2026 is an exciting year for Bleach fans since the anime is about to fully adapt the manga. The original Bleach anime, which premiered in 2004, stopped airing in 2012, leaving several questions unanswered. As part of the Shonen Big Three alongside One Piece and Naruto, Bleach has always been celebrated as one of the best Shonen Jump series of all time. However, despite the franchise’s popularity, it took Bleach a decade to return with a sequel to adapt the Thousand-Year Blood War Arc of the manga. It’s the final arc of the main story, which was divided into four parts, and it returned with far better quality animation, pacing, and original scenes, without unnecessary filler episodes.
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The fourth part premiered on Hulu on July 25th as part of the Summer 2026 anime lineup. While all the previous parts have 13 episodes, the final one is surprisingly shorter since it’s scheduled for only 10 episodes. 22 years after its debut and a decade of hiatus, the anime is all set to reach its conclusion as the fight enters its final phase.
What to Expect From Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War Part 4?
TYBW is the most intense arc of the story as it features an all-out war against the Soul Reapers and the Quincies. The previous parts have already shown the true extent of Ichigo’s powers and everything he has achieved after steeling his resolve. However, it’s not just him, but even the underrated characters got a chance to shine in the final showdown against the Quincies.
The final part will conclude the battle as it will adapt the last 25 chapters of the manga. The first three episodes had an early preview, confirming that they adapted six or seven chapters. This not only means that the story will move at a very quick pace, but there will also be more room for original scenes.
Bleach Could Return to Shonen Jump With Hell Arc Sequel
While fans awaited the anime’s return, the manga sparked rumors of a new sequel in June this year. Although there hasn’t been any official confirmation of Bleach’s return, the information comes from a reliable source of information known for sharing all kinds of updates on Shonen Jump. Following the controversial manga ending in 2016, fans were left with many unanswered questions for a decade.
However, to commemorate the manga’s 20th anniversary in 2021, Tite Kubo, the manga creator, returned with a brand new one-shot story set after the events of the Thousand-Year Blood War Arc. Titled No Breathes From Hell, the one-shot opened room for the story’s expansion, and fans have been waiting for it ever since. There is a high possibility that Kubo will return to Shonen Jump with a new weekly manga after the ending of Sakamoto Days.
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