How to watch Bleach in order (TV show and movies)
Sep. 6, 2024From humble beginnings to a Thousand-Year Blood War, here’s how to watch Bleach in order from start to finish
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Figuring out how to watch Bleach in order is a tough order. With 17 seasons and almost 400 episodes – plus a handful of movies – Bleach is one ofthoseanime that feel completely impenetrable at first glance.
But it doesn’t need to be difficult to get into Bleach. Whether you’re a newcomer, a lapsed veteran, or someone who wants to jump back in whileBleach: Thousand-Year Blood War part 3is ongoing, this breakdown is for you.
Below, we’ll guide you through how to watch Bleach in order. That includes the full list in release order and a look at the Bleach movies – including the tricky question of whether they’re canon. Then we’ll dive into some other questions you may have, including an episode count and talk about filler.
For more, check out thebest animeyou should watch now. Then dive intonew animeguides, includingJujutsu Kaisen season 3,One-Punch Man season 3, andDemon Slayer Infinity Castle.
How to watch Bleach in order
From there, 16 seasons have aired as well as a sequel series: Thousand-Year Blood War, which is a four-part adaptation of the final arc in Bleach’s manga. That’s a continuation of the story, despite being marketed as a separate show and listed as such on streamers likeDisneyPlus.
So, while it may all seem daunting, this ishow to watch Bleach in order.
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You may be wondering where the Bleach movies are in our watch order. While it’s tempting to slide them into the list above, the feature-length adventures (as you’ll see below) don’t fit neatly into the overall Bleach series.
So, let’s keep it simple. If you want the full picture, there are four Bleach movies to watch in order, but note that these aren’t necessary to watch alongside anime series.
Without going too heavy on spoilers, only one Bleach movie comes remotely close to canon status. 2006’s Memories of Nobody is alluded to in one chapter of the manga, with one location – and Ichigo’s time there – seemingly being crystalized into canon.
Away from that, the other three Bleach movies are non-canon adventures. If you’re curious, each Bleach movie was released alongside other seasons, which means you can feasibly watch them as one entire package.
Memories of Nobody was released after episode the airing of episode 107 during Bleach season 5; The DiamondDust Rebellion after the first two episodes of Bleach season 8; Fade to Black midway through Bleach season 10 (after episode 198); Hell Verse after episode 299 during Bleach season 14.
If you can’t find Bleach on Disney Plus, you may need tochange your parental control settings.
It’s worth noting that Bleach is no longer available on Crunchyroll, despite that being the case previously.
While the topic of filler is a sensitive subject for anime fans (and completely subjective), there has been plenty of talk over the years regarding whether Bleach has any skippable episodes.
In our opinion, we hesitate to paint anything with the ‘filler’ brush. After all, time and effort has been put into every single Bleach. Plus, sometimes it’s just fun to hang out with some of your favorite characters.
Having said that, there’s some general consensus on which seasons/episodes to skip if you’re short on time.
Bleach filler arcs include the entirety of Bleach seasons 4-5, Bleach season 13, and Bleach season 15. There are other single filler episodes but, honestly, your Bleach marathon then becomes an exercise in box-ticking and spreadsheets – and that’s not what anime is all about.
Keen to discover more anime series? You’ll need our guides on how to watchDemon Slayer in orderand how to watchJujutsu Kaisen in order.
I’m the Senior Entertainment Writer here at GamesRadar+, focusing on news, features, and interviews with some of the biggest names in film and TV. On-site, you’ll find me marveling at Marvel and providing analysis and room temperature takes on the newest films, Star Wars and, of course, anime. Outside of GR, I love getting lost in a good 100-hour JRPG, Warzone, and kicking back on the (virtual) field with Football Manager. My work has also been featured in OPM, FourFourTwo, and Game Revolution.
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