162-422: Bleach (stylized in all caps ) is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Tite Kubo . It follows the adventures of a teenager Ichigo Kurosaki , who obtains the powers of a Soul Reaper —a death personification similar to a Grim Reaper —from another Soul Reaper, Rukia Kuchiki . His new-found powers allow him to take on the duties of defending humans from evil spirits and guiding departed souls to
324-598: A Bakkōtō upon him. Under Kumoi's control, Shin'etsu returns to Yamamoto and attacks him, forcing the latter to kill him in self-defense during their fight. Shūsuke discovers his father's dying body and hears his last words: "Beware the Bakkōtō ". He is voiced by Hōchu Otsuka in the Japanese version of the anime and by Joe Ochman in the English dub. Originally led by Yoruichi Shihōin , who combined her group's duties with
486-511: A Ginjōtan ( 銀条反 , lit. "Cloth of Inverted Silver") beforehand or someone to reduct. Suì-Fēng has stated that she can normally only use her bankai once every three days without issue. Using it more than once in a day, while possible, drains considerable amounts of her spirit energy. A second shot would exhaust her to the point where her speed and maneuverability become seriously impaired, an anathema to her fighting style which requires high levels of both. Outside of her weapon, Suì-Fēng utilizes
648-542: A 72-card pre-constructed box set containing a starter deck and two booster packs , a 10-card booster pack, and a 12-pack booster box. Bleach has been adapted into a series of rock musicals, jointly produced by Studio Pierrot and Nelke Planning. There have been five musicals produced which covered portions of the Substitute and Soul Society arcs, as well as five additional performances known as "Live Bankai Shows" and "Rock Musical Bleach Shinsei", which did not follow
810-484: A boy. The latter is based on Greek mythology and Kubo also considered it as a source for his focus on myths, monsters and the afterlife. The action style and storytelling found in Bleach are inspired by cinema, though Kubo has not revealed any specific movie as being an influence for fight scenes. When pressed, he told interviewers that he liked Snatch , but did not use it as a model. Bleach ' s fight choreography
972-666: A car accident. As time went on, she prayed less and Sora became jealous and turned into a Hollow and attacked Orihime. Academic Patrick Drazen says this is a reminder to the audience to not abandon the old ways or risk the spirits taking offense and causing problems in the world. Bleach also incorporates Shinto themes of purification of "evil spirits through charms, scrolls, incantations, and other rituals". Christopher A. Born regards Bleach as transmitting Confucian values . Von Feigenblatt describes Bleach as being culturally and religiously aware, as it draws upon Christianity and Caribbean Santería . Spanish terms are prevalent throughout
1134-418: A combination of hand-to-hand combat and shunpo ( 瞬歩 , flash steps) to engage opponents. She has also reformed the secret art of Shunkō ( 瞬開 , lit. Flash War Cry) , developing a wind-based variation of the technique, a further indicator of her mastery of close combat methods. In the Japanese version of the anime, Suì-Fēng was voiced by Tomoko Kawakami in early episodes then Houko Kuwashima for
1296-623: A commander in Aizen's Arrancar army. His initial betrayal of the Soul Society is later revealed to have been a rouse to get close to Aizen, whom he attempts to kill; Gin fails and dies instead. In the series, Gin keeps his eyes perpetually narrowed to slits (a practice since childhood), rarely ever opening them fully, and maintains a smile that gives him the resemblance of a snake. This makes him appear sinister and unsettling to those around him, as it often difficult to decipher his true thoughts,
1458-689: A commonly preferred alternative to all caps text is the use of small caps to emphasise key names or acronyms (for example, Text in Small Caps ), or the use of italics or (more rarely) bold . In addition, if all caps must be used it is customary to slightly widen the spacing between the letters, by around 10 per cent of the point height. This practice is known as tracking or letterspacing. Some digital fonts contain alternative spacing metrics for this purpose. Messages completely in capital letters are often equated on social media to shouting and other impolite or argumentative behaviors. This became
1620-483: A computer program shouting at its user. Information technology journalist Lee Hutchinson described Microsoft's using the practice as "LITERALLY TERRIBLE ... [it] doesn't so much violate OS X's design conventions as it does take them out behind the shed, pour gasoline on them, and set them on fire." In programming, writing in all caps (possibly with underscores replacing spaces ) is an identifier naming convention in many programming languages that symbolizes that
1782-478: A console video game titled Bleach: Soul Resonance , published by Nuverse , was announced. In July 2024, a video game titled Bleach: Rebirth of Souls was announced. It is set to released by Bandai Namco Entertainment for the PlayStation 4 , PlayStation 5 , Windows (via Steam ), and Xbox Series X/S in early 2025. Two collectible card games (CCG) based on the Bleach series have been produced, one in
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#17327977192401944-438: A deadly poison that dissolves and breaks down cells. After stabbing an opponent with it, Gin can turn Kamishini no Yari ' s blade into dust inside their body, leaving a sliver of it within that, upon retreat, triggers cellular degeneration. He is voiced by Kōji Yusa in the Japanese version of the anime and Doug Erholtz in the English dub. Izuru Kira ( 吉良 イヅル , Kira Izuru ) is the lieutenant of Squad Three, formerly
2106-495: A delicate scanning of characters (from a damaged image that needs further contextual text correction). Depending on the typeface , these similarities accidentally create various duplicates (even quite briefly and without realizing it when reading). E.g. H/A, F/E or I/T by adding a bar; P/R, O/Q, even C/G from similar errors; V/U, D/O, even B/S while rounding the shape; and more deformations implying mixings. Adding digits in all caps styled texts may multiply these confusions, which
2268-461: A fact he is aware of and occasionally uses to toy with others for his amusement. Gin's zanpakutō is Shinso ( 神鎗 , Divine Spear ) . When released with the command "Shoot to kill", Shinso ' s blade glows with white light and extends forward at incredible speeds. Gin can expand its length up to 100 times its original size, while increasing its force proportionally; accordingly, he calls it Hyapponzashi ( hundred swords ) . His bankai
2430-742: A key to the Soul King's Palace, so he can kill the Soul King who reigns over the Soul Society. Anticipating Aizen's attack, the Thirteen Court Squads had already been waiting for him by moving the entire Karakura Town to the Soul Society prior to his attack. When the Vizards join the remaining Soul Reapers, Gin reveals his agenda of killing Aizen. The latter uses the Hōgyoku to become a god-like being before killing Gin. However, Ichigo sacrifices and loses all his power to defeat Aizen and reverts to
2592-411: A lieutenant because of his family's influence. Despite his dense and foolish attitude, he is a skilled tactician, not above putting himself in danger for his duty, and only feigns weakness and stupidity to lull his opponents into underestimating him, using this to aid in his near victory over one of Sōsuke Aizen 's Arrancar . Marechiyo's zanpakutō is Gegetsuburi ( 五形頭 , roughly "Five heads") , and
2754-399: A mainstream interpretation with the advent of networked computers, from the 1980s onward. However, a similar interpretation was already evidenced by written sources that predated the computing era, in some cases by at least a century, and the textual display of shouting or emphasis was still not a settled matter by 1984. The following sources may be relevant to the history of all caps: Before
2916-536: A member of squads Five and Four. He is a friend of Momo Hinamori and Renji Abarai from their days in the Soul Reaper academy, and the three often spend their free time together. Though loyal to his friends, Kira often places his duties as a lieutenant above them. He defends his captain-turned-traitor Gin from a grief-stricken Hinamori, and later calls himself a "monster" for having raised his sword against her. He subsequently comes to regret helping Gin defect from
3078-640: A more familiar speech style than most other characters in Bleach , generally referring to his fellow captains and Soul Reapers by their first name, usually followed by an honorific. He is a peace-loving man, always seeking a nonviolent solution first, but will not refuse to fight as he does not wish to insult his opponents. An adept fighter, he defeats the Number One Espada, Coyote Starrk , using only his shikai . Unlike other Soul Reapers, Shunsui possesses paired zanpakutō called Katen Kyōkotsu ( 花天狂骨 , lit. "Bones of Heavenly Blooming Madness") . While
