Where Are Orihime And Chad In 'Bleach's Live-Action Film?

Live-action anime films often get a bad rap since many of them do not always directly translate [...]

Live-action anime films often get a bad rap since many of them do not always directly translate material from the original source with deviations making for a lackluster film. Fans had not worried about the quality of live-action adaptations in the last few years as many of them were either faithful or told a great original story.

But fans are wondering what the case will be for Bleach's live-action film. Although many of its elements seemed to make the jump to live-action well at first glance, fans are definitely curious as to where the characters Orihime and Chad are.

The live-action Bleach is set to adapt many events from the Substitute Shinigami arc of Tite Kubo's original, which is further confirmed by the newest trailer revealing standout points like Ichigo's first Hollow battle, his battle with the Grand Fisher, Rukia using the Soul Glove, and so on.

But Orihime and Chad have yet to be confirmed for the film, or shown off in any capacity. These two characters play a major role in the first arc of the series as Ichigo's various battles bring them to confront Hollows with his friends, who awaken to their spirit powers in the resulting chaos.

These two go even further and support an entire subplot for the beginning of the series as they confide in one another about their experiences and work to enhance their power as a way to both help Ichigo and learn more about what they can accomplish. This is especially notable as the two of them later play a major role during the Ryoka Invasion (the Soul Society centric arc), and their introduction and subsequent training is a crucial part of the set-up.

Even if they are confirmed, Orihime and Chad most likely will not play a huge role given the larger amount of focus on the five central main characters of the film Ichigo, Rukia, Uryuu, Byakuya, and Renji. It'll be a shame if the film is successful and wants to pursue a sequel down the line without taking the proper steps to set it up.

It would just be heartening to find them in the film somehow, also, considering their popularity.

The live-action Bleach adaptation releases July 20 in Japan, and has just released its first full trailer. The film will adapt the first arc of the series, the "Substitute Shinigami" arc. The current cast includes Sota Fukushi as Ichigo Kurosaki and Hana Sugisaki as Rukia Kuchiki is MIYAVI, who will play Byakuya Kuchiki Ryou Yoshizawa, as Uryuu Ishida, and Taichi Saotome as Renji Abarai.

For those unfamiliar with Tite Kubo's Bleach, the series follows the young delinquent Ichigo Kurosaki, who had the ability to see spirits. He soon obtains the power of a Soul Reaper - one meant to usher lost souls to the afterlife - and now has the duty to defend the living world from monstrous dark spirits known as Hollows.

The manga was serialized in Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump from 2001 to 2016, and was collected into 74 volumes. It has been adapted into English thanks to VIZ Media, and has sold over 900 million copies in Japan. The series was adapted into an anime by Studio Pierrot from 2004 to 2012, and has four feature-length animations, rock musicals, video games, and a ton of other merchandise.

The English language broadcast premiered on Cartoon Network's Adult Swim block in 2006, and you currently find the Japanese and English language versions now streaming on Hulu.

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