Bleach has ruled the hearts of Shonen aficionados with its high-octane action, exhilarating story, and impeccable characters for the longest time. Alongside One Piece, it is the only “Big 3” Shonen anime that is still airing with the TYBW arc adaptation. So, if you haven’t witnessed Ichigo’s soul-reaper journey yet, join this thrilling expedition before it comes to an end soon. To assist you, we have curated this guide with Bleach arcs in order so you can easily binge-watch the anime or read the manga.
How Many Arcs in Bleach Are There?
Bleach by Tite Kubo revolves around Ichigo Kurosaki, who gains soul-reaper abilities in an attempt to save his family from corrupt spiritual creatures called Hollows. He is then tasked with saving his world from the deadly Hollows. Whether you decide to stream the Bleach anime or read the manga, it is going to be a colossal task as Bleach has a total of 17 arcs spanning 686 chapters and 380+ episodes.
A Complete List of Bleach Arcs
Coming to the arcs list, the anime has adapted almost all of the manga arcs, and the adaptation of the final arc is currently underway. Note that arcs where we haven’t mentioned the manga chapter numbers are either filler arcs or anime canon. Use our filler guide linked below to confirm the filler episodes. That said, here is the Bleach arcs list in chronological order:
Arc Title Anime Episode No. Manga Chapters No. Agent of the Shinigami Arc 1-20 1-70 Soul Society: The Sneak Entry Arc 21-41 71-117 Soul Society: The Rescue Arc 42-63 118-183 The Bount Arc 64-91 Anime-only Filler The Bount: Assault on Soul Society Arc 92-109 Anime-only Filler Arrancar: The Arrival Arc 110-131 183-229 Arrancar: The Hueco Mundo Sneak Entry Arc 132-151 229-251 Arrancar: The Fierce Fight Arc 152-167 252-286 The New Captain Shusuke Amagai Arc 168-189 Anime-only Filler Arrancar Vs. Shinigami arc 190-205 286-315 The Past Arc 206-212 -108 to -97
(negative manga chapter numbers to symbolize the past)Arrancar: Decisive Battle of Karakura Arc 213-229 316-340 Zanpakuto Unknown Tales Arc/Beast Swords Arc 230-265 Anime-only Filler Arrancar: Downfall Arc 266-316 340-423 The Gotei 13 Invasion Arc 317-342 Anime-only Filler The Lost Substitute Shinigami Arc 343-366 424-479 Thousand-Year Blood War Arc 367-379 480-542 Thousand-Year Blood War: The Separation Arc 380-392 542-608 Thousand-Year Blood War: The Conflict Arc 393-ongoing 608-686 Total: 17 Arcs TBD 686
However, don’t feel intimidated by these numbers as the Bleach anime contains a ton of fillers. So, whenever you begin your soul-reaper journey, be sure to go through our Bleach filler episode list to skip the unnecessary fillers.
All Bleach Movies in Order
If you are planning to watch the Bleach movies as well, you should know that the movies are not completely canon. Only the first movie is considered to contain some canonical details from the manga, and the rest are fillers. That said, here are the Bleach movies list in chronological order:
- Bleach: Memories of Nobody (2006)
- Bleach: The Diamond Dust Rebellion (2007)
- Bleach: Fade to Black (2008)
- Bleach: The Hell Verse (2010)
- Bleach: Live-Action Film (2018)
Bleach OVAs in Order
There are Bleach special OVAs available to watch as well, which you can watch to understand the Bleachverse better. They are as follows:
- Bleach Jump Festa 2004 Anime Tour: Memories in the Rain (watch after episode 9)
- Bleach Jump Festa 2005 Anime Tour: The Sealed Sword Frenzy (watch after episode 63)
What Arc is the Bleach Anime Currently Covering?
The Bleach anime made a comeback in 2022 with the Thousand Year Blood War arc adaptation. The anime is being produced by Studio Pierrot, the production company well-known for Naruto, Black Clover, and other popular anime.
The Bleach anime is currently adapting the latter half of the Thousand-Year Blood War Arc. Hence, we are in the middle of the war right now, and Bleach: Thousand Year Blood Part 4 is already on the cards for 2025. Ichigo is fighting Yhwach at the moment, with the Soul King now dead.
Where to Watch Bleach Anime?
If you are a newcomer to the Bleach universe, the good news is that the anime by Studio Pierrot is available to stream on almost every popular anime streaming platform. So, you can stream Bleach TYBW on Netflix, Crunchyroll, Prime Video, Hulu, Disney+, and Jio Cinema (in India).
However, the availability of all the seasons and the anime series varies based on region. So be sure to check if all the seasons are available where you live and then subscribe to the platform you have chosen.
Where to Read the Bleach Manga?
If you are interested in reading Tite Kubo’s Bleach manga instead, then you can read it on the best manga-reading websites, such as Viz Media’s Shonen Jump and Shueisha’s Manga Plus.
The Bleach manga came to a halt due to various factors in 2016 with chapter 686. However, based on Tite Kubo’s recent statements, it is speculated that the author will resume his magnum opus in the coming months. So, much like the Hunter x Hunter manga’s return, we can expect new Bleach projects very soon.
Before that, make sure to catch up to the latest episode and manga to see what the future holds in store for Kubo’s work.
Aparna Ukil
