This is the spoiler-free article about the Bleach anime series which is what you need before watching it.
I have tried to mention all things that you might be looking for. If you still didn’t find it then do let me know in the comment section!
About Bleach Anime
Bleach Anime was released back in 2004 based on Tite Kubo’s Manga named Bleach. The Bleach anime series has adapted sequences from Kubo’s Manga but have also introduced a couple of new, original and self-contained story arcs.
Genre:
Comedy, Shonen, Action, Action fiction, Adventure, Thriller, Adventure fiction, Supernatural fiction
Story:
It is about a high school student named Kurosaki Ichigo who could see spirits around him. His life was normal until one night, a girl in black kimono with a sword jumped into her room in search of bad spiritual energy.
She called herself Soul Reaper (Shinigami) who belonged to Soul Society where the souls go after they die in the world which they call the World of Living.
The Bad spiritual energy which the girl (Kuchiki Rukia) was searching for, belonged to a bad spirit which they called Hollows.
Hollows were the spirits who lose their heart to sadness, regret, loneliness and all the bad feelings one goes through in entire life and becomes monsters at the end.
In between the interaction of Kuchiki Rukia, Kurosaki Ichigo & the hollow, situations took a turn in such a way that Kurosaki Ichigo had to become a Soul Reaper to protect the people he loved.
With the powers of the soul reaper, Ichigo takes up the work of defeating all the hollows that he comes in contact in daily life and strives to become stronger to bring peace in the World of Living.
However, things are not going to be easy on him. Now he has two lives: One as a Soul Reaper and the other as a high school student. He now has to balance himself in both.
There are numerous kinds of problems waiting for him that will make him suffer, fight hard, get injured and go through tones of adversities.
Will he succeed in his goal of protecting everyone he loves, or just die as a mere human trying to become a protector is something you’ll come to know after watching the show.
What makes Bleach different from other anime?
When I started watching Bleach anime, I became nostalgic for the cartoon shows I used to watch as a kid because it is of the same timeline as of shows that Cartoon Network used to telecast back in 2004 to 2010 like Ninja Hattori, Doremon, Kiteretsu, Kochikame etc.
(Give me a virtual high-five 🖐 if you got the references and Apologies if you didn’t.)
The vibes, pleasure and fun watching it were the same but then came a differentiating factor – Emotions!
Bleach despite being an action-packed comedic anime series, has a great number of emotional scenes involved in it and that too of emotional maturity.
They are so relatable from real life that you’ll be amazed at the ease with which the series has conveyed such introspective emotions with a simple storyline.
This makes Bleach anime different from the other animes of that time.
What’s great about Bleach Anime Series?
Comic Timing:
The comic timing of Bleach anime is awesome. The funny expressions boost the intensity of hilariousness in every comical scene. The best part, along with intentional comical scenes, there are subtle ones too, which can catch you off guard and you’ll eventually hit the pause button to laugh it out first.
Fighting Scenes:
Bleach anime has a huge roster of characters. As Bleach anime is about soul reapers who fight evil, there are numerous fighters with a large variety of fighting weapons and tactics involved in every fighting scene.
Not just the soul reapers, the villains in every segment of the anime has mind-boggling fighting weapons too, which when layered with their fighting tactics, killer instinct and reason of being evil, makes the entire fighting scene Bang-On!
If you are a fight scene lover, then Bleach will not disappoint you.
Soundtracks
Here comes the best part of this anime- Soundtracks.
I bet, there won’t be any anime critic who will give a low rating to the soundtracks of Bleach anime, because it’s not possible.
The soundtracks of bleach anime are amazing. To my surprise, it was released back in 2004, but the craze and hype of them still hold the capacity to make you groove in their rhythms till date.
The reason why I am saying it’s the best aspect in Bleach anime is because of its dynamics. Some animes portray epic scenes with phenomenal soundtracks, however, they excel in a couple of them be it action, emotional, fun, adventure etc.
