Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War

Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War
Original Title	BLEACH 千年血戦篇 (Burīchi: Sennen Kessen-hen)
Original Language	Japanese
Dubbing Studio	Studiopolis
Voice Director	Ryan Johnston
Translation & Adaptation	Ardwight Chamberlain
Recorded	2022-present
Dub Country	United States
Original Country	Japan
Episodes	52 (Subtitled) 40 (Dubbed)
Year	2022-present
Chronology
Predecessor	Bleach

Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War (BLEACH 千年血戦篇, Burīchi: Sennen Kessen-hen) is a Japanese anime television series based on the Bleach manga series by Tite Kubo and a direct sequel to the Bleach anime series.

In March 2020, Weekly Shōnen Jump and "Bleach 20th Anniversary Project & Tite Kubo New Project Presentation" livestream announced that the manga's last story arc, "Thousand-Year Blood War", would receive an anime project. In November 2021, it was announced that the anime project would be a television series. The trailer and visual for the series were revealed at the Jump Festa '22 on December 18, 2021. The series is directed by Tomohisa Taguchi and premiered on TV Tokyo on October 11, 2022. The series will run for four cours with breaks in between. The first cour, The Thousand-Year Blood War, consists of 13 episodes and ended on December 27 of the same year. The second cour, The Separation, also consists of 13 episodes and was broadcast from July 8 to September 30, 2023. The third cour, The Conflict, consists of 14 episodes was broadcast on October 5, 2024 to December 28, 2024.

Tatsuya Kitani performs the opening theme "Scar" (スカー, Sukā), while SennaRin performs the ending theme "Saihate" (最果て, "The Farthest Reaches"); In addition, Kitani also performed the special ending theme for the first episode, "Rapport", which was previously used as the main theme song for the series' 20th Anniversary Exhibition, Bleach EX.

On October 3, 2022, Viz Media announced that the series would stream on Hulu in the United States and Disney+ internationally outside of Asia.

The English Dub for the first cour premiered on November 4, 2022 and ended on January 27th, 2023, the English dub for the second cour premiered on August 5th, 2023 to November 4, 2023 while the English dub for the third cour premiered on November 23, 2024 to February 8, 2025.

On April 25, 2025, it was announced the series will air on Adult Swim's Toonami block on May 17, 2025.

