Simo Urahara

One of the things I really like about Ichigo and his son Kazui is the way Kubo chose the meanings behind their names.. Ichigo’s name is connected to protection, while Kazui’s name is associated with courage, bravery, or even fearlessness. And those qualities fit Kazui perfectly. Ever since his first appearance, we’ve seen him in places you wouldn’t normally expect to find a child. His personality combines the innocence and curiosity of a child exploring the world with the unique traits he inherited from both his mother and father. And as I said, there’s also this sense of fearlessness that really sets him apart. Ichika, who is the same age as Kazui, was terrified by the sight of the beasts of Hell. Meanwhile, Kazui was the one who opened the Gates of Hell, and when he came face to face with the main gate, he greeted it with a smile that might look innocent at first... but honestly, I find it terrifying.. That’s why Kazui is one of the characters I’m already really excited to see in the final episode, and I really hope the anime gives him some additional scenes.

One of the things that surprised me when I watched the short clip from Kubo's latest interview was that he still keeps the original character design sketches from the Princess Rurichiyo filler arc! Kubo previously mentioned in Volume 33 of BLEACH that he was involved to some extent in developing the story for that arc and supervised the review of its script. He also designed its main characters. By the way, I've always thought that the Can't Fear Your Own World novels would have worked really well as an anime adaptation with a similar approach to the Princess Rurichiyo arc. Especially since the premise was quite similar to Hisagi’s story in Can't Fear Your Own World, with both involving the noble families, who play a central role in the story. Back then, the anime had plenty of resources and room to expand its story. That filler arc alone had 22 episodes! Now, just imagine if those 22 episodes had been dedicated to adapting Can't Fear Your Own World, a novel series consisting of three volumes!

Considering that the events of BLEACH: Mirrors High take place after the end of the Thousand-Year Blood War, I noticed something interesting about the captains' meeting shown in the opening. It seems that Iba and Lisa had not yet officially become captains at that point. In other words, they were carrying out the duties of captains without formally holding the rank. This might explain why Iba still has the lieutenant's badge on his arm, while Lisa isn't wearing the captain's haori that we see her wearing ten years later. We also know from the novels that, following the war, the Gotei 13 suffered from a severe shortage of officers. If I remember correctly, they even started recruiting students from the Shin'o Academy before they had officially graduated, although I'm not entirely sure about that detail. But the point is that the Gotei 13 desperately needed new blood, which could also explain why Kubo designed more than 13 new characters for the game. Of course, these characters were primarily created to serve the game's story and gameplay, but from a lore perspective, their introduction actually makes a lot of sense.

I wish the final episode of the season had been more like Episode 366, which I still consider one of the most emotionally impactful episodes I've ever watched. I can still remember the genuine emotions I felt when I watched it for the first time. I wish we had gotten a montage of beautifully animated scenes briefly showing us what happened to some of the characters afterward: A brief glimpse of the reconstruction work taking place at the Royal Palace, along with a mysterious shot revealing what the seal containing Reio looked like. A scene featuring Kisuke Urahara alongside Tessai, the Visored, and Isshin. A glimpse of what happened to some of the Quincies, especially the Bambies.

I believe the new game, BLEACH MIRRORS HIGH, will give us some interesting stories about a new generation of Shinigamis. A generation that probably entered the Shin'o Academy after the death of its founder, Yamamoto. Or maybe I could call them the “post-Tybw generation.”

I don't know why, but as soon as I saw this new character in Bleach: Mirrors High, I immediately thought of Ashido.

As happy as I am that the Thousand-Year Blood War arc received an anime adaptation and that I got to experience it in animated form, I can't help but feel a little sad at the same time. Because I love BLEACH, and I genuinely wished the anime had been longer and explored more of its world and story. In fact, one of the reasons I was excited about Studio Pierrot handling this arc was that the studio had previously worked on Naruto, a series whose manga had a somewhat similar situation to BLEACH. We had the conclusion of a major war, the aftermath of that war, a time skip, and eventually a new generation. Studio Pierrot adapted several Naruto novels that explored the period surrounding the end of the original story, including Sasuke's Story, Shikamaru's Story, and the story surrounding Naruto and Hinata's wedding. And that's without even mentioning The Last: Naruto the Movie, which focused on the relationship between Naruto and Hinata. For years, I had hoped that Studio Pierrot might take a similar approach with BLEACH, especially considering how many mysteries and unanswered questions remained after the manga ended. I'm particularly talking about the immediate aftermath of the war, as well as the existence of the novel WE DO knot ALWAYS LOVE YOU, which focuses on Rukia and Renji's wedding and helps bridge the gap between the war and the manga's final chapters. Of course, I'm not greedy enough to demand a complete adaptation of Hisagi's novel, Can't Fear Your Own World. But I genuinely wished we had been given enough episodes to at least adapt some of the post-war material from that novel and Rukia's wedding novel. I believe those additions could have been incredibly valuable to the anime, giving us more time with the characters and allowing the story to explore what happened after the war. However, the decision to make the final cour only ten episodes long raises some serious questions for me. At the end of the day, I love BLEACH. And what I want more than anything is to see this franchise continue receiving new projects, anime seasons, and movies. BLEACH has had an enormous influence on generations of manga creators and readers, and I believe a series with such a legacy deserves the very best.

