2026 will be an exciting year for Bleach fans since the anime is finally about to fully adapt the manga. The original Bleach anime stopped airing in 2012 and returned after a decade to adapt the final arc of the series. The series returned with far better quality animation, pacing, and original scenes, which further improved the final arc. The manga concluded in 2016 and has yet to return with a sequel series, which is why the anime is expected to end with the Thousand-Year Blood War Arc Part 4. However, according to a recent update, Part 4 may not be the end of the anime after all. Bleach just created an official YouTube channel to promote the anime’s final part, even though it’s going to have a short run as usual.
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Furthermore, the official X handle of the anime confirms that there will be more content in the future. This could mean that the anime plans to keep uploading new clips on the YouTube channel, or it simply states that the new content is regarding future anime projects. Additionally, many fan accounts on X, such as @feverofbleach, claim that the Bleach website has been licensed until 2031, which is yet another clear hint that the studio has major plans for the franchise.
Pierrot Has Many Options to Continue Bleach’s Legacy Even After Thousand-Year Blood War Part 4
While the main story will end in the upcoming part, the studio can work on any number of projects, including the adaptation of the one-shot that the manga creator, Tite Kubo, released after the main story’s ending. Additionally, there’s always an option for the anime remake, which fans have been desperately hoping for, or Pierrot could work on original movies as well. Additionally, Bleach has three official novels that expand the manga’s story, and fans would love to see them animated one of these days. It also helps that Kubo has been closely working with the animation studio for the TYBW Arc, so there’s a possibility he will continue collaborating with them if the studio decides to release more anime projects.
Of course, everything is speculation at this point, since nothing can be certain as long as there’s no official announcement. For now, the hype around TYBW Part 4 is greater than ever, especially since 2026 is approaching. The anime will include a lot more original scenes compared to the previous parts and even rework the controversial ending that left many questions unanswered. The decision works in favor of the studio since they don’t have a lot of manga chapters to create a 13-episode season.
Although the episode count hasn’t been officially revealed yet, it should be the same as the previous parts. Furthermore, Part 3 ends around Chapter 656 of the manga, so the fourth part has 30 chapters left to cover within 13 episodes. As hinted in Part 3, the final part will delve deeper into the history of the Soul King and the Soul Society while covering the final showdown between Ichigo and Yhwach, concluding the long and brutal war between the Soul Reapers and Quincies.
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