Bleach

Bleach

ブリーチ
2004 -2012 Studio Pierrot TV Tokyo 366 episodes Completed
Action Adventure Supernatural
Details & Synopsis
Ichigo Kurosaki is a 15-year-old high school student who can see ghosts. That is his normal until he meets Rukia Kuchiki, a Soul Reaper, and ends up absorbing her powers to save his family from a monstrous soul-devouring Hollow.

Bleach is the definition of 2000s drip. Alongside Naruto and One Piece, it formed the legendary "Big Three" of shonen anime. The Soul Society arc remains one of the greatest, most flawlessly paced rescue arcs in anime history. The soundtrack by Shiro Sagisu is iconic. The sheer style and swagger of Tite Kubo's character designs set a standard that an entire generation of artists tried to copy.

Yes, there are massive filler arcs (we all remember the Bounts). Skip them if you have to. But when Bleach's canon material hits, with those slow-burn Bankai reveals, it hits harder than almost anything else from its era. 366 episodes of pure, unfiltered spiritual warfare.
Alt Title ブリーチ
Studio Studio Pierrot
Network TV Tokyo
Aired 2004 - 2012
Episodes 366
Genre Action, Adventure, Supernatural
Status Completed
← All lore

Arrancar & Hueco Mundo

Aizen Brings the Next War to Ichigo

The Arrancar Make Hollow Power Look Organized

Episodes 110–116 · Arrival Arc

The first Arrancar attacks change the meaning of Hollows. These are not isolated predators wandering into Karakura Town; they are armed, ranked and reporting to Aizen. Soul Society responds by stationing Shinigami in the living world, while Ichigo discovers that the Hollow inside him is becoming as dangerous to his confidence as the enemies outside.
Ichigo Kurosaki Sosuke Aizen

Orihime's Goodbye Is Not a Simple Kidnapping

Ulquiorra Gives Orihime the Choice Aizen Designed

SPOILER!

Episodes 140–142 · Goodbye, Kurosaki

Orihime is forced into Hueco Mundo under conditions designed to make it look as though she has left willingly. Before she goes, she is allowed one final unseen visit and chooses Ichigo's room. The rescue that follows is driven by the same logic as Soul Society, but with a crueler ambiguity: Soul Society officially orders Ichigo not to go, and Orihime has been positioned so that outsiders can doubt whether she needs saving at all.
Orihime Inoue Ulquiorra Cifer

Ichigo Repeats the Rescue and Discovers It Is Not the Same War

The Espada Turn Las Noches Into a Series of Personal Tests

SPOILER!

Episodes 145–167 · Las Noches

Hueco Mundo breaks the rescue team apart and gives each fighter an opponent that exposes a different weakness. Rukia confronts Kaien's face, Uryū and Renji are trapped by Szayelaporro, Chad reaches the limit of the strength he has built, and Ichigo's rivalry with Grimmjow becomes a fight over what protecting Orihime is supposed to mean. Aizen barely needs to be present because the Espada keep forcing the heroes to define themselves for him.
Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez Uryu Ishida Rukia Kuchiki

Ulquiorra Pushes Ichigo Past the Point of Victory

Ichigo Dies and the Hollow Wins the Fight

SPOILER!

Episodes 266–272 · Ulquiorra Conclusion

The second fight with Ulquiorra strips away the normal shōnen promise that determination will produce a clean breakthrough. Ichigo is killed, Orihime calls for him, and something inside him takes over with power neither of them can treat as a triumph. Ulquiorra is defeated, but Ichigo wakes horrified by what his body did without him. The victory leaves him less certain of himself than the loss would have.
Ichigo Kurosaki Ulquiorra Cifer Orihime Inoue