With a month or so still to until the premiere of Bleach: Thousand Year Blood War Part 3 - The Conflict, we've got a positive production update from series creator Tite Kubo.
Kubo reportedly spoke with Klub Outside (via @DBZimran on Twitter/X) and confirmed that "dubbing for the three seasons finished without any problems." He also attended a wrap party for the episodes with the cast and staff.
It's, unfortunately, not the most in-depth production update but at least it confirms that production is moving along nicely and on schedule. With voice work now done, we're one step closer to hopefully getting an exact release date.
As mentioned, Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War Part 3 – The Conflict is premiering sometime this October in Japan, but an exact release date has yet to be announced. We also don't have a global premiere date.
The Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War anime series is based on the Bleach manga series by Tite Kubo. It's also a direct sequel to the Bleach anime series that ran from 2004 until 2012.
Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War Part 3 – The Conflict is an adaptation of the manga's final story arc and is the the third part of four planned cours. The first cour, The Blood War, premiered in Japan in October 2022 and ran for 13 episodes, ending in December of the same year. The second cour, The Separation, was broadcast in Japan from July to September 2023 and also consisted of 13 episodes.
Both seasons were brought to the United States, courtesy of VIZ Media, and can be streamed on Hulu with English subs and dubs. The English dub features returning cast members Johnny Yong Bosch as Ichigo Kurosaki, Michelle Ruff as Rukia Kuchiki, and more.
The synopsis for Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War reads:
Was it all just a coincidence, or was it inevitable?
Ichigo Kurosaki gained the powers of a Soul Reaper through a chance encounter. As a Substitute Soul Reaper, Ichigo became caught in the turmoil of the Soul Society, a place where deceased souls gather. But with help from his friends, Ichigo overcame every challenge to become even stronger.
When new Soul Reapers and a new enemy appear in his hometown of Karakura, Ichigo jumps back into the battlefield with his Zanpakuto to help those in need. Meanwhile, the Soul Society is observing a sudden surge in the number of Hollows being destroyed in the World of the Living. They also receive separate reports of residents in the Rukon District having gone missing. Finally, the Seireitei, home of the Soul Reapers, comes under attack by a group calling themselves the Wandenreich.
Led by Yhwach, the father of all Quincies, the Wandenreich declare war against the Soul Reapers with the following message: “Five days from now, the Soul Society will be annihilated by the Wandenreich.”
The history and truth kept hidden by the Soul Reapers for a thousand long years is finally brought to light.
All things must come to an end—as Ichigo Kurosaki’s final battle begins!
Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War is directed by Tomohisa Taguchi at Studio Pierrot. Taguchi also wrote the series with Masashi Kudo designing the characters and Shiro Sagisu composing the music.