Bleach (TV series)

Bleach
	Key visual of the series featuring (from left to right) Rukia Kuchiki, Kon, Yasutora "Chad" Sado, Ichigo Kurosaki, Uryū Ishida, and Orihime Inoue
Genre	Adventure; Martial arts; Supernatural;
Created by	Tite Kubo
Anime television series
Directed by	Noriyuki Abe
Produced by	Ken Hagino; Noriko Kobayashi (#1–86, #226–328); Yutaka Sugiyama (#1–25, #355–366); Yukio Yoshimura (#26–133); Shunji Aoki (#87–225); Aya Mizobuchi (#134–157); Mai Nagai (#158–354); Hatsuo Nara (#343–366);
Written by	Masashi Sogo (#1–229, #266–316); Tsuyoshi Kida (#230–265); Kento Shimoyama (#317–366);
Music by	Shirō Sagisu
Studio	Studio Pierrot
Licensed by	Viz Media; SEA: Medialink; UK: Anime Limited; ;
Original network	TXN (TV Tokyo)
English network	AU: SBS; AUS: Adult Swim; CA: YTV; NA: Neon Alley; SEA: Animax; UK: AnimeCentral; US: Adult Swim (Toonami);
Original run	October 5, 2004 – March 27, 2012
Episodes	366
Anime television series
Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War
Directed by	Tomohisa Taguchi; Hikaru Murata; Mitsutoshi Satou (P1–2); Chen Dali (P3);
Produced by	Makoto Hijikata; Yoshihiko Tominaga; Genki Negishi (P1–2); Tasuku Honda (P1–2); Akari Yanagawa (P3); Momoko Asahara (P3);
Written by	Tomohisa Taguchi; Masaki Hiramatsu;
Music by	Shirō Sagisu
Studio	Studio Pierrot
Licensed by	Viz Media; SEA: Medialink; UK: Anime Limited; ;
Original network	TXN (TV Tokyo)
English network	US: Adult Swim (Toonami);
Original run	October 11, 2022 – present
Episodes	40
Films
	Memories of Nobody (2006); The DiamondDust Rebellion (2007); Fade to Black (2008); Hell Verse (2010);

Bleach (stylized in all caps) is a Japanese anime television series based on the manga series Bleach by Tite Kubo. It was produced by Studio Pierrot and directed by Noriyuki Abe. The series aired on TV Tokyo from October 2004 to March 2012, spanning 366 episodes. The story follows the adventures of the teenage Ichigo Kurosaki after he obtains the powers of a Soul Reaper—a death personification similar to the Grim Reaper—from a Soul Reaper named Rukia Kuchiki. His newfound powers allow him to take on the duties of defending humans from evil spirits called "Hollows" and guiding departed souls to the afterlife. In addition to adapting the manga series it is based on, the anime includes original self-contained storylines and characters not found in the source material.

Viz Media obtained foreign television and home video distribution rights to the Bleach anime in March 2006. Bleach was broadcast in the United States on Adult Swim from September 2006 to November 2014.

Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War, a sequel series covering the manga's final story arc, also animated by Studio Pierrot (by studio Pierrot for the first two parts and by Pierrot Films for the third part) and directed by Tomohisa Taguchi, aired its first 13-episode cours on TV Tokyo from October to December 2022. The second 13-episode cours aired from July to September 2023. The third 14-episode cours aired from October to December 2024. The fourth and final cours is set to premiere in July 2026.