TwistedChick

[quote name='Gavin'][SIZE="1"]Plus, when Lady Slug dies, Kakashi will probably become Hokage, either him or Gai, which would be only too funny. *Imagines Hokage-Style Dynamic Entry* ^_^[/SIZE][/QUOTE] Gai as Hokage would be the end of the world. Just like if Mustang ever became president with the whole mini-skirt thing, Gai would have everyone begrudgingly running around in green spandex. I think the Hyuugas might commit seppuku. Kakashi all the way. I [I]desperately[/I] want to see him as the 6th Hokage. Do it, Kishi. Do it.

[quote name='Gavin'][SIZE="1"]As for Tatsuki and Mizuiro, I can se Tatsuki being developed, but of Ichigo's friends, I actually think Asano is the likely one to gain some powers.[/SIZE][/QUOTE] That little doofus Asano. I could see him gaining some powers, too. Then, he could go off with Ikkaku and create all kinds of problems. Poor guy. He just seems to complicate things. That's what you get for trying to be buddies with everyone.

[quote name='Gavin'][SIZE="1"]Wonder what alternate mode Tsunade is hiding ?[/SIZE][/QUOTE] What I'm wondering is how they're going to kill her off. Who will be the one to do it? It seems like the next step in establishing the Sannin-arata is to wipe the originals off the face of the earth, so how is Tsunade "going down"? If she has an alternate form, which having seen both Jiraiya and Orochi have one definitely hints at, I'm sure she'd reveal it in that final battle of hers. As for what it would be, she'd morph into a big slug-ball? or could shoot acid? No, no, no, I've got it. She'd become a hermaphrodite. There you go. I mean, we all knew she was pretty butch, so it'd make sense, right? Though, what advantage that would give her... Yet again, Kishimoto is being both predictable *and* unpredictable (what with his making Sasuke lord of everything and his..well, [I]making Sasuke lord of everthing[/I]), so maybe she won't die. Though personally, I'd like to see her bumped off, if for nothing other than selfish reasons (who'd they say would be the logical next candidate for Hokage, and an 'obvious one' at that? hm?), so maybe I'm being biased. I like her as a character, just not as Hokage (step aside, woman). Anyone else see her dying? hm?

[quote name='Gavin'][SIZE="1"]Heh, either way, the twins developing their Shinigami powers is for a plot-arc a long way away from now.[/SIZE][/QUOTE] Wow, I wasn't paying attention to something. Twins...yeah, I'd managed to miss that little detail, or at least forget it completely. Well, there goes my concept of Yuzu being a little sister to Karin. Actually, maybe the fact that I simply assumed they were years apart reinforces why I view Yuzu the way I do. It seemed obvious to me that she's younger. I was [I]wrong[/I], but it still seemed obvious. If Bleach goes on long enough for us to see them developing powers years down the road, I will be beyond surprised, I'll be shocked. Kubo might do some small future arcs, maybe something that would be turned into OVAs, but I see Ichigo still being mid-teens when the series ends. That's why I said what I did about the *twins*. I don't see us seeing them make progress of that kind. It might be revealed to us that it was going to happen, maybe Isshin saying something foreshadowing it, but as for it [I]happening[/I]...I just can't envision it. I mean, will Aizen, or some other evil that rises from the dark, wait 10 years before acting, and then Ichigo and co. will be brought back into the fray, all Naruto time-skip style? Kubo would have to have a reason to drag the story out like that. It would be an interesting twist from what I'm expecting, and maybe it would work out for the better. Only time will tell, I guess.

