The first villains to be introduced in Tite Kubo’s Bleach were the Hollows. From that introduction to the Thousand-Year Blood War arc, their portrayal has undergone many changes. They added a supernatural threat to a story that was initially rooted in a realistic human world. As the story progressed, the different categories of Hollows were explored and that terror vanished.
More and more Hollows with complex backstories were introduced including the Arrancars, Espadas, and the Vasto Lordes. These characters were interesting; however, the initial appeal of Hollows could no longer be felt.
Considering how Kubo is a master of crafting memorable characters, this was probably the one point where he faltered. The characterization of Hollows was much better at the beginning compared to how they evolved with the story.
Tite Kubo’s initial portrayal of Hollows was much more interesting
The story starts with Rukia saving Ichigo from a Hollow. The following episodes and chapters featured many different Hollows. One thing common between all of them was malice. They were creepy in appearance and added an element of horror to Bleach’s narrative.
The dark atmosphere and the manipulative ways in which they attacked humans were terrifying. Seeing a tough character like Chad be threatened during the parakeet arc established the menace of the Hollows. Similarly, both Orihime and Ichigo had their own horrifying experiences.
The Grand Fisher threatened Ichigo’s family and brought back his mother to shake him to his core. Even though these Hollows had backstories, they could no longer be called humans. And, that made them extremely scary as this Reddit comment explains.
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byu/Duclaido from discussion
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After the Soul Society Arc and Aizen’s emergence as the main villain, the new categories of Hollows were introduced. There were different Hollows with more advanced powers and they were no longer mindlessly hunting humans. The Arrancars and the Espadas were just like the Soul Reapers and the Quincies.
They had emotions and feelings, which took away their unpredictability and the element of horror. This made Bleach unique as it blended horror with shonen in an interesting way. It would have been great to see how the horror would’ve evolved with the story, but Tite Kubo decided to introduce Hollows who were more human.
The humanized Hollows of Bleach
The introduction of the Arrancars and Espada was interesting as they exuded a similar nonchalance. They followed Aizen’s order and slaughtered humans without any care. The Espadas were more human in that sense. While Grimmjow had that competitive streak, Ulquiorra had the existential dread.
Halibel and Starrk deeply cared about their subordinates as well. These characters were no longer unique, but still memorable. The initial idea behind Hollows was more interesting and distinct, but how it evolved was somewhat generic. While horror being a key element is a great ‘what if’, the current form of Bleach is what we have come to love and appreciate.
Bleach is available to read on the MangaPlus app and website.
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