Bleach chapter 290 "The Broken Mask" spoilers and discussion

[Inverno]

so now nell will grab ichigo run off and teach him how to realease his full body hollow form?

[Miranu]

Nest chapter we will see Nel Cutting down Tesla, with one hit, and let Orihime heal Ichigo.. again. Till the healing is done, She'll fight with Noitra getting time for Ichigo :D She'll lost her adultness once again, faints, but Ichigo will be fit to fight again, and kicks Noitras ass this time :D Next time Nel awakes, she won't remember again hurray for Chibi Nelness XD

[Nocturne]

Thanks for the mini-raws, space! It totally made my Friday morning!:hug

[Guildenstern]

Please tell me that's not "Kurosaki-kun" she says.
HELL YEAH IT IS, LITTLE BROTHER!
BINGO!
VANNA, TELL HER WHAT SHE'S WON!

Well, Guildenstern, you've won an entire bag of Jolly Ranchers and a night of staring broodingly into consecutive glasses of Wal-Mart tequila jello shots, grinding your teeth in helpless feminist rage over the utter failkai that has become Orihime's dialogue!

THANKS FOR PLAYING!

Maybe if I drop the Jolly Ranchers into the tequila it'll make it just a smidge better.

[Agmaster]

On topic; Inverno please don't give Kubo any ideas. The joke is bad enough as is.

Off topic; It's 11 and you're drinking already? I'm fond of the color green for some reason.

Special topic; This really is a bad joke.

TotalAbsolute; The only problem with that is the lack of a mask. Unless you're counting his face as one. And that would explain the teeth...

Sidenote; Does anyone else mentally picture Nnoitra's voice the same as Viral from Gurrenn Lagann? I mean, who doesn't see him yelling 'Who the fuck do you think I am!?' at just about anyone in the near future?

[TotalAbsolute]

Im hoping this transformation is different than yourichi's, i hope there is something special about it... whats weird is if shes n arrancar.. she doesnt have a sword and neither does Notoria, he has a scythe.. Has it been stated that nell was indeed an arrancar.. saying she was the previous esapda could mean she was just the strongest hollow.... Im going to take a long shot and say that nell and notoria are vastrolordes.. and that means the rest of the top 5 are vastrolordes..

So maybe notoria really is the strongest vastrolorde none arrancar espada waiting on his turn with the hyougoken when its at full power.

[spacecat]

Jojo HQ chinese scanlation whoever wants it:

http://www.sendspace.com/file/hj52oh
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=D5NVKR1E

[Guildenstern]

On topic: Thank you Space-tama and everyone for your hard work in bringing us spoilarz this week.
On topic 2: On a more serious note, although Nell is kind of awesome right now I...don't think she'll win, but we all know how predictable Bleach is ATM. o_o;; I lay the odds at 50/50 Nell > Nnoitra. I also really want Nnoitra to have lost his eye to the fight with Nell, because that would be awesome.

Off topic; It's 11 and you're drinking already? I'm fond of the color green for some reason.
Ag-chan, it's five o'clock somewhere. >_>;; Alcohol is the only thing that could make the HM arc make sense ATM. Besides, it cushions the blow of finding Nell attractive in her big form. Beer goggles noooo
Special topic:...No, I'm not really drinking at 11 AM. >_>;

'Who the fuck do you think I am!?'
I'm the goddamn Batman.

[debbiechan]

I'm convinced that "kurosaki kun" is Kubo's idea of a joke. Like last chapter, "The Bad Joke." There's a rule among comedians that if you repeat something twice, it's emphasis. If you repeat something three times (like in the chapter The Bad Joke), it's bad timing/a bad joke. If you repeat if four times, it starts to be funny. Andy Kaufman, may he rest in peace, used to annoy audiences repeating things until finally they laughed.

I hate to say it but I've been laughing at Orihime for a while now. And I'm a huge Orihime fan. It feels better than crying, I guess.

As for the scans--thank you Spacey. Ouch. Poor Ichigo. And Agmaster, darling, yes, you are right, Nell shouldn't be able to kick anyone's ass considering her traumatized out of shape non-fighting self, let alone ruthless Nnoitra, but you have to remember--DEFENDING YOUR LOVED ONES adds this extra oomph in shounen! :D So her love for Ichigo will save the day! GO NELL! *is trying not to ship IchiNell because Kubo has something big planned for Rukia's return*

[Nocturne]

Thanks for the Chinese scanlation space!

I'm loving that Orihime gets more panel time. I thought she would just be at the beginning. Nice to see both her and Ichigo show mutual concern for Nell. Looking forward to next week when Nell gets to kick Nnoitora's ass!

[Chill0]

well number 5 espada did defeat her apparently but the power gap wasnt enough to kill her. a little push in the right direction and... :cool:

but to me nel always showed to me to be a support like arrancar healing and absorbing powers. this might get ichigo fixed up and turn the battle in a less predictable way.

[Nocturne]

She was an Espada though so you know she's got some fighting skills there. It would be nice if Nell is the one who defeats Nnoitora this time as it's pretty much a grudge match. Better she fight her own fight and Ichigo get a break. He still hasn't recovered from his match with Grimmjow and Nnoitora is just too much for him at the moment. He couldn't even power up to protect Nell. He's out of gas.

[Chill0]

your probably right.

also it would be pretty funny if both would have to be rescued by orihime ;p

[avidlinuxuser]

Nnoitra looks afraid in the panel where she transforms not surprised. Me thinks Nnoitra isn't telling us the whole details of how the fight went. After all, he waited until Ichigo was weakened by Grimmjow to swoop in. I wouldn't it past this guy to have only fought Nel while she was weakened from another fight or something similar.

[spacecat]

Nnoitras shoe's ftw.

And the joke about "Kurosaki kun" is getting old already. Kubo makes her say it so blame him for lack of imagination like I have been for the last 50 odd weeks. xD

[NeoSapien]

mori had a theory that Nell was Primera Espada and Nnoitra thinks that he is the strongest Espada despite being fifth because he defeated her... though it was probably through a very underhanded method like attacking her in her sleep.

