How to Watch Bleach in Order

Bleach whitethorn not get rather arsenic overmuch franchising attraction arsenic its "Big Three" counterparts Naruto and One Piece, but Ichigo Kurosaki's travel to assistance mislaid souls scope the afterlife surely struck a chord backmost successful the day. In the U.S., the absorption connected Japanese civilization and mythology gave Bleach a unsocial look, with the Shinigami making for memorable creatures. Even aft 20 years, the operation of supernatural action, comedy, and a small spot of edginess inactive holds up.

Bleach has stood the trial of clip and besides made it beyond conscionable a TV show, with respective movies and adjacent a continuation 2 decades aft its archetypal release. If you’re jumping into the bid successful 2025 oregon privation to capable the gaps of what you watched backmost successful the day, I’ve enactment unneurotic this chronological usher connected however to ticker each of Bleach successful order.

How Long Is the Bleach Anime?

Adapting Tite Kubo’s manga of the aforesaid name, Bleach has been airing since 2004, amassing 366 episodes crossed 16 seasons. The amusement primitively ended backmost successful 2012, close arsenic the manga was entering its last arc. The anime had caught up to its root material, truthful alternatively than bash a agelong filler arc, the amusement simply ended.

Thankfully, successful 2020, during the 20th day of the manga, it was announced that Bleach would instrumentality to accommodate the past arc. This much caller anime adaptation is known arsenic the Thousand-Year Blood War.

In summation to the anime, determination are 4 films successful the Bleach franchise. Like astir with astir shonen series, these movies don't straight accommodate the manga and are technically not canon, arsenic they diagnostic wholly archetypal plots and adjacent archetypal characters (though, successful the lawsuit of Bleach, they are designed by the archetypal manga creator Tite Kubo). Still, the films tin beryllium large fun, and often tease upcoming surprises successful the anime.

How to Watch Bleach successful Order

1. OVA 1: Memories successful the Rain

This OVA (original video animation) was shown astatine the Jump Festa normal successful Japan successful 2004. It serves arsenic a aviator occurrence for Bleach, truthful it technically goes archetypal successful the order. Sadly, the OVA is not disposable to ticker legally, but an alternate retelling of the events of Memories successful the Rain were remade successful episodes 8 and 9 of the archetypal season.

2. Bleach Season 1 - The Substitute Soul Reaper

• Agent of the Sinigami Arc (Ep 1-20)

3. Bleach Season 2 - The Entry

• Soul Society: The Sneak Entry Arc (Ep 21-41)

4. Bleach Season 3 - The Rescue

• Soul Society: The Rescue Arc (Ep 42-63

5. OVA 2: The Sealed Sword Frenzy

Taking spot aft the extremity of the Soul Society arc, this OVA was shown astatine Bleach Jump Festa 2005. It follows a Shinigami who was sealed by the Soul Society being acceptable escaped and wreaking havoc until Ichigo and the nine effort to halt him. The OVA helps grow the past of the Soul Society, highlighting their past feats arsenic good arsenic their mistakes.

6. Bleach Season 4 - The Bounty

• The Bount Arc (Ep 64-91)

Season 4 is simply a filler arc, with an original, self-contained storyline focusing connected a contention of humans who devour souls to widen their lives.

7. Bleach Season 5 - The Assault

• The Bount: Assault connected Soul Society Arc (Ep 92-109)

8. Bleach The Movie: Memories of Nobody

When the municipality of Karakura is invaded by chartless spirits, Ichigo and Rukia conscionable a mysterious Shinigami. This is simply a unsocial Bleach movie successful that it doesn't truly contradict the continuity, and really fits truly good with the communicative of the anime. The movie besides has a bully operation of lightheartedness and action.

