SAN FRANCISCO, CA — October 3, 2022 —VIZ Media, a world-leading producer of manga and anime, is pleased to announce Disney+ and Hulu are the official streaming platforms for the iconic fantasy adventure Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood Warcreated by mangaka legend Tite Kubo.
VIZ Media has acquired worldwide rights (excluding Asia and Arabic-Speaking Africa/Middle East) to launch the series with the debut episode premiering 8:30AM PDT, October 10, 2022. Bleach will be available on Disney+ internationally, Hulu in the U.S., and select markets will sunrise the series beginning on 10/10. The episode will simulcast in the U.S.
An award-winning and best selling manga series, Bleach has over 130 million copies in print since its debut in Weekly Shonen Jump (2.7 million copies in the U.S.), while the anime produced 366 episodes and today is revered as one of the greatest of all time.
In addition to the critically acclaimed manga and legendary anime, the Bleach universe includes video games, musicals and a live-action film adaptation all making Bleach far more than merely a franchise, rather a cultural reference point for millions of fans globally.
“Through his visual genius, Tite Kubo has had an indelible impact on the fandom world and the course of manga and anime history. He is also a supremely gifted and accomplished storyteller, and it is a great honor for VIZ Media to acquire this final arc in his legendary catalogue Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War, for fans everywhere.” – Brad Woods, Chief Marketing Officer VIZ Media
VIZ Media’s exclusive acquisition of Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War includes: Video on Demand, Home Video, Electronic Sell-Through, Television, and Merchandise Rights.
Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War – Production Information:
Original work / General Supervision: BLEACH Tite Kubo (SHUEISHA/SHONEN JUMP)
Series Director: Tomohisa Taguchi
Character Design: Masashi Kudo
Music: Shiro SAGISU
Opening Theme: “Scar” by Tatsuya Kitani (artist, lyrics, composition/arrangement)
Ending Theme: “Saihate” SennaRin (artist, lyrics) Hiroyuki Sawano (composition/arrangement)
Animation Production: studio Pierrot
Characters + Cast List:
Ichigo Kurosaki – Masakazu Morita
Rukia Kuchiki – Fumiko Orikasa
Uryu Ishida – Noriaki Sugiyama
Orihime Inoue – Yuki Matsuoka
Yasutora Sado (Chad) – Hiroki Yasumoto
Renji Abarai – Kentaro Ito
Kisuke Urahara – Shin-ichiro Miki
Yoruichi Shihoin – Satsuki Yukino
Shigekuni Genryusai Yamamoto – Binbin Takaoka
Soi Fon – Houko Kuwashima
Rojuro Ohtoribashi – Shouto Kashii
Retsu Unohana – Aya Hisakawa
Shinji Hirako – Masaya Onosaka
Byakuya Kuchiki – Ryotaro Okiayu
Sajin Komamura – Tetsu Inada
Shunsui Kyoraku – Akio Otsuka
Kensei Muguruma – Tomokazu Sugita
Toshiro Hitsugaya – Romi Park
Kenpachi Zaraki – Fumihiko Tachiki
Mayuri Kurotsuchi – Ryusei Nakao
Jushiro Ukitake – Hideo Ishikawa
Ichibe Hyosube – Naomi Kusumi
Oh-Etsu Nimaiya – Yoji Ueda
Tenjiro Kirinji – Tomoyuki Shimura
Senjumaru Shutara – Rina Sato
Kirio Hikifune – Ayumi Tsunematsu
Yhwach – Takayuki Sugo
Jugram Haschwalth – Yuuichirou Umehara
Askin Nakk Le Vaar – Shunsuke Takeuchi
Bambietta Basterbine – Ayana Taketatsu
Bazz-B – Yuki Ono
Candice Catnipp – Yumi Uchiyama
Gremmy Thoumeaux – Natsuki Hanae
Lille Barro – Satoshi Hino
About Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War:
Was it all just a coincidence, or was it inevitable?
Ichigo Kurosaki gained the powers of a Soul Reaper through a chance encounter. As a Substitute Soul Reaper, Ichigo became caught in the turmoil of the Soul Society, a place where deceased souls gather. But with help from his friends, Ichigo overcame every challenge to become even stronger.