[gvino]

Apparently, Nel got kicked out of Las Noches by Nnoitra.. That's what the chinese translation say...

[AnimeGirlPan]

I have to say..I give my respect to Ichigo cause he tring to protect Nell in this chapter..like a father figure and stuff...now thats a true hero there...I think also Nell looks kinda sad being into a adult form and stuffs and Ichigo's bankai outfit is also torned a bit and messed up and He must be in alot of pain that i hope Nell helps next chapter and Orihime having to watch all this really sucks

[Agmaster]

On topic; I mean of course Nel is hot in her 'true'(?) form, but it's a shounen manga, ugly people are few and far between. That and ugly people can't be strong. Didn't you know?

And damn you debbie for being right. Who am I to bring reason into this resolve-laden world? Poor Nnoitra, he's going to lose for being smart.

gvino; Maybe, but she didn't have something to protect then.


I'm the goddamn Batman.

Off topic; Yes yes yes! Someone else reads All-Star BR!

[Raf]

I'm guessing Nell was the 5th, fought Nnoitra, got the scar, thought was dead, and was thrown out Hueco Mundo... That's why she is an ex Espada and not a Privirion Espada... my theory anyways...

[Rain]

thanks for all the scans/links space

I for one am glad that Inoue says Kurosaki-kun again:eek:

Now I just wonder how long Kubo can keep making here say it, it can't be easy to have a main character who apparently only knows how to say one thing and almost nothing else:D

[aznxenocide]

I wonder...if the crack in her mask means she lost her abilities as well. And...how did she become a child in the first place? It should mean a regression of her abilities right? So...Nell SHOULD be alot weaker than Nnoitara....eh?

[Frostman]

i wonder if nell is responsible for the eye patch noitora's face. If it is then we are up for a very interesting fight. They could be even in terms of battle power and knowing noitora he probably used some cheap trick to win.

[Riekie]

Hmm..pwetty interesting chapter! I kinda liked all the ass-whooping:D as long as there is bloodflow I'm game...only too bad that Nell-chan grows out to be a hot chick...I love her looks but just don't look her in adult-mode, yet.

Hmm..maybe Yoruichi and Nell are related? the one can change in Kuro-Neko and the other in a Hot Chick..awesome family that would be.

[Nocturne]

I wonder...if the crack in her mask means she lost her abilities as well. And...how did she become a child in the first place? It should mean a regression of her abilities right? So...Nell SHOULD be alot weaker than Nnoitara....eh?
Well what we know is that Nell was able to swallow Doldonie's cero and also heal him with with her vomit. That's pretty powerful. Those abilities weren't hindered by her toddler state. If anything, it's probably the method of delivery of those powers that changed. By that I mean...I don't really see adult Nell vomiting on Grimmjow to heal him. She'll lose a lot of dates that way. :D

[BigBadBuu]

Thank Spacey for the scans, Annie for the Summary.

It'll be interesting to see "who" Nell is next chapter. I mean, most here seem to be assuming she was and still is "innocent".

I guess the Desert Bros knowing & worry about her points to that, but maybe she was manipulating them too? I mean, its starting to seem like less & less of a coincidence that they just happened to run into Ichigo & Co., no?

Is/was Nell using Ichigo to regain her Queendom or something? I reeeeeeeeeally hope she doesn't turn out to be the proxy of someone like Urahara or Shinji!

Kubo, Kubo.. Whatcha got cooking up for us?

-Buu

[Saffire]

Eh...if she was deceiving us, then she's an Aizen-level actor. I think it's more likely that she is innocent and her friends were keeping it from her so she wouldn't concern herself about it. Ex-Espada tend to take their loss hard, as we've seen.

[BigBadBuu]

Possibly, but the idea of "good" hollows disturbed me from the get-go.

Looking back at Nell + Co's sudden appearance, them leading Ichigo & Co to Las Noches, and Nell's clinging to and assistance of Ichigo, is an ulterior motive really that out of the question?

I mean, it could really be that NoiNoi's little smack to the head made her 'nice', but I'm reeeally hoping KT doesn't make it something like:

"All was rosey in hollow world until Aizen and band of mean Arrancaru showed up and deposed the lovable Hollow Princess Nellchan, forcing her to hid out in the desert biding her time until her hero showed..."

=/

And btw, anyone manage to spot Nell's hole? -- STOP! ..you guys know what I mean! :D

[Agmaster]

It's in her head. Why do you think she is so spacey.

[Rain]

BigBadBuu- maybe it's still covered by clothes, and :lmao because I know what you really meant

[chbimun]

Here's the Japanese raw! Courtesy of Kylara @ MangaHelpers (MegaUpload (http://www.megaupload.com/?d=5TMIRDD5))

[Shadoblak]

Hmm.....In all actuality, her boobs arent THAT big :p
Thanks for the raws and chinese scans!

[chbimun]

Hmm.....In all actuality, her boobs arent THAT big :p
Thanks for the raws and chinese scans!

Actually cleaning that page with intent to color it and I agree, they really aren't that big and neither is her thigh. It's the angle of the shot. Nell is likely lesser endowed than Yoruichi and likely on par with Unohana and Isane. I'd put her at a generous C.

[Mei]

I did a quick doodle of Nel´s alter ego:

http://img65.imageshack.us/img65/8694/nelqp6.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

I hope it´s the first fanart you see of her. xD

[Rain]

thanks for the raw chbimun.

MeiYara- great fanart

[cassoult]

...Wow MeiYara, that was quick. Really nice picture. And thanks for the raw chnimun

Kubo draws the cutest feet. I'm still admiring Nel's on the cover page.

[Agmaster]

So I just read the raw and he really did take the time to break Ichigo's arm. Man, Nnoitra's awesome. Screams and all. And taking the hit, only to pop-up Ichigo like this was a fighting game...WHILE holding bratty Nel by the head? So great. I'm gonna be SO pissed when he dies.

