Bleach: Shattered Blade

, is the second installment in the Bleach Nintendo Home Consoles series. The game was released in Japan on December 14, 2006 and in North America on October 9, 2007, with a European release in the 29th of February 2008 and Australia's release was on the 28th of February 2008. Although the anime outside Japan had not yet reached this point in the series, the game was a direct port of the Japanese version for American and European consumers, similar to the US release of the game.

Gameplay
Players utilize the Wii remote and Nunchuck for this game, though the player may utilize the Wii remote only, although some abilities unusable without the Nunchuck. Characters move around freely in a 3D enviroment and can move faster while holding the C button. As with traditional fighting games, the characters' health is represented by a gauge. A winner is decided when one of the gauges depletes completely. Below the health gauge is a Stamina Gauge, which determines how often the player may attack. The gauge decreases as attacks are performed. If the gauge is depleted, no more attacks can be utilized, though it automatically refills itself fairly quickly. Players attack by waving the Wiimote in various directions, which are split into three types: Slice (horizontal), Slash(vertical) and Stab (forward) Stronger attacks, known as Critical Attacks are performed by holding down the A button whilst attacking. If two Critical Attacks clash together, then a Clash occurs with a janken/paper-rock-scissors mini-game occuring. Whoever wins the most bets unleashes a special attack, and its strength differs on how many bets are won

Special attacks are performed when holding the B button while swinging the remote. Each character is assigned to three different special attacks according to slash, slice and stab. Some attacks are melee-oriented while others serve as projectiles. However, special attacks deplete more of the Stamina Gauge than normal attacks, thus reducing the risk of spamming attacks.

At the bottom of the screen is the Bankai gauge. When the gauge fills up along with the ignition of the corresponding flame, the Bankai is ready for use. The gauge can be filled up by taking and receiving damage, or it can be charged up be shaking the Nunchunk repeatedly. The Bankai is activated upon shaking it once more. Depending on the character, new abilities and attacks will be granted to the player, including a super attack. Some characters however, gain a speed increase and special attack only due to the game's development at the time, thus characters such as Grimmjow or Shuhei do not gain special abilities upon activation

A new character has been designed specifically for this game, an arrancar named. This character's appearance is similar to that of Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez', though Arturo's hair and hollow remains, which also take the form of half a jaw bone like Grimmjow's, are fairly longer. Unlike most other arrancar, Arturo was self-made. Arturo can also disguise himself as anything from Gotei 13 captains to zanpakutō spirits. He once raided Soul Society, but was sealed beneath Sōkyoku Hill by the Shinigami 2000 years prior to the start of Bleach. When the Sōkyoku was destroyed during Ichigo Kurosaki's rescue of Rukia Kuchiki, the seal placed on Arturo was broken and he was freed.

Kaien Shiba, a character from the first game, did not return in this game.

Ichigo Kurosaki
After Aizen's rebellion, Ichigo has finally recovered from his injuries and prepares to leave the Soul Society. But he learned from Yoruichi that the Senkaimon (the gate connects the Soul Society to the Real World) was decided to be closed for a hundred years to prevent Aizen and his army from entering. However she claims that the Sokyoku shards, scattered around the Soul Society, have enough spiritual power to open the Senkaimon. As he went off to search for the shards, he ran into Renji Abarai, who also seeks the shards, but to save his zanpaktou, Zabimaru. After defeating him, Ichigo decides he must take the shards by force knowing that other people are after the shards. The next three opponents are picked randomly. He ran into Kenpachi, who seeks the shards only for power and to fight Ichigo again. After he defeats the next three opponents, he encounters Byakuya Kuchiki, who announces that he will punish him for collecting the shards out of greed. But Ichigo defeated him, collected all the shards, and returns to Yoruichi, who turns out to be an imposter made a self-made arrancar named Arturo Plateado. The shards' spiritual power sent Arturo free and reveals that he tricked Ichigo into collecting the shards by creating a Yoruichi imposter and saying that the Senkaimon was sealed away and stated he gain the power of the shards. After Ichigo defeated Arturo, Arturo was misbelieved that he was defeated by a human and dies. He later was greeted by the real Yoruichi and Yamatomo, who reveals that Senkaimon will reopen in a few days, tells about Arturo, and thanks him for saving the Soul Society.

