If you can believe it, it has been more than five years since Bleach‘s anime closed. The long-running series is a staple shonen franchise for fans, and the supernatural series continues to gain fans. Tite Kubo struck gold when he created Ichigo Kurosaki, but Studio Pierrot wasn’t able to see the creator’s entire work through. So, you may have finished Bleach on TV, but that doesn’t mean you know the entire story.
After all, Bleach has another big arc after the anime closed, and the ‘Thousand-Year Blood War’ story is not one to miss.
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With Kubo having ended Bleach in 2016, there were a solid 4 years where the series lived on as a manga. Much of that time was spent parsing through the franchise’s most ambitious arc yet, and there is a lot anime-only fans missed out on. So, if you need to brush up on all the things that make the ‘Thousand-Year Blood War’ arc so intense, you can get the low-down in the slides below… but beware! It’s a free-for-all for spoilers from here on out!
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.
Are you ready to catch up on all things Bleach? Let me know in the comments or hit me up on Twitter @MeganPetersCB to talk all things comics, k-pop, and anime!
The Soul Society Is Destroyed
The impossible happens in the final arc of Bleach, and the Gotei 13 never saw it coming. When a powerful army rises from the depths of the Seireitei, the Soul Society finds itself crumbling as hundreds – if not thousands – of foot soldiers are killed defending the city. In a few short chapters, everything the Gotei 13 stood to protect falls apart, leaving readers to wonder if (and how) to institution could be revived.
Quincy Definitely Aren’t Dead
As for those people who destroyed the Seireitei, you have the Quincy to thank. When the anime ended, fans had learned the super-powered race once destroyed Hollows alongside the Soul Reapers, but they were culled by the Shinigami long ago. However, it turns out the Quincy weren’t as extinct as thought. A hoard of Quincy survived, living out their life in the Seireitei as they plotted their revenge, and they got it when their leader Yhwach sent his fearsome Wandenreich to attack.
Yhwach Is The Strongest Villain
Anime fans will have no clue who Yhwach is, but it would be an understatement to call him over-powered. The character is the most terrifying villain to grace Bleach and overshadows Aizen’s nefarious plots with ease. As the son of the Soul King, Yhwach is a powerful Quincy with unlimited spiritual powers. He can see into the future, tap into an actual divine power, and it would not be incorrect to compare his omnipotence to a god.
Zangetsu Is Not Ichigo’s Zanpakuto
With a bloody war waging in the Seireitei, Ichigo finds himself blindsided when a big secret unfolds before him. As the hero trains to help defend the Soul Society, he learns Zangetsu is not his actual Zanpakuto. Ichigo learns about his own Quincy heritage on his mother’s side, and Zangetsu explains he’s been posing as Ichigo’s Soul Reaper persona to steer him away from their side. As it turns out, Zangetsu is actually the hero’s Quincy persona, and White Ichigo is his actual Zanpakuto.
A Lot Of Captains Are Killed
If you aren’t ready to bury some of your favorite Soul Reaper captains, then this final arc is going to hurt. The entire story kicks off when the Wandenreich invading the barracks, and Squad 1 goes to battle. Not only is the division’s lieutenant Sasakibe brutally murdered, but Captain Yamamoto is sliced in half by Yhwach. Other characters like Captain Unohana and Captain Ukitake are killed as well while others such as Captain Byakuya brush death before being miraculously revived.
Hueco Mundo Is Overtaken
It looks like the Quincy have more grudges than you might imagine. Not only do the Wandenreich decimate the Soul Society, but the group goes after Hueco Mundo for good measure. The soldiers overtake the world to enslave Arrancar warriors, leaving Espada favorites like Tier Harribel captured. However, Grimmjow manages to escape the slaughter, and he chooses to blame Ichigo and the Soul Reaper gang for Hueco Mundo’s demise.
Uryu Sides With The Quincy
After years of being hero, Bleach stunned fans with its final arc by turning Uryu Ishida into a bad guy. Sure, the Quincy has had some bad blood with Ichigo over the years, but the series brought that to new extremes before it ended. With Yhwach looking for a successor, Uryu decides to side with the Wandenreich and become its leader’s protege.
And Then Uryu Reveals He’s A Double Agent
Of course, Bleach doesn’t let Uryu end his time as a villain. As fans find out, the Quincy was acting as a double agent this entire time, and no one was the wiser. In the final battle, Ichigo finds himself unable to kill Yhwach as the man’s absorption of the Soul King’s powers made him immortal. However, Uryu manages to shoot a silver arrow at Yhwach, a weapon that would make the baddie temporarily mortal. Ichigo takes the window to cut down the man, leaving Uryu as a hero.
Ichigo Discovers His True Bankai
For years, Bleach told fans Ichigo has a certain Bankai, but its final arc changed all that. After the boy learned Zangetsu was not his actual Zanpakuto, he comes to terms with his Quincy and Soul Reaper heritage. The acceptance leads him to gain a two-sword Zanpakuto, and Ichigo unleashes their true Bankai in his final fight with Yhwach. However, the baddie stops the reveal midway through, leaving fans to wonder just what Ichigo can do nowadays.
Everyone Gets Married In The End
As expected, Bleach does end on a rather happy note. A lot of people were killed when the Wandenreich attacked, but the Seireitei recovers, and the manga ends with a short epilogue. In the future, Ichigo has married Orihime, and the couple has a son named Kazui. As for Rukia, the heroine became the captain of Squad 13, married Renji, and had a daughter of her own named Ichika.