[Miranu]

Well this one in 290 :D So if anyone wanna see Nel from the last double page colored, her she is :
http://img516.imageshack.us/img516/1351/nelbabyin3.th.jpg (http://img516.imageshack.us/my.php?image=nelbabyin3.jpg)

[Rain]

Miranu- thats amazing, did you color it yourself

[Pollux]

Thanks for the raw. And great work MeiYara and Miranu.
Too bad it take a whole chapter just to see Nell transforms.
@Miranu : Are you going to change your sig ? One with Adult Nell and the message "Give Nell a Hug" would be... hmm... funny :D

[Shadoblak]

Well this one in 290 :D So if anyone wanna see Nel from the last double page colored, her she is :
http://img516.imageshack.us/img516/1351/nelbabyin3.th.jpg (http://img516.imageshack.us/my.php?image=nelbabyin3.jpg)

My god that was quick :p
Awesome!

[Shinrin]

Nice drawing MeiYara and a nice coloring Miranu

[twsl]

wow miranu that's beautifully colored =0 i'm wondering what she's doing with her left hand though o_O

[chbimun]

wow miranu that's beautifully colored =0 i'm wondering what she's doing with her left hand though o_O

I've read quite a few theories that she's holding her zanpakutou in that hand.

[Jhaxe]

@chbimun- That was actually my first thought too. I don't see any other reason her arm would be at that angle.

[Miranu]

Well thx ppl :D It wuz a speedy one, but I'm happy ya like it ^^
@Pollux: Good idea ;P

[Shadoblak]

she can hold my zanpakuto with that hand
Well, I wonder what sort of release she has? I also wonder is she still has a lisp and enjoys punching folks in the babybags...

[chbimun]

she can hold my zanpakuto with that hand
Well, I wonder what sort of release she has? I also wonder is she still has a lisp and enjoys punching folks in the babybags...

Well she only has the lisp because she lacked her two front teeth...

If she still lacks her two front teeth in her adult form... well... *dirtymind*

Why was she kicked out from the male dominated Espada in the first place!!! You'd think lacking 2 front teeth would be, uh, handy, for certain, uh, forms of recreation. >D

[Shadoblak]

Well she only has the lisp because she lacked her two front teeth...

If she still lacks her two front teeth in her adult form... well... *dirtymind*

Why was she kicked out from the male dominated Espada in the first place!!! You'd think lacking 2 front teeth would be, uh, handy, for certain, uh, forms of recreation. >D

Well I'm sure she does since she still has the scar...Hm......dirty dirty mind tsktsktsk

I'm sure once they found her as a child on the floor with her head split open, bleeding everywhere nobody except Szayel was attracted to her anymore :p
Despite how well she uh.....Handled a sword

[Rain]

Shadoblak and chbimun- wow, what an odd conversation you two are having.

It is interesting though:D

[helio16]

Translations are out!!!
http://www.bleachexile.com/

[avidlinuxuser]

So, Nnoitra attacked Nel from behind. If that's the case, I'm 100% sure he couldn't take on Nel in a fair fight. His fear in the last panel before seeing the translation made me fairly certain. Knowing the way in which he got a hit on her, I know for certain know she's stronger than he is.

[Shadoblak]

So, Nnoitra attacked Nel from behind. If that's the case, I'm 100% sure he couldn't take on Nel in a fair fight. His fear in the last panel before seeing the translation made me fairly certain. Knowing the way in which he got a hit on her, I know for certain know she's stronger than he is.

I'm pretty sure if he fought fair, he probably couldnt even hurt Yammi, since alot of his reiatsu is in his skin.....But to win you can't really fight fair sometimes..So if she's stronger, he's a better fighter in that he fights to win no matter what the cost

[abducted]

Kubo is so tricky. he knows we've been going by neLL this whole time. then he finally decides to name an espada without a double consonant ad its Nel. the evil genius.

[Nocturne]

Now I'm beginning to think Nnoitora used to be Nel's fraccion. He's a really dirty fighter though, no honor whatsoever. He's afraid to take on a Nel face to face so he decided to take her down from behind. (I'm assuming it wasn't a fair fight) I also think his MO is to take on fighters when they're already weakened from a previous fight. He took Chad down with one hit, though Chad was already spent from his fight with Gantenbein; he takes Grimmjow down with one hit, though Grimm was already spent from fighting Ichigo; and he's just able to take Ichigo down because he's spent from fighting Grimm. Yet Nnoitora considers himself the strongest? Right.

As for Nel, LOL, it would be hysterical if she turns out to be Masaki. XD

[Frostman]

So what do you guys think of older Nell being Noitora's ex-girlfiend or some thing like that. When he was talking i got a "guy thats been through a bad relationship" kind vibe from him. They had to at least have been friends.

[Shadoblak]

So what do you guys think of older Nell being Noitora's ex-girlfiend or some thing like that. When he was talking i got a "guy thats been through a bad relationship" kind vibe from him. They had to at least have been friends.

She nagged him so much one night as she was complaining that he left his snakes and spoon hood everywhere he got his scythe and decided to crack her one from behind!

[tehworstguy]

If Noitra attacked her from behind, why is her scar located on her forehead?

[Shadoblak]

If Noitra attacked her from behind, why is her scar located on her forehead?

Because Nnoitra's like eight feet tall and his scythe has a rounded side edge its pretty possible it was swinging like a pendulum

[debbiechan]

So, Nnoitra attacked Nel from behind. If that's the case, I'm 100% sure he couldn't take on Nel in a fair fight. His fear in the last panel before seeing the translation made me fairly certain. Knowing the way in which he got a hit on her, I know for certain know she's stronger than he is.

There you go. Nnoitra is as stinky as they come. Shielding himself with a baby of all things and attacking the weak.... he is so doomed in this manga. I even thought he was kinda cool when he showed up but now I want his spoonhead bent by Nell like she's Yuri Geller.

