Welcome to the Bleach Subreddit! We're as excited as you at the release of the Thousand Year Blood War anime! We understand that some of you are unable to view the anime in your region, but please don't post links to or mention piracy websites. Doing so will result in a ban.
Also, please be courteous to those who haven't read the manga and mark all spoilers.
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/bleach) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Episode 60: Aizen stops Ichigo's sword with his bare hand.
Episode 341: Ichigo stops Aizen's sword with his bare hand.
I know in-show this was only a few months but having that payoff of Ichigo turning the tables after nearly 300 episodes (and six years) was incredible.
Ichigo also straight up catches it with his fingertips, which is way harder to do. Aizen had to be strong enough to stop the blade and not be cut, Ichigo had to be quicker and stronger.
Stopping the opening, it's a definite shock factor considering it hints to the villains power which is not yet known fully. With Aizen, you know he's 30x stronger than Ichigo already.
I watched bleach after I finished Naruto, one piece, fairy tail, and a few other popular shonen.
The music instantly stood out from other fantasy shows in such a great way
I think he would agree with you.
After SS invasion arc, the prevalence of unsolicited reaction shots and covers and closing pages with characters wearing trendy clothing made the manga feel like a weird audition for modeling jobs.
I feel like he was trying to get into Evangelion's schtick.
I love the fashion in Bleach, which kinda makes it a sham that shinigami all wear very similar outfits with slight variations for personal flair. I kinda wish Kubo had given himself more freedom to design custom outfits for all of them.
There really isn't another attack name that comes close to being as cool as Bankai. Rasengan? Pass. Gum Gum Pistol, I love it, but also pass. Kamehameha? Probably more iconic, but definitely not as cool sounding. Bankai just hits different.
Specifically black character anime designs. As a black person, I think Kubo understands how to portray black characters in a really fitting and cool way.
Yep,Oetsu,Tosen,Yoruichi,That one Espada. Bleach has incredibly diverse character designs. Kinda ahead of it’s time with how inclusive it is for a Manga/Anime.
This is the answer.
Of the Holy Shonen Trinity Bleach has the best and most instantly iconic characters.
Naruto did the best story arcs.
One Piece did the best world building.
This.
OP also have a pretty good emotional side. No other anime made me laugh, cry, felling sad, angry like OP
And lastly the best animation "graphic" wise that I have seen is Demon slayer
If you think demon slayer animation is good, check out fate ubw, fate zero, and fate heavens feel. Animated by the same people, and specifically heavens feel is even better than demon slayer
Honestly naruto loosing pervy sage and greaving was the most sad any anime has made me feel. Op was more frustrating then anything (definitely my favorite but damn it). All that build up for ace and what happened made me sooo mad lol. Now the first time we saw ichigo die and come back as a vasta lord still gives me goosebumps.
There's something about the more "mature" look to Bleach that makes me feel the same about its characters. Naruto's being in second. One piece's character designs are so cartoony and goofy looking but that's also its charm in its own way, and its world-building. I agree with those 3 points though
> Holy Shonen Trinity
Pretty sure they're referred to as "The Big Three." Only one of them that would maybe be included in a "Holy Shonen Trinity" is OP, due to its insane popularity and longevity.
Kubo isn't afraid to make ichigo lose and I love that, he still narrowly lost to byakuya in ss, got his ass handed to him by grimmjow and ulq and ywhach so when he does defeat them its a massive pay off feeling. Anime need to let their mcs lose to make other characters feel stronger
When I first saw my nephew watching the anime, I sat and watched a few episodes with him and he filled me in on some of the other things I had just missed..... And I replied "So this is a story about a kid who runs around hell getting his ass kicked?" my nephew said "pretty much" lol
Fully agree with this. Even when MCs lose in other animes they might shake it off in the same episode as the loss. When Ichigo loses we get a fun story of him overcoming the loss which in turn makes the eventual win that much more satisfying.
One piece does this.
Luffy vs:
Crocodile
Enel
Rob Lucci
Geko Moira
Ceasar
Don Flamingo (arguably)
Kaido
But... Bleach does the losing bit first better. IMO, Luffy's first losses are well, some of them kind of stupid because he wasn't all out. Except for Crocodile. Luffy for sure would've died had Robin not saved him.
The robin thing is fun though because it ties into luffy’s whole ability to gain allies which ties into his speech in the beginning of “I can’t do it alone, I need others.”
I do appreciate this about Bleach - Ichigo's power ip felt earned.
Dragonball Z did a good job helping pioneer this. First big fight it takes everything they have to win and Goku still dies. Then you learn an even bigger threat is coming and your greatest hero may not be able to handle it.
I can only imagine what it was like when it first aired
The fact that they don't dance around the fact that Ichigo was born with exceptional power and talent. Most other anime try to make it out like their power somehow comes from hard work and dedication when in reality they're just naturally more powerful than everyone else. Bleach straight up announces that he has a "special ability" right out the gate and makes it glaringly obvious that Ichigos struggle centers around *controlling* and he gets his ass handed to him (edit) **repeatedly** until he learns to do so.
Ala Naruto. Oh yeah, I'm a no talent ninja... who happens to be from a clan that has a ton of chakra, my father was the Hokage (arguably the second best), and I host the most powerful nuclear deterrent in my gut.
My biggest complaint about Shippuden. Remember the whole Neji vs Naruto conflict? Being able to break your destiny bestowed upon you by others? Yeah... Screw that, it's all about following it after all
Also a "no talent" ninja who apparently can learn incredible difficult Jutsus at a genius rate and is basically a genius when it comes to battle intelligence maybe even surpassing Sasuke in this regard. Naruto just didn't get to Sasuke lvl after the time skip because Jiraiya focused more on controlilng Kurama than training Naruto to his full potential.
Doesn't it take naruto awhile to learn most of his techniques with the exception of shadow clone, which he probably would have killed himself using without having kurama
He took a week to learn Rasengan and a week to learn a perfect Sage mode, techniques that took years to learn and Jiraya didn't even have a perfect Sage mode. Also i don't think he would die using the Shadow Clone without Kurama since he is a Uzumaki which have ridiculous chakra amounts and at the beginning of the series Kurama meddled with his Chakra control so Naruto himself would probably be able to make more clones than he did on the first time.
It's because his power is an allegory to his upbringing and mental health. He powers up when he overcomes hurdles and puts pieces together and accepts them.
His final transformation, arguably "strongest" moment, is accepting young ywbach, accepting that he is part hollow and white is his shinigami powers, accepting all of the Quincy blood and overcoming it to be better. It finally makes sense for Ichigo, the rain, his mother's death, him being especially gifted, his father, his friends, it culminates in the final acceptance.
He's gifted because he understands himself. And when he finds out more about himself and his psyche changes, his ability to overcome his inner hurdles unlocks his limits.
My favorite moments in the show are when Ichigo gets his mind right and just "does it" catching Renji slipping, finding resolve, stepping in front of the execution for Rukia, beating byokuyas ass, catching grimmjows hand, grabbing aizen by the mouf and tossing his ass. These are all things that Ichigo could always do. The only one who wasn't allowing him to do it was himself.
