Bleach

Kanji	ブリーチ
Romaji	Burīchi
Genre	Action, Bangsian fantasy, Supernatural
Manga
Created by	Tite Kubo
Published by	Japan: Shueisha Australia: Madman Entertainment Canada & United States: Viz Media UK: Manga Entertainment Spain: Glénat Germany: Tokyopop Hong Kong: CultureCom Brazil: Panini Comics Italy: Panini Comics Singapore: Chuang Yi (Simplified Chinese) Taiwan: Tongli (Traditional Chinese) Malaysia: Komik Remaja Thailand: Nation comics Mexico: Grupo Editorial Vid Indonesia: m&c! The Netherlands and Belgium: Kana France Glénat Poland: J.P.Fantastica Argentina: Editorial Ivrea Czech Republic: Crew
Original Run	August 2001 - 22 August 2016
Volumes	74 (Chapters)
TV Anime
Directed by	Noriyuki Abe
Written by	Masashi Sogo
Music by	Shirō Sagisu
Studio	Studio Pierrot
Licensed by	Japan: Dentsu Australia: Madman Entertainment Canada & United States: Viz Media UK: Manga Entertainment World: Sony Pictures Television
Network	TV Tokyo
English Network	United States: Adult Swim Canada: YTV Malaysia: TV3 Philippines: GMA-7 Thailand: True Visions Ch 51 South Korea: Tooniverse Mexico: Animax Spain: Buzz United Kingdom: AnimeCentral France: MCM Israel: Children Channel Poland: Hyper Middle East: SPTV
Original Run	October 5, 2004 - March 27, 2012
Episodes	366 (Episodes)
Related Works
Extra	Rock Musical Bleach Trading Card Game 20+ Bleach-related video games 5 animated and live-action feature films based on Bleach 20 books based on Bleach Koma-Bleach BURN THE WITCH

Bleach (ブリーチ, Burīchi; romanized as BLEACH in Japan) is a manga series authored by Tite Kubo that appeared in the Weekly Shonen Jump magazine from August 2001 until August 2016.

Bleach follows the adventures of Ichigo Kurosaki, a high school student with the ability to see ghosts. The early parts of the story focus mainly on the characters. As events unfold, the story begins to delve deeper into the world of these gods of death.

The manga series has been adapted into an animated television series, two OVAs, four animated feature films, a rock musical, numerous video games and a Trading Card Game. A live action movie adaptation was announced in the 22nd August 2016 edition of WSJ, coinciding with the release of the manga's final chapter. A compilation of volumes of the manga have sold over 50 million copies in Japan, and have reached the top of manga sales charts in the United States. The manga received the Shogakukan Manga Award in 2005, and the anime has been nominated for several American Anime Awards.

Introduction

See also: Chapters and Episodes The story opens with the sudden appearance of Shinigami Rukia Kuchiki in Ichigo Kurosaki's bedroom. She is surprised at his ability to see her, but their conversation is shortly interrupted by the appearance of a "Hollow", an evil spirit. After Rukia is severely wounded while trying to protect Ichigo, she attempts to transfer half her powers to Ichigo in order to let him face the Hollow on equal footing. Ichigo instead unintentionally absorbs almost all her energy, allowing him to defeat the Hollow with ease. The next day Rukia appears in Ichigo's classroom as a seemingly normal Human, and informs Ichigo that his absorption of her powers has left her stranded in the Human World until she recovers her strength. In the meantime Ichigo shelters Rukia in his home and takes over her job as a Shinigami, battling Hollows and guiding lost souls to Soul Society.

After a few months of this arrangement, in the sixth volume of the series, Rukia's Shinigami superiors interpret her disappearance as desertion, send a detachment to arrest her, and sentence her to death. Ichigo is unable to stop Rukia's capture, but with the help of several of his classmates who also possess spiritual abilities and ex-Shinigami Kisuke Urahara, he sets off for the Shinigami base, located in the afterlife realm known as Soul Society. Once there, Ichigo and company battle against the elites of the Shinigami military, and are ultimately successful in halting Rukia's execution.

