Episodes

This is a complete list of episodes for the Bleach anime series. The list is broken into several story arcs and includes a summary of each story arc and the original broadcast date for each episode. With the exception of the five arcs focusing on the Bount, New Captain Shūsuke Amagai, Zanpakutō Unknown Tales, Beast Swords and Gotei 13 Invading Army, each arc is an adaptation of the original Bleach manga by Tite Kubo, with some filler (non-canonical) episodes airing during these arcs for different reasons. These arcs were produced to allow time for Tite Kubo to advance the storyline in the manga. Most of the later English titles are translations from the Japanese titles. Those episodes with official English titles have the title shown above the translation of its Japanese equivalent.

Agent of the Shinigami arc (Episodes 1-20)
Also known by its English adaptation title, "The Substitute" arc, the first Bleach story arc is twenty episodes in length and covers manga chapters 1 through 70. It initially aired in Japan from October 2004 through February 2005 and in the US from September 2006 to January 2007.

Ichigo Kurosaki is a 15-year-old teenager with an unexpected ability of seeing spirits. This ability allows him to spot the Shinigami Rukia Kuchiki, whom he encountered in the morning that day. When Rukia is injured by a Hollow that attacks Ichigo's family, Ichigo is forced to temporarily take her Shinigami powers to defeat the Hollow. The next day, Rukia shows up at Ichigo's school as a normal human. Ichigo asks her what is happening. She explained that he has taken all of her powers rather than a fraction she intended to give him the previous night so she cannot perform her duties as well as cannot return to Soul Society. While she recovers her power, Ichigo must replace her as Karakura Town's in-charge Shinigami, guiding souls to the afterlife and defending people from Hollows.

Ichigo's spiritual power as a Shinigami is so large that it attracts hungry Hollows and even awakens some humans some spiritual powers they possess. His powers also attract Uryū Ishida, one of the last Quincy's, a race of spiritually aware humans who were annihilated by the Shinigami's a long time ago. In order to prove the Quincy's are better than the Shinigami's, he challenges Ichigo on a Hollow hunting contest. This goes horribly awry, as the bait Uryū uses to start the contest is far more effective than intended, summoning tons of Hollows. During this contest, Yasutora "Chad" Sado and Orihime Inoue have their own spiritual abilities awakened when they are assaulted by Hollows. Uryū and Ichigo eventually ally to drive off the Hollows.

As the remainder of the school year passes, Ichigo, Rukia, Chad, Orihime, and Uryū become close friends. Rukia begins to grow comfortable with life in the living world but having already spent too much time in the living world without permission makes her a criminal. Soul Society sends two elite Shinigami, Renji Abarai and Byakuya Kuchiki, to arrest her. Ichigo tries to stop the arrest, but his efforts are in vain. Ichigo was defeated and got the originally-Rukia's Shinigami powers taken by Byakuya. Rukia is taken to Soul Society, where she is put on death row.

Kisuke Urahara, a mysterious shopkeeper and ex-Soul Society resident, reveals to Ichigo a way to save Rukia, which is getting trained by him so Ichigo can become strong enough to rescue Rukia. During training, Kisuke have Ichigo's soul undergo Encroachment and warns that if he doesn't awaken his Shinigami power, he will become a Hollow. Ichigo manages to successfully become a Shinigami before too late and grows stronger after the training. Ichigo and his friends then set off to Soul Society, accompanied by one of Urahara's friends, a talking cat named Yoruichi.

Soul Society: The Sneak Entry arc (Episodes 21-41)
This story arc is twenty-one episodes long and covers chapters 71 through 117. It aired in Japan between March 2005 and July 2005. Subtitled the "The Entry" in the US, it aired from February 2007 to July 2007.

Ichigo, Chad, Orihime, Uryū, and Yoruichi arrive in Soul Society, but are prevented from entering the gate of the Shinigami citadel Seireitei by Shinigami captain Gin Ichimaru, and must seek another way. Yoruichi takes the group to the home of her old friend Kūkaku Shiba, who owns a giant cannon usually used for fireworks, but is capable of launching other objects. Kūkaku agrees to fire them into Seireitei, and sends an assistant with their group, her younger brother Ganju Shiba, who hates the Shinigami organization ever since his Shinigami elder brother Kaien Shiba was killed by another Shinigami during a mission. The cannon is a partial success and the party lands in Seireitei, albeit with its members split up.

Meanwhile, the flashy entrance attracts the attention of the many Shinigami elite officers, which issues orders mandating the immediate capture of the intruders. Ichigo and the company all continue to advance through Seireitei regardless, making short work of the rank-and-file Shinigami and lower officers who oppose them. This lasts until Ichigo and Ganju, who landed together, encounter lieutenant Renji Abarai. Ichigo defeats him, alarming the Shinigami command enough that the captains themselves are sent out to pursue them. Another captain, Sōsuke Aizen, is found dead the next morning, sparking an internal conflict among the Shinigami, several of whom suspect other Shinigami officers of the murder.