But the soundtrack of bleach has covered all. The emotions of happiness, sorrow, guilt, heartlessness, rage, adventure, salvation and relief.
The opening music of the Bleach anime series was always energetic and pumps you full of adrenaline. The music sets the mood for the series perfectly and the lyrics sound as though they’ve been made to fit the characters’ code of ethics.
I can assure you that you’ll love it.
Hats off to Shirō Sagisu for making such phenomenal soundtracks for Bleach anime.
Good Animation & Impressive Art Delivery:
Despite being a two-dimensional animation-based anime of 2004, the animation of bleach is still enough to hook your attention in the scenes.
The quality of animation has gradually furnished with time and has become more appealing towards the ending episodes of the series.
This visual improvement has greatly helped to bring out the intensity of the anime impactfully.
Life Philosophies
Even if you are not a die-hard anime lover and have only watched a handful of anime, you may have noticed that animes are clusters of life philosophies.
You may find a couple of them which you’ll engrave in your code of ethics for the rest of your life.
Following are two of them to give you an essence of their amazingness:
DON’T DIE ALONE
If you die alone then your body becomes dust and your heart fades away.
But when you make friends, fight with them, help them to grow and chase a bigger cause then when you reach the end of your life, your body becomes dust but your heart goes to your friends and they make it immortal for them and also for the world.
So, this way you can make your heart feelings, ideology and vision become immortal in the world.
IF ONLY I HAD BEEN WEAK
I am jealous of the weak. They get to live in a group to stray strong and survive.
However, I am strong and because of which I am cursed with loneliness.
I have to walk alone for the cause I give my heart to and find happiness in it.
(Anime Shots)
Likewise, Bleach anime has numerous life philosophies which will amaze you for good.
Smartly Crafted Storyline
This story of this anime is so smartly made that you’ll know that it has a simple plot with the Protagonist having the prime role, but the reason they give in every situation is so credible that you won’t hold on to criticize for long and continue enjoying the anime.
This is so amazing because making a simple plot work every time is an art that makes bleach anime outshine as a unique anime series.
Well Narrated Story
Though the entire storyline is not detailed, yet the bleach anime series has impressively narrated the story concerning the main character, his supporting character and the main plot.
This was so important because if the ending would not be logically apt then the whole watching experience would be thrashed after watching an anime with a roller coaster-like storyline and having hundreds of filler episodes.
But thankfully nothing of that sort happened.
The conclusion of the main story had threads knot all the way from the beginning plot and it summed up satisfactorily.
Peaceful Ending Everywhere
This segment is the ‘showstopper’ of this section.
Why?
Because, if you have watched a couple of anime before, then there is a chance that you may have come across an anime that leaves you puzzled, confused and impatient at the end of the anime series or end of the season.
That is the most disturbing feeling ever!
It does not let you move on to your daily chores peacefully.
However, with the Bleach anime series, it’s not the case.
In every segment of the series including the last segment released till date, you’ll find peaceful ending everywhere.
This will let you satisfied after watching the bleach anime series and you’ll be able to make peace with it.
What’s bad about Bleach Anime Series?
Unexplained & Unjustified Plots
They have many dimensions to explore that’s why they somehow failed to explain some plots about the supporting characters.
Although they were supporting characters but not justifying their whereabouts is not a sign of great anime.
(Not telling you any further to keep the article miles away from spoilers.)
Unbalanced Depth in Character Buildup
Bleach has a giant roaster of Characters involved in it.
The saying ‘quantity does not always mean quality’ is evident for bleach as despite having so many characters, only a few of them have detailing involved in the series which helps them to outshine and be loved by the audience.
Rest have shorter appearances and their background is not justified in depth.
Too many side stories or filler episodes
Side stories or Fillers are those episodes or set of episodes that the anime creators add to gain time for working on the actual story.
5-10% of filler episodes in a set of intervals is okay, every anime does that.
But with Bleach, it’s not like that.
