Affinity #96 - Before Strawberry (Isshin & Masaki)

Before there was a strawberry, there were two goofballs. One was a Shinigami while the other was a Quincy. Now it's true that these two species hate one another, but Isshin Shiba & Masaki Kurosaki are the first to have fallen in love despite their species being in a dispute. Masaki was just an ordinary bystander to Isshin, but Isshin soon began to develop feelings for her the more she thought about Masaki ~ her personality, her cheerfulness, & her way of life. Isshin could relate to her in every way because well, he's a laid-back, optimistic, and comedic individual. The two correlate to one another so well that friendship soon flourished into love. This scene in the Manga where Masaki is jokingly sleep-talking about Isshin having seen her nude pretty much can sum up what would eventually be their lives together. Unfortunately Masaki was killed by a Hollow and Isshin was powerless since he helped aid in recovering Masaki. Isshin would eventually get his revenge later, but the damage has already been done. The chemistry between these two is unmistakable ~ their love would flourish into what would be the birth of a Strawberry (Ichigo).

I hope you enjoyed this week's Affinity post. Look forward to Affinity posts for 4 MORE WEEKS. Until then, stay classy.

Bleach Fantasy II Round 8 - Sajin Komamura vs. Sin

Welcome back to another installment of Bleach Fantasy II where MechG & I once again collaborate on pitting the world of Bleach & the various installments of the Final Fantasy franchise. Last Friday, Final Fantasy took another victory against Bleach (FF still leads 5-2 against Bleach), but many things can happen. Like MechG said, Bleach Fantasy II posts will be on Mondays, Wednesdays, & Fridays. My daily schedule of Affinity, Watch-list, WBCR, & Throwback posts will be the same as always (if delayed, posts will be on weekends). Without further ado, let's get started on Bleach Fantasy II Round 8 ~ Sajin Komamura vs. Sin. Take into account that Storyline and Powers/Abilities are the deciding factors. MechG & I will switch-off ever 3 rounds in giving the verdict. Let's jam!

Storyline (Sajin Komamura)

Sometime before he joined the Gotei 13, he left his family because he felt ashamed  of living within the shadows. It is unknown where his place of birth was, but then Head Captain of the Gotei 13, Captain Genryusai Shigekuni Yamamoto, gave Sajin a opportunity to join the Gotei 13 despite him not being human. There, he made his first friend & future 9th Division Captain, Kaname Tosen. Despite Tosen's blindness, he still recognized Komamura's presence and the two got along quite well ~ the first time Komamura wasn't seen as an outcast, but rather as an individual like everyone else. It was during this time where Tosen introduced Komamura to what would be their greatest adversary and then Lieutenant of the 5th Division, Aizen Sousuke. 

Komamura is first introduced in the Rescue arc where the Ryoka (Ichigo, Orihime, Uryu, Chad, & Ganju) are out to save Rukia from execution unbeknownst to them of an even greater threat. He is first seen in the Captain's meeting on dealing with the Ryoka whether Dead or Alive, but doesn't have any action up until he & Tosen are forced to fight the formidable, deadly, and dangerous Captain of the 11th Division ~ Kenpachi Zaraki. After Tosen's loss, Komamura blocked Kenpachi's strike and, for the first time in a long time, revealed who he truly was ~ A wolf. Angry at his friend's loss and wanting to shut up Kenpachi for being too cocky and feeble-minded, Komamura introduced his Bankai to him only to be interrupted by Rukia's execution that was about to take place. During the time that Rukia was rescued ands Aizen's revelation of wanting the Hogyoku & was solely responsible for the murder of The Central 46, Komamura found out about Tosen's defection and went forth angrily to try and thwart their plans. Unfortunately, Komamura easily lost to Aizen's Kido and was unable to convince Tosen, his longtime friend, that his path towards Justice isn't justifiable by any means and that'll it lead to only more senseless violence. Sometime after Aizen assembles his army of Arrancar(s), Komamura reappears alongside the 2nd, 8th, 10th, & 13th divisions to thwart Aizen's strongest Espada ~ Starrk, Baraggan, & Harribel in Fake Karakura Town. It is during this conflict that Komamura fights and easily defeats Baraggan's Fraccion, Choe Neng Poww, and allies himself with the unknown Visored to once and for all finish off Aizen & his remaining forces. Komamura, alongside Hisagi, was forced to fight his old friend Tosen (ended in their victory) where it is finally revealed that Tosen could, for the first time, see what his friend looked like only to die shortly afterwards. Angry that his old friend's path was swayed by Aizen, Komamura attempts to once again try to stop Aizen, but is easily defeated again, After Aizen's imprisonment, a new threat called the Wandenreich invade the Soul Society and Komamura is one of the first Captains to encounter Sternritter E, Bambietta Basterbine, who steals his Bankai. Learning of his mentor's (Captain Yamamoto) death by Yhwach, Komamura is deeply saddened, but knows that being shaken by this won't solve the conflict and the fight must continue with/without Bankai. It is during his training that Komamura visits his Grandfather, who isn't too pleased to see him. It is revealed that his Grandfather taught him a skill that enables Komamura to be temporarily human and be incapable of being killed for a given period of time. Komamura uses this and easily defeats Bambietta. Drained from the brief period of humanization, Komamura is picked up by his Lieutenant, Iba, and they continue to purse and thwart the impeding threat to the Gotei 13. 

