90 Fun Facts About Bleach

In which magazine was Bleach serialized from 2001 to 2016?

Bleach shared the magazine with One Piece and Naruto for its whole run, and the three were marketed together as Jump's 'Big Three'.

How many tankobon volumes does the complete Bleach manga run to?

Those 74 volumes collect 698 chapters, ending with a ten-year time skip and the next generation of Kurosakis and Abarais.

What was the working title of the early Bleach concept in which Soul Reapers used guns?

The gun idea was dropped after the one-shot, but the name Bleach was chosen partly because it was less obvious than 'Black' or 'White'.

Which manga legend wrote Kubo a letter of encouragement after Bleach's original pitch was rejected?

The Dragon Ball creator's note reached Kubo at a low point, right after his first series had been cancelled, and Bleach was picked up soon after.

Which earlier series by the same author was cancelled shortly before he pitched Bleach?

It managed only 27 chapters, and its cancellation is the reason Bleach's first pitch landed on an editor's desk at all.

Which animation studio produced the Bleach anime?

The same studio handled Naruto, giving it both halves of the mid-2000s Jump boom, and it returned a decade later for the sequel series.

How many episodes did the original Bleach anime run for between 2004 and 2012?

The run ended without adapting the manga's final arc, which is why the story sat unfinished on screen for a full decade.

Which band's single 'Asterisk' served as the anime's first opening theme?

The single went straight to number one in Japan and stayed in the top 20 for 22 weeks.

In which year did Adult Swim begin airing Bleach in the United States?

It debuted on September 10 of that year and stayed on the block until November 2014, outlasting the Japanese broadcast by more than two years.

Which prize did Bleach win in the shonen category in 2005?

The prize carries a rival publisher's name but is open to every house, and Bleach took the shonen category in the award's 50th year.

How many copies of the Bleach manga were in circulation worldwide by 2022?

That total places it among the best-selling manga ever, behind One Piece and Naruto but ahead of most of the Jump catalogue.

In what year did the Bleach manga end its run?

The final chapter arrived on August 22, and the missing final arc did not reach television until 2022.

Which anime-only race, the focus of the fourth season, consumes human souls to extend their lives?

Their leader Jin Kariya wanted revenge on Soul Society, and each of them fought through a summoned Doll rather than a sword.

Who composed the music for the Bleach anime?

The Evangelion composer gave the show its Spanish guitar and choral cues, and returned for the sequel series.

Which manga did Kubo cite as a major influence, Shigeru Mizuki's tale of a one-eyed yokai boy?

The other big influence he names is Saint Seiya, which explains a lot about the armour and the ranked warriors.

In which Japanese prefecture was Bleach creator Tite Kubo born?

Kubo, whose real given name is Noriaki, was born there in June 1977.

What is the name of the Zanpakuto belonging to the Soul Reaper who gave Ichigo her powers?

Its name means 'sleeved white snow', and it is often called the most beautiful Zanpakuto in Soul Society.

For what crime is Rukia sentenced to death in the Soul Society arc?

The sentence was quietly engineered by Aizen, who wanted an object hidden inside her gigai far more than he wanted her dead.

What is the name of Rukia and Renji's daughter, seen in the epilogue?

She turns up in the final chapter as a small, loud Soul Reaper who has clearly inherited her father's manners.

What is Renji Abarai's segmented, whip-like Zanpakuto called?

In Bankai it becomes a giant skeletal serpent, and its inner spirit is a baboon with a snake for a tail.

Byakuya Kuchiki's Zanpakuto Senbonzakura literally means 'a thousand' what?

Its blade dissolves into countless petal-like fragments, which is why fights against it look like a pink blizzard.

Byakuya Kuchiki is the 28th head of the Kuchiki clan, one of how many great noble families?

He broke clan rules twice: marrying a commoner from Inuzuri, and then adopting her sister into the family.

How did Kenpachi Zaraki take command of the 11th Division?

