Bleach: Thousand Year Blood War Arc will arrive this October, bringing back Ichigo Kurosaki and the Soul Society to fight against their biggest enemies to date in the Quincies. With Studio Pierrot returning to animation duties for the new season arriving in a packed anime landscape, creator Tite Kubo shared new art he created to celebrate the Soul Reapers’ return and show Shonen fans just how far Ichigo has come since first learning to harness the power of a shinigami and merging his mundane world with that of the supernatural.
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Bleach had quite the history in the publication, Weekly Shonen Jump, originally becoming thought of as a part of the “Big Three” which saw Ichigo’s story standing shoulder-to-shoulder with the likes of One Piece and Naruto. Unfortunately, the Soul Society’s story would eventually come to an end for both its manga and its anime adaptation several years ago, with the Thousand Year Blood War playing out in the pages of Shonen Jump but never hitting the small screen. Of course, this is set to change next month and while the future following this adaptation is unclear, Kubo had released a new chapter taking place years following the conclusion of the Blood War and seeing quite a few Soul Society members starting families of their own.
During the Bleach event which recently took place in Japan, giving fans a new first look at the Thousand Year Blood War Arc, creator Tite Kubo shared new art of Ichigo Kurosaki, holding an aesthetic that has him ready to fight against the Quincies in a life or death battle:
Bleach is returning in a loaded environment, with other franchises crowding the anime season including My Hero Academia, Mob Psycho 100, Mobile Suit: Gundam, Berserk, and Chainsaw Man being a few of the major contenders. Despite so many anime arriving next month, Bleach remains a top choice for many as Ichigo and the Soul Society were once thought to never be making a comeback following their finales in both the anime and its manga.
What do you think of this new take on Ichigo Kurosaki? Do you foresee Bleach returning following the conclusion of the Thousand Year Blood War Arc’s anime adaptation? 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 Soul Society.