Cast

Image	Character	Seiyū	Dub Actor	Part(s).	Ep(s).
Main Characters
	Ichigo Kurosaki	Masakazu Morita	Johnny Yong Bosch	1-
				1
	Rukia Kuchiki	Fumiko Orikasa	Michelle Ruff	1-
				2	19
	Orihime Inoue	Yuki Matsuoka	Stephanie Sheh	1-
	Uryū Ishida	Noriaki Sugiyama	Derek Stephen Prince	1-
	Yasutora "Chad" Sado	Hiroki Yasumoto	Alain Mesa	1-
	Renji Abarai	Kentarō Itō	Wally Wingert	1-2
				3-
	Yhwach (The Almighty)	Takayuki Sugō	Richard Epcar	1-
				3
				2	24
Secondary Characters
Human World
- Urahara Shop -
	Kisuke Urahara	Shinichirō Miki	Doug Erholtz	1-
	Yoruichi Shihōin	Satsuki Yukino	Wendee Lee	2-
Soul Society
- 13 squadrons of Court Guards -
" Squadron 1 "
	Shunsui Kyōraku	Akio Ōtsuka	Steve Kramer	1-
				1
				3	29, 37
		Ayane Sakura (child and teenager)	Alejandro Saab (teenager)		37
			Anne Yatco (child)	1	7
	Nanao Ise	Hitomi Nabatame	Kate Higgins	1-
				3	37
	Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto	Binbin Takaoka	Neil Kaplan	1-
				1, 3
	Chōjirō Sasakibe	Taro Yamaguchi	Dan Woren	1-
		Ryōta Suzuki (young)		1, 3
" Squadron 2 "
	Soi Fong	Hōko Kuwashima	Karen Strassman	1-
	Marechiyo Ōmaeda	Shōto Kashii	Lex Lang	1-
" Squadron 3 "
	Rōjūrō "Rose" Ōtoribashi	Shōto Kashii	Kirk Thornton	1
				3-4
	Izuru Kira	Takahiro Sakurai	Grant George	1
" Squadron 4 "
	Isane Kotetsu	Yukana	Stephanie Sheh	1-
	Retsu Unohana	Aya Hisakawa	Kate Higgins	1, 3
	Hanatarō Yamada	Kōki Miyata	Spike Spencer	1, 3
" Squadron 5 "
	Shinji Hirako	Masaya Onosaka	Aleks Le	1-
				3-4
	Momo Hinamori	Kumi Sakuma	Karen Strassman	1-
" Squadron 6 "
	Byakuya Kuchiki	Ryōtarō Okiayu	Dan Woren	1-
" Squadron 7 "
	Sajin Komamura	Tetsu Inada	Christopher Swindle	1-2
				2	17
	Tetsuzaemon Iba	Rintarō Nishi	Neil Kaplan	1-
" Squadron 9 "
	Kensei Muguruma	Tomokazu Sugita	Aaron LaPlante	1-
				3-4
	Shūhei Hisagi	Katsuyuki Konishi	Steve Staley	1-
	Mashiro Kuna	Akemi Kanda	Jeannie Tirado	1, 3
				3-4
" Squadron 10 "
	Tōshirō Hitsugaya	Romi Park	Steve Staley	1-
				1	11
				2	16
					23
	Rangiku Matsumoto	Kaya Matsutani	Megan Hollingshead	1-
				1	11
" Squadron 11 "
	Kenpachi Zaraki	Fumihiko Tachiki	Patrick Seitz	1-