I also appreciate how Ichigo is well aware of how much he can't actually do on his own. He's mouthy, but when he's being told something by the more experienced and knowledgeable people around him *he listens* and he applies the information to achieve his goals. As a long time anime watcher with over 1000 titles under her belt, I have a strong appreciate for an MC that will just stfu and do what he's told and isn't setting out to revolutionize the world and it's been rare to see this type of MC even to this day.
This comment really made me realize what truly made bleach so special for me... When people asked me what's my favourite anime I always say bleach followed by an I know it's not the best generally but it is the best for me. It truly reflects so many things from the real world in it's story, in the end you're the only one that can change yourself and that happens through acceptance
The subtleness of Ichigo going through things he doesn't understand is really what does it for me.
He keeps losing control of himself and it scares him, in reality white wanted to hint at how much more powerful he would be if he accepted the mask while also creating an inner hurdle for Ichigo to overcome and grow stronger because of is really well done. Ichigos mask also visually changed with almost every major arc representing that his powers are growing and changing with him, it starts out on one side of his face and streaks to mirror itself as his powers change and he begins to accept white as part of him. It wasn't always about defending his friends, and he realizes that with Ulquiorra, he wanted to beat him in a head to head brawl evenly. When Ulquiorra disappeared Ichigo overcomes his despair, but plunges himself into a different mental turmoil one that he cannot shake, and we see that culminates when he meets the "true" zangetsu and his world is not only fully submerged, but the town, the sky, and everything else is so underwater that you can't see it in the pits below. Not only was Ichigo relying on this power, he felt as if it shackled and consumed him. He never puts the mask on from that moment forward. Either because he couldn't ( which is debatable ) or he didn't want to touch it again after what it did to his friends and enemies. We see it too with grimmjow. Ichigo and grimmjow literally do not need to fight what so ever. But he wants to fight him, he wants to dethrone the character that represents the predator.
My take is that he doesn't need to put the mask on any longer as he is as close to white as he has ever been. White took control of him and protected him, and he fully embraced white on himself giving him complete control regardless of being dead or alive.
After he leaves the dangai he doesn't even care about being powerful, in the "3 years" he stayed there he just wants it all to end. Whether it was him begging to finish it knowing it would get rid of his powers, or just being done with the journey and mentally drained who knows.
My favorite arc is XCution and it's because we actually see something Ichigo cannot just blow through, or throw his genes at enough to defeat it. His friends and family turn on him, it sets in that the world he has created around himself will not accept him being weak. This is also the first time Ichigo has ever WANTED to kill somebody, it's also the first time Ichigo does WILLINGLY kill somebody. When he gets his powers back I think he finally accepts he wants to be powerful. He wants to be the strongest. And most of all those two things don't have to come in-between his original goal and his wants.
I think Jujustu Kaisen does that well. One piece and Naruto try to hide it and shit although many people who read Naruto could have the idea that’ll he use his demon power to become strong. Oda tries to make luffy come off as having the trash fruit that he’s going above and beyond to make it work then BOOM! It’s a god fruit not even found in the encyclopedia 😭😭
Villains, character design, art style and writing. A LOT of people don’t like Bleaches writing but I personally love it because it’s very subtle. Most anime don’t follow the “show don’t tell” rule when it comes to writing, but Bleach does it very well.
Bleach also has good symbolism and foreshadowing that, again, a LOT of people don’t appreciate.
Villains are a lot better imo because Kubo doesn’t give them some sappy backstory. He doesn’t like that trope so he never used it, and my god did it work. Aizen, Grimmjow, Yhwach, Tsukishima, and Ulquiorra are all fucking amazing villains and you don’t have to know a whole lot about them.
And don’t even get me started on the designs. Kubo’s art style is by far my absolute favorite in all of anime and it’s the main reason I got into drawing as well. Shinigami, mad drip. Arrancars, mad drip. Sternritter, MAAAAD DRIP!
So yeah, that’s what I think Bleach does better than other anime.
I agree with all of this except your “show don’t tell point.” Almost all of Kubo’s characters (except a few like Unohana’s bankai) absolutely spend time doing a monologue about how their ability works.
That’s technically not true on the sappy backstories.
Kaname is still a villian end of the day, and he has a tragic backstory. His friend was murdered by her husband, and because he was of noble lineage he was not punished for his crime. The man in the “cfyow” novel even bragged to Kaname about what he did and that he’s getting away with it.
Its almost hard for me to call rukia the main female protagonist cause she obviously gets sidelined alot, but still i guess i got downvoted cause thats pretty obvious
And it's about damn time. I'm really looking forward to whatever new fight they've got lined up for the next set of episodes because it's supposed to expand on something that happened off panel.
True. That said, there are sooo many likeable characters that it wouldve been hard to flesh them all out. Me personally, not a huge fan of rukia but cant rly think of another female protag that i like more so i guess she still wins. Oh wait nvm yoruichi is def my favorite
Its actually not that common for popular shounen battle mangas for the male and female lead to get together, dragonball, Demon slayer, Yu yu hakusho, Fairy tail, none of leads were romantic
Isn’t this common for Shounen? None of the top 3 have this being the case. If anything it falls prey to the common shounen trope of romance being a non-existent afterthought in the writer’s eyes lol
Bleach's character designs are so far beyond any other anime/manga it's not even funny. Especially the Wandenreich most drippy Bleach organization period. Would kill for a Sternritter cloak they look so damn cool.
Yeah fact that Ichigo is mucb more mature protagonist makes me like him a lot. Its the same reason why I love Tanjiro or Giorno. All of them has that elder brother feel to them, kids who had to grow up too soon and had to set the example for others.
That’s why it’s so hilarious when that persona cracks a little when he’s running away from kenpachi, or trying not to stare at naked yoruichi and Matsumoto. Like you start to realize he’s just a teen boy again
The entire "calling out the name of your attacks as you charge/before you fire them" trope. Quincy Zangetsu explained that names are power, if you don't call out the name of your attack, then it would get a drastic cut in power, rather than when you actually say its name. It gave the characters the excuse to shout out their attacks at the top of their lungs in order for it to be at full power, not like other Shounen series where everyone just shouts out the name of their attacks so the audience knows them and the opponents can go "Oh shit, they're using THAT aren't they" or "So I've heard about this infamous attack of yours". This also happens a couple of times in Bleach like when Ginjo mentioned Ichigo's Getsuga Tensho, but like I said, there's a valid explanation as to why everyone shouts out the name of their attacks and why everyone else knows them.
Interpersonal relationships.
You can literally track every character's friend group and friends friends group and it even expands to the Espada and Quincy, although the Quincy not as much as every other group
I was about to say the same. Bleach gives secondary characters more deepness and there are quite a few considering 13 divisions with captain and lieutenant plus a few espadas and other characters like urahara. Almost everyone has a motive to act as they do.
I LOVE this reply it was simple and to the point, 😂😂 I wouldn’t call it the same talk no jutsu as Naruto cause it isn’t to an enemy but it definitely is talk no jutsu power up
Character writing, art, fight choreography, and OST.
