The backdrop was the land of the lighthouse-New York, in the year 1938.
The opening of Battle Tendency unfolded within this specific historical setting, using Smokey as the thread that introduced Joseph Joestar to the audience. It wasn't merely a protagonist's debut, but a carefully planned transition. Through him, the narrative naturally pulled older characters back into the spotlight-Erina and Speedwagon among them-seamlessly stitching the new arc to the legacy left behind by Phantom Blood.
Speedwagon, now older, was portrayed by Raymond under heavy aging makeup. Strangely enough, the effect never felt out of place. Perhaps because he already carried a natural sense of maturity in his features, the look fit him almost perfectly, to the point that some crew members briefly forgot it was makeup at all.
The elderly Erina, on the other hand, was played by Sam. Unlike the gentle, delicate woman of the first arc, this version carried the weight of time in her gaze-loss, endurance, and quiet strength. The atmosphere shifted the moment she stepped into frame.
Inside a moving taxi, Joseph blinked a couple of times before turning toward his grandmother, clearly torn between curiosity and recklessness.
"Hey, Grandma… is Mr. Speedwagon really just Grandpa's close friend? That's all?"
Sam, styled as an aged Erina, raised an eyebrow slightly, not answering right away.
"What are you trying to say?"
Joseph shrugged, speaking with the careless ease of someone completely unaware of the danger he was courting.
"Well… that old guy's always been single, right? And you were widowed pretty early too. So I was wondering… is your relationship really that simple?"
The reaction was immediate.
Before the scene even finished, several crew members outside the frame were already struggling to hold back their laughter. Some turned their heads away, others covered their mouths, but the collective response was impossible to hide.
In less than ten minutes of filming, everyone could clearly feel the stark difference between Battle Tendency and Phantom Blood. Not just in pacing, but in tone. The protagonist's personality alone elevated expectations for the new arc almost instantly.
Jonathan had never been a bad character. On the contrary-he was noble, upright, and inspiring.
But from an entertainment standpoint, he lacked a certain spark.
He was the kind of person anyone would want to befriend in real life-reliable, honest, unwavering. Yet in a story meant to entertain, that kind of absolute virtue often came across as overly serious. Admirable, yes-but not especially fun.
Joseph didn't have that problem.
Faced with her grandson's shameless suspicion, Erina displayed a kind of authority she had never possessed in her youth. Without raising her voice or offering an explanation, she simply lifted the parasol she carried and struck him without mercy.
"I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I spoke out of turn! Please forgive me, Grandma!"
"Cut! That's good!"
Alex's voice rang out firmly from behind the cameras.
"Everyone take a ten-minute break. We'll resume shortly."
The entire set let out a collective sigh of relief. The tension dissolved quickly, replaced by side conversations, quiet laughter, and animated remarks about the scene they'd just filmed. Some technicians, still impressed, commented on how that single exchange perfectly conveyed the spirit Alex wanted for the new arc.
It was during this break that a young woman approached Alex with cautious steps. Her features vaguely resembled Melissa's, but her demeanor was completely different-more reserved, almost timid.
"Director Alex…" she began hesitantly. "When I was outside earlier, a foreigner asked me to give this to you…"
"Give me what?" Alex looked up, one eyebrow lifting slightly.
The girl was Georgia, cast to play Suzi Q. Alex remembered her casting process clearly. He'd initially considered bringing in Emily, but scheduling conflicts made it impossible. There was also another unspoken factor-keeping Emily and Yasmim Banner on the same set for extended periods was just asking for trouble. He knew their temperaments well enough.
Georgia extended her hand, revealing a simple business card.
There was only a personal phone number printed on it.
But what truly caught Alex's attention was the name at the top.
Willmont Reed.
Alex didn't show surprise, but his gaze lingered on the card for a second longer than necessary. He already had a rough idea of what this meant.
…
That same night, still in New York, Alex was received at the headquarters of the world's largest subscription-based streaming platform-Netfi.
The building itself was imposing and silent, radiating a clear sense of power. There was no unnecessary extravagance, only efficiency and scale. Alex was led into a spacious, glass-walled room overlooking the illuminated city.
There, he met the company's founder in person-a magnate ranked among the world's five hundred largest fortunes. Officially, he stood at number five hundred and four. A slightly awkward technicality, perhaps, but still a height unreachable for 99.99% of humanity.
"Nice to meet you, Mr. Alex," Reed said after the handshake. "I'll get straight to the point. We're very interested in Bleach."
There was no beating around the bush.
The head of Netfi himself had chosen to handle this meeting personally, with one clear goal: acquiring the international streaming rights to Bleach.
In recent years, the Asian market had become impossible to ignore. A massive population, staggering purchasing power, and ever-growing cultural influence. Global corporations didn't start taking this market seriously out of goodwill, but for a far simpler reason.
Money.
Alex had no problem admitting that-nor benefiting from it. He had never pretended to be indifferent to profits, nor did he cultivate the image of an artist above such concerns. To him, recognition and financial return went hand in hand.
The foreigner who had handed over the card earlier was, as it turned out, just one of Reed's staff members. He'd likely seen Georgia standing beside Alex on set and mistakenly assumed she was his assistant, seizing the chance to make contact.
…
According to Netfi's internal research, within the Asian market, Bleach occupied an absolute top-tier position. If anyone dared claim that something more popular existed in that space, they'd be met with immediate disbelief.
Although the rights to the series were still firmly in Alex's hands, that hadn't stopped countless content creators from clipping battle scenes, iconic moments, and memorable lines, adding rousing background music and uploading them to overseas platforms.
These videos-often made purely out of enthusiasm-sparked discussions, controversies, and, over time, built a steadily growing fanbase beyond the series' country of origin.
In recent months, Netfi had been receiving an increasing number of requests from its own users. Persistent, repeated, almost demanding messages.
All boiling down to a single sentence:
"Buy Bleach."
And Alex knew that, from that moment on, the game had entered an entirely new level.
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