Storyline (Sin)

Sin was created by Yu Yevon during the Machina Wars between Zanarkand and Bevelle as Zanarkand’s last gasp to preserve the city. Sin was given two primary objectives: to destroy cities that use machina and conceal the location of the dream Zanarkand’s creation orchestrated by Yevon himself and the city’s people as the fayth. However, Sin went beyond Yevon’s control, destroying his mind and any conscious control he had over it. It became a rampaging monster inexplicably destroying cities and villages across Spira and destroying the actual Zanarkand itself. To grant Spira salvation, Yevon’s daughter, Yunalesca presented the Final Aeon as means to destroy Sin. Sin was eventually destroyed by the Final Aeon created by Yunalesca sacrificing her own husband, Zaon. From then on, Yevon possessed Zaon and Zaon became the new Sin. However, this new Sin was too weak to terrorize Spira, and that lead to the establishment of the Calm, a brief time of peace in Spira from the defeat of Sin at the hands of a summoner with the Final Aeon to its eventual rebirth. This tradition would continue for 1,000 years.

Among the recent pilgrimages of defeating Sin, Braska, the father of Yuna, Jecht, the father of Tidus, and Auron were the most recent summoner and guardians tasked to defeat Sin in hopes of destroying it once and for all. After being bestowed upon the Final Aeon by Yunalesca, Jecht volunteered to be Braska’s Final Aeon. From there on, Braska sacrificed himself, defeating Sin with the Final Summoning, but Jecht would go on to be reborn as the new Sin. After the Calm, Sin, with Jecht manifested within the beast, would arrive to terrorize the dream Zanarkand in order to bring Auron and Tidus to Spira. Sin would encounter Tidus, Yuna, Auron, and the rest of the party a couple of times, assaulting their boat en route to the small village of Kilika, eventually wreaking havoc on the village, causing mass casualties and the assault during Operation Mi’hen, which also resulted in mass casualties among the combined forces of the Crusaders and the Al Bhed caused by Sin. Auron would reveal to Tidus that Sin is Jecht and is subliminally telling him to kill him and free him from terrorizing the rest of Spira. After defeating Yunalesca and mythbusting the Final Summoning, Tidus devises a plan to defeat Sin once and for all: to try and get inside it and destroy Yu Yevon from within. Using the Al Bhed airship, Fahrenheit, the party launched a full scale assault on the beast, eventually getting it to open its mouth so they can enter. As the party defeated Jecht in his Final Aeon form and Yu Yevon, Sin was ultimately vanquished and the world of Spira would embrace an Eternal Calm. 

Powers/Abilities (Sajin Komamura)

Being  a Captain-class Shinigami, Captain Sajin Komamura possesses incredible spiritual pressure, is masterful is swordsmanship, can endure a lot more blows than usual, and having enhances reflexes and senses because he is a wolf. However, his true power comes from his Bankai ~ Kokujo Tengen Myo'o (Divine Retribution, Black Hopes of Ruination in Viz translation) where a giant armor-like Samurai mimics Komamura's moves and, like a puppet, will enable the action that Komamura takes. By striking downward, the giant-like puppet was able to subdue Choe Neng Poww with one slash. However, the downside to this is if the Giant-Armored Samurai puppet is injured, it inflicts injury to both it and Komamura since they are connected. However, when the Giant-Armored Samurai removes its Armor, it's a body of pure reiatsu and, like Komamura after humanization, is unable to die. Komamura's humanization allows him to be immortal for a brief period of time because he has thrown away his life by removing his heart. 

Powers/Abilities (Sin)

A gargantuan, whale-like behemoth, Sin is the most powerful non-human antagonist in FFX.  The creature itself is resistant to any form of weaponry from short range weapons to long range weaponry as displayed during the events of Operation Mi’hen where not even the most powerful machina can bring it down head on and it responds to an impending attack by creating an invisible barrier around it. The idea of defeating Sin permanently is shrouded in mystery by Spirans as they believed the only way to defeat it is with the Final Summoning, though that would eventually bring the beast back to life after the Calm. It’s not until Yu Yevon’s defeat from within the beast is when it’s permanently destroyed. Sin is capable of casting powerful gravity-based attacks from its body parts (its arms specifically) such as Gravija (Demi). Sin is also capable of using terrain as an advantage, specifically the ocean depths due to its affinity for water as it is seen blending in, absorbing it, and using as a weapon and later it can also have the ability to fly. It can also create smaller, yet powerful creatures called Sinspawns from its outer core. One of Sin’s most dangerous attacks is its Giga-Graviton, a huge blast of energy that it can shoot out from its mouth. The Giga-Graviton is so powerful, that it could trigger tectonic plate movements visible from space and is able to split the oceans and lands of Spira in half when fired. It also results in instant death when unleashed on the party. 

Verict (By MechG)

And the winner is...

