User blog:Avolling/Tsukishima the Zombie: Injuries of Bleach

With Bleach on its current three-week break, there isn't much to say about new plot developments. Honestly, after my rant about Chapter 478, I don't think there's really anything left for me to add. However, there is something that I've been meaning to bring up for a while now, and with the lull in series news, I figured now might be a good time to broach the topic. Let me preface this with a statement: Shukuro Tsukishima had a hole ripped through his chest and was able to stand, talk, and attack for several minutes following. We'll work from there.

Someone once mentioned that it's possible to debate how the Shinigami and the Arrancar survive their various life-threatening injuries because they're not humans, and it's easier to argue that they could've lived through such wounds because their bodies are different than a human's. That stands entirely true. A friendly reminder, though: Tsukishima. Human. Chest blasted with razor-sharp petals through-and-through. Survived. Was able to move around. Is implied to have died several minutes after sustaining the injury. I doubt that Tite Kubo gives his characters dramatic injuries while consciously thinking to himself, "this is possible because they're a Shinigami/Arrancar, and they have different characteristics." I don't think he actually thinks that; it's more probable that he doles out big wounds the way he does because they look dramatic and cool, and we, as fans, can hand-wave the unrealistic wounds away by saying "they're Shinigami/Arrancar, just roll with it."

I mean, I personally have lost count of the number of arms that have gone flying off people's bodies in this series. It's really ridiculous. And how many times has it affected the plot significantly? How many times has a character losing their arm actually been anything climactic? Yamamoto aside, I suppose, though his was because of a spell, so maybe it's different. Personally, I'm finding these attacks a little de trop as of late, especially when a gash across the chest for Kugo is apparently more fatal than, say, a hand through your stomach for Ukitake. There's no consistency, is what I'm saying, and the attacks look cool, but when Ichigo lopped off Tsukishima's arm during their fight, who actually thought to themselves, "wow, I bet that's going to stick"? I guess what I'm trying to say is that these big, awe-inspiring injuries that used to make me say "oh, snap, things are really heating up" are now just irritating me. Are they fatal? Are they going to last? Who can even tell anymore? They're cool, sure, but is it really necessary to cut off another arm? But I want your opinion. What do you think? Are you as fed up with these flashy, blood-splattering wounds as I am? Or do you still enjoy the spectacle of seeing another limb sail through the air?