Ichigo and Ganju are met by Kenpachi Zaraki, a bloodthirsty captain with the reputation of being unbeatable, as they are approaching Rukia's prison. Ichigo sends Ganju on to break Rukia out of jail, while he duels Kenpachi alone. Kenpachi and Ichigo fight until they are both nearly dead, both ultimately admitting defeat and collapsing. After the fight, Ichigo is healed by Yoruichi who then reveals that she is not a cat but a woman, and Urahara and she are both actually ex-Shinigami.

Ganju reaches Rukia's prison, where he discovers that she is the Shinigami who killed his brother, Kaien. A flashback scene ensues, in which it is shown that Rukia killed Kaien only after his body had been completely taken over by a Hollow, but that Rukia still feels guilty for his death. They are interrupted by the arrival of captain Byakuya Kuchiki, who noticed the prison being opened. Byakuya defeats Ganju, but Ichigo comes flying to the rescue, and a brief clash takes place. Yoruichi arrives on the scene but knocks Ichigo unconscious to end the fight.

Soul Society: The Rescue arc (Episodes 42-63)
The third Bleach story arc is presented in a series of twenty-two episodes and covers chapters 118 through 183. It ran from July 2005 to January 2006 in Japan and in the US from July 2007 to May 2008.

Yoruichi knocks Ichigo unconscious when he refuses to leave, and manages to escape Byakuya with Ichigo. After Ichigo regains consciousness, Yoruichi begins to train him to awaken his Bankai, the most powerful form of Zanpakutō. Renji later joins to train with them as well, bringing news that Rukia's execution date has changed again. Meanwhile, Uryū and Orihime are confronted by Shinigami captain Mayuri Kurotsuchi. Uryū battles him but is quickly disabled by the Shikai of Mayuri's Zanpakutō. Even after Uryū overcomes this with the Quincy technique Ransōtengai, Mayuri still overpowers Uryū, who is forced to remove his Sanrei Glove. Uryū then completely overwhelms Mayuri, even after Mayuri uses his Bankai, but is unable to finish him, as Mayuri escapes by turning himself into a liquid.

Meanwhile, Shinigami officers are fighting throughout Seireitei. Shinigami captain Tōshirō Hitsugaya confronts fellow captain Gin Ichimaru, whom Hitsugaya believes killed Aizen, and battles him. Ichimaru retreats after lieutenant Rangiku Matsumoto arrives. The next day, Kenpachi rescues Ichigo's comrades, but is stopped by Shinigami captains Sajin Komamura and Kaname Tōsen. Kenpachi manages to defeat Tōsen, even after Tōsen uses his Bankai. Elsewhere, Renji attempts to rescue Rukia, but is stopped by Byakuya. Renji, despite using his newly acquired Bankai, is defeated by Byakuya. Finally, Rukia's execution begins, but she is saved by Ichigo and sympathetic captains Shunsui Kyōraku and Jūshirō Ukitake.

While Rukia is spirited away by Renji, numerous Shinigami officers start to fight against each other. Ichigo defeats three lieutenants that were pursuing Renji and is then engaged by Byakuya. Ichigo was about to die in the battle, but his inner Hollow takes control of him and attacks Byakuya with more powerful attacks. Ichigo then manages to retake control. Using his Bankai, Ichigo manages to battle Byakuya on even footing, and narrowly defeats him. Kyōraku and Ukitake flee the execution area for a more secluded place to battle Captain-Commander Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto. Yamamoto incinerates the surrounding area with his Shikai, and begins to battle his former students. Captain Suì-Fēng is similarly accosted by Yoruichi, her former mentor. In a tearful encounter, Yoruichi defeats her using the Shunkō technique, but was underestimated earlier because of her avoidance of battle for many years.

Hitsugaya, while searching the Central 46 Chambers, discovers that Aizen is alive, and is the mastermind behind the events that have transpired in Soul Society. Aizen then effortlessly defeats Hitsugaya and travels to the execution area. As Rukia has been sent there by Tōsen, Aizen's accomplice, Aizen extracts the Hōgyoku from her, despite the efforts of Renji, Ichigo and Captain Komamura. However, before Aizen can flee, the entire officer corps of the Gotei 13 stops him. However, the arrival of several Menos Grande enable Aizen and his accomplices to escape to Hueco Mundo. Ichigo and his friends then return to the real world, leaving Rukia behind on her request.

