"The whole point of fighting is that you don't want to die! That you'll be killed if you lose! If you throw your life away in battle, where's the point in winning?!" |
Bambietta Basterbine (バンビエッタ・バスターバイン, Banbietta Basutābain) is a Quincy and a member of the Wandenreich's Sternritter with the designation E: The Explode.[1][2] She is also the self-appointed leader of the Sternritter's female members.
Appearance
Bambietta is a slender young girl with long, straight, dark brown hair and brown eyes.[3] Her attire is a variation of the Sternritter's typical white uniform, consisting of the order's signature hooded cloak, a thigh-length trench coat, knee-high boots, a miniskirt, and black stockings with a red trim on her gloves and boots.[4][3] She wears a red heart-shaped belt buckle and a white cap with gold[3] trimmings, which features a black peak and the Wandenreich insignia emblazoned on its front.[5]
Personality
Bambietta is a particularly sadistic individual, evident in how she screams in joy as she slaughters her enemies.[1] She is not above attacking her male subordinates to vent her frustration, sometimes bringing them into her room for "special relief" before killing them without remorse.[6] She does not believe in fighting if one has already thrown away one's life.[7] Bambietta refers to herself as the self proclaimed "leader" between her and some of her fellow Sternritter, and dislikes being abandoned by them and finds it quite embarrassing. In such cases she detonates the nearby environment in a destructive manner and implies she will reduce the area to flat land to bring them out.[8]
Bambietta has a strong sense of survival and self-preservation; during her second fight against Sajin Komamura, Bambietta was unable to understand the reasons for the lengths he went through in order to increase his power to kill Yhwach by offering his heart, with her stating her belief that the point of fighting is people not wanting want to die and thus finding it incomprehensible for someone to throw away their life just to win a battle.[9] Later after being severely injured by Komamura, Bambietta fell into panic due to knowing full well the repercussion of being defeated for a Sternritter and stating that she refuses to let it end like this. When about to be killed by Giselle to "save" her, Bambietta begged Giselle not to kill her, further highlighting her deep desire to survive.[10]
Later, upon being turned into a zombie by Giselle Gewelle, Bambietta's personality and behavior changes considerably. Though she retains her personality and a measure of free will, Bambietta has now become completely servile to Giselle and follows her orders without question,[11][12] seemingly fearing punishment from Giselle, who frequently abuses her. This results in Bambietta adopting an almost childlike mentality, referring to herself as "Bambi" and attempted to avoid punishment from Giselle by trying to convince her that she has been a "good girl". As a Zombie, Bambietta also craves Giselle's blood as a reward.[13]
Despite this state, Bambietta has retained her previous sense of survival and self-preservation, having attempted to stop Giselle from taking too much of her blood when she began drinking it to heal herself after surviving her fight against Mayuri.[14]
Plot
The Thousand-Year Blood War arc
Upon receiving the orders of Yhwach, Bambietta and the other Sternritter gather at the Gate of the Sun before traveling to the Seireitei in order to participate in the conquest of Soul Society.[15]
Once there, she and the other Sternritter create pillars of blue flames prior to engaging the Shinigami in battle.[16] Gleefully massacring a number of Shinigami, Bambietta is stopped by 7th Division Captain Sajin Komamura, who expresses disbelief at a little girl being in the enemy army, prompting Bambietta to state Soul Society must be desperately short of soldiers if even a dog can become captain.[17] As they begin to fight, Bambietta kicks a Reishi bomb at Komamura, smirking as the captain cuts it in half, only for it to explode anyway. Komamura emerges from the smoke, and the two clash swords.[18] With the arrival of 7th Division Lieutenant Tetsuzaemon Iba, Komamura unleashes his Bankai, Kokujō Tengen Myō'ō, prompting Bambietta to steal it with her medallion.[19]
