'Bleach' Reveals New Hollow Ichigo Sketch

It has been awhile since Bleach has gotten its due in the headlines. After its manga ended a couple years back, the heroes of the Soul Society faded a bit, but that is changing this year. After all, Bleach's live-action movie will drop in a couple months, and its anime fandom is thriving.

So, there's little surprise that fans are buzzing over a new Ichigo Kurosaki drawing from the show's best-known artist.

Recently, Masashi Kudo got fans buzzing with a brand-new drawing. The image, which can be seen below, was penned earlier this May for a so-called Fanday. Its take on Ichigo's Hollow form is a colorful one, and the sketch has reminded fans how much they've missed the orange-haired hero.

And Masashi Kudo draws yet again. Shueisha, just give the green-signal for the anime already; if not for fans, then at least for him. from r/bleach

As you can tell, the Hollow form wasn't powerful enough to stand up to Ichigo. The hero is seen staring out of the corner of his eye with a stern expression. That look combined with Ichigo's tense posture can only mean he's about to fight a baddie, so who wants to bet Grimmjow stepped to the Substitute Soul Reaper yet again?

This sketch has got fans stepping down memory lane with Bleach, and it isn't the only one Kudo has posted recently. In fact, the artist post shared a chilling sketch of Toshiro Hitsugaya, the captain of Squad 10 earlier this week.

With Bleach's live-action film set to debut soon, fans are happy to see this kind of promotion going on. The film's early reaction have been surprisingly positive with one critic calling it the best adaptation of its kind in the last decade. If Bleach goes over as well as reported, there is a chance Studio Pierrot could bring its anime back for a one-to-one adaptation this time around. And, if that is the case, then Kudo better be the first artist the studio calls up.

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. The English language broadcast premiered on Cartoon Network's Adult Swim block in 2006, and you currently find the Japanese and English language versions now streaming on Hulu.

Do you think this Bleach resurgence is only because of its film? Or could something regarding its anime be in the works? Let me know in the comments or hit me up on Twitter @MeganPetersCB to talk all things comics, k-pop, and anime!