Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War Cour 3 has made yet another mesmerizing visualization with its recent release of a new clip. This snippet shows a scene featuring Ichibei’s Bankai which appears to be an expensive and darkened realm. Keen-eyed fans have noted that this Bankai might have inspired Gege Akutami’s Domain Expansion.
The clip engages viewers in several debates regarding Akutami’s possible influences and inspiration behind the imagery presented. There are also comparisons to visual elements from works such as Yu Yu Hakusho and Fate that have come up along with their concepts. Fans’ speculation gives rise to the interconnected nature of the anime industry.
Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War Had Influence on Gege Akutami’s Domain Expansion
Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War‘s clip of Ichibei vs Yhwach has set the anime community abuzz with its striking visuals. It presents a vast, shadowy domain that many believe is the inspiration for Gege Akutami‘s Domain Expansion. Akutmai themselves admitted that Bleach was their initial source of inspiration along with Hunter x Hunter and Evangelion.
According to an X user @MoriAssce, Ichibei’s Bankai is the perfect blueprint for Domain Expansion. Fans have noted similarities in the way the environment engulfs the characters, creating an isolated battleground. Some even noted that this particular Bankai is more similar to Sukuna’s Malevolent Shrine, while others stated that Yu Yu Hakusho‘s Territories and Tosen Bankai, a black orb and restricted place, are the concepts even closer to Domain Expansion.
It projects how established franchises have influenced the newer series. These shared elements point to a broader trend in the anime storylines. The idea of characters manifesting their inner world or abilities as a clear space appears to resonate with the viewers.
However, fans also have pointed out the long-standing tradition of spatial manipulation abilities from the time of Kaname Tosen in the original Bleach series. All these contexts have led to Akutami’s inspiration if not directly may be indicative.
Spiritual Power Becomes the Cursed Energy
Both the series Bleach and Jujutsu Kaisen focus mainly on spiritual or cursed energy as the drinking force behind battles. In Bleach, this spiritual energy gives rise to their Bankai whereas in Jujutsu Kaisen it is Domain expansion. Characters from both employ different strategies to master or manipulate these supernatural powers.
The similarity between these two isn’t purely superficial, the energy flow allows characters to use complex and tactical skills that go beyond their brute strength. It hints at Akutami’s appreciation for Tite Kubo‘s portrayal of power-up, blending it with their own influences from Hunter x Hunter to create familiar yet distinct battle mechanics.
Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War and Jujutsu Kaisen highlight the interconnected nature of the medium. Whether viewed as a similarity, evolution, or coincidence, each of these series has its own uniqueness and the creators are best in their respective works.
Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War Cour 3 will be released on 5 October 2024.
