Bleach finally returned years after its original run ended to adapt the Thousand-Year Blood War, a story the original anime never depicted. Since summer 2026, the final part of this arc has been airing, and as expected, the series’ final stretch has continued to exceed expectations and blow fans’ minds. In just five episodes, the final stretch of the anime has featured not one but two Bankai that had been concealed for decades, while also introducing a major retcon involving a prominent character. However, there is no doubt that the series’ main character, Ichigo, has been stealing the show in his final confrontation against Yhwach.
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However, unlike his battle against Aizen, Ichigo isn’t alone, as Orihime has been following him closely and actively participating in the fight by helping Ichigo heal and shielding him from attacks. The original manga did not feature her role to this extent, making her involvement one of the anime’s notable changes. Meanwhile, the latest episode also features changes to Ichigo’s new Bankai that were not present in the original manga, giving him a new look and expanding its scope. As a result, Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War Episode 45, titled “Defend You,” debuted with a perfect 10/10 score on IMDb, which it maintained until it reached 21,000 ratings, making anime history.
Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War Makes Anime History With a Perfect IMDb Score
Anime episodes debuting with a perfect 10/10 on IMDb are a feat only a few have achieved, with the most recent notable example being an episode from Re:Zero‘s fourth season, which maintained its 10/10 score with several thousand ratings. However, Bleach has exceeded that achievement with a perfect rating across more than 20,000 ratings. Currently, the episode is rated 9.9 with 27,000 ratings as of this writing. The significance behind Bleach‘s latest episode achieving such a high rating goes far beyond what the number represents. Tite Kubo, the creator of Bleach, has repeatedly expressed that he wanted to explore even more in the manga’s final moments. However, various constraints forced him to end the series much faster than he intended.
Thus, with the emergence of Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War, Tite Kubo became fully involved in the anime’s production, which led to several major changes. The latest changes involving Orihime have helped address one of the biggest issues in shonen anime: failing to feature compelling female characters. With Orihime’s involvement going to such an extent and her constantly pushing herself, the series has effectively portrayed the notion of love and how it can push individuals to go beyond limits they never imagined.
Meanwhile, without a doubt, the major change was Ichigo’s new Bankai debuting with a completely new look, depicted with Blood Chains, which fans have come to see as a potential tease for the one-shot Hell arc of the franchise. Fans of the series naturally embraced these changes, reflecting that when a creator’s true vision is brought to life, the results can be extraordinary. Bleach having its final arc animated has been one of the biggest wishes of its fans, and seeing it finally come true has fulfilled the fandom, highlighting that when fans get what they want and even more, an anime can make history.
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