In the world of anime, Bleach is a classic, and without a doubt, a successful one. Adapted from Tite Kubo’s 74-volume manga, this anime tells the story of Ichigo Kurosaki, a teenager turned Soul Reaper after an encounter with Rukia, another Reaper from the Soul Society. The manga was published from 2001 to 2016, and its success guaranteed a number of adaptations, from stage musicals, and movies, to video games. Of course, none were as popular as the anime adaptation, which ran from 2004 to 2012 in Japan, with a total of 366 episodes.
In an anime as long as this one, an organized narrative is a must, which is why Bleach is divided into 17 story arcs. If you’d like to re-watch or re-read one or a few specific arcs but don’t know where to begin, worry not; we’ve compiled a list of every single Bleach arc in order and with details regarding the chapters and episodes that cover it.
While some of the arcs exist only as fillers in the anime adaptation and therefore are not part of the manga canon, they are still included in this list, as some fans might be curious about and interested in watching them. To better identify them, those arcs are marked on the list as “anime only.” Without further ado, let’s crack into it.
The Bleach arcs
- Agent of the Shinigami Arc – Manga Chapters 1-70, Anime Episodes 1-20
- Soul Society: The Sneak Entry Arc – Manga Chapters 71-117, Anime Episodes 21-41
- Soul Society: The Rescue Arc – Manga Chapters 118-183, Anime Episodes 42-63
- The Bount Arc – Anime only. Episodes 64-91
- Bount Assault on Soul Society Arc – Anime only. Episodes 92-109
- Arrancar: The Arrival Arc – Manga Chapters 184-229, Anime Episodes 110-131
- Arrancar: The Hueco Mundo Sneak Entry Arc – Manga Chapters 230-251, Anime Episodes 132-151
- Arrancar: The Fierce Fight Arc – Manga Chapters 252-286, Anime Episodes 152-167
- The New Captain Shusuke Amagai Arc – Anime only. Episodes 168-189
- Arrancar vs. Shinigami Arc – Manga Chapters 287-315, Anime Episodes 190-205
- The Past Arc – Manga Chapters -108 to -100, Anime Episodes 206-212
- Note: The Past Arc manga chapters were published with negative numbers, to reflect the portrayal of events taking place before the series’ main plot.
- Arrancar: Decisive Battle of Karakura Arc – Manga Chapters 316-340, Anime Episodes 213-229
- Zanpakuto: The Alternate Tale Arc – Anime only. Episodes 230-265
- Arrancar: Downfall Arc – Manga Chapters 341-423, Anime Episodes 266-316
- Gotei 13 Invading army Arc – Anime only. Episodes 317-342
- The Lost Substitute Shinigami Arc – Manga Chapters 424-479, Anime Episodes 343-366
- The 1000-Year Blood War Arc – Manga Chapters 480-686
You may have noticed there are no details of the final arc’s anime episodes, and no, it wasn’t by mistake – unlike the manga, the anime is not complete, which means there are no episodes to list as of yet. On the brighter side, fans have something to look forward to, as the anime will finally be making a comeback this October after its decade-long hiatus. At last, fans will get to see the 1,000-Year Blood War on their screens, and it’s bound to be a blast.