Let me say this in terms of story, Komamura has the most compelling story out there and he has a great sense of loyalty that makes his character great enough said. Sin may have the more mythological buildup to its current role as a beast that terrorizes Spira, but that doesn’t compare too much. It’s like comparing apples to oranges where Komamura’s character continues to grow while Sin is already fleshed out from the get go, despite the twists and turns on how Sin can be defeated without the Final Summoning. Hypothetically speaking though, this matchup reminds me of the fight between King Kong and the V-Rex or a buffed up, taller, and more bulwark Gipsy Danger battling a Category 5 Kaiju and Komamura in his bankai form can easily pummel Sin. Let’s step back for a second, Komamura as a Gotei 13 captain is powerful enough. He got his @$$ kicked by Aizen, but he treats damages as a mere flesh wound and still able to fight. With Sin, already in his current form, yeah it may be able to deflect attacks with his barrier, but if you get close enough like Tidus and his crew did, its weak points are THAT visible to the naked eye. Komamura can just enter his huge @$$ bankai form and just pick apart Sin’s cores like picking blueberries off a tree. Regardless if Sin’s Sinspawns can disrupt Komamura, it’s not going to do much. In conclusion, Komamura takes the cake big time here in terms of story and powers/abilities. 

So who do you think won this matchup? Sajin Komamura from Bleach or Sin from Final Fantasy X? Comment below and let us know. Reiterating again, Bleach Fantasy Round II posts will be on Mondays, Wednesdays, & Fridays w/MechG & I interchanging every 3rd matchups on giving the verdict. Bleach Fantasy Round II standings (5-3):

1) Yoruichi Shihoin vs. Prishe ~ Final Fantasy (Verdict by MechG)
2) Uryu Ishida vs. Hope Estheim ~ Final Fantasy (Verdict by MechG)
3) As Nodt vs. Vincent Valentine ~ Final Fantasy (Verdict by MechG)
4) Kenpachi Zaraki vs. Jecht ~ Bleach (Verdict by Stillmattic)
5) Shunsui Kyoraku vs. Auron ~ Bleach (Verdict by Stillmattic)
6) Sui-Feng vs. Tifa Lockhart ~ Final Fantasy (Verdict by Stillmattic) 
7) Mayuri Kurotsuchi vs. Barthandelus ~ Final Fantasy (Verdict by MechG)
8) Sajin Komamura vs. Sin ~ Bleach (Verdict by MechG)

WBCR (Bleach Chapter 632) - There can only be one!

I can tell that the next few chapters is going to be building up/explicating the friendship behind the rebellious Bazz-B and the quiet Jugram. This chapter focuses on their ongoing friendship. From Bazz's perspective, Jugram has much to learn. Jugram couldn't rather reishi, which already meant he couldn't make a bow, and it was considered a myth that a "incomplete being" would be born. However, Bazz also went on to explain that despite lacking in talent, Jugram practices the art of the sword much more than Bazz. One day, Yhwach's military brigade came by in order to recruit potential members for Yhwach's vanguard, the Sternritter. Of course Bazz is interested seeing this as an opportunity to get closer to Yhwach and when the time comes, to strike him down in vengeance. However, Bazz's rebellious nature didn't persuade the military brigade as they saw Bazz as nothing more than a nuisance. Bazz challenged the military brigade and just as they were about to fight, Yhwach intervenes and has found his supposed right-hand man: Jugram Haschwalth, his other half. Overall, this chapter is build-up and I'm glad Kubo is going out of his way to explain Bazz & Jugram's friendship. I am curious to know what Jugram will say in the next chapter to Yhwach's request to make him his right hand man. Will Bazz retaliate at this chance? This is very similar to how Byakuya adopted Rukia into the Kuchiki Clan and basically took her away from Renji. I'm going to give this week's chapter a Grade: B. Great Setup for what's to come. However, I know Kubo's pacing with flashbacks....it'll take awhile (hence the meme).

What did you think of the chapter? Did it satisfy and deliver or just outright sucked and disappointed? Comment below and let me know. Look forward to WBCRs whenever chapter's out (if delayed, post will be up on Weekends). Until then, you stay classy as always.

Throwback #91 - #Teamwork

Teamwork can make a huge difference when it comes to overcoming the odds. How does one assist and call it Teamwork? Does one selflessly stand beside you and give you guidance? Does one give hope that they aren't the only ones going through the struggles of reality? OR...perhaps one uses another person as a cannonball and call that Teamwork? Either way, it is helpful in some sort of way and it's better than fighting alone. Enter Chad, who just stumbled upon his power of enhanced brute strength as shown when he sporadically punched a Hollow despite not having seen it physically in front of him. Enter Rukia, a Shinigami who is sent to the Human World to kill Hollows & bring peace the deceased souls. What happens when a Shinigami whose lost half of her power wants to aid a man who is known for his strength & durability? Well, you use the Shinigami as a cannonball in attempts to thwart the Hollow from causing any more havoc. What more can go wrong? Well this attempt wasn't 100% successful, but it only paved way for Chad to become even stronger and realize he is full of potential. This also showcases how much Rukia has long upon relinquishing more than half of her power to Ichigo....she is even more limited than usual and has to resort to using others to get the job done...aka #Teamwork.