Nell's crack in the head could've still come from a hit from behind--that scythe seems to have a range.

And damn, I don't know what to think re-reading this--There's definitely some sort of vibe between Nnoitra (evil of the evil) being annoyed by Nell (the one who won't give up like Ichigo) and I don't know if there was a seat challenge going on here...

Ichigo's willingness to save Nell is SO gallant :love but what's his reaction going to be (fear?) to her transformation? He's shown a fear of boobage before with Yoru and Mats but this chick is an Espada. Ichigo's had three Espada fights so far and it hasn't been easy.

At this point, I think, there's no doubt that Nell is going to fight Nnoitra to defend Ichigo (it's wishing for too much that Ichigo and Orihime escape--Ulqui's in his bubble just waiting for his moment to snatch Hime back) but if this fight wants to be something less than predictable, there's going to have to be some doubt about Nell's allegiances?

If she turns out to be Masaki, I'm buying BrightRedGlow and her son a case of champagne! I'd love that but the sexual stuff would be ... uh... too weird... even for Kubo.

[SiSL]

Here goes IchixNell pairings.

[QUOTE=avidlinuxuser;70044]
If she turns out to be Masaki, I'm buying BrightRedGlow and her son a case of champagne! I'd love that but the sexual stuff would be ... uh... too weird... even for Kubo.

Masaki is consumed and the one consumed it turned into arrancar and it is being also killed by Isshin. So that won't gonna happen.

[NeoSapien]

The heck with defending Ichigo. Nell has her own grudge with Nnoitra, who has done one hell of a lot worse to her than to him. She is seriously going to go to town on him.

Actually, I wouldn't be surprised if Nell loses her memories of her child form and regains her Espada memories, or at least has a major personality shift. Defending Ichigo may be the last thing on her mind.

[-sama]

I hope they actually fight and don't draw out the next chapter with a bunch of dialogue like they did this one. I thought Nell would transform and start the fight in this one.

[Rain]

I for one wouldn't mind a few chapters of just talk.

As long as ichigo doesn't fight again before chapter 300 I'm good (I'm sick of seeing him fight, and Inoue not fighting)

[Llama]

I'd also like to see a personality change. But I'd like it if she remembered Ichigo. Kind of like Lucy from Elfen Lied. Go psycho on everyone except the person you love. That sort of thing.

[Agmaster]

If Noitra attacked her from behind, why is her scar located on her forehead?

THANK YOU! You people are NUTS! He does not fear her, he beat her, he is stronger. Minus resolve. Man, just....I'm blown away by how quickly everyone says Nnoitra's weak. You people are on drugs.

Girlfriend theory made me laugh and think of stairs though.

He's so underhanded and sneaky and I hate him. I'm sorry, let's have the bad guys all be our bestest friends like Grimmjow? That was dumb then, and would be dumb now. Kubo may have made HM into a parody of SS (something i ignored until reading so much text on it, dc), but atleast now villains are villains and not just heroes with a different rule set. And if they are, total fail...unless that rule set is like following the king of hell.

[AnimeGirlPan]

It would of been good if Hollow Ichigo would ever come freakin back..he could of helped but Ichigo had to surpess his butt lol
anyways
Nell now a kickbutt adult who is gonna go freakin mad and kick Nnoitra to his freakin knees
*fighting music playing lol*
my point is..i think it was Ichigo who triggered Nel to change into an adult

[jb254]

Thank you, Agmaster. You wrote exactly what I was thinking.

Nnoitra doesn't fight fair? Who cares? He's the freakin' villain. That's the way he's supposed to fight. Doesn't matter if he's the weakest, strongest, or somewhere in between. I'm really getting sick of all this "I'm a bad guy but I have a code of honor that I follow and I respect my opponents." Aizen's trying to take over the world by killing 100,000 people for Pete's sake. I'm very happy someone gets it.

Besides, Ichigo doesn't learn anything about fighting by fighting on equal terms anyway. Nnoitra beating the crap out of him right after fighting to his limit against Grimmjow was something he should have known was going to happen when he entered Hueco Mundo with his unproven power.

[Nocturne]

Isn't saying that HM is a parody of SS like saying all the books after the first Harry Potter book are just parodies of the original? JKR did use the same formula for every book, the only time she differed in her usual formula was in the seventh book.

Sometimes parallels are great because you get to compare and contrast. The effect Kubo could be going for is to show just how much more vicious the Espada are compared to the Captains of the Gotei. You also get to see that just like in SS, not all things are black and white at HM. It's ironic that instead of hollows causing the most trouble for SS, it's three shinigamis. It's also ironic that those three shinigamis now rule over hollows in HM. If shinigamis can change colors, so should hollows.

Also, Kubo didn't really make everything alike. Who would have thought that Ichigo would get to Orihime this early. If Kubo wanted it to be the same as SS, he would have waited until the end before Ichigo gets to rescue Orihime. Actually, Ichigo didn't really even rescue Orihime as she was brought to him and he was half-dead at that time. Technically it was Orihime who rescued him. XD Also, I keep reading how people want Orihime to fight. She can't, she wanted to do something, but Tesla ain't exactly an easy opponent. Tesla threatened to destroy her Rikka. Orihime needs her Rikka to heal Ichigo, Chad, Rukia, etc so she has no choice but to heed Tesla's warning. It's funny, people cheer that Ichigo is getting his butt handed to him by the number 5 Espada, and he's supposed to be the strong one. If Ichigo can't handle the number 5 Espada, how can Orihime handle the number 5 Espada's fraccion?

Anyway, I'm hoping that Nel's rematch with Nnoitora will be a good one and I hope she beats the crap out of him.

[Shadoblak]

THANK YOU! You people are NUTS! He does not fear her, he beat her, he is stronger. Minus resolve. Man, just....I'm blown away by how quickly everyone says Nnoitra's weak. You people are on drugs.

