How Bleach TYBW anime may change the Mayuri vs Pernida fight

The long-awaited anime transposition of the last arc of the series, Bleach TYBW, is not a direct adaptation of the source material. The animation studio, Pierrot Films, worked closely with Bleach author, Tite Kubo, to improve the story, which resulted in several changes from the manga. Given Kubo's close involvement, the anime-original scenes are fully canon.

One of these changes might concern the much-anticipated fight between Mayuri Kurotsuchi, the captain of the Gotei’s Twelfth Division, and Pernida Parnkgjas, the most sinister member of Yhwach’s Schutzstaffel. Mayuri and Pernida engaged in a grotesque clash of wits, constantly adapting and evolving their moves in order to one-up each other.

Combining its ever-evolving features as the left hand of the Soul King with the surreal ability of The Compulsory, Pernida proved to be a challenge for Mayuri, giving rise to a freakish back and forth with an unpredictable outcome. While the anime has already shown the initial part of the battle in Bleach TYBW episode 34, the development of the fight may be subject to changes, following the anime adaptation’s previously established trend of improving the manga.

Disclaimer: This article contains major spoilers from the Bleach TYBW anime.

Bleach TYBW can improve Mayuri vs Pernida by getting the freakish Quincy to use its Vollstandig

Mayuri vs Pernida as seen in Bleach TYBW episode 34

Pernida's true form in the Bleach TYBW anime (Image via Pierrot Films)

Upon entering the Quincy’s Wahrwelt, captain Mayuri Kurotsuchi and his assistant Nemu, as well as captain Kenpachi Zaraki and his subordinates Ikkaku Madarame and Yumichika Ayasegawa ran across Schutzstaffel member Pernida Parnkgjas, also known as Sternritter C. Pernida's body was covered by a long white cloak that only revealed its glowing eyes.

Zaraki went on the offensive without a second thought, slashing at what he thought was his target’s head, but Pernida didn’t die despite blood spurting out from the wound. Instead, Pernida's body somehow began to evolve, while Zaraki jumped back with his right arm mangled.

Moments later, Pernida used The Compulsory to twist and contort Zaraki's arm even further, which forced him to rip it off. The arm then collapsed in on itself, ending up as a bloody puddle. Ignoring Mayuri's advice to keep his distance, Zaraki relentlessly dashed at Pernida again. This proved to be a huge mistake, as Pernida used The Compulsory to crush Zaraki’s legs.

Pernida's odd powers in the Bleach TYBW anime (Image via Pierrot Films)

Suddenly, Mayuri stabbed Zaraki with his Zanpakuto, paralyzing the captain and causing him to collapse shortly afterward. Mayuri’s unorthodox maneuver saved Zaraki’s life, preventing Pernida from injuring him further. As Mayuri had discovered by observing Zaraki’s fight, Pernida could use its nerves to control and tear apart the bodies of its targets.

After exposing Pernida's nerves, Mayuri ironically asked the latter to donate its body to him for the sake of scientific progress. Screaming in pain and anger, Pernida tore its cloak to reveal its true form as the left hand of the Soul King, a giant arm with an eye on the palm.

Pernida then attacked Mayuri with its nerves, projecting them in the form of shadowy tendrils, but Mayuri defended himself while claiming that his happiness at the unexpected predicament overrides even his curiosity. Mayuri described Pernida as a new fascinating research subject, but stopped laughing when it started using its nerves to control the surroundings.

Mayuri's grin in the Bleach TYBW anime (Image via Pierrot Films)

Mayuri used his modified arm to launch his hand as a grappling hook and grab the edges of the Wahrwelt’s buildings, dodging the large stone hand controlled by Pernida. As Pernida’s nerves pursued Mayuri, seemingly crushing him between two controlled stone hands, the Shinigami emerged unscathed, before dodging another attack while in mid-air.

After revealing that he had modified his shoes in order to perform Hirenkyaku, the Quincy’s signature movement technique, Mayuri blew off Pernida’s pinkie with a remote explosive. Nerves suddenly extended from the pinkie into Mayuri's arm, but he calmly reassembled the limb, revealing that he had previously rearranged his anatomical structure.

Mayuri's new Bankai in the Bleach TYBW anime (Image via Pierrot Films)

Pernida’s pinkie began to sprout additional fingers, which grew into a fully formed hand to attack Mayuri. The Shinigami destroyed it with an explosive, but Pernida created two more clones of itself. This forced Mayuri to activate his Konjiki Ashisogi Jizo: Makai Fukuin Shotai, a modified version of his Bankai which evolves based on the information gathered about the opponent.

Pernida tried to control Konjiki Ashisogi Jizo, but the baby-like creature generated by Mayuri’s modified Bankai couldn’t be controlled due to its special characteristics. The modified Konjiki Ashisogi Jizo then devoured Pernida and its clones while Mayuri laughed maniacally, mocking his foe.

How the fight ended in the Bleach manga

Pernida's evolution in the Bleach manga (Image via Shueisha)

Much to Mayuri’s shock, the modified Konjiki Ashisogi Jizo was torn apart from the inside out as Pernida emerged from it, using its hand-shaped body to fire multiple powerful Heilig Pfeil. Pernida’s limited vocabulary and speaking skills had also evolved to the point where it could fully speak.

When Pernida taunted Mayuri by saying that he had forgotten it was a Quincy, Mayuri replied that he had never thought that the Soul King’s left arm could declare itself a Quincy. This irritated Pernida, who claimed that it had always been a Quincy, before targeting Mayuri with a barrage of Heilig Pfeil connected to tendril-like nerves.