The Bount arc (Episodes 64-91)
The Bount arc is an anime-only arc made to allow Tite Kubo to publish more material. It contains twenty-eight episodes, and aired in Japan from January 2006 to August 2006 and in the US from May 2008 to December 2008.

Ichigo and his friends (without Rukia) return to the living world, where they continue to live their daily lives. Renji then arrives, and Orihime and Chad are spirited away by three mysterious figures (Ririn, Kurōdo, and Noba). They lure Ichigo and his friends into a game, with the lives of his friends in danger. After a series of escapades, the trio are revealed to be modified souls made by Kisuke Urahara. Urahara tells Ichigo and his friends about Bount, a group of empowered humans that can live forever via absorbing souls, and explains how the 3 modified souls Ririn, Kurōdo, and Noba were created to detect Bounts and help Ichigo and his friends find them. Ririn is dispatched to help Ichigo, Kurōdo is dispatched to help Orihime, and Noba is dispatched to help Chad, all of them being placed inside stuffed animals just like Kon. Shortly afterwards, Ichigo fights the Bount Yoshino Sōma. Yoshino manages to defeat Ichigo, and nearly kills him until Rukia arrives just in time.

The reunion is short-lived since Ichigo and his group then encounter another Bount, Ryō Utagawa. Utagawa fights Ichigo and his friends, and manages to capture Uryū and escape. However, Yoshino rescues Uryū and reveals that the Bount require a Quincy for their plans. She then drops Uryū at a hospital, where he is attacked by the Bount twins Hō and Ban. The arrival of Ganju Shiba and Hanatarō Yamada results in the death of both Bounts. In Soul Society, the presence of the Bount has alarmed the higher echelons of the Gotei 13, who begin to research the Bount threat. Meanwhile, Ichigo and his friends have located the Bount's base. Ichigo fights Utagawa, but their fight is halted when Utagawa attempts to betray Jin Kariya, the Bount leader. Maki Ichinose, a Shinigami deserter from the 11th Division, kills Utagawa and begins to fight Ichigo.

Ichinose's fight with Ichigo is quickly halted by Kariya, who fights Ichigo and easily defeats him. Ichigo is depressed after this fight, but Renji and Ganju fight him to raise his spirits. Meanwhile, Yoshino desperately attempts to kill Kariya, but is killed in turn, enabling Kariya to create the bitto. The bitto capture and concentrate living Human souls for the Bount, enabling them to increase their power. Bounts engage Ichigo, his friends, and Shinigami reinforcements all over Karakura Town. After a series of difficult battles, the Bounts retreat to a cave, where they have constructed a gate to enter Soul Society. The Bount Ugaki slows down the Shinigami pursuers, but he is defeated by Renji's Bankai.

Elsewhere, Uryū is confronted by Shinigami lieutenant Nemu Kurotsuchi, who gives Uryū a battle accessory to restore his lost powers. Ichigo then comes upon the Bount and fights Kariya once more. He is easily defeated, but after activating his Bankai, he is able to fight Kariya evenly. Finally, Uryū arrives and shoots an arrow into a gate the Bount have created, allowing them to enter Soul Society, because Uryū believes it will be easier to defeat the Bount in the Soul Society than the human world.

The Bount: Assault on Soul Society arc (Episodes 92-109)
This anime-only story arc was created to allow Tite Kubo to publish more material. It has eighteen episodes and aired from August 2006 to January 2007 and the US from December 2008 to April 2009.

This arc goes through the numerous attacks on Soul Society, all centered around the Bount. The Bount are more powerful in Soul Society, because of their ability to absorb the spirit particles Soul Society is made up of to heal their wounds. Both the Bount and Ichigo and friends arrive in the Rukongai at the beginning, with Ichigo and friends using Kukkaku Shiba's home as their headquarters while the Bount organize a large group of disgruntled tough guys from the Rukongai to invade the Seireitei. Maki Ichinose, the Shinigami deserter from the 11th Division who allied himself with the Bount, is meanwhile causing chaos as well as doing research inside the Seireitei by sneaking in and out, using his ability to make himself invisible.

The Bount succeed in invading the Seireitei thanks to the large number of tough guys from the Rukongai who help them open a door. Jin Kariya, leader of the Bount, then tells the tough guys from the Rukongai they are no longer needed, and after they get angry and attack him, they are easily defeated. Ichigo and his friends also make it into the Seireitei too. Inside the Seireitei, the Bount all fight against the Gotei 13 as well as Ichigo's group. Jin Kariya obtains the power of a Jokai Crest, and plans on using it to detonate other Jokai Crests hidden underground all across the Seireitei in a chain reaction to destroy the entire Seireitei. One by one, all the other Bounts besides Jin Kariya are defeated, and Captain-Commander Yamamoto deploys the Gotei 13 to seal all the Jokai Crests to prevent Jin Kariya from carrying out his plans to blow up the Seireitei.

