Bleach Arcs in Chronological Order in 2022 (Anime & Manga)

Tite Kubo’s Bleach is an influential title in the world of anime. It’s not just one of the best manga of all time but also one of the most popular anime. It’s not just a fluke that it is considered one of the “Big Three” of anime, alongside Naruto and One Piece.

Bleach follows the story of Ichigo Kurosaki, a boy who seems like any high school student. However, he is a bit different because he can see ghosts. One day, when his family is attacked by a Hollow, a corrupted spirit that devours human souls, he meets with Rukia Kuchiki, a Soul Reaper, who is tasked with dealing with the Hollow.

Certain events happen, and Rukia is unable to do anything about the Hollow. Still, she offers to make Ichigo into a “substitute” Soul Reaper, which he accepts, and he saves his family from the Hollow’s attacks. And so begins Ichigo’s story that will take him deep into the world of the Soul Reapers and Hollows!

Bleach is one of the top shonen anime series ever, but unlike many new-gen shonen titles, it is a long series. The manga series debuted in August 2001 and ended in August 2016, releasing a total of 74 volumes.

As far as the manga is concerned, the story is divided into 13 distinctive arcs. But if we talk about the anime series, which has 366 episodes so far, there are also several non-canon arcs (filler arcs). In this article, we will go through all the arcs in Bleach and give you a quick rundown of them!

Bleach Arcs in Anime:

First, we will look at all the arcs covered in the Bleach anime series. The anime’s first episode aired on October 5, 2004, and the last aired on March 27, 2012.

A total of 11 canon arcs were adapted into anime; there were a few anime-only non-canon arcs as well, in addition to the canon arcs. You can skip the non-canon arcs because they don’t contribute anything to the story’s main plot. That’s why I will list them down, but we won’t be talking much about them. I will only talk about the Bleach arcs that are canon!

In the below table, you will see the name of the arc, how many episodes made up that arc, and the number of filler episodes!

Bleach Arcs in Manga:

Now that we have seen all the arcs covered in Bleach’s anime series, it’s time to look at the manga arcs since they are canon and don’t have any fillers!

The Bleach manga series is one of the best-selling ones; it’s still selling very well even though it concluded around six years ago. The first chapter of the manga was released in August 2001, and the last chapter was released in August 2016.

It has 12 major arcs, 11 of which are already adapted into anime. And the final arc, Thousand-Year Blood War, has already gotten an anime adaptation and will start airing in October 2022.

The table below shows you a list of all the Bleach manga arcs and their corresponding chapter numbers, so you have no issues reading the series!

All Bleach Arcs in Order, Explained

1. Agent of the Shinigami Arc

The first arc of Bleach introduces us to all the story’s main characters. Ichigo Kurosaki meets Rukia Kuchiki, a Soul Reaper, and subsequently becomes a Soul Reaper himself. He discovers the existence of Hollows, corrupted spirits who devour human souls, and Soul Society, a society of Soul Reapers who deal with the threat of Hollows.

This introductory arc quickly establishes what the plot is all about and gives us a proper explanation of what Soul Reapers and Hollows are.

2. Soul Society: The Sneak Entry Arc

After Rukia is arrested by her superiors for transferring her powers to Ichigo and making him a substitute Soul Reaper, she is taken back to Soul Society, where she is sentenced to execution.

To save her, Ichigo and his friends decide to infiltrate Soul Society. However, this task proves to be quite a challenging undertaking. The Soul Society is filled with powerful Soul Reapers, and Ichigo finds it hard to fight against all of them and save Rukia. Thankfully, he’s got some people on the inside willing to help him!

3. Soul Society: The Rescue Arc

As there are mighty Soul Reapers in the Soul Society, Ichigo is soon defeated. But he is saved when Yoruichi interferes in one of his battles and takes him somewhere safe. When he regains consciousness, Ichigo is told that he will have to undergo training to become strong and unlock his “Bankai,” the very pinnacle of a Soul Reaper’s powers.

On the day of Rukia’s execution, Ichigo arrives, and he battles again against Captain Byakuya, but this time on an equal footing!

4. Arrancar: The Arrival Arc

After saving Rukia, Ichigo and his friends return to the human realm, but all is not well. Arrancars (Hollows with Soul Reaper powers) have started appearing in the human realm. Ichigo comes across several such Arrancars and cannot battle them properly because he is being interfered with by his inner Hollow.

