Bleach is an anime television series that originates from Japan and is based on Tite Kubo’s original manga series Bleach. Studio Pierrot produced the series and Noriyuki Abe serves as the director of the series. The series first aired on TV Tokyo spanning 366 episodes from the period of October 2004 to March 2012. The story of the series revolves around the character of Ichigo Kurosaki after he obtains the powers of a Soul Reaper who is a personification of death very similar to the Grim Reaper. Those powers were obtained from another Soul Reaper named Rukia Kuchiki. His newfound powers force him to guide departed souls to the afterlife safely and take upon the duties of defending humans from the venturing evil spirits. The anime adaptation includes stories that contain many original characters and original storylines not found in the manga with repeated appearances. In March 2006, Viz Media obtained foreign television and home video distribution rights to the Bleach anime. The show was broadcast in the United States on the cable network Adult Swim starting from September 2006 to November 2014. It was announced in March 2020 that the manga’s final story arc named Thousand-Year Blood War would receive an anime television series adaptation which is set to be premiered in the month of October 2022.
Bleach Season 18 Release Date
Season 17 of Bleach also known as Bleach: Thousand Year Blood War is set to be released in the month of October 2022. During Jump Festa 2022, the main staff and animation studio producing the Bleach 2022 anime season was announced. And it has been indicated that there would probably be more than 20 Seasons of the anime in upcoming times. But till now there is no information out regarding the release date of season 18 of this series.
| Seasons | Release Dates |
| Bleach Season 1 Release Date | 5 October 2004 |
| Bleach Season 16 Release Date | 11 October 2011 |
| Bleach Season 18 Release Date | Not Announced Yet |
Bleach Recap
The Bleach Anime Series introduces several original and self-contained story arcs but adapts Kubo’s manga. A 15-year-old high school student Ichigo Kurosaki from Karakura Town becomes a substitute for Soul Reaper when a Soul Reaper named Rukia Kuchiki cannot fulfill her duties after engaging in battle with a very powerful evil spirit Hollow. He begins eliminating Hollows in Rukia’s place although initially reluctant to accept the heavy responsibility and during this time discovers that several of his friends and classmates are spiritually aware and have powers of their own. When Rukia is taken back to the spirit world of Soul Society and sentenced to death for her transgressions in the human world, Ichigo seeks out the assistance of two exiled Soul Reapers named Kisuke Urahara and Yoruichi Shihōin. This was done in order to allow himself and his friends to save Rukia. It is revealed that high-ranking Soul Reaper Sōsuke Aizen framed Rukia for the crime after Ichigo and his friends battle many Soul Reapers and has been illegally experimenting on Soul Reapers and Hollows.
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Bleach Characters
Ichigo Kurosaki
He is the main protagonist of the Bleach series and a tall orange-haired high school student who becomes a substitute Soul Reaper after unintentionally absorbing most of another soul reaper named Rukia Kuchiki’s powers.
Rukia Kuchiki
She is a Soul Reaper who is assigned hollow extermination duties in Karakura Town and meets Ichigo for the first time when she breaks into his house unaware that Ichigo can see her.
Orihime Inoue
She is a long-time classmate of Ichigo Kurosaki and one of his closest friends who used to have a crush on Ichigo from the beginning. However, she genuinely falls in love with him due to Ichigo’s selfless wish to protect his loved ones.
Renji Abarai
He is a Soul Reaper of Squad 6 in the Gotei 13 who was first introduced when he played an antagonistic role as he was sent to the human world.
Uryū Ishida
He is a Quincy and a descendant of a line of near-extinct- priest-like hollow-hunting archers who were and have been historical enemies of the Soul Reapers.
Bleach Season 18 Trailer
The trailer for Season 18 of Bleach also known as Bleach: Thousand Year Blood War was released on YouTube on 18 December 2021. And it reveals crucial details like the release date of Season 18 and its characters and story arc.
Where to watch Bleach Season 18?
Like every other famous anime, Season 18 of Bleach can be watched and streamed inline on platforms such as Hulu and Crunchyroll which are subscription-based services. The anime can also be viewed on Amazon.
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