I hope you enjoyed this Throwback. Look forward to Throwbacks on Fridays. Until then, you stay classy. Bleach Fantasy II Round 7 is posted below. WBCR will be up between tomorrow-Sunday. 

Bleach Fantasy II Round 7: Mayuri Kurotsuchi vs. Barthandelus

Welcome back to another installment of Bleach Fantasy II where MechG & I once again collaborate on pitting the world of Bleach & the various installments of the Final Fantasy franchise. On Wednesday, Final Fantasy took another victory against Bleach (FF still leads 4-2 against Bleach), but many things can happen. Like MechG said, Bleach Fantasy II posts will be on Mondays, Wednesdays, & Fridays. My daily schedule of Affinity, Watch-list, WBCR, & Throwback posts will be the same as always (if delayed, posts will be on weekends). Without further ado, let's get started on Bleach Fantasy II Round 7 ~ Mayuri Kurotsuchi vs. Barthandelus. Take into account that Storyline and Powers/Abilities are the deciding factors. MechG & I will switch-off ever 3 rounds in giving the verdict. Let's jam!

Storyline (Mayuri)

Not much is emphasized on Mayuri's upbringing, but we do know that he wasn't the original 12th Division Captain. 110 years ago, Mayuri was locked away in the Maggot's Nest - an underground prison (although it's unconfirmed on why he is in the Maggot's Nest, it is assumed he is enough of a threat to be locked away). There'll be that fateful day where he meets face-to-face with Kisuke Urahara, the-then Captain of the 12th Division who wanted to create the Research & Development Institute. His meeting with Kisuke to join his side allowed him to be free from prison, but if something were to happen to Kisuke ~ Mayuri would assume command of the 12th division. 9 years later, Mayuri, alongside Kisuke (12th Division Captain) & Hiyori (Lieutenant) would become the 3 leading heads of the 12th division. It wouldn't be long before the Visored (Hollowfication of Shinigami) took place and Kisuke, Tessai, Yoruichi, & the Visored experiments (Hiyori, Shinji, Kensei, Love, Rose, Lisa, Mashiro, & Hachigen) were banished from the Soul Society to escape persecution by Central 46. Years later, Isshin Shiba (Ichigo's father) was being questioned (notably the Head Captain & Mayuri himself) on the sudden appearance of a mysterious Hollow, reporting that it was unexpected while at the same time hiding the fact that Isshin met with a Quincy. Mayuri also conducted experiments on Soken Ishida, Uryu Ishida's grandfather/mentor.

During the Rescue Arc, Mayuri is seen alongside the other Captains in determining what to do with the Ryoka (Ichigo, Orihime, Uryu, Chad, & Ganju). Mayuri, curious to fight and conduct experiments on any of the Ryoka, fought against Uryu where he told him of his experimentation on Soken and his disinterest in the Quincy. This greatly outraged Uryu as he angrily fought Captain Mayuri and found himself to be in a touch situation where Mayuri's Zanpaktou was puncturing Uryu's nerves & was poisoning/weakening him. However, after over-extending his Quincy powers, Uryu managed to do a number on Mayuri, but it wasn't enough to do away with him completely as Mayuri liquified his body to escape Uryu's attacks. During his recovery from his fight with Uryu, Mayuri overheard of Aizen's defection from the Soul Society as well as his intentions from the start, but this didn't interest Mayuri one bit. Way way way later in Bleach, Mayuri shows up in Hueco Mundo to assist Uryu & Renji in fighting the 8th Espada in Aizen's army, Szayelapporo Granz. Mayuri, deceiving Szayelapporo Granz into thinking he was getting overwelmed by the Espada's abilities, eventually defeated the Espada by implanting  him with the Superhuman drug, slowing down a person's perception of time (it can make 1 second look like 100 years), After defeating the Espada, Mayuri & his artificial daughter/lieutenant, Nemu, opened up the Garganta in Hueco Mundo to assist the Captains & Ichigo in finding their way back to the Soul Society & Karakura Town. Sometime after Aizen's defeat and imprisonment, a new enemy known as the Wandenreich show up to start war against the Shinigami. Mayuri began analyzing and gathering information on the Wandenreich as well as informing Ichigo that a broken Bankai can no longer be considered a Zanpaktou. He is seen working alongside Nemu on an unknown experiment (probably a weapon/weakness against the Wandenreich) and is met by his former superior, Kisuke Urahara. He finally is about to encounter the Wandenreich when all of a sudden Kenpachi shows up out of the blue, hindering his schemes once more. 

