Bleach was a long-running manga series written and illustrated by Tite Kubo, and it received an anime adaptation of the same name. The Bleach anime, though quite long, never told the entire story, and went off the air in 2012. This original anime never depicted the longest and final story arc, the Thousand-Year Blood War arc. But now the anime is set to return soon.
No doubt many Bleach fans are anxious to see the anime's final arc arrive, but the good news is that Bleach fans can find plenty of other ongoing manga and/or anime series to keep them sated until the final story arc begins in earnest. Thes following series are similar to Bleach in many ways, and one of them was directly inspired by it.
Jujutsu Kaisen Is a Leaner, Meaner Bleach
Jujutsu Kaisen is a smash-hit shonen series that takes more than a few cues from the classic Bleach, something that author Gege Akutami once confirmed. Jujutsu Kaisen, like Bleach before it, is a dark fantasy series featuring horrific monsters and the brave warriors who fight them. It follows the punkish high schooler Yuji Itadori who soon finds himself drawn into this brutal world with no way out. He now lives to fight curses, supernatural monsters born of negative human emotions, and he must collect the twenty fingers of Sukuna while also struggling to maintain Sukuna's dark power inside him, which will no doubt remind Bleach fans of Ichigo and his inner Hollow.
Demon Slayer Is a Better-Animated Bleach
Everyone in the shonen world knows what Demon Slayer is -- the story of Tanjiro Kamado and his quest to slay the villainous Muzan Kibutsuji and restore his demon sister Nezuko's humanity. In many ways, Demon Slayer is an evolution of Bleach, and not just because of its vastly superior animation and production values. This story also has a serious emotional impact, depicting the demons as not just flesh-eaters, but tragic figures twisted by evil, with traces of their past humanity still lingering in them as seen in some of Bleach's Hollows. Still, Demon Slayer's basic premise and style should please Bleach fans, being a "monster hunter" anime where swordsmen in uniforms use special techniques to fight monsters in a classy Japanese setting.
Platinum End Is a Heavenly Battle
From the creators of Death Note comes the intriguing new series Platinum End, which only recently launched on Crunchyroll and Funimation. It's a bit less akin to Bleach than Jujutsu Kaisen and Demon Slayer, but Bleach fans will still appreciate Platinum End's focus on spiritual, supernatural powers and the contrast between the heavens and the mundane world below. In a way, these angels are the new Soul Reapers with a dash of Death Note take on Shinigami in them. The protagonist Mirai Kakehashi is a moody student antihero who becomes a supernatural fighter overnight. He must fight twelve other candidates who all seek to become the new God, all while seeking humble, ordinary happiness as a human being. Similarly, Ichigo Kurosaki is ready to save the day, but he never wanted to become the world's hero. He fights to protect his ordinary life and his friends.
Chainsaw Man Is a Manga About Hunting Devils
Award-winning author Tatsuki Fujimoto's hit series Chainsaw Man is a gory shonen series that may soon get an anime adaptation, though it's likely that only the manga can deliver the bloody, brutally detailed art that sets the series' tone so well. Chainsaw Man, like Bleach, is a "monster hunter" series where flesh-eating devils of all sorts roam the land, preying on humans or even tricking them into an actual deal with the devil. The crude antihero is Denji, a down-on-his-luck boy who gains the power of his chainsaw dog Potchi, becoming the terrifying Chainsaw Man in the process. In many ways, Denji is a lot like Ichigo Kurosaki in his search for meaning, and he fights demon enemies similar to Hollows.
Noragami Features Supernatural Sword Battles
Noragami is an ongoing shonen fantasy series with a limited anime run to its name. This series is all about the pantheon of Japanese gods, most of whom look and act shockingly human. Most of all series protagonist Yato; a minor deity. The heroine of Noragami, Hiyori Iki, soon gets herself swept up by Yato in a world of godly feuds and battles of all kinds, and many of these gods wield spiritual weapons known as Shinki. These Shinki take the form of swords or other weapons and common objects. Hiyori is almost like Ichigo, an ordinary high school student who gets involved in supernatural battles while also trying to pursue a normal life back home -- if they can. The anime is concluded, but the Noragami manga is ongoing, with plenty of volumes for Bleach fans to check out.
