The Calamity Episode 5 Has a Surprise Hero

BLEACH: Thousand Year Blood War – The Calamity Episode 5 is here and with it a surprise hero that no one expected.

Spoilers ahead

The latest episode to hit streaming services is one of the season’s best – and possibly the best if you go by IMDb’s rating. It really is that good.

BLEACH episode 5 noticeably pivots after the events of episode 4

By now, BLEACH fans must be waking up every morning with a little pep in their steps. Although I admittedly didn’t start watching weekly until last Saturday when Episode 4 aired (I saw the movie special that was a compilation of the first three episodes so I wasn’t missing much), Episode 4 delivered one of the most meaningful BLEACH fan payoffs of all time: we finally get to see Kenpachi Zaraki at full power.

And holy cow is that guy scary.

At the end of the episode we see Rukia and Renji headed onwards to assist Ichigo in his big boss fight, and episode 5 is largely concerned with the main event: Ichigo vs Yhwach.

Episode 5 is told from a unique lens

Unlike the fights scenes we have seen thus far in the season, however, immediately the point of view for this episode almost shifts. Instead of focusing primarily on Ichigo’s intense bout with his Quincy “daddy,” attention flickers to Orihime.

Orihime has been dutifully by Ichigo’s side throughout the battle. Only now, we see her pushed to her physical, spiritual, and mental limits.

Time after time she is dealt near fatal blows by Yhwach, only to heal herself. Meanwhile she also must fend off the serious damage being dealt to Ichigo.

Things are looking pretty grim when an icy blade shows up and you know who it has to be: Rukia and Ichigo are reunited at long last!

Orihime ponders the meaning of her own weakness

Kids these days like to point out their own generational anime like Solo Leveling and how badass their heroes are. Yet, Ichigo was one of the original badasses of them all. Sometimes so badass that he doesn’t really need his friends at all. Typically when he fights, he accumulates enough power through various means to overwhelm his opponents.

It’s no wonder, therefore, that Orihime spends much of this episode questioning her own limited powers. You almost see the envy on her face when another female character (with some serious chemistry with Ichigo) shows up with “real” power.

Orihime looks on helplessly as Rukia assists Ichigo in an incredibly choreographed and deadly counter attack – Rukia in her beautiful Ice Bankai, Hakka no Togame, and Ichigo in his brand new and honestly insane Bankai.

Ichigo cannot beat Yhwach even with all his might

Ice covers the visual plane, and especially the shadow spiritual pressure Yhwach uses to subdue his foes. It seems for a moment like our two valiant heroes have won. But alas: even one of the most deadly assaults we’ve ever seen from any Soul Reaper isn’t enough to slay the Quincy King.

Enter Orihime

Now is where things get really crazy. With nothing left to lose, Orihime stands up, bloodied and pretty filthy from her battle. But instead, as Yhwach holds his blades pericing the two Soul Reapers, Orihime charges forward, summoning the last of her powers and does the unthinkable: she survives the full onslaught of his attack.

Shortly after, she stands before Yhwach, her yellow shield Santen Kesshun glowing magnificently before it erases both herself and Yawhech from view.

Instead of Orihime, all we see are flower petals as they drift down around Ichigo: an allusion to the two flowers we’ve seen Orihime speaking around at different flashbacks since the start of The Calamity.

What do the two flowers mean at the end of The Calamity Episode 5?

After all of this emotion and sacrifice, we see two flowers. Again, these flowers have often been shown and referenced throughout The Calamity, and are pretty clearly symbols of Ichigo and Orihime’s love.

Yet suddenly, one wilts and falls, and the words Life to Defend You appear – also revealing the full title of the episode.

Ha! Thought this episode was about Ichigo defending Orihime and everyone else as he told Yhwach he would do? Nope! It’s all about Orihime sacrificing herself to defend Ichigo. Hence the symbols of the Fire Lilies in the cut scene at the end. This is not a platonic sacrifice but a sacrifice and power only made possible thanks to Orihime’s intense personal love for Ichigo.

What does the vanishing of Yhwach mean? Why were Orihime’s powers so effective against The Almighty when one of the hardest Bankais of all time mixed with Rukia’s couldn’t inflict even a scratch?

Well, we’ll just have to wait until Episode 6 to find out.

(Oh and sorry for leaving you out Uryu – your fight against Jugrum was great but really the star of the show here is Inoue).