	Yachiru Kusajishi	Hisayo Mochizuki	Dina Sherman	1-
	Ikkaku Madarame	Nobuyuki Hiyama	Todd Haberkorn	1-
	Yumichika Ayasegawa	Jun Fukuyama	Brian Beacock	1-
" Squadron 12 "
	Mayuri Kurotsuchi	Ryūsei Nakao	Terrence Stone	1-3
				1
				2-3
				3	36
	Akon	Keijin Okuda	Gavin Harrison	1-
	Niko Kuna	Akemi Kanda	Jeannie Tirado	1-
	Hiyosu	Kōhei Matsumoto	Kirk Thornton	1-
	Nemu Kurotsuchi	Rie Kugimiya	Megan Hollingshead	2-
				3	36
	Rin Tsubokura	Miho Saiki	Julie Ann Taylor	1
" Squadron 13 "
	Jūshirō Ukitake	Hideo Ishikawa	Aleks Le	1-
				3	29
		Natsumi Fujiwara (child and toddler)
			Kate Higgins
	Kiyone Kotetsu	Chinami Nishimura	Cindy Robinson	2-
	Sentarō Kotsubaki	Kōichi Tōchika	Patrick Seitz	2-
	Ryūnosuke Yuki	Daiki Yamashita	Aleks Le	1, 3
	Shino Madarame	Asami Seto	Amber Lee Connors	1, 3
	Zennosuke Kurumadani	Masahito Yabe	Kirk Thornton	1, 3
" Squadron Zero "
	Ichibē Hyōsube	Naomi Kusumi	Aaron LaPlante	1-
	Ōetsu Nimaiya	Yōji Ueda	Catero Colbert	1-
	Tenjirō Kirinji	Tomoyuki Shimura	Mick Lauer	1-
	Senjumaru Shutara	Rina Satō	Jeannie Tirado	1-
	Kirio Hikifune	Ayumi Tsunematsu	Tara Sands	1-
Wandenreich
- Schutzstaffel -
	Jugram Haschwalth (The Balance)	Yūichirō Umehara	Robbie Daymond	1-
				3-4
		Marina Inoue (young and child)		3	38
			Ryan Bartley (child)
	Lille Barro (The X-axis)	Satoshi Hino	Evan Michael Lee	2-
				3	35
					37
					40
	Askin Nakk Le Vaar (The Deathdealing)	Shunsuke Takeuchi	Daman Mills	2-
	Gerard Valkyrie (The Miracle)	Tsuyoshi Koyama	Dave B. Mitchell	2-
				3-4
	Pernida Parnkgjas (The Compulsory)	Bin Shimada	Xander Mobus	3-
" Sternritter "
	Bazzard Black / Bazz-B (The Heat)	Yūki Ono	Xander Mobus	1-3
		Chiaki Kobayashi (young and child)		3	38
			Anne Yatco (child)
	Bambietta Basterbine (The Explode)	Ayana Taketatsu	Anne Yatco	1-3
				2	22, 25
	Meninas McAllon (The Power)	Reina Ueda	Anne Yatco	1-3
	NaNaNa Najahkoop (The Underbelly)	Tomoaki Maeno	Zeno Robinson	1-3
	Äs Nödt (The Fear)	Yoshitsugu Matsuoka	Elijah Ungvary	1
				2	19
	Cang Du (The Iron)	Ryō Kuratomi	Landon McDonald	1-2
	BG9 (The K)	Hideyuki Tanaka	Aaron LaPlante	1-2
	PePe Waccabrada (The Love)	Ryū Yamaguchi	Zeno Robinson	1-2