In the end, a fierce battle between Kariya and Ichigo takes place. Kariya loses the battle and disintegrates. But he is not the last Bount alive. Gō Koga (who was frozen inside a large block of ice by Tōshirō Hitsugaya and assumed to be dead) apologizes for the Bount's actions and remains with Ran'Tao. The last episode focuses on the groups reminiscing of their lives before they met each other.

Arrancar: The Arrival arc (Episodes 110-131)
This 22 episode arc returns mostly to the plot of the manga, covering chapters 183 through 229. It was aired in Japan from January 2007 to June 2007. In the US, it ran from April 2009 to July 2009, since two episodes from this arc were aired every night, presumably to help close the gap between the US and Japanese broadcasts.

This arc starts off with Shinji Hirako introduced as a transfer student in Ichigo's school, but his true motive is to recruit Ichigo into the Visored, a group of Shinigami who have gained Hollow powers. Meanwhile, Kon (inhabiting Ichigo's body) is attacked by Grand Fisher and Uryū is attacked by another imperfect Arrancar. Uryū is saved by his father, Ryūken Ishida, while Kon is saved by Isshin Kurosaki, who has regained his Shinigami powers. Soon after that, two Arrancar, Yammy and Ulquiorra Cifer, appear at Karakura Town. Yammy begins draining all of the surrounding souls. Only Tatsuki Arisawa survives. When Chad and Orihime interfere, Yammy injures them gravely, but Ichigo arrives in time to protect them. Upon confronting the Arrancar, his inner Hollow demands that Ichigo switches with him, sinisterly stating that he would be able to finish them off with ease. Ichigo however, denies his request, causing his inner Hollow to interfere. His inner Hollow prevents him from being able to fight and he is severely beaten until Kisuke Urahara and Yoruichi Shihōin arrive in time to rescue them.

Hitsugaya's team is later dispatched to patrol Karakura Town. The team consists of Renji Abarai, Tōshirō Hitsugaya, Rangiku Matsumoto, Ikkaku Madarame, Yumichika Ayasegawa and Rukia Kuchiki, all of whom are posing as new students at Ichigo's school. When Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez and his subordinates attack, they each fight their own separate battles. Ikkaku reveals a surprise Bankai to defeat his opponent while Hitsugaya's squad have difficulty battling the Arrancar and are on the verge of defeat before Soul Society allows them to remove their limiters. While this occurs, Ichigo is fighting a hopeless battle against Grimmjow. After being severely beaten, he manages to launch a devastating Getsuga Tenshō blast that scars Grimmjow. The battle is then abruptly ended by Kaname Tōsen who orders Grimmjow to return to Hueco Mundo for violating orders. After this, Ichigo realizes he can no longer fight adequately with his inner Hollow constantly seeking to take control of him and he goes to train with the Visored. Meanwhile, Hitsugaya's team fend off various Arrancar and Hollows.

After defeating his inner Hollow, Ichigo continues to train with the Visored to increase his mask usage time. Chad trains with Renji in the Urahara Store basement to strengthen both their powers while Uryū trains with his father in the hospital's basement to restore Quincy powers. Captain-Commander Yamamoto informs everyone of Aizen's true intentions, which is to absorb Karakura Town's all residents' soul to create the Ōken so that Aizen can overthrow the Soul King. Orihime visits Ichigo where he is training with the Visoreds, and Hachigen Ushōda restores her attack ability Tsubaki, and then Rukia takes Orihime to Soul Society for training. The last 4 episodes deal with a Plus spirit named Shōta Toyokawa who is saved from a hollow by Rangiku, and then she, Tōshirō, and other Shinigami confront the Cloning Arrancar, which has gained the power to create seemingly limitless clones of its original Hollow form by consuming the spirit of Shōta's sister Yui. Eventually the Cloning Arrancar is defeated, and Yui and Shōta are both saved and sent to Soul Society.

Arrancar: The Hueco Mundo Sneak Entry arc (Episodes 132-151)
The seventh season of the Bleach anime. The twenty episodes featured in the season cover chapters 229 through 251 of the manga series. The episodes' plot follows Ichigo Kurosaki's journey to Hueco Mundo to rescue Orihime Inoue, who was kidnapped by the Arrancar under the command of former Soul Reaper captain Sōsuke Aizen. Although episodes focused on the character Ashido Kanō were not featured in the manga due to timing issues, Kubo still helped the anime staff to show it in the anime. The season began airing on July 4, 2007 in Japan on TV Tokyo and ended on December 5, 2007. The season aired in the United States on Cartoon Network's Adult Swim block from July 11, 2009 to September 26, 2009.

