#ch427

[opbackgrounds]

Before driving deeper into Usopp’s side of thing, I want to focus a little bit on Luffy, because as I’ve mentioned previously, this fight between has a bit of a different flavor from other Luffy-centric battles, but what I haven’t mentioned yet is how public all this is. The final battles with big bads like Arlong, Crocodile, and Enel were all away from other people, but not here. The shift of Luffy becoming a more public figure started with his ass whooping of Bellamy way back in Jaya, but even that was only in front of a bunch of pirates. Showing up to rock Enies Lobby is what’s really going to launch him into the public spotlight, and so it stands to reason that this final stand against Lucci is seen by both the marines and the Straw Hat Pirates.

So far he and Lucci have been on pretty equal footing, but Lucci managed to save his last big trump card until this moment, and seems to have Luffy beat when Usopp shows himself for real. Oda puts a ton of emphasis on Luffy’s expression, this panel alone taking up 3/4 of the page.

And, like, imagine Luffy’s shock. The gag of him not recognizing who Sogeking is turns on its head and is instead played for the deepest, juiciest drama. Usopp isn’t a Straw Hat anymore. He had no obligation to come to Enies Lobby. But he did.

All throughout Enies Lobby there’s been this running thread of the Straw Hats helping each other out of situations they couldn’t handle alone. Nami saving Sanji, Sanji saving Usopp, Usopp saving Robin. Hell, Robin not trusting her friends to keep her safe from the World Government is what kicked off this mess in the first place. The whole reason Luffy was so adamant about going against Lucci was because he recognized him as the strongest threat to the crew, and it’s Luffy’s job as the captain to protect those under his leadership from that kind of danger.

But right now he can’t. He’s not strong enough. And it’s not until Usopp threatens to put himself in harm’s way against an enemy they both know he has no chance about that he stands up and finishes the fight. Because even the captain needs to be propped up by his crew once in a while, and Luffy would rather die than have one of his crew get killed.

Do you remember now the fight started between Usopp and Luffy in the first place? Usopp argued, using the Merry as a proxy for his feelings, that Luffy would leave behind and abandon the weakest members of his crew to further his own ambition, and here, now, Luffy is showing in a very real way that that’s not true. But even if Luffy is willing to put his life on the line to protect Usopp from people like Lucci, he still needs Usopp’s help. He still needed those words from his best friend in order to stand up one last time. 

#opbackgrounds #one piece #ch427 #usopp #monkey d luffy #themes threads and throughlines #the power of friendship #Oda's expression game is on point

[gimyung]

ppl always texting "wyd?" and never

"dciyckwcfy ❀" 😔

#dont cry #if you cry kagiroi will come for you #him him him #such pretty panels im foaming in the mouth #my love #loml #kuroda ryuhei #kagiroi #lookism #l;ch426 #l;ch427

[choiboyhater]

tbh ch427 felt so random. gun and kuroda fought, gun said he was good then changed his mind two seconds later.

i also have a little question

does that mean DG was part of the Workers before???? and what happened to samuel? don’t think i forgot….

i just want an actual good fight to happen. not some one sided ass shit. but knowing PTJ he’s probably gonna switch to Jake or Samuels POV or give us some backstory. i wish i wasn’t so addicted to Lookism 🥲

#DG #lookism #webtoons #samuel seo #question #gun #ch.427 #why #also where is samuel 🤨 #i should be sleeping #GET ON WITH IT

[texascountrymiss]

Check out this listing I just added to my Poshmark closet: Chico’s Floral Print Slub Tee Size XL.

[gradelstuff]

I'm having a migraine wtf do u mean his name is CALE...??????? CALE.??????

IS HE THE OG???? THE ORIGINAL???

OR DO WE HAVE A 3RD CALE....!?

#blogging #ch427

[stephanericherthanyou]

Ch424-450

before we get started, i want to say i’ve never actually read this arc--i stopped reading and then started again in the middle of the last arc, went back and reread that again, but never actually got around to this in the intervening years--probably due to a combination of ‘more new characters i already cannot remember the names’ + ‘supposed to be chad’s arc but not really’ + wanting to save myself a little bit of bleach content for later/not wanting it to be Truly Over. but now we have translated LNs and more anime and a mobile game and i am also okay with having read all of it. in this modern world franchises never die anyway so let’s get to it.

