Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War Announces Premiere Date

It has taken some years, but at last, it seems Bleach is on its way back to fans. After closing its doors a decade ago, Ichigo Kurosaki is less than a month out from his small-screen comeback. After all, Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War is coming, and we have learned the anime’s exact release date!

Over in Japan, a new statement from Tominaga went live, and it was there the director confirmed when Bleach will return to TV. The show is slated to make its comeback on October 10th. The series will be aired at midnight in Japan in order to avoid undue censorship. So if you were hoping for violence and gore with this new release, well – you are in luck!

As you can see, Bleach was able to stick to its early October window as promised, so there is just over a month until the anime goes live. Now, the big question for fans outside of Japan is how the series will air.

READ MORE: Bleach’s New Series Will Die on the Vine If There’s No Simulcast | Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War Kickstarts Marketing with New Ichigo Art | Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War Announces U.S. Premiere

As an industry, anime has become hugely dependent on streaming when it comes to reaching global fans. Sites like Crunchyroll and Hulu have perfected their simulcast releases as they bring new episodes to fans at the same time they go live in Japan. But as of late, reports have suggested Bleach‘s new show may not be simulcasted. Rumors continue to swirl about the anime’s move to Disney+ which has yet to simulcast anime, and of course, that is bad news for fans everywhere.

For now, fans will have to wait and see how Bleach goes down. If the new series does join Disney+ this fall, the service would do well to simulcast the anime as opposed to doing a binge release. If fans aren’t able to access the show like they can other hit anime, the industry’s fight against piracy is going to become that much harder, and Bleach‘s comeback has been a long time coming. Audiences have waited a decade for Ichigo to make his television comeback, and at this point, fans don’t deserve any further delays.

Will you be tuning into Bleach when its new anime goes live? Are you all caught up with the series? Share your thoughts with us in the comments section below or hit me up on Twitter @MeganPetersCB.