Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War Part 3 Release Date, Plot, Latest News and More

Here is everything you need to know about the upcoming Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War Part 3

Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War is the much-awaited sequel to the long-running Bleach series. The sequel’s animation and storytelling have satisfied fans of the original series and have also brought in a wave of new fans. It is currently one of the most talked about anime.

In this article, we’ll be talking about everything we know about Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War Part 3, the latest updates, the status of the current season, and more!

Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War Part 3 Release Date

It is confirmed that we’ll also be getting Thousand-Year Blood War Part 3 and Part 4 but an exact release date is yet to be announced.

Expecting that Studio Pierrot will continue production at the same pace we can expect a trailer for Part 3 sometime this year and a release around Spring 2024.

In 2021, it was announced that the Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War series would consist of four parts with each part expected to have 13 episodes.

Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War Part 1 “ The Blood Warfare ” was broadcast from October 11, 2022 to December 27, 2022. Part 2 “ The Separation ” is currently airing. It started on July 8, 2023, and will end on September 30, 2023. 

What is Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War about?

Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War is the final arc in the long-running Bleach series.

After being attacked by unknown forces, the Soul Society finds itself in a state of war. Kurosaki Ichigo, a substitute Soul Reaper, and his comrades try to help the Soul Society avert this major crisis. Allies and enemies from the past reappear in this process.

What Happened in Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War So Far

The original Bleach series ended in 2012 with a total of 366 episodes. The original run ends with “ The Lost Agent ” arc. In this arc, after Ichigo loses his Soul Reaper powers, he meets Kugo Ginjo who helps him gain Fullbringer powers but later gets betrayed by him. Rukia reappears to help Ichigo and he gains his Soul Reaper powers again. The series ends with Ichigo becoming a substitute Soul Reaper.

Part 1 of Thousand-Year Blood War starts with mysterious events happening in the human world and Rukon district. While Ichigo and others try to help their friends in Hueco Mundo, a large-scale attack is launched on Soul Society.

The attack was made by the Quincy led by Yhwach. When Ichigo tries to help, he is trapped on his way. By the time Ichigo arrives, several squad captains have lost and robbed of their Bankai. In a fight, Yamamoto gets tricked by Yhwach and dies. Ichigo tries to stop Yhwach but fails to do so. Yhwach and the other Quincy leave with a promise to attack again soon.

After the attacks, Squad 0 appears and takes Ichigo, Kuchiki siblings, and Renji to the Soul King Palace. They are healed and trained for the upcoming battle. Part 1 ends with Ichigo finding the truth about his past and Zangetsu, and receiving his new Zanpakutos.

Part 2 starts with another invasion by Quincy as Yhwach promises to end the world in nine days. Ishida also joins the Quincy and is announced as Yhwach’s successor. Meanwhile, Urahara finds a way to reclaim the lost Bankais. This allows the Soul Society to fight back. Rukia, Byakuya, and Renji also return and level the battle. 

When Ichigo returns, his path leaves an opening to the Soul King Palace. Yhwach uses this opportunity to travel to the Palace and his true intentions are revealed.

The show is still ongoing. Episode 10 ends with Ichigo and his friends preparing to stop Yhwach. The season will end on 30th September and will be an hour-long special episode.

The Bleach Manga Series

Both the original Bleach series and Thousand-Year Blood War follow the manga written by Kubo Tite. The manga series started on August 7, 2001, and ended on August 22, 2016. 

Bleach is the 11th highest-selling manga series of all time and has a total of 686 chapters covered in 74 volumes. 

The original Bleach anime series ends at Volume 54 called “ Goodbye to Our Xcution ”. The Bleach Thousand-Year Blood War series starts at Volume 55 called “ The Blood Warfare ”. Part 1 ends in the middle of Manga Volume 61 called “ The Last 9 Days ”. Part 2 starts off at the remainder of Volume 61.

The latest anime episode ended in the middle of chapter 597. 

It is expected that Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War Part 2 will end at Volume 67 or 68. Both Volumes seem like a suitable spot to end Part 2.

Thousand-Year Blood War Parts 3 and 4 will cover the remaining 60-70 chapters.