They have butchered this limit as the bleach anime has close to 45% of filler episodes and also there are too many sideline stories involved.
Who should not watch Bleach Anime?
If you are looking for a detailed Anime with an in-depth storyline, then Bleach anime will not be the right choice for you.
If you are a person who gets confused and annoyed by coming across so many characters in an anime, then bleach won’t be a good option for you.
Who should watch Bleach Anime?
If you tend to focus on the bright side and can convince yourself to let go of the extra characters and focus on the main characters then trust me, you’ll love bleach.
So, let me tell this straight to you!
If you are looking for a comedic anime with a Good storyline, awesome soundtracks, phenomenal action scenes and life philosophy then you should watch bleach anime series.
Bleach Anime total episodes
Bleach Anime Series has 16 seasons with 366 episodes in total.
Bleach Anime Movies- Are the movies in the main storyline?
Following is the list of Bleach Anime Movies:
- Bleach the Movie: Memories of Nobody (2006)
- Bleach the Movie: The Diamond Dust Rebellion (2007)
- Bleach the Movie: Fade to Black (2008)
- Bleach the Movie: Hell Verse (2010)
Can I skip Bleach Movies?
The Bleach Movies are not a part of the main storyline. So yes, you can skip them. However, I’ll recommend you to save them in your ‘watch later list’ and watch it after finishing the main storyline as they are also worth your time.
How to watch Bleach Anime Series?
After knowing about 40% filler episodes in the bleach anime series, there are chances that you might be sceptical in your decision of watching this anime series.
However, I have a way to remove that scepticism inside you and make you enjoy watching the bleach anime.
You can make your watching experience better by only sticking to the main storyline first, completing it and if you develop a good relationship with the anime then you can watch the special and filler episodes of the anime.
This way, you won’t be annoyed because of impatience for completing the story and can watch the entire series happily.
I have prepared a list for you consisting of the episodes you should watch to stick to the main story.
The Bleach anime series is distributed in various segments called ‘arcs’. However, I am not going to tell you the watch list according to them as I want you to watch the episodes without getting any hints by the name of the arcs.
I want you to expose yourself to the series knowing nothing but the episode numbers, as being unaware of details will give you next-level pleasure while watching the series.
Here it goes, get ready to save in bookmarks or take a screenshot:
Mind you, episode 359 and 360 will boggle your mind.
A multiverse of madness.
However, it will not leave you in shock. The end episode is very soothing.
Bleach Anime Filler List
Before moving forward, let me tell you what a filler is.
As animes are based on Manga (Japanese Comics), there are times when Manga and anime both are ongoing.
In this condition, sometimes, the anime creators make the anime at such a pace that they come very close to the ending of the ongoing Manga.
As this can cause the anime series to stop abruptly, the anime creators stop the production of the new episodes of the main storyline and wait for the Manga to reach a milestone in the storyline. Then only, they start making and rolling out the new episodes of the main storyline.
Sometimes, instead of stopping the anime, the production house makes a side story so that they can get time to furnish the plots of the main storyline. They are called fillers.
If you don’t want to watch the filler episodes and side stories and only want to stick to the main storyline, then here is the list of Filler Episodes which you can skip to watch what you want (Be ready to take a screenshot):
Now, after completing the main storyline, if you develop a keen interest in the anime series and want to watch more of them then you can watch the filler episodes as some of them are worth watching too.
Decide that for yourself😉.
How long will it take to watch Bleach anime?
If we consider each episode to be of 18 minutes excluding opening and closing songs then the following are the time requirements for watching bleach:
Without Fillers (203 episodes): 60.9 hours (approx.)
With Fillers (366 episodes): 109.8 hours (approx.)
Where can you find Bleach Anime?
Usually, I recommend watching Bleach on Netflix. But unfortunately, it’s not there anymore for India. You can watch it online on 123animes.mobi , 4animebiz.com or animesuge.io for free if you are okay with Ads.
Otherwise, you can download the Animefox App to watch on mobile to have an ad-free experience. It is a paid platform but their plans are extremely pocket friendly and won’t cost you much. They have the best subs among all the above.
However, if you want a super lounge experience, then you can also go with Hulu .
Is Bleach anime completed or it is still ongoing?
No, it’s not complete.
However, the last episode released was 366th in 2012 and it has an ending quite satisfactory for a season-ending so don’t worry about it for starting to watch. However, more seasons are yet to come so it’s an ongoing anime.
Why Bleach Anime stopped?
Tite Kubo, Bleach Manga Creator ended the manga as he wanted and it was quick because of his poor health conditions. Bleach fans were devastated when the anime was halted in 2012.
No official reason was given for the series’ cancellation, but theories were believed that the rising costs of production along with the anime catching up to the manga too quickly were responsible for the abrupt ending.
Will Bleach Anime Return – Bleach Anime Return Date?
Yes, the Bleach anime series will return in 2021 with an anime adaptation of the Thousand-Year Blood War Arc. The official dates will be announced soon. It is not out because of the pandemic outbreak.
Bleach Anime News – Bleach Anime New Season
Bleach Season 17 is a direct adaptation of the Thousand-Year Blood War arc which will be making a comeback after 8 years and will begin from the 367th episode. Also, there are rumours that the Return of the Bleach anime will be adapted and animated by studio MAPPA.
How many episodes will Bleach Season 17 will have?
It is estimated that the new season of the Bleach anime series will have 60-80 episodes since it has to cover hundreds of chapters of Bleach Manga in the finale season.
Is Bleach Anime Series Okay for Under 18?
I won’t recommend bleach to children under 18 years because despite being not a violent or bloodshed anime, it is a comedy anime where many comic scenes have adult sexual references that can be disturbing for underage children.
It’s not too bold, but the character development of female characters has a sexual appeal and it won’t be good for underage children.
My Review- Is Bleach Anime Good & should you invest your time watching it?
Here is my review of the Bleach anime series and if it’s worth your time or not.
Read this segment before closing the article as I don’t want you to decide not to watch this anime because of the cons I mentioned earlier.
Mind you, I have written 3 cons and 8 pros for the Bleach anime series and it’s not because of sheer optimism!
I agree that the plots of the Bleach anime series are not detailed and this is the reason why many anime lovers hate Bleach.
But I feel that even if the character development is superficial, numerous side characters are involved and plots are not justified in-depth then too if the anime can pull off your attention towards it till the end without losing your interest then it’s worth a try.
I also agree that the ending of the final segment was rushed (which happened because of some dispute among the production and publishing house) but you can call it a good ending even being pulled in a rush as it ended peacefully.
So, it won’t be a disappointing factor for your watching experience.
I have the following set of words to justify my statement:
Perfect things are assigned for perfect moments that happen a handful of times
But
Imperfect things are assigned for the moments when you are imperfect and that happens uncountable times.
And the interaction between the above two gives birth to many unforgettable and precious moments.
– UKT♥ (Uttam Kumar Tamboli)
Meaning, I agree that Bleach anime is not the best anime you’ll find on the internet.
It’s imperfect. So, do we!
But it has the potential to grab your attention, provide pleasure in watching and give a bunch of entertaining moments which will stick with you for long close to your heart ♥
With all these factors in mind, I can assure you that you should definitely give bleach a try.
It won’t disappoint you.
Even if it did, then you have not made a deal with the devil – Just ditch that in middle and move on to the next anime.
(It won’t happen though 😉)
Conclusion for Bleach Anime Series:
So that’s all for the spoiler-free review article of Bleach Anime Series.
Bleach Anime Series is something that will have a soft corner in my heart as I loved watching it.
I hope you enjoyed reading this article and found what you were looking for to decide on watching bleach anime.
If you liked what you read then you should check out my other Anime Review articles.
Thank you very much!
Peace!