Pernida eventually outmaneuvered Mayuri, but Nemu jumped in to help his master before one of Pernida’s arrows could hit him. After the two moved to a safe location, Mayuri scolded Nemu for acting without orders, and told her not to die unless she was ordered to. He then used a powerful freezing anesthetic to immobilize Pernida.

Nemu's Gikon Jurinju in the Bleach manga (Image via Shueisha)

Meanwhile, Nemu injected a nerve-freezing agent into one of Pernida’s Heilig Pfeil, causing it to spread along its host’s nerves. Pernida’s clones got frozen by the drug, but Pernida simply ripped off its infected thumb, declaring that it wouldn’t be enough to kill it. Shocked to hear the hand speaking like Zaraki, Mayuri realized that Pernida could absorb information from anything it touched with its nerves and evolve according to the characteristics of those targets.

Concluding that, if Pernida had evolved its reactions to Zaraki’s level, Nemu wouldn’t be able to keep up with its attacks anymore, Mayuri ordered her to retreat. Meanwhile, Pernida’s clones shed their frozen skin to reveal the power of Mayuri’s modified Konjiki Ashisogi Jizo.

Suddenly, Nemu performed an incredibly powerful leap to burst through Pernida’s body. A subsequent flashback revealed Nemu’s story as the artificially created offspring of Mayuri. Thanks to a combination of Shinigami technologies, Nemu’s artificial body could unleash astounding levels of power by increasing its activities to reach its maximum threshold.

To fight Pernida, Nemu unleashed 99.2% of her capabilities, pushing her body to within 0.8% of its threshold. This granted her incredible strength, although this heightened level of power could only be maintained for a short period of time before leading to Nemu’s own collapse.

Nemu's final moments in the Bleach manga (Image via Shueisha)

Mayuri told Nemu that he had never ordered her to do this, but Nemu replied that she was following her purpose. Mayuri claimed that her purpose was to grow and evolve, prompting Nemu to say that the best way for her to display her growth was to protect Mayuri, her creator.

Nemu then used a technique called Gikon Jurinju to sacrifice part of her soul, firing it in the form of a powerful energy ball that blew a hole in one of Pernida’s clones. Almost completely obliterated, the clone shattered into pieces. However, the pieces suddenly sprouted eyes and fingers that sent nerves to Nemu, invading her body and quickly tearing her to pieces.

Mayuri looked on at the scene in shock, while the clone began to reform itself. A hallucination of Szayelaporro Grant appeared in Mayuri’s mind and started to mock the Shinigami. Mayuri brushed off the hallucination, before admitting that his former enemy was actually right, and ironically pointing out what a fool he was for his failure being highlighted by a lowly scientist such as Szayelaporro.

Mayuri at the end of the fight in Bleach chapter 644 (Image via Shueisha)

Pernida’s clones began to devour the remains of Nemu’s body. Mayuri didn’t try to stop them, but suddenly took her brain for himself. Mayuri then explained that he put an organ into Nemu's body so that her physique could grow beyond its limitations and exceed its normal functions. The activity of this organ was to be regulated by the brain. Without the brain, the organ was meant to seize control of the entire body.

If someone ate the organ without the brain, they would experience accelerated growth and regeneration until they self-destructed. By tricking Pernida into eating what was left of Nemu's body without her brain, Mayuri marked his victory, as Nemu’s cells began to multiply uncontrollably inside Pernida, destroying it from within.

After leaving the battlefield, Mayuri collapsed. He urged Ikkaku and Yumichika to put him and Zaraki in the body preservation capsules that were nearby. As Ikkaku and Yumichika thanked him for saving Zaraki, Mayuri expressed his disgust at being thanked before manifesting his unbridled joy for having created a soul capable of developing on its own.

A stronger version of Pernida would need a stronger opponent

Pernida's Vollstandig in the Bleach TYBW anime (Image via Studio Pierrot)

In the manga, Pernida never even displayed the usage of Vollstandig. This was changed in Bleach TYBW, where the weirdest Quincy used this transformation in the fight against the Royal Guards. Given Kubo’s involvement in the new anime adaptation, it’s safe to say that this different development was the result of the author’s precise intention.

Thus, it would make perfect sense for Pernida to use its Vollstandig during the fight against Mayuri and Nemu. Granted, Pernida already cornered the two Shinigami with only its standard abilities, without using Vollstandig and Sklaverei. The addition of Vollstandig on top of Pernida’s freakish abilities would likely make the challenge prohibitive for Mayuri and his assistant.

On the other hand, it would be exciting to see both Pernida’s evolved Vollstandig powers and how Mayuri would try to counter them with his scientific shenanigans. An interesting option would be to have Pernida go Vollstandig with Zaraki rejoining the fray, this time using his Shikai.

Brute and simple-minded as he is, Zaraki wouldn’t be able to take on Pernida alone, but his insane power could come in handy under Mayuri’s direction.

Zaraki in the Bleach TYBW anime (Image via Pierrot Films)

Mindful of his previous bad experience with Pernida, Zaraki would listen to Mayuri’s advice this time. At the moment, the anime has Zaraki incapacitated.

In the manga, he never recovered from the injuries that he suffered against Pernida until Ikkaku and Yumichika placed him in Mayuri’s rehabilitating capsule. This accelerated healing process allowed him to recover and participate in the fight against Gerard Valkyrie.

Bleach TYBW has also changed the chronological order of the events, as in the manga the fight against Pernida was over before the confrontation between Shunsui Kyoraku and Lille Barro even began, but in the anime adaptation, they happen almost at the same time.

While this may complicate the sequence of events, it should be noted that the anime had Hanataro go with Ikkaku and Yumichika. So, he may use his healing abilities to treat Zaraki, allowing him to help Mayuri and Nemu against a full-powered Vollstandig Pernida before heading to Gerard’s location.