It is the only division where the job can be taken by force, and Zaraki did it without even knowing his sword's name.

What does Kenpachi Zaraki's eyepatch actually do?

He wears it so opponents last longer; removing it is the moment every Kenpachi fight turns lopsided.

Kenpachi's surname, Zaraki, is taken from what?

It was District 80 of Rukongai, the most violent of them all, and he left it as a nameless child.

Kenpachi finally learns his Zanpakuto's name after a duel with Unohana. What is it?

The name translates as 'weather-beaten one', fitting for a blade that had been swung for a century without ever being asked its name.

Which Zanpakuto was voted the most popular in the series?

The ice dragon belongs to the 10th Division's captain, whose Bankai turns him into a young adult when it reaches full power.

In the early-2008 popularity poll, which character displaced Ichigo as the series' most popular?

The youngest captain in Soul Society's history was popular enough to be handed his own feature film that same period.

What does Kanzen Saimin, the ability of Aizen's Zanpakuto Kyoka Suigetsu, translate to?

Anyone who has seen its release even once can be deceived at will, which is how Aizen fooled every captain for a century.

Aizen arranged Rukia's execution to obtain which object hidden inside her gigai?

It was Urahara's creation, and Aizen later embedded it in his own body to trigger a chain of transformations.

Which lieutenant does Aizen impale after revealing his betrayal in Soul Society?

She had idolised him, and her devotion is what made the moment the arc's cruellest twist.

After his defeat, Aizen's prison sentence is extended for his arrogance to how many years?

Central 46 first handed down 18,800 years and added the rest when he mocked them; the sentence is served in Muken, the lowest prison.

What technique lets Ichigo finally seal Aizen, at the cost of his own powers?

It is the Final Getsuga Tensho, and it left Ichigo powerless for seventeen months of story time.

After betraying Soul Society, Aizen and his accomplices escape into which realm?

He left with Gin and Tosen, ascending on beams of light while the captains could only watch.

Gin Ichimaru's Bankai, Kamishini no Yari, can extend to roughly what length?

It also moves about 500 times the speed of sound, though its real trick is a poison that dissolves cells from the inside.

Yamamoto's Ryujin Jakka, Soul Society's most powerful Zanpakuto, commands which element?

Its Bankai, Zanka no Tachi, burns hot enough that prolonged use would destroy Soul Society itself.

Yamamoto's Bankai, Zanka no Tachi, is said to reach a temperature of how many degrees?

That is roughly the core temperature of the Sun, and it evaporates the moisture out of the air around him.

Yamamoto founded the Soul Reaper Academy how many years before the main story?

He claimed no Soul Reaper born in that entire millennium was stronger than him, and until Yhwach nobody proved him wrong.

Yhwach, sovereign of the Wandenreich, is the son of whom?

That parentage is why absorbing his father is the endgame of the entire final arc.

Yhwach's Schrift, the letter A, stands for which power?

It lets him see every possible future, and Ichigo only beats it thanks to an arrow that briefly switches it off.

Which of Ichigo's friends does Yhwach name as his heir?

He is a Quincy, and his hidden reason for joining the Wandenreich is what ultimately gives Ichigo his opening.

What is the Espada?

Each bears a number and an aspect of death, from Starrk's solitude to Ulquiorra's emptiness.

Ulquiorra Cifer holds which Espada rank?

He is nevertheless the only Espada with a second release, which is why many fans consider him the strongest of them.

Ulquiorra's Zanpakuto Murciélago, which sprouts two black wings, is Spanish for what?

In his second stage, Resurrección: Segunda Etapa, he throws spears of green lightning called Lanza del Relámpago.

As Ulquiorra dies, he finally comes to understand the meaning of what?

He reaches toward Orihime as he crumbles, the closest thing to an emotion the emotionless Espada ever shows.

Which aspect of death does Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez represent?

He was demoted and maimed for attacking Karakura Town without orders, and only got his rank back after Orihime regrew his arm.

