Kumi Sakuma voices drastically different characters, Hinamori and Apacci. Both characters actually get to fight each other in the fake Karakura.
Initially, Houko Kuwashima only voiced Cirucci Sanderwicci, but she later took the role of Sui-Feng and became the official voice of the character when Tomoko Kawakami was forced to quit the role due to health problems. When Kawakami died from said problems, Kuwashima took over full time.
Shoto Kashii voices Omaeda and Rose.
Ayumi Fujimura voices both Katen Kyokotsu and Tobiume. She also voices the female Arrancar that appears during the Karakura-Raizer filler episodes.
Takayuki Sugo, the voice actor of Zangetsu was later cast to voice Yhwach for Bleach: Brave Souls and the anime sequel. Actually Significant Double Casting as "Zangetsu" is an impostor whose image is based on Yhwach's appearance from 1000 years ago.
Karen Strassman voices Soifon, Momo, and Sun-Sun. The latter two interact during the Fake Karakura Town Arc.
Michael McConnohie voiced Ryuken Ishida, Baraggan Luisenbarn(taking over from Steve Kramer), Shawlong Qufang, Chojiro Sasakibe, Hiyosu, and Shiroganehiko.
Terrence Stone voices both Mayuri Kurotsuchi and Yoruichi's cat form.
Matthew Mercer voiced both Michel and Tsukishima. A dual role he shared with Daisuke Ono.
Paul St. Peter played both Grand Fisher and Yammy Llargo.
Steve Kramer voices Shunsui Kyoraku and Barragan Louisenbairn until he was darrin'ed for the latter.
Jeannie Tirado voices Senjumaru Shutara in the Thousand-Year Blood War Arc in addition to taking over from Laura Bailey as Tier Halibel and Mashiro Kuna.
Xander Mobus voices Quilge Opie and Bazz-B in the Thousand-Year Blood War Arc.
Christopher Swindle voices Hidetomo as well as taking over as Komamura, Ryuken, and Ginjo in the Thousand-Year Blood War Arc.
Aleks Le voices Ryunosuke Yuki and replaces Roger Craig Smith and Liam O'Brien respectively as Shinji Hirako and Jushiro Ukitake in Thousand-Year Blood War.
Cherami Leigh voices the younger Masaki Kurosaki, Mareyo Omaeda, Liltotto Lamperd and Nonomi Nomino.
Zeno Robinson voices NaNaNa Najahkoop and Pepe Waccabrada.
Shara Kirby voices Francheska Mila Rose and Candice Catnipp
Anairis Quiñones voices Mera Hiuchigashima and took over for both Wendee Lee and Laura Bailey as Yoruichi Shihouin note For one episode only and Hiyori Sarugaki respectively in Thousand-Year Blood War.
Approval of God: In an interview promoting the anime adaptation of the Thousand-Year Blood War arc, Kubo admitted he liked the Invading Army anime-only arc despite generally not having a high opinion on Filler arcs, highlighting the very good action sequences featured on it.
Author's Saving Throw: One of the most common criticisms of the final arc of the series was the amount of Aborted Arc that occured due to Kubo's health forcing him to wrap the series up quicker then he wanted, leaving many characters and plot lines left unresolved. In February 2022, it was stated by Kubo himself that the anime adaptation of the final arc would include new scenes, which, even if it's not outright fixing the issue, at least means the final arc will have more content than it had originally.
Beam Me Up, Scotty!: Kubo is often quoted as saying he creates new characters whenever he's faced with writer's block. However, it's not known exactly when this was said.
Cash-Cow Franchise: Bleach has 120 million manga volumes in circulation. According to Wikipedia, "The series has spawned a media franchise that includes an animated television series that was produced by Studio Pierrot from 2004 to 2012, two original video animations, four animated feature films, ten rock musicals, and numerous video games, as well as many types of Bleach-related merchandise."
Character Outlives Actor: Yamamoto's voice actor Masaaki Tsukada passed away in 2014. Beginning with his Bankai version in Bleach: Brave Souls, Binbin Takaoka took over the role of Yamamoto.
The Latin American Spanish dub of the anime was directed by Eduardo Garza, Ichigo Kurosaki's voice actor, for a few episodes.
In addition to voicing Isshin Kurosaki in the live-action film's Latin American Spanish dub, Marcos Patiño served as its ADR Director.
God Never Said That: A few What If? elements from Bleach: Brave Souls are often used as examples of canon elements of the story by fans. Word of God has never said anything to support this and the elements created for the game are exclusive to the game and not at all treated as canon anywhere else.
God-Created Canon Foreigner: Ashido was designed by Tite Kubo and his Forest of Menos mini-arc was intended to be in the manga but had to be cut for time constraints, though it was restored for the anime. He is later mentioned in several Bleach novels.
Keep Circulating the Tapes: With Anairis Quiñones being abruptly ousted from the role of Yoruichi in the dub of TYBW and Wendee Lee being brought in to replace her existing lines in the streaming version, the only way to hear her performance as Yoruichi going forward is to find a torrent of the original version of episode 22/388.