Renji Abarai
After Aizen's rebellion, Renji started getting nightmares of Zabimaru dying, though he knows it would never happen, he was horrified by his nightmare. Captain Mayuri Kurotsuchi met up with Renji, telling him that Zabimaru will reach its limit and will soon disappear, however he said he can repair him if Renji can collect all the scattered shards in the Soul Society. Renji agrees to this to revive Zabimaru and be strong enough to protect Rukia. He ran into Hanataro Yamada, whom he ask of Rukia's condition and his activities. Hanataro responds saying his Captain is taking care of her and that he was been chased by Soul Reapers ever since he found one of the shards. After Renji defeats Hanataro, he face three random opponents until he ran into Ichigo, who needs the shards to open the Senkaimon to return to the human world. He fights and defeats Ichigo and three other opponents and ran into his Captain Kuchiki who came to punish his lieutenant for collecting the shards out for greed. Renji defeated him and returns to the Department of Research and Development to find Captain Kurotsuchi. But the shards absorbed into Arturo Plateado, who reveals that he created a Mayuri Kurotsuchi imposter and that he gained the power of the shards. Renji defeats Arturo, who was misbelieved of his defeat and dies. Rukia, learning of Renji's actions, beats Renji up for his actions and letting "a cheap imposter trick him that easily". Captain Kurotsuchi also returned to the Department, saying that it's impossible for him to find new interesting subjects.

Toshiro Hitsugaya
After Aizen's rebellion, his lieutenant Momo Hinamori was left wounded and in a coma by him, leaving her childhood friend Captain Hitsugaya to just watch her in the sickbay every visit. Captain Unohana appears and claims that Hinamori lost her will to live from her near-fatal injuries and might not survive the night ahead. However she claims of a "high-level healing kido that requiring enormous spiritual energy" and that she can save Hinamori if he collects all the Sokyoku shards shattered all over the Seireitei. He went to find the shards and ran into Captain Shunsui Kyōraku, who was collecting the shards for Shigekuni Yamamoto-Genryūsai, and defeated him and three random opponents. He found Hanataro Yamada whom he told that what Unohana told him. Hanataro claims that he never heard of such a kido and that Hinamori needs time to recover completely. Hitsugaya then found that someone is lying and that Unohana probably wants the shards for another reason. When Hanataro tries to leave, Hitsugaya fought and defeated him and three other opponents. He meets Renji who has some of the Sokyoku shards and needs them to save Zabimaru and defeats him. With the knowledge of Renji also being tricked, Hitsugaya figures out that the Unohana he met was an imposter. Arturo gains the shard's power, reveals himself, admits that Hitsugaya is correct though he figured it out a little too late, and engage him in battle. After his defeat, he misbelieved of his defeat and dies. He return to the sickbay where Hinamori is still in bed in the same state, knowing that she will be alright and she suffered more pain than he had faced.

Byakuya Kuchiki
Seireitei

Arturo Plateado
A thousand years prior to the story, Arturo became a "Hollow who gained Soul Reaper powers by removing his hollow mask". He then left Hueco Mundo and invaded the Soul Society, but though he was too powerful for the Soul Reapers in combat, they lured him into a trap and sealed him in Central 46, where there is "no life or death, light or shadow, no beginning or end." For a thousand years, he held a grudge against those who imprisoned him and after the Sokyoku shards scattered across the Seireitei, he felt a weakening of his seal and destroyed it. With the shards' spiritual energy, he fully recovered and became more powerful than ever and sent out for revenge. He encounters Mayuri Kurotsuchi, who instantly takes interest in making Arturo a experiment subject, but he defeats him and three other Soul Reapers. He then mets Ichigo Kurosaki, figuring out that Ichigo was a human after he said that he is a Substitute Soul Reaper (not a Soul Reaper) and defeats three more opponents and mets Yoruichi Shihoin, who approaches him and tries to stop him, but she was defeated. Arturo started to become confident that every Soul Reaper will never challenge him, then Shigekuni Yamamoto-Genryūsai appeared and announces that he will destroy Arturo for his crimes but he was defeated. Arturo is now confident that there is no one who can stop and he says that once he kills every Soul Reaper, all hollows will obey him, and every soul is his.

Reception
The game has so far received mediocre reviews. GameSpot gave it a 3.5 score; however, the fan ratings on gamespot were more favorable. IGN gave the game a 6.3 out of 10; the reader average is 8.4/10

Characters

 * Ichigo Kurosaki
 * Rukia Kuchiki
 * Yasutora Sado
 * Uryū Ishida
 * Orihime Inoue
 * Renji Abarai
 * Kisuke Urahara
 * Yoruichi Shihōin
 * Shigekuni Yamamoto-Genryūsai
 * Soifon
 * Izuru Kira
 * Momo Hinamori
 * Byakuya Kuchiki
 * Sajin Komamura
 * Shunsui Kyōraku
 * Shūhei Hisagi
 * Tōshirō Hitsugaya
 * Rangiku Matsumoto
 * Kenpachi Zaraki
 * Yachiru Kusajishi
 * Ikkaku Madarame
 * Yumichika Ayasegawa
 * Hanatarō Yamada
 * Mayuri Kurotsuchi
 * Jūshirō Ukitake
 * Sōsuke Aizen
 * Gin Ichimaru
 * Kaname Tōsen
 * Ulquiorra Cifer
 * Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez
 * Arturo Plateado