Tekken Director Brings Bleach Full Circle With New Announcement

Tekken and Bleach aren’t exactly similiar, but the two franchises routinely explore one another’s mediums. In the past, Tekken has created anime movies and series to explore the Iron Fist Tournament, while Ichigo Kurosaki and the Soul Society have received their fair share of video games. In a recent social media post, Tekken director Katsuhiro Harada made an announcement when it came to the works of Tite Kubo, ranking the Bleach series in relation to his thoughts on the anime world.

The latest entry of the Tekken series is Tekken 8, the fighting game that once again sees the world being dragged into the events of the Iron Fist Tournament. Now that Heihachi Mishima is dead, Kazuya Mishima is the one causing trouble while Jin is looking to stop his father from throwing the world into chaos. When it comes to the anime game, as previously mentioned, Tekken most recently released an anime mini-series in Tekken: Bloodline, a Netflix original series that once again gathered some of Bandai Namco’s most popular fighters. Tekken first got its start in the anime world back in 1998 with Tekken: The Motion Picture, produced by Studio Deen. Deen might be known best for their recent work on series including The Seven Deadly Sins, Junji Ito’s Maniac, and Konosuba. 

Tekken’s Director Thinks Bleach is King

Tekken’s Katsuhrio Harada took to social media to confirm that Bleach remains his all-time favorite manga, which might come as a surprise considering the differences between the Soul Society and the fighting game. Following the recent success of Tekken 8, an entry to continue the Mishima family’s hasn’t been announced nor has a future anime project been confirmed.

Bleach’s current anime adventures revolve around the Thousand-Year Blood War, seeing Ichigo and his allies fight against the Quincies that make up the Sternritter. The third cours has yet to receive a release date, though the anime adaptation will arrive this year. Even though Ichigo Kurosaki has gained a serious boost when it comes to his power levels, Yhwach has done the same, making the challenge all the more deadly.

Do you think we might one day see a Bleach/Tekken crossover? Feel free to let us know in the comments or hit me up directly @EVComedy to talk all things comics, anime, and the world of the Soul Society.