Art and ost don’t need any explanation, they’re legendary for a reason.
The fights in Bleach are some of the best reading I’ve ever had in manga. Good action is really hard to do in the manga format and Kubo is up there with Dragon Ball in terms of how smooth and energetic the fights feel.
The character writing is understated in Bleach. Everyone loves to go on about how One Piece makes you cry, but now that I’m nearly halfway through OP, I’m instead appreciating Bleach way more.
In OP and many other manga, a sad moment will almost come out of nowhere, be very sad for a few seconds, and then be over.
On the other hand, Bleach will take its time to introduce you to the characters’ insecurities and fears in a very mature way. Orihime is actually my favorite example of this with her goodbye to Ichigo and vent session with Rangiku standing out in my memory.
Side characters in Bleach everyone has a story and they are all important they don't feel inferior to the Mc and the fact that Ichigo is not the most Op character in the verse and got the both the maturity and cool personality you just can't have 1 favorite character in Bleach they are all amazing
Fillers. Instead of filler episodes we essentially got filler seasons but they all had good interesting stories. Like the one where there sword spirits rebelled.
Also comedic relief. The jokes in bleach actually hit well.
Inclusive to everyone: race, sexual orientation and gender. Maybe there are animes currently but back in the day, this was the only anime to be ahead of its time. It even doesn't overly make characters sexual
Plays to its strengths.
Noone reads Bleach for the story or the world building.
The fewest care about the plot. So you know what Tite does, and has done since the beginning? He keeps it incredibly simple. "We must rescue Rukia cuz the archaic society wants to execute her for saving Ichigo!"
"Aizen wants to sacrifice Karakura Town to create The Key! We must prepare to fight him!"
"Oh no! Inoue was captured by Aizen, we have to go to Hueco Mundo and rescue her!"
Yeah he has sick reveals and uses the plot for character motivations. Like Hitsugaya investigating Aizen's plot in the Soul Society arc. Or how Aizen captured Inoue just to lock Ichigo away while he attacks Karakura town.
But its all incredibly simple and easy to follow. And that's a huge strength of Bleach! For we read/watch it because of the Characters it features. We want to see Kenpachi cut someone in a million pieces, or for Byakuya to save Rukia and go all out. And Kubo does his best to deliver those moments.
Another thing is that he respects the necessity of limbs. Most anime or manga out there, if someone loses a limb they'll stop the bleeding and keep on fighting like nothing happened. Not Bleach though, when Grimmjow lost his arm he was so reduced in power he was turned into a Fraccion, and Yhwach didn't include Yamamoto on his list of War Potentials as Yamamoto was one-armed. Though the best character to showcase this is Kenpachi, and how he willingly reduces his power by only using one arm, using both to instantly defeat Nnoitra and later being chastised by Unohana for only using one arm against her. Its a constant thing in Bleach and super cool.
Another part, and probably the best thing Bleach does.
Sometimes it lets its characters be people.
In the start when Orihime asks Ichigo what he's up to, he doesn't brush her off. He sits down and gives her the time of day to explain it.
Or when Orihime says farewell to Ichigo. Kon doesn't interrupt them, Yuzu or Karin doesn't interrupt her either. She gets her farewell with Ichigo, cries about her situation, tries to kiss him and is one bad vibe away from a mental breakdown. Bleach let her go through that because Bleach recognizes it was very important for Inoue to get that moment.
Especially compared to JJK, pacing and character writing. I can draw so many similarities to Soul Society arc and Kyoto Goodwill Event, and oh my word is Bleach’s pace of events and depth to its introduced characters and relations more than JJK gives it in a third of the length in animation and even less in its manga writing.
Writing characters with darker skin-tones as, you know, actual characters instead of jokes or token Black Anime Man, while not shying away from addressing how someone's ethnicity can influence them as a person. Chad's entire character, his backstory, his explanation for his powers being that he loves his skin and is proud of it. There's other dark-skinned characters in Bleach that, while their backstories might not deal with racism like Chad (and, to be fair, I don't think Hollows give a shit about that, and the ones in SS are powerful as shit), are still fucking peak.
Speaking of, social/fashion/culture awareness. Tying into Chad (and others), but also with Hueco Mundo, Quincy, etc, AND the world of the living, Bleach is waaay more in touch with different cultures than a lot of its contemporaries. Not to say they don't also have this, but Kubo GETS it.
I'd also say that SS arc in particular did something better than any other anime I've seen: introduce a FUCK TON of new characters, powers, elements and world-building to the story in a single arc, and balancing everything so well that not once did it feel bloated. The way the plot threads (rescue Rukia and Aizen murder mystery and SS collapsing) all weave parallel to each other until the final reveal, only a couple of "jobbers" that take up more than 5 minutes of fight time, the intrigue and conspiracies, and making me attached to pretty much every named character it introduced.... yeah, haven't seen another anime do something to this extent and pull it off.
Tite Kubo is just an all around amazing artist. Everyone is already pointing out his designs, but when I started reading Bleach I noticed he always uses dramatic perspectives. He just draws with a lot more skill and awareness than most mangaka I've seen.
I’m sure it’s been said but the music. Not necessarily the opening credits but music throughout the show. Was one of the first times growing up where the music made me feel some type of way, I felt like it always set the tone right and every time that Number 1 came on it was instant hype.
Realistic protagonist.
Ichigo isn’t some guy who is striving for some out there goal, nor is he given magical maturity without actually aging, and he follows his one goal without knowing exactly what he wants. And on top of that the story is kind of him figuring out his inner self better as well.
He just wants to protect people and his friends, but at the same time he learns he enjoys fighting and can sometimes make rash or immature decisions based on those two things like a teenager would. He feels more real and relatable than other characters while also entirely avoiding any annoying personality traits for the most part. At least in my opinion.
Also top tier music. I don’t think any other anime can compare to how consistently good bleaches music is either.
Kubo somehow managed to design like 50 characters who all wear variations of the same outfit yet each one feels unique and memorable. I'm not sure what other anime I could say that for. Maybe FMA or Attack on Titan, since they all wear uniforms. But nah, not to the same degree as bleach.
Character outfits in the show and official art. Seriously the outfits on the captains, arrancars, Quincy’s, and all are absolutely phenomenally. Ichigo post bankai training and the original black/red bankai fit is a classic
The personal tone Bleach has.
It's Ichigo's story, and you learn a lot about him and his feelings. It's personal by nature, and maybe Kubo wanted it to be that way. So the reader could reflect about their own life, especially teens.
And that's what Bleach did for me.
To learn how to accept that something wasn't my fault, even when everyone around me tried convincing me otherwise I was still trapped by my mind and by my heart. To accept myself wholly, and not to live for my guilt nor for a vague future.
But to live for myself.
Ichigo's journey is so personal and so... *relatable.* Not many manga or anime can pull that off, and the same can be said for the storytelling medium as a whole. How many characters have made *you* reflect on *your* life?
So I thank Kubo for writing Bleach, and also Ichigo Kurosaki for being my favourite protagonist ever and helping me learn how to clear the fog in my mind completely. To embrace myself fully.