The episodes use four pieces of theme music: two opening themes and two closing themes. The opening themes are "Alones" by Aqua Timez, used for the first twelve episodes, and "After Dark" by Asian Kung-Fu Generation, used for the remaining episodes. The ending themes are "Daidai" (橙, lit. "Bitter Orange") by Chatmonchy, utilized for episodes 132 to 143, and J-pop singer Kousuke Atari's "Tane wo Maku Hibi" (種をまく日々, lit. Seed-Scattering Days), used for the rest of the episodes. To promote the second Bleach feature film, Bleach: The DiamondDust Rebellion, the opening and closing credits for episode 151 use footage from the film.

The first six episodes are filler episodes. The first 3 are about the Shinigami in Karakura Town becoming a little bit too caught up in the affairs of the human world: Tōshirō gets caught up in playing soccer, Ikkaku gets caught up in a kendo tournament, and Yumichika gets caught up in baking a cake. Then there is an episode about Kon and his adventures with a girl named Miyuki. The last 2 filler episodes are about a failed attempt by a few Arrancar to overthrow Sōsuke Aizen's rule of Hueco Mundo.

Back to the main story, Yumichika and Rangiku attempt to learn their Bankai, but are interrupted by four Arrancar (Yammy, Luppi Antenor, Grimmjow and Wonderweiss Margela) who are ordered to distract the Shinigami team. In Soul Society, Rukia decides to go back first, while Orihime requires a special gate. Ichigo fights Grimmjow with his newly acquired Hollow mask transformation, but when his mask breaks, Grimmjow gains the upper hand; however, he is subsequently fended off by Rukia and Shinji. When Orihime goes through the gate, her guards are attacked by Ulquiorra and he demands that she follows him back to Hueco Mundo. She agrees, as Ulquiorra threatened to kill her friends if she responded otherwise. The battle is ended by Ulquiorra, and Orihime is brought to Hueco Mundo after she bids Ichigo goodbye.

Orihime's disappearance is soon noticed, and Captain-Commander Yamamoto forbids Ichigo from attempting to rescue her. Ichigo naturally disobeys these orders, as his top priority is always protecting his frineds, in this case Orihime, and he decides he will go there alone. At the Urahara Store, Chad and Uryū are there waiting for Ichigo, and both of them have become much more powerful through their training. Chad learned a new attack called El Directo when fighting Renji, and Uryū not only regained his Quincy powers, but learned several new attacks from his father. Kisuke Urahara opens up a Garganta for them to enter Hueco Mundo, after warning them of the dangers, and then Ichigo, Chad, and Uryū make a difficult entry into Hueco Mundo.

Immediately upon entering Hueco Mundo, Ichigo, Chad, and Uryū find themselves in an underground maze full of traps and guarded by Arrancar, and they use their newly awakened powers to fight their way out onto the surface of Hueco Mundo. Then they begin going towards Las Noches, the capital of Hueco Mundo and the fortress of Aizen, guarded by the mighty Espada. On their way, they come across a little girl, Nel, being pursued by 3 Hollows, Pesche, Dondochakka, and Bawabawa. Ichigo and his friends attack the Hollows in an attempt to save the little girl Nel, only to have her scold them for being bad guys who attack her innocent friends who were only playing a game of "infinite tag" to pass the time. Nel and her friends turn out to be a group of Arrancar who befriend Ichigo, and offer to take them to Las Noches by riding on the back of Bawabawa, who takes the form of a giant worm. Soon after that, Rukia and Renji surprise everyone by showing up to help in a battle against a giant Arrancar made of sand whose weakness is ice, which just happens to be Rukia's Zanpakuto's speciality.

Then there is a three-episode anime-only arc - "Forest of the Menos", in which the group gets split up in an underground forest full of vast numbers of Menos Grande. A mysterious Shinigami, Ashido Kanō, aids them all in escaping the Forest of the Menos.

After that detour, Ichigo and his group are all back together, and take Bawabawa all the way to Las Noches, where they break in. Once inside, they soon find themselves at a five-way fork. After vowing to stay alive and return, they split up and take one path each. Ichigo and Nel encounter the Privaron Espada Dordoni Alessandro Del Socaccio, where Ichigo begins to engage in battle with him.

Arrancar: The Fierce Fight arc (Episodes 152-167)
This story arc is sixteen episodes long and covers manga chapters 252 through 286. It aired between October 2007 to April 2008 in Japan and from August 2009 to November 2009 in the US.