3240-455: A much slower rate than humans and can be injured and die, yet are able to resist most injuries unless considerably great. All Soul Reapers possess a zanpakutō ( 斬魄刀 , lit. "soul-cutting sword") , a katana which reflects aspects of the user's soul and personality. A zanpakutō has a symbiotic connection with its owner, its spiritual embodiment possessing similar traits to its owner and evolving to reflect its Soul Reaper's power. By learning
3402-498: A new captain is assigned. The seated officers ( 席官 , sekikan ) hold ranks from third seat to twentieth. While single digit ranks are usually assigned to a single officer, the lower ranks are often held by several officers. Higher ranks may also lead secondary teams within a squad; for example, Hanatarō Yamada is the Seventh Seat Officer of Squad Four and leader of Advanced Relief Team Fourteen therein. Outside of
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#17327977192403564-428: A normal human. Subsequently, Aizen is arrested by the Soul Society. Months later, preparing for life after high school, Ichigo is called back into action when Xcution , a group of Fullbringers—supernaturally aware humans like Chad—manipulate him and his loved ones in a scheme to siphon his Fullbring abilities. After his Soul Society allies restore his Soul Reaper powers, Ichigo learns that Xcution's leader, Kugo Ginjo,
3726-400: A safe distance from himself. When released, it covers a large area around him in an aura that affects others perception of the surrounding environment, causing them to see it as darkened, bleak, and gloomy, and feel varying levels of melancholy and despair. While it maintains its shikai form, its bankai allows Shunsui to manifest various stories, which can kill an opponent easily; damage
3888-522: A scale from 1 to 99, indicating their complexity and overall power. Low-level spells can, however, be very effective when performed by a skilled kidō user, such as Byakuya Kuchiki . Soul Reaper operations are based out of the Soul Society , which is an afterlife realm in Bleach maintained by a being known as the Soul King. Travel between the human world and the Soul Society is extremely limited and monitored, but some Soul Reapers are stationed in
4050-460: A scene precisely mirroring Vegeta and Nappa 's arrival in Dragon Ball Z , but acknowledged it was likely intended as a deliberate homage. He also said Kubo was able to avoid the worst artistic failings typical in series which indulge in superpowered combat, but that the battle scenes were still sometimes difficult to follow. In 2005, Bleach was awarded the 50th Shogakukan Manga Award in
4212-595: A selection of color spreads from the first 19 volumes of the series, in addition to some original art and author commentary. The second artbook, Bleach Official Bootleg: KaraBuri+ ( BLEACH OFFICIAL BOOTLEG カラブリ プラス ) , was released on August 3, 2007. In addition to character guides and articles on other fictional aspects of the series, it compiles the various short comics, Tedious Everyday Tales Colorful Bleach ( 徒然日常絵詞 カラフル ブリーチ , Tsuredure Nichijou Ekotoba Karafuru Buriichi ) , that were published in V Jump . The omake -style panels are similar to those included in
4374-532: A slowed speed is possible – but in principle too many factors of low legibility are involved." Other critics are of the opinion that all caps letters in text are often "too tightly packed against each other". Besides the aforementioned speed of reading, all caps is can be prone to character -based ambiguities. Namely, the upper-case letters are globally simpler than their lower-case counterpart. For example, they lack ascenders and descenders . Since they are built from fewer positional and building elements (e.g.
4536-416: A smaller grid pertaining to minimalist digital fonts), they are more fragile to small changes. These variations, generally involuntary but sometimes induced on purpose, are caused by a misinterpretation (the information is transferred) or by a deterioration (the data is lost, in the analysis wording). They can occur horizontally and/or vertically, while misreading (without this extra effort or time), or during
4698-536: A special kidō , Hakudan Keppeki , capable of blocking the Wandenreich during their second invasion of the Soul Society, Nanao eventually convinces Shunsui to give Shinken Hakkyōken to her. Nanao's zanpakutō is Shinken Hakkyōken ( 神剣八鏡剣 , lit. "Holy Sword Eight-Mirror Sword") , a family heirloom used in the Ise clan's rites and rituals. Unlike other Soul Reapers, members of the Ise clan lack zanpakutō and only
4860-663: A term is conspicuous, we look at more than formatting. A term that appears in capitals can still be inconspicuous if it is hidden on the back of a contract in small type. Terms that are in capitals but also appear in hard-to-read type may flunk the conspicuousness test. A sentence in capitals, buried deep within a long paragraph in capitals will probably not be deemed conspicuous...it is entirely possible for text to be conspicuous without being in capitals. Certain musicians—such as Marina , Finneas , who are both known mononymously, and MF DOOM —as well as some bands such as Haim and Kiss —have their names stylised in all caps. Additionally, it
5022-424: Is Kamishini no Yari ( God-Killing Spear ) . Unlike other zanpakutō , Gin's does not change in appearance when his bankai is activated, but maintains its unreleased wakizashi form instead. Kamishini no Yari possesses the same abilities as its shikai , albeit to a much more powerful degree. It can extend itself up to 13 km in length and move 500 times faster than the speed of sound . It also contains
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5184-401: Is Kōkō Gonryō Rikyū ( 黄煌厳霊離宮 , lit. "Stern Spirit's Yellow-Glittering Detached Palace") , which produces a bolt of lightning from its blade that extends and transforms into a dome of lightning, stationed far above one's head, that is fastened to the ground by a large number of lightning pillars. These pillars can be controlled at will to shock an opponent. He is voiced by Taro Yamaguchi in
5346-473: Is Raika ( 雷火 , roughly "Lightning Flash") . The shikai command of his zanpakutō is "sever" ( 断ち切れ , tachikire ) . When released, it takes the form of a white hook sword with curved pipes that form the hilt. He can focus fireballs into the crux of the hook and create large fissures of flame to attack his opponents with by slamming it into the ground. Raika ' s bankai , Raika Gōen Kaku ( 雷火豪炎殻 , literally "Lightning Flash Flame Shell") , enlarges
5508-517: Is "attracted to people with that seeming contradiction" and finds an "urge to draw people like that" when he works. The terminology used in Bleach has a variety of inspirations, with each category of characters bearing a different linguistic theme. Many of the names for swords and spells used by Soul Reapers were inspired by ancient Japanese literature . Hollows and Arrancars use Spanish terms. Fullbringers use English vocabulary, with names referencing rock music, and finally, both Quincy and Bounts draw on
5670-453: Is "raise your head" ( 面を上げろ , omote o agero ) . When released, Wabisuke straightens and its blade forms a three-sided square, becoming an angular hook. It has the ability to double the weight of whatever it strikes. The effect is cumulative, so each successive hit exponentially increases the weight of the target. After seven or eight blocked attacks, his opponents are unable to lift their own swords or even move their body, leaving them on
5832-461: Is a process of sending the deceased captains, including Ukitake, to Hell. Bleach was first conceived from Tite Kubo 's desire to draw a shinigami (Soul Reaper) in a kimono , which formed the basis for the design of the Soul Reapers in the series. At first, Kubo thought that the Soul Reapers should use guns, so the first title for the series was "Snipe" (as in "sniper"); however, this
5994-403: Is an "apparent consensus" that lower-case text is more legible, but that some editors continue to use all caps in text regardless. In his studies of all caps in headlines , he states that, "Editors who favor capitals claim that they give greater emphasis. Those who prefer lower case claim their preferences gives greater legibility." Wheildon, who informs us that "When a person reads a line of type,
6156-501: Is an ability normally seen in Soul Reaper captains that requires ten years minimum to master. Once achieved, the Soul Reaper can unlock the full potential of their zanpakutō , increasing their own power several times over. Though rare, it is possible for two people to manifest the same zanpakutō and spirit. This is considered the ultimate taboo of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads and the individuals who manifest
6318-446: Is an anime-exclusive character introduced as the new captain of Squad Three, following Gin's defection, during season nine . He has an unkempt appearance, is usually bright, lively, and unpretentious, and can become drunk on a single drink of alcohol . Because Shūsuke spent most of his Soul Reaper career away from the Soul Society as part of a patrol group, the members of Squad Three are mistrustful of him when he first arrives. He spends
