The following contains spoilers for Episode 1 of Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War "The Blood Warfare," now streaming on Hulu & Disney+.
Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War, the final arc in the Bleach franchise, aired its first episode "The Blood Warfare" on October 11, 2022, at 11:30 am EST. Coming off a ten-year-long hiatus, Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War has big shoes to fill with many fans of the original series expecting an epic finale to this highly-anticipated anime series.
Tite Kubo, the show's original manga artist and creator, and Studio Pierrot, the show's original animation studio, have come together to complete the Bleach franchise. This new series, however, came with many changes that left some fans in a state of disappointment and confusion. First, Disney+ obtained the rights to the entire Bleach franchise, causing Crunchyroll, a popular anime streaming app, to abruptly retire the series from their platform. Hulu+ managed to retain its rights to the original and new series of Bleach; however, this is only applicable within the United States, as Disney+ is streaming the new series worldwide. Second, while many of the original cast and crew have returned for the finale, there was a major turnaround with Tomohisa Taguchi replacing Noriyuki Abe as the main director.
Old Endings and New Beginnings
As a quick recap, the original Bleach anime series ran from 2004 to 2012 with sixteen total seasons. Since the anime was discontinued after the Fullbring arc, the final episode shows Ichigo Kurosaki and Rukia Kuchiki going their separate ways, Ichigo staying in modern-day Japan, and Rukia returning to Soul Society.
For avid watchers of the anime, this came as an anti-climatic conclusion to the exciting buildup the series created. The new series starts from chapter 480 in the manga and will cover all the way from volumes fifty-five to seventy-four and will hopefully stay true to the original Bleach manga which finished in 2016.
Plot Breakdown: First Half
Critical to any anime is its first scene. Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War's first episode "The Blood Warfare" starts out with narration by the King of Quincy himself, Yhwach, and step-by-step details of his restoration. The show then switches over to Soul Society's Research and Development center, where it's revealed that hundreds of Hollows have disappeared from Soul Society and entered into the World of the Living. Mayuri Kurotschi, the head of the center, alludes to knowing who caused this to occur and lays the groundwork for the core conflict within the show: That is, the revival of The Quincy, Soul Society's greatest enemy.
Moving into the World of the Living, two new Soul Society squad officers are introduced, Shino Madarame and Ryunosuke Yuki, and they are assigned to Karakura City, one of the main settings in the original series. After splitting up to patrol the area for Hollows, Ryunosuke finds himself running away from a gigantic, spider-like Hollow, and discovers Shino has been defeated and is being held hostage by a group of Hollows.
When all hope seems lost, as both Shino and Ryunosuke are easily defeated by the Hollows, Kurosaki Ichigo and his friends arrive and save the day. In the style of early 2000s anime, each of the characters from the original series is given their own freeze-frame character banners reminding old fans and introducing new fans to whom the characters are and what they can do with their abilities. Ichigo easily defeats the swarms of Hollows when he transforms into his Bankai form and unleashes his Zanpakutō technique, Getsuga Tensho.
Plot Breakdown: Second Half
A two-day time skip happens, the environment changing to a more casual setting, Ichigo's room, which was a key location in the original series, serving as both Ichigo's and Rukia's base of operations. Several light-hearted interactions ensue, refreshing the audience on the dynamics of Ichigo's group and naturally fleshing out the new characters introduced in this first episode. Not too long after, a new villain appears introducing himself as Asguiaro Ebern. Ichigo and Ebern enter into a drawn-out fight scene that continues throughout the rest of the episode.
Following this trend, the episode flashes back and forth between Ichigo's fight in Karakura City to Rukon District and to the Squad 1 Barracks in the Head Captain's Office. In the Rukon District, it is uncovered that all of its residents mysteriously disappeared but are speculated to have been abducted by members of the same village. And, in the Head Captain's Office, Shigekuni Genyusai Yamato, is confronted by a group wearing all-white outfits and black masks, a group later revealed to be the Wandenreich. Sasakibe, a loyal officer to the Head Captain, is defeated right in front of Yamato's eyes and reveals that the enemy can steal a Soul Reaper's Bankai.
Ebern, a member of the Wandenreich, attempts to steal Ichigo's Bankai in the very next scene but fails miserably. Throughout the fight, Ichigo not only realizes that Ebern is not one of the Arrancars, Hollows possessing the powers of Soul Reapers, but also uncovers that his opponent is a member of The Quincy, the same clan that Ishida comes from. And although Ichigo is able to release his Getsuga Tensho despite the strange device used, Ebern escapes using a mysterious shadow ability. The final scene of the episode finally reveals the face of the King of the Quincy.
Overall Impression: Music, Animation, & Speculations
One of the most impressive features of the new anime series is its sound design, specifically its background music which is thanks to the show's Music Director, Shiro Sagisu, the original crew member of the main series. During the first half, when Ichigo and his friends go to save Shino and Ryunosuke, the iconic Bleach song "Number One" plays in the background evoking nostalgia from long-time fans. Whether blatant or subtle, the background music sets up each scene flawlessly. When one of the main villains, Ebern, is introduced, the audience can hear a loud instrumental of violins creating feelings of suspense and uneasiness. Likewise, during the final scene of the episode, low but powerful bass notes can be heard as the audience is teleported to the headquarters of the Wandenreich.
The animation style has also greatly improved since the airing of the original series from 2004 to 2012. Within the first episode, not only are the action scenes crisp and clean but also the settings themselves are stunning. Depending on the mood and direction of the scene, different colors are accentuated more than others. For example, when Wandenreich's Ebern is first introduced, the background colors turn dark red and orange conveying danger. The same color scheme occurs when he escapes using his shadow ability and the fight concludes, setting the stage for the transition to the final scene of the episode.
As for speculations, there are a few things that stuck out in the first episode alone. First, Ichigo seems powerful enough not only to repel the effects of the Bankai-stealing device but also to break it completely. Second, the Wandenreich may have a connection with the Arrancars seeing as Ebern is shown wearing a mask very similar to theirs. Third, Ishida, as a member of The Quincy by birth, may have deeper connections with this new villainous group and get tangled up with them. Lastly, the war between the Soul Reapers and The Wandereich may extend farther than just Soul Society into the World of the Living.
This is just the start of Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War and avid fans and casual watchers alike will just have to wait and see how the story unfolds in the next episode.
Source: MyAnimeList & IMDb