Storyline (Barthandelus)

Barthandelus was a Fal’Cie created by the deity, Lindzei and had a main motive to destroy Cocoon and bring back the Maker who had been long gone since the creation of the world. During the War of Transgression between the worlds of Cocoon and Pulse centuries before the events of FFXIII, Barthandelus was ordered by Lindzei to find a way to Etro’s Gate. Barthandelus used humans of Gran Pulse to find the entrance to the Unseen Realm and lured them to migrate to Cocoon, granting the promise of paradise while instilling fear to those who refused to leave. However, the Pulse Fal’Cie, Anima intervened with his plans. While the two waged war, Ragnarok was summoned and cracked Cocoon’s shell. This allowed the goddess, Etro to intervene and place Anima into deep sleep and its l’Cies, Vanille and Fang into premature crystal stasis before they could complete their focus of destroying Cocoon. Barthandelus saw this as an opportunity and placed Anima’s vestige on the Cocoon seaside city of Bodhum while using Gran Pulse’s resources to repair Cocoon’s shell. From there, Cocoon continued to grow as a human paradise as people began to see the Cocoon Fal’Cie as those who saved them from Pulse’s attack.

During the time of FFXIII, Barthandelus undertook the human guise of Galenth Dysley, becoming the Primarch of Cocoon and the “voice of the Sanctum”, waiting until the day Vanille and Fang awake from their crystal stasis so they can carry on their focus of destroying Cocoon. He would quicken that up by awakening Anima to revive both l’Cie and informing PSICOM authorities that a Pulse invasion is impending. Growing impatient and realizing Fang and Vanille won’t complete their focus as they wander around Cocoon, Barthandelus sets his eyes on the newly branded l’Cie, Serah Farron to successfully execute his plan, setting up the next phase: the Purge. After Lightning, Snow, Sazh, and Hope were branded, Barthandelus continued to put his plan into motion by branding the Cavalry leader, Cid Raines as l’Cie and help them complete their focus. In a plan to bring the l’Cie together, it couldn’t have come at a perfect opportunity for Barthandelus as PSICOM officials captured Sazh and Vanille in Nautalius. He would then use them as bait so Lightning, Fang, Snow, and Hope would rush onboard his airship, Palamecia, to save both Vanille and Sazh. All six l’Cie, would confront Barthandelus in his human guise before he would manifest his true Fal’Cie form and engage them in battle. Though he was defeated, he reverts back as Dysley and revealed the party their focus of using Ragnarok to destroy Cocoon and their main source of power, the Fal’Cie, Orphan. He sends a ship for them to the Fifth Ark to further enhance their powers. He would later encounter them again in the Gran Pulse village of Oerba under the illusion of Serah to deceive them. Under his 2nd form, Barthandelus engages the l’Cie again and was defeated. Pleased at their progress, Barthadelus reveals to the group that the Cavalry has engaged in civil war with Cocoon, while disguising his true motive to trick the Cavalry in destroying Orphan. He leaves behind a ship again for the l’Cie to return back to Cocoon, in the capital city of Eden. He would encounter them again in Orphan’s Cradle while Cocoon is in a state of chaos. Barthandelus attempted to demoralize the l’Cie by bringing illusions of Serah and Dajh (Sazh’s son) and shattering them into crystal in hopes they would complete the destruction of Cocoon. They refused to fulfill it and Barthandelus assumes his final form and engages them in battle once again. However, to ensure Orphan’s awakening, Barthandelus allowed himself to be defeated to assimilate his body with Orphan’s.

Powers/Abilities (Mayuri)

An innovative captain, Mayuri has plenty of tricks up his sleeves. He has created drugs (both antidotes and lethal substances), sensors/monitors, can repair just about anything, traps (EX: a landmine Uryu used), and is adept in chemistry and strategy. What makes Mayuri a scary person to confront is his ability to discern an opponent and instilling fear just by analyzing them thoroughly. His Zanpaktou, Ashisogi Jizo, is capable of severing brain signals from the neural impulses and its Bankai form produces a poisonous gas that is lethal when inhaled. Out of all the Captains in the Gotei 13, Mayuri is the most creepiest one of all and you can't really tell if he's ready to be your ally or your friend. As a Captain, he is neither enemy nor friend - but a madman. 

Powers/Abilities (Barthandelus)

Assuming the guise of Galenth Dysley, Barthandelus is a master shapeshifter and magic practitioner and as evident in his role in the FFXIII story proved to be a master manipulator and planner. Under his human disguise form as Dysley, he has the ability single-handedly kill people with ease and surround himself with a powerful protect spell to overcome people of greater strength than him (ex: repelling Snow’s great strength when he relentlessly engages him in combat). He is also able to levitate, teleport, and create illusions such as that of Serah Farron and Dajh Katzroy for further deception. Under his true Fal’Cie form, he possesses immense magical powers and abilities and is fought in three forms. In his 1st form, he is able to cast the highest level of magic elemental attacks: Firaga, Blizzaga, Waterga, Aeroga, Thundaga, etc. In addition, he can unleash a devastating projectile charge attack called Destrudo. In his 2nd form, he is able to cast status ailments on opponents at the highest level possible such as Poisonaga, Dazega, and Cursega and in his final form, he is able to cast Ultima, unleashing a non-elemental, green energy blast and dealing major damage. The common abilities Barthandelus shares in all three of his forms are Thanatosian Laughter and Doom. Thanatosian Laughter is Barthandelus’ signature attacks where he shoots multiple arrays of lasers from his mouth for significant damage and Doom is a classic spell in the FF franchise in which he can cast on a party member to result in instant death after a certain time limit. 