For some reason, the anime series was never dubbed in Italian, but the first two movies were, as well as the live-action adaptation, thanks to Netflix who always dubs their original anime in that language.
No Origin Stories Allowed: Despite his importance as the main Big Bad, Aizen's backstory was a complete mystery and never revealed by the end of the manga. Tite Kubo once stated that revealing Aizen's backstory would give too much away too soon. Elaborating on this in a later response, Kubo explained he dislikes the "Sympathetic Villain Backstory" trope and doesn't want to accidentally get fans to empathize with Aizen.
The Original Darrin: After being recast for the live-action movie, the dub of the Thousand-Year Blood War arc brought back almost all of the replaced VA's including Michelle Ruff as Rukia Kuchiki, Wally Wingert as Renji Abarai, Dan Woren as Byakuya Kuchiki,Patrick Seitz as Isshin Kurosaki, Yuri Lowenthal as Keigo Asano, and Wendee Lee as Tatsuki Arisawa and Yoruichi Shihouin.
In the American dub, Chadnote From Marc Worden to Jamieson Price, Kaiennote From Kim Strauss to Dave Mallow, Hiyorinote From Lara Cody to Laura Bailey, Kenpachinote From David Lodge to Patrick Seitz, Uraharanote From Michael Lindsay to Doug Erholtz, and Komamuranote From Kim Strauss to JB Blanc all had their voices changed at some point. Of them, Kenpachi and Urahara are the only ones with a clear-cut reason why, as both of their actors retired late into the series. For his first appearance in episode 40, Jūshirō Ukitake is voiced by Kim Strauss instead of Liam O'Brien. Ikkaku's voice was also filled in temporarilynote with Michael Sinterniklaas instead of Vic Mignogna for Real Life reasons.
Tomoko Kawakami, the voice actress for Sui-Feng, was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2008 and Houko Kuwashima took over for her appearances starting with the Past arc.
The Latin American Spanish dub of the live-action film replaces all of the anime's voice actors. Interestingly enough, Ricardo Bautista (Hanataro's VA) voiced Renji Abarai in the film.
The English dub of the live-action movie, for whatever reason, only brought back a handful of actors from the anime to reprise their rolesnote Johnny Yong Bosch as Ichigo, Janice Kawaye as Yuzu, Stephanie Sheh as Orihime, Derek Stephen Prince as Uryu, and Doug Erholtz as Urahara to be precise. The exact reasons why are unknown; the only thing that's certain is that according to Michelle Ruff (Rukia) herself, she wasn't even contacted to return, so she didn't know a dub was happening until it was already set for release. The ones re-cast were:
Masaaki Tsukada, the voice actor of Captain-General Yamamoto, passed away in 2014, two years after the end of the anime, but his units in Bleach: Brave Souls at first didn't present a new voice actor because they got his lines taken from the anime. It wasn't until 2019 where a replacement for the character was found in Binbin Takaoka, since they needed new lines for the character in his Bankai version. It was eventually confirmed that he will also take over his role in the anime.
For the English dub of The Thousand-Year Blood War arc:
Alain Mesa replaces Jamieson Price as Chad, as the latter stepped away from the role due to no longer taking auditions for non-white characters.
Todd Haberkorn replaces Vic Mignogna as Ikkaku Madarame, thanks to his controversial sexual harassment scandal.
Sajin Komamura is now voiced by Christopher Swindle instead of JB Blanc. When asked why he didn't reprise the role, Blanc stated that he wanted to return but couldn't since he was a union dub actor by then and the English Dub is non-union so he couldn't break his terms.
Kirk Thornton replaces Christopher Corey Smith as Rojuro Otoribashi. Smith has stated he was unable to return due to being busy with a personal matter.
Love Aikawa is now voiced by Bill Butts instead of Travis Willingham.
Hyorinmaru's cameo has him voiced by Bill Butts instead of Travis Willingham
Charlotte Chuhlhourne is now voiced by Bill Butts instead of Travis Willingham.
For the Latin American dub of The Thousand-Year Blood War arc (as well as the remaining episodes for the original anime that got dubbed in 2022), some of the main cast were replaced because of different circumstances, including:
Armando Guerrero replaces Víctor Ugarte as Uryuu Ishida.
Carlos Reynoso replaces Dan Osorio as Chad.
Javier Otero replaces Luis Alfonso Mendoza as Kon because of him passing away on February 2020.
Eduardo Fonseca replaces Jorge Santos as Captain Yamamoto.
Dave Ramos replaces Christian Stempler as Byakuya Matou.
José Luis Miranda replaces César Arias as Kenpachi Zaraki due to him passing away on December 2020.
José Luis Piedra replaces Javier Olguín as Szayelaporro Grantz.
The Other Marty: For the dub of The Thousand-Year Blood War, Anairis Quiñones initially replaced Wendee Lee as Yoruichi Shihouin, seemingly for the sake of having the character be voiced by an actor who is also a POC. However, despite Quinones having apparently recorded several episodes' worth of dialogue, only one such episode aired before Lee was brought back in to re-record Yoruichi's lines, with the aforementioned episode also being redubbed.
