When Crunchyroll released the nominee list for the 2024 awards on January 17, it was glaringly obvious to fans that a major anime had been snubbed – Bleach: Thousand Year Blood War.
The iconic anime made a comeback in 2022 that rocked the entire anime community, especially as it began adapting the final arc nearly 10 years after its ending. TYBW was wildly popular among fans, and both its first and second parts were well received by fans. It was a huge shock that it didn’t get nominated in categories such as Anime of the Year, Best Character Design, or Best Score at the Crunchyroll Anime Awards.
Did Bleach TYBW get any nominations?
Bleach TYBW wasn’t totally snubbed from the 2024 anime awards. It received two nominations, but this seemed to enrage fans even more. Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War was nominated for Best Action Anime and Best Voice Artist Performance for Johnny Yong Bosch’s work voicing Ichigo Kurosaki in the English dub. This wasn’t enough for us though, as the anime deserved nominations in other categories, including Anime of the Year.
The Thousand-Year Blood War arc was one of the most anticipated seasons of anime and had fans buzzing from its announcement, to its release. Fans were amazed at Studio Pierrot’s adaptation, and have praised every aspect of the anime. From its plot and character design, to its direction and score, the series was a stellar standout from last year.
Why was Bleach TYBW snubbed?
Disgruntled fans have taken to sites like Reddit and X (formerly Twitter) to share some theories about why Bleach TYBW was so heavily snubbed by Crunchyroll. The prevailing theory is that Crunchyroll didn’t want to give the anime too many nominations after losing its streaming rights to Disney Plus.
Crunchyroll confused fans when they took down all 15 seasons of Bleach from the platform in 2022. It wasn’t long until Disney Plus announced that they would be hosting the anime. We believe this didn’t sit right with the streamer, leading to the snubs. While this rumor hasn’t been verified, it’s been gaining traction. Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War didn’t win in either of the categories it was nominated in.
