Despite being one of the biggest manga in the world and one of the most popular series in Weekly Shonen Jump, Bleach had a very troubled history when it came to its ending. The original Bleach anime ended in 2012 after adapting The Lost Substitue Shinigami arc, an arc that was generally considered to be weaker than the previous arcs. This was disappointing news to Bleach fans everywhere, especially those that were hoping to experience the manga's final arc through the anime. Unfortunately, the anime would not return, and in 2016, the manga would end its run with a rather abrupt ending.
Nevertheless, Bleach fans continued to hold out hope, and their wishes were granted with the announcement of Thousand-Year Blood War, a new Bleach anime meant to finally adapt the final arc of the manga. Set to air in Fall 2022, this landmark anime series is finally returning after ten years off of the air. The new anime series is not only a chance to finally adapt the last arc of Bleach, but also a golden opportunity for creator Tite Kubo to give the series a chance to revise the manga's ending, which many see as dissatisfying and rushed.
What The Thousand-Year Blood War Arc Is About
The final arc of Bleach is called the Thousand-Year Blood War Arc, and it is about the conflict between the Shinigami and the supposedly long-gone Quincies. The arc focuses on the history between the two factions, as well as a group of surviving Quincies intent on taking revenge for the Quincy massacre the Shinigami committed centuries ago. There is a lot of lore and surprising backstory revealed in this arc, which makes it so important in the overall scope of the series.
The main villain of the arc is Yhwach, the leader of the Wandenreich, a group of Quincies who survived the massacre and hid away as they waited for their master to return. Yhwach himself is a man of incredible powers, likely due to being the son of the Soul King himself. When Yhwach returns, he attacks Soul Society several times, displaying his incredible powers and abilities by killing Gotei 13 Commander Genryusai Yamamoto, stealing the Bankais of several high-ranking officers and even killing and absorbing the Soul King. Yhwach easily proves himself to be one of the most powerful enemies Ichigo and his allies have ever faced.
How The Manga Ended
After a series of events during which Ichigo and his allies fight against the Wandenreich and Ichigo trains to receive a stronger version of Tensa Zangetsu, a large clash between the Shinigami and the Quincies begin. Despite their strange and overwhelming powers and techniques, the Quincies are slowly defeated as the Shinigami are backed up by Ichigo and his allies. The tide slowly begins to turn to the side of the Shinigami, though they take many casualties in the process.
Eventually, the arc's climax came down to a face-off between Ichigo and Yhwach, a fight that was certain to be the most exciting fight of the series, with Ichigo at his strongest and Yhwach being even more powerful than Aizen. Despite this buildup, the fight between Ichigo and Yhwach ended rather abruptly, with a very quick finish that didn't really satisfy those that were expecting an epic battle deserving of the final villain. The manga then cuts to the future rather quickly, showing how the characters were doing as adults. Even now, many fans see the ending as being absurdly abrupt, and some believe that something behind the scenes caused Tite Kubo to wrap up the manga sooner than he wanted to.
How The New Anime Can Fix The Ending
The Thousand-Year Blood War anime series is not just a chance to adapt the final arc of Bleach; it's also a chance to redo the ending of Bleach and give it a more satisfying conclusion. With less of a need to worry about deadlines or fan response, creator Tite Kubo could have enough space to end the series properly, something he couldn't do back when the series was ending in 2016. While a fully faithful adaptation of the final arc would be greatly appreciated, fans would surely be happy to see a revised ending to the series.
There aren't necessarily a lot of changes needed to make Bleach's ending more conclusive; a stronger climax to the fight between Ichigo and Yhwach is expected, and some extra time between the arc's finale and the epilogue would do a lot to make the ending feel less abrupt. While it's not known exactly how many episodes the series will last, it's unlikely that they would end the series without adapting the entire arc. With no need to worry about filler or keeping ahead of the manga, there's sure to be enough space to create a proper ending. Done right, it's possible to give this landmark series the ending that it deserves.