The Soul Society has met with Expedition 33, or at least left its mark on them. Some eagle-eyed fans playing the indie smash hit Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 may have come across two interesting Easter eggs that directly relate to another successful IP: Bleach. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 took the world by storm when it launched in April 2025, with its fluid turn-based RPG combat, impressive visuals, and admiration for classic JRPGs. Meanwhile, the world of Bleach, created by mangaka Tite Kubo, is one of the biggest anime/manga of all time, even considered as one of the Big Three, next to One Piece and Naruto. So, naturally, the two collide in a rather fun way.
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In terms of stories, both couldn’t be any more different. For Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, it follows a group of Expeditioners off to kill the god-like being, The Paintress, so she stops killing everyone of a certain age. In Bleach, we see the rise of Ichigo Kurosaki, a young student who becomes a Soul Reaper, a warrior who can kill otherworldly beings, as he saves the world, both his and the Soul Society’s. However, one of the definite connections is the high-class weaponry, as the swords they all use are incredibly designed and epic to look at. Therefore, it’s no surprise Expedition 33 pays homage to Bleach‘s craftsmanship and characters.
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Pays Homage to Ichigo and Rukia’s Zampakutos
As noticed in several Reddit posts, like the one above by ThaLastRanga, two weapons in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 that party members Verso and Maelle can wield have a fairly familiar design. In Verso’s case, the weapon, called in-game as Confuso, looks strikingly similar to Ichigo’s Zangetsu from Bleach, complete with a white ribbon on the hilt. For Maelle, the Melarum also sports a white ribbon, though the blade resembles that of fellow Soul Reaper Rukia’s Sode no Shirayuki, though it’s not an Ice type. Both weapons can be unlocked from boss battles in the later stages of the game.
While references to other IPs is commonplace in games, it’s cool to see Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 use theirs in an interesting way. Many fans have noticed other fun Easter eggs for other titles, like Pokรฉmon with the unmoving Gestral in Gestral Village, Shrek’s outhouse during the opening scene, and the “This is Fine” meme in Gestral Village. Even still, the game, as mentioned in our 4.5/5 review, is a love letter to RPGs like Persona and Final Fantasy, so it wears its inspirations on its sleeve.
For Bleach fans, seeing the zampakutos of two of the central characters of the series is a fun nod to the long-running series. The gaming world has been quite kind to the franchise, with the latest being Bleach: Rebirth of Souls, a fighting game that chronicles the story of the original anime. We at ComicBook rated the game a 3.5/5, calling it the series’ “best video game outing by far and a great fighting game in general.” So, while the franchise continues its anime tenure with The Thousand-Year Blood War Season Four, there’s a lot to celebrate, now with Expedition 33 joining in on the festivities.
Did you catch the Bleach references in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33? Were there more Easter eggs in the game that you think are neat? Let us know in the comments below!
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Image courtesy of Netflix
