There was an incredible amount of anticipation when Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War was announced, and so far, it’s more than lived up to the hype. Not only are the art and animation leagues above the original Bleach anime, but the direction has done a great job of expanding on the original manga to give old and new fans alike a far more complete experience of such a classic story.

The Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War anime is only halfway through its run, and it has already released many great episodes. Whether it’s through great animation, expanding on the manga, or simply doing a stellar job of bringing the original story to life, Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War has released many episodes that are among the best in the Bleach franchise, which made the long wait for the anime completely worthwhile.

Naturally, some episodes have been better than others, and the best of the bunch are especially worth highlighting.

10

Kenpachi’s First Fight With His Shikai Is As Big As It Could Be

Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War episode 20: “I Am The Edge”

In Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War episode #20, “I Am The Edge” just as Yachiru was about to be killed by Gremmy Thoumeaux, Kenpachi, fresh off his battle with Unohana, arrived to fight him. Gremmy’s Schrift, “The Visionary”, let him bring anything he imagined to life, no matter how ridiculous or powerful, but Kenpachi kept powering through and finally unveiled his Shikai, Nozarashi.

Kenpachi’s Shikai was something people had been waiting years to see, and Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War did not disappoint. Not only did Gremmy’s powers make for some of the most creative fighting and visuals in Bleach, but Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War did a perfect job of capturing how strong Kenpachi’s Shikai was, with every action scene from him being truly epic in scale. The quick pacing does bring it down a bit, but overall, it did a great job of capturing such a big moment.

9

Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War Showed Off Just How Powerful Squad 0 Is

Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War episode 26: “Black”

Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War episode #26, “Black”, continued the fight between the impressive Squad 0 and Yhwach and his Schutzstaffel. Senjumaru took charge in the fight against the Schutzstaffel with her powerful Bankai, and while that was happening, Ichibei and Yhwach had their long-awaited rematch that quickly turned one-sided when Ichibei started using the reality-warping powers of his Shikai, Ichimonji.

Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War’s season 2 finale is another good episode, despite being a mixed bag. The pacing of the episode was notably rushed and ends on a very inconclusive note that, coupled with the five minutes of random comedy skits, makes it feel unsatisfying as an ending. That being said, Ichibei and Yhwach’s fight, combined with the expansion of Squad Zero’s role that led to the incredibly gorgeous sequence of Senjumaru’s Bankai, added more than enough spectacle, and it still left plenty to be excited about for season 3.

8

Komamura Truly Went Out In A Blaze Of Glory Against Bambietta

Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War episode 17: “Heart of Wolf”

In Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War episode #17, “Heart of Wolf”, Komamura fought against Bambietta and her explosive Vollstandig. Very early on in their fight, it was revealed that Komamura had used a forbidden technique of his clan to temporarily become immortal at the eventual cost of his sense of self, and he used what little time he had left to put his all into honoring Yamamoto and everything he did for him.

“Heart of Wolf” was an episode that got to the heart of what makes Bleach so good. Not only was the animation and fight choreography great to watch, but the tragic ending to Komamura’s story was a perfect encapsulation of Bleach’s emotional writing, especially with how well the direction of the episode conveyed everything. Komamura wasn’t one of Bleach’s biggest characters, but Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War did a great job of giving him one last moment to shine.

7

Ichigo Returned To Soul Society In Glorious Fashion

Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War episode 21: “The Headless Star”

In Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War episode #21, “The Headless Star”, Ichigo Kurosaki finally returns from the Royal Palace to fight the Bambies with his new Zangetsu. Things took a turn for the worse when Yhwach used Ichigo to carve a path to the Royal Palace, though, and they got even worse still when Ichigo learned that Uryu had joined the Wandenreich.

It took over half of season 2 for Ichigo to rejoin the battle against the Wandenreich, and it was completely worth it. The remixing of Ichigo’s theme song excellently kicked off his return, and between the excellent fight choreography from Ichigo and his new Shikai, the expansion of the Bambies’ powers, and the way the anime conveyed Ichigo’s feeling of betrayal from Uryu, the momentum never let up. Ichigo didn’t get to do much in season 2, but his showing in “The Headless Star” easily made up for that.

6

Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War’s Premiere Was A Welcome Return For The Anime

Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War episode 1: “The Blood Warfare”

In Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War episode #1, “The Blood Warfare”, after Ichigo and his friends saved two rookie Soul Reapers from Hollows, Ichigo was suddenly attacked by an Arrancar with Quincy powers, and at the same time, a mysterious group of Quincies called the Wandenreich appeared in front of Yamamoto to declare war on Soul Society.