Ch424: The Lost Agent

so it’s yuzu who has taken over the ‘wake ichigo up’ duty....lsdkfj isshin’s ties pls

OH YEAH TATSUKI’S MULLET it is not as bad as i’d built it up to be in my mind...why does kubo like mullets so much tho....also ok it’s really nice to see ichigo and tatsuki back to normal. ish. i wonder if tatsuki does still have some resentment tho? we don’t get to see her pov much (at all? there is that scene where shunsui visits) in the final arc so...i wonder...

“you don’t miss her?” / “there’s no reason to” ICHIGO. PLS. MY CHILD.

oh so this dude is one of the fullbringers & this was a setup...i see i see

Ch425: A Day Without Melodies

“you make it sound like he hangs out with you on a regular basis” DAMN MIZUIRO “it’s not like i’ve got nothing to do and constantly show up at his job and bother him or anything” keigo pls!!!

ichigo selling his services to the school sports teams bc of his shinigami reflexes....idk there’s something about that, like keeping in shape and all that, just in ~case~ (even perhaps subconsciously)

Ch426: The Starter 2

ch2 was called “Starter” but perhaps it was actually “The Starter” and my scanlation was wrong? either way.

i love them! and again that “arguing with each other while fighting the bad guys” trope makes its return :’)

oh right it’s 2003! flip phones!

i feel like ‘kidnapped by the boss’ has also shown up in bleach before but idr where so /shrug

“no thanks, we’re an eel restaurant” ichigo PLS

(also is the ramen thing like...a nar//uto ref? i have never read that but doesn’t the main character love ramen or did i misosmose)

Ch427: A Delicious Dissonance

aslkdjf poor uryuu can’t get over being called strange....

ichigo acting like carrying around chocolate is as weird as carrying around ramen....ichigo pls u know chocolate is a snack not an entire meal right? (is that what he’s saving the money for?)

i mean this ramen dude is right but everything but the rain is not for another uhhh *checks notes* 100 chapters damn kubo trolling us again with something that will take like 3 years (given all the hiatuses) to actually reveal

Ch428: The Known

so was this “take me to hell” movie about the espada or

well riruka is the donut lover right? do they all have fave foods?

“now it’s our turn to protect ichi-nii” KARIN T__T

Ch429: Welcome to our Execution

man ichigo & yuzu...she knows something’s up but she’s just tired of pushing the point ig :( probably worried that he’ll be away for a long time again (and she’ll be right about that)

crescent moon!!! drink!!!

is it ok that isshin just leaves the clinic unattended for so long? clearly none of the kids are helping out...

Ch430: Welcome to our Execution 2

ORIHIME PLS!!!! again tho....kubo understands teenagers....

lsdkfj and her ringtone...

oh it’s ryuuken! <3 ahh right bc uryuu was right outside ichigo’s house but dad wasn’t home~ (probably out doing shinigami sht)

“it’s important to share information” YEAH LIKE UR ONE TO TALK RYUUKEN

does ichigo know that his dad knows ryuuken? like if only bc they’re both doctors?

isn’t this like a horror movie....ig ichigo can’t help it wanting to protect everyone & stuff. but i wonder if this kind of feeling could lead him to empathize with tatsuki more? or bc it’s so temporary it doesn’t matter?

