Ichigo Kurosaki has always been able to see ghosts. Then one night a Soul Reaper named Rukia Kuchiki bursts into his bedroom chasing a monster, and by the end of the night Ichigo has her powers. Tite Kubo's Bleach spun that encounter into fifteen years of sword fights, spirit worlds and some of the sharpest character designs in manga.

Bleach is one of our most stocked shōnen series, with a strong run of the Viz volumes on the shelves. Here is our guide to the series, the long-running anime and its triumphant return, and the volumes that matter most. Browse our Bleach manga as you go.

Where Bleach came from

Kubo has said the starting image was simply a shinigami, a death god, wearing a kimono, and that idea became the Soul Reapers' look. His interest in the supernatural was inspired by Shigeru Mizuki's GeGeGe no Kitaro, while the emphasis on weapons and battles drew on Masami Kurumada's Saint Seiya, a series he loved as a kid. Bleach began in Weekly Shōnen Jump in August 2001.

The story: from Karakura Town to the Soul Society

The opening volumes are almost a supernatural monster-of-the-week story, with Ichigo defending his town from Hollows. Then Rukia is taken back to the Soul Society to be executed for giving her powers to a human, and Ichigo and his friends invade the afterlife to save her. The Soul Society arc, with its thirteen Court Guard Squads and their captains, is where Bleach became a phenomenon.

Later arcs take the story into Hueco Mundo against the Arrancar, through a time skip in the Lost Agent arc, and finally into the Thousand-Year Blood War against the Quincy, which closes the manga in Vol. 74.

From page to screen: the Bleach anime

Studio Pierrot's anime aired 366 episodes on TV Tokyo from October 2004 to March 2012, before the manga had finished. For years fans wondered if the final arc would ever be animated. It finally was: Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War aired 50 episodes in four parts from October 2022 to October 2026 and was widely praised as the adaptation the story deserved.

Bleach has also spawned four animated films, beginning with Memories of Nobody in 2006, and a live-action film that premiered in Japan on July 20, 2018.

Tite Kubo's style

Kubo's art is all about attitude. Bold silhouettes, fashionable outfits, dramatic use of white space and the famous poems that open each volume give Bleach a style no other series quite matches. Each Zanpakuto, the Soul Reapers' swords, has its own name and personality, and the moment a captain releases their Bankai is one of shōnen manga's great pay-off moments.

Why Bleach matters

Alongside One Piece and Naruto, Bleach made up Weekly Shōnen Jump's "Big Three" of the 2000s, the series that drew millions of Western fans into manga. It had over 130 million copies in circulation worldwide by 2022 and won the Shogakukan Manga Award in the shōnen category in 2005.

Where to start reading Bleach

Begin with Vol. 1, Strawberry and the Soul Reapers. The Soul Society arc begins around Vol. 9 and is the series at its peak. Fans of the Thousand-Year Blood War anime can jump to the final arc around Vol. 55.

Bleach manga & anime timeline

Key characters in Bleach

Curiosities collectors should know

Bleach volumes worth knowing

• Vol. 1

  Bleach Vol. 1: Strawberry and the Soul Reapers

  2004 · Viz Media

  Ichigo meets Rukia and becomes a Soul Reaper. The beginning of it all.

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• Vol. 9

  Bleach Vol. 9: Fourteen Days For Conspiracy

  2005 · Viz Media

  The invasion of the Soul Society begins, the start of Bleach's most famous arc.

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• Vol. 21

  Bleach Vol. 21: Be My Family or Not

  2007 · Viz Media

  The Arrancar arrive, opening the Hueco Mundo saga.

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• Vol. 49

  Bleach Vol. 49

  2012 · Viz Media

  The Lost Agent arc begins after a time skip.

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• Vol. 74

  Bleach Vol. 74

  2018 · Viz Media

  The final volume, closing the Thousand-Year Blood War.

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Bleach covers through the years

A look at the covers across the English-language run. Tap a cover to find it in our shop.

Vol. 1 Vol. 4 Vol. 6 Vol. 9 Vol. 11 Vol. 14 Vol. 16 Vol. 19 Vol. 21 Vol. 24 Vol. 26 Vol. 29 Vol. 31 Vol. 34 Vol. 36 Vol. 39 Vol. 41 Vol. 44 Vol. 46 Vol. 49 Vol. 51 Vol. 54 Vol. 56 Vol. 59 Vol. 61 Vol. 64 Vol. 66 Vol. 69 Vol. 71 Vol. 74

Bleach on our shelves right now

Here are some of the volumes we currently have in stock. Every copy is checked and graded before it is listed.

Vol. 1 Vol. 5 Vol. 16 Vol. 18 Vol. 21

You can also browse every Bleach book we stock.

Frequently asked questions about Bleach

Condition grades on our listings follow our comic & book condition guide. Have Bleach books of your own you would like to sell? Email us at contact@siomiccomics.com. Bleach and all related characters are trademarks of Tite Kubo / Shueisha. Cover images are shown for reference.