“This wasn’t in the original story!”: Tite Kubo Has Some Big Claims About Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War that Could Finally Do Justice to His Story


The Bleach franchise is full of dark twists and turns, dealing with the forces of darkness and the weight of responsibility. The final arc, Thousand-Year Blood War, was notoriously the worst-written arc in the entire series by Tite Kubo, known for its plot holes and loose narrative threads that left fans thinking “What just happened.”

Thankfully, the anime adaptation named Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War improves upon the original manga, with Kubo’s approval. The mangaka and fans, however, didn’t anticipate how far it would actually surpass the original, completely what Kubo couldn’t in the first place.

Ichigo and Uryu in Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War.
Ichigo and Uryu in Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War. [Credit: Studio Ghibli]

The manga vs anime versions of the Thousand-Year Blood War Arc is strikingly different. Now that Part 4 of Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War has been announced, Kubo has spoken about how surprised he was by the many changes made in this part of the storyline, stating hardcore fans wouldn’t recognize several moments.

Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War Part 4 will include more changes than its previous parts

The original Gotei 13 in Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War.
The original Gotei 13 in Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War. [Credit: Studio Pierrot]

Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War was an ambitious ending to the Bleach franchise but with its rushed ending, fans were more than upset. Tite Kubo always maintained a tight, solid narrative that flowed with the storyline. However, his injury made him jump the gun in ending the Bleach franchise earlier than he initially intended.

While the arc offered plenty of legendary battles and expanded the lore beyond expectations, introducing the Quincy Wandenreich and their mysterious leader, Yhwach, several plot points were left loose, and some important character arcs felt incomplete. Kubo was working closely with Studio Pierrot to expand the narrative and flesh out the story as he originally envisioned it, correcting his mistakes with the final arc.

The anime adaptation, on the other hand, filled these gaps. It started in 2022 and is still ongoing. Tite Kubo states that there were so many changes from the original manga. Despite overseeing the anime’s production, even he didn’t anticipate some of them.

The previous parts already included some major changes, such as the original Gotei 13 being revealed and Ichigo’s emotional reunion with his mother through a flashback. In terms of the Gotei 13, they were barely included in the manga but the anime adaptation made it a point to depict them. Ichigo, on the other hand, deserved to see his mother for the last time and the anime’s flashback was satisfying.

The final part of Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War

Sosuke Aizen from Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War.
Sosuke Aizen from Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War. [Credit: Studio Pierrot]

As Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War approaches its final part, the stakes will get even higher. Kubo warning Bleach fans about the many changes has created hype for the fourth and final cour. If it lives up to the previous twists and turns of the previous parts, fans are in for a surprise.

Bleach has never been more alive after more than two decades of its original run. Moreover, the way the adaptation of the Thousand-Year Blood War Arc has surpassed expectations is legendary in the community. It’s usually the manga that is preferred but the anime has proven to be the fans’ choice, something very rare in the anime industry.

Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War is available on Crunchyroll and Disney+ Hotstar.

This post belongs to FandomWire and first appeared on FandomWire

Loading...