Bleach Violence and Gruesomeness

[Thewanderer]

Well Bleach is Bleach, and it can't be Bleach without the random blood splatters and sword wounds here & there... but it seems to steadily be getting more gruesome and violent.

Not much was in the first arc. Random hollows getting cut up. The first bloodbath was when Ichigo was pwned by Byakuya in the real world. But then in SS, there came Mayuri with his megacreepy babyworm Bankai and how he's able to recieve gaping wounds and still talk trash. It was awesome... you don't see much of that kinda stuff in shonen.

Then the Bound that died relatively slowly, shriveling up before poofing to dust. And now the scene with Yami hitting a subordinate so hard, her head was crushed. Oh, and not to mention the random bloody swordfights and...

Spoiler for Manga:

Arroniro's true form and sword release.

I might be missing a few gruesome/violent events, but feel free to point them out.

What I'm supprised at is how much all of this don't effect some peoples' opinions about how cliche Bleach is. I think the volence and blood is one of the things that makes Bleach unique as a shonen anime.

Discuss.

[Sabaku Kyu]

It's not that violent. Fair amount of blood, but no dismemberment (of human characters), torture, or rape. Naruto has scenes of violence on par with Bleach. Gantz, HxH, and Full Metal Alchemist were also very violent at times. Claymore has scenes that border on gruesome at times but most of the violence is directed at non-human youma characters.

The manga is getting more violent though . But that's to be expected with the arrancar being focused as the main villains now. They must be depicted as more cruel than the SS captains.

Spoiler:

That scene with Yami pulling a Gallagher on the arrancar nurse's head was by far the most violent act I've seen in Bleach though. I was surprised at that. Grimm snapping Loli's leg off could also make some people squirm. Little doubt that these scenes will changed/removed for the anime.

[Vicious108]

Bleach is far from gruesome, all you see is blood fly around, you barely even see their wounds and even when you do they arent in the least bit gruesome.

After being cut up by Byakuyas Bankai, Renji was technically cut to ribbons, yet minus being covered in blood, his body looked intact.

[Thewanderer]

Well you have to admit, it's far from tame. I'm cirtainly not used to it.

I haven't seen anything that bad on Naruto, but I only watch the dub of that anyway And of course compared to anime that's made to be uber gruesome, it wouldn't look that bad.

I guess it's just the little things that I didn't expect, like the part from ep 127.

[Sabaku Kyu]

Originally Posted by Thewanderer

Well you have to admit, it's far from tame. I'm cirtainly not used to it.

I haven't seen anything that bad on Naruto, but I only watch the dub of that anyway And of course compared to anime that's made to be uber gruesome, it wouldn't look that bad.

Early Naruto was more graphic, especially the Zabuza arc

Spoiler:

In the manga, Zabuza kills Gato by decapitating him and his head is seen flying from his body. In the anime, he is thrown off the bridge I believe.

I guess it's just the little things that I didn't expect, like the part from ep 127.

Well, it's definitely not kiddy stuff. But when you've read seinen titles like Hellsing, Beserk, and Akira you realize the shounen titles could be a lot worse. Still, I was surprised too, considering the high amount of young viewers the anime probably has.

[Gypsy]

Bleach is violent/gruesome in a good way. However, if you want to see a really over the top manga, you should read Hellsing. All in all, they both match the anime that they are attributed with .

[Calico131]

Bleach isnt bloody/gruesome at all. Of all the other animes out there that are fighting/action, bleach would be on the lower end.

[Jays]

At times I'm surprised that there isn't any dismemberment. I think Yami and subsequently, Grimmjow, where the only two times that has happened, along with Myuri, but he's a freak anyways.

Bleach borders on the "wtf" at times. Like when Ichigo used a getsuga tensho on Renji in their battle in the Soul Society and Renji suffers a cut (albeit a deep one) that should have killed him, or rather cut him in half or removed his right arm. Or when Kenpachi faced off agains't Ichinose and cuts him diagonaly along his upper torsoe, that also should have killed him as it would have cut through several vital organs.

The obvious timeslot which Bleach is put on tames it, compared to the magna, however, the anime is still filled with those awsome moments. The blood itself isn't what makes it stand out, but the it's the characters themselves. I remember watching the Kenpachi vs Ichigo fight, and to me it was awsome to hear the "pain and death are only part of having fun".

[Calico131]

I think bleach has the perfect amount of violence and blood. It shows blood to prove the seriousness of a wound, but it doesnt have so much blood that it makes people want to throw up.