Girlfriend theory made me laugh and think of stairs though.

He's so underhanded and sneaky and I hate him. I'm sorry, let's have the bad guys all be our bestest friends like Grimmjow? That was dumb then, and would be dumb now. Kubo may have made HM into a parody of SS (something i ignored until reading so much text on it, dc), but atleast now villains are villains and not just heroes with a different rule set. And if they are, total fail...unless that rule set is like following the king of hell.

Not true. He probably doesnt fear her, he doesnt seem to fear anyone because he thinks he's the strongest..He said himself he klonked her from behind.
The way he fights its not unlikely that if he is stronger than her its not by much at all...When two people of equal strength fight the smarter or more ruthless of the two wins...It doesnt mean he's stronger, just that he's better at fights to the death (The only kind that count in Hueco Mundo)
He is underhanded and sneaky but I am of course a Nnoitra fan and will be upset when he dies..Whens the last time we saw a villain who breaks people's bones?
Nnoitra however is clearly nowhere near as badass as he thinks he is since its hard to determine whether or not he's been in a fair fight, one that doesnt test his ruthlessness but his actual strength..Again, I'm a Nnoitra fan :p

[Nocturne]

Whens the last time we saw a villain who breaks people's bones?
Grimmjow breaking Loly's leg with his foot. But I agree about Nnoitora needing to fight in a fair fight. I also think it's fair game to expect more of Nnoitora because he said he was the strongest. However, what we've seen is that he's so far been pitted against weakened opponents so you can't really judge his strength based on those fights because he had the clear advantage.

[Shadoblak]

Grimmjow breaking Loly's leg with his foot. But I agree about Nnoitora needing to fight in a fair fight. I also think it's fair game to expect more of Nnoitora because he said he was the strongest. However, what we've seen is that he's so far been pitted against weakened opponents so you can't really judge his strength based on those fights because he had the clear advantage.

Exactly
Oh and uh....I meant REAL characters not just teenage arrancar sex toys :p besides, who has just grabbed an arm and snapped it like that? Its ruthless XD

[Notneeded]

It doesnt mean he's stronger, just that he's better at fights to the death (The only kind that count in Hueco Mundo)
He is underhanded and sneaky.....
Nnoitra however is clearly nowhere near as badass as he thinks he is since its hard to determine whether or not he's been in a fair fight, one that doesnt test his ruthlessness but his actual strength..Again, I'm a Nnoitra fan :p
I'm not a Nnoi fan but I think his ruthlessness is a perfect characterization of what a hollow is. They are, in general, monsters. They for the most part are not meant to fight fair. And this is a war, his charecter shows us how silly it is to even label things as fair or underhanded in a war. I believe Ichigo could take some lessons from Nnoi and for heavens sake become a little bit more of a ruthless fighter himself. In the end I for one hope that this is the direction the author is taking us with this arc.

[Zikky]

Thanks for the raw and the summary! Even though this week's Bleach was pretty... well... boring for me xD. I want me some Aizen :<

[scooz]

Ok, there seems to be some debate about Spoony and Nell going on. I am just gonna say a few things real quick...

1. Nell is freaking sexy! lol. Who saw that coming? XD I love it! What I want to see next is her sword and possibly her release if that is where Kubo is going with this, since Ichigo is out and Inoue was never a player.

2. Spoony is a coward. He surprise attacked an injured Grimmy (still pissed about that), is attacking Ichigo injured, picking on Nell because he assumed she was weaker, and ADMITTED to attacking her from behind. He freaking used Nell as a shield between him and Ichigo! I know bad guys don't exactly live by a code of honor, but that is sheer cowardice, how can he claim to be so strong when he preys on the weak? He complained about Chad because he was weak, but he is a hypocrite by his own standards!

I put money on him being afraid of her. I bet she was competition for the spot just above him in the Espada ranks and so he took her out of the running by injuring her. He does claim to be the strongest Espada in one of the older chapters, so if fits his twisted personality. I hope Nell beats the living crap outta this guy.

3...I hope she doesn't turn into another one of Ichigo's fangirls. The lil shipping war between IchigoxRukia v. IchigoXInoue is bad enough, let's not add a third one, lol.

4. Nell and Wanderwice seem alot alike in that "innocent and pure" personality. I wonder if they are like side effects to the transformation, like not all Vasto Lordes change the same, occasionally some inherit too much Shinigami attributes...and you get pure beings like Nell who are not as evil and aggressive as the other Espada.

EDIT: I noticed a remark a page back about the scar on Nell's face meaning that Spoony attacked her from the front. I disagree.

When Spoony first started talking about her in the last chapter, he called her Hollow mask the Scarmask. I do not think he caused the scar, I think she had it before she became an Espada, possibly it was caused during her transformation to become an Arrancar, just not from Spoony. But, he may have caused the split in her mask from his attack, which is why he used smash to describe his attack. I think he was referring to the mask, not her scar.

It just doesn't make any sense for him to claim to have attacked from behind and her scar appear on the front unless there are circumstances about the attack he has not mentioned yet.

[tehworstguy]

Well, he says that he was the one that smashed her head in, so it seems likely that her scar is his doing. Saying "I am the second that smashed her head in" doesn't exactly have as much flair as claiming to be the first, I grant, but until shown otherwise it makes more sense to assume that Nel's amnesia comes from the same source as her scar.


Even given Nnoitra's weapon, it isn't really possible for him to have produced that scar by attacking from behind. Her facial scar extends to her nose, a full 180 degrees from the back of her head. He could have attacked from above and made that scar, I guess. That would work with the placement of the scar.

[scooz]

I still think the scar might have been there before his attack. The way he talked about her Scarmask made it sound infamous, like all the Espada would know about it. I am not saying it is impossible for him to have given her the scar, just unlikely in my opinion. He may have cracked the mask, but it seems to take more than a sword slice to scar Espada.