Grimmjow's Zanpakuto Pantera releases him into a form based on which animal?

The kanji reads 'Panther King', and before becoming an Arrancar he led a small gang of Adjuchas-class Hollows.

Grimmjow's unusual name is derived from that of which architect?

Kubo built his Arrancar names from architects and designers, then bolted on the German word for hunter.

Orihime Inoue's power, which manifests through her hairpins, is called what?

Six tiny spirits let her reject events after they happen, an ability Aizen considered close to godlike.

Orihime's late brother Sora returns as a Hollow under what name?

He was her only family after their parents, and his attack in episode two is what first pulls her into Ichigo's world.

Ten years after the war, Orihime is married to Ichigo and they have a son named what?

The last chapter shows him already sneaking into the closet where Rukia once slept, powers and all.

Which Hollow, later killed by Isshin, was responsible for the death of Ichigo's mother?

It lured victims with a decoy shaped like a lost girl, which is exactly what nine-year-old Ichigo ran toward.

Why does Ichigo call Yasutora Sado 'Chad'?

The mistake stuck for the whole series, and by the epilogue Chad is fighting for a world heavyweight title.

What keepsake from his grandfather Oscar does Chad treasure?

The coin represents the promise that he would never fight for himself, only to protect others.

Yoruichi Shihoin can transform into what animal?

The cat has a deep male voice, which is why Ichigo is stunned when she first turns back into a woman.

Which title does Yoruichi Shihoin hold?

She was captain of the 2nd Division and commander of the stealth force before going into exile with Urahara.

Which of Kisuke Urahara's inventions is used to summon Zangetsu so Ichigo can learn Bankai?

It forces a Zanpakuto spirit to materialise, letting Ichigo compress years of training into a few days on the run.

The Sokyoku, the halberd used for executions in Soul Society, transforms into what creature?

Ichigo holds it back with his sword, Ukitake and Kyoraku destroy the halberd with a Shihoin family shield, and Ichigo smashes the stand.

How do Ichigo and his friends get over the wall into the Seireitei?

The cannon belongs to Kukaku Shiba, and Ganju's clumsy spirit-orb control scatters the whole group on landing.

Which giant gatekeeper does Ichigo defeat while trying to enter the Seireitei?

He beat him without much trouble thanks to Urahara's training, only for the gate to be slammed shut by Gin.

Who invites Ichigo to join the Vizards, Soul Reapers who can summon Hollow masks?

He first shows up as a transfer student at Ichigo's school, then teaches him to force his inner Hollow into the core of his soul.

Which dead Soul Reaper's face does the Espada Aaroniero reveal to Rukia?

Kaien was her lieutenant and mentor, and she had been the one forced to kill him, which is exactly what Aaroniero counted on.

Ichigo unlocks his Fullbring powers through which object?

The Fullbringer arc is the only one where Ichigo fights without Soul Reaper powers, until Rukia stabs him with a sword full of everyone's reiatsu.

Ichigo's Bankai, Tensa Zangetsu, primarily boosts what?

It shrinks the giant cleaver into a slim black katana, the opposite of the usual Bankai that makes everything bigger.

Ichigo later learns that the old man he believed to be Zangetsu is really the embodiment of what?

The white Hollow inside him turns out to be the true Zangetsu, which reframes every fight since the Soul Society arc.

Which mysterious Soul Reaper appears in the first film, Memories of Nobody?

She turns out to be made of Blanks, amnesiac souls from the Valley of Screams, and is forgotten by everyone at the end.

Which film centres on Sojiro Kusaka, a Soul Reaper who manifested the same Zanpakuto as a captain?

Soul Society does not allow two people to wield one Zanpakuto, so the academy friends were forced to fight for it.

Fade to Black opens with an ambush in the laboratory of which Soul Reaper scientist?

The attackers wipe Rukia from everyone's memory, and the finale fuses her with the siblings into 'Dark Rukia'.

