Bleach Anime Returns: Thousand Year Blood War Series Coming This Year!

The adventurous supernatural series, Bleach, was and still remains one of the biggest series in the world of anime. Originally written and illustrated by mangaka Tite Kubo, the series is still commonly known as one of the "Big Three" anime shows, along with One Piece and Naruto. Bleach follows Ichigo Kurosaki, a boy who can see ghosts, and becomes a Soul Reaper when Rukia Kuchiki transfers her powers to him.

Viz Media, which published the Bleach manga series, has described the first volume as:

"Ichigo Kurosaki has always been able to see ghosts, but this ability doesn’t change his life nearly as much as his close encounter with Rukia Kuchiki, a Soul Reaper and member of the mysterious Soul Society. While fighting a Hollow, an evil spirit that preys on humans who display psychic energy, Rukia attempts to lend Ichigo some of her powers so that he can save his family; but much to her surprise, Ichigo absorbs every last drop of her energy. Now a full-fledged Soul Reaper himself, Ichigo quickly learns that the world he inhabits is one full of dangerous spirits and, along with Rukia–who is slowly regaining her powers–it’s Ichigo’s job to protect the innocent from Hollows and help the spirits themselves find peace."

The popular manga series was not only adapted into a long-running anime series, but also four movies, several novels, video games, and even a live-action film. In 2020, an anime movie adaptation of mangaka Tite Kubo’s "Burn the Witch" manga, which takes place in the same universe as Bleach, was also released. Despite being one of the most popular anime series of its time, Bleach was canceled in 2012. The show ended with the Fullbring arc and was not given a proper conclusion.

Meanwhile, the manga continued with the final arc, The Thousand-Year Blood War, and officially ended in August 2016. However, Crunchyroll and Newsweek revealed last year that the popular anime series is making a comeback to our screens and soon! Read on to find out everything we know about the upcoming revival of Bleach's anime series.

Bleach Anime to Return With 'Thousand-Year Blood War Arc' finale

The 'Thousand-Year Blood War Arc' is the first Bleach anime since 2012. The upcoming series will be based on the final arc of the original manga series, by Tite Kubo, which ended in 2016. Viz Media describes the start of the "Thousand-Year Blood War Arc," which is the 55th manga volume, as:

"The peace is suddenly broken when warning sirens blare through the Soul Society. Residents there are disappearing without a trace, and nobody knows who’s behind it. Meanwhile, a dark shadow is also extending itself toward Ichigo and his friends in Karakura Town…"

A teaser trailer for the Bleach Thousand-Year Blood War Arc anime was also released in December 2021. According to reports, the upcoming revival of Bleach's anime series will premiere in October 2022. Check out the official trailer, below:

Bleach Thousand-Year Blood War Anime Cast

The cast of Bleach includes Masakazu Morita as Ichigo Kurosaki, Fumiko Orikasa as Rukia Kukichi, Noriaki Sugiyama as Uryuu Ishida, Takayuki Sugou as Yhwach, Naomi Kusumi as Ichibe Hyousube, Youji Ueda as Ouetsu Nimaiya, Tomoyuki Shimura as Tenjiirou Kirinji, Rina Satou as Shutara Senjumaru, and Ayumi Tsunematsu as Kirio Hikifune.

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