Highlights

• Bleach has unforgettable battles and animation but contains several filler arcs that disrupt the main plot.
• The filler arcs like The Bount Arc and The Stolen Hogyoku Arc have mixed reviews for pacing and content.
• Zanpakuto Unknown Tales Arc and The Gotei 13 Invasion Arc are well-received despite usual filler story limitations. Total characters: 133.

There was a time when Bleach was a part of the big three in the shonen landscape, along with Naruto and One Piece. While the popularity of this series might've waned over time, the show still had its highlights and is a riveting watch even now. The show does a pretty great job of translating Tite Kubo's masterful artwork over to an animated medium, making for a great time as viewers watch these amazing battles unravel in a crisp fashion.

Of course, as is the case with any serialized shonen anime, Bleach is filled to the brim with filler episodes that were meant to give Kubo time as he penned more canon chapters of the manga. Fans who want to watch Bleach and stay informed about its filler should take the following information into mind while getting into this legendary shonen anime.

Updated on March 12, 2023, by Ritwik Mitra: Bleach is one of the most popular anime of all time, even with many people feeling like the quality of the storytelling waned over time. Regardless, the larger-than-life battles of Bleach, as players clash with huge weapons and unique powers, make for a great time. The release of Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War has reinvigorated interest in the series once more, with the animation of this adaptation being truly impressive and proving to be quite awe-inspiring for most people returning to the anime.

However, while the gap between each cour of this anime adaptation helps the animation and storytelling stand apart, the weekly anime preceding it also had a charm of its own that's hard to resist. Since this anime was airing concurrently with the manga, the show had to diverge into fillers at moments to not catch up with the ongoing story. Here are some of the most notable fillers in Bleach for fans who want to know everything there is to know about the non-canon storylines in the anime.

Bleach Statistics Chart

Here's an extended look at some of the more notable filler arcs in Bleach. While some people may not appreciate the idea of watching filler, fans who want to spend some time with Bleach's many beloved characters will be well-serviced by these short stories that do a great job of exploring the dynamics between different people in the series.

7 One-Off Fillers (Multiple)

Focus on Side Characters

There's no denying that the characters of Bleach are a joy to witness in many ways. However, it's a huge ask for viewers to spend a ton of time with them on completely useless arcs that do nothing to progress the story or contribute to any character's development in any way. This becomes harder when viewers are stuck watching side characters that have absolutely no impact on the plot outside of these anime-original stories.

The only respite that most people have here is that most of these boring fillers are funny enough to warrant one watch and don't really stick around for too long. The most they'll go on for is five days in a row before the anime comes back to its senses and shows everyone what they want to see — the main plot. Of course, people who only want to watch meaningful episodes in the show can skip these filler episodes entirely, with the following filler arcs being ones that actually have a consistent plot and recurring characters.

That being said, some of these one-off fillers can be pretty entertaining, especially if players are invested in the various character relationships in Bleach. They aren't the best parts of the series by a country mile, but they don't pretend to be — these stories mainly exist just for characters to interact in funny ways.

6 Forest Of The Menos Arc (147-149)

The Forgettable One

The Forest of the Menos arc is one of the more unique arcs in the series. Concept sketches of this forest are present in Tite Kubo's volumes, and this arc takes a short yet interesting look at an area under Hueco Mundo's deserted landscape.

It's a simple yet interesting arc that fleshes out the world of Bleach even more. The fact that this filler arc only lasts three episodes would also be a source of joy for fans who don't want to invest themselves in a long-winded narrative that is ultimately forgotten in the grand scheme of things.

5 The Bount Arc (64-108)

Possibly The Worst Filler Arc

After the incredible Soul Society arc, Bleach embarked upon its first set of major fillers in the form of the Bount arc. Most people consider this to be one of the worst filler arcs in Bleach, mainly due to how much of a downer it is after Ichigo's amazing journey throughout Soul Society to rescue Rukia.

Ichigo's plan to relax after the events of the Soul Society arc is dashed when three strangers abduct his friends and force him through a twisted game. It's soon revealed that this event was a precursor for the introduction of the Bount, an artificially-created race with Hollow-like powers. While they pose a massive threat early on, they eventually get pushed into Soul Society and realize that they're way out of their depth when the Shinigami completely decimate them.

4 Stolen Hogyoku Arc (128-137)

Aizen Becoming The Leader of Arrancar

The Stolen Hogyoku arc is a bit of a mixed bag. The arc features many one-off episodes while also exploring the side of the Arrancar and how a lot of them aren't really happy with Aizen becoming their leader. It has some interesting moments, but poor pacing and the ham-fisted nature of its inclusion severely take it down a notch.

A definite highlight of this arc is Hitsugaya, who gets his time to shine and does so brilliantly. There's a reason why this character is one of the most popular shinigami in the entire series!

3 The New Captain Shusuke Amagai Arc (168-189)

Shusuke Amagai gets the Spotlight

Shusuke Amagai was a character that could've been a memorable figure in his own right. In fact, the first few episodes of this filler arc definitely show a ton of promise...but the pacing falls off severely after a while and makes it really hard to get through the rest of the story.

That being said, the final few fights in the series are pretty great and worth a watch. It's just a shame that the new characters introduced in this filler arc are simply too boring to warrant the extended screen time they get. To make matters worse, characters from this arc make an appearance in later filler episodes as well, and those are also pretty unwatchable at times!

2 Zanpakuto Unknown Tales Arc (230-265)

Zanpakuto's Rebellion

Bleach saved its better filler arcs for the latter half of its run. The idea of every Shinigami's Zanpakuto rebelling against their master is a unique prospect that is explored quite brilliantly in the Zanpakuto Unknown Tales arc. It helps that the antagonist at the heart of it all, Muramasa, is also a pretty engaging character in his own right.

As is the case with most filler arcs, the story goes down a rather predictable route before ending with Ichigo taking care of the big baddie once and for all. This is to be expected given the limitations of most filler stories, and props should be given to the Zanpakuto Unknown Tales arc for excelling even with these limitations.

1 The Gotei 13 Invasion Arc (317-342)

One of the Best Filler Arcs

Most people are split on whether this arc or Muramasa's rebellion is the best filler story in Bleach. It's a testament to the high quality of both stories that this debate still doesn't have a clear answer to this day.

The idea of impostors posing as Shinigami captains and wreaking havoc within Soul Society is quite engrossing, and this arc does a great job of adapting such a story, given Ichigo's waning powers after his fight against Aizen. That being said, this arc does have some fights that take too long to complete...but that's a minor gripe in an otherwise great experience.