6480-400: Is arrested by her Soul Reaper superiors and sentenced to death for the illegal act of transferring her powers to a human. Ichigo and his friends enlist the help of ex-Soul Reaper scientist Kisuke Urahara , who trains Ichigo to access his own Soul Reaper powers, to enter the Soul Society and rescue Rukia. Shortly after the party's arrival in the Soul Society, conflict arises among the captains of
6642-491: Is called Daruma-san ga Koronda ( だぁるまさん が こぁろんだ , The Dharma Doll Fell Down) . The sixth and final game, Kageokuri ( 影送り , Silhouette Sending) , is one where if a person stares hard enough at another person's shadow, then their opponent creates afterimages of themselves. Katen Kyōkotsu ' s bankai is called Katen Kyōkotsu: Karamatsu Shinjū ( 花天狂骨枯松心中 , "Heavenly Bloom Madness Bone: Withered Pine Lovers' Suicide") , which Shunsui uses only when his allies are at
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6804-615: Is common for bands with vowelless names (a process colourfully known as " disemvoweling ") to use all caps, with prominent examples including STRFKR , MSTRKRFT , PWR BTTM , SBTRKT , JPNSGRLS (now known as Hotel Mira), BLK JKS , MNDR , and DWNTWN . Miles Tinker , renowned for his landmark work, Legibility of Print , performed scientific studies on the legibility and readability of all-capital print. His findings were as follows: All-capital print greatly retards speed of reading in comparison with lower-case type. Also, most readers judge all capitals to be less legible. Faster reading of
6966-460: Is crushed by her apparent abandonment. When Yoruichi returns to the Soul Society a century later, Suì-Fēng engages her in battle, but does not manage to defeat her. After questioning Yoruichi as to why she was left behind—Yoruichi's response is not heard —the two make amends. Their relationship becomes somewhat of a running gag : Suì-Fēng likes anything resembling a black cat (a form Yoruichi can assume at will) and displays jealousy whenever Yoruichi
7128-437: Is declared the loser. The fourth game is known as Iro-Oni ( 艶鬼 , Colored Demon) , where players call out a color then slice their opponent wherever that color is displayed. However, if the color is not on the body of the person who called it out then the damage given is minimal; the more prevalent the declared color is on the declarer's body, the more damage the attack commits. A fifth game, similar to " Red Light, Green Light ",
7290-552: Is focused solely on the Soul Reapers and the 13 Court Squads. Shueisha published a special book Bleach: JCCover Postcard Book MAILs. , which was released on December 4, 2013. It features cover pages as postcards up to volume 60 with poems on the back. Bleach had over 90 million tankōbon copies in circulation in Japan by 2017; over 120 million tankōbon copies in circulation worldwide by 2018; and over 130 million copies in circulation worldwide by 2022, making it one of
7452-432: Is in someone else's company. Suì-Fēng's zanpakutō is Suzumebachi ( 雀蜂 , literally translated as " Hornet ") . When released by the command "Sting all Enemies to Death" ( 尽敵螫殺 , Jinteki Shakusetsu ) , it shrinks into a black and gold stinger that is worn on the middle finger of her right hand. When it stabs an opponent, a butterfly-like symbol called a hornet's crest ( 蜂紋華 , hōmonka ) appears on their body at
7614-426: Is instead constructed with the aid of rock music, which the author listens to while imagining the fights in order to give him a sense of pacing for the panel cuts and change of angles through the scenes. Kubo prefers to draw realistic injuries in order to render the fight more impactful, by making the readers feel the pain the characters are feeling. Bleach 's fight scenes are often broken up with brief gags, which
7776-435: Is less legible and readable than lower-case text. In addition, switching to all caps may make text appear hectoring and obnoxious for cultural reasons, since all-capitals is often used in transcribed speech to indicate that the speaker is shouting. All-caps text is common in comic books, as well as on older teleprinter and radio transmission systems, which often do not indicate letter case at all. In professional documents,
7938-412: Is meted out in four separate Acts . It also manifests the spirit of Shunsui's zanpakutō : a Feudal Japan -style mistress referred to as Katen, who creates a kunoichi offshoot named Kyōkotsu to hold Shinken Hakkyōken until Nanao eventually asks for it. He is voiced by Akio Otsuka in the Japanese version of the anime and by Steve Kramer in the English dub. Nanao Ise ( 伊勢 七緒 , Ise Nanao )
8100-483: Is often accosted by Shunsui, whose teasing takes various forms, and removes her glasses when she is particularly annoyed with him. Though her face has never been shown while doing so, this act is apparently quite frightening as most characters who witness it are reduced to gibbering wrecks afterwards. When Shunsui becomes the new Head Captain, Nanao becomes his lieutenant in Squad One alongside Okikiba. While she creates
8262-478: Is one aim of Leet (intentional pseudo duplicates) and can provide simple means of concealing messages (often numbers). Gin Ichimaru This is a list of Soul Reapers ( 死神 , Shinigami , literally, "death gods") featured in the manga and anime series Bleach , created by Tite Kubo . Soul Reapers are a fictional race of spirits who govern the flow of souls between the human world and
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#17327977192408424-670: Is one of the Soul Reapers ( 死神 , Shinigami , literally 'Death Gods') , soldiers trusted with ushering the souls of the dead from the World of the Living to the Soul Society ( 尸魂界 （ ソウル・ソサエティ ） , Sōru Sosaeti , lit. "Dead Spirit World") , the afterlife realm from which she originates and with fighting Hollows . When she is severely wounded defending Ichigo from a Hollow she pursues, Rukia transfers her powers to Ichigo, so he may fight in her stead while she recovers. Rukia
8586-594: Is reinstated as a Substitute Soul Reaper. After Ichigo regains his powers, an army of Quincies known as the Wandenreich ( 見えざる帝国 （ ヴァンデンライヒ ） , Vandenraihi , lit. "Invisible Empire") appear and declare war against the Soul Society, having already enslaved many Arrancars in Hueco Mundo. The group is led by Yhwach, the ancient progenitor of the Quincies, who seeks to kill the Soul King and rid
8748-802: Is released by the command "Crush" ( 打っ潰せ , buttsubuse ) . It transforms into an oversized flail that can be thrown to inflict great physical damage upon his opponents. He is yet to obtain his bankai . He is voiced by Shōto Kashii in the Japanese version of the anime and Lex Lang in the English dub. Squad Three was originally led by Rōjūrō "Rose" Otoribashi until he was forced to forfeit his post after Aizen put him through Hollowification. Gin Ichimaru, formerly Aizen's lieutenant in Squad Five, takes over Rose's position after Aizen reveals his true intentions and defects. Following Gin's subsequent defection, Lieutenant Kira briefly assumes captain duties. In
8910-438: Is revealed that he had achieved his bankai before Yamamoto's pupils Shunsui and Jūshirō did, though due to his loyalty to Yamamoto he never used it or offered to be a captain. His zanpakutō is Gonryōmaru ( 厳霊丸 , lit. "Stern Spirit", translated in other ways) . When released with the command "Bite" ( 穿て , Ugate ) , it transforms into a rapier . Its shikai special abilities remain unknown. Gonryōmaru ' s bankai
9072-508: Is selected by Shunsui to be his lieutenant along with Nanao. Shin'etsu Kisaragi ( 如月 信越 , Kisaragi Shin'etsu ) was a member of Squad One and the father of Shūsuke Amagai. After Central 46 denies Yamamoto's request to officially investigate the Kasumiōji Clan Compound regarding the clan's manufacturing of Bakkōtō , he sends Shin'etsu to secretly infiltrate the compound. Shin'etsu is caught by Gyōkaku Kumoi's men and Kumoi forces
9234-539: Is shown in terms of the uniform worn by the Quincy as well as by the symbolism of the cross". Bleach , written and illustrated by Tite Kubo , was serialized for 15 years in Shueisha 's shōnen manga magazine Weekly Shōnen Jump from August 7, 2001, to August 22, 2016. Its 698 individual chapters were collected in 74 tankōbon volumes released between January 5, 2002, and November 4, 2016. Shueisha published
9396-540: Is the captain of Squad Two and the current Commander in Chief of the Stealth Force. She is a hard worker who believes strongly in following orders. She is also outwardly antagonistic to her underlings as she believes this keeps them on their toes. During her childhood, she serves as a bodyguard and eventual protégé of Yoruichi, with whom she develops a close relationship. When Yoruichi leaves the Soul Society, Suì-Fēng
9558-603: Is the mother of the current lieutenant of Squad Seven, Tetsuzaemon Iba . Gin Ichimaru ( 市丸 ギン , Ichimaru Gin ) is the former captain of Squad Three. He previously served as the Third Seat of Squad Five under Captain Shinji Hirako , then as lieutenant under Captain Aizen, before becoming captain of Squad Three. He eventually defects from the Gotei Thirteen alongside Aizen and Kaname Tousen , and becomes