The episodes use three pieces of theme music: one opening themes and two closing themes. The opening theme is "After Dark" by Asian Kung-Fu Generation. The ending themes are "Tane wo Maku Hibi" (種をまく日々, lit. Seed-Scattering Days) by J-pop singer Kousuke Atari, and "Kansha" (感謝, lit. Appreciation) by RSP for the rest of the episodes.

This arc continues right where the last one left off, right after Ichigo started fighting the Privaron Espada Dordoni. At first, Ichigo is proving no match for Dordoni because he does not wish to use his bankai. After Dordoni continually pesters Ichigo and attacks Nel, Ichigo is forced to use his Bankai and Hollow mask to defeat him.

Meanwhile, other members of the group are having their own battles. Uryū fights with the Arrancar Cirucci Sanderwicci and defeats her using his energy sword, Seele Schneider. Rukia runs into the Espada Aaroniero Arruruerie, who after removing his mask reveals the face of the deceased Shinigami Lieutenant Kaien Shiba. After initially believing to be the real Kaien Shiba, Rukia exposes him as an imposter and the two do battle. Overwhelmed by Aaroniero's released form, Rukia is impaled through the stomach. She flashes back to her training with Kaien and regains her resolve. She uses her Zanpakutō's third dance to impale the Aaroniero through his upper skull. As Aaroniero dies, she compares Orihime's current situation to her own when she was a prisoner in Soul Society. Though she attempts to keep moving, her injuries get the better of her and she collapses.

Elsewhere, Chad is fighting with Gantenbainne Mosqueda, whom he is unable to harm. After many damaging blows, Chad realizes how to access his full power, transforming his arm into a giant shield, Brazo Derecha del Gigante. When Gantenbainne releases his Zanpakutō to match up, Chad reveals that his right arm is only meant to defend. His left arm, meant for attack, is known as Brazo Izquierda del Diablo. With his newly awakened powers, Chad easily defeats him. However, his victory is short-lived as Espada Nnoitra Gilga arrives at the scene and disables Chad with a single attack.

Renji and Dondochakka run into Szayelaporro Granz. Renji attempts to use his Bankai, but it shatters almost instantly. Szayelaporro explains to Renji that the room they are in has nullified his Bankai. He reveals that he gathered the data using parasites stored in the body of his older brother, Yylfordt Granz. With only his Shikai, Renji is proved no match for Szayelapporo. Just then, Uryū steps in to assist Renji in the battle. However, Uryū finds that Szayelaporro expected his arrival, and his attacks are useless against both the Espada and his minions. With Renji's help, Uryū maneuvers Szayelapporo into a trap, catching him in a massive explosion. Though the trap is very damaging, it fails to kill him. Szayelapporo then completely heals himself by eating one of his subordinates. However, rather than retaliate, he leaves, wanting to replace his damaged clothing and allow Renji and Uryū to formulate a new plan.

Meanwhile, Ulquiorra appears before Ichigo to inform him of Rukia's death. Ichigo says she’s still alive and attempts to leave, but Ulquiorra goads him into fighting by revealing that it was he who forced Orihime to Hueco Mundo. Ichigo decides to end the fight quickly by using his Bankai and Hollow mask. Even after using his most powerful attacks, Ichigo proves to be no match for Ulquiorra. Ichigo, however, refuses to give up, believing Ulquiorra to be the top-ranked Espada. Ulquiorra reveals his "4" tattoo, proving otherwise, and stabs Ichigo in the chest with his hand. Later, Grimmjow brings Orihime to Ichigo, wanting him healed so he may have his own fight with him. Before she can finish her work, however, Ulquiorra arrives. Using a special device called Caja Negación, Grimmjow traps Ulquiorra in an alternate dimension which will take him several hours to escape. Once Ichigo is healed, their battle begins.

Ichigo, using his Bankai and Hollow mask, and Grimmjow, now in his Resurrección form, face off in a destructive battle across Las Noches while Orihime and Nel look on. Ichigo is slowly beaten back by Grimmjow, despite managing to maintain his Hollow mask for much longer than he previously could. Orihime is scared to watch, seeing the same look in his eyes as her brother had when he became a Hollow. At Nel's insistence, she overcomes her fear and cheers Ichigo on. Ichigo summons the last of his strength, swearing that he will defeat Grimmjow, Ulquiorra, Aizen, and bring back all of his friends safely, and launches the finishing blow to Grimmjow. Ichigo returns to Orihime, who is glad to see that he is not really a Hollow as she feared. Nel clumsily jumps into Ichigo, overcome with tears that he is all right. The series moves into another anime-only arc at this point.