Verdict (By MechG)

Barthandelus is a master manipulator. Enough said. This guy treated the six main heroes of FFXIII like fish in a barrel to cope with his plan whether they were aware of it or not. There’s no question both Barthandelus and Mayuri are diabolical in their own right and you can’t tell whether they’re doing something for the betterment of good or for evil, but when it comes to mystique, I feel Barthandelus has more to offer because of how good of a puppet master he was behind closed doors. The one knock on him is he was never mentioned in the sequels, not once, not even a flashback and in my opinion, his involvement is one of the most detrimental to the FFXIII storyline, especially in his backstory where he was one of the main belligerents in one of the most pivotal pre-XIII events during the War of Transgression whereas Mayuri didn’t provide much in his backstory aside that he was a prisoner and is obsessed with researching people.  It’s also mentioned that Barthandelus was fighting the l’Cie with his capabilities dumbed down on purpose so that they become strong enough to carry out his plan in obliterating Cocoon. Even though Mayuri has a lot of tricks up his sleeve and provides more mysteriousness on the powers/abilities side, just imagine the endless capabilities Barthandelus would hone when he is fighting at his normal strength as an omnipotent Fal’Cie created by the gods even though he is already powerful and has a plethora of powerful capabilities. So in short, this victory goes to the evil pope monster.

So who do you think won this matchup? Mayuri Kurotsuchi from Bleach or Barthandelus from Final Fantasy XIII? Comment below and let us know. Reiterating again, Bleach Fantasy Round II posts will be on Mondays, Wednesdays, & Fridays w/MechG & I interchanging every 3rd matchups on giving the verdict. Bleach Fantasy Round II standings (5-2):

1) Yoruichi Shihoin vs. Prishe ~ Final Fantasy (Verdict by MechG)
2) Uryu Ishida vs. Hope Estheim ~ Final Fantasy (Verdict by MechG)
3) As Nodt vs. Vincent Valentine ~ Final Fantasy (Verdict by MechG)
4) Kenpachi Zaraki vs. Jecht ~ Bleach (Verdict by Stillmattic)
5) Shunsui Kyoraku vs. Auron ~ Bleach (Verdict by Stillmattic)
6) Sui-Feng vs. Tifa Lockhart ~ Final Fantasy (Verdict by Stillmattic) 
7) Mayuri Kurotsuchi vs. Barthandelus ~ Final Fantasy (Verdict by MechG)

Affinity #95 - The Villain, Friend, & Lover (Jin, Koga, & Yoshino)

Despite it being a filler arc, the Bount Arc has some interesting relationships that need to be addressed. For the most part, Jin Kariya's friend/right-hand man is Go Koga and Jin's former lover is Yoshino. All are Bounts with unique abilities and, much like Aizen Sousuke, Jin Kariya is a man of ambition while at the same time remaining calm & collected. His conquest for power knows no limits and it's because of this that he has a good # of followers, even going so far as recruiting a Shinigami (former member of the 11th division). Koga & Yoshino have known Jin for many MANY years, they never age & were merely immortal. However, despite Jin's ambition for power being renowned and posing a dangerous threat to the Gotei 13, it didn't stop him from sacrificing his henchmen to get the job done. Much like any stereotypical villain, the Boss could care less about their subordinates. Jin was the closest to Yoshino, but after Yoshino's defection, Jin felt no remorse for her and killed in with no hesitation. As for Koga, he is the only Bount that lived and at the end of the day, saw the true madness behind Jin's motives. This is why this 3-way affinity is interesting ~ we have an old friend who finally see that his friend isn't right in the head and a former lover who also saw that staying together with a mad man isn't a happy life. At the end of the day, the closest of allies only saw darkness cloud their judgement from seeing the truth and once they were brought into life, they finally saw that maybe perhaps there could've been another way.

I hope you enjoyed this week's Affinity post. Look forward to Affinity posts on Tuesdays (sorry it was delayed till today I have finals this week). Until then, you stay classy. There'll be NO Watchlist post tomorrow. Bleach Fantasy II & Throwback will be up Friday & SGABR will be posted between Saturday-Sunday. 

Bleach Fantasy II post is posted below. 

Bleach Fantasy II Round 6: Sui-Feng vs. Tifa Lockhart

Welcome back to another installment of Bleach Fantasy II where MechG & I once again collaborate on pitting the world of Bleach & the various installments of the Final Fantasy franchise. On Monday, Bleach won again against FF (FF still leads 3-2 against Bleach), but many things can happen. Like MechG said, Bleach Fantasy II posts will be on Mondays, Wednesdays, & Fridays. My daily schedule of Affinity, Watch-list, WBCR, & Throwback posts will be the same as always (if delayed, posts will be on weekends). Without further ado, let's get started on Bleach Fantasy II Round 6 ~ Sui-Feng vs. Tifa Lockhart. Take into account that Storyline and Powers/Abilities are the deciding factors. MechG & I will switch-off ever 3 rounds in giving the verdict. Let's jam!