9720-501: Is thereby trapped in an ordinary human body, and must advise Ichigo as he balances the demands of his substitute Soul Reaper duties and attending high school. For aid in hunting the Hollows, the pair ally with a trio of other spiritually empowered allies: Ichigo's high school classmate Orihime Inoue , best friend Yasutora "Chad" Sado and Uryū Ishida , a Quincy classmate with the ability to control spiritual particles. Eventually, Rukia
9882-424: The shōnen category in 2005. The manga had over 130 million tankōbon volumes in circulation worldwide by 2022, making it one of the best-selling manga in history. Ichigo Kurosaki is a teenager from Karakura Town who can see ghosts, a talent allowing him to meet Rukia Kuchiki , a Soul Reaper who enters the town in search of a Hollow, a kind of monstrous lost soul who can harm both ghosts and humans. Rukia
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#173279771924010044-785: The shōnen category. The English version of the manga was nominated for the "best manga" and "best theme" awards at the 2006 and 2007 American Anime Awards , but did not win either category. In November 2014, readers of Media Factory 's Da Vinci magazine voted Bleach the 16th Weekly Shōnen Jump ' s greatest manga series of all time. On TV Asahi 's Manga Sōsenkyo 2021 poll, in which 150,000 people voted for their top 100 manga series, Bleach ranked 23rd. All caps In typography , text or font in all caps (short for " all capitals ") contains capital letters without any lowercase letters. For example: THE QUICK BROWN FOX JUMPS OVER THE LAZY DOG. All-caps text can be seen in legal documents, advertisements , newspaper headlines , and
10206-566: The ASCII table , so can display both alphabets, but all caps only. Mikrosha is switchable to KOI-7N1, in this mode, it can display both caps and lower-case, but in Cyrillic only. Other Soviet computers, such as BK0010 , MK 85 , Corvette and Agat-9 , use 8-bit encoding called KOI-8R, they can display both Cyrillic and Latin in caps and lower-case. Many, but not all NES games use all caps because of tile graphics, where charset and tiles share
10368-432: The Bakkōtō a secret. After his various accomplices are slain in the Soul Society, Shūsuke takes the nuclei of their Bakkōtō and engages Yamamoto in battle. He ends up fighting Ichigo, while Rukia and the others rescue Princess Rurichiyo Kasumioji (whom he abducted after killing Kumoi), and is defeated. Upon learning the truth about his father's death, he takes his own life to atone for his misdeeds. Shūsuke's zanpakutō
10530-676: The Bleach plotline. The initial performance run of the Bleach musical was from August 17–28, 2005, at the Space Zero Tokyo center in Shinjuku . The musicals are directed by Takuya Hiramitsu, with script adaptation by Naoshi Okumura and music composed by playwright Shoichi Tama. The songs are completely original and not taken from the anime soundtrack. Key actors in the series include Tatsuya Isaka , who plays Ichigo Kurosaki , Miki Satō , who plays Rukia Kuchiki , and Eiji Moriyama , who plays Renji Abarai . In 2016, another musical
10692-471: The Bleach series, which were published by Shueisha under its Jump J-Books imprint. The first volume, Bleach – Letters From The Other Side: The Death and The Strawberry , was published on December 15, 2004, and re-released as Bleach – Letters From The Other Side: The Death and The Strawberry - New Edition on November 4, 2009. The second, Bleach: The Honey Dish Rhapsody , was published on November 30, 2006. The third, Bleach: The Death Save The Strawberry ,
10854-574: The Vizards , Soul Reapers who were victims of Aizen's experiments in creating the Arrancar. When Ulquiorra, one of the Espada (Aizen's ten most powerful Arrancars) kidnaps Orihime, Ichigo and his allies enter Hueco Mundo to invade Las Noches. However, as Ichigo rescues Orihime, Aizen reveals her abduction was a distraction as he launches an attack on Karakura Town, in order to sacrifice everyone and create
11016-410: The best-selling manga series of all time from Weekly Shōnen Jump . During 2008, volume 34 of the manga sold 874,153 copies in Japan, becoming the 12th best-seller comics from the year. Volumes 33 and 35 have also ranked 17 and 18, respectively. In total the manga has sold 3,161,825 copies in Japan during 2008, becoming the year's fifth best selling series. In the first half from 2009, Bleach ranked as
11178-573: The 1990s, more than three-quarters of newspapers in the western world used lower-case letters in headline text. Discussion regarding the use of all caps for headlines centers on the greater emphasis offered by all caps versus the greater legibility offered by lower-case letters. Colin Wheildon conducted a scientific study with 224 readers who analyzed various headline styles and concluded that "Headlines set in capital letters are significantly less legible than those set in lower case." All caps typography
11340-452: The 5 and 10-minute time limits, and 13.9 percent for the whole 20-minute period". Tinker concluded that, "Obviously, all-capital printing slows reading to a marked degree in comparison with Roman lower case." Tinker provides the following explanations for why all capital printing is more difficult to read: Text in all capitals covers about 35 percent more printing surface than the same material set in lower case. This would tend to increase
11502-454: The Black , appearing as either a wakizashi or a tantō . She is voiced by Hitomi Nabatame in the Japanese version of the anime and by Kate Higgins in the English dub. Genshirō Okikiba ( 沖牙 源志郎 , Okikiba Genshirō ) was originally the Third Seat in Squad One, ordered by Yamamoto to guard their barracks during the Wandenreich's attack on the Soul Society. After Yamamoto's death, he
11664-504: The Court Guard Squad captains and assistant captains were his favorites, Kubo answered by saying that he liked "all of them" and that he likes to "support" characters "disliked by readers." Early plans for the story did not include the hierarchical structure of the Soul Society, but did include Ichigo's Soul Reaper heritage. Soul Reapers can only be seen by other spiritually aware beings, which excludes most humans. They age at
11826-407: The English dub, he is voiced by Neil Kaplan . Chōjirō Tadaoki Sasakibe ( 雀部 長次郎 忠息 , Sasakibe Chōjirō Tadaoki ) , was Yamamoto's lieutenant, often present during meetings between the captains. He was the only Soul Reaper at the battle for Karakura Town that did not fight, instead guarding the fake version of the town on his own with a large Reiatsu barrier. In an omake , due to a mission in
11988-531: The German language. This multilingual terminology, along with the variety in apparent character ethnicities, emphasizes the international nature of the Bleach settings. Bleach ' s plot incorporates the traditional Japanese belief of spirits coexisting with humans and their nature, good or evil, depends on the circumstances. An example is Orihime's backstory. She was raised from the age of three by her brother Sora, and prayed for his soul's peace after he died in
12150-460: The Gotei Thirteen, other military forces exist and serve in specialized capacities. The Kidō Corps ( 鬼道衆 , Kidōshū ) , for example, is a reclusive group that specializes in kidō and is in charge of the gateway connecting the Soul Society and the human world. Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto ( 山本元柳斎 重國 , Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni ) was the captain of Squad One and Head Captain of the Gotei Thirteen. He believed that laws must be upheld for
12312-469: The Hollows' realm, Hueco Mundo ( 虚圏 （ ウェコムンド ） , Weko Mundo , lit. "Hollow World") . Afterwards, Ichigo and Rukia reconcile with the Soul Reapers, who view the former as a powerful ally and designate him an official title as Substitute Soul Reaper. Ichigo soon finds himself and his friends in escalating skirmishes with Aizen's army of humanoid Hollows, the Arrancar , as they are joined by
12474-552: The Japanese market and a different one in North America. Bleach Soul Card Battle , produced by Bandai , was introduced in Japan at the Jump Festa in 2004. Twenty named sets were released for the series. After Bleach Soul Card Battle , Bandai introduced three more series. Bleach The Card Gum , which contains 14 sets, was released in early September 2007. The next series, Bleach Clear Collection , which contains six sets,
12636-658: The Japanese version of the anime. In the English dub, he is voiced by Michael McConnohie when he first speaks in Episode 54 then by Dan Woren in later appearances. Shunsui Sōzōsuke Jirō Kyōraku ( 京楽 次郎 総蔵佐 春水 , Kyōraku no Jirō Sōzōsuke Shunsui ) was originally the captain of Squad Eight for most of the series. One of the oldest captains in the Soul Society, alongside his friend Jūshirō, Shunsui trained under Head Captain Yamamoto, whom he calls "Old-man Yama" ( 山じい , Yama-jii ) . After Yamamoto's death, Shunsui becomes
