Along with iconic series Naruto and One Piece, Tite Kubo's Bleach has become one of the Big Three of anime and manga. October 2024 is significant for the franchise, as it marks the 20th anniversary of the debut of the anime adaptation of the original Bleach manga. To mark the anniversary, the official Bleach website has shared a special commemorative video. The video, featuring Ichigo and several other iconic Bleach characters can be watched below:
October 2024 will be important for Bleach in other ways. Crunchyroll confirms that third part of the anime sequel series Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War will debut as part of the fall 2024 anime season. Thousand-Year Blood War debut in October 2022, ten years after the finale of the original Bleach anime adaptation to cover the final storylines of the manga not included in the original anime, which concluded while the manga was still running. A second part of the Thousand-Year Blood War series, titled Separation debuted in 2023. The upcoming third part will be titled The Conflict.
Notably, Bleach isn't the only iconic franchise celebrating a major anniversary this October with a new release. October 2024 is also the 40th anniversary of the Dragon Ball franchise, which is celebrating with the release of its latest anime series, Dragon Ball DAIMA. Dragon Ball DAIMA will be available to viewers on broadcast television in Japan and streaming on Crunchyroll for international audiences.
Disney Plus, the streaming home of Thousand-Year Blood War provides the following quick summary:
"When a new enemy appears, Substitute Soul Reaper Ichigo Kurosaki jumps back into the battlefield with his Zanpakuto to help those in need."Disney Plus
Celebrate the enduring legacy of one of anime's Big Three
Both longtime fans of the series looking to rediscover the series and new fans interested in getting into an iconic franchise for the first time have plenty of options. Both the Bleach manga anime are easily accessible to fans all around the world. The Bleach manga ran from 2001 to 2016, covering 686 chapters total. The English version of the manga is distributed by Viz Media. Every chapter of Bleach is now available in English.
Fans will only need one subscription to watch both Bleach anime series. Both the first Bleach anime series — which ran from 2004-2012 — and the Thousand-Year Blood War follow-up stream on Hulu in the United States, and on Disney Plus in most international regions where Hulu isn't available. Additionally, the 2018 feature-length live-action Bleach adaptation produced by Warner Bros. Pictures Japan is streaming on Netflix as a Netflix original film as a result of Netflix serving as the movie's international distributor.
Keep following us here on Anime Away for all the latest news about upcoming debuts as we get a clearer picture of what's in store for anime fans in the fall 2024 anime season and beyond.