	Robert Accutrone (The N)	Takaya Hashi	Neil Kaplan	1-2
	Mask De Masculine (The Superstar)	Yasuhiro Mamiya	Bill Butts	1-2
				2	18
	Liltotto Lamperd (The Glutton)	Aoi Yūki	Cherami Leigh	2-3
	Giselle Gewelle (The Zombie)	Nao Tōyama	Casey Mongillo	2-3
	Candice Catnipp (The Thunderbolt)	Yumi Uchiyama	Shara Kirby	2-3
	Quilge Opie (The Jail)	Kōichi Yamadera	Xander Mobus	1
				1	3
	Gremmy Thoumeaux (The Visionary)	Natsuki Hanae	A.J. Beckles	2
Arrancar Army
	Sōsuke Aizen	Shō Hayami	Kyle Hebert	1, 3
				1	11
	Grimmjow Jaegerjaques	Junichi Suwabe	David Vincent	1, 3
				3
Recurring Characters
Human World
	Tatsuki Arisawa	Junko Noda	Wendee Lee	2-3
	Keigo Asano	Katsuyuki Konishi	Yuri Lowenthal	2-3
	Mizuiro Kojima	Jun Fukuyama	Jamie Simone	2-3
- Kurosaki Family -
	Isshin Kurosaki	Toshiyuki Morikawa	Patrick Seitz	1, 3
				1	11-12
	Kon	Mitsuaki Madono	Quinton Flynn	1-
	Yuzu Kurosaki	Ayumi Sena	Colleen O'Shaughnessey	1	2
			Janice Kawaye	3	39
	Masaki Kurosaki	Sayaka Ōhara	Cherami Leigh	1
			Ellyn Stern (older)	1	12
- Ishida Family -
	Ryūken Ishida	Ken Narita	Christopher Swindle	1
				1	11-12
	Kanae Katagiri	Mamiko Noto	Megan Hollingshead	1
	Izumi Ishida	Rei Igarashi	Karen Strassman	1
- Fullbringer -
	Riruka Dokugamine	Megumi Toyoguchi	Cristina Vee	3
	Yukio Hans Vorarlberna	Mitsuhiro Ichiki	Lucien Dodge	3
Soul Society
	Ganju Shiba	Wataru Takagi	Kyle Hebert	1-
- Zanpakuto -
	Ashisogi Jizo	Fumiko Orikasa	Patrick Seitz	3
- Komamura Family -
	Great Elder Komamura	Jin Urayama	Aaron LaPlante	1-2
- Ōmaeda Family -
	Mareyo Ōmaeda	Saki Fujita	Cherami Leigh	1-2
- Shihōin Family -
	Yūshirō Shihōin	Hiromi Igarashi	Zeno Robinson	2-3
Hueco Mundo
	Nel Tu	Arisa Kiyoto	Colleen O'Shaughnessey	3
		Tomoko Kaneda (child)		1
	Pesche Guatiche	Takehito Koyasu	Michael P. Greco	1
	Dondochakka Birstanne	Daisuke Gōri (audio file)	Pete Sepenuk	1
Vizard
	Hiyori Sarugaki	Reiko Takagi	Anairis Quiñones	2-
				3-4
	Lisa Yadōmaru	Sayori Ishizuka	Tara Platt	2-
				3-4
	Love Aikawa	Tetsu Inada	Bill Butts	2-
				3-4
	Hachigen Ushōda	Takashi Nagasako	Joe Ochman	2-
				3-4
Quincys
	James	Kenichi Suzumura	Christopher Swindle	2
Notes:

