Bleach Thousand-Year Blood War: A Review of Episode 3

The third episode of Bleach Thousand-Year Blood War, "March of the Starcross," expands on the ancient conflict between the Soul Reapers and the Quincies and sets up the story for a showdown between Ichigo Kurosaki and Yhwach. As a quick recap, the second episode ended with Ichigo confronting Sternritter J after the defeat of Tres Bestias. Unlike Ebern and Luders, Sternritter J is established as one of the main members of the Wandenreich.

During the battle with Ichigo, Sternritter J reveals that Uryū Ishida's Heilig Pfeil should be several times stronger than his own, hinting at Uryu's powerful Quincy lineage. Sternritter J also reveals that Uryu's Letzt Stil is the predecessor of Vollständig, a Quincy technique that supposedly died 200 years ago. As the Ishida family continues to wield the Letzt Stil, it remains to be seen if they will align with the Wandenreich's beliefs.

Sternritter J's Vollständig form is shown to be powerful, easily dodging Ichigo's Bankai and absorbing Reishi from his surroundings. Tres Bestias, who supposedly died in the previous episode, manages to survive and creates Ayon, but even Ayon is powerless against Sternritter J's absorption technique. The fate of Tres Bestias remains uncertain, as they are absorbed by Sternritter J but are not shown dead.

Refusing to join Ichigo and his friends, Uryū Ishida is shown researching the Quincies in a library owned by his father, Ryūken. Ryūken hints that the information Uryū is seeking may be dangerous, but Uryū is determined to uncover the truth. As the episode ends, Yhwach arrives and reveals that he is Uryū's grandfather. With this revelation, it seems that a showdown between Ichigo and Yhwach is inevitable.

Overall, the third episode of Bleach Thousand-Year Blood War continues to build on the events of the previous episodes and sets up the story for more conflicts to come. The action-packed episode leaves fans eagerly anticipating the next episode.