Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War May Feature an Iconic Naruto Animator

Bleach has been away from the spotlight for years now, but the series is ready to right its reputation at last. After all, the anime is returning to television this fall to finish out Ichigo Kurosaki's story. Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War will be here in a matter of months, and now, a new report suggests it will feature animation from a shonen legend.

Over on Twitter, reports surfaced that Yamashita Hiroyuki has joined the Bleach team to bring specific episodes of the anime to life. At this time, the animator has not commented publicly on the gig, but they do have deep ties with Studio Pierrot. The company will oversee Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War just like it did the original anime, and Pierrot has been the production house behind Naruto since the anime began.

For those unfamiliar with Yamashita by name, the artist worked on some of Naruto: Shippuden's most famous episodes. Not only did they oversee the infamous battle between Kakashi and Obito during the Fourth Great Ninja War, but they also oversaw other skirmishes. If you thought Madara's fight against the Shinobi Alliance was sick or enjoyed Konan battling Tobi, well – you have this artist to thank. And now, it seems they will be bringing their talent to Bleach before long.

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If you want to catch up on Bleach, you can find the original anime streaming in full right now on Crunchyroll and Hulu. As for the manga, Tite Kubo completed the series several years ago, and the entire series can be found via Viz Media.

What do you think about this latest report? Are you ready to check out this final chapter of Bleach when it hits TV? Share your thoughts with us in the comments section below or hit me up on Twitter @MeganPetersCB.