Ch431: Welcome to our Execution 3

“there’s something i want to talk to you about” / “i’m sure there is; otherwise you wouldn’t be calling me right?” pls...

look i know everything’s gonna be ok but this is so shady and the tension is building!! ichigo don’t do it!! yeah exactly ichigo you don’t have anyone else to turn to.....except yknow for ORIHIME, CHAD, URAHARA, TESSAI, JINTA, URURU, YOUR OWN FUCKING FATHER, LITERALLY HALF THE PEOPLE YOU KNOW?! well i get it. he’s too proud, and shady ramen guy has already started to wedge things in between him and the others....i’m surprised it’s already working this well but yknow. ichigo gonna ichigo i guess

Ch432: The Soul Pantheism

the moon is still crescent but i’ll let it slide since it’s the next day but....not much longer kubo!!

damn chad showing ur cleavage

Ch433: The Six Fullbringers

so the sword collapses into a cross necklace....*szayel voice* QUINCY!!!

yet another ichigo reaction face...well, that hollow thingy is true....

so is this all bullshit? is the other person born of a shinigami and human supposed to be karin (or are we supposed to think it’s karin and it’s someone else/no one at all bc they lied)?

Ch434: Berry In The Box

Ch435: Panic at the Dollhouse

...lying is the most fun a girl can have without taking her dollhouse out?

god this is fucken ridiculous i love it. well this is ichigo after all, he’s gonna make things harder for himself and fight on hard mode

Ch436: The Time Discipline

awww ichigo and chad....

Ch437: Swastika Break

anyway i was curious and i looked up the meaning of the symbol...”buddha’s footprints” huh, interesting.

“experience or instinct?” (eyes emoji intensify)

Ch438: Knuckle Down

iiiiiiinteresting. is this like that redacted thing with hearing the voice

tsukishima looks like tensa kind of. (also, is it ‘tsuki’ like moon....yes lmao) so is this the point when kubo’s art style gets a bit more samey...

Ch439: Keen Marker

how do these ppl know about ichigo & co anyway. were they stalking? do they know someone?

Ch440: Mute Friendship

SUSHIGAWARA-KUN ORIHIME P L S

so....orihime is fighting the false memories huh....or was she meant to. 

oooh so are they really fighting with tsukishima & co or is that another lie?

Ch441: Spotlight Brocken

YES GOOD UNAGI!!! ICHIGO REALLY NEEDS TO HEAR THAT....ahh i get it tho in your late teens you feel like you ~~are~~/should be an adult already ok! and ichigo’s had a lot dumped on him, and actual ancient adults like yamajii & unohana have leaned on him but he is still so young.

the moon is still crescent. kubo......

so either isshin and urahara are hooking up or there’s some shady business dealing going on or.

i guess we’ll never know >:(

Ch442: Battlefield Shallows, Otherfield Abyss

“would you say the same thing on the battlefield”/“probably” PLS

Ch443: Dirty Boots Dangers

anyway this arc so far has all the pulpy suspense and plots on top of plots and misdirection of the soul society arc mixed with a lesser degree of the urban fantasy from the first arc (and a bit of a different kind...a bit noir-ish? night streets and alleys ig?)

WAIT THAT “3 in a row is when i’m most vulnerable” that’s definitely a callback to something...is it the gin fight? grimmjow? i don’t remember and idt i wrote that down ughhhh i’m gonna have to go back and search for it. well i guess it was urahara?! thanks kubo for knowing that readers would forget :’)

Ch444: The Rising

so is ginjou flat-out lying or did tsukishima mind-wipe him!!! man this is so exciting

Ch445: The Dark Beat

“his true form is one where he is wreathed in power” that’s very....fitting heh

ohhhh yes back to the glorious kubo panels!

chad why are you surprised? you’ve seen ichigo train before. and rather than fullbringing isn’t he just doing quincy shit with reiatsu?

Ch446: The Dark Beat 2

aww yeah sword fight

Ch447: Load

thinking about my fave metallica album <3

oh maybe the moon is a little fuller? i can’t really tell....nah

Ch448: Loading to Lie

“i’ve never thought about it, not even once” / “then why did you make me say that?” sldkjf

“if kurosaki-kun needs my power for what he’s chosen to do, i’ll use my power for that purpose, no matter what it is” ORIHIMEEEEEE

Ch449: Not Be A Drug

or maybe we will know? is this urahara & isshin sht a red herring?

