Ever since it was first introduced to the world in 2004, it has Whiten the anime series has become synonymous with the best the Shonen genre has to offer. Ichigo's journey from an ordinary high school student to one of the most powerful Shinigami ever is both thrilling and inspiring to millions of fans. Even now, two decades after it began airing, this series is still considered a staple in the industry, thanks to its fantastic plot, lovable characters and unique power system.
Still, as has been proven time and time again, no anime of such length can remain perfect forever, as bad episodes have to be released at some point. Whiten is no exception to this rule, as its history has been marred multiple times in the past by horrific plot lines that fans wish had never been imagined. While the series is known for having some incredibly enjoyable filler episodes, some are downright unwatchable, and the reasons why are not few.
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8
Episode 33 – Miracle! The mysterious new hero
Soul Society arc of the Whiten The anime series is considered one of the best in the franchise, as it not only serves as a focal point in Ichigo's journey, but also has an outstanding storyline. When this storyline was adapted, fans were happy to see it unfold naturally, just like it did in the manga. Their disappointment was immeasurable when the show decided to completely abandon the story to return to Earth and follow the main character's sisters on a pointless adventure.
This episode focuses on the girls fighting a horde of Hollows with the help of a cat spirit. On its own, the entry would be innocuous, fairly generic, but nothing fans had come to expect from a series with more filler than the infamous Naruto. It was the placement, in between a key moment for Ichigo's adventure, that caused such a stir among the fandom.
7
Episode 50 – The Reviving Lion
Episode 33 of Whiten The anime wasn't the only time the plot of the Soul Society arc was abruptly interrupted, as the team behind the series decided to repeat this pattern just a couple of entries down the line. When the series reached the impressive 50Th episode's milestone, fans expected to see one of the best battles in the franchise adapted for the small screen. Instead, they were once again brought back to Earth, where Kon was ready to take the spotlight.
After suffering in silence for many days as Yuzu's favorite stuffed animal, the genie decides to escape, only to be found by Don Kanonji, who recruits him as his TV show's mascot. Things go south when a centipede-like Hollow attacks the town, and Ichigo's sisters must fight the beast. Once again, this episode would have been perfectly fine as a regular filler, but that repeated pattern of interrupting key moments in the series is one of the reasons why many fans consider the manga superior.
6
Episode 90 – Renji Abara, Bankai of the Soul!
Although opinions about its content have varied over time, the Bount arc is off Whiten anime has always been a divisive topic among fans. Episode 90 is a prime example of why, as it's one of the least fun entries in this already controversial storyline. The episode follows Renji and Ichigo as they deal with two different opponents, with varying degrees of success. The former takes care of his opponent with his powerful and complex Bankai.
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Ichigo, on the other hand, faces the main villain of the arc, Kariya, and is completely crushed in just a few attacks. This episode has become notorious for its lack of animation quality, its slow pace, and the characters' stiff and robotic movements when fighting. The fact that Ichigo, who had already fought some of the franchise's strongest characters, lost to an anime-only villain also upset some fans.
5
Chapter 194 – Nelliel's Past
Nel is by far one of the most beloved and strongest female characters Whiten anime has ever been introduced. Behind her adorable childlike appearance is a warrior who loves peace but is never above using violence to protect those she cares about. As such, when it came time for the series to reveal her past, fans were very excited to learn what could have caused her to revert to a child.
Even though episode 194 is still loved by Nel's fans, there's no denying that it wasn't the most effective way to adapt such an important part of the story for the character. The pace is slow, with several unimportant scenes dragging on far too long. The addition of unnecessary jokes added to the English dub of the episode was also a cause of great disappointment among fans.
4
Episode 204 – Ichigo's Stomach-Cutting Persuasion Strategy
Few arcs in the whole Whiten The anime series is just as beloved as the Arrancar storyline, as it not only featured some of the best fights in the series, but also introduced several of the most popular and best designed characters in the show. Fans would tune in every week to see how Ichigo and his friends would succeed in defeating Aizen's army. Episode 204 was a shock because it completely ruined the flow of the story up to that point.
The series decided to abandon the main plot for a while and bring back characters from one of the most disliked filler arcs. The episode was simple, with nothing new to add to the overall series, nor an interesting enough storyline to justify the interruption. Worst of all, none of the new characters were even mentioned, aside from the impact fighters the powerful members of the Espadas had on the arc up to that point.
3
Chapter 227 – Wonderful Mistake
Of all the characters introduced during the Arrancar arc Whiten anime, Ulquiorra is objectively the most popular among fans, and there are several reasons why he deserves that title. His fight against Ichigo was a highlight of the show, and showed why the series was worth the entire year it would take to finish its more than 100 episodes.
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Sadly, this incredible battle, which should have been ongoing, never really got to shine, and this was mostly due to episodes like the infamous 227. This entry was placed between Ichigo's fight against the villain, to delve into Mizuiro and Rukia's past, which was not at all necessary to understand the events of the story.
2
Episode 229 – Cry of the Soul? The Carpet Shinigami is born!
As is usually the case with anime running concurrently with manga, filler episodes more often than not come in hordes, meaning Ulquiorra's fight was forgotten for what must have felt like years to fans. After the disappointment that was episode 227, fans expected nothing more from the rest of the anime-only entries that followed, and even then, they were left frustrated just two weeks later.
The team behind the series thought that it was somehow a good idea to completely abandon the main role in order to follow the wacky adventures of two comic characters. This resulted in a forgettable episode where nothing of relevance happened. The jokes, the pacing and even the final battle are completely below the standard set by the show's multiple 10 out of 10 episodes.
1
Episode 311 –The Soul Detective! Karakuraizer takes off again!
For many Shonen fans, Sosuke Aizen is by far one of the best and most terrifying anime villains ever created. His plot to take over Soul Society and create a world made in his image was not only brilliantly executed, but it also surprised more than a few viewers. The final battle between this wily antagonist and Ichigo was emotional and impressive, ending in a sacrifice that would forever change the direction of the story.
Still, shortly after this battle ended, the show decided to introduce episode 311, a filler entry that follows Kon as he takes on the Karakuraizer persona and fights alongside other heroes to protect his city. It's a completely frivolous episode that feels out of place after such an emotional ending to Ichigo's fight. While Kon's adventure would have been harmless in itself, its placement in the timeline made many fans feel annoyed by its existence.
- Release date
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2004 – 2012-00-00
- Network
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TV Tokyo, TV Osaka, TV Aichi, TVh, TVQ, TSC, BS TV Tokyo
- Showrunner
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Tite Kubo
- Directors
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Mitsutaka Noshitani, Junya Koshida, Hodaka Kuramoto, Yasuto Nishikata, Hiroaki Nishimura, Kazunori Mizuno, Akira Shimizu, Rokou Ogiwara, Kazunobu Shimizu, Akane Inoue, Hikaru Murata, Tomoko Hiramuki, Shige Kawanish, Niko Hatami, Taiji, Takushi Kimura, Koji Aritomi, Ogura Shirakawa, Kiyomu Fukuda, Yukio Okazaki, Mitsue Yamazaki, Yasuhiro Matsumura, Eitarou Ano
- Author
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Masahiro Okubo, Masashi Sogo, Kenta Shimoyama, Genki Yoshimura, Kazuyuki Fudeyasu, Rika Nakase, Michiko Yokote, Natsuko Takahashi, Kento Shimoyama
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Masakazu Morita
Ichigo Kurosaki (voice)
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Fumiko Orikasa
Rukia Kuchiki