12798-652: The Soul Funeral Ceremony for 13th Division captain Jūshirō Ukitake. While the captains are waiting in the Soul Society to perform the ritual, Ichigo joins the Lieutenants at Karakura Town to capture Hollows that will be used as a sacrifice. They are ambushed by the Beasts of Hell, led by the late Octava Espada Szayelaporro Granz. Even though the lieutenants suppress them, it is revealed that the ceremony
12960-464: The Soul Society by giving a Konso ( 魂葬 (こんそう) , konsō , "soul funeral") to souls yet to become hollows and defeat those who have. High-level Soul Reapers and similarly powerful beings are able to levitate by standing on the spiritual energy in the air. The No Breathes From Hell one shot explains that Soul Reaper captains are given a last rites ritual as their Reishi is transferred to another realm due to being too dense to properly diffuse in
13122-431: The Soul Society to destroy it, but Ichigo kills him with the help of Uryū and Aizen after the latter is temporarily released from prison. Ten years later, Rukia becomes the new captain of the thirteenth company and has a daughter, an apprentice Soul Reaper named Ichika, with her childhood friend Renji Abarai . Meanwhile, Ichigo and Orihime have a son named Kazui, who is also a Soul Reaper. Two years later, Ichigo attends
13284-475: The Soul Society to save her and are forced to fight against many of the Court Guard Squads. Sōsuke Aizen , Gin Ichimaru , and Kaname Tōsen —the captains of squads Five, Three, and Nine respectively—eventually defect from the Soul Society at the time of Rukia's rescue, effectively interrupting Ichigo's battles, and enact a plan to gain greater power with the Arrancar . Aizen is brought into focus as
13446-574: The Soul Society, and develops more of a depressed and pessimistic demeanor. During the Wandenreich invasion, Kira is mortally wounded by the Stern Ritter Bazz-B. However, he is revealed to have survived the attack and is later healed by Mayuri Kurotsuchi , allowing him to battle the multiple weakened bird cloned copies of Lille Barro's Vollständig. Kira's zanpakutō is Wabisuke ( 侘助 , lit. "Apology helper", translated in other medias "the penitent one" "Apologizer") . The shikai command
13608-551: The Soul Society, but did include some characters and elements that were not introduced into the plot until the Arrancar arc , such as Ichigo's Soul Reaper parentage. Kubo has cited influences for elements of Bleach ranging from other manga series to music, foreign language, architecture, and film. He attributed his interest in drawing the supernatural and monsters to Shigeru Mizuki 's GeGeGe no Kitaro and Bleach ' s focus on interesting weaponry and battle scenes to Masami Kurumada 's Saint Seiya , manga that Kubo enjoyed as
13770-423: The Soul Society. The ritual is revealed to actually send the deceased Soul Reaper captains to Hell instead, rather than ease their passing. The Gotei Thirteen ( 護廷十三隊 , Goteijūsantai , "Thirteen Court Guard Squads" in the English dubbed version) is the central organization, and main military power, of the Soul Society that most Soul Reapers join. Initially created to enforce law and order and composed of
13932-504: The Stealth Force ( 隠密機動 , Onmitsukidō , lit. "Special Forces") , Squad Two's duties include assassination and covert operations. After Yoruichi is forced to leave her post for aiding Urahara's escape when he was accused of the Hollowification of the Vizards , Suì-Fēng becomes the new captain of Squad Two. Marenoshin Ōmaeda ( 大前田 希ノ進 , Ōmaeda Marenoshin ) is the former lieutenant of Squad Two (under Yoruichi) as well as
14094-525: The TCG is a two-player game in which each player starts with at least 61 cards: a "Guardian" card, a 60-card "main deck", and an optional 20-card "side deck". A player loses if his or her power, as dictated by the Guardian card, is reduced to zero, or if he or she is unable to draw or discard a card from his or her deck. The cards for the game have been released in named sets with each set released in three formats:
14256-531: The Thirteen Court Squads when the captain of the fifth company, Sōsuke Aizen , is apparently murdered; the captains believed that the intruders might have been responsible, which causes the Soul Reapers to begin fighting amongst themselves. Thereafter, the Captain Commander Genryusai Shigekuni Yamamoto, issues the Soul Reapers to arrest Ichigo and his friends as suspects. However, Ichigo saves Rukia and manages to stop
14418-571: The afterlife realm called the Soul Society . The series tells of how Ichigo Kurosaki becomes a substitute Soul Reaper in Karakura Town in place of Rukia Kuchiki . He assumes her duties to protect souls and put them to peaceful rest, as well as to fight against dangerous, lost souls unable to find rest, called Hollows . As the series progresses, Rukia is captured by the Soul Society's Soul Reaper military for giving her powers to Ichigo and sentenced to death. Ichigo and his friends journey to
14580-695: The afterlife, and set him on journeys to various ghostly realms of existence. Bleach was serialized in Shueisha 's shōnen manga magazine Weekly Shōnen Jump from August 2001 to August 2016, with its chapters collected in 74 tankōbon volumes. The series has spawned a media franchise that includes an anime television series adaptation produced by studio Pierrot from 2004 to 2012, two original video animation (OVA) episodes, four animated feature films , ten stage musicals , and numerous video games , as well as many types of Bleach -related merchandise. A Japanese live-action film adaptation produced by Warner Bros. premiered in 2018. A sequel to
14742-592: The aftermath of her father's death, Nanao joins the Gotei Thirteen for her knowledge in kidō . During her early days in Squad Eight, she develops a friendship with then-lieutenant Lisa Yadōmaru , and realizes her family's zanpakutō is in Shunsui's possession. Nanao is a very serious and pragmatic person, which often puts her at odds with her captain's silly antics. Despite this, she is extremely respectful of him and follows his instructions without hesitation. Nanao
14904-457: The anime television series, which adapts the manga's final story arc , premiered in 2022. In North America, the manga was licensed for English release by Viz Media in 2004. They have released the collected volumes and published its chapters in their Shonen Jump magazine from November 2007 until the magazine's final issue in April 2012. Bleach received the 50th Shogakukan Manga Award for
15066-580: The anime, Shūsuke Amagai is eventually assigned as captain in Gin's place, retaining the role until his death some time afterwards. Rose is allowed to resume his duties after Aizen's defeat. Chikane Iba ( 射場 千鉄 , Iba Chikane ) is the former lieutenant of Squad Three under Rōjūrō, appearing in the Turn Back the Pendulum gaiden . She eventually retired from her position and was succeeded by Izuru. Chikane
15228-498: The author inserts when he grows bored during the illustration process. Bleach ' s plotting process is focused around character design . When writing plotlines or having difficulties generating new material, Kubo begins by thinking of new characters, often en masse , and rereading previous volumes of Bleach . Kubo has said that he likes creating characters that have outward appearances that do not match their true nature—an element that can be found in many Bleach characters—as he
15390-399: The bandaged zanpakutō to Nanao as a last resort, which she accepts despite being skeptical of it. In its shikai state, Shinken Hakkyōken takes the form of an ornate, medium-sized, flat-ended bladeless sword with the ability to take the power of a god into itself and disperse that power into the eight directions. The weapon is seen in its basic unwrapped form in the art book All Colour but
15552-483: The benefit of the community and despised those who broke them, but made an exception regarding Ichigo Kurosaki due to a debt owed to the former after he saves the Soul Society. Yamamoto founded the Soul Reaper Academy 1,000 years before the main Bleach storyline, where he personally instructed Shunsui Kyōraku and Jūshirō Ukitake whom he treated like sons. Yamamoto claimed that no Soul Reaper born in
15714-437: The blade and creates a giant conch-shaped guard worn across Shūsuke's arm, with the handle of the blade hidden inside it. This form gives him greater control of his fire attacks, his most powerful technique creating giant dragons of fire to encircle and crush his foe. Shūsuke's Bakkōtō (獏爻刀, roughly " tapir crossing blade") is a twin-bladed tuning fork -shaped weapon that creates black-plated armor across his right arm and emits
15876-458: The blades are normally two daisho swords, their shikai state resembles dao or falchions . When released with the command "Flower Wind Rage and Flower God Roar, Heavenly Wind Rage and Heavenly Demon Sneer" ( 花風紊れて花神啼き 天風紊れて天魔嗤う , Hana Kaze Midarete Kashin Naki, Tenpū Midarete Tenma Warau ) , Katen Kyōkotsu gains the ability to turn children's games into a deadly reality and anyone caught in
