Bleach is primarily helmed by shonen hero Ichigo Kurosaki, a human who goes on to become a substitute Soul Reaper, fighting enemies of all kinds, both mortal and immortal. Ichigo forms many allies along the way, and Nelliel Tu Odelschwank, known as Nel, emerges as a beloved character both in the manga and the anime TV series. What happened to Nel in Bleach, and what does her fate entail?
Nel is a fallen Espada, who are top-ranked and powerful Arrancar in Sōsuke Aizen’s army of Hollow-Shinigami hybrids, who served during Aizen’s war. Nel was an Espada until she was betrayed by Nnoitora Gilga and left grievously injured after being thrown off the side of Las Noches, after which her body reverted back to that of a child’s.
In her adult form, Nel’s powers are manifold. First and foremost, she is a master swordsman by virtue of being a former Espada, making her proficient in hand-to-hand combat. She is also an expert in Sonido, moving with great speed, evidenced by the fact that Kisuke Urahara entrusted her to save himself and others from the Gift Ball Deluxe.
Apart from this, she also boasts enhanced strength, as she can fight valiantly with huge weapons and launch her opponent across great spaces with a single punch. Her Reiatsu is pink in color, and Nel also has great spiritual power.
Is Nel alive at the end of Bleach?
Yes, Nel is definitely alive in the Bleach anime, although there were rumors that the character had met her demise at the time that the episodes aired. One does not have to look further than the final arc of the manga, in which Nel is alive and well in Hueco Mundo, the dimension between the Human World and Soul Society in which Hollows and Arrancar reside. Although Nel is left behind in this reality with Orihime, Chad, and Harribel’s faction, she helps the central characters fight against more adversaries.
Bleach fans last saw Nel when she entered Askin Nakk Le Vaar’s poisonous death bubble to save Urahara, Grimjoww, and Yoruichi. Unbeknownst to her, Urahara left Nel out of his plans in order to garner a head start on Askin. While she does not return back after this in the anime, she does make an appearance in the final arc of the Bleach manga.
Where can fans find Nel in other Bleach media?
Nel returns in the “Thousand Year Blood War Arc,” the final arc of the Bleach manga, which ran from 2012-16. Currently being adapted into an anime, the arc follows Ichigo, revealed to inherit Quincy powers from his mother, as he comes forward to confront the Quincy King. With help from his Quincy friend, Ishida, and a nod to the past, Ichigo seeks to defeat Ywach and thwart his goal to destroy and rule over the universe.
During Ichigo’s patrol of Karakura Town, Nel falls from the sky, surprising him. When Ichigo begins fighting the Quincy, he leaves Nel in Orihime’s care.
As Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez confronts Ichigo in the Soul King Palace several days later, an adult Nelliel leaps over him and tackles him. Her armband, made by Urahara, allows her to transform into her adult form whenever she desires, though she is uncertain if she will be able to return to her child form in the future.
Sometime later, Nelliel stands outside Askin Nakk Le Vaar’s Gift Bereich, noticing it collapsing as Urahara had predicted. She observes that removing four souls from it would be difficult and is shocked that the entrance is so small. She jumps toward the entrance, mentioning she wants to see Ichigo again.
Apart from this, you can catch more of Nelliel in the video game Bleach: Brave Souls, in which she is playable in various forms, as she is a ranged character with the Shinigami Killer ability. The player can use a special attack named Hayate no Kemono, in which Nel dashes toward the opponent and fires a Cero capable of inflicting massive damage.
Episodes of Bleach are available for streaming on platforms like Hulu and Crunchyroll.
