The story follows a fifteen year old high-schooler who is forced into an adventure as a Shinigami. He starts off as a weak warrior of honor but progresses to be more than a match for most captains. Now he will face the Soul Society's greatest threat, Sousuke Aizen,Xcution, and Vandereich.
Overview
BLEACH is a franchise that was based on the original manga series BLEACH, created by the writer and artist Tite Kubo. It's a shonen series of heavy fighting based action around shinigami with uniquely powered swords. The series first began serialization in August 2001, in Shueisha's Weekly Shounen Jump. The series has been later adapted into an anime, movies, and video games.
Plot
Ichigo Kurosaki is a 15 year old who was able to see spirits for as long as he could remember. In spite of his appearance as a punk or a troublemaker, Ichigo is actually a pretty good guy who likes to help his friends. One day at home, a Shinigami named Rukia appears in his bedroom, in the midst of fighting a being known as a Hollow. Trying to protect Ichigo, Rukia suffers a major wound and transfers her Shinigami powers to Ichigo so that he can protect his family from the Hollow, an evil spirit that preys on humans who display psychic energy, Rukia attempts to lend Ichigo some of her powers so that he can save his family; but much to her surprise, Ichigo absorbs every last drop of her energy. Now a full-fledged Soul Reaper himself, Ichigo quickly learns that the world he inhabits is one full of dangerous spirits and, along with Rukia--who is slowly regaining her powers--it's Ichigo's job to protect the innocent from Hollows and help the spirits themselves find peace.
Characters
MAIN CAST
Ichigo Kurosaki
Ichigo Kurosaki has a disposition to not care too much. He goes day to day acting like seeing annoying spirits is normal. His chance encounter with Rukia turns his world upside down and inside out when he gains the mysterious powers of a Soul Reaper and finds out there are other worlds besides his own. Now he must handle both school and protecting spirits.
Rukia Kuchiki
Rukia Kuchiki is a Soul Reaper from the Soul Society. Despite her appearance she is actually well over 100 years old. She lost her Soul Reaper powers when Ichigo helped her so now she must wait in the Human world to regain them. In the meantime, she trains Ichigo to fight Hollows. She also starts attending his school and sleeps in his closet. Her weapon is a sword zanpakuto as well.
Orihime Inoue
Orihime Inoue is a long-time friend of Ichigo’s. She is an orphan. After her brother’s death she became more spiritually aware and soon undergoes training of her own to develop her powers. She’s quite the ditz but she is always prepared to help a friend in need and hates seeing people get hurt. Her weapon is a pair of hair clips.
Yasutora Sado
Yasutora “ Chad” Sado is another of Ichigo’s friends from school. He is originally from Mexico and very tall and muscular. He was unaware of his powers until he protected Ichigo’s sister, Karin, from a Hollow. He is also very respectful and dutiful. His weapon is a transformed armored right arm then evolves his powers for this left. The source of his powers remained a mystery for most of his life until he was approached by humans with similar abilities. The name of his power is called the Fullbring.
Uryū Ishida
Uryū Ishida is a Quincy. He is one of the last of the race and Quincy’s are hated enemies of Soul Reapers. While starting off as a rival to Ichigo he gradually becomes a valuable ally. He is very prideful. His weapon is a bow and arrow.
ALLY CHARACTERS
Kisuke Urahara
Kisuke Urahara is the former Captain of Squad 12 and founder/head of Research and Development. He currently runs a shop in the World of the Living that secretly deals in Soul Reaper gear. He is very powerful and bright but has an odd sense of humor and tends to hide details from time to time. His help has been vital to Ichigo and his friends.
Yoruichi Shihouin
Yoruichi Shihouin is the former Captain of Squad 2 and Commander of the Executive Militia (Stealth Force) of the Onmitsukidō. She is a member of the Shihouin Family and holds a number of nicknames and titles. She has the ability to turn into a cat and she spends a lot of time in that form. Hence, she is often called a “he” from her voice. Like Kisuke she helps train Ichigo, Chad, Uryū, and Orihime.
Ganju Shiba
Ganju Shiba is Kuukaku’s brother and member of the Shiba Clan. He’s a lot like Ichigo in hotheadedness and has a few talents but he’s not a Soul Reaper so he is outmatched while aiding Ichigo in saving Rukia. However, he holds a grudge against Rukia.
Kuukaku Shiba
Kuukaku Shiba is Ganju’s sister and head of the Shiba Clan. Don’t let her laid back attitude and huge boobs fool you as she has some special talents for making stuff go “boom” and giving orders. She also holds a grudge against Rukia.
Neliel Tu Oderschvank
Neliel Tu Oderschvank, "Nel", is a former member of the Espada at Number 3 in power. After being attacked for her title, her Hollow mask was damaged. This caused her to not only change into a small child, but she lost all her memories. Two of her allies, Dondochakka and Pesche, were able to take her into hiding among the vast deserts of Hueco Mundo. It was in her child form that she first met Ichigo, but transformed back to the adult body to assist him in battle.
