@Tokoro: thats a pretty good metaphor. Puppets that Kubo puts on, waves around for a bit to check for an effect, and then discards.
For me the worst thing about the Year of Szayel is that it was here that "plot progression" in Bleach truly became synonymous with "checking off an absurdly long list off fights", and the espada were thrown to the winds in rapid succesion (well, rapid for Bleach). Any potential these characters could've had was wasted because just getting to their fights was the easiest way of keeping the story afloat. I mean, prior to his fight Nnoitra was just "that guy who KOed Chad", and I wouldn't be surprised if Szayel and Zommari didn't have a single line of dialogue before the last fights of their second lives.
For me one of the most dissapointing things will always be The Privaron espada. I really thought Kubo would do something with them, since Mayuri found Dordonni and Ciruccis bodies, and Gantenbein was left alive. But like Nell and her awesome follwoers, they were forgotten.
I'm going on Easter Vacation tommorow, and since I'm an obsessive freak I need to get one last rant on this chapter out of my system before I get back and there's a new one:
Chad And Ginjous conversation about Fullbringer powers.
Okay, so Ginjou says that FB powers are constant, and that Chad was just experiencing a slow transition to his full potential. That still means that Powers can change with time. Ginjou has JUST said that Chad is still developing, and for some reason don't consider that Huh, maybe the same could apply to Tsukishima. For that matter, how do you just know that yep, I've reached my peak, powers are never gonna change again like they've done over and over till this point? Why can't Perona eventually overcome her inability to shrink into non-cute things or however the hell her powers work? It's not like they seem to do anything else all day.
Oh wait, Ginjous posse have had these abilities since birth, so they've gotten used to them. Or something. It's still weird, since Chads didn't manifest 'till he was a teenager. It's almost like he doesn't really fit with the Fullbringer criteria.
But what's really sad is that despite Ginjou and the others lording it over Chad as seniors, their abilities are really quite shitty compared to his (save Bradleys godlike überpowers). Making a sword out of a necklace? Shrinking stuff into cute containers? Kicks with the power to knock over and lightly bruise a teen, or Ichigos black pinwheels? Chad fires goddamn energy beams, and is fast and strong enough to utterly rape a superpowered warrior like Gantenbein. He should be able to stop something like Jackies Dirty boots with his pinkie.
But let's accept Ginjous premise for a moment. Chads powers evolved as Chad himself got stronger. Fits well with his new arm after Urahara trained him.
Not so well with his HM Powerups. I mean, his fight with Gantenbein went like this:
Chad gets his ass kicked
Chad gives a speech about his powers feeling at home and being happy, thus evolving.
Chad rapes.
What's that Kubo? Getting beaten to a pulp makes you stronger and Chad didn't really know what he felt? Gotchaaaa.