When Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War released its first episode in 2022, the franchise saw a resurgence of Bleach fans. No one expected the series to be on par with the prequel. However, many fans also believed that there were a few elements of Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War that were even better than the original Bleach anime series.
While the story followed a similar theme of the attack on Soul Society, they introduced a bunch of new characters and abilities that were never seen before and fans were all for it. Even the old characters got some changes, along with better animation, that helped fans understand and connect with such characters much easier.
However, the Bleach fanbase was not alone in feeling Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War was somewhat better than the previous series. Even the English voice actor of Ichigo Kurosaki, Johnny Yong Bosch, felt like the sequel series did something for him that the original series couldn’t. He even felt more responsible while working on Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War.
Ichigo Voice Actor’s Opinion About Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War
In an interview with Gamerant last year, Bosch was asked about Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War and how he felt while once again recording the lines of the protagonist of the series after so long. The voice actor revealed that he was not sure whether he was dreaming or if it was reality, as it was a big thing for him.
Bosch stated:
I have to pinch myself constantly to make sure I’m not dreaming. I mean this is the stuff I was hoping to get to before it ended previously, so I’m really enjoying this part of the story. We’re really getting to the heart of Ichigo.
Ichigo’s VA also talked about the thirteenth episode of the new series, “The Blade is Me,” which is one of the most prominent and important episodes of the series. It shows a different side of Ichigo that has never been seen before. Bosch revealed that he was hoping to portray such aspects of Ichigo’s character even in the previous series, but he never got the chance.
Johnny Yong Bosch’s Responsibility As Ichigo Kurosaki
According to Bosch, he has felt the impact of playing Ichigo Kurosaki, and it has definitely affected his personality as a voice actor. He even revealed that while playing Ichigo, the biggest responsibility that he feels is bringing the character to life, as he has a worldwide fanbase and all of them connect to him through Bleach.
Bosch explained:
The biggest impact is definitely connecting with fans worldwide through BLEACH. I do feel a level of responsibility in bringing him to life. It’s like the coach put me in the game, so I better not blow it. I give it everything I’ve got.
The actor stated that he has given the role everything he has. Fans have loved Bosch’s portrayal of Ichigo Kurosaki in Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War, as the character has grown and changed a little bit.
Fans eagerly await the final season of Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War, which will hopefully put an end to the battle between Soul Reapers and Quincies.
You can watch Bleach on Hulu.
