Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War Got Underway Long Before We Thought

Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War is on the horizon, and it would put things lightly to say fans are hyped. The fandom has waited a decade for the series to return, after all. Ichigo Kurosaki is finally about to tackle the manga's final act as the original anime never got to it. And despite the comeback's long wait, it turns out Studio Pierrot started working on this project way before anyone thought.

The confession came from a recent Bleach event in Japan as fans were able to watch its first episodes early. The theatrical push also went live with some behind-the-scenes details about the comeback, and the Japanese voice cast appeared. It was there Fumiko Orikasa spoke about the new series, and the actress behind Rukia admitted the project got underway years ago.

To be specific, Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War got started at Studio Pierrot in 2017. The project got underway right after Tite Kubo ended the manga. This means the anime has been in the works for at least five years between development and production. And despite the pandemic's scheduling slog, Ichigo made it through to the end.

READ MORE: Bleach: Ichigo Voice Actor Hypes Anime's Comeback Via New Promo | Bleach Creator Releases New Ichigo Poster | Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War to Make Major Fixes to the Original Anime

You can imagine how surprised fans were to hear this update because Bleach's comeback was not announced until late 2021. Now, we know the project is coming, and it will be here in just a matter of weeks. Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War is expected to drop on October 10th, and Viz Media confirmed its simulcast will go live then as well. At this time, no streaming service has announced its license of the series.

What do you make of this latest tidbit about Bleach's return? Will you be tuning into its comeback? Share your thoughts with us in the comments section below or hit me up on Twitter @MeganPetersCB.