Episodic Characters

Image	Character	Seiyū	Dub Actor	Ep(s).
Part 1
	Asguiaro Ebern	Wataru Komada	Andreas Beckett	1-2
	Lüdaas Friegen	Daiki Hamano	Mick Lauer
	Tier Harribel	Megumi Ogata	Jeannie Tirado	2
	Loly Aivirrne	Hana Takeda	Colleen O'Shaughnessey
	Menoly Mallia	Hitomi Harada	Wendee Lee
	Emilou Apacci	Kumi Sakuma	Megan Hollingshead	2-3
	Franceska Mila Rose	Sayori Ishizuka	Shara Kirby
	Cyan Sung-Sun	Ayumi Sena	Karen Strassman
	Rikū Togakushi	Kaito Ishikawa	Alain Mesa	3
	Taketsuna Gori	Tsuguo Mogami	Steve Kramer
	Asuka Katakura	Makoto Furukawa	Neil Kaplan
	Hidetomo Kajōmaru	Wataru Hatano	Christopher Swindle	3-4
	Driscoll Berci (The Overkill)	Nobuaki Kanemitsu	Bill Butts	4-5
	Berenice Gabrielli (The Question)	Kenn	Ryan Johnston	5
	Jerome Guizbatt (The Roar)	Takahiro Fujiwara	Todd Haberkorn
	Royd Lloyd (The Yourself)	Yūsuke Kobayashi	Robbie Daymond	6
	Shaz Domino (The Viability)	Shinya Takahashi	Ryan Johnston	7
	Kūkaku Shiba	Akiko Hiramatsu	Cindy Robinson	8
	Yasochika Iemura	Yutaka Aoyama	Cam Clarke
	Kūgo Ginjō	Hiroki Tōchi	Christopher Swindle
	Giriko Kutsuzawa	Atsushi Ono	Michael Sorich
	Kazuo	Shōta Yamamoto	Patrick Seitz	9
	Kazuhiro	Teruyuki Tanzawa
	Kenpachi Kiganjō	Takahiro Fujiwara	Catero Colbert	10
	Nozarashi	Natsuko Kuwatani	Anairis Quiñones
	Mera Hiuchigashima	Yō Taichi		10, 13
	Gin Ichimaru	Kōji Yusa	Doug Erholtz	11
	Kaname Tōsen	Toshiyuki Morikawa	A.J. Beckles
	Ikumi Unagiya	Yūko Kaida	Marie Westbrook	11-12
	Kanan Ogura	Yuka Maruyama	Anairis Quiñones	12
	Shiho Torajima	Rikako Aida	Jeannie Tirado
	Zangetsu (Quincy)	Takayuki Sugō	Richard Epcar	13
	Hasuka Hashihara	Natsumi Takamori	Jeannie Tirado
	Nonomi Nomino	Ari Ozawa	Cherami Leigh
	Tokie Tonokawa	Sakura Nakamura	Marie Westbrook
	Tsumiko Tsuchimiya	Rui Tanabe	Anairis Quiñones
	Shūtetsu Nagakiso	Hideaki Tezuka	Lex Lang
Part 2
	Marcel Halpmann	Yūsuke Shirai	Aleks Le	14
	Hyōrinmaru	Daisuke Matsuoka	Bill Butts	16
	Members of Squad 12	Taketora	Todd Haberkorn	18
		Tsuguo Mogami	¿?
	Guenael Lee (The Vanishing point)	Tadashi Miyazawa	Alex Cazares	19-20
	Dordoni Alessandro Del Socaccio	Kōji Ishii	Neil Kaplan	22-23
	Cirucci Sanderwicci	Hōko Kuwashima	Tricia Pierce
	Charlotte Chuhlhourne	Kenta Miyake	Bill Butts
	Luppi Antenor	Daisuke Kishio	Michael Sinterniklaas
	Nianzol Weizol (The Wind)	Sōichirō Hoshi	Robbie Daymond	24
Part 3
	Jūzō Ukitake	Shūhei Sakaguchi	Daman Mills	29
	Koma Ukitake	Saori Setō	Jeannie Tirado
	Miharu Ukitake	Miyu Tomita	Zeno Robinson
	Saneatsu Ukitake	Nozomi Furuki	TBA
	Hagimichi Ukitake	Chisa Yūki	Kate Higgins
	Hana Ukitake	Hiyori Nitta	Cindy Robinson
	Tama Ukitake	Maria Naganawa	Jeannie Tirado
	Gorōta Atae	Kentarō Tone	Dave B. Mitchell
	Oyone	Fumi Hirano	Cindy Robinson
	Tatsufusa Enjōji	Toshiharu Sakurai	TBA	32
	Strange Umbrella	Kōsuke Echigoya	TBA	34
	Human-faced Pimp	Kōki Harasawa	Ryan Johnston
	Katen Kyōkotsu / Ohana	Ami Koshimizu	Cherami Leigh	35
	Szayelaporro Granz	Kōsuke Toriumi	Ben Diskin	36
	Bungaro	Kazutomi Yamamoto	Ryan Johnston
	Okuryo Ise	Kikuko Inoue	Megan Hollingshead	37
	Haruyama Kyoraku	Masaki Terasoma	Alejandro Saab
	Johann Seydlitz	Hiroshi Naka	Jamie Simone	38
	Huburt Alexander Kleich	Hiroshi Kamiya	Kieran Regan
	Algora Lallau	Ryōta Takeuchi	Grant George
	Uncle of Jugram	Yasuhiko Kawazu	Robbie Daymond
	Karin Kurosaki	Rie Kugimiya	Kate Higgins	39
	Sōken Ishida	Akio Nojima	Dave B. Mitchell	40

