That’s two out of three I got right. If Ikkaku shows up, someone will owe me money.
Speaking of which, I just randomly watched some chapters of the filler anime (The first Bleach anime chapters I’ve ever seen) and… well, bear in mind I don’t usually say this kind of thing but… GOOD LORD NEL IS SO DISGUSTINGLY CUTE! IT’S SO SUGARY AND SWEET I GOT DIABETES JUST FROM WATCHING HER.
Please do not say that’s Kenpachi going all “RAEP TIEM!” on Ichigo there.
Lightweight. She’s vaguely cute, and maybe some people think her speech impediment makes her more adorable, but having seen shows that are based on tiny adorable characters (Bottle Fairy, Potemayo), Nel is pretty average in appearance and only a little less annoying than English-dub Skuld.
How far behind the manga is the Bleach anime?
The anime is 51 chapters behind the manga at this point. Unfortunately a new filler arc is starting in the next episode that will go on for an undetermined amount of time, so it’ll be awhile yet before the anime gets up to this point.
It feels like more than that. But then it’s only like 5 or 6 fights, isn’t it? The two triple-digits, Rukia vs. espada 9, Renji and Ishida vs espada 8 (still fricking ongoing), Ichigo vs Grimjaw, then espada 5. And they’re all pretty boring, too.
How is this a filler arc? Did the manga just skip over this section entirely and jump right into Las Noches?
The most recent episodes are not filler, no. The episodes have been canon since 138, but last week’s episode (146) was the last canon one. This week’s, 147, will be the start of a new filler arc. It’ll be called Forest of the Menos. It’s unknown right now how long it’ll go on for.