The Bleach anime is over. Episode 50 of Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War, titled “DEATH & STRAWBERRY,” aired on TV Tokyo on October 26 and reached Hulu in the US at 8:30 AM PT (10:30 AM CT) the same day, per Screen Rant, closing out a TV run that began in October 2004. The title is a callback to “Death and Strawberry,” the very first chapter of Tite Kubo’s manga.
The finale almost came a month sooner. In September the production committee pushed episodes 49 and 50 back to October 19 and 26 to improve quality, filling the gap with four reruns. Pierrot Films animated the final part, The Calamity, which started July 25.
How to watch the Bleach finale, and when the dub arrives
- Subtitled, US: Hulu, including Hulu on Disney+. Episode 50 has been streaming since 10:30 AM CT on October 26.
- Outside the US: Disney+, per BBC News. Language options vary by country.
- English dub: episode 49 on November 23 and the finale on November 30, both at 8:30 AM PT, per VIZ Media’s schedule. Disney+ markets get the English dub on the same dates.
Waiting for the dub means five weeks of spoiler dodging. If that is you, mute “Bleach,” “TYBW” and “Ichigo” on X and Bluesky now, because official stills from the last episode are already circulating.
The special ending and 15 Ichigo illustrations
To mark the end, the official accounts released a special ending video set to “Number One,” the series’ signature track. As Anime.com describes it, the video runs through the cast, the staff and original animation drawings, then closes on the word “BRAVE” rising inside a footprint pressed over “despair,” with the message “THE STORIES OF BRAVE.” VIZ Media shared it on X Monday night. A second video, THE STORIES VISUAL MOVIE, strings together 15 illustrations of Ichigo across the series, from the Substitute arc to Thousand-Year Blood War.
Why fans were nervous, and why many are relieved
The manga’s 2016 ending is widely seen as rushed, and Kubo has been closely involved in reworking the adaptation. Early reactions gathered by BBC Newsbeat called the finale “perfect,” though one longtime fan warned that viewers expecting a big fight may be surprised by how little action the episode has.
What is next for Bleach in games
The franchise is not going quiet. Bandai Namco’s mobile game Bleach Mirrors High passed 1 million pre-registrations on October 21, less than two months after sign-ups opened. That unlocked launch rewards for everyone: 9,000 Mirror Gems (a 30 pull summon), 3 star Ichigo and Rukia, and five guaranteed 3 star or higher summon tickets. It is set after the Thousand-Year Blood War, lets you build your own Soul Reaper and Zanpakuto, and adds new Soul Reapers designed by Kubo. It is due on iOS and Android in 2026, with no exact date yet.
Spoiler warning: finale details below
Stop here if you have not watched episode 50.
The finale adapts the manga’s epilogue, set 10 years after the war, and closes on the next generation, Kazui Kurosaki and Ichika Abarai, per Oricon. The last of the 15 STORIES illustrations shows an adult Ichigo, and BBC’s fans point to a tease at the very end as a hint that Kubo has more Bleach stories to tell.