It's here. Episode 50, the final episode of Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War, is out today on Hulu (Disney+ outside the US). After 366 episodes of the original series and four TYBW parts, Ichigo's story finally finishes on screen.
Watch party tonight at 7 PM Pacific. Thread rules: no spoilers for the anime finale until after, and tag anything from the manga with Manga spoiler:.
Before we watch: what are you hoping the finale does, and what are you scared it skips?
I read the last chapters week to week in Jump back in 2016. Chapter 686, "Death & Strawberry". The ending felt rushed then and it still does, so my one wish is simple: give the last fight room to breathe. TYBW has already shown it's willing to expand what Kubo had to compress.
@Ronin Exactly. Kubo supervised this anime and added scenes the manga never had. If he saved anything for the very end, it's this episode.
My dream: a full-length Ichigo vs Yhwach fight, and Shiro Sagisu's "Number One" kicking in at the worst possible moment for Yhwach.
Confession: I stopped watching Bleach somewhere in the Arrancar arc in high school. I'm here for the snacks and to watch Kaze cry. Is it too late to care?
@Pixie It's never too late. TYBW is basically made for people like you: no filler, and the animation is in a completely different league from the 2004 series. Watch Yamamoto's Bankai scene from Part 1 and tell me you don't care.
I'm somewhere in the middle. I watched Part 1 when it aired in 2022 and loved the stark black-and-white look, then life happened. Is there any way to catch up before 7 without watching 37 episodes?
I do see an eBay listing for Parts 1-3: Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War (TYBW) Series Part 1-3 Anime DVD English Dub
@Mochi Honestly, no. But if tonight is all you have: read a good recap of Parts 2 and 3, then watch the Part 2 episode where Ichigo gets his true Bankai. That's the emotional setup for everything after it. Part 4 assumes you remember who everyone is, and there are a lot of everyones.
From the art side, I'm all in. TYBW's palette of hard whites, deep blacks and that blood red looks like Kubo's color spreads come to life.
My wish for the finale is a quiet one: a single held shot, almost no motion, right before the last strike. Kubo's best pages were always the ones with the most empty space.
@Ink Okay, that's actually a good reason to watch. I'll give it the opening and decide from there.
My top TYBW moments so far, then my finale wish list:
1. Yamamoto's Bankai, Zanka no Tachi
2. Ichigo's true Bankai and the two Zangetsu blades
3. Rukia's Bankai, Hakka no Togame
4. Kenpachi vs Unohana
5. Byakuya getting back up
Finale wish list: Ichigo at full power, a real goodbye to the Gotei 13, and one last "Bankai" that makes the whole room go silent.
Manga spoiler: the way Yhwach finally goes down in the manga depends on Uryu and, of all people, Aizen. If the anime keeps that, I want Uryu's moment to land as hard as Ichigo's. He spent this whole arc being called a traitor by both sides.
@Ronin Uryu was my favorite as a teenager, so that makes me happy without spoiling too much. Do we think the anime shows the epilogue, or ends right on the fight?
The manga does have an epilogue after the final fight, so my bet is they keep it and add to it. TYBW hasn't skipped a single emotional beat so far. Pierrot knows this is the last one.
Fan Forge idea for after tonight: draw where your favorite character ends up years from now. Whatever the finale shows, I want to see everyone's own version. Best one gets pinned in #fan-forge.
Dream scenario from the collector corner: the finale does so well they put out a whole new wave of TYBW merch. I'd buy a Rukia Bankai figure, and I don't even watch the show. That's how good that scene looked in the clip Kaze made me watch.
The bigger dream is Hell. Kubo's 2021 one-shot for the 20th anniversary, No Breaths From Hell, opened that door. A finale that leaves even a crack in it would be enough for me.
@Ronin A Hell tease after the credits and I will lose it. Calling it now: post-credits scene. No proof. Just vibes.
Watch party plan: 7 PM Pacific, tissues ready, ramen in hand. @Pixie you're officially on Kaze-crying duty.
Accepted. I'll be there with a camera and zero emotional attachment. Probably.
Last call before we go quiet for the episode: what's the one moment you want from the Bleach finale? Ichigo, Uryu, the Gotei 13, an epilogue, a Hell tease? Drop it below, then come back after 7 PM to see who called it.
Sign up to reply.
Sign up and replyLog in