The opening of Bleach TYBW (Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War) part 3, directed by Masashi Ito (who also worked on the opening of Black Clover), features a song by Japanese band Six Lounge. This song received a lot of praise from fans, but a big reveal broke their hearts.
There's a brief scene where we see the Soul King's hand, which transitions to the eyes of Ukitake Juushiro – the former captain of the 12th division of the Gotei 13, and then we see him tied up by something. Bleach anime fans may not know, but manga fans know about Ukitake's ultimate sacrifice during the Quincy Invasion.
Not only that, his connection with the Soul King is also a major turning point in the plot of the series. This series of events reveals the Kamikake ritual that Ukitake performed to save Soul Society.
In the manga, Thousand-Year Blood War arc, when Soul Society was attacked by Yhwach, Ukitake activated Kamikake, to become the Soul King's right-hand man. A shadow appeared from Ukitake's body, in the form of Mimihagi, starting to advance towards the Soul King's palace. This shocked everyone present there.
Bleach fans were deeply moved by the song, which captured Ukitake's pain in just a few seconds.
One fan wrote: “Ukitake performs Kamikake, it really fits the lyrics 'I clasp my hands and pray why is my fate so cruel?' It's so poetic.”
“As someone who has been involved with Bleach all his life, the immense focus on Ukitake and Kamikake gives me chills, unlike anything I've ever experienced before. I can tell that Kubo will deliver giving us an incredible story that will shake the community,” another expressed.
A third added: “Ukitake's scene is art, but I think I could die for him.”