When Komamura rallies a number of Shinigami with a rousing speech citing Captain-Commander Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto's recent actions, Bambietta questions how this is possible, for they were on the verge of death just moments before.[20] Later, Bambietta expresses surprise when Ichigo Kurosaki's Reiatsu abruptly vanishes after his arrival in Soul Society.[21]
Following the Wandenreich's retreat from Soul Society, Bambietta is present when Yhwach announces Uryū Ishida will be his successor, an announcement which shocks her.[22] Soon after, she orders a male subordinate to accompany her to her room, under the pretense of needing "special relief". However, in her room she vertically bisects the man, killing him. Four of her fellow female Sternritter enter the room and chastise her for her habit of killing attractive men when she is annoyed. When they start to bicker among themselves, Bambietta tells them to be quiet, for she is worried about the future of Wandenreich.[23] Afterwards, Bambietta attends a meeting with the other Sternritter, in the Wörtlich hall of Silbern. Jugram Haschwalth informs them they have been ordered to defeat the captains whose Bankai they stole. Bambietta then listens as Haschwalth explains that the order is to strike them down by crushing their hope. In response, Bambietta promises to kill Komamura and anyone else who gets in her way.[24]
Later, Bambietta arrives for the second invasion, walking down with the other Sternritter after the Seireitei was replaced with the Wandereich city.[25] Criticizing her fellow Sternritter for being surprised at the loss of their stolen Bankai, she blows up a group of Shinigami before realizing her own opponent was not even there when the Bankai she had stolen from him left her and went far away from her position. Realizing that the other four female Sternritter are not even there and she has been talking to herself the whole time, Bambietta is enraged by them leaving her after they planned to move together and generates a large globe of explosive energy around her, destroying most of the surrounding area. She is confronted by Komamura, now wearing a suit of armor, before 5th Division Captain Shinji Hirako appears behind her. Shinji uses his Zanpakutō, Sakanade, to invert Bambietta's senses before attacking her. Activating her Quincy: Vollständig, Zofiel, alongside the other Sternritter, Bambietta tells Komamura and Shinji she is happy to be rid of the Bankai she had stolen, because it prevented her from using this power.[26] She then attacks Shinji with an explosion.[27]
As Shinji is wounded by the explosion, Bambietta explains that if everything around her is reversed, she simply has to explode everything around her. Revealing her epithet, Bambietta sets off several new explosions around her. Bambietta is surprised to see Komamura still standing, and Momo Hinamori tries to attack her from behind. Bambietta tries to inquire as to whose lieutenant she is, but an enraged Hinamori simply tries to attack her. Komamura stops Hinamori from attacking and saves her from the explosions created by the Quincy, but Bambietta states that Komamura can't defend her even though he has a bucket on his head. As Komamura notices that there is something strange with the blast, Bambietta explains how her explosions work as she unleashes a new barrage of explosions. Bambietta states that she wants to see what's under Komamura's armor, and is surprised to find out that Komamura now has a human appearance.[28] Bambietta then watches as the captain releases his altered Bankai, Kokujō Tengen Myō'ō: Dangai Jōe.[29]
Bambietta is shocked at the Bankai's new appearance, and tries to attack it, but is further surprised when the Bankai heals itself. Komamura explains Dangai Jōe and asserts that Bambietta cannot defeat it. In disbelief, Bambietta tries to attack it again, and fails. In response to Komamura's explanation of the Bankai's life, she claims she already knew that from wielding his Bankai. She goes on to claim that even if the Bankai doesn't fear destruction, its wielder must. Bambietta creates an explosion on Komamura's chest. However, she is horrified to see that her explosion had no effect, and that Komamura has a hole where his heart is supposed to be. Komamura explains the Humanization Technique, claiming that he is immortal as long as he is human. This infuriates Bambietta, and she argues that there is no point in fighting or winning if one is already dead. Komamura refutes this and states that he is simply putting his life at stake. Bambietta is then attacked by Komamura's Bankai.[30]
