Bleach anime reaches its finale, with fans hoping for a new ending

The final episode of *Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War* is due to air on 26 October, bringing the long-running anime adaptation to a close and renewing fans’ hopes that its ending will improve on the divisive conclusion of the original manga.

The story follows Ichigo Kurosaki, a teenager who can see ghosts and battles evil spirits while navigating school and family life. *Bleach* is considered one of Japan’s “big three” manga series, alongside *One Piece* and *Naruto*.

The original anime ran from 2004 to 2012, but stopped before it caught up with the manga. The animated adaptation of the manga’s final arc began in 2022; *Thousand-Year Blood War* was divided into four parts, with the final run starting in July.

Creator Tite Kubo has overseen changes to the original arc for the anime, alongside animation studio Pierrot Films. The manga’s ending, published in 2016, was unpopular with many fans and was reported to have been rushed while Kubo was experiencing health problems.

For fans Ruby Ebbs, 27, and Nicholas Thong, 30, the series has been part of their lives since childhood. Ebbs said she began reading it at nine and that it had helped her through difficult times. Thong said watching the anime as a teenager helped him make friends at school. The pair told BBC Newsbeat they planned to watch the finale together.

Another fan, Itanna Alakija, praised the series’ portrayal of Black characters, saying it represented them “in a non-stereotypical way”.