Just when Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War – The Calamity was finally approaching its biggest moment, Studio Pierrot officially hit the brakes on the highly anticipated finale. With the apocalyptic battle against Yhwach reaching its boiling point and Sosuke Aizen finally making his legendary return to the fight alongside Ichigo Kurosaki, the timing couldn’t be more brutal. Episodes #49 and #50 were expected to continue the final stretch next week, but Bleach has now confirmed a one-month delay.
While a sudden break right before the grand finale sounds painful, there’s actually a pretty good reason behind it. The official Bleach X account (formerly Twitter) has confirmed that the extra time is being used to improve the animation quality of the final two episodes. Considering what Thousand-Year Blood War has delivered since bringing Tite Kubo’s legendary manga back to TV, that extra time could be exactly what the finale needs.
Bleach Delays Its Final Two Episodes For The Best Possible Animation Quality
With Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War – The Calamity officially shifting its schedule, episode #49 is now locked in for October 19 at 8:30 AM PT, followed by episode #50 on October 26 at the same time. The final episodes will continue streaming on Hulu for audiences in the U.S., while Netflix will handle the release for the rest of the world.
That leaves the anime with two episodes to finish one of the biggest battles in Tite Kubo’s entire story. Episode #48, “The End Two World,” already threw Ichigo and Sosuke Aizen into the same fight against Yhwach, a matchup that sounds completely ridiculous on paper until the anime actually makes it happen. Aizen’s return alone was enough to make the episode a major Bleach moment, but having him work alongside Ichigo against the Quincy King took things to another level.
But the biggest problem is that Yhwach still isn’t finished. After Ichigo appeared to land the final blow, Yhwach used The Almighty to rewrite his own death and simply returned to the battlefield. That leaves the heroes facing an enemy who can see and alter possible futures, making the final confrontation even more dangerous. Uryu Ishida’s decision to turn against Yhwach has already created the opening Ichigo needs, while his true Zangetsu is once again in his hands for the decisive clash.
The Final Two Bleach Episodes Will Determine The Fate Of The Soul Society
At this point in Bleach, there isn’t much room left for another comeback or escape. Yhwach’s defeat, Ichigo’s final attack, and the fate of the Soul Society are all riding on these last two episodes. After everything the anime has built toward, the Thousand-Year Blood War is finally down to its final fight.
Bleach has been building toward this final showdown since its original anime debuted in 2004, so rushing the last two episodes would be the worst possible way to end the journey. A one-month wait may sting, but if it means the final battle gets the animation it deserves, the extra time could be worth it.
- Release Date
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2004 – 2012-00-00
- Network
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TV Tokyo, TV Osaka, TV Aichi, TVh, TVQ, TSC, BS TV Tokyo
- Showrunner
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Tite Kubo
- Directors
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Mitsutaka Noshitani, Junya Koshida, Hodaka Kuramoto, Yasuto Nishikata, Hiroaki Nishimura, Kazunori Mizuno, Akira Shimizu, Rokou Ogiwara, Kazunobu Shimizu, Akane Inoue, Hikaru Murata, Tomoko Hiramuki, Kazuo Nogami, Taiji Kawanishi, Shigeki Hatakeyama, Eiko Nishi, Takushi Kimura, Koji Aritomi, Ogura Shirakawa, Kiyomu Fukuda, Yukio Okazaki, Mitsue Yamazaki, Yasuhiro Matsumura, Eitarou Ano
- Writers
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Masahiro Okubo, Masashi Sogo, Kenta Shimoyama, Genki Yoshimura, Kazuyuki Fudeyasu, Rika Nakase, Michiko Yokote, Natsuko Takahashi, Kento Shimoyama
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Masakazu Morita
Ichigo Kurosaki (voice)
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Fumiko Orikasa
Rukia Kuchiki