The 13 Court Guard Squads
The 13 Court Guard Squads, also known as the Gotei 13 . Are the law and military leaders of the Shinigami in the Soul Society. They are made up of thirteen different divisions that are responsible areas of the Soul Society, much in the same way of a military. They range from leadership, law enforcement, research, medicine, and military force. They are each led by a Captain and a Lieutenant. To become a captain one much have extraordinary skill to be selected, or defeat a squad's original captain. The lieutenant is selected by the captain. The squads are filled with Shinigami who excel in the fields that are best suited. This is decided by the outcome of the training at the Shinigami Academy.
Vizard
The Vizard are a group of rogue Shinigami who obtained the powers similar to the Hollow. Each member were at one time of captain or lieutenant rank in the Gotei 13. That was until a mysterious infliction spread among those present that changed them all into Hollows. They are led by Hiyori Sarugaki, and they approached Ichigo to join them so he could learn to control the Hollow within him. With these masks, they can awaken an even greater power that the Shinigami through a transformation called Hollowfication. Through which they can take on their Hollow forms and still have control.
VILLIANS
Sousuke Aizen
Sousuke Aizen was at one time the captain of Firth Squad of the Gotei 13 that all admired. He faked his own death and manipulated the Soul Society as part of his master plan to obtain the Hogyoku (Orb
of Distortion) from inside the false body of Rukia Kuichiki. Once he had it, he left the Soul Society with Captains Gin Ichimaru and Kaname Tousen. Once in the realm of the Hollows, he used the Hogyoku in his experiments on Hollows to create his own personal army to rival the Shinigami's power, the Arrancar.
Espada
The Espada are the highest ranking Arrancar Hollows under the command of Aizen. Each were powerful Hollows that roamed the realm of Hueco Mundo. As part of his experiment into the Hygoku, Aizen
created a process in which the Hollow could remove their mask and take on a human form with a zanpakutou. Though they have all the normal Hollow powers and increased strength, when they unleash their zanpakuto, it causes them to transform back into a form similar to their original Hollow shape, but vastly more powerful.
Xcution
The Xcution are a group of humans with unique powers that are similar to Chad's. Each member has a unique Fullbring power. They appeared before Ichigo after he lost his powers to his final fight with Aizen with the promise to help him regain his powers, but this was just a ploy to cultivate his strength for their own. They are led by Ginjo Kugo who helped train Ichigo in the use of Fullbring and Shukuro Tsukishima used his powers of manipulating memories to turn all of Ichigo's friends and family against him.
Vandenreich
The Vandenreich are the New main Villains in the Story and possibly the Final villains. Led by Juha Bach who is an mysterious man with some history against Captain Yamamoto and leads an army of quincys at his command to crush the soul society.It features the Stern Ritter force and the Jadamariee invading huceo Mundo.
Manga
BLEACH (2001)
The BLEACH manga first began serialization in August 2001, in Shueisha's Weekly Shounen Jump. It's written and illustrated by Tite Kubo, who previously authored the series Zombie Powder. The first chapter was published in August 2001, and the first volume format was released in January 5, 2002. The series has suffered few breaks in the publication in Japan due to wither Kubo's illness or general series breaks. It was published on a weekly schedule along with many of the other series Shonen Jump was famous for. A heavy Spanish language influence is found in the naming of certain concepts of the series.
BLEACH was licensed by VIZ Media for the North American distribution. The first English translated volume of BLEACH was released on June 1, 2004. VIZ produced a hardcover re-issue "collectors edition" of the first volume was released on August 5, 2008.
Anime
BLEACH (2004)
The BLEACH anime is based upon the original BLEACH manga that was created by Tite Kubo. The series is directed by Noriyuki Abe, and the music by Shiro Sagisu. It's a shonen action series that was produced for a young male audience and older. It was produced by Studio Pierrot, the same production studio as Naruto and Naruto Shippuden; and Dentsu. It's aired in Japan on various distributors, such as TV Tokyo.The first episode originally aired on October 5, 2004. The series has followed much of the original mangas story arcs but with various filler arcs in between. Many of these filler arcs have appeared within the middle of canon arcs. Unlike many other animes, some characters that appear in the filler episodes have played roles in the canon story.
Shinigami Illustrated Picture Book Omakes
The Shinigami Illustrated Picture Book (死神図鑑, shinigami zukan) omakes are animation extras that were played at the end of every episode of the anime series starting at BLEACH Episode 53 through the run of the entire series. These are extras that often teased and parodied the events of an episode or characters. Some of the episodes are based upon omakes from the manga publications. Other animes, such as Naruto Shippuden, had later tried to mimic the success of the Shinigami Illustrated Picture Book, but none of them lasted for every episode as they have in BLEACH. Other names for the series are Shinigami Illustrated Picture Book (Golden) (死神図鑑ゴールデン, shinigami zukan goruden). This is more often abbreviated to "Shinigami Cup", or "Shinigami Cup (Golden)".
