Longtime shonen anime fans have finally had their prayers answered. After an eight year hiatus, the Bleach TV anime has confirmed that it will be returning in 2021 to adapt the final arc of Tite Kubo's beloved manga series, the Thousand-Year Blood War. The news comes courtesy of a leaked early copy of the newest issues of Weekly Shonen Jump, which normally hits Japanese newsstands on Friday (which would be Thursday in the U.S.). Kubo started Bleach in the pages of WSJ in 2001, making 2021 the 20th anniversary of the series.
There's no word yet on whether Studio Pierrot will be returning to handle the final arc or if a new studio will lead the charge. Expect these details to be revealed during the special Bleach livestream on March 21.
The project was originally slated to be unveiled at AnimeJapan in Tokyo before the convention was canceled due to concerns related to the COVID-19 coronavirus disease.
For additional news on Bleach, keep it locked to AnimeMojo.com for continuous updates. The next few days should see a series of exciting announcements related to Bleach and Weekly Shonen Jump as a whole as anime studios and manga magazines rollout announcements that were originally slated to be unveiled at AnimeJapan.