[quote name='Gavin'][SIZE="1"]I don't know where you get immature out of TC, Yuzu practically assumed the role of mother for the family after Masaki died, that to me anyway shows a lot of maturity. Sure she's an emotional kid sometimes, but at her age and having lost her mother, can you really blame her ? Besides if Yuzu became a Shinigami, she'd definitely be either 4th or 13th Squad, probably more leaning towards the former rather than the latter, I see her as a kind of young Unohana, although Ukitake could probably bring her out of her shell pretty well.[/SIZE][/QUOTE] My statement is referring to the near future. I don't think she'll overcome her current little kid-ishness enough to be out on the battlefield anytime soon. In 20 years, I could see her resembling Unohana, whereas I see Karin taking steps similar to Ichigo in the next few years, or months even. For the time being, though, I guess the way I see it is that being motherly or caring doesn't in and of itself denote maturity. Picking herself up and carrying on after her mother's death shows she has inner strength, something that [I]over time[/I] could lead to her assuming a role similar to Unohana, but my initial reaction was in reference to her advancement towards shinigami status being [I]soon[/I]. Like you said, she is young and quite an emotional kid, enough so that I don't see anyone pushing her in that direction until she changes. I don't think that's what Isshin would want, if nothing else. It's kind of like how Orihime would be better off if she didn't have her abilities. She doesn't have the mindset to be able to endure these kinds of situations. It puts her in a tight spot, one that makes her feel uncomfortable more than anything else. Sure, being able to help people around you is great, but being considered a liability is something no one wants. [I]Right now[/I] and for the next several years, I think Yuzu would just be a liability if she tried getting involved. Even if she developed a measure of skill, she would still be the one everyone feels the need to protect, and that's not what we need in a shinigami. When it comes to her current maturity level, I just see her as being very typical of young Japanese girls today, whereas Karin is very atypical. My family has hosted several Japanese transfer students. These were all young girls who could and did 1) cook 2) do laundry and 3) act as their family's cheerleaders. However, compared to young girls here in the States, they were overall exceptionally immature. The way they reacted to pressure, or being put on the spot, heck, even their complete refusal to look a young man in the face or even speak to him showed they had a lot of growing up to do. Yuzu doesn't share all of those traits with them, but she is seemingly naive when it comes to the real world, losing her mother or not. Karin grasps the reality she's seeing, and I don't think it fully hinges on her being a few years older. I like Yuzu as a character. I just think it wouldn't be wise to introduce her into the world of shinigami just yet. And I realize you meant this question to be posed about their [B]future[/B] development. I'm just explaining why I think Yuzu's would be in the [I]distant[/I] future.

[quote name='Gavin'][SIZE="1"]Anyone else like to see Karin and Yuzu develop their own Shinigami powers in the future ?[/SIZE][/QUOTE] I can definitely picture Karin progressing down that route. She has the attitude that's necessary for a shinigami and she's shown a great deal of improvement when it comes to sensing (wow I almost called them youma) Hollow. And since genetically she'd be just as predisposed as Ichigo, she just might have a bit of potential. She and Tatsuki both I'd like to see progress. Yuzu is just so cute and innocent, I don't know if going in the shinigami direction would be right for her. Even if her power matures, she herself is simply so immature, I don't know if it could really be overcome. I'd be content seeing her become all buddy-buddy with Ururu. They would be [I]adorable[/I] as close friends. Plus then, Ururu could protect her if things got hairy.

[quote name='Gavin'][SIZE="1"]...like stabbing a pointy rock into his heart...[/SIZE][/QUOTE] Could we make that Kishi's heart maybe? At least his figurative one? Just an idea... I still have faith in you, Kishimoto, though at this point, it's blind.