16038-416: The cancellation of Kubo's previous manga, Zombiepowder , but was at first rejected. Manga artist Akira Toriyama saw the story and wrote a letter of encouragement to Kubo. Bleach was accepted for publication a short time later in 2001, and was initially intended to be a shorter series, with a maximum serialization length of five years. Early plans for the story did not include the hierarchical structure of
16200-415: The deadliest killers in all of the Soul Society, the Gotei Thirteen became more peace-oriented in nature over time. It is split into thirteen squads, each symbolized by a flower whose floriography is indicative of the squad's designation or special responsibilities. The Captains ( 隊長 , taichō , literally, "unit commander") are the leaders of the thirteen squads. Each controls a specific squad with
16362-462: The development of lower-case letters in the 8th century, texts in the Latin alphabet were written in a single case, which is now considered to be capital letters. Text in all caps is not widely used in body copy . The main exception to this is the so-called fine print in legal documents. Capital letters have been widely used in printed headlines from the early days of newspapers until the 1950s. In
16524-553: The digital anthology Weekly Shonen Jump Alpha in January 2012 and Viz Media released it digitally as Shueisha published new chapters in Japan. The 74 volumes were released from July 6, 2004, to October 2, 2018. Viz Media also released a hardcover "collector's edition" of the first volume that came with a dust jacket, two box sets, and twenty-five 3-in-1 volumes between June 7, 2011, and March 5, 2019. A 73-page chapter, titled "New Breathes From Hell" ( 獄頤鳴鳴篇 , Gokui Meimei-hen ) ,
16686-400: The episodes following his introduction trying to prove himself to them and the rest of the Soul Reapers by promoting teamwork between all the divisions. As the anime progresses, Shūsuke is quickly revealed to have ulterior motives, with his friendly attitude only being a means to further his plans. He joined the Gotei Thirteen in order to exact revenge upon Yamamoto for killing his father to keep
16848-534: The evidence that all-capital printing retards speed of reading to a striking degree in comparison with lower case and is not liked by readers, it would seem wise to eliminate such printing whenever rapid reading and consumer (reader) views are of importance. Examples of this would include any continuous reading material, posters, bus cards, billboards, magazine advertising copy, headings in books, business forms and records, titles of articles, books and book chapters, and newspaper headlines. Colin Wheildon stated that there
17010-526: The exception of the Head Captain ( 総隊長 , Sōtaichō , literally "Commander-General") , who is both the captain of Squad One and leader of the Gotei Thirteen; the implication is that this is an ex officio position. All captains are able to perform the bankai of their zanpakutō . To achieve the position of captain, a Soul Reaper must display great expertise with Soul Reaper abilities and battle tactics, and be approved by either their fellow captains or
17172-538: The eye recognizes letters by the shapes of their upper halves", asserts that recognizing words in all caps "becomes a task instead of a natural process". His conclusions, based on scientific testing in 1982–1990, are: "Headlines set in capital letters are significantly less legible than those set in lower case." John Ryder , in the Case for Legibility , stated that "Printing with capital letters can be done sufficiently well to arouse interest and, with short lines, reading at
17334-410: The family head can inherit Shinken Hakkyōken . Nanao is rarely seen with the weapon for most of the story until Shunsui's battle with Lille Barro —he sealed the zanpakutō inside Kyōkotsu to honor his sister-in-law's wish to hide the apparent source of the Ise clan's curse from Nanao in the hopes that it would end with her generation. As Shinken Hakkyōken is able to harm divine beings, Shunsui gives
17496-418: The first 21 volumes compiled into six omnibus collections under the name Resurrected Souls , to celebrate the series' tenth anniversary. The first collection was released on August 22, 2011; the last collection was published on January 23, 2012. North American licensor Viz Media serialized the first chapters in the print magazine Shonen Jump from its November 2007 to April 2012 issues. The series moved to
17658-406: The form of an extremely long, armored missile launcher that encases Suì-Fēng's right arm and extends all the way up past her shoulder, with a sighting device shaped like a mask shielding the right side of her face. While holding this bankai , its large size—it is bigger than Suì-Fēng herself—makes it difficult for her to move. The thunderous recoil after its cannon is fired may require the use of
17820-688: The former Captain of the Special Forces Patrol Corps, appearing in the Turn Back the Pendulum gaiden . When he retires his positions, both are assumed by his son Marechiyo, the division's current lieutenant, with whom he shares a close resemblance. Like his son, Marenoshin enjoys downgrading poorer members of the Gotei Thirteen, such as Izuru Kira and Shūhei Hisagi . Suì-Fēng ( 砕 （ ソイ ） 蜂 （ フォン ） , Soifon , pinyin : Suì Fēng ) , born Fon Shaolin ( 蜂梢 （ フォンシャオ ） 綾 （ リン ） , Fon Shaorin , pinyin : Fēng Shāolíng ) ,
17982-497: The games for Nintendo consoles are developed and published by Sega, and the Nintendo DS games are developed by Treasure Co. Ltd. Two mobile games had also been released in 2014 ( Bleach: Bankai Battle ) and 2015 ( Bleach: Brave Souls ) for the series, which are available for iOS and Android . In 2017, Line announced the release of a game exclusive for their communication app called Bleach: Paradise Lost . In July 2023,
18144-470: The genre. He felt it was a rough start for the series with unimpressive battles, overused gags, and a bad introduction for central character Ichigo that causes him to come across "as a frowning punk" whose one good trait is his desire to protect. Despite this, Pine notes that he loves the series, particularly its quirky, lovable characters. Jason Thompson said he was no longer able to take Bleach seriously after it introduced villains Ulquiorra and Yammy in
18306-569: The given identifier represents a constant . A practice exists (most commonly in Francophone countries) of distinguishing the surname from the rest of a personal name by stylizing the surname only in all caps. This practice is also common among Japanese, when names are spelled using Roman letters. In April 2013, the U.S. Navy moved away from an all caps-based messaging system, which was begun with 1850s-era teleprinters that had only uppercase letters. The switch to mixed-case communications
18468-410: The ground with their head bowed as though asking forgiveness. At this point Wabisuke ' s released form, a blade bent into a squared hook, comes into play, as it is used to decapitate the kneeling opponent, thus denying them forgiveness. He is voiced by Takahiro Sakurai in the Japanese version of the anime and by Grant George in the English dub. Shūsuke Amagai ( 天貝 繍助 , Amagai Shūsuke )
18630-499: The human world to carry out their duties. If this Soul Reaper is an assistant captain or a captain then they will have a Gentei Reiin , or a Spirit Restriction Seal, on some area of their body. This seal will limit their spiritual powers to one-fifth of their full power and it can only be released in a state of emergency. In addition to these laws, it is a crime for a Soul Reaper to remain in the human world for longer than directed. A Soul Reaper's duties include leading wandering spirits to
18792-567: The last one thousand years is stronger than him, but he is eventually killed by Yhwach . His zanpakutō is Ryūjin Jakka ( 流刃若火 , lit. "Flame of the Flowing Blade") , and it displays control over flame . The most powerful zanpakutō in Soul Society, the sheer power of its flame can disintegrate almost anything it is waved at. Its release command is "Reduce All Creation to Ash" (万象一切灰燼と為せ, Banshō issai kaijin to nase or "All things in
18954-567: The lower-case print is due to the characteristic word forms furnished by this type. This permits reading by word units, while all capitals tend to be read letter by letter. Furthermore, since all-capital printing takes at least one-third more space than lower case, more fixation pauses are required for reading the same amount of material. The use of all capitals should be dispensed with in every printing situation. According to Tinker, "As early as 1914, Starch reported that material set in Roman lower case
19116-542: The main series, but reveal more of the daily lives of characters. Color Bleach+: Bleach Official Bootleg was released in English by Viz Media on August 10, 2010. In December 2018, another artbook, titled Bleach JET was released, which contains a massive 700 artworks from the series' 15 years tenure. Seven databooks have also been released about the series. The first two, Bleach: Official Character Book SOULs. and Bleach: Official Animation Book VIBEs. , were released on February 3, 2006. Bleach: Official Character Book SOULs.