That’s when Ichigo decides to take help from the Visoreds (Soul Reapers with Hollow powers) and undergoes training to control his inner Hollow. Meanwhile, Captain Commander of the Soul Society, Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto, reveals Aizen’s true intentions.

5. Arrancar: The Hueco Mundo Sneak Entry Arc

Orihime Inoue has been kidnapped under the command of Sōsuke Aizen and taken to Hueco Mundo. Ichigo is forbidden from entering Hueco Mundo, but he disobeys this order and goes to rescue Orihime. Chad and Uryū decide to accompany him.

Immediately upon entering Hueco Mundo, they find themselves in an underground maze full of traps. They also meet a little girl, Nel, and three hollows, who don’t seem that evil and end up befriending Ichigo. Meanwhile, Rukia and Renji show up to everyone’s surprise.

6. Arrancar: The Fierce Fight Arc

The true action begins in this particular Arrancar arc. Ichigo and his friends all find themselves against powerful opponents and are forced to battle against them.

Ichigo faces off against Ulquiorra, and even after using his Bankai and Hollow mask, he can’t seem to land any decisive blow against him. Instead, Ulquiorra deals a devastating blow to Ichigo before he leaves him to die. But Grimmjow appears at the scene, along with Orihime, and he tells her to heal Ichigo so they can fight once again.

Once healed, Ichigo and Grimmjow engage in an intense battle where both are no longer holding back!

7. Arrancar vs. Shinigami Arc

As Ichigo and his friends are engaged in their battles against the Arrancar and the Espadas, they find it tough to come out victorious. But help has just arrived!

Several captains from the Soul Society have arrived to offer help, and the tide of the battle seems to be turning in their favor. However, just when most of the battles are finished, Orihime is again kidnapped on the order of Sōsuke Aizen, who takes her and his forces to the human realm to execute his plans.

8. The Past Arc

The story takes a slight but very important detour to delve deeper into the history of Sōsuke Aizen, the story’s central villain.

The arc takes place 110 years ago when Sōsuke Aizen was just a lieutenant in the 5th Division squad. The story focuses on how Aizen betrayed his squad, forced many Soul Reapers into becoming Hollows as part of his experiment, and even framed Kisuke Urahara and got him banished from the Soul Society.

9. Arrancar: Decisive Battle of Karakura Arc

We return to the current day as the fight between Shinigami and Aizen’s forces continues. A massive fight has erupted where the Shinigami captains are fighting against several of the Espadas and Arrancars from Aizen’s army.

The Soul Reapers want to save Karakura town, while Aizen intends to destroy the town and invade Soul Society to kill the Soul King.

10. Arrancar: Downfall Arc

The fight between the Shinigami captains and Aizen continues, and Aizen continues to dominate the battle. In Hueco Mundo, Ichigo battles against Ulquiorra, but he unlocks an entirely new form and new abilities that shock not just Ulquiorra but also Orihime and Uryū.

This is also the arc when Ichigo returns to Karakura town, where he finally comes face-to-face with Aizen, and their ultimate battle begins!

11. The Lost Substitute Shinigami Arc

17 months have passed after the decisive battle against Aizen, and Ichigo is living his life without his Shinigami powers. But he is trying his best to regain them once again.

Meanwhile, he meets Kūgo Ginjō, an ex-Shinigami who seems to have issues with the Soul Society. He offers to help Ichigo get his powers back. However, Ginjō appears to have an ulterior motive because he is not assisting Ichigo out of the goodness of his heart.

12. Thousand-Year Blood War Arc

The final arc in Bleach’s story, the Thousand-Year Blood War arc, focuses on the epic war between the Soul Reapers and the Quincy.

The Quincies are a group that believes in eradicating the hollows completely, along with their souls. In contrast, the Soul Reapers purify the souls and maintain a balance between the human realm and the Soul Society. Both groups have been at war for a long time, and this time, it is the biggest and most explosive war between the two.

Ichigo and the other Soul Reapers find themselves against Quincies, who are way more powerful than any foe they have faced till now. And defeating them seems like a tall order!

The story’s plot thickens, many new revelations are made, new characters are introduced, and several intense fights occur. This truly is an epic arc worthy of concluding the story of Bleach!

Conclusion

That brings us to the end of the article, as we have listed down all the Bleach arcs in order! I hope you will now find no problems watching the anime series or reading the manga if you follow the abovementioned information.

So, share the article with your friends and tell them about all the Bleach arcs, both manga and anime. And if you’ve got some feedback or suggestion for me, leave them in the comments section below!