Bleach

[Sho]

As Nodt is whining about how he wants to know where Senbonzakura is, so he apparently doesn't have it anymore.

Anyway, I thought it was the worst chapter in a while, unless the next chapter reveals that Rukia got a lower dose of the fear poison, or is bluffing. Her just shrugging off the fear is just ugh.

Finding reasons to hate the manga. What was she supposed to do? Shit bricks? Legit be frozen in fear and killed immediately? Every option is obvious, including her ironically getting over her fear, so might as well give her a triumphant fight scene.

[Obsidian]

She won against that one fraccion where her shikai was initially introduced and against an espada.

Then was immediately punched through the chest by the guy who gives Ichigo his most well-animated beating of the series.

I'm hoping her shikai has gotten some more of those dances as well having learned bankai.

[Outlaw]

She better win. It makes sense to let her have her revenge cause in her mindset she is pissed at fear guy for what he did to Byakuya.

[Fwahm]

Finding reasons to hate the manga. What was she supposed to do? Shit bricks? Legit be frozen in fear and killed immediately? Every option is obvious, including her ironically getting over her fear, so might as well give her a triumphant fight scene.

According to As Nodt's fight with Byakuya, the fear his needles give you is instinctual fear, so it's impossible to "get over it". I would be fine if it showed her afraid like Byakuya, only for her to have a resolve moment and overcome it by doing the impossible and shocking As Nodt, but in the chapter it just shows her going lolno to the fear without any explanation or struggling against it.

If there's an explanation, or an inner monologue, or something next week that explains her ignoring the fear, I'll retract my criticism.

[Abandon]

I thought it was a decent chapter. Rukia has faced death more than everyone minus ichigo and zaraki (rofl at all the times he nearly died, just to get swole and end people, not to mention the beating and repeated deaths he suffered at the hands of the prior kenpachi).

[kuronosan]

I thought it was a decent chapter. Rukia has faced death more than everyone minus ichigo and zaraki (rofl at all the times he nearly died, just to get swole and end people, not to mention the beating and repeated deaths he suffered at the hands of the prior kenpachi).

This. Byakuya succumbed not because he isn't afraid instinctively, but because he's experienced with battle and has become fearless. He has felt fear before with Hisana, conflict of duty with Rukia, his conflict with nobility. He still feels fear by instinct.

Rukia, on the other hand, has faced her death twice, made peace with dying, and is unafraid (she even said so many times) of most everything.

What does she have left to fear if she isn't afraid of dying?

Corn Flakes?

[Guitarman]

I thought it was a decent chapter. Rukia has faced death more than everyone minus ichigo and zaraki (rofl at all the times he nearly died, just to get swole and end people, not to mention the beating and repeated deaths he suffered at the hands of the prior kenpachi).

Which STILL has me believing his release allows resurrection, since his whole thing is dying repeatedly to get stronger, and Unohana is gonna pop up behind him in a panel.

[Abandon]

That's actually incorrect. The only reason that he was getting stronger, as shown by the training montage we got, was that since the first time he fought her, he unknowingly put a mental block on himself, as he knew he'd otherwise never fight someone as strong as her ever again, and he wanted to always fight at that level. The entire point of her doing what she did with him was to remove the mental blocks, so he'd fight at full strength again. And since he finally removed the mental blocks he had, he was finally able to hear his sword talk.

[Sho]

According to As Nodt's fight with Byakuya, the fear his needles give you is instinctual fear, so it's impossible to "get over it". I would be fine if it showed her afraid like Byakuya, only for her to have a resolve moment and overcome it by doing the impossible and shocking As Nodt, but in the chapter it just shows her going lolno to the fear without any explanation or struggling against it.

If there's an explanation, or an inner monologue, or something next week that explains her ignoring the fear, I'll retract my criticism.

kuronosan explained it just below your post in a similar manner to what I'm saying. Besides, Shinigami are of and effectually humans -- a "species" who can override "instincts" naturally. What's really stopping her from overriding a bestial, unconscious fear if it means survival in the first place? She's making a conscious effort to override the unconscious "primal fear" As Nodt implanted into her. It's similar to a person doing something absolutely absurd that they know would put them into immediate danger and/or death like fucking with wild beast or going on a shooting rampage or driving fast in a slow speed zone, etc.

I do see where you're coming from however, but for all intents and purposes this is a manga after all.

[kuronosan]

All I'm saying is it worked on Byakuya because he had to subvert his fears to succeed in battle. Rukia has conquered her fear by making peace with death. There really isn't anything to feel because essentially Byakuya was really afraid, just pushing through, while Rukia isn't even afraid.

I'm sure in typical Kuboism he'll make Rukia start winning, As Nodt will use the power of SUPARFEER and it will be another back and forth.

[Ayn]

Eventually Nodt will concede that Rukia is a pretty cool girl and doesn't afraid of anything.

Then tell her his useless backstory which takes up 4 chapters.

On a side note, his design vaguely reminds me of Karasu from YYH.

[Fwahm]

All I'm saying is it worked on Byakuya because he had to subvert his fears to succeed in battle. Rukia has conquered her fear by making peace with death. There really isn't anything to feel because essentially Byakuya was really afraid, just pushing through, while Rukia isn't even afraid.

I'm sure in typical Kuboism he'll make Rukia start winning, As Nodt will use the power of SUPARFEER and it will be another back and forth.

But fear of death isn't even compelling to most characters in shonens. There are other fears which are much more problematic; look at Byakuya; he wasn't afraid of death, but instead one of his fears was of Rukia dying.

If you don't think Rukia has any other fears (Ichigo/Renji/Byakuya dying, her failing to protect her friends, being all alone again, or even irrational fears specific to herself), then I don't know what you say.

[Seha]

The fear of a thousand broken Chappies.

[arus2001]

Or realizing her art sucks.

[kuronosan]

If you don't think Rukia has any other fears (Ichigo/Renji/Byakuya dying, her failing to protect her friends, being all alone again, or even irrational fears specific to herself), then I don't know what you say.

In this topic, we fail at character interpretation and reading comprehension.

[Fwahm]

Explain, then.

[Karbuncle]

I believe the quincys powers promote a primal fear, I do not believe any of the fears you listed are primal urges. The only real primal fear is death, and she's gotten over that fear. Thats how i understood it anyway, could be wrong, I read bleach to enjoy the ride not needlessly nitpick every detail for some odd reason.

[Fwahm]

Look at the illusions that Byakuya saw when under the effects of As Nodt's powers; Rukia dying gruesomely, and having hordes of locusts climb up his naked body. Neither have anything to do with himself dying.

I don't remember Rukia ever overcoming a fear of death, either. On the bridge, she thought she had resigned herself to death (unless Gin trolled that out of her), but resigning yourself to death is merely an acknowledgement that death is the only option open to you; it doesn't have anything to do with whether you fear it or not.

There's also her subconscious feeling for a while that she deserved to die for what she did to Kaien, but that doesn't relate to fearing death, or overcoming a fear of death.

[kuronosan]

You totally skipped over the part where, you know, she got over that.

[Alarial]

She could be just Aizen'ing it up. Remember when Aizen got double tapped by Soi Fon's bankai of death and basically just laughed and said all enfeebling attacks are just inherently battles between the two people's spirit energy (which honestly dissapointed me because it took Bleach to "DBZ comparison of power levels" mode). Assuming Aizen was being honest in that frame.