How did Grimmjow survive? The mystery behind his return in Bleach: Thousand-year Blood War, explored

Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez's emphatic return in Bleach: Thousand-year Blood War anime has generated a massive buzz in the anime community, with many fans engaging in fervent discussion surrounding the character. After teasing the former Espada for two consecutive seasons, the series has finally shown him in all his glory.

That said, many fans have been wondering how the Espada survived the fatal injuries he incurred from Nnoitra Gilga in the Hueco Mundo arc. After losing to Ichigo Kurosaki, and nearly killed by Nnoitora, Grimmjow was left wounded on the ground. The narrative didn't show the Espada until the Thousand-Year Blood War arc.

So, how did Grimmjow survive his fate? Although Tite Kubo hasn't explicitly answered the question, in an interview with Shonen Jump in 2011, the author mentioned that he had initially planned to kill Grimmjow. However, he changed his mind and thought the character had the potential for more "activities" in the narrative.

Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers from the series.

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Exploring Grimmjow's fate and his eventual return in Bleach: Thousand-year Blood War

Grimmjow appears in the Royal Palace (Image via Pierrot Films)

There's a general conception that Tite Kubo doesn't kill off characters without a proper reason. When Grimmjow received a fatal injury from Nnoitora Gilga, it seemed as if he would die. Yet, despite getting brutally injured, the Sixth Espada survived the attack.

So, the question remains, how did Grimmjow survive his fated death? According to a 2011 interview with Shonen Jump, Tite Kubo revealed that even though he had meant to kill the character, he couldn't find a suitable death scene for him. Additionally, Kubo realized Grimmjow had more to offer to the narrative.

That's why, he chose to keep Grimmjow's fate off the screen, and eventually plan his return in the Bleach: Thousand-year Blood War arc. Now, although Kubo decided to keep Grimmjow alive for a grand purpose, he couldn't find an opportunity to reveal how the character lived with such grave injuries.

Nnoitora injures Grimmjow in the Hueco Mundo arc (Image via Studio Pierrot)

That's where fans came up with their own headcanons. A widely circulated theory proposes that Grimmjow survived his wounds on his own, and ate many Hollows to regain his strength. That's how he survived and eventually supervised the Hueco Mundo, with Harribel and Nel.

Other theories suggest Orihime Inoue had healed Grimmjow following the incident with Nnoitora. Yet, that's unlikely because, given the Espada's nature, he would have followed Ichigo Kurosaki and wished for a rematch.

It's hard to imagine Grimmjow contemplating his life and cowering in fear before regaining his strength. At any rate, Tite Kubo's decision is what saved Grimmjow, and that's how the author added him in the Bleach: Thousand-year Blood War arc.

Grimmjow comes out of the Garganta (Image via Pierrot Films)

After the Arrancar Saga, the next we see Grimmjow is in Bleach: Thousand-year Blood War arc, where he slices Quilge Oppie to save Kisuke Urahara, Chad, and Orihime. However, for narrative purposes, Kubo decided to tease Grimmjow's appearance rather than showing him fully.

Eventually, Kisuke Urahara and Yoruichi convinced Grimmjow to join them to defeat Yhwach, to which he agreed. Since Yhwach's existence threatened the three, including the Hueco Mundo, Grimmjow lent his strength and fought alongside Ichigo Kurosaki, even though he was a rival and former enemy.

In the Bleach: Thousand-year Blood War arc, Grimmjow showcased his powers to battle one of the most fearsome Yhwach's Schutzstaffel, Askin Nakk le Vaar, alongside Kisuke Urahara. Even though he gets only a short screen time in the whole arc, Tite thought Grimmjow's addition would be ideal for the arc's narrative.

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Conclusion

Grimmjow joins Ichigo's party in the anime (Image via Pierrot Films)

Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez plays a crucial role in Bleach: Thousand-year Blood War. Perhaps that's why Tite Kubo kept him alive and introduced him in the most crunch moment.

Even though the author didn't reveal a proper explanation, the Espada survived the fatal wound of his own volition and eventually recovered by eating Hollows in Hueco Mundo.

Besides that, there's no other explanation that fits the narrative. It remains to be seen whether Kubo decides to address it in the ongoing Bleach: Thousand-year Blood War anime.

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