Yoshitsugu Matsuoka (well-known for voicing average light novel main characters and harem leads) voices the terrifying Äs Nödt in a far cry from his typical roles. What's more impressive is just how deep and ghostly Matsuoka voices the Sternritter, even compared with his usual atypical roles (who tend to be either hot-blooded shounen heroes or crazy hammy villains), to the point is almost hard to notice Äs Nodt's voice actor also performs the likes of Kirito.
Nao Tōyama marks her first villainess role as the Cute and Psycho Giselle. In the English dub, Casey Mongillo, who usually voiced young boys, also voices Giselle.
James is an odd character for Kenichi Suzumura to play, considering he usually voices brash young men as opposed to short, cartoony adults like James, who also sounds ridiculously high pitched compared to Suzumura's normal roles.
There is a persistent rumor that Akira Toriyama encouraged Kubo to give the series another shot after Shonen Jump rejected his initial pitch. However, Kubo has never acknowledged this, not even in his tribute post after Toriyama died.
It's said that Executive Meddling was behind the Hueco Mundo arc's length and the allegedly dropped storylines Kubo had planned for Ichigo's friends.
Rumors circulate that Urahara and Gin were at one point intended to be the villains, though it's not known when or if this was said (all that is known is that Aizen being the Big Bad wasn't part of the original plan).
Real-Life Relative: Masaki's English voice actress Ellyn Stern has been married to Zangetsu's voice actor Richard Epcar since 1982. Amusingly, just as Masaki is revealed to have been a Quincy, Zangetsu is revealed to be a personification of Ichigo's Quincy powers, taking the image of Yhwach as he appeared 1000 years earlier.
Real Life Writes the Hairstyle: The reason Hana Sugisaki didn't sport Rukia's bob in the film was due to prior film commitments.
While not exactly full carbon-copies, the Hueco Mundo Arc has gotten some criticism in the long run of recycling plot-points and other details from the Soul Society Arc, where Ichigo gathers a ragtag group of friends from his school to enter another world and fight insurmountable odds to rescue a friend, continually getting stronger after each opponent up to a climactic clash that ends with an Anti-Climax. Some of the similar details include the following:
Both arcs start when two uniformed baddies, one rowdy and one emotionless, show up in the human world. Defeated by them, Ichigo goes through Training from Hell to gain new power all the while he ends up receiving cryptic remarks from Zangetsu's spirit or from his hollow form, and the emotionless baddie ends up kidnapping one of Ichigo's friends (although the circumstances of the kidnapping end up being different).
Ichigo's kidnapped friend is declared a traitor by the Soul Reapers, which leads to Ichigo and his companions rebelling against them and, with the help of Kisuke Urahara, entering the Soul Society/Hueco Mundo through a portal, leading to a dangerous secret pathway that the characters must use their abilities to get through. And due to their high spirit energy and flashy entrance, their enemies are immediately aware of their presence once they make it to the other side.
Once they get to the other side, Ichigo gains a small, friendly tagalong, while one of his True Companions gets to defeat the murderer of their mentor.
One of the companions was previously related to the enemy organization, and ends up fighting the Captain/Espada they were mostly related before.
Ichigo fights the stoic guy who kidnapped the Damsel in Distress. He is temporarily defeated, only to launch into a new Hollowfied form and temporarily curb-stomp them. The next fight is him and others being manhandled by Aizen as he explains how weak they are.
The hero must use a Dangerous Forbidden Technique that will make him lose his powers forever. Supposedly. The bad guy survives and heals anyway, but is taken out of the story for now. Ichigo did get his powers back, in the very same way he got them in the first place. Only this time, the recycling was intentional. And it was epic.
A white haired villain wants to take over Soul Society because he and his kind were exiled long ago. The Bount arc (Jin Kariya, Bounts), or Memories of Nobody (Ganryu, Dark Ones)? The English dub even uses Troy Baker as the same voice actor for both characters.
The third movie, Fade to Black, is intentionally filled with deja vu to repeat lots of older scenes throughout the series. Though the Hollow parasite that takes over Rukia's old friend is just simply recycled.
While the latter example is much more dramatic, both the Zanpakuto Rebellion arc and the Hell Chapter movie involve the villain tricking Ichigo into using his Hollow powers to break through a seemingly indestructible prison.
Role Reprise: The English dub for Thousand-Year Blood War brings back many voice actors from the original series dub from a decade ago who hadn't previously returned.
Wendee Lee as Tatsuki Arisawa, Menoly Mallia, and Yoruichi Shihouinnote Yoruichi was initially recast to Anairis Quiñones, but due to the studio deciding to go in a different direction, the role ended up being given back to Wendee Lee from Episode 24 onwards
Sequel Gap: The anime ended in 2012 with the Fullbringer Arc. It wouldn't be until 2022 (an entire decade) that an adaptation of the remaining part of the manga, the Thousand Year Blood War, would begin airing.
