Bleach by Tite Kubo is one of the most famous manga and anime series of all time. It is animated by Studio Pierrot and is a part of the Shonen Big Three of anime alongside Naruto and One-Piece. The anime series is quite long for an average otaku and sure contains a good amount of filler episodes as well. A good and detailed watch order is surely needed for an anime this long, and this article is going to provide you with exactly that.
Bleach’s story revolves around the adventures and challenges faced by its protagonist, Ichigo Kurosaki, along with his dependable group of friends. The series follows the classic shonen story style, where the protagonist starts weak compared to his obstacles but grows with time and overcomes them. The series is a fan favorite and is again on the radar of many anime fans, coming back from hiatus to deliver the final arc of the series, Bleach: Thousand Year Blood War.
Bleach, in total, has 366 episodes and ran from 2004 to 2012. The series has received widespread praise, with a little bit of criticism here and there. The fans regard it as an underrated anime and think it deserves more respect than it gets when compared to the other two members of the big three.
The main complaint of fans over the years has been that the bleach anime has a lot of fillers. This watch order will list everything you need to know in a sequential manner about the correct watching order for the anime. So bookmark this page to remember which episodes to watch and which ones to skip.
Also Read: Bleach Review: Is it Worth it?
1. The Prologue
The prologue is very important for any anime or story in general. The prologue introduces the viewers to the characters and sets the world and the concepts the writer wants in the minds of the audience.
It starts the story and sets the tone for the audience to get comfortable with the characters and the world the writer has created. For the Bleach anime, you will have to watch episodes 1–7. These episodes cover the first 70 chapters of the manga and establish the characters and plot points for the audience.
After watching them, you can watch the Memories in the Rain OVA to get more in line with the canon content of the series.
2. Soul Society Arc
The next episodes after the prologue start the Soul Society arc, which is considered to be one of the best arcs of the series to date by the fans. Several debates are up there among the fans when it comes to the best arc in the series, but the majority of the fans side with the Soul Society arc.
You need to watch episodes 10 to 20, which cover chapters 71–183 in the manga. Then you need to watch episodes 21–32 and skip episode 33, as it is a filler episode. You can resume your watching spree from episodes 34 to 49 and again skip episode 50, which is a filler episode that is not that good, in my opinion.
You can then watch episodes 51 to 63, which would conclude the Soul Society arc. After that, you can watch the sealed sword frenzy OVA, which I would not recommend as it is terrible, in my opinion.
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3. Bleach: Memories of Nobody
Bleach: Memories of Nobody is the first movie installment in the Bleach series. It is directed by Noriyuki Abe and written by Masashi Sogo, and it has a story of its own that is non-canon. In my opinion, the film felt technically canon because of the well-written story and the execution of it on a bigger screen. The film was successful and had a box office collection of 600 million yen in Japan. The film was produced by Studio Pierrot, the same production company that produces the anime.
4. The Bount Arc – Filler Arc
After completing the Soul Society arc and watching the first Bleach movie comes the Bount arc. You can watch it from episodes 64–100, but I would not recommend doing it. It is one of the most hated arcs in the series and is considered a waste of time by the fans.
It is a long filler arc with zero to no contribution to the actual plot of the story or to the development of the characters in the series. It is regarded as a major skip for all the Bleach fans and the people who are starting Bleach.
5. Arrancar Arc
After the filler Bount arc, the series gets on the canon train again by starting with the Arrancar arc. This arc is a bit messy, with fillers included between the episodes in the entire arc. You can start with episodes 110 to 127, then skip to the next episode, 128 to 137. Then watch from episodes 138 to 146, and then again skip episodes 147 to 149.
Episodes 147 to 149 are fillers, but they are really good. In my opinion, they are the best fillers in the entire series and have also been referenced in Bleach Light novels. So if you decide to watch them, you can go for them, as they won’t be a waste of time but worth it instead. Then you can resume watching from episodes 150 to 167; after them, a long trail of filler episodes starts again. Skip from episodes 168 to 189, as they are terrible fillers and not worth the watch.
Canon episodes start again from episodes 190 to 203. Episode 190 has a huge recap in the first fifteen minutes, so you can skip to 15:08 in the episode or watch from the start to get a recap of the past events in the series. Episodes 204 and 205 are skipped as they are fillers; canon episodes start again from 206 to 212. Episodes 213 to 215 are fillers again so that you can skip them. From episode 216, the canon plot resumes and goes on to episode 227 before another filler set of episodes.
Episodes 228 to 266 are fillers, but they are quite good. In my opinion, you should not watch them, but 239 of the filler episodes contain the backstory of Toshiro, which is canon. You can watch this set of episodes after you have completed the series.
The canon train starts again in episode 267 and goes all the way to episode 310. A fun fact to know about this set of episodes is that episode 284 is the only anime-only canon episode in the series. With episode 310, the Arrancar arc comes to a close, and a new arc commences after it.
Also Read: How to Watch Bleach? Easiest Guide to Watch it.
6. Bleach Movies: Second, Third, and Final
After the success of the first movie, Bleach: Memories of Nobody, three more movies were released. The second movie to be released was Bleach: The Diamond Dust Rebellion, which was also animated by Noriyuki Abe, co-written by Masahiro Kubo and Michiko Yokote, and produced by Studio Pierrot. It was also a box office success, collecting around 800 million yen at the box office. This movie should be watched after episode 127 in the Arrancar arc.
The third Bleach film to be released was Bleach: Fade to Black. It is directed by the same director who previously directed the two movies. Noriyuki Abe. This movie earned a bit less compared to the second movie; it collected 700 million yen in total at the box office. Studio Pierrot handles the production for this movie, just as it did for the previous two. This movie should also be watched in the Arrancar arc after watching the second movie, that is, after episode 127.
The final Bleach movie to be released was Bleach: Hell Verse. The director and the production studio for this movie remain the same as for the previous movies. This movie should be watched in the Arrancar arc after episode 297.
Also read: The 9 Weakest Bankai in Bleach (Ranked): What Is The Worst Bankai?
7. Fullbring Arc
After the completion of the Arrancar arc in episode 310, a set of filler episodes are there, which you may skip if you want to. These filters are not that bad because they blend into the story very well. It almost feels canon to the point that it does not contribute to the main plot but does not hamper it as well; it flows really well with the main story and the arc gap between Arrancar and Fullbring arcs. The filler episodes start with episode 311 and continue until episode 341.
With episode 342, the Fullbring arc starts in the anime. It is a good arc, in my opinion, as the fights in this arc are very good and live up to the shonen genre expectations. There are very few fillers when compared to other arcs.
The Fullbring arc continues all the way to episode 366, with just one filler in the whole arc. The episode to skip in this arc is episode 355. With the Fullbring arc ending in episode 366, Bleach went on hiatus for more than ten years and returned on December 20, 2022, to air the final arc of the series, The Thousand Year Blood War.
8. Thousand Year Blood War Arc
The Thousand Year Blood War arc is the final arc of the Bleach series, and it is regarded as one of the best arcs of all time in Bleach, along with the Soul Society arc. The Thousand Year Blood War arc started airing in December 2022 and has 12 episodes in its first season. It is scheduled to be a two-course season, with the second course released in July 2023.
The return of Bleach was highly anticipated by the fans, as they felt the series had never been done justice before. The series’ latest arc has way better animation compared to the previous run of the anime. The Final arc also received good responses from fans and critics alike and is expected to return in July 2023.
Also Read: Violet Evergarden Watch Order.
