One of the longest-lasting fantasy series of all time is coming to an end. After 22 years on the air and more than 400 episodes in total, one of television’s most popular anime series has reached its finale. It’s a bittersweet moment for viewers, some of whom have spent decades watching the story play out. Its ultimate conclusion has been a long time coming, however, and it’s highly anticipated among fans.
The final episode of Bleach is set to air on Oct. 27, wrapping up an anime that has been airing episodes since 2004. Over the last 22 years, the mega-popular anime has put out hundreds of episodes, and this week will see its ultimate finale arrive on screens. Fan reactions are already flooding in, as eager viewers prepare to say goodbye to the beloved series.
It doesn’t boast quite the name recognition or episode count of One Piece, but Bleach remains one of the “big three” among manga and anime fans. It resides alongside the aforementioned One Piece and Naruto, both of which also boast impressive lengths. Bleach is the shortest of the three, but it has still been on the air long enough to define dozens of childhoods across generational lines.
The Bleach manga came to an end on August 22, 2016. Its conclusion was widely considered rushed and disappointing, even among longtime fans of the story. Bleach creator and writer Tite Kubo has been closely involved in the anime adaptation, however, and he has made some “major changes” to the story, according to the BBC. That bodes well for viewers, who will hopefully get a more satisfying conclusion to the two-decade-old story.
Bleach follows Ichigo Kurosaki, a teenager with the ability to see and interact with spirits. After a vicious attack from a lost soul — which are known as Hollows in the Bleach universe — targets his family, Ichigo is loaned the powers of a Soul Reaper. Those powers grant him the ability to fight back against violent spirits and protect his community.
The exciting story has pitted Ichigo against an ever-escalating list of enemies over more than two decades of content. The original anime ran for 16 seasons between 2004 and 2012, but never caught up to the source material. Ten years later, Bleach returned with the Thousand-Year Blood War arc, which was released in four parts. The arc finally brings the beloved anime to its highly anticipated conclusion, and hopes are high that the big finale is worth the wait.
Bleach is available to stream on Hulu for fans in the U.S., and on Disney+ globally.
- Release Date
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2004 – 2012-00-00
- Network
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TV Tokyo, TV Osaka, TV Aichi, TVh, TVQ, TSC, BS TV Tokyo
- Showrunner
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Tite Kubo
- Directors
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Mitsutaka Noshitani, Junya Koshida, Hodaka Kuramoto, Yasuto Nishikata, Hiroaki Nishimura, Kazunori Mizuno, Akira Shimizu, Rokou Ogiwara, Kazunobu Shimizu, Akane Inoue, Hikaru Murata, Tomoko Hiramuki, Kazuo Nogami, Taiji Kawanishi, Shigeki Hatakeyama, Eiko Nishi, Takushi Kimura, Koji Aritomi, Ogura Shirakawa, Kiyomu Fukuda, Yukio Okazaki, Mitsue Yamazaki, Yasuhiro Matsumura, Eitarou Ano
- Writers
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Masahiro Okubo, Masashi Sogo, Kenta Shimoyama, Genki Yoshimura, Kazuyuki Fudeyasu, Rika Nakase, Michiko Yokote, Natsuko Takahashi, Kento Shimoyama
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Masakazu Morita
Ichigo Kurosaki (voice)
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Fumiko Orikasa
Rukia Kuchiki
