the Royal Guard had fabricated a Soul King Palace while the real one was hidden away through the power of Hyōsube’s Ichimonji. The Uryū moment mentioned earlier is important because Yhwach’s eyes don’t see as well as they once did because of Hyōsube’s actions in the past, and when Uryū appeared using blut in his eyes, he was looking intently at the sky as if he noticed something which very well may have been the true Soul King’s Palace. Uryū’s silence, in the case that he did in fact see something off, is very loud as it almost feels like he’s not really there to help out.
The best part was Nimaiya Oh-Etsu’s grand entrance with a Zanpakutō encased in jelly that he revealed to be the sharpest, smoothest blade ever crafted. When swung, the Zanpakuto known as Sayafushi would make a zooming sound reminiscent of light sabers, and Nimaiya’s ruthlessness in combat led to his downing of multiple Sternritter in the blink of an eye. The return of swift, brutal combat was welcomed this episode and with it concluding with a face-off ofthe same characters who kicked off the episode, “Too Early to Win, Too Late to Know” was very enjoyable for the most part. Hopefully, the various “Chekov’s Guns” that appear throughout the episode shall be fired in the hour-long finale that airs on September 30.