[Shadoblak]

I still think the scar might have been there before his attack. The way he talked about her Scarmask made it sound infamous, like all the Espada would know about it. I am not saying it is impossible for him to have given her the scar, just unlikely in my opinion. He may have cracked the mask, but it seems to take more than a sword slice to scar Espada.

The scar lines up with the crack in the mask.....The other espada who saw her didnt even know who she was, but Nnoitra called her a brat like she took that form often.....I think its very likely that he gave her the scar and broken mask. So likely in fact I'd be willing to bet money on it

[scooz]

No, I don't think the scar and the crack line up. The scar appears to go up and down, the crack in the mask is crooked and goes sideways. Plus, from the looks of the recent chapter, the end of the mask crack is not parallel with the scar, so I do not think one corresponds to the other. I think the scar came first, then Spoony cracked the mask.

Tesla is not an Espada, he is Spoony's minion so he probably hasn't been around that long, and Grimmy is down for the count, so there are no other Espada around who could recognize Nell. The brat comment may stem from the fact that after Spoony's attack, she reverted back into that form and stayed that way, so what else would he call her if he hasn't seen her in her recent form for a long time?

EDIT:

See here, the end of the crack is slightly left of the scar.

http://i128.photobucket.com/albums/p181/Scooz87/Nell.png

The same goes for her new transformation. Since her scar runs down the center of her face, you can see the crack of the mask is off center.

So this leads me to believe that it is possible that one does not have to be related to the other. The scar and the crack could have occured at different times.

[aznxenocide]

I'm sorry if you guys have already discussed this...but what made Nell go into her loli form in the first place? Was it there mere fact that her mask was cracked, and as such, she lost much of her powers? Like, would it be a form of regression that Shawlong and Grimmjaw were talking about in their chapter? But if that were the case, how could Nell go back to her adult form like that? Or is it some form of release, that gives her power when she's pissed? Would she still have a zanpaktou?

*edit* 67 lurkers? Come on, guys. XD

[scooz]

I was wondering that too, and I think it is mental regression not power regression. I think that maybe Spoony's attack was very devestating since she is a pure being like Wanderwice. This could have created a series of mental blocks that have been broken down because of Spoony's attacks on Ichigo. It forced Nell to push past them to revert back to her former power inorder to save Ichigo. This is not the first time we have seen someone push beyond what is normal expected. Ichigo breaks the rules all the time with his leaps in power, so Nell's transformation is acceptable.

I do not think this is related to her release as an Arrancar, I think this is a very different situation, though they might some how be related, who knows.

[Shadoblak]

No, I don't think the scar and the crack line up. The scar appears to go up and down, the crack in the mask is crooked and goes sideways. Plus, from the looks of the recent chapter, the end of the mask crack is not parallel with the scar, so I do not think one corresponds to the other. I think the scar came first, then Spoony cracked the mask.

Tesla is not an Espada, he is Spoony's minion so he probably hasn't been around that long, and Grimmy is down for the count, so there are no other Espada around who could recognize Nell. The brat comment may stem from the fact that after Spoony's attack, she reverted back into that form and stayed that way, so what else would he call her if he hasn't seen her in her recent form for a long time?

EDIT:

See here, the end of the crack is slightly left of the scar.

http://i128.photobucket.com/albums/p181/Scooz87/Nell.png

The same goes for her new transformation. Since her scar runs down the center of her face, you can see the crack of the mask is off center.

So this leads me to believe that it is possible that one does not have to be related to the other. The scar and the crack could have occured at different times.

.............Because her face and the mask arent on the same level..The mask is raised and rounded. The mask is also cracked, not sliced like the face. His scythe didnt have to go the entire length of it for it to crack.....It clearly lines up......I mean what kind of lame-ass hits her in the place where she already has a scar?? Nnoitra would want to gove her something that would embarass her if she survived....Why make a crack where a scar is that other Espada and younger arrancar may not attribute to him????? It doesnt even make sense to me that the scar and the crack are separate injuries...Unless they were both by a successive attack by Nnoitra in the same fight.

[scooz]

First off, I think you give Spoony too much credit. I think the placement of the crack meant little to him, all that mattered was getting Nell out of the way because she was some kind of threat to him. He is a ruthless warrior, not a cold calculator like Ulqui.

And I have already explained that I think she had the scar before she became an Espada. Besides, the angles of his weapon and her scar/crack do not complete match. He has a perfectly cresent shaped skythe thingy, so inorder for her to get that scar from a rear attack, it looks like his weapon would have to break through the mask completely to slice her face so neatly because the huge round edges would not have touched her face if skythe was brought down on top of her head. Plus, the crack is jagged, so it probably cracked from pressure, which would not leave a scar.

If you want to credit Spoony with the crack and the scar, a kido like attack such as a cero would make more sense, but those are messy and do not leave neat scars like Nell's...and I don't think Spoony is the kido type. He is like Ikkaku, he only knows his weapon, he is probably not much of an all around fighting type.

Besides, the scar looks more like a claw mark than a sword cut. Slicing leaves clean wounds, claws tear open and leave those kinda of jagged marks. Also, magic attacks leave those kinds of marks, but an attack so small it left a little scar in the middle of her face? Too unlikely. So like I said, I think the scar came from long before, possibly from her transformation.

[Shadoblak]

First off, I think you give Spoony too much credit. I think the placement of the crack meant little to him, all that mattered was getting Nell out of the way because she was some kind of threat to him. He is a ruthless warrior, not a cold calculator like Ulqui.

And I have already explained that I think she had the scar before she became an Espada. Besides, the angles of his weapon and her scar/crack do not complete match. He has a perfectly cresent shaped skythe thingy, so inorder for her to get that scar from a rear attack, it looks like his weapon would have to break through the mask completely to slice her face so neatly because the huge round edges would not have touched her face if skythe was brought down on top of her head. Plus, the crack is jagged, so it probably cracked from pressure, which would not leave a scar.