Kokujō Tengen Myō'ō: Dangai Jōe hits Bambietta dead on with such power that it forces her explosions back into her body and severely wounds her, causing her charred body to fall into the debris of buildings some distance away.[31] She lies upon the rubble defeated and injured, wondering how she could have lost to a Shinigami, lamenting the fact that out of the five of them she was beaten first. She states that this can't be forgiven. Bambietta looks up and notices that she is surrounded by her fellow Sternritter Giselle Gewelle, Liltotto Lamperd, Meninas McAllon, and Candice Catnipp. They look down at her with concern while Giselle tells her that they will help her, as they would be sad if she wasn't with them. Bambietta becomes frantic and begs Giselle to stop and not to "do it."[32] Soon after, Giselle kills Bambietta.[33]
The next day, after Yumichika Ayasegawa claims that Giselle is a man, Giselle summons Bambietta's corpse and has her launch explosions at Yumichika and Ikkaku Madarame before telling her they will kill all of the Shinigami.[34] Bambietta forces Yumichika and Ikkaku to dodge a barrage of explosions. Eventually, Ikkaku decides to attack her head-on while Yumichika backs him up with Hadō #57. Daichi Tenyō, which intercepts Bambietta's explosions with several chunks of rock. Ikkaku stabs Bambietta, but she grabs his head, only for Yumichika to appear and cut her arm off. As Giselle explains how she is already dead, Bambietta blasts Ikkaku and Yumichika away.[35]
After Mayuri Kurotsuchi arrives, Bambietta moves in front of Giselle and expresses her desire for something belonging to Giselle, who slaps her away. When Giselle tells her she will reward her when this is over, a tearful Bambietta agrees and begins hurling bombs at Mayuri on Giselle's command. However, Mayuri has Nemu Kurotsuchi throw spherical devices that do not explode upon contact with the bombs, and instead explode when they are near Giselle and Bambietta. When the smoke clears, Bambietta's body has been severely burnt by the massive explosion.[36] Soon afterward, as four zombified Arrancar begin attacking Giselle's other zombies, Giselle reattaches Bambietta's arm before having her attack Charlotte Chuhlhourne when the latter claims to be very similar to Giselle. However, Charlotte grabs Bambietta by her head and throws her into a building, and when Bambietta emerges, Charlotte blasts her away with a Cero.[37]
However, Bambietta survives and is dragged to a cave by Giselle, who begins consuming her flesh and blood in order to heal herself. When Bambietta protests this, as she does not want to die yet, an enraged Giselle repeatedly smashes her head into the ground while claiming that this blood originally belonged to her and that Bambietta must give it back. Giselle ends up killing Bambietta once more, prompting her to hug her corpse while proclaiming that Bambietta is cute when she is dead.[38] Soon afterward, when Yhwach activates Auswählen and steals the power of the Sternritter in the Seireitei, Giselle clutches Bambietta's corpse while telling it that she is not going to die.[39]
Equipment
Medallion: Bambietta possesses a round device which is roughly the size of a person's palm and has the Wandenreich insignia etched into its surface. When activated, the device can steal a currently released Bankai in the immediate vicinity, as evidenced when Bambietta used it to take 7th Division Captain Sajin Komamura's Kokujō Tengen Myō'ō.[19] Since Hollow powers are poisonous to Quincy,[40] the Bankai returned to its original owner after it was Hollowfied via the Shin'eiyaku.[41] Being in possession of a Bankai also made it impossible for Bambietta to activate Quincy: Vollständig.[42] Upon Kokujō Tengen Myō'ō returning to Komamura, Bambietta destroyed the Medallion with her The Explode.[43]
Leiden Hant: Bambietta wears a Leiden Hant on her hand, which allows her to activate Quincy: Vollständig as long as she is not in possession of a Shinigami's Bankai.[44]
Powers & Abilities
The Explode (