Throw It In!: An interview with Tite Kubo revealed the reason for Chad's half-Mexican ancestry is because when Kubo designed him for the manga, he looked as such. And thus, he's written Chad as half-Japanese half-Mexican.
Troubled Production: A couple light examples with both the original anime and the TYBW anime.
The Bount arc featured a couple episodes that weren't 100% finished by the time they aired; episodes 77 and 95 each had one attack sequence represented by its corresponding storyboard instead of finished animation (here and here if you're interested), indicating that production of them was rushed for unknown reasons.
Cour 2 of the Thousand-Year Blood War anime ends earlier than expected; after it had built up Yhwach reawakening The Almighty and the true nature of his power being explained, which occurs at the end of his fight with Ichibei, the cour ends with...Ichibei renaming him to Black Ant, stomping and crushing him out of the Soul King Palace, and looking over at the Soul King's location, with the last several minutes of the episode being filled in by Kon showing the full version of comedic scenes that had earlier been shortened (in the form of floating character heads accompanied by dialogue), which was framed as an apologetic compensation for the last episode being cut short by production issues.
The first draft for Bleach was very decisively different than Bleach is as we know it today: Soul Reapers shrunk when exerting too much power. This happens to Rukia in "chapter zero" where she is then washing herself with Ichigo's toothbrush in a coffee cup. Ichigo seems far more interested in girls, especially Orihime (he denies it of course). Orihime dies at the beginning, in what seems to have been an accident but actually was caused by her hollowified father, but instead of going to Soul Society decides to stay with Ichigo to cheer him on. This version was shot down by the publishers.
Other changes mentioned by Kubo include that Rukia was meant to be a more central character, as in the lead character, and that most Soul Reapers used firearm-themed zanpakuto rather than swords whereas Rukia used a scythe. The sketch of Rukia with a scythe was used as a base for the "Dark Rukia" in the third movie, Fade to Black I Call Your Name.
The Menos Forest mini-arc would have been in the manga had it not been for time constraits forcing Kubo to cut it.
Kubo initially envisioned Mayuri as a fairly flat personal enemy for Uryuu, who would finally vanquish Mayuri after a series of encounters. However, Kubo then began plotting out the final arc even before the Soul Society arc had finished and realised that the Arrancar Arc afforded him the opportunity to develop Mayuri's character as an example of how a truly evil individual can be still useful to an organization that is, overall, on the side of good-ish.
A number of plot threads were planned out for the 1000 Year Blood War arc, which Kubo originally stated was going to be even longer than the Arrancar Arc. However, Kubo abruptly finished the final arc after nineteen volumes and with most of the story left unresolved. The final battle was exceptionally fast and an epilogue set after a ten-year Time Skip tied up the fates of only the core main characters; with everything else being Left Hanging. Kubo later explained on his Twitter account that his increasingly severe health issues related to overwork brought him to the verge of quitting a number of times over the years, and only the posthumous letter from a small child who had enjoyed reading the manga kept Kubo writing for as long as he could. As a result, the final arc that he had originally planned was cut short, although he did manage to write the epilogue chapter he had planned since the very beginning. However, Kubo still wanted to finish the story he'd originally envisioned and quickly set to work co-creating a set of light novels to wrap the series up.
Kubo mentioned in an interview from late 2008 that he hadn't initially planned for Aizen to have been operating in the shadows the whole time and only decided on this after he'd been "killed". Exactly what this would have done to the story isn't clear, but it suggests that Aizen was not originally going to be the series Big Bad (potentially being truly killed off in said arc).
According to Wendee Lee, she was Studiopolis' first choice to voice Rukia for the English dub, but they later decided that since she was also the ADR director, it would be easier for her to voice smaller roles in the cast.
Comments from Michelle Ruff in regards to the live-action film's dub say she wasn't even contacted to return to her role as Rukia, and had she known a dub was happening, she would have been at least willing to return.
David Lodge expressed interest in returning as Kenpachi Zaraki for the dub of the Thousand-Year Blood War, but for unspecified reasons (likely financial or union related) this didn't happen.
While Kubo expressed he didn't feel he contributed enough to the Bleach: Hell Verse movie to warrant being credited as the executive producer, he did love the rendition of the Hollow Ichigo vs. Ulquiorra fight that served as the film's opening, saying it was closer to how he imagined it going than how it was portrayed in the manga and anime adaptation.
In the years since the end of the manga, Kubo has taken to answering questions regarding previously unrevealed aspects of Bleach's lore and offering clarifying statements on the characters and world-building, including stuff he seemingly wanted to reveal originally, but was unable to.
While Kubo may not have written the light novels himself, he came up with all the lore and characters contained in them, and was frequently consulted by the authors.
The god that Gantenbainne Mosqueda worships is Baraggan Louisenbairn, and after the events of the series he founded a nation in Hueco Mundo dedicated to Baraggan's worship.
Magic in Burn the Witch! functions differently from the Kidō used by Soul Reapers.
