The whole Bleach anime is divided into a variety of story arcs, each defined by a certain set of characters, particular stakes, and perhaps an overall tone or “vibe” for that phase of the story. Some arcs are part of a larger saga while others are standalone, and all make for excellent shonen entertainment. There is also the question of rewatchability, with some story arcs in Bleach It’s a real pleasure to see again.
Story arcs in anime are rewarding to rewatch if they are densely packed with twists and turns that move the story forward fast and hard, and other arcs are rewatchable if they contain the most exciting fight scenes and the most memorable. And some story arcs in Bleach are rewatchable simply because they pack a lot of action and adventure into a simple, nasty package and don’t feel like a difficult task to get through. Overall, fans can agree that the collection of BleachThe best arcs will exclude the Lost Substitute Shinigami story arc and the fillers, since the former is short and has weak villains while the filler arcs are in Bleach are not important to the story and therefore are not very meaningful to revisit.
10 The Arrancar: Downfall Arc had some important battles but took too long to finish
Episodes: 266-310
Despite the epic nature of the fights found in this arc, the Arrancar: Downfall arc actually has the least rewatch value among the best Bleach story arcs. Of course, that’s no reason to dislike this arc, since it will entertain anime fans immensely the first time around with its explosive battles against the Espadas and supervillain Sosuke Aizen. However, it is not always worth returning to it.
The main problem is simple: this story arc is a long slog that may test the patience of many anime fans. The takeaways from this arc are also simple, with Ichigo Kurosaki and his allies defeating Sosuke Aizen and the Espadas, so there isn’t much new to see when rewatching this arc. Much of the downtime is spent explaining abilities, worrying about other Soul Reapers, or general conversations between factions or fighters (which don’t really add much to the story). Fans are better off watching individual episodes of their favorite battles in this arc.
9 The past arc was a dump to explain Kisuke and Aizen’s feud
Episodes: 206-212
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This Bleach arc remains the pinnacle of the anime
Nearly two decades later, the Soul Society arc is still the best the Bleach anime has to offer.
This particular story arc was quite intriguing to watch the first time around, as it helped fill in some key gaps in the BleachIt was the tradition at the time. At that time, fans didn’t yet know the full story of how Kisuke Urahara and Yoruichi Shihoin ended up in Karakura Town, and fans also didn’t know how Aizen got on the right path to use Hogyoku as a secret weapon.
The Past arc explained everything, with its events taking place over a century ago in Soul Society. However, this arc is little more than a lore dump to dutifully fill in those gaps and provide more context for the Kisuke vs. Aizen showdown in the present day. Otherwise, this arc is just a meaty shonen flashback arc that says very little new when fans rewatch it, so its rewatch factor is low. Once you’ve seen it, you basically have the information you need and you’ll probably remember it, so the only real reason to come back is for an every-in-a-blue-moon refresher.
8 The Arrancar: Arrival arc showed Ichigo learning and growing as a warrior
Episodes: 110-131
This was one of the most story-heavy arcs of the Arrancar Saga, as this arc had a lot of setup to do. The Arrancar: Arrival arc featured some fights, such as Ichigo teaming up against Yammy and Ulquiorra, but these fights were inconclusive. Instead, Bleach spent much of this arc setting the stage for the entire rest of the Arrancar saga, including Ichigo’s new mastery of his Hollow mask.
It can be fun to see the plot rearrange itself to tell a saga about the Arrancars and Aizen’s villainy.and the battle against Grimmjow’s team was also entertaining. This arc also had the sheer novelty of presenting the Arrancar as villains, with the arrival of Ulquiorra and Yammy having a distinctive character. Dragon Ball Z they look like two alien warriors arriving on an unsuspecting Earth. The stakes seem slightly raised and there is a change in the air, indicating what is to come from this legendary series.
7 The Arrancar: The Decisive Battle for the Karakura Arc featured quick battles against Aizen’s minions
Episodes: 213-226
This particular story arc was short and consisted almost entirely of battles between the Soul Reapers and their Arrancar enemies. Arcs like the Arrancar: Decisive Battle For Karakura arc can be light on story, but some fans might actually prefer that on a replay. Arcs like this almost feel like a standalone set of battles to watch.
In this particular case, the arc is a warm-up to the overall and extremely long final battle for the fake town of Karakura against Aizen’s army.. Four of Baraggan Luisenbairn’s fractions trade blows with the Soul Reapers, with Izuru Kira showing the full power of Wabisuke’s weight doubling effect while Shuhei Hisagi teaches Findorr Calius the folly of taking battle too lightly. This arc also showed Sajin Komamura using his impressive bankai to defeat Poww, sparing Ikkaku Madarame an awkward ending.
6 The Soul Society: Sneak Entry Arc was Ichigo’s first Isekai-style adventure
Episodes: 21-41
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This Bleach arc is one of the most underrated Shonen
The Lost Substitute Shinigami arc is often considered the worst canon arc in Bleach, but it has nuances and a unique tone that make it a great watch.
This story takes place in Bleach ranks in the middle because even though it’s only half of the fondly remembered Soul Society arc setup, just being in that overall arc is a big deal . Many fans agree that the Soul Society arc was at its peak Bleachfilled with excellent pseudo-isekai elements, classic combat, serious drama, and the introduction of many new Soul Reapers. The setup and execution is undoubtedly quintessential Bleach.