It is then revealed that Rukia's execution and Ichigo's rescue attempt were both manipulated by Sōsuke Aizen, a high ranking Shinigami previously believed to be murdered, as part of a far-reaching plot to take control of Soul Society. Aizen betrays his fellow Shinigami and allies himself with the Hollows, becoming the main antagonist of the series, and Ichigo teams up with his former enemies in Soul Society after learning that the next step in Aizen's plan involves the destruction of his home town. The Gotei 13 unite to defeat Aizen and the Arrancar but are unable to stop Aizen in the Fake Karakura Town they created. Ichigo eventually defeats Aizen in Soul Society at the cost of his Shinigami powers.

Seventeen months later, Ichigo is approached by a mysterious organization of Fullbringers known as Xcution with an offer to help him recover his lost powers in order to transfer their own and become normal humans; however, it is revealed their true objective is to steal Ichigo's Fullbring in order to empower their own by orchestating a massive manipulation of his family and acquaintances. Ichigo regains his powers thanks to Rukia and the Gotei 13 and battles the leader of Xcution and the former first Substitute Shinigami, Kūgo Ginjō, killing him.

Bleach then entered its final story arc, which chronicles a war between Soul Society and an army of Quincy known as the Wandenreich. Led by the creator of the Quincy, Yhwach, the Wandenreich devastated Soul Society and put the balance of the various worlds at risk by killing the Soul King. The Royal Guard, Gotei 13 and Ichigo's group battle against the odds to overcome Yhwach's future altering abilities and save their homes. It was announced that the manga would end with chapter 686 in the 22 August 2016 edition of WSJ.

Characters

All Bleach characters are "souls". Living Humans contain souls within their bodies, while disembodied souls, or spirits, have a form composed of particles of Reiryoku called Reishi (霊子, Spirit Particles), which otherwise mimics Human anatomy, aside from incredibly slowed aging (Rukia appears to be in her teens, yet is over 150 years old.). This form encompasses all of the spirit's being; there is no distinction between spirit and body. There are a variety of different types of spirits in Bleach, each with a different visual theme and approach to combat.

Main characters

See also: Characters

Ichigo Kurosaki

The primary protagonist of Bleach, orange haired high school freshman Ichigo Kurosaki is forced to become a Substitute Shinigami after unwittingly absorbing most of Rukia's powers. His cynical nature at first makes him ill-disposed towards the duty, but with the passage of time he comes to accept and welcome it, recognizing that even if he is not able to save everyone, he can at least use his skills to protect those close to him.

Rukia Kuchiki

Rukia Kuchiki is a Shinigami who was sent on a Hollow extermination patrol in Ichigo's home town. Though her physical appearance is that of a teenage girl, in reality she is over 150 years old. Rukia is forced to transfer her power to Ichigo and assume a temporary lifestyle as a regular Human. She registers at the local high school and takes up residence in Ichigo's closet, while teaching him how to be a substitute Shinigami in her place.

Orihime Inoue

Orihime Inoue is a long-time classmate of Ichigo, linked to him by mutual friend Tatsuki Arisawa. She her elder brother Sora ran away from their abusive parents at a young age, and her brother later died. Though initially devoid of spiritual powers, she begins to develop spiritual awareness and later obtains one of the most powerful healing abilities in the Bleach universe, able to completely restore a body to its previous state regardless of how severely it is wounded. It is not technically a healing ability, however. She has the ability to "reject" what happened to an object or area, making it as if nothing ever happened.

Uryū Ishida

Though on the surface nothing more than the solitary class genius, Uryū Ishida is actually a Quincy, descendant of a line of priest-like Hollow-hunting archers. He bears a deep grudge against all Shinigami, including Ichigo, but comes to view Ichigo differently over time, eventually becoming an ally and friendly rival. His father refuses to have anything to do with the Quincy, so he receives training from his grandfather, until his grandfather is killed.

Yasutora Sado

Yasutora Sado, better known as Chad, is one of Ichigo's few friends at school. He is a biracial (Japanese/Mexican) student who towers over his classmates. Despite his imposing appearance he is quite meek, and refuses to fight unless it is for the sake of another. He does not have awareness of ghosts at first, but can still touch Hollows, and eventually is able to see them when he witnesses a group of children being attacked by a Hollow. He later discovers a unique ability that strengthens and armors his right arm, enabling him to fight Hollows.

