‘Bleach’s Final Arc Killed Off A Ton Of Major Characters

Tite Kubo may have brought Bleach to an end sometime ago, but there are still plenty of fans unaware of its final arc. When the series’ anime ended, it did so without adapting its manga’s last story, and the arc was a hard one to swallow. The bloody saga killed off lots of characters, and fans would be shocked to know who all died.

For those of you unfamiliar with Bleach‘s final arc, the saga is known as the “Thousand-Year Blood War” arc. The violent story follows the Gotei 13 as it is comes under fire and nears total annihilation. After having been persecuted, the Quiny make a comeback under their leader Yhawch, a godlike fighter and the son of the Soul King who wants to see the Soul Society burn.

With Yhawch out for blood, Bleach was left to part ways with several characters for good while others nearly met their deaths. Chojiro Sasakibe was one of the first Soul Reapers to go after the Wandenreich made its presence know. The entire First Division was attacked, and 106 of its members were slaughtered in under five minutes. Sasakibe died after being impaled by Driscoll Berci’s arrow, and the Captain-Commander’s aid was cremated once he passed.

However, Sasakibe would not be the last member of the First Division to pass. Yamamoto himself was killed during his climatic showdown with Yhwach. The elder released his Bankai for the first time, but Yamamoto still fell victim to Yhwach’s sword as he was sliced in half.

Unohana and Ukitake were also killed during the arc as they tried to save the Soul Society. The latter sacrificed his life for the Soul King, and Unohana was killed by none other than Kenpachi during a training session. The captain revealed her dark past, and Unohana said she would train Kenpachi until he was strong enough to slay her. It would only be then that Kenpachi could face off against the Soul Society’s Quincy threat.

In true Bleach fashion, many of its characters came close to dying but were brought back in the nick of time. Kensei, Rose, Rangiku, Kira, and Byakuya all brushed death before Kubo forced them back to life with a few convenient plot twists.

Do you think Bleach will ever get a chance to adapt this bloody arc in an anime comeback? Hit me up on Twitter @MeganPetersCB to let me know and talk all things anime!