Swordswoman: Bambietta has shown some skill in swordsmanship, as she was able to perform very swift cuts, even bifurcating an unseated Shinigami and their respective Zanpakutō with ease.[48]
Reishi Manipulation: As a Quincy, she primarily absorbs spiritual energy from the atmosphere, and combines it with her own spiritual energy to form weapons.[49] She has an easier time collecting this energy in environments with higher concentrations of Reishi such as in Soul Society or Hueco Mundo.[50]
Great Spiritual Power: Bambietta's spiritual power is on a level comparable to or greater than that of a captain-level Shinigami.[51] She is powerful enough to fight several Shinigami simultaneously, including 7th Division Captain Sajin Komamura and his lieutenant, Tetsuzaemon Iba.[52]
Shadow: A Quincy technique that allows the user to traverse dimensions by using shadows. Bambietta is capable of using this technique to move out of the Seireitei, as well as to manifest a portal allowing Soldat to enter and invade.[53]
Spirit Weapon
Reishi Sword: Using her abilities as a Quincy, Bambietta can concentrate both spirit energy and particles in order to transform them into weapons. Her favored weapon manifests in the form of a short ornate broadsword, somewhat reminiscent of a Chinese dao, with a forked blade in the style of Zulfiqar.[20] Using this sword, she can bifurcate unseated Shinigami and their respective Zanpakutō with ease.[1]
Quincy: Vollständig
Zofiel (
- Flight: Using the Reishi wings generated by Zofiel, Bambietta gains the ability to fly at high speeds.[57]
- Enhanced Durability: In this form Bambietta's physical durability is enhanced. When she was slammed by Komamura's Bankai, Kokujō Tengen Myō'ō: Dangai Jōe, into a building, she was forced to use a bomb to escape and only emerged with a few burns and scratches, showing no signs of slowing down from the attacks.[58]
- The Explode (Enhanced): While using Quincy: Vollständig, orbs of Reishi form underneath her wings. She can release these Reishi spheres from her wings, sending large quantities of them into her surroundings. Any item that comes in contact with these Reishi orbs becomes a bomb and explodes after a brief delay.[59] A single explosion was strong enough to heavily injure Shinji Hirako.[60]
Weaknesses
The Explode
Sufficient Force: Though Bambietta's attacks can't be blocked, her attacks can be deflected before the explosion occurs if hit by a sufficient force.[61]
Delayed Explosion/Reishi Impediment: Bambietta's explosions can be delayed by objects that can impede Reishi, such as the Reishi Kotei Sōchi (霊子固定装置, Spirit Particle Suspension Devices) invented by Mayuri Kurotsuchi, as the spheres cause any Reishi they come into contact with to cease all activity for a specific amount of time. This allowed Mayuri to counter Bambietta's The Explode by delaying the explosion of her Reishi bombs by three seconds.[62]
Appearances in Other Media
Video Game Appearances | |||||
Novel Appearances | |||||
- In Ryōgo Narita's novel Bleach: Can't Fear Your Own World, Bambietta is revealed to have survived as a zombie, due to Giselle being saved by Haschwalth's aide. Bambietta, Liltotto, and Giselle, then attempt to recruit the surviving members of the Jagdarmee from Hueco Mundo to save Candice Catnipp and Meninas McAllon from the Twelfth Division.
- Bambietta makes her first appearance outside the manga as a playable character in Bleach: Brave Souls as part of the commemoration for the Thousand-Year Blood War arc tie-in; here, her hair and eyes are dark purple instead of brown. In this form, Bambietta is a ranged strong attack character with the "Speed" Attribute and the "Shinigami Killer" ability who has a chance to inflict Burn with every attack. Her unlockable skills are "Berserker +20%", "Bruiser +20%", "Damage to Burning Enemies +20%", "Debilitator +2 secs.", "Devastation +40%", "Frenzy +1", "Havoc +20%", and "Sprinter +1", while her Soul Trait is "Strong Attack Recharge Time -12%"; meanwhile, her Arena Traits are "Strong Attack Damage +13%" and "Focus +30", while her Arena Abilities other than "All Stats +5%" are "Strong Attack Damage +10%" at level 5 and "Strong Attack Damage +20%" at level 10. Bambietta's special is The Explode (爆撃, Bakugeki; Japanese for "Bombing Raid"), where she turns anything her Reiatsu makes contact with into a bomb, inflicting immense damage and Burn.