What to Expect from the Upcoming Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War Part 3

So far Thousand-Year Blood War Part 2 has revealed that Yhwach’s true intentions are not to destroy Seireitei but the Soul King Palace itself. The remaining episodes of Part 2 are bound to show us fights between Yhwach and Squad 0.

Squad 0 consists of divine souls who are important to Seireitei and also protect the Soul King. It’ll be interesting to see if Yhwach can defeat these divine beings. 

Though we are unsure where Part 2 will end, the upcoming parts will include a lot of surprises and action.

According to the manga, Yhwach’s true origin will be revealed, and Aizen who was previously the lead antagonist in Bleach will also join the battle. 

It is expected that the focus of battle will shift from Seireitei to Soul King Palace. In Part 2, many members of the Quincy were displeased with Yhwach for announcing Ishida as the successor. Will this lead them to betray Yhwach? 

Additionally, in the Thousand-Year Blood War interview, Kubo Tite sensei mentioned that he is directly watching over the production and has been sending battle and design ideas to the studio. So we might see some new minor additions to the anime that weren’t in the manga.

The Cast of Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War

The show has managed to retain most of the original cast from the original series. This was important to maintain the consistency of these characters and the show. Following is the list of characters and their voice actors: 

• Kurosaki Ichigo – 
  • Voiced by – Morita Masakazu
  • Notable Roles – Xin from Kingdom, Pegasus Seiya from Saint Seiya

• Ishida Uryuu –
  • Voiced by – Sugiyama Noriaki
  • Notable Roles – Uchiha Sasuke from Naruto, Emiya Shirou from Fate

• Kuchiki Rukia – 
  • Voiced by – Orikasa Fumiko
  • Notable Roles – Riza Hawkeye from Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, Seras Victoria from Hellsing

• Abarai Renji –
  • Voiced by – Itou Kentaro
  • Notable Roles – Akimichi Chouji from Naruto, Yi Huan from Kingdom

• Bambietta Basterbine –
  • Voiced by – Taketatsu Ayana
  • Notable Roles – Nakano Azusa from K-On!, Toujou Koneko from High School DxD

• Hitsugaya Toushirou
  • Voiced by – Park Romi
  • Notable Roles – Edward Elric from Fullmetal Alchemist, Hange Zoë from Attack on Titan.

While the show is currently being directed by multiple directors, Murata Hikaru is the chief episode director. He has previously also worked on JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure. 

The score for the show is produced by Sagisu Shirou who also produced the score for the original Bleach series and other anime like Neon Genesis Evangelion and Berserk.

Which Studio is animating Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War

Studio Pierrot is animating Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War. They also were responsible for animating the original series. According to the announcement made in 2021, Studio Pierrot is responsible for all four parts. It is very unlikely that we’ll see a studio change.

Previously, the original series was criticized for having a rushed ending. But since Kubo Tite is directly overseeing and aiding the production, the story has been adapted better this time. The same or better can be expected for the coming parts.

Who will Enjoy the show?

Once considered a part of the Big 3 anime, Bleach is clearly a well-known show. It is one of the most popular shounen anime. Fans of modern shounen anime like Jujutsu Kaisen and Demon Slayer would like the show. It has a similar premise to these shows. 

Anyone who has a taste in action, a strong main lead, and a wide range of characters will enjoy Bleach. 

If you haven’t watched Bleach yet, what is stopping you?

Ratings for the Bleach series

Bleach has been a long-running series and has gained various opinions over the years. Following are the ratings for the series : 

Bleach (2004-2012): 

• IMDb: 7.35/10
• MyAnimeList : 7.93/10
• AniList: 77/100
• AnimePlanet: 3.9/5

Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War (2022)

• IMDb: 9.1
• MyAnimeList: 9.06 and #3 on Top Anime of All Time
• AniList: 89/100
• AnimePlanet: 4.5/5

Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War Part 2 (2023)

• IMDb: 8.7 
• MyAnimeList: 8.97 and #15 on Top Anime of all time
• AniList: 87/100
• AnimePlanet: 4.5/5

The original series has often been criticized for its filler episodes and rushed ending, but it still manages to hold decent reviews over the internet.

The long-awaited sequels have been rated overwhelmingly positive by the majority of the fans. This has created a lot of hype around the show and has made it one of the most talked about anime series at the moment.

Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War FAQ

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