Connect With Us
Bleach Thousand Year Blood War Arc - Everything We Know

Bleach Thousand Year Blood War Arc – Everything We Know

New details about the highly-anticipated Bleach Thousand Year Blood War Arc were revealed at Jump Festa 2022! Here’s everything we know so far.

Kristin
By
This content may contain affiliate links. When you buy through these links, we may earn an affiliate commission at no extra cost to you. Learn more.

Bleach by Tite Kubo is one of my favorite classic shonen manga, because it has a unique style, it’s darker and grittier than most other shonen, and it has some of the best character designs. It received an anime adaption back in 2004 that ran all the way through 2012 with a total of 366 episodes and 16 seasons.

Bleach Season 17, which adapts the Thousand Year Blood War Arc, has been long-awaited, especially given that the last season, Season 16, released 10 years ago in 2011. That’s even longer than fans of The Devil Is a Part-Timer! have been waiting for a Season 2, which was confirmed for 2022 release.

With the increase in popularity and boom that the anime and manga industries have seen in the last few years, it’s no surprise that anime like Bleach and The Devil Is a Part-Timer! are finally getting more seasons after all these years.

An anime for the Bleach Thousand Year Blood War Arc was first confirmed at Bleach’s 20th Anniversary Event. Months and months went by without any update, but the wait for more information is finally over thanks to Jump Festa 2022 with Bleach’s stage event on December 18, 2021.

Here’s all we know about the Bleach Thousand Year Blood War anime so far!

Who’s the staff behind the Bleach Thousand Year Blood War Anime?

Studio Pierrot animated the previous seasons of Bleach and they are returning to animate the new season. Tomohisa Taguchi, who directed one my favorite 2020 anime, Akudama Drive, is directing the anime.

Masashi Kudou, who worked on the previous seasons of Bleach as well as Tower of God, is doing the character designs. Shiro Sagisu, who also did the music for Neon Genesis Evangelion, is returning to do the music.

Who is the cast of the Bleach Thousand Year Blood War Arc?

The voice actors of Ichigo Kurosaki (Masakazu Morita), Rukia Kuchiki (Fumiko Orikasa), and Uryū Ishida (Noriaki Sugiyama) from the original Bleach anime were in attendance at Jump Festa 2022 and it was confirmed that they are reprising their roles for the Thousand Year Blood War Arc.

Also reprising their roles are Yuki Matsuoka (Orihime Inoue), Kentaro Ito (Renji Abarai), Hiroki Yasumoto (Yasutora Sado), Satsuki Yukino (Yoruichi Shihoin), and Shinichiro Miki (Kisuke Urahara).

New cast members were also announced. Binbin Takaoka, who is voicing Genryusai Shigekuni Yamamoto, and more were confirmed.

What chapter does Thousand Year Blood War Arc start and how long will it take for it to be adapted?

Even though the Bleach anime is in its final arc and is reaching its conclusion, it will take some time for the Bleach Thousand Year Blood War Arc to be fully adapted. The anime has adapted roughly up through Chapter 479 of the Bleach manga so far, which corresponds to 366 episodes albeit with some filler. Given that the Thousand Year Blood War Arc starts at Chapter 480 and ends at Chapter 686, it’s about 206 chapters long, so it’s a little more than half as long as the rest of the series that has been adapted so far.

It will definitely depend on if, or how much, filler they will add in Bleach Season 17, but if the previous seasons are any indicator, it will be multiple seasons before the Thousand Year Blood War Arc is fully adapted. That being said, I’m just happy that it’s finally happening after all of these years!

Bleach Thousand Year Blood War Release Date – When is Bleach Coming Back?

It was confirmed at Jump Festa 2022 that Bleach Thousand Year Blood War Arc is releasing in October 2022 along with the release of a new promo video and visual. It was later confirmed by the latest trailer that the new season of Bleach is airing on October 10, 2022. Part 2 is airing on July 8, 2023.

Where to Watch Bleach Thousand Year Blood War Arc

The Bleach Thousand Year Blood War Arc is streaming in the US on Hulu. It is streaming on Disney+ internationally.

As more details about the Bleach Thousand Year Blood War Arc are revealed, we will update this post so stay tuned. Until then, you can check out the trailer below!

Bleach Thousand Year Blood War Arc Trailer

More in Anime News