Renji Abarai

Renji Abarai is an elite Shinigami bearing the rank of 6th Division Lieutenant, making him second in command of a sub-branch of the Shinigami armed forces. Although first introduced as a deadly enemy, he has conflicting loyalties between his job and Rukia, whom he grew up with. A brash and driven man, he holds both a deep respect and animosity towards his immediate superior, 6th Division Captain Byakuya Kuchiki.

Character types

• Human: The Humans of Bleach are much like the residents of modern Japan, and most cannot see or sense disembodied spirits in any way. Spirits can, however, inhabit artificial Human bodies called Gigai which are visible to ordinary Humans. One in 50,000 Humans is a medium with some awareness of nearby spirits, but only a third of these are able to see them clearly, and only the strongest of mediums are able to speak with or touch spirits. Certain unique Humans, like the Fullbringers, naturally have both the power to sense and the strength to fight with spirits. Ordinary Humans can gain the ability to interact with spirits by spending time around a large source of spirit energy.

• Plus: Benign spirits in Bleach are known as Pluses. A plus is the spirit of a person who has died. They are distinguished by a chain, known as the Chain of Fate(因果の鎖, inga no kusari), that protrudes from the chest. This once bound the plus to its living body. Normally, Pluses are sent to Soul Society by Shinigami, but if this is not done before the Chain of Fate is corroded entirely, a hole will form in the chest of the Plus where the chain was once anchored. Such souls are driven mad, lose their heart and become evil spirits known as Hollows.

• Shinigami: Shinigami (Soul Reaper in the official English editions, Death Gods in most subtitled versions) are the psychopomps of Bleach. They are souls with inner spiritual power, recruited from the ranks of the residents and nobility of Soul Society. Like all spirits, they cannot be detected by normal Humans. Shinigami use their Zanpakutō, supernatural swords that are the manifestation of their owners' power, to perform soul burials on pluses. Shinigami also use Zanpakutō and magic known as Kidō to fight their arch-rivals, the Hollows.

• Visored: A group of Shinigami known as the Visoreds have obtained Hollow powers, gaining removable masks and access to certain Hollow abilities.

• Hollow: Hollows are the central antagonists of the Bleach franchise. They are evil spirits that reside in Hueco Mundo, but travel to the Human World to feed on the souls of the living and dead alike. Like Shinigami, Hollows are made of spiritual matter and cannot be detected by ordinary Humans. While the majority of Hollows can be overcome by the average Shinigami, there are some which surpass even the most elite Shinigami in strength. All normal Hollows wear white masks, but a small group of Hollows have broken them, becoming Arrancar. By shattering their masks, these Hollows regain the ability to reason, sometimes obtain a humanoid form, and gain access to Shinigami powers.

• Quincy: The Quincy are a clan of spiritually aware Humans who once fought against the Hollows, using weapons composed of spiritual energy to slay them. As opposed to Shinigami, Quincy absorb and channel energy from their surroundings to fight. Unlike the Shinigami method of killing Hollows which allows the Hollow to enter Soul Society, the Quincy technique simply destroys the Hollow's soul entirely. This method has the propensity to shatter the balance of the universe, because when souls are destroyed, the number of souls entering and leaving Soul Society cannot remain equal. This issue prompted the Shinigami to conduct a campaign to exterminate the Quincy about 200 years before the main storyline. At least two Quincy still remain.

• Artificial soul: Artificial souls (also known as Modified Souls, or Mod-Souls) are a type of soul mass-produced by the Shinigami. Issued in pill form, they are used to force Shinigami out of their Gigai during protracted stays in the living world, and also to evict pluses that refuse to leave their bodies after death. They come with a pre-programmed personality that animates the host body until the owner returns. In addition to the mundane versions, a series of experimental souls authorized and created by Shinigami researchers exists. Known as modified souls, these were meant to hunt Hollows by possessing soulless Human bodies and supercharging a particular aspect of them (for example, strength or speed). The Shinigami decided to scrap the project due to the inhumanity of forcing dead bodies to fight, and ordered the destruction of all modified souls. Only one modified soul exists in the manga, but there are three more such characters in the anime.

