Starting Bleach in 2026 means navigating over 700 episodes of content—original series, movies, and the highly anticipated Thousand-Year Blood War arc. This complete watch order guide cuts through the confusion, helping you experience Tite Kubo’s iconic series exactly as intended while avoiding filler fatigue.
The Optimal Bleach Watch Order
Here’s the definitive watch order for maximum enjoyment:
1. Bleach Episodes 1-63 (Agent of the Shinigami + Soul Society: The Sneak Entry) — Start here. Ichigo’s transformation from ordinary high schooler to Substitute Soul Reaper, Rukia’s arrest, and the infiltration of Soul Society. These arcs establish everything: the world, the power system, and the core cast. Zero filler in this stretch.
2. Episodes 64-109 (Soul Society: The Rescue) — The payoff arc. Epic fights against Captains, Aizen’s masterful reveal, and some of the best battles in anime history. Ichigo vs. Byakuya remains a highlight of the entire medium. Skip episodes 109 at the very end—it’s filler padding.
3. Episodes 110-143 (Bount Arc) — SKIP — This entire arc is filler. The Bounts never appear in the manga and contribute nothing to the main story. Skip entirely unless you’re a completionist with unlimited time.
4. Episodes 144-167 (Arrancar: The Arrival) — Return to canon. The Espada’s introduction, Aizen’s army revealed, and the Hueco Mundo setup begins. These episodes re-establish Bleach’s quality after the Bount detour.
5. Episodes 168-189 — Mixed (Skip filler episodes 168-169, 187-189) — Continue the Arrancar arc while avoiding inserted filler. The Hueco Mundo infiltration begins proper here.
6. Episodes 190-205 — SKIP (New Captain Shusuke Amagai Arc) — Another filler arc. Skip entirely.
7. Episodes 206-212 (Hueco Mundo continues) — Canon resumes. Critical battles and character reveals.
8. Episodes 213-214 — SKIP (Karakura-Raizer filler)
9. Episodes 215-226 (Espada battles begin) — Peak Bleach returns. Major Espada fights kick off here.
10. Episodes 227-265 — SKIP (Zanpakuto Rebellion + Beast Swords Arc) — Filler about Zanpakuto spirits gaining physical form. Interesting concept, not canon, skip it.
11. Episodes 266-316 (Arrancar: Decisive Battle) — The Fake Karakura Town arc. Captain battles, Bankai reveals, and Aizen’s ultimate confrontation. Essential viewing—some of the best content in all of shonen.
12. Episodes 317-342 — SKIP (Gotei 13 Invading Army Arc) — Filler involving Reigai copies of Captains.
13. Episodes 343-366 (The Lost Agent Arc) — Canon Fullbringer arc. Controversial but important for Ichigo’s character development. Sets up threads paid off in TYBW.
14. Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War (2022-ongoing) — The final arc, finally animated by Studio Pierrot with dramatically improved production values. Watch all available parts—this is Bleach at its peak.
Total Runtime Breakdown
Canon-only viewing: approximately 200-220 episodes (depending on minor filler skips) plus ongoing TYBW seasons. Full series including filler: 366 episodes plus movies plus TYBW.
The difference between canon-only and complete viewing is roughly 150 episodes—almost a third of the series is filler. For first-time viewers, canon-only is strongly recommended. Filler can be revisited after finishing the main story if you want more content.
The Movies: Where They Fit
Bleach: Memories of Nobody (2006) — Watch after Soul Society arc. Features original character Senna and a standalone Valley of Screams storyline. Non-canon but enjoyable.
Bleach: The DiamondDust Rebellion (2007) — Watch after Arrancar introduction. Focuses on Hitsugaya with an original storyline. Higher quality than many Bleach movies.
Bleach: Fade to Black (2008) — Watch after Hueco Mundo begins. Rukia-focused movie with strong emotional beats. Often considered the best Bleach film.
Bleach: Hell Verse (2010) — Watch after main series. Features Hell’s denizens and Ichigo’s Hell form. Gets a recent one-shot manga continuation making it partially canon.
Movies aren’t required viewing but provide additional content for fans wanting more. Hell Verse’s recent manga connection makes it the most relevant film moving forward.
Why TYBW Changes Everything
Thousand-Year Blood War’s anime adaptation represents Bleach’s redemption arc. Studio Pierrot allocated serious resources: consistent animation quality, expanded fight choreography, and pacing that improves on the manga. The original series’ production issues—declining animation, excessive padding—are corrected entirely.
TYBW also expands content. Tite Kubo provided additional material for the anime, filling gaps the rushed manga ending left open. Fight scenes receive extensions, character moments get added depth, and previously off-screen battles are shown in full. The anime is definitively the superior TYBW experience.
Starting Points for Different Viewers
Anime Newcomers: Start from Episode 1. Bleach’s early episodes are accessible and establish the world methodically. The Soul Society arc (starting around Episode 21) represents when the series truly hooks most viewers.
Manga Readers: Consider starting with TYBW directly if you’ve read everything. The earlier arcs’ adaptation, while good, doesn’t add significant new content like TYBW does.
Returning Viewers: If you dropped Bleach due to filler, jump back in at Episode 266 for the Fake Karakura Town climax, or Episode 343 for Fullbring, or directly to TYBW.
The Filler Problem: Context
Bleach’s excessive filler resulted from the anime catching up to the manga repeatedly. Rather than seasonal breaks (like modern anime use), Bleach inserted original arcs to maintain year-round broadcasting. This business decision created the padding issues that hurt the series’ reputation.
Modern viewers benefit from hindsight—we know exactly what to skip. Original broadcast viewers had to watch filler in real-time without knowing canon content would resume. Your viewing experience will be significantly better than theirs simply because you can skip intelligently.
Quick Reference: Episodes to Skip
Episodes 33, 50, 64-108 (optional flashback), 109, 128-137, 147-149, 168-169, 187-189, 190-205, 213-214, 227-265, 287, 298-299, 303-305, 311-316, 317-342.
Bookmark this list. Whenever you hit these episode numbers, skip ahead. Your Bleach experience will thank you.
Welcome to Bleach in 2026—the best time to experience Ichigo’s complete journey, from Substitute Soul Reaper to the final battle against Yhwach. Enjoy the ride.