The supernatural-adventure anime Bleach aired on TV Tokyo from October 2004 to March 2012, spanning 366 episodes in total. The series is based on Tite Kubo’s original manga series of the same name, which itself ran from August 2001 to August 2016. Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War, a sequel series covering the manga’s final story arc, aired its first 13 episodes (The Blood Warfare) on TV Tokyo from October to December 2022. Its second cour, The Separation, released in July 2023.
Bleach follows Ichigo Kurosaki, who gains abilities akin to the Grim Reaper from a Soul Reaper (Shinigami, literally, “Death God”), Rukia Kuchiki, and must use his newfound powers to protect the living from evil spirits whilst also guiding departed souls to the afterlife. During his time as a Soul Reaper, Kurosaki encounters many Hollows, a race of creatures born from human souls, who never pass on to the Soul Society and remain on Earth for too long.
From Hollows, there are Arrancars, a Hollow without a mask who has gained “Death God” powers. The highest-ranking Arrancars comprise the Espada, the 10 most powerful Arrancar in Sōsuke Aizen’s army of Hollows. Among the Espada, Ulquiorra Cifer, the 4th Espada in Aizen’s army.
Ichigo fights Ulquiorra is the 273rd episode, aptly titled “Ichigo Kurosaki vs. Ulquiorra Cifer: Final Fight.” This is the very last time that Ichigo goes against Ulquiorra, and the prelude sees the latter returning from the dimension Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez sealed him in. Ulquiorra lays eyes on Orihime Inoue in the tower he emerges from, therefore Ichigo senses his presence. On his way to the tower, Ichigo kills two Hollows, then eventually confronts Ulquiorra.
In the aftermath of the battle, Ichigo reigns victorious, meanwhile Ulquiorra finally gets to hold a human heart in his hands, before eventually dissolving to ash and getting blown away with a gust of wind.
Bleach is available to stream on Hulu, Crunchyroll, Disney Plus, and Netflix (in select countries).
Published: Jul 29, 2023 10:34 am