Bleach anime ends with final Thousand-Year Blood War episode after 22 years

Centre · 2The anime Bleach reached its finale on 26–27 October 2026, with the last episode of the Thousand-Year Blood War storyline, 22 years after the series first aired. 1 2 Centre · 1Radio Times reported that the 50th and final episode aired on Disney+ and closed the fourth and final chapter, The Calamity, following Part 1 in 2022, Part 2 in 2023 and Part 3 in 2024. 2 Centre · 1The original anime ran from 2004 to 2012 across 16 seasons without catching up to the manga, and the Thousand-Year Blood War arc returned in 2022, about ten years later; the BBC said the arc was split into four chapters, with the final run beginning in July. 1

Centre · 2Both outlets say the ending differs from the original manga, which was changed with the involvement of creator Tite Kubo; the BBC says the manga's 2016 ending was divisive and broadly unpopular and was said to have been rushed because Kubo had health problems. 2 1 Centre · 1The BBC says Kubo and animation house Pierrot Films made the changes, which it describes as positively received, while some fans were nervous about whether the new ending would succeed. 1 Centre · 1The BBC describes Bleach as one of Japan's "big three" manga alongside One Piece and Naruto, following Ichigo Kurosaki, a teenager who can see ghosts and defends humanity from evil spirits. 1

Centre · 1To mark the end, the official Bleach social media accounts released two videos: one showing Ichigo running through the story arcs, and a four-and-a-half-minute credits video for everyone who worked on the show. 2 Centre · 2Fans quoted by both outlets were emotional: BBC Newsbeat spoke to fans who said they would be "crying together" and credited the series with helping them make friends and with its representation of black characters, while Radio Times cited YouTube comments from fans delighted with the ending. 1 2