• Bount: They are a vampiric like race created when an experiment in Soul Society (conducted by Ran'Tao) has gone horribly wrong, and the Bount souls got mixed up with normal souls which caused Bounts to be born from normal Humans. Because of the Bounts' powers, they where despised by Humans as well. They were easy prey for Hollow, because of their massive Reiatsu, which caused Soul Society to take action in exterminating the Bount which happened when the Bount battled the Quincy. The Soul Society used the opportunity to destroy the Bounts. They only appear in the anime.
• Fullbringer: The Fullbringers are rare spiritually aware Humans who are born with an ability called a Fullbring, in which they can manipulate the "soul" of matter for a variety of effects. Their powers are defined by Hollow Reiryoku.

Setting

The planes of existence in the Bleach universe broadly correspond to the life and afterlife of Human belief systems. The living Humans of Bleach reside in a world resembling present-day Japan; buried souls live in a kind of Heaven called Soul Society; evil souls are sent to Hell. Once in Soul Society, a spirit is able to live longer than Humans in the living world, with many aging into the thousands of years. Once a spirit dies in Soul Society, its soul is sent back to the living world and reborn as a new Human. This provides the two worlds with balance.

• Human World: The Human World of Bleach is modern Japan, specifically, a fictional area of Western Tokyo called Karakura Town. In this world, Ichigo attends school and fights Hollows. Places of note are the high school, the Urahara Shop, the river where Ichigo's mother was killed, the cemetery, Karakura Hospital, and Ichigo and Orihime's homes.
• Soul Society: Soul Society consists of an expansive walled city, Seireitei (瀞霊廷, Court of Pure Souls) in the center and four regions, each with 80 districts, outside of it. The districts outside of the Seireitei are known as the Rukongai (流魂街, Town of Wandering Spirits) and are the place where non-Shinigami and commoners live. The district number of the Rukongai (ranging from 1 to 80) also describes its conditions. District 1, the closest to Seireitei, is peaceful and orderly, while the most distant District 80 is filled with criminals and has the poorest living conditions. A king resides in another realm within Soul Society.
• Hueco Mundo: Hueco Mundo is the desert-like area between the Human World and Soul Society. Literally meaning "hollow world" (the word hueco can also mean "empty"), it is where Hollows reside when not hunting in the Human world, where they are undetectable. Entrances to Hueco Mundo are created by ripping the dimensional fabric between the two worlds (Garganta).
• Hell: Hell is the destination of those who committed unforgivably evil acts during their lives in the Human world. When a Hollow whose mortal soul is too wicked to enter Soul Society is slain by a Zanpakutō, the gates of hell (giant doors held by skeletons) appear and begin to open. A giant, laughing spiritual being with a blade spears the wicked spirit and drags it down into hell.

Bleach characters move from world to world by several means. Shinigami open passages between worlds by means of their Zanpakutō. Butterflies created during Soul Burial, called Jigokuchō, make these routes safe. Human souls usually cross between planes only through birth into the Human World or soul burial by Shinigami. Living Humans can also use special portals to move between worlds, but this is dangerous. While Hollows are portrayed as able to move between planes at will by opening rifts in space, they usually remain in Hueco Mundo due to the risk of discovery in Soul Society or the Human World. Encounters between characters crossing realms are a driving plot force in Bleach.

Media information

Since its first appearance in August 2001, the Bleach manga has appeared weekly in Shueisha's Shonen Jump magazine. The individual chapters are collected by Shueisha in a series of tankōbon volumes, which also include a poem by the character of the cover. The first volume of the manga has sold over 1.25 million copies in Japan, and the manga series as a whole has sold over 40 million volumes. In 2005, Bleach was awarded the prestigious Shogakukan Manga Award in the shōnen category. Viz Media have released the first three volumes of Bleach in a single book, Bleach (3-in-1 Edition), Vol. 1. To celebrate the tenth anniversary of the Bleach series, the first twenty-one volumes were compiled into six omnibus collections under the name Bleach: Resurrected Souls.

The first volume of the manga has sold over 1.25 million copies in Japan, and the original Japanese version of the manga series as a whole has sold over 50 million copies. In 2005, Bleach was awarded the prestigious Shogakukan Manga Award in the shōnen category. North American sales of the manga have been high, with Volume 16 placing in the top 10 graphic novel sales in December 2006 and Volume 17 being the best-selling manga volume for the month of February 2007.