Kubo envisions Nelliel Tu Odelschwanck as having the largest bust of all the female characters, surpassing even Orihime, Rangiku, and Tier Harribel.
The names of the Stern Ritters' Schrifts were meant to sound angelic, but also make it so that viewers wouldn't be able to easily determine their origins.
Arrancar have no concept of first, middle, or last names.
The reason Mayuri frequently changes his headdress is to amuse himself.
Rōjūrō Otoribashi came up with the nickname "Rose" because he thought it sounded cool.
Ichibē Hyōsube prevented "Old Man Zangetsu" from revealing himself as a manifestation of Yhwach to Ichigo when they first met in Chapter 63, having made it so that Yhwach's name couldn't be spoken at all until he fully reawakened, hence the Old Man's speech bubbles being obscured by ink.
Tōshirō Hitsugaya attained his bankai even before he joined the Thirteen Court Guard Squads, but if all the petals had been used up before he mastered it his bankai would have injured him instead of empowering him.
Tōshirō Hitsugaya and Rangiku Matsumoto recognized Isshin Kurosaki as their former Captain when they first came to the World of the Living at the start of the Arrancar Arc, but chose not to confront him.
Soul Society's Department of Research and Development are the ones who come up with monikers for Hollows.
Ururu Tsumugiya and Jinta Hanakari are confirmed to be Mod-Souls who were created by Urahara.
Aizen was the one who recommended Izuru Kira transfer from the Fourth Division to the Third Division.
Kensei appointed Mashiro his "Super-Lieutenant" so she would stop annoying him, and made the arm-band out of cheap shiny material — though Mashiro is convinced it's real.
The Shihakushō uniforms are colored black so that they don't have to be thrown away each time they get stained with blood, and so that Ichibē can use his power on them.
When Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez attacked Loly Aivirrne and Menoly Mallia to save Orihime, Loly offered to have sex with him in exchange for being spared, but Grimmjow killed her instead.
Yachiru is the manifestation of Zaraki's Zanpakutō Spirit in its bankai state, with her shikai form — who she was somehow split off from — being an adult woman. Zaraki giving her the name "Yachiru Kusajishi" is the reason she was able to become a Soul Reaper and get a Zanpakutō of her own (following the rules set by Ichibē about names having powers of their own).
Baraggan Louisenbairn didn't introduce himself as Espada #2 out of hatred and resentment to Aizen for usurping his throne.
Ikkaku Madarame made the dragon-themed armor he was shown wearing in the Fullbring arc himself.
The Vizard and Ichigo could theoretically learn how to use Resurrección like Kaname Tōsen did, as well as still use Bankai while in their Hollowfied state.
Aizen was aware that Ukitake was bonded to Mimihagi, hence him addressing Ukitake specifically in his "No-one has stood atop the heavens" speech.
Kisuke Urahara made the haori, jinbei, and hat he wears in the World of the Living himself.
The "Grandpa Rin" mentioned in the Lost Agent arc refers to Tsukishima's grandfather, Rinshiro.
James was the real Sternritter "S", with Mask De Masculine being a manifestation of his ideal hero — similar to Gremmy's powers creating Guenael Lee. This is supported in-story by Yhwach addressing James instead of Mask when reabsorbing the "S" schrift.
Inherited Zanpakutō are either overwritten by their new wielder's Zanpakutō Spirit — as with Zaraki and Nozarashi, or become an amalgamation of its original and new wielder's natural Zanpakutō — as with Tōsen and Suzumushi.
Aside from Rukia and Renji, there are no married couples among the Captains and Lieutenants of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads.
Kenpachi Zaraki is named after the spell of the same name from Dragon Quest.
Ichigo met Ikumi Unagiya after coming across her son Kaoru, who'd gotten lost, and bringing him home.
Ichigo remembered Orihime bringing Sora to the Kurosaki Clinic because he strongly empathized with her losing a loved one, while Orihime forgot their first encounter there.
Zanpakutō possess a blade and a scabbard, with the fake Zangetsu and Sayafushi being the sole exceptions. As a follow-up, Ikkaku Madarame's Hōzukimaru requires both its blade and scabbard to enter its Shikai form.
Ōetsu Nimaiya's reforging split Zangetsu into two swords, with one being the "scabbard" and the other being the "blade". Ichigo's bankai merges the two Zangetsu into a single Zanpakutō, with the white outer layer being the "scabbard" for the "True Zangetsu" he used to kill Yhwach and was shown wielding in "No Breaths From Hell". Having reabsorbed the shattered scabbard after Yhwach's defeat, Ichigo can split his Zanpakutō back into two swords at will, but chose not to.
Clarifying how Schrifts work, Yhwach can see the name of a chosen Quincy's special power engraved on their body, and uses the Initial-In-Soul Writing Ritual to unlock these powers — granting a Schrift abbreviating its name — and claim them for himself when their owner dies or he uses the Auswählen; making a note of empowering Quincies whose power he deems useful and would fill in any gaps in his Sternritter alphabet.
