Ten years after the original series came to an end, Bleach is still shocking fans with the debut of a brand new Bankai for Ichigo Kurosaki from the original creator making its debut in the latest episode. Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War is working its way through the final season of its episodes adapting Tite Kubo’s original manga, and the latest episode made one of the most significant changes to the manga’s original events yet with an extension to the fight between Ichigo and Yhwach. And that includes a brand new form.
Videos by ComicBook.com
Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War Episode 5 continues the final fight between Ichigo and Yhwach, and it made a major change to things with the latest episode. While previous changes have extended the events of certain fights or revealed new forms, this latest change has to be the biggest yet as it’s introduced a brand new Bankai form for Ichigo that he never used in the original series. Officially dubbed Blood Chains Ichigo, you can check out Tite Kubo’s official design for the new Bankai below.
Bleach: TYBW Debuts Blood Chains Ichigo Bankai From Tite Kubo
Blood Chains Ichigo is a brand new form that was never seen in Tite Kubo’s original Bleach manga. Around this time in the original depiction of the fight, the manga was quickly heading towards its grand finale. As a true show of power from Yhwach he had interrupted Ichigo before he was able to use his Bankai, but the anime has allowed Ichigo to reach the point where he was able to successfully use this ability and unlock a powerful new form. But it’s still not enough to take on Yhwach’s Almighty power.
Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War has been making all sorts of huge changes to the original version of the manga’s final arc through the first three seasons so far, but we’re about to see even more significant changes now that the anime is heading into its grand finale. With fewer episodes slated for this final season than the others, we’re already at the halfway point of this grand finale and are about to see some major shake ups to everything as a result thanks to how involved Tite Kubo has been with the anime’s production.
How Is Bleach: TYBW Actually Going to End?
It was already exciting to reach this point in Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War as fans have been waiting over ten years for the anime to adapt the manga’s grand finale, but the changes seen with this episode make things even more exciting. The manga notably had a truncated finale that seemed to rush through the final battle, and this is a clear extension to make it last longer. Kubo has been directly involved with all of the changes so far, and that’s most significantly going to be felt for now.
Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War is the best version of the manga’s final arc as been seen through the episodes so far, and it seems to be the most complete version of the story that Kubo has been refining for years at this point. Debuting new forms like this ahead of what could be the end of this very long battle could just be the first in many more surprises to come. Make sure to catch up with it all on Hulu and Hulu on Disney+.
5 Most Unforgettable Anime of 2026 So Far
More Anime
-
Courtesy of TOHO Animation Anime
3 hours agoNew The Apothecary Diaries Season 3 Trailer Confirms Crunchyroll Release Date – Watch
-
Courtesy of Netflix Anime
4 hours agoOne Piece Drops New Look Trailer for Netflix LEGO Special – Watch Now
-
Netflix TV Shows
4 hours ago12 Years Ago, Netflix’s Most Depressing Animated Series Debuted
-
Image Courtesy of Cloverworks Anime
20 hours ago1 Year Later, Spy x Family Finally Debunks The Main Villain’s Power With a Major Twist
-
Image Courtesy of Toei Animation Anime
21 hours ago38 Years Later, Dragon Ball Is Due Yet Another Backstory For Vegeta With Manga’s Return