The distributing company Viz Media has been releasing the Bleach manga volumes in English in the United States. Viz releases the chapters in their Shonen Jump magazine as well as in tankōbon format; the first volume was released on June 1, 2004. The English version of Bleach was nominated for the "best manga" and "best theme" awards at the 2006 American Anime Awards, but did not win either category. It was nominated again in 2007 in the fields of "best manga", "best actor", "best DVD package design", and "best theme", but failed to win any awards.

Color Pages

Over its 15-year run, Bleach has had a number of color pages drawn by Kubo for its chapters. These alternate between color versions of normal pages and spreads showing characters in situations outside the present storyline, though the latter is far more common. Whether or not the chapter of the week's Shonen Jump issue gets a color page is usually dependent on the series' popularity at the time, but generally, every volume has at least one color page or spread, which are grayscaled due to restrictions of the format. Some color pages celebrate specific events within the history of the manga, such as anniversaries or the start of a new arc, while others serve to mark the importance of particular characters in upcoming chapters, and still others simply show the characters in everyday situations. They are always placed at the beginning of a chapter. Notably, chapter 162, which featured the reveal of Ichigo's Bankai, was drawn entirely in color. In addition, according to Kubo in the author's note for THE DEATHBERRY RETURNS, Bleach became the first series in the history of Shōnen Jump to be featured on the cover and allotted color pages for two weeks in a row, specifically for chapters 150 and 151.

The first color page of the series.

The color spread title page of chapter 1, featuring Ichigo, Rukia, and several Humans, as well as an early concept of Shinji Hirako.

The fourth color page of chapter 1.

The color cover page of chapter 5, featuring Ichigo, Rukia and Orihime.

The first color page of chapter 8.

The color cover of chapter 8, featuring Ichigo and his Human friends.

The first color page of chapter 13.

The color spread cover of chapter 13, featuring Ichigo, his human friends, and Rukia in tracksuits.

The fourth color page of chapter 13.

The color spread cover of chapter 51, featuring every named character introduced in the series up until that point.

The color spread featuring the winners of the first popularity poll, published in Volume 8.

The color spread cover of chapter 71, featuring Ichigo, Uryū, Sado, and Orihime.

The first color page of chapter 85.

The color spread cover of chapter 85, featuring Ichigo and Rukia.

The color spread cover of chapter 101, featuring the Ryoka and Hanatarō Yamada.

The color spread featuring the winners of the second popularity poll, published in Volume 13.

The first color page of chapter 116.

The color spread cover of chapter 116, featuring Ichigo and several captains.

The fourth color page of chapter 116.

The first color page of chapter 119.

The color spread cover of chapter 119, featuring Ichigo, Uryū, Sado, and Orihime.

The color cover page of chapter 133, featuring Ichigo and Rukia.

The first color page of chapter 137.

The color spread cover of chapter 137, featuring Ichigo and Renji.

The fourth color page of chapter 137.

The first color page of chapter 140.

The color spread cover of chapter 140, featuring the two conflicting Shinigami factions.

The first color page of chapter 140.

The color spread cover of chapter 143, featuring Ichigo, Renji, Kenpachi Zaraki, and Tōshirō Hitsugaya.

The first color page of chapter 150.

The color spread cover of chapter 150, featuring Ichigo and his friends.

The first color page of chapter 151.

The color spread cover of chapter 151, featuring Ichigo and Rukia.

The first color page of chapter 155.

The color spread cover of chapter 155, featuring Ichigo, Hitsugaya, Uryū, Renji, and Shūhei Hisagi.

The first color page of chapter 162.

The second color page of chapter 162.

The third color page of chapter 162.

The color spread cover of chapter 162, featuring Ichigo and his friends.

The sixth color page of chapter 162.

The seventh color page of chapter 162.

The eighth color page of chapter 162.

The ninth color page of chapter 162.

The tenth and eleventh color pages of chapter 162.

The twelfth color page of chapter 162.

The thirteenth color page of chapter 162.

162Color pages 14-15.png

The fourteenth and fifteenth color pages of chapter 162.

The sixteenth color page of chapter 162.

The seventeenth color page of chapter 162.

The eighteenth color page of chapter 162.