In Hell Verse, the last of the animated films, which of Ichigo's sisters is taken to Hell?

The rescue costs Ichigo dearly: he loses control and transforms into his full Hollow form inside Hell itself.

Who played Ichigo in the 2018 live-action Bleach film?

Directed by Shinsuke Sato, it adapts the opening arc and went worldwide on Netflix two months after its Japanese release.

Who performs 'Scar', the opening theme of the first part of Thousand-Year Blood War?

Later parts opened with w.o.d., Six Lounge and Jo0ji, but Kitani's song became the sequel's signature.

Outside Asia, which service first streamed Thousand-Year Blood War internationally in 2022?

In the United States it went to Hulu instead, a deal that surprised fans who expected it on the usual anime platforms.

The Thousand-Year Blood War anime was split into how many cours?

The parts are subtitled The Blood Warfare, The Separation, The Conflict and The Calamity, with breaks of up to a year between them.

Kubo's spin-off Burn the Witch is set in which city, home to Soul Society's Western Branch?

Its witches hunt dragons instead of Hollows, and Studio Colorido turned the first season into a film in 2020.

The mobile game Bleach: Brave Souls, released in 2015, was developed by which company?

It passed 80 million downloads by 2023 and later spread to PlayStation, Xbox, Switch and PC.

The first Bleach rock musical opened in August 2005 in which Tokyo district?

It ran at the Space Zero venue for twelve days, and the 'Rock Musical Bleach' series carried on for years afterwards.

Where does Ichigo Kurosaki live at the start of the series?

Aizen later plans to sacrifice the whole town to forge a key to the Soul King's Palace, so the Soul Reapers secretly relocate it.

Which publisher licensed the Bleach manga for English release in North America in 2004?

It ran the chapters in its print Shonen Jump magazine from November 2007 until that magazine's final issue in April 2012.

In Bleach's multilingual naming scheme, which language do the Quincies use?

Soul Reapers draw on classical Japanese, Hollows and Arrancar use Spanish, and Fullbringers use English.

Which title, referencing the Soul Reapers' attire, did Kubo reject for the series as too generic?

He also considered 'White' before settling on Bleach for its association with that colour.

When accepted for serialization in 2001, Bleach was planned to run no more than how many years?

It ended up running for 15 years, and Ichigo's Soul Reaper heritage from the early outlines was not revealed until the Arrancar arc.

The first Bleach video game, Heat the Soul, debuted in 2005 on which platform?

Sony's consoles got games from SCEI, while Sega handled the Nintendo titles and Treasure developed the DS games.

Which manga's focus on weaponry and Greek mythology did Kubo cite as an influence on Bleach?

Masami Kurumada's series, which Kubo enjoyed in his youth, also shaped Bleach's afterlife themes.

Who leads the Fullbringer group Xcution and preceded Ichigo as Substitute Soul Reaper?

His betrayal grew out of the Soul Society's surveillance and suppression of Substitute Soul Reapers.

How many individual chapters make up the complete Bleach manga?

They were collected in 74 volumes released between January 2002 and November 2016.

The English names given to Fullbringers frequently reference what?

Kubo also choreographed fights while listening to rock music to set the rhythm of his panel transitions.

Which Guy Ritchie film did Kubo say he enjoyed while denying he used it as a model for fight scenes?

He acknowledged cinematic influences on pacing but named no specific films as direct references for combat.

What was the title of the 73-page one-shot published in 2021 for the manga's 20th anniversary?

Its Japanese title uses the character for a story arc, leaving the chapter's cliffhanger open for more.

Who directed the original 366-episode Bleach anime for Pierrot?

Taguchi and Murata later split directing duties on the four cours of Thousand-Year Blood War.

Which resurrected Espada leads the Beasts of Hell in the 2021 anniversary chapter?

The ambush reveals that the Soul Funeral Ceremony actually consigns dead captains like Ukitake to Hell.