Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood Waris finally coming to TV, and it’s becoming another stellar part of Toonami’s lineup. Even at anime’s lowest point of popularity,Bleachremained a constant for fans, and there was a definite sense of loss when Toonami returned and only airedBleach’s last stretch of episodes before briefly switching to reruns until 2015, even thoughNarutoandOne Piecehave been mainstays for years.
It’s been nothing but disappointing to seeBleachtreated so poorly on television, but that’s set to change in a big way. Toonami is going through another big lineup change following aLazarusmarathon on May 10, and to the surprise of many,Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood Warwill be joining Toonami’s lineup starting Saturday, May 17 at 12:30 AM. This is the first timeBleachwill have aired on TV in a decade, and with it coming to Toonami, no less, theBleach: Thousand-Year Blood Waranimewill be even better to watch.
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WithBleach: Thousand-Year Blood Warcoming to Toonami, that begs the question of why the franchise has been ignored by Toonami for so many years.WhenBleachfirst premiered in the United States, rather than go to Toonami, it went to Adult Swim Action, Adult Swim’s now-defunct Saturday anime block, and when that ended, it remained a mainstay on Adult Swim alongside whatever random anime Adult Swim would acquire.Bleachwas then folded into Toonami upon its revival, and it was likely dropped due to low ratings, which is probably whyThousand-Year Blood Warwas never added before now.
As great as it would have been forBleachto be more heavily tied to Toonami, it was probably for the best. Not only did being an Adult Swim-exclusive allowBleachto air its entire run, but being on Adult Swim meant thatBleachcould air without any sort of censorship that often plagued anime on network television during that time.Bleachnot getting to be part of Toonami’s history for so long helped make it one of the premier darkershonenanime of the 2000s, and that played a major part in it becoming as big as it is.
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Old And New Fans Alike Need To Be Excited About Bleach On Toonami
Regardless of whatever happened inBleach’s past, what matters is thatBleach: Thousand-Year Blood Waris going to Toonami, and that’s great to see.Thousand-Year Blood Warhas breathed new life intoBleachnot only by finishing the story, but for how oftenBleach: Thousand-Year Blood Warimproves the original mangawith reworked and original content, all of which is expressed in consistently gorgeous animation. It’s one of the best action anime of the 2020s, by far, and as such,Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood Warjoining Toonami’s lineup will do wonders to help it reach an even wider audience.
Something also worth considering is whatThousand-Year Blood Warcan do for Toonami. With how vital Toonami was in helping anime take off in the West, it’s nothing but frustrating to see it gradually fall into irrelevancy over the years, and while it would only be a temporary boon,the boost in popularityBleach: Thousand-Year Blood Warcan bring Toonami can do a lot to help revitalize its brand, even if it’s only temporary. Overall,Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood Warjoining Toonami is nothing but exciting, and hopefully, May 17 will be a historic day forBleachfans old and new.