The New Captain Shūsuke Amagai arc (Episodes 168-189)
Starting from episode 168, the Hueco Mundo arc diverts to an anime-only arc in order to allow Tite Kubo time to publish more material. Another change starting in episode 168 is the change from 4:3 standard definition video to 16:9 HDTV video. It contains twenty-two episodes, and aired in Japan on TV Tokyo from April 23, 2008 to October 7, 2008 and aired in the United States on Cartoon Network's Adult Swim block from August 28, 2010 to January 30, 2011.

It is a side story focusing on the new captain, Shūsuke Amagai, who takes the empty position as captain of the 3rd Division of the Gotei 13. Meanwhile, three new characters—Princess Rurichiyo Kasumiōji and her two Shinigami guardians, Kenryū and Enryū—arrive in the real world and become Ichigo's new neighbors and classmates. Ichigo and Rukia Kuchiki get involved in their problems, suddenly faced with protecting the princess from assassins wielding strange energy-sapping swords with great power. The princess gets kidnapped and Ichigo becomes hunted by the 2nd Division while trying to break up Rurichiyo's marriage. Rukia manages to break up a battle between Suì-Fēng and Ichigo, leaving Suì-Fēng behind a wall of ice. Amagai and the 3rd Division confront Ichigo, but Amagai joins Ichigo and Rukia after becoming aware of the real reason why they kidnapped Rurichiyo's groom-to-be. Kira discovers Kibune is actually working for Kumoi, the man planning on stealing Rurichiyo's kingdom. Kira barely manages to defeat Kibune, and Renji takes Kibune's infested weapon to Captain-Commander Yamamoto. The Gotei 13 steadily become aware of corruption in the House of Kasumiōji and infiltrate the manor. Ichigo and Rukia reach the House of Kasumiōji while Amagai fights Hitsugaya. Rukia leaves the team to distract Rangiku. Ichigo catches up to Komui, but a smirking Amagai appears, slays Komui, kidnaps Rurichiyo, and reappears behind Yamamoto-Genryūsai. It is then revealed that Amagai has been the true puppet master behind all the events of the arc (on realizing this, Captain Hitsugaya remarks that Amagai has "made the Gotei 13 look like fools") It becomes apparent that he seeks to murder Yamamoto to avenge the death of his father, a Shinigami killed by Yamamoto.

Arrancar vs. Shinigami arc (Episodes 190-205)
Part 2 of the Hueco Mundo arc is the tenth season of the Bleach anime series, covering chapters 286 through 315. Three pieces of theme music are used for the episodes: one opening theme and two closing themes. The opening theme is "Velonica" by Aqua Timez whilst the first ending song is "Hitohira no Hanabira" by Stereopony. The second ending song is "Sky Chord ~Otona ni Naru Kimi e~" by Tsuji Shion.

The series returns to the manga-based storyline, picking up after Ichigo defeats Grimmjow. Nnoitra Gilga attacks the weakened Grimmjow, severely injuring him. Ichigo begins to fight Nnoitra, while Orihime is restrained by Tesra Lindocruz. Injured and tired from his previous fight, Ichigo is overpowered. Suddenly, Nel Tu transforms into her former adult form and attacks Nnoitra as her past is revealed. After releasing her Zanpakutō and overpowering him, she turns back into a child and is defeated by Nnoitra. Tesra then releases his resureccion and prepares to kill Ichigo, but is defeated by Kenpachi Zaraki. As Kenpachi fights Nnoitra, Orihime heals Ichigo. Meanwhile, Retsu Unohana confronts Rudbornn Chelute, Byakuya Kuchiki battles the Espada Zommari Rureaux and Mayuri Kurotsuchi fights Szayelaporro Granz. Rudbornn withdraws from the front lines, while Byakuya and Mayuri defeat their opponents. Having exchanged blows for some time and injuring each other, Kenpachi emerges victorious from his battle with Nnoitra. However, Coyote Stark recaptures Orihime and returns her to Aizen, who departs for the Human World to destroy Karakura Town.

The Past arc (Episodes 206-212)
The episodes of the eleventh season of the Bleach anime series cover chapters -108 through -97.

The season has begun airing on April 14, 2009 in Japan on TV Tokyo. The English adaptation premiered on May 29, 2011 in the United States on Adult Swim.

The episodes use two pieces of theme music: one opening theme and one closing theme. The opening theme is "Velonica" by Aqua Timez. The ending theme is "Sky Chord ~Otona ni Naru Kimi e~" by Tsuji Shion.

Arrancar: Decisive Battle of Karakura arc (Episodes 213-229)
The episodes of the twelfth season of Bleach. The 17-episode season covers chapters 316 through 340 of the manga. The plot continues shows the fight between Soul Society's group of Shinigami against Sōsuke Aizen's army of Arrancar, with the former defending Karakura Town, and the latter planning to use Karakura to invade and destroy Soul Society. The season moves onto auto-conclusive stories beginning with episode 227. The season first aired from March 31, 2009 until July 21, 2009 on TV Tokyo in Japan.