- Bambietta is also playable in her base form, based off the first Wandenreich invasion of the Soul Society. In this form, Bambietta is a ranged strong attack character with the "Technique" Attribute and the "Captain Killer" ability who has a chance to inflict Burn with every attack. Her unlockable skills are "Bombardment +1", "Damage to Burning "Enemies +40%", "Debilitator (+2 secs.)", "Devastation (+60%)", "Frenzy +2", "Increased Status Ailment Chance Against Speed Attribute Enemies (+10%)", "Sharpshooter", "Status Ailment Spiritual Pressure Boost +80%", "Strong Attack Recharge Time -12%", and "Weaken Defense", while their Soul Trait is "Damage inflicted at full STA +30%".
Trivia
- In the second best bout poll, Bambietta's fight with Sajin Komamura ranked 21st and her battle alongside Giselle Gewelle against Ikkaku Madarame and Yumichika Ayasegawa ranked 22nd.[63]
- Tite Kubo came up with Bambietta's name while desiring a character who could be nicknamed "Bambina".[64]
- Some of her fellow Sternritter address her as Bambi (バンビ, Banbi).[65]
- In the colored manga, Bambietta's Vollständig is colored the typical Quincy blue, while in Brave Souls it is a light pink, and a deep crimson in the anime.
- Bambietta's Vollständig was never named in either the anime or the manga, but received the name Zofiel (
神の炎 , Zofuieru; Japanese for "Blaze of God"), and Zombiel (ゾンビエル) after being reanimated by Giselle, from official artwork presented at the Bleach Ex. art exhibition.
Klub Outside Trivia
- According to Q&A #525 by Tite Kubo on his fansite "Klub Outside", Kubo confirmed that Bambietta, despite being the self-appointed leader of the Bambies, is the weakest of the group in regards to hand to hand combat and second to last in Blut proficiency, only superior to Candice's. The overall ranking in regards to hand-to-hand combat is as follows: Liltotto > Meninas > Giselle > Candice > Bambietta. The overall ranking in regards to Blut proficiency is as follows: Liltotto > Giselle > Meninas > Bambietta > Candice.[66]
Quotes
- (To Sajin Komamura) "Actually, aren't you here a bit too soon? Heroes are meant to show up late, right? It'd be way more exciting if you showed up after I'd laid waste to a good bit of Seireitei."[67]
- (To Sajin Komamura) "The whole point of fighting is that you don't want to die! That you'll be killed if you lose! If you throw your life away in battle, where's the point in winning?!!"[68]
Battles & Events
Quincy Blood War
Events
Participants | Chapter(s) | Episode(s) |
---|---|---|
Fall of the Seireitei | Chapter 495, 505 | Episode 369, 370, 371, 373 |
Rise of Uryū Ishida | Chapter 543, 544 | Episode 380, 381 |
Wartime Coordination | Chapter 554, 603 | Episode 382, 391 |
Battles
Participants | Chapter(s) | Episode(s) | Result |
---|---|---|---|
Bambietta vs. Sajin Komamura | Chapter 554, 555, 556, 557, 558 | Episode 383 | Loss |
Battle of the Zombies | Chapter 588, 589, 590, 591 | Episode 388, Episode 389 | Incapacitated |
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Bleach manga; Chapter 495, page 11
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Bleach manga; Chapter 556, page 4
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Bleach manga; Chapter 640, page 2
- ↑ Bleach manga; Chapter 496, page 10
- ↑ Bleach manga; Chapter 494, page 16
