Senjumaru Shutara in Bleach TYBW might just be a female version of Naruto’s Tobirama Senju

Modified Oct 25, 2024 10:30 GMT

Bleach TYBW may have established Senjumaru as similat to Naruto's Tobirama (Image via Studio Pierrot).

Bleach TYBW has added a lot of new scenes in the anime adaptation by Studio Pierrot and Senjumaru Shutara, a member of the Zero Division, was one of the characters who benefitted the most from this. She not only got to show off her Bankai and give more fight to Yhwach's elite guards but also got more characterization, which drew comparisons to Naruto's Tobirama Senju.

In recent Bleach TYBW episodes, Senjumaru Shutara’s fight with Uryu Ishida concluded, highlighting her strong disdain for the Quincy race. This trait has sparked online comparisons to Naruto’s Tobirama Senju, who is often jokingly labeled as “racist” despite his complex motivations. Senjumaru’s characterization now invites questions about her past and what might drive her prejudice against the Quincies.

Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers for the series mentioned here. Any opinion expressed on this piece belongs to the author and not Sportskeeda as a publication.

Explaining the similarities between Bleach TYBW's Senjumaru Shutara and Naruto's Tobirama Senju

Senjumaru using her Bankai as seen in the anime (Image via Studio Pierrot).

The Bleach TYBW anime adaptation has benefitted the character of Senjumaru Shutara greatly, giving her a lot more dialogue and displaying her Bankai, which is something that wasn't shown in author Tite Kubo's manga. And while she died at the hands of Uryu Ishida during their battle, she was given a decent amount of characterization, which included her disdain for the Quincy race.

This has resulted in some people in the anime community comparing her with Naruto's Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju, because he has a long recorded history of disliking the Uchiha clan. That has led to some memes that Tobirama is racist and now people are having the same take with Senjumaru, although her case might be a bit more interesting to analyze.

Senjumaru Shutara is one of the few Shinigami who has shown actual disdain for the Quincy race, which begs the question of what most of the Gotei 13 think of them and why she has such a noticeable hatred. While some might claim that she has been ideologically consumed by the Gotei, most of the Shinigami in the series have never shown that disdain, even during the events of the Thousand-Year Blood War arc.

A counterpoint for Tobirama's case

Tobirama Senju as seen in the anime (Image via Studio Pierrot).

While is true that the Bleach TYBW anime didn't give any information regarding Senjumaru's past and the utter disdain she has for the Quincy race, it is fair to say that Naruto author Masashi Kishimoto did explain why Tobirama doesn't like the Uchiha. And his reasoning is a lot more valid than what accusations of racism might have newcomers believe.

The Senju and the Uchiha were waging war for years and the latter killed most of Tobirama's family, so the resentment is more than valid. Moreover, Madara Uchiha constantly disturbed the peace of the Hidden Leaf Village when clans agreed to live in peace and said Uchiha asked Tobirama's brother, Hashirama, to take his own life, thus making the distrust of those people somewhat valid.

Final thoughts

There is no denying that Senjumaru Shutara is one of the characters who has grew the most thanks to the Bleach TYBW anime adaptation while also showing her feelings toward the Quincy. While some fans have made a comparison to Tobirama in Naruto, it is a bit more complex.

Related articles

Edited by Divya Singh