The episodes use two pieces of theme music: one opening theme and one closing theme. The opening theme is "Shōjo S" (少女S, "Girl S") by Scandal. The ending theme is "Kimi wo Mamotte, Kimi wo Aishite" (君を守って 君を愛して, "I Will Protect You, I Love You") by Sambomaster.

Zanpakutō Unknown Tales arc (Episodes 230-265)
The Zanpakutō Unknown Tales arc is an anime-only arc which was created to allow Tite Kubo to publish more material. It forms the thirteenth season of Bleach and is directed by Noriyuki Abe and produced by TV Tokyo, Dentsu and Studio Pierrot. The season began airing on July 28, 2009 in Japan on TV Tokyo. Viz Media's English adaptation of the season began airing on November 13, 2011 on Adult Swim. At episode 255, the English adaptation began airing on Adult Swim's revived Toonami programming block, which was originally a daytime block on Cartoon Network until its cancellation in 2008.

The episodes use four pieces of theme music: two opening themes and three closing themes. The first opening theme is "Shōjo S" by Scandal for episodes 230-242. The second opening theme is "Anima Rossa" by Porno Graffitti for episodes 243-265. The first ending theme is "Mad Surfer" by Kenichi Asai used for episodes 230-242. The second ending theme is "Sakurabito" by SunSet Swish for episode 243-255. The third ending theme is "Tabidatsu Kimi e" by RSP for episodes 256-265.

Arrancar: Downfall arc (Episodes 266-316)
The fourteenth season of the Bleach, this arc covers manga chapters 340 to 423. The story continues the fight between Soul Society's Shinigami and Sōsuke Aizen's Arrancar army as the former defends Karakura Town from the latter's invasion, while Ichigo and his group fight the Arrancar in Hueco Mundo to rescue Orihime Inoue. The season started airing on April 13, 2010 in Japan on TV Tokyo.

The episodes use five pieces of theme music: two opening themes and four closing themes. The opening themes are "chAngE" by Miwa and "Melody of the Wild Dance" by SID. The ending themes are "Stay Beautiful" by Diggy-MO, "Echoes" by Universe, "Last Moment" by Spyair, and "Song For..." by ROOKiEZ is PUNK'D.

Gotei 13 Invading Army arc (Episodes 317-342)
The Gotei 13 Invading Army arc is an anime-only arc which was created to allow Tite Kubo to publish more material. It forms the fifteenth season of Bleach. The season began airing on April 12, 2011 in Japan on TV Tokyo, and on October 6, 2013 in the US on Adult Swim's Toonami programming block.

The episodes use three pieces of theme music: one opening theme and two closing themes. The opening theme is "BLUE" by ViViD from Episode 317 to Episode 342. The first ending theme is "Blue Bird" by fumika from Episode 317 to Episode 329. The second ending theme is "Haruka Kanata" by UNLIMITS from Episode 330 to Episode 342.

The Lost Substitute Shinigami arc (Episodes 343-366)
The sixteenth season of the Bleach anime covers manga chapters 424 to 479. Set seventeen months after Aizen's defeat, it chronicles Ichigo's life after losing his powers and the struggle to regain them.

The episodes use three pieces of theme music: one opening theme and two closing themes. The opening theme is "Harukaze" by Scandal. The first ending theme is "Re:pray" by Aimer. The second ending theme is "MASK" by Aqua Timez.

The Thousand-Year Blood War arc (Episodes 367-379)
10 years after the end of production for the original Bleach anime, a sequel series titled Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War began airing, covering the final arc of the manga from chapters 480 to 686. In this arc, the Wandenreich, a hidden empire of Quincies led by Yhwach, wages war against the Gotei 13.

Specials
This special, shown in Japan at the Jump Festa 2004 Anime Tour and later released on DVD, is a pilot episode for the show. As a different, one episode version of episodes 8-9, this special focuses more on Ichigo's feelings regarding his mother's death. Tite Kubo, the creator of Bleach, voices Kon in this special for only two lines instead of Mitsuaki Madono, the original seiyū of Kon. This special is around 30 minutes long.

This special, shown in Japan at the Jump Festa 2005 Anime Tour, is set after the events of the Soul Society arc (episode 63). Baishin, who was sealed by Soul Society long ago, is set free on Earth. A fateful encounter with Baishin leaves Ichigo with half his spiritual power drained. Rukia, Renji, and other Shinigami soon arrive from Soul Society to give him a hand to stop the destructive Baishin. This special is 33 minutes long.