VIZ Media obtained the licensing rights on March 15, 2006. The English adaptation of the BLEACH anime premiered on Canada's YTV channel on September 8, 2006. and on Cartoon Network's Adult Swim block. Adult Swim stopped broadcasting new episodes on October 20, 2007. The series began airing again on March 2, 2008, but went back on hiatus after episode 167. The series returned from hiatus on August 28, 2010. The English dub calls the Shinigami Illustrated Picture Book series, "Illustrated Guide to Soul Reapers".
Movies
Several movies have been based upon the BLEACH series and are produced by Studio Pierrot, the same production company of the anime series. Only the fourth of these films held any place in the original canon. All the the movies in the series were released in Japan in the days of December.
BLEACH: Memories of Nobody (2006)
BLEACH: Memories of Nobody is the first movie of the BLEACH franchise. It was directed by Noriyuki Abe, the anime series director; and it was written by Masashi Sogo. The music is produced by Shiro Sagisu. The movie was released in Japan in December 16, 2006. The English DVD was distributed to North America on DVD in June 11, 2008.
Karakura Town is suddenly swarming with unknown spirits called "Blanks" and the real world is being reflected in the skies of the Soul Society. Among the chaos appears an unknown Shinigami girl named Senna that no one recognizes, but Ichigo quickly forms a bond with. The leader of a banished clan from the Soul Society, Ganryu, returns and recognizes Senna as a Shinenju, an entity composed of the memories of thousands of lost souls. He plans to eus her in his plot to destroy both the Soul Society and the real world for his revenge.
BLEACH: The Diamond Dust Rebellion (2007)
BLEACH: The DiamondDust Rebellion is the second movie of the BLEACH franchise. It was directed by Noriyuki Abe, the anime series director; and it was written by Masahiro Okubo and Michiko Yokote. The music is produced by Shiro Sagisu. The movie was released in Japan in December 12, 2007. The English DVD was distributed to North America on DVD in December 5, 2009.
BLEACH: Fade to Black, I Call Your Name (2008)
BLEACH: Fade to Black, I Call Your Name is the third movie of the BLEACH franchise. It was directed by Noriyuki Abe, the anime series director; and it was written by Masahiro Okubo and Natsuko Takahashi. The music is produced by Shiro Sagisu. The movie was released in Japan in December 13, 2008. The English DVD was distributed to North America on DVD in November 15, 2011.
BLEACH the Movie: Hell Verse (2010)
BLEACH the Movie: Hell Verse is the fourth movie of the BLEACH franchise and the first to be tied into the canon of the original manga. It was directed by Noriyuki Abe, the anime series director; and it was written by Masahiro Okubo and Natsuko Takahashi. The music is produced by Shiro Sagisu. The movie was released in Japan in December 4, 2010. The English DVD was distributed to North America on DVD in December 4, 2012. Tite Kubo produced a special BLEACH: Hell Verse chapter in the manga to introduce the main villains of the movie. It was a celebration of the franchise's coming on the ten year anniversary.
OVAs
Story Arcs
- Substitute Soul Reaper Arc (Volumes 1-6), (Episodes 1-20)
- Soul Society Arc (Volumes 7-20), (Episodes 21-63)
- Bount Arc (Anime Filler), (Episodes 64-109)
- Arrancar Invasion Arc (Volumes 21-27), (Episodes 110-143)
- Hueco Mundo Arc (Volumes 27-35), (Episodes 144-167, 190-205)
- New Captain Shusuke Amagai Arc, (Anime Filler), (Episodes 168-189)
- Turn Back The Pendulum Arc (Volumes 36-37), (Episodes 206-213)
- Fake Karakura Town Arc (Volumes 37-46), (Episodes 216-226, 266-302)
- Zanpakuto Rebellion Arc (Anime Filler), (Episodes 229-255)
- The Beast Swords Arc (Anime Filler), (Episodes 256-265)
- Deicide Arc (Volumes 46-48), (Episodes 306-310)
- Gotei 13 Invasion Army Arc (Anime Filler), (Episodes 317-342)
- Lost Substitute Soul Reaper Arc (Volumes 49-54), (Episodes 343-366*)
The Thousand-Year Blood War arc (Volume 55-?)
* Episode 366 of the anime adaptation is the final episode of Bleach.
Merchandise
 Name: |
Bleach |
 Name: |
ブリーチ |
| Romaji: |
Burīchi |
| Aliases: |
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Orihime Inoue first in A Shinigami's Work |
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Ichigo Kurosaki first in The Day I Became A Shinigami |
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Uryuu Ishida first in Greetings From A Stuffed Toy |
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Kenpachi Zaraki first in Ichimaru The Silver Shadow |
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Sado Yasutora first in A Shinigami's Work |
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Ulquiorra Schiffer first in Prelude to the Apocalypse, the Arrancar Offensive! |
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Sousuke Aizen first in 14 Days Before Rukia's Execution |
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Toshiro Hitsugaya first in Assemble! The 13 Divisions |
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Rukia Kuchiki first in The Day I Became A Shinigami |
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Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez first in The Evil Eye, Aizen Returns |
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