When new Soul Reapers and a new enemy appear in his hometown of Karakura, Ichigo jumps back into the battlefield with his Zanpakuto to help those in need. Meanwhile, the Soul Society is observing a sudden surge in the number of Hollows being destroyed in the World of the Living. They also receive separate reports of residents in the Rukon District having gone missing. Finally, the Seireitei, home of the Soul Reapers, comes under attack by a group calling themselves the Wandenreich.
Led by Yhwach, the father of all Quincies, the Wandenreich declare war against the Soul Reapers with the following message: “Five days from now, the Soul Society will be annihilated by the Wandenreich.”
The history and truth kept hidden by the Soul Reapers for a thousand long years is finally brought to light.
All things must come to an end—as Ichigo Kurosaki’s final battle begins!
About Bleach:
BLEACH is the smash-hit sword battle action manga series that ran in the pages of Shueisha’s Weekly Shonen Jump magazine from 2001 to 2016. Since its debut, the 74-volume manga series has received tremendous support from fans, selling over 130 million copies worldwide. The series was also adapted into an animated TV series that aired in Japan from 2004 until 2012, including four animated feature films.
A new animated series based on the manga’s final arc, Thousand-Year Blood War, will premiere on TV Tokyo Network in October 2022. The teaser trailer first released in December 2021 has gained over 10 million views. The new series features updated character visuals and animation that surpasses the previous series.
The popularity of BLEACH continues to grow as it receives strong support not only from Japan, but across the world!
For more information on Bleach visit: https://www.viz.com/bleach
About Tite Kubo:
Tite Kubo was born in Hiroshima in 1977. In 1995, his debut one-shot Fire in the Sky was nominated for a Hop☆Step Award. A year later in 1996, his second one-shot Ultra Unholy Hearted Machine debuted in Shonen Jump’s Summer Special issue. Bleach debuted in Shonen Jump’s 36–37 combo issue on August 7, 2001 and ran its course until August 22, 2016, when chapter 686—its last—was published in issue 38. On July 14, 2018, Burn the Witch—part of the larger Bleach universe—was published in Shonen Jump’s 50th anniversary issue (#33) with a four-chapter sequel running in 2021.
Bleach, Burn the Witch, the Bleach novels, character profile books, guide book, and art book are all available in English from VIZ Media.
About VIZ Media:
Wherever manga and anime fans are, we are! VIZ Media is No. 1 in Japanese pop culture, introducing fans to what’s now, new, and next. Home to the world’s most influential and groundbreaking storytellers and artists, who today drive multiple industries from publishing and animation to film and gaming. If it’s big in Japan, you can find it at VIZ.
VIZ Media is proudly certified as a Most Loved Workplace® in America. For more information on VIZ Media visit: https://www.viz.com/
ABOUT DISNEY+
Disney+ is the dedicated streaming home for movies and shows from Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, and National Geographic, along with The Simpsons and much more. In select international markets, it also includes the new general entertainment content brand, Star. The flagship direct-to-consumer streaming service from The Walt Disney Company, Disney+ is part of the Disney Media & Entertainment Distribution segment. The service offers commercial-free streaming alongside an ever-growing collection of exclusive originals, including feature-length films, documentaries, live-action and animated series, and short-form content. With unprecedented access to Disney’s long history of incredible film and television entertainment, Disney+ is also the exclusive streaming home for the newest releases from The Walt Disney Studios. And through Star, it offers the latest from 20th Century Studios, Disney Television Studios, FX, Searchlight Pictures, and more. For more, visit disneyplus.com, or find the Disney+ app on most mobile and connected TV devices.
ABOUT HULU
Hulu is the leading and most comprehensive all-in-one premium streaming service that offers an expansive slate of live and on-demand entertainment, both in and outside the home, through a wide array of subscription options that give consumers ultimate control over their viewing experience. As part of Disney’s Media and Entertainment Distribution segment, Hulu is the only on-demand offering that provides access to shows from every major U.S. broadcast network, libraries of hit TV series and films – including licensed content available exclusively on Hulu – and award-winning Hulu Originals, both with and without commercials. With Hulu + Live TV, subscribers receive a unique combination of access to 80+ live news, entertainment and sports TV channels from 20th Television, The Walt Disney Company, ABC, NBCUniversal, CBS Corporation, The CW, Turner Networks, A+E Networks and Discovery Networks, as well as Disney+ and ESPN+ included as part of the base plan. Visit hulu.com to subscribe or learn more about the service.
