Bleach is one of the most successful manga series of all time and continues to attract new fans! If you're one of those and want to know more, we'll explain the Bleach manga's current status, and whether the series is finished or ongoing.
Related: Where to Start the Bleach Manga After the Anime
Is the Bleach Manga Finished?
Yes, the Bleach manga is officially finished. The original series was brought to an end in 2016 after running in Weekly Shonen Jump for 15 years.
The total Bleach manga includes 74 tankobon volumes and over 686 chapters if you include half-chapters and other unmarked side stories.
The ending of Bleach was quite controversial, leaving a lot of points unanswered. It appears that the manga ended earlier than planned due to a combination of poor ratings and mangaka Tite Kubo’s health.
Is the Bleach Manga Ongoing or Coming Back?
While there are some rumours, the Bleach manga is unlikely to come back in the near future. That being said, the door has been left open for the manga to return one day.
There was some hope for a return to the hit manga in 2021 when a new Bleach one-shot was produced to celebrate the franchise’s 20th anniversary. The story ended with a cliffhanger and teaser for a new “No Breaths from Hell” arc of the story.
However, there has been no news about Bleach's potential return since that one shot was released.
Could Bleach's New Hell Arc Come Out Soon?
Some rumours suggest that a decision on whether to bring Bleach back with the 'Hell Arc' depended on the popularity of the anime's return in Thousand-Year Blood War, which premiered in 2022.
Thousand-Year Blood War, by most people's accounts, was a resounding success, becoming one of the most popular series of the Fall 2022 season despite being away for over 10 years.
Yet, there has been no news from Bleach or Tite Kubo regarding a potential return to the manga. For now, it appears any hopes of the manga returning remain quite slim, but not zero.
Tite Kubo is currently working intermittently on Burn the Witch, a manga set in the Bleach world. This means that there is more new Bleach content to enjoy for fans, even if it’s unattached to the characters we know and love.
Also, with Kubo still working in the Bleach universe, he may be more open to making a return to the main story in future.
For now, all we can do is enjoy the Bleach manga as-is and get hyped for the anime's conclusion!
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