[quote name='Rurouni922']Last I checked, Itachi still wasn't fully blind, I believe there's a spot in 391 that shows his vision. But yes, this chapter was interesting. And as Gavin said 'welcome back the Itachi we knew.' I just hope he still wins this fight like he should have all along.[/QUOTE] Though Kishi hasn't straight up stated that Itachi has just gone blind, I think the detail in which Itachi says "I know this [B]feeling[/B]...Orochimaru's hydra technique" is to point out that he can't [B][I]see[/I][/B] his technique, he can only [B][I]sense[/I][/B] it. At least that's what I took away from it. The whole Orochimaru thing, though being uber anti-climactic, eases my mind a bit. It shows that, no, Sasuke was [I]not[/I] powerful enough to kill him. Thank goodness. And thank God Itachi seems to have the upper-hand again. I guess it hadn't really been stated that he was low on chakra, so this was the gradual progression that Itachi had foreseen before entering this battle. It could be he knew that using all three of the mangekyou's abilities would render his eyes useless. Perhaps that's why he was such a panty-waist earlier on. He was trying [I]not[/I] to escalate things. At least that way his apparent weakness wouldn't actually have been such. Still, when it comes down to winning, Sasuke will have to escape with his life, either through sheer luck, some last ditch effort he's been saving for this, or by having his newly formed team burst in. Heck, it would be interesting if all this time, someone else from Konoha has been nearby and [I]they[/I] jump in. Or, Kishi could screw us all and Sasuke will still kill Itachi.

[quote name='Gavin'][SIZE="1"]Yeah, I have to admit, I wasn't expecting the assault on Karakura town to come quite so soon, seems Aizen has been using the Shinigami's attack as a way to divert attention away from his real goal.[/SIZE][/QUOTE] And yet again he shows that he has the whole world in his hands. I like that it's moving straight into the next wave of battles, if for no other reason than these fights will finally include the oh so overlooked characters we've been dying to see get some action. Since Aizen is going in person, will we get to see Yamamoto pull out all the stops and confront him? I'd find that rather interesting... But what I [I]really[/I] want to see is, the same as everyone else, Isshin in an extended fight, Ryuken perhaps showing us just how badass a Quincy can actually be, and then Urahara going all out as well, maybe matched up against Gin. They both have that understated threatening power about them, such that it could make for quite an interesting battle. But, who will they really fight? ... It should be good, no matter the match-up.

I also have always liked Naruto as a character. He isn't my favorite from the show, but he's a decent person who doesn't sulk the way we could expect him to (i.e. Sasuke), but rather has a goal that would involve protecting those very people that shunned and despised him when he was younger, a goal that he is 100% serious about achieving. We are supposed to believe, and I do, that he has the potential through his own strength, not relying on the kyuubi or cheating with some Stage 2 bullcrap like Sasuke, to finally come into his own and live up to his father's name. As of yet, he hasn't seemed to really get the flow of battle the way we would expect from Yondaime's son, but once he can get into the moment and combine all he's learned with what I'm sure he is about to learn, we should finally be able to see some of Konoha's Yellow Flash.

[quote name='chibi-master']HEY! Waitta minute! Gavin, didn't you just say that it's highly unlikely that Sasuke would beat Itachi?! Now you're assuming he'll win and Tobi(*squeal!*) is going to tell Naruto about his victory?! You're hurting my head here!:bash:[/QUOTE] I'm pretty sure we all went into this fight believing Sasuke would have a [I]much[/I] harder time defeating Itachi than he's had so far. At this point, since Itachi's purpose for this confrontation has been revealed, the only plausible way for Sasuke to survive this fight is if he defeats Itachi, and we know Sasuke won't die here without facing Naruto again, he [I]will win[/I], at least to the point of completely debilitating his brother. Gavin's comment just points out the obvious, that Itachi [I]should have been[/I] an extremely formidable opponent, but he sure hasn't been portrayed as such thus far. He still seemingly has displayed power, but his skill is near nonexistent. With Kishimoto taking such "artistic liberties" with his characters, we could see just about anything from just about anyone at this point. Having Tobi reveal the current state of affairs to Naruto and co. would be a dramatically fulfilling moment. Kishi will probably jump at the chance.

[quote name='chibi-master']I don't think that there's really any chance that Sasuke could be the eight-tails' host. [/QUOTE] Oh, but it would suck so hard if he were that Kishimoto might be tempted to do it, right? Please let all, and I do mean all, of this fight have been genjutsu or have Itachi step back any moment saying, "that clone took 90% of my power" and then proceed to unleash the beat down he should have at the start. I fear and deep down know that neither will happen, but oh, if only they would.

