After all these years, it's finally happening: A new North American distribution on Netflix.
When one thinks of anime/manga, chances are the Jump titles come to mind. These have been massively successful outside Japan. Currently, a few of the bigger ones are Death Note, and of course, Bleach. Running for over 650 chapters collected in 74 volumes, Bleach follows high schooler Ichigo Kurosaki. Ichigo meets Rukia, a Soul Reaper from a place called the Soul Society. In the first arc, Ichigo takes Rukia's position as a Soul Reaper and fights various Hollows, including one that killed his mother, the Grand Fisher. The second arc had Ichigo journey into the Soul Society and battle Soul Reapers to save Rukia. The next arc dealt with fan-favorite antagonist Aizen. The final arc to be adapted in the anime was the "Lost Agent." Surprisingly for many viewers, the last arc of the manga, "Thousand-Year Blood War," was never adapted into an anime. This is about to change.
Recently, Bleach held its 20th-anniversary Livestream. Shonen Jump announced new content, including an anime film adaption of the Burn the Witch spinoff, and an art exhibition. The biggest news for most fans, however, is that the "Thousand-Year Blood War" arc is getting an anime adaptation, thus completing the Bleach anime. Check out the video announcement below.
According to the video, Burn the Witch is coming later this year, and the art exhibition is launching in 2021. Sadly, the video doesn't reveal a premiere date for the main anime. The "Thousand-Year Blood War" arc introduced Yhwach, the strongest villain in the franchise. The character brought with him numerous followers, and a surge of battle scenes. Uryū developed significantly, with a pivotal role in the storyline.
The Bleach anime returning is a major victory for fans, and shows that even many years later, there's still hope. The announcement didn't mention anything about international distribution, or if there will be a dub, so fans will have to wait and see. With nearly 20 volumes of content, the wait will be worth it, as it will undoubtedly be a long season.