- ↑ Bleach manga; Chapter 544, pages 7-8
- ↑ Bleach manga; Chapter 557, page 14
- ↑ Bleach manga; Chapter 554, pages 9-11
- ↑ Bleach manga; Chapter 557, page 14
- ↑ Bleach manga; Chapter 558, pages 18-19
- ↑ Bleach manga; Chapter 588, pages 16-17
- ↑ Bleach manga; Chapter 589, pages 10-15
- ↑ Bleach manga; Chapter 590, pages 4-6
- ↑ Bleach manga; Chapter 603, pages 5-6
- ↑ Bleach manga; Chapter 490, pages 1-3
- ↑ Bleach manga; Chapter 494, pages 16-19
- ↑ Bleach manga; Chapter 495, pages 11-12
- ↑ Bleach anime; Episode 370
- ↑ 19.0 19.1 Bleach manga; Chapter 496, pages 10-15
- ↑ 20.0 20.1 Bleach manga; Chapter 505, page 11
- ↑ Bleach manga; Chapter 512, page 8
- ↑ Bleach manga; Chapter 543, pages 3-4
- ↑ Bleach manga; Chapter 544, pages 6-11
- ↑ Bleach anime; Episode 381
- ↑ Bleach anime; Episode 380
- ↑ Bleach manga; Chapter 554, pages 6-17
- ↑ Bleach manga; Chapter 555, pages 15-16
- ↑ Bleach manga; Chapter 556, pages 1-12
- ↑ Bleach manga; Chapter 556, page 16
- ↑ Bleach manga; Chapter 557, pages 1-15
- ↑ Bleach manga; Chapter 558, pages 4-5
- ↑ Bleach manga; Chapter 558, pages 18-19
- ↑ Bleach manga; Chapter 589, page 15
- ↑ Bleach manga; Chapter 588, pages 16-17
- ↑ Bleach manga; Chapter 589, pages 10-15
- ↑ Bleach manga; Chapter 590, pages 3-12
- ↑ Bleach manga; Chapter 591, pages 15-19
- ↑ Bleach manga; Chapter 603, pages 4-8
- ↑ Bleach manga; Chapter 604, page 3
- ↑ Bleach manga; Chapter 552, pages 16-17
- ↑ Bleach manga; Chapter 554, page 4
- ↑ Bleach manga; Chapter 554, page 16
- ↑ Bleach anime; Episode 382
- ↑ Bleach manga; Chapter 554, pages 14-16
- ↑ Bleach manga; Chapter 557, page 8
- ↑ Bleach manga; Chapter 557, page 2
- ↑ Bleach manga; Chapter 554, pages 8-10
- ↑ Bleach manga; Chapter 495, page 11
- ↑ Bleach manga; Chapter 49, page 3
- ↑ Bleach manga; Chapter 547, page 11
- ↑ Bleach manga; Chapter 499, page 5
- ↑ Bleach manga; Chapter 505, page 13
- ↑ Bleach anime; Episode 373
- ↑ Bleach manga; Chapter 555, page 17
- ↑ Bleach anime; Episode 382
- ↑ Bleach anime; Episode 388
- ↑ Bleach manga; Chapter 557, pages 4-7
- ↑ Bleach manga; Chapter 557, pages 7-8
- ↑ Bleach manga; Chapter 556, pages 7-9
- ↑ Bleach manga; Chapter 555, page 15
- ↑ Bleach manga; Chapter 558, page 5
- ↑ Bleach manga; Chapter 590, pages 12-13
- ↑ 13 BLADEs., page 255
- ↑ Interview with Tite Kubo and Kohei Horikoshi
- ↑ Bleach manga; Chapter 603, page 8
- ↑ Klub Outside official site
- ↑ Bleach manga; Chapter 554, page 11
- ↑ Bleach manga; Chapter 557, page 15
Members | A: Yhwach (Sovereign) • Argola • Hubert • Zeidritz • Other associates: Asguiaro Ebern • Luders Friegen • Guenael Lee |
Schutzstaffel | A: Uryū Ishida • C: Pernida Parnkgjas • D: Askin Nakk Le Vaar • M: Gerard Valkyrie • X: Lille Barro |
Sternritter | B: Jugram Haschwalth • E: Bambietta Basterbine • F: Äs Nödt • G: Liltotto Lamperd • H: Bazz-B • I: Cang Du • J: Quilge Opie • K: BG9 • L: PePe Waccabrada • N: Robert Accutrone • O: Driscoll Berci • P: Meninas McAllon • Q: Berenice Gabrielli • R: Jerome Guizbatt • S: Mask De Masculine • S: James • T: Candice Catnipp • U: NaNaNa Najahkoop • V: Gremmy Thoumeaux • W: Nianzol Weizol • Y: Loyd Lloyd • Y: Royd Lloyd • Z: Giselle Gewelle • ?: Shaz Domino |
Related | Wandenreich • Jagdarmee • Sternritter • Schutzstaffel • Quincy • Arrancar |