Kenpachi taking on Ulquiorra would be interesting. I wonder if we might see that... It feels like Ichigo will go up against him though. I wonder if Kenpachi will ever get that rematch with Ichigo he's been wanting. They're together now. Might he just...?

[quote name='Gavin'][SIZE="1"]...he's realised that it's not a fight he can enjoy, at least not without the risk of dying first, and he probably see's Nnoitra as an opponent who's not worth having fun with.[/SIZE][/QUOTE] And so he [I]finally[/I] fells him...but only after an attempt for a sympathy vote via flashback. Sorry, no sympathy here. I'm glad Kenpachi's attack was able to nearly remove his shoulder and arms from his body. At last we see something that's effective.

[quote name='ImmortalGuru']...the animation of this thing is gonna be INSANE![/QUOTE] Though I agree this will be an impressive series of episodes in the anime, they will be ones fraught with inconsistencies. Didn't we [I]just[/I] establish that Sasuke is out of chakra? That's why he's manipulating real lightning instead of creating it, correct? Then why in [I]God's name [/I]was he able to go Stage 2??

[quote name='Gavin'][SIZE="1"]...who can he actually learn from at this stage ?[/SIZE][/QUOTE] Since Naruto has perhaps the greatest raw power of anyone around, it won't be someone who focuses on strength or specializes in one area that he'll learn from. He doesn't need to get stronger attacks, but more varied ones, a larger arsenal so to say. After all, we've seen how only having a very few number of jutsu can pigeonhole a shinobi. Naruto needs someone with a vast knowledge of jutsu, someone with experience in battle, who's quick on his feet, with ingenuity and freedom of expression in his fighting style. He needs Kakashi. Perhaps that's why Jiraiya agreed to turn Naruto's training back over to him once they returned to the village. He knew Kakashi would be able to take the power he'd drawn up in Naruto and shape it into a deadly weapon. After all, Kakashi is his father's son, the man who "in his time, the 'three great shinobi' of legend paled beside." Kakashi has what it takes, and if Kishimoto said we'd be seeing a lot more of him, it's pretty easy to conclude what role he'll be assuming.

My issue (well, one of my issues) is that if everything is really going down the way it seems to be, then Sasuke is being portrayed as one of the very few strongest ninja in the world, meaning he has surpassed hundreds of shinobi in the past three years. I can understand the most talented genin in Konoha increasing exponentially, but to this extreme...? Not to mention his complete mastery and innovation of the sharingan in that short period of time. We've got to remember he'd only [I]just[/I] awakened it within the few months preceding his betrayal. Right now, Pein seems to be the only one who might truly surpass and not simply equal him. Naruto, if he went nine-tails, could presumably take him on. But, since Naruto couldn't even harm Orochimaru at four-tails, and Sasuke slaughtered him, there's no comparison between them right now. Back in the day, before Sasuke went all emo-evil, he was stronger than Naruto, but near the end, he was only [I]slightly[/I] stronger than him. Now, however, Naruto seems to have been eclipsed in every way. And his new wind rasengan thing, its harming him gravely when he uses it is another handicap that Sasuke could take advantage of, perhaps rendering it void if used against him in battle. I understand that the "new sannin" are supposed to be stronger than the old, but it seems exceptionally unbalanced to me. Sasuke was never [I]this[/I] far ahead.

