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Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War Part 2 Release Date
Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War Part 2 Story
Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War Part 2 Trailer
Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War Part 2 Cast and Characters
Where to Watch Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War Part 2
Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War Part 2 Reception
What Did Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War Part 2 Change From The Manga?
Latest Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War Part 3 News
Summary
- Sequel to "Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War" coming July 8, 2023, with intriguing storylines and character developments.
- Part 2 trailer teases significant conflicts and new powers, keeping fans on the edge of their seats for the returning series.
- Part 2 well-received by audiences for its additional content, high animation quality, and anticipated moments, setting the stage for Part 3.
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After nearly a decade of lying dormant, Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War ignited a new interest in the franchise. With that new interest naturally comes a curiosity about where the series is headed for its second part. With Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War Part 3 on the horizon, fans may want to look back on Part 2 as a refresher to set their expectations for what's to come.
Bleach is something of an anomaly in the world of Shonen Jump. Initially a member of Shonen Jump's "big three" alongside Naruto and One Piece, Bleach was a massive success for much of its initial run. Unfortunately, waning interest among the fandom led to the series' anime adaptation being canceled in 2012, long before Bleach's manga finale in 2016.
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Despite the series' divisive ending though, the last arc's anime adaptation, Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War, was met with an outpouring of support. With Part 1 of Thousand-Year Blood War concluded on December 26th, 2022, many have been wondering what to expect from the revival's second part.
Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War Part 2 Release Date
As revealed in the second trailer for Bleach: The Thousand-Year Blood War Part 2, which contains actual footage from the new episodes, Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War Part 2 was released on July 8th, 2023. The series streamed with subtitles in six different languages on that date, opening up week-to-week simulcast viewing for many new fans. The second part's dub has also been released, meaning English fans can enjoy the series' iconic dub cast reprising their roles.
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Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War Part 2 Story
Bleach: The Thousand-Year Blood War Part 2 picked up exactly where Part 1 left off, at about chapter 543 of the manga. The first part adapted around 60 chapters, with the second covering a similar amount. This left Part 2's last episode, Black, at about chapter 609 of Bleach's manga.
The story picked back up with Ichigo's training with Bleach's Squad Zero, while also getting into Uryu's apparent betrayal by joining the Quincy Wandenreich. Several other high-ranking Soul Reapers, such as Soifon, Hitsugaya, Komamura, and Hisagi, were also engaged in various training arcs or quests to help restore their lost powers. There were major story moments for Rukia (who manifested Bankai for the first time), Renji, and Kenpachi Zaraki as well, showcasing their newfound power. Ichigo returned from his training, only to be immediately sent off to the Soul King's palace, where Yhwach's forces were making their move.
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Some content not in the manga was also added to the story, including a scene revealing the Bankai of Captain Shinji Hirako, as well as a climactic scene in the final episode of Squad Zero's Senjumaru using her Bankai to utterly defeat Yhwach's assembled elite guard.
Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War Part 2 Trailer
Viz released the first teaser trailer for Bleach: The Thousand-Year Blood War Part 2 on December 26, 2022, through their Youtube channel following Part 1's finale. The trailer teases the split between Uryu and Ichigo, as well as the restoration of lost Bankai and the true form of Rukia's Zanpakuto. Uryu's betrayal is significant in Bleach because he was one of Ichigo's first real friends, giving the potential conflict depicted in the trailer an added weight that is sure to have fans of the series on edge.
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A second trailer was released on May 28, 2023, showcasing actual footage from Part 2. It highlights a number of hotly anticipated scenes and moments, such as the reveal of Shinji Hirako's Bankai, the battle for the Soul Society, a new look for Ichigo, and Uryu's ascension within the ranks of the Quincy army. The trailer also teased the involvement of Sosuke Aizen, Bleach's former biggest nemesis, in the war, whose chaotic presence could be what turns the tide of battle, either for or against the Soul Reapers. Perhaps one of the most striking moments is a gigantic and mysterious monster rampaging through the Soul Society's Seireitei, destroying everything in its path. The trailer also debuted the new opening theme song for Part 2, "star" by w.o.d.
Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War Part 2 Cast and Characters
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Bleach is well known for having a massive cast of characters--far too many to list here. So far, nearly every Japanese voice actor from the original Bleach anime has chosen to reprise their role for The Thousand-Year Blood War. The same has largely been true for the English dub cast, with a few exceptions. Ichigo's friend, Yasutora "Chad" Sado, is now being portrayed by Alain Mesa, rather than Jamieson Price. Price stated on Twitter that he would prefer to pass the role on to someone who is of Mexican descent, like Chad, and that wish was respected.
