Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War Final Part Confirmed for July 25 on Hulu and Disney Plus

Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War - The Calamity, the fourth and final part of the acclaimed anime adaptation, premieres on July 25 on Hulu in the United States and Disney Plus internationally. Studio Pierrot's concluding arc will span 13 episodes adapting chapters 664 through 686 of Tite Kubo's manga.

The Final Arc Reaches Its Climax

The Calamity picks up where Part 3 - The Conflict - left off, bringing the Thousand-Year Blood War saga and the entire Bleach anime franchise to a definitive conclusion. These final manga chapters represent the end of Kubo's original serialization in Weekly Shonen Jump, which wrapped in 2016 after a fifteen-year run. With the anime now poised to complete the same journey, one of the most iconic shounen properties of the 2000s will finally have its ending fully animated.

Studio Pierrot, working under its PIERROT FILMS label, has confirmed that The Calamity will feature expanded original material beyond what appeared in the printed manga. Key battles involving fan-favorite characters such as Yoruichi Shihoin, Sosuke Aizen, Kenpachi Zaraki, and Kisuke Urahara are set to receive the extended treatment that has defined this adaptation since it debuted in October 2022. Each prior part has added new scenes, fleshed-out fight choreography, and supplementary backstory that Kubo himself supervised, and the final season will push that approach even further.

Theatrical Premiere Before Broadcast

Before the television broadcast premiere on July 25, the first three episodes of The Calamity will receive a theatrical screening event. This mirrors the rollout strategy Studio Pierrot employed for earlier parts of the Thousand-Year Blood War adaptation, where opening episodes screened in cinemas to build anticipation and give fans a premium big-screen experience ahead of the weekly broadcast schedule. The theatrical-first model has proven effective for high-profile anime finales in recent years, and Bleach's final bow is following the same playbook.

Theme Songs Handpicked by Tite Kubo

Tite Kubo personally curated the theme songs for the final season, selecting from what he described as the largest pool of submissions the series has ever received. The opening theme, "I-BULL," is performed by jo0ji, while the ending theme, "Rasen," comes from 9Lana.

Kubo noted that he prioritized newer, emerging artists for the final cour, wanting viewers to discover fresh musical talent alongside the show's conclusion. The Bleach franchise has a storied history of memorable theme songs stretching back to the original 2004 anime, and Kubo's hands-on involvement in music selection has been one of the distinguishing hallmarks of the Thousand-Year Blood War era. His insistence on spotlighting up-and-coming performers rather than established acts adds a layer of curation that few anime productions match.

Where to Watch

All four parts of Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War will be streaming on Hulu in the United States and Disney Plus for international audiences. The first three parts - The Blood Warfare, The Separation, and The Conflict - are available now, giving newcomers just over a week to catch up before The Calamity begins airing on July 25. The original Bleach anime, which ran for 366 episodes from 2004 to 2012 and covered Kubo's manga through the Fullbring arc, is also available on both platforms for viewers who want to experience the full story from the start.

A Decade-Long Wait Nears Its End

The Thousand-Year Blood War arc's anime adaptation has been one of the most anticipated projects in the medium since Bleach's original run ended in 2012. The adaptation's announcement in 2020 was a landmark moment for the franchise's global fanbase, and each subsequent part has delivered strong viewership and critical praise for Studio Pierrot's production quality. With 13 episodes left, the studio's adaptation of Kubo's final arc will bring one of anime's longest-running franchises to a close when The Calamity wraps later this year.