Warning: Contains spoilers for Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War part 3, episode #6.Of all the arcs in Bleach, the Lost Agent arc, better known as the Fullbringer arc, remains the most controversial arc in the series well over a decade since it was first released. Anything that had to follow everything with Aizen would always be met with scrutiny, and aside from some strong character writing for Ichigo, it’s largely seen as a step down for Bleach, as a whole.

The Lost Agent arc is the most controversial arc in all of Bleach, and that, of course, includes its villains. Xcution, often referred to simply as the Fullbringers, were largely disliked by fans both for meta reasons and because of how they were written in the story, and surprisingly, ’s most controversial villains, have finally made their return in Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War part 3, episode #6. As controversial as they might be, this is a perfect chance for their reputation to improve, especially if the anime tries to tie in some future story developments involving them, as well.

Bleach's Fullbringers Officially Return As Heroes In Thousand-Year Blood War

In Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War episode #32, as Ichigo was shocked by the sudden reappearance of Grimmjow and Nel, especially since it should have been impossible to freely travel to the Royal Palace, he was shocked once more by Riruka and Yukio, two of the surviving of Xcution. Riruka and Yukio used the matter and spatial manipulation abilities of their Fullbrings to help Ichigo and his allies travel through pocket dimensions called the Valley of Screams and continue the fight with Yhwach, so they’ve officially completed their character arcs and become genuinely heroic characters for Bleach’s final arc.

What makes Riruka and Yukio’s return even better is how it pays off a currently unexplained moment from part 1. When Ichigo left for training at the Royal Palace, Ganju left to do his own training, and surprisingly, Ginjo, Tsukishima, and Giriko, the three of Xcution who died in the Lost Agent arc, ed him for training. Riruka and Yukio’s appearance in Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War confirms that Ginjo and the rest of Xcution will all be on Ichigo’s side in the final battle against Yhwach, and that’s set to add a lot to Bleach’s story, as a whole.

Why The Fullbringers Are Still So Controversial In Bleach Over A Decade Since Their Debut

While much can be done with the return of Xcution, that doesn’t erase the reasons why they were controversial, to begin with. For starters, not only was it very sudden for Bleach to introduce a new superpower with Fullbrings, but Fullbrings, themselves, came off as far removed from how powers in Bleach typically functioned, with them feeling more like Nen abilities from Hunter X Hunter or Stands from JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure. The Fullbringers were controversial partly because of how different their powers were from other powers in Bleach, and that opinion has never truly changed after over a decade.

The weirdness of the Fullbringers was only made worse by their actual threat level, or lack thereof. While Xcution initially came off as fairly menacing, once Ichigo regained his Soul Reaper powers and other Soul Reapers ed the fight against them, Xcution was defeated by Ichigo and his friends with little to no difficulty, even after Xcution used Ichigo to boost their own power. Xcution being defeated so easily made it feel like all the time spent with them was a waste, and that made it even harder for people to feel attached to them.

The biggest reason Xcution is so controversial, however, stems from the meta-reasoning behind why Bleach's Lost Agent arc is so controversial. After spending about a decade on Aizen’s saga, the Lost Agent arc went for a more small-scale and character-driven story, and between that and a multitude of arcs with little to no payoff, Bleach’s Fullbringers became controversial because they represent what many consider to be the lowest point in Bleach’s franchise. Opinions about the Lost Agent arc have softened in recent years, but it’s not to the extent that it’s become universally praised, and Xcution is no exception.

Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War Needs To Setup Its Sequel Story's Big Fullbringer Twist

Bleach's Massive Fullbringer Twist Explained

If anything can be done to justify the return of Xcution in Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War, it would be using them to tease Bleach’s sequel story, Can’t Fear Your Own World. In Can’t Fear Your Own World, it was revealed that Fullbringers were born from having fragments of the Soul King inside their bodies. Xcution has now ed the fight against people who would be familiar with the history of the Soul King, so Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War can tease at Can’t Fear Your Own World’s story by referencing the connection between Fullbringers and the Soul King.

The best part about the anime using the Fullbringers to tease Can’t Fear Your Own World is that it’s already been doing something like that. Everything involving the extended lore surrounding the Soul King has its roots in Can’t Fear Your Own World, so Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War teasing the big Fullbringer twist in Can’t Fear Your Own World is justified by everything that’s already been done with the Soul King in the anime. That would do a lot to help improve the reputation of the Fullbringers, so hopefully, Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War will do all that and more.

Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War releases new episodes Saturdays on Hulu.