[Gypsy]

...okay, gruesome was the wrong word. Ill agree with you that the violence and blood is just right ( in the manga) . In the anime it seems to get cut back or just skipped in general. Either way I like it the way it is.

[Zu Ra]

Violence and Gruesomeness in Bleach has relatively been toned down due to it popularity in season 2 . First it was destruction of Chad's Arm , then came Ulqi reporting to Aizen and finally Yami

IMO most likely this trend of censorship will continue. : ( So I said

Originally Posted by Geta Boshi

Thanks to Bleach I hate kids .. all due to Bleach .

[ipernorris]

We can all switch to this anime, it's kid's safe:

[Aadi]

Censorship has very little to do with kids...if you want to hate someone, hate the self-righteous, moral imposing censors who are using kids as an excuse to control what goes on TV...I guarantee you, kids want to see more! This is just another clear cut case of the "moral minority (who claim to be a majority, but obviously are not)" controlling what the majority are allowed to see.

As I've said before, the "business decision" (having nothing to do with kids, just money) to tone Bleach down is sound because it keeps the series going...I like the series and I want more...much more.

I agree that with the onset of the Arrancar the tendencies will sway towards the violent end, and I think they'll push it as far as the censors will allow. The head splatter was a little gruesome, but when you serve evil, what else can you expect?

Overall, I've seen worse...both in Anime, and on mainstream television. I don't see a difference in the slaughter of humans or non-humans...some people seem to imply that more violence is acceptable in the slaughter of non-humans...how absurd...that's the same as accepting violence based on color, religion or sexual preference...violence is violence, either accept it or don't, but don't say it's ok because they're killing non-humans. Like it or not, violence is a natural state of human existence.

[Amirali]

Originally Posted by Sabaku Kyu

It's not that violent. Fair amount of blood, but no dismemberment (of human characters), torture, or rape. Naruto has scenes of violence on par with Bleach. Gantz, HxH, and Full Metal Alchemist were also very violent at times. Claymore has scenes that border on gruesome at times but most of the violence is directed at non-human youma characters.

The manga is getting more violent though . But that's to be expected with the arrancar being focused as the main villains now. They must be depicted as more cruel than the SS captains.

Spoiler:

That scene with Yami pulling a Gallagher on the arrancar nurse's head was by far the most violent act I've seen in Bleach though. I was surprised at that. Grimm snapping Loli's leg off could also make some people squirm. Little doubt that these scenes will changed/removed for the anime.

Hmm..........no dismemberment (of human characters), torture or rape? I'll grant you the dismemberment bit, but other than that:

Spoiler for Manga(self-mutilation?):

The part where Byakuya cut his own body up was quite disturbing. It served to show his determination, so I won't quibble with this too much.

Spoiler for Manga(torture?):

The bit where Szayel crushes one of Ishida's internal organs (his kidney, I think?) would classify as pretty vicious torture in my book.

Spoiler for Manga(rape?):

Forcibly penetrating someone to force them to give birth to you; and stealing most of their life force............that's either rape or a worse version than the real thing.

Spoiler for Manga(domination?):

Noitorra putting his finger in Orihime's mouth also made my stomach churn. Fine, the stated purpose was to shut her up, but I think the subtext is pretty clear.

I actually like gruesomeness when it gives the characters more depth, or its not gratuitous to the plot. When its there for shock purposes, or as a cheap gimmick it diminishes the impact. There are basically two questions here.

1) Is any of this objectionable or should not be shown?

2) Even if such disturbing material is ok in principle, does this new trend of "edginess" actually enhance bleach? Or are they just dragging down the story and characters? For example:

Spoiler for (manga)an espada demeaned?:

I mean, I like Szayel but his latest gross-out act is testing even my fandom.

I think its pretty clear where I lean on this, but there are probably people out there who feel that this is a plus in bleach, not a minus.

[Thewanderer]

Originally Posted by amirali1985

I think its pretty clear where I lean on this, but there are probably people out there who feel that this is a plus in bleach, not a minus.

Yeah definitely a plus. Except the edits in the anime. If they're gonna cut out the best(read: most violent) scenes, they should at least keep them in the DVD versions.

Or do they put that content in the DVD versions after all? I don't know, I haven't seen them yet.