Kenpachi Zaraki was also recast and is now being portrayed by Patrick Seitz, who also voices Ichigo's father in Bleach, Isshin Kurosaki. Kisuke Urahara is now being portrayed by Doug Erholtz, who also voices Gin Ichimaru, seemingly because his previous voice actor retired from the industry. Jushiro Ukitake is now voiced by Aleks Le, who also now voices Shinji Hirako. It's possible other roles will be recast in Part 2, but most relevant characters have already been reintroduced in Part 1, so there shouldn't be much need for that. There has, thus far, been no news of casting for new roles in Part 2, and likely won't be for the dub until after the subtitled episodes begin to the premiere.
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Where to Watch Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War Part 2
Part 2 of Bleach: The Thousand-Year Blood War is streaming exclusively on Hulu in the United States and Disney Plus everywhere outside of Asia. Fans looking to catch up on the series ahead of its return can find Part 1 streaming at those locations as well, in both dubbed and subtitled versions.
Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War Part 2 Reception
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Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War part 2 was quite well-received by audiences, with an 88% audience approval rating at Rotten Tomatoes. While there are only two critic reviews listed for part 2 on Rotten Tomatoes, both are positive as well. On IMDb, the lowest user rating of an individual episode is episode 9 at 7.7, with all other episodes scoring 8.0, and most over 9.0. On MyAnimeList, Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War - The Separation has an 8.69 average rating--not quite as high as part 1 at 9.01, but still extremely high overall. ScreenRant's own Thousand-Year Blood War Part 2 review was overwhelmingly positive as well.
Many fans praised the additional content in part 2 that wasn't included in the manga, feeling it further enhanced the story. The animation quality of part 2 is overall very high, with some truly beautiful sequences, such as Senjumaru's Bankai attack. Part 2 featured many highly anticipated moments, like Rukia's first Bankai activation, or Kenpachi unlocking his zanpakuto's Shikai, and these scenes were met with resounding joy by fans when they finally occurred. Overall, the second part was a great success, though it was difficult to measure up to part 1's hype.
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What Did Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War Part 2 Change From The Manga?
Thousand-Year Blood War Part 2 Added Many New Scenes
Part 2 of Thousand-Year Blood War added several new scenes which weren't in the manga, as well as cutting some scenes which didn't help to develop the plot. Among the additions, by far the most significant were two previously unknown Bankai reveals: that of Senjumaru of Squad Zero, and that of Shinji Hirako, Captain of Squad 5. Shinji's Bankai, Sakashima Yokoshima Happofusagari, gave him the ability to cause people in a wide area to lose the ability to distinguish friend from foe, causing the enemy to destroy one another.
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Senjumaru's Bankai, Shatatsu Karagara Shigarami no Tsuji, made up the climax of Part 2, when the other members of Squad Zero dramatically killed themselves, allowing her to unleash her sealed Bankai. She trapped Uryu, Haschwalth, and the four members of Yhwach's Elite Guard in pocket dimensions made of fabric, creating bespoke prisons from which they would (theoretically) never be able to break out of.
Several fights with the Quincy Sternritter were shortened dramatically throughout part 2, often for the better. PePe's fight, for example, went from several chapters in the manga to just a few minutes in the anime. A few scenes with the "Bambies" were also cut down, altering the focus of certain moments. This tendency to trim down fights led to a more streamlined experience in the anime, albeit at the cost of providing characterization to many of the Sternritter.
Latest Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War Part 3 News
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Following the conclusion of part 2, a trailer for part 3 of Thousand-Year Blood War was released on September 30, 2023. The trailer teased some anticipated battles, such as the conclusion of Yhwach vs. Squad Zero's Ichibe, the arrival of Ichigo at the Soul King's palace, and more. Another trailer was released for Shonen Jump's Jump Festa event on December 16, 2023, showing a bit of new footage. Both trailers indicated only a "2024" release window, without a specific date.
On May 30, 2024, it was announced that a special panel for Thousand-Year Blood War would be taking place at the Anime Expo in Los Angeles, which is set to run from July 4 - 7, 2024. A "sneak peek" of the third part was teased to be included in the panel, and many fans hope that a more specific release date might be revealed at this time. At the very least, the panel will offer the first public update about Thousand-Year Blood War Part 3 since December, and the studio should have much more to show by this point in time. The panel is also set to feature some of the English dub's voice actors, such as Xander Mobus and Robbie Daymond.
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Fans can expect part 3 to see the return of even more familiar characters, such as fan-favorite Arrancar Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez, as well as bigger parts for some of Ichigo's friends, who were last seen traveling with him to the Soul King's palace. Part 2's ending diverged from the manga somewhat, so exactly what will be happening upon its return is still up in the air at the moment. Many of the seemingly defeated Quincy still have a role to play in the story, particularly Uryu, so some sort of reversal of fortune seems highly likely upon the series' return.
Check back for more information on Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War part 3 as it's released.