BLEACH Releases Opening Video “Asterisk” and Cast Roundtable for the Substitute Shinigami Arc

BLEACH launches a new special project revisiting the anime’s history with the release of its iconic opening theme “Asterisk” and exclusive cast content. The first installment of the retrospective project titled TV ANIMATION “BLEACH” THE STORIES has been officially announced, unveiling a special visual focused on the Substitute Shinigami arc.

In addition, a roundtable interview video titled “BLEACH THE STORIES OF CASTS: Substitute Shinigami Arc” has been released on the official BLEACH anime YouTube channel. Masakazu Morita, the voice actor for Ichigo Kurosaki, serves as the moderator. The first episode welcomes Fumiko Orikasa as Rukia Kuchiki, Yuki Matsuoka as Orihime Inoue, Hiroki Yasumoto as Yasutora Chad Sado, Noriaki Sugiyama as Uryu Ishida, and Mitsuaki Madono as Kon. The discussion is filled with previously untold stories, including audition memories and voice recording episodes from nearly two decades ago.

Alongside the interview content, the anime’s past opening and ending theme videos are being released for a limited time. The first release features “Asterisk” by ORANGE RANGE, the original opening theme that marked the beginning of the TV anime.

Alongside the interview content, the anime’s past opening and ending theme videos are being released for a limited time. The first release features “Asterisk” by ORANGE RANGE, the original opening theme that marked the beginning of the TV anime.

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About BLEACH and the Thousand Year Blood War Arc

Originally serialized in Weekly Shonen Jump from 2001 to 2016, BLEACH follows the story of Ichigo Kurosaki, a high school student who gains the powers of a Soul Reaper after meeting Rukia Kuchiki. Together with his allies, Ichigo is drawn into battles that bridge the human world, the Soul Society, and beyond. The manga has surpassed 130 million copies in circulation worldwide and has expanded into games, a live action film released in 2018 starring Sota Fukushi, and a TV anime that aired from 2004 to 2012.

The anime adaptation of the final chapter, BLEACH Thousand Year Blood War, began airing in October 2022. The first cour aired from October to December 2022, followed by the second cour from July to September 2023, and the third cour from October to December 2024. The final cour, titled BLEACH Thousand Year Blood War The Calamity, is scheduled to air starting in July 2026.

In The Calamity arc, Ichigo comes to understand Uryu’s true intentions, reaffirming their bond as trusted friends determined to protect the world together. Meanwhile, Yhwach evolves into a being that surpasses even omniscience. As the fate of the three realms hangs in the balance, the millennium long conflict between Soul Reapers and Quincy races toward its conclusion, posing the ultimate question of whether despair or hope awaits beyond the chaos.

Source : ORICON NEWS