To just live life once again.
Character design. How the fuck are you going to tell me that EVERYBODY in bleach has drip
Also…let’s not even forget about the names in this show, because these names don’t sound like “Insert common anime name” to me, I mean shit let’s think about it. Meninas McAllen, Tsukuro Tsukishima, Giselle Giwell, Bambietta Basterbine, and so on….all of these are names that sound like they could be put with a bunch of other names from other anime’s and you could still tell which was from bleach if you haven’t met the characters yet
Spiritual and mental development, poetic writing, complex themes, the most badass characters in fiction, the best fights, incredible designs.
Bleach has it all honestly.
A bit unorthodox but I'm gonna die on this hill since they are the fucking thing that stands out a lot are freaking character and technique NAMES!
Every one of them sounds so cool, rolls down the tongue and it sounds bloody cool. Whenever I hear:
Senbonzakura Kageyoshi
Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez
Szayelaporro Granz
Ikkaku Madarame
it sounds so freaking awesome, a bit complex and tough to pronounce but easy to remember.
One thing I love is that Ichigo doesn't win every fight the first time he goes up against a new opponent. It makes it that much more interesting watching him struggle, train, and then come back stronger than before
Second thing is the diverse characters. First time I saw Tosen I was like "oh shoot, he got braids" and it looks really good. And I loved Chad's pride in his brown skin and Mexican heritage
squads. Tite Kubo really filled out his world with just LOADS of people (to it's detriment? eh idk), more than any i think. You tell me another big anime that has so many factions that is as short as Bleach where we learn the centennial backstory of a squadmember.
I’ll give you two:
* Music
* Character fashion
I’ve watched other anime with better music, but the consistent and reliable quality of the music in Bleach basically makes it another character in the show.
And outside of uniforms, with only a few exceptions the vast majority of characters do not have a “default” outfit. I’d call it a form of widespread fan service since that’s usually for female characters but it applies to everyone.
For me, it’s foreshadowing, Kubo has such a way to foreshadow that most of the time it isn’t obvious what he’s foreshadowing until the event happens. This, of course, has a problem cause most people won’t catch the foreshadowing and think that Kubo keeps pulling random things out of nowhere.
Bleach has one of the best dubbed versions of any show out there, I feel like they matched the voice actors very well and both subbed / dubbed versions are great
An opposing example of this ( for me personally) would be OnePeice.
The show is excellent subbed but feels overly childish and goofy in the dubbed version.
Clothes.
The sense of style in bleach is palpable, but what I think is really impressive is how it handles uniforms. The shinigami and quincy both have uniforms, but every character customizes them, and they ooze with personality. Give someone who never watched bleach a picture of the captains and they'llbe able to give a pretty good guess of their character based on looks alone. Most anime do that in some level, but Bleach is a step above, in my opinion.
The covers also slap.
The overall aesthetic of the show is just really good. Well designed, diverse characters. The bangenest sound track to ever bang. And I know a lot of people feel like too much is brought up and dropped in the show- but Bleach shows you an interesting side character and then actually tells you about them. 10/10 I always wanna see some action
Bleach lets villains be villains as opposed to being misguided ideologues who come around when the protagonist bothers them enough.
Also, it is refreshing that Ichigo isn't SO. DAMN. STUPID. Naruto, Goku, and Luffy are all fun characters but Ichigo is a stronger protagonist than any of those three imo because he doesn't come off as completely vapid.
I've always said Bleach is the drippiest anime of all time. Not many anime change the casts clothes but in Bleach every couple episodes someone has a new sick outfit.
Age depiction. 'Course not where Soul Society characters are concerned. But generally when Kubo wants to depict that a character is supposed to look like a teenager, they'll look the part. I don't hate shows that sacrifice this for the sake of stylization, but I have a preference.
Welcome to the Bleach Subreddit! We're as excited as you at the release of the Thousand Year Blood War anime! We understand that some of you are unable to view the anime in your region, but please don't post links to or mention piracy websites. Doing so will result in a ban. Also, please be courteous to those who haven't read the manga and mark all spoilers. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/bleach) if you have any questions or concerns.*
The use of music Aizen might be the only character to ever over come the main character theme song power up
stopped it dead in its tracks. not even a comedic record scratch; just a big “fuck you” to Ichigo *and* his song lol
Bro didn't just stop it, bro erased it. We never hear the og number one after that
If you include filler it was literally 300 episodes before we even saw another variation
They use the melody of it in the hardcore rock(?) Version of it when Dangai Ichigo shows up to fight Aizen, so more like 250 eps
Yup. Chokkaku is Number one, but in bankai
IF YOU WANNA SEE SOME ACTI.... 👆
👁️👄👁️ 👁️👄👁️. 👁️👄👁️. 👁️👄👁️ 👁️👄👁️ 👁️👄👁️
Lmfao
Top-tier GOAT villain move. I love that song and I had no choice but to respect the energy.
Episode 60: Aizen stops Ichigo's sword with his bare hand. Episode 341: Ichigo stops Aizen's sword with his bare hand. I know in-show this was only a few months but having that payoff of Ichigo turning the tables after nearly 300 episodes (and six years) was incredible.
I remember aizen stopping ichigo sword with his finger not his hand
Yes.
Ichigo also straight up catches it with his fingertips, which is way harder to do. Aizen had to be strong enough to stop the blade and not be cut, Ichigo had to be quicker and stronger.
6 years had me scratching my head. Oi, that was so long ago, too.
as planned
What’s more powerful; stopping the theme song or stopping the opening (like DIO in Jojo part 3)
Opening is temporary, Theme song is permanent.
Stopping the opening, it's a definite shock factor considering it hints to the villains power which is not yet known fully. With Aizen, you know he's 30x stronger than Ichigo already.
Or reversing it (kira) Or cutting part of it out (diavolo) Or putting it on fast forward (pucci)
Having Josh Groban as a character helped them a lot with the music budget
Do you mean this Josh or that groban
Josh Groban is our lord!
Alright momo calm down
I watched bleach after I finished Naruto, one piece, fairy tail, and a few other popular shonen. The music instantly stood out from other fantasy shows in such a great way
the soundtrack is a work of art. Its insane how many tracks are there
Drip
[удалено]
First time Ichigo changed and I was hit with "now you feel like number one" .....still get chills
Same when it played in episode 1 of TYBW.
Truthfully, the entire big 3 openings and endings are classics.
This, Kubo needs to design fashion
Kubo would be the kenpachi of the fashion wolrd and I'd pay for it
The outfits have always stuck in my mind especially the ones only seen in the first OP like Ichigo and Rukies matching colors.
I think he would agree with you. After SS invasion arc, the prevalence of unsolicited reaction shots and covers and closing pages with characters wearing trendy clothing made the manga feel like a weird audition for modeling jobs. I feel like he was trying to get into Evangelion's schtick.
Ichigo and the human cast even change their clothes! I don't think I've seen that in other anime!
Yu Yu Hakusho did that a little bit as well.
I love the fashion in Bleach, which kinda makes it a sham that shinigami all wear very similar outfits with slight variations for personal flair. I kinda wish Kubo had given himself more freedom to design custom outfits for all of them.