[quote name='Gavin'][SIZE="1"]I wonder if it's part of his "fight enjoyment" too.[/SIZE][/QUOTE] His concept of enjoyment is so twisted, I wouldn't be too surprised if he revealed he'd been holding his breath or counting backwards from 100 during his battles to make them more challenging. Any and every thing that he can do to restrict himself and complicate matters he'll implement. To see him really get serious...he must view the opponent as something special. Which sucks cause we all hate Nnoitora. >.< But, if he's just now pulling out a basic tactic like two-handed swordplay, who knows what other simple things he could do to bump himself up a notch. He doesn't seem to stick to any particular sword form, so maybe he could adopt an actual style, one that isn't just hacking and swinging, but one that involves strategy and technique. He's already hearkened back to his old kendo days, so perhaps we're about to see his [I]skill[/I], not just his power.

I can't believe I never noticed that he always used one handed thrusts. Since Kenpachi has always been about raw power, switching to two will make a huge difference. Any novice knows that, so in the hands of someone of his caliber, we should be able to see something spectacular. But, yeah. I hoped he was referring to bankai too. Sucks to be us.

Grrrrrr. This is irritating. At least now Sasuke's supposedly "out of chakra" even though he should've [I]died[/I] long ago. I just want to slap him (it's up to you to do decide if I mean Sasuke or Kishi). If someone is really going to die here, [B]do it[/B]. And pulling the whole "I guess I'll have to use [I]that jutsu[/I]" card [I][B]again[/B][/I] is really getting on my nerves. The artwork is pretty good. The content leaves something to be desired. I repeat, grrrrr.

Yeah, I probably should have stopped in here first but I simply took the liberty of posting in the RPG. It seemed like it could use some love and since I love Avatar, I figured I could help out. Be sure to tell me if I've stepped outside my boundaries.

[SIZE="1"]Yeah, I hope no one objects. I'm just gonna jump right in. Here's the specs. [B]Name:[/B] Shin [B]Age:[/B] appears around 27 [B]Gender:[/B] Male [B]Appearance:[/B] 5'7", slim build, medium complexion, shoulder-length brown hair pulled back in a bun [B]Nation:[/B] Here's a strange one. Previously fire nation, now a dweller of the spirit world. Acts as a guide and counselor to outsiders. He's lived there, ageless, for over 200 years, since Avatar Roku died. [B]Element:[/B] Firebending master, though he avoids bending if possible. He has a few tricks up his sleeve, and mostly relies on martial arts. [B]Weapon:[/B] Any and everything he can get his hands on, but he doesn't carry any with him. [B]What was your character doing when they heard news of Wu Ren's death?[/B] Laying on his back, arms behind his head, Shin dozed peacefully on a hillside. "[B]Now this is the life[/B]," he said, letting out a deep breath. "[B]The weather hasn't been [I]this[/I] nice in over fifty years. Nothing like a little peace and quiet to -[/B]" Shin stopped, a sudden beating of wings silencing him. He glanced up at the sky. Thousands of shrieking birds wheeled over head. "[B]This isn't normal[/B]," he muttered, worriedly. Rushing to the hilltop, Shin turned circles, animal calls echoing from the forest. "[B]It's like they're expecting something to die, and they'll soon be able to devour the corpse.[/B]" Lightning burst from the sky, scourching a distant mountainside. Fist-sized hail pelted the ground, while winds exceeding 200 km/hr threatened to lift him off his feet. Fire shooting from beneath him, Shin propelled himself toward shelter. "[B]What's going on? Why would this be - ?[/B]" And then it stopped. No wind. No birds. Nothing. Shin stepped away from the forest. "[B]No[/B]," he let out, staring at the clearing. "[B]This can't be happening.[/B]" In the middle of the rolling hills, where for thousands of years the indomitable Avatar monument stood untouched by man or beast, a physical representation of his unending role as peacekeeper, a deep depression marked the surface of the earth. The monument was gone. The Avatar was dead.[/SIZE]