19278-739: The manga's final story arc, "Thousand-Year Blood War", would receive a new anime project. In November 2021, it was announced that the new project would be an anime television series. It is directed by Tomohisa Taguchi and premiered in October 2022. The series has spawned four animated films: Bleach: Memories of Nobody , premiered on December 16, 2006; Bleach: The DiamondDust Rebellion , premiered on December 22, 2007; Bleach: Fade to Black , premiered on December 13, 2008; and Bleach: Hell Verse , premiered on December 4, 2010. A live-action film adaptation premiered in Japan on July 20, 2018. Tite Kubo and Makoto Matsubara have co-authored three novelizations of
19440-442: The members of their own squad. There are three ways a Soul Reaper can become a captain: The Lieutenants ( 副隊長 , fukutaichō , literally, "vice-unit commander") are the adjutants to the captains in each squad. In terms of rank, they hold the second seat in the squad. In the case of a squad captain's death, departure, or other circumstances making them unable to perform their duties, the lieutenant serves as acting captain until
19602-498: The moisture in Soul Society. The Squad Ten captain, Tōshirō Hitsugaya , cannot release his sword—an ice-type zanpakutō —due to the heat radiated from Yamamoto's bankai . Its power is so great that it can destroy all of Soul Society and Yamamoto himself should it remain active for too long. He is voiced by Masaaki Tsukada in the original Japanese anime series and Binbin Takaoka in its direct sequel Thousand Year Blood War . In
19764-463: The name of the sword's spirit, and through training, Soul Reapers can unlock more powerful transformations of their zanpakutō . The first transformation, known as a shikai ( 始解 , lit. "initial release") which acts like a binding contract between a Soul Reaper and the sword, changes the zanpakutō' s appearance to so the owner can facilitate its special abilities to its fullest. The second transformation, known as bankai ( 卍解 , lit. "final release") ,
19926-414: The new Head Captain of the Gotei Thirteen and the leader of Squad One. He appoints Genshirō Okikiba and Nanao as his lieutenants. A laid-back and flamboyant man, as seen by his attire, Shunsui wears a straw hat and a pink flowered haori over his captain's uniform. In his off time, he can be found drinking sake , napping, or chasing after women, particularly his lieutenant Nanao Ise. Shunsui tends to use
20088-523: The opportunity to add marginal notes emphasising key points. Legal writing expert Bryan A. Garner has described the practice as "ghastly". A 2020 study found that all-caps in legal texts is ineffective and is, in fact, harmful to older readers. In 2002, a US court spoke out against the practice, ruling that simply making text all-capitals has no bearing on whether it is clear and easily readable: Lawyers who think their caps lock keys are instant "make conspicuous" buttons are deluded. In determining whether
20250-468: The point of contact. The crest bears four wings because a hornet has two sets of full-size wings located on its thorax. Due to Suì-Fēng's training, this mark can be kept there for as long as she desires. If Suzumebachi stabs the same location a second time, the opponent dies. This technique is called " Nigeki Kessatsu (弐撃決殺, Death in Two Steps)". This also holds true if an internal organ is pierced in
20412-461: The range of Shunsui's spiritual power is forced to play. One such game, Bushō Goma ( 不精独楽 , Lazy Spinning Top) , involves spinning wind around like a top. Another, Takaoni ( 嶄鬼 , Mountain Demon) , declares that whoever is the highest is the winner. A third technique, Kageoni ( 影鬼 , Shadow Demon) , forces the players to alter their own shadows; whoever steps on a shadow, even if it is their own,
20574-489: The reading time. When this is combined with the difficulty in reading words in all-capital letters as units, the hindrance to rapid reading becomes marked. In the eye-movement study by Tinker and Patterson, the principal difference in oculomotor patterns between lower case and all capitals was the very large increase in number of fixation pauses for reading the all-capital print. All caps text should be eliminated from most forms of composition, according to Tinker: Considering
20736-517: The real world, Sasakibe is shown to have enjoyed growing tea leaves and making his own tea. He was killed by the Stern Ritter "O" Driscoll Berci during the Wandenreich 's first invasion of the Soul Society, alongside 106 other Soul Reapers. Driscoll later attempts to also kill Yamamoto using Sasakibe's stolen bankai , but is obliterated by the enraged captain for using his deceased lieutenant's bankai so shamefully. During Sasakibe's funeral, it
20898-701: The realm of Hueco Mundo, while both Quincy and Bounts have been known to associate with the German language, making Kubo's world of characters diverse in race and language as well. Von Feigenblatt notes that the Quincy "are clearly inspired by the Roman Catholic Christian Orders of Knighthood such as the Sovereign Military Order of Malta and the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre whose influence
21060-555: The rest of the series. She is voiced by Karen Strassman in the English dub. Marechiyo Ōmaeda ( 大前田 希千代 , Ōmaeda Marechiyo ) is the lieutenant of Squad Two and Captain of the Special Forces Patrol Corps. He comes across as arrogant and dull. In an omake, he is shown to have come from a rich family, where he is revealed to have a ridiculously long name: Marechiyo Yoshiayamenosuke Nikkōtarōemon Ōmaeda ( 大前田 日光太郎右衛門 美菖蒲介 希千代 , Ōmaeda Nikkōtarōemon Yoshiayamenosuke Marechiyo ) . Other characters suspect that he received his position as
21222-572: The same ROM. Game designers often choose to have less characters in favor of more tiles. With the advent of the bulletin board system , or BBS, and later the Internet, typing messages in all caps commonly became closely identified with "shouting" or attention-seeking behavior, and may be considered rude. Its equivalence to shouting traces back to at least 1984 and before the Internet, back to printed typography usage of all capitals to mean shouting. For this reason, etiquette generally discourages
21384-403: The same location, regardless of the point of entry into the body. Furthermore, if Suì-Fēng is infected with a foreign poison, she can stab herself with her zanpakutō to counteract the new poison with her own, neutralizing it. Suzumebachi ' s bankai is Jakuhō Raikōben ( 雀蜂雷公鞭 , lit. "Hornet Thunder Whip", 雷公 means thunder) . A gold artillery -type weapon with black markings, it takes
21546-407: The same time, which he considered a point of appeal, in response to fans' claims about a "lack of a story" in Bleach . Leroy Douresseaux from Comic Book Bin agreed with Sparrow in the number of storylines, but also praised the fighting scenes finding them comparable to the ones of popular films. On the other hand, Mania reviewer Jarred Pine criticized the series as being plagued with stereotypes from
21708-489: The second best-selling manga in Japan, having sold 3.5 million copies. Having sold 927,610 copies, volume 36 ranked seventh, volume 37 was eighth with 907,714 sold copies, and volume 38 at 10th with 822,238 copies. North American sales of the manga have also been high, with tankōbon volumes having sold over 1.2 million copies by 2007. Volume 16 placed in the top 10 graphic novel sales in December 2006 and volume 17
21870-503: The series as the Best Continuing Shōnen Manga of 2007, along with Eyeshield 21 , praising the "compelling stories, dazzling action sequences and great character development". She also placed the title on her list of "Top 10 Shōnen Manga Must-Reads". The artwork and the character designs received positive response by IGN 's A.E. Sparrow. He also commented on the series' ability to handle multiple minor character plotlines at
22032-413: The series. However it only covers material up to volume 48, God is Dead . On June 4, 2012, a sixth book was released under the name Bleach: The Rebooted Souls . This free booklet was distributed with Bleach manga volume 55, with the aim to provide information to readers about the manga's final arc, The Thousand-Year Blood War . The seventh book, BLEACH 13 BLADEs. , was released on August 4, 2015, and it
22194-565: The spirit are forced to fight to the death to determine the zanpakutō ' s true master, as in the plot of Bleach: The DiamondDust Rebellion (2007). Many Soul Reapers manage to use kidō ( 鬼道 , lit. "way of the demon", also "demon arts") , a form of magic that can be performed by reciting a specific incantation. Most of the kidō spells seen in the series are used as attacks, defensive measures, or to bind others, though they can also serve more specialized needs such as healing wounds or communication over long distances. Spells are ranked on
22356-565: The story's main antagonist . However, in the series' final arc, the real antagonist is revealed to be Yhwach , the son of the Soul King and father of the Quincy . Bleach was first conceived from Tite Kubo's desire to draw Shinigami ("Soul Reaper" in the English adaptations) in a kimono , which formed the basis for the design of the Soul Reapers. Before deciding on the use of kimono, Kubo thought of giving black suits to male Soul Reapers and any forms to female Soul Reapers, but thought that it
22518-408: The title of a story arc . The chapter was digitally released as a collected volume on December 3, 2021. A full-color version of the chapter was published digitally on September 4, 2023. Bleach was adapted by studio Pierrot into an anime television series directed by Noriyuki Abe and broadcast for 366 episodes on TV Tokyo from October 2004 to March 2012. In March 2020, it was announced that
