Bleach earned its place in shonen's famed "big three" as a well-thought out story that did almost everything right. The anime and manga do suffer from a few issues, such as excessive fluff dialogue or side battles that failed to capture fans' imaginations. Otherwise, though, Bleach is a true legend that is still schooling other shonen anime to this day in many ways.
Bleach set a high bar that spiritual successors like Jujutsu Kaisen and Demon Slayer can't easily clear. Those two anime may have sharper pacing and better production values, but otherwise, Bleach remains on top. Fans can name five particular traits or design quirks that make Tite Kubo's shonen adventure the icon that it is, whether it's compared to 1990s hits or today's must-see shonen titles.
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Bleach Excels With the "Fish Out of Water" Trope
The Isekai and Reverse Isekai Elements Make Bleach Stand Out
While Bleach is definitely not a proper isekai anime, it does borrow the best parts of the isekai genre to deepen its narrative in fun ways. Anime such as One Piece, Frieren, and even Attack on Titan may send the heroes to new parts of their world, including the islands of the Grand Line, but Bleach does it better. Or rather, Bleach is #1 with the "fish out of water" concept. Even when Luffy visits Whole Cake Island or Eren sneaks into Marley, they feel somewhat at home.
The same isn't true for Bleach, which features three distinct worlds: the world of the living, the Soul Society, and Hueco Mundo. These three realms come with their own native populations, culture, battlefields, and everyday elements. Early in Bleach, fans loved seeing Rukia Kuchiki adjust to early 21st century Japanese life as a Soul Reaper in a school uniform, while Ichigo felt like a total outsider in the pre-industrial Soul Society or the bleak deserts of Hueco Mundo. That's also why it feels jarring when Soul Reapers or Arrancars visit Karakura Town as borderline alien beings.
Bleach's Half-Other Powers Are the Best in Shonen Anime
Ichigo Only Mastered His Hollow By Facing His Grief
Other shonen anime also do well with the half-other trope, and fans may favor some half-others over Ichigo Kurosaki, such as Eren Yeager with his Attack Titan form or Naruto Uzumaki the jinchuriki. Still, that's no reason to underestimate Ichigo and his inner Hollow, since that creature is far more than a convenient power-up to bail Ichigo out of trouble. That may be the mask's function in many battles in Bleach, but more importantly, that inner Hollow is intensely personal for Ichigo.
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The inner Hollow, of all things, is what tied the Kurosaki family together, making it one of Ichigo's most important connections to his Soul Reaper father and Quincy mother. Because of that Hollow's rampage years ago in Karakura Town, Captain Isshin Shiba saved Masaki's life and even sacrificed his powers to contain the Hollow. It was a noble gesture that surpasses anything Minato did for Kushina in Naruto, for example, and it explains where Ichigo's inner monster came from. Because of this, Ichigo had to confront his painful grief and finally resolve it to gain emotional clarity to unlock the Hollow's full power. For other half-other heroes, mastering their inner monster is mostly just a matter of training.
Bleach's Philosophical Edge Makes Viewers Think in Every Episode
Sosuke Aizen Must Be a Fan of Friedrich Nietzsche
This is another arena where Bleach only narrowly beats the competition, since One Piece, Naruto, My Hero Academia, and Attack on Titan also have robust themes and philosophy to discuss. My Hero Academia delves into the humanitarian crisis and hypocrisy of a hero-led society, for example, and Naruto is famous for examining the cycle of hatred and violence in resonant ways. Bleach is no slouch either, starting with its most famous villain, ex-Captain Sosuke Aizen.
Find all 10 pairs
Find all 10 pairs
Aizen represents the Nietzsche side of Bleach and the idea of an Übermensch to replace the dead idea of God. Aizen doesn't use that term, and he doesn't call Nietzsche by name, but the inspiration is clear. Aizen represents humanity's desire to fill all power vacuums and dominate all of creation, since it's clear someone is supposed to do that. That may lead to a great leader as humanity realizes its potential, but it also throws open the doors to tyrants who believe might makes right at the expense of the innocent. This challenges fans to consider the interwoven ideas of "could" and "should" when it comes to power and authority as humanity continues to test its own boundaries.
Bleach Wows Shonen Fans With Conceptual Attacks and Techniques
Not All Powers in Bleach Rely on Physical Power or Energy
Some attacks, weapons, and techniques in the Bleach anime feel flashy yet routine, such as the various kido spells and Yoruichi's usage of Shunko to turbocharge her martial arts. Other powers are cooler still, such as Izuru Kira's ability to repeatedly double his opponent's weight or Byakuya Kuchiki's beautiful yet deadly zanpakuto releases. These are just par for the course in the shonen realm, so Bleach needs another angle in its combat system. That is why the anime is well-served with its conceptual techniques.
These often rank among the most powerful and most memorable moves in the entire Bleach anime. These abilities are ideas made manifest, making them difficult to block since they're not based on ever-higher power levels or greater speed. The Royal Guard often does this, with Ichibe Hyosube altering his enemy's power levels by changing their name, or removing the color black from all things to overwhelm the enemy. Senjumaru can actually weave her enemy's new fate with bankai, and Yhwach can see all possible futures to maneuver himself into the desired outcome in a fight.
Bleach Boasts a High Percentage of Powerful Female Fighters
Senjumaru Shutara Defeated the Entire Schutzstaffel By Herself
Slowly and surely, the world of shonen action anime is raising the percentage of powerful and worthwhile female characters. At minimum, this adds some much-needed variety to any anime's roster of fighters, and it may also inspire female viewers who want to see a hero who's just like them. Today's anime, like Demon Slayer, My Hero Academia, and Jujutsu Kaisen are making an appreciable effort with this, but Bleach did it first, and is still doing it best.
True, Bleach sometimes made its female fighters into damsels in distress, a trope that gave shape to the Soul Society Arc and Ichigo's mission to Hueco Mundo. Otherwise, Bleach does well for itself with the likes of Yoruichi Shihoin the martial artist, Rukia, Senjumaru, Harribel, Sui-Feng, and many more. These warrior women are balanced and inspiring not because they're unbeatable, but because they trained hard and often grappled with insecurities to power up and make something of themselves. Rukia had an arc just like any male lead, pushing herself to awaken new powers and overcome her inner demons to become someone both Kaien Shiba and Byakuya could be proud of.
Bleach
Display card tags widget Display card community and brand rating widget Display card main info widget- Release Date
- 2004 - 2012-00-00
- Network
- TV Tokyo, TV Osaka, TV Aichi, TVh, TVQ, TSC, BS TV Tokyo
Cast
-
Masakazu MoritaIchigo Kurosaki (voice) -
Fumiko OrikasaRukia Kuchiki
WHERE TO WATCH
Based on Tite Kubo's battle shonen manga, Bleach centers around Ichigo, a high school student who is dragged into the world of Soul Reapers. The original anime ended in 2012, but it was revived in 2022.
- Showrunner
- Tite Kubo
- Studio
- Pierrot
- Creator
- Tite Kubo
- Number of Episodes
- 366
- Streaming Service(s)
- Hulu
