Viz Media Acquires Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War

SAN FRANCISCO, CA—Mangaka legend Tite Kubo’s final arc to his iconic fantasy adventure Bleach is to be animated and VIZ Media has acquired worldwide rights (excluding Asia) to launch the series in October 2022.

An award–winning and best selling manga series, Bleach has over 120 million copies in print since its debut in Weekly Shonen Jump (2.7 million copies in the U.S.), while the anime produced 366 episodes and today is revered as one of the greatest of all time.

In addition to the critically acclaimed manga and legendary anime, the Bleach universe includes video games, musicals and a live–action film adaptation all making Bleach far more than merely a franchise, rather a cultural reference point for millions of fans globally.

“Through his visual genius, Tite Kubo has had an indelible impact on the fandom world and the course of manga and anime history. He is also a supremely gifted and accomplished storyteller, and it is a great honor for VIZ Media to acquire this final arc in his legendary catalogue Bleach: Thousand–Year Blood War, for fans everywhere.” – Brad Woods, Chief Marketing Officer VIZ Media

In celebrating the return of Soul Reaper Ichigo Kurosaki and his friends, the complete series of Bleach (English dubbed, 13 seasons, 366 episodes) will be available to buy as one product on digital EST for a limited time during anime month, February 2022, in the U.S. for $99. Amongst the top anime echelon, this is an “industry–first” special offer.

VIZ Media’s exclusive acquisition of Bleach: Thousand–Year Blood War includes: Video on Demand, Home Video, Electronic Sell–Through, Television, and Merchandise Rights.

Bleach: Thousand–Year Blood War – Production Information:

Original work: BLEACH Tite Kubo (SHUEISHA/SHONEN JUMP)

Series Director: Tomohisa Taguchi

Character Design: Masashi Kudo

Music: Shiro SAGISU

Animation Production: studio Pierrot

Characters + Cast List:
Ichigo Kurosaki – Masakazu Morita
Rukia Kuchiki – Fumiko Orikasa
Uryu Ishida – Noriaki Sugiyama
Orihime Inoue – Yuki Matsuoka
Yasutora Sado (Chad) – Hiroki Yasumoto
Renji Abarai – Kentaro Ito
Kisuke Urahara – Shin-ichiro Miki
Yoruichi Shihoin – Satsuki Yukino
Shigekuni Yamamotogenryusai – Binbin Takaoka
Sui-Feng – Houko Kuwashima
Rojuro Ohtoribashi – Shouto Kashii
Retsu Unohana – Aya Hisakawa
Shinji Hirako – Masaya Onosaka
Byakuya Kuchiki – Ryotaro Okiayu
Sajin Komamura – Tetsu Inada
Shunsui Kyoraku – Akio Otsuka
Kensei Muguruma – Tomokazu Sugita
Toshiro Hitsugaya – Romi Park
Kenpachi Zaraki – Fumihiko Tachiki
Mayuri Kurotsuchi – Ryusei Nakao
Jushiro Ukitake – Hideo Ishikawa
Ichibee Hyosube – Naomi Kusumi
Ouetsu Nimaiya – Yoji Ueda
Tenjiro Kirinji – Tomoyuki Shimura
Senjumaru Shutara – Rina Sato
Kirio Hikifune – Ayumi Tsunematsu
Yhwach – Takayuki Sugo
Jugram Haschwalth – Yuuichirou Umehara
Askin Nakk Le Vaar – Shunsuke Takeuchi
Bambietta Basterbine – Ayana Taketatsu
Bazz-B – Yuki Ono
Candice Catnipp – Yumi Uchiyama
Gremmy Thoumeaux – Natsuki Hanae
Lille Barro – Satoshi Hino

About Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War:

Was it all just a coincidence, or was it inevitable?

Ichigo Kurosaki gained the powers of a Soul Reaper through a chance encounter. As a Substitute Soul Reaper, Ichigo became caught in the turmoil of the Soul Society, a place where deceased souls gather. But with help from his friends, Ichigo overcame every challenge to become even stronger.

When new Soul Reapers and a new enemy appear in his hometown of Karakura, Ichigo jumps back into the battlefield with his Zanpakuto to help those in need. Meanwhile, the Soul Society is observing a sudden surge in the number of Hollows being destroyed in the World of the Living. They also receive separate reports of residents in the Rukon District having gone missing. Finally, the Seireitei, home of the Soul Reapers, comes under attack by a group calling themselves the
Wandenreich.

Led by Yhwach, the father of all Quincies, the Wandenreich declare war against the Soul Reapers with the following message: “Five days from now, the Soul Society will be annihilated by the Wandenreich.”

The history and truth kept hidden by the Soul Reapers for a thousand long years is finally brought to light.

All things must come to an end—as Ichigo Kurosaki’s final battle begins!

About Bleach:

Spanning 15 years, Tite Kubo produced 686 chapters of the legendary manga Bleach over a total of 74 whopping volumes! The manga follows the Soul Reaper Ichigo Kurosaki and his friends, whose dangerous quest to protect those they love sees them facing off against Hollows and Soul Reapers alike. During the course of their adventures, they gain strength, grow up, and learn how to make new friends—as well as how to bid them farewell. In 2004, Bleach won “Best Shonen Manga” at the 50th Shogakukan Manga Awards. Bleach and its related publications have over 120 million volumes in print worldwide and over 2.7 million copies in the US.

Bleach has also been adapted into stage plays, live-action films, novels, Nintendo DS and Wii video games by Sega, the mobile game Bleach: Brave Souls, and more. Fans around the globe— from Asia, the Americas, the Middle East, and more—continue to love Bleach even after the release of its last volume.

For more information on Bleach visit: https://www.viz.com/bleach

About Tite Kubo:

Tite Kubo was born in Hiroshima in 1977. In 1995, his debut one-shot Fire in the Sky was nominated for a Hop☆Step Award. A year later in 1996, his second one-shot Ultra Unholy Hearted Machine debuted in Shonen Jump’s Summer Special issue. Bleach debuted in Shonen Jump’s 36–37 combo issue on August 7, 2001 and ran its course until August 22, 2016, when chapter 686—its last—was published in issue 38. On July 14, 2018, Burn the Witch—part of the larger Bleach universe—was published in Shonen Jump’s 50th anniversary issue (#33) with a fourchapter sequel running in 2021.

Bleach, Burn the Witch, the Bleach novels, character profile books, guide book, and art book are all available in English from VIZ Media.

About VIZ Media:

Wherever manga and anime fans are, we are! VIZ Media is No. 1 in Japanese pop culture, introducing fans to what’s now, new, and next. Home to the world’s most influential and groundbreaking storytellers and artists, who today drive multiple industries from publishing and animation to film and gaming. If it’s big in Japan, you can find it at VIZ.

For more information on VIZ Media visit: https://www.viz.com/