BLEACH creator Tite Kubo has revealed that he once considered a storyline in which Orihime Inoue died while writing the original manga. He shared the detail while discussing the anime-original scenes in Episode 45 of BLEACH: Thousand-Year Blood War – The Calamity.
BLEACH: Thousand-Year Blood War – The Calamity scene cut © Tite Kubo/SHUEISHA, TV TOKYO, dentsu, Pierrot
Kubo Reveals His Rule for Anime-Original Storylines
Episode 45, “DEFEND YOU,” was produced entirely with anime-original scenes. Kubo said the production team regularly asks him whether proposed original developments can be included.
He explained that his main criterion is whether he had ever considered incorporating a similar route into the original manga. According to Kubo, a storyline in which Orihime died was among the ideas he had considered during the manga’s creation.
For the anime, he also specified the use of an ability that had already existed within the series’ settings.
BLEACH: Thousand-Year Blood War – The Calamity scene cut © Tite Kubo/SHUEISHA, TV TOKYO, dentsu, Pierrot
Final Cour Continues to Mix New Material With the Original Manga
The production team said that while The Calamity contains additional anime-original material, the overall approach remains grounded in Kubo’s original story.
Director Hikaru Murata explained that Episode 46 returned to the manga’s storyline following the newly added material, while Kubo also supervised changes and additions in later episodes. For the final Episode 50, “DEATH & STRAWBERRY,” Kubo said he created additional minor character designs that appear only in the finale.
BLEACH: Thousand-Year Blood War – The Calamity scene cut © Tite Kubo/SHUEISHA, TV TOKYO, dentsu, Pierrot
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