Ch450: Blind Solitude

orihime ilu

#richer rereads bleach #long post #text post #i can't get over the fucking moon #i just feel like....for a series with pervasive moon motifs/symbolism #presumably set in the real world #the moon phases should work like they do irl #bleach

[bittersweetshoujo]

Virgo never gets old

#fairy tail #lucy heartfilia #virgo #ch427 #hilarity #funny #s&m

[opbackgrounds]

There’s a reason why Usopp chose the Sogeking persona, other than that it was funny and gave him an excuse to sing a theme song for himself. There’s a purpose behind him turning himself into a superhero. With all his fears and insecurities, he had to make up a version of himself that was strong enough and brave enough to fight against a Government stronghold, because there was no way a pathetic no-name weakling like Usopp could do something incredible like that.

This is the bravest thing Usopp has done all arc, and he does it with the mask off, as himself, because that’s what Luffy needs. You could argue if he’s bluffing right now, but I don’t think he is, and either way it doesn’t matter. He’s taking the risk of getting immediately murderkilled by Lucci, and there’s no one other than Luffy close enough to save him.

#opbackgrounds #one piece #ch427 #usopp #character development

[opbackgrounds]

Since Luffy wasn’t able to move after knocking out Lucci, I actually consider this more of a tie. If it weren’t for the rest of his crew, Luffy absolutely would have died, even if he technically got the knockout.

The difference is pedantic, but in my mind it adds a nice little arc to the power scaling of the Grand Line. Luffy up to this point was able to beat the big bads by closer and closer margins until he fights Lucci to a draw. Then during Thriller Bark he wins due to an outside, one time powerup in Monster Luffy, only for his luck to absolutely run out at Sabaody.

#opbackgrounds #one piece #ch427 #monkey d luffy #Power scaling

[opbackgrounds]

The sea has always represented freedom in One Piece. “This isn’t hell, let’s go be free” makes for quite the pep talk.

#opbackgrounds #one piece #ch427 #~symbolism~ #Let Freedom Ring

[opbackgrounds]

Also important to note in all this is the cut to Zoro’s frustration. I’m sure overhearing this speech is one of the big reasons he refused to let Usopp back on board with the crew without a proper apology.

#opbackgrounds #one piece #ch427 #usopp #Roranoa Zoro #hello foreshadowing my old friend

[opbackgrounds]

I’m not going to post the whole sequence because its too long, but the end of the Lucci fight is interesting. As we all know Oda doesn’t give Luffy thought bubbles, so these brief flashes to the emotional highlights of the arc are the closest thing we get to the inside of his head. It’s like he’s beyond words and is relying on the pure emotion of those moments to dig every last bit of he strength he has left for this final attack. The pained expression of Luffy in the present does a lot of the heavy lifting here, perhaps better than could have been conveyed with words. So much has happened, and he’s fought so hard, and this is all Luffy has left, so he has to make it count.

#opbackgrounds #one piece #ch427 #monkey d luffy #Oda's expression game is on point

[opbackgrounds]

It’s truly amazing how effective the nails on a chalk board effect is amidst the cacophony of battle

#opbackgrounds #one piece #ch427 #the best attack! #usopp #where'd he get the chalkboard though?

[opbackgrounds]

This is another pretty big admission by Usopp here. How many dozens of times throughout the series have we seen him freak out over something, only to brush it off to Chopper that he had the situation completely handled? Usopp’s a highly emotional character to be sure, but he doesn’t admit vulnerability well. If he did, he would have been able to talk through his issues with Luffy in the first place.

#opbackgrounds #one piece #ch427 #usopp #character development

[opbackgrounds]

What a wooden, toothless translation. To me, this chapter will always be called, “It ain’t like it’s hell in here”.

#opbackgrounds #one piece #ch427 #-1 translation point

[opbackgrounds]

I could have sworn that Luffy got the idea for trapping Lucci with his leg like this because Lucci did the same thing with his tail (and Luffy has a habit of stealing ideas from his opponents) but it turns out Lucci only grabs Luffy by the tail later in the fight so maybe it was the other way around

#opbackgrounds #one piece #ch421 #monkey d luffy #rob lucci #fight choreography #ch427