If you want to credit Spoony with the crack and the scar, a kido like attack such as a cero would make more sense, but those are messy and do not leave neat scars like Nell's...and I don't think Spoony is the kido type. He is like Ikkaku, he only knows his weapon, he is probably not much of an all around fighting type.

Besides, the scar looks more like a claw mark than a sword cut. Slicing leaves clean wounds, claws tear open and leave those kinda of jagged marks. Also, magic attacks leave those kinds of marks, but an attack so small it left a little scar in the middle of her face? Too unlikely. So like I said, I think the scar came from long before, possibly from her transformation.

Okay, I really don't know what to say. The scar and the crack are the same wound and I'm pretty sure this is all just over-analyzation.
But I've been wrong before :rolleyes:

[scooz]

Well, I am not saying you are wrong. Either one of us has the possibility of being right. I am just backing up my theory because you obviously disagree =P

[BigBadBuu]

Binktopia's 290 is OUT.

http://binktopia.net/index.php?showtopic=629&st=0&#entry2388066

Go, give them your love!

~Buu

[Shadoblak]

Binktopia's 290 is OUT.

http://binktopia.net/index.php?showtopic=629&st=0&#entry2388066

Go, give them your love!

~Buu

Hmm.....I don't think I've ever read a Binktopia scanlation....Thanks BBBuu

[spacecat]

Binktopia are pretty good so check it out guys :)

[twsl]

it's the flash version though, you can't zoom in and can't seem to turn the music off haha xD the quality is good nonetheless

[Chill0]

oh sh.. someone just opened a can o'whoopass . Hitting someone on the back of the head? hurting her friends? this time it will be a fair fight! say bye bye :D/

Was i the only one that noticed fear in noitoras expression last page?

[Sergelia]

Haha xD Ju-ni's translation this week is hilarious :lmao While I was downloading the RAW, I skimmed through it and my head fell into gutter all over again:


Ichigo:Uwah...!

Ichigo: Ah ah ah ah...

Nel: Ichigo...

Nel: Ichigo...

Ichigo：Ah ah ah ah......

Nel： Ichigo...!

Nel： ICHIGOO!!!!



*mindslaps herself*

Anyhow. Noitora saying "You've gotten dull since I last saw you" indicates a few things. Also, she was irritating so he walked up on her from behind and cracked her skull open? :eek: What a nice temper he's got there. >___>

I still think Nel could've done without getting herself silicones, but ahwell, such is the way of Bleach. I fear for Rukia's design; she's been a rebel for so long already. :(

[Jhaxe]

Ju-Ni's? Do you have a link to that one?

[Notneeded]

Here is their web site....
http://ju-ni.net
But you have to join to download from them.

[Sidonzo]

Just some random thoughts about this chapter...

I'm actually glad Nell wasn't a toddler when she was an Espada. Aizen having Wonderwice is bad enough in my opinion. I can't wait to find out what her fallout was with Nnoitra. And is it just me or does she seem to be somewhat in love with Ichigo? I suppose she has regained her memories along with her true form. Though I wonder how she knew she was a traitor when she was a toddler? Anyway, I think she will still be totally loyal to Ichigo even if she has regained her memories. I really don't like Nnoitra, but he sure does own Ichi in this scene! XD

~Sid

[Jhaxe]

The words on the last page "Ichigoooo! These feelings bring about a transformation!" DOES give the impression Nell has feelings for Ichigo, but you can't say anything past hinting at the moment.

[Rain]

It'd be semi-interesting if Nel came out and said that she loved ichigo or something, it could make for a good plot later on, but I doubt it'd happen.

[NightMare]

Great Chapter!!!(Finally fighting...and good fighting)

[Escobar]

i think her emotions for ichigo are more of the brotherly/sisterly kind

[aznxenocide]

Well yeah, considering how Ichigo protected Nell and let her come and help...yeah, Nell probably feels as if she owes Ichigo something.

[helio16]

i think her emotions for ichigo are more of the brotherly/sisterly kind

ya i also think that Nel's feelings are more brotherly then anything else.

[Agmaster]

Thank you, Agmaster. You wrote exactly what I was thinking.

Nnoitra doesn't fight fair? Who cares? He's the freakin' villain. That's the way he's supposed to fight. Doesn't matter if he's the weakest, strongest, or somewhere in between. I'm really getting sick of all this "I'm a bad guy but I have a code of honor that I follow and I respect my opponents." Aizen's trying to take over the world by killing 100,000 people for Pete's sake. I'm very happy someone gets it.

Besides, Ichigo doesn't learn anything about fighting by fighting on equal terms anyway. Nnoitra beating the crap out of him right after fighting to his limit against Grimmjow was something he should have known was going to happen when he entered Hueco Mundo with his unproven power.

We Hollows stick together?

[debbiechan]

The words on the last page "Ichigoooo! These feelings bring about a transformation!" DOES give the impression Nell has feelings for Ichigo, but you can't say anything past hinting at the moment.

I thought Nell had a very girly innocent crush on Ichigo from the beginning--or else why flee her "brothers" just to be with the guy? In any event, Nell's been his great support--one has wonder if someone (like Urahara?) didn't set her up to be Ichigo's failsafe the way Yorouichi was in SS.

I just get the feeling that there's going to be no rescuing of Orihime today--just like there was the time Yoru helped an out-classed done-for Ichigo on the bridge so Ichigo could fight Byayuka another day.

The very fact that Nel's (I can't get used to ONE L!) transformation was spurred by Ichigo's being tortured says something--Nel's one intense little Arrancar. I was expecting Orihime to go supersaiyan a half a dozen times before on Ichigo's behalf but she didn't.

The "Nel must sacrifice herself" theories bother me--not because I believe Kubo would be so heartless to his audiences as to actually kill Nell but, given how he's been toying with people lately (think he needs a vacation? Or a raise?), he may tease us with her death like he's doing with Rukia's. :mad:

I think that Nel's having some sort of girlish crush on Ichigo will be a nice parallel to Orihime's love for Ichigo--could make for lots of humor, poignancy, and maybe another life-lesson from Nel to Orihime.