Storyline (Sui-Feng)

Sui-Feng is born into the Feng house, a lower class noble family that is affiliated with the Shihoin household. She, at a tender young age, is sworn to protect Yoruichi Shihoin, Captain of the 2nd division & Stealth forces. Her admiration for Yoruichi is unrivaled and it wouldn't be long before she disappeared alongside Kisuke Urahara, Tessai, & the Visored (Captains/Lieutenants of the 5th, 7th, 8th, & 9th divisions). Sui-Feng was unaware of why her mentor had abandoned her, but felt betrayed and a deep hatred resurfaced from Sui-Feng's heart. She devoted her life to becoming stronger than Yoruichi and hopes to end her because of the betrayal and wound she had left on Sui-Feng at a young age. It wouldn't be until later where she became the 2nd Division Captain and was in charge of the Stealth forces - the little girl who served under the 2nd Division now has become the Captain. Later on, Sui-Feng & Yoruichi would reunite and she would uncover the truth - her admiration and love for Yoruichi was simply too strong for Sui-Feng to overcome. Eventually, Sui-Feng took part in aiding Yoruichi in fighting off the Arrancars led by Aizen Sousuke (where Sui-Feng herself was able to handle Baraggan w/Hachigen, but not Aizen). Her siding with Yoruichi is partly due to Yoruichi's friendship to our main hero, Ichigo Kurosaki. She is last seen participating in the bloodbath between the Shinigami & Sternritter where she matched wits with BG9. She eventually won, but is still pursuing Yhwach & his forces. 

Storyline (Tifa)

Tifa was born in the small town of Nibelheim and was a childhood friend and next door neighbor to Cloud. Although they were not “friends” “friends” early on in their lives, the first time they actually start becoming close was when Tifa’s mother died, leading her to believe that her mom went to venture onto Mt. Nibel. So Tifa went to Mt. Nibel while Cloud followed suit, but the two fell off a bridge, leaving Tifa injured and causing her father to somewhat isolate her from Cloud. In a part to represent Tifa’s “knight and shining armor”, Cloud had aspirations to join the ranks of SOLDIER and he told her that exact plan on top of the water tower in the town and promised he’d be there for her to protect her. Fast forward to the setting of Crisis Core, Tifa becomes a tour guide for Nibelheim as well as being a martial artist, having learned a whole variety of fighting styles. When Cloud returned to Nibelheim along with Zack and Sephiroth, he wasn’t a SOLDIER member, but just a lowly Shinra infantryman, causing him to hide his face in shame so Tifa won’t recognize him. While on the tour to a Mako Reactor in Mt. Nibel, Tifa was attacked by a monster and Cloud, still disguising himself, came up to save her. While inside the reactor, during the time Sephiroth went mad, Tifa found her father dead on Sephy’s hands, giving her intense hate for Shinra and SOLDIER. Tifa attempted to challenge Sephy, but she was handled easily and sustained major injuries and her martial arts master, Zangan took her to Midgar for treatment.

Tifa is a member of the rebellious group, AVALANCHE lead by Barret and is an owner/bartender of the bar, 7^th Heaven, which also happens to contain a secret hideout where AVALANCHE can have their meetings and plan out specific attacks to bring down Shinra at the start of FFVII. Aside from being those as well as being Marlene’s caretaker (Barret’s daughter), she pretty much plays as that voice of reason to Cloud in order to bring back his memories and personality because, Cloud witnessed Zack’s death from a Shinra ambush on the way to Midgar and he was still overdosing from Mako poisoning. After Cloud pretty much did his first mission as like a hybrid member of AVALANCHE he wanted to flake out and take the money, but Tifa, with good memory, brought up Cloud’s promise on the water tower back in Nibelheim and that pretty much gave Cloud another go on AVALANCHE’s next mission. It’s tough to say that Tifa played a limited role storyline-wise as the heroine in FF7 mainly in part due to the arc surrounding Cloud and Aeris, that doesn’t mean she didn’t put up a few important plot highlights such as sneaking into Don Corneo’s mansion to find out Shinra’s plans in vanquishing AVALANCHE by destroying a pillar to let the Sector 7 plate drop on the slums of Midgar and she was involved in busting in Shinra’s main HQ along with Cloud and Barret to rescue Aeris. Later on in the game, she becomes a temporary party leader thanks to Cloud’s disappearance after another encounter with Sephiroth in the Whirlwind Maze, in which Cloud handed Sephy the Black Materia to summon Meteor to potentially destroy the Planet. She eventually helps restore Cloud’s memories and personality by entering his Subconscious state as they both submerged into the Lifestream and Cloud was able to defeat Sephiroth with her help and the help from the rest of the party and they were able to save the Planet from the impending wrath of Meteor using the power of Holy.