The nineteenth color page of chapter 162.

The first color page of chapter 170.

The color spread cover of chapter 170, featuring Ichigo, Rukia, Orihime, and Uryū.

The fourth color page of chapter 170.

The color cover page of chapter 171, featuring Ichigo, Orihime, Sado, and Uryū

The color cover page of chapter 176.

The opening color spread of chapter 177.

The color cover of chapter 179, featuring Byakuya Kuchiki and Hisana Kuchiki.

The first color page of chapter 182.

The color spread cover of chapter 182, featuring several male characters in suits and ties.

The fourth color page of chapter 182.

The first color page of chapter 193.

The opening color cover spread of chapter 193, featuring Ichigo, Renji, Ikkaku Madarame, Kenpachi, Byakuya, and Hitsugaya.

The second color spread of chapter 193, featuring several female characters on the beach.

A color spread in All Colour But The Black, featuring the 13 captains of the Gotei 13 during the Soul Society arc.

A color spread in All Colour But The Black, featuring the 13 lieutenants of the Gotei 13 during the Soul Society arc.

The first color page of chapter 204.

The color spread cover of chapter 204, featuring Ichigo, Rukia, Renji, and Orihime.

The first color page of chapter 209, a spring calendar.

The first half of the third popularity poll featured in chapter 209.

The second half of the third popularity poll featured in chapter 209.

The first color page of chapter 218.

The color spread of chapter 218, featuring the Visored.

The first color spread cover of chapter 232, featuring several Shinigami and Arrancar fighting in the current conflict.

232Color pages 4-5.png

The second color spread of chapter 232, featuring Ichigo and his friends in the library.

The color spread cover of chapter 247, featuring Ichigo and his friends facing off against Aizen, Gin, and Tōsen.

The color spread cover of chapter 255, featuring the Espada.

The color spread cover of chapter 270, featuring Ichigo and the Espada.

The color spread cover of chapter 278, featuring Ichigo, Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez, Aaroniero Arruruerie and the Privaron Espada.

The first color page of chapter 285.

The color spread of chapter 285, featuring Ichigo being divinely judged by an avalanche of plushies.

The first color page of chapter 286.

The color spread cover of chapter 286, featuring Ichigo, Rukia, Renji, Uryū, and Sado.

The color cover page of chapter -16, featuring a young Hitsugaya.

The first color page of chapter 289.

The color spread cover of chapter 289, featuring Ichigo and his inner Hollow.

The color cover of chapter 293, featuring Nelliel Tu Odelschwanck in her Espada uniform.

The first color page of chapter 298.

The cover page of chapter 298, featuring Ichigo, Rukia, Orihime, and Uryū on cell phones.

The first color page of chapter 301.

The color spread of chapter 301, featuring Ichigo, Uryū, Renji, Sado, and Ikkaku Madarame dressed as boxers.

The opening color page of chapter 304, featuring Mayuri and Szayelaporro Granz.

The first color page of chapter 307, featuring the characters placing 6th-10th in the 4th popularity poll.

The color spread of chapter 307, featuring the characters placing 1st-5th in the 4th popularity poll.

The color spread of chapter -103, featuring several characters in their youth.

The first color page of chapter 317.

The color spread cover of chapter 317, featuring Ichigo, Orihime, Rukia, Renji, Sado, and Uryū at the beach.

The first color page of chapter 328.

328Color pages 2-3.png

The color spread of chapter 328, featuring Ichigo, Renji, Sado, Ikkaku, and Shūhei Hisagi emerging from a subway.

The first color page of chapter 335.

The color spread cover of chapter 335, featuring Shunsui Kyōraku and Jūshirō Ukitake in non-uniform attire.

The first color page of chapter 339, featuring Orihime.

The color spread at the end of chapter 339 promoting Bleach: Fade to Black.

The opening color page of chapter 344, featuring Rukia.

The first color page of chapter 348.

The color spread of chapter 348, featuring the top five Zanpakutō of the 5th popularity poll.

The opening color page of chapter 350, featuring Rangiku Matsumoto.

The first color page of chapter 353.

The color spread of chapter 353, featuring Rangiku, Rukia, Nelliel, and Orihime in revealing outfits.

The opening color page of chapter 356, featuring Renji.