[Nocturne]

What life lesson is that, that unrequited love isn't such a bad thing? I bet if Orihime went supersaiyan for Ichigo's sake then she'd probably be criticized that the only time she powers up is for her precious Kurosaki-kun's sake and people will repeat that ad nauseam.

[Velius]

(think he needs a vacation? Or a raise?)
A vacation? Probably wouldn't hurt. A raise? I don't think so. He's rolling in yen from all those royalty checks from the bleach anime, manga volumes, figurines, dvds, posters, coffeemakers, baseball gloves and whatever else has bleach stamped on it.

I myself wouldn't expect Nel in the next chapter to come lunging to say she loves Ichigo, or anything serious like that. Unless at the end of this chapter she completely changed, not only in looks but personality and mind set as well. Then anything could happen.

[Nocturne]

Hopefully that question will be answered next week Velius. Does getting her old form mean she's also gotten her old mindset as an Espada back. Though at the moment we don't know if her memories are back as well though I hope she gets them back. I would like to know what in Nel annoyed Nnoitora so much that he decided to bash her head and throw her out of Las Noches.

[Kibou_chin]

I know Im a bit slow in posting and all but damn Nell looks awesome >_< Dx

[Chill0]

I would like to know what in Nel annoyed Nnoitora so much that he decided to bash her head and throw her out of Las Noches.

it'th tho obviouth :D

[Syn]

Blah, I hope that Nel's old personality will come back with her old appearance. Much more interesting that way but maybe that's just me :p

On another note, Ju-Ni (http://ju-ni.net/) released their version of ch290. Go and grab it :)

[spacecat]

Thanks Ju Ni is always top notch : D

[tari101190]

ok thanx fr the link...

ok maybe i'm a bit late but i realized why inside ichigo's bankai coat is white instead of red now...

shirosaki and zangetsu are the same person...its ust that zangetsu was dominant all this time...however shirosaki slowly bacame more dominant over zangetsu so now when ichigo releases his zanpakuto it is white inside the coat instead. of red to show shirosaki is his dominant partof his zanpakuto spirt...

lookie here... (http://bleachasylum.com/showthread.php?t=1872)

[Sergelia]

I'm not sure about what I want to happen with Nel's (wth? It's NELL, Kubo, it's much cuter that way...) personality. On one hand, she made for a really adorable goodie Hollow toddler, on the other, another badass chick in Bleach wouldn't hurt (I'm suffering from RWS). Plus, it would be weird to see the new-and-improved, boobified Nell glomping Ichigo midair and shouting 'Ijigo~! Nell wanth to be with yous, alwayth~!'. =___=

Dunno, I guess I'll just try to go along with what Kubo gives us. I don't expect much though...

About Noitora... well, I for one think he's one of the smarter characters, to fight like he does. As he already explained to Orihime (and later on Ichigo), what Hime proclaims as 'unfair' is really only normal. Well, I won't dwell on it much; I'm just glad he's not another 'plz heal my opponent one eleven' type.

[debbiechan]

What life lesson is that, that unrequited love isn't such a bad thing? I bet if Orihime went supersaiyan for Ichigo's sake then she'd probably be criticized that the only time she powers up is for her precious Kurosaki-kun's sake and people will repeat that ad nauseam.

Well, you know my feelings on unrequited love. Hurting is just not a good way to pass the lifetime (s). I feel more sorry for Nell if she's got feelings for Ichigo at this point because we've seen Hime hurt so much that it's not new. But Nell might actually be able to move past something like that--show Orihime how the ways of love go.

I know people will criticize Hime for anything, but at this point I don't care if stubbing her toe makes her go supersaiyan. I'm all for her realizing the potential of her offensive power/rejecting abilities. But Kubo's teasing us with that one for sure. Hime's moment of triumph looks chapters away at the rate this manga is going. I don't doubt that the moment will come.

And I, for one, expect it to have to do something with Kurosaki-kun and Orihime's previous vow of not needed to be protected by him. He's lived up to his vow to protect her, but she hasn't lived up to her vow to herself. If Hime went SS4 because of some other reason, I'd actually feel slighted. Maybe she'll manage to help Nell somehow this fight (YES! GIRLS RULE!)

I'm torn between wanting Tesla to stay in the story and be his handsome near-shota self and for him to get knee-ed in the private parts by Hime and then vaporized by Nel.

[phantomfork]

I know people will criticize Hime for anything, but at this point I don't care if stubbing her toe makes her go supersaiyan. I'm all for her realizing the potential of her offensive power/rejecting abilities. But Kubo's teasing us with that one for sure. Hime's moment of triumph looks chapters away at the rate this manga is going. I don't doubt that the moment will come.


I agree, it would be nice to see Orihime become strong enough to at least physically defend her friends or Ichigo in a more significant way, even if it means that she somehow becomes extremely powereful. Like how she defended tatsuki and discovered her powers.

I don't really understand why people criticize her so much...is it that unrealistic to have a character with a sweet personality? I mean, is it really THAT bad of a thing? Or is it just because she actually has significance to the plot because of her powers?

Anyway, getting off topic there, but eh this is probably just as unhelpful but while I was reading the chapter I kept thinking, "oh, Nnoitra probably messed her up because she refused to go out with him." >_______________<;;

About Noitora... well, I for one think he's one of the smarter characters, to fight like he does.

I don't know if he's smart, but he sure does fight dirty! He just snuck up on Nel and cracked her mask in half giving her amnesia and a big dent in power. I don't like his personality, but his design is still really really cool. I just can't hate him so much because of it. XD

I don't know if Nel is in love with Ichigo...that just seems like overkill. (three girls in line for his affections? i.e. Orihime, Rukia) I know Rukia isn't in love with ichigo or anything but still, that just feels really unbalenced. Close friend is more realistic for this shonen manga.