Bleach Revisits Two Familiar Faces After Nearly 20 Years

By Megan Peters

Bleach returned this week with a new episode, and this time, the anime made sure to take things down a notch. After all, the show has been busy setting the Soul Society on fire with Yhwach's help, but the time came to move along at last. This week, Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War busied itself with the aftermath of the attack, and it even visited two faces fans haven't seen in nearly 20 years.

And who might we be talking about? Well, you will want to think back to the first Soul Society arc from way back when. Kukaku and Ganju Shiba made their return this week. The siblings are as strong as ever, and to be honest, we missed the pair as much as Ichigo did.

Who Are the Shiba Siblings?

If you will recall, Bleach introduced the Shiba siblings after Ichigo and the gang enter the Soul Society to save Rukia from execution. Their first attempt into the capitol doesn't work, so Yoruichi brings the gang to see Shiba. It is there the Shiba Clan leader meets Ichigo for the first time, and her younger brother Ganju meets the gang as well. In the end, the pair help Ichigo infiltrate the Shinigami Headquarters, and honestly? That is about it.

READ MORE: Bleach Finally Introduces Its Soul King in Thousand-Year Blood War

While the anime does feature Kakaku briefly in the Bount and Gotei 13 Invasion arcs, those are original to the anime. The woman's next canon appearance is during the Thousand-Year Blood War arc. It is there she meets Ichigo once more with Ganju as the siblings are asked to transport Ichigo to the Soul King Palace. So yes, the Shiba Clan still specializes in canon transports even after all this time.

As manga readers will know, this throwback is just the first of many to come, but it is the only one involving the siblings. Kukaku and Ganju keep to themselves as the war between Yhwach's forces and the Soul Society intensifies. But as for their clan? Well, you can expect to hear more about the Shiba family soon enough.

What do you make of this latest Bleach throwback? Are you enjoying the anime's comeback so far? Share your thoughts with us in the comments section below or hit me up on Twitter @MeganPetersCB.

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