Anime and manga series that are as big as Bleach always have their story divided into multiple arcs that help fans understand the different narratives being played out. In the case of Tite Kubo’s Bleach, the story is divided into a total of 17 arcs that offer an organized system of understanding the chronology of the plot.
Dividing the entire story into different arcs not only makes it easier for fans to chronologically follow the story, but it also helps them in selecting their favorite storyline as it offers a wide variety of different narratives. Before the release of Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War, many fans believed that the Soul Society arc was the best one.
But the concluding arc has become a fan favorite, and it’s all thanks to Kubo, who is not only the creator of the Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War storyline but also the chief supervisor of the animation. His contributions to the sequel anime have helped the series attain the title of one of the best anime series of all time.
Tite Kubo’s Initial Involvement With Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War
Kubo’s interview, along with Animation Director and Producer Taguchi Tomohisa and Ichigo’s voice actor Morita Masakazu, was released in the 51st issue of Weekly Shonen Jump. This interview was later translated by u/MindyMayonnaise on Reddit. During the interview, Kubo was asked when he started supervising the production of the anime series.
Kubo revealed:
In the beginning when we were deciding the overall sequence of events and the number of chapters to be adapted for each episode. I guess I’ve been involved since series development. I made my requests known during this stage as well.
According to the manga, he has been involved with the series since the discussion about the sequence of events and number of chapters per episode was decided. It was a crucial moment for the anime series, and Kubo made his requests perfectly clear about how he wanted to go forward with the series’ development.
Tite Kubo’s Contribution Resulted in the Success of Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War
While talking about Tite Kubo’s contribution to the sequel series, animation director Tomohisa revealed that Kubo focused primarily on editing the script, and his edits were one of the reasons why Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War is a success.
Tomohisa stated:
I thought I have a pretty good understanding of the characters when creating original scenes and dialogue for the anime. But when I read the dialogue edited by Kubo, the nuances are completely different. It’s like, “It can only be this!” During our scenario meetings right after Kubo sends his edits back, everyone will be like, “Woaaaaah!” “Oh man! This is it!” (laughs).
Although Kubo was a part of the prequel Bleach anime series, he was not as involved as he is with Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War.
His contribution to the anime series is the main reason why the concluding arc has become the most popular arc of the entire franchise, and fans are eagerly waiting for its final season to get a release.
You can watch Bleach on Hulu.