While I was walking along the beach, I noticed footprints left behind by other people, and for some reason, they made me think of BLEACH, especially the TYBW finale. Those footprints, the journey, and everything along the way...😭😢

Kubo's answer to the question "Do you want to draw a new manga?" was: "I want to draw one, but I don't want it to be a serialization." Anyone who has been following Kubo's statements, as well as the works and experiences of other mangaka who have created long-running serialized manga, and knows even a little about the life of a manga artist, will understand what Kubo means without immediately jumping to conclusions. Some people rush to claim that Kubo is talking about a completely new work rather than Bleach, while others assume that this means he will never draw manga again. But no. That's not the point at all. Kubo spent 15 consecutive years drawing manga on a weekly basis! And during the final five years, he suffered both physically and mentally, to the point where he wanted to end the manga much earlier. However, he continued because of that famous letter he received from a terminally ill fan. That's why, after finishing Bleach's main story, Kubo decided that he would never return to drawing manga on a weekly schedule! In fact, he already made this clear in his message in the first volume of Burn the Witch. He doesn't want to draw manga on a weekly schedule, a monthly schedule, or under any kind of serialization system that forces him to produce chapters within specific deadlines. Kubo wants to draw manga at his own pace, on his own terms, much like Togashi. So, for example, when we talk about the Bleach Hell Arc or Burn the Witch, this approach applies perfectly to both. Kubo will draw whatever he wants, whenever he wants, with as much time and creative freedom as he needs, without putting himself under unnecessary pressure!

We needed you too Hero 🥲

Finally!! I can already tell we’re gonna have another banger!” 🔥🔥🔥 Can we have the conclusion of Reio’s past with Yhwach? The animation looks soo cleaan

To avoid falling into the same trap of interpreting everything as hints about the Hell Arc and getting carried away by wishful thinking, let’s prioritize facts over speculation. Kubo’s announcement that he has started working on BLEACH EX II is simply related to his work on the exhibition, nothing more. The previous exhibition featured new illustrations, including artwork related to the Hell one-shot that Kubo had already released. What happened in the past stays in the past. Has the return of the Hell Arc been officially announced? No. There has been no official announcement. Is Kubo currently working on the Hell Arc? Officially, nobody knows. Does this exhibition have anything to do with the Hell Arc? Officially, there is no news or information linking the two. That’s why it’s better to take Kubo’s statements in their proper context instead of creating unnecessary hype around something that, theoretically, might or might not ever happen.

I just hope the leakers really did receive information that Bleach is the series replacing Sakamoto Days, rather than something vague like “a manga from the Big Three,” and they simply assumed it was Bleach instead of Naruto😭😰. Because seriously, I hope we get an official announcement about the manga’s return too, rather than just speculation and wishful thinking. Because logically, if Sakamoto Days is going to end in less than two months, that makes it more likely that Bleach could be the series replacing it, especially since Naruto’s return announcement is expected at Jump Festa, which will take place at the end of December. Anyway, we’ll just have to wait! I really hope we finally get an official announcement confirming the return of the Bleach manga.

The aura coming from this TOC is unreal. Back in the days of Bleach, One Piece, Naruto, Gintama, Reborn!, D.Gray-man, and Hunter x Hunter, all of these series were running at the same time, and they were all going through a golden era in terms of success, whether it was the story, long-running anime seasons, or movies here and there.

15 years ago, around this time of year, an issue of Weekly Shonen Jump revealed that the Fullbring Arc would be coming to the anime. The page also revealed the voice actors for the characters!

One of my favorite color pages. It shows Kisuke and Ichigo talking on their way to Hueco Mundo. The sight of Hueco Mundo in ruins, the Las Noches, and the blue flames, combined with what Kisuke was saying, created this incredible sense of dread and anticipation. I remember wondering what was going to happen next in the story. PS: This is a color page colored by Kubo himself, not a Shueisha coloring.

Since I’m talking about the manga’s return, it’s well known that Shonen Jump has certain cycles where series are canceled or end, and new series take their place. One of these cycles usually happens around October and November. For example, last year, three series ended between October and November. That’s why I think it’s possible that we should keep an eye on what happens during these months, especially since the leakers have linked the end of Sakamoto Days to Bleach’s return. Of course, we still don’t know what this return would look like or how the magazine would handle Bleach. Would it follow a seasonal format like Burn the Witch, an irregular schedule like Hunter x Hunter, or simply be a short return? I really hope it won’t be the last one.

I don’t know why people keep connecting again the return of the Bleach manga to the event celebrating the end of the anime BLEACH FES. I believe that the manga’s return would most likely be announced through an issue of Weekly Shonen Jump. We already have a leak suggesting that it could return after the end of Sakamoto Days. Of course, I don’t consider these leaks confirmed, but I remember that the announcement of the one-shot was made in the magazine. I’m saying this because I don’t want us to start speculating again that the manga will return at that event, when the event itself could have absolutely nothing to do with the manga. Personally, if the manga doesn’t return after the end of Sakamoto Days, as the leakers claimed, I won’t lose hope. But I also won’t trust leaks or speculation again, no matter how credible the person behind them may seem. In the end, everything depends on Kubo’s and Shueisha’s decision, not anyone else’s.

If Bleach could have a movie that was a remake of a specific event from the manga, which event would you want the movie to focus on? Honestly, I find this difficult to answer because movies usually need to have a complete story with a proper beginning, middle, and conclusion. I was thinking about the execution of Rukia. What about you ?

I think Yhwach being in the Human World, specifically Karakura Town, and fighting the final battle against the Captains there could explain why a trace of Yhwach’s reiatsu appeared at Ichigo’s house.