[WONDERMIKE]

well, for blood/wounds: iirc shinigami bodies are based on ectoplasm/reishi or something like that, so they could cut their "common carotid artery"(translated by software, hope you know what i mean) and walk through soul society all day long without dieing.. it looks funny/strange but its ok according to bleach logic in bleach universe

for violence that "hit me":

yammy hitting orihime/sado.. i could nearly feel their pain because it was so clear that they would suffer serious injuries and that they were absolutely no match for such an enemy(thats totally different from ichigo getting pwnd by grimmjaw for example, we all know that ichi can take it so its "no big deal")

yammy killing the arrancar medic was unnecessary.. i mean, yammy is a pointless character, so why did kubo "waste" such a disgusting scene on him? this scene would be ok with another espada(

Spoiler for manga:

noitra, it would underline his chauvinism?

)

ichigos hand impaled by grimmjaws zanpaktou - that really shocked me when i saw it first, but it was kind of "lol?" in the anime because ichigos reaction was unexpected. I thought he would scream in pain -> that would result in goosebumps, but due to his reaction it was like nothing, abstract and not really touching

kind of weird was that bounto kid duo at the hospital, it was the first time we saw a bounto die and it was a bit irritating to see "kids" turn to dust, although they were much older

Spoiler for szayel...:

i will wait with my judgement until his scenes are animated, BUT i doubt there is someone with more potential to do cruel/disgusting/irritating/violent/... things

after all i don't have a problem with blood, it's less shocking/disturbing than dismemberment like in Elfen Lied or Claymore(claire robbing around, lieing in her blood and reaching for her limbs to reattach them, wuuuuhhh)

[Pyrokinetic]

If you want to watch an anime of mainly bloody/gruesome and shocking scenes, i would recommend berserk, claymore, hellsing and elfen lied however bleach is balanced out and its not as it is in the manga so far there hasn't been a scene that made me feel yikes! woahh!! WTF! etc still i would prefer if i would see more of that in bleach. i want more chopping and slashing and smashing and blood flowing around everywhere . i kinda think bleach is getting less gruesome/bloody then it was coz now there bit when they show less blood and sometimes it dnt even look like blood :/ i hate it when i see ichigo getting battered and not enough blood in it etc to match it still bleach is not as violent and gruesome as i want it to be.

[Sabaku Kyu]

Originally Posted by amirali1985

Hmm..........no dismemberment (of human characters), torture or rape? I'll grant you the dismemberment bit, but other than that:

If you check the date of that post, you'll see that none of the stuff you're talking about had yet happened. And I admitted that the story was likely to get darker due to the new arc being set in HM.

Still I don't think even the things you are mentioning are that bad.

Spoiler:

-Byakuya's cuts to himself were quick with not much blood shown and the reason why he had to do that were obvious. Since there was no masochism involved at all, and Bya didn't even react to the cuts, I don't consider that violence disturbing

- Syzael crushing Ishida's organs was sadistic, but not graphic. Really, the whole way the torture was carried out--crushing pills that come from cute little dolls-- made it a little too cartoony to be taken all that seriously. Aside from Ishida coughing up the blood, there's nothing really violent about that.

- I admit, there are definitely sexual undertones in Syzael's powers, which are creepy, but they are just that--undertones and innuendo. If you think there was actually anything sexual about Nemu's "pregnancy" you are mistaken. That would never get by censors. What Syzael did was simply implant himself inside Nemu and called it impregnation. But there was nothing involving Nemu's actual reproductive parts, thus no rape. Syzael's acts are suggestive but not actually anything adult.

- Noitora putting his fingers in Orihime's mouth only has subtext if you have been exposed to the material that would make you associate that act with anything sexual. Maybe Kubo was making a reference, but that would go right over the head of young readers.

I actually like gruesomeness when it gives the characters more depth, or its not gratuitous to the plot. When its there for shock purposes, or as a cheap gimmick it diminishes the impact. There are basically two questions here.

1) Is any of this objectionable or should not be shown?

2) Even if such disturbing material is ok in principle, does this new trend of "edginess" actually enhance bleach? Or are they just dragging down the story and characters? For example:

Spoiler for (manga)an espada demeaned?:

I mean, I like Szayel but his latest gross-out act is testing even my fandom.

I think its pretty clear where I lean on this, but there are probably people out there who feel that this is a plus in bleach, not a minus.

I agree that there is a line, but Bleach hasn't crossed it yet IMO. Honestly, I still have yet to see anything that disturbed me as much as Mayuri blowing up his own men.

[Amirali]

Originally Posted by wondermike

after all i don't have a problem with blood, it's less shocking/disturbing than dismemberment like in Elfen Lied or Claymore(claire robbing around, lieing in her blood and reaching for her limbs to reattach them, wuuuuhhh)

Originally Posted by Pyrokinetic

/ i hate it when i see ichigo getting battered and not enough blood in it etc to match it still bleach is not as violent and gruesome as i want it to be.

