BLEACH Anime Concludes After 22 Years With Thousand-Year Blood War Finale

On October 26, the 50th episode of the television anime BLEACH: Thousand-Year Blood War -The Separation- aired on TV Tokyo and affiliated networks, bringing the television adaptation of Tite Kubo’s sword-fighting action manga to a close after 22 years, news.denfaminicogamer.jp reported.

Broadcast Finale Marks the End of a 22-Year Run

The final broadcast brought a definitive end to an anime journey that began in October 2004. Across more than two decades, the franchise expanded to encompass over 360 television episodes and four feature-length animated films. The final arc, Thousand-Year Blood War, launched its broadcast run in October 2022, followed by the third cour, The Conflict, in October 2024, and the concluding cour, The Separation, in July 2026. The series, originally serialized in Weekly Shonen Jump by publisher Shueisha, boasts a cumulative global circulation exceeding 130 million copies.

In the final episode, titled “DEATH & STRAWBERRY,” the narrative resolves the aftermath of the massive conflict known as the Great War of the Reio. Characters who survived the battles for the survival of the Three Worlds step into their respective futures. The television series closes with a glimpse of the next generation, featuring Kazui Kurosaki and Ichika Abarai.

Special Ending Movie and Visual Retrospective Released

Following the broadcast, production teams released a special ending movie set to the franchise’s signature theme song, “Number One.” The sequence displays original animation cels and production credits for the cast and staff who built the series over two decades. The visual concludes with an impression where a footprint steps over the word “despair” to reveal “BRAVE” underneath, emphasizing the message “THE STORIES OF BRAVE.”

Simultaneously, the production released the “THE STORIES VISUAL MOVIE,” summarizing a project that tracked the chronological evolution of protagonist Ichigo Kurosaki across 15 distinct visual phases starting from the Substitute Shinigami arc. The closing frame of this retrospective highlights a matured Ichigo Kurosaki ten years after the conclusion of the war.

Upcoming Home Video and Soundtrack Releases Scheduled for March 2027

Commercial rollouts for the final stretch of the adaptation are already on the calendar. On March 24, 2027, the BLEACH: Thousand-Year Blood War Blu-ray & DVD Box IV will be released, alongside the series’ third original soundtrack. The physical home video box set covers episodes 41 through 50 across two Blu-ray or DVD discs. The complete production limited editions are priced at 22,000 yen for Blu-ray and 19,800 yen for DVD, featuring character designs and slipcases drawn by character designer Masashi Kudo. The Original Soundtrack III releases on the same date for 3,850 yen, featuring jacket artwork also illustrated by Kudo.

Local broadcast schedules for the final episodes continue across regional networks including Hiroshima Television, Niigata Broadcast, TV Shizuoka, Kumamoto Broadcasting, Sendai Broadcasting, Biwako Broadcasting, Nara TV, TV Kochi, BS TV Tokyo, and AT-X through November 2026, with streaming distribution rolling out via domestic and international platforms.

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