Giselle Gewelle of the Sternritter is biologically male, which was hinted at by Charlotte Chuhlhourne comparing her to himself and Yumichika Ayasegawa remarking that she "reeks of semen" in the manga, but not outright confirmed.
Kirio Hikifune's giant spoon is her Zanpakutō.
The occupation of Soul Reaper and their duty of cleansing Hollows did not come into being until the establishment of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads.
Chad got his tattoos when he was nine years old, while he was living in Mexico.
The Wandenreich's bankai-stealing medallions are based on Yhwach's Sankt Altar technique.
Ganju's Seppa technique works by disintegrating and scattering reishi, and is passed down by the Shiba clan.
Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez has the potential to attain a Resurrección: Segunda Etapa form if he trained long and hard enough.
The playground where Ichigo fought Hexapodus was called Yumizawa, and was founded and named by the Ishida family.
Rukia Kuchiki is heavily implied to be a hybrid of Soul Reaper and something else, but Kubo refused to elaborate — only saying she's not part Hollow like the Vizard and that he's hoping to reveal more at a future point in time.
Pernida Parnkgjas was drawn with humanoid appendages in Chapter 599 because he was originally going to have a humanoid form and then One-Winged Angel into his giant arm form when he fought Zaraki and Mayuri, but ended up scrapping this.
Ikumi Unagiya has remarried by the time of "No Breathes from Hell".
When asked if Rangiku uses her reiatsu to keep herself from having a wardrobe malfuction, Kubo said he imagined her using tape to keep her breasts in-place... but that he might make the reiatsu idea Ascended Fanon because it's funnier.
Yoruichi's ability to turn into a cat was a technique she developed to sneak out of the Shihōin manor.
The reason why the Wandenreich wasn't able to steal Ichigo's bankai was because his Zanpakutō Spirit was inherently Hollowfied.
Like Soul Reapers, Hollows — and presumably most Arrancar by extension — are capable of creating offspring through conventional reproduction.
The weight-increasing effect of Wabisuke disappears once the Shikai is deactivated.
Soul Reapers who have attained Bankai are able to activate their Shikai without calling their Zanpakutō's name and activation phrase. Soul Reapers who haven't attained Bankai can do this as well, provided they're skilled enough, but this can result in their Shikai not being at full power.
The healing ointment Ikkaku Madarame's Zanpakutō, Hōzukimaru, has in its hilt is part of the sword, rather than a modification he made to it.
Shunsui Kyōraku is less strict about enforcing dress code regulations than Yamamoto was, leading to more Soul Reapers customizing their uniforms.
Yasochika Iemura was originally Squad 7's lieutenant under Tetsuzaemon Iba, but resigned the post feeling that Atau Rindō was better suited; later being re-recruited into Squad 4 by Hanatarō Yamada.
Urahara had previously told Isshin about the Visored but not about where they came from or what their motives were, hence Isshin's wariness towards them in the Arrancar Arc.
Seated Officers of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads usually live in different areas depending on whether they're nobles or not.
If Shunsui Kyōraku's opponent dies during any of the four acts of Katen Kyōkotsu: Karamatsu Shinjū, his Bankai will end due to there not being enough "performers" to continue the "play".
No-one made a connection between Ichigo Kurosaki's Zangetsu and Isshin Shiba's Engetsu for three main reasons:
1. Ichigo's Getsuga Tenshō is a long-range Sword Beam made of raw Spiritual Energy, while Isshin's Getsuga Tenshō is a short-range fiery Spell Blade — implicitly the attack he used to cut off one of White's arms. 2. Most Soul Reaper Captains are unaware of what their comrades' Zanpakutō are capable of. 3. The only person who heard Ichigo call his Sword Beam "Getsuga Tenshō" during the Soul Society arc was Byakuya Kuchiki.
Senjumaru Shutara was promoted to Squad Zero for creating the Shihakushō uniform, and prior to joining was the leader of an unofficial scientific research and development group that Mayuri Kurotsuchi was also a member of. After Senjumaru joined Squad Zero, the group disbanded and Mayuri ended up in the Maggot's Nest until Kisuke Urahara established the official Research and Development Institute.
The Gatekeepers of Soul Society protect the street where the Seireiheki falls when it descends from the Royal Realm, rather than protecting the Seireiheki itself.
Kazeshini's chains are telescopic and can extend to be as long as necessary, though Shūhei Hisagi prefers to keep them retracted.
Shawlong Koufang was given the Números rank of #11 because he volunteered to be the first test subject for Aizen's Hōgyoku.
The fully-Hollowfied Kensei Muguruma used Sonído when fighting the other soon-to-be Vizard in the "Turn Back the Pendulum" arc, similarly to Hollow Ichigo's use of it against Ulquiorra; demonstrating that Hollowfied Soul Reapers are more akin to Arrancar than they are to normal Soul Reapers.
No two Soul Reapers can share the same Zanpakutō name (rendering the plot of The DiamondDust Rebellion definitively non-canon), though it's possible for a Zanpakutō to inherit the name of one from the distant past.
