A short time ago we reviewed Bleach Series 15 part 2 and said that the next release was imminent. We weren’t kidding. Just a few scant weeks later the next DVD dropped through the letterbox at MCM Buzz towers. Eager to find out what awaits our spiky orange haired hero now that he faces the daunting prospect of life without his Soul Reaper powers, we sat down and waded through the three discs and the 12 episodes found therein.

This set marks the start of the final arc, known as the The Lost Agent arc. It picks up the story 17 months on from when Ichigo lost his Soul Reaper powers and deals with the emergence of a new group of super powered humans known as the Fullbringers. These newcomers are led by Kūgo Ginjō. Several episodes in, Ginjō presents Ichigo with an interesting offer that could mean the return of the powers he thought lost. Whilst all this is going on, several of Ichigo’s friends are being attacked by a mysterious man and Ichigo’s father and Kisuke Urahara are having secret meetings. What does all of this mean and just how does it relate to Ichigo and his friends future? Well that we can’t tell you, as that would be cruel.

It is also nice to see in this arc that more time is given to characters such as Chad, Orihime and Uryū. This is mostly because the story is set primarily in the world of the living and also because Ichigo can no longer see Soul Reapers, even if there were any. So all of this means that there is little point having these characters around for the moment. In particular, the episodes here allow us to see some growth in Chad and may even provide us with an answer to the origin of his and Orihime’s powers.

As you can gather, this arc appears to have a lot going on and as such the plot is engaging and does manage to keep you hooked all the way through the episodes in this set. What’s even better is that the entire first part is filler episode free! Whilst this is good, it does mean that at some point in the next set we may have to endure one or two of them. Given the conclusion of the last episode on this set it could be sooner than we’d like.

Despite this there is not much that can really be picked at in this set. Mostly it is standard fare for the series (the voice cast is, as ever, good). Even a powerless Ichigo can still have a good story, so fans of the series should find themselves entertained from start to finish as a result.

Bleach Series 16 Part 1 is available to buy now from Manga Entertainment and don’t forget you can read our previous Bleach reviews here.