“The Blood Warfare” is incredible as both a premiere and a return for Bleach, in general. As a premiere, making the Quincies the final villains was a great way of closing out the series, and the episode does a great job of immediately selling them as a threat. For the franchise as a whole, the visuals, animation, and incorporation of Ichigo’s theme song into Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War’s premiere made it truly come off as a triumphant return for the anime, and every episode to follow it only served to further play into that.

5

Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War Season 1 Ended On A High Note

Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War episode 13: “The Blade Is Me”

In Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War episode #13, “The Blade Is Me”, Ichigo, now knowing the truth about his parents, returned to the Royal Palace to complete Nimaiya’s training. Nimaiya, though, had one last shocking revelation for Ichigo: Ichigo’s Hollow self was his real Zanpakuto spirit, and the person he thought was Zangetsu was the manifestation of his Quincy powers.

The season 1 finale to Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War was light on action, but it made up for that with its incredible story beats. The recontextualization of Zangetsu’s relationship with Ichigo made for great drama and incredible growth on Ichigo’s part, and capping it off with the emotionally triumphant scene of Ichigo unlocking Zangetsu’s true form, all of which was scored to Ichigo’s theme song, was a great touch. It was the perfect ending to Bleach’s triumphant return, and the show hasn’t let up, since.

4

The Conclusion Of Isshin’s Backstory Made For One Of Bleach’s Most Emotional Stories

Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War episode 12: “Everything But the Rain ‘June Truth'”

Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War episode #12, “Everything But the Rain ‘June Truthi”, continued Isshin’s backstory with Isshin discovering that the Hollow Masaki killed had infected her and was on the verge of destroying her soul. The only way to save her was for Isshin to link their souls together at the cost of his Soul Reaper powers, but even so, Isshin didn’t hesitate to help.

“Everything But the Rain ‘June Truth’” was the perfect conclusion to Isshin’s long-awaited backstory. Isshin and Masaki had incredible chemistry that excellently sold them as a couple, and the reveal that Yhwach the Quincy King was responsible for Masaki’s death added an extra layer of tragedy to Ichigo’s story and gave him the motivation he needed to get back into the fight. There was no better way to close out one of Bleach’s biggest mysteries, and overall, it was one of season 1’s biggest highlights.

3

Rukia’s Bankai Made For One Of Bleach’s Most Beautiful Moments

Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War episode 19: “The White Haze”

In Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War episode #19, “The White Haze”, after returning from the Royal Palace, Rukia got into a fight with Äs Nödt, the Sternritter who almost killed Byakuya, and her newfound understanding of her Zanpakuto let her overpower him. Things took a turn for the worse when Äs Nödt activated his Vollstandig, but Byakuya helped Rukia regain her nerve and defeat him with her Bankai, Hakka no Togame.

“The White Haze” was everything a person could have been looking for in an episode about Rukia. Rukia’s incredible new powers and the gorgeous animation and direction that accompanied her Bankai, in addition to Byakuya’s support, all did a perfect job of showing off Rukia’s growth. The fact that it happened in a fight against someone as wonderfully creepy and dangerous as Äs Nödt sold that even further, and overall, it’s easily Rukia’s best showing in the entire series.

2

Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War Gave Unohana The Respect She Deserves

Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War episode 10: “The Battle”

Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War episode #10, “The Battle”, continued the fight between Kenpachi and Unohana, with Unohana revealing that their first fight caused Kenpachi to subconsciously hold back whenever he fights someone. Eventually, Unohana pushed Kenpachi to go all out at the cost of her life, and as Kenpachi mourned for Unohana, he heard the voice of his Zanpakuto for the first time in his life.

“The Battle” is one of the best examples of the anime improving on the manga. While the fight was notably sparse in the manga, Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War expanded on the source material by properly showing off Unohana’s Bankai, thus making for a far more exciting battle with some of the best direction in the anime. All of it served to heighten the tragedy of Kenpachi and Unohana’s relationship and Unohana’s death, and it made for a great farewell for one of Bleach’s best characters.

1

Yamamoto & Yhwach’s Fight Was The Most Gorgeous In All Of Bleach

Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War episode 6: “The Fire”

Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War episode #6, “The Fire”, saw Yamamoto and Yhwach finally fight and Yamamoto finally use his Bankai, Zanka no Tachi. With his Bankai, Yamamoto seemingly killed Yhwach, but his opponent was soon revealed to be an imposter, and before Yamamoto could act, the real Yhwach stole his Bankai and killed him where he stood.

“The Fire” received an incredible amount of hype from the staff who worked on it, and it more than lived up to that. The animation given to Yamamoto’s fight scenes both before and after unveiling his Bankai was some of the best in all of Bleach, and capping it all off with Yamamoto dying an unceremonious death added a level of irony that sold the quality even further. It was a truly phenomenal episode that’s easily the best episode of Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War, if not Bleach, as a whole.