Kūkaku and Ganju Shiba are Ichigo's cousins, with Isshin being their uncle.
Szayelaporro and Yylfordt Granz were twin brothers.
Giselle dressed the zombified Toshirō Hitsugaya in a Quincy uniform as a hobby.
Newly appointed Captains can choose between long-sleeved and sleeveless haori. Customizations can be made, but the process is expensive and unlikely to be approved without good reason.
Chōjirō Sasakibe's bankai is based around the concept of weather manipulation and subjugation.
Tōshirō Hitsugaya is older than Momo Hinamori, though by how much is not specified.
During their first encounter, Yachiru Kusajishi touching Zaraki's Zanpakutō blade when he asked where she came from was meant to foreshadow that she was his Zanpakutō Spirit.
A Soul Reaper's Saketsu is located in the vicinity of their solar plexus, while their Hakusui is located in the vicinity of their naval.
Byakuya absolutely adores his niece Ichika and dotes on her.
After resuming Captaincy of Squad 5, Shinji Hirako completely overhauled it
The role of the Seireitei's Gatekeeper can only be held by individuals of enormous stature.
Kubo originally intended to kill Kukkapūro off, but decided against it after getting a dog of his own.
Ichigo was inspired to become a Japanese-to-English translator as an adult to continue serving as the bridge between different worlds, while Orihime works part-time at a bakery.
As an adult, Yuzu Kurosaki runs a beauty salon and cuts Ichigo's hair.
The Bleach: Hell Verse movie and its interpretation of Hell are not canon to the manga's Hell arc.
Rukia jumping in front of Tsukishima's attack on Ichigo in Chapter 477 was due to Riruka controlling her.
Yuyu Yayahara only became a gyaru after Lisa Yadōmaru became Captain of Squad 8.
The location of Nelliel's Hollow Hole is in her heart.
Yoruichi Shihōin's ability to become a cat is inherit to the Shihōin Clan, who sometimes produce individuals capable of animal transformations.
Uryū Ishida became a pediatrician as an adult.
The Visored who remained in the World of the Living were granted Soul Tickets so they could travel to and from Soul Society at will.
Aizen never needed glasses. He just wore them to look more trustworthy.
The Zanpakutō of related individuals can have similar abilities — as seen with Ichigo's Zangetsu and Isshin's Engetsu both having versions of Getsuga Tenshō.
Kūgo Ginjō was 28 years old when he became a Substitute Soul Reaper.
The Quincy Cross that manifested when Zaraki cut Gerard Valkyrie in half was his core, and destroying it before he revived would have killed him for good.
The Female Soul Reaper Association is still going strong even after Nemu and Unohana died and Yachiru returned to Zaraki, with Nemu the 8th being its newest member. Rangiku is the President, Yoruichi is the Chairwoman, and Soifon is the self-appointed Vice-Chairwoman.
Ōetsu Nimaiya can sense the condition of the Zanpakutō he forges, as well as who's wielding them.
The reason Grand Fisher called Ichigo a "True Blood" is because he is a Soul Reaper born from another Soul Reaper, as opposed to being recruited from the Rukongai. True Bloods typically start their existence as Souls, and were never humans.
Zanpakutō returned to the Academy when their wielder retires are eventually sent back to Ōetsu and reverted to Asauchi.
Riruka Dokugamine was fifteen years old at the time of the "Lost Agent" arc.
While Soul Reapers can conceal their Zanpakutō's abilities from their peers, they are required to formally submit this information to the authorities.
Rōjūrō Ōtoribashi is the second-strongest Kidō user amongst the Vizard, after Hachigen Ushōda.
Only Hollows that kill Soul Reapers and/or cause chaos in the World of the Living are given names by Soul Society. The rest are just assigned numbers when they're captured.
Urahara didn't go to the Royal Realm to analyze Tenjirō Kirinji's Healing Spring — there are still a few bathhouses left in the Rukongai from when he was still a member of the Thirteen Court-Guard Squads.
The male Quincy who Bambietta solicited for sex and then cut in half to vent her frustrations was named Marcel Halpmann.
If Askin Nakk Le Vaar were to fight Gin Ichimaru, Gin's Kamishini no Yari would be able to overpower Askin's Schrift unless Askin were to come into contact with Gin's reiatsu before being exposed to the poison.
Kirchenlied are the Quincy equivalent to the Soul Reapers' Kido. As modern-day German didn't exist 1,000 years ago when the Quincy were at their apex, Kubo simply made-up German-sounding words with the hope they'd pass muster for Old High German.
The buffs Driskoll gets from his Schrift eventually wear off after the battle ends or he's knocked out.
When Ōetsu Nimaiya first created Zanpakutō he was unaware they could adapt to their wielder and change form, with Ichibē Hyōsube later applying the names "Shikai" and "Shin'uchi/Bankai" to these transformations.
