What happens to Nel from ‘Bleach?’ Her fate, explained
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 has 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.
The last that Bleach fans saw Nel is 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. Nel also happens to play a pretty prominent role in the fan-made Bleach Thousand Year Blood War.
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 towards the opponent and fires a Cero that is capable of inflicting massive damage.
Episodes of Bleach are available for streaming on platforms like Hulu and Crunchyroll.