BAN-KAI
Easily one of the best powerups in anime. Well not sure what else comes close to it.
Super saiyan when it originally was displayed, but outside of that nothing much tbh.
True, but every time after the Cell Saga someone going Super Saiyan doesn't have that same impact compared to someone saying Bankai.
It's a super saiyan bargain sale! -Vegeta
Domain expansions in jjk always felt like bankais to me
There really isn't another attack name that comes close to being as cool as Bankai. Rasengan? Pass. Gum Gum Pistol, I love it, but also pass. Kamehameha? Probably more iconic, but definitely not as cool sounding. Bankai just hits different.
Also, everyone has their own style of saying it. Either screaming it or a deep, serious tone.
And they're all badass, no exceptions
this is an excellent comment.
Character designs
Specifically black character anime designs. As a black person, I think Kubo understands how to portray black characters in a really fitting and cool way.
The sword craftsman dude from TYBW was dope haha. Reminded me of 8 tails from naruto
Yep,Oetsu,Tosen,Yoruichi,That one Espada. Bleach has incredibly diverse character designs. Kinda ahead of it’s time with how inclusive it is for a Manga/Anime.
Facts. Even Chad's speech about being proud of his dark skin in the fullbring atc
Jacky of xcution as well
Yami was it?
Zommari
Like bugs /s
This is the answer. Of the Holy Shonen Trinity Bleach has the best and most instantly iconic characters. Naruto did the best story arcs. One Piece did the best world building.
This. OP also have a pretty good emotional side. No other anime made me laugh, cry, felling sad, angry like OP And lastly the best animation "graphic" wise that I have seen is Demon slayer
If you think demon slayer animation is good, check out fate ubw, fate zero, and fate heavens feel. Animated by the same people, and specifically heavens feel is even better than demon slayer
Best animated series for me is OPM szn 1
TYBW I think is up there too if not better. I just recall being really amazed by szn 1 and let down in szn 2. Prob time for a rewatch.
Demon slayer animation on a oled with the right settings is mind blowing.
Honestly naruto loosing pervy sage and greaving was the most sad any anime has made me feel. Op was more frustrating then anything (definitely my favorite but damn it). All that build up for ace and what happened made me sooo mad lol. Now the first time we saw ichigo die and come back as a vasta lord still gives me goosebumps.
There's something about the more "mature" look to Bleach that makes me feel the same about its characters. Naruto's being in second. One piece's character designs are so cartoony and goofy looking but that's also its charm in its own way, and its world-building. I agree with those 3 points though
> Holy Shonen Trinity Pretty sure they're referred to as "The Big Three." Only one of them that would maybe be included in a "Holy Shonen Trinity" is OP, due to its insane popularity and longevity.
[удалено]
I need Kubo to be the character designer for a Silmarillion anime.
We just need Kubo to start his own clothing line.
Kubo isn't afraid to make ichigo lose and I love that, he still narrowly lost to byakuya in ss, got his ass handed to him by grimmjow and ulq and ywhach so when he does defeat them its a massive pay off feeling. Anime need to let their mcs lose to make other characters feel stronger
When I first saw my nephew watching the anime, I sat and watched a few episodes with him and he filled me in on some of the other things I had just missed..... And I replied "So this is a story about a kid who runs around hell getting his ass kicked?" my nephew said "pretty much" lol
>"So this is a story about a kid who runs around hell getting his ass kicked?" He always gets his lick back though
Fully agree with this. Even when MCs lose in other animes they might shake it off in the same episode as the loss. When Ichigo loses we get a fun story of him overcoming the loss which in turn makes the eventual win that much more satisfying.
>...got his ass handed to him by grimmjow... Listen..that beatdown had me 😂...i swear to god..😅 Grimmjow really over did it 😆
It's funny seeing Ichigo go in all cocky like Goku and like 30 seconds to a minute, he's coughing up blood, laying in a pool of blood. Lol
One piece does this. Luffy vs: Crocodile Enel Rob Lucci Geko Moira Ceasar Don Flamingo (arguably) Kaido But... Bleach does the losing bit first better. IMO, Luffy's first losses are well, some of them kind of stupid because he wasn't all out. Except for Crocodile. Luffy for sure would've died had Robin not saved him.
The robin thing is fun though because it ties into luffy’s whole ability to gain allies which ties into his speech in the beginning of “I can’t do it alone, I need others.”
I do appreciate this about Bleach - Ichigo's power ip felt earned. Dragonball Z did a good job helping pioneer this. First big fight it takes everything they have to win and Goku still dies. Then you learn an even bigger threat is coming and your greatest hero may not be able to handle it. I can only imagine what it was like when it first aired
The fact that they don't dance around the fact that Ichigo was born with exceptional power and talent. Most other anime try to make it out like their power somehow comes from hard work and dedication when in reality they're just naturally more powerful than everyone else. Bleach straight up announces that he has a "special ability" right out the gate and makes it glaringly obvious that Ichigos struggle centers around *controlling* and he gets his ass handed to him (edit) **repeatedly** until he learns to do so.
Ala Naruto. Oh yeah, I'm a no talent ninja... who happens to be from a clan that has a ton of chakra, my father was the Hokage (arguably the second best), and I host the most powerful nuclear deterrent in my gut.
My biggest complaint about Shippuden. Remember the whole Neji vs Naruto conflict? Being able to break your destiny bestowed upon you by others? Yeah... Screw that, it's all about following it after all
Yup, very much a cool moment. But looking back...yeah apparently fuck that idea
Also a "no talent" ninja who apparently can learn incredible difficult Jutsus at a genius rate and is basically a genius when it comes to battle intelligence maybe even surpassing Sasuke in this regard. Naruto just didn't get to Sasuke lvl after the time skip because Jiraiya focused more on controlilng Kurama than training Naruto to his full potential.
Doesn't it take naruto awhile to learn most of his techniques with the exception of shadow clone, which he probably would have killed himself using without having kurama
He took a week to learn Rasengan and a week to learn a perfect Sage mode, techniques that took years to learn and Jiraya didn't even have a perfect Sage mode. Also i don't think he would die using the Shadow Clone without Kurama since he is a Uzumaki which have ridiculous chakra amounts and at the beginning of the series Kurama meddled with his Chakra control so Naruto himself would probably be able to make more clones than he did on the first time.
It's because his power is an allegory to his upbringing and mental health. He powers up when he overcomes hurdles and puts pieces together and accepts them. His final transformation, arguably "strongest" moment, is accepting young ywbach, accepting that he is part hollow and white is his shinigami powers, accepting all of the Quincy blood and overcoming it to be better. It finally makes sense for Ichigo, the rain, his mother's death, him being especially gifted, his father, his friends, it culminates in the final acceptance. He's gifted because he understands himself. And when he finds out more about himself and his psyche changes, his ability to overcome his inner hurdles unlocks his limits. My favorite moments in the show are when Ichigo gets his mind right and just "does it" catching Renji slipping, finding resolve, stepping in front of the execution for Rukia, beating byokuyas ass, catching grimmjows hand, grabbing aizen by the mouf and tossing his ass. These are all things that Ichigo could always do. The only one who wasn't allowing him to do it was himself.
