The Bleach 20th Anniversary Special has become a topic of discussion among anime lovers all around the globe. The Bleach anime was initially shown to manga fans in 2001, and the most recent season, Season 16, aired in 2016. It is one of the most famous Shonen Jump titles for its larger-than-life characters. In 2018, Netflix released a live-action adaptation of the Bleach anime in Japan.
After a long eight-year wait, Bleach fans will be presented with the Thousand Year Blood War storyline in anime form. Continue scrolling to learn more about the release and whether or not Bleach is returning.
Bleach Sneak Peek!!
Bleach is a Japanese animated television series inspired by Tite Kubo’s manga book of the same title. The adaptation includes new narrative arcs and is enormous, with over 650 chapters spread over 74 volumes.
The plot is set in Karakura Town, and the protagonist is Kurosaki Ichigo, a 15-year-old high schooler. He is an adolescent who, under certain conditions, transforms into a soul reaper and battles bad spirits. When he meets new foes and finds secrets about himself, his life takes unexpected twists.
The anime fandom has been very excited about the comeback of Bleach. With the big titles coming out in 2022, it is shaping up to be an overcrowded year for anime. Numerous such titles are making a return after many years of absence, indicating that the anime industry still has potential.
Release Schedule of Bleach Anime
The BLEACH panel at Jump Festa 2022 transmitted us back through time to highlight some of the finest moments from the animated franchise. Consequently, the creators also released the first trailer for the narrative. The first teaser provides us a taste of how the animated version of the final narrative arc will appear. In addition, we can see all of the iconic characters in the video, which makes us even more enthusiastic about the anime’s return. Here’s the first official trailer:
BLEACH's Thousand Year Blood War Arc TV Anime PV.pic.twitter.com/Mlrr2HY4Tx
— Shonen Jump News – Unofficial (@WSJ_manga) December 18, 2021
The creators announced that the BLEACH anime will return in October 2022 with a new storyline along with the first preview. As a consequence, we will have to wait over a year to watch the anime again. Though we still have to wait a long, the fanbase is still ecstatic that the classic anime series is returning.
The storyline of ‘Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War’
The manga has a global circulation of 120 million copies; it is worth mentioning that the number is huge. The upcoming anime will be focused on the final arc, spanning the events chronicled in volumes 55-74, as per the project’s developers. Soul Society must investigate the unprecedented disappearance of Hollows. Meanwhile, the program’s main characters meet a bunch of new people and strangers wearing black masks aiming to destroy Soul Society.
In addition to the anime, fans were able to experience four “full meters” focused on the manga of the very same title. In addition, Kubo’s work has been adapted into online games and even in musicals. As a consequence, the announcement of the release window for Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War piqued the excitement of followers of the genre.
In 2004, some unique card games were introduced based on manga, which had become quite popular in Japan. Though, the introduction of the souvenir product was halted some years later owing to financial issues.
Studio Pierrot is involved in the anime’s production. “Naruto,” “Kingdom,” and “Black Clover” are some of the studios’ famous creations. The firm has several works that have received great appreciation from reviewers. Fans of the program eagerly anticipate the debut of “Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War.”
Naomi Kusumi will play Ichibe Hyosube, Yoji Ueda will play Oetsu Nimaiya, Tomoyuki Shimura will play Tenjiro Kirinji, and Rina Sato will play Senjumaru Shutara.
Comparing the Bleach manga to the Bleach 2022 anime
Tite Kubo’s manga series inspires the Bleach anime franchise. Bleach was a manga that ran from 2001 to 2016 in Weekly Shonen Jump.
VIZ Media, a North American publisher, has published the official Translated version of the Bleach manga. In October of 2018, the English Bleach Volume 74 was released.
Up to Episode 64, numerous anime originals were developed. This allows Kubo more time to compose new manga chapters, and in the meantime, the anime maintains the book’s plot. These filler episodes lasted until Episode 110, although the anime relied on filler repeatedly throughout the years.
All of the episodes from 128 to 137, 168 to 189, 230 to 265 and 311 to 342 were filler. This kind of filler material is rare for an anime series; thus, studying the Bleach manga is a unique experience.
The Lost Substitute Shinigami arc was addressed by manga chapters 424 to 479, while the Bleach Season 16 anime adapted it.
The Bleach Season 17 anime will begin with Chapters 480 to 686 of the Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War arc. Hopefully, this time the anime will not depend heavily on filler episodes.
Assuming that the upcoming season of Bleach covers the complete narrative arc, the anime might follow the Bleach manga’s conclusion. However, since we are talking about almost 200 chapters or about a third of the manga, it will require many seasons.
The great news is that manga enthusiasts who only read in English may continue the reading further. The unfortunate thing is that until a Bleach manga sequel is released, Bleach’s upcoming season will most likely be the last season of the anime series.