The opening color page of chapter 363, featuring Sado.

The opening color page of chapter 364, featuring Uryū.

The first color page of chapter 375.

The color spread of chapter 375, featuring several male characters in formal outfits.

The first color page of chapter 379.

The color spread of chapter 379, featuring several characters dressed up for Halloween.

The first color page of chapter 387.

The color spread of chapter 387, featuring Ichigo and his friends attending a festival.

The opening color page of chapter 388, featuring Ichigo.

The first color page of chapter 392.

The color spread of chapter 392, featuring the top four battles of the 6th popularity poll.

The opening color page of chapter 396, featuring Byakuya.

The opening color page of chapter 399, featuring Shinji.

The opening color page of chapter 402, featuring Isshin Kurosaki.

A color spread in Bleach: Official Character Book 2 MASKED, featuring the captains and lieutenants of the Gotei 13 during the Turn Back the Pendulum arc.

The first color page of chapter 409.

The color spread of chapter 409, featuring Ichigo and his friends standing around a large statue.

The opening color spread of chapter 411, featuring Ichigo.

The opening color page of chapter 414, featuring Gin Ichimaru.

The opening color spread of chapter 416, featuring Ichigo in his different stages of power.

The first color page of chapter 421.

The opening color spread of chapter 421, featuring Ichigo using Saigo no Getsuga Tenshō.

The first color page of chapter 424.

The color spread of chapter 424, featuring Ichigo and his friends after the time-skip.

The first color page of chapter 428, featuring Ichigo in his Bankai.

The color spread of chapter 428, featuring Ichigo and all of his major opponents over the years.

The sixth color page of chapter 428, featuring the right door of the gate to Hell.

The seventh color page of chapter 428, featuring the left door of the gate to Hell.

The opening color page of Imaginary number 01. the unforgivens, featuring Shuren.

The first color spread of the Bleach: Official Invitation Book The Hell Verse, featuring Ichigo, Zangetsu, Shuren, Kokutō, Rukia, Renji, and Uryū.

The third color spread of the Bleach: Official Invitation Book The Hell Verse, featuring Ichigo, Shuren, Taikon, Gunjō, and Garogai.

The opening color page of chapter 429, featuring Kūgo Ginjō.

The opening color page of chapter 433, featuring Ichigo.

The opening color page of chapter 436, featuring Sado.

The opening color page of chapter 439, featuring Riruka Dokugamine.

The first color page of chapter 449.

The color spread of chapter 449, featuring Ichigo and the members of Xcution.

The opening color page of chapter 451, featuring Orihime and Riruka.

The first color page of chapter 456.

The color spread of chapter 456, featuring many popular characters from the series.

The first color page of chapter 460.

460Color page 2.png

The second color page of chapter 460, featuring Ichigo and Rukia.

The opening color page of chapter 465, featuring Kūgo.

The first color page of chapter 469.

The color spread of chapter 469, featuring Ichigo and his Shinigami allies.

The opening color page of chapter 474, featuring Rukia.

The opening color page of chapter 477, featuring Kūgo.

The first color page of chapter 480.

The second color page of chapter 480.

The third color page of chapter 480.

The color spread of chapter 480, featuring Ichigo and several characters important to the final arc.

The first color page of chapter 487.

The color cover pages of chapter 487.

The first color page of chapter 494.

The color cover page of chapter 494, featuring the post-timeskip Gotei 13 captains.

The opening color page of chapter 495, featuring Yhwach.

The first color page of chapter 505, featuring Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto.

The second color page of chapter 505.

The opening color page of chapter 511, featuring Yamamoto.

The opening color page of chapter 517, featuring the Royal Guard.

The opening color page of chapter 523, featuring Ichigo and Renji building snowmen.

The opening color page of chapter 527, featuring Retsu Unohana.

The opening color page of chapter 534, featuring Ryūken Ishida, Masaki Kurosaki, and Isshin in their younger years.

The first color page of chapter 547.

The color spread of chapter 547, featuring Ichigo, the Sternritter, and the notable members of the Gotei 13.

The first color page of chapter 558.

The color spread of chapter 558, featuring Ichigo and Renji.

The color spread of chapter 564, featuring Rukia.

The opening color page of chapter 573, featuring Kenpachi.

