Board Thread:General Discussion/@comment-24593407-20140226215644/@comment-25700228-20150323011220

I really don't think that (my very much beloved) Espada died too quickly in any way, as I thought their deaths all made sense, and I really loved to see each and every one's battles. --

Aaroniero vs Rukia was especially interesting because of both their relationships to Kaien Shiba, which made it a highly emotional and psychological battle, especially on Rukia's side. I think it was a big step towards Rukia forgiving herself for 'killing' her superior and friend, and she redeemed herself via killing the glutton.

Szayelaporro vs Renji/Ishida was rather funny to watch, I really thought they'd never stand a chance against that vastly superior power of Szayel's (and I was right after all) until Mayuri arrived. Of course he was the perfect opponent for the fellow scientist. Apart from that, I really liked Szayel's powers for some reason, very sadistic and cruel, as they fitted his lovely personality perfectly.

Zommari vs Byakuya was actually my least favorite fight in this arc, even though I always like seeing Byakuya in action. Zommari wasn't as strong as I expected him to be, especially after seeing Szayel, who was ranked lower in their hierarchy.

Grimmjow vs Ichigo was pretty cool in my opinion, but of course. Two very powerful men, and for a moment I thought Grimmjow would stand a chance in some way. It was sad to see him defeated, actually, because he made for a great character, and for some reason I can't stop thinking about how awesome it would be to see him return as an ally of Ichigo's.

Then Nnoitra going up against Kenpachi was very intense as well, since they both matched the other one's style perfectly once again. Two strong fighters that love nothing more than battle and desire to die that way - well, one of them did, after all. Nnoitra was an awesome character in my opinion and surely made for a great opponent for Kenpachi, they both visibly enjoyed the fight, and the scene with a grinning Nnoitra getting stabbed right through his hollow-hole is one of my all-time-favorites.

Ulquiorra vs Ichigo, do I need to say anything at all, actually? One of the most epic fights in Bleach, especially with Ichigo turning full hollow when trying to protect Orihime and almost losing himself due to the transformation and stabbing Ishida. Ulquiorra was, by far, the strongest Espada I guess, I really liked his nihilistic and stoic demeanor.

Harribel was definitely the front-runner in terms of likability I think. She didn't have vile motives in mind, and I actually found myself rooting for her a little bit during the fight against Hitsugaya. Once again, they matched each other very well, I enjoyed the fight and the twist in the end, when Aizen turned against her.

Baraggan had the most impressive Resurrección, and I had no idea how Sui-Feng and Hachigen intended to defeat him; however, the Kido countered his attacks quite well, then. The fight was really nice to watch and I really feared for their lives in this case, especially when seeing Sui-Feng lose her arm.

The battle between Starrk and Shunsui is an other one of my favorites, actually. I really liked Starrk and Lilynette, their motives were understandable and their background story made them really lovable. So I was sadder all the more when seeing them get defeated, but still I think their death fitted in with their story quite nicely. Also, Jushiro and Shunsui surely were good opponents for Starrk and Lilynette, since what they have in common is their friendships.

Even though I was absolutely fine with what happened to the Espada in terms of their deaths fitting the plot and their stories, I'd sure love to see some of them be back in some way, at some point. Mayuri surely raised my hopes again when reviving a bunch of Arrancar, so why not?