The more Moe Shishigawara uses his Fullbring, "Jackpot Knuckle", the lower the chances of him hitting the Jackpot are. Conversely, his chances of hitting in increase over time or as he suffers misfortune.
When it comes to hand-to-hand combat Liltotto is the strongest of the female Stern Ritter, followed by Meninas, Giselle, Candice, and Bambietta coming in last place. In terms of Blut, Liltotto is the strongest, followed by Giselle, Meninas, Bambietta, and Candice coming in last place.
Kirio Hikifune's Tree of Life power is more similar to the Shiba clan's Sekka than traditional Kidō.
An Arrancar's Zanpakutō is manifested from the chunk of their mask that's broken off. This is why Findorr Calius grew stronger by tearing off further pieces of his mask, though if left alone the damage will heal and this strength will reset.
If the Tres Bestias had Orihime repeatedly heal them, they could create multiple copies of Ayon. Additionally, after Ayon is slain he will eventually self-destruct and the Tres Bestias' arms will spontaniously grow back.
Gin's bankai, Kamishini no Yari, is not at risk of destroying itself by leaving shards in the wounds of its victims, as these shards are actually secretions and the blade eventually repairs itself.
Quilge Opie was the Stern Ritter's combat instructor, and was responsible for training the new recruits.
Offering some clarification regarding the bearers of the "Yourself" Schrift, Loyd Lloyd (who impersonated and fought Kenpachi Zaraki) could copy 100% of a target's power and 70-80% of their memories, while Royd Lloyd (who impersonated Yhwach and fought Yamamoto) could copy 100% of a target's memories and 70-80% of their power.
Nelliel Tu Odelschwanck's aspect of death when she was an Espada was Sacrifice, the same as Tier Halibel's.
The size of a Soul Reaper's Zanpakutō doesn't change from when it's an Asauchi to its sealed state, only when its Shikai and Bankai are released.
Sajin was given the last name "Komamura" by Yamamoto when he joined the Thirteen Court Guard Squads.
Ishida was operating behind the scenes attempting to prevent Don Kanoji's exorcisms.
Ikkaku made Yachiru/Nozarashi's hair ornaments.
Ichigo has been allotted a salary as a Substitute Soul Reaper that's been deposited into an account in Soul Society, but is completely unaware of this.
Rindō Atau’s Zanpakuto was originally going to summon an eagle, but it was changed to a hawk due to them being the same word in sign language and hawks having greater symbolism in Japan.
Even when affected by PePe Waccabrada's Schrift, Byakuya held back from trying to kill Shuhei due to how he'd changed as a result of meeting Ichigo. The Byakuya from before then would've killed Shuhei without hesitation.
There are three stages to Flash Step—Joritsu, Bakkyaku and Shunpo—and Kirinji Tenjirō specializes in the second stage, giving him immense raw speed.
While most Quincies have no resistance against Hollow reiatsu, with exposure to even minute amounts causing serious injury, the reason Uryū was able to survive exposure to Szayelaporro Granz's Zanpakutō and Ulquiorra's Segunda Etapa without suffering encroachment was because he's "special".
Ichigo's fear of his Hollow powers was preventing him from properly using them after his battle with Ulquiorra. Had he been able to use them properly, he would have been able to transform into his Full Hollow form—as illustrated by White Zangetsu's appearance when torn out of Ichigo by Tensa Zangetsu—instead of simply conjuring a mask; explaining Aizen's disappointment at Ichigo failing to attain a new level of power.
Tsubaki is belligerent towards Orihime due to resenting her subconsciously rejecting his aspect of her powers.
The reason why Orihime is suboptimal at replenishing spiritual energy is because the Shun Shun Rikka is mostly limited to affecting that which is visible and material.
Kūkaku Shiba knew that Ichigo was her and Ganju's cousin right from the get-go, sensing their relation through his spiritual pressure.
Loly and Menoly modified their mask fragments to mirror each other's as part of their sisterly vow.
Squad Zero has a hard limit of five members.
Bleach EX expands on Senjumaru's Shikai (Shigarami) and Bankai (Shatatsu Karagara Shigarami no Tsuji). Her shikai, which takes the form of a sewing needle, lets her conjure reishi threads that she can freely manipulate. Additionally, because everything in Royal Palace is made of reishi she has complete control over it, effectively making her a Reality Warper—as seen when she "reveals" that the Royal Palace Lille Barro destroyed was actually tapestry. Her bankai traps those caught in her looms in pocket dimensions where they suffer whatever fates she desires. Additionally, the realm of Irazusandō was created by Senjumaru as a test to determine the viability of potential Soul King candidates.
Why Fandom Can't Have Nice Things: In September of 2023, several staff members involved in the Bleach The Thousand Year Blood War Arc expressed concern and even considered quitting when they received harassment and even death threats regarding the decision to remove the scene where Yoruichi jams her hand between Orihime's breasts.
promoting the anime adaptation of the Thousand-Year Blood War arc, Kubo admitted he liked the Invading Army anime-only arc despite generally not having a high opinion on Filler arcs, highlighting the very good action sequences featured on it.
