Since its manga debut in 2001 and the subsequent anime release in 2004, Bleach, by mangaka Tite Kubo, has been one of the most recognizable titles in the world of manga and anime. Grouped into the iconic “Big Three” alongside names such as Naruto and Once Piece, Bleach’s success speaks for itself. Though the anime has been heavily criticized in relation to its peers, those words haven’t hampered fans’ genuine love and excitement for the series.
Following the life of 15-year-old substitute soul reaper Ichigo Kurosaki, the anime has spanned a total 16 seasons, 366 episodes, and 5 films to date. This would be binge-worthy all on its own, but if you needed a concrete reason to start, now would be the best time. The long-awaited adaptation of the The Thousand-Year Blood War Arc will finally be released in October of this year, giving fans of the anime the closure they’ve been waiting for since 2012.
Watch order, including movies and specials
How you choose to watch Bleach depends purely on how much filler you can stomach. Out of its 366 episodes, 164 are filler, resulting in a whopping 45 percent of non-essential content. Some of the filler spans entire arcs and in no way affects the main plot of the story. So, if you’re in a crunch, they can be skipped, but are useful when to comes to learning about the backstory of some of the secondary characters. In a similar vein, the films are non-canon, but they have pretty decent storylines that complement the anime, even though there might be some continuity errors.
The best part about Bleach, however, is that the recommended watch order is purely chronological and the order in which it was released, (save for a few specials and the films released). Nonetheless, here’s a handy guide to watching Bleach and the filler episodes, if you care to skip them:
Specials
- Memories in the Rain (2004)
- 13 Court Guard Squads Omake (2005)
- The Sealed Sword Frenzy (2006)
1. Beginning and Soul Society Arc
- Episodes 1-7
- Memories in the Rain
- 13 Court Guard Squads Omake
- Episodes 8-63
- The Sealed Sword Frenzy
- Episodes 64-109
- Bleach the Movie: Memories of Nobody
2. Hueco Mundo Arc
- Episodes 110-137
- Bleach the Movie: The Diamond Dust Rebellion
- Bleach the Movie: Fade to Black
- Episodes 138-214
3. Fake Karakura Town Arc
- Episodes 215-299
- Bleach the Movie: Hell Verse
- Episodes 300-342
4. Substitute Soul Reaper Arc
- Episodes 343-366
5. Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War Arc
The Thousand-Year Blood War Arc begins with chapter 480 in the manga and continues until the end, chapter 686. That’s over 200 chapters of content, and though we haven’t been told how many episodes of the final arc there’ll be, based on that alone, we’re looking at over 30 episodes. We’ve dreamed of times like these! The anime will finally get its long-awaited conclusion.
All Filler Episodes
Adventures Of The Karakura Superheroes: episodes 33, 50
The Bount Arc: episodes 64-108
Stolen Hogyoku Arc: episodes 128-137
Forest Of The Menos: episodes 147-149
The New Captain, Shusuke Amagai: episodes 168-189
Rurichiyo And Kenryu’s Feud: episodes 204, 205
Exploits Of The Karakura-Raizer Team: episodes 213, 214
A Fun Time At The Beach: episode 228
Ikkaku And Yumichika’s Adventures: episode 229
Zanpakuto Unknown Tales Arc: episodes 230-265
A Recap Of The Events In Hueco Mundo: episode 266
Ichigo And The Magic Lamp: episode 287
Setting Up The Hell Chapter Movie: episodes 298, 299
One-off Episodes: 303-305, 311-316
The Gotei 13 Invasion: episodes 317-342
New-Year Special: episode 355
Published: Jul 8, 2022 01:26 pm