Bleach Animator Highlights Unohana in New Sketch

After one of the longest waits ever, Bleach fans will finally get their wish of seeing the final arc of the series officially get an anime adaptation next year. The Thousand-Year Blood War arc serves as the final conflict of the series overall, and not only is it an exciting prospect to finally see Bleach‘s anime reach a proper end after its truncated cancellation years ago, but it’s going to finally showcase many of the hugest moments in animation. This includes a standout moment from the Fourth Division Captain, Retsu Unohana, above all else.

While Unohana will be getting several huge moments when the anime finally makes its comeback, animator and character designer for the first anime Masashi Kudo has briefly brought her back for another reason. Following an adorable PSA featuring Rukia to remind fans to practice good stay at home rules to better combat the spread of the novel coronavirus, Kudo tapped into Unohana’s medical expertise to highlight how hard medical professionals are working right now.

Paying his own tribute to medical professionals with his sketch of Unohana and Hanataro Yamada, Kudo reminds fans just how much Unohana mattered in the original anime. While she didn’t get quite as huge of moments as she will eventually get in the Thousand-Year Blood War arc, it serves as a good reminder to take a moment and thank any medical professionals in your life.

It’s a tough time for many right now as the novel coronavirus has led to a mandated social distancing initiative, but animators like Kudo and series creator Tite Kubo himself are helping ease the worry of many with adorable new anime and manga flavored takes on all of these crucial messages. It’s going to be exactly what we need as this uncertain future continues. But at least there’s new Bleach anime on the other side!

Are you excited to see Unohana return along with the rest of the Soul Society crew when Bleach‘s anime returns for the Thousand-Year Blood War arc? Which moments are you excited to see most? What are you hoping to see during Unohana and Kenpachi’s big fight? Let us know your thoughts in the comments or talk to me directly about all things anime and other cool things @Valdezology on Twitter!