The wait is almost over! BLEACH: Thousand-Year Blood War is about to drop its fourth and final part, and Studio Pierrot has finally locked in the date. "The Calamity" premieres July 25th, and if you're in the US, you won't have to wait that long to see the opening episodes!
As Crunchyroll and Anime News Network report, the closing chapter of Tite Kubo's epic gets its TV bow on Friday, July 25th at 11pm JST on TV Tokyo, with streaming following the next day. For most of the world that means Disney+, and here in the States it lands on Hulu. This is the one that finishes the whole thing. The last stretch of the Quincy war that fans have been looking forward to for years.
See It On The Big Screen First
Here's the part that will surprise many. Before The Calamity ever airs on TV, VIZ Media and Fathom Entertainment are putting the first three episodes in US theaters from June 25th through June 29th. That's a five-day run, in both subtitled and English-dubbed versions, at AMC, Regal and Cinepolis screens across the country, per Fathom.
And it's not just an early look. Each screening comes packaged with an exclusive behind-the-scenes conversation featuring creator Tite Kubo alongside chief series director Tomohisa Taguchi and series director Hikaru Murata. Tickets went on sale at the end of May, with a Fandango bundle that throws in one of three mystery production artwork sheets. If you've ever wanted to watch Bleach the way it was meant to be seen, loud and massive, this is your shot.
The Calamity is the fourth and final cour of the Thousand-Year Blood War anime, which Pierrot split into four parts across 2022, 2023, 2024 and now 2026. It adapts the climax of Kubo's manga, the final confrontation that the original 2004 to 2012 Bleach anime never got to tell. I won't spoil a thing here, but longtime readers know exactly how high the stakes get in this stretch. Yhwach versus the Soul Society, with everything on the line.
The Songs And The New Visual
Alongside the date, the team unveiled a striking new main visual and confirmed the two artists scoring the finale:
- Opening theme: "I-BULL" by jo0ji
- Ending theme: "Rasen" (Spiral) by 9Lana
Kubo himself dropped a comment to mark the occasion, which only adds to the sense that this is a real send-off and not just another cour. After everything this arc has put its characters through, the staff clearly know what they're closing out.
A Big Three Send-Off Years In The Making
This is bigger than just another premiere. Bleach is one of the "Big Three", the trio of shonen juggernauts (alongside Naruto and One Piece) that defined a whole generation of anime fans. The original anime wrapped back in 2012 before the manga finished, which left the entire final arc unanimated for a solid decade. When the Thousand-Year Blood War sequel finally arrived in 2022, it honestly felt like a miracle. Now we're standing at the actual finish line.
It's worth appreciating the road it took to get here. When Pierrot revived Bleach in 2022, the studio made the smart call to split the sprawling final arc into manageable cours instead of cramming it into one rushed run. Part 1 reintroduced the world in 2022, Part 2 raised the stakes in 2023, Part 3 went all-in on the chaos in 2024, and now The Calamity closes the book in 2026. Each part has looked noticeably more polished than the original 2000s anime, with the kind of fluid action and moody lighting that finally does Kubo's art justice. For a series that once felt abandoned, this has been one of the great anime comeback stories.
We've been tracking this one for a while now. We covered it back when The Calamity first locked its 2026 window, and again when that explosive conclusion trailer dropped. Seeing it finally pin down a hard date feels like the last piece clicking into place.
US fans get the theatrical run from June 25th to 29th, then the whole world gets the TV premiere on July 25th, streaming on Hulu and Disney+ from there.
After more than twenty years of Ichigo Kurosaki, this is how it all ends. Are you catching the first three episodes in theaters, or holding out for the full run at home? Tell me how you're watching the finale.
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