22680-425: The titles on book covers. Short strings of words in capital letters appear bolder and "louder" than mixed case, and this is sometimes referred to as "screaming" or "shouting". All caps can also be used to indicate that a given word is an acronym . Studies have been conducted on the readability and legibility of all caps text. Scientific testing from the 20th century onward has generally indicated that all caps text
22842-612: The universe, Turn to ashes" in the English Dub). Ryūjin Jakka ' s bankai is Zanka no Tachi ( 残火の太刀 , lit. "Longsword of the Remnant Flame") . Upon release, all of the flames produced by Yamamoto become concentrated at the edge of the blade, which takes on the appearance of an ancient, scorched sword. Zanka no Tachi ' s heat reaches temperatures of 15,000,000 degrees, creating flame-like reiatsu around him and rendering him untouchable. Merely activating it drains all
23004-581: The use of all caps when posting messages online. While all caps can be used as an alternative to rich-text "bolding" for a single word or phrase, to express emphasis, repeated use of all caps can be considered "shouting" or irritating. Some aspects of Microsoft's Metro design language involve the use of all caps headings and titles. This has received particular attention when menu and ribbon titles appeared in all caps in Visual Studio 2012 and Office 2013 , respectively. Critics have compared this to
23166-403: The war against the Soul Society. Aizen reappears and reveals his intention to obtain the Hōgyoku ( 崩玉 , lit. "Crumbling Orb") , an orb of immense power Urahara planted inside Rukia, by faking his death and arranging the execution. Aizen accompanies his fellow conspirators, Gin Ichimaru and Kaname Tōsen, who are the third and ninth company's captains, as they use Hollows to cover their escape into
23328-646: The world of death and fear. In their first invasion, the Wandenreich kill many Soul Reapers including the Head-Captain, Yamamoto. Uryū joins Yhwach and learns the truth behind the death of his mother. Later, Ichigo and his friends aid the Soul Society in fighting the Wandenreich's second invasion, but Yhwach invades the Royal Palace and kills the Soul King. In the final battle, the surviving Shinigami, along with Ichigo and his friends, assault Yhwach's new palace and defeat his army of Sternritters. Yhwach returns to
23490-529: Was Bleach: Heat the Soul , which debuted on March 24, 2005, for the Sony PlayStation Portable . Currently, the majority of the games have only been released in Japan, though Sega has localized the first three Nintendo DS games and the first Wii game for North America. So far, all dedicated Bleach games released for Sony 's consoles have been developed and published by SCEI , whereas
23652-413: Was changed with the inclusion of swords. After that, the series was meant to be named "Black" due to the color of the Soul Reapers' clothes, but Kubo thought the title was too generic. He later tried the name of "White", but came to like "Bleach" more for its association with the color white and that he did not find it too obvious. The original story concept was submitted to Weekly Shōnen Jump shortly after
23814-643: Was common on teletype machines, such as those used by police departments, news, and the United States' then-called Weather Bureau , as well as early computers, such as certain early Apple II models and the ZX81 , which had a limited support for lower-case text. This changed as full support of ASCII became standard, allowing lower-case characters. Some Soviet computers , such as Radio-86RK , Vector-06C , Agat-7 , use 7-bit encoding called KOI-7N2, where capital Cyrillic letters replace lower-case Latin letters in
23976-496: Was estimated to save the Navy $ 20 million a year and is compliant with current Internet protocol. An antiquated practice that still remains in use, especially by older American lawyers who grew up before the arrival of computers, is to use all caps text for text that is legally required to be emphasised and clearly readable. The practice dates to the period of typewriters, which generally did not offer bold text, small capitals, or
24138-484: Was his predecessor. It is revealed that the Soul Society did not trust the substitute Soul Reapers, so they used the badge given to the Substitute Soul Reaper to monitor and restrict his power output. Ginjo felt betrayed and swore vengeance on all Soul Reapers. Despite knowing the truth, Ichigo decides to trust his Soul Reaper friends and defeats and kills Ginjo. With his power restored, Ichigo once again
24300-544: Was later released in English by Viz Media on November 18, 2008. The third book, Bleach: Official Character Book 2: MASKED , was released on August 4, 2010. This book covers details about characters that appear 100 years prior to the story, such as former captains and lieutenants, along with the Arrancars and Visoreds. Although it was released on the same day as volume 46, Back From Blind , the book only covers material up to volume 37, Beauty Is So Solitary . The English version
24462-409: Was originally the lieutenant of Squad Eight for most of the series, serving under her uncle, Shunsui. Nanao's family is primarily composed of women with a Shinto priesthood lineage and a reputation that men who marry into the family, like Shunsui's brother, eventually die due to a family curse . As a child, living with elderly relatives after her mother is executed for discarding Shinken Hakkyōken in
24624-455: Was produced to celebrate Bleach 15th anniversary. The musical was directed and written by Tsutsumi Yasuyuki with Dream5 's Akira Takano and Chihiro Kai as Ichigo Kurosaki and Rukia Kuchiki respectively. The musical debuted on July 28, 2016, in AiiA 2.5 Theater Tokyo. The first Bleach artbook, All Colour But The Black , was released in Japan, the United States, and Europe. The artbook compiles
24786-524: Was published in Weekly Shōnen Jump , to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the manga's debut in the magazine, on August 10, 2021. It was published in English by Viz Media's Shonen Jump online magazine and on the Shueisha's Manga Plus online platform. The one-shot ends seemingly on a cliffhanger ; the character for "hen" ( 篇 ), used in the Japanese title of the chapter, is usually used to denote
24948-406: Was published on December 22, 2007. The third, Bleach: Fade to Black, I Call Your Name , was published on December 15, 2008. The fourth volume, Bleach: Hell Chapter , was published on December 6, 2010. A number of video games have been created featuring characters from the Bleach series, primarily though not exclusively fighting games . The first video game to be released from the Bleach series
25110-459: Was published on November 2, 2018. The novel series ended with the release of the third volume on December 4, 2018. Viz Media published the three volumes of Bleach: Can't Fear Your Own World between July 7, 2020, and April 20, 2021. Shueisha published four novelizations based on the Bleach movies. The first volume, Bleach: Memories of Nobody , was published on December 18, 2006. The second, Bleach: The DiamondDust Rebellion, Another Hyōrinmaru ,
25272-401: Was published on September 4, 2012. Two novelizations of the Bleach series have been co-authored by Narita Ryohgo . The first volume, Bleach: Spirits Are Forever With You , and the second, Bleach: Spirits Are Forever With You 2 , were published on June 4, 2012. After the series ended in 2016, a series of novels were released by Shueisha. The first novel, Bleach: WE DO knot ALWAYS LOVE YOU ,
25434-427: Was read somewhat faster than similar material printed in all capitals." Another study in 1928 showed that "all-capital text was read 11.8 percent slower than lower case, or approximately 38 words per minute slower", and that "nine-tenths of adult readers consider lower case more legible than all capitals". A 1955 study by Miles Tinker showed that "all-capital text retarded speed of reading from 9.5 to 19.0 percent for
25596-415: Was released by Viz Media on March 6, 2012. A fourth book, Bleach: Official Invitation Book The Hell Verse , was given to the first one million movie-goers of Bleach: Hell Verse on December 4, 2010. It contains character sketches, promotional posters, and the one-off Hell manga special. A fifth book Bleach: Official Character Book 3: UNMASKED , was released on June 3, 2011, the same day as the volume 50 of
25758-565: Was released in July 2008. The last series, Bleach Clear Soul Plate , which consists of three sets, was published in December 2009. Bleach TCG was introduced in the United States by Score Entertainment in May 2007, but ceased publication April 2009, just before the planned launch of its seventh expansion, Bleach Infiltration . This cancellation was attributed to the 2007–09 recession , which has heavily affected TCG sales. Designed by Aik Tongtharadol,
25920-415: Was the best-selling manga volume for the month of February 2007. In a 2010 interview, Gonzalo Ferreyra, Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Viz, listed Bleach as one of six Viz titles that continue to exceed expectations in spite of the harshening manga market. By 2022, the manga had over 2.7 million tankōbon volumes in circulation in the United States. Deb Aoki from About.com considered
26082-402: Was too generic and changed it to a kimono. Several characteristics from them, such as the kidō spells and the zanpakutō swords are also based on Japanese literature. Instead of using zanpakutō , Kubo wanted to give the Soul Reapers guns, with the exception of Rukia Kuchiki , who would use a scythe. Seeing that guns are not suitable for kimono, he changed them to swords. When asked which of
26244-400: Was written by the writer of Bleach: The Death Save The Strawberry Makoto Matsubara and was published on December 27, 2016. The second, Bleach: Can't Fear Your Own World , is a serialized novel written by the writer of Bleach: Spirits Are Forever With You series Narita Ryohgo and was released bi-weekly from April 28, 2017. The first volume was released on August 4, 2017 and the second volume
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