The biggest changes between the Bleach manga and the anime

Key points

  • The bleach one
    The anime adaptation differs from the manga, with changes to character details and plots.
  • Kukaku and Yhwach have notable differences between the manga and anime adaptations.
  • Isshin's role is downplayed in the anime, affecting his character's depth and importance in later arcs.



Bleach is one of the most popular anime series right now thanks to a stellar adaptation of its final story arc, with Studio Pierrot showing what they're capable of when not burdened by weekly deadlines. The animation inside Bleach: thousand-year bloody war is in a class of its own, doing justice to the best manga story arc since Soul Society.

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While BleachThe anime adaptation of seems pretty accurate at first glance, there are several changes that longtime fans will notice if they pay closer attention to the events that take place over the course of Bleachthere are numerous arches. For the most part, these changes were well received by audiences and did a great job of making the anime more appealing to viewers.


8 Yuzu can also see spirits

This is not shown in the anime

Bleach's Yuzu Kurosaki looks happy


In the anime, Karin's twin Yuzu isn't all that aware of the existence of spirits. He can be an easy character to forget. He is easily the least notable member of the Kurosaki family, but the manga did a better job of showing his connection to the spiritual side of his bloodline.

Although she cannot see spirits, Yuzu can see the outlines of these otherworldly beings. It was a nifty detail from the manga that was ignored in the anime, which is an understandable omission but one that hurts its relevance in the adaptation.

7 Kukaku has a prosthetic in the anime

His right arm is missing and is more prominent in the manga

Kukaku Shiba knocks out his brother Ganju in Bleach

Kukaku Shiba leaves a strong impression since his first appearance in Bleachand it's a shame that it fails to maintain this relevance as the story progresses. However, that doesn't take away from his amazing character design, with one detail that changed in the anime.


In both versions of the character, she is missing her right arm, but the anime makes up for it by giving her a prosthetic in its place. No such attachment exists in the manga, where his lack of a right hand is clear as day.

6 Yhwach's appearance is different in his debut

He appears much younger in the manga before aging as his power increases

Bleach Thousand Years War YHWACH PART 3 Trailer

The thousand-year bloody war wastes no time in introducing Yhwach, one of the most endearing characters in the series. King Quincy leads the invasion of Soul Society and quickly becomes one of the strongest characters in the series as his powers continue to grow.

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In the manga, he had a younger appearance and boasted a similar appearance to Old Zangetsu, only his appearance aged and his mustache became thicker as the arc progressed. None of these subtleties appear in the anime, where Yhwach appears quite old and his appearance remains consistent throughout the four courses. Thousand-year blood war.


5 Isshin's role is somewhat toned down at the beginning of the anime

The adaptation underestimated his importance in later arcs

Isshin Kurosaki

Isshin Kurosaki is one of the most important characters in the series, with this shinigami engaging in a forbidden romance with a Quincy to give birth to Ichigo. Like the story of Bleach progresses, Isshin's character becomes quite serious, but this is harder to stomach for anime fans, who assume he is at best a forgetful and foolish father.

However, in the manga, Isshin has several moments where he provides quality advice to his family in the midst of his comedic acts. This was cut in the anime as it didn't seem that relevant, only for his background as a shinigami to become more important than ever.

4 Lilynette's death testifies to an important change

He dies saving Starrk in the anime but dies along with his partner in the manga

Lilynette smiles as she draws her Zanpkato against Jushiro Ukitake in Bleach.


Lilynette is Starrk's accomplice and one of the few friends this powerful Espada has. It's easy to see why he's so broken in the anime when his faithful companion transforms into a wolf and sacrifices himself to save him from Kyoraku's attack.

However, the details of his death are quite different in the manga. There, she survives the battle until the end, when Kyoraku strikes her and Starrk for good. It's a poetic end for the duo as they remain united in their final moments before dying.

3 Kanae dies right after Auswahlen in the anime

Uryu's mother falls into a 3-month coma in the manga

Kanae Katagiri in Bleach

Kanae Katagiri is Uryu's mother and a character who does not appear on screen much until Thousand-year blood war. His backstory serves to highlight the power of the Auswahlen and how he treats the Quincy as fodder, sapping their energy and leaving them to die.


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When Yhwach unleashed this power in the past, the anime shows Kanae dying almost instantly after this move was activated. However, in the manga, he falls into a coma that lasts three months before dying. It's possible that this scene was omitted to keep the pace of the anime as fast and engaging as possible.

2 Byakuya notes that Ichigo and Kaien are similar during their fight in the manga

It further demonstrates why Rukia chose to give such immense power to a stranger

Ichigo Kurosaki Bankai vs. Byakuya Kuchiki Bleach

Rukia's soft spot for Ichigo is something that is well documented throughout the early storylines of Bleach. The fact that she looked like Kaien helped her make this decision more easily, even if it led to her being imprisoned and sentenced to a brutal execution.

When Ichigo arrives to save the day and save Rukia, Byakuya notices how his appearance and mannerisms are similar to Kaien's during their battle. It's a small but important detail in the manga that helps everything come full circle, justifying Rukia's rogue actions to some extent.


1 The anime adds a lot of backgrounds that Kubo didn't detail

Bleach mangaka avoids drawing backgrounds to keep the pages from looking too messy

Nelliel uses her Resureccion against Nnoitra in Bleach

Kubo may have his flaws as a mangaka, but one thing fans universally agree on is that he is a talented artist whose character designs and battle sequences are a joy to watch. It helps that his artwork doesn't feature a lot of noise and focuses on action, which is why many people agree with the idea of ​​backgrounds being omitted in the manga's action panels.

Most readers can fill in the gaps with their imagination and with glimpses of these backdrops in other panels. However, the anime doesn't have that luxury and draws a lot of backgrounds from scratch for most of the battles, which is pretty impressive.


  • Bleach

    Release date
    October 5, 2004

    Seasons
    17

    Net
    TV Tokyo

  • Bleach's Thousand Year Blood War Poster

    Bleach: Thousand Year Blood War

    Release date
    October 10, 2022

    Seasons
    1

    Net
    TV Tokyo

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