@Pyrokinetic and wondermike : I agree with you guys that blood is fine in Bleach. My only problem is that they show it so often now, and its so poorly animated that it doesn't mean anything anymore. Having too much violence leaves the same impression as none at all; nothing stands out in the mind. By contrast, in the classic fight between Byakuya and Ichigo, Byakuya only cut Ichigo 3 times in their whole fight and it was a major "gasp" moment each time. Now, the first spray of blood from the chest just means that a fight is getting warmed up. I'm not annoyed at over does of violence for puritanical reasons; I just think it becomes pointless when overdone.

Originally Posted by Sabaku Kyu

If you check the date of that post, you'll see that none of the stuff you're talking about had yet happened. And I admitted that the story was likely to get darker due to the new arc being set in HM.

I didn't mean to suggest your post was inaccurate.........just that the information in it was no longer up to date. I had no intention of criticizing you, I just thought your post was a good starting point from where I could argue things have gone downhill since that time (as I saw that you predicted they would). In fact, you were almost prophetic :P.

Spoiler for manga:

- I admit, there are definitely sexual undertones in Syzael's powers, which are creepy, but they are just that--undertones and innuendo. If you think there was actually anything sexual about Nemu's "pregnancy" you are mistaken. That would never get by censors. What Syzael did was simply implant himself inside Nemu and called it impregnation. But there was nothing involving Nemu's actual reproductive parts, thus no rape. Syzael's acts are suggestive but not actually anything adult.

Spoiler for manga:

Just because its not explicitly adult or involve penetration doesn't make it any less gross, over the top, and repulsive. He placed the egg in her "womb"; he spoke through her umblical cord.......its not just bursting out of someone's chest in an asexual manner.That's all fine if its in the name of a good story........but what exactly does this accomplish to progress either the story, or tell us something about a character we didn't already know, or even just provide an entertaining fight??

Originally Posted by Sabaku Kyu

Spoiler for manga:

- Noitora putting his fingers in Orihime's mouth only has subtext if you have been exposed to the material that would make you associate that act with anything sexual. Maybe Kubo was making a reference, but that would go right over the head of young readers.

Spoiler for manga:

I don't make the distinction between kid suitable and adult suitable (that's what censor boards and rating systems are for)......what I'm looking at is whether the violence/gross element makes for a good story or not.

Some of the stuff with Szayel is beyond good taste or character building. It doesn't make people hate him in a way"I'll buy the next chapter to see him get owned", but instead it makes people think "why am I still paing money to watch this freak fight".
As far as Noitorra putting his fingers in Orihime's mouth; I think his own chauvinist character suggest there's a subtext there in that degrading action. I'm not sure if you're implying I'm interpreting something that isn't strongly hinted at here :S.Fine, the kiddies won't get the references, but its still off-putting and pointless from my POV.

Originally Posted by Sabaku Kyu

Spoiler for manga:

-Byakuya's cuts to himself were quick with not much blood shown and the reason why he had to do that were obvious. Since there was no masochism involved at all, and Bya didn't even react to the cuts, I don't consider that violence disturbing.

Spoiler for manga:

I concede about Byakuya's self-mutilation. He had to do it, so that was the most acceptable of the recent events.

Originally Posted by Sabaku Kyu

I agree that there is a line, but Bleach hasn't crossed it yet IMO. Honestly, I still have yet to see anything that disturbed me as much as Mayuri blowing up his own men.

I agree with you that bleach hasn't come near to crossing the line where I say this is too disturbing or immoral. It has crossed the point however, where I see such antics as just being thrown in for being "cool", instead of compelling violence (a "compelling" violent scene for example, would be Byakuya impaling Ichigo's foot with his sword all those eps ago). On the other hand, pointless or overthetop violence may be meant to make me "hate" the character more or feel that the fight is intense, but it just makes me think of

Spoiler for manga:

Noitorra and Szayel as stupid circus freaks who step on little kids and/or eat arrancar. It trivializes the story for the adrenaline-rush and next omg sick event.

Less graphic or sexually suggestive tools can be more effective in showing how evil a character is. For example, Mayuri blowing his own men up, as you recall, doesn't make me roll my eyes or barf at how cheesy it is.........its actually scary. I don't represent the morality police here, but I just say that if there's going to be sly sexual innuendo or shock violence, it should be for the sake of a good story, and not just for a visual pop. There are still plenty of nice moments in the manga between the silliness; we all know Kubo doesn't need to resort to such tactics.

[Arthas1011]

Good thing that there is no rape in this anime.... can't stomach it at all