--- title: "Bleach ends with episode 50, DEATH & STRAWBERRY, and fans want the 2016 manga ending fixed" description: "The finale of the Thousand-Year Blood War storyline arrives ten years after the original anime ended, and it changes the story fans know." url: https://tv-movies.skoop.news/bleach-popular-anime-series-officially-ends-as-fans-say-good--10-26/ published: 2026-10-27T05:16:41.028444-04:00 modified: 2026-10-27T05:16:41.028444-04:00 section: "TV & Movies" publisher: "skoop.news" language: en keywords: ["bleach", "Thousand-Year Blood War", "Department of Technical Development", "BLEACH Mirrors High", "DEATH & STRAWBERRY", "Studio Pierrot Films", "Hikaru Murata", "Bount", "Calamity", "Disney"] hashtags: ["#ThousandYearBloodWar", "#BLEACHMirrorsHigh", "#Series", "#movieclips", "#tvclips"] image: https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c9/A_movie_theater_concession_stand_in_Hiawassee%2C_Georgia.jpg/1280px-A_movie_theater_concession_stand_in_Hiawassee%2C_Georgia.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail --- # Bleach ends with episode 50, DEATH & STRAWBERRY, and fans want the 2016 manga ending fixed > The finale of the Thousand-Year Blood War storyline arrives ten years after the original anime ended, and it changes the story fans know. Published 2026-10-27 · TV & Movies, [skoop.news](https://skoop.news/) ## In brief - The original Bleach anime ran for 16 seasons between 2004 and 2012 and never caught up to the manga it was adapting, so fans waited a decade for an ending. [[1]](https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c8p3g73ep520o) - The final episode is episode 50, titled DEATH & STRAWBERRY, and it closes the fourth part, subtitled The Calamity. [[2]](https://ixbt.games/en/news/2026/10/26/final-kotorogo-fanaty-zdali-godami-predstavili-previu-zakliucitelnogo-epizoda-blic-tysiaceletniaia-krovavaia-voina-bedstvie.html) - Kubo's Bleach premiered in 2004, and the original anime first aired on TV Tokyo. [[3]](https://screenrant.com/bleach-most-underrated-action-series-ending/) ## A finale after a ten-year gap The original Bleach anime ran for 16 seasons between 2004 and 2012 and never caught up to the manga it was adapting, so fans waited a decade for an ending. [[1]](https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c8p3g73ep520o) If you have followed Ichigo Kurosaki, the orange-haired teenager who can see ghosts, that wait is nearly over. [[1]](https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c8p3g73ep520o) Bleach is based on a hit manga by Tite Kubo, and its animated finale is the conclusion of the series. [[1]](https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c8p3g73ep520o) Anticipation is especially high for the final episode of the Thousand-Year Blood War storyline. [[1]](https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c8p3g73ep520o) ## What the final episode holds The final episode is episode 50, titled DEATH & STRAWBERRY, and it closes the fourth part, subtitled The Calamity. [[2]](https://ixbt.games/en/news/2026/10/26/final-kotorogo-fanaty-zdali-godami-predstavili-previu-zakliucitelnogo-epizoda-blic-tysiaceletniaia-krovavaia-voina-bedstvie.html) It takes place ten years after the battle with Yhwach. [[2]](https://ixbt.games/en/news/2026/10/26/final-kotorogo-fanaty-zdali-godami-predstavili-previu-zakliucitelnogo-epizoda-blic-tysiaceletniaia-krovavaia-voina-bedstvie.html) On the day of the inauguration of a new captain, the Department of Technical Development detects an ominous spiritual pressure. [[2]](https://ixbt.games/en/news/2026/10/26/final-kotorogo-fanaty-zdali-godami-predstavili-previu-zakliucitelnogo-epizoda-blic-tysiaceletniaia-krovavaia-voina-bedstvie.html) The finale is expected to be a full circle back to Kubo's very first manga chapter. [[3]](https://screenrant.com/bleach-most-underrated-action-series-ending/) Studio Pierrot Films produces the anime, with Tomohisa Taguchi as chief director and Hikaru Murata directing the final part. [[2]](https://ixbt.games/en/news/2026/10/26/final-kotorogo-fanaty-zdali-godami-predstavili-previu-zakliucitelnogo-epizoda-blic-tysiaceletniaia-krovavaia-voina-bedstvie.html) The final cour began on July 25. [[3]](https://screenrant.com/bleach-most-underrated-action-series-ending/) ## How the show got here Kubo's Bleach premiered in 2004, and the original anime first aired on TV Tokyo. [[3]](https://screenrant.com/bleach-most-underrated-action-series-ending/) Bleach is regarded as one of the 