Tite Kubo’s magnum opus Bleach is considered one of the most popular anime and manga series that was once a part of the renowned trio known as The Big Three. The series has certainly lived up to its hype, featuring gripping storylines, characters, and iconic fight scenes that would get its viewers to bite their nails as they anticipated the next scene.
The series is filled with a ton of intriguing concepts like the Soul Reapers, Quincies, and a balanced power system, making it a real work of art. As a result, the Thousand-Year Blood War is considered to be a masterpiece that met a lot of praise.
However, the manga artist decided to make a massive change in the manga that the anime series managed to avoid, as it would have brought the plot’s momentum to a standstill.
Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War Averted a Massive Blunder Made By Tite Kubo
Led by the mastermind, Tite Kubo, Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War was met with immense praise, as his grand finale of the series has far exceeded fans’ expectations in the best way imagined. One of the key reasons that the anime adaptation has become so popular is because it is extremely faithful to the source material and follows Kubo’s vision.
However, there have been many instances where the anime deviated from the manga to keep the plot’s momentum and even improve it to some extent. According to reports via CBR, the manga had many problems that would have ruined the anime adaptation.
Surprisingly, there was one blunder that would have changed the anime for the worse. It was none other than Uryu Ishida’s decision to betray his comrades and join the Quincies. In the manga, the betrayal took place over a tragic sense of obligation.
In the manga, the shock came from the idea that the character was missing for a major period in the arc’s first half. Hence, the readers wanted to find out why Ishida decided to jump boats and what made him join the Wandenreich in the first place.
The momentum somewhat faltered when he discovered his bloodline’s history and connection to Emperor Yhwach, thus commencing the Thousand-Year Blood War. However, the anime decided to alter the storyline to some extent.
The adaptation emphasized that it was for the better to showcase Uryu Ishida’s inner turmoil and the conflict in his actions, as the thought of abandoning Ichigo Kurosaki in the first place and fulfilling his lineage’s duties was eating him from the inside.
As a result, it not only led to more character development but also more screen time in the arc, leading to a deeper drama and his fallout with Ichigo.
Tite Kubo Faced One Massive Restriction While Working on Thousand-Year Blood War
Tite Kubo is a creative genius who loves to showcase the tremendous depth of characters and an intricate plot that takes a ton of patience and mastery of one’s craft. As a result, he understands the creative differences that take place in the anime and manga mediums.
Hence, the storytelling process tends to differ as well. However, the mangaka was not too fond of it because this compelled him to bend his signature art style. During the Creator Interview 2022 via YouTube, Kubo opened up about the shackles placed on his work that restricted him from showcasing his full potential. He said,
I think I started drawing the Thousand-Year Blood War around the time it was decided that the original anime series would end. While the series was airing on television, I was drawing the manga with television guidelines and restrictions in mind. So I didn’t go all out for various things, like the battle scenes.
He further added that these limitations imposed on him did not bind him, and he found different methods to go all-out.
But I drew the Thousand-Year Blood War arc without having to worry about any of that. Instead, I was worried the scenes might be too heavy if it was ever animated. And I didn’t want them to be cut from the anime.
While the anime adaptation made certain changes in the storyline to keep its momentum, none of the action scenes were deleted or improvised, as it was already perfect.
Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War can be streamed on Hulu.