9. Bleach Season 6 - Arrancar Part 1

• Arrancar: The Arrival Arc (Ep 110-131)

10. Bleach Season 7 - Arrancar Part 2

• Arrancar: The Hueco Mundo Sneak Entry Arc (Ep 132-151)

11. Start Bleach Season 8 - Arrancar Part 3

• Arrancar: The Fierce Fight Arc (Ep 152-153)

12. Bleach: The DiamondDust Rebellion

The 2nd Bleach movie is fundamentally a large emotion missive to fan-favorite Hitsugaya, truthful if you don't similar the character, hole for an full movie astir wherefore he's cool. The DiamondDust Rebellion continues to grow connected the corruption of the Soul Society and shows the complexities of the enactment successful a mode that adjacent the anime doesn't ever get to do.

13. Finish Bleach Season 8 - Arrancar Part 3

• Arrancar: The Fierce Fight Arc (Ep 154-167)

14. Bleach Season 9 - The New Captain

• The New Captain Shusuke Amagai Arc (Ep 168-189)

An original, self-contained filler play focusing connected a caller Soul Reaper captain. It tin beryllium skipped for the involvement of pacing, but it does connection immoderate bully moments and quality development.

15. Bleach Season 10 - Arrancar Part 4

• Arrancar vs. Shinigami Arc (Ep 190-205)

16. Bleach: Fade to Black

This is the Bleach movie with the champion quality drama, with a beardown absorption connected Rukia, who is kidnapped by 2 spirits from her past, and Ichigo's attempts to rescue her.

17. Bleach Season 11 - Turn Back the Pendulum

• The Past Arc (Ep 206-212)

18. Bleach Season 12 - Arrancar Part 5

• Decisive Battle of Karakura Arc (Ep 213-229)

19. Bleach Season 13 - Zanpakuto The Alternate Tale

• Zanpakuto Rebellion Arc (Ep 230-255)
• Sword Beasts Arc (Ep 256-265)

Another filler season, but not conscionable immoderate filler season. This time, the Soul Reaper's swords, Zanpakuto, instrumentality quality forms and state warfare connected their wielders. This is considered by acold the champion filler successful each of Bleach, serving arsenic a interruption from the Arrancar communicative arc portion besides offering coagulated worldbuilding and amusive crippled twists.

20. Start Bleach Season 14 - Arrancar Part 6

• Arrancar: Downfall Arc (Ep 266-299)

21. Bleach: Hell Verse (2010)

We're going to hell! Despite Bleach being each astir spirits, the conception of hellhole isn't truly that overmuch of a portion of the show, which makes this movie a refreshing summation to the lore. There are large Dante's Inferno vibes arsenic good arsenic immoderate stunning backgrounds and carnal designs.

22. Finish Bleach Season 14 - Arrancer Part 6

• Arrancar: Downfall Arc (Ep 300-316)

23. Bleach Season 15 - Gotei 13 Invading Army

• Gotei 13 Invading Army Arc (Ep 317-342)

Another filler arc, Gotei 13 Invading Army is astir a large conspiracy successful the Soul Society wherein each psyche reaper is being replaced with a copy. Though not wholly canon, this play has immoderate stunning enactment animation, and immoderate large combat matchups that weaponize instrumentality work to present thrilling moments.

24. Bleach Season 16 - The Lost Agent

• Lost Agent Arc (Ep 343-366)

25. Bleach: Thousand Year Blood War Part 1

• The Blood Warfare Arc (Ep 367-379)

26. Bleach: Thousand Year Blood War Part 2

• The Separation Arc (Ep 380-392)

27. Bleach: Thousand Year Blood War Part 3

• The Conflict Arc (Ep 393-406)

What Comes Next for Bleach?

The 4th and last portion of Thousand Year Blood War, titled The Calamity, was announced arsenic soon arsenic Part 3 finished airing successful December 2024. This adjacent arc volition yet bring the iconic communicative to a adjacent by adapting the extremity of the manga, implicit 20 years aft the anime archetypal started airing. Expect epic fights, tragic moments, and immoderate large revelations.

Rafael Motamayor is simply a contributing freelancer for IGN covering everything anime and animation.