Bleach (Burīchi, romanized as BLEACH in Japan) is an ongoing manga series authored by Tite Kubo that has appeared in Weekly Shonen Jump magazine since August 2001.
Bleach follows the adventures of Ichigo Kurosaki, a high school student with the ability to see ghosts, and Rukia Kuchiki, a shinigami (Soul Reaper or, literally, "death god").
The early parts of the story focus mainly on the characters. As events
unfold, the story begins to delve deeper into the world of these gods
of death.
The manga series has been adapted into an animated television series, two OVAs, two animated feature films, a rock musical, numerous video games and a TCG
(Trading Card Game). Compilation volumes of the manga have sold over 40
million copies in Japan, and have reached the top of manga sales charts
in the United States. The manga received the Shogakukan Manga Award in 2005, and the anime has been nominated for several American Anime Awards.
Main characters
- See also: List of Bleach characters
- Ichigo Kurosaki (黒崎 一護, Kurosaki Ichigo?) Voiced by: Masakazu Morita (Japanese), Johnny Yong Bosch (English)
- The primary protagonist of Bleach, orange haired high school freshman Ichigo Kurosaki is forced to become a substitute shinigami
after unwittingly absorbing all of Rukia's powers. His cynical nature
at first makes him ill-disposed towards the duty, but with the passage
of time he comes to accept and welcome it, recognizing that even if he
is not able to save everyone, he can at least use his skills to protect
those close to him.
- Rukia Kuchiki (朽木 ルキア, Kuchiki Rukia?) Voiced by: Fumiko Orikasa (Japanese), Michelle Ruff (English)
- Rukia Kuchiki is a shinigami who was sent on a hollow extermination patrol in Ichigo Kurosaki's
hometown. Though her physical appearance is that of a teenage girl, in
reality she is over 100 years old. Rukia is forced to transfer her
power to Ichigo and assume a temporary lifestyle as a regular human.
She registers at the local high school and takes up residence in
Ichigo's closet, while teaching him how to be a substitute shinigami in her place.
- Orihime Inoue (井上 織姫, Inoue Orihime?) Voiced by: Yuki Matsuoka (Japanese), Stephanie Sheh (English)
- Orihime Inoue is a long-time classmate of Ichigo, closely linked to him by mutual friend Tatsuki Arisawa.
She is effectively an orphan, as she and her elder brother Sora ran
away from their abusive home at a young age, and her brother later
died. Though initially devoid of spiritual powers, she begins to
develop spiritual awareness and later obtains one of the most powerful
healing abilities in the Bleach universe, able to completely restore a body to its previous state regardless of how severely it is wounded.
- Yasutora "Chad" Sado (茶渡 泰虎, Sado Yasutora?) Voiced by: Hiroki Yasumoto (Japanese), Jamieson Price (English)
- Yasutora Sado, better known as Chad, is one of Ichigo's few friends at school. He is a biracial (Japanese/Mexican)
student who towers over his classmates. Despite his imposing appearance
he is quite meek, and refuses to fight unless it is for the sake of
another. He does not have awareness of ghosts at first, but can still
touch hollows, and eventually is able to see them when he witnesses a
group of children being attacked by a hollow he discovers a unique
ability that strengthens and armors his right arm, enabling him to
fight hollows.
- Uryū Ishida (石田 雨竜, Ishida Uryū?) Voiced by: Noriaki Sugiyama (Japanese), Derek Stephen Prince (English)
- Though on the surface nothing more than the solitary class genius, Uryū Ishida is actually a Quincy, descendant of a line of priest-like hollow-hunting archers. He bears a deep grudge against all shinigami, including Ichigo, but comes to view Ichigo differently over time, eventually becoming an ally and friendly rival.
- Renji Abarai (阿散井 恋次, Abarai Renji?) Voiced by: Kentarō Itō (Japanese), Wally Wingert (English)
- Renji Abarai is an elite shinigami bearing the rank of 6th Division lieutenant, making him second in command of a sub-branch of the shinigami
armed forces. Although first introduced as a deadly enemy, he has
conflicting loyalties between his job and Rukia, whom he grew up with.
A brash and driven man, he holds both a deep respect and animosity
towards his immediate superior, 6th Division captain Byakuya Kuchiki.
Since its first appearance in August 2001, the Bleach manga has appeared weekly in Shueisha's Shonen Jump magazine. Shueisha also compiles the chapters into bimonthly tankōbon volumes. The first volume of the manga has sold over 1.25 million copies in Japan,[18] and the manga series as a whole has sold over 40 million volumes.[19] In 2005, Bleach was awarded the prestigious Shogakukan Manga Award in the shōnen category.[20]
The Bleach animated TV series is broadcast on Wednesdays by TV Tokyo and affiliated stations throughout Japan. It is co-produced by TV Tokyo, Dentsu and Studio Pierrot and directed by Noriyuki Abe, with character designs by Masashi Kudō and music by Shiro Sagisu.[21] The series premiered on October 5, 2004.
The first 63 episodes were based on the manga, and they were followed
by 46 original episodes. Beginning with episode 110, the anime has
returned to the manga storyline, incorporating elements from the filler episodes. In addition, two OVAs have been produced and an animated film, Bleach: Memories of Nobody, premiered in Japan on December 16, 2006. A second Bleach film will be released in December 2007.[22] In a 2006 internet poll by TV Asahi, Bleach was ranked as Japan's seventh-favorite anime program.[23]
Viz Media has released 20 English-language volumes of the manga in North America, and numerous scanlation
groups continue to release unofficial English translations of new
chapters. North American sales of the manga have been high, with Volume
16 placing in the top 10 graphic novel sales in December 2006[24] and Volume 17 being the best-selling manga volume for the month of February 2007.[25][26] On March 15, 2006, Viz Media obtained foreign television, home video, and merchandising rights to the Bleach anime from the TV Tokyo Corporation and Shueisha.[27] Subsequently, Viz Media contracted Studiopolis to create the English dub of the anime,[28] and has licensed its individual Bleach merchandising rights to several different companies.[29]