Additional Voices

• Terrence Stone - Soldat
• Wally Wingert - Central 46 (ep. 9)

Notes

• Suzanne Goldish who directed the dub for the the first series since episode 268 until episode 366 from Wendee Lee did not return to direct the dub for the Thousand-Year Blood War with the voice direction being taken over by Ryan Johnston.
• While most of the English dub voice cast from the original anime series return to reprise their roles for the Thousand-Year Blood War anime, some actors were recast:
• While most of the English dub voice cast from the original anime series return to reprise their roles for the Thousand-Year Blood War anime, some actors were recast:
  • Alain Mesa and A.J. Beckles replaced Jamieson Price and Brian Palermo as Yasutora "Chad" Sado and Kaname Tōsen respectively to allow for more appropriate POC casting. Price made it clear that he was stepping down on his own terms, and stated that he will not audition for any roles involving POC characters.
  • Shara Kirby replaced Erin Fitzgerald as Franceska Mila Rose, for the same reason as Mesa, Beckles and Quiñones, plus Fitzgerald is a union-only voice actress now, while the dub is non-union.
    • Likewise, Cherami Leigh also replaced Fitzgerald as Katen Kyōkotsu for the latter same reason.
  • Todd Haberkorn replaced Vic Mignogna and Michael Sinterniklaas as Ikkaku Madarame, due to Mignogna's blacklisting for sexual harassment back in 2019 and the latter due to scheduling conflicts.
    • Interestingly, Todd was in the the first series voicing Moe Shishigawara & Masayoshi respectively.
  • Aleks Le replaced Liam O'Brien and Roger Craig Smith as Jūshirō Ukitake and Shinji Hirako respectively, the former due to O'Brien becoming a more mainstream voice actor in recent years (as well as his work with Critical Role), and the latter for the same reasons as O'Brien.
  • Gavin Harrison replaced Travis Willingham as Akon, due to Willingham's involvement with more mainstream projects as well as Critical Role, similar to O'Brien.
    • Likewise, Bill Butts also replaced Willingham as Love Aikawa and Charlotte Chuhlhourne for the same reason, and to allow for more appropriate casting.
  • Jeannie Tirado replaced Laura Bailey as Tier Harribel and Mashiro Kuna.
    • Likewise, Anairis Quiñones also replaced Bailey as Hiyori Sarugaki for the same reason.
  • Christopher Swindle replaced Michael McConnohie and J.B. Blanc as Ryūken Ishida and Saijin Komamura, likely due to the former's semi-retirement from the anime voice acting industry and the latter for being union-only.
    • Swindle also replaced Travis Willingham as Kūgo Ginjō for mostly the same reasons as Harrison and Butts.
  • Kirk Thornton replaced Christopher Corey Smith as Rōjūrō "Rose" Ōtoribashi, due to Smith being caught up in personal matters and was unavailable to reprise.
  • Aaron LaPlante replaced Dave Mallow as Kensei Muguruma due to Mallow’s retirement from dubbing and voiceover in 2017.
  • Colleen O'Shaughnessey replaced Janice Kawaye as Yuzu Kurosaki, for unknown reasons, Kawaye would return in season 3.
  • Marie Westbrook replaced Mary Elizabeth McGlynn as Ikumi Unagiya due to McGlynn becoming a mainstream voice director in original animation shows and due to her moving to Hawaii.
  • Dave B. Mitchell replaced David Lodge as Sōken Ishida for the same reason he was replaced by Patrick Seitz as Kenpachi Zaraki since episode 244 of original Bleach anime.
• Anairis Quiñones was originally going to voice Yoruichi Shihōin, even recorded a few episodes dubbing the character, her voice was even heard in episode 22 during the initial release, but due to the change of direction (according to Quiñones in her tweet about the Yoruichi recast) motivated by Wendee Lee's change of mind about her position on POC casting, Quiñones' dialogues would be re-recorded by Lee. Studiopolis in a statement to Anime News Network confirmed that there was a mistake where they thought Lee wouldn't be able to return for Yoruichi, so their casting coordinator got Quiñones to play the role since she was already on the show.
• This is Daniel Woren's first anime role in 3 years since Lupin the 3rd: Fujiko Mine's Lie in 2019 and his first anime series in 5 years since Fate/Apocrypha.
  • It's also his first anime dubbing role at Studiopolis in 7 years since Digimon Fusion in 2015.
• This is Terrence Stone's first anime role in 5 years since Lupin the 3rd Part 4.
• This is Cindy Robinson's first anime role in 2 years since Japan Sinks: 2020.
• This is Alain Mesa, Gavin Harrison, Evan Michael Lee and Shara Kirby's first anime dubbing role at Studiopolis.
• This is Richard Epcar's first new anime dubbing role at Studiopolis since the dub for Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress in 2017.
• This is Michelle Ruff's first anime dubbing role at Studiopolis since the dub for Sailor Moon Sailor Stars in 2019.
• Wally Wingert, Terrence Stone, Kate Higgins, Cam Clarke, Yuri Lowenthal, Tara Platt, and Benjamin Diskin are so far the only union-only voice actors to return from the original Bleach series, while the others were recast as listed above since the dub is non-union.

Transmission

Date(s)	Channel	Country
2025	Cartoon Network (Adult Swim / Toonami)	United States

Transmission via Streaming

Company	Date	Category	Format	Classification	Content		Country
	November 4, 2022 - January 27, 2023	Anime	Digital	TV-MA	Part 1	13 Eps.	United States
	August 5, 2023 - November 4, 2023				Part 2	13 Eps.
	November 23, 2024 - February 8, 2025				Part 3	14 Eps.
	November 4, 2022 - January 27, 2023				Part 1	13 Eps.	International
	August 5, 2023 - November 4, 2023				Part 2	13 Eps.
	November 23, 2024 - February 8, 2025				Part 3	14 Eps.

External Links

• Bleach: Thousand Year Blood War on the Internet Movie Database.
• Bleach: Thousand Year Blood War (anime) on the Anime News Network's encyclopedia.