New 'Bleach' Book Shares Never-Before-Seen Sketches

Bleach may be over, but fans have not forgotten about the supernatural series just yet. These days, the franchise is back in the headlines thanks to its live-action movie, and that momentum has been carried on elsewhere.

After all, Bleach is getting a brand-new artbook, and fans got a new peek into the publication recently.

Over on social media, reported scans of a Bleach advert from Weekly Shonen Jump's upcoming issue went live. Netizens on Twitter and Reddit were quick to break the images down, and they noticed some never-before-seen artwork.

A new sketch from the upcoming artbook revealed from r/bleach

As you can see above, the basic sketches are housed in inset frames. At the top, a black-and-white sketch of two newer characters can be found, and the bottom image highlights some fan-favorite adversaries.

For those who have finished the Bleach manga, they'll know the two characters in the first sketch. Kazui Kurosaki can be seen standing on the left while Ichika stands across from her friend. The pair act as the next generation of Bleach, and fans are happy to see how the two kids are doing.

Clearly, Ichigo and Orihime's child looks happy enough; It is hard to remember the last time the Soul Reaper smiled as big as his son. As for Ichika, she is rocking hair just like her father Renji, but her uniformed get-up is a clear throwback to how her mother Rukia appeared in the manga.

When it comes to the bottom sketch, fans will recognize its line-up from Hueco Mundo. An array of male Arrancars can be seen dressed in traditional high school uniforms, but they each put some flair into their looks. After all, Grimmjow's jacket is barely hanging on, but Ulquiorra's outfit is the definition of pristine.

Will you be picking up this special Bleach artbook? Let me know in the comments or hit me up on Twitter @MeganPetersCB to talk all things comics and anime!

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.