As one of the most popular and iconic franchises of the early 2000s, Bleach making a comeback after all this time is an important moment for many anime fans. However, while plenty are eagerly awaiting the adaptation of the series' final arc, The Thousand-Year Blood War, there have also been many hints that the series might continue past the manga's original ending.
Recently, a Bleach one-shot was released in celebration of its anniversary. Curiously though, instead of just giving readers a story that celebrates the series as a whole like most anniversary one-shots tend to do, this issue was more like a teaser for something larger. With this one-shot as well as other hints, it's becoming apparent that this recent focus on Bleach could mean much more than first thought.
Starting with the most obvious sign, the Bleach: Special One-Shot felt like a setup to the series' most important storyline yet. For most fans, especially those that read The Thousand-Year Blood War, this might sound impossible. With past arcs revolving around saving multiple worlds from the threats of would-be gods and at one point having to try and save "God" (the closest approximation of the Soul King's role), this would be no easy feat.
However, rather than introduce a new big bad for Ichigo to face, Kubo flips the script and turns everything fans knew about Soul Reapers upside down. Titled "No Breaths From Hell," the issue is unsurprisingly about Hell. What is surprising is that this is the first mention of it outside the non-canon film, Bleach: Hell Verse. Considering that Ichigo and the rest of the Soul Reapers are meant to act as guides for souls in the afterlife, Hell's surprise introduction to the series after almost 700 chapters is nothing short of a huge deal.
In the one-shot, it's explained that all Soul Reapers are made up of Reishi, with classes being assigned to them based on how much they possess. When a Soul Reaper dies, their Reishi is returned to the soil of Soul Society, where the Soul Reapers live, which is also made up of this substance. However, it's revealed by Szayelaporro Granz, an Arrancar thought to be dead for quite a while, that all Captains go straight to Hell instead because their Spiritual Pressure is too great.
The one-shot ends on that note, and while not necessarily a cliffhanger, it creates many new questions with little to no answers. Also revealed is that, with the defeat of beings like Ywhach and Aizen and the induction into Hell of some of the strongest Captains in the history of the Soul Society, the Gates of Hell are practically open. This clearly sets up a story that has yet to be revealed.
Then there's the Burn the Witch movie/miniseries. While not directly related to Bleach's storyline, it establishes that there is a Western Branch of the Soul Society in London. Rather than Soul Reapers though, the agents are Wizards and Witches that fight evil dragons instead of Hollows. While it may be difficult to see how this relates to the one-shot or even any other previous arc, the fact that it's set in the same universe must mean something. Why else would Kubo decide to reveal that it's the Western Branch of the Soul Society at the very end?
With that being said, there are many reasons to believe that the Bleach anime will also continue past its announced storyline. Its spinoff getting animated and a continuation through the manga, as well as the Bleach manga seemingly getting a brand new arc, are all signs that point to more Bleach anime. It would be almost ridiculous to assume that the anime would end for good after The Thousand-Year Blood War, especially as it's in the best place to solve the original anime's biggest issue.
As much as fans loved the original anime run, Bleach was canceled for a reason. Due to the show consistently catching up to the manga, there were frequent and often long filler arcs scattered throughout -- and while filler can be done well and help establish a larger world in a story, Bleach's filler was not known for this. One of the biggest problems with the filler arcs is that they occurred in the middle of canon one. This created a very jarring and confusing experience for fans of the show, as they had the story interrupted seemingly out of nowhere -- something manga readers never had to deal with.
As one of the longest arcs in the entire manga, The Thousand-Year Blood War would likely require more than a normal season's worth of episodes to adapt fully. Because of this, the Bleach manga has ample time to get ahead before the show even gets close to the series' original ending. This will remove the original series' greatest flaw and create the smoothest Bleach viewing experience yet.
While none of this has been confirmed, fans of the series have little to fear. Since its ending, Bleach has managed to remain a prominent fixture in the anime/manga world. With the property being as successful as it is -- enough to get an anime revival for the final arc -- there is little reason to assume that more Bleach won't follow, especially if there's still more story left to tell.
