With the anime and manga for Bleach having ended years ago, the franchise that helped rise Ichigo Kurosaki and the Soul Society to life has continued through other mediums such as light novels and mobile games, with Bleach: Brave Soul being one of the most popular of the latter, releasing new art designs for its fifth anniversary for both Ichigo and Byakuya. The two shinigami haven’t exactly been the closest of friends since the beginning of the series, but have definitely proved to be some of the strongest swordsmen of the series as a whole with their destructive bankais!
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When Ichigo first encountered Byakuya, it was as bitter enemies with the latter shinigami attempting to deliver his version of justice to Rukia, following her transfer of energy to Ichigo earlier on in the anime. With Byakuya successful in kidnapping Rukia and bringing her to the heart of the Soul Society, where she would be executed for her “crimes”, Ichigo and his friends went on an insane adventure to rescue her and gain untold new powers in the process. These new designs for Bleach Brave Souls’ fifth anniversary give stylish new appearances to the one time bitter enemies, even going so far as to change Ichigo’s hair color from orange to black, as it has done in the past when he receives insane power boosts.
Reddit User Beau_of_Blades shared these images from the fifth anniversary of Bleach: Brave Souls celebration, giving new looks to both Ichigo and Byakuya that will surely elevate their spiritual energy from what we’ve seen in the past, which is insane considering how powerful these swordsmen have been in the series to date:
Bleach is looking to make a big come back on two different fronts in the world of anime, with the main series returning to give us an actual finale to the franchise in Bleach: Thousand Year Blood War Arc, as well as a spin-off series that follows completely new characters in the form of Bleach: Burn The Witch! Though neither of these projects has been given confirmed release dates, fans of the popular Shonen series can’t wait to dive back into the world of the Soul Society!
What do you think of these insanely stylish new designs for the characters of Bleach? Feel free to let us know in the comments or hit me up directly on Twitter @EVComedy to talk all things comics, anime, and the world of the Soul Society!
