After years of waiting, Bleach is finally getting a fighting game for the modern age with Bleach Rebirth of Souls. Adapting up until the end of the Arrancar arc, the 1v1 fighter game brings the exhilarating battles and memorable characters from the anime/manga to life in ways fans dreamed of seeing done. Announced last July, Rebirth of Souls sets the stage for those who want to watch Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War but don’t want to go through all 366 episodes of the original series. With the title nearing its release on March 21st, ComicBook got the opportunity to speak with one of the game’s producers, Katsuaki Tsuzuki, about all things Bleach.
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Given Tsuzuki-san’s experience on producing titles like One Piece Odyssey and Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2, bringing Bleach to life offered a new IP to dig into and figure out. Fortunately, his goal, as well as the team’s, for the project remained a constant.
“Our main goal was to create a Bleach game that truly captures the essence of the series,” Tsuzuki-san stated. “While Bleach is loved by fans around the world, the way that love is expressed varies. We wanted to create an experience that reflects the unique charm of Bleach and resonates with fans everywhere.”
The story mode of Bleach Rebirth of Souls starts at the beginning of the anime/manga and ends at the finale of the Arrancar arc. While there is some story after that in the form of the Fullbringer Arc, the team wanted to focus on tailoring it to what is relevant to the newest anime arc, Thousand-Year Blood War.
“The story mode was designed to help newcomers explore the events leading up to the Thousand-Year Blood War,” stated Tsuzuki-san about the choice to stop at that moment. “Since many of the characters are highlighted in the new anime, we wanted to provide a deeper understanding of their backgrounds and the motivations behind their actions as shown in Thousand-Year Blood War.”
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With Bleach, the variety of characters is vast and diverse, with each bringing their own style and personality. With 31 already confirmed fighters in Rebirth of Souls‘ roster, there are plenty of combatants to choose from, like the range-focused Coyote Shark or the defense-heavy Sosuke Aizen. However, for Tsuzuki-san, the choices work for both the game and anime.
“Of course I like the protagonist, Ichigo Kurosaki, but Soi Fong is my main as well,” says Tsuzuki-san. “I like both of them in the anime and manga, but in terms of the game, Ichigo has a basic playstyle that’s easy to handle, while Soi Fong excels at speed, and her battle style in the game reflects that.”
Still, with the already-huge roster, there are many iconic characters that fans may have wanted to see brought into it. Unfortunately, two of the series’ fan favorites were left off: 13th Division captain Jushiro Utitake and Ichigo’s close friend and healer Orihime Inoue.
When asked about characters left out of the roster, Tsuzuki-san explained, “I believe we have covered most of the iconic characters in the game. However, [Jushiro] Ukitake and Orihime [Inoue] are also popular characters, but their abilities remain hidden until the Thousand-Year Blood War. Additionally, when considering the concept of battle and reversal, it was a bit difficult to implement their fighting styles into the game.”
When it comes to the future of Bleach Rebirth of Souls, it has already been confirmed that a fighter pass will be available. In it, four characters from the Thousand-Year Blood War arc, which wrapped its third cour late last year, will join the battle. Those characters would be released one after another and would work with those who are keeping up with the anime.
We developed the characters using information from the anime production team, so we’re confident fans will enjoy them,” Tsuzuki-san said about the ongoing development of more characters. “While we can’t share specific dates yet, we’re working hard to ensure the DLC releases without a long wait.”
Finally, despite the DLC Fighter Pass, many fans may be hoping to see the Fullbringer arc or even the Thousand-Year Blood War arc brought to life in-game. Despite nothing being in active development, the producer did say that, if fans do want more, it isn’t totally off the table.
“Our focus is on delivering an exciting character-driven experience, as we believe that’s what players value most in a fighting action game,” Tsuzuki-san said. “While we can’t confirm expansions, we’re committed to making sure players fully enjoy the available characters and their unique fighting styles.”
Bleach Rebirth of Souls slashes its way onto PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S on March 21st.
Are you excited for Rebirth of Souls? Let us know in the comments! For all things Bleach, anime, and gaming, keep it here at ComicBook.