'big three' manga in Japan, alongside One Piece and Naruto. [[1]](https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c8p3g73ep520o) For many years it was regarded as the commercially weakest of the three. [[3]](https://screenrant.com/bleach-most-underrated-action-series-ending/) The original anime also included the Bount arc, an anime-only filler season. [[3]](https://screenrant.com/bleach-most-underrated-action-series-ending/) Thousand-Year Blood War premiered in 2022, bringing Bleach back to screens after a ten-year hiatus. [[2]](https://ixbt.games/en/news/2026/10/26/final-kotorogo-fanaty-zdali-godami-predstavili-previu-zakliucitelnogo-epizoda-blic-tysiaceletniaia-krovavaia-voina-bedstvie.html) The arc has been split into four separate chapters, and the final run began in July. [[1]](https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c8p3g73ep520o) ## Why fans care about the ending The original manga ending was divisive and broadly unpopular with fans, and it was said to have been rushed because Kubo experienced health issues during its production. [[1]](https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c8p3g73ep520o) Many fans hope the final battle will fix the unpopular ending from 2016. [[1]](https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c8p3g73ep520o) Kubo and animation house Pierrot Films have made changes to the original storyline in the new adaptation. [[1]](https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c8p3g73ep520o) The anime gives the Sternritter extended interactions and flashbacks, while the manga introduces them hurriedly and dispatches them like forgettable extras. [[3]](https://screenrant.com/bleach-most-underrated-action-series-ending/) It also clarifies Uryu Ishida's defection to the Wandenreich with better context than the manga. [[3]](https://screenrant.com/bleach-most-underrated-action-series-ending/) ## The fans behind the numbers Ruby, 27, started reading Bleach at age nine and became friends with fellow fan Nicholas Thong, 30, through their shared passion. [[1]](https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c8p3g73ep520o) Nicholas says watching Bleach as a teenager helped him get through school, and he has a tattoo dedicated to the story. [[1]](https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c8p3g73ep520o) Itanna Alakija praises the show for treating black characters as normal people and says it is one of the few anime that represents black characters in a non-stereotypical way. [[1]](https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c8p3g73ep520o) Regardless of the final verdict on the ending, fans say Bleach will have a lasting legacy. [[1]](https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c8p3g73ep520o) ## What this means for you If you want to watch, Bleach is available to stream via Disney+ globally and on Hulu in the US. [[1]](https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c8p3g73ep520o) If you have only read the manga, the anime has changes to the original storyline to compare against the 2016 ending. [[1]](https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c8p3g73ep520o) If you want more after the finale, an official sequel is expected to follow the events of Thousand-Year Blood War as the mobile game BLEACH Mirrors High, set to launch later this year with pre-registrations now open. [[3]](https://screenrant.com/bleach-most-underrated-action-series-ending/) ## Sources 1. [Bleach: Popular anime series officially ends as fans say goodbye](https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c8p3g73ep520o) — bbc.com 2. [The Finale Fans Have Waited Years For: Preview of the Concluding Episode of "Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War - The Calamity" Revealed](https://ixbt.games/en/news/2026/10/26/final-kotorogo-fanaty-zdali-godami-predstavili-previu-zakliucitelnogo-epizoda-blic-tysiaceletniaia-krovavaia-voina-bedstvie.html) — ixbt.games 3. [The Most Underrated Action Series Of The Past 22 Years Officially Ends In 4 Days](https://screenrant.com/bleach-most-underrated-action-series-ending/) — screenrant.com Image: Photo (illustrative): Harrison Keely / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0 (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:A_movie_theater_concession_stand_in_Hiawassee,_Georgia.jpg) --- Written from the sources above and checked twice (rules and an independent model) before publishing. 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