The Soul Society: Sneak Entry arc has a lot to offer on first viewing and almost as much on second viewing, as it’s fun to see Ichigo Kurosaki exploring this exotic world as an outsider and figuring things out as he goes . This arc also featured plenty of solid fights that fans will love to see again, like Ichigo’s final showdown with Renji Abarai and even Ichigo’s bloody match against Captain Kenpachi Zaraki himself.
5 Agent of the Shinigami Story Arc Kicked Off Bleach with Monsters of the Week
Episodes: 1-20
The Shinigami agent is Bleachthe first arc, and even though most of the events in this arc were just “monsters of the week” battles, this arc still has a unique vibe that fans really like. It is undoubtedly the most carefree and fanciful era of all. Bleachwhere the story was less about supervillains and destiny and more about fighting Hollows and some reverse isekai shenanigans.
This arc may also be rewatched because for many fans this material hasn’t been seen in many years, so it may seem totally nostalgic and fresh when rewatched in the 2020s. Fans may have forgotten how dramatic Ichigo’s battle with Grand Fisher was, for example, and it may be refreshing to see Kon’s character arc have a serious edge for once as he tries to escape his destruction.
4 The Arrancar vs. Shinigami arc was a showdown between Captains and Espadas
Episodes: 190-203
The Arrancar vs. Shinigami arc is pretty much the midpoint of the overall Arrancar saga, and it ups the ante from what the previous arcs did. Earlier, Bleach fans saw Ichigo and his friends sneak into the desert world of Hueco Mundo to find and rescue Rukia, only to face certain defeat at the hands of Espadas like Nnoitora Gilga and Szayelaporro Grantz.
Thus began the Arrancar vs. Shinigami arc, with four Soul Reaper captains arriving to save the day in true fashion.. As a result, this is another fight-only arc that fans can happily rewatch to enjoy all the back-to-back fights, starting with Captain Byakuya Kuchiki defeating Zommari Rureaux to defend Rukia, his pride and joy. This arc also contains Kenpachi Zaraki’s best battle before the Bloody Thousand Year War arc.
3 Arrancar’s fierce battle arc pits Ichigo against his nemesis, Grimmjow
Episodes: 152-167
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Every Bleach Filler Arc (in chronological order)
From The Bount Arc to the Gotei 13 Invading Army Arc, these Bleach filler arcs kept fans happy while Tite Kubo progressed the canon storyline.
The Arrancar Fierce Fight arc has a lot more rewatchability than the Hueco Mundo Sneak Entry arc before it, as the Arrancar Fierce Fight arc has much better fight sequences with much more personal stakes. This is another convenient and fun battle-only arc to rewatch as a standalone block of battles, which includes the final showdown between Ichigo Kurosaki and his shonen-style rival, Grimmjow Jeagerjaques.
Ichigo’s grudge match against Grimmjow showed that both warriors were giving it their all.pitting Ichigo’s bankai and Hollow mask against Grimmjow’s Gran Rey Cero and his freed form, Pantera. Apart from that, the exciting Arrancar Fierce Fight arc also involved Rukia’s emotionally charged battle against Aaroniero Arruruerie, who had taken the form of Kaien Shiba to trick her and use her mixed guilt and grief against her.
2 The Thousand Year Bloody War arc is the explosive showdown between Soul Reapers and Quincy
Episodes: 367 to present
This is the most recent and final story arc in the series. Bleach anime, and despite its wealth of content, the Bloody Thousand Year War story arc is a relatively quick watch and compresses a lot of the content into a large handful of episodes. Indeed, the narrative arc of TYBW benefits from a much more precise rhythm than that of the original. Bleach the anime never did it, and with modern animation to boot.
This story arc is exciting to watch and rewatch for many reasons, including the fact that fans don’t have to choose between heavy plot developments and back-to-back fight scenes. That’s the benefit of this anime’s fast pace and writing, and fans may also enjoy seeing this arc again simply because it’s so new and the novelty hasn’t worn off yet.
1 The Rescue of Soul Society arc is Bleach at its legendary peak
Episodes: 42-63
The better half of BleachThe most popular story arc, the Soul Society Rescue arc, has the best rewatch value among all the arcs in this anime. Like the TYBW arc that came much later, the Soul Society Rescue arc is a fine balance between non-stop action and frequent plot development, and it does it much better than the first half of the Soul arc Society.
This arc has it all: explosive and personally intense fights, the reveal of several bankai, high stakes, personal drama, and the shocking reveal of Sosuke Aizen as the villain. For all these reasons and many more, Bleach fans will never tire of savoring this legendary shonen arc, and it still holds up today.
Bleach revolves around Kurosaki Ichigo, a regular and always grumpy high school student who, for some strange reason, is able to see the souls of the dead around him.
- Release date
- October 5, 2004
- Cast
- Masakazu Morita, Fumiko Orikasa, Hiroki Yasumoto, Yuki Matsuoka, Noriaki Sugiyama, Kentarô Itô, Shinichirô Miki, Hisayoshi Suganuma
- Seasons
- 17 seasons
- Creator
- Tite Kubo
- Production company
- TV Tokyo, Dentsu, Pierrot
- Number of episodes
- 366 episodes
- Streaming service(s)
- Hulu, Prime Video