Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War Fans Don't Need To Wait Too Long For Part 2
Get ready to channel one's greatest Bankai and Zanpakuto because it looks like there won't be another decade before the continuation of one of the most popular anime television shows of all time. The first part of "Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War" picks up in the immediate aftermath of the initial run of "Bleach." After 300-plus episodes, "Bleach" has had plenty of time to develop an impressive array of characters, factions, and relationships. Though primarily following Ichigo Kurosaki (Johnny Young Bosch in the English dubs), "Bleach" sees Ichigo go from substitute Soul Reaper to one of the most powerful and resilient combatants in the universe due to the nature of his heritage, weapon, and abilities.
Having just finished the first batch of new episodes, some fans may wonder when they'll get to see the next set. Luckily, it seems like it won't take long to see where Ichigo's new powers and blade take him, and how the deadly battle with the Quincies continues to develop. The Quincies have always had a somewhat antagonistic relationship with Soul Society, though that has certainly come to a breaking point in "Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War" where their shared history has been put front and center to disastrous results — at least when it comes to the members of Soul Society.
Part 2 is less than a year away
Considering that the first cour — which is a Japanese term to describe a block of a television program — just finished, some may have expected there to be quite a lull until the next block of "Bleach." However, over on YouTube, VIZ Media posted a trailer and date letting fans know when to expect "Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War" to return: July 2023. Six months isn't a long time to wait for "Bleach" fans, especially since there was a 10-year gap between "Blood War" and the end of the main series. The trailer features plenty of voiceovers, and it definitely sounds like the feud between the Soul Reapers and Quincies will be escalating even further.
Titled "Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War, Part 2: The Separation," the episodes be available on Hulu, much like the proceeding installations. Fans wasted no time in expressing their shock at this relatively quick turnaround for new episodes and immediately took to Reddit. u/AnTiDoPe_1993 said that they were immensely hyped because the wait was much shorter than they had expected. Similarly, u/Ser_Fonz was also surprised at the short wait, and u/t3r4byt3lol added that they will wait for however long is required to see the continuation of "Bleach," which highlights just how dedicated some fans are.
Fans are surprised at the quick turn around
Other fans were just as excited, though some tempered their level of hype by elaborating on some issues that needs to be addressed in future episodes. Redditor u/frezz was part of the latter crowd, and wrote, "Will be interesting how the approach the second cour. The first bit of this arc is amazing, and Pierrot didn't really need to do anything but adapt it faithfully. The rest of the arc starts to get messy and unorganized, I know Kubo mentioned that there will be bits in the anime that weren't in the manga, but it remains to be seen just how much new stuff there will be (there needs to be a fair bit of fleshing out to make this arc work.)"
User u/HuckleberryGlum1163 had their own theories as to the release date for the second part of "Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War," saying they believe that the chosen release date of July 2023 coincides with San Diego Comic Con, which takes place in early July. They continued and said that they had seen the first episode of "Thousand-Year Blood War" at New York Comic Con, and wouldn't be surprised if they was planning on something similar for Part 2. Another fan named u/Codeboy3423 was fully expecting to wait a full year for new "Bleach," and absolutely love that the wait will be significantly shorter than that.
For fans of "Bleach" and its subsequent continuation, this news regarding "Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War" is a fantastic development.