Though the final cour of Bleach: The Thousand Year Blood War isn't arriving until 2026, Tite Kubo and his team have have still been dropping tidbits of information to give fans an idea of what they can expect when the anime finally drops. While Kubo himself has made it no secret that the fourth cour will be featuring some brand-new content, fans were left to speculate what exactly could be added to the final arc of the story, and thanks to a recent interview with anime character designer Masashi Kudo, fans now have a clearer image of what, or more specifically, who will be showing up for Bleach's finale.
Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War Part 4 Officially Announced
Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War's final part has been confirmed.
Kubo has already stated that he has played a much bigger role in supervising the team for their final venture into the world of Bleach, considering there are so many new ideas floating around that he needs to approve of. All of these Q&A conferences and interviews go a long way in keeping fans satisfied until the anime finally arrives, but this latest nugget of information might just be the biggest yet.
Masashi Kudo Announces New Arrivals
It Seems New Fights Aren't All Bleach Fans Will Be Treated To In Cour 4
In a recent VIZ interview with Masashi Kudo, the iconic character designer speaks openly about how excited he is for fans to finally experience Bleach's final arc once the animators have worked their magic. While many of the questions posed to him were fairly straightforward, there was one which caused him to potentially reveal a little more than intended. After the interviewer asks what Masashi is most eager for the fans to see, he starts to talk about anime-only scenes that Kubo was unable to include in the original manga.
Though he was unable to reveal any specific details about what these scenes would look like, he did let slip that Cour 4 of Bleach would include brand-new characters. While many fans expected a few new fight scenes and plenty more screen time for key characters, the idea of new arrivals to the story seemed far less likely considering how drastically it could shake up the core story.
The good news is, it's highly doubtful that these characters are going to feel like throwaways, considering that Kubo has been overlooking their development. In fact, Masashi himself even states that he was always working alongside Kubo when working on the storyboards and designs for the new anime, so fans can expect these newcomers to be just as stylish and memorable as the Soul Reapers and Arrancar who have come before.
What New Characters Will Be Introduced To Bleach?
There Are A Few Key Individuals Who Have A Chance Of Appearing
The question therefore becomes, who exactly could be added to the last section of Bleach's story? After all, we have already reached the climax of the series, but while all the key players are taking their position for the final battle, there are still some fresh faces who could play an important role if they were to turn up. For example, though it admittedly seems unlikely, there is a chance that Kubo may bring some of the filler characters into the main story. Back in Cour 3, it was officially confirmed that Senna, a character from the first Bleach movie, was officially canon, so it doesn't feel like a stretch to say that Ririn and the other Mod Souls, or the other factions that were involved in external material, could show up in one form or another.
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On the other hand, there could also be new characters introduced through flashbacks, primarily if fans are treated to the backstory of the legendary Soul King. The manga only provided light details as to who this mysterious entity even is, so it would definitely help to flesh out some of the lore if fans were given a clearer image of who has actually been around the king for much of his life.
Then again, maybe these new characters will be introduced after the battle has finally ended. Those who have read the Bleach manga will be well aware that Kubo was desperately trying to wrap things up once the series was reaching its end, but now that he has much more time to plan out the story, there's definitely the possibility that other Soul Reapers or even Arrancar could show up to make their presence known, especially if they also feed into the hotly anticipated Hell arc.
Hell Awaits, And These Characters Could Be The First Glimpse
Kubo Has The Perfect Opportunity To Bridge The Gap Into Hell
While it was established very early on in the story of Bleach that Hell does indeed exist, the only time it's really been explored in any real depth was in the fourth movie. However, a few years ago, after the main series ended, Kubo released a one-shot that all but confirmed that a Hell story arc was finally on the way. At the time, the only character who was shown to actually emerge from the gates of hell was the devious scientist known as Szayelaporro.
Kubo's focus is clearly on Cour 4 as of right now, but this would also be the perfect opportunity for him to bridge the gap into the next part of the story. For example, there could be some new demonic characters who possess the ability to open the gates whenever they please, or perhaps there will be different versions of characters emerging from hell who have previously been killed, turning them into corrupted monsters with brand-new powers to show off in battle.
As of right now, there's really not a lot known about how Kubo is going to approach this long-awaited story arc, but with the clock ticking down to Cour 4 of the anime, introducing new characters would be a great way to get fans excited about what's to come next. Before that, though, Kubo and the team are putting everything they have into making the Bleach anime as fun and exciting to watch as possible, and this latest news has definitely got people even more eager to see what the series has got in store for its big finale.
Source: Youtube
- Release Date
- 2004 - 2012-00-00
- Network
- TV Tokyo, TV Osaka, TV Aichi, TVh, TVQ, TSC, BS TV Tokyo
- Showrunner
- Tite Kubo
- Directors
- Mitsutaka Noshitani, Junya Koshida, Hodaka Kuramoto, Yasuto Nishikata, Hiroaki Nishimura, Kazunori Mizuno, Akira Shimizu, Rokou Ogiwara, Kazunobu Shimizu, Akane Inoue, Hikaru Murata, Tomoko Hiramuki, Kazuo Nogami, Taiji Kawanishi, Shigeki Hatakeyama, Eiko Nishi, Takushi Kimura, Koji Aritomi, Ogura Shirakawa, Kiyomu Fukuda, Yukio Okazaki, Mitsue Yamazaki, Yasuhiro Matsumura, Eitarou Ano
- Writers
- Masahiro Okubo, Masashi Sogo, Kenta Shimoyama, Genki Yoshimura, Kazuyuki Fudeyasu, Rika Nakase, Michiko Yokote, Natsuko Takahashi, Kento Shimoyama
Cast
-
Masakazu MoritaIchigo Kurosaki (voice) -
Fumiko OrikasaRukia Kuchiki