The opening color page of chapter 576, featuring Gremmy Thoumeaux.

The opening color page of chapter 581, featuring Candice Catnipp, Giselle Gewelle, Liltotto Lamperd, and Meninas McAllon.

The opening color page of chapter 587, featuring Orihime and Sado in their new outfits.

The first color page of chapter 591, featuring Cirucci Sanderwicci, Dordoni Alessandro Del Socaccio, Charlotte Chuhlhourne, and Luppi Antenor.

The color spread of chapter 591, featuring several important combatants in the war.

The color cover page of chapter 601, featuring Ōetsu Nimaiya.

The opening color page of chapter 607, featuring Ichibē Hyōsube.

The color cover page of chapter 617, featuring Sōsuke Aizen in his restraints.

The first color page of chapter 640.

The color spread of chapter 640, featuring all of the Sternritter members.

The opening color page of chapter 680, featuring Yhwach following his absorption of the Soul King.

The opening color page of chapter 685, featuring Ichigo in his Shinigami attire.

The opening color page of chapter 686, featuring Hiyori Sarugaki and Kazui Kurosaki.

The final color spread of the series in chapter 686, featuring Ichigo, his Human friends, Rukia, and Renji.

Reception

The Bleach animated TV series is broadcast on Wednesdays by TV Tokyo and affiliated stations throughout Japan. It is co-produced by TV Tokyo, Dentsu and Studio Pierrot and directed by Noriyuki Abe, with character designs by Masashi Kudō and music by Shiro Sagisu. The series premiered on October 5, 2004. The first 63 episodes were based on the manga, and they were followed by 46 original episodes. Beginning with episode 110, the anime has returned to the manga storyline, incorporating elements from the filler episodes. In addition, two OVAs have been produced and an animated film, Bleach: Memories of Nobody, premiered in Japan on December 16, 2006. A second Bleach film was released in December 2007. A third movie, titled Bleach: Fade to Black - I Call Your Name came out in December 2008. In a 2006 internet poll by TV Asahi, Bleach was ranked as Japan's seventh-favorite anime program.

Viz Media has released 64 English-language volumes of the manga in North America, and numerous scanlation groups continue to release unofficial English translations of new chapters. North American sales of the manga have been high, with Volume 16 placing in the top 10 graphic novel sales in December 2006 and Volume 17 being the best-selling manga volume for the month of February 2007. On March 15, 2006, Viz Media obtained foreign television, home video, and merchandising rights to the Bleach anime from the TV Tokyo Corporation and Shueisha. Subsequently, Viz Media contracted Studiopolis to create the English dub of the anime, and has licensed its individual Bleach merchandising rights to several different companies.

The English version of the Bleach anime premiered on Canada's YTV channel in the Bionix program block on September 8, 2006. Cartoon Network's Adult Swim began airing Bleach the following evening. In the UK, Bleach premieres new episodes every day at 21:30 on AnimeCentral, premiering episode one on September 13, 2007. The English version of Bleach was nominated for the "best manga" and "best theme" awards at the 2006 American Anime Awards, but did not win either category. It was nominated again in 2007 in the fields of "best manga", "best actor", "best DVD package design", and "best theme", but failed to win any awards.

Trivia

• The title wasn't Bleach when Tite Kubo decided to draw a story about Shinigami. This was before he drew the one-shot manga that appeared in Akamaru Jump. The weapon wasn't a sword, but a scythe. Only Rukia had a scythe and the other characters used guns. At that point, the title was Snipe (as in "Sniper"). Right before he started drawing, he began to think that a sword would be better and realized he couldn't use Snipe as a title anymore. He began looking for a title that grasped the bigger picture. Shinigami are associated with the color black, but it would have been boring to use "black". "White", on the other hand, can suggest black as a complementary color. So Tite Kubo chose "bleach" to evoke the impression of the color white.

External links

Official sites

English

• Viz Media's Bleach site
• Adult Swim Bleach website
• Bleach Australian site
• Bleach Shonen Jump site
• Instagram (Official feed)

Japanese

• Bleach Official Site (Japanese)
• Official Bleach movie website (Japanese)
• Studio Pierrot Bleach website
• Aniplex Bleach site
• Official TV Tokyo Bleach website