Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War Releases Key Visual for Part 1 Finale

A new key visual has been released for the part one finale of Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War. The final episodes of the first cour will consist of episodes 12 and 13 and are scheduled to air back-to-back on December 26, 2022. 

In addition, an official English website for the Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War anime series has been launched and is featured in both Japanese and English languages. 

The production staff of the anime series includes Tomohisa Taguchi (Akudama Drive) as director and series screenwriter, Masashi Kudou (Bleach) as character designer, Yoshio Tanioka (Akudama Drive) as art director, Saori Gouda (Akudama Drive) as color designer, Kazuhiro Yamada (Akudama Drive) as photography director, and Shirou SAGISU (Evangelion: 3.0+1.0 Thrice Upon a Time) as music composer. Studio Pierrot is the animation production company.

Bleach Thousand-Year Blood War premiered on October 10, 2022 in Japan and is the first Bleach anime since the previous 2004 anime adaptation. The anime is based on the final story arc of Tite Kubo’s original manga series, which features a powerful Quincy faction known as the Wandenreich and their leader Yhwach as the antagonists. Hulu, Disney+, and Ani-One Asia are streaming the anime series internationally.

Outside of the anime series, Bleach has also inspired several anime films, spin-offs, a live-action adaptation, and many more media. An anime movie adaptation of Kubo’s BURN THE WITCH manga, which takes place in the same universe as Bleach, was released in 2020.

The original manga ran in Shueisha’s Weekly Shonen Jump magazine from August 7, 2001 to August 22, 2016 with 74 tankoubon volumes released in total. It was published under the Jump Comics imprint. 

Viz releases the manga series in English and describes the latest season as: 

When new Soul Reapers and a new enemy appear in his hometown of Karakura, Ichigo jumps back into the battlefield with his Zanpakuto to help those in need. Meanwhile, the Soul Society is observing a sudden surge in the number of Hollows being destroyed in the World of the Living. They also receive separate reports of residents in the Rukon District having gone missing. Finally, the Seireitei, home of the Soul Reapers, comes under attack by a group calling themselves the Wandenreich.

Led by Yhwach, the father of all Quincies, the Wandenreich declare war against the Soul Reapers with the following message: “Five days from now, the Soul Society will be annihilated by the Wandenreich.”

The history and truth kept hidden by the Soul Reapers for a thousand long years is finally brought to light.

Source: Viz Official Twitter, Bleach Official Anime Website