[SIZE="1"](I'm just gonna jump in. No hard feelings.:animesmil)[/SIZE] [SIZE="1"]Perched atop a thirty meter Pine, Shin rolled his eyes at the commotion below. "[B]Of all the people to finally meet… I should have figured this racket would be from children[/B]," he muttered, yawning. Shielding his eyes from the sun, Shin gazed across the mountainous landscape. [I]This is sure to draw someone’s attention…[/I] Tree tops two kilometers away began to shake violently. [I]Yep, here she comes.[/I] The tree he stood on lurched to the side, the thrashings of the armadillo-mole shearing it off at the base. With a backflip, Shin landed ten meters down, now with a clear view of the group below him. [I]Oh[/I], he remarked. [I]I guess there is an adult with them[/I]. Directly below him, Bai lowered his arms, the final flickering of white leaving his fingertips. [I]And he has skill[/I], he thought. [I]Competition, perhaps?[/I] A few moments of oo-ing and aw-ing over Bai’s lightning attack was all Shin could handle. "[B]Hey![/B]" he called to the group on the forest floor. "[B]Don’t you think you should get moving?[/B]" Liir shrieked and pointed towards the voice. “[B]Talking hog-monkey![/B]” Shin laughed, glancing at his animal-skin clothing. “[B]Not quite[/B],” he said slowly. Dropping to the forest floor, he motioned to the northwest. “[B]In about 45 seconds, a female elephant-lizard is gonna come crashing into this little tea party of yours. This is her territory and she doesn’t take well to strangers. If you wanna live to chit-chat another day, you should probably follow me[/B].” “[B]Wait[/B],” Louie interrupted, stepping in front of Liir, who still pointed vigorously at the newcomer. “[B]Who are you again?[/B]" Shin smiled. “[B]The name’s Shin. And I know how to bring back the Avatar[/B].”[/SIZE]

[quote name='Solo Tremaine'][color=#503F86]But they're all very strong female characters- they hold a lot of power, and coming from a society that's still very male-dominant they'd have to have traits that make a lot of men strong to be where they are.[/color][/QUOTE] It goes without saying that women in Japan are viewed very differently than those in other parts of the world, definitely from where I am in the States. My sister was recently in Japan for three weeks and in just that amount of time, the difference in social understanding was evident. I guess that really could have a bit more to do with female portrayals in anime than I ever thought. From a fighting standpoint, women in Bleach can get the job done about as good as the guys. I guess that says something coming from their society. None of that matters that much to me. I think Kubo's done an excellent job balancing the different aspects of Bleach. I love the story, the characters, the themes. All I really want is more of it. I want it to get bigger and more badass, and from the looks of it, that's exactly what will keep happening. Now all we need is for Kenpachi to buckle down and kill that mother so we can move forward.

[quote name='Solo Tremaine'][color=#503F86]It's probably easier for a male writer/artist to write something more male-orientated that can properly capture the subtleties of male behaviour and make that part of the story.[/color][/QUOTE] That's what I think. Though any girl with half a brain can see the value of shounen works, guys do tend to get more into them, perhaps because they see parts of themselves in the characters. Since the female characters aren't as true to life, it can be harder for girls to relate. I personally would take shounen over shojo any day. But, it just seems to be that female characters really do get shoved into, as you put it, archetypal roles even more often than males, at least when being written by men. Kubo's done a nice job with Yoruichi, but when you really look at her, for all her behavior and antics, she might as well be a man. Maybe that's why I find her interesting. I'd managed to overlook Tatsuki (shame on me) but, for the relatively small amount of exposure she's gotten, she might just be the closest to a girl you'd really meet. Personality-wise, there aren't as many of the extremes in her. Even her tomboy-ness is softened by her deep friendships with Orihime and Ichigo. There are aspects of other female characters that one can relate to, but overall, they seem to be pretty out there. You have whiny girls, helpless girls, "I'm coming out of my clothes" girls, uber-cute girls, and "I'm in love with [blank] " girls. For the most part, they're overlooked, not only because the story doesn't so much rely on them, but also because they're not that interesting. At least to me. But, I [I]am[/I] a girl. Maybe the guy viewers/readers are more entertained by them than I'd be.