Powers/Abilities (Sui-Feng)

Sui-Feng has relentlessly trained and tired herself out in hopes to one day surpass her former Captain, Yoruichi Shihoin. Her Zanpaktou, Suzumebachi (translated as Hornet), allows her to pierce opponents, leaving a mark, and when pierced in the same spot as the mark, completely eliminates anyone. The 2-step kill makes it hard for opponents to discern where Sui-Feng will strike and, if marked, will find it difficult to comprehend when she'll strike. Sui-Feng, when fighting Ggio, used this technique and, despite Ggio being a larger opponent, Sui-Feng still did him away with Suzumebachi. Not only is her Suzumebachi strong and fatal, but she has a Bankai - Jakuho Raikoben, which pretty much limits her agility and focuses on eliminating the opponent - firing a missile pretty much, an explosive and fatal attack. Apart from her agility and her Zanpaktou, she has recently mastered Shunko, which is a combination of hand-to-hand combat & Kido. Sui-Feng may be able to finish her opponent quickly, but it's the ability to do in 2-steps that makes her a formidable opponent

Powers/Abilities (Tifa)

Aside from being FF’s hottest character and I should say the FF babe with the biggest BEEWBS (OH SH*T! *gets punched by Tifa*, *continuing post with a black eye*), Tifa is definitely that character to lean on when things are not going right  and she’s tough as nails who won’t be taken lightly either (Ow). Because she excels in hand-to-hand combat, having tremendous knowledge on a large variety of martial arts styles, her physical stats are much higher than her other stats. Since she wields knuckles (sometimes claws), most knuckles she would obtain would either increase her accuracy, strength, damage, or magic attributes. Her Limit Break sequence in order of level as follows: 1) Beat Rush/Somersault, runs up to the enemy and performs a punch combo followed by a Somersault Kick (Guile called he wants his move back), 2) Waterkick/Meteodrive, a low sweep accompanied by a flash of water then suplexing the opponent, 3) Dolphin Blow/Meteor Strike shoryuken-like uppercut with a dolphin then grabbing and throwing an opponent back down mid-air with heavy impact, 4) Final Heaven, unleashing a devastating burst of energy and releasing that energy blast with a single punch.

Verdict (By Stillmattic)
And the winner is...

I explained once long ago on the concept of full plate vs. half plate. In terms of the story aspect, it's safe to say that Tifa has a full plate whereas Sui-Feng's is only half. In terms of the powers/abilities aspect, I will openly admit that both Sui-feng & Tifa have full plates, but Sui-feng just barely has a bit more than Tifa has to offer. However, after revisiting these two lovely hand-to-hand combatants, it's safe to say that for this particular Round, I focused mainly on the story aspect. Their overall impressions on the series/franchise is a pivotal point to why their character carries so much gravitas. Whenever I see Sui-feng, I don't see her carry much because she's sidelined. With Tifa, she's definitely a pivotal character in FF VII and is one of the staple mascots for Final Fantasy women. I mean, have you seen Tifa? Not gonna lie, I'd fall for her in a heartbeat. Sui-feng has A LOT of work to do. Now you might be thinking I'm comparing bust sizes, but that isn't the point. I am overall talking which character carries much more in the story than the other. Don't get me wrong, Sui-Feng, with her agility, accuracy, & ability to kill people in 2 steps could definitely kill Tifa, but focusing on the whole picture ~ Sui-feng's character as well as her power are sidelined by other renowned Captains like Kenpachi, Mayuri, Kyoraku, Sajin, & Byakuya. If she had more of a role and her character was utilized more in combat, then I'd reconsider. With Tifa, being a staple character alone gives her a very VERY high advantage. Tifa has an assortment of attacks and is quite knowledgable in martial arts, but with Sui-Feng, it feels as if Stealth is the highlight of her powers and her overall fight card is w-3 (won against BG9 & Ggio, but lost to Aizen, Barragan, and Yoruichi). Against Baraggan, she did deliver  significant damage to him, but Hachigen finished him off with ease. Against Yoruichi, her arrogance got the better of her and she clearly wasn't a threat to Yoruichi. With Aizen, it wasn't even a challenge for him. Yes she's perfected Shunko, but only using it once to defeat enemies who we could care less about like BG9 or Ggio ~ not so impressive.  Tifa's character overall has more to offer and the drive behind it is due to the gravitas of her role in FF VII. In battle, I'd say Sui-Feng alone would win against Tifa. In the story aspect of Bleach Fantasy II ~ Tifa definitely takes the cake.

So who do you think won this matchup? Sui-Feng from Bleach or Tifa Lockhart from Final Fantasy VII? Comment below and let us know. Reiterating again, Bleach Fantasy Round II posts will be on Mondays, Wednesdays, & Fridays w/MechG & I interchanging every 3rd matchups on giving the verdict. Bleach Fantasy Round II standings (4-2):

1) Yoruichi Shihoin vs. Prishe ~ Final Fantasy (Verdict by MechG)
2) Uryu Ishida vs. Hope Estheim ~ Final Fantasy (Verdict by MechG)
3) As Nodt vs. Vincent Valentine ~ Final Fantasy (Verdict by MechG)
4) Kenpachi Zaraki vs. Jecht ~ Bleach (Verdict by Stillmattic)
5) Shunsui Kyoraku vs. Auron ~ Bleach (Verdict by Stillmattic)
6) Sui-Feng vs. Tifa Lockhart ~ Final Fantasy (Verdict by Stillmattic)