Bleach Thousand-Year Blood War Anime Debuts in Late 2022

Bleach is getting a new Thousand-Year Blood War anime adaptation in October 2022, and its first teaser visual and trailer have been revealed. As promised, Shueisha unveiled it on stage at the 2022 Jump Festa livestream event. The production was announced in March 2020 to commemorate the 20th Anniversary of the Tite Kubo’s original Bleach manga series. The series debuted in Shonen Jump in 2001 and concluded in 2016. Viz Media then confirmed it picked up worldwide rights to the series. [Thanks, Famitsu!]

The new key visual shows protagonist Ichigo Kurosaki, wearing a torn-up version of his Soul Reaper uniform as it appeared at the end of the Bleach anime.

Check out the first teaser for the 2022 Bleach anime series.

The teaser video for Bleach Thousand-Year Blood War features looks at the main cast of the series at the time of the anime series’ conclusion. Protagonist and Substitute Soul Reaper Ichigo Kurosaki, his friends Orihime, Chad, Uryu, and Soul Reapers Rukia, Yoruichi, Urahara, and Renji are featured. Also given prominent focus are moments from the manga involving Soul Reaper Captains like Byakuya Kuchiki, Soi Fon, Toshiro Hitsugaya, Shinji Hirako, Kensei Muguruma, Rose Otoribashi, Sajin Komamura, Jushiro Ukitake, Retsu Unohana, Kenpachi Zaraki, Mayuri Kurotsuchi, Shunsui Kyoraku, and Genryusai Yamamoto. The antagonist of the Thousand Year Blood War storyline, Quincy King Yhwach, is also shown. The trailer is set to a new rendition of “Number One,” an iconic Bleach theme composed by Shiro Sagisu and performed by Hazel Fernandes. Sagisu is returning to compose the music for the show.

During the announcement, Shueisha confirmed that the 2022 Bleach anime series would adapt the entire final arc of the manga, picking up from where the anime left off and continuing until the manga’s conclusion. Production will be handled by Studio Pierrot, which animated the original anime series (as well as other Shonen Jump heavyweights like Naruto and Boruto). Akudama Drive director Tomohisa Taguchi will direct the new series with character designs from returning artist Masashi Kudo. The voice cast will also return.

The new series will introduce new characters such as the Soul Reaper Royal Guard and the Sternritter. Their voice actors are as follows.

• Ichibe Hyosube – Naomi Kusumi (Nemesis in Fire Emblem: Three Houses, Shasuryu Shasha in Overlord)
• Tenjiro Kirinji – Tomoyuki Shimura (Hisashi Sakuma in Chaos;Child)
• Senjumaru Shutara – Rina Sato (Eula in Genshin Impact, Kaoru Tanamachi in Amagami)
• Oetsu Mimaiya – Yoji Ueda (Speedwagon in JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure, Hugh Cunningham from No Guns Life)
• Kirio Hikifune – Ayumi Tsunematsu (Alicia in Astral Chain, Marina Ismail in Gundam 00)
• Yhwach – Takayuki Sugo (Shinpachi in Golden Kamuy, Rudolf in Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia)
• Askin Nakk Le Vaar – Shunsuke Takeuchi (Chiron in Fate/Apocrypha, Shogo in The Caligula Effect)
• Jugram Haschwalth – Yuichiro Umehara (Ira in Kingdom Hearts III, Goblin Slayer in Goblin Slayer)
• Bazz-B – Yuuki Ono (Louis in Beastars, Shiro Ashiya in The Devil is a Part-Timer)
• Bambietta Basterbine – Ayana Taketsu (Labrys in Persona 4 Arena, Azusa in K-ON!)
• Lille Barro – Satoshi Hino (Napoleon in Fate/Grand Order, Rengoku in Demon Slayer)
• Candace Catnipp – Yumi Uchiyama (Rudeus in Mushoku Tensei, Fumitan in Gundam Iron-Blooded Orphans)
• Gremmy Thoumeaux – Natsuki Hanae (9S in NieR Automata, Tanjiro in Demon Slayer)

The Bleach: Thousand Year Blood War anime series is in production and will premiere in October 2022 worldwide. The Burn the Witch collaboration in Bleach: Brave Souls is active until December 31, 2021.