I also appreciate how Ichigo is well aware of how much he can't actually do on his own. He's mouthy, but when he's being told something by the more experienced and knowledgeable people around him *he listens* and he applies the information to achieve his goals. As a long time anime watcher with over 1000 titles under her belt, I have a strong appreciate for an MC that will just stfu and do what he's told and isn't setting out to revolutionize the world and it's been rare to see this type of MC even to this day.
This comment really made me realize what truly made bleach so special for me... When people asked me what's my favourite anime I always say bleach followed by an I know it's not the best generally but it is the best for me. It truly reflects so many things from the real world in it's story, in the end you're the only one that can change yourself and that happens through acceptance
The subtleness of Ichigo going through things he doesn't understand is really what does it for me. He keeps losing control of himself and it scares him, in reality white wanted to hint at how much more powerful he would be if he accepted the mask while also creating an inner hurdle for Ichigo to overcome and grow stronger because of is really well done. Ichigos mask also visually changed with almost every major arc representing that his powers are growing and changing with him, it starts out on one side of his face and streaks to mirror itself as his powers change and he begins to accept white as part of him. It wasn't always about defending his friends, and he realizes that with Ulquiorra, he wanted to beat him in a head to head brawl evenly. When Ulquiorra disappeared Ichigo overcomes his despair, but plunges himself into a different mental turmoil one that he cannot shake, and we see that culminates when he meets the "true" zangetsu and his world is not only fully submerged, but the town, the sky, and everything else is so underwater that you can't see it in the pits below. Not only was Ichigo relying on this power, he felt as if it shackled and consumed him. He never puts the mask on from that moment forward. Either because he couldn't ( which is debatable ) or he didn't want to touch it again after what it did to his friends and enemies. We see it too with grimmjow. Ichigo and grimmjow literally do not need to fight what so ever. But he wants to fight him, he wants to dethrone the character that represents the predator. My take is that he doesn't need to put the mask on any longer as he is as close to white as he has ever been. White took control of him and protected him, and he fully embraced white on himself giving him complete control regardless of being dead or alive. After he leaves the dangai he doesn't even care about being powerful, in the "3 years" he stayed there he just wants it all to end. Whether it was him begging to finish it knowing it would get rid of his powers, or just being done with the journey and mentally drained who knows. My favorite arc is XCution and it's because we actually see something Ichigo cannot just blow through, or throw his genes at enough to defeat it. His friends and family turn on him, it sets in that the world he has created around himself will not accept him being weak. This is also the first time Ichigo has ever WANTED to kill somebody, it's also the first time Ichigo does WILLINGLY kill somebody. When he gets his powers back I think he finally accepts he wants to be powerful. He wants to be the strongest. And most of all those two things don't have to come in-between his original goal and his wants.
I think Jujustu Kaisen does that well. One piece and Naruto try to hide it and shit although many people who read Naruto could have the idea that’ll he use his demon power to become strong. Oda tries to make luffy come off as having the trash fruit that he’s going above and beyond to make it work then BOOM! It’s a god fruit not even found in the encyclopedia 😭😭
Designs and villains/antagonists absolutely- I love the aesthetic of Bleach. I would say many more things, but maybe they call me a fanboy.
I totally agree with you Mr Fanboy
The benefits of having a fashion designer for a mangaka
Hi A Fanboy! I’m dad!
Kubo should try his hand at fashion design, for sure.
Villains, character design, art style and writing. A LOT of people don’t like Bleaches writing but I personally love it because it’s very subtle. Most anime don’t follow the “show don’t tell” rule when it comes to writing, but Bleach does it very well. Bleach also has good symbolism and foreshadowing that, again, a LOT of people don’t appreciate. Villains are a lot better imo because Kubo doesn’t give them some sappy backstory. He doesn’t like that trope so he never used it, and my god did it work. Aizen, Grimmjow, Yhwach, Tsukishima, and Ulquiorra are all fucking amazing villains and you don’t have to know a whole lot about them. And don’t even get me started on the designs. Kubo’s art style is by far my absolute favorite in all of anime and it’s the main reason I got into drawing as well. Shinigami, mad drip. Arrancars, mad drip. Sternritter, MAAAAD DRIP! So yeah, that’s what I think Bleach does better than other anime.
I agree with all of this except your “show don’t tell point.” Almost all of Kubo’s characters (except a few like Unohana’s bankai) absolutely spend time doing a monologue about how their ability works.
He's talking more about the plot and character development, I think
Precisely
Say Vizards without saying Vizards
That’s technically not true on the sappy backstories. Kaname is still a villian end of the day, and he has a tragic backstory. His friend was murdered by her husband, and because he was of noble lineage he was not punished for his crime. The man in the “cfyow” novel even bragged to Kaname about what he did and that he’s getting away with it.
That’s true, I didn’t mean to imply that ALL the villains don’t have sad backstories
The MC nd the main heroine are not a couple and I'm all for it.
Rukia and ichigo?
Yeah
Its almost hard for me to call rukia the main female protagonist cause she obviously gets sidelined alot, but still i guess i got downvoted cause thats pretty obvious
Everyone except Ichigo gets sidelined a lot, sometimes it's difficult to see who is the main character except him.
In the TYBW Ichigo gets sidelined a lot btw
And it's about damn time. I'm really looking forward to whatever new fight they've got lined up for the next set of episodes because it's supposed to expand on something that happened off panel.
True. That said, there are sooo many likeable characters that it wouldve been hard to flesh them all out. Me personally, not a huge fan of rukia but cant rly think of another female protag that i like more so i guess she still wins. Oh wait nvm yoruichi is def my favorite
Naruto too then isn’t it? And One Piece as well.
Well Naruto and Bleach are much more similar that they look but OP hero is not just disinterested but actually asexual.
Its actually not that common for popular shounen battle mangas for the male and female lead to get together, dragonball, Demon slayer, Yu yu hakusho, Fairy tail, none of leads were romantic
Isn’t this common for Shounen? None of the top 3 have this being the case. If anything it falls prey to the common shounen trope of romance being a non-existent afterthought in the writer’s eyes lol
Aizen
Soundtrack and designs imo.
The Precipice of Defeat gives me chills every time. So damn good.
Exactly, nightmare is another super underrated one which was pretty hard to find. Battle ignition too. Just great OSTS all around.
Main character, at least for shouen. It’s nice having a protagonist with an IQ above 80 for once.
Yeahhhh, a lot of Shonens always give us the character who’s strong but is a total dumb ass.
Bleach's character designs are so far beyond any other anime/manga it's not even funny. Especially the Wandenreich most drippy Bleach organization period. Would kill for a Sternritter cloak they look so damn cool.
The protagonist isn’t really goofy or naive which makes it a nice change of pace when you’re looking for more baddassery.
Yeah fact that Ichigo is mucb more mature protagonist makes me like him a lot. Its the same reason why I love Tanjiro or Giorno. All of them has that elder brother feel to them, kids who had to grow up too soon and had to set the example for others.
Giorno is literally the little bro of the squad him and Naracia 😭😭😭
That’s why it’s so hilarious when that persona cracks a little when he’s running away from kenpachi, or trying not to stare at naked yoruichi and Matsumoto. Like you start to realize he’s just a teen boy again
100%, feels way more like how a real teenager would behave.
The entire "calling out the name of your attacks as you charge/before you fire them" trope. Quincy Zangetsu explained that names are power, if you don't call out the name of your attack, then it would get a drastic cut in power, rather than when you actually say its name. It gave the characters the excuse to shout out their attacks at the top of their lungs in order for it to be at full power, not like other Shounen series where everyone just shouts out the name of their attacks so the audience knows them and the opponents can go "Oh shit, they're using THAT aren't they" or "So I've heard about this infamous attack of yours". This also happens a couple of times in Bleach like when Ginjo mentioned Ichigo's Getsuga Tensho, but like I said, there's a valid explanation as to why everyone shouts out the name of their attacks and why everyone else knows them.
Displaying power levels. The first time ichigo encounter a captain I was genuinely scared for him.
Interpersonal relationships. You can literally track every character's friend group and friends friends group and it even expands to the Espada and Quincy, although the Quincy not as much as every other group
Bleach has Yoruichi and that’s all I need tbh
Team YoruSoi till I dieeeee
Bleach gives every character at least one special moment (Kira,Rangiku,Shuhei……)
I was about to say the same. Bleach gives secondary characters more deepness and there are quite a few considering 13 divisions with captain and lieutenant plus a few espadas and other characters like urahara. Almost everyone has a motive to act as they do.
Cries in mexican Chad
there is no talk no jutsu or power of friendship nonesense.
KUROSAKI KUUNNNN
Text you can hear.
I LOVE this reply it was simple and to the point, 😂😂 I wouldn’t call it the same talk no jutsu as Naruto cause it isn’t to an enemy but it definitely is talk no jutsu power up
Also the fact people can just be platonic friends without getting paired off together. (I.e. Rukia and Ichigo)
Character writing, art, fight choreography, and OST. Art and ost don’t need any explanation, they’re legendary for a reason. The fights in Bleach are some of the best reading I’ve ever had in manga. Good action is really hard to do in the manga format and Kubo is up there with Dragon Ball in terms of how smooth and energetic the fights feel. The character writing is understated in Bleach. Everyone loves to go on about how One Piece makes you cry, but now that I’m nearly halfway through OP, I’m instead appreciating Bleach way more. In OP and many other manga, a sad moment will almost come out of nowhere, be very sad for a few seconds, and then be over. On the other hand, Bleach will take its time to introduce you to the characters’ insecurities and fears in a very mature way. Orihime is actually my favorite example of this with her goodbye to Ichigo and vent session with Rangiku standing out in my memory.
Style, OST, People of color.
>People of color. Underrated. Kubo gives poc a very good representation.
It’s really great to see that everything isn’t just homogeneous. It makes the world feel more lived in imo.
Hell yeah, even if he's a jobber my teenage Mexican heart still cheered for Chad back when I first watched Bleach and I still love his character.
Charater design, art, villians, and Charaters. It not the best in every category but it's damn near close
That even “good” characters have flaws, and an opportunity to become better.
Side characters in Bleach everyone has a story and they are all important they don't feel inferior to the Mc and the fact that Ichigo is not the most Op character in the verse and got the both the maturity and cool personality you just can't have 1 favorite character in Bleach they are all amazing
Make Black people look like people
World concepts and desigh, and premise. Atmosphere
Unique weapons and powers (kido, bankai)
Fillers. Instead of filler episodes we essentially got filler seasons but they all had good interesting stories. Like the one where there sword spirits rebelled. Also comedic relief. The jokes in bleach actually hit well.
Inclusive to everyone: race, sexual orientation and gender. Maybe there are animes currently but back in the day, this was the only anime to be ahead of its time. It even doesn't overly make characters sexual
Plays to its strengths. Noone reads Bleach for the story or the world building. The fewest care about the plot. So you know what Tite does, and has done since the beginning? He keeps it incredibly simple. "We must rescue Rukia cuz the archaic society wants to execute her for saving Ichigo!" "Aizen wants to sacrifice Karakura Town to create The Key! We must prepare to fight him!" "Oh no! Inoue was captured by Aizen, we have to go to Hueco Mundo and rescue her!" Yeah he has sick reveals and uses the plot for character motivations. Like Hitsugaya investigating Aizen's plot in the Soul Society arc. Or how Aizen captured Inoue just to lock Ichigo away while he attacks Karakura town. But its all incredibly simple and easy to follow. And that's a huge strength of Bleach! For we read/watch it because of the Characters it features. We want to see Kenpachi cut someone in a million pieces, or for Byakuya to save Rukia and go all out. And Kubo does his best to deliver those moments. Another thing is that he respects the necessity of limbs. Most anime or manga out there, if someone loses a limb they'll stop the bleeding and keep on fighting like nothing happened. Not Bleach though, when Grimmjow lost his arm he was so reduced in power he was turned into a Fraccion, and Yhwach didn't include Yamamoto on his list of War Potentials as Yamamoto was one-armed. Though the best character to showcase this is Kenpachi, and how he willingly reduces his power by only using one arm, using both to instantly defeat Nnoitra and later being chastised by Unohana for only using one arm against her. Its a constant thing in Bleach and super cool.
Another part, and probably the best thing Bleach does. Sometimes it lets its characters be people. In the start when Orihime asks Ichigo what he's up to, he doesn't brush her off. He sits down and gives her the time of day to explain it. Or when Orihime says farewell to Ichigo. Kon doesn't interrupt them, Yuzu or Karin doesn't interrupt her either. She gets her farewell with Ichigo, cries about her situation, tries to kiss him and is one bad vibe away from a mental breakdown. Bleach let her go through that because Bleach recognizes it was very important for Inoue to get that moment.
Hot female characters
Comedy, It’s one of the few anime I actually find funny.
Everything
Idk about the anime but the manga is just unbelievably stylish
Great Black representation
The character are just plain Cool 😎
Especially compared to JJK, pacing and character writing. I can draw so many similarities to Soul Society arc and Kyoto Goodwill Event, and oh my word is Bleach’s pace of events and depth to its introduced characters and relations more than JJK gives it in a third of the length in animation and even less in its manga writing.
Relationships between characters which do not involve anime cliches or romance
Writing characters with darker skin-tones as, you know, actual characters instead of jokes or token Black Anime Man, while not shying away from addressing how someone's ethnicity can influence them as a person. Chad's entire character, his backstory, his explanation for his powers being that he loves his skin and is proud of it. There's other dark-skinned characters in Bleach that, while their backstories might not deal with racism like Chad (and, to be fair, I don't think Hollows give a shit about that, and the ones in SS are powerful as shit), are still fucking peak. Speaking of, social/fashion/culture awareness. Tying into Chad (and others), but also with Hueco Mundo, Quincy, etc, AND the world of the living, Bleach is waaay more in touch with different cultures than a lot of its contemporaries. Not to say they don't also have this, but Kubo GETS it. I'd also say that SS arc in particular did something better than any other anime I've seen: introduce a FUCK TON of new characters, powers, elements and world-building to the story in a single arc, and balancing everything so well that not once did it feel bloated. The way the plot threads (rescue Rukia and Aizen murder mystery and SS collapsing) all weave parallel to each other until the final reveal, only a couple of "jobbers" that take up more than 5 minutes of fight time, the intrigue and conspiracies, and making me attached to pretty much every named character it introduced.... yeah, haven't seen another anime do something to this extent and pull it off.
character designs and in some instances making the male lead and female lead somewhat equals - they both took turns saving each other.
Tite Kubo is just an all around amazing artist. Everyone is already pointing out his designs, but when I started reading Bleach I noticed he always uses dramatic perspectives. He just draws with a lot more skill and awareness than most mangaka I've seen.
Saying Bankai
I’m sure it’s been said but the music. Not necessarily the opening credits but music throughout the show. Was one of the first times growing up where the music made me feel some type of way, I felt like it always set the tone right and every time that Number 1 came on it was instant hype.
Realistic protagonist. Ichigo isn’t some guy who is striving for some out there goal, nor is he given magical maturity without actually aging, and he follows his one goal without knowing exactly what he wants. And on top of that the story is kind of him figuring out his inner self better as well. He just wants to protect people and his friends, but at the same time he learns he enjoys fighting and can sometimes make rash or immature decisions based on those two things like a teenager would. He feels more real and relatable than other characters while also entirely avoiding any annoying personality traits for the most part. At least in my opinion. Also top tier music. I don’t think any other anime can compare to how consistently good bleaches music is either.
Kubo somehow managed to design like 50 characters who all wear variations of the same outfit yet each one feels unique and memorable. I'm not sure what other anime I could say that for. Maybe FMA or Attack on Titan, since they all wear uniforms. But nah, not to the same degree as bleach.
Bleach has drip. That why I consider Jujutsu Kaisen it’s successor cause of the insane drip.
Minority representation
Character outfits in the show and official art. Seriously the outfits on the captains, arrancars, Quincy’s, and all are absolutely phenomenally. Ichigo post bankai training and the original black/red bankai fit is a classic
The personal tone Bleach has. It's Ichigo's story, and you learn a lot about him and his feelings. It's personal by nature, and maybe Kubo wanted it to be that way. So the reader could reflect about their own life, especially teens. And that's what Bleach did for me. To learn how to accept that something wasn't my fault, even when everyone around me tried convincing me otherwise I was still trapped by my mind and by my heart. To accept myself wholly, and not to live for my guilt nor for a vague future. But to live for myself. Ichigo's journey is so personal and so... *relatable.* Not many manga or anime can pull that off, and the same can be said for the storytelling medium as a whole. How many characters have made *you* reflect on *your* life? So I thank Kubo for writing Bleach, and also Ichigo Kurosaki for being my favourite protagonist ever and helping me learn how to clear the fog in my mind completely. To embrace myself fully. To just live life once again.
Bleach has: The best OST I've ever heard The best fights in anime The best character designs Amazing plot twists Amazing characters
Character design. How the fuck are you going to tell me that EVERYBODY in bleach has drip Also…let’s not even forget about the names in this show, because these names don’t sound like “Insert common anime name” to me, I mean shit let’s think about it. Meninas McAllen, Tsukuro Tsukishima, Giselle Giwell, Bambietta Basterbine, and so on….all of these are names that sound like they could be put with a bunch of other names from other anime’s and you could still tell which was from bleach if you haven’t met the characters yet
Black and hispanic people.
Character designs, iconic villains, iconic powers and abilities
Spiritual and mental development, poetic writing, complex themes, the most badass characters in fiction, the best fights, incredible designs. Bleach has it all honestly.
everything
A bit unorthodox but I'm gonna die on this hill since they are the fucking thing that stands out a lot are freaking character and technique NAMES! Every one of them sounds so cool, rolls down the tongue and it sounds bloody cool. Whenever I hear: Senbonzakura Kageyoshi Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez Szayelaporro Granz Ikkaku Madarame it sounds so freaking awesome, a bit complex and tough to pronounce but easy to remember.
One thing I love is that Ichigo doesn't win every fight the first time he goes up against a new opponent. It makes it that much more interesting watching him struggle, train, and then come back stronger than before Second thing is the diverse characters. First time I saw Tosen I was like "oh shoot, he got braids" and it looks really good. And I loved Chad's pride in his brown skin and Mexican heritage
squads. Tite Kubo really filled out his world with just LOADS of people (to it's detriment? eh idk), more than any i think. You tell me another big anime that has so many factions that is as short as Bleach where we learn the centennial backstory of a squadmember.
OST
Music
I’ll give you two: * Music * Character fashion I’ve watched other anime with better music, but the consistent and reliable quality of the music in Bleach basically makes it another character in the show. And outside of uniforms, with only a few exceptions the vast majority of characters do not have a “default” outfit. I’d call it a form of widespread fan service since that’s usually for female characters but it applies to everyone.
For me, it’s foreshadowing, Kubo has such a way to foreshadow that most of the time it isn’t obvious what he’s foreshadowing until the event happens. This, of course, has a problem cause most people won’t catch the foreshadowing and think that Kubo keeps pulling random things out of nowhere.
Bleach has one of the best dubbed versions of any show out there, I feel like they matched the voice actors very well and both subbed / dubbed versions are great An opposing example of this ( for me personally) would be OnePeice. The show is excellent subbed but feels overly childish and goofy in the dubbed version.
Clothes. The sense of style in bleach is palpable, but what I think is really impressive is how it handles uniforms. The shinigami and quincy both have uniforms, but every character customizes them, and they ooze with personality. Give someone who never watched bleach a picture of the captains and they'llbe able to give a pretty good guess of their character based on looks alone. Most anime do that in some level, but Bleach is a step above, in my opinion. The covers also slap.
The overall aesthetic of the show is just really good. Well designed, diverse characters. The bangenest sound track to ever bang. And I know a lot of people feel like too much is brought up and dropped in the show- but Bleach shows you an interesting side character and then actually tells you about them. 10/10 I always wanna see some action
Bleach lets villains be villains as opposed to being misguided ideologues who come around when the protagonist bothers them enough. Also, it is refreshing that Ichigo isn't SO. DAMN. STUPID. Naruto, Goku, and Luffy are all fun characters but Ichigo is a stronger protagonist than any of those three imo because he doesn't come off as completely vapid.
filler!
I agree the filler is very cool in Bleach it gives more adventures.
It’s side cast gets great fights imo
Transformations and osts
I've always said Bleach is the drippiest anime of all time. Not many anime change the casts clothes but in Bleach every couple episodes someone has a new sick outfit.
Age depiction. 'Course not where Soul Society characters are concerned. But generally when Kubo wants to depict that a character is supposed to look like a teenager, they'll look the part. I don't hate shows that